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Anonsi
|
1349
| 1 |
Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Alternate Universe,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
TCB: Yellowstone: The Series
|
An allegedly good sequel series to Yellowstone. Features Humans, Ponies, and monster hunting.
|
cancelled
| 64 | 4 |
<p>Two months after the events of Yellowstone, Wild Magic from Equestria has run rampant throughout the rest of the world, resurrecting ancient horrors from around the globe. Mysterious and terrible monsters of myth threaten to exterminate both mankind and ponydom! With the blessing of Princess Celestia, Twilight and her friends reunite with Agent Hawk and his team to combat this new terror before it destroys the world!</p>
|
teen
|
2012-03-19T01:31:05+00:00
|
2012-03-19T01:31:05+00:00
| 2,993 |
Yellowstone:
The Series
By: Anonsi(It’s a working title)
Episode: Pilot
Heads Up! Part 1
____________________________________________________________________________
For ages, Equestria has existed separate from the rest of the world, protected by a magical barrier that kept it from being seen, touched, or reached by humans and their machines. But five years ago, the ponies of Equestria landed on the shores of human lands, and claimed to be there to save the earth, and humanity, from pollution, hate, and greed. To do this, the top human scientists and pony magicians created a potion to turn humans into ponies in places called, Conversion Bureaus. Within two years of its release, more than half the total human populace on Earth has converted. The balance of the world has been forever altered, as the remaining human nations form new governments for those that remain.
It has been two months since Twilight Sparkle returned from an expedition that took her deep into the western frontier. She and two human agents had escorted the first pony settlers into the abandoned human territories, and returned with a new understanding of the humans she had been for so long considered to be savage and brutal. She understood why so many humans wanted to be changed, but also why some needed to stay as they were. Because there was evil in the human world, and someone needed to stand up to it.
____________________________________________________________________________
Twilight Sparkle looked at the digital clock that came with her office at the New York Conversion Bureau with weary eyes. It was two-thirty in the morning and she was neck deep in paper work. As administrator, it was her job to oversee everything that happened in this facility, from ponifications to the lunch menus. A job she fully enjoyed doing a month ago, but now made her bored out of her skull.
Nearly two months had passed since she went to Yellowstone with the two human agents, Hawk and Zorro. Despite the bloodshed and death she had seen on this excursion, it had reminded Twilight of the days she had spent back in Ponyville, going on adventures with her friends. For two months she had been longing to get out of this office, and had asked Princess Celestia several times if her and her friends could be rotated back to Equestria, where maybe something exciting could happen.
For two months the Princess had said, “My dear Twilight Sparkle, you are head of the largest Bureau in the world, and only you can run it. As long as there is need of you here, I’m afraid that I must refuse your request.” Twilight had no choice but to accept her Princess’s decision. Celestia was a princess after all.
Twilight sighed through her nose and got out of her seat. She decided to handle this mess tomorrow. Using her magic, she turned off her new computer and then moved to the door. “I can’t believe I actually miss all that violence. I should be happy that the Princess trusts only me with this position. How many other unicorns can say that?” Twilight said quietly, trying desperately to convince herself that being here was better than being out in some desert with two crazy humans getting shot at or chased by wild dogs.
She moved into the darkened hallway that led from the offices to the main lobby, past the dormitories. Looking down the dormitory hallway, she let out another exasperated sigh. “More converts looking for a better life. Where oh where are we going to put them all?” She continued her walk to the lobby, exhaustion weighing heavy on her shoulders.
In the months since escorting a family of earth ponies to Yellowstone, many more pony families had been sent to the humans’ western territories, all of them making it there with no real problems other than the occasional attack from wild animals.
Twilight entered the main lobby, noting the receptionist, “Derpy” Ditzy Doo, sleeping behind her desk with her daughter Dinky wrapped up in pillows and blankets. Twilight gave a smile as she walked past the snoozing pair. There were plenty off rooms available, but the Bureau’s policy of never locking its doors had made the wall-eyed pegasus insist of keeping watch over the lobby. That kind of devotion was what Twilight liked about Ditzy. It reminded her of Hawk.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a faint screeching that came from outside, and it was getting louder by the second. Twilight dashed to the main doors with a confused look. She scanned the ground in front of the Bureau, seeing nothing but street lamps and long abandoned cars. The screeching was still getting louder, and seemed to be coming from above. Looking up Twilight saw what seemed to be a multicolored star coming right at her. It glowed with a familiar white light that made the unicorn’s eyes gleam with wonder.
Moments later, Princess Celestia made a hard landing on the asphalt parking lot, shaking the very ground. She looked as divine as ever, not a single sign that she was tired from her flight or that even a single hair of her wondrous mane was out of place. Several car alarms were blaring, but the Princess seemed too focused to care. Twilight stood dumbfounded, stuck in place behind the glass doors to the Bureau, weariness now completely forgotten.
Celestia moved to the doors with a purpose and opened them with a small flash of magic. “Twilight, my dearest pupil,” she said as she strode through the doorway, her voice sounding somewhat distressed, “there is a matter of great importance we must discuss.”
The Princess’s tone snapped Twilight out of her awestruck state. The small unicorn’s expression became one of concern as she nodded her compliance and stepped aside to let the majestic alicorn pass. As Celestia walked in, Twilight worriedly stated, “Of course Princess, we can use one of the empty lounges to-”
Celestia cut her off with a curt “Thank you,” and walked briskly towards the lounges, glancing for a moment towards the pair of curious faces peeking out from behind the desk. Twilight hung her head low, trying to think of what could be bothering Princess Celestia so.
The young mare followed her teacher, whose glimmering white body seemed to illuminate the dark hallways of the Bureau with a soft comforting glow, until at last they reached a comfortable looking lounge. The Princess went to the center of the room and sat down on her haunches, looking at Twilight with a mix of worry and determination.
“Princess,” started Twilight, closing the door behind her, “What’s going on? Has something happened?”
Celestia took in a deep breath and exhaled, preparing herself to deliver dire news. “Twilight, do you remember the day you saved my sister?”
Twilight nodded, “Yes, of course I do. It was my first day in Ponyville where I met my friends. I could never forget that.”
“Of course...of course. I am still grateful to you and your friends for rescuing my sister, but there may have been consequences from that day that neither of us could have seen.” She paused, gesturing for Twilight to sit down, who promptly hopped onto the closest couch. “When Nightmare Moon escaped from her lunar prison, I was not able to reinforce the barrier that kept Equestria separate from the rest of the world, as I have done for every Summer Sun Celebration, save for that one. The human President has informed me, that a small breach formed in the barrier that day, which allowed the pollution of the human lands to seep into Equestria…” Celestia lowered her head to the side, as if ashamed, “…and the magic of Equestria to seep out.”
Twilight blinked and repeated her mentor’s words in her head, trying to digest what this might mean. She gave a thoughtful smile to her divine teacher, “But isn’t that a good thing? Now we can share the magic that made Equestria prosperous with the humans and save the planet all the faster!”
Celestia returned her student’s smile with a shake of her head, “If only that were the case Twilight.” Standing up with a sorrowful expression, the Princess moved to Twilight and nuzzled the side of her student’s head. “Magic is fickle Twilight. Where it brings us prosperity and peace in Equestria, here in the human lands, it is wild and untamed. It is altering the natural order of their world, and making their very nightmares come to life.”
Twilight didn’t know how to take that last bit of information. Humans could be nightmares in and of themselves, and it frightened the young mare as to what humans would consider scary. Taking a gulp, Twilight returned the Princess’s tender nuzzle with one of her own, and weakly asked, “So this is our fault?”
“No Twilight,” the Princess responded quickly, her eyes starting to water, “No. It’s my fault. It’s my fault for what I did to my sister all those years ago, and now innocent lives are paying for my mistake.”
“Princess…” Twilight was trying to think of something to say to comfort the mare she had idolized since she was a filly, “…is there nothing we can do?”
At this, Celestia’s face brightened with a determined look, “Yes Twilight. The human President has already enacted a plan to combat this threat. He has assembled a team of his top agents to keep both humans and equestrians safe from harm.”
‘Top agents?’ thought Twilight, ‘Well, if Hawk and Zorro are on this team, then everything should be fine! They are the best after all!’ Her worried face melted into a calm smile, feeling sure that things were fine in the capable hands of the two agents who had protected her on her journey westward.
Noting Twilight’s smile, Celestia felt a twinge of guilt as she came to the point of her visit, “And you are going to be on that team Twilight, along with the other elements of harmony.”
Twilight’s smile disappeared in an instant when she heard those words. “What?” was all she could say to the Princess’s last order.
Celestia locked eyes with Twilight, an urgent tone fueling her voice, “You and your friends are going to help the humans fight back this tide of nightmares and protect both man and pony from harm.”
“But…” Twilight started, “…surely there are more qualified ponies to do this! Why us? We’re not soldiers!”
“Yes, I know Twilight,” Celestia said, giving the unicorn a pleading look, “but within you and your friends lies the power of the Elements of Harmony. You six wield the light that banished the dark magic of Nightmare Moon and restored my sister to her true form. You vanquished the chaos of Discord and brought peace back to all of Equestria. It has to be the six of you.”
Twilight was silent. There was a lot to consider here after all. This sounded extremely dangerous, and Twilight wasn’t prepared to lose even one of her friends. ‘Hawk will be there. He’ll protect us. Zorro too, and hay, probably Megan. What’s to worry about?’ Twilight had wanted to catch up with her old human guardian again, and her friends would be fine with it. Probably.
Twilight gave a resolute stare, and with as authoritative a voice she could muster said, “You can count on us Princess.”
With tears streaming from her eyes, and a large smile across her face, Celestia gave her student the biggest, warmest, and strongest hug Twilight had ever received from the Princess. “Thank you Twilight, I knew I could count on you. But please be safe. Please please please come back safe. I couldn’t bear to lose you.” Twilight felt awkward. Celestia never revealed this level of emotion around…anyone really. After a few more moments in the Princess’s warm, maternal embrace, Twilight’s weariness caught up with her and she fell asleep.
Celestia dearly wished to stay with her student, the closest thing she had had to a daughter of her own, but she remembered her duty. Placing Twilight in a comfortable spot on the couch, Celestia turned and left with a sigh. Leaving the lounge area, she moved back into the lobby, where a small crowd of human and pony residents stood in confusion and awe. Celestia ignored the murmurs and quiet questions the crowd made as she passed, and moved into the front parking lot.
The Princess gave a long glance back into the Bureau’s dark interior, and with only a sorry look, she flew out into the night.
* * *
In the morning, Twilight had assembled her friends in the front lobby. She told them exactly what Celestia had told her only hours before, and they had all spent the next hour preparing for what very well could be an extremely deadly jaunt out into human territory.
“Okay,” began Rainbow Dash, trying to take in what Twilight had just told her, “Explain this to me again. Why do we need to help? We’re just ponies! Aren’t humans good enough at killing each other that they don’t need us in a fight?”
Twilight gave her friend a flat look as she paced around the front lobby, “Because Dash, we ponies are the reason these new monsters are running loose. And in order to set things right, they might need the help of the Elements of Harmony.”
Applejack gave a small sigh “Well ah’m not one ta’ turn down some pony in need, but this sounds a might bit dangerous. An’ ah don’t know ‘bout the rest of y’all, but me and Rarity have family to consider. Are you sure these humans are as good as you say Twilight?” The farmer pony only faintly remembered the two human agents from the party two months ago, and thought the woman Megan, who she had had spent much time with over those months, didn’t seem the sort for violence.
Giving a nod and a smile to Applejack, Twilight confidently stated, “Yes I am Applejack. They are the best agents in the human president’s roster! I’m sure we’ll be absolutely fine.”
“Ooh!” exclaimed Rarity as inspiration struck her, “If we’re all on a team, I can design uniforms!” She began listing through possible designs and ideas as Megan entered the lobby with a rifle across her back and a rucksack slung over her shoulder. She wore her standard orange shirt with leather vest, and blue jeans with cowboy boots combo, with a red bow in her blond hair tying off a ponytail.
“Knowing those two, they wouldn’t wear them for more than an hour before they got wrecked Ms. Rarity,” said Megan, knowing all too well the recklessness of her past partners. Rarity gave a harrumph, but kept adding to a mental list of possible design choices.
The thrumming of helicopter blades could be heard, and everyone began to tense up, except Pinkie Pie, who started to bounce around with anticipation. Twilight however, had a slew of feelings churning in her stomach. There was worry about the whole mission and possibility of death, but there was also the excitement of seeing the two humans she owed her life to again.
Twilight looked at her friends, Rainbow, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Megan. Save for the woman, her friends had never been to the human lands, and even though Twilight had made it very clear to them that it was extremely dangerous, none of her friends even considered refusing to help. As the helicopter came into view, thoughts of her last venture out into the human world began to resurface in Twilight’s mind. Images of dark whirlwinds, dead dogs, and vile humans all flashed before her eyes.
“Heeeeeree it coooooomes!” called Pinkie.
In the parking lot, a large black helicopter began landing, sending wind and noise everywhere, until it touched down with its back facing the Bureau doors. A loading ramp lowered revealing the interior of the vehicle and three humans.
First out was the one called Zorro. He was a tanned man with smooth black hair and a well groomed moustache. He began walking down the loading ramp with a wide and charming smile. He wore only black, not in a way that seemed intimidating, but more stylish and loose. At his side hung a sword that Twilight remembered as both a graceful and deadly weapon.
Next to him walked a human Twilight had not seen before. He was shorter than Zorro, and looked much younger. He wore army-camo pants tucked into shiny black boots. Over his striped black and white t-shit, he wore a camouflage over shirt with the sleeves rolled up above his elbows. He had what appeared to be small axes attached to a belt on his waist, and a much larger axe strapped across his back.
On the opposite side of Zorro walked Hawk, a figure Twilight was all too familiar with. He had a long brown duster coat with matching wide brim hat. Under that he had a buttoned up flannel shirt and blue jeans, which covered his hard leather boots. At his hip were a familiar revolver and bowie knife.
It was Twilight who dashed out of the doors first, unable to hold back any longer, “HAWK! ZORRO!” she called with the utmost joy.
Zorro’s sultry voice returned her call, “My niña! It has been far too long!” He bent down and gave the unicorn a big hug. Twilight noted that he smelled like lilacs and mint, a not at all displeasing scent.
After being released from the hug Twilight looked to Hawk, who knelt down and looked at her in the eyes, “Hey Sprinkles, how’s your two months of R&R been? You haven’t been pushing too many pencils have you?”
“All I do is push pencils all day long, and I’ve gotten quite good at it,” giggled Twilight.
The two men gave a chortle, as Hawk stood up and gestured to the unknown human, “Anyway, this here is Dimitri. He’s going to be lending his guns and axes to the team.”
Twilight gave a small bow to Dimitri, who returned with a pleasant, “Здравствуйте Небольшое Пони.” The unicorn furrowed her brow and gazed up at Dimitri, who just beamed a friendly smile at her. Twilight turned to Hawk, a confused look across her face.
Hawk sighed, “That’s Russian for hello.”
By now, the others had caught up to Twilight, and Megan was already walking up the ramp, followed closely by Applejack. Hawk looked over the other ponies present, seeming to recall a few of them. “I’m going to guess you all know why you’re here, so I’ll skip that part and get right to the briefing.” All the ponies gave him their complete attention and leaned forward expectantly.
“We are going to a town called Sleepy Hollow to combat the Headless Horseman, an undead creatu-”
“A ‘Headless’ horse man?” interrupted Dash, “What’s so scary about that? It’s not like he can see us right? I mean it doesn’t have a head!”
Zorro piped in, “That didn’t stop him from decapitating two ponified tourists and a lost hiker, and then taking their heads back to his lair.” The ponies exchanged queasy glances, as Rarity rubbed a hoof on her neck. Dash looked very interested however.
Hawk continued, “Let’s hope we can avoid getting the same treatment. According to our information, the Horseman only rides at night, so we’ll spend today in transit and preparation for taking him down. Let’s get to it.” Hawk put a hand on Zorro’s shoulder, “Alright Z, you and Dimitri show the wee horses to their stables and get them strapped in.”
Zorro gave a smirk and nodded, “Alright, come on my little ponies, walk up the ramp and me and Dimitri will get you all settled.”
“Did he just call us horses?” asked Rarity as she passed by Twilight, to which the violet unicorn could only roll her eyes and nod. Rarity continued up the ramp with a face of mild annoyance. Twilight walked into the cargo hold of the helicopter and found that there had been modifications to it since last time she rode in it. The straps and seats now made it easier to accommodate ponies, a fact that Twilight found somewhat flattering, and there seemed to be a bit more space to walk around..
Hawk walked to the cockpit of vehicle, said a few quick words to whoever the pilot was, and then took the seat next to Twilight. “Here we go again,” he said smiling at Twilight.
“Yeah,” replied Twilight, sounding a little nervous, “except this time you’re up against headless swordsmen.”
“We are,” corrected Hawk, “and we are going to be just fine. It’s just that we’ll have to think a bit more on how to kill stuff, but that’s why we got a smart pony like you.”
Twilight couldn’t help but blush at the complement before the Helicopter took off with six ponies and five humans, lifting into the clear blue sky.
Continued in Heads Up! Part 2
Oh those crazy Pilot episodes,
]Always being two parts
Hopefully any future episodes will be one
Until we get to Dracula of course.
|
Anonsi
|
1349
| 2 |
Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Alternate Universe,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
TCB: Yellowstone: The Series
|
An allegedly good sequel series to Yellowstone. Features Humans, Ponies, and monster hunting.
|
cancelled
| 64 | 4 |
<p>Two months after the events of Yellowstone, Wild Magic from Equestria has run rampant throughout the rest of the world, resurrecting ancient horrors from around the globe. Mysterious and terrible monsters of myth threaten to exterminate both mankind and ponydom! With the blessing of Princess Celestia, Twilight and her friends reunite with Agent Hawk and his team to combat this new terror before it destroys the world!</p>
|
teen
|
2011-10-16T17:35:26+00:00
|
2011-10-16T17:35:26+00:00
| 2,202 |
Yellowstone:
The Series
By: Anonsi(You are now reading this as Morgan Freeman)
Episode 2 : Heads Up!
Part 2
The thrumming of helicopter blades was rhythmic, calming, and combined with her research, Twilight almost fell asleep. ‘Well the seat isn’t the comfiest in the world, but if I need a pillow, Hawk’s lap is right there,’ she mused to herself. Realizing what she just thought, she shook her head until the thought was gone. Twilight didn’t want to get too comfortable around Hawk. He was a human agent after all, and had made a living off killing other humans.
“You alright Twilight?” Hawk asked as the unicorn finished shaking her head.
“What? Oh! N-no I’m fine. It’s just the noise this thing makes is kinda hypnotic is all.” Twilight gave a quick smile before burying her nose into the book she was reading, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." If she and her friends were going to fight this monster, it would help knowing where it came from. Fortunately she was almost done with the rather odd story.
Hawk rolled his eyes, noticing a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane was watching him. Intently. After an awkward staring contest, with neither of them blinking, the winged pony finally spoke, “So. Agent Hawk. Remember me?”
Hawk scanned his memory and drew up a blank. One would think he would remember a pony that looked like this. “Uhhhhh…” he started, unsure what to say.
She frowned, “Rainbow Dash? We met at Twilight’s homecoming party two months ago when you brought her back? I won the Best Young Fliers Competition?” Hawk gave a weak shrug. Rainbow Dash threw her hooves into the air, “Oh come on! I remembered, like, everything about you!”
Twilight stifled a giggle at the exchange, as Hawk continued to not remember her spectrum colored friend. Finally Rainbow gave a shrug of her own and smiled at the human, “Whatever. I guess I just get to tell you all about it again!” Hawk took a deep breath and sighed through his nose.
Twilight finished reading, and closed the book. She shut her eyes and began to sift through what she had just read. The book itself revolved around the legend of a human warrior that had his head blown off by a cannon, and would ride to the site of the battle in search of his head, taking anyone else's along the way. The troubling thing about the story was that the characters in the book never defeated the horseman. In fact, the ghost only showed up on the last page, as some comeuppance for the book’s villain.
Twilight looked around the helicopter’s cargo bay. Rainbow Dash was in the middle of telling Hawk another story that revolved around her. Twilight saw Hawk’s thousand yard stare and gave a smirk.
She looked beyond and saw Zorro chatting it up and laughing with Rarity, Dimitri, and Pinkie Pie. All of them seemed to be having fun, and Rarity seemed very susceptible to the human’s compliments and smooth talking.
Applejack was unsurprisingly leaning against Megan as the two talked quietly about something Twilight couldn’t hear. Those two had become almost inseparable during the last two months. It was like they already knew each other or something, but Twilight didn’t like to think there was anything odd about it. A friend is a friend after all.
A woman’s voiced blared over the intercom interrupting the other conversations, “Okay ladies, we’ll be touching down in five or so minutes. I think there’s a good landing zone where we can set up camp near enough to the target location. I’ve signaled our contact to meet us there.”
The humans all stood up, Hawk wearing a rather relieved expression, and began making sure all cargo and ponies were safely strapped in. From what Twilight knew, landing could be a little rough. Hawk went over to Twilight first and asked, “So Twilight, did your research provide anything?”
Twilight noticed how gentle he was being when he tightened the straps. Or was she just imagining it? Blinking the strange thoughts to the back of her mind, she composed herself and replied, “Only that the horseman is a ghost, and according to other human and equestrian texts, ghosts can’t be killed.”
“True,” responded Hawk tightening the last strap and giving Twilight a soft pat on her side, “but we humans have ways of dispelling them.” He looked off to the side, “Well, allegedly anyway. We never really had a chance to see if they work before.” He stood and went off to help Dash with her straps.
‘It seems humans have a way to kill anything. Even if it's already dead,’ mused Twilight, letting the residual feeling of Hawk’s hand sink into her skin.
The helicopter touched down about fifty meters from the tree line of the New York State Woodland Preserve. The loading bay doors opened on the transport, and the eleven passengers disembarked, Hawk leading the way.
Immediately taking to the air, Rainbow Dash began to circle their landing zone with a pleased expression. “Feels good to stretch the wings after a long ride, right Fluttershy?”
“Um…yeah,” replied the meek yellow pegasus as she stretched out her legs and gave a dainty little yawn.
Zorro came down the ramp carrying both his and Rarity’s luggage. Rarity seemed rather taken with the gesture, as her hunt for the perfect stallion hadn’t gotten far. “You are such a gentlecolt Zorro!” she said before blushing, “I mean gentleman of course! Oh how silly of me!” Zorro chuckled and gave Rarity a suave smile, turning her to a deeper shade of red.
Once everyone was out of the helicopter’s cargo bay, Hawk turned to them all with a stern look, “OK, here’s where we are setting up base camp. I’m going to need Dimitri, Megan, Pinkie, Rarity, and Applejack to help me unload supplies and set up shop.” Those he selected nodded and moved back into the bay to extract the needed materials. “Fluttershy, and…uhhh…Rainbow! Right, you two are going to go scout the area. If you see anyone else here come tell me, or if anything odd catches your eye. It might be important so come tell me.”
Dash rolled her eyes, “Right, like hunting headless ghosts in human lands isn’t odd enough.” Both pegasi flew off together as Hawk moved to go help unload, but he found himself blocked by Twilight.
“What can I do?” she asked, eager to be of some help.
Hawk pointed at the pilot of the helicopter, who was currently extracting herself from the cockpit, “You are going to go with Captain Barnes to meet our contact and see what he knows.”
The pilot reached Twilight as Hawk disappeared into the cargo bay. She had unzipped her dark green jumpsuit on the way over revealing a gray Air Force tank-top. She wore large sunglasses that covered her eyes, and at her hip was a pistol with the markings ‘Colt Combat Commander’ on its side. The sandy blond haired woman walked past Twilight with a curt, “Come on, our guy is already waiting.”
Twilight got the feeling that Captain Barnes wasn’t going to be as friendly as other humans she had come to know. But regardless, she followed the woman closely. ‘Who knows?’ thought Twilight, ‘maybe she’s just acting tough for her first impression?’
When the pair reached the tree line, Barnes stopped without a word or warning, and Twilight was barely able to stop herself from bumping into her. Twilight peered out from behind Barnes, seeing the cause for the sudden halt. A stocky man, wearing the apparently ever popular open over-shirt, t-shirt, jeans with wide brim hat combo, stood in their path. He had a long shovel lying across his shoulders.
“Mr. Keller?” asked Barnes.
“Aye,” he replied, his eyes darting between Barnes and Twilight.
Barnes walked up to him and extended her hand, “We’re with the Agency. Tell us what you know.” Twilight noticed a certain coldness in the woman’s voice that put the little unicorn at unease. With a nod Mr. Keller gestured to two tree stumps and bid Twilight and Barnes to sit. Then he started to tell them about the horseman.
***
It was a short time until nightfall, and Twilight and her friends were growing restless. Hawk and the others had set up base camp, which consisted of a series of tables, generators, computers, radios, and a black tarp as a canopy above them. Going by the information Mr. Keller had provided, the team had laid, to quote Hawk, “Anti-Ghost” traps along the horseman’s route. All that was left to do was wait.
“Can we please do something?” moaned Rainbow as she tossed and turned on the ground at Hawk’s feet, bored out of her skull. “I can go scout again! I just need to do something!”
Hawk didn’t even look up from his revolver maintenance, “Can you see in the dark?”
“No, but I don’t need to. There’s a full moon out tonight, and it’ll be plenty bright!”
At this, he gave out a sigh, “Fine. Go then. We’ll put up a spot light so you can find your way back. If you see the horseman, come and tell us.”
Dash flared out her wings, “Awesome.” She took off at ludicrous speeds that nearly took the man’s hat off. Hawk just gave a bit of a chuckle.
As he finished his gun maintenance he stood up and loaded cold iron bullets into the chambers, closing it with a spin. “Okay, it’s about time to get into positions!” he called to the rest, who were all doing something to pass the time. Without hesitation, the other humans and the remaining ponies got up from their tasks and stood at attention.
“Right,” started Hawk, “According to Mr. Keller, the horseman starts his journey riding through the town proper, then he takes the western road through the forest to the site of the battle, where he then wanders looking for his head. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Dimitri, you three are taking the first position in the town church. Rarity, Applejack, and Megan, you’ll be taking the west road in the forest. Myself, Zorro, and Twilight will be at the alleged site of the battle if the horseman gets past the traps. Barnes will stay here with Rainbow Dash and keep us informed of what’s going on. Everyone clear on their jobs?”
Those assembled either saluted or gave a cheer.
“Good, then let’s get to it.”
The distant voice of Rainbow Dash was then heard by all of them as she flew closer with blinding speed. “Hawk! HAAAWK! We have a big problem!” She made a hard landing, but managed to give a salute with her forehoof, “There’s a crummy looking bus in the town and a bunch of humans and ponies are moving into the inn!”
Hawk furrowed his brow. “Dimitri,” he said, “When you get to town, convince those people to leave immediately. If they won’t go, knock out the guy in charge and move the civilians into the church. They should be safe there.” With that Hawk holstered his revolver, “We don’t time to waste agents. Let’s get a move on.”
Everyone gave a salute and started either jogging or trotting off to their positions. Rainbow Dash tried to bolt after Hawk, but found her tail caught by Barnes. “You’re with me kid,” she said, her tone calm and authoritative. Dash gave out a disappointed moan.
***
“And they did the mash! They did the monster mash!” sang Pinkie Pie as she bounded through the forest.
“The monster mash! It vas a graveyard smash!” Dimitri sang the next part from her left.
“The…um…monster mash! It…it caught on in a flash!” Fluttershy squeaked out from behind the other two. It was in a tone that implied she was trying to enjoy herself, but she was just a bit distracted by the dark and foreboding forest and the possibility of her or her friends being decapitated tonight.
Pinkie started giggling like a school filly at Fluttershy’s attempt, which caused her to snort that made Dimitri burst out laughing. The meek pegasus blushed before suddenly coming to a halt. The trio had arrived at the town. The buildings of the town were more than run-down, and just looking at them gave Fluttershy chills. It didn’t help that nothing seemed to grow near the edge of the town. No trees, flowers, or even grass. To add to the uncomfortable atmosphere, not a single bird or cricket could be heard, a fact that greatly disturbed the timid pegasus.
On the main street of the town, parked in front of a very large building, was the undeniably crummy looking bus Rainbow Dash had described. Its paint was either dirty or rusting off, and on top of it all, there was a billboard on the side that read:
“Davey Newman’s Headless Horseman Tours!
Meet the ghostly menace!
100% SAFE! Only $25 per customer!
No Refunds.”
“Сукин сын,” Dimitri grumbled. “Let us get this over with.”
Pinkie bounced next to him, “Hey Dimitri!” she giggled, “What were those funny words you just said?”
“Nothing you need to know.” Dimitri wiped the smile off of his face and unlatched one of his tomahawks. “Come, let us conwerse vith the head of this group.”
Pinkie and Fluttershy exchanged glances. Pinkie’s face had an optimistic smile on it that could melt the frown off a sour puss in ten seconds flat. Fluttershy had a face of concern however, as she was worried things would get violent.
There was a large group of tourists, both humans and ponies, most milling around the entrance of the inn while others extracting their luggage from the bus. The man in charge, Davey Newman probably, was not hard to spot, as he was the one with the megaphone. He was short, pudgy without being grotesquely round, had a large bald spot on his head, and just kind of looked like a sleaze. His Hawaiian shirt was bright green with pink flowers, and Pinkie Pie would have loved it, were it not for the dark stains under the man’s armpits that looked like they had been there a while.
“OKAY FOLKS! RIGHT THIS WAY! WELCOME TO SLEEPY HOLLOW! TOLD YOU WE’D GET HERE DIDN’T I? AND AIN’T IT A LOVELY LITTLE BURG?” Davey walked to the door of the inn and tried to open it, but found it stuck. “Heh, just a little misunderstanding ‘tween me an’ the door folks! Don’t you worry none!” He rammed the door with his shoulder, dislodging it from its hinges and sending it loudly crashing to the floor of the inn. “Oh…uhhh…I’ll fix that right up while all of you get comfy! COME ONE COME ALL! LET’S GET READY TO SEE THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN!”
By now, Dimitri had moved through the crowd and had gotten close to Mr. Newman. With barely any effort he seized the megaphone from the sleazy man. Without hesitation Dimitri spoke into it, “THERE IS BEING A CHANGE OF PLANS. EWERYONE GET BACK ONTO THE WEHICLE. THIS AREA IS OFF-LIMITS TO CIWILLIANS BY ORDER OF THE PRESIDENT.”
There was a bit of an outcry from the crowd, and Davey grabbed the megaphone from Dimitri, who only released it because he didn’t need it anymore. “Hey! Who the hell do you think you are!”
With a curt bow, Dimitri faced Mr. Newman, “I am Dimitri Augustus Romanov the IV, Agent for the President of the United States, and you Mr. Newman,” Dimitri towered over the man, “Have exactly three minutes to get these people as far avay from here as possible.”
Davey regarded Dimitri with scorn, “I don’t care who you are comrade cock-sucker! These people paid me good money to see the Headless Horseman up close and I’m gonna give it to them!”
Many of the ponies in the group, and some of the humans, scrunched up their faces at Mr. Newman’s outburst, but the majority of the ponies, including Pinkie and Fluttershy’s, looked rather confused. Dimitri however, glared into the man’s eyes, growling, “Вы - глупое, грязный, жирный, побочный, и если Вы будете говорить это снова, то я убью Вас.” Nobody knew what he just said, but it did not sound friendly.
Seeing violence on the horizon, Fluttershy flew in between the two men, quietly clearing her throat, “Um, excuse me Mr. Newman?”
Davey looked at her, his glare still stuck on his face, “Yeah what do you want?”
His harsh tone made Fluttershy flinch, but she continued, “C-could you please go? I-it’s just that, I mean…it isn’t safe.” She gave Mr. Newman one of her pleading looks, her large sweet eyes glistening with could easily turn into tears.
Mr. Newman gave her and Dimitri a sneer, “Like hell it isn’t! The guy doesn’t have a head! He can’t see, hear, smell, or even taste us for Christ’s sakes. All me and these good people are going to do is stand in this here hotel, take some pictures as he rides by, and then get some shut eye. As the sign says, one hundred percent safe!”
“Yeah, and a hundred and one percent dumb!” Pinkie called back. “He’s got Ghost Sight silly head!”
Everyone turned to face the pink pony, who wore a stern look on her face. Fluttershy knew she only wore this particular expression when the pink pony meant business. Mr. Newman shot her a scowl however, saying, “What did you just say you little-!”
Whatever he was going to say was interrupted by the painfully loud whinny of a horse. All heads turned and looked down the dark road. An eerie red light glowed from what seemed to be nothing, and from the very air around the glow came a circular portal made of fire. From the portal galloped a frightening black stallion, with eyes that glowed like hot coals. On its back rode what appeared to be a man, wearing a leather and cloth cuirass engraved with the emblem of a Hessian commander, wielding a large sword above him. His clothes were as warped and terrible as his horse and behind him flowed a dark and tattered cape. The only thing he was missing was a head.
But fortunately for him, there was a whole busload of heads right there, so he dug his spurs into the sides of his cursed steed, and charged the crowd.
Continued in Heads Up! Part 3!
I know I promised action in this part,
but I didn’t have enough disposable characters.
Oh hey look! A whole bus of nameless people!
I promise that in the next part, Heads Will Roll!
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Anonsi
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1349
| 3 |
Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Alternate Universe,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
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TCB: Yellowstone: The Series
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An allegedly good sequel series to Yellowstone. Features Humans, Ponies, and monster hunting.
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cancelled
| 64 | 4 |
<p>Two months after the events of Yellowstone, Wild Magic from Equestria has run rampant throughout the rest of the world, resurrecting ancient horrors from around the globe. Mysterious and terrible monsters of myth threaten to exterminate both mankind and ponydom! With the blessing of Princess Celestia, Twilight and her friends reunite with Agent Hawk and his team to combat this new terror before it destroys the world!</p>
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teen
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2012-04-02T21:45:12+00:00
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2012-04-02T21:45:12+00:00
| 2,877 |
Yellowstone:
The Series
By: Anonsi(Kids like decapitations right?)
Episode 1: Heads Up!
Part 3
The first sound from the crowd was a scream, which seemed to awaken every man, woman, child, colt, filly, and foal from their stupor. Davey had to elbow a kid in the face in order to get into his bus, but he was too panicked to care. He took the driver’s position and locked the door before anyone ever realized he started the engine.
The Horseman drew closer, an ethereal voice cackling madly as the phantom figure drew a long sword from its side. Half of the crowd simply ran into the inn or in any direction away from the Horseman. Pegasi took flight immediately, mothers grabbed their children and looked for someplace to hide, some humans and ponies beat on the side of the bus with their hands, or hooves, pleading to be let in.
In the confusion, Dimitri had lost track of his two pony escorts and worked frantically to maneuver through the crowd towards the church. Managing to draw his walkie-talkie he pressed red button, screaming into the receiver, “MAYDAY MAYDAY! BARNES, VE HAVE PROBLEM!”
The voice of Captain Barnes crackled through the device, “I hear it Dimitri, sending help now.”
Dimitri had broken free of the crowd, allowing him to pull out his shotgun. From what he saw before facing the oncoming horror, three people had reached the church courtyard: a green colt and a pink mare, as well as a man in a plaid button up shirt. Dimitri cocked the shotgun and took aim. But it was too late, the Horseman had moved behind the bus and into the crowd.
***
Pinkie had nearly been trampled by the mass of frightened people but was able to crawl under the bus before she got hurt. Looking out from her hiding spot at all the panicked feet and hooves dashing madly about, all she could think to do was shut her eyes and remember what her granny had told her so long ago.
‘I don’t think any amount of laughter is going to help here.’
***
When Fluttershy had seen the Horseman appear atop his Hell Horse, her body locked down from fear and paralyzed her. She saw death approaching her and she couldn’t even whimper. In the mass of panic and screams, she hardly noticed as she felt arms encircle her. A woman had picked her up and ran into the open inn. Once she lost sight of the Horseman, Fluttershy snapped out of her trance and took the opportunity to start crying hysterically. The woman carrying her dove behind a dusty old bar, holding the pegasus close while also putting a hand over Fluttershy’s mouth.
***
The Horseman had reached the stragglers of the crowd, a collection of humans and ponies that had either fallen behind or tried to gain entry into the bus. The Hell Horse collided with a light pink mare and trampled over her, as the Horseman slid the edge of his sword across the side of the bus at neck level. The sound of metal on metal caused Pinkie to cover her ears, but she was unable to shut her eyes.
As the pair of legs in front of her gave out and a decapitated body dropped to the ground, the victim’s head hit the earth in front of the pink pony’s nose. The man’s face was frozen in horror and staring right at Pinkie. She put a hoof over her mouth and quickly looked away, trying very hard not to scream.
‘As long as I stay under the bus it can’t get me, as long as I stay under the bus I’m safe.’ Pinkie looked out into the street and counted two more headless bodies, one human and one pegasus. The light pink mare from before wasn’t moving either. ‘But what about them? They need help! They aren’t safe!’ Pinkie summoned courage from parts unknown and began to crawl out from under the bus, avoiding the severed head.
When she was halfway out from under the bus’s wheels began to roll towards her. With physically impossible amounts of dexterity, she scrunched up her spine like an inchworm resulting in her being completely removed from under the bus. As the vehicle’s wheels passed by her, she reset herself back to her previous length and took in the carnage before her.
Amidst all the screaming and shouting, there was the Horseman’s wicked laughter that seemed to come from the air itself. Honks from the bus’s horn blared out as Pinkie saw a gray stallion get hit by the fleeing bus and his body disappeared underneath of it. The Horseman continued down the street after the many fleeing people, his malicious laughter echoing off the dark buildings.
“YOU THERE!” a voice came out from above. The voice came from an orange pegasus with a curly mane, who landed next to Pinkie and helped her to stand up. “What are you doing?! We need to get out of here!”
Pinkie was still in a mild stage of shock, and gazed at the orange Pegasus with a confused look.
He shook her with his two front hooves, “Come on, you need to get inside the inn where it’s safe!”
Pinkie snapped back to reality, “No!” she said, “Not the inn! We need to get to the church. We need to get everypony to the church! That was the plan and we’re sticking to it!” She ran off after those the Horseman wasn’t pursuing, screaming “TO THE CHURCH EVERYPONY!”
The orange pegasus gave a concerned look as she ran off, but it passed quickly as he took off into the air to help spread the word. He had to do something after all.
***
The Horseman had so far beheaded four humans and two ponies in his rampage, and had trampled over three more unfortunate souls. The crowd was making it hard to get a clear shot, so Dimitri had opted to run to the middle of the street instead of continue to the church. The Horseman began to circle back as he reached the edge of the town, obviously not wanting to bother with long chases when easy prey was hiding so close by.
Dimitri would not be easy prey, and leveled the barrel of his shotgun at the oncoming monster. “This is how ve say hello in Russia.” There was a loud "BOOM!" as Dimitri pulled down on the trigger. The Hell Horse’s left front leg exploded sending both horse and rider hurtling to the ground in a heap. “Hello.”
The Horseman extracted himself from the ruins of his mount and stood, green fire seeping from cuts along his form. The Horseman’s grip on his sword tightened and he began to approach Dimitri, the cuts and gashes vanishing with every step. Dimitri unloaded a shell directly into the Horseman’s chest which blew out the other side of the undead horror with a large gout of green flame. The resulting hole looked like a furnace, and left the Horseman momentarily stunned.
“How do you like a stomach full of pure salt comrade?” Dimitri said. Despite the gruesome scene he couldn’t help but smile. A smile that quickly faded as the hole in the Horseman’s chest closed completely, leaving no sign that it was ever there in the first place. “Oh трахнитесь.”
Dimitri noticed the Hell Horse was also standing up on all four of its legs. The Horseman resumed advancing on Dimitri, the ethereal laughter echoing louder than ever. But behind the ghastly pair was a pink pony leading a group of five or so survivors into the church. And behind them was an oncoming car driven by Barnes with a rainbow colored pegasus riding shotgun.
“And this is how ve say goodbye in Russia.” Dimitri bolted for the church.
“HEY BRAINLESS!” shouted Dash from the front seat. The Horseman and his steed turned to look at the approaching vehicle and were rewarded by being struck with the front of Mr. Keller’s jeep. Both horse and rider were sent flying through the air and hit the ground hard, several limbs turning at odd angles as they rolled to a stop. “HELL YEAH! THAT WAS SO AWESOME!” Dash exclaimed, pumping a hoof in the air.
Barnes wasted no time in rolling the car onto the Horseman’s still reforming body. Once she was sure the Horseman was stuck, she got out and drew her pistol. The Hell Horse had finished repairing itself and reared onto its hind legs, ready to defend its master. Barnes put a round of cold iron into its skull, dropping it for the time being.
“Wooow…” said Dash from her seat.
Barnes turned to Dash, “Church. Now.”
“But…” Dash was about to argue, but Barnes’ tone and subsequent stare did much to stifle the thought. “Yes ma’am.”
Barnes ran to the inn, and inside found five more survivors all huddling together behind the bar. “Time to move. Run to the church as fast as you can. Move now.”
Fluttershy and the woman she was clinging to this entire time finally released each other and ran out the door with the others. Outside, the Hell Horse was up again and was bucking the side of the jeep in order to knock it off of its master. Barnes gave it another round to the head, causing the fell steed to crumple to the ground.
Fluttershy clenched her eyes shut and repeated, “Oh my goodness!” as she ran full speed to the churchyard.
Dimitri was waiting by the door to the building and motioned for the fleeing survivors to hurry up. One by one they all entered through the church doors, with Barnes bringing up the rear. The wayward pegasi, lead by an orange one, descended from the sky to the church door and landed inside, many of them exhaling in relief. Together, Barnes and Dimitri slammed the door shut and took positions at the windows that faced out into the street.
There were eleven survivors, not counting Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash. Nine were ponies: four mares, two fillies, and three colts. The last two were a woman with blue hair that was busy giving the orange pegasus a hug, and an older man with an old flight jacket. All of them stood huddled together in the center of the room, some nuzzling closer together than others.
“So much fer a hundred percent safe,” said the old man. His comment gained him a roomful of disgusted looks.
The blue haired woman gave him a dryer look than the others, “Maybe you should ask tall dark and headless out there for a refund.”
A blue and yellow colored mare, who was nuzzling close to a purple and gold filly, stomped her hoof and looked at them both with large tear filled eyes. “Ponies and humans are dead out there and you’re making jokes?! I heard humans were monsters but I never believed tha-” A loud crash came from outside, as the Hell Horse took up removing the jeep from atop its master again.
Dash hovered behind Barnes, “So it can’t get us in here, right?”
Barnes remained silent and continued looking intently outside.
“Right?” repeated Dash, looking a bit worried.
The jeep finally gave way and was bucked off of the Horseman’s back. He stood up, and seeing no living victims within reach, he took a sack off of his horse and walked into the carnage of his previous rampage.
Pinkie trotted next to Dimitri and squeezed her head next to his. “What’s it doing now? Is it leaving?”
Dimtri gently pushed her away from his face and then turned to face her. His voice was shaky as he spoke, “He is collecting the heads.”
One by one, the Horseman went to each of the corpses that littered the streets and placed the victim’s severed head into his sack, regardless of whether it was pony or human. After removing the heads from those that were trampled, or hit by the tour bus, the Horseman mounted his ghostly steed. The Hell Horse reared up and released a painfully loud whinny, then galloped off down the road leaving the survivors with the last echoes of the Horseman’s vile laughter.
***
“So he’s coming here now?” asked Rarity, who was finding it difficult to get comfortable. Tree branches made awful seats.
“Yep,” replied Applejack.
Rarity kept fidgeting, “So why are we still here? Shouldn’t we leave?”
Megan gave Rarity a look, “We need to stay to see if the traps work and alert Hawk if they don’t. As for you safety,” Megan looked down at the ground from her perch in the tree, noting it was a good fifty feet down, “We should be far enough away from the road so he won’t care about us, and if not...well let’s just hope he can’t climb trees.” Megan gave a smile to the unicorn, who merely looked more uneasy.
“An’ stop moving around like that Rarity,” added Applejack, “You’re likely to fall if’n you keep up with all that shiftin’ around and what not.”
Rarity gave a dainty little sigh, finally finding a nice little nook for her rump to sit in. “Oh that’s easy for you to say AJ, you and Megan live life like rough and tumble cowponies. You don’t even care if your tail or coats get all…” Rarity shuddered, “…sappy.”
Applejack and Megan rolled their eyes to one another. Rarity just gave a small harrumph in response. All at once the three of them began to snicker and laugh. It was short lived though, as the sound of hoof falls and strange echoing laughter came closer by the second.
There was an explosion and a whinny somewhere up the road as the laughter stopped momentarily. “Sounds like he’s hit the mines,” said Megan as she lifted a pair of binoculars to her eyes. “Ah hell, that didn’t work.”
Rarity started shaking and rubbing her neck with one of her hooves. Applejack just looked a bit more worried than previously.
Another explosion sounded out, this one quieter than the previous one, but undeniably closer. “So much for the salt traps,” said Megan, her face growing serious, “Get ready you two. Here he comes.” Applejack and Rarity reflexively hugged each other.
The Horseman rode by quickly on his Hell Horse, a large and bulky sack raised above its nonexistent head. Even from their vantage point the trio could see the burning eyes of the Horseman’s steed and shudder as the temperature suddenly grew extremely cold. Within moments the ghostly horror was gone, but the echoes of vile laughter and chilled air remained.
“N-n-now what?” asked Applejack.
“Well,” replied Megan, who was shaking like a leaf as she reached for her walkie-talkie, “Let’s start by getting out of this tree.”
“Agreed,” said Rarity rather quickly, and after a quick look towards the road she added, “If you want Miss Megan, you may go first.”
Applejack rolled her eyes, “How generous.”
***
Twilight really wished she was back in Equestria right now. In Equestria, life was simple: do good, be nice to others, don’t go into the Everfree forest, and generally things would turn out great. But no, here in the human lands, one could end up in the middle of a haunted field with a headless phantom riding a horse made from the nightmares of young fillies with only two, probably insane, humans as company.
The dark and empty field she was in could fit Ponyville inside of itself and all it had for decorations were several dead trees scattered around, mounds of dark earth, and a thin layer of fog that didn’t hide anything. It certainly completed the ambiance though. Twilight herself was quivering in terror behind a fallen log with Hawk and Zorro doing final checks on their weaponry.
“You alright Sprinkles?” asked Hawk with a tone of concern.
“No,” she replied, “No I am not, and I don’t know why you’re so calm about this!”
Hawk’s face grew stern, “Believe me, I’m terrified right now. We are about to fight something that should not exist, and we have so far been unsuccessful in even slowing it down.”
Zorro let out a heavy breath, “Very reassuring amigo. I feel much better about our chances.”
The sound of horse hooves entered the field as the Horseman made his appearance. He rode to the top of a nearby hill and dismounted, tying his horse to the crooked tree that was there.
“That must be where his grave is supposed to be,” said Zorro.
“What makes you say that?” asked Hawk.
Zorro shrugged, “It’s where he’s ended his ride?”
Hawk gave a sigh, “Sounds like good science to me.”
The Horseman took the sack he was carrying and placed it on the ground and opened it. The Horseman extracted the first head from the sack, a red colt’s head with brown mane, and placed it on his neck. Twilight covered her face with her front legs. She still had yet to get used to such gruesome scenes. The head tumbled off of the stump and landed with a thud on the ground, giving Twilight the urge to wretch. Thankfully she held it in.
“Hawk,” she whispered, hooves still obscuring her face, “what are we going to do?”
Thud.
Hawk looked at Twilight, and then to Zorro, and took a calming breath. “Okay, so if popular myth is to believed, if we dig up his bones, salt them, and then light them on fire, his spirit should be destroyed.”
Thud.
“You got that from watching TV,” said Zorro.
Hawk gave him a look, “You have any ideas?”
Thud.
Zorro looked at the Horseman, and then back to Hawk and Twilight. “Okay amigos, here’s the plan: Hawk, you and me are going to distract him while Twilight <Thud.> digs up the body and does all of what you just said.” Zorro pulled out a box of rock salt and handed it to Twilight, who picked it up with her mouth.
“Hmm hmmm hm hmm,” she said nodding.
Thud.
Hawk drew his revolver while Zorro drew his sword, and they both stalked away from Twilight into the night. They reminded her of wolves, but at least they were wolves on her side. The Horseman was currently placing the head of an aged man onto his neck stump, but was interrupted by a cold iron bullet entering his back. Turning around quickly, sending the severed head rolling off his shoulders in the process, the Horseman saw two new heads.
“Hola!” said Zorro confidently, taking the time to do a flourish with his sword and giving a small bow.
“Howdy,” added Hawk.
The Horseman walked to his horse and unsheathed his sword from its scabbard, and began advancing on the pair.
Twilight took this as the signal and burst from her spot behind the log and galloped at full speed towards where the Horseman used to be standing. The exact spot was easy enough to find. The small pile of severed heads made a pretty good marker.
‘Oh Celestia…’ thought Twilight as she grew closer and seeing the faces of the Horseman’s victims up close. ‘Focus Twilight, you can do this!’
Looking away from the pile of heads she focused instead on the ground beneath her hooves. Summoning the spell to move earth, her horn glowed with a brilliant purple energy. The dirt and grass shifted and parted beneath her until the headless skeleton of the Horseman was revealed. The Hell Horse gave a ear piercingly loud whinny and drew the attention of the Horseman.
He pointed his sword in Twilight’s direction, and the young unicorn felt a wave of unease wash over the hill side. Then he quickly pointed the sword at Hawk and Zorro. Much to Twilight’s surprise and unquestionable disgust, the eyes of the severed heads that were lying on the ground next to her began to glow with eerie green light. Then the heads lifted off the ground and flew towards her friends, screaming all the way with faces contorted with angry snarls.
As nine floating and screaming heads flew towards them, Hawk took aim and fired his revolver, hitting one right between its glowing green orbs. The glow faded from its eyes and it dropped to the ground, silent once more.
Zorro raised his sword and smiled, “Well at least we know we can kill these!”
“Yeah,” replied Hawk eyeing Twilight, “but it’s not them I’m worried about.”
The Horseman advanced on Twilight, who was shaking uncontrollably. Her life was flashing before her eyes and she couldn’t move. She couldn’t even scream because of the box of salt in her mouth. ‘Wait…box of salt?’ Her eyes widened at the memory of her task. Jumping into the shallow grave of the Horseman, she shook her head violently, spilling grains of salt all over the ancient bones. The Horseman quickened his pace.
Hawk was having some difficulty hitting the floating heads as they swirled around him and Zorro. He took another shot from his revolver at the head of a gray colt. He missed and the colt’s head flew at his left arm and bit down hard. Letting go a grunt of pain as blood began to flow, Hawk pressed the barrel of his revolver against the colt’s head and fired. The severed head released its bite and fell to the ground with a thud.
Zorro was doing much better in comparison. Every time a head got close he slashed at it with his sword. A pink mare’s head opened its mouth and let go a hellish scream as it flew for his throat. Zorro thrust at it and his sword pierced deep into one of its large glowing eyes. After burying deeper onto the blade, the head ceased to scream and its eyes dimmed while the face went limp. This genuinely disturbed Zorro, and he promised to make sure he would say a prayer for these victims later. Spying the head of an elderly woman going for Hawk’s throat, Zorro slung the pink mare’s head from his sword at the one going for his friend. The two heads collided, and with a loud cracking sound, they both fell to the ground.
“Zorro!” yelled Hawk over the screaming heads, taking another shot and this time dropping the head of a green and yellow unicorn.
Zorro slashed at a head going for his ankles, “Que passa?”
“I’m going to go help Twilight! Cover me!”
Zorro took the time to give Hawk a joking look, “Hoping for another kiss amigo?”
Hawk returned the look completely straight faced, “Only a little bit.” Hawk shot another head that was coming at him creating an opening, and without hesitation he charged through it towards the Headless Horseman. The ghoul loomed above Twilight with his sword raised and was poised to claim another head for his collection.
Twilight let the box fall out of her mouth as her mind raced for any spells that could help, but her thoughts had gone blank.
The Horseman gave another one of his wicked ethereal laughs and swung down at Twilight. She clamped her eyes shut, thinking of her friends and family, anticipating the feel of the blade. Mid-swing, Hawk tackled the Horseman into the shallow grave from behind, the two of them barely missing Twilight as they tumbled into the pit.
Twilight opened her eyes and looked at the grappling figures. “Hawk?!” she yelled with genuine surprise.
“Who else?!” he said while rolling onto his back and trying to keep the Horseman’s hands away from his throat. “Now light up this grave already!”
“But…”
“Just do it!”
Twilight scrambled out of the grave while making sure to avoid the Hell Horse, which was struggling to break free of its bonds so it could aid its master. “Okay! Here I go!” cried Twilight, giving Hawk at least some warning about what was to come. She concentrated, her mind filling with the image of the headless skeleton lighting on fire and burning to ashes. The more she concentrated on the image, the more her horn glowed, until an orb of fire burst forth from the tip of her horn and landed onto the Horseman’s back and set him ablaze.
Hawk placed his foot on the Horseman’s chest and kicked off, sending the now flaming phantom away from him. The streams of fire falling off the Horseman as he flew through the air ignited the ground within the grave. Hawk lept out of the pit and rolled next to Twilight.
As the bones burned, the ethereal laughter of the Horseman turned to screams. The floating heads that were assaulting Zorro fell to the ground lifeless. The fires around the Horseman began to burn blue and seemed to eat away at his form, until he was finally consumed by the fire leaving nothing left but dust. The Hell Horse shrieked out as it suffered a similar fate to its dark master, and burned away in blue fire that seemed to come from within.
Twilight and Hawk stared at where the Horseman once stood with eyes wide in disbelief. “I can’t believe that worked,” said Hawk, falling backwards onto the ground.
“Tell me about it,” said Twilight as she gave a sigh of relief and sprawled out on her back, really hoping to never fight the undead ever again. The voice in the back of her mind kept reminding her that it would be a good idea to curl up next to Hawk for warmth and comfort, but she stifled it. She was just too tired.
***
It had been a long flight back to the Bureau, and Twilight was ready to take the rest of the day off. She and her friends had just come face to…no-face with something that only existed in the nightmares and legends of humans, and all of them had survived. Pinkie and Fluttershy were both extremely distant on the helicopter ride back, which wasn’t too unusual for the yellow pegasus, but was cause for alarm if Pinkie was involved.
When Twilight tried to ask her bubbly pink friend about it, she had just given her a forced smile and said, “I’m okay Twilight, really. I just need a day or so to get over it and then I’ll be feeling Pinkie keen again. Promise.”
Twilight just sighed and hoped that was true. Her attention snapped back to reality as the helicopter landed in a vacant section of the parking lot, jostling the unicorn from her dream like state. As they disembarked from the vehicle, the front doors of the Bureau opened and Princess Celestia stood waiting for them. With a voice as sweet as spring, the divine princess greeted the returning group, “Welcome back everyone, I’m happy that you are all safe.”
Stepping out from behind the princess was an old man in a fine suit. His face was wrinkled and his age certainly showed in his steps, but his presence demanded respect nonetheless. With a slight chuckle he said, “What she said.”
Hawk and the other humans snapped a salute and replied, “SIR,” in unison.
Twilight trotted over to the Princess quickly and gave a fast bow before beaming up at her teacher. Celestia returned the smile in spades, giving her prized student a tender nuzzle. “Come on everyone,” she said, “Let’s go inside. There’s something we need to discuss.”
The humans looked at each other, obviously expecting bad news. The old man raised a hand and smiled, “Don’t worry Hawk, it’s nothing to lose your head over.”
That last line will be explained in episode 2!
Or will it!?
It all depends if we’re not all replaced by Purple Prose!
Next episode might be next week!
(Probably won’t though)
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Anonsi
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1349
| 4 |
Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Alternate Universe,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
TCB: Yellowstone: The Series
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An allegedly good sequel series to Yellowstone. Features Humans, Ponies, and monster hunting.
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cancelled
| 64 | 4 |
<p>Two months after the events of Yellowstone, Wild Magic from Equestria has run rampant throughout the rest of the world, resurrecting ancient horrors from around the globe. Mysterious and terrible monsters of myth threaten to exterminate both mankind and ponydom! With the blessing of Princess Celestia, Twilight and her friends reunite with Agent Hawk and his team to combat this new terror before it destroys the world!</p>
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teen
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2011-10-24T12:30:25+00:00
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2014-08-22T22:05:48+00:00
| 2,172 |
Yellowstone:
The Series
By: Anonsi(Bringing you more errors than ever before)
Episode: 2
Down the Drain
____________________________________________________________________________
For ages, Equestria has existed separate from the rest of the world, protected by a magical barrier that prevented it from being seen, touched, or reached by humans and their machines. But five years ago, the ponies of Equestria landed on the shores of human lands claiming to be there to save the earth and humanity from pollution, hate, and greed. To do this, the top human scientists and pony magicians created a potion to turn humans into ponies in places called, Conversion Bureaus. Within two years of its release, more than half the total human populace on Earth has converted. The balance of the world has been forever altered, as the remaining human nations form new governments for those humans that remain.
Twilight Sparkle and her companions have just now returned from doing battle with the Headless Horseman. With the help of the human task force under the command of Agent Hawk, the grisly phantom was able to be destroyed. But not all ponies escaped unscarred, as Pinkie Pie witnessed the deaths of many innocent ponies and humans at the hands of the Horseman, and even now grapples with the awful images trapped in her mind...
Having returned to her Conversion Bureau, Twilight was met by not only Princess Celestia herself, but also the human president: Joseph McCullough. Both rulers bore information of the group’s future purpose. After moving to one of the many lounges in the Bureau, the ponies and humans prepare for whatever news the two powerful leaders have to offer…
____________________________________________________________________________
As excited as Twilight was to finally be back in a place not infested with ghostly murderers, as well as to be in the presence of her monarch and mentor, she wanted nothing more than to find a bed and collapse into it. The rather comfy couch on which she, and her five friends, now sat was already lulling the young mare into a sleepy haze. From what she could see with her blurred vision, Hawk and the other humans were all sitting on the couch opposite her friends, with Celestia and the human leader standing between both parties.
Twilight noted everyone looked a bit worse for wear. As far as her friends were concerned, Rarity had tree sap all over her rump, Pinkie looked deflated, Applejack was still pulling twigs out of her mane with help from Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy was just looking tired. But thankfully no pony was hurt. At least no pony she knew.
Celestia’s melodious voice wasn’t helping Twilight stay awake either. “As you know my dear little ponies,” came her mentor’s soothing and motherly voice, “the human world is a harsh and dangerous place for us Equestrians.”
‘But not for humans,’ Twilight thought, absent mindedly looking at Agent Hawk. ‘They were doing fine before we got here.’
“But now, things have escalated. Magic has leaked out from our homeland and has given birth to abominations against life itself.”
Twilight rested her head on the arm rest of the couch, still drearily looking at the human in the long brown leather coat and wide brim hat. ‘Well, except for the whole greed and economic depression and pollution thing. But they certainly weren’t in danger from animals, or ghosts.’
“As such, you all will be helping President Joseph’s team to fend off any threat to the ponies and humans that inhabit these lands until the magical energies that run rampant throughout the world subside.”
‘After all, just look at those hands! They’re like, the best tool in the world!’ Twilight raised her front hooves to her face, ‘Hands certainly would make picking things up easier, especially if I didn’t have my magic.’
“What this means Miss Applejack, is that the human agents will be staying here with you at the Bureau, in an effort to breed trust and a feeling of camaraderie. As of now, you are all in the Elite Equestrian Guard.”
Twilight’s half awake gaze once again fell on Hawk, who seemed to be looking at her now, ‘What would a pony with hands even look like? Maybe there’s a spell I could use to…’
“Twilight?”
Twilight closed her eyes and tried to imagine what a pony would look like with hands. It was silly enough to elicit a giggle, ‘That looks ridiculous, I might as well just make a spell to turn me human. Oh Celestia, what would I look like as a human?’
Rarity nudged Twilight in the ribs and whispered into her ear, “Twilight! The Princess is talking to you!”
Pain from her ribs snapping her back to reality, Twilight sat straight up. “W-w-Yes Princess! I’m here, and awake, and I’ve been listening!” She gave a wide smile, hoping that it would hide how red her face had turned.
Celestia just smiled and continued, “I’m sure you were Twilight, and I know you must be exhausted from last night’s mission, but I’m going to need you to show the human agents to their rooms after the President’s briefing.”
Twilight cocked an eyebrow, “Wait…huh?” The sound of Celestia’s words echoed in her mind, “OH right! Humans. Living with us now. Right, got it.” Twilight’s mind focused on a single fact of that statement, ‘Wait…’
Celestia let out a quiet and dainty laugh that sounded as divine as the goddess looked, “Indeed my faithful student. Now if you would all give your attention to President Joseph…” She unfurled a wing and pointed it at the aged man.
“Thank you Princess,” he said stepping forward, “Time for the bad news.” The ponies gulped in unison while the human agents leaned forward, listening intently. “For the past week, dogs, cats, and other forms of city fauna have been disappearing in Greenwich Village at an alarming rate.”
Fluttershy put her hooves to her mouth and gasped, “Those poor animals! Don’t they have owners, or somepony to look after them?”
The President gave her a flat look, “Some of them did, but most were just strays. At first, city officials believed they were just moving to other parts of the city or, getting stuck in a pipe somewhere…”
“What are we doing here then?!” cried Fluttershy, “We have to find those poor, innocent little animals and give them a home! Poor little things are probably shivering alone in some dirty and dark hole and crying out for somepony to help them!”
The President’s face contorted into an expression of guilt. He obviously did not want to tell the sensitive pegasus the next part, but duty dictated he did, “Recent information says otherwise miss.” The President took a zip-lock bag out of his pocket and held it up for everyone to see. Inside of it was a dog collar, and even Twilight’s groggy vision could see it was caked with dried blood.
Twilight’s friends, especially Fluttershy, all put their hooves over their mouths and looked away. “From what we can tell,” the president said as he replaced the bag into his pocket, “all of the missing animals were hunted down and eaten by a foreign predator, and last night we were fortunate enough to get an eye witness with a camera.”
The President removed a medium sized orange folder from within his suit jacket and threw it onto the coffee table that sat between the two couches. As it landed, a single photo slid out of it. The creature in the photo was in the process of diving into a manhole, and all that could be seen was two powerful looking legs and a crocodilian tail.
Rainbow Dash cocked her head to the side, “It certainly looks nasty.”
Hawk picked up the photo and examined it closely. “That it does. It’ll look even worse when I put a pound of lead into it.”
Megan put a hand on Hawk’s shoulder and pointed to the red spot on the man’s arm, “You’re not going anywhere near a sewer with a bite wound like that.”
Hawk gave a plaintive look at the woman, “But…”
“No buts,” said Megan, “Doctor’s orders. Dimitri and Zorro can take care of this.”
“Actually,” said Zorro giving a slight cough, “I might have a tiny little cold.”
Megan rolled her eyes, “Ugh, fine. I’ll go with Dimitri and Fluttershy can bandage up Hawk. Applejack, you want to go on an adventure into the Manhattan sewer system with me?”
The orange earth pony removed her hat and scratched her chin, “Well, weighing the prospects of such a venture, Ah’d have to say...” A devious smile crossed her face as she replaced her hat, “Darn tootin’! I’m not gonna let some varmint get away with munchin’ on somepony’s pet dog!”
Dash jumped onto the coffee table with wings fully extended, “Hay yeah! Count me in too! No way am I not going on an adventure!”
“Замечатель! This vill be like game of Dungeon and Dragon!”
Dimitri received an odd look from everyone in the room. President Joseph patted the young man on the back while laughing to himself, “Well then Dimitri, you and the others best get rolling.”
***
An hour later, Megan Dimitri, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack were all standing around an open manhole with an old van Megan had commandeered from the parking lot that was full of supplies. Thankfully, the ponies didn’t question where Megan had found it or why she had to hot-wire the vehicle to make it start. Though Megan was more thankful that the ponies didn’t ask her about the ‘Free Candy’ sign they found in the back.
With a brisk huff, Megan walked over to the van and opened the back, “Come on Dimitri, let’s unload the stuff.”
“Vhy is it alvays me?” asked the young man to no one in particular.
“Because ponies don’t have hands!” Megan called back. “Now stop crying and earn your keep.” Dimitri could only reply with a heavy sigh and moved to help unpack the several boxes they had packed before leaving the Bureau.
“Hey AJ…” whispered Dash as she stretched out her legs.
Applejack began swinging her lasso in long practice loops with her mouth, causing her reply to be somewhat muffled, “Yeah Dashie?”
“You think Twilight and that human in the coat have a thing for each other?”
Applejack very nearly swallowed her rope. “W-Where in tarnation did you get a strange idea like that?!”
Dash leaned over to her friend, “Were you not in that briefing? Twilight was totally giving him bedroom eyes the entire time!”
“And what, if’n you don’t mind me askin’, are ‘bedroom eyes’?”
Dash rolled her eyes, “Ugh, it’s the look one pony gives to another when they want to…you know…do it.”
Applejack furrowed her brow, “Oh. And you think Twilight wants ta…An Hawk wants to…Twilight…” The earth pony’s mind swam with implications. The two did spend all last night in that graveyard together. “Ya know, now that ya mention it, I do recall Twilight not peeling her eyes away from ‘im.”
Megan dropped a large box down in between the two ponies, causing them to jump in fright. “What’re ya’ll talking about?” she asked with a smile, “Certain stallions you two might have an eye on perhaps?” Applejack and Dash’s faces grew an intense shade of red.
Dimitri walked into the group and knelt over the box, sighing under his breath, “Может быть они говорили о том, насколько они хотят иметь секс друг с другом?”
Megan gave him a dirty look and a punch in the shoulder, “For that you get to go in first.” Dimitri rubbed the spot where she hit him and gave a sorry look.
“What did he say?” asked Applejack, now more confused than embarrassed.
“Nothing worth repeating,” replied Megan.
“So anyvay…” Dimitri interjected as he dug through the box’s contents with his good arm, “Vhat ve have for today’s adventure is: instant torches, flare gun vith ten shots, three fifty-thousand wolt tasers, vith safeties off,” He turned to the ponies as if answering an unasked question, “So prolonged exposure might just melt your skin off. Next ve have tomahawks and throwing hatchets,” he suddenly reeled back a bit, “and a two pound block of C4?”
Megan cocked an eyebrow, “C4? Who put C4 in my box?!”
“What in tarnation’s see four?” asked Applejack leaning her head in close enough to sniff the strange block of putty.
“Big explosive, wery dangerous, wery loud,” replied Dimitri turning the brick shaped object over in his hands. There was a small pink square of paper on the bottom of the brick, and on it was a message. “Oh look! A sticky note!” Dimitri plucked it off, his face brightening as he read,
“Just in case. Love Hawk.”
“Awww, well ain’t that sweet!” said Applejack forcing a smile, making sure to give an ‘oh-my-goodness-you-might-be-right’ glance at Dash. Dash returned it with an ‘I-told-you-so’ grin.
Megan placed her hand over her face and sighed, “I am going to kill that man.”
***
An instant torch dropped down through the manhole and hit the cold stone with a clack. Seconds later, a young man with a large axe on his back climbed down the ladder that led to the street, touching down in the old stonework. Dimitri picked up the torch and held it above his head, illuminating thirty or so feet of darkness. The sewer tunnel had a roof made of old brick, and was wide enough to be a road. Old pipes criss-crossed on the ceiling, and occasionally thrummed with activity.
After surveying the immediate area, he called up to those above him, “Clear!”
Megan climbed down next, two tomahawks looped around her belt, and a flare gun holstered at her hip. As she touched down next to the young man, she wiped her hands off on her blue jeans and took in a few breaths of air. “Well, it doesn’t smell bad,” she said at length, “Weird.”
“Megan?” called Applejack from the street, “Ah-Ah’m ready ta’ come down! You ready to catch me?”
Megan looked up at the pony head that hovered above the manhole, “I sure am sugar-cube!” The woman stretched out her arms, preparing to catch the small equine.
Applejack backed away from the hole to get some distance, “Okay! Here Ah go!” She ran towards the opened and jumped into the air, curling into a canon-ball dive, “YEE-HAW!” Falling straight through the manhole and into Megan’s awaiting arms, she gave out a dainty “Oomf!” Feeling the arms of her human friend support her form, the orange pony opened her eyes to see Megan’s smiling face.
“You’re lighter than you look,” said the woman.
“Hey, Ah can be dainty if Ah want ta’ be,” Applejack replied as Megan placed her on solid ground, “Jus’ don’t on account of it not bein’ all that practical.”
“Yeah, that’s what I like about you AJ,” called Rainbow Dash as she jumped down from the opening, flaring out her wings and gliding smoothly to the ground. “You aren’t afraid to have fun and get dirty, unlike Rarity.”
“Vhy vould she vant to pass up a glorious opportunity like this?” Dimitri asked in earnest. “It is not every day one gets to go into dungeon and hunt lizard man. Ад, I vould do this even if I vasn’t part of the Agency.”
Applejack rolled her eyes in wide arcs, “Ah don’t think Rarity would care much fer the decorations, or the murderous lizard creature that might be stalkin’ ‘round down here.”
“Speaking of ol’ scaly,” said Dash looking down both directions of the sewer, seeing only darkness. “Where do we start looking for him anyway?”
“Downstream,” said Megan, “Any animals that had drowned during a storm would flow that way, making for an easy meal, and I got a feeling this thing wouldn’t mind getting wet.”
Wincing at the cold analysis, Applejack asked the next question, “An’ which way is downstream? It all looks a might flat down here to me.” Glancing around the gloomy tunnel the orange pony added, “Then again, Ah can’t see much of anything down here.”
"I can answer this one!” exclaimed Dimitri, removing a bottle of water from his army surplus cargo pants. He bent over and began pouring it out slowly onto the ground making sure it didn’t splash.
Sure enough, as the puddle grew a small tendril of water began to trail off down into the darkness. With a swarthy looking smile, Dimitri tossed an instant torch over to Megan. Immediately after catching the long brown stick, she cracked the top off of it, causing the tip to burst into a bright white light.
“You lead Mr. Scientist,” said Megan patting the young man on the back, “I’ll bring up the rear. AJ, you and Dash keep an eye out for side passages that look like something might be using them.”
As they fell into the marching order Dash asked, “What kind of signs of life does a lizard monster give?”
“Oh you known, average stuff,” replied Megan, “Claw marks on the walls and bricks, loose scales on the ground, maybe a footprint in some dirt…”
“Bones,” added Dimitri.
Megan nodded in agreement, “Definitely bones.”
Dash and Applejack exchanged glances, and together they both gulped.
***
Meanwhile, at the Bureau, an exhausted Twilight had long since been carried to her bed by her concerned mentor Princess Celestia, who had to depart with President Joseph shortly after. They had to leave in order to prepare a statement to the general populace, they had to tell the people what the bridging of the two worlds had wrought. After the goodbyes, everyone had gone off to do what they thought needed to be done.
Fluttershy patched up Hawk’s bite wound from the ghastly business of the previous night, and after that the yellow pegasus had gone out to her little animal sanctuary and tended her flock. Rarity went to go take a bath with a trashy novella called, “The Stallion from the South,” and had not been seen since. As for the human Hawk, he and his friend Zorro were busy picking out their rooms and converting one of the lounges into a briefing room/communications headquarters. Zorro had conveniently ceased coughing around the time he selected his room, which occurred before any of the other humans had a chance to pick rooms of their own.
Pinkie on the other hand, sat alone in the cafeteria. It was just past lunchtime, so all the humans and ponified people had left to go back to their rooms while giving a wide berth to the human agents. Pinkie sighed and closed her eyes, and was instantly bombarded with images of a Headless Horseman, laughing maniacally as he decapitated pony after pony, their dead eyes always looking at Pinkie no matter how they landed.
Shaking her head clear of the images, the pink mare concluded that she would never sleep again. Not if such horrible things were now stuck in her mind. A little voice in her head spoke up, ‘They are gone, and they are never coming back. Their families are going to be so sad to know that you survived instead of their brother, or sister, or son, or daughter...’ She shook her head more hoping to quiet the voice, but it persisted. ‘How are you going to live with yourself knowing that if you had warned them sooner, they might still be alive?’
A cup of tea slid into Pinkie’s vision from across the table. “You look terrible,” came a cold, but undeniably feminine voice.
Looking up, Pinkie saw Captain Barnes with a cup of her own. “OH! Hey there Ms. Barnes…wh-w-what are you doing here?”
“Captain,” replied Barnes in a flat tone, her eyes unreadable behind her shaded sunglasses.
“Huh?”
“My rank is captain,” she took a sip of her tea, “and unless my intel was wrong, you are Pinkamena Diane Pie, the element of laughter and joy.”
Pinkie lowered her head, “Yeah…that’s me, but I just go by Pinkie usually Mis…I mean, Captain Barnes.” Pinkie started running her hooves through her straight hair, hoping that the human would soon leave.
Barnes leaned forward, “You do not look very happy for the embodiment of joy.”
Pinkie debated whether talking to Barnes was a good idea. In the brief amount of time she had known the woman, Barnes had not once smiled or given any indication of feeling anything. Pinkie watched the swirls of steam rise from her tea cup and decided to go for it. “I keep having nightmares about last night, or maybe I should call them daymares…I don’t know. It’s just that...last night something bad happened to a lot of innocent people for no reason, and I couldn’t help them and now I have to live with the images of people dying and screaming and…” Tears started rolling down Pinkie’s face as the images of dead bodies and screaming heads filled her vision.
Barnes took another sip of her tea, “That’s the world for you, and you had best learn to cope with it. Last night was just another incident in the long history of bad things happening to good people.”
The prospect of having to watch more innocent people die did not set well with Pinkie Pie at all, and she knew that this would never have happened in Equestria. ‘But you’re not in Equestria anymore Pinkie, you are in Human Lands. Here, pointless death and sorrow is the norm. Here, the world hates you". The pink mare looked into the dark shading of Barnes’ sunglasses, “How do you cope with it? I mean…I can’t…”
Barnes placed her tea cup down in front of her, her voice changing from her normally steely tone to one that had equal parts concern and tenderness, “You find a friend and you talk about it. Usually over a cup of tea.”.
Pinkie was taken aback from the sudden change in the human’s voice, and looked down at the hot cup of tea in front of her. Its swirling strands of steam looked like they were dancing, as if they were trying to cheer up the pink pony.
“Now Pinkie,” Barnes pushed Pinkie Pie’s tea cup closer to the mare and asked in her new soft voice, “do you have anything you want to talk about with me?”
For the first time since last night Pinkie Pie felt a smile cross her face. Making new friends always cheered Pinkie up.
***
“What is that?” asked Dash in regards to a large gap in the smooth stone work of the wall.
Dimitri raised his torch in an effort to shine more light into the breach they had discovered, “I think…it is vhat is called a ‘hole in the vall’.” He looked at the rainbow pegasus and shrugged, “But that is just my opinion.”
“Tha’ real question is what’s on the other side of it?” added Applejack as she walked up to it.
“Dash,” began Megan, “can you feel if air is going in or out of the hole?”
“Sure thing,” she replied flaring out her wings and her feathers began wobbling as air brushed past them. “There is definitely a breeze coming out of here,” she paused, “A warm breeze.”
“That sounds like our lair!” Dimitri exclaimed. He threw his instant torch into the hole, illuminating the descending tunnel, and readied his large axe.
“Lead on General Harth,” said Megan sarcastically.
Applejack cocked an eyebrow, “Who?”
“Old var hero,” replied Dimitri walking into the hole, followed by Applejack and then Dash.
Megan took out a tomahawk and flipped it in her hands a couple times, “Didn’t he punch the first pony he met?” She gave a quick glance around before entering the tunnel after the ponies.
Dash exchanged a surprised look with Applejack and hesitantly asked, “Why would he do that?”
Dimitri responded in a light hearted way, “From vhat I hear, he did not agree vith concept of pegasus. Something about pony vith vings bothered him, and he did not like it vhen pony flew into his face to say hello. So he punch it in face.”
“Sounds like a real …” Applejack paused to search for the right word.
Dash jumped on the opportunity, “Ass.” The two humans stopped in their tracks and looked at Rainbow Dash in profound surprise, causing the pegasus some discomfort.
At length, Megan and Dimitri looked at each other and nodded in agreement. “Sounds right to me,” they said in tandem, after which they both erupted into laughter and continued down the passageway.
After some time of traveling down the tunnel, they group came upon an opening into a large dark cavern. There was the sound of running water, and a warm breeze blew through the darkness, and it carried with it the smell of rot and death.
“Okay, now it smells bad,” quipped Megan as she drew the flare gun from her hip. Pointing it to the ceiling, or what she thought was the ceiling, she fired off her first flare. The flare spread light all throughout the cavern, which in fact turned out to be a half-flooded train terminal. The structure itself resembled an old, weathered, and decrepit version of Grand Central Station. It was large and seemed to be made out of big stone blocks and bricks held together by subterranean molds and moss. The building appeared to have merged with the cavern wall, and as such was suspended above an underground lake, with only an ancient staircase to bridge the entrance of the cavern to the station.
The party all gasped in amazement as they took in the sheer enormity of the expanse. As the first flare began to dim, Applejack thought she saw something duck into the water at the last second. “Megan! Fire up another one of them flares quick!”
Megan eagerly complied, loading and firing another bright red flare up towards the ceiling of the cavern. Once again the worn architecture was revealed in all of its forgotten splendor. “Did you see something sugar cube?” asked Megan, her eyes scanning the surface of the waters. There was nothing, not even a ripple.
“Ah thought ah did.”
“Let us get into the structure,” suggested Dimitri, “I feel somevhat exposed out here.”
“Tell me about it,” said Dash as the flare began to dim again.
Darkness fell around them, leaving only the illumination of Megan’s instant torch as their light source. As Megan was loading another flare, the sound of something emerging from water came from somewhere in the gloom, followed by a low hiss and heavy, squishy sounding footfalls.
“Tell me again why you guys didn’t bring your guns,” Dash asked while her herd instincts kicked in, moving her closer to Applejack. The squishy footsteps were getting louder, and so was the hissing.
Dimitri hefted his axe and faced the approaching sound, “If I fired mine underground, there vould be a good chance of us all going deaf.”
“Mine’s a sniper rifle, not good for close quarters,” added Megan pointing the flare gun at the roof, “And no way am I bringing my daddy’s Winchester into a goddamn sewer.” She fired off the flare and dropped the launcher, pulling a tomahawk from her belt.
On the staircase in front of them, rather unfazed by the flare’s red light, stood a scaled creature that reminded Applejack and Dash of Spike, except taller and far less cute. It was supported by two powerful legs, trailing behind it was a long tail that swept back and forth across the ground silently. At the ends of its muscled arms was a pair of very sharp looking claws, which opened and closed with each step the creature took. Its eyes gleamed with the cold stare only a reptile could give, and at the end of its short snout was a toothy maw which emitted the hissing noise that could curdle milk.
After recovering from the shock of seeing a Lizard Man, Megan threw a tomahawk at it, striking it squarely in its chest. Unfortunately, this only seemed to anger it. Dimitri charged it, coming at it with a downward swing and imbedding his axe in the creature's chest. Unfortunately the Lizard Man was faster than it looked and backhanded the young man in the chest and sent him flying into the water a good ten feet away.
“Сын сука!” was all Dimitri could yell before he hit the water.
Applejack charged the Lizard Man going in low, as Rainbow Dash took flight and circled around behind it coming in high. The pegasus shouted a battle cry as she flew in for the strike, “Take this you overgrown Iguana!”
The Lizard Man quickly turned around sweeping Applejack off her hooves with its tail, as it swatted Dash down to the ground with a claw. It let out a roar of victory as it hovered over the stunned pegasus, extending a claw to pick her up. Before it could however, Megan lept onto the Lizard Man’s back with a live taser. “Taste lightning bog breath!” Megan jammed the crackling taser into the Lizard Man’s neck, causing the beast to release a terrifying roar that echoed loudly within the cavern.
The Lizard Man summoned the strength to resist the pain of being electrocuted and raised a massive claw imbedding its nails into Megan’s back. Her scream was almost as awful as the Lizard Man’s. Now with a firm grip, the monster flung Megan over its head into the ancient brick staircase, smoke rising from its neck as well as the axe blade stuck in its chest. The beast stepped on Dash on its way to Megan’s prone and bleeding body, sending the air out of the pegasus’ lungs before she could stand up.
The Lizard Man now loomed above Megan, who was trying desperately to reach for another tomahawk. Grabbing the woman by the neck, the creature lifted Megan up to eye level and resumed its hissing noise. It suddenly found a lasso around its neck and tried to resist being pulled backwards by Applejack. “Don’t you touch her you son of a bitch!” cried the orange pony through gritted teeth. She heaved again against the monstrosity, forcing it to take a step back.
The light of the flare was dimming as Megan finally found a grip on the tomahawk. After another heave from Applejack, Megan swung at the Lizard Man’s neck, burying the small hatchet deep into the creature’s scaly flesh. The monster released its grip on the woman, who rolled across the damp stones in the direction of the station. Rainbow Dash had gotten back up and gripped the rope with Applejack, giving it as strong a pull as she could muster.
With two ponies pulling on it, and a tomahawk in its neck to boot, the Lizard Man toppled down the stairs, dislodging Dimitri's axe on the way down. It landed at the bottom of the steps with a satisfying thump and remained motionless. Any thoughts of celebration died as the flare did, surrounding the party in total darkness. There was a splash not long after as the hissing noise disappeared.
Megan lit an instant torch creating a circle of light. The Lizard Man had slipped free of the lasso and the water rippled with recent activity. “Dimitri?!” called Megan, “Get to land as fast as possible!”
“Vorking on it!” replied Dimitri, just now swimming into the small area of light. “That thing has nasty left hook you know.”
Megan winced, feeling burning hot pain from the fresh wounds on her back, “I know what you mean.”
Rainbow Dash took flight and hovered over Dimitri, “Hold on, I got ya!” She somehow gripped onto his shoulders with her front hooves and began dragging the young man through the water towards the stone walkway.
Applejack had recovered her lasso and moved next to Megan, who had taken to sitting down on the old brick stairs. “How’re ya’ holding up there sugar-cube? Ya’ took quite a hit from that…thing.”
Megan sat very still and only glanced at the orange pony, “My back hurts.”
Applejack gave a weak smile to her friend, “Well ah reckon it would after hittin’ them stairs like that!” With a soft nuzzle to Megan’s face she began to move behind the woman, “Let me have a look see an maybe ah can massage it or-” She let out a gasp when she saw Megan’s back. Blood was leaking from five dime sized holes and was streaming down the woman’s back, forming a pool on the bricks. “Dear Celestia…”
“AJ,” said Megan, “I need you to do something for me.”
“Y-yeah?”
Megan slowly moved her arm and presented Applejack with the lit instant torch, “Take this and cauterize my wounds.”
“Vait!” called Dimitri while he climbed onto the shore, “Disinfect first, then seal! Do not vant infection!”
“You got alcohol on you?” replied the woman.
Dimitri ran up to her and pulled out a flask from his back pocket, “Law one of living in Russia: Alvays carry Vodka.” he gave her a big smile, which she returned with a weak chuckle. Wasting no time Dimitri opened it and moved behind her pausing only to say, “You might vant to bite down on something.”
Rainbow Dash, who had flown in after Dimitri, grabbed the end of Applejack’s rope and offered it to Megan. The woman took it and gingerly placed it in her mouth, already biting down hard.
“Here ve go,” said Dimitri as he began to pour.
***
They had all moved into the station portion of the cavern, only barely noticing the ornate stonework that adorned the front entryway. Megan was resting her head on Applejack, who was all too eager to offer the small service. The orange pony was just glad that Megan was alive, if a bit burned.
Dimitri and Dash had set up a perimeter of instant torches, shedding light into the large and empty building. It was majestic to say the least, but also had an air of mystery to it. Dash had asked Dimitri about it, but he didn’t know of any train stations that had sunk beneath the earth.
“More than likely, it manifested. Like spooky town of horseman,” he had offered. The words had done little to make the pegasus feel better.
Rainbow Dash had since been pacing back and forth. “I think we need to go,” she said, “Like, back to the surface and-I don’t know-seal off the sewers or something!”
“One problem with that Dashie,” countered Applejack, “This Lizard-thingy will still be down here.”
“And now it knows it can compete vith humans and ponies,” added Dimitri.
“No kidding,” groaned Megan.
Something in the darkness climbed out of the water. The sound of wet footsteps echoed through the cavern, followed by a low hiss. Dimitri grabbed his long axe and moved to the center of the torch ring. “He’s back!” said the young man tensing up.
Dash flew in soon after looking somewhat shaken. “Anypony got a plan?” she asked.
Applejack gently moved out from under Megan and trotted to the center, her mind abuzz. “Ah got an idea. Me an’ Dash wait on opposite sides of tha’ entrance with them zappy things and jump the varmint when it enters. Then Dimitri hits it with his axe.” She looked at the other two, who looked at each other and nodded.
“Sounds like a plan to me!” exclaimed Dash, much of her confidence returning.
Dimitri handed the ponies the tasers, giving quick instructions on how they worked before the ponies ran into positions. The wet footsteps were very close, but they still couldn’t see the creature. Dimitri took an instant torch from the ring and tossed it through the door. The Lizard Man was just now cresting the lip of the staircase. It had removed the tomahawks from its chest and neck at some point during its disappearance and seemed no worse for wear as a result.
After what seemed to be an agonizing eternity of its slow, wet, footsteps getting closer and closer, and its reptilian hiss getting louder and louder, it was finally at the door. “NOW!” screamed Dimitri, as Applejack and Dash jumped at its sides, tasers crackling loudly.
The Lizard Man let out a pained roar as electricity shot through every vein of its body. Dimitri let out a roar of his own as he charged the monster and brought his axe down into its chest. It staggered backwards a few feet as Dimitri yanked his weapon out of the creature’s chest.
“Zap it again!” yelled Megan, as Dash and Applejack lunged at it again, hoping that the beast would just die.
But it was faster than it looked. Before they could connect, the Lizard Man fell to all fours and swatted at the ponies with its tail knocking them away. Dimitri came at it with his axe again, but the creature ducked to the side, avoiding the strike. Standing on its legs again, the monster grabbed Dimitri with its two powerful claws and threw him into a nearby support column. The wound in the Lizard Man’s chest was hemorrhaging greenish colored blood, and its hissing was becoming labored and forced. With some effort, it moved towards the prey that was giving it the least trouble.
Megan gripped onto the soft putty-like ball in her hand, and with considerable agony, rose to her feet to face the monster. She took a quick glance around: Dimitri had hit that pillar hard and wasn’t moving, while Applejack and Dash were still pulling themselves together. Then there was the Lizard Man, taking its time lumbering over to Megan with one claw covering its chest and the other preparing for a strike.
Her body was only willing to try this once, so she had to make it count. That didn’t stop her from making one last act of bravado however. She raised both her arms out, one had the ball of putty with detonation pins in it, the other a small black box. “If there’s enough of you left after this, I am so making you into a wallet,” she taunted. The Lizard Man moved in closer and raised both arms, with the obvious intent to rip her to shreds.
Megan saw her opening and tackled the abomination with a war cry that put whatever the monster called a roar to shame. She plunged the putty ball into the open wound in the Lizard Man’s chest. The creature roared in agony as Megan made sure the baseball sized portion of C4 she had just armed was good and lodged in the beast’s stomach. Deciding that the C4 was in there well enough, Megan retracted her arm and rolled out of the creatures reach.
“APPLEJACK!” called Megan, “GET THAT THING THE BUCK OUT OF HERE!”
Applejack, who had been regaining her senses from a hit to the head, heard the command clear as a bell. “Come on Dash! Time ta’ show this critter who’s boss!”
“Right behind you AJ!” replied the pegasus.
The Lizard Man was too distracted clutching its stomach and chest with its claws to notice the two ponies run in front of it and rear their hind legs. Together, the two ponies bucked the scaly monster in its stomach and sent it flying a good six feet out the entrance. The Lizard Man hit the stairs and rolled down the length of them, leaving a trail of blood in its wake.
“Aaaand he’s outta there!” called Rainbow Dash as she trotted to the entrance, “Team Awesome: Two! Monsters: Zero! Suck on that you scaly son of a b-”
The Lizard Man exploded.
The force from the explosion itself was enough to send Rainbow Dash back a good foot and a half, whereas the noise left a very loud ringing in the ears of all who still had ears. Dash had to shake her head a couple times to stop her eyes from spinning.
Megan leaned against a nearby wall, almost collapsing out right, and left a trail of blood as she slid down to the ground.
***
“They’re back!” screamed Pinkie Pie bouncing with excitement. “You know what this means Rarity?!”
The white unicorn gazed over her early sketches for team uniforms, “I can guess. Could it possibly be a-”
“That’s right! A PARTY! Oh I’m going to need some balloons and some glitter and some streamers and some cake and a TROMBONE!” The bright pink mare zipped out of the entrance hall of the Bureau, giggling madly.
Rarity just sighed and made herself look presentable, no doubt her friends wouldn’t mind seeing something nice and clean after being down in those awful sewers. Rarity put on an award winning smile, fueled by genuine relief that all four of those that had left had returned. Then she saw that one was not so much walking towards the front door, as much as leaning on the others and bleeding all over the place.
Rarity’s smile faded as she turned to the receptionist, “Ditzy! Get Fluttershy to the medical room immediately! She is about to have another patient!” The wall eyed pony slammed a hoof to her forehead and sped off like a bullet towards the animal sanctuary. Rarity meanwhile busied herself by preparing a spell to carry the wounded.
Dimitri, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack all rushed into the front room, all in some way supporting the bleeding Megan. “Rarity,” started the orange pony, “Megan’s hurt bad in the back an’ we need to get her to the nursing room fast.”
“That’s why I’m here AJ,” replied Rarity with a tone as graceful as ever. Her horn glowed, and the air around Megan followed suit. Soon she became weightless and floated through the air, her back facing up. Without another word, Rarity galloped off towards the nursing room with the floating Megan in tow, the other three following close behind.
***
Megan woke up three hours later, counting five dull pains in her back and feeling rather woozy. She was lying on her stomach in what she then decided was the most comfortable bed in the world. Opening her eyes, the first thing she saw was a very concerned looking orange pony. Summoning every ounce of strength, she said, “Hey there sugar-cube.”
Applejack’s smile was sweet and pure, and made Megan feel better instantly. Not good enough to punch lizard men with high explosive of course, but better than how she had felt a few seconds ago. Applejack nuzzled Megan’s cheek saying, “Hey there yerself! You had us all worried sick.”
“Is Zorro here?” asked Megan weakly.
Applejack nodded, “He’s right here. He, Hawk an’ me haven’t left your side since Rarity brought you in, not even ta’ use the bathroom.”
Zorro’s sultry voice came from the other side of the bed, “How are you doing mi querida muchacha?”
Megan shifted her head to look at the man. His normally suave face was blemished with worry. “Zorro,” she whispered.
He leaned in closer, “Yes Megan?”
“Next time you have a cold…” she gripped the collar of his shirt and pulled him in close, “Do me a favor and suck it up.” She let go of Zorro, the last of her strength spent. Closing her eyes, she turned her head back to face Applejack’s direction.
“Hey Megan,” came Hawk’s voice.
With great effort, Megan opened her eyes again. “Yeah Hawk?”
Hawk stepped into her vision holding something behind his back. “When you came in, you were clutching some lizard skin, so I took the liberty of making this for you while you were out.” He presented Megan with a small coin purse made from Lizard Man skin. “Ta-da!”
Megan just rolled her eyes and smiled, falling asleep soon after.
The End
Episode 2 is done
Onto episode 3!
Let’s hope I can keep this up.
|
Anonsi
|
1349
| 5 |
Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Alternate Universe,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
TCB: Yellowstone: The Series
|
An allegedly good sequel series to Yellowstone. Features Humans, Ponies, and monster hunting.
|
cancelled
| 64 | 4 |
<p>Two months after the events of Yellowstone, Wild Magic from Equestria has run rampant throughout the rest of the world, resurrecting ancient horrors from around the globe. Mysterious and terrible monsters of myth threaten to exterminate both mankind and ponydom! With the blessing of Princess Celestia, Twilight and her friends reunite with Agent Hawk and his team to combat this new terror before it destroys the world!</p>
|
teen
|
2011-10-24T12:30:39+00:00
|
2014-08-22T21:28:30+00:00
| 2,155 |
Yellowstone the Series:
“Minisodes”
A My Little Pony Fanfiction based off a fanfiction of another fanfiction of Blaze’s original Fanfiction: The Conversion Bureau.
So much pony
By Anonsi (But is it enough?)
From the Other Side
“All right class, it’s Wednesday!” Cheerilee called cheerfully. Her class’s only response was a communal groan that lingered for a good few seconds. “Oh come on my little ponies, Human Studies isn’t that bad,” the teacher continued undeterred, “our new neighbors are really fascinating creatures! I’m looking forward to hearing all of your reports on them. Maybe by reading them, we can find out what makes them special! Who wants to go first?”
Despite her efforts to motivate the students by being as positive as she could be, Cheerilee was hard pressed to find an excited face amongst them. ‘Okay then,’ she thought to her self, ‘looks like I’m going to have to use drastic measures!’ Steeling herself, the mare trotted to her desk and retrieved a bag of sweets she had ordered from Sugar Cube Corner and placed it on top of her desk. The attention of all of her students suddenly focused on the sweets, and the teacher found that she now had the undivided attention of the entire class. ‘Works every time,’ she mused as she once again stood front and center.
“Alright class! Because it seems that you are all lack the initiative to give your presentations on your own, whoever presents gets a cupcake!” Every hoof in the house shot up into the air, some of the students were barely keeping themselves contained in their chairs. Quietly giggling to herself, Cheerilee decided to pick one of the young colts that sat in the front row, “Archer, how about we start with you!”
The blue colt with a bow and arrow as his cutie mark stood, looking around the class room nervously before beginning. “Humans and Equestrians, a report by Archer. Humans live in a very dangerous place outside the barrier. Princess Celestia and Luna were sad that they were living like they were, so they made a potion to turn them into ponies like us. A lot of humans have turned into ponies and they are happier. What I like about humans is that they have things that let them fly.”
After the colt sat down, Cheerilee placed a cupcake on his desk saying, “Well said Archer, now let’s hear what Twist has to say next.”
The young filly with a tan coat and curly red mane stood up and cleared her throat. Straightening her glasses, she began, “Humanths and Equethstrianths, a report by Twithst. Humanths live outhside the barrier that surroundths Equethstria. They don’t have magic or wingths to fly, so they have to uthse roboths and other stuff to help them live. What I like about them iths that they althso have candy!” The filly gave her teacher a bright smile as she finished her report.
“Very good Twist! That was an excellent report!” Cheerilee told the young pony while she presented her with a cupcake. “Now who to pick next?” She scanned the second row for somepony who looked as though they weren’t paying as much attention, or looked as if they didn’t seem involved enough. Within moments she spotted the usual suspect for such behavior, “Ah, Diamond Tiara, how about you present next? You usually have very...interesting...view on things to say the least.”
The pink filly stood up quickly and began to speak in a pompous tone, “Humans and Equestrians, a report by the fabulous Diamond Tiara. Humans are smelly and gross, and kill each other all the time. They’re dumb and don’t know how to do anything that even foals know how to do, and some of them won’t get ponified because they are stupid. The only thing I like about humans is that they can’t get into Equestria.” Putting her report on her desk the young filly sat back down and stated, “I’d like my cupcake now.”
Cheerilee eyed the young pony slightly disgusted. “Diamond Tiara, I think you and me need to have a little talk after class about cultural sensitivity.”
The filly cocked an eyebrow, “Does that mean I don’t get a cupcake?”
Cheerilee rolled her eyes and put the tasty treat on the pink filly’s desk. “Now who would like to go next...” Given the last report, the teacher wanted to hear something a bit more well intentioned. “Apple Bloom! How about you go?”
Apple Bloom nearly jumped out of her chair and hastily cleared her throat. “Humans an’ Equestrians, by Apple Bloom! Mah sister Applejack has been livin’ in human lands for awhile now workin’ in a Conversion Bureau with her friends! She’s been sendin’ me letters an’ postcards an’ tellin’ me what she’s been up to! Recently, mah sis says she’s made a new friend who’s a human named Megan!”
“Only your sister could find a way to get even lamer,” quipped Diamond Tiara.
Apple Bloom glared at the pink filly and growled, “What’d you say ‘bout mah sister you no good-”
“Apple Bloom!” interrupted Cheerilee, her face had changed from her usual smile to one that was quite serious, “We’ll have no fighting in this classroom.”
“But Tiara-”
“I’ll be speaking with her after class, and if she interrupts again, I’ll also be having a talk with her parents.” Diamond Tiara suddenly gulped and shrunk into her desk. Satisfied, Cheerilee gestured towards Apple Bloom, “Now, if you’d continue please?”
Clearing her throat again, the young filly continued, “Mah sis says that Megan an’ her have a lot in common! They are both tough, they both like apples, and Applejack says that she wears a bow in her mane like ah do! Applejack says that Megan fights monsters with the help of all her friends an’ a bunch o’ other humans who are all really strong like her! Why, in the last letter mah sis sent, she said that she an’ Megan had jus’ finished beatin’ up a big lizard thingy! Mah favorite thing ‘bout humans is that they’re keepin’ mah sister safe until she can come back home!”
Cheerilee gave her a bright smile as the filly finished her report, “That was a wonderful presentation Apple Bloom! Your sister’s friend sounds very interesting!”
“Uh-huh! Ah bet you’d like her too Ms. Cheerilee!”
“Oh? And why is that dear?”
“Applejack says that Megan used to be a teacher like you, but fer some reason she ain’t anymore.”
The teacher smiled even wider at the news, “My goodness! This friend of yours is definitely growing on me!” Placing a cupcake on Apple Bloom’s desk with a bright smile thrown in for free, Cheerilee continued to pick out fillies and colts in the class until everyone of her students had been called.
***
The enchanted bell of the school sounded the end of the day’s lesson, prompting Cheerilee into another cheerful smile, “That concludes today’s lesson class! Read up on your math problems for tomorrow!” As the students rose from their chairs, Cheerilee made sure to add, “Except you Diamond Tiara! We still need to talk.”
The pink pony sat back down in her chair with a harrumph and rested her cheek on a hoof. Her disposition didn’t improve when Apple Bloom stuck out her tongue towards her as she left. Returning the gesture in kind, Diamond Tiara sat at her desk in exaggerated agony ad boredom.
The other students galloped out of the building like it was on fire, leaving Cheerilee alone in the schoolhouse with the troublesome young filly. “Now Diamond Tiara,” began the teacher, “Your report today was very mean spirited, and I’m sure you don’t actually believe any of what you said. But do you want to tell me why you would say such awful things?”
Tiara just looked out the window with a bored expression and replied, “I dunno.”
Cheerilee knitted her brow. ‘I dunno,’ was her least favorite response to any question. “Tiara, I will not take that as an answer. Now tell me why you would write such horrible things about a people you obviously know nothing about!”
The filly rolled her eyes, “Ugh, what’s there to know? They’re, like, a bunch of savages that go around killing each other!”
At this, Cheerilee very nearly lost her cool. Fortunately she had been teaching for a while, and was used to keeping her demeanor when dealing with troubled students. “Well if you insist on this line of thought without ever meeting a human, then maybe a talk with your mother and father will sort you out.”
The small filly looked at the teacher with sudden fear with the thought of her parents getting involved, and her eyes quickly began to water and form big wet tears. “No please! Don’t tell my parents! I’m sorry I was so mean, I was just going off rumors and stuff!”
The teacher regarded Diamond Tiara with a stern look, “Rumors? From who?”
“Uhh...” The filly’s mind raced as she tried to find a name she could incriminate, “...Scootaloo! That’s it! Scootaloo told me all sorts of nasty rumors about humans! She said that they just fly around in those big flying things of theirs and blow stuff up!”
“Apple Bloom’s friend Scootaloo?”
"Yeah! I’m telling the truth! Honest!”
Cheerilee didn’t believe a word Tiara was saying, but she was sure that the filly was indeed sorry. “Alright, I won’t call you’re parents, but I don’t want to here anymore bogus reports from you. I’m afraid I’ll have to give you an X on this assignment. Don’t make me give you another one.”
“Sure thing Ms. Cheerilee! Can I, like, go now?”
“Yes, and you had better behave next time I see you.”
“I will, I promise!” shouted the filly as she bolted from her chair. Within moments she was already out of sight of the school and well beyond Cheerilee’s earshot.
The teacher simply shook her head and proceeded to pack up her things while mumbling to herself, “What am I going to do with that one?”
“Excuse me!” came a colt’s voice from behind her, “Is this the school?”
Spinning around quickly, the teacher saw two ponies she had not ever met before in Ponyville. One was a blue unicorn colt with a navy blue mane, and a orange mare with a bright yellow mane. The two mysterious ponies just stared at her with looks of joyous anticipation, like they were waiting to be told they had just won something.
“Yes it is...who are you?” Cheerilee asked as she walked over to them.
The colt was the first to reply, “Oh my goodness, you must excuse me! We’re Mark, and Janet Edens!”
“Hello!” said Janet waving a hoof.
Cheerilee looked over the pair of odd ponies for a moment until her mind clicked, “You’re new-foals?”
“Yep!” said Mark, “It took us three and a half years, but me and my wife have finally saved up the bits to move to Equestria, and so far we couldn’t be happier!”
Janet leaned against her husband and added, “All we need now are good pony names!”
The two of them had a brief fit of laughter before Mark continued, “Anyway, me and the Mrs. were just thinking about enrolling a kid...I mean...foal of our own here.”
At the news of a potential student with some insight into being human, Cheerilee became visibly more interested in the conversation. “A new foal? Well let me see if I have room in one of my morning classes, maybe I could squeeze them in...” She removed a day planner from her saddle bag and placed it on a nearby desk to scan its contents, “Aha! Here’s a spot. I can have him start Monday if that’s alright. What’s the name of the little darling?”
“Oh we don’t have one yet, but we are working on it!” responded Mark with a grin.
Cheerilee raised a brow and asked, “Then...you don’t have a foal to enroll here?”
“Not yet!” they replied in unison, “Just checking out the scenery!” They burst into a bout of friendly laughter that rang loudly in the schoolteacher’s ears.
Shaking the ringing out of her ears, Cheerilee packed up her planner and moved to the door. “Well when you do have a new foal for me to enroll, let me know. Oh, and don’t be strangers around town!”
“Oh we will!” said Mark.
“And we won’t!” added Janet.
With a final bout of laughter, the two ponies waved their goodbyes and departed. Cheerilee stood in the school’s doorway feeling exhausted and slightly confused. “They seem nice enough,” she concluded, “maybe they’d be willing to help out in my next Human Studies lecture?” Resolving to find them again and ask them at some point, she smiled to herself and began her hike home. Having a real human perspective on things could be very educational.
|
Anonsi
|
1349
| 6 |
Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Alternate Universe,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
TCB: Yellowstone: The Series
|
An allegedly good sequel series to Yellowstone. Features Humans, Ponies, and monster hunting.
|
cancelled
| 64 | 4 |
<p>Two months after the events of Yellowstone, Wild Magic from Equestria has run rampant throughout the rest of the world, resurrecting ancient horrors from around the globe. Mysterious and terrible monsters of myth threaten to exterminate both mankind and ponydom! With the blessing of Princess Celestia, Twilight and her friends reunite with Agent Hawk and his team to combat this new terror before it destroys the world!</p>
|
teen
|
2011-10-31T17:10:04+00:00
|
2011-10-31T17:10:04+00:00
| 2,666 |
Yellowstone:
The Series
By: Anonsi(He cares nothing for consistent updates!)
Episode 3
Creepy Crawling
______________________________________________________________________________
For ages, Equestria has existed separate from the rest of the world, protected by a magical barrier that prevented it from being seen, touched, or reached by humans and their machines. But five years ago, the ponies of Equestria landed on the shores of human lands claiming to be there to save the earth and humanity from pollution, hate, and greed. To do this, the top human scientists and pony magicians created a potion to turn humans into ponies in places called, Conversion Bureaus. Within two years of its release, more than half the total human populace on Earth has converted. The balance of the world has been forever altered, as the remaining human nations form new governments for those humans that remain.
An uneventful two days have passed at the Conversion Bureau where Twilight and her friends now live with the human task force, and all are able to rest easy knowing that the Lizard Man, a creature which would have began hunting pony and human alike if left unchecked, has been slain. Though suffering from the worst of the wounds sustained, Megan is on the road to a full recovery thanks to both Fluttershy’s medical treatment and Rarity’s healing magic.
President Joseph McCullough however, has bore a troubled brow since his return to the White House. Every passing day he receives increasingly disturbing reports on the effects of Equestria’s wayward magic from all over the world. So far the only pillar of support he has found is Princess Celestia, who has sworn to remain in human lands until the current crisis ends, and now resides within the walls of White House doing what she can to aid both her people and the humans in these dark days...
______________________________________________________________________________
It was early morning when President Joseph went outside to water his rose garden. He enjoyed watering his plants this early in the morning, it gave him time to think about how he was going to fix the mountains of problems he always found himself faced with. Later today, he would be addressing what remained of the United Nations, in an effort to get some collaboration from the other countries with little more than theories and good old fashioned sweet talking. Of course, it helped that Celestia was going to back him up.
Celestia being involved went a great deal in assuaging his fears about the coming speech. What really concerned him was the unrest within his own country. Yesterday, he had received a letter during dinner with the Princess that pleaded for his immediate assistance in a very troubling matter. Apparently, there was a gang war going on in the only city on the west coast with a predominantly pony populace, between the well known HLF, and a new group calling themselves PER.
“Good morning Joseph,” came a voice from behind him, “I didn’t expect to see you up so early.”
The president continued to water his roses, chuckling under his breath, “Well excuse me Princess, but I don’t tend to sleep well when what’s left of my country is on the brink of annihilation.”
Princess Celestia moved to smell the roses of the garden, a serene look crossing her face, “Now Joseph, I hardly think things have gotten that bad. My pupil and her friends have been doing rather well in handling this situation, as have your agents.”
Moving along the garden bed, the President replied, “It hasn’t even been a week since they started, Princess. The two victories our teams have had are two very small drops in a very large bucket.”
Celestia gave the old man a smile that could brighten any day, “Those are still two more drops in the victory bucket than in the failure bucket. That’s a hundred percent success rate so far. Sounds to me like we’re doing rather well for ourselves, wouldn’t you agree?”
Joseph returned her bright smile with a heavy sigh, “I can’t argue with that logic.” He could actually, but simply chose not to. He wasn’t in the mood to talk about the innocent lives being lost to the the reemergence of magic, and instead chose to change the subject. “Anyway Princess, how’s the home front? Everything going well in Ponyland?”
Celestia always giggled when he said that, and this time was no different. Her soft and delicate laughter was exactly what Joseph needed to hear to complete the serenity of his morning. “Everything is fine,” she was able to get out between chortles, “my dear sister has outdone herself with keeping everything in order, and I truly couldn’t be more proud of her.”
Her joy was infectious, and Joseph found himself smiling as he finished watering his garden. “I’m glad to hear that, and I hope the day comes when things are under control enough for you to be with her again.”
“I have no doubt that day will be coming soon Joseph,” she spread her wings and prepared to take off, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go fly off those apples from breakfast. A princess must keep her figure you know.” Flashing the President one last award winning smile she took off into the sky with the speed of a jet plane.
Yawning, the President made his way back towards the White House, deciding that he might get a second helping of pancakes before calling his Agents. “An old fart must keep his figure after all.”
***
She was standing in a magnificent apple orchard. The sunlight streamed in through the leaves of the trees, and she could smell the sweet nectar of the apple blossoms on the cool breeze that blew in from the east. Suddenly, a large red stallion was standing in front of her, gazing deeply into her eyes.
“Oh Big Mac…” she said as she gazed right back into his calm and gentle eyes, “I’ve been looking everywhere for you…”
He leaned in close. “Eeyup?” he asked.
Her heart began pounding, and she could feel her insides grow warm. “I need to tell you something Big Mac. Something dreadfully important.”
He leaned in closer, so close that he could have kissed her if he wanted to. “Eeyup?” he asked again.
“I want you Big Mac! I want you so bad it’s driving me crazy!” She began to swoon, “Take me now you magnificent stallion!” she shouted. She didn’t care if anypony heard her, she was in love!
The large red pony grabbed her and tipped her over, holding the now swooning mare in his front hooves. “Rarity...” he said.
“Oh Big Mac!”
“Rarity!”
“Kiss me you foal!” she cried out, puckering her lips in anticipation.
“Rarity i-it’s time to wake up,” he said in Fluttershy’s demure voice.
Time seemed to stop as Rarity realized she was awake. She lifted her eye cover ever so slowly, lips still puckered. There standing next to her bed was her good friend Fluttershy, whose face was already red as a tomato. “How much did you hear?” asked the unicorn with growing concern in her voice.
The yellow pegasus lowered her head meekly and looked at her hooves, “Ummm…u-up until you said you wanted me to…t-to…umm…well that is, you wanted Big Mac to…well…umm…kiss you.” Her cheeks somehow turned even more crimson and she showed no intention of looking away from the floor.
Rarity sighed. This wasn’t the first time her bashful friend had walked in on one of her ‘episodes.’ Fortunately, the unicorn had never gotten to the more…intimate, portion of the dream; a fact that probably saved them both from dying of embarrassment.
Rolling out of bed, Rarity removed her assorted sleepwear with her magic. “I really must apologize, Fluttershy. I should really start using that alarm clock that came with this place.” Moving to a large vanity mirror that she had picked up from market, she lifted a comb and other accessories that were pivotal in her morning routine towards her with her magic, and began brushing her mane.
“Oh…I-I don’t mind,” replied the pegasus, still staring at her hooves, “It’s really not all that much trouble.” Fluttershy raised her head ever so slightly, “And besides, you threw out your alarm clock.”
Rarity stopped her grooming and tilted her head in confusion, “Why in Equestria would I do that? That doesn’t sound like something I would do.”
“You said it was tacky and clashed with the decor,” whispered the yellow pony in response, her eyes now darting between her friend and her hooves as she spoke.
The unicorn ran Fluttershy’s comment through her brain. She gave a shrug, “Okay that does sound like me. Oh well! I’ll just get a new, less tacky, one when next I go out.” Rarity gave a dainty laugh to her friend and resumed combing her mane. “So darling, what’s on the agenda today?”
Fluttershy trotted next to the glamorous unicorn and smiled at her reflection in the mirror, “Oh, just the usual things. You know, like feeding the animals, singing to the birds, making sure all of those cute little critters have a soft comfy bed to sleep in. Oh! And helping the new-foals learn to fly of course.”
Rarity looked at her friend in the mirror. “And?” she added, raising a perfectly groomed eyebrow.
“And?” whimpered the timid pony, now looking around frantically for an object that might jog her memory.
Rarity turned and faced Fluttershy with a hurt look. “Fluttershy! Our tea party!” she said with a slightly whiny tone, “With the human agents? Remember?”
“Oh my goodness!” replied the pegasus, her cheeks again turning red from embarrassment, “I’m so sorry! I can’t believe I forgot that!”
The unicorn rolled her eyes and smiled, giving her friend a light nuzzle on her cheek, “All is forgiven darling, just make sure you’re there at noon. It wouldn’t be as much fun without you after all.”
Fluttershy’s face beamed up at Rarity, who returned it with an equally bright smile. “I’ll make sure of it Rarity, don’t you worry.” She then trotted out of her friend’s room calling “See you later!” behind her.
Rarity turned back to the mirror as Fluttershy left, giving a content little sigh at her gorgeous reflection. “Simply fabulous,” she said as she blew a kiss at herself and giggled. “Oh Rarity…” she said in a deep voice, eyeing her reflection seductively, “Ah may just be a mere farmer pony with a flank like chiseled granite, and the face of a stallion super model, but could you ever bring yourself to love a simple pony like me?”
She batted her eyelashes and dramatically swooned onto her bed, “Oh Big Mac! If only you were a rich, stuck up, narcissistic, and extremely rude swine like Prince Blueblood! But alas! I must settle for you, a charming, handsome, intelligent, and very well to do stallion who would treat me with the respect and love I deserve! Oh woe is me!”
Moments later she burst into a giggle fit that lasted a good minute. She pulled herself together soon after and dressed herself with her personalized saddlebags. Before she left, she reached out with her magic to pick up a trashy novella entitled “He said He Loved Me!” from between her bed and the wall. Slipping it into her side pouch, she left her room and turned right, ready to start her day.
Megan, who was standing not far down the hallway and to the left of the door, rubbed her hand over her chin. “Sheesh...AJ’s brother certainly gets around.”
***
Twilight sat next to Hawk on one of the couches of the new communications room of the Bureau, reading away the afternoon. The unicorn had some reservations about the alterations the human and his friend had made to the room at first, but with all the various radios and scientific doodads, she had gotten over it.
The incoming message light on one of the various gizmos blinked to life and a beeping noise overrode the soft jazz music that had been playing. “Not even operational a whole day and we already got a call,” grunted Hawk as he got up from his end of the couch.
Twilight, who sat on the other end, lifted her head looking extremely concerned. “Please Hawk, this could be serious.”
Hawk smiled at the unicorn, “Am I not serious enough for you? If you want I could act like Barnes and scowl all the time.” After saying this he scrunched up his face in mock anger and pointed at it, “See? This is my serious face.”
Twilight gave him an unimpressed look and rolled her eyes while Hawk chuckled to himself and activated the Comm-Screen. The human President appeared on it, standing in the oval office looking somewhat disheveled. Next to his desk was the ever glorious Princess Celestia resting on her haunches.
Hawk put his hands on his hips and smiled, “Damn Joe. TV makes you look fat.”
President Joseph sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead with his hand. “You’re lucky I can’t suspend you Hawk.”
“I know.”
Twilight jumped off the couch and walked up next to Hawk and waved a hoof at the television screen. “Hello mister President, and good morning Princess!”
The Princess gave a tiny hoof wave back and a serene little smile. Joseph also gave the unicorn a friendly grin as he continued, “Hello Miss Twilight. Anyway, Hawk. A situation has come up in California that requires your team’s immediate attention. As you’ve probably heard from recent news reports, the city of New Foalsome is having problems with...”
Hawk interrupted with a cough, “Sir, California is Six Tribes’ territory. They have rangers that are supposed to handle this.”
Joseph shot him a tired look, “They can’t handle this agent Hawk. The Six Tribes have enough resources to police their cities and towns, but not nearly to combat two organized terrorist groups from waging war on each other.”
Hawk cocked an eyebrow, “Two? I thought the HLF was the only radical group we had to deal with.”
It was then that Celestia spoke, “Indeed they were Agent Hawk, but recently…” her face became downcast and her tone worried, “…I’m saddened to say there is now a second hate fueled group named, PER.”
“Excuse me Princess,” said Twilight as she stepped forward, “but what is PER? I’m not up to date on human outlaws.”
The Princess grew visibly upset as she spoke her next words, “PER, or ‘Ponification for Earth’s Rebirth,’ is not made up of humans Twilight. Its ranks are filled with those that have been ponified and seek to eliminate humanity from the face of the planet, by any means necessary.”
Twilight and Hawk both stood dumbfounded. “But Princess!” stammered Twilight, unable to compute what her mentor had just said, “No pony, Equestrian or otherwise would ever want that! They couldn’t! Our magic removes impurities of both body and mind!” Twilight looked at her mentor, hoping this was just one of the goddess’s famous jokes.
“Oh yes they could,” stated Hawk. His eyes were darting back and forth as he sorted through his memory, “If they had a ponification potion that didn’t take all the bad out of them.”
Twilight’s eyes widened in disbelief as she gazed at Hawk, a dark thought dawning in her mind. “The potion I made for Cottonmouth…” Horrible memories she thought she had long since buried away erupted from her subconscious with the force of a tidal wave.
Hawk nodded, “Apparently we missed some of it.” His face began to contort, this time in very genuine anger.
President Joseph cleared his throat and moved to the center of the screen. “Although the how’s and why’s of PER’s genesis need to be answered and dealt with, that is not your mission. It seems that the two gangs have found a certain carrot to chase after, a one Mr. John Norris and his son, Azure Wind.” The odd looks from Twilight and Hawk did not go unnoticed by the President, but he continued on with the briefing. He assumed they would be smart enough to put two and two together.
“It is our belief,” he continued, “that both organizations are after his fortune, which Mr. Norris keeps somewhere in the confines of his home. If either faction gets their hands on that money, they’ll have enough funds to do whatever they want, and I’m sure they aren’t planning in donating to charity. You two have to make sure no harm comes to Mr. Norris or his son, and keep the fortune out of the hands, or hooves, of the malefactors. Clear?”
“Yes,” said Twilight with a nod.
“Aye sir,” replied Hawk with a salute, “I’ll inform Barnes to ready the chopper for long dis-”
Joseph raised his hand to silence him, “The helicopter is far too slow Agent Hawk. I have authorized the use of the Odin. It should arrive within the hour.”
Hawk’s eyes narrowed, and his voice suddenly had a subtly nervous shake to it, “Ah…the experimental ship. I hope Barnes can fly that one.”
“Captain Barnes can fly anything Hawk,” the President assured him.
“And I’ll get Rarity and Fluttershy ready,” added Twilight, earning her odd looks from her peers. After clearing her throat, she continued, “I was just thinking that we might be able to attempt a diplomatic resolution, however unlikely. I mean, PER might not be one hundred percent ponified, but maybe they’ll at least listen to a little reason?” The young mare gazed into the face of her divine mentor for approval.
Celestia’s face eventually spread into a sincere smile that beamed at her student. “I think that is worth a try my dear pupil, and I hope for the sakes of everyone that it pays off.”
Bubbles of pure joy welled up within Twilight. She was so glad the Princess liked her idea that she didn’t notice the stupid grin that was now covering her face.
“Well then my faithful student,” said Celestia, giggling somewhat at Twilight’s expression, “I bid you and Agent Hawk farewell.”
Twilight gave the most respectful bow she could, saying “Thank you, your highness.”
Hawk simply tipped his hat to the monarch.
Princess Celestia gave one last shining smile to both of them, and spoke with words that sounded like they were dipped in honey, “Do be sure to watch each other’s flanks out there.” She shot Hawk a quick wink before the screen cut to black.
Twilight looked at the human agent with a raised eyebrow, “What was with that wink?”
“Hell if I know,” Hawk responded as he made his way to the door, “I’m going to go get ready before things start getting awkward.”
Twilight sauntered next to him and asked, “Mind helping me find Fluttershy and Rarity? They’ve probably finished their morning rounds by now, so there’s no telling where they could be.” Her face then became somewhat embarrassed and she quietly added, “That, and I don’t want to tell Rarity her tea party is canceled by myself.”
Hawk looked at the unicorn, whose large, pleading eyes were focused intently on him. He let loose a heavy sigh, “Sure Twilight, but only because you’re cute.”
Her cheeks turned a deep shade of red as she looked away sheepishly, “Thanks.”
***
Rarity had finished her morning conversions and had the rest of today off, and it being almost eleven thirty, she thought now would be an excellent time to see if the elusive Samantha Barnes would be attending her ‘Get-to-know-each-other Tea Party.’ Unfortunately, Barnes was busy doing maintenance on her heli-thingy in a vacant section of the Bureau’s parking lot, and the unicorn so hated to interrupt somepony when they were working. Deciding that busy humans were best left unmolested, she turned back towards the entrance of the Bureau.
“Is there something you want Ms. Rarity?” came the woman’s cold and unfeeling voice.
Turning back to face the human, Rarity saw Barnes looking back at her. Her posture was stiff and rigid, and there were grease and oil stains all over her face and jumpsuit. Swallowing down her urge to give the poor girl a makeover on the spot, Rarity pranced towards the woman and put on her most lovely smile.
“Good morning Ms. Barnes, I wa-”
“Captain.”
Blushing slightly at her faux pas, Rarity continued, “Yes of course darling, my apologies. Well, Captain Barnes, I was just wondering if you had given any thought to attending the tea party that I would be hosting later today? I would so love it if you decided to join us!”
The captain’s face was like stone, and showed no sign of emotion in the slightest. Rarity had no idea what the woman was thinking behind those well shaded aviator sunglasses of hers, a fact that made the unicorn feel oddly uncomfortable. After a few unbearably awkward seconds, Barnes simply said, “No. Busy with maintenance.”
“Well drat,” replied Rarity giving the asphalt a dainty little stomp with a hoof. Though she was secretly overjoyed that the uncomfortable silence had ended, that was not the answer she was hoping for. “Oh well, I suppose I’ll just have to save you some tea and croissants. Ta-ta for now darling, I do hope we see more of eachoth-”
There was a sudden boom from above them as an aircraft appeared out of nowhere. It was long, sleek, and even from its distance from her, Rarity could tell it looked very dangerous. The ship hovered there for a time before is started to slowly descend.
“What in the world is that?” asked the unicorn to the woman.
Barnes responded to the pony mechanically, “It is the SR-72, a larger and more up to date version of the SR-71 Blackbird, under the code name ‘Odin.’ It has been retrofitted with Fusion Foil engines which allow for hovering capabilities as well as vertical take-off and descent. It is also equipped with the only Teleportation Matrix in existence, and can travel anywhere in the world instantaneously. Only known drawback is power consumption, limiting the ship’s ability to teleport to twice per every twenty-four hours.”
Rarity stared at the woman, utterly lost in what she had just heard.
Barnes looked at the unicorn and added, “It is also fashionably colored in a deep navy blue.”
Finally, after sorting through the parts she could understand, the unicorn said, “So it’s a plane…”
“Correct.”
“…that teleports?”
“Correct.”
Satisfied that she understood the basic concept, Rarity gave a refreshed sigh and smiled brightly at Barnes while giving the woman’s left hand a quick little pat, “Well that is all very interesting darling, but I must be off! I have a tea party to host after all! Are you sure you can’t make it?”
Barnes’ left hand started twitching slightly, yet the woman paid it no mind and replied “Very sure. Duty calls.” Pointing behind the unicorn with her right hand, she added, “As do your friends.”
Spinning around, Rarity saw Twilight, Fluttershy, and Agent Hawk beckoning to her. Judging from Twilight’s apologetic face, the glamorous unicorn could only assume her friends had come to tell her some unfortunate news about the tea party. “Oh horse-feathers.”
***
“I still don’t see why you’re forcing Fluttershy to go.”
“Rarity, you and I both know that she is a lot braver than a lot of ponies give her credit for,” replied Twilight as she magically lifted a box of ponification potion into the cabin of the Odin.
Rarity walked by Twilight and rolled her eyes as she climbed into one of the four chairs of the cockpit of the sleek human ship. “Yes I know darling, but she is also very sensitive. I’m just worried that these ruffians of...who were they again?”
“PER,” stated Twilight as she placed the box of potion next to Rarity’s seat.
“Right, well I’m just afraid that these PER ponies, or Celestia forbid, those brutes of the HLF get a hold of her.” Rarity looked around her seat for the safety straps that usually came with these kinds of chairs. Unable to find them, she sighed and continued, “I mean honestly Twilight, she could get hurt, or worse.”
Twilight walked next to her friend and gave as comforting a smile as she could, “Believe me Rarity, going on personal experience alone, I can attest that you and Fluttershy will be just fine under the care of the human agents. If anything bad happens, Hawk will be there to save you.”
The white unicorn returned her friends smile with a worried look, “I hope you’re right darling.”
Barnes walked into the cabin carrying a large black duffel bag that clacked and clanked with its no doubt deadly contents. She placed it onto the co-pilot’s seat before taking her position as main pilot. Moments later Hawk entered with Fluttershy in tow, the pegasus’ eyes darting around the interior of the ship. With a nod to Twilight, Hawk took the co-pilot’s seat from the duffel bag and began flipping switches.
Twilight cast an encouraging smile at her friends and said, “Okay girls, looks like it’s time for you two to go! Is everypony clear on what they’re supposed to do?”
“We’re going to help some humans and new-foals learn how to be nice to each other!” chimed Fluttershy as she floated into her seat.
It was a simple analysis of the task, but Twilight accepted it. “Right! Now, Hawk and Barnes will be there to protect you if you get into trouble, so just stick close to them and you’ll both be fine.” Her friends nodded in acknowledgement. “Good, and Hawk…” said the purple unicorn to the man, “Try to come back in one piece.”
“No promises about me,” called Hawk from the front, “but I’ll keep your friends safe.” He turned in his seat and grinned at Twilight, “You have my word.”
Satisfied with his reply, Twilight gave a final nod to her friends and gingerly exited the large dark blue ship. After the purple unicorn was clear, Barnes flipped a switch that made the entrance ramp close and sealed the cabin. After she deftly punched in more commands, the woman announced, “Beginning ascension to eight-hundred feet, charging up Teleportation Drive.”
“Um…E-excuse me for asking, but...um…aren’t we supposed to be strapped down to something?” squeaked Fluttershy,
“Oh right!” exclaimed Hawk, “Hold on just a second while I find the button…Ah! Here we go!” He pushed a glowing yellow button on his control panel. Straps shot out of the back of each of their chairs, which buckled themselves over the chests of the passengers. The ponies were forced into a sitting position that would have been much more comfortable if they were humans.
“It’s a bit snug,” stated Rarity as she struggled to get even a small bit of comfort.
“I’ll modify the seats for pony use later,” stated Barnes in her usual mechanical fashion. The ship kept rising into the air smoothly, climbing high above the streets and rooftops.
The ponies gasped as they looked out the cockpit windows as the entire city of Manhattan stretched out before them. Pegasi could be seen flying playfully around in the afternoon sky, while thousands of ponies made the streets of city into marvelous rivers of rainbow colored dots. It made Rarity yearn to have wings again, but more importantly it gave the unicorn a new idea for a summer gown.
Barnes pressed a button and announced, “Teleport Drive is charged, activating.” The exterior of the ship began to shimmer and glisten with waves of energy. Ripples of bright light danced across the surface of the vessel until the entire aircraft glowed with a wondrous pinkish light that began to expand into a sphere around it. With a brilliant flash, the ship was gone from the city.
***
Meanwhile, more than two-thousand miles away, a loud boom echoed throughout the morning sky above the city of New Foalsome. It was nine AM, and John Norris did not like being woken up that early by explosions. Hell he just didn’t like explosions in general. He sat up in his bed and looked around his dark room. Nothing seemed to be on fire, nor where there any alarms blaring. No immediate problems meant he could roll over and go back to sleep, which he did.
Or would have if the door to his room hadn’t burst open and a small blue pegasus leapt onto his bed yelling, “Dad! Dad! Did you hear that?” The small colt bounded to the window to the window and poked his head through the heavy curtains, allowing a small stream of sunlight to stream into the room. “Woooow!” said the pegasus, “Dad, you have got to see this! I think it’s a spaceship!”
John only curled into a tight ball and hissed, “The light! Turn off the light!”
Azure rolled his eyes. “Seriously Dad, it’s an honest to Celestia spaceship!” insisted the young pegasus.
The aging man relented and emerged from the warmth of his bed with all the excitement of a bear in winter. “There had better be one hell of a spaceship out there Azure. Just saying.” John slowly opened the curtains where his son was peeking his head through, and had to resist the urge to shout ‘It burns!’ as he was showered with morning daylight. After he was able to stop squinting, he saw what appeared to be a large jet plane hovering off in the distance. “Holy shit. It’s a spaceship.”
His son beamed up at him, “Told you so.”
John cast a quick glance at Azure, “Don’t get so excited kid. It freaks me out.” He rubbed his chin as he gazed on the sleek looking ship that appeared to be coming towards his building. Hoping that whoever was driving the aircraft wasn’t interested in him, he turned away from the window and walked towards the kitchen, “Come on Azure, I’ll cook us up some pancakes.”
***
“And just like that, we’re in New Foalsome!” stated Hawk proudly, “Barnes, which building belongs to our friend Mr. Norris?”
She pointed at a large glass building that was a city block or so away from them, “The sky scraper at twelve o’clock. There is no landing pad but it appears that there is substantial enough roof space for us to land on.”
Hawk shrugged, “Take us in captain, and avoid hitting any pegasi while you’re at it.”
“Or birds!” Fluttershy called from her seat.
Barnes flipped a few switches and tightened her grip on the steering yoke, “I will see what I can do.” With her left hand on the steering device, she placed her right hand on the throttle and pushed it forward ever so slightly.
The aircraft slowly began moving forward as the rear engines glowed with the sparks of life. Moving at a cautious and almost leisurely pace, the Odin hovered through the air towards the modern day tower. It deviated from its path only to avoid any curious pegasi or flocks of birds that happened to fly too close. Within the minute, the dark ship loomed over the roof of their destination. The ship gingerly descended onto the roof and touched down with a mild thud.
“Alright, let’s go get acquainted with the locals,” said Hawk as he flipped a switch and picked up his black duffel bag. The entrance ramp to the ship lowered and hit the roof of the building with a solid ‘clang!’ The man tipped his hat to Rarity and Fluttershy as he walked out onto the roof, “Come on my wee horses, time’s a-wasting.”
Rarity and Fluttershy nearly jumped at the chance to exit the craft. Once outside, they gazed at the city that lay before them. It was similar to the Manhattan, but it did not have as many tall buildings. It certainly had a great deal more pegasi though.
As Barnes exited the Odin, Fluttershy daintily trotted up to her with a pleasant smile and said, “Thank you for taking the time to not hurt any birds Missus B-”
“Fluttershy darling,” chimed Rarity “she prefers being called Captain!” The unicorn gave her friend a pleasant smile as she turned followed Hawk towards the rooftop entrance of the building.
“O-oh…umm well then, umm…” the pegasus looked into the mirrored shades of Barnes’ sunglasses that eternally covered the woman’s eyes, nervous panic quickly starting to rise inside of her. “W-well, Captain Barnes, thank you f-for not hitting any birds, i-it really means a lot to me…” The timid pony lowered her head and looked away, internally berating herself for being such a bother.
Barnes glanced up and saw that Hawk and Rarity had disappeared into the staircase entrance of the building. She knelt down and put her left hand behind Fluttershy’s ear and smiled warmly at the pegasus. In a calm and motherly tone she soothingly whispered to the winged pony, “It wasn’t any bother Fluttershy, really. If anything, I enjoyed the extra little challenge. Now go on and catch up with the others, I have to run a little maintenance on the ship and it’ll take me a minute or two.”
Fluttershy gave a relieved smile at the woman, “O-Okay! Thank you!” She fluttered away from the woman and into the dark staircase that led into the tall building.
As soon as the yellow pony was gone, Barnes shook her head as her warm expression was replaced with her usual grim one. She brought the hand that had touched Fluttershy up to her face and looked at it. The hand had started to shake and twitch violently. For a brief second, her emotionless face flashed with concern, “Not good.”
***
John was just about to enter the bathroom when he heard a sound that he absolutely dreaded come from the door to his home.
‘Knock-knock!’
“DAD! There’s somepony at the door!” called Azure from his room.
The man rubbed his eyes and called back, “Tell them that no one’s home and to go away!” He already had one foot in the threshold of bathroom and there was no turning back now.
‘knock-knock-knock-knock!’
Azure appeared at the door to the bathroom and said rather flatly, “I don’t think anypony would ever fall for that Dad, especially when they probably heard you yelling.”
John spun around, “Then just tell them to go away! And close the door!” John shooed the young blue pegasus out and closed the door himself. He approached the porcelain throne and prepared for sweet relief.
There was a very loud crash from the front door as it was kicked in.
John zipped up and dashed out into the living room, where he saw a man in a wide brim hat and duster carrying a black duffel bag, standing in the doorway. He was flanked by two ponies, one was a white unicorn that had an immaculate purple mane, and the other a yellow pegasus with a long pink mane. Apparently both of the ponies were as surprised as John and his son were.
“H-hello!” said the yellow one, “I’m really really sorry about the…um…door…and um…”
Azure galloped behind his father’s legs and the man could feel the small colt shivering against his legs. “Dad…” he whispered, “i-is it the HLF?”
The man in the hat walked over the remains of the door and in a reassuring tone stated, “No my boy, we are not with the HLF, nor are we with PER, an organization your father is no doubt familiar with. The lovely mares behind me are from Princess Celestia’s very own Elite Guard sent here to protect you.”
Azure’s ears perked up at the name of his deity, “C-Celestia?” He peeked out from behind his father’s legs looking somewhat unconvinced, “If you work for Celestia, where’s your fancy armor? The royal guard on the TV wore fancy gold armor.”
The two ponies took positions next to the man. The yellow pegasus smiled at the young colt and spoke gently, “Oh we don’t wear armor. Only the regular royal guards wear armor. We’re the elite guard, which means that…um…” she suddenly looked very worriedly over at the unicorn, “uh…Rarity…w-what does that mean?”
Rarity scanned her mind for an excuse. Celestia never actually told them what benefits being in the Elite Guard offered, and the unicorn was beginning to think that her highness had just made the organization up so they could have a fancy sounding title to throw around. “…uh well, my dear Fluttershy…um…What it means darling is that we are so good at our jobs that we don’t need armor. Yes, that’s what it means.” She rolled her eyes away from the human next to her as she said, “Though I’m still willing to design uniforms for the benefit for our…less fashionable team members.”
The man in the hat’s face gained a flat expression, “No.”
“Oh come on Hawk! You know they’d be absolutely fabulous!” she exclaimed a tad irked, “I was THE top designer of Equestria before moving to human lands, there is nothing to worry about!”
“I think they’d look lovely Rarity,” cooed Fluttershy.
The unicorn smiled at her friend, “Thank you darling. See Hawk? Fluttershy thinks it would be a great idea! Please let me at least design you a better coat? Please? Please please please please?”
Hawk rolled his eyes and faced the glamorous pony, “Okay, tell you what. I’ll ask the rest of my team about it, and you can talk to Twilight. After that we’ll see.”
“Oh thank you thank you thank you! It’s been forever since I’ve done professional work and I have just had so many ideas that I-”
John cleared his throat and gained the attention of everyone in the room. “Okay, you’re obviously not with HLF or PER, but I refuse to believe you guys are agents for that Princess of yours. Now will you all please leave? I have to order a new door. Preferably one made of iron.”
Hawk walked over to the man and presented him with a badge from one of his pockets. “Sorry Mr. Norris, but PER and the HLF are coming after you, and the president has put me and my team in charge of making sure you and your son don’t end up dead.”
John scrutinized the badge, noting that it did look very official. Azure meanwhile, was looking up at the strange human with the hat and coat, taking one tentative step after another towards him. The young colt had seen very few humans in his lifetime, and curiosity was getting the better of him. “Excuse me mister,” asked the blue pegasus, “but how’re you going to protect me and my dad?”
Hawk smiled at the young pony, “Well, if Lady Rarity and Miss Fluttershy’s words don’t keep the bad guys away, then my bullets will.”
***
The phone rang just as Barnes and Hawk finished replacing the door onto its hinges. Barnes had entered with the box of ponification potion some time after the team’s initial introduction to John and Azure, looking somewhat...uneasy. Fluttershy had inquired if there was something wrong, but Barnes had been distant and cold with her response, and generally avoided speaking to either the pegasus or Rarity. She had instead spent her time with Hawk, mostly doing gun maintenance and working to fix the door to a respectable degree.
John picked up his phone, avoiding the large pile of guns that had been laid out over his floor. “Hello, this is Norris.”
“Hello Mr. Norris, this is Sweetie Pop at reception. I have a man here who says he has a delivery for you.”
“Thank you, uh…Ms. Pop, could you hold on a sec?” John beckoned Hawk over to him, “Agent Hawk! Some human guy downstairs says he has a package for me, but I never ordered anything and Azure’s Wonderbolt pin-ups don’t come for another week.”
Hawk gave him an odd look, “You let your son have pin-ups?”
“He already had a subscription when I got him, so you can blame his dead mother if you want. Now what do I so about this?” he replied, shaking the phone slightly.
The human agent shifted a bit uncomfortably at that last remark but responded, “It might be the HLF setting up a trap.”
“No shit,” stated John flatly.
Hawk put his hand to his chin for a moment, pondering something before he asked, “Have you ever actually met the receptionist?”
John glanced away for a brief moment, “No…I don’t really get out much…”
“Good!” exclaimed Hawk, “I’ll go down as you, kill any HLF that try and start anything, and come back here when they’re all dead.” He walked over to the section of carpet where he had laid out his various weapons and selected two sticks of dynamite from the pile. Next, he moved to Azure’s room, where the two mares had been keeping the young colt busy and well away from the deadly contents of Hawk’s duffel bag. Peeking in, the human agent found himself on the threshold of a very odd situation.
Rarity was humming as she brushed the mane of the small blue pegasus, while Fluttershy made pleasant conversation with him. Azure himself seemed quite keen on not looking away from the timid yellow pegasus, though his eyes did not show any interest in what she was saying. He simply stared dreamily at her, lost in one particular feature or another. No one seemed to notice the human agent slip into the room.
Fluttershy continued on with whatever story she was telling, “-and then the cute little baby bunnies hopped all over my bed! Oh it was so cute that I almost fainted!”
“Uh-huh,” replied Azure blissfully looking at Fluttershy.
Rarity interrupted his dream like state with a prod from her hoof, “Azure darling, how would you like your mane styled?”
Hawk took this chance to spoil the moment, before things got too awkward for him. “That will have to wait Rarity. You and I are going down to the lobby to pick up a package, so let’s get going.”
“But…” started Rarity a brokenhearted tone.
Finally noticing the pinups around Azure’s room were of stallions, Hawk quickly added, “Now Rarity.”
“Fine,” she huffed getting off the colt’s bed, “Is Barnes coming?”
“No,” replied the man as he moved out of the room, “Barnes will remain here and keep Mr. Norris and his son safe.” He walked to the front door with Rarity in tow, and together they slid the door open.
“Good luck,” called John as they left. Turning to Barnes, who had begun placing Hawk’s munitions back into his duffel bag, he asked “So, want something to drink? I got some beers that I’ve been meaning to get through.”
Her reply was cold, yet in some strange way, friendly. “I prefer tea, but I’ll take whatever you have.”
***
The elevator door opened up to the expansive lobby. Hawk gave a small whistle at the sheer opulence of main entrance. Polished marble floor, an arched ceiling that was high enough to allow a pegasus some flying room, thick pillars lining the walls that separated the elevators, and even a sizable fountain in the center of the room. The solid marble reception desk was on the wall opposite the entrance, which itself was little more than a massive window with a couple of rotating doors that looked out into the street.
The room was literally teeming with a multitude of various colored ponies, all of whom wore some sign of wealth. There was human in a delivery outfit at the reception desk who seemed to be in the middle of a heated conversation with the receptionist.
“Oh my stars…” breathed Rarity, “I could get used to living here.”
Hawk rolled his eyes and moved towards the reception desk, “I’m sure you’d fit right in, the ponies who live here tend to be a tad snobbish.” She gave him a look that could kill, to which he responded by shooting the unicorn a friendly smile over his shoulder. Sighing out her frustration at the man, Rarity followed after him. She debated with herself about what Twilight saw in him.
The peach colored earth pony with a strawberry colored mane saw Hawk coming towards the desk and waved him over a bit too eagerly. “Mr. Norris?” she inquired with a hopeful expression.
“That I am Ms. Sweetie Pop,” replied Hawk with confidence, “and I’m here for my package.”
The short, pudgy, and almost certainly sleazy looking delivery man tapped Hawk on the shoulder with a clipboard, “About god-damn time you got here. Just sign the dotted line and you can get your shit.” Hawk furrowed his brow and took the clipboard and scanned it for details about where it was sent from. “So,” continued the post-man, “What’s with that get up? You some kind of fucking cowboy enthusiast or some shit like that?” He began backing up towards the fountain.
Hawk looked up from his reading and glared at the man, and was about to say some very stern words about swearing in public. His focus soon shifted to the right as he saw an oncoming van that was accelerating towards the glass wall of the entrance. “Rarity, get behind the desk.”
Rarity, who had been admiring the décor of the lobby, snapped back to reality and shot Hawk a curious stare, “What? I’m sorry darling, but my mind was miles away.”
Hawk dropped the clipboard and drew his revolver, eliciting screams and mad scrambles from the crowd in the room. “Get behind the desk NOW!” he yelled as he rolled over the marble desk and took cover behind it.
Rarity glanced around and saw the van. She quickly joined Hawk and the receptionist behind their piece of cover, shortly joined by three other ponies.
The van smashed through the glass entrance of the lobby sending ponies running every which way in panic, and even managed to hit two unfortunate unicorns. The crowd of ponies crammed themselves into the elevators and out towards the back. Humans in black ski masks and kevlar vests filed out of the back of the van, each one carrying an automatic rifle. The driver leaned out the door and called, “Damnation! Little bastards sure do clear out of a room fast!”
“Newman!” shouted one of the masked men, “Where’s Norris?”
Behind the desk, Hawk put a finger to his lips before removing a long red stick with a fuse from somewhere within his coat. “Anyone got a lighter?” he whispered.
Rarity’s eyes went wide as she silently hissed, “What are you doing with dynamite?! I thought that we were supposed to be using diplomacy!”
The postman stopped cowering behind the fountain and walked up to the man who spoke, “You assholes are nuts you know that? That freak of nature you got in the back of that van is probably all riled up thanks to that stunt!”
The receptionist pony nudged Hawk’s shoulder with her snout and pointed to the hotel’s brand of complementary matches on the desk’s top above. “This is diplomacy,” Hawk replied to the unicorn with a grin, “just a great deal more explosive.”
The masked man pointed his gun at Mr. Newman, “We don’t have time for your bullshit Newman! Now where is he?”
Rarity relented, knowing that diplomacy with the HLF was probably a lost cause anyway. She reached out with her magic and levitated a pack of magic down to Hawk. “I could be having a tea party right now. I just want you to know that.”
Hawk gave the unicorn an apologetic look while he lit the fuse of the dynamite, “I’ll make it up to you. Promise.”
Newman eyed the gun barrel in his face, sweat forming all over his face, “Behind the desk, I think he’s got a gun though.”
A lit stick of dynamite sailed out from behind the reception desk and landed in front of the HLF’s van. The eyes of the HLF soldiers went wide while Davey Newman ran past the reception desk. The leader tried to yell, “EVERYONE RUN!” but was cut off by a very loud explosion that consumed almost a full quarter of the lobby.
***
John was in the middle of watching cartoons with Azure and Fluttershy while Barnes sat a ways off, every so often glancing at her hand. There was a panicked knock at John’s door followed by a familiar voice shouting “OH-MY-GOD-JOHN, THERE-ARE-HLF-IN-THE-LOBBY-LET-US-IN!”
Barnes sprang into action immediately as she drew a glock from her hip’s holster and approached the door. Once in position, she then gestured for John to say something.
The man said the first thing that came to mind, “Who’s there?”
“WHAT-DO-YOU-MEAN-WHO’S-THERE?! IT’S-BREEZY-FIELDS AND-ABOUT-A-DOZEN-PANIKING-PONIES, NOW-OPEN-THE-DAMN-DOOR!”
The man nodded to Barnes to open the door. Responding with a nod of her own, she holstered her gun and slid open the door. A bright green earth pony toppled inside, a look of genuine relief on his face. “Thank-Celestia!” said the earth pony quickly, “I-thought-those-madmen-would-have-killed-me-for-sure!” He gazed up around the room, finally noticing the soft expression of Fluttershy, and the cold glare of Barnes. “Entertaining company John?” he asked at length.
John walked over to the frightened pony, “They’re from the government, now Joseph-”
“Breezy Fields!” shouted the green pony.
“Whatever! You said the HLF is in the lobby right now?”
Breezy Fields nodded, “Yes! Me-and-these-guys-all-ran-up-here-to-get-away-from-them!”
John looked down the hallway that led to his room, seeing a small crowd of ponies all staring at him. The odd thing was that none of them looked even half as panicked as Joseph did. When one of them smiled, John could only say, “Aw horseshit.”
***
Hawk and Rarity peeked over the lip of the desk and surveyed the damage. The van was toppled over and on fire, the fountain was beyond repair and spraying water all over the floor, and there was a great deal of small debris scatted around the once elegant lobby. The bodies of the HLF members were strewn all over the place, some more intact than others.
Rarity ducked back down and put a hoof over her mouth, “I’m going to throw up.”
Hawk put a hand on her shoulders, “It’s alright. The bodies take some getting used to, even for humans.”
“No, not that,” the unicorn said quickly, “the lobby. It’s such a mess.” The man gave her a rather odd look that was a mix of bemusement and shock.
There was a clang of metal hitting ground from the direction of the van’s wreckage. Hawk peeked over the desk again, just in time to see a large, hairy…something…skitter behind one of the pillars. Hawk readied his revolver.
“Help…” came the weak voice from the destruction, “…help…me…” From his position, Hawk saw that it was the man who had been driving the van. It was somewhat miraculous that he had lived, or in one piece for that matter.
Rarity’s ears perked up upon hearing the moaning. She peered around the corner and spotted the wounded human. Her face scrunched up at the sight of the man’s wounds, and in an instant she decided she was going to go save him. Before anyone noticed, the glamorous unicorn had already trotted out from behind the desk and was making her way past the small bits of rubble that lay around the floor towards the hapless individual.
The wounded man spotted the unicorn and he began crawling towards her. His face was awash with terror and pain, but his eyes looked at the approaching pony like she was an angel. “Please…help me…”
There was a sudden yank on Rarity’s backside as Hawk pulled her tail all the way back behind the reception desk. “Agent Hawk!” she cried, “What in the name of Celestia are you doing!?”
“Wait,” he replied, not taking his eyes off the walls.
The wounded HLF member reached out with an arm, and seemed to be on the verge of death. “Please…” he said.
She scowled hard at Hawk, “You sick monster! He might be with those jackals of the HLF, but that doesn’t mean we should just watch him die! By Celest-”
Hawk grabbed her head and turned it to face the right hand wall and pointed at a certain pillar, “Look before you leap.” As he said this, the other ponies cowering behind the desk peeked out from behind it.
Sure enough, much to their accumulated horror, there were large and spindly legs slowly stretching out from behind the pillar. Before long, eight grotesquely large eyes crested out from behind the stonework, each one the size of a dinner plate. It moved with a deliberate slowness around the column, as if it were still deciding who to attack first.
“By the Moon and Sun,” breathed Rarity, quite sure she had just entered a nightmare, “What is that…that thing?”
Hawk leveled his revolver at the creature, “Guessing by just the color and markings? I’d say it’s a wolf spider that’s the size of a horse.”
“…Help…” groaned the man, oblivious to the creeping death that was silently making its way down the wall towards him.
“Do something!” cried Sweetie Pop.
“Rarity,” said Hawk, “get ready to pull that man to safety.”
Barely hearing his words past the horrid scene unfolding before her, she nodded. Focusing on a spell that was meant for moving wounded ponies and animals, her body grew tense as she waited for the moment to act.
The abomination reached the floor as silent as a whisper, and raised its forelegs towards the wounded man. Hawk squeezed the trigger of his revolver, sending a bullet directly into one of the oversized spider’s eyes.
The monstrous spider let loose a terrible shriek of pain before it skittered back behind the pillar with unnerving speed. Rarity never knew spiders could shriek, and she could have happily gone through her entire life not knowing that. She released her spell around the badly wounded member of the HLF and gently glided him close to her.
The spider crawled onto the ceiling, allowing Hawk to take two more shots. Both of the bullets connected with the beast’s sternum, but didn’t do any damage. “Aw hell. That thing is bullet proof,” said the agent as he refilled the chambers of his revolver.
“What do you mean, ‘bullet-proof?!’” screamed Rarity as she prepared a healing spell, “You just shot it and it screeched!” She lowered her head and swept it over the broken and bleeding body of the HLF survivor. Small shimmering waves of multicolored light fell over the man like a blanket and eventually wrapped around him like a cocoon. “There,” she said in a panicky sort of huff, “Now you won’t be bleeding all over the place.”
The spider started crawling sideways towards the space above the reception desk. “Apparently its only weak spot are the eyes,” Hawk produced another stick of dynamite from his coat with his free hand, “Either that or I need try something more original.”
***
A veritable hurricane came from the hallway as the PER ponies cast their spells, throwing everything and everyone in the apartment all over the place. Fluttershy had covered Azure with her body before the gust of wind sent her and the young colt flying into a wall. John, Barnes, and Breezy all had the misfortune of sailing all the way across the room and into the television that hung on the wall, their bodies falling out of sight behind the now upturned couch.
That’s when they all entered. There were seven of them: four unicorns, three pegasi. The lead one was a unicorn, a purple mare with white mane and snowflake marking. Flanking her were two other vicious looking unicorns, both stallions.
The purple one put on a smug grin as she talked, “John Norris, it certainly is a pleasure to meet you. I’ve really been looking forward to it,” she started walking to the upturned couch with a confidence in her step, “I’ve always wondered what it felt like to look down on an inferior species.” Rounding the couch with her two goons, her pompous smile widened when she saw the unconscious forms of John and Breezy, “And now I know.”
The unicorn goon to her right did some hasty math in his head, “Hey boss, weren’t there thr-”
The lead unicorn cut him off with a swish from her tail, “Not now Black Root, mommy is talking.”
Fluttershy was on the ground not far away, and began to come to as the other four ponies swept into the room. She had taken most of the impact from the wall, and as a result was still a bit dazed. “Azure?” she whimpered looking at the small blue pegasus entwined in her legs, “are you okay?”
The colt looked up and shook his head, clearing him of his dazed state. After a moment he had righted himself and scrunched up his face in anger. “DAD!” he shouted as he squirmed out of Fluttershy’s grasp, “GET AWAY FROM MY DADDY!”
“Azure no!”Fluttershy yelped after him, but the small blue pegasus was already dashing across the floor to his father’s side.
The purple unicorn looked down curiously, “Ah, and what have we here?” A cruel grin appeared on her face, “Why you must be little Azure!” The horn of her left hoof goon glowed to life, raising Azure into the air. “Just who I wanted to see next!”
“GET AWAY FROM HIM!” screamed the small blue pegasus in the purple mare’s face.
“Not one for conversation I take it?” she sneered at the colt. Turning to the unicorn on her right she gave another smug smile, “Black Root, go find a pillow case or something to throw him in while we wait for Norris to wake up.”
The black and gold unicorn nodded and trotted off with the still screaming Azure, “WHEN I GET MY HOOVES ON YOU, YOU’RE GONNA BE SORRY!” His screams trailed off as Black Root carried him off into a bedroom, where much hollering could be heard before becoming muffled. The stallion emerged with a writhing sack suspended by a magic grip.
“Now about you,” said the purple mare as she trotted over the still recovering Fluttershy, “Who might you be?”
Fluttershy took a quick look around the room, ‘Where was Barnes?! Where did she go?’ Seeing no sign of the human agent anywhere in the apartment, she knew she would have to stand up to these bullies herself.
With considerable effort, she stood up straight and gazed harshly into the eyes of the unicorn mare, “My name is Fluttershy of Ponyville, and how dare you do such awful things to these people! I heard that we would meet bad ponies on this trip, but this is far beyond ‘bad!’ T-this is just plain mean! You should all be ashamed of yourselves!”
The seven ponies of PER all stood dumbfounded for a few moments before bursting into riotous laughter. The purple mare was able to stop long enough to move her head in close to Fluttershy’s, a calm smile crossing her lips. “Well isn’t this wonderful! An honest to God Equestrian in our midst! I, Bitter Frost, am honored to meet you.”
Fluttershy glanced about unsure of what to do. She had just used her stern voice, but it didn’t seem to convince them. Maybe asking nicely would work? The timid pegasus lowered her head and gave Bitter Frost the most caring stare she could give, “It’s just that…um, well you see the potion you drank to become ponies was made wrong, so you aren’t really a hundred percent ponified.” Raising her head ever so slightly she added, “But me and my friends brought the right potions that you all can drink! All you have to do is drink up and you won’t have to hurt anypony anymore!”
Frost stepped back a few paces and gave a thoughtful look at Fluttershy. A wicked smile crossed her lips, “Is that so? Well then, it seems that before we leave, we will have to give Mr. John Norris the divine gift of ponification!” She turned to her henchponies, “Come on lads, tie them up and wake up the human! We have bits to take and a blessing to bestow!”
The horns of the four unicorns of PER glowed to life as the unicorns themselves cackled madly. Magic ropes formed around Fluttershy, John, and Breezy and wound around all three tightly. The sudden constriction of the ropes tripped the pegasus and she fell flat onto her side. She frantically looked around, hoping desperately to see somepony, anypony that could do something.
That’s when she saw Barnes standing at the entrance of the apartment, completely unnoticed by the guffawing members of PER as she leveled her gun.
***
Sweetie Pop’s constant screaming was very distracting, and it was causing Rarity some difficultly healing the rather extensive wounds of the HLF member. Of course she couldn’t blame Sweetie Pop. There had just been a van full of armed madmen roll through the front window, gunshots, and explosions. Oh and a giant spider abomination was trying to kill them too.
“I could have been doing fashion shows in Canterlot right now, or eating sweets at one of Pinkie’s parties!” shouted the unicorn as she worked hard and fast to heal the wounds of HLF member. She felt like her energy was spent, but all she had to do was cast one more spell before the wounded man would be healed enough to live.
Hawk fired three shots at the abomination, each one connecting with thick chitin and dinging off harmlessly. “Come on ugly!” shouted the agent as he reloaded, “Get close to me! I dare you!”
‘What in Equestria does Twilight see in him?’ Rarity thought as she prepared the last spell she would likely be able to cast for some time. She squeezed her eyes shut and focused. Soon her horn glowed with magic, and crimson sparkles shot out from her horn’s tip. The sparkling little lights drifted down onto the wounded HLF member’s chest and sank into it, leaving behind faintly glowing spots where they entered. After the spots faded completely, Rarity looked at Hawk and in an exhausted voice said, “Alright, I finished healing him! Let’s get out of here befo-”
The spider crawled along the roof of the lobby, darting left and right as Hawk shot two more rounds at it with his revolver before quickly reloading. It suddenly leapt down at the man, its midsection slamming onto the marble desk and it lunged out at him with its two enormous front legs, pinning the Hawk’s shoulders to the wall. If Sweetie Pop’s screaming was loud before, now it could shatter glass.
Hawk responded to the arachnid’s pin by angling his pinned gun arm at the monster’s large mirrored eyes and unloading every shot he had left in the gun. The six bullets struck the giant spider in its two forward most eyes, and sent the abominable creature reeling in agony. Unfortunately the beast did not release the pressure on Hawk, and the man still found himself unable to move.
“A little help please?!” called Hawk as he tried to squirm out from under the spider’s legs. His eyes went wide as the huge fangs of the giant spider clicked and clacked in front of him, literally dripping with either drool or horribly deadly venom.
Rarity hopped up onto the desk and gave the beast a swift buck to the side, “Take that you horrible monster!”
The spider didn’t even register the little white unicorn. It continued to press its two forward most forelegs onto Hawk’s shoulders while its other six legs began easing it closer to its meal. The man redoubled his efforts of trying to break free as the dripping fangs of death came closer.
The unicorn continued to strike at the monster with her rear hooves, but still was having no effect whatsoever. Rarity decided that, seeing as how her kicks were doing no good, she would take some time to catch her breath. She stepped away from the monstrosity and rethought her plan of attack.
“Rarity!” called Hawk, “I wouldn’t mind if you, I dunno, shot it with a magic arrow or something!”
The spider lunged forward with its fangs going straight for the man’s rib cage.
Rarity’s heart skipped a beat. A single thought flashed through her mind, ‘No! If he dies, then poor Twilight will be single forever!’
Through either sheer luck or phenomenal skill, Hawk freed his shoulders from the pin and raised his hands while dropping his gun and the dynamite in the process. He grabbed the giant fangs before they could stab into his chest, and holding back the dripping fangs with all of his might, he could only grunt, “Any time now!”
“I don’t have any magic like that!” Rarity responded in a distraught tone. She was still recovering from almost seeing her friend’s alleged human lover die.
“Then stab it!”
“With what?! It’s not like I carry knives!”
The spider bore down harder on Hawk, and the pressure from it trying to get its fangs into the human was pushing the agent up the wall. “Use your horn!” shouted Hawk, his feet swinging an inch or two off the ground.
“B-but…” Rarity was going to argue her mane getting ruined or icky, but a quick look from Hawk stifled the urge. There wasn’t space on the desk to get a good charge going, so Rarity tried for one last spell. It was something Twilight had told her about back in their time in Ponyville, a spell that would increase one’s physical abilities for a very short time. Rarity lowered her head and concentrated, her horn giving the faintest of lights.
Hawk gave the spider a swift kick to its belly as a sign of defiance, “RARITY!”
The spell went off and Rarity could feel her muscles growing as adrenaline pumped through her veins. She opened her eyes and looked over her now large and muscular body. “By Celestia, this must be what Macintosh feel like!” Her eyes narrowed on the large horrible creature that sat squirming on the desk, “Now foul beast, you shall feel the mighty wrath of Rarity the unicorn!” She lowered her head and charged at the monstrous arachnid.
Her now ridiculously powerful legs shattered the marble desk as they kicked off and instead of simply running at the creature, Rarity was propelled through the air by the sheer force of her steps. Like a magnificent white arrow, the glorious unicorn sailed into the side of the giant spider horn first, piecing the chitin shell and sending both pony and creature hurtling off the desk and into the far wall.
The spider screeched and flailed it horrendously long legs about wildly as sickly green ichor poured from its side. Hawk, now free of imminent death, took up the stick of dynamite and lit it. Vaulting over the ruined desk, he spotted a curly purple tail amidst the scrambling mass of legs and green slime. With the fuse of the dynamite burning, Hawk ran towards the pony-impaled spider and yanked on the purple tail while simultaneously throwing the little red stick into the open wound. Scooping up the somewhat dazed unicorn, he then ran as fast as he could back behind the reception desk, where the other few ponies looked on in awe and horror.
The explosion sent spider bits and greenish goop everywhere.
***
Fluttershy shut her eyes tight as the PER ponies’ laughter was suddenly interrupted by several loud bangs. A warm liquid splashed over her face, and the laughter was replaced by shouting and yelling and more gun shots. The timid pegasus just kept her eyes closed and thought of her home in Ponyville.
“No! Please don’t kill me! PLEASE!” she heard the voice of Black Root plead, “Look! I surrender okay?”
“Drop the colt,” replied the cold voice of Barnes.
There was a thud and small “oomf!” as the sack hit the floor. The magic ropes that bound her faded and the yellow pegasus began to open her eyes, barely seeing a purple mound in front of her before Barnes called, “Keep your eyes closed Fluttershy.” The pegasus immediately complied. The woman called out again, “Azure Wind, are you alright?”
“Y-yes,” replied the sack.
“See? The little guy is fine! You can arrest me now!” spoke Black Root, his words filled with terror.
Barnes approached the unicorn, and Fluttershy heard a sudden crack followed by a dull thud. The pegasus began crying, as she heard the woman’s footsteps approach her. A soft hand touched her cheek and a soothing voice met her ears, “Fluttershy? Are you hurt?”
“N-no…” responded the pegasus between sniffles.
The hand rubbed the side of Fluttershy’s neck. “Thank goodness,” Barnes sighed in relief. “Oh my, you’ve got some of Bitter Frost all over you. Let me clean you up a bit, just keep your eyes closed okay?”
“Okay,” She replied meekly. The calmness of how the woman said that last line made Fluttershy feel incredibly uncomfortable.
Barnes left for a bit and after some sounds from the kitchen she soon returned. The mare felt a warm wash cloth being wiped across her face as Barnes hummed a rather chipper tune. After a few moments of this Barnes gave another sigh and said, “There, all cleaned up.”
Fluttershy began to open her eyes ever so slightly, “C-can I open my eyes now?”
“And can I please get out of this sack?” added Azure.
Barnes quickly put her hand over the mare’s eyes, “Not yet. The apartment is an absolute mess and…” The hand covering Fluttershy’s eyes began twitching and shaking, “…J-just keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them.”
Fluttershy once again shut her eyes tight and waited, trying to ignore the sounds of heavy things being dragged around the room.
***
“I am never ever doing that again. Ever.”
“I don’t know,” said Hawk as he peeled a piece of dried spider goo off Rarity’s neck, “I think it was totally cool how you went all buff and stuff.”
Rarity shot him an exhausted glare, “Oh yes. Because having the physique of a stallion bodybuilder is very befitting of a lady of leisure such as myself.”
Hawk shrugged as he peeled off more crispy goo, “You know, if the whole ‘I’m covered with spider guts’ thing really bugs you so much, I’m pretty sure there’s a bath in Mr. Norris’s apartment.”
“Oh no, I am not going into somepony’s home dragging…” She gestured to her new lime green coating which covered her from horn to tail, “…this in behind me.”
To their right came a small cough from the receptionist Sweetie Pop, “Excuse me, Mister…Hawk was it?”
“Yes ma’am, what can I do for you?” replied the man, plucking a big piece of the dried ichor from the unicorn’s mane.
“Listen, I’m really grateful and everything, and so are these two,” she gestured to the two other ponies beside her, “but…well I’m kinda wondering who’s going to pay for all these damages?”
Hawk and Rarity glanced at each other and then raised their heads above what was left of the reception desk. The front large windowed entrance was completely shattered, the magnificent fountain at the center of the room was broken and spraying water all over the floor, there was a large and heavily damaged van tipped over on its side not far from the fountain, not far from the van was a small crater, there were bits of spider coating just about everything, and the reception desk was nothing but rubble. Not to mention the various bodies of the HLF strewn about the room.
Bringing their heads back down with faces of mild shock, Rarity turned to look at Hawk with disbelief. “You absolutely wreaked the entire lobby…How could you wreak the entire lobby?”
The human simply shrugged, “You get into all sorts of mischief with explosives.” He then cocked an eyebrow and added, “And you’re taking these dead bodies lying around way better than I thought you would.”
“Please Agent Hawk, I am a part time medical mare. Do give me some credit.”
“Ahem,” Sweetie Pop interrupted again, “Sorry to interrupt again, but my job might hinge on who’s paying for this, so…?”
Hawk turned to Sweetie Pop and said in a calm and confident manner, “We work for Princess Celestia, so send her the bill.”
“Hawk!” Rarity chided, “We can’t bill the Princess! It’s so…rude!”
“Do you want to pay for it, oh generous one?” responded the man.
Thinking hard for a brief moment, Rarity came to a conclusion. She gave Sweetie Pop a gentle smile and said, “Well with all the new bits coming from the new-foals, the Princess can probably afford it.” Looking at Hawk she added, “Besides, I’m sure we can make it up to the Princess with a nice party with lots of fabulous gifts.”
Hawk patted the unicorn on the back and gave her a big smile as he rose to his feet, “That’s my kind of thinking Miss Lady Rarity. Now let’s get back to the apartment so we can get you washed up.”
“Let us indeed!” replied Rarity as she shakily stood as well. She was exhausted from using so much magic, and a bath was just what she needed most. “Onwards to the elevator!”
Hawk and Rarity gingerly stalked through the ruined lobby, avoiding the somewhat smoking bodies of the HLF, towards the nearest elevator. Hawk pushed the ‘up’ button and the elevator doors dinged open. Stepping inside, Hawk gave the three ponies that had remained in the lobby a tip of his hat while Rarity delivered them a very graceful bow. The elevator dinged again and the two of them disappeared behind the sliding doors.
As Sweetie Pop watched the doors close, she came to a realization. The HLF member was still lying unconscious on the floor next to her. “Wait! What do I do with this guy?!” she called out after them, but she knew they couldn’t hear her. She returned to the spot she usually stood during her shift and sat on her haunches sighing heavily, “This day sucks.”
***
Barnes was waiting for them outside the apartment’s door as stiff and unyielding as a statue. Upon seeing Hawk and Rarity approaching, she quickly called out, “Agent Hawk, you and Mr. Norris’s presence has been requested by the New Foalsome Police Department in regards to today’s attacks.”
“Ah great,” lamented Hawk, “paper work.”
“Indeed,” replied Barnes as she opened the door and entered. A few moments later, a very groggy John Norris walked out, partially supported by a painfully green earth pony. They both seemed rather beat up, and John in particular looked like he had a swell bump on his head.
“You assholes owe me a new TV,” stated John as he attempted to point at Hawk, “and new carpets.”
“No need to be so crass Mr. Norris,” Rarity soothingly spoke to him, “Every financial detail will be taken care of, don’t you fret.” She leaned her head a bit closer, “However, if you need somepony to redecorate, I am always available.”
John was about to say something before Barnes reemerged, leading a black unicorn stallion with a yellow mane, out of the apartment. “This is an agent of PER. I have left him alive for questioning by the police.”
“I’ll keep my eye on him then,” said Hawk as he drew his revolver and pointed it at the black unicorn. “Come on then Mr. Norris, let’s not keep the police waiting,” said Hawk as he rolled his eyes, “Just like Six-Tribes to show up after I kill the giant spider.”
“Giant spider?!” yelled both John and his pony support. Hawk just shrugged and walked on down the hallway, followed closely by the other man and the green earth pony.
Once they were out of earshot, Barnes turned to Rarity and asked in her usual emotionless tone, “Rarity, would you like to join Ms. Fluttershy and Azure Wind on the roof with me? We have a table set up and waiting for you.”
“What?” asked the unicorn more tired than confused.
“It is currently quarter till noon, and I believe you are owed a tea party,” replied the woman, with only the faintest of smiles on the corners of her mouth.
Rarity looked herself over, “But I’m just so…well filthy, and I…”
Barnes placed her left hand onto the unicorn’s head. “Rarity,” she said in a voice as warm as daylight, “Fluttershy is having a tough time dealing with what happened during the PER attack, and I think she needs a friend right now more than she needs tea.”
Rarity looked into the reflective shades of the woman’s aviator sunglasses and saw herself. Her mane was in worse shape than she thought, and most of her coat was still caked with the spider’s ichor. Sighing, she smiled at Barnes and said, “Well then I guess I’ll just take a bath afterwards. Nothing like a nice herbal spa treatment after a good cup of tea I always say!” She trotted down the hallway, noticing that Barnes hesitated to follow her. Turning she called, “Coming Captain Barnes?”
“I’m still waiting for the tea,” she replied warmly with her hands behind her back, “You go on, I’ll be there in no time.”
Rarity gave another prize winning smile, “Suit yourself darling. I shall eagerly await your arrival.” She continued to trot down the hallway and out of sight.
Barnes looked at her left arm as it twitched and spasmed, her expression grim. Black veins could be seen beneath the skin. “You shouldn’t be touching them Barnes,” she whispered to herself in her cold voice, “It’s not good for our health.”
The End of Episode 3
About
God
Damn
Time
I mean really,
holy shit
Anyway, Episode 4 coming…
…well I don’t know yet because I’m really bad with dates
|
Anonsi
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1349
| 7 |
Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Alternate Universe,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
TCB: Yellowstone: The Series
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An allegedly good sequel series to Yellowstone. Features Humans, Ponies, and monster hunting.
|
cancelled
| 64 | 4 |
<p>Two months after the events of Yellowstone, Wild Magic from Equestria has run rampant throughout the rest of the world, resurrecting ancient horrors from around the globe. Mysterious and terrible monsters of myth threaten to exterminate both mankind and ponydom! With the blessing of Princess Celestia, Twilight and her friends reunite with Agent Hawk and his team to combat this new terror before it destroys the world!</p>
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teen
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2011-11-09T00:56:04+00:00
|
2011-11-09T00:56:04+00:00
| 1,983 |
Yellowstone:
The Series
By: Anonsi (It’s like he doesn’t know how to write!)
Episode: 4
Dead Beat
____________________________________________________________________________
For ages, Equestria has existed separate from the rest of the world, protected by a magical barrier that prevented it from being seen, touched, or reached by humans and their machines. But five years ago, the ponies of Equestria landed on the shores of human lands claiming to be there to save the earth and humanity from pollution, hate, and greed. To do this, the top human scientists and pony magicians created a potion to turn humans into ponies in places called, Conversion Bureaus. Within two years of its release, more than half the total human populace on Earth has converted. The balance of the world has been forever altered, as the remaining human nations form new governments for those humans that remain.
After foiling the attempts of both the HLF and PER in New Foalsome, the human agents under the command of Agent Hawk and the Elements of Harmony led by Twilight Sparkle are recuperating at the Manhattan Conversion Bureau. With the addition of the ‘Odin,’ a powerful aircraft that is mysteriously capable of teleportation, the two teams are now capable of battling the various monstrosities born of wild magic all over the world.
____________________________________________________________________________
“DJ Pon-3?” asked the delivery pegasus as he stuck his head into the sound room.
The white unicorn with spiky blue hair did not turn to face her new visitor. “Offstage you can just call me Vinyl Scratch bro, how can I help?” she replied, her head moving in rhythm with the music playing from her soundboard
The pegasus presented a large tan folder and a clipboard to the DJ, “This came in the mail for you, and I need your signature.”
The unicorn looked up from her soundboard and smiled, “Aw jamming! Must be some music for my world tour.” She levitated a pen from a nearby coffee mug and scribbled the letters “VS” on the delivery pony’s clipboard, “There’s your autograph hot stuff.”
The pony smiled weakly and handed the unicorn her package before making a quick exit. The folder definitely had a record in it, though it felt heavier than the unicorn was used to. Ignoring the issue, she surveyed the package and found no return address or any clue as to where the thing came from. Only a single line of instruction across the front, “Play at midnight.”
Vinyl cocked an eyebrow, “Weird. Must be from a fan.” Shaking her head, she magically removed the contents of the tan folder. It was an oddest looking record she’d ever seen. There were five gold lines criss-crossing over the disc forming star with no label at its center, and around the edges were weird looking runes. Shrugging, she hovered the record onto a nearby turntable and lifted a pair of earphones to her head, “Well let’s give it a spin.” The record began to play, and after a short time the unicorn smiled while bobbing her head to the beat. “Slammin’.”
***
Twilight was feeling rather well this evening. Not only had she gotten a good night’s sleep the previous night, but the news of her friends safe return put a little extra spring in her step. She was currently enjoying the rather comfortable couches of the communication lounge with her friends. She and the others were taking in Rarity’s, rather dramatic, retelling of the events that had occurred during the last mission.
"A giant spider?” asked Applejack from her spot on the carpet, “Gosh that sounds right awful.”
“Oh believe me Applejack, it was,” responded Rarity, who sat next to the orange pony, “But not nearly as awful as what I had to do to get all of its...innards...out of my mane.”
Rainbow Dash tried to stifle a laugh as she rolled over onto her back, but failed to do so in a subtle fashion. Through her snickering, she was able to say, “I’m sorry Rarity, but the thought of you covered in spider guts is pretty funny.” Soon the pegasus broke out into open laughter at the mental image of the dainty unicorn covered in a sticky ichor. The laughter proved contagious as it spread to each of six ponies.
The white unicorn stared daggers at the pegasus. “I assure you Rainbow Dash, that there is nothing 'funny' about my mane getting completely ruined!”
“I don’t know, I thought it was kinda funny,” came Hawk’s voice from the doorway. The ponies all turned to face the human and offered quick greetings as the man strode into the center of them.
“To what do we owe the pleasure of your presence Agent Hawk?” inquired Rarity, glad that the human had interrupted her friends’ laughter.
Dash flew to his eye level and excitedly asked, “Do we have another mission? ‘Cause I am ready as ever to get back out there and kick some flank!”
“Are we having a party?!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie as she placed her forelegs on the man’s waist.
Hawk put up his hands and backed up from the onslaught of ponies, “Whoa there! Slow down a bit and let me talk.” The ponies each took a seat in front of the human and exchanged small chortles and giggles as they waited for him to speak. “Thank you ladies. Anyway, no we don’t have a mission yet. What I came to tell you is that me and the rest of my team have gotten together and we think we have found a way to streamline things as far as who goes on missions.”
Twilight gave the man a hurt look, “You organized stuff without me?”
“Not my fault,” Hawk shot back quickly, “You were so deep into your research you didn’t even register me telling you about the meeting earlier.”
Twilight cocked an eyebrow and thought back to earlier that day. Three hours prior she had been reading a book about Fairies and Elves when someone had entered and spoke to her. Her memory was a bit foggy, but what she did remember was that whoever it was left her a daffodil sandwich and a cup of juice. ‘Hawk brought me a snack! How sweet,’ she thought as her cheeks began to blush ever so slightly. Her face went pale however, as a new thought crossed her mind, ‘And you just ignored him and ate his food without so much as saying thank you.’
“Twi? You okay?” asked Applejack, eyeing the unicorn who seemed to be losing a great deal of color from her face.
“Wha-?” started Twilight as she snapped back to reality.
“Yeah Twilight! You’re starting to look like Rarity!” added Pinkie Pie snorting on a laugh. “Oh could you imagine two Rarity’s? They could make dresses for each other and use each other as models and-”
"And one of us could go back to my boutique in Ponyville,” stated Rarity as she gave a small, wistful sigh.
There was a silence following the fashionista’s statement that hung in the air uncomfortably for a few seconds. Finally, Hawk clapped his hands together and said, “Well okey dokey, back to why I’m here. Me and the rest of my team have agreed that it would be best if one of us agents were assigned to each of you ponies, sort of like partners.”
“We each get a human?!” shouted Pinkie excitedly, “Ohboyohboyohboy!” The pink earth pony leapt onto the back of the couch and began singing, “My little human, my little human, la la la LAAAAA!” Twilight quickly summoned a muzzle over Pinkie’s mouth, reducing the eccentric pink pony’s song to nothing but a series of hums.
Giving a thankful smile to Twilight, Hawk went on, “Anyway, all that’s left before we make this list official is your yays or neighs.”
“Well get on with it!” called Dash, “I want to know who I’m teamed up with!”
Clearing his throat, Hawk began to read, “Right, so first we have Zorro and Rarity...”
Rarity allowed a smile to cross her face. “Thank Celestia, I get the one who knows how to treat a lady and behave in public! Not to mention groom himself...”
He ignored the offhand jab aimed at him and continued, “...Megan with Applejack and Rainbow Dash...”
Dash and Applejack exchanged pleased expressions before a competitive smile crossed their faces.
“...Dimitri with Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy...”
Pinkie made muffled shouts of joy as she bounded around the room, while Fluttershy gave a quiet little, “Whoo hoo.”
“...and finally, myself and Twilight as team leaders.”
Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash all exchanged subtle and knowing nods. Twilight however, furrowed her brow as she stated, “Wait a second Agent Hawk, I think you left someone off your list. What about Captain Barnes?”
The man gave her a flat look, “She said that she did not think any of you would want to be her partner, and promptly left the meeting to go do maintenance on the Odin.”
“Well that doesn’t make a single iota of sense,” said Rarity, “Any of us would simply love to be partnered with her.”
“Yeah!” exclaimed Fluttershy as she jumped to her hooves. When she noticed her outburst gained the attention of everyone in the room, she quickly lowered her head and quietly continued, “I-I mean...I wouldn’t mind being her partner. I know that I can be a bit of a hoof-full sometimes, and I don’t want to over burden Dimitri with both Pinkie and myself. I wouldn’t mind being partnered with Captain Barnes. If that’s alright with you I mean. ”
Hawk cocked a rather suspicious eyebrow, “I’ll ask her about it.”
As the man turned to leave, the incoming transmission alarm began to blare from the large television screen that covered the wall of the lounge. Swearing under his breath, Hawk rushed over to it and pressed a few buttons. He moved to stand in the center of the screen’s view, quickly joined by Twilight and the other ponies. The screen came to life with the glorious form of Princess Celestia standing in the center of the White House’s oval office.
“Hello my dear little ponies,” began Celestia as she gave a radiant smile, “and a fine hello to you as well Agent Hawk.”
Twilight and her friends all bowed their heads while Hawk simply tipped his hat. “G’morning Princess, might I ask where Joe is?”
The alicorn looked to the side a bit as she continued, “President Joseph is in the other room and will be along shortly.” A mischievous smirk crossed her divine features, “Of course I wanted to learn how to use this machine, so I decided to call you all and have a little chat before he gets here.” The godess’s gentle eyes looked at each of their faces, “So my little ones, how have you all been fairing? With Spike serving my sister instead of Twilight, I fear that I have been unable to keep up with you all as much as I’d like.”
Twilight leapt at the chance to speak first, “We’re all doing fine my Princess, Hawk and the other humans are keeping us all safe and sound. We’re all becoming really close.”
Celestia beamed at the news. “That is good to hear my student. I am glad you and your friends are getting along so well with your guardians. To be completely honest, I was becoming worried that you all would be uncomfortable living with human soldiers.” A quiet voice came from somewhere off screen to Celestia’s left that drew her gaze. Pouting slightly, she returned her soft eyes to Twilight and her friends. “Well I suppose we’ll have to talk later. President Joseph is ready to give you your assignment.”
The aged face of President Joseph moved into view of the screen. Hawk pulled himself away from the couch and stood, offering a salute to the commander and chief. Returning the salute lazily, the President said, “Hello there agents, I have some good news for those of you going on the mission today.”
Dash nudged Applejack, “Hear that? Now we’re ‘Agents!’ How cool is that?” The orange pony just rolled her eyes and gazed up at the human on the screen.
"What’s the news Joe?” asked Hawk putting his hands on his hips.
The President pressed a button from somewhere off screen that showed the overhead map of some city. “This is Paris, France. The site of your next mission.”
Rarity’s eyes grew wide as saucers.
“We detected a spike of magical energy in the city three hours ago, the odd thing was that the readings disappeared almost immediately. Princess Celestia believes these are signs of a recently awakened artifact.”
“Recently awakened?” inquired Twilight.
The President glanced at the Princess, who nodded for the President to continue. Sighing, Joseph said, “Celestia believes that someone tried to activate the artifact’s magic, but whoever it was didn’t meet the special requirements these things apparently have from time to time. As such, the artifact has ‘awoken’ and is now absorbing any ambient magic it can in order to feed itself until its requirements are met.
All we know right now is that the energy spike came from the night club ‘L'Insomnie,’ which also happens to be hosting an all night party. A party being DJ’d by one Vinyl Scratch, otherwise known as DJ PON-3.” A picture of a large and trendy night club with many neon lights adorning its entrance appeared on the screen, accompanied by a photograph of a white unicorn with spiky blue hair and very large sunglasses.
“EE noo er!” mumbled Pinkie Pie through her muzzle.
“Oh my goodness, Pinkie’s still muzzled!” Twilight flushed from embarrassment as she quickly undid her spell. “Sorry Pinkie.”
“Not a problem Twilight!” responded the pink pony pleasantly, “Wany-hoo, all I said was that we know Vinyl! She comes from Ponyville, just like us!”
“Then I guess getting into the club won’t be a problem,” continued Joseph, “because whatever this artifact is, it needs to be quarantined immediately. There’s no telling what mischief it could cause. As such, seeing as how we want the least amount of collateral damage,” he added with a stern glance to Hawk, “I am sending agents Megan and Zorro on this mission.”
Hawk placed his hands on his hips and grinned widely, “About time Zorro got off his duff.”
Joseph moved behind his desk in the oval office and glared daggers at the human agent, “And I do not want to hear from Megan or Zorro that you smuggled any high explosives into their supplies Agent Hawk.”
Hawk responded with a frown, “Well that’s just no fun at all Joe.” Upon seeing the President’s intensifying glare, the man rolled his eyes and huffed, “Aye aye sir. No high explosives.”
“Good luck Agents,” said the President as Celestia gave a quick wave of her hoof to Twilight. The screen blinked off and the six ponies instantly began talking amongst themselves.
Rarity was smiling from ear to ear and kept repeating, “I’m going to Paris!” as she galloped out of the room and down into the hallway. “I’M GOING TO PARIS!”
By the time the alabaster unicorn had gotten to the end of the hallway, Twilight, Hawk, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie had filtered out of the lounge and moved towards the lobby, while Applejack and Rainbow Dash were in the middle of a discussion.
"Ah’m tellin’ ya Rainbow, ah can’t go! Ah gotta help Fluttershy take care of her animals,” stated the farm pony with a sigh.
“Ugh, but Rarity will probably try and get us all to go shopping or something. I won’t have anypony to talk to!”
The orange pony placed a hoof on Dash’s shoulder and gave a comforting look, “Ya’ll have Megan won’t ‘cha? She’s a right fine person ta talk to. ‘Sides, you’ll be at a party! It’ll be full of fun stuff to do!”
“I do like fun stuff,” replied the blue pegasus as a confident smile spread across her face.
“There’s the Rainbow Dash ah know, now go on and show those ponies over there how us Equestrian fillies dance!” shouted Applejack.
“HELL YEAH!” Dash and Applejack bumped their front hooves together, and with an air of confidence the pegasus flew out the open window in a blur.
***
The streets of Paris gave a collective shout of surprise as a large boom echoed throughout the night sky. The Odin’s engines roared as the ship soared over the city in search of a place to land. Finding a suitable spot in the very large and exquisite garden outside the Louvre, the mighty ship touched down and its occupants disembarked.
Rarity was the first one out and her eyes went wide at the sight of the glimmering city. The sparkling lights of the buildings that danced over the surface of the river, the beautiful architecture of the ancient buildings, and the magnificent spire in the distance that rose above the streets and illuminated the sky caused the unicorn to become absolutely giddy.
Her heart was beating faster every passing second as her excitement built up more and more, “Oh Celestia, it’s more wonderful than I imagined it’d be! The brochures don’t do it justice at all!”
Zorro descended the platform after the unicorn, sporting his usual loose black shirt, black fencing gloves, form fitting black pants with stylish black boots, and an elegant sword at his hip. Following him was Megan, who had a large briefcase in one hand and an old Winchester repeater in the other. Next to the blond woman walked Rainbow Dash who stared around at the scenery with a bored expression.
“It doesn’t look so great to me,” said the pegasus flatly.
Zorro flashed Dash a quick smile, “Do not be so quick to judge pequeña, The City of Lights holds many exciting little nooks and crannies. You just need to know where to look.”
“Don’t you dare take them to one of your hangouts Z,” Megan chided as she strapped her Winchester into a holster on her back.
“One of the few times I am in Paris I am denied a little bit of romance. Truly you have a cruel heart,” the man pouted. Megan replied by gently punching him in the ribs as she walked over to Dash, who was yawning out her boredom.
“Hey there Rainbow,” said the woman kneeling down to match Dash’s eye level, “You ready for this?”
The pegasus’s expression brightened considerably, “Are you kiddin’? I was born ready! Just tell me what to do and The Dash will get it done in a flash!”
The humans and Rarity began snickering slightly, much to Dash’s confusion. “‘The Dash will get it done in a flash,’ huh?” quoted the woman.
Rainbow Dash sat on her haunches and glared at her companions, “Yeah, what about it? I thought if I was going to be a superhero, I might as well make up a catchphrase or something. I mean at least it’s original.”
"Sure thing sugar cube,” said Megan patting Dash on the head, “Well if ‘The Dash’ could do us the honor of getting to the club and letting them know we’re coming, maybe we can take out this artifact before it hurts anyone.”
“Right! I’ll be there in ten seconds flat!” shouted the pegasus as she leapt into the air and shot off like a bullet.
Rarity trotted over to the humans, “Not that I doubt Rainbow Dash’s speed or ability or anything, but does she even know where the club is?”
***
A roofless jeep carrying two humans and a white unicorn rolled down the street and parked outside the lively dance club. Ponies of every sort and color were lined up outside and awaiting entry to the trendy hot spot of night life. As the three exited the vehicle, they noticed a certain rainbow colored pegasus arguing with a the bouncer pony.
Rarity rolled her eyes and summoned a compact mirror with her horn. “Well it seems Dash is still a savant at making new friends,” she said dryly. Making some final adjustments to her main she dispelled the mirror and began walking towards the bouncer, “Come on darlings, let’s go introduce ourselves before Rainbow challenges the poor boy to a race.”
Megan and Zorro exchanged bemused glances as they followed the mare up to where Rainbow Dash and the bouncer were arguing. As they grew closer they could make out their yelling through the heavy beats of the music that came from within the club.
“-at are you even saying?! You’re a pony! Can’t you speak Equestrian?! Listen, I AM RAINBOW DASH. I am part of the ELITE EQUESTRIAN GUARD!” screamed the blue pegasus.
“Vous n'êtes pas sur la liste que vous stupide, sortir d'ici!” replied the bouncer.
She was rapidly losing her cool, “Did you just call me stupid?! OH IT IS ON! How about a race you piece of-”
“Rainbow Dash!” shouted Rarity.
The pegasus spun her head to face her friend, looking extremely frustrated. “Thank Celestia you’re here Rarity. This guy is talking smack and I don’t think I can hold back from giving him a buck to his face for much longer!”
Rarity sighed and shook her head, “My dear girl, gaining entry to a party that you weren’t invited to takes gentle persuasion, not brute force.” She gave a mischievous smirk to Dash as she passed her. Turning to the bouncer, the sultry unicorn gave the large brown stallion her best pout. “Please excuse my friend sir, I’m afraid she has terrible manners. I am Lady Rarity, and my companions and I really need to get into this fine establishment. I would just be ever so grateful if you let us pass.”
The bouncer blushed at the the elegant unicorn’s pleading eyes and sorrowfully pouting lip. He stepped aside and bowed his head, “Soyez mon invité madame.”
Rarity gave a dainty bow of her head to the bouncer and entered the building, followed closely by Rainbow Dash, who made sure to stick her tongue out at him as she passed.
As Megan and Zorro moved to enter, the bouncer blocked their path with a hoof saying, “Excusez-moi Monsieur et Mademoiselle, mais vous n'êtes pas autorisé à apporter des armes ici. Ou n'importe où je pense.” He glanced between the two of them, worry beginning to enter his features.
“Nous sommes sur une mission de sécurité nationale. Restez en dehors de notre chemin,” replied Megan as she moved past the bouncer.
Zorro followed behind her and offered a shrug to the guard, “She certainly has a way with words doesn’t she?”
***
The interior of the the club was beyond loud. The pounding techno beats reverberated in the bodies of everyone present, and the bright neon lights and assorted glow sticks of the party goers were a stark contrast to the otherwise dark atmosphere. The dancing forms of ponies in various rave attire covered the dance floor and surrounded the DJ booth, which sat at the center of the multicolored mob. It was not unlike a gazebo adorned with long glowing rods, and inside the metallic structure sat a white unicorn with large purple glasses and a frizzled blue mane. Rarity, Zorro, Rainbow Dash, and Megan all stood on the balcony overlooking the dance floor, the weapons of the humans acting as an effective deterrent for curious ponies and giving the group the space they needed to think.
Dash nudged Megan’s leg with a wing and shouted over the music, “What do we do now? That artifact could be anything in here right?”
“Yup,” replied the woman.
“So how the hay do we find it?!”
Megan calmly looked at the pegasus and replied “I have no idea sugar cube.”
Dash gave a frustrated groan as she turned to the other human, “How about you sword guy, you got any ideas?”
Zorro broke his eyes away from the dancing mass beneath him and regarded her with a thoughtful look before saying, “Unless Lady Rarity can detect other sources of magic, then no I do not.”
Their eyes looked at the unicorn who gazed right back at them slightly annoyed, “Don’t look at me! I only know spells that help with finding gems, sewing, and healing. I am sure that the last thing we need right now is for me to whip up a new gown, or change the color of your manes! Twilight is the one for whatever stunning, ‘save the day,’ spell you want.”
Megan’s face flashed with inspiration. “Actually Rarity, a change in hair color may be just what we need.”
Rarity gave a confused look, “Oh darling why? You mane color is beautiful as it is.”
The woman plucked four blond hairs from her head and held them out to Rarity, “Do you think you could make these glow?”
“Well,” the unicorn glanced at the woman’s eager face and the four hairs she was holding and took a gulp, “given the lighting...yes I suppose I could darling, but I still don’t see where you’re going with this.”
Closing her eyes, Rarity scrunched up her face in concentration as her horn glowed with a small dazzling spark. Four small rays of light shot out from the tip of her horn and began moving along the hairs in the woman’s hand, the strands changing from blond to a luminescent white as the rays moved along their length. The spell ended as the rays reached the end of the hairs, causing Rarity to gasp as if she had been holding her breath.
“There you are darling, four lovely white hairs that glow. Now if you don’t mind me asking, why did you have me perform this little service?”
“You’re about to find out,” said Megan as she held one strand of the enchanted hair over the edge of the balcony. A wide smile spread across her face as the far end of the hair was pulled on by some invisible force towards some spot in the churning crowd.
“Okay, why is it doing that?” asked Dash bluntly.
Megan gave a hair to each of her companions, “This artifact absorbs faint or weak magical energy so I thought that if we put a small enchantment on something lighter than a feather, the pull on the magic from the artifact would tug on the hairs...”
“…and give us a compass that points towards what we are looking for,” finished Zorro as his own smile began to mirror Megan’s, “You clever girl.”
Dash pumped a hoof into the air “Aw yeah! Now we’re in business!”
The music suddenly stopped and the room went unnaturally quite as a smooth voice blared through the speakers, “THIS IS DJ PON-3 WITH YOU AS WE CONTINUE OUR EUROBEAT TOUR’S COUNTDOWN TO MIDNIGHT RIGHT HERE IN PARIS! ONLY TEN MINUTES UNTIL THE HOUR AND THE MOMENT WHERE I HIT YA’LL WITH THE BRAND NEW JAM THAT’S GUARANTEED TO KNOCK YOU DEAD!” The crowd cheered, stomped, and began dancing all the harder at the news.
Zorro sighed, “Why is it there is always a time limit to these sort of things?”
“Time limit, shlime limit!” said Rainbow pounding a hoof to her chest, “I’ll find that crummy old artifact before you know it, and then we can all go party!”
“Sounds like a plan to me sugar cube!” added Megan as she moved towards the stairs. “Okay ladies, let’s start at the outside and work our way in, let’s go!”
Zorro took a long look at the enchanted and shimmering hair in his hand before Rarity poked his leg with her hoof and looked at him with a smirk. “Is that the hair of your fair damsel Mr. Zorro?” she asked coyly while also giving a slight flutter of her eyelashes.
The man clenched his hand into a fist around the hair and smiled back down at the unicorn, “No time for sad stories niña, there is a party to crash.”
***
“Come on, where are you?” grumbled Rainbow Dash as she hovered above the crowd.
It was hard enough getting a reading with all the other pegasi asking her to dance and ‘accidentally’ bumping into her, but the fact that she had to scan the crowd slowly was making this an agonizing process. Any sudden movements would cause the hair to shake and wobble, and it would take a few seconds before it would right itself. That and she had to avoid standing to close to an air conditioning vent or else the breeze would ruin everything.
She gave a frustrated huff and looked around for the others hoping to get some bearing on what she should do. The humans were easy enough to spot, as they towered over the only pony crowd. No doubt their search was going better than Dash’s, probably because the party goers were giving them plenty of space to do their thing. Rarity wasn’t that hard to find either, she was the mare that was surrounded by all the drooling stallions. Dash rolled her eyes and flew towards the DJ’s booth at the center of the dance floor, forgoing the search for a small break and to catch up with a familiar face.
As she was making her way there, Vinyl Scratch leaned over to the microphone and declared, “ONE MINUTE TO MIDNIGHT! HOLD ONTO YOUR FLANKS BRONIES ‘CAUSE THINGS ARE GONNA GET WILD!”
The pegasus had to shake her head for a second or two to stop the ringing in her ears, “Note to self: don’t hover next to speakers during a rave.” Recomposing herself, she flew down next to Vinyl in the surprisingly large DJ booth. The unicorn DJ apparently didn’t notice her touch down, so Dash decided it would be polite to get her attention, “Hey Vinyl! What’s up?”
Vinyl Scratch jumped at the sudden greeting and spun on her heels to face her surprise visitor. “WHOA WHOA WHOA! Personal boundaries there lady! This here is a private box, ex-nay on the ans f-ay, and that means you gotta boogie on outta here pronto!”
Dash gave Vinyl a flat look as she replied, “Vinyl, it’s me. Rainbow Dash? We knew each other back in Ponyville?”
The unicorn stayed silent for a moment as the pieces clicked into place. “Oh snap! I thought you looked familiar! I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you dude, it’s been a while since we last hung out. Anyway, how’re things jammin’ my radically rainbow friend?”
“Well,” said the pegasus as she leaned in close to Vinyl, casting quick glances around the room while a boastful smile spread over her face, “I’m on a mission from Princess Celestia herself!”
Scratch gasped in shock, “What? How did you end up working for the Princess? Last I heard about ‘The Best Flier in Equestria,’ was that she was teaching new-foals how to fly and pushing pencils.”
“Nah, that was just a cover,” Dash lied, “Me and my friends have been doing stuff for the Princess since we got to human lands.”
“Really?” asked Vinyl excitedly, “What kind of stuff?”
Dash soaked up the attention like a sponge, “Oh you know, secret agent spy stuff. Totally classified. I’d have to wipe your memory if you ever found out.”
The DJ just smiled and began nodding, “Slammin.” There was a deep boom from the speakers which caused both mares to jump. “Aw hay bales! Is it midnight already? Just a sec Dash, I gotta do this.” Vinyl levitated an odd looking record out from a nearby egg crate and proceeded to place it on her record player. She then hovered her microphone over to her mouth and called, “ALL RIGHT COLTS AND FILLIES, THIS IS DJ PON-3 SAYIN’ THAT IT. IS. MIDNIGHT!”
The crowd erupted into cheers and stomped their hooves in anticipation for what they knew was coming.
“YEAH LET ME HEAR IT BRONIES! I KNOW YOU’VE BEEN WAITING ALL NIGHT TO HEAR THIS, AND LET ME TELL YA GUYS, IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT!” The crowd’s cheering grew louder than before, and the building shook from their applause.
Dash felt a slight tug from the enchanted hair. Her brow furrowed as she saw it was pointing towards Vinyl.
“NOW WITHOUT FURTHER ADIUE, I GIVE YOU THE RECORD WITH NO NAME!”
She double checked. It wasn’t pointing at Vinyl, but instead at her side. At the record. Dash looked up in terror as the vinyl disc began to spin unable to say anything other than, “Aw shit.”
***
The record began spinning faster and faster, and with each passing second seemed to give off an ever intensifying green glow while a chilled breeze blew out from it. Megan, Zorro, and Rarity each converged on the DJ booth to see Rainbow Dash pushing Vinyl out of it with her head. The mob looked on in awe as the glow from the record became brighter and more vibrant, and some even began to cheer at the new spectacle.
“Dash!” called Megan as she ran up to the pegasus, “Are you okay?!”
Rainbow Dash looked at the woman’s worried face and was able to give her a smile as she said, “Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.” She looked back to the DJ’s booth with a serious expression, “I’d be worrying about that.”
Green arcs of lightning began crackling through the air from the artifact and down into the earth. The crowd of party goers began screaming as bolts of the unnatural lightning began shooting into the mass of ponies. The panicked mob began making for every exit they saw in every way they could, nearly trampling several ponies in the process. Arcs of magical lightning continued to spring out of the artifact and showed no sign of stopping as the cold wind grew stronger.
The dance floor was now more akin to a storm than what it used to be. Miraculously, it appeared all the party goers had been able to escape to the upper levels unharmed, a small handful even remaining on the balcony to watch the events that were unfolding before them with awe.
“Now what?” asked Rarity as she braced herself against the increasing buffets of wind.
“The record is the artifact!” Dash called over the howling air, “Maybe if we blow it up, things will go back to normal!” The pegasus looked at the humans expectantly, and upon seeing exchange worried glances asked, “Well?”
"‘Well’ what?” replied Megan.
Dash rolled her eyes, “What do you think I meant when I said blow it up? Didn’t you bring any bombs or anything?”
Megan shrugged and gave the pegasus an apologetic look, “Sorry, but Joe said no high explosives, and I don’t think Hawk smuggled any C4 into our supplies this time!”
“Not true!” called Zorro producing a small cube of the explosive putty. “It is not much, but it should get the job done!”
Megan looked at the small piece of C4 with a stunned expression, which was quickly replaced with a bemused smile. “He is going to get into soooo much trouble when we get home.”
Zorro gave a hearty laugh and replied, “Not if Joe doesn’t find out!” With one fluid motion he placed a detonation pin into the putty and gripped it tightly.
Dash pumped a hoof into the air and shouted, “That’s what I’m talking about! Now let’s get tha-OH HORSE APPLES!” The pegasus found herself being lifted off the floor by the strong gusts of wind. “HELP!” she cried out as she began flailing with her legs.
“I got ya!” Megan jumped for the blue pegasus and wrapped her arms around Dash as they both sailed a few feet through the air and tumbled to the ground. Cradling the flustered pony in her arms, Megan made sure they were both on the ground before calling out, “Zorro, Rarity! Blow that booth sky high while I get the DJ to a safe distance!”
Zorro nodded as he began to carefully trudge through the screaming winds towards the DJ’s booth, Rarity following close next to him. “I really wish this wind would stop! The windswept look is out of style this month!” Rarity cried over the screaming storm.
The hurricane that was the dance floor suddenly and abruptly stopped as the last arc of magical lightning sank into the dance floor. Vinyl Scratch, who had been clinging to the hand-rails of the DJ booth’s steps for dear life, adjusted her large purple glasses as she gazed around the vacant dance floor. “Do your wishes get answered often?”
The glamorous unicorn smiled at the DJ as she approached her, “If they did, I’d be in my boutique with a handsome red stallion keeping me company.”
Vinyl let go of the hand rail and began let go a chortle, “Sounds better than hanging around here, and if it’s all the same to you peeps, I’m going to bounce out of here before that thing starts shooting lightning everywhere again.”
Megan released her hold on Rainbow Dash and gestured towards the balcony and the small crowd of onlookers, “Could you take them with you?”
The DJ gave a resolute nod and galloped towards the stairs shouting, “Hey all you ponies up there, time to book it!”
Soon, both the DJ and the crowd of ponies had left the building, as the human agents and remaining two ponies gathered around the DJ’s booth. “Is that it then?” asked Zorro as he produced the small cube of C4, “Just a lot of lightning?”
The earth started to shake.
“You just had to say something,” Megan said flatly.
Giving an apologetic grin to the woman and rushed to the the stairs of the DJ’s booth, but tripped as a skeletal hand exploded from the ground and gripped his ankle, sending the cube of C4 tumbling a short distance away. All over the dance floor, more bony hands burst through the glass floor.
“What the hay is going on?!” shouted Dash as bony claws erupted from the ground near her. Instinctively she flew into the air and over to where Rarity was cowering from the dirty hands that grasped at her.
Megan ran through the field of emerging skeletal hands and arms towards the DJ booth calling, “If I had to guess I would say the artifact animated a helluva lot of skeletons!” Once the woman arrived at the side of the booth, she wrenched one of the over-sized glow sticks that were strapped to its side. “Zorro, you might want to switch from something slashy to something a tad more smashy!” she called as she held the glow stick above her head.
The man kicked the hand that gripped his leg and easily shattered the brittle and aged bone. “Tenía que ser esqueletos!” he shouted as he got to his feet and ran for the cube of C4, “Ladies now would be a good time to get close to us! Things are about to get very interesting around here soon!”
“Interesting?!” screamed Rarity as she charged through the small field of grasping hands, arriving next to Megan with not a single hair out of place. Her expression was a mix of anger and panic as she looked over to Zorro and shouted, “Are you sure you don’t mean horrifying? I know how you humans tend to confuse dying with fun so I just want to make sure!”
Dash landed next to the glamorous unicorn and gave her friend a small pat on the back with her wing, “Come on Rarity, we’re about to fight skeletons in a rave party with glow sticks! How can this not be fun?”
The unicorn harrumphed as she magically tore a glow stick of her own off the booth, “I can think of a dozen ways darling, and half of them involve my mane being ruined.”
More of the skeletal bodies were emerging from the ground as the undead monstrosities pulled themselves out of their long buried graves.
Zorro moved next to Dash with the cube of C4 in one hand and a long glow stick in the other. “Dash,” he said outstretching a hand to the pegasus, “ if you could please place this on the artifact?”
“Right!” replied the pegasus eagerly as she took the small putty cube in her mouth. She lifted off and hovered into the DJ booth where the artifact now lay dormant.
Most of the skeletons had fully emerged from the depths and glared at the only living things in the room with sinister green flames where their eyes should have been. The hoard of undead completely surrounded the team and now were advancing on them menacingly.
“Oh and one other thing,” called the man to the pegasus, “while you’re up there, could you put on a beat we could dance to?”
“I’ll see what I can do,” she replied, squishing the small cube onto the demonic looking record. Dash looked over the sound board and found the ‘Play’ button. “Aha! Here it is!” she said to herself as she pushed it. The small LED screen sparked to life and displayed, ‘NACP - HydraPulse - 2:56. PLAY >’
Heavy beats accompanied by synthesized tunes began playing in the speakers.The skeletons stopped in their tracks and looked at each other, most of them eventually shrugging and deciding now was as good as any to charge with a bone chilling scream.
***
The skeletons’ initial charge broke extremely quickly.
Megan was the first to answer their charge with one of her own and was able to cleave through six of the undead horrors with one swing of her impromptu club, turning those she struck into dust and bits of ancient bone. Moving quickly, she then gripped one of the bony adversaries by its ribcage and hurled it at a thick portion of the army of the dead and sent them all tumbling to the ground. She spun on her heels and brought her glowing weapon down onto the skull of another enemy, bisecting the skeleton and reducing it to a pile of dust.
Rarity and Zorro looked on in shock and awe respectively. “Me encanta esa mujer,” said the man wistfully before a skeletal fist socked him in his jaw.
Zorro recovered quickly and brought his own glowing weapon to the side of the attacking skeleton’s head, shattering the skull completely and dropping the animated corpse instantly. Two more undead charged towards him with raised fists, obviously intent on beating him to death. The man smirked as he jabbed the glow stick into the rightmost skeleton’s ribcage. With some effort, he flung that skeleton into the other and sent them both into a tangled mess of bones and dust.
“HEY!” called Rainbow Dash from the booth, “I set the thing! What do I do now?”
“Get to the balcony!” Megan called back as she pulled a skull from its owner’s neck, “It’s the minimum safe distance!” Behind the woman, a skeleton had picked up a glow stick of its own and struck Megan in the side of the head.
“Ow,” uttered the woman as the glowing rod bounced off of her head harmlessly. She turned to face the skeletal attacker, who glanced between the angered human and the glow stick it held.
Megan could have sworn that it let out a disappointed sigh as she smashed it to pieces.
Near the DJ booth, Rarity smacked away a skeleton’s grasping arm before lowering and hovered her glow stick in front of her in a standing position. “I’ll make a path!” she shouted as the stick began to spin, “stay close behind me!” The unicorn charged the throng of undead with an impromptu glowing lawnmower.
The shattered bones and dust of those skeletons that could not get out of the way were sent flying everywhere. After bashing their way through more of the undead, the human agents quickly moved into the wake she left behind, smashing any skeletons that tried to block their path.
Dash had already flown up to the balcony, and was bucking any of the undead that tried to ascend the staircase. Several skeletons on the steps noted the bones of one of their fellow undead tumbling over the side of the balcony, and after a brief glance to one another, nodded their agreement. leaping off the staircase and to the side, two of them meshed their hands together and gestured for the other to go. The third skeleton ran at the other two placing a foot into their hands and was instantly spring boarded up and over the balcony’s rails. The skeletons doing the spring board nodded to each other and began gesturing for other skeletons to be launched.
The skeleton that had been vaulted moved quickly towards Rainbow Dash, who was doing all she could to stop the other undead from climbing the steps, and punted her away from the staircase. The pegasus hit the floor with a soft thud, the carpet doing little to soften the impact. Soon the balcony was flooded with the skeletal remains, who all stared at the pegasus like wolves would stare at a wounded lamb.
Dash rose to her feet and flared out her wings, glaring at the fiend that had kicked her. “You did not just punt the Dash!” she bellowed at the crowd of shambling bones, “NOPONY PUNTS THE DASH!” Giving a hearty war cry, the young mare closed her eyes and charged forward into the throng of skeletons.
She was surprised when, instead of running into a mass of bone, she collided with something soft. She opened her eyes to the smiling face of Megan as the woman’s arms wrapped around her and into a soft, warm, hug. “How ya doing sugar cube?”
The pegasus’s wings began to extend involuntarily as her face grew a few shades more red. “You smell like Applejack,” Dash blurted out.
“What?” asked Megan as she reeled her head back, her smile vanishing almost completely.
Dash just stared dumbly into the woman’s blue eyes for a brief moment before her mind caught up with her. She shook her head madly and attempted to change subjects, “I-I mean...uhh...Hey Megan! How’re things, with the skeletons and the surviving?” Looking around, the pegasus saw the remains of her attackers scattered around the floor and gazed at the woman in amazement, “Did you take out all these bone brains?”
With one last an amused look towards the pegasus, Megan stood up and glanced around at the dusty bones that now carpeted the balcony before replying, “Yeah. Turns out being buried for hundreds of years makes these things really fragile. I was a bit worried a first, but these guys are total push overs.”
“Where are Rarity and Zorro?” Dash asked as she surveyed the carnage, “Shouldn’t they be with you?”
The woman responded by pointing over her shoulder, “Oh they’re keeping busy.”
Looking beyond the woman, Dash saw Rarity batting away any skeletons that were attempting to climb the staircase while Zorro destroyed any that were being vaulted over the balcony’s guard rail. Together, they both seemed to have the situation well under control with Rarity showing only small signs of exhaustion.
The man Zorro on the other hand, was not even breaking a sweat as he swatted away arms, skulls, legs, and even entire skeletons as they flew over the balcony. As he decapitated another undead attacker with a wide swing, he called out to the hoard, “Come now amigos, surely you can do better! I am getting bored!”
Megan rolled her eyes, “Zorro, push the button!”
“But Megan, I’ve not even begun to have fun yet!” replied the man with a pout.
“JUST PUSH THE DAMN BUTTON ALREADY!” screamed Rarity, eying the man with a glare that could kill if it wanted to.
Zorro shrunk back and produced the trigger for the explosive from his pocket and pressed it with a satisfying ‘click.’
The resulting boom rang in the ears of everyone who still had ears, and bits of shrapnel and bone flew about the once lively dance floor. A shock wave of green energy erupted from the shattered artifact which washed over the entire club and beyond. As the wave of energy passed over the undead, whatever magic was holding the army of skeletons together left them and they all fell to inanimate pieces.
As the dust settled, the four agents surveyed the damage. Rarity looked at the others and smiled, “Well now that we have gotten that out of the way, and seeing as how we are in Paris, how about a little shopping? Maybe a trip to the local spa? I’m sure there will be one open, even at this hour!”
Dash immediately responded, “I’m out!” and flew out the front door and into the flashing lights of the police.
“ATTENTION AMERICANS, DO NOT MOVE! YOU ARE UNDER ARREST UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE! COME WITH US QUIETLY TO THE STATION WHERE YOU WILL BE PROCESSED!”
Megan and Zorro ran out followed closely by Rarity, who squinted into the bright police lights. The woman gave a quick look over the all pony police force and sighed, “Looks like we’ll have to take a rain check on that shopping Rarity. Sorry.”
The unicorn glared up at the woman, “You can bet you flank on it. As soon as this is cleared up, Zorro is going to take me on a grand tour of Paris.”
Megan cast an odd look at the swordsman. He shrugged, saying, “You know me Megan, I cannot resist a lady who asks my help in having a, pleasurable time.”
The woman put her hand to her face and groaned loudly.
The End of Episode 4
Took forever and probably sucks.
This must be what it feels like to work in video games.
Heeeeyooo!
But seriously, I really hope the next one is better
Episode 5 here we come!
|
Anonsi
|
1349
| 8 |
Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Alternate Universe,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
TCB: Yellowstone: The Series
|
An allegedly good sequel series to Yellowstone. Features Humans, Ponies, and monster hunting.
|
cancelled
| 64 | 4 |
<p>Two months after the events of Yellowstone, Wild Magic from Equestria has run rampant throughout the rest of the world, resurrecting ancient horrors from around the globe. Mysterious and terrible monsters of myth threaten to exterminate both mankind and ponydom! With the blessing of Princess Celestia, Twilight and her friends reunite with Agent Hawk and his team to combat this new terror before it destroys the world!</p>
|
teen
|
2011-11-07T16:28:08+00:00
|
2011-11-07T16:28:08+00:00
| 2,733 |
Yellowstone the Series
“Minisodes”
A My Little Pony Fanfiction based off a fanfiction of another fanfiction of Blaze’s original Fanfiction: The Conversion Bureau.
What a mouthful.
By Anonsi (Another spin-off riding the coat-tails of Yellowstone? Why not!)
Staying Tuned
“Busy Bee! You turn off that television and come to dinner!” Morning Dew called from the kitchen.
The yellow filly didn’t get up, but instead moaned back, “But mom! The news is about to start!” She returned her attention to the screen, brushing her unkempt mane out of her eyes.
Morning Dew’s sigh was audible, even from the kitchen. “Ten minutes Busy Bee. Then you join the rest of your family at the table!”
“Okay! Sheesh...”
Whatever program was on previously ended, and was soon replaced by an official white and black earth pony wearing a red tie sitting at a desk with dramatic music playing in the background. Busy Bee let loose a tiny squee of excitement as she nuzzled the silver disk that hung by a red ribbon around her neck before returning her gaze to the screen.
“This is Print’ n Press with your West Coast News! Tonight’s top story, Chaos in Newfoalsome!” Busy Bee gasped at the picture that appeared on the screen. It was of some fancy hotel lobby that had been completely wrecked. “This morning, at approximately eleven o’clock, members of the criminal organization known as the HLF, or Human Liberation Front, launched an attack on the home of self made multi-billionaire, John Norris...” They showed a picture of a disheveled and irritable man who had definitely not seen enough sunlight.
She narrowed her eyes, “Oh, ew. He looks gross.”
"...and his son, Azure Wind.” A picture of a small, timid looking blue pegasus appeared next to the man’s photo.
A ‘meep’ from behind Busy Bee alerted her to the presence of her younger sister, Merry Gold. Turning to smile at her sister, Busy Bee waved to the small white and gold filly. “Come on Merry!”
Her sister quickly nestled close to her and watched the continuing news, nervously smiling at the photo of the small blue pegasus. “...ut what is most shocking is that the attack was stopped by a man who allegedly works for the the mysterious human organization known only as the ‘Agency,’ and a powerful unicorn that is a member of the ‘Elite Equestrian Guard,’ which has never been reported to even exist until today...”
Merry Gold and Busy Bee exchanged excited looks. Merry Gold prodded her sister’s side and asked, “Do you think it’s Miss Twilight and...”
“Shh!”
“Unfortunately, as is the case with such incidents, the President of the United States and Celestia herself have forbid revealing any names or pictures of the individuals in order to protect the identities of the heroic pair. However, an eyewitness account adds to the grisly scene as Sweetie Pop, the receptionist during the attack, recounts the events that took place...”
The screen cut to a peach colored mare with strawberry mane sitting behind the ruins of what must have been a beautiful desk before it was destroyed. “So first, there was this extremely rude postman that said he had a package for Mr. Norris, and then a guy in one of those leather, Indiana Jones kinda hats and a coat shows up saying he’s Mr. Norris.” Busy Bee’s cheeks began to flush and her heartbeats quickened. “Then a freakin’ van drives through the front window and all these HLF goons jump out and start shooting up the place, and I’m here behind the desk praying to Celestia to not die, and this cowboy guy and unicorn mare he’s with are...like...I dunno, exchanging playful banter or something, when the cowboy guy throws some dynamite at them!”
The mare waved her hooves around as she spoke, acting out the minor actions that were occurring in her story, much to the amusement of the fillies. “And then the HLF are all dead, except for this one guy the unicorn tries to save for some reason.” The mare’s face suddenly looked off into the distance as she recalled what happened next, “And then the spider came. Celestia preserve me. That thing was as big as a horse, like one of them Shire horses you look up on the internet when you...ya’know. Anyway, big spider, cowboy shoots it a lot, unicorn casts some spell that makes her into some big beefy stallion and she stabs the thing with her horn, and then the cowboy throws another stick of dynamite into the spider’s guts and then...BOOOOM!”
Busy Bee and Merry Gold cheered in excitement, but quickly silenced themselves as the news reported started to speak again, “Truly fantastic stuff. In a related story, the HLF member that was spared in the attack has revealed the locations of several key stockpiles in the Mid-Western territories. Six-Tribes rangers moved qui-”
“What?!” cried the fillies as the TV suddenly went dead. Looking behind them they saw the stern visage of their mother, TV remote under hoof.
“Come on girls, that was your ten minutes. I won’t have you two becoming coach potatoes, because then I’d have ta’ eat ya’.”
Merry Gold gasped as she quickly hopped over to Morning Dew and nuzzled her mother’s legs. “You wouldn’t really eat us if we turned into potatoes would you?” she asked, completely serious.
Morning Dew nuzzled her daughter’s neck and affectionately cooed, “No my little flower, I don’t think I would. Even as potatoes you’d both be too cute to eat. Now hurry along to dinner, your father ain’t the kind to not eat food if no pony’s there to claim it.” Morning Dew and Merry Gold trotted off to the kitchen merrily, giggling about jut how cute Merry Gold would be as a potato.
Busy Bee lingered behind them for a bit, and once they were out of sight, she looked at the silver medallion that hung from her neck. She lovingly eyed the image of a hawk that was carved into it.
“Anytime now Bee!” called her mother.
She gave the disk a quick kiss and pressed it against her chest, before sighing and joining her family.
|
Anonsi
|
1349
| 9 |
Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Alternate Universe,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
TCB: Yellowstone: The Series
|
An allegedly good sequel series to Yellowstone. Features Humans, Ponies, and monster hunting.
|
cancelled
| 64 | 4 |
<p>Two months after the events of Yellowstone, Wild Magic from Equestria has run rampant throughout the rest of the world, resurrecting ancient horrors from around the globe. Mysterious and terrible monsters of myth threaten to exterminate both mankind and ponydom! With the blessing of Princess Celestia, Twilight and her friends reunite with Agent Hawk and his team to combat this new terror before it destroys the world!</p>
|
teen
|
2011-12-05T18:06:11+00:00
|
2014-08-22T21:22:23+00:00
| 1,999 |
Yellowstone the Series
“Minisodes”
A My Little Pony Fanfiction based off a fanfiction of another fanfiction of Blaze’s original Fanfiction: The Conversion Bureau.
We need to go deeper! BWAAAA.
By: Anonsi (Forced Inception reference? Check)
Snake Charmer
Thunder rumbled across the plains. Storms were becoming more frequent out in the wilds of the mid-west as of late, and Dark Star didn’t like getting caught out in the rain. What really irked him was that because of the storm, there wouldn’t be any help from his pegasus brothers for this little excursion. Except for the only one he knew who did not fear such storms of course. Another rumble of thunder encouraged him to find shelter soon.
“Damn Black Root for spilling his guts to the feds. He’s a disgrace to his race for making us have to relocate in this mess.” Dark Star turned to the band of earth ponies under his command, regarding them with mild disdain as they pulled carts of supplies across the darkened flat-land. “Move faster brothers! We must find a new place to set up our operations before that storm hits!”
Being a unicorn in PER came with the advantage of having a higher authority over those unfortunate to not have become a unicorn upon receiving the gift of ponification. Dark Star piously thanked Celetia and Luna for being one of the chosen elite of the race, and not some grunt earth pony or brutish foot soldier pegasus. Movement from above drew Dark Star’s attention skyward. Descending from the storm clouds was probably the only pony from the lesser breeds he respected. A pegasus with a purple coat and a black mane landed in front of him, his menacing red eyes shifted their gaze between the unicorn and small convoy of followers.
“Greetings brother Storm Charger, did you see anything useful during your flight?” inquired Dark Star as he began to walk after his minions.
Storm Charger walked beside him and in a crisp and official tone began, “Not far from here is an old ghost town. Looks like it’s from the eighteen hundreds so electricity is unlikely, though it should keep the supplies safe from the storm.”
Dark Star nodded his approval, “Good work brother. Inform the others of the new course, and see to it that they do not get lost.” As Storm Charger bowed and prepared to take flight, Dark Star added, “And Storm Charger?”
“Yes brother?”
Dark Star placed a hoof on the pegasus’s shoulder, “My condolences about your sister Bitter Frost. Our new order lost a good unicorn that day.”
Storm Charger shot a quick glance down at Dark Star’s hoof before returning his gaze to the unicorn, “We lost some good pegasi too, brother Dark Star.”
“If all pegasi were like you Storm Charger, then that might actually mean something,” replied Dark Star as he removed his hoof from Storm Charger’s shoulder. The pegasus flew off to the head of the line without hesitation as Dark Star resumed overseeing the progress of the earth ponies and sighed. If he had been commanding the squad that went after Norris, then he and PER would be a great deal richer, instead of making their way to some shoddy ghost town.
The unicorn continued to walk along the length of his meager squad until he saw a sign post. The crude writing on the aged piece of wood read, “Sweet Water. 1 mile.”
***
The town was indeed deserted as Storm Charger had said, but Dark Star quickly found evidence that proved that it had not been so recently. There were bones lining the main street, all the way to the large building at the end which could only be the mayor’s office. There were signs of battle in the saloon as well, and the back wall to the jail house was completely gone. Dark Star assumed the humans that died here were drastically out gunned judging by the small crater he found in the middle of the street. That being said, the town was far enough from any major roads and inhabited towns that they could operate undetected.
Dark Star had ordered his team to set up in the mayor’s building and told Storm Charger to scour the ruins for anything useful. He was in the middle of congratulating himself on finding this new hideout when he was rudely interrupted by a loud boom of thunder. The sky had grown darker but still refused to rain, a fact Dark Star gave some thanks. He hated mud.
“Sir!” called Storm Charger from the door of an old church, “We have a problem.”
Dark Star didn’t like problems, especially problems that were the result of the incompetence of his subordinates. “What is it brother? Found a snake’s nest?” mocked Dark Star.
Storm Charger scowled at the unicorn and continued, “I do not believe this town is as abandoned as we thought.” He stepped to the side and gestured for Dark Star to look for himself.
The unicorn casually trotted up to the doorway inside, and his eyes suddenly went wide in shock. The floor was littered with bones. Simply covered with the bleached remains of humans, ponies, and an unknowable amount of animals. The meat was picked clean from every inch of every bone, and slithering amongst the remains were dozens of snakes, each one bearing a rattle at the end of its tail.
Dark Star and Storm Charger stepped away from the darkened church as the pegasus continued, “It’s more than a snake pit sir. Snakes don’t hoard bodies like this. This is a lair of something far worse than a couple rattlers. I suggest we leave now before whatever lives here returns.”
Dark Star weighed his options and thought of something he considered quite brilliant. “Storm Charger, my brother, this is an excellent opportunity! If those fools at the HLF were able to get their incompetent hands on a giant spider, then we should be able to ensnare whatever lurks here! We can use this obviously deadly monster in our efforts to purge the unenlightened!”
Storm Charger glanced between Dark Star and the church. “What are we going to use for bait?”
Dark Star grinned, “What else?”
***
Dark Star was surprised at how short he had to wait before his new weapon showed itself. The earth pony grunt he had stationed outside the church was soon replaced with a large red stain and a bloody trail leading into the building. The unicorn was impressed to say the least. None of his other subordinates had heard or seen anything, not even Storm Charger, who swore he only looked away for a few seconds. All of that was irrelevant of course, as Dark Star now had the whatever it was right where he wanted it.
There was only one problem of course: Not dying.
Dark Star summoned a small globe of light and sent it hovering into the dark expanse of the desecrated church. Its light barely illuminated anything, but was enough to scatter the snakes. “You four,” he commanded to four earth ponies, “Get in there and try not to get bit by anything.”
His four minions did as they were told and entered the poorly illuminated aisle, one of them tripping over the ribcage of something large enough to be a buffalo. Storm Charger moved in after them eyeing the second floor of the building incredulously. There were a lot of nooks and crannies in this place where someone could hide, and the shadowy atmosphere wasn’t helping matters. Dark Star entered next and was flanked by two more earth ponies, who looked absolutely terrified to be here. Dark Star simply looked confused. The blood trail ended a few feet after the doorway, and something large enough to drag the body of an earth pony couldn’t just disappear without a trace.
“Fan out brothers!” called the unicorn, “Find our new weapon and restrain it!” Something did not sit right with Dark Star about this. Aside from the assorted hissing coming from the snakes, it was too quiet. As if to answer him, there was a boom of thunder from outside that startled the two ponies to his sides. He rolled his eyes, “You morons. It’s a wonder you even know how to walk you-”
He was interrupted as the double doors slammed shut and reduced the light within the church to the measly sphere he had conjured. As if on cue, all the serpents that were slithering around began to shake their rattles in tandem. Dark Star and his ponies gathered around the center of the room where his light hovered weakly.
“This ain’t natural!” said one of the earth ponies, “L-let’s get outta here!”
“You shall stay your ground coward!” barked Dark Star, “We are not leaving until we have tamed this creature for the glory of our brotherhood!”
The rattling continued to intensify.
“Sir,” whispered Storm Charger, “Perhaps we should wait for a more opportune time?”
Dark Star glared at the pegasus, “There is no more opportune time than this!”
The snakes stopped rattling suddenly, and were replaced with what sounded like footsteps that were accompanied by a small ‘tink’ sound. Whatever it was, it was walking towards them.
Dark Star stepped forward and bellowed at the shadows, “Hear me creature! I am Dark Star, a member of PER! You shall serve us in order to wipe out humanity from the face of this world!”
The footsteps stopped. With only a faint grunt, the missing earth pony’s corpse flew out from the dark and collided with Dark Star. The unicorn buckled under the weight of the body and fell to the ground, suddenly finding himself surrounded by bones and snakes. A sinister voice echoed out from the inky blackness, “I don’t care much for you freaks.”
Dark Star clambered up and out of the bones screaming, “SUBDUE HIM! GET HIM!” The earth ponies charged over the piles of bones and snakes at the source of the voice. Storm Charger lifted off and flew to the upper floor of the church.
A single rattling sound came from the darkness as the ponies charged in. All six of them began screaming as they confronted whoever was in the shadows, only to be suddenly silenced soon after. The rattling continued.
Dark Star’s horn glowed bright red as he launched a bright sphere of energy down the aisle. The sudden illumination forced him to close his eyes, but he didn’t need to see for this spell. The sphere hit the doors to the church and exploded with enough force to shake the foundations of the building. The rattling had stopped.
The unicorn looked up and marveled at the results of his spell. The entire front wall was now a big smoldering hole, allowing dim light to flood into the aged building. “How unfortunate," he mused, “I seem to have accidentally incinerated him. Such a pity.”
The unicorn heard rattling behind him, and upon turning around was only able to see the glimmer of a large blade coming at him before his world went black.
***
In the dim light, the pegasus could only see the man wore a poncho with a snake motif, a wide brim hat that obscured his face in shadows, and wielded a curved sword and large knife in his hands. “Impressive,” said Storm Charger from above the grisly scene. “I don’t think I’ve seen a human as deadly as you before.”
The human looked up at the pegasus and scowled, the many snakes of the room began rattling their tails as he did so.
“No need for hostilities,” said Storm Charger in an authoritative tone, “I have no wish to fight you myself, and I can see your skills are more than a match for anypony.” Storm Charger began to walk along the balcony, “I have a job opportunity for you. An assassination. It pays well and you can get out of this charming little...” the pegasus looked for the right word, “...shithole.”
The snakes stopped their rattling.
Storm Charger smiled, “I’m glad you’re interested.” The pegasus flew down into the aisle of bones and bodies and looked up at the human, “My name is Storm Charger. Serve me faithfully, and I shall do what I can to get you whatever you desire.”
After a moment of complete silence, the man sheathed his blades and loomed over the pegasus. “I am Diamondback, and all I want is revenge.”
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Anonsi
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1349
| 10 |
Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Alternate Universe,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
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TCB: Yellowstone: The Series
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An allegedly good sequel series to Yellowstone. Features Humans, Ponies, and monster hunting.
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cancelled
| 64 | 4 |
<p>Two months after the events of Yellowstone, Wild Magic from Equestria has run rampant throughout the rest of the world, resurrecting ancient horrors from around the globe. Mysterious and terrible monsters of myth threaten to exterminate both mankind and ponydom! With the blessing of Princess Celestia, Twilight and her friends reunite with Agent Hawk and his team to combat this new terror before it destroys the world!</p>
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teen
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2012-03-21T00:28:15+00:00
|
2012-03-21T00:28:15+00:00
| 3,664 |
Yellowstone
The Series
By: Anonsi (I bet this one starts with ‘Twilight Sparkle’)
Episode: 5
King of the Hill
____________________________________________________________________________
For ages, Equestria has existed separate from the rest of the world, protected by a magical barrier that prevented it from being seen, touched, or reached by humans and their machines. But five years ago, the ponies of Equestria landed on the shores of human lands claiming to be there to save the earth and humanity from pollution, hate, and greed. To do this, the top human scientists and pony magicians created a potion to turn humans into ponies in places called, Conversion Bureaus. Within two years of its release, more than half the total human populace on Earth has converted. The balance of the world has been forever altered, as the remaining human nations form new governments for those humans that remain.
Megan, Zorro, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash are taking a much needed rest since their return from Paris and a well earned celebratory day of shopping for destroying an artifact that could summon skeletons up from their graves. With two days of no new missions, and human conversions at an all time low, the human agents and the Elements of Harmony are all using their new found free time to catch up on some old pastimes...
____________________________________________________________________________
Twilight Sparkle adjusted her position on the sofa for the fourth time this hour, but once again was unable to bring herself to read the heavy tome that sat in front of her. No matter where she sat down to read today, or with what book, something just seemed to be...missing.
“What’s the matter with me?” she asked herself exasperated, “I’ve been looking forward to reading Spells of Antiquity for a week, and now I can’t even bring myself to skim the first page! ARRG!” More frustrated than angry, she slammed the book’s cover shut and got up to pace around the empty lounge. “Maybe I just need to do some good old fashioned science, or finish writing that thesis paper about humans for Canterlot University’s council of scholars.” A faint pain from her gut caused Twilight to cast a forlorn look at the book and force a weak chuckle, “Maybe I should go get some lunch.”
“Hey Twilight! Talking to yourself again?” asked a cheerful voice from behind her, surprising the unicorn enough for her to nearly jump through the roof.
Twilight spun around to see Pinkie Pie standing in the door way, wearing what appeared to be a fluffy yellow chicken costume. The dopey chicken suit covered all but the pink mare’s legs and face, and Pinkie was looking at Twilight with an expression of sincere interest through the ever open beak of the costume. Despite how odd this would seem to anypony else, the purple unicorn took it in stride and returned her friends joyous smile with one of her own.
“Pinkie! You are just the pony I needed to see!” exclaimed Twilight as she trotted over to Pinkie. ‘A party! That’s what I need to get out of these doldrums!’
Pinkie Pie somehow beamed even brighter at the words, “Awww, that’s such a nice thing to say Twilight! What can your ol’ Auntie Pinkie Pie do ya for?”
Elated, Twilight Sparkle continued, “Well I was going to ask if you had a party coming up, but it looks like you already have a costume party about to start! Is there a theme, or can I be anything? I think I have the materials to make a decent Mareribbean pirate costume!”
Pinkie looked over the feathery yellow chicken outfit and then back to Twilight with her usual smile, “Oh this chicken suit isn’t for a party you silly filly!”
“It’s not?” asked the unicorn dejected.
An apologetic look came over Pinkie’s face as she continued, “Nope, Fluttershy asked me to help count some eggs before they hatch, so I’m wearing this thing to blend in and not scare the little chickies!”
Twilight lowered her head and folded her ears back, feeling genuinely disappointed that there was no party to be had. “Well okay then,” she said with a weary tone, “I guess I’ll go try seeing what the others are up to. Do you know where they all are?”
The pink mare placed a hoof to the side of her yellow and feather head, looking very thoughtful as she replied, “Sorry, but I don’t think I know where everypony is. I do know AJ and Dash are in the gym watching Hawk and Dimitri fight each other.”
“What?” asked the unicorn as she cocked an eyebrow, “Why on earth are they doing that?”
Pinkie just gave a bright smile through the beak of the costume and said with an innocent giggle, “I don’t have a clip-cloppin’ clue, but they aren’t trying to hurt each other so I guess it’s just for fun! Of course I think that if they wanted to do something fun, they could have just had a party! Those are always fun!”
The unicorn rolled her eyes and stifled a small laugh, “Some of what humans consider fun is probably a lot different than what we do Pinkie. Trust me.” Twilight collected her books quickly, moving out the door and down the hall with a certain spring in her step.
“Bye Twilight!” called the pink mare as she waved both her fore-hooves after he departing friend.
“Bye Pinkie!” the unicorn shouted back.
Now alone, Pinkie mused to herself, “A costume party huh? That does sounds like it could be fun, and I haven’t thrown one in a really long time to boot! Ooh! And Rarity could make the costumes! She’s been dying to sew something! Oh it’ll be super-duper-MEGA-Fun! They’ll all LOVE IT!” Humming merrily as she bounced down the corridor to Fluttershy’s sanctuary, the pink pony had already begun thinking of ways to make this the biggest and best costume party she could ever throw.
* * *
The aging President Joseph McCullough sat at his desk and exhaled heavily as he sorted through the dozens of folders that were strewn over his desk, all of them marked “Immediate Response Required” in big red letters. He picked up a weighty looking tan folder first and inspected its contents. It was a report made by Agent O’Connell about the situation in Egypt, and from the looks of the evidence he had collected, things were far worse than previously thought. Apparently whatever had been under the pyramids had been moved, and the only thing that remained was a message left behind by whoever took it:
“The Master watches all with Death’s cruel sight,
His Brothers in Darkness shall return to him forgotten might,
He shall again rise up to crush the light,
and with his waking, bring forth Eternal Night.”
Looking up from the disturbing report with a weary expression, Joseph eyed the brilliant equine figure that was sorting through her own pile of paperwork in the center of his office. She rested on some large pillows as she glanced over one report after another, some dealing with policy in her homeland and others that dealt with the current crisis. The man could tell by her tired expression that keeping her own kingdom in order while also dealing with the wild magic polluting the rest of the world was wearing her down both mentally and physically. The last thing she needed right now was a prophesy of doom, especially one she would blame herself for.
“Celestia,” said Joseph standing up from his desk, “How about we take a small break and get something to drink?” The Princess looked away from her own work and eyed the President with a confused, but also grateful expression. The man moved to the office’s secret door that led to the White House kitchen and gestured for Celestia to follow, saying, “Maybe some scotch and small talk will help us get through the paperwork?”
The goddess laughed quietly as she hovered a report back onto her pile and stood, stretching out her wings as she did so with a very pleasant sigh of satisfaction. “I think I’ll just have some tea thank you,” she replied while moving to the doorway, “Human alcohol and ponies don’t exactly mix if I remember correctly.”
Joseph rubbed his chin as the memory resurfaced in his mind, “Now that you mention it, I do remember your ambassadors having trouble finding the bathroom that one time.”
“Thank you for putting it so delicately Joseph,” Celestia replied with a bemused smile as she moved past him and through the doorway, “and I’m still extremely sorry about that by the way.”
The President merely chuckled and followed her out the door, “Don’t be. It takes practice to get good at drinking. Besides, nobody liked Senator Hannibal anyway. He was the sort of guy who just wouldn’t let things go.”
Celestia let out a hearty bout of laughter and looked at the president with a mischievous smile as she continued to walk down the hallway, “What ever happened to him? I don’t recall seeing him since then...is he still a senator?”
Seeing Celestia’s warm and curious expression almost made the old man tell her that he had the senator killed five years ago.
“No,” Joseph half lied as he returned her smile with one just as friendly, “he retired to Canada I think. Apparently it was the only place he could be far enough away from such ‘disgusting beasts.’ Like I said; he just wouldn’t let things go.” The President hoped that his years of being a politician had finally made him good enough at lying.
Celestia looked off down the hallway with a concerned expression, “Well I hope he’s not causing any trouble, I’d hate to think that after all these years someone could still hold a grudge over something so small.”
Joseph gave a relieved little sigh, and wanted to reassure the equine goddess that Hannibal wouldn’t be a problem. But given the fact that the dead were rising from their graves these days, he couldn’t be too sure. Instead he simply placed an arm around the back of the Princess’s neck and did another trick he picked up during his presidency: changing subjects.
“So anyway Princess, how’s the family?”
* * *
Hawk and Dimitri stood facing each other on a large, square training mat in the center of the gym, both of the men wearing comfortable looking t-shirts and loose work-out pants. A veritable rainbow of pastel colored ponies with a very small cadre of humans cheered from the bleachers around them, drawn by the excitement of a live combat demonstration. Applejack and Rainbow Dash, who had asked for the afternoon activity, were sitting closer to the mat and observed the action closely, only giving shouts of encouragement between bouts.
“Alright Dimitri, come at me,” Hawk instructed.
The young man sighed heavily as he looked over at the crowd that hadn’t been there when Pinkie Pie had left, but had miraculously appeared only minutes afterwards. “Vhy am I the one who has to do this?”
“Because Zorro didn’t want to and Barnes scares me,” Hawk stated matter-of-factually.
“Vhat about Megan?”
Hawk took up a defensive posture and dismissively said, “She told me to make the rookie do it, so I did. Now would you hurry up attack me?”
Dimitri cracked his knuckles in response and adopted an aggressive stance, causing the crowd to cheer with anticipation. After a moment the young man charged Hawk and sent a right hook towards the face of his enemy. Agent Hawk grabbed Dimitri’s arm and swept the young man’s leg out from under him, sending the assailant tumbling to the floor. Hawk put a foot on the back of his opponent’s neck while also pulling on the grappled arm. The crowd went wild.
Dimitri fruitlessly squirmed on the ground before letting loose a guttural growl, “Сын сука!”
“My Russian is a bit rusty Dimitri, does that mean ‘I surrender?’” Hawk asked confidently, only loosening his pull on Dimitri’s arm so the pinned man could move with a bit less pain. The young man in his grasp slapped the mat with his free hand, signaling his surrender.
As Agent Hawk released Dimitri from the pin, the doors to the gym glided open, drawing the attention of everyone in the room to the small purple unicorn that trotted in with a certain spring in her step. Hawk helped the younger man up off the ground and said, “Looks like the crowd keeps growing.”
“Разве это не тот, который вы хотите спать с?” Dimitri asked with a smile.
Hawk punched him in the shoulder and quietly hissed, “Shush, or I’ll have you training with Megan, and she’s not as gentle as I am.” Turning to the unicorn, the man put his hands on his hips and asked, “Good morning Twilight, do we have a mission?”
“Oh no, I’m just here to watch!” she said with some enthusiasm, “I’ve read that human martial arts are one of the last great art forms, so I just thought I’d come down and take some notes.” With a lightning quick smile to Hawk, Twilight cantered over to where Applejack and Rainbow Dash were sitting, nestling herself down into a comfortable spot next to them as she hovered a notebook and pencil out of her bags.
“Well alright then, I guess me and Dimitri can get back to training,” replied Hawk as he took off his t-shirt and revealed his well toned torso to the audience, which caused the recently converted mares and the few women in the crowd to burst into a chorus of cheers and whistles. Chancing a glance at Twilight, he saw the young mare blush slightly as she ducked her head behind her notebook while her pencil hovered above the small tome looking ready to write.
Dimitri shook his head and gave Hawk a flat look, “Почему?”
“I’m just giving the people what they want,” Hawk said taking up a defensive stance. “Now come on and attack me.”
* * *
Things were going better than the President thought they would. So far the discourse between him and the divine equine had been light and the atmosphere cheerful. The weariness that had once been present in the Equestrian princess’s features had disappeared with each story the old man had convinced her to tell, which was a rather simple feat in and of itself. It seemed to him that the Princess enjoyed talking about her people and their habits immensely.
Currently, President McCullough sat across from her at the elegant dinning room of the White House, the aging human barely holding back a fresh batch of guffaws as Celestia continued one of her many favorite stories.
“...so after we finally get out of the entrance hall and to the ballroom, I find the dance floor absolutely wrecked, covered with cake, and the guests about to riot. And that’s when it happened...” The Princess only paused long enough to finish off her tea before proceeding on, “So the ballroom is wrecked, cake is all over the place, and Twilight, bless her heart, says ‘Things can’t get any worse.’”
Celestia stood up suddenly and spread her wings as she struggled to contain her laughter, “But then the doors to the gardens burst open and all the animals, and I mean all the animals, start running amok inside the ballroom. But that’s not the best part,” she said turning to Joseph with a gleeful expression.
The President took another shot of scotch before asking, “Okay, I’ll bite. What was the best part?”
Celestia smiled all the wider as she continued, “Fluttershy, the element of kindness, bursts in after them and screams,” The Princess took in a deep breath and yelled, “YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE ME!” while her face took on a deranged expression.
Joseph and Celestia both exploded into laughter, the President needing to clutch his sides from the pain while the Princess rolled over onto the floor. For several minutes all the pair could do was laugh maniacally. They only began to calm down when they started gasping for air.
“Tw-Twilight was...absolutely mort...mortified,” Celestia managed to say between breaths, “I...I had to track her down afterwards and...tell her that everything was okay.” With some effort, she regained her previous composure and returned to sitting on her haunches at her spot at the table. Giving once last calming sigh, Celestia looked at her empty tea cup with eyes still reminiscing the memories that swam in her head.
“You miss her I take it?” asked Joseph as he set down his now empty shot glass.
The alicorn gave the human a sweet look and nodded her head, “I miss all my little ponies Joseph, but Twilight especially. I feel awful about sending her and her friends to deal with this crisis.”
“Then go see her,” the man said bluntly, “Take them all out to lunch or something.”
“Really?” asked Celestia with mild surprise, “But what about all the reports? I can’t just leave them all for you to deal with!”
“I’ll be fine princess,” replied Joseph as he stood from his chair and walked through the doors that led to the balcony. He placed his hands behind his back as he added, “I’ve been through two wars and the deadliest plague in history, I think I can handle a few stacks of paper.”
Princess Celestia rose to her hooves and quietly joined the old man on the balcony, taking in the sunny weather of late morning. Her calm expression belied the resolute tone she now addressed the human with, “Joseph, if you think I might have a break down during this crisis then you are sorely mistaken. I’ve been alive for a very long time, and I can assure you that I am not so unused to such pressure.”
“It’s not that,” the man assured her, “It’s the fact that you’ve done a great deal and deserve a small break. Two months of doom and gloom does no one any good, and I think it’s time you went out and had some fun.” Joseph’s mouth curved into a playful grin as he looked at the elegant equine goddess, “Besides, what will the paparazzi think if you shut yourself up inside a musty old building with a human for two months? Think of all the scandalous magazine articles!”
The Princess let go a dainty little laugh, “I happen to enjoy such works of fiction Joseph, even ones that assume to know what my sister and I do behind closed doors.”
The President returned his gaze to the grounds of the White House, “As long it’s all fiction, right? Now you’d better get going before the scotch wears off and I’m begging you to stay.”
Celestia gave him a smile as bright and as warm as the sun before galloping off the balcony and taking to the sky with a mighty leap. Her wings beat the air with strength and poise, and each flap sent her flying faster into the great blue beyond. Within moments she was nothing but a shining streak in the distant blue sky.
After watching the small speck disappear into the great azure beyond, Joseph returned inside and made his way back to his office. Eyeing the pile of paperwork that waited for him with disgust, the President sat in his chair and opened up O’Connell’s report. With the assorted photos, copy of the mysterious message, and mission log, there was one wall painting that stood out as particularly interesting to the President:
It was of some sort of high priest in black robes, possibly the owner of the tomb, standing amongst a crowd of men with jackal heads. Above him was an eclipsed sun, and on the ground in front of him were six stars.
* * *
Twilight entered her room and gently hovered her bags into a far corner before throwing herself onto her bed with a huff. She rolled onto her her side and gazed longingly at her saddlebags, eventually summoning the will to magically open them and pull forth her notebook. Hovering the small tome over to her, she rolled onto her back and held the book above her.
With a sigh she opened it to the most recent entry: a four page long section on the range of human movement, as well as some basic drawings of defensive and aggressive stances she had observed. As the unicorn went over her notes, she once again focused on the drawings. She accepted that art was not her special talent, but she grimaced at just how crude her sketches were compared to her writing. The arms and legs were disproportionate from one another, the head was less a circle and more a rhombus, and the hands...oh Celestia the hands.
She considered fixing the drawings before looking at torso of each sketch. They were her favorite part to say the least, and obviously the most well done section of the figures. They were all fairly well proportioned, strong, muscular, attractive...
Twilight quickly closed the book and sent it flying back to her bags, suddenly noticing that her breathing had gotten faster. “Well I think it’s time to go get some lunch!” she decided rather soundly.
The unicorn rolled out of bed and moved out into the hallway ready to find something to do other than be alone with her thoughts. She cantered down the hallway and into the lobby, briefly waving hello to Ditzy and her daughter as she passed. She turned down the corridor that led to the cafeteria only to run face first into a pair of familiar legs and toppling over the man they belonged to.
“Hey, watch where you’re going!” Hawk chided as he nursed his backside.
“Oh my goodness, Hawk I’m so sorry! Did I hurt you?” she said with a quiver of worry in her voice. Unicorn horns weren’t known for being especially sharp, and could in fact be considered down right dull, but she did not want to be responsible for accidentally stabbing the man who had saved her life multiple times.
The man sighed as he stood up, brushing off any lingering specks of dirt as he did so. “It’s all right Sprinkles,” he said once he had risen to his feet, “I’ve been through worse. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, I’m just glad my horn didn’t hurt you,” she replied with a relieved little huff.
“Thanks for the concern,” he said as a quick flash of inspiration crossed his face. “Are you hungry?”
Twilight simply nodded and gave a friendly smile, “I’m famished, and I can’t think with an empty stomach. In fact I was heading to the cafeteria for some lunch when we...well, bumped into each other.”
Agent Hawk shrugged and continued, “I was just thinking that maybe you’d like to join me for lunch out in the city today.”
“That sounds...” began the unicorn, unsure what to make of the request. That was until her stomach growled like some voracious beast of course, which spurred Twilight to give the man a sheepish smile and reply, “You know what? That sounds lovely. Goodness knows I haven’t really gone outside since the whole Headless Horseman thing.”
“That was over a week ago Twilight.”
“All the more reason to go then, right?” replied the unicorn with a bright smile, “I’ll go get some bits and then we can-”
“Whoa there missy,” Hawk interrupted as he pulled out a small pouch from his coat’s pocket, “I’ll pony up this time.”
* * *
The sky above Manhattan was clear and clean as Princess Celestia soared through its heights. The air was much better than it had been when she and her sister first came ashore, a fact that the elder Princess now relished. But as much as she loved flying in these renewed skies, she did have a purpose for coming here.
Far below her, below the gleaming skyscrapers and other impressive glass towers, she spotted her destination. She angled herself for a nosedive and tucked in her wings, becoming a screaming missile heading straight for the large parking lot at rather unsafe speeds. Truth be told, she could stand to be a bit more subtle about her approach, but she enjoyed the exhilaration of moving so fast almost too much. In seconds the wind was screeching past her as the ground grew closer at ridiculous speeds. When she was nearly fifty feet away from the asphalt of that lot, she flared out her wings and braced her legs for the coming impact.
Celestia hit the ground hard near the large human ship known to her as the Odin, and sent small tremors running through the earth. Looking about with a bright smile, the Princess saw a woman toiling with some maintenance on the airship’s underside. What was odd to the equestrian princess was that the woman seemed to not even acknowledge the alicorn’s rather obvious arrival, and continued to work with her back turned to her.
“Nice of you to drop in Celestia,” called the woman in a neutral tone, her back still facing the Princess.
Celestia cracked an amused grin as she approached the woman. “I’m glad to be here...” The Princess paused as she realized she couldn’t quite place the human’s identity in her mind, “...I’m sorry, I can’t quite remember your name Miss...?”
The woman turned to face her with a completely neutral expression, which was made even harder to read by the sunglasses that completely obscured the woman’s eyes. “Captain Samantha Barnes.”
“Ah of course! Now I remember you, you were there when Twilight returned from her journey two months ago!” exclaimed the Princess with a bright smile. Then she placed a fore hoof to her chin and mused, “I don’t think I ever properly thanked you for getting her back to me in one piece Captain.”
“It was nothing,” replied Barnes in her emotionless tone. Quickly glancing towards the Bureau’s entrance, the woman added quickly, “and you do not have to address me by my rank, i-if you do not want to.”
Celestia smiled warmly at Barnes and said in an almost song like voice, “Well in that case, I thank you Samantha Barnes, for the safe return and continued protection of those dearest to me. Albeit two months late.” The woman simply nodded, Celestia barely making out the faintest signs of a smile on Barnes’ face.
“Is there anything I can help you with Celestia?” asked the woman, her tone still void of emotion.
The alicorn’s eyes popped open with the sudden reminder of why she came, “There is actually! I was hoping I could have a nice casual lunch with Twilight and her friends today. If she’s not too busy that is.”
Barnes placed her hands behind her back and answered with a factual coldness, “Agent Hawk took Twilight Sparkle out to lunch forty-eight minutes ago. I do not know where their current location is.”
“Oh really?” asked Celestia pleasantly surprised before looking off into thought as a devious smile crossed her lips, “I wonder if my dear student is delving into less...academic interests.”
“It is improbable that the excursion will have a romantic conclusion. In addition to the barrier created by them being a different species from one another, both Twilight Sparkle and Agent Hawk are inept in such pursuits,” stated Barnes flatly.
The alicorn let go a very soft chuckle as she eyed Barnes with bemusement, “Poor kids don’t stand a chance, do they?” Releasing a heavy and rather tired sigh, she looked out towards the city streets and continued with a pleasant tone, “That being said, I think it might be a service if I go and find them.”
“Undoubtedly,” replied the woman stoically.
Celestia flashed a smile towards Barnes as she gently spread her wings, “I have enjoyed this conversation Ms. Barnes, but I unfortunately cannot stay. I took a break to have lunch with my student and by the stars I’m going to do just that!” The divine mare let go a peal of sparkling laughter before adding, “I would very much like to have another talk with you and the rest of your team sometime soon, if you wouldn’t mind too much.”
Barnes shifted uncomfortable for a brief moment, “I...” her stern and rigid voice faltered and gave way to one far more compassionate, “...I would love to talk to you again your highness.”
“Splendid!” exclaimed the equine goddess, “Until next time Samantha, stay safe and keep an eye on my dear little ponies for me.”
“I will,” replied Barnes, once again in an emotionless tone, “and Celestia...”
“Yes?”
“It is likely that Twilight and Hawk will end up at Central Park at some point today. If you wish to meet them, that would be the place to wait.”
Celestia smiled brightly at the woman, who merely remained stoic as stone. With a mighty leap and a few strong beats from her wings, the princess was sailing towards the center of the city and out of sight. The woman returned her attention to the Odin, smiling wide.
“That wasn’t so bad now was it?” Barnes asked herself sweetly.
* * *
The entrance to the New York Public Library was a familiar sight to the Twilight, but it still always found a way to wow her each time she came back. The beautiful architecture and the two stoic lions that guarded the entrance certainly helped of course. Those two lions implied that the humans who built this place believed that the knowledge contained within was worth both protection and reverence. An implication that the young mare couldn’t repress smiling at. She and Hawk quickly began to ascend the grand steps into the great hall of knowledge.
“Twilight, could you slow down a little?” asked Hawk, a good six steps behind the eager unicorn mare.
Twilight turned around and gave him an apologetic smile, “Sorry Hawk. It’s just that this is one of my favorite places in the whole city.”
“Big surprise there,” he said, chuckling to himself as he caught up to his pony escort.
“Oh haw-haw. Very funny,” Twilight responded rolling her eyes. Renewing her ascent, she added with a huff, “Come on, I want to see if they have anything on trolls.” She deftly cantered up the steps with such eagerness that it forced Hawk to double step just to keep pace with the her.
As the two finally entered the seemingly vacant library, the young mare took in a deep breath, relishing the familiar and wondrously musty smell that filled her nostrils. It was the smell of knowledge and the printed word, the smell of thoughts and ideas immortalized upon parchment. It was the smell of books. Glorious books.
The library’s main lobby was a massive room decorated in polished white marble with magnificent pillars reaching up all the way to the ceiling. Tall windows lined the wall above the door and let in rays of sunlight into the great hall. The room had an air of grandeur that made Twilight love this place a little more each time she came.
Something had been installed since last she had come here however which gave the unicorn pause. In the center of the white marble floor was a large, rectangular object standing on a circular platform, and rose a half meter above Hawk. Its surface was smooth and black, obviously metallic in nature, and at its center was what appeared to be a blue crystal.
Twilight eyed the strange object warily as Hawk entered behind her. Giving the man a confused look she asked, “Hawk...what is that?”
The man rubbed his chin and shrugged. “Haven’t the foggiest Sprinkles.” Hawk leaned over and patted Twilight on the back as he flashed her a devious grin, “Wait here while I try some science on it.”
Moving away before she could protest, Hawk approached the platform and inspected it. With no sign of any way to activate it, the man gave it a swift kick to the side resulting in a dull CLANG.
The jewel in the center lit up, as a shrill and fractured voice spoke out, “WELcoME t-t-t-T-TO THE nEw Yo-Rk pu-PU-pu-PUBlic LiBRarY!”
Twilight and Hawk exchanged confused glances, shrugging as they turned back to the large rectangle. “What are you?” asked the small unicorn.
“TheeeeEEeeee-e-ee-e WinD ANd ThE WiLlow’S is is is is is is is is is is...” There was a loud beep from somewhere in the room, and the black pillar immediately went silent as the jewel at its center went dark. Soon after, a man about the same age as Hawk appeared from a hallway that led deeper into the library.
The man that walked towards them was skinny and his black hair was mostly obscured by a blue baseball cap that complemented the Tetsujin Industries jumpsuit he had on over the rest of his body. In the crook of his left arm he carried what appeared to be a large laptop, and in his opposite hand he had a small black box with two red switches. He wore a very annoyed look on his sharp features.
“Sir, as thankful as I am that I am not the last human on Earth, I’d thank you more to not kick the AI that cost three and half million bits,” he said stepping between Hawk and the machine. He knelt down next to the black pillar and opened up a well camouflaged panel, setting his laptop to his side and connecting it to the monolith with a USB cord.
Hawk backed up and respectfully tipped his hat as Twilight stepped forward with eyes glimmering with curiosity. “Excuse me sir, but may I ask what this...thing is?”
The man did not look up from his work when he answered, “This hunk of junk is named Socrates by the company, but I usually just call it a pain in my neck. Well, that amongst other things that are inappropriate for common conversation. It’s supposed to run the entire library, but right now all it can do is spout nonsense.”
“Good to know that money went towards something useful,” Hawk said with a chuckle.
The man gave a snort and joined Hawk in his small bout of laughter, “Yeah, tell me about it. ‘Course I’m not complaining about the paycheck they give me for getting these things to actually work.” Looking up from his laptop’s screen, the man extended a hand to Hawk and said, “My name is Isaac by the way.”
Hawk shook Isaac’s hand quickly before releasing it and replied, “I’m Agent Hawk, and this little horsey next to me is named Twilight Sparkle.”
Isaac moved his hand over to Twilight saying, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Ms. Sparkle.”
“It’s nice to meet you too Mr. Isaac!” she responded with earnest excitement while extending a hoof to the man.
Isaac returned his attention to the screen of his laptop, “So, what brings you two to the library today?”
“Books,” stated Hawk flatly, earning him a annoyed glance from Twilight.
“Don’t be rude,” chided the small purple mare.
Isaac merely chuckled at the exchange. He opened his mouth to speak, but a sudden and loud boom of thunder interrupted him.
Hawk turned to look towards the street, “Weird. Twilight, did Dash see any storm clouds rolling in today?”
“No, not a one,” replied the unicorn following his gaze. It had grown dark and overcast outside, with a low layer of mist covering the ground. It created an eerie atmosphere that had many ponies outside quickening their trots.
Without warning, the monolithic AI sprang to life and began to chant in an almost sinister voice,
"Cold be hand and heart and bone
and cold be sleep under stone
never more to wake on stony bed
never, till the Sun fails and the Moon is dead
In the black wind the stars shall die
and still be gold here let them lie
till the Dark Lord lifts his hand
over dead sea and withered land."
The words hung heavy in the silence that followed them. “He’s not programmed to say that,” Isaac stated worriedly after a few moments.
Hawk and Twilight exchanged looks of concern, knowing full well what such oddities could be a sign of. The man drew his revolver and moved towards the door, motioning for Twilight to follow him, “Come on Sprinkles, looks like duty calls.”
The unicorn trotted after him, but not before giving Isaac a grave look, “Mr. Isaac, please stay indoors until this storm clears up. Oh, and if you hear any explosions, just...keep your head down.”
“Will do,” replied the technician eyeing the mare with utter confusion.
“Doo-ooooN’t loOK It in ThE eyes!” chimed the monolith.
* * *
“Thanks for your help today Pinkie, and I’m really, really sorry about your chicken suit. I didn’t know the chickens could be so, well, violent!” Fluttershy said apologetically to the pink earth pony as they both picked up the remains of what was once a yellow chicken costume.
“Aw don’t you fret!” replied Pinkie patting her demure pegasus friend on the head, “as good ol’ Applejack would say, ‘That ther chicken suit was itchier than a bucket full a fleas!’”
Fluttershy spat the yellow feathers she had in her mouth into a small basket with the other remnants of the pecked to pieces suit. Looking at Pinkie Pie with a thoughtful stare, she said, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard Applejack say that.”
Pinkie bounced over to the pegasus and wrapped a hoof around the back of her friend’s neck, “Oh Fluttershy. I didn’t say that she had said it you big silly, I said that was what she would have sai-”
She was interrupted by a loud roar of thunder that echoed through the air and shook the earth. Fluttershy immediately dove underneath the nearest patch of shrubbery with a yelp, while Pinkie merely jumped with surprise and stared at the cloudless blue sky with confusion. A second crack of thunder sounded out over the clear expanse, sending an icy shiver down the pink mare’s spine and leaving a feeling of hopelessness in her heart. She recognized the feeling. It was the same one she felt a week ago when she and her friends had confronted the Headless Horseman.
“I thought the weather ponies said there weren’t going to be any storms today,” came the meek pegasus’s voice from the bushes.
Pinkie glared at the sky and responded with an edge to her voice, “This isn’t a storm Fluttershy, it’s another monster popping into existence!” Without hesitating, the pink pony charged towards the entrance of the Bureau while shouting behind her, “See you later Fluttershy! I need to go do something about this!”
“O-okay,” mumbled Fluttershy as more thunder rumbled through the sky, “I’ll just stay here.”
Leaving the yellow pegasus alone in a shrub did not exactly feel right to Pinkie, but Fluttershy had her animals and that shrubbery. She should be fine. Bursting through the rear entrance of the Bureau and making her way down the halls, the pink mare eventually found herself at the communication lounge where Rarity, Zorro, Megan, and Dimitri stood talking to President McCullough through the telescreen.
“...intercepted phone messages indicate that the animals from Central Park’s zoo have gotten loose and started attacking the citizens.”
“Should I go get Fluttershy sir?” asked Megan, “She’s a wonder with animals.”
The aging man on the screen shook his head, “If only it was that simple. Based on those reports, these animals have glowing eyes and can laugh. Any attempt to ensnare the beasts was met with lethal failure, and I fear Fluttershy would meet a similar fate. The fog limits vision, so there’s going to be close quarter’s combat, so Dimitri, I’m assigning you to get your partner and yourself in there to help Agent Hawk and Twilight take out the threat.”
“I vill tell her right avay sir,” replied Dimitri with a salute as the screen blinked off. Turning towards the door with a brisk step, the young man saw the pink pony standing in the door way. “Oh hello Pinkie! Ve are going to go subdue some animals in Central Park.”
“Well what are we waiting for?” responded the pink mare with urgency, “There are ponies to save! Oh, and humans too I guess.” Placing a hoof to her chin she added, “We really need come up with an all inclusive word for saying things like that. Bronies? No that won’t work, it reminds me too much of brownies. Sweet, delicious, fudgey, chewy, warm, brownies that go with milk! But now’s not the time to talk about brownies Dimitri! There’s ponies and humans to save from spooky animals!”
With that, Pinkie Pie charged down the hallway towards the entrance lobby. Dimitri looked back at the rest of the group in the lounge. All of them, save for Rarity who simply shook her head, stood with odd looks on their faces and waited for the young man to add something to his partner’s eccentric outburst. He could only shrug and run after the pink mare.
* * *
The fog had caught Celestia by surprise, as did the sudden storm that now rumbled somewhere above her. The once bright and sunny day she had been looking forward to spending with her student was now dark and misty, giving the forested park an eerie atmosphere. The other ponies who had been enjoying the park when she had first arrived had all left after the first booming thunderclap, no doubt a holdover from their herd instincts.
Regardless, Princess Celestia now stood alone in a foggy field glaring up at the sky. “Blasted human weather,” she huffed with feigned displeasure, “You just had to rain on the day I visit my student didn’t you?” The storm clouds rumbled a low reply that made the shining mare give a pleasant grin. “I guess there’s no use in sweet talking you away is there?” she said with sigh.
Celestia spread her glamorous wings out wide, shuddering slightly as the temperature began to drop rather quickly. Far too quickly for her liking. Glancing at the darkening shadows of the trees, the Princess strained her eyes as she scanned the shadows of the tree line. Something darted between the trees, and was followed by a good few more somethings. A lot of somethings that were definitely not ponies.
Celestia closed her wings. If whatever she saw was dangerous, she couldn’t let them run free and hurt even one of her little ponies. “Who goes there?!” she called out, “Come out and reveal yourselves!”
There was a long silence as the world around her grew ever more dim. Celestia stood in the small clearing with nothing but the fog and the fading echos of her call for nearly a minute before her demand was answered. From the shadows stepped forward nearly a dozen lupine figures, all of them barring their gleaming white fangs as guttural growls filled the silence.
“Wolves,” the alicorn said with disdain, “my least favorite type of canine.” Celestia counted each of the growling beasts as they slunk out of the shadowy cover of the woods, and eventually stopped at ten. She spread he wings out again, this time in a more imposing fashion, and began channeling power into her horn. “Not that you can understand me,” she called out to the wolves, “but if you value your safety, then you should all retreat back to whatever you call a home.”
The wolves continued to advance towards the Princess despite her imposing stance. It wasn’t long before the dazzling white alicorn found herself surrounded by the feral beasts, each one eyed her hungrily as they circled. Celestia waited for their inevitable rush, when they would all be unable to escape the spell she had prepared.
They circled.
She waited.
“Come on,” Celestia said under her breath, “What are you waiting for?”
The wolves continued to circle, and as time went on their panting breaths began to sound like laughter. Sick, maniacal, taunting laughter directed at her. At first Celestia just thought she was hearing things, but as the sound continued she realized that the wolves were actually laughing. As they continued to cackle, the Princess’s face contorted in horror as the eyes of the wolves began to glow with an unearthly blue light.
Celestia lowered her head and grumbled to herself, “Horse-apples.”
* * *
“See anything Hawk?” asked Twilight as she scanned the now ominously foggy woods.
“Not yet,” he replied, “but in my experience, that usually doesn’t mean something isn’t there.”
The small purple unicorn shot the man a curious look, “You have experience with this sort of thing?”
Hawk looked at the unicorn with a shrug, “Well not with this kind of situation in particular. I’ve never had to deal with ghosts and goblins until this whole mess started, but I do know my way around an ambush.”
After exchanging a welcome laugh, they both looked back into the darkness of the forest that surrounded them. The trees, that had once seemed alive and welcoming, now looked twisted and dangerous, and the verdant green grass had turned to a much darker shade. It was almost as if the fog was choking the color out of everything it touched. Twilight herself noticed that she could barely make out the color of her own coat.
To add to the off putting atmosphere, the air had gotten much colder as she and Hawk ventured deeper into what was once Central Park, causing her to shiver occasionally. It was cold enough now that, despite the mist, the unicorn could see her breath hang in the air. After a minute of what felt like aimless wandering, the both of them found themselves in a large field that was mostly obscured by thick fog and seemed eerily vacant of life.
“Like this here,” said Hawk stopping in his tracks, “this just screams ambush.”
Twilight looked around at the foggy nothingness that surrounded them. There wasn’t a sound to be heard other than their own breathing. Looking back to Hawk, the unicorn offered up a weak smile and said, “Maybe we’ll get lucky and whatever manifested isn’t all that horrible?”
Somewhere behind them in the fog, tree limbs began snapping. Something that sounded big was coming for them. Hawk immediately stepped between Twilight and whatever was approaching them, raising his revolver to greet it when it finally showed up.
“Guess not,” said the unicorn as she moved behind Hawk and began scanning her memory for any spell that might help take down a large unnatural creature. It was then that Twilight saw the large pair of glowing blue orbs that were silently charging them from the opposite. “Hawk there’s another one!” screamed Twilight as she pointed a hoof at the approaching lights.
The man glanced over his shoulder, and a smirk crossed his face. “Nice flank.”
Despite the grim situation, Twilight took the time to glare at him and shout, “Excuse me?!”
Hawk seemed to realized what he said and hastily added, “The tactical maneuver! It’s called flanking, I was just...”
“Whatever!” shouted Twilight as she returned to face the oncoming attacker, barely registering the warmth that had made its way into her cheeks.
It was a warmth that quickly faded, as a very angry looking polar bear charged out of the fog towards her, its eyes gleaming with ghostly blue light and set on her. The small unicorn panicked and let go an unfocused bolt of force that barely hit the white ursine. Unfazed, the bear continued towards her with a snarl of rage.
Loud bangs erupted from behind her, as Hawk began to shoot the second polar bear that had been lurking in the treeline, which now charged towards the man. With drastic amounts of distance between her and her own fanged opponent disappearing rapidly, Twilight tried to focus on another spell that could stop the creature.
Before she could however, Hawk wrapped an arm around her waist and threw her over his shoulder. With two more shots towards the second bear, the man began running full out into the fog and away from the bears while a small confused pony watched the two hungry ursine monsters charge after them.
Hawk ran as fast as his legs could carry him through the fog until a small artificial pond came into view. The man slowed his pace enough to ask, “Can you teleport us outta here?”
Twilight shouted back at him, “DON’T SLOW DOWN! THEY’RE RIGHT BEHIND US!”
Agent Hawk redoubled his speed towards the pool while managing to call back, “Just get us out of here when we hit the water!”
Twilight Sparkle barely heard the request above her own mind’s frantic panicking, ‘The force bolt didn’t work at all! We’re going to die! Why are their eyes like that? They look so...depressing...Wait, what did Hawk just say? Teleport? Right! I can do that easily enough, but where should we go? We can’t just leave these things running around, so leaving is out of the question...’
“GET READY!” Hawk shouted as he leapt up into the air.
The quick change in elevation and sudden feeling of flight made the unicorn mare’s thoughts solidify on the one pony that she knew could help: Celestia. She squeezed her eyes shut and focused hard, feeling the familiar power enter her horn. Before the man’s feet hit the water, an orb or bright pink energy surrounded him and the pony that was slung over his shoulder. In a brief moment the both of them were gone.
* * *
A jeep drove down the paths of Central Park at extremely dangerous speeds while its radio blared music loudly, only barely avoiding the occasional ditch and all too frequent low hanging tree branch. Dimitri seriously questioned how he had let Pinkie convince him to let her drive.
“I WANNA ROCK AND ROLL ALL NI~IGHT, AND PARTY EVER-RY DAY!” shouted the pink pony in tune with the song, “Oop! there’s our turn! I think it’s our turn anyway, but whatever here we goooooooo!”
The car swerved down a side path that allegedly led deeper into the park while the young man in the passenger seat tried to hold on for dear life. Despite not having hands and being shorter than necessary to actually drive the car, Pinkie was doing an exceptional job of not crashing into anything or anyone. Not that Dimitri noticed, as he and his lunch had parted ways somewhere back along the road.
Clutching his large axe close to his chest for comfort, the young man mournfully eyed the pony that drove the jeep, “Vhy did I let you drive?”
Pinkie Pie smiled at the man in a truly gleeful expression, “I challenged you to a shotgun race and you won! Remember?”
“Oh...right...Vait, how are you even driving the car?!”
“I’m standing on my hind legs! This driving thing is a lot harder when you can’t sit down!” she returning her gaze back to the foggy path in front of them.
The jeep took another sharp turn, somehow dodging a rather gnarled tree, and burst out into a wide open field. Dimitri breathed easier with the knowledge that there were now very few things for the car to collide into, and even went so far as to poke his head above the dashboard. It was almost obscenely foggy, and Pinkie was driving far too fast for the young man to make anything out in all the gloom.
“Do you know vere you are going?” he asked the jubilant pink pony as he slowly inched out of his fetal position.
Pinkie Pie made another sharp turn before replying, “Kinda. My Pinkie Senses are telling me that somepony needs our help from somewhere...” she rolled the steering wheel all the way to the left and pushed down on the accelerator, “...in a this way sort of direction!”
Now sitting completely upright, axe still gripped with all his strength, Dimitri scanned the gloomy fog that clouded everything for any sign of Hawk or Twilight. Seeing nothing through the thick layers of mist and shadows, he hoped that the pony’s ‘Pinkie Senses’ were as accurate as she claimed they were.
“Get ready Dimitri!” she said suddenly with a chipper tone.
“Vhat?” he asked scanning the horizon, “Did you see something?”
She gave the young man a bemused look, “Pfft, no. I can’t see a thing, but I can totally hear a bunch of ponies laughing their flanks off dead ahead! I knew we should have brought that van! This jeep is just too small to fit a bunch of ponies in.”
Dimitri cocked an ear to the breeze and was barely able to make out the faint sounds of laughter on the wind. He regarded Pinkie Pie with an impressed expression and reached for his shotgun. While he did in fact hear the laughter as Pinkie did, he was not so sure that it was a group of ponies laughing.
As the jeep grew closer to the cackles, a very pained scream came from out of the fog.
* * *
Celestia made the first move.
Beating her wings with enough force to kick up a strong breeze, she flew a ways into the air to take her out of reach of the wolves’ jaws. Her horn shimmered with power as she summoned the energy for a spell that would put the beasts to rest for good. The pack of wolves beneath her stopped their circling and simply looked at her as she rose into the air, but their jeering laughter almost seemed to intensify.
“Oh you won’t be laughing for long you curs!” shouted the Princess as a sphere of shining white light emanated from the tip of her horn.
The sphere hovered above her for a few moments before it launched itself towards the center of the circling wolves, leaving a trail of glittering light in its wake. The shining orb hit the ground and sent powerful waves of energy cascading across the field, each one sweeping over the wolves and igniting them in a brilliant blaze of white fire. Despite the flames, the wolves continued their chorus of sinister cackling.
Celestia could barely contain her disgust as the flames ebbed away, revealing the frightful condition of the beasts. The fire had scorched most of the flesh from their bones and left them with just enough charred skin and muscle to make her queasy. Not only did the appearance of the wolves turn more abominable, but so too did their ongoing laughter.
The alicorn grimaced at the gruesome forms of the wolves. She had lived longer than any other pony in the world, but she had only seen such terrible things in her nightmares. ‘All the more reason to destroy them,’ she thought as her features hardened.
Celestia prepared another spell that would turn the lupine horrors to ash, and her horn began shining with a dazzling display of power. A sudden sharp pain struck her left wing, accompanied by a the sound of thrashing wings. She tried to stay aloft as more stabbing pains ran across her back and wings, while small dark and feathered forms swarmed around her. The sun princess beat her wings to try and force the creatures away, but only served to give them more openings to attack from.
From what she could tell between all the flapping, pecking, clawing, and general confusion, she had somehow failed to notice a flock of crows as they had flown up behind her. Though none of the black birds kept still for long, the princess did notice that their eyes glowed with the same malevolent blue light as the wolves, and what was worse was that these foul birds were forcing her down to the jaws of the laughing lupine monsters below. Their constant assault made it nearly impossible for her to focus on a spell to get rid of them for good. She had to get some distance if she was going to end the existence of these monstrous beasts before they tore her to pieces.
With a mighty flap of her wings, Celestia shot through the air at great speeds while she focused some energy into her horn. The crows pursued, the glowing blue beads that were their eyes cut through the fog and gloom, making it impossible for them to loose sight of the majestic white alicorn. The wolves also gave chase below, no doubt following the trails of blood that her fresh wounds were leaving behind.
Celestia pushed herself to go as fast as she could through the gloom, her wounded wings only barely keeping her ahead of the crows. ‘I just need a bit more time, and then those blasted monsters will be cinders!’ She banked left to try and buy herself a few more seconds for her horn to accumulate the power needed to get all of her flying pursuers, coming dangerously close to the ground where the wolves had amazingly kept pace with her.
A shot of pain ran through her right side, causing that wing to contract immediately. Letting loose a loud scream of pain, the Princess rolled through the air and collided with the ground and tumbled over the field. He entire body ached from the impact. The back of her mind screamed for her to rise up and face her attackers, but something was keeping her muscles from moving.
She could hear the dark and sinister laughter of the wolves as they surrounded her, and above her circled the crows that had grounded her. All of their eyes shined with the horrid and unearthly glow. As a growing numbness spread through her, Celestia made one last effort to stand, but collapsed back onto the ground in a heap.
Her mind swam with dozens of thoughts, all of them eventually leading back to one simple desire, ‘I can’t die here...I can’t leave Luna...I can’t leave her again...’ A small sliver of energy returned to her as she closed her eyes and began forcing herself to rise, only to have a heavy paw press down on her neck.
She looked up in terror as one of the wolves, one with half of its face burnt off, now stood triumphantly above her and glared into her eyes. The glow from its gaze seemed to drown the last reservoirs of resistance Celestia had left in her, and she now laid transfixed with the ominously shining orbs. The wolves’ laughter began to consume her mind, and it became all that she could hear. Seeing it’s prey helpless, the wolf almost leisurely placed its jaws around Celestia’s neck as the others members of its dark pack drew closer.
The undead wolf pack suddenly ceased their laughing. They heard something coming and they all turned to face the oncoming disturbance. As the burned creatures looked away from Celestia, she felt as though a great weight of hopelessness was lifted. Small reserves of energy flowed into her tired muscles, while pains that had once been too much to bear melted away almost entirely. All the undead beasts seemed distracted by some noise on the air, that Celestia herself found strangely intriguing.
It was loud, fast paced, and...coming right at her.
With the wolves distracted by the oncoming noise, the Princess teleported some ways off and prepared for another spell. It took a short time, but her strength was slowly returning to what it had been previously. The sound of dozens of flapping wings drew her gaze skyward, where she could saw the large murder of crows swirling above where she once was, their beady blue eyes refocusing on her. The hopeless feelings returned in force, but her spell was ready for them.
A massive cone of fire burst from the princess’s horn that lit up the gloom and caught all the oncoming crows in its flames. The blazing white inferno died quickly, but its effects were undeniably effective. The only thing that remained of the crows were clouds of dark ashes and some cinders that drifted through the air.
With her strength returned, Celestia perked an ear to the wind and heard the rambunctious music not too far off, as well as the snarling and broken laughter of the wolves.
The radiant princess spread her wings out wide and lowered her head, her gaze hardening into a scowl. “I think I have had quite enough of these beasts.”
* * *
Pinkie Pie had cranked the radio up all the way as they had gotten closer to the laughter, she and her human guardian sang along with the lyrics of the current song while she accelerated over the uneven terrain. Dimitri had propped himself up in the passenger’s side seat with his shotgun leveled forward, or as much as it was going to be with the pony’s driving, and his axe strapped to his back.
“PLANET’S DEVASTATED, MANKIND’S ON ITS KNEES!” they sang as they crested a hill and into view of a pack of half burned wolves looming over a large white something. “A SAVIOR COMES OUT THE SKIES IN ANSWER TO THEIR PLEAS!” There was a flash of light from the center of the mass of beasts and the white thing was gone. Dimitri fired off a shell into the nearest wolf’s skull, dropping the creature. “THROUGH BOILING CLOUDS OF THUNDER. BLASTING BOLTS OF STEEL. EVIL’S GOING UNDER DEADLY WHEEEEELS!” Pinkie steered the vehicle into the throng of half dead lupine monsters, ignoring the mass of flapping wings above them as she collided with three wolves, while sending another one under the wheels of the jeep.
The sudden bump sent Dimitri tumbling out of the jeep and rolling over the darkened earth. The pain from the impact was easily pushed to the back of his mind thanks to the adrenaline pumping through his veins, and the young man quickly righted himself with his weapon at the ready. The four wolves that had encountered the front end of the jeep all rose to their legs accompanied by a horrifying chorus of pops and snaps. The creatures turned to face Dimitri with their brightly glowing eyes and cruel, guttural laughter.
The man let loose another blast at the closest wolf which took off its lower jaw. Despite missing half its mouth, the beast was still able to give off the sinister cackle. The four monstrosities charged at him. He answered with another blast, this time hitting the lead wolf where he needed to. The top of the wolf’s head vanished in a cloud of red and black mist, while the rest of its body dropped to the earth with a thud. The other three charged over the now lifeless form of the other one with fangs ready to pierce the man’s throat.
Another shell fired from the man’s weapon and took off the left side legs of the one currently in front. It didn’t yelp in pain, nor did it stop trying to get to him. It continued crawling on its two remaining legs towards the man while sinister laughter echoed from its mouth.
With two of the lupine monsters nearly on him, Dimitri dropped his shotgun and pulled forth the his medieval axe from its sheath. Doing some quick measurements in his head, the young man braced for the beasts’ attack and readied a swing. As soon as the lead wolf was in range Dimitri launched his strike at its shoulder with enough force to send it crashing sideways into its follower. The young man had only a brief time before both wolves would get back up on their legs and rip him to shreds, so he took the opportunity to put his axe into one of their heads.
The swing came down hard on the wolf that lay atop the other, and proved well placed as the creature ceased its enraged flailing. He didn’t have time to remove his weapon from the downed wolf before the one beneath it rose to its feet and leapt at him with a snarl. The jaws of the burnt wolf clenched tightly around Dimitri’s left arm and viciously attempted to pull the young man to the ground.
The bite sent tremors of intense pain all throughout Dimitri’s body, but the young man bore through it. With his free hand he reached for his axe and hefted it above his head, holding it just beneath the head so his next few strikes would be as powerful, and more importantly, as accurate as possible.
Dimitri chopped down as hard as he could at the creature’s neck. The young man could feel the undead wolf’s jaws dig deeper into his arm with each swing he made until the possessed beast’s head finally came free of its body. The jaws of the charred canine loosened as the ghastly glow faded from its eyes, the head falling to the ground shortly after with a thump.
Dimitri looked over to the wolf that was still crawling towards him despite lacking two of its legs. Dark laughter still emanated from its open maw and the ghostly blue light still filled its lupine eyes. A well of doubt began to fill the young man’s chest as he approached the undead creature, but it was quickly dismissed by the song that repeated in his mind. He raised his axe above his head and sang, “THIS. IS. THE PAIN KILLER!” As he brought the strike down, the sky lit up with a burst of bright fire from not to far off.
* * *
Pinkie Pie was not exactly sure how she felt about driving the jeep into the laughing mass of wolves. She hated doing harm to anything, living or dead, but she had promised herself to do what she had to in order to protect others, and had vowed to never freeze up like she did with the Horseman.
On one hoof, the wolves were obviously evil and dead set on seeing her and all of her friends mauled to death, which did not sit well with her at all. On the other hoof, the thumps of the wolves hitting the bumper were getting kind of disturbing.
“Ah, what can ya do?” she said to herself with a sigh as she swerved into another near skeletal canine and sent it tumbling into a crumpled and inanimate heap nearly ten meters away. Pinkie spotted two more of the possessed creatures making their way towards Dimitri, who was occupied with the one on his arm. “Oh no you don’t you sneaky puppies!” she shouted as she turned sharply and drove at them, “HONK HONK! COMING THROUGH!”
Their bodies fell under the wheels of the vehicle and crumbled under the weight. Pinkie Pie drove back around to make sure they weren’t getting up, and was genuinely disappointed when she saw that the burned, battered, and broken bodies of the wolves were shakily rising to their feet as if they were broken puppets being pulled on by invisible strings.
The jeep turned towards the wolves’ and again slammed into them, this time crushing their skulls against the bumper. The music blaring from the vehicle’s radio helped the pony block out the squashing sounds that followed, but the two bumps that jostled the jeep were much harder to ignore.
A blast of fire from not too far off illuminated the sky and burned away a great deal of fog. The sudden explosion of flame surprised Pinkie enough to make her stop her car and look towards the fading embers that drifted down from mist filled air. Shortly after, the shining form of Princess Celestia appeared from the gloom flying towards the remaining wolves. The divine princess’s glamorous white coat bore a dozen painful looking cuts and her wings were dotted with deep red patches. Her face, in addition to the scrapes and scratches, had possibly the angriest expression Pinkie had ever seen on a pony, especially one who was as kind and gentle as Celestia.
The princess landed close to where Dimitri was and glared at the remaining wolves that circled them around the field. “Get close to me!” Celestia called to Pinkie and Dimitri with commanding shout.
The pink earth pony leapt from the driver’s seat of the jeep and rushed towards the alicorn, who’s horn was beginning to glow with a great deal of power. She arrived at the princess’s side shortly before Dimitri did, and felt a pit grow in her stomach when she caught sight of his left arm. Rays of light shot out of Celestia’s horn towards the remaining wolves. When the rays hit their marks, the lupine horrors were once again covered with intense white fire, except this time the flames did not subside until the creatures were nothing but ashes and wisps of black smoke.
The world became quiet, save for the music that still played from the jeep, and upon surveying the battle field, Dimitri gave an impressed whistle and said, “Черт, Those volves vere nasty.”
“Not as nasty as what happened to your arm,” said Pinkie Pie worriedly as she trotted over for a better look.
The young man winced as he looked down at the gash in his forearm. “Yeah...I vas trying not to think about that.”
“Such wounds are not to be ignored young man,” said Celestia as more light glowed from her horn. After a short time she pointed it at the man’s wounded arm, sending dazzlingly white sparks of light from her horn’s tip and into the lacerated flesh. Where each spark landed, new skin and muscle grew until all that was left of the bite was a scar. “There,” she said as the last of the sparks faded, “now we must...” The Princess swayed on her hooves and just barely stopped herself from falling over.
A look of concern flashed across Pinkie’s face as she tried to help steady Celestia by bracing her body against the alicorn’s side. “Princess? What’s wrong?”
Celestia smiled weakly at the pink pony as she regained her previous composure. “I am alright Pinkie Pie. Just a bit tired.” With a small chuckle she added, “I haven’t been in a fight like that for nearly a millennium! Not since...” The Princess’s words trailed off as old memories began to resurface.
“Not since vhat?” asked Dimitri flexing his newly healed arm.
Celestia’s face turned into a scowl, “...not since Nightmare Moon used such dark magic against me a thousand years ago.”
“Well that’s good right?” asked Pinkie Pie with a bright smile, “That means you know how to take these things down for good!” the pink pony happily bounded over to her young human companion and continued, “You can team up with me and Dimitri! We got a jeep and everything and Dimitri even brought some really loud music that’s way cool even though the lyrics don’t always say nice things but that’s okay because the guitars are wild!”
After a brief pause to digest what the young mare had said, Celestia nodded and with a soft smile replied, “Yes, remaining together is the best option. There’s no telling what other beasts have succumbed to this darkness.”
Pinkie very nearly exploded with enthusiastic cheers and back towards the jeep shouting, “I GET TO TEAM UP WITH THE PRINCESS! WOOOOO!”
Laughing under her breath, the princess turned to the young man with a grin, “Excitable little pony, isn’t she?”
“I cannot say I blame her,” he replied as he replaced his axe into its sheath. Walking a small way off, Dimitri picked up his shotgun and reloaded it while saying, “So Princess, vhere do ve go now?”
Celestia pondered the question as she and the young man walked to the waiting jeep, “To wherever Twilight Sparkle is Agent Dimitri. I will not allow any harm to come to her while I live.”
“Oh that’s so weird!” Pinkie Pie called back from the driver’s seat, “Agent Hawk said the same thing! That is one seriously cool co-inky-dink if you ask me, though it’s weird how it’s always about Twilight and not anypony else like me or Rarity or Fluttershy or Ditzy Doo or Rusty Bolts or Pot ’o Luck or Sherbet Surprise or...”
As the pink pony continued to ramble off names, Dimitri gingerly moved her over to the passenger’s side and climbed into the driver’s position. Casting an almost forlorn look to Celestia he said, “Hold on to something Princess...the back seat can get a little rough.”
The equine princess climbed into the bed of the vehicle and stated rather excitedly, “Don’t worry about me Agent Dimitri. I’m immortal.”
Dimitri merely shrugged as he cranked the radio up and pressed down on the accelerator. The loud music trailed off as the jeep shot across the field and into the thick fog, a faint black mist following silently in its wake.
* * *
The thick fog and clouds that hung low to the ground drifted aimlessly over the dark, empty field. The once vibrant green grass now looked dead and lifeless in the gloom, while the warm summer breezes had turned into chilled winds. A sudden spark of bright light disrupted the oppressive atmosphere for a brief instant, leaving behind a human man and purple unicorn mare as it vanished. The man tucked his body into a protective ball around the pony when his feet hit the ground, and deftly rolled across the grass.
Hawk looked around the deserted field after a few moments had passed, and noting that there was no sign of any bears, loosened his protective hug around Twilight. “Where did you take us?” he asked as looking down at the pony that was cradled in his arms.
It took a moment for Twilight to respond, as her mind was still reeling from the spell. She recalled that succeeding in a blind teleport often had side effects. Sometimes a pony would appear a bit singed when they reformed, or have a really bad case of vertigo, and in some unfortunate cases they would be missing a limb. Twilight currently suffered from the intense case of vertigo, and in an attempt to stop herself from throwing up all over her human rescuer, she rested her head against his chest to steady her head.
“Twilight?” Hawk asked with a twinge of concern in his voice.
Waving a dismissive hoof in the air, the unicorn groggily replied, “I’m fine Hawk, I just feel like I’ve had a headache for three months. It happens when a unicorn teleports without a destination in mind.” She looked up at the man’s face with slight difficulty, asking, “Are you okay? Anything missing or have a burning sensation?”
The man inspected himself, confirming all fingers and toes were right where they were supposed to be, and that he felt no different than before the unicorn’s spell was cast. “I’m good,” he responded with a grin, “but you look like you just took a shot or two of whiskey.”
Twilight managed a smirk saying, “It’s not that bad. I should be fine in a minute or two, so long as I don’t move around too much.”
The man looked like he was about to laugh before a roar in the distance drew his attention. “We may not have a minute. Are you good enough to walk?”
“I think I can stand,” she replied. ‘I wouldn’t mind staying here though,’ the mare thought to herself, ‘this dumb fog is freezing, and Hawk’s stupidly attractive chest is nice and warm!’ Her cheeks began to redden as the thought echoed in her head. Suddenly realizing what she had just admitted, she subtly shook the thought from of her mind while also trying not to make herself sick in the process.
Hawk gently placed her on the ground where she stood with slightly wobbling legs. The mare gave a weak smile at her success, and it only grew stronger when she looked up at the man as he reloaded his revolver. His presence was comforting in these kinds of situations, and Twilight couldn’t help feeling the pleasantly warm feeling in her cheeks spread throughout her body. There was another roar close by that snapped the unicorn back to reality. Looking in the direction the sound came from, the little pony saw two pairs of glowing eyes faintly gleaming through the gloom.
‘Right. The bears,’ Twilight reminded herself, ‘No time for lovey dovey feelings. Not that I even know where those are coming from...I mean Hawk is nice looking and all, for a human, but seriously, we aren’t even the same species! Even if I was into him, which I am not, I sincerely doubt humans are into cross species relationships. That’d just be-’
Two loud bangs from Hawk’s revolver interrupted her thoughts. The two furious creatures the eyes belonged to ignored the wounds and continued to rapidly close the distance between themselves and their targets, leaving very little time for Twilight to think of a strong enough spell that would stop them in their tracks. Add to the fact that she was still a little woozy from her blind teleport to the mix, the prospects of surviving the next few moments were becoming increasingly bleak.
Deciding to fall back on a spell that had always proved reliable, Twilight focused her magic around the bears in a telekinetic grip. A purplish cloud sparkled into existence around the polar bears, lifting the ursine creatures off the ground with her will alone. The unicorn chanced a glance at Hawk, who’s face wore a very amused expression.
“Why didn’t you do that before?” he asked turning to Twilight.
Twilight replied with an apologetic smile, “They kinda spooked me. I think it has something to do with those eyes of theirs.”
“The eyes the robot told us not to look at when we were leaving the library?” Hawk said as he aimed his revolver at the nearest floating bear.
“No doubt,” Twilight responded as she refocused on maintaining the spell, “and I hope you can shoot that thing with your eyes closed.”
Hawk squeezed down on the trigger and fired a bullet right into one of bear’s eyes, resulting in the large ursine creature going limp as blood and a faint black mist dripped out the new opening. Twilight bit her lip and looked away as the haunting memory of dead dogs flashed to the surface of the unicorn’s mind. There was a second loud bang that stopped the second bear’s mad thrashing. Twilight released her magical hold on the bodies and let them hit the ground with a heavy thud. After taking a deep breath, she looked over to the corpses of the two of them, each had a bleeding hole where their left eye should have been.
Holding back the bile in her throat, she asked at length, “So, what now?”
Hawk walked over to the bears and prodded their bodies with the barrel of his revolver, eventually turning to Twilight and offering a shrug. “I have no idea. To tell the truth, I’ve just been guessing my way through most of this supernatural stuff. Hell, I didn’t even know if shooting them in the head would even work.”
Twilight swallowed the urge to throw up at the macabre scene and instead opted to concentrate on figuring out what their next move would be. “Okay let’s think,” she said as she began walking away from the two dead polar bears, “by now our friends are sure to have been sent in to get control of this situation by the Princess.”
“And Joseph,” added Hawk as he moved to keep pace with her.
A somewhat forced grin crossed the unicorn’s face as she continued, “Yes of course, sorry. Anyway, all we need to do is figure out which agent or pony was sent in, and then I can use a detection spell to find them!”
“Sounds good to me,” said the man while he replaced the empty rounds in his gun, “If memory serves me right, I think Dimitri was next up on the rotation. Knowing that kid, he’ll have that axe of his strapped to his back.”
The pony nodded in agreement and began to weave her spell. Soon, her horn glimmered with power and her irises shined with a pale pink glow. Twilight closed her eyes and beheld the world much differently, as if all the things inside of it were just white outlines on top of a infinite black canvas. She looked around for a moment or two before finding a small multicolored speck moving quickly some distance away.
“Aha! I found him!” she shouted excitedly, “He’s moving way too fast to be walking so he must be in one of those automobile things!”
“Good,” Hawk commented from behind her, “Which way is he headed?”
Twilight focused harder on the object, trying to cement the image of the young man’s axe in her mind. Her imbued vision grew stronger as she concentrated, the multicolored mass becoming closer and more defined as the seconds ticked on.
“I think he’s coming towards us,” she said with a relieved, albeit strained, voice. It was becoming more difficult for the purple unicorn mare to focus. The air had suddenly become colder around her, causing the little pony’s teeth to chatter against her will. Opening her eyes, Twilight tried to rub some warmth into her legs while saying, “Yowza...Hawk, did it get colder out here or is it just me?”
There was no response from the man. Raising an eyebrow, Twilight turned to look behind her. What she saw nearly caused her heart to stop from the mix of surprise and horror. Agent Hawk stood with his back turned to the unicorn, but what he was facing was something that could only be described as a living nightmare. It was what appeared to be a cloud of black mist with two brightly glowing blue orbs for eyes. Within the dark swirling vapors was what looked like a starving human with leathery, ashen gray skin that seemed barely able to stretch over its gnarled old bones. Whatever the creature was, it was staring right into the man’s eyes.
“Hawk?” squeaked Twilight.
The mist creature glanced over Hawk’s shoulder at the unicorn, instantly filling the pony’s mind with thoughts of hopelessness and despair. The whispers echoed in her head ceaselessly, continuing to tell her terrible things. ‘What have you done Twilight Sparkle? You convinced your friends to leave their lives behind. They had good lives in your homeland, lives that you begged them to leave. You took away their lives...their homes...their families...and they will all die here. They will all Die because You brought them Here. They will DIE hating YOU for forcing them away from those they love. YOU HAVE KILLED YOUR FRIENDS TWILIGHT SPARKLE.’
She tried to look away from the thing’s horrid visage but she couldn’t find the willpower to even blink. Tears welled up in her eyes as the mental assault continued, and the never ending swarm of voices that told her that she was the doom to all she loved grew only more intense. What was worse was that something in its voice or its eyes made her believe every word of it. The feeling of such total despair soon filled every inch of her being.
“W-what do I do?” she asked the creature with a whimper.
‘Come with me dear one, I shall save you...come with me to my home under the hill...Come with me and save the ones you love from your cruelty...’
The shadowy monster drifted away to the barest edge of their vision until the only thing of the creature that could still be seen clearly were its glowing blue eyes. Twilight and Hawk began to slowly walk after it, hypnotized by the alluring promises of the ghost like figure. The unicorn was only barely aware of her surroundings as she followed the glowing orbs into the deep gray mists. All she could hear was a voice in her mind telling her how she was an awful pony, and how following the lights would make everything better. She began to forget about where she was, and even that Hawk walked next to her. There were only the eyes. She couldn’t even perceive the sound of her hoofsteps as they clopped over the increasingly large stones that littered the ground. There was only the sound of the voice.
‘Come...’ said the voice, ‘We are almost there Twilight...Soon it will be over...Soon you will be at peace...With Us.’ Twilight smiled. Soon it would be over. Soon she wouldn’t have to worry about hurting her friends ever again.
Then she heard something beneath the voice. It sounded far off and faint, but her mind focused on it. ‘What is that?’ she thought.
‘Ignore it,’ the voice said to her, ‘Listen to me, listen to only me.’
The noise in her head got louder, and the unicorn stopped walking as she listened to it. The sound was odd, almost musical, and she started hearing voices that sang with it. Voices that were very familiar. Craning her head away from the hypnotic stare of the monster, Twilight gazed towards two new lights moving very quickly towards her. “Pinkie Pie?”
Pinkie Pie hit the breaks as soon as she saw her small unicorn friend, creating shallow trenches as the vehicle skidded to a halt in front of the unicorn. “Heya Twilight!” chimed the cheerful pink pony over the blaring music, “How’d your date with Hawk go?”
The bright pink earth pony was a welcome contrast to the dull gray that had surrounded Twilight for what felt like forever, and the unicorn didn’t bother to try and supress the smile that spread over her face when she saw her friend. “Pinkie Pie! Thank goodness you’re here!” shouted the unicorn as the grim thoughts faded from her mind completely.
“It’s not just me Twilight, Dimitri and the Princess are here too ya’ know,” replied the jubilant pony as she pointed to the vehicle’s bed with her hoof.
Twilight’s eyes went wide as they fell on the shining and regal form of Princess Celestia, who looked mildly discombobulated from the car ride she had just taken. “Princess! W-what are you doing here?!” the unicorn blurted out.
“Oh, I was just in the neighborhood...” said the Princess with an innocent smile. The alicorn quickly hopped out of the jeep and gave her pupil a loving nuzzle, “...and maybe making sure my star student is safe and sound.”
Pinkie Pie exited the vehicle with Dimitri and moved to stand next to the Princess. “Not to interrupt,” said Dimitri, “but vhere is Agent Hawk? Vasn’t he vith you?”
“Oh right!” Twilight replied as the seriousness their situation returned to her. Breaking away from Celestia she turned around and quickly scanned the fog for her human partner or any sign of the creature, finding only a prone form in the mist. “Hawk? Is that you?” she asked with worry heavy in her voice.
“I’m alive,” replied the shape, “I just need a minute.”
The ponies and Dimitri all gave a collective sigh of relief and walked over to Hawk, who was lying on his stomach with his gun still clenched firmly in his hand. Dimitri was the first to arrive at his side and knelt down to offer the man a hand. “Vhat happened to you comrade?” asked Dimitri.
Hawk groaned loudly as he rolled onto his back, looking a very sickly pale. “Bears,” he replied after a moment, “bears and a big, misty, ghost man...thing.” Taking Dimitri’s hand, Hawk pulled himself up into a sitting position and gazed at the faces of the ponies, which were awash with worry and relief. He cocked a brow when he saw Celestia and added, “I’m glad you could join us Princess, what brings you to this neck of the woods?”
“I was going to take my dear student out to lunch, but it seems you beat me to it. I was going to wait for you here until, well, this happened,” she said with a weary smile. As she looked around the gloom, Celestia’s smile faded completely as she continued, “And what of this ‘ghost-man thing’ Agent Hawk? Did you destroy it?”
“No,” he said flatly, “After we took down the bears some sort of black mist dripped out of them and turned into the whatever it was. I remember looking it in the eyes as it formed, but things get pretty hazy after that.”
Celestia’s expression grew distant as she nodded, “I had a similar experience with a pack of wolves, save for the appearance of the specter of which you speak.” Looking to the bright pink pony that stood not far off inspecting the ground for some reason, she continued, “Though the young Ms. Pinkie Pie and Agent Dimitri seemed impervious to its effects. Might I ask how?”
“Oh that’s easy!” replied Pinkie Pie cheerfully, “Just put a song in your head, or hay, sing out loud! That’s what me and Dimitri did when we saved you after all. It drowns out all of them spooky-wooky voices!”
“Where’d you learn that?” asked Hawk, color very slowly returning to his face.
Twilight flinched at the question, knowing full well Pinkie’s favorite way to answer such inquiries. The bouncing pink pony hopped over next to Hawk and leaned in close to his face. “Do you really want to know?” she asked between giggles.
The man looked to Twilight, but the unicorn had already buried her forehead into her front hooves. Looking back into the large, round, and bright blue eyes of Pinkie, he answered meekly, “Yes?”
Pinkie Pie’s smile grew very large as she began to sing, “Weeelllll~! When I was a little filly and the sun was going do~wn...”
“Is she...?” began Celestia with rather bemused expression.
Pinkie wrapped a foreleg around Hawk’s neck and continued, “...the darkness and the shadows would always make me fro~wn!” The man looked very confused, but seemed to have an undeniably healthier color than before.
Twilight gave her mentor a resigned look and stated, “She is.”
“I’d hide under my pillow, from what I thought I saw, but Granny Pie said th-”
“AHA!” Dimitri suddenly interrupted, “It is a Barrow Vight!”
All the others stared at him, some more relieved than others, and Pinkie herself looking mildly offended. “Dimitri! You interrupted my favorite song!”
The young man tried to sound apologetic, but his words were buried under his own enthusiasm, “Sorry Pinkie, but I think I’ve figured out just vhat this thing is! It is a Barrow Vight! Сын от суки, it all makes sense!”
“I’m glad it does for you Dimitri, because I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. What the hell is a Barrow Wight?” asked Hawk as he stood up, looking fully recovered.
Dimitri cleared his throat and began in as official a voice as he could muster, “Barrow Vights are a type of undead that can possess things, and it gets a hold of its wictem by looking them in the eyes and hypnotizing them. Then it leads them to his lair and sacrifices them.”
“Why on earth would it do that?” asked Twilight, utterly horrified.
Dimitri shrugged, “I don’t know. Maybe because it is evil?”
The unicorn let out a small huff at the simplistic answer, but continued, “Okay, do you know how we defeat it? I’ve haven’t gotten as far as I would like to with my copy of ‘Spooky Spectres and Pesky Poltergeists,’ so at this point you know more than I do. ”
“Vell, according to Tolkien’s Bestiary, singing could repel the Vight, but to destroy it you vould need sunlight,” said the young man with a nod to Celestia. “The light vould instantly kill it, as vell as free anything that is being possessed. Allegedly.”
“And the one pony that can bring out the sun decided today was a good day to visit the park? Convenient,” Hawk stated as he looked around at the oppressive fog that surrounded them, “Now the question is: where is the little smoke cloud?”
“Hiding in its Barrow Den if it is not here,” said Dimitri, “It is like big hill vith door. Ve can just follow Pinkie Pie’s ‘Pinkie Sense’ to find it.” Hawk eyed the young man incredulously. Dimitri put his hands up and said flatly, “Yes, I know, but it vorks.”
“I can confirm that,” Twilight said raising hoof.
The older man digressed and motioned for Dimitri to continue, saying, “Anything else?”
“If ve stay close to Pinkie, ve should not have trouble getting there. Ve may need to force it outside once ve get there though.”
Hawk raised a curious eyebrow, “Why?”
Celestia let out a small sigh as she looked up as the clouds above, “Because Agent Hawk, it is much easier for me to clear the sky of clouds than it is to shoot rays of sunlight, especially in my weakened state. I may be one of the most powerful beings in Equestria, but here in human lands my powers are slow to recuperate and my wounds are a great deal more...persistent.”
“Are you going to be alright Princess?,” Twilight asked looking at her teacher with utmost concern.
The radiant Princess gave her student a warm smile and nodded, “Yes Twilight Sparkle, I will be fine. Such mundane attacks can do no harm that an hour’s rest will not recover.”
“So what are we waiting for?!” shouted Pinkie Pie as she trotted in place impatiently, “Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!”
Twilight rolled her eyes and looked to the humans with a confident grin. “Well come on then, we’d better get going before Pinkie keels over from anticipation! Let’s go bust that ghost!”
Hawk and Dimitri exchanged amused looks and readied their firearms as Princess Celestia gave one last loving smile to her young unicorn ward before taking flight. With Pinkie leading the way while humming a chipper tune, the humans and ponies walked into the encroaching mist.
Their march through the fog was made much more pleasantly with the added company of Pinkie Pie, who hummed and sang songs constantly, often incorporating the few things they could make out in the gloom into whatever she was singing flawlessly. In their wake, patches of sunlight began to shine through the mist and burn away the dark fog. The color of the grass and trees seemed to return as they became illuminated, and the chill wind that once dominated the air began to falter to a much warmer breeze.
Within five minutes the diverse group arrived at their destination. It was just as Dimitri described it would be. There in front of them was a very large hill with dark stone steps that ended at a large black rock doorway. The door was wide open, practically beckoning to them to enter the deep darkness that lay within.
“So you’re like ghost repellent right?” Hawk asked Pinkie Pie as he drew his revolver.
“Yuh-huh!” replied the cheerful pink pony.
“Good,” said the man, “Then you lead, Dimitri follows, then Twilight with some light, and I’ll be the caboose on this little train.”
“That means I’m the engine right?” Pinkie asked with excitement, “I always wanted to be a train engine! Or was that a train conductor? I forget, but anyway I love trains! They’re like moving rooms that you can stick together, and I’ve always wanted to have a train that had, like, a million rooms so I could put a party in each one and have a non-stop PARTY TRAIN! CHOO CHOO!”
The humans took a nervous step back towards Twilight as Pinkie began to pump her arm and make train noises. Twilight just rolled her eyes and called to the enthusiastic pony, “Pinkie stop! You’re scaring the humans!”
Pinkie Pie stopped moving completely, appearing frozen in mid hoof pump while smiling like a loon. Twilight let out a small sigh and looked to the man to her right with an embarrassed blush in her cheeks. “Sorry Agent Hawk, Pinkie tends to go off on some pretty crazy tangents sometimes.”
“I’ve noticed,” he stated with a hint of amusement. Glancing at the unicorn he added, “Can you...ya know, make her get going again?”
Twilight nodded and turned back to her pink friend, calmly saying, “Okay Pinkie, move out.”
“Okey-dokey!” Pinkie replied as she sprang back into motion and skipped up the dark stairs to the entrance of the Barrow Den.
Dimitri readied his axe and followed after the bouncing pink pony while Twilight and Hawk moved in behind him. By the time they climbed to the mouth of the Den where Pinkie stood waiting and looked down into utter darkness of the burial mound, thin rays of light were beginning to shine through the fog, but not nearly enough to illuminate the black depths of the mound.
Pinkie entered the Den with a noticeably smaller spring in her step, and her large blue eyes looked around the dark hallway warily. After Dimitri stepped in after the pink mare, Twilight summoned a small orb of light to her and trotted into the dark after the other two. She was only mildly comforted by the sound of Hawk’s footsteps that followed close behind her.
The light from the unicorn’s horn proved effective in illuminating the innards of the mound, and despite the long shadows that the light cast, it revealed the many grim features of the Barrow Wight’s lair. The walls were a mix between jagged outcroppings of stone with large, coffin sized, holes in them and smooth masonry. The sections of the walls and ceiling that were made of worked stone were no less intimidating to the small pony, as they were decorated with gruesome scenes of humans being struck down and devoured by hideous monsters with frightening faces and toothy maws.
Gulping down the fear that was welling up in her throat, the purple mare began to quietly hum one of her favorite songs and hoped that she wouldn’t have to meet any of the creatures depicted on the walls. Although the tune helped her focus against any dark thoughts, her own curiosity once again drew her eyes to the carvings. Her inner academic took mental notes as she passed each carving, memorizing little facts about each one. Particularly those that depicted the monsters being slain.
Before long the group arrived at a large stone archway that led into an antechamber of sorts. Channeling some additional power into her horn, Twilight sent the small orb of light from its tip towards the center of the room where it floated serenely in the gloom. The light illuminated much of the dark space, revealing that the room took up a great deal of space within the hill. Twilight guessed that the roof of the hall had at most, only a half meter separating it from the outside. Stalactites and stalagmites dominated the edges of the underground chamber, obscuring the numerous wall carvings that completely circled the room. From a purely architectural and geographical standpoint, Twilight had to admit it was impressive, but what really drew her attention were the mounds of glittering treasures scattered all over the floor.
Gold, jewels, silks, and every assortment of opulent finery was there in piles that sparkled like stars in the dim light. The eyes of the four companions went wide as the looked over the trove, Hawk even giving an impressed whistle as he and Dimitri moved into the chamber for a closer look.
“Hey Dimitri,” Hawk began as he bent down to look at a fine golden scepter, “why’s a ghost need so much gold?”
“Vell, according to myth he doesn’t,” replied the younger man as his eyes scanned the small mountain of riches, “He only keeps it so he can lure travelers into lair and kill them.”
“Seems to be working,” said Twilight with a small chuckle as she passed by the two men.
Pinkie Pie found the small joke a great deal more amusing than the unicorn and giggled uncontrollably. “Ohmygosh, Twilight, *snort* that was a good one,” she managed to say amongst the fit of jubilant chortles.
The two men exchanged amused looks and stood up to follow the pair of ponies, Dimitri saying with a dismissive sigh, “Probably cursed anyvay.”
Twilight led the group to the center of the large tomb, doing her best to see anything else in the darkness. From the center of the room, she discovered that the piles of gold were actually arranged in such a way that they made two other paths.
One path lead to what appeared to be a rather odd looking stone slab. It was adorned with strange carvings that hurt the unicorn’s eyes just by looking at them. Above the altar, propped up in an ornate stand, was what appeared to be a long golden knife with a blood red ruby embedded in its pommel. Twilight shuddered at thought of what it was used for.
The second path through the treasure piles lead to the foot of a throne, seemingly chiseled from the very rock of the dark stone walls itself. It was decorated with the same strange runes she had seen on the altar, but it only took a glance to make her whole body shake as terror began to well up in her heart. She quickly averted her gaze from the throne, looking instead at the rocky floor beneath her hooves.
Despite Pinkie Pie standing right next to her, the feeling of fear didn’t leave the unicorn, and she felt her heart begin to beat faster as a familiar cold seeped into her skin. The others felt it too, and the purple mare could see each of them, even Pinkie Pie, shiver as their eyes darted from shadow to shadow. Even the small orb of light that hovered above them seemed to dim as the temperature dropped. Twilight could only assume that the Barrow Wight had grown tired of waiting, or that they had all finally walked right where it wanted them to.
The shadows of the Barrow Den grew darker, and a frightening black mist began to gather around the base of the throne. Hawk and Dimitri stepped in front of the ponies, putting themselves in between the mist and the small equines with weapons at the ready. A dark pillar of smoke rose up from shifting mass of shadows until it stood a head taller than Hawk. The black mists flowed off the pillar, revealing the ghastly form of the Barrow Wight within. It opened its horrid glowing blue eyes and glared at the group, assailing their minds with waves of despair.
“Hey you!” shouted Pinkie as she pushed hey way in front of the humans, “Why don’t you pick on somepony your own size!” The colorful earth pony’s smile was nothing but confident, and she stood unblinking against the horrible creature’s haunting visage.
The Wight’s glowing eyes narrowed as they fell on the small pink mare, and the ghostly creature let loose an unearthly wail as it flew towards her with withered arms reaching for her throat. The cry of the creature created a stabbing pain Twilight Sparkle’s heart, and the small unicorn collapsed on the stone ground as her breath flowed out of her.
She saw Hawk and Dimitri had fallen to the ground as well with their hands clutching their chests in pain, and watched in silent horror as the billowing black cloud that enveloped the ghastly creature descended around her and her friends. Only Pinkie Pie still stood to oppose the Wight. Her smile hadn’t even begun to waver, and she showed absolutely no sign that the phantom’s gaze affected her.
“You don’t scare me,” she said to it defiantly, “I won’t let you scare me! I won’t let fear stop me from saving anypony ever again!”
The Barrow Wight answered by trying to wrap both of its withered hands around Pinkie’s throat, fully intending to squeeze the life out of her. However, its claw like hands never connected. When they got near the pink pony’s neck, the Wight reeled back, as if something about Pinkie Pie had physically repulsed it. The ghastly monster glared at the colorful mare with all the hate it could muster as it drifted away from her and back into the shadows, vanishing completely.
Pinkie Pie let go a exaggerated sigh of relief as the dark creature disappeared and inspected the two humans before giving a small harrumph. She let loose a small giggle as she trotted over to Twilight with a small bounce to her step. The unicorn herself was feeling better and better with every step her bubbly friend took towards her, and by the time Pinkie arrived at her side, Twilight was already beginning to stand.
“How are ya Twilight?” Pinkie asked her with a pleasant, if a bit concerned, smile. “Still hanging in there?”
Twilight took a second to settle her mind and make sure the only thoughts in it were her own. Confirming all the sorrowful thoughts were gone, she nodded and said, “Yeah, I’m good. I swear though, I am getting absolutely sick of this thing and its hypno-vision.” Looking worriedly at the two downed humans, she let go a sigh of relief as Hawk began to stand up.
“Oh hey!” Pinkie called to the man cheerfully, “I thought you were asleep!”
“Asleep?” asked Twilight.
Pinkie nodded vigorously, “Oh yeah, those two were out like a pair of busted lights!”
The man was still picking himself up off the ground when Twilight arrived next to him, and his groggy movements sent small tremors of worry through the unicorn. “Hawk? Are you hurt?”
The man answered her with a back handed slap that sent the purple pony tumbling to the ground. Hawk then raised his revolver and leveled it at Pinkie Pie, pulling the trigger as soon as the sights aligned with the colorful pony’s head. The shot went high and cut through the mare’s cottony mane and hit a pile of gold behind her.
Pinkie Pie was still trying to comprehend that Hawk had just slapped Twilight to the floor when the first shot was fired at her, and the near miss sent the pony diving behind the nearest mound of treasure on a reflex. The pink mare’s heart raced as she tried to put as much of the pile between her and the now hostile human as possible. Another shot rang out as a bullet blasted its way through her cover, leaving a small hole in the heap of finery roughly three centimeters from her head.
By now, Pinkie was panicking. She had been ready to face down a ghost, she had even been ready to take down some ghost wolves to protect her friends, but now one of her newest friends was trying to kill her and the bright pink pony honestly did not know what to do. She frantically searched for something that might restrain the man or buy her more time to figure out what was actually going on, and her eyes eventually fell on a small outcropping of stalagmites that would make the perfect place to hide. She went for it, only narrowly avoiding a third shot as she dashed out from behind her old cover.
Diving behind the protective rock formation, Pinkie tried to calm herself down as best she could, while also trying to find Hawk before he found her. She peered between the small stone pillars in search of the man, but he was nowhere to be seen.
“Now where did he go?” she whispered under her breath.
A click from behind her answered the question. Pinkie spun around to see the imposing form of Agent Hawk standing over her with his revolver pointed squarely at her forehead. His skin was as pale as a corpse’s and his eyes glowed with an all too familiar blue light.
“Oh,” she said with a faint chuckle, “there you are. I don’t suppose this whole trying to kill me is just some kind of joke you humans like to do, is it?”
The possessed man didn’t show any sign in his expression that he was joking. Of course, Pinkie couldn’t say she saw much of any emotion on the man’s face other than a faint sneer that glared at her from behind the gun’s barrel. All of her thoughts were cut short however, as Hawk pulled the trigger.
She was pleasantly surprised when, instead of a loud bang followed up by sudden death, there was an audible click. Looking up she saw that the possessed human was equally surprised.
“I guess you don’t know how those things work either,” she said to the possessed agent, a grand smile spreading over her face. Pinkie moved quickly and grabbed the barrel of the gun with her teeth, yanking the weapon out Hawk’s grip and throwing it across the large room where it clattered on the stone floor some five meters away. “You won’t be needing that thing anymore!” she said happily turning to face the still very much possessed Hawk.
The Barrow Wight inhabiting the man’s body obviously did not like that, and sent a clasping hand towards the pony’s throat. Pinkie Pie dodged to the left and galloped to the center of the room where Dimitri and Twilight were still recovering. Upon arriving beside Dimitri’s prone form, the bright pink mare began to nuzzle and prod the young man as she frequently looked back over her shoulder at Agent Hawk, who seemed to be taking his time in walking after her.
“Come on Dimitri! Wake up!” she shouted at the near unconscious man.
The young agent merely mumbled his response as he drifted in his half conscious state, “Отец, пожалуйста, не заставляйте меня идти…”
Pinkie let out a frustrated little whimper as she bounded next to Twilight. The unicorn was in a similar state as the young Dimitri, if a bit worse for wear. Her left eye was beginning to swell shut from where the possessed Agent Hawk had struck her, and she was unable to do more than lay on the ground and mumble nonsense while blood trickled onto the floor from her nose. No matter how much prodding or shaking she did, the young mare could not stir her friend. She was alone, and for a second, the many songs that played in her head all stopped. That brief second was all the Barrow Wight needed.
Two heavy footsteps stopped just behind her as fear finally began to take hold in Pinkie Pie’s mind. Turning around to look up at the deathly pale face of what once was Agent Hawk, she could only stare into the intense blue orbs that had replaced the man’s eyes.
‘You have failed,’ said a voice in her head, ‘You have no hope of defeating this vessel. It is beyond your ability to fight, and my hold over it is stronger than your white magic. You stand alone against a foe that you cannot defeat.’
Tears began to well up in Pinkie’s eyes as she felt her heart sink into a pit that had formed in her stomach. The young mare’s color appeared to drain out of her, and her mane and tail lost their cotton candy like appearance, instead becoming depressingly straight.
‘You need not feel despair,’ the voice continued, ‘I shall make your end a grand festival. One so great that all your friends will forgive you for failing to save them.’
“Really?” Pinkie asked as a weak smile crossed her face, “How?”
Hawk pointed at the altar. ‘There young one. There is your salvation.’
Pinkie looked at the large stone table, her eyes glancing over the knife and odd runes that adorned it. Strangely, the symbols looked much less sinister now, and to Pinkie, they even looked rather friendly. Pinkie trotted over to the altar, and after a hop and awkward climb, she laid herself down on top of it. Hawk went over to a pile of treasure and extracted a beautifully sewn white cloth. After grabbing another handful of golden finery, he draped the cloth over Pinkie and began outfitting the small pink pony with some of the finest jewelery she had ever seen.
“What are those for?” she asked.
‘You want to look your best for the festivities, don’t you?’
Pinkie, being hypnotized, agreed completely with the sentiment. The jewelry did look very pretty after all, and the pink pony was sure that if Rarity were here, the dazzling white unicorn would have had a field day. Rolling her head to the side, Pinkie Pie looked longingly at her friends. Twilight had opened one of her eyes and seemed to be looking around the room in a haze while Dimitri was trying to stand up, but appeared to be having some trouble. They were both saying something, but Pinkie couldn’t make it out. Even though they were both right there their words sounded so far away.
When the possessed man had finished placing a golden amulet with deep blue sapphires around Pinkie’s neck, he reached for the final item of the ritual. Hawk took hold of the large golden knife and held it above the mare with the blade pointed straight at her stomach. The colorful pony looked at the tip of the knife as it began to descend towards her, and with a final thought of her friends she closed her eyes.
The tip of the sword stopped mere centimeters above the pink pony’s skin as a purplish pink glow enveloped the blade. Hawk looked over his shoulder with a sneer and his blue eyes burned with hatred at the source of the opposition. There in the center of the tomb, glaring daggers out of the one eye that she could open, was Twilight Sparkle. She was not yet able to stand up, but all that mattered to the young mare was that she was conscious enough to save her friends. Both of them.
Dimitri on the other hand had recovered enough to stand, and was already upon the enthralled agent by the time it had turned around to glare at them. The two humans grappled next to the altar, Hawk leaving the large knife floating in midair in favor of strangling the young man who dared to challenge him. Fortunately for Dimitri, the Barrow Wight may have taken over Hawk’s body but apparently knew nothing about martial arts.
The young human used a leg to sweep out one of his opponent’s out from behind to unbalance him, and with a mighty heave sent the possessed man hurtling into a large pile of golden trinkets away from the altar. Dimitri did not let up in his assault, and moved over to the still recovering Hawk and shoved him face first to the ground.
“Stay down,” he said as he pinned the older man’s arms behind his back, “I vould prefer not to hurt my superior officer too much.”
By this time Twilight Sparkle had risen to her hooves and thrown the golden dagger to some far corner of the den. She trotted as quickly as she could to the altar where Pinkie was lying in some sort of dreamlike trance. “Pinkie!” Twilight shouted as she tried to shake her friend out of the haze that was clouding her mind, “Pinkie wake up!”
The act proved futile, as the pink pony remained in her torpid state despite Twilight’s increasingly desperate attempts to wake her. The sounds of struggle from behind forced the unicorn to accept the fact that, although Pinkie wasn’t conscious, she was at least unharmed. Turning about to face the two grappling humans, Twilight summoned more power to her horn and surrounded Agent Hawk with a glimmering field of magic. He struggled and squirmed as best he could, but it was far too late.
Dimitri moved off of the possessed man as Twilight lifted him up into the air and turned him over, as to make sure the only thing in danger of his ghostly stare was the ceiling. “Don’t even bother struggling,” she called to the monster inhabiting Hawk’s body, “the only place you’re going is outside and into the sunlight, and then this whole nightmare will be over!”
Then something Twilight wasn’t expecting happened: Hawk began laughing. It began slow at first, more of a bemused, barely audible chuckle, but it rose in pitch and intensity until his insane cackles filled the entire underground chamber. Eventually, a voice that seemed to be made of pure malice echoed out of the man’s mouth, “Oh, is it now?”
Twilight and Dimitri exchanged understandably worried looks. The young man gave a small shrug before shouting up at the creature, “Vhat do you mean? You are beaten! All ve have to do is carry Hawk’s body outside and poof! You are dead. Hawk is free. Ve go party.”
“This is as true as it is unavoidable,” it stated in a cold, almost bored, tone, “but you are wrong to assume that this nightmare will end with my destruction.”
“We know that!” countered Twilight angrily, “We won’t be done taking down monsters like you until all the magic that escaped from Equestria dissipates!”
It began to laugh to itself again, as if it found something amusing with the last statement. “Dissipates? The power that has swept over this world will not simply disappear. It must be gathered and contained as it was so long ago, and is again now.”
The words peaked the unicorn’s innate curiosity. “The wild magic is being collected?” she asked with somewhat less anger in her voice. “By who?”
The small unicorn could hear a grotesque sort of pride in the voice’s reply, “The Brothers in Darkness, who even now stir within their forgotten tombs and ancient prisons, corrupting the weak minds of men and beast alike to aid them in fulfilling their ultimate purpose.”
“Which is what, exactly?”
A sadistic grin crawled over the possessed man’s face, “To spread darkness and death to every corner of this world for all eternity! To bring and end to those that usurped their kingdoms by resurrecting the one who will bring forth the Everlasting Night!” The voice once again laughed in its twisted sounding cackles as its words resonated throughout the chamber.
“Vhy are you telling us all this?” asked Dimitri, “Are you not afraid ve vill stop you?”
“You cannot stop what has already been set into motion! You can only delay it!” replied the Wight, its malevolent voice stained with a disturbing cheerfulness.
Twilight and Dimitri again looked at each other, both wearing uneasy expressions on their faces. “Let’s get this over vith,” said Dimitri at length, “I feel like this monster has been alive too long.”
“Agreed,” replied Twilight, lowering Hawk’s body enough so that she could move it through the passage that led out. “Could you get Pinkie?” Twilight said to the young man as she began walking towards the exit, “I’d rather not risk losing any focus on keeping this one contained.”
Dimitri nodded and ran over to the altar where Pinkie Pie still slept. With one fluid motion the young man removed the jewelry that adorned the pony and hefted her over his shoulder as he made his way out of the tomb after Twilight. The Wight did not bother to struggle against Twilight’s hold over him, nor did it flinch when it saw the first hints of sunlight that illuminated the door that led outside.
Beyond the entrance were fields of bright green grass and wondrous blue skies. A refreshingly cool breeze blew in from the outside, something that seemed to nauseate the Barrow Wight in Hawk. Twilight couldn’t contain a smile from crossing her face as she sent the man in her magical grasp levitating into the daylight. The moment the light touched Hawk’s extremely pale skin, the voice of the Barrow Wight let go a very short lived scream as black smoke fled from the man’s body and evaporated in the afternoon sun. The man’s body went limp after all of the dark mist had vanished.
Twilight trotted out into the sunlight and set Hawk down on a soft patch of grass next to her. A smile spread over her face as color began to flow back into the agent’s skin. Using a steady hoof she opened up one of his eyelids to see that his eyes had returned to their normal, non glowing state.
Dimitri emerged from the underground and gingerly placed Pinkie Pie on the ground next to Hawk. It wasn’t long before her mane, tail, and coat were all renewed to their usual tone and fluff. The bright pink pony awoke soon after, slowly opening her large sky blue eyes and gazing up at the young man that was kneeling down next to her and the smiling purple unicorn that joined him soon after.
“Am I dead?” she asked groggily.
Dimitri let out a small laugh and replied, “No, but you still have to drive us back to Bureau. So there is still a chance.”
“I think I’ll let you drive this time. I feel like I ate another batch of Applejack’s baked bads,” Pinkie said through a bout of weak chuckles. With a contented little sigh, Pinkie Pie closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Twilight nuzzled the side of her friend’s head before trotting back over to where Agent Hawk was laid out. He still had not woken up. Twilight couldn’t help but feel a knot begin to grow in her stomach. The Barrow Wight’s warning, or boast, echoed in her mind and the feeling of dread practically consumed her. As the young unicorn mare waited for the man to regain consciousness, she heard the sound of large wings from above. Looking up, she gained some relief as she saw the majestic form of Princess Celestia descend from the azure blue sky towards her.
The glamorous alicorn landed gracefully next to Twilight, a brilliant smile covering her face. “Twilight!” she said happily as she wrapped her neck around her student’s “Thank goodness you’re alright.” Releasing the unicorn from the hug, the Princess looked at the unicorn’s swollen eye and furrowed her brow somewhat, saying worriedly, “It seems the creature put up a fight.”
Twilight nodded, and she looked at her mentor with a serious expression as she replied, “I’ll tell you about it later your majesty, but right now we need to get back to the Conversion Bureau and get the others. This crisis isn’t as simple as we thought.”
Celestia’s raised a confused eyebrow and asked intrigued, “How do you mean Twilight?”
The young unicorn sighed and prepared herself. Looking at her teach with a with look of honest terror, she said, “The Eternal Night is coming.”
The End of Episode 5
And it couldn’t come any faster, am I right?
HA HA! That was a joke.
It’s funny because it took so long to come out.
Get it?
…
So anyway, Episode 6 is going to be shorter
and hopefully it won’t take a year and
a half before it gets out!
Thanks for being patient with me.
|
Moggle451
|
1352
| 1 |
Adventure,Sad
|
Wings of Change
|
Someponies don't need wings to fly.
|
incomplete
| -1 | -1 |
<p>Nearly a thousand years have passed since the Elements of Harmony passed and the Princesses were banished. Equestria has been turned into a dystopia, where one's standing in society is based on race. Pegasi live spoilt lives whilst earth-bound ponies suffer bellow, abused by the ponies meant to guard them. What happens when a small group of ponies try to fly without wings? Why and how did the racial segregation happen in the first place? Equestria's secrets go deeper than expected, and some will these nearly destroy these young rebels altogether. Ponies who just wanted to fly.</p>
|
everyone
| null |
2011-10-11T11:03:32+00:00
| 328 |
Blackstorm House, Canterlot, 989 ACD
The stallion who stood upon the balcony gazed at the setting sun, his stern expression showing no sign of emotion. His wild mane and tail were wildly tossed by the harsh wind, like flames. Contrasting that, his dull grey coat was groomed to perfection, everyone of his feathers in perfect place. A small scar barely showed through on his cheek, the only imperfection which could be seen. He was ending his middle age years, though you would only know it if you knew him well. His cutie mark was of a tornado.
Two small fillies sat inside, a unicorn and a pegasus. The pegasus could almost be mistaken for a clone were it not for the eyelashes and lack of scar or cutie mark. She shared his colours, his mane, even his expression. The unicorn, however, was different. Her mane and tail were similar in their messiness, yet hers were purple and orange like the sunset outside. Her coat lacked the perfect grooming, and was a rich navy. Her face had no stern visage, instead showing the docile kindness expected in a young filly. They sat together on a rug, the unicorn playing with various toys and occasionally attempting to get her sister to play. The little pegasus filly would simply nudge the toys away before returning to her trance like state of staring at her father in awe.
"Flitty! Why won't you play with me?" the unicorn asked, her eyes pleading.
"Toys are for foals. It's time to grow up, Skye. And don't call me 'Flitty' anymore. It's a stupid, foalish name. It's Flitfire Spiral from now on." the pegasus replied, her gaze unmoving.
"You'll always be Flitty to me." the unicorn poked her tongue out after speaking.
Her sister's eyes flicked to the little unicorn for a brief moment, mixed between irritation and affection. The unicorn smiled to herself, proud she got even a glance.
Ever since she had been enrolled in flight school a year ago, Flitfire had become distant from her loving little sister. She spent more time in the skies, claiming she had to practice. At first Skye believed that, until it seemed whenever she wanted to see Flitfire, the pegasus would be about to go and stretch her wings. After this she had gone to her father and asked for her own pair. It was then when she discovered her father's hate for artificial wings.
"Never. No-one in this household will touch a pair of wings which aren't part of a pegasus. Now get out!" he had said, throwing a quill at her. Skye had spent the rest of the day crying, with no-one to comfort her. Her mother was out that day, and by the time she got back Skye had put on a visage of indifference to mask her crippling grief. Even at that young age, Skye knew her mother was too sensitive and weak to manage her own problems, let alone her daughter’s. A unicorn in the traditional Blackstorm House was strange, as it was and had been owned by pegasi for centuries. Pegasi who were usually opposed to the idea of race equality.
As the last rays vanished from the sky, the fillies' father came back inside. He gave an approving smile to Flitfire, who beamed in return, yet passed without a glance to Skye. A butler entered the room carrying a scroll.
"Mr. Overcast. An officer came by with this note. I-I'm sorry for your loss." he said, before exiting the room.
Overcast read the scroll slowly, then turned to the two fillies. Skye thought he was looking at Flitfire until she realised his gaze was locked on her.
"Skye Fusion. You're going to the orphanage tomorrow. Pack what you have tonight and be ready by dawn."
Skye went pale and stared in silence, tears brimming in her eyes.
"No! You can't! Mummy won't let you!" Flitfire yelled before shrinking back under her father's glare.
Devoid of emotion, he spoke.
"Your mother is dead."
|
sektol
|
1354
| 1 |
Original Character,Rainbow Dash,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
Pon, the painter
|
the main six are bound together by the rainboom. What nopony knows is, that so is Pon the painter.
|
complete
| -1 | -1 |
<p>Sometimes, ponies are bound together by the friendship of magic, even before they meet, as has been shown by the rainboom conecting the mane 6 of the story, long before they became friends. At other times, these bonds are not of friendship, and even if those who are connected will never meet, the bond might still be just as strong. Sometimes, these bonds can create miracles, and even release the power that is sealed within.</p><p>- <b>reed coments only after reading story, first comment will have spoiler</b> - </p><br/><p>A few facts<br/>First: I am no writer, I simply write some small stories from time to time. This is the first I have uploaded. Not the first her, but the first ever. The chance of me writing anything more with ponies is rather low.<br/>Second: Pon has nothing to do with bon bon. I only realised some might think so when I had writen half the story, and it isn't really a problem<br/>Third: This is acctually long compared to most (but not all) of what I've writen.</p>
|
everyone
|
2011-10-10T09:15:02+00:00
|
2011-10-10T09:15:02+00:00
| 1,171 |
He raised his head towards the sky, and to anypony else it would have seemed he turned to stone. Well, it would if everypony around him didn't act the same way. One or two looked at the rest in confusion before raising their own heads, aperently unable to hear the BOOM above them. *But I am getting off track here, it seems. Where was I? oh! right*
He raised his head to the skies at the great BOOM he heard, and what he saw brought him back in time. Or rather, his memories were brought to the past...
Let us start from before the memories he was brought back to. his parents were a famous pianist and a great (but not that well known) writer. They decidet they wanted to teach their little Pon-Pon themselves (well, they named him polish, but prefered calling him Pon-Pon). For some reason, none of them ever thought to teach him how to draw, but he proved to be an acceptable whriter, with a smooth and beautifull hoofwriting. later, his friends took to calling him Pon, after his mother "accidentaly" used his nickname. Well, most of them did. The one called Emerald sometimes called him Polska. Her cutie mark is a round ball, and for some reason it seems like soke moves around inside it. She actually got that cutie mark at
the age of one. She said the "Polska" was from the faraway future (or maybe it was the past?..). Something to do with hamans, himans, or something like that. *But I am getting off track here, it seems. Where was I? oh! right*
Polish, or "Pon", had never really drawn anything, not unless one counts his writing. Most ponies would count his later writing as art, but not that of his younger years.
now, the memories he was brought back to as he looked into the sky. It was the day he would get his cutie mark, but of course he had no idea of this yet. He had been sent into town to buy some thigs, like apples and a few tools his father needed for his writing. On the way home, he had heard a loud BOOM. He jumped at the shock, and as he landed he dropped a quill out of his saddlebag. He bowed to quickly pick it up, before turning in the direction he had heard the boom. What he saw imprinted itself on the back of his eyelids. Without thinking, he took out the ink that had been just below the quill. He opened the ink bottle, dipped the pen, and started drawing on the nearest wall. He only looked back one time, otherwise relying on the picture on the back of his eyelids.
He didn't realise that his cutiemark was there when he looked back. If he had noticed, he wouldn't have cared: this image had to be finished, and nothing could stop him. Some ponies had been able to take their eyes off of the scene that Pon was painting. To them, it seemed almost like the ink was alive.
Once Pon was done, he backed away, the rainboom finished. after a few minutes he turned around to get home, the inverted image of the real rainboom almost completely faded from his eyelids. As he walked away, there was only one set of hoof-beats to be heard, as the few who had torn their eyes from the rainboom seemed to freeze when they turned around.
A few years later, a certain pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane crashed down after an atempt to repeat what she had succeded at only once, long ago. As she raised her head, she dropped her jaw, horrified for a about two seconds. just the thought of someone else succeding at a rainb- Then she realised that it was acctually black, and only seemed to be all the colors of the rainbow. It was a painting. Her horror turned to wonder, and she did not believe anypony could have drawn that perfect a rainboom. Not even if they had used the real colors. *But I am getting off track here, it seems. Where was I? oh! right*
Back in the present, only a few weeks after seing the incredible painting on the wall, the rainbow-maned pegasus repeated the feat. Finally she had made a second rainboom. Pon the painter, as he called himself now raised his head as he heard the sound he had been waiting for since that first time. After a few seconds, he closed his eyes, turning to the nearest wall. There was a broad smile on his face. The first time, he had had no experience, no knowledge about his skills. His cutie-mark was a black-tiped brush, above a rainbow, seeming to have just drawn it. A brush that could draw out all the collers of the world, even with black ink. This time he had some years of experience. As he opened an ink bottle, his cutiemark began to glow, and it almost seemed like the rainboom above had sweapt over it. As this happened, the rainbow of colors seemed to wave over him. "Yes" Pon thought to himself: "This time I have the experience and the knowledge to make it perfect...
this time, I have colors."
(Spoiler and alternate title in coments)
|
Hajimebrony
|
1355
| 1 |
Angel,Cheerilee,Fluttershy,Granny Smith,Princess Luna,Crossover,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
The Legend of Luna: Ocarina of Friendship
|
Legend of Zelda/MLP crossover with Luna as Link.
|
incomplete
| 21 | 2 |
<p>Based in the magical land of Equestria, our story revolves around a young alicorn named Luna, who lives in the Kokiri Village. She was always different from the other ponies and when she is thrust into the position of hero, she will embark on a journey to save Equestria from the darkness that threatens it.</p>
|
teen
|
2011-10-13T17:54:12+00:00
|
2011-10-13T17:54:12+00:00
| 2,823 |
In the darkest of night, one pony will bring the light of hope to an otherwise doomed land.
Chapter 1: Peaceful daily life
The sun rose as it always did in the Kokiri Forest, it's rays filtering through the thick layer of leaves to create an almost otherworldly atmosphere to the small village nestled deep within the forest's confines. Within this village named after the forest it resides within, a single pony's eyes flutter open as the morning's sunlight invades her home. Gentle teal eyes look to her open door as she squints her eyes, obviously trying to wish the sunlight away. After the sun showed no signs of retreating, the pony pulled herself out from under her sheets. A small filly with a light grayish purple coat and a light blue mane that ran almost to her back stretched in her simple room, trying to shake off the night's sleep, her small wings stretching their full length as well.
After stretching, the pony looked around and decided that it was time to start her day, her horn glowing with magic as she floated over a small tunic that was a shade darker than her coat. She smiled at the attire, remembering how it was made for her by a very dear friend of her's. Floating the tunic over her head, she gently eased herself into it, making sure not to put her horn through the fabric, a fate that many of her outfits had already befallen. After finally working it down her body, she finished slipping the last few feathers out the perfectly sized holes that her friend had made so that her wings could be set free. Satisfied, she turned to her open door and nodded to herself. "Let's get the day started, Luna," she told herself before heading out the door.
Luna now stood on the ledge up in the tree that her home was made into. Her home was much different than any of the other homes in Kokiri Village, being the only one that was off ground level. This of course being because Luna was the only Kokiri with wings, a fact that many would not let her forget. At that moment, Luna realized that she could hear a soft noise beneath her, a noise that most would pass of as nothing more than the wind but Luna recognized as a gentle "Hello."
A quick glance down confirmed that her yellow coated, pink maned, earth pony friend stood below her, staring up at Luna with a happy smile. "Good morning Fluttershy," Luna called down to her friend before jumping from her home, her wings spreading as she glided to the ground. Her wings were too small to be able to actually fly but Luna had no problem in gliding for short distances.
"Oh, good morning Luna. Did you sleep well?" Fluttershy asked in her usual, gentle voice.
"Very well," Luna lied. Lately she had not been sleeping too well. Strange nightmares plagued her sleep lately and the more infuriating thing was that when she awoke from the nightmares, she could never remember what they were about.
If Fluttershy could tell that her friend was lying, she did not let it show. Instead, she turned her Cyan eyes towards the heart of Kokiri Village. "So, um, what would you like to do today?" Fluttershy asked, "we could go relax by the stream or perhaps you would like to go see some of the animals near the Lost Woods??"
"You know I don't much like the Lost Woods, Fluttershy," Luna cut in, "but going for a dip in the stream sounds really nice." She flashed her friend a big grin as Fluttershy happily nodded. Both ponies set out at a brisk trot, staying at each other's sides as the two had done for as long as they could remember. It only took a few minutes before the sound of flowing water could be heard and shortly after that, the ponies had arrived at the small stream that ran through the center of Kokiri Village. Luna was slightly surprised that they had not run into any other Kokiri on their way over, but Luna didn't mind as she welcomed the peace and quiet.
However, her peace was not to last. "Well good morning Bird Brain!" the voice cut through the quiet like a knife through a fresh loaf of berry bread.
Luna sighed before looking over to the source of the voice, a pure white earth pony with a wooden shield cutie mark. "Hello Angel," Luna said as flatly as possible, trying to convey her distaste for having to deal with the arrogant pony so early in the morning.
"Didn't you know that this part of the stream is for REAL kokiri? You know the kind that actually HAVE a dragon fairy?" Angel smirked as he mocked Luna, his own dragon fairy floating lazily around his head.
Luna felt her cheeks flush with anger for a moment as she tried to not let Angel's words get to her. But it was true, not only was she the only kokiri with wings but she was also the only kokiri that did not have a guardian dragon fairy. Even her friend Fluttershy had one, even though she usually asked him to stay hidden when around Luna in consideration of her feelings. "I don't want to start this today Angel," Luna said, trying to keep the hurt his words always brought out of her voice. Why wasn't she used to this by now?
"Ohhhhh, what's the matter, Bird Brain? Can't stand that you aren't a real kokiri?" Angle's words cut through to Luna's heart.
As Luna felt her turmoiled feelings starting to rise, Fluttershy moved between Angel and Luna with a determined look in her eyes. "Stop saying such mean things to Luna!" Fluttershy demanded.
Angel visibly twitched, remaining quiet for a few moments before turning around. "Tsk, whatever," was his only response.
As Angel walked away, Luna looked to her friend as Fluttershy sat down heavily. "Ohhhh," Fluttershy fumed quietly, "why does that Angel have to be so mean to you all the time, it makes me so mad."
'At least he didn't bring up my blank flank' Luna thought to herself, knowing the only reason he hadn't was because of Fluttershy's own blank flank. Angel would never make fun of Fluttershy. Luna moved over and sat down without a word and pushed herself gently against her friend, knowing the contact would calm her down. After several long minutes, Fluttershy gave a shaky sigh and leaned into her friend, not liking the angry part of herself that showed itself whenever someone made fun of her friends.
For several long minutes, the two friends remained together, not saying a word. Finally, with a rumble from her belly, Luna looked over with a sheepish smile, "I think some breakfast is in order."
Fluttershy giggled at her companion's expression and stood up, "I just gathered some fresh dandilions this morning before meeting you. Why don't we go and have some sandwiches?"
Before Luna could say a word, another rumble, much louder than before, erupted from her stomach, answering the question for her. With a laugh, the two set out in the direction of Fluttershy's home. Signs of life were finally starting to be seen from the village as the two trotted side by side. Ponies began emerging from their homes, looking for whatever task they happened to have to do this particular day. As the duo reached Fluttershy's house, a loud clacking noise filled the air throughout the village. Fluttershy looked in the direction everyone knew it was coming from. "Oh, it sounds like Miss Cheerilee already," she said cheerfully. After ducking into her house for a few moments, she reemerged with a parcel dangling from her mouth. Quickly setting it down, she turned her large eyes on Luna. "Could you please take this to Cheerilee? Um, if you want to, that is." Fluttershy started to look away, looking a little nervous about asking her friend to do something for her. "I could get some breakfast ready for us while you do that."
Luna smiled, thinking to herself about how cute her friend was when she became flustered but then spoke up to put her friend to ease. "You know I'm always happy to bring Cheerilee her breakfast. Otherwise, she might forget to eat again and pass out. Then who would be our 'brave protector'?" Luna said with a playful smile.
Fluttershy's expression shifted from nervous shyness to an overjoyed smile almost instantly. "Um, thank you. I'll go make your favorite sandwich while you do that." With one final smile, Fluttershy turned to her home and strode in, leaving Luna alone.
With the thoughts of a good breakfast waiting for her upon the end of her usual errand, Luna quickly scooped the parcel up in her mouth and ran for the home on the other side of the village, the one that layed closest to the Lost Woods and where the sounds of woods striking wood at a furious pace could be heard. This particular home belonged to Cheerilee, the guardian of Kokiri Village against anything that may wander out of the Lost Woods. The reason she was trusted with such an important task, despite being an earth pony, was her unmatched skill with the sword. As Luna drew closer, she could see Cheerilee outside, her wooden practice sword held firmly in her mouth as she danced around and struck the wooden practice dummy with such grace that, as always, Luna was left awestuck for several moments. After admiring the deadly dance in front of her for a few more moments, Luna snapped back to reality with a loud rumble from her stomach. The sound was loud enough that even Cheerilee heard it, stopping in mid swing to see where the noise had come from. Upon seeing Luna, a soft smile broke in the corner of Cheerilee's lips as she set her sword down. "Good morning, Luna. What brings you here?" she asked in a soft and cheery voice. A voice that would almost make one forget the deadly display that had just been shown.
After setting the parcel down at Cheerilee's hooves, Luna replied, "Fluttershy asked me to bring you your breakfast."
The grin on Cheerilee's face grew even larger as she bent down and sniffed the parcel. Her eyes widened in delight and she bounced up and down happily, looking more than a little silly. "Blueberries!" she exclaimed joyfully before tearing open the top of the parcel, revealing the tasty treasure within, "Fluttershy is really going to spoil me."
The smell of the sweet berries hit Luna's nose and her stomach cried to her angrily once more. "Well, you have a good morning Miss Cheerilee." She suspected that her words were not even heard though, as Cheerilee had half of her face buried in the pile of berries and was happily munching away. Turning and walking back in the direction of Fluttershy's tree, she found her pace slowly increasing. She gave her usual hellos to the random Kokiri who she passed along the way but would not allow herself to slow down. Her mouth started to water at the thought of Fluttershy's food. Within a few minutes, she was knocking politely on Fluttershy's door before letting herself in. She could hear the activity coming from the kitchen so she trotted back to find Fluttershy putting the finishing touches on three, perfect looking dandilion sandwiches. "Did Miss Cheerilee like her breakfast?"
"She says you are going to spoil her so I think that's her way of saying 'thank you'." Luna replied as she hungrily grabbed one of the sandwiches with her magic, levitating it over and taking a large bite out of it. She practically melted as the taste exploded in her mouth. "I will never understand how you find such amazing tasting food," Luna marveled before taking another large bite.
"Oh! Um, I guess I just always know where to go in the Lost Woods to find things," Fluttershy replied with a blush. She loved when her friends enjoyed her food. "I just follow my hooves."
Luna quickly finished her first sandwich and scooped up the second, working through it just as fast as the first. Fluttershy only looked on with a smile on her face, nibbling on her own sandwich.
Little did either of these ponies know that the peace that they were enjoying was quickly going to be shattered.
Author's note: well, here we have it. This is my first bit of writing after a struggle with writer's block that spanned almost 5 years. Still feeling really rough around the edges and out of practice so constructive criticism and suggestions are always appreciated. Hope you guys enjoyed my work and I look forward to bringing more to you all.
|
Hajimebrony
|
1355
| 2 |
Angel,Cheerilee,Fluttershy,Granny Smith,Princess Luna,Crossover,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
The Legend of Luna: Ocarina of Friendship
|
Legend of Zelda/MLP crossover with Luna as Link.
|
incomplete
| 21 | 2 |
<p>Based in the magical land of Equestria, our story revolves around a young alicorn named Luna, who lives in the Kokiri Village. She was always different from the other ponies and when she is thrust into the position of hero, she will embark on a journey to save Equestria from the darkness that threatens it.</p>
|
teen
|
2011-10-13T10:28:31+00:00
|
2011-10-13T10:28:31+00:00
| 1,360 |
Chapter 2: Darkening horizons
Deep within the Kokiri Forest, there stood the peaceful village of Kokiri. The residents lived in general peace, only having to deal with the occasional beast that wandered into the village. Standing over the village was it's guardian, friend, and life giver: the Great Granny Smith Tree. The Great Granny Smith Tree had watched over this place longer than she could remember. She was there when the first Kokiri had made the forest their home. She was there during their hardships. She was there for their joyous days. She watched the Kokiri grow and prosper and came to love them as her own children. Yet as the Great Granny Smith Tree stood there as she had for ages, she knew she would not be able to be there for the ponies that had come to rely on her forever. She felt the darkness building all around her and she knew that if there was going to be any hope of her children surviving the coming darkness, she would have to make her move quickly. "Spike," mumbled the ancient tree, casting her gaze around her clearing, "where did ya get off to, Spike?"
A tiny, purple orb of light descended from Granny Smith's leaves, an apple core falling to the ground from where it had been resting. The creature made it's presence know to the ancient spirit by moving in front of her. Upon closer inspection, one would see that the ball of light was actually a dragon fairy, resident creatures of the Kokiri Forest who long ago made a pact with the forest ponies and now accompanied them as companions and friends. "Right here Granny Smith, is anything wrong?" Spike inquired in a slightly high pitched voice that carried only the faintest hint that this dragon fairy was male.
"The darkness ah feared has finally started to rear it's ugly head," the tree spoke slowly, making every word ring through the tiny creature before it, "ah need ya'll to go into the village and bring me back the pony with no dragon fairy."
Spike, of course, knew the pony in question. Everypony knew of the strange filly. Spike had even once ventured out and watched Luna for a short time, curious to see a pony with wings. He noticed that even though most kokiri would treat her with general kindness, it was obvious that nopony actually accepted her except for one timid looking yellow kokiri. Spike snapped out of his thoughts and gave a quick salute. "I'm on it!" he stated before turning out zipping out of the glade. Flitting around the now lively village, Spike found himself looking from one pony face to another but he could not find the one that he was tasked to locate. Stopping briefly, he thought about where he might find Luna. As he thought, the delicious smell of fresh dandelions hit his nose and Spike momentarily forgot about his mission, his wings taking him to the source of the delicious smell.
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Inside Fluttershy's house, Luna had realized just how much of a pig she was being in front of her friend and decided to slow down and enjoy the flavor of what little sandwich she had left. Just as she was about to take a smaller bite, however, a purple blur filled her vision for just a moment and she quickly realized that her sandwich was now gone. Looking around, she saw the last of her sandwich disappear into the mouth of a smaller, purple dragon fairy. "Hey," yelled Luna, startling her friend out of her own little world, "that was mine!"
It only took a moment of scanning for Fluttershy to spot the dragon fairy that Luna was now glaring at angrily. "Oh my, the poor dear must have been hungry, was that enough to fill you up?" Fluttershy asked in her normal, caring voice.
"Oh come on, he already had enough to eat out of MY sandwich," complained Luna but quickly stopped before continuing. She had learned long ago that it was never a good idea to get between Fluttershy and her love of creatures. She closed her eyes and shuttered at the memories of when Fluttershy was denied the right to care for a small group of animals. The rage in her screams still left her with nightmares to this day. Her anger having ebbed away, she opened her eyes to find a tiny pair of green eyes staring right back at her.
The two continued their silent and slightly awkward stare down before the dragon fairy flitted up a little bit and exclaimed, "oh my gosh I found you! Hey, the Great Granny Smith Tree has summoned you for an audience, it's no time to be just sitting around looking dazed. Come on! You're coming with me, let's go!"
Luna continued to sit there, trying to process what the little creature was saying when she felt Fluttershy grip her in a tight hug. "Oh my, Luna, you finally have your own dragon fairy. Isn't that just wonderful? And the Granny Smith Tree wants to see you personally, what an honor." Fluttershy was practically glowing from the happiness she was feeling for her friend.
Luna finally snapped out of her daze, blinking a few times at the slightly confused looking dragon fairy. "My dragon fairy? And The Granny Smith Tree wants to see me?"
"Whoa whoa whoa there. Slow down. I'm just here as..." was all Spike could get out before the yellow earth pony jumped up with surprising speed and caught him in a hug, locking away any chances at escape.
"Oh this is so wonderful," gushed Fluttershy, tears streaming down her face in her happiness, "you finally came for Luna."
Spike sighed, utterly defeated. The one thing he could never fight against was a mare's tears. "Yep, that's me, companion of ol' Luna over there," Spike said after forcing a smile, trying to get away from the overjoyed pony. After looking at the slowly growing look of hope on Luna's face, he knew there really was no turning back. He had never really had a problem with the thought of becoming the partner of a kokiri, he just never thought it would happen so unexpectedly. Finally getting away from Fluttershy, he looked over at Luna. "Come on, we can't leave Granny Smith waiting." With that, he flew over positioned himself on the top of her head, finding a nice, comfy spot atop her mane. 'Maybe this won't be so bad' he thought to himself.
By now, Luna's heart was up in her throat. So much was happening all at once and she felt that if she slowed down to think about it, her mind wouldn't be able to handle it. So with a quick smile and nod over to Fluttershy, Luna dashed out the door. She galloped through the village, a giddy smile spreading across her face. 'Things are finally going to change' she told herself 'I'll finally be normal. I'll finally fit in with the rest of the village.' She could see the large entrance to the glade of The Great Granny Smith Tree getting closer when her way was suddenly barred by the one pony that Luna had forgotten about. His presence quickly ending her state of euphoria. Angel now blocked her way.
"Where do you think you're going, Bird Brain? Only real kokiri get past here to see The Great Granny Smith Tree," Angel looked down at Luna with the same smirk he always did but was slightly surprised to see a mischievous smile spreading across her face.
This was it, this was where she would finally be able to have her revenge. "You mean like this?" she asked, tilting her head forward to show Spike, who was still gripping onto Luna's mane tightly. He wasn't yet used to the jerky feeling of riding a pony compared to the smoothness of his flying.
"Yeah, we need passed," Spike managed to squeak out,"summons from Granny Smith."
"What?!" exclaimed Angel, staring at the dragon fairy in disbelief. He gritted his teeth, looking left and right before finally saying, "well, you still can't get through because you don't have anything to defend The Granny Smith Tree with. To get past this point, you'll need a sword." His face had regained it's former smirk, not giving Luna her desired victory.
"What do you mean you won't let us past?" Spike flew up from Luna's mane, absolutely vivid, "we have urgent summons from The Great Granny Smith Tree and you're slowing us down!" Spike was shouting by that point but Angel only stared the small creature down defiantly.
"I'm the protector of this passage and if I say you don't get through without a sword, then you aren't getting through without a sword!"
After a few moments of staring at Angel, Luna sighed and turned around to leave, knowing that just talking would not change Angel's mind. She trotted away, her mind abuzz with furious thoughts directed at the white pony who dared block her. "Can you believe him?" Spike piped up, "who does he think he is? And why did you just give up like that? Where are you going? We need to get to the Great Granny Smith Tree now!"
Luna didn't turn to look at Spike as she replied, "we're going to give him what he wants." If Angel wanted to see a sword, then he was going to get exactly that. Luna felt a determination which she had never known filling her as she strode through the village with a hard look in her eyes. But there was only one place she knew of that had a blade. And that was the building that now loomed in front of Luna. The home of Cheerilee. Luna quickly spotted the purple pony at the side of the home, resting from her morning exercises. Trotting up to her with as much confidence as she could muster, she called out, "Miss Cheerilee!"
The guardian pony opened her eyes and looked over at Luna, a smile quickly spreading across her face. "Luna, you're back already?" Cheerilee noticed the look in Luna's eyes and the smile slightly dropped, "is everything alright?"
Deciding that dancing around the subject would get her nowhere, Luna simply said, "I need a sword."
Cheerilee was left dumb stuck at this for several moments. While several ponies had approached her, asking for training, she never would have expected this from a pony like Luna. Normally, she would just send the pony away but something in Luna's eyes stopped her. "Tell me what's happened and then I will consider your request."
For the next few minutes, Luna told Cheerilee what had occurred in the short time since they had seen each other this morning. Spike popped up every few moments to add in his two bits and finally Luna ended with, "that's why I came to you, you are the only way I could think of to get a sword. Will you help me?"
Cheerilee remained silent as she pondered the events that had been laid before her. A summons from The Great Granny Smith Tree was a very serious matter and while she knew that if she simply accompanied Luna to the passage, she could make Angel stand aside. However, Cheerilee felt something was very wrong with all of this. A sword might not be such a bad idea. With a nod, she made her decision. "I will give you a sword," both Luna and Spike's faces lit up, "on one condition." Cheerilee continued, rising from her sitting position. The smiles quickly disappeared, being replaced with a look of dread from Luna, she didn't like the sound of that.
"What condition?" Spike asked.
Walking over to the side of her home, Cheerilee grasped one of her wooden practice swords between her teeth before tossing it over to the stunned filly. "You're going to have to prove to me that you are worthy of holding one of my blades by striking me at least once."
Luna's jaw dropped, fear quickly filling her heart. She watched as Cheerilee took another practice sword and moved into an open area, her eyes never leaving Luna's. "Come on Luna, you can do that. Right?" Spike said in an encouraging tone.
Luna knew that she had no chance at beating Cheerilee but she also knew that if she didn't, she would be denied her chance at her future. Steeling her nerves, she levitated the sword in front of her with her magic. Cheerilee frowned at that. "That's not a good idea Luna."
Luna was confused, how had she already made a mistake? She used to sneak behind her home and pretend she was a warrior like cheerilee with long sticks she would find. She knew that she could move anything faster with her magic than if she tried to simply hold it. Cheerilee saw the look of confusion and sighed and in a blur, kicked a random rock in Luna's direction. Startled, she just barely managed to catch the rock with her magic an inch before it struck her face. This, however, caused her to drop the sword to the ground. With nearly blinding speed, Cheerilee lunged forward and struck Luna across the head, causing stars to explode in front of her eyes. "Dead," she stated simply, waiting a few moments for Luna to become clear headed. As Luna looked up to yell at the swordsmare, she quickly cut her off. "You can't hold more than one thing with your magic yet, can you?" Holding her sore head and biting her tongue, Luna simply nodded. "And while you are busy holding your sword with your magic, what if an enemy does exactly what I just did?" Luna couldn't deny the wisdom of the words. "You will hold the sword as I do," she ordered as she moved back to original spot. Luna shakily stood and retrieved her dropped weapon, this time holding it firmly between her teeth.
For the next 30 minutes, Luna attempted to strike the nimble fighter using anything her creative mind could think of.
It was to no avail however, as Cheerilee effortlessly jumped to and fro, dodging every attempt. Luna was quickly become exhausted and running out of ideas. 'Maybe I'm really NOT good enough to do something like this.' Luna shook her head, banishing the traitorous thought from her head. She locked her eyes on the pony before her once more and stared with a look of savage determination. 'If only I could find just one opening, I could...' her thought was interrupted, however, as a purple blur shot past her and stopped just short of Cheerilee's eyes. Spike had watched all of this with a growing feeling of impatience. Granny Smith was waiting on him and he was just sitting there watching Luna struggle against an obviously superior opponent. It had only been at that moment that he had made his own decision. If he was going to be a partner to this little filly, he was going to have to start helping her in any way he could. This brash move surprised Cheerilee as she reared back on her hind legs. Luna saw the moment she had been waiting for and she leaped forward, beating her wings to give her a boost of speed. Cheerilee, however, knew by instinct that the attack was coming and jumped straight up. Lune felt the tip of her weapon brush her opponent's hoof as she fell forward, her energy finally drained. Luna gasped for breath and sweat poured down her body as Cheerilee landed heavily next to her. Spike flew down to check on Luna as Cheerilee stared down at the heaving filly. Luna saw the stare and felt her heart break as Cheerilee turned and, without a word, walked into her tree home.
She had failed. She wasn't good enough after all. Tears began to stream down her cheeks as she choked back a sob. Rolling into as tight a ball as she could, she wanted to disappear from the world. Spike wanted to say something but could think of nothing at all. Neither heard the hoofsteps returning. "Why are you crying?" The question snapped Luna back to reality as she quickly looked up, seeing Cheerilee looking down at her with a compassionate smile. Cheerilee bent down and nuzzled against Luna's cheeks, wiping the tears away. "Shouldn't you be happy?" she asked.
Luna turned her eyes away. "I couldn't hit you. I didn't pass," Luna forced back another sob as she said the words.
"Really?" Cheerilee asked, "because I distinctly recall you hitting my hoof." Luna looked up in surprise. Surely a
graze like wasn't enough to impress Cheerilee. Tilting her head back, Cheerilee pulled something that she had carried on her back. Luna's eyes widened as she that it was not only a sword, but the famous Kokiri Sword, a weapon that was said to have been used by the very first guardian of the Kokiri Village and was considered a true treasure. Setting the weapon down only long enough to nuzzle Luna's head once more, prompting her to stand, Cheerilee picked the sword up once more and positioned it across Luna's back, noting with a smile how it seemed to fit just perfectly in the space between Luna's wings. After securely tying the sword around Luna's body, Cheerilee stepped back to admire her work. The dark blue of the sheath seemed to match Luna's coat perfectly. "It's almost like it was made for you," Cheerilee remarked.
Luna, finally coming out of her stunned silence, looked up at Cheerilee with a look of wonder in her eyes. "Is it really alright for you to give me this?"
"I have a feeling that you are going to need this sword in the coming events, hold it with pride. I have another gift for you before you leave as well. Lift your right hoof." Luna did as instructed and Cheerilee moved forward, bringing out what looked like a beautiful silver chain with numerous smaller chains dangling from it. After a few moments, she had clasped the silver chain around Luna leg, just above her hoof. Luna looked at it, marveling at it's simple beauty as Cheerilee spoke up once more, "This bracelet has been passed down in my family since before memory. It hold the power to shrink objects for use later. All you have to do is hold the desired object to one of the attached chains and the object will be transformed into a charm. All you have to do to make it return to normal is pull it back off the chain."
Luna stared at the wonderful gift, absolutely speechless. Cheerilee wrapped Luna in a tight hug. "You're destined for great things, I know it," Cheerilee whispered to Luna, "now go and prove it to everyone." Cheerilee released Luna and, with tears of happiness springing forth from her eyes, Luna turned and began running back in the direction of The Granny Smith Tree's glade.
Luna cried happily the whole way through the village, her former fatigue forgotten in her joy. Only the sight of Angel waiting in the distance caused her to slow down and compose herself, wiping the tears from her eyes. With a glance up at Spike, the pair nodded and strode forward.
Angel quickly moved to block the advancing mare just as he had done earlier. "Didn't I say that you couldn't come through here Bird Brain? You got feathers in your ears now?" Luna only smiled as she turned, showing Angel the Kokiri Sword strapped across her back. Luna would have been lying if she said she didn't get a certain pleasure from the stunned look that filled the colt's face. "Wha- bu- tha- how do you have that sword!?" Angel finally managed to say.
"Don't matter, you said she needed a sword to get past you," Spike stated, getting in front of Angel's face, "as you can see, Luna's got a sword to get your albino flank out of the way."
Angel stood motionless for a few moments before bowing his head with a look of defeat. As he moved to the side, Luna swear she heard Angel mutter, "first Fluttershy, then a summon by Granny Smith herself, and now even the Kokiri Sword? It's not fair. Why won't anyone see all that I do?" Before Luna had a chance to feel sorry for the broken looking pony, he whirled around with a look of anger in his eyes and shouted, "I'll still never call you a real kokiri BLANK FLANK!" With that said, he turned and ran off into the distance.
"Eh, don't listen to him, he's just jealous," Spike floated lazily down to Luna's field of vision, "now come on, Granny Smith's been waiting way to long for us."
Luna nodded as Spike positioned himself atop Luna once more. Luna stared at the large entrance, her heart hammering in her throat from excitement. After taking a deep breath, Luna stepped forward toward her destiny.
Author's note: Changed a few things around with the legend of zelda universe here with this chapter. I felt that shields at this point would be an odd thing to introduce so Angel didn't request one. This doesn't mean that there will be no shields however. It just means they will be brought in in later chapters. I also needed to think of a way the inventory system would work here when I thought of the charm bracelet. It's a little bit of a nod to the old Zelda cartoon and I just loved the thought of how well it would work. Again, if anyone notices anything wrong with the chapter or have something you might want to add, please feel free to leave a comment about it. I am always looking for feedback with my stories.
|
Hajimebrony
|
1355
| 3 |
Angel,Cheerilee,Fluttershy,Granny Smith,Princess Luna,Crossover,Adventure,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
The Legend of Luna: Ocarina of Friendship
|
Legend of Zelda/MLP crossover with Luna as Link.
|
incomplete
| 21 | 2 |
<p>Based in the magical land of Equestria, our story revolves around a young alicorn named Luna, who lives in the Kokiri Village. She was always different from the other ponies and when she is thrust into the position of hero, she will embark on a journey to save Equestria from the darkness that threatens it.</p>
|
teen
|
2012-02-15T06:21:57+00:00
|
2012-02-15T06:21:57+00:00
| 1,233 |
Chapter 3: Fight for life
Luna strode forward through the small tunnel made by the thick foliage. Her heart was hammering heavily in her throat. Here she was, a lonely little filly about to gaze upon the spirit that had gaurded the Kokiri since their birth. She still couldn't believe all of this was happening. As she approached a bend in the path, she could see a gentle light shining. Spike jumped from her head and flew ahead, leaving her sight for only a moment until she made the turn and her heart stopped. Standing before her, the mighty Great Granny Smith Tree towered above her. Luna had never even imagined her to be this wondrous. She heard something clearing it's throat next to her and turned to see Spike floating next to her. With a tilt of his head and a smile on his face, he said, "Luna, meet the Great Granny Smith Tree." As he then flies up in front of the large and gentle face of the tree, he said gently, "I brought the filly as you asked Great Granny Smith."
"That ya' did, Spike. 'At's a good dragon," she replied softly, "well get over here child and stop yer gawking. We haven't got all day."
Surprised out of her stupor, Luna quickly moved forward, craning her neck back to look up into the face of her protector. "I-I've come as you asked, Great Granny Smith Tree, i-in what way may I help you?" Luna asked, wonder quickly being replaced by nervous energy.
"Calm down child, you look as nervous as a rabbit in a wolfos' den," the ancient tree chuckled gently as she looked down at the tiny filly. Her heart grew heavy at the task she was going to place onto the shoulders of such a little filly. "Dear, sweet Luna. You have grown so much. I'm afraid we are about out of time however. A dark, evil storm is brewing quickly and has already turned it's sights on me." Fear quickly started to build on young Luna's face as the Granny Smith Tree continued, "your sleep lately ain't been all too peaceful, now has it? The same dream coming back again and again?"
As she spoke, Luna's eyes widened as flashes of memory pass before her eyes. The dreams quickly and suddenly coming back to her. A flash of lightning. She finds herself standing before a great wall made of rock and wood. The wood lowers itself, revealing what looks like a town beyond. An orange mare gallops past with a beautiful white filly on her back. The filly turns and locks her magenta eyes with her's for a fleeting moment and then they are gone. A noise draws her attention back to the entrance and she is met with the horrible sight of a tall mare as black as the darkest night. The nightmarish pony turns cold, heartless eyes upon her. The mare's wings snap open, blocking out the sky itself as the blackness engulfs her before the nightmare ends.
Luna's eyes dilated as fear from the dream flooded her mind. She struggled to keep her breathing in check as the Granny Smith Tree continued, "It is not a coincidence, child, that you are having these dreams. Yur sensitive to the dark. You can feel it coming," the Granny Smith Tree hesitated a moment before continuing, "and I've called ya'll in here to fight it!"
Luna looked up in confusion. "Me?!" was all her over clocked brain could manage to spit out. She started to lose control of her breathing at this point, causing her to take large gulps of air.
The Great Granny Smith Tree was silent for a time before softly saying, "Luna, a great and evil mare is trying to bring about the end of everything child. I'm sick. The evil one has sent one of her minions inside of me and I no longer have the strength to fight it off. I'm so terribly sorry to ask you this but I need your help. Will you please help this old tree and fight?"
The fear in young Luna's heart suddenly melted away at those words. As she worked over Granny Smith's words in her head, a spark of courage lit within her. Here was the guardian spirit of the Kokiri, the very one that had always watched over them like they were her very own children. And she needed Luna's help. With a nod of her head, she raised her eyes to the Great Granny Smith Tree. "I'll fight."
A proud smile spread across the tree's face as she gazed down at the courageous filly in front of her. "Ah've left something for you within me that should help you. Ah wish I coulda given it to ya straight out but I'm just so plum tired now. Hurry now." The Granny Smith Tree opened her mouth wide, creating a doorway for Luna to enter. Luna stared at the dark entrance as Spike floated down, coming to rest in Luna's mane.
"Don't forget about me, can't forget your new partner is gonna help you out too! Not gonna fight alone ever again," Spike exclaimed.
Luna smiled at Spike's declaration before running full tilt into the entrance of The Great Granny Smith Tree.
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Inside, both Luna and Spike marveled at the spacious chamber hidden within. They stood in a tall room must have easily extended up through half of the Great Granny Smith Tree. A winding path extended from the wall all the the way to the top. "Whoa," they said in unison. "This can't be natural," continued Spike, "this almost looks carved out. Do you think that the monster did this?"
Luna nodded as she strode forward. She knew that she didn't have the time to be marveling so she moved towards the start of the rising path. Before she could reach it however, a noise coming from the shadows caught her attention. She barely had time to react as a tiny, three legged creature that vaguely resembled a blue bear darted forward. It's claws only met air though as Luna jumped straight up. Her heart was in her throat as she got a good look at the creature. Her sudden return of fear made her freeze up, which caused her to fall and land directly on top of the creature. By shear luck, her hooves came down at the base of the creatures skull, breaking it's neck and killing it instantly. Luna quickly shot backwards, her heart still pounding erratically as she stared at the now still beast. "Wa-was that it? Was that the monster?"
Spike fluttered over, his eyes aglow as an ancient magic of understanding rose within him. "No, this was just a small fry. Something called a Ursaling." Luna's heart fell as her hopes of an early victory were dashed. Spike opened his mouth to continue but before he could say another word, a small blue fire enveloped the dead ursaling and within moments, nothing remained of it's body. The pair was silent for several seconds, both staring at the now empty spot. "Okay, that was just plain creepy," Spike finally said.
Luna could only nod her head before turning and drawing her sword. She got lucky this time and she knew it. She did not want to be taken by surprise again. Spike quickly took his spot in Luna's mane before she started up the rising path. She walked for what felt like an eternity. Every silent moment dragged on in her mind forever. After making it about half way up the path, a scuffling noise was heard ahead of her. She looked in the direction of the noise and found three ursalings shuffling towards her quickly. She got down into a ready stance, her sword in her mouth as she eyed them. She suddenly remembered a similar situation where Cheerilee fought off three attacking timberwolves. In her mind she pictured the graceful dance of death that the swordsmare displayed and she moved forward to meet the first ursaling. She ducked under it's swiping claw, her sword meeting it's middle as it was cut in two. Using her momentum, she then spun around, doing a full spin, catching the second beast by surprise and separated the monster's head from it's stubby neck. Seeing the sudden demise of it's kin, the final ursaling froze just long enough for Luna to leap up, driving her sword through it's chest.
Luna panted heavily as the strange blue fire claimed her fallen prey. A smile of confidence crossed her lips. She did it! She could do this! She beamed proudly as she pulled her sword from where it had gotten stuck in the floor. "WOW, that was awesome!" yelled Spike as he flitted back and forth, "they were all like 'RAR!' and you were all like 'WHOOSH!' and then they were all like 'BLARG!' So cool!!"
Luna blushed slightly at the excited dragon fairy's words. "Come on, we gotta keep going." Spike, with a silly grin still plastered on his face, took his seat on Luna's head before she continued on, a new sense of confidence in her stride as she spotted a door at the very top. 'That must have been what the three were guarding' Luna thought to herself as she approached the door and opened it.
Inside, her heart slightly sank at what they found. At the far end of the room, on the other side of a long pit, was a large treasure chest that looked like it was made of part of the tree. "That must be the gift from Granny Smith!" exclaimed Spike as he flitted forward but stopped as he spied what was at the bottom of the pit. Jagged spikes ran along the whole length of the floor of the pit, promising death to anything that fell within. "But how are you supposed to get over to it?"
Luna was already looking around the room, taking everything in and trying to find some way to continue. She may be able to jump pretty far in thanks to her gliding but that expanse was too much even for her. There were three torches around her, only one of them lit, casting an eerie darkness around the room and making it hard to full see anything above them. She swore she saw movement however so she looked around to try to find some way to make the room brighter. She spotted her solution quickly as she trotted over to a long, jagged piece of wood sticking out of the wall. She sheathed her sword and took the piece of wood in her mouth. After saying a quick and silent apology in case this was about to hurt, she gave a tug and yanked the wood from the wall. Now armed with her new branch, she walked over to the burning torch, lighting the end of her stick ablaze. Knowing she didn't have long, she quickly trotted over to the unlit torches, spreading the fire to each of them.
Tossing the piece of wood down into the pit as it was reduced to ashes, she looked around at the now lit room. She quickly found that she was right about the movement in the ceiling as a large spider descended to hand about halfway across the pit. The pony and spider stared at each other for several moments before quickly turning around. It looked in that direction for a few seconds before looking back to Luna. It continued as Spike's eyes lit once more. "Smith spiders. Paranoid creatures that always have to look around them to make sure an enemy isn't behind them."
The constantly turning enemy gave Luna a sudden idea. A crazy smile crossed her lips as she started backing up towards the door. "You may want to hang on," she stated as she stared at the smith spider. Her timing would have to be perfect if her plan was to work. She remained still for a few turns of the spider, getting it's rhythm down in her head. As it began it's turn away from her, she shot forward like a bullet, launching herself into the air towards it. Before it had a chance to turn back, Luna landed momentarily on the stunned creature's head, pushing off of it for a second leap. Luna's eyes narrowed as she approached the ledge. Almost falling short, the small filly grabbed the edge of the ledge and pulled herself up quickly. Her heart once again beating quickly, she took a moment to marvel that her plan had actually worked. She looked back to find that her kick had caused the smith spider's delicate thread to snap, sending to spider to it's death below. "There goes my way back," she muttered to herself as she turned her attention back to the chest.
Walking up to the chest, she marveled at how it was even bigger than she was before popping the top of it up. Looking inside, she found something she had only seen once before in Miss Cheerilee's house, a slingshot. The Y shaped piece of wood holding a strip of elastic between it's prongs connected to a ring of wood that looked about the right width for her hoof to fit through. She lifted the small weapon out of the chest and tested the ring. Luna was shocked when the ring suddenly shrank down to perfectly fit her hoof. She lifted it up and examined it, liking the new feeling. As she looked at her new weapon, something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. Turning her attention to it, she found what looked like a switch with an insignia of an apple of it nestled near the ceiling on the other side of the pit. Her angle from the other side had left it hidden until now. Filled with curiosity, she looked around until she found a small pebble at her feet. Loading the rock into her new slingshot, Luna took careful aim, not fully sure if she was doing it properly. Her first shot fell short of her target and luna grumbled silently as she loaded another rock, aiming higher this time. This rock, however, hit just to the right of the switch. Finding only one more rock near her, Luna pulled back on the elastic and let the projectile fly. It hit square on and Luna jumped up, giving a loud cheer before she was silenced by a rumbling.
Before she could wonder what was going on, a platform fell from the ceiling, creating a comfortable bridge across the pit. "Nice shot!" marveled Spike. Now beaming with pride and feeling like nothing could stop her, Luna trotted across the bridge. "But what do we do now?"
Luna stopped just short of the door, the question sinking in. There had only been one path and one door that they had seen. Where was this monster that she was supposed to be fighting? It's not like there was really anywhere for it to hide. Turning the question over in her head, Luna exited the room, walking over to the edge of the spiraling path and sitting down. Was there something she could have missed? Her eyes darted down across the large room but she saw no other door, no other path. As her eyes scanned the path once more, something caught her attention down in the middle of the floor at the base. She had not been able to see it when she had entered because of her angle but now from her higher vantage point, it looked like a tiny pinpoint of light on the floor. Like she was looking at a lamp through a screen of some sort. "Do you see that?" Luna asked her partner.
"See what?" inquired Spike as he looked in the direction where Luna's hoof pointed to. After several silent moments of staring at the floor, his eyes widened as he shouted, "a fake floor! I bet there's more stuff deeper down. Come on, let's go down there and see if there's a switch or something that'll let us through." Spike fluttered over and slipped into Luna's mane but was confused when the pony didn't move from the ledge and only continued to stare down at the floor below.
"We don't have time for that," she finally spoke up as grabbed the slingshot in her teeth and removed it from her hoof. After holding the item to one of the hooks on her bracelet, she watched as it shrank down and took a metallic sheen to it as it transformed into a charm. With her new gift safely stored away, Luna started backing up, her eyes locked on the ledge.
"Luna, what are you doing?" Spike asked in a somewhat nervous tone. 'She couldn't possibly be thinking of doing something that stupid, right?' Spike's silent question was quickly answered as Luna ran forward and leapt off the ledge, going into a sharp dive straight at the center of the floor below. Spike held on for dear life as they neared what he thought would possibly be the end of his partner's short adventure. At the last moment, Luna thrust all four of her hooves forward, making contact with the thin floor. The shock traveled through her small body that the wind was knocked from her lungs and dazed her. But her efforts payed off as the floor burst from the impact, sending her and a terrified Spike into a now tumbling free fall before hitting a small pool of water below. As Luna floated to the surface, a now drenched and very angry Spike shot out of the water, shaking himself dry quickly. Luna struggled to paddle to the edge of the pond, her body almost having seized up from the two impacts. Dragging herself to dry land, she allowed herself to slump down, her body taking in deep gulps of air trying to recover from the hit.
"What the BUCK were you thinking?!" shouted Spike angrily as he flitted down into the sight of Luna, "you could have killed yourself and then what? We'd all be done for!" Spike continued to ramble on as Luna slowly got her breathing under control.
Forcing herself to her hooves shakily, she turned to the now silent Spike. "Still alive though," was all she said with a light smile.
Spike crossed his arms and frowned heavily, "even still, if you do something stupid like that again and get yourself killed, I'm going to kill you."
Luna giggled at the dragon fairy's concern and nodded her head, "deal." With that out of the way, Luna finally looked around at her surroundings. She found herself standing in a massive chamber. The pond she had fallen into separated the chamber into two parts. On the side she was on, there was a simple door to her left. The other side, she noticed was raised from the water in a way that she couldn't get over to it. Luna spied a large door on the other side of the chamber and she felt deep down that that was where she needed to be.
"Guess there's nowhere to go but over here," Spike stated before flying over to the door on her left. Simply nodding, Luna walked over to the exit, Spike flitting once more down onto Luna's head as she drew near. Opening the door, Luna found herself in a long hallway. She quickly spotted another door at the far end and started trotting down the hall, only to stop as a strange bush like creature popped up from the ground in front of the door. Spike didn't even need magic to know this one. "It's a smith shrub. They're normally just pranksters who don't leave their safe haven deeper in the forest. What's one doing in here?"
As if to answer his question, the smith shrub yelled in a high scratchy tone, "none may pass!" before spitting a seed the size of Luna's head at them. Luna nimbly dodged to the side only to find another seed already speeding towards her. She dodged left and right as the shrub continued it's onslaught. Growing frustrated at this annoyance, Luna reached out with her magic, grabbing ahold of a seed as he flew to her side. A midnight blue aura enveloped the projectile, stopping it in midair. The smith shrub stopped it's firing in shock as it watched it's own seed be launched back at it. It couldn't sink back into the ground fast enough and was hit with enough force to separate it from it's safe ground. Before the shrub could get's to it's stubby feet, Luna was bearing down it with her sword drawn. The creature's eyes widened as it gave a little screech of fright. "Please don't kill me! I was just following orders!"
"Who's orders?" asked Luna, bringing the tip of her sword closer to the cowering monster.
"It was Boss, if we didn't listen, we would have been killed on the spot. But let me go and I'll tell you a secret." Luna thought for several seconds on if she should trust the smith shrub or not before pulling her sword away. "Boss is a night creature who can't handle the light."
"That's it?" asked a rather annoyed Spike.
"Yep!" called the smith shrub as it leapt back into it's hole, "later! I'm outta here!" And with that, it was gone.
Luna still found herself annoyed but knew that every little fact could help out. Even though her confidence thus far told her she would be fine. Striding to the door, she opened it to find a fairly sized, circular room. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. On the opposite side, Luna spotted what looked like a small tunnel. She decided that there was no time to just sit there and wonder so she walked into the room, only to have the door slam shut behind her. As she whipped around to look at the door, she heard scratching noises above her. Looking up, she found the ceiling to be covered in ursalings. "Buck," was all Spike could say before ursalings started raining down on them. Luna quickly drew her sword and leapt forward to a safe area, cleaving a falling ursaling in two as she did so. Looking around at all of the monsters as they filled the room, Luna couldn't help a manic smile to cross her lips as she leapt towards the first batch of victims.
Spike was amazed as he held on for dear life. Luna tore through the ursalings with a savageness that he had never seen before. It was only a few short minutes before Luna stood in the middle of an empty room, panting heavily. The last of the mysterious blue fires disappeared, taking with it the last mutilated corpse that had fallen before Luna. Sheathing her sword, Luna began laughing hysterically. The adrenaline coursing through her veins along with her newest feats in battle left Luna feeling like nothing at all could touch her. Spike quickly became worried for Luna's sanity. Luna's laughter stopped abruptly as she looked at the tunnel ahead of her. 'Whoever this 'Boss' monster is, I'll take them out in a heartbeat just like I did these beasts' Luna told herself with a confident smile plastered on her face. With that thought, she quickly moved to the tunnel, finding she could easily kneel down and crawl through. Once through the tunnel, she found that she was on the side of the chamber with the pond. Looking over to the large door, her smile grew to an almost sadistic level as she walked forward. Spike wanted to say something but found himself afraid to bring the attention of this new side of Luna to himself.
Opening the large door, Luna strode into the dark room beyond. Luna could not to the other side but she felt that the room she now found herself in was massive. Bringing her magic into her horn, she lit the room with the soft glow of her magic. What she saw made her breath stop in her throat. Laying before them was a massive bear that looked to be made of the night sky itself. Stars twinkled across it's hide as Luna stared at the sleeping monster. The beast's slumber was not to last, however, as Luna's light reached it's closed eyes. As they slowly opened, the bear rose to it's feet, casting it's gaze down to the little filly that stared at it in wonder. Spike's eyes began to glow and he said in a terror filled whisper, "Ursa Minor."
Ursa Minor's roar filled the chamber as it's hide became brighter, filling the chamber with light. The roar shook Luna from her stunned wonder as her eyes quickly narrowed, drawing her sword quickly. Standing up on it's back feet, the bear swiped it's large paw at the intruder, Luna barely managing to dodge to the side as the claws gouged the floor where she had just stood. Needing a moment to think, Luna ran around to the monster's back, hoping to buy herself a few moments to think. She knew that she needed to get at the head but there was no way for her to get all the way up there. Quickly yanking her slingshot from her bracelet with her magic, the item grew to it's normal size as she slipped it around her hoof. Loading her weapon with wooden shrapnel she found on the floor from Ursa Minor's attacks, she let loose her attack. Her aim was dead on but her hopes fell slightly as she saw that it did nothing more than annoy it and alert it to where she was.
With surprising speed for such a large monster, Ursa Minor spun around and swung for Luna once more. It only found air however as Luna flapped her wings to help her jump back quickly. As she backpedaled, she tripped over something and hit the ground. Taking a chance to glance down at what had tripped her, she saw what looked like a large nut and her smile returned. Luna had always loved a good prank and immediately recognized the nut. It was a smith nut. A completely harmless thing but when struck against a surface, it emitted a bright flash and a deafening bang. Seeing her chance, she grabbed the seed with her magic and dashed to the side, dodging yet another deadly swipe from Ursa Minor. Fitting the seed into her slingshot, Luna took aim and let it fly. Her aim was perfect as the seed hit right between Ursa Minor's eyes and went off just as planned.
The stunned monster fell down, hitting the ground as it clutched at it's blinded eyes, roaring in pain. Luna was once more filled with confidence as she ran towards the beast. Before she could reach her target however, the bear made a blind swing and finally connected, launching the filly through the air and slamming her against the far wall. Luna's world was suddenly filled with more pain than she had ever known. She slumped to the ground as her legs gave out beneath her. She was having trouble breathing. She looked over with bleary eyes as she saw Ursa Minor rise to it's feet, looking over in her direction, it's eyes now filled with rage.
All of the confidence drained from Luna's heart and was quickly replaced with fear. She suddenly understood just how serious all of this had been. She understood just how lucky she had been up to this point. And as Ursa Minor charged forward, baring it's teeth, she understood with a chill that she was about to die. That thought rang in every corner of the young filly's mind as the beast grew closer. As she stared her oncoming death in the face, Luna's mind blanked and she screamed, the sword falling to the ground. Her terrified screams continued as he magic suddenly grabbed ahold of the fallen sword and launched it forward in an instinctual move to survive. Ursa Minor never saw it coming as the sword pierced through the roof of it's open mouth, exiting out the top of it's skull and embedding itself in the ceiling. It was dead before it even hit the ground.
As Luna stared at the fallen monster, still not fully understanding what had even happened, the monster erupted in blue flame, burning down until not a trace of it was left. Luna continued to stare at the now empty space, still not fully believing that she was still alive, as a pillar of light appeared in the center of the room. Luna struggled to her hooves, limping towards the light, stopping only long enough to yank the sword from the ceiling with her magic. As Luna entered the light, she felt a sense of weightlessness as she floated up, the light carrying Luna away from the sight of her first, great battle.
What the little pony didn't know was that it would not be her last.
Author's notes: AND WE'RE BACK EVERYPONY!!! My deepest apologies on this chapter taking so long. I hope that it still is up to the expectations some seem to have for it. This was the first chapter that included actual battle so I hope to hear how you all liked it. I purposely made the first dungeon rather simple. As Luna continues on, the dungeons will, in true Legend of Zelda tradition, become longer and much more complicated. If you spot any errors or if there are any problems you have with the chapter, PLEASE feel free to say so in the comments. I am always looking to make my work better. I hope to get the next chapter out much faster.
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writer
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1358
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Romance
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The Maestro and the Moon Queen
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A musical prodigy, Clef performs his magnum opus, hoping to impress his one true love.
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complete
| 35 | 4 |
<p>Clef (or Cliff as he so prefers) is a young pianist with the Royal Orchestra. When he discovers that the love of his life is destined to be at the Grand Galloping Gala, he devises a plan to win her over with his musical prowess.</p>
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teen
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2013-10-06T01:38:10+00:00
| 1,751 |
Cliff ran along the packed corridor of Canterlot castle. The heat of the summer evening made him swelter, but he didn’t care. He didn’t care at all. He knew she was around. A cacophony of shouts and clapping from total and absolute strangers heralded his ears as he had dashed out of the dining hall, the two heavy oak doors swinging shut behind him. There were a few onlookers out here, and they too applauded him as he dashed by. The young colt skidded around a corner and narrowly avoided a collision with a well-dressed butter-yellow Pegasus. The pianist didn’t even stop and bow, or curtsy, or whatever the hell he was supposed to do when he screwed up. He just kept running.
____
…Yes! I saw her. She saw me. I was performing my pièce de résistance – my own masterpiece. The hardest, fastest, most vigorous piano piece I’d ever played in my 7 years in the orchestra. I’d practiced all month, and all the month before that. It had no name – I thought I might wait to think of something appropriate. How long ago did I start practicing? Three, four months? No, it was two months. Oh, what am I even saying? I don’t even remember before yesterday, let alone that far back. It’s all such a blur.
I wished I could have practiced more – but then again, I didn’t even know that she’d be there until Octavia told me about her, and I’m pretty sure THAT was about two months ago.
She sighed when she gauged my reaction.
“You won’t get her, you know.”
...That's such an Octavia thing to say. Ruin a stallion’s dreams why don’t you, you stuck up cellist.
At least, that’s what I wanted to say. But no. She’s my greatest friend in the world. She’s just trying to protect me...
From myself.
Before anything else, I spent a succession of days in the music library, finding something sufficiently grandeur for a solo piano player. Waltzes, Dances, Dreams, Overtures… Nothing really quite cut it. Nothing expressed my innermost desire and gentleness. I decided to write it myself, and then play it.
So, I wrote. I practiced, I wrote, and then I practiced some more. So much power, innovation, and beauty as ever could be found in a piece of music – I went all in on it. I practiced in every moment of my spare time. On the weekends. In the evenings. So hard, my hooves literally burned with pain.
...My instructor laughed when I told him about my cunning plan.
“Little Clef! My dear boy!” He slapped me on the back in his lively Neightalian way. “What you are doing is trying to be a virtuoso. That takes a lotta practice, sí? You gotta be a great player like your forefather was. Maybe then-a you write these, uh… how you say, bravura pieces, yes?”
I shake my head as he shows me another piece. I had written before. Snatches of songs, fragments - nothing serious. But I’ve got no interest in mediocrity whatsoever, and I tell him as much. He sighs. For the umpteenth time, I tell him my name is Cliff, not Clef. He laughs at me jokingly and slaps me on the back again.
“You don’t-a just start writing a piece over the next week,” he begins to say. “It is a big task! Maybe it’ll take-a four or five months? Comprende? There’s not enough time…”
And then I just started playing.
I figured it’d be better for me to just show him what I’d already done instead of just talking about it, and it had the desired effect.
...I don't mean to brag, but If I was a dentist, I’d say he’d have to order a new jaw from how hard it hit the floor. I’d picked up this thing only a week or two ago. Hard? I laugh at hard. Hard is just when you can’t be bothered to do something. Hard is having no motivation and having to do it anyway. For me, music isn’t hard, it’s easy. It’s passion. It’s life.
All I wanted is to make that piece of music perfect. All for her, of course – I just had to. I had to make it perfect. I didn’t then, of course, but I laugh now, as I look back. To know that anything but my music had this much effect on me.
I’d met her first about a year ago. She’d just been freed from a nightmare – she hadn’t been herself for a long time.
...Or something mysterious like that. This was before I knew Twilight, you see – so I didn’t know much about her past.
Anyway...
This was her first time arriving back at Canterlot. Octavia had told me that she used to live here before Celestia got rid of her. I didn’t really know what to think about that at the time.
Word of her arrival preceded her – she was supposedly a thousand years old, ruler of all the stars and the moon. I didn’t think too much of it, honestly. I was just a pianist with the orchestra – only new to the castle myself, two or three months back. I had bigger and better things to worry about, like making friends.
I was straight out of Canterlot’s musical academies, and I’d left all but one of my nearest and dearest behind in order to chase my dream of entertaining. As such, I wasn’t terribly interested in the buzz that surrounded her return, but I went and watched anyway with Octavia. It was just something else to do instead of practice, after all. I remember craning to get a look over the crowd that lined themselves around the gateway. The drawbridge began to crunch open, its tired chains cracking and creaking - and there was a small ripple of murmurs as she entered.
First time I laid eyes on her I was... dumbfounded. My brain just froze up, and that was that. For the whole minute it took for her to walk from the open portcullis to the main hall, I just stared, the crowd clapping and cheering in welcome. A thousand years and yet I couldn’t have imagined, not even in those years were I ever to live that long, what she really looked like. I had imagined some regal figure like her older sister – radiant, calm, tall. But she was closer to... well, us common folk. She had the curious horn and wings of her sister, and yet she was very young. No taller or smaller than your average young lady. She looked younger than me, in fact.
And she was beautiful.
That was the start of my infatuation with her. But of course, she’s a Princess, and I'm a commoner. So when I was offered the chance to play...
I first touched a piano when I was five. It belonged to one of my family friends – we’d gone over to their house for dinner that night, and I’d finished early. I was playing with their young daughter, about my age. Remember when I mentioned I still knew one person at the castle? That was Octavia. We grew up together - she was always really close to me.
But not in that way, of course. Never in that way. No, we were more like brother and sister.
But this was well before we knew each-other that well. It was when my parents were just getting to know hers - it was the first time I’d met her at all, in fact.
She showed me all of the musical instruments that her dad collected over his career as a musician – violins, each a different and rich shade of mahogany, polished to perfection. Guitars, small and dry mandolins or deep, large and earthy acoustics - as I plucked their strings carefully, the buzz of sound made me smile. I always liked music. Elsewhere around the room there laid many magnificent cellos and double basses. Way taller than me at that age. They towered over me as I looked at them. I remember giggling as Octavia said she wanted to play one of these giant things one day.
Was that even doable, I wondered...
But then, she showed me that creaking old wooden piano against the wall. I thought it was some kind of chest of drawers at first, its intricate wood patterns looking too well-designed and taken care of to be anything you’d use day-to-day. I was wrong. Octavia had lifted a little lid that opened with a gentle creak, and there before my eyes laid a sparkling array of white and black keys.
This was her dad’s piano, she said. We weren’t supposed to be playing with it, but it was OK if we just looked.
Of course, the first thing I did was jump up onto the black leather seat and tap a few of those polished pearl-coloured rectangles, just for fun. The noise it made was kind of odd – hollow, and ringing. Odd, and yet compelling. Octavia had jumped a little in fear and gasped.
Stop it, she had whined. You'll get us into trouble. I stuck my tongue out and played some more, just to tease Octavia. I think that was when I started really loving making fun of her.
Well, apparently whatever I’d played attracted the attention of the adults in the hall. They came and inspected where this noise was coming from, and there was me, sitting there at the piano.
Turns out that’s what you call ‘music’. I was enjoying it, and it showed, because that was the day I got my cutie mark.
A quaver. A single black stripe with a tick on one end and a dot on the other. Apparently, that counted as being musically gifted - or at least, that was what Octavia’s father had said. I didn’t really know what that meant at the time, but hey, I love gifts.
So, I was whisked off to board in a school of the arts in Canterlot with Octavia. Needless to say I hated the experience at first, but it wasn’t as bad as time went on. I made a lot of great friends in that place. Octavia being the obvious one. Some of the others, too - Haydn, Wolfgang...
Anyway, I digress again.
I saw her in the crowd about an hour before I played. I peeked out at the gathering ponies from backstage. She was just milling around, looking lost as she always tended to look. She was what made my heart beat as fast as it did.
The gala crowd of 600 of Equestria’s wealthiest and best? I couldn't have cared less about them. It really wouldn’t have meant anything to me if she wasn’t there. I could see her from between the red curtains that obscured the backstage area, and I couldn’t help but choke on the brick-shaped lump in my throat.
Back there, it’s a blend of red curtains and darkness. I felt quite safe as I watched her from afar – she seemed so distant. I was well hidden, which was a relief – I felt like shaking, and didn’t know if I was. I didn’t even have the bravery to check.
I can see THAT out there as well – that gigantic bloody instrument in the centre of the stage. My 'destiny', as it were.
It’s bathed in a bright spotlight, and that makes me more nervous. It’s not just my destiny, it's my past, too.
I’ll never forget the way it looked... Black, tall, wide, majestic, intimidating. The most expensive piano ever made, gilded with floral gold, hand-made for her royal highness, Princess Celestia. The lid is open, and from where I’m standing, I can see the burnished brass metal within. The intricacy poured into its every one of its polished surfaces – every smooth edge and corner meeting harmoniously at the keys. They’re sparkling white and made of polished ivory.
There’s a red velvet seat set in front of it.
It matches the deep burgundy carpet trimmed with gold that leads me to great instrument.
It’s placed out on an island jutting away from the stage – connected by small catwalk.
I've never been so scared in my entire life.
At first glance, the piano appears to float on a sea of heads, their owners eagerly craning their necks to see who or what the next act was. And then, a booming voice awakens me from my stupor. I cock my head up, and I realise that not only is someone pushing me in the small of my back towards the light of the stage, but it's my name being introduced!
“Presenting, of her Majesty’s Royal Orchestra… One of our most talented young musicians… Clef van Beethooven!”
I take a step out into the light. There's a smattering of light applause as ponies gathered at their gala tables look at me, some continuing to chat amongst themselves, some drinking and eating. Mercifully, there’s only a small amount of interest in me, probably because I’m not the first act. That had been Octavia’s job on the violin. I sometimes wondered how a mare could be so multi-talented... I'm not jealous.
I keep my eyes fixed on the Piano as I approach it. I thought at the time that If I looked elsewhere, I'd probably fall over in nervousness, so I just glued my eyes to the piano. It’s placed in the centre of the tiny island, so far away from the comfort of backstage - but even so I find that as I arrive, I’m not far away from the audience. In fact, I’m not even too high up. Just a touch above table height. Just the perfect height to look for her.
I turn to my right and bow once before sweeping my coat-tails out of the way, planting my rump on the red velvet seat. I see a flash of dark hair and a sparkle of something as I turn, and I can’t look now, but I knew what that was. That’s her. She’s right there. I’d know that mane anywhere. I can feel the gazes of the audience from every angle as they look at me. For a brief moment, I’m nervous, and as I turn the page of the music sheet-book in front of me, the silence is deafening.
I rest my hooves on the stunningly white ivory keys and begin to play. A perfect intro, dramatic and poised. Just a few loud notes played vigorously. It had to be just so - A brioso, my instructor had said. Dramatic, loud, spirited. Just to get their attention, of course – perhaps hers as well, if I was lucky. There’s a few hushes thrown around, and I move into the song, gently stroking the keys with my hooves as I play the ever-familiar introduction. It’s slow, meaningful. A series of crotchets and minims designed to draw everyone into the song. And then, I slowly speed up, the note pattern rising and rising before I swiftly slide my hooves right, making piano ring from its deepest to highest notes.
It begins.
A few audience members begin to watch earnestly as the song gets underway, and every time I hit the piano, I just felt myself get faster and faster. There was a pattern of three notes – a simple G sharp, D sharp and E. Every time I played them I was supposed to repeat the last few bars and then the chorus, this time a little faster.
And every time it got faster, the crowd began to pay more attention it. Some had stopped their talking, and began to murmur with approval. I even swore that I heard a cheer or two. I’d switch it up between the speedups. Adagio and legato. Drawing my very soul out of the keys on the piano as the music demands, and then – boom! Allegro and staccato. My hooves would go from ever-so-slightly touching the keys to flying everywhere. Just like I practiced.
About a minute through the song, I pick up my sheet-music in front and throw it over my shoulder for dramatic tension. It lands behind me with a rustle of paper on the catwalk. The crowd’s now a bit bigger, and people laugh at my act, cheering.
A buzz of approval as I hit that insanely fast series of high-notes again. At this point, even the Princess is looking at me now – I can see her face glance over at me quietly, all the way across from where she’s sitting. I can see her in the room between the piano lid and its strings – but I don’t see her.
The other one. That girl. She… I can’t really describe it. But she was so unreal. That one perfect navy blossom of such breathtaking beauty, poise, grace... I don’t see her. My heart drops a little bit in my stomach. I know I can’t look around, even for a moment. I have to focus; the hard bit’s coming up.
The piano sings as I race up another set of scales and back down again. She has to be there, I thought. I saw her before. A trail of sweat drips from my brow. Again - it's not the performance.
The few bars that always snuck up on me in all my practices, causing me to falter – I spot them coming a mile away, clearing them with a huge leap of my hooves from one end of the piano to the other. To falter now would be devastating – after all, there was still the chance that she was watching. She just had to be.
And now back to the easy part – I can afford to look around a little. I close my eyes and look away from the piano’s ringing keys.
Playing blind is easier than it looks, but the crowd doesn’t know that. They go nuts. I beam around myself with pleasure as I rock slightly back and forth, every inch of my being poured into the piece. I’m so involved in playing with my eyes closed; I almost forget to take advantage of the respite to look around quickly. I risk a peek to the left and right.
And it’s in that moment that I spot her.
She’s there – not next to her sister at the table enjoying the food and wine on her throne, not far away at the other side of the room, uninterested in my performance - she’s right THERE. In the front row of onlookers that’s now gathered around the foot of the circular pedestal, a look of wonder on her face.
I could have very nearly passed out then and there, and I feel my vision swim. I slow the song deliberately to give myself some breathing room. Between her and the performance, I’m not feeling too flash, but my heart kicks into overdrive – damn thing feels like it’s about to fly out of my chest, and that revives me a little. The crowd reckon that I’m just showing off again and laugh as I slow down, leaning away a bit from the piano.
That’s one of the better points about entertaining. When you get good at it, people think even your errors are all part of the act.
Now comes another hard bit - the exposition of the piece. My shoulders are already on fire, and I’m only two minutes in. The song is six minutes and twenty-five seconds long exactly. Lactic acid starts kicking in during the slow bits.
I deliberately throw a few chords and scales in there. They’re improvised to breathe some life into me, not the piece, and thankfully the crowd loves them anyway. Coming up to the two-thirty mark, and I turn up the pace again, my hooves tip-toeing over sharps and flats as I crash my way through a loud and fast section. My nerves are wracked.
The crowd is massive now. Celestia cranes her neck for a look at the face of whoever's playing that wonderful music. Someone’s trying to have a conversation with her, but I can see her through the gap the lifted lid of the black grand piano gives me. All she wants to look at is me. I see a gentle smile curve over her face as I push myself faster. I slap my wrists on chords, hitting everything with utter perfection. Another blast of notes in quick succession, and I hear a few gasps of amazement. My heart races. Only about two minutes left now. Time for my final trick.
I look over for her again before I try it. She’s still there, clapping and laughing. I hit an easy spot – just a soft moment of adagio again, and I l know that’s my signal. I take my right hoof off the keyboard completely and begin to play with just one hoof.
Granted, for the instant that I do it, it’s not relatively complicated - just a handful of chords repeated for a six or seven bars - but the crowd loves it. They applaud and gasp in amazement at my skill, and I smile to myself again.
Aside from resting my aching right arm, the handful of slowly-played bars gives me time to reach into my jacket pocket, producing a single, perfect blue rose. I paid dearly for it - I had to beg Twilight Sparkle to conjure one for me. Even with the incredible cost of the magical ingredients I needed, she made me agree I’d try and get all her friends tickets. I didn’t disappoint. And neither did she. It took her a whole hour, but Princess Celestia must’ve been a good teacher, because that Twilight produced something beautiful. I know that she too is out there somewhere, but she’s not the one I’m playing for.
I look to the right for her again – she’s still there, and I breathe a sigh of relief. Her eyes are still focused on me, not the rose. The song switches from series of steady low notes to a rush of high notes, and I get a little window to lean to the right as I play, handing her the rose as I look her in her gorgeous blue eyes. She gasps a little with surprise, but then she smiles at me, biting her lip slightly and blushing as the crowd whoops and cheers my bravado. I don’t notice anything but her as I put both my hooves back on the keys and jump back into my music. Just a few minutes left.
I can feel everyone’s eyes on me – there’s not a soul in the room who hasn’t heard me by now, and I want them to hear. All of my hard work. All of my brilliance. I screw up my eyes tightly and picture the last ripped, aged sheet of music in my mind, and I simply hammer the keys.
With thirty seconds to go. My hooves are on fire, an incredible mixture of pain and pleasure whirling through my mind as I feel the end coming closer. All I do is dance over the keys at an ever-increasing rate. It's an insane cocktail of adrenaline and love. It's what I was born to do.
Thirty seconds. How weird. It felt like it could have been ten minutes. You know that way that time draws itself out at the most inconvenient moments? That was exactly what happened.
The music reaches a crescendo. Accesso, I remembered writing on my sheet music. It means ‘ignited’. I set the room ablaze with my passion. It’s a seemingly endless moment, a literal blur of sound – my god, that sound! Pure, smooth notes, and boundless energy, energy so intense it electrifies every inch of my body whenever my hooftips brush the keys. I open up and release my innermost reserves of strength to keep myself going.
I was so close to perfection. So close to her. That one, impossible goal that had always dangled just out of my reach wherever I went in life.
To study perfectly. To play perfectly. To find perfection in someone else.
Twenty seconds.
So elusive were each of these things on their own, and yet here, as music filled the greatest hall of Equestria in front of the Princess herself, all three were close to being mine.
They were within an arm’s distance, and all I had to do was tap just a handful of keys more. Then, perfection would be mine… I could almost taste it on my tongue, feel it in my bones – an impossible sensation and flavour, one that I was sure could never exist, and yet one that I desired more than anything else.
Ten seconds.
A small half-second break before the final attack. A brief pause, and then a roar of sound as I resume.
Nine seconds.
My eyes open up for the first time in forever.
Eight.
I absorb the spectacular display of colour that dazzles my spinning mind.
Seven.
A symphony of the senses.
Six.
My eyes find her in the audience again. She stares into my own. She’s still watching. Blushing.
Five.
She was so perfect.
Four.
She had to be mine.
Three.
So unbelievably perfect.
Two.
I would make her mine.
One.
Everything I had, I gave to her...
Zero.
My hooves slam home on the final chord, and I slump back into the chair exhaustedly. It’s only then I remember that there’s no back to it. I topple over, the lights above me spinning in my eyes as I fall to the ground with a gentle thud.
The crowd explodes into applause. It’s music in its own way. It sounds better than anything I’ve ever played or heard.
... Way better.
I feel something land on my chest as I lie there. I tilt my head off the red carpet and observe it. It’s a flower. A daisy.
And then another lands on me.
This one’s a rose. Deep, rich, blood-red.
And another.
A white lily.
And another. A shower of flowers descends on me.
I struggle for a moment as I get to my feet, and I can feel hooves pulling me up. Several muscled, strong arms. Royal guards, their heroic faces turned upwards into grins of mirth and joy. I face the audience. Everybody is on their feet.
The thought occurs to me that I’ve just fallen over like a foal in front of everybody. Before the performance I might have simply lain there and pretended to have not existed. But now?... I just don’t care. My friend – my lifelong friend, Octavia. She’s sitting in the front row. I lock eyes with her and she cheers extra hard, waving.
A lucid feeling overcomes me as the scale of my accomplishment tickles the back of my mind. I smile back and wave. But even so, I keep looking slowly around the audience for her. Everywhere faces cheer me as I stand there, panting. Did she see it? Was she still here?
I find her again by the colour of her eyes. She’s not clapping, just looking at me, smiling gently.
Time, colour, sound… it all fades to naught as we lock eyes for a moment. I don’t even know how long it was that all I could hear was my own heart beating in my ears. It felt like forever. It felt like every happy dream that I’d had. Every smile I’d ever smiled. Every deep and relaxing breath I’d ever taken, and every laugh I’d ever laughed – it felt like all of those things, pushed into this instant. I'm sure that if life had a meaning, that that would have been it. A little moment of perfection that I'll remember forever.
Her cheeks are still a faded tinge of pink, and my heart skips a beat as I see the blue rose. She’s put it into her hair. It matches her mane perfectly. My god, she’s more beautiful than I could have possibly thought... Now that I had an excuse to look at her cool beauty, I did so for as long as I dared, drunk on the heart-stopping gaze of her sapphire eyes.
Me, the chestnut-brown earth pony. Born a musical prodigy. Her, the height of royalty. The Princess of the moon.
She keeps her gaze fixed on me as she turns away, beginning to weave her way through the crowd. I crane my neck instinctively to follow her. Where’s she going?
No sooner can I contemplate an answer when I feel the whack of a hoof on my back. I nearly lose my balance again, but immediately I’m swept into someone’s arms. It’s my teacher, Antonio. He hugs me and shouts words I can hardly hear over the racket. I stare at him blankly. He leans close to my ear and yells, and suddenly all the sound in the world returns to me in a blast.
__
“My little Clef, you have done it!” The Italian Palomino shouted in Cliff’s ear. “Bravissimo! I am so proud of you!” he yelled. A dull roar of cheers filled Clef’s ears as he recognised the sudden chant from the audience. “They want an encore!”
__
I consider it for a moment, before I shake my head. Not at the moment, folks. The crowd, my teacher included let out a simultaneous cry of dismay, but then Antonio elicits another roar from the crowd as he presents me to the audience. His finest student. His most proud moment, and deservedly, my own – but I don’t feel it as much as I should, this I know.
A gush of noise flows forth, a huge torrent of clapping, the loudest yet. Whistles, cheers, shouts of praise. I glow with embarrassment. As disappointed as they are, they know I’m exhausted. I don’t even bother to exit backstage – I release myself from my Teacher’s vice-like grip, turning about once, scooping the flowers off the floor into a makeshift bouquet.
I hold it to my muzzle and breathe deeply in the still unreal scent before simply stepping down off the stage. I walk my way to the door, enduring a cascade of hooves patting me on the back and rustling my hair. There were even a few ladies in the audience blowing kisses to me, but it wasn’t their eyes I sought. The crowd parted before me as I took towards the door, determined to chase after her.
And then Celestia appeared before me. I stopped, and the surge of onlookers behind me knocked me forward slightly. I regained my balance, and then bowed low, expecting a small speech on how well I played. Instead, she put a hoof on my chin, lifting me back up.
“That was so beautiful, I feel like we should all be bowing to you,” she said. I fumbled with a grin and opened my mouth, but before I could conjure any words, she craned her neck close to my ear, affixing me with her piercing lilac eyes.
“She asked me to tell you - you should go to the garden.”
My heart froze. How did she--?
“Gotcha!” she said, taking my surprised reaction as confirmation, a little smile dancing across her face. I blush deeply. I don't know how she knew.
“Go and chase her,” she added.
I obliged. I ran. I ran past the great white Pegasus whose presence and praise on any other day I would have died to keep. The double-oak doors were all that stood between me and the outside. I ran through those huge barriers, pushing them outwards with a gigantic thud.
__
Cliff ran along the packed corridor of Canterlot castle. The heat of the summer evening made him swelter, but he didn’t care. He didn’t care at all.
He had not run far when a wooden double-door to his left swung open suddenly. It was Octavia, and as soon as she saw Cliff, she let out an excited, high-pitched squeal. She dashed to him, throwing her arms around the startled pianist with a delighted laugh.
“Oh Cliff, that was… amazing! I’ve never ever seen you play so well.” she gave him a quick once-over, taking in his panting chest and the strand of sweat rolling down his face. “Cliff? What’s wrong? Where are you running to? Did you lose somethi-”
__
Then, she realises the reason I didn’t take my encore. She looks irritated. More irritated then I’d ever seen her.
“You gave up your encore for that?” She said indignantly. “Well, if you are going to go chasing after her, then I’m not going to stop you anymore!” The cellist said huffily, stamping her hoof down before turning her back to him.
I didn’t know whether to stay or go. There’s a long pause.
“Octavia…” I say gently.
Another long pause.
“Octavia, please.”
Another.
“Octavia.”
She sniffs to herself before speaking.
“Ugh, you are so juvenile.” She says. I can hear something in her ever-pompous voice, but she’s still not looking at me.
“Pot, kettle.” I say. She coughs, and I can’t tell if she was trying to hide a laugh or not. I think she was.
“Fine. She’s in the garden. With her friend Twilight. You know, Celestia’s student.”
I grin. She’s always looking out for me at times like these. I come up behind her and hug her around the midriff, wrapping my forelegs below her own, planting a sudden kiss on her grey cheek. She jumps in surprise. I love it when that happens.
"Thank you so much," I say. "It means the world to me."
It does.
She doesn’t reply, but I know she’ll be OK. She's always like that when she's happy.
I turned and went.
__
He burst through the garden doors. Even here there were still a handful of revelers taking in his masterpiece. They waved their glasses at him cheerfully as he ran by, following the garden’s winding path. Soon, he left the tables and revelers and lights far, far behind. He slowed.
__
I felt a bit foolish as I remembered why I was running in the first place. She wasn’t going anywhere. I knew that. I didn’t have to rush away... I suppose that’s just how I felt about her.
__
The summer wind blew softly once more. Its great force caused the tall trees to nod approvingly as the young colt trotted down through the sloping gardens, between perfectly manicured bushes of lush berries and flowers. The grass was a verdant green unmatched, and the zephyr of wind that gusted past him caused it to wave and shimmer in the radiance of the crescent moon. He took a moment to absorb his surroundings and breathe the warm air deeply. It smelled good, and felt better.
__
I walked forward through a gap in a small ring of shrubs, and there she is, with Twilight, just as Octavia had said. They’re both standing at the edge of the gardens where the cliff drops into the pools of water below, leaning on the marble railing and chatting. Twilight hears me coming and turns to face me. She’s smiling.
“Well, if it isn’t the maestro of Canterlot!” she says, clapping her front hooves together excitedly. The sound attracts the attention of the Princess, and she turns to face me as well.
I roll my eyes and laugh, despite my nervousness. I run a hoof along my brow in nervousness and I can feel the corners of my mouth tightening into a smile. I couldn’t have stopped it even if I wanted to, but I still stand there as the blood rushes to my cheeks.
“Oh come on, don’t embarrass me, Miss Sparkle.”
Twilight laughs.
“Miss?” she says, applying an air of importance to her voice. I flash a quick grin.
“Twi.”
“Better!” the purple unicorn says, trotting towards me a little, looking back at the Princess. “Luna, I want you to meet a friend of mine. Thought I don’t doubt you two have met before.”
I walk before her and kneel, taking her perfect blue hoof and kissing it lightly.
She dissolves into a fit of giggling. It sounds like spring water over rocks on a rainy day. I introduce myself.
“My name is Clef, your highness.”
Twilight huffs one of her characteristic sighs and pulls me up. By my shoulders, no less.
“Okay -- Cliff? I know you’re terrified of her and everything, but she’s not going to bite your head off for bad manners.”
I nod, exhaling a little. She’s still giggling, her cheeks returning to that magnificent shade of pink I had seen there during my performance. That really didn’t help. Now I’m terrified AND entranced. Then she speaks.
“It’s okay, Cliff. You can just call me Luna.”
I remember my first impression of her voice. That wasn’t at all what I was expecting either. It’s youthful, light - not the voice of a royal princess at all. Like a breath of fresh air. I’m still out of words.
I shake my head a little bit, and Twilight pats me on the shoulder.
“You’re probably going to have to talk to her sooner or later,” she says, the faintest grin on her face. “Because I have to go and stop Applejack from becoming too vicious with her pastry cart.”
Wait, what? The thought races through my head at a million miles an hour. She’s leaving me alone with her? I struggle to think of some vague reason to keep her around.
But before I can raise an objection, she’s gone with a flash of purple light, leaving me all alone with her. There’s an awkward silence while she just looks at me, that curious little smile that had given me such a buzz during my performance on her lips again.
I take a few steps forward and lean on the railing next to her. Her navy coat seems to blend in with the night sky, and without the solitary lamp suspended by a cord from the tree branches above, I’m sure I wouldn’t have seen her. I don’t dare look at her long though – I’m incapable of thinking if I do – and after what feels like forever, I finally manage to stutter out some kind of intelligible sentence.
“Did you like the rose?” I ask, staring out at the navy sea. My inner monologue beats me around the ears. Why did I just ask her that? What kind of way is that to start a conversa-
“It was beautiful.” She cuts my thoughts short. I feel my face flushing with pleasure again. “Twilight was telling me just before that you practically begged her to make one for you.”
I nod my head in agreement.
“They don’t occur naturally, so yes, I had to ask her.”
My heart freezes for a moment. Twilight had told her about the rose? I glance over at her worriedly. What else had she told her about?
She laughs another one of her curious, faint, tinkling laughs. My immediate concerns wash away as if it were nothing more than dirt on a crystal. If only you could take sound and bottle it, I think to myself.
“I thought the music you played was very beautiful, too.” It’s only now that I realise I’m staring at her as she talks to me, and I feel myself blanch a little as I turn back to face the stars.
“Thank you, your highne-” I pause, catching myself. “Luna.” A small feeling of pride accompanied by a tingle of happiness overcomes me as I say her name for the first time.
“What was it called?”
I feel myself grimace.
“It’s untitled, at the moment.” It was true, and pretty stupid. I hadn’t even contemplated it yet. All that work, and it had no name.
“What do you mean? It has no title?” I can feel her curious gaze on the side of me.
“Yes, that’s right. It's nameless. Well, I hadn’t thought a name for it yet, anyway.”
“You played a song with no name?” She asks. “But how did you find it to learn it and play it?”
I suddenly realise why she’s confused.
“Oh, right!” I exclaim. “I wrote it myself. Thus, it has no name.”
I hear her gasp a little bit. A shiver runs up my spine.
“You wrote that whole thing?”
I turn to her. She’s staring at me, her perfectly blue eyes wide open and surprised, her mouth slightly agape. She’s impressed.
“Yes, that’s right.”
She smiles again.
“How did you manage that?”
“Oh, a crotchet here, a minim there…” I draw a few imaginary notes in the night sky to my right. “It was just a little side project of mine…” I chuckle to myself proudly, my spirits welling a little bit. For once, I’m actually capable of looking at her when she talks to me.
“You’re very talented.”
“Nahh!” I wave a hoof at her. The heat floods to my cheeks once more “Get away.”
“No, really!” she says earnestly, and I’m a little taken aback by her insistence. “It was amazing.”
I laugh for the first time in what feels like forever. It feels like… a strong alcoholic drink. As it comes forth it burns my throat and my chest, and I feel a few of my worries and nerves being carried away into the air along with it.
“Thank you, again, your highness. It’s a huge honour.”
She sighs a little. I see a frown crease her otherwise perfect face.
“I’m not saying that as a Princess.”
I shake my head.
"But you are a Princess."
"No, I'm not."
“I’m fairly certain you are – at least that’s what I’ve heard.”
“No, I mean – well, I am, of course, but I’m not…” she looks at her hooves. “I don’t want to be a Princess to ponies.”
I’m a bit confused, so I press her.
“Why’s that?” I nod at the tiara placed around her head. “The life and lap of luxury? Endless respect and adulation? I can’t imagine a possible setback.”
I could later, of course. In fact, it's pretty easy to see why you might not enjoy it. But at that moment, I wasn’t really functioning fully. She looks back up at me. The frown’s gone, but so is her smile.
“Well, because people don’t talk to me to be nice or friendly. They do it because I’m a Princess.” She sighs and turns left, looking out at the night sky.
I nod slowly. Some part of my nervousness floats away idly.
“I know what you mean.”
“Huh?”
“Well, if my last name didn’t tip you off, I’ve got a bit of a musical heritage.”
I lean forward as I tell her about growing up in boarding school.
I tell her nearly everything I can remember. It felt good to talk to her about it. I tell her about how I’d been singled out for being a prodigy, isolated from my peers and sent to a fancy art school. I tell her about the loneliness I went through, my musical brilliance setting me apart from even the most gifted musicians. I tell her how Octavia was my best friend and how she stuck up for me all the time. I tell her a lot of things I probably wouldn’t have told anyone else, for obvious reasons.
In retrospect it's a stupid risk for me to have taken. How weird could I get, spilling my life story out like that?
Anyway... It’s a long story, and as I finish, I nod at her.
"People don't talk to me to be nice or friendly. They do it because they want me to play for them."
There's a short pause while she takes my words in.
“So what’s your story?” I continue, keen to break the silence.
She looks surprised. “Haven’t you heard?”
“Only vague whispers and rumours.”
“Then you know most of it already.” She sighs a little.
“Tell me anyway.”
So she does. Maybe she found my life a little more interesting than I thought. I can't believe it. She really starts talking to me about her own backstory. She tells me all about how she and her sister Celestia ruled Equestria together. How she got jealous of her sister. How her night-time, all her work and everything beautiful she put into it – was never really seen by anyone. They were all asleep. Nobody was there to appreciate it.
She tells me about how her bitterness had awakened a spiteful side of her, a side called nightmare moon. I can hear her breath shudder a little as she goes to describe the night she was banished.
"...I'll never forget that night, as long as I live," she says. She looks pained, mournful, regretful.
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to," I said. She shakes her horned head sadly.
“No. I feel like I owe you something for you telling me about yourself.”
She goes on to explain how her evil side had taken control of her, and how she had used her powers to try and stop the sun from rising, bathing the lands in eternal night. Celestia had used the elements of harmony to imprison her in the moon from then till only recently.
“I was so cold…” she says, and I see her wings shake a little. She continues to stare into the boundless galaxies above, and I take the opportunity to step a little closer. Close enough to reach out and hold her. She lets out a little gasp as I touch her magnificent, silver wings, putting my hoof on her back.
“You’re trembling, Luna. Please stop.”
There’s a long pause.
“I’m sorry." She fumbles with an apology – but I’m not interested in hearing it.
“You don’t need to say you're sorry. It wasn't really you.”
“I know, it’s just –” She stops herself halfway. I don't really mind.
"Some things in life, you just don't need to explain," I say softly. I was thinking it. It didn't sound as horrible in words as I thought it would.
I remove my hoof, and together there we stand for a while. The lonely musical prodigy and the imprisoned princess. Two isolated people. Different worlds, same problems. Together, we appreciate the deep, velvet sky. It's a long time before I even think about speaking.
“I think you underestimated how much people loved your night.”
She looks up at me.
“What do you mean?” she asks, gazing at me. I look down and see she’s still sad, lost in her own thoughts.
“Well, I wrote the song by moonlight.” I say.
“Really? That was your inspiration?”
“Yep. I love the stars.”
“Wow…” she stares off into space again as I continue to talk.
“When I was a foal in boarding school, I used to have the bottom bunk. It was the worst bunk you could get, too – it was right by the window, so in the morning, the sun used to get in my eyes really early. And every night before I went to bed, I’d always be looking out here.” I wave my hoof at the trail of white above me. “I used to count the stars before I went to sleep,” I say. “If the moon was bright enough I’d stare at that too, until I drifted off. Sometimes, I’d lie awake for hours, just watching it. Counting the dots on its surface, its silvery white radiance. It was beautiful to me.”
Luna shivers again at the mention of the moon. I continue.
“And, even though I was always a bit lonely as a little foal, I thought the mare in the moon was always someone I could look at, and stare at. Someone special, who'd just take me for who I was rather then what I was.”
I’m not kidding, either. Shut up about it, will you?
Luna looks me in the eyes.
“Really?…Is that all true?"
I wince. The embarrassing stupidity of what I'm saying actually hits me. “Yeah.”
"...So you wrote it about the moon? My moon?”
Well of course, I wrote it with her in mind. But I wasn’t about to tell her that much. Besides, it wasn’t a full lie. I really had written it about the moon.
"Yeah, I did."
The mare in the moon.
“Well that’s not what your friend Octavia told twilight.”
My whole body tenses. Any looseness I had gained from her compliments and the stories I had told her vanishes. Despite the warm breeze, I suddenly feel as if someone’s tipped a bucket of ice water on my head. Something happens to me. My brain’s on holiday, and it’s left in its place a useless grey lump. It takes me a while to make my mouth work again, but I manage it without imitating a goldfish.
“Octavia… is friends with Twilight?”
“She’s friends with me, silly!”
Oh, hell, I thought. I guess this is Octavia’s way of getting me back for all those years of teasing. I can’t help but picture her and Twilight laughing to themselves about my predicament, back in the light and music of the castle.
“Twilight told me, that Octavia said you’d worked nearly non-stop on it.”
I wordlessly nod. It’s all I can do.
“And, she also told me how much time you spent in the music library beforehand.”
Another piece of the puzzle clicks into my head. Twilight would have been in the music library too, of course. I’ve just been too tied up in my music to even notice her once, even in all the time I spent there writing. I realise I’ve been played like a foal, and I run a hoof nervously through my mane. It’s not as immaculate as it was before, but it’s still there. I haven’t subconsciously torn it all out in stress, and that’s good enough for me.
“Is that right?” I inquire, turning my head back out to the stars. I wanted to look her in the face, but I found myself again incapable of thinking when I looked at her. “How long ago did she tell you this, exactly?”
“Oh, about two months ago.”
Damnit, Twilight. I'd have to remember to get her back somehow.
“And what else did she tell you?”
“Nothing, nothing.” She pauses. “…But Octavia told me all about how nervous you were.”
...Maybe I'd put a rubber snake in her bed.
“…And how much you were looking forward to playing tonight.”
She leans a little closer.
“Just for me.”
My heart flies in my chest and, despite my best efforts, I can feel my breath is strained.
“So, is there anything you’d like to tell me?” She says.
I feel like I’m going to die, but all the same I turn back to her and laugh nervously.
“Other than my sudden and utterly profound dislike for both of these ponies?” I shrug.
She laughs. Not a giggle, but a laugh – it lifts my spirits, to listen to her. I watch her laughing, and as I do, I feel a smile forming over my own face. Suddenly, I’m laughing too. For real, this time. It starts soft and quiet, but then it grows. It grows louder and louder, till we’re both heaving with laughter. Laughter so hard, I can’t even stand up straight. We both laugh for ages, and I don’t even care that we both look crazy. Like two lunatics, probably. We're both silhouetted against the night sky by the pale brightness of the moon. I throw my head to the velvet above and almost fall on my haunches as I stagger back, doubled over with laughter. She’s in tears, leaning on the side of the rail just to hold herself up. It felt like an eternity.
I don’t really know why we laughed as much as we did. I guess I’m just happy to be here with her. Sharing the moment, swapping stories. Kindred spirits, I guess.
The uproar begins to die down to a few chuckles as she looks at me, still panting lightly for breath. I meet her eyes again, the echoes of my laughter still escaping from my mouth in little bubbles of mirth. I wipe a hoof across my own to remove the moisture from them, this stupid grin on my face as I stare at her. She’s smiling too.
The trees dance slowly as the wind stirs up.
There’s that smell again, so rich and earthly in flavour. All around me I can see and hear the music of the night. Night-birds calling to each other with gentle hoots. The gentle hum of crickets and cicadas in the warmth. The castle in the near distance, all lit up, its white towers capped with roofs of gold and purple, illuminated by the infinite stars overhead, and the waning light of the crescent-shaped moon.
And then she kisses me.
If this was a nightmare or a dream, I’d have woken up already, so I don’t bother to pinch myself. Instead, I kiss her back.
...What do I say about it? I don’t know. It was hard to explain. I knew it felt good, but it was so much more than just good. It was like the song I had written. Senseless, fire-like. Numbing. Passionate and all-consuming.
Perfection.
Her hot and moist lips run over mine as she sighs in satisfaction and desire.
I brush a hand through her mane. It’s soft – satin-like, smooth to the touch. It stirs a scent into my nostrils – a perfume of the rarest wildflowers, sweet like honey. We break our kiss for a moment and stare deeply into each other’s eyes. It’s a wordless moment of pure wonder as she actually looks happy. Happier than I’ve seen her yet. She kisses me on the tip of my nose again.
“You’re sweet,” she says to me softly.
“I love you.” I reply, without thinking. She blushes deeply. We kiss again, this time deeper than before. She places her hooves around my neck, and I place her lips gently against mine once more, her long, wet tongue dancing in unison with mine. I don’t care if anyone sees. Not at all. In fact, nothing would please me more. My heart felt like shouting it to the whole world. Music wouldn’t have done it justice. But there wasn’t time to put it in words or song. No, I'd never have enough time to write about that.
For now, she was mine. I was the King of Equestria, and she was my Queen, her beauty and radiance shining in the moonlight.
This time, I broke the kiss. She looked at me with those dulcet blue eyes of hers. I just wanted to see them again. She speaks.
“Is this what you had in mind when you wrote the song?”
I hug her close to me as I nod gently. Another one of her pleasured sighs sets us off kissing again, though this time it contained something extra. Something new, from her at least – something that caused her to push a little harder with her tongue, her lips pressed firmly against my own. Stronger than simple desire.
She traces her front hooves through my mane as we stand there, locked together for an age. It ends with her again. She breaks the kiss. I’m still holding her navy elegance in my arms, with one hoof stroking her immaculate mane.
“What is it?” I ask.
“I… I don’t know if we should do this.”
“Why not?”
I can see tears welling in her eyes.
“Well, it’s just… I’m…”
“Immortal, I know.”
She looks at me with surprise.
“How did you know?”
“Rumours and whispers.”
“And you don’t care?”
“No.”
She’s still upset. A single tear rolls down her cheek as I hold her to me.
“You’re pretty when you cry, too.”
She sniffs and wipes the tear away before she speaks again.
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
“I’ll live longer then you, that’s why!” she says. More tears stream down her face as she buries her head in my chest. “I couldn’t bear it.”
I can feel the tears. They’re warm. Unhappy. Genuine. And yet I know them to be meaningless.
“No, that’s not true.” I look down at her.
She looks up at me, her tear-stained face sparkling.
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll always be mine, Luna.” I squeeze her tightly in my arms. “From the moment I wake till when I sleep. Even through my dreams.”
I hold her even closer, and even tighter. The cliche couldn't bother me less, and I'm thrilled to see her smile a little at my words.
“You’re my guardian angel. You’ve been my angel since I was a foal. The mare in the moon. In my loneliness, how badly I wanted you to be real, and as if you heard me, you came back for me.”
I stroke a stray strand of her hair from her teary eyes as I cradle her softly.
“And that’ll be the way it is and always will be, even after I’ve passed through this world – because I know you’ll keep me in your heart and mind. Forever.”
I kiss her on the lips, gently, briefly.
“Forever mine.”
Again.
“Forever thine,” she whispers to me.
And once more.
“Forever us.”
|
AbsoluteAnonymous
|
1359
| 1 |
Romance,Sad
|
Seeking Color
|
A certain pink pony is desperate to leave behind her life of grays and find colour wherever she can.
|
complete
| 203 | 4 |
<p>Ever since she saw her first rainbow, a certain pink pony has been desperate to leave behind her life of grays and find color by whatever means she can…even though some of these means are a little unorthodox, and even though she knows that nothing can ever come from it. But why is that?</p>
|
everyone
| null |
2012-05-31T17:15:33+00:00
| 4,058 |
She had grown up among shades of gray.
"There was no talking. There was no smiling. There were only rocks."
Rock farms didn't exist, obviously. Who would farm rocks? It was ridiculous.
She had, however, grown up among rocks.
"There were only rocks..."
That part wasn't a lie.
She'd been born and raised on a depressingly barren settlement along with her two sisters and her mother and father. There, stones littered the cold, hard ground in lieu of grass and flowers, and the trees were dead and almost skeletal with their bare branches. The citizens had long-ago rejected the help of the Weather Pegasi, deeming it "unnatural" to have ponies that controlled the seasons and instead leaving it up to fate. The sky must have been confused by this neglect, and ended up settling on a neutral dull grayness that nopony ever cleared away. The sun never shone, the rain never fell, no plants could grow, and the land began to die, slowly but surely, until there was nothing left but the clouds in the skies.
Gray, just like everything else.
The community they had lived in firmly believed in the rejection of pride and arrogance and in the acceptance of ideals such as "humility" and "submission," and the Pie family had long ago rejected all their worldly goods, surviving on just the barest necessities. Growing up, she'd had no toys or books or games, and they had never celebrated any but the most religious holidays. Days were spent trying to keep the family farm going - "thriving" would have been too much to ask for, so they ended up settling on just scraping by, a decision that suited their minimalist lifestyle.
She'd never had a birthday before coming to Ponyville. She had never expected one or even noticed the absence, as her sisters before her had never had them, either, and it never occurred to any of them that a birthday might be a cause for celebration. In their family, growing older meant that you were expected to do more work.
As the youngest, for a long, long time she was considered too weak to be of much help with the chores, and so she spent her days trying to find amusement wherever she could. Even if she ended up spending the time moving rocks around for fun and trying to make shapes in the dirt with them, or sorting them into different piles based on what little colour they had.
And then one day there was an explosion.
The barrier between magic and reality exploded, sending shockwaves of rippling colour and light across the gray sky.
Only it wasn't gray anymore. The clouds had been cleared for the first time in her memory, revealing the glorious sun and a streak of beautiful colour dancing across the sky.
At the tip of the trailing rainbow wake was what seemed to be a dot of cyan.
She stood and stared in awe, completely oblivious that her normally razor-straight mane had been utterly obliterated. And for the first time, she felt the corners of her mouth begin to turn up into something like a smile.
xxxxx
The shelf in the closet held a cupcake with a bite taken from it, a jar of liquid rainbow, a blurry photo, and a clutch of cyan feathers. To anypony else this assortment of items might seem like random trash, but to the pink pony examining them, they were her most precious treasures.
The cupcake had vanilla frosting and was filled with her favourite hot sauce. She'd given it to Rainbow Dash a few days ago as a joke, who'd taken a single bite before smiled faintly, eyeing it affectionately as she held it. I supposed some ponies just can't handle spicy stuff. Oh well.
She pushed it back to its place on the shelf, and took up the jar of rainbow.
She'd stolen it when Rainbow Dash had given them the tour of Cloudsdale at the Best Young Fliers competition. When nopony was looking she'd secretly filled the jar so that she could take some of it back home with her. She wanted to always have her own personal rainbow to brighten her life with. But then she thought she saw Rainbow Dash notice her sneaking the sample and panicked, pretending that she was trying to taste it, even though she knew how spicy rainbows were supposed to be. Luckily, the others had just written it off as her being random again, and nopony saw her slip the jar of stolen colour into her pocket.
The photo was one that she'd managed to snap in secret while Rainbow was out flying one day. It was blurry because it was almost impossible to get a good action shot of the pegasus, since she just flew so impossibly fast. It had depressed her, and she had begun to practice running so that she could try and keep up with her someday. The thought of being able to run alongside her made her want to sing. She knew she could never fly with her, as much as she wanted to, but that was okay. She'd take whatever she could get.
The feathers had been gathered from all around town. Rainbow Dash was always crashing into things and losing feathers, and Pinkie always found them afterwards. Nopony ever noticed her sneaking them. Nopony ever questioned why she didn't leave feathers everywhere the way other pegasi did.
The memory of Rainbow's scent was so strong that she could swear that it still seemed to cling to the feathers, even after she'd lost them. If she'd asked anypony else they would've said that was impossible, but then how did they explain the scent? It was fresh, like grass and rain and clean air. It was so different from the cloying sweetness that permeated Sugarcube Corner. The scent of chocolate and sugar and warm bread tended to be so thick in the bakery that it made her gag whenever she paused to think about it for too long.
She closed her eyes and smiled, absently stroking the feathers she held. They were so soft, just like Dashie's wings, and if her eyes were shut she could pretend that they really were her wings.
These were her treasures.
xxxxx
One cold, clear night, long after she'd come to live in Sugarcube Corner, she'd been sitting by her bedroom window and gazing at the stars. The streets had been empty, lit only by the glow of Luna's silver moon; and then she'd seen that now-familiar bolt of colour, trailing a shimmering rainbow in the air.
She hadn't even thought about it at the time. As soon as she saw that rainbow, she practically threw herself out the window and began to chase that precious colour, following the trail to its source. And there she was, a pegasus the colour of her precious sky and with a shock of multicolour hair, perched on a cloud, eyes shut in sleep.
That had been the first time she truly saw her. Her first instinct was to wake her up and introduce herself; but as she approached the sleeping pegasus she was struck by a sudden terror, and fled.
Since that very first almost-meeting, she knew, she just knew, that it must have been her. When she'd seen her very first rainbow all those years ago, she could've sworn she saw a pegasus leaving the rainbow wake behind her, but she'd never been sure; and surely only somepony composed of sky and cloud and colour the way Rainbow Dash was could've done something like Sonic Rainboom at the competition confirmed it; the shockwave of colour was identical to the one she'd seen when she was just a little filly.
Rainbow Dash had given her a reason to smile. Her Dashie had brightened her desperate existence, and she would forever be grateful to her for that.
xxxxx
Nopony else knew that she kept these memories.
Every night, when she was all alone and knew that nopony else was awake, she would sneak into the basement of the bakery and into the hidden back room where she locked these treasures away.
She was the only one who even knew this room existed. It was the biggest secret she had, and she didn't want to risk revealing it to any of her friends, as much as she loved them all in her own way. They wouldn't understand how important the items were to her. They would laugh at her, or find it creepy and weird and another sign of the instability they seemed so determined to find in her, or dismiss it as her being unfathomable again before forgetting all about it.
And for some reason the idea of these feelings being dismissed as unimportant was even more unbearable than the idea of her being rejected because of them, because she had never felt anything more important in her entire life.
Some nights...the happier nights, when she'd had a day of Rainbow Dash and pranking and fun and partying...the memory of lingering joy would still reside with her. And then she would wake up and sneak down to her private room and she would sit among her treasures, smiling and dreaming.
Some nights...the sadder nights, when she'd had an especially lonely day for whatever reason...she would wake up and sneak down to her private room and cry and cry and cry, tears trailing down her cheeks and great, heaving sobs breaking free against her will. She never woke up anypony; the room was so hidden away that no one heard her cry. Sometimes she wished that they did, so that they'd come and ask what was wrong, but that never happened.
She cried because she knew that as much as she wanted it, this was something that she could never have. As much as her heart ached for her dearest friend in the whole world, she knew that she would never, ever be able to confess how she really felt, and that she would never, ever be with her, and for a very simple reason.
Eventually, even on the happier nights, a time would come when she couldn't bear to be around Rainbow Dash anymore and she would have to leave the room where she kept the fragments of her. She was always back in her bedroom by sunrise.
She would step inside and close the door. Brush the hair from her eyes and wipe the streaks of tears from her face, hoping her eyes wouldn't be puffy in the morning. It wouldn't due for anypony to notice she'd been crying.
And like every other night, she approached the mirror.
She pressed her hooves against the glass, touching her reflection and sighing in resignation, breath fogging up the mirror as she pressed her forehead against it.
She pulled back, wiped away the fog, and got a good look at herself.
Long, straight pink mane shrouding her face. Dull, expressionless blue eyes with a far-off look to them. Something like a grimace written on her mouth as she stared at herself in stony silence.
Every night ended this way, and every morning began this way.
Pinkamina turned away, and returned to bed.
She wrapped herself in the thick comforter as tightly as possible before closing her eyes. My shift's almost over, she thought with a weak attempt at a smile.
xxxxx
They both wanted nothing more than to be happy. It was just...Pinkamina had lived a childhood of bleak depression, and didn't know how to be happy...and life couldn't be all smiles all the time, yet Pinkie didn't know how to be sad.
The ways things were now were for the best.
Pinkie was for the day, happy and bouncing and full of songs and cheer, spreading love and joy to all the ponies in town. But at night, Pinkamina would slip out for a few hours of quiet freedom and reflection; and if things ever grew too frightening or upsetting or confusing for her alter during the daylight hours, then it was Pinkamina's job to take back the reigns to spare her.
And nothing was more confusing than a love like this. She was strong, though. She could handle it. It was okay. But she knew the truth, and the truth was that as long as she was pushed aside and forgotten, she would never be able to be with Rainbow Dash. Her job was to protect Pinkie from complicated feelings like this, and she couldn't just go ahead and screw everything up between her and Rainbow Dash for her own selfish whims.
She would have to keep them to herself.
Pinkamina was the ghost that Pinkie laughed at to keep at bay. She barely understood who Pinkamina was, or that Pinkie had only manifested because Pinkamina needed her.
She'd accepted that long ago.
In the morning, when Pinkie woke up with a spring in her step and Pinkamina was back in the corner, forgotten and alone, she would only have the faintest memory of what had happened that night. Maybe she would have a sudden desire to find Rainbow Dash for a day of pranking, or maybe she'd throw a spontaneous party for her best friend. Maybe the lingering affection would manifest in some other, wildly unpredictable way. The same way that when Pinkamina woke up at night, she would still feel the lingering joy from Pinkie's happiness. Joy that she would never be able to feel otherwise.
Pinkie would never have the faintest idea of what Pinkamina did at night, because it was her job to keep her happiness safe from troubling emotions like that. She was like her bodyguard, in a way. A knight in shining armour, but without the armour. Or a physical body of her own.
As long as Pinkie had her day, Pinkamina would have her night. And even though she knew that she would never be able to confess her feelings, that she had to bear the burden of them alone for Pinkie's sake, she would still have her dreams, and her memories of colour and of the time she could smile.
|
Soviet
|
1360
| 1 |
Crossover,Dark
|
Amnesia: A Pony's Descent
|
A pony wakes up in a dark and foreboding castle with no memory of who he is.
|
complete
| 8 | 3 |
<p>My submission for the napowrimo on EqD<br /><br />A pony with no memory of who he is wakes up in a dark and foreboding castle that lies secluded in the woods of far eastern Equestria. The only thing that he finds upon waking that gives any help is a letter addressed to him from his past self telling him to do only one thing: to murder Alexander of Bridleburg. His past self also warns him of a deadly Shadow that is following him and that there is no way to fight back, only run. He will come to find that this dark castle is far more deadly than he had ever imagined and will come to face the sins of his past as he ventures further into the darkness.</p>
|
mature
| null |
2011-10-10T17:21:12+00:00
| 447 |
Amnesia: A pony’s descent
A quick note:
- The date this is set in is based off of the idea that the events of FiM happened in the year 1000 and this is going backwards from that into 839
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following characters or places used from either My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic or Amnesia: The Dark Descent and each belong to © Hasbro and © Frictional games, respectively. And thanks for making both an awesome show and an awesome game.
__________________________________________________________________________
Don’t forget, some things mustn’t be forgotten. The Shadow hunting me…
My name is Charcoal, I grew up in Canterlot, at, at uh, Hayfair…
What have I done? This is crazy. Don’t forget. I must stop him. Focus…
My name is… Charcoal…
The world was spinning. Everything, everything around me was in a blur. I moved my head up and down slightly and my surroundings only became less recognizable as my eyes shifted around the room. I closed my eyes once more and tried to get my train of thought straight. As I tried to clear my head, a few words and phrases had surfaced in my mind. Charcoal…The Shadow…hunting…Canterlot…Hayfair…stop him. None of it made sense to me. The words themselves had the faintest hint of familiarity to them, but nothing more.
The world became more in focus as proper vision slowly began to return to me. Cumbrously, I began to move my legs and attempt to get off of my side. After several attempts, I had finally managed to get enough energy to stand and maintain balance, though very uneasily. I still had no idea who I was or how I had gotten here. I could remember technical things, such as math, science, and history that’s not my own. It only frustrated me more, having all of this knowledge but not knowing absolutely anything about myself.
The world was back into enough focus now that I could get a proper survey of my surroundings. From what I could tell, I was in a small room with nothing of interest inside, but outside was a long hallway leading into darkness from what I could see. The stonework walls were a drab gray with cobblestone floors of equal color. Windows lined the hallway, yet very little light seemed to shine through them. Taking my first, awkward steps towards them, I attempted to look outside but to no avail. All I could see was just thick fog lining the windows, making visibility though them impossible. The small droplets of water appearing on the window and the occasional flash signified that it was raining.
I gave up on the windows and looked down to see a strange, pinkish fluid pooled up on the stone floor. I had no inclinations to even try to touch it. Visually following the floor down the lit parts of the hallway, I noticed even more splotches of the mysterious liquid forming a path. Not knowing what else to do, I began to follow the path down the hallway into the unknown darkness.
The further I moved through the hallway, the more I began to realize just how disoriented I still was. Standing up is one thing, but moving and trying to follow a path at the same time was taxing on my mind. My surroundings morphed and warped as I moved forwards in the most surreal manner and my vision seemed slightly tilted even though my head was straight. Coming to the end of the hallway, I noticed an open door space at its edge. Peering inside and adjusting my eyes to the dark, it was revealed that the hallway going further was cut off by a rock slide.
Seeing that way was impossible then, I continued to follow the liquid trail leading to my right. Before I managed to fully turn my vision blurred uncontrollably as I found myself falling to my side. With heavy breaths, I managed to regain control and stand up once more to continue moving. I had no idea where I was going but anywhere had to be better than this dark hallway. At the end of this hallway though was a large door with lit candles around it. This must be the way out of here. Hurrying as fast as I could without losing control again, I finally made it to the door and pushed hard against it to open it. It didn’t budge. Several more attempts later I had given up and realized that the door was locked and impossible to open. Looking back, I noticed that the liquid trail led down a side hallway to my right. It hadn’t led me to any dead ends yet, so I might as well follow it.
I turned down the side hallway and began to move towards its edge, this hallway was at least lit better. While moving along with much burden, a moving wardrobe door to my left had caught my attention. Curious, I opened the door all the way. Nothing too interesting was inside, a couple of dress shirts and what looks like a small tin can. I picked up the small thing and finally realized what it was, a tinderbox. It could be useful for later, so I decided to hold on to it for the moment. I continued moving down the hallway no longer stopping to check ever door, I had to find out where this trail was leading. At the end of the hallway the trail snaked to the right and went under a closed door. This one, thankfully, was unlocked. I opened the door and continued my journey into some place that I knew nothing of.
The door led to another section of the hallway that continued for a little bit longer before turning again to the right. This section was lit as well. Looking down, the liquid trail indeed followed the hallway to the right. I also noticed a few miscellaneous items scattered across the floor as well besides the liquid. Among them: books, some destroyed and some in fine condition, small plates, silverware, and other things that didn’t belong on the floor of a hallway. I looked back up just in time to see a sudden, howling wind burst open a door a little ways up to my right. The candles that were lit all down the hallway had simultaneously gone out. I recoiled at the sudden action and almost lost my balance again, but barely managed to keep from falling over. That wind was no natural breeze, it couldn’t have been. What the hell was going on here?
With much more trepidation, I pushed forward with every one of my instincts screaming at me not to. I reached the door that had been blown open and looked inside. It was a somewhat small storage room, some of the shelves were overturned and water pooled at its base, I sure wasn’t going in there. Moving more quickly now, I made my way to the furthest edge of the hallway and turned right into the only lit room as the left path was darkened. The room though was a dead end, but on all of the walls though was the same portrait of a very old looking pony. He had a gray coat and a pure white mane that was bare on the middle of his head but present on both sides. I also noticed a horn protruding from his forehead, must be a unicorn then. I myself am an earth pony with a gray coat that had the slightest hint of brown and a full dark gray mane, one of the few things that I actually know about myself only by looking through the shattered reflection of a mirror in the corner of the room. There was also something else; I could see a small pickaxe that appeared on my flank. My cutie mark apparently, it didn’t give much insight into myself.
As I observed the portrait further, everything was suddenly darkened as all of the lit candles in the room suddenly extinguished themselves by another fierce and frigid wind. Panicked, I stumbled out of the doorway, only to hear the most unholy roar ever coming from every direction. It rang across the hallway with unimaginable loudness as if it was right next to me, but nothing was there. I was completely terrified and my muscles seized, causing me to fall over again. I began to hyperventilate even after the roar disappeared. After a few minutes I managed to calm myself to the point where I could stand again, once again picking up the liquid trail left for me. After what had just occurred, I no longer felt the need to deviate from its path.
Moving once again, I came upon a small table with another tinderbox. This room too had windows, something that the previous hallways had lacked. To the tinderbox’s right was a small cylindrical glass object. Observing it closer, I saw that it was a lantern. A lantern! Next to the lantern as well was a small leg pouch with a case of oil inside of it. I decided to make use of both the bag and oil. First, by filling the lantern with the oil and second by putting on the bag and placing the tinderbox I collected in it. Feeling much more confident, I once again pushed into the darkness by following the trail to my right.
Following the path through the door into another hallway, I noticed that no more windows lit the path like the previous room and was much darker than the previous paths. Pulling out the tinderbox, I used the contents to light several candles down the hallway to illuminate its path up towards another room. Inside the room were about a dozen shelves, all lining along the edges of the room, filled with various glass containers, none looked like the oil I found though. Straight ahead of me was a small table with a lit candle and a piece of parchment on it. Walking towards the desk, curiosity got the best of me as I picked up the parchment and began to read what was on it to myself:
19th of August, 839
I wish I could ask you how much you remember. I don’t know if there will be anything left after I consume this drink. Don’t be afraid, Charcoal. I can’t tell you why, but know this: I choose to forget. Try to find comfort and strength in that fact, there is a purpose. You are my final effort to put things right. Celestia willing the name Alexander of Bridleburg still invokes bitter anger in you. If not, this will sound horrible: Go to the inner sanctum and kill Alexander. He is old and weak, and you are young and strong. He will be no match for you.
One last thing: A Shadow is following you. It’s a living nightmare that breaks down reality. I’ve tried everything and there is no way to fight back. You have to escape it for as long as you can. Redeem us both, Charcoal. Descend into the darkness where Alexander waits and murder him.
Your former self,
Charcoal
Charcoal, so my name is Charcoal. I suppose it makes sense considering my coat and mane color. But, what about the rest of what was written? Who was this Alexander that was mentioned? And why do I have to murder him? For what reason? None if it made any sense. Also, Alexander, that’s a strange name for a pony, none that I’ve ever heard before. All the names of important figures from Equestrian history that I remembered had names similar to mine, Alexander was strange indeed. But it did say that he chose to forget, so maybe that’s just what happened, he forgot everything. I had no idea what to make of this note. It made no sense but at the same time seemed…right, like it’s the truth and what I must do. I didn’t know, I’ll just have to keep going forwards and hope that I can make sense of this entire situation.
The liquid trail ended in the center of the room so I was on my own now. So far that hadn’t exactly led me to any good things, but I still had to keep moving, if for nothing else, to get out of this light forsaken place. Scanning the room once more, I noticed a small lever to my left. That had to be the only way out of this dead end room. Moving over and finally pushing down on it, a small section of the wall to the right of the lever lowered and revealed a door past it. Steeling myself, I walked up to the door and opened it to continue my descent into whatever may await me past it.
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The stairs that were through the door went up only a little ways, but just enough for me to not be able to see what was past them. Walking up and over the final step, I finally saw what the stairs led to, a massive room. The room was in much worse shape than the previous section of the castle that I was in. It looked very old and very worn from age. Four giant columns in a square shape in the middle of the room supported its structure, though one was completely knocked down and a giant hole in the ceiling was the result of it. Piles of rubble were scattered all across the room with a higher level up to my right with stairs leading to it at the far end of the room. This area was much more unsettling than the last one I was in. Mainly because it just seemed so much more unsafe with everything looking like it had gone through a war inside. Light from the windows that were in the room though had shone with more brightness than before; it must have stopped raining then.
The castle itself had even struck me as odd. The architecture looked nothing like the architecture that I ever remembered seeing. I do remember Canterlot, and the buildings there, but not what I did there, that was still blank to me. I could remember the setting, but not the events. It’s just so strange how the style of this castle varied so greatly from all of the castles that I remembered. In fact, this castle looked absolutely nothing like Equestrian architecture in general. Also, the name Bridleburg had a familiar sound to it; I thought I remembered learning something about it, mostly through rumors. The area itself was in the far eastern reaches of Equestria, surrounded by mountains, was virtually uninhabited except for the Bridleburg area itself, and very little of it had even been explored past Bridleburg. If what the note had said was true, then I was very far away from home.
I moved towards the center of the room, trying to get a better view of everything in it. Near its center, I noticed a large symbol engraved into the floor as well as a set of stairs leading down next to them. As I started to look closer at it to try and remember what it was, I suddenly felt a strange sensation coming over me. I gasped as I began to remember something. A bright light flashed before my eyes and I was forced to close them for a second while it passed, and once I opened them, the room seemed different somehow, but I couldn’t figure out how. Then, words from a flashback began to ring through my ears:
“Is it inside the castle, Alexander?”
“In a manner of speaking. Come, bring the lamp. You’ve been to the Refinery have you not?”
“I don’t believe I have. Is it connected to the… what did you call it?”
“The Inner Sanctum, my most precious chamber, Charcoal. And it lies beyond the Refinery. In fact, it lies beneath the very stone of Bridleburg.”
Another flash. Once I reopened my eyes again, everything went back to normal. The Inner Sanctum? That was something that the note had referred to. That’s where I have to go. But, it didn’t seem like Alexander was what the note had described him to be. He seemed almost like he was helping me. So why does the note ask me to murder him? The more I remembered the more confused I seemed to get. I would just have to keep going and try to learn more.
I descended the stairs towards the closed door. Right before reaching it, I lit the lantern and held it with my mouth as I opened the door. Beyond the door was the beginning of a hallway, this one though was slightly different in that the entire hall wasn’t completely made of stone, only the bottom half was while the top half was whitewashed with wooden support pillars every ten meters or something close to that. But the hallway was abruptly cut off by this red, fleshy substance webbed across the width of the hallway. Moving up to it, I pressed my hoof against the thing, it indeed felt flesh-like, except very sticky and more squishy. I tried to punch through it a couple of times but this material was much tougher than it had looked. Something must be able to get through it though; it’s the only way that I can reach the Inner Sanctum.
I turned back and returned up the stairs to where I had the flashback. Then I had noticed the massive hallway that was in front of me. I hadn’t bothered to look that way before. It was then that I realized what this room way, the castle’s foyer. It had to be, it’s the only way a hallway that size would lead into a room this large. Perhaps that door was able to be opened. I rushed towards the door, stopping on the way to pick up another tinderbox and oil jar that I had noticed. Looking at the massive door less than a meter away now, I began to push on it with all my strength.
No sooner after I started did the entire castle shake as if an earthquake had just struck it and another terrifying roar ripped through my ears. This one was different though, it sounded almost like a train horn, but it pierced though and struck me down at my core with absolute fear. After recoiling from the roar I saw the same red flesh-like substance starting to grow on the door itself. It spread cancerously over the door and eventually completely covered it, making any attempts to open it impossible. It didn’t matter though, I was running away from the stuff before it even finished growing for fear that it might spread further.
There was no way that I was going back there. I had to find this Inner Sanctum, as it appeared that it was my only way to ever get out of this place. Looking to my left, I saw two potential paths, go up the stairs to the upper level that I could see in front of me, or head down another set of stairs into an area that I couldn’t see. I decided to try the stairs going up first, as the stairs going down where completely dark. After a few steps of beginning to walk up the stairs, a blood curdling scream, followed by a female voice begging "No! Get away from me!” I turned abruptly as the sound came from back down the stairway that I chose to ignore before. It must have been a hallucination but it sounded so real. I had to investigate.
Moving back down the stairs, I lifted the lantern once more as I came upon the edge of the stairs leading further down. I saw nothing except for a somewhat steep stairway leading to what looked like a T split at its end. I moved further down the stairs towards the intersection. The further down I moved, the more unsettled I became, the darkness felt so unnatural. It’s as if it were a separate being acting on its own volition. I kept the lantern close and lit; the light was the one thing that I was finding some comfort in. At the base of the stairs, it indeed split into two paths leading further down to the left and right. I looked up and saw two signs above the entrances that signified “Laboratory” to the right and “Wine Cellar” to the left. I tried the Wine cellar first, the door was locked. Only one option was left. Thankfully, the laboratory door was open; I pushed it in and made my way inside.
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From what I could see in the dark, the laboratory looked similar in design to that of the hallway heading towards the Refinery. But the darkness, why was the darkness so… dark? It was so hard to explain, it was not just dark, but dark to the point of near zero visibility, even with my lantern lit. Why was this darkness so much more different than any other darkness I had encountered before? Too many questions piling on top of each other.
I could tell that I was on a wooden platform with the actual floor below. Out in the furthest wall from me, or what I assumed was the furthest wall because I couldn’t actually see it, was a very faintly glowing torch. The light coming off of the torch seemed futile against the ravenous darkness surrounding it. I cautiously moved forwards, the wooden walkway creaking and thumping with every step rhythmically. At the end of the walkway were stairs to my left leading down towards the floor.
Moving down with much more caution as I didn’t know what was down there, the furthest wall from me when I first entered was now coming into view, nothing there except for the torch I previously saw and another rock slide. The stairs turned to the left once more and before I began to descend down that set, a thick cloud of dust appeared in front of the rock slide as the sound of something very large began to growl in the background. I hurried much faster now and quickly descended the stairs and turned left, away from the rock slide, and galloped through the open door that I saw once I turned and down the stairs that followed it.
The doorway at the bottom of the stairs came into a somewhat large room. Not nearly as large as the foyer but still sizeable. This room was lit though as a chandelier in the middle of the room had lit a small portion of its center. In the center of the room itself is what looked like a metal grate. Before I reached the grate, the same feeling that I had before with my flashback once again began to overtake me as I had another memory return to me with the same flash of light.
“There should be more Cuprite. And one part Aqua Fortis.”
The memory quickly subsided. The voice was that of Alexander. I hadn’t even spoken at all. I must have been standing near him or something. I recognized the items that he had mentioned but saw none in the room. Returning to reality once more, I picked up where I left off and came upon the grate in the middle of the room.
Peering down into it, I saw only water at the bottom. Just before I was about to turn away something very large made several thrashing splashes in the water. I couldn’t tell what it was but I didn’t want to really find out. I moved again away from the grate and towards a large bench with several jars of glass connected to each other with a pipe attached to the wall. This must be the alchemy room as the sign had said with laboratory. Alchemy was something used by the earth ponies as a rather rudimentary form of unicorn magic that was experimented with to try and achieve certain things to make their lives easier, though it had started to be largely discontinued since it required much more materials to produce the mixtures than the end result gave back. Another thing that I know about everything else but not myself. But, alchemy can also produce different types of acid as well. This had given me the perfect idea to get through the red substance blocking my way to the Inner Sanctum.
I lit the set of candles that was on the bench to give me better lighting and to save oil in my lantern while I worked. I checked around, unfortunately there were no chemicals that could be made into an acid compound. Though I did notice another piece of parchment sitting on the desk. I looked down and squinted to try and read the writing in the darkness of the laboratory, even with the candle to aid me.
The lack of a chimney to properly vent the fumes from my most recent experiments has taken its toll on many of my less stable ingredients in storage. Some seem unaffected, but many are stained by the fumes and will be difficult to salvage. I shall do what I can and move them to the Wine Cellar.
So the ingredients that I needed were in the Wine Cellar, the one that was locked. Seeing nothing else of interest in this area, a moved to the other side of the room. I stopped dead in my steps though as the eerie sound of heavy hoof falls sounded above me. It was the same thumping and creaking sounds that I made when I was on the walkway. Fear shot through me as I took cover near the bench where I had just walked away from. Something must have been walking above me, but what? What could possibly be alive in this light forsaken castle besides me? Rethinking that question, I felt it better that I didn’t know. The sound quickly ended as soon as it had begun, there were no sounds of anything going down the stairs either, so I tried to overcome my fear and search the room further.
I came upon another desk on the other side of the room, different from the bench as it had several drawers attached below it to the left and a single small cabinet to the right. I rifled through the desk drawers and picked up another tinderbox. I then opened the right cabinet and saw the most unusual thing. It was another cylinder like object but it was larger and had a small half sphere shape on top of it that glowed slightly. Reaching my hoof out, I touched the cylinder and a sudden thought appeared in my mind.
One day I shall return. If it wasn’t for the thought of you, my love, I wouldn’t be able to go on. When I find myself doing terrible things, I take comfort in you.
As long as I am able to think of you and long for a life together, I know I’m better than the work that I’m doing. The only thing that I crave while I’m here is fair judgment and a safe return.
A single tear formed in my eye. I didn’t know how to explain it, but this thought seemed absolutely genuine. I could tell it was Alexander’s too. Again, I didn’t know how, but I did. It’s as if this thing not only gave the one who touched it the thought, but the feeling and emotion of it when it was placed there as well. I felt an overwhelming sadness over me as I heard this thought. Alexander truly cared for whomever this love of his was. How could Charcoal—me, ask to kill him? Things kept making less and less sense.
Detaching myself from the canister, I noticed another note written on some parchment on top of the desk. I lit the set of candles on the desk and began to read again to myself:
This is my third attempt to produce artificial vitae. The former compounds lacked the potency I need, but I sense I’m close. Calamine and Orpiment are a given and the Cuprite binds them well. This time I will attempt Aqua Regia instead of Aqua Fortis in the hopes that it will produce a more even solution.
The experiment was unsuccessful. The solution is highly acidic and proves impractical to put to any use except as detergent. Organic tissue reacts especially violently to the solution and should be handled with great care. I might be able to use the recipe, but I’m losing hope that I will find an alchemic solution to my predicament.
Well, that had given me just the right thing that I had needed to produce an acid. I already had an idea for one but this is perfect for what I need. Luckily enough too, a small chemical pot sat on the desk next to the note, I made a note of it in case I needed it later. Seeing that there was nothing else left for me in the laboratory, I exited back up through the stairs into the main room.
I ascended the stairs with my lantern lit; praying that what I had heard earlier on the walkway was gone. With a heavy sigh of relief, I made it safely over the walkway and through the laboratory door to search the castle further for any signs of the key to the Wine Cellar.
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I had checked in every area besides the stairs that led to the upper level, so by logical choice, that’s where I started. There was no scream this time though as I walked up the stairs to the upper level. The upper level itself was only just a walkway that overlooked the foyer from a small distance up that connected to other sections of the castle. I was beginning to lose hope as I continued down the walkway though as all the potential entrances to another area were sealed off by some natural obstruction. Once I reached the end though, a small archway with a sign that said “Archives” above it with an actual door at the end gave me some hope. The door was unlocked as well, with no other visible path to another area; I opened the door and walked inside.
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I had instantly gotten a bad vibe about this place. Then again, I haven’t had a good one about any place that I’ve been to in this castle yet, but this felt especially worse. It was cold, much colder than anywhere else, unnaturally cold even. On top of that, the darkness seemed no better than it had been in the laboratory. A single light shone from a hanging candle above me, but past that the hallway in front of me was completely shrouded. A door lay on the floor in front of me, completely ripped off of its hinges from the doorframe to the right of it. Nothing about this gave any good indications of anything. The atmosphere was heavy with something, something bad, something uninviting, commanding me to leave. I had to use a great deal of awareness while in here.
I took my first steps in, nothing bad happened yet. The Archives had differed from the rest of the castle and the laboratory in that the walls were wooden instead of stone and a carpet similar to the area that I had woken up in lay on the floor with a long rug running the length of the hallway on top of it. I arrived at the doorframe and looked inside. Shelves of books lined the walls with a table in the middle also holding a various assortment of things. I also was beginning to fully grasp just how much of a state of disrepair that the castle was in. Apart from the castle just looking extremely old, many things were chipped off and holes formed all over the walls and ceiling. I moved just enough inside to scan the room quickly for any evidence of a key. I didn’t see a key, but what I did see was another note similar to the ones that I had found before that was partially concealed by a small stack of books. I walked over and picked up the parchment, noticing that the header on the page was: “Charcoal’s Journal”. Intrigued, I began to read what was on the page.
16th of May, 839
The unrelenting snow has continued to obstruct our expedition into the northern reaches of the Griffin Territory, making it impossible to dig until the storms die down. Even during this time of year being this far north and the uncontrolled weather allows for snow storms to continue raging through the land, while Equestria has already ended its winter. How the professor managed to find this location in the vast plains of snow remains a mystery to me. Later that evening, we uncovered a passage beneath the snow leading to an ice covered structure. The professor was confident that this was the tomb and ordered the others to clear the way. Tomorrow, I will lead the team into the ancient structure, and no matter what the professor may be keeping from me, the dig should give something interesting to take back to the Canterlot museum.
If this was true and it was truly from my old self, then that would explain the pickaxe on my flank. I was an archeologist then apparently. Still, this gave no explanation to what was currently happening with me being stuck in such a strange place. I left the entry where it was on the table, there was no need to bring it along as I can remember what was written easily enough. There was nothing else of important note in the room so I moved directly across the hall to the closed door that was to the left of the open doorframe when I had first entered.
The door creaked open and I began my way inside. This room looked in better shape than the previous one at least. More shelves of books and a writing desk at the end of the room directly in front of me and another closed door to the right of the desk. I quickly went through the desk drawers and found another tinderbox, added it to the others, and moved to my right to head through the other door that was in the room. The area beyond the door was only a hallway that connected to the first one that I originally entered into when I first came in the Archives. It was shrouded near the intersection of the two hallways but further past I could see the hallway leading into another room at the far end of it. There was also another door directly in front of me so I decided to try that first. I opened the door and took a few steps in.
Oooooooaaaauuugggghhhhh…
I gasped before taking cover behind a fireplace directly to the left of me. My entire body quaked with fear as soon as I had heard that unholy moan. It sounded like some sort of broken violin being slowly played. It was most definitely not any kind of creak or natural noise that an old castle would make. It came very clearly from the direction of whatever lay beyond the closed door further up the room and to the right of me when I had walked in. Some pony, some thing, was in this Archives area with me. I felt no need to introduce myself.
After several minutes of calming myself down and assuring myself that whatever had made that noise was finally gone and would come through the door, I worked up the courage to explore the room further. The actions of everything that had happened since waking hadn’t boded well for my sanity or vision. I could feel this ever-present sense of dread and slight paranoia in the back of my mind that only grew as I moved further into the castle. This had adversely affected my vision in that wherever I looked, there was almost a constant graining of the textures of the walls, the shelves, everything. Along with that on the edges of my vision I could see the walls were warping and shaping into irregular shapes. I lit the candle that was on the desk at the edge of the room. Whenever I was near light, however, I could feel my vision returning to normal and my nerves eased themselves. I took solace in the light as it was my only sense of escape from the hellish darkness that surrounded me. I removed myself from the comfort of the light once more as I picked up another journal entry from the edge of the desk.
17th of May, 839
My hooves tremble as I write, but I must document this for fear that my memory with fail me of this event eventually if I don’t. Today, I took some of my team and ventured into the dark, ancient passage that we had uncovered. Our torches burned faintly in the murky air of such an old place underground. The crudely carved passage confused me. It looked much older than the 1st century structure we had expected. The twisting path emerged to a great ante-chamber. The walls were lined with statutes unlike anything I had ever seen. These statutes looked like some sort of mythical creature that stood on two legs instead of four. It looked somewhat akin to that of a monkey except much taller. The news of a find like this is something that could potentially reach the princess herself. At the far end of the chamber, a great stone slab sealed off whatever lay ahead. I gave the order to raise it and as soon as I pushed through the narrow space the stone collapsed again, sealing me inside. I was trapped.
As I had finished reading the entry, the only thing that I could think was: This had all actually happened to me? After that I began to wonder if maybe these journal entries will help me figure out why I’m after all. From the dates of the note written to myself and these entries, only two months have passed since the time of this event that I had just read, so they might eventually lead to why I came here in the first place and who exactly this Alexander is.
I fortified my mental state as much as I could as I slowly began to open the door on the right side of the room where I heard the moan from. I opened the door and immediately saw that it as another hallway leading down to my left. There was a small space to the right that led to a dead end; within it was a place to light a candle on the wall and a table with an odd looking vase on it. I decided to light the candle on the wall to provide some better light. As I turned around my eye caught the strange vase again, I took another look at it before beginning to turn away again. My heart stopped for a second as the thing suddenly exploded in a cloud of dust. I stared at the empty table for a second, trying to rationalize what I just witnessed, but I couldn’t. I tried as best as I could to push the disturbing thought out of my mind just like all of the others and continue on.
The end of the hallway was now visible. It was another intersection that split to the left and right with a closed door in the middle. Before I began to make my way over there though, I decided to head through the door that was just to my right with a sign that said “Old Tomes” that I noticed when I made my first scan of the hallway. The room was unlit, like many others so far in the Archives. I made my way over the desk and lit a stack of candles and began to make a sweep of the room for anything I could use. Then, I heard a noise, not really a noise, but music. It was a piano. There was a piano being played somewhere near me. It played low, dark notes in staggered rhythm that chilled me just listening to it. I found myself breathing very heavily again as the fear began to take over. After resiliently fending it off and calming myself once again the music had stopped.
I found another tinderbox and some oil in the room, though no more notes or journal entries. I exited the room and began moving towards the end of the hallway, towards the sound of both the piano and the moan now. What was I thinking, going towards the ominous sounds? Still, if I ever wanted to leave this horrible place, I had to keep going. I made it to the end of the hallway and looked both ways. To my left was another small dead end with a chair and a drawer, I learned my lesson and decided to not go there, and to my right was another long hallway leading to a room that looked similar to the one that I saw when I first entered the Archives but refrained from going in. The sign to the door right in front of me read “Local History”. Unfortunately, when I tried to move the door open it wouldn’t budge, must have been locked then. My only option left was the large room to the right, the same one again with the ominous noises. I gave a silent prayer before making my way towards it.
I arrived at the threshold of the door, tying as best I can to keep my breathing at a regular rate. After much self-encouragement, I finally managed to poke my head inside and look around. I gave a heavy sigh of relief when I saw nothing else in the room that was alive. Though albeit a slight bittersweet relief, I was hoping that there was the slightest chance that there was an actual living, rational being in here that could explain what was happening.
It was indeed a large room; it ran the length of the entire Archives area that I’ve already covered through the hallways and more to my left. It was in a much more deplorable condition than most of the other rooms, there was little to no furnishings, any paintings that were on the wall were either fallen or slanted greatly, and half of the four large windows were boarded up. Moving further inside and taking a full view of the room again, I noticed the source of the music in a piano that was close to my right. I got close to it to try and examine it for any king of magical qualities. My ambitions to do so suddenly ended once the lid that covered the piano keys slammed shut and nearly gave me a heart attack. If there was any kind of magic at work here with all the things I’ve been seeing, it is no magic that I have ever encountered before. It was almost as if it was haunted, but I never believed in ghosts. Though in my current state of mind I found many of my beliefs to be wavering and bending.
I once again found myself trying to get rid of my fear as I began to make my way to the furthest end of the room and hopefully another entrance into the local history room that I saw. Before making it all the way to the end of the room I turned towards the light of one of the windows that wasn’t boarded up and eased my mind for the time in a while. Outside of the window it was still foggy but I could make out some trees in the distance, nothing too insightful. I closed my eyes and took a deep, relaxed breath.
Oooooooaaaauuugggghhhhh….
My eyes shot open as the tiniest bit of sanity and good feelings that I had regained from the light were instantly shattered. The same broken violin moan came from directly behind me. I was near tears at the thought that I was about to die as I couldn’t see what was behind me. I didn’t want to look, I cowered where I stood and forcefully shut my eyes to try and not look at whatever horrid creature was making those noises.
A minute passed, I was still alive, at least, I thought I was. I reopened my eyes and looked behind me. Nothing was there. Nothing had killed me. It was then that a sudden thought had seeded in my mind: Am I imagining these sounds? Have I gone so low on sanity from this experience of amnesia and this horrid castle that I’m just losing it? These were questions I didn’t rightly know the answer to. There was only one way to find out though: to keep going, as crazy as it sounded to me.
I walked on through the door where the origin of the sound lay in. It was too dark to tell what was inside except for a window to the far right corner of the room. I lifted my lantern which illuminated some more of the room. Another rockslide that had somehow evaded my notice from initially looking into the room lay right in front of me to my left. This rock slide was different from the others though. Blood. There was blood all over the rocks and partially on the floor. I coughed and turned away quickly as I tried to keep myself from vomiting. Blood wasn’t an easy sight for me.
I moved along, gradually getting over what I just saw. At the window that I saw when I first entered the room there was another table with another bottle of oil on it. Along with those, of all things, another piano. The lid on this one was already closed though. Nothing else of importance to me was there so I turned to my left and continued into the darkened hallway, though with my lamp I could see everything that was right in front of me. I made it a few meters in before turning to my right and reading “Floor Plans” on another wooden sign to a slightly ajar door.
I cautiously pushed the door open and to my surprise it was actually very well lit with two large windows like the ones I saw from the big room in here. There were two giant shelves full of scrolls on each end of the room with space in the middle. I moved in further and saw that in the space was a stand with two large scrolls sprawled out on it. I took a few more steps towards them to examine what they were. My mind was once again filled with something coming back to me with the same white flash. Opening my eyes, the room seemed much like how the foyer looked when I had my first flashback again.
“Much of the castle is old and hasn’t been tended to for centuries. When the Shadow arrives it won’t take long for things to start falling apart,” I recognized the voice to be Alexander’s.
“Centuries? How is that possible? This area was only discovered recently.” It was my voice now speaking.
“Castle Bridleburg has been around for much longer than it would seem. Even before the majority of the explorers even came here. This is something that you will soon come to learn about, but for now we need to focus on reinforcing the castle. There isn’t much to be done about the wards. We should reinforce weak structures. The ground will tremble and there will be a risk that everything will cave in on us, especially downstairs. Here, here, and there. Let’s get the servants working on it.”
The same flash returned as it did last time and everything once again returned back to normal. The memory seemed so familiar now, as if it had just happened. I remember now. Alexander was with me as we discussed protecting against the Shadow. My memory though was still heavily fragmented and only certain pieces are there. I can’t connect anything to each other yet with how little I actually have. It also got me thinking. Centuries? This castle had been here for centuries? I was just as confused as, well, I was when the memory had happened. There seems to be much more going on here than some mere haunted castle then, something very old. Also, if what was said was true, then many of the reinforcements that were made seem to be failing, as I had seen from the multitude of rockslides and roof cave-ins.
The open scrolls that were actually on the board looked like plans of the foyer and the eastern half of the Archives. I took a long look at them to see if they could be any help in navigating the area, which they really weren’t. I turned around; ready to leave again, only to be once again stricken with fear and piano music once again filled the area. The piano, that damned piano at the end of the hallway that was closed, is now playing. It was the same dark, nefarious rhythm again. I moved to the edge of the door and quickly motioned my head around the doorframe to observe the piano at the end of the hallway. As soon as I moved my head out of the doorframe the sound abruptly stopped. There was nothing at the piano, and the lid was still closed. I was completely baffled and terrified at the same time. Again I questioned my sanity as I lifted my lantern and began to head out the door to my right.
The hallway came to an end a small ways down, with only one more door to the left. Well, a doorframe, the door was nowhere to be seen. I looked inside to see another desk with a journal entry on it and a couple of stand-up boards with more scrolls on them as well to its left. After my first step inside; the entire world began to tremble. The sound of cascading rocks could be heard from a distance behind me. Oh no, I thought. I galloped back down the hallway towards the large room where I had entered from. My fears were confirmed as a newly formed pile of rocks completely blocked my way back into the large room. I swore before heading back towards the room I had left from. There was only one way to go now.
Back inside the room, I took a look at the large scrolls on the boards that, looking closer, appeared to be two detailed maps of the Bridleburg area and eastern Equestria in general. The maps made my jaw drop. Never had there existed a map this detailed for eastern Equestria, or the Bridleburg area for that matter. The question of who is Alexander started to become what is Alexander. How could any pony possibly have maps that were this detailed?
I turned my attention away from that conundrum and towards the entry on the desk. I reached out to pick it up. My hoof touched the parchment.
“Agh!” I winced. Something instantly overwhelmed me with a strenuous force like I was about to experience a flashback but much more painful. My vision blurred in and out as all ability to think escaped me. I felt my throat being constricted as I choked and gasped to breathe. The pain forced me to my knees and eventually onto my side as I began to pass out. Just before the blackness overran my vision though, I heard my voice once more:
"17th of May, 839"
"After pounding the stone wall for what seemed like an eternity. I realized it was hopeless, I was trapped. I fell to the ground gasping for air. That’s when I saw a faint blue shimmer."
My vision returned to me, except instead of being in the same room, I was now on a stone floor with a narrow, lit path with darkness surrounding it before me with, as I had heard myself a second ago describing it, a faint blue shimmer atop a pedestal at the end. I began to crawl towards the light as I heard myself begin to speak again:
"My weakened body was heavy to carry but I managed to push myself towards the enchanting light. It was waiting for me. Enclosed in dark nothingness, I felt myself drawn to the mystic light."
With much strain, I had finally made it to the pedestal and grabbed towards the light.
"I reached out. Closing it into my body and covering it. The faint glow escaped my body and began to spark brightly and spirit me away. Unlocking alien memories of spiraling towers, endless deserts, and impossible geometry."
The glow disappeared as a scraping sound began to ring across my ears.
"The next thing I remember was the sound of the stone being lifted. The voice of my team that I took with me into the ruins pulling me to safety. And pressed firmly against my body were the broken pieces of a most peculiar relic."
I had finally returned to reality. And worst of all, as I awoke, the sound of that demented piano playing once more filled my ears. After regaining my bearings and a few groans I managed to stand up once more. The piano stopped as soon as my vision had fully returned to me. I sluggishly exited the room, trying to make sense of what had just occurred. It had to have been some form of magic, there was no other way. No mere memory could have the power to both strangulate and hallucinate. So many things were happening to me in such a short time in such a hellish place.
Atop being prone to memory attacks and the whole castle itself, I was now trapped in this small hallway due to the cave-in. There was nothing I could lift that would be able to break through the window in the floor plans room, and I didn’t know how far up I was in the first place. The rocks were clearly too heavy to move as well and the hallway just led to a dead end.
Before I became complete devoid of hope though, I noticed a small opening in the wall at the end of the hallway right next to me. I moved closer and lifted my lantern once more for a better look. There was definitely a few bricks missing from the wall and the others seemed loose. Through the missing bricks I could see another room; from the looks of it there were much more bookshelves throughout the room and it also seemed lit. I hadn’t noticed it before; it must have formed during the cave-in.
Looking around for something that might be able to break it with, I had finally found a loose brick directly below me that must have also fallen off the wall. Extinguishing my lantern, I lifted the heavy brick. It was nearly impossible to lift in my weakened state of both body and mind but I eventually managed to lift it to the point where I could toss it. I summoned all of my remaining strength and threw the brick as hard as I could at the wall. The brick did just as I had expected and smashed clean through the other loose bricks, knocking them back and creating a hole just big enough for me to fit through. I silently congratulated myself for a seemingly small victory, but any progress in this place was the greatest feeling ever.
The other side of the wall was indeed lit to a certain extent from what I could see through the newly formed hole. After some of my strength had returned I hoisted myself up onto the hole and lifted the rest of my body over to move inside. I took my first step inside the room, just as another flashback began to start. I instantly panicked after going through the last one but to my relief it was just like the others that I had before as Alexander’s voice began speak again.
“You have to be swift. When you activate the first one—you hear that?” While he spoke, I could hear a ticking sound in the background and once he finished there was a slight thud noise and it ceased. “If it stops, you’ll have to start over.”
“Isn’t all this a bit…excessive?”
“You can never be too careful, charcoal.”
Like the others too, my vision returned to normal, or at least as normal as it could get with how much stress my mind was taking from all of this. My initial view of the room only showed a little of what was actually in it. The area that I entered through was indeed lit but only it that one section, the room continued down to the left of me by two rows with a bookshelf in-between them. It was too dark to see the left end of the room and to my right was just another quite large, or at least larger than the others, empty bookshelf.
I raised my lantern and saw another door that was in front of me to the left a little in the other row made by the center bookshelf median. I quickly moved over to it with much anticipation as the only thought on my mind now was to get out of this area. I pushed on the door as hard as I could, the door moved back and forth only slightly but never opened. After frustratingly trying several more times and nearly pushing myself to tears again, I gave up. The door wouldn’t open. I suddenly remembered something, the door before that had the local history sign. This must be that door, which means that my only means of leaving was to find a key.
I continued on to the furthest end of the room in search of any keys. I reached the end and saw a small display stand with a piece of parchment in it. I lit the candle stack near it to conserve lantern oil and moved closer. The glass that had covered it and protected it from the outside was shattered and only some small pieces clung to the outside frame of it. Curious, I picked it up and brought it closer to the light and read Local Ponylore at the top. Even more curious now, I began to read it in the hopes of finding out more about the castle.
Eastern Equestria and Castle Bridleburg:
Deep within the far reaches of the eastern Equestrian forests lies a somewhat small settlement of Bridleburg. And next to it, shrouded and hidden by mountains is a most interesting landmark. The castle itself has been in this area for far longer than any of the settlements have. Ever since the first explorers had arrived to this area, they found this strange castle looming within its natural barriers, old and withered as if it had been there forever. It’s strange and quite unusual architecture made some believe that it was made by aliens. But the only one that they had found within the castle was a strange yet open pony named Alexander. He welcomed the explorers to the area and claimed that his family had lived there for generations ever since they had migrated from mainland Equestria many years ago. Seeing the opportunity, the explorers began to bring in more and more settlers and eventually the settlement of Bridleburg was made a few miles outside of the castle. Alexander and his castle became Bridleburg’s source of protection and law from there on, even renaming his castle from an unknown name before to Castle Bridleburg and himself to Baron Alexander of Bridleburg. Ever since, and even since the time of the first explorers, strange tales about things in the area and rumors about Alexander have existed and are still told today.
The Gatherers:
This is one of the stories that goes back to the time of the first explorers. It is said that some explorers had gotten lost in the cold dark woods and became tainted by some dark magic that surrounds the area of Bridleburg. The taint and corruption twisted their bodies and left them disfigured and empty of essence. Those who have sighted them describe them as horrible revenants that lurk silently through the woods. They are called Gatherers for their ambition to steal living creatures. It is the whimpers of their bound victims being dragged behind them that reveal their presence into places unknown.
The Immortal Baron Alexander:
A rumor that has more recently surfaced amongst the population of Bridleburg, some are beginning to speculate just how old Alexander really is. Alexander had been described as being very old since the accounts of the first settlers and explorers. That time was well over fifty years ago. The same Alexander has been alive and unchanged for the entire time since. He too had claimed that his family lived in the castle for generations yet the servants who began to work for Alexander since moving to the area has never seen any others in Alexander’s family. As the first generation of settlers began to pass on and the younger generation was brought up, rumors began that Alexander may be immortal just like the princess. Some have asked Alexander about meeting the princess but he refused any talk of visiting or being visited by royalty. Thus he remains as this shadowy figure that secludes himself within his castle, keeping to himself and the area around him.
Chills ran down my spine. Alexander being immortal? And these Gatherers, they sounded like something straight out of a nightmare, and I was currently in a nightmare. I hoped that all of these stories were just that, stories, and not real. If so, things just became twice as complicated as they already were.
I kept all that I had just read in mind as I searched further. This time I looked everywhere I possibly could. The key wasn’t out in the open so I had hoped that maybe it would be on one of the bookshelves somewhere. Coming to the end of the room back to where I first entered through the hole, I noticed an odd looking book that stuck out much further from the shelf than all the others. I then remembered exactly what the book was, or rather what it did. Forming my path, I pulled the book out slightly. The ticking sound that I had heard from the flashback sounded clearly and I moved quickly across the room to the other side where the second book was. I pulled that one out like the first and moved again all the way across the room again to a bookshelf in the middle and pulled the last book out. A low rumble sounded as soon as the last book clicked and I turned my head to my left to watch the large empty bookshelf shifting to its left and revealing another room adjacent to the one that I was in.
I galloped through the room, overjoyed as I could possibly be in a situation like this. It was a more square room with a single writing desk at the end of it in front of me with a window shining much more brightly than most of the others had on it. And on the desk, my most sought for item, a key. I quickly moved to the desk and snatched the key up. I must have triggered something very angry though, because as soon as the key was lifted off of the desk a loud crash came from behind me with a few grunts of something big. I froze dead for a second as I thought: Is this really happening? My one large find and victory that came out of this terrible place was ran into the ground by whatever was stalking the archive hallways.
I was stuck somewhere between finding a hiding spot or just giving up and sitting down to let fate do what it will with me. I was relieved that I wouldn’t have to choose though as the noises quickly died down and all seemed to return to its normal state. If normal is having the constant threat of an unknown entity about you and feeling like you’re about die every second, that is. I gave a heavy sigh of relief, whatever made that crash was gone. Before I went to investigate though, I checked through the drawers for anything interesting and there was in fact a note in one of them.
Regarding the Closing of the Wine Cellar
Those fools have no idea what power they’re dealing with. The only reason I allowed them to remain here was in the hopes that I could further my ambitions much faster, which I have, but some are becoming superstitious of me. They ask for me to reveal my secrets of how I stay alive for so long or to meet the princess. If she were to even get near here it could jeopardize everything that I’ve set in motion. I’ve nearly prevented all outside contact, but some still get through though. I need absolute assurance that nothing will interfere with my plans, those few though who keep pestering me may eventually become a problem. Maybe I will feed them some wine, it would solve my problems with them. The winery hasn’t been majorly important until they first arrived, but now I’m getting more opportunities to use it to my advantage. The Wine Cellar will therefore be closed until this matter is handled.
I got even more chills. This had to have been by Alexander. Though if what he wrote was true, then something bigger is indeed going on. Something that transcends only me, I had no idea what it was, but I had to find out. As horrifying as this place is, it makes me feel like I was actually living. I’m discovering things that until now were only myths. Nothing else was in the room so it was time for me to find out what that large crash was behind me.
What had happened was very obvious from the moment I left the small room. The door that had been locked was now completely severed from its hinges and laying on the floor in front of me in two pieces. Two pieces, something had the strength to rip a door in half. I gingerly moved around the pieces of what was once a door and out into the hallway that lay beyond the doorframe. I recognized it as the same hallway that I was in earlier by looking at the sign that once again read “Local History” on it. I began back the way that I came by moving down the hall as silently as I could to not bring notice to myself by whatever may be lurking these halls. The rest of this hall remained seemingly unchanged, though I found the one that did change other than the split door. The other door that I needed to head through to make it back to the entrance was locked. I disbelievingly tried harder to open it again before giving up and swearing again.
“Oh come on,” I said out loud, forgetting about trying to remain silent. My frustration with this entire place had far exceeded its limit. Shaking my head at how bad my luck was, I moved back to where I began at the broken door and then to my right towards the large room. I began towards it had just made it to the end of the hallway.
Urrrghaagghh…
I had finally gotten my first glimpse of the mysterious lurker, and how I wish I hadn’t. I had just crossed the threshold through the room and saw it was all the way across the room and just exiting through the door at the right end so it was hard to see, but I did see some things, and they weren’t good. From what I could see, the thing was absolutely deformed beyond belief. It had a large gash in its side and one of the forelegs looked severed in the middle, replace by a metallic object as I could hear it thumping on the floor as it left. Its coat and mane were completely gone, instead only rotted flesh remained of it. I only saw the backside of it and couldn’t see its face, but I felt it better that I hadn’t, If it looked anything like the rest of the body, then I would have probably passed out from fear, though I did come very close.
Thinking straight again, I sat down with a sudden realization: That horrible monster went through the door at the end of the room, which leads to the exit, and the only other alternative route is locked, so my only chance of leaving is to follow that monster. I didn’t think that I could do it. I thought long about it, really thought about it. I eventually came to terms that I have to do it and that either way I had equal chance of running into it again. I stood up and with hopelessness about me, I continued on towards the end. As I neared the doorframe, my breaths became steadily heavier, my hoof steps became louder, and the now always present wavering of my vision worsened. I came upon the edge of the doorway and took a deep breath before looking around the corner. There was nothing. Nothing beyond the door. Only the same hallway that I had entered through.
Still extremely cautious but slightly more relieved, I continued further. My slow steps echoed louder than I had remembered them echoing before. I had finally made it to the end of the hallway and was bracing myself to turn again to the final hallway that would lead back to the foyer.
Oooooooaaaauuugggghhhhh…
It came from behind me, behind me! How in the hell could that thing get behind me? A quick head turn revealed nothing though. The only way that was possible was if there were two of them, not a pleasing thought. Before I regained my nerves and tried to continue, all fell apart and I finally snapped once I heard a second growl that was closer to me this time and the piano once again started. I screamed and madly rushed towards the exit. I didn’t care anymore, I had to get out of this place. My vision was blurred from the blind panic but I don’t believe that I actually saw the monster again before I made it to the end of the hallway, and in turn, my much relieved exit.
__________________________________________________________________________
I made it. I was finally out of that terrible place. The light of the foyer was much brighter than that of the Archives. I collapsed onto the ground and laid there for a few minutes to take in the light and regain what had been greatly shaken. For the first time, I was smiling. Smiling because I had finally achieved something out of all that had happened. I made it.
I stood, finally relaxed and more confident than I had ever been since waking up in this demented castle, and took my first steps towards the Wine Cellar. It took only four steps, four steps to bereave me of all of those feelings in an instant. That terrible, earth shaking train whistle-like roar boomed throughout the castle once more and struck me with much more fear as I had let my guard down since returning to the foyer, which I believed to be safe. I was wrong. The nasty flesh like substance that was blocking the entrance to the Refinery grew across the wall that wall behind me and the floor below me. The stuff on the floor though looked more like puss filled sacs.
I learned the hard way that I was right. The one closest to me exploded and whatever substance filled it splashed all over me. It seared my coat and made my skin react as if it were being set on fire, which for all I know it had. I screamed with agony and galloped as fast as I could away before another could explode near me. I made it to the end of the walkway that sat above the ground level of the foyer and in a fear stricken rush began to move down the stairs, only to trip on the first two steps and fall. I hit a single stair again and again as everything spun around me again. A blow to my head, then to my forelegs, then to my side, my head again, it all blended together as the pain made me lose my sense of reality and begin to pass out.
I wasn’t passed out, yet I wasn’t exactly fully awake either. Everything hurt, whether it was from the flesh sac or the fall I didn’t know, it just hurt. I could feel my heartbeat. A low, double thud. Slow. Beating. My eyes opened slightly, then closed again, then once more opened. This continued for a good while. It was all just so surreal. The pain and loss of sanity had taken its toll on me; I couldn’t think anymore, just function, barely.
My eyes finally opened for real this time. No more disorientation, no more disability to think. I must have actually passed out for a while. But one thing was certain, I was alive, something I didn’t know if I should have been thankful for or be cursing myself for. My left foreleg twitched. I had control over myself again. With the strength I regained from being motionless for a time, I pushed with all my might and slowly came up into a standing position once more, though with much strain as I struggled for a bit to keep myself up. I leaned against the stairs rail for support for a bit as I recovered my energy. My right side still stung from whatever splashed on me from that sac, but I wanted nothing more to do with those. I was bleeding from a few of the burn areas and cuts from my fall, as well as a faint taste of blood in my mouth. I stared at the floor with heavy eyes.
In the midst of recovering my energy, I realized I had started to do something else, I began to cry. I felt the watery tears pooling in the base of my eyes and occasionally falling to the ground. By this point I cared little if I was crying or not, nothing really mattered to me at the moment. I was probably going to die down here in this monster infested hell. How could such a place like this exist in such a peaceful nation? Fears and myths where something that was only meant to scare foals, not push one to the brink of death. I pushed off from the rail and looked back up towards the Archives. The flesh substance was still there, but remained only there. I turned and began to move towards the Wine Cellar. I had to keep going, I didn’t know why, but I just had to. It’s like there was some unnatural drive within me to push further, learn more, figure out why this was all happening, and most importantly, to finally escape.
None of the fleshy substance was in the stairway that led to the Laboratory and Wine Cellar. I moved to the intersection just as I did before, but this time turned left to the Wine Cellar. I made it to the door safely and pulled the key out of my leg bag, surprised that it had somehow remained in it and had not fallen out. The key fit right into the slot, a definite clicking sound of its turning gave me the signal that the door was finally unlocked. I took the handle and pulled the door open, making my way inside to hopefully find the ingredients that I needed to make the acid which I had ventured all this way for in the first place.
__________________________________________________________________________
It was dark. As the Laboratory had been. But from what I could tell I was on another wooden platform. The entrance led to the furthest right edge of the platform and to my left was the stairs. Everything about the Wine Cellar, save for its layout, seemed exactly the same as the laboratory
I raised my lantern once more, another item that I was surprised wasn’t gone, and descended the stairs until I reached its turning point that went down further to the left. From this point, I could see what the Wine Cellar mostly looked like. The floor of the Cellar itself was mostly bare except for a couple of large barrels, holding wine I assumed, and many doors all around leading to other sections that I couldn’t see. There were two in front of me, one directly to my left, and several that I could barely make out behind me by looking past the stairs. Chains rattled off in the distance and I instantly raised my awareness once more before continuing further. I descended the next set of stairs to my left and as my hoof touched the ground another flashback came to me.
“Where did the Baron go?”
“Who cares? He left us with enough wine to last us a lifetime. Or at least until tomorrow!” The sound of laughter filled the room as the flashback ended.
I was puzzled. I hadn’t recognized either of those voices. Was I even there? How could I have been experiencing flashbacks that weren’t my own? More questions that needed an answer but I feared there was none. Large pools of blood and a couple of wine bottles resided on the floor to the left of me. I decided it best not to explore that area first and instead begin moving towards my right to see what was in that area. At the end of the main room was a slightly ajar door in front of me and an open doorframe to the right. I was closer to the slightly open one so I made my way in there first.
It was very dirty and unkempt, much like the rest of the castle. Multiple support pillars were set up throughout the room with unorganized barrels between them, smaller than the large ones outside though. In the darkness to my left was a small jar that gave a soft blue glow. Intrigued, I walked over to it and knelt down to examine it. “Calamine” it read on the label. This was one of the things that I needed. I quickly picked it up and placed it in my bag. No sooner had I picked it up did the entire world around me once again quake and a loud crash made me quickly glance to my right as I watched my only exit become covered with rocks and pillars.
“No,” I whispered.
I shot up and moved as quickly as I could to not lose my balance as the shaking started to cease. Multiple debris covered the door, I could barely see through it but some of what had fallen went through the open door. I thought for a minute and concluded my only chance of getting out was to move all of them out of the way or at least to the point where I could get out. Working as hard as I could, I slowly began to move the large rocks out of the way and pushing the pillars to the side, conjuring up the rest of the strength I had regained earlier in the process. After a few long, arduous minutes, I made a hole just big enough for me to fit through. I slid though a large rock that was too big to move and a pillar to finally make it out of the room.
Feeling both accomplished and exhausted, I turned to my left and through the open doorframe. Inside was another small room with chains hanging from the ceiling which was the ones that I assumed that I heard earlier. There was also another closed door to my left. I took one more step in before violently recoiling as a terrified scream came from behind the door followed by three loud smashes on it that actually made the entire door shake as if it were being pounded on. I ran back behind the doorframe once more and peeked around the corner occasionally to see if the door had done anything else. It remained stationary once more. Whether there was something actually alive in there or it was an illusion, I had no idea. It had seemed like nothing was inside though after what had just happened.
I made my way as slowly as possible to the door, and with equal speed, pulled the door slightly and looked through the small crack. Nothing again. It was just the end of a small corner of the room. I pulled the door open further and slinked around the edge inside. The room had a small hallway that eventually led to a larger more square room. Upon viewing it though, I had to stifle vomiting. The room was covered in gore and blood. A small table in the center along with a few upturned chairs, but other than that it was just complete death. Another flashback began to come on.
“What’s happening? Agh, feels like…my body is going…to burst…” The sound of flesh violently ripping and blood, or what I assumed to be blood, spilling across the floor made me almost puke once more.
“Sweet Celestia, do something!” It was the same two voices from my previous flashback, just before third and once again unknown voice spoke.
“Accept it, where not getting out of here alive.”
“How can you say that? Alexander you bastard, let us out of here!” The immediate sound of coughing as he finished speaking ended the memory.
Disgusting. Whatever had happened to these poor souls was something that only the most horrible of ponies could do. Alexander must have been the one who did it too, from reading both the note by him and whoever spoke mentioning him. Perhaps Alexander was as bad as my past self had described him after all? Too many questions, never enough answers, and the answers I get only lead to more questions. I sighed, trying to collect myself and get the sight in front of me out of my mind to search the room.
There was a single window in this room, actually, there had been a lot of windows around in the rooms what I was in, though they eventually became unimportant to me as they just seemed so dull. They gave almost no light and seeing out of them was nigh impossible. I kept seeing them, but they gave me nothing I could use so I just stopped caring about them. Besides that, the room was just as dull as all of the others. It was a depressing and horrid sight to look at, and my mind was taking the brunt of its negative effects on me. I was slipping away from rational thought and into instinct, because instinct kept me alive, it was quick. I lost myself in thought, of all places to do so. After a certain amount of time, how specific I didn’t know, I brought myself back into reality. I was standing in the middle of several mutilated corpses and pools of blood thinking about my entire situation, what a fool I was being.
I checked the rest of the room, another tinderbox and a small room on the left side adjacent to the larger one that I was in. Inside that one I found another item that I needed for my acid, Aqua Regia. Other than that, nothing else was in the room, besides the corpses. I left with a sigh of relief of getting out of that nasty place. I exited the room with the long rattling chains in them and back into the main room of the Wine Cellar. I found myself becoming more disconnected with what seemed real. What was real in the first place? I have only so many memories of my life that I don’t even know what to believe or if any of this is right. The darkness of this cellar must be driving me mad. I lifted my lit lantern and took in the lights rays, a small bit of solace to keep my sanity up.
I decided to go back to the first door that I had noticed when I first entered directly in front of where the stairs began to head back up. I pulled the door open and became immediately suspicious. It was as dark as any of the other rooms, no windows in this one, but all I could see through it was a single desk at the end surrounded by fog, or what I assumed to be fog, it was hard to tell.
I took a few cautious steps inside.
Nothing.
A few more.
Nothing.
The least few to the desk itself.
Nothing.
Completely baffled yet alright with the outcome, I lit the candle that I saw on the desk when I neared it and looked around. Barrels, a lot more barrels around the room, and a tool rack, but nothing else out of the ordinary from what I’ve been seeing thus far. Only one thing took my attention, another ingredient that I needed. “Cuprite” it read. Feeling better that I found another, I quickly snatched it up and put it with the others.
The door slammed shut behind me as I heard that series of grunts by what sounded like the same thing in the Archives. My eyes sprang open with fear and I silently cursed myself for letting my guard down and ducked into a corner behind a set of barrels to hide in case whatever it was came inside.
Nothing else made any noises. I seemed to be alone once more, as they had done to me before, scare me to the point of collapsing and leaving just as quickly. If I wasn’t so sure that these things were soulless abominations from what I’ve seen of them, I would have assumed they were doing this for their own damned amusement.
I left my impromptu hiding spot and moved back over the now closed door I had entered through. I pushed it open slightly and peeked through, nothing from what I could see. I pushed it even further to where it was half open. Still no monsters. At last I just opened the door to its fully open state and exited through it. The Wine Cellar remained as it was when I first entered, creepy and foreboding, yet no monsters. Another sigh of relief before heading to my right to the last unexplored area of the Wine Cellar.
After a small area that ran under the wooden walkway I came upon a door that was in the center of the stone wall. I, with even more caution that I had with the previous one due to those things possibly lurking about, pulled open the door. Same as before with how dark it was, similar fog-like stuff. I raised my lantern and could see that the room was more rectangular in shape, to my left was an opening that led into another room and to my right looked like a narrower piece of the room that wrapped around so I couldn’t see the end of it.
I tried going to my right first. A small metal holder with a wooden torch inside were placed around several locations of the room. I lit the one that was closest to my right and looked around the corner to the area I couldn’t see initially. It looked like nothing was there at first, but after a second of searching I saw another faint glow of the last ingredient that I needed. I rushed over to it, though with my guard still raised in case of any more surprises, and observed the small jar. “Orpiment”, this one read. I collected it, storing with the others and turning around to head back.
I made it safely back to where my lit torch was. Looking back into the rest of the room though, I grew curious as to what was past the opening up ahead. There must be something down here that can help me, maybe another key to another door that was somewhere up ahead. I should at least check anyway, I definitely don’t want to end up having to come back down here again.
I continued to justify my reasoning for still being down here as I entered through the opening. A few shelves of miscellaneous items and the occasional barrel, but mostly bare. Though to my left at the end of the side room was a smaller hallway that went down to the left, so I moved in further. As I did, I could hear more sounds above me on the walkway akin to that of the ones in the laboratory. The creaking and the thumping of something striking it. I pushed it out of my mind as I had already experienced before and just assumed that it was my mind playing tricks on me and kept going.
I turned at the end of the room and saw that the hallway went on past further than my vision could see. Though there were more windows this time that looked like they were giving more light, I assumed only because it was such a narrow hallway. There were also several more torch placements on the walls, so I lit them as I went through the hallway towards the end. There was a door somewhere near the middle of it but I saw something that had caught my eye at the end of the hallway that also gave off a slight glow, less than the ingredients for the acid but still more visible than anything else. I kept the door in mind but left it alone as I moved further down the hall.
I made it to the end of the hallway and observed the large shelf that was against the wall and its contents. Nothing else had piqued my interest besides the small vial that I now found it to be. Picking it up, I remembered what I was, Laudanum, a substance that came from several experiments of alchemy involving plants. It was often used for healing purposes for those with large injuries to ease the pain. Suddenly thinking of my constantly burning side from that sac, I thought it best to use it to help with that.
Rrrarghrr…
This one was close, much closer to me. I fearfully turned my head to the right of me down the hallway and did a double take before moving in the corner of the hallway’s end. Waves of terror were sweeping over me, for with the light of the torch, I saw what those things looked like from the front.
That thing had no lower jaw.
It wasn’t necessarily gone, just…stretched, stretched and flapping about at least halfway to the ground from its head. Its eyes were mismatched and asymmetrical, I couldn’t see them so well but they looked like they were slit in a strange way that was narrower near the top of the eye but wider near the center. Its left foreleg was indeed replaced with a large metallic object, a claw, stained red. Other than that it was completely deprived of any hair as only the husk of dead flesh remained sloppily attached on the thing.
Just looking at it invoked a terror that I hadn’t thought existed in me; it went beyond anything I had felt before. My staggered breaths gave way to my teeth beginning to grind and chatter, of all things I could start to do. I clenched my mouth shut and tried to remain focused. Being in the presence of whatever this thing was had been having adverse effects on my mind. The small bit of vision distortion that was present before had now gone completely to my sight becoming distorted and wavering to the point where it was making my head spin. Blackness overtook the edges of my vision as tunnel vision began to set. I had to look away from it; it was making me do this somehow. I wrenched my head away from looking at it and buried my head down into the ground and prayed that it would go away.
The monster had shuffled around a bit and left after a few seconds, but I still kept my head down. Only after minutes I lifted it and saw an empty hallway once more. I stood, took a few steps, and lost my balance before falling completely to my side once more as my ears rang and my sight become distorted beyond recognition. The thing was gone, but the trauma of just staring at it and being in this darkness for so long had finally gotten to me. I lay there, confused as my thoughts swam through me head in no order. A few more heavy breaths. I could even begin to see imaginary bugs crawling across my eyes. I still thrashed about though because I hadn’t known any better. I was a pitiful mess on the floor coping with insanity.
It had taken a while, a long while, but I finally regained my senses once more as I found myself sometime later looking through a somewhat clear view again. I took one large, gasping breath and a few coughs before standing. I didn’t even think about it anymore, I quickly picked up the laudanum that I had dropped when I fell off the ground and poured it into my mouth.
The relief was nearly instant. I could feel my pain ending as I actually relaxed some. The tension in my muscles ceased and the burning in my side subsided. It was a good feeling. I shook slightly from the recovery and collected myself. Now that I wasn’t in as much pain, I could finally get out of here.
I moved swiftly to the door in the middle of the hallway with renewed vigor as the laudanum did its work. I felt completely renewed. I opened the door with no caution at all and, for once, with confidence, not caring what was on the other side. There was indeed nothing from what I could see. I moved towards the stairs and began to climb them quickly as there was no more time to waste. I had to get this acid made and through the Refinery to the inner sanctum, this was the only thing that mattered anymore. I had to know, had to know why all this was happening, and more specifically, why it was all happening to me. I made it to the Wine Cellar entrance and went through it without taking a second look back down.
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The door only barely shut behind me before the same thundering roar I heard when I had exited the Archives shot through me once more. The same red flesh substance began to morph over and grow across the walls of the hallway containing the narrow steps leading up and to the laboratory. I wouldn’t stay around long enough this time for that awful stuff to explode all over me again.
I burst into a full gallop moving up the stairs as fast as I could without tripping again, that horrid stuff following close behind me. A large patch of it had already grown on the small intersection of the stairway where it began to head towards the laboratory and I slunk down slightly and jumped, clearing it and making it safely to the other side. I moved faster as I neared the Laboratory door and in a split second opened and closed it, escaping the red stuff.
I took a few exhausted breaths as I stood on the other side of the door. I actually made it past all of that without getting sprayed with another searing dose of that pus. I continued forwards, relieved and more confident than I had been. I was getting so close to finally getting out of this area that was being overrun. I moved casually down the stairs and towards the Laboratory itself. It remained just as I had left it, or at least from what I could tell from initially viewing it. I made it to the mixing bench and began the process of producing my long sought after acid. I began by placing the four chemicals onto the metal holders placed on the wall respectively to make the necessary mixture. Starting with the Aqua Regia first, then the Calamine, then the Cuprite.
Everything I was working on suddenly stopped as a tumultuous crashing sound came from outside the Laboratory. It sounded as if the entire room had just collapsed. I kept my pause for a moment, and then continued once more. I was too close to stop and check on things now; this was the only real progress I had made since finding the Wine Cellar key. I finally added the Orpiment and grabbed the chemical pot across before bringing it back and placing it under the mixture faucet to receive it once it was finished. Everything was in place now; it was time to actually create the acid. I turned the burners on and watched with rising hopes as the ingredients began to boil. I turned the wheels above the fixtures holding the jars and one by one the ingredients flowed through the pipe connecting all of them into a faucet and finally into my chemical pot. The room gave one more shake as it did. I raised the acid up and closer to me and held it as if it were a newborn foal. This was the end result to everything I had been working towards. I could now finally get into the Refinery and this Inner Sanctum.
Now that I was done with that I was done with the Laboratory, I saw no more need to be in here. I finally went to go check on what made that large crashing sound. The answer was abundantly clear as soon as I entered the small hallway that connected the main room with the Laboratory, the stairs had collapsed. Things were really beginning to fall apart around this area of the castle, I had to move quickly. Looking around the wreckage, there was no way that I could jump up onto the platform; I wouldn’t want to risk it anyway with a volatile pot of acid on me. Looking further around, I did see something that gave me some hope, the small section of the stairs that was flat as I descended them, it was still fully intact. Beginning to work my plan as I went, I carefully lifted the square piece of the stairs and leaned it up against the little bit of the stairs that still remained on top. It was perfect, exactly set up to walk on. I did, though maintaining a great deal of balance because of the small chance that the section was unstable, which judging from the fact that it fell apart in the first place, I assumed that it was. I finally made it up past the small section and over the small piece of stairs left. The walkway itself to the door was still stable. I opened the door and continued my way towards the Refinery.
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Another roar. More hard fleshy stuff. I was familiar with it by this point, and tired of it. I moved carefully and swiftly around what was in the stairway up until I made it into the foyer itself. The stuff had grown everywhere now. Only certain sections of the floors and walls remained bare. I started by searching for a clear path to the stairs leading to the Refinery. Most of the area immediately around the stairs leading down remained bare enough. I navigated my way around what little pieces of red flesh there was on the floor and down the stairs, finally making it through the door. This area looked just the same as it had before, even with all of it that’s already spread across the foyer. The small section that was there before still remained as well. That was about to change. Pulling out the acid, I took one last look at the red stuff and prayed that this would work. I tilted the jar slightly and tossed its contents directly at the acid.
Triumph. Something I hadn’t felt much since I woke.
I watched with great pleasure as the horrible thing dissolved and broke down into nothing, clearing my path. Straight in front of me was another door, presumably leading the Refinery I figured. I didn’t waste any time, the foyer was being taken over too rapidly to think about whether I should go further or not. Like it or not, no matter what happened, I was stuck there. And my only way out was to go in further.
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This area was even darker than the others, the further I went the darker it got. My lantern was rapidly becoming my most important thing to me as I lifted it and continued my way through. It was impossible to see the end, but it was just a really long hallway from all I could see. I made it only a little ways in before a flashback came to me.
“It sure is dark in here.”
“Yes, and there’s a good reason for it. You can light the lamp now, if you wish Charcoal.”
“What’s the reason for it? The darkness, that is.”
“Stay close. Be careful not to stray.”
“But what’s the reason? Why is it so dark?”
“Pay attention, Charcoal. It’s important that you keep going straight and make sure not to stray.”
I made a note of that. My need to explore made me lose consciousness last time. The hallway eventually turned left and continued on further. The hallway was now separated in the middle by segmented pillars running the length of it. Debris lay scattered all across it as well. It eventually came to an end and into another large room. This one looked similar to the Wine Cellar in that the large barrels were stored inside here too. It also looked like there was only one area that connected to this one, a larger room connected by an opening right in front of me.
Rrrarghrr…
I hadn’t even made it fully into the room before I heard that. Without even thinking, I instantly extinguished my lantern and ducked into the hallway. As I did I caught a glimpse of the thing moving across my only way through this area from the left end of the opening and disappearing on the right. Like all the other times, I would have to follow it. Follow it. What was I thinking? I must have been crazy, and for all I knew I was. A defeated sigh escaped me before I continued.
The room through the opening was roughly the same size as the previous one, more barrels within this one as well. From what I saw there were a few doors that I could go through. One in front of me, and one on each my left and right side. I didn’t feel like following that monster exactly and going to my right, so I decided to go left towards the closest door to me first. Before I reached the door I noticed a few severed and torn limbs that had been hidden behind a barrel to the left of me that were very heavy with decay. I tried to keep thoughts of how they might of gotten there and who they had belonged to out of my mind as I entered through the door.
That soul grinding, unholy roar that refused to relent struck again. But it was worse this time. My vision turned blood red, all I could see was a macabre of a sight everywhere. I forcefully shut my eyes and tried to cover my ears in a vain attempt to stop listening. It quickly subsided and once I opened my eyes I found my vision to be normal again, or as normal as it could get. I took a few very deep breaths. It was getting worse. It only kept getting worse. It had to have been the work of this Shadow mentioned in that letter. I know of no naturally occurring phenomenon that I have learned of that could do something like this. I had to keep moving further to try and get away from it hopefully. I stumbled slightly going forwards but quickly recovered and lit a candle on a small table directly in front of me. Sparse areas of the room where covered in the red flesh like stuff, but not enough to cause a complete panic over. So long as I avoided the large exploding sacs I would be fine.
The room itself was much smaller than the previous one, but roughly a squarer shape that it. Another jar of oil sat on one of the shelves of wine that was in the room. I grabbed it, filled the lantern, and made my way over to the door that was to the right of me that I had noticed upon entering the room. The room beyond that door had only one thing of importance, another laudanum. Very important to have on me in case I needed it again. I turned once more to my right once I got inside the room and collected to laudanum to face another door there as well, only to have it push open by itself, slowly. I recoiled at the sight, but not as bad as I had before to similar occurrences.
It revealed another long room behind it, almost the size of a hallway but slightly larger and wider than most that I’ve seen thus far. Further down in front of me was another door. This series of rooms seemed to run around the main room. I had also notice another journal entry on the table in front of me.
22nd of June, 839
It’s been more than a month since my last entry. After the event in the old chamber in the Griffin Territory, the professor insisted that I return to Canterlot lest we forfeit all of our findings here should I take a turn for the worse. It was a bit excessive in my opinion but I’m glad that it turned out the way that it did. I found my journal amongst the things that had returned with me along with the broken stone orb wrapped in a cloth. I tried to assemble the pieces, but they wouldn’t fit together as if they weren’t from the same object. Was there ever a complete orb? Or had I just imagined it all?
This was interesting, but didn’t help me with my current situation with how much knowledge I had of this orb other than that I had found it before I lost all of my memory, and according to this I could have even simply imagined that. Without any more information to help clear things up, I began to move again. The door at the opposite end of the room was locked so I turned back and went over to the other door that I saw. This was the only door that led away from this room so I decided to check in here first.
It was at least somewhat lit. A single light hanging in the middle of the room gave me enough sight to not need my lantern. Two large barrels to either side of me blocked my field of view so I had to move in closer to see around. Nothing of interest was to my left but in front of me was a hatch that led down somewhere, and to my right was a smaller barrel of what looked like oil. I confirmed my suspicion as I neared it. What was inside filled the rest of my lantern and I looked over and on the table was another journal entry. I picked it up like all the others are read to myself:
25th of June, 839
I feel the need to continue this journal, even though it was only intended for my expedition into the Griffin Territory. This orb is something very important, I know it. I had taken it upon myself to piece it back together, but its proving more difficult than I had anticipated. The pieces act strangely, they seem to change shape, color, and texture, but ever so slightly. Yesterday, I took careful measurements and confirmed my suspicions, the pieces were changing. I hurried to the best geologist in Canterlot that I could find. I asked him about it and he discussed with me about how rocks change form, more specifically about the nature of glass and its tendency to slowly collapse in on itself. This had eased my mind a bit, but I still believed that these pieces were of otherworldly properties.
Otherworldly properties? Was I now dealing with aliens? It was something that had been theorized by others but never proven, even the princess downplayed any evidence that such things have ever visited this world. It still bothered me how much I knew about everything around me from my past but never my actual past itself. It kept adding to my frustration which piled on top of my fear. None of it was a good mixture either. Having something else to consider now, I decided that there was nothing else for me in the room and went back to take a look at that hatch. It was slightly opened so I lifted what was left fully open and looked inside. More red fleshy stuff. More of it. It was so prolific. It hadn’t covered all of the floor but it did cover the majority of the walls. The drop itself down want very far at all, any hope of a ladder was gone as that entire section of the wall was completely covered.
Bracing myself, I jumped down into the hatch. I landed with a hard thud as I fell first on my hooves and then onto my side. It didn’t hurt all that much so I stood again quicker than I had before and moved on, once again making sure to avoid anything that might lash out at me. This hallway was much denser than the others, and more cramped as well. In a small hallway like this surrounded by that flesh stuff and with me not immediately running in fear from it because I was forced to, I began to see just how disgusting it really was. It grew like thick spider webs off of the wall and made just the most absolutely disgusting sounds.
The path turned left and then right. I made it to the edge of corner of the first turn but before I managed to turn right the roar came back even louder than it had all the other times. My vision too turned red once more and the entire hallway trembled and shook. I was fearful that it may fall to I continued quicker than I had before. The hallway turned right as I had seen and came to another door. “Cellar Archives” this one read. I didn’t care where it lead though. I just wanted to get out of this narrow and cramp hallway before it had collapsed.
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The entire hallway was actually lit. I was pleasantly surprised. It looked similar to the halls that I first roamed through when I woke up all that time ago, it seemed like ages now. There were several boxes of various shapes stacked in different locations around the hallway from what I could see, and an archway to my right a little ways in. I could still hear the echoes of the roaring from behind me so I decided it was best for me to get moving and not wait for whatever it was making that noise to find me.
Everything was consumed by blackness in an instant and I was blinded.
My heart nearly stopped.
I couldn’t see anything. Anything.
“Aaaghh!”
When some light finally returned, I found myself wading up just above my knees in water. Worst yet, the walls were completely covered in the red flesh now. Looking back, I saw my exit back into the hallway was blocked too. The initial shock had passed after a few seconds and I managed to collect myself a little. But to see an entire hallway flooded with water in the blink of an eye was completely unimaginable. This was no mere illusion magic either, none of it was, this I was realizing more and more as I continued. Whatever was making all of these terrible things come into this world, it was far more powerful than any kind of magic. Whatever this Shadow was, it possessed power greater than anything that I know of, perhaps even greater than that of the princess.
The water was freezing too. It stung and pierced my legs with its bitter iciness as I began to move through it. All of the boxes that were stacked around previously were now scattered aimlessly throughout the water now covering the ground. I made it over to the archway that I saw when I first entered the Cellar Archives and saw a lot of things just as disorganized inside with nothing of real note except for what looked like a small level on the far edge of the wall. It didn’t look like it would affect anything to me since I assumed that anything that it would affect is probably ruined by this water, so I didn’t bother going inside.
Splash
It was at the far edge of the hallway directly in front of me when I saw it. A single splash. Along with that a gurgling noise of something that had surfaced and taken a breath or something like that, I couldn’t tell. In fact, it had even reminded me of something that I remembered seeing from earlier, in the Laboratory.
I wasn’t given the chance to finish my thought as the singular splash that I heard was now a multitude of violent splashes that kept drawing closer to me. I panicked and almost instinctively climbed up on the nearest box next to me. The splashes reached the box and suddenly stopped. Though I could hear the same gurgling noises again. I couldn’t see what the thing was in the murky water so I lifted my lantern to see if I could get a glimpse of it.
No. That’s impossible.
There was nothing in the water. With my lantern I could see all the way through it, and there was nothing there. I swung it around to other areas to see if it was anywhere else around the box, but the water was devoid of anything except for the other boxes. I found myself quickly rethinking my idea of impossible with everything that’s happened recently. Becoming increasingly confused, I put my lantern away and stuck my hoof into the water to my right to see what would happen. I sorely regret my stupidity in doing that because as soon as I did the water once again splashed as I heard something roar and the next thing I knew something very sharp pierced through the end of my hoof. I wrenched it out of the water and winced as I saw a small stream of blood pouring out of it. My mind was reeling at how impossible this was. I was being attacked by and invisible water monster.
The bleeding stopped after I applied some pressure to it and a few minutes passed, the entire time the waters sat eerily silent. By this time I had realized that this thing must have been what I saw in the Laboratory. Or at least the splash that it made, since it was made very clear by now that I can’t even see the damn thing. The only way that I can move throughout this hallway was by jumping from box to box, trying to avoid falling in the water.
I began by doing just that and jumping to the closest box in front of me, leading down the hallway. As soon as I landed on it and balanced myself the water behind me began to thrash and it stopped right next to me as it had before. I tried to keep it from unnerving me as I jumped again but it was very difficult considering I know just how easily this thing will shred me apart should I fall. I made it several more boxes down the hallway before I finally reached the end of it and looked down to my right where it turned. I now realized what that lever must have been for. At the end of the hallway was a doorframe but instead of a door there was a metal gate blocking the way, it looked way too heavy for me to lift so I decided to head back into the room to see if my hunch was right.
More jumps. I was doing rather well at keeping my balance and not falling considering how terrified I was. Perhaps that was what was keeping my balance in the first place, the fear. I made it to the archway that led into the small room and cursed at it. There was no way that I could make a jump onto one of the boxes in the room due to the low hanging of the archway, I would have to sprint through the water to get to the lever. The monster had stopped next to me as it had all the other times. I took a deep breath and bolted off the box into the room. The instant I made contact with the water I heard the monster moving just as swiftly. I made it inside the room and towards the nearest box. It was just to my right and I barely made it up because I felt another sharp object graze the back of my leg as I jumped up onto it. I could hear the thing make another series of noises, clearly upset that I had escaped it. The boxes in this room were much closer to each other and I could walk across them with ease. I made it to the lever and pulled down on it hoping for the best.
I was right, as soon as the lever came down I heard gears working and something opening out of the water ahead of me to my left. But I was also hearing something else. A ticking noise. Similar too…
Thinking quickly, I darted off of the large box I was on onto the smaller ones, grabbing a book off of one of the shelves that was in the room and quickly jumping into the water and out of the door onto the next box, the water monster following closely behind me. The ticking noise sounded just like the one from the Archives with the books, and if that any indication of anything then I had to move fast. I jumped from each box all the way to the end where it turned right, and taking a complete leap of faith, I threw the book back towards where I came from and took off through the water after jumping off of the box towards the open gate.
It worked just as I planned, the water monster began to go after the book that I threw and ignored me, at first. As soon as I was halfway towards the door I could hear it gaining ground on me once more. My heart was beating at an unimaginable rate as I sped up faster as I was running literally for my life. Just as I was about to reach the gate it began to close rapidly and I just cleared it before it slammed into the ground and I heard something crashing into it with another roar. I had come into another larger room with several stone support pillars around the room and boxes scattered around the pillars. To the left of me upon entering was another closed gate, but this one had a wheel next to it that I had assumed to be an opening mechanism.
I moved quickly towards it but not as fast this time thinking that I had escaped the water monster. My brief triumph over it was quickly destroyed as I saw a second set of splashes coming from the middle of the room.
Another one.
I picked up my speed and just barely avoided it as I rushed towards the door. I made it safely to it and up on a large crate that was next to it. I almost fell off of it though as I had just noticed several severed limbs laying on it. I wanted to move badly but this was the only thing that I could stand on immediately around me. Plus the water was still relatively freezing so constantly going in and out of it was starting to really get to me.
After sitting there for a minute regaining my strength from my last encounter with a water monster, I got another idea that might work similarly to my last one. The turning wheel was on the other side of the door which meant I had to be in the water to turn it and I wouldn’t last five seconds with that horrid thing skulking about the water, but if I, and this thought sickened me, fed the thing one of these limbs next to me it might be distracted just long enough for me to get past the gate. It was an extremely risky play but I had to get out of this place before that thing, that Shadow making all those roaring noises back in the foyer and Refinery got closer to me.
I lifted a severed half of a torso and tried my best to not vomit. I hurled the thing as far away from the door as I could get so it would take longer for it to reach it and moved as soon as it hit the water without looking to see if the monster took the bait. I made it to the door and began turning the wheel as I heard splashing sounds leading away from behind me. I was thankful that it had worked and continued turning the wheel as the gate slowly lifted. Behind me now I could heard flesh ripping and water thrashing about as I got a bad mental image of what was happening. I just managed to lift the gate past the point where I could fit under it and waited no longer before doing so as I heard the splashes coming closer. Through the gate was another small hallway that led to a closed door at the end. As soon as I reached it I flung it open and closed as I cleared the opening. Another loud thump was audible from behind the door and for a moment I was worried that it would try to break through it, but to my relief I heard the splashing once again retreating back into the room.
I slumped down against the door for a moment to catch my breath before searching the new room that I had entered. It was like an intermediate room between another area of the Cellar Archives as the door across the room looked like the ones from the Laboratory entrance. There were a couple of shelves on either side of the room with books that hadn’t fallen into the water stacked on a few of the shelves. None of it looked too interesting to take away from the short time I had so I decided to move on. The door at the end of the room read “Archive Tunnels” above it. I attempted to open it before realizing that a small lock was over the handle and prevented it to open. Frustrated once more, I searched to room again for anything that may help me break the lock.
My search ended with the finding of a small, hollow needle that lay on one of the shelves. It looked just small enough to pick the lock with. I went back over to the door and began to work on it. It was hard to pick locks with hooves but I managed to get it in just far enough for it to make a definite clicking sound before dropping off of the door and into the water. I decided to keep the hollow needle in case I ever needed to do the same thing again. The door opened this time with no troubles.
__________________________________________________________________________
It looked exactly like what the sign said, a tunnel. Well, not necessarily a tunnel in the sense of a cave, but just another series of hallways, this one turned right into a closed door at the end. The red stuff still covered the walls but at least candles were lit all along the hallway, I instantly became suspicious. The last time I came into a seemingly harmless and lit hallway I nearly died several times.
I proceeded with caution as I made my way towards the door. I made it safely there and through it fine. The hallway in front of me went on for another bit before turning left. I took a step in and the Shadow’s roar echoed through from a distance behind me.
Splash splash splash splash splash
It was much quicker than I had heard it than before, and from right behind me too. I closed the door on impulse, hoping to deter it like I did before. The splashes stopped at the door for a second before something large crashed into the door and splintered it. It was actually breaking through the door now. I didn’t give it another thought. I turned and ran.
The hall turned left as I saw from before. It went on for a little longer before reaching another door from what I saw as I began running down it. A few barrels floated through the water and I dodged each one that got close to my path. The door behind me was torn down with another loud crash and I heard the splashes continuing again towards me. I made it to the next door and opened it as fast as I could before closing it once more behind me as I entered through it.
The hallway immediately split into two different directions, I didn’t have time to think about it so I just went right. The hall turned left quickly then went on a little longer before turning left again. I heard the door that I closed previously break down too and I moved quicker. Another small ways forwards before it turned right again into another door. I did the same routine with the last one.
It went forwards again for a tiny bit before turning right. As I turned the corner I saw a small blockade of boxes and barrels in my way. I stopped for a split second before hearing the last door I closed break down. I rushed forwards in a panic and jumped. I cleared the debris and ran faster, my heart feeling like it was about to burst now. As I continued towards the next door at the end of the hallway I turned my head back quickly to see the monster merely push the blockade completely out of the way with ease as it continued towards me. I pushed on faster before making it through the door that I had just gotten to.
A left turn, then right, then left again. The creature broke through the door as I was nearing the second left turn. As I rounded the corner another blockade stood in my path. I was slipping more out of a conscious thought processing mind and more into a primal “survival mode” as my life became increasing more in danger. It drove me on to escape the danger and I didn’t even have to think now as I surged forwards and cleared this blockade now. It continued further and I went through and closed another door again.
The hallway turned left then right once more. But this time the hallway seemed to keep going for a long time and I couldn’t even see the end. The door I just closed was definitely gone by now and that thing was more than likely gaining ground on me with nothing in its path now, though I didn’t bother to turn my head anymore to see if I was right. It stretched further and further and I was running out of energy rapidly now. Just as I thought I was going to collapse from the exhaustion a door became visible at the end. This one looked like it led somewhere else too as it wasn’t another simple wooden door. It gave me the final boost of energy that I needed to push on towards it. I halted at the door and quickly glimpsed at the words “Back Hall” on the door before a large growl from behind reminded me that my life was still on the line and without another thought I pulled the door open and closed behind me with the remaining bits of my energy before finally collapsing on the now water free stone floor.
End Part 1.
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Soviet
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1360
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Crossover,Dark
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Amnesia: A Pony's Descent
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A pony wakes up in a dark and foreboding castle with no memory of who he is.
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complete
| 8 | 3 |
<p>My submission for the napowrimo on EqD<br /><br />A pony with no memory of who he is wakes up in a dark and foreboding castle that lies secluded in the woods of far eastern Equestria. The only thing that he finds upon waking that gives any help is a letter addressed to him from his past self telling him to do only one thing: to murder Alexander of Bridleburg. His past self also warns him of a deadly Shadow that is following him and that there is no way to fight back, only run. He will come to find that this dark castle is far more deadly than he had ever imagined and will come to face the sins of his past as he ventures further into the darkness.</p>
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mature
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2011-10-10T17:19:14+00:00
| 195 |
It was beautiful, this Back Hall. Once I had regained my energy I walked up the long steps that led to the most stunning and grand room that I had ever seen since waking. It was completely untouched by the Shadow as far as I could tell and an actual bright stream of light shone from the many windows that lined the walls. From the looks of it, the light outside meant it would be dark soon, but still, it was more light than I had ever seen in this entire castle yet.
Elegant pillars and arches lined the room and created a large space almost as big as the foyer was. Behind me to the right of the stairs leading back to where I came from was another set of stairs that curved up to the left and onto another level above the ground level of the back hall, on top of that level I could also see two doors similar distances apart from each other. To my right further was another set of stairs that led down into darkness, I didn’t feel the need to go down into anything dark at the moment. And to my left was another door at the far end and the other set of curving stairs that connected with the other one. I walked forwards into the room further and up to the fountain that was in the middle of a small alcove in the room. The water looked pure and untainted, unlike that of the water that was in the Cellar Archives. It wasn’t until now that I had realized how thirsty I was after all that I had gone through. I drank from the pool of water at the bottom of the fountain without restraint. The water tasted as if it were a gift from Celestia herself. It was the most refreshing thing that I’ve tasted since waking. The only other liquid that I can recall tasting thus far was blood.
I stopped drinking as I heard wind gust past me and a door creaking open. I instantly raised my guard and looked around. I then spotted the door that was to my left was open and nothing else around it, but inside it though, I could see something very large. I left the fountain and began to make my way over to the door. I neared it and saw a room inside that looked almost as large as the Back Hall. I went through the door and it was narrow for a bit before expanding into a massive room, more large sets of pillars made two rows and in the middle was a long carpet that led to a teleporter. My jaw dropped in awe as I observed it. I only remember that teleporters were technology that was only recently being made. It was supposed to work by holding a certain amount of magic within it and it could be used by all races to moves long distances without the aid of a unicorn.
The teleporter itself was not fully visible as a large portion of it was behind the wall. But what I could see was a small room put at the end of the larger room with a metal grate covering it. Along the wall around it were rods that when activated would channel the magic into the room and teleport whoever was inside to its set destination. I wanted to investigate it at a closer distance so I moved again, only to have another flashback come to me.
“You have a teleporter? How in the world did you get that kind of technology this new this far east?”
“You would be surprised at how much I’ve attained during my time, Charcoal.”
“So I assume that this will take us to the Inner Sanctum?”
“It will definitely take care of the vertical part of our journey, I trust that you’ve used a teleporter before?”
“Only once, when I was growing up in Canterlot. It would take you to one of the tallest towers there where you could see all of the lands that lay beyond the mountain, it’s beautiful.”
“Good, but be warned, this one will be taking us down instead of up.”
That’s why they seemed so familiar, I remember it now. Using the teleporter that was set up in Canterlot to teleport me up to that tower that was used as a public viewing platform. But what Alexander had said also concerned me. That could only mean going down once again into a place that I didn’t know. It also made me somewhat overwhelmed because I had made it through all of that just to learn that the Inner Sanctum was still much farther away than I had thought. I figured it to be just beyond the Refinery or something. But no. It was still much further down. I guess that’s what I meant when I told myself in the letter to ‘descend into the darkness’.
I figured that I might as well see if I can get this thing working, I didn’t feel like wasting time to go looking through rooms that may lead to nothing of use while my way further towards the Inner Sanctum lay right in front of me. I opened the metal gate that blocked my entrance and walked into the small room. It looked only big enough to fit three, maybe four ponies inside. To my left was another lever that I could only assume turned it on. I braced myself and pulled the lever down.
Nothing.
I tried several more times, still nothing. This clearly wasn’t working, so I exited the small room and looked around it for any indication as to why it wasn’t working. I then found a large panel that stuck out of the wall to the teleporter’s left. On the panel were three small holes that were evenly spaced along it. My eye had caught this panel because two of the three holes were empty while the third had something in it. My memory gave me one last detail that I remembered about the teleporters. This must have been where the magical rods where put to power the machine. It ran on three of them simultaneously and while they did deplete very slowly, they were not easy to replace. My hopes were draining fast as I looked at it. There was no way that I could use the teleporter while it was like this, I would have to search the rooms in the Back Hall for any signs of replacement rods. Surely Alexander kept a supply of them, being this far out in the woods.
I turned and left the room, seeing that there was nothing else that I could do in there and once I entered the Back Hall I began to climb the steps to my right up onto the upper level to check up there first. The upper level had two doors, a guest room and a study. I decided to try the guest room first because I was hoping that I would find something in there, not the rods, but something more personal maybe.
__________________________________________________________________________
It was a complete mess. Nearly everything in this room was overturned or broken in some way. It was another square room with a few windows at the far edge, but not as much light as before. There was a desk with a couple of ripped out drawers along with an overturned dresser and many other things spread across the floor. It was at least lit though. Another thing I didn’t trust by now. I was just about to take a step until I stopped due to another flashback return.
I heard the sounds of things being rifled through and thrown around while I began to say “My journal is gone. What would they want with my journal?”
This could explain why I was finding all of these journal entries in pieces around the castle so far. But that was an odd thing for someone to steal. I navigated my way around the overturned furniture to the desk and picked up the piece of parchment that I saw lying on top of it amongst other miscellaneous things.
2nd of July, 839
I received a letter today from one of the outposts set up on the border of the Griffin Territory disclosing the fate of the Professor’s expedition. A week after my departure, one of the members of the expedition returned from the snowy plains, he was badly injured, as if maimed by one of the griffins. This struck me as odd because the Griffins scarcely interacted with explorers much less archeologists who dug in the area and kept to themselves. They very rarely attack unprovoked. They had never figured out what attacked him though as he was completely delirious and rambled about the camp being attacked by something horrible. A search party was quickly dispatched and after days of searching finally found the camp. It was in ruins and the Professor and the rest of the expedition was nowhere to be found. Tomorrow I will collect the things they found amongst the wreckage. I’m not so sure what to make of it, but I’m worried for him.
It pained me to not even know the professors name, but it was never stated in any of the journal entries thus far so I assumed that I would just have to keep his name as “The Professor” for now then. I turned to my left and walked through the door open frame that led into the actual room that I must have slept in while I was here. A large bed sat at the end of the room with more furniture and other things scattered about. On the desk though, was another journal entry. I went to go read this one.
3rd of July, 839
Today I picked up the Professors things. I went through a large amount of mismatched documents from what remained of the camp sight. There were many documents ranging from quick notes to large accounts of what had happened since I left. I began to search through them for any indication of what might have happened to him. On May 17th, the day that I found the orb chamber, he wrote:
“Found and recovered Charcoal after one hour of entrapment.”
I was confused greatly by this as I had been suffocating within minutes of being trapped. How could I have lasted an hour? As I read the accounts of what happened, I began to notice frustration within his writing. He wanted to get the rest of the team to revisit the chamber again but what happened in the orb chamber seemed to have driven parts of the team mad. The Professor finally decided to visit the orb chamber for himself where he found an orb and returned with it to the surface. This had confused me even more. If he had retrieved the orb, then what are those pieces sitting on my living room table?
I too was confused at this last entry. What had happened to this expedition that I was supposedly on? It all seemed to be connected to this orb that I found while I was there, from what I can imagine of the entries thus far must mean that the orb had something to do with everything that is happening right now to me.
I added this to my list of things to think about when I wasn’t running terrified for my life. I turned and looked at the bed. I almost considered sleeping in it if it weren’t for the giant bloodstains on and around it. Examining it further, I began to realize that another memory was starting to appear to me as the white flash overtook my sight.
I heard the sheets of the bed rusting together and footsteps coming from the main room.
“Charcoal.”
“What?!”
“Still having nightmares I see.”
“Yes, I can’t get rid of them, they come every night, and are only getting worse.”
“We’ll put a stop to them, you’ll see.”
The more I heard Alexander’s voice, the more disturbed I became about it. From what I could hear it sounded very dark, like there was always a hint of something else, some hidden motive underneath his words. It was hard for me to rationalize, I just didn’t trust it.
I looked around the room and found another tinder box along with more lamp oil. With nothing else that looked like it could give me any clues to finding the rods or any more about my past I decided to try the last room that was across the main room from where I was. I made it over and as I opened the door another quick flashback came to me.
“The key. Please let it be here”
It was indeed rather quick but gave me more reason to search the room now. The room was a small and rectangular with only two small drawers in the middle and two large wardrobes at the ends. Most of the drawers were pulled out and scattered across the room like the others. Though there was another journal entry on the small drawer to the left so I moved towards it and picked it up to read.
4th of July, 839
It’s done! The orb is assembled. I had awakened from a terrible nightmare and went to my living room where the orb pieces were. They remained on the table where I left them, but somehow I knew how they were supposed to fit together. Without fault, I joined the orb pieces with the aid of some tar to hold it together with. The pieces fit together perfectly and now resembles the orb that I remembered seeing when I first encountered it. The ancient relic is now complete; I don’t think that it’s perfectly round surface could have been made by even the most skilled artisan in the world. It was all too strange.
It fit perfectly together? Just like that? How was that even possible? Then again if what I previously read was true I survived an hour without air in the chamber on my expedition. What object has the power to seemingly bend reality like this? Perhaps this was alien after all. I took two steps to my left to look through the large dresser before I heard the main door to the guest room swing open, then nothing else for a second. I froze, having no idea what else was possible alive here, except…
Rrrarghrr…
Dammit! I swung around and shut the door before quickly looking around to decide what to do next. I only thought of one thing, hide. I did just that as I jumped into the large wardrobe to my right and closed both of the doors shut before cowering inside. No sooner had I heard the sound of something large slamming on the door to the room. Another slam. Another. A loud crashing sound indicated to me that the door must have come down and I heard the monster stumble inside and shift around.
Eeeuuughhhh….Rrarghh…
It continued to make more grunts as it continued to look around the room. Fear couldn’t even describe what I was feeling right now. If I had any memory of my life it would probably be flashing in front of me right now. I was sure that I was dead. I only sat and prayed that it wouldn’t come any closer.
The door the main room opened and closed.
I hadn’t even heard the thing move away from me; I was too busy trying to keep my bowels intact. Even after it had left it took me a good five minutes for me to gain the courage to ever so slightly push one of the doors open to look outside. I was right, it was gone. I took another minute to reestablish the fact that I wasn’t dead and that I was still alive. After doing so I continued my search for this key mentioned in the flashback. Nothing in the room really struck me as odd as I looked around, except for… that painting. I saw a small opening behind one of the corners of a crooked painting on the far end from me. I walked over to it and began to push the painting aside, revealing a small key. In doing so, another quick flashback came on like before.
“Ah, there it is. I guess it was a good hiding place for it after all.”
Indeed it was. I even remembered the room that this key opened as well, the storage room; it had to be where the rods were. Satisfied with my finding, aside from the intrusion and nearly getting killed, I didn’t see the need to remain here anymore and headed back out of the room into the Back Hall, keeping conscious about monsters potentially about in it.
__________________________________________________________________________
It turned out that I didn’t need to worry about any monster, as the remains of it, or at least the torso of it, was in a bloody mess right outside of the door. I took a few steps away as the sight first shocked me. Though I thanked whatever actually managed to kill this horrid thing. I dared not go near the body as I had no idea what it would do, if anything. So I decided to head back the way I originally came up the stairs, stopping though outside of the door that I neglected to explore, the study. I did have the key to the storage but maybe I might find out more about why I was here, like more journal entries in there. I know I said that I wasn’t going to worry about such things before, but my curiosity was becoming too great now.
__________________________________________________________________________
The Study from when I first entered look similar to the guest room, except the coloring of the wood was darker, along with the actual hallway itself being dark. It wasn’t to the point where I couldn’t see to the end of the hallway but it was still getting pretty bad. I lit my lantern and moved forward, stopping at the first door that I saw to my right and looking inside. It was a mess inside there as well similar to the guest room, nothing of interest was inside from what I could tell though but I considered checking it out until I saw a piano in the far corner of the room. I shuddered and turned away to head to the next room directly across the hall from the one on my right.
I opened the door and saw it was a large room that went back a ways with two large windows at the end. It was completely dark outside now. How could that be though? It was still relatively bright outside from what I could tell while I was in the guest room. That was only about ten minutes ago. This castle seemed to do that a lot to me now that I thought about it. Time seemed to warp around it and cause it to look differently everywhere around the castle or something. None of it, among many other things, made any sense here.
I made my way to the widows, avoiding the piles of books that were stacked about in the room, and was amazed as I looked through them. I could actually see out the windows in here. It came a bit bittersweet though as it was night time out and my vision was limited anyway. Through them I could see the guest room’s windows and parts of a forest in the distance. Heavy fog obscured most of the tree line but I could see much farther out than I had before. I turned my attention away from the windows and to several pieces of parchment on the desk. Reading the first few lines I knew it had something to do with the orb and Alexander even though it was untitled, as I could now see what his writing looked like. I was intrigued about it none the less if it had something to do with the orbs.
I had been traveling through these thick woods for what seemed like an eternity before I had finally found what I was looking for. Underneath the forest floor was a large temple where the item that I sought lie inside. The orb indeed carried tremendous power as I had sensed while I removed it from its stand. With the orb I began to set in motion my plans to finally return home. I began by building the castle that would hold the orb so that I may study it further and attempt to unlock its secrets. The castle itself was only made as a disguise should any inhabitants, if there at all any, came roaming through these woods. Most of it is empty inside except for the Inner Sanctum but I can easily change or add anything if necessary. I know very little of this world or how technologically advanced it was, if there were even any inhabitants in the first place, only that if I was here then it must have orbs on it. One very important thing that I found out though when I first arrived here was that this planet was very potent in magic, something that I found to be very useful in my work and actually building the castle. I will now begin my studies into the orb and how to unlock its power so that I may return home.
There was another page under this one, it looked much newer compared to the other one.
It turns out that I was right. This world does have sentient beings living on it, and they are ponies, of all things. While I pondered the situation, I came up with an excellent idea of how this may ultimately be beneficial to me. Changing my appearance was easy enough, after that all I had to do was meet with these new visitors and see if they lived anywhere near here. I greeted them openly as they arrived and they seemed grateful for some place to rest. As I had talked with them, I quickly found out that these travellers were actually a vanguard of explorers from the nation of Equestria trying to expand eastward. It was a perfect opportunity for me indeed. I strongly encouraged them to begin settlements here around the castle after giving them a story I made up about why it was here in the first place so that it may serve as protection. They easily agreed and within weeks the settlement of Bridleburg had been established, renaming the castle as well, I didn’t mind as it had no proper name prior.
I quickly filled the castle with all of the books and furnishings that I had either created or were brought by the settlers and also became attuned to their customs and history. I especially found this Princess Celestia to be quite interesting. According to them she controlled both the sun and the moon while being seemingly immortal, but it didn’t bother me all that much because I knew what she really was, only another being that has managed to actually control the power of the orb, to the rest of them though it may appear like she was some sort of goddess. How little they knew of true power and where it comes from. Seeing as I am now in charge of the settlement’s care and its legal system, obtaining the vitae will be much easier now and I can finally stop my failing attempts at producing it artificially or from the animals that I would find around the forest.
I was completely bewildered. This seemed to be Alexander’s account of how he came to this area and how the castle got here. What was this vitae that I’ve heard several times before? If this were true it would seem that Alexander has and orb as well. The thing that disturbed me most of all out of this though was him stating that he changed his appearance. That only implied he was not a pony, but something else. And the small bit about the princess, that caught me completely off guard. I didn’t want to believe a single word spoken of it, but if he managed to build this entire castle only with the orb, that must be something, power that rivaled that of hers. This was all getting too strange for me. But I know at least knew how this entire place came to be.
I pondered the records heavily as I exited the door and turned left down the hallway then left again as it turned. The hallway went down further towards another set of windows at the end and another hallway that turned right. As I was walking towards the turn I could have sworn I kept hearing what sounded like dogs. Completely deranged dogs barking madly in the distance, but not from any real direction. I tried to tune out the noise and continue further as I neared the end of the hallway. On the ground next to one of the windows was another jar of oil. I moved over and picked it up. As I did the floor shook and I took a few steps back as the window started to crack. It didn’t completely break though, so I only gave it a long look before continuing down to the right. The left side of this hallway was completely covered to the end in windows, but at the end of the hallway itself was another large pile of rocks, cutting off the rest of it. There was, however, a door in the middle of the hallway to the right.
I instantly regretted opening the door. The inside of the room looked like a mutilation chamber. There were bloodstains and pools of blood all over the tables set up inside and various tools and saws about with animal carcasses on a few of them. I leaned back outside of the room for a second to push the rising vomit down before continuing. In the center of the room was a large table that took up the majority of it, leaving the only walking space around it. I began by moving to my left and looking at the smaller table set up in the corner of the room. A severed dog head sat on top of it and as I neared to turn left to continue around the table in the center of the room another flashback returned.
“Let’s see what you have to offer,” I heard Alexander say while a dog whimpered in the background. The next sounds I heard where a saw cutting through flesh and the dog yelping before ceasing to make any more noise.
“Yes, I can sense it. It’s definitely there.”
Sickening. I could barely keep a hold of myself as I tried to remove the thought from my mind and continue on. There was another slightly open door at the end of the room that I was heading towards. Inside looked like an actual room that one would expect to find in a study and not an animal slaughter. It was smaller than the previous room, a lit fire burned in the far left corner, something I don’t think I’ve seen thus far; does that mean that someone was in here recently? I shook again at the thought of one of those things being in here with me. A desk was in the middle of the room with a few sketches of dog anatomy but nothing too important. I looked over to the right of the room and found another note on a smaller table that looked more interesting.
Anatomy Frontiers
August 9th, 790
I’ve decided to conform my research notes into the current dates that the inhabitants have to keep all of them in order. As per my current research I’m finding it to be a disappointment. The energy that I’m attempting to harvest from these creatures comes from fear stimulated in the brain which creates the necessary source I need. The only problem is that it isn’t a sufficient amount for what my needs are. I’ve so far found no research on this area of study from the inhabitants here. It is clear to me though that these ponies emit the energy in far greater quantities than the animals do. I think I’ve found a way to extract it from them as well and have found the perfect way to do so as I have taken the responsibility of the legal system in this area, so it might just work out for me yet.
I got a bad notion from this. He was killing animals by basically torturing them and harvesting this energy from them. But he also said that ponies emit it much more than common animals do, so I started to think of the only logical conclusion to what he would do. The thought was completely disgusting, but from what I have heard of this Alexander so far, I’m sure that he would resort to doing that. I turned away and decided to search through the desk for anything useful. I went through the three small drawers and found a tinderbox. Then I opened the larger cabinet and jumped back.
Skulls and bones poured out of it. Pony skulls and bones.
This was a bad place, I had to get out of here. I moved as fast as I could out of the room and the larger room into the hallway, shutting the door behind me, taking a few deep breaths of air that didn’t have a sense of decay to it. I began to head back towards the exit, but got curious as I passed the windows, especially the last one. As I neared it, I heard it crack and chip even more. I looked through it and saw the ledge that was on the other side of it. With that, I got another, somewhat crazy I’ll admit, idea. I took a large rock that was near the window that must have rolled over from the rockslide and chucked it as hard as I could at it. My apparently crazy idea worked and the window shattered and left a large opening for me to climb over and onto the ledge outside of it. I stepped through the window and on the ledge with care to avoid any potential glass that might have fell on it and looked out into the night. I was very much disappointed as I looked down and saw for about twenty meters before I saw nothing, not even the ground. I had slightly hoped this window might be able to lead me down safely somehow. Other than disappointment, it was somewhat relieving to breathe in fresh air from the night.
I couldn’t see any further past the tree line than I had through the windows, though I now saw something that I couldn’t while I was looking through the windows. The red organic material that plagued most of the castle parts that I had left behind was everywhere. It grew all in between the trees and completely covered a few. It looks like the Shadow was moving around the castle faster than I had thought. I looked to my left and saw that the ledges to the left of me were mostly broken apart or gone, but the ones to my right were all still there. And best of all, I could barely see an open window at the end of them.
I began to make my way across the ledges. It wasn’t that far between them, only a long step, but it was still nerve wracking considering how long of a fall it was. I reached the halfway point between to the window and heard large rumble to the distance. I turned my head and saw a tree violently shaking before toppling completely over and onto the darkened ground. This only made me move faster now. Three more ledges and I finally reached the last one. The window was broken too like the one I got onto the ledges. I stepped inside and saw that the room was actually lit, and a mess like the rest of the areas I’ve seen thus far in the Back Hall. All over the walls were schematics of the teleporter that was back where I came from. It all looked interesting but ultimately useless to me, I know what I needed to make it work. There was a door at the end of the room but the rocks covered that up and made any further progress impossible. There was, however, another canister on the desk that was in the right corner of the room. I went over and touched it to trigger the memory like before.
I dislike what I’ve become to produce what I need to return, but I must do what I have to, no matter what the cost. These ponies definitely contain the proper energy that I need to return, but the means for extracting it are quite horrible indeed.
I’m still studying the orb and the full extent of its power, but so far I’m completely convinced that it is what I need to return. This is all for you, my love.
I didn’t know what to think. Alexander seemed genuine with his emotions about what he said, but I’m finding it more difficult to believe as I learn more about him. He only wanted to return to wherever he came from. I couldn’t believe that I was actually now entertaining the notion that he was indeed an alien, but at the cost of what he has been implying to do that so far seemed like too much to me. I know as well that the only one now who could answer my questions is Alexander himself.
There was nothing else in the room besides that memory to think about as I left it and walked back across the ledges and through the window that I had first entered. There were a lot of pieces so far to this puzzle of mine and Alexander’s past, but not enough to make a complete picture from it. Nothing impeded my way as I returned back through the hallway and through the door to the Back Hall. It was time to go into the storage to continue my journey.
__________________________________________________________________________
Being back inside the Back Hall made me feel much better after witnessing such a disturbing place like the study. I descended the stairs and took a minute to stand near the fountain and calm myself by watching the water while at the same time mentally fortifying myself to head into storage. I turned to my right and started my way towards the stairs. Torches lit the stairway down as I went further down. After a while the stairs met a bottom and went straight once more. The door was at the end of a long walk down the hallway. As expected, the door wouldn’t budge when I tried to open it without the key. But as soon as I pushed it into the slot and turned it, the click indicated that had changed.
__________________________________________________________________________
It was dark. Not just dark, but much darker than anything I had seen thus far. If it weren’t for a small light shining in the distance, I don’t think that I could have seen past a meter without everything being absorbed by darkness. It was so unnatural, how could the darkness be this thick? I raised my lantern, which ultimately didn’t help much more than lighting only a tiny sliver of light in front of me. It was still much better than nothing though as I took my first few nervous steps inside.
I reached the small light that I saw when I had first entered the hallway in the middle of a large room, behind it was table that had another lit candle on it but did no better at fending off the darkness swarming around it. There was, however, another journal entry, this one looked long too as several pages were there with different dates.
5th of July, 839
I went to the Canterlot library looking for answers or any further material on the orbs. My search turned up little information that was relevant but I did manage to find a set of addresses from the remains of the camp that was sent to me. My search led to little more knowledge about my subject until I found Professor Bedrock. He knew much about the expedition and I eventually managed to get on the subject of the orbs. He told me that the orbs come from the time before the Princess’ reign. They were kept in large temples and that the also held great power. I asked him how he knew all of this and he told me that he had worked with the professor before and had even found another temple just like the one that we had found. But that one had no orb.
In the temple though were ancient writings that took months to translate but they eventually told of a story about how the orbs had been used by ancient ponies that used the orbs magic to attempt to control everything form the weather to the sun and moon. They even referenced another being, one that was also sentient but not a pony, which looked like strange creatures that stood on two legs instead of four from the statutes that they had also found. But the orbs and temples had suddenly ceased to be used anymore, and from estimates depending on the temples themselves, right around the time that the princess had taken over as ruler. It was too coincidental to what the ancients were trying to achieve to what the world is like now. He had also mentioned the Elements of Harmony from the old tales of the Mare in the Moon and how they were depicted as orbs.
I was completely amazed by all of this and asked why he hadn’t brought any of his findings to the public. To which he simply said that he was too afraid to. With the nature of the orbs and their disappearance the same time that the princess came to power, it was almost a conspiracy. And if he had put this out into the public’s view he was afraid that he might be charged with treason and conspiracy to overthrow the Princess. Thinking about it further I had ultimately agreed with his reasoning and thanked him for helping me.
As I was leaving, I overheard a shocking conversation. Apparently the geologist that I had visited only a few weeks ago had been murdered last night. Crime is usually never a big issue around here so this was something that I took especially hard. It was strange, but somehow I felt responsible for what happened to him.
The journal entry ended and skipped to another page.
14th of July, 839
I went through the rest of the professors addresses listed and found either similar information that Professor Bedrock had told me or nothing at all from their letters that I had received back, except for the very last letter that I had received. It was from the Baron of Bridleburg, of all ponies. It struck me as odd that the professor would know others so far out to the east but I didn’t think about it too much because the letter had intrigued me so much. It said nothing of the orbs or their origins like many of the other letters that I had received, only this:
“I know. I can protect you. Come to Bridleburg Castle.” Signed Alexander.
I didn’t know what to make of it. Protect me from what? Was there something after me? I managed to find a route that would take me to Bridleburg far to the east. It was a long route, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to commit so such a journey yet. As much as the letter distressed me I didn’t trust this Baron that I’ve never hear about yet. As I write though, my thoughts are being drawn to the constant nightmares that I have been having every night where a disturbing voice that cannot be described calls out to me, like from a void. I’ve had many sleepless nights for a time now since finding the orb. Tomorrow I’m going to see if I can find a doctor who can give me sedatives to help me sleep.
There was one last page after this one.
17th of July, 839
They’re all dead, all of them. The geologist, Professor Bedrock, and even the doctor that I had went to for sedatives. They all died the same way too, limbs scattered, heads split, bodies flayed. They’re all dead. And I’m positive now that it’s all my fault. Is something following me? It has to be something involving that thing that I brought back from the expedition, there are no other possible explanations for it. I didn’t mean for any of them to die, it’s not my fault. I have no choice but to trust this Alexander. He had better know what he claims, otherwise I feel that we will both be regretting this.
That was a lot of information to take in. But at least now I know why I was in this hellhole in the first place. It must have something to do with the orb and this Shadow following me. Much of what I had read had also deeply disturbed me. The entire history of these orbs seems to revolve around some sort of giant conspiracy involving the princess. How all of this related to Alexander supposedly being otherworldly though I didn’t know. But it also more confirmed what Alexander had written of in the study, this was all very disturbing, and maybe I could learn more about it once I got out and wasn’t being chased by a murderous Shadow. I just didn’t have time to be worrying about things such as that right now. Another thing too, scattered limbs and flayed flesh all sounded very familiar to what I’ve seen here as well. Much of the pieces of how I came to be here were in place now, but there was still much more going on that I didn’t know that I needed to find out. I left the entries where they were and returned to my search of the rods.
I couldn’t even see the edges of the room from the center so I had to go walk around the perimeter. I made a full sweep around the room and found only two potential areas to go into, a hallway that was forwards from the room’s center where I had entered, and a closed door to my left. There was an entrance to the right, but unfortunately the stairs only went down half way before being filled with rocks, so there was no chance of going in there.
I decided to try the room on the left first by opening it slightly and peeking inside to deem it safe before I actually entered. I didn’t trust anything down here. Another thing that I began to find myself doing was closing the doors behind me as I went through them, probably from the encounter in the guest room and that water monster. I did it in the study but found no need for it ultimately, which I wasn’t complaining about either. I would just rather have a small chance to react before being stormed by those fleshy monstrosities. The room was three rows of shelves, one on each end and one in the middle which made two walkways to the left and right. I tried the right first and found nothing of interest, on the left though were two tinderboxes and more oil. Before I managed to move another step after collecting them though it seemed that I finally got to make use out of my door system.
I heard it, that same deep growl from one of those monsters come from outside the door. I instantly went into motion and looked around, my hope drained rapidly though as I saw nothing large that I could hide behind. So I moved behind a couple of medium sized boxes in the corner and felt my heart beat faster as I was sure that the monster would finally get me this time.
A loud slam on the door once again. With each one my heart began to speed up a little faster until ultimately the door came completely down, revealing the nasty thing behind it. It was difficult to see, only an outline showed really, I saw it shuffle inside and look from left to right. I was on the verge of tears as I was sure it would spot me, but miraculously, it went to the right of the room. It went in the opposite direction of me! It looked down that side of the room quickly before turning back out and leaving, heading towards the hallway that I had seen but didn’t go down yet. The way that I have to go still, joyous. In a strange I was now somewhat thankful of the darkness, it was strange, but it did just save my life. Had it been any brighter and I’m sure that thing would have easily spotted me.
I stepped over the remnants of the door that the monster had placed and back into the main room. I decided to light the two lanterns that hung from the ceiling near the center table to light the room better. It didn’t really add anything more to viewing the room better but it definitely made me feel more secure and straighten my now blurring vision once again. I took another minute to build up some courage, as little as there was left in me now, and begin to start making my way through the rest of this storage so that I could hopefully find the rods that I needed and get out of here.
I crossed into the hallway and no sooner had I began to have a flashback.
“Please, let me go. I won’t tell anyone. I swear! I just want to go home.” It sounded like that same female voice that I had heard when I was back in the foyer.
“No! Get away from me! Leave me alone.”
Was that my memory, or someone else's? There was definitely another one present in the memory but I didn’t know who it was. It could have been me or anyone else. I hoped that it wasn’t me. The thought of killing another didn’t sit well with me at all. I continued on, stopping for a moment to look at the long blood streak on the floor from what looked like something bleeding being dragged across it. I looked away quickly and tried to forget I saw it. The hallway turned left and it was still dark so I kept my lantern out for what little light it provided.
In the distance I could constantly hear crying, crying from the same voice from the flashback. It sounded so pitiful and helpless that it tore away at my heart and I shook my head in frustration to try and get it out. After a while it had stopped, by that point I had reached the end of the hallway that I was heading down and it turned right once more. These halls were much wider than the rest of the ones I’ve been in so far, which I didn’t know if that would be either a good or a bad thing. It turned right and there was a door to my immediate right as I turned down it. I tried it but it refused to open, and I lost all interest in it as well as I saw a skull on the floor near it. The hallway came to a small set of stairs down and onto stone once more. This storage area looked much like the Refinery.
A single candle was lit and laying on the ground near the corner where the hall turned once more to the right. It went down for a while with a couple of large boulders on the sides making a tight space to move through for a while before coming to another room that looked similar yet smaller to the first one that I entered. The only path out though was to the left through another hallway. As I began to move into it I received another flashback.
“Why are you doing this? Get away from me!”
It was short, but I could hear the sounds of things moving around in the background too. I was still hoping that this was not my own memory. The hallway turned right after a short distance then came to a doorframe to the left that led into a larger room. It was separated in the middle by a single shelf that made a walkway around it. Aside from that it was nearly impossible to see anything else even with the lantern. There was one door that I could see to the right though and another doorframe all the way at the end of the room only because of a small candle next to it.
I went to the door on the right first to see if there was anything in there first like there was in the beginning of the storage area. I neared the door and did my routine by slightly opening the door do peak inside.
Rrrarghrr…
I don’t think I could describe the level of fear and shock that had just been stricken into me. I only saw a small way inside but that thing was clearly visible, and it saw me too. It started after me from inside the room. I slammed the door shut and my mind once again slipped into a fear induced panic that took over my body and forced me to run back where I came from. I would have completely frozen otherwise. I ran. I ran and ran faster and faster, feeling less fatigue as energy surged through me to get away from that thing. The door came crashing down and I heard it growl as I made it through the doorframe and down the hallway back into the small room and continually back further. The monster had more than likely not even seen me once it had broken the door down but I didn’t care. I had to get away from it.
I finally made it back to the very first room that I entered in the storage and collapsed in exhaustion besides the candles that lit the center table. My vision lagged as my head tossed about. There was the same incessant ringing that I heard when I first fully encountered one of those monsters in my head once more. My heartbeat was steadily rising still. I was clear of danger by this point but that was something that had brought me to the brink of my sanity by just going through that. Those vile, horrible things induced some sort of unnatural fear in me that made me react this way. I was still laying on my side, barely holding on to consciousness as the blackness around my vision nearly took over.
With what little power I had left over myself I began to search through me leg bag and pulled out a Laudanum before pulling off the cover and with trembling hooves poured it into my mouth. It took a minute but the effect came fairly swiftly as I began to calm myself again. It took a few minutes, but my mind finally set back to as good as it could get and I stood once more. I was still panting pretty heavily from running such a long distance but it was time for me to actually go back. I didn’t want to go back, I didn’t want anything to do with this entire damned castle, but I had no choice by this point.
The way back to the room where I encountered the monster was clear, only I kept hearing the whimpering sound again and again to the point where it had begun to drive me mad, if I wasn’t already. I practically began to crawl through the room with the speed I was at. I took no more chances around here this time I moved on the left side of the divider and avoided the doors, apparently there were two now that I looked. I got next to the candle that lay beside the doorframe and looked inside. The only thing that I could see inside was stairs leading up. So I had to move forwards again. Like the first flashback I had in this area, as soon as I stepped through the doorframe it came to me.
I heard the sound of a knife raising. “Please, don’t do thi-” She didn’t even get to finish as I heard several slashing sounds and blood spilling before any sounds from her had stopped.
Why? Why did she have to die? Even after hearing this flashback I could still hear the crying and whimpering from her in the distance. It was really getting to me now. I had no idea who killed her or why.
As I moved towards the base of the stairs, I saw a blood trail leading up the steps. I tried to avoid it the best I could. When the stairs reached the top and leveled into another hallway that turned right and so too did the blood trail. I used my lantern here as I neared the end of the hallway. It came to a small room up at the end from what I could see with several hanging chains and a strange looking pedestal in the center. A single step across the threshold into the room was all it took before a shriek pierced my ears and the pedestal suddenly shot a flame out from the top of it and kept it lit. I collected myself again from witnessing that and moved inside cautiously. I got closer to the fire but not too close, I didn’t want to go anywhere near it, that was not traditional fire. The only room left from here was a door to the right. I really didn’t feel like opening any more doors in this place but this is where it all led to so I continued on. I opened the door ever so slightly and looked inside. No monsters. Good.
I went in and closed the door behind me. The room was small and narrow and at the end turned to the right slightly, making the room an L shape. I quickly noticed my prize on one of the shelves on the right. At least a dozen rods sat there. My hopes soared now, I could finally move of from this terrifying place. I grabbed two of the rods and placed them in my bag.
Rrrarghrr…
Of course. Because I can’t just once get anything and feel accomplished without it being torn down. Had I not experienced enough terror out of this demented storage area enough yet? I went back to where the room turned right and hid behind the giant box that was there. I didn’t hear any slamming on the door, but I could definitely hear it moving about outside. My only hope at this point was that it would somehow kill itself by the fire on the pedestal.
The loud steps eventually faded away down the hallway than I came into this room with. I went back to the surprisingly intact door and reopened it to find the monster vacant from the room. The only thing left to do now was make it back safely to the Back Hall, something that I doubted would happen. Either way, I began to make my way back. There was nothing from the hallway to the stairs and even in the room where I saw the thing face to face. I rounded the corner into the hallway where the boulders were and around again to begin heading up the stairs.
Urrrghaargghh…
I knew it couldn’t have been that easy. It was never that easy. The sound came from on top of the stairs where I was heading up but now I was running straight back into the room that was at the other end and hiding in a corner of it. I could still see the light from the candle at the far edge of the hallway at the base of the stairs that I was just at, but no monster came into view. It took me a good five minutes to regain my courage to attempt my way back over again.
There was no monster this time, though I could feel my heart beating especially heavy when I crossed through the area that I heard the monster in. I slowly rounded the corners all the way until I finally made it to the first room of the storage. By this point, I didn’t care anymore, I locked into a full sprint and kept going, ignoring anything else. I didn’t know if there was anything that sounded from behind me but all I knew was that I had reached the door safely and finally made it through and can now fix the teleporter.
__________________________________________________________________________
I made it to the base of the stairs before another flashback came to me.
“How exactly did we find this place?” I heard myself ask.
“An old friend from Canterlot had given me a map.” An unknown voice answered.
“Why isn’t he with us then? Wouldn’t he have want to come?”
“He wanted to, but things don’t always work out the way we plan, do they?”
That last part chilled me slightly. It sounded like he had meant something else by those words. That must have been the Professor that the journal entries spoke so much about. He was becoming more and more of an odd character. He clearly knew much about the orbs and the conspiracy surrounding them, but how? Who exactly was this professor?
My thoughts were cut off by the Shadow’s roar and more of the red organic material flooding the Back Hall. It was time to get the hell out of here. I rushed on towards the teleporter. As I passed the fountain I noticed that the water was now completely red with a corpse in it. I didn’t even bother to stop. I made it through the doorway into the teleporter room and navigated my way around the red flesh to the rod panel. I quickly removed the two rods from my bag and pushed them in place. As soon as the second one slid in I heard a faint humming coming from inside the wall.
I had to move faster as I saw more of the flesh beginning to cover the rest of the Back Hall from where I could see and beginning to spread into the teleprorter room. My heart was racing once more as I fought against time to begin working this thing. I ran into the small room inside the teleporter and began working. I started by shutting the metal gate and turned towards another panel on my left. Usually teleporters had several destinations that one could go to but for this one there only appeared to be one possible location that I could go. By this point, looking at the oncoming red organic wave of flesh, I didn’t care where it took me so long as I got out of here.
I pulled the large lever down and heard the low humming grow into a large rumble as I saw the rods sticking out of the wall begin to shine and glow more and more as it charged up. The flesh wave was growing even closer now. It all came down to if I had just gotten here at the right time. I saw the wave get no less than five meters from me and begin to rise to attack the metal grate before a blinding flash shot from the teleporter rods into the room and hit me.
Everything went black.
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I was alive. But only mere seconds from being the opposite. The teleporter had done its work and I was now standing in the open space of a large room. There were four pillars near each corner that held up the tall room and a single entrance into someplace that I didn’t know about at the end. There was a room behind me use the teleporter again to go back, but I decided it best to not do that. The only way out now was forwards.
I reached the middle of the room before the onset of a white flash indicated another memory to me.
“Come. This way,” Alexander’s now recognizable voice spoke.
I heard a loud moan in the distance before I then heard myself say “What was that?”
“Forgive me, I should have warned you before. Seeing that I have taken on the responsibility of serving as the legal system in this area, one of my duties here is being a prison warden. This is the place where we keep the convicted.”
“Like a…dungeon?”
“Indeed, very much so. Come, do not linger.”
A prison. A damned prison. Of all the places that teleporter could have taken me. Then again, I didn’t exactly have the time to be picky in my mad rush to escape before being killed.
The door at the end was becoming clearer now. It was a vertically barred iron gate, iconic for prisons I guessed. A loud wail from somewhere inside didn’t help my courage much as I entered through the gate. It was pitch dark inside so I had to use my lantern once more to see. The walls and floors were now completely stone with no sight of windows anywhere. I supposed it was because I was more than likely underground if that flashback I had previously was right about the trip through the teleporter going down.
The prison’s ceiling arched and had supports on each side made out of wood. Other than that the actual stonework looked much like the rest of the castle. The hallway was rather large too compared to many of the narrower ones that I’ve been in. It immediately turned right then left up ahead from what I could see looking down it.
My journey through the prison didn’t start of well for as soon as I took my first two steps inside I heard from a monster growling a distance away before the sounds of a gate ripping open and a terrified prisoner, or what I assumed to be a prisoner, screaming for his life before it suddenly stopped along with the monsters growling. By the end of it my eyes were wide open, even down here there were more of those things.
I attempted, rather badly as I usually do, to remove the thoughts of being shredded apart by one of those horrible things and continue on. I made it to the end of the hall and turned left before moving forwards a little more. The wide hallway that I was previously end suddenly narrowed greatly. Up further I came to a point where the path split and I could turn right or keep going forwards. This was starting to get really bad now. I’m now in a bunch of narrow hallways with lots of different paths that I could take where any one of them could easily end up running into a monster.
I’m crazy, I must be. To be down here for this long and go through all of this. How could I not be? It’s that damn urge I always seem to have, to go forwards, to push on no matter what. I don’t know what was driving me, but I had to keep going. I decided to not go down the hallway to the right but instead keep going straight. I could constantly hear the pitiful and broken moans and cries of all the prisoners throughout the prison. In a small way I hoped that I would find one and at least have someone to talk to and regain my sanity if only a little.
This path led me on for a little ways before coming to another decision on where to go, either straight still and up a set of stairs or to the left. I was going to go straight until a menacing growl from one of those vile things rang from up top of the stairs, causing me to quickly extinguish my lantern and run down to the left path without caring what was down there, except for maybe another one of those things. The hall came to a dead end quickly but there was an open cell to my right with a candle inside so I decided to get in and hopefully out of the monster’s view.
After a minute or so the thing shuffled off again back up the stairs. There was something that I had found in the room though, a hammer. Not one of those tiny woodworking ones that I saw in several places before, but rather more like a mallet. I honestly had no idea why I decided to keep it, maybe it gave me some comfort, like a false sense of security maybe. Still, this was a prison and that meant that there might be locks that I might have to break in order to get through here. Maybe, just maybe this would come into use later. There was another series of metal ripping and some pony screaming that cut off my train of thought before everything fell silent again. What exactly was the point of these monsters being here killing the prisoners? Then again what was the point of these things existing in the first place?
I made it back to the base of the stairs and began to ascend them with increasing fear as I was, once again, following a monster that was here only a minute ago. I reached the top of the stairs and saw that the path split off to the right again. I decided to ignore this as well and simply continue going straight, as I saw no monsters that way. Though after continuing though for a while the straight path suddenly ended and I now had three choices, go into the cell in front of me, to the left of me, or go down another hallway to my right. I cursed out of frustration, there were too many choices and confusing paths that made dizzy.
I shook my head hard to clear my thoughts and keep a thought process going. I first decided to try the left cell as the cell in front of me had no light coming from inside while that one did. The metal door opened with ease, though making more creaking sounds than would like because it could draw a lot of attention should any of those things be nearby. There was another lit candle on the ground with a smashed table and an overturned bed, nothing out of the ordinary from the cells that I had seen so far. Another white flash passed over my eyes and a memory came to me as I had entered.
My voice began the flashback. “Where is she? Where did she go?”
“No, I won’t tell you. Never,” An unknown female voice sounded, but it was different than the one that I heard in the storage area.
“You’re just making things worse for yourself. Look, this is no place for a young filly to be all by herself. She could be hurt or even worse down there.”
That couldn’t be me. I sounded so…angry. What could a young filly do to make me so angered that I would hurt another? This turn in character for my old self was not helping me, but the item that I had found behind the overturned bed had. It was a stone chipper. I could scarcely believe it too. Now I could break near any weak lock with this. Feeling good yet still uneasy from the flashback, I left the cell and continued straight down the dark hallway that I neglected before.
Besides another disturbing gust of wind blowing past me, I made it to the end with relative ease and found myself outside of another cell door. I slipped inside easily too with no lock guarding this door. It was lit inside this one too and another flashback came upon me as it had in the last cell.
I could hear the sound of something breaking away at stone. “But I don’t want to leave without you mother.” It was a young filly’s voice; this must have been the one that I had been referring to in the previous flashback. And I had confirmed my suspicion as soon as I heard the same unknown female voice from the flashback before begin to speak.
“You must go. Hurry, get out of here and find your way to the settlement where they can contact the princess.”
“But I don’t want to leave without you.”
“We don’t have any time to make the hole any wider. I hear someone coming, I’ll cover the hole with the bed, now hurry.”
Cover the hole with the bed? Looking at the bed in the center of the room, there was only one way to find out. Using all of my strength, I slowly dragged the bed out from its original position and I was right. I eventually revealed a small hole leading down somewhere. It was definitely too small for me to fit through though. It would seem that I would find a use for that hammer and chipper after all. This hole could have been why the hammer and chipper was here in the first place Working my way around the blocks that surrounded the hole, I finally broke away enough pieces for me to fit through. I saw no other reason to stay here so I went head first through the hole and began crawling my way through.
__________________________________________________________________________
I kept getting claustrophobic as I pushed my way through the tunnel. The walls felt like they were closing in on me the further they went. Worst of all, I kept thinking that there may be a monster in it, I would have no chance if that were the case. I finally reached an fork the path but I quickly noticed that the left path was blocked by fallen rocks, leaving me only the right one to venture through. The tunnel went on briefly before reaching a small amount of rocks blocking the entrance into another section of the prison. Pushing these out of the way were easy enough as they weren’t nearly as large or numerous as the ones that I found earlier in the tunnel. I crawled my way out of the tunnel and gave a deep breath. This hallway was even lit too.
The hall I arrived in went either to the left or to the right. The sign in front of me pointing to the right read “Kitchen”. I wasn’t exactly hungry after seeing this much blood and gore so far, but it was worth checking out. I turned right and on my way there found another path that went to the right. It ultimately turned out to be a complete waste of my time as there was one door in the hallway that wouldn’t budge and at the end was a gate with a padlock on the other side of it away from me, rendering my hammer and chipper useless. I returned onto the original path I had taken and up a set of stairs before arriving at a door to which I assumed could only be to the kitchen.
The kitchen reeked of something foul smelling. All the food that I could see upon first looked all appeared to be rotten or moldy. There was a strange green fluid in a metal barrel at the end of the room but I waited to check on that as I had found another journal entry on the table to my right upon entering.
2nd of August, 839
I finally arrived at the town of Bridleburg. It was a haven in the middle of the dense woods and was shadowed by my ultimate destination sitting on the large hill in the distance, Castle Bridleburg. My guide who had taken me all this way had advised me to wait until morning to continue on. I’m now staying at the inn and trying to sleep, but as I close my eyes the only thing I can see is the victims that died because of me back in Canterlot. They’re dead. They are dead because of me. I just can’t get over it. It’s all my fault.
It seems like all of the journal entries I’ve found thus far have been going chronologically. I had nothing else to go off of from this so I kept it in my mind but continued on, there was nothing else I could get from this unless I had more information.
I checked around the rest of the kitchen for anything useful. I only found two tinderboxes and another jar of lamp oil. But there was something interesting in the back of the kitchen, a giant barrel of acid. I heard it when I first arrived to the kitchen but didn’t actually know what it was until I got closer to it. The mixture was a nasty green and churned and bubbled inside. I was fully convinced of it being acid once I halfway dipped a rotten apple inside and when I pulled it out it the part that I had put it was completely gone. I didn’t know what to think of this either, it was interesting to find it here but ultimately seemed useless for now.
There was nothing else in this room of use so I went back to the door to continue searching through the prison. The door was closed as I had been routinely closing doors behind me now. I reopened it and started on my way.
Urrrghaagghh…
I turned right back around and slammed the door shut. That thing was right at the base of the stairs and I was sure it had spotted me too. I had to find somewhere to hide. Looking around, I saw several potential spots, but I chose the one that was at the farthest end of the room. It was inside a small corner of the room that had a brick covering that sectioned it off and made me unnoticeable from the door. A got into the furthest corner and laid down so that my body was covered by the small brick rise.
There were several smashing sounds on the door before it, like all the others, broke down and the monster came dragging inside. The closer that it got to me the more terror I felt surging through me. If it had moved past the brick that obscured me I would be instantly seen and cornered, a perfect target.
My heart was racing. Faster and faster. The closer that thing got to me, the worse I physically and psychologically got. My vision once had once again begun to blur and blacken around the edges. I had to clench my mouth shut again as my teeth began to jitter and grind like they had before. It was probably less than three meters away from me now. It made the most disgusting noises and grunts as it moved about too. I was sure that I was going to die, like all the other times I had seen it. These things almost seemed to have the power to drain hope as well.
It walked away. It actually just walked away.
It was at least ten minutes before I had gotten the courage to leave my hiding spot but once I did I saw that it was gone. I was being such a fool. Hiding like a coward every time one of those things came by. But what was I to do? Those things had incredible strength if they could knock down doors and gates. If I did anything to reveal myself I’m sure that I would die. There was no way I could fight back against those things, I would just have to keep running and hiding. But I was alive, and that’s all that mattered at the moment.
I finally did as I had originally started and left the kitchen again to continue exploring the rest of the prison and try to find a way out of it. I had made it back to where I first entered this section of the prison by tunnel with no problems, but I hadn’t gone any further that that down the hall. From the looks of it, it turned right at the end. I made it to the end fine and looked down the hall. I could see stairs leading up but the torches going up that way were all dark. So as I began to head up the stairs I lit the torches that were on the way to light my path so that I know where I had been and in case I needed to run really fast to escape something, which was very likely.
The stairs ended after a ways and turned right again. It was even darker down this hall but I could see a tiny bit of light at the end of it, and it looked like there were large rocks at the end too. I used my lantern until I made it to another torch and lit them with the tinderboxes that I had collected. It was even worse here with the darkness since I was confined to a small hallway.
The dark. It was a horrible thing. Just being in it makes me begin to feel uneasy and paranoid, like it’s always playing tricks on me. The longer I remained in complete darkness the worse I got too. I was thankful I had my lantern with me most of the time elsewise I would have more than likely gone insane by now. I was still somewhat unsure as to whether I was sane or not though already. It was hard to tell being by myself all time, the only other things that I’ve heard so far are either crying pitifully or trying to murder me.
I made it to the end of the hallway where the tiny bit of light was. It turned out it was from above with a broken section in the ceiling. That was the cruelest thing of all, knowing that there was light above me by not being able to reach it. Taunting me.
I heard several coughs coming from behind the rocks before a dying voice called out.
”Help...me…”
I gasped and backed a few steps away. The voice sounded no more after that, but it was still enough to shake me pretty hard. There was so much despair around me. I gave a heavy sigh before looking down the hallway that connected to the left. The hanging sign above read “Cell Block III”. This was a dark hallway as all the others were. I made it to the end of this one and saw that it split to the left or right.
I really had no reasoning behind my choices, but I decided to go right this time. I was blindly navigating through here either way. The hallway turned left, and then eventually came up to another potential path option, going right. This one, unlike going straight, had a light at the end, so I went down this path first.
I instantly regretted my decision for as soon as I started down this path one of those monstrosities went shuffling through past at the end of the hallway from my right side and disappeared again to my left. I would have turned back right there but I saw something in the cell up to my right that had caught my attention. I carefully made my way over to it and with my lantern I saw that it was another journal entry. I went inside, shutting the door behind me, though I didn’t know why because if one of those things came in here there was no chance for me in this tiny cell. I went over to the table and began to read it.
3rd of August, 839
It feels like I’ve finally escaped the rest of the world and all of my problems. Castle Bridleburg is a majestic creation unlike anything I’ve ever seen before atop a forested hill. It felt like another expedition to me, seeing a place as alien looking as this. The baron Alexander is a peculiar, yet gracious pony. He seems a bit disconnected with most of the world outside of Bridleburg but does know much of the history and customs of Equestria and is also not as eccentric as most of the royalty tends to be. The room given to me is much better than any inn that I had ever stayed in. But as the sun is lowered and the moon rises, the area around the castle seems to gain an eerie gloom to it. The servants of the castle are a peculiar lot, always quiet and skulking about, but I didn’t pay much mind to them. Alexander seemed pleased by my presence and told me that I had arrived just in time.
The only thing I could think about after reading this was the fact that there were others actually alive in here. I didn’t think that could even be possible with how bad this place has become. But I suppose that gave an explanation to the dozen or so corpses I’ve seen on the way here so far.
I didn’t really feel like following another one of those things unless I absolutely had to so I went back to where I started to head down this hall and returned to my original path. The hallway eventually turned to the left again and then I saw it split once again to the right. This one though had a few torches leading to the end and I could see a faint shimmer of a gate at the end. I figured it was at least worth checking out since I was sure there would be no monsters down this one, or at least if there was they would be behind a gate and it would give me time to escape.
It was definitely a gate at the end. And I could even see the way out of the prison through it as a very ornate door stood at the end of the hallway past it. But this one had a padlock in good condition on it. I tried to smash it off several times with my hammer and chipper but it wouldn’t break. Even the hollow needle to try and open in proved ineffective. It was, though, in a worse condition than the other padlock that I remembered seeing before. A sudden idea popped inside my head. Maybe that acid could break or at least weaken it so I could break it. I started to head back, but turned right down the hall that I was going down before to see if what I was thinking about the direction of this particular hallway was correct. It came to a corner and I saw another broken piece of ceiling with that same taunting light coming from it.
“That shimmering, blue light.”
I froze and my eyes shot open. My head turned from side to side and I looked around. There was nothing else near me that could speak. I looked down at my trembling legs before realizing that it was I who spoke. I just said that. I had just spoken to myself and scarcely knew it. What was happening to me? Am I really going insane? This was incredibly disturbing. What was I going to do next, start hurting myself without me knowing?
I pressed my hoof against my face and shut my eyes forcefully to try and regain my senses. It was just a slight slip, any pony else would have done the same thing if they were in my position, or so I thought. It was all really just to try and rationalize the fact that I was talking to myself. I had to keep going; maybe running into a monster will get me to stop
worrying about that for a bit.
I pressed on. The path split again to the right and I followed it all the way to the end to a cell that had a light coming from it. All of the cells were complete messes but this one had a journal entry lying on the floor next to the candle that lit the room. I began to wonder how all of these entries had gotten so scattered everywhere.
4th of August, 839
The nightmares once again woke me up in the middle of the night and for a short time I had completely forgotten where I was. Alexander found me and asked me to join him in the parlor. As I tried to calm down from another restless night; Alexander began to tell me what he knew. He told me that the orb that I had found casts a long and malicious Shadow. Not only was it a powerful item, but a dangerous one as well. Just by touching it you invoke the powers of the orb and if you are too weak to control it, the Shadow will destroy you. It’s a slow thing that lags behind the orbs wielder, killing anything that they have come into contact with on its path to retrieve the orb.
I told Alexander that I didn’t care for any powers and that I should just throw it away. Alexander told me that would be impossible because I was on its path to reclaim the orb and would die either way. With the orb though, I would at least have a chance to fight back when the time comes. I asked him what he meant and he said that he could protect me, but at a price.
‘But at a price.’ What does that mean? I at least knew more about the orb now and its effects. So this Shadow was apparently the guardian of the orb, and now it’s trying to kill me because I only touched the orb unknowing of the consequences. Fate never struck in such a cruel way before. I would have to get back to the kitchen now and get the acid to open the door.
As I was leaving to head back to the kitchen, I passed another closed cell to my left. I didn’t have the intention to look inside really but as soon as I had gotten near it a flashback entered my mind.
“I, I don’t believe this. Why, I mean why? What had I done to deserve this? It can’t be. I mean, it wasn’t my fault! Why did he have to go back in there? Why would he go back into a burning house? You don’t do that, he should have known better.”
That was definitely not my memory. I don’t know how I’m picking up memories of others, it seemed so strange. It made no sense either; all he did was ramble about burning houses and not going in them. I cleared my head of the memory and continued onwards back to the kitchen.
I had made it back to the kitchen easily as I was indeed correct about the hallway that I was in and it looped back around into the lit the path that I had set up and could now follow it back. The barrel of acid looked like it would be strong enough to break through nearly anything. I remembered now that I still had my chemical pot that I had held the other acid in previously and figured it would be the perfect container for this one. I held it very carefully as I slowly dipped it inside and retrieved a small amount of acid within it. It wasn’t much, but it was definitely enough to break or at least severely weaken the lock.
The way back to the gate was for the most part completely devoid of monsters as well. It almost unsettled me. Not finding a monster every turn seemed wrong to me by this point. I wasn’t sure whether or not to be thankful though. I arrived at the gate and checked the lock again; it was definitely in poorer condition than the others, though better than one that I could break without the use of acid apparently. I took the small amount of acid that I had and splashed it against the lock. Just as planned. The lock turned green and I could see the cracks showing in it now. It wasn’t completely gone but it was barely holding on. I took out my hammer and chipper and drove the final hit into it before it collapsed onto the ground. I smiled with triumph as I could now finally get out of this prison.
Errrarghrr…
I had barely begun to open the gate before that sounded, right behind me. I quickly glanced back and saw one of those things right at the end of the hall now madly rushing towards me. It ran very awkwardly as it shifted from side to side as it moved but it was fast none the less. I turned my head back screaming and fumbled with the gate for a second before making it through and shutting it behind me. No sooner as I closed it did a large metallic claw slam against the gate and sparks flew off to the side. In that brief moment I saw its face much more clearly than I would have ever wanted to have. I nearly froze out of fear but pulled away and didn’t give it any more time to break through any further so I ran faster now away from it. The door was right there. I moved at full speed to it and opened and closed it behind me faster than I had gotten to it.
End Part 2.
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Soviet
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1360
| 3 |
Crossover,Dark
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Amnesia: A Pony's Descent
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A pony wakes up in a dark and foreboding castle with no memory of who he is.
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complete
| 8 | 3 |
<p>My submission for the napowrimo on EqD<br /><br />A pony with no memory of who he is wakes up in a dark and foreboding castle that lies secluded in the woods of far eastern Equestria. The only thing that he finds upon waking that gives any help is a letter addressed to him from his past self telling him to do only one thing: to murder Alexander of Bridleburg. His past self also warns him of a deadly Shadow that is following him and that there is no way to fight back, only run. He will come to find that this dark castle is far more deadly than he had ever imagined and will come to face the sins of his past as he ventures further into the darkness.</p>
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mature
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2011-10-10T18:36:54+00:00
| 213 |
This place didn’t look to good. The Shadow must have hit it somehow. I caught the name of it to be the Cistern. From what I could see, it was a very large circular shaped room that went up a long ways before an opening with a metal grate covering it that I could see light through but nothing else. There were pools of water covering most of the tiled floor and coming from the rubble that I saw. From the looks of it, there was a center piece in the middle of the room that rose up before connecting to another entrance to my left, right and behind me. But all that I saw from the bottom half up was rubble. At least the walls still looked good. Most of the pipes that I saw near the ground also still looked for the most part intact as well, though covered in bricks. The bridge connecting both the doorways behind me and to my left was demolished and laying about the floor. But the one to my right was different, it had its door and ledge before it was still intact and from the looks of it there were enough pieces of rubble and wood next to it so that I could climb and reach it. I started my way towards it before another flashback began.
”So you drain the sewers as a means of transport then?” It was me speaking this time.
“Yes, they were built to divert water from an underground spring and are quite spacious. It seemed only natural to incorporate it into the overall structure.”
“But we won’t be using it, will we?”
“No, not today. Now that the spring has dried and the sewers remain naturally drained it produces a very poisonous type of fungi. There is a vaccine but since we can avoid the sewers it won’t be necessary. Come, through this door. We’re almost there now.”
And, of course, when I had checked the said door it wouldn’t budge. I could never get a damned break in this place. I also found myself to be swearing more under my breath than usual. But I figured that who wouldn’t in this type of situation. It would seem completely hopeless to anyone else, but I’m different. I’ve come this far, giving up now would be a waste and a disappointment, to me and my past self. I pushed away from the door and looked around. I could only hear the sounds of dripping water from the various pipes in the wall. There was no possible way to reach the two doors to my right and the one that use to be behind me but was now in front of me. The only thing that I could see is a door in the wall and nothing below it. Another heavy sigh escaped me as I thought of what to do next. The only option was the sewers by this point but if Alexander was right the only way through the sewers now was a vaccine. I didn’t know where I could get this.
“Charcoal? What are you doing?”
I gasped and jumped back, looking around. That was no flashback, something had spoken to me. But, there was no pony else in the room with me. Though I did recognize it to be Alexander’s voice. Was it…telepathy? No, it couldn’t be. Telepathy is something that has been researched but never proven to be able to work, even with magic. Was I just starting to hear things now?
I didn’t want to believe it, but Alexander was otherworldly, this I’ve come to accept by now. There was no explanation for half of the things that I have read or heard from him. His knowledge vastly outgrows even the smartest minds that I’ve learned of in my time. Telepathy for him may be a possibility, but I could be going insane all the same. I really didn’t care; my one goal for right now was survival.
I went down the hallway that was to my left near the one door entrance up above that I could reach and found that it was as it said; the sewer entrance. It went through a flight of stairs before reaching door lay at the end of the hallway and I dare not go any further for fear of these fungi spoken of. My last remaining option now was through the door that I could actually reach. The rubble around it should make it easy enough to climb and reach.
I went back and started at the rubble’s base to the left of the door and started to climb up. I was surprised at how well this loose amount of brick and wood was keeping me up. The door itself wasn’t raised very high off the ground, but it was a rather steep climb up and I had to put all of my effort in to keep balance as I climbed. I finally reached the actual ledge before the door and with a last jump and the sound of a few falling rocks below me where I pushed off from I reached up and grabbed a hold of it before hoisting myself up and over onto the ledge. The ledge actually didn’t collapse as I had feared when I had first begun to climb it. I stood up and moved a bit towards the door and froze as I saw the name of this area next to it.
The Morgue.
I felt my breathing becoming heavier as I seriously contemplated whether I wanted to enter or not. The Morgue was clear enough what was going to be inside, yet, if there was any remote chance of a vaccine, it would be in there. I didn’t want to go in, I didn’t, but I had to. My only other alternative was to simply stay put and die horribly by the Shadow. I steeled myself and pulled open the door.
__________________________________________________________________________
It was as creepy as the name had implied. The stonework walls were very narrow around me and I got the same sense of the world closing in on me. There wasn’t any light as well so I had to use my lantern. The hallway went down a ways but I couldn’t see if it ended or split so I just had to keep going. I began alright, but not before another flashback had placed itself within my mind and vision again.
The first voice to speak was Alexander’s. “Do you see Charcoal? It has yielded.”
“What’s yielded?”
“The Shadow.”
“It…has?”
“Indeed, for now at least. Come, let’s get this out of here so that we can get some peace.”
“Yes, where to?”
“Just down the corridor, to the Morgue.”
“Are there more…dead in there?”
“Don’t worry, you did well Charcoal. Let’s go.”
Did well? Did well at what? The only possibilities in my mind after hearing the flashback and seeing the place that I was in gave me chills and I continued on, trying to forget I heard that.
The path did indeed come to another split, to the right. I couldn’t see to the end of it though so I decided to continue going forwards. There was however one thing that was abundantly clear on the floors, blood. There were spots of blood all over the floors. It jarred me slightly but I’ve seen enough of this stuff before to not be phased by it all that much.
The path curved left slightly then back straight again. It then turned right two times rather quickly after a while and I came upon a door at the end of it. I couldn’t see inside so I took some caution as I neared it and listened closely for any sounds coming from inside. There were none besides the usual bugs and rodents. Finding no other reason not to, I opened the door and looked inside.
“Sweet mother of Celestia.”
I couldn’t hold it in this time. I turned over to the side and retched a few times before finally vomiting all over the wall. It was…everywhere. Death. So much death inside such a small room. There were countless skeletons and partially decayed corpses just piled on top of each other right in the middle of the room. Not to mention the near pond of blood that accompanied it. And the smell. Oh that smell. That was the most repugnant, disgusting smell ever. I also saw bloody indents all over the wooden walls that surrounded the room, as if they had beaten against it senselessly until they died.
After recovering from vomiting I took a longer look through the room, attempting to hold my breath and keep the horrid sight out my thoughts but it was impossible with how overpowering it was. The only thing that I found that made this room anything of worth to go through vomiting for was another journal entry on one of the overturned shelves in the room. I quickly took it and left the room before slamming the door and moving as fast as I could away from it so I could get that sight out of my mind. I finally made it back to the place where the path split originally and took a few heavy breaths of somewhat fresh air, at least fresher than in that room, before reading the entry.
7th of August, 839
Alexander is undeniably one of the best magicians that I have ever come across. His powers are present all over the castle and he does everything with relative ease. Magic to him seems like something that’s second nature with no effort required. Early one morning he had woken me up and told me that it was time to get started. He was clearly excited as he took me downstairs to the old dungeon where he preferred to perform his rituals. The most important area that he had shown me was the Inner Sanctum, a most hallowed ground which is where we will attempt to banish the Orb’s shadow permanently.
This only reinforced my assumption of what Alexander truly was. He must have hidden his true identity from my past self, but for what reason? I kept this in mind as I went down the hall towards whatever was at its end. It eventually came to a slight left turn and there was a door right there. Along with that, an extra-long and concentrated blood streak leading into the door to greet me. I braced myself and opened the door extra slowly after going through what happened last time.
It was slightly bigger than the other room, and can only be described as if a mad scientist were using it. Random assortments of jars and notes lined the table to the right of the room and on the left side was a stone table with a non-decayed corpse lying atop it. There was a very large excess of blood in the form of three streaks, one leading back into the door I came in and two leading to the other two closed doors within the room. Several large diagrams of pony anatomy were hung on the walls around the room as well.
I decided, against my better judgment, to see what was behind the two closed doors. I started with the one that was furthest away from me. I opened the door very slowly but as soon as I saw what was inside I instantly closed it. Corpses, lots more corpses in a giant pile in the middle of the room. I didn’t want anything more to do with the dead. My check of the other room revealed the same thing, except that this room was filled slightly with water, but there were still corpses in a giant pile inside.
I left the rooms alone and checked the rest of the room that I was inside. Moving closer and looking at the desk more clearly now, I saw one more stack of several journal entries lying on the desk.
8th of August, 839
I am now certain that I had chosen the right path by coming to Bridleburg. Using the orb I brought, Alexander channeled its power into us and the Inner Sanctum flared with fiery blue light. It was no form of magic that I had ever seen before. I also began to felt the same feelings that I had felt when I first found the orb in that dark chamber from the Griffin Territory. It was terrifying, but Alexander remained completely calm as he tamed the storm.
Suddenly, the blue light became tainted with strains of red and the walls burst with pulsating tissue. Alexander quickly covered the orb and the horrible thing vanished. Alexander then told me that the Shadow was closer than he had thought and then told me that I should prepare for a warding ritual tomorrow. I have a bad feeling about all of this.
My heart was racing faster as I picked up the next entry and began to read.
9th of August, 839
It’s early in the morning, and Alexander is preparing for the warding ritual. Seeing him trying so hard to protect me makes me wonder why he’s doing all of this. What does he stand to gain from all of this? He must be interested in the orbs of course, but why go through all of this trouble without there being something more. I’ll admit though that when we were in the Inner sanctum yesterday, I realized that there is so much more power in the orbs than I could have ever imagined. This may in fact be the start of something truly extraordinary.
These were highly insightful, but ultimately a disappointment to me. I wanted to know what this warding ritual was. But now I knew what I had come to the castle in hope to achieve and what the Inner Sanctum was for. I had to reach it now by any means necessary and find Alexander there to finally get answers as to why everything was as it is right now.
I searched among the notes and diagrams for anything of use relating to this vaccine. I found my goal under a large pile of scientific notes relating to the vaccine mentioned.
Vaccine Trials
The vaccine enabling movement through the fungal ridden sewers possible is a definite success. It is, however, difficult to extract and only a few can receive it at a time. This won’t be a problem though as I rarely need for it to be used in such a manner. An injection of vaccinated blood from anything, deceased or living, will provide a shield that will last long enough for passage through the sewers. This will be useful for prisoner transport when necessary.
Living...or deceased? My thoughts instantly turned towards the body lying on the table. Could it be? The thought of taking blood from the dead and injecting it into myself made me cringe. But I feared it would be the only way to fight the fungi in the sewers. First though, I went through the drawers of the desk as this one actually had some this time and found another laudanum. I also found another one of those canisters that gave me a memory upon touch, I did just that and another thought filled my mind.
My orb has broken; I knew I should have waited before proceeding with the final ritual. I feared greatly at first that I may never be able to leave now but an interesting letter arrived from someone named Charcoal far away asking about the orbs and that he had even obtained one. He agreed to come after I replied asking for him to do so and has been with me since trying to tame the orb and rid ourselves of the Shadow within it.
But I fear for him, for he is reckless. He has become tainted by the oncoming shadow and will not be able to pass through the gate. I wonder if he will be able to accept his fate.
My love, I see the evil within him. How am I to trust him with the truth. I don’t know how to tell him what he must ultimately do. I fear for the fast approaching time when I must face him with the truth.
I felt my anger rising. ‘What I must ultimately do’? Is he really about to end my life to save his? Now I knew, now I knew why my past self must have hated him so much. And I was beginning to agree. I had my doubts at first, but this may have just set me over. Alexander will answer for this.
“Charcoal, I can hear you breathing. Can you hear me? Have you changed your mind?”
“I changed my mind alright,” I muttered. But it didn’t seem like Alexander heard me as I received no response. So I wasn’t imagining it all. He is somehow communicating with me then.
I turned away from the canister and focused myself once more on the task at hoof. I must create this vaccine if I am to safely pass through the sewers. I had to draw the blood out somehow and get it inside myself. I searched around the room and found a copper tube which gave me an idea. I pulled out the small hollow needle and attached it to the end of the copper tube. This will be my means of injecting the blood. I then found a small turning drill on the table that would serve as a way to open the flesh.
I started to pant heavily again as I began to drill a hole into the deceased’s head. After a few seconds of turning the drill finally penetrated the skull and blood began to well up around the hole. I had to lean to head off of the table slightly so that the blood would pour out. It began to do just that and dripped onto the floor, disgusting. I didn’t like anything that I was doing to desecrate this poor soul’s corpse but it was necessary. I quickly placed the non-needle end of the copper tube inside the hole and watched as the blood slowly filled it.
This was the most important step now. I had to inject the blood inside one of my legs for the vaccine to take effect. I hesitated for a while before finally gaining enough courage to finally do it. I put my right foreleg against the point of the needle and quickly pushed it against it. The needle instantly went through my leg and I felt my vision quickly darken around the edges as I did and I held it against the needle while the blood flowed inside. The pain was immense but I stood firm for as long as I needed. After a while that I didn’t bother keeping count of due to the pain, I pulled my leg out as quickly as I pushed it in and covered the bleeding wound with my other leg for a while so it would stop. But I was vaccinated now and could finally leave this death ridden place.
Oooeerrraaarrghh…
CRASH
It came from out of nowhere. I had only just recovered from the vaccination and the door just started to be bashed on by one of those monsters. It even took me a second to fully realize what was happening in the first place.
CRASH
I was panicking now; I had no idea where to hide. I could hide in one of the side rooms but it might go inside those. And the thought of hiding amongst a pile of corpses made me sick. I didn’t know where to go.
CRASH
The door came down. And my eyes locked on the thing behind it. This one was different though from the rest.
Its face…
It had no face.
It was literally a giant hole inside of its head with only an outline surrounding it. It had no face. Worse yet, instead of a claw on the end of its foreleg, it was just completely replaced with a giant blade. Enough to cut me right in half.
The thing somehow roared and began to charge at me, readying its blade to strike. I had to move. Every instinct within me was yelling to move. But I just stood, locked in place by the same unfathomable fear that I face in the storage and every other encounter that I’ve had with these things. I had to move.
I had to move.
It raised its blade and it came down.
The blade had only struck stone though as I had just regained enough control over my movements to quickly sidestep and avoid its attack. The thing recoiled for a bit and then growled again before turning for another attack. I was long out the door by that point though and running, completely terrified. As I neared the turn that would take me back to the Cistern, I heard it gaining ground as the sound of the skidding blade it was dragging against the ground became louder. I had to get out, the door was right there.
__________________________________________________________________________
The door to the Morgue slammed behind me and I pushed against it in case that thing would try to come further. And indeed it did as I heard something striking the door several times and more grunts of frustration from the monster before they ultimately stopped. I remained as I was for a few minutes before finally accepting that it was gone. I was thankful that these doors were much sturdier than those simple wooden ones.
I was still hyperventilating as I finally removed me weight from the door and descended down the rubble again. I reached the bottom and started to breathe deeply again to regain regular, steady breaths and calm myself once more. That thing, it was indescribably horrifying. I only thought there was the one that I had seen, but these were much, much worse.
There was nothing else left for me in the Cistern that I cared for. I was done with it and all the gruesome things that are contained within it. I returned back to the flight of stairs that led to the sewer door entrance and left without giving it a second thought.
__________________________________________________________________________
I was glad to be away from the Morgue, but now uneasy about the sewers. If it’s like any other area I’ve been in so far it’s more than likely that monsters are roaming about. I opened the gate that was immediately in front of me and came upon a ledge with a ladder leading down to a long tunnel that had a small pool of water in it. I would have to be extra careful about my movements in case I was heard. Looking further into the tunnel below from up top, I could only see a little due to a large pipe obstructing my view. I did however make out a spinning object at the far end of the tunnel. What it was exactly I couldn’t tell, so I would have to get closer.
The climb down the ladder was short enough. Though I didn’t like having my back turned to any potential danger. As I moved down I could quite clearly see the fungi referred to several times by Alexander and I assumed that since I wasn’t dead or showing signs of an infection that the vaccine worked. I finally made it onto the ground, or at least the tiny bit of water that covered it. I turned around and tried to get a better view of what was up ahead.
Oooooooaaaauuugggghhhhh…
I turned right back around and began to frantically climb the ladder again. I couldn’t tell exactly where that came from but it was definitely somewhere in front of me and I didn’t want to take that chance. I pulled up and over the ledge and sat there for a while, hoping those things couldn’t climb ladders. After that I looked over the ledge once more and found the tunnel to be empty. I had no choice but to go back down, seeing as it was my only way out.
I made it back down the ladder and onto the ground this time with nothing popping out at me. I began my way through the tunnel towards the spinning object at the end. For it being a sewer, it was surprisingly brighter that most of the other areas that I had been in. Though there was some heavy fog inside that made most of the things within hazy looking.
The tunnel ended inside a large room in which I assumed to be the center of the sewer system as I saw other tunnels to my left and right side. I could also now make out the spinning object at the end. It was merely a water wheel, but it was spinning rather fast. If I had tried to stop it in any way I was sure that would result in me losing a limb. It wasn’t spinning fast enough though for me to see through the wheel. All I could see through it was another large room that led to another tunnel. A flashback had returned to me as I concentrated through the spinning blades.
“No, please don’t take me! Nobody ever returns!”
It was another quick flashback, but very implicative. Return from what? I could only wonder now what was past this wheel and the sewers. I turned back and looked at my options. I could go through either a tunnel to my left or one to my right. With no logical reasoning as I didn’t even think there could be any, I decided to try going right first. It quickly came up to an intersection but the paths to my left and in front were both blocked by large bars running vertically across them. The one to my right though was broken in the middle and I could move through it, though I didn’t want to think about what the strength to break through them.
I easily made it through the bars and continued down the only path that was available to me. It eventually came to the point where there were rooms to either side of me. The one to my left was nearly full of large boulders so that wasn’t and option, the other though looked like it led to a ladder. I quickly moved inside and looked up. There was a ladder alright, but it was just too high for me to reach. I kicked at the water and swore again. This was worse than that small sliver of light that I saw in the prison ceiling. This was an actual plausible means of escape from the sewers and it just sat there, taunting and laughing at me. I kicked again at the water in anger and quickly decided to refrain from doing so lest I wanted to attract unwanted attention. I begrudgingly walked away from the broken ladder and returned to moving down the tunnel. I would just have to keep looking for something that might help me.
“Have to get out of here.”
I quickly clenched my mouth shut and moved faster now to forget that I just spoke without myself knowing again. I know I had to get out of here, but I didn’t have to start talking to myself about it. As I made more progress through the tunnel I was in, I began to hear a faint churning and I perked my ears to listen. It sounded like machine parts, gears more specifically. I suddenly got my hopes up and went faster now. The tunnel came to another barred barricade but also turned to the left and I climbed up the few stairs onto dry stone once more and through the door that was at the end of them.
It was just as I had expected. A machine room, presumably controlling the water wheel. I looked at the parts that controlled it. I saw two consoles with levers sticking out of them. Below them was a panel that had from left to right in order a small gear, a medium gear, and a large gear printed on it. Both right now were set on the middle gear setting and I guessed that I had to manipulate these to slow down the water wheel.
It took several minutes of pushing the levers around and seeing which setting made the least noise, but I finally found the right one. I pushed the lever on the left to the smallest gear and the lever on the right to the largest gear and I could barely hear the churning sound of the gears by that point so I assumed that was as slow as it was going to get. Satisfied, I returned to the door and went through before continuing back down the tunnel towards the water wheel to see if indeed it was the water wheel that the machine controlled.
Ooooerrruuurargghh…
I just couldn’t get anything right without it resulting in one of these things finding me. I instantly turned right back around and through the door before closing it shut. I looked around for any spots to hide in but the best one I found was a small section of pipes near the door. Seeing no better alternative, I ducked under the set of pipes and remained silent while I heard the monster shuffling around in the water outside. It made it up onto the steps and the stone ground before the door as I could hear it. It must have been the same or similar one to the thing that was in the Morgue because I could hear the definite sounds of something large and metallic being dragged behind loud hoofsteps.
Clunk
Skeeeeeeee
Clunk
Skeeeeeeee
My heart was pounding by the time it had neared the door and I was absolutely sure that I was going to die by this point because if it came bashing in there was no chance I could escape it if it actually found me wedged in these pipes. It was still making the most horrifying and disgusting grunts and moans and it stood outside the door.
The sounds of the metal scraping suddenly became fainter as the thing began to head back away from the door. I just remained where I was, bewildered. It had actually left the door completely untouched. Usually those things knocked them down the second they saw one. Not that I should necessarily complain about it though.
Surprisingly, I made it back to the main room in the sewers with no encounters. Again, not that I should really complain about it. My assumption of the machine had also been true as the blades were now spinning at a much slower rate. But they were still spinning too fast to move through safely. I would have to block it with something. The only other potential place to find something to block it was through that last tunnel. I would find something to use one way or another so I started down that way.
A few turns and frustrating blocked paths later, I found my prize, a small pipe. From the looks of it, the pipe had fallen off of the other piece that was sticking out of the wall. I picked it up and brought it back to the main room. Once there I found the wheel to be the same as it were before. I could easily stop it if I placed the pipe inside it at just the right time. I watched it carefully for about thirty seconds and predicted its movements so I could place the pipe inside at the right time.
Now.
In a single, quick motion I pushed the pipe in the way of the blades against the ground and just after one of the blades hit against it and after a few second of resistance it finally stopped. I did it. I could now pass under and through the wheel into the next room.
The area through the wheel was just another large room with a few waterfalls of water spilling inside the pool from the ceiling. Other than that the only other thing was the next tunnel at the far end of the room. The tunnel, after a short distance, came to another barred blockade, but a few of the bars in the middle were broken in the middle, though just enough to stick a leg through and nothing more. I pushed as hard as I could against the bottom half of the broken bar but it was of no use, these things were impossible to move.
My only other alternative was another set of stairs that went up much higher than the ones that led to the machine room up to a door at the top. I ascended these stairs and pushed open the door before recoiling at the macabre inside. Not only was the small room almost completely filled with the red organic substance, but there was also a cut up corpse of a monster. I was fairly certain these things were the gatherers described in that ponylore article that I found in the Archives so long ago, but ‘monster’ or ‘thing’ seemed to fit something as horrible looking as this better. The body itself was cut up by limbs: legs, torso, and head. It seemed that only the Shadow could actually kill these things too.
I closed the door and turned to go back down the stairs to avoid looking at such a sight any longer. My head was hung low as I reached the bottom of the stairs and returned into the water once more. What was I to do now? Both of these led to a dead end and the only way that looked like it had potential was impossible to move.
CRASH
The sound of metal ripping and breaking apart shot through my ears from beside me. I was so deep in thought I didn’t even notice the damned monster come up and start breaking down the gate. It was another blade wielding one too. This was bad. I didn’t look at it directly for fear that it would cause me to freeze again and turned back towards the large room before breaking into a full gallop.
CRASH.
The gate had been demolished as the monster was now charging at me. I had to make it past the water wheel and remove the pipe to stop it from getting closer. The room was very large and that wasn’t helping as I could hear the blade wielding fiend closing in on me and growling more and more.
“Charcoal, turn around this instant! You are carrying the Shadow with you,” Alexander's voice quickly spoke to me.
Turn around? The last thing that I wanted to do right now was turn around. I felt a whoosh of air as the thing swung at me with its blade and missed by near centimeters. I gave a quick gasp and moved faster as it growled loudly again and started to regain the speed it had lost during its attack. But it was too late now. I slid under the first blade of the wheel and as I went under the second one I kicked the pipe and knocked it out of position before barely escaping the now turning wheel. The monster too had reached the wheel and growled furiously again before slashing at the wheel a few times before realizing that its efforts were in vain. Clearly unhappy, it gave up and turned around before trudging back out of the room and through the bars that it had just cut down.
I slumped down and sighed with relief through short and quick breaths. I was certain my heart was going to explode from the fear and movement, just like with the water monster. Hopefully that thing will be gone now and I can continue searching past the gate and maybe I’ll even find a way out of here. I blocked the wheel the same way that I did last time and went back into the large room as I had done before.
The monster had really done a piece of work on that gate, only a few segments at the far end of the walls remained by this point. I moved very slowly and cautiously now, out of both fear and the fact that moving slower reduced the sound the water made. The tunnel past the gate eventually came to a right turn and I could see another place where the path split up ahead. I came to the place where the path split and looked down to the left and saw another path leading to the right. Suddenly getting an idea about what this was, I began to move straight again towards the end where it turned left. I reached the corner and looked around it. The path eventually turned left, I was right. This was a large, square tunnel that looped around the brick center piece.
I moved down the path I was already going and neared the corner that turned left before peaking around the corner. I just as quickly pulled my head away. Right in the middle of the hallway was the same monster just standing there, like it was guarding something. Taking another quick glance I guessed that it was the hallway that was directly in front of it. That must be my way out then. Taking a few minutes to think about it, I got an extremely risky plan in my head.
I took one of the loose rocks from the corner at the further end of the square tunnel and moved back over to where I was. If I could throw this past him just far enough and make a large sound at the far end of tunnel it might be just enough to draw it away so I could sneak by. The thing didn’t look like it was about to move any time soon so I had to act fast and do this now. Plus being right within the vicinity of one of those things made me extremely uneasy.
I positioned myself just around the corner of the tunnel next to the monster and took aim for the far end past it. I took three very long, very deep breaths and held the last one in as I reared back and hurled the rock as hard as I could away from me. It landed right at the end of the tunnel where I wanted it to. As soon as I saw it land in the water I moved back out of sight and peaked around again.
It worked.
The monster was moving toward where the rock landed and was now even moving down the opposite hall back towards where I was when I first entered the square tunnel. This was my only chance. I moved swiftly but quietly through the water as I crouched low. I made it to where the hallway started and moved up the few stairs that were there onto dry stone once more. I didn’t bother about stealth by this point, I booked it as fast as I could down the hall.
By this point I was sure the monster realized that it had been tricked as I heard a loud grow from behind me followed by something moving fast through the water. The hallway turned left and I immediately came upon a door. I threw it open and ran through before turning to shut it.
Erraaggh…
I had no idea how, but that thing had just rounded the corner and was now barreling towards me. It didn’t want to let me escape a second time. I denied it and slammed the door to buy myself a few seconds as I moved again. I heard the familiar sound of something breaking the door down as I rounded another corner to the right and found another door. I repeated the same process but behind this door was a ladder. I took no time in getting up to it and starting to climb for my life. The ladder went into a dark hole but I could see the smallest bit of light at the top. I pushed up as fast as I could with all of my remaining energy. I didn’t know if the monster was climbing up too or not but I didn’t care. I just kept going even with my now aching muscles screaming at me, not stopping for anything.
__________________________________________________________________________
It was a small room with four doors, one in the middle of each wall. I had made it up the ladder and into this room but remained where I was. For how long though, I couldn’t tell. Time was something that had become completely irrelevant to me by this point. My only concerns lie in surviving and the Inner Sanctum. The only thing I could do now was put the sewers and all the previous areas I’ve been in out of my mind while keeping all the memories I’ve gathered thus far with me.
I began trying each door separately. The first one I tried wouldn’t even open, the second led to a cave-in, but the third led to a small room with another barrel full of oil that I used to refill my lantern and another journal entry. I quickly picked this up and began to read as I was hoping that this was the one that would answer the question about the warding ritual spoken of.
9th of August, 839
I’m still sweating and shaking, even after all this time. The warding ritual was nothing that I had expected. Only those not of a sound mine would think of something so barbaric. I hadn’t even realized that the dungeon was still in use. Alexander had one of the prisoners, a murderer he told me, taken down to the dungeon and told me that I had to perform the ritual in the right order to have the right effect. The Shadow, he said, could be confused and delayed if the blood of another had been spilt. Killing this prisoner would buy us precious time. What else could I do? Alexander told me it was what I must do. He was saving my life, and I didn’t have any room to argue.
What sort of mad pony would devise such a horrible means of warding the Shadow?
Alexander.
I could feel my anger rising towards him once more. Killing another, even if they did commit a crime, just to save oneself was completely absurd. Murder was also a very rare crime, but things could also be different this far east. Still, this was something very disturbing to think about. I turned away and left, attempting to erase what I had just read, but it had already seared my mind and was forever imprinted there. It all was there, ever horrible memory of this place that I’ve found so far, clearer than ever. The more I attempted to forget the more clear it became too.
I tried the last door in the main room and after a brief hallway it led to a dark ledge. Looking over I saw that it was actually a large set of spiraling stairs that began to my right and went down a long ways. I began down the stairs, lighting each torch I saw on the way in case I ever needed to find my way back up. After a while the stairs finally came to a stop and I could see a small section to my left that ran under the stairs and in front of me was another door.
Through the door was another hallway that went to either the left or right, but the right path was blocked by another cave-in. Down to the left was another barred gate like the ones in the prison and as I moved toward it I could see a fairly well lit room behind it. I opened the gate and after moving only four steps in I gave a shocked gasp.
This was definitely a torture room. I was standing on a ledge overlooking a fairly large room with various torture devices scattered throughout it. Chains, metal spikes, superfluous amounts of blood, there was no mistaking it. I descended the stairs to my left and immediately began on trying to find a way out of this room. I had no intention of staying in such a maddening place. Torture was something completely chimera and very rare in this nation. The only ones who really practiced such things were races outside of Equestria. I do remember hearing tales of horrible and disgusting things about those who had the misfortune of being subject to such things. But most of that even was insane ramblings from husks of former ponies that had experienced them.
There was a small note on one of the few tables at the far edge of the room that wasn’t covered in blood that talked about the other orb mentioned by Alexander. The one that had supposedly broken before he found mine.
Use of Orbs in Torture
While the destruction of my orb was major setback, I found that the properties of the orb can change very much while it is in pieces. More specifically, how they can be used during torture. I’ve found that if one of the orb pieces is present while a prisoner is being tortured, its effects are enhanced greatly. It would seem that while the orb is broken the individual pieces almost leak insanity. Having this will amplify all who are subject to torture and the collection of the vitae has increased substantially. I will place the six pieces in several of the separate rooms in the Transept and Choir for further study.
Transept and Choir? Those didn’t exactly sound like horrible rooms of torture. The more I thought about it thought the worse the names actually seemed. Almost sadistical irony must have influenced the naming of those places. I looked around and saw the only way out of the room looked like it was to my right. I walked over to the end and found two large doors blocking my way to go left or right. The way directly in front of me though was clear, and I could see some light at the end.
The room had channeled into a small hallway that eventually led to another gate at the end and I looked inside. I could see a door at the very end of the room but nothing else due to the lighting, or lack thereof, and my vision was cut off by the two sides of the hallway. I pulled open the gate and moved inside to see what was along the sides of the walls.
A sudden barrage of noises hit me as the ground shook. I could hear multiple screams and moans of pain coming from all directions, hooves desperately beating against walls, and could even feel the pain of many suffering all at once. I fell to my knees and hyperventilated as the sounds of the suffering continued on before escaping me.
What just happened to me?
I had fully regained my senses and stood straight once more. I could still hear the occasional moan or cry coming from a different direction. I moved towards and edge and realized what this room was, holding cells. But these were no ordinary cells from what I could tell as I neared one and opened it. The sight inside told the story all in its own. It was near covered in blood and the grimy paneled stone gave it the most eerie look. As I peered inside, another memory came to me.
“I know this…I’ve been here already. This taste, it is of the stuff that they give you to forget. And while I don’t remember what’s happened in my mind, my body does. The cuts speak volumes. They will be back though.”
That was not my memory either. But it was still incredibly disturbing none the less. From the sounds of it, they would torture prisoners, then make then forget and repeat the process. Alexander was cruel indeed. Subjecting others to this. But it couldn’t be helped now. They were all more than likely dead. I decided to see what the door was at the end of the room.
“The Shadow…It’s getting closer.”
I almost hit myself that time. I had to stop this. But how could I stop myself from doing something that I didn’t even know that I was doing it? I only moved faster now and made it to the door before reading “Chancel” on it. I went through while trying to keep myself from speaking again.
__________________________________________________________________________
The door led up a set of stairs that went straight and then left before coming to a door. I pushed it open and immediately noticed the two large doors that made up a massive single one to my left and up in front of me slightly. It wasn’t the door that caught my eye though; it was the two large torches next to it. They glowed with a brilliant blue light that was probably brighter than any source of light that I’ve seen in the entire castle thus far.
I moved toward the light and found myself to be directly under it, absorbing its brightness. I had already tried the doors; it was useless, as most were.
I then turned around and beheld something magnificent.
It was probably the most massive chamber that I had ever seen since waking. It went for hundreds of meters both in front of me and to my sides. There was no floor either, only a narrow stone bridge connecting all four sides together at a circular platform in the middle. The same blue light from the torches shone from various fires placed on the rails at the edges of the bridges. I walked forwards towards the bridge and looked over the rail. It went down a far ways before reaching a large pool of water that spanned the entire length of the chamber.
I walked out onto the bridge itself and found it to be remarkably sturdy. I moved across it with ease and eventually found my way to the center platform. It wasn’t anything that special, just the crossroads connecting the four bridges. I looked at each of them, both of the ones to my left and straight in front of me were fine but the one to my right was broken and the entire middle section of the bridge was gone. I was slightly disappointed that I couldn’t see what was down there but I kept going straight towards the very end.
I reached the door with no problems and found it to be slightly ajar. Inside it I could see a small sliver of jumping light and a crackling sound. I pushed it open and found a long tunnel at the end of a small room before it filled with lightning. Or at least what looked like lightning. It danced and jumped across the mysterious looking tunnel many times. I dared not go near it though as it also looked very deadly. I looked around the rest of the room and found another pedestal with a hemispheric depression in it and many candles surrounding it, an orb pedestal. It was empty. This now gave me the reason why I needed to find those orb pieces and put it back together. This must be my way into what I could only assume to be the Inner Sanctum. I was finally here. I had reached my goal, but it was still just out of reach.
I turned and left the room as it was seeing that there was nothing else I could do. I made it back to the center platform and turned right to see what was at the end of that bridge. From the center platform I could tell that it was another door, but I couldn’t see inside of it. I made it to this door too with no problems, it was almost beginning to unsettle me how monster free this area was. But the fact that it was next to the Inner Sanctum might have explained it.
Through the door was a small room with shelves of various work tools. On one of the shelves I noticed a small bucket of tar. I suddenly remembered one of the journal entries I read about reassembling the orb by using tar. If I were to assemble mine in the pedestal, I was going to need this. I took it and began the rest of my search of the room. Inside to my right were more stairs that led down to a room which held only what I could assume to be another machine as I could hear it working quite loudly. I made it down the stairs but was quickly stopped by a locked gate with a padlock that was in perfect condition, rendering my hammer and chipper useless against it. I could see that it was indeed a large machine though. What purpose it served though was beyond me.
I returned back up to the room and began to leave until I noticed another journal entry that had escaped my view when I first entered lying on a small bench. Worried yet unable to control my desire to know what it was about, I began to read it.
12th of August, 839
The ritual to banish the Shadow is taking longer than expected and we have to do what is needed to keep it at bay. I spend my time helping out with the prisoners. Being around these degenerates sickens me. None of them even try to face their punishment with any sort of dignity. They taunt me with their lies of innocence and their cowardly pleas of mercy. What could make them fall so far from the grace of civilized existence? They are all evil and wicked and I constantly remind myself of it. I only thank whomever is sending these wretches to us to serve as instruments of my salvation. I’m trying to study the different tools in the torture chamber and learning to use them effectively. Last time I tried it ended up being messy, and affected the results. When the next warding is performed, I will be ready.
The journal entry fell to the ground. My eyes were sprung wide open with disbelief, mouth agape. I was finding everything I’ve believed about my old self now to be either gone or seriously questioned. Was this what I became? A soulless torturer who believed that the prisoners were only tools for his…my use?
I couldn’t handle that.
I ran from the room. Ran as fast as I could back towards the exit. I didn’t want to believe it. I wasn’t like that. I wasn’t.
Or was I?
“No don’t kill her!” Another utterance had escaped me.
“Argh!” I screamed.
I fell to the ground once more. I was back at the large doors and right next to the smaller door that led to the stairs and back into the torture area. I thrashed about, almost fighting with myself. My eyes were tearing with a mixture of pain and confusion. The ringing returned to my ears and all noise ceased besides that.
I had to get a hold of myself.
After a few struggled attempts and the intervention of laudanum I regained my hearing and proper sight once more as I got back up and remained still, silent. I didn’t know what to believe anymore. I kept returning to the question of my sanity, but left it where it was. I didn’t care anymore. Sane or not, I was going to get into the Inner Sanctum as it was my only drive to live anymore. I was going to end this battle between myself.
__________________________________________________________________________
I returned to the torture area in silence and began my way back towards the main room. As I entered the middle of the holding room I received another flashback.
The first voice to speak was Alexander’s. “These cells are meant to hold prisoners under treatment. The ones you sent for will end up here. Remember that the confinement is a prelude to the torture and that you should pace yourself. Don’t take anyone before they’re ready.”
“Understood,” I replied in a completely lifeless way.
“The sounds from each cell are channeled through these pipes that lead to the cell next to it. It will ensure that one prisoner’s pain will be the terror of the other.”
After checking another cell I confirmed what was spoken about the pipes. My eyes jarred at the sight and thought of what happened in here. It was just, so much suffering. I kept asking myself the entire time who could be so cruel as to do something like this but I already knew the answer.
Before leaving into the small hallway, I noticed something that I hadn’t the first time being in here, a lever, two actually, one on each side of the gate that I used to enter into the room. With no good reason not to, I pulled both and heard the sound of something being lifted a distance away and I knew instantly what it was, the doors.
I hurried back into the main room and found that I was correct. Both doors were now open, and completely dark. I decided to try to one on my right first and found a larger hallway than the one that led to the holding rooms. It was mostly uninteresting and only served to get my to the door after going straight then a left turn followed by a right. “Transept” this one read. It at least didn’t sound bad.
__________________________________________________________________________
It was a massive room. Not nearly as massive as the large chamber in the Chancel, but still very large. Though it was very creepy as the walls were nearly covered in pointed windows on all sides towards the top, shining in a light that lit the cages that hung from the ceiling. In the center of the large room was a small spiraling staircase leading all the way up to the top of the room and disappearing. At the end of the room on all three sides was a door leading to somewhere unknown.
I went with the staircase first as it looked too interesting to ignore. But before I made it halfway to it another flashback came to my mind.
“How much more am I supposed to take Alexander? Kill me already! Just kill me!” An unknown yet clearly traumatized voice spoke.
“This one. Prepare him,” Alexander spoke.
Sickening. Waiting for them to be at a breaking point and then torturing them? I was at a loss for thought on this. I did make it to the staircase though and began to climb up. It went up rather quickly and after a short time I made it to the top of the rom and went a little further until a came to a rather good looking wood paneled room at the top. It was very small but there was a door near the ledge of the stairs. Looking around quick though I noticed a large painting. It was the same one of Alexander that I had first seen when I woke but this one looked wrong. His face was all distorted and instead of eyes all he had were two large black holes formed. The same thing with his mouth. I turned away from the disturbing thing and opened the door. Inside was what looked like a small study with a desk in the center and a few bookshelves along the wall. There was another note on the table and I went to go to read it.
Notes on Torture
There are quite a few interesting things that I have learned about torture. I had always assumed that the reaction I would get from each prisoner would be highly individual. But this is not the case. These ponies all seem to have a similar approach to dealing with physical pain and the terror of anticipation.
I can’t stress enough the importance of restraining the victims before proceeding. Even the most timid of these creatures can break out into fits of violence where their strength becomes dramatically increased beyond what they seem capable of. The proper steps to take are to: restrain the victim while they are still dazed, proceed to present the form of torture you are about to apply, and then continue with the actual act.
The point of presenting the form of torture is to instill terror. The minds of these creatures is surprisingly efficient and will produce a greater fear by just imagining it. While applying pain, make sure to avoid large amounts of damage at a time and attempt to sustain the process. Apply the pain in doses and if possible with breaks to let the body settle. If you are whipping or cutting the victim, strike once, then let pain stop before continuing again.
As long as the body suffers it will continue to produce the vitae and saturate the blood with its properties. But if the victim behaves differently than expected, this will not happen. If this is the case, feed them the amnesia drink before attempting the process again.
This…this was…unspeakably evil. It’s as if he studied torture as a science and a means to further its effects. I could barely finish reading it I was so disgusted by it. Only a true monster, even worse than those that I have faced until this point, could do something like this. Only the worst.
I rifled through the desk drawers and found another memory canister in the large drawer to the right. I activated it as I did all the other ones and let the memory fill my mind.
Is it you, my love, that I miss the most, or myself? I know what I’ve become, I’m not blind. I’m a monster to them. An evil ruler perched on a mountain overlooking the town below, just waiting for someone to act outside of normality so that they may never be seen again. They have all grown distrustful of me, and the only reason I still remain is their fear of me. But I know not for how long it will be before that changes. If I can’t return home now, I shall perish.
I didn’t know what to think of Alexander or myself anymore. Clearly he realizes what he’s doing is wrong, but does that make it right?
No.
No it doesn’t. I don’t care how much he wishes to return to his home or his love. All of this death, all of this horror, it excuses no one’s crimes of this magnitude. He tortured and killed so many. And for all I knew they could have been innocent and merely a victim of his whim. No, I would make sure that Alexander would answer of all of this.
I gratefully left the room and exited back down the spiraling stairs before stopping in the middle of the three potential doors to open. I was more than likely going to end up going in every one in search of orb pieces anyway so I started with the door on my left. I opened it and revealed a somewhat narrow hallway with various pipes running along the walls and ceiling. It was too dark to see and I saw no torches along the walls due to the pipes so I had to use my lantern the whole way. I moved down the hall silently, it turned left before turning right once more and right up to a door. The closer I got to it though, the more uneasy I became. My legs started shaking involuntarily and I almost considered just walking away from the door for a moment. But that thought was in vain as I found myself pulling the door open out of too much curiosity.
The ringing. It was the strangest ringing filling my ears. It sounded almost like large bells from a bell tower all ringing together with a constant high pitched wail. I found my vision to be almost slowing as it blurred and I moved in near slow motion as I went inside. I swung me head over to the right and the ringing got louder. The only thing to my right was a large cabinet with one of its doors ajar. I moved over to it and flung the door open as my sense of control was beginning to deteriorate. Inside was one of the orb pieces. I stared at it for a long time, unsure of what to do. It was keeping me in some strange trance of drowsiness as I looked at it. After a few second I managed to reach out and touch it.
It all stopped.
All of my senses returned to me in a second and I took a gasping breath. The orb had done something strange to me, and I didn’t know what. But from now on I knew that I had to be cautious around these things. I put the orb away and looked to the rest of the room that I had ignored due to the orb. I saw a single chair with two chains hanging from the ceiling and a large stone block with rope attached to it on the floor beside it. A table full of knives, hammers, and other bloodied instruments sat near it. Looking closer at it, another memory came to me, but this one was different. It was like I was actually seeing what was happening without it actually happening.
I was standing near the right wall of the room next to a large crank. Alexander stood next to me, watching. A terrified mare sat in the chair with the stone attached to her back legs and the chains clamped to her forelegs. I actually started to turn the crank and she began to lift in the air. Eventually she was completely suspended from the ground and the rock pulled at her from her legs while she hung from the chains. She began to scream hysterically as she felt herself being split in half by the opposing forces pulling on her. I then turned to Alexander and began to speak to him about our next move.
“No!” I screamed.
But then I remembered that it was all a memory. A very vivid memory. I could just see the look of pure terror in her eyes and could even feel the nothingness in mine and Alexander’s. No sympathy, no remorse, nothing. It all seemed so real, because it was now that I thought about it. I did this. I brought unimaginable pain to this prisoner and felt nothing. I had to get out of this room.
I eventually made it back to the main room and took a minute to try and collect myself.
“Don’t let her escape, do whatever it takes!”
“Damn it!”
I turned away towards the left and hurried toward the door that was at the furthest edge from where I first entered the Transept and opened to door to find a similar hallway with pipes from the first one. I moved in and felt another flashback, this time a normal one, come to me.
“Let me go you brutes!” A strange yet familiar voice yelled.
“The cradle is ready,” I spoke in my now disconnected tone that I heard earlier.
“Good.” Said Alexander.
The stranger spoke once more, I was assuming to myself. “You…you’re just a normal pony. How can you partake in this?”
“Is he alright?” I asked.
“He is one of the wicked. Don’t pay any attention to his lies.”
“I’m not bad though. It was an accident!” The prisoner said back.
“He set someone on fire, Charcoal.”
“It wasn’t my fault! Please, why won’t anyone listen?”
“That’s horrible.” I said.
“Yes indeed. Remember that we are dealing with monsters here.”
That voice. I remembered it now. It was the same voice that I heard in the prison about someone rambling about the burning house and again in the sewers about no one returning. And now here at the Transept.
He was innocent. Now that I think about it, they were probably all innocent. I’ve been torturing and murdering the innocent. What did I become while I was here?
The hallway went straight back and stretched on nearly forever before finally coming to a door. I hesitated slightly before entering but ultimately did. Inside at the far end of the room was a small stand with a small pyramid shaped object attached to the top of it. Another flashback appeared.
“No, no, please. I’ll do anything you want, just don’t do this.”
He was clearly completely broken by this point as he hysterically cried “I’m innocent!”
I returned from the flashback, but also to the ringing once more. I swayed as I turned to my right and found the orb piece behind several cloth bags. The same thing happened before and as I picked it up the ringing and disorientation stopped. I looked back at the object before once again being subject to another involuntary vivid memory.
I was watching from the back of the room as the one who had been accused of arson was being lowered onto and off of the impaler. He was already mentally broken but it didn’t matter as they meant for him to die as he was one of the few that the amnesia drink wouldn’t work on. The torturing was working beyond their expectations though.
As soon as the memory ended I bolted out of the door and left that sight as fast as I could. As soon as I made it back into the main hall of the Transept I gasped again. In one of the cages suspended from the ceiling sat a rotting corpse. That was definitely now there when I first came in. I turned away and entered quickly through the last room of the Transept. The hallway went straight then turned right then left again quickly. As I moved through though, I could hear a faint sound that kept growing. It was a saw… sawing. But at the same time I could also hear the sound of some pony whimpering and crying as the sawing continued. As I got closer the two kept getting worse and responded to each other too well and I realized what I was hearing. The pony whimpering was the one being sawed. I almost turned and left right there but I never wanted to return here again and this room must have had an orb piece in it.
After a few more turns the hallway came up to the door that led to the room. Just before I reached it the sawing had stopped. I opened the door to find two large wooden beams on each side of the room with another that connected them on top and on two sides of the top beam were more chains than hung from it. Below the beams were a drain for the blood and a large saw. I noticed the orb resting near some rope to the left of the beams and I quickly moved closer and took it before the disorientation set it. Then just as quickly I moved away from it after being so close to that saw. Before I managed to leave the room the vivid memories returned with the last room of the Transept.
He hung upside down from the top beam. Alexander and I stood on either side of him, saw in hand, and beginning near the legs down through the body. After a while the saw became lodged in one of the lower bones and wouldn’t move any further. The prisoner had ceased crying at some point as it had hurt too much to do so. We stepped away from him to let the fluids from his body drain.
I was sitting in the corner of the room, shaking. Forelegs covering my face and sobbing quietly. It was too much. I just couldn’t take this much suffering and pain. My mind was tearing itself apart from everything that I had just witnessed. It was all just too much for me to handle. I took out a laudanum bottle and poured its contents into my mouth and let myself ease slightly, but not enough. I wanted nothing more to do with it. No more of this pain. This whole damned area sickened and disgusted me beyond belief.
I stumbled out of the doorway and eventually lumbered my way back to the main room. All while trying to keep myself focused. But it was so hard considering the pain of the memories flooding my mind. I saw the door that led out of the Transept and I hurried as fast as I could towards it. The entire room began to shake as I heard the faint rumbling of the shadow all around. Dust filled the room but I didn’t stop. I had to get out of this demented place.
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I was glad to be out of there. I would much rather be in this torture area than that one. But both were still very bad. I made it back into the main room that connected all the others and only one more area stood in my way of the Inner Sanctum, the Choir. The last of the two doors that I had opened earlier still remained that way, just as darkened too. I raised my lantern and began my way though. I felt slightly empowered from a lot of different things: the laudanum, finally getting out of the Transept, and knowing how close I was to ending my journey.
The hallway went straight for a while before turning left and then right. After going straight from there some more I finally arrived at the door with the sign that said “Choir”. This sounded innocuous as well, but so did the Transept, so I trusted nothing as I began to push open the door and head inside.
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It was a very long, yet very well lit hall. A long, single row of candles placed on a small indent in the middle of the walls went all the way down to the end. But stopped in the middle for a bit as two door were there. I made my way to the two wooden doors and looked at the one to the left before opening it. Inside was odd looking room with an altar like table in the middle of it and below it was a circular symbol inscribed in the stone floor. All around the walls were candles as well as a few tables with more various bloodied tools. On the large table in the center too was another journal entry. I moved over and began to pick it up to read it, but as soon as I had touched it I gasped as a similar overwhelming force like the one from the Archives attacked me and I blacked out.
"15th of August, 839"
“The blood wards are failing. The Shadow beckons and its cry disarms my actions.”
I opened my eyes. Lying on the once recently vacant table was now an actual living pony, but lying flat on his back and bound to the table, a cloth bag over his head. He tried to move but couldn’t, a faint whimpering escaped him but he couldn’t speak due to the bag.
“There’s no time to spare. You’ll have to kill another. Alexander produces a knife. He wants me to cut the flesh.”
I turned to my right, almost involuntarily and saw a wickedly shaped knife appear on the table. My heart began to pump faster as I realized what was occurring.
“Do it. Save yourself, Charcoal. He’s evil, a cold blooded murderer. Hurry!”
I didn’t want to do it. I stood where I was, trying to find a way out of this. I turned around and found the door closed and locked. Suddenly I felt some strange force take a hold of me and it forced me to turn around. I walked over to the table with the knife on it and began to reach out. I fought against this mysterious force as much as I could but it was a losing battle. I picked up the knife.
“Alexander, you must let me be. I have to concentrate.”
The prisoner began to squirm more as I saw lines beginning to form across his midsection in a strange pattern.
“Paint the pony. Cut the lines. Cut the flesh. Watch the blood spill. Let it come!”
I felt my leg moving once more as I brought the dagger closer to his body. My entire body began to tremble and I shut my eyes as I began to do the unthinkable. The sound of something slicing and cutting flesh rang through my ears and I felt a liquid, presumably blood, splash against my hoof as I heard myself begin to speak again.
“Pleeeeassee, I didn’t do anything, nah nah nah.” I heard myself say mockingly. Then I began to sound more hysterical as I chanted.
“Paint the pony. Cut the lines. Paint the pony. Cut the lines.”
“Please, they all cry.”
The sound of the struggling prisoner began to die away as I then heard myself speak again. “Hush, hush. Now you sleep.”
I opened my eyes and found the table to be gone, but blood still remained all over it and on my hoof. The knife too was gone.
“I did well. One life for another. You hear me, guardian of the orb? I did this all for you. Now withdraw your shadow from my domain once more.”
The door behind me opened. I quickly got out of it as fast as I could. But before returning to my regular state, I heard one last thing.
“Alexander, there isn’t much time. I can feel it, we must act swiftly. I’m ready to do whatever it takes.”
Charcoal, I believed in you. I had thought that there were other reasons for forgetting. But no. You were just an insane pony caught in a bloodlust to help yourself. You are not me. I refuse to believe that that was ever me. I’m better than that.
Or was I?
Of course I was. That part of my life is over. He did this so that he would have another chance. I was, as he said, his last chance to make things right. I had to do just that. To redeem both of us.
I actually returned back in the same room where I saw the blood ritual. I then noticed that the blood was still on my hoof. I frantically wiped it against one of the tables and got as much off as I could but some of it had dried and still remained. I stifled another round of vomiting and turned back around and exited. As soon as I made it into the hallway, I found a body, the same body that I had just witnessed and involuntarily killed, hanging from the ceiling. No, there were actually two of them; as soon as I swung my head over to the right I saw another down a bit. I tried not to be completely disturbed but it was impossible. I thought that by now things like this wouldn’t get to me, but they’ve only become worse. I opened the room directly across that I neglected when I first entered and found it to be another room identical to the one I was just in.
I didn’t even bother going in lest I murder without consent again, so I turned to my left and began down the hallway towards the rest of the Choir. There had to be more, since I found no orb pieces in either room. The hall eventually came to a gradual yet long set of stairs that led down to the door that entered the main Choir. There was only one way to find out if they were in there or not.
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This was bad. Really bad. I could instantly tell. I couldn’t see any more than five meters ahead of me and everything had a slight tinge of red to it. The room itself was massive. I couldn’t even see the ends of it to any of my sides nor the ceiling. Large pillars also lined the room, disappearing above into the same red mist. Plant life also grew freely around the room, long vines stretching across the floor and up the pillars.
“It is curiosity in league with your selfishness that is killing us both.” It was Alexander speaking to me again. I didn’t want to hear anything he had to say to me.
I didn’t really feel like going forwards as I could hear what sounded like monsters growling from somewhere ahead of me so I decided to stay as close as I could to the wall and start by heading to my left. I honestly didn’t feel like using my lantern in here either. There was enough light for me to see clearly immediately around me but still dark in the sense of the entire atmosphere of this room. The wall seemed to stretch on forever as more was being revealed as I moved forwards. After walking for about a minute I came up to another wall that connected to the one that I was following and blocked any further movement forwards and went to the right so I just decided to follow this wall as far as it would take me.
The wall then turned left and opened a bigger area. I followed the wall still and after it ended once more there was a door at the end. Two small torches glowed around it but their light was completely futile in such a dense place. I pushed the door open and saw more candles inside. From the looks of it the door led to a small hallway before entering into a larger room.
This was the case as I made it to the last set of candles at the end before a large room revealed itself. In the middle of it was a slightly raised platform with something in the center of it. I moved closer and the shape revealed itself to be a large metallic pony. After looking at it for a few second I realized that it was an Iron Mare. I had only heard about these things. Apparently they’re filled with spikes and it encases you inside and forces you to stand inside of it until you eventually tire from standing and die from impaling yourself. A horrible way to die. I could begin to hear the familiar ringing of the orb coming from somewhere ahead. I walked onto the platform, trying to look behind the sectioned walls at the sides of the room to see if it was over there.
My heart nearly shot out from my body as the contraption of torture suddenly flung open. It opened by splitting down the middle and swinging each side open, one to the right and the other to the left. It was indeed filled with bloodied spikes too. There was no way I was going any closer to that evil thing.
The ringing became louder as I moved to my left and eventually found my way to a smaller section of the room and lying on the floor was another piece of the orb. That made four, only two left. I left to room as fast as I could after seeing something like that happen.
“Shimmering…blue…light.”
I didn’t even care anymore. I was getting too close now to. I followed the wall to my left further still and eventually came to a bridge. The bridge went over a moat looking crevice that I couldn’t see the bottom of, even when I took out my lantern for a second. I made a note not to fall in. I crossed the bridge and heard a monster moaning from a distance to my right so I continued forwards against the wall quicker now.
The wall continued on for a much longer time that before but did eventually come to another door all the way at the end. Along the way I saw another way to my right that I could have gone into but I decided to keep going forwards. The door went into another small hallway before leading into a larger room, smaller than the previous but still big. It was a center platform with water surrounding it from all sides. And in the center lay another metallic pony shaped device. This one was, if I remembered correctly, called the Brazen Colt. It would open in half and the victim would be forced inside and they were unable to move once the lid came down. A fire would be started beneath it and they would be burned to death. Cruel, sickening fates indeed.
I found the orb to be nestled in a few plants that were growing to the left of the device. Only one left now. I took a long look at the thing in the room. I couldn’t imagine such a fate as that. A fire suddenly started beneath the thing and I could hear pounding coming from inside and something terrified screaming for its life. I turned before running as fast as I could from the room.
My only option now was to go down the one large hallway that was to my right when I had first gone down this one. I left the room and started to follow the wall that was to the left as I exited this time instead of the other one that brought me here. I had to navigate around several pillars that were right next to the wall before finally coming up to the point that I was looking for. The wall turned left and opened up into another large hallway that continued further than I could see again. But I could see both of the walls that were to my left and right, unlike before when I had first entered into the large room.
This place only got more uneasy the longer I stayed. It was mainly because I could hear those things roaming around everywhere but couldn’t see them. I eventually came up to another crevice with no bride going over it and almost turned around before seeing the broken pillar spanning it and got an idea. I jumped up onto the pillar and began to slowly make my way across it. It was hard to keep my balance with my mental and physical states being so deprived but the pillar was wide enough for me to not have to worry too much.
After a few arduous steps I reached the other side of the crevice and jumped off onto the ground as soon as I got the chance. The large hallway continued on further so I moved against the left wall again and gradual moved forwards as the sounds of the monsters were becoming more audible now.
Oooeerrraaarrghh…
That one was much closer, too close. I ducked inside the small space between the pillar and the wall as I heard one of those things begin to make its way over to my from another hallway that I noticed was to my right. I could tell it was another one of those ones with the giant blade as I could hear the sound of it being dragged across the stone floor as I had before. I peeked out from behind the pillar and saw the thing now heading down towards the way I came from. It made the same disgusting sounds as I lumbered by my and I could feel my heart begin to beat slightly faster as I heard it pass next to me just behind the pillar. I had to avoid looking at it directly elsewise I would freeze from shock as I have done before.
It continued on and began to disappear into the red mist back down the way I came from. I waited longer to see if it was actually gone though. I was shocked and disappointed as it suddenly reappeared once more through the mist and started to move back down the same hallway that it had come from. It was starting to only go back and forth between where it came from and where I came from, that wasn’t good. For all I know it was going to keep patrolling here forever. I would have to take a chance and run for it once it passes by me again, or wait until it finally notices and kills me.
It disappeared once again into the mist where I came from. I instantly moved out from behind my cover and kept moving as fast as I could forwards, hoping that the mist would give me enough cover to not be seen. Eventually the sounds of it began to fade and I could see another door appear at the end of the hallway through the mist. I didn’t care what was inside so long as it hid me from that thing. I pulled the door open and just as quickly closed it as I made it inside. I turned away from closing it and had just enough time to look down the hallway before I felt a flashback starting.
I could hear a large wooden wheel turning before Alexander began to speak. “The wheel is good for keeping your victim still during the procedure. They can be bound around the circumference or simply stretched across, tying limbs to the spokes and rim. By this point, all tools are useful and you may administer the torture in any way you like. But the forte of the wheel is the gaps. When you have decided that the victim shall die, you can smash their limbs with a hammer, making them fold between the frame.”
“But they’ll die…too quickly, I mean.”
“No, don’t worry Charcoal. The body is much more resilient than you may think. They could last days before finally succumbing.”
This must be were the last orb piece was. I almost didn’t care about the flashback by this point. I was getting so close to the last orb piece and the Inner Sanctum. Of course it disturbed me as most did, but that was overshadowed by my desire to find the last orb piece. I followed the smaller hallway down a right turn before coming up to the door that must have led into the torture room. As soon as I had opened it I immediately began to feel the disorientation and ringing coming on by the orb. I knew it, it must be here.
Inside the room itself was the usual tools of torture and chains along the walls. At the end though was a small platform with a large wheel sitting on top. Lying next to it was a very large and bloody hammer. I searched around the wheel as that was the area of the room where I felt the effects the greatest and eventually found it in the far left corner of the room. I reached out and quickly took it. This was it. This was the final orb piece that I needed to breach the Inner Sanctum. I took one last look at the wheel before finally turning and leaving. I didn’t want to think of the pain it had caused to others. All I wanted to do now was leave this horrible place.
I made it to the end of the small hallway and out of the door before following the left wall towards the next large hallway that the one monster came from. I no longer heard it around so I assumed it must have left. I turned the corner leading down that hallway and began my system of moving around the pillars along the hallway and sticking close to the wall. It went on for a time that I didn’t even know, all I knew is that it was another long hallway. I had made it almost to the end where the hallway emptied out into the main large room of the Choir. I knew that if I just crossed the crevice and kept going, I would finally be out of here.
Oooeerrraaarrghh…
This one was to my left. That made me burst out into running. There was no way that I was going to be stuck behind another pillar by one of those things while I was so close to getting out. I crossed the bridge over the crevice and made it to the large area full of pillars and vines that I was in when I first entered and only sped up now that I knew I was so close. The monster must have heard me to as I heard a loud growl from behind me and the sound of metal and hooves striking the ground as it rushed towards me from behind.
It only made me go faster. I was locked in the same survival state as my heart rate climbed with each second that I drew closer to the door. I could still hear the sounds of that thing behind me only getting closer by the increasingly loud sound of metal striking the ground even at my top speed.
Clang, clang, clang, clang.
Rrraaaeerrghh…
The door had finally come into view, I was so close now. I ran straight up to it and in the same moment began to pull it open the monsters blade had apparently come down from overhead because I heard the sound of it striking the door and veering off to the side, only barely missing me. The door must have opened enough just in time to get in the way and deflect its attack. I had to time to think about it though as I took the opportunity while it recoiled to run through the door and quickly shut it behind me.
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I didn’t hear any more sounds come from behind the door. Or if there was I didn’t hear them. I was still holding the door in case it had tried to somehow open it but it never did. I was panting pretty heavily from running for my life still as I reluctantly turned from the door and began to make my way up the stairs and towards the main torture room. The bodies that were hanging in the hallway were now gone as well. I was a little taken aback by it but ultimately not too worried as I saw no need to want them back there.
“Quite frankly Charcoal, I’m not so sure what to do with you. I hold no grudge against you. We are very much the same, you and I. Did you really drink the amnesia mixture? Well, that would explain your actions. But you never did finish what you set out to do. You talked about redemption, about how you would stand against the orb’s Shadow to save our work, and me. I will grant you one last chance to redeem yourself. Stay where you are and wait for the Shadow to come to you so that you can finally stop it. Thank you, friend.”
You’re wrong Alexander. We are nothing alike. Not me anyways. I know of all the terrible things that you have done, to both me and everyone else in this world. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to end up dying for him. I will redeem myself, by finding you and ending your life. As he talked, I was still making my way towards the door that led out of the Choir. I made there as soon as he had finished speaking and went through the door. Ready to start my way towards the Chancel and the Inner Sanctum.
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It was everywhere. The red flesh like substance. I had no idea how it came this quickly, but it was now almost completely covering the walls and ceiling. I moved as fast as I could back down the hall and into the main torture room. It was just as bad in here. Back down the narrow hallway towards the holding cells and inside. Same thing. The Shadow was very close now. I had to move as quick as possible if I wanted to get into the Inner Sanctum in time. I made it past all of the holding cells, navigating around the flesh before hurrying into the Chancel.
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The Chancel was no better off. I continued on with increased haste up the stairs and into the main chamber. The vibrant blue light was now dulled from the Shadows presence near it. I turned to my right and set off on the bridge straight down towards the entrance to the Inner Sanctum. It disheartened me to see such a beautiful chamber like this corrupted by the Shadow but I had to press on in any case. I had to take careful measures to avoid some of the substance that was on the bridge but I eventually made it back to the room. It remained the same as ever, without the Shadow’s corruption too. I moved over to the orb pedestal and took out the tar. I dumped it into the depression in the pedestal and saw it spread across the entire area of the depression. It was time to reconstruct the orb.
Slowly, piece by piece, I started to reassemble the orb to its former glory. They pieces fit together perfectly as I placed them into the pedestal, molding together with each other as I set them in. I attached the third piece, then the fourth, the fifth, and finally, I took out the final piece of the orb and with trembling legs set it onto the last area of the orb that remained empty and saw a brief flash before the orb molded completely together to its former glory.
It was done.
As soon as the orb reformed I saw out of the corner of me eye something happening with the lightning that filled the tunnel. It began to arc towards the room and formed a barrier-like formation with all of the arcs meeting at a center point. After a few seconds a blue haze began to slowly pull out of the center point and I moved out of its way as it connected to the orb. Both the orb and the haze glowed brightly but after a minute nothing had changed. The barrier in front of the tunnel remained and when I tried to touch it I got shocked slightly. Something else needed to be done to finally close this thing. Something…
I ran out of the room, having an idea of what I needed to do now. I made it to the center platform of the bridges and turned right once more before heading down the bridge leading into the room with the tools in it. It must have something to do with that machinery that I saw in the room. I made it inside and quickly descended the stairs to find the door open due to the red substance. I wasted no time and went inside the steamy room. There was a series of pipes going all around the room and into the machine at the end of it. A center console lay to the left of another panel with two large gears spinning.
I went over to the console and checked around it to see if there was any way of shutting the thing off. There wasn’t. I sighed and looked over at the gears. After thinking for a minute I thought of a strange idea. What if I could get something large enough and jam the wheels? That would essentially stop it. It was risky, as I didn’t know what would happen if I just stuck something large in moving machine parts, but I had to. The Inner Sanctum lay just beyond that tunnel.
I searched around the room. There were a few small things, a couple of metal plates, a hammer or two, but nothing quite large enough to jam the wheels. I gave up on this part of the room and went back up into the tool room for anything in there. None of the tools in here looked good enough to jam it either. There was however a rather large rock sitting amongst a pile of rocks in the corner of the room due to a section of the wall collapsing. This had to be what I needed. I lifted the large rock and returned back down to the machine room. If I aimed it right, I could throw it from a distance and still stop the wheels from spinning. I moved behind one of the small pillars in front of the wheels and reared back slightly before heaving the rock towards the wheels.
It worked well. A little too well. The rock landed right on its mark and the wheels instantly stopped. But the thing actually turning them kept going, so the one wheel on the right flew off, striking my in the shoulder and knocking me over. I writhed in pain as I heard the rest of the machinery shutting down and the entire Chancel shaking. The majority of the pain subsided after a few minutes and I got back up but felt a sharp pain in my let shoulder as I settled on it. I don’t think it was broken, but it was injured fairly badly. I consumed my last laudanum and within a few minutes of its affects taking hold I started my way back up towards the Inner Sanctum.
I managed to make my way back to the room with the tunnel in it with relative ease, with only the now slight pain in my shouldering hindering me. As I moved inside the room I instantly noticed that the barrier was now gone, but so was the orb. All the candles as well that were around the pedestal were out too. I cared little though as my path was now clear. I passed into the tunnel with no problems now and could feel my excitement rising as I neared the end of it. I heard the Shadows roar coming from the Chancel behind me but I paid no mind to it as I reached the most bizarre looking door. Strange symbols were engraved into its metal surface and looked nothing like any of the other doors thus far. This must be it.
The Inner Sanctum awaited me.
__________________________________________________________________________
The Inner Sanctum. I made it. After all this time, all the horrible places I’ve been through. Just to make it to here. It was the most well lit room out of all the others too that I have seen so far. I was right now in a narrow hall that led down a long set of stairs but the way down was clearly lit. I descended the stairs with great pride as there was only one challenge left, Alexander. Halfway down the stairs the Shadow’s roar came suddenly from behind and a large bang came from the door that led inside here. I looked back and saw the red substance beginning to grow out form the door. I didn’t wait any longer and moved as fast as I could down the remaining set of stairs before entering a large, circular room with four pillars around it in the middle. I saw a lever on the one closest to me and I didn’t hesitate to pull it. A large door came down and blocked the way I just came in and I noticed that two other door on either side of me then opened up.
I heard the Shadow’s noises reach the door that just shut before abruptly stopping. This would give me precious time now. In front of me were two large doors that looked like they led into the actual Inner Sanctum area described in the journal entries. I moved over and found that they wouldn’t budge. It must have something to do with the two side room that opened up. I walked over to one and through a very narrow hall I came upon the oddest looking room. The walls were not stonework like the rest of this part of the Inner Sanctum, but looked more like sandstone. There were more pillars on the edges of the wall with the same strange symbols engraved into them. To my left was another one of those circular patters with two candle stands next to them and to my right was a stone table with an odd looking device in it with more candles surrounding it. I ignored this for a moment and went over to read the journal entry that was on the table in front of me.
19th of August, 839
It’s not fair! I’m not the one to blame. I was manipulated by that demon. He played my guilty conscience and duped me into facing the shadow alone. That vile pony. He expects me to meet my death whilst he steals powers beyond imagination? Alexander, I will kill you for what you have done. You made me a murderer, a monster! And now, I can only wait here and await my death. I am too weak to keep going. I can barely manage stand as my knees fail me. I cannot see as my eyes are covered in tears. I am as broken as those that I’ve tortured. If only I could erase my fear away and forget, as we had done with them.
This must have been the last page before the one that I had first found after waking up. All that my previous self had done. It seemed to have hurt him as much in the end. Which is why, as he said to me, he chose to forget. He didn’t want to deal with the memories of his past so he began anew. I will redeem us. Both of us.
I turned and walked over to the stone table that was at the right end of the strange room. The device that I had saw was a large prick over a small pool of water. Looking down at it, I suddenly remembered what this was. I was required to give some of my own blood and then I had to stand in the circle in both rooms to enter the Inner Sanctum. I was no longer hesitant anymore due to being so close to my goal and the Shadow banging on the closed door to the room. I quickly stuck out my hoof and pushed it against the prick. A sharp pain arose from it and a small trickle of blood escaped and landed into the water. All of the candles in the room died out and I quickly moved over to the circle. As I crossed inside of it the entire thing glowed red and another large bang on the door from the Shadow came. This one was finished. Only one more now.
I moved swiftly through the room connecting to the other stone room and as I entered I moved over to the stone table. Both room were completely identical so I repeated the same process. I drew the blood and the candles went out, as expected. I turned and made my way over to the circle and crossed through it. The same red glow appeared beneath me and at the same time I heard the two large doors of the Inner Sanctum opening as well as the Shadow finally breaking down the door.
I went back into the connecting room. It was as I thought, the red tissue now invaded in here as well. I looked over and the doors were indeed opened. Through them was a long tunnel that stretched on, only lit by torches that lined the sides. I wasted no time in starting my way through. I could barely even see the sides of the walls in the hallway as I moved through it. But I could feel it, a sensation overflowing through my body. This was it. This was where it was all going to end. The tunnel ended at a massive door that pointed came to a point at the top. Three large circles, two on each side, and one above and between them with more symbols were placed on it. The Shadow roared and I pushed on the door, slowly moving it open.
It was time to finish this.
__________________________________________________________________________
I gasped as the large door finally revealed what was behind it. It was the most stunning chamber that I had ever seen, even more so than the Chancel. It was circular shaped with three slim pylons with a light at the top all channeling into a center piece. That must have been where the orb was. Above me, it looked like the chamber stretched on endlessly. All throughout it floated several rocks in suspension. I moved around the pillars and looked into the back of the room. On a raised platform in levitated Alexander. But something was wrong. He looked nothing like a pony.
He was an odd looking creature, akin to an ape. But he stood completely upright and was only flesh. He looked like the statutes that some of the journal entries had been described as. This must be his true form, he spoke of changing his appearance from one of the old pieces of parchment I found in the study.
“I was wondering if you would show up,” His voice echoed throughout the room. “Is everything nice and clear now that you see my true form? Am I the villain? Good and evil, such comforting concepts, but hardly applicable. Are you so blind that you so no good in me whatsoever?”
I wanted to get to him so badly, but a wall of blue fire and the raised platform cut me off from him. A large bang on the door reminded me that if I were to do something, I would have to do it soon. I looked around hopelessly. There had to be something that I could do to stop him. Looking around again, I only saw one potential thing that I could change.
The pylons.
I rushed over to the closest one and began to push on it with all my strength. My shoulder that got hit became inflamed with pain but I continued to push. This was probably my only chance at stopping him. I heaved as hard as I could and finally the pylon gave and I pushed upwards and over as the pylon came crashing down.
“No! Don’t do that!” Alexander yelled. That was it; I knew that I was on the right track.
“I realize that you doubt my intentions. Why would I take extreme measures to save your life?”
I was done listening to him. I had told myself that I would get the answers that I sought from him before, but I had all the information that I needed from everything else that I have seen getting to this point. I only wished to put an end to this thing before me now. I moved over to the next one and heaved. This one came down quicker and easier than the last one. As the pylon crashed onto the floor Alexander stopped whatever else he was trying to say and yelled again. “Stop it Charcoal, you are ruining everything! We are so close, I beg you.”
I moved to the last pylon as my blood began to flow more and the anticipation grew. I heaved with the rest of my remaining strength on the last pylon.
“I’m just like you, Charcoal. A prisoner of circumstance. Trapped in a worl- No you fool!”
The last pylon came down. It must have also broken whatever force was keeping the Shadow back as the room was now being flooded with the red substance.
“You’ve killed us. You’ve killed us both!”
The red stuff must have reached Alexander first, for as soon as he finished speaking he suddenly began to scream with agony as the stuff swarmed around him. He curled up before he suddenly began to dissolve right before my eyes. Within a few seconds, Alexander of Birdleburg was no more.
I merely stood there, waiting for the same fate. Now that I had exacted my revenge against Alexander, I felt that I had finally redeemed myself. If the Shadow still required my life, then so be it. I would allow it to take it. I had finally ended my journey. After several minutes of waiting, I was still alive. How was that possible?
I was still alive.
The red flesh had eventually dissipated and an overwhelming sense of peace, for the first time ever since I had woken, finally settled. I looked over towards the door; it was gone from there too. The orb that was on the center piece of the room was gone as well. The guardian must have finally reclaimed its orb and returned it to its rightful place once more. Light had flooded the room, and I could see clearly for the first time. Everything seemed…right.
I was alive.
__________________________________________________________________________
It was my greatest triumph. And I never looked back.
You think I was afraid, fleeing Bridleburg? Quite the contrary.
I knew it was my purgatory. Hellfire made to wash away my sins.
There’s no denying the things that I’ve done. But I have paid my tribute. I gave them that awful…thing.
…I did the right thing.
|
Nero Darkard
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1362
| 1 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
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Maledictum Insania
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Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
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complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
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mature
|
2012-12-04T20:33:47+00:00
|
2013-04-27T14:47:57+00:00
| 6,851 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-RBxcO_pz9-42z4i-oxUf9L_yhl-OxXxzti4Yv3wPAY/edit
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Warning: This my little pony fan fiction is very grimdark and contains influences from a few other very grimdark fan fictions. Read at your own risk.
Note: The story was written with the knowledge of season 1 and 2. Later seasons may conflict with some aspects of this story.
Chapter 1: Signature
A thousand years. It has now been more than a thousand years since Nightmare Moon tried to conquer the land. Nopony remembers, nopony knows what happened back then anymore.
Except for one... Princess Celestia.
She is the only one who knows about the terrible curse her younger sister had cast upon Equestria. And these... reapers. They are part of it.
So there she was, sitting on her throne in the middle of the night while Princess Luna was out. She was holding a quill and scroll aloft in front of her by magic and making the quill write a royal order of highest priority. She hates those murderers. She hates that they are necessary. Even though the situation changed and they follow her loyally, she just cannot stop hating them. But she hates herself even more for being the one ordering them.
For her plan, she would have to send one of the most professional, most powerful, and most cold-hearted of them to those she loved. Each time Celestia wrote one of these orders, the memories of the past came back. Memories of blood. Memories of violence. Screams of agony echoing through the land, mixed with the twisted laughter of dark creatures. Dead ponies laying everywhere, painting the land in a sickening shade of red. The disgusting smell of cooked flesh and the rot following soon after.
The letter was complete. Celestia only needed to add her signature, but she hesitated. The tip of the quill stood in place, touching the surface of the paper lightly and leaving a small round spot of ink soaking in the scroll. Then she took a deep breath, shut her eyes tightly and quickly wrote down her name on the paper. Instantly, she sent the letter, avoiding giving herself the time to change her mind. Slowly, the Princess of the Day opened her eyes again, glaring into the emptiness of the hall.
In her head, she spoke to herself,
“Twilight... and your friends... I'm sorry...”
Anger and sadness overcame her. She knew this letter signed the death of multiple ponies. A tear of anger ran down her face and fell on the stainless white tile floor, causing a small noise that echoed all across the silent castle.
---
Like most of the days in Equestria, it was bright and sunny the next morning. The mares and stallions of Ponyville gathered in front of a large stage in the middle of the town. None of them were informed of what was going on, but they knew that it was a special event. There were rumors that the order was given by Princess Celestia herself. The curious crowd mumbled, waiting in excitement.
“C'mon Twilight, try to get closer! I can't see anything!” Spike shouted at her back, stretching out to see the stage.
“There is nothing to be seen yet, Spike...” she said, annoyed.
Twilight Sparkle and her group of friends were in the middle of the commotion, looking around to find a sign of when the event would begin.
Rarity turned to Twilight. “Do you have any idea what could be so important that Princess Celestia would want the entire village to know?”
“I have no clue,” Twilight replied, “the Princess and I are close, but there are things she wouldn't even share with me. Matters of national security I suppose...”
Suddenly, the mayor of Ponyville stepped on the stage. The villagers became quiet.
“Fillies and Gentlecolts, I am happy to announce that today, our lovely village will gain a new member! He is said to be among Celestia's elite and was personally asked to stay with us!” she explained.
The crowd mumbled in fascination.
“Celestia's elite? Why would she send one of her own guards to live in here?” Rainbow Dash asked, confused.
“Shhh. The speech ain’t over yet,” Applejack whispered. The mares turned back to the stage where the mayor continued her speech.
“So without further ado, let us welcome our special guest of honor, Mister Obsid—”
The mayor suddenly stopped speaking as she turned toward the new pony, heading up the stairs. The stallion was wearing a long, black cloak, covering his body entirely. A sensation of danger seemed to come from him. Surprisingly, Rainbow Dash was struck the most by the sight of this new pony. She realized she had seen him before: in her dreams. Slowly, the stallion stepped towards the ponyvillians, taking his time to scan through the lake of colorful fur. A few ponies lightly whimpered in fear. Then, he started to speak.
“Obsidian Shards is my name. Princess Celestia stationed me in this fine village for an undecided amount of time. It is a pleasure to meet you all.”
As soon as he was done speaking, he turned around again and left the stage, leaving behind dozens of speechless ponies.
“Mistress Celestia, what were you thinking to announce me like this, and even force me to introduce myself?” he thought to himself.
This would make his job unnecessarily difficult. Was it a punishment for causing this situation in the first place, roughly fifteen years ago?
After walking a while, Obsidian hid himself in a dead end. He had no place to retreat to yet, so a dark corner would have to suffice. He pulled a scroll, ink, and a quill out of his cloak, which then started to magically float in front of him.
“Her current position is still in Ponyville. I require further instructions.”
---
Meanwhile, near the edges of Equestria, a loner pony wandered around an enormous volcano landscape. She was weak. Her eyes were half closed to prevent the storming ash from flying into them, and filled with tears of sorrow. Breathing heavily to catch the shallow bits of oxygen in the heat filled air. She desperately looked around in search.
Suddenly, her right front hoof hit a stone. The mare, delirious from her blurry sight and the lack of breathable air, fell over. She was about to break into tears as loneliness overwhelmed her, but when she turned around, she noticed the stone she fell over was a glowing, bright red crystal.
Her tears stopped flowing instantly and instead of a frown, a grin started growing on her face. Laughter filled the air and echoed back from the rock walls. She had finally found what she needed.
---
After the introduction with the mysterious stallion this morning, her friends convinced Twilight to do some research on Obsidian Shards in her library.
“I tell ya, that guy ain’t normal, Twi,” Applejack stated.
“Oh he sure is not! Having such an awful sense of style can only hint at an awful personality! And have you seen his hooves? What a mess!” Rarity added.
Twilight sighed as she looked through her books. “Girls, have you learned nothing from our meeting with Zecora? Or when Luna came to visit us on Nightmare Night? I mean, he might be creepy, and yes, he might not be well manicured, but that doesn't make him a bad pony.”
“Now wait just a minute!” Rainbow Dash interrupted Twilight. “That with Zecora was a completely different thing. We were just not used to seeing someone exotic like a zebra. And about Luna, well, we still remembered her as Nightmare Moon. But that Obsidian guy is a pony we have never seen before! And it is not his... I mean honestly, couldn't you feel it as well, Twilight?”
Pinkie Pie bounced next to Rainbow and gave her a light nudge with her elbow. “Oh Dash, don't be silly. Giggle at the ghostly, remember?”
Rainbow turned to the pink earth pony and spoke angrily, “But he won't disappear when we laugh at him! Heck, he might even hurt you for doing so! What do you say, Fluttershy? He must be scaring you to death!”
The yellow Pegasus pony looked down to the ground nervously. “Well, um... actually... he didn't...”
“Did not?” Dash wondered.
“By all means, Rainbow Dash. There is no proof anything is wrong with Obsidian Shards. I couldn't find anything in the books, and you all are just assuming things. I mean, I felt it myself and his polite words did not really help much to improve this... impression. But maybe that's just how he is! Maybe he was born this way! Could you imagine how life must be for him if everypony just runs away from him all the time?”
Twilight’s friends dropped their gaze to the ground with guilt.
“Awww...” Pinkie Pie started. “He must be soooo lonely. That makes me soooo sad... Hey, you know what? We should throw him a party and introduce him to everypony in Ponyville! I'm sure he will find lots of friends if the ponies just get to know him better!”
“That's a brilliant idea, Pinkie!” Twilight commented happily, “I will personally show him around Ponyville!”
“Well, okay, I'll give it a try,” Applejack agreed, “haven’t met a pony yet that I can’t befriend! I could show him Sweet Apple Acres and arrange him an apple pie.”
The others licked their lips upon hearing her suggestion. The workhorse's grandmother, Granny Smith, was known for making the best apple pie in town.
“And he surely needs a new outfit,” Rarity added, “I will be making him a tuxedo to really bring out the best of him! Nopony will be able to withstand him when he has so much style!”
“And I’ll throw the party at Sugarcube Corner!” Pinkie yelled out, half singing, and jumping around in excitement.
“Um, Pinkie? Can I help you with the preparations, if that’s okay?” Fluttershy asked, smiling lightly.
“Why of course!” she announced cheerfully.
Twilight clapped her front hooves together. “Great! This is turning into a really amazing plan! What will you do for your part, Rainbow?”
The Pegasus hovered in the air above them with her front legs crossed and a grim expression in her face. She could not trust him. Not after the dreams she had about him days beforehand.
“Well, I don't know if this is such a good idea,” she said.
Twilight was puzzled. She tried to convince her friend with a motivating voice. “Oh come on, now.”
“No!” Rainbow Dash hovered over to the door and opened it. “I'm not going to help out on this!”
With these words, she left the house. The others sighed. Such a behavior from the most loyal pony in Equestria? That was not like Rainbow Dash at all.
"Well, we can still do this, right y’all?" Applejack asked, wandering her eyes around to her friends. They nodded in agreement.
“Then let's get goin'!” Cheering filled the room and everypony got on their way to prepare their part.
---
It was evening already. Everypony was waiting at Sugarcube Corner for the special guest to arrive, but he was late. Twilight sighed as she memorized the day, trying to find out what she did wrong. All the good intentions of the five friends turned out in complete failures.
Twilight had an awful lot of effort to even find Obsidian Shards. He said he was busy and he would not have much time, but Twilight insisted on showing him the village. As they toured around, Obsidian seemed distracted all the time.
At Sweet Apple Acres, he barely spoke a word with Applejack at all and even denied her delicious apple pie she made together with Granny Smith. Nopony had ever said no to her baked goods before. Even after the incident with the muffins three years ago.
At Rarity's boutique, he resisted having his cloak taken off and didn't allow Rarity to touch him, so she was unable to measure him for the tuxedo. Instead, she offered him a manicure so at least his hooves would look proper again. She started to get really curious why he was hiding his body so much. But by the time Rarity put together a beauty care set, Obsidian was gone.
And now, it seemed like he wouldn't even come to Pinkie Pie's party at all. Even though she invited the entire village. Everypony was bored, thirsty and hungry. Twilight just sat there, staring at the ticking clock. Now it was approaching 11:00 pm.
“Can't we go home now, Twi? I'm getting tired...” Spike asked, exhausted, before gently pulling on Twilight’s tail. She just dropped her head on the table in frustration.
“I don't believe this! We had it all organized and nothing worked!” she spoke out, half yelling. All the other party ponies nodded quietly and sighed.
Suddenly, the door opened. The pony folk looked up in hope to finally see Obsidian Shards entering, but instead Rainbow Dash came flying in.
“Hey Dashie!” Pinkie Pie greeted, “I’m so glad you changed your mind and joined the party!”
“Thanks, Pink. Uh, what is wrong with everypony?” Dash puzzled, seeing all the bored guests in the room.
“We wanted to wait for Obsidian before we started the party, but he’s not here yet,” Pinkie said.
“What?!” Rainbow Dash shouted.
“Well...” Fluttershy started, getting up from her seat and walking over to her. “I'm pretty sure he has a good reason to—”
“Good reason?” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “What kind of reason would that be? I have been trying to follow him secretly all day! He just blew every last one of you off!”
Twilight lifted her head and turned to Dash as she heard what Rainbow was doing. “It's not very nice of you to stalk another pony like that, Rainbow.”
The cyan Pegasus just rolled her eyes and continued, “yeah, but he’s not nice either! I mean, I tried to keep track of him to find out what was so important that he had no time for any of you. But he even managed to disappear from my sight! Not only is he creepy and mysterious, he is also very rude!”
“You are right!” a guest pony said in the back of the room.
“I think we should go right up to that guy and tell him what we think!” another one added.
Everypony got up and decided to search for him. Only Fluttershy hesitated. She didn't like this idea. But then again, she was too afraid to be alone in the dark. So she tried to catch up with the rest. It took some time until one of them finally spotted the cloaked pony standing in the meadows close to the village. Rainbow Dash speeded ahead.
---
“So that is what she had planned...” Obsidian thought while reading a letter.
He noticed the ponyvillians were approaching him and quickly burned the letter. Rainbow Dash arrived slightly before the rest of the mob.
“Hey, you! Who do you think you are? Do you think you're something better than the rest of us because you work for Celestia? I can’t have you treat my friends like that!” she yelled at the motionless stallion.
It was pretty clear to him what she was referring to. He sure hadn’t been the most social one today. But honestly, he could not care less about the feelings of these ponies. He just kept standing there completely still, listening silently to what Rainbow had to say. She grunted.
“You don't even care to answer?”
“No” Obsidian replied, startling Rainbow Dash. But before she could say anything, he turned away from her and towards the crowd of angry ponies.
“I do not have to explain myself and I am not allowed to tell you why I behave like I do. I only feel sorry that this makes you feel offended and inconveniences you.”
He turned away and prepared to leave. Then Rarity stepped in his way.
“Just what is your problem? Don't care to explain yourself, huh? Not allowed to say the reason for your unacceptable behavior? Hmph!”
She made a pose expressing her disgust for Obsidian’s actions and turned away from him. The stallion grunted on the provocation and replied to Rarity.
“Look, I am sorry. But that is how it is.”
He tried to turn in another direction, when Applejack blocked his way out this time.
“Keep those bad excuses at bay, Mister! We were just trying to get along! And y’all keep wavin’ us off like you’re too fancy for us! You can't treat us like that!”
The angry mob started to surround Obsidian and bombarded him with questions and statements of anger and disappointment. He didn't say anything anymore. Instead, he just turned around one last time and started to walk off. Suddenly, Rarity grabbed his cloak.
“And what about this? What are you hiding?”
Obsidian quickly turned around.
“You better keep your hooves off me,” he growled aggressively.
Rarity became scared and backed away. But Obsidian's cloak caught on a root, and, with an accidental push from another pony, it became loose and was pulled off his body. His black coat was covered with countless scars and stitched wounds. He had large black bat wings full of holes of various sizes and shapes, as well as an unnaturally long, curved, and very pointy black horn, covered in dents and scratches. The long black hair on his head and tail were dirty and very irregularly cut. Between the strains of his mane, two entirely black eyes were on his scarred face, glaring at them angrily. But the feature that scared the ponies the most were his cutie marks, which had the looks of pony skulls.
Twilight backed away in horror. Now she realized what he was. She once read a book about old pony tales where his kind was mentioned. The description just fit to him perfectly. Her mind was paralyzed, and unable to control herself anymore, she screamed out the words. The words which would change everything from that moment on.
“He's a reaper!”
---
Chapter 2: Unexpected Reunion
“What's a reaper?”
The question ended the silence that filled the scene after Twilight's scream. She was lying on her back, holding her upper half upright by leaning on her elbows. She continuously stared unbelieving at Obsidian Shards as he slowly pulled back the cloak over his body. It took Twilight a moment to realize the question she got asked. Then, without taking her eyes off the stallion, she replied hasty,
“An evil pony, that feasts on demons and enjoys using dark magic to kill other ponies!”
Again, silence filled the emptiness of the night. No one knew what to say anymore. A killer pony? Right in front of their eyes?
“Lies” Obsidian finished fixing up his cloak and spoke up calmly. “I do not kill ponies for my amusement. I do it because I must.”
Rainbow Dash confronted him again. She knew something was wrong with Obsidian. Twilight’s reaction just confirmed it to her.
“And you think we would believe a single word of you now?”
Obsidian moaned. He turned to Rarity.
“Do you understand now why I avoided letting anyone see my body?”
Rarity shrunk to the ground. Half in guilt because she put him into trouble now and half in fear he would take revenge on her. After saying that, he turned to Dash again and continued his attempt to explain.
“Most of the knowledge about us is nothing but rumors and-”
“Hold it right there, Mister!” AJ broke into his speech. “Twilight here’s a mighty smart one! And if she says there’s something fishy about y’all, I think that's more reliable than this chit-chat of yours!”
Pinkie Pie jumped angrily towards the reaper. “Yeah, I mean look at her! If she's this scared and convinced, it HAS to be true!”
The crowd turned towards the magic pony again. Lyra and Bonbon grabbed her by the shoulders and helped her back on her feet. She could barely stand and was shaking all over. She still kept on staring at the black stallion with wide open eyes. Obsidian grunted.
“I am what I am. There is nothing I could do about that. But I was not sent here to kill you people. Princess Celestia wants me here. She wants me to protect you!”
The ponies started to get angry again, considering this statement a lie.
“I doubt that letter was even real! You somehow managed to imitate her signature!” Rainbow Dash said.
Obsidian growled. Disobeying Mistress Celestia? In his opinion, this was one of the biggest insults she could have made.
“I did not -” he started, but Dash interrupted him again.
“We don't believe you! We don't need your 'protection'!” she yelled at him.
Agreement ran through the crowd. Rarity threw her concerns overboard and decided to speak up.
“I simply cannot believe that the Princess would send such a dangerous monster like you in our village, risking all our lives!”
Obsidian twitched.
“Monster?!?!” he asked, enraged.
“Yes! Monster!” Rarity replied. The ponies began to yell at him.
“Yeah!”, “We don't want you here!”, “Get away from here!”, “Monster!”.
That was enough. Obsidian's rage exploded. With his rage, he himself busted into a black cloud, putting the ponies back into silence one final time. A second later, the reaper rose out of the black fog he created and flapped his demonic wings open. Hovering in front of the moon, he shouted back at the ponyvillians.
“Fine! If you do not appreciate my presence, so be it! Mistress Celestia may have stationed me in the region of Ponyville, but that does not mean I am forced to stay in the village itself! I shall go to the Everfree Forest and do my duty loyally from there, whether you are comfortable with this or not!”
With that ominous statement, Obsidian flew into the black, heading towards the forest.
---
The next morning, Spike had to send tons of complaint letters to Princess Celestia. Almost every pony in Ponyville was upset and unbelieving their beloved leader sent a reaper to them. Fluttershy alone didn't bother to write one. She was over at Twilight's library trying to reason with her.
“But, um... don't you think this is a little bit too much?”
Twilight scanned through all of her magic books, trying to find out more about reapers. Unfortunately, barely anything was known about them. She paused and turned to Fluttershy, replying to her with a nervous tone.
“Not at all! He is evil, he is dangerous, and now he is even angry at us! Hiding and stalking us in the shadows!”
The shy Pegasus sunk her head.
“I know, but... um... he didn't really do anything yet, did he?”
“How can you know?” Twilight replied again. ”He could kill anypony without leaving even the smallest evidence! Maybe he already took one of us!”
Twilight turned back to her books, quickly turning pages and mumbling random words she caught.
Fluttershy became even smaller. Somehow, this hate aimed to Obsidian Shards just felt wrong to her. He really didn't seem to enjoy his fate. But the yellow Pegasus didn't have the strength or words to discuss with her friends anymore. So she just flew back to her home.
---
Weeks passed since the night of confrontation. Everything seemed to have turned back to normal. Even though nopony received an answer from the Princess. The villages had pushed the events out of their memory and moved on. Twilight, Fluttershy and the others were spending the day together at the market. Talking, eating and having fun. Suddenly, Rarity spotted a familiar silhouette running towards them. The friends turned around to identify the pony. Blue coat, white mane, magician hat and cape.
It was Trixie.
She stopped in front of the group with some distance. She looked terrible. Her eyes still had tear trails and were sore. She was covered in a thin layer of ash and had several bruises. Her hair was tangled and her magician outfit looked like it caught on fire at least once. For a moment, nothing happened. She just stood there, breathing heavily. Rainbow Dash already wanted to charge her and show her a lesson for coming back to Ponyville. But Applejack held her back. Judging from how she looked and how worked up she was, something terrible must have happened.
“Maybe she came to ask for help” was one of the thoughts Twilight considered and slowly spoke up.
“Trixie? Are you okay? What are you doing here?”
The blue unicorn was still too exhausted to talk. She just raised her head and threw a hate filled look at Twilight. As she slowly regained breath, a grin grew on her face, getting wider and wider.
“Twilight Sparkle, I've finally found you again.”
The smile on her face widened to a surreal size, starting to creep out the friends. Twilight's attention got drawn to a mysterious red glow, coming from a pocket inside Trixie's cape. The costumed mare noticed Twilight's wandering eyes and spoke up again, starting a full-hearted speech.
“The great and powerful Trixie never forgets. She remembers how much you humiliated her three years ago, when she was last here in this... village,” she spoke, putting a touch of disgust on the last word.
“Nopony took her seriously anymore. Wherever she went, Trixie was just laughed at! And so...”
She opened her cape.
“I, the great and powerful Trixie, set out to a lonely journey. Trixie also never forgives. All the time, the only thing she could think about, was revenge! Revenge on the pony that ruined her life!”
Her hoof slowly approached the glowing pocket. Applejack had to tie down Rainbow Dash to prevent her from attacking Trixie. The friends were concerned the situation may get out of control if somepony pushed the wrong button on her now.
“Trixie left to the borders of Equestria, looking for an ancient artifact with the power to destroy everypony she wanted!”
Her eyes went wide open, and together with her unnatural smile, it became obvious she had lost her mind.
Trixie refocused Twilight with a very serious expression.
“Twilight. You! You are the reason for Trixie's misery! So I only want to ask you one question.”
Twilight gulped as Trixie's hoof slid in the pocket.
“Do you know.... what this is?”
Her hoof returned to the group's line of sight, presenting a large, red crystal. It was magically aflame and with many magic spells and warnings engraved in it. Twilight jumped backwards in fear, hitting a table with her back and scattering pies and tea all over the place.
“No! No way! Trixie! Are you serious?”
Trixie started to laugh.
“Trixie! Stop it! You have no idea what you are doing!”
“Trixie is very well aware of what she is doing!” the mad mare replied, still laughing.
She noticed the confused and uneasy eyes of Twilight's friends and started explaining.
“This is a flaming crystal. Hundreds of years ago, powerful fire demons escaped from a volcano landscape at the edges of Equestria, known as Heat Lake. They tried to burn down the land and kill every pony in sight. An army of Equestria's most powerful unicorns fought them back. Many died, but ultimately, the demons were sealed in magical gemstones and buried back in Heat Lake. Like all ancient magic tales, this story turned into a legend and was believed untrue. But I found them! The forbidden gems of fire! The legend was true, the proof is right here!”
Insane laughter filled the air again. Everypony was afraid of acting. They could not possibly analyze what might happen.
“There are rumors that when a powerful unicorn breaks the seal of one of these crystals, the demon will follow the unicorns every command. With this beast, I will finish you and all of the ponies who laughed at me! ME! The great and powerful Trixie!”
She lifted the crystal right above her horn and started to cast a spell that slowly removed the seals from the gem. Applejack quickly untied Rainbow Dash. Twilight jumped up and all three ran towards the mad for power witch.
“Trixie! Stop! This is just a rumor! You can't possibly control such a powerful demon!” Twilight shouted.
Trixie finished removing the spells and the magic flames intensified.
“It is too late now, Twilight Sparkle! I will prove to you that this rumor is true as well! Witness the might of the great and powerful Trixie!”
The friends hit the brakes hard as Trixie threw the crystal to the ground right in front of them as hard as she could. It shattered into countless pieces. Large flames and intense heat escaped and piled up to an enormous tower while Trixie laughed in madness. The flames soon shaped into legs, a tail, a head with a long mouth. Teeth, claws and a burning mane. Scales of lava and fire grew on the surface of the creature, which rapidly became even far larger than the Ursa Minor Twilight vanquished.
“A Salamander...” Twilight spoke quietly in horror. She turned tail and ran towards her friends.
“Run! Run as fast as you can! This is one of the strongest demons in the world!”
The entire village broke up in panic as the burning beast roared loudly. The still laughing Trixie stepped next to the Salamander.
“Now go, my slave! Go and kill Twilight Sparkle!”
The demon turned his head to her and stared at Trixie with his red, demonic eyes. Trixie pouted.
“I said, go and kill her!”
With ground shaking steps, the beast turned around to the now no longer so convinced mare. Trixie's expression changed from highest levels of amusement to a touch of inconvenience and fear. Doubt started to fill her mind and she slowly backed away.
“D-don't you dare to turn against your mistress! I am the one who freed you!”
The Salamander followed Trixie slowly while growling loudly. Twilight and her friends were busy seeking shelter. But hiding from a monster big enough to oversee the entire village proved to be a very difficult task. Twilight turned around to see what was going on. She saw how the Salamander showed clear interest into its savior.
“T-T-Trixie will show you to be disobeying!”
Her unicorn horn started to glow and a raincloud formed above the flaming reptile. It looked up and rain started to pour down on the Salamander. But due to the intense heat of the demon, the raindrops evaporated before they could even touch the surface. The now provoked Salamander turned back to the enchantress and roared loudly at her. Trixie panicked. She tried to run, but the Salamander summoned flame walls to corner her.
The blue unicorn hyperventilated as the demon came closer and closer to her. Now, she realized what she had done.
The Salamander opened its enormous mouth and swallowed Trixie whole. The sound of burning skin and steaming blood, mixed with soul-tearing screams of agony echoed throughout entire Ponyville. She could watch as her legs turned into ash and her skin disappeared in the flames, revealing her flesh. Soon, it first got cooked and then burned to ashes. The last thing Trixie saw were bubbles from the burnings popping up over what was still left of her body. Then, the heat caused the liquid in her eyes to turn into steam. Unbearable pressure grew inside them, ultimately leading them to explode.
Trixie kept on screaming for a few moments more until the flames eventually reached into her mouth. Like burning claws, they crawled down her throat, turning her voice producing organs into ash and bursting her lungs. Now she was unable to express her torture anymore. She tried to turn and wiggle, until she grew too weak to keep on the struggle.
Finally, Trixie was nothing more than just a tiny pile of ash. All this happened in just a matter of seconds, but for Trixie, it felt like hours.
---
Twilight Sparkle was paralyzed from seeing Trixie's violent death. The Salamander, not yet satisfied, looked around for more ponies to painfully incinerate. It spotted the purple mare. At that moment, Twilight snapped out of her trauma and tried to cast a teleportation spell. The Salamander though dispelled her, forcing Twilight to run for her life.
The burning monster clearly enjoyed the chase as it kept tracking her. The giant legs made it easy for the demon to stay closely behind her. Desperately, Twilight tried to cast an ice spell on the beast. But that only enraged it more. In the rush of panic, Twilight didn't see a plank that was accidentally knocked loose by another fleeing pony. Her front hooves hit it and Twilight collapsed.
The demon charged towards her while opening its mouth, ready to swallow her. Time seemed to flow in slow motion as the beast came closer and closer. She couldn't get up anymore. Twilight just sat there on the ground, awaiting her horrible, painful end. She noticed her friends were peeking out of their covers behind the Salamander and stared at her in terror. They tried to call for her, screamed her name. She could hear it faintly in the distance. But it was too late.
Twilight memorized the faces of her friends, bordering at the edges to break open uncontrollably in tears. Then, the Salamander's mouth was just above her. She could feel the heat and the first flames circling down and around her. Twilight locked her eyes shut and tensioned every last muscle in her body. She waited. Waited for it. But nothing happened.
The sound of swinging blades and enraged roaring was to be heard. Twilight slowly opened her eyes again and saw a black cloak. It was Obsidian Shards, holding a scythe in his mouth and covering her with his bat wings. The Salamander paused its attack. It stood there, staring at Obsidian with its evil, red eyes as if it knew that it was facing an a lot stronger enemy now.
“So far, everything goes according to your plan, Mistress Celestia. I only hope I can take up with this beast,” he thought to himself, knowing how strong his opponent was.
The Salamander opened its mouth and exhaled an entire ocean of fire at both of them. Obsidian used his cloak to protect Twilight and himself from the flames. As soon as the beast ran out of breath, he grabbed Twilight and threw her with a mighty swing, over the demon and into a stack of hay. The burning reptile made an attempt to turn around. But Obsidian slashed his scythe through the right front leg of the demon. Even though the created gap between the foot and the rest of the demon instantly refilled with flames, the creature roared in pain.
The enormous, house-sized feet came trampling down to the reaper. He tried to dodge them, causing the demon's rage to increase. It wildly tried to snatch the reaper with its immense mouth and caught him by his cloak. The reaper got thrown high into the sky. The Salamander opened its mouth, waiting for him to fall right into it. Obsidian, though, had wings. He flew to the back of the giant reptile, summoned three large glacier pieces and salved them at the Salamander. The magical ice chunks pierced through its body and maintained stuck there for a moment. The Salamander screamed in pain and steam filled the air as the ice melted.
---
Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle came back to her senses after that powerful throw she just experienced. Still kind of dizzy, she watched unbelieving as the battle between the reaper and the demon continued, getting more furious as time passed.
The Salamander exhaled a magic flame that kept on chasing Obsidian in the air. The reaper flew a few large circles in the air, getting them smaller and smaller. Finally, he took over control of the flame. The color changed from bright red into light blue as it circled around the reaper. Then, he launched the altered flame back at the Salamander with such great force, that it lost its balance for a moment.
Obsidian took advantage of that and charged towards the Salamander. He exploded into a massive black cloud and surrounded the demon. Large black teeth grew out of the cloud, ramming hard into the Salamander's body. Roaring filled the air. The demon struggled with the painful grip of the black cloud, particularly broke free and got recaptured. It gave a very frightening and surreal sight. As if an undefinable, amoeboid black monster with randomly scattered teeth over its surface tried to eat a reptile of just a little smaller size.
Suddenly, the burning monster screamed in rage. The fires grew enormously in size and heat. The cloud loosened its grip and gathered back on the ground, forming into Obsidian Shards again. His cloak was still on fire, but quickly extinguished by itself. His face showed a very serious and troubled expression. Whatever Obsidian just failed to do, it caused him big problems.
The Salamander started rampaging, breathing fire randomly in the air and stomping around. Obsidian ran towards the monster and sliced his scythe multiple times through it. Then, he flew out of the village, making sure the demon followed him in its rage. The Salamander chased Obsidian furiously, casting multiple fire spells at him at once.
As the earthquakes caused by the burning beast got weaker and weaker, the villagers carefully peeked out of their covers. They watched as the battle continued in the meadows. It seemed like Obsidian was about to lose. He started getting weaker and slower. His enemy was simply too strong to keep up with it for long.
Obsidian changed his tactic. He landed on the ground and started running a circle around the aflame reptile while dragging the tip of his scythe through the ground like a hoe. He tried his best to keep the Salamander staying in place. For that, he had to endure getting hit by several fireballs. Slowly, the circle started looking more and more like some kind of magic symbol.
Just as he finished, the reaper jumped high in the air at the same level as the Salamander's head. The beast saw its chance and opened up its hellish mouth. To the surprise of everypony, Obsidian charged right into it. As the Salamander closed its mouth, the circle it was standing in reacted. The demon got turned into an immense tower of fire that reached high into the sky once again. One last time, the demon's roaring echoed through the land. Then the flames vanished into thin air and silence returned to Ponyville.
---
It was quiet again. Suspiciously quiet. The ponies were afraid of leaving their cover since they were unable to tell if the battle was finally over and who of both had won. Twilight was the first one to run out of Ponyville and towards the circle of burned grass. Soon, the rest of her friends followed her.
“Twilight! Wait!” they shouted. But she was too concerned about the well-being of her savior.
The friends approached the circle and indeed were able to find the reaper standing in the dead center. He was still maintaining his battle stance but without his weapon. His entire body moved lightly as he gasped for breath.
“Obsidian!” Twilight shouted, relieved to see he was okay. The black stallion instantly turned to her and regained control over his breathing frequency. He could not allow them to see how exhausted he was and how close he was about to fail. With his eyes closed, he bowed down to her. Twilight was puzzled for a moment when her friends finally caught up on her. They jumped her all at the same time in a big, teary group hug.
“How dare y’all to just run away like that, Twi!” Applejack spoke, still sobbing. “We thought we’d never see you again!”
“Sorry girls. I just had to make sure he was alright,” Twilight replied. She turned back to the reaper who just started walking back towards Ponyville.
“Obsidian. I just want to-” Twilight started, but the stallion kept on walking, ignoring her words. Twilight and her friends still were unsure what to think of the reaper now. They got off her and all together followed him back to the marketplace.
---
Upon arrival, he was greeted with loud cheering.
“Equulōs stultōs. Do not congratulate me... that was far too close,” the reaper thought and tried to ignored them.
He kept on walking towards the pile of ash that used to be Trixie the magician. The cheering died off and the ponies gathered around the ashes. After his victory over the Salamander, they almost forgot that not all ponies were so lucky as to survive the demon's attack. Even though she was the one who released this dangerous beast, she was a pony after all. She deserved the same respect as everypony else.
The villagers dropped their heads to mourn silently. Suddenly, Obsidian cast a spell that made a big, black book with a pony skull on the front cover appear. Using his magic, he hovered it in front of his face and opened it. The pony folk looked up curiously. Then, after turning a few pages, Obsidian started to read out loudly,
“Trixie Lulamoon. Unicorn. Scheduled to die on the 23rd June 1626 at 15:43. Cause of death: Being consumed by a Salamander.”
The book closed and disappeared again. Once more, Obsidian succeeded in impressing and frightening the ponyvillians. All the statements he just read out were correct, even the time.
“Was that the book of death?” Carrot Top asked in the background.
“Not the book of death... just mine...it only contains the name of ponies I am supposed to reap,” he replied.
“But she is already dead, isn't she?” Rarity wondered.
“Not yet... foals and weak-hearted ponies should look away and hold their ears now...” he suggested.
A few ponies turned away and deafened themselves. A moment later, the ash started to move. It appeared like it would gather back together. Like a phoenix would when it is getting reborn. But it did not have the strength. Instead, it just formed a rough silhouette of Trixie's head, screaming in agony. A light, ghostly moan of torture escaped from the ash and the ponies backed away with wide opened eyes. Trixie was not dead. But she was suffering enormously.
“Your torment will end now, Trixie” Obsidian spoke and moved his head to the side. A black cloud appeared in front of his head and shaped into a scythe.
“Rest in peace” he mumbled and rammed the sharp tip into the ash. The face collapsed and the moaning stopped. Seconds later, a tiny light blue orb escaped from it. All ponies turned back to him and watched as the orb lifted into the sky and disappeared. Twilight slowly walked over to Obsidian Shards.
“Thank you for saving me... and I think I speak in the name of Ponyville if I say thank you for saving us all.”
Obsidian bowed down before her. “Please forgive my former harsh actions. It was not my intention to hurt you.”
Twilight shook her head.
“It's quite alright. I think you proved enough we can trust you and I think it is actually us who need to apologize for not understanding you and the ways of a reaper.”
Most of the villager ponies and Twilight's friends nodded and spoke out their apologies. Just Rainbow Dash was still hovering in the air eyeing him suspiciously. The black stallion got back upright and spoke up again.
“Most of the rumors about who we are and what we do are either lies, spread by the hate we cause with our work, or are myths, mostly told in scary stories.”
He pointed to the now lifeless remains of Trixie, where his scythe was still stuck in.
“This is our real duty. Freeing the souls of those who are meant to die, but cannot leave this world on their own. We release those who are in agony and protect those who are not meant to die yet.”
The village became silent again. Suddenly, Rarity noticed something strange about Obsidian.
“Um... excuse me, but, is something wrong with your eye?”
The ponies focused on his face. They just realized he kept his right eye shut all the time. Obsidian turned away, apparently ashamed.
“No... There is nothing to it. Do not be bothered about it,” he replied. This answer only made the ponies more concerned. Fluttershy flew next to the reaper and gently spoke to him.
“I'm good at taking care of injuries. Maybe I can help you, if that’s okay...”
“There is no need to do anything. I am fine.” Obsidian ensured and turned his head away again. Now Rarity came closer.
“Oh darling, please. You can show us what is wrong. We owe you a favor anyway!”
Obsidian finally gave in and sighed.
“There is not much you can do about it...” he slowly opened his eyelids, only to reveal that his eye had changed. Instead of black, it was now thoroughly colored in a glowing bright red.
“Oh my goodness, how did that happen?” Fluttershy asked with concern.
He realized there is no way to avoid explaining what happened. The reaper closed his eyes and spoke up.
“Among all the rumors about us reapers, some things are true. Like that we consume demons. This is the only way to make sure a demon is destroyed once and for all. By consuming a demon, we also gain all the powers that demon had and become even better reapers. But that Salamander was too strong for me... I failed to consume it.”
The ponyvillians started to get nervous, but Obsidian raised his hoof in the air to calm them down.
“There is no need to be worried. Although I failed, I managed to entirely disable the Salamander by sealing it away again. Its original prison, the flaming crystal, was destroyed and there was nothing similar of magic value in range that I could use. So I was forced to sacrifice my own eye to seal it in my body. As long as I live, the Salamander will be unable to escape and believe me, villagers. We reapers have a very, very long lifespan.”
The villagers sighed in relief. Applejack slowly came towards Obsidian and placed her hoof on his shoulder.
“Will your eye stay like that forever?” she wondered. Obsidian nodded.
“You did that to yourself only to save us?” AJ asked, frowning.
“A small price I had to pay compared to the effect this action has,” he answered.
The ponyvillians became silent again. Out of the crowd, Mayor Mare stepped forth and started to speak guiltily,
“Considering the latest events, I would like to welcome you back to our society, Mister Shards.”
Obsidian nodded lightly.
“I am most grateful for this offer, but to be honest, I never really planned to stay in Ponyville.”
“How so?” Mayor Mare asked, surprised.
“I require a dark place to rest. It also has to be a separate room of decent size. I have quite a few objects with me and the reaper code forbids me to let ponies see them,” he replied.
The villagers looked around among each other, hoping somepony would be willing to take him in. Suddenly, a yellow hoof rose in the air. The crowd turned to Fluttershy.
“Well, um... I-I think I might have some space left. But... It's only a basement...” she offered.
Obsidian Shards turned to the yellow Pegasus pony.
“That is perfect. Would you guide me there?”
Fluttershy nodded barely noticeable.
“T-this way, if you don't mind,” she spoke and started flying towards her tree house. The reaper picked up his scythe and made it dissolve into the air again.
“I will return to you later and help to mend the damage caused by the demon and me,” he ensured just before he and Fluttershy left the scenery.
What the ponyvillians did not know is that all this, from Trixie’s arrival in Heat Lake on, was planned by Celestia. The villagers were eating out of Obsidian’s hooves. While Fluttershy and the reaper were flying towards her cottage, he secretly took a note under his cloak.
“Trixie is gone. I was unable to consume the demon, but sealed it inside myself without causing further damage. The infiltration has begun. I await your next orders.”
---
The rest of the day, the villagers tasked themselves repairing Ponyville and talking about today’s events. Trixie's ash was gathered and put into an urn. Her funeral got planned to take place in a week from then. It took until sun down before everypony went to their homes and to bed.
At midnight, Obsidian wandered around the silent town. He headed to Sugarcube Corner and eavesdropped at the back door. After a while, he decided to knock. Pinkie Pie was still awake. She came running to the door and opened it, greeting the reaper cheerfully.
“Hi Obsidian! What can I do for you-” she started but got interrupted by the stallion.
“Pinkamena Diane Pie. We need to talk....”
---
Chapter 3: Curse
Compared to the past few days, the situation had changed completely on the morning after the Salamander's defeat. Obsidian Shards was sitting in the town square, surrounded by his adoring fans. Most of them were young mares. He did not like all that attention, but decided to endure it to maintain the trust he gained. Fluttershy was with her other friends, sitting around a table not far from him.
“That was so nice of you to let him move in your house, my dear,” Rarity stated with delight.
“Well... somepony just had to give him a home...” the yellow mare replied.
“Yeah!” Pinkie Pie cheered. “He really turned out to be a really nice guy! I'm so glad everything is okey dokey now! Well, not so much for Trixie. But she was a meanie anyway, right Rainbow Dash?”
The young, athletic mare just sat there, distrustfully staring at the reaper the whole time.
“Dashie?” the pink party pony repeated and gently poked her. Rainbow finally snapped out of her trance and replied.
“Wait, what? Oh, that guy...” she answered, derogative and regained a wary expression.
Applejack shook her head. “You still don't like him? What’s wrong between you and him?”
Dash got angry from that question and lifted up in the air. There was no way she could tell them what was going on in her mind. What visions she had seen. It was just too... embarassing.
“None of your business!” she shouted and flew away. The others sighed blankly.
“Anyway, there is something I need to talk with Obsidian about. Fluttershy, want to come with me?” Twilight asked.
The delicate Pegasus looked away.
“I... I think he's a bit too busy to be troubled by me. M-maybe you should go and talk to him without me...” Fluttershy replied.
Twilight tilted her head. That statement didn't seem to make a whole lot of sense to her. But she figured, now that Obsidian lives in her basement, she could talk to him later.
“Uh, alright, Fluttershy. See you later girls.”
Twilight got up from the table and walked over to the black stallion, who sat alone now since his fans had moved on. It seemed like his eyes were closed, but he truly was reading a letter under his cloak.
“...gain the trust of Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Keep her safe and teach her all you know. Primary objective still remains.”
“Obsidian?” Twilight spoke quietly, considering he might be either sleeping or meditating. The reaper secretly destroyed the letter and opened his eyes.
“Yes, my lady?” he asked.
“I just wanted to mention that I am very impressed by your magic abilities. I've never seen anypony with so much power besides the royal sisters,” the purple mare stated.
Obsidian forced himself to bow down lightly for the compliment.
“So I was thinking, maybe you would show me how you did those spells?” Twilight asked.
She just made it too easy for Obsidian. Things were going perfectly according to his mission. Mistress Celestia must know Twilight and her friends very well, he figured. The black stallion stood up.
“We need to move away from here for a demonstration. The spells are just too destructive to be cast in the middle of a village,” he replied while walking.
Agreeing, Twilight followed him. They went to the meadows, back to the circle where Obsidian sealed the Salamander yesterday.
---
“Well, I have seen that cloak has quite some protective abilities. But why do you wear it all the time?” she asked half way there. Obsidian didn't look at her and just replied calmly.
“The reaper cloak is given to us right after we turn into reapers. Besides it being enchanted with powerful protective magic, it mostly serves us for two reasons. For one, it offers us disguise. This provides us the freedom to walk among normal ponies without them instantly detecting our unique physiology. For another reason, it protects us from the light of the day time and radiant magic. Creatures of darkness, like us, get their strength from the dark. Light on the other hoof, weakens us,” he explained.
“Interesting...” Twilight commented.
They finally reached the circle and walked over the black layer of sot towards the center.
“Now, what do you want to know?” the reaper asked.
“First of all, how did you get your ice spell so powerful? I tried to cast one on the Salamander as well, but I could not do more than a few ice cubes,” Twilight wondered.
Obsidian thought about this question for a moment, considering which would be the best answer to give. He then refocused the purple mare.
“Show me,” he requested.
“Huh?” Twilight puzzled.
“Show me how you do it. Attack me with your ice spell,” Obsidian repeated.
Twilight looked up at him with a troubled expression.
“Are you sure?” she asked in concern. Obsidian nodded.
“You have seen yourself I can handle a lot. Do not be worried,” he ensured.
The purple mare hesitated, but then decided to follow his advice.
“Um, okay... if you think so...” she said and closed her eyes to concentrate. Obsidian got in battle stance.
“Here it goes!” Twilight announced and her horn started to glow.
A moment later, ice cubes came hailing down on Obsidian, who could easily block them off by unfolding his bat wings over his head. Twilight reopened her eyes and blushed in embarrassment. Then she sighed and dropped her head.
“I don't get it. I do everything as said in the book!” she spoke out in frustration.
“Book?” Obsidian asked. Twilight as well looked confused.
“Err, yes of course a book! Where else are you supposed to learn magic from?” she wondered.
“There we have the problem,” the reaper commented while folding his wings again. “Miss Sparkle... you only learn spells from books, not magic.”
Twilight was even more confused now. Obsidian noticed and started to explain.
“Magic is something you can only learn by exercise, by experiencing it. You need to feel it. You need to control it. Spells merely help you understand how something is done. Real masters of magic do not even need to cast a specific spell anymore. They just know what to do to make something happen,” he spoke.
Twilight was surprised. That was unlike anything she ever heard. Obsidian got back in his battle stance.
“Now, try again. Do not focus on the spell itself. Focus on how it feels when you cast it. Feel as the magic takes shape into material ice. Give yourself into that feeling,” he suggested.
Still a bit unsure, Twilight nodded and closed her eyes again. It started hailing ice again, but the pieces were slightly bigger this time.
“Yes, feel the magic,” the reaper motivated.
The ice chunks grew bigger and bigger. Obsidian was forced to start dodging them.
“Much better. Try more!” he spoke while avoiding the ice pieces.
It didn't take long until the chunks grew to similar size as the glaciers the black stallion had cast at the Salamander. Obsidian had no choice but to take out his scythe and slash through the ice as it came falling down on him.
After a while, Twilight's concentration got broken as she felt a chill. She opened her eyes and looked at the huge pile of ice chunks. Obsidian stood on top of them. The purple mare’s mouth fell open in astonishment.
“Did I do this?” she asked unbelieving.
The reaper nodded and came flying down while casting a fire spell to melt the ice.
“Wow! That's elusive! I really felt it!” she announced in excitement.
“Good,” Obsidian Shards stated calmly and let his scythe disappear again, “anything else?”
“Yes! What was with that blue flame you fired at the demon? I thought fire only strengthens fire!” Twilight wondered.
“For that, I have to explain something beforehand,” he started, “magic is a free force, as you know. Every magical creature has access to it and can manipulate it up to a limit. So others can use magic to create harmful attacks aimed to you. But if you are fast enough, you can use a spell someone casts at you to turn it against them.“
“Really? That's past all belief!” Twilight commented, greatly impressed.
“This is possible because magic is free. It would not work if magic was limited to a certain group of magicians or chose a side. But that is not the case. If you wish to, you can give it a try. Attack me with a fire spell. Of course I will not deflect it back to you,” Obsidian offered.
“Okay!” Twilight cheered and started casting.
A small fireball shot towards the reaper who caught it in his right front hoof. Twilight looked up again.
“Observe,” the black stallion announced as he played with the fireball by joggling it between his front hooves.
“Unbelievable!” Twilight commented. She never thought magic could be used in such a way. “And how do you turn it blue?”
“The blue flame is still a flame, but it's element has been changed. It is a rather advanced trick to do, though,” Obsidian explained and started changing the color of the fireball.
“I take out the heat of the flame and reverse it. Thus, the flames of fire become flames of ice,” the reaper commented while turning the fire ball light blue.
“An ice flame?!” Twilight exclaimed. An entire new dimension of possibilities opened before her.
“Indeed. Here, have a look at it yourself” Obsidian added and slowly let the ball fly back to Twilight.
She took over control of it and researched the sphere between her front hooves. After a while, she allowed it to vanish.
“How do you know all this?” the purple mare wondered.
“As I said, reapers have a very long lifespan. I am currently 348 years old,” he answered calmly.
Twilight's jaw dropped again as she heard his age.
“Seriously?” she asked in disbelief. Obsidian nodded.
“Does that mean you have been there when Coltholm fell?” Twilight asked curiously.
The reaper turned his head away from her.
“Yes... I was born there...” he replied.
Twilight felt a bit awkward for reminding him of a terrible chapter in his past. A few years ago, she read a brief comment on this mythical and long gone city. Nopony knew the true circumstances that lead to its destruction and although she was curious to find out more, she did not dare to ask him.
“Oh... I'm so sorry...” she apologized. The black stallion shook his head slowly.
“It is fine. Is there anything else you would like to know?” the reaper wondered.
“Well, only one more thing... what was the spell you used to banish the Salamander?” the purple mare asked.
“It was no spell,” Obsidian corrected. Twilight again got confused.
“But that definitely was magic you used there to banish the demon!” she protested.
“Yes,” answered Obsidian, nodding. “It was magic, but not a spell. I used a banisher circle to seal it. A magic rune.”
“Runes? Neutral, artificial magic? I thought those were just in pony tales!” the purple mare stated in surprise.
“They do exist, but are very difficult to create. A rune must be perfect in proportion and shape. The smallest mistake can either make them nonfunctional or get them completely out of control,” the reaper explained.
“Isn't that quite dangerous?” Twilight wondered. Obsidian nodded again.
“This is the reason why they barely ever get used. Even non – magical creatures can create and use runes, but they are very unstable when not done properly. Creating new runes is possible as well, but requires years of research,” he stated.
“Intriguing... how do you use them?” Twilight asked curiously.
“That depends on the rune,” the black stallion answered. “The banisher circle was originally created as an anti-magic field to imprison powerful, corrupted unicorns. But due to an accident when one of them tried to break free, it was discovered this rune can also be used to banish demons. I am not acknowledged of what precisely happened. But I do know that ever since then, this rune has been used to seal demons instead of unicorns. For their safety.”
“Why so?” Twilight wondered.
“This rune has the unique habit to seal living creatures into objects by destroying both and forming them into a single thing. For that, a vessel must be chosen to contain the creature. It must be of enough magic potential to contain it. Once both, the vessel and the creature, are placed on the rune and it is activated, both get entirely destroyed and form into a new object. That is what the state magicians did with the fire demons of Heat Lake,” Obsidian explained.
Twilight considered that answer for a moment. Then she noticed something and spoke up again.
“Wait... you used yourself as the vessel! How come you survived that?” she wondered.
Twilight was hitting a topic of which Obsidian knew would be difficult to explain. He looked around, making sure nopony was nearby and listening. Then he turned back to the purple mare.
“I did not,” he answered.
That was too much. Twilight was unable to understand anything anymore. She just threw a disbelieving look at the reaper. Catching her confusion, Obsidian started to explain.
“Another kind of artificial magic are curses. The fact I am still able to talk to you is because of the reaper curse,” he spoke. Twilight tilted her head.
“Curses? Okay, now I know you’re just talking a lot of hooey,” she commented.
The reaper again focused her with his expressionless face.
“You do not believe in curses I see,” he analyzed.
“Of course not! There is no such thing as curses!” Twilight stated, convinced that she was right.
Obsidian thought about what to do.
“What if I presented you evidence they exist? Right here. Right before your eyes,” he offered.
Twilight's expression became serious.
“Alright. Prove it,” she challenged him.
Again, Obsidian looked around. This time in search for a best possible demonstration. He spotted a large boulder loosely standing on a cliff, stepped below it and took a few deep breaths for preparation.
“If curses do not exist...” he started, lifting his right hindleg “how do you explain... this!”
Just as he spoke the last word, Obsidian kicked the cliff hard. The boulder gained momentum and started rolling down towards the reaper.
Twilight was scandalized. She ran towards Obsidian, trying to save him. But he just pushed her to distance with a wind spell. Then, the black stallion closed his eyes and allowed the rock to come crushing down on him.
The sound of bones snapping and piercing through his squished body replaced the peace of this forenoon. Twilight just stood there with wide open eyes. She failed to analyze this situation. Why? Why would he do that? What was he trying to show with this?
The flattened remains of the stallion were invisibly hidden under the humongous stone, but his blood started flowing out under it. The magical mare looked around helplessly and slowly backed away as the red liquid approached in her direction. Her breathing fastened and she was about to break out in panic. Then, she heard a sound coming from under the boulder.
Twilight's entire understanding of the world she was living in crumbled as Obsidian forced himself upright again, lifting the boulder above his head and dropped it on the side. He was bleeding all over. Broken bones were piercing through his skin and his skull was crushed. But already, his wounds began healing up. Self-contained, the reaper simply pushed his bones back in his body and brought them in place with a loud snap each time.
“H-H-HOW?!?” was the only thing Twilight was able to say.
The black stallion calmly pushed his head back in shape and spat out the blood in his mouth. Twilight’s legs were shaking. She kept staring at Obsidian while he used his own cloak to clean himself from the blood he spilled.
“How?” she repeated.
The reaper used a spell to dissolve his spilled blood in the ground, making the scenery look like nothing ever happened. Then he sat down on the ground and began to fix his dislocated cloak.
“It is something only Mistress Celestia and the reapers are meant to know. But I have been told to inform you as well. I think she would agree if I took orders from you, as long as they do not cross a certain limit,” he spoke.
The stallion got up again and focused her.
“So if you really want to know, you have to order me to reveal the secret to you. This goes for a price, though,” he explained.
“What price would that be?” Twilight asked.
Obsidian's face suddenly became serious.
“I have to curse you,” he stated.
Twilight was shocked. She didn't like this idea at all. The black stallion, though, raised his hoof to calm her down.
“Please, let me explain first before you make your decision,” he offered and cast another spell.
Moments later, a macabre looking object appeared. It was a set of mummified pony lips, sewed shut and bound to two long cords. One golden, the other silvery. Each was sewed at a different corner of the mouth. Twilight gasped in disgust.
“This is the curse of secrets,” the reaper started explaining. “To use it, a secret master and at least one secret bearer are needed. The secret master, who knows the secret and wishes to share it with somepony, has to wrap the golden cord around one of his hooves. The secret bearer, who wants to learn the secret, has to bind the silver cord around a hoof. Once that is done, only those connected to the curse of secrets can hear the secret master speak. Everything the secret master reveals to the bearer or bearers can not be told to anypony else from that moment on, unless they already know the secret. If they try, they simply will be unable to find the words or put them into actions to reveal the secret. This curse is not liftable. It is rather harmless for a curse, but very efficient.”
Twilight was wavering. This all sounded really bad, but her mind was craving for answers.
“So... this curse is only to ensure I can't tell anypony else?” she asked. Obsidian nodded.
“The answers you are looking for are classified as top secret. Revealing this secret without the curse would be high treason. I am sorry to be the one who even made you curious for these things, but now you still have a chance to say no,” he explained.
Twilight spent a good minute thinking about if she wanted to accept the curse or not, balancing out pros and cons. Then finally, she made up her mind.
“Obsidian Shards, I order you to reveal the secret to me, even at the costs of getting cursed!” she ordered.
The reaper nodded and wrapped the golden cord around his left front hoof. Twilight gulped lightly, then picked up the silver cord and hesitatingly wrapped it around her own hoof. Instantly, the curse reacted and the mummified lips tore open the strings which kept them shut. A high-pitched scream escaped from them, creating a kind of sound bubble around them.
Just a second later, it was entirely silent around them. The lips still were open and appeared to scream, but nothing could be heard anymore. Twilight was shaking. This was very frightening to her. The reaper looked her right in the eyes and started telling a story. An old, forbidden story of Equestria's fate.
---
One thousand years ago, Princess Luna fell into madness due to her solitude. She was isolated in the castle of the royal sisters. Her subjects lacked any respect and love for her work and Princess Celestia was not paying attention to her sister’s situation. She grew weak and desperate for company and closeness in a time span of hundreds of years. It was that time when a voice began to grow in her mind. A voice offering friendship, care and companionship.
Princess Luna gladly accepted this voice and allowed it to grow stronger and louder. But soon, the voice started to demand things from her. Afraid of being alone again, she had no choice but to give in to the voice. From then on, it grew stronger and stronger, pushing Luna more and more in the background. Eventually, the voice took over control of her body and powers.
Created out of her own dark powers, the Princess of the Night was possessed with the first and most powerful demon this world has ever seen.
Nightmare Moon.
This greatest of all demons forced permanent night time over the land. But that was only the beginning. By letting darkness reach throughout the land, monsters and dark creatures were attracted to walk among the ponies.
It didn't take long before more demons sprouted out of Nightmare Moon's corruptive magic. They haunted the land. Tortured, killed and abused thousands of ponies.
The demon queen herself enjoyed forcing ponies to go on private audiences with her. Each time, they ended up in the subject getting gutted, torn into pieces and eaten.
The corrupted Princess's laughter was a common sound echoing through the land back then. Each time the ponies heard it, they knew that unimaginable horrors were on their way to them.
As it was to expect, Princess Celestia soon caught on her sister's actions. The first thing the Princess of the Day did after realizing what she was seeing in her sisters throne room was to collapse on the floor and weep over the corpses. Nightmare Moon was amused by Celestia's weakness and feasted on her victims right before her eyes.
The demi-goddess of the sun tried to reason with her sister, but Luna was gone. She was sleeping deep inside her own mind, unaware of the actions happening around her. Thus, Celestia's words caused nothing but more amusement for the wicked demoness.
The demi-goddess of the sun realized she had no other choice anymore but to start a war against her own sister. She recruited all the still alive, voluntary ponies she could find and set up an army.
But Nightmare Moon reacted to this, setting up an army herself. She created a powerful curse that turned those who had surrendered to her into immortal messengers of death... reapers.
Unable to die themselves, the reapers only had two paths to choose from. Either disobeying their Mistress of Terror, who then would torture them for all eternity. Or following her every command, which mostly was slaying ponies and making no difference between old ones, foals or pregnant mares. Celestia's army had no chance against such a legion of invincible killing machines.
Rapidly, Equestria drowned into chaos, agony and desperation. It was an age dominated by the color red, which dyed the ground as well as the sky. It seemed hopeless, but while her warriors were outside, sacrificing their lives for her, Celestia used the blood-payed time she gained to do research.
She discovered that demons are weak against an immense amount of positive energy, such as the elements of harmony. They would become her last resort.
Celestia challenged Nightmare Moon to a duel for all or nothing. Of course, the demon queen accepted. Using the dark powers of Luna and feasting on the madness that filled the land, Nightmare Moon was such a powerful enemy that even Celestia stood no chance against her.
Just when the wicked mare of darkness was about to give her the final blow, Celestia activated the elements of harmony. Intense light like it hadn't been seen for weeks filled the entire castle. Nightmare Moon was surrounded by the light and got captured by it. She struggled and due to the horrors Celestia was forced to see, the bright demi-goddess was unable to maintain harmony in her own heart.
She was unable to free Luna from the demon that possessed her. But Celestia had to use the advantage of the moment and think of something. So she changed her plan, doing the one thing which was the hardest for her to do. She could only banish her own sister to the moon now, knowing that it will keep her strong and safe, while she as well will be unable to harm anypony anymore.
Though Nightmare Moon would not accept defeat like that. She cast one final curse, powerful enough to break through the magic of the elements. She tore a part of herself away and scattered in countless pieces all over Equestria. Then, the wicked mare of darkness was gone.
Even though the most of this powerful demon was now sealed to the moon, a part of her stood in Equestria. The fragments crept into the souls of the few ponies that survived these days. And so, the most terrible curse of all got spoken upon this land.
The curse of madness.
Before that moment, ponies were perfectly peaceful and harmless creatures. But now, with the fragments of Nightmare Moon's insanity resting in the souls of all ponies, they gained the ability to fall to insanity and corruption themselves.
The demon queen in person may have been sealed, but her powers keep influencing Equestria, even until today. Whenever a pony dies, the fragments of Nightmare Moon prevent the souls from leaving their bodies. They are forced to maintain stuck in their broken shells and keep enduring the pain. As the undead shells start to rot, the suffering increases.
Ponies, taken their freedom to die. Aimlessly wandering around, moaning in torture. Until the only thing they can think of anymore is spreading the pain they have to suffer on others.
It is due to the reapers that these undead ponies are rare and never get seen by the living. A reaper scythe is the only tool that can force a soul out of a body. Celestia had to realize this when she tried to give rest to all the zombie ponies in the land.
The war was over and the reapers had to surrender to Celestia. She originally planned to execute them all for their crimes and lift the reaper curse. But she had to admit that she, and all of Equestria, needed them.
So they continue their evil duty in the name of the good under her command. Instead of torturing innocent ponies, they now gently take the lives of those who are scheduled to leave this world. It was hard for the first generation, since corruption and madness had grown strong in their souls already. But as time passed, they learned to appreciate their new destiny and their new, kind mistress.
Still. In the shadows. In the dark spots where nopony is looking. Thousands of demons and insane ponies are still hiding, just waiting for the right moment to come out and spread havoc over the land again.
And that is the greatest secret of Equestria... Maledictum Insania, the curse of madness.
---
Obsidian finished telling her the forbidden story. The mouth of the curse started to close again. Then suddenly, before it closed entirely, Obsidian changed his mind and added one last line.
“Reapers can not die.”
The mummified lips closed and the strings repaired themselves, sealing the lips again. The cords on Obsidian's and Twilight's hooves loosened and the curse dropped to the ground.
Twilight as well collapsed. All this terrible knowledge was too much. She was shaking in trauma as gruesome images ran through her mind. Disgust, stress and shock overwhelmed her.
The purple mare lost control over herself. She threw up in a paper bag she somehow managed to summon in the last second. Obsidian just stood there motionlessly and with his face showing no kind of expression. He waited for Twilight to regain control of her breath and stomach. Then he helped her back on her legs.
This experience drained her a lot. She was weak and pale. She needed time to swallow what she just had learned and time itself seemed to have frozen for Twilight as she stared at Obsidian Shards, standing there perfectly still like a statue. The silence and lack of any breeze intensified this impression. It seemed like an eternity until Twilight finally started to come back to her senses, allowing time to seem flowing normally again.
“Thi... this was way more than I asked for...” Twilight spoke weakly.
“I wanted to ensure all your questions which require the curse would be answered. If I kept explaining you every single bit, we would just have ended up at this point anyway. So I wanted to save us the time and you the burden to endure this curse's grip any longer. As you may have found out by now, it is extremely exhausting and terrifying for a normal pony,” he replied coldly.
Twilight took a few deep breaths. She still needed time to recover. Looking at the ground, the mare started to wonder if she was even able to endure the weight of this curse. She knew she would not be able to tell her friends to make it easier for her.
“I am allowed to share this knowledge to all the keepers of harmony, as long as they accept the curse bound to it. Though I need your command to do so,” Obsidian stated, apparently knowing what she was thinking.
Twilight looked up in shock.
“There is no way I can let my friends go through the same thing I just did!” she replied.
Obsidian did not care about her, or her friends feelings. He just aimed to follow Celestia’s orders.
“Bearing a secret of this magnitude is heavy for a single pony. Your friends will wonder what is wrong with you. They will demand you to tell them what is happening to you and you will be unable to do so. They will get worried and in the end, they would be willing to do whatever it takes to make you feel better again. Splitting a heavy burden on many shoulders and talking about it makes it easier for the individual pony,” the black stallion assured.
This made sense to Twilight. She could imagine how exactly this chain of events would happen once she returned and they would see her weary like this.
“I guess you're right... but lets first see how they react, okay?” Twilight requested.
Obsidian picked up the curse of secrets and made it disappear.
“As you command. Do not be afraid of asking me any more questions. I have told you everything that requires the curse now. There is no need to wield it again,” the reaper explained.
Twilight sat on her back haunches and processed the story the reaper told her. So much terrible knowledge. Such a huge secret. She did not expect a peaceful land like Equestria would have such a dark arcanum.
“How come nopony remembers these events?” she questioned hesitatingly.
“Nightmare Moon and the demons had slain the biggest part of pony population in this land in just a matter of weeks. Mistress Celestia actually was very lucky that there were still enough ponies left to repopulate Equestria. This land was very close about to become deserted. Most of the ponies back then were under trauma. They just wanted to forget what happened. To support this, Mistress Celestia cast a memory eraser spell over the land to make sure everypony would slowly forget the terrors of Nightmare Moon. The legend of the corrupted stars and the Nightmare Night celebration are the only things remaining from that time,” Obsidian replied calmly.
Suddenly, he lifted up his head, looking around.
“I think it is time for us to return to the village,” the reaper suggested and slowly started walking back towards Ponyville.
“Why? What's going on?” Twilight asked, confused and a bit scared.
“Just follow me. Do not be worried. You are safe. Keep asking me questions. I can sense you still have some,” the black stallion ensured.
“Well... yes. Why did you tell me reapers can not die under the curse?”
He hesitated with the answer.
“I wanted to make sure...”
“Sure? Sure of what?”
Obsidian stopped. Then he turned to Twilight.
“One day, you will understand... Ask me something else.”
The purple mare was disappointed. After all the terrible things he told her, Obsidian Shards could not answer her this simple question? But as soon as she thought it, another idea came in her mind. Maybe he can't answer that question. Maybe he got cursed to not reveal it. So Twilight decided to drop the topic and thought about something else.
“Tell me more about reapers then.”
Obsidian looked around to see if anyone else was nearby, then continued walking and started whispering.
“There are 87 of us in total. Although we can not become more, we can actually become less for a short period of time.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
“We exist for centuries, but even reapers die under certain circumstances. Mistress Celestia lets us fade away when we completed our duty and reaped the last pony in our books of death. At this point, the reaper becomes vulnerable and his life is meant to find an end soon.”
Twilight was puzzled.
“And why is it that there are still 87 reapers after that happens?”
“Anypony can become a reaper, and there are two ways to become one. Either by tradition or by fate. By tradition means a pony kills a retiring reaper with his own scythe. Then the curse renegades to the murderer. If that does not happen, the elder reaper will still die. Then the curse leaves the body and returns inside the reaper cloak. Which then flies off looking for a foal suitable to absorb this curse.”
Again, Twilight was scandalized how gruesome the dark ways are. She silently examined Obsidian, trying to figure out which way he became a reaper. She didn't dare to ask, but the black stallion noticed her eyes moving all over him.
“I know what you are thinking. No, I never killed a reaper before. I was still a foal myself when I got chosen by fate. The death of a reaper is nothing that can be taken easily. We do not appear in the book of death. Each time one of us goes, massive changes can occur.”
Twilight sighed lightly in alleviation. She slowly began to regenerate.
“I can't believe all this. So many terrible things...” she mumbled.
“It could all be far worse,” Obsidian replied, making Twilight look up to him again.
“Not too long ago, Nightmare Moon broke free from her imprisonment in the moon. She tried to continue her work and shrouded the land in extended night time. She came searching for us and tried to enslave us again. Mistress Celestia was awaiting her. She only had the time to cast a single spell on her, which temporarily stripped her of some of her powers. Then she got trapped in her castle. It is because of six legendary heroines that the light of the Day returned to this land once again. They managed to defeat this great demon, something Mistress Celestia herself was unable to do. One of these six was a unicorn of incredible magic abilities. A unicorn with so much love and harmony in her heart that she could purify Princess Luna and free her from the demon's grip with the help of her friends.”
A spark ran through Twilight. She knew what he was talking about. They came close to Ponyville and saw the first ponies walking by.
---
Obsidian slowed down and walked next to Twilight, whispering in her ear.
“Thanks to you and your friends, we can still serve Mistress Celestia in the name of good. We owe you our freedom. Thank you.”
Twilight now realized that her victory over Nightmare Moon had a lot greater gravity than she could have imagined. If it wasn't to her, Equestria would have become a realm of terror and suffering. Now she understood why Obsidian took orders from her. Out of gratefulness and respect.
At least that is what Obsidian wanted her to think. He actually did not care about Twilight or her friends at all. He just aimed to keep building up an alibi so they started trusting him.
Twilight and Obsidian came back to the marketplace, where all their friends were waiting. Even Rainbow Dash returned. It didn't take long before they realized something is wrong with Twilight. Now that she saw her friends’ worried faces, she had to admit there was no way she could endure this secret alone and turned to Obsidian.
No words were necessary. The reaper just nodded to the magical mare and summoned the curse of secrets under his cloak. He held it in one of his folded wings, ready to use it.
Twilight turned back to her friends. “Guys, please come with me, to the library.”
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Nero Darkard
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1362
| 2 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
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Maledictum Insania
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Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
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complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
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mature
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2012-11-28T18:22:12+00:00
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2012-11-28T18:22:12+00:00
| 3,186 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OSB3ZyUNDB3zUgOZuLUO4xDrG1qKcJg60jibwwStVco/edit
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 4: Right Colors
Twilight watched her friends reaction closely as Obsidian told them about Maledictum Insania in her library. Their eyes showed similar reactions as Twilight’s was. When they heard about the curse bound to the knowledge, they just hesitated as much as she did. Especially Rarity had huge problems even looking at the mummified and sealed pony lips. She had to be convinced a lot to actually bind one of the silver cords around her hoof. But in the end, they were all friends and would do everything together. If it was helping Twilight, they would do pretty much everything, just as Obsidian predicted.
Twilight could not hear the reaper speak. The curse kept the room entirely silent for everyone not bound to it. Finally, the lips closed again and the curse loosened its grip on all the ponies. The silver cords fused back together into a single one, then the curse of secrets dropped to the ground. The five friends were shaking all over. Each one of Twilight’s friends seemed to take the story in a different way.
“Girls, I’m sorry I made you do this. But losing it now won’t serve any purpose! Think positive! If the reapers were unable to handle this, that knowledge would be public!” Twilight spoke, trying to calm down her friends.
The group had difficulties to relax after hearing what is truly going on behind the scenes of Equestria. Still, the fact that they were all together and could talk about it helped. Most of them at least. Rainbow Dash was still acting out of character. She nervously flew back and forth in the library.
“Oh, great! Now I’m so much more relaxed, knowing our lives depend on how well some killer ponies do their job!”
“Rainbow!” Twilight exclaimed, displeased of her rudeness towards Obsidian and his kind.
“It is not like I do appreciate the fact that the other reapers and me are responsible for the peace in this land. If you do not trust me, I am sorry.” Obsidian apologized while picking up the sealed lips again and making them disappear.
“No need for pardons from your side, Obsidian. Yo’ just doin’ the best y’all can do. But you should be sorry, Rainbow! He’s really tryin’ hard to make our lives easier and yo got nuthin’ better to do than to blame him for that?” Applejack stated.
This shocked Rainbow Dash. Was her best friend honestly just turning against her to protect some creep?
“Hey, who’s side are you on, AJ?” she shouted back.
“Darling, please. We are your friends. That will never change! Obsidian is one of us now!” Rarity explained.
“What?! Are you all crazy? He is a reaper! A reaper! We can’t trust him!” protested the athletic Pegasus.
“Your going too far, Rainbow. He risked his life. Even though he...” Twilight started, but found herself unable to continue.
For some strange reason, she could not tell her friends Obsidian can not truly die. Did he not tell the others about that secret? Why would he only tell her? Since she could not complete her sentence like she wanted, the magic mare came up with an alternate statement.
“I mean, he even sacrificed his eye, only to protect Ponyville! The least we can do for him in return is show him some respect.”
Rainbow Dash landed on the ground, eyeing up Obsidian. The reaper himself just looked back at her in an a little angry and arrogant manner. She didn’t trust him at all. But at least, Twilight got her to think. She had to admit Ponyville would have been destroyed and Twilight would have died without him. Would she have trusted him in the case she never had nightmares about him? After all, Rainbow Dash was the personification of loyalty. She would never abandon her friends just because she disliked the kind of people they hang around with. Half an hour of intense talking about Maledictum Insania passed. The friends tried to figure out how to go on from this point. Obsidian barely said anything. He was standing by the window and watched the commotion outside, making sure no one would come bursting in.
“Oh alright. But I still don’t trust you.” Rainbow Dash stated finally, looking to Obsidian.
It was not what Twilight and the others were hoping for, but at least she would not fly away all the time when he was around anymore. The reaper nodded, showing that this would be good enough for him.
“Anyway, guys. I have to go check on the weather. Kicking some clouds would be perfect right now to get that story out of my head for the moment,” Rainbow added.
“Okey dokey, Dashie! See you later!” cheered Pinkie, followed by the rest of the friends saying goodbye.
Rainbow Dash already was at the door when Obsidian too decided to speak up,
“Valē, Miss Dash.”
All, including Rainbow, turned to Obsidian.
“It means goodbye,” he commented, still observing the outside.
Rainbow Dash threw one last distrustful look at the reaper, then flew off to do her duties.
“What language is that?” Fluttershy asked curiously.
“An old one. Back in my early days, it was very common. Sometimes I tend to still let a few of those old words slip. I guess only reapers speak this language nowadays,” the black stallion answered.
“That’s so interesting! I bet I can learn so much from-” Twilight started, but got interrupted by Rarity, tapping on her shoulder.
“Excuse me, Twilight. But may I just throw something in for a second?” she asked, then turned to Obsidian.
“Now that all of Ponyville knows you already, you don’t have to hide under that old cloak anymore, do you?”
Obsidian finally turned around and threw a diffident look at the fashion diva.
“What precisely are you aiming for, Miss Rarity?”
“Well, my dear. I simply can not take the idea that your cloak is the only kind of outfit you have. So I would like to renew my offer on making you a little something!” she explained with sparkling eyes. Obsidian sighed.
“I am most honored, but there is no need for that. This ‘dirty, old cloak’ here is fully enough.”
“I won’t take no for an answer! I just must make you the best looking reaper in all of Equestria!” Rarity claimed.
Secretly, the reaper really started to get annoyed by these ponies. This overly friendly character is something he never liked. To him, it seemed fake. He knew what ponies are capable of. Especially when they fell to the curse of madness. He really preferred the presence of other reapers, or even the long-term solitude his duties sometimes bring.
“Obsidian. If there is one thing I learned from my continuous studies in the magic of friendship, it’s that making new friends is always a good thing. Please just give us a chance to pay you back,” Twilight stated.
These words shot through Obsidian. Studies in the magic of friendship? It all made sense now. Mistress Celestia ordered Twilight and her friends to constantly try making new friends! That is the way he would get them! It appeared his job would not be so difficult after all if he just played along. If he had feelings, other than conscientiousness and suspicion, he would be amused.
“So be it. But as I said formerly, I have a lot to do. So, if all of you would like to renew their offers, we would need to spread them over several weeks.”
“That simply won’t do!” replied Rarity. “It takes time to make a good outfit! And the sooner I can start, the better!”
Obsidian nodded.
“In that case, we shall get started right away. Valēte, everypony.”
Rarity was quite pleased by Obsidian’s instant reaction to her request. She said goodbye to the others and left with Obsidian Shards to Carousel Boutique.
---
Upon arrival, Rarity directly lead him to her workshop. Opalescence was upstairs in Rarity’s private rooms, sleeping. She wouldn’t even realize Rarity had a visitor. The fashion diva dragged a clothes rack out of the corner. A bit unwilling, Obsidian took off his cloak and hung it up. In the light of the day, even more scars and stitches were visible. She never had seen such a war-torn pony before. The centuries of fighting against demons and insane ponies clearly left their marks on him. But she figured it would be rude to make a comment about the way he looked. So she just picked up a measuring tape and started working.
“You have very unusual proportions, my dear,” Rarity stated while measuring the reaper.
Even though Obsidian mostly looked like a pony, when measuring him it became clear he was a bit taller and thinner than a pony would normally be.
“You can not compare a reaper with a pony, Miss Rarity. We are no ponies. Not anymore,” the black stallion stated.
The fashion diva looked up to him in confusion.
“The reaper curse affects everything. The body. The soul. The mind. It completely changes you into something that can no longer be called a pony,” he explained.
This idea frightened her a bit. Neither could she, nor would she want to imagine how it feels like to be turned into something entirely different.
“Well, nevertheless, I will put my best of efforts in this outfit! I’m going to make you look just absolutely incredible!” Rarity cheered.
Obsidian just turned away from her. As Rarity finished noting down the proportions, she went over to her fabric collection and made several samples float in front of her. She examined them for a moment and made a selection.
“Now, would you be so good as to stand by the window so i can see the colors properly?” she asked.
Obsidian was greatly displeased. She demanded a lot from him to stand in the light of day without his cloak. It was his job to gain the trust of the group, so he had no other option. Slowly, he walked in front of the window. Rarity put on her working glasses and walked over to the reaper, letting the colored fabric samples float around her. She compared them with Obsidian’s coat and tried to come up with an inspiration.
“That’s strange...” she commented.
Somehow, she found it difficult to find proper colors for the reaper. She never worked with a black coated customer before. Getting the colors right and having them match to the color of his own coat seemed to become quite difficult. Obsidian’s blind, red eye made it even worse. Rarity began to get frustrated. Suddenly, the black stallion made a suggestion.
“Do you happen to own black fabric, Miss Rarity?”
“Black?” she questioned. “Oh no, no, no. Such an awful color does not belong in my beautiful designs!”
The reaper turned around to her.
“Why not, if I may ask?”
“Is it not quite obvious? Black is an awfully depressing color! And it is far too dominant! A good outfit has to be shiny, delicately decorated and sparkling!” the white unicorn replied.
“Not all ponies would agree with that, my fair lady,” he commented. Rarity became startled.
“How can you say such a thing? Of course bright and spectacular designs are the only true fashion!”
Obsidian stepped out of the sunlight.
“Before I got to Ponyville, I was stationed in Manehattan,” he started.
“Manehattan?! The capital of fashion?” Rarity shouted in surprise. The reaper nodded.
“It not only is known for being the home of fashionistas, but also for being a general clash of opinions. Even though you may not believe it, there is a big group of ponies that enjoy very dark clothing.”
“What?! Scandalous! This can’t be!” Rarity commented in shock. She just could not understand how anypony would like to wear something dark and depressing.
“Some of these outfits were very aggressive looking, too. But that is actually what they enjoyed about it. It made them look strong and mysterious. Some ponies were quite drawn by this kind of fashion,” Obsidian continued while slowly walking over to Rarity’s sewing table.
He spotted some colorful scraps and an ink pot. His demonic horn started to glow and the scraps lifted into the air. A few drips of black ink floated out of the pot and soaked into the scraps, which then rapidly dried by magic.
“You see, black is not all just negative. It also has the ability to brighten all colors around it. The dark fashion ponies of Manehattan were very well aware of this fact and perfected it in use for designs. To not cause too much irritation, they used darkened colors to match the strength of black.”
Rarity observed Obsidian as he dyed the scraps and cogitated over his words.
“Black? Dark colors? Oh my, I never even considered such combinations...”
Obsidian allowed the dried samples to land on the table and walked back to the fashion diva.
“Spectacular and bright outfits have a lot of demand. There is no doubt about that. But you would hit a much larger range of customers if you considered expanding your collection to include dark outfits. The essence of a ponies personality can have all kinds of styles and colors,” he stated.
Rarity was sceptical, but she had to admit business was not really going well lately. She didn’t receive a new order for weeks and her money was running out. A new idea and some expansions may help her out. The black stallion closed his eyes and stepped back into the sunlight. With a sigh, Rarity let the dyed samples float over to her and eyed them up. The ink made the colors look dirty. Those would definitely not work out for an actual outfit. But for now, they would have to do. The fashion diva compared these new samples with Obsidian’s coat. At first she was displeased to work with such awful colors. But she quickly realized the darker tunes matched him far better than the bright ones did. Soon, the first rough concepts came up in her mind.
“Well, I would have to think about this for a while...” she stated. Obsidian nodded and went back to his cloak.
“I am sorry to leave you like this now, miss Rarity. But I have to make some preparations. We both have our tasks to do.”
Rarity shook her head and laughed lightly.
“It’s fine, my dear.I have everything I need for the moment. Au revoir, mister Shards.”
“Please, call me Obsidian,” the reaper offered while putting his cloak back on.
“Alright. See you later, Obsidian!” Rarity corrected.
The black stallion bowed down one last time. Then, he left the boutique.
---
The reaper started walking towards Fluttershy’s cottage, using his magic to make some notes about Rarity.
“The element of generosity. A fashion pony with an obsession for neatness and perfectionism. I wonder. What is generosity good for if it only serves to satisfy your kink?” he thought.
The reaper soon reached the tree house. Still sunken in his thoughts, he opened the door. The moment he did, something small shot towards him. Out of reflex, the reaper summoned his scythe and swung it. He spotted a little, white bunny standing at the door, grimly looking at him. Obsidian turned around and saw a carrot, sliced in half, laying on the ground.
“Angel! That is not very nice! He is our guest! You really should not...” Fluttershy started, but the bunny did not listen.
He stuck out his tongue to Obsidian and bounced away. The reaper snorted lightly and dissolved his scythe again.
“Oh my, I’m so sorry,” the yellow Pegasus apologized quietly and picked up the carrot halves.
Obsidian entered without a comment. All the animals in the house instantly retreated as they spotted the black stallion. He was used to being rejected by animals. After all, they had good reason to fear him. Just Angel seemed to put his desire to protect Fluttershy above his own fear. Or was he even scared? Angel sure is not a normal bunny. He may make his time in Ponyville quite a bit more annoying. Obsidian walked straight through the living room and aimed for the basement door he had sealed with several curses.
“W-wait,” Fluttershy pleaded. Obsidian stopped and turned around to her.
“I, um. I prepared something for you. I noticed you didn’t eat anything for breakfast. So I thought, maybe you would enjoy some tea.”
Fluttershy nervously pointed at a small table in her kitchen. She already prepared some sandwiches and a pot of tea. Obsidian’s eyes switched between the table and Fluttershy. How come she had noticed he didn’t eat anything? Did he act this obvious? And why would she even care? For what Obsidian had found out about her so far is that she is a very insecure pony and can easily be put off her stride. So he just walked over to the table and sat down. Fluttershy smiled lightly and joined him.
“We barely had the chance to talk yet. I mean, I know you are a very busy... um... well, reaper. But I would like to get to know you better,” she said while pouring tea in Obsidian’s cup.
The reaper lowered his head and stared at his sandwich. He hoped he could somehow avoid having to eat it.
“So, well... where do you come from?” the yellow mare asked.
Obsidian hesitated. He inspected the tea cup. What is the reason for all this? Is this a trap? Did she poison the food and tried to put him into an inconvenient situation to make him consume it? The reaper sniffed on the tea. He couldn’t sense anything suspicious about it.
“Oh, is something wrong with the tea? Do you not like strawberry?” Fluttershy asked nervously. Obsidian shook his head.
“It is fine,” he answered. Now he had to try it.
Obsidian lifted the cup and took a sip. The tea was fine. Nothing was wrong with it. Fluttershy relaxed a bit more. She was about to resume her question when she heard something falling over.
“Oh goodness. Please excuse me,” she apologized and went outside to see what happened.
Obsidian used this moment and got up from the table. He left the sandwich completely untouched and walked over to the basement door again. Due to the curses he casted upon it, the door growled at him. But as soon as he placed his hoof on it, the growling stopped and the door opened. He turned around one last time and saw Angel hopping away, closely followed by Fluttershy. Then, the black stallion closed the door behind him and went downstairs.
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 3 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
|
complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
|
mature
|
2012-11-28T18:29:08+00:00
|
2013-02-05T12:37:16+00:00
| 2,506 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1f8aQnlMvz5wrGh0NHatdXTOvVU5GfItp9_h658tXRq8/edit
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 5: Fangs
A week has passed since Trixie’s gruesome death. The villagers of Ponyville gathered at the local graveyard to say farewell. In order to give a proper speech, Mayor Mare did a research on her life.
It turned out Trixie had no family. She went off to Canterlot all by her own when she was still a little filly to sign up at the school for gifted unicorns. Unfortunately, her talent was not great enough to be accepted. This made her lose her track in life and she just started wandering around, trying to prove the country she does have the magic ability to be taken in. But as time passed, she forgot why she originally became a show-off. Her humiliation finally made her lose the one thing she still had: the respect of her fans. Trixie submitted to the voice coming from inside her. She could no longer think clearly, which led to this tragic, undeserved death.
The ponies were very taken by Trixie’s story. If only they had known all of this earlier. They may have been able to do something. Since Obsidian was the one that took her life, he had the honor to be the first one to say goodbye after the speech. The reaper though found this entire ceremony very pointless. He just tossed some dirt in the open grave to figuratively bury her and walked off.
“Saying farewell to a pony dead for days. What is the point? They should have said something when I just freed her from her broken body, not now,” Obsidian mumbled to himself.
“I don’t know. Ponies are quite weird creatures, don’t you think?” another voice spoke.
The black stallion looked around, but could not see anyone. It was the same voice he heard after teaching Twilight about Maledictum Insania. It kept following him for a while now.
“You again...” he whispered.
“Yes, me. You still have no idea who I am?” the voice spoke.
“Well, I know one thing. You are not a demon.”
“What makes you so sure about that?”
“Simplex. You do not sound like a demon. Your voice is different to the other voices I hear coming from inside me. Also, you do not feel like a demon. I can sense the presence of these dark creatures when they are nearby. Furthermore, you can not read my mind. The demons I consumed can hear me think. You can not. All this only leads to one conclusion. You are an external force, stalking me for some reason.”
“Oooh! You are smarter than I thought!” the voice stated in excitement. Obsidian sighed.
“Since you refuse to tell me your real name, how shall I call you?” the reaper wondered.
For a few seconds, it became silent again. Then the voice returned.
“For now, Odd Cirs will do.”
“Odd Cirs? Quite an odd name indeed. But fine,” Obsidian whispered and continued walking back to the town.
“So what are your plans for today, Obsidian?” Odd Cirs asked.
“I am not sure if I should tell you. Since you stalk me anyway, why do you not just be quiet and watch?” the reaper answered with a bit of anger in his voice.
“So rude, Obsidian. Really. But I like that! We will have a lot of fun together!”
These were Odd Cirs’ last words for the rest of the day.
“Fun... like I would be able to experience amusement as a reaper,” Obsidian thought.
---
A few hours later, the black stallion returned from a little trip with Twilight. It seemed like everypony already forgot about Trixie. Twilight had a lot of interest in Obsidian’s life and his knowledge about magic. She also asked him why he did not tell the others reapers can not die. Obsidian did not reply to that question. They arrived at the library where Applejack was already waiting for them.
“Howdy, Twilight. Howdy, Obsidian. How’s it goin’?” she greeted them happily.
“Things are quite fine. How are you, Applejack?” Twilight replied.
“Just dandy. So, are you ready to hit Sweet Apple Acres, Obsidian?”
The reaper nodded.
“Alright!” Applejack cheered and both went on their way.
Walking from Ponyville to the acres would take a while. Time Obsidian thought would be useful to find out more about the keeper of honesty.
“So, Miss Applejack...” he started, but got interrupted by the orange earth pony.
“Applejack or AJ will do, sugarcube,” she offered.
“Intellego... Applejack. I heard your family is known to be one of Equestria’s biggest supplier of apples and apple related products?”
“Eyup,” AJ replied proudly and raised her head. “I’d even go so far as to say that we are the best at apples! Sweet Apple Acres alone covers 90% of Ponyville’s demand on apples. And I tell ya, that’s not all! We also supply Cloudsdale and Manehattan!”
“I see,” commented the reaper.
He had a grim suspicion about her preparations for today.
“What do you have planned?” he asked.
“Remember when I invited y’all for an apple pie? It’s kinda sad you didn’t try it, but I reckon, we all know why y’all did so now. Well Granny Smith and I made yer a new one and I can already tell, this one will be even better! We just baked it before I came to pick y’all up.”
That is just what he was worried would happen. Obsidian did not eat anything for weeks. If he was forced to eat now...
“Are ya alright, Obsidian?” Applejack wondered, noticing he suddenly sunk in thoughts.
The reaper nodded.
“Does that issue you? Yer not a big fan of pies?” she worried.
“Not at all. Apple pie is among my favorites,” the black stallion replied.
He was telling the truth. But he was about to face serious problems. His demonized body required a special kind of fuel. A kind which was very difficult to get unnoticed with all these ponies around. If he ate the wrong kind of food now, things may become dangerous. Applejack still looked at the reaper, not fully convinced.
“Oh I promise y’all, this will be the best one you ever had!”
The black stallion didn’t speak another word until they arrived at the acres.
---
As the first apple trees came in sight, Obsidian spotted a red stallion with orange mane plowing the ground.
“Your brother, I guess,” he stated.
“Um, yeah! His name is Big Macintosh. How did ya tell that?” Applejack wondered.
“Just a guess...” Obsidian replied.
At the night the villagers confronted him, not all ponies showed up. Although Pinkie Pie invited the entire town to her party, it is just understandable not all could make it. Big Macintosh was one of them. Still, Obsidian remembered him. He was a little foal when the reaper saw him the last time. Big Macintosh as well seemed to remember Obsidian. As he lifted his head and spotted the black stallion, his eyes were glued to him. He of course had seen Obsidian when he introduced himself to the villagers, but he made sure the only thing that could be seen was his cloak. Obsidian was revealing more of his body now, since he didn’t have to hide his identity anymore.
“Well I also got a little sis’. Her name’s Applebloom. She’s out playin’ with her friends. Don’t think you’ll get to meet her, yet.” Applejack spoke.
“Might just be better...” Obsidian mumbled.
The earth pony lead him to the apple orchard.
“Well these are our golden delicious. We put a lot of love in all our apples and believe me when I tells ya, y’all can down right taste that! Ever tried apple bucking before?”
The reaper nodded.
“So why don’t ya show me yer kick?” Applejack requested.
Obsidian went next to one the trees. To Applejack’s surprise, he hit the tree with one of his front legs. Still, the thrust was hard enough to knock all apples off the tree. The workhorse’s mouth opened to make a comment.
“If I used a hind leg, I may have destroyed the tree,” Obsidian stated quickly.
For a moment, Applejack had to rethink before she could make a new statement.
“Well that’s still a mighty respectful punch right there. Not bad for somepony who’s usually only beatin’ up demons. But can y’all do that?”
Applejack walked over to two apple trees growing closely next to each other. She positioned herself between both of them and bucked both trees at once. Every last apple fell down from them. Satisfied with her work, Applejack leaned against the tree to her left and threw a pose.
“You are a pony of admirable strength, Applejack. But I have to decline your request. A reaper should not show off with his abilities,” Obsidian commented.
“Ah, c’mon. It’s all just for the fun. Ain’t gonna tell anyone, if that’s what yer concerned about. I just wanna see what y’all can do,” the work horse replied.
Obsidian considered it for a moment.
“If you like to, I could help you harvesting a bit. That would be acceptable for me.”
“Oh, thank ya kindly! I sure could use a helpin’ hoof,” AJ agreed.
She was a bit behind schedule anyway. For the next hour, Applejack and Obsidian worked on the orchard, picking and storing apples.
“Thanks, sugarcube. That’s enough. I’ll do the rest on my own later. Am sure y’all mighty hungry after all that,” Applejack spoke after a while.
Obsidian knew it would get difficult now. He had no chance to avoid this situation any longer. Without saying a word, the reaper followed Applejack to the farm house.
---
Granny Smith was napping in her rocking chair in the kitchen. The sound of the opening door woke her up.
“Hey Granny! We got a guest!” AJ greeted.
Miss Smith was already too old to really understand what is going on. She didn’t even seem to realize Obsidian and only focused Applejack, mumbling something indecipherable and fell back asleep. Applejack grinned a bit awkwardly, but Obsidian shook his head.
“It be alright. Let her rest. She does not have a lot of energy left. It seems like baking that pie consumed most of it for the moment,” Obsidian said, ensuring this would not bother him.
Applejack relaxed again and went over to the window where the pie was resting. It was a true art piece. Flawless texture, perfectly even color and with a very rich, sweet smell. Applejack cut off a slice and served it on a plate for the reaper.
Slowly, Obsidian took a seat. Applejack was smiling at him, proud of the work Granny Smith and she had accomplished. The black stallion had been in this situation several times before. Yet it always ended the same way. Obsidian could only hope he had himself more under control this time.
He took a silent, deep breath. Then he opened his mouth. Applejack was a bit shocked to see his teeth were unlike anything she had ever seen. They were very sharp and pointy, like shark teeth.
Obsidian took the first few bites in apparent high concentration. But soon, it seemed like he was making leeway. His eyes started getting duller and emptier. His eating speed slowly increased. At first, Applejack just considered him a hearty eater. She thought he was only showing his appreciation for her work and handed him another slice. But he kept eating more and more violently, like a starved monster. Suddenly, Obsidian snapped out of his trance and jumped up from the table. Applejack became worried and started approaching the black stallion.
“Are you alright, sugarcu-”
“Stay away! Do not come any closer!” the reaper shouted.
He was shaking and breathing heavily. Obsidian backed away against a wall. Uncanny craving filled his beast-like eyes. His teeth were grinding loudly against each other. It seemed like he was losing control. Applejack got really scared. She feared he would jump her any moment now. Obsidian’s body was under tension. He went down, ready to pounce her. But then, he did something unexpected. He lifted his left front leg and sunk his teeth hard in it.
“What in tarnation?” the earth pony yelled in shock.
Obsidian bit himself even harder. Blood flew out of his leg and mouth and ran along his leg. It was a good thing Granny Smith was in deep sleep at that point and Applebloom was out. This sight may have been too much for them. The reaper dug his teeth deep in his own flesh, almost reaching the bone. He growled. Pain, craving and a twisted joy were seen in his face. He maintained in this position for a while. Then, he finally loosened up and removed his bloody fangs out of his own leg, which then started to bleed even more. A small spurt of blood sprayed in his face.
“Do you happen to have any bandages?” the reaper asked carefully.
Applejack instantly ran off to get some first aid. Obsidian wiped the blood off his mouth. This did not go well. He was actually surprised Odd Cirs did not make any comments about the whole situation. He looked pretty pathetic right now. A monster unable to control itself. He was so close about to attack Applejack. Since Obsidian hadn’t eaten anything for such a long time, he started getting weak. His recovering abilities no longer were strong enough to make the wound heal up by itself. But on the other hoof, that is what he wanted to achieve with his lent. At least Applejack would believe he is mortal now. Suddenly, someone entered the kitchen.
“AJ. Am done with the...” Big Macintosh started, but stopped as he realized his sister was not in the room and Obsidian was there instead.
The stallions looked at each other, but neither one of them in any kind of surprise or shock. The sight of the bleeding reaper was very nostalgic to the country horse. Obsidian looked very similar to how he looked back then. Just the cuts and the ash were missing.
“Ah do remember yo,” Big Mac stated, breaking the silence. Obsidian nodded.
“Ah always wanted to ask... What was in that bundle yer brought here?”
“That is nothing I am authorized to reveal,” Obsidian replied and turned his head back to his bleeding leg.
Applejack’s brother turned to the old, sleeping mare.
“Yer here ‘cuz of Granny?” he asked again.
“Not mainly...” the reaper replied quietly while observing his bite marks.
Big Macintosh sighed lightly.
“Ah know her time’s runnin’ out. AJ’s still denyin’ it. Dunno how she’ll take it...” he concerned.
Obsidian turned back and threw a serious glance at him.
“She will have to handle it.”
The room became silent again. The only things that could be heard were Granny’s quiet snoring and the sound of Obsidian’s blood dripping on the floor. Applejack sure took her time.
Finally, the orange mare returned and started taking care of Obsidian’s injury right away.
“Am mighty sorry it took so long. Can’t believe Applebloom used the first aid for experiments! I will have to talk to her once she’s... oh, Big Mac!” she finally realized her brother was in the room.
“Eyyyup,” he replied, “ah came to tell ya I’m done plowin’. Need the pumpkin seeds now.”
“Will get right to it once I’m done here,” she ensured.
Big Macintosh turned around to leave. He looked to the reaper one last time and Obsidian looked back. Both nodded and the country horse went back to work. Obsidian looked to the ground.
“I am sorry you had to see this.”
Applejack shook her head.
“Well I have no idea what made you do that. But it’s all dandy. Y’all have to pardon me, but I got some work head up for me. Still was a pleasure spendin’ time with y’all.”
After she was done with Obsidian’s wound and they both cleaned up the kitchen, Applejack went outside to help her brother. The reaper aswell had to go. Tonight, he would have to go patrol in Everfree Forest again.
---
Roughly ten minutes later, Obsidian landed on the ground in front of Fluttershy’s cottage. He entered and as usual aimed straight for the basement door. Fluttershy wanted to say something, but Obsidian interrupted her.
“No time for talking today, Miss Fluttershy. I have to go to Everfree Forest. Do not expect to see me again until tomorrow.”
He reached the door and quickly went downstairs without even looking at her. Fluttershy was worried. Everfree Forest? That dangerous place? She knew he was a warrior and might be able to handle things himself, but she still was worried.
As it started getting dark, Fluttershy was already in her bedroom, getting ready to go to sleep. Then she heard the basement door open. Was Obsidian honestly going there during the night? Everfree Forest was dangerous during daytime. But during nighttime, it was even far more dangerous. Why couldn’t he go sooner? Did he have a plan?
Fluttershy’s concern grew even more. She watched as Obsidian unfolded his torn wings and started flying into the black. The yellow mare considered him a friend. Like with all of her friends, she would get really worried if she knew they are doing something dangerous.
She could not sleep. Not now, knowing he was fighting against all kinds of spooky creatures. Fluttershy tried to distract herself. She tried reading books, taking care of nocturnal animals, even wandered up and down her living room. Nothing helped. She could not stop thinking about the horrors Obsidian must be facing at this very moment. If only she wasn’t so scared. She would have followed him and tried to help him.
Suddenly, Fluttershy spotted a dark figure walking out of the forest while she was staring out of a window. It was Obsidian. He seemed to limp. Fluttershy opened the door and wanted to help him, but by the time she reached the door, he was already in front of her cottage. The surprise made Fluttershy bounce backwards and give out a light shriek. Obsidian limped inside.
“So you are still awake...” he commented weakly.
“I... I was just too worried to sleep,” Fluttershy answered while getting up again.
“Your concerns are without reason,” Obsidian stated and kept on limping towards the basement door.
“B-but you’re hurt!” she spoke and tried to help him.
The reaper though just gently pushed her away. Without allowing Fluttershy to say another word or helping him, he opened the cursed basement door and went downstairs. Fluttershy was still worried. She wanted to follow him. But the closer she got to the door, the louder it growled at her. It almost seemed like the door actually tried to bend towards her direction. This was way too scary for the delicate Pegasus. She found herself defeated by the situation and just flew upstairs, trying to get at least a few hours of sleep.
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Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 4 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
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Maledictum Insania
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Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
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complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
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mature
|
2012-12-04T20:37:57+00:00
|
2012-12-04T20:37:57+00:00
| 2,725 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1R71RJpnc0SlbNM9y_OKSH2zvumcQVjOI8vdrxhZKmfI/edit
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 6: Two Competitions
As the days went on, Obsidian’s condition got worse. With him being constantly watched, he was unable to gather the food he required to stay strong. The only times he would have had the chance to eat were when he went on an assault. But each time, he became too injured to be able to go through that effort.
The reaper was stuck in a vicious circle, threatening his mission. Fluttershy noticed how he became weaker every time he returned to her home. Sometimes, he seemed to be so wounded that he couldn’t even speak. When Fluttershy tried to help, Obsidian always made sure she did not see anything about him but his cloak, trying to dodge her or push her away. Still, for some strange reason, Obsidian looked and acted like nothing ever happened on the next morning each time.
The gentle yellow Pegasus was very drained lately. She lacked sleep because she could not stop worrying about Obsidian. She stood up most of the nights until he returned, just to see if he was okay. But this time, he was later than usual.
Fluttershy stared out of her bedroom window, having trouble to either fall asleep or stay awake. She could see the moon set on the horizon. The night would be over soon. Where was he? What was he doing? Should she go out and search for him? Or would it be too dangerous? Fluttershy did not know what to do.
Suddenly, she noticed something moving in the distance. The silhouette became familiar to her by now. Though the way it moved was unfamiliar. It seemed like Obsidian was dragging himself over the ground. He definitely was hurt! He needed help! Fluttershy became wide awake again and ran out of her cottage as fast as she could.
---
Obsidian stopped moving before she could arrive in time. He was laying there on the ground, seemingly unconscious.
“Obsidian! Are you okay? Hey, Obsidian!” the yellow mare shouted.
The black stallion did not respond. Fluttershy held a hoof in front of his muzzle and placed another on the cloak where his neck would be. Neither could feel him breathe, nor could she feel a pulse. Fluttershy became alerted. She instantly dragged his cloak open to reanimate him, but became paralyzed at the sight presented to her.
Obsidian was gutted. His rip cage was revealed and his stomach was sliced open, causing his organs to hang out. Half of his face was gone, presenting his bloody skull to the sensitive Pegasus’ eyes. The throat looked like something tore open his windpipe. His right hind leg had a cut so deep, it went through the bone, making the rest of the leg hanging loosely on the still connected piece of flesh.
Fluttershy fell over. She wanted to scream, but found herself unable to. The shock solidified her body, as if she had turned to stone. Only a single thought managed to move inside her mind, running in loops over and over again. Obsidian was dead. He was dead! He collapsed right before her eyes! He died and she could not do anything about it!
While Fluttershy was about to faint, Obsidian miraculously started moving again. As he came back to his senses, so did yellow Pegasus. She sat up quickly, staring at Obsidian in complete disbelief. The reaper groaned and gagged because of his torn throat.
As the black stallion lifted his head, he realized Fluttershy was right next to him. Immediately, Obsidian covered himself with his cloak again. But it was too late. Fluttershy had seen it all. She discovered the secret Obsidian wanted to hide from her and all the other keepers of harmony... except for Twilight Sparkle.
He was forced to take actions now. But first, he had to recover.
The reaper tried to get back up. He took a few steps, but then collapsed again. For a reason she could not explain, Fluttershy calmed down again. She came back to full focus as she watched the miserable condition Obsidian was in. Her shock and disgust vanished and the only thing she wanted to do now was helping him.
She ran over to the reaper’s right side and gave him support. Obsidian tried to push her away and attempted to get back up again. But Fluttershy would not accept his rejection this time. No matter how many times he would have tried, she would always come back and help him up again.
Obsidian realized this quickly. He had to admit he would not make it to the house on his own. A bit unwilling, Obsidian unfolded his right wing over her back and put a part of his weight on her.
Slowly, the gutted reaper limped towards her house, dragging his innards over the ground and leaving behind a red track. Fluttershy could not explain what was going on. Obsidian tried to breathe, but that only caused small amounts of blood to spray on her. He still had no pulse, but for some reason managed to walk.
He seemed to be alive. No living creature would survive such lethal wounds!
Fluttershy kept on supporting the reaper, ignoring the fact that his blood was slowly running over her body and spraying in her face. The yellow mare was not a strong pony. It was very hard for her to keep him upright. But eventually, they managed to reach the cottage.
---
Fluttershy wanted to let him down in the living room to get some first aid, but Obsidian shook his head. He pointed to the basement door, trying to tell her what he needed was downstairs.
Breathing heavily under the weight, Fluttershy helped Obsidian to the door she feared so much. The closer she came, the louder the door growled. As she was just a hoof away from it, the door literally bent towards her. A mouth, filled with countless long and sharp teeth opened out of it, trying to bite her.
The normally very anxious keeper of kindness proved a lot of courage by helping Obsidian so much tonight. But now, she had reached her limit. Nothing in the world would make her go even one step closer to that door.
Again, Obsidian had to overthrow his principles. With the little strength he had left, Obsidian lifted his left front leg and touched the door. It instantly turned back to normal. Then, the reaper put his hoof into his own guts, covering it with blood. Fluttershy observed speechlessly as the black stallion used his blood to write a very specific name on the door.
F L U T T E R S H Y
The bloody letters quickly soaked into the door, which then seemed to ignore the presence of the Pegasus mare. Obsidian pushed the door open and looked at her with his torn face, trying tell her to go inside.
Fluttershy gulped hard and then slowly went downstairs, making sure to keep providing support for the gutted reaper.
Another surreal impression presented to her eyes, which had seen so many horrible things already. Her basement, which she remembered as a harmless, silent room for storing old furniture, had been changed into a dark catacomb.
All the furniture had been pushed to the walls to make space for a magic rune in the middle of the room, which seemed to be made out of ash and a long dried, black liquid.
Strange objects that partially seemed to be made of pony parts were hanging from the ceiling.
Large piles of paper and stacks of scrolls were towered along one of the walls, all written in Obsidian’s native language.
Another wall featured blueprints of curses and runes.
Heavy, blood stained chains were attached to the wall on the opposite side, surrounded by dried puddles of red and black.
Next to them, on an old table, were several medical tools and sharp objects.
The corner closest to them had a stand, representing a mummified claw holding a single candle, which burned in a green flame that emitted no light.
Next to the stand was another table with several bottled substances on them.
A large, locked chest that gave off a weird, undefinable smell was hidden under the stairs.
But the thing that drew Fluttershy’s attention more than anything else was a little shrine, presenting two pony skulls. They were stainless and white, as if they had been polished and preserved a lot. The skulls were surrounded by several fresh, black roses and a long, red lace.
While Fluttershy was distracted eyeing up the room in both, fear and fascination, Obsidian loosened himself from her. He limped towards the rune and managed to collapse on it. The rune reacted and gave off a dark aura that soaked into the black stallion.
Fluttershy turned back and watched as Obsidian regenerated rapidly through the dark fog. It did not take long before he could stand up on his own and looked normal again.
Obsidian turned his now recovered face to her and stared with a grim expression. The yellow Pegasus sunk to the ground a bit. She saw more than she should have seen. Obsidian even broke a rule of the reaper code by letting her into his private room. But he had no other option. He needed her to get down. Now, he was forced to do something to ensure she would keep quiet about what she had seen.
Obsidian turned around and reached to the ceiling, grabbing a silvery cord. He pulled on it and an object came down Fluttershy was already acknowledged of: the curse of secrets.
Holding it in his mouth, Obsidian turned back to Fluttershy, who cowered on the ground. She was very scared. She didn’t want to go through this again.
The black stallion observed her for a moment. This all had been far too much for her already. She did not even seem to realize she was half covered in his blood. This sensitive Pegasus would not be able to take anything anymore. She might black out if he put her under the curse now and for some reason, Obsidian had the feeling the curse would actually not be necessary.
Not forcing her to stay quiet about this secret would endanger his entire mission here in Ponyville. But still, he wouldn’t do it to her. Not after the great deal she had been going through tonight. Not after she helped him so much.
Obsidian hung up the curse again and came close to the frightened yellow mare.
“Everything you have seen tonight. Everything you have seen in here. I request you to keep secret. Intellegisne?” the reaper insisted sharply.
Shaking heavily, Fluttershy nodded. Obsidian turned around again.
“As you have seen, I wrote your name on the door. This means that from today on, you can enter this room anytime. I want you to not use this option unless it is absolutely unavoidable. Now, I do believe this has been a very draining night for both of us. Grātiās tibi agō, Miss Fluttershy. I will see you in the morning.”
As soon as the reaper finished speaking, Fluttershy got up again and flew upstairs quickly. She was relieved that this was finally over. She knew she would have pretty bad nightmares about these events. But she did not care too much. The delicate mare was so drained that she only wanted to sleep now and try to forget what happened.
Moments after the basement door closed by itself, Obsidian held his stomach with a pain filled expression in his face. He was incredibly hungry. His demonic body craved for food.
The black stallion had no choice anymore. He had to eat! But how could he get what he needed without blowing his cover entirely?
The reaper walked over to his shrine and stared at the skulls, sunken in thoughts. Sometimes, he wished these two would still be alive to give him advice.
---
While the day ended for Fluttershy and Obsidian, it just began for Pinkie Pie. Before even the first beams of sunlight could fall across the country, she got up to bake.
Lately, she gained a huge supply of ingredients. She had to get them used up before they could go bad. But she already knew, these would become more sweets than Sugarcube Corner could sell in time and even the pony with the greatest sweet tooth of all in Ponyville had her limits.
Suddenly, she came up with a solution. If there is one thing Pinkie Pie was best at, it was throwing parties! And what could possibly motivate ponies more to eat sweets than an eating contest? It would be totally, super, duper, funtastic!
The party pony bounced through the kitchen in excitement and began her baking routine, while humming her cupcake song.
---
At noon, Fluttershy and Obsidian met up with Twilight Sparkle, Rarity and Applejack in Ponyville.
Obsidian made sure to erase all evidence about last night’s events and cleaned up the bloody track he created before the sun went up. While the black stallion played his usual role, Fluttershy was still taken from what she had seen.
She promised to keep it secret and since she did not want to be cursed again, she tried to bury her trauma as much as she could. Though it did surprise her that she took this all relatively easy.
It did not even seem to get into her mind that she got covered in blood and just washed it off like mud before she went to bed. She would have thought that this event would permanently change her, knowing how sensitive and weak she was.
“Fluttershy? Are you okay? You’re pale,” Twilight worried.
The yellow Pegasus returned from her thoughts as she heard her name come up.
“Oh. No, no. I’m fine. Thanks, Twilight,” she ensured, trying to act normal.
Twilight was not fully convinced and wanted to go further into the topic, when Rarity suddenly spoke up.
“Have you seen Rainbow Dash? Is she avoiding Obsidian again?”
Applejack shook her head and replied.
“No worries. She’s checkin’ on the weather. But now that we’r takin’ ‘bout it, have y’all seen Pinkie Pie anywhere?”
The group looked around, in search for their hyperactive friend. Suddenly, music filled the air. It came from Sugarcube Corner. The group of friends became curious and went to investigate. Upon arrival, they noticed several stands in front of the bakery with Pinkie Pie singing and dancing loudly to attract the villager ponies. Just as her song finished, the pink mare made an announcement.
“Hey, everypony! Who wants free cupcakes?”
Cheering filled the air and the ponies licked their lips greedily.
“Great! Because today is your lucky day! I, Pinkie Pie, am hosting a big cupcake eating contest! Come up and sign in! The winner gets a special trophy I made myself!”
Instantly, the ponies lined up to sign in for the competition. The group of friends was puzzled. They knew Pinkie was random, but where did she get all the cupcakes from that are necessary for such a kind of event? As if her Pinkie Senses were telling they were thinking about her, the pink earth pony looked around and spotted her friends, then bounced over to them.
“Hi guys! Wanna join in as well?” she asked happily. They smiled and shook their heads slowly.
“No thanks, sugar cube. Had a mighty big breakfast. But what is going on here?” Applejack wondered.
“Well, Mr. and Mrs. Cake had this huuuuuge supply of flour, eggs and sugar. And they didn’t know what to do with it. So I thought I could use them to bake cupcakes. But do you have any idea how many I made? I will tell you. A lot, that’s how many! And then, I thought I could eat them all up myself! But they are sooooo many! And then, I had an idea! So then I went like ‘huuuuuua! I should throw a cupcake eating contest and let everypony in Ponyville sign in for free!’” Pinkie Pie explained hectically.
“My, my, my! And ponies call me generous!” Rarity commented with delight.
“But won’t the Cakes get mad at you if you give out free sweets in such a quantity?” Twilight concerned.
But Pinkie vigorously shook her head and giggled.
“Of course not, silly! Mr. and Mrs. Cake would never get mad at me!” she explained.
Obsidian stood in the background quietly all the time and observed. Pinkamena was so predictable. He knew she would do something like this when he helped her gathering ‘supplies’.
While the friends were talking with each other, the twirly earth pony’s expression changed. She secretly stared at Fluttershy with wide open eyes. Pinkamena realized her friend smelled different than usual. Her eyes then quickly jumped to Obsidian, who just stared back with a serious face. That look of his was answer enough for her and the pink mare started to smile again.
“What about you, Obsidian? Wanna have some free cupcakes?” she asked the reaper, winking at him.
The group turned to Obsidian. Before he could say a thing, Applejack spoke to Pinkie.
“No offense, but I don’t think Obsidian-” she started, but got interrupted by the black stallion.
“I am in,” he responded.
Fluttershy and Applejack turned back to the reaper and stared at him with wide open eyes and mouths. Fluttershy could not remember a single time she caught him eating something while he was over at her cottage and Applejack still remembered how he reacted to her pie. She thought Obsidian would not take sugar very well. Yet, he was willing to join in a cupcake eating contest?
“Are you sure y’all wanna do that?” the orange mare scrutinised.
Obsidian nodded and queued up with the other ponies.
---
Just half an hour later, the contestants gathered around the eating stands, ready for the feast. Pinkie handed out large plates on each stand and made some last preparations to make sure she kept count on all.
“Are you ready?!” she asked the contestants. They replied in cheer.
“Alright! Let the feast begin!” the party pony announced.
Immediately, the ponies greedily started devouring the still warm cupcakes. The spectators encouraged the contestants loudly. After just one minute, Pinkie had to bring the first resupplies to keep feeding the ponies.
Only the reaper took his time to eat the cupcakes. He needed slightly more time than anypony else. But his tactic seemed to work. Several contestants already gave up after the second batch of cupcakes while he kept on eating.
Applejack observed him closely, fearing he might snap again. But this time, Obsidian maintained his concentration. Applejack had no explanation for this. Why did he have so much trouble with her pie and now he is eating cupcakes like potato chips?
As the contest proceeded, more and more ponies had to give up, because they bothered on nausea. Only Lyra, Bon Bon, Obsidian and Derpy Hooves were left.
Suddenly, Obsidian stopped eating and announced he gave up. He did not even seem to have reached his limit. His behavior made no sense to any of the four friends.
Still, the contest continued. Lyra and Bon Bon slowed down more and more. They had huge trouble eating any more cupcakes. Derpy continued eating at the same speed. Then finally, the two friends surrendered.
The gray Pegasus mare won the contest and received a trophy made of candy canes. The ponyvillians cheered and celebrated her victory. As soon as the crowd started to dissolve, Obsidian snuck next to her and spoke quietly.
“You need to learn to control yourself more, or they will find out one day, Derpy.”
As the gray mare noticed who was talking, her usual happy face became serious. She nodded lightly and both went separate ways.
---
As happy and explosive as the contest started, so suddenly it was over. Pinkie Pie was busy cleaning up and noticed that several cupcakes were still left.
Although she already ate many beforehand, she could not hold herself back. She ran in the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of hot sauce, which she then emptied over the cupcakes.
The pink earth pony giggled a bit as she mustered her work and then started to eat noisily.
---
Obsidian spent the rest of the day following the keepers of harmony. Although Applejack and Fluttershy were very confused because of his strange behavior, they did not get further into the topic. As the sun started to set, the group broke up and all went home. Fluttershy and Obsidian were almost back at the cottage when the black stallion suddenly changed course.
“You are not coming in?” Fluttershy asked, a bit worried.
“Later. I have to go meditate now,” he replied.
Fluttershy got curious. She knew he meditated from time to time, but never before had he done it outside his room. The yellow Pegasus was tempted to watch him, but she knew Angel and the other animals were waiting for their dinner. So she kept on flying.
The reaper landed below a large tree not far from her home. After he was finally able to silence the demons inside him, he wanted to maintain this status for as long as possible before he had to eat more. The reaper sat down on the ground cross-legged and closed his eyes.
As he focused on nothing else but his breath, his mind emptied and he could feel balance returning to his body. Obsidian slowly re-obtained full control of his strength and recovering abilities. Things finally were back on tracks again.
Two hours passed and the sun was already down. Obsidian heard wings flapping above him and looked up. It was Rainbow Dash, heading to Fluttershy’s home. Apparently, she spotted him and flew a large circle around him to avoid any interaction.
Obsidian sighed. For his mission, it was crucial he became trusted by all of the keepers of harmony. Especially Rainbow Dash was the most important of all. The outcome of his mission would depend on whether or not she would believe him. It could not go on like this.
While Rainbow was visiting Fluttershy, the reaper hid himself in the shadows. He waited for her to come out again. As it started getting late, Rainbow Dash left the cottage, saying goodbye to her friend. She looked around in search for Obsidian, but was unable to find him. Relieved, she lifted into the sky and raced towards her cloud home.
Obsidian stalked her in the shadows, making sure he did not get anywhere near her field of sight and avoided to make any noises. As the spectral haired mare came close to her home, she suddenly stopped.
It seemed like she was unsure if she really wanted to go home. After a short while, she changed her mind and flew a few daring stunts instead.
The reaper kept on following her, watching her actions and expressions closely. Usually, Rainbow Dash would forget everything around her while she was flying. But this time, she could not concentrate. After just a couple of minutes, she stopped practising and hung her head.
Something was definitely wrong with her. The reaper followed the athletic Pegasus as she flew out of Ponyville and to the coast.
---
Rainbow Dash aimed for a very specific spot on a high up cliff and landed on top. Lately, she often came to this place when she needed to think.
Ever since she started having these nightmares, Rainbow felt very insecure. A part of her blamed Obsidian for these visions she kept on getting more and more frequently, although she precisely knew it was not his fault.
The ocean seemed black and endless. The reflections of the moon glistered on the surface of the constantly moving water. Rainbow closed her eyes and enjoyed the salty breeze in her mane, hoping it would wash away all her worries.
Obsidian gave up his cover now and approached the keeper of loyalty. His noisy hoof steps on the blank rock startled her and Rainbow Dash jumped up. As she realized Obsidian was behind her, her heart skipped a beat. She thought her nightmares would finally come true now. Though the reaper had no bad intentions. He kept on walking towards her slowly and spoke up.
“Miss Dash. How long do you plan to keep on playing this game?”
“G-game? What game? I don’t recall playing any game with you!” she replied in a mix of nervousness and anger.
“You apparently do play hide and seek with me. You keep avoiding me. Now that I have found you, I would like to request a break from this game,” the black stallion explained.
“H-hey! Stay away from me!” Rainbow shouted while lifting into the air, ready to fly off. Obsidian stopped.
“Is that what you want? Me staying on distance to you? A Pegasus who enjoys freedom in a level like you do would surely feel limited if she had to avoid the presence of someone all the time. What are you afraid of, Miss Dash?”
“Afraid? I’m not afraid! I’m not afraid of anything! Stop talking like this! You don’t know me or anything about me!” the cerulean Pegasus responded.
“Indeed you are right there...” Obsidian commented while observing the waves.
He knew he would not get anywhere this way. Suddenly, he had an idea how to melt the ice.
“I do only know what ponies say. You won the best young flyer competition is what I heard. Furthermore, you are supposed to be the most talented flyer in all of Equestria, next to Spitfire,” he continued.
“Really? People say that?” Rainbow Dash asked in surprise.
“Indeed they do,” he replied. “You are rather famous, Miss Dash. Not at last because you proved the existence of the sonic rainboom. It is no surprise the Wonderbolts are talking about you.”
Now he got her. Mentioning the Wonderbolts made her eyes go wide open and sparkle in excitement.
“What?! The Wonderbolts are talking about me?” she shouted out almost squealing, flapping her wings faster in excitement.
“They do,” Obsidian responded, nodding. “But... sadly I can not follow why everypony is so excited about you.”
These words made Rainbow crush on the ground. Moments later, she got angry.
“Hey! What is that supposed to mean?”
She reacted just the way he wanted her to react. Obsidian took a few seconds to let this situation sink in and provoke her more. Then, he replied.
“Since you put so much effort into avoiding me, I failed to make an image of your talents myself.”
Rainbow looked at the reaper off guard. She really did not want to interact with the reaper before. She could not give a countering argument. Obsidian again took a few seconds to let this situation sink in before he continued.
“Are you up for a race, miss Dash?”
This statement again caught her unprepared. She was wavering.
“Well, um... I don’t know. It is pretty late and-” she began, only to get interrupted by the reaper.
“Afraid of losing against a reaper, miss Dash?” he spoke with an arrogant expression.
That was it. Rainbow Dash could not possibly let him get away with such an insult.
“Oh, you got it now! You want a race? Fine! Tell me where the finish line is, so I can wait for you there!” she challenged the reaper.
“If we fly straight this direction, all the way across the ocean, we will find a large lighthouse. This shall be our goal,” the black stallion suggested.
Rainbow’s jaw dropped as she heard what Obsidian was demanding from her. A race all the way across the ocean? That would take hours! Even when flying with sonic speed! She never raced for such a great distance before. But the spectral haired mare was hurt in her pride. She did not want to be seen as a chicken and so decided to accept his challenge. She jumped in position, followed by Obsidian doing the same.
“That is the spirit I expect from the second greatest flyer in Equestria. You shall have the honor to count.”
Rainbow Dash nodded and grinned self-confident.
“Oh I will count YOU out for sure! Three... two... one... GO!”
---
The two racers spent the entire night competing with each other. Obsidian was very fast and agile. But Rainbow’s speed was simply unmatchable. She won the race with a whole leg ahead. Both of them sat on the lighthouse panting heavily.
“How... do you... like that?” Rainbow Dash spoke, breathlessly.
The reaper took a few deep breaths before he answered.
“Very impressive. Now I see why you have so many admirers.”
“Well, I have to admit this was a though race. You are very fast yourself. Maybe the hardest opponent I ever had so far,” the keeper of loyalty commented.
While they regained their breath and strength, the two of them watched the sun slowly rise on the horizon. It almost seemed like a massive fireball that lifted out of the ocean, only to dye the entire world in various shades of yellow, orange and red. The ocean shined in all sorts of colors while it reflected both, the ending night and the beginning day.
“You know, Obsidian. I think I was wrong about you. All the time, I was sure you were just a bad guy. But I guess, you are alright,” Rainbow Dash spoke suddenly.
The reaper bowed down lightly for that compliment.
“I appreciate hearing this from you, Miss Dash.”
“Hey, stop with those formal things already! Just call me Rainbow,” she offered, grinning a bit. Obsidian nodded.
“So be it.”
Rainbow Dash suddenly started laughing a bit. Obsidian focused her calmly.
“Always so overly polite. You’re alright, Obsidian. Really,” she commented, lifting her right front hoof for a high five.
Obsidian lifted his own, right front leg and accepted. Rainbow Dash cheered a bit, though she was pretty drained from the race. That sealed it. Obsidian had gained the trust of Rainbow Dash. Now all he had to do is keep building up the relationship with all of the keepers, until the time had come for him to complete his mission.
“Now, how are we gonna get back?” the athletic mare wondered.
“Facile,” Obsidian responded and started casting a spell. Seconds later, both were teleported back Ponyville.
“Wow!” Rainbow Dash commented in astonishment. “Not even Twilight can teleport such a large distance! Not to mention you teleported both of us!”
“That was just possible because I knew this route well. I had been racing to that lighthouse more than once, you have to know,” the black stallion replied.
Rainbow Dash smiled. Then a big yawn escaped her mouth.
“Well excuse me, but we have been up all night. I have to go napping now. See you later, Obsidian!”
The reaper nodded.
“Valē, Rainbow Dash.”
---
Obsidian walked back to Fluttershy’s cottage. He knew she most likely stood up all night again, since he did not return. That pony just cared way too much for him.
“Well looks like you did it, Obsidian. Now even Rainbow Dash trusts you!” Odd Cirs suddenly spoke.
The reaper sighed. He almost forgot about him, since he had not spoken a word for days. Obsidian didn’t feel like talking to him right now. He just kept silent and continued walking.
“You are ignoring me? That is a shame. Mostly because I wanted to tell you that Celestia sent you a letter!” the voice continued.
Obsidian paused. He reached under his cloak and indeed found a letter. Mistress Celestia must have sent it at some point during the race. Obsidian broke the seal and started reading.
“So? What did she tell you?” Odd Cirs asked curiously.
“Mistress Celestia wants me to stop a demon. It appears like you and I will have to spend some time alone together,” he replied.
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 5 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
|
complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
|
mature
|
2012-11-28T18:39:35+00:00
|
2014-03-08T16:55:14+00:00
| 2,533 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OFN_yhQB63ztT4zoK4_c153zf5IyhwNGjHGDOks4XQg/edit
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 7: Efficiency
“A... spawn?” Fluttershy replied, still a bit sleepy from the restless night. Obsidian nodded.
“A dragon-like demon of medium rank. I have to defeat and consume it before it reaches Ponyville through the Everfree underground passage.”
Fluttershy became worried again. She still remembered the mayhem the Salamander caused, Trixie’s death and the damage to Obsidian’s right eye.
“W....when will you be back?” she asked.
“Do not expect to hear from me in the next couple of days, Miss Fluttershy,” he answered.
The yellow mare became silent and sunk her head. Obsidian walked over to the basement door and opened it.
“I will depart in an hour. Valē,” he spoke and went downstairs to prepare for his journey.
Fluttershy had mixed feelings about this situation. She knew Obsidian could not truly die. But fighting a demon all alone so far away from home? What if he got hurt again, like last night? He barely made it to her house alone. How would he be able to get out of that underground passage? Fluttershy started walking back and forth her living room. Angel sighed while slowly shaking his head. He greatly disliked how much Fluttershy worried about that evil, black creature she befriended. Usually, his owner cared a lot about what he thought. He always had her fully under control. But with Obsidian around, things were different. Angel looked forward to the time the reaper would be traveling. He hoped he could get Fluttershy back to normal in the meanwhile. But the yellow Pegasus had other plans.
“I will go out for a bit, Angel. Here is some lettuce if you get hungry. I will be back in an hour, I promise,” she spoke suddenly and placed a lettuce leaf in front of him.
Angel was caught so surprised, he could not act before Fluttershy ran out of the cottage. Just what was wrong with her lately? What is that black monster with the red eye doing with her?
---
“Ready to go, Obsidian?” Odd Cirs whispered as the reaper finished meditating in his room. He nodded. The black stallion walked over to his shrine and bowed down to the two skulls before he headed up the stairs.
“Aren’t you going to take anything with you?” the voice asked, surprised Obsidian did not pack a bag.
“Unnecessary weight would only slow me down. I am not traveling too far. I can gather what I need during the journey,” the stallion answered.
He opened the door. The first thing that came in his sight was the yellow Pegasus mare standing in front of the door. Obsidian expected she would try to talk to him some more before he left. But he did not expect to see all the other keepers of harmony standing around her, wearing rucksacks and wandering accessories. Obsidian was a bit surprised and eyed them suspiciously.
“What is this supposed to mean?” he asked them. The six friends smiled at him.
“Fluttershy told us you would be gone for a while. She said it might get dangerous for you. So we decided to join you!” Twilight Sparkle replied. Obsidian sighed and shook his head.
“That is not going to happen.”
“Well, we ain’t gonna let one of our friends go fight a demon alone,” Applejack stated.
“It is nothing I would be unable to handle. I had been on far more dangerous missions,” the black stallion responded. Then Rainbow Dash stepped forth.
“So what? That only means we can handle this as well! We won’t let you down!”
Apparently, the athletic Pegasus informed everypony about her change of opinion towards Obsidian after the intense race they had. The black stallion became serious.
“Listen, ponies. It is my duty to keep you safe. For that, I need you to stay here while Mistress Celestia needs me at a different location.”
“Hah! You obviously haven’t seen us in action yet! We can take care of ourselves!” Rainbow Dash commented again.
Obsidian started to think it may have not been such a good idea to befriend with her. She is very self-confident and has a strong personality. But he considered, if words alone would not make them stay in safety, maybe facts will.
“You may be the keepers of harmony. But we will need to pass through a yellow zone. Nopony is permitted to enter such a high danger zone.”
The group became confused. A yellow zone? They never heard of something like this before. Obsidian made it sound like they would break a law by following him. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie started to giggle.
“Don’t be silly, Obsidian! You are a reaper! You have the authority to get us through almost everything!”
These words were like a backstab for the black stallion. The pink earth pony knew a lot about the laws of Equestria and how the land is organized. Now, she used that knowledge to force Obsidian to agree. He could understand her motivation to follow him. But if he had any chance to still turn this situation around, he would do whatever he could to make the keepers of harmony stay in Ponyville. After a short hesitation, the reaper spoke up again.
“I will be honest. Taking you with me would only slow me down. As well as it would make this task more difficult, since I am forced to ensure the security of all of you.”
Pinkie Pie giggled again.
“It’s just like Dashie said. We defeated Nightmare Moon and Discord! That big, old, meanie spawn will be no match for us!”
The other keepers of harmony cheered in agreement. Pinkamena got him now.
“And you know I, for one, will surely not slow you down!” Rainbow Dash added. Obsidian sunk his head a little and sighed again.
“You honestly want me to drag you into the depths of darkness?” the reaper wondered. All of the six friends nodded in response.
“We’ll stick to you like candy apples!” Applejack commented. He knew he lost the debate now.
“Fiat... I will take you with me. But we will have to run if we want to make it on time. Also, when I give you orders, you follow them instantaneously without questioning. Understood?” he declared.
The ponies agreed. Obsidian already knew that taking them to the assault would thwart his plans. He would be forced to constantly keep an eye on the ponies at the cost of being able to gather resources and food he needed. More than any other pony, he would have to watch Pinkamena very closely. The six friends got ready to leave. Fluttershy put Angel in charge of the cottage while they were away. Then, they started running towards Everfree Forest with Obsidian leading the way.
---
An hour later, the group found itself deep inside Everfree Forest. They galloped further than ever before, lead by Obsidian Shards. He knew precisely where to go.
“Can we please take a break?” Rarity requested.
“We do not have time for a break,” the reaper answered.
Rarity started to pant in exhaustion.
“Please?” she begged.
Obsidian knew that time was worth gold now. They had to catch the spawn before it could get out of the passage. Otherwise it would destroy the forest, forcing all the monsters living in it to swarm out. Rainbow Dash surely was fast, but the rest of the group was not. Without them, Obsidian would be much further by now. As they kept running, the reaper noticed the others started to get exhausted, too. He had to give them a break or one might fall behind. So he slowed down, followed by the group doing the same. They were breathing heavily. A group of young mares, not used to this kind of permanent endeavor. Just what were they thinking to come with him? If they did not even have the stamina to run for an hour straight, how did they think they would stand a chance against even a low-ranked demon? Howsoever, they were with him now. Obsidian had to make sure they stood strong until they arrived.
“This place seems to be relatively save. You can rest here for a moment,” he commented.
The ponies sighed in relief and sat on the ground. Rainbow Dash and Applejack seemed to not be as drained as the others. The blue Pegasus even used the break to stretch her limbs.
“You guys really need to work on your condition. This was just a warm up!” she bragged.
“Oh hold your horses, RD. Not everypony’s an athlete,” Applejack retorted.
Obsidian listened closely. So Applejack and Rainbow Dash were both athletes? The reaper started seeing a structure in how these six were connected with each other. Suddenly, Rarity spoke to Obsidian again.
“So, you know Everfree Forest quite well, don’t you?” she asked curiously. Obsidian nodded.
“I was stationed in this forest for more than fifty years. Enough time to learn a lot of details about it... and its history.”
“History?” Fluttershy asked carefully. Twilight as well started getting curious.
“Oh, I just have to hear that story!” the magical mare stated in excitement.
The reaper nodded again and began to summarize what he learned.
“Everfree Forest was created more than eight hundred years ago as the second strongest demon in the world, next to the demon queen, fell here. His name was Malice. He had powers no normal pony could match. As he fell, his enormous demonic energy defiled this region. All the plants and animals became soaked to the brim with the demon’s corruptive energy, changing them into brutal monsters...”
The reaper paused and stared into the deep woods.
“This land is ruined and can not be recovered.”
This was not the kind of story the others were expecting. It felt like Obsidian could only tell horrifying tales. But that finally explained why the ponies always had a strange feeling when walking around in Everfree Forest and why it was so dark and creepy. Rarity bounced off the ground and on a tree stump, disgusted from the idea of walking on defiled land. The reaper knew this short summary would cause some questions, but he would not answer them. The story of Malice was not one the reapers were very proud of. So, Obsidian changed the topic to bring other ideas in the ponies’ minds.
“Despite of all this, Everefree Forest is only considered a green zone. Due to it being close to Ponyville, we reapers have to keep it clear of demons.”
“What is all that talkin’ ‘bout zones?” Applejack asked.
They caught the bait.
“Since the time of Nightmare Moon’s rise, demons are hiding themselves in the darkest places of Equestria. Out of this fact, a plan had been created to section this principality in zones according to the level of demon infestation. There are blue, green, yellow, orange and red zones. Ponyville is a good example for a blue zone. They are usually populated by ponies and of open access to them. These zones get the biggest amount of attention by us reapers. We are ordered to constantly keep them free of any demons, monsters, undeads or ponies fallen to Maledictum Insania. Green zones require less supervision and might occasionally be crossed by something dangerous. These zones are still accessible for ponies. Though they mostly avoid them, knowing they can be dangerous. Yellow, orange and red zones are locked down to normal ponies. The Everfree underground passage is a yellow zone, because it is getting used frequently by demons. Orange and red are the most dangerous. They have high concentrations of demons. Thus, they may only be entered by elder reapers. Orange zones are the land surrounding a red zone in a radius of two miles. Mistress Celestia wants us to guard all entrances to one and kill everything coming too close to the border. Finally, red zones are demon strongholds. Entering one of them is suicide, even for reapers.”
The ponies stood silent for a moment. Then Applejack spoke up again.
“Heavens to Betsy. I don’t even know Equestria anymore. Guess we were all pretty foalish to be thinkin’ this is just a peaceful land.”
Obsidian gave no response. He just sat there, staring into the forest with his expressionless face.
“Damn those demons! Ruining Equestria like that. Why don’t you give them all the boot?” Rainbow Dash suggested, enraged.
“It is not that easy, Rainbow. These strongholds are extremely hard to conquer. If all reapers would unite to attack one of them, we might be able to destroy it and consume all the demons inside. But the moment we leave our positions, the demons of other strongholds come rushing out in masses and destroy everything in sight. These creatures use every little bit of space we give them. At the first best occasion, they attack without warning,” the black stallion replied.
“I-I just don’t understand. Why do they do all this?” Fluttershy asked.
This naive Pegasus could not imagine how any creature would enjoy to kill and destroy.
“Their desire to cause suffering and destruction is natural to them. That is what they exist for. The demon queen supports this wherever she can,” Obsidian replied.
Twilight jumped up in shock as she heard Obsidian talk about Nightmare Moon.
“What? This can’t be! We defeated her!” she shouted out in consternation.
“You may have. You also may have purified Luna. But that was only the biggest part of Nightmare Moon you faced. Do not forget about the forbidden legend I revealed to you. Do not forget about Maledictum Insania. She is still here, scattered in millions of fragments and resting in the souls of all ponies. She is in you. She is in me. She is in all of us. As long as there is Nightmare Moon, there will be demons. The only way to truly erase her would be to extinct pony-kind and that can not be done for obvious reasons,” Obsidian explained calmly with an almost sad tone.
Again, the ponies became silent. After a while, Fluttershy spoke up again.
“So there is nothing we can do? That’s just it?”
“We can do something. Lifting Maledictum Insania is impossible. If it would be, Mistress Celestia would have freed the land of this curse long ago. It will remain for all eternity, same as Nightmare Moon. But we can still fight every demon we encounter. Maybe one day, we will have consumed enough of them to make them no longer a serious threat to Equestria.”
“Well, that’s at least some kind of plan,” Applejack commented.
The reaper succeeded in re-igniting hope in the ponies. But they did not know all details. They did not know what Obsidian knew. But he was convinced it would be better that way. The last thing he could use now was a group of depressed ponies without any will to keep fighting.
“The best we can do right now,” Obsidian added and got up again. “It is still a long way to the passage and the time is running. Let us go on.”
The keepers of harmony got back on their hooves again and they all continued running deeper into the forest.
---
The forest seemed endless. The group kept on running for hours now with several short stopovers. Despite of the time pressure in their back, Obsidian tried to make it as easy for the ponies as possible. Still, the long hours of continuous running drained them physically and mentally. They started to become unalert. Twilight kept following Obsidian closely, though she ran like in trances. She was no longer thinking and just concentrated on trying to keep up. But suddenly, she experienced a dreadful sensation. Something was nearby. Something very dangerous. Obsidian seemed to feel it as well and stopped instantly.
“Cōnsistite!” he ordered and reached his right front leg out sideways to block the way for the rest of the group. The sudden stop made the ponies come back to their senses. Twilight quietly walked next to the reaper and whispered to him.
“I feel it as well. What is this?”
“Problems,” Obsidian replied.
Out of the shades of the forest, a large creature approached them slowly. Before anypony could identify it, the creature gave off weird noises. Twilight recognized them and reacted immediately. She stiffened her body and tried hard to not move a muscle.
“Girls. Don’t move,” she spoke through her teeth.
The ponies became scared, but followed her advice. The creature came closer and closer. Then finally, it stepped out of the dark. The monster had three heads. A lion one, a goat one and a dragon one. Its body was one of a lion as well. The tail though was made of a very large snake with a head on the very end. It was a chimera.
The ferocious beast stopped a few steps in front of them and stared grimly. It growled through it’s three heads, each making a different kind of noise, while the snake head hissed in the background. The six ponies whimpered lightly. Twilight slowly backed away.
“Everypony, walk backwards. Slowly. And don’t take your eyes off it,” she suggested lowly.
All except Obsidian followed her advice. The reaper kept standing there, his face expressionless as always. He looked at the chimera calmly. His refusal to retreat provoked the beast and it kept walking closer to the black stallion.
“Obsidian! Are you crazy? Back away!” Twilight spoke, suppressing a scream.
“We do not have time for this,” the reaper whispered while still looking at the chimera.
“There is no other way! It’s a chimera! A very dangerous monster, created through black magic. It is extremely easy to provoke and will not stop rampaging before every creature in it’s sight is dead!” Twilight explained.
“I know that...” Obsidian responded, the beast was very close now and sniffed at him. “but we still do not have the time for something like this.”
The ponies could not believe the reaper just stood there like that with such a beast right in front of him. Fluttershy and Rarity slowly started to panic. Twilight as well found no words fitting to the black stallions’ behavior.
“W-what do you think we should do?” she finally questioned.
Obsidian lowered himself to a battle stance slowly, furthermore provoking the chimera.
“Think efficient!” he replied in a loud tone on purpose.
The chimera became startled and the three heads roared at Obsidian. At that moment, the reaper quickly turned around and kicked the middle, lion head in the throat very hard with both legs. A popping sound was to be heard, signalling Obsidian successfully destroyed it’s windpipe and damaged the spine. The thrust had enough power to lift the entire upper half of the monster into the air, exposing the chimera’s unprotected stomach. Still stunned from the sudden attack, the beast could not react fast enough to prevent the reapers next action. While Obsidian turned around again, he summoned his scythe in his front legs and rammed the entire blade from below, through the chimera’s stomach and up into its chest, piercing its heart. The life force absorbing ability of the scythe quickly took its effect on the chimera. It died standing upright, being held by the scythe in the reaper’s hooves. The keepers of harmony were speechless. He killed the chimera in less than two seconds. None of them could think of a fitting way to react to this sudden, cruel act. Obsidian removed the scythe out of the chimera’s carcass and made it disappear again. The large body crushed to the ground and rapidly formed a pool of blood around it. Rainbow Dash was the first to be able to make a comment.
“Wow! Now that’s what I call guts!” she said greatly impressed.
None of her friends could agree with that statement. Especially Fluttershy became very angry.
“WHAT? You think that's good? You think it's good he killed it like that? Obsidian! You... you... oh my goodness... that poor little-”
“Monster!” he interrupted sharply, preventing the yellow mare from breaking out in tears. “This beast was created only to cause chaos and death! It has no right to exist in this land! It is because of creatures like this that many innocent animals and ponies die slow, painful deaths! Equulās stultās...”
Obsidian turned around to the carcass again and examined it. The friends were stunned. Not even Fluttershy knew what to say anymore. She usually would become unstoppably enraged when she saw a creature getting hurt or even killed. But Obsidian’s words hit her like a train. She could not agree with him. Yet, he somehow was right, though.
“Was that really necessary?” Twilight asked carefully.
“Yes. This saves us time, rids Everfree Forest of a dangerous beast and also provides me ingredients. As I said. Think efficient,” the reaper answered while walking behind the body to reach the snake head. He then opened the snake’s mouth and violently tore out the fangs. The sight made the ponies get sick.
“No! Stop it! I can’t watch this!” Fluttershy pleaded.
“Then look away,” the black stallion responded while storing the fangs under his cloak.
He walked back to the other three heads and was about to pull some scales out of the dragon head when Fluttershy spoke up again in desperation.
“No. Please. I mean it! S-stop! This is too much!”
Obsidian halted. He turned his head to the group and saw the sick faces of the six friends. It seemed like after more than three hundred years of constantly having to do such things, he forgot just how hard it is for a pony to watch a creature being dismembered. To him, that carcass was only an empty shell now. A collection of organs, bones and body fluids. But to the ponies, it was a just freshly deceased being. He had gone too far. But then again, this was a good way to prepare them for the confrontation with the spawn. The black stallion decided to abandon the rest of the carcass.
“Mihi īgnōscite. But do not expect any mercy from the demons we will face. Especially not from the spawn. Let us go on now. We need to set up a camp for tonight,” he spoke calmly and continued walking.
A moment later, the ponies followed him, trying to avoid eye contact with the carcass. Pinkie Pie was the only one who turned around and stared at the dead chimera for a moment.
“Pinkamena,” Obsidian spoke quietly in an ordering tone, so only she could hear it.
The reaper walked back to her as he noticed she was not following the others. The pink earth pony instantly turned around again, grinned widely and bounced towards her friends. Obsidian tracked her with a suspicion filled expression for a moment. Then, he as well returned to the group.
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 6 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
|
complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
|
mature
|
2012-02-29T23:41:34+00:00
|
2013-01-14T17:17:31+00:00
| 3,166 |
Thank you for 2000 views!
You guys make the effort worth it!
Here is the first spoiler image. The chapter connected to it will be one of the next few.
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 7 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
|
complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
|
mature
|
2012-11-28T18:43:19+00:00
|
2013-05-26T20:45:14+00:00
| 2,198 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pE6nF82Q7NiD_4cuI5DcDoWQ5tg1wdEDIR_tRmCZLds/edit
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 8: Emotions
The night was not very restful for the six ponies. Fluttershy alone was so drained that she managed to fall asleep quickly. She had barely slept during the past few days after all. Although they were deep in Everfree Forest, she felt safe and comfortable, knowing a strong, experienced warrior was watching over her and her friends. In fact, Obsidian spent the entire night awake, either meditating or patrolling around their camp. This deep in the corrupted forest, it was not easy to tell if it was day or night anymore. The tall, clustered trees blocked off most of the sunlight. The reaper was standing upright on top of his scythe. Balancing on his right hind leg, he held his front hooves together and kept his eyes closed. The scythe was turned with the bladed side down to the ground, so Obsidian could balance on the stick for a more advanced meditative position.
“It’s quite funny how you call a Chimera a monster when you both actually have a lot in common!” Odd Cirs suddenly commented.
“Be quiet,” Obsidian replied calmly.
“Why? It’s true! Reapers were created to cause chaos and death as well!” the voice interposed.
“Those times are long over. For one to be so informed about us, you should know that,” the black stallion retorted quietly.
“Well, if you say so,” Odd Cirs answered Odd in an indifferent tone.
Obsidian then heard one of the keepers of harmony starting to wake up.
“Are you talking to some... wow, that looks difficult,” Rainbow Dash stated, still sounding pretty sleepy. The reaper jumped off his scythe and made it dissolve into a black fog again.
“Salvē,” he greeted the spectral haired Pegasus.
“Huh? You mean ointment? What for?” Dash replied.
She was still too sleepy to have her mind running properly.Obsidian shook his head slowly.
“No. It means ‘greetings’,” he corrected.
“Oh! Your native language! I get it... Salvē!” she greeted back, coming to her senses. Obsidian bowed down lightly, causing Rainbow Dash to giggle a bit.
“This language actually sounds pretty neat! Maybe I should learn a few words myself, just to show off,” she stated while the others slowly started to wake up, too.
“Your interest is honoring me, Rainbow. Good morning, everypony,” Obsidian replied.
The friends were still yawning and stretching their limbs. Now it came to Rainbow’s mind that she actually felt very lucky she did not have this one specific nightmare this time. It would have created an awkward moment for her if she would have jumped up in the middle of the night, screaming her soul out, like she used to do each time she had this dream. Thinking about the vision resumed her suspicion to Obsidian Shards. She liked him and she really wanted to trust him. But the nightmare kept on returning, even after their race. Despite his efforts, she could not trust him completely. The things she saw and felt every time simply made it impossible for her. The ponies packed their things and got ready to continue. Rarity was the slowest, since she excessively brushed her mane and cleaned her coat.
“Ugh, just look at this mess! Why do we have to sleep on the ground?” she complained angrily.
After Obsidian revealed Everfree Forest was defiled with demonic energy, she had begun to have a complex about touching the ground.
“You chose to follow me and you already saw what actions are necessary on a mission like this. You best abandon the idea of maintaining a clean appearance. The spawn will not care about how you look. There will be enough time for beauty care once it has fallen,” the reaper remarked with a cold and serious expression.
Rarity was scandalized, but the black stallion turned away from her before she could protest.
He then spoke to the rest of the group, “Let us continue.”
---
After two more hours of running, the group finally arrived at a cliff.
“The entrance to the passage is up there,” Obsidian explained, “guards will be waiting. Let me go ahead. They will tolerate the sight of a reaper more than the sight of a pony.”
The friends nodded and started climbing the rock wall. The way up was just as difficult and exhausting as most of the running combined. The cliff was covered in loose gravel and each step they made caused some stones to roll down towards the rest of the group. Occasionally, Obsidian changed directions to prevent the group from climbing on unstable rocks, which only caused the climb to become even longer and more exhausting.
Twilight Sparkle was beginning to become drained and unalert again. She had trouble keeping up with the others and slowly started to fall behind. Suddenly, a small tendril unrolled before her. Twilight’s attention was drawn to it, making her stop and look for the rest of the plant. As she turned her head sideways, she spotted a fairly large, thorny rose bush. The flowers were still closed, but they seemed to react to the mare’s glance and slowly opened, creating an image of sheer beauty. They emitted a seductively sweet scent, powerful enough to make the magical mare dizzy. It seemed as though the aroma took control of her body, forcing her to come closer and closer to the roses.
Twilight was only distracted for a couple of seconds, but that was already enough for Obsidian to notice a change in the pattern of hoof clattering the group caused. He turned around and saw how Twilight seemed to sleepwalk towards the rose bush. The reaper recognized this plant. He immediately began running down the cliff and towards Twilight, shouting to warn her.
“Twilight! Get away from it!”
The purple mare snapped out of her hypnosis, but she was already too close to the bush. A large, thorny tendril wrapped itself around Twilight, ramming the thorns in her body. As the pain shot through her, she wanted to scream. But just a split second later, Twilight began to feel weak and tired. The other keepers of harmony turned and tried to reach Twilight as well. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Obsidian flew ahead. While the reaper cut the tendril that held Twilight captive, Rainbow and Fluttershy picked her up and carried her to safety. The rose bush kept attacking. It tried to catch Obsidian. But the black stallion flew into the air, out of reach, and ignited the plant with a strong fire spell. He then quickly flew over to the two Pegasi, who were desperately trying to keep Twilight awake.
“Twilight! Twilight! Stay with us! What’s happening?!” they shouted, shaking the purple mare. She did not respond. Instead, she rapidly became paler and paler. Her eyes began to roll back in her head and her breath and pulse slowed down more and more.
“Quick! We need blood! One of you, give me your front leg!” Obsidian commanded.
All of the present ponies were shocked. They hesitated. Now Rainbow Dash had a chance to prove her loyalty. Despite her distrust, she reached out her right front leg to Obsidian. When it came to saving the life of a friend, she could forget everything else. The reaper quickly summoned his scythe and sliced open Rainbow’s artery. Then, he forcefully pushed the open wound into Twilight’s mouth. The surprise put the magical mare back to focus. Disgust overwhelmed her as she tasted her friends body-warm blood spurting on her tongue. Caught unprepared and in shock, she accidentally swallow the first wave, which only intensified her disgust. But Twilight could feel how this one swallow already extended her time maintaining consciousness.
“Drink it! Drink it or you will die!” Obsidian shouted.
The whole situation was nearly too much for Twilight to take. She had to fight against her mind, desiring to black out so she no longer had to endure this extreme situation. The warm metallic liquid ran down her throat, causing her to gag. Twilight lacked breath, but Obsidian did not allow her to inhale. He forced Twilight to bite into her friends leg and held her nose shut, so she could not breathe and accidentally let the blood run in her lungs. Twilight stared at Rainbow Dash, who’s face showed pain and weakness. Rainbow stared back at Twilight with begging eyes. But the magical mare could no longer swallow. Her eyes rolled back in her head again. Nearly all the life force left her body. At this point, Obsidian overstretched Twilight’s neck, making the blood spray right into her throat, and gave her a throat massage. Now, Twilight had no choice anymore. With each gulp, she could feel strength returning to her body, while at the same time Rainbow became weaker and weaker.
As Dash was about to collapse, Obsidian made another announcement:
“Fluttershy! Bandages! Now!”
The yellow Pegasus jumped a little as her name fell, but then quickly reached into her rucksack and pulled out a first aid kit. Obsidian finally loosened his grip on Twilight and pushed Rainbow’s leg over to Fluttershy, who then helped to stop the bleeding. Applejack came running over and supported Rainbow Dash. The blue Pegasus could barely stand anymore. She had just lost a vast amount of blood. But the only thing she cared about right now was Twilight. She kept on staring as the purple mare regained color and tried to sit up again, breathing and gaging heavily. Twilight’s stomach felt heavy and defiled. She could still taste Rainbow’s blood on her tongue. Her entire body trembled and twitched, fighting against this gruesome and disgusting experience. She was about to throw up, but Obsidian noticed in time and, again, covered her mouth and nose.
“I understand that this is disturbing and obnoxious. But it is crucial you keep it in now. I can not have you die here,” he explained, trying to calm down the purple mare.
Twilight tried hard to push all the thought of what just happened and how she felt aside. The black stallion loosened up again as Twilight’s trembling and twitching reduced, allowing her to breathe again. Her breath was shaky and weak, but she was stable. The friends sighed in relief.
“Horse apples... that was close,” Rainbow Dash commented weakly.
Obsidian supported Twilight for a while more to make sure she would not collapse again. He then sunk his head and stood silent for a moment.
“This incident goes on my account and I will take responsibility for it. Though I do need to have a serious talk with the guards. It was their job to destroy all Vampire Roses around here,” he spoke.
“Oh my gosh! Was that a Vampire Rose?” Pinkie Pie asked nervously. The reaper nodded.
“One of the many corrupted plants of Everfree Forest. It is carnivorous and captures it’s prey by injecting a poison that destroys all the blood in the victim. The poison itself is rather weak and inefficient. But due to the high concentration of demonic energy in these plants, it rather acts like a curse than an actual venom. Because of that, there is no antidote for it. The only way to fight it is to keep feeding the victim blood until the poison becomes saturated. That is why these roses are called Vampire Roses,” he explained.
“Well land sakes. Are we glad you know plenty ‘bout evil things, Obsidian. Y’all just saved Twilight a second time!” Applejack commented.
The reaper though rejected the honoring.
“Do not congratulate me. I failed at protecting you all. I did not pay attention. It is actually Rainbow Dash whom you should honor. Her immediate reaction and loyalty saved Miss Sparkle, not I. To say it in her own words, ‘That’s what I call guts,’” he explained.
Obsidian bowed his head down to Rainbow Dash, who then grinned a bit awkwardly and scratched the back of her head.
“Ah, just another small feat of heroism,” she answered in an a slightly understated and ironic tone.
Twilight was becoming stronger again. She slowly got up and was able to stand on her own.
“I’m sorry...” she apologized.
“There is no need for you to apologize. As I said, it was my fault this happened. Though it does have consequences now. I no longer want Rainbow Dash and you to participate in the battle. Not that I do not believe in your combat abilities, but I can not risk you being detected by the spawn under these circumstances. Demons are intelligent. They attack the weakest members of a group first. If it spots either of you two, it will definitely try to kill you first,” replied Obsidian.
This decision made sense, though Rainbow Dash could hardly accept it. She wanted to show her skills. But she did agree on following the reaper’s orders at the very beginning of the journey without hesitation or discussion. After the group gave Twilight some more time to recover, they got up and continued walking up the cliff. Applejack made it her business to ensure Twilight held the blood she had drunk in, while Fluttershy kept an eye on Rainbow’s bandages. The incident cost the group a good half hour of time and slowed them down enormously. But luckily, they reached the top of the cliff soon without any further incidents.
---
The cave entrance leading to the Everfree underground passage was rather small. Only around five ponies wide in total. It was well hidden in the shadows of the cliff. The only thing that indicated this really was the destination of the group were the eight royal guards standing in front of it. As they saw the group approach, they unfolded their wings to block every possible way in. Obsidian stepped ahead.
“Halt! Who goes there?” one of the guards asked.
Obsidian opened his cape and removed the hood from his head to reveal his identity.
“I am the reaper Obsidian Shards. Mistress Celestia told me to fight a demon in the Everfree underground passage. Here is the order,” the black stallion explained, then pulled a scroll, displaying the royal seal, out of his cloak.
The guards read through the letter carefully and checked the signature. Then they eyed the six ponies following Obsidian suspiciously.
“What about them?” the same guard asked.
“They are my companions. They will follow me inside,” the reaper answered.
The guards’ faces became serious.
“Nopony is permitted to enter the passage. They will have to wait here.” another stated.
Obsidian, too, became serious.
“If you know the rules so well, how come we happened to walk into a Vampire Rose on the way here?” he asked them, a bit angered.
“What? You must be mistaken! We burnt them all!” one of the other guards replied nervously.
“Then how do you explain this sight?” Obsidian asked.
Then he pointed towards Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle. Both were still weak from the encounter. The guards then noticed smoke rising up from the cliff side. Suddenly, another guard stepped forth and confronted Obsidian.
“Hah! I don’t see anything wrong with them, besides them being drained and having minor injuries! You are trying to guilt-trip us to make us letting your companions enter!” he accused the reaper.
Now Obsidian became angry. He stomped on the ground hard, causing a small shock wave. The guards became scared at the sight of the provoked reaper, who was obviously more powerful than all of them together.
“Are you implying I lie while on a mission? Are you aware of what kind of insult that is to a reaper? Not taking his tasks serious, or even lying to Mistress Celestia and disobeying her? You better choose your words carefully, guardians! I am an elder reaper! And as such, I have the authority to get these ponies through the passage! This unnecessary intermission will be noted in my report! I will also mention your slacking on your task of securing the surroundings of the passage!” he threatened them.
The guards finally returned Obsidian his scroll and freed the way to the passage. His words were sharp and hard enough for them to understand how serious he was about this situation. They knew if he said he was going to report their behavior, he meant it.
The black stallion turned around to face the group.
“From here on, it will be more dangerous. Stay close to me,” he announced.
The keepers of harmony were a bit worried, but they knew there was no turning back now. Obsidian waited for them to come closely behind him. Then, they all entered.
---
The inside of the passage was pitch black, so Rarity cast a spell to illuminate the cave. What started out as just a steep path down grew wider and wider the further they went, until they finally confronted the true size of this tunnel. It was easily wide and tall enough to have an Ursa Minor walk in without any problems.
Now that the group had finally made it here, they could take their time in walking. That was actually very necessary, knowing a lot of dangerous monsters were here. Maybe even a few demons. Obsidian’s senses sharpened. He constantly looked around and listened to even the smallest of noises. Occasionally, he cast a spell into the dark. Most of the time, he did not hit anything and just attacked to make sure no dangerous creatures were nearby, or to make them flee. Sometimes, though, his magic attacks hit something. The group could not determine what the creatures he hit were, since they just dropped dead from the walls and Obsidian did not want them to go away from him. All that was hard to take for Fluttershy. Each time he mortally hit a creature, she whimpered. But by now she understood how indispensable these actions were. Either Obsidian attacked them, or they would attack the group. With no other source of light available but the light coming from Rarity’s horn, it was hard to tell how long the group was walking for. The patterns in this seemingly endless passage were repetitive. After what seemed like an eternity, Obsidian suddenly stopped. Ahead of them, in far distance, was a dark figure. It seemed to look at them. Then, the figure began to run towards the group, faster than any creature they have ever encountered. The group started to panic, though Obsidian remained calm.
“Cōnsiste, nam ego messor sum!” he shouted at the figure.
It immediately stopped its attack and slowly walked back to its original position. The group calmed down, but in return became confused.
“What just happened?” Twilight asked.
“Just keep going. You will understand in a moment,” Obsidian replied and began to walk towards the black figure.
The group had no choice but to follow him. As they came closer and closer, they realized the dark figure was actually a cloaked pony. No... another reaper, apparently. She was guarding a narrow tunnel, which emitted a powerful, disturbing sensation. The group did not dare to come too close to the tunnel. But from what they could see, it did not fade in black the further it went, but instead faded in a dark shade of red. A very surreal and terrifying sight to all of them, besides the two reapers.
“You need to pass through here?” the female reaper asked coldly.
“No. We are just passing by. How is the demon activity?” Obsidian wondered.
“Low. Suspiciously low.”
“As I thought... a spawn is on its way here.”
“So that’s why... I see...” the female reaper stated.
They both looked around; the reaper mare did a double-take after looking down the tunnel she was guarding. Then, Obsidian spoke up again.
”I do not recall an entrance to an orange zone being here,” he stated.
“We have to blame Discord for that. It appears, in the short period of time he was free, he changed Ponyville and the entire area surrounding it more heavily than the rest of Equestria. Multiple new tunnels have been created. We still could not discover and secure all of them,” the female reaper explained.
“That explains where the spawn is coming from...” Obsidian commented.
The cloaked mare eyed the group following Obsidian. Then her focus returned to him.
“Suntne custōdēs harmoniae?” she suddenly asked.
“Equidem,” he replied.
“Ista rosea. Estne illa?” she asked again.
“Verō, illa est,” he answered.
The female reaper stared at the group for a moment, while they just looked back at the two reapers in confusion.
“Celestia dominatrix semper difficillimās missiōnēs tibi dat,” she finally concluded.
Obsidian did not respond to this statement.
“Purity and sacrifice for Equestria,” he finally spoke to say goodbye to the fellow reaper and to signal the group the conversation is over.
“Purity and sacrifice,” she responded. Then the group continued walking deeper into the underground passage.
“What were you guys talking about?” Rainbow Dash asked curiously.
“Nothing of importance,” the black stallion responded.
“Yer said she’s guardin’ an orange zone? Why does she have to guard that tunnel all alone, if it’s that dangerous?” Applejack wondered.
“Including her and me, there are only 87 reapers all over Equestria. There can not be more of us. Mistress Celestia has to position us very tactically so we can guard all the critical points in the land. Do not be worried, though. We can handle this.” Obsidian replied.
Again, the group continued walking for what felt like an eternity, while Obsidian randomly attacked creatures crawling along the floor, the walls, and the ceiling.
---
As the group was becoming tired, the light coming from Rarity’s horn dimmed. Just when they started to wonder if they would ever stop walking, Obsidian announced they reached their final destination: a large cave in which multiple passages fused together.
“This is where we will confront the spawn,” the reaper announced, “it will still take a few hours for it to arrive. Until then, we need to set up a camp here. I suggest you all to use this time to rest and prepare for the battle.”
The next half hour, the six friends occupied themselves setting up a secured camp below an overhanging rock wall and fortified it with several large boulders. Twilight was starting to feel better now. She somehow managed to accept the large quantity of blood in her stomach and had begun to recover. Obsidian wanted to make sure she did not exhaust herself too much, so the only thing she was allowed to do was to start up a campfire by magic. Rainbow Dash seemed to be getting better as well. Fluttershy carefully changed her bandages while the friends recovered from this long and terrifying walk. As usual, the friends quickly found a way to cheer themselves up by telling stories and jokes. Obsidian stood away from the group. He walked around the camp and set up several protective runes while constantly watching the movements of the cave creatures. As he finished drawing the last rune in the ground, the monsters seemed to retreat. They somehow sensed that trying to get to the little fort the ponies set up would be fruitless now. Obsidian sat down on the ground and began to meditate. However, the keepers of harmony didn’t like him being so distant.
“Obsidian, you little loney woney. Come here!” Pinkie Pie offered.
The reaper stood up again and went over to the keepers of harmony without a comment.
“-and then he said his dream is to become a Wonderbolt. Can you believe that? Well, I told him he can forget about that, since I am the one here who will become one!” Rainbow Dash spoke, finishing her story. The others made some quick, agreeing statements and giggled a bit.
“So you really want to become one...” Obsidian commented. Rainbow threw a pose.
“That’s right! I tell you all: one day, I’ll be living the dream!” she exclaimed.
“Dreams, huh?” Obsidian asked, causing the group to focus on him.
“You got a problem with that?” Dash wondered, feeling offended. The reaper slowly shook his head.
“Not at all. I am just not used to hear anyone talk about dreams,” he explained.
“What do you mean by that?” Rainbow asked again.
“When living the life of a reaper, there is no space for dreams. As you may be able to guess from what I told you before, our duty is very difficult and time-consuming. We fight until we die,” the black stallion explained.
The group was taken by this statement. After a while, Fluttershy spoke up.
“Oh my goodness... there really is nothing good about being a reaper, is there? That is so sad...” she commented.
The black stallion, though, shook his head again.
“Actually, it is not,” he retorted, puzzling the group.
“Of course it is, silly!” Pinkie Pie stated.
Obsidian shook his head yet again.
“It really is not. At least for us, since we do not feel sadness,” he explained.
“You mean... is it another side-effect of the reaper curse?” Twilight asked.
“It is,” Obsidian replied. “Those who have the curse are turned into cold-blooded murdering machines. We were once Nightmare Moon’s killer elite, and as such, we do not have emotions. At least, not many anymore, as they truly only hinder us. A reaper tries all his life long to get rid of their emotions through constant meditation and practice in self-control. To be honest: most of the times you saw me getting angry I was only acting for the sake of the effect.”
The group was surprised. They only now realized how cold Obsidian truly was. This knowledge now explained the expressionless face he had all the time. A person that can not feel can not form an expression.
“So... you have no feelings?” Fluttershy asked. Obsidian shook his head.
“No dreams?” Rainbow Dash wondered. Obsidian shook his head again.
“No hopes? No joy in your life?” Rarity asked.
“No. None of these,” Obsidian answered.
The group became silent and dropped their gazes. They found themselves speechless. This was unimaginable for all of them. Obsidian had basically just said he had pretty much no personality. He only existed for his duty, for serving Princess Celestia. That is all. Now, after all these weeks they had been living with the black stallion so far, it seemed that they just now finally started to understand him. They began to wonder... is it even possible to befriend such a person? A person with no cares? No feelings? No sense of humor? This knowledge saddened the six friends, although they knew Obsidian would not feel the same. But they concluded, after all, they would still try their best in becoming friends with him. Maybe he would learn to appreciate their efforts, if he did not already. Twilight even decided to go a step further.
“Obsidian Shards. I have an order for you,” she spoke.
The reaper focused her and bowed down.
“Yes, my lady?” he asked.
“Please become our friend. Even if you don’t have any feelings for us, we do have feelings for you,” the purple mare requested.
The reaper did not see this coming. He hesitated for a moment, but then replied.
“As you command.”
---
Hours passed by, but none of the present ponies could feel them. The total darkness that surrounded their camp made them feel like they were stuck in a different world where seconds pass like hours and hours pass like seconds. After a while, they decided to get some sleep. However, their rest was interrupted after a short time as the ground started to shake. They could hear loud growling and the screams of all the cave creatures fleeing in panic. The ponies looked around for Obsidian. He was already outside of the camp, standing in the middle of the cave.
“It is coming,” he announced, “Twilight, Rainbow. You two stay hidden. Everypony else, get ready.”
Adrenaline rushed through the six friends, making them fully awake. They got up and into their positions. The ponies whimpered a bit, but tried hard to keep it together. Before the spawn even came near the cave, his upcoming arrival was already being signaled by huge amounts of black smoke streaming out of the passage in front of them. As if it was not already hard enough to see anything in this dark cave, the smoke further reduced the sight of the group.
“Ignore the smoke. It is just a distraction. No light is necessary. Focus on seeing the spawn through the smoke,” the reaper explained.
Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie nodded. Fluttershy cowered behind the friends. She was hyperventilating in fear. The delicate Pegasus was always scared of the dark, and this place was now even darker than anything she had ever seen before. Minutes went by as the ground shook more and more. The heavy, deep, breathing of the spawn could be heard and was becoming louder and louder. Finally, two glowing, red, evil, eyes appeared. The semblance of the spawn could hardly be determined. Obsidian was right, though; despite of all the smoke, the spawn itself could be seen more clearly than the rest of the cave. Its outline really was reminiscent of a dragon, but it was thinner than a one, almost spider-like. The glowing red eyes were the only feature of the beast that could be clearly seen all of the time. The spawn soon spotted the small group blocking his way. It roared at them and exhaled a large cloud of black smoke at them. Fluttershy was blown away by the thrust and smashed into a wall, knocking her out.
“Fluttershy!” Applejack shouted, turning around and getting ready to run over to her.
“Stay in position! We cannot let it pass!” Obsidian commanded.
Unwillingly, AJ turned back. The reaper summoned his scythe and flew into the air. He flew towards the pair of red eyes and swung his scythe multiple times, but they all missed narrowly. Despite its size, the spawn was pretty agile.
The red eyes spotted Pinkie Pie and rapidly moved towards her. She panicked and ran away. Applejack guarded her by blocking the way between the spawn and her. As the eyes came close, she turned and kicked the spawn with both legs as hard as she could. Though the spawn did not seem to be hurt by this, the thrust was hard enough to knock the head back into the distance.
Rarity used her magic to lift several large rocks into the air and threw them at the spawn. The demon was pushed further and further back. Pinkie Pie had now calmed down and saw an opportunity to help. She began supplying rocks to Applejack and Rarity while they continued assaulting the spawn. Obsidian continued to fly around the spawn, hitting it repetitively with his scythe and magic attacks.
This demon certainly was weaker than the Salamander. It had difficulties protecting itself while being attacked by multiple opponents at once.
Without noticing it, Pinkie Pie had picked up a stone containing a small diamond and handed it to Rarity. As she launched the stone at the spawn by magic, it emitted a strong light, blinding both the spawn and Obsidian. The reaper collided hard with the spawn and crashed to the ground. The spawn hit a wall hard as well, causing the entire cave to shake. A crack opened at the wall behind the spawn, wandering over to the hideout of Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash. The overhang became loose and they had no choice but to leave their cover.
Even though they narrowly made it before the overhang came crashing down on their camp, they were now exposed to the demon’s eyes. It instantly began crawling towards them.
Rarity was still not really aware of what had happened and tried to cast another light spell without success. Applejack and Pinkie Pie chased the spawn. As Obsidian got up again, he ran over to Rarity, turned her around, and they both followed the others.
Twilight and Rainbow Dash ran for their lives. The spawn was coming closer and closer. The others tried hard to distract the demon or slow it down, but the spawn had focused on its target. Suddenly, Fluttershy flew right in front of the spawn. She was angry. Very angry.
Without realizing it, she used the only weapon she had against the demon. The Stare.
“You big, old meanie! Don’t you DARE to hurt my friends!” she shouted.
For a reason not even Obsidian could explain, the demon stopped. Its eyes went wide open, as if it was scared of Fluttershy.
“You should be ashamed of yourself, mister! Causing nothing but destruction around here!” she continued shouting.
All of the present ponies, and even the reaper, were stunned by the sight of the spawn, cowering in front of this comparatively tiny Pegasus. Obsidian saw his chance. He lifted above the spawn and exploded into a huge, black cloud, which then surrounded the spawn. Teeth grew out of it and rammed into the spawn, like it had tried with the Salamander. But this time, Obsidian easily overpowered the demon. After only a short struggle, it was entirely surrounded by the cloud, which then compressed more and more. The screaming of the demon seemed to literally dissolve and fade into the black mass. Then finally, it turned back into the reaper. He stood there with his eyes closed. It seemed as though consuming that demon had recharged him and made him stronger. He took a deep breath in. As he exhaled, black fog escaped his mouth. Judging from how calm Obsidian was, the battle was over, and they had come out victorious. All the ponies gathered back around the black stallion.
“Miss Fluttershy. I have to say I am very impressed. I did not expect you to have such a power,” he finally commented.
Fluttershy began to blush.
“I... I didn’t expect it to work either. I’ve never tried the Stare on a demon before,” she stated.
“The Stare?” the reaper wondered.
“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash suddenly replied, flying over to the yellow mare and putting her right front leg around her neck. “That’s the one thing everyone is afraid of. No one can withstand her stare! And now, she just proved that not even demons can withstand it!”
“So you all know about it?” Obsidian questioned. The friends nodded.
“I don’t really know what causes it, or why it is so powerful. I-I don’t even have control over it! Do you have an idea, Obsidian?” Fluttershy asked. The reaper shook his head.
“No. In the three centuries I had been living so far, I have never seen anything like it. This is a very unique talent, Miss Fluttershy! No one has ever managed to cause such a behaviour on a demon and when I say never, I really mean ever since the first demons appeared,” he replied.
The group was astonished. They congratulated Fluttershy, who only blushed even more.
“But what about that light? Was that me?” Rarity wondered, resuming the former event she caused.
“It appears you, too, have a rare talent. I have seen this only a few times before. One of the stones you threw had a diamond in it. As you used your magic in an offensive attack with it, you turned the gem into a strong magic spell. It seems like gemstone magic is the proper kind of magic for you, Miss Rarity,” Obsidian explained.
“Gemstone magic? Such a thing exists? Oh my, that explains so much! I always had a good connection to gems and jewels. I mean, they are my special talent, obviously” she remarked, turning to present her cutie mark. “But I would have never thought I could cast such spells!”
“You really are a strong group. I am sure if Twilight and Rainbow would have been able to join in the fight, you would not even have needed me at all,” the black stallion complimented.
Indeed, the group had learned a lot today. Rarity, Twilight and Obsidian used their magic to clear out the way to their buried camp so they could pick up their items again. They then started their journey back to Ponyville. In contrast to how this mission began, the seven friends spoke much on the way home and took their time. Obsidian seemed to develop a personal interest in Fluttershy. They had many intense conversations, mostly about Fluttershy’s life, the Stare and the evil creatures they both had encountered so far. After three more relatively uneventful days, they were all finally home.
---
The group separated at the marketplace. The sun was already going down when Fluttershy and Obsidian came to her cottage. Angel and the other animals greeted the gentle mare cheerfully but avoided Obsidian, as usual. The reaper did not care. He walked past them all and went over to the basement door. He was about to touch it when he suddenly stopped.
“Coltholm,” was all he said, making Fluttershy and the animals look at him.
Obsidian did not turn around. He just stood there, knowing every creature in the house was looking at him.
“A while ago, you asked me where I came from, Miss Fluttershy. I was born in Coltholm, the fallen city. I am the only one who survived,” he continued calmly.
After saying that, he opened the door and went downstairs.
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 8 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
|
complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
|
mature
|
2012-10-23T15:38:03+00:00
|
2013-12-03T00:51:55+00:00
| 2,320 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Oa6iR7xK3NGqVHo7z7WEynrvIqlyCrMi3nVzWuvvRAQ/edit
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 9: Dreamcatcher
After the group returned from their adventure, everypony had to catch up on their duties. But while the keepers of harmony were busy, Obsidian did not have much to do. That, though, was normal to him. Very irregular work shifts and heavily varying working hours and conditions were normal for an elder reaper. This gap was actually of good use for the black stallion. He needed this time to observe Rainbow Dash more.
He noticed she still did not fully trust him. He also did not forget about her questionable behavior when he stalked her at the night of their race. The black stallion had an idea of what was bothering her and why she could not trust him completely. So, using the claw stand holding the green-burning candle in his room, he began to craft something for her.
Obsidian opened a small bottle containing gray, sparkling dust and sprinkled some in the flame, which then grew notably bigger. While casting a few spells into the flame, he kept adding more ingredients. Substances hard to determine, partially even dangerous. The flame changed its color to a delicate shade of aquamarine and appeared to have gotten thicker and more solid. He made it compress and stretch into a long burning cord. As the reaper grabbed the tip and pulled on it, a sturdy string indeed got drawn out of it, getting longer and longer the more the reaper pulled on it. As the string became long enough for his needs, he changed the flame back to green, cutting the string.
The black stallion examined his work. Crafting curses was one of his specialties. He had done a good job, but the effect was not strong enough yet. So he rolled up the string, placed it on his table and bit himself hard in his left front leg. He then held the bleeding wound over the string, letting his blood drip on it. Each drop that landed on the string instantaneously caused a fizzing sound and made a tiny bit of smoke rise into the air. The red blood of the reaper reacted with the aquamarine string in a weird way, dyeing it into a deep, almost hypnotic lapis lazuli. The first piece of his craft was done now and, after a couple of seconds, the wound Obsidian caused himself healed up. He continued crafting enchanted objects and built them together into a single one until the morning arrived.
---
Fluttershy got woken up by the sun shining in her bedroom. She stretched and said good morning to Angel and all the other animals in the house. Then she began her routine in preparing breakfast for all creature that lived with her. While cutting some fruits and vegetables in the kitchen, she looked out of the window and saw Obsidian meditating outside. The yellow mare observed him for a while. For some reason, she found the sight fascinating. The reaper sat still like a statue, facing away from the rising sun. While he himself was protected by the shadows in his cloak, the sun made the cloak gain a thin, shimmering film of gold. Fluttershy finished preparing food for the animals and handed a portion to every creature. Then she went outside to feed the remaining pets. Every once in a while, she looked over to Obsidian again. He still didn’t move a muscle. It almost seemed like he wasn’t even breathing. It must have taken many years for him to gain this much self-control, she figured.
Now, all the animals had something to eat. Fluttershy always made sure the animals were fed before she made breakfast for herself. But this morning, she was given an opportunity she rarely had before. She could watch Obsidian meditate. She wondered... what is it like? Why does he do it so often? Fluttershy had some basic knowledge about meditation. She knew it helped finding your inner balance and gain better control of your body, mind and soul. But she could not imagine how that worked. It made her curious.
She slowly approached the reaper, trying not to disturb or even startle him. Obsidian, though, could hear her. He was a lot calmer than the yellow mare was. As he opened his eyes and turned his head to her, she jumped up in surprise.
“Is there something I can do for you, Miss Fluttershy?” he asked calmly.
“N-no. There’s nothing. I’m sorry I disturbed you,” she replied.
“Do not worry. You did not,” he ensured and turned away from her again to continue his meditation.
Fluttershy just stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do. She did not want to leave, but she also thought it would be rude to just disturb him now or even stare at him. Fluttershy figured, now that she is already here, she could just try to meditate with him. So she attempted to imitate Obsidian’s position and closed her eyes, trying to concentrate. The reaper looked over to her. She was nervous, obviously. He knew, if he spoke just a single word now, she would get startled. Fluttershy would not be able to empty her mind like this. Why was she trying to imitate him? Is this how ponies show their interest in one another? He could not deny that ever since he witnessed her Stare, he started to get interested in her as well. He asked her so many things on the way back to Ponyville. Now, he could teach her something in return.
Obsidian slowly stood up, catching Fluttershy’s attention. She feared this moment was already over now and she might have caused it with her presence. But the black stallion stood. He opened his cloak and spread his wings, flapping them a few times to get upright. He then started moving in a strange kind of manner. Slow, regular movements. Very wide and controlled. It seemed like every time he moved, he made his breath match to it. Fluttershy had heard of this before. Was it... Tai Chi? She kept on observing Obsidian for a while. His movements were fluent. Just watching him made Fluttershy feel calm. She then decided to try it herself. The yellow mare got upright and attempted to copy the reapers movements. Though they were a lot clumsier than Obsidian’s, she seemed to quickly learn the pattern. The reaper kept an eye on her. She was learning unexpectedly fast and she seemed to enjoy it. Obsidian did not have to explain anything. It appeared like exercise alone made her understand how meditation works. They both continued repeating the same movements over and over again for the next two hours, while all the animals were watching them in astonishment. Fluttershy improved quickly. But in the end, she started losing concentration. She still had no breakfast yet. They both finished up their exercise with a few final poses. Then Obsidian turned to the yellow mare.
“It was a pleasure meditating with you,” he stated.
Fluttershy smiled and blushed a bit. Then she remembered what Obsidian told her yesterday. They never got to talk further about it until now.
“You... said you were born in a fallen city?” she resumed.
Obsidian turned his head away as she mentioned Coltholm. His childhood memories were something very personal. He never shared anything private with ponies before and he was not ready to start that yet. The hundreds of years in which he learned to distrust ponies would not allow it. Though he was willing to go a step further in a different direction now.
“We will talk about that in further detail some other time, Miss Fluttershy. For now, how about we both catch up on our breakfast?” he suggested.
Fluttershy was surprised. She would not have expected him to ask to eat with her all of the sudden, after he avoided that for weeks. But the idea got her excited. She understood that this was a first sign of trust towards her. So she gladly accepted and they both went inside to have their own morning meal.
---
The keepers of harmony met up on the marketplace of Ponyville at noon. The practise in meditation left Fluttershy slightly more self-confident then usual. While she normally felt a bit nervous when other ponies looked in her direction and thus hid herself in the group, she could just ignore them this time. The change in her behavior was minor, but very well notable for the rest of the group.
“You seem so different today, Fluttershy. So... perky! Has something good happened?” Twilight wondered.
“Oh um no. Not really. Or well, maybe a little. I was meditating with Obsidian this morning,” Fluttershy replied. The group became curious.
“Meditating? So you say a bit of eye shutting and breathing is getting you better than all my encouragement?” Rainbow Dash asked, disbelieving.
Fluttershy lowered her head a bit.
“Well... um... your encouraging really is helping Rainbow. Please don’t get me wrong. But... I don’t know. Meditating just somehow makes me feel more... balanced,” she explained.
This answer did not fully re-ensure Rainbow, but seeing the effect meditation had on her childhood friend filled her with pride and satisfaction. She grinned and patted Fluttershy on her back. Then she looked over to Obsidian.
“Well, looks like our personal demon hunter has a few tricks to teach even I haven’t thought of. Good job, O!” Rainbow congratulated.
The reaper bowed down lightly for the compliment. Then Applejack spoke up.
“Well I say, things are quite different since yer ‘round here, Obsidian. Sure, I reckon we all look on Equestria with different eyes now. But it’s good that way. Wouldn’t have wanted to live a lie all mah life long. And I tells ya: with you around, it never gets boring,” she commented.
Suddenly, Pinkie Pie hopped in the foreground.
“Hey! Don’t you miss somepony here? Making sure things don’t get boring is my job!” she exclaimed.
Applejack smirked a bit in awkwardness.
“Y’all right there. Pardon, Pinkie. But say, when is your next party? Haven’t had one in quite a while!” she stated.
The party pony inhaled loudly in shock.
“Oh my gosh! You’re right! We totally should have another party! How about this afternoon?” she suggested.
“Are you sure you can arrange it that fast?” Rarity wondered.
“Duh. Parties are my special talent, silly! And when Obsidian helps, it will be a piece of cake!” the pink earth pony replied, grinning at the reaper.
He instantly knew what she was aiming for. Obsidian nodded, agreeing to help her.
“See? He says yes!” Pinkie cheered.
The other keepers of harmony looked among each other.
“Well I got time,” Applejack stated.
“So do I,” Twilight added.
“You know me, guys. When Pinkie Pie throws a party, I am there!” Rainbow Dash said.
“Same goes for me!” Rarity agreed.
“And me!” Fluttershy said.
Pinkie cheered loudly.
“Wohoooo! All my best friends are coming! This can only become a great party now! C’mon, Obsidian! We’ve got a whole lot of partying to get ready!” she exclaimed.
The reaper nodded again and followed her to Sugarcube Corner. On their way there, Pinkie bounced and hummed cheerfully. Then suddenly, she stopped and turned to Obsidian.
“You still remember our deal, right?” she wondered.
Of course he remembered. How could he forget such a deal? It was what the trust between her and him was built on. Obsidian did not reply. Instead, he just focused her with a serious face and nodded. The party pony then grinned again.
“You know you can always come over when you get hungry. I always keep some leftovers and I gladly share them with a friend like you!” Pinkie offered.
This ensured Obsidian that he had the complete trust of her. The offer was quite to his advantage. From now on, he would never have to worry about getting the food to silence his inner demons unnoticed anymore.
“I gladly accept that offer, Pinkamena,” he replied.
---
The party was bright and cheerful, as they always were when Pinkie threw them. The ponies danced, played, ate cake and had a lot of fun. Obsidian kept himself in the background all the time, rather acting like a security guard than a party guest. He did not eat anything and barely spoke a word. The other ponies, and especially Pinkie Pie, tried to motivate him to party with them. However, the reaper denied. One who can not experience amusement has little interest in such things. But he did thank them for their efforts in making him part of their group. After the party was over and it started getting dark, Twilight had a short talk with the reaper on her way to the library.
“So what precisely happened this morning?” she asked.
“I can not tell for sure,” Obsidian replied. “Miss Fluttershy showed an unusual interest in my meditation. When I showed her how it is done, she learned very quickly. There is something about her that draws my attention. I can not say what it is. But my guess is she has a great power inside her. She just seems to be afraid of using it or has little control over it, as seen from her Stare.”
“Well, I can only agree with that. She is very shy most of the time and she thinks of herself as weak and helpless. But sometimes, in situations like when she used the Stare on the spawn, it is like we’re facing a completely different pony! I just can’t explain it!” Twilight added.
“Neither can I. But with your allowance, I could do further research. Taming this power inside her could unlock a huge, unexpected ability to her. Something strong enough to cause a demon to stop and abandon its target can not simply be ignored,” the reaper offered.
“Okay, Obsidian. Just make sure nothing bad happens to her,” she agreed.
The black stallion bowed down to her.
“As you command. Now, we have to part here,” he said and started walking in a different direction.
“Where are you going?” Twilight asked curiously.
“I am just going for a night patrol through Ponyville. Nothing specific,” he replied
“Oh, alright then. Good night!” Twilight spoke and went the rest of the way to her library alone.
---
The patrol was actually just an alibi for Obsidian to approach Rainbow’s cloud house. He knew she was home now and she would stay there for the rest of the night, unless the exact thing he came for happens. So he stood hidden in the shadows, waiting half the night for a very specific sound to come out of her house.
Then finally, it happened. Obsidian heard Rainbow Dash screaming out loudly. Her cloud home was apart of the village. No one else would hear it.
Obsidian lifted into the air and flew over to a window, peeking inside. Rainbow Dash fell out of her bed and rolled around on the floor, screaming with all her strength. Tank was right next to her, trying to wake her up. But his movements were simply too slow to catch her.
After a while, Rainbow Dash finally woke up, shaking and breathing heavily. She calmed down soon, but instead began to cry and curl up on the floor, shaking even more.
Obsidian’s assumption was correct. He flew over to the door and knocked. Instantly, Rainbow Dash stopped crying and tried to get her breath and voice under control.
“W-who’s there?” she asked.
“Obsidian Shards. Are you okay, Rainbow?” the black stallion asked.
He could hear something fall over inside. Apparently, hearing his name caused her to jump up in shock.
“Go away! Stay away from me!” she shouted. Another confirmation for the reaper.
“Rainbow. I am not here to cause you any harm. I was on a patrol when I heard you scream. I am here to check on you. Is everything alright in there? Are you hurt?” he asked.
“I’m... I’m fine! Just leave me alone!” she answered.
The reaper figured now was the right time to confront her with what he noticed.
“I know you have nightmares,” he revealed.
“You... you... do?” she wondered, calming down again.
“Yes. I am here to help you. I have something that could help you get rid of them. But for that, you need to trust me. Please, let me in,” Obsidian requested.
Rainbow Dash did not reply this time. Nothing happened for more than a minute. Then finally, the door opened.
“I... I haven’t told anypony about them. How did you find that out?” she wondered.
“You might be able to put on a mask for your friends to hide your problems from them. But I am a reaper. I can see past the mask of yours,” the black stallion explained.
Again, Rainbow Dash became silent. They both slowly walked over to a cloud sofa and sat down on it.
“What are your nightmares about?” he then resumed.
“One, Obsidian... It is just one nightmare... the same over and over again. I... I’m not sure if I can talk about it...” she replied.
“If you keep it secret, it will never get better. Talk about it. It will help you, believe me,” Obsidian stated.
The blue Pegasus needed a moment to think about it. Tank flew over to them in the meanwhile, using his flying contraption. Then, Rainbow took a deep breath in and started explaining while staring at the ground.
“It starts out various ways... like I’m with the others and just talk to them, take part in a competition, have a meeting with the Wonderbolts or am simply flying around. But then... then its always the same...”
She stopped for a moment to take another breath before she continued.
“F-first... my... flanks and wings start bleeding. Really badly. It just won’t stop... Then, I suddenly catch on fire. I burn, but don’t incinerate. I just... burn... outside and inside... it seems all so real each time... and it hurts so much. I never thought I could feel pain like that in my dreams... And... and then...”
Rainbow paused anew, turning towards Obsidian. She started shaking again. Her pupils shrunk to tiny black beads and her ears dropped sideways. With a very shaky voice expressing her total fear, she finished her exposition.
“I see you! You’re coming towards me and kill me!”
Obsidian remained silent. He knew Rainbow Dash was very unstable right now. One bad movement from his side and she would completely freak out, breaking all the bonds they had so far. Obsidian sat there, not moving a muscle.
“When did that nightmare first appear?” he asked carefully.
“About two or three weeks before you came to Ponyville. Ever since then, I started having it more and more often. Now, I have it almost every third night...” she replied.
The reaper remained silent for several moments again. He needed to be careful what he said and did now. Then, he thought of how to go on.
“I see now why you do not trust me. I would not be able to find trust in a person like me myself if I had such dreams,” he stated.
Rainbow Dash was still shaking. She held Tank tightly, afraid of what might happen next.
“There is very little I can do to prove I mean you no harm and that this dream will never come true. It is a mere fact that I am a professional state killer. I am not going to try and convince you otherwise. But-” he started, reaching into his cloak.
This only made Rainbow Dash even more nervous. Though she soon relaxed again as Obsidian’s hoof returned, presenting a strange, head-size object. It was a large ring through which a lapis lazuli colored string has been woven to look like something similar to a spider web. It was decorated with feathers and had three long cords hanging from it, which had small gems at the end. The gem at the middle cord looked similar to an eye.
“-I still hope you accept this gift,” the reaper finished.
“What is that?” the athletic mare asked.
“This object is called a dreamcatcher. It is a magical artifact that can filter dreams and nightmares. While good dreams pass through it easily, nightmares get stuck in it. They are forced to abide in the dreamcatcher until the morning arrives. Then, the first sunbeams that fall through it destroy the nightmares. As long as you sleep nearby this dreamcatcher, you will never have this nightmare again,” Obsidian explained.
He then placed the dreamcatcher on the table in front of them. Rainbow Dash examined it for a moment. Then she looked back at Obsidian.
“You are absolutely sure this works?” she asked. The reaper nodded.
“You do not have to accept it or use it. It simply is a gift. Mistress Celestia ordered me to protect you and your friends. That not only means on a physical, but also on a mental level. It is up to you if you believe me or not,” he stated.
The black stallion stood up after he was done speaking and headed towards the door. Rainbow Dash was wavering like never before. On the one hoof, there was this extremely alarming nightmare that clearly told her to not trust Obsidian. On the other hoof, he really just wanted to help and already had done a lot to protect her and her friends. Their whole conversation just now seemed very convincing. Obsidian was not hiding anything from her. He did not hesitate saying that he really is dangerous and he did not lie about anything.
“Wait please,” she finally spoke, just before the black stallion reached the door. He turned around.
“You’re really not a bad guy, aren’t you?” she asked with a lot of hesitation.
“You are wrong, Rainbow Dash. I am a bad guy. I kill ponies. That is my task and I am not going to lie about it. As I said: it is up to you if you want to believe a killer like me or not,” Obsidian replied.
Again a moment of silence passed. Then, Rainbow made up her mind.
“Well I do believe you. You are trying so hard to just be here for us. You are around every day and night. Heck, I don’t even know where I might have ended up if I hadn’t talked to you about this nightmare... You were right, Obsidian. I already do feel better now that I’ve talked about it. Thanks,” she spoke.
The black stallion bowed down before her.
“It is I who has to be grateful for being accepted for what I am. I have to say, it is very rare for me to have such an experience. Reapers have a lot of hate on them. I suppose you still remember the night my identity was revealed?” he reminded, causing Rainbow to scratch the back of her head and look at him with an a bit awkward expression.
“Yeah... I led the whole thing... come to think of it, I was acting pretty stupid all the time. Everypony accepted you as what you are and I was the only one who still had problems... because of some stupid nightmare. Just think about it: the great and brave Rainbow Dash, the only one afraid of the most friendly reaper ever,” she summarized.
“You are exaggerating, Rainbow,” the black stallion replied.
The blue Pegasus smiled at him.
“But it’s right. I should have known better,” she said.
Then she looked over to the dreamcatcher and picked it up.
“Well, if you’re so sure this thing here works, I will test it out right away. Thank you, O. You have no idea how much this means to me,” Rainbow Dash thanked.
“Nothing to speak of. By the way: it seems like we both had our preconceptions,” Obsidian added.
“Huh? What preconceptions did you have against me?” Dash wondered in confusion.
The black stallion slowly walked over to her again and pointed at Tank, who by now fell asleep.
“I would not have expected you to be the kind of pony to have a tortoise as a pet,” he answered.
Rainbow Dash had to fighting back a loud laugh, for the sakes of not waking up Tank, and chuckled instead.
“Yeah, yeah. Since I adopted this little fella, I get to hear that all the time,” she explained.
Obsidian turned around again and headed to the door.
“I appreciate your trust, Rainbow. I am glad we could talk this out. Do not worry. I will keep this nightmare a secret. Now, I suppose you want to get some rest. Good night,” he spoke.
“Well, yeah. Valētō, Obsidian,” she replied.
Obsidian stopped and turned his head to her one last time.
“Valē, Rainbow. Valētō means 'farewell forever',” he corrected.
“Oops! Sorry!” Rainbow apologized.
“Unless you really want to not see me again...” the reaper spoke.
“No, no. Hope to see you tomorrow. Again, thank you a lot for tonight. I have the feeling everything can only get better now. Valē!” Rainbow finished.
Obsidian bowed down and left the cloud house. On his flight back to Fluttershy’s cottage, he reflected back on the night. It turned out better than he expected. Rainbow had no idea Obsidian crafted the dreamcatcher and filled it with many powerful curses, which all combined in this way lead to only one, but very strong effect: robbing her from an ability she was not aware she had.
Now, all that was left to do is wait. Let time pass by and intensify the friendships he built up with the keepers of harmony. Until those two specific dates in his book of death have arrived and he could finish the mission Mistress Celestia gave him.
---
The days went on in Ponyville. All eventless, besides Rainbow now being able to sleep much better and be fearless again. But while nothing happened in Ponyville, a very specific mare in Canterlot was breaking with her past.
She lived in the school for gifted unicorns and was busy burning everything that reminded her of the last few years. Maps, notes, gifts never handed out, letters and pictures. She held the last photo in her hooves, sitting in front of the chimney fire. It was a picture featuring her and Twilight Sparkle.
The only one she ever had with both of them together. It was her favorite picture and it was the hardest for her to let go of. This photo was the last string that connected her with Twilight. But the purple mare was gone for years now. It had no use. She had to face she will never see Twilight again.
Tears ran down her face as she dropped the photo into the flames and painfully watched as it turned to ash. She cried so many times already. But this time, they were tears of relief.
Suddenly, a small magic flame entered her room and turned into a dark blue ticket that landed in her front hooves. The mare gladly accepted this distraction, since she no longer wanted to think of Twilight anymore. So she began to read:
Official entry-ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala Midnight Masquerade
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 9 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
|
complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
|
mature
|
2012-10-24T17:26:59+00:00
|
2014-03-10T23:36:36+00:00
| 2,006 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qMm-DpsG_vbXpGOJ5KvjyVB7wgN2AgL8ohU7myutQcc/edit
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 10: Birth
“Dearest Twilight Sparkle. By our sister's will, we were given the great honor of hosting this year’s Grand Galloping Gala and arrange it in the ways we find most appealing. So we ask thee and thy friends be of attendance. We have decided to host a masquerade ball, therefore masks are mostly required. We are most expecting to hear of thy participation. Signed: Princess Luna,” Spike read out loudly to the group at Rarity’s boutique.
“Oh my gosh! A masquerade! This sounds like fun!” Pinkie Pie cheered.
“Well that’s something different for a change!” Applejack commented.
“As much as I like the idea of a masked dance, I am not sure if I actually want to go there again... Nothing against Princess Luna, of course. I just don’t want to stumble into that disaster of a royal etiquette known as Prince Blueblood again,” Rarity explained, greatly displeased.
“I do have information that Prince Blueblood is on a diplomatic trip to the griffin empire. It is unlikely he will be there,” Obsidian Shards replied, who as usual was a bit distant from the group and observed the actions around the building.
“Oh, in this case, those are great news! I can’t wait to see what kind of decor Princess Luna has chosen!” Rarity spoke.
“But we still need to get masks, don’t we?” Fluttershy asked with a concerned tone in her voice.
“Ah, that’s no problem,” Rainbow Dash commented, hovering in the air above them, leaning on an imaginary sofa. “I know somepony in Cloudsdale who is making masks for a living. They’re pretty cool, too! And I’m sure I can get him to make you a custom, Spike!”
The baby dragon, though, looked displeased.
“Guys, I’m not going there. It’s in the middle of the night!” he declared.
The keepers of harmony were a bit disappointed to hear that, but Twilight agreed with him.
“You’re right, Spike. A baby dragon should not stay up all night,” she spoke.
“Well, Obsidian can have my ticket!” he offered.
The six mares agreed this would be a great idea. But the reaper thought otherwise.
“A most generous offer. But I have to deny it,” he spoke, confusing the group a bit.
“But we would love to party with you! And it’s in the night! I thought you liked the night more than the day,” Pinkie exclaimed. Obsidian nodded.
“Maximē. It is during night time. Therefore I can not come,” he explained.
“What do you mean? Is it because of Princess Luna?” Rainbow wondered.
“Irrelevant. Just give the ticket to somepony else,” he replied, then walked out of the building to avoid further questions.
The group became silent and disappointed. Obsidian joined them on everything and agreed on most of the things so far. Now, all of the sudden, he would not join them at the gala?
“Wait here, girls. I’ll get him right back,” Twilight spoke and ran after the reaper.
---
“Now, now. Isn’t that quite an odd behavior from your side, Obsidian? First you make Rainbow Dash believe you are there for the group all the time, and then you refuse to go with them to something this big and important?” Odd Cirs stated in a mocking voice.
“Silentius es,” Obsidian growled quietly while walking down the main street.
“Don’t you think you are missing some great opportunities to improve the trust between you and the ladies?” Odd Cirs kept on asking.
“I do know that. But there is no other way. This is all I will tell you,” the black stallion replied.
However, he soon had to realize he won’t be able to keep this decision up as Twilight approached him with an angry face. The reaper stopped and turned around to her, bowing down.
“You can’t act that way to Princess Luna! Maybe she was Nightmare Moon and maybe she is the reason... and...” she shouted, but then found herself unable to continue.
In her anger, she forgot to keep Maledictum Insania and the events leading to the creation of this curse to herself. But the curse of secrets cut her off before she could say even a single word.
“Ah, you know what I mean! She is not evil anymore!” Twilight finished.
“If you are implying I dislike my mistress’ sister, then I can ensure you, this is not the case. It requires emotions to like or dislike a being, which I, as I told you, lack,” he replied.
“Then why can’t you come?” the purple mare wondered, still angry.
“As I said, it is irrelevant for you to know. Just do not mention reaper-kind or me to the Princess when you meet her,” he answered and continued walking away.
Twilight would not accept this answer. She wanted to know what the reason behind this was. So she used the power she was granted by the black stallion against him.
“Obsidian Shards, I order you to tell me why you can’t go to the masquerade!” she ordered.
The reaper instantly stopped. He had to obey now. After a short hesitation, he turned around and bowed down again.
“As you command. Please follow me,” he spoke.
The black stallion then lead Twilight to a silent corner, ensuring nopony else would be listening.
“It is forbidden for reapers to be in Princess Luna’s range of sight. This is an official, high priority order given by Mistress Celestia to all reapers,” he explained.
“What? Why would she order that?” Twilight asked disbelieving.
“Princess Luna does not have any memories of the time she fell to madness. She simply believes she had a very heavy quarrel with our mistress and caused some trouble. She thinks this is the reason she was sealed into the moon for a millennium. Princess Luna is unaware of Maledictum Insania, the demons, the reapers, undeads and the millions of ponies that had found a terrible end through her. Our mistress wants to keep it this way,” the black stallion answered.
“Oh...” was the only thing Twilight could say.
This was something she really did not expect. But it made sense. Luna’s spirit was in a state of coma during those events. She didn’t come back to her senses until Twilight and her friends purified her. Anyway, the purple mare really wanted Obsidian to join them. So she tried to convince him.
“But it’s a masquerade! I know we can’t do much about your curved horn, but she won’t even notice your identity! As long as you hide your wings, everything will be fine!” she stated.
Obsidian, though, shook his head.
“No, Twilight. Our mistress is very strict about us staying away from her sister. She threatened to execute the one of us who dared to reveal the existence of reapers to her,” Obsidian countered coldly.
But Twilight only got irritated from these words.
“Are you kidding me? I know Princess Celestia better than to believe she would actually order the execution of a pony or reaper,” she countered.
“I am not making jokes, Twilight. Those were her words,” the reaper said, becoming serious.
The purple mare started getting angry again.
“I believed every word you told me so far, Obsidian. But I’m not going to believe Princess Celestia is cold-hearted like this!” she persisted.
In the last few years, Twilight had been overly afraid of displeasing the Princess, fearing to be heavily punished. But now, she learned Celestia would never do such a thing and nothing in the world was allowed to shatter Twilight’s impression of her infinite tolerance, kindness and wisdom.
“Twilight-” he started again, but got instantly interrupted.
“Enough! I don’t want to hear another word of this! I order you to join us on the Grand Galloping Gala Midnight Masquerade!” the purple mare commanded.
Obsidian became silent. He found himself stuck in a conflict between two orders. He either had to disobey his mistress, or the pony that she wanted him to comply with as well. The reaper had no chance to resolve this. So he just bowed down.
“As you command. Though I have to say, you are playing a risky game, Twilight Sparkle,” he replied.
“I said, I don’t want to hear any more of this! You’re coming with us, just to prove everything will be fine! Now, let us go back to the others!” Twilight insisted loudly, almost shouting.
Obsidian did not expect her to abuse her authority and their friendship like that. If Luna discovered him during the masquerade, it would rearrange everything. Mistress Celestia might be very kind and have a lot of tolerance for her subjects. But reapers are not classified as official members of pony society. Everyone of them knew she still hated them for the horrible things they had done and are still doing.
---
The Summer Sun Celebration passed by and summer reached its peak. The six friends were quite excited about the masquerade and prepared a lot. This time, they wanted to stick together during the festival. Applejack worked extra hard on the apple orchard to be ahead of schedule when the great night would come. Rarity created some new outfits for everypony. She also had a talk with Rainbow Dash to make sure the masks she arranged for them would fit to her designs. Twilight did a research on correct behavior during a masquerade.
But Obsidian did not involve himself in any of this. He had demons to hunt, monsters to slay and dying or already undead ponies to reap. Fluttershy kept on meditating with him more and more often. She rapidly advanced, approaching the black stallion’s level step by step. What usually took months for a pony to learn, she seemed to gain in just a few weeks. She then also developed an interest in the tasks of the reaper. Obsidian had still not found out what granted her her ability, or why she was so curious about the things he did. But somehow he seemed more and more attracted to her as well.
Then finally, the day of the gala had come. While the keepers of harmony were getting dressed in the changing room, the black stallion was outside, guarding the door. He had some time to think about what would be best to do tonight. He obviously would have to avoid both Mistress Celestia and Princess Luna. But how would he be able to hide in the crowd? With his cloak, he would stick out in a hall full of ponies wearing very high class attire. But going without it would make him even more noticeable, not to mention he would leave behind the only kind of protection he needed. It would get tricky, that was for sure.
After a while, the changing room door opened and the six mares stepped out. Rarity once again did an amazing job. She decided to go more with the natural colors of the ponies this time, so the friends could find each other in the masses again.
Twilight’s costume was cut to look like a royal enchantress uniform, colored in purple with dark violet and pink stripes.
Fluttershy’s dress was long, light and of a delicate shade of yellow with pink decor.
Rainbow had a multi colored, feminized suit.
Rarity’s dress was of a deep indigo, cut slenderly around her figure and highlighted with white elements.
Applejack’s costume was rather simple, yet still noble for a country dancing dress in yellow and orange.
Pinkie’s dark pink dress was the shortest, ending in a skirt.
Now they put on their masks, all perfectly matching their outfits. They looked elegant and mysterious, which only made them more excited.
“Are you ready, ladies?” Obsidian asked calmly. The group of friends cheered in approval.
“I took the liberty of arranging you a carriage. It is waiting outside,” he continued, bowing down.
“Thank you, Obsidian. That was very kind of you,” Twilight commented.
They were already heading outside when Rarity made a surprising statement.
“Girls, I will catch up later. Obsidian and I have a little something to do before we go there too,” she announced.
Everyone turned around to her.
“What kind of business would that be, Miss Rarity?” the reaper asked, distrustful.
“Yeah! Why didn’t you say this sooner?” Pinkie wondered.
“It’s a surprise! Just get on your way and you will see once we are there,” Rarity explained.
“Oh! Oh! I love surprises! Can’t wait for you two already! See you there!” cheered Pinkie and bounced outside, followed by the others.
Obsidian became alert. The keepers of harmony may trust him, but he still did not trust them very much. He looked grimly and lowered his head a bit, ready to go in battle stance if necessary.
“What are you planning, Miss Rarity?” he asked.
“Oh please, Obsidian. You don’t have to look at me like that. Did you really think I would forget about your outfit?” she replied, smiling widely.
The black stallion actually almost forgot about that. Rarity then guided him over to Carousel Boutique and positioned him in front of a curtain.
“Now, I hereby present you my darkest creation yet!” she announced and pulled on a cord to open the curtain.
Even though Obsidian had nearly no emotions, Rarity managed to get him wide-eyed at the sight of his garments.
“You made this?” he wondered, causing Rarity to grin proudly.
“Oh yes, my dear. It took me forever to figure out how the dark style works, but I think this is among my greatest masterpieces! It only needs one more thing to make it perfect,” she explained.
“What would that be?” the reaper asked.
The fashion diva gave him a cunning glance.
“Your cloak!” she replied.
---
It was already getting late when the five friends finally arrived at Canterlot castle. Yet, the masquerade was still only about to start. They handed their tickets to the guards, who were masked as well for this event, and waited with the masses in front of the castle. Hundreds of ponies had come. All of them wearing formal attire combined with masks. The mass was excited. Most of them had never been on a masquerade before and with Princess Luna hosting it, they did not know what to expect. Then finally, dozens of fanfares announced the beginning of the masquerade. The drawbridge lowered and grand gate of the castle opened. Two unusually tall ponies wearing royal garbs stepped outside. Princess Celestia, who was dressed in white and gold together with a white, winged mask and Princess Luna, who was dressed in dark blue and silver, wearing a dark blue, star-shaped mask. Luna stepped forth and made an announcement in the traditional royal Canterlot voice.
“Beloved subjects. We are pleased to welcome you to the Grand Galloping Gala Midnight Masquerade! I am your host, Princess Luna. We hope ye have the most wonderful time tonight!” she promulgated.
While most of the time, using that voice was simply too loud and threatening, the volume was just right so even the ponies in the backmost line could hear it. The guests cheered and stepped forth. They were all personally greeted by the princesses once more. The five friends decided to take off their masks to greet them back.
“Ah! Look, Luna! Twilight and her friends have arrived!” Celestia stated to her sister as the friends came close. Princess Luna was delighted to see them coming to her masquerade.
“Twilight Sparkle! We are pleased to see thee and thy friends! Though we do have to say, it is not the purpose of a masquerade ball to know one another’s identity,” Luna greeted, chuckling a bit. The mares giggled along with her.
“Don’t worry. We just wanted to say hello and thank you for the invitation,” Twilight replied.
“Thou art most welcome! The masquerade would not be the same without thee. But, pray tell, Is one of you missing?” the Princess of the Night wondered.
“Rarity had a surprise to finish! So she and -” Pinkie Pie started, but got interrupted by Twilight, who held a hoof in front of her mouth.
“Yes, yes... Rarity is coming a bit later. But don’t worry, your highnesses. We will be complete soon!” Twilight threw in quickly, smirking a bit awkwardly.
Although she did not believe Princess Celestia would actually punish Obsidian for coming against her will, Twilight did not want to risk putting him into trouble. Princess Celestia became suspicious by her student’s behavior. But she considered it would be best to not make any comment. Luna took this for just the normal way the mares behave among each other and didn’t think about it further. Instead, she invited them to enter the castle and see what she had prepared. The mares put their masks back on and stepped inside.
---
It seemed as though Luna had changed the entire interior just for this event. The checkerboard marble floor was enchanted to look like the night sky, giving a very dreamy and magical feeling when walking over it. Where usually endless red carpets covered the ground, paths made of countless small stars had been created to guide the guests around the castle.
Huge dark blue banners were attached between the pillars, which as well had been changed in color to a dark, silvery tone. The tessellated windows all showed beautiful night scenes and star constellations.The air was filled with tiny, sparkling particles, hovering just above the guests. The only source of light was a large, crescent shaped crystal, emitting an unspeakably beautiful blue light.
Canterlot Castle was always astonishing, but tonight, filled with all this dreamy decor and Luna’s magic, it made the ponies feel like they were in a different world, where darkness was beautiful and walking in the night sky was the most natural thing for everypony.
Exploring the castle alone consumed a good portion of time. Although most of the activities were taking place in the ballroom, it seemed like Luna had prepared a little game for the ponies. Many paths were open to them and each lead to more decor, beautiful windows and fascinating midnight art. After an hour of venerating the castle and talking to other ponies, Rarity finally arrived and met up with the others.
“There you are, girls! I’ve been looking for you everywhere! Wow, I absolutely admire what Princess Luna has prepared for tonight! The colors! The lighting! The decor! The details! It is all so, so magnificent! Don’t you think so?” she asked.
“Hey Rarity! Yeah, it’s pretty damn cool in here! Um... where’s Obsidian?” Rainbow Dash wondered. Rarity looked around.
“What? He was just behind me a moment ago. Maybe he... Oh, there he is!” Rarity stated, pointing in his direction.
If she would not have said this is him, the ponies would not have recognized the reaper again. The fashion diva spiffed him up as much as she could. His hair had been cut, now only going down to his shoulders. They were brushed back and appeared silky and shiny. Obsidian’s face was covered by a black and red, demonic mask. None of his scars or stitches were visible as Rarity used all her make-up tricks to cover and hide them. She even gave him a manicure, making his hooves look shiny and spotless. His flawless, dark appearance was underlined by his costume, which made the jaws of all the other keepers of harmony drop. The reaper wore a black and blood red vampire suit, along with a long, black cape. The suit was cut to look very aggressive, yet also dangerously seductive as it revealed his chest partially. Obsidian made quite an impression. Dangerous and yet fascinating like a vampire, elegant and mysterious like a phantom. He finally spotted the group and walked over to the others.
“Salvē, amīcae,” he greeted them.
That masked stallion in front of them really was Obsidian. The five mares were so stunned by his appearance they found themselves unable to reply. Rarity correctly took the silence as a huge compliment and grinned widely in pride.
“Isn’t he just fabulous?” she asked.
Rainbow Dash slowly turned her head over to the fashion diva, still with wide open mouth.
“Rarity, if there was a prize for the most creative mind in Equestria, it would so go to you!” she stated, then turned back to the reaper. “This is amazing! You look super cool, O!”
“Oh my gosh, Obsidian! That really is a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuge surprise!” Pinkie Pie agreed, stretching her front legs in the air, attempting to symbolize the level of her astonishment.
“By mah apple trees. That is a kind of fancy I can only compliment!” Applejack stated.
“This outfit is mind blowing, Rarity! I never thought you would create something dark like that!” Twilight honored.
“That is only thanks to Obsidian. He inspired me to try a darker fashion and I have to say, I grew to love it! I can’t wait to make a whole collection and publish it! What do you think, Fluttershy?” Rarity wondered.
The yellow Pegasus did not reply. She was still staring at Obsidian, blushing under her mask.
“Fluttershy? Are you okay, my dear?” Rarity asked, snapping her out of trance.
“Oh, um. I. Um. I mean...” she replied, not knowing what to say.
Obsidian bowed down before the mares.
“Thank you all for your kind words and a special thanks to you, Miss Rarity,” he spoke.
“It really is okay now. So, how about we go to the ballroom and have some hors d'oeuvres?” the fashion diva suggested.
They agreed and started walking back. Obsidian constantly looked around for signs of his mistress or Princess Luna. Rarity improved his chances of getting through the night unnoticed dramatically with this outfit. Despite of its very unique style, he blended into the crowd much better now. Also, if anything would go wrong, he even had his cloak. Rarity folded and sewed it to the suit to make it look like a cape. In case of emergency, he could easily tear it off. It seemed like everything would turn out fine for all of them.
---
After a few snacks and some more talking, the ponies decided to go for a dance. While most of the other ponies looked for a partner to dance with, Fluttershy and Obsidian were not participating. Although he could dance, the reaper had little interest in it, as it brought him no joy. Fluttershy was too afraid to ask anypony to dance with her. So they both just had a little talk and watched the others.
The night continued and all the guests had a lot of fun. Near midnight, Princess Luna held a speech about how glad she was to be accepted by ponykind. During that time, Obsidian left the ballroom and hid himself.
Shortly after the speech was over, another pony bumped into Twilight and both of them collapsed. The purple mare lifted her head to see who ran into her.
It was a unicorn mare of about her age. She had a white coat and long red hair. Her dress was rather short, revealing her cutie mark: a red crescent moon surrounded by multiple red stars. Twilight recognized this symbol.
The collision also knocked her mask of, so Twilight could see the mare’s face. She knew this pony. Very well to be precise.
“Moondancer!” Twilight exclaimed happily. The other mare was still dizzy.
“Ugh... I’m sorry. I should have... wait, you know me?” she asked.
“Of course! It’s me, Twilight! Twilight Sparkle!” the purple mare spoke and removed her mask.
Instantly, Moondancer’s eyes went wide open. She was paralyzed.
“T...T-Twilight?” she asked disbelieving her own eyes.
“It’s so good to see you! How are you? Doing good on your studies?” Twilight asked.
Moondancer slowly got up and approached her. She just could not believe what she saw and heard. So she had to make sure this is not just another daydream or illusion of her and placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. As she realized her hoof was not passing through Twilight’s figure, she was finally able to believe she was really just in front of her.
“It is you... it’s really you...” she replied, very shaky.
“Moondancer? Are you okay?” Twilight worried.
“I... I haven’t seen you for years! Where have you been?” Moondancer asked.
“Oh, you didn’t know? I live and study in Ponyville now!” Twilight replied and turned around to call her friends over. “Hey, everypony! Come here for a moment! I need you to meet somepony!”
Twilight’s friends came over and took off their masks.
“Everypony, this is Moondancer. We were in the same class when I was still living in Canterlot. Moondancer, these are my friends from Ponyville. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and... where is Obsidian Shards?” Twilight asked.
The others looked around, but could not find him.
“Ponyville...” Moondancer spoke quietly.
“Well howdy doo, Miss Moondancer!” Applejack greeted.
“A friend of Twilight is also our friend!” Pinkie added.
Moondancer remained silent. This whole situation was a bit too much for her. Twilight had changed. She was so open and social now. And all these ponies around her...
“So how are your studies doing?” Twilight resumed.
“Oh... well... since you left the class, I became the best pupil,” she replied.
“Heh, I knew that would happen. You were always quite talented,” Twilight commented, smiling happily.
Though Moondancer just dropped her head.
“Is something bothering you?” Twilight worried.
Again, Moondancer stood silent for a few moments. Then she looked back at Twilight.
“Can we talk in private please? Just for a moment...” she asked.
The six mares became confused.
“Oh, um, okay sure. I will be back soon, girls!” Twilight replied.
The two mares put their masks back on and walked outside the castle and to the gardens.
---
The castle gardens were quiet. Most animals were asleep by now. Moondancer led Twilight deep inside to ensure they were undisturbed. What was about to happen was a very private thing, only meant to be known between the two of them. As even the music coming out of the castle became very quiet, Moondancer stopped.
“So, what is it that you want to tell me?” Twilight asked, a bit unsure.
Moondancer did not reply. She just stood there, removing her mask again and staring at Twilight. Suddenly, her eyes filled with tears. She embraced Twilight, sobbing heavily. Twilight’s confusion grew even further.
“Oh dear! What’s wrong, Moondancer?” Twilight wondered,very worried.
She couldn’t reply instantly. Her crying was just too heavy and she even had problems breathing because of that. She needed a moment to catch herself again and calm down. Then, she was able to talk to the purple mare again.
“How dare you...” she spoke, confusing Twilight even more. “how... how... just... dare you.”
“Moondancer?” Twilight asked.
She had no idea what was going on right now. The red-haired unicorn lifted her head, looking at Twilight with a mix of great sadness, anger and relief.
“I’ve been looking for you, Twilight! I turned all of Canterlot upside down to find you! From one day to the other, you were gone and nopony had any idea where you could have went!” she started, beginning to sob again. “I spent every break I got searching for you all over Equestria! I never stopped looking for you until a few weeks ago, as I used up my last money for a trip to Manehattan, just to search for you there! And now... after four damn years... you have the guts to just come back, tell me you were in Ponyville the whole time, made a lot of friends there and pretend nothing ever happened? Just... just, how dare you?!”
Twilight was moved. She never thought that anypony would miss her the day she left. She had next to no social contacts back then. Twilight removed her mask, too.
“Oh, no... oh, Moondancer... I’m.. I’m so sorry... I had no idea...” Twilight apologized.
This caused Moondancer to tear away from her and look at the purple mare angrily.
“Of course not! You never had any idea about anything! All the time, you were just ignoring me! … The invitations, the gifts... Do you even remember any of that?” she kept blaming Twilight.
At this moment, a flashback ran through the purple mare’s mind. Yes, she did remember the invitations and the gifts. The last thing she experienced before she left to Ponyville on a mission to prepare the Summer Sun Celebration for Princess Celestia was that three of Twilight’s classmates invited her to a get-together with Moondancer, which she denied.
Then she went to her library to find out more about the elements of harmony. Spike had a gift box pierced on his tail. The baby dragon meant it to be for Moondancer, since Twilight denied her just too often. She, though, didn’t even care about it getting destroyed by accident.
Those were by far not the only times Moondancer tried to get in contact with Twilight or show the purple mare her appreciation. Twilight Sparkle realized she was very cold back then. She denied everything that came from others and barely spent any time with any of her classmates.
Twilight came back to the present and stared at Moondancer, whose eyes started getting sore from all the tears.
“I... I just wanted to have you around... I wanted to be with you. Was I asking too much? You didn’t even care! No, you didn’t even notice me!” the white mare continued.
“I’m so incredibly sorry... I was a different pony back then, only interested in books. I wish I could make it up for you...” Twilight apologized again.
Moondancer calmed down now. Hearing Twilight was really sorry for how she treated her filled the white mare with feelings of finally being understood by her. She slowly walked back to Twilight again.
“It’s okay now, Twi. You’re back. You’re finally back. That is all that matters,” Moondancer spoke and embraced the purple mare again.
Twilight hugged her back. The two mares remained in this position for several minutes, surrounded by the silence of the night. Then, Moondancer spoke up again.
“Twilight... there is something I need to tell you,” she explained.
“What is it?” the purple mare asked gently.
Moondancer looked her deep into the eyes. For some reason, she seemed to become nervous. She was shaking a bit and a blush grew on her cheeks. Then, all of the sudden, she stopped shaking, closed her eyes and kissed Twilight on the lips. The purple mare’s eyes went wide open in surprise. The unexpected intimacy of her old school friend caused her to blush as well. Twilight, usually very literate, found herself in a situation she had no idea how to react to. She just stood there, her body solid like stone. Then finally, Moondancer ended the kiss.
“I love you, Twilight. I loved you all the time. I was just too afraid to let you know,” she explained, blushing even more. “All the time, I kept this secret. When you disappeared, I thought I lost all my chances to ever tell you what is going on inside me. The weight became unbearable.”
Twilight was shocked. Of all the things that could have happened tonight, this is something she definitely did not see coming. Moondancer closed her eyes and sighed in relief.
“It feels like a huge burden has just been lifted from my heart. I said it... I finally, finally was able to say it,” she spoke and attempted to kiss Twilight again.
However, the purple mare backed away, causing Moondancer to look at her in confusion.
“Wait... Moondancer. I’m sorry I put you through all of this, but-” Twilight started before she got interrupted by the red-haired unicorn.
“It’s okay, Twilight. I forgive you,” she stated quickly, grinning a bit.
“I-It really flatters me that you have such feelings for me, but-” Twilight attempted again, but found herself interrupted anew.
“I love you, Twilight. More than anything,” Moondancer threw in again and slowly started walking towards Twilight.
Her grin kept on growing slowly. Twilight felt she did this on purpose. She would not allow Twilight to waver and tried to force agreement out of her. She had to make it clear.
“But I’m not lesbian!” Twilight stated clearly.
Moondancer, though, seemed to be very little impressed by this.
“That’s okay. You will get into it,” she replied.
Her eye began to widen and her grin started to creep Twilight out. She had seen this face before... on Trixie. A terrible suspicion filled the mind of the purple mare... could it be? Before she thought any further, Twilight attempted to reason with Moondancer again.
“No, really... I can’t do this...” she said in an almost begging tone.
Moondancer was indifferent to that statement. Her breathing quickened. Her pupils shrunk to small beads. Moondancer looked very creepy now. The purple mare felt how fear spread through her body. The more Twilight backed away, the more Moondancer tried to come close again. It was clear now: Moondancer had lost her mind. But why? And how could this happen so suddenly?
Twilight panicked, causing her to commit an irrational action. She figured that she had no other choice anymore but to say something that would definitely break Moondancer’s heart. Either that, or who knows what she would do to her.
“I don’t love you!” she spoke out loudly.
Moondancer stopped immediately, her face now showing complete shock.
“No... no! Please! Don’t do this to me, Twilight!” she begged.
“I’m sorry. But you are only a friend to me. I could never have a relationship with another mare,” Twilight explained.
Moondancer collapsed and started to cry again.
“P-please... please just love me...” the white mare pleaded desperately.
“I do love you as a friend, Moondancer. That is all I can do,” Twilight spoke guiltily.
“No... no... this can’t be true... this can’t be happening...” Moondancer stated, crying heavily.
“I’m so very sorry...” Twilight concluded.
Moondancer lost all her strength and crumbled to the ground, crying so heavily that she had to cough because she inhaled the water running out of her eyes and nose. She just lost everything that kept her going. She had nothing left.
Twilight, blinded by a deep feeling of guilt, came over to the white mare. She wanted to give her a hug and cheer her up. But Moondancer suddenly shot up and pushed Twilight away hard, causing her to fall over.
The white unicorn was shaking all over. Her eyes unnaturally wide open and bloodshot. Her grin as well of unnatural size, letting a giggle escape through her teeth while the tears ran freely down her face. She towered over the purple mare and spoke again, in a voice bothering on hysteria:
“You will pay for this, Twilight Sparkle. You will pay with all you have!”
Twilight tried to crawl away, but Moondancer held her in place. She was more afraid of the white unicorn than she had ever been of any monster.
“I curse you, Twilight! I will make you feel what this pain is like! I will destroy you! I... I...”
Moondancer suddenly seemed to faint. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she started twitching, staring straight into the sky.
“M-Moondancer? Moondancer! What is happening to you?” Twilight shouted.
No response was given. Moondancer just kept twitching and gagging, as if she had a seizure. As unexpected as it started, it ended again. Moondancer was completely motionless now, still staring into the night sky.
Her mouth began to open. Further and further. Even past the physical limits. It tore open along the corners and ripped down her neck, her chest, until half way down her body. The giant, macabre door opened widely.
Twilight gasped in terror. What on earth was happening right now? Just as she thought that, a dark purple hoof reached out of Moondancer’s mouth.
Twilight was unable to move. She just sat there and stared as the blood covered creature crawled out of her friend. Then it lifted its head outside. The magical mare felt like something big just hit her with full force. This creature... this thing... it looked just like her! Just its coat was darker, it had a black mane with a red stripe in it and the eyes were red. And another thing was different.
As it fully crawled out of what used to be Moondancer, Twilight could see that the chest of this creature had a deep, bleeding, heart-shaped hole. The creature stared at Twilight, grinning a bit. Twilight stared back and for some unknown reason, she saw flashbacks popping up in front of her eyes. The events of tonight in backwards order, starting with the creature crawling out of Moondancer.
“Wha... who are you? What are you?” Twilight screamed in panic.
The glowing red eyes of the look-alike seemed to stare directly into Twilight’s soul. It slowly walked towards the purple mare, who was so terrified that she could not even move anymore. It stopped right in front of her.
“Despair,” it spoke with a voice completely identical to Twilight’s.
The flashbacks rushed past her vision, faster and faster the longer they had direct eye contact. The past few days, the past week, it all came and went like a reversed, super speeded movie. Then suddenly, the creature that introduced itself as Despair broke the eye contact and looked sideways.
A black scythe came flying towards it. Despair dodged it in the last moment. Seconds later, Obsidian charged towards Despair from above and picked up his scythe again.
The look-alike ran away, grinning wickedly. The reaper chased after her, casting multiple spells to try to catch her. Despair, though, seemed to possess a lot of magical abilities herself. She dispelled several of Obsidian’s summonings and broke through the magic traps he set up before her.
The red eyed creature then ran in the castle. Obsidian’s face became troubled and he followed her as fast as he could.
Twilight was still paralyzed, confused and deeply horrified. She was shaking all over and breathed heavily. Minutes passed until her friends finally found her.
“Twilight!” they shouted.
The purple mare slowly turned her head to her friends. Then she began to cry. The five mares knew something terrible must have happened and held her tightly.
“What’s wrong with you, Twi’?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I-I don’t know. Moondancer. She... she is... she has...” the purple mare tried to explain and pointed over at the bleeding remains of her old school friend. The friends gasped.
“What in tarnation happened here?!” Applejack asked in dread.
Before anypony could say anything, the friends heard screams coming out of the castle. Lightnings flashed up in the ballroom. The five friends helped Twilight on her hooves and they all ran inside to try to help.
---
A fierce battle between the Twilight copy-cat and Obsidian held place in the middle of the commotion, right before Princess Luna’s eyes. They attacked each other with a large bandwidth of spells, while Despair occasionally tried to either attack a guest or use one as a shield. The reaper was able to exclude everypony from getting hurt, but that only caused Despair to proceed further and further towards the exit.
The guests screamed in panic and ran around wildly, making the battle only even harder for the black stallion. In the end, he was unable to even harm Despair and the creature escaped.
The keepers of harmony were too late. They could do nothing to help, other than unsuccessfully trying to calm down the guests. Finally, Princess Celestia arrived in the ballroom and casted a strong spell to calm everypony down. It was silent in the castle now. She then turned to the reaper, hovering in the air.
“Obsidian Shards!” she shouted.
Her face showed a level of anger nopony had ever seen on her before. The reaper immediately landed on the ground, took off his mask and bowed down before her.
“Meet me in the courtroom! Luna, please stay here,” she ordered in a very serious tone.
“Yes, my mistress,” replied Obsidian
Princess Celestia teleported away and Obsidian flew to the courtroom soon after. Now, Twilight realized Obsidian was not exaggerating when he said he would get punished if Princess Luna would see him. And the Princess of the Night saw everything. She was very confused. It all happened so fast, she had nearly no time to react or even follow the battle. She just stood there, not knowing what to tell her guests. Twilight and the others ran through the castle. They had to get to the courtroom before it was too late.
---
“How could you dare to disobey me? I gave you a clear order to stay away from Luna!” Celestia shouted at Obsidian, who was kneeling before her.
“I am aware of my actions. I have nothing to defend myself. I failed and disappointed you, my mistress,” Obsidian replied calmly.
“Then you know what you have to do now,” she stated coldly.
“Yes... my mistress,” answered the reaper and stood up again.
He grabbed his cape with his teeth and ripped it off his costume. Then he dissolved into a black cloud, causing the suit to fall to the floor and materialized in his cloak again. Obsidian got upright and summoned his scythe in his front hooves, turning the blade upside down and placed the sharp tip against his stomach.
“I pity the foal who has to carry my curse now,” Obsidian whispered to himself.
Just when he was about to ram the scythe through his body, the keepers of harmony rushed into the room, shocked to see Obsidian was about to commit suicide.
“Wait! Stop! Please, Princess Celestia! It’s not his fault!” Twilight shouted, running towards them. Obsidian did not move. He waited for an order.
“Twilight, please leave. I don’t want you to see this,” Celestia commanded and turned back to Obsidian.
“No! Please! I ordered him to come with us!” Twilight kept shouting desperately.
Celestia’s eyes went wide open.
“Is that true, Obsidian?” she asked the reaper. He nodded.
“Yes. I followed her order to join her on the masquerade. But that does not excuse my actions. Your order was of higher priority, my mistress,” Obsidian stated.
“What are you talking about, Obsidian? You did the right thing for attacking this strange monster!” Twilight protested.
“Monster?” Princess Celestia questioned. “What monster was that?”
“A demon, my mistress. It was just born a few moments ago in the castle gardens. Twilight Sparkle was present as it came out of one of the guests,” Obsidian explained.
This statement visibly shocked Celestia.
“An insane pony was among the guests? And it gave birth to a demon? Here?” she asked.
“This is what seemed to have happened, my mistress,” Obsidian spoke.
After a short hesitation, Celestia made a gesture to tell Obsidian to remove the scythe again. The reaper understood and obeyed immediately.
“M... Moondancer was insane? And she gave birth to... a demon?” Twilight asked, unable to believe what she just heard. Obsidian nodded.
“How is this possible? Moondancer seemed just fine until that moment!” Twilight kept on asking.
Obsidian turned his head towards his mistress. She nodded, agreeing that he should explain it to Twilight and all of her friends. Then, the reaper focused the purple mare again.
“For that to explain, I need you all to answer me a question first,” he stated. The friends nodded in agreement.
“What is a demon?” he asked.
The room became silent. None of them ever really thought of what a demon actually is. They just knew they were evil. As Obsidian realized he would not get an answer, he started to explain.
“Demons are the materialization of all the bad things inside a pony. They are made of the darkest desires, the most twisted thoughts and the most gruesome memories. Due to Maledictum Insania, there is a fragment of Nightmare Moon in every pony that lives in Equestria, as you know. It is due to that fragment that ponies are able to grow insane.
“The more a pony falls to insanity, the stronger the negative forces in the pony become, slowly forming a demon out of the fragment of Nightmare Moon. Some ponies can be saved by overcoming the negative forces inside them. But for most, once this process started, it can not be stopped anymore.
“A demon stays bound to the pony it rests inside until the moment it completely surrendered to its negative side. If the pony is reaped while it is still struggling with the demon inside it, the demon will be completely destroyed, too. Like when you break an unhatched egg. But when the last barriers around the pony’s soul shatter, the demon consumes the soul and therefore becomes material.
“Once that happened, the reaper scythe is no longer enough to defeat a demon, as they do not have any life force or a soul on their own. A reaper has to consume the demon to break it apart and add its powers to his own,” he revealed.
The six mares were terrified. It all made sense now. Especially for Twilight, since she was present when Moondancer died and Despair was born. The years she had to fight her feelings for Twilight and the desperate search for her robbed Moondancer of all her mental strength.
“B-but we have to save Moondancer’s soul! We got to do something!” she shouted.
Celestia and Obsidian were silent and slowly shook their heads.
“There is nothing we can do for Moondancer anymore. It is far too late already. The demon consumed her soul and broke free. She is lost and will never be able to experience rest,” Obsidian explained.
Twilight collapsed on her haunches as she heard this. An unbearable feeling of guilt overwhelmed her and she began to cry.
“This is my fault. I broke her heart and that is why she grew insane!” she spoke. Her friends embraced her immediately, trying to comfort her.
“No, Twilight Sparkle. Don’t start thinking like that. If there is anyone to blame for this, it is Nightmare Moon. Without her fragment, Moondancer would have never been able to grow insane,” Princess Celestia explained, trying to cheer up her star student.
Again, silence filled the courtroom for a few moments, as they all processed the recent events.
“But... what do we do now?” Rarity wondered.
“I don’t know. I will have to clean up the chaos the new demon has caused and try to cover it up somehow... but how am I going to explain this? Especially to Luna?” Princess Celestia replied.
“Explain what, sister?” another voice spoke, coming from the door.
The Princess of the Night entered the courtroom.
“Luna!” Celestia exclaimed in surprise and shock.
“Our guests are uneasy and we are greatly bewildered about what hath just happened. So we were wondering what might be going on... Wait. Who is this? Another alicorn?!” Princess Luna wondered in surprise at the sight of the black stallion with the curved horn and the bat wings.
Once again, it became silent for a moment, as Celestia tried to think of an explanation.
“No, Luna. He is-” she started, but suddenly became interrupted by Twilight.
“He is a reaper!” she shouted out loudly.
“Twilight!” Celestia exclaimed in shock.
“Forgivest me?” Luna asked.
“Princess Celestia. I can’t let you punish Obsidian. He did nothing wrong! If it wasn’t for him, who knows how many ponies would have died tonight!” Twilight shouted.
“Twilight, I-” Princess Celestia started anew, but got interrupted again.
“This covering and hiding has to end, Princess! If not towards all of pony-kind, then at least towards your sister! Reapers have changed since you command them! You should know that better than anypony else! I alone owe Obsidian a lot for saving my life twice so far! He has done so much for us and now, you want to punish him for that? Reaper-kind deserves to be treated much better! Please, Celestia,” the purple mare insisted.
The demi-goddess of the sun had to think about this. She stared at Obsidian, who bowed down before her. Luna just stood there in great confusion.
“You are right, Twilight Sparkle. I think I was too strict and unforgiving towards the reapers all the time. Obsidian. I hereby declare your execution for void,” Princess Celestia announced.
The reaper looked up, apparently surprised. Did Twilight just... save his life? Celestia then turned towards her sister.
“Luna... there is a lot I need to explain and it will not be easy. Everypony, please leave us alone for a while. Thank you for everything,” she stated.
The keepers of harmony and the reaper then left the courtroom and went back to the ballroom.
---
While it was unclear how the night would end in Canterlot, it was very peaceful in Ponyville. Spike was asleep for hours now when he suddenly got woken up by noises coming from downstairs.
“Oh, Owloysius. I’m trying to sleep,” he mumbled.
It sounded like books were falling down the shelves. One by one. Spike forced himself out of his bed and walked down the stairs, very sleepy. There was a pony in the dark, scanning through the books. The silhouette was familiar to him.
“Twilight? You’re back already? What are you doing in the dark?” he asked.
The creature did not reply. It just turned around to the baby dragon and stared at him with evil, glowing red eyes. He became scared and backed away.
“Spike,” the demon said in Twilight's voice, grinning at him while coming closer.
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 10 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
|
complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
|
mature
|
2012-10-21T17:51:52+00:00
|
2013-01-14T17:37:44+00:00
| 1,829 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QNm2FTblwPBfbnpuRp6Ur9g589LXlCs_X4XtG8ZbfUw/edit
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 11: Prelude
Many ponies were still under shock from the battle between Despair and Obsidian. They stared at the cloaked stallion, who was sunken in thoughts. It all happened too fast for any of them to really grasp Obsidian’s form properly. But they saw what he was capable of, which terrified them. Three-quarters of an hour passed while the guests were waiting and recovering in the ballroom, hoping the cloaked stallion would not start anything bad again. Then, the royal sisters returned from the courtroom. Both appeared serious. Princess Luna stepped forth and made an announcement.
“Beloved subjects. We regret to inform you that the masquerade ball had been target of a terrorist onslaught. But to our great relief, we can safely say nopony was harmed. This we have to thank a very special guest among you for. His name is Obsidian Shards. Step forth, child of darkness.”
The crowd turned to the black stallion and grew big-eyed. The reaper walked through the guests, while they all backed away from him. The ponies had no idea what to think of him. As he walked right in front of the royal sisters and bowed down, Princess Celestia made a request.
“Obsidian, my loyal warrior. Please show all of pony-kind what you truly are.”
Even an elder reaper like Obsidian was shocked to hear his mistress giving such an order. This was the entire opposite of what they had been trying to do for more than a thousand years. Still, like all reapers, Obsidian was absolutely loyal to his mistress. He would never disregard an order. Never.
“Yes, my mistress,” he replied. His right front hoof reached up to his cloak hood, grabbing it and hesitatingly pulling it back. Then he opened the cloak and spread his wings.
A gasp ran through the guests as he turned around to them. A black pony with skull cutie mark, a black curved horn, black perforated bat wings and two diverse colored eyes? The sight filled them with anxiety, but Princess Celestia rose a hoof into the air to calm them down and continued the speech.
“Subjects of Equestria. What you are seeing before your very eyes is a reaper. They are the highest ranked of my warriors and directly responsible for the peace and harmony in our land. Although they are dark creatures and rather powerful, I ensure you they only want to protect pony-kind. We all owe a great deal to them and after tonight’s events, I have decided to stop hiding them from the face of Equestria. Reapers are rare beings. Until today, they never truly were seen as part of pony society. But I wish to change this fact now. Hear my words, subjects of Equestria. From this day forth, reapers are officially accepted as the fifth race of ponies. I hope you all will accept them with the same tolerance as any other race.”
A deafening silence fell on the castle as Celestia finished speaking. The sheer controversy of Celestia’s praising words and the sight of this obviously dangerous black stallion made it very difficult for them to make up their minds. After almost twenty seconds of silence, they finally decided to trust Celestia’s judgement and wisdom. The crowd suddenly broke into loud cheering. Obsidian was the only one who still stood there in great disbelieve... Acceptance? Can this be possibly true? After one thousand years of Celestia’s strict leadership, spreading rumors and the hate ponies used to face him with when he actually had to interact with them, reapers were now suddenly accepted?
“Unfortunately, since the castle has become the scene of a terrorist attack, Princess Luna and I have to declare the Grand Galloping Gala Midnight Masquerade to be concluded. We have to investigate on what precisely happened and how it could come to this. We ask you for your understanding. Have a good night, my beloved subjects!” Celestia finished.
The guests were a little disappointed, but they expected something like this. As the ballroom cleared out, Obsidian was still there, the keepers of harmony now gathering around him. He still could not believe what just happened. The entire scenery seemed so unreal to him. A tap on his shoulder by Princess Luna made him realize this was not a dream. In front of her hovered Obsidian’s mask and the outfit Rarity made for the black stallion.
“Thou hast forgotten this in the courtroom,” she spoke.
Obsidian bowed down, picked up his items by magic and placed them on his back.
“I am most grateful that you reminded me of this, Princess Luna,” he replied.
Luna just stood there, slowly taking off her own mask. Now that only the six mares and he were left, she could let her guard down and show her true, very sad expression.
“We... don’t know what to say... We feel deep guilt for thy destiny, Obsidian Shards,” she stated. The reaper shook his head.
“It is not you who cursed me. Do not blame yourself for something you are not guilty of, Princess Luna. It was Nightmare Moon. This difference has to be made clear. Either way, I was chosen by fate at very young age. I do not know a different destiny,” Obsidian explained.
Luna stood still for a moment, then nodded in understanding. Princess Celestia as well took off her mask and focused Twilight, who still was very taken.
“Twilight Sparkle... I know this is difficult for you right now. What you have seen is something nopony should ever have to see,” Celestia stated.
“It serves me right... I actually deserve much worse...” she replied. The feeling of guilt weighted heavy on her.
“Hold it right there, Twi’! I don’t know what happened, but I know better than to believe y’all would have done anything bad on purpose,” Applejack interposed.
“Which brings us to the investigation,” Obsidian started, turning over to the purple mare. “I regret to ask this of you, Twilight. But we need a witness report.”
Twilight looked up to the reaper.
“I... I can’t talk about it...” she responded. Rainbow Dash landed next to her and gave Obsidian an angry glance.
“Can’t you give her a break, O? You see how hard this is for her right now,” she stated.
“Me paenitet, but this is urgent. Tonight’s events were extremely suspicious,” Obsidian replied expressionlessly.
“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked carefully.
“All of the guests for the masquerade had been under observation days beforehand. We, the reapers, wanted to make sure no dangerous individuals come near our mistress and her sister. Think about it: how big are the chances that, despite our supervision, an oppressed insane pony made it here and just happened to stumble into the one pony that would make her surrender to her inner demon?” the black stallion explained.
“Obsidian!” Rarity shouted, scandalized.
“Forgive my choice of words, but there is no other way to describe the situation. Did you happen to see the demon? Even I mistook it for a duplication of Twilight for a moment. It is a unique one, which only makes its escape even more dangerous,” the reaper continued.
“More dangerous?” Pinkie asked, shaking a bit. The reaper nodded.
“Unique demons are very difficult to analyze. No one can possibly tell what they are capable of. This one is obviously connected to Twilight in some way. The events of tonight had all been arranged and set up. There is no other explanation for how this could have happened. So, we require all the information we can get,” Obsidian explained.
Twilight remained silent for a bit more. She understood her report would be important to solve this mystery. The purple mare sorted her thoughts, tried to resume what had happened and began to summarize.
---
As Twilight finished explaining, she could no longer hold her tears back. All her friends held her tightly and cried along with her quietly.
“Despair...” the reaper spoke to himself.
“What do you say, Obsidian?” Celestia asked.
“It appears as if Despair is a symbolic demon, my mistress. It represents how Moondancer saw Twilight. The missing heart in particular symbolises this fact,” the black stallion answered.
“Damnit, O! That’s very cruel of you to say!” Rainbow Dash protested angrily. The reaper bowed down to the six friends.
“I apologize if my words may sound tactless right now. But without emotions, it can be difficult to present facts without hurting anypony’s feelings. Be that as it may, I can not make a clear image of this demon myself. It was surprisingly powerful for a newborn demon. Medium rank at least and the fact you, Twilight, saw flashbacks when it stared in your eyes is alarming,” Obsidian spoke and came over to the purple mare. “Whatever the connection between the demon and you may be, we have to be careful. Please inform me instantly when you happen to see it, or even if you think you saw it.”
Twilight nodded slowly. Then Obsidian turned around again and bowed down before the princesses.
“This is all I am able to report at the moment,” he concluded.
“Very well,” Celestia stated. “Then please escort the ladies back home. I’m expecting frequent update reports from you.”
“Yes, my mistress,” Obsidian answered. Then, the demi-goddess of the sun walked over to her star student and placed a hoof on her shoulder.
“Twilight... I’m so sorry you have to go through this. Whenever you feel like writing to me, I’m always available for you and I will reply as fast as I can. Goodbye, friends.”
The keepers of harmony said goodbye as well and slowly left the castle. As Obsidian was about to leave with them, Celestia asked him back one more time.
“The other reapers need to be informed about their change of position in society. I will arrange Tripudium Messōrum and I want you to deliver the message. Also, I want you to take the keepers of harmony to the meeting,” she whispered, so the six friends could not hear it.
Obsidian bowed down, signalling he understood the order. Just when the royal sisters were sure the six mares and the reaper were gone, Luna came close to Celestia.
“Sister, dost thou believe Twilight’s powers will awaken in time?” she whispered.
“We can only hope, Luna. We can only hope...” Celestia replied quietly.
---
When Twilight finally arrived in her library, Spike was already awake. Even though the sun has not gone up yet, he was very busy with his duties. The opening door startled him and for some reason, even the sight of the familiar mare did not calm him down. In fact, it seemed to make him even more nervous.
“You’re up already? That’s very unusual for- wait! Oh gee! What happened to you, Spike?” the purple mare wondered in a very worried tone.
She realized Spike had several bruises, bleeded out of his nose and had a black eye. Even a few scales seemed to be missing, as if they had been torn out violently.
“I-I, eh. I fell down the stairs! Yes... yes that’s what happened!” Spike replied, very nervous.
“Really? Gosh! You must have had some bad luck to get hurt like that,” Twilight stated and let some tissues, ointment and band-aids float over to her.
Spike was shaking all over and had a terrified expression on his face. But he did not dare to run away. Twilight taught him quite a lesson on proper behavior around her this night.
“Calm down, Spike. It’s not like you’re getting an injection,” Twilight commented.
Spike closed his eyes and stood as still as he could. The purple mare found his behavior pretty strange.
“You’re shaking like crazy! Is something bothering you, Spike?” she wondered.
“N-no! Nothing! I, eh. I’m just still a bit under shock,” the baby dragon responded.
“Hm, okay that sounds reasonable. Maybe you should lay down a bit,” the purple mare suggested.
Spike just couldn’t make any sense out of Twilight anymore. First she punched and threw him around half night long and told him several rules how to respond to her, and now all of the sudden she cared for him and his well-being again? But he knew better than to say anything. He didn’t want to lose more scales.
“Y-yes, Twilight! At once, Twilight!” the baby dragon responded and ran upstairs to his bed.
---
In the meantime, Zecora woke up in her home in Everfree forest. She had to get up early in order to find a special plant she needed for a remedy. She was about to leave when someone suddenly knocked at the door.
“A visitor, this bright and early?
I wonder who could be so twirly!” she spoke to herself and opened the door.
“Salvē, lady Zecora,” Obsidian greeted, expressionless as always.
“Ah! It is my good, old reaper friend!
What brings you here to this forest’s end?” she asked happily.
“I require your assistance. I need seven bottles of a very specific potion. Here is the recipe,” the black stallion responded and handed her a piece of paper.
Zecora read through it carefully and became frightened as she found out what substances she would have to deal with in order to make these potions.
“What you ask of me is very dangerous to make!
My life, and every other creature’s around here might be at stake!” she worried.
“I am aware of that. This is why I ask you to make these potions. Your skill in remedies is unmatchable. I am stationed in Ponyville now, so I can not risk a brewing failure,” Obsidian replied.
“I see. Sadly, that is true.
But why do you need such a potent brew?” the zebra herbalist asked.
“Mistress Celestia is planning Tripudium Messōrum. This time, for the first time ever, we will have visitors. Six famous mares which you, as I had been informed, know quite well. The keepers of harmony,” the reaper stated.
“Twilight Sparkle and her friends?
Their lives must not find early ends!” Zecora exclaimed.
“Rēctē dīcis. This is why I need these potions. No other pony, zebra or reaper all over the land has mastered brewing like you did, lady Zecora. I am convinced that I can entrust you with this task,” Obsidian ensured.
Zecora was still unsure. Not only were the ingredients for these potions very dangerous, but the entire brewing process would be very unstable. One little mistake and she would create a large, toxic cloud that instantly killed everything in a large range. But Zecora knew, Obsidian would not ask her to do this if he wasn’t absolutely sure she would be better than him.
“Obsidian, I see your intentions are right.
For the results, come back to me tonight,” the zebra herbalist concluded.
“Grātiās tibi valdē agō,” the reaper thanked, bowing down and leaving again.
Zecora was worried. She went over to a table and studied the recipe Obsidian gave her closely, while taking down notes about what she had to keep in mind during the process. The herbs she planned to gather today would have to wait. This task required her full concentration now.
---
The next day, Obsidian carefully stored the seven potions Zecora made for him in a small bag in his room. She succeeded on first attempt, just like the black stallion thought. After he was done with the potions, he walked over to the two skulls on his small shrine and stared at them, sunken in thoughts. In just a few days, a brand new chapter in Equestria’s history will be written and he would be the one delivering the message to all the other reapers, while the keepers of harmony were present.
“You really should get going, Obsidian. You don’t want to be late, don’t you?” Odd Cirs reminded.
“Indeed,” the black stallion responded and went upstairs. Fluttershy was already out. Only Angel was still in the house, looking at the reaper grimly. Though he just ignored the bunny, stepped out and flew to Ponyville to meet the others.
---
The keepers of harmony met up at the marketplace. They all seemed rather happy again, but Twilight was no longer as light-hearted as she used to be. Despite of all her friends’ attempts to convince her the terrible end of Moondancer was not her fault, the purple mare couldn’t get rid of this powerful feeling of guilt that weighted on her. Obsidian landed next to the mares and bowed down to greet them.
“Salvē, O!” Rainbow Dash responded, saluting with a light chuckle. “So what did you want to tell us?”
“Before we get to that, I first have to speak out my gratitude to you, Twilight,” the reaper replied calmly.
“Gratitude? For what, Obsidian?” the purple mare wondered.
“For what you have achieved in Canterlot’s courtroom,” he explained.
“Oh that. It really is nothing. I could not possibly let you get executed,” Twilight stated, but the reaper shook his head.
“That is not the main reason for my gratefulness. I do not care about my life. It is the destiny of a reaper to fight until he is of no use for Equestria anymore. If I am ordered to die, I will. What I truly thank you for is what you achieved for reaper-kind that night. You helped improving our status in a way none of us ever imagined,” he replied. The six mares became silent for a moment. Then Rainbow Dash spoke up on behalf of the group.
“O, could you please stop talking like that? You’re not a soulless killing machine, even if you think that of yourself. You are our friend! And it really hurts to hear you say such things,” she commented. Obsidian bowed down again.
“Apologies. My point is that I would like to reward you all for this gift,” he continued.
“That really is not necessary, my dear. Knowing that we could help is reward enough for us,” Rarity stated, smiling at Obsidian.
“Even if the reward would be an exclusive invitation to the greatest event reapers have to offer?” he asked.
“Oh! An event, an event! Like what? A party? I love parties!” Pinkie Pie shouted in excitement.
“Not precisely a party, but still a rather big event. It is called Tripudium Messōrum. The dance of the reapers. It only takes place once every few years. Now that reapers are official members of Equestria’s society, you would be the first guests ever,” the black stallion explained.
“Land sakes! That’d be quite an honor!” Applejack commented. Obsidian nodded.
“Your names would go down into the history books. Your reactions to the dance would be decisive for the expectations of all following generations,” he continued explaining.
“Well, I don’t usually like having too much attention, but I’d love to go!” Fluttershy said. The meditations with Obsidian seemed to start increasing her self-esteem, much to the delight of the rest of the group.
“If that’s the case, you can count on me, O! I’d never skip an opportunity to become a legend!” Rainbow agreed. One by one, the other members of the group agreed to join in as well and they started getting excited.
“Bene. The dance will be taking place on top of Death Rock Mountain in three days,” Obsidian explained.
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 11 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
|
complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
|
mature
|
2012-11-13T18:42:39+00:00
|
2013-02-05T17:05:46+00:00
| 2,059 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pVHtcXRUTYobrWUkfsYUY5BQZ67ldB37jTEsK4M2anY/edit
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 12: Dancing Reapers
Death Rock Mountain was a place located far behind Stalliongrad and filled with legends and rumors. Ponies said its peak was constantly covered in a gray-greenish cloud and any creature that came too close to it would die instantly. Others said that dark creatures dwelled in there. The cause of this cloud was generally unknown. Only few of Equestria’s subjects knew that this place was the only official meeting point of the reapers and the only location where Tripudium Messōrum could be held unnoticed by the rest of the world.
Despite the vast distance between the mountain and Ponyville, none of the keepers of harmony had to worry about coming there too late. Obsidian told them that the reapers set up a rune half way up the mountain to support long-distance-teleportation. The black stallion was the first to arrive at the other end to secure the surroundings, fend off any monsters or demons that were nearby and ensuring the deathly cloud was not too low for the others to follow safely. Then, one after another, he teleported the six mares to him through the rune.
The mountain was tall, steep and made of a dark kind of stone. It would be a long and exhausting way up and the large, threatening cloud that clustered around the peak demotivated them even more. Now that they were here and heard all the rumors about this place, the six mares were not so sure anymore if it was such a good idea to come. Paradoxically, Fluttershy seemed to be the least bewildered of all of them. She kept sticking close to Obsidian and appeared to feel quite comfortable. She trusted him completely and when he said it would be safe and worth it, she had no reason to doubt his words.
“-but why is the dance on top of a mountain? Wouldn’t it be more convenient to just have it underground or at a dark place?” Twilight wondered while they were climbing up.
“Minimē. The darkest, most hidden spots are already occupied by the demons. You can believe me when I tell you that we had been searching for a suitable location to meet up for a long time without success. Where there are no demons, there are ponies. Where there are no ponies, there are monsters and where there are no monsters, there are other creatures. In the end, we were forced to claim a territory that was next to entirely deserted already because it provided conditions that were hard to handle: the peak of Death Rock Mountain. To make sure no creature would ever want to come even near our hideout, we poisoned it. The cloud you see up there is our work. It is the result of an old habit some of us have: smoking a herb known as Basilisk Tongue,” Obsidian explained.
“What?! You smoke Basilisk Tongue? That is one of the most poisonous plants in all of Equestria!” the purple mare proclaimed.
“Yes. For most creatures it is deathly. But you have to admit, reapers are no normal creatures. We are naturally immune to any kind of poison or disease. Smoking this powerful herb has barely any effect on us at all. It only sharpens our senses minimally. If other beings have skin contact with the herb, or even the smoke, they are instantly poisoned and death will occur in seconds,” the reaper continued. The six friends became frightened.
“Then why in the name of Celestia would we want to get up there?” Rarity questioned.
“Because I got these,” Obsidian replied, opening his cloak and presenting the bag containing seven small bottles.
“Potions?” Applejack asked.
“Highly concentrated and powerful antidotes to be precise. Created by no less than lady Zecora, Equestria’s greatest master in natural remedies. I am sure you are familiar with that name?” the black stallion spoke.
“Zecora? Of course! She’s our friend!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
“Then I take you have faith in her skills?” the reaper asked.
“Obsidian. If you say these potions will keep us safe, that is enough for me to believe in them,” Fluttershy stated. The black stallion bowed down to her.
“Grātiās tibi agō, miss Fluttershy.”
“Aaaaand you are sure these small things are enough?” Rainbow Dash worried.
“Yes. I know lady Zecora for several years by now and I know when it comes to such things, she ensures that she does not make any mistakes. These antidotes are strong enough to keep you immune to Basilisk Tongue poison for at least twenty-four hours. Even in the unlikely case the effect of one might run out earlier, we still have an emergency potion. None of you will get harmed,” Obsidian ensured.
“Well... okay. I trust you, O,” Dash responded.
The higher they got, the more difficult the climb became. With each step they got higher, the air became colder and thinner. The wind kept on blowing stronger and stronger. Finally, the reaper allowed them all to drink their potions in order to comfort them more for the rest of the climb. The liquids were of an unpleasant flavor and thickness. Still, the ponies swallowed every last drop out of the bottles. As Twilight was done with hers, something occurred to her. She was surprised she didn’t think about it earlier.
“Wait a moment! Are all 87 reapers coming to the dance?” she asked. Obsidian nodded.
“Then who is guarding the demon strongholds?” she shouted in shock. The reaper, though, remained calm.
“Mistress Celestia. I also suppose now that Princess Luna knows about everything, she is helping her,” he responded.
“They’re guardin’ all of them?” Applejack wondered.
“Yes. I am not sure if this is clear to you, but both Mistress Celestia and Princess Luna are demi-goddesses. They are enormously powerful. Sealing off all demon strongholds for a day is a manageable task for them,” Obsidian responded.
Come to think of it, the ponies never thought too much about their beloved leaders. They always had been there and they always made everything alright. It now occurred to them that none of them even knew any details about the royal sisters. Where did they come from? Do they have parents? And if not, how were they born? Questions nopony could answer, but that kept them busy until they finally reached the gray-green cloud.
---
As the group entered the poisonous smoke, their throats became roughened. The air tasted very bitter and caused the six mares to cough. But thanks to the antidotes they drank, the taste and roughness of the smoke soon became neutralized, making it bearable to walk in it.
The smoke also had a pleasant side-effect for the temperature. The air inside of it was significantly warmer than outside of it.
Their visions, first limited, soon adapted to the atmosphere, like when stepping from a bright room into a dark. After just a minute, they could see everything happening on top of this mountain. Dozens of cloaked ponies were walking around, talking to each other, smoking pipes filled with dried Basilisk Tongue leaves or meditating.
When the keepers of harmony became able to see color in the smoke again, they were quite surprised about the appearances of the other reapers. They expected a legion of creatures looking almost identical to Obsidian. But the reapers had all sorts of colors. Blue, green, yellow, brown, orange... the same rule applied for their manes. Not even the curved horns or bat wings seemed to be standard amongst them.
Some had wings, some had horns, but only very few of them had both at the same time. The only features that most of them seemed to have in common where the black eyes, the scars and stitches from their battles.
A brown and red, young stallion who apparently used to be a unicorn turned towards them.
“Ah! Elder Obsidian! It is good to-” he started, but went in battle stance as he noticed the six mares behind him. Obsidian reached out a front leg to stop him.
“Hold it, Copper! These are guests!” he explained.
“Guests?! Tripudium Messōrum never has guests! Who are they anyway?” the young stallion questioned.
“Calm yourself, apprentice! You are speaking to the keepers of harmony!” Obsidian stated. Copper jumped up a bit in surprise and bowed down.
“Excuse me, ladies. I didn’t know you would come. It is an incredible honor to meet you all!” he apologized.
“It’s okay,” Applejack said on behalf of the group.
“You are an apprentice?” Twilight wondered.
“Well, yes,” Copper replied, scratching the back of his head. “I’m one of the youngest. 37 years old. Haven’t had the chance to consume a lot of demons either.”
“It is not the quantity you consume that makes you a good reaper. It is what challenges and missions you can complete in the name of our mistress. You need to learn patience, Copper. With age, your powers and wisdom will increase,” Obsidian stated.
“Oh... but don’t we get more powers when we consume demons?” Copper wondered.
“Our greatest powers are darkness, death and self-control. Increase your natural dark powers and rely less on the powers demons provide you, or you risk falling on the path of the red reaper,” the black stallion explained.
“I will do my best to avoid the red path. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with me, elder Obsidian,” Copper thanked and bowed down again. The six mares became confused. But Obsidian noticed their confusion and continued speaking before they could form a question.
“Are we complete?” he asked.
“Not yet. Several are still missing. I will see if I can find out more,” Copper answered and walked away. Just a few moments later, a familiar voice was to be heard behind the group.
“Finally another meeting! Gosh, when was the last Tripudium Messōrum? Ten years ago? Am I glad Mistress Cel-” the female voice spoke, but suddenly stopped as she spotted six mares she knew very well. The keepers of harmony as well were shocked to see who was standing there.
“Derpy Hooves?!” they shouted all at the same time.
They could hardly believe their eyes. The gray mare with the blond mane wore a reaper cloak and stared at them in disbelief.
“What are you doing here?” she wondered.
“A better question would be what you are doing here! And why do you wear that cloak?” Rainbow Dash shouted. Derpy’s eyes wandered around, apparently aimless. Then she spotted Obsidian Shards.
“Don’t tell me this was your idea!” she spoke to the black stallion.
“It is the wish of our mistress that they see Tripudium Messōrum,” he replied coldly.
While this answer was enough for the gray mare to calm down, the group became more and more confused.
“No! No, no, no, no, no! Derpy! You can’t be a reaper! This makes no sense!” Rainbow protested.
“No? Why not?” Derpy asked calmly.
“You are the clumsiest, silliest, most useless pony I’ve ever met! Everything you touch breaks!” Rainbow exclaimed . This statement made the gray mare chuckle.
“Why thank you!” she replied, confusing the friends furthermore.
“Derpy is one of our older apprentices,” Obsidian started explaining. ”She has a very unique way to handle her tasks as a reaper. Instead of hiding herself in the dark like the rest of us, she seeks the attention of other ponies and walks amongst them.”
The minds of the six mares were blown. This was too much for them to understand. They had been living with a reaper for years without knowing it?
“But why do you look so... normal?” Fluttershy asked carefully. Derpy seemed to be a bit embarrassed by that question.
“Well. You see... I’m not really good at hunting demons yet. I’m a reaper for over fifty years now and I still only consumed like... um... twenty demons in total or so. I usually only make them flee or banish them. You see, by consuming demons we become stronger. But that also causes our bodies to become corrupted with demonic energy. Elder Obsidian here has consumed almost a thousand demons by now. Would you like to explain that more, Obsidian Shards?” Derpy asked. The black stallion nodded and continued.
“As you may have realized by now, the demonic horns and wings of a reaper are not naturally granted to us. We earn them by consuming demons. There are a few rough stages a reaper goes through from the moment they get cursed until they become an elder like me. The first change is that our eyes turn black. After that, we either grow demon wings or gain a demon horn. Usually, Pegasus-born reapers first get their wings corrupted to demon wings and unicorn-born reapers get their horns corrupted to demon horns. On earth-born reapers, it is random. Then in the last stage, they grow their last missing piece, turning them in what we call an elder.”
“Yeah,” Derpy started anew. “So the demons we consume change our bodies, making us more powerful. The stronger we get, the better we can handle demons of higher rank. But I for one don’t really need all that dark power. I prefer protecting ponies while being just among them, instead of hiding from them at a distance. And to make everypony underestimate me and to erase every possible idea I might be strong and dangerous, I act very clumsy and destroy stuff on purpose.”
“You do that on purpose? Gee, Derpy. What does Celestia think about this?” Fluttershy asked.
“Why, she supports it! Mistress Celestia likes my tactic and stations me in cities on purpose, because I adapt to them very well. She likes my silent ways to get rid of demons, even without consuming them! And the cities I am in sometimes get provided extra money to repair what I break. This tactic had been working for quite a while now. But honestly, I don’t think Mistress Celestia would want more reapers that act like I do. I just cost more than an average reaper. Besides, my way is rather tricky for a reaper,” the gray mare continued.
“What do you mean by that, my dear?” Rarity wondered.
“Well, to act like I do, you need emotions. With all respect, but an emotionless master of the deathly arts like Obsidian would not be able to act authentic enough to fit in my role. No offense, elder,” Derpy said carefully. Obsidian nodded, telling her it was fine for him.
“Anyway, I keep some of my emotions in order to be able to act clumsy, silly and useless. This cleavage between the professionalism of a reaper and the behavior of an average pony is something only very few can pull off. But I know, one day, my body will eventually get corrupted by the demons I have to consume when there is no other choice. Then I can no longer hide between the ponies and have to act like the others,” she concluded.
“That will not be necessary, apprentice. Our status in pony society has changed,” Obsidian stated. Derpy tried to focus him in confusion, one eye staring at him, the other wandering around aimlessly.
“I will tell everyone when all have arrived,” he spoke. The keepers of harmony were busy sorting what they just learned. It all actually made sense. Twilight, for example, remembered seeing Derpy already fully grown during her childhood, back in Canterlot. By now, Derpy would be older than Granny Smith. But she still looked like a young mare at the peak of her physical fitness. The reaper curse must be the reason for this, she figured. It would cause reapers to stop aging when they reached a certain age. That also would explain why Obsidian still looked young and vital, even though he was over three hundred years old.
“So... you said you defeat demons by banishing them? How do you do that without dark magic?” the purple mare asked.
“Well,” Derpy began, turning sideways and opening her cloak. “with the help of these.”
She presented her cutie mark. But something was different with it. Everypony knew she had bubbles as cutie mark. But they looked strange this time. They had more details, more symbols.
“Wait... those aren’t... Runes?!” Twilight exclaimed in surprise. Derpy giggled a bit.
“Yes, yes. I just paint them to bubbles with waterproof paint when I’m in the public. But they actually are runes,” she explained.
“So your special talent is rune magic I reckon?” Applejack asked.
“Yep,” the gray mare replied, winking. “no one beats me on that! I can draw runes in perfection! I even invented a few. Those on my flank also are fully functional! I can basically cast some rune spells anytime! I just need to bump into something with my backside! I mean, honestly. Did none of you ever notice that when something went wrong, I usually bumped into it?”
The more she explained, the more logical things appeared. The ponies realized they missed questioning their surroundings enough. So many things had been set up by Celestia, just to ensure ponies lives were as easy and happy as possible.
“And your eyes? What’s about them?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“Aha! So you’re getting it! Well, my eyes are the result of an... you could say accident. One time, when I was still pretty inexperienced, I walked into a demon that was too strong for me. I could not make it flee and had nothing to seal it into. I panicked a bit, drew a banisher circle and tried to seal the demon away without a vessel. But I was silly enough to stand inside the rune myself. Well, in the end, the demon was banished. In my left eye. It turned red. I could not leave it like this. It would make ponies suspicious! So... I tore it out and ate it!” Derpy stated.
“You did WHAT?!” Rarity shouted. The idea shocked the ponies and made them sick.
“What choice did I have? This way, I could consume the demon and got rid of a problem with my body. Well, ever since then, I don’t have a real left eye anymore,” the gray mare continued explaining.
“Then what is that?” Fluttershy asked, pointing at Derpy’s left eye.
The gray mare then lifted her left front hoof and placed it over the eye. She seemed to somehow pull on it. With a plopping sound, it came out. Derpy presented it to the rest of the group, causing Rarity to nearly faint.
“A glass eye, of course! I mean, I would not look very trustworthy with an empty eye-socket, would I? Only problem with this thing is that I can’t control it. It wanders around at its own will. But actually, I like that! It makes me look even sillier, supporting my disguise!”
The six mares had no questions left. They still had problems getting what they learned about the gray mare in their minds. Twilight and Fluttershy turned to Obsidian. He knew what they were thinking.
“Despite the fact she is still a rather young reaper, she has my respect. She already is very professional and tactical. She taught me several runes and, yes, the idea to seal the Salamander in my right eye was inspired by her,” he explained.
“You still have it in there? Why don’t you eat it as well, like I did?” Derpy asked while pushing the glass eye back in her empty socket.
“You should know me by now, Derpy. If I can not defeat and consume a demon in combat, I do not risk to unleash it again after banishing it,” the black stallion replied. Derpy shrugged and turned back to the keepers of harmony.
“Well I hope you enjoy Tripudium Messōrum. We never had guests before, so I can’t say if you will like it or not. Now if you excuse me, I’d really like to meet the others, too. Oh, and... please don’t tell anypony about my true identity.”
With these words, Derpy left the group and walked deeper into the gray and green smoke, towards the other reapers. That sure was an encounter the keepers of harmony did not expect. They wondered if they would meet more familiar faces here and learn more shocking truths.
---
The sun could barely be seen through the smoke. But it seemed as if it was slowly setting. The keepers of harmony walked around the mountain peak and met up with other reapers. They all were very shocked to see visitors, but quickly accepted them. Despite the efforts of the six mares, they could not find another person they knew. So they stopped looking around after a while and talked to the reapers. They had intriguing stories to tell. The keepers of harmony learned many aspects of the giant system behind the management of Equestria. Princess Celestia did whatever she could to make ponies believe their homeland was safe and peaceful. Friendship and harmony were not among the most important values of the land for no reason. They were steps to strengthen the souls of ponies and to make it more difficult for demons to reproduce.
The time passed on. More and more reapers arrived. Yet, a few still seemed to be missing. Obsidian decided to go around the mountain peak to look for the others. While he was gone, the keepers of harmony kept hearing reapers talk to each other about ‘the red reaper’, ‘Malice’ and ‘the red path’ secretly. They knew Obsidian was avoiding these topics and it seemed like, when he was around, he made sure the other reapers did not use these words either. But Twilight wanted to learn more about the reapers and their secrets. So she confronted three of them, who she just had caught talking about Malice.
“Excuse me, but what is all this talking about a red reaper and Malice about?” the purple mare asked. The three reapers found themselves in a very inconvenient situation.
“Miss Sparkle... we... we don’t like this topic. Even when we talk about it with each other, it is frowned upon,” one of them spoke.
“Well, Azure. I say, let them know. It is the reason why Tripudium Messōrum was established in the first place,” another said. The first one sighed.
“You’re right... Well, keepers, it is a tale we are not very proud of. For the first two hundred years after Nightmare Moon was sealed into the moon, Mistress Celestia cared very little about us. Even the reapers back then thought they were very different from normal ponies. Indeed, we are. But not different enough to not fall to insanity ourselves. The first generation was foolish to think reapers were immune to Maledictum Insania. Then, the day came that changed everything...” Azure told, but then suddenly stopped. It seemed to be difficult for her, so the third one spoke up for her and continued.
“There was an elder back then... his name had been forgotten over the ages. But it was overshadowed by the name he was given after these events anyway... He became what we call a red reaper. An elder fallen to insanity for consuming too many demons. Mistress Celestia ordered the reapers back then to hunt and consume as many as possible. This one day, one of the elders consumed a demon too much. They out powered his mind from the inside and drove him crazy. I don’t want to gross you out with the details, so I’m just going to say he caused a massacre. The first generation was completely unprepared for such a case. They could not stop him in time to... prevent Malice from being born.”
“Malice... Obsidian mentioned this demon before. The second strongest demon that ever existed,” Twilight commented.
“You have no idea how powerful he was. He fused together out of the hundreds of demons that the elder consumed. As he broke free, he adapted the reaper curse of his host. Even we can’t say for sure what he was capable of, for the sole reason he eliminated half of the first generation and every last elder. They had no chance against him. If Mistress Celestia wouldn’t have come and supported them in the battle, no one would have survived. It was pure luck they defeated him. As a result of this battle, the old castle of the royal sisters was destroyed. When the reapers tried to consume Malice, they had to face he was simply made out of too much demonic energy to handle. Many reapers tried to consume him at once, but still a vast amount of his power was spilled, causing the creation of Everfree forest. Those who did manage to partially consume him instantly turned into elders. That’s how immense his power was. Well, our demon ranking system only went up to high until that moment. But Malice was clearly above that. So we had to set up a special rank just for this one. Super-high. Gosh... just think about it. A super-high ranked demon with the powers of an elder reaper. Just the idea gives me the chills,” the reaper explained, shaking a little. Twilight and the others were speechless. The second reaper took the silence to give out more information.
“It turned out Malice was what Nightmare Moon planned to create when she cursed ponies with the reaper curse. He acted as her personal commander and was just minimally below her in rank. After we defeated him, it became clear to us and Mistress Celestia that this could happen again when another one of us fell to madness and would not get reaped in time. So our mistress started caring more about us and our mental stability. Several standards and rules had been established. One of them being Tripudium Messōrum, the dance of the reapers. All this is only to ensure none of us would ever risk to become a red reaper. Even if that happened, we now have plans and tactics to deal with a red reaper. Though we could never put them to test, yet. There never has been a second red reaper or Malice yet. Not even Truesight can predict if there will ever be another one.”
“Truesight? Who’s that?” Pinkie Pie wondered.
“You haven’t met lady Truesight yet? She is a living legend! I thought she would be the first reaper you walk into because she is always the first to arrive at Tripudium Messōrum,” the reaper explained.
“Well no, we haven’t met her, yet. Where is she?” Rarity asked.
“She is right over there, where the others cluster up. She is always in much demand for her special talent,” Azure explained.
“What’s her special talent?” Twilight asked.
“Predicting the future!” another reaper answered.
---
After a short waiting with the reapers that surrounded Truesight, it was their turn to meet her. She was sitting on the ground, drawing symbols on a piece of paper with an enchanted quill.
“Hello, miss Truesight. My name-” Twilight started, but got interrupted by the reaper clairvoyant.
“-is Twilight Sparkle. Your friends Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are with you. You are the keepers of harmony. Obsidian Shards guided you here. Right now, he is outside of the poison cloud, searching for other reapers and guiding them up to the peak. But he will be done soon,” she stated calmly.
“Wow! How did you know that? Do you have Pinkie senses?” Pinkie Pie wondered.
Truesight slowly moved her head to them and focused the group. She removed the hood from her head, presenting her face. She had a red coat and black reaper eyes. Her mane was rainbow colored. Two long strains were hanging down next to her eyes. The rest was tied back to a long ponytail. She appeared to be unicorn-born, since she had a horn. But it looked unnatural. It seemed like the demons she had consumed started turning it into a demon horn. Then she opened her cloak, presenting her cutie mark. It was an eye.
“Not really Pinkie senses like you have them, Pinkie Pie. But I’m called Truesight for a reason. I saw Tripudium Messōrum. I saw you coming to it, led by Obsidian. And I saw you, Rainbow Dash,” she stated.
The friends were stunned. Their eyes jumped between her and Rainbow. The athletic Pegasus mare as well seemed speechless.
“Your mane! It’s rainbow colored, just like mine! I’ve never seen another pony like that before!” Rainbow stated in amazement.
“I as well have never seen another Spectralist in my 122 years until now. I am glad you decided to trust Obsidian Shards and come here,” Truesight replied.
“Spectralist? You mean there are more like us?” Rainbow wondered.
“Yes and no. I don’t know how many there are right now. We might be the only ones. But we will not be the last,” the reaper clairvoyant replied.
“Huh? I don’t get it,” Dash stated. Truesight turned back to her paper and continued taking notes by letting her quill fly over it through magic.
“You don’t have to. It is not important for you. Anyway, we don’t have any time left to talk. Obsidian Shards will return in a few minutes. He found the last missing reapers and will bring them here. Tripudium Messōrum is about to start. He will be looking for you, so I advice you meet him,” she spoke.
“Okay, lady Truesight. It was... insightful to meet you,” Twilight thanked.
“We will meet again one more time. Until then, farewell,” Truesight concluded. The six mares then went back to where they came from and waited for Obsidian to arrive.
---
It was dark now. Not only on the peak of Death Rock Mountain, but also in Ponyville. Spike was preparing to go to bed, when the door suddenly opened.
“Twilight? You are back? I thought you would be gone until tomorrow!” Spike wondered at the sight of this purple mare, standing in the dark.
“I lied,” she responded. Her eyes were glowing red again and she grinned at the baby dragon.
“Oh no! No, not again!” he shouted desperately, just before he got lifted up in the air by magic and thrown through a closed window, causing the glass to shatter.
---
As Truesight predicted, Obsidian soon returned, followed by four reapers. Those were the last missing ones. Now that the dance could finally begin, the reapers gathered in the center of the cloud. The keepers of harmony followed Obsidian, but he stopped them.
“Ladies, please stay at distance. It might get dangerous if you come too close,” he explained.
“Dangerous? What could be so dangerous about a dance?” Rarity asked.
“You will see,” the black stallion answered and met up with the other reapers.
The younger ones formed a crowd, facing the elders. They welcomed them to the meeting and shared a part of their wisdom with the apprentices in the ancient language the reapers use. But Obsidian had a different message to deliver, which was so important that he had to speak it out in the modern tongue to ensure even the youngest understood it.
“Messōrēs. I have tidings from our mistress to present to you. She personally asked me to inform you all about an important change that has dramatic influence on our rules and position,” he started. All reapers focused him in surprise.
“An incident had occurred during the night of the Grand Galloping Gala Midnight Masquerade, which forced our mistress to inform all of pony-kind about the existence of reapers,” the black stallion continued.
A few of the apprentices gasped in shock. Uneasy mumbling spread in the crowd. Obsidian lifted his right front hoof to calm them down and continued.
“Yes, Messōrēs. The ponies of Equestria now know about us. But we do not have to worry. Maledictum Insania is still a well kept secret and our mistress turned this situation to our advantage. She declared reapers to the official fifth pony race. The other races are willing to accept us as what we are. We have been gifted an opportunity that never occurred before. We can walk among the ponies, talk to them and live with them as if we were one of their kind again,” he explained.
The older reapers were suspicious. Just imagining to walk between the subjects of Equestria in the middle of the day filled them with inconvenience. They were just so used to hide in the dark and live in solitude. The apprentices, though, seemed delighted of finally having a chance to be with ponies in everyday life again. Some of them still had living friends and family members they would be able to see again. Derpy Hooves was the first to raise her voice and respond to the news.
“Benedicta sit īnfīnīta grātia Dominae tōtius mundī!” she shouted, praising their mistress.
The other reapers immediately joined her and cheered loudly. So did the elders and even Obsidian Shards, though their faces remained expressionless. After a few more words from the other elders, the speeches ended and the dance began.
The reapers formed a large circle with multiple rings towards the center. The youngest reapers were near the center, while the elders formed the outmost ring.They all sat down to the ground and closed their eyes at the same time. For the first ten minutes, nothing happened. They just sat there and meditated together. Rainbow Dash already started to get bored and disappointed. She was expecting more action from something that was called the dance of the reapers. Though she quickly had to face she judged the event too early when the reapers, all in perfect synchronicity, suddenly jumped up and began dancing in place. A meditative dance with semi-acrobatic moves. They all performed the same movements perfectly synchronized. Not one of them was just a split of a second too late or too early. The keepers of harmony were stunned.
“How do they do that without practisin’?” Applejack wondered.
“I... I think I know!” Fluttershy stated in fascination.
The friends turned towards the yellow mare. Her eyes were wide open and glued to the circle of dancing reapers.
“They feel it! I feel it!” she spoke, getting more and more excited.
“Feel what, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked.
“I don’t know...” she answered, shivering a bit.
She had no idea what she was experiencing. Of all the six mares, she was the only one who could feel an intense sensation of power and balance rushing through her body. She figured the reapers would feel it as well, just a lot more intense. It guided them. Told them how to move.
The movements of the reapers started getting more and more daring. Even though they all had their eyes closed, some made dodging maneuvers while others jumped over and across them with somersaults.
Then, they suddenly stopped again. With a few very slow and controlled moves, they summoned their scythes. Those already skilled enough placed their scythes with the bladed side down, swung around it and climbed on top of them, meditating on the handle. The others just sat on the ground again, holding their scythes in their crossed front legs.
They remained motionless until they reached complete trance. Like before, they suddenly jumped up again and began to swing their scythes around wildly. They even tossed them in the air, letting other reapers catch them and pass on again. The structure of their dance reached a level of complexity now that was barely followable anymore. It seemed like every reaper was interacting with every other reaper in some way, performing extremely dangerous stunts with their scythes.
As time passed on, they seemed to give off a dark aura. The winged reapers flew through the air and the auras of the reapers seemed to blend into each other. Slowly, their beings dissolved more and more, ultimately fusing them together into a single storm of darkness.
Just as the black storm reached its full rage, it suddenly seemed to stop again. Through the darkness, the night sky could be seen. Crystal clear. The mountain peak was filled with a melodic silence. Even though this entire impression was not as strong for the five other friends as for Fluttershy, they still could feel a strong sensation of perfect, dark harmony now.
Power, balance and absolute calmness flooded through all of them. Then slowly, the black, motionless storm sunk down again, splitting back up into the 87 reapers.
They opened their eyes again. Now, after almost three hours from the moment they started, the dance was over. All of the reapers appeared very calm now. Even Derpy had an expressionless face, very unusual for her.
Obsidian immediately turned to Fluttershy. She stared back at the black stallion as well. Now it was clear. Obsidian knew what the power was that rested inside her. The black stallion turned back to the reapers, speaking out their vow with them.
“We live in darkness to hunt what defiles it.
We suffer and die so others don’t have to.
We are the reapers, serving Mistress Celestia.
We grant purity and sacrifice for Equestria.”
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Nero Darkard
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1362
| 12 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
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Maledictum Insania
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Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
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complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
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mature
|
2012-11-07T21:16:45+00:00
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2013-02-05T19:59:58+00:00
| 1,888 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H6fH4FeTsXDD7xVNDZOiN3cJQ8tjxcBNjnn4rb5ALkc/edit
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 13: Confession
Tripudium Messōrum was over. The reapers all went back to where they came from and the keepers of harmony also started climbing down Death Rock Mountain to return to Ponyville. Like Obsidian promised, the antidotes lasted until the very end. The group was still too impressed by the day with the reapers, as well as their dance, to talk a lot. They had to sort their thoughts. Obsidian seemed to be even more silent than usual. For some reason he kept on staring at Fluttershy. She, though, did not seem to realize this until he started asking questions.
“Miss Fluttershy, what is the real reason you let me live with you?”
“W... what do you mean?" she simply replied.
“What caused you to let a dark creature like me stay with you?” he asked again.
“I just couldn’t stand the idea that you had no real home. I didn’t want you to live in Everfree Forest when you could have the chance to live in a warm, dry house,” the yellow mare explained.
“But there was more to it, was there not? You felt a kind of connection to me. Something deep and unexplainable. Maybe you would even go so far as to call it destiny?” the reaper continued asking.
Fluttershy became paralyzed for a moment, her face showing a shock filled expression. Was he hinting on... no... he couldn’t... he could not possibly know! Or could he? What if he knew? What would this mean? What would she do?
“What’s with those weird questions, Obsidian?” Applejack asked. The black stallion now turned his focus away from Fluttershy.
“Nevermind it,” he replied, then sunk in thoughts. Fluttershy was very nervous for the rest of the climb down now. She had no idea what was going on in that black stallion.
---
Going down the mountain was more dangerous than going up, so the group had to take its time. With their minds filled with all the impressions they gained tonight and having to pay attention where they stepped caused the group to stay silent. Especially Twilight tried to sort the thoughts that rushed through her mind.
She learned so much now. About Derpy Hooves. About the society of the reapers. About the red reaper and Malice. This all was so much to handle right now. It made her wonder how she could not have noticed any of that for such a long time.
The day Obsidian arrived in Ponyville changed everything. Their lives were no longer the same ever since. But was this a good or a bad thing? Twilight was not sure, but she started to understand why Princess Celestia recruited Obsidian as their bodyguard. He was familiar with what was going on in the shadows like no pony. Who would possibly be more suitable to reveal the true identity of Equestria to the six mares but him?
Twilight watched her friends walking in front of her. Pinkie Pie and Rarity were to her sides. Suddenly, Obsidian halted.
“What’s up, O?” Rainbow Dash asked.
The reaper did not reply instantly. He just made a gesture to tell the group to stay quiet, then listened carefully and looked around in search.
“Ladies, please wait here,” he replied and lifted into the air.
The black stallion must have noticed something. He flew around, searching. He was unable to find what caused him to get wary, though he knew something was nearby.
Twilight heard another pair of hooves clattering closely behind her. She turned around.
Two glowing red eyes were staring directly into hers. Before Twilight could realize what was going on, flashbacks started popping up in front of her vision again. They were much faster this time. Within seconds, the last four months rushed past her vision.
Then finally, she found the self-control to scream. All of her friends instantly turned around. A copycat of the purple mare with a bleeding, heart-shaped hole in the chest was standing right in front of Twilight, staring deep in her eyes.
Obsidian, too, heard the scream and turned around, charging towards the demoness. But she already got what she wanted.
She remained calm, gave the black stallion a malicious smile and teleported away. Obsidian hit the brakes hard and came to a full stop just in front of Twilight, who was shaking all over now.
“Twilight! Are you hurt? Did she do anything with you?” he asked while landing. She did not reply and just kept on shaking. Her mind was still overloaded. All of her friends surrounded the purple mare.
“Oh no! Twilight! What was that?” Pinkie Pie worried.
“T-t-that was her! Despair!” she shouted while slowly coming back to senses. Her friends gasped. How could this demon find them so far away from Canterlot?
“That is unusual,” Obsidian commented while checking on Twilight’s condition. “You seem completely unharmed. Despair did not even try to hurt you? And she can teleport...”
“Is that unusual for a demon?” Applejack asked. Obsidian nodded.
“She was unable to teleport the first time I fought her. She must have gotten stronger. Twilight, did you see flashbacks again?”
“Y-yes! It was like I went through the last months backwards in super speed!” she replied shaky. Obsidian paused for a moment to think.
“Do you think she can see your memories?” he then questioned. The ponies glanced at him worriedly.
“I don’t know. But that would make sense,” the magical mare answered. Obsidian’s face became serious and he looked around again. He could no longer feel the presence of any demons. Despair must be far out of reach now.
“This demon has a plan. I have no explanation for how she could know we are here. It is urgent we return to Ponyville as fast as possible and notify Mistress Celestia,” he concluded. The group now had an a lot faster pace while getting back to the teleportation rune.
---
Obsidian sent the report as soon as he made sure all the keepers of harmony were safe. When he and Fluttershy returned to her cottage, it was already far too late to actually do anything anymore. So they ended the day, though Fluttershy could barely sleep. She was still nervous about the curious words of the reaper. Just what should she do if he really did find out about her secret?
After yet another not very restful night for Fluttershy, Obsidian had a talk with her on the next morning. He confronted her with what he discovered about the yellow mare. It was not what she thought at all, but it surprised her a lot still.
“... you really think I can do that?” Fluttershy asked.
“Nōn dubitō. You have enormous potential, Miss Fluttershy. If we practise together, you will learn to control it. You will realize that all your fears are without reason. You would gain the strength to not only protect yourself, but also all of your friends from next to any threat. There is even the possibility you would become stronger than me,” Obsidian responded.
“Stronger than you?! Oh my goodness. I really don’t know about that,” the yellow mare worried.
“We will see, Miss Fluttershy. Anyway, I need to talk to Twilight about this,” the reaper continued.
“Twilight? Why her?” the yellow mare asked.
“Before we can start anything, I not only need your approval, but also hers. She is my superior after all,” he explained.
“Oh... yes, I remember,” Fluttershy commented. Obsidian bowed down before her and walked over to the front door.
“I will see you later,” he spoke and left.
Fluttershy hung her head and gained a sad expression. No. This was absolutely not what she thought he would say.
While Obsidian discovered an extremely powerful aspect of her soul, he could not see the other things that were going on inside her. How could he? He was an emotionless reaper after all. How could he know... how could he care...
Angel saw Fluttershy’s sad face. He bounced over to her and tried to cheer her up. But it didn’t seem to work. Fluttershy petted him shortly and then started walking upstairs to her bedroom.
The white bunny did not understand what was going on right now. Obsidian said nothing that would hurt her. He can’t be the reason why she is so sad. Angel silently followed Fluttershy upstairs and watched over her.
---
“Hold still, Spike, or I will never get that bandage right!” Twilight said while trying to treat a large cut on the baby dragon’s right arm. “I still don’t understand how you managed to fall through that window and break it like that.”
Spike was shaking heavily. This situation was extremely stressing for him. One wrong word and he knew he would get punished more.
“I-I, eh... I...” he started, but was unable to continue. Twilight’s face became suspicious.
“Please don’t tell me you did that on purpose,” she asked.
“No! Of course not! Why would I do that?” he spoke out loudly.
“I’m worried about you, Spike! This is already the second time in just a few days that you got yourself injured badly while I was away!” she stated.
The baby dragon again was entirely confused by the controversial behavior of the purple mare. Did she really just say while she was away? He wondered what kind of tease that was supposed to be. Since Twilight did not hear a proper statement from him, she was about to speak up again. Then someone knocked at her door.
“We will talk about this later,” she stated while getting up. Spike used this moment to run upstairs and hide. The door opened by magic and Obsidian entered.
“Salvē,” he greeted.
“Hi, Obsidian,” the purple mare greeted back. The reaper closed the door behind him and looked around to make sure no one was listening.
“Is something wrong?” Twilight wondered. Judging the library was safe to talk about his discovery, Obsidian turned his focus to her.
“I was able to identify the source of miss Fluttershy’s power,” he stated.
“Really? Great! What is it?” Twilight asked in excitement. The black stallion took a moment to think how he was going to present this. It would be hard to believe for her, that was for sure.
“Let me ask you something first. Did you happen to notice any kind of connection between me and her?” he questioned. Twilight looked a bit baffled and started to think.
“Well... hm... you are both kind of calm. She also seems to trust you a lot. And from what you told me, she seems to be pretty interested in meditation and your duties.”
“There is more, Twilight. When I was first asked to stay in Ponyville, I would have denied every offer that came from a pony. But when I saw her the first time, the moment she offered me to stay in her cottage, I felt a kind of connection to her. She had something familiar about her that I only knew from reapers. As time passed, she drew my attention more and more. I showed her things I usually would never show a pony. I allowed her to come closer to me and spend more time with me than I usually would allow for anypony else. Then yesterday, during the dance, it all became clear. Did she behave strangely while we were dancing?” the black stallion continued.
“Hmm... yes. She seemed to be very fascinated by watching you all dance. She said she felt something, but could not tell what it is. What are you driving at, Obsidian?” Twilight responded.
“Twilight Sparkle. Miss Fluttershy and I felt the same thing during the dance. The affinity we both share: Darkness,” he responded calmly.
“What?!” the purple mare shouted. “Are we talking about the same Fluttershy? One of the shiest, calmest, most insecure and easiest to scare ponies in the history of Equestria?”
Obsidian's face became serious. He nodded, telling Twilight that he was not making jokes. Her expression changed from surprise and disbelieve to a neutral one.
“Okay, Obsidian. Then explain it to me. How can a pony that is so scared of the dark like she is have an affinity to darkness?” she requested from the black stallion.
“Exactly out of this reason. She never learned to face darkness, while she at the same time carried it around in her soul. She is afraid of using her inner darkness, worrying she might hurt anypony or lose control. Her entire insecurity, shyness and anxiety sprouts out of this. She tried to bury this connection inside her, but she will never succeed at it. Her soul is full of darkness. I have never met a pony before that had so much potential. She gives off a sensation that is otherwise only known from elder reapers. Twilight. In her current state, she is unstable. Having such a power and lacking control over it can easily make her fall victim to Maledictum Insania. On the other hoof, if you allow me to train her in the arts of darkness and self-control, she would be able to use this power effectively and become next to immune to the curse of madness. She might even be able to take on higher ranked demons all by herself, though she will be unable to defeat them without the reaper curse,” Obsidian explained.
“Wait, wait, wait! You don’t plan to turn her into a reaper, do you?” Twilight concerned. The black stallion shook his head.
“Of course not. Although I am convinced she would make an incredible reaper, maybe even the best in all of history just because of her kind personality, I would never place such a burden on her. It is not her destiny to serve in the shadows. She is meant to stay with you and the rest of the keepers of harmony. Besides, it would require the death of a reaper so she could become one. We certainly are not willing to sacrifice one of us just to create a better one of us. Twilight. Please allow me to teach miss Fluttershy the ways of darkness for her own good,” he explained.
Twilight thought about this for a moment. The safety of her friends surely was one of the biggest priorities to her. But training Fluttershy in controlling darkness? Whether she really had a strong connection to it or not, this just seemed strange. Obsidian appeared to be absolutely convinced he judged her right, so Twilight believed him. If it was true and the purple mare allowed him to train Fluttershy, she would change for sure. But she would also gain a lot. Maybe she would even be able to live happier with the ability to control what she was afraid of, not to mention she would be able to withstand Nightmare Moon’s curse much better. After all, Twilight still remembered what happened to Trixie and Moondancer. She would not be able to bear it if Fluttershy would end up the same way, especially like Moondancer.
“Did you talk to her about this?” Twilight wondered.
“Yes. She as well seemed unsure, but she would agree to it,” Obsidian responded. Twilight took herself a minute to make a decision. Then, she finally replied.
“Alright. You can train her, but only under one condition.”
Obsidian bowed down before the purple mare.
“Yes, my lady?”
“I order you to ensure Fluttershy will not become a reaper. Whatever it takes, you must prevent this from happening. Do not fail me,” she insisted.
“As you command,” Obsidian replied.
---
While Twilight found out about Fluttershy’s source of power, Angel found out an entirely different secret of hers. She sat on the floor in her bedroom, staring at a small object in front of her: a gift for Obsidian Shards.
It was very symbolic for her and she planned to give it to him for quite a while now. But she was just too afraid of what might happen then, since she knew Obsidian had no feelings for anypony. What if he didn’t like it? What if he said no? That would be just awful! Too awful for her to handle, too awful for her to risk.
She was stuck in a situation where she was powerless. Neither could she go back to the way things used to be, nor could she advance. She hated being beaten by the way things are and after what happened this morning, Fluttershy was sure her last chances had passed.
Tears filled her eyes. Angel was right by her side the whole time. He finally understood and felt incredibly sorry for her misery. He gently placed a paw on her, causing Fluttershy to look at him. She carefully picked the white bunny up and embraced him.
“Oh, Angel. What should I do?” she wondered, starting to cry.
Usually, Angel would guide her and help her through anything that was too difficult for her. But this time, he as well did not know what to do. The situation was very hopeless.
The sound of the opening front door was to be heard, warning both of them that Obsidian had returned. Fluttershy quickly hid the gift in a small cupboard and hoped he would just go back to his room as usual. That, though, was not the case. Fast hoof steps were to be heard on the stairs that lead up to her bedroom. Obsidian must have heard her cry, alarming him. Fluttershy quickly wiped the tears out of her eyes and tried hard to make a happy face. Then the black stallion rushed in.
“Miss Fluttershy, are you alright?” he asked as soon as he entered.
“Um... yes. I’m fine,” she replied lowly.
Obsidian stood there, looking at the yellow Pegasus mare with his expressionless face. He knew her just too good by now to fall for such an obvious lie. He heard her and he saw that she had tear trails. Something was bothering her.
“It is my duty to ensure your security. Physically and mentally. Please share with me what is weighting on you,” he requested.
Though Fluttershy remained silent. She just looked down to the ground, unable to say anything. She so wanted to just shout out what was going on inside her. But she couldn’t. The words were chained inside her and she feared the situation that would be created out of freeing them. Silence filled the cottage for a moment as Fluttershy, Obsidian and Angel just stood there, none of them doing anything to break the inconvenient situation. It was the reaper who finally concluded that pressuring Fluttershy like this was pointless and turned around again.
“Please forgive my curiosity. Twilight Sparkle approved of the training. I suggest you gather your strength for the rest of the day. We will start tomorrow. Bene dormī,” he spoke and slowly headed back to the bedroom door.
The yellow mare lifted her head again and stared at the reaper. If only she could say anything. If only she had a solution.
Angel’s head turned from her to Obsidian and back several times. Now that he understood, he felt bad as well. He, too, particularly caused this situation to become so difficult for Fluttershy by rejecting the black stallion so much. Angel knew, if nothing happened, this would go on forever. He could not let this happen! He could not take this!
The white bunny hopped next to Obsidian, patting on one of his hind legs in the last moment before he went out of the door. Fluttershy was very surprised by the bunny’s behavior. This was the first actual time he interacted with the reaper.
Obsidian stopped and turned around, looking at Angel. The white bunny then focused Fluttershy and made a gesture, asking for forgiveness for his following action. He very quickly bounced to the cupboard in which her gift was hidden and opened it before Fluttershy could stop him.
Inside the cupboard was a small gemstone. A piece of pitch black obsidian, cut in a heart shape and framed in silver with silver wings. It had a stick pin on the back, so he could wear it on his cloak.
Fluttershy was shocked and felt deeply humiliated Angel exposed this very personal secret to the black stallion. She ran over to the cupboard, placed Angel aside of it and shut the door again. She remained facing the cupboard for a moment, afraid of turning around and seeing the reaper’s reaction. But she ultimately had to admit she had no other choice anyway.
Obsidian’s eyes were wide open. He understood this was a gift, meant for him. He understood it had symbolic value. This caught him completely unprepared.
“You... have feelings for me, miss Fluttershy?” he questioned, very hesitatingly.
The yellow mare did not respond. Her gaze dropped to the floor anew and tears filled her eyes again. This was so embarrassing for her. She didn’t know what to say or do. Should she apologize? Should she beg him to not get mad, even though he most likely would not anyway? Or should she even run away? No, that would be the worst idea. She just could not do anything right now.
Obsidian slowly walked over to the yellow mare. Each step he approached made her heart beat faster. She was very nervous, wondering what he was about to do. This question was soon answered as the reaper simply sat down next to her.
He didn’t look at her. Instead he stared at the floor, using his dark magic to let the heart pin fly through the room and land just in front of his eyes. He figured the very least he could do was showing appreciation for the gift by examining it carefully.
“Did you craft this yourself?” he asked carefully.
Fluttershy slowly shook her head and started to blush.
“It still is a wonderful piece of art. Very well made,” he stated, causing the yellow mare to blush more.
Obsidian Shards was 348 years old. In all the 348 years he had been living so far, such a situation never occurred before. Ever since he became a reaper, all the memories Obsidian had with ponies were only negative. They always hated him, wished him away or threw things after him. Never before had a pony actually liked him. So, the reaper did not know what to do.
In his mind, he was going through possible scenarios, developing out of the current one, depending on his actions. What might happen if he denied her? What would happen if he agreed? Would either decision endanger his mission? And how would the other keepers of harmony react? He needed to make sure he did not make any mistakes now.
Obsidian turned his focus to Fluttershy. She still was staring at the floor, blushing and with tears in her eyes. Without moving her head, she gave him a quick glance, then looked back to the ground.
“Please... say it,” he asked of her gently. Fluttershy twitched a little bit in shock from the request.
“Tell me what you think about me. Face to face,“ he asked anew.
Fluttershy did not move. Her eyes were glued to the bit of floor in front of her. The words were trapped inside her. It was as if they were trying to climb up an enormous wall, from the bottom of her heart, all the way up to her lips. Over several attempts, they tried to get up, but fell down again after just a few steps.
Obsidian noticed she wanted to let him know, but it was too difficult for her like this. It really needed to be face to face. So, he slowly placed his right front hoof under her chin and gently turned her head to his. The reaper looked her into the eyes, trying his best to look as gentle as he could with his left eye being entirely black and his right eye being blind, dead and thoroughly red. Fluttershy looked back into his eyes. Seeing his face helped her, making it a lot easier for the words to leave her lips.
“I love you,” she spoke.
As soon as she realized what she just said, Fluttershy looked away in embarrassment and turned bright red.
Now, Obsidian had a clear answer. His expression became thoughtful. For some reason, his eyes wandered over to Angel. The white bunny looked very worried.
This made an important aspect come to the reaper’s mind. Fluttershy was the most sensitive and most protected member of the keepers of harmony. If the black stallion denied her and broke her heart, he would lose the trust of the entire group, making his mission impossible to complete. He already acted a lot and made too many sacrifices to abandon his mission now. Completing it had higher priority than anything else, even his own life. If necessary, he would act this additional role as the partner of the keeper of kindness.
Obsidian made his decision.
He placed both of his front hooves on Fluttershy’s shoulders, causing her to turn back to him. Then he slowly brought his own face closer and closer to hers. With each inch, Fluttershy started shaking more and more, her pupils shrinking to small dots and her ears dropping in fear. It was not entirely clear to her what he was about to do, but having him so close to her excited her so much, it scared her.
Obsidian kept on proceeding, until his lips finally met hers. The yellow mare’s eyes went wide open and her pupils grew big again, sparkling with tears. This being her very first kiss, she somehow managed to blush even more. Her shock and fear quickly vanished and she closed her eyes, giving herself into the overwhelming feeling of excitement and happiness she experienced.
She embraced Obsidian, letting tears of joy and relief run down her face. Her heart raced and felt as if it was growing several times its original size.
Everything was perfect for her now. To her, this was the best thing that could have turned out of this situation. He accepted her and loved her as well. They were a couple now. This was the happiest moment in Fluttershy’s life.
The kiss ended. The yellow mare opened her eyes again and smiled widely with her teary face. This was also Obsidian’s first kiss. But while she was overwhelmed with happiness, the reaper did not feel a thing.
He forced himself to smile back at her weakly, and embraced her again, simply to get his face out of her and Angel’s line of sight. He instantly regained his typical expressionless face and already planned to report this change to Mistress Celestia. She would definitely not be happy with this.
Angel was very relieved now. He wanted to just leave them like this, but he still owed something to Obsidian. With a bit of regret, the white bunny bounced over to the freshly formed couple and tapped the reaper again.
The embrace ended and Obsidian turned to him. Angel still had an a little grim expression while he reached out his right paw, offering a truce. Obsidian agreed to it and shook his tiny paw. After that, Angel bounced downstairs, leaving the fresh couple in their happiness.
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 13 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
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Maledictum Insania
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Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
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complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
|
mature
|
2012-12-04T20:43:57+00:00
|
2013-04-27T14:22:47+00:00
| 1,929 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EsjzrZGVs05jW8PG-LjUQWooZuKNXXCt-5yrzrcrgTE/edit
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 14: Demon Night
“... and then, it just happened!” Fluttershy finished explaining happily the next day.
As part of her training, Obsidian insisted on her being the one informing her friends about their relationship. While Pinkie Pie was very excited about this development, the other keepers of harmony were rather suspicious.
“I know what you may be thinking right now. Yes, I am an emotionless killer. I reminded you often enough of that myself. All I can say is that I underestimated the connection between Fluttershy and me. We share more than just the same affinity. I ask you for your understanding, keepers. It indeed is unusual for a reaper to have a partner, but that does not mean it never happened before. Please, grant me the opportunity to prove my intentions. All I wish to do is to make Fluttershy happy,” the black stallion stated, causing the yellow mare to blush a little at the last sentence.
Her friends were still not too sure what to think, but Obsidian seemed to mean it. Fluttershy stood right next to him the whole time, leaning lightly against him. Obsidian usually rejected any kind of unnecessary closeness, but he tolerated her. He even wore the heart pin she gifted him. Fluttershy always had this special something about her. She could warm the hearts of even the grumpiest of ponies and even befriended a raging manticore once, years ago. Could it be true? Could she have managed to warm the heart of this cold reaper?
“You two make quite a couple! I really wish the best for you!” Twilight suddenly stated.
Although she was just as unsure as the others, she had her motives to support their relationship. She still blamed herself for what happened to Moondancer. All she had to do was accept her love, and she would still be alive. Due to her rejection, her soul is lost to the demons now. Twilight swore herself that she would do whatever she could to prevent such a thing from happening around her ever again.
Twilight, being the leader of the group, set the standard for the others with her approval. If a smart pony like her thought this was a good idea, then it just had to be a good one. They congratulated the couple individually. Pinkie Pie even went so far as to suggest a party to celebrate. The idea was met with agreement and just an hour later, the friends found themselves in Sugarcube Corner.
---
The party was a lot of fun for the ponies. While they were dancing, eating and playing games, Obsidian held himself more in the background, as usual. Just this time, Fluttershy was right by his side. Pinkie convinced the Cakes to do a small catering service for her friends. As they heard what was to celebrate, they just had to agree to it. Pinkie of course told them about Obsidian Shards. But they still remembered him from the past. During a moment where Fluttershy was dancing with her friends, Obsidian had a talk with Carrot Cake and Cup Cake.
“Almost fifteen years have passed since you came that one night and brought us this special bundle... I hope you know how much you changed our lives with that,” Carrot Cake whispered.
“There was no other option and you know that. No one else was left that I could have gone to. Mistress Celestia and the reapers are aware you left your past behind you. But you still have it in your blood,” the black stallion explained.
“Yes, deary. We know. This all was only possible because of our past and the fact that we were friends with her family. But still, you can’t imagine what we have to go through. We have to be so careful all the time... And now that we have children, we need to be extra careful!” Cup Cake spoke lowly.
“We all have our burdens. We all have to make sacrifices at some point. This one is yours. You should be grateful Mistress Celestia granted you the chance to prove yourselves,” the black stallion stated. The Cakes sighed in low spirit.
“I guess you’re right. Our families have done terrible things. You never really get it out of your head either. There is just no day where we don’t have to think about our hunger. Right, honey bun?” Carrot Cake spoke. Cup Cake nodded in agreement and continued.
“Well, we learned to live with it and to suppress it. But she never managed that. She gets so angry each time we try to teach her. But that was just typical for her family. They never understood! She even tries to make us eat with her sometimes! I know you do and you can handle it. But we are ponies! We would relapse if we did that!”
“The biggest problem is that she now slowly tries to get Pound and Pumpkin interested in her hobby. We are afraid we might lose them!” Carrot Cake worried.
“Have faith in our mistress, Mr. and Mrs. Cake. She has everything arranged. Speaking of your children: I heard they are quite strong,” Obsidian commented.
“They are, but that’s normal for foals of our bloodline. We all were quite some jump starters. Pound Cake learned to fly when he was just one month old! Same goes for Pumpkin and her magic abilities! All the other parents envy us for our talented children. Oh, if they knew where they got these powers from...” Cup Cake worried.
Obsidian noticed that Rainbow Dash was coming over to them, so he ended the conversation. The Cakes went back in the kitchen to bring more sweets.
“What’s up, O?” Rainbow asked.
“Nihil novum,” he replied.
The athletic Pegasus mare stepped next to him and started whispering.
“You really are serious about Fluttershy, aren’t you?” she asked.
Obsidian nodded, then they both became silent while watching their friends playing games. Fluttershy seemed to be very light-hearted. She beamed and looked very happy. Occasionally, she glanced over to the reaper, smiling at him warmly. Finally, Rainbow broke the silence.
“Obsidian. Fluttershy and I are childhood friends. I know her better than anypony else, and I’ve never seen her eyes sparkle like that before. She seems so happy right now...” she stated with a bit of worry in her voice.
The athletic mare then turned her face to the reaper and gained a very serious expression.
“If you break her heart, then I swear, this will be the last thing you ever do! You got that?” she threatened him.
Obsidian remained unmoved and replied calmly.
“Rainbow Dash, your loyalty to your friends is admirable. Same goes for your courage, as you risk to threaten an elder reaper. But your worries are without reason. My sole desire is to protect you all. Now that Fluttershy and I share this special bond, you have my word that I will protect her with my life.”
This statement satisfied Rainbow. Her face became more relaxed again.
“Good. That’s what I wanted to hear. I take you by your word, O!” she stated and went back to her friends.
Obsidian thought he finally had an undisturbed moment to meditate, but then yet another familiar voice appeared.
“Very impressive, Obsidian! You sounded so convincing I almost believed you!” the voice spoke.
“So it is you again, Odd Cirs. I have not heard a word of yours for weeks,” Obsidian whispered.
“What? Did you think I would just leave you without a word? You’re funny, Obsidian! Don’t worry, I will talk to you more often now again!” Odd Cirs stated.
“Not much to my appreciation...” the reaper stated coldly.
“You wound me, Obsidian. I’ve been such a loyal companion for you all the time! And unlike Fluttershy, I won’t ever stand in your way!” the voice exclaimed.
“Miss Fluttershy is not standing in my way. The opposite is the fact. She indeed draws my attention,” the black stallion responded.
“What’s this? You really like her? Are you growing soft, Obsidian?” the voice wondered.
“Certē nōn mūtātus sum. I do not like or dislike anypony. It merely is my mission to protect the keepers of harmony and guide the events to lead to the conclusion my mistress desires. If training miss Fluttershy has the positive side effect that she can support me effectively, then this is much to my advantage,” the reaper replied.
“Tactical, cold and very smart. You really are a lot of fun to be around, Obsidian!” Odd Cirs spoke one last time, then vanished again.
---
Just a couple of weeks later, the summer ended. The news that reapers had been accepted as an official pony race reached the village. Everypony was talking about it. It was that time when Derpy Hooves finally decided to abandon her disguise and show herself in the public, wearing her reaper cloak and unpainted cutie marks. She was met with a lot of confusion and shock at first, but the ponies soon proved their sociality and accepted her as what she was. From that day on, Derpy was faced with a lot more respect.
The air slowly became colder and the leaves changed their colors. The pumpkins that had been planted at Sweet Apple Acres earlier this year were almost fully grown and would soon be ready for harvest. Everypony knew what was coming next. One of the most famous events in the equestrian calendar: The Nightmare Night Festival.
Fluttershy and Obsidian have been training every day until now. She learned incredibly fast. What took an average reaper with no inborn affinity to darkness years to learn, she understood much sooner. Yet, they were only scratching on the surface. Just like darkness itself is deep and hard to see through, so is the knowledge that is necessary to understand and control it.
Still, Fluttershy enjoyed this time a lot. Each moment she could spend with Obsidian made her happy. The reaper was still kind of distanced and only stood close to Fluttershy when she desired it. They also still slept in their own rooms. Fluttershy simply considered this an act of politeness, as he might not have wanted to pressure her too much and wanted her to be in control of how fast their relationship deepened. The black stallion, though, was only focused on their training.
Yet, it came to a sudden hiatus as the night of nightmares approached. Fluttershy only learned the most basic things about darkness so far. She still feared the creepy.
“Fluttershy. You are misunderstanding darkness. There is nothing terrifying about it,” Obsidian spoke, trying to re-encourage the yellow mare.
“B-but... why is it so scary then?” she wondered.
“Your fear of darkness does not sprout out of darkness itself. Look deeper inside yourself. It sprouts out of the experiences you made with it. The creatures that hid themselves within it: monsters and demons. True darkness, Princess Luna’s darkness, is peaceful and calm. You have met the Princess of the Night. You realized she means no harm to anypony. She and Mistress Celestia are the only ponies in all of Equestria that are unaffected by Maledictum Insania, because they have no fragments of Nightmare Moon resting inside them. Thus, they are the ones you can trust blindly. What you fear is what Nightmare Moon and her demons made out of darkness. They defiled it, filled it with dread and horror. Search for the true darkness and fight against the corrupted, red darkness of the demons,” Obsidian explained.
“I... I understand, but... I just can’t concentrate. Can we maybe have a break until Nightmare Night is over? Please?” the yellow mare begged. She still had a long way to go before she could accept darkness and the powers inside her.
“As you wish. What would you like to do in the meantime?” the black stallion questioned. Fluttershy went over to him and leaned lightly against him.
“I just want to be with you. Everything else doesn’t matter. I feel safe around you,” she stated. Having a pony this close to him still inconvenienced the black stallion. His professionalism helped him keeping this unnoticeable, though.
“Sentiō,” he replied after a short moment. It was still early in the morning. They remained silent, while Fluttershy watched the sun rise. Obsidian simply looked down, avoiding the light.
“Oh, I’m sorry! I forgot you don’t like the sun for a moment...” Fluttershy apologized. The black stallion shook his head.
“It is fine,” he responded. The yellow mare thought about what they could do together. Then she suddenly had an idea, which might satisfy both of them.
“How about we go for a picnic today? I bet it would be lovely with all these colorful trees. And since the Running of the Leaves is still coming, there would be enough shadows for you,” she suggested.
“As you wish,” Obsidian agreed. Fluttershy smiled happily and went inside to make some preparations.
---
“Sheesh. School can be so boring. Glad we’re out of it soon,” Scootaloo stated to her friends.
Two years have passed since the cutie mark crusaders all finally discovered their special talents. Scootaloo was an excellent racer with her scooter and even won a trophy, so her cutie mark was a scooter wheel, tossing up dust. Sweetie Belle discovered her talent while she was asked to sing on stage for her school. Her cutie mark looked like a microphone with a heart shaped tip. Applebloom was especially gifted in constructing and restoring things, so her cutie mark had the look of a crosscut saw and a hammer, crossing each other. By now, they all were young teens and would graduate next year.
“Well, school goes on for me. I plan to sign in at the music school. Need to practise, you know,” Sweetie Belle stated.
“That just wouldn’t work for me. As soon as I’m done, I’ll have all of Ponyville to fix up. The buildings are in a down right bad condition,” Applebloom commented.
“But we will still meet up time by time, won’t we?” Scootaloo wondered.
“Ah, don’t cha worry, Scoots. A cutie mark crusader once, a cutie mark crusader for life!” Applebloom replied.
“Exactly!” Sweetie Belle agreed. Scootaloo grinned happily.
“So, got anything planned today, guys?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Well, I’m old enough for the Running of the Leaves now. So I thought I should practise a bit and have a run through Whitetail Woods. We could have a trip there,” the young orange Pegasus mare suggested.
“Sounds lovely!” Sweetie Belle agreed.
“Sure thing! Whitetail Woods is always the purdiest during fall!” Applebloom added.
---
Many ponies were visiting the forest now the final days before the running, to catch one last chance to see it from its most beautiful side. So did Fluttershy, Obsidian and Angel, as they decided their picnic should be held there. The yellow mare brought some extra supplies for the local animals. Winter would be coming soon and they still needed to prepare for their hibernation.
“My love, have you ever considered taking care of animals yourself? I mean before you became a reaper?” Fluttershy wondered. Obsidian was sitting under a tree.
“I can not tell for sure. My memories of this time have grown shallow over the centuries. The only moment I still remember clearly is when I became cursed, by the age of two. That day is one I will never forget,” he responded.
“You were that young? Oh my goodness. So you pretty much grew up living as a reaper...” Fluttershy said in a sad tone.
Obsidian nodded and closed his eyes to end the conversation and begin his meditation. Although he was talking more openly about his past with Fluttershy, he still wanted to avoid this topic, if possible. The yellow mare understood this. She and Angel just started unpacking her basket in the shadow of a nearby tree. Suddenly, they heard a pony rushing by, followed by loud cheering from two young mares.
“Wow! Not bad Scootaloo! You broke your personal record!” Sweetie Belle spoke out loudly.
“Thanks, Belle,” the orange Pegasus mare replied, panting. “I know I’m not the best at running, but I will still give my best during the race!”
Fluttershy hadn’t talked to the crusaders for more than a month. She decided to walk over to them and have a chat.
“Hello there, girls!” Fluttershy greeted.
“Ah! Howdy, Fluttershy! Haven’t seen y’all in a while! How yer doin’?” Applebloom wondered.
“I’m doing wonderful! How are you all doing?” she asked back.
“Just fan-tastic!” Scootaloo stated while throwing a pose. “It really feels good to finally know your meaning in life! But man, I still can’t believe it took me so long to figure out my special talent. It was so obvious all the time!”
“I could say the same for mine. Well, basically, I owe my cutie mark to miss Cheerilee. If she hadn’t encouraged me to sing for that musical, I would still be a blank flank! Heh, I still remember how we visited your cottage every other week, Fluttershy. Always trying to find something new to do to earn our cutie marks. Looking back, those were actually quite good times,” Sweetie Belle stated.
The four mares chuckled a bit as they recalled all the silly things they had experienced.
“So, Scootaloo. You’re practising for the Running of the Leaves, I guess?” Fluttershy wondered.
“Sure am! Just like Rainbow Dash, I’d never skip an opportunity to compete! Speaking of her, is she taking part in it this year?” she wondered.
“Oh, well she said she was needed to set up a storm in Ponyville. I’m sorry...” Fluttershy stated.
“That’s fine,” Scootaloo replied. “As much as I would have liked to run with her, this now only increases my chances! I mean, Derpy will race this year! Hey, have you heard of it yet, Fluttershy?”
“Heard what?” the yellow mare asked.
“Well, people say she is a reaper. Some kind of assassin with evil magic. Can you believe it? She and a killer? With those bad eyes and her clumsiness?” Scootaloo wondered.
“Well, yes I know that! My friends and I had been at the official meeting of the reapers!” Fluttershy replied.
“What? Really now?” Sweetie Belle questioned in surprise.
“Yes, really! It was incredible!” the yellow mare explained enthusiastically.
“And Derpy was there, too? No kiddin’?” Applebloom wondered.
“Yes, she was. We were all quite surprised to see her there, too,” Fluttershy stated.
“How did you get there in the first place?” Scootaloo kept on asking.
“Oh, right. You haven’t met Obsidian yet,” Fluttershy spoke.
“Who’s that?” Applebloom questioned.
The yellow mare turned around and pointed over to the tree where the black stallion was meditating. Hidden in the shadows, the crusaders didn’t notice him until now. They gasped at the sight of the scarred reaper with perforated bat wings and scratched demon horn. Obsidian noticed he was being watched. He opened his eyes and looked over to them. His two diverse colored, creepy eyes staring at them filled the crusaders with fear. They were like paralyzed, gazing back at Obsidian with open mouths.
“This is Obsidian Shards. He has been living in Ponyville for a while now, but he usually doesn’t... girls?”
Fluttershy realized the three teenage fillies ran off while she tried to introduce them to the reaper. This did not surprise Obsidian at all, though. Even with him being accepted, the ponies still feared him. Nothing had changed.
---
After the first meeting of the crusaders with the black stallion, they did not show up around Fluttershy again. Scootaloo even changed her mind in taking part at the Running of the Leaves, because she was afraid to see Obsidian there again. Derpy Hooves, though, could use the race to prove her skills. As it was to be seen from Scootaloo’s doubt, many ponies still did not believe she had only been acting all these years. The gray mare easily outran everypony else and won the first prize.
---
The days went on and finally, it was Nightmare Night. Fluttershy was very nervous. This was the one day of the year she disliked. Everypony trying to scare each other... All these creepy costumes and games... This really wasn’t a celebration made for a sensitive heart like hers.
Usually, Fluttershy spent this day cowering in her cottage, holding Angel and squeezing the life out of him in fear. But now, to the white bunny’s great relief, she had a stallion to stick around.
Obsidian promised her that he would spend the entire day with her, and so he did. As it got dark, Fluttershy was filled with so much fear, she did not leave Obsidian’s side anymore.
Angel thought he could make this whole situation a bit more convenient for all of them by kindling the chimney. The couple spent most of the evening just sitting on the sofa and gazing into the fire, while Fluttershy hid herself under the reaper’s cloak, holding him tightly. Unlike the years before, she really felt secure this time. The whole situation was rather uncomfortable for the black stallion, but he had to act his role. Angel soon became tired and went over to his basket to sleep. As the fire went out again, Obsidian started whispering to Fluttershy.
“It is getting late now. The night would be over much sooner if we decided to go to sleep,” he suggested.
“Well... um... yes, but...” she started, then paused a moment and blushed while she gathered the courage to say what she wanted to ask. “W-would you... maybe... come upstairs with me tonight?”
This idea further inconvenienced the black stallion. Simply spending a day with Fluttershy and guarding her was one thing, but sleeping in the same bed with her an entirely different one.
“There really is no reason to be afraid, Fluttershy. Nothing is going to happen,” Obsidian explained, trying to avoid this situation.
“I-I really don’t want to spend this night alone. Please...” she begged. The reaper had no choice.
“Ut dēsīderās,” he spoke, nodding and starting to get up.
Fluttershy smiled again. This would be the first night they spent together. The idea excited the yellow mare so much, she wondered if she would even be able to sleep at all with him laying right next to her. To avoid unnecessary hoof sounds, which might cause Angel to wake up, they decided to fly upstairs.
---
The couple made some last preparations to go to bed. As Obsidian took off his cloak and hung it up, Fluttershy’s eyes went wide open and she blushed hard. She had never seen the black stallion without his cloak so far. Taking it off in front of her made her feel a bit strange, even though it was just natural for ponies to walk around without clothes. The yellow mare quickly climbed in the bed to hide her reaction. Obsidian, though, hesitated to do the same.
“Is there something wrong, my love?” Fluttershy wondered, watching the reapers thoughtful expression while he stared at the bed.
“To be honest, Fluttershy... I have not slept in a bed for long time. I spent most of my resting times in protective runes on the ground,” he stated, then placed a hoof on the bed. “I am not used to such... convenience.”
This made the Pegasus mare chuckle a bit.
“Well I hope you will enjoy it then,” she spoke.
Obsidian slowly lifted himself on the mattress. Fluttershy covered both of them with the blanket.
It was dark and silent now. They both found this situation so strange, neither of them could fall asleep instantly. Several minutes passed, while they both just laid there, gazing into the darkness. Then Fluttershy came closer to Obsidian, leaning her head against him and placing a front hoof on his chest. Obsidian twitched a bit from the unexpected approach. After the hundreds of years the black stallion had lived through without any kindness coming from other ponies, every touch he was gifted was just discomforting to him. The reaper figured he should try to meditate in this position until he fell asleep. He closed his eyes and, again, the minutes passed by.
“Obsidian... I’m cold...” Fluttershy spoke quietly.
She shivered a bit. The black stallion gave her more of the blanket and tried to concentrate again. But the yellow mare kept on shaking. She needed him to warm her.
Obsidian was not sure what to do. Hesitantly, he turned to his side, facing the yellow mare and unfolded a wing over her. The moonlight now fell through the window and the reaper could see her smiling happily. She enjoyed his closeness and came even closer.
The yellow mare embraced Obsidian and closed her eyes. The black stallion’s, though, were wide open. Never before had he allowed a pony to come so close to him. He was completely off guard right now. Although he knew it was extremely unlikely Fluttershy would use this situation to attack him, it still made him feel very unprotected right now.
The night continued and the silhouette of the window, created by the moonlight, slowly wandered around the bedroom. Obsidian found it hard to relax. But slowly, he started to get used to this situation. The black stallion watched Fluttershy, resting under his wing. She fell asleep by now and looked very peaceful. For some reason, Obsidian felt the urge to bring his face closer to her. She smelled of grass, hay and the animals she had been taking care of.
The reaper started to relax and closed his eyes. He was about to fall asleep himself when he suddenly experienced a dreadful sensation. Fluttershy as well seemed to have felt it and woke up again.
“O-obsidian... what is going on?” she asked quietly and very nervous.
“Do not move. Do not look. Just remain calm and pretend to be asleep,” he whispered back.
While Fluttershy was not used to this kind of feeling, Obsidian knew precisely what it was. The sensation grew stronger and stronger, until the reaper was sure what caused this was just behind him. Then he suddenly jumped up, summoned his scythe and swung it, missing his target narrowly.
Fluttershy shrieked a bit in surprise. In front of them was a very tall creature. It looked like a white pony in a black suit that had no mane, no tail and no face. The yellow mare could just catch a short glimpse of this creature before it fused with the shadows and disappeared. Even Obsidian seemed to be shocked by the fact who just visited them.
“No... what is he doing here?” the reaper wondered, speaking to himself.
“W-who was that?” Fluttershy asked, very shaky.
“Slendermane, the abductor... an ancient, unique demon of high rank. No one ever succeeded in a battle against him, yet,” Obsidian replied while putting his cloak back on.
“Please forgive me, but I need to chase after him,” he spoke, then opened the window and flew outside.
---
“Urgh. Whose bright idea was it to go to Everfree Forest at midnight?” Diamond Tiara asked in a very annoyed tone.
Her entire class was venturing through the forest for a good hour now and was unable to find the way back.
“Mine, of course! Don’t you remember?” Snips replied in excitement.
“Oh, of course. How could I forget that,” the pink teenage filly stated, rolling her eyes.
“Well, at least we will have first row seats when Applebloom and her friends chicken out!” Silver Spoon commented, causing both of them to chuckle.
“Ain’t gonna happen!” Applebloom responded. “I rather think you two will run for the hills at the first sight of a snake!”
“Um. Girls. I know I’m not as big and smart as you are, but don’t you think we have a different problem right now?” Pipsqueak commented.
“I gotta agree with Pipthqueak. We need to get out of here!” Twist added.
“Hold on! I think I found the way!” Snails suddenly stated.
“That’s the fifth time you say that!” Scootaloo responded, shaking her head.
“But this time, I’m sure it leads back to Ponyville!” Snails spoke.
---
The group kept on walking for another half hour. None of them had any idea where they were.
“I just knew this would lead nowhere. Snips, Snails: you two are the worst guides ever!” Diamond Tiara exclaimed in frustration.
The two teenage colts dropped their heads in shame. This little adventure didn’t turn out as they hoped at all. Suddenly, Snips spotted a white figure that looked like a pony.
“Wait, wait! I see somepony over there! Maybe we can ask him for the way!” he stated.
“What? Where?!” Sweetie Belle wondered. Snips pointed over to the spot where he saw the white pony, but it disappeared.
“Huh? He was there just a moment ago!” he spoke.
“I think you are starting to see things, Shorty,” Silver Spoon commented.
“Hey! His name is not Shorty! It’s Snips!” Snails spoke angrily.
“If you want some respect, then earn it. So far, all you two have done was ruining our Nightmare Night with your stupid little adventure!” Diamond Tiara countered.
A fight started between the two friend groups. Applebloom sighed. If she wouldn’t get home soon, her sister would get mad at her.
Suddenly, she saw something white in the corner of her eye. As she turned her head, nothing was there.
“Did y’all see that?” she asked to her friends.
“See what, App- wait, what was that?” Scootaloo wondered.
“I think something is here...” Sweetie Belle worried. They started getting scared now and looked around in search.
“Girls! There! The white pony!” Pipsqueak suddenly exclaimed.
All of the present ponies became silent and the fight ended. They looked over to a tall, white creature in the distance that appeared to look back at them.
Just the moment all of them had seen it, it disappeared again, only to reappear behind them a bit closer again. The school kids kept looking around in fear. Each time they spotted the suited creature, it was a bit closer to them. As they realized the monster had no face, the group broke open in panic.
Each of the teenagers ran in a different direction. Pipsqueak looked behind him to see if the creature was following him, but only saw Diamond Tiara running in the opposite direction. As he turned his focus forward again, he realized the white thing was just in front of him.
Its head was aimed to him and it seemed like the creature was just waiting for him to come close enough. The colt hit the breaks, but kept on sliding towards the suited creature on the muddy ground.
Suddenly, another creature appeared out of the dark, jumping in between Pipsqueak and the faceless monster. A black, cloaked stallion, wielding a scythe in his mouth. He stopped Pipsqueak and hid him under his cloak. At that moment, Slendermane disappeared again.
Obsidian knew he was trying to avoid any unnecessary battles and chased after the easiest victim first. He casted a teleportation spell to bring Pipsqueak and himself to Twist, Slendermane’s next victim. As the demon noticed Obsidian was following him, he disappeared again. This kept on going until the black stallion gathered all of the school kids at one spot.
They still panicked and tried to run away from him, but the reaper summoned a protective sphere around them, making it impossible for them to either escape or get caught. They all were shaking and breathing heavily. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon screamed loudly in addition. The others just watched what was going on outside of the sphere.
Slendermane now appeared in front of Obsidian. He knew, if he wanted to catch any of the children, he had to break his incantation first.
The reaper and the demon stared at each other. Then, large black arms grew out of Slendermane’s back and shot to the reaper. Obsidian sliced his scythe through them, but it didn’t have any effect. The arms grabbed the black stallion and pinned him to the ground.
Since the reaper had to keep his concentration on maintaining the sphere around the teenagers, he could not cast an offensive spell. Instead, he teleported himself behind the demon.
Slendermane just calmly turned around and launched his countless black arms on him again. This time, Obsidian did all he could to dodge the demon’s grip. This proved to become more and more difficult with each second that passed. Not only did Slendermane summon more arms than the reaper could handle, but he also quickly learned the movement patterns of the black stallion.
Just when he was about to get caught in a defenceless moment, a shattering sound was to be heard and Slendermane stopped. The demon turned his head over to the school kids.
While he attacked Obsidian with his arms, he also assaulted the sphere. The demon managed to get Obsidian distracted enough to break through it.
With a shock, the black stallion realized what happened and teleported over to the sphere. But Slendermane appeared by it just a second sooner than him. The demon’s head was aimed at the reaper while he grabbed Snails, drew him close and sunk through the ground with him, only giving the young stallion a short moment to scream for help. Obsidian was too late.
“Snails? Snails! Snaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaails!” Snips shouted.
---
What nopony could know is that all what just had happened was planned. Slendermane had been cooperating with another demon to distract Obsidian and get him out of Ponyville.
Twilight Sparkle was walking around in the village, being stalked by the other demon the whole time. Due to her preparations, Derpy was at the other end of the village, unable to sense her and Spike refused to go out with the purple mare on Nightmare Night.
Then finally, the moment came the demoness had been waiting for. Twilight walked into a silent corner where nopony would see either of them for a moment. The demon jumped out of her cover and right in front of the purple mare. It was Despair.
Caught off guard, Twilight looked into the demon’s eyes. Once again, memories rushed past her vision. Almost the entire year came and went, back to the moment Obsidian introduced himself to Ponyville. Despair grinned victoriously and casted a spell that knocked Twilight unconscious. Then, the demoness disappeared again.
A few minutes later, Twilight stood up again. She had no memories about what just happened, but still felt fear spreading through her body. She ran back to the library as fast as she could and ended Nightmare Night early for herself.
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 14 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
|
complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
|
mature
|
2012-03-02T21:58:13+00:00
|
2013-01-13T19:25:01+00:00
| 2,255 |
Hello guys and thanks again for your support!
Here is the second spoiler image.
Unlike the first one, this image is about the next upcoming chapter!
Credits go to my fan artist for making it!
Update: Credits to Chocolate Milk Terrorist for revamping the image!
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 15 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
|
complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
|
mature
|
2012-11-07T21:40:36+00:00
|
2014-02-16T19:22:11+00:00
| 2,039 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_GPtRJtV1Grnf7YGR8lmLVVc1zh-vK1UB0RY37fO2IU/edit
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 15: Memories
The battle was over. Slendermane won once again. Obsidian just couldn’t defeat him and what made this even worse is that his failure was paid with the life of an innocent pony. The teenagers were horrified, running around in the broken sphere, yet unable to climb out of it. Suddenly, the reaper heard something behind him. He jumped in battle stance again, expecting to see this ancient demon reappearing to kidnap more ponies. Though he quickly relaxed as he realized that it was not a demon that stood there.
“Fluttershy?” he mumbled with the scythe in his mouth. He really didn’t expect to see her of all ponies to be out here during Nightmare Night, especially when there was such a powerful demon on the loose. Before the yellow mare could respond, the teenagers started shouting.
“Fluttershy! Help! Get us out of here!” they screamed. The mare quickly walked over to the broken sphere.
“It’s okay! You are safe! Obsidian, could you please...” she spoke. The yellow mare didn’t even have to finish the sentence for the black stallion to understand. He planned to just let them free now anyway, so Obsidian made the broken sphere disappear again. The teenagers all gathered behind Fluttershy and stared at the reaper in fear.
“Oh no... what are we gonna do now?” Applebloom worried.
“There, there. It’s alright. He won’t hurt you,” the yellow mare explained.
“Won’t hurt us? Won’t hurt us?! He kidnapped and trapped us in this thing!” Diamond Tiara exclaimed.
“That was simply for your protection. I apologize for not informing you of what was going on, but I did not have the time for explanations,” Obsidian stated after making his scythe disappear again.
“Well you did a damn good job on that! Thanks to you, Snails is gone now!” Snips shouted with tears in his eyes. Fluttershy became shocked from that statement.
“Snails is gone? What happened?” she asked. Now, finally, the teenagers realized what had happened. After a short moment of shock filled silence, Snips started crying heavily. The crusaders, Twist and Pipsqueak hugged him. None of them were able to put in words what they experienced, so Fluttershy rose her gaze from them to Obsidian.
“I could not protect all of them from Slendermane... He caught a young stallion and disappeared...” the black stallion explained.
“Oh no...” the yellow mare commented in consternation. She barely knew Snails, but it still came close to her. Fluttershy told herself to keep it together. Somepony just had to act strong to comfort the children.
“I am so, so sorry this happened to you... Is there anything we can do, Obsidian?” Fluttershy asked. The black stallion slowly shook his head, causing Snips to cry even more.
“Why do you ask this black monster for help? What is he anyway?” Silver Spoon questioned, aiming the black stallion. Obsidian took the insult indifferent with his usual, expressionless face.
“Oh, he’s not a monster. He is a reaper. An elder to be exact,” Fluttershy answered. The cutie mark crusaders lifted their heads and stared at the black stallion.
“He doesn’t look like Derpy at all!” Scootaloo commented.
“That is because I am more than two hundred years older than-”
Obsidian started explaining while coming closer, but suddenly was struck by a strange feeling. Now that he could concentrate on them, he noticed one of the school kids had an unusual aura. A kind of aura only those ponies have which... Obsidian had to suppress any kind of reaction that might expose what he discovered and just finished his sentence.
“-than her.”
“Wow... you’re old. You don’t look that old to me!” Sweetie Belle said.
“Reapers age in a different way,” he explained.
“Yeah, whatever!” Diamond Tiara interposed. “You’re still in big trouble, mister! Trapping and scaring me like that! I’m going to have a talk with my dad! He’s so gonna file a lawsuit on you!”
“I totally agree with you. Fluttershy, guide us out of this forest without us having this monster around!” Silver Spoon requested. The yellow mare was about to say something in defence of Obsidian, but he just bowed down to them.
“If my presence bothers you, I shall leave. Fluttershy, I trust you know the way back?” he asked. The yellow mare nodded.
“Then we shall meet at your cottage,” the black stallion concluded and lifted into the sky.
---
Almost fifty minutes later, the group finally returned from the defiled forest. Fluttershy managed to get the crusaders curious about Obsidian and they asked her many things. The yellow mare, though, preferred them to ask Obsidian directly to avoid her revealing anything the reaper may not want them to know.
While Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were walking home quickly, playing upset to mask their shock and fear, the others followed Fluttershy to her cottage. After what happened, they felt very unprotected and needed some time to recover mentally.
The black stallion answered their questions as far as he was allowed to and the yellow mare prepared some tea and biscuits for the school kids. It took some time, but their first impression of Obsidian finally changed as they found out he and Fluttershy were in a relationship. If a sensitive and shy Pegasus like her trusted him, then they figured they could do the same.
Only Snips was still very angry at the reaper. He blamed him for not being able to protect his best friend. Obsidian promised to take responsibility for the loss of Snails by personally informing his parents and arranging a farewell. Though this hardly made it up for the young stallion.
After the teenagers somewhat recovered from the shock, they walked out of the cottage again and aimed to go home. Only the crusaders stopped at the front door, thinking about everything Obsidian told them. Sweetie Belle turned around.
“So, Fluttershy... he is your special somepony?” she wondered.
“Yes. He is,” the yellow mare replied, blushing a bit.
“And Fluttershy is yer special somepony, Obsidian?” Applebloom asked.
The reaper nodded.
The three teenage fillies started whispering to each other. Then Scootaloo turned to them again.
“As weird and unexplainable as this is, you two match pretty well,” she stated.
“Grātiās tibi agimus,” Obsidian responded. The crusaders sunk in thoughts for a moment and dropped their gazes in sadness.
“Thank y’all kindly for what yer’ve done for us tonight... We’d have been in quite a jeopardy without y’all. It’s just... oh... that poor Snails,” Applebloom spoke.
“I regret I failed in protecting all of you. Please forgive me,” the reaper apologized.
“Well... I think you did the best you could,” Scootaloo responded. Now, the young mares headed home as well. The front door closed and Obsidian gained a thoughtful expression.
“Such a thing happening on Nightmare Night... I wonder what this means,” he stated. Then, he turned around to Fluttershy. “How did you manage to find me in the forest?”
“Well, it was actually pretty easy. I felt you. I just needed to follow,” she stated.
“You are developing very fast. But why did you follow me? I do recall that you were afraid of going outside during Nightmare Night,” he kept on asking.
“I... I wanted to help you. Remember when I helped you in the house after you got hurt so bad? It was the same this time. I just couldn’t take the idea that you fought something so strong all by yourself,” the yellow mare explained. Obsidian came close to her now and looked her deep into the eyes, trying to look gentle.
“Your intentions were good, but you are not ready to face such an opponent, yet. I gave Rainbow Dash my word to guard you with my life. Please, do not put this promise to test if it is avoidable,” he spoke gently. The yellow mare blushed from his caring words, but she also felt a bit embarrassed that she acted so rash.
“Okay...” she spoke lowly. The reaper then walked up and down the living room, sunken in thought.
“Um... I’m just wondering... why didn’t you defend yourself when these two kids insulted you? Back when those guards at the Everfree Forest passage disrespected you, you got so angry,” Fluttershy asked.
“I was acting my anger, Fluttershy. You do know I do not have such emotions. There also is a difference between royal guards and innocent children. It is the duty of every reaper to protect pony-kind. I am a servant of Equestria and my mistress and as such, I try to behave,” Obsidian explained, then walked over to the front door.
“Now that we are speaking of duties, I owe two unlucky parents the favor of putting them out of their worries with bad news. It may take a while before I can return. Please, just try to get some sleep by yourself. Bene dormī, Fluttershy,” he spoke, then started walking towards the home of Snails’ parents.
---
Two days later, Snails was pronounced dead. His parents took the news with disbelieve and trauma. They were unable to even cry until they heard the farewell speeches in Snails’ honor. All of his classmates had prepared one. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had barely anything positive to say at all, but Cheerilee prevented them from talking bad about the lost young stallion. Snips never was a pony of great smarts or words, but his speech was by far the longest and most emotional. He couldn’t even finish it before breaking open in tears and caused more than half of Ponyville to cry with him. After the farewell ceremony was over, Obsidian walked straight to Pinkie Pie and started whispering to her.
“You lied to me, Pinkamena,” he started coldly.
“Huh? What do you mean?” she whispered back.
“You did not tell me about one of the teenagers from the local school,” the reaper continued.
“Oh, that. Silly me!” Pinkie stated, giggling a bit. Obsidian’s face became serious.
“We had a deal, remember? And a deal is based on trust. If you keep things secret from me, I can not trust you,” he spoke.
“Sheesh, calm down, Obsidian. I just forgot about it, that’s all! I’ll tell you everything you want to know. Go ahead! Ask me!” the party pony responded.
“For how long has this been going on now?” the reaper asked. Pinkie shrugged and grinned a bit.
“Hm, not sure. A few years,” she replied.
“How often do you two work together?” Obsidian kept on asking.
“Well, we used to play together at least every other time when I needed new ingredients. But now that the graduation is coming, we can’t do that so often anymore. I hope that silly stuff will be over soon,” Pinkie explained.
“And the cutie mark... you helped on it? And it is not what the ponies think it is, right?” the black stallion wondered.
“Oh! You’re a sharp one! Yes, it appeared after a while when we were playing together. It can be misunderstood, but we both think that’s actually pretty funny!” the pink earth pony responded.
“Good. That is all for now. I would like to dine with both of you at some point. There are a few things I would like to ask, which require this special, secured atmosphere,” Obsidian requested.
“Oooh! That’s a great idea! I’ll see what I can do. Bye!” Pinkie agreed and started bouncing away.
Obsidian was right about his discovery. This might become a really big problem. The reaper had to inform his mistress instantly. He walked into a silent backstreet and secretly wrote a short letter, only containing a single sentence:
“There are two of them.”
---
An hour later, the reaper met up with the keepers of harmony at Twilight’s library to discuss the Slendermane incident. Eversince he kidnapped Snails, he did not reappear again, which was strange. This ancient demon was known for always hunting after easy prey. Even with both, Derpy and Obsidian in Ponyville, the village provided enough situations where he could have at least tried to kidnap another pony. Even more curious was the fact that Slendermane chose Nightmare Night to appear in the village. He even went so far as to pick Fluttershy’s cottage as first location to make an appearance. It was pretty obvious he wanted to attract Obsidian’s attention. The reason for this remained unknown for all of them, though. None of them could recall any other incidents happening during that night.
“It appears we are running into a dead end,” Obsidian stated. “Whatever the reason may have been for his actions, it seemed like he only wanted to appear this one single time.”
“Those darn demons are unpredictable,” Applejack commented.
“I can’t shake off the feeling something is going on around us,” Twilight worried.
“You may be right, Twilight. We do know Despair has a plan. It could be that Slendermane’s appearance had something to do with it,” the black stallion agreed.
“Well, what are we going to do?” Rarity wondered.
“At this moment, all we can do is defend ourselves,” Obsidian responded. “I would like to ask you all to practise your combat abilities. Also, Rainbow Dash: I need to request your assistance in supervising the village. If you spot anything suspicious during your weather patrol, please report it to me.”
“You got it, O!” Rainbow responded, saluting. Rarity sighed in antipathy.
“By practising my abilities, I would have to sacrifice so many gemstones...” she worried.
“Oh, I don’t think that will be a problem. I’m pretty sure Spike would love to go gem digging with you again. Right Spike?” Twilight asked. The baby dragon instantly jumped up as he heard his name and appeared to be very nervous.
“Eh, yes, Twilight. Of course, Twilight. Anything you wish,” he responded and ran out of the library.
“Um... Spike? I said with Rarity, not all by yourself...” the purple mare spoke in a confused tone.
“Is it just me or is Spike being weird lately?” Pinkie wondered.
“Well, I don’t know what’s gotten into him. He refuses to talk to me. It’s so strange... we never had such problems before,” Twilight replied.
“Has anything happened between you two?” Applejack wondered.
“No, nothing!” the purple mare responded. “He just started acting like that from one day to the other! Well I did have a talk with him about putting my copies of the Daring Doo Adventures in the wrong shelf and lining them up in a completely chronologically wrong order, but that was just a small thing and I don’t think-”
Before Twilight could finish, somepony knocked at the door. A second later, it opened and four young ponies entered. The cutie mark crusaders and Pipsqueak.
“Howdy, everypony!” Applebloom greeted.
“Hey, sis! What are y’all doing here?” Applejack wondered.
“Well, little Pip here got tired of waiting for his cutie mark to appear. So he asked us for help. We figured it would be the best if he just did what we did at his age and started touring around Ponyville with him to hear everpony’s cutie mark story,” Scootaloo responded.
“So? Did you learn anything new, Pip?” Twilight asked.
“Well... not really. At least nothing that could help me,” Pipsqueak replied.
“We were about to give up, but then Appleboom had a brilliant idea!” Sweetie Belle explained and looked over to Applebloom, telling her that she should present it.
“I was thinkin’, maybe we should talk to an older pony. One with plenty of experience, but yet not too old to fall asleep while tellin’. A pony like.... Obsidian!” she stated in excitement.
The eyes of the six mares grew wide and focused the black stallion. He bowed down before the teenagers.
“I appreciate your interest, but my cutie mark story is not one suitable for your young ears,” Obsidian replied.
“Oh come on. What can be so bad about it?” Sweetie Belle wondered. The reaper’s face became a bit more serious. These kids had no idea what they were asking for. He figured he should make it clear.
“I am a reaper, children. Not a pony. Although I used to be one a long, long time ago. What do you expect my story will be like? Do you even realize what this symbol means?” he asked while turning sideways and lifting his cloak to present his skull cutie mark.
The four school kids gasped a bit. They didn’t actually see his cutie mark before.
“On second thought... Maybe it’s not such a good idea to ask you,” Scootaloo responded nervously.
“Pardon, buddy. Ah guess we’ll just have to try something else then,” Applebloom spoke. Pipsqueak sighed and and dropped his gaze.
“Sorry we disturbed you...” he apologized and turned around.
Pip’s disappointment caught the reaper’s attention. It seemed like he really wanted to hear his story. Obsidian was unsure. He avoided talking about his short life as a proper pony for such a long time. Usually, he refused to tell anypony about it. But this time, for some reason, he didn’t mind.
“Wait, please...” Obsidian finally requested. The cutie mark crusaders and Pipsqueak focused the black stallion with curious faces.
“Would all of you like to hear the story how I earned my cutie mark and became a reaper? Even though it is not a happy one?” he wondered.
The jaws of the keepers dropped from the question. What made him change his mind? This was an opportunity none of them could let slip by.
“Yeah, of course!” Pinkie Pie responded.
“It sure would help us understanding y’all better,” Applejack stated.
“Come on, mister mysterious. Tell us something about your past!” Rainbow Dash added.
Obsidian hesitated. He wondered if he really was going to do this step and how he would present the story. Putting personal affairs in a mission wasn’t very professional. But on the other hoof, it might improve his relationship with the keepers of harmony.
“As you wish. I shall tell you how I lived as a child, how my home city fell and how I earned my cutie mark. But I can not tell you every last detail, for there were things happening that are unfit for children’s ears,” the black stallion replied. The keepers and the school kids smiled a bit. That was good enough for them.
“Please give me a moment... This is all so long gone by now. I need to remember first,” he requested. All the ponies in the room nodded in agreement and made themselves comfortable.
Obsidian closed his eyes, searching through his three centuries of memories for those which where the earliest he could still remember. It slowly came back to him. He could hear the Seven Sounds Bell of Coltholm ringing, the screaming of all its citizen, the sounds of countless steps rushing over the city, buildings collapsing, blades swinging, and slowly, he started seeing pictures.
---
Coltholm. A city that had been long forgotten by now, despite the fact it was rather unique. Coltholm was solely inhabited by a very rare type of ponies: monochrome ones.
Purely black, white and grey ponies nearly became extinct in the modern days. The fall of Coltholm is the main reason for that. Although ponies from other parts of Equestria referred to it as ‘the monochrome city’, the city itself was actually very colorful. It overall consisted more of statues, art and fountains than buildings, due to its low population. Yet, no art piece was more magnificent than the trade mark symbol of Coltholm: The Seven Sounds Bell.
It was a one of a kind piece. A golden bell in a very unique shape, crafted to be able to play up to seven different sounds depending on where it was hit. Seven small figures of earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns, representing the founders of Coltholm were located around the bell, wielding small hammers. The Seven Sounds Bell was not only a masterpiece of art, but also of magic. It was enchanted to occasionally play melodies on its own, by letting the pony figures hit the bell with their hammers. The melodies always were very meaningful and represented what the citizens would have to expect for the day. Such a majestic bell of course also needed a majestic tower to present it properly. So the bell tower as well was a piece of art. It was a thin, filigree structure made of iron, with the individual parts being bent and shaped to look like vines and leaves.
Coltholm was a beautiful city. It also was the home of a certain stallion. As impressive as the city may had been, there was one event that always outshined all the decor and art. On this one particular day, the said event happened again. Many ponies were gathered at the front door of a rather common looking house. What was going on inside it, though, was everything but common. The crowd waited, mumbling in both excitement and worry. Then finally, a nurse stepped out of it, speaking to the crowd in the language which was common for these days.
“Equuleus est!” she shouted. The crowd responded with loud cheering. Monochrome ponies were rare, even back then. So the birth of another one always was a reason to celebrate.
Inside the house, two adult black earth ponies were sitting on a bed, gently holding their sleeping, newborn foal and keeping it warm. It was a colt, just as black as his parents.
“Our precious, little son,” the mother said quietly, smiling happily.
“Yes. Our beautiful little boy,” the father responded and gave his wife a kiss.
“How should we name him?” he asked.
“A wonderful, special child like him also needs a special name. What do you think about Obsidian?” the mother suggested.
“It is perfect,” her husband responded.
“Then it’s decided,” the mother spoke and kissed her sleeping foal on the forehead. “Welcome to Equestria, Obsidian Shards.”
---
The little colt had a good childhood. He had multiple friends and spent most of the days playing with them. His favorite game was hide and seek, as he was very good in both, hiding and seeking. At school, he was an average pupil, learning with a lot of enthusiasm. At home, his parents met him with a lot of love. They cared a lot for their precious child and did an admirable job in raising him.
Obsidian was quite a responsible child. At the age of two, his parents could fully trust him to roam around freely with his friends. They explored the city in all its details and found many small passages where only they were fitting through. They also enjoyed to play at the borders of the city, taking care of the animals there or just watching the tall mountains in the distance. These first two years of his life were carefree and filled with happy moments.
But all good things eventually come to an end in a cursed land like Equestria. One morning, the Seven Sounds Bell played a melody it never played before. It sounded dreadful. The ponies wondered if the bell was broken, since the tones were very off-key. The whole melody only lasted a short moment, though.
Today, Obsidian was playing with his friends at the city border again. A Pegasus filly brought a big, light ball and they tried to keep it up in the air. It was a lot of fun, until their game was interrupted by strange noises from far distance. A kind of growling echo, mixed with faint giggling. The children looked around, but couldn’t find the source of these creepy sounds. Just moments later, the ground started to shake lightly, gradually getting worse and worse. Finally, one of Obsidian’s friends spotted the reason for the noises and the earthquake.
Multiple caves opened in the mountains before them and a huge, black mass flew out of it. The mass seemed to have some kind of red aura around it and rolled down the mountains, towards them. It was Obsidian who first realized that this mass was not a single thing. It was made out of an uncountable amount of black creatures. They all had glowing red eyes.
Demon strongholds are scattered all over Equestria. What the citizens of Coltholm couldn’t have known is that there was one in the mountains close to the city. Every few hundred years, a stronghold houses enough demons to make it possible for them to launch a large-scale attack. On this day, Coltholm should fall.
The foals turned tail and ran back to the city. But the black creatures approached very fast. Obsidian was one of the more physically fit children. He could run at a good pace. Though not all of his friends could keep up. The black mass of monsters rolled over the slowest ones, leaving nothing remaining of them but a single, agonized scream of terror. However, Obsidian had no time to look back. He just tried to stick with his other friends and narrowly made it back to the city before the black creatures arrived there too.
What happened then could only be described as hell breaking loose in Coltholm. The black monsters rushed down the main street. They caught the ponies, ripped their hide off, tore them to pieces, ate them alive and flung their innards around. Blood, flesh, organs, body parts and bones were flying through the air, giving all of the city’s art pieces a macabre makeover. The water in the fountains turned red from all the blood spilling in them. Even the air became red from the demonic aura of these brutal creatures.
The Seven Sounds Bell started playing again. The same melody it played earlier today. But this time, it just wouldn’t stop anymore. Mixed with the screams of torture, the sound of raw flesh getting sliced in bits, the breaking bones and necks of all the ponies and the moist splashing of blood hitting the stone ground made this melody all the more traumatizing.
While all the adults around them died, Obsidian and his friends somehow managed to escape the demons so far. They used all the secret paths they had found to escape the monsters. Yet, the number of friends falling behind and getting ripped apart by the black monsters kept increasing.
The demons attacked the buildings, tearing them down and assaulted the ponies hiding inside them. Within the first few minutes, a majority of Coltholm was already destroyed.
The foals started to run out of places to hide in. Finally, a building collapsed just above Obsidian. None of his remaining friends could help him. The walls crumbled around the little colt and buried him. Wondrously, Obsidian was almost unharmed by that. The building chunks trapped him, creating a sturdy prison that provided barely enough room to move at all. Through tiny gaps, the colt could watch the monsters rush past him. Obsidian didn’t dare to move. If he just gave the smallest hint he was stuck under the chunks, it would mean his end.
He tried to stay as calm as possible, reducing his breath to a minimum despite the intense fear he suffered from. Obsidian could see more black creatures appearing. But they seemed to be different. They looked like ponies, wearing cloaks. The sound of swinging blades hinted the little colt that they were fighting the other black creatures.
After a while, Obsidian could hear one of the cloaked ponies collapse near his hideout, followed by crunching and splashing sounds, indicating it got torn apart. Seconds later, the pony’s blood flew under the building chunks. The colt had no chance to stay away from it, since he already could barely move and any additional movement might reveal his location. He was forced to endure the sensation of the body warm life juice running over his legs and stomach, sending him into a state of extreme disgust and nausea. He wanted to scream. He wanted to throw up. He wanted to cry. But all that would only expose him. It didn’t take long for the blood to lose its warmth, leaving Obsidian shivering in a cold, wet, smelly and slowly turning sticky puddle. The little colt proved a lot of endurance to retain consciousness for such a long time. But finally, the trauma, fear and disgust simply became too much for his brain to cope with. Obsidian blacked out.
---
As the little colt awoke again, all the loud, disturbing sounds disappeared. The air was still dyed in a terrible crimson, but the only sound that remained was that of the wind blowing through what was left of the city. The smell of death and decay hit Obsidian as he lifted his head out of the blood, which had formed a crust around his body. Looking at the dried fluid below him, Obsidian remembered what happened and shivered in trauma and revulsion. He peeked through the gaps. But as soon as he did, his nausea intensified. Everything was destroyed and covered in blood. Carcasses in various states of abuse were covering the landscape. Silent tears rolled down his cheeks as he now finally realized that most of his friends died around him, along with the entire population of Coltholm.
Obsidian spent another hour shivering in the red puddle he was laying in, battling with his mind. Despite his young age, he somehow managed to somewhat calm down and sort his thoughts. The little colt realized he was forced to leave his cover sooner or later, unless he wanted to die of thirst or starve in here. Trying to cause as little noises as possible, he slowly fought his way out of the building chunks.
Obsidian was unprotected now, standing in a scenery no normal pony would be able to handle mentally. The black monsters steamrolled everything. Coltholm was none-existent anymore. The little colt had only one desire at this moment: looking for his parents.
He snuck between the remains of buildings, statues and ponies, avoiding the open areas. He carefully looked around every corner he planned to go around. Some of the monsters might still be here, he thought.
Obsidian searched. For his parents. For friends. For anypony. But all he was able to find were gutted corpses.
Finally, the little colt managed to find the collapsed building which used to be his home. In there, Obsidian found his parents. But they were not in the state he hoped them to be. They were gutted and half eaten. The black monsters cleanly tore the flesh off their heads and necks.
Obsidian collapsed. The sight of his parents’ corpses was too much for him. This was the worst fate any child could experience. His parents were dead. He was all alone in the middle of these blood, flesh and rot covered ruins. The little colt finally let out everything he fought back so far. He cried loudly and screamed in trauma. His entire world shattered around him. Nothing was left that could comfort him.
Yet, his cries were heard. One of the black monsters with the red eyes had been hiding behind the bodies of Obsidian’s parents, feasting on them. The colt was stealthy enough to not attract the monster’s attention until he began to cry and scream. It chuckled at the sight of the colt, already getting excited to taste fresh, living flesh. The little colt stared at the blood covered monster with wide open eyes and tiny pupils. As it was about to pounce him, he turned around an ran away as fast as he could. The monster, though, was very fast and agile. Despite Obsidian using narrow passages and changing direction several times, he could not shake the creature off. The colt spotted the Seven Sounds Bell, laying nearby. The entire bell tower had been broken down and destroyed the bell, creating a narrow gap Obsidian could use to hide himself in. This was the only chance he had.
Without hesitation, he aimed for the bell and crawled inside it. The monster was too big. It couldn’t fit inside. Instead, it reached a claw inside the bell, trying to grab the little colt. The arm of the black creature stretched out more and more, forcing Obsidian to retreat further and further inside the bell. It was hopeless. In just a few moments, the monster would get him. But then, the moment came that changed Obsidian’s life forever.
During the battle against the demons, several reapers found their end. Almost all of the freed reaper cloaks had flown off to seek a new owner at a different place. Only one remained in the fallen city, to the little colt’s great fortune. It was attracted by the reaper blood Obsidian was covered in and seeked him out, finally finding the colt under the broken Seven Sounds Bell.
Obsidian Shards had achieved the impossible. He survived what was unsurvivable, thanks to his stealthiness, self-control, physical abilities and logical reactions. He was still very young, too. A perfect host for the reaper curse.
The little colt felt something grabbing him from behind. It was the cloak, squeezing itself through a hole in the bell. Before Obsidian could react, the cloak wrapped itself around his body and emitted a dark aura that soaked into him. He could feel how the reaper curse changed him violently. It rearranged his body, mind and soul. Obsidian was in pain. A strange kind of pain that can not be described with any words in the world. Obsidian’s mind drowned in chaos as everything he felt and knew became newly arranged. The curse reached into the deepest parts of his soul and fused with it in a dark symbiosis.
The pain vanished. The chaos in his mind was replaced with a calmness and order he never experienced before. The fear, shock, trauma and disgust he felt the whole time were gone, just like that. Obsidian was unable to feel anything anymore, giving him the idea he had died now for some reason. But he could still move his body. He could still look around and he could still breathe.
No, he wasn’t dead. But he knew, whatever just happened to him, it changed him into something entirely different.
While his sight was at first very blurry, he now was able to focus again. He saw so much now. So many details he was unable to see before. He also could hear even the smallest sounds of everything around him now. His sense of smell and taste sharpened enormously too, allowing him to not only taste the blood and decay in the air around him, but also the fine dust from the crumbled buildings and the aroma of the trees outside of Coltholm. As he focused on everything he could discern, he noticed that one was missing now: the black monster.
It ran off the moment it noticed a reaper cloak was grabbing Obsidian and changing him into a reaper. The colt’s new gained instincts were now awakening inside him. Whatever it takes, he had to catch that monster and make it pay for what it had done to his parents.
Obsidian crawled back outside of the bell, now wearing the reaper cloak that would accompany him for the rest of his life. Although he could not see the demon anymore, he could sense it.
The chase had now turned upside down. Obsidian tracked down the demon and used several shortcuts to close up. While running, the colt noticed changes on his body. He still looked the same, but was able to run much faster, jump much higher and had an a lot greater endurance than before. With these new physical abilities, it didn’t take him long to cut in the monster’s path and pounce it.
A fierce fight between hooves and claws ignited. Obsidian punched the monster hard, sometimes even sending it flying a bit. But all that didn’t seem to drain it in the least. Everytime, the monster just jumped back up and charged the colt again. Its claws sliced over Obsidian’s face, but he didn’t care. He kept on fighting, finally pinning the demon to the ground in a defenceless position.
His instincts took over again and Obsidian turned into a black cloud of smoke, surrounding the monster. While in this state, he held it firmly and formed countless sharp, black teeth that soon rammed in the monster. Obsidian absorbed the demon inside himself. He made it a part of his own being by tearing it apart. The monster’s physical appearance dissolved into a black cloud, too, that fused with Obsidian.
After the monster was entirely gone, the black cloud turned back into the little colt. Obsidian felt a strange sensation of satisfaction. Consuming the demon recharged him and even made him still a bit stronger.
The colt’s senses remained sharp and alert. He heard the sound of hoof steps behind him. Obsidian quickly turned over and went into some sort of battle stance, looking grimly. His expression changed again as he realized it was one of the cloaked ponies he had seen before. This one was a female, brown one with black eyes, bat wings and a curved horn.
“You are very talented, young reaper,” she spoke calmly. “You just became cursed and already consumed your first demon. All that without any instructions.”
Obsidian remained silent. He had the feeling he could trust this mare and got up from his improvised battle stance again.
“What is your name?” she asked.
“Obsidian Shards...” the little colt replied quietly.
“Greetings, Obsidian Shards. My name is Claymore. I am a reaper. The same kind of being you have turned into,” she explained.
Obsidian still remained silent. He wasn’t sure what to say or think right now. Claymore seemed to read the little colt’s mind.
“You have been through a lot. I know you are very confused right now and you may have a lot of questions. But I ensure you, everything will soon make sense. I have been looking for you. Please, come with me and I will explain everything to you,” she offered.
Hesitatingly, the little reaper nodded. Claymore turned around and started walking. Obsidian followed her, but after just a few steps, once again something strange happened. A large black book appeared in front of the colt and opened up on the first page. Claymore noticed that and turned around to him again.
“Your book of death already appeared? You indeed are quite a skilled apprentice, Obsidian,” she stated.
The little colt looked at the book in confusion. What was he supposed to with that?
“You can read already, right? Please read the first name on the first page,” Claymore requested.
Obsidian started reading. His eyes grew wide as he realized whose name that was. He instantly read the second name, also recognizing it immediately.
“Mother! Father!” the young reaper spoke out in surprise. Then, the book disappeared again.
“Hm... it appears we did not reap all of the citizen, yet. Do you know where they are?” Claymore wondered.
Obsidian nodded and guided her back to his destroyed former home.
---
Upon arrival, the young reaper realized the corpses of his parents had changed their position. As he came closer, they even seemed to move again.
“M-mother? Father?” Obsidian asked unsure.
The broken bodies of his parents moaned and tried to get up again, looking at their child. Although their faces were removed, their eyes were still intact, but lost the shine of life. The two undead ponies gazed at Obsidian in a way that made him realize how much they were suffering.
“It is a tragedy that your first two reaps are your own parents. But if you truly love them, then do them the favor of releasing them from their agony,” Claymore stated.
Obsidian looked up to her in confusion. If they already were like that, how was he going to kill them? As soon as he thought that, the colt realized how much even his mind had changed. He considered killing his own parents as if it was nothing.
“Summon your scythe, Obsidian. You already know how to do it. Just follow your instincts,” Claymore spoke.
The young reaper nodded and closed his eyes. He moved his head to the side and opened his mouth. Seconds later, a black scythe materialized in front of his face and he grabbed its handle with the mouth. Obsidian looked back at his undead parents. They stared at their son in both, fear and begging for release. They had done so much to raise him and he loved them so much...
He just couldn’t allow himself to hesitate and let them suffer just a single second longer.
Obsidian brutally decapitated them with his new weapon. The bodies collapsed again and their souls escaped, gently lifting into the air. Obsidian allowed his scythe to dissolve again and kept tracking the souls as they lifted into the sky. Even after they were gone, he kept on gazing into the red firmament above him for a while longer. Suddenly, a bright flash caught his attention. He looked around for the source of this light, but couldn’t find it. Claymore stopped him and pointed on his flank. The young reaper lifted his cloak and saw that his cutie mark had appeared: a skull.
“Impressive,” Claymore stated. “You have potential, Obsidian Shards. You could become a very powerful reaper.”
Obsidian didn’t respond. He just stared at the ground, thinking about everything that had happened.
“Let us go now, Obsidian. Mistress Celestia is waiting for us,” Claymore explained and turned around.
“Wait...” the young reaper requested.
Claymore turned again and watched as Obsidian walked over to the skulls of his parents. He gently picked them up, removed everything that was still inside them and stacked them on his back. The young reaper wanted to keep something with him that reminded him of what he used to have and what he had become. Though the skulls were almost as big as his entire body. He could barely carry them.
Claymore decided that she should help him. Using her dark magic, she levitated the skulls over to her and carried them for him.
“Grātiās tibi agō, miss Claymore,” Obsidian thanked and bowed down to her.
“Nihil est. Claymore is enough, though,” she replied.
Now, Obsidian was ready to leave. He and Claymore left the ruins of Coltholm behind them and walked towards Death Rock Mountain, beginning Obsidian’s long, dark and lonely life as a reaper.
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 16 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
|
complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
|
mature
|
2012-11-07T21:46:31+00:00
|
2013-02-05T21:35:26+00:00
| 2,341 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IhyWXgDqw3qgDHfM2KirdNlqt96ylTnkuKaynGJNros/edit
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 16: First Snow
As Obsidian finished summarizing, he noticed the sad expressions of all the present ponies. He had tried hard to leave out everything traumatizing, but it seemed like this turned his story into a very sad one instead. After several minutes of silence, created by how taken all his listeners were, Pipsqueak finally broke it with a question.
“What happened to Claymore?” he asked.
“She became my mentor for the first twenty years after I became cursed. Then she completed her duty by reaping the last name in her book of death. After that, she aged very rapidly and finally passed away gently by simply falling asleep,“ the black stallion replied.
“Did you reap her after that?” Rarity wondered.
“No,” Obsidian responded while shaking his head. “Although I was present when she died, it was another reaper that helped her soul leave this world.”
“But... you weren’t all alone the whole time, right? I bet you had somepony...” Sweetie Belle wondered. The reaper shook his head again.
“After Claymore passed away, I was on my own until I became stationed in Ponyville. Mistress Celestia, too, thought that I had a lot of potential and frequently put my skills to test by giving me difficult missions. Through that, I can hardly remember any times I interacted with intelligent beings, other than demons. It did not matter for me, though. The only thing I cared about for more than three hundred years by now was to serve my mistress to her full satisfaction,” he explained.
Another moment of quietness passed by as the ponies took in Obsidian’s words. He studied their expressions and reactions carefully while they were sunken in thoughts. The reaper was not sure if what he did right now was either right or wrong and he started to wonder why he even went so far. Never before had he spoken so openly about his life to anypony.
“Wow, O... Knowing what you’ve been through even as a child puts you in a whole new light,” Rainbow Dash commented suddenly.
“Yup... That explains so much now,” Applejack agreed.
“My goodness,” Fluttershy spoke while coming closer to the black stallion. “Losing everything you had in such an awful way... This is just... I can’t even imagine what you must have gone through. I’m so sorry for you...”
As soon as she finished speaking, the yellow mare wrapped her front legs around Obsidian.
“My tale is nothing special. Most reapers have similar stories to tell about their past and how they became cursed with the reaper curse,” he reasoned and looked around the circle of ponies.
His eyes stopped wandering as they focused on Twilight. She had been very quiet until now. The purple mare looked at the reaper in condolence. A moment later, she slowly walked over to Obsidian and spoke up again.
“I know you usually don’t like this. But this just needs to be done right now,” she explained.
Just like Fluttershy, she embraced the black stallion. Obsidian became paralyzed for a moment, as he was not expecting this. He started to get used of being close to Fluttershy, but that was the only exception he made. The reaper remained silent, though. For some reason he really could not explain, it didn’t bother him.
Now, one by one, the other keepers of harmony embraced Obsidian as well and even the school kids joined the group hug. This had turned into a very weird moment for the reaper. He usually was very tactical, cold and planned. But right now, he had no idea what to think or do anymore.
“Obsidian. You and I have one thing in common,” Twilight started, catching the reapers attention. “Before I came to Ponyville, I didn’t know anything about friendship. I didn’t care for others and only focused on doing good on my duties as a student. But then, I met these five wonderful ponies here. They changed my life. I discovered the magic of friendship and ever since then, I gained so much. You are a reaper and so you may never be able to feel as we do. But I want you to know that as long as we live, you can count on us as your friends. We will do whatever we can so you never have to be alone again.”
“All of you?” Obsidian wondered. The keepers of harmony nodded, all at the same time.
---
Fall slowly went by. Obsidian became very mute and thoughtful. The events and words after he revealed his past to the keepers of harmony had a huge impact on him and kept him occupied. Though Obsidian could not explain the reason for this. Now, afterwards, he really wondered why he even told them about his life in the first place. This was very out of character for him.
The black stallion still kept on meeting the keepers of harmony and spent time with them, rather remaining more in the background as usual. But he barely spoke at all anymore and seemed lost in thoughts very often. Why did he give them so many unnecessary, personal informations? Why didn’t it matter to him that they all held him? Why couldn’t he get Twilight’s words out of his mind? And most of all, why couldn’t he stop staring at Fluttershy?
Whenever Obsidian was out, either only with her or the entire group, his eyes sooner or later wandered over to her. Most of the times, he didn’t even realize it until Fluttershy looked back at him. This, for some reason, gave him the feeling he was doing something wrong, causing him to look away instantly. Obsidian failed to analyze his own behavior and thoughts.
After revealing his cutie mark story, Fluttershy insisted on him sleeping in her bed from now on. She didn’t want him to be alone in that gloomy basement anymore, lost in the world he was forced to live in from his childhood on. Even in bed, Obsidian was just not able to stop thinking. Each time, as soon as Fluttershy fell asleep, he removed the heart pin from his cloak and eyed it up. He turned it in his hooves and held it in the moonlight while rummaging his thoughts, trying to find an explanation for them. He only stopped playing with the heart pin when he started to get tired as well. Sometimes, he then turned over to Fluttershy, watching her sleep until he, too, fell asleep.
The only times Obsidian could somewhat distract himself were when he went hunting for demons and undeads. His success quotient, though, was notably lower than usual. Not because he couldn’t find any, but because they kept getting away. The thoughts kept steering in his mind, draining on his attention and concentration. This was unacceptable for the black stallion. Getting sloppy on his duties was just not an option for him. So, at the first morning of winter, he prepared to go out on a hunt again.
Obsidian set his sights on hunting and consuming at least ten demons today to make up his rate again. He was down in his room, drawing banisher circles on scrolls and crafting cursed amulets to attract demons. He wanted to make sure that this time, he would succeed. So, Obsidian unlocked the chest he hid under the stairs and picked up some of the food Pinkamena had gifted to him. Transporting it around was always risky. If anypony saw him with this, it would instantly force him to cancel his mission in Ponyville, because nopony would be able to trust him anymore. But Obsidian had done this countless times before and reaching his personal goal had highest priority to him right now. Already while packing, he started to question his own motives. Was he truly trying to catch up on his duties? Or was this just an excuse to win some time away from these thoughts haunting him? Odd Cirs found Obsidian’s insecurity rather amusing and he kept on mocking him by giving him more questions to think about. Right now, though, he was silent and appeared to just observe.
Obsidian was ready. He locked the chest again and walked over to his small shrine. A few black roses had withered. He replaced them with fresh ones and optimized the positions of the two skulls. The black stallion stared at them for a moment, about to sink in thoughts once again. But he snapped himself out of it and spoke to the skulls.
“Mother. Father. Wish me luck on my hunt today.”
---
Roughly an hour later at the Ponyville library, Spike was all alone, busy sweeping the floor. He frequently looked around nervously, afraid Twilight might come home. The baby dragon had no idea what to think of her anymore. It had been a few months now since the last time she... lectured him. But he was very afraid this could happen again, since these punishments seemed to come at very random times to him.
Spike wondered what was wrong with Twilight. He still loved her, despite the way she treated him. But ever since she came back from Princess Luna’s version of the Grand Galloping Gala, she was acting so weird. The purple mare used to smile and laugh a lot more often. These things became rare since then. Just what happened in Canterlot? What changed Twilight so much that she became so depressed and violent?
Spike couldn’t just ask her. If he did, she would punish him more. Twilight precisely knew how to really torture him, even without causing permanent damage on his body. He also couldn’t ask anypony else. Twilight forbid him to.
Spike sighed. There was nothing he could do without risking to go through hell again. Even worse to him was that he was no longer sure how to feel about Twilight anymore. He was torn between love and fear. A combination that was extremely difficult for him to get through.
“Spike! I’m home!” a voice spoke coming from the front door.
The purple mare came back from her shopping trip. Hearing her voice immediately sent a chill down the baby dragon’s spine. He lightly started to panic and considered several things he could do right now. Although he favored the idea to run away, he knew that Twilight would punish him for this. Spike gulped hard, gathered his courage and ran over to the purple mare, saluting to her.
“Yes, Twilight. Welcome home, Twilight,” he greeted hastily.
“Sheesh. Calm down, Spike. You really are exaggerating with this lately,” the purple mare replied.
“Eh. Yes. Sorry. Whatever you say,” the baby dragon commented nervously.
Twilight sighed and slowly looked around the library, scanning if he had done his chores properly.
“Everything looks fine. You’ve done well, my number one assistant!” she finally concluded happily.
Spike wiped the sweat from his forehead and exhaled in relief. Twilight turned around to him.
“Looks like the purchase of these was fully justified,” she commented while opening a bag on her back, “I think you deserve a little reward for your hard work.”
A few fairly large green gemstones levitated out of the bag and over to Spike.
“Oh boy! Emeralds! Thanks, Twi!” the baby dragon stated happily.
“No problem at all. You’ve been working really hard lately,” the purple mare responded and smiled.
Spike happily started chewing on the gemstones while Twilight scanned through her books. Moments like these made him believe that everything was just a bad dream and Twilight never hurt him. The baby dragon sat in the sunlight, enjoying the crunchiness of the emeralds and the rich, green lights they reflected on the floor and walls.
“So, how’s the thing with Rarity working out?” the purple mare suddenly asked.
“Well, she still only thinks of me as ‘cute little Spikey Wikey’. I don’t think she really understands I’m serious about my feelings for her...” Spike replied while eating.
“To be honest, I don’t believe you either,” Twilight stated coldly, causing Spike to nearly choke on an emerald shard.
“W-what do you mean by that, Twi?!” he asked in shock. The purple mare put her books back in the shelves and turned around to him.
“Did it ever come to your mind that you are a baby dragon?” she questioned him. Spike hesitated with the answer. He found himself caught off guard.
“What makes you think that a pony could ever have romantic feelings for a premature being of an entirely different species?” Twilight wondered with a serious expression.
“Well... um... Obsidian is not a pony and-” Spike started, but got interrupted by the purple mare.
“Oh come on, Spike. That’s a completely different thing. Obsidian at least used to be a pony, unlike you. And he is an adult. I mean, just look at yourself! I had to take care of you for almost eleven years by now and you still look like you just hatched! I am aware we ponies don’t know a lot about dragons. But I do believe that after so many years, you at least should be a little bit taller,” Twilight countered.
Spike was speechless. These words hit him really hard. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes while he stared at Twilight in disbelief of what she just said. She slowly approached Spike, looking down on him in disgust.
“You are pathetic, Spike. A small, weak, helpless excuse of a dragon who thinks he can be like a pony. But the most disturbing thing about you is that you actually have feelings for one. Rarity is a pony, Spike! A pony!” Twilight said, getting louder and more brutal in tone.
“B-b...but...” Spike whimpered.
“You make me sick. You make me so sick, you worthless little piece of trash!” Twilight started shouting and used her magic to lift him into the air. Immediately, Spike knew what was going to happen. He panicked and tried to run away, hoping he could somehow escape yet another round of torture.
Twilight smashed the baby dragon against a wall and threw the wooden pony head statue from the middle of the library at him, hitting him repetitively with it.
“Why didn’t you just stay at the dragon colony? Why did you have to come back and keep annoying us with your stupid baby-ish dragon needs? I had it with having to act like everything was fine around you! You have been such an annoyance all these years! You are good for nothing but chores and sending letters! I should enchant a broom and a quill to do that instead! They would be fully able to replace you!” the purple mare kept shouting.
Despite the thick scales, Spike started bleeding by now. The dragon blood mixed with his tears as both ran down his body. Yet, he kept hearing every last word the purple mare shouted at him, making this whole impression even more painful. Twilight put the wooden statue back to its original location and lifted the baby dragon in the air again, smashing him against the ceiling. Then she stopped her levitation spell, letting Spike crash to the floor.
“Rarity will never love you! When will you ever understand that? We are all just acting friendly around you because we are forced to deal with you! Nopony really gives a flying feather if you are here or gone! All you do is making our lives more difficult and-” she kept on shouting, but suddenly stopped as she heard somepony approaching the library.
She quickly knocked Spike unconscious, hid him under a chair and focused the door.
“Spike! I’m ho... wait,” a female voice spoke while entering the library.
It was another Twilight, wearing shopping bags on her back. She stared at the other Twilight in the middle of the library in confusion.
“What’s with this mirror?” she wondered and slowly came closer to the first Twilight.
That one too, approached until they were just in front of each other. The two Twilights looked at each other with the same confused expression. The first one imitated all the movements the second one did in perfection to improve the impression of her being just a reflection in a mirror. When the second one turned around, so did the first at the same time. When the second lifted a leg, so did the first.
“Where did this come from?” the second Twilight wondered. The first even imitated her lip movements at the same time.
The second Twilight looked around to see where the mirror was beginning and where it was ending. It took her several seconds to finally realize that this ‘mirror’ had no corners or sides. The second Twilight’s eyes went wide open in shock and she slowly turned her head back to the first Twilight, who looked shocked as well.
Suddenly, the first Twilight changed her expression. An evil grin grew on her face and the color of her eyes turned from purple to red. Twilight realized that this ‘reflection’ truly was Despair way too late. Once again, they had direct eye contact and Despair absorbed more of her memories. This time, she was able to gather many of them. All of Twilight’s memories in Ponyville, back to the day she moved to the village rushed past her eyes. Finally, Despair had enough for the moment. She casted two spells shortly after another. The first one reversed the effect of the memory absorbing ability of Despair, giving Twilight the memories of what she had done with Spike the past few minutes. The second spell erased the memories of their encounter and knocked the purple mare unconscious.
Despair now broke her disguise spell, revealing her true colors and the heart shaped hole in her chest, which instantly started bleeding again. She towered over the purple mare, grinning victoriously. She so would have loved to kill her right there. But no, that would be against her plan.
Despair turned around again, using her demon magic to pull Spike out from under the chair and placed him near Twilight. Then she reached her left front hoof inside the hole in her chest, covering it with blood. The demoness held the hoof over Spike, covering him with additional drips of blood to make his injuries look even worse. Then she drew a trail of blood from him over to the purple mare. Lastly, Despair let blood drip on Twilight’s front hooves. This would make for a very nasty surprise when they woke up again.
The demoness was done. She looked around the room one last time to make sure everything looked authentic. Then she teleported away.
---
It was evening already when Obsidian finally returned from his demon hunt with minor injuries. The result was very disappointing. From the ten demons he planned to hunt and consume, he could only find six and was able to actually consume only four of them. Yet, he managed to use up all the supplies he brought with him. Such bad results were very unusual for him. He didn’t want to think about it, though. The reaper already spent too much time thinking lately. Instead, he simply sat down in the shadow of a tree close to Fluttershy’s cottage and tried to meditate.
Half an hour passed until the sun finally went down. The black stallion still couldn’t concentrate properly. The impressions and words of the group just wouldn’t leave him alone. Obsidian just had no explanation why the embrace of the keepers and Twilight’s caring words occupied his mind so much. But more than these events, other, even stronger impressions filled his mind:
A yellow coat, a pink mane, teal eyes, butterflies.
Why couldn’t he stop thinking about Fluttershy? Her gentle smile, her shy blush, her soft voice, her appealing scent... Why did she take so much space in his mind?
Fluttershy was special, yes. Her soul was very dark, just like his own. She had an enormous inner strength, which kept attracting him since the very beginning. But that just wasn’t the reason. This did not explain why he kept thinking of her even more than about anypony else. Obsidian knew something was happening with him. He just didn’t know what it was and he couldn’t handle it. Never before had anypony kept him that busy. Was there something else about her? Something he overlooked?
The reaper concluded that he should do more research on the yellow mare. In addition to that, he aimed to research his own behavior while being around her.
Obsidian finally stood up again and walked in the cottage.
---
Fluttershy was sitting on the sofa, reading a book. The sound of the opening door made her look up, smiling warmly at him.
“Welcome home, my love!” she greeted happily and closed her book.
“Salvē, Fluttershy,” Obsidian replied. The yellow mare got up and walked over to him.
“So? How did it go?” she wondered. The black stallion lightly sunk his head.
“I was only able to find and defeat four...” he replied.
“Oh...well at least you came back in one piece! Looks like it was a tough battle, though. Let me take care of those scratches,” Fluttershy offered and flew to the kitchen to get a first aid box.
The reaper remained silent. He was not sure what to think of this. The yellow mare returned with the box and landed back on the sofa.
“Come on now, Obsidian. You don’t want any more additional scars, do you?” she questioned friendly.
After a moment of hesitation, the black stallion concluded that this would provide a good situation to start his research. He nodded and sat down on the sofa, next to her.
“Okay. This may now just hurt a teeny, tiny bit,” the yellow mare announced and started cleaning the scratches.
Obsidian didn’t show any response. Compared to what he had gone through in the past three hundred years, the light burning of the sanitizer was nothing. The reaper looked down to the ground, but kept paying close attention to everything happening. Obsidian already noticed another strange change in his own behavior. Usually, letting others take care of him put him into discomfort. But when Fluttershy did that, it didn’t matter. Why didn’t it matter? Why is it that he tolerates her being close to him after such a short period of time?
“Okay. Those are done. Did they get you anywhere else?” the yellow mare asked.
Obsidian nodded. He slowly took off his cloak and placed it aside. Then he turned around, showing the claw marks on his back.
“Oh my. How did they manage that?” Fluttershy commented in empathy. Then she started taking care of them, too.
Obsidian realized that he was more concentrated right now than he had been the whole day. His mind didn’t drift off. He paid close attention to everything coming from the yellow mare.
“Goodness... you’re carrying so much tension in your back. Sleeping on the ground for so long really didn’t do good for you,” she commented. Obsidian was still mute. He kept on staring at the ground with an empty face.
“Let me take care of that,” Fluttershy spoke gently and started massaging him. This was just so strange for the reaper. Such kindness... such affection... he had completely forgotten what this is like. She was right, though. The massage really helped him and he started to relax. After a while, the yellow mare suddenly stopped.
“Hm... maybe I’ll just... hold on,” she stated and put a hoof on his right shoulder. Then she grabbed his right front leg with the other hoof, making the reaper look up to her.
She suddenly gave the front leg a hard pull. Obsidian did not see this coming and showed a mild grimace of pain. This didn’t work out as Fluttershy planned.
“Oh... I... I’m sorry... I just wanted to-” she started to apologize, then got interrupted by the reaper.
“Harder,” he stated coldly.
The yellow mare was surprised to hear that, but it confirmed to her that she did the right thing. She pulled on his leg again. Harder and faster than the last time, causing Obsidian to twitch his eye and show his fangs in pain. With a loud pop, she put his shoulder joint back in position.
“Better?” Fluttershy asked unsure. The black stallion stretched his limbs and bent his neck. Everything was back in place and loosened up.
“Much better. Grātiās,” he replied. Fluttershy smiled happily.
“It’s okay. I’m glad I could help you,” she commented and packed the first aid box again. “Well, time to make dinner.”
The yellow mare carried the box back to the kitchen and stored it. Then she picked up some lettuce and carrots. Obsidian’s eyes once again were glued on her. There was just something about this mare... but what? The reaper stood up, leaving his cloak hanging where it was right now and walked over to her.
He decided to help and made a knife and a carrot levitate to the table in front of him. Now even Fluttershy noticed that he actually sought her company. This idea made her happy and she snuggled lightly against him. As usual, Obsidian did not respond to the approach, other than giving her a glance. It didn’t matter to her, though. When having a reaper as partner, such things are just to expect, she figured. Obsidian was skilled with the knife. It didn’t take him more than a minute to cut all the carrots.
A few minutes later, dinner was done. Fluttershy spread it on two plates and they both carried them over to the dining table. She was about to take a seat when Obsidian suddenly grabbed her right front leg. The yellow mare turned around. Obsidian wasn’t looking at her. He gazed down, seemingly sunken in thoughts.
“Obsidian? Is something wrong?” Fluttershy wondered. The reaper loosened his grip and came a step closer to her. He rose his head again, looking her into the eyes. His face was expressionless like always. But something in his eyes exposed that he was very unsure right now.
The black stallion kept on gazing at Fluttershy. He just wanted to keep staring into these teal eyes out of reasons he didn’t understand. She, though, couldn’t keep the eye contact for long without starting to blush. This made her only more appealing.
Appealing... Obsidian noticed he used this word in an unusual quantity when he thought about her. There was something in her eyes... this shine of life. This warmth. It reminded him of how his parents used to look at him. Although their love for him was a different one, the shine was the same.
Yes, Fluttershy loved him. Obsidian Shards, the elder reaper. The one who had forgotten what feelings are. The one who lost the ability to feel for anypony long ago. But if he was able to truly realize others loved him... and if he couldn’t get those ponies out of his mind... Then what would this make him? Was he still the same cold reaper he used to be? Was the answer to his questions maybe not inside her, but inside himself? In an area of his being which he thought was dead for long? There was only one way to find out.
Obsidian came another step closer to Fluttershy and did something he had only done once before. He placed his lips on hers again. Although Fluttershy was caught by surprise this time as well and blushed hard, she remained relaxed. She closed her eyes and enjoyed this moment.
Obsidian focused on his senses. Felt her lips on his own. Saw her blushing. Felt her breath in his mane. Heard the light noises she made in happiness. Smelled her scent. But, again, he felt nothing.
That was until he noticed he did one thing different to how she did. Fluttershy had her eyes closed. Apparently, this brought her a lot more joy.
So, the black stallion closed his eyes as well. With his sense of sight gone, Obsidian focused more on the things that were going on inside him now. He noticed something. A weak sensation of warmth. It wasn’t coming from her, but from inside him. It was pleasant, but unlike anything he knew.
The sensation caused Obsidian to instinctively embrace Fluttershy. She did the same at nearly the same time, as if it was natural. The black stallion could feel her body reaction to their kiss now. He could feel her heart beat faster, her breath getting deeper and her face getting warmer. Similar reactions started developing inside Obsidian. The sensation he experienced grew stronger and stronger. He was now able to realize it came from somewhere in his chest.
Holding Fluttershy so close was a pleasant experience. Obsidian slid his hooves up her back to her neck, enjoying the softness of her coat. The warmth inside his chest now replaced the coldth he carried with him for a very long time. His heart started beating faster and felt as if it was growing in size.
Finally, Obsidian withdrew from Fluttershy’s lips. She opened her eyes again. They were sparkling. Obsidian’s eyes remained shut for a moment longer as it finally became clear to him why he was focused so much on the keeper of kindness and why he just couldn’t stop thinking about Twilight’s words.
Obsidian smiled. The first time he didn’t act an emotion for hundreds of years. This was real. This was true and honest.
Now he opened his eyes again. His black, still functional eye had gained in shine and focused on the yellow mare. With one statement, which ended his doubts and muteness, Obsidian’s life changed a second time:
“I love you,” he spoke, slowly and warmly.
At this moment, it started snowing outside. The nightshift Pegasi flew over Equestria and spread out the first snow of the season. After another, shorter kiss, the couple walked over to the window and watched as the meadows slowly turned white in the moonlight.
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 17 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
|
complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
|
mature
|
2012-11-09T18:07:07+00:00
|
2013-01-22T16:19:09+00:00
| 1,602 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1liAV1Ca9qsPhdFBzBGABnC6H0FErV-1JUTQc3FjeO44/edit
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 17: True Darkness
As the sun rose up the next morning, the entirety of Equestria was already covered in a thick layer of fresh snow. Fluttershy stood close to Angel, who was sleeping in his basket. She knew his hibernation had begun. So she made sure he had it nice, warm and comfortable by giving him an additional blanket.
“Goodnight, my sweet angel. See you in spring,” she whispered gently. Then she lifted her head, glancing over to her partner warmly.
Obsidian, though, was sunken in his book of death. Judging from his expression and his rapid page turning, he was very confused.
“My love? Are you okay?” the yellow mare wondered.
“I am not precisely sure,” he replied with his eyes still stuck on the book.
Fluttershy became curious and worried. She took a few steps towards him, but that only caused Obsidian to close his book and made it disappear.
“I apologize, mea amāta. But no creature is allowed to read a reaper’s book of death. Not even another reaper,” he explained.
“Oh... okay. What’s the matter then?” Fluttershy asked.
“It appears Mistress Celestia rearranged my book. Multiple pages are blank now. There is a three months gap between now and the next date of death I am supposed to ensure,” the black stallion responded.
“Oh! I didn’t know she could do that,” the yellow mare stated in surprise.
“The book of death is not part of the original reaper curse. It is an advancement to it that our mistress created after she realized she needed a precise list to know when which pony was supposed to die and under which circumstances. Mistress Celestia has the true book of death, containing all the names of ponies that are supposed to die in Equestria. Thus, she also has the power to manipulate it. Though this can only be done to a certain limit. She can not extend anypony’s lifespan. She can also only change the time, location and cause of death up to a certain limit. Destiny itself is rewriting the true book of death constantly, too. It is a never ending battle, which requires a huge amount of strategy to make even the smallest changes,” the reaper spoke.
“Then... why did she change your book and create such a large gap?” Fluttershy wondered.
“That is what I, too, wonder. It is already very difficult to make sure every pony is getting reaped in time while keeping Maledictum Insania a secret. The schedule of every reaper is very full. So I do not understand why-” Obsidian started. He got interrupted by the sound of a hoof knocking at the front door.
“I know the answer! May I come in?” a female voice spoke behind it.
“You may enter, apprentice Derpy Hooves,” the black stallion answered. A moment later, the door opened and Derpy stepped inside, wearing her reaper cloak.
“Grātiās, elder Obsidian Shards. Hi there, Fluttershy! Haven’t seen you in a while!” she greeted happily.
“Hello there, Derpy! Can I offer you a cup of tea?” the yellow mare offered.
“No, thanks. I’m only here to deliver a message. Then I need to go already,” the reaper mare answered.
“A message from our mistress I assume,” Obsidian stated.
“Yep. Okay, here it goes... ahem:
Due to your incredible efforts in protecting the keepers of harmony, your long, loyal serving times and the fact that you have a partner now, Mistress Celestria granted you, Obsidian Shards, a holiday season from the second day of winter to Winter Wrap Up Day. During this time, she wishes you to spend your time with your partner and your friends. You’re also released from all of your other duties, like demon hunting, searching for undead ponies or supervising the zone you are stationed in,” the grey mare proclaimed.
“Oh, that is just wonderful! Celestia can have such a kind heart. But, um... Derpy... won’t it be a bit too much for you to supervise Ponyville all alone for such a long time?” the yellow mare worried.
“Hey now, Fluttershy. I may just be an apprentice, but I’m not a wimp!” the grey mare responded and removed the glass eye out of her empty socket again to present it to her. “I mean this should be proof enough, don’t you think? Anyway, don’t worry. Mistress Celestia got it all arranged as usual. You can rely on us.”
“Okay then. I really learned to trust you reapers by now. If you say everything will be fine, then I have no reason to doubt you,” the yellow mare stated happily. Derpy grinned, pushed her glass eye back in its place and turned around.
“Was nice talking to you two again! See you next time!” she announced and walked outside. Before she could close the door behind her, Obsidian followed up.
“May I have a talk with you in private?” he requested. Apparently, Derpy was expecting this to happen.
“Sure! No problem! Fluttershy, would it be okay if I kidnap your beloved one for a little bit? Reaper business, you know,” she asked.
“It’s okay. See you later, my love!” the yellow mare said and kissed Obsidian on the lips. He kissed her back.
“Valē, mea amāta,” he spoke warmly and started walking off with the grey mare.
---
Derpy kept on grinning for a while after they started walking. But as soon as she was sure they were out of Fluttershy’s line of sight, her face became very serious and she stared at the black stallion.
“‘Mea amāta’? Really now, Obsidian? I never thought I would hear you, of all of us, say such a thing,” she commented. Obsidian’s face now became serious as well.
“What is the real reason our mistress granted me a time apart of my duties?” he wondered. Derpy sighed.
“Eversince you let her know that you were forced into a relationship with the keeper of kindness, Mistress Celestia ordered me to spy on your behavior. I had to send her detailed reports about your development. Please don’t get me wrong. You did the right thing to report that and things didn’t look so bad actually. Until you started getting worse on your hunts. After what I’ve seen yesterday, I can only agree that you need a time away from your duties. Mistress Celestia is unsure if you are still capable of finishing your mission,” she explained.
“I admit that I had difficulties the past weeks. But the fact that I am developing feelings for Fluttershy does not endanger the mission. The situation is under control and I have the full trust of the entire group,” Obsidian responded.
“Elder, you precisely know how difficult our duties are for reapers that have emotions. Just look at me! I mean, I don’t really have a reason to still be emotional now that everypony knows I’m a reaper. But they are so happy around me... I keep getting ponies to laugh and it just makes me happy, too! And for what cost? If I wasn’t so skilled with runes, I would be one of the worst!” she proclaimed. The black stallions’ face became anger filled.
“Just as you stated, I am an elder. I am more than two hundred years older than you and therefore I have a lot more experience than you do. You can not compare me with yourself. The fact that you are implying that I would become a bad reaper, only for the reason that I am capable of feeling now is insulting me, apprentice,” Obsidian countered sharply, causing Derpy to lower her head a bit and gain an awkward expression.
“Forgive me, elder. But you know how important this mission is, since Twilight Sparkle is involved in it. You know how important she is for our mistress’ plan. She just wants to make absolutely sure nothing will happen to the keeper of magic before her time has come. You have reached a lot by now, so Mistress Celestia is giving you a chance to prove yourself. She wants you to fully use these three months to improve your relationship with the keepers of harmony as much as possible... I know I shouldn’t say this, but I’m ordered to keep spying on you. If you give our mistress the smallest impression you might hesitate when it comes to the moment you are supposed to finish your mission, you will be replaced,” the grey mare explained.
The black stallion became silent. His mistress was truly considering to replace him? If that happened, he would never be able to see Fluttershy or the others again. He might not even be able to say farewell.
No. He could not let this happen. Not only because of his personal feelings for Fluttershy, but also because of his loyalty to his mistress. He could not disappoint her. His entire life belonged to her, and he would do everything she ordered from him. Even if it meant to give up his own life.
“I appreciate your candor, apprentice. I will do as our mistress desires,” he concluded.
---
After Twilight and Spike woke up from the trap Despair set up, the situation between them became a lot worse. The purple mare just couldn’t explain how she could get so carried away with her temper that she ended up hurting Spike in such a terrible way. Apparently, this wasn’t the first time either. Just the first time she could remember. Twilight apologized to the baby dragon countless times and tried everything to make it up again. But after what she said to him, no apology sounded honest enough to mend his broken heart.
The days went on with Twilight acting as if nothing had happened. She knew what she had done was horrible and if anypony found out about it, she would get in big trouble. Spike, too, had no intention to tell anypony what happened. Not only because it was against one of Twilight’s rules, but also because he didn’t trust anypony anymore.
The baby dragon became very seclusive. He spent a majority of his time staying inside the library and only left when Twilight demanded it from him. He still followed every order she gave him. But in contrast to before, Spike did everything with apathy and a rebellious tone in his voice. The baby dragon lost his appreciation for ponies, considering every kind word they spoke out to him a lie.
---
Because of the secretive behavior of these two, the other keepers of harmony and even Obsidian had no idea what was going on with them. While Spike and Twilight kept on having small conflicts with each other, the others had a lot happier and more harmonious time.
It didn’t take them very long to notice Obsidian slowly started to change in personality. The first time they saw him smile made them speechless. Yet, they appreciated this development very much. Although the best he could do was giving a weak smile, even when Pinkie Pie told a hilarious joke, seeing that he was capable of expressing his feelings made him appear much more believable. Indeed, Obsidian was being honest and enjoyed himself.
As Celestia demanded of him, he spent as much time with the keepers as possible. He frequently helped out at Rarity’s boutique, had practical magic lessons with Twilight, visited Applejack at Sweet Apple Acres, had races with Rainbow Dash and even danced with Pinkie during her parties. What started as him simply following an order given by his mistress began to turn into something the black stallion liked. He slowly developed an appreciation for his friends, became warmer, friendlier, more open and helpful. Still, of all the ponies, Obsidian favored being around Fluttershy.
The couple spent a lot of time together. During winter, the yellow mare had no animals to take care of. Usually, she tended to get very bored and sad during this season. Her home was normally bustling with life. There always was a bird singing, a mouse squeaking or a chicken clucking. But in winter, everything was so silent. She really appreciated Celestia’s thoughtful decision to give Obsidian a work free period, so she would not have to be alone.
---
Their training has become a small, rather casual activity. Other things were much more important to them. Fluttershy really enjoyed wandering around in the snowy meadows of Ponyville during winter. But together with Obsidian, it became something special. She kept staying close to the black stallion, snuggling against him. Now that the reaper was in love with her too, he tried his best to keep her warm.
“Goodness. Just look at all that snow. I can’t even imagine what kind of effort this must have been to make,” the yellow mare commented.
“Cloudsdale is producing snowflakes all year long, just to be able to deploy them in winter. I, too, admire the incredible love for detail the weather factory workers put into them. Each snowflake is unique. A piece of art on its own. All this effort is only to ensure that when the snowflakes come together, they create the proper consistency,” Obsidian explained.
“I know. A few years ago, Twilight tested a spell that allowed unicorns and earth ponies to walk on clouds, so the others could support Rainbow Dash during a contest in Cloudsdale,” Fluttershy responded.
“The Best Young Flyer Competition, I assume. Apprentice Derpy was participating at the contest in order to guard the competitors. She told me the keepers of harmony were amongst the spectators and was quite surprised,” the black stallion commented. Fluttershy nodded.
“She also said she was very confused to see Rarity competing. Derpy’s knowledge of magic is limited to that of runes, so she did not understand how she managed to grow wings temporarily,” he continued. The yellow mare giggled a bit.
“Yes, that was quite something. It caught me pretty staggered, too. I still can’t believe they actually allowed Rarity to compete. But I guess there just wasn’t any rule that limited the tolerated races to Pegasi alone. Anyway, back to the topic. Applejack was especially interested in seeing the weather factory, so we showed them around. When we came to the rainbow facility, Pinkie Pie had to taste the rainbow essence. Turns out this was the first thing that was too spicy for her,” she said, chuckling softly as she remembered the faces Pinkie made.
“It is easy to underestimate the power of rainbow essence,” Obsidian commented, smiling lightly.
“Mhm. Well Rarity told me that her favorite part of the factory was the snowflake facility. I can fully understand why. It is just incredible what they do,” Fluttershy continued.
“It appears you all have experienced a lot together,” the reaper stated.
“Well, you can say that! Rainbow Dash and I are friends for as long as I can remember. After we moved from Cloudsdale, I met the others time to time. But it took until Twilight came that we actually turned into the group we are now. With her being completely new to friendship and having to send reports to Princess Celestia every week, we all learned what friendship truly means from scratch. It was quite an exciting time! Although I am not much for adventures, there was just so much happening these few years! We all learned and gained a lot. Take Rarity for an example! She was pretty much unknown for many years, until we all started helping her. Now she is one of the most famous designers in Equestria! It’s just wonderful!” the yellow mare responded.
“Also, from what Applejack told me, the business for Sweet Apple Acres inflated a lot too the past years. They are able to afford a lot more now and even could pay the surgery miss Smith required,” Obsidian continued.
“Yes. And Rainbow Dash is getting closer and closer to her dream of becoming a Wonderbolt!” Fluttershy announced.
Obsidian didn’t instantly respond to that statement like he did to the others. Just when the yellow mare was about to get curious, he raised his voice again.
“She does have good chances to be accepted, does she not?” he wondered.
“Um. Yes, of course. You know how skilled she is and she already left quite an impression on the whole team. I wouldn’t be surprised if they suddenly showed up around here and asked her to join them!” Fluttershy agreed.
The black stallion suddenly became silent and the smile in his face vanished.
“Obsidian?” Fluttershy spoke.
“Mihi īgnōsce. I drifted off with my thoughts. Tell me more about what you have experienced,” he requested.
“Certainly!” the yellow mare responded in excitement.
---
The couple continued chatting and wandering through the landscape. Fluttershy told Obsidian a lot about the adventures she had with the other girls, how she temporarily became a famous model, convinced a dragon and even went through an assertiveness training caused personality change. In return, the black stallion revealed some of the most difficult missions Celestia had given him. They were so lost in their conversation that they didn’t notice it got late until the sun went fully down.
“Oh my... it is getting quite chilly now...” Fluttershy commented, starting to shiver.
“In that case, please allow me,” Obsidian requested and halted.
He then took off his reaper cloak and covered the yellow mare in it. For a reaper, this was an incredible symbol of affection. She understood this, leaving her with a lightly opened mouth and a strong blush on her face.
“B-b...what about you?” she worried.
“I am used to the cold. It does not bother me. As I said before, reapers are immune to any poison or disease. The only thing I am worried about is your well-being, mea amāta,” the black stallion responded with a warm expression.
“Oh...” she spoke shyly. “But, um... It’s getting late. Shouldn’t we go home now?”
“Do you need rest?” Obsidian asked.
“No, its not that. It’s just... I’ve never been out wandering during the night before... You know I still have problems accepting darkness...” she stated. Obsidian smiled again.
“Maybe I can show you something that will change your mind,” he offered and slowly lifted into the air, dragging Fluttershy with him.
“What? Wait! Where are we going?” she spoke out nervously.
“Do not worry. I know you have a fear of heights, but I ensure you I will not let anything happen to you. Trust me and close your eyes,” Obsidian responded gently.
This wasn’t the first time somepony tried to get her to fly high. Rainbow Dash attempted it many times before she finally gave up. But her mistake was that she rushed Fluttershy too much. Obsidian was very gentle. He held her securely the whole time while they rose up slowly to not frighten her too much.
Obsidian’s cloak kept the yellow mare warm and comfortable while the air gradually became colder and thinner. Fluttershy was nervous, but since the black stallion was very careful with her and allowed her to keep her eyes shut, she remained somewhat relaxed. After all, she trusted Obsidian completely. Yet, since they increased in height so slowly, the yellow mare had no idea how high they were by now.
Finally, Obsidian stopped. He changed his position, flying behind Fluttershy and holding her around her stomach. Even while changing position, the reaper made sure to not let go of her for just a single moment.
“W... what are we doing up here?” the yellow mare wondered.
“I merely want you to understand. You are very high up right now. How do you feel?” Obsidian asked. His statement caused the yellow mare to start shaking and gulp hard.
“I... I’m not sure... I’m a bit scared but... when you are holding me, I feel safe. P-please don’t let me go! Rainbow did that with me once before,” she begged.
“Do not worry, mea amāta. At no point I intend to make you feel in loss of safety. I will hold you, no matter what. Just allow this moment to impinge on you,” he responded gently.
“Okay...” Fluttershy answered. The cold night air brushed over her face. Up here, the only sounds that could be heard were that of the wind and the flapping of Obsidian’s wings. The yellow mare was too nervous to concentrate much.
“Can... we go down now again? Please?” she asked.
“As I said, I do not aim to frighten you,” the reaper answered and slowly started to descend with her again. Fluttershy sighed lightly in relief.
“It will take a moment to reach the ground again. So let me ask you something in the meantime,” he requested. Fluttershy nodded lightly.
“You had your eyes closed the whole time? And you still have them closed?” he wondered. Fluttershy nodded again.
“So you could not see anything. Did you still feel safe?” Obsidian kept on asking.
“Yes. Because you held me,” she responded.
“But I am a creature of darkness, mea amāta. Darkness was all around you the whole time. Did that not frighten you?” he wondered.
“N-no. I trust you,” Fluttershy stated, getting nervous again as the reaper mentioned how dark it was around them. Obsidian noticed and held her closer to calm her down and make her feel more secured. He moved his head to her right ear and started to whisper.
“I am your darkness, mea amāta. I am holding you and keeping you safe,” the black stallion spoke gently, causing Fluttershy to blush again.
“So if I, your darkness, can make you feel so safe that you can keep your eyes closed, what do you think will happen if you open your eyes to me?” he questioned.
Obsidian seemed to have hit her curiosity. Very hesitatingly, the yellow mare opened her eyes. They instantly grew big in astonishment as she realized how high up they truly were. Ponyville was so small, it would have fit in her hooves. The entire land around it was dyed in a bluish white and all the lights coming from the houses were just tiny sparkling dots. The moon emitted a radiant, blue light and the stars as well sparkled beautifully. This scenery seemed familiar to her. It was very similar to how Princess Luna decorated the Grand Galloping Gala. It had the same feeling.
All of the sudden, it became clear to Fluttershy. This is how Luna saw the world! Everything was dark, but beautiful. Distances seemed to not matter at all. Everything appeared so dreamy, sleepy and peaceful. That was it! That was the true face of darkness!
“It is... incredible,” she spoke, still stunned from the impression she just gained.
The yellow mare turned her head to Obsidian. In his eyes, she could see that he precisely knew what she was experiencing right now. He was used to seeing darkness this way and he mastered separating this impression from any other, creepier form that was caused by monsters and demons.
“I think, I get it now!” Fluttershy announced. Right now, she felt absolutely safe. She wasn’t afraid of the dark and even the height didn’t matter anymore.
“You can let go of me now, Obsidian. I can handle it,” she stated.
“As you wish,” the black stallion responded and slowly let go of her, making sure that she was able to keep herself in the air.
Fluttershy felt an incredible sensation of freedom. She levitated high above the world. Higher than any mountain could reach. She could move freely in this seemingly endless empty space. The night sky belonged to her right now. All her problems and worries were far below her.
The yellow mare couldn’t hold back a big grin growing on her face. She gently floated through the air and savored this carefree, beautiful moment.
“This is amazing, Obsidian!” she finally announced in an excited tone. “I had no idea how wonderful it can feel to fly through the night, so high up in the sky!”
The black stallion simply smiled and nodded in response. Then he flew over to her, held her hoof and they both glided through the night together.
---
An hour later, Fluttershy finally became exhausted from flapping her wings the whole time. She and Obsidian discovered a single cloud in somewhat their height that was just big enough for both of them to land on. The couple found itself in intimate togetherness, gazing at the moon, holding each other tightly and exchanging kisses every now and then.
“Thank you for showing this to me, Obsidian,” she spoke happily.
“Nihil est, mea amāta,” he responded.
They both kept on gazing at the moon for a few more minutes before Fluttershy made another statement.
“You know, if you want me to, I could become just as dark as you. I would do everything for you, my love,” she explained.
This, though, did not have the effect on Obsidian she hoped for. His face became serious and he slowly turned his head over to her.
“Did... did I say something wrong?” she worried.
A second later, Obsidian gently held her head between his front hooves and gave her a long kiss. This relaxed the yellow mare again, even though his face remained serious after the kiss ended.
“No, Fluttershy. Do not change for me. Do not change for anypony,” he finally responded, still holding her head and staring deep into her eyes. “It is true you are capable of a lot. You can become very strong. You can become anything you wish. The only limitations are those of your own mind. But if you decide to change, then only do it for yourself, to become a ‘you’ that you appreciate more.”
This moment drew Fluttershy nearly speechless. How can a creature that had experienced so little kindness and care in his life have so much to share? How can a creature that is so dark and cruel be so gentle and passionate at the same time? It seemed like with everything Obsidian did, he aimed to do his best to make her happy. And he very well succeeded at it.
“Okay,” Fluttershy answered with sparkling eyes. This had turned into the most beautiful night she ever experienced.
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 18 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
|
complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
|
mature
|
2012-12-04T21:09:18+00:00
|
2013-01-22T17:30:30+00:00
| 1,676 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19c2r5O4ltQiU4CS5kWe9zbMtrEFcC7SDg2DfmRBSJuY/edit
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 18: Shattering Bonds
“Applebloom! How many times more do I have to tell ya to leave yer hooves off the first aid?” Applejack shouted at her younger sister.
“But sis’, what if I get mahself hurt while constructin’? I’m fiddlin’ with some dangerous tools! Ah just need supplies!” Applebloom countered.
“You’re old enough to earn your own money, little sis’. Why don’t ya use your talent to get a first aid kit yourself?” the orange mare suggested.
“That makes no darn sense! Without a first aid, I can’t start buildin’ and repairin’ in the first place! What if something goes wrong?” her younger sister replied.
“Well, ya will just have to find a different way to afford that thing then! This one belongs on the farm! We’d look mighty stupid if we had an accident and there’s none around!” Applejack explained.
“Oh c’mon, AJ! Why do y’all need to make such a big deal about it?” Applebloom wondered.
“I said no and that’s final! And don’t let me catch yeh takin’ things out of it again!” the orange mare concluded. Applebloom pouted, turned around and walked out of the farm house in frustration.
Applejack sighed. Eversince her sister got her cutie mark, she had been gathering tools and supplies without asking. She was okay with it at first, since she was so happy that AB finally found her special talent and thought she only borrowed them until she put together her own set. But this just kept on going, forcing Applejack to use some of the family income in replacing them.
Right now was a bad time for such things to happen anyway. The farm had next to zero income until spring. What they earned from the cider sales had to be enough so they could make it through winter and there still had to be something left so the family could restock.
Applejack put the first aid kit back to its place and walked to the living room, where she met up with Big Macintosh. Next to him was Granny Smith, sleeping in her rocking chair. She had caught a cold and the red stallion glanced at her with a worried face.
“Is Granny gettin’ better?” Applejack wondered.
“Eyup,” her brother replied.
“Good. At least something’s goin’ right. Ah caught AB at the first aid again. Can ya believe it?” the orange mare wondered. Big Macintosh placed a hoof under his chin.
“Eyup,” he spoke again. Applejack sighed.
“I mean, it’d be fine if she’d at least ask. I got no idea why she feels the need to try to nick things. Is she makin’ advancements on her club house again? Do ya know anything ‘bout that, Big Mac?” she wondered.
“Nope,” he responded.
“Well we better keep our eyes on her. I’ll have a look inside the store and see how much food we’ve left,” the orange mare announced before leaving through the front door.
---
Applejack didn’t like the way the orchard looked in winter. The trees appeared so dead without leaves and it always gave her a weird impression when she walked between them and there was nothing green or red above her head. The endless white cover that was all over the farm was pretty, but this just wasn’t her season.
Applejack was a summer pony. She lived for the busy times where she had to buck dozens of apple trees every day. Winter was boring. No apples to collect, no critters to chase away and no crops to plant or take care of. The only thing she still could do was checking on the family stocks.
On her way along the fence, she heard a familiar voice humming happily. It was Fluttershy, smiling widely and skipping light-hoofed.
“Howdy there, Fluttershy! What are ya so happy about?” Applejack greeted.
“Oh! Hi, Applejack! I just had the most wonderful time last night,” the yellow mare responded euphorically.
“Really? C’mon tell me ‘bout it!” Applejack requested.
“Obsidian and I were out wandering. I discovered a whole new side of him! Would you believe me when I tell you that he is actually very romantic?” Fluttershy wondered.
“Obsidian? Well ah noticed he’s startin’ to warm up, but that’s quite hard to imagine,” the orange mare answered.
“Oh, but it’s true! He’s so gentle to me and he puts so much effort into making me happy. We had a flight through the night sky and he even took off his cloak and gave it to me, just to keep me warm!” the yellow mare elucidated with sparkling eyes.
“Well that’s quite nice of... hang on a minute. Did ya just say you were flyin’ in the night sky?” Applejack wondered with a confused expression.
“I know it’s hard to believe, but with him, I felt so safe that it didn’t matter to me anymore. We flew very high up in the air. Everything looked so tiny and pretty. And guess what! I liked it!” Fluttershy explained in excitement.
“Land sakes, sugarcube. That is a side of you that I never heard ‘bout before! To be honest, for the longest time, I really wasn’t so sure what to think of him. But I reckon, you and Obsidian really bring out the best in each other,” the orange mare commented.
“Thank you,” Fluttershy responded sheepishly and blushed a bit.
“Now that I think of it, why isn’t he with you? I thought Celestia put him on vacation,” the orange mare wondered.
“Oh, he is at Carousel Boutique. Rarity needed him for a few new outfits,” Fluttershy explained.
The conversation came to a halt as she suddenly noticed a small purple figure walking towards them. A friend they hadn’t seen very often in the past month.
“Applejack! Look who’s coming there!” she exclaimed happily.
“Spike! Howdy, partner!” the orange mare greeted.
“Yeah... hi...” the baby dragon replied in a dejected tone as he came closer. His bad mood washed the smiles out of the two mares’ faces.
“You okay, Spike?” Applejack wondered. A grim glance from him is all she got as answer.
“Twilight sent me to buy some supplies from you,” he explained.
“Well that’s fortunate! I was just on ma way to the storage! Come along, little fella! Wanna come with us too, Fluttershy?” the orange mare invited. Though Fluttershy shook her head.
“I’m sorry, but I got to make some preparations for Hearth’s Warming Eve,” she explained.
“That’s fine. See ya next time!” Applejack spoke and waved goodbye.
---
AJ and Spike were walking through the orchard for a few minutes by now. Spike was unusually quiet the whole time, so she thought she should break the ice.
“So, how’s Twi’ doin’?” she asked. Though the baby dragon did not appreciate this question very much.
“Hm,” was all he said.
“Spike, what’s wrong with you? Yer so grumpy lately,” Applejack worried.
“What do you care?” Spike mumbled through his teeth, startling the orange mare a bit.
“Spike?” she spoke with a worried face. The baby dragon sighed.
“Let’s just get this over with, okay?” he requested.
“Okay, Spike...” Applejack agreed unwilling.
Something was definitely going on with the baby dragon. AJ was sure of it. He became such a rare encounter the last few weeks and it just seems to get worse and worse. Same development was seen in his mood and behavior. Twilight didn’t seem to realize this. Or she precisely knew what was going on and just kept it secret to protect the baby dragon. Whatever the reason may be, it concerned Applejack. He looked so drained. So sad. It was heartbreaking.
Applejack couldn’t know what was developing inside him. She wasn’t there when Twilight lectured him the last time and honestly, he now was pretty happy about it. She may just have teamed up with Twilight in the end. Those ponies stick together. All of them.
AJ made such a worried face. But Spike knew better as to fall for it. He knew it was fake. She was just acting friendly, like Twilight said. Spike saw it all now. The less time he was forced to spend with these liars, the better.
Finally, they reached the storage. Winona was laying in front of the door, but jumped up instantly as she spotted Applejack and started waving her tail in excitement.
“Aw, yer guardin’ the family property? Good girl!” the orange mare commented and petted her dog a few times before finally opening the storage.
Spike didn’t need very much. He could carry all the supplies in a single bag. As he turned around to leave, Applejack stopped him to gift him an apple. Such small presents usually cheered him up. But now, this only made him angry.
“Keep that for yourself,” he responded, rejecting the gift. This now really caught her shocked.
“Are you sure you’re feelin’ alright?” she worried.
“Oh for Pete’s sakes. Stop asking me this, will you?” he countered in anger and walked off quickly.
No. That wasn’t the Spike she knew. He had been acting weird for a while now, but this capped it all. Applejack had to have a talk with Twilight.
---
Just as before, Twilight talked the situation with Spike down. She acted as if she was convinced that this was just a phase in the regular development of a dragon. But truly, she just wanted to hide the results of her lecturing.
Like in Spike, something started to stir in Twilight. Her inner conflict over what happened put her in a lot of stress. It wasn’t the first time she started to lose control. This time again, she started to talk to herself secretly. Yet, things were different from before. She had no one to go to. No one to talk to about the problems she had. The purple mare had to find a solution on her own and no one had to find out.
Twilight somehow managed to put up with her number one assistant for a few weeks more. It seemed like they both came to an agreement to at least act like everything was fine during Hearth’s Warming Eve. The harmony was only superficial, though. The relation between both of them was still filled with tension, ultimately leading Spike to wander around Ponyville all on his own.
Today was Hearth’s Warming Eve. The day Equestria was founded. He himself told the ponies in Canterlot this ancient tale of how friendship can beat any difficulty and all differences. But it was a tale made for ponies. For them, this story might apply. But for him...?
Suddenly, Spike bumped into a pony. He was so sunken in thoughts and so upset about the purple mare, he forgot to watch where he was going.
“Oh, Spikey-Wikey. You really should watch more where you are going,” the mare spoke. As the baby dragon lifted his head, he realized it was Rarity he bumped into.
“A very merry Hearth’s Warming Eve to you!” she spoke warmly.
“Hm, ye. Whatever...” he responded, mumbling quietly.
“Oh my. Applejack was right. You really are in a bad mood,” the fashion diva commented in worry. She lowered her head, trying to get eye contact with the baby dragon. But Spike only avoided it.
“Where’s Twilight? Are you not going to the play with her?” she wondered.
“Nah. She’s too busy with her studies. I don’t plan to go there either,” Spike replied.
“Not? I thought you loved the founding play of Equestria. I still remember how excited you were to be part of the play in Canterlot a few years ago,” the fashion diva stated.
“Yeah... that was then, when I didn’t know how fake you all are,” Spike mumbled, too low for Rarity to understand.
“What was that, Spike?” she asked.
“Nothing...” he responded with a sigh and continued walking slowly.
Rarity really started to get concerned. Although the baby dragon believed otherwise, she still cared a lot for him. Seeing him like that filled her with sadness and confusion. She never had seen him so down before. The fashion diva thought she needed to cheer him up a bit.
“Spikey, would you like to go to the play with me?” she offered.
This now caused the baby dragon to halt. Was she serious about this? Or was this just a trick? Spike had a crush on her for such a long time. Even after Twilight revealed this shocking truth, he still had feelings for her. After all, she never did anything to him, yet. If he went with her, Spike wouldn’t have to spend the day alone while as well being away from Twilight. He thought it might be worth it and agreed with a nod.
---
Like every year, the play in Ponyville was held in the town hall. The inside was richly decorated with seasonal symbols, long white streamers and the equestrian Flag. Obsidian Shards and Fluttershy were among the spectators. They seemed to be very happy together and were holding each other closely. A sight that filled Spike with envy.
Obsidian may not be a pony anymore, but he at least used to be one. That appeared to be reason enough for him to be accepted by the ponies, unlike him. Spike was so small, so meek, so unimportant. Nopony except Rarity even seemed to notice him.
The play was yet to start. The ponies were getting excited. Only one of them calmly levitated in the air. One Spike also knew by now wasn’t a pony, but another reaper.
Derpy Hooves rather observed the activities in the crowd and outside of the city hall instead of watching the stage. She gave up her disguise and still found acceptance. Was it really that important for ponies to be at least similar to them? Wasn’t Spike similar enough from being raised among them? Those selfish ponies... those ignorant ponies... he never was good enough for them, no matter what he did.
Finally, the play started. None of the actors were familiar to the baby dragon. He only saw them walking on the streets one or two times, but never got to talk to them. Ponyville was so small. Everypony seemed to know each other. But he, as usual, was an exception of all this.
Spike barely paid attention to what was happening on stage. The only thought that went through his head that related to it was that this play was by far worse than the one he had been part of in Canterlot. Why did Celestia even offer him a role in the first place?
Twilight. Of course. It had to be because of her. If it wasn’t for her, Spike would have missed out on most things. He had been very grateful for this all the time. But now, he realized that nopony would ever have cared about him if it wasn’t for ‘Celestia’s star student’.
Twilight here. Twilight there. It was always only about Twilight. Each time he said something, each time he wanted something, the ponies just laughed at him. Even when he just wanted to give a piece of his mind in one of the letters he sent for them, they only gave him angry looks and wanted him to erase what came from his own mind. It was just as Twilight revealed. He was nothing but a servant for her. No, for all of them.
Spike finally snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a wooden piece breaking. He lifted his head and saw one of the planks from the stage break and part of the decor falling over. A moment of shock that caused a few ponies to shriek and the reapers to fly over to the stage as fast as they could.
“What happened?” Rarity wondered. Apparently, she wasn’t able to see what caused this small disaster near the end of the play either.
“Remain calm, everypony. None of the actors is hurt. It just seems that a plank from the hall was broken,” Mayor Mare explained. Instantly, all eyes wandered over to Derpy.
“Hey! Why are you all looking at me? I got nothing to do with this, I swear!” she tried to reason.
Spike observed the villager ponies, rather than the reaper mare. This was just so typical. Jumping to conclusions so fast. Spike still remembered how they reacted to Obsidian when he was new. They put so much hate on him, he even left to live in Everfree Forest instead of staying with them. He actually had to save them all for them to start liking him.
Those ponies are fake. All of them. All this glorifying of friendship and harmony was a lie. Rarity was no different. She may have invited him to the play, but she barely paid attention to him either. No, Rarity would never love him. Never.
Uneasy mumbling started to spread through the crowd. This intermission put the actors off their stride. All of the sudden, a single, deep male voice arose over the noises the ponies made.
“The fire of friendship lives in our hearts
As long as it burns we cannot drift apart”
The voice sung slowly, but loud and clearly. To the great surprise of everypony, it came from Obsidian. The reaper was looking for a way to calm down the ponies and put the play to an acceptable conclusion for them. This was the first time the ponies heard him sing. Such social solutions were not quite in his regular repertoire. His voice had so much power and emotion in it, it gave the heart carol a whole new level of meaning.
“Though quarrels arise, their numbers are few
Laughter and singing will see us through”
Derpy Hooves and a few other ponies joined in. The various pitches of the pony voices enhanced the strength of this song. More and more joined in, singing with all their soul.
“We are a circle of pony friends
A circle of friends we'll be to the very end”
The present ponies finished together. Seconds later, town hall became filled with loud cheering. Not only for the actors of the play, but also for Obsidian and Derpy.
The black stallion was surprised by this. He only started to sing in order to calm down the ponies and finish the tradition. He didn’t expect them to like his voice.
Spike, again, could only watch the scenery. He watched how the ponies held together and even cheered for Obsidian. Among each other, the ponies were sticking together. But if you are not a pony, or at least were born as one, you have no chance to ever be accepted. None of them cared for Spike. None of them even realized he was here. He was a nobody.
At this moment, Spike realized he was at the wrong place. He had no business here, between all these ponies. Only among dragons, he had a chance. It would be a hard piece of work for him to become a proper dragon, since he was raised between ponies. But it would be worth it. If he ever wanted to be just as accepted, he had to leave the ponies and go back to his own kind. Once and for all.
The baby dragon turned around and left the town hall without saying a word to Rarity. She, though, saw him leave and followed up.
“Hey! Where are you going, Spikey?” she wondered.
“Home... got some things to prepare,” he replied dryly.
“Oh, pish-posh! I haven’t seen you in ages! Why don’t you come with me? I’m planning to meet up with the others and I’m sure they would be happy to see you again, too!” Rarity insisted.
“Yeah. Keep telling those lies,” the baby dragon mumbled, again too quiet for Rarity to hear. He couldn’t say this in her face. Not after all he used to feel for her.
Spike turned around to her one last time, looking in these blue eyes he liked so much. They stared down on him in confusion and worry. But Spike was convinced to see disgust in them, covered by all the fake emotions she expressed.
“Goodbye, Rarity,” was all he was able to say. He didn’t want to turn this into a big farewell. Nopony was supposed to know he was leaving. They may just have tried to stop him.
“Spikey-Wikey...” the fashion diva spoke. This time, Spike didn’t stop anymore. He headed straight to the library. This would become the last encounter between the two of them.
---
Twilight was deeply sunken in her collection of psychology books when Spike came home. He didn’t greet the purple mare. Instead, he went upstairs and directly started packing the few things he could call his property. Twilight as well just ignored the baby dragon for a while. She was too deep in her own mind to notice that, very soon, there would be no problem anymore to which she tried to find a solution. It took her until Spike came back downstairs with a bag on his back to realize what was going on.
“Huh? Hey! Where are you going?” she exclaimed.
“Like I would tell you,” Spike responded grimly.
“Spike!” the purple mare spoke in an ordering tone. But the times she was able to impress the baby dragon were over. He wasn’t going to follow a single of her orders anymore.
“I’m leaving! That is all you need to know! Go back to your oh so beloved books and leave me alone finally!” he responded, getting louder as well. Twilight now realized he was about to leave for good.
“Stop him! You must stop him, no matter what it takes!”
Twilight used a teleportation spell to cut in the baby dragon’s path.
“What do you think you are doing? I’m not going to let you leave!” she insisted.
“I’m putting an end to this chapter of my life. Get out of my way, Twilight,” he explained with a confidence in his voice she never heard before.
“You are going to lose him! Don’t let him go! No matter what, don’t let him go!”
“Come on, Spike! We can talk this out! I’m sure we will find a solution for-” Twilight started, slowly approaching the baby dragon, but he just went down on all four and inhaled deeply.
“Don’t you dare to touch me, Twilight. You are not the only one who has had enough! If you put just one hoof on me, or if I see you cast anything fancy, I swear I will roast you!” Spike growled, readying a breath of fire.
“He’s threatening you! That little scale-head is threatening you! You are not going to let him get away with this, are you?”
“What did you just say?!” Twilight questioned angrily.
“I said, leave me alone or I will roast you! I am not kidding! If necessary, I will set the whole library on fire!” the baby dragon clarified.
“The books! Save the books!”
“No, wait! The books are not important! Stop Spike!”
“Forget Spike! He is threatening you! After all you have done for him, this is how he repays you!”
“But... Spike is my friend!”
“He is just a stupid little dragon, as you said. You don’t even like him!”
“That’s not true!”
“Yes, it is. He is worthless and useless. And he is going to burn you!”
Twilight stared at Spike in fear. Her pupils started to shrink and she slowly backed away. Spike relaxed again and extinguished the flame he held ready in his lungs.
“Good. At least once we get to an agreement with each other,” Spike stated and got up again.
“Let him go. He is not worth the effort.”
“But...”
“But nothing! This is the solution you have been looking for! Get rid of this little pest!”
Twilight’s whole body went under stress. She randomly twitched her ear while she stared at Spike in anger.
“You... you know what, Spike? Fine! Just go! I-I don’t need you! I will just do as I said and enchant a broom and quill to replace you! A-and don’t you think I will miss you! I still got Owloysius! E-everything will be much easier when you are gone!” Twilight shouted.
Spike acted indifferent to her harsh words. He walked over to the front door and opened it. One last time, Spike turned around for some finalizing words.
“I have no idea what I ever liked about you ponies. You have just been abusing me since I hatched. But that is all over now. Don’t you worry, Twilight. I won’t miss you either,” he spoke with tears of anger in his eyes.
“Go! Just go! Leave!” Twilight shouted.
The front door closed again. Spike left.
“It’s better like this. Everything will be much better now!”
“That little... I can’t believe it! I can’t believe I wasted so much time on him!” Twilight mumbled in anger, still having her ear twitch every now and then.
“No need to worry about that anymore. You best get rid of everything that reminds you of him.”
The purple mare walked up in her bedroom and started destroying photos and mementos. Everything that just roughly reminded her of Spike had to go. With sheer rage the trampled his basket to pieces and turned it to dust with a spell. Each piece of memory she destroyed gave her a wave of huge relief.
Finally, while roaming through her cupboards, she discovered something. A single piece of the egg Spike was in. She had kept it for years now. She suddenly remembered that she thought of this piece as one of her greatest treasures. Because it gifted Spike to her.
Twilight couldn’t help it but to sit down for a moment and remember all the things they had been through together. All the crises they have resolved. She remembered one of the most important lines she ever said to him.
“No one could ever replace you, Spike...” the purple mare mumbled. Tears filled her eyes as she now realized how much she had lost.
“How... how could I let this happen...” she wondered and put the egg shell back in the drawer. She was about to turn around and chase after Spike, but something stopped her.
“It’s too late. It’s far too late already. You can do nothing anymore. Just stay. Stay and cry.”
Twilight collapsed to the ground and began to weep over the loss of her number one assistant and best friend.
---
Spike was walking for a few hours by now. Luckily, he didn’t come across any of his other ‘friends’ while leaving Ponyville. None of the other villagers seemed to even get suspicious about him walking away, either. This confirmed it. Nopony cared he was gone.
With each step he did towards the unknown, the baby dragon was reminded of his adventures with the ponies. If only he had known better. Everything was just a lie. He should have stayed at the dragon colony, like he originally planned.
The sun went slowly down and the baby dragon started to have difficulties to see where he was going. He thought it might be better to set camp for the night.
By now, he was pretty experienced in wandering. He built an improvised tent out of the materials he could find nearby and used his dragon breath to start up a small campfire. Spike was able to take a few cookies with him, but he knew those wouldn’t last very long.
He was free now. Independent from the ponies. Yet, he had no idea what would become of him.
While he thoughtfully ate his cookies, Spike could hear distant hoof clattering, slowly getting louder and louder. He instantly became alert and looked up to see who was coming. The silhouette was displeasingly familiar.
“Go away, Twilight! I’m done with you!” he shouted, but the pony figure kept on approaching.
“I’m warning you, Twi! I will defend myself if necessary!” he threatened.
The silhouette kept on approaching, completely ignoring his warning words. Spike knew he would not get out of this without a fight. He hid himself next to his tent and took a deep breath in. Spike was ready to toast Twilight the moment she turned up.
The purple head of the mare popped into his line of sight and Spike used the moment of surprise to exhale his flame on her. This wasn’t the first time Twilight got hit by his fire, but it was the first time he did this on purpose. The result was clear to see. The pony figure became entirely wrapped by his green flame for a good second. But as soon as it vanished away, Spike realized it had no effect on her. Was she smart enough to cast a fireproof spell on herself beforehand?
The figure stood on the other side of the campfire. His attack revealed his location and she focused Spike. It was now that Spike realized something was weird about Twilight. He knew those red eyes by now. But a black mane? A red stripe in it? A dark purple coat? And...
The figure continued approaching Spike, walking straight over the campfire as if it wasn’t there. Spike’s eyes went wide open as he realized that the purple mare had a huge, bleeding hole in her chest.
“T-Twilight?” he spoke shakily.
“I’m not Twilight,” the look-alike spoke in Twilight’s voice, a victorious grin growing on her face.
“I never was,” she continued, now presenting her demonic fangs and readying a spell.
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 19 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
|
complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
|
mature
|
2012-11-07T22:39:16+00:00
|
2013-02-02T15:24:41+00:00
| 1,664 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1V4CwVpe7hQ9r0bXpnu0EkYOlVYhdBJ31ysOgBYp1Y1Y/edit?usp=sharing
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 19: When Angels Fall
The months passed by and, apart from Spike’s unexplained disappearance, it was suspiciously quiet around Ponyville. As winter came to an end, Obsidian was allowed to perform his duties again, to Derpy Hooves’ great relief. She soon had to realize that his change barely affected his efficiency. In fact, now that he was in balance with his thoughts again, Obsidian’s hunt for demons was as effective as ever.
With spring, life returned to Equestria. The animals were finally back and Fluttershy could do what she enjoyed most again. But she hadn’t forgotten about her training. Even when Obsidian was away, she kept on practising on her own. A few hours of meditation became part of her lifestyle and even the animals could only be astonished about how much control she had gained and how focused she had become. Things that appeared impossible a year ago she was now able to handle easily.
It was morning already when Obsidian returned from a quite successful demon hunt. He managed to defeat and consume four rather strong ones. As he approached the cottage, the black stallion spotted Fluttershy, sitting in the sunlight and meditating. She had improved significantly since she began her training. Sunken in a deep trance, she was unaware of her surroundings.
The reaper had been waiting for such a situation for a while now. Obsidian snuck behind the cottage and slowly approached the yellow mare from behind, trying to cause no noises. With her sitting in the sunlight, his shadow won’t reveal him when he came close either. The animals also didn’t seem to understand what was about to happen.
Obsidian was only a few steps away from Fluttershy and she still did not notice him. Quietly, he summoned his scythe and snuck directly behind her. Now the nearby animals became alarmed, but before any of them could warn the yellow mare, Obsidian was already in position to strike. Fluttershy’s eyes shot open and she turned around instinctively, enabling her to narrowly dodge the lethal strike.
The reaper swung his weapon a second time, aiming for her neck. Fluttershy, threw herself against the ground, again very closely dodging the attack. Now, only the right side of Obsidian’s face was showing to her, which meant he could not see the yellow mare due to his blind eye. Fluttershy reacted quickly, putting the situation to her advantage. She skillfully grabbed the scythe with her front legs while giving the reaper a hard flying kick. Obsidian lost grip on his weapon and fell on his back. Before he could get up again, Fluttershy jumped on his chest, forcing him to stay in his position by holding the sharp tip of the scythe against his throat.
The black stallion and Fluttershy looked at each other grimly, the yellow mare additionally panting in stress. But soon, Obsidian calmed down, smiling warmly at her. Fluttershy now started to relax as well, a blush growing on her face. Finally, she placed the scythe aside, smiled back at him and gave her partner a passionate kiss.
“You startled me,” she commented with a teasing expression after the kiss ended.
“Me paenitet, mea amāta,” he apologized. The yellow mare now stepped off and allowed Obsidian to get up again.
“Fast, skilled and precise. You have become strong, Fluttershy. Your instincts and reflexes have improved enormously, too,” he complimented while letting his scythe disappear.
“Well, I still don’t have a chance against you when you use magic...” the yellow mare commented.
“In your case, it is only a matter of time until you best me in a full combat, mea amāta. You can be proud of yourself,” the reaper stated.
The blush on Fluttershy’s face grew stronger as she turned her head away in bashfulness. As she spotted the speechless animals, something came to her mind.
“Oh! How long have I been meditating? I better go inside and check on Angel,” she explained.
“Has his condition improved in any way?” Obsidian wondered.
“No... not really...” the yellow mare said, shaking her head slowly. “I have no idea what happened to him during his hibernation that he got so sick... His fever just keeps going higher and higher. I think I should stay with him today and see what I can do for him.”
“Intellegō. Now excuse me, but Rainbow Dash is awaiting me. I promised her another race. I shall return this afternoon,” Obsidian stated.
“Okay. Say hello to everypony for me!” Fluttershy requested.
The black stallion nodded and lifted into the air, flying towards Ponyville.
---
Upon arrival, Obsidian was immediately greeted by a few ponies walking by. The reaper was almost fully accepted by a majority of the villagers and seeing him patrolling around became a normal sight. It was almost like in the old days of him as a normal earth pony living in Coltholm... almost. He still didn’t care for other ponies, besides the keepers of harmony. He also had not a lot of time to interact with other ponies. His schedule simply wouldn’t allow it. But whenever he could, he tried to be with the keepers.
As the black stallion roamed the streets, he came across Derpy Hooves. She saw him immediately too, bowing down before him.
“Greetings, elder,” she spoke.
“Salvē, apprentice. What do you have to report?” Obsidian wondered.
“Nothing actually. It is strange, really. I haven’t seen a demon around the village for days. Makes me wonder where they are...” Derpy stated.
Obsidian remained silent and observed his surroundings. She was right. Everything was suspiciously easy lately.
“I know this kind of silence. It’s the silence before a big storm. I’m pretty sure of it,” the gray mare commented.
“Possibly. In this case, we should request support. We must protect the keepers at all costs,” the black stallion suggested.
“Yes, elder. I will send a letter immediately,” Derpy said, bowed down again and flew away.
---
Obsidian continued his patrol through the village. At the marketplace, he met with Applejack, who was buying new seeds for the farm. Their conversation was relatively short, but he delivered her Fluttershy’s greetings and Applejack said, with relief, that Granny Smith had recovered and was back on her feet already. Though she now was too old and weak to help the farm anymore. Still, Applejack seemed sure she will be able to regrow her strength, disregarding her high age. Obsidian avoided to make any comments.
Soon after, Rainbow Dash returned from her weather check. She landed right by both of them.
“Hi, AJ! Salvē, O!” she greeted happily.
“Howdy, Rainbow!” Applejack responded.
“Salvē. Quid est novum?” the reaper asked.
“Um... Quid est... quid est... ah! Nihil speciālis! Did I get it right?” Rainbow wondered.
“Yes. It is interesting to see how much effort you put into understanding an old language like this. By the way: I am supposed to say hello to you in the name of Fluttershy. She will not be able to go out today. Angel’s sickness is getting worse,” Obsidian commented.
“Oh. Thats bad. Hope the little one will get better soon. Anyway, I think I’ll never really get this language, though. But it sounds cool and who knows what it’s good for. Maybe I’ll get my hooves on an old book written in that way. Then I can read out some parts and brag in front of Twilight that I am able to read a book she can’t!” Rainbow responded, giggling a bit mischievous. “Anyway, ready for the race? I can’t let it sit on you winning last time.”
“To the same hill as usual?” the reaper wondered, getting in position.
“Yep. Get ready! Oh, by the way AJ. I’ll have to drop by the farm later!” the athletic Pegasus mare stated.
“Alright, RD. See y’all later!” Applejack spoke.
“Later!” Rainbow Dash responded and jumped in position. “Okay, are you ready, O? Three... Two... One... GO!”
---
Obsidian and Rainbow Dash had been competing with each other frequently these days. Although she just had to realize there was no way she could ever match his reaper strength, the chances in beating him in a race were pretty good. They were about equally fast and skilled, resulting into very challenging races each time, which often ended with a different winner. Although she beat him on the first race they had, Obsidian, too, had been practising. Just like the last time they raced, Obsidian won narrowly.
“Darnit... I hate losing...” Rainbow Dash complained after she regained breath.
“Do not feel defeated, Rainbow. Few ponies can truthfully proclaim they are able to surpass an elder reaper every other time,” the black stallion spoke.
“But that wasn’t ‘every other time’! I lost two times in a row! How am I going to be good enough to be accepted by the Wonderbolts if I can’t beat you everytime?” Dash asked.
Obsidian became silent. She really put all her efforts in becoming the greatest athlete in all of Equestria to make her dream come true. Obsidian had been up all night. He was drained from the battles, but still considered giving her a rematch.
“How about a race back to Ponyville then, or are you too exhausted?” the black stallion challenged, raising his head and looking down on her in an arrogant manner. Dash instantly reacted to the provocation.
“Me? Too exhausted? You’re funny, O! Get ready to be annihilated!” she responded. Most other ponies would have reached their limit by now, but not Rainbow Dash. This Pegasus really was adamant and untiring.
---
“C’mon... c’mon...yyyyyyyyyyyyes!” the light blue mare shouted as she reached the marketplace of Ponyville just moments before Obsidian. This second race really drained her and she leaned against the statue of Celestia to recover, panting heavily.
Obsidian landed next to her. Rainbow’s stamina was enormous. It even put Obsidian close to his limits. He, too, needed a moment to recover.
“HAH! What do you say now, O?” Dash started to brag as soon as she was capable of speaking again.
“In all honestly, I have never met a Pegasus as fast and enduring as you, Rainbow Dash. There is no doubt you have the qualities of a Wonderbolt. I would even go so far as to say of a reaper,” Obsidian complimented.
“Hehe. Now that’s what I like to hear! Still, I’ll keep practising until the Wonderbolts just have no other option anymore but to add me to their team,” she explained.
Both, Rainbow Dash and Obsidian Shards, sat down next to the statue and looked around in thoughts while they recovered. The black stallion wandered his eyes around the village. Some ponies were waving at him again. Only Carrot Top seemed too busy to notice him.
Obsidian’s mind shifted to his book of death. So far, he rarely had to take the life of a villager. Most ponies he had to reap got lost in Everfree Forest or were victims of accidents outside of Ponyville. But soon, names were coming up that may damage his reputation in Ponyville again. Ponies had such difficulties understanding these things and how necessary they were...
Obsidian suddenly snapped out of his thoughts as he spotted Carrot Top again, this time waving at him. She came out of the same street as last time. This caught the attention of the reaper.
“Hold on...” Obsidian spoke and got up, waving back at Carrot Top. Then he walked the path she had gone the first time. After a short walk, he indeed found a pony that looked exactly like her. Obsidian’s face became serious and he charged towards the copycat. The other ponies were lightly shocked to see the black stallion pouncing and pinning her to the ground. Carrot Top struggled and tried to shout until Obsidian casted a disguise breaker spell on her. To his great dislike, it worked.
The creature Obsidian pinned down was not a pony. It was insect-like with two long fangs, fly wings and holes in the legs. A creature the ponies knew precisely from a large assault on Canterlot a few years ago, causing them to scream and panic lightly. It was a changeling.
“What are you doing here? Has your queen sent you?” the black stallion growled. The changeling hissed back at Obsidian. It refused to talk.
Obsidian had to realize he would not get any informations out of this one. He couldn’t kill it either, since it was still bright day and they were in the middle of Ponyville. He had no option but to let it go.
The changeling quickly flew away after Obsidian stepped aside. It appeared as if Derpy was right. A changeling in Equestria can only mean big trouble. He instantly started to write a report to his mistress.
---
Although Obsidian said he would be back in the afternoon, it was sundown when he finally came home. With Rainbow’s help, he alarmed all the other keepers of harmony and Derpy. Then they went looking for more changelings, without success. The return of the changelings worried them all. Last time, they aimed to conquer Equestria. There was no doubt they would try it again, just this time better prepared and with an even bigger swarm. In the worst case, the reapers would have to join in a war against them, disregarding the demon strongholds for a while.
Obsidian went straight inside the cottage and looked for his partner. Fluttershy was still sitting next to Angel’s basket with a very worried face.
“There you are! Gosh, has something happened? You usually never come home this late after you set a time,” the yellow mare wondered.
“Apologies, mea amāta. Yes, something has happened. I found a changeling in Ponyville,” the reaper stated, causing Fluttershy to jump a little in shock.
“A changeling?! Oh my... oh no! What was it doing here?” she questioned.
“I could not get it to speak and was forced to let it go. But I am certain it was spying around,” Obsidian replied.
“D-do you think they will attack Equestria again?” Fluttershy worried.
“There is a chance...” the black stallion responded.
The yellow mare bit her lower lip in the thought of another invasion. She very well understood Equestria already had enough problems dealing with the demons. If they returned, it would cause a really big problem. Obsidian walked next to her, placing his front hooves on her shoulders and looking her into the eyes.
“Mea amāta... I may have to go to war against them if they really return,” he explained.
“I know...” she replied. Her eyes then wandered back to Angel. He was hyperventilating and seemed to have light convulsions from the fever.
“It is still getting worse?” Obsidian wondered.
“Yes... I don’t know what to do anymore. I just can’t get the fever down,” the yellow mare explained.
“He is not going to recover...” the black stallion suddenly stated coldly and walked over to the basket.
“O... Obsidian?” Fluttershy spoke. The reaper gently picked up the white bunny in his blanket and held him. Angel was very weak. He could hardly keep his eyes open anymore and was suffering. Obsidian knew this face.
“Angel... you were the one who united us. Everything positive that happened ever since that moment, and everything positive that is still to be, I owe to you. I do understand that you disliked me in the beginning and to be honest, I was not too appreciative of you either. But I am very glad we could put our fights to an end...” the reaper started.
“My love...” Fluttershy spoke in a taken voice.
“I know you made it your duty to guard Fluttershy and support her in every way you can. But do not worry. I will continue your work and stay by her side for as long as I can,” Obsidian continued, holding Angel even closer.
“Huh?” the yellow mare spoke.
“So, as my final gift, let me end your suffering,” Obsidian spoke. After that, he twisted the bunny’s neck hard, breaking it instantly. Angel was already gone when his dead body exhaled one last time.
“Rest in peace,” he finally finished and placed Angel back in his basket. He looked peaceful now. Obsidian killed him fast and painless. The white bunny didn’t even bleed, making him look like he just gently fell asleep.
The reaper now turned to Fluttershy. She stared at Angel with tears in her eyes and an expression showing complete and utter shock. Obsidian gently embraced her.
“He is okay now, mea amāta,” the black stallion spoke gently. Fluttershy still stood there, shaking and staring at the mortal remains of her favorite pet.
“O... Ob... sidian...y...you...” she stuttered.
“It is okay. I am here,” he tried to comfort. Suddenly, Fluttershy shoved him away and gave him a hard slap in the face.
“You monster!” she shouted as loud as she could. Fluttershy didn’t know what to do anymore. This scene was too much for her. She simply ran upstairs and began to cry.
Obsidian stood there, motionlessly holding a hoof on the spot on his cheek where she hit him. His eyes were wide open and he, too, experienced shock. This really hurt him. But it was not the physical pain that hit him so hard, but the emotional.
Her face... this rage... these tears of sadness in her eyes... he wouldn’t have thought this would hurt her so much.
The reaper turned around to Angel again. His expression slowly changed from shock to a deep sadness. He picked up the little bunny and went outside. Obsidian had a grave to dig.
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 20 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
|
complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
|
mature
|
2012-11-12T02:17:55+00:00
|
2013-02-07T17:05:39+00:00
| 1,654 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1R1-C-0clG5iM0zY6j1pie0nRUvDl5YyGeJyjB4MnaBA/edit?usp=sharing
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 20: Caducity
Obsidian didn’t sleep the night he killed Angel. He had been awake for almost 24 hours now, yet he didn’t feel tired. Any kind of feeling had been replaced by the deep sadness that filled him. It was another emotion he was not used to. The last time he had been this taken was when he discovered his parents were killed, almost 345 years ago. Just like back then, the moment he freed their souls from their undead shells, he sat motionlessly to think about what he had done and what he should do now.
The reaper spent half the night in total darkness, staring at Angel’s grave. Fluttershy’s crying was nearly unbearable for him, but she somehow managed to fall asleep after a few hours. The scene from the moment he returned home kept repeating itself over and over again in his mind.
Obsidian did what he was best at: killing. He spared Angel hours of torture, which only would have lead to the same result. But was this the right thing to do? Applying the rules for ponies he had been trained to follow on animals?
The black stallion was very focused on Fluttershy. He valued her a lot. So naturally, her expression of hatred aimed to him was branded in his mind. Obsidian was used to handling physical pain. He had been enduring things that would have driven other ponies to insanity. Yet, emotional pain was something he couldn’t handle. Lacking the natural understanding for emotions normal ponies have, he simply failed to understand why this hurt him so much and why her rage filled face caused him to experience sadness. Not a single moment did he actually think about the little bunny he murdered.
“Well, well, Obsidian. Looks like I was right to begin with. You have become soft,” a familiar voice spoke in disappointment.
“Odd Cirs... you do have the nerve to talk to me now?” Obsidian asked, a bit angered.
“I would have had a chat with you sooner if it wasn’t for certain circumstances that I couldn’t talk to you,” the voice commented.
“Your muteness during winter was pleasing. Why do you not just continue?” the reaper questioned, causing Odd Cirs to chuckle a bit.
“Oh but it would be so boring without me, wouldn’t it? Especially now that Fluttershy hates you and most likely doesn’t want to see you ever again,” he replied.
“Tacē!” Obsidian growled.
“You really don’t understand it, do you? You just killed her best animal friend! You should feel guilty, Obsidian!” Odd Cirs exclaimed.
“Guilty...?” the reaper asked a bit unsure.
“Yes, guilty. You have done something unacceptable for ponies,” the voice replied.
“Guilt...” Obsidian mumbled and hung his head. Now he had a name for the sensation he experienced. Odd Cirs was right, but not the way he thought. He couldn’t let him know that. He couldn’t let him have that victory.
“If I were to experience guilt or regret over a kill, what kind of reaper would I be? Quit this nonsense and vanish again, Odd Cirs,” Obsidian commented.
“You would be an emotional one. Anyway, you have some work ahead of you. Don’t forget who is supposed to die today,” Odd Cirs stated, causing Obsidian to look up again.
“You know the content of my book of death?” the reaper asked in shock. Odd Cirs started to laugh.
“Of course I do! I’m bound to you after all! How am I supposed to resist the opportunities to look inside your book of death when you summon it?” he asked back.
“So you are bound to me,” the reaper stated. As soon as he said this, the voice stopped laughing. Apparently, Odd Cirs said something he didn’t want to expose.
“How?” Obsidian asked.
“I’ll tell you that when you finally figured out my real name,” the voice stated.
Obsidian sighed. He didn’t even bother to waste any thoughts on Odd Cirs so far and he surely was not going to start with that. He had way too much to do. Way too many other tasks to resolve.
“Oh! Look to your right, Obsidian! Derpy is coming! Seems to be important if she decides to come to you so late at night,” the voice commented.
Obsidian turned and indeed saw Derpy Hooves flying towards him with high speed. This could only mean bad news.
“Oh by my mistress, am I glad you are here and awake!” she stated as soon as she landed.
“What is it, apprentice?” Obsidian asked.
“There’s no time for explaining things! You have to come with me!” she spoke hastily and started drawing a teleport supporting rune in the ground.
Derpy knew what she was doing. When she became so alarmed, it had to be urgent. Obsidian had a grim suspicion what it might be about.
“Derpy... have the changelings returned to Equestria?” Obsidian asked while she was still drawing the rune.
“Yes! Well no, not really. I mean... ah you will see what I mean!” she stated nervously and finished the rune. They both quickly stepped on it.
“Where to?” the black stallion asked.
“Great Valley! Please hurry!” the grey mare replied. While Obsidian started casting the teleportation spell, he thought about Fluttershy. Now he had to go on war without even having the chance to say goodbye... and that after this happened...
Yes, Obsidian felt guilty. But he had to stay focused. In a few moments, he would be in a battlefield.
---
The bright flash of the teleportation spell vanished and the two reapers found themselves standing on a different teleportation rune, drawn on solid stone. It was silent. Suspiciously silent. Derpy led the way up a hill so they had a better overview. The moon was shining brightly tonight, allowing them to see good enough without the need of a light spell. As soon as they reached the top of the hill, they both became wide eyed at the sight presented to them.
“Per misericordiam dominae...” Obsidian commented. The entirety of Great Valley was filled with changelings. Dead changelings.
“This is even far worse than the report said... I’m speechless...” Derpy stated.
The two reapers walked down the hill and through the field of broken insect bodies. Judging from the wounds, they had been torn open, sliced, bitten, squashed and strangled. Many bodies were very incomplete and the green blood of the changelings was covering everything.
“This appears to be the work of demons. The sheer brutality is very typical for them,” Obsidian analyzed.
Derpy dipped her right front hoof into a puddle of spilled green blood and looked at it closely. The structure and scent of this substance was too foreign for her to make a clear analysis, though. So she licked it up to make sure.
“It’s still somewhat fresh. The attack can’t be more than twelve hours ago,” she stated.
“Who sent you the letter?” the black stallion wondered.
“Elder Crystal Blossom. She discovered this after you alarmed our mistress about the discovery of a changeling in Ponyville,” Derpy replied.
“We need to find her,” Obsidian stated.
The grey mare nodded in agreement and they both walked deeper into the corpse filled landscape.
---
Roughly ten minutes later, they finally found a reaper mare standing in front of a large collapsed slime structure, surrounded by more torn changelings than anywhere else. She was lightblue, had bat wings, a curved horn, a long white mane and black eyes.
“Salvē, Crystal” Obsidian greeted her.
“Salvē, Obsidian and Derpy. I am glad you both could come,” the reaper mare greeted back.
“What did you find out so far?” Derpy wondered.
“I can confirm two things without a doubt. First, the changelings used Great Valley as their base to prepare their assault on Equestria for at least three days. There are small structures and hives everywhere. Second, they were definitely attacked by a large group of demons. A stronghold not far from here opened its gates,” Crystal stated.
“Our first priority should be to regain control over that stronghold then,” Obsidian commented.
“That is just the thing... we already regained control. This onslaught was a blitz. They came out only to kill the changelings and then retreated back in the stronghold, all in less than an hour,” Crystal explained.
“What? This doesn’t make any sense! That’s completely unlike any demon behaviour!” Derpy commented.
“Unless this was planned,” Obsidian added. Crystal nodded in agreement.
“Yes. It seems like the demons knew about the changelings’ return sooner than we did. I have inspected the valley and came to conclusion that the whole assault was well thought through. They chipped away the defences of the changelings, assaulted this hive here first and then surrounded them, killing them very rapidly,” she explained.
“Why this hive first? From what I can see, it appeared to have been in the middle of the base,” Obsidian wondered.
“It was the most important one. Look over there,” the light blue mare stated and pointed at a very specific point inside the hive. One of the changeling bodies was slightly taller than the rest, though it was hard to identify what this used to be, due to it being dismembered and cracked open. Finally, Derpy realized the shocking truth.
“Unbelievable... they even got Queen Chrysalis...” she stated in astonishment.
“If she is dead, then it is official now...” Obsidian commented.
“Yes... the changelings became extinct,” Crystal agreed. A moment of silence came as all three of them took this threatening development in.
“I just don’t get it! Why would they do that? If the demons had allowed them to attack Equestria, it would have given them enormous advantage! Why would they ruin that for themselves?” Derpy wondered.
“There is only one plausible explanation: erasing the changelings provided them more advantages than letting them attack Equestria again,” Obsidian said.
“I might have an idea what they were aiming for,” Crystal started. “I noticed that a majority of the corpses had barely any extra wounds besides those which were lethal. They seemed to only make sure the queen was definitely dead. The demons didn’t even eat any of the bodies. Which means they wanted something different from them. Something not of material value.”
“They devoured their souls...” Obsidian concluded.
“That would make sense,” Derpy commented. “Changelings can’t fall under Maledictum Insania. They can’t give birth to demons. So they devoured their souls to make those demons that already exist stronger. But that means...”
“That means they are preparing for something very, very big,” Crystal finished.
“Indeed. Queen Chrysalis became a huge threat due to the events of Princess Cadence’s and Shining Armor’s wedding. If they decided it was worth the risk to attack her, this can only mean annihilating the changelings was part of a bigger plan,” Obsidian summed up.
“The fact that they succeeded means her soul got devoured, too! And because she was so strong, then that means there is at least one demon that became a lot stronger as well!” Derpy stated.
“We have to notify our mistress immediately and declare crisis state. All reapers need to be ready. We are about to face disaster again. This may turn out even far worse than the Heat Lake war,” Crystal explained.
---
The moon was already low when Obsidian and Derpy teleported back to Fluttershy’s cottage and removed the rune there. Derpy flew off to make preparations and alarm her mistress, but Obsidian remained outside. For a while, the fall of the changelings distracted him from what he had done to Angel... and Fluttershy. But now that he was back and saw the little grave, he couldn’t even feel relieved he wouldn’t just have to disappear without a trace. His personal crisis and now an upcoming national crisis...This all was a lot to wrap his mind around.
Obsidian spent the rest of the night outside, glancing on Ponyville deeply sunken in thoughts. There was a lot to do. Yet, for those things which mattered to him the most on a personal level, he could do nothing.
---
The sun shined inside Fluttershy’s bedroom, awakening the yellow Pegasus mare. Her night’s sleep was not very restful. Not only because of what happened to her pet and the nightmares she had, but also because something was missing by her side. Or rather, somepony.
Slowly, she got up and fed the remaining animals in her house before making breakfast for her own as usual. Only this time, Obsidian wasn’t around. Fluttershy appeared rather depressed and thought about the black stallion all the time. She still had this moment in front of her eyes. The moment he snapped Angel’s neck. It shocked her thoroughly. She wasn’t expecting this to happen.
After the yellow mare finished her breakfast, she went outside and the first thing that came in her sight was the little grave of Angle's. It made the memories and emotions even worse for Fluttershy, letting tears fill her eyes and roll down her face. But then she noticed Obsidian. He was sitting on the ground, facing Ponyville with a sad expression she had never seen on his face. What intensified this impression was the fact that Obsidian was facing the sun. Usually, he avoided sunlight as much as possible. But right now, he appeared so lost in his mind that he didn’t even seem to realize the sun was blinding him.
Fluttershy walked over to the grave and wished Angel farewell. Hearing her voice snapped Obsidian out of his thoughts. He turned around to make sure she was really there. Then he looked in the opposite direction, avoiding eye contact.
The yellow mare slowly approached Obsidian. Even when she was right next to him, he still avoided to look at her. For a moment, they both just sat there, neither one saying a word. It was weird to see Obsidian like this. The golden morning light shining on the black stallion’s scarred face, while he had this expression. It was so unlike his usual, confident self. Fluttershy decided to break the silence.
“It’s okay... I’m not mad at you... Not anymore,” she started. Obsidian seemed to listen, but didn’t give any kind of response.
“I understand why you did this. I’ve been through enough with you to know you by now. You only wanted to spare Angel from the pain. I was... just so shocked... I didn’t expect his condition to be that bad. I didn’t expect to lose him so suddenly... I’m sorry I hit you,” Fluttershy explained.
“No, mea amāta... do not apologize. You did the right thing,” Obsidian responded.
“W... what?” Fluttershy wondered in surprise. Obsidian hesitated a moment to reply, but ultimately turned his head towards the yellow mare and looked at her with a regret filled expression.
“I killed him without letting you know I was going to do it, because I knew you would try to stop me. I put getting Angel out of his misery above you and our relationship,” he explained.
“You acted like any reaper would act. I was the fool who didn’t see this coming. I should have known better. You are a reaper after all. An elder on top of that. You only did what was best for him,” Fluttershy spoke.
“Funny you say this... I never cared for him... I never cared for any being... until I met you. The heart of an elder reaper is hard to conquer, but you managed it. You are the only one I truly love,” the black stallion said.
“Obsidian...” Fluttershy spoke.
“You may have been able to tell yourself my actions were justified. But I need you to know something. I do not regret it. I do not even feel bad about it. Killing is natural to me and the moment he gave his last breath, I did not even think of him anymore. Even as I dug his grave and sat in front of it. The hit you gave me snapped me out of my trance, my routine. It made me realize how little I cared about those I am meant to end and their beloved ones. I tear apart families and lovers without a second thought, even now,” the reaper explained.
“Wow... That is... I mean... actually... that doesn’t entirely surprise me. I mean as a pony, this is pretty heavy to hear... but I guess, this is the only way reapers are able to do their job. But... why are you so sad then?” Fluttershy asked, causing Obsidian to look away and down again.
“The only thing I do regret is hurting you, mea amāta... I misjudged the situation. As one who faces death every day, and even had been at the brink of death countless times himself, I failed to be sensitive enough to understand... Tu, quaesō, dīmitte mihi,” he apologized. Now Fluttershy came close and embraced him.
“It’s okay. I forgive you. I just love you too much to be mad at you over something that is natural to you, even if it was something like that. I will miss Angel, though. He had been part of my life since I moved to Ponyville. But... I guess he really is okay now. He won’t have to suffer anymore,” the yellow mare stated. Obsidian sighed and turned his head back to her.
“It fills me with relief to hear that. Although... I must ask... would you still care for me if I ended the life of another being that is dear to you or our friends?” he wondered.
“Goodness...” the yellow mare spoke before sinking in thoughts over this question. It took her a moment to come to an agreement with her mind and feelings.
“Well, I trust you. I know the ponies you kill are meant to die. It’s just what you do. I think... yes. I knew what I was getting myself into by falling in love with you. No matter who you are forced to reap, it wouldn’t change a thing between us,” she concluded.
This statement took a huge weight off Obsidian’s heart. Now, he embraced her as well.
“In that case... I have to tell you something. But you must not interfere or warn them. This has to happen without them knowing it is coming,” he explained.
“Um... okay,” the yellow mare agreed.
The reaper looked around, making sure no one was listening. Then he came close to Fluttershy’s ear and started to whisper. He revealed that today was the final day of a much appreciated pony. As soon as Fluttershy heard who this pony was, she held a hoof in front of her mouth and became sad again.
“Oh my... I... I’m so sorry for her family... When is it going to happen?” she asked.
“In the early afternoon. I originally planned to simply walk up on her and take her life, like I usually did with the ponies in my book. But after I have seen what such a behaviour causes, I am unsure what to do now,” the reaper explained.
“Well... you may not feel anything when it comes to this. But you can imagine how ponies must feel. Just try to be gentle to her and to her family. Let them know what you are about to do. They may start to argue about it, but if you talk with them, they will understand,” Fluttershy suggested.
“I do believe the keeper of kindness does know best about kindness,” Obsidian stated, smiling lightly again. “If you believe this will lead to a successful, timed reap, then I shall do so.”
They both spent a bit more time together, watching the sun rise further and further above Ponyville before Obsidian had to get ready for his patrol through the village.
“Revealing a date of death is amongst the riskiest things a reaper can do. The fact that I told you about this now endangers my success. Do I have your word you will neither interfere, nor warn the victim or her family?” Obsidian asked to ensure.
“I won’t do anything to get in the way, I promise,” the yellow mare responded.
“Grātiās tibi agō, mea amāta. It means a lot to me that I can trust you this much. If things go right, I shall return this afternoon,” Obsidian stated.
---
A few hours later, Applejack and Applebloom came back from the orchards to prepare lunch. The relation between the two sisters improved again after Applebloom stopped taking things from the farm. Apparently, she now got everything she needed to get started and already earned her first bits, so she could keep supplying herself with the materials she needed. She also seemed to have become a lot more skilled. Applebloom decided to make it her little free-time activity to renovate the buildings on the farm. The results were very sturdy and of high quality, ensuring there would be no need for repairs for quite a long time. Applejack was very pleased about this. It seemed like everything turned out alright in the end.
While eating together, Applebloom proudly told them about how much money she had earned from her latest order. Both of her bigger siblings were very impressed and congratulated her. They also thanked her again for fixing up the farm all by herself. Granny Smith, too, wanted to say a few words. But her high age and low energy wouldn’t allow her to stay awake or focused for very long. Applejack reasoned with her, telling her to save the energy and just focus on eating up. They already knew her well enough to know what she wanted to say.
It was a happy moment for the family. The apple business was on a full roll and it seemed like nothing could put them all out of their high spirits. Yet, very soon, this would change.
Just after the apple family finished cleaning the dishes and wanted to go back to work, somepony knocked at the door. They all looked pretty confused. None of them were expecting any visitors today and all of their friends knew that today was a day of labor, so they wouldn’t have time to go out. Applejack walked up to the door and opened it.
“Salvē, Applejack,” Obsidian greeted.
“Oh! Howdy, Obsidian! C’mon in!” she greeted back.
The black stallion slowly walked inside, greeting Applebloom and Big Macintosh as well. Although Applebloom was pretty happy to see him again, her big brother had a rather sad expression. He knew what was coming.
“So what brings you here today?” Applejack wondered.
“I regret to say, but it is duty,” he responded.
Both, Applejack and Applebloom, looked at him in confusion, expecting an explanation. Obsidian wasn’t very good at this. He didn’t know how to explain what he was going to do. So, he just made a gesture telling them all to come with him over to Granny Smith, who had fallen asleep by now. The reaper tapped on her right front leg to wake her up again.
“Miss Smith. I am sorry to say, but I would like to ask you to come with me,” he requested.
“Huh? What do ya need Granny for?” Applebloom wondered.
After the old green mare came to her senses, Obsidian turned around to the teenage filly, looking for the right words. He failed to find them. Instead, he just summoned his book of death and tried to make the situation clear to them by reading out his next reap.
“Granny Smith. Earth Pony. Scheduled to die on the 27th March 1627 at 14:32. Cause of death: Caducity.” he quoted, then let the book vanish again.
Both, Applejack and Applebloom stared at him in shock. Big Macintosh’s sadness intensified now that he was certain. It seemed like Granny Smith, although she was the one affected, was the only one who barely reacted to the announcement at all.
“Y-yer kiddin’, right? Yer just making jokes, right?” Applejack wondered.
“I wished I was. But sadly, I am being honest. Today is miss Smith’s final day. She will die in thirty minutes and I am supposed to guide her in the afterlife,” Obsidian explained.
The shock in Applejack’s face suddenly disappeared and was replaced by enormous anger. She pushed the black stallion aside, ran over to Granny Smith and positioned herself in front of her to protect her.
“Ah won’t let you have Granny! Get the hay outta here!” she shouted in rage.
“Applejack... I can not do that. I must reap her. It is my duty. You know that,” Obsidian tried to reason.
Now Applebloom started to cry as she realized this situation was as serious as it could be. She as well ran over to Granny Smith and held her tightly.
“Ah don’t care what ya say! Yoh won’t get Granny and that’s it! What were ya thinkin’ to tell us this that late anyway? Half an hour before? Half an hour?!” Applejack continued shouting.
“It is better to have a short farewell over a long and painful one. Trust me when I tell you I speak out of experience,” the black stallion explained.
“I won’t let this happen! You will not break our family apart! Haven’t we already been through enough when our parents died? And now yer comin’ here and wanna take our granny away, too?” Applejack stated in in a mix of rage and desperation.
Now, Big Macintosh decided to try to reason with his sister. He slowly walked next to her and placed a hoof on her shoulder.
“AJ... Granny’s a good old lady. She’s been takin’ care of all of us since that accident. Give her a rest, will ya? We’re all old enough now to stand on our own hooves. Just let yer friend do his job and stop hatin’ him for bein’ loyal and honest,” he spoke.
“No! For pete’s sake no! Have you gone outta your mind, BigMac? That’s not gonna happen! Granny’s just fine! All she needs is a bit of rest. A BIT of rest! Not forever! She’ll be the vital granny we all know again! Ah am sure of it!” the orange mare shouted back at her brother.
“Applejack... please...” Obsidian entreated.
“That’s enough, Obsidian! Get out! Go or I’ll personally kick yah around until you are out! And don’t you dare to ever set a hoof on Sweet Apple Acres again! You’re not welcome he-” the orange mare shouted, but found herself suddenly stopped by Granny Smith, placing a hoof on her other shoulder.
“Jackie... It’s fine. I’ll go with him,” she stated weakly.
“What?!” Applejack shouted in shock. “What the hay are you talkin’ about? Have you gone mad now, too? Y’all stay right here!”
“Yes, Granny! Please, please don’t go! Please don’t die!” Applebloom begged.
“Am sorry, mah little ones. But it’s mah time. I’ve had the feelin’ it was comin’ for quite a while now. Ah didn’t say a thing because ah knew y’all would react like that. But really, ah am quite relieved he’s here now to help me get about,” the old mare explained.
“Granny... You can’t go! What should we do without ya?” Applejack wondered.
“Don’t be silly now, Jackie. You’re all big and strong ponies now. You don’t need an old, broken mare like me anymore. Ah am only holdin’ y’all back and am beein’ a burden. Ah can’t do anything to help the farm anymore,” Granny Smith stated.
“That’s fine, really! Yoh don’t need to do anythin’ anymore! You’ve done so much for us all, ya can just put up your hooves and enjoy yer day!” the orange mare offered desperately.
“Applejack... Ah am tired. Very tired. I’ve been lookin’ forward for this day. I’ll get to meet mah husband and your parents again. Please just let me sleep,” the old mare spoke.
“Granny...” Applejack said, bothering to break out in tears.
“Please, Jackie,” Granny Smith requested gently.
Applejack finally gave in. She hugged her grandmother tightly and started crying heavily.
“I’ll miss ya, Granny. I’ll miss ya very much,” she stated, still sobbing.
“Ah will miss ya too, Jackie. All of you,” the old mare responded.
Now she gently separated herself from the still crying Applebloom and placed a hoof on her shoulder.
“Take care of ya, pipsqueak,” Granny Smith stated.
Next, she walked over to Big Macintosh. He tried to contain himself, but was already fighting the tears.
“You’re the head of the family now. Keep an eye on yer sisters for me,” Miss Smith requested.
“E...eyup...” the red stallion replied, finally breaking out in tears as well and embracing her.
Finally, she faced Obsidian. He stood there, only little moved by the whole scene, waiting for her.
“Ah am ready to go now,” the old mare spoke.
“Then allow me to escort you. We will do this on a remote location where nopony has to see this. After that, I will make sure to return your mortal remains to Ponyville for a funeral ceremony,” Obsidian explained.
“That’s very nice of you. Ya know, ah thought reapers were a lot more grumpy. But you’re a really good guy,” Granny Smith commented.
She turned around one last time, looking at the three siblings she was about to leave. They already were holding and cheering each other up. Yes. She can go. Everything was fine. They will be able to handle it.
“Goodbye, mah little Sugarcubes. Love y’all,” she spoke.
“Love ya too, Granny... Goodbye...” they responded.
Now finally, Obsidian could leave Sweet Apple Acres with her. This whole scene had cost a lot of time, but Fluttershy was right. This did turn out well. He had to hurry now, though. There were only about fifteen minutes left.
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 21 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
|
complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
|
mature
|
2012-12-04T22:41:16+00:00
|
2013-02-02T15:50:24+00:00
| 1,629 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lmieAJbRp61mO8NTDMd7_6luCkj3glYDRl0lowQIxww/edit?usp=sharing
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 21: Flesh
“It is about time now. We are almost ready for my plan. I only need a few more memories, then I know everything about her and our bond will become unbreakable. Then, I can finally show her the truth and awaken her from this dream. Oh, how I will enjoy this. All this waiting, hiding and avoiding has been such a tease.
You all know what to do. Don’t forget, you mustn't be sensed or seen. And you mustn’t harm her. We need her alive.
You dare to doubt my plans, underling? Don’t forget whom you are talking to! I am the second corrupted star! It was me who planned and executed the attack on the changelings! And it was me who defeated and devoured Queen Chrysalis! You will follow my order, in the name of our queen! Did I make myself clear?
Good.
Our queen depends on me and the other corrupted stars. Her plan is perfect. We calculated everything to the smallest detail. As long as all of us follow this plan, nothing can go wrong.
Now, you all will wait here. I need to gather the last pieces of this puzzle.”
---
Granny Smith’s funeral had many participants. Almost every pony who even knew her just roughly was there to say farewell. A big speech was held in her honor, listing up all the accomplishments she achieved in her life. Yet, the greatest tribute was paid to her for supporting the foundation of Ponyville.
A majority of the crowd consisted of apple family members. They all were very sad, but none of them were more taken than Applejack and Applebloom. Even Obsidian was there, but he tried to avoid getting seen. After what he had done, he wasn’t so sure how to confront the siblings again.
The next few days, Obsidian had very little contact with the apple family. Even when the keepers of harmony planned to meet, Applejack didn’t show up. She had retreated to mourn and tried to distract herself by taking extra shifts on the farm. But eventually, she started meeting her friends again and even the black stallion.
After having many long talks with Big Macintosh and Applebloom, she finally understood that Obsidian was, and always had been, merely a messenger of death. Granny Smith would have died anyway. Obsidian only spared her of the cruel fate to reawaken as an undead. Finally getting this knowledge in her mind, she even thanked Obsidian for his actions.
Although this gave him a little relief, it also only solved the smallest problem he had. The demons were still lurking about, preparing the things they had planned. Princess Celestia asked Obsidian to not tell the keepers of harmony about the demon onslaught on the changelings. She didn’t want Twilight and her friends to be forced to witness any more of the horrors going on in the background than it was absolutely necessary. Although they were special due to the fact that they control the elements of harmony, they still were just normal ponies, living their daily lives. This knowledge in particular would have only caused them to feel threatened.
The demons started acting with a lot more caution than usual, avoiding any unneeded actions. It seemed like they wanted to avoid any wastages, making it a lot more difficult for the reapers to lure them out and consume them.
Obsidian concluded that he had to double his efforts, even when it meant to use more of his resources than usual. Besides his loyalty to his mistress, Obsidian now had another motivation to guard Ponyville to his best abilities. He wanted to protect Fluttershy, no matter what. No demon should even get close to her line of sight. Although she now reached a point in her training where she could defend herself against demons, he still wanted to avoid putting her into any unnecessary dangers. This, though, proved to become quite a draining effort. The few demons that were still around were a lot stronger than before.
These aspects put together forced Obsidian to feed on more of his secret food stocks to maintain his strength. To his great fortune, Fluttershy still avoided entering his basement room, since she promised to only go in there if it was unavoidable. In fact, the night she discovered he was immortal was the first and only time she went downstairs. So, Obsidian could eat undisturbed and over time even slowly lowered his guards when it came to this. He became sure that the moment he went in there, he would stay uninterrupted for as long as he wished to be.
---
By now, it was near the end of spring. Obsidian ran low on supplies, yet he didn’t have the time to restock. It was still completely unclear what the demons were planning and all the reapers tried hard to find out more. Although Obsidian didn’t even tell Fluttershy what happened, she still sensed something was wrong. Sometimes, Obsidian was gone for almost 24 hours. He appeared restless and overly motivated to guard the village. She could hardly even get him to sleep. For a while, Obsidian could keep this up, but now he began to grow weaker. He had no choice anymore. After completing today’s routine, the reaper would have to go out to gather food again.
---
“Have to keep studying. Have to keep studying. No one must find out. Must keep studying. No one will find out.”
“Spike is gone. What did you do? Why did you do this to him?”
“NO! NO! Shut up! Must keep studying. Can’t be distracted. Must keep studying. Can’t be distracted. No one will find out.”
Since Spike was gone, Twilight acted as if she had no idea what had happened. She claimed that the baby dragon just disappeared overnight and asked Obsidian to search for him. Although months passed, she still hoped he was still around somewhere. The idea that he may have set up a camp somewhere well hidden nearby calmed her down a bit. She overall became very nervous and kept on talking to herself secretly.
“At 7:00 pm, I will prepare dinner. Will be done about 7:10 pm. Then I will eat. Will be done about 7:15 pm. After that, I will do research on advanced enchanting. Will be done about 7:50 pm. Then...”
“Spike. Spike is gone.”
“NO! Shut up! No distractions! No distractions! When I’m done studying, I will wake up Owloysius, have a talk with him and get him some food. Will be done about...”
Having lost Spike, Twilight pegged to her calendars, books, scrolls and to-do-lists. She tried everything to fill up her days to the last second, desperately trying to avoid giving herself the time to think over what she had done to Spike and that she may never see him again. Still, a part of her thought about him non-stop and kept on blaming her for her actions.
“This book goes here. This book goes there. I need to reread this one...”
“Salvē, Twilight,” a deep male voice spoke.
“Oh, this one is completely wrong here. But I can’t put it there either...”
“Forgive me if I am interrupting, but I am here to present the latest search report to you,” the voice continued.
“Maybe I’ll just have to rearrange this entire shelf. Yes, that’s a good idea. Rearrange the entire-”
“Miss Sparkle?” the voice spoke.
Now, finally, Twilight snapped out of her thoughts and turned around.
“Oh. Hi, Obsidian. I’m sorry. I was just so lost in my thoughts...” she responded.
The mental condition of the purple mare became worse and worse. Sometimes, she even completely forgot everything around her. The stress could be clearly seen in her face. It worried all her friends, but Obsidian the most of all. He knew those were first signs of insanity. Though nothing was decided, yet. As long as the black stallion was around, the chances for her to fall under Maledictum Insania were low.
“Did you find him? Or do you have any clues where he might be?” Twilight wondered.
“Apologies, but no,” Obsidian responded, slowly shaking his head. “I have inspected every possible hideout around Ponyville and trawled through the biggest part of Everfree Forest. If he was still around, I would have found him by now.”
“Ugh! Then expand the search! Look further away!” the purple mare spoke in frustration.
“I can not do that, Twilight. I must stay within the Ponyville and Everfree Forest zones. In all honesty, your condition worries me more than his,” the black stallion replied.
“I’m fine! Don’t worry about me! I just need to know where he went. I must find a way to undo this,” Twilight stated, catching the reapers curiosity.
“Undo what, if I may ask?” he questioned.
“No one must find out! No one must find out! No one must find out!”
“H-him running away of course!” the purple mare replied hastily.
Obsidian became suspicious. He couldn’t tell for sure if this was just the stress speaking out of her or if there was something going on she wanted to hide.
“Is there anything else, Obsidian?” she asked in an annoyed tone as she realized the reaper was still there, mustering her.
“No. This is all I can report at the moment. I shall contact the other reapers and tell them to look for Spike,” he offered.
“Good. You do that. Now excuse me, but I have a lot of studying to catch up on,” the purple mare stated.
Obsidian bowed down before her and started walking back to the front door. She had definitely changed in the past few months. Twilight became impatient and short-tempered, sometimes even resulting in her acting rude towards him. He allowed this to happen, though. If he wanted to help her gather her mental strength again, he had to serve her and try his best to take this burden from her shoulders, giving her only little advices every now and then.
“Give yourself some rest, Twilight. I will do whatever I can to help,” he stated before leaving, causing Twilight to throw an angered glance at him from the side.
“They all just need to learn to shut up and leave me alone! I got everything under control! I have no problems! What the heck is he implying? He better focus on...”
“Spike.”
“NO! Gotta keep on studying! Gotta keep on studying! Gotta-”
“Hi, Twilight! Oooh, is it reshelving day again? Can I help?” another voice spoke behind the purple mare. Pinkie Pie and Rarity had entered the library.
“More distractions...”
“Good heavens, darling. You really don’t do things by halves when it comes to your books, don’t you?” Rarity stated.
“Hi, girls. How can I help you?” Twilight wondered.
“We just popped in to say hi and talk! You know I love talking! And the weather today is super duper awesome! You should come out and play with us! Or maybe we could have a party! Oh, that reminds me of my last party where Rainbow Dash-” Pinkie Pie started, but found herself interrupted after a while.
“Look, girls. I don’t have time to go out. My schedule is full and I have a lot of studying ahead of me,” Twilight commented.
“Oh come on, Twilight. It doesn’t need a reaper to know what’s going on here. Ever since Spike disappeared, you have been studying like a machine!” the fashion diva analyzed.
“Just a coincidence. I’m fine. I just have a lot to do,” the purple mare explained.
“Don’t worry your pretty little head about little Spikey. He always comes around! I’m sure he is fine and will get home soon!” Pinkie Pie spoke to cheer her up.
“Yeah... I sure hope he is alright...” Twilight commented.
“What are they implying? Gotta keep studying! Gotta keep studying! Get them out!”
“I... I mean... I’m not worried! I’m fine! Why does everypony think I have a problem? Just leave me be, okay?” she suddenly stated, getting angry.
“Twilight! We didn’t-” Rarity started, but got interrupted.
“Well it was very nice of you two to stop by and say hello, but I really need to get back to my studies! See you tomorrow!” the purple mare threw in hastily and focused her books again.
Pinkie Pie and Rarity looked at each other in confusion and disappointment, then turned around to leave.
“Gosh, she’s taking this pretty hard. You think she’ll be alright?” Pinkie whispered on the way out.
“I really hope so, Pinkie. We all can only try our best in being there for her. But right now, it seems she prefers to be alone,” Rarity replied.
The door closed again and Twilight sighed.
“Well, back to my books,” she stated and started sorting her lexica in alphabetic order.
“How could you treat Spike like that? What has that poor baby dragon ever done to you?”
“Shut up! No more! Please, I can’t take this!”
“You always only revered to your pony-friends as friends, but never saw him as a friend.”
“Please! Stop! This is too much!”
“You never showed him any appreciation. He was always just your personal servant.”
“Please, please stop it! I can’t take it anymore! I feel so horrible!”
“You should, Twilight. You really should feel horrible. He has been there for you, no matter what. And how did you repay him? By beating the snot out of him!”
“Please... make it stop... just make it stop, please!”
Twilight suddenly stopped sorting her books. She just sat down staring at the floor, while silent tears rolled down her face.
“Hello, Twilight” yet another voice spoke.
“Oh in the name of Celestia! What does a mare have to... do... to...” the purple mare started, but then became overwhelmed in fear as she realized this voice sounded exactly like hers.
“Don’t turn around! Don’t turn around! Don’t turn around!”
“Turn around.”
“No! Don’t! No matter what, don’t turn around!”
“Yes, look at her. Look her in the eyes.”
Twilight slowly started turning sideways.
“No! Stop! Stop it!”
“Keep going. Look her in the eyes. Do it.”
“Yes, Twilight. Do as the voice in your head tells you. Turn around to me,” the other mare spoke calmly.
“No! No!”
“Do it.”
“No! Please no!”
“Do it!”
Twilight was now halfway turned, but kept her eyes shut.
“Stop it! I beg you! Stop it!”
“DO IT!”
Twilight and the visitor were now facing each other, but the purple mare still kept fighting the irresistible urge to open her eyes.
“Look at her!”
“I... mustn’t...”
“Look at her!”
“Can’t... fight it...”
“LOOK AT HER!”
Twilight finally gave in. As she opened her eyes, she stared right into the glowing red eyes of Despair. Once more the memories rushed by, faster than ever before. Within moments, years were passing by in backwards order.
“Good girl,” Despair stated mockingly.
The purple mare’s mind completely shut down during the progress this time. In contrast to before, she couldn’t even try to fight back anymore. Twilight was completely helpless and to the demoness’ mercy.
Minutes passed by. This was the longest time they ever had direct eye contact. Despair was now down to Twilight’s childhood. She saw it all. How Twilight spent a lot of time with her big brother. How she spent her time studying in the school library. How she met Princess Cadence.
Only the earliest years of her life were missing when the door opened again.
“Hey Twilight. What’s... WHAT?!” Rainbow Dash shouted at the sight presented to her.
While still staring into Twilight’s eyes, Despair’s expression changed to a troubled one. She couldn’t stop now. She only needed a few more memories.
Rainbow charged towards the demoness, but she just kept standing in place, her eyes not moving from Twilight’s. She waited for the athletic mare to come close, then simply summoned a magic barrier in front of her face. Not being able to react fast enough, Rainbow Dash crushed into it, head first. The hit was hard enough to knock her unconscious for a few moments. Enough time for Despair to finish gathering all of Twilights memories.
Then came the moment the demoness had been waiting for. She reached Twilight’s earliest memories and discovered her childhood trauma. As she saw how the very young Twilight was laughed at in magic kindergarten, and how this memory made her still tremble in adult state, Despair knew she finally found the last piece in her puzzle.
The demoness grinned in victory once more. She finally had everything she needed to execute her plan. Despair broke the eye contact, allowing Twilight to collapse in fear and exhaustion. She didn’t even bother to put a memory eraser spell on both of them anymore. Despair just teleported away, leaving them both behind with spinning heads.
As they came back to their senses and realized what just happened, Twilight started to panic. Rainbow Dash, though, calmed her down as far as she could and they both ran out of the library, searching for the others. They had to inform Obsidian as fast as possible.
---
Not even ten minutes later, the keepers of harmony united at Fluttershy’s cottage. The yellow mare was in the middle of her training routine when they all suddenly showed up.
“Oh! Hi, girls! What’s the rush?” Fluttershy wondered.
“Fluttershy! Is Obsidian home? We need to talk to him right now!” Rainbow Dash stated.
“Yes, he’s downstairs in his room. But... he doesn’t want anypony to go down there,” the yellow mare stated.
“I’m sure he’ll make an exception when he hears Despair has been at Twilight’s!” Applejack spoke.
“D-d-despair?! Here in Ponyville? Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!” Fluttershy exclaimed in light panic and started running inside, followed by the others.
Rainbow Dash speeded ahead, flying past the yellow mare and aiming straight for the basement door.
“Rainbow! Wait! Don’t touch it!” she shouted.
“Wha- WOW!” Rainbow commented as she narrowly managed to stop in front of the door and could closely avoid getting a leg bitten off by it.
“What in the name of Celestia is that?!” Rarity commented at the sight of the growling door, snatching around.
“That’s why I wanted you to stop. Obsidian cursed the door. Only he and myself can open it,” Fluttershy explained.
“Well what are we waiting for? Open it up, Fluttershy!” Pinkie Pie insisted.
“Um... okay... I’ve never done this before, but I think I can do this,” the yellow mare replied.
The last time, she didn’t even want to get close to that door. But so much had changed since then. Now, her friends depended on her, so she couldn’t disappoint them. This was urgent.
Fluttershy slowly approached the furious cursed door. It still snatched around wildly, but the yellow mare saw it wasn’t aiming for her, but for her friends. The door still accepted her.
She carefully placed her right front hoof on it. Instantly, the door turned back to normal, allowing her to open it. A weird moist noise was coming from downstairs, combined with occasional dripping sounds. Still, they all rushed inside.
---
The basement room was very dark, as always. The mares could hardly even see where they were going. In combination with their rushing, they almost fell downstairs. But before they even got to the bottom, they all suddenly halted, utter shock written in their faces.
In front of them was Obsidian Shards, sitting on the floor. His mouth and front hooves were covered in blood, as well as his fangs. But it wasn’t his own blood. They caught him off guard, feasting on the corpse of a pony laying in front of him. He, as well, was paralyzed in shock to see them all here.
The next thing that could be heard were the terror and panic filled screams of all the keepers of harmony, followed by them fleeing back upstairs and smashing the door shut behind them.
Obsidian remained motionless and shocked for a moment more. He had become careless. Now, the worst possible thing that could happen occured.
The reaper slowly lowered his glance to his meal again. This event really took him any appetite, but he forced himself to continue eating. It was over now. They saw him cannibalizing on a pony. This was the end of their friendship. They wouldn’t be able to trust him anymore.
“My mistress... I failed you... Please forgive me, Fluttershy...” Obsidian spoke to himself after he was done eating.
Using his reaper cloak, he wiped the blood off his mouth and front hooves. Then he used a fire spell to incinerate the remaining parts of the body, followed by him starting to pack his things. He still could hardly believe what just happened. From one moment to the next, everything shattered. He must have been a terrifying sight to look at. They had such horrified expressions. And their screams... He heard many screams in his life already, but never before did he hear such terror filled ones. They didn’t expect this... to see a close friend eating the forbidden food.
While putting his documents together, Obsidian wondered how things were supposed to go on now. Not only would this encounter have shattered their trust in him, but in all reapers, and it was his fault. The mission failed because he grew careless. How was he supposed to explain this to his mistress?
To Obsidian’s great surprise, another very unexpected event occurred. Somepony knocked at the basement door while he was just half done packing. At first, the black stallion was unsure what to do. Should he really go upstairs? What were they going to do?
Obsidian figured it couldn’t get any worse. Who knows. It could already be his mistress on the other side, waiting for him to come out and receive his well deserved punishment. He was ready to face the consequences.
---
“A-a-are you sure this is such a good idea, Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash wondered.
“I know Obsidian like no other pony. He has been so good to me... and now this? This doesn’t make any sense. There is more behind this. I am absolutely sure of it,” the yellow mare responded.
“I can’t believe how much you changed, Fluttershy. A year ago, this would have traumatized you,” Twilight commented.
“I love him, Twilight. I won’t give him up that easily and besides... A year ago, this would have traumatized you as well,” Fluttershy responded.
“You have a point there... we all have seen and learned so much by now...” the purple mare stated.
“Oh, heavens! He’s going upstairs!” Rarity announced as she heard hoof steps coming from behind the door.
The door handle lowered slowly and the basement door opened by only a narrow gap. They could see Obsidian, carefully glancing outside with his good eye. All the mares were very nervous. They had no idea what to expect of him now.
“Why are you still here?” the black stallion wondered.
“Obsidian... why?” Fluttershy asked.
“Because I must... I have no choice...” he replied.
“No choice? What you mean by that, O? This is sick!” Rainbow Dash commented.
“Not to mention it is highly illegal,” Twilight added.
“Not for reapers... we have a special allowance for this. Do not believe I enjoy this. It was very difficult for me to get used to the consistency and flavor of meat,” Obsidian stated.
“My love...please come out. We want to understand,” Fluttershy requested, but the black stallion hesitated.
“Are you not afraid of me now? Does my mere presence not fill you with dread?” he wondered. Fluttershy shook her head.
Obsidian could hardly believe this really happened right now. Everypony else would have ran away and never have spoken another word with him. Why didn’t they? Could it really be that they granted him a honest chance to explain this? Could he really have a chance to save the mission?
The basement door opened completely now and the reaper slowly stepped in front of them. Although the others were scared of him now, they saw his insecurity and how sorry he was that they saw this. No, that wasn’t the behaviour of a monster. A monster would have attacked them by now. A monster would have attacked them long ago already. Obsidian took a deep breath in.
“Reapers consume demons. And reapers adapt the strength of the demons consumed. That even causes their bodies to corrupt, as you know. The more demons we consume, the more demonic we become ourselves. After just a few consumptions, our bodies no longer are satisfied with the vegetarian lifestyle of a pony. We are forced to feed like demons do... on flesh and blood. It does not necessarily need to be pony flesh. Any kind of meat helps us maintain our strength and silence the demons inside us. But pony flesh is the most effective at this, since demons are specialized on ponies,” he explained.
“What happens if you don’t eat flesh?” Twilight wondered.
“The older a reaper and the more demons he had consumed, the more flesh is required to maintain his strength. Should I, as an elder reaper, avoid feasting on another creature for just a week or two, I would become too weak to fight anymore,” the black stallion explained.
“So... all the time... you were doing this secretly?” Fluttershy asked.
“Yes... I used every opportunity given to me to secretly feed myself. I transported several bodies down there when you were busy or asleep. Most of the time, it were ponies who found themselves lost in Everfree Forest and then killed by a monster living there,” Obsidian replied.
He turned his head away from them and looked down to the ground.
“I... am sorry. I understand that you are no longer able to trust me now... Which is why I have to go,” he continued.
The reaper got a little startled as he was suddenly embraced by Fluttershy.
“No, Obsidian. You don’t have to go. I trust you, no matter what. I already told you I knew what I was getting myself into by loving you. That didn’t change,” she explained.
“Is that what you honestly think, mea amāta?” Obsidian wondered with big eyes. She nodded in response.
“You just said you need to do this, even if you don’t enjoy it. So this is natural to you. You already know my opinion about that point, don’t you?” the yellow mare questioned back.
Obsidian was speechless. He could only slowly nod, causing Fluttershy to smile warmly at him.
“I love you,” she stated.
Now, Obsidian regained a smile on his face.
“I love you too,” he responded.
The black stallion wandered his eyes between the other keepers of harmony. They all as well seemed to understand and be willing to accept this new fact. Finally, Rainbow Dash spoke up in the name of all of them.
“Damnit, O. This is pretty hefty. But, you know. I think Fluttershy is right. You’re like our loyal, dark guardian. This just adds another aspect to you. Heck, Celestia herself wanted you to protect us! And if we can’t trust her, who can we? I guess there’s still a lot to learn about reapers. Just don’t start eating that kind of stuff when we’re around now, you hear me?” she spoke, her tone a bit humorous near the end. The other keepers of harmony nodded in agreement.
“As long as you keep this secret, I shall do so,” Obsidian requested.
“Of course, silly! We wouldn’t just run around and tell everypony the most personal secrets of our best friends! I Pinkie Promise you! Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” Pinkie Pie stated.
The reaper felt a huge relief from the fact that they would still be willing to accept him as a friend. But something occurred to him suddenly.
“Now that we have this settled, what was the reason you rushed into my room?” he wondered.
The cheered up atmosphere of the scene turned to ice again all at once. Over this very heavy discovery, they had completely forgotten why they originally came here.
“Obsidian! Despair was at my library!” Twilight announced.
The reaper suddenly gained a very serious expression and jumped up.
“What did she do to you?” he asked.
“The same as last time. She tricked me into looking in her eyes and let me see flashbacks of my life again. Then she just disappeared,” the purple mare replied.
“I busted in when she was still there. I tried to tackle her, but she just made a magical wall appear and let me crush right into it,” Rainbow Dash added.
“These are unsettling news. Please forgive me, but I need to contact Derpy. We must find out how she came here and if she is still around somewhere,” Obsidian explained.
After that, he lifted into the air and flew straight to Ponyville. Although Despair’s appearance in Ponyville could only mean big trouble, the black stallion still felt relieved. The mission was safe.
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 22 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
|
complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
|
mature
|
2012-11-18T16:24:27+00:00
|
2013-02-02T16:38:49+00:00
| 1,889 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gX9lbH2gpl_XLKihu2jTfZHnUYL5--l3lLg5-VfL948/edit?usp=sharing
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 22: All A Dream
After Despair appeared in Ponyville, Obsidian Shards and Derpy Hooves became highly alert. There was no doubt she was after the keepers of harmony, Twilight particularly. No matter what, the reapers had to keep them protected.
The six friends were told to not leave the village for a while. Obsidian even went so far as to suggest Rainbow Dash and Applejack to temporarily occupy a house inside Ponyville, but that would not be possible. Zap-apple season was coming up, so AJ had a lot of work to do; Missing out the harvest would be fatal for the whole family. When it came to Rainbow, she was known to be daring and restless; No one could tell her to stay hidden.
Despite the best efforts of the two reapers, they were completely unable to follow Despair’s tracks. It seemed like she was planning everything in advance, making sure nothing could possibly interfere with her plans.
Meanwhile, Twilight began isolating herself. The mix of her weakened mental condition and the fear she suffered from her encounter with Despair made her stop leaving her library at all. She even stopped writing letters to Princess Celestia, afraid they might get caught by demons on the way.
Twilight started becoming paranoid. She felt like something was watching her constantly. From the corners of her eyes she kept seeing creatures, seemingly jumping out of sight each time she looked. Occasionally, she even believed to hear whispers. That only made her fear increase to a state of panic, in which she decided to set up a force field around the library again. Her paranoia increased to the extent that she no longer trusted her own friends. Each time one of them tried to visit and comfort her she refused to open the force field, arguing that she can’t be sure if they were real or demons in disguise.
What made this all even worse was the fact that now all the things she ever had done wrong kept on looping in the purple mare’s mind. From minor things like misjudging Pinkie Pie’s attitude towards Gilda, to the horrible end of Moondancer she caused by rejecting her, everything was present. Slowly, especially while thinking of Moondancer and Spike, she began to wonder if this wasn’t actually a proper punishment for her. After all the terrible things she had done, being stalked by a demon she helped to be created seemed appropriate to her. So, her stress, fear and paranoia became also combined with depression.
Twilight grew weak. This was all too much for her. Within one year, she had witnessed so many horrible things. She just wanted the terrors to end and wished this was all just a bad dream she could just wake up from. Little did she know that this wish was about to come true.
---
A couple of days later, the pegasi created a big storm to rehydrate the land again. Twilight cowered in her library, reading through the adventures of Daring Do again in vain hope that her thrilling stories would be able to overlay the voice in her head. In the wild mix of thunder, rain, story impressions and whispering in her mind, Twilight became unable to hear anything else around her anymore. So as she looked up to take a short break, the purple mare became heavily startled as she spotted a black creature through her window, hovering in front of her force field and looking at her. In her condition, her first instinct was to seek cover, expecting this creature to have been Despair or another demon. It took her awhile to finally realize it was Obsidian, checking on her.
Not even the black stallion was allowed to go past her force field anymore. The fact that her situation became worse worried him, yet he couldn’t do much about it. With the suspicious behaviour of the demons and Despair lurking around, the reaper didn’t have the time to focus on helping her anymore. Her retreat had a positive effect on her safety, though. Being in the middle of Ponyville, guarded by two reapers checking on her frequently and she having herself locked in her library made her pretty much the most secured pony around. So, after Obsidian saw that she was, considering her state, relatively okay, he flew off again to patrol through the rain.
Even after Twilight came to understand that this had been her friend, it still took her awhile to calm down again. She returned to her books and kept on reading until it got dark.
---
By now, the purple mare only finished two books. She would be much further if she wouldn’t have to fight against the voice in her head all the time. But as the moon rose over the land and the storm reached its peak, the voice suddenly stopped. For the first time for weeks, it was somewhat calm around the purple mare again. So calm and so suddenly, it actually scared her. Just when she started to wonder if she actually missed this voice accompanying her, it returned.
“Go outside.”
Twilight’s eyes opened widely as this idea shot through her head. Why would she want to leave her library? Especially now that the storm was at its full rage.
“Your friends need you. Go outside.”
Twilight suddenly felt uneasy. Out of thin air, she became worried about her friends.
“Froggy Bottom Bog. Go to Froggy Bottom Bog. Help them.”
The purple mare couldn’t stop thinking about her friends. She had a strong feeling that they were in danger. She also precisely knew where they would be right now. After some more wavering, Twilight finally decided to break her force field spell and run outside.
---
The storm was powerful. Within seconds, the purple mare became soaked. The heavy rain instantly washed away all the hoof prints she made in the muddy ground, making her untrackable if she would get lost. But Twilight didn’t care. She just wanted to reach Froggy Bottom Bog as fast as possible. She was so lost in her thoughts and emotions that she didn’t even question where she got the feeling her friends were in trouble from, or why she knew it was happening there. She just kept running until she finally arrived.
Indeed, five pony-sized figures were standing under a tree in the distance, apparently cowering in fear, while another seemed to guard them from a threat Twilight yet could not see. As Twilight ran through the bog, not even the frogs were making any noises. Every animal seemed to have retreated. When Twilight came closer, she realized the six silhouettes truly looked like her friends.
The purple mare finally came close to the tree. Panting in exhaustion, she slowly walked towards the figure which seemed to be Obsidian. Perforated bat wings, curved horn, red eye on the right side. Yes, it had to be him.
“Obsidian! What is going on here?” she asked.
The black stallion did not respond. He kept on maintaining his battle stance, looking at the swamp in front of him, while the rest of Twilight’s friends still cowered in the shadow of the tree.
The purple mare became very worried now. She jumped next to the black stallion to assist him. As soon as she went in position, the black stallion slowly turned his head towards her. Twilight looked up to him, hoping for an explanation. But what she then saw froze her in shock, silencing all sounds around her.
Even though she was right next to him, he still only looked like a silhouette and both eyes... not just his right one, but both eyes were red.
Twilight turned around to her friends. The silhouettes now opened their eyes as well. They all were red. Before she could react, the demons jumped out of their positions to pin her down.
“Well done, my underlings,” a voice spoke, coming from the tree. Another pair of red eyes opened up and approached the purple mare. Despair.
Twilight struggled, screamed in panic, tried desperately to cast any spell to defend herself, but nothing worked. As Despair was just in front of her, the fear forced Twilight to look her into the eyes again. But this time was unlike any time before, because nothing happened. No flashbacks came to her vision. No sensation of utter paralyzation overwhelmed her. The demoness and the magical mare just looked at each other.
“You have slept long enough, Twilight. It’s time to wake up,” Despair spoke and started casting a spell.
Moments later, a big bright flash was to be seen and everything became white around the purple mare.
---
“Wake up! C’mon wake up, Twilight! Please!” Twilight heard a familiar voice pleading.
The purple mare found herself lying in her bed at the library as she awoke again. She was very weak and could hardly move her limbs, but as she finally opened her eyes, she couldn’t believe who was standing there.
“S...Spike?!” the purple mare spoke weakly.
“Twilight! Oh boy am I relieved you are finally awake again! I almost thought you wouldn’t wake up anymore this time!” the baby dragon stated and embraced her.
Twilight was still too weak and stunned to react. After almost thirty seconds, she found the strength to hug him back and cry out in joy.
“Spike! You are back! I thought I would never see you again! I’m so sorry!” she spoke out, still crying and holding the baby dragon tightly.
“Uh... what are you talking about, Twilight? I didn’t go anywhere!” Spike responded.
“Of course you did! Don’t you remember our fight on Hearth’s Warming Eve?” Twilight wondered.
“Fight on Hearth’s... oh no... don’t tell me it happened again...” he answered in a depressed tone.
“What happened again, Spike?” the purple mare wondered.
“Twilight... whom are you married to?” the baby dragon asked, confusing the purple mare even more.
“Married?! Spike, what the hay are you talking about? I’m not married!” she responded.
“Oh no... it really happened again...” Spike commented while loosening himself from Twilight and helping her up again. “Look, I’m really not good at this kind of stuff. I really like you, Twilight. So I don’t want to say anything that could hurt our friendship. Just... please go outside and talk to your friends, okay? They are much better at this than me.”
Twilight was still very confused, but decided she should follow his advice. Something seemed to have happened she was unaware of. Before she left the library, Twilight embraced her number one assistant one more time and apologized again for the way she had been treating him, promising such a thing will never ever happen again. He, though, didn’t seem to understand what she was sorry for. Then, the purple mare slowly went outside.
---
A couple of minutes later, Twilight arrived at the marketplace, where all her other friends were meeting up. Pinkie Pie was the first to notice she was approaching them.
“Oh my gosh! Girls! Look!” she announced, causing the others to instantly turn around.
“Twilight!” they exclaimed at the same time, then rushed over to her and embraced her.
“Woah! Calm down, girls! What’s the matter with all of you?” the purple mare wondered.
“Ya have fallen in coma again, Twi,” Applejack explained.
“Coma? Again?” Twilight asked.
“Yes. And this time, it was longer than ever before! We were so worried about you!” Rainbow Dash continued.
“I don’t understand! What are you talking about?” Twilight wanted to know.
Now the happy and relieved faces of her friends became filled with sadness.
“Oh no, darling. Did you lose your memory again?” Rarity concerned.
“What do you mean, Rarity? I still remember everything! Where is Obsidian by the way? And what happened to Despair?” Twilight asked.
“Obsidian? Despair? Sheesh, Twilight. What have you been dreaming this time?” Pinkie wondered.
“What?” was all Twilight could say in response.
Right now, the purple mare didn’t understand anything anymore. But at least her friends knew what to do. They had witnessed this often enough by now. So they just gently held her again and started explaining.
“Twilight, sugarcube... you had a bad accident a few months ago,” Applejack started.
“An accident? What kind of accident?” Twilight wondered.
“You got poisoned by Basilisk Tongue. We still don’t know how this could happen, but you owe your life to Zecora,” Rarity explained.
“We were so lucky she was just nearby. She could give you an antidote just in the last second. If we needed only a moment longer, you would be dead now!” Fluttershy continued.
“W...what? I-I don’t remember any of that!” Twilight exclaimed.
“Of course you don’t. That accident left its marks on you. Every few weeks, you suddenly fall into coma. And sometimes, when you wake up again, you don’t remember anything anymore,” Rainbow Dash answered.
“Not just that, but you keep having really bad nightmares while you are in coma! When you wake up again, you think they all were real!” Pinkie Pie added.
“Really?” Twilight asked, having a lot of trouble to believe what she just got told. Her friends, though, nodded in confirmation.
“How often did this happen by now?” she wondered.
“This is about yer tenth time ya fell into coma and the sixth time ya lost yer memory,” Applejack responded.
“Wow... I... I don’t know what to say,” Twilight stated.
“What’s the last thing you remember?” Pinkie wondered.
“Well... it was late at night and storming. I ran outside, because something told me you were in trouble. I ran to Froggy Bottom Bog and I found you there, or rather i found a group of demons that looked like you,” the purple mare explained.
“Demons? What are demons?” Rarity wondered. This scandalized Twilight.
“How could you possibly forget about the demons! Obsidian taught us everything about them!” she proclaimed.
“Who is this Obsidian you are talking about?” Fluttershy asked.
“What?! How could you, of all ponies, forget your partner?” Twilight spoke, half shouting.
The eyes of the other mares went wide open and jumped to Fluttershy.
“You have a partner? Since when? And why haven’t we heard of this Obsidian before?” Pinkie wondered.
“I-I don’t! I have no idea what she is talking about, honest!” the yellow mare explained. Now the eyes wandered back to Twilight.
“Are ya sure you didn’t just dream all that?” Applejack wondered.
“I... I’m... not sure...” Twilight responded. This whole situation was extremely confusing to her right now.
“Twilight... everything you told us so far never happened. The last time you fell in coma, we were all on our way to the spa. You just suddenly fell over and didn’t wake up again,” Fluttershy explained.
“How long have I been sleeping?” Twilight wondered.
“A good three weeks. We were worried you would never wake up again!” Pinkie responded.
“I... I don’t understand this... what was real and what was not?” the purple mare asked.
“Phew, sugarcube. Yer askin’ for a lot there. I’ve got no idea what ya’ve been dreamin’ this time. But it sounds like yer had quite a heavy nightmare. This may take a while to get sorted out,” Applejack replied.
“Yeah... I better get Moondancer. I’m sure she will be happy to see her awake again,” Rainbow Dash stated.
Twilight’s eyes suddenly shot wide open, completely shocked to hear that name.
“D-did you just say Moondancer? She is alive?!” Twilight questioned with a shaky voice.
“Gosh, Twilight. You dreamt she died? That’s really the worst nightmare you had so far!” Pinkie Pie stated.
---
Half an hour passed while Rainbow Dash was away. Meanwhile, Twilight had an intense conversation with all her friends to filter out what was a dream and what was reality. It seemed like the very most gruesome things she had experienced were all a lie. Then finally, Rainbow Dash returned, followed by a young white unicorn mare with a long red mane. It was Moondancer.
Her eyes filled with tears as she rushed over to the purple mare and embraced her. Twilight, though, didn’t move at all. She made an expression as if she had seen a ghost.
“By Celestia, you have no idea how happy I am to see you awake again!” Moondancer stated, tears rolling down her face. “How do you feel? What do you remember?”
“M...M-Moondancer... is this... are you real?” Twilight wondered, still completely shocked.
“Of course I am! What did you dream this time?” the white mare responded.
Twilight did not reply. This whole situation seemed extremely surreal to her. Was she really awake? Or was this all a dream right now? She needed to make sure.
Twilight bit herself hard in left front leg. This sudden action shocked all the present ponies. But as soon as she did this, Twilight regretted her action as a sharp pain ran through her body and she even caused herself to bleed a bit.
“What in tarnation did you do that for, Twilight?” Applejack wondered.
No, this wasn’t a dream. This felt real. Everything around her felt real. She really must be awake now.
“Sorry... I just wanted to make sure that I’m not still sleeping. I can’t believe all this. Everything I thought that happened never happened? There are no demons? No reapers? No curse called Maledictum Insania?” Twilight asked. All her friends shook their heads.
“Obsidian Shards doesn’t exist? And neither does Despair?” she kept on asking.
“At least we don’t know anypony named like that,” Rarity responded.
Now, Twilight became mute. She still had huge problems understanding. Apparently, everything that she thought happened in the timespan of an entire year was all just her imagination, caused through the long-term after effects from a critical poisoning. Obsidian never came to Ponyville, never gained their respect by defeating a Salamander, never took her and her other friends on a journey through the underground of Everfree Forest, never joined them on the Grand Galloping Gala Midnight Masquerade, never took them to Tripudium Messōrum, never fell in love with Fluttershy... never existed. This all overthrew everything she believed in once again. The purple mare lifted her head again, looking at the white mare.
“Moondancer... how did we meet?” she wondered.
“Oh my... you... you don’t even remember that anymore?” Moondancer responded with a sad expression, holding a hoof in front of her mouth. Twilight’s friends gently held her to comfort her.
“Yes... I’m sorry...” Twilight responded.
“It’s okay... I don’t blame you... It’s all the fault of that damn poison...” Moondancer stated. Then she took a deep breath in.
“After you moved to Ponyville four years ago, we had lost contact. Not that we really had a lot of contact before to begin with... no, sorry. Forget what I just said. I forgave you about that. I’m sorry... well we met again on the Grand Galloping Gala Midnight Masquerade. Do you remember that?” Moondancer continued.
“Yes... so that wasn’t a dream... but what happened then?” Twilight wondered.
“Well... we had a pretty harsh discussion. I blamed you for disappearing without a word and you were very sorry. Then... I confessed my love to you. You were very shocked at first and unsure about it, but you didn’t want to hurt me. You said you needed a bit of time to think about this. I had no idea what you would think of me now... that was the hardest thing I’ve ever been through... But finally, you decided to take me with you to Ponyville. Since then, we live together in your library,” Moondancer replied.
“So you live with me... I... wait... Spike told me I was married... did... did we... are we...?” Twilight wondered, very insecurely.
“Yes, my darling...” Moondancer responded, blushing. “After you took me in, I really tried hard so you would love me. It took you a few weeks, but then you also confessed your love to me. We were so happy together... It’s hard for me to imagine you don’t remember any of this... Anyway. About four months ago, we finally decided to get married. That was the most wonderful moment in my life! All my dreams came true and you, too, enjoyed our time together a lot. We went to Fillydelphia for our honeymoon. Do you remember Fillydelphia?”
“No... I’m sorry...” Twilight stated lowly. Moondancer sighed.
“Well... I can promise you it was incredible. We were both in such high spirits all the time and we would still be the happiest couple in all of Equestria if this Pete forsaken accident didn’t happen... I still thank Zecora everytime I meet her for saving your life. I honestly wouldn’t have known what to do anymore if you would have died...” she stated.
Again, Twilight's mind was blown. How could she not remember any of this? And more importantly, what was she supposed to think of Moondancer now? The purple mare was very unsure what she should feel for her. Apparently, they used to be a happy couple. Was the nightmare in which Moondancer died maybe a part of her personality that was afraid of losing her, because she loved her back? Twilight never thought she could ever have a relationship with another mare, let alone marrying one. Or was she? During her coma, she dreamt so many things that were very far away from truth and reality, even regarding her own personality. Twilight didn’t even know herself anymore. It was like she woke up in an alternate universe. Everything seemed so familiar, yet was so different.
“Twilight? Are you okay, my darling?” Moondancer wondered, snapping her out of her thoughts.
“Oh. Y-yes... well no... I mean... oh gosh... I don’t know... I don’t know what to think anymore...” Twilight stated.
“That’s okay, Twi. This isn’t the first time that happened to you. You were just about as confused the other five times before. We’ll help you getting used to this again,” Rainbow Dash commented.
“But those nasty after effects seem to get worse. We really should get a doctor to check on you and have a talk with Zecora. Maybe she got a potion to help you,” Rarity suggested.
“Good thinkin’. Don’t cha worry too much, Twi. Everything’ll be alright again. We’re all here for you,” Applejack spoke.
“Thank you... thank you all. I’m so glad I have friends like you,” Twilight responded.
“Ah, it’s okay. We are all P.F.F’s as you would say!” Pinkie stated.
For the rest of the day, Twilight’s friends and Moondancer helped her around, trying their best to help her getting used to being awake again.
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 23 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
|
complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
|
mature
|
2012-11-26T23:14:51+00:00
|
2013-09-22T13:17:18+00:00
| 1,740 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mnp1OGzbHNYtfWKxeNZSMz5K576RBH1hVEDEnu7UFkY/edit
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 23: All A Nightmare
Two days passed since Twilight awoke from her coma. She still had big problems adapting to this new situation. Everything seemed to be just too perfect after the gruesome nightmares she had. In fact, they still kept haunting her in the nights.
The purple mare kept on dreaming of glowing red eyes staring at her, of faint giggling and whispering around her and of agony filled moans in the distance. These nightmares even woke her up in the middle of the night. Though each time this happened, she found herself lying in her bed, Moondancer right by her side.
All the horrors she had witnessed were just products of her imagination. She never caused Moondancer to completely surrender to Maledictum Insania and give birth to Despair. She never abused Spike to the point where he decided to run away. Twilight was living in the perfect Equestria she had known for years again.
Yet, it just wouldn’t really get through to her. Everything she dreamt during her coma seemed so real. Everything connected so flawlessly. How could this one entire year be only a nightmare? How could she imagine something this horrifying? Was there a deeper meaning to her visions?
Twilight spent hours researching dream symbolism. She still had a guilty conscience when it came to asking Spike for help, but the baby dragon gladly assisted her wherever he could, just like in the good old days.
“Here it is, Twilight! Miss Nappy’s Collection Of Dreams And Their Meaning,” the baby dragon announced, climbing down from a ladder with a book in his right claw.
“Ah! Thanks, Spike! Gosh am I happy to have you back!” Twilight thanked.
“Um... I already told you I never went anywhere,” Spike responded.
“Oh... right...” the purple mare spoke lowly. Spike sighed.
“You really need to snap yourself out of those dreams. They are over now, Twi!” he stated.
“I know, I know. But... you have no idea what I’ve been through during my coma. It was horrible. I really thought I lost you and would never see you again! I’m just so relieved you are still here!” the purple mare replied, walking over to Spike and giving him a hug. The baby dragon smiled in response.
“You really think there is some kind of meaning behind the dreams you had?” he wondered while handing over the book.
“It’s hard to follow when you haven’t seen it yourself, Spike. This wasn’t just an ordinary dream. Usually, dreams and nightmares are somewhat chaotic and they jump a lot. This one was like one constant, flawless nightmare that made so much sense that I still have trouble identifying which event happened and which didn’t. What really stuns me the most is that the reaper Obsidian Shards and the demon Despair don’t exist. They both played such a huge role in my nightmares and were so well defined, especially Obsidian... I just need to find out why they were so important in my dreams,” the purple mare explained.
“Yeah... I really can’t imagine how a dream can busy you so much... But, Twilight... just keep in mind you are awake now. You should be really happy all that bad stuff never happened. Don’t let this eat you up, okay?” Spike requested.
“Will do, Spike. Don’t worry,” Twilight responded.
The baby dragon then went upstairs to do his chores.
---
Half an hour passed while Twilight was taking notes about her dreams and compared the knowledge of several books with each other. Slowly, things appeared to make sense.
“Ah! Good afternoon, my darling!” Moondancer greeted while entering the library.
“Oh. Hi,” was all Twilight said in response.
The purple mare was still very unsure what she should think or feel for the pony she apparently married. Moondancer was very well aware of that fact, but showed incredible patience and tolerance. She had been through this with Twilight several times before, so she knew how to handle it. But now that Twilight even lost the memories of their marriage, she had to go slow on her. So, Moondancer just walked next to Twilight and handed her a potion.
“Zecora said this should help you,” the white mare stated.
“Thanks...” Twilight replied, then opened the bottle and drank the content.
“So? Any progress on your dream research?” Moondancer wondered.
“I think I figured a few things out... from what I can take from the books, Despair represented a part of my mind trying to regain consciousness, while Obsidian represented a part that tried to stabilize me by extending my coma,” the purple mare explained.
“Really? How did you come up with that?” Moondancer asked.
“Well... I’m not so sure about Obsidian, but Despair actually makes sense. She looked almost exactly like me and each time I looked into her eyes, she stole memories from me. The books say that this is symbolic for a comatose mind trying to hold on to memories. Also, it was Despair who woke me up in the end, by tricking me outside of Obsidian’s influence,” Twilight explained.
“But didn’t you say demons were evil? Then why would she do that?” the white mare wondered.
“I really don’t know. Maybe my mind was just ready to wake up again and it just tried to put something together that would make it easier for me. I don’t know, yet. Obsidian is also a big mystery to me. Although he was also a dark creature and quite dangerous, he tried very hard to protect me,” Twilight stated.
“Makes you wonder what good and evil really means...” Moondancer commented.
The purple mare just nodded in response this time and returned to her books. After making a few more notes, she stopped again.
“Moondancer... why did I wake up at the library?” Twilight wondered.
“What do you mean, my darling?” the white mare asked.
“In my situation, I should have been brought to the Ponyville Hospital. They have much better medical care there. So why was I kept home?” Twilight inquired.
“My dear, I just couldn’t stand the idea that some doctors and nurses would come and check on you like maybe once every hour. I wanted you to see a familiar face when you woke up again. The doctors as well said it would be better if I let them take care of you, but I insisted on taking you home and being the one taking care of you,” Moondancer explained.
“So you were watching over me the whole time, all by yourself?” the purple mare asked.
“Not completely all by myself. Spike helped out a lot, too. And occasionally, your friends came to visit. Still, I spent every moment I could by your side, hoping you would wake up and doing everything I could for you. There were days when I only left your side to go to the bathroom or kitchen. I knew it was just a matter of time until you woke up again. This happened several times before and even though this time was longer than ever before, I never gave up hope. And yet... yet I missed it...” Moondancer explained, gaining more and more sadness in her voice.
“That one moment I left your side to go shopping... I’m so sorry I wasn’t there when you woke up again...” she apologized, tears filling her eyes.
“No... don’t cry... please don’t cry...” Twilight responded while turning around to her wife and embracing her. “It’s okay. You couldn’t have known I would wake up just then. And to be honest... please don’t get me wrong, but it would have only confused and scared me deeply to see your face as the first.”
“W-what do you mean by that?” Moondancer wondered, lightly shocked.
“While I was in coma, I dreamed that you died...” the purple mare stated hesitatingly.
“Oh my...” was all Moondancer could say in response.
“Yes...” Twilight continued. ”It was horrible... so graphic... you like... tore open and a monster crawled out of you... Despair.”
“Oh gosh! You really had one wicked nightmare, my darling!” the white unicorn stated in shock.
“Yes... that was one of the worst parts. There was so much blood... but worst of all is... that I caused this to happen...” Twilight stated.
“Huh?” Moondancer wondered.
Twilight needed a moment to gather up courage and strength before she could continue. This was the one thing she blamed herself for the most.
“In my dream, I rejected you. I was scared of you and didn't know what to do. I made the completely wrong choice, telling you I didn’t love you... this lead to you completely falling to insanity and giving birth to Despair... I kept on regretting it every single second afterwards, until I woke up. Seeing you alive and healthy now is... I can't even put in words how relieved I am...” she explained.
“Oh my dear Twilight...” Moondancer spoke in condolence.
“I felt so guilty the whole time. This was the biggest mistake of my life and there was no way to make it up again. Even now, I just have the feeling I can’t live on without telling you how sorry I am I did this to you,” Twilight spoke while starting to shake and having tears rolling down her face.
Moondancer couldn’t take seeing her like this, blaming herself for something she had never done. She just had to cheer her up. So, Moondancer kissed Twilight for the first time since she woke up again. Although she knew this may still be a little early, she felt this was just necessary right now.
Twilight returned the kiss, even though she still was not sure about her feelings for the white mare. She just forced herself into it, for Moondancer’s sake.
“My beloved Twilight... please stop blaming yourself for something you did in your dreams. That was never true and I know you better than to think you would have done such a thing to me in reality. Don’t you see what you have been gifted, now that you are awake again? You have a chance to live normal again! All the horrors are undone and you can have a carefree, happy live again with me right by your side!” Moondancer stated.
“But... but... what if I fall in coma again? What if I forget even more next time?” Twilight worried.
“That doesn’t matter. Even if you forgot I ever even existed, I would still stay by your side. And even if you kept on falling into comas for the rest of your life, I will always be there when you wake up again until I’m old and dusty. I will never leave you or be mad at you. Never,” Moondancer replied.
Twilight slowly calmed down. Moondancer wiped the tears out of her eyes and smiled at her warmly, embracing her one more time.
“I love you, Twilight. More than anything else. I will always be there for you, no matter what,” the white unicorn stated.
“Thank you. Thank you so much,” Twilight responded.
Suddenly, a green light was seen from upstairs, attracting the attention of the two mares. Moments later, Spike came running down the stairs, holding a scroll with the royal seal on it.
“Twilight! A letter from the Princess!” he announced.
The purple mare picked it up by magic, broke the seal and started reading out.
“Student Twilight Sparkle,
Your slacking on your duties in reporting me your discoveries in the magic of friendship is starting to disturb me greatl- WHAT?!” she started, completely baffled of what she was reading. Spike and Moondancer as well looked very shocked.
“Your last report was three weeks ago and I certainly am not tolerating any more delays. I have reason to doubt that you take your studies serious enough. So, I hereby order you to come to Canterlot for a test on next friday.
Your mentor, Princess Celestia,” Twilight finished reading.
“How can she say such a thing! She was well aware you were in coma! I told her everything!” Moondancer exclaimed in disbelief.
“Spike, take a letter for me, please,” the purple mare requested instantly.
Spike picked up a scroll and quill as fast as he could. Twilight was shaking visibly. She took her whole career as a magic student very serious. So this knocked her over heavily.
“Dear Princess Celestia,
I think there must be a misunderstanding! I was unable to make any reports for three weeks out of medical reasons, which I had been informed you were notified about! Weren’t you the one who told me I only needed to send you a report, allow me to quote your own words, ‘when, and only when I happen to discover them’? My studies are very important to me! I ask for your understanding in this situation.
Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle,” she spoke.
As soon as the letter was complete, Spike sent it. Not even thirty seconds later, a reply arrived. Spike instantly opened it and started reading out loud.
“I neither do recall being informed that you were unable to send reports due to medical conditions, nor do I recall giving you any special treatments. I find the fact that you put words in my mouth like this very insulting, my student. I expect your presence at the Canterlot school for gifted unicorns this friday. Under these circumstances, I would like to inform you right away that, if you should fail, I will send you back more than just a grade,” he read out.
---
Since Twilight received this ominous letter from her mentor, she returned into a state of intense panic she last had during her coma. It turned out that the incident in which she enchanted her Smarty Pants doll never occurred and for some unexplainable reason, the notification about Twilight’s poisoning failed to reach the Princess. Twilight was foolish enough to insult Celestia, nullifying every chance for her to give a reasonable explanation. Not even Spike or Moondancer could say anything in her defence.
The purple mare kept on studying all week, barely sleeping at all. The panic kept her fueled with adrenalin she used to rapidly scan through one book after another. Spike had to keep her supplied with more magic books and personal notes constantly.
“Twilight, I know this is a stressing situation, but you got to take a break at some point!” he insisted.
“Break? I don’t need a break! What a stupid idea! Do I look like I need a break? I don’t need one!” the purple mare responded very hastily.
“You haven’t slept in three days, Twi! That’s anything but good for you!” Spike commented.
“Ah, who needs sleep anyway? Tomorrow is friday, the day of the test! I got plenty of time to sleep after that! Now if you excuse me, but I have a lot to do!” Twilight responded.
“Twilight, please! Remember what happened last time when you stood up one whole week?” the baby dragon questioned, picking up one of Twilight’s books to distract her.
“Oh, so that was real, too! Doesn’t matter! It was just a false alert after all! But this time, I’m really in trouble! I need to get this... Hey! I was reading that!” she stated.
“Get out of the way, Spike.”
“C’mon, be reasonable! You would completely break down before you even finish the test!” Spike tried to reason.
“Get out of the way, Spike!”
“I need to do this! Would you just please give me back that book and let me finish?” Twilight requested.
“Get him out of the way. Get him out of the way. Get him out of the way.”
“Look, I’m just trying to help you! If you could see how you look right now... Your eyes are so bloodshot and the pupils so small, it’s creeping me out!” Spike explained.
“Get him away! Get him off! Do it!”
Twilight was shaking heavily now. She slowly got up and walked over to the baby dragon.
“Um... Twilight? W-what’s with that weird grin on your face?” he wondered.
“Get rid of him.”
“I... I s-said...” Twilight started, still coming closer.
“Get rid of him!”
“I s-s-sai-id... g-give...” she continued, approaching Spike and making him retreat into a corner, panic filling his face.
“Give me back that book!”
“Give me back that book!” she finally shouted, lifting up the little dragon by magic and tossing him with full force into a bookshelf, which then collapsed over him.
Twilight was still breathing heavily in anger as she let the book levitate over to her and returned to her studies.
“Serves you right, Spike,” she stated coldly and continued taking notes.
Five minutes passed. Ten minutes passed. Twenty minutes passed. Still, Spike remained motionless under the collapsed bookshelf. It took the purple mare half an hour to finally realize something was wrong and slowly lifted her head to the mess she created.
“S-Spike?” she called.
No response was given. Twilight became worried and stood up, walking over to the bookshelf and lifting it back in position by magic. As she cleared out the pile of books, she found the baby dragon beneath them, still not moving.
“Spike?” she called him again, the pitch in her voice higher this time.
He still didn’t move or give any response. Twilight carefully picked him up, only to realize he wasn’t breathing.
“No... no, no, no...” the purple mare spoke.
Her eyes filled with tears as she desperately tried to get him to breath again.
“No. Spike. No. Wake up! Wake up! Please!” she begged desperately.
It was hopeless. Twilight somehow managed to throw him hard enough to break his neck.
“Nonononononononono...” was all she could say now.
Her whole body trembled as she realized what she had done. As if she wasn’t already enough in stress, the panic over her own actions made her mind collapse into a dysfunctional mess. Not a single thought managed to make it through her mind. She found herself in a situation where she had no idea what to do anymore. It seemed like even breathing was nearly impossible for her now, as the tears rolled down her face.
Now, a part of Twilight, which she thought only existed in her coma dream, started taking over. It helped her regain control over her breath and reduced her trembling. Twilight was still there, but it seemed as if she was now a spectator rather than the actual actor. She was still far too paralyzed to really understand what happened and what was going on now as she saw how her body started moving on its own.
She lifted up Spike and stored him in the fridge. Then, she simply sorted the books back in the shelf and returned to her studies as if nothing had happened. Reading the intelligent words of all these great books was soothing to her. Twilight started to relax again, pushing the latest actions in the back of her mind. Slowly, she regained full control over her body and came back to full awareness.
---
Roughly an hour later, Moondancer returned home. Twilight was still deeply sunken in her books.
“Good evening, my darling!” she greeted warmly.
“Good evening,” Twilight responded not lifting her head and a lot calmer than she should be after what had happened.
“Oh! You sound so relaxed now! Did you take a nap?” Moondancer wondered.
“Yes,” Twilight lied calmly, still not moving her eyes away from the books.
Moondancer then looked around the library, slowly gaining a confused expression on her face.
“Spiiike!” she called, causing Twilight to twitch.
“Spiiike! Where are you?” she called again.
“He’s not here,” Twilight stated.
“Huh? Where did he go?” the white mare wondered.
“I don’t know,” Twilight responded.
Moondancer shrugged, then walked into the kitchen to start preparing dinner. Twilight instantly shot up.
“Wait!” she screamed, startling Moondancer a bit.
“AH! What? What is it?” she screamed, half panicking.
The purple mare had no idea what to say right now. She only wanted to avoid her opening the fridge at any cost.
“Let us go out for dinner today!”
“Let us go out for dinner today!” she finally suggested.
This idea excited Moondancer. They hadn’t been out for a romantic dinner since Twilight fell into coma.
“A wonderful idea, my dear!” she agreed.
Twilight sighed in relief. This was a close call. She still had no idea what to do with the body, but she needed to think of something soon. Twilight and Moondancer spent the rest of the evening outside, until it got so late that all they could do as soon as they returned home was to lay down and sleep.
---
Twilight had huge problems sleeping that night. While Moondancer fell asleep very quickly, the purple mare kept on thinking about what to do with Spike’s body. She was very tempted to stand up and somehow smuggle it out of Ponyville, but she was too afraid of getting caught doing this. One thing was for sure: no one had to find out about what she had done. After hours, Twilight finally fell asleep.
The next morning, the purple mare got woken up by a loud shriek, coming from downstairs. Instantly, she jumped up and ran downstairs. Her worst suspicion came true. Moondancer was sitting on the floor in the kitchen, staring with a shock filled expression inside the open fridge.
“T-T-Twilight! Spike! He...! AAH!” Moondancer spoke very shakily.
Twilight stood there, shaking all over again. She once more found herself in a situation where her mind failed her and she had no idea what to do anymore.
“No witnesses.”
A horrible idea shot through her head. Twilight stared at Moondancer. Moondancer stared back at Twilight with shock filled eyes.
“No witnesses.”
The idea wouldn’t leave her mind. It seemed like the only thing she could possibly do right now. But she couldn’t. There was no way she could do this to Moondancer.
“Twi...light... what is... going on?” the white mare questioned.
“No witnesses.”
Twilight slowly lowered her head. There was no other option. She had to do it. She had to do this to Moondancer again. Just this time, she would be directly responsible for her death.
“No witnesses, no witnesses, no witnesses, no witnesses-”
“-No witnesses, no witnesses, no witnesses...” Twilight mumbled, tears rolling down her face while she used her magic to pick up a kitchen knife behind Moondancer and aimed it at her neck from behind.
“T-Twilight?” Moondancer asked again.
The purple mare now lifted her head again. Tiny pupils. Bloodshot eyes. A massive grin. Trails of tears.
“I’m so sorry, Moondancer,” she whispered.
As soon as she finished speaking, the purple mare allowed the knife to come shooting towards the white unicorn, piercing through her neck and throat. This action was so fast and so unexpected, Moondancer didn’t even have the chance to breath anymore. She just sat there, her eyes glued to Twilight’s insane face.
The blade withdrew from her body and sliced along her throat. Blood splattered all across the kitchen. Moondancer still didn’t move the smallest bit. She just stared at Twilight, unable to understand why she did this. Seconds later, the white mare collapsed into her own spilled blood.
Twilight killed Moondancer again. She was breathing heavily through her teeth and shaking all over. Despite the big mess she made, only a small amount of blood covered her coat. Twilight looked at the blade floating in front of her. Moondancer’s life juice was still dripping from it. The purple mare couldn’t believe what she had just done a second time. This time was so much more violent and in contrast to before, it wasn’t an accident. She did this on purpose. She willingly ended Moondancer’s life.
Suddenly, the library door shot open.
“Twilight! We heard a scream and-” Rainbow Dash started, but became unable to continue as she saw the scenery in front of her very eyes.
Twilight turned around. All of her five best friends had come. They saw it all. They saw Moondancer’s dead body on the floor, surrounded by a large puddle of blood. They saw Twilight, sitting in front of it. They saw the blood covered blade she held aloft by magic.
“No witnesses.”
Twilight started grinning and crying even heavier now as she forced herself to seal the door behind her friends. This time would be even much more difficult, since she valued her friends so much. But she couldn’t let a single one of them escape. None of them had to survive to tell what she had done.
The five friends began to panic, desperately trying to find an exit. Twilight set up a forcefield around the library again, tightly sealing all windows and doors. There was no chance they could escape.
The purple mare’s mind drifted away, her body starting to move on its own again. Rapidly, Twilight’s vision became more and more blurry, until all she could see anymore was black.
---
As Twilight regained consciousness, she found herself looking down at her own body. The floor below her was red, as well as a majority of her coat. She didn’t want to look up and see what she had done to her friends, but she had no choice anyway.
The entire library was covered in blood. The red liquid dripped from the books on the shelves and even a large amount of books were laying in the red puddles, soaking through. The lifeless remains of her five friends were all squeezed into a hole below the stairs. As Twilight saw what she caused, she couldn’t hold back her emotions anymore and started crying like never before in her life. Out of a sudden irrational act, she murdered all the ponies that were dear to her. She wasted the one chance she had to make everything good again and even went further than she had in her nightmare.
Life seemed so worthless now. Everything Twilight cared for was gone. Everything, but one thing.
“Go to Canterlot. Take the test. Go to Canterlot. Take the test.”
Her studies. This was the only thing she had left. It was friday morning. Today, she had to take the test, despite of what she just had done. Twilight skipped her breakfast and instead used the morning to clean up the library, burn blood covered books, hide and preserve the bodies of her friends, clean the kitchen knife she used and wash herself. She had lost her appetite anyway.
---
Four hours later, Twilight was sitting outside of Celestia’s principal room, waiting for her test results. She had done very badly. The purple mare just couldn’t concentrate while the events of yesterday evening and this morning kept repeating themselves in her mind. Her thoughts were constantly stuck at the bodies she had hidden. What if someone came in the library while she was away? What if they found the bodies?
This whole day had only been one constant nightmare so far. Knowing how bad she had done during the test, she knew even the last thing she held herself onto was at stake now. So naturally, she was extremely nervous.
Finally the door opened and one of Celestia’s guards asked her in. The demi-goddess was sitting behind her desk, a neutral expression on her face. Yet, Twilight had the feeling she was trying to hold back her anger. The purple mare sat down on the chair on the other side of the desk. Twilight stared at the floor below her in guilt, occasionally looking up to see that Celestia’s face had become very serious now. A good minute passed without any word of the Princess, until she finally broke the silence with a doom bringing announcement.
“You failed,” she spoke.
Twilight tensed every last muscle in her body and became stiff as stone. This statement gave her the final blow. It was as if a part of her mind had just ripped away.
“Five out of one hundred points. I’m completely unable to express how disappointed I am in you, Twilight. You were my star student and now look at yourself,” Celestia spoke harshly.
Twilight still didn’t say a word or look up. She was in a deep state of shock where everything around her only seemed like a nightmare anymore. Deep in her mind, she begged that this was just a dream and she could finally wake up from it.
“The Canterlot school for gifted unicorns didn’t have such bad results for a very long time. You brought disgrace to the whole school. And as if that wasn’t enough...” Celestia continued, making a gesture to signal her guard to step next to Twilight. They then used magical chains to bind her to the chair.
“As if that wasn’t enough, you also became a monster,” Celestia finished.
The eyes of the purple mare shot wide open and focused her mentor. She could see a mix of extreme anger, sadness and disgust in her face. Did she know it? How? How could she know so fast?
“What happened to my dear, faithful student? What happened to you, Twilight Sparkle? Why have you decided to kill all your friends and even your own partner?” Celestia wondered.
This line shot through her body like an electric bolt. She knew it. She somehow knew everything she had done. The Princess of the sun stood up, towering over the purple mare and looking down on her in disgust.
“What you have done would justify an instant execution, Twilight Sparkle. But I have the feeling this would be too easy for you. Although it is not a thing I usually agree with, I believe you deserve worse. But what could be a heavier punishment than death for a monster like you? I only know one thing. The ultimate judgement I can give you, my dear student. The thing you are afraid of more than anything else, even though it may sound ridiculous to others,” she spoke calmly.
“No... no, no... everything, but that! Please, Princess Celestia! You know how bad they have treated me back then! I don’t want to go through this nightmare again! Please, have mercy!” Twilight pleaded, but Celestia stood unmoved.
“I’m sorry, Twilight Sparkle, but you leave me no other choice. I hereby declare all your progress in the studies of magic for nullified and return you to the lowest institution of education, magic kindergarden. Guards, prepare her. Make sure she will be unable to harm any of the children,” Celestia announced.
The magical chains loosened from the chair and completely wrapped around Twilight’s body, immobilizing her. Still, she tried to struggle desperately while the guards dragged her away.
---
Another hour later, Twilight was brought to a nearby magic kindergarden. She was put into a straitjacket and her horn had a small shackle around it, preventing her from casting spells. The children there, at first very confused, slowly started making jokes over the adult mare as the guards told them she would be a new member in their group now.
“Haha! Look at how big she is! She must be such a loser to still need to go to magic kindergarden!” one of them said.
“Yeah! Just look at her! She must be so dumb, they had to tie her all up so she doesn’t hurt herself!” another one spoke.
The rest of the day was just a surreal nightmare for Twilight. Her childhood trauma returned as the kids gathered around her, laughing at her and calling her names. The whole day had been one massive mental torture. Twilight couldn’t take it anymore. Her mind ultimately surrendered and she started laughing in insanity, a limitless hate at every pony around her growing inside her. She just wanted every pony in all of Equestria to pay now. Pay for not understanding her. Pay for doing this to her. Pay to overshadow the sins she had committed.
The insane screams and laughter of the purple mare terrified the foals, causing them to retreat. Then, Twilight discovered the guards didn’t tie the straitjacket properly. A fatal mistake.
After a short struggle, Twilight could free a hoof and remove the magic shackle around her horn before the guards could react in time. Instantly, hell broke loose around her. Twilight used everything she could find as a weapon, making the objects levitate in the air and assault the guards and the children. Screams of panic and agony filled the air, as well as the blood of the foals. It didn’t take long before Twilight finished repeating the same procedure she had committed in her library. Just this time, all she could do afterwards was to laugh in satisfaction over her work.
Nopony came. Everything was silent as if by killing just these few children and guards, Twilight already erased the entire population of Equestria. At this moment, she realized something was very, very wrong.
The air suddenly started turning red and everything that yet wasn’t covered with blood slowly began to bleed. Pony blood came out of the trees, the stones, the fences. Everything started bleeding. Then, with a complete shock, Twilight saw as the dead bodies of the children started moving again. They tore open and black creatures came out of them.
The purple mare couldn’t believe her eyes. Demons! Those were demons, definitely! These looked like the shadows of the children.
As soon as they crawled outside, they walked straight over to Twilight, laughing at her. This crowned the level of terror for Twilight. The only remaining instinct in her destroyed mind told her to run away, and so she did.
Twilight ran as fast as she could. She didn’t even care where she ran to. She just wanted to get away. But more and more demonic shadows of children appeared, stalking her and laughing at her. All emotions were going berserk inside the purple mare, making her laugh, cry and scream at the same time while she ran aimlessly around. Still, the scenario didn’t change. Wherever Twilight went, the landscape started bleeding and more demons appeared.
Suddenly, Twilight felt something grabbing her and lifting her into the air. She got shaken around wildly while all she could see were two black front legs holding her around the shoulders. She screamed and struggled, but was unable to free herself. Finally the creature let her down to the ground, right in front of five demons. Immediately, the one who carried her around joined the group, completing it. The demons had the outlines of her best friends. But there was one more, right in front of her. It had perforated bat wings and a curved horn. It was Obsidian Shards.
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 24 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
|
complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
|
mature
|
2012-12-05T21:56:09+00:00
|
2013-03-06T19:39:11+00:00
| 1,753 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1R6HiPVvPNvGu62c6x7_IHfQqYxK6XnKkfd5d7Dj05Hk/edit
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 24: Possessed
“Here! Here it is! Red-eyed monsters took purple pony in there! Rufus is sure of it!” the small brown diamond dog announced.
“Grātiās tibi agimus, Rufus. You have kept your part of the deal, so we will keep ours as well,” Obsidian thanked, then turned his head to Rarity.
“A-are you sure we can trust his word?” she wondered, holding a large bag of gemstones.
“C’mon, Rarity,” Applejack insisted.
“Ugh, fine... Goodbye, my pretties...” the fashion diva stated before handing the bag to Rufus. He instantly opened the bag and checked the quality of the gems.
“Rufus likes making deals with cursed ponies!” he stated in satisfaction after he finished.
“This better not be a dead end, diamond dog!” Rainbow Dash threatened.
“No... this is definitely not a dead end... See this?” Derpy Hooves asked, pointing in the tunnel ahead of them.
The ponies could see how, after just a few miles, the color of the darkness in the tunnel turned from black to red.
“Tartarus... of course...” Derpy stated again, gulping hard. “Of all the demon strongholds, they just had to take her to the most infamous one...”
“Keep it together, apprentice. Yes, Tartarus is maybe the most populated and dangerous demon stronghold of all. But it also means we get additional support. Am I correct, Cerberus?” Obsidian questioned, looking up. The massive three-headed hellhound barked in confirmation.
“Oh my goodness. I just hope we are not too late,” Fluttershy worried.
“The demons went through the effort of kidnapping her and making it as difficult for us to follow as possible. If they just wanted to kill her, they had their chance. They need her alive, id nōn dubitō,” the black stallion stated.
“Yeah, girls! Keep your little heads up! We didn’t leave Ponyville and went searching for Twilight for a whole week to give up now! We can do this! We can save her!” Pinkie Pie motivated.
“Gee, Pinkie. I’m a reaper and you have more courage than me!” Derpy stated, causing the party pony to giggle.
“Well, Rufus be going now. If ponies come back alive, Rufus likes to make more deals!” the diamond dog announced, then turned around and walked away with the bag.
“We all better prepare for this,” Obsidian spoke and started unpacking the bag he carried with him.
Among the items he brought for this journey were several steel horseshoes, nails, rune pendants, enchanted stones and potion bottles. The black stallion then used his magic to hand out his supplies to the others.
“Applejack, Rainbow Dash. These are for you,” he explained while offering them both a set of horseshoes and nails. “Nailing them in your hooves may hurt, but will provide critical protection and power to your punches and kicks.”
Applejack and Obsidian started mounting theirs immediately. Derpy brought her own supplies and joined them. Rainbow Dash, though, had her concerns about wielding these metal improvements.
“No thanks, O. They would only slow me down,” Rainbow Dash explained.
“As you wish,” Obsidian responded while wrapping a rune necklace around his neck by magic and handing another over to Rarity. “This one is for you. It will increase the effects of your spells.”
“Oh! Why thank you most sincerely! With only a bag full of diamonds, I felt a bit unprotected,” Rarity thanked.
“Sadly we can not afford to be slowed down by full body armor. This needs to be as fast as possible. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy. Are you sure you do not want any equipment?” the black stallion wondered.
“I got two whole bags of supplies, silly! Keep the rest for yourself!” Pinkie responded.
“As long as I stay close to you, I don’t need anything else, my love,” Fluttershy explained.
“Bene,” Obsidian replied, then turned to Derpy and handed her one of his potions. “Drink this. We will need all our strength to make it.”
“Is that some kind of stamina potion? Can I have one?” Rainbow Dash wondered.
“No, Rainbow. I highly doubt you want to drink this,” the black stallion answered while opening a bottle himself and drinking its red content. Derpy instantly jumped up in shock over his actions.
“Elder Obsidian! Have you lost your mind to drink pony blood in front of them?” she exclaimed.
“They already know, apprentice,” he replied calmly.
Derpy’s eyes jumped between the keepers of harmony. Although this statement put a light expression of disgust on their faces, they all remained calm and nodded in confirmation.
“You are bending the rules, Obsidian. Mistress Celestia will not be happy about this,” the gray mare concluded with a sigh.
“Hey! Don’t you snitch on our friend, okay?” Pinkie insisted.
“Ugh, okay. I’ll keep my mouth shut this time, since we already are in a crisis... And I really need a drink myself...” Derpy agreed and emptied the bottle Obsidian gave her.
“So, what’s the plan, Obsidian?” Applejack wondered.
“We all need to stay together. The five of you will lead the troop. Your task is to push forward and keep an eye on your surroundings. Run constantly and only stop if there is no other choice. Leave most of the fighting to Derpy and me. We will provide protection from the sides and above. Cerberus will cover our backs and fend off anything that is approaching from behind,” the reaper explained.
“And another thing... Each demon stronghold has a stronghold warden. A special, high-ranked demon who only exists to protect the stronghold. It is pretty large, but can hide inside the walls and ceiling. We don’t have the time to fight it, so try to spot it as fast as possible. We need to distract it. If it cuts in our path, we have no option but to cancel the rescue,” Derpy added.
“Any questions remaining?” Obsidian asked.
“None that I can think of right now,” Rainbow Dash responded.
“Good. Get ready, everyone,” Obsidian concluded.
With that statement, the ponies, reapers and the hellhound got into position. Applejack threw one last concerned glance at her hind legs.
“Bucky McGillicuddy, Kicks McGee. Don’t fail me now,” she spoke to them.
---
Running into the tunnel Rufus discovered made them feel like disregarding all their instincts. The sensation of dread grew stronger and stronger the deeper they went in. As they approached the red demonic darkness, not even a light spell could break through the thick, fog-like mass that filled the air. Although they could hardly see where they were going, they noticed that the structure of the ground below them started to change. What at first was solid stone became something a bit softer and made a different sound when walking over it. A kind of clattering. It took them awhile to realize that this sound was caused by countless bones, getting more and more the deeper they went inside.
Finally, the group saw the first two pairs of glowing red eyes, staring directly at them. Immediately, the demons seemed to try to close the path before them by pushing two humongous stone slabs together. Obsidian rushed ahead, throwing himself between the slabs and trying to push them apart again. Although the black stallion was very strong, he couldn’t handle the strength of these two gatekeepers for long.
“Cerberus! Break through!” Derpy commanded.
Instantly, the hellhound barked in confirmation, jumped over the group and rammed the stone slabs with all his three heads at once, sending them flying. Obsidian immediately assaulted the gatekeepers and consumed them.
“Rarity! Light, now!” he spoke as soon as he was done and covered his eyes using his cloak.
The fashion diva then lifted a diamond out of her bag and used it to cast a strong light spell. Amplified through the rune pendant she was wearing, the spell was strong enough to break through the red darkness, providing the group a brief glimpse inside the stronghold. It was an enormous hole, divided by three platforms and a huge pillar on the middle one. Everything seemed to be made out of bones, covered in a thick red slime. Though only a minority of all the victims’ remains were visible. Black bodies and red eyes popped up everywhere. On the walls, on the ceiling, in the air. An uncountable amount of eyes were looking at them.
“Holy Moly! I don’t think this was a good idea!” Pinkie shouted.
“No, we had to know where to go to. We need to get down, keepers! I bet they got her as deep into the stronghold as possible!” Derpy explained.
“The gatekeepers wanted to prevent us from entering. That means she is definitely here,” Obsidian stated while flying back in position.
Now that every last demon in the entire stronghold knew about their presence, it became suspiciously silent. The demons were in their element. Inside the red darkness, only the reapers could sense them approaching. While a few lower ranked demons were chasing after them, Obsidian sensed something rapidly approaching from above.
“Derpy! Wraiths!” he announced.
The gray mare instantly took an enchanted stone out of her supply bag, drew a banisher circle on it and lifted into the red. A few moments later, she returned.
“Done,” Derpy stated.
A good minute passed while more and more demons arrived, trying to sneak up on the group from behind. Cerberus, though, could push them to distance.
“Darnit! I don’t see anything! Where is it? Where’s the warden?” Rainbow Dash questioned.
The keepers of harmony kept looking around in search. Suddenly, Applejack realized with a shock that there was a pony-sized red eye in the ground, not far away from them.
“It’s below us!” she shouted.
Obsidian gained a troubled expression. He summoned his scythe and rammed the blade in the ground below them. A deep, loud moan came from it and huge black tentacles covered in red slime and eyes grew out of the ground.
“I will distract it! Keep running! Get down as fast as you can!” the black stallion announced.
The others didn’t have much time to argue as a large swarm of demons was approaching them. Rarity used another diamond, this time as an attack aimed to the swarm. The gemstone turned into a powerful beam of light, piercing through the demons and confusing them for a moment. Just enough time to make it down the ramp of bones to the first sublevel.
---
Fighting their way through Tartarus proved to become the most difficult task the ponies had ever been through. Pinkie Pie used the party supplies she brought to distract the giant waves of demons assaulting them. As the group finally got down to the first sublevel, Obsidian rejoined the group with several bleeding cuts over his face and chest.
“Gosh! For a moment, I got worried about you! What happened to the warden?” Derpy wondered while running.
“I managed to lure it far in the back. Hopefully, it will be unable to catch up,” Obsidian responded.
Suddenly, the demons started whispering again. The keepers of harmony slowed down, listening to it with a fear filled expression.
“No, no. That ain’t true! We didn’t let Granny down! She wanted to go!” Applejack tried to reason.
“Don’t listen to them! Ignore the whispering! They just want to demotivate us!” Derpy explained.
The mares tried hard to ignore the cruel, very personal words of the demons and increased in pace again. As they came closer and closer to the pillar, the demons changed their tactic. Instead of attacking the group from all directions, they now formed a massive wall right in front of them. Avoiding a full combat would not be possible anymore. If they wanted to proceed they had to fight their way through the demons.
“Cerberus! Fetch!” Obsidian announced.
The hellhound made a big leap right into the mass of demons, punching, kicking and biting them. As the black creatures focused on assaulting Cerberus, an empty space formed below him. The group had to get there in order to be able to guard themselves.
Derpy and Obsidian rushed ahead, slicing a path through the demons. The five mares followed up quickly, narrowly making it below the three-headed dog before the gap filled up with demons again. While Cerberus did his best to fight back the masses of demons, the rest of the group battled those who made it below the hellhound. They tried hard to break the group apart and lure them away from each other.
A massive battle broke loose. Obsidian focused on getting the main attention of the demons. Fluttershy used the combat techniques the black stallion taught her to support him. Derpy started drawing a large rune on the ground. Pinkie Pie threw everything she could pull out of her bags at the demons to confuse them. Rarity turned one diamond after another into light spells, effectively supporting Cerberus in fending off the masses of black creatures. Rainbow Dash used her agility to dodge getting attacked herself and supported the others.
The steel horseshoes Obsidian provided now proved their efficiency. Even though demons can not be harmed physically, the powerful kicks of Applejack knocked them back in the masses. The orange mare focused on holding the group together, supporting those of their group who were about to get lured out.
While Obsidian did all he could to protect the keepers of harmony, he lowered his own guard, giving one demon with two giant bladed arms the opportunity to ram one of the blades through his right hind leg and nailing him to the ground. The reaper remained focused, drawing his scythe and using it to block of the second blade before it could chop off his head.
“Argh... Fluttershy!” he shouted.
The yellow mare instantly turned around. As she saw that he was in trouble, she flew over to him and gave the demon a flying kick.
“Benignē ades,” Obsidian thanked. Even though his leg had been pierced, the reaper ignored the pain and kept on fighting.
“Just a moment more... just a moment more... got it!” Derpy announced, finishing the rune. “Everypony, take cover! Cerberus! Activate the seal of the hellhound!”
This statement seemed to relief the three-headed dog, as he was starting to get a few bad injuries from the countless claws, teeth, blades and nails. As soon as the others stepped out of the rune and duck their heads, he jumped on it and began howling. The rune activated and his collars began to glow. Moments later, dozens of sharp, spiked chains shot out of them in all directions, impaling a large quantity of demons. The chains then retreated inside the collars, trapping all the caught demons inside them.
“This won’t last long! They are too many! We need to get going, stat!” Derpy announced.
“Looks like you caught the strongest ones. Let me take care of this!” Fluttershy spoke.
After months of training with Obsidian, she now gained control over her powers. Fluttershy faced the demons ahead of them and gave them the Stare. Instantly, a large amount of them became paralyzed.
“Get out of the way!” she shouted with a force in her voice none of her friends ever heard before. It was so strong that even they became a bit scared of the yellow mare.
The effect on the demons was much stronger, though. A large amount of low ranked demons flew and crawled away in panic. The rest was unable to move, allowing the group to rush by.
“Good gosh, Fluttershy! Look at them go!” Rainbow commented.
“I told you I don’t need any equipment. I already got everything I need, all thanks to Obsidian,” the yellow mare responded while leading the way.
“Your training really paid off, mea amāta. Now focus, keepers! We are entering their breeding grounds!” the black stallion announced.
“Breeding grounds? How do they breed?” Pinkie wondered.
“Well, have you ever wondered why zombie ponies are so rare to find? Just look,” Derpy explained.
Finally, the group reached the pillar. This, though, was the most horrifying sight of all, due to it being made entirely of undead ponies. It seemed like the demons gathered them and put them here, only to torture them until they grew insane enough to give birth to more demons. The agonized moaning and rotten smell of these thousands of undeads was unbearable, yet they had no time to help even a single one of them. If they wanted to make it out alive again, they had to find Twilight and take her out of this nightmarish place soon.
The only way to keep getting further down was to pass by the pillar. The mere presence of the group was enough for a good dozen of new demons to be born before their very eyes. They instantly rushed down the pillar to attack them.
“Obsidian, another stare?” Fluttershy wondered.
“No. Save your strength,” the black stallion responded.
He then halted, picked up one of his blood potions, casted a dark spell on it and launched the potion at the pillar. On impact, the bottle exploded and due to the curse Obsidian put on it, the newborn demons stopped to stare at the blood for a while. This provided the group enough time to finally make it down to the lowest platform.
---
The demons put more and more effort in stopping the group from proceeding the further they went on the lowest level. By now, Rarity nearly used up all her diamonds. It was clear that it would become a lot harder to push forward when she would run out. Even Cerberus whimpered in pain as his collars started to smoke. The rune spell would break soon. It was then when Rainbow Dash made a very relieving announcement.
“Twilight! There she is! I can see her!” she exclaimed.
The pace of the group increased once more, all of her friends calling for the purple mare. As they came closer, they realized she was running around aimlessly in panic while being chased by multiple small demons.
Obsidian broke out of the formation now, rushing ahead in order to help her. But as he was only a few inches away from her, a long black arm suddenly shot out of the red and pinned him down. More black arms followed, nailing the other ponies to the boned, slimy floor as well. The only two who could keep up a struggle were Cerberus, due to his size and strength, and Rainbow Dash, due to her swiftly dodging the attack. Then, the source of these arms revealed itself. A demon Obsidian and Fluttershy had seen before: Slendermane.
Cerberus struggled heavily to both fight back the approaching demons and Slendermane’s arms. The faceless demon was forced to put most of his focus on immobilizing the hellhound, only using a few arms to chase after Rainbow Dash. She was the only one left being able to do something and she had to act quickly. In only a few moments, they would be overwhelmed.
She decided to put all her strength into flying as fast as possible, dodging the black arms while approaching Slenderman from behind. Although the demon realized this, it was already too late for him to defend himself anymore. He completely underestimated Rainbow’s speed. So, as he turned his head in her direction, she was already close enough to ram him with full speed.
The grip loosened on the group members and all except Obsidian quickly came together again. The black stallion, though, flew over to Rainbow Dash and Slendermane. He knew she wouldn’t be able to get up on her own in time before he would tear her apart.
“Rainbow! Tell the others to run back and grab Twilight! I will take care of Slendermane for as long as I can!” he commanded.
The Pegasus mare jumped back up, saluted to him quickly and followed his order. After she informed the others, the athletic mare flew through the masses of demons as fast as she could. Finally, she reached Twilight, grabbing her and lifting her into the red air. With Dash still holding the struggling purple mare in midair, she rejoined the group. None of them could see Obsidian or Slendermane anymore. Fluttershy became worried, but even more concerning was the fact that the way back up would be much more difficult than getting down. As if this wasn’t stressing enough, Pinkie realized with a shock that her tail started twitching very heavily.
“Something’s gonna fall! Something’s gonna fall!” she shouted in panic.
The group hit the brakes hard, just in time to avoid getting crushed by a huge black mass climbing down from above. The stronghold warden returned and seemed to be extremely furious. It completely disregarded the platforms and just crushed through them in order to get to the group.
The ponies and the hellhound ran the other direction again while getting showered with bones, demons and tentacles. Cerberus did all he could to fight the warden, yet he knew even he had no chance against this demon.
But luck was on their side. Through the warden’s rage, the platform above them collapsed on one side, creating a ramp they could run up. This would only help them escape the warden for a moment though. Suddenly, Derpy had an idea.
“The pillar! We need to knock it over!” she shouted.
“That huge thing? How are we gonna do that?” Rarity wondered.
“I have an idea. Remember how ponies always call me clumsy for breaking things?” she questioned while speeding ahead into the air.
The gray mare tore the rune pendant from her necklace, threw it into the open mouth of an undead pony and then smashed her hip against the pillar in full flight. The destruction rune on her flank and the amplifier rune on the pendant reacted with each other, sending a powerful shockwave through the pillar, followed by a crack that went all the way through. Moments later, the pillar broke in and fell sideways, creating another ramp all the way back up where they came from.
“I just don’t know what went wrong!” Derpy stated mockingly afterwards.
“Derpy, forget what I said last time. You are a genius!” Rainbow Dash complimented.
Now, the demons realized they were about to escape. The entire stronghold focused on reaching the tunnel before them. The group had to run fast, especially because the warden was still closely behind them and the undead ponies in the pillar tried to grab and bite them. Applejack looked around carefully, kicking back any demon that came too close to her. Then she spotted two figures rushing past her.
“Rarity! A diamond! Over there!” she shouted.
“Okay, but that’s my last one!” the fashion diva replied.
One last time, she turned a diamond into a beam of light. As it broke through the red darkness, they saw it hit Slendermane, allowing Obsidian to rejoin them.
“I do believe I owe you a favor for this,” he commented.
“Nevermind it! Just run! Run!” Applejack responded.
The rest of the rescue mission was just a very narrow race back to the tunnel they came from. Twilight still didn’t seem to understand what was going on and kept on struggling against Rainbow’s grip. The warden towered behind them, focusing the group with all his eyes and readying his tentacles to launch them at the ponies. Ultimately, the seal of the hellhound gave in and released all the demons that were trapped in Cerberus’ collars. From this sudden distraction, the warden missed the group and smashed its tentacles into the wall above the tunnel. The force from which the demons were released even pushed back the remaining demons of the stronghold, allowing the group to just make it back in the tunnel before the way collapsed behind them.
---
The group kept running and flying until they were back in the underground tunnel complex they came from and the air was black again instead of red. A few foal-sized and -shaped demons still kept chasing after them, but gave up one after another as they realized they would have no chance against them in combat anymore. Fluttershy looked back to see how many were still following them, when she realized one of the demons had a familiar body shape and was significantly bigger than the others.
“Snails?” she spoke.
The demon didn’t respond. Instead, it just gave up chasing, allowing the group to escape. After a few more minutes, they could finally stop and pant heavily in stress and exhaustion. Rainbow let Twilight down in front of the group, then flew over to the others to check on them.
“Every... pony... okay?” she asked. The others nodded.
As soon as the group regained breath, they turned to Twilight. She looked terrible. Although she wasn’t hurt, the purple mare looked like a complete mess with her ruffled mane, bloodshot eyes, tiny pupils and tear trails. She stared at her friends with wide open eyes and an expression of total fear written in her face, shaking all over and hyperventilating.
“Twilight, sugarcube. Are you alright?” Applejack worried, slowly approaching her.
The closer she came, the more Twilight retreated, hyperventilating and shaking even more.
“Twilight! What’s the matter with you? Don’t you recognize us anymore?” Rainbow wondered.
The purple mare didn’t respond and just kept on breathing heavily. Suddenly, her shaking and breathing reduced. The expression on her face became a bit more relaxed as she kept on staring at her friends as well.
“Kill the demons, kill the demons, kill the demons...” she started mumbling.
“Demons?!” Rarity exclaimed. She looked around in panic, but was unable to find any.
“There aren’t any demons here, Twilight! What’s going on with you?” Fluttershy concerned.
Again, the purple mare didn’t respond and just kept on mumbling the same words. Slowly, a grin started growing on her face, soon growing unnaturally wide while her eyes as well went wide open. Uncontrolled tears started flowing again. But these tears were not normal; They had a deep black color. Obsidian knew what this meant.
“She is possessed,” he explained.
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 25 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
|
complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
|
mature
|
2012-12-02T03:26:24+00:00
|
2013-02-02T21:49:39+00:00
| 1,743 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1R9SfZR4nCbKi4HLqnB19nDYWYtyh-7ZP_-xL3GAEXr4/edit?usp=sharing
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 25: Awakening Powers
The group stood mutely in front of the heavily puffing mare. None of them, not even the reapers, knew what to do now.
“Cerberus... go back to the front gate. You did well. Good boy,” Derpy stated calmly, still focusing the purple mare.
Cerberus started walking off, growling lowly at Twilight and constantly staring at her until he was out of sight. His job was done and if he stood any longer, he may only have ended up killing the keeper of magic due to him being trained to fight any threat.
Twilight’s horn started to glow and by her expression alone, it was clear what she was about to try. In her insanity, she believed to be facing a group of demons that looked like her closest friends. The voice inside her dysfunctional mind had complete control over her thoughts and behavior, giving her clear orders how to act.
The infamous insane giggle of the purple mare echoed through the cave system. The last time it was heard, she was about to cause a friendship problem. But this time, the results would be far worse than just being the cause of a disharmony. She was going to do it. She was going to attack her own friends and try to kill them.
“Twilight. Please. You have to fight it,” Obsidian spoke.
Rocks lifted into the air, breaking apart into small sharp fragments and hovering above the purple mare. As she launched them at the frontmost member of the group, Obsidian Shards, he stood motionlessly and allowed her to critically wound him. The fact that he didn’t even try to block or dodge them shocked the ponies. He used himself as a shield for the other keepers. But soon, Twilight redirected her attack and aimed for the rest of the group. Derpy tossed herself into the line of fire and took the largest amount of damage from the attack.
“Twilight! Stop it! We are your friends! We are your friends!” Rarity shouted in desperation, using her own magic in attempt to obtain control of the flying fragments.
Rainbow’s and Applejack’s faces showed bitter regret as they were about to attack her, yet Obsidian forced himself in their way to hold them off.
“Do not... harm her...” the black stallion ordered.
“But we got to do something! We need to stop her!” Rainbow exclaimed.
“No... do not touch her... do not fight her... if you want to help, then... speak to her,” Obsidian suggested.
“So you are saying that we should just let her do this?!” Fluttershy wondered.
“Rectē... that is all we can do... she needs to fight the demon possessing her by herself,” the black stallion explained.
“Girls! I can’t... I can’t hold them! She’s too strong!” Rarity announced with a touch of panic as she realized she was going to lose the struggle over the levitating stone fragments.
Moments later, Twilight regained full control and launched all the sharp rocks at Rarity. Rainbow Dash was able to rush by, grab her and fly her out of danger just before impact. Twilight reacted, casting several lightning spells after them.
Applejack started running towards the purple mare from the side, but Twilight saw her coming. Using a metamorphosis spell, she changed the ground below Applejack into an extremely sticky mass, making it unable for the orange mare to move.
“Agh... Twilight! Please, sugarcube! Come back to yer senses!” Applejack pleaded.
“Kill the demons, kill the demons, kill the demons, kill the demons...” was all she got in response from the purple mare.
The black tears rolled down Twilight’s face and dripped on the stone ground while she readied a fire spell. Pinkie Pie created a distraction by letting a large amount of balloons jet past her. Due to this irritation, the pink earth pony gained the time to pull Applejack out of her trap.
“Come on, Twilight! Your birthday is in a few weeks! You don’t want your best friends to miss it out, do you?” the pink party pony questioned.
“My best friends are all dead. Kill. Kill the demons, kill the demons, kill the demons,” Twilight mumbled and chuckled in response.
“Wha- WOAH!” Pinkie shouted, narrowly dodging the fire spell Twilight now aimed at her.
“Twilight! We are not dead! We are no demons! Please, stop!” Fluttershy pleaded.
Attracting the unicorn’s attention resulted in her summoning blades and launching them at Fluttershy. She was able to dodge the first few, but then found herself left in an unguarded position where another strike would hit her. As the last blade flew in her direction, Obsidian instantly shot up and threw himself inbetween the blade and the yellow mare.
“Obsidian!” the ponies shouted.
The black stallion was badly injured, but still alive. The blade was stuck in his chest and removal may have resulted in his death, the ponies believed. Now, he was unable to continue fighting.
Twilight started giggling again, readying another set of spells to assault the distracted ponies. But while everyone else was running back to Obsidian, trying to help him, Fluttershy stared at Twilight with a furious expression. She couldn’t hold back her rage anymore and did something she had never done to any of her friends before.
Fluttershy rose her head up and gave the insane mare the Stare. Twilight became overwhelmed with fear, causing her to lose her concentration and cancel her spells.
“You will leave him alone! And you will leave Twilight alone. You hear me, demon?!” she shouted.
As if the demon heard her, the black tears suddenly stopped flowing out of Twilight’s bloodshot eyes.
“F... Fluttershy?” the purple mare spoke very insecurely.
“Twilight? Twilight! My gosh! It’s me, Pinkie Pie! You remember your auntie Pinkie, right?” Pinkie stated.
“Pinkie... no... no, no... You’re dead... you’re all dead... I killed you!” the purple mare stated.
“Stop talking like that, Twi! Look at us! We’re fine! And we’re obviously no demons!” Rainbow Dash responded.
It wasn’t clear to anyone what was happening right now. Somehow, Fluttershy’s stare seemed to paralyze the demon inside the keeper of magic, enabling her to struggle for a small part of her mind to recover. Yet, the things she spoke made no sense. After rummaging through her knowledge and experiences for a while, Derpy finally realized what was going on.
“They put her under a powerful illusion spell!” Derpy announced, just loud enough for the keepers to hear. “Keep talking! Keep her distracted! I will see if I can break it.”
Then, the grey mare began to slowly sneak behind the purple mare, who by now started getting a bad headache and held her head. The spell was the main source of her insanity. Due to it clashing heavily with the words of her friends, Twilight was under a lot of stress and unable to tell what was real and what was not.
“Shut up, demons... shut up... those are lies. All lies... I killed them. I killed all my friends with my very own hooves!” Twilight spoke full of regret.
“Fluttershy... keep up the Stare. It appears... to be holding back the demon possessing her,” Obsidian spoke weakly, ignoring his bleeding wounds and the blade stuck in his body, trying to get up again.
Derpy was now just behind Twilight and started drawing a rune around her. She had to be very slow and careful. Should she break the purple mare’s focus on her friends, they would have to start over again. Furthermore, she would be the first to be attacked.
“Twilight, darling. Please, come back to your senses! You never did anything to us! We are all here, even Obsidian!” Rarity stated.
“No, no, no, no... Obsidian doesn’t exist! He was just part of my coma nightmare! He’s not real! This isn’t real!” the purple mare protested.
“That’s not true, sugarcube! Those darn demons brainwashed you!” Applejack responded.
“Stop those lies! Please, just stop those lies! I know what I have done! Just kill me already! Why are you just sitting there? Why don’t you just kill me?” Twilight begged.
Hearing their friend pleading for death was one of the most painful things they ever heard. None of them, not even Rainbow Dash, could hold back their tears. Finally, Derpy finished and activated the rune. A bright flash ran though Twilight, nearly knocking her out. The grey mare provided her support as she was about to collapse.
“Miss Twilight! Did it work? Are you okay?” she questioned.
After a few moments Twilight was able to refocus. Her expression was a lot more relaxed now, but she still had bloodshot eyes and tiny pupils.
“Derpy?... Where... where am I?” Twilight wondered.
“Twilight!” all her friends shouted at once, startling her a bit.
But as soon as she realized her five best friends were present and healthy, Twilight’s eyes started relaxing and filling with clear tears of joy.
"Y-y-you're...Alive?!" the purple mare asked in huge relief.
“Of course we are, Twi! We’ve been looking for you eversince you got kidnapped!” Rainbow explained.
“Kidnapped... I... I remember... those demons at... Froggy Bottom Bog... ARGH!” Twilight suddenly shouted, holding her head.
“Twilight! Are you okay?” Pinkie worried.
After a couple of seconds, Twilight lifted her head again. Black tears once again started flowing and the insane grin returned to her face.
“Stop interfering, ponies! She belongs to us!” Twilight shouted and started casting a spell again.
“NO! Twilight! Please, come back! You have to fight it!” Fluttershy pleaded.
“Don’t listen! Kill them! Kill them!”
Twilight aimed her horn at the group of friends again, but struggled with her own mind about releasing it.
“This voice...” Twilight stated.
“Fight it, Twilight! You can do it!” Derpy motivated.
“NO! Kill them! Kill them at once!”
“I... I won’t.”
“Yes, you will! Do it!”
“No, I won’t!”
Twilight stopped the spell again and collapsed to the ground, holding her head.
“KILL THEM!”
“Get out of my mind.”
“What?!”
“Get out of my mind!”
“NO! I control you! You will obey me!”
“I... I know this voice...” she spoke.
“NO! Don’t listen to them! They are lying! This isn’t real! You killed your friends! You killed Moondancer!”
“No... Moondancer... died at the gala...” Twilight mumbled.
“You killed her! You killed all your friends! Even Spike!”
“Spike... ran away...” she continued mumbling.
“You killed him! At the library! And you killed those children, too!”
“No... you are the one lying. I know who you are.”
“No! NO!”
“You are...”
“NO! STOP IT! SHUT UP!”
“You are... her... what is left of her...”
“NO! NO! NO!”
“Despair.”
Suddenly, Twilight gave off a black aura, rapidly flying away from her and forming back together in the shadows, not far from her. The entire group turned and watched the black mass shape back into a demon. Finally it opened its glowing red eyes and slowly started walking out of the dark.
“Such a shame. Such a waste,” the demon spoke calmly with a disappointed tone in her voice, which sounded identical to Twilight’s.
“Despair,” Obsidian analyzed, highly alarming the rest of the group.
“I almost had her. I was so close. But as always, you reapers have to mess up our plans. Have you forgotten whom you have sworn loyalty to, traitors?” the demoness asked.
“No. We have not. Our loyalty belongs to Mistress Celestia and no other creature,” the black stallion replied with a serious expression.
“You are such fools. Your punishment will be heavy, once we dominate this land again,” Despair stated.
“As if that day will ever come! Prepare to be consumed, demon!” Derpy announced, about to rush towards her.
Suddenly, Despair’s right front leg turned into a very pointy spear she aimed at her own face.
“Na-ah-ah. I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” the demoness commented.
From the curious behavior of the demon, Derpy canceled her attack. It seemed like she had an advantage the grey mare didn’t want her to use. Yet, Despair couldn’t resist a demonstration.
She slowly moved the sharp tip along her cheek. Although it left no visible damage on the demoness, Twilight suddenly started screaming. Her cheek tore open into a cut identical to the line Despair drew on her own face and started bleeding.
“What the hay? What have you done to her?!” Applejack wondered, causing Despair to chuckle.
“From the very beginning, Twilight and I were bound to each other. I merely strengthened that bond as much as possible. Now, what do you think would happen to her if my existence would end?” she questioned.
The reapers and ponies gained troubled expressions. Despair clearly was in advantage right now. They could do nothing to her without risking to kill Twilight. There was only one plausible option left: running away.
The ponies quickly turned around, grabbing Twilight and started running off with her. Derpy flew over to Obsidian and gave him support so they could follow them in flight. But Despair wouldn’t allow them to get away that easily.
Her horn began to glow in a threatening red color and a huge protection sphere appeared, cutting off the path of the group.
“You're not going anywhere,” she stated.
The group stopped and turned back to Despair. She now had her typical victorious grin again, knowing that she created a hopeless situation. Her force field was far too powerful for the ponies and reapers to be dispelled, even if they all worked together. The only way for them to escape now would be to consume her, which again would end in Twilight’s death.
Fighting Despair in her own mind was very exhausting for the purple mare. She was drained, but the stress of the situation made her slowly recover. Now that there was no way to escape anyway, she decided to face the demon who stalked her for such a long time now.
“I just got one question... why me? Why did you put so much effort into me?” the purple mare asked.
“You really want to know? Well, since you already ruined my plan, I’ll just be so generous and tell you. It is so simple, really. I was just following a death wish,” Despair responded.
“A death wish?” Pinkie Pie wondered.
Despair chuckled a bit. Then she closed her eyes, casting a spell on herself. Her face began to change. As the demoness looked up again, Twilight felt another wave of shock running through her body. The demoness’ face turned into that of Moondancer’s, just the moment before she died.
“You will pay for this, Twilight Sparkle. You will pay with all you have!” she quoted, even using Moondancer’s voice with the same exact shaky tone and high pitch.
As soon as she was done, Despair’s face turned back and she refocused Twilight with an evil grin.
“I owe my existence not only to Moondancer, but also to you, Twilight. I’m even designed after you. Moondancer had such strong feelings for you and what did you do? You denied her. You treated her so bad, not even we demons could have done much worse to her. So, in my limitless kindness, I decided to try my best in making Moondancer’s last wish come true and take away everything you value,” the demoness kept on explaining.
“So this was what you were after all the time... and that is why you needed my memories...” Twilight spoke, staring down at the floor.
“Naturally,” Despair replied, slowly walking towards the group. “That, and to create a plan how I could take it all away. Obsidian and Derpy surely were a problem. If it wasn’t for them, I would just have sent a troop of underlings to kill your friends. So instead, I tried to learn as much about you as possible. By learning more and more, our bond became stronger and stronger as well. I became able to influence you even when I was hundreds of miles away.”
“Yet, your plan failed. We rescued her,” Obsidian stated.
“Sadly, that is true. You reapers have once again proven to be annoying little pests. Under my illusion spell, she already lost all of her friends and became a spree killer. Then you showed up. So I had to change my plan. If I could get Twilight to kill even one of her friends for real, it would have been enough to make her lose her mind entirely, giving birth to a demon and concluding Moondancer’s wish. A demon born out of the keeper of magic would have been powerful. But now, breaking her mind again would be too much effort,” Despair explained.
The demoness halted with some distance to the group. She started grinning again, showing her demonic fangs.
“Since that is no option anymore, I will just go to plan B and devour your soul, Twilight Sparkle,” she stated.
“Oh no, you won’t!” Rainbow Dash shouted and speeded in Despair’s direction.
The demoness summoned a large number of spears and simply held them in the air, waiting for Rainbow to fly in them. The athletic mare could change direction in the last moment and tried to approach Despair from another angle. The demoness, though, just stood there calmly as she let the spears chase after Rainbow. Just seconds later, Dash found herself trapped.
“You will have to wait for your turn. Twilight is first. Then, I will devour all of you,” Despair stated, continuing to approach the purple mare.
“Oh no, oh no, oh no! Obsidian! Derpy! Do something!” Rarity pleaded.
“We can not...” Obsidian responded.
“What do you mean you can’t? I mean, at least Derpy can still fight!” Pinkie Pie wondered.
“Yes, but... it’s hopeless. She is so strong and I can’t even banish her without risking to kill Twilight in the progress,” Derpy explained.
“Then I will fight!” Fluttershy announced, but that only caused Despair to laugh.
“Just because I underestimated your power once so you ended up breaking my illusion spell doesn’t mean you stand a chance against me! What do you want to do? Stare me down? Beat me up? Even you can’t do anything,” she explained.
Fluttershy didn’t respond and simply glared at the demoness with an anger filled expression. Finally, Twilight got up and started walking out of the group.
“It’s okay, Fluttershy. I deserve this,” she stated in a low tone.
“What?! You are joking!” Rarity shouted, appalled.
“No, I’m not. I’ve done so many bad things... It’s my fault Moondancer is dead... and it’s my fault Spike ran away... You know... I... I kept on beating him and saying horrible things to him... And eventually, he couldn’t take it anymore,” Twilight explained, causing Despair to grin widely.
“We did not go through all of this effort in rescuing you so you could throw your life away and give your soul to the demons now, Twilight,” Obsidian stated in a very serious tone while grabbing Twilight’s left front leg and pulling her close.
Although the purple mare would have willingly come to her, Despair couldn’t hold back about bragging over her own skills and power.
“You really believe that was you doing all that?” she spoke.
Instantly, the group focused the demoness.
“You mean... That was YOU?!” Twilight shouted.
“Of course it was me! It was all me! Always!” Despair responded, laughing. “I tore you and Spike apart. I sent Slendermane to Ponyville and I was the one planning and executing the obliteration of all the changelings!”
“The changelings are dead?!” Rainbow Dash shouted out. Despair chuckled again.
“I personally took care of queen Chrysalis and devoured her soul! For such a feared and powerful fiend, I found her to be quite embarrassingly unable to protect herself. Her soul was tasty, though. Filled with so much bittersweet hatred for ponies,” the demoness continued.
None of the present ponies or reapers spoke, but they all knew what this meant. If she had the power to command a high ranked demon like Slendermane and even managed to defeat and devour queen Chrysalis, then they were facing a demon of very high rank. Twilight gazed at Despair with unspeakable anger. Now knowing that she was the source of all conflicts with Spike made her change her mind and gave her the motivation to confront the demoness. Surprisingly, Obsidian supported this idea.
“Twilight... fight her,” he spoke.
“W-what?!” the purple mare responded in shock. “How would I have any chance against her?”
“This bond is between you and Despair. If anyone can break it, then it is you. We tried everything we could to save you. But now, if we want to survive, you need to save us. You need to fight her,” the black stallion explained.
“Yes, Twilight. This may be asked for a lot, but there is no other way. We need your help!” Derpy added.
Mutely, Twilight nodded. Despair was her worst nightmare. The creature she feared the most. But now, the time had come for her to face her fears. As Despair realized her horn started to glow and she went into battle stance, the demoness started laughing again.
“My food wants to challenge me? That’s too rich!” she commented.
“I’ll make you pay for what you have done, Despair! I know, without me, you wouldn’t even exist. But you were the one driving Moondancer insane and you were the one who devoured her soul! And of course, I will never forgive you for what you have done to Spike!” Twilight threatened.
“Spike, you say? Wait, I think it’s time for me to finish up my snacks before I start playing with you,” Despair explained.
The demoness reached a hoof inside the bleeding, heart shaped hole in her chest. A few moments later, it returned with a small separated limb. A scaled, rotten, purple claw. The ponies instantly recognized it, filling them with dread, overwhelming sadness and desperation.
“Spikeeeeeey!” Rarity shouted out, tears flowing down her face.
Despair just stood there, grinning at the ponies while she feasted on the remaining bits of rotten flesh on the bone. The sight paralyzed Twilight. She sat down on the ground, staring at the claw and sobbed.
“He was so angry at you, Twilight. So angry, yet so sad. There is barely anything more tragic in this world than a baby dragon’s broken heart. When he realized that, all the time, it was me fooling him in believing you abused him, he was so sorry for leaving you behind. But he didn’t have much time to think about this. I tore him open faster than he could follow. The flesh of dragons is a delicacy I have to tell you! So spicy! But the best part about them are their souls. His had such a nice flavor. I could taste all the sorrow he went through,” Despair explained in pure sadism.
These words made it all that much worse for the ponies. They all cried over the loss of their beloved little dragon friend. Obsidian just ground his teeth in regret. He shouldn’t have let this happen. He should have seen this coming.
Despair was still not satisfied with the way Twilight reacted, so she continued.
“Do you want to know what his last words were?” she offered.
Without even waiting for a response, the demoness coughed shortly. Then, she faked a very sad and scared expression.
“Twilight! Mommy! Help me!” she spoke in Spikes voice.
Now, the purple mare started shaking in anger. Her eyes began glowing in rage and she was breathing heavily again. Despair grinned at her again and continued, disregarding her anger.
“He actually called you mommy. Isn’t that sweet? His last thoughts before I devoured his soul were about you and thinking of you as his mother!” the demoness kept on provoking.
“You... You...You sick little monster!” Twilight shouted in rage.
Instantaneously, the purple mare combusted and started running towards Despair. The demoness mimicked her, turning into a flaming mare herself and ran towards Twilight.
At first, the battle between the demon and the unicorn was nothing but a brawl. Twilight furiously tried to punch, kick, even bite the demoness. Despair, though, dodged most attacks with ease. Occasionally, she even allowed Twilight to hit her with full force, knowing it wouldn’t harm her in the least, but cause Twilight to hurt herself instead.
After a while, the keeper of magic realized pure rage wouldn’t help here. She jumped to distance and assaulted Despair with a large bandwidth of spells. The demoness again easily blocked, dodged or reflected the attacks.
“Give up, Twilight. I know every last spell you know and even a few more. I can do everything you can do and am a lot more powerful than you are,” Despair stated.
All of Twilight’s friends were forced to stay back and watch. There was nothing they could do. This was a showdown only between the two of them. The purple mare started to get her rage under control again and began to act more tactical, trying to set up magic traps and distractions. After letting Despair dodge and reflect a few ice spells, Twilight suddenly casted a strong light spell at her. This managed to hit the demoness. The effect also reflected on Twilight, causing her to get a bit weaker.
“Oh, you want to play serious!” Despair commented, grinning devilishly. “Fine. Let’s play serious then.”
With that statement, the demoness teleported herself right in front of Twilight, grabbed her by the neck and smashed her face first to the ground. After that, she turned around and kicked the purple mare with both hind legs into the air.
“Twilight!” her friends shouted in shock.
Despair was not done, yet. She summoned several daggers and let them fly past Twilight with high speed. Since it was Despair’s goal to play with her, she didn’t cause her any mortal wounds, although she easily could. The demoness only aimed to make her suffer and weaken her. Finally, the purple mare fell to the ground again, causing further injuries. By now, Twilight was too weak to maintain her fire form and extinguished.
“So this is the legendary keeper of magic?” Despair wondered, while walking in her direction.
Twilight tried to get up again, but as soon as she got just her front hooves back in position, Despair launched a powerful dark spell at her, sending her flying again.
“Princess Celestia’s star student?” the demoness kept on questioning.
Again, Twilight tried to get up, but it was much more difficult this time. Another strong dark magic spell hit Twilight and tossed her around again.
“The last hope of all of Equestria?” Despair continued.
Yet again, Twilight tried to get up. This time, though, she didn’t have the strength anymore. The purple mare was bleeding all over and was in too much pain to even breathe normally.
“Pathetic. I hoped you would at least provide a bit more resistance than Chrysalis. Maybe it was a good thing that I failed to get a demon out of you after all,” Despair concluded.
She was now towering just above Twilight. The demoness turned her right front leg into a bladed claw, grabbed Twilight and smashed her against the rock wall. The purple mare struggled, but even the smallest movement caused additional cuts.
“At least you are still good enough for a meal. It is time to meet your fate, Twilight Sparkle,” the demoness spoke, grinning victoriously and presenting her fangs.
This was it. This was her end, Twilight figured. She lost so much blood now that she couldn’t even lift her head anymore to see her friends one last time before she would be gone. It was just like back then, when the Salamander was about to devour her. Almost a year ago, Obsidian could save her in last moment. But this time, she was all on her own. Twilight still had the image of her friends branded in her mind. The image of them calling her name and crying in desperation. Twilight figured they would look at her just the same way now again.
Suddenly, her mind jumped forward to the first magic training lesson Obsidian gave her. She remembered how he showed her how to bend the limits of magic capabilities, how to change elemental spells without altering the spell itself and how to obtain control of hostile spells in flight. Then, she remembered the line Obsidian told her, which always impressed her the most.
“Spells merely help you understand how something is done. Real masters of magic do not even need to cast a specific spell anymore.”
As soon as she thought that, another quote of Obsidian shot through her mind.
“Magic is a free force. It never chooses a side.”
Everything around Twilight seemed to have stopped moving completely while she sunk deeper and deeper into her own mind. Years of magic training rushed through her mind. Magic always fascinated her, yet no magic was more important to her than the magic of friendship. This magic, though, came from her friends. They were on her side. But... if that’s the case... wouldn’t that mean that magic can choose a side?
Twilight’s mind made another huge leap, years and years back to the day of her entrance exam in the Canterlot school for gifted unicorns. Something unexplainable happened back then. This power that flooded through her. It was so intense. She couldn’t control it. Everything around her randomly transformed or became enchanted. It was until many years later that she learned this was caused due to her very first contact with the magic her friends provided her, caused by Rainbow Dash’s very first sonic rainboom.
It was a day that could hardly be more fateful. All of her future best friends earned their cutie mark at nearly the same time.
As Twilight realized this, it all came together now. She wasn’t the keeper of magic for no reason. She had the potential to connect herself with the very essence of magic, but never learned to control it. Through her friends, she became powerful. Powerful enough to use this connection now. Rapidly, Twilight felt how the same sensation she experienced during her entrance exam returned. Just this time, it wasn’t just randomly doing whatever it wanted. She had it under control. She could use it.
Despair was about to sink her teeth into Twilight’s throat as the purple mare’s head suddenly moved up and her eyes opened. They had changed color and became entirely white. An unexplainable sensation thrusted Despair away from Twilight, who levitated in the air now. A purple aura formed around the mare and her wounds healed up in incredible speed. Despair quickly jumped back on her four legs and stared at Twilight in complete disbelief.
“Arcane magic?! How can you use arcane magic?!” the demoness shouted.
Arcane magic is magic in its most powerful form. Raw, unshaped and pure. Up until this very moment, it was believed only alicorns had the ability to control such a power. But now, Twilight had proven this to be wrong.
The purple mare didn’t bother to respond. Instead, she just pointed her right front hoof at Despair with an empty expression, sending a powerful purple lightning after her. The demoness tried to dodge it, but the lightning instantly changed direction and hit her with full force. Surprisingly, this strike harmed Despair heavily, but didn’t cause any damage on Twilight.
“I know everything about you! I even got memories of your life even you have forgotten! How is it that I can’t remember you have this power?!” Despair shouted in anger and shock.
Twilight sent another attack after the demoness. A massive purple wave of magic rushed in her direction. Despair tried to teleport away, but for some reason, she only ended up teleporting herself right into the wave. A massive magical explosion resulted out of the contact, shooting the demon across the tunnel.
“Yes! That’s it! Go, Twilight! Go! Go!” Fluttershy cheered, instinctively knowing this would increase her strength.
“Yeah! Go for it, Twilight! Show that damn demon who’s the boss!” Rainbow Dash joined it.
Now, all of her friends were cheering for Twilight. The purple aura around her grew bigger and stronger.
Despair got up again and ground her teeth. She now casted the strongest spell she had on herself, changing her body into a full shadow form. The demoness ran towards Twilight with enormous speed, but the purple mare pushed her back to distance with countless attacks of pure arcane magic. Finally, Despair launched a massive black lightning at Twilight. Twilight countered the attack with a purple beam.
Both attacks met on half the way, desperately struggling for every inch to proceed. But Twilight’s magic was much stronger. It slowly fought its way closer and closer to Despair.
“No! No! Noooo!” the demoness shouted, just before the beam hit her.
Despair got launched into her own force field with such immense force, it ended up cracking and shattering. She kept on sliding on the ground for a few meters more before finally smashing against a rock and remaining there motionlessly. The dark aura around her vanished and Despair changed back to her normal form. The battle was over. The bond between Twilight and Despair was broken.
Twilight slowly levitated to the ground and the purple aura disappeared. Her eyes as well returned to their natural purple color.
“Holey moley, Twilight! That was absolutely super duper incredible!” Pinkie Pie congratulated.
Twilight turned her head around to her cheering friends and smiled happily. Moments later, she suddenly collapsed in exhaustion.
“Twilight!” her friends shouted and ran over to her.
“Ugh... no worries... I’m fine. I’m just... very... very tired,” the purple mare explained.
Her friends embraced her and congratulated her for her victory over Despair. Obsidian, though, knew it wasn’t over yet. With Derpy’s help, he slowly limped over to the still motionless demon.
Despair was awake, but seemed to be drained of all her strength. The black stallion could just push his right front leg against her chest and slide her up the rock so they were at eye level like a puppet. Despair grinned weakly at the reaper.
“What are you waiting for, Obsidian? Consume me,” she demanded.
“What are you demons planning? Why did you erase the changelings?” Obsidian asked.
Despair started laughing weakly. It seemed like, even though she lost the battle, she still seemed very sure she did everything right.
“It’s not like you could stop us anymore anyway. Queen Nightmare Moon’s plan has proceeded way too far now. We will win,” she explained.
“Nightmare Moon has a plan?!” Derpy shouted in shock.
“Tehe... you reapers really are such fools. Almost one thousand years of planning had passed and you never saw the signs up until now? Do you still not understand who I actually am? I am the second corrupted star,” Despair continued, the victorious grin returning to her face.
“The second... you mean... the legend of the corrupted stars...” Obsidian concluded, with a shock filled expression on his face.
Despair started giggling again, amused by Obsidian’s expression. Then her eyes jumped over to Twilight and her friends.
“Hey, keepers of harmony. Don’t think it ends here. No. The war has just begun. You think you defeated our queen? You freed her! Everything you did up until now only delayed the day of your downfall. Every last of your actions only supported us! The fact that I ended up defeated now only means my role in our queen’s plan is done. Now, go ahead, Obsidian. Consume me. I got nothing more to say to you traitors. May the demon queen let you suffer for all eternity,” she finished.
“Any final words, Twilight?” Obsidian questioned.
“Yes... there is something I want to say... but it’s not meant for you, Despair,” the purple mare spoke, with a sad expression. “Moondancer... Spike... I know you are in there somewhere. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you... I’m so sorry this happened to you. But now, I avenged both of you. I can only hope you will be able to forgive me. I will never forget you two. Never.”
“They can’t hear you, you stupid pony. They don’t even really exist anymore,” Despair spoke as her final words.
Obsidian then turned into a black cloud again and surrounded the defenseless demoness, consuming her. As soon as she was gone, the summoned blade disappeared again and Obsidian recovered just enough so they could make it back home.
“Let’s go, keepers. This was one hell of a day and we need to inform Mistress Celestia,” Derpy suggested.
Finally, the group was complete again and Despair was gone for good. Still, even though they defeated the greatest threat to the keepers of harmony, the knowledge they gained ultimately confirmed what the reapers concerned for such a long time now. They had to return to Ponyville, recover and find out what Nightmare Moon’s plan is.
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 26 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
|
complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
|
mature
|
2012-06-17T17:21:16+00:00
|
2012-06-17T17:21:16+00:00
| 2,106 |
Here we are at last. This is the third and final spoiler image.
It fills me with mixed feelings to tell you guys that the story is slowly coming to an end.
Just writing this had been an incredible experience and kept me busy for one entire year.
I also want to reveal now that from the very beginning, I had three different endings in mind.
I never could decide which one I should write, so I ended up deciding not to decide and write them all.
Once the story itself is done, I will publish them one at a time.
I'm still looking forward for your comments, suggestions and ideas and hope you stay tuned until the end now.
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 27 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
|
complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
|
mature
|
2012-11-18T17:25:29+00:00
|
2016-06-07T13:21:03+00:00
| 1,834 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ndMYP5ZBhz0sMHnnAFSVUpie8h3CIxK72_NtMuT4lLs/edit?usp=sharing
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 26: Prophecy
“Finally some good news,” Princess Celestia commented with a sigh of relief while reading Obsidian’s latest report. “The most important thing first. Luna, Cadence. Twilight Sparkle did it. She gained the ability to use arcane magic.”
“Impressive!” Princess Luna responded. “It seems like you judged your student right, my sister!”
“She really is everything but a ‘regular old unicorn’. Not even Starswirl the bearded had such capabilities,” Princess Cadence stated.
“That is true. She will go down into the history books as the most powerful unicorn that ever lived. But more importantly than that, we are now four beings able to use arcane magic,” Celestia concluded.
“Do you think that will be enough to lift Maledictum Insania?” Luna wondered.
“No... power alone doesn’t enable us to break the rules of magic. But it gives us hope that we may one day be able to find a solution. Twilight Sparkle is a pony of incredible intelligence. With the ability to see through the essence of magic itself, she might be the key to end this war,” Celestia responded.
“We should give her some time, though. I think we all remember how difficult it was for us to stabilize our bond to magic. I can only imagine how drained she must be now, since she isn’t a demi-goddess,” Cadence stated.
“True, but we can’t give her too much time, sadly. Obsidian also wrote that he and Derpy discovered Nightmare Moon has a big plan involving the legend of the corrupted stars,” Celestia explained.
“My legend...” Luna commented.
“No, little sister. Nightmare Moon’s legend. You are not responsible for anything that happened while she possessed your body,” Celestia insisted.
“Well, what are the demons planning?” Cadence asked.
“Obsidian stated that they didn’t know any details, yet. But they are trying their best to find out more,” Celestia explained.
“Sister... knowing this now... do you still aim to let Obsidian finish his mission?” Luna wondered.
“Yes... there is no other option. This must be done, for the sake of justice and for the protection of our precious subjects. Just imagining how many lives I had to sacrifice because we needed... her... makes me sick. Oh, Twilight... You are going to hate me so much for this...” Celestia responded.
“Luna... the order was given nearly a year ago. Now, there are only a couple of months left before the day of her judgement comes. We can’t turn back anymore. Too much is at stake,” Cadence explained.
“This will make for one of the most emotional funerals ever...” Luna commented.
“Speaking of funerals... there should be one in Ponyville today. They found Spike... dead,” Celestia continued.
“Any details on how this happened?” Luna questioned.
“Despair devoured his soul. Poor little dragon... Even though they defeated Despair now, his soul is lost,” Celestia explained.
“We are living in an age of many sacrifices and undeserved deaths... It makes me so sad... I just hope nothing ever happens to my beloved Shining Armor...” Cadence commented.
The three alicorns remained mute for a while to think and grieve. Then suddenly, a scroll appeared in front of Celestia. The bright demi-goddess immediately unrolled it and started to read.
“Hm. It seems like we will find out about Nightmare Moon’s plan today already. One of my most special reapers is heading to Ponyville to help investigate,” she stated.
---
“There! You’re all good now, my love,” Fluttershy stated as she finished bandaging Obsidian. “But I still don’t understand why your wounds haven’t healed up by now. It usually only takes you a day to fully recover even from such heavy injuries.”
“Since we had been traveling for a whole week, I had no opportunity to eat flesh. Thus, my recovering abilities and strength have decreased,” the black stallion explained.
“Then... why don’t you use the rune downstairs?” Fluttershy wondered.
“Each time I use it, I need to renew the rune afterwards to make it functional again. I would like to avoid this as much as possible, since the ingredients for it are difficult to obtain demon essence and phoenix ash,” Obsidian stated.
“Phoenix ash... but... that means...” the yellow mare started.
“This rune is in fact combined with a curse that steals the reincarnations of a phoenix and transfers them to another being that is on the verge of death. Since the phoenix’s ash is used to make this rune, it can no longer reincarnate and will die once and for all upon use,” the reaper explained.
“Curse magic is so evil... it always needs a sacrifice,” Fluttershy stated.
“It is the magic of the demons, mea amāta. Strong, but sinister. I would like to avoid wasting an innocent creature’s life if I can. However, in my current situation, I do not have this option. The phoenix may live for now, but... I need to eat again...” Obsidian stated.
“Hmm... I think I still have a fish left. Usually, I feed them to my otters and seals. Would that work?” Fluttershy wondered.
“Barely, but it will have to do for now,” Obsidian responded.
Fluttershy nodded and walked to her pet food supplies. Moments later, she returned with a small, dead fish. This really wouldn’t provide much of strength for Obsidian, but it was better than nothing. The reaper turned around so Fluttershy didn’t have to see this and quickly devoured the fish, barely chewing at all. The fact that the black stallion wanted to spare his partner from the sight made her chuckle lightly and embrace him.
“You don’t have to hide, my love. I see otters eat fish and birds eat worms all the time,” she spoke gently.
“Bene,” the black stallion replied, smiling lightly.
Just a couple of seconds later, though, they both gained a sad expression, remembering where they planned to go today.
“So... are you ready to go?” Fluttershy asked.
Obsidian nodded and unfolded his left wing over Fluttershy’s back so she could help him walk. Compared to the first time, Fluttershy had gained a lot in strength. She was now more than capable of providing him support all the way from her cottage to the Ponyville graveyard.
---
As the couple finally arrived, the other keepers of harmony and Derpy Hooves were already there, standing in front of an open grave. As the couple was spotted, they were greeted with depressed faces and slow hoof waving.
“Gosh... you look terrible, O,” Rainbow Dash commented as she saw all the bandages he was wrapped in.
None of the ponies were unharmed, but Obsidian took by far the most abuse. Even Derpy had less injuries than him.
“Nothing I can not cope with,” the black stallion replied as he and Fluttershy came closer to the grave as well.
Since there were no remains left of Spike, the ponies filled the grave with pictures, Spike’s personal belongings and several jewels instead. Rarity even added the fire ruby the baby dragon gifted her to the mementos. For good ten minutes, they all just stood there, staring into the grave and remembering all the happy times they shared with Spike. Occasionally, one of them had tears rolling down their face and wiping them off. Finally, Applejack ended the silence with a sigh.
“It’s a downright shame I tell ya. He didn’t deserve this. Y’know, Spike may have loved gems so much, he sometimes ended up doin’ bad things just to get ‘em. But I say he himself was a real gem of a dragon. If y’all have come to me five years ago and told me I’d become friends with a dragon, I’d have called ya crazy. But here we are...” she spoke.
“Can only agree with that,” Rainbow Dash continued. “I have met a few cool guys in my life, but Spike took the biscuit. Never would I have imagined that a dragon could be such a great friend and helper. As a pony who values loyalty more than anything, I’m just stunned how much that little guy had done for us in all these years.”
“Yeah...” Pinkie Pie added. “Spike was special, even for a dragon. Everytime I threw parties, I was always hoping to have him there as well. His dance moves were something I’ll never forget. He tried hard to look cool, but actually, he just ended up looking cutesy wootsy. And all these super funny conversations he had with Gummy. Oh, I’ll miss that little Spikey...”
“I was scared of dragons for as long as I could remember. When I was still small, I always feared a dragon would fly up to Cloudsdale. For many years, dragons were the most terrifying thing to me. But when I met Spike, this slowly started to change. I was so fascinated how small and cute he looked. Until now, I never really got over my fear of dragons. But Spike helped me a lot with that. I now understand every creature, no matter how big and scary it may look. For that, I have to thank you, Spike...” Fluttershy spoke.
Rarity now wanted to say a few words, but she had trouble keeping herself together. Finally, she calmed down a bit.
“I guess it’s true what the ponies say about the things that are dear to you... You won’t realize what you had until it’s gone... I never had much luck with stallions, but I have to blame myself for this. I’ve been just so superficial all these years. I put looks and social status above personality. I’m sure you all still remember me trying to get Prince Blueblood... Well... Spike was there all the time. He tried so hard to impress me and be there for me... I know, he was a dragon and far too young for me... but I never showed him the appreciation he deserved. And now... now I won’t ever be able to make it up anymore...” she spoke, sniffing a few times with watery eyes.
Twilight placed a hoof on her shoulder to calm her down, even though she herself had tears in her eyes. Then, the purple mare continued the farewell speech.
“We had our ups and downs together. But Spike generally was a really nice guy. We have met a few dragons by now, but none ever could match Spike in charms and personality. He was just the best friend a pony could ask for. No... he was more than a friend... You know, now that I look back, there were many occasions where we spoke about how good it was to have pony friends. We barely ever included the word ‘dragon’ in any of our talks about friendship, but it didn’t matter for Spike. He never really reacted to this and now I think I know why. He knew we didn’t have to specifically mention him. He knew he was in a special status and he knew we always aimed to adapt him in our appreciation for friendship... Despair claimed that he called me mommy before he died... and in fact, he was more to me than just my number one assistant. He was more than just my best friend... He was my baby... My precious... little... baby dragon...” Twilight spoke before she started breaking into tears.
All of her friends held the purple mare tightly now. Only the reapers didn’t join the embrace, but stood nearby to express their condolence.
“I can not say much about Spike...” Obsidian started. “I never interacted much with him. But from the few things I have experienced about him myself, I can only confirm that all your words are more than justified. As a reaper, I face death every day. Yet, rarely ever before has any story... taken me as much as his. While in all the years before, I failed to understand the point of a funeral, I now have the feeling that he deserves this praising ceremony and your gentle words, although he can not hear them. I bow my head to you, Spike.”
The ponies smiled lightly over Obsidian’s speech. Finally, it was Derpy’s time to say a few words.
“I’m sorry if I can’t quite come up with a speech like yours... I barely knew Spike. In all these years, we talked like maybe once or twice. Yet, I still will miss seeing him walking down the street, bringing supplies to the library or chatting with the villagers. Goodbye, Spike,” the gray mare spoke and tossed some dirt in the grave.
“Seeya, Spike. We’ll miss ya...” Applejack followed, as well tossing some dirt in the grave.
“Bye, Spike. You were the best...” Rainbow spoke, doing the same.
“Goodbye, little dragon friend...” Fluttershy said, also doing her part in burying the mementos.
“Bye bye, Spikey,” Pinkie continued and pushed some dirt in the grave.
“Goodbye, Spikey-wikey... I’m sorry... you will always have a special place in my heart,” Rarity spoke, tossing dirt down the hole.
“Farewell, Spike... you are... the best thing that ever happened to me...” Twilight followed, nearly finishing the burial.
“Aeternum valē,” was the final word Obsidian spoke before pushing the remaining dirt in the grave.
The group still kept on staring at the now filled grave for a while more, sobbing and mourning. After another five minutes, they finally decided to leave. Their tragic loss aside, they had to meet up at the library to do research in order to find informations about Nightmare Moon’s plan.
---
Without the help of the baby dragon, it took the group a while to find the book about the elements of harmony, Nightmare Moon and the corrupted stars. When they finally discovered it, Twilight started scanning through the pages.
“Hmm... the elements of harmony... mare in the moon... ah. There we have it. The legend of the corrupted stars. It is said Nightmare Moon’s powers are beyond imagination and can even break through the boundaries of her own imprisonment. Hm, for the fact that Maledictum Insania is such a big secret, the ponies knew quite a lot back then,” the purple mare started.
“The legend itself was written just a few years after Nightmare Moon’s banishment and the defeat of the demons. It still contained memories of the age of her creation and due to the freedom of the written word, it would have been illegal to banish or destroy it,” Obsidian explained. Twilight nodded and continued reading out loud.
“She is said to corrupt darkness itself, causing four stars of the night sky to become evil. Legend has it that on the longest day in a thousand years after her banishment, the four corrupted stars will set loose a chain of events that will lead to the freeing of wicked Mare of Darkness... That’s all there is,” she finished.
“Well, that didn’t help. We all know these things already happened,” Rainbow Dash commented.
“Hm... but the book doesn’t say anything about what happened to the stars after they freed Nightmare Moon,” Derpy stated.
“Maybe the ponies who discovered this legend back then could only see the events coming until that point,” Rarity figured.
“You mean, the legend goes on?” Fluttershy wondered.
“Well, duh! We just met one of these corrupted stars yesterday! And it was a demon!” Pinkie Pie responded.
“True that. Ah don’t think we know everything ‘bout that legend quite yet,” Applejack stated.
“If the answer really lies within that legend, then that would require a long and tedious magical research. But that would take months. I don’t know if we have that time anymore,” Twilight worried.
All the present ponies and reapers became silent and sunk in thoughts. A couple of minutes later, Derpy started speaking again.
“What we need here is a specialist. Someone who can see the things coming together. Someone who can-” she started, but found herself suddenly interrupted.
“Predict the future,” a familiar female voice spoke.
The group turned around to the open front door. Inside stood a female reaper with a red coat, black eyes, unicorn horn and rainbow mane. A surprising sight for all the keepers of harmony.
“Salvē, Lady Truesight. Your timing is astonishing as always,” Obsidian greeted.
“It is not a difficult thing to achieve for a reaper that can see things coming,” she responded, bowing down to the elder.
“What are you doing here?” Rainbow Dash wondered.
“I told you we would meet again. I saw this day coming. I knew you would require my help, so here I am. It is about the legend of the corrupted stars, I suppose?” Truesight questioned.
“Wowie zowie! You’re good!” Pinkie Pie complimented.
“You think you can help us with it?” Twilight wondered.
“Possibly. I have been puzzling over the behavior of the demons for a long time now, but I always seemed to be missing a few pieces to see through their plans. Tell me what you know and I will see what I can do,” the clairvoyant spoke.
“Yesterday, our friend Twilight here defeated a demon named Despair. She was darn strong and before Obsidian consumed her, she claimed to be the second corrupted star,” Applejack explained.
“The second already... and a demon... curious indeed,” Truesight commented.
“We’ve been looking through the books, but all we could find out was what we already knew. Nightmare Moon was freed from the moon by the four corrupted stars. We now have the suspicion the legend is incomplete. That’s about all we know,” Derpy continued.
“I see. Hm... this is not much to work with, but I will try to see through the future and look for any hints that the demons are related to the legend of the corrupted stars,” Truesight stated.
The rainbow maned mare then closed her eyes and made a face as if she was deeply sunken in thoughts. Occasionally, she even had grim expression over the things she saw. Twenty minutes passed before her eyes suddenly shot open again.
“You are right. The legend is incomplete. Quick! Hand me a scroll and quill! I need to note this down before I lose the vision!” she requested.
Twilight and Rarity used their magic to levitate a fresh scroll, an ink pot and a quill over to the clairvoyant. As soon as Truesight gained control of these items with her own magic, she closed her eyes again and began to let the quill dance across the paper in trance. At first, her notes barely made any sense. It was a wild mish-mash of words, partially in the old language of the reapers, partially in the modern tongue. But every now and then, Truesight crossed a word out, translated one, rearranged words or added new ones. Finally, it seemed like she got the full prophecy, but the paper was so full of notes now that only she could see it put together properly. So, she turned the scroll around and wrote the finished version on the back while speaking it out loud.
“The corrupted stars, an old tale written
Part of a curse, to speak about forbidden
They freed the nightmare, not long ago
That was the tale, at least we thought so
What happened in the past will happen anew
The stars will come down, falling like dew
Each arrival will bring a new 'morn
And through them, she will be reborn
The first star, oh yes, he ruled before
He liked disorder in great galore
The second star, once an old friends part
Became a creature without a heart
The third star, old hundreds of years
will turn into what his soul truly most fears
The fourth star was bound to them all
Her decision may bring the world's fall”
These words left the keepers of harmony with wide open eyes and mouths. As usual, only the reapers retained their elite self-control, showing barely an expression at all.
“Well now... what does that mean?” Applejack asked, unsure if she got what she just heard right.
“It means that Nightmare Moon is about to return again...” Obsidian confirmed.
“But... but how?” Rainbow Dash wondered.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, keepers of harmony. But this is all I could see. This prophecy comes from the deep depths of the demons minds. Seeing this far is a challenge in itself,” Truesight explained.
“Very well... let’s analyze it then,” Twilight suggested.
“Well, the beginning is not hard to understand,” Derpy started. “It seems like the four corrupted stars have taken shape as creatures of our world. That would explain Despair being the second corrupted star. She was Moondancer’s demon. A part of her personality, which finally out-powered and killed her.”
“No, that doesn’t make sense,” Twilight disagreed. “I mean, lets look at the first corrupted star. Apparently, it ruled Equestria before. I studied pony history in a lot of detail in the past three years and the only creature that ever ruled Equestria which this description would fit to is Discord. But he existed before Nightmare Moon, so he can’t be a corrupted star.”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions like that, Miss Sparkle,” Truesight requested. “The description fits to him. Maybe our understanding of what the corrupted stars actually are is wrong. As a clairvoyant, I know such phrases are often not to be taken literally, but symbolically. Think of it: if a star would fall from the night sky and land in our world, this surely would be seen.”
“Hm... you are right there. I didn’t notice anything suspicious happening during the night Despair was born... besides her birth itself of course...” Twilight agreed.
“Then what do you think are the corrupted stars?” Fluttershy wondered.
“It might as well be that the term ‘corrupted star’ stands for a creature that is essential for the demon’s plan to resurrect Nightmare Moon. Seeing it this way, Discord being the first corrupted star makes sense. Although he was not aware of the existence of the demons, he helped them a lot during the time he was freed. The demons retreated during this time on purpose and let Discord spread chaos over the land and alter it in appearance. Even today, we are still discovering new paths he unintentionally created, which provide the demons huge advantage in traveling around unnoticed,” Obsidian spoke.
“Despair as well helped the demons a lot. She was very intelligent and kept on making up plans to improve the advantages of the demons. She organized them and even helped them wipe out the changelings,” Rarity added.
“But who are the third and fourth corrupted star then?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“That is a lot more difficult. The third corrupted star could be every creature able to reach a higher age. It could be everything from a dragon, to a reaper, even one of the princesses. Though they make the least of sense. Mistress Celestia represents light in its most powerful form. Until today, Maledictum Insania completely failed to even scratch her. Since she is the demi-goddess of the sun and light, it might as well be that she is immune to the curse. Princess Cadence as well makes no sense. She is living her dreams since she became married to Shining Armor. There is no space on her mind where the curse could start taking effect. Last but not least, Princess Luna is entirely out of question. She became purified by the elements of harmony. She is the only pony in all of Equestria unaffected by the curse of madness, since every bond she shared with Nightmare Moon had been destroyed,” Truesight stated.
“Every bond she shared with... Oh gosh!” Twilight suddenly shouted out.
“What is it, Twilight? Did you notice something?” Obsidian wondered.
“Yes! But of course! Remember Despair’s last words? She said we didn’t defeat Nightmare Moon, but instead free her! It makes sense now! Even though we may have defeated the most of her, millions of small fragments of her still exist in all of us! Princess Luna was Nightmare Moon’s host! And now that we purified her, Nightmare Moon is unbound!” Twilight explained.
“That is... of course... this really does make sense. And that is why Nightmare Moon wasn’t assisted by any of her demons when she became freed! She was in a situation where she could only win! If she managed to conquer Equestria again, she would have reached her goals. But even though you stopped her, she also only profited from it, since she is no longer bound to Princess Luna now! Until that point, killing Luna would also have destroyed Nightmare Moon. And her fall would also have destroyed all the other demons and lifted Maledictum Insania. But now that she is unbound, she doesn’t have any weak points anymore,” Derpy realized.
“This is terrible news...” Truesight commented. “We knew Nightmare Moon still exists in this land, through all her demons and in the souls of the ponies of Equestria. By now, if you sum it up with all the demons that exist together, she would have devoured billions of souls through them. Now that she is unbound, her power increased tenfold compared to the time of her rise. Together with all these souls, she would easily be capable of destroying the world.”
“Whatever it takes, we must prevent her from becoming reborn. Once that happened, we are doomed. There is no force in this world that could stop such a demon, not even the power of the princesses,” Obsidian stated.
“But... we still have no idea how they want to get her back! All we know is that there’ll be two more corrupted stars!” Applejack spoke.
“Seeing it from how they set up the events around Nightmare Moon’s freeing from the moon, it is likely the demons will try to set up a chain of events again which will become unstoppable once the fourth star appeared. I think it is pretty clear that there is no way to tell who the fourth star is or will be as long as the third didn’t reveal itself. We now know who the first and second were, but only through finding out who the third is, we can discover and stop the fourth before it’s too late,” Twilight figured.
“The prophecy says that the fourth star will end the world through a decision. It may not be aware this decision would have such a magnitude. Seeing how the demons set up things, it could be that it is just a tiny, completely unrelated decision which would finally set off the chain reaction. There might be no way in telling which decision would save us and which would doom us,” Truesight stated.
“You are a fortuneteller, Truesight! Can’t you look into the future and tell us who the third and fourth star are and which decision it is that will resurrect Nightmare Moon?” Pinkie Pie wondered.
“There is a problem with that... for about one hundred years now, I see a big gray wall approaching in the future. I can’t see past this wall. I guess I now understand why. This wall seems to be exactly at the moment the fourth corrupted star makes its decision. Whatever happens at this moment, it has such a strong effect that my future predicting abilities can’t reach anywhere near this time. I’m sorry. Neither can I see who the third and fourth star are, nor can I see if we will be able to stop Nightmare Moon’s resurrection,” the reaper clairvoyant explained.
“Oh, this is bad. This is really bad,” Rarity commented nervously.
“There is no reason to lose hope yet, Miss Rarity,” Truesight explained to calm her down again. “Being able to see the future brings great power. The power to change it. Even though many things I predicted in my life so far came true, the future is nothing written in stone. Now that we know what we have to look for, we are capable of stopping this prophecy before it comes true.”
“I suppose we reached the end of our research then. We know all the facts we can possibly know. It is up to us to act now,” Obsidian stated.
“Well, I don’t think there’s anything we can do right now. Even though this may be hard, all we can do is wait and look,” Derpy figured.
“I agree with that,” Truesight spoke. “My time here is over anyway. I need to leave now. There will be a heavy incident not far from the village, which requires my presence. I’m sorry to say but this is a farewell, keepers of harmony. This was the last time we met before the great gray wall. Only if we should make it past it, there is hope we may meet again.”
“Truesight, wait!” Rainbow Dash requested. “I always wanted to learn more about those spectralists you told me about! What are they? Just rainbow-maned ponies like you and me? Is there more to it? I mean, no one in my family ever had a rainbow colored mane! They have no idea where I got that from!”
“As I said the last time, it is not important, Rainbow Dash. Just a unique feature very few ponies have, like being an albino. Consider yourself special,” Truesight explained.
“Really? Is that all? Well, I guess I’m an anti-albino then or something. Anyway, thanks,” the athletic mare responded.
After a few more words, the group finally ended the meeting. Everyone went back to their daily tasks with an uneasy and worried feeling. Before Truesight left Ponyville again, Obsidian requested a short, private talk with her. So, they both walked outside the library and began to whisper.
“Grātiās tibi agō quod missiōni meae auxilium fers,” Obsidian thanked.
“I know how important it is and I know she might find out the truth if she learned what ability is bound to being a spectralist. We already have enough trouble with this prophecy now. We can’t have one of the most important missions fail on top of that,” Truesight replied.
“Which is exactly why I wanted to speak to you in private. Lady Truesight... what is the outcome of my mission? What is my future?” Obsidian asked.
“I’m sorry, elder. But I can’t see it. It lies too close to the great gray wall,” the clairvoyant answered.
“Intellegō... once more, thank you for helping us. Purity and sacrifice for Equestria,” the black stallion spoke to say goodbye.
“Purity and sacrifice,” Truesight replied and started walking off.
---
Fluttershy and Obsidian returned home as it started getting dark. This, again, had been an exhausting day. Not physically, but mentally this time. They decided to use the rest of the day to relax and recover.
“Would you like a cup of tea, my love? I got some fresh salvia,” the yellow mare offered, causing the reaper to smile lightly.
“You even know my favorite tea by now, although I never told you?” he asked.
“I guess I just know you very well,” Fluttershy responded, grinning happily a bit. “Sometimes, I have the feeling we are soul mates.”
“Soul mates...” Obsidian spoke slowly, faking his smile now.
Fluttershy just came closer and kissed him. Then she walked into the kitchen to prepare two cups of tea. Obsidian sat down on the sofa in the meantime. His wounds were healing only very slowly. He could just hope to get more flesh soon to recover his strength fully. That rescue mission drained him just too much. In his situation, he was unable to protect the keepers of harmony and just depended too much on the support of his partner.
The yellow mare returned with a plate in her mouth, presenting two cups of steaming hot tea and placed it on the small table in front of the sofa. Then she joined Obsidian, snuggling against him. He wrapped his cloak around her in return and placed his right front leg across her shoulders. They both kept on cuddling and kissing a few minutes more, waiting for the tea to cool down enough to be able to drink. After several sips, Obsidian suddenly started to cough.
“Oh goodness! Are you okay? I never heard you cough before,” Fluttershy stated.
“Strange indeed. I suppose I must have accidentally inhal-” he started, but couldn’t finish as he had to cough again, much harder this time.
The coughing quickly became worse and worse and the reaper started bending and grinding his teeth in pain.
“Obsidian! What’s wrong?” Fluttershy worried.
The black stallion couldn’t respond. Instead, he started vomiting blood. One last time, he lifted his head to Fluttershy with an expression telling he as well had no idea what was happening right now. Then he collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 28 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
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Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
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complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
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mature
|
2012-11-27T19:27:42+00:00
|
2013-02-02T22:24:46+00:00
| 1,675 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qOYaOdQbzp8yVW5b5BWWPBYHmdvqAfZMnwj7K4JYw04/edit
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 27: Exorcism
After the black stallion collapsed, he was brought to the Ponyville hospital. Fluttershy spent the rest of the night on a chair, waiting for a diagnosis. Obsidian had been through a lot. She knew this better than anypony else. But such a thing never happened before. She couldn’t help him. All she was capable of doing now was bringing him to the hospital and asking one of the visitors to inform Twilight Sparkle about what happened.
The other keepers of harmony and Derpy Hooves arrived at the hospital early in the morning. Still, the doctors couldn’t give any details on his status. It took another two hours of nonstop worrying about Obsidian’s well being before nurse Redheart finally came up to the group with very disappointing news.
“I’m sorry to say, but we have no idea what’s wrong with him,” she stated.
“That’s all you got to say? You have been treating him all night long and this is all you can say?” Fluttershy questioned, displeased and deeply worried.
“I’m sorry, but this is the first time ever we have a reaper as patient. He may look like a pony, but while we tried to find out how we could help him, it became clear his body works entirely differently to that of a pony. We tried every kind of medication we could think off. Nothing works on him. All we can say now is that he has extremely high fever, seem to be in a lot of pain and keeps throwing up blood,” Redheart explained.
“Blood? Where’s the blood coming from?” Derpy wondered.
“We tried to locate the defect that causes him to keep coughing up, but we just can’t find it. We would give him blood packs, but his blood type as well is something new to us. His entire body is a huge medical mystery. The mere fact that he is still alive and even awake is a miracle,” the nurse said.
“He’s awake?” Applejack asked back.
“Yes, but I really don’t recommend visiting him right now. He is very unstable and we are still doing research on him to provide better help. I wished we could at least give him painkillers, but not even that works,” Redheart continued.
“I guess that’s why he uses dark magic so much, even though he doesn’t like it...” Fluttershy commented.
“If that’s the only thing that works on him, then there is nothing we can do. This institution is specialized in treating non-magical injuries and diseases. If it’s something else, we don’t know how to deal with it,” Redheart concluded.
“Nurse... did he say anything since he came here? Does he have any idea what’s going on with him?” Twilight questioned.
“He said he didn’t want this help. That it would be a waste of medical resources. But he wasn’t too sure what was happening to him,” Redheart responded.
“Well, despite your suggestion, I think it truly would be best if we could have a talk to him. We got a bit of experience with reapers by now,” Twilight explained.
“And we have another reaper over here, too!” Derpy stated, raising her left front hoof.
“Yes. I think together, we might be able to find out more,” Twilight finished.
“Okay then. He is in room 23,” the nurse agreed and showed them the way.
---
“Yes, that would make sense,” Obsidian agreed.
“Your last battle was just too much, Obsidian. You are too weak to deal with this. You will need to ask the ladies for help,” Odd Cirs suggested.
“I can not do that. I can not put them in such a risk,” the black stallion disagreed.
“Come now, Obsidian. You dragged them through Tartarus and out again! Compared to that, this is just a tiny thing,” the voice continued.
“If your suspicion is accurate, you seem to underestimate the situation. In Tartarus, we just pushed forth and avoided fighting against stronger demons as much as possible. Even though this is just a single one, it is so strong that even I, as an elder, failed to defeat it,” Obsidian explained.
“Then what do you plan to do? Run somewhere far away, then wait for it to break out and kill you?” Odd Cirs wondered.
“If that is the only option left, then I have no choice. You should know by now that it is a reaper’s destiny to fight until he dies,” Obsidian responded.
“You are talking nonsense! Think about your mission! You are so close to complete it! You don’t want to disobey your mistress, just because you have personal feelings for at least one of the keepers, do you?” Odd Cirs reasoned.
“No. You are right. I must not endanger the mission’s success... You actually care for me, do you not, Odd Cirs?” the black stallion wondered.
“Well, I do care for you so much that I’m still waiting for you to figure out who I am. I tell you, Obsidian, I’m starting to get impatient. I’ll give you some more time to get your mission done, but not much longer... Oh, quiet now! The ladies are coming!” the voice replied.
A couple of moments later, the door opened and all of the six keepers of harmony entered. Their greetings were short and interrupted because they were shocked to see how bad the reapers condition truly was. His face was covered in blood from constantly throwing up and the bucket next to him was more than halfway filled with his own life juice. He also had another fresh bandage around his broken eye, which seemed to have started bleeding now as well, since the red liquid already started soaking through the white cloth. Countless machines were placed around the stallion, but most weren’t attached to him anymore, since the doctors had already given up trying them on him. Apparently, they even decided to do a surgery on him, since he had a freshly stitched wound on the lower half of his chest. Obsidian overall made a very weak impression to his friends. He trembled in pain and could hardly hold himself together.
“Salvē,” he greeted them back weakly.
“Oh, my poor darling...” Fluttershy stated in condolence while flying over to his right side, holding the right front hoof as soon as she landed.
“Good gosh. Are you okay, Elder Obsidian? I’ve never seen you that weak before,” Derpy commented.
“No... I am not okay... I need to get out of this hospital as fast as possible,” the black stallion replied.
“Ah don’t think that’s a good idea, sugarcube,” Applejack started. “Ah know yer a strong and proud warrior, but ya have to admit that you’re in too bad condition to leave now.”
“You do not understand... I must leave in an instant. I am a ticking time bomb,” Obsidian explained.
Instantly, the eyes of everypony went wide open and all except Fluttershy went a few steps back.
“W-what do you mean you are a ticking time bomb?” Twilight wondered.
“It is... this...” he answered, slowly lifting his left front leg and pointing at his bandaged, dead eye.
“Your ey- … The Salamander!” Derpy shouted. ”Okay I’ll check you out as fast as I can!”
The gray mare then turned around and ran back outside. The fact that even she panicked over Obsidian’s suspicion made the mares even more insecure.
“The... What?! How? You... you said it won’t be able to break out again as long as you live!” Rarity panicked.
“It appears as if I was mistaken... this Salamander is stronger than I expected... I can not keep it sealed anymore... It is... struggling to... break... free...” Obsidian replied, getting weaker and slower with each word.
Fluttershy saw the signs and quickly lifted up the bucket, just in time before the black stallion started throwing up another wave of blood.
“Grātiās...” he thanked afterwards.
“My love... what should we do?” the yellow mare wondered, deep worry written on her face.
“I regret to ask such a thing of all of you again, but I need your help... I can unseal it under controlled circumstances, but then I require you to fight it,” Obsidian replied.
“You want us to fight that thing?! After we’ve seen what a big, strong meanie it is?” Pinkie questioned.
“Yes... I can not fight it myself in my current state and even if I could, I would not be able to defeat it all alone,” the black stallion responded.
“But why us? Why can’t you ask other reapers? It’s not like we wouldn’t want to help you, but we are not that battle experienced!” Rarity wondered.
“Equestria is in crisis state... every last one of us is in a tactically important position right now. None can leave their location, or the defences of this land may break in. That is also why we did not receive more assistance while we were trying to rescue you, Twilight,” Obsidian answered, focusing the purple mare with his last statement.
“I see,” Twilight responded. “And there is no other way?”
“The only alternative would be that I move as far away from any civilisation as possible, then let it break out and kill me. The sacrifice of a single elder weights less than the security of the entire land,” Obsidian explained.
“NO!” Fluttershy shouted out. “No! I won’t let you die like that! I will do whatever it takes!”
“That’s right! C’mon girls! He saved all of us so many times. Now it’s our chance to save him for once!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
With that short speech, Rainbow put it in a nutshell. The others could now only agree to the idea to rescue their guard.
10 minutes later, Obsidian was out of the hospital. Of course, Derpy couldn’t tell the doctors and nurses why he needed to be moved out at once, so she had put quite a lot of force into her order and even had to use her reaper authority granted by Princess Celestia. Now, all his friends helped Obsidian walk, since he could barely move anymore. It wasn’t clear where they could go for this huge battle, but they needed a very secluded place where they wouldn’t risk the life of any other creature. Derpy couldn’t join them, though. At least one reaper had to stay in Ponyville and ensure the small village remained save. Though she suggested to use the eastern outskirts of Equestria. They were barely populated and next to no creatures lived there. This seemed to be the best bet available, so they agreed, asking the gray mare to set up a teleportation rune for them.
---
Upon arrival, the ponies found themselves in a gloomy, deserted plane. A storm was coming up and the air was quite chilly. Both would support them in their battle against the flaming reptile.
“Oh my gosh... this looks sooo much like the old rock farm of my family...” Pinkie Pie commented while scanning the landscape.
None of the ponies replied while they kept on moving for a mile more to make absolutely sure their teleport rune back would not get damaged during battle. Obsidian’s body was boiling with heat, but now they understood that this wasn’t caused by fever. The Salamander tried to cook the black stallion alive from the inside. They all could only imagine in how much pain he must be right now. Yet, he tried hard to not show any of it.
“Obsidian. Can you tell us some details about Salamanders?” Twilight requested. The black stallion nodded in consent.
“As you know, Salamanders are amongst the highest ranked of demons. They mostly consist of rage and hatred. Thus, they may not be the most intelligent demons, but make this more than up with immense strength, which even keeps increasing the more the Salamander is provoked,” he explained.
“So, the longer we take for fightin’ that thing, the stronger it gets,” Applejack analyzed.
“Rectē. This is why I failed to defeat it last time... I took too... long and provoked it... too much before... I... could...” he started, but had to interrupt because another wave of blood filled his lungs and stomach, which he needed to release. “... excūsāte mē... before I could start an attempt to consume it.”
“What do you suggest we should do?” Fluttershy wondered.
“You need to drain the demon of its strength as quickly as possible. If the battle goes on for more than just a few minutes, our chances to win reduce rapidly. Avoid provoking, irritating or frustrating it as much as possible. Salamanders are ferocious beasts. Due to that fact, they enjoy chasing their prey. It may sound strange, but if you need a moment to recover or plan, let the demon hunt you. Since its entire magic is based on fire, ice and water spells are the most effective against it. Yet, I do believe Twilight’s arcane magic will drain it the most,” Obsidian continued.
“I’ll do my best. Rarity, do you sense any gemstones nearby?” Twilight wondered.
“Hmm... Yes! Perfect! There are emeralds, rubies, sapphires and aquamarines! I guess the last two will especially come in handy!” she responded.
“Alright. Applejack and Pinkie Pie. You two provide distraction from the ground. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. You take care of it from the sky. Rarity and I will do the actual fighting,” Twilight plotted. The others nodded in agreement.
Finally, the group stopped walking. It would start to rain soon, so the conditions couldn’t be any better. The keepers of harmony placed Obsidian down to the ground and started walking to distance. Only Fluttershy hesitated.
“My love... please stay strong,” she begged.
“I should be the one saying this to you, mea amāta... Anyway, I do believe right now I am not able to use this anyway...” Obsidian responded and summoned his scythe. “So you shall wield it for this battle.”
“Your scythe! Oh no, no, no. I can’t do that!” Fluttershy stated.
“Yes, you can. I trained you in its use, as you remember. Merely wielding it will not make you a reaper. But this way, a part of me will join you in battle and give you strength,” the reaper insisted.
“B-but...” the yellow mare hesitated.
“Remember what I... told you about becoming able to protect your friends? You reached this... point now. Use your strength and darkness... and my scythe to... guard those... dear to... you,” Obsidian spoke before throwing up more blood, nearly causing him to collapse.
“Obsidian...” Fluttershy spoke in worry.
“We must begin...” he replied weakly.
Fluttershy embraced her partner and kissed him on the cheek. Then she accepted his scythe and practised with it shortly. She could swing it nearly as fast and with almost as much skill as the reaper.
“Gee, Fluttershy! You look terrifying with that thing!” Pinkie Pie commented.
The yellow mare didn’t respond, but instead stopped practising and blushed bashfully. She then went to distance as well.
“Should you risk to fail the battle, I will use myself as a sacrifice for the demon to give you time to flee. This is not arguable. The moment you realize the demon has grown too strong for you, or the moment I order you to run away, you will return to the teleport rune. Intellegitisne?” Obsidian ordered.
Unwillingly, the others agreed. This now, though, only sealed it for them that there was no way they could allow themselves to lose this battle. The ponies all went in position and Rarity used an advanced levitation spell to pull gemstones out of the ground and gather them. They all were ready to begin now. All they were waiting for was for the storm to begin.
---
Minutes passed until the first rain drops started falling from the dark gray sky. Obsidian waited a moment longer until it started pouring down.
“Are you ready, keepers?” he questioned.
The mares responded with confirmation. He then cast a spell very similar to the one Trixie used to unleash the Salamander from the crystal, but on himself instead. The flames began to rise from his red eye and suddenly, the seal broke. The same huge tower of flames they saw the last time reappeared and while the Salamander was taking shape again, Rainbow Dash quickly picked up the unconscious black stallion and carried him to safety behind a large rock.
The Salamander gave off his ground shaking roar, displeased about the weather. It then fully returned into its reptile-like appearance and instantly spotted Pinkie Pie. Out of reflex, she turned around and began to run away. That, though, only made her an even more appealing target to the Salamander.
After just a few seconds, the demon was already riskily close to the pink mare. Fluttershy was forced to take action and swung the scythe through the left hind leg of the beast. Immediately, the Salamander stopped and screamed.
With the beast standing still for a moment, Rarity used her first sapphire, turning it into a large ball of water that launched at the flaming demon and washed over it. The beast screamed again as steam filled the air.
The Salamander now understood it was being ambushed, increasing its fury. The beast summoned several fireballs and threw them at all the ponies he was aware of so far. Only for Rarity, it went through the extra effort to exhale a huge flame in her direction.
Twilight instantly teleported her over and tried to control the fireballs chasing after her friends. As the Salamander spotted her, he immediately recognized her. The beast could feel that she gained a lot in power, so it decided to focus on attacking her and taking her out first.
The Salamander started running towards Twilight. Now Rainbow Dash speeded past the beasts vision, distracting it. She kept on flying around the burning reptile with high speed, creating a small tornado that sucked in the rain and pour down straight on the demon. The Salamander roared, its rage starting to increase. The beast intensified the heat of its surface, causing the bundled rain pouring down on it to instantly turn into steam before even touching it. The heat was too much for Rainbow Dash as well. She had to retreat.
“Darnit! Twilight! What’s taking you so long?” she shouted as she saw the purple mare still sitting in place, trying to concentrate.
“Wait... wait... I... I got problems here! Get me time!” she shouted out.
“Time’s the one thing we don’t have, sugarcube!” Applejack replied and started kicking stones at the demon.
It turned around to her, growling loudly and summoning flame walls around the orange mare. The Salamander tried to corner her, then started running in her direction. Fluttershy flew over to Applejack, throwing herself in between her and the demon. She narrowly rescued her by sticking the scythe in the demon’s mouth.
The scythe of a reaper is indestructible. Despite the Salamander’s best efforts, it couldn’t break it. As it realized this, the demon instead started shaking its head wildly, trying to tear the scythe out of Fluttershy’s grip.
Pinkie Pie realized a distraction was needed. Using a large branch and a few rocks, she quickly put together a makeshift catapult and launched several rocks at the demon. One of them managed to land straight in the beasts left eye, causing it to let go of the scythe and Fluttershy and instead cover the eye for a moment.
Although it put Fluttershy out of her trouble, the demon’s rage increased a lot. It roared loudly at Pinkie Pie and summoned a dozen of different fire spells at her at once. Rarity used multiple sapphires and turned them into large water bubbles to absorb the magic attacks.
The situation started to get difficult. If they wouldn’t find a way to effectively fight back the demon soon, the Salamander would become too strong.
As the demon realized its attack was stopped, its eyes jumped over to Rarity again. The beast was about to start another attack on her when it realized the flow of magic in the air started to change. It instantly turned over to Twilight and exhaled another massive flame at the purple mare. Rarity could stop the flame by throwing an aquamarine in the way and turning it into a wall of ice, but the demon remained focused.
The other keepers of harmony now tried everything they could to buy some more time. They threw rocks at the demon and tried to distract it. Still, the demon continued to only attack Twilight and came closer and closer. Rarity was able to block off all the attack aimed at her friend, but that didn’t help preventing the demon from approaching her.
The Salamander was now just in front of Twilight. It opened its massive mouth again and was about to swallow her when Twilight suddenly opened her eyes and sent a powerful wave of purple magic at the demon, pushing it far back.
Now that Twilight had her arcane magic under control again, all of her friends united behind her. The demon stood motionlessly and stared at the group, growling with a similar kind of respect for them like it had while fighting against Obsidian.
The beast tried a new trick, smashing a hole in the ground and breathing a huge amount of fire underground. The rock and dirt floor below them quickly heated up and in combination with the Salamander launching countless fireballs all around, multiple spots began to smoulder in heat.
Twilight used her arcane magic to stabilize the ground below them and Rarity supported her, turning multiple sapphires, aquamarines and emeralds into spells to cool down the ground and cover it with plants.
The demon, though, continued sending one large breath of fire underground after another. Not even the heavy rain could fight back the heat this beast caused and slowly the ground turned into lava. As soon as the first larger rocks started to sink into the boiling ground, Fluttershy turned around with a very worried expression to look for Obsidian. Luckily, he was awake by now and strong enough to stand on his own, so he could climb up on a slowly sinking rock to save himself for the moment. But he still couldn’t fly yet.
Rainbow Dash realized the reaper was in trouble and flew over to him as fast as she could. Then, she picked him up and brought her over to the rest of the group.
Obsidian was now in the demon’s line of sight. As it realized he was present, its anger intensified. The beast sent a strong breath of fire narrowly underground, causing the glowing and steaming ground to tear open, creating a large wave of lava that rapidly flew over to the group.
While Rarity continued trying to cool down the raft of stone below them, Twilight now focused on stopping the lava wave. With her special magic and the tricks Obsidian taught her, she was able to stop the wave, lift it into the air and reverse it in temperature. Then she sent the now extremely cold, light blue glowing matter back to the Salamander. It tried to block the attack with countless fire spells, but still couldn’t stop the freezing mass to wash over it.
The demon screamed loudly, suffering from being unable to handle the strangely enchanted, supercooled ground. It seemed to be so distracted that it couldn’t continue heating up the floor and slowly the lava turned back into solid stone.
As Rainbow Dash saw how much the beast was struggling, she suddenly had an idea.
“Girls! Obsidian! Cast as many ice spells on me as possible! I’ll show that thing what a 20% cooler sonic rainboom is like!” she announced, then lifted high up in the sky above the Salamander.
The demon was still too distracted dealing with the inverted lava to notice that the athletic mare slowly began to accelerate from above. All the members of the group able to use magic now tried their best to cover Dash in ice while still trying to give her enough freedom to keep speeding up. Rarity turned all her sapphires into water and froze them over using the remaining aquamarines she had. Then she handed them over to Obsidian, who added a few more spells. Finally, Twilight used her own magic to send the bundled ice spell to Rainbow Dash. The magic reacted strangely with her body, turning her entirely into a living, moving and breathing piece of heavily enchanted ice.
As strange as this sensation may have been, Rainbow just continued speeding up, forming a mach cone in front of her. As the Salamander finally looked up, it was already too late.
“Valētō, you beast!” she shouted moments before breaking the sound barrier and crushing into the demon.
A massive explosion of ice filled the area, instantly sending a freezing shockwave through the landscape that was strong enough to turn the falling raindrops into hail midair. Despite of the enormous size of the Salamander, the thrust was so enormous it even crushed this immense demon flat to the ground. The ice quickly crawled all over the burning reptile, covering it in a thick, clear prison.
It seemed like even the flames of the demon had frozen, since nothing on it moved anymore. Still, the Salamander was not defeated. A very muffled growling was still to be heard coming from inside the ginormous ice sculpture.
“Break it down! Break the Salamander! Do not let it escape, or it will rampage!” Obsidian announced.
Instantly, the group started running and flying over to the demon. Fluttershy rammed the scythe through the ice into the demon’s forehead. Rarity lifted and launched everything she could find at the beast by magic. Applejack and Pinkie Pie continuously kicked the huge frozen legs. Rainbow Dash tackled the demon multiple times in the air. Twilight used her magic to help the ice grow deeper inside the Salamander.
Finally, cracks started wandering through the ice and even the demon. The beast struggled a while more, but finally ran out of energy. The flames suddenly vanished and the huge ice sculpture crumbled in itself.
The girls instantly started cheering and shouting, knowing they won the battle. The storm kept on going, helping the ice to melt down and reveal the tiny bit that was left of this mighty demon. A pony-sized, lightly smouldering reptile skull made of stone.
The demon was clearly defeated. But as it was known by now, killing a demon is impossible. It had to be consumed to be destroyed once and for all.
Obsidian limbed over to the skull. Two small red eyes were glowing out of the darkness inside, signalling that the demon was still there.
“Ssssssshhhhheeeee’lllll rrrreeeetttuuuuurrrnnnnn,” the Salmander spoke with a nearly ghostly voice.
“Not as long as I live,” Obsidian responded coldly.
Then he turned into a black cloud and surrounded the skull, consuming it. As he turned back to normal, the reaper had his eyes closed and seemed to be balanced again.
“Are you okay, my love?” Fluttershy wondered.
Obsidian opened his eyes again and smiled at her lightly.
“Very,” he simply replied.
The reaper then started lifting into the air lightly, a burning aura growing around him. He obtained the strength and abilities of the Salamander. After just a few seconds, he landed again and extinguished the flames.
“This may come in handy,” he commented. “Very good job, keepers. Grātiās vōs agō.”
“No problem, O! Sheesh, that was one heck of a battle! I bet I’ll have weird dreams of being ice cream the next few days,” Rainbow replied humorously.
The other keepers of harmony started laughing out loud from that comment and even Obsidian couldn’t hold back a light smile. Though the laughing quickly died off as the group realized his right eye was still red.
“Oh no... I thought if we defeated that Salamander, your eye would be okay again...” Fluttershy commented.
“That is not possible,” Obsidian responded, shaking his head lightly. “The banisher circle destroys both, the demon and the vessel to create something new. My eye was destroyed by this rune spell and even with the demon removed and defeated, it will not recover. I will remain half blinded for the rest of my life.”
“Maybe... maybe I can do something about that,” Twilight offered, trying to summon arcane magic again. But she had to realize she was too mentally drained from the battle to cast even one more powerful spell like that.
“Even the strongest kind of magic has its limits. This is something nopony can undo. It is alright, though. I learned to live with it by now. Let us return home now, keepers,” the black stallion suggested.
“Oh come on now, darling. After all these things we have been through together, you really can start calling us your friends,” Rarity insisted.
“Very well. Let us go home, friends,” Obsidian corrected.
The keepers of harmony then returned to the teleport rune, leaving behind a battle scene that hardly looked any worse than the landscape looked before.
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 29 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
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Maledictum Insania
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Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
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complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
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mature
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2012-11-27T19:45:33+00:00
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2013-03-19T22:14:49+00:00
| 1,841 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Tqo17qdU6pd-RBjFyZciB46Cl40sRGJ0fHoO8lAYFUg/edit
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 28: The Promise
The weeks came and went without any notable events happening. Neither the reapers nor the demons were taking any actions. It seemed like the entirety of Equestria was just waiting for the third corrupted star to appear. This would be the last peaceful time for Obsidian before the great day finally came and he had to execute Celestia’s order.
By now, it was near the middle of summer. In less than a month, the black stallion would have been with the keepers of harmony for a whole year. Obsidian took his time to recover. Although he occasionally got his hooves on fresh pony flesh, he ate very little of it. The black stallion only aimed to let his wounds heal slowly and silence the demons inside him, but not to fully regain his strength and recovering abilities. This, though, was part of the plan. Yet, despite all that Obsidian had been through, he started to become unsure.
Lately, he spent more time than usual down in his room, polishing the skulls of his parents and staring at them, sunken in thoughts. Since Rarity insisted on him calling them his friends, he began to rethink how close he truly was to the keepers of harmony. What just started out as an order became so much more to him. These six mares, Fluttershy in particular, had grown dear to him. He protected them not just because he was ordered to, but because he personally cared for their well being.
Yes. The keepers of harmony were his friends. The reaper didn’t have any friends since his early childhood. When the demons overran Coltholm, he lost everything he had: his parents, his home, his friends and even his life.
It is true that Obsidian Shards was an immortal warrior. But the moment he turned into a reaper, he lost every chance to live a normal life. He became a chess piece in a secret war that was now raging for over one thousand years. His entire existence consisted of following orders, blindly trusting his mistress. The black stallion became used to it and his only remaining passion in life was that of pleasing his mistress, doing whatever she wished of him without any questions. But this changed now.
Obsidian went upstairs to greet his partner and share breakfast with her. Fluttershy always beamed when she saw him. But today, she somehow seemed to be happier than usual.
“Any plans for today, my love?” she wondered.
“I merely need to pay the flower shop a visit. The roses have withered again,” Obsidian explained, causing Fluttershy to smile.
“Hundreds of years have passed and you still frequently bring your parents fresh black roses. I bet, if they could see how much you still care for them, they would be really touched,” she commented.
“Possibly...” the black stallion answered.
The couple finished their breakfast and exchanged a few short kisses. Obsidian then went to the front door and opened it.
“I shall return in an hour,” he stated, just before leaving.
As soon as the door closed again, Fluttershy stopped cleaning up and watched as the reaper lifted into the air. As he flew away from the cottage and left her line of sight, she as well left the house. Today was a special day and there was a lot to prepare within just one hour.
---
While flying towards Ponyville, Obsidian reflected the many years in Celestia’s service. Until the events of the Grand Galloping Gala Midnight Masquerade, she always looked down on the reapers in disgust and anger. Still, of all reapers, she seemed to believe in Obsidian the most. Although reapers in general are very loyal, he tried harder to please his mistress than any other one. Celestia could order of him whatever she wished to, he would do it without a second thought. She seemed to understand that satisfying her was the only purpose he had left in life. Because of this, she frequently entrusted him missions of very high importance. Obsidian never would dare to disobey her and would take any sacrifice necessary to complete his missions.
Precisely out of these reasons, he was selected to execute the mission he was currently in.
Obsidian arrived in Ponyville and started patrolling through the streets. Thinking back, it only made sense that Celestia chose him of all. He, destiny and the original book of death created this situation sixteen years ago. Due to his actions, the keepers of harmony saved Equestria from both Nightmare Moon’s return and Discord. But the price paid was high. From the many lives sacrificed to allow the keepers of harmony to form together like they have now, only very few were guilty. Then there of course also was his deal with Pinkamena. Obsidian was aware which consequences these actions would have from the very beginning. But never would he have thought he would take this so personal after three centuries of being a cold-blooded killer and demon hunter.
Forty minutes passed and Obsidian couldn’t find anything suspicious happening around the village. Derpy, too, reported that there was still next to no demon activity. So he ended his patrol and walked to the flower shop.
“Salvē, Rose,” the reaper greeted as he arrived.
“Ah! Hi there, Obsidian! Let me guess: ten black roses as usual, right?” Rose wondered.
Obsidian simply nodded in response. Rose then went in the back room, only to return with the reaper’s order moments later.
“Man, am I glad you buy them frequently! They are so hard to sell! No one seems to like them for either decoration or food. I totally can’t understand why. They are such wonderful flowers!” Rose stated.
Obsidian didn’t respond. He still rarely ever talked with anypony except the keepers of harmony. So, he simply stored the flowers underneath his cloak and left the money on the counter.
“Valē,” the black stallion spoke and turned around.
“See you next time, Obsidian!” Rose spoke.
---
On his way back to the cottage, the black stallion still had several minutes to think before he would return. He knew that, soon, everything would change. But he wouldn’t be witnessing the long-term consequences of his mission. Obsidian didn’t care for what would happen to him. What he cared for were the ones he was ordered to protect. He was particularly worried about Fluttershy, the one pony he loved. Through their training, she became a much more balanced mare. Of course, the others only saw that she gained a lot in courage, self-esteem and strength. But there was a lot more behind this. Fluttershy finally was at peace with herself, now that she accepted what was resting deep inside her. She still was a very gentle soul, though, full of compassion and benevolence. These features never changed and it were these features about her personality which ultimately warmed his frozen heart. Yet, he had no idea if she was able to endure what was coming.
Through Fluttershy and her friends, Obsidian found love and friendship. A bit of a normal creature’s life had returned into his existence in the shadows. After such a very long time living from one battle to the next, from one reap to another, these things had become foreign to him. He had trained himself to be an effective, soulless killing machine. Now, he became something that could almost be called a pony again. How could one year overthrow the experiences he made in more than three hundred years this radically? How could one year end his distrust in ponies and enable him to experience happiness again?
Of course, it required the keeper of kindness and her love for him to make Obsidian finally realize how much he truly had lost and what he had become. She was the one showing him that there is a live beyond duty. The warm memories of his carefree childhood had turned gray long ago and Obsidian knew nothing but constant endeavour anymore. Fluttershy gave his life a new level of value. In just one year, they experienced a lot of good and bad moments together. It didn’t matter what was thrown at them. Together, they were both able to endure it.
Obsidian decided that he should spend as much time with Fluttershy as possible. The two most important reaps in his life were soon the next in his book of death and he had no clue how things would go on after them.
The black stallion finally returned home. As he opened the door, he suddenly became assaulted by a blast of confetti and streamers, combined with the noises of party horns. Obsidian instinctively used his cloak to cover his face to prevent the confetti from flying into his eyes.
“Surprise!” the six voices of the keepers of harmony shouted out.
As the reaper lowered the cloak in front of his face again, he saw that the inside of the cottage had been decorated with balloons and streamers. A large cake with countless candles was placed on the small table in the living room and a bowl full of punch not far from it.
For a moment, the reaper just stood there, not knowing what to say or think. Then Pinkie Pie bounced in front of him.
“Happy birthday, Obsidian! Oh my gosh! 349 years! You have no idea how difficult it was to put so many candles on one cake! I had to make it extra big to fit them all on top!” she shouted out.
“My... birthday?” Obsidian wondered, catching the other ponies in confusion.
“Don’t tell me you have forgotten your own birthday!” Rainbow Dash worried.
“Not even I do remember the date of my birth. How did you figure it out?” the black stallion wondered.
“Well, that wasn’t too difficult,” Twilight stated. “I got unique access to the Canterlot archives! A few months ago, I made a research about Coltholm and found an old document listing the informations of its inhabitants. After a while, I stumbled across your name.”
“Forgive me if I do not react to your expectations. I am in a lack of words right now... The last of my birthdays that was ever celebrated was my second,” Obsidian explained.
“You’re sayin’ that you missed out more than three hundred birthdays? How do yer even know yer age?” Applejack wondered.
“I merely added another year each new year. You have to see... there never was the time or need for a celebration like this,” the reaper continued explaining.
“My, oh my. Looks like we have quite a lot to catch up!” Rarity stated.
“Certainly!” Fluttershy agreed. “After all you have been through, you really deserve a nice, little celebration!”
“We even got a present for you!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
“A present?” Obsidian wondered.
The six friends nodded and quickly went in the kitchen, where they hid a gift box in the cupboard. The reaper didn’t have the slightest clue what this gift could be. He never spoke out any wishes and didn't require anything at the moment. The mares quickly returned, all carrying the gift box together and handing it to Obsidian, symbolizing it came from all of them. Unsurely, the reaper opened it, only to become completely astonished about its content.
“This is...” he spoke without finishing, not believing what he saw.
Very carefully, he finally lifted out a miniature replica of Coltholm’s Seven Sounds Bell. Still not sure if his good eye was playing a trick on him, he scanned the bell very carefully. Despite the size difference, it was completely identical to the original in even the smallest details.
“He seems to like it!” Fluttershy commented happily.
“I was already quite impressed that you found out my date of birth, but this surpasses everything,” Obsidian responded, deeply impressed.
“Well it wasn’t quite cheap either. I had to save up months of income to pay the gold and the goldsmith to make it. When he finished the bell, he was so dazzled by its sheer beauty that he offered me to not only get all my money back, but also pay me the same amount again just to keep it! Of course I had to decline his offer. This magnificent piece of art belongs to you and you alone, Obsidian!” Rarity explained.
“While doing research on Coltholm, I just couldn’t resist having a look at the bell you described in so much detail. My first attempt was just a small magical illusion, but I instantly realized this bell really was unspeakably beautiful. We all had a talk about it and came to conclusion that this would make the perfect birthday present for you,” Twilight continued.
“This bell does not only appeal in its appearance, it has a strong nostalgic value for me as well... The Seven Sounds Bell was of incredible importance for Coltholm. Although I can not remember a single song it played, I do remember they were beautiful. It also was this bell that saved my life after my city fell. I turned into a reaper inside of it,” Obsidian recounted.
The black stallion gently placed the bell aside and went a few steps closer to the group.
“Words fail to describe my gratitude for this token. Please allow me to express myself in an appropriate manner,” he requested.
Obsidian then started embracing the six mares, one at a time. So much closeness, trust and appreciation from his side was unexpected, even for them. It were the keepers of harmony now who found themselves speechless for a moment. As he finally ended up embracing Fluttershy, he gave her a long, passionate kiss in addition. After the group finally snapped out of their stun, the party began.
---
Obsidian usually held himself in the background during parties. Being the center of a celebration was... strange for him, to say the least. Strange, but pleasant. He had fun celebrating with his... friends. But despite all, Obsidian couldn’t fully enjoy himself. The end of his mission was just too close and he couldn’t stop thinking about it.
The black stallion was able to hide what was steering inside him during the party. But now that it ended, the others went back home and he finished helping Fluttershy cleaning up the last remains, his sadness and thoughtfulness resurfaced.
“What’s the matter, my love? Didn’t you enjoy your birthday party? Did we do something wrong?” the yellow mare wondered.
“No. Everything was perfect. This was the best thing you have done for me so far and for that, I am deeply grateful...” Obsidian responded.
“Then why are you so sad? Is something bothering you? Do you want to talk about it?” Fluttershy offered.
So far, Obsidian avoided this topic. Not only to ensure he wouldn’t accidentally reveal his mission, but also to spare Fluttershy of any sorrow. Yet, he just couldn’t do the same to her he had done with Applejack, the day he came to reap Granny Smith. He couldn’t let her, of all ponies, stay clueless until just a few minutes before. She wouldn’t understand what was happening to him or why. She should be the only pony aware of what consequences Obsidian’s mission had for him.
“Yes, mea amāta... There is something I need to tell you,” he replied.
---
The days went on. Fluttershy reacted just as Obsidian thought. He didn’t give her even the smallest hint on what his mission was, but knowing what would happen once it was completed was reason enough for their relationship to change. He made the yellow mare promise to keep this safe, but Obsidian realized that if only she knew this secret, it wouldn’t be enough.
Obsidian was completely loyal to Mistress Celestia. No matter what, he would never break her trust in him. But now, facing the end of his mission, he had to make preparations which would rearrange everything.
The elder reaper Obsidian Shards had grown a conscience. After all he had been through, he had to make sure things would keep going the right way after his mission ended. Even if it meant to bend the rules again and sneak around Celestia’s order.
Roughly a week after his birthday, Obsidian paid Twilight Sparkle a visit. She was busy cleaning the library, but she started getting used to keeping the house all on her own.
“Ah! Hello, Obsidian. Come on in!” Twilight greeted.
The black stallion entered mutely. What he was going to ask for was very difficult for him, but it had to be done.
“What can I do for you?” the purple mare wondered.
Obsidian lifted his head and looked at Twilight with an expression she never had seen on his face before. He seemed to feel guilty for what he was going to say.
“Twilight Sparkle... I need to ask a big favor of you,” he started.
“Well, what is it?” Twilight wondered.
“Before I can tell you, you first must promise to me that you will do everything you can to make my request come true,” the black stallion requested.
“Uh... that doesn’t make much sense. Why would I make a promise if I don’t even know what I was promising to do?” Twilight questioned.
“I am aware my request is strange, but it must be done this way. I need to make absolutely sure. It is of utmost importance this promise becomes fulfilled,” Obsidian explained.
“Wow... you are very serious about this. Okay then, Obsidian. I Pinkie promise I will make your wish come true. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” Twilight replied, performing the ritualistic act to seal the promise.
“No, Twilight. This is not enough. Promise me by everything that is dear to you, by Mistress Celestia and by all of Equestria that you will make this request come true,” Obsidian insisted with a serious expression.
Twilight became a bit shocked at how extremely serious he was about this. Whatever this request was, it seemed to be of unspeakable importance to him. So far, the black stallion did everything he could to protect her and all of Twilight’s friends. She had no reason to doubt his actions anymore and trusted him completely.
“Okay, Obsidan. I swear by everything that is dear to me, by Princess Celestia and by all of Equestria, I will fulfill your request,” she promised.
Finally, Obsidian became convinced and let out a sigh of relief. He then refocused Twilight with a mix of seriousness and regret, speaking out his request with a lot of emphasis.
“Twilight Sparkle... I need you... to kill me.”
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 30 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
|
complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
|
mature
|
2012-10-02T18:30:39+00:00
|
2012-10-02T18:30:39+00:00
| 1,734 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-b4HqdSd_sCBVsh42FSCArYisbD4GB6ktBh53SLHzEo/edit
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 29: Valētō
Fifteen seconds of silence passed after Obsidian forced Twilight into promising to murder him. In these fifteen seconds, her mind went in loops to find an explanation for this request. His wish seemed so surreal, she first figured it would be a joke. But then she remembered that Obsidian never made a single joke up until this very day and he looked far too serious for it to be a mere prank.
The purple mare didn’t even panic or shout. She just stood there, her expression slowly shifting into one of complete disbelief.
“What?” she asked, her voice unusually calm and focused for what she was just asked to do.
“You heard me right, Twilight Sparkle. I wish for you to end my life, once and for all,” the black stallion replied.
“But why?” she continued asking.
Obsidian didn’t respond instantly. It seemed as if he was gathering his thoughts to make sure his next words were precise and he would not just speak out something she was not meant to hear.
“You are not supposed to know this, but it is not my main task to guard you and your friends. From the first day on, I am here on a secret mission. Please do not ask me what this mission is. I can not reveal it to you, or anypony. But what I can tell you is... that it is my last,” Obsidian explained.
“W... what do you mean by your last?” the purple mare wondered.
“Twilight... I may not look like it, but I am very old... even for a reaper. I am on the final page of my book of death. Very soon, I will reap the last names and then, I myself am meant to die,” the reaper continued explaining.
“You’re... you’re going to die soon? B-but... why didn’t you tell us earlier?” Twilight asked.
“This, too, was something neither of you was meant to know. I originally was merely supposed to guard you, execute my mission and then disappear again. Mistress Celestia did not want you and your friends to befriend a reaper and grow emotionally attached to one. But this was before Fluttershy and I fell in love for eachother...” Obsidian proceeded.
“Wait a moment... What about her? Does she know you are going to die?” the purple mare kept asking.
“Yes, but you two are the only ponies I wish to be aware of my oncoming end. Along with the promise, I furthermore request you to keep this a secret, too,” the reaper bid.
“Al... alright... I won’t tell anypony. But I still don’t understand! Why do you want me to kill you?” Twilight asked.
“Twilight... there is a chance that things may not turn out as planned. My death is required and unavoidable. But even in the case that everything concludes as Mistress Celestia planned... Even if I end up not requiring to be reaped in order to die... I just can not take the idea that another foal has to go through a life like mine, because of me,” Obsidian explained.
“You want me to kill you so I turn into a reaper by tradition instead of letting a child turn into one by fate?” the purple mare analyzed.
“Equidem,” the black stallion responded, “as I said, it is a big favor. I can not leave this world knowing I repeated my own fate on another innocent soul... I promised to you that I should do everything I can to prevent Fluttershy from becoming a reaper and I mean to keep this promise. Not just merely for the promise itself, but for that I could never do this to her... This is why I ask you, Twilight Sparkle. You have not only defeated Despair, but also your own inner demon. From now on, it will be much harder for Maledictum Insania to affect you. Furthermore, should you become a reaper, you will lose your emotions and get trained in self-control. You will make for an incredibly powerful reaper this way.”
Twilight slowly started shaking as she now realized which consequences her promise would have. She wasn’t sure if the shaking came out of fear, panic or anger he tricked her into this. But she knew which opinion she had for his plan.
“You know what? No! I won’t do this! You got some nerves, forcing me into this promise! Don’t you think I’ve been through enough by now?” Twilight replied.
“We all have to make sacrifices at some point. Equestria needs you. Although Mistress Celestia would highly disagree with this promise too, it is a matter of fact that we need a powerful unicorn like you to guard the land. With the reaper curse, your lifespan will extend to hundreds of years and since you mean a lot to my mistress, it might just be that she grants you special conditions, allowing you to keep living with your friends even as a reaper,” Obsidian tried to explain.
“Keep living with my friends?! What kind of life would that be? I would live longer than any of them! I would be forced to watch all of them grow old and die long before me! Just the idea is more than I can take... And besides: me and killing ponies? Never! I could never do such a thing!” Twilight responded.
Obsidian focused the purple mare, his face showing a mix of seriousness and sadness.
“So you think it is more justified to let a helpless, innocent foal turn into a killer and rob it of its future?” he questioned.
“No! Of course not! I mean... you just need to find somepony else to kill you! I can’t do it! I can’t kill one of my own friends!” Twilight stated.
“There is nopony else suitable to become a reaper. In a time of crisis like this, we need to make sure the reaper curse remains in capable hooves. You are the only one-” the reaper started again, but became interrupted by Twilight.
“I said no! I can’t! I just can’t! I’m sorry, Obsidian! As noble as your intentions may be, I can’t do it!” she shouted.
Silence filled the library again. The black stallion’s face showed barely any expression anymore, but his eyes revealed that he felt deep guilt, disappointment and sadness. He shortly bowed down to Twilight, turned around and slowly walked back to the front door.
“You promised it, Twilight. Should the worst case happen and I am forced to ask somepony to perform the Tradition with me, I will come back to you and plead to make you keep your promise. I trust you, Twilight Sparkle. Please, do not make me regret trusting you.”
With these words, Obsidian left again.
---
Another month passed, which was filled with sadness for Twilight Sparkle, Obsidian Shards and Fluttershy, as only they knew that the reaper would soon be no more.
The couple spent as much time as possible together, trying to make the best out of the time they still had left. Yet, it just wasn’t the same as before. The sad thoughts of Obsidians approaching death were constantly present, which was especially hard for Fluttershy to take. Soon, she would be alone again. This knowledge increased Obsidians feelings of guilt.
Twilight, too, became very sad each time she saw the black stallion. Despite the fact that she was still a bit angered about him forcing her into such a radical promise, she now often spent a bit of time each day thinking about it. The purple mare wondered... would it really be necessary to kill him? Was either decision, to refuse following his request or to fulfill the promise the right one? Was she really not capable of ending a friend’s life when he wished for it? She didn’t know.
---
Finally, summer reached its peak again. While the days were very enjoyable for the rest of the villagers, things seemed to be much grayer for the three friends. Despite the wonderful weather, none of them could really be happy, knowing what would happen soon. Ultimately, the reaper received the notification he waited for a whole year now.
It was evening already when Obsidian found and read the letter, which somepony seemed to have put underneath his cursed basement door. He knew precisely what would happen next and how he had to act.
The black stallion spoke to Fluttershy, telling her he had to leave for another night patrol around Ponyville. But the truth was that he had to meet up with a very specific pony.
After ten minutes, he finally arrived at the secret hideout.
“Salvē.”
“Hi!”
“You wished to speak to me?”
“Yep! It’s harvesting time again! I need new ingredients!”
“Very well. Then who shall it be this time?”
Obsidian already knew the answer, but he had to act clueless in order not to arouse suspicion.
“I haven’t calculated the next number yet. I wanted you to be present!”
“I see. Then I shall observe.”
Two minutes of silence passed while several notes were made and calculated using an abacus. Then, it all came down to one number.
“Oh wow! Obsidian! Look who’s next!”
As the reaper recognized the number, he realized that Mistress Celestia was correct. Everything came as she predicted it. The strings of destiny had been woven.
“How do you plan to work it out this time?”
“Well, for her, I need to make some special preparations. This will take me all night, but I’m sure its worth it! I’ve been waiting sooooo long for this day! I can’t wait!”
“I suppose you wish for me to lure her here then?”
“Yep!”
“When do you wish her to arrive?”
“At three would be perfect!”
“Bene. It shall be done.”
“I’m so glad I can count on you, Obsidian! See you tomorrow!”
“Valē”
---
Today was the day. The day on which Obsidian would conclude his mission and reap the two most important names in his life: the last two.
It started out as a day like every other. The black stallion had breakfast with Fluttershy. Then they went to Ponyville to meet up with the others. They all united at the marketplace. Only Pinkie Pie couldn’t come. She had to take care of Sugarcube Corner.
Obsidian tried to act as usual, but it was very hard for him. He knew, the past sixteen years all revolved around this day. Everything depended on him doing his job now and leading things to the conclusion required.
Suddenly, the black stallion was snapped out of his thoughts by Rainbow Dash, tapping on his shoulder.
“Hey, O! Are you up for another race? Or do you give up now that I defeated you two times in a row?” she wondered.
“Certainly not. I accept your challenge,” the reaper replied.
“Oh, Rainbow. Will ya ever have enough of racin’?” Applejack wondered.
“Are you kidding me, AJ? Racing is my life! Obsidian is the perfect training partner! If I can defeat him, I can defeat anypony!” the athletic Pegasus explained.
“That might be very true,” Obsidian agreed and jumped in position. “My friends, I have a few things to take care of today. Fluttershy, I will return home this afternoon.”
“Okay! See you later, my love!” Fluttershy replied.
“Ready, O?” Rainbow Dash wondered, also jumping in position.
“Ready,” he answered.
“Alright. Three, two, one, go!”
---
Obsidian did not go all out during this race. He allowed Rainbow Dash to win, but only narrowly to not make it obvious. He figured that he should do this for her in their very last race.
“Yes! Ow yeah! I beat an elder reaper three times in a row! Now if that’s not Wonderbolt standard, then I don’t know anymore!” Dash celebrated.
Their goal was a cloud this time. Obsidian just sat there, smiling lightly while he watched Rainbow Dash cheer. Although he originally only started racing her in order to gain her trust, he now realized he would miss their races. Like everything else, the romantic hours with Fluttershy, the magic training with Twilight, the conversations with Applejack and Rarity and the parties of Pinkie Pie, these races have become part of his life. His only soothing thought was that he would not have a lot of time left to miss all this.
Rainbow leaned back and relaxed on the cloud. The reaper continued staring at her, sunken in thoughts. He knew what she would be going through today and he would be the one causing it to happen. He had to deliver the message to her. Obsidian felt guilty for doing this to her, but there was no turning back now. This event was simply too important and he was simply too loyal to his mistress to withdraw now. The black stallion figured he should have one final conversation with her.
“Rainbow Dash...” he started.
“Yes, O?” she replied.
“You really want to become a Wonderbolt?” he asked.
“What a question! Of course! I’ve been practising to become one my whole life now!” she answered.
“But you do realize that such a title is heavily fought for. You have many competitors and all of them are similarly talented as you are,” Obsidian stated.
“I don’t know about you reapers, but for an athlete, it’s completely normal to have a lot of competition. It is part of the whole fun to show the world that, no matter what is thrown at you, you will do your best and surpass everypony else. You have to have confidence in yourself! And I tell you, O: I am absolutely sure I got the stuff to be a Wonderbolt and I will prove to the entire world that I can do it!” Rainbow explained.
“I see...” he spoke in response.
Rainbow Dash certainly had it in her. If anypony was worthy becoming a Wonderbolt, it was her. Obsidian felt guilty, but now was the time to tell her.
“Rainbow... Pinkie Pie wishes you to pay her a visit at Sugarcube Corner at three o’clock,” he spoke.
“Huh? Where’s that now coming from, O? I haven’t seen her all day,” Dash stated.
“I do not know what she has planned. I am merely supposed to inform you,” Obsidian lied.
“Alright then. Gee, I wonder what she’s planning this time. She’s so random...” the athletic mare spoke.
A few minutes of silence passed while Dash still recovered from their race and they watched the ponies down on the streets below them. Then Rainbow broke the silence.
“Can I ask you something personal?” she wondered.
“Certainly,” Obsidian replied.
“Well... do you think Pinkie is sometimes a little bit... creepy?” Dash wondered.
“What makes you say this?” the reaper asked back.
“She is always so hyper. I got no idea where she gets that energy from! Sometimes, she’s creeping me out a little bit. But hey, don’t let her know I said that, okay?” the athletic mare requested.
“You know me, Rainbow Dash. I will take the secrets you entrust me with in my grave,” Obsidian explained. “To answer your question: no. I do not think there is anything creepy about Pinkie Pie.”
“Yeah... you’re right, O. What’s there supposed to be creepy about a funny, bouncy party machine?” Rainbow Dash agreed.
Another minute of silence passed. The message was now delivered and things will go their predestined way without any further interference necessary by him. Rainbow got up again and stretched her limbs.
“Anyway, I gotta check on the weather now and practise a bit more. Valē, Obsidian!” she spoke and lifted into the sky. The athletic mare was already far away when the reaper finally gave his quiet response.
“No, Rainbow Dash... This time... it is Valētō...”
So there he was. The air was warm, the sun was shining, and all of Ponyville was having a glorious day. All of the villagers seemed to have somewhere specific to be, and so did Obsidian. He had to prepare for the things happening in about four hours.
---
The reaper was not sure what he was supposed to think or feel while he flew back to Fluttershy’s cottage. Upon arrival, Obsidian realized that the yellow mare was still out with the rest of her friends. As much as he would have loved to spend just a bit more time with her, Obsidian had to meditate. Despite all preparations, there was a chance he would have to fight if he wasn’t fast enough.
“I can’t believe you really are going to pull this off, Obsidian. I guess you are not as soft as I thought after all,” Odd Cirs suddenly commented.
“It is my duty... it is my mission... it must be done. This has to happen, no matter what the cost,” the reaper replied.
“Heh. You really are fun to be around. Just the moment one thinks to know you, you blast out another surprise!” the voice analyzed.
“Odd Cirs... even you should know that today is not a suitable day for a conversation,” the reaper commented.
“Ah, I guess you’re right. I’ll let you be. We have plenty of time to talk after this thing is over,” Odd Cirs concluded.
After that, the voice disappeared again and Obsidian went downstairs to meditate.
---
The hours have passed, but Obsidian just couldn’t fully concentrate. His mind jumped back to Rainbow Dash over and over again. It was forty minutes past three now. The black stallion could only imagine what was happening in Sugarcube Corner right now. Yet, he could do nothing to prevent this.
No. There was nothing that could be done anymore. If this event wouldn’t happen, all preparations and sacrifices of the past sixteen years would have been wasted.
Obsidian could only wait now and scan through his notes. After a while, he stopped and walked over to the two skulls of his parents, sinking in thoughts again as he stared.
This just didn’t feel right. He knew how important this was, but it still didn’t feel right to betray the keepers of harmony like this. It was far not the first time he had been cold and heartless to somepony in order to fulfill his missions. But this time, it was very personal.
His mind drifted back to the night he gifted Rainbow Dash the cursed Dreamcatcher he created. Until today, she never found out what it truly was doing to her and the last time they were talking about her nightmare as well was months ago. It seemed like she had forgotten about it.
But Obsidian didn’t forget. He remembered every last word she revealed to him. Now that he thought about it, the whole procedure sounded rather short. Suddenly, it came to the black stallion.
Yes, it had to happen. But he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t allow it to end like this and destiny itself was aware of this fact from the very beginning. The mission had to be completed, but Obsidian could not let the events happening at Sugarcube Corner at this very moment come to their final conclusion. He had to do something, even if he risked everything. His conscience just wouldn’t allow him to sit back and let Pinkamena do her part.
The reaper made his decision. He quickly put all his notes back in place and ran back upstairs. He had no idea what would happen if he interfered now, but he was willing to pay any price.
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 31 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
|
complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
|
mature
|
2012-12-05T23:25:02+00:00
|
2012-12-05T23:25:02+00:00
| 1,338 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WLjDuKlO77m3ykbCbVY1KJBr1B1d1ZKhdNr8bdkjp8I/edit
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 30: Anagram
“Obsidian is gone?” Twilight wondered. “What do you mean he’s gone?”
“I don’t know! He’s not home!” Fluttershy replied.
“Darling, calm down. He might just be patrolling or hunting demons again,” Rarity figured.
“Rarity... When he says he will be back at a certain time, he always comes at that time. It is very unusual for him to be this late!” Fluttershy argued.
“Just wait a bit, sugarcube. He’ll come back eventually. It’s not the first time he’d gone hiddin’ in the shadows,” Applejack stated.
“No, Applejack. This time is different. He went away without telling me. He is in trouble! I just know it!” the yellow mare responded.
“What makes you so sure of that?” Twilight wondered.
“I... I can’t really explain it. There is a special connection between us. Since he taught me how to deal with darkness, I can sense several things more. We just have to find him!” Fluttershy insisted.
“Gee, Fluttershy! He’s a big, strong warrior! He can take care of himself, as ya know! Why do ya panic so much?” Applejack wondered.
“Because... because...” the yellow mare started.
She was well aware the black stallion didn’t have much time left. Fluttershy feared that she would not be able to be there when his final hour would come. Despite how much it would hurt her, she wanted to be by his side when the moment came. Yet, just like Twilight, she promised to not tell anypony else about his approaching end. She loved and trusted him just too much to break this promise. Fluttershy refocused her friends with and expression of desperation they didn’t know from her.
“Can we just look for him, please?” she begged with tears in her eyes.
“Oh my stars, darling... You’re really worried, aren’t you?” Rarity asked.
Fluttershy just nodded, trying to put herself together again.
“Well, Fluttershy knows Obsidian better than all of us together. If she says something is wrong, then we should trust her word. Let’s go get Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, then we will start looking for him. We will meet again at the marketplace in two hours, should the search be fruitless,” Twilight suggested.
“Roger that! C’mon Rarity!” Applejack spoke and started running off with the fashion diva into search for their two friends.
Twilight was about to go as well when Fluttershy spoke up again.
“Twilight...Wait a moment, please...” she requested.
“Yes, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked.
“You know why I’m so worried, right? He wants you to do it... The Tradition...right?” the yellow mare asked.
“So he told you... Well... yes,” Twilight replied.
“Are you... going to do it?” Fluttershy wondered.
“I don’t know... He got the right intentions, but I don’t know if I could kill a friend. Also... I’m really scared of what I’d become... But the thing I fear the most is hurting you, Fluttershy. I know you really love him with all your heart... I don’t want to risk our friendship,” the purple mare replied.
A moment of silence passed, the two mares staring at the ground with thoughtful and depressed faces.
“This isn’t fair... This just isn’t fair. I’ve finally found a stallion for myself and now he’s going to die...” Fluttershy spoke, a tear rolling down her face. “I... I just wanted to tell you that I won’t be mad at you if you do it... Obsidian always has a reason for his actions and if he asks you for such a thing, then that too has a reason.”
“Thank you... this makes it easier for me... Anyway, let’s go find him!” Twilight stated.
The yellow mare nodded in agreement. Then, they too went searching.
---
Two hours of search passed. It was getting dark and the group met up at the marketplace again. By now, they all had worry written on their faces.
“Well? Any success?” Twilight asked.
“Nope, sorry. By the way, have y’all seen Pinkie and Rainbow? Ah just can’t find ‘em,” Applejack wondered.
“No. I didn’t see Rainbow since she went racing with Obsidian and I haven’t seen Pinkie all day,” Fluttershy stated.
“I also didn’t have any luck in finding any of them. What about you, Rarity?” Twilight asked.
“Well Rainbow doesn’t seem to be at home. I went to her cloud house and called for her several times. I even asked another Pegasus to fly up and see if she’s there, but he said there was only a turtle,” Rarity explained.
“Sheesh. I’ve been at Sugarcube Corner, but the Cakes said Pinkie wasn’t home. Where are they? It’s like they just disappeared!” Applejack stated.
“D-d-do you think Slendermane returned to Ponyville?” Fluttershy asked with a shaky voice.
“With the reapers around and the third corrupted star coming, not very likely. But something is definitely going on!” Twilight stated.
“Obsidian disappearing is one thing. But Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash? Maybe we should ask Derpy to help us search for them,” Rarity suggested.
“Good idea, Rarity. Don’t worry, Fluttershy. We will keep searching until we find them! Let’s go, girls! We haven’t been in Everfree Forest yet!” Twilight stated.
“Oh, I just hope they are alright...” the yellow mare worried.
---
Despite the best efforts and even with the support of Derpy Hooves, the group couldn’t find their missing friends. Obsidian, though, was never far away from them the whole time. He spent the entire day running and hiding from an enemy chasing after him. An enemy so strong that even he would have difficulties in a battle against it, although it was no demon.
It was already late at night when the reaper had to leave his cover and ran through Whitetail Wood. He was still being chased. Obsidian knew it would have consequences if he interfered and now he had to deal with them. He was not sure what to do. The black stallion could not just stop and face his enemy. He knew it was at least as stealthy as he was and also very combat trained. Running away was no option either. From this one, it was impossible to escape.
While the black stallion tried to come up with a plan, a familiar voice started bothering him.
“Obsidian. We need to talk,” Odd Cirs spoke.
“Not now,” Obsidian replied, still running.
“Yes, now. This is our last chance,” the voice insisted.
“You are planning to leave me? That is only to my advantage,” the reaper stated coldly.
“I’m not going anywhere unless you finally figure out my name,” Odd Cirs replied.
“As I said. Not now. I have to deal with this first. She is still closely behind us,” Obsidian explained.
“Oh, you need time? You can get time! She will have to wait. This is more important now,” the voice stated.
A bright light appeared around the reaper. A moment later, he found himself on the other end of the forest.
“You possess teleporting abilities?!” the reaper spoke in surprise.
“Of course I do! I can do much more than that! Or well, at least I used to be able to,” Odd Cirs stated.
“Why did you wait to use your powers until now? This is not the right moment, Odd Cirs! We must not lose her and she must not lose track of us!” the reaper explained.
“Ah, you know her, Obsidian. She will find us, no matter what. This just buys us some time, nothing more,” the voice spoke.
Obsidian just remained silent and made an angered expression. He really had much more important things to do than to deal with this strange voice. In all the time they spent together, Obsidian never cared for Odd Cirs enough to even think about him much.
“To answer your question: I was unable to use my powers until you know what happened,” Odd Cirs answered suddenly.
This statement made the reaper’s eyes go wide open and change his expression to a shocked one.
“You have a connection to the keepers of harmony?” he asked.
“You could say that! I met them in person! They are the reason why I am what I am now,” Odd Cirs answered.
This just changed everything. All the time, the voice held back informations which might have been important for his mission. Odd Cirs just waited for the right moment and toyed with Obsidian the whole time. Now, the reaper just had to know it.
“Who are you truly, Odd Cirs?” the reaper wondered.
“As I said, you have to find that out. Since this is your last chance, you really should get to it now, Obsidian,” the voice stated.
The reaper figured that he would not stop bothering him until this mystery was solved anyway. So he sunk into his thoughts, gathering all the informations he had about Odd Cirs. This, though, proved to be not very much. All Obsidian clearly knew was that Odd Cirs somehow depended on him and needed him for his own plan.
The strangest thing about this voice was how it named itself, though. Odd Cirs. Who would come up with such a name? Obsidian had to admit that something was curious about this name. It was strangely familiar, but he just couldn’t tell in what way.
“So did you enjoy betraying your own friends, Obsidian?” Odd Cirs wondered.
“Silēns es...” the reaper growled lightly.
“Well, although this is not usually my thing, I really enjoyed it. I hate those six ponies! They ruined everything!” the voice stated.
Never before has Odd Cirs spoken out a personal dislike about the keepers of harmony. It was clear to Obsidian that he was giving out hints now. It didn’t quite dawn on the reaper yet. Why was this name so familiar? And what business did he have with the six mares?
Odd Cirs began to chuckle a bit. He seemed to be excited and amused about the fact that Obsidian finally tried to figure out who he was.
“The answer is a curious thing,
no one knows what it will bring.
But if you want to find out more,
you have to think back into lore.
And to stop making your head revolve,
an anagram you have to solve,” the voice suddenly started rhyming.
More hints for Obsidian. It seemed like Odd Cirs really wanted to get this dealt with now.
The reaper tried to put it all together: a connection to the keepers of harmony, a mark left in pony history and an anagram.
An anagram? Was he hinting on his name? Was that the reason it always sounded so strange? How did all this fit together?
Obsidian started rearranging the letters of the voice’s name in his head. He tried to get a first and last name out of it, but he came up with nothing that would make sense or sound familiar. So the reaper began mixing up all the letters to try to create a single word.
“Well, although I don’t like the keepers of harmony very much, I have to say Pinkie Pie was a personal favorite of mine. We both had a lot in common. Like how much we enjoyed a good laugh and were quite chaotic. Don’t you think so too, Obsidian?” Odd Cirs wondered.
It seemed as if the voice was expecting the black stallion to understand now. Indeed, it started getting through to him now, filling his mind with more and more shock as he put the things together.
Laughing, chaotic personality... Obsidian figured out the voice’s anagram.
“Yes. You two had several things in common, Discord,” the reaper answered.
The voice began to laugh out loudly and the wind started blowing in circles around the reaper. As the laughter filled the air, it also seemed to fill the wind with small, lightly glowing particles that clustered together more and more. Finally, the spirit of chaos and disharmony appeared right in front of the reaper. But something was strange about Discord. He was white and seethrough. This, though, didn’t surprise Obsidian much.
“It is about time you finally figured it out! I really started getting bored being just a shapeless voice!” Discord stated.
“It is not like you are a lot more in this form either,” Obsidian countered with a despise filled expression.
“So you got it all figured out now, haven’t you?” Discord asked.
“Equidem. I understand. You have been purified by the elements of harmony once before. No creature of chaos, evil or disharmony can possibly survive a second purification. Your body did not just turn back into stone. You lost your grip on it entirely. You are nothing but a spirit anymore,” Obsidian explained.
“Well, I’ve always been the spirit of chaos and disharmony. That’s nothing new. But you are right. Without my draconequus body, I shouldn’t technically exist anymore. But you know what, Obsidian? There still is chaos and disharmony in this land, even without my influence! Just enough to keep me existing in my spirit form,” Discord stated.
“Yet I do not understand why you chose to follow me of all creatures,” Obsidian spoke.
“Oh, I didn’t choose anything! I was forced to stick around you! You for some reason were the only being I could continue existing around. I myself didn’t really understand why for quite a while,” the spirit explained.
“Existence... a strange word for you to use to describe your status. How does it feel to basically not really exist anymore? How does it feel to once have been a mighty creature and now being nothing more but a poltergeist?” the reaper started mocking.
Discords face became serious and displeased, only to slide into a mischievous smile moments later.
“You are one to say such a thing, Obsidian. You are not a single bit better. You are just as helplessly depending on destiny and empty on the inside as I am,” the spirit countered.
Obsidian looked to the ground. Discord got him there. Despite the reapers best efforts, he didn’t have the ability to change destiny and only Fluttershy would know even better than Discord how much this one year made him question his entire existence.
“Anyways, I think I finally found out why I had to stay around you,” Discord continued.
“I suppose you want to share your knowledge with me,” the reaper figured, rather observing the surroundings than honoring him with a glance.
“Oh, Obsidian. I’ve been your loyal companion for one year and you still couldn’t care less for me?” Discord wondered.
The black stallion started getting angry now. He stomped on the ground and focused the spirit of chaos and disharmony, showing his fangs.
“Why would I ever care for one of Mistress Celestia’s greatest enemies?” he asked back.
“Because we are just the same! You and I are bringers of chaos and disaster! Just your ways are more final and brutal! And besides: you can’t quite claim to have been the most loyal to your mistress lately,” Discord explained.
“I am not like you, Discord. You better stop these insults!” Obsidian growled.
“Haha! What do you want to do? As you said yourself, I don’t really exist anymore! You are more like me than you want to believe, Obsidian. And exactly that’s why I could only continue existing around you,” the spirit stated.
“What do you mean?” the reaper wondered.
“There always will be chaos and disharmony. Even if I should stop existing, chaos will always go on. You are a reaper, Obsidian. Maybe even the best of all. You spread chaos and disharmony not with powerful magic, but with your scythe. Although you won’t live for very long anymore, you still make a very capable follower of my work. Maybe I can even get you to see that demons aren’t so bad after all!” Discord explained.
“Has Maledictum Insania affected you now as well, Discord? Have you grown so insane that you do not see all the blood these creatures spill?” Obsidian wondered.
“Of course, they make quite a mess. I don’t usually agree in killing ponies either and torturing them in a level as they do, but let’s face it, Obsidian. I’m not quite in the position that allows me to complain and choose what chaos I prefer. Chaos is chaos. Soon, you will understand what I mean. When you see the things through discorded eyes,” the spirit spoke.
“Discorded ey-” the reaper started, but became unable to continue.
He felt Discord placing a finger on top of his head and casting the same spell on him he used for the keepers of harmony. A magical wave started washing over Obsidian and he could feel how the magic tried to rearrange his mind, causing him to get very dizzy and closing his eyes.
“I will make you my successor, if you want to or not! With this spell, you don’t only get my last remaining powers, but will become the monster I always wanted you to be!” Discord stated laughing while his magic affected the reaper.
The spirit kept on laughing loudly while he watched his corrupting magic wander over the reaper. Finally, the spell was done. Due to Obsidian already being entirely black, Discord couldn’t quite tell if it worked. Then, the reaper opened his eyes again. If the spell would have worked, his red eye should have turned gray now. But it still glowed red. Nothing visually changed on the reaper, confusing Discord deeply.
Obsidian slowly lifted his head. His expression hadn’t been this empty for a long time. Then he began to speak.
“Your magic does not work on me, Discord. Nothing has changed... besides one thing,” Obsidian stated.
“Huh? What thing?” Discord wondered.
“I now understand... I know why your discording spell failed on me... You can not turn a creature any darker that already is pitch black down to the very soul... I already embody disharmony in all its ways... I do not care for jokes and am greedily devouring ponies. I am a liar and traitor who makes his own friends suffer. And although I am powerful, I do not have the power to change what I am and what I do... Seriousness, greed, dishonesty, disloyalty, cruelty and powerlessness... I already am a monster...” Obsidian explained slowly, his expression drifting more and more into sadness.
Discord was speechless. He never encountered anypony able to withstand his magic, but Obsidian’s explanation made sense. There was no way to corrupt him any further. The black stallion lifted his head again, focusing the spirit.
“Are we done now?” he asked.
“I guess,” Discord replied.
“Good. Now excuse me, but I got ponies to kill,” Obsidian explained and turned around.
Suddenly, Discord started laughing again.
“Oho! Wow! Just wow, Obsidian! You surpass all my expectations! You will make for a great follower! You might not have much time left, but I’m pretty sure you will put my powers into good use until then! Now go, Obsidian! Finish your mission and leave our mark of chaos on history again!” Discord motivated.
After saying that, the spirit of chaos and disharmony was done with his work. He gave the last tiny portion of power he had left to Obsidian and nothing was left to keep him in this world. The spirit slowly faded away, laughing while he did so.
“Yes. I am a monster. But not like you, Discord. I am not like you,” the reaper spoke to himself.
Now, Obsidian knew what he had to do in order to deal with his stalker. He began to run again, but this time towards the one chasing him. He understood that the only way to win against this enemy was by losing.
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 32 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
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Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
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complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
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mature
|
2012-10-02T09:44:17+00:00
|
2013-08-02T00:11:08+00:00
| 1,457 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HWz8WiPVGhcXUaqNSYURr_uYY5m9E50xVxPZB2_Qyjo/edit
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 31: Mission Complete
The keepers of harmony spent the entire night searching for their missing friends without success. Even with Derpy’s help, there was no trace of them. It was without question now that something must have happened. Eventually, the group had to admit that they were all too drained to keep searching and went home to sleep.
Two more days passed without any sign of life from the three missing friends. Fluttershy feared for the worst. She figured Obsidian’s time had come and he hid himself somewhere very hard to find to die and both Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie went searching for him. The truth, though, was a lot different.
It was the third day now after the three disappeared mysteriously. Twilight was getting ready for another round of search when somepony knocked at her door. She instantly opened it with her magic, hoping it would be Obsidian. Although it was not the black stallion standing on the other side, it was a big surprise for her none the less.
“Shining Armor!” the purple mare exclaimed. “What a pleasant surprise!”
“Hi there, Twily. It’s good to see you, little sis’,” he replied, friendly but serious.
“Is something wrong? Is Cadence with you?” Twilight wondered.
“No. She’s busy with her duties in Canterlot,” her brother answered.
“Well, why don’t you come in? Can I offer you something? Tea? Cookies? A sandwich maybe?” the purple mare offered.
“Twily... as much as I’m happy to see you again and as much as I’d love to just talk with you, I have to tell you I’m here on duty,”Shining Armor stated.
“On duty? Did something happen?” the purple mare wondered.
“I’m pretty sure you should know that even better than me. We got a notification that some of your friends went missing,” Shining Armor replied.
“Really? By whom? I thought the royal guards were only responsible for matters of national security,” Twilight wondered.
“It is a matter of national security. Your reaper friend Obsidian Shards told us all about it,” the white stallion replied.
“Obsidian?! You found him? What about the others?” Twilight asked.
“Yes. We found them. And this is why I’m here. Let’s go get your other friends. You need to hear the official announcent,” her brother stated.
“I don’t quite follow. What’s going on? What did Obsidian tell you?” Twilight wondered.
“Just come, sis’,” Shining Armor requested.
Twilight was pretty confused. If the royal guards were able to find her missing friends, why was this a matter of national security?
---
The purple mare lead her brother around the village, gathering the rest of her friends. After they united, the four mares were brought in front of Sugarcube Corner.
The sweets shop was surrounded by dozens of royal guards, blocking any possible way in. Naturally, this sight attracted a lot of curious ponies, but none were given any information.
Next to the front door was the Cake family, apparently talking to a cloaked black stallion. The four mares instantly recognized him.
“Obsidian!” they shouted, running towards him.
Fluttershy ran ahead and embraced the reaper, crying in relief to see him again. Obsidian, though, remained silent, coughing from the sudden hug.
“Obsidian! What is going on?” Twilight wondered.
Her question was met with silence. The reaper stood motionless, apparently looking down to the ground, coughing out dark particles every now and then.
“Mommy? Daddy? Where’s Pinkie?” Pumpkin Cake wondered.
“She is... she went traveling, Pumpkin,” Carrot Cake replied.
Now, the focus of all the mares switched to mister and misses Cake.
“Traveling?” Applejack asked.
“Oh dear... they don’t know it, yet,” Cup Cake analyzed.
“Know what?” Rarity wondered.
Now, even the Cakes became silent.
“When will she be back?” Pound Cake asked.
“We don’t know...” Cup Cake answered.
This whole situation was hard to understand for any of the four mares. Judging from the large deployment of royal guards, something very big must have happened. Yet, nopony knowing what was going on wanted to speak about it. Finally, Shining Armor stepped in front of the crowd and began to speak.
“Attention, ponies! Sugarcube Corner has become a crime scene. The sweets shop will remain closed until further notice. We are still investigating, so we ask for your understanding that we can’t give out any information about what happened. Just stay calm. The situation is under control now,” he exclaimed.
This announcement awoke uneasy mumbling in the crowd. But the keepers of harmony were even more unsettled.
“A crime scene? Did somepony get hurt?” Rarity worried.
Finally, Obsidian broke his muteness and responded.
“Nopony who was not meant to get hurt,” he spoke weakly with a very rough voice, coughing again after he finished speaking.
“What’s that supposed to mean? What the hay is goin’ on, Obsidian?” Applejack wondered with a worried and angered tone in her voice.
The reaper became silent once again, just coughing a few times.
“My love... what happened to Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash? Did you see them?” Fluttershy asked.
“The less you know, the better. Just do not expect to see them again... ever...” he replied coldly.
“What the... what are you saying, Obsidian?! What happened to them? Where did they go without telling us first?” Twilight wondered.
Once more, the reaper denied to answer. He kept on staring to the ground and coughing. Acting like he didn’t hear this question, he turned his head over to the Cakes.
“Are you ready to leave?” he wondered.
“I guess we are. We got all our personal belongings in the cart... By Celestia... I’m so glad it’s finally over,” Carrot Cake spoke.
“You are leaving Ponyville? But why?” Fluttershy wondered.
“We have to, deary. After all this, there is no way we could keep living in Ponyville. Too many bad memories and after what happened, I am sure the ponies here won’t forgive us or ever trust us again. We have to open a new sweets shop in Fillydelphia,” Cup Cake answered.
“Is Pinkie there?” Pumpkin Cake wondered.
“No, Pumpkin. She went somewhere else. But don’t worry. She will get a letter, telling her where we moved,” her father lied in order to protect the little filly from the truth.
“You have kept your part of the arrangement, mister and misses Cake. You have proven yourself to Equestria, so Mistress Celestia will keep her part as well. By the power granted to me, I hereby declare all your past connections and actions for null and void,” Obsidian spoke, his voice getting rougher and rougher the longer he spoke, ending in him coughing heavily a few times.
“Thank you... thank you so much,” Carrot Cake replied, sighing in relief.
Meanwhile, Twilight started getting angry.
“Hey! Stop ignoring me, Obsidian!” she shouted.
“Me paenitet,” the reaper apologised and turned his head back to the group.
“Do you have any idea how worried we were the past three days? We’ve been looking for you, Pinkie and Rainbow every day from dawn to sundown! You can’t just sit there, knowing precisely what’s going on and not telling us anything! Where is Pinkie Pie? Where is Rainbow Dash? What does this all have to do with Sugarcube Corner and the Cakes leaving?” Twilight insisted to know.
Again, the reaper lowered his glance to the ground and remained silent. That was enough for Twilight. If he wouldn’t spill the beans on his own, she would make him speak.
“Obsidian Shards, I order you to tell me what happened!” she spoke out, half yelling.
Shining Armor instantly turned around to her sister. He knew she had authority over the reaper and by giving him this order, he was forced to speak. The white stallion stepped next to his sister.
“Twily... some things should better remain unknown. Obsidian Shards: as captain of the royal guards, I give you the authority to reject this command,” he spoke.
“Wha... what?” was all Twilight could say now.
She was stunned to hear that even her own brother tried to cover this incident up and hide things from her. The purple mares eyes jumped between Obsidian and Shining Armor, looking at them both in disbelief.
“Captain... I suppose I would not be able to hide it from them anyway. With your agreement, I would like to take Twilight Sparkle inside and show her what had happened... Only Twilight Sparkle,” Obsidian requested.
Shining Armor focused his sister. He could see the wild mix of emotions in her eyes. Anger, worry and a huge confusion. He knew she wouldn’t stop looking for answers until she found out what she wanted to know. It would be better if somepony explained it to her, he figured.
“Twily... Sister... this is something nopony should see or even know. But I know you and I know you are strong enough to take this,” he spoke, then turned his head back to the black stallion. “Alright, Obsidian. Take her inside and show her. Guards! Make space for the reaper and my sister! They are allowed to enter!”
Instantly, the guards stepped aside and opened a path to the front door. As Twilight was about to head inside, she was stopped by Carrot Cake.
“Twilight. One thing before you go inside...” he spoke.
“Yes, Mr. Cake?” Twilight wondered.
“We... we never wanted this. Any of this. We had no option. Cup Cake and I just wanted to live a normal life and protect our foals. We haven’t done anything illegal, but this also wasn’t entirely lawful either. I know, it’s asked for too much to say ‘please don’t judge us for this’, but I just want you to keep in mind that we did everything we could in our... special situation. We are sorry... very sorry,” Carrot Cake explained.
Twilight still didn’t quite understand what he was talking about, but figured that it would soon be explained anyway. She just nodded, signaling she understood. Then she went inside the sweets shop.
Obsidian followed her, but stopped at the doorstep. He turned his head back to Fluttershy, giving her a much saying glance. The yellow mare instantly understood what this look meant. He would not come back outside again and was asking for forgiveness.
Fluttershy tried to run towards him, but the guards held her off. She called for him. She struggled to come and embrace him one last time. But it had no use. She was not allowed to enter. She was not allowed to prevent what was going to happen.
---
The inside of Sugarcube Corner looked like always. Nothing indicated that a crime was committed here, confusing Twilight even more. Obsidian, though, lead her to the kitchen. It was now that Twilight realized something was off. Next to the fridge was a heavy metal door with a broken lock.
“Huh? I never noticed that before,” she stated.
“That might be because this door is usually hidden behind panels, which can not be removed unless you know how to,” Obsidian explained.
“A hidden door? What’s up with that?” Twilight wondered.
“You will understand soon. But before we go inside, I need to warn you. What you are about to see is more horrifying than everything you have seen so far. It will shatter all you believed in. Are you sure you wish to proceed?” Obsidian asked.
“I want answers, Obsidian. I’ve seen so many horrible things already. I doubt that whatever lies beyond will throw me off any more,” the purple mare replied.
“As you wish,” Obsidian spoke, bowing down.
Twilight used her magic to open the door. Stairs were behind it, seemingly leading down to a hidden basement. Although the way down was dark and she couldn’t see much, she already experienced a dreadful sensation.
The purple mare gathered her courage and started walking, casting a light spell to illuminate the way. The passage down was narrow. Barely wide and tall enough for a full-grown pony. As she reached the bottom, another metal door was in front of her. This one too had a broken lock, as if somepony had destroyed it in order to get through.
The door slowly opened by magic. Although it was just opened by a tiny gap, Twilight instantly became nauseous from the strong smell of decay coming from the other side. This already made the mare question if she wished to proceed, but her curiosity and worry about her friends drove her on.
Finally, she opened the door fully, revealing the interior to her eyes. Twilight became shocked deeply and paralyzed from the sight present to her. It was a torture room. No, much worse than that. It was a torture room filled with macabre decor to theme it like a party room.
Furniture made of bones and pony flesh.
Dried entrails hanging across the room to act as streamers.
Preserved organs filled with helium to be used as balloons.
Countless painted pony skulls hanging on the walls.
Large banners made of pony hide hanging from the ceiling, reading ‘Life is a party’, written in blood.
Torture instruments were scattered all across the room, most of them blood stained.
And everything... absolutely everything was covered in long dried blood. So long that it even seemed to be layered several times at certain places.
The center of this ghoulish place was a rack. It seemed to have been used just recently, as there was still fresh blood dripping from it.
Twilight was so horrified from the appearance of this room that she failed to analyze it properly. Her eyes just kept jumping from one disturbing thing to the other. It took her a while to finally realize there was something pink in this room.
“Pinkie!” the purple mare shouted out as she finally realized what she was seeing.
She ran over to her friend, who seemed to wear a dress. But as she came closer, she realized Pinkie Pie wasn’t moving and was covered in blood. Twilight also realized that this dress was in fact made of cutie marks and Pegasus wings, while Pinkie was also wearing a necklace of unicorn horns. On closer inspection in this dark, morbid room, Twilight realized that Pinkie’s face was half missing and her stomach looked like it had been repeatedly pierced by sharp objects. It slowly got through to Twilight: Pinkie Pie was dead.
The purple mare stood in front of the corpse, shaking all over. Her mind had become a lot stronger due to surviving the events around Despair, but she still had huge issues to make sense out of what she was seeing. Twilight felt a strong urge to hug the dead body of Pinkie Pie and cry out loud over her death, but at the same time she was deeply disgusted and horrified, wanting to avoid any contact with the blood or dress.
“Rainbow Dash is here, too,” Obsidian announced, his voice still weak and rough.
Twilight turned around, seeing Obsidian dragging the cerulean Pegasus mare out of a corner. She quickly realized that Rainbow seemed unnaturally stiff and was placed on a stand, supported by timber studs. As the purple mare came closer, she could see stitches all across her friend’s body and her eyes were dull. Rainbow Dash was dead as well and had been stuffed.
The purple mare’s expression began to slide more and more into complete desperation. Tears started rolling down her face as her focus kept on jumping between Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, not wanting to believe what she was seeing.
Minutes passed while Twilight tried to pull herself together again. The heavy confusion and being completely unable to make sense out of anything intensified the horrors she was seeing a lot. Finally, Twilight stopped crying again and started to speak.
“H...how... how could this happen?” she asked.
Obsidian took a deep breath. He didn’t precisely know how to start explaining all this. After all, this was a long story to tell. He decided to begin by handing Twilight a scroll containing the royal seal. She opened it and started reading. It was clearly written by Princess Celestia.
Dearest Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student,
When you are reading this, it means you are now suffering from the consequences of my order given to your friend Obsidian Shards. It fills me with incredible sadness and regret to inform you that I had ordered him to reap two of your best friends: Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie.
Sadly, this was unavoidable. We have evidence that proves Pinkie, also known as Pinkamena Diane Pie, continued her family traits of kidnapping, torturing and cannibalizing.
Since she was destined to become the keeper of laughter, she was under immunity of punishment for many years. We couldn't risk losing control over the elements of harmony in case of unexpected disasters. The following years after Nightmare Moon’s return had proven my decision correct.
Now, after thirteen years from when we first gained evidence, we finally reached the point where we could bring her to justice for her despicable crimes, but that again required an incredible sacrifice.
We had to wait for her to kill Rainbow Dash. When we already lost a keeper of harmony due to unavoidable events, it wouldn't matter anymore if we lost another.
Both of us, Obsidian Shards and me, had been knowing about this from the very beginning. I can not express how very sorry I am for doing this to you, but I had no choice. Neither did Obsidian. He simply followed my order loyally. I can only hope that, by the time you get and read this letter, you will be able to understand why I acted like I did.
The decisions I made were paid with blood of innocent ponies, and even that of your friends. I can only hope for your forgiveness.
Your mentor, Princess Celestia.
As Twilight finished reading, she began to shake again, her eyes growing wide open and her head slowly turning back to the pink corpse.
“P-P-Pinkie w-was... a... a cannibal?” she asked.
“Yes. She has always been. All her life long,” Obsidian replied.
“I-I... I... how... why...” Twilight stuttered.
This whole situation had been hard to believe for her to begin with. But now with this knowledge, Twilight completely failed to make any sense out of anything anymore. She just stared at Obsidian, begging for explanation. The reaper nodded in understanding, starting to tell the story of his mission.
“What you are seeing here is the end result of something that rooted in a mission I had to execute sixteen years ago,” he started. “Both the Pie bloodline and the Cake bloodline were very infamous amongst those responsible for the security of this land. For hundreds of years, these two families had been suspected to be very weak towards Maledictum Insania, leading them into a form of insanity in which they started torturing and eating other ponies. We never managed to find evidence for their actions, though.
“That was until sixteen years ago. Mistress Celestia finally obtained a clear proof of their actions, enabling us to punish them. Our mistress ordered us to make precise research about each member of both families to prevent any undeserved executions.
“While in the Cake family there were a few members who were not affected by the curse of madness and just ate pony flesh because they were forced to, the Pie family was corrupted thoroughly.”
Obsidian stopped as speaking became too difficult for him and he started coughing out dark particles again. He took several deep breaths and then continued.
“Since the obliteration of the Pie bloodline was of very high importance, Mistress Celestia ordered me to systematically hunt them down. It took me five years to find them all.
“The last remaining members were Pinkamena’s parents and siblings. I suppose she never spoke about how she got to Ponyville. That might be because she does not remember. The night I discovered her family rock farm and assassinated them, she was still very young.
“Another aspect worth mentioning is that all Pie family members are known to be excellent hunters and fighters. They had been abducting, torturing and killing ponies for such a long time, they developed their own techniques. Even the youngest of them were capable of keeping up with a reaper and even defeat one.
“The battle against her parents and two sisters was very difficult, even for an elder like me. Eventually, I managed to kill them all, but not without getting heavily injured myself.
“Since the farmhouse, where the battle was taking place, was already too heavily damaged with distinctive marks of combat, I decided to let their death look like an accident and set the building on fire.”
The reaper paused again. He seemed to have big problems to speak at all, but forced himself to continue. He coughed up more dark particles, gave himself a short recovery break and then continued.
“It was then when I heard a scream. I looked around the house and discovered a small pink filly, hiding in a cupboard in the kitchen. I immediately knew that this would become a big problem.
“My order only extended to the last two adult Pie family members and their two daughters. The reports never spoke about a third daughter. It is supposed that the reapers doing the research on the Pie family never considered Pinkamena as one of them, since she looked a lot different to the rest of her family.
“But there she was. I was not allowed to kill her, so I was forced to save her life and rescue her out of the house I set aflame. In fact, this was the only thing she still remembered of me: saving her life after her parents and sisters died.
“She never saw me fighting and killing them. Only thanks to this, I was able to gain her trust in such a level that she even showed me her darkest secrets.”
Obsidian paused again, placing a front hoof on his throat. It was clear to Twilight that he was injured in some way, making this conversation very difficult for him. Yet, she didn’t want him to stop. She needed to know all the details that lead to the death of her two friends.
“I knew that Pinkamena had a high chance of becoming a cannibal like the rest of her family. She had been fed with pony flesh for years already and the trauma of losing her family would have further weakened her already very fragile mind.
“I could not just give her to an orphanage or let her get adopted by a regular family. She would end up killing them. I needed to give her to ponies she would never dare to harm, because they were from a befriended cannibal family. I had to give her to the Cakes.
“At this point, Carrot Cake and Cup Cake were amongst the last of the Cake bloodline. Although they were born and raised as cannibals, they were unaffected by Maledictum Insania and wished for nothing more than to just live a normal life. Mistress Celestia pardoned them and allowed them to be with normal ponies under the condition to never eat flesh again and doing everything she asked them to do.
“Back then, they were still under strict observation and it was known to most reapers they started building a sweets shop in Ponyville. They were the best opportunity available. As cannibals fighting their addiction successfully, I figured they would be able to teach Pinkamena how to control her hunger too.
“This, though, turned out to be wrong. Pinkamena was very focused on continuing the traditions of her own family and trained herself in combat, hunting, the arts of torture and Equestria’s organization in order to bypass laws and reduce usable evidence to a minimum.”
The reaper paused again. His voice started getting very weak now. This time, he gave himself a good minute to recover before continuing.
“Young Pinkamena fell unconscious after I dragged her out of the burning farmhouse. I had to transport her somehow without letting other ponies see what I was doing to avoid getting them suspicious about the pink filly. So I wrapped her into a large piece of cloth I found and ran towards Ponyville in the middle of the night.
“The only pony who had seen me was Big Macintosh. He was just a colt back then. I was forced to ask him if he knew the Cakes and where they could be found. This encounter was something he memorized.
“Not much later that night, I arrived at the front door of the Cakes temporary home. They had been speaking to reapers before, so they knew what they had to expect and do. I informed them about my actions and asked them to adopt Pinkamena.
“Being in their very unusual situation, they did not have much to argue about and took her in, knowing that despite the good relationship between their families, she could turn against them any given time.
“Fortunately, this never happened. Instead, Pinkamena learned that she was in a special position, which allowed her to demand next to everything from the two of them and they could do nothing to stop her. She had free access to all the ingredients they owned and could devour as many sweets as she wished to. Mr. and Mrs. Cake would never try to hold her back. In contrast to Pinkamena, they were nearly defenceless.”
Obsidian stopped again, breathing heavily. He needed several minutes more this time before he could carry on.
“The years passed by and Pinkamena grew adult. One of the many things she demanded from the Cakes was the construction of this hidden basement room. Only they and Pinkamena knew about its existence and how it was accessed, leaving even us reapers clueless of her actions for many years.
“We just assumed that Carrot Cake and Cup Cake were successful in teaching her how to fight her alogophagous desires. The truth, though, was that the pink mare dominated them. She made sure that they never attempted to do anything that would be to her disadvantage or would displease her.
“But the Cakes proved their loyalty to Mistress Celestia, taking the humongous risk of informing her about Pinkamena’s actions and demands secretly. They told her all about how she used the highly elaborated numbering system of her family.
“It allows her to classify all the ponies known and available to her, giving her a very precise impression which ponies she could abduct, torture, kill and eat without getting uncovered. The system is so well thought through that up until today, nopony ever even noticed that ponies were disappearing around Ponyville. This is how she managed to kill over a hundred ponies without anypony ever noticing anything.”
The black stallion halted again, coughing several times heavily. Each cough blasted out a small cloud of tiny black pieces.
“The Cakes also informed Mistress Celestia that she rediscovered one of the greatest tricks of both families.
“The Pies and Cakes originally got their name from their naturally given skills in baking. As they became cannibals, they combined this talent with their macabre desires and sense of humor.
“As all of them, Pinkamena found a way to use pony flesh in sweets to make them taste extraordinarily good, even for the average vegeterian pony. By now, every last pony in Ponyville, no matter if adult, elder or foal, was secretly fed other ponies at least once, merely to give Pinkamena a few twisted jokes.
“You can imagine that she fed pony flesh to all of her friends a lot more often. She always hoped to turn some of them into cannibals as well this way. It is to suspect that each time she provided you sweets, they all contained pony meat.”
As if the stench of this room and the gruesome things inside it weren’t enough already, Twilight became very sick from the thought that Pinkie Pie tricked her into eating pony flesh several times. Although Sugarcube Corner was generally selling very tasty treats, Pinkie’s always seemed to be the best and all of her friends were huge fans of her cupcakes. Knowing now what they were containing, she wondered if she would ever be able to eat sweets again.
“If you put this all together, absolutely everything about Pinkamena’s behaviour becomes explainable.
“Eating a lot of sweets alone does not provide a pony enough energy for a hyperactive lifestyle like hers. She got the extra energy from the flesh she feasted on.
“Her habit of covering cupcakes with hot sauce had the reason that it blended out their sweetness and made the flavor of meat resurface.
“The only reason why she even ate sweets in such a quantity was to be able to cope with her addiction for flesh.
“Her random behaviour sprouted out of her random, chaotic mind, influenced by insanity and her inner demon. Born in an insane family, she may have had a weak mind, but in return was able to handle the demon growing inside her for a very long time.
“She tried so hard to gain as many friends as possible and learning as much about them as possible in order to add information to the Pie’s numbering system.
“As some villagers might be able to confirm, it was completely impossible to run and hide from her. The years of training made her one of the most dangerous predators of Equestria.
“All the time, she acted as one of the weakest and most helpless of you, but the truth is that for a very long time, she was the most dangerous of you all.”
Twilight’s mouth slowly fell open and her head turned over to the dead pink mare again. All these years, Pinkie Pie had been acting around them? All these years, they were living with a pony eating beast? How could a pony that was so funny and appeared so innocent be such a heartless monster?
It seemed like now, after so many years, Twilight was finally looking at the true Pinkie Pie. The Pinkie wearing a dress she made out of all her victims. The Pinkie owning a torture room she used very frequently.
Everything Obsidian said made sense, but this all still didn’t explain what happened to Rainbow Dash. Twilight’s focus turned back to the reaper, telling him to go on.
“Of course, Mistress Celestia’s first instinct was to give her the same judgement the rest of her family had received. Since she is the only pony able to read and rewrite the original book of death, she opened it up in order to rearrange destiny to make Pinkamena’s death occur soon. But while she read Pinkamena’s fate, she realized something was very strange about her.
“Careful as our mistress always is, she asked Lady Truesight to look into Pinkamena’s future. It was then that it became clear we could not just murder her.
“This insane pony was destined to become the keeper of laughter. A twisted irony... the pony responsible for countless slow and painful deaths would become the one rescuing all of Equestria from Nightmare Moon.
“Yet, this destiny made sense. Who would possibly be a better bearer of the element of laughter than a pony who laughs stronger, louder and longer than any other pony in the land?” Obsidian questioned.
Again, a few minutes passed while the reaper took a break. Then he continued again.
“Mistress Celestia became furious as she realized there was nothing she could do to stop Pinkamena. If she would have ever become uncovered, nopony would ever trust her again, not only rendering her useless as a keeper of harmony, but also making Equestria completely defenceless.
“Mistress Celestia could do nothing but sit back and watch as she lured one pony after the other into this room, giving them brutal and undeserved deaths. Each time she met Pinkamena, Mistress Celestia had to hold herself together a lot.
“Barely anypony ever evoked as much despise in her as she did. After each encounter with her, Mistress Celestia became so enraged that she spent the rest of the day shouting at us.
“But after she discovered who the six keepers of harmony will be, she finally found a way to bring Pinkamena to justice.”
Obsidian stopped again, but this time he summoned his book of death.
“Rainbow Dash. Pegasus. Scheduled to die on the 19th August 1628 at 16:17. Cause of death: Being tortured to death by Pinkamena Diane Pie,” he read out loud, then made the book disappear again.
“This is the original date of her death. Mistress Celestia may be able to alter the fate of ponies, but there is no way to extend a pony’s life span. The only thing that could have been done was altering destiny to kill her earlier.
“But the demons were aware that the keepers of harmony were normal ponies and, compared to Mistress Celestia, have a much shorter life span. They were just waiting for a chance to kill you and even though this chance never came, due to us guarding you from the shadows, it was still just a matter of time before one of you eventually died, causing ponykind to lose control over the elements of harmony.
“So, Mistress Celestia was forced to maintain this destiny for Rainbow Dash in order to be able to guard all of Equestria for as long as possible. Still, she had to make preparations to ensure, once Rainbow Dash was dead, Pinkamena would follow her quickly.
“This is where my story as one of your friends and bodyguard begins,” the black stallion explained.
The last statement shot through Twilight like a bolt. She understood now. That was his secret mission he mentioned to her. That was the true reason he was living with them.
“Since Pinkamena only remembered me as the one who saved her life, it was clear that once she remembered me, she would feel strong sympathy for me. This is why I was selected for this mission.
“Sympathy alone, though, would not be enough for me to catch her off guard so I could kill her swiftly. As it was seen from Rainbow’s destiny, she would murder her own friends without a second thought.
“In order to truly become accepted by her, I had to show her that I, too, am a pony-eater.
“In a timespan of about one year in which I supported her in every way I could, she learned to trust me blindly, even letting me sneak up on her from behind without her instantly reacting and trying to kill me. My entire efforts and all events happening around us and our friendship were arranged by Mistress Celestia, even going back to Trixie and the Salamander.
“She was meant to die soon anyway, so Mistress Celestia used her as a tool to seal a friendship between me and all of you. Already at the first night after I defeated the Salamander, I met up with Pinkamena, reawakening her memories of me rescuing her and revealing to her that I eat ponies just like her, even going so far as proving it to her by eating some pony meat I brought in front of her eyes.”
Obsidian took another break to allow Twilight to process the information given to her. She was clearly shocked to hear how this all had been set up from the very beginning. After a while, the reaper started speaking again.
“Pinkamena was very happy to finally have another cannibal as a friend. She immediately showed me her secret torture room and her collection of trophies. We quickly worked out a deal. She would share a portion of her prey with me if I helped her luring more ponies into her hooves in return.
“Mistress Celestia was aware that such a deal was necessary to gain Pinkamena’s complete trust. She could do nothing but agree in letting me increase the frequency and amount of undeserved deaths in Ponyville even further for one whole year.
“But in the end, all sacrifices were worth it in a questionable way. Pinkamena trusted me completely. I became the only creature in all of Equestria who would have a chance to kill her instantly by surprise, avoiding any additional deaths from Rainbow's passing on... Yet...”
The reaper suddenly stopped. His glance lowered to the ground and his rough and weak voice changed in tone, letting him speak on filled with regret.
“Yet... the more I became friends with you all, the more I started questioning if all this was truly justified and necessary.
“As you know, I changed during the year I spent with all of you. I regained emotions... but even more dramatic is the fact that I regained a conscience, too.
“If you think back to the beginning, you will remember that Rainbow Dash had huge problems trusting me. Since she and her death were the key element to Pinkamena’s punishment, I tried hard to quickly gain her trust as well.
“Rainbow Dash revealed to me that she had nightmares, in which her wings and cutie marks started bleeding, her body caught on fire and in the end, I appeared in front of her to kill her.
“Rainbow Dash was a spectralist. When Truesight told you all that there is nothing to being such a rare pony, she lied. All spectralists have the unique gift to sense the future. This ability even was Lady Truesight’s special talent, but Rainbow Dash never needed it.
“Her talents were entirely different, so she never was aware she had this ability. The only thing she ever sensed coming was her brutal death, triggered by me approaching Ponyville the first time.”
Once again, Obsidian paused to recover his damaged voice. He didn’t dare to look up to Twilight right now. He could only imagine what kind of expression she had written on her face this moment.
“As long as she had these nightmares, it would have been impossible for me to gain her full trust, enabling me to lure her into Pinkamena’s hooves once her time had come. So I created a cursed dreamcatcher, telling her it was a magical artifact to help her with her nightmares. The truth, though, was that I cursed it to rob Rainbow Dash of her spectralist ability.
“From then on, I simply guarded you all and spent as much time as I could with you to let our friendship deepen to the point where all of you would trust me blindly.
“Everything was set and all that was still left to do was to let the time pass by... but... as it did so, Fluttershy and I fell in love and I grew a deep appreciation for all of you, even Pinkamena.
“The closer hers and Rainbow’s date of death came, the more I started feeling regret over what I was about to do. Yet, I knew precisely I was not allowed to change this. If I would not lead Rainbow Dash into the deathly grip of Pinkamena and let her get tortured to death, all the previous slow and painful kills Pinkamena and I caused would have been worthless waste.
“A time began in which I started question everything about me. If I was really such a cold-hearted monster that could betray its own friends like this. If I was still reaper enough to fulfil my mistress’ wish.
“In the end, I had no option but to just go on with the plan.”
Obsidian took another break. By now, his voice was so damaged that he could hardly raise it at all anymore. Five minutes passed before he could finally speak again.
“Three days ago, the great day arrived. Pinkamena had to gather fresh pony flesh again and calculated that her next victim would be Rainbow Dash.
“She was meant to die and Pinkamena was meant to follow her quickly. I knew that by the end of this day, you would all hate me.
“I took preparations, gathered my belongings and getting ready to leave as soon as my work was done. I could not bear the thought to face you all again after my betrayal.
“Then I had the last ever race with Rainbow Dash... She was so clueless when I told her to meet Pinkie Pie at Sugarcube Corner at three o’clock... After I said that, my part of the arrangement was done.
“The next thing I had to do was to wait. Wait until Pinkamena finished what we all planned for, years beforehand. I was supposed to come and visit her in here, ten minutes after she would have finished Rainbow Dash. Then, I would quickly take her life while she would be busy with the carcass of her friend and reap Rainbow Dash afterwards.
“That was the plan... but I could not do it. My conscience would not allow me to deceive you all like this and it would not allow me to ever forgive myself, should I just sit back and let Rainbow go through the horrors she had seen coming in her visions.
“Ultimately, it were the thoughts of her visions that made me change my mind. According to the plan, I was meant to sit back and wait until Rainbow Dash gave her final breath. She would never have seen me again. But in her visions, I was the one delivering the lethal blow.
“As I realized this, it dawned on me that destiny already chose which path I had to go. No matter what, I had to interfer. But all I could do was to act according to Rainbow’s visions and reap her nearly half an hour too early.
“Taking a life too early is strictly forbidden. If we do so, we interrupt the flow of destiny, causing the book of death to change, often into huge disadvantages for all of Equestria.
“In addition, should I act too early in this case, the results would be even much worse. I was aware that I would shatter Pinkamena’s trust in me, destroying maybe the only chance we would ever get to catch her and kill her.
“Yet, I did not care. I only wished to spare Rainbow Dash of this torture and was willing to pay any price. And so I did.”
After saying this, Obsidian removed the hood from his head and moved the cloak over to his left side, revealing his body. Now, Twilight finally understood why he was so weak. The reaper was in terrible condition. His horn and wings were missing, as well as his cutie marks. He was bleeding all over, fresh cuts all over his body and his coat burnt at multiple places.
“As I came in, Pinkamena just finished torturing Rainbow Dash with electricity and woke her up again. Dash was so relieved to see me. She begged me to help her... I will never forget the face she made after she realized I did not come to save her, but to kill her.
“Pinkamena trusted me up until this point. A year of cooperating with her granted me just one surprise attack she would not be able to stop... and I used it on Rainbow Dash.
“Interfering with her work was an act of betrayal that could hardly be outdone by anything. We had a furious battle, but I realized that as long as we both were down in this room, things could only go out of hoof.
“I had her full hatred and attention, so I could risk to run away, knowing she would follow me. This is where Rainbow Dash, Pinkamena and I appeared to have vanished.
“While Rainbow’s dead body remained hidden in the torture room, Pinkamena kept chasing me. I was not precisely sure what to do. She definitely was a very difficult enemy. Her insanity combined with her highly refined combat and hunting skills made her a foe strong enough to defeat me.
“In the end, I realized that the only way to defeat her was by creating another situation in which I would catch her by surprise. So I chose to confront her.”
Obsidian needed another break. His voice had nearly given in by now. Yet, he had to finish this. He had to reveal every last secret to Twilight.
“At first I put all my strength into the battle against her, hoping I could avoid this very last resort. But she really was too skilled.
“I let my guard down for a moment on purpose, allowing her to strike me and knock me unconscious. Just as I expected of her, she dragged me back to her torture room.
“For the following two days, she pulled off every torture trick on me she knew as a punishment for my betrayal. Though I made this as unenjoyable as I could for her. I did not give her the satisfaction to scream or beg. I just took everything she did to me, knowing I deserved it.
“The only thing I had to be careful about was that she did not attempt to eat any of my body. The sheer amount of demonic energy I consist of would have forced her to give birth to the demon inside her.
“To avoid this from happening, I just insulted her or yawned in her face, provoking her just enough to make her stop with what she was about to do and continue torturing me for several hours more.
“At some point, she became so upset with me that she decided to ram a red-hot iron pole down my throat. She was quite surprised to see that I survived this. It seemed like she never had a victim before that endured this much.
“When she was not torturing me, Pinkamena worked on turning Rainbow Dash into a puppet. She put her back together and stitched her up with a lot of care. Torturing and having the dead body of one of her best friends was Pinkamena’s greatest accomplishment so far.”
Again, Obsidian took a break. By now, Twilight was shivering in fear, hate and revulsion so much, he could hear her.
“At the end of the second day, my body finally gave in. But as you know, reapers can not die. This was why I asked you to keep my immortality a secret.
“Pinkamena did not know this. So, as my heart stopped beating and I gave off my final breath, she started laughing out loudly in victory and prepared her skinning tools.
“While she was distracted, I awoke again and secretly used my dark abilities to loosen the bindings which held me still on the rack.
“Just like unicorns, a reaper without a horn can not cast magic. But I still had my natural dark abilities. I freed myself just enough to be able to pounce her once she turned back to me.
“I just hung there, waiting for her to come close again with the skinning knife. When she finally was just in front of me again, I suddenly grabbed her and sunk my teeth into her face, tearing the skin off. She did not see that coming. The pain and shock caught her off guard, allowing me to pin her into a wall.
“At this point, I let my emotions overthrow my logic. I held Pinkamena defenceless in my very hooves. This pony was responsible for so many deaths. Rainbow’s horrible end was only because this one pony got her sick pleasure out of torturing her. All I could think of now was revenge...”
The reapers voice became even weaker now. But not because of the burning damage and all the speaking, but because it gained a very sad tone.
“I refused to summon my scythe. Instead, I wanted her to see what torture feels like. I picked up a scalpel and repeatedly rammed it in her stomach, avoiding to do lethal damage on purpose.
“I wanted her to suffer... I wanted her to bleed... but mostly, I wanted her to beg for mercy. I kept on shouting at her while continuously stabbing her. Asking her how she liked it. How it felt like. Calling her a sick twisted beast. A monster not worthy existing in Equestria...
“Then... then I saw it... Pinkamena’s expression changed into one I did not expect to see from her. One of sadness and regret.
“By then, she was at the brink of death. But she still put the strength she had left in raising her head, crying and smiling at me... ‘Thank you’...
“She thanked me for punishing her. She thanked me for saying all these bad things to her.
“With a shock, I realized what I had done. By torturing her to the point where she nearly died, I caused the tiny bit of sanity that was left in her to resurface.
“I saw the real Pinkie Pie... I felt so incredibly sorry over my own actions... I was not a single bit better than Pinkamena.
“All I did then was summoning my scythe and ended her suffering, once and for all...” Obsidian concluded.
He was finally done. Twilight stood still, her mouth and eyes wide open. This was a long and terrible story to take in. But at least she now had the answers she wanted.
Ten minutes passed while the purple mare looked around the room and focused her two dead friends every now and then while she processed the entire story in her head. Finally, she turned her focus back to the reaper, who was still staring at the ground.
“You... you planned this from the very beginning? You planned to betray us all even before the first time we met and Celestia ordered you to do this?” Twilight asked, her voice calm but clearly anger filled.
“Yes...” Obsidian answered.
“You planned to kill Rainbow Dash... You planned to kill Pinkie Pie... For justice?” She asked again, despise and hatred growing in her voice, but not getting louder.
“Yes...” Obsidian replied again.
Twilight slowly lowered her head, pressing her eyes shut and showing her teeth, pressing them hard together as well while the tears started flowing down her face again.
This was too much. The purple mare learned to trust Obsidian entirely... and now he used this trust to betray her in the worst possible way.
She understood why Pinkie... Pinkamena Diane Pie had to die. But she just could not get over the fact that he used Rainbow Dash as a tool to achieve this.
Although Obsidian explained everything in even the smallest of detail, she still thought there must have been another way to get around this. There must have been a way to rescue Rainbow Dash.
The purple mare slowly lifted her head again, looking at Obsidian with an expression of total hate. At this point, she didn’t even think about how much Princess Celestia had betrayed her, because she was still too busy dealing with the idea of her loyal guardian and friend killing two of her other best friends. Hate and desperation overwhelmed her and the only thing she could think of right now was revenge.
“Obsidian Shards... I order you... give me your scythe,” Twilight commanded.
The reaper reacted instantly. He summoned his scythe and handed it over to Twilight. Then he sat down to the blood stained ground, put his front legs on his back and bending his neck over, looking down and awaiting decapitation.
Now that he finished his last mission and reaped the last two names in his book of death, Obsidian became mortal. He would not recover from his injuries and would soon die. But Twilight didn’t want to let it come to that. She wanted to kill him for what he had done and the reaper made it as easy for her as possible.
The purple mare held his scythe in her mouth, aiming at the reapers neck. Slowly, she lifted the scythe in the air, getting ready to strike. But as she was just halfway out, she suddenly stopped again. In her mind, she kept on repeating the whole story Obsidian revealed to her. For some reason, all the words of regret he had spoken out clustered in her mind, breaking her blind desire for revenge just long enough to make her realize what she was about to do. She was still afraid of becoming a reaper and a lowly motive like revenge would not be enough for her to go so far as to turn into one.
Twilight slowly lowered the scythe again and stared at Obsidian. With her rage broken, she now realized in what kind of position he was. He expected her to kill him. He wanted it. But the motive seemed to be a different one now. It seemed like he didn’t want to be killed just to spare a foal from becoming a reaper. He wanted it as a form of punishment.
After what Obsidian told her, she started seeing him as a cold, brutal and heartless monster again. But this wasn’t the behaviour of a monster. A real monster would struggle to survive and continue doing what it was doing until the last moment.
No. This in front of her wasn’t a monster. It was Obsidian Shards, her friend. A friend who was forced to do something very, very terrible. Finally, the purple mare placed the scythe to the ground.
“Obsidian... what you have done is... it is... I can’t even find a fitting word to describe how unspeakably bad that was. You used us all as toys and even sacrificed Rainbow Dash, all just to kill Pink... amena Diane Pie as well. I feel hurt, betrayed and disappointed like never before in my life. But... the more I think of your words... the more I have to admit you did all you could. You tried so hard to protect us. You tried so hard to save Rainbow Dash. You risked everything, just to protect us. And for that, I can just thank you. Thank you, and forgive you,” Twilight proclaimed.
The black stallion’s head shot back up again, staring at Twilight in utter shock.
“You... you... forgive me? You really forgive me?” he asked in disbelief.
“Yes... I do... I can’t imagine what this whole mission must have been like for you. You started out as an emotionless killer and now became a warm and friendly pony with a conscience. I could watch you turn from an empty shell into a creature with soul.
“If I was forced into your role and would have needed to go through everything you have been through, I would have collapsed on half the way already. This would have been far too much for me to bear.
“Even though the situation was decided and hopeless from the very beginning, you still did all you could to turn it out better. I can’t be mad at you for this.
“I just can’t hate you for doing something you had no chance to avoid anyway. In fact, I even have to thank you for freeing Rainbow Dash from her torture early. She really deserved better than this,” Twilight explained calmly.
Obsidian was speechless. He slowly lowered his front hooves back to the ground. Then he started hanging his head again, his expression shifting into a neutral one. Two minutes of silence passed, then the reaper spoke again.
“No...” he said.
“Huh?” Twilight wondered.
“No... just... just no. You... you can not just forgive me... you can not just thank me... why... why do you not... just...”
Obsidian couldn’t finish his sentence. He suddenly turned around, cowering on the ground and covering his body and face with the cloak again.
Twilight wasn’t entirely sure what was going on at first. The reaper barely made any noise, but seemed to tremble. A light dripping sound coming from him finally gave it away.
“Obsidian... are you... crying?” the purple mare wondered.
The black stallion did not respond. Instead, he just shrunk to the ground even more. Twilight stepped next to him and from an angle in which there was a gab showing his face, she could see a black tear trail running down from his left eye and a red tear trail of blood running down from his right eye. It was now that Twilight understood that not only she would have collapsed from this mission. It also destroyed him.
“Why do you not just punish me? How do I deserve your mercy? I am a monster! The worst kind there is! Even most demons are not as evil as I am! I do not deserve your kindness. I do not deserve your generosity. What I deserve is eternal suffering and to be hated by all of you forever! And yet... you are standing there... saying you forgive me?” Obsidian asked weakly while still crying.
“Obsidian...” Twilight spoke.
“You ponies are such wonderful creatures... You are so pure... So innocent... so beautifully naive. Just look at me, Twilight! Look what I am! I am a creature of death, disaster and impurity! My body is filled with so much corruption that just absorbing any of it it, even the smallest bit, would put a pony in the risk to grow mad! My mere presence defiles you! I am the very definition of a monster! How can you hold any sympathy for a beast like me? After all I have done to you and your friends!” the reaper asked.
“I don’t care what you are. You are, and always will be, a friend to me. You too have been through hell, but in contrast to most of us not just once, but countless times and that for hundreds of years. You deserve better as well,” Twilight explained.
“No... I do not deserve any better. I truly deserve to go through the tenfold. A traitor and pony-eater like me does not deserve friendship, love, care or tolerance. There is not supposed to be a happy ending for me! I feel so guilty... Please, Twilight. Just punish me! Kill me!” Obsidian begged.
“I can’t... I just can’t do this to you. You may feel guilty over what you have done, but to me, it is understandable. I can only repeat myself: you deserve better in my eyes, not worse,” Twilight spoke.
The black stallion suddenly became mute, letting his scythe disappear again. He slowly lifted his head, focusing Twilight with his eyes full of black reaper tears on the one side and blood on the other. Then, he turned his head away again, his expression changing back into one of huge regret and suffering. While still turning, the reaper dissolved into a black cloud, which then quickly flew back upstairs and away.
|
Nero Darkard
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1362
| 33 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
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Maledictum Insania
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Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
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complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
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mature
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2012-10-02T09:46:02+00:00
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2014-08-26T00:32:43+00:00
| 1,728 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11Uh23M9hSbg2NGs87k-GR7XsyJmHVDZ2OCYX1khYGqc/edit
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Chapter 32: The Last Reap
Since all details were already known to Princess Celestia and the royal guards, the investigation was finished quickly. It wasn’t the first time that Celestia lied to her subjects either when she gave out an explanation. In the official version, Pinkie Pie was pulling a scare prank on Rainbow Dash, but it went out of control. Rainbow became so startled that she died of a heart attack and after Pinkie realized what she had done, she committed suicide in regret afterwards. Only the keepers of harmony knew the truth, but they were not allowed to reveal a state secret like this. Even if they could, they knew such knowledge was not meant to be public. They still knew how incredibly sensitive and naive the equestrian ponies were.
Princess Celestia avoided having much contact with Twilight while Obsidian’s mission was still going. But now that it is over, she had a lot to talk about with her star student. There was no opportunity for them to meet, but by now, Twilight learned to use her arcane magic to create an artificial dragon breath to send letters, just like Celestia does. The discussion between the two of them went on for days and Celestia kept on repeating that she felt incredibly sorry for ordering this and that she had no choice. She claimed to have thought of an alternative for years, but never was able to find one. Ultimately, Twilight started believing her. After all, it is only thanks to Princess Celestia that Equestria still exists, considering the threat through the demons.
Just as Princess Luna foreshadowed, the funeral ceremony of Pinkie and Rainbow was the most tragic so far. The news were a shock to the villagers. Nearly everypony in Ponyville was friends with Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash had a lot of fans. Scootaloo was one of the most traumatized ponies over the sudden passing of her idol. Although she generally tried to be tough, she couldn’t hold back her tears while the coffins were let down into the graves. Next to her was Sweetie Belle, trying hard to comfort her friend, but she as well couldn’t stop crying. Only Applebloom was missing, despite the fact that the rest of her family was present during the funeral. It seemed like she couldn’t take this whole ceremony.
Twilight, Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy were even in much worse shape. Their sudden loss and the horrible conditions that lead to this left them, despite all they had been through and the fact that they all grew much stronger, emotionally wrecked. The whole ceremony was nearly too much for them and the only comfort they could find was in each other.
After Twilight revealed the truth to her three remaining friends, they as well felt deeply betrayed by Obsidian Shards. Especially Fluttershy could hardly believe that her beloved one was capable of doing something this horrible. They all would have liked to talk to the black stallion to finally find out what he was truly thinking and feeling, but that was not possible.
Applebloom was not the only one not participating at the funeral. Obsidian also was nowhere to be found. Ever since he flew away, nopony was able to find the reaper anymore. Or at least see more of him than a brief glimpse. In his compunction, the black stallion fell into a deep depression and began to hide. He didn’t have the strength left to confront any of his friends and the intense feeling of guilt was eating on his mind.
Only Fluttershy was still able to get relatively close to him. This was unavoidable, since he still lived in her cottage. But every intimacy they had was gone now. The reaper could not bear her presence anymore. He could not take her attempts to hug and kiss him. He couldn’t handle her gentle words, trying to comfort him. It hurt him more than the days of constant torturing he had been through just recently.
Nothing was left of the mighty elder reaper Obsidian Shards. Instead, there was a broken stallion, robbed of nearly all his strength.
Even days after the funeral, the sensation of paralyzation could still be felt in Ponyville. The usually very bright and cheerful village, filled with laughing ponies became gloomy and silent. With Pinkie and Rainbow missing, it seemed like every fun and color had left the village. The ponies kept on walking through the streets on a low pace, none of them even smiling anymore.
Obsidian was still broken. With his horn, wings and cutie marks missing and the unforgivable sins he had done, he could only hide under his cloak in shame. He spent nearly all day in his basement room, not even coming up to sleep anymore.
For Fluttershy, the situation was like at the very beginning again, only with the difference that she kept on losing more and more of what she had with each day that came and went. Obsidian didn’t even speak to her anymore and each time he spotted her, he instantly ran away and hid himself in the shadows.
Although Twilight denied to kill him, the yellow mare knew that this was the end. Obsidian was mortal now. He refused to treat his injuries and in combination with his weak mental state, it was just a matter of time until his body would give in.
---
Two weeks passed and Obsidian was still alive. He lived longer now than he should have in his situation. As he even woke up one morning and realized that he had regrown his horn, wings and cutie marks, he knew something was wrong.
The reaper opened his book of death. What he saw there filled him with shock and disbelief. As a punishment for disobeying her and nearly ruining the most important mission of the decade, Mistress Celestia added one more name to his book of death. The name was very familiar to the black stallion. He instantly understood the motive behind this kill: Celestia didn’t want any loose ends.
“My mistress... you can be colder than the most ruthless reaper at times...” Obsidian spoke to himself.
---
Nine days later at sundown, Twilight Sparkle was on her way back from a shopping trip. Ponyville was still like a ghost town. The ponies weren’t even talk to each other anymore. Everypony just went through their daily routine, sunken in thoughts.
Twilight was no different. She still had to swallow the recent events. Her mind was constantly occupied with memories of Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, while she kept hearing the story Obsidian told her. The purple mare had seen many horrors in just one year, but this still was the most shocking event she had witnessed yet. It just wouldn’t get through to her. How could this happen? How could it have ended like this? Was there really no alternative?
As the purple mare approached her library, she noticed a cloaked pony waiting in front of it. Twilight hadn’t seen Obsidian for weeks. She still had very mixed feelings about him, but since he was still a friend, she was happy to see him.
“Hi, Obsidian,” she greeted.
“Salvē,” the reaper greeted back.
“Ah. I hear your voice has recovered. How are you?” Twilight asked.
“I am not of importance right now. I came to warn you and ask for your assistance,” Obsidian replied.
“Oh no... don’t tell me there is still more...” the purple mare worried.
“Unfortunately, there is. But before I can give you further information, I have to ask... do you still trust my word?” Obsidian wondered.
"I don't know Obsidian... A big part of me still can't get over what you did. But you did everything you could, so I'll forgive you. I'll believe you,” Twilight answered.
“Grātiās... I spent the last week going through Pinkamena’s life and made a very unsettling discovery,” the black stallion stated.
“W... what discovery?” Twilight wondered.
“Pinkamena succeeded in corrupting another pony into a cannibal,” he answered.
“What?! There is another on the loose?!” Twilight shouted out.
The purple mare covered her mouth as she realized she just yelled that out. Luckily, nopony was nearby to hear this.
“Who is it?” Twilight asked again, this time whispering.
“I do not know. The last time they worked together seems to have been over a year ago. I never got to meet her trainee or even knew she had one until I scanned through Pinkamena’s personal belongings. She had a complete spare set of torturing instruments, which she didn’t need. The only explanation that comes to my mind is that she kept them ready to teach her trainee. Of course, this is not enough evidence to be certain. This is why I need your help. We need to find out more without letting this suspicion spread too much,” Obsidian explained.
“What do you suggest we should do?” Twilight wondered.
“Your friends need to be informed. I recommend you go to Applejack first. She and her family live the farthest away from Ponyville, making them much easier prey. Meanwhile, I will tell the others,” the reaper spoke.
“Alright. I will meet you back here in half an hour. Oh my gosh... things just keep getting worse, don’t they?” Twilight stated before leaving.
The purple mare quickly levitated her shopping bags inside the library, then she turned around and started running. Obsidian, too, turned around, but he kept walking slowly. He still couldn’t believe what he was forced into doing again.
---
Twilight ran towards Sweet Apple Acres as fast as she could, teleporting herself frequently to shorten the path. Finally, she arrived at the farm. The first pony that came to Twilight’s sight was Applebloom, picking up some last rotten apples and throwing them away.
“Applebloom! Where is Applejack? I need to talk to her!” Twilight stated.
“Mah sister and brother are out on the orchard somewhere. Don’t know where they’d gone to. What’s so important, Twilight? Ya look like ya’ve seen a ghost,” Applebloom wonedered.
“Sorry, but I can’t tell you. I just need to find AJ as fast as possible. You better go inside! It’s dangerous to be outside alone for a teenage filly!” the purple mare explained.
“Ahaha! Don’t be silly, Twilight. What’s the worst that could happen? Yer afraid an apple could fall on mah head? Ah already had that several times and as ya see, I’m fine!” the teenage filly replied.
“No really, Applebloom. Go inside! Something is going around!” Twilight insisted.
“Ah, fine. Just lemme finish up here then I’ll go,” Applebloom stated.
Twilight nodded, then ran inside the orchard. By now, it was already dark. The purple mare could hardly see where she was going, hoping in vain to find her friend. After several minutes, she suddenly felt a hard strike on the back of her head and fell unconscious.
---
“Creep!”
“Friend”
“Murderer!”
“My love”
“Cannibal!”
“Our loyal dark guardian”
“Monster!”
Obsidian lied when he said he would inform the others and just went back into his basement room. He tried to meditate and prepare himself for his very last strike, but his mind and remorse just wouldn’t leave him alone. He kept on hearing all the things anypony ever called him. All his life long, the ponies only confronted him with despise and disgust. Only the keepers of harmony faced him with friendship and love and now, he betrayed them as well.
Due to Obsidian drowning in his emotions and conscience now, the hundreds of years finally came down on him. He had torn apart families and lovers. He destroyed dreams and hopes. Over three centuries, he had become a symbol of terror and suffering. He never paid much attention to the consequences of his actions, but now he saw them everywhere.
He heard the children crying whose parents he had murdered. He saw the ponies commit suicide over the loss of their partner. He saw whole families growing insane. He even used innocent ponies as a bait for demons and insane ponies. Countless faces were stuck in his mind, all having expressions of unspeakable desperation, hate and suffering. He was responsible for every last of them.
In the center of all was the face of Rainbow Dash and the expression she made just before he killed her. This one was burnt in his mind. One moment, she begged him to free her from the rack she was tied to. The next, she remembered her nightmares and understood what would happen next. Just before Obsidian sunk his scythe into her, she understood that the reaper had been tricking her and lying to her the whole time.
Guilt was a sensation he never felt in his life before this year. Now that he was capable of experiencing it, it was all too much for him. Obsidian couldn’t think anymore, couldn’t fight anymore. How was he supposed to reap this last name when just the thought of it nearly killed him?
The black stallion turned around and slowly walked over to his shrine, staring at his parents’ skulls. They were his very first victims and tonight, everything was supposed to end. The three centuries of horror he caused would end tonight, no matter what. But how could he go even one step further when the thousands of voices and faces kept haunting him? How was he supposed to hit his target when tears of regret were constantly blurring his sight?
Barely anything was still working in the reapers mind while he gently picked up the skull of his mother, closed his eyes, leaned his forehead against hers and cried while he kept whispered how sorry he was for all the suffering he spread throughout his life. The guilt weighted so heavily on him, he even played with the idea to commit suicide. But he couldn’t do that. The idea of forcing an innocent foal to walk the path of a reaper was unbearable for him.
Even much more importantly, he couldn’t disappoint his mistress again. He just couldn’t. Obsidian’s life and loyalty belonged to her. He still would do everything she demanded of him, no matter how much it would break him. He had no choice. He somehow had to find a way to pull himself together enough to kill this last pony.
The black stallion slowly opened his eyes again, staring into the empty sockets of the skull before him while thinking of all the things he gained. The relationship with Fluttershy changed him the most. She became his greatest strength, but also his greatest weakness. By gaining emotions, he was happy like never before in his life while he was around her, but at the same time, the same emotions destroyed him.
Obsidian understood that in the way things currently where, he would fail on his last reap. Now that he was facing death himself, nothing mattered anymore. The past, present and future had no meaning for him anymore and all his life achievements would soon be void. As the black stallion realized this, he understood. If he wanted to serve Mistress Celestia one last time, he had to leave everything behind. He had to abandon everything.
Suddenly, the reaper crushed the skull in his front hooves. Moments later, he picked up his father’s skull and destroyed it as well. This was the start of an act of destruction this basement room had never seen before. Obsidian burned all his notes and letters, lifted the curses he had created, destroyed the ingredients he had collected, cleaned up the recovery rune he had drawn on the floor, quickly devoured the last bits of pony flesh he had in his chest and erased every last evidence he had ever been living in this room. After that, he went upstairs and lifted the curse from the door.
---
Fluttershy was sitting on the sofa, having a cup of tea when the basement door suddenly opened and Obsidian stepped outside. The reaper hadn’t been this close to her for weeks and she instantly placed down the cup and got up. She was about to run over to him when she realized Obsidian was lifting the curse he placed on the basement door. As soon as he was done, the reaper turned over to her, looking at the yellow mare with an empty expression she hadn’t seen on his face for months.
“It is time, Fluttershy,” Obsidian spoke.
She knew precisely what he meant. Shock rushed through her body and she ran over to the black stallion, trying to embrace him one more time, but Obsidian just pushed her away and went over to the front door.
The push was hard enough to knock the yellow mare over. She was speechless. The way he acted was as if nothing ever happened between them. He was going to leave without even giving her the chance to say farewell.
“Obsidian!” the yellow mare shouted with a desperate tone in her voice.
The door was already open and Obsidian half outside when he stopped. His glance turned back inside the cottage, seeing Fluttershy sitting on the floor and sniffling. Obsidian couldn’t leave her like this. They had been through too much together to let it all end so abrupt. He already hurt her too much by avoiding her for weeks, leaving her constantly uncertain of what was happening to him and if she would be able to see him again the next day. A few final words were the least he had to give in return.
The black stallion turned back around and slowly went over to the yellow mare.
“I wanted to keep this a short farewell. One that was over quickly, because you do not deserve this suffering I cause you. But... before I leave for good, I want you to know one thing,” he started, lowering his head and closing his eyes. “All my life long, I never had a choice. I existed as a soulless puppet from my early childhood on. I lost everything I had and never was granted anything in return... until I met you.”
“My love...” Fluttershy spoke lowly.
“Through you, I found the strength to go these last steps. You showed me so many things I had forgotten... Kindness... Trust... Love...” the reaper continued.
“Obsidian... please...” the yellow mare begged, not sure if she really wanted to hear this.
“Through you, I learned what it means to be alive. This last year of my existence had been the happiest I ever had and if I could... If I had the chance to live through this year and be with you once more... I would endure everything, only for that,” Obsidian continued.
He opened his eyes again and saw that tears started flowing down Fluttershy’s face.
“Please... don’t go. Don’t leave me...” she begged.
“I have to, mea amāta. My destiny is decided and should I not leave now, others will have to pay the price for my refusal,” Obsidian explained.
At this moment, Fluttershy didn’t know what to say anymore. She just embraced the reaper and began to cry even heavier. Obsidian returned the embrace. Holding the most important pony in his life once more was pleasant and comforting, but also extremely painful. After a while, the reaper loosened himself from her and placed his front hooves on the yellow mare’s shoulders, looking her deep into the eyes.
“There will be other stallions in your life. You will live on and you will have many happy moments... Maybe, one day, you will even find somepony you will start a family with,” the reaper stated.
“The only pony I ever considered as the father of my foal was you, Obsidian...”Fluttershy responded.
“That would have never worked out. The corruption inside me is too strong. It would not only put you into very high risk to grow insane, but also the foal. Everything that was between us never was meant to happen. I am a monster, Fluttershy... I am so sorry for doing this to you...” Obsidian apologized.
“No... you are not a monster. You are... the best that ever happened to me... I owe you so much...” Fluttershy countered.
Obsidian did not respond to this statement. Instead, he looked down on his cloak and began to undo the heart pin.
“My heart belongs to you, mea amāta. To you and only you forever. So please, keep it dear, for it is the greatest treasure I can give to you,” he explained.
Then, he gently placed the pin back into her front hooves, causing her to cry again.
“Thank you... for everything... Please forgive me... Maybe, we will meet again one day, in a world far away from this,” the reaper spoke.
Obsidian’s lips met Fluttershy’s for the very last time. Then, he stood up again.
“Valētō,” was the last thing he said to the yellow mare.
The black stallion turned around and ran outside the cottage, closing the door behind him by magic.
Fluttershy didn’t even stand up to watch him fly away. She just sat there, sobbing heavily while she stared at the heart pin.
---
When Twilight regained consciousness, she found herself at a place too dark to see anything. Instantly, she tried to cast a light spell, but for some reason was unable to do so. As she tried to move then, she realized something was holding her immobilized. After a short struggle, the purple mare heard hoof clattering, approaching in her direction.
“Ah! Good mornin’, Twilight!” a young female voice spoke.
“Applebloom? What’s going on? Where am I?” the purple mare wondered.
“Ya’re in my very personal playroom! Wasn’t so easy getting ya here unseen,” Applebloom replied.
“Your playroom? What are you talking about? Let me go!” Twilight insisted.
The hoof clattering now started to circle around Twilight. It seemed like Applebloom was walking around her.
“Yer are a dull one, arn’t ya, Twi? Ya have been in a playroom before and that word still doesn’t sound yer alarm?” Applebloom wondered.
An intense bolt of shock rushed through Twilight as she realized what the teenage filly was playing on.
“No... oh no... Applebloom... You?! You are Pinkamena’s trainee?!” the purple mare spoke out in disbelief.
The clattering suddenly stopped.
“Ah! Not so dull after all!” Applebloom responded and turned on the light.
After a short moment of adjusting her eyes to the brightness, Twilight’s mouth fell open as she saw where she was. The room was entirely made out of blood coated wood. All around her was macabre decor similar to that of Pinkamena’s torture room, just a lot less in quantity. Only few pony skulls were hanging on the walls, but instead they were decorated with bloodstained tools and torture instruments hanging from nails.
Twilight’s focus fell on Applebloom. The teenage filly was grinning insanely and wearing a dress made of pink and gray pony hide, showing off the cutie marks of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. She sat in front of the purple mare, sharpening a knife while staring at her with huge, bloodshot eyes and tiny pupils.
The purple mare began to panic. She struggled heavily to free herself, but the braces held her still. She tried to cast another spell, but as she failed, Twilight looked up to her forehead. Her horn was still there, but Applebloom somehow managed to get her hooves on a magic shackle she put around Twilight’s horn.
“It’s no use, Twi. Nopony that ever ended up here got out alive again,” Applebloom commented.
Still panicking, Twilight struggled more. Again without any success. Finally, she calmed down a bit and refocused the teenage filly.
“I don’t get this! How? How can you be a cannibal?” she wondered.
“Well, that’s easy enough. Nopony ever was a lot of help when it came to gettin’ mah cutie mark. At some point, ah just started hatin’ everypony. These two here most of all,” Applebloom started explaining and pointed on her dress. “They had nothin’ better to do but to tease me all the time. And then came mommy Pinkamena.”
“Mommy?!” Twilight asked in disbelief. “Pinkamena was not your mommy! She was a monster and now, she turned you into one as well!”
Applebloom swung the blade past her face, cutting her as soon as she was done speaking.
“Don’t ya dare to talk about mommy that way! She was more of a mommy to me than mah darn sister has ever been! She just kept bossin’ me around all my life! Nopony ever cared for what ah was truly feelin’, besides mommy Pinkamena! She showed me how ah can take things into mah own hooves and make everypony pay for treatin’ me so badly! Ah tell ya, Twilight. When Tiara’s and Spoon’s numbers came up and I had those two snotty fillies finally in mah hooves, that was the best feelin’ I ever had in mah life! Ah finally could pay them back all the things they’ve done to me! Ah will never forget how much they cried about the smallest things. Such babies!” Applebloom said, then started laughing.
Twilight had a mild grimace of pain while she looked at the cut she received as far as she was able to. After a moment, she looked back at Applebloom, still not believing what was happening.
“No, Applebloom! That’s not you! You are not a cannibal! You are a crafting pony! Just look at your cutie mark!” she tried to reason.
“Oh, Twi. Don’t be so silly. Do ya really think that saw and hammer stand for constructin’? Ah got mah cutie mark while I was torturing my first victim all by mahself! Mommy Pinkamena was so proud of me! She said I did very good and was a natural in keepin’ them alive for as long as possible! This cutie mark sealed it! Ah am a full-blooded cannibal! Since I realized that, I’ve been livin’ so happily! Nopony will ever get away in bein’ mean to me ever again! Sooner or later, I’ll get ‘em all!” Applebloom cheered while bouncing around Twilight in a just too typical Pinkie Pie manner.
Twilight’s pupils shrunk more and more the more she started seeing Pinkie’s influence in her. She must have been meeting her secretly for years!
“B-but what about your friends? What about Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo? Don’t you think they will never be able to trust you again if they find this out about you?” Twilight wondered, panicking again.
“They? Don’t ya worry, Twilight. They already know! In fact, they are right behind ya!” Applebloom replied, grabbing the rack and giving it a spin.
As Twilight halted again, she saw two gutted teenage fillies hanging from the ceiling on hooks. They were dead for a while now, since a strong smell of decay came from them and maggots were feasting on their rotting flesh.
The purple mare became nauseous and started shaking and breathing heavily. Seeing how Applebloom even went so far as to murder her two best friends filled her with deep shock.
“How could you do this, Applebloom?! They were your friends! They trusted you!” Twilight wondered in shock.
“Ah am just doin’ what mommy Pinkamena would’ve done aswell! She killed Rainbow Dash, remember? Mommy would be proud of me if she could see what I’ve done!” Applebloom replied, laughing again.
“I can’t believe it... I can’t believe all this! What has Pinkamena done to you, Applebloom?! What have you turned into?!” Twilight spoke, half shouting in panic.
“Ya already know the answer, Twilight. Ah regret nothin’! Well, besides one thing: lettin’ you kill mah mommy,” the teenage filly replied, incredible hatred growing in her voice.
“W-what?!” was all Twilight could say at this moment.
“Ah know it all, Twilight! You busted mah mommy! You wanted to safe yer stupid Rainbow Dash and killed mommy while tryin’ ta do so!” Applebloom spoke, growling in hate with each word.
“That’s not true! Who the heck told you that?!” Twilight shouted.
“Mommy’s best friend, of course! Yar good pal Obsidian!” Applebloom replied.
“Obs-” Twilight started, but stopped in shock as it all came together.
Obsidian lured her into a trap! He wanted her to run to Sweet Apple Acres first because Applebloom was waiting for her!
“I can’t believe it...” the purple mare stated speechlessly.
“There ya have it, Twi! Us cannibals stick together and now it’s yer time to pay!” Applebloom announced.
“No! It’s a lie! I didn’t kill her! It was Obsidian!” Twilight shouted in panic.
“Keep yer lies for yaself. Ah saw ya guidin’ Obsidian inside Sugarcube Corner! Ya proudly showed him what ya have done to mommy!” Applebloom stated while finishing sharpening the knife and placing it to the others.
“It’s not true! It’s not true! Please, you have to believe me!” the purple mare shouted.
“Shut up already, Twilight. Ah believe him more than ya. Even if ya were innocent, ah still wouldn’t let you go now that ya have seen all this. Enough of the talkin’! It’s time ta get to business!” Applebloom finished.
The teenage filly turned the rack back around and went over to her tool wall, picking up a saw.
“Let’s make sure ya can’t possibly fight back first,” she commented with a devilish grin.
Twilight knew what was about to happen. Everypony in Ponyville knew how powerful she was. Before doing anything else, Applebloom would remove her horn to make her defenceless.
The purple mare struggled desperately while Applebloom approached her with the saw in her mouth. Suddenly, the door on Twilight’s left side opened.
“Ah! Howdy, Obsidian! Ya’re a bit early. Ah haven’t started on her yet,” Applebloom greeted.
Twilight’s focus shot over to the black stallion. His face showed no expression and he stared right back at the purple mare.
“Obsidian! You! Get me out here!” Twilight shouted angrily.
The reaper remained silent. He simply turned his face over to the teenager.
“Is everything ready, Applebloom?” he asked.
“How many times do I have to tell ya to call me Appanella Justine Pie? Mommy Pinkamena adopted me!” she insisted.
“Me paenitet, Appanella. Anyway, I am early for a reason,” the reaper stated.
“Huh? What’s the matter?” Applebloom wondered.
For a moment, Twilight gained the hope he would safe her. But then, the reaper removed the hood from his head to reveal his regrown horn. Twilight’s mouth fell open as she saw this.
“Mistress Celestia added one last name to my book of death,” Obsidian explained.
“Oh c’mon! Her of all? Ah wanted to play with her!” the teenage filly protested.
“You’re... you’re joking... right, Obsidian? This is all just a bad joke, right?” Twilight stated in disbelief.
“I am sorry, Twilight,” was all the reaper said in response.
The purple mare began to hyperventilate as the reaper approached her.
“No! This can’t be! Why would Celestia want me dead? What are you planning, Obsidian? What the hay have you thought up this time? Let me go! Let me go, let me go, let me go!” Twilight shouted, bothering to break out in tears.
The reaper looked back to Applebloom. The sheer panic Twilight was in already was a lot of joy for her.
“Ya know... ah still owe ya a favor. If killin’ this one means so much to ya, you can have her,” she offered.
“Grātiās tibi agō,” the reaper thanked and summoned his scythe.
Twilight started struggling again. She somehow had to find a way out of this. Her mind rushed through all the possibilities available to her, which weren’t very much. Desperately, she tried to use her authority on the reaper.
“Obsidian Shards, I order you to let me go!” Twilight commanded.
“By the authority given through Mistress Celestia, I declare this order for void,” Obsidian countered calmly as soon as she was done speaking.
“Wha- No! Let me go! You can’t do this, Obsidian! I trusted you!” the purple mare begged, tears filling her eyes.
“I am sorry, Twilight. But this is my destiny. This is what I have to do for as long as I exist, which luckily will not be very long anymore after this,” the black stallion explained.
“No! No! Help me! Somepony! Anypony! Help!” Twilight shouted while crying in fear and panic.
“I am a monster. I am a traitor. I have been killing and eating ponies long before you were even born,” Obsidian continued.
“Please... please let me go... please!” Twilight begged.
“After this last kill, it will all be over. Only one name stands between me and my salvation. I will do everything Mistress Celestia asks of me, no matter which sacrifices have to be made,” the reaper kept on speaking.
“No... please, no... I beg you... Let me go...” the purple mare continued begging, desperation overwhelming her.
“I am sorry for doing this to you, Twilight. But it will be over soon. It will all be over...”
With these words, the reaper lifted his scythe into the air. Twilight stared at it, her ears dropping and her pupils shrinking to tiny dots. She just couldn’t understand why, after all this, Celestia would have wanted her to die.
Everything seemed to go in slow motion again while the whole scene came to her focus. She saw Obsidian’s expressionless face while he was about to strike. She saw Applebloom standing behind him, grinning crazily while rubbing her front hooves. Then, the scythe slowly began to lower in her direction. Twilight saw her whole life passing by in front of her eyes while the sharp blade came closer and closer. Ultimately, the purple mare couldn’t handle the stress anymore. She just shut her eyes and waited for the pain and her end soon after.
Twilight could hear a cutting sound, but felt no pain. Not even a second later, she heard Applebloom scream and a metallic clashing sound. Nearly at the same time, the purple mare felt how the gravity pulled her down and she realized she just fell to the floor.
She opened her eyes again and saw that the reaper cut her binding and threw his scythe at Applebloom in just one skilled swing. But he missed his target. Applebloom was fast enough to draw a knife and block the scythe off before it could chop off her head.
“...after I killed the last cannibal of Ponyville,” the reaper finished as he realized he missed.
“What the- What the heck?! You traitor!” Applebloom shouted in shock and disbelief.
Twilight was still so full of fear that she shook all over and had problems getting back on her legs. Applebloom tried to take advantage of that moment and threw a knife at her. Obsidian, though, just reached out his left front leg and took the knife instead.
“Applebloom. Earth Pony. Scheduled to die on the 17th Sebtember 1628 at 22:53. Cause of death: Reaped by Obsidian Shards... Twilight. Run outside and lock the door. Do not open it again until you hear me knocking at it,” Obsidian ordered.
“Oh my gosh! She was right! It was you, wasn’t it? You killed mommy! I’ll make ya pay for this!” Applebloom shouted.
Twilight did not reply. She just used her chance and ran back outside as fast as she could and locked the door behind her.
---
As she arrived back outside and removed the magic shackle from her head, the purple mare realized she was just below the former cutie mark crusader clubhouse. Applebloom somehow managed to hide a whole torture chamber below the roots of the tree.
After this near death experience and extreme amount of stress, she just collapsed next to the tree and took some time to breathe. In her mind, she tried to go through everything that had just happened. It was now that Twilight realized Obsidian just freed her and let her run away.
“Damnit, Obsidian... whose side are you on?” Twilight spoke to herself while recovering.
The torture chamber was very well built. Nothing that happened inside could be heard. Twilight could just imagine the battle going on in there right now.
Five minutes passed until she heard a knocking sound. She still had no idea what to expect of Obsidian, so she hesitated. But finally, she decided to open the heavy metal door.
The reaper stepped outside with several minor cuts. While they at first healed up quickly, the recovering abilities of the reaper reduced more and more until he stopped healing up entirely. This now truly was Obsidian’s last kill and his ability to recover from any injury was gone for good.
Obsidian didn’t look at Twilight. He just walked past her with a sad expression and stopped after several steps.
“Is she...?” Twilight wondered.
“Yes... I killed her...” Obsidian replied.
The purple mare didn’t really know what she should feel over this knowledge. A part of her was relieved, while another part of her was sad over her death. But finally, Twilight’s mind jumped back to the present.
“Now what the hay was that whole action about?” she shouted.
“Forgive me... I used you as a bait for Applebloom. I knew for a couple of months by now that Pinkamena was training her, so I was well aware of her combat skills. Just like Pinkamena, I had to catch her off guard. She was far not as dangerous as her ‘mother’, but still required a lot of caution when trying to assassinate her,” the reaper explained.
“Oh my gosh... you scared me to death, Obsidian! For a moment, I really thought you wanted to kill me!” Twilight kept on blaming.
“Te quaesō ut dīmittās mihi... Once more, I betrayed you... once more, I have blood on my hooves...” Obsidian stated, his voice sliding back into depression again.
The reaper put all his strength into controlling himself until he was done. But now, he couldn’t hold up the facade anymore. The reaper sat down on the ground and began to cry again.
“She was still so young... my last kill was a filly...” he spoke in unspeakable regret.
“Applebloom... had to die. You know that... Ponyville is finally safe again,” Twilight spoke, trying to comfort the broken reaper.
“Nothing is safe as long as I still live,” Obsidian replied, trying to get a hold of himself again.
“Huh? What do you mean?” Twilight wondered.
“‘The third star, old hundreds of years, will turn into what his soul truly most fears’... It is me, Twilight. I am the third corrupted star,” the reaper explained.
A moment of silence passed after Obsidian revealed his suspicion. Tonight, Twilight was confronted with a lot of shocking information. But this just topped it all.
“You are the third? How? Why do you think it’s you?” Twilight wondered, trying to make sure.
“I had the suspicion from the first moment when we heard the prophecy. Now that I am at the end of my strength, it is absolutely clear it has to be me,” Obsidian replied.
“Come on now, Obsidian. How does that description fit to you? You are not afraid of anything! You are Obsidian Shards, the elder reaper!” the purple mare tried to reason.
“There is one thing I fear, Twilight. One thing I fear more than losing everything that is dear to me: becoming a red reaper. I am no fool, Twilight Sparkle. I noticed how much this mission had broken me. Now, I can not handle the consequences. I hear the demons I consumed shouting at me. I see all the innocent ponies I have killed. My mind is about to give in... I must be eliminated while I am still in control,” the reaper explained.
“Obsidian...” Twilight spoke.
The reaper summoned his scythe again and handed it to Twilight. Then he turned around again. She eyed it up, very unsure if this was really the right thing to do. Then, she realized it.
“Wait... if you are the third corrupted star... then... I am...” she began.
“Yes... the fourth... demons are incredibly intelligent beings. They calculated us both into their plan to resurrect Nightmare Moon... You are the pony that had a destiny bound to all other corrupted stars. You faced Discord, defeated Despair and became friends with me... but even though the last two corrupted stars have revealed themselves now, not all is lost quite yet. The solution lies in your very hooves, Twilight Sparkle. So please, prevent the prophecy from coming true. Make the right decision and kill me,” Obsidian explained.
“I... I can’t,” Twilight spoke.
“You have to, Twilight. If you do not want to do it for me, considering all the horrible things I have done, then do it for your friends and for all of Equestria. Do it for the foal that would otherwise be forced into a life it had no chance to find happiness in. Kill me while you still have the chance,” the black stallion tried to motivate.
Twilight became silent. She stared at Obsidian, sitting on the ground facing away from her. He planned this all, even down to this very position. He turned away from her so she could not see his face to make it easier.
The purple mare stepped behind him and slowly lifted the scythe into the air again. But already while doing so, countless memories with the black stallion rushed through her mind in combination to with the fear of what she would become.
Obsidian started trembling below her again. His mind was so eaten by guilt that he failed to hold himself together for any longer and began to cry black tears and blood again.
This was the worst possible timing for him to start crying again. Twilight dropped the scythe and began to cry herself. Everything came as the demons predicted.
“I can’t do it! I’m sorry! I can’t do it!” she shouted while crying.
“In that case... I suppose there is no way to go around the foal sacrifice...” Obsidian stated weakly.
He swiftly turned around and picked up the scythe, turning the blade to aim for his stomach, while his tears kept flowing uncontrollably.
The reaper took a deep breath and was ready to commit suicide. But with shock, he realized something was stopping him.
His front legs began to shake, loosening the grip on the scythe more and more. Finally, it fell to the ground.
“T-Twilight... I... it is happening!” Obsidian stated with fear in his voice.
“What?” the purple mare wondered.
“The demons... they... they will not let me... I... am losing control over my body!” he explained and started to shake all over.
“Oh no... Hold it together, Obsidian! Don’t let them win! You can do it!” Twilight commanded.
The reaper fought the voices with all his strength, placing his front hooves on his head.
“I can not... think clearly anymore... they are too strong... too many... Twilight... please... help me! Kill me! Please!” Obsidian begged.
Twilight stared at the scythe in front of Obsidian, but it was hopeless. No matter what, she couldn’t do it. No matter how much was at stake, there was no way she could kill a friend who had been through so much.
Her eyes jumped back on Obsidian. He slowly collapsed to the ground, his face showing high stress while he fought the demons in his mind.
Time was running short. Twilight had to think of something. There had to be a way to save him, and not only him, but everypony and all of Equestria. There had to be a way.
Half a minute passed and three ideas shot through the purple mare’s head. She could either try to inform Princess Celestia about what was happening and try to buy as much time as possible, alarm all of Ponyville and evacuate the village or fight Obsidian all by herself, trying to defeat the demons taking over his mind. But which decision should she make? Which would save Obsidian and which would doom them all?
---
This is where you have to decide. You are now Twilight’s decision. Make your choice wisely, for not only Obsidian’s life is at stake, but also the future of Equestria.
If you think Twilight should inform Princess Celestia, read the conclusion ‘Letter of Destiny’.
If you believe Twilight should evacuate Ponyville first, read the conclusion ‘Ringing Bells’.
And if you think Twilight should fight Obsidian all by herself, read the conclusion ‘The Duel’.
|
Nero Darkard
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1362
| 34 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
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Maledictum Insania
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Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
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complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
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mature
|
2012-10-19T20:45:21+00:00
|
2012-10-19T20:45:21+00:00
| 1,912 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pPh90A6Sh6w8HX7RELNJAus7OKDdAp2VQL0HISh8qe8/edit
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Conclusion: Ringing Bells
After a short hesitation, Twilight concluded that, right now, it would be most important to alarm Ponyville first and ensure the safety of the villagers. Once they were out of danger, she could think of a way to rescue the black stallion.
“Obsidian. I need you to fight the demons for as long as you can! I will go and ring the bells in Ponyville! I will be back soon, I swear!” the purple mare promised.
“Twi...light... I... I can not...” Obsidian started, but Twilight was already on her way.
---
Her first goal was to find Applejack and Big Macintosh. Luckily, they were back in the farm house by now. Both had been looking for their little sister and were very confused when the purple mare rushed in and commanded to join her in running back to Ponyville without any explanation. Although finding Applebloom had highest priority to Applejack until that moment, she instantly understood that something very bad was going to happen, so she didn’t bother with the details and just followed her.
Using multiple teleportations again to buy as much time as possible, the three ponies arrived in just five minutes. Twilight instantly used her magic to ring the bells in the roof of the town hall as soon as it came in sight. While the lights quickly went back on all around the village, Derpy Hooves was one of the first to come flying over to her.
“Twilight, what’s going on?” she asked.
“We don’t have time for a full explanation, so I will cut it short: Obsidian is turning into a red reaper at this very moment and I need you to help me get everpony as far away from here as possible!” the purple mare shouted.
“Obsidian is what?!” Applejack asked unbelieving.
“No... Are you absolutely sure, Twilight?” Derpy wondered.
“I am dead serious, Derpy! Does it look like I’m making jokes here?” Twilight countered.
“Oh gosh... alright then. I will inform the other reapers immediately. You should run as well and leave the fighting to us!” Derpy suggested.
“No! Don’t kill him! I’m sure I can find some way to save him!” the purple mare protested.
“What?! Twilight, you have no idea what you are dealing with! This is a disaster of unspeakable proportions! If he gets away, it will be next to impossible to find and catch him!” the gray mare stated.
“I can’t set up an evacuation all on my own! We just don’t have the time to explain what is happening to everypony and convince them to run! Ponyville is used to reapers by now and respects their authority! If you tell them to run, I’m sure they will do so without questioning! As for Obsidian... we can’t just kill him! There must be a way to save him! He is our friend! We might be able to do something! Please, Derpy. Just give us a chance!” Twilight pleaded.
“Dang... Alright, Twilight. You are one of the most intelligent and powerful ponies in all of Equestria. If anypony could find a way, then it’s you. You get your chance, but I won’t take any risks. I will still inform all the other reapers. I just don’t know if they can make it here in time... Now go, Twilight!” Derpy responded.
“Thanks. Let’s go AJ! We need to get Rarity and Fluttershy!” Twilight spoke.
“Alright. Let’s do this! Big Mac, ya help Derpy clearin’ out town! They’ll need every helpin’ hoof they can get. Ah’ll take care of Obsidian and see if ah can find AB!” Applejack suggested.
“Eyup!” her brother confirmed.
---
Finding Rarity was easy. Carousel boutique was nearby and she was still working on a dress. Twilight gave her the same short summary she gave Derpy and Applejack and suggested that she should take all the gems she currently had with her. Fluttershy, on the other hoof, was a whole different story.
“She’s not home!” Twilight announced after she teleported herself back out of the cottage.
“What do you mean she’s not home? Where could she have possibly gone this late?” Rarity wondered.
“I have no idea, but we can’t waste any more time! We have to get back to Sweet Apple Acres, stat!” Twilight commanded.
“He’s at the orchard? Twi, once this is over, ya will have to tell me what happened,” Applejack spoke.
“I already fear that moment... anyway, get ready, girls!” Twilight announced while casting another set of teleportation spells.
---
After another ten minutes, the three mares arrived back in the orchards and started running towards the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse. It was suspiciously silent. Nothing could be heard but a light breeze blowing through the leaves. Twilight’s worst suspicions came true as she realized Obsidian wasn’t laying in front of the club house anymore.
“No! Shoot! We’re too late!” Twilight stated.
“Well... now what?” Applejack wondered.
“He can’t be far away! I mean, I hope he’s not. We must find him, whatever it takes!” Twilight explained.
“Twilight, dear...would you be so kind as to tell us how are we supposed to find a master of stealth?” Rarity wondered.
“Well, technically speaking, not at all. We can only hope that he finds us! We need to get his attention!” the purple mare replied.
“Well I certainly know how to get anypony’s attention!” Rarity stated.
She then let a diamond levitate out of her saddlebag and turned it into a light beam, shooting straight up into the night sky.
“There’s no way he didn’t see that!” the white mare concluded.
“Good. Now, let’s just be noisy and call for him. We need to stick together. I have no idea how he will react to us,” Twilight suggested.
--
For seven minutes, the mares slowly walked through the orchard, loudly shouting out the reaper’s name. Since he could approach from any direction, they were constantly looking around and used strong light spells to illuminate as much land around them as possible.
Twilight started to get really worried. Did she make the wrong choice? Did her attempt to warn Ponyville and rescue Obsidian only lead to the black stallion getting away in an insane state?
The purple mare kept staring up between the apple trees into the sky while she went through all possible events sprouting out of the red reaper’s escape. At least Ponyville would be safe, but what would he do? Where would he go? What would he be capable of, now that he lost his mind?
Suddenly, the purple mare saw something passing by in the corner of her eye.
“Girls! Quiet now! I think he’s here!” Twilight commanded.
Applejack and Rarity instantly became a lot more nervous. Knowing Obsidian, they knew he was hiding in the shadows, looking for the right moment and angle to strike for an immediate kill.
The three mares came very close together, their eyes quickly jumping in all directions. Half a minute passed until Rarity suddenly shouted out.
“Above you!” she screamed and quickly used another diamond to shoot a light beam right above Twilight.
The beam hit, causing a black mass to get launched through the air a bit. Though while still in air, it picked itself up again and landed next to Twilight with some distance. Rarity’s swift reflexes saved the purple mare from the awaited strike.
Now exposed to the light the horns of Twilight and Rarity gave off, they realized it really was Obsidian. The reaper’s black and red eyes were wide open and he was grinning widely at them, presenting his shark-like fangs holding his scythe.
The black stallion huffed loudly while staring at them with this completely crazy face. A sight just as horrifying as it was painful to watch.
“Obsidian! Stop! It’s us! Your friends!” Twilight shouted.
The insane reaper giggled shortly in a for him very unusual high pitch. Then he started running towards Twilight.
The purple mare became startled and teleported herself to gain some distance. But Obsidian followed, teleporting himself after her. Rarity lifted multiple gemstone out of her bag while Applejack tried to follow them.
When Obsidian landed right next to her with another teleportation, the orange mare tried to distract him with a kick. He, though, was fast enough to not only dodge the kick, but also grab Applejack’s hind leg and use the momentum of the kick to throw her over and pin her down.
Rarity quickly launched a sapphire at Obsidian, turning it into a large ball of water in attempt to knock him over. But this time, he saw it coming. The reaper quickly lifted into the air and hid in the shadows again. It seemed like, even though he had become insane, he was still very capable of fighting and constantly kept an eye of all three of them.
“Dagnabit, Obsidian! We’re here to help ya! You can’t- Rarity behind you!” Applejack shouted.
The fashion diva quickly turned around, just fast enough to see the black stallion swinging his scythe at her and being able to duck in the last moment. As he missed, Obsidian used the movement of the swing to turn around and kick Rarity into the air, just like he did with the Chimera, months ago. Then turning back around to strike again.
Twilight teleported Rarity over to her before he completed his turn. The kick was hard, though. The fashion diva placed her front hooves on her chest, coughing and gasping in pain while lying on the ground.
“Please, Obsidian! Remember! We are your friends!” Twilight begged.
The black stallion didn’t respond. He still had this terrifying grin on his face and it seemed like he didn’t even hear them. Twilight had to admit that talking to him was useless right now. The only thing the insane reaper had in mind at this moment was killing them.
Obsidian reached his left front leg out to the purple mare and launched a fireball at her. Twilight took over control of it in flight and used the trick he taught her to turn it into a cold flame, shooting it back at him. But by the time she got to this point, five more fireballs were flying at her.
While they were sunken in a magic duel and Rarity slowly got up again, Applejack started charging the reaper from behind.
Just as she was about to pounce him, the reaper quickly ducked a bit, grabbed her right front leg with his mouth and sliced his scythe through its base. The whole act was perfectly timed to allow Obsidian to also dodge Twilight’s attacks.
“Applejack!” Twilight and Rarity shouted in shock at the same time.
The orange mare flew through the air for a bit more, leaving a trail of blood behind her.
“Agh! Mah leg!” she screamed in pain and shock after she landed.
Obsidian just stood there, grinning at the orange mare while taking a large bite out of her separated limb, chewing and swallowing it. Now it was clear that he was serious about killing his own friends and that Twilight underestimated the situation.
She had to act quickly to prevent Applejack from bleeding to death. Twilight wanted to avoid going this far, but now she had no choice but to go all out.
The purple mare used her arcane magic abilities again, aiming a purple bolt at Applejack to seal the wound.
At this moment, Obsidian dropped the bloody orange leg, picked up his scythe again and started running to Rarity. Desperately, she launched multiple gemstones at him, but they all missed, due to Obsidian teleporting himself right in front of her.
The insane reaper had his scythe lifted in the sky and was ready to strike. In her panic, Rarity lifted all the gems out of her bag and formed a shield of diamonds in front of her, successfully stopping the mortal strike.
To the second strike, though, she could not react fast enough. Obsidian knocked the diamond shield aside, grabbed the white mare and sunk his sharp fangs into her neck, trying to break it.
As Rarity screamed in pain and fear, Twilight turned her focus over to them and launched a wave of arcane magic at the black stallion. Knowing he was unable to stop it, he jumped to distance again.
Twilight was shocked to see how radically his personality changed. He had become very brutal and everything that they previously had between them meant nothing to him anymore. At this point, Twilight had to change the priorities. Survival and the protection of her friends were most important now.
The purple mare aimed another arcane spell to the now also heavily wounded fashion diva. Applejack was still suffering from her trauma. The bleeding was stopped, but she was clearly unable to continue fighting.
After Rarity somewhat recovered, she and Twilight switched places. While the fashion diva sought cover behind her friend and took care of Applejack, Twilight was trying to gain the reaper’s attention.
He, though, planned to finish them off. Obsidian tried running around Twilight, but she made sure he kept his distance to her friends. Then suddenly, he took a quick leap in the purple mare’s direction and got in position to swing his scythe.
Twilight instantly raised an arcane shield to block, but the reaper was making a feint. Instead of swinging the blade, he rolled to her side and rammed the end of the handle hard into her spine, knocking her over and leaving her in a lot of pain.
Obsidian now aimed to also get past Rarity. By now, she had all her gemstones floating in the air and ready for use. Like before, she used them to block off a few of his strikes. But since she was not combat trained, it didn’t take the insane reaper very long to bypass her defences.
The gemstones all suddenly dropped to the ground after he managed to punch her hard in the face, knocking her out.
Finally, Twilight got back up and instantly teleported her two friends over. Seeing what Obsidian was willing to do to her friends filled her with fury. Despite their friendship and her wish to save him, Twilight would not allow him to come close to them again and started casting more arcane spells at the black stallion.
Even a reaper as mighty as Obsidian was unable to withstand the power of arcane magic. While he was able to dodge the first few attacks, the following strikes hit him, causing purple magical explosions each time.
Although the black stallion got hit quite badly a few times and started bleeding all over, he kept grinning wickedly. He used his own magic to tear several trees out of the ground, levitating them in the air to both block off Twilight’s attacks and throw them at the small group.
The battle quickly became more and more challenging. Twilight had a lot of trouble to keep her friends safe from the wild mix of flying trees and spells. As Obsidian realized he got her distracted enough, he teleported himself right in front of the purple mare and delivered her a powerful punch in the stomach.
The sudden strike was so hard that it damaged Twilight’s inner organs, causing her internal bleeding. The pain, nausea and shock made her lose her concentration. As the purple aura around her vanished and her eyes stopped glowing white, the reaper grabbed her and rammed the purple mare hard to the ground, placing the tip of his scythe at her neck.
She stared at Obsidian in complete fear as she was pinned down in this all too familiar position and with this all too familiar face right above her.
The black stallion was ready to kill when a strong light beam hit him and knocked him away. Rarity came back to her senses and although her nose was bleeding quite badly, her first reaction was to launch a diamond at the reaper to stop him.
Obsidian staggered, leaving him off guard for a moment which Rarity used to strike again. As the second light beam hit the reaper, he got flung several meters away.
The battle came to a halt as the three mares and the black stallion stared at each other, all of them breathing heavily. By now, they were all in bad shape, just as the landscape around them.
The grin on Obsidian’s face slowly grew wider and wider as his heavy breathing reduced more and more.
Suddenly, he began to giggle in a high pitch again and a dark aura started building up around him. Twilight understood that he was readying another very powerful spell and tried to concentrate again.
Applejack and Rarity just laid there, their eyes wide open in fear and glued on that... thing which used to be their friend.
The dark cloud around Obsidian grew more and more. With a loud ignition sound, it became replaced by a massive amount of flames. The reaper grinned widely in the middle of the inferno he created while it built up more and more.
Twilight regained her own, purple aura. She too gazed at the reaper in disbelief as the flames started forming claws and fangs. She understood Obsidian was about to use the powers he gained from consuming the Salamander.
The purple mare quickly built up an arcane shield around her friends and herself. Just a moment later, a huge part of Sweet Apple Acres was shrouded in an enormous firestorm.
Despite the shield, the heat from Obsidian’s demonic fire was unbearable. At this point, there was nothing Applejack or Rarity could do anymore. Their lives depended on Twilight keeping up the shield. But because she was still weakened from nausea and the heavy blows to her spine and organs, she had trouble blocking of this very mighty attack.
Twilight lifted her head and glanced through the shield into the center of the flames. Obsidian was still staring at them with wide open eyes and insane grin. It seemed like this didn’t drain him far as much as it drained her.
Obsidian started preparing another spell while still keeping up the burning storm around him. Twilight could react just in time to focus more on the shield in front of her to also block a powerful black bolt he launched at them.
Trying to handle two more than lethal spells at the same time slowly turned out to be more than Twilight could handle. The more she concentrated on the bolt, the weaker the other shields became. While they were just sweating before, Applejack’s, Twilight’s and Rarity’s coats now began to smoke and the smell of burnt hair filled the small sphere which kept them alive.
The screams of agony coming from her friends forced Twilight to focus more on maintaining an endurable temperature in the sphere, but that again made the bolt get closer to them.
It now dawned to Twilight that she had no chance. She completely underestimated the situation, since she had never seen Obsidian go all out and seriously try to kill a pony. Even with her arcane magic, Obsidian was much more trained on combat spells than she was. Soon, she would run out of strength.
But Obsidian didn’t intent to wait for that to happen. He casted yet another spell, forming a dark cloud around him. Then, he slowly stepped aside. The aura, though, remained in place, taking over the casting of the spells while he gained the freedom to walk around in this hellstorm.
Twilight’s eyes were glued to the reaper as he slowly approached from the side. She could not possibly gather up enough strength to prevent a physical attack now as well. The purple mare understood that this was the end of the battle and he would win. The moment he strikes, the shields would give in and they all would die.
Obsidian as well was aware of that fact. He grinned widely while he stepped right next to Twilight with the scythe in his mouth.
Suddenly, the reaper got launched out of the firestorm and into a rock. The flames instantly vanished, as well as the black bolt and the shadowy silhouette of the reaper. Just a moment later, the purple aura disappeared around Twilight and she collapsed in exhaustion.
After a few quick breaths, she started looking around for what just happened. Not far from her, she spotted a steam cloud.
As the steam disappeared, it revealed Fluttershy. She must have soaked herself in water and then jumped into the inferno for a surprise attack, Twilight figured.
The attack seemed to have been hard, since Obsidian needed a few seconds to get back on his legs. The grin disappeared from his face and he threw an angry glance at the yellow mare. She as well focused Obsidian with a very determined expression.
The black stallion leaned his head down, trying to cast a spell at her, but it didn’t work. At this moment, a stream of blood washed over his face. The reaper reached up to his forehead, discovering that his horn was missing now. Fluttershy aimed a precise kick directly at it to break it off.
Twilight tried to get back up, but she still was too drained to even stand. Her two other friends as well were unable to move. Fluttershy was the last one standing. It was all up to her now.
With his horn missing, Obsidian was unable to use magic anymore. Still, it didn’t seem to bother him too much and he just started grinning again.
The yellow mare and the insane reaper started running towards each other, resulting into a furious battle of kicks, swings and evasive moves. Their attacks were so fast that it was hard to follow what was happening for the untrained eye.
Somehow, Fluttershy managed to tear the scythe out of Obsidian’s grip and started attack him with it. After a few moments, though, he was able to reobtain it.
The two fighters built up more and more distance after each strike. Obsidian even went so far as to throw his scythe at Fluttershy, which she could not only dodge, but also catch and throw back.
Suddenly, they both lifted into the air and continued their fight above the burnt orchard. As they lifted higher and higher, Twilight could hardly see them anymore.
Then, a female scream filled the air. Two second later, a yellow Pegasus wing landed next to Twilight.
The purple mare’s eyes went wide open in shock as she stared at it. Her focus jumped back to the sky, allowing her to catch the moment Obsidian crushed Fluttershy down to the ground. Several bones snapped loudly on impact and the blood flew freely out of Fluttershy’s back.
The reaper stood on top of the yellow mare, pinning her down and grinning completely maniacally. Obsidian knew that he had her and that she was unable to fight back.
Victorious, he began to laugh with the scythe in his mouth. The reaper lifted the blade into the sky, ready to kill the pony he cared for the most while his eyes were constantly stuck at hers.
Obsidian swung. But before he could hit her neck, Fluttershy did something she had never done to him before: she used the Stare on him.
Although she could have used the Stare sooner, she knew that it would work on him only once before he would expect of her to use it again. She had to make sure that this one time would be well placed.
A wave of shock rushed through the reaper, causing the grin on his face to vanish and him to miss his target.
Instantly, Fluttershy punched him hard, forcing him to get up a bit. At nearly the same moment, she grabbed his scythe by the blade and pulled it away.
Ignoring her broken bones, she jumped back up, rolled herself over the reaper and...
The sound of the scythe piercing flesh filled what was left of Sweet Apple Acres. After that, it suddenly became silent. Obsidian and Fluttershy both stood motionless for a few seconds.
The reaper still had a stunned expression and stood upright while his gaze dropped down to his body. He saw the blade piercing through his stomach and blood flowing around it. Now he felt the pain, and along with it, he felt how the scythe started draining his life force.
As he rapidly got weaker and weaker and his sight got blurrier and blurrier, Obsidian’s expression shifted again. This time into a gentle smile.
“Thank you...” he spoke, just before collapsing.
While the scythe fell to the ground and a puddle of blood formed around the reaper, Fluttershy as well went down to the ground to breathe and rest her broken body. The battle was over.
Twilight and Rarity slowly got up again and helped Applejack to get back on her remaining legs as well. Then they helped her walk over to the yellow mare together.
“Fluttershy...” Twilight spoke.
She was still too exhausted to reply. Half a minute passed before the yellow mare lifted her head again.
“It’s okay, Twilight. It’s all good now,” she replied.
“But... darling... but...” Rarity stuttered.
“I know what I did. I know what just happened, but it’s okay. It was my choice. I decided to do it,” Fluttershy started.
At that moment, a small black orb lifted out of the reaper’s body and disappeared into the night sky. Right after that, a black fog rose out the dead body and the faint screams of the countless demons Obsidian had consumed could be heard. Now that he was dead and his soul left his body, they started breaking apart and turned back into purified darkness.
“I know Obsidian wouldn’t have wanted this, but I had to do it. I did it for you, for Equestria, but most of all, for him,” Fluttershy continued.
As the screams vanished completely, the last remaining bit of dark aura soaked into the cloak, which then undid itself from Obsidian’s body and started crawling towards Fluttershy.
“He deserved so much better... I don’t mind the consequences if it means to save my friends and the most important pony in my life. Now, everything will be okay again,” she kept going.
“Fluttershy...” Applejack spoke weakly.
“I’m sorry, girls. But it’s time to say goodbye to pony Fluttershy and hello to reaper Fluttershy,” the yellow mare concluded.
The cloak finally reached her and immediately began to wrap itself around her. The reaper curse that had gone from Obsidian’s body back into the cloak now left it again and seeped into her. While this happened, her bones healed and her missing wing regrew as well.
Fluttershy kept sitting idly in front of her friends with closed eyes for a moment. Then, she slowly lifted her head and opened her eyes. Since she just became a reaper, she still looked the same. But her friends could see that her eyes didn’t shine as bright anymore as they used to do.
Seeing the worried faces of her friends, the yellow mare tried to comfort them by smiling at them. Although she changed, it requires years of training to become truly emotionless. The transformation into a reaper only drained a big part of her emotions, but not all. Still, this would be the very last time she ever smiled.
Fluttershy stood up again and turned around to pick up the scythe which now was hers. She instinctively knew how to control it and allowed it to vanish.
Her focus then fell on the dead black stallion. She slowly approached the corpse and sat down right beside it.
For a minute, she just gazed at the reaper with an empty expression. Although he was dead, he still had that smile on his face. Besides the heavy injuries and the blood, it seemed like he was just laying there and sleeping.
Fluttershy’s expression slowly slipped into a one of enormous suffering and grief. Then, she suddenly grabbed the dead body, held it close and started crying loudly. Her other friends limped over to her and embraced the yellow mare from behind, grieving along with her.
Twenty minutes later, the other reapers arrived.
---
Twilight’s decision was one the demons expected. If it was only for her, their plan would have worked out. But they did not expect Fluttershy to seek Obsidian out and kill him.
Creatures of pure evil like demons do not understand the concept of love. They expected Fluttershy to be the pony least able to seriously harm Obsidian, despite her skill. But the opposite was the fact. She would have done everything to save her beloved one, even if it meant to kill him.
Through her training with Obsidian, Fluttershy became the fail-safe for all of Equestria. The last resort should everything go wrong. Although Obsidian planned this, he never wished for this situation to ever come. But now, it did.
The prophecy was prevented from coming true, at the cost of Obsidian’s life and binding Fluttershy into an existence as reaper.
---
The combined funeral of Obsidian, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo was met with the most mixed feelings. The villagers had been told that he was the one murdering these three teenage fillies. For a majority of them, it was just unimaginable why he would kill the Cutie Mark Crusaders after he served as a loyal guardian for all of Ponyville for a whole year.
Even more mixed were the feelings of the villagers about Fluttershy. While some praised her as a hero to sacrifice her freedom to stop a murderer, others were shocked she went so far as to kill her own partner. But despite the intense confusion, shock and sadness that filled the whole town, one glimpse of hope and relief was maintained. With Obsidian dead, this would be the last funeral in Ponyville for several years. An age of many deaths had come to an end.
Twilight and her friends somewhat recovered from their battle with the reaper, but it left their marks on all of them.
Applejack was crippled to the point where she could no longer work on the farm.
Rarity gained scars on her neck and a deformed nose.
Twilight’s organs and spine were still damaged and she had to see the doctor frequently.
But the most wounded of all was Fluttershy. Although she physically healed, her soul became heavily scarred and she quickly lost her ability to smile or feel happiness.
Nearly everypony who ever had known Obsidian was present at his funeral, even Princess Celestia and her reapers. After the coffin was let down into the grave, she turned to Twilight and started speaking.
“Please, don’t feel guilty for this. You did everything you could. You did the right thing by alarming Ponyville first. If he would have reached the village... the scale of destruction would have been unimaginable,” she solaced.
“I’m sure there was a way... there must have been a way to save him, I just know it. This all could have been prevented somehow...” Twilight spoke and turned her face over to Applejack. “I’m... so sorry I couldn’t stop this from happening to you, AJ...”
“Aw shucks, Twilight. Ya don’t have to blame yerself for that. Ah should’ve been more careful. Just think positive ‘bout it: I still got three legs left! But ah guess we’ll have a whole lot to do to get Sweet Apple Acres to the way it used to be. Even then, ah reckon there’s no way ‘round hirin’ some helpers fer the farm,” Applejack spoke.
“I’ll gladly help you out with the financial parts,” Rarity offered. “After all, I run a very successful boutique.”
“Thanks, Rarity. Sorry ‘bout yer face, though... Ah know how important bein’ pretty is to ya,” Applejack spoke in condolence.
“Oh... its not that bad actually. I may look less pretty now, but I got these scars from protecting my friends. They add to my personality and I gladly took them to save you," Rarity explained.
Applejack smiled a little to the response, but then her focus wandered to Fluttershy.
The yellow mare was wearing her reaper cloak and had the heart pin attached to it. She stared down into the open grave with the same expressionless face Obsidian had for a long time. She just stood there, watching as it became filled with dirt.
“Fluttershy... Ah... Ah don’t even know what to say...” Applejack stated.
“It's okay. You don’t have to say anything. I did what had to be done,” the yellow mare replied.
After the grave was sealed, the air became filled with the sound of ringing bells. The keepers of harmony decided to put the miniature copy of the Seven Sounds Bell on Obsidian’s tombstone.
“A worthy grave for a worthy friend,” Twilight commented.
The others nodded in agreement.
Applejack’s eyes wandered over to Applebloom’s grave.
“Ah still can’t believe it... Mah lil’ sister...her of all dem ponies...” Applejack commented, a tear rolling down her face.
Her friends immediately came over to her and embraced her. Rarity as well had to fight back her tears, since she, too, was suffering from the loss of her sister. But she preferred to remain silent about it. After all, the case of Applebloom was even a whole lot worse. Once more, only the keepers of harmony knew the truth.
“I’m so sorry, Applejack...” Princess Celestia spoke.
“Ah guess there was no other way. Ya did what ya had to do... right Princess?” Applejack wondered.
Celestia nodded in response.
The ponies became silent again and listened to the sad melodies the Seven Sounds Bell played. Suddenly, it chose to play a song Fluttershy was familiar with, bringing tears into her eyes. As it played a second time, she decided to sing along.
“Hush now, quiet now
It's time to lay your sleepy head
Hush now, quiet now
It's time to go to bed”
The bell stopped ringing. Fluttershy placed a hoof on top of the grave.
“Sleep well, my love,” she spoke lowly.
Another minute of silence passed as all the present ponies mourned. Then, the yellow mare turned to Princess Celestia.
“I’m ready now,” she stated.
“Fluttershy... you know you don’t have to do this. I can arrange things so you can stay here,” Celestia explained.
“No,” the yellow mare responded, shaking her head. “Equestria needs me. These are dangerous times. With the elements of harmony not usable anymore, you need every reaper you can get to protect this land. I owe this to you, and to Obsidian,” Fluttershy stated.
“Very well... I will let you say farewell to your friends then,” Celestia agreed.
“Yes, Prince... Mistress Celestia,” Fluttershy corrected.
As she turned over to the three remaining keepers of harmony, she saw that they all had tears in their eyes.
“Will we ever get to see ya again, Fluttershy?” Applejack wondered.
“Don’t worry, my little ponies. I will do whatever I can so she can come and visit you. But... I am afraid that this won’t be more than for a few days every few years...” Celestia stated.
“Better than nothing, I suppose...” Rarity commented, sniffling.
The yellow mare nodded in agreement. Now Twilight spoke up.
“Fluttershy... take care of yourself... okay?” she requested, bothering to break out in tears.
“Will do, Twilight. Will do,” Fluttershy agreed.
They all embraced the yellow mare for the last time for several years.
“We will miss you,” Twilight stated.
“I will miss you too, girls. When I come back, you will have to tell me all the things that happened since I left. Okay?” Fluttershy requested.
“Sure thing...” Applejack said, sniffling as well and wiping the tears out of her eyes.
Fluttershy turned around again and walked towards the other reapers.
“Goodbye, friends,” she spoke.
“Bye, Fluttershy,” Applejack said.
“Farewell, darling,” Rarity said.
“Valētō,” Twilight finished.
Princess Celestia raised her head with sadness written in her face and started casting a spell. With a short white flash, she, the reapers and Fluttershy teleported away. For her, hundreds of years of endeavor lay ahead before she could get the faint chance to meet Obsidian again in the afterlife.
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 35 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
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Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
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complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
|
mature
|
2012-09-21T17:47:28+00:00
|
2013-05-11T01:02:49+00:00
| 1,540 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/17CnziT4HGfMwbOcUbf0w9qT9PQiUWh8OGo60LpBZRMY/edit
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Conclusion: The Duel
It didn’t take Twilight very long to make her choice. Her expression became serious and determined when she focused the reaper again.
“I’m not going to let this happen to you, Obsidian. You have already been through enough. I will stop them, come what may come!” she declared.
“No... you can not... stop them... you do not know what you are getting... yourself... into...” Obsidian stuttered.
The reaper was barely able to hold himself upright anymore and let out a scream while trying to fight back the demons assaulting his mind. It was not a scream of agony, but one of fear and desperation.
“I can not hold them back any longer! Just kill me Twilight! Please, hurry! You will not... stand a... chance once I... once I... I...” Obsidian spoke, unable to finish.
“I will do this. I have to. The demons have taken Moondancer, Spike and many others before. I won’t let them have you as well, Obsidian! I swore to myself that I won’t let this happen to anypony close to me ever again!” Twilight concluded with a serious tone in her voice.
Obsidian wasn’t able to speak anymore. He just lay on the ground, shaking in fear and making an expression as if he was in huge pain.
Twilight understood that it would begin any moment now, so she took some preparations to make sure she had the situation under control.
The purple mare created a force field around Obsidian and herself. Large enough so she could move freely and, if necessary, avoid attacks. She also made sure he would not be able to teleport out of the sphere.
After that, she tried to calm down and gather her thoughts. Twilight had to do this all by herself, so she knew she would have to use her arcane magic. But since it was so powerful, she needed to concentrate to make sure she wouldn’t accidentally kill Obsidian.
What followed then felt like an eternity to the purple mare. Her eyes were constantly stuck at the black stallion, tension filling her entire being. He was laying on the ground, facing away from her and not moving at all. No sound could be heard coming from him besides his slow breathing. Twilight wasn’t sure how she was supposed to defeat the demons taking him over yet, but she figured she would find it out soon enough.
Suddenly, Obsidian started moving again. He slowly lifted himself up into a sitting position. Twilight reacted immediately, jumping into a battle stance.
Again, nothing happened for several minutes. It seemed like Obsidian was just staring into the emptiness of the night.
The reaper started shaking a little again and a strange, weak noise came from him. Twilight didn’t precisely understand what this sound was at first, because she never heard it coming from him before. But as it got louder, she realized... Obsidian was laughing.
“Twilight...” He suddenly spoke, strangely calm.
“Y-yes?” the purple mare replied.
“Do you know what I just realized?” Obsidian asked.
The purple mare didn’t respond. She started getting really nervous, since she didn’t know what to expect of him.
“Just now... it dawned to me...” he started explaining, slowly lifting his head up a bit to look into the sky. “All my efforts... all my sacrifices... all the things I have ever done for Equestria... it all means nothing. It was all just wasted time. Do you know why, Twilight Sparkle?”
“Why...?” Twilight asked back, very hesitantly.
Obsidian delayed the answer for several second. Then, he began to laugh lowly again.
“Because ponies are worthless,” Obsidian answered, still laughing.
He finally turned his head to the right. A chill rushed through the purple mare as she saw him grinning widely with his sharp fangs and glowing red eye, which seemed to stare right at her.
She expected that seeing him insane would be painful and creepy, but this was far more horrifying than she expected.
“They are good for nothing,” he continued while getting up. “Weak, helpless, overly sensitive... The only good thing about them is that they are so... tender.”
Twilight started shaking. It blew her mind how radically he had just changed. Still, she kept her guard up, ready to get into combat.
“It is a shame you do not eat pony flesh. They are delicious, you know... and their blood is... so sweet...” Obsidian spoke, his focus wandering around aimlessly as he fantasized.
The reaper had no control over his grin, which caused him to start drooling. Twilight became disgusted from the sight. Was this really still Obsidian Shards in front of her?
Another few seconds passed before the black stallion lowered his head and placed a front hoof on his stomach.
“I am... hungry... so... hungry...” he stated.
Then his glance lifted up to the purple mare and his grin grew even wider.
A shiver went down Twilight’s body and she started to back away. It was clear to her what he was thinking right now and his following comment confirmed it.
“Twilight... you know... you look... very... tasty!” Obsidian analyzed and started to giggle in a strangely high pitch.
That was enough. The purple mare finally decided to use her arcane magic abilities, as she felt extremely threatened now. Of course, Obsidian reacted instantly, picking up his scythe and going into battle stance himself.
It was him who delivered the first strike by teleporting himself right behind Twilight and trying to slay her. She, though, raised an arcane shield to block the attack and instantly cast an offensive spell afterwards.
Since it was her goal to save Obsidian, she tried to immobilize him. Purple chains formed out of Twilight’s arcane aura, trying to tie up the reaper. But he jumped to distance, avoiding the chains and casting several ice, fire and dark spells on the purple mare.
Twilight could block and deflect the spells, but she couldn’t continue her own spell at the same time. The chains disappeared again and while she was distracted for just a moment, the black stallion suddenly vanished from her sight.
The sphere was large, but far not large enough to hide in. Heavily confused, Twilight looked all around her to search for the reaper. Just in the last second, she realized he had flown into the air and was trying to strike from above.
Twilight could raise an arcane shield just in time to block the scythe, but the reaper was still towering above her, using his body weight in trying to force his weapon past the shield.
The pressure was too much for the purple mare. She could barely hold herself upright. As she even went down a little, Obsidian delivered a kick to her left hind leg, causing her to fall.
The purple mare was now laying on her back, desperately trying to keep up the shield which separated her from the deathly blade. Obsidian towered right above her, grinning hugely with wide open eyes while he held the scythe in his front legs, using his full body weight and own magic to increase the force furthermore.
Not even a minute after their duel began, Twilight’s attempt to rescue Obsidian had turned into a battle of pure force, which she was about to lose. She might have had the stronger magic, but he definitely had more combat skills and experience.
The blade inched its tip further and further through the shield, aiming straight for Twilight’s chest. Her eyes were glued to Obsidian’s face. She could see him staring at her in excitement and grinning wickedly while his saliva dripped on the magic shield.
Ultimately, the shield gave in. Out of panic and reflex, the purple mare used all her power into a teleportation spell, causing all other spells of her to cancel. A bright white flash saved her from certain death.
Still under stress and panic, she kept trembling on the ground and breathing heavily for a few seconds more before she got up again, trying to find out where she had teleported herself to and where Obsidian was.
Behind her was the club house. Twilight came to realize that she was still at the same position as before, confusing her for a moment. She definitely succeeded in casting a teleportation spell! But what happened?
As she kept looking around, she noticed Obsidian was gone. A strong wave of shock bolted through her body as she realized what she just had done. Instead of teleporting herself away, she teleported Obsidian.
Immediately, she jumped back on her legs and started running around in search. She didn’t even have any specific location in mind when she cast that spell, so she had no idea where Obsidian could have ended up.
Twilight’s panic grew even stronger. She could only imagine what would happen if he got away now.
Two minutes later, she saw a silhouette running towards her. Twilight instantly tried her chain spell on it again. This time, it worked. The silhouette got tied to the ground.
A scream filled the air, coming from the tied figure. But the scream was not in the reaper’s voice. It was female. As Twilight came close, she realized it was Applejack she had tied up.
“Oh gosh! I’m sorry!” the purple mare apologized and broke the spell immediately.
“What in tarnation did you do that for, Twilight? And what’s with all those noises and strange lights on the orchard?” Applejack wondered.
“We don’t have time for explanations! We got to find Obsidian! He is-” Twilight started.
A large explosion in the distance brought her out of her thoughts. As the two mares turned their focus to where it came from, another strong wave of shock rushed through the purple mare.
“Oh my gosh... He is in Ponyville!” she spoke with fear in her voice.
Seconds after the explosion, the buildings set on fire and countless screams filled the air. A force field formed around the village, muffling the screams again and causing the smoke to gather up inside.
Twilight tried to teleport herself to the village, but it seemed like the shield blocked off her spell. Being so far away from the village, she couldn’t break it either.
Now, she had no choice but to run, which would cost her valuable time the villagers would have to pay.
“What the hay is going on, Twi?” Applejack shouted in shock.
“Obsidian is running wild! I don’t have time to explain everything to you! Just run, AJ! Run!” Twilight shouted back while starting to run towards the village.
Applejack still didn’t understand, but that was not important to her right now. She understood that something was going very wrong at this moment, so she just followed the purple mare.
On their way, they could see ponies trying to run and fly out of the force field. But while the villagers desperately tried to knock through it, something grabbed them and pulled them back into the smoke again.
---
Despite Twilight’s and Applejack’s best efforts, it took them ten minutes to finally arrive at the sphere. By now, nothing but smoke could be seen inside anymore.
Twilight placed her horn against the force field, closing her eyes and casting a shield breaker spell on it. Five more minutes passed until she finally managed to let the whole force field break in.
The massive, thick gray cloud immediately began to rise, but a majority of the village would still remain fogged for several minutes more. Minutes they couldn’t wait.
The two mares stepped inside, coughing heavily while looking for ponies they could help. But judging from the silence that filled the village now, it seemed like there would not be much left they could do.
Because of the very limited sight, they had to walk carefully in order to not stumble over anything or run into a wall. Finally, they came across the first dead pony: a little colt, who seemed to have suffocated in the smoke. Several more dead or dying ponies followed.
“Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no...” Twilight spoke in a voice filled with guilt and shock.
“By Celestia’s mercy... that’s horrible... Ah can’t believe Obsidian’s supposed to be responsible for that,” Applejack commented.
Just as she finished speaking, the orange mare stepped into something warm and liquid. She lifted her hoof in order to see what it was, but regretted doing so immediately after.
Applejack let out a scream of shock and disgust as she came to understand that this liquid was blood.
Finally, a strong breeze flew through the village, blowing away the smoke and revealing the full scale of destruction to the mares. Several buildings were destroyed and burning. Dead ponies were laying widely spread, some of them even sliced in half or decapitated. It now was out of question that trying to fight Obsidian all by herself was the worst decision Twilight could have possibly made.
“Rarity!” Applejack suddenly shouted.
Twilight turned around. She gasped in terror at the sight presented to her.
The fashion diva was nailed to a wall with metal bolts in her front and rear legs. Her stomach as cut open and her entrails were widely spread over the wall, nailed to it as well. Furthermore, the skin on her face had been removed and a large mirror was placed in front of her, forcing Rarity to look at herself in this terrible condition. On the mirror, the words ‘True beauty lies within. This is how you look inside.’ were written in blood.
Nopony would be able to survive such mutilation. Neither did she. But what truly crowned this horrible act of sadism was the fact that Obsidian didn’t reap her.
By now, Rarity had woken up again as an undead, crying as she stared at herself through the mirror in complete trauma.
“The worst... possible... thing...” she whispered with the bit of broken voice she had left.
Twilight and Applejack now, too, started crying as they desperately tried to put their friend out of her misery. But nothing they attempted would work. The bolts as well as the mirror were enchanted in a way that made it impossible to remove them for both.
“Obsidian is keeping the enchantments up. There is nothing we can do for her right now...” Twilight finally realized, tears of regret rolling down her face. “I’m so sorry, Rarity... I’m so sorry...”
The white mare didn’t seem to hear or even notice her friends. Her lifeless blue eyes were still stuck on her reflection in the mirror while tears washed a clear trail through the blood on her skull.
“Let’s... let’s catch Obsidian before he does that or even worse to another pony,” Applejack suggested while wiping the tears off her face.
Twilight nodded and continued walking towards the center of the town. Applejack followed her soon after.
---
The closer they came to the marketplace, the bloodier the ground became. It seemed like Obsidian dragged most of the villagers there in order to gut them. Suddenly, a female scream filled the air.
“The horror! The ho-”
A splashing noise followed, silencing the voice again. Twilight immediately understood that another pony just lost her life due to her decision, filling her with dread and unbearable guilt.
The two mares were close now. Around the next corner was the marketplace. By now, there was enough blood on the ground to form small red rivers flowing down the streets.
Carefully, they peeked around the corner. The scene happening at the marketplace topped everything they had ever seen before.
Large piles of flesh, bones and fur were spread everywhere. The ponies had been torn apart to the point that it was hard to even recognize them as ponies anymore. The statue of Princess Celestia had been knocked over and destroyed, leaving only the pedestal for Obsidian to stand on.
The reaper stood upright on it, his eyes closed and facing up into the sky. Above him where the torn open bodies of Lily, Daisy and Rose. Obsidian stood motionless while he grinned in joy as their blood showered down on him, dying his normally black cloak and coat into a horrible dark red.
At this sight, Twilight finally understood why the reapers called one of them that had fallen to insanity a red reaper.
As the blood was drained from the floating bodies, Obsidian simply tossed them into one of the piles by magic. Then, he dragged a new victim into the air. A fairly large red stallion. Big Macintosh.
How he ended up here when he was just at the farm minutes ago was beyond Applejack. The sight shocked her so much that she lost control over her voice.
“No! Stop!” the orange mare shouted.
A moment later, she covered her mouth as she realized what she had just done. Hoping they could hide themselves again, the two mares quickly walked to the other side of the building.
Obsidian remained calm, simply biting hard into Big Macintosh’s neck and tearing open the aorta. Then, he tossed the heavily bleeding stallion into a pile, leaving him there to die.
Twilight’s and Applejack’s mouth fell open as they stared at the reaper with wide open eyes and tiny pupils, complete trauma filling their minds.
The red reaper slowly leaned his head back, further and further, until he looked right back at them with his face upside down and grinning widely with his blood-imbued fangs. A sight just as freakish as it was terrifying.
Out of this position, Obsidian summoned his scythe and turned around, throwing it at the two mares. Both quickly jumped out of their cover, dodging the scythe narrowly.
But Obsidian wasn’t done yet. Still grinning, he simply tilt of his head, causing the scythe to redirected in flight and shooting it right back at them.
Neither of them did see that coming. But while Twilight was able to dodge the scythe, Applejack couldn’t react fast enough.
The blade pierced through her chest, sending her flying along with the scythe into the next best wall. As Twilight turned around, it was already too late.
“Nooo! Applejack! No, please no!” she instantly started crying out.
The purple mare rushed over to her friend, pulled the scythe out of her body and trying to cast a spell. But it was too late. All Twilight could do was watching as Applejack’s soul rose out of her body and lifted into the night sky.
The purple mare held the lifeless remains of her friend closely and started crying heavily. While she cried, Obsidian made entirely different noises.
The red reaper busted out in laughter, gazing at the pitiful scene before him.
Soon, he calmed down again and started walking towards the purple mare, only using his hind legs and wobbling around as if he was drunk of madness and violence.
“What is the matter, Twilight Sparkle? Are you not happy that I spared her of the torture I gave to the other ponies?” Obsidian asked in a high voice.
As Twilight saw him approach, she let go of her friend immediately and started backing away.
This thing in front of her looked nothing like the reaper she knew. It was walking upright and dripping in the blood of ponies. Its fangs were bloody and the saliva mixing with the blood created gooey red string going down from the mouth.
“Obsidian... please... you have to stop this. This isn’t you. You are not a monster,” Twilight spoke, her voice hoarse from all the crying.
“This is where you are wrong, Twilight,” Obsidian countered. “Right now, I am more myself than I have ever been in my entire life! I was such a fool all these years. I never understood why demons enjoyed torturing, killing and eating ponies. But now I do. It is a joy beyond anything I ever experienced before! I feel so alive! So happy!”
The red reaper went down on his four legs again and began to giggle while staring at Twilight with his head tilted sideways.
Twilight kept backing away. Her mind was a complete mess, filled with extreme trauma, fear, shock, sadness and regret.
Obsidian’s focus fell on Applejack’s body. He used his magic to let the scythe fly back over to her. Then, he made it slice open the chest and cut out her heart, which then flew into the reaper’s left front hoof.
“I have to thank you, Twilight Sparkle. Should you have kept your promise, I would have never made this discovery. Now, I have changed my mind. I no longer wish to die. In fact, I do not ever want to die!” Obsidian explained.
After he finished speaking, he put the heart into his mouth and started chewing. Even while doing that he kept on grinning, causing the blood to flow out of his mouth along with bits of flesh.
No. That wasn’t Obsidian anymore. This beast in front of Twilight may look like him and have his memories, but it wasn’t the black stallion anymore. He was gone. All that remained now was the red reaper.
Obsidian swallowed and started approaching Twilight again, letting his scythe levitate right by his side.
“Pathetic ponies. So weak and fragile. They stand no chance against the superiority of a reaper. It is quite disappointing how quickly they die. Fortunately, I have not run out of ponies to play with, yet! Ready for a game of tag, Twilight Sparkle?” the red reaper asked in a sadistic tone.
Twilight instantly turned around and started running away. After she jumped around a corner, she teleported herself to the other end of the village, hoping he would lose track of her.
But somehow, Obsidian was able to follow. Each time she teleported, he landed right behind her just a moment later.
The purple mare screamed loudly in panic. She tried to escape the village, but whenever she got close to the border, Obsidian appeared in front of her, swinging his scythe at her.
Teleporting out also didn’t work. Obsidian brought her right back each time.
The chase went on for seven minutes before Twilight finally started getting exhausted. By now, Obsidian wasn’t chasing after her from behind, but rather hid himself in the shadows.
Twilight’s eyes jumped around constantly, hoping to see where the red reaper would be coming from.
Suddenly, he shot out of a corner in front of the purple mare, wielding the scythe between his teeth and raising it to strike. She tried to stop, but by the time she reacted, she was already in front of him.
“You’re it,” Obsidian spoke, swinging his scythe.
A black mass shot out from another corner, pushing the purple mare away. With a loud metallic sound, the strike was blocked with another reaper scythe.
After Twilight recovered from the sudden push, she noticed another elder reaper with light blue coat and white mane had appeared in front of Obsidian, using her own scythe to stop his. It was elder Crystal Blossom.
The red reaper lifted his scythe to strike again. Just as he did so, another scythe came flying to him, tearing his own out of his grip.
Directly afterwards, Derpy Hooves landed behind Obsidian, picking up her scythe again and aiming the tip against his back.
Suddenly, reapers appeared everywhere, surrounding Obsidian and aiming their scythes at him. It seemed like the moment he started slaughtering the villagers, Derpy ran away to request support.
The grin had disappeared from his face and instead, he gained a troubled expression.
“I never thought I would witness the day another red reaper would arise,” Crystal commented.
“You... you of all... how could you do this, Obsidian?” Derpy wondered angrily.
The grin on the red reaper’s face slowly returned. He moved his head sideways to look at the gray mare behind him.
“A better question would be why none of you do this! You can not possibly imagine what you are missing out! Rending flesh... spilling blood... causing suffering and terror... it is the greatest pleasure that can possibly be achieved!” he replied.
Now another familiar reaper mare stepped forth, Lady Truesight.
“Elder Obsidian Shards. You have turned your back against Mistress Celestia and gone down the red path. You have betrayed everything we stand for. Now, you will face the consequences. By the will of our mistress, you shall be executed,” she spoke.
Simultaneously, the reapers all lifted their scythes.
“No! Don’t kill him! I can find a way to turn him back to normal! There... There must be a way to undo this all!” Twilight shouted.
"No, keeper of magic. There is nothing that can be done for him or the villagers anymore, besides ending their suffering. Leave this place immediately. We can not risk losing you now as well,” Truesight replied.
She gave the signal to strike. Yet, the execution was unexpectedly interrupted.
Countless black arms grabbed the scythes and held them from striking Obsidian. As Twilight and the reapers turned their heads, they discovered Slendermane standing close to them.
Instantly, many more high ranked demons jumped out of the dark and now surrounded the reapers.
“What?! Where did they come from? Why didn’t we sense them?” Derpy shouted out in confusion.
With a swing, the reapers regained control over their scythes and jumped in battle stance, forming a ring around the red reaper. While those in the inside kept facing him, those on the outside faced the demons.
“They must have been hiding here the whole time. The aura of death Obsidian caused in this village had covered their presence,” Crystal analyzed.
Slowly, Obsidian started laughing again. Along with his laughter, the demons started grinning.
“What a pleasant surprise! Who would have thought the creatures I fought all my life would come to support me! What do you say now, Messōrēs? Even the demons are on my side!” the red reaper boasted.
Twilight looked around in panic as there were demons all around her. But something was strange. Although they were looking and grinning at her, their main focus remained on the reapers. Not a single one even seemed to think about killing her.
Obsidian slowly picked up his scythe again.
“You want my soul?” he asked, laughing a bit.
His expression suddenly became serious and he went into battle stance himself.
“Then come and tear it out of my body!” he shouted and lifted into the air.
The reapers in the inner ring followed immediately, but found their path to the red reaper cut off by demons.
A furious battle broke loose in a scale Twilight had never seen before. The demons completely disregarded her and only attacked the reapers, seemingly trying to keep them away from Obsidian.
Spells and slashes were flying all over the place. Occasionally, a demon became consumed. But none of the reapers could advance on Obsidian.
Each time one of them managed to teleport close to the red reaper, he was either able to guard himself or a demon came to his assistance.
Twilight tried to help, but whenever she attempted to concentrate in order to use arcane magic, a demon rushed to her and attacked. Sometimes a reaper came to try and protect Twilight, but the amount of high ranked demons participating in this battle was just too large.
The attacks of the demons, though, never were meant to be lethal. For some reason, they just wanted her to stay out of the battle and kept her alive.
The fight raged on for twelve minutes, in which more and more of Ponyville became destroyed. In the end, barely any houses were still standing.
The corpses Obsidian produced worked out perfectly for the demons to feed on whenever they had a moment, allowing them to regain strength.
Although Twilight was the one who set loose all these events, she now could do nothing anymore but hide and watch helplessly as the reapers fought the demons and tried to reach Obsidian.
It slowly got through to her. The demons had this all planned. Ponyville was a trap for the reapers.
Suddenly, a female scream filled the air. The battle instantly came to a full stop as both the reapers and the demons turned their focus to Obsidian.
Somehow, he managed to catch Crystal Blossom off guard and sliced his scythe from her right shoulder down to her chest. Even the red reaper had an expression of disbelief as he watched what he had just done.
As all the reapers and demons came to understand what just happened, the battle continued. While the reapers tried to charge Obsidian, all the demons formed a wall to hold them off.
Disregarding the battle just behind his back, Obsidian slowly pulled his scythe back out of the corpse and let it vanish, watching as Crystal’s soul left her body.
Seconds later, a dark aura formed around her body and the demons she had consumed slowly started to break apart, as there was no soul they could hold on to anymore.
“I... killed another reaper...” he started speaking to himself. “I have never killed a fellow reaper in all my life before...”
The other reapers used all their strength to push forward and slowly managed to fight a way through the demons. As the first came close to Obsidian, Slendermane stepped next to him and used his arms to build a sphere around him, guarding him from any attack.
The red reaper still had a stunned expression. Not because he was shocked over what he had done, but because he was impressed about his own skills. Then, the insane grin returned to his face.
“And I also have never eaten another reaper before! I suppose this would be true cannibalism,” Obsidian commented.
The reapers heard him speaking, causing them to put even more effort into reaching him.
“No! Don’t do it, Obsidian! You already have more demonic energy inside you than you can handle! If you absorb hers now as well-” Derpy shouted, unable to finish as the demons tried to silence her.
The red reaper disregarded her warning and started eating the corpse before the demons sealed inside it could break apart.
The other reapers were shocked. They knew what would happen if they wouldn’t be able to kill him very soon.
The battle reached its peak as the reapers now even disregarded their own defences for the sakes of breaking through the wall of demons that separated them from Obsidian. As the first broke through, they immediately started attacking Slendermane.
By now, the reaper cloak had flown off and Obsidian devoured a large portion of the corpse. Fresh blood coated the old layer on Obsidian’s body, which had started to dry a little.
After a while, he stopped feasting and grinned hugely, reaper blood flowing through his teeth.
“Delicious,” he commented.
Obsidian lifted his head again and started laughing out loud. Louder and crazier than the times before.
But his laugh suddenly came to an end as he had the impression to be choking. Although the air ran freely in and out his lungs, he felt an unexplainable sensation of suffocation.
His vision rapidly turned blurry and the last bit of his remaining mind simply ceased from existence.
Now even the reapers seemed to panic. More and more broke through the demons and assaulted Slendermane in order to reach Obsidian.
Finally, the demon let down his guard, enabling Lady Truesight to ram her scythe through the red reaper’s stomach.
Several more reapers followed up soon, piercing their scythes through every bit of Obsidian’s body.
Slendermane retreated to the rest of the demons and, for some reason, they now stopped attacking, just stepping back and watching.
“Come on. Come on. Let his soul escape! Let his soul come out!” Truesight pleaded.
Obsidian had a stunned expression and his mouth was open. He exhaled for the last time. But it was not air that left his body.
A red cloud rose out of his open mouth. Soon after, the same red smoke escaped through the injuries the reapers caused to his body. A sight that seemed to satisfy the demons deeply and caused them to grin devilish.
“By my mistress... Step back! Step back!” one of the elders shouted.
The reapers immediately retrieved their scythes and jumped to distance, letting Obsidian’s body fall to the ground. Even the demons seemed to react to the order as they slowly backed away.
This situation was exactly what they wanted.
“Messōrēs... prepare yourselves... we are about to face Malice again,” Truesight announced.
Many of the apprentices started shaking now. That was the worst possible thing that could have come out of this battle.
Right now, they could do nothing but watch as more and more red darkness escaped from Obsidian’s body, which slowly lifted into the air.
The dead reaper got turned back around and placed back on his four legs. Although he was just a lifeless corpse now, he stood upright, looking at the reapers with an expression only dead ponies have.
Suddenly, Obsidian’s body seemed to start rotting in extremely accelerated speed. Right before their eyes, the skin started falling off from his face, the rest of his body following up soon.
By now Twilight wasn’t doing anything more but watching the events in trauma. Her mind had failed her. Not even regret was left to steer in her. Just pure, utter fear.
The rot crept through Obsidian’s body, causing the flesh to fall off bit by bit in a matter of seconds. As even his red eye fell out of its socket, Derpy couldn’t take the tension anymore.
“You damn beast won’t come back here a second time!” she shouted while charging from the side.
Before anyone could warn or stop her, the rotting corpse reached its right front leg out sideways.
It instantly tore away any flesh that was left on it, letting a massive black and blood covered skeletal arm shoot out. It was easily large enough to fit the whole reaper mare into it, grabbing her violently and ramming the long sharp claws at the fingers into her body.
The other reapers could do nothing but stand there in shock as they watched the arm squeezing Derpy with enormous force, causing her bones to break, the claws to wander straight through her body, the mare to throw up blood and her glass eye to pop out.
Finally, the skeletal arm turned into the same black cloud only reapers are able to create and surrounded the gray mare. As it manifested back into an arm, nothing but her reaper cloak and a large amount of blood stuck to the black bones was left of Derpy.
Before he even completely broke free, Malice already devoured the first soul by using the consuming abilities his cloak granted him.
While the cloak flew away, the hand came down to the ground, pushing the rest of the body upwards.
Now the left arm of Malice tore free, helping to push the small body upright as it got torn apart more and more from the sheer size of this demon.
Obsidian’s tail fell off and revealed a long, black, skeletal tail with an extremely pointy spike at the end.
Now the legs grew to their true size, tearing through the skin and flesh and causing it to fall off, creating two massive black and blood covered bone legs with hooves at the ends.
Malice lifted himself upright and all the remaining organs fell right down to the ground, revealing a massive black ribcage.
The thin skin on the bat wings just crumbled away, revealing two giant black skeletal wings, also having incredibly sharp tips.
Even the black skull changed shape, growing a bit longer. The single horn on the forehead became split into two, which then shaped themselves like goat horns, growing from the top of the skull to the back, down a bit in a curve and back in front, creating two very pointy black tips next to the massive jaw of Malice, which was filled with shark-like black teeth.
All along with the transformation, the reaper cloak adapted to the changes, growing in size and forming sleeves, which went around the demon’s arms and creating holes in the back for the wings to fit through.
Malice towered in front of the reapers in his full size of about four to five times the size of a pony like a massive structure of black bones, red darkness flowing around him.
As the black in the empty eye sockets became replaced with a demonic red glow, they knew the transformation was completed.
The other demons, even Slendermane, bowed down to their commander while they were still standing behind him.
The reaper apprentices trembled in a fear they haven’t felt in a long time and even the elders were under a lot of tension.
Malice slowly raised his huge right hand and slid it in his cloak. Moment later, it returned with a humongous red scythe with waved blade. As soon as he fully exposed his weapon, the demon commander went in battle stance.
“All hail the demon queen,” he spoke with a thousand demonic voices at the same time.
In contrast to the reapers’ expectation, his first strike didn’t involve the scythe. Instead, he lowered himself and rammed his left hand into the ground.
A split of a second later, massive black spikes shot out of the ground below the reapers. While most were able to dodge, nine reapers became impaled.
Immediately after the strike, Malice let the spikes disappear underground again and lifted his hand, so fast that the nine reapers still kept levitating in the air.
At nearly the same moment, he swung his demon scythe the first time, slicing the unlucky reapers in half. Still in the same movement, Malice gathered the freed souls with his left hand and guided them to his mouth, devouring them.
The reapers spread out, attacking Malice from all directions. Countless spells bombarded on this powerful demon, but they had no effect on him at all.
Malice was incredibly fast and skilled. He could just block any spell flying at him with his scythe, slicing through a reaper every now and then and devouring their souls. Even the most skilled and most powerful elders stood barely a chance against him.
The other demons just remained in the background, idly watching the battle. They knew their assistance was not required. Malice was powerful enough to fight all reapers by himself, getting much stronger with each reaper soul he devoured.
One by one, the reapers fell. They attempted every trick they knew, but Malice always seemed to see them coming and had a fitting response ready.
With an ease, he sliced through the reapers not only using his scythe, but also his claws. Attacking the demon commander from behind also was completely fruitless, as he used his sharp bony wings and tail to pierce the reapers and consume them moments later.
Nearly all apprentices had been devoured by now and the remaining elders all became much more cautious, flying to a large distance to the demon. But even to that he had a swift and effective answer.
Malice imbued his left claw with a strange magic, which he then used to slice his claws through the air. Curiously, this created a tear into the sky through with he rammed his scythe immediately after.
Almost instantaneously, tears appeared all around Ponyville, sending multiple scythe blades through them in all directions and slicing several more reapers in half.
“From Discord with best regards,” Malice commented after pulling his scythe back out of the tear and letting it vanish again with the others.
“W-What?!” a few of the reapers shouted before they got killed and devoured as well.
What started as a battle now turned into a pure massacre. Reaper corpses were raining all over the destroyed village and freed cloaks were flying everywhere. The number of remaining reapers kept reducing every second while Malice grew stronger and stronger at the same time.
Another minute passed and only a handful of reapers were left. Malice now decided that he had devoured enough reaper souls to display his powers and force them to retreat.
He reached out his left hand and used Discord’s magic on it again. With a simple turn, he turned the gravity of Ponyville upside down, causing the wingless reapers to fall into the night sky and disappear.
Only the demons seemed to remain unaffected by this powerful magic, as they stood on the upside down world grinning widely into the sky below them.
Twilight was also affected by this magic. She desperately clinched to a broken wood pole which once used to be part of a house. With the void below her, she screamed in panic, finally attracting Malice’s attention.
The few reapers still alive immediately flew over to Twilight and picked her up, trying to fly her out of the spell’s influence.
Now, the demons finally reacted again, chasing after them and trying to hold them back.
But before they could reach them, a strong light beam shot towards them, followed by an arcane explosion.
Malice’s spell became broken and gravity returned to normal. Twilight was still confused and had her head spinning as the reapers changed direction, flying to the source of the light beam.
As she lifted her head, the purple mare saw Princess Celestia and Princess Luna flying towards them, both having an arcane aura around them and glowing white eyes.
“Retreat! Bring Twilight to Canterlot! Lock down the whole city and wait for my return!” Celestia commanded to the reapers before Twilight could say anything.
The reapers just nodded, flying away with the purple mare and leaving the battle to the princesses.
Curiously, the demons left their battle stances and even Malice lowered his scythe after the demi-goddesses landed before them.
“Celestia. Luna. We finally meet again,” the demon commander started.
“Malice...” Celestia spoke calmly and with a very serious expression on her face. “I hoped I would never have to face you again. But before I destroy you and protect my land once more, tell me whom you have sprouted out of.”
“It is not obvious to you? Are you truly that short-sighted, Celestia? Or has your hatred to reapers made you blind to the fact that even they have limits?” Malice wondered.
Neither Celestia nor Luna gave any kind of response and just kept glaring at the demon commander with enormous seriousness, constantly maintaining their arcane auras.
A deep, low laughter rose out of the black skeleton before them.
“Very well. Then let me show you,” Malice spoke.
With a small hand gesture, he let a piece of rotten black coat raise into the air. As it came closer, the princesses could see a skull cutie mark on it. Both Luna and Celestia became visibly shocked.
“Obsidian... no...” Celestia commented lowly.
“Yes, Celestia. Even your most powerful, most trained and most loyal reapers fall to madness...” Malice started.
Then he bent his huge body down to the princesses a bit and continued.
“...when you demand too much from them. You were aware that he knew no limits. He would have done everything for you. He sacrificed all he had, merely to serve you. In the end, he even sacrificed his mind. All just because you left him no other choice,” Malice explained.
The demon commander slowly got upright again and gazed down at the demi-goddesses with this evil red glow in his eye sockets.
“Because of this. Because of your demand, I was reborn. Now, Obsidian is gone forever. He will never find peace and with him, all of Ponyville fell victim to Nightmare Moon’s wrath.” Malice finished.
“Your kind knows nothing but destruction. All you seek is the doom of this world. How can you even dare to speak to my sister like that?” Luna asked in an angry tone.
“You will pay for this, demon. You will pay for killing my reapers, my subjects and for destroying Ponyville,” Celestia declared.
“Oh, oh, oh. Such harsh words. But from the alicorn who is responsible for all this?” Malice wondered.
Now, Celestia got angry. She stomped her right front leg hard on the ground and combined with the unleashed power that rushed through her body at this moment, she created a small earthquake.
“I am not the one who caused all these horrors! That was you! You and your whole vile species!” the demi-goddess of the sun shouted in despise.
“True. But who is to blame for creating us? For giving us the desire to end the world?” the demon commander questioned.
The expression on Celestia’s face suddenly changed into one of shock.
“What... no...” she spoke, apparently taken of her breath as she remembered the events one thousand years ago.
“Yes, Celestia. Do you remember now?” Malice wondered.
“Sister! Do not let this demon confuse you! If anypony is to blame, then it is me. But even I was merely a tool to you disgusting creatures!” Luna spoke trying to convince her sister.
“No, Luna. You were the host, but you were not the origin of demon-kind. It was you, Celestia,” Malice corrected.
“W-what? Sister. What is this demon speaking about?” Luna wondered.
Celestia had her head hanging down by now. Guilt filled her mind as she remembered precisely how everything began.
In a timespan of hundreds of years, she pushed these memories far in the back of her mind, even going so far as trying to pretend that they weren’t the reason for all the suffering that happened ever since the moment Nightmare Moon took over Luna’s mind.
“Sister...?” Luna spoke in a worried and a bit shocked tone.
The bright demi-goddess was unable to reply to her sister. Too heavy weighted the guilt on her shoulders. So, it was Malice who spoke up.
“Celestia, you saw how much your sister was suffering. You knew how lonely she was. What did you do to end this? Nothing. You knew how desperate she was and you did nothing, leaving her alone and lost in her own darkness. You were too busy posing and shining in front of your subjects. You let your sister fall to madness. You allowed Nightmare Moon to be born. And all you did when you saw what your arrogance caused was whining over your dead ponies,” Malice explained in a very blaming tone.
“No... no... be quiet. Be quiet, demon!” Celestia spoke angrily while tears began to roll down her face.
“The truth hurts, does it not, Celestia? After Nightmare Moon started taking over this land, you even made thousands of ponies sacrifice their lives so you had a few more hours to study and find a weapon to defeat our queen. Was that really worth it, Celestia? All those dead ponies? Even now, one thousand years later, is it still worth it that through your hooves, ponies continue to die the most horrible ways? Do you enjoy the blood on your hooves, Celestia?” Malice continued blaming.
“Be still, demon!” Celestia shouted in rage, her arcane aura growing three times bigger in size as she did so.
Malice, though, was very little impressed. He just laughed again, lowly and deeply, even going so far as to put Celestia back in place by casting a spell on her.
With a snap of his fingers, thickened pony blood formed at her front hooves. Celestia’s immediate reaction was to jump back a little and try to scrape it off, but the red liquid was very slimy and sticky.
Slowly, countless faces formed in the blood, representing all the ponies that died through her orders. Their expressions were of horror, suffering and desperation. Then, the faces even began to speak.
“Why, Princess Celestia? Why? Why did you kill me?”
“It hurts! My neck! It hurts so much!”
“Why did you do this to me? I thought you loved your subjects! Why did you make me watch my daughter die and then killed me as well?”
“Whatever I have done, I’m sorry! I’m so, so sorry! Just please. Please make it end!”
“What are these black creatures? What happened to me? I’m rotting! I’m dead and rotting, but still awake! What are all these black things?”
“Mommy? Daddy? Where are you? It’s so dark and cold here! I’m scared! I’m scared! Mommy! Daddy!”
“Help me! Please! Please, Princess Celestia! Help me!”
“Ahhhh!”
“What did I do to you, Princess Celestia? Why do I deserve this?”
By now, Celestia had lost her arcane aura and her eyes returned to normal. She just sat on the ground, shaking heavily while staring at her front legs, her tears flowing freely in regret and guilt.
“Celestia! Sister! Come back to your senses! This is a trick!” Luna shouted at her sister.
The faces continued screaming and begging. Celestia hung her head again, the tears still flowing.
“Oh great and divine demi-goddess of the sun. You can not escape your burden. You tried for more than a thousand years now. It is your fault Nightmare Moon was born. It is your fault millions of ponies died gruesome deaths, continuing even these days. My mere existence and all actions connected to it are your fault. Because you did nothing to help your sister, to prevent her from becoming insane. You tried to run away, made reapers receive the punishment that was meant for you. With all this, you only made more and more ponies fall to madness. Just have a look around! Open your eyes to the truth, Celestia! You caused this! It... Is... All... Your... Fault!” Malice continued, nearly shouting at the end.
“Shut up already, demon! Even if what you say is true, it is, was and always had been your kind who dealt the greatest damage to Equestria! If it weren’t for you and your lust for blood and horror, all this would have never happened! We would be standing in the lively village of Ponyville I still remember from my visit, and not in its blood and flesh covered ruins!” Luna shouted back at the demon commander.
Again, Malice laughed a bit.
“We do only what you intended us to do. We are all just the children of Nightmare Moon, the queen of demons, your hatred and insanity. We are all just a glimpse of what you once used to feel for ponies. Even though these times are over, your past feelings have manifested into Nightmare Moon and she still haunts this land,” Malice countered.
Luna started to growl now, her expression full of anger. Finally, Celestia had stopped crying and spoke up again, her focus still lowered to the ground.
“You are right, Malice... I tried to hide everything bad in the dark... Along with that, I tried to hide my guilt. I failed to protect my sister from herself and it is my fault pony-kind has to suffer, even today... that is my burden and I will have to carry it until the end of time itself...”
Celestia suddenly smashed her front hooves to the ground. While doing so, she reactivated her arcane magic, broke the curse Malice cast on her and focused him with a determined expression.
“But this suffering of my subjects ends now!” she shouted at him.
“Indeed it will. Once you finally meet your punishment, Celestia. You as well, Luna. For that you were too weak and acted as the host for the most powerful demon in this world. Both of you gave birth to demon-kind. Now, after both of you fall, I shall help my queen rise again. She shall return from the souls of your precious subjects and be stronger than ever before. Once we have her back, then we, the demons, will finally be able to drown this world in agony and despair,” Malice announced.
“All hail the demon queen,” the other demons praised in the background.
“This is not going to happen, demon! We will protect Equestria and return it to harmony, once and for all!” Luna countered.
“Harmony?” Malice asked.
Now, he couldn’t hold back a loud laugh anymore and with him, all the other present demons began to laugh as well.
“Do not be so foolish, Luna. This land never was in harmony! It was discovered in desperation, founded in distrust, taken over by chaos and conquered by madness! Because of your failure, because of your arrogance, this land is now about to break apart under its own corruption. The forces are already trying to balance themselves out. Light dominated for far too long and darkness was fought and enslaved for a too long time as well. Do you not see, Celestia, Luna? This land has to be ruined entirely. Nothing must remain... and this is what I will do, once my queen is back,” he continued.
Malice went back into battle stance, all the demons following him. Celestia and Luna as well got ready to fight.
“It all starts here, demi-goddesses of day and night. Right here... With your deaths!”
---
Roughly an hour passed until the last remaining reapers arrived in Canterlot. Malice had killed and devoured every last elder, so they came to an agreement that Lady Truesight, as the strongest and oldest one left, should take over their guidance for the moment.
Twilight Sparkle was returned to her old library tower. After all the things she had witnessed tonight, she was under trauma. For hours, she just sat there in place, her pupils shrunk to tiny beads, her mouth open, her ears dropped and shaking all over. No reaper or pony could get her to react.
It was all just too much for her. Mostly because she was the one who set loose this chain of events. Twilight could hardly believe how quickly everything went down to the point of complete destruction. None of her friends were left anymore.
Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash died weeks ago.
Rarity was tortured to death and beyond.
Applejack died before her very eyes.
Finally, Malice was created out of Obsidian’s soul while she was watching.
With the way everything developed, Twilight could almost be certain that even Fluttershy had been overpowered by demons at this point. After all, there were no tracks of her ever since the incident began.
Hours passed and Twilight recovered only very slowly. The trauma was gnawing heavily on her and the fact that she blamed herself for all that happened tonight made it only much worse. Her only remaining hope was that the princesses would succeed in defeating Malice and by doing so set things somewhat right again.
---
In just an hour or two, the sun would be coming up. Twilight had been up until now. She was tired and mentally drained from the horrors. Yet, she was completely scared of going to bed, since she knew she would have extremely gruesome nightmares.
By now, the purple mare was moving again. She started looking around the library, trying to distract herself by analyzing the place she had so many memories of.
The library looked different from the time she left Canterlot. Books were arranged differently, decor had been moved and observation instruments had been replaced with better ones. It seemed like several other students had been living here in the past years. Still, a few things were as they used to be, allowing Twilight the luxury of distracting herself by diving into happier memories.
Still, her guilt, trauma and worry resurfaced frequently, forcing Twilight to walk over to the large window she used to spent hours in front of, gazing at the stars or watching the Canterlot ponies on the streets while reading a book.
Her focus was stuck in the direction of Ponyville. The village could not be seen from here, not even the smoke. She had no chance to possibly gain any information on how the battle against the demons was developing there. Not even the reapers could help her, since they were ordered to stay in Canterlot and guard the city. She wondered if the rest of Equestria even knew about what happened to Ponyville.
Twilight dropped her head. Tonight, her life had changed radically in an extremely short amount of time. She had no idea how things were supposed to go on from this point. Even if the princesses would win, how could she live on with this guilt in her heart and these horrible images in her mind? How could she just pretend everything would be fine again and go on? How would she be able to leave all these horrors behind her when they were constantly present in the shadows?
Minutes passed and finally, a scroll appeared in front of the purple mare, containing the royal seal. A spark of hope reignited in Twilight and she quickly unrolled the paper, followed by a huge relief filling her heart when she recognized that it was written by Princess Celestia.
“Dear Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student,
I am glad to inform you that Luna and I were capable of defeating Malice and disbanding the troop of demons under his command. I can imagine that what you have seen tonight must weight on you heavily, but it is important that we find out how it could come to these events as quickly as possible. I am sorry to ask this of you, but I need you to come to Canterlot Castle for a witness report.
Please, meet me in my throne room within the next hour.
Your mentor, Princess Celestia.”
Twilight swallowed hard. Now, she was forced to tell Celestia that all this was her fault. The purple mare knew her mentor very well and after all she had experienced, she was even more convinced than ever before that Celestia wouldn’t punish her for her actions.
But still, resuming this all would be hard for her and she knew Celestia would be disappointed and angry that she completely disregarded to inform her of this important event. Yet, she figured that Celestia might come to the same conclusion as hers: that her guilt and these gruesome memories were already punishment enough.
The purple mare turned over to the front door and opened it by magic. Then she went on her way to Canterlot Castle.
---
Half an hour later, Twilight found herself walking through the long corridor towards Celestia’s throne room. It was a hall of many memories. The celebration after Discord’s defeat and the wedding of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor were just two to name here.
The large gate separating the hall and the throne room was still closed, but slowly opened up as the purple mare approached.
Since it was still night-time, it was very dark in Celestia’s throne room. But Twilight could see the large silhouette of the bright demi-goddess, sitting on her throne with her long mane and tail waving gently in the air by magic.
“I have to apologize to you, Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia began. “It is quite selfish of me to ask you here at this hour, especially after you have been through so much. But I hope you understand how crucial your still fresh memories are. Please, step forth, my faithful student.”
Twilight slowly went inside and bowed down to her mentor at the steps up to the throne.
“Princess Celestia... I... I’m so sorry... It is all my fault,” the purple mare started, starting to cry again.
“Shh, Twilight. It’s all good now. Come to me. I promise I won’t be mad at you,” Celestia offered.
Still crying, Twilight slowly started climbing up the stairs, while Celestia sat idly on her throne.
Suddenly, Twilight stopped. Something felt weird.
“Princess Celestia... where is the moonlight? Did you seal the windows?” the purple mare wondered.
“Is that of importance right now? Come here, Twilight. I want you right by my side and I want you to tell me everything you know,” Celestia stated.
The purple mare hesitated. Something just felt really weird about this situation. She just couldn’t point out what it was.
Finally, she decided to remove the wooden barriers at the windows, using a levitation spell. As the moonlight fell on the throne, Twilight came to understand with a shock what was truly going on.
The long waving mass in the air was not hair, but a cloak. The large silhouette on the throne did not belong to Celestia, but to Malice. He faked her voice to lure her into his range.
Twilight instantly took a leap backwards in fear, falling down a few stairs. Malice’s empty eyes sockets started glowing red again as he realized he was busted.
“Very smart, Twilight Sparkle,” the demon congratulated in his true voice.
The purple mare quickly got back on her legs and started to run towards the gate. But before she could escape, Malice closed and locked it with a simple hand movement.
Twilight tried to open it again, desperately casting every spell she knew on the doors to break the incantation that held them locked, but it was no use. Malice tightly sealed them with a magic stronger than her own.
The demon commander laughed again, low and deep. Twilight realized she had no choice but to turn around again.
Pressing herself against the gate, she stared at Malice in complete fear.
“Ho-how did you get here unnoticed? Where are Celestia and Luna?” Twilight asked in panic.
“Right here,” Malice replied.
In the dark, it seemed like he was grabbing a few large bags and threw them down the stairs. But as soon as they rolled into the moonlight, Twilight realized that those weren’t bags.
The purple mare collapsed to the floor as she stared at the severed heads of Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. They eyes were dull and their expressions full of shock.
“Your mentor was the first. She was careless enough to let her guard down in order to protect her sister. Luna became furious when she realized that my scythe sliced through her sister’s neck. An angry and desperate demi-goddess is a challenging enemy, but none a demon who already devoured countless reaper souls and the soul of a demi-goddess could not overcome. After my blade removed the head from her neck as well and I devoured her soul, everything became boringly easy. Cadence and Shining Armor stood not even the slightest chance against me,” the demon commander bragged.
With this act, Malice robbed Twilight of her last hopes. Their deaths hit her harder than the horrors she had seen earlier tonight.
With her mind failing and unable to cope with the sight before her, Twilight began to laugh and cry at the same time.
Slowly, she felt the same sensation taking her over again she felt months ago. Then, she suddenly stopped, shook her head wildly and closed her eyes, holding her head.
“No. Keep it together. Keep it together. Keep it together. You don’t want to end up like Moondancer and Obsidian. Don’t let the demon inside you win,” she spoke to herself.
Malice turned his black bony head sideways a little, apparently in confusion.
“Are you truly able to resist us?” he wondered.
Thirty seconds passed while Malice observed the purple mare and her battle against her own inner demon. Surprisingly, she stopped shaking and took a deep breath in.
As she exhaled and opened her eyes again, they turned white and a purple arcane aura formed around her body.
“Yes. Yes I can. Obsidian was right. I have become stronger and more resistant to Maledictum Insania. You are not going to get a demon out of me,” Twilight replied calmly.
“Impressive, yet disappointing,” Malice stated while getting up from the throne and slowly walking down the stairs. “It seems like your encounter with the second corrupted star did not have the full effect we wanted. But that does not matter. You, too, will give your soul to the demons.”
“I don’t care what you beasts have planned. I won’t take part in all this anymore! I’m not going to let you have my soul!” Twilight responded.
“You have no choice, Twilight Sparkle. Even if you refuse, do you think you stand any chance against me now?” Malice wondered.
“No. Most likely not. But I will still fight! I owe this to my friends, to Obsidian, to the princesses, to my brother and to all of Ponyville! Even if I stand no chance against you, it still won’t change my decision!” the purple mare explained while getting in battle stance.
The demon commander laughed again shortly.
“An amusing choice of words, Twilight Sparkle. ‘Your decision’. It was your decision that set loose this chain of events to begin with. You must be a very dull and naive mare if you do not realize what is happening right now,” he spoke.
“You... you mean...” Twilight stuttered in fear.
“Yes, Twilight Sparkle. The prophecy is coming true. By being so ignorant as to deny Obsidian’s death wish and selfishly putting all of Equestria at stake in order to try and rescue him, you did exactly what we wanted. You should have known that you would stand no chance against the red reaper from the very beginning. But your friendship to him has made you blind. In your ignorance, you believed wielding powerful magic alone would be enough to stop the unavoidable. Now, see where your selfishness has brought you, Twilight Sparkle. Because of your actions, all your friends are dead and I posses powers beyond any mortal creature’s imagination. Only one last step stands between us demons and the resurrection of our queen: the consumption of your soul,” Malice spoke while slowly walking down the stairs.
“My... my soul is the key to Nightmare Moon’s resurrection?!” the purple mare asked in disbelief.
“Your soul in me, after I devoured all the demi-goddesses before,” Malice explained. “Once I gained your powers as well, I am capable of lifting Maledictum Insania and forcing the fragments of Nightmare Moon to rejoin. It is time to face the truth, Twilight Sparkle. The sun is not going to rise this morning. Not this, or any other morning for the pitiful rest of time this world has. The end has come and we demons stand victorious as the new masters of this dying world.”
The demon commander now went down the last step and stood directly in front of Twilight.
The purple mare panicked, desperately trying to come up with a way to get out of this situation. Suddenly, an idea shot through her head.
The elements of harmony! They were not far from here, locked inside Canterlot Tower! If she somehow could reach them, she might be able to stop Malice!
While the demon commander tried to grab her, Twilight teleported to the left wall and cast an arcane lightning bolt at it. The explosion tore open a path down the corridors of the castle.
Malice instantly raised a force field at the hole, which Twilight immediately tried to break.
The demon laughed again as he watched her desperate attempt to escape.
“You can try to run, Twilight. But you can not escape. Not from me, not from the demons and not from the rest of the world,” he spoke patiently.
Malice raised his arms sideways into the air, using Discord’s reality altering magic on them again. Then, it seemed like he tried to grab the air and squeezed his hands closed with huge force.
Twilight became distracted as she noticed that red darkness was filling the room and something similar to an earthquake started to shake the whole castle. Her eyes shot wide open as she saw unexplainable cracks wandering through the air, coming from Malice’s clenched hands.
“No matter how much you run, the end is now unavoidable! Everything shall shatter and burn, beginning now and here! Face the unlimited power of Nightmare Moon’s wrath!” he shouted.
Malice pulled his hands down. As he did so, the cracks shot all across the room. Moments later, strange shards started falling out of the air, making the sounds of breaking glass on impact with the ground. A limitless red void appeared behind each shard.
Twilight could hardly believe her eyes. Somehow, Malice was powerful enough to shatter reality.
She quickly finished off the force field and started running down the corridor, being followed closely by the cracks and Malice.
The destruction proceeded rapidly in all directions. Everything around Twilight crumbled away and fell into the red void. In a matter of minutes, the corridors turned into small, crumbling stone paths, levitating in the red nothingness.
Twilight frequently turned around a corner in order to gain some distance to Malice and constantly kept an eye on him. The demon commander launched a variety of spells on Twilight that even outdid her own knowledge of magic, while repeatedly swinging his massive demon scythe at her.
So far, Twilight could dodge the spells and block of the scythe with an arcane shield. But Malice came closer every second, as it became more and more difficult to find a still levitating piece of ground Twilight could jump on.
By now, the purple mare completely lost orientation. She could see barely anything floating in the red void around her anymore.
Suddenly, she spotted a completely intact tower in a bit of distance. It seemed like the strong magic it was enchanted with prevented it from shattering like the rest of the castle. This must be it, Twilight figured.
Using every tiny fragment of floating stone left, Twilight teleported herself closer and closer to this tower while Malice simply flew after her. As he came to understand what she was aiming for, the demon suddenly stopped chasing and attacking her.
The purple mare didn’t notice his strange behavior and just kept proceeding until she finally arrived at the tower. Instantly she stuck her horn into the keyhole at the door, trying to open it.
“Come on! Open! Come on!” she shouted desperately.
The destruction of the castle had come to a stop. Malice remained in the distance, laughing as he watched Twilight’s attempt to reach the elements of harmony.
Ultimately, Twilight used up her mental strength. Her eyes turned back to purple and her aura disappeared as she fell to the tiny bit of floor stuck to the tower, breathing heavily in exhaustion and stress.
After a short recovery, her focus shot up again to look for Malice. He still levitated in the red, slowly approaching her.
“What did you expect to achieve, Twilight Sparkle? Did you honestly believe you could open this door? Celestia herself told you it was sealed with a spell only she can break. Now that she is dead, the elements of harmony are trapped in this indestructible tower for all eternity. Even if you were able to obtain them, you would not be able to use them. It requires six ponies, whose souls embody each of the elements’ powers. You are the only keeper of harmony left,” Malice explained in a scornful tone.
Twilight didn’t think this far. She just reacted in panic, but now she understood that there really was nothing left she could do.
Malice was strong enough to destroy Canterlot Castle with a single spell. The entire chase was just to his amusement. Twilight understood that if he really had wanted her dead any sooner, she would be dead. He let her run away and into a dead end to rob her of the last tiny portion of hope and he succeeded.
As the demon commander came closer, Twilight just sat there motionless. She had given up by now. There was no way she could escape and there was definitely no chance she could win against a demon who was so powerful that he managed to kill and devour the three demi-goddesses of Equestria.
“Finally. At least you understand that Equestria is doomed and surrender to your fate,” Malice started, about to grab the purple mare again. “Prepare yourself, Twilight Sparkle. For I will make your death just as horrifying and painful as... wait.”
The demon commander suddenly stopped.
“This sensation. I know it.” Malice spoke while getting upright again and drawing his scythe.
Twilight could see wings flapping behind Malice. Yellow wings.
“Fluttershy! You are alive!” Twilight shouted in happiness to see at least one of her friends survive.
“You have courage to come here after all this. But your courage will be the end of you, keeper of kindness,” the demon spoke.
He then swiftly turned around and swung his scythe. But something strange happened. For some reason, Malice stopped before he could hit. He became stiff as a statue and the red void around Canterlot Castle retreated, the shards lifting back into the air and in their position.
As the ground returned for Twilight to walk on, she quickly ran around Malice to see what was going. It was now that she realized that Fluttershy gave Malice the Stare.
The yellow mare had an expression on her face that filled even Twilight with enormous respect. She was as angry as never before in her life, tears rolling down her face while a fire of absolute hatred burned in her eyes, focused at Malice.
“This strength... this pure force of darkness... how can a simple Pegasus possess so much dark power?” the demon commander spoke, struggling to move again.
“You... you beast... you have killed Obsidian. The most important pony in my life,” Fluttershy spoke calmly but with a tone of extreme rage. “You will pay for this. Very, very much.”
Malice continued to fight against her stare, but no matter how much he tried, he could not bring the blade any closer to her neck than half an inch.
“Such power... I have slain elder reapers... I have devoured demi-goddesses... how is it that you can-” Malice started.
“Shut up, you bastard!” Fluttershy shouted in rage.
Twilight would cheer for her and encourage her right now, but the enormous desperation and anger of the yellow mare was so strong that even she found herself speechless.
The effect on the demon was even stronger. He was slowly forced to lower his scythe, get upright and out of battle stance.
“You dare to command me? Me?! Malice, the right hand of Nightmare Moon? You will suffer eternally for this,” he threatened.
“You have no idea what suffering is, you damn demon! You have no idea what it is like to lose everything that is dear to you, because nothing is dear to you! You demons are disgusting scum!” Fluttershy kept on shouting.
Malice kept on fighting against the Stare, but even he could do nothing against it.
“What... do you want, pony?” he asked.
“I want him back,” the yellow mare answered in a very serious tone.
The demon commander laughed a little in response.
“You are foolish if you think we demons return even a single soul we claimed. Obsidian belongs to us now,” he explained.
“Give him back,” Fluttershy demanded anew, tears of rage rolling down her face.
“You are not in the position to demand-” Malice started again.
“Give him back, you damn beast! Give me back my stallion!” Fluttershy shouted with full force, even more tears flowing over her face.
A silence followed in the castle ruins after her shout. Malice stood motionless in place while he stared down at the yellow mare.
Twilight was breath-taken from the scene. She had never seen Fluttershy this angry and desperate before. She didn’t entirely understand what was happening right now, but due to Malice’s silence, she knew something very strange was about to happen.
Fluttershy and Malice kept staring at each other for three more minutes. Then finally, the silence was broken.
“Fine. Have him back. I already devoured enough souls to base my existence on,” the demon spoke.
After that, he leaned his head back, opened his mouth and reached his right skeletal arm deep inside. A moment later, it resurfaced with a small creature covered in black slime. It was about the size of a pony.
Even Fluttershy seemed to be stunned that he actually gave in and carefully flew closer to the dripping creature.
The thing in Malice’s claw slowly opened its right eye. It was red.
“Ob...Obsidian?” the yellow mare asked carefully.
She flew even closer. The creature was simply too much covered in slime to clearly determine what it was.
It slowly opened its other eye as well. With a shock, Fluttershy realized that this one, too, was red.
Before she could react, the creature had formed a large sharp spike out of its left leg and rammed it into Fluttershy’s chest, piercing her heart. After it realized it succeeded, it grinned shortly and then merged back with Malice.
Twilight found herself unable to even say a word over the fact that her last remaining friend just got mortally injured and fell to the ground, quickly bleeding out.
Malice, now able to move again since the Stare was broken, began to laugh loudly.
“The naivity of ponies is simply remarkable. What made you think a soul the demons have devoured can be returned, you fool? Obsidian is gone forever! His soul has been destroyed and became a part of me!” Malice explained.
He lowered himself to the dying mare and picked her up, holding her into the air and letting her blood run down his arm.
“Do not worry about this broken heart of yours, keeper of kindness. You will not need it any longer,” the demon spoke while raising his scythe again.
Again, Twilight found herself unable to do anything to protect her friend. She just stared at Fluttershy, who glanced right back at her with the bit of life she had left.
But then, she noticed something. Fluttershy’s eyes kept jumping between Twilight and Malice’s scythe. For a moment, she just figured that she was scared, but then she understood.
This whole scenario was just a distraction! Fluttershy had sacrificed herself to gain Malice’s attention! Right now, he was completely disregarding Twilight and only aimed to kill and devour Fluttershy.
This was her chance! This was the only chance they would get to really strike Malice and stop him. Twilight’s original mistake was that she hesitated and only aimed to rescue her friend. Now, she would not do the same mistake again.
“I should make you suffer much more than this, but my queen’s resurrection has highest priority. Consider yourself lucky, keeper of kindness. I can make good use of your power. You will be with your beloved one again, in a form of none-existence,” Malice finished and prepared to strike.
At this moment, Twilight launched an arcane bolt at the demon’s hand. The sudden strike was strong and unexpected, even for him. The magical explosion tore the demon scythe out of his hand.
The demon instantly let go of Fluttershy, who by now had passed away. He quickly turned around, trying to grab his scythe again and kill Twilight. But by the time he faced her, she already held the scythe in her front hooves.
With one quick strike, Twilight used Malice’s own scythe against him, ramming it in his ribcage.
The reaper curse reacted immediately. Although Malice was a demon, he still used the scythe and cloak of a reaper, and these items were still bound to the same rules as all the others.
A black smoke rose out of Malice’s skeletal body and sunk into his cloak while he tumbled backwards and pulled the scythe out of his chest. He wanted to strike Twilight with it, but since it was no longer bound to him, the scythe just disappeared.
The cloak then flew over to Twilight and wrapped itself around her. As this happened, the world seemed to spin around the purple mare. Her tortured mind became broken apart by the curse and arranged in a new order, allowing her to abandon the traumatic experiences she made. Her body gained in strength and she could feel the darkness fusing into her soul.
Finally, she could open her eyes again. Malice stood before her, now nothing but a large black skeleton.
“You will pay for this,” he announced and started running towards Twilight.
Instinctively, she summoned her scythe and used it to block Malice’s claws. As he was about to use his tail as well, another reaper appeared and started attacking Malice.
Of course, a powerful and destructive spell like he cast on the castle did not remain unnoticed. It seemed like this whole plan was set up by the surviving reapers, as they now charged to Malice from all directions.
The battle was reopened, but in contrast to before, Malice had no longer the skills of an elder reaper, which was the key to his invulnerability.
Still, the powers he gained from devouring all the other reapers and the demi-goddesses remained, enabling him to kill and devour a few more reapers.
But just as he said himself, power alone does not make one invincible. The reapers pulled out every trick they knew and slowly, Malice found himself surrounded.
The reapers raced and jumped around him, throwing their scythes into the air, making it impossible for him to escape. After a moment, Twilight understood what they were doing. They were performing Tripudium Messōrum, the dance of the reapers.
As they started turning into dark clouds and formed a storm around him, Malice stopped fighting and began to laugh instead.
“Consuming me changes nothing, traitors. Celestia is dead! Luna is dead! Cadence is dead! My entire existence served only the purpose to kill the demi-goddesses of Equestria! I have fulfilled my purpose and by doing so, the path to my queens resurrection has been opened! The war is over, reapers! We won! The demons have won!” Malice shouted.
Moments later, the black storm closed itself around Malice. Immediately after, it became blown apart by a massive explosion of red darkness.
The reapers quickly formed back and became tossed all over the castle ruins, while all of Canterlot and the entire mountain it is built on drowned in the red fog.
It was clear now. Malice was defeated. But his defeat had defiled another place. Soon, Canterlot would become a second Everfree Forest.
---
After Twilight and the other reapers recovered from the explosion, they quickly gathered back around the purple mare.
“Welcome to our ranks, apprentice Twilight Sparkle,” Lady Truesight spoke.
She and many other of the surviving reapers succeeded in consuming a part of Malice. Due to that, they had turned into elders.
“Thank you...” Twilight replied and got up again.
The purple mare looked around what was left of the castle and Canterlot. She could hear the ponies screaming in the distance. The destruction of the castle, the massive explosion and the red darkness filling the air had terrified them.
Then her focus fell on Fluttershy. A large puddle of blood had formed around her body.
“Why... why did you do this?” Twilight wondered.
Another reaper approached her now.
“Forgive us, keeper of magic. But that was our idea. We became suspicious after Mistress Celestia did not return to Canterlot, so we sent one of us back to the ruins of Ponyville. This is when we found out that our mistress and her sister had been defeated. Between the ruins, we found Fluttershy, weeping over what was left of Obsidian Shards,” he explained.
“We took her to Canterlot and informed her about everything that had happened. We knew that by now, Malice would be impossible to defeat in a battle. Our only chance to defeat him was to catch him by surprise and rob him of the key element to his enormous power, the reaper curse,” another continued.
“But to do so, we needed to create a distraction. None of us would be interesting enough for Malice to change his priorities, so Miss Fluttershy volunteered in acting as a bait for the demon. She knew that there was a high chance she would not survive this and might even get devoured, but she still agreed. She said she owed this to Obsidian and only hoped that you, Twilight, would understand the plan and act accordingly. To our great fortune, you did,” a third concluded.
Twilight lowered her glance to the ground and slowly came closer to the dead yellow mare.
“I see... Oh, Fluttershy... I’m so sorry... I couldn’t save him. I just couldn’t. I wished I had been as strong and determined as you were,” she apologized while standing in front of the corpse.
Suddenly, the yellow mare started moving again. Now, after all the training in darkness and self-control with Obsidian, her power finally showed a drawback on her.
Due to her strength, she didn’t remain dead for very long. Not even half an hour after she got killed, she woke up again as an undead.
Fluttershy slowly rose her head, gazing at Twilight with dull eyes and an expression full of pain. Twilight didn’t need any words. She understood that she was begging for release.
“Celestia is dead... so I suppose there won’t be a book of death for me. I also doubt that your name will appear in any book of death now. But don’t worry, Fluttershy. I have learned my lesson. This all only happened because I wanted to save a friend that couldn’t be saved. I should just have followed his wish and killed him. I won’t make you go through the same suffering, Fluttershy,” Twilight explained.
She then summoned her scythe again and aimed it at her friend. Fluttershy opened her front legs widely, symbolizing that she was ready to accept death. A sight that brought a tear to Twilight’s face, despite the fact that she had turned into a reaper.
“Rest in peace, my last friend. Please forgive me,” the purple mare concluded.
Twilight sunk her scythe into the yellow mare’s body. She instantly collapsed and a small yellow sphere lifted out of the corpse and flew into the sky.
“It is over now... It is all over...” Twilight spoke to herself.
“Sadly... that is not true, Twilight Sparkle... look,” Truesight corrected and pointed out to Equestria.
Red clouds were rising all over the land and it seemed like it became overwhelmed by rivers of black creatures.
“They know that our mistress, her sister and Princess Cadence are dead. They also know that there are less than twenty of us left. Now, I finally understand what the great gray wall is I used to see coming... it is the end of everything,” Truesight explained.
“Is there... is there nothing we can do?” Twilight wondered.
“No... we are not enough and with the demi-goddesses dead, there is nothing that holds them back anymore. All we can do now is wait for them to come and devour us...” Truesight replied.
“We may have defeated Malice, but the prophecy has still come true. There is more than one way to resurrect Nightmare Moon. It is common knowledge to all of us that, should pony-kind become extinct, Maledictum Insania will also become lifted and the queen of demons will form back together out of their corpses. Tonight, Equestria will fall. Tomorrow, the world will follow...” another reaper continued.
Twilight didn’t know what to say anymore. She just sat down and stared into the distance, seeing the armies of demons coming closer and closer. In the distance, she could hear them laughing. In the mixed laughter of the hundreds of thousands of demons, she believed to also hear Nightmare Moon herself laugh faintly.
Yes, this was the end of everything. The demons have won the war. In a few moments, the greatest and last mass slaughter of Equestria would begin.
One last time, the reapers came together to speak out the vow which defined their lives, but in a version adapted to the situation.
“We lived in darkness to hunt what defiled it.
We suffered and died so others didn’t have to.
We were the reapers, who served Mistress Celestia.
But we failed to grant purity and sacrifice for Equestria.”
|
Nero Darkard
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1362
| 36 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
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Maledictum Insania
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Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
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complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
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mature
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2012-10-07T16:34:24+00:00
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2013-10-14T22:57:12+00:00
| 1,986 |
Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dXFSEkh8oTNtkaUjk_9MtaBls_Hv4uEOzFzwye58I_I/edit
Maledictum Insania
By Nero Darkard (aka. NeroTheDarklord)
Conclusion: Letter of Destiny
It took her a moment, but finally, Twilight made her choice.
Although Princess Celestia avoided to aid her during the time of Obsidian’s mission, it is only thanks to her that Equestria survived up until this very day. It was her decisions, even though they sometimes might have been questionable, that saved the land from becoming steamrolled by demons.
If there is anypony who should be informed first, it is her.
Twilight used her magic to summon a scroll and inked quill. Then, she swiftly wrote an emergency report to Princess Celestia. As soon as she finished, the purple mare used an arcane magic spell to create an artificial dragon flame and sent off the letter.
“Don’t worry, Obsidian! Help is on the way! Just... just hold in there a moment longer, ok?” the purple mare explained in a nervous tone.
“Kill me, Twilight... kill me before... I...” the black stallion replied.
“I can’t Obsidian. I just can’t. I promise, I will figure out a way. But for now, you have to stay strong! Try to hold out for as long as possible!” Twilight spoke.
Of course, Obsidian did not agree with her actions at all, but he was no longer able to argue about it. He had to put all his strength in fighting back the demons, which were slowly taking him over.
Five minutes of silence followed while Obsidian pressed a front hoof against his head with a grimace of stress and suffering. As he nearly collapsed to the ground, Twilight spoke up again.
“No! Obsidian, stay with me! Talk to me!” she begged.
With the last bit of mental strenght remaining, he pushed himself upright again.
“Twi... light... please...” the black stallion replied weakly.
“Just hang in there! Everything will be okay again! You just need to-” Twilight started again.
Before she could finish, the purple mare became distracted by multiple bright flashes around her.
“Twily! Are you okay?” a familiar voice asked.
“Shining Armor? Oh thank goodness! The royal guards!” the purple mare spoke out in relief. “Yes, I’m fine. See, Obsidian? Everything is going to be-”
Before she could finish, Shining Armor gave the signal to the guards to surround the reaper, aiming their spears at him and casting multiple spells to trap him.
“W-wait! What are you doing to him?” Twilight asked.
“We aren’t going to do anything with him, but the reapers will. Princess Celestia teleported us here to make sure he won’t escape and ordered them to execute him. You need to go back to your library. She is waiting for you there,” her brother explained.
“No! They can’t kill him! I... I already lost so many friends...” the purple mare spoke.
“I’m sorry, Twily. But you have no idea how dangerous this situation is! Just look at him! He is already slipping away!” Shining armor explained while pointing at the reaper.
By now, Obsidian wasn’t reacting to anything anymore. He just sat there, staring at the ground with an expression as if he was just a lifeless puppet.
“I can prevent this! I just know I can! There has to be a way to save him! Please, Shining Armor!” Twilight begged.
The captain of the Royal Guard was unsure what to do. His focus kept jumping between his troops, the slowly turning reaper and his sister. Finally, he refocused her with a serious face and nodded.
“Alright, Twily. I’ll tell my troops to hold him in place for as long as we can. The reapers will arrive here in about ten minutes. You better get to the library as fast as possible and discuss your plan with Princess Celestia,” he explained.
“Oh gosh... thank you, B.B.B.F.F! Don’t worry, I will find a solution!” Twilight spoke, just before teleporting herself away.
---
On her way back to the library, she gathered up all of her friends. Although she did not say what was going on, they all followed her back to the library. As they realized Princess Celestia was waiting there, they knew something big was going on.
“Twilight, my faithful student! I’m so glad to see you and your friends unharmed. Thank you for informing me. By doing so, you saved more lives than you can imagine! Please, stay here in Ponyville. My reapers and I will take care of this and make sure nopony will get hurt,” Celestia spoke as soon as they entered.
“No, wait Princess Celestia! Call your reapers back! You can’t do this! There has to be a different way!” Twilight shouted.
“The reapers are coming? Why?” Rarity wondered.
“Twilight... he has to die. Don’t you understand? There is no other way,” Celestia replied to Twilight.
“Would somepony please explain what in tarnation is going on here?” Applejack requested.
“Oh... I-I’m sorry. I was in such a rush...” Twilight started.
She slowly turned over to her friends, mostly focusing Fluttershy with a very sad expression. The yellow mare was very confused, but Twilight could see in her face that she already had an idea what all this was about.
“It’s about Obsidian. He’s in Sweet Apple Acres and about to turn insane,” the purple mare explained.
Fluttershy instantly covered her mouth with her front hooves and tears filled her eyes. The others as well had shock filled expression.
“Oh my goodness! H-how... why is this happening?” the yellow mare wondered.
“I’ll explain it all later. But right now, we don’t have the time for this! We need to think of a way to stop this from happening!” Twilight replied.
“Ya left him there alone?! Are ya nuts, sugarcube? We gotta get mah sister and brother outta there!” Applejack shouted.
“Don’t worry, Applejack. My royal guards are keeping a close eye on him until the reapers arrive. You also needn’t worry about your family. By now, they should be out of danger,” Celestia explained.
Applejack sighed in relief a bit, but the general tension and fear of the situation remained for all of them. Now, Fluttershy stepped forth.
“Is... is there really no other way? Does he really have to die?” she asked with a voice as if she was about to break out in tears.
“I’m very sorry, Fluttershy. This is the only option we have. If we don’t kill him, he will turn into a red reaper and run amok, killing everything in sight. The last red reaper killed over half the population in Everfree City, the former capital of Equestria. I hope that, if you see what this city has become now, you understand why I must act like I do,” Celestia explained with regret in her voice.
This answer was very hard to accept for the yellow mare, but she understood. She just sat down to the ground and sniffled as the first tears rolled down her face.
“I... I see... I suppose... it’s okay then...” she agreed, hesitantly.
“No! It’s not okay! How can you say that? We already lost so many friends through this damn curse! And now, it’s about to get Obsidian as well! We have to stop this! We have to save him!” Twilight protested loudly.
“Twilight... I as well wished there was a way for us to save him, but there is none. It is either his death, or the death of hundreds. Yet even worse, if we fail to stop him in time, he could give birth to Malice, the right hand of Nightmare Moon. If that happens, the level of destruction would be beyond our grasp,” Celestia explained.
“Malice... oh my stars...” Rarity commented.
For a moment, the ponies didn’t know what to say. Neither did Twilight. All besides her came to understand that there was nothing they could do for Obsidian anymore.
The purple mare lowered her glance to the ground, sadness filling her mind at the thought of losing yet another friend. Finally, Rarity broke the silence.
“Twilight, darling... sometimes... all you can do is accept the things as they are... We had to do that with Snails, with Moondancer, with Pinkie Pie, with Rainbow Dash... and... and even... with Spike...” she started, sniffling shortly and a tear rolling down her face as she remembered the little purple and green dragon.
“Like... like all of them, we can’t do anything for him either. This is just how things are,” she finished.
“That’s not good enough for me!” Twilight suddenly shouted. “I had it with Maledictum Insania and the demons taking away our friends, one after another! How can all of you even dare to give up that easily? It’s Obsidian Shards we are talking about here! Have you completely forgotten all the things he had done for us? He has been through a hundred times more terrible stuff than all of us together. And now, this is what he gets as a reward? No! I won’t accept that! I won’t let him die!”
“Then what do you suggest we should do, Twilight?” Celestia asked with a serious expression and tone.
The purple mare turned back to her mentor. She could see in Celestia’s eyes that this decision was also hard for her, but she was absolutely determined it was the right choice.
“Well, what can we do?” Twilight asked.
“Nothing. I already tried everything possibly imaginable to prevent ponies from becoming insane. Nothing works. The curse of madness is simply too powerful. The only way to prevent things from becoming even worse is by ending his life,” Celestia replied.
Twilight lowered her head again. She just didn’t want to believe that the demons would get their will once again. Yet, Princess Celestia had been dealing with Maledictum Insania and the demons for a lot longer than she did. If she was so sure that there was no way to save him, then it might just be possible that...
“Wait a moment...” Twilight spoke as an idea shot through her head. “You said nopony could ever be saved from becoming insane?”
“Yes. Sadly, that is true,” Princess Celestia replied.
“Then what about your sister, Princess Luna? Nightmare Moon already had her under full control and we still managed to save her!” Twilight stated.
“That was a unique situation. It only succeeded because I prepared for this day for more than six hundred years. I altered the book of death and set up the flow of destiny to form your little group, the keepers of harmony. I made sure you all would be in Ponyville at the night of Nightmare Moon’s return and I lead you, Twilight, in discovering the legend of the elements of harmony. But as you know very well, you are not complete anymore. We no longer have control over the elements of harmony,” Celestia explained.
Twilight placed her right front hoof at her chin and rubbed it shortly with a thoughtful expression.
“Not necessarily,” she replied.
All the present ponies now glanced at the purple mare in confusion.
“You think we can do something?” Fluttershy wondered.
“Yes. There might be a way. But I have absolutely no idea if it will work. Actually, we would be very, very lucky if it does. For start ups, we need Derpy here,” Twilight replied.
“Derpy?! Why her?” Applejack wondered.
“What do you have in mind, my star student?” Celestia asked.
“I’ll explain it to all of you in a moment. But first, we need to find Derpy. Then... Applejack... Rarity... there is something you need to know before we do this...” Twilight replied.
---
Fifteen minutes have passed, but the reapers still didn’t reach Sweet Apple Acres. New orders had arrived, making even the royal guards retreat and leaving Obsidian completely unguarded in the middle of the orchard.
Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Derpy Hooves and Princess Celestia were nearby, hidden from the reapers perception by powerful spells.
With a short nod, Twilight gave the signal for the others to get in position. Only Derpy Hooves remained by her side. Then, she looked up to the concerned face of her mentor.
“Twilight... if this goes wrong...” she worried.
“It won’t. We need to have faith. I know how dangerous this is, but I think it’s worth the risk. We owe it to Obsidian. All of us,” the purple mare replied.
Celestia sighed a little and nodded in agreement. She knew that Twilight had set her mind on this and there was no way to change her decision.
“I have faith in you, Twilight Sparkle. You have overcome every threat and crisis so far, so I trust you know what you are doing this time as well. I will be back as soon as I can... Good luck, my faithful student,” the demi-goddess spoke, then teleported away.
“Alright... Oh gosh, he’s starting to look around now. Time is running. Are you ready, Derpy?” Twilight wondered.
“Sure am, Twilight! Don’t worry, no clumsy acting this time. This is just too serious. You can count on me!” the gray mare replied.
“I do, Derpy. Okay. See you at the checkpoint,” the purple mare spoke, then started running as well.
After Twilight left their hideout, the spells broke and created a small noise that instantly caught the black stallion’s attention.
To not bust Twilight too early, Derpy stepped out of the dark and slowly approached the reaper, faking a happy smile.
“Salvē, elder Obsidian! What are you doing out here all alone?” she asked.
The black stallion didn’t reply. Instead, he kept on staring at Derpy for a moment with a strange, lifeless expression.
Slowly, a grin started growing on his face. The reaper got up and started walking towards Derpy.
“Wow, what are you so happy about?” the gray mare wondered, still acting as if she had no idea what was going on.
Still keeping up the fake smile, she slowly backed away, which only made Obsidian come even closer.
His eyes went wide open and his grin grew to unnatural size, showing off his fangs. Now, even Derpy began to get worried and her expression changed accordingly.
She finally decided to turn around and start running. Obsidian instantly began to chase her, giggling crazily while he did so.
After just a few moments, they both had left Sweet Apple Acres. As the insane reaper came close, Applejack popped out of nowhere, kicking a few apples at him.
Obsidian easily dodged them, but Applejack succeeded in getting his attention. As she realized he was now charging towards her, she quickly started running as well.
The orange mare, though, was far from being as fast as the reapers or Rainbow Dash. It didn’t take Obsidian long to get dangerously close to her.
Now, Fluttershy shot out of her cover and jumped the reaper, grabbing him and throwing him over.
Obsidian jumped back on his legs almost immediately after. Due to the strong connection they had, she was now his prime target.
But instead of searching confrontation, Fluttershy lifted into the air and started flying towards Everfree Forest.
The black stallion might have still been able to fight, but his mind was not working far enough to understand that they were working together, trying to lure him away from Ponyville. So, he just kept chasing after Fluttershy, until she became replaced by Derpy again as the insane reaper was about to get too close.
---
The chase continued until the group managed to lure Obsidian to the border of Everfree Forest. Twilight was already waiting for them and worked on getting the reaper’s attention as soon as he came into her line of sight.
Obsidian took the bait. The purple mare teleported herself inside the forest, being closely followed by the black stallion doing the same. After a while, he managed to get in front of her and prepared to swing his scythe.
Now it was Rarity giving up her cover and launching a diamond at the reaper. In the short moment of distraction, Twilight teleported away, making Rarity the primary target.
This chase continued for several minutes as they went deeper and deeper into the forest. The ponies kept replacing each other whenever one of them was in danger.
Obsidian told them he knew the forest very well. They gave him this advantage on purpose to make sure he would definitely try to keep chasing them. Constantly, the group paid close attention to the insane reaper’s focus, making absolutely sure he would keep following them.
Finally, Twilight popped up again and made Obsidian chase her. She ran across a just recently repaired suspension bridge as quickly as she could while he kept hunting her by flying through the sky. The destroyed building ahead of her was one that had seen a lot of historic events by now. It was the ancient castle of the royal pony sisters.
Twilight quickly ran through the entrance hall, Obsidian right behind her. She rushed up the stairs, only to ultimately find herself trapped in a dead end as she reached Luna’s old throne room.
Twilight turned around, seeing Obsidian rush up the stairs and slowing down as he realized that she wasn’t able to run anymore. He kept approaching her slowly now, grinning wickedly and forcing her to retreat further and further to the back of the room.
The purple mare became nervous. She could easily escape by teleporting outside, but that was not her plan. Obsidian was in position now. Twilight could only hope that everypony else was as well.
Obsidian got ready to pounce her. Twilight just stood there and closed her eyes, causing the crazy reaper think that she had given up.
The black stallion jumped in the air. But then, a bright flash filled the room and Obsidian became launched into a wall, chains of pure light tieing him tightly to it and making it impossible for him to move anything more than his head.
Twilight opened her eyes again. In front of her was Princess Celestia. A sight that made her sigh in relief. Everything worked out as the purple mare had planned so far.
“Phew... that was close,” Derpy commented as she entered the throne room as well.
One after another, the keepers of harmony entered and stepped in front of Obsidian. He screamed furiously while struggling against the grip of the light chains. But it was no use. This spell was cast by Princess Celestia herself. Her magic was much stronger than he was. They had him.
“Okay. So far so good. Now it’s getting interesting,” Twilight commented, then turned her head over to Princess Celestia.
The bright demi-goddess simply nodded and started casting a levitation spell. Five necklaces and a tiara lifted into the air. The elements of harmony.
“My reapers are all in position. If your plan fails, I will give them the signal to storm in here,” she explained.
The elements were handed out to the present ponies. While Twilight and her friends got their elements, two still had no owner.
Then, one lifted up to Derpy Hooves and wrapped itself around her neck. The other one flew over to the black stallion. A necklace showing a red lightning.
Obsidian didn’t seem to even realize he got this necklace put around his neck. He just kept on screaming and struggling like a wild beast trapped in a cage. The mares slowly approached the reaper, until they were just a few steps away from him.
The insane reaper grinned widely as they came into his line of sight again and attempted to cast spells on them. But Celestia kept a close eye on him, canceling all his spells.
“Obsidian. Please, calm down. It’s us! Your friends!” Twilight started.
Her words had no effect on him. The black stallion kept struggling and trying to cast spells as if he didn’t even hear her.
“I don’t think it’s working, Twi,” Applejack worried.
“I already said you shouldn’t give up that quickly. He went through a lot of effort to protect us. We shouldn’t strive any less,” Twilight replied.
“Good gosh... just look at him... are you sure he’s still the stallion we know and not just a monster? Are you sure there is anything of Obsidian left in there?” Rarity wondered.
“If Obsidian was gone for good, then this in front of us would be a demon and not a cursed pony. Somewhere deep inside him, he is still struggling. We just need him to resurface for a tiny moment, that is all,” the purple mare explained.
“But I’m still not sure if this will work...” Derpy said concerned. “I mean... the element of laughter? Me? I mean, I do have humor! No doubt about that! But is it really enough for this to work?”
“There is only one way to find out,” Twilight stated and turned back to Obsidian.
He was still struggling and screaming. The mere fact that his mind was absent enough for him to fall for such an obvious trap and having it all work out until now was proof enough that he was very far gone. Not even Celestia was sure if they could get a glimpse of his mind to resurface.
“Obsidian... You have done so much. For all of us, for Ponyville, and most of all, for Equestria. You endured horrors none of us can even imagine, despite all the things we have seen,” Twilight started.
“All the time, ya’ve been givin’ yer best. To protect us, to guide us and to help us wherever possible,” Applejack continued.
“You always were ready to sacrifice yourself for the protection of others. You gave up absolutely everything that had meaning to you, just so others didn’t have to do the same. Now, you have even given up your own mind to protect our dear friend Twilight,” Rarity spoke on.
By now, Obsidian wasn’t struggling or screaming anymore. He stared at the mares with an empty expression.
“Elder, the conditions you’ve been working in were impossible to endure. Not a single reaper, no matter how focused, trained and experienced, would have made it this far. But you still kept going. Nothing could stop you from serving your mistress and protecting your friends, not even your own limits,” Derpy went on.
“This is why we want you to wear Rainbow’s element. The element of loyalty. If anypony embodies and deserves it, then it is you,” Twilight explained.
“Nopony will ever be able to replace Rainbow Dash... Same as nopony will ever be able to replace Pinkie Pie. But that doesn’t mean there will never be any more keepers of harmony. Derpy and you, my love, prove that there are still ponies in Equestria that carry the spirits of harmony in them,” Fluttershy continued.
“And so we beg you... Please, Obsidian. Come back to us. Come back to your mistress, to your friends and to your beloved one,” Twilight finished.
Obsidian kept on staring at the five mares before him. He clearly heard them speak and reacted to them.
Twilight hoped that they got him. But then, the insane reaper just started grinning and laughing again.
“It’s no use, Twilight Sparkle. He is too far gone. We need to end him while we still have him trapped,” Celestia suggested.
“No... it can’t end like this... Please, Obsidian! Come back!” the purple mare begged.
Her words were met with deaf ears. The reaper’s mind was a complete mess, not able to make any sense out of the things happening to him and around of him.
Now, Princess Celestia decided that it wasn’t worth the risk of keeping him alive anymore and gave a signal. Immediately after, the reapers rushed into the throne room and clustered around Obsidian, who still kept laughing maniacally.
“Forgive me, keepers of harmony. But I can’t put all of Equestria at stake for a single stallion, no matter how important and dear he might be to you,” the bright demi-goddess explained.
Celestia raised her right front hoof in the air, signalling the reapers to get ready to strike. Just as she was about to order his execution, a desperate female shout filled the room.
“Nooo! Please no! I can’t take this! I can’t take watching him die!” Fluttershy screamed with tears rolling down her face.
Princess Celestia, the keepers of harmony, the reapers and even Obsidian turned over to her. Fluttershy had become strong due to her training with Obsidian. But having her partner killed before her eyes was still too much for her to handle. Tears washed freely down her face while all her friends embraced the yellow mare to calm her down.
“I’m sorry, Fluttershy... I tried... I really tried...” Twilight apologized.
The yellow mare needed a moment to calm down again and even the reapers lowered their scythes again as they saw her misery.
“It’s... It’s okay, Twilight... Princess Celestia... could you... please let me say farewell to him and wait until I left the room before... he...” Fluttershy requested.
“I would not be able to forgive myself if I wouldn’t. Your sorrow is enormous as it is. I don’t want to make it any worse,” Princess Celestia replied.
“Thank you...” she spoke and started approaching the black stallion.
The other reapers immediately opened a path, allowing Fluttershy to reach Obsidian. He had his head hanging, but still kept grinning wickedly.
As Fluttershy came close, he slowly lifted his head, staring at her with the typical expression all ponies who are affected by Maledictum Insania have.
Like a wild beast, he snatched through the air, trying to bite her. But this didn’t scare Fluttershy. She placed her front hooves left and right to his head, out of his biting range and brought her head as close to him as she could without risking to get bitten or pierced by his horn.
What happened then could only be described as the effect of her Stare affecting him. While Fluttershy looked him right into the eyes, Obsidian did the same and seemed to be paralyzed for a moment, a kind of disbelieving expression frozen on his face. It was not her typical Stare, though. Her eyes were filled with warmth and sadness.
“I love you, Obsidian. I’ll always love you, even long after you are gone. Maybe I will have another stallion in my life at some point, but I already know I will never be able to feel for anypony like I felt for you,” she spoke, slowly and warmly, but with intense suffering in her voice.
Now, she came even closer and placed her lips on his. The black stallion did not react to this. He still maintained his lightly shocked expression. After a few seconds, Fluttershy pulled back again.
“Farewell, my love... Farewell,” she spoke, still crying.
The yellow mare turned back around and slowly started walking away. All of her friends followed her. None of them wanted to see this happen.
The keepers of harmony had done everything they could to rescue Obsidian. But it wasn’t enough. Nothing could make him recover his sanity for just a brief moment. All they could do now was leave the room and let Celestia and her reapers do their jobs.
“F...Fluttershy?” a deep male voice suddenly spoke.
The keepers of harmony instantly stopped and turned back around. Even Princess Celestia and the reapers looked back to the black stallion in disbelief.
“Obsidian? Obsidian!” the yellow mare shouted back.
The black stallion slowly moved his head around the room, seemingly trying to understand what he was seeing. Then his focus fell on Princess Celestia.
“My... mistress...” he spoke slowly.
It seemed like something started happening inside his mind. The keepers of harmony ran back in front of him, Fluttershy going even further, embracing him and crying loudly.
The black stallion focused them, then his eyes wandered down to the yellow mare.
“My... friends... My... love...” Obsidian continued analyzing.
“Yes. We are all here. All of us,” Rarity spoke.
Obsidian didn’t reply. Instead, he closed his eyes and smiled gently, a black tear flowing out of his good eye and rolling down his face.
It flowed all the way down to his chin. There, it stopped and formed a drip, which then fell down, right on the red lightning on the necklace.
Suddenly, the element of loyalty started glowing brightly. At the same time, all the other elements of harmony began to glow so powerful that the reapers were forced to step back.
As Fluttershy realized what was happening, she loosened herself from Obsidian and ran back to her other friends, forming a row facing the black stallion.
The elements of harmony combined their powers, forming a mighty rainbow colored beam of light, first shooting straight up in the air and then falling down onto Obsidian.
Although light usually harmed him, he embraced its warmth and the powerful sensation of harmony it gave him. The chains disappeared and the reaper spread his front legs and wings, allowing the light to wash straight through him.
The powerful magic rushed through the reaper and a dark aura formed behind him, which quickly broke into countless demons, getting blasted away by the force of the elements’ magic and screaming while they disappeared in its light.
With the demons he had consumed getting destroyed, more and more of his body became erased by the light as well.
His wings simply dissolved into small black clouds, quickly getting blown away.
Small red and black clouds escaped through his closed eyes, also getting washed away by the light.
His horn became dissolved, along with his cloak.
Finally, Obsidian himself turned into a black cloud and vanished into the light.
---
The light disappeared and Twilight slowly regained consciousness. As she looked around, she realized that only Princess Celestia remained standing upright, unaffected by the sheer force of the elements’ magic. All of her friends were still unconscious, but slowly woke up as well.
The rest of the room was filled with knocked out reapers. The intense light was too much for them. Although none of them were harmed, it would still would take them a while to come back to their senses.
“Ugh... Ah’ll never get used to that...” Applejack commented while slowly getting up.
“I know what you mean...” Rarity agreed. “Derpy. Hey, Derpy! Wake up! Wow. The elements really kick out the lights of reapers... if you know what I mean,”
“Ugh... Just a few more minutes... I promise I won’t be late for work... Wait. What? What happened?” the gray more wondered as she slowly came back to her senses.
“Congratulations, keepers of harmony. You have succeeded in using the elements to change destiny once more,” Princess Celestia spoke happily after they all got up again.
“It worked... It worked! Obsidian! Where is he?” Fluttershy spoke out in confusion and excitement.
Celestia smiled warmly and pointed over to the place where he had been chained down.
“Look over there,” she answered.
Surrounded by countless knocked out reapers, a single black stallion was standing with closed eyes, seemingly sleeping.
“Obsidian!” the keepers of harmony called out at the same time.
Slowly, the black stallion opened his eyes, placing his left front hoof against his head and making an expression as if he had a headache.
“What has happened? Where am I?” Obsidian wondered while rubbing his head.
As he slid to his forehead, he discovered with a small shock that his horn was missing. His eyes instantly shot wide open, giving him a second shock.
Disbelieving, Obsidian moved a front hoof over his face, discovering that he was able to see on both eyes again. They looked like normal pony eyes again and had changed their color back to gray, as they used to be when he was a foal.
Now lightly panicking, he looked all over his body. His wings were gone as well, along with the cloak and all of his scars, stitches and bite marks.
But the strangest change of all was his cutie mark. It too had disappeared. Obsidian was a blank flank again and his body had become as pure and undamaged as that of a newborn foal.
“What happened to me? Am I dead? Is this what death is like?” the black stallion wondered.
“No, you are not dead. You have been purified by the elements of harmony,” Princess Celestia explained.
Obsidian’s eyes instantly shot over to the bright demi-goddess. Again, he seemed to be lightly shocked.
“My mistress,” he spoke and kneeled down before her.
“No, Obsidian. I’m not your mistress anymore, since you are no longer one of my reapers,” Celestia corrected.
“I... I am... a pony again?” the black stallion wondered.
Instead of an answer, the keepers of harmony rushed over to him, Fluttershy running ahead and pouncing him.
“My love! You are back! I can’t believe it! You are back and everything is okay!” she shouted out in happiness.
“Mea amāta. Ladies. So you did this,” Obsidian analyzed.
After cuddling him for a moment, the yellow mare got up again and embrace Twilight, crying happily.
“You did it! You saved him! Thank you, Twilight! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Fluttershy kept shouting and crying in unspeakable relief.
Obsidian was still heavily confused. But as he lowered his head and saw a golden necklace around his neck, it started getting through to him. Somehow, they managed to use the elements of harmony by using Derpy and him as the missing keepers.
Now understanding what had happened, Obsidian started shaking. He didn’t really understand why, but he guessed that, since he was a normal pony again, he had difficulties handling the intense and fully unbound emotions rushing through him.
Seeing how nervous he was, Fluttershy came back to him again.
“Hush now, my love. It’s alright. Everything is fine again. Absolutely everything,” she spoke gently, still crying and sniffling a little, but smiling widely.
The black stallion lifted his head over to Twilight. She as well was smiling warmly at him.
“You have broken your promise, Twilight Sparkle,” Obsidian stated.
“I already told you I wouldn’t keep it. Did you really think I would actually kill you? Well, I think what we have done instead is way better anyway, don’t you agree?” the purple mare asked.
“Yes... I have to thank you, Twilight.” Obsidian replied, smiling lightly. “I never thought I would experience this ever again. I feel like an enormous weight had been taken off my shoulders... Thank you. Thank you all. Now, I can die in peace.”
“W-what?!” the five mares shouted in disbelief.
Obsidian gently loosened himself from Fluttershy and stepped in front of Princess Celestia, kneeling down before her again.
“My mistress. I have disobeyed you once again. Due to my actions, I put all of Equestria in danger. I am aware of my actions and am willing to face the consequences. I am ready to meet my execution,” he spoke while looking at the ground before her.
The five mares didn’t know how to react. They just stared at Obsidian and Princess Celestia, not believing he still wanted to die.
The bright demi-goddess just smiled gently, closed her eyes and placed her right front hoof on his shoulder.
“Any further punishment will not be needed. The fact that you even ask for one is proof enough that you have suffered more than necessary. As your mistress, the ruler of this land and demi-goddess of day and sun, I hereby pardon you for all your actions,” Celestia declared.
Obsidian lifted his head as soon as she was done speaking. Again, he felt a stunning sensation rushing through his body.
“But... all the horrible things I have done... all the innocent ponies I have lured into Pinkamena’s hooves...” he spoke.
“You already paid enough for that, Obsidian. This is all the past now. As I said before, you have suffered more than enough. From now on, you as well deserve to be free and happy,” Twilight explained.
“You mean... I... get to live a second life?” the black stallion wondered.
“Yes, Obsidian Shards. From this day forth, you should live as a normal pony and one of my subjects. The first one that ever became uncursed from the reaper curse,” Celestia agreed.
Again, the black stallion hung his head, trying to understand why all this was happening.
“How do I deserve this?” he wondered.
“My love... you of all deserve this the most! You have been through so much and no matter what happened to you, you remained loyal to everything. To your mistress, to me, to your friends, even to your mission,” Fluttershy explained.
“If that’s not a reason, then ah don’t know anymore!” Applejack agreed.
“But...” Obsidian started again, sitting down and staring at his front legs. “These hooves... they can do nothing but kill and destroy. How do you justify the existence of such a creature? Whose one profession in life is murder...”
“Well, that’s not true at all,” Derpy disagreed. “Just look at your flank! Do you see a skull cutie mark there? I sure don’t! Or look at your necklace!”
As she mentioned the elements, Obsidian glanced over to Derpy. She had become the keeper of laughter and the symbol on her necklace turned from a light blue balloon into a gray rune.
Then, he looked down to the one around his own neck. It was now that he realized that it, too, had changed. From a red lightning, it had turned into a black circle, not showing any kind of symbolism that would fit to Obsidian, despite him being the keeper of loyalty now.
“Don’t you get it, darling? You gained your cutie mark after you became cursed! It only turned out to be a skull because you were forced into the life of a reaper! You never got to discover your true talents! But now you can! You got a second chance to live your life!” Rarity stated.
“A life which I do not deserve...” Obsidian commented.
The black stallion turned his focus over to Applejack. He needed to let her know about his last actions as a reaper before they say anything else.
“Applejack... I... murdered your sister...” Obsidian stated with a lot of regret.
“Ah already know...” the orange mare replied.
Once again, the black stallion felt shock rushing through his body. Applejack looked down to Obsidian with an expression of sadness her face. But still, something in her eyes told him that she seemed to understand.
“And Rarity knows about her sister... Twilight told us all about it... But... we don’t blame ya, Obsidian. Anypony else might, but we don’t. Ya know why?” Applejack asked.
The black stallion remained silent. It was beyond him how they could bring up the understanding for all his terrible actions and how they were able to forgive him, so he just shook his head slowly.
“Because we are your friends,” Rarity explained. “We know you very well, maybe even better than you think. We will miss our sisters... but we understand why things turned out like this. Despite all, we all still helped you and we still want you to live this second chance. Don’t throw it away after we had been working so hard on giving it to you.”
A moment of silence passed while these words sank into the black stallion.
“You really wish for me to live?” he asked.
All of his friends nodded in agreement and even Princess Celestia smiled in approval. Then, he too began to smile.
“Thank you all so much. This is a gift only the fewest can claim to ever have received. I hate to bother you any further... but... I suppose I will need help getting used to being a pony again,” Obsidian spoke.
“You can count on us, sugarcube! We’ll stick to you, no matter what!” Applejack agreed.
“Grātiās... Yet, there is one more thing I need to do,” Obsidian announced.
He then got up and walked back over to Fluttershy.
“Mea amāta... I have to apologize to you for leaving you like I did. With my destiny sealed, I saw no other way... But now that I face this new situation, one thing is perfectly clear to me. A life without you is not worth living. You are the beat of my heart. You are air I require to breathe. I need you, more than anything,” Obsidian started.
Then he got down, kneeling in front of her like he usually only does for Princess Celestia. Fluttershy’s heart instantly began to beat faster and she covered her mouth, blushing hard as she realized what was about to happen.
“So I ask you... Fluttershy... Will you do me the great honor and be my mare for a lifetime? Will you marry me?” Obsidian asked, full of warmth.
The answer came instantaneously.
“Yes! Yes, I will!” Fluttershy spoke, nearly shouting out in excitement and embraced Obsidian once more.
---
The demons prepared for this night for a very long time. They knew Twilight would not possibly be able to kill Obsidian and this is what they were counting on.
They set up the events to the smallest details. But they did not expect her to find a loophole in their plans.
Twilight refused to do what the demons had been expecting of her. Instead of trying to find a solution all by herself as they thought she would, Twilight turned to Princess Celestia. This way, she found a way to not only rescue Obsidian, but to also completely undo the plans, preparations and advantages of the demons.
Not only has the prophecy been prevented from coming true, but the keepers of harmony have been reformed as well, returning Equestria to its full strength.
---
Several weeks passed. Ever since Derpy had become the keeper of laughter, she started getting much closer to the group. Princess Celestia even arranged things so she could stay with them for the rest of their lives.
A new era had dawned in Ponyville. One of hope and harmony. But that was just the beginning.
It was a beautiful and warm late summer day when another wooden construct had been set up in front of the city hall in Ponyville. Like the first time, all the villagers were waiting in front of it in excitement. But in contrast to the events of roughly one year ago, they all precisely knew what was going to happen today.
Princess Celestia, Luna and Cadence, as well as Shining Armor were already standing on top, Celestia being in the middle. Some last preparations were made, including rolling a long red carpet down the stairs of the wooden structure and hanging up the miniature copy of the Seven Sounds Bell above the podium.
Twilight, Rarity and Applejack were heading up to the princesses to speak a few words. All of them were wearing dresses made by the fashion diva.
“Is everything going as planned, my faithful student?” Celestia wondered.
“Yes. Everything is just perfect. It has to be! This is the first positive event that happens to Ponyville in a while. We need to make sure that this will not only be the most wonderful day for Fluttershy and Obsidian, but also for all of the villagers!” Twilight replied.
After exchanging a few happy smiles, she turned her focus to Princess Cadence.
“Thank you so much for helping us with everything, Cadence!” the purple mare spoke.
“It’s the least I can do in return for saving my own wedding!” the demi-goddess replied.
“Who would have thought!” Luna started. ”His life was meant to end, and with it, only sorrow was supposed to be left behind. But here we are! In just one brilliant act, you not only saved a close friend, but also all of Equestria, Twilight Sparkle! You have proven that hope and friendship are stronger than anything else, even destiny!”
Now, Shining Armor stepped forth and gave his sister a hug.
“Well done, Twily. Well done,” he congratulated.
“Thanks, B.B.B.F.F. Thank you, Princess Luna,” the purple mare replied.
“Well come on now, Twi! We’re good to go!” Applejack stated.
The three mares quickly stepped aside and took their positions as bridesmaids. Then finally, the signal was given for the crowd to calm down.
Everypony turned around to see the earth pony Obsidian Shards walking up the carpet in a black tuxedo while smiling happily.
“I always wanted to make a tuxedo for him! He looks so smashing, don’t you think?” Rarity whispered to her friends.
“Absolutely! To be honest, I at first expected you to make it a white suite, knowing how much you like bright and shiny things. But I’m really glad you kept it black. It is the color that defines him and it just suits him the most!” Twilight replied lowly.
As the black stallion reached his position, he glanced over to the mares, smiling warmly at them. He knew that all this was only thanks to them and, for the rest of his life, he will be thankful for this gift they made him.
“Ah am so curious about her dress! Ya didn’t say anything about it, Rarity!” Applejack whispered.
“I wanted to keep it a secret, darling! That’s how my dresses always reach their greatest effect: when you don’t know what to expect beforehand!” the fashion diva replied.
Finally, the wedding march started playing and Fluttershy stepped forth. Slowly, she started walking towards the podium, being met with a lot of happy and stunned faces.
Rarity once again outdid herself on her wedding dress. It was long and a simple cut in white, but it just had Fluttershy written all over it. Delicately placed laces decorated it and a large white ribbon was tied to her back. Her veil was long and studded with a few tiny white pearls, just enough to give a little emphasis to the overall design.
All in all, the dress was very light and delicate, containing just as much decor as there was really needed, underlining Fluttershy’s natural beauty.
The yellow mare blushed brightly while she came closer and closer to her soon-to-be husband. Her heart raced in excitement. One year ago, it seemed like such a situation would only stay a dream to her forever. Even if she found somepony she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, she never thought she would have the courage to go through this ceremony and having so many eyes on her. But this all had changed. All due to a stallion in black.
She finally arrived next to Obsidian, who smiled at her with a shine of life in his eyes none of his friends had ever seen on him before. Fluttershy’s eyes, too, were sparkling.
“Mares and gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of the keeper of kindness, Fluttershy, and the keeper of loyalty, Obsidian Shards,” Princess Celestia started. “Together, they found a way through the greatest heights and the darkest depths. Their love for eachother had fueled them to overcome impossible challenges and even proved to be stronger than destiny itself.”
Since neither Obsidian nor Fluttershy were unicorns, the tradition for their wedding was a bit different. Instead of handing out wedding rings, the demi-goddesses gave their blessings to the couple.
Fluttershy and Obsidian both bowed down lightly while the three princesses gently placed their horns on their foreheads.
“I now pronounce you mare and stallion. Obsidian Shards. You may kiss the bride,” Celestia declared.
“Yes, your highness,” the black stallion replied happily as a token of continuing loyalty to her, even though his time as a reaper was over.
He then turned over to Fluttershy, removed the veil in front of her face, placed his left front hoof under her chin and gave her a kiss, sealing their marriage.
All of Ponyville instantly broke out in loud cheering. White rose petals, grains of rice and streamers were flying through the air. Lastly, the Seven Sounds Bell started ringing, carrying the message of Fluttershy’s and Obsidian’s marriage all across the land.
It was a day as beautiful and perfect as possibly imaginable. Equestria was saved once more, the keepers of harmony were complete again and harmony was as strong as ever.
But the war wasn’t over. The curse of madness still existed and although the prophecy did not come true, it wouldn’t stop the demons from trying to destroy the world. With the keepers complete again, Equestria might have control over the elements of harmony again, but the very same act of reobtaining their control destroyed one of the reaper cloaks.
From this day forth, there were only 86 reapers left. A minimal change, but with a species this rare and important, it was a critical one.
Despite all happiness, Maledictum Insania goes on. Maybe even for all eternity.
|
Nero Darkard
|
1362
| 37 |
Main 6,Original Character,Dark,Horror,Mystery,Romance,Sad,Tragedy,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
Maledictum Insania
|
Demons, reapers, an ancient curse, insanity, gore and romance all in one.
|
complete
| 221 | 19 |
<p>A terrible, dark secret lies beneath the shiny surface of Equestria.<br/>A secret not supposed to be known by anypony.<br/>But with a drastic order from Princess Celestia, everything changes for the mane six.<br/>An until today barely known sub-race of ponies gets dragged out of the dark.<br/>But can you truly trust creatures of darkness and death?<br/>Is it really worth it to fight for friendship?<br/>Or will it just lead Twilight and her friends into a very gruesome end?</p><p>Official Trailer to the story:<br/><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCCpGneRis</a></p>
|
mature
|
2012-09-26T12:56:16+00:00
|
2014-11-30T14:31:14+00:00
| 1,483 |
I wish to speak out my thanks to all of my readers. No matter if you have tracked this story, subscribed to me or just gave my work a peek. Without you, all the effort I have put in this story would have been worthless. Now, after one entire year of development, Maledictum Insania is finally done.
But this is just the bjavascript:void(0);eginning.
Thanks to your support, I am highly motivated to write more stories! Even within the MI universe!
My next project, in fact, will be a prequel, titled "Maledictum Insania: The Creation"
So, if you are interested in seeing future projects of me, I would highly appreciate your subscription!
If you even feel like supporting me, then spread the word of my stories!
Once again, thank you all for reading and supporting me. May the reapers protect you.
EDIT:
It seems some of my readers have problems finding my other stories, so I will provide convenient links to them here.
To read the prequel 'Maledictum Insania: The Creation', click this link.
To read the continuation 'Maledictum Insania 2: The BloodClaw Cult', click this link.
Last but not least, to read the grand conclusion 'Maledictum Insania 3: Rebellion Years', click this link.
|
AbsoluteAnonymous
|
1363
| 1 |
Dark,Romance,Tragedy
|
Monochromatic Rainbow
|
Pinkamina mourns her old friend Rainbow Dash, and needs Scootaloo to be someone she's not.
|
complete
| 95 | 10 |
<p>As Pinkamina mourns her old friend Rainbow Dash, both she and Scootaloo need her new assistant to be someone she's not. Based on the "Ask Pinkamina Diane Pie" blog on Tumblr, if you're wondering where the hay this came from.</p>
|
teen
| null |
2011-10-10T16:45:21+00:00
| 2,261 |
A/N: This is one of my very first FiM fics. It was written late at night, wasn't especially well thought out, and was based on the vaguest conception of an idea, so I apologize. But I figured I might as well upload it onto my new account here for posterity. Or archival purposes. I'm not sure what word I'm looking for here...anyway, don't expect anything amazing.
Sometimes she fell asleep as herself, and woke up in the middle of the night as someone else entirely.
During the day, she was Pinkamina. Dark, grim. A cold smile plastered on her face; a blade typically held at her side. She was like ice, except that ice could melt in the sun. Instead, she was stone, hard and unmoving.
But at night you couldn't easily tell who she really was - not while she slept.
Most of the time she slept so deeply that she had no dreams. But when she did, she would thrash and moan, face contorting as if in pain, until her eyes finally opened.
When she did, it was like waking up an entirely new person. Her memory would be foggy at first, her hair falling into strange waves as if unsure whether she was Pinkie or Pinkamina, and slowly, traces of memories would begin to slip through the cracks as she remember what she was. Eyes wide and shining with tears; breathing shallow and quick.
And Scootaloo was always there beside her.
"Miss Pinkamina?" she whispered, thick with sleep, gazing at her blearily. "Are you-"
But Pinkie was already crying.
"S-scootaloo?" She choked. "W, what...I..."
The room she was in was dimly lit and cramped. A table covered with her tools of the trade was pushed against the wall, and a bathtub covered in rust-coloured stains sat in the corner beside a heavily bolted door.
Every night she woke up so abruptly, the bits and pieces of the memories this room held would come back to her. But in the end, they always settled on the pegasus that started everything.
Before Rainbow Dash, the guilt hadn't been there. She had believed the lottery to be a fair and objective means of choosing the next pony to take back to her base, but it had always chosen ponies she hadn't cared about - strangers in the background, minor characters that meant nothing to her, that she had no personal connection with.
Dashie had been different. That was the first time that she had known the pony whose number came up; but she had been her best friend, and, for some unfathomable reason, she'd thought that she'd be stronger, more supportive. That she would laugh at her jokes, maybe, the way she usually did. But she had screamed and pleaded, just like the others.
And once it was over...for the first time, Pinkamina had begun to feel something like doubt.
Then the dreams began.
Nightmares of a sky-blue pegasus, torn to pieces and screaming and screaming in a puddle of blood as she begged to go home. Nightmares of a bubblegum-pink earth pony who knows she's the one who did this. And then waking up and knowing that it was true.
"Oh, no, no, no..." Pinkie whispered. "Oh, Celestia, no, Dashie..."
When did everything get so crazy?
Before...before, she'd had fun every day. Parties and laughing and pranks and candy and nothing but sunshine for so long. Whenever the darkness threatened to creep back, her friends had bbeen there. For the first time, she'd had support. She'd known that there were ponies out there that could pull her out when she began to fall into the abyss.
And then everything began to go wrong, and the badness began to take over completely.
Scootaloo was silent. As soon as she saw the tears on Pinkie's face, she wordlessly pulled her close and began to stroke her mane. She knew what to do. By now, she was used to these nighttime interruptions.
"She was my friend!" Pinkie sobbed. "How could I have done that to her? To any of them? When did everything get like this? How...how did this happen? I j-just wanted to...to..."
"Shh..." Scootaloo whispered hoarsely. "It's okay. It's..."
"It's not okay! I didn't want any of this...I w-want my Dashie back...I, I, want everything to go back to normal!"
Before, Dash had been the one to bring her back from the precipice. Now she had no one but Scootaloo, the only pony who seemed to understand why she was like this.
It wasn't the same, not even close.
But maybe she could at least pretend.
"Can I...can..."
"Yeah. Yeah..." Scootaloo whispered, nodding. "It's okay."
Raising her hoof, Pinkie began to stroke her tiny wings. They were impossibly soft, but began to stiffen and spread beneath her touch. A blush danced on Scootaloo's face.
Pinkie heaved a long, shuddering sigh before giving her a small, watery smile; and then she closed her eyes, pressing her face into the filly's coat.
She was young, still. But her fur was short and bristly, and her mane shaggy and rough, just like Dash's had been.
As long a she kept her eyes shut, she could pretend. If she didn't actually look, then it was just like things were back to normal.
"Dashie..." she moaned, her voice slightly muffled. "I'm...I'm so sorry, Dashie...you're my best friend, I'm so, so, sorry, please don't leave me..."
"P-Pinkie Pie, you..." Scootaloo began.
Her voice cracked.
"You're...you're so random."
xxxxx
Pinkie Pie's mouth was hard and fierce and possessive as it came down on hers. She held Scootaloo tightly, like she was hers and she never wanted to let go. Her touch explored her entire body, hooves stroking her wings and her mane and her back. Scootaloo did not pull away. And although she found herself feeling ashamed in a secret, deep-down way, she also felt the tendrils of desire snaking through her - something made obvious by her open wings.
Pinkie was light. Pinkamina was shadow. The one that was wrapped around Scootaloo now, aching with painfully raw need, was someone else entirely; but at the same time, she could see fragments of the other two Pinkie Pie's in whoever this was. Maybe this broken, desperate shell of a pony was the true Pinkie, the one that only came out when they were alone. When the pony of the daylight hours finally removed her mask, whether it was one of laughter or despair, this was what lay beneath; and Scootaloo was the only one who got to see it.
At last, Pinkie fell asleep clutching Scootaloo tightly around her middle, crying softly as she moaned for Rainbow Dash.
And Scootaloo would let her do this as long as she needed to.
Dash had been her idol, and she had always wanted to be just like her. Now that she was gone, it was upt to Scootaloo to take up the mantle of her fallen hero. She knew that Dash was the one thing that had kept Pinkie stable for so long; before everything had gone to hell, Pinkie had depended on her. And now, that responsibility was passed on to her, and she would perform her duty the best that she could. For Dash.
xxxxx
In the morning, it was Pinkamina who woke up still tangled around Scootaloo. She had no memory of what had passed the other night. She never did. It was a new day, a new lottery, a new project to take care of. But that was okay. No matter what happened, Scootaloo would stand by her. Rainbow Dash wouldn't betray her friend.
|
Author Tempus
|
1367
| 1 |
DJ P0N-3,Derpy Hooves,Doctor Whooves,Lyra,Main 6,Octavia,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Trixie,Alternate Universe,Adventure,Dark,Sad,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
A Sonic Rain-What?
|
When Rainbow Dash never performs her Sonic Rainboom, how is everypony else affected?
|
incomplete
| 8 | 6 |
<p>This one is a story that I've wanted to do ever since I saw the episode "Cutie Mark Chronicles." Than I saw that I wasn't the only one with the idea. But, I decided to do this one anyway.</p><p>Everyone knows that Rainbow Dash was the reason the mane six got their cutie marks. Or is it? When Rainbow decides against a race against Fluttershy's bullies, everything you thought you knew about Equestria is thrown out the window.</p><p>By the way, it would be really awesome if ponies started doing fanart of how they interpret these alternate ponies. If you've done any, send them to me at a.tempus [at] derpymail.org</p>
|
teen
|
2011-10-23T04:06:12+00:00
|
2011-10-23T04:06:12+00:00
| 3,516 |
A/N: I feel bad. I almost... Killed... Fluttershy... But, I didn't. So, am I a good person or does the fact that I even THOUGHT about killing off Fluttershy make me a bad person? I LOVE YOU FLUTTERSHY! I'M SORRY! T^T
Ahem. Enough of that. Enjoy the story!
A Sonic Rain-What?
Little Fillies
Sonic What?______________
Rainbow Dash was flying around Cloudsdale when she saw three young colts talking to a yellow-coated, pink-maned filly. It didn't look like the conversation was a friendly one. She swooped down to stand up for her friend.
"Hey! Stop picking on Fluttershy!"
The three colts looked at the young Rainbow and laughed.
"Oh, look at that! Rainbow CRASH is standing of for her girlfriend!"
Rainbow was enraged by this remark. She flew up to the lead colt and put a hoof to his chest.
"I DON'T HAVE TO TAKE THAT!" Her face was flushed red in anger.
"All right, Crash! Let's race than! If you win, we leave Fluttershy alone. If one of us wins, YOU have to leave US alone!"
Rainbow Dash thought about this. Could she beat them? They had stronger wings... But she was lighter. Suddenly, she heard a faint voice.
"Um... Dash... Uh... You don't have to... Do this... If that's OK..."
She looked to Fluttershy questioningly, to which she responded with a sheepish nod.
"I don't have to beat you in a race to prove I'm better than you! Everypony knows that fillies are better than colts at everything anyway."
The lead colt had a look of anger on his face. This made Rainbow smirk, thinking that she had won the squabble. However, her satisfaction was short-lived as she felt a hoof make contact with her face. She lay on the clouds motionless.
"You... You hit a filly!" one of the colts yelled.
"N- No I didn't! You saw! She flew into my hoof! I never hit her!" this was the lead colt speaking this time.
"Rainbow Dash..." Fluttershy whispered.
"C'mon! Let's go before we get caught!" the third colt said to the others.
If there was any more conversation, Rainbow would never be able to tell. She had slipped into unconsciousness.
Revenge_____________
"All right, Miss Sparkle. If you can make this dragon egg hatch, you will be enrolled in this school."
The aforementioned purple unicorn filly excitedly pranced into the testing room. She had received an invitation from Celestia herself to try out for the academy. She studied extra super hard for this moment. However, as soon as the dragon egg was wheeled in her mind drew a blank. Those days of studying did nothing to help her when she was under so much pressure. She concentrated hard on the egg, but all that came from her horn were a few sparks. She frowned and looked back at her parents, who returned an encouraging look.
She turned again and concentrated even harder. A brilliant glow emanated from her horn and... Nothing. She looked at the judges who were to decide whether she would make it into the academy or not. They all shook their heads.
Twilight made her way out of the room dejectedly, her head held low. She went right past her parents, ignoring their words of optimism, saying she'd do better next time. She knew better.
She failed, and there wasn't going to be a next time.
She thought for a while. She had come upon a sudden realization.
No. she thought. It is not I who failed Celestia... She set me up to fail! Maybe my magic is more powerful than she wants me to think, maybe more powerful than even hers! Maybe there are other ponies with magic more powerful than hers as well! And SHE just wants everypony to think that SHE is the most powerful, so that SHE can rule Equestria forever! Her look of sadness turned into a look of anger as she stormed off, away from her parents, to the only place that she could think straight; the library.
The Promise_________________
After checking Rainbow Dash into the Cloudsdale ER, Fluttershy quickly left for home.
It's my fault! she thought to herself.
She started crying.
If I could just... Stand up for myself...
She finally made it home. Alone. She had no idea where her parents were, not since she was even younger than she is now. She woke up one day and they were just... Gone. Whenever she asked somepony about it, they either didn't know or didn't care. Or both.
Fluttershy lay in her bed, snout in her pillow and cried, exactly the same way she did when she discovered her parents to be gone.
Suddenly, however, she stopped crying. From now on, Fluttershy swore to herself- no, to Celestia- that she would stand up for herself so her friend wouldn't have to.
She thought back to what Kev- the lead colt that was bothering her- had said. She called her and Rainbow girlfriends. She thought about the hit. Kev must have had something in his hoof, otherwise Rainbow wouldn't be in the ER right now.
She though again about what Kev said. Girlfriends. Maybe what he said was accurate...
After all, they were friends, and they were both girls.
Same Result__________
Rarity had been chosen by her class to make costumes for a play. She was an excellent seamstress, but she couldn't help but feel that the outfits were missing something... Something she couldn't quite put her hoof on...
Suddenly, her horn began to glow by itself. It started pulling her toward something far away. At first she tried to fight it, but she remembered her parents saying something about your horn, destiny and... Cutie marks!
She smiled slightly and let her horn continue to pull her until she finally reached...
"A ROCK?! My destiny is A ROCK?!?!"
Suddenly, nothing happened. She began pounding on the rock with her hooves.
"Stupid rock! Stupid, stupid! STUPIDSTUPIDSTUPID!"
A crack appeared in the rock. She had hit it in the right place.
She stared in awe as the crack traveled up the side of the rock, eventually causing it to split in two. Her eyes lit up and she smiled widely as she looked inside of the rock.
It was filled with a variety of gems.
She felt something and looked behind her. Her flank was now graced with three diamonds.
She had earned her cutie mark.
Everypony who saw the school play the next day said that the costumes Rarity had made were the best ones ever.
Manehattan______________
Applejack had run away from Sweet Apple Acres in search of her cutie mark. She decided she would stay with her aunt and uncle Orange in Manehattan. She was excited when she arrived. She had never seen bigger buildings in her life. She was only slightly put off after somepony bumped into her.
"Watch where you're going, simpleton!" the stallion said to her.
"Ah- Ah'm sorry, sir..." She may have been young, but her accent was still thick.
As the stallion walked off, Applejack wasn't sure, but she thought she heard him say something along the lines of "Incompetent redneck..."
A few minutes later, AJ made it to her aunt and uncle's house without further incident.
"Tank y'all kindly fer lettin' me stay here..."
Aunt and uncle Orange laughed at her "simple" accent and mannerisms. In a few weeks time, her accent would be gone completely.
This was put to the test at a dinner party.
A gentlecolt had asked her how she enjoyed life in the city, to which she replied:
"Oh, it's simply divine. Although, I must admit, the city noise took some getting used to. Where I come from, nights are so quiet you seldom hear a peep until the roosters wake you." she smiled as she said this, thinking she gave an adequate response.
"The what?"
"I say, what in the Wide World of Equestria is a... Rooster?"
A murmur arose through the attendees, all asking the same basic thing: what is a rooster?
AJ was confused by these questions. Everypony knows what a rooster is, right?
Finally, the food came out. The portions were minuscule and left AJ hungrier than if she hadn't eaten at all. She decided to just go to bed. When she woke up, she was homesick. However, she couldn't go back. Just what would Big Mac and Granny Smith think?
She would have to go through many more years of this.
Pinkamena_____________
Pinkamena Diane Pie was doing what she normally did at home; she hauled rocks around. She was the eldest sister in her family and the other two, Inkamena and Blinkamena, were too young to do much work. Her father, Clyde, made Pinkamena do most of the work as a result.
She sighed, blowing her straight long mane out of her face.
Today was going to be different, she just knew it.
She looked in the air, off toward the direction of Cloudsdale, as if expecting to see something.
The sky was a dull gray and filled with clouds.
The frown she already had on her face deepened.
This isn't what was supposed to happen... she thought to herself, a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Quickly, without permission from her father, she ran away as fast as she could to the general direction of Ponyville.
Once there, she looked around. She never thought she would ever be able to visit Ponyville before.
But now was not the time for sight-seeing. Pinkamena had to get to the bottom of the strange feeling she had in the pit of her stomach, the one that told her that something that was supposed to happen never happened.
END OF CHAPTER ONE
|
Author Tempus
|
1367
| 2 |
DJ P0N-3,Derpy Hooves,Doctor Whooves,Lyra,Main 6,Octavia,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Trixie,Alternate Universe,Adventure,Dark,Sad,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
A Sonic Rain-What?
|
When Rainbow Dash never performs her Sonic Rainboom, how is everypony else affected?
|
incomplete
| 8 | 6 |
<p>This one is a story that I've wanted to do ever since I saw the episode "Cutie Mark Chronicles." Than I saw that I wasn't the only one with the idea. But, I decided to do this one anyway.</p><p>Everyone knows that Rainbow Dash was the reason the mane six got their cutie marks. Or is it? When Rainbow decides against a race against Fluttershy's bullies, everything you thought you knew about Equestria is thrown out the window.</p><p>By the way, it would be really awesome if ponies started doing fanart of how they interpret these alternate ponies. If you've done any, send them to me at a.tempus [at] derpymail.org</p>
|
teen
|
2011-10-12T19:49:20+00:00
|
2011-10-12T19:49:20+00:00
| 2,511 |
A Few Years Later
Rainbowshy and Flutter Dash (note: this section has nothing to do with shipping)_______________________
Rainbow Dash woke up. She had the dream again, the dream that her life had been different. Perhaps even better. That's usually how the dream protrayed her life.
It was the dream where she raced Kev and won. She looked at her flank. Nothing was there. She was the only pony her age without a cutie mark. She thought about leaving her home today. She remembered the last time she did, the ridicule she received from everypony... She decided against it.
She would wait until Fluttershy came over. Fluttershy could stick up for Rainbow Dash, like she always did. Fluttershy was the bravest pony she knew.
Rainbow heard a knock on the door and her ears perked up. She rushed to the door and greeted her guest with a smile.
"H-Hi, Fluttershy! It's been a while!"
Flutteshy had a short, pink mane and tail and a cutie mark of three butterflies, which Rainbow thought was strange considering Fluttershy's personality.
"Hey, Rainbow! I've been thinking about what we should do today..."
Rainbow looked at Fluttershy in a confused manner, her long, multi-hued mane drooping on the cloud that she was standing on.
"I think we should have a race!"
Rainbows eyes grew large. "A-a r-race?!?! Oh... Um... I don't know..." she held her head low and scraped her hooves on the cloud. "Y-you know I... Don't like races..."
She started thinking about the day her life took the turn for the worse.
Fluttershy saw the look on Rainbow's face and quickly retracted her offer.
"Oh, right... Of course... Well, um..." Fluttershy had started to speak introvertedly. Assertive. "Is there something else you'd rather do?"
"No... I-I'm fine... I was actually planning on staying home today..."
Fluttershy sighed. "All right. Come on, Angel." There was a chirp from her bluebird friend as they left.
Research____________________________
Twilight Sparkle was about to give up all hope. None of her history books had anything about Celestia's weaknesses. She slammed her books on the floor.
"Twilight, perhaps the answer isn't in the history books." Trixie, her assistant, suggested.
Twilight thought about this. Of course! If somepony had a weakness, they wouldn't want it to be publicized... And with the power Celestia has as the princess, she can have her weaknesses put off as fiction!
"Trixie, what would I do without you?"
Trixie smiled, accepting the compliment. Ever since Twi hired her as an assistant, she had cast aside her old stage name. It seemed stupid now... The Great and Powerful Trixie... She hadn't been doing well as a traveling entertainer anyway.
Twi picked out a book titled "Nightmare Moon and other Old Mare's Tales." Nightmare Moon sounds like she'd be able to help us with our cause...
She opened the book to the story called "the Mare in the Moon." Twi liked the sound of this... Nightmare Moon. She was an alicorn. She once knew Celestia, and, in fact, was the one who ruled alongside her to raise the moon. She got jealous and took a turn to the dark because nopony appreciated her moon.
The next part Twi liked the best.
Celestia imprisoned Nightmare in the moon. She had a reason for revenge, a reason to help their cause. The only problem was that it would take 1000 years for her to escape the moon.... The good news was that 1000 years was tomorrow.
The legend said that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars would aid her escape, and she would show up in Ponyville.
Twi smile mischievously. Yes... This Nightmare Moon should work perfectly...
"Trixie, pack your things. We're going to Ponyville."
The Filly who Cried Dragon________________
Fluttershy hovered away from Rainbow's home dejectedly. She never should have brought up racing. She heard a chirp and looked toward Angel, who had a worried look on his face.
That's when Scootaloo showed up. Scootaloo was Fluttershy's biggest fan. Fluttershy stopped and Angel perched on her head.
"Fluttershy! I've been looking all over for you!" Scootaloo was panting. She wasn't exactly the strongest flyer, and she flew as fast as she could to reach Fluttershy. "There's a BIG problem!"
"Don't worry, Scootaloo. I'm sure that whatever it is, I can help. What's the problem?" Fluttershy asked with a smile.
"There's a big, scary dragon coming toward Cloudsdale! You're the braves pony I know, you can beat that dragon easy!"
Fluttershy stood rigid. She was absolutely terrified of dragons. Of course, she couldn't let Scootaloo know that she was scared. She looked up at Angel who, with a nod, flew away.
"I-I'm sure that I'll be able to... to, um..."
Scootaloo looked at Fluttershy expectantly. There was a silence between the two that lasted a while. Fluttershy felt uncomfortable and felt that she had let Scootaloo down. That is, she did, until Angel flew back to Fluttershy and shook his head.
"O-Oh, don't worry. There isn't a dragon. Wherever did you hear such a thing?"
Scootaloo thought hard, than looked down embarrassed. "Oh, well, uh... Nopony told me... But... I could have sworn I saw a dragon... Must have just been a cloud..."
Scootaloo reminded Fluttershy of herself at that moment. Of course, Scootaloo was assertive most of the time WITHOUT having to force herself, or making a promise to a friend.
A Rarity for Rarity________________
Everypony's favorite mallow mare was busy working on a dress for a very important client, one who would make her fashion known throughout all of Equestria; Sapphire Shores. She heard the sound of hooves on the floor. It was getting louder, as if the source was getting closer.
Suddenly, she felt a bump on her hind leg, causing her to lose her concentration as she consequentially dropped her needle and dress. She looked back and saw Sweetie Belle, her younger sister.
"Yes, Sweetie? Did you need something?" Rarity said through clenched teeth, trying to hide irritation.
Sweetie Belle was panting. "There's... Some... Pony... At... Door... Prin... Cess... Celestia..." she fell on the floor, out of breath.
Rarity froze up. What could the princess possibly want from her? If Celestia wanted a dress, she would become EVEN MORE famous than the dress she was making for Sapphire Shores. She slowly made her way to the door. There standing before her was Princess Celestia herself.
Rarity's eyes widened as she bowed to Celestia. She saw the calm demeanor that she had about her, one that she almost always had.
"Hello, Rarity. I must speak to you about a matter of utmost importance.
"W-Why, of course, Princess. What is it you wish to talk about?"
Celestia's smile turned into a slight frown as she looked around to make sure nopony was listening to their conversation.
"As you know, I'm supposed to be here tomorrow for the Summer Sun Celebration. However, Nightmare Moon is going to be freed on the same day. I believe she is going to be helped by somepony, betraying me and all of Equestria in doing so." She paused to let it sink in. "I need you and five other ponies to go out to the Everfree Forest and collect the Elements of Harmony in order to defeat them."
Sweet Apple Acres_____________
It's been years since AJ ran away from home, but something inside her brought her back. It was strange seeing her brother, Big Macintosh, all grown up, and the last time she was there Applebloom was just a few days old.
When Sweet Apple Acres was in view, she quickly galloped closer.
Applebloom stared at the mare running toward her and her brother, who wore a stetson. She was much too... Proper, for lack of a better word.
However, when she saw AJ's cutie mark of three apples, all doubt was cast aside, and she knew that the pony with her mane in a bun was in fact her long lost sister.
"B... Big sis'? Is that you?" Applebloom asked, having never met AJ before.
"Applebloom... I haven't seen you since... Well, since Ah was your age..." AJ quickly caught her mistake in her accent and corrected herself.
"I mean... Since I was your age..."
She looked around. The farm was extremely old fashion. She couldn't see a single unicorn working there, the farm apparently only being run by her older brother.
When she was with aunt and uncle Orange unicorns always helped with the harvest of the fruit, making it go by a lot faster.
She sighed. "Pardon me, but I have business that I positively must attend to."
She walked off to the barn.
"Big Macintosh, has AJ always been like that?" Applebloom asked.
Big Mac said nothing for a while, a dramatic silence building up.
He sighed.
"No... No she has not... Not always..." he replied.
Oh boy, a party...__________________
Pinkamena had decided to stay home at Sugarcube Corner today. Every time she left, she felt the strange feeling that she always felt, the one in the pit of her stomach. She grouped it with her collection of Pinkamena Senses, strange things that happened with her body when something was going to happen. For example, when her tail twitched, something was about to fall.
Her tail twitched.
She quickly held her pillow over her head. A small alligator plopped on top of it.
"Oh, Gummy..." she sighed, picking up the toothless reptile. "Haven't I told you not to try to sneak up on me like that?"
Gummy just stared at her and blinked one eye at a time.
Pinkamena suddenly realized something. Tomorrow was the Summer Solstice, and Celestia was coming to Ponyville this year. Mayor Mare entrusted Pinkamena with the party planning.
She loved planning parties. In fact, that's how she got her cutie mark.
She didn't, however, enjoy attending parties. She couldn't really explain it. She just didn't feel the same way everypony else did when they attended parties.
She sighed and grabbed pencil in her mouth and took out a sheet of paper to write down what they would need for the party. She suddenly stopped and stared intently at the wall, which seemed to interest her more than anything else in all of Equestria.
"Gummy, do you ever feel like somepony is watching everything that you do?"
Gummy blinked one eye at a time in response.
"Well, if somepony IS watching..." she walked up to the wall and pressed her face on it. "I have my eye on YOU!" she said, a suspicious look on her face.
After the short outburst, she went back to planning the party.
END OF CHAPTER TWO
|
Author Tempus
|
1367
| 3 |
DJ P0N-3,Derpy Hooves,Doctor Whooves,Lyra,Main 6,Octavia,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Trixie,Alternate Universe,Adventure,Dark,Sad,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
A Sonic Rain-What?
|
When Rainbow Dash never performs her Sonic Rainboom, how is everypony else affected?
|
incomplete
| 8 | 6 |
<p>This one is a story that I've wanted to do ever since I saw the episode "Cutie Mark Chronicles." Than I saw that I wasn't the only one with the idea. But, I decided to do this one anyway.</p><p>Everyone knows that Rainbow Dash was the reason the mane six got their cutie marks. Or is it? When Rainbow decides against a race against Fluttershy's bullies, everything you thought you knew about Equestria is thrown out the window.</p><p>By the way, it would be really awesome if ponies started doing fanart of how they interpret these alternate ponies. If you've done any, send them to me at a.tempus [at] derpymail.org</p>
|
teen
|
2011-10-15T13:54:20+00:00
|
2011-10-15T13:54:20+00:00
| 3,320 |
A/N: This chapter only has sections for three ponies because I have plans for Rarity's section. Big plans. As in, it requires a whole other chapter big plans. And those plans involve some dark stuff... Stay tuned!
The Summer Solstice: Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, and Fluttershy
To the Summer Sun Celebration________________
Today, Rainbow Dash was excited for once. It was the day of the Summer Sun Celebration, which took place in Ponyville this year, not too far from her home in Cloudsdale.
She had always wanted to meet Celestia.
But what would Fluttershy think? Surely Fluttershy wouldn't be interested on something happening on the ground...
I should probably leave a note, just in case... Rainbow thought.
After writing said note, Rainbow left her home for Ponyville. When she arrived, she stared in awe at the buildings. they were just so... Different... From the ones in Cloudsdale.
Everypony she passed greeted her with a smile on their face. It seemed like they were all headed in the same direction, which Rainbow assumed to be toward the town hall where the Summer Sun Celebration was being held.
Judging by all the decorations, she was right.
Suddenly, the lights dimmed and the royal fanfare began to play.
Nothing happened.
There was a murmur amongst the crowd.
"What happened? Isn't Celestia supposed to be here?" somepony asked Rainbow Dash.
"I... Uh..." she trailed off as a dark cloud formed on the balcony where Celestia was supposed to stand.
A shady mare appeared shortly after, and she was obviously not friendly. The guards assaulted her, but they were fended off with lightning strikes.
"Greetings, foals! I am Nightmare Moon! I am here to take the place of Celestia as the ruler of Equestria!" the mare known as Nightmare Moon stated. She looked around, taking in the faces of fear of everypony in the crowd. She gave a satisfied smirk.
"Now, where can I find Celestia?"
To Ponyville____________
Both Twilight and Trixie were carrying saddlebags full of their possessions. It had been Trixie's idea to set up base in Ponyville instead of Canterlot, as it was closer to where Nightmare Moon was released.
Twilight looked up and saw that the sky was dark and stormy.
"Hurry, Trixie! We're missing it!"
The two of them sped up in order to catch Nightmare Moon. A shadowy mist seeped out of one of the buildings, most likely the town hall, materializing in front of Twilight. Both she and Trixie skidded to a stop.
Nightmare Moon stood before them. Twilight bowed.
"What's this? I, Nightmare Moon, am in your presence, and instead of trembling you bow to me... Explain yourself."
Twilight smiled. "We both want the same thing. And we can help each other accomplish our goal."
Nightmare Moon eyed Twilight suspiciously. "And how do you expect me to believe you? How do I know that you are not the pony my sister called upon to fight against me?"
Twilight didn't know how to answer. How exactly does one prove they are trustworthy to somepony they just met? She had an idea about what to say, but she wasn't sure it would work... Or where she even heard it from. There was a long silence before she sighed.
"Er... Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my- OW!"
To the Ground______________
Fluttershy was on her way back to Rainbow's home. She heard a chirp from Angel.
"Oh, Angel, of course she won't be upset. I mean, I'm her friend, and she couldn't stay mad at me."
Angel chirped again.
"Oh... You didn't mean at me, did you... Well... We'll just have to find out, won't we?"
She arrived at Rainbow's door. On the door, she saw a note.
"A note? 'Dear Fluttershy, I am not going to be in Cloudsdale today because I went to see the Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville. I don't know when I'll be back. And don't worry about me, I'll be fine...' P... Ponyville..."
Fluttershy thought for a while.
"Angel, do you think that Rainbow Dash would mind if we... Dropped by for a visit in Ponyville?"
Angel chirped in response.
|
Author Tempus
|
1367
| 4 |
DJ P0N-3,Derpy Hooves,Doctor Whooves,Lyra,Main 6,Octavia,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Trixie,Alternate Universe,Adventure,Dark,Sad,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
A Sonic Rain-What?
|
When Rainbow Dash never performs her Sonic Rainboom, how is everypony else affected?
|
incomplete
| 8 | 6 |
<p>This one is a story that I've wanted to do ever since I saw the episode "Cutie Mark Chronicles." Than I saw that I wasn't the only one with the idea. But, I decided to do this one anyway.</p><p>Everyone knows that Rainbow Dash was the reason the mane six got their cutie marks. Or is it? When Rainbow decides against a race against Fluttershy's bullies, everything you thought you knew about Equestria is thrown out the window.</p><p>By the way, it would be really awesome if ponies started doing fanart of how they interpret these alternate ponies. If you've done any, send them to me at a.tempus [at] derpymail.org</p>
|
teen
|
2011-10-16T01:12:07+00:00
|
2011-10-16T01:12:07+00:00
| 2,074 |
__________Gathering the Elements__________
Rarity had gathered up a crack team of ponies. These ponies were herself, Ditzy Doo, Vinyl Scratch, Bonbon, Octavia, and Doctor Whooves. These are the ponies that Celestia herself suggested she bring.
As they stood on the edge of the Everfree Forest, millions of thoughts raced through their heads. What will the elements do? What do they look like? And most importantly, where were the elements? The plan was to look in the Castle of the Sisters.
"Well... Is everypony ready?" Rarity asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be." Bonbon replied.
"Yeah, this should be cool." Vinyl added.
"We DO get muffins after this, right?" Ditzy put in.
"Yes, I do believe so." Octavia stated.
"Alon-zy!" Doctor Whooves yelled, leading everypony into the Everfree Forest, unknowing as to what horrors they would see there.
----
So far, nothing bad had happened. The forest was clear of anything that could be considered dangerous. And when they walked far enough, it was clear of trees as well. There was a horribly loud roar, and everypony turned in its direction.
There in front of them was a huge manticore, and it looked pissed. It started to charge at them.
"Everypony! Keep going! I'll settle it down!" Octavia yelled as she took out he cello.
"No! We have to stick together!" Rarity yelled.
"I know what I'm doing! Just go!"
"But..."
Vinyl put a hoof on Rarity's shoulder. "She knows what she's doing. Let's go."
With that, they turned and left, a beautiful sound playing behind them.
----
The group had gotten far away from the manticore, but there was still no sign of Octavia.
"D... Do you think she... She's... D-" Rarity started.
"No! She's not! She can't be!" Vinyl yelled, although she sounded more like she was trying to convince herself than she was Rarity.
That's when Octavia walked back. She was covered in cuts, scars, and a sticky red substance.
"TAVI!" Vinyl yelled. "Tavi, what happened?! You look terrible!"
"I... I stopped... Playing..." Octavia replied. Than she collapsed on the ground.
Everypony quickly gathered around her. Doctor Whooves put a hoof on her neck and shook his head solemnly.
"I'm afraid she's dead... There's nothing we can do..."
Ditzy quickly ran over, and whispered something in whooves ear. The rest of them were in too much shock to pay any attention, but Rarity could of sworn she heard something about time machines and fixed points. He looked very solemn.
Ditzy saw the look of sadness on his face, one that she had never seen on him before. She decided it was best to leave him alone for now.
They buried Octavia and held a small funeral in the forest. They continued on solemnly.
----
It was darker than usual in this part of the forest. There were a lot more trees, too.
Nopony there could see a thing in front of them. That's when Bonbon screamed.
"Bonbon! What is it?" Rarity was quick to ask.
"It... It's... The trees have faces!" Bonbon replied, causing everypony to look around.
The trees did, in fact, have faces.
"Don't worry, it's not like they can do anything. It's just faces." Doctor Whooves replied, taking out a cylindrical device with a blue light on the tip. It lit up and emitted a high pitched sound and Doctor Whooves looked at it. "No, I was wrong. they can do a lot. They're a breed of weeping ang... Monsters. I mean monsters. Just, whatever you do, keep looking at them, don't blink. They will not hesitate to kill you."
"What?! They're going to KILL US?!?!" Bonbon yelled.
"No, not so long as you keep looking at them."
"D-Doctor! W-Why are they moving???" Ditzy asked.
"What?! NO! Ditzy, it's your eyes! They don't know you can see them! Everypony, look toward Ditzy!" Doctor Whooves yelled.
It was too late. As soon as they turned, Ditzy was nowhere to be seen. The trees had gotten her. For some reason, the tree's faces disappeared. The remains of the group continued on hesitantly.
----
Their spirits down, the four remaining ponies continued along the path to the old castle. They came across a raging river, one that seemed impossible to cross.
"How could we have come this far only to be stopped by a little river..." Rarity sighed. Her mane was entirely frizzed, many hairs out of place.
Something in the river moved. Rarity, with her eye for detail, was the only one to see it, although she dismissed it at first.
Than it moved again.
"Did everypony see that?"
"See what?" Bonbon asked.
"Something... In the water. It moved."
The thing in the water moved again.
"I saw it! But... What is it?"
Suddenly, a giant serpent rushed out of the water and it...
Cried...
About its mustache...
And this was shaping up to be a dark chapter, too...
"Oh, deary me! My gorgeous mustache has been destroyed by something traveling this way!"
Bonbon just stared at the large serpent, Doctor Whooves and Vinyl Scratch were off looking for another way around the river.
"Is that it...?" Rarity asked.
"What do you mean?! My mustache is my prized possession!"
Rarity sighed. She used her magic to lift a pair of scissors out of her saddlebag which she used to snip the hairs on her tail off. She levitated the tail to the serpent.
"Are you sure? You want to give this to me? To replace my mustache? Oh, thank you! I'll tell you what, since you've been so kind, I will help you cross this river!"
Rarity and Bonbon cheered. Something actually went their way today.
"Doctor! Vinyl! Come over here! We have a way over the river!" Bonbon yelled.
As soon as the two ponies got back, they all crossed. Bonbon had offered to go last and received much objection from Doctor Whooves. Bonbon won out eventually.
Everypony was already on the other side when Bonbon started crossing. The three others made it across without a problem, so why wouldn't she be able to?
As soon as she made it half way across, a large felled tree floated violently down the river. Bonbon froze as she saw it. It struck the serpent making him shake and causing her to be knocked into the rough rapids below.
Rarity, Vinyl, and Doctor Whooves lost all hope when they looked over and saw the rocks next to a waterfall covered in red. By now, they were all used to this.
They continued on ahead.
----
There was a thick fog covering the ground, but the group of three could still see in front of them. They exited a jumble of trees to find that the old castle was withing sight. They trotted as fast as they could in the direction, but quickly stopped. The fog cleared and they saw that there was a large gorge with a broken bridge blocking their way.
"NO! ENOUGH WITH THE OBSTACLES!" Rarity yelled to nopony in particular.
Vinyl put a hand on Rarity's shoulder.
"Don't... Don't worry... I'll hold the bridge up..."
Rarity facehoofed. Of course... she thought My magic wouldn't be strong enough, anyway...
Vinyl's horn started glowing and the bridge supported itself once more.
Little did they know that a team of pegasi were watching them.
"Rarity, you go first." Doctor Whooves offered.
She crossed.
"All right, Vinyl. You cross now."
"Can't, Doc. I gotta hold it up."
Doctor Whooves sighed as if he already knew what would happen. He crossed solemnly.
All right, Vinyl... You can do this... Just keep your focus... Vinyl thought to herself.
A group of dark pegasi swooped in right in front of Vinyl. She lost her focus for a second. That's all it took.
Her magic lost effect on the bridge and it fell apart once again. She started falling into the chasm. Her glasses came off, revealing her vibrant red eyes. She did not scream as she fell.
"NO! VINYL!" Rarity yelled. Her hair was beyond saving at this point, and so was her sanity.
"There was nothing we could do, Rarity..." Doctor Whooves stated, as if reading Rarity's mind.
It was my fault... I brought them here... she thought.
The two continued to the castle to collect what they were venturing for.
----
"Foals! Did you really think that you could beat me, Nightmare Moon, the the elements of harmony?"
Rarity and Doctor Whooves stared in disbelief.
"No! We came here for the elements, ponies DIED today to get these elements... And I am willing to FIGHT TO GET THEM!" Rarity yelled.
Doctor Whooves lightly pushed rarity back and trotted up to Nightmare Moon, mouthing "I'll handle this..."
He took out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at Nightmare. Her horn glowed and it shot a bolt of energy at him, knocking the sonic out of his mouth. He was knocked back slightly, a lot of energy taken out of him after only one blow. He got up and started trotting toward her again.
"What?! That would be enough to kill any normal pony!" Nightmare yelled.
"I... I'm not... A normal... Pony..." Doctor Whooves replied. He continued moving toward her.
She shot another bolt of energy. This knocked him down. His body began to glow, and particles were flowing off of him. He turned to Rarity.
"Have... Have fun... At the Gala..."
He was hit by a third bolt of energy, which caused him to lay motionless on the floor.
"Now, if there won't be any further interruption, I am going to take what I came for." Nightmare Moon levitated a stone with a gem engraved on it and she teleported away.
Rarity was now on the ground herself. However, she was still alive. But she wished she wasn't.
What she really needed right was some more pet cats.
|
Author Tempus
|
1367
| 5 |
DJ P0N-3,Derpy Hooves,Doctor Whooves,Lyra,Main 6,Octavia,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Trixie,Alternate Universe,Adventure,Dark,Sad,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
A Sonic Rain-What?
|
When Rainbow Dash never performs her Sonic Rainboom, how is everypony else affected?
|
incomplete
| 8 | 6 |
<p>This one is a story that I've wanted to do ever since I saw the episode "Cutie Mark Chronicles." Than I saw that I wasn't the only one with the idea. But, I decided to do this one anyway.</p><p>Everyone knows that Rainbow Dash was the reason the mane six got their cutie marks. Or is it? When Rainbow decides against a race against Fluttershy's bullies, everything you thought you knew about Equestria is thrown out the window.</p><p>By the way, it would be really awesome if ponies started doing fanart of how they interpret these alternate ponies. If you've done any, send them to me at a.tempus [at] derpymail.org</p>
|
teen
|
2011-10-22T16:57:11+00:00
|
2011-10-22T16:57:11+00:00
| 1,941 |
A/N: Oh, you guys! I never thought, or even DREAMED that I would get... How many views was it? 1,300+? Wow... That... That's a lot... I just want to give out some thanks:
Thanks, firstly, to Lauren Faust, without whom there would be no MLP and no inspiration for this story.
Second, I would like to thank England for Doctor Who.
Third, I would like to thank my friend who read the chapters before they were published.
And last, but not least, I would like to thank you, the reader. Without your comments or sheer number, I would never have had the motivation to keep writing this story. It is truly the reader that is the most important component, because at the end of the day, that's who I'm writing for. Thank you all so much.
And now, enjoy a short little chapter about Celestia!
BONUS CHAPTER!
Meanwhile, in Canterlot...________________
Celestia sat on her bed, bored. Nothing interesting was happening today. Well, other than her sister escaping the moon. But she had that taken care of.
"I wonder how many of them have died yet..." she thought out loud. She quickly perked her head up and looked around, making sure nopony heard her. She went back to observing her loyal subjects. She did so enjoy playing with their minds.
She wasn't always like this, though. Her heart was heavy because somepony had disappointed her a long time ago. Somepony who was now trying to overthrow her reign. Somepony who, at this very moment, was killing off Rarity's friends.
"Twilight Sparkle..." she said to herself. Her viewing orb's sight moved over slightly, revealing the lavender mare, her horn glowing, amplifying Nightmare Moon's powers enough to kill Doctor Whooves.
It's a shame... thought Celestia. He seems like he was such a smart one. And loyal, too. He would be very useful to my court.
One of Celestia's guards burst into her room, Celestia still focusing on the orb so as to not drop it.
"What is it?" she asked, not turning around.
"Your majesty! The ponies of Ponyville are worried sick about you! Mayor Mare has been contacting us all day! Even WE didn't know that you hadn't left yet!"
Celestia sighed. Her guards were truly terrible, not even able keep track of her when she was in her own castle. That could be a good thing,though, if one of her guards were to be a spy...
"All right. I will go to Ponyville for the sole purpose of averting everypony's fears."
END OF BONUS CHAPTER
|
Author Tempus
|
1367
| 6 |
DJ P0N-3,Derpy Hooves,Doctor Whooves,Lyra,Main 6,Octavia,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Trixie,Alternate Universe,Adventure,Dark,Sad,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
A Sonic Rain-What?
|
When Rainbow Dash never performs her Sonic Rainboom, how is everypony else affected?
|
incomplete
| 8 | 6 |
<p>This one is a story that I've wanted to do ever since I saw the episode "Cutie Mark Chronicles." Than I saw that I wasn't the only one with the idea. But, I decided to do this one anyway.</p><p>Everyone knows that Rainbow Dash was the reason the mane six got their cutie marks. Or is it? When Rainbow decides against a race against Fluttershy's bullies, everything you thought you knew about Equestria is thrown out the window.</p><p>By the way, it would be really awesome if ponies started doing fanart of how they interpret these alternate ponies. If you've done any, send them to me at a.tempus [at] derpymail.org</p>
|
teen
|
2012-10-26T07:02:11+00:00
|
2012-10-26T07:02:11+00:00
| 858 |
Hello, everyone!
After forgetting my password on this site for a few years, I have finally made a return! The story shall continue updating, although there will not be a regular schedule!
Glad you were all so patient (or at least i assume) and I hope you don't hate me for adding this as a chapter and making it look like it was an update which was by no means intentional! ^^;
|
Earl Grey
|
1368
| 1 |
Pinkie Pie,Rarity,Spike,Twilight Sparkle,Zecora,Comedy,Romance,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Sex
|
Another Day in Ponyville
|
Twilight is bored and for once, she takes Spike's advice.
|
complete
| 46 | 14 |
<p>One Shot: Written on a whim to celebrate one year of Friendship is Magic! This fic, like the skeletons you're able to find in your average biology class, doesn't have a serious bone in its body. Instead of seriousness, it's filled with random and poor attempts at humour.</p><p>Twilight is Bored. She takes Spike's advice (for once) and goes out into Ponyville under the reasoning that an awful lot seems to happen in Ponyville, whether you want it to or not. Watch, or more accurately, read as Twilight Sparkle battles Misunderstandings! Prejudice! Makeovers! And her own Logic!</p>
|
mature
|
2011-10-10T21:43:50+00:00
|
2011-10-10T21:43:50+00:00
| 4,088 |
The life of a weather pony, other ponies just don't understand.
You have to realise that, just look up for a few seconds... okay, that's your roof, I know. Don't get snarky with me! Just imagine that you can see the sky.
That's just crude. I don't care whether you save your imagination for the more explicit fics, just imagine the damn sky!
Got it? Big blue thing in the sky, gets darker when the sun isn't there. Also, try not to look at the sun, I know a mailmare who did that once, you do not want to know what happened afterwards. Anyway, we're imagining the sky. It's pretty, right? Just think, I get to fly around up there all day and you don't. Pause to gloat...
The sky. It's not only beautiful, it's big. Like, makes Ponyville look like a singular apple in comparison to the entirety of Sweet Apple Acres. There's an image you can wrap your brain around, one apple. I'm sure you've seen that farmer chick holding an apple before, she's rather burly for a pony, even she is nothing compared to the rest of Sweet Apple Acres. It takes weeks to buck the entire place clean. THAT is the sky.
Now imagine... yes, more imagination, I'm not exactly taxing you though am I?
Imagine you're a fabulous pegasus pony like me. Just imagine yourself, but with wings and loads more awesome. Imagine a tiny speck of dust landing on an apple. YOU are that speck of dust and the impact you've just made on that apple was so minuscule that if the apple achieved sentience, it would chortle derisively at your feebleness.
Being chortled at derisively and by an apple no less, is a pretty demeaning experience. You keep working though, because you know that after a while, the apple will start to feel the effects of your continued effort. Soon enough, more specks of dust come along to help you and with teamwork and trust and friendship and all that good stuff, you manage to cover the entire apple with glorious clouds. That might have taken you a long time to do, but you've barely put a dent in the orchard, the orchard is what the apple was, chortling derisively at your attempt to cover it.
Have I given you a sense of scale yet? You aren't even a speck to the sky, you are virtually nothing. As nothing as nothing can get whilst still existing.
It's my job to make sure you ungrateful land-dwellers have decent enough weather to survive.
I have a hard job.
And I do that every day, rain or shine. Hay, my life is rain or shine.
I'm the true hero of the Equestrian ponies, regardless of what Derpy says.
I hope you enjoyed that, because the rest of this thing isn't even about weather ponies, I checked. I tried talking to the author but he kept telling me that going on about the weather at the start of a fic is a stupid cliché.
I even gave him that speech up there, about how I'm awesome, but he still wouldn't listen. Then he sat there for a few seconds and started asking how I'd broken the fourth wall. I told him I don't remember breaking the other three!
I don't think we should listen to him any more though, just between you and me, I think he's a little crazy. He's got this look, you know the one that-
Hey! Stop ending my sentences!
That's be-
* * *
Twilight had never been very good at sports.
Mainly because reading about sports doesn't translate very well into playing sports and that they most often don't allow the use of magic. Twilight had learnt that the hard way. She maintained that it wasn't cheating if the ball just happened to change course mid-air and dodge the goalkeeper's waiting hooves. Either way, they never let her back on the pitch.
“Spike?” The lavender unicorn called the name of her baby dragon companion, she had found herself daydreaming on her couch and was far too bored for her own good.
A scaly, purple head appeared from the kitchen door, “Yes Twilight?” The baby dragon looked hopeful, his morning had consisted of chores, chores and more chores, perhaps the unicorn had need of his unique skills. Anything to break the monotony.
“I find myself bored, Spike. Entertain me.” There was no inflection in her voice to suggest that the last remark had been a question.
“Okay, er... So a pegasus walks into a bar...”
“Please, no jokes.”
Spike rolled his eyes, “Fine, what do you want me to do then?”
Twilight sighed, she moved herself into a more comfortable position on the couch, lying her head on a plush pillow, “If I knew that, I wouldn't be bored would I? Perhaps you could dance or something.”
All credit to him, Spike began what could hardly be described as a dance but more an ungainly shuffle, shifting his weight from foot to foot and shaking his tail. It wasn't very good and the fact that there was no music only compounded that. Spike could see the boredom on his friend's face and stopped his dancing immediately, “Perhaps you should visit your friends, you always manage to find yourself in some random adventure when you do.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow, deep in thought. Spike was right of course, Ponyville may seem like a quiet little town, but it was the epicentre for a lot of weird and wonderful things, the majority of which involve her friends either almost falling out or almost dying. If the old saying “whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger” rings true, then she and her friends must be pretty tough by now.
Even Fluttershy seems to have come out of her shell recently, the usually timid pegasus pony was more prone to joining in conversation and even offering her own opinion. Her and Rainbow Dash don't seem to be the type of ponies to get along, Dash admits to becoming frustrated by the yellow pegasus every now and then, but Dash thinks of her like a little sister, someone she should protect and nurture.
Rarity and Applejack are another pair you don't expect to get along, but they make it work. Despite all of their differences, their similarities are what really define them as friends. Always up to their necks in work, both with fierce streaks of pride that can sometimes lead them astray, they at least know that they can find solace in friends when the going gets too tough.
Then there's Pinkie Pie. She's... well, Pinkie Pie. Greater minds than Twilight have tried and failed to decipher her inner workings. Underneath the randomness and the hyperactivity however, beats a heart of candied gold, she cares deeply for her friends and would go to any length to pry a smile from their lips.
“I might just do that Spike, thank you.” Twilight climbed off of the couch and stretched her legs for a little while, she hadn't realised how long she had been sitting there.
“You'd be surprised how often I'm right.” Spike said this, not with the intent to boast, but as if he was speaking from experience. “Anything you'd like me to do whilst you're out, Twilight?”
The unicorn thought for a moment, “Just try and keep the library tidy, that's all I suppose.”
Spike gave a quick salute, “Can do”.
Twilight had made it to the entrance of the library before turning back to the dragon, “If anyone comes by asking for me, just tell them I'll be back later.”
“When is later?” Spike asked, already half way up a ladder and sorting books.
“It's longer than soon, but quicker than a while. Anyway, goodbye.” Twilight left the library before the dragon could say anything about her cryptic reply. Not that she had to explain herself to the little dragon, he could be to curious for his own good at times, luckily he knew when not to cross Twilight Sparkle. She may not look like much with her lax smile, sharp eyes and straight-edge mane-cut, but beneath that skull of hers lies a brain willing and able to overcome any obstacle thrown at it.
The streets of Ponyville were oddly quiet for a Saturday afternoon, usually you could expect to see ponies going about their daily lives or just enjoying the good weather, but Twilight seemed oddly alone as she walked further and further into town. Twilight almost cried with joy when she saw someone, a very pink someone who was bouncing aimlessly around the fountain in the centre of town.
“Er... Pinkie?” The unicorn, for a brief moment, tried to imagine just what the earth pony could be doing, but decided quickly against it.
Pinkie stopped, mid-leap, hovering eerily in the air whilst she turned her head to face Twilight. Far to slowly to be considered natural, she fell to the ground on all fours, “Yes Twilight?”
“Do you know where everypony is? It's oddly quiet for a Saturday.”
Pinkie nodded, her expression conveyed deep understanding and a quiet regret, or perhaps it was just hunger, Twilight wasn't sure, “And my tail isn't even twitching! I don't know why those silly fillies are locked away inside, it's so nice out.”
Twilight swallowed what felt like her tongue, she knew she walking into unknown territory with this next question, “So what are you doing then, Pinkie?”
“Research!” The party pony answered quickly, shaking her tail with a flourish before continuing her bouncing.
“Are you quite sure you understand the concept of research? All you seem to be doing is bouncing.”
Pinkie Pie didn't stop, quite the opposite in fact, she sped up. “I'm waiting for the market to open.” The earth pony pointed at a bunch of bare wooden stalls nearby.
“You're going to research the market?”
“Yup!” One of Pinkie's bounces almost landed her in the fountain, but she managed to land on the fountain's edge instead, playing a precarious game of balance, “Mr and Mrs Cake asked me to do some market research, so I'm waiting for it to open. Maybe I could talk to Applejack, she's a super-duper apple seller!” Pinkie apparently forgot to try and balance when she realised this and simply tumbled sideways into the fountain. Her curly mane lay flattened across her face as she emerged from under several inches of water, but she laughed madly and shook herself until she was miraculously dry.
Twilight, who hadn't escaped the splash zone, fired off a quick spell which dried her coat almost instantly, “Thank you for your time Pinkie, I'll see you around.” The unicorn turned tail and trotted off in an almost entirely different direction.
Quietly, although it might just have been the distance put between them, Pinkie Pie could be heard saying “Goodbye Twilight” in her usual cheery voice.
It didn't take long after that for Twilight to discover why everyone was seemingly unwilling to come out, it didn't make her very happy, she had thought that everything had taken a turn for the better even since last month. Some prejudices are hard to dispel however.
The cloaked quadruped, which visibly lowered it's head in what looked like sadness, was a sight that Twilight had only once associated with evil.
“Zecora!” She shouted, trying to gain the zebra's attention.
The zebra in question turned to face one of her only supporters, the lavender unicorn who had always stood up for her after finding out the truth, “If it isn't my friend Twilight, but for the town of Ponyville, I've all but given up the fight.”
“What is it you need Zecora? I'll be more than happy to assist you. I'm surprised that the citizens of Ponyville are still afraid of you. No offence intended of course.” Twilight blushed slightly at her bluntness, it was a trait she was trying to rid herself of in the most part.
“Fact may be hard to deny, but opinion is where a ponies true loyalty will lie.” Despite her roundabout, cryptic way of speaking, Twilight didn't have much trouble deciphering her meaning. It may be a well known fact that Zecora prefers the solitude of the Everfree Forest and is a knowledgeable herbal practitioner, but it didn't change the fact that some ponies thought that she was still someone to fear.
“Simple Ponyville herbs will do, I need them for my latest brew.”
Twilight smiled for Zecora's sake, she didn't enjoy seeing other ponies living on the outside of society, metaphorically speaking of course. She knew first hand what it was like to be alone and friendless, she wouldn't wish that on anypony. “A trip to the flower shop it is then,” Twilight announced, motioning for Zecora to follow her.
The flower shop was a fairly large business that bloomed out of three smaller competing flower businesses. The proprietors of each, Rose, Lily and Daisy respectively, had been warring for customers for a long time. Advertising campaigns and feats of one-upmanship never before seen in the simple town of Ponyville. It all came to a head when Rose inadvertently planted a dangerous plant from the Everfree Forest in Lily's shop, when the mistake was discovered, all three worked tirelessly to rid Lily's shop of the tentacled menace before it overtook the town. From that day, they had become close friends and decided that their combined botanical knowledge could be used to help everypony instead of just themselves.
The newly dubbed 'Three Sisters Flower Emporium' had become one of Ponyville's most successful businesses to date. It was here that Twilight and Zecora were heading.
Twilight knocked on the door, feeling a massive surge of déjà vu as she did. There was a brief shuffling, hushed voices and a lot of shushing. The door slowly opened to reveal to cream coloured earth pony with a burgundy mane, it appeared that the door was on a latch because it refused to open more than a few inches. “What is it?” She asked hurriedly, taking quick glances back into the shop.
“Hello Rose,” Twilight said happily, ignoring the earth pony's odd behaviour, “I was wondering if me and my friend here could buy some herbs.” At this point, Zecora stepped out from behind Twilight and lowered her hood, revealing her striped mane and exotic features.
“Simple herbs are what I desire, accept my custom or invoke my ire.” Perhaps luckily for Zecora, it didn't look as though Rose was able to fully understand anything she had said other than 'I'd like some herbs'.
A few hurried and whispered conversations with her co-workers later, Rose opened the door and allowed them into the store. Daisy and Lily wore forced smiles and offered them false platitudes but Zecora was able to get the herbs she wanted, so Twilight was happy.
Just before she left the store, Zecora had already gone ahead of her, Twilight turned to the three other ponies, “You should be ashamed of yourselves.” She said simply, narrowing her eyes and glaring at them.
Zecora was waiting outside, busying herself with securing her saddlebags. When she saw Twilight, she gave the unicorn a low bow, “My unicorn friend, so noble and purple...” Zecora opened and closed her mouth a few times, but no sound came out, instead her eyes went wide and all of the colour drained from her face.
Before she knew what was going on, Twilight watched as Zecora tore away at full gallop.
“Well...” Twilight said, thinking about her day up to now, “I think Spike was right. Leaving the library was a good idea to relieve my boredom.”
==
“Twilight Sparkle, you simply must follow me back to my boutique.”
It hadn't taken much walking, nor any attempts at consciously choosing a direction. Twilight wanted to test out a theory, that being, she could walk in any random direction in this town and still have something to do before long. Lo and behold, Rarity was calling her attention.
The purple-maned unicorn had found her by that one store that sold quills and sofas. Twilight was in the market for neither quills nor sofas, she had just found herself walking that way.
“Why?” Twilight asked. It was a reasonable, if simple, question.
Rarity merely regarded her with that imperious stare of hers, the one that looks you up and down and deems you insufficient.
Twilight rolled her eyes, “You're going to give me some ridiculous reason about me needing fashion advice aren't you?” It was almost the only reason Twilight ever entered Carousel Boutique.
“I was just going to ask that you lend a sympathetic ear and perhaps a shoulder if I so need it.” Rarity sauntered towards Twilight and nudged her in the shoulder with the tip of her horn, “Please?”
“Why didn't you just say that?” Twilight replied, sighing, “It would have worked better than insisting I follow you home for no apparent reason.”
Rarity huffed, “This is serious, Twilight Sparkle.” She stomped a hoof for emphasis.
“Real serious or Rarity serious?”
“Twilight!” Rarity moaned, “Please?”
Twilight let out a content laugh, “Whatever you want Rarity, I wasn't doing anything anyway.”
Leaving the other unicorn to glower, Twilight lead the way to Carousel Boutique.
Rarity's boutique was so named because it resembles a carousel. There's no story there.
The two unicorns entered the store, the lavender one looking confused, the white one looking nervous. Twilight turned quickly to Rarity, but the fashionista stayed silent, instead she continued walking towards a door in the back of the room. Twilight knew that this room lead to the apartment over the shop, so whatever Rarity wanted to talk about, it must be private.
Twilight couldn't even see any “works-in-progress” around the main workroom, it seemed like Rarity hadn't been working on anything in a while.
“Twilight dear, don't dawdle.” Rarity's voice came floating from the stairwell, she seemed impatient, but also a little hesitant.
“Coming!” Twilight replied, taking one last look around the workshop which, while normal looking, seemed bizarre to Twilight.
Upstairs, Twilight found Rarity lay on her bed, the white unicorn had took the liberty of getting comfortable by changing into a fluffy pink dressing gown. “Are you okay, Rarity? You're starting to worry me a little.”
Rarity sighed melodramatically, “I'm fine...” She paused, “...it's just that, I'm lonely Twilight.”
This remark confused the lavender unicorn so she took a few steps closer to the bed, “But you have all of your friends, Sweetie Belle and Opalescence. How can you be lonely?”
Rarity took the time to perform another huge, theatrical sigh, “It's not that kind of loneliness.”
“Oh...” Twilight blushed despite herself, a lifetime of study had blessed the lavender unicorn with a wealth of knowledge on countless subjects, this however, was not one of those subjects. She hadn't even had the chance to discover things first hoof, there just wasn't enough time... or willing partners. “You're such a beautiful pony, Rarity, I find it hard to believe that you of all ponies could be lonely.”
She laughed mirthlessly, “It's partly my fault, my aspirations were too high, Twilight. I could only ever imagine myself with the prince, no other stallion could compare, I turned down every offer, keeping my body pure for that one day where he and I would consummate the marriage.”
Twilight blushed even harder if such a thing were possible, she didn't expect her friends to speak so candidly about such subjects.
“It would have been perfect,” Rarity continued, seemingly not wanting to stop now that she had opened the gates, “But then... the gala.” The white unicorn went limp on the bed, the mere memory of that night seemed to sedate her.
Twilight felt that she needed to do something to help, Rarity was one of her closest friends after all. The lavender unicorn jumped up onto the bed and put a reassuring hoof around her shoulder, “It's okay Rarity, the prince was just a massive tool and if he couldn't see how great a catch you are, then who needs him?”
This seemed to energise Rarity a little, the white unicorn sat up and stared, a little misty eyed, at Twilight, “Do you really mean that?”
It was hardly a question she could say no to, regardless of whether she meant it or not, “Of course Rarity. You're beautiful, interesting and talented, who wouldn't want to be with you?”
Rarity smiled, but her face fell just as fast, “But what if the next stallion I... develop an interest in rejects me as well? How do I know that not all stallions are the same? What if...?” Rarity gasped, as if her brain didn't even want to entertain the thought.
“What if what, Rarity?” Twilight asked, genuinely concerned.
Rarity was almost sobbing now, a fresh build up of tears threatened to escape down the white unicorns face, “What if... I'm ugly?” Just saying it seemed to break her walls down, the tears came streaming down her face and she collapsed onto Twilight's shoulder.
The lavender unicorn, whilst sympathetic to her friend's insecurity, couldn't help noticing that her shoulder was getting wet. “There there.” It wasn't much, but Rarity didn't seem in the condition to hear anything other than her own sobs at the moment.
When she had calmed down enough, Twilight pulled the other unicorn away from her, holding her by the shoulders and forcing Rarity to look at her, “You are not ugly and any pony who says you are is just jealous.”
Rarity was taken aback, here she was at her worst and Twilight Sparkle had nothing but praise to offer her. It was enough to make her genuinely smile. She dried a few tears with a hoof and lay down on the bed, “You know Twilight, I would never admit this publicly, but you were always my favourite model.”
Twilight laughed nervously, “I was never any good at it though.”
“It wasn't that, it's more the fact that you're so dreadfully unfashionable that I can't help but come up with fresh ideas whenever you require it.” Rarity smiled, blatantly ignoring the complement sandwich she had just fed her friend.
“Gee, thanks Rarity.”
“I didn't mean it as a bad thing deary.” Rarity waved a hoof, dispelling the uncomfortable air between them, “You're so caught up in research or royal duties that you don't always have the time to dress properly or style your mane.” Rarity's eyes lingered on Twilight's dark blue mane with it's pink and purple stripes.
Twilight ran a hoof across her mane defensively, “Hey, I brushed this morning.”
“Ah...” the white unicorn had a pained expression on her face, “That explains a lot. There is a multitude of other things you can do with your mane beyond brushing, perhaps if you didn't have any time it would be acceptable, but classy mares like ourselves must make time to look as fabulous as possible.”
At least Rarity had seemingly forgotten about her insecurities for the time being, perhaps this was what she needed right now, for Twilight to play dress up with her. “I'm sure I could learn at lot from you about proper style, Rarity.”
“Why don't I show you? It's been so long since I gave you a makeover.” Rarity jumped off of the bed and stared pleadingly at her friend.
Twilight grinned, she would see this through, for Rarity. “I'll set myself up downstairs shall I?”
Rarity smiled gleefully, immediately abandoning her dressing gown and heading for a mirror to clean up her tear-stained face, there was little to do for her bloodshot eyes, but hiding them partially behind her glasses would do for now. Rarity turned, now almost back to her usual self, to see Twilight wasn't there. The white unicorn opened her apartment door and went down onto the shop floor.
Twilight was already sitting in one of chairs Rarity used for manedressing. “Quite the eager beaver aren't we Miss Sparkle?” She said, sneaking up behind her lavender friend. Without waiting for an answer, Rarity began to run her hooves through Twilight's mane, “So soft, how do you do it Twilight?”
“Just lucky I guess.”
“I wish my mane was so naturally soft, I'd save a fortune in hair products. I'm jealous.” Rarity rotated the chair so Twilight was facing her, “I'll start by giving it a proper wash shall I?”
Twilight nodded, “You, jealous of me? I hardly think you should be.”
The chair tipped backwards slightly and Twilight's head fell into a basin of warm water that Rarity must have just prepared. “Doesn't that feel nice Twilight?” Rarity floated a couple of bottles of shampoo and conditioner over to the basin and put them down. She reached her hooves into the water and began making sure that every inch of Twilight's mane was nice and wet before continuing.
“First we use this luxurious shampoo I purchase from Aloe and Lotus at the spa, they make fantastic products like these.” Rarity lifted Twilight's head from the basin and deposited a dollop of shampoo on her head, she immediately began to massage it into her scalp. Relishing the feel of Twilight's mane in her hooves, Rarity took extra time lathering the shampoo so that every follicle was saturated. “Once we've used the shampoo, we wash it out.” Twilight felt her head fall into the warm water again, Rarity's hooves moving pleasantly across her scalp to wash it properly.
“Now that we've removed all traces of the shampoo from your mane, now we use the conditioner.”
“Conditioner?” Twilight asked, looking confused.
Rarity looked faint, “How does a mare grow up not knowing about conditioner? I feel so sorry for you and your mane, dear.” Rarity shook her head and mentioned something that sounded like 'Celestia had her priorities wrong' under her breath, “As I hope you are aware, the purpose of shampoo is to clean the hair of any build-up or contaminants. The purpose of conditioner is to ease in styling the mane and making it look good. I would have thought a pony with a mane as fabulous as the Princess would see fit to teach her students the necessity of proper mane care.”
Twilight rolled her eyes, “No, it was strictly a magic thing. Strangely, cosmetics never came up.”
“Regardless, I'll show you the magic of conditioner, the difference it makes is astronomical.”
Twilight laughed, “I hardly believe that's true.”
Rarity smiled, she could gloat now, but it was would be even sweeter if she savoured it. Silently, Rarity followed a similar pattern as she did with the shampoo, taking a large dollop of conditioner and working it into every follicle. She took immense pleasure in her work, Twilight was such a delight to work on, she was her muse, a being that forced creative thought out of her. Rarity smiled again, her heart warmed at the realisation.
When she dunked Twilight's head under the water and washed out her mane again, Rarity dried her hooves and floated over another soft towel catch any excess moisture on Twilight's mane. Rarity had began patting down the lavender unicorns shoulder when she was stopped, Twilight's horn flashed purple for a brief moment and she felt a rushing sensation as she dried herself off for the second time that day.
Rarity raised an eyebrow, “That's handy.”
Twilight laughed nervously, “I suppose it is, that was one of the Princess' personal favourites. Perhaps I could teach it to you as a thank you for this.”
“Oh, we're not done yet, we still have a lot to do.” Rarity's grin looked almost evil, the mischievous glint in her eyes told Twilight that she was in for a real treat. Twilight didn't know whether that scared or excited her.
For the next twenty minutes, Twilight was attacked by brushes, curlers, scissors and sprays of all varieties. When Rarity finally announced that she was finished, Twilight felt her chair spin around to face a large mirror. “I look exactly the same!”
Rarity merely laughed, “To the untrained eye perhaps, but look how shiny your mane is, feel how soft it is. Any pony with a hint of fashion sense will recognise your new style.”
“It's the same as my old style!” Twilight complained, reaching up a hoof to further prove her point. When hoof touched hair however, she stopped, eyes wide, “Ooh, that's soft. It feels really nice, is this what the conditioner does?”
Rarity nodded simply, her gloating smile barely contained.
“It really is magic. It feels like what I imagine the Princess' mane would feel like.”
“So do you like it Twilight?”
The lavender unicorn blushed, “Yes, I do. Thank you Rarity, you're a wonderfully generous pony.”
Rarity laughed casually, “Oh Twilight, you flatterer. I'm nothing special.” She turned away and settled herself on a chintz sofa used mainly for customers to wait on, she sighed, but forced a smile when she noticed Twilight looking at her.
“Nonsense Rarity,” Twilight got out of the chair and marched across the store, standing directly in front of her unicorn friend, “You're very talented, more so than any other pony I know. It takes real skill, precision and determination to do what you do and especially so in the ever changing world of fashion.”
Rarity looked a little tear-eyed again, but she laughed it off casually, “Oh deary me, it seems all of those sprays have agitated my eyes.” She paused to wipe a few errant tears away, “Would you mind showing me that drying spell again, I'd be extremely grateful.”
Twilight took a few seconds to answer, wondering if she should call Rarity out on her blatant subject change or not, but she eventually decided against it, “Sure, I'll be glad to.” Twilight's horn began to glow again, but Rarity interrupted her, stopping the flow of magic.
“Not here, Twilight.” She said in almost a whisper, looking around nervously, “We should do it in my bedroom so we have some privacy.” Rarity flashed her a playful smile as she began a slow walk towards the door that lead to her apartment. She opened the door and went to go upstairs, but turned to Twilight before she did, beckoning her over with a 'come hither' look.
Twilight didn't know what to think of this strange behaviour, but she had a job to do, so followed her friend upstairs. As before, she found Rarity on her bed, but this time she wasn't wrapped in her dressing gown opting instead for a silk shawl.
“Now we have some privacy, let's get to work on the spell theory.” Twilight sat on the edge of the bed, looking over at Rarity who smiled placidly, “One thing you have to keep in mind when casting this spell is a sense of dryness. I know it sounds obvious, but it's important, otherwise you just end up damp. The Princess always told me to picture the sun's warm rays beating down upon my body, it works for me, so why don't you try?”
Rarity was barely listening, she was too busy staring at Twilight. At how her eyes lit up when she mentioned Celestia, at how her mouth moved when she talked, at how she shifted her body awkwardly when she tried to get comfortable. It was something that had been playing in the back of her mind all day, ever since the lavender unicorn had come over. Rarity had never imagined rejection as an option when thinking about the prince, but when he did reject her, it broke something inside of her, not her heart but her expectations. Stallions were all the same in her eyes, stuck up idiots who wouldn't know beautiful if it held a fashion show in front of them.
Here Twilight was though, she admired Rarity's beauty, her talents, her knowledge and she was distinctly not a stallion. Rarity had never thought about of other mares in such a way before and indeed she doubted she ever would, but Twilight was different, it didn't matter that she was female, she was just perfect.
“Twilight dear, can you close your eyes for a few seconds.”
It was a strange answer to her question, but she decided not to push the issue, “Okay, my eyes are closed, what are you getting at?” A distinct pressure on her lips and a feeling of unnatural warmth filled her. She had a second of enjoyment and fulfilment before she realised that the only other pony in the room was Rarity and that said unicorn was currently kissing her, on her bed no less. Twilight opened her eyes and backed away, looking incredibly confused, “What just happened?”
Rarity didn't falter, instead she moved a little closer and giggled a little, “I knew you were a reclusive shut-in Twilight Sparkle, but I thought even you would recognise a kiss when you saw one.” She leaned in once again, stroking the side of Twilight's head.
“But you're Rarity... and I'm Twilight... and we're both-”
Rarity shushed her, “That doesn't matter, you like me and I like you, you mean a lot more to me than you possibly think. Why should gender get in the way when we are so compatible?” Rarity shuffled closer so their bodies were mere centimetres apart, she leaned over and began planting kisses along Twilight's neck and shoulder.
Twilight tried to move away but the small, tickling kisses made her stay, her body wanted to feel loved and her brain saw little reason to disagree. “What will the others say?” Twilight asked.
Rarity paused her ministrations to answer, “If they are truly our friends, they shouldn't bother where we find pleasure.”
“Is this all it is to you, pleasure?” Twilight, despite her misgivings, felt hurt at Rarity's insinuation.
“Oh,” Rarity laughed, genuinely amused, “This means a lot more to me, more than you can possibly imagine.”
Twilight felt her heart flutter at Rarity's words, for once in her life it was she being lusted after. Years of berating herself for being distracted by the strange feelings of attraction, years of wondering whether any pony out there felt similar feelings when they looked at her were washed away in an instant. Rarity, the beautiful mare that she was, wanted Twilight and her whole being was ready to latch on that affection without a seconds warning. There was only a small part of Twilight's mind that fought against her, logic. “I've never been attracted to another mare before.”
Rarity smiled, “Neither have I.” She could understand Twilight's hesitation and working her through it would benefit them both, “I realised that gender doesn't matter, if I think you're beautiful, why should I restrain myself? If I think you have a wonderful personality and a loving disposition, why should your gender repel me or keep me from having you? I don't like mares, I like Twilight Sparkle. If she so happens to be my perfect partner, I won't let that fact define me.”
“Well, in that case, I think I like Rarity.”
Rarity didn't reply with words, she pounced upon Twilight and began exploring the lavender unicorns mouth with her tongue again. They fell onto the bed, with Rarity on top of Twilight, the white unicorn in complete control. Rarity let up, taking a second to catch her breath, Twilight took this opportunity to say something that had been on her mind for a few minutes now, “I had never really thought about it up until now but you were my first kiss.”
“Was I good? Did I live up to your expectations?” Rarity gave her a look, one that was both intimidating and warming.
Twilight didn't have to make anything up, it truly was good, “You surpassed my expectations, even though I didn't know what to expect, it was great nonetheless.”
Rarity leaned in and gave her another quick kiss, “As long as I please you, I don't mind. Perhaps you'd like me to please you in other ways, we are already on a bed after all.”
Twilight blushed again, but this time it wasn't embarrassment, it was... dare she say it, excitement about what Rarity was talking about. “I-I've never even considered...”
“You're forgetting one thing, Twilight dear. Unicorns have distinct advantages when it comes to bedroom games.” Rarity stroked her horn across Twilight's neck, both feeling the vibrant tingling shuddering through them.
“Magic?” Twilight seemed incredulous, “Celestia never mentioned this in our lessons.”
“I doubt she would, this is advanced friendship. Don't tell her we skipped a few classes though.” Rarity winked and stared at the helpless form of Twilight below her, “I haven't done this before, but I have read about it in some less-than-tasteful unicorn fiction. The spell is something akin to levitation, but instead of using your magic to move something, you're using it to caress and to massage.”
Twilight's horn began to glow and Rarity could feel a force winding down her body, like a thousand hands stroking her, she moaned in pleasure, “Like this?” Twilight asked, grinning at the reaction she had gotten.
“Yes, exactly like that.” Rarity paused for a moment, letting the feeling wash over her again, “We don't even need to make contact, our... innocence could be preserved whilst still enjoying each other. Although I may find it difficult to keep my hooves off of you once we start.”
Twilight smiled and began to cast the spell again, it was so simple that she barely even needed to think about it. The pure fact that she wanted to caress Rarity to make her feel good was enough, but when she focused, she could localise the pressure, giving a light brush to her withers or sending a wave of pressure to her haunches.
Rarity gasped openly at this, “Oh, you naughty mare. Well two can play at that game.” Rarity dived in, her horn glowing.
Twilight felt Rarity's powerful kiss, but also the added pressure of being stroked by her magic. At first it was a general pressure like a hug, but after a while, it began to localise, moving down her body, past her stomach and resting between her back legs. Twilight fought to contain the scream that was building in her throat, a sight that only made Rarity laugh.
“Did you like that? I could do it again if you want.” Rarity didn't wait for an answer, she continued anyway and at this Twilight lost the ability to keep herself quiet, “Sing for me Twilight, show me how high you can go.” The white unicorn kept up her magic, but the strain it was causing her showed, she was beginning to slow down and her breathing became heavy.
The lavender unicorn didn't notice this however, she was too far gone and all she could feel was the electric pleasure coursing through her entire body. The intensity kept building and building until it reached a point where she couldn't hold on any longer, relief and pleasure flooded out of Twilight as she let out one last scream and a contented sigh. She felt Rarity collapse on top of her, their breathing matching perfectly so when Twilight would breathe in, Rarity would breathe out.
“Did I... please you?” Rarity asked between breaths.
Twilight didn't answer immediately, her ability to string words together had been temporarily lost with the fluid that escaped her, “Yes...” she managed to say, “Twilight is pleased.”
Rarity smiled, “I'm glad. Perhaps you really should show me that drying spell after all, my efforts seem to have made you make a mess all over me.”
“Oh, I wouldn't worry about that just yet,” Twilight seemed to have recovered, rolling Rarity off of her and onto her back. The lavender unicorn took her place on top, grinning as she saw that Rarity had no energy to stop her, “I have to return the favour and with magic being my special talent, I've got all day to do it.”
It was Rarity's turn to wonder whether she should be scared or excited by the mare above her. It was a fear that faded when Twilight got to work, it was clumsy at first, but when she reached her stride, she worked like a machine.
Rarity lost count of how many times she was repaid that night.
==
The next day, Twilight walked into the library looking fresh as a daisy.
That was one of the advantages of waking up sweaty and content with Rarity, she knew the perfect way to freshen up in the morning.
Spike was stood in the centre of the room, arms crossed and foot tapping, “And just where were you all night? You could have been dead for all I knew!”
Twilight tried to look ashamed, but her face couldn't switch from 'ecstatic' “I'm sorry Spike, I'll try to warn you next time. As for where I was? You wouldn't believe me if I told you.” Twilight laughed and began inspecting the library for anything wrong, “Did much happen whilst I was gone?”
“No. I don't even know why this town needs a library, no ponies other than you seem to use it!”
Twilight chuckled, “At least it's tidy, you've done a good job. I was talking to Rarity yesterday and she mentioned that she might need a book, so she might come around later.” the lavender unicorn looked over to her dragon assistant, he of course was looking both hopeful and nervous at the fashionista coming to the library.
“She's coming here? Today!”
“Yes, but unfortunately, I have jobs for you to do that will keep you out of the library all day, so you won't get to see her.” Twilight smiled, this game of deception was proving to be quite fun.
Spike looked like someone had just stolen his last gemstone, “Aw, rats. So what are these jobs?”
“The Princess asked for your presence in Canterlot, I don't know what she wants beyond that.” Twilight tried her best not to burst out laughing, “You should hurry up, you don't want to keep her waiting.”
The little dragon looked slightly confused for a second, but jumped up and ran from the library.
It was a fairly cruel prank, Twilight knew, but she'd do anything for a repeat performance of last night.
She had told Rarity that there might be something in her library to help 'enhance' their next encounter. The pair weren't very experienced but they had a long time to learn.
Twilight loved learning.
***
Speaking of learning, this was definitely a learning experience for me. My first time trying to write... well, I think you know to what I refer. I'm not sure how it turned out, but it was certainly an interesting experience.
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Arbarano
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1370
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Cutie Mark Crusaders,Original Character,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
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Grand Prix
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A prestigious sporting event comes to Ponyville, capturing the interest of one filly in particular.
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incomplete
| -1 | -1 |
<p>Years of watching the best of the best. Years of honing her skills. Years of hoping that she would have just one chance...and now, it was her time to shine...</p>
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everyone
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2012-07-30T08:29:05+00:00
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2012-07-30T08:29:05+00:00
| 1,086 |
“I guess we aren’t Cutie Mark Crusaders Acrobats, are we?”
Apple Bloom was sure that Sweetie Belle sounded muffled, though she couldn’t quite tell over the ringing in her ears. As it cleared, she cracked her eyes open. Her two friends lay stacked on top of each other, Sweetie Belle with her face being pushed against the ground, Scootaloo with her legs up in the air and her eyes glazing over.
Suddenly, Scootaloo blinked and she leaped to her hooves. She lent one of them to Sweetie Belle and pulled her up, nodding through her frown.
Apple Bloom had to stop herself from laughing. This might have been the first time all day that those two actually agreed on something.
“Ya never know!” She sprang to her hooves so she could look back at her flank, where she just knew something was going to be. Maybe it would be a trapeze, or a set of double bars, or maybe even a couple of ponies flying through the air with their hooves in each others’. She didn’t know what it would be, but she could feel it!
Her smile slipped away when she saw the bare yellow staring back at her, mocking her with its blankness. A glance at her friends told her all she needed to know, and she slumped back into the dirt face-first.
It wasn’t fair. They’d spent so many days throwing themselves into their cutie mark crusades by now that she couldn’t stop herself from sighing. Just this morning they’d already been Cutie Mark Crusaders Florists, Cutie Mark Crusaders Bean Counters, and now this! And none of them had seen hide nor hair of anything on their flanks yet! Sure, they hadn’t exactly thought about how they were going to grip the branches for their acrobatics cutie marks, but they’d still managed to stay in the tree for a couple of seconds. That had to count for something!
It just wasn’t fair.
“I still say we should try something that doesn’t involve falling if we get it wrong,” Sweetie Belle said, looking back up at the tree. “Like bird watching.”
Despite herself, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but feel her mouth being tugged back into a smile. Of course there were still plenty of things to try. And if she ever forgot that, her friends would never leave her feeling like that for long, even if Scootaloo’s ideas usually meant jumping off of something so high it made her feel dizzy.
She smiled again. That weight that had pulled her down just fell away like apples from a tree being bucked by her sister. She stood up as her own idea popped into her head. Maybe we could be Cutie Mark Crusaders Skybattle Champions!
But the idea never made it out, as her eyes were caught by a poster on one of the houses nearby. At least she thought it was a poster, but, looking at it again, there were no flashy colours or whiz-bang shapes like on the Wonderbolts ones that Scootaloo would show them. It was a light brown and mostly covered in writing, and a little loopy signature sat in the corner underneath a blue scroll that looked real official. Her ears perked, and she couldn’t stop her hooves from trotting over for a better look.
Scootaloo stared blankly at Sweetie Belle, before her lips twisted into a smirk. “Nah.” Shaking her head, she made her way over to her trusty scooter. “I say we head back to the clubhouse and think up something there!” She paused for a moment, putting her purple helmet with its white racing stripes on. “There’s gotta be something we haven’t tried yet,” she finished, one hoof punting the air and the other on her handlebars.
“Sure,” said Sweetie Belle, hopping into the wagon that they always fixed to the scooter during their crusades. “We could all do with a rest, anyway.” She smiled with her eyes softly closed.
For a moment, Scootaloo looked at Sweetie Belle as if she had been speaking fluent Prench. “Yeah… and that…” Her brows fused as she scanned the street for their other friend. It didn’t take long to find her, staring intently at a boring old notice on a nearby house.
“Coming, Apple Bloom?”
“In a sec’!” Apple Bloom hollered over her shoulder, barely taking her eyes off the poster. Now that she was this close, she could just about see the faintest little suggestion of a scooter next to The Mayor’s seal.
Attention Ponyvillians
A meeting has been scheduled to be held in the town square this Saturday at 2p.m., to discuss any issues surrounding the upcoming S1 Grand Prix event due to happen—
“APPLE BLOOM!”
“Coming!” Grinning as widely as she could, she galloped back to her scowling friend, who buzzed away the second she got her hooves into the wagon. Sweetie Belle quickly gave her a helmet. Once it was as tight as she could get it, she leaned back with her hooves behind her head, letting her eyes close. No matter how hard she tried, though, she couldn’t wrestle her thoughts away from that poster and back towards their next crusade.
It’s just another town meetin‘, nothin’ special, Apple Bloom told herself. Big Macintosh went to them every other Tuesday evening. He never did tell her what went on there, but she never once saw him cracking a smile or even having the faintest glimmer of interest in his eyes when he came back.
But this one was happening today, and today was Saturday. And what was that “S1 Grand Prix”-thingy that it talked about?
“Guys, do you know what an…” She had to think before she spoke again. “‘Ess One Grand Pricks’ is?” Sweetie Belle only shrugged, a sorry little smile on her lips, but what sounded like old shoes on a tiled floor made it shatter. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle grabbed hold of each other as they hit what felt like an invisible wall.
When her breath came back, Apple Bloom wondered if Twilight had been looking up new spells again, like that one which turned the lake into chocolate milk for three hours before anypony’d noticed. But those thoughts slipped out of her grasp as Scootaloo turned around, grinning so wide it looked like all her dreams had just come true.
It almost looked like… But there wasn’t a flash! Applejack had told them all that there was a flash when she had gotten hers.
“Did you mean the S1 Grand Prix?” Apple Bloom felt her eyes nearly pop out. Scootaloo’s fizzy voice made her sound like Pinkie Pie.
“Uh… Yeah, I think so…” Apple Bloom wasn’t quite sure where the “d” or “x” had gotten to in those words, but those questions were quickly drowned out by new ones. There was something about Scootaloo’s smile that made her belly itch with curiosity. “The poster back there said there’s a meetin’ this afternoon about it. What is it?”
Scootaloo’s wings gave a quick burst. Her smile spread even wider, lighting up her whole face like a sunrise. “It’s only the fastest, greatest, coolest sport for pegasi outside of flying!” Her eyes grew big and shiny, and her cheeks started to cover them up. Apple Bloom had only seen her look like this once before, back when Ms Cheerilee had let her bring Rainbow Dash in to talk for their class’ Heroes Day. “I always wanted to see a race live…”
“Why? What’s it about?” Sweetie Belle asked. Apple Bloom leaned in with her.
Scootaloo’s grin vanished in a heartbeat. It its place grew a stare so wide that Apple Bloom wondered if a certain something had just appeared on her hip. “You mean… you don’t know?”
Apple Bloom came so close to rolling her eyes, but memories of a pink filly whose name she didn’t want to remember stopped her. There was no way she was going to do that to her friends. Besides, if this “Grahn Prie” thingy was enough to get Scootaloo this worked up, then surely there had to be something to it. She joined Sweetie Belle in leaning even closer, with the same big eyes that came out when Granny Smith had promised a pie for desert.
Scootaloo’s smirk was back as if it had never left. “Come on.” She turned back to hunch over her handlebars. “I’ll show you.”
-------
One hair-raising ride through Ponyville and a coming within inches of upsetting somepony’s apple cart later, the three of them stopped outside Scootaloo’s house. It looked the same as every other building in town, with pale walls and a thick, thatched roof, but Apple Bloom couldn’t quite shake the feeling that it looked a little… small. Still, that was probably just her being used to living in the Apple Family’s big, old farmhouse.
She didn’t have much time to dwell on this, as they galloped inside.
“Hi, Mom,” said Scootaloo through the kitchen doorway. She didn’t bother to stop.
“HI SUGAR PLUM!” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle chorused as they followed Scootaloo up the stairs. Their hooves thundered louder than a whole stampede, covering the older pony’s soft reply before they bounded into Scootaloo’s room.
No matter how many times she stayed over at Scootaloo’s, it still took a moment for Apple Bloom’s eyes to adjust. The walls around her burned a brighter orange than any fire. She and Sweetie Belle had actually lost track of Scootaloo in here a couple of times after trying their hooves at being Cutie Mark Crusaders Barbers. The only break from all the orange was a little, mouth-drawn picture of Rainbow Dash surrounded by an enormous ring of all the colours of her namesake, which sat proudly above the headboard.
“So… what’re ya showin’ us?” asked Apple Bloom, her eyes darting around the room. She stopped for a moment on a picture of two fillies, riding scooters in front of a blurry background.
“Oh… it’s over on the bookshelf,” replied Scootaloo, trotting over to her wooden chest of drawers. Apple Bloom shared a look with Sweetie Belle; her “bookshelf” totalled a full three books, including the scrapbook of their Crusades, which looked a little bit bigger than the last time she saw it. Scootaloo’s nose hovered over the light-blue in the centre for just a moment, before pulling out the largest of the three.
“Here it is!”
Scootaloo held in her teeth a large book with thick binding. It was mostly black, but there was white sprouting along every little edge like moss. Those two colours were also on the front cover, but in an actual chequered pattern that framed a hazy photograph of a yellow filly with a wild mane of yet more orange. She stood on a scooter, leaning against the handlebars and smirking as if she’d just gotten her cutie mark for some kind of amazing trick.
Apple Bloom blinked. She was sure she knew that pony from somewhere, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t pull out her name from wherever it was hiding. Lemon Zest? Citrus Burst?
She abandoned her search as Scootaloo pushed the now-open book in front of her and Sweetie Belle, filling their sights with more pictures. Some were little and some were big. Some were in-colour and some were in all different shades of grey. Some were of streets filled with ponies and could rival Ponyville’s market-day for hustle and bustle, and others were of little paths between wide, open fields. And in the middle of all of them, pegasi stood on scooters, their tails whipping around behind them, wings nothing but flashes of colour by their sides.
“Uh… Scootaloo?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“Yeah?”
“What is all this?” She gestured a hoof at the pictures.
Scootaloo sighed, and her whole face darkened for a moment before she climbed up onto her bed. Apple Bloom looked at Sweetie Belle, who stared back with wide eyes and an equally-gaping mouth. A soft padding noise came from the bed, and their eyes snapped to it. Scootaloo faced them, not quite frowning as deeply as before, tapping the blanket in front of her.
They didn’t have to be told twice.
“The S1 Grand Prix is a series of races held every year,” Scootaloo explained, as Sweetie Belle finally settled on a cushion. Scootaloo’s grin broke free of the leash of annoyance, running rampant across her muzzle. “The fastest colts and fillies from all over Equestria are pitted against each other on tracks made just for them. All they have to do is ride their scooters as fast as possible for a set number of laps, and the pony who covers the distance first is the winner.”
“Sounds… fun!” squeaked Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom matched her smile. She wanted to tell Scootaloo that she’d seen Applejack at her rodeos too many times to not know what a race was, but she couldn’t find it in her. Maybe it was because Scootaloo was grinning so wide she was sure it made the whole room glow.
“That’s not all of it, though. The top fifteen finishers from each race get a certain number of championship points. The better they finish, the more points they get, and after all of the year’s races are over, whoever has the most points is crowned Equestrian Champion!” Scootaloo’s eyes went glossy again, and Apple Bloom couldn’t help but smile herself.
“Wow! That must almost be as excitin’ as getting yer cutie mark!” Scootaloo’s face blurred she nodded so fast. “So, what happens if they become Champion?”
“Uh… they get a trophy. And Princess Celestia personally congratulates them.”
“Huh?” Apple Bloom’s eyes widened, and her smile did the complete opposite. “That don’t sound like much.” If she remembered right, even the rodeos in Ponyville would give out bits to ponies who took home the blue ribbons. Which usually meant Applejack, of course.
“Yeah. I thought you were gonna say they’d get a special cutie mark, or something like that,” added Sweetie Belle, and they both cocked her heads at Scootaloo.
“Well, they do go down in history as a Champion.” Scootaloo’s massive smile never even wavered. “They’re all there in this book,” she said, pointing at it. Apple Bloom followed her hoof for a moment, before turning back to Scootaloo. She lifted an eyebrow.
“What else’s in there?”
“Everything!” Scootaloo exclaimed. “All the best riders, the best teams, the best tracks, and all the best races!” She jumped so quickly it was like she’d been shot out of that cannon again, almost sending Sweetie Belle toppling out of sight. “The races are the best thing about the Grand Prix, because they’re always full of action. There’s spins and crashes and overtakes and duels on the track like you wouldn’t believe! Here!”
“Crashes? Duels? Does anypony ever get hurt in these races?” asked Sweetie Belle as she sat back on her cushion, eyes wide as barn doors.
“Nah,” replied Scootaloo, glancing up from the pages as she flicked through them. She spotted Sweetie Belle’s sceptical look. “Not much, anyway. Cuts and bruises at most.” For a few seconds, all Apple Bloom could see was her fuchsia mane bobbing about as she made her way through the book, muttering under her breath.
“There!” she cried, slamming a hoof down. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle darted to her sides. “This is a good one. The old ones always are.” Scootaloo took her foreleg away to rest her head on it.
Apple Bloom saw just what she meant by “old” when she caught sight of the picture at the top of the page. It was another one that was all in grey. A wide, light track took up most of it, ploughing straight through the fields for miles into the background. A few trees clustered around the edge on the other side, with a couple of ponies seeking shade underneath their branches even though the sun shied away behind some clouds. On the track, three stallions stood on scooters that looked a lot bulkier than the one her friend rode. Their heads were wrapped up in thick fabric where she and her friends would have their helmets, and their eyes were shielded behind goggles. The two at the back wore vests with the same winged cloud on the side, and both of them had stocky builds that reminded her of her brother. They both hunched over their handlebars, teeth gritted and nostrils flared so wide she might have gotten a hoof stuck in one. But the stallion at the front stood almost upright on his hind legs, like that green unicorn who played her harp in the park. She couldn’t help thinking of her brother again, what with how completely calm he looked, but the lines around his eyes and the size of his belly ended the similarities there.
“That’s Cool Breeze.”
“Huh?”
“The one at the front’s Cool Breeze.” Scootaloo jabbed a hoof at the stallion. “He wiped the floor with everypony else in the early years, and was Champion for six years in a row.”
“Six years?” Sweetie Belle’s voice cracked at the news, and Scootaloo nodded.
Apple Bloom’s eyes went big and round again, her thoughts on a row of ribbons on the barn wall. Hay, six years being the champion of anything was impressive, even if it didn’t quite match up to ten. Applejack was the ten-time rodeo champion in Ponyville, and since she’d been able to walk far enough Apple Bloom had always watched her sister in action. She knew just how much effort Applejack poured into her work and her training, just how many pints she’d sweated and how much she’d strained her muscles until whatever the rodeo threw at her couldn’t even get her out of breath. But this Cool Breeze stallion looked so… old. He looked even older than Sweetie Belle’s dad, and, even though he was a great guy and it made her insides crawl just a little bit to even think it, there was a reason he coached hoof-ball now instead of playing it.
But before she could let herself get carried away, a niggling little question brought her back down to earth.
“Hold on.” Scootaloo’s grin fell just a tad, and Apple Bloom saw her ears go a little bit slack. “If he was so amazin’ and won everythin’ like you said he did, how was the racin’ any good? Surely he’d be way out ‘n front of all the others?”
Sweetie Belle’s eyes went wide, and the pair of them looked at Scootaloo with raised eyebrows and cheeky smiles. Apple Bloom felt a chill of regret as she saw Scootaloo’s ears fall even further, but her friend’s smirk chased it away.
“Well, how about you read the story of the race and find out?” she suggested, pointing at the book again. Unable to help the curiosity still fluttering through her tummy, Apple Bloom followed her hoof along with Sweetie Belle. For a while, a silence descended around them like a thick blanket as they fell into the story.
960 ME Cloudsdale Grand Prix
This was the race where the forty-seven year old Cool Breeze could secure his sixth Equestrian Championship with two races left in the year. By doing so in such a majestic manner, he also cemented his place in the minds of many as the greatest ever.
Team Prancer, spearheaded by one Lightning Bolt, once again proved that it could knock the ex-mail-pony off his perch in qualifying, setting a time 0.7 seconds quicker than Cool Breeze could manage for CRS. However, the difference was much smaller than in previous races, and he was able to split the Prancers to take second on the grid.
The Cloudsdale circuit, with its long straights linked by gentle, flowing bends, was usually blazing hot by the time of its Grand Prix. This year, though, the weatherponies had left a light smattering of clouds over the circuit, ostensibly to bring about some variation. However, the cooler conditions also gave advantage to Team Prancer. With age taking its toll on him, Cool Breeze had made the most of his calm and cunning to accumulate his points cushion when others faltered, but the onus was now on him to add a dash of pace back into the mix.
Lightning Bolt led away from the start, trailed by the slightest of margins by team-mate Olive Green and Cool Breeze. This trio quickly pulled away from the main pack, with the Prancers trying furiously to break away from the chasing CRS. However, with their home city floating high above, both Lightning Bolt and Olive Green were equally desperate to take the win, and their duel prevented Cool Breeze from losing sight of them. On lap twelve of thirty, Lightning Bolt ran wide at the final corner, allowing the CRS to slip by into second.
Three laps later, it was the second Prancer’s turn to make a costly error, with Cool Breeze now emerging at the head of the queue. Having saved his energy in the early stages, the time had now come.
His next ten laps were among the finest anypony has ever ridden. As shown above, the Prancers would close the CRS down on the straights, only for Cool Breeze to staidly cling to the inside line through each corner, steadily upping the pace with each breathtaking tour. Backmarkers were passed on all sides, and the Prancers tried increasingly audacious moves while this occurred, but nothing could get Cool Breeze to relinquish his lead.
With three laps to go, the three were all lapping six seconds quicker than their qualifying pace, but it was too much for Olive Green to bear. He pulled into the pitlane, having slowed right down on the track after pulling a wing muscle. It wasn’t long before Lightning Bolt slowed to avoid a similar ailment, which allowed Cool Breeze to sublimely glide to his final victory. Having literally broken the opposition, riding at a speed he later admitted he would never dare to repeat, few would argue that he didn’t deserve it.
“Scootaloo?”
The voice pulled all three of them back out of that grey world and back into the bright bedroom. They turned to face it and Scootaloo smiled.
“Yeah, Mom?” she asked.
“I just thought you’d like to know that lunch is ready, sweetie,” replied Sugar Plum, giving them all a smile as warm and sweet as fresh apple pie.
“Okay, I’ll be down in a minute,” said Scootaloo, grinning. Her mother nodded and trotted back out the door.
“You guys staying over?”
“Actually, Scootaloo…” Sweetie Belle mumbled, staring at a clock by the bed. “I better get going. I told Rarity I’d be home by noon.”
“Same here,” Apple Bloom added as a pang of hunger crept up on her. Thinking of the apple fritters waiting on the kitchen table for her did nothing at all to help. “Sorry, Scoot. I did like lookin’ at that book an’ all, but I did promise Applejack…”
“Ah, don’t worry about it.” Scootaloo shook her head before bouncing off the bed. “More cake for me!” Before the she could disappear out the door, though, Apple Bloom spoke up again.
“Say, Scootaloo…” she began, eyes fixed on the book.
-------
It wasn’t long after the first scooter had been built and sold that the lucky colts and fillies who had been given them decided that the best thing they could do with their new toys was find out how fast they could make them go. Equally quick was the discovery that pegasi were able to do this to the greatest effect, and soon after there were races being held between them.
Apple Bloom paused for a moment to take another chomp of her sweet pastry. She was still surprised at just how easily Scootaloo had let her borrow this book. Then again, looking at all the creases and dog-ears that ran through the pages, Scootaloo might already have the whole thing memorised by now. It might well be the only bit of writing she’d ever managed to remember by heart.
After she had run back with the book, another groan from her belly told her exactly where to go. Applejack had been in the kitchen as well, but all she gave Apple Bloom was a blank stare after catching sight of that book. That giddy itching had been just a little too strong for her to ask why her sister had done that, and she trotted away before Applejack could find her voice again.
She shifted a little into the old, puffy sofa that had been in the living room since forever, and buried her muzzle back into the book.
The early Grands Prix were lax, informal affairs. There was little in the way of safety equipment, with canvas helmets being the full extent of most pegasus’ precautions, and the only prize on offer was glory. There was also no distinction for different ages of the competitors; with the creation of larger, sturdier scooters, stallions and mares alike were soon joining in the fun.
With the elder pegasi much quicker on the straights, but the lighter foals being much nimbler and faster through the corners, the racing was intense. However, there was still no real structure to it all. The format, length and field size fluctuated wildly between the races, with up to forty below Cloudsdale but as few as sixteen in Manete Cavallo. Many days saw more than one race, and so the possibility of depleted fields was realised all too often. That changed, however, in 952.
This was the year that Silver Lining, who moonlighted as a Wonderbolts reserve between his business ventures, realised the potential of scooter racing. Not only was it a fine sport in and of itself, but it also trained wing muscles that could later be used in either aerobatics teams or in the airborne Pegasus Racing League. With the agreement of the competing teams, he created the Equestrian Scooter Racing Association, the governing body of the sport that persists to this day.
The first Equestrian S1 Grand Prix Championship took place in 953, with the inaugural event being held at Trottingham with Princess Celestia herself in attendance. Thirty qualifiers, the new limit imposed by the ESRA, took part in a gruelling, three-hour blast around the ex-Wonderbolt training ground on the outskirts of the city. The victor was a rather tubby local mail-pony, by the name of Cool Breeze.
For the next twenty years, the formula of the races went largely unchanged. Great names were made, and many titanic battles were fought on the great circuits of the era. However, during the 970s, it was becoming increasingly apparent that the all-ages style of the racing was not suitable for the sport as the level of competition continued to climb. The growing audience of the time bore witness to some frightening near-misses, as slower colts and fillies were lapped by the leaders, and whispers abounded of imminent rule changes. Then, on a tragic day in 978, one unlucky filly came within inches of losing her sight after a high-speed collision. She recovered, to an extent that nopony could have predicted, but the whisperings had become a roar.
With Princess Celestia also adding her voice to the masses’, the change was swift. The ESRA imposed an age limit for S1 Grand Prix races, to begin effect in 979. From that year on, a pony had to be sixteen years old or younger before the final race of that season in order to compete in S1 that year. The opposite was true of the new P1 category, which had been designated for stallions and mares.
In the years since, there have been many other changes to the race procedures. Medical facilities have been upgraded, from one nurse-pony in a tent to a temporary hospital at each Championship round. Newer, stronger helmets have been introduced, along with protective pads on knees and ankles. The cloud-balls on the edge of the track have been extended to full barriers around the circuits, strong enough to absorb a pegasus out of control at speed, yet soft enough to shield them from injury. Great circuits have been lost, and new ones grown in their place.
But some things have stayed the same. During the races, it’s just the pegasi, their scooters, and their natural ability, fighting it out to be the very best.
Apple Bloom continued to work her way through it, eyes stuck to the page with a diligence that would have made Twilight Sparkle proud. After that introduction, it moved on to a section about the greatest circuits of the sport. She raised her eyebrow at that. How could where those scooter-ponies raced be as important as the ponies themselves? It couldn’t make that much of an impact, could it?
Apparently, it could, as she found herself whisked away to cities and towns scattered all around Equestria. Some of them she hadn’t even heard of before!
The challenging sweeps and curves of Bridlington, where scooters would judder and slide across the track and pegasi had to fight to keep their eyes open. The flat-out blast through the vineyards of Reins, where all they could see was a blur of green an grey and just thinking about it made her pass on getting a second fritter. The ultimate test of the Maneco race, where pegasi would thread themselves around the harbour with the walls and cloud-barriers never more than inches away.
Dotted in and around the descriptions of the tracks were little stories about some of the races that had happened there. Mossy Meadows’ win at the P1 Ring near Fillydelphia was one of them. Apple Bloom couldn’t help but giggle as she imagined the pegasus crossing the line, smiling wider than a mile, only for him to fall off his scooter as he raised his hooves to celebrate! Before anypony could get to him and make sure he was all right, he picked himself up again, still grinning from ear-to-ear. He even went around for the full victory lap! She only stopped herself waking Granny by filling her mouth with pastry.
Wow! This Grand Prix stuff’s huge! It’s a wonder I’ve never heard of it before…
She tried to stop it. She tried to think about that doofus falling over after his win. She tried to think about that mare trying to race on a belly of sarsaparilla. She tried to think about the colt who crashed because he used a shadow to tell him where to slow down.
But she couldn’t stop her sweet smile from souring. She couldn’t stop that fluttery feeling from earlier fading away, and leaving a big, empty nothing for that thought to echo in.
It’s a wonder I’ve never heard of it before…
It had been months now since the cuteceñeara where she’d found her friends. Since then, not a day had gone by without them launching into another crusade for their cutie marks. Whole sunny days had been filled with running around trying to find their special talents, and they’d spent many nights putting their heads together, thinking up ideas for where they could be hiding.
But this book… This racing… It all seemed like a huge part of Scootaloo’s life. Like how that shelf in her room was creaking under all of her Filly Fighter books, or how Applejack had her collection of Twangin’ Banjo records, or how Big Macintosh had those fillies’ dolls that he kept hidden under his bed and she wasn’t even supposed to know about.
And she’d only heard of Scootaloo’s passion now.
Maybe Applejack’s right… she thought, not able to hold back a sigh. Something hot bubbled behind her eyes. Maybe we should slow down a little ‘bout gettin’ our cutie marks… It’s like I don’t even know my friends outside a’that…
She raised a hoof, ready to shut the book on a page she was sure had the title “Champions”, but it blurred too much for her to be sure.
That all cleared, though, as her ears perked. Coming from somewhere outside was a buzzing noise. A very familiar buzzing noise, and one that only got louder the longer she listened to it. As she slid off the settee, everything went quiet again, before her ears filled with the drumming of galloping hooves.
|
Arbarano
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1370
| 2 |
Cutie Mark Crusaders,Original Character,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
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Grand Prix
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A prestigious sporting event comes to Ponyville, capturing the interest of one filly in particular.
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incomplete
| -1 | -1 |
<p>Years of watching the best of the best. Years of honing her skills. Years of hoping that she would have just one chance...and now, it was her time to shine...</p>
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everyone
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2012-07-30T08:33:57+00:00
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2012-07-30T08:33:57+00:00
| 686 |
Apple Bloom almost leaped back up onto the sofa as the door slammed open, and two fillies galloped into the room.
“HEY APPLE BLOOM!” Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle chorused, stopping with a little sway like an apple tree just after her sister’s hooves had given it a good seeing to. Both beamed at her, and Scootaloo bounced from hoof to hoof.
“Hey girls,” Apple Bloom replied, glancing over at the old rocking chair in the corner. Granny Smith opened one cloudy eye. She lifted a wrinkly foreleg towards them all, shaking like she was trying to lift a whole barrel of apples on her own, before it fell back to her blanket and she let out a snore.
Apple Bloom matched her friends’ smiles, hoping to Celestia that they couldn’t see the slight strain she felt tugging at her cheeks. “What’re you two doin’ here?” she whispered.
Scootaloo’s grin levelled out. “Don’t you know what time it is?”
“No. Why’s it important?”
“Because the town meeting’s about to start!” Scootaloo buzzed her wings, her smile back to showing all of her teeth.
“Town meeting?” Apple Bloom’s eyes grew, and she stole a glance at the cuckoo clock above the fireplace. If it was possible, she felt her eyes go even wider. Whoa! Ah didn’t think Ah was readin’ for that long…
“Yeah,” put in Sweetie Belle, pulling Apple Bloom back to face her. “Since we couldn’t come up with any other ideas for our cutie marks, I thought we might be able to find out more about that Grand Prix stuff together.” She looked at the two of them with a smile. “Plus, it’d be something we could do without falling off of something, or crashing into a wall, or… or anything like that. So I went to find Scoot…”
“And I was thinking that if we went to the meeting we might be able to meet some of the racers!” Scootaloo yelled, this time taking off with her burst of excitement.
“I dunno, Scoot,” said Apple Bloom as Scootaloo came back down. “That poster I saw said that this meetin’d be somethin’ along the lines o’ plannin’. It didn’ look like somethin’ the whole paddock’d show up to.”
Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow at her, while Scootaloo just stood there, her jaw slack and with eyes wide as plates, like the time Apple Bloom had told her about when Rainbow Dash had helped her find her cutie mark. “Wow… you really did want to become a racing historian,” she said, her voice pillow-soft but coming out of a smirking mouth. Apple Bloom nodded, smiling in the same way.
Scootaloo let out a little snort. “Still.” She planted a hoof. “None of the magazines have said anything other than rumours about a race in Ponyville yet. I bet if we go to that meeting, we might be able to get tickets before anypony else!” The shine was back in her eyes now, and her hooves had started hopping again.
“Wow…” That fluttery feeling tingled across Apple Bloom’s belly as her imagination took over…
…Standing by the barriers, she leaned forwards, just hoping to catch a glimpse of the racers as they approached. She had to push her muzzle out extra-far to see around Scootaloo’s cap as she bounced around by her side. The little orange blur was covered in just about every racing-themed shirt, hat, sock, ribbon and cape she could get herself into, even a weird foam-thing that made her hoof narrow to a point, which she raised high above her head. The three Crusaders whooped and cheered as the foals buzzed nearer, but they were soon drowned out by a great swell of noise from the crowd around them…
“So that’s when we came to get you, Apple Bloom,” said Sweetie Belle, bursting the bubble in her mind’s eye.
“Really?” Apple Bloom felt that yoke start to lose its grip on her cheek.
“Yeah! We weren’t gonna let a fellow Crusader miss that by reading a book in some stuffy old farmhouse, no matter how awesome that book is!” Scootaloo declared, raising a hoof with a proud smile. It only held for a moment, though, and soon fell into a toothy grin and a nervous chuckle that Apple Bloom had to smile along with.
She could feel the unease starting to dribble out of her chest, and the hole left being filled with the warmth that just shone from her friends’ eyes. She felt like she was back at that sleepover they’d had one long winter’s night, when they’d curled up together by the fire with cocoa and marshmallows, all cosy and warm. They’d whiled away the night talking about how they could find their cutie marks in the snow while huge piles of the stuff grew up outside the windows.
Before she could get too wrapped up in that snug-as-a-bug feeling, though, a more pressing matter tore her away from the warmth.
“Well… shouldn’t we get goin’, then?” she asked, glancing at the clock. The other two followed her eyes.
Scootaloo’s jaw almost hit the floor. Without even a gasp, she dashed out the door with her wings buzzing away. After staring at the open doorway for a moment, Sweetie Belle turned back to Apple Bloom. She lifted a hoof and looked like she was about to ask something, only for Scootaloo to poke her head back around the door.
“Come on, Crusaders!” She waved them over with her hoof, staring and unable to hold back her massive grin. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle matched it as they all shared a look.
“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS MEETING ATTENDERS!”
The walls shook and ornaments juddered towards the edges of their shelves, and something made a dull thud as they rushed out of the room. Apple Bloom was sure she could hear Granny Smith grumbling at the disturbance and mumbling things about soup, but they covered it with their own giggles and cheers. They scampered into the yard, and Scootaloo made a flying leap to land on her scooter, followed closely by the other two diving into the wagon just moments after she cleared it. After taking a second to right themselves and make sure their helmets were good and tight, they buzzed back to Ponyville.
As the cluster of buildings grew bigger and bigger ahead of them, Sweetie Belle turned to Apple Bloom. “So I guess that ‘paddock’-thingy was in that book, right?”
Apple Bloom nodded. Sweetie Belle’s smile grew, and her eyes twinkled with curiosity.
“What else was in there? Scoot didn’t say much about it… apart from everything!” Her voice cracked and she jumped up a little on the last word. Apple Bloom’s hoof shot out to try and grab Sweetie Belle’s, but she landed back in the wagon. They shared a giggle as the lasso that had gripped Apple Bloom’s middle and took her breath away went slack.
The ideas rushed through her as quick as the trees did on either side of them. There was so much to tell Sweetie about! All the rules like how they used to send all but the fastest thirty-five home after first practice, or how they had to ban magic at the races after a little blue colt with a unicorn as his team-manager mysteriously won a race while glowing as red as Snips on Hearts and Hooves Day.
It felt like bees were buzzing their way around her tummy. There was just so much to say! She took in a deep breath, heavy with the sweet scent of apples
“Apple Bloom!”
She had to actually hold her shoulders up. Apple Bloom turned to face the fuchsia mane that danced and weaved in the breeze. “Yeah?”
“Where did that poster say the meeting’s being held?”
-------
“Hey!”
“Pardon me.”
“Excuse me.”
“Sorry…”
The three of them gave their widest, most innocent smiles to the mare they had accidentally nudged. After she shook her head, sent back a half-smile and turned away, they breathed one big sigh of relief and spread out into the little space they had found. They’d spent what felt like hours buzzing around town and tip-hoofing through the crowd to find a spot where they could see the stage that always seemed to just appear for this sort of event. Fortunately, there was always one thing they could count on to stop them missing anything really important.
“…and so, without further ado, I would like to welcome our esteemed guest for this afternoon,” said The Mayor, raising a foreleg over her podium. She beamed that same reassuring smile that had been plastered all over Ponyville during that election that Applejack talked about last year. “The pony who made all of this possible, leader of the ESRA since its inception, mister Silver Lining!”
Apple Bloom’s ears perked as a great rumble spread through the mass of ponies, everyone stamping their hooves in greeting. The shaking soon began to die down and her eyes stopped blurring, giving her the chance to get a better look at the greyish-white pegasus walking along the platform. His hooves caught against the wood once or twice, but his bony shoulders never allowed him to slip too far. His sides looked as withered and dry as Granny Smith’s, though they were masked by strong, sleek wings. The slight breeze lifted what was left of his mane as if it were dark-brown hay.
But beneath it blazed the yellow fires of his eyes, which cast a great silence over the sea of ponies as he reached the podium. He smiled.
“Thank you, Mayor Elderflower,” he said, glancing at the mare, “and thank you all for such a warm welcome.”
He spoke with a soft voice, barely above a whisper, reminding Apple Bloom of a certain yellow pegasus. Unlike with Fluttershy, though, she couldn’t help but feel something cold trickle its way down her back. She could easily see him standing behind a huge desk that he could see his face in, talking about an accident happening to somepony who had upset his arrangements, like Gold Leaf from those Agent Suave books that Twilight had let her read. “Though yours is a rather young town when compared to others where we already hold races, it has nonetheless become a nexus for events in Equestria. After all, Princess Luna made her first public appearance since her return in this very square.”
A couple of uneasy murmurs passed through the crowd at this, and Apple Bloom could see one or two ponies nearby look at the ground. Sweetie Belle shifted a foreleg through the dirt, ears pressed flat against her head.
If Silver Lining noticed this, his face didn’t show it. He didn’t he react to a bright flash, either, which came thanks to a purple pegasus hovering around the podium who had one camera on her flank and another between her hooves.
“There’s also your history to consider. The Running of the Leaves ceremony has its start and finish in nearby woods.”
The ponies around them stood up a little straighter at this. The mutterings faded away.
“There’s also the Equestria-famous zap-apples, grown right here in Ponyville.”
Apple Bloom noticed one of the pegasi hovering near the stage. They were scribbling furiously into a notepad, probably getting more ink on their face than on the paper. She nudged the other two as their teeth dug further into their quill. She and Sweetie Belle shared a little giggle; Scootaloo kept staring at the stage, totally silent.
“And, of course, there’s the small matter of those six ponies who saved the world twice calling this town home.”
A little dash of pink near the front of the crowd disappeared.
“So, with all of that in mind, plus the fact that several competitors and a former Champion have come from Ponyville, we at the ESRA have decided that it’s about time a race was held here! Therefore, I can confirm that we will be bringing an S1 Grand Prix to Ponyville in the coming weeks!”
He was almost talking directly to the scribbling pegasus with that last part. Not that it did anything to stop another wave of thundering hooves.
“Although,” he continued through a wry smile, “I must say that somepony rather ruined that surprise.” He threw The Mayor a look like he had just caught her with her hooves in the cookie jar. She flashed back a winning grin.
“Right, onto the details.” He cleared his throat. Somehow, it was louder than his actual speech. “We are planning to build the circuit a little way out from the village, in a field which was generously leased to us by town hall. For the moment, the circuit is going to be temporary, though if it proves popular enough outside of the main event it may become a permanent structure.”
A couple of hooves rose above the mass of manes and ears, and Silver Lining raised his own foreleg over the podium. Apple Bloom felt her eyebrows almost join the hooves as his leg didn’t even creak.
“Now, I know what some of you are wondering about the amount of construction involved with such a project, and I ask you to have faith in us. Our builders are experts in using their magic to make sure that a temporary circuit leaves no impact on the land after it has been tidied away, and most of the structures besides the circuit will be tents.”
The hooves fell back into the crowd.
“Thank you.” He smiled. “And, incidentally, some of you may be interested to know that Silky Smooth will not be part of the design team for this track.”
“Yes!”
“Huh?” Apple Bloom’s eyes were pulled to her left, where Scootaloo was raising a hoof, grinning with her eyes screwed shut as if she’d just been allowed to have ice cream for dinner. “Why d’yah say that, Scoot?”
Scootaloo opened her mouth, but all that came out was a nervous chuckle. Apple Bloom looked around. Some of the ponies near them were giving her friend funny looks.
“I’ll tell you later,” mumbled Scootaloo, before returning to stare at the stage as if it held the answer to every one of her problems.
“and so I’m sure you can appreciate that, as Ponyville is a rather short-notice addition to the calendar, we are still negotiating with the major teams as to whether this race will count as a Championship round. However, I can guarantee that, providing that there are no mishaps in construction, the race will be taking place in four weeks’ time.”
A small amount of stamps followed this, before a wrinkled hoof was raised again.
“Now, there isn’t much left for me to say at this point, other than that tickets will be made available from town hall soon.”
Apple Bloom felt something softly poke her side. She didn’t even have to look to know what it was. A quick glance did tell her that Scootaloo’s massive, shiny-eyed, Pinkie Pie-after-several-mounds-of-cake smile was back. She and Sweetie Belle looked at each other, smiling knowingly.
“course we will keep you updated with any important news as and when it occurs. So…” His yellow eyes ran all over the crowd as the word hung in the silence. “Do any of you have any questions?” he finished, smiling.
“Come on, let’s go,” came a brash whisper next to Apple Bloom.
“What?” She looked at Scootaloo. Her smile hadn’t gone away completely, but Apple Bloom nearly jumped as she saw how small it was compared to just moments before.
“Why?” added Sweetie Belle, stepping around her to face Scootaloo.
“How d’yah know that?” asked Apple Bloom, her eyebrow rising.
“Yeah,” said Sweetie Belle, “there might be somepony out here who’s just as big a fan as you are. Maybe they’ll ask a good question.”
Scootaloo snorted, with the slightest hint of a smirk. “Doubt that.”
“So?” Sweetie Belle put a hoof around Scootaloo’s shoulder, smiling the same gentle smile that Applejack used to get Apple Bloom to eat the occasional floret of broccoli that dared to sit on her plate. “You should at least give it a try.”
At that moment, their attention was drawn back to the stage.
“Yes, the unicorn mare about three rows back,” said Silver Lining, aiming a hoof at a purple one sticking out near the front of the crowd.
“Silver Lining,” said a voice that rang some bells in Apple Bloom’s head.
Great. Twilight’s the smartest pony in town. If anypony can find somethin’ interestin’ t’say, it’ll be
“What would the implications on the incomes for local businesses be if the race were to be non-Championship?”
-------
This. Was. AWESOME!
She had already lost count of how many times she had buzzed her wings today, but they blurred at her sides again. She couldn’t believe it. They really were bringing a race to Ponyville!
All of the riders would be there, too. Haybale. Storm Cloud. Leeroy Wingkins. Sunny Smiles! Something made her mouth open and made a little squeaky noise, but she didn’t care. The most awesome ponies in Equestria after Rainbow Dash were coming to Ponyville! That was what she should care about.
Maybe she’d get a chance to talk to them. Hay, just meeting them and being allowed to bask in their awesomeness would be the best thing ever! Maybe they’d even give her tips for riding her scooter.
Not that she’d need them, obviously… oh, who was she kidding!
“Say, Scoot?”
Scootaloo was pulled from her daydreams, and looked over at her friends. They were lying on the rug, playing with one of the board games that she and Sweetie Belle had brought in when Apple Bloom had renovated the place.
“I was wonderin’…” continued Apple Bloom, peering over the frilly curls of Sweetie Belle’s mane. “What were ya gonna say about that ‘Silky Smooth‘, anyhow?”
“Huh?”
“Silky Smooth,” affirmed Sweetie Belle, shifting to face her. “I think he’s a track designer?”
Scootaloo’s memory took a moment to jog itself, but when it did a smirk spread across her muzzle. “He is… if you’re feeling generous.”
“Really?” Apple Bloom tilted her head, stepping around the board. “But Ah read all about the racetracks in yer book, and it never mentioned ‘em once”
“Well, no wonder!” cut in Scootaloo, shaking her head as quick as her wings. “All his tracks are the same namby-pamby, boring mess! I don’t think he’d be able to make a good circuit if Fluttershy used her Stare on him!”
“Wow, that bad?”
Scootaloo nodded at Sweetie Belle, but Apple Bloom was raising a hoof at her.
“Wait. How do you know that, Scoot?”
Scootaloo blinked. “Know what?”
There were just a few hints of pride in Apple Bloom’s smirk. “How do ya know all of his tracks are boring? Ya know, since ya’ve never been to a race before.”
“I… uh…” Scootaloo brought a hoof to her chin, swallowing the groan she would have made had anypony else punctured her with logic like that. Wasn’t it twice that she’d done that in the last hour or so? “Well… all of the magazines say there’s less overtaking at his tracks. And… um…” She tapped her hoof, as if physically trying to shake her thoughts from where they had been shelved in her head. Okay, she was right about all of Cloudy Dale’s race reports. According to him, the Maredrid race last year didn’t feature a single recorded pass in over an hour’s racing. That might have been the only grand prix she didn’t once think about going to. Okay, maybe she did want to go to that one. For only a little while, though.
Great. Now she was getting off-topic.
Silky Smooth. How else did she know how awful his tracks were? She tapped her head again, and) a thought about Silver Lining’s speech popped up so suddenly that she almost leaped into that lamp above her. It was so obvious!
“And why else would Silver Lining mention that he’s not involved with our track, huh?” she finished, beaming proudly.
But, as other memories of the meeting made themselves known, that smile melted from her muzzle. Her ears flattened themselves as she remembered the little snippets of her friends’ conversation, battling their way into her ears over the buzzing roar of her wings. And how they’d been giggling and laughing throughout the meeting in a way that didn’t make her stomach turn for once. And that now they were playing a game together.
And that she hadn’t joined in with any of it.
“Something wrong, Scootaloo?” asked Sweetie Belle.
Scootaloo held back the sigh, and pushed aside her slouch along with it. “Guys,” she began, looking into their eyes as they smiled in a way that she was sure they knew made her guts calm from raging hurricane to gentle breeze, “I’m sorry that I kinda zoned out on you earlier…”
“Oh, don’t worry about that, Scootaloo,” replied Sweetie Belle.
“Yeah, we know just how big a thing this race is for you,” added Apple Bloom, before they shared a look.
“Besides,” continued Sweetie Belle, her smile growing into a grin, “we’re just as excited as you are!” Her eyes sparkled.
“Really?” asked Scootaloo. Any of those little wobbles that had been in her voice were gone, and her own smile returned in earnest. Not that there had been any wobbles in the first place. No.
“Why wouldn’t we be?” asked Apple Bloom, walking back to lie down beside the game. “You made it sound like a ton o’fun to go watch, even if you haven’t actually done that before.”
A small wave of what Scootaloo hesitated to call giggles passed through them, before Sweetie Belle piped up again.
“Yeah, so like we said, don’t worry about that, Scoot,” she said, shifting the game-set so that it was between her and Apple Bloom. “We’ll all go get tickets when they come out. Together,” she finished with a smile.
Something about Sweetie Belle seemed a little blurry. Scootaloo could feel her own smile go soft.
As awesome as that race’ll be, it isn’t nearly as awesome as you guys are…
Whoa.
She blinked. Okay, brain, where did that come from?
She snorted. “Still true, though,” she muttered.
“Whassat, Scoot?” asked Apple Bloom, an eyebrow raised, and a smirk toying with her lips.
“Uh…” She put on a massive grin, and everything got so much clearer. “I mean, thanks for all this, guys…”
“Aw, it’s nothing, Scootaloo,” said Sweetie Belle, waving a hoof dismissively, before pointing it at the board. “Want to play winner?”
Scootaloo smirked. “Yeah, I could do that.”
None of them left the clubhouse until long after the Princess had put the sun to rest.
|
Davesknd
|
1372
| 1 |
Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Comedy,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
Celestial Bodies
|
There are things that will be written into the books of history. These stories will not!
|
incomplete
| 770 | 17 |
<p>Being an immortal goddess and supreme ruler of a nation is stressful. But sometimes you just have to cope with weird things. These are short stories about things that might or might not have happened, but were certainly erased from Equestrian history.</p>
|
teen
|
2011-10-11T18:28:22+00:00
|
2011-10-11T18:28:22+00:00
| 12,437 |
“We, the Followers of Nightmare Moon, have come to announce the end of an era!” A tall pony in a black and purple cloak announced. Several other ponies in similar cloaks had entered the throne room, making the royal guards slightly nervous.
The two princesses looked at them in confusion.
“Isn’t the delegation from Stalliongrad supposed to be here now?” Luna asked, looking through her schedule.
“Do not distract from our demand!” The speaker announced “We are the Followers of eternal night! We, who hide from the tyrant Celestia’s terrible gaze! We demand to be heard!”
“Luna, I promise that I have never discriminated against your followers!” Celestia stressed “I just sent infiltrators to make sure they did nothing silly like sacrificing foals, but never discriminated.”
Luna was dumbstruck at this concept. *I have followers!*
“Ha! You have not lightened the darkness of our lines with your traitors!” the leader stated proudly. “Your days are numbered, tyrant! Nightmare Moon has returned and she will be here with us in a moment! Then your sphere on fire will no longer vanquish our wonderful night!”
“Erm... that was a month ago.” Celestia said very gently.
“No, the mare in the moon vanished one month ago! According to our calculations, even an enormous pony, like Nightmare Moon needs at least 3 weeks to get to Equestria from the moon. And we understand her well enough to know that she will strike you down under a full moon. The same moon, you banished her to!”
“You do realize that it is 10 in the morning?”
“We had to find a slot where all our members were available! We’ll return later. This is just our dramatic reveal.” The leader explained.
Luna started rubbing her forehead with her hoof. “I don’t want to shatter your dreams, but I didn’t *fly* back to Equestria. I teleported here! And I have to disappoint you further: the whole *Eternal night* thing is cancelled! I rule alongside my sister now.”
“Wait, you are Nightmare Moon?” The leader asked in confusion “But, aren’t you... bigger? And more evil looking?”
“That’s our goddess?” some other cultist asked “Why is she smaller than the established one?”
“Well, at least she is pretty...” another offered.
“But I thought she looked all cool with that star-mane!”
“Quiet!” the leader demanded. He had to overplay this. “So... why don’t we live under an eternal moon now? We kinda expected to be announced your favourites for helping with taking over.”
“Oh, I lost.” Luna stated calmly “Goodness and Harmony won. My armour was shattered and my dear sister offered me my place by her side.”
“Horseapples!” The leader muttered “I collect tomes over tomes, start this cult, organize regular meetings and even get these uniforms... and our goddess gets beaten without us even around!”
“So... what now, boss?” one other cultist asked
“Give me a moment! I have to improvise here!” the leader yelled “So, can we talk you into trying again?”
“No, sorry.” Luna answered honestly “I really enjoy not being driven by hate, spite and vengeance.”
“You might want to take some notes, dear.” One of the female cultists remarked.
“Not helping, love!”
“May I ask a question?” Celestia asked suddenly, but did not wait for a response “Do you think it is right to indoctrinate fillies into your midst? I highly doubt that their parents would agree!”
The cult leader turned and looked into the direction, Celestia was pointing.
“Them? We didn’t really indoctrinate them! They suddenly showed up and demanded to be part. We keep them as mascots, since our female members seem to like them...”
“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS CULT FOLLOWERS!”
“SO CUTE!”
“Boss, you are squeeing again!”
“Erm... So... do we have to face a trial or something?”
Celestia and Luna exchanged a few whispers.
“Of course not! You have not committed any crimes and it is up to every pony to dress up in silly uniforms and gather every week to plot the return of the rightful ruler!” Celestia ruled regally.
“Thank you, sister. But to be honest, I really like that hooded robe look. And that black-purple combination with the silver moon...”
At this point, somewhere in Ponyville, Rarity felt a disturbance in the fashion. As if thousands screamed “cliché” at once and were suddenly getting louder.
“Thank you, milady. I designed them myself.” The leader answered filled with pride “And I have to point to my beloved second in command, who does a wonderful job at washing and repair.”
“Erm... boss. Can we get on with this? Since there is no eternal night, I do have to get back to my shift in half an hour!” Another cultist asked.
“I guess I could give you a reward for your loyalty...” Luna offered, feeling flattered. She had followers now! That was awesome!
“Sorry, but no thank you.” The leader sighed “I formed this cult to win, not to get the pity-price!”
The leader turned to go, when Celestia rose. “The report stated 30 memebers. I only see 27, Agent Shadow!” She said with a bit of a grin.
“Oh, we counted ourselves too. And Red called in sick. He has the flu!” the second in command explained.
“And why are you here now and not in two hours?”
“The boss tricked the ambassador from Stalliongrad into a fight with the mayor from Horstria’s capital. They changed places with us.” She added quickly.
“Diamond Shadow?” The leader yelled, after getting over his shock “How could you? I thought you loved me!”
“Can we talk about that later, hon?”
“Who is the other one?”
“That’s me!” another cult follower waved “Sorry boss! But your last speech was great!”
“Wonderful... I missed the rebellion, my marefriend is an infiltrator and I ordered 200 packages of Mushroom seeds in advance!” the leader muttered, while leaving.
“If it helps... I had ways of making plants grow without direct sunlight.” Luna intervened a bit awkwardly.
“How about we continue meeting?” One cultist offered, while leaving “I mean all we ever did was play and frolic in the night to appease our goddess... we could do that, just without the whole dressing up...”
“The robes stay!”
“Fine, boss...”
After some shuffling and disappointed muttering, only the two infiltrators were left.
“I expect a full report at the end of the week.” Celestia ordered with a mischievous smile “And, Agent Shadow. The rules are rather strict about relationships with your targets.”
“Princess, I only pursued the relationship after I ensured that the cult was harmless!” the agent answered loudly, but added silently “And I want to see you try and resist a stallion with that much charisma AND so many great mushroom recipes.”
“Dismissed!” Celestia ordered and suppressed a very regal giggle.
Luna looked over to her sister. “Tia... can I keep the cult?”
|
Davesknd
|
1372
| 2 |
Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Comedy,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
Celestial Bodies
|
There are things that will be written into the books of history. These stories will not!
|
incomplete
| 770 | 17 |
<p>Being an immortal goddess and supreme ruler of a nation is stressful. But sometimes you just have to cope with weird things. These are short stories about things that might or might not have happened, but were certainly erased from Equestrian history.</p>
|
teen
|
2011-10-26T19:50:24+00:00
|
2011-10-26T19:50:24+00:00
| 8,790 |
This is a little tie-in to Draconic Troubles. And a chance for me to take a Thesaurus bend it over and make it think of England! Sorry, a Horsetrian, trying to write Luna-english has no other choice.
„AND FOR THIS VILE DISPLAY, WE, THE PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT, HEREBY DECREE THAT THOU, PHALANX, AND THOU, DUSTY FEATHERS...”
“LUNA!” the princess of the Sun interrupted her sister. Celestia had heard the Official Royal Canterlot Voice from across the hallway and instantly charged to intervene. She was pretty sure that some places in Ponyville, Horstralia and Phillydelphia had heard it too.
“OH, SISTER! WE WERE JUST ABOUT TO SENTENCE THESE RAPSCALLIONS TO...” Luna started again, her volume still being at the level of roaring jet engines.
At her hoofs were two other ponies:
Phalanx a Pegasus guard and Dusty, one of the many maids in the castle. Both ponies were shivering, and Phalanx had a tear in his eye. Dusty was either made of sterner stuff than the veteran or, as Celestia expected, her mind had shut down completely during Luna’s speech and was currently far away from this break room.
“Erm, Luna, can we talk for a moment?” Celestia tried.
“BUT CERTAINLY! STATE YOUR THOUGHTS!” Luna answered, almost managing to disturb Celestia’s magically flowing mane with her voice.
“No, can WE as in *you and I* talk for a moment?” The sun princess tried again.
“OH, CERTAINLY! JUST LET US PASS JUDGEMENT ON THESE TWO.”
“Luna, I’m not going to, wait, us as in...” Celestia tried to intervene. She swore in her head, now remembering why exactly she abolished the plural majestatis. “No, this is about the offense. We have to talk about that!”
“THEN STATE YOU-“ “NO! You come with me, us... all... four of us will talk in our room, now!”
“Does that include us?” Phalanx asked with a frightened voice.
“NO!” Celestia answered and teleported herself and other princesses away.
“So... what is it, Tia?” Luna asked, after arriving in Celestia’s room.
“Luna, we have to talk about this... offense!” the white alicorn stated.
“Oh, vile indecency! And they didn’t even consider it! And out of wedlock! Can you imagine? I tell you, sister, this is a terrible sign, if even the guard has members this depraved!”
“Luna, Phalanx is one of my personal guards. I usually don’t choose depraved individuals for that position.” Celestia calmly explained.
“OH, so it was that little scallywag, Dusty! I would have never guessed that one of our maids could possibly be so vile and...”
“Did you just say scallywag?” Celestia asked. Oh goodness... did she talk like that too, at some point?
“The waggiest of them all!”
“Luna! That has never been a word!”
“What I am trying to convey is this: Our servants are depraved, sister! Immoral and despicable!” Luna stressed, closing in on her sister.
“LUNA! Calm down!” Celestia replied. This would be a... complex conversation.
“How can I calm? How can I rest in a castle that is cleaned by hoofs and mouths that were used for such vile displays of exchange?” Luna asked sternly.
“Sister, did you read the books I suggested?”
“Of course! The “Guide to important inventions”, The “Eggheads guide to pony development” and the “History for ponies with way too much time”. All very interesting, even though the names might put you off your guard.”
“You did not read the last one?”
“I figured it was simply one of your pranks, since the title contained a dirty word. A rather weak prank, I have to admit. You could do so much better without...”
“Sexuality, is not a dirty word!” Celestia wailed.
“CELESTIA!” Luna answered in shock.
“The “Development of Sexuality in the last centuries” is not a dirty book!” Celestia stressed.
“Well, it certainly doesn’t sound like a book a princess should read!” Luna answered, now blushing furiously “Especially an ageless one with little chance of ever needing it!”
*You would be surprised...* Celestia thought, but instead said “I really think that you might want to take a look at the changes in pony’s mindsets. That would explain why the two... scallywags didn’t feel guilty for what they did.”
“NOT FEEL GUILTY?” Luna almost screamed back “You did not witness their... terribly inappropriate, undignified, horrendously and outright salacious display!”
“Luna!”
“I mean... you did not see it? His hoofs were... were... touching her... FETLOCKS!”
“Luna!”
“And her tail was... outright swaying!”
“Luna!”
“And then the act! Their lips! Did I mention the LIPS? They were TOUCHING!”
“THEY SHARED A BLOODY KISS!” Celestia yelled in the traditional Canterlot voice.
“And out of wedlock! Did I mention that?” Luna nodded. “Now, since we are on the same page here, we can return and pass judgement! What do you say? Two months of dungeon? Flogging?”
“Luna, we can’t do that!”
“You are right; I have to think of their child!”
“Oh my goodness!”
|
Davesknd
|
1372
| 3 |
Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Comedy,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
Celestial Bodies
|
There are things that will be written into the books of history. These stories will not!
|
incomplete
| 770 | 17 |
<p>Being an immortal goddess and supreme ruler of a nation is stressful. But sometimes you just have to cope with weird things. These are short stories about things that might or might not have happened, but were certainly erased from Equestrian history.</p>
|
teen
|
2012-04-24T21:09:14+00:00
|
2012-04-24T21:09:14+00:00
| 7,025 |
Set during the Changeling-invasion.
"THIS IS WHERE WE HOLD THE LINE! THEY MAY NEVER TAKE THE ELEMENTS ON OUR WATCH!” the princess of the night proclaimed clearly. She had discarded her regalia in favour of dark armour, not entirely unlike that of Nightmare Moon. If there was a coup, the enemy should know that the former despot would be the new defender!
She was Luna, princess of the night!
“YEAH!” several dozen voices answered with dark determination and grim satisfaction.
The OK calls had stopped a few moments ago and the worst was to expect. Now it was up to the night guard to do their part.
“WHO ARE THE BEST?” Luna asked.
“WE ARE!” the guards replied.
“ARE YOU READY TO FIGHT FOR EQUESTRIA?” Luna demanded.
“YES!” the guards answered with fire in their eyes.
“ARE YOU READY TO FALL FOR EQUESTRIA?” she continued.
“FOR EQUESTRIA! FOR LUNA!” the guards cheered.
“GOOD! NOW, HOLD THE LINE!”
...
“Excuse me, princess...” a nervous voice asked.
“Yes? What is it, sub-commander?” Luna responded, eyes pointed at the door.
“Wouldn’t it be more appropriate if we waited outside of the element-chamber?”
“No, we are supposed to protect the elements and by me, we will do that!” Luna answered grimly.
“I was just thinking... the chamber is not very big... and we are 40 ponies...”
“Personal space is not a luxury we can afford!” Luna responded “STATUS ON THE ELEMENTS!”
“Still poking me in the ribs, ma’am!” a corporal answered.
“Keep them close!” Luna ordered, not letting her eyes strain from the door. Not by choice, though... her head was tightly squeezed between the sub-commander and doorframe, while about four guards were crammed on her back.
Good that she had the armour.
Now all she had to do was hope that the enemy would advance soon. Air was getting scarce...
---
SORRY!
|
Davesknd
|
1372
| 4 |
Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Comedy,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
Celestial Bodies
|
There are things that will be written into the books of history. These stories will not!
|
incomplete
| 770 | 17 |
<p>Being an immortal goddess and supreme ruler of a nation is stressful. But sometimes you just have to cope with weird things. These are short stories about things that might or might not have happened, but were certainly erased from Equestrian history.</p>
|
teen
|
2012-10-11T20:40:24+00:00
|
2012-10-11T20:40:24+00:00
| 6,492 |
Court was almost over and Celestia allowed herself a yawn.
She had spent the day listening to the troubles of her subjects and discerning the real problems from the petty bickering.
But now, there was only one party left and this would be an important one.
The sun princess stomped her hoof once and nodded.
The guards understood and started leaving one by one. The last remained long enough to close the door as the last visitor of the day entered the court hall.
The princess took a moment to look towards one of the tapestries for a split second, but quickly focused back on the creature that slowly closed in on her throne.
A purple and green dragon was approaching slowly, looking around carefully to see if the sovereign and he were truly alone.
He arrived in front of the goddess and stood there for a moment, not kneeling, nor tilting his head.
A few seconds passed until Celestia nodded just a little, giving the longed for signal.
As if he had just jumped on a trampoline, the dragon launched himself at the princess, claws wide and teeth showing.
“I MISSED YOU, MOMMY!” he yelled as his arms wrapped around the alicorn’s neck, a big smile on his face.
Celestia let out a laugh, her usual, gentle demeanour broken and replaced with honest joy. “And I missed you, Spike.”
She squeezed the little dragon against her chest and let out a giggle as he swung onto her back.
“Gosh, we have so much to talk about! Applejack went missing and while the others were looking for her, Big Mac, Granny Smith and I went on an epic quest to get a treasure to save the farm. And on Hearts and Hoofs day, a rainbow lost its colour, so Fluttershy, Rarity and me had to improvise a new one out of fabric and spray paint! Oh, and Rarity KISSED me! Twice!” the dragon started to ramble happily.
Celestia gave him a nudge. “I’ll be happy to hear it all, Spike, but there is one thing we have to do first.”
“Oh?” the dragon asked in surprise. A sigh escaped him. “Royal duty?”
“In a way.” The sun princess agreed.
“There’s always something more important...” Spike moaned and was about to get off.
A wing held him in place. “Spike, there is nothing more important than family!” Celestia scolded “And may I remind you that our family has grown.”
Spike’ eyes went wide.
“You had a foal?” he screamed.
“What? NO!”
“Philomina laid an egg?”
“No, Spike... nobody was born.”
“Then, what do you mean, the family got bigger?” Spike asked in confusion.
A third voice cleared it’s throat behind them, making the small dragon spin on his sitting place and freeze in surprise and fear.
A indigo from had emerged from behind a tapestry and slowly approached the two: “Erm... hello Spike. I am your aunt. Luna.”
He tilted his head a little, trying to fathom the words Nightmare Moon had just spoken.
“I understand that you are afraid of me, Spike.” The moon princess continued “If you want me to leave, I would understand. But Celestia insisted that...” She stopped as Spike lifted a single claw.
“So, you used to be this taller, evil monster that terrorized others, spoke in a deep voice and tried to take much more than you deserve...” the young dragon spoke calmly.
“Basically... yes.” Luna admitted in defeat, her head lowering sadly. How could anyone forgive her?
“Been there, done that...” Spike shrugged and jumped to wrap his arms around his new aunt.
|
Davesknd
|
1372
| 5 |
Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Comedy,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
Celestial Bodies
|
There are things that will be written into the books of history. These stories will not!
|
incomplete
| 770 | 17 |
<p>Being an immortal goddess and supreme ruler of a nation is stressful. But sometimes you just have to cope with weird things. These are short stories about things that might or might not have happened, but were certainly erased from Equestrian history.</p>
|
teen
|
2012-10-11T20:42:27+00:00
|
2012-10-11T20:42:27+00:00
| 7,058 |
Sunset was looming and the solar lady, Princess Celestia of Equestria was on her way to her private chambers. The day had been long and she was glad that Luna would take over soon. But before that, she would visit her little sister and have a nice conversation with her. But first she had to freshen up.
It was at this point in her trail of thought, when she heard a loud giggling from a break room door, right next to her.
She recognized the voice immediately. It was Lore, unicorn guard directly responsible for her personal safety and currently off duty.
For a moment, the princess wondered what could have possibly made the usually rather reserved soldier giggle like that, when a second voice chimed in. It was Stormbreak, pegasus guard, sun division and on the same time table as lore.
AND also Lore's coltfriend.
Celestia's ideas about homosexuality were rather simple, as seen in the laws of Equestria.
Luckily the original draft was long forgotten: "I don't care what my subjects do in private as long as it's consensual and there are no minors or non sentient being involved, now stop bugging me and let me eat my breakfast you intolerant cretin! You should be glad I don't have you flogged for wasting my time!"
That minister really had no business to have her woken up...
Anyways, as Celestia was about continue her way, she could make out the words that were spoken.
"My turn, lovercolt!" Lore announced loudly.
"Hey, no horn! That's cheating!" lamented the pegasus.
The sun princess stopped. NO! They wouldn't!
"Oh, that is cheating? Fine! Hoofs! BOTH!"
Celestia's eyes went wide. This had a very reasonable explanation. She hoped!
"I wouldn't mind that, but you know the rules! You know what you are supposed to use!" came Stormbreak's voice again.
"Fine, but that won't end well!" Lore commented.
The princess was on the edge. What was going on in there? Should she go in?
"That won't end well!" Stormbreak commented. "Hey! No! Pull it out! Pull it out!"
"Oh, look at the mess I made!" Lore yelled suddenly. "You get it up again! You seem to like the taste of wood today..."
That was enough! Celestia turned and burst into the room.
"What are you two doing?" she yelled at two frightened stallions.
"P... playing Jenga..." Stormbreak offered in a frightened voice, fiddling with several little logs of wood on the table between them.
"Exactly!" the princess kept proclaiming, hoping she could ride the anger before the shame would set in. "I was looking for the game!"
She grabbed the box and the logs, turned and headed towards her quarters, not stopping until she was inside.
Lore looked at his playmate. "What just happened?"
"I have no idea..." Stormbreak answered with a sigh "So... what do we do now?"
"Oh, I have one idea..." Lore answered, a sheepish and slightly sultry grin invaded his features.
"Hmm...? OH! I like that!" the pegasus answered "But... just the two of us?"
"Let's ask Phalanx and Dusty, they are off duty too!" the unicorn offered.
"Great idea! Those two are always happy to swallow some balls!"
And then they played Hungry Hungry Hippo!
SORRY!
Stormbreak and Lore belong to Frutineo and VelvetHeart and are used with permission.
|
Davesknd
|
1372
| 6 |
Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Comedy,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
Celestial Bodies
|
There are things that will be written into the books of history. These stories will not!
|
incomplete
| 770 | 17 |
<p>Being an immortal goddess and supreme ruler of a nation is stressful. But sometimes you just have to cope with weird things. These are short stories about things that might or might not have happened, but were certainly erased from Equestrian history.</p>
|
teen
|
2012-12-13T02:06:13+00:00
|
2012-12-13T02:06:13+00:00
| 4,962 |
The realm of limited possibility. Even a land like Equestria, with its magic, monsters and seemingly unending potential was and would always be limited. It had to be. Existence could not endure the absolute chaos of endless potential. The necessity to bind Discord was proof of that.
But there was a land that was unfettered by consequences, unbound by the equilibrium of chance and immune to any damage that reality might suffer.
This land was the dreaming. The sphere of the mind and the soul, of psyche and fantasy, of hope and nightmare.
Here reality was a mere shadow and only the mind of the dreamer would forge experience. Here, memory was refined into dreams and seen through the eyes of the mind alone.
Here, Princess Luna ruled absolute.
No longer a nightmare, the moon Princess now stalked the dreaming, seeking suffering subjects and guiding them towards a better understanding of their torment. Never directly defeating their pain, but rather guiding them towards helping themselves.
Now the ferrymare of the rivers of rest was following a cry of pain. One of her subjects was plagued by nightmares.
And while worry filled the eyes of the moon princess, there was a glint of delight behind it. For the cry came from a very peculiar pony and she was glad that she could lend assistance to him.
The dreamer was none other than the leader of her followers: Autumn Galerina.
A curious and slightly worrying stallion to say the least, but Luna could not deny that she liked his honest devotion and loyalty. Maybe not as much as she had enjoyed Nightmare Night in Ponyville, but she was thankful that he organized her followers.
And now, she had the chance to repay him.
Luna dove deeper into the dreaming and approached the place from where she had heard Autumn’s agony. Currently, the stallion was awake, probably sitting straight in his bed and (even though the thought did not cross the... slightly antique mind of the moon princess) being consoled by his lover, the former secret agent and now pegasus night guard, Diamond Shadow.
Now, the moon princess just had to wait until the stallion calmed and returned to her land of dreams.
Soon, Luna could see the dreaming twist and reform, as the psyche of her follower shaped the dimension in its image. The dark princess found a hiding spot and waited for the dream to play out. Intervening without understanding the problem could cause more harm than good.
As the world slowly turned into a simulacrum of the royal throne room, Luna felt a slight pressure building behind her forehead.
The stallion’s mind was unhinged.
Nature and nurture had taken a toll on Autumn’s sanity and his dreams reflected it. For any other being, seeing his world directly and unaltered was like wearing a pair of not prescribed glasses. The world just didn’t feel right.
The moon princess always found it easiest to point out the details. It helped to understand how the dreamer perceived reality around him.
She quickly hid inside a tapestry, taking on the form of the starry sky and watched as her follower’s dream self formed.
Luna’s eyes widened slightly.
Autumn had never been one gifted with dashing good looks, but besides being lanky and having a weird manecut, he was at least average looking.
His dream self was, in one word, ugly.
His nose too big, his hair refusing to stay down, his legs almost skeletal and the one thing Luna found truly impressive about him, his fiery crimson eyes that shone out from under his hood when he called Celestia a tyrant and announced the end of her reign, seemed milky and unfocused.
Besides that, he was clad in his robe and with his girlfriend, who seemed to still possess feathery wings.
They were both kneeling and as Luna turned her gaze towards the throne, she could see why:
This throne did not exist in Equestria. This throne consisted of roughly 400 tons of black steel, lovingly smelted into a mish-mash of spikes, blades and spires for heads.
And the moon princess had to admit that in her Nightmare Moon phase, she would have loved it!
Even though the skulls were a bit much.
And on the throne sat Nightmare Moon. An almost perfect simulacrum of Luna’s past. Black coat, hate filled eyes and a sneer of arrogance plastered on her face. Yes, the moon princess could remember.
“Followers!” the Nightmare announced in a deep and booming voice. To Luna’s surprise, pointed teeth filled her maw. And seemed to be even taller than she used to be. “You have done us proud! Thanks to your diligence, hard work and secrecy, our return was successful! The night shall last forever! The sun is gone and you ensure that it will not be missed! We defeated Celestia, but you, you made her obsolete! For this, you shall see our gratitude! The moon rewards her servant well!”
“My lady, we did it because we believed in it. There is no need to...” Autumn answered, but he was silenced by a raised hoof.
“We insist!” Nightmare Moon said firmly.
Both followers lowered their heads, waiting for their reward.
“Diamond Shadow!” the usurper announced “You have supported and assisted my head follower well and now, you shall do the same for us! You shall become our concubine! We shall put you in sexy outfits, show you to the entire world, but only your princess shall touch you for the rest of time! Of course you have to leave any current lover forever, but that should not be a big deal compared to getting a piece of dark queen every sleep circle and sometimes during the lunch break.”
“I happily accept!” the Pegasus answered.
Autumn’s mandible literally hit the ground.
“Sorry, hon, our queen’s orders and all.” She announced happily, discarded her robes, under which she wore a quartet of very sexy stockings and took her place, sexily spread between the forelegs of Nightmare Moon. Luna could see the stallion’s eyes fill with tears.
“And you, Autumn Galerina!” Nightmare Moon turned to the completely confused stallion “You shall become part of the royal family. We shall make you one of us...”
The follower let out a confused sob.
“By marrying you to the highest noble available!” the terror queen concluded. “Come in! Prince Blueblood!”
Terror invaded the stallion’s features as he quickly looked around, suddenly surrounded by wedding guests.
Prince Blueblood was standing next to him, clad in a tuxedo and wearing a sultry grin on his face.
Autumn looked down, suddenly dressed in an extremely revealing and salacious, white wedding dress with a big white ribbon around his tail and a blue garter around his hind leg.
Several of his family members, including his grandmother were close to tears as Nightmare Moon presented the rings.
“NOOOO! I don’t want to lose Diamond Shadow! I don’t want to marry Blueblood! And this white clashes with my coaaaat!” the desperate and grey stallion wailed.
“Oh, it’s just the nerves...” the prince soothed from the side and whispered into his ear “Trust me; the honeymoon will be all you ever wished for, my dear wife.”
“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!”
The dream world collapsed as Autumn awoke screaming, torn back to reality by shock and terror.
Luna remained in the dreams.
After ten minutes, she managed to get over the shock and close her mouth again.
Quietly, the let out a sigh and focused her magic.
A coffee maker appeared out of the aether.
This would take a while...
|
Davesknd
|
1372
| 7 |
Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Comedy,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
Celestial Bodies
|
There are things that will be written into the books of history. These stories will not!
|
incomplete
| 770 | 17 |
<p>Being an immortal goddess and supreme ruler of a nation is stressful. But sometimes you just have to cope with weird things. These are short stories about things that might or might not have happened, but were certainly erased from Equestrian history.</p>
|
teen
|
2013-08-02T15:36:10+00:00
|
2013-08-02T15:36:09+00:00
| 4,528 |
It was a late afternoon like many others in Canterlot. The sky was slowly darkening as Celestia’s sphere was lowered and the good ponies of the city were on their ways home.
But in Canterlot Castle, there was a small group just about to assemble.
For it was the third Friday of the month and therefore the evening of a very peculiar poker game. It was held by no other than the only resident dragon of Canterlot, Spike, who always had this day off from his duties and only his Canterlot friends were invited to hold the cards, laugh at silly jokes and generally enjoy a good card game.
So far, only Hoity Toity and Photo Finish had joined in and were deciding today’s currency. Spike usually opted to play for sweets (gemstones) but recently they had changed over to something more affordable (an durable, a dragon’s hunger was hard to sate). So they decided to play for small amounts of money. The kind of money that the high society that was present would certainly not miss. Spike was, after all, Celesita’s adopted son and while he hardly ever saw the need for it, he had access to a generous allowance.
“Say!” began Hoity, as Spike shuffled the cards. “How is the great pursuit going?”
“Slowly but steadly...” answered the dragon and retained his eyes on the cards “Lately I get a little more recognition, but I think we need another wave. The thing with the Photo shoot went terrible.”
“Zat is not my fault!” defended Photo Finish herself “You jast sait that zee beautiful one was to me made shine over Equestria! How shud I know you ment ze unicorn?”
“Come on, Photo, it was obvious!” contered Spike.
“A difference in taste... nothing more!” defended Hoity “But indeed an entertaining miscommunication.”
“I didn’t like seeing Rarity wear black!” muttered Spike.
“Oh, you will zee, she will come around!” soothed Photo.
“WHAT IS THIS?” came a loud voice from the door.
The three players turned. A blonde Unicorn with a compass for a cutie mark and a alabaster coat had entered. “Sine Nobilitate on castle ground? How dare you walk around unchecked and what is this... this beast doing here shuffling royal cards! Slay or arrest the vile abomination!” demanded Prince Blueblood fierce and full of anger.
All ponies and one dragon looked at each other for a short while.
Suddenly laughter broke out!
“BIG B! Come an take a bow!” laughed Spike happily “Flowers to the greatest actor on Equestrian soil!”
“Wunderbar!” laughed Photo Finish and Hoity let out a snicker.
“Hey, Spike, hows my main dragon doing?” Blueblood asked and walked over to the dragon to give him a squeeze.
“Great, Bloody one!” Spike answered and poked him with the elbow “I had no idea you of all ponies could be so beastly! I mean... what I heard from the Gala was... wow!”
“Hey, everything for my friends! Even if I have to swallow everything Auntie taught me and channel Bitch Princess Platinum.” He sat down next to the dragon “But man, never again! Hear me! Doing that stuff to such a prime mare was horrible. I died over and over again!”
“Man, I really appreciate it!” the dragon stressed “You did quite a bit.”
“But trust me, if that did not burst her bubble, it’s made of Kevlar!” the stallion stressed. "Hay,I was about to yell MARE-SHIELD , when the cake was incoming."
“I sure hope so! You guys have been giving me so much support, it’s getting silly.”
“But I do get what you see in her!” Blueblood admitted “You are lucky that I leave the best to my friends! Heck, when she came into the garden, I was close to just giving in.”
“But ya didn’t!” Spike laughed “And that’s why you are Blueblood, loved by everyone and respected all over Equestria!”
“Indeed he is!” the other two chimed in.
|
Davesknd
|
1372
| 8 |
Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Comedy,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
Celestial Bodies
|
There are things that will be written into the books of history. These stories will not!
|
incomplete
| 770 | 17 |
<p>Being an immortal goddess and supreme ruler of a nation is stressful. But sometimes you just have to cope with weird things. These are short stories about things that might or might not have happened, but were certainly erased from Equestrian history.</p>
|
teen
|
2013-10-17T19:51:43+00:00
|
2013-10-17T19:56:54+00:00
| 3,850 |
It was a bright sunny day in Canterlot and all was well.
Princess Celestia, the godprincess of ponydom for centuries was in her private study, scrutinizing a bill concerning a reform in the health care sector. New studies had discovered ways to improve the general life of elderly ponies in retirement homes and this demanded careful consideration.
This could, after all, improve the lives of ponies who had spent their lifetime improving Equestria and they deserved respect!
She was about halfway done, when the door slammed open.
"CELESTIA!" the royal Canterlot voice boomed through the room. And Canterlot. And parts of the Everfree Forest. And probably outer space.
"Yes, Luna?" the sun princess asked with some worry. Luna was clearly well, but highly upset.
"HAVE YOU SEEN THIS?" the moon princess asked angrily and levitated a book over to her sister.
Celestia took a close look. "Children of the Night." she read out loud and raised her eyebrows. "No, I have not heard of it. What is it!"
"IT IS SLANDER!" Luna screamed and smashed her hoof into the ground with rage "HORRIBLE AND DISGUSTING SLANDER! VERLEUMDUNG! Calumny! Rufmord!"
"At least your German has not suffered." Celestia sighed loudly and opened the book. She quickly looked over a few pages. There was a song: Something about foals, a garden and darkness.
"This! This drivel!" the moon princess growled and began to pace. "It is about me! I, or rather the Luna in this book, went to you after the defeat of Discord and asked to found a new colony! Can you imagine this?"
"You founding a new colony or you asking first?" The sun princess replied flatly.
"Oh, keep your cynicism to yourself!" Luna spat back "And then, after I, or rather the silly little mare in there, gets denied, she doesn't veto or simply go and do as she sees fit. Do you know what I apparently did?"
Celestia sighed. "Enlighten me, dear sister."
"SHE GOES AND FOALNAPS FOALS!" the moon princess yelled, the windows cracking and the ground shaking. "Apparently, I am a siren, because I sing some mystical melody, float them out of their beds and take them to my garden of shadows!" Luna shook her head "Can you believe that?"
"Well... there was this misconception about you eating foals..." the sun princess offered diplomatically.
"Yes, yes, but that was just ponies being irrational!" the dark sister commented, waving her hoof "But this! This is preposterous!"
"And how is this worse than eating them?" Celestia asked neutrally.
"Building a new colony with FOALS? Uneducated, emotionally unstable, weak, little foals? THEY CAN'T EVEN SPELL YET! HOW ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO BUILD A BUCKING HOUSE?" The lunar sister yelled "And stealing them from orphanages? I FINANCED THOSE ORPHANAGES! I SIGNED THE DECREE! WE WERE THERE WHEN THEY SET THE FIRST STONE! WHY WOULD I STEAL FOALS FROM ORPHANAGES THAT I BUILT?"
"So, you are not exactly angry that they call you evil-" Celestia began.
"NO! I can deal with them thinking me evil! I was evil! But I shall not tolerate them thinking me to be stupid!" Luna roared "Do they really think that I, the former Nightmare Moon, the dark deceiver, gets a bunch of snot nosed brats, cuts off all ties to support from her home city and then demands that they build a new society?"
The alabaster princess sighed and took one last look at the book. "Yes, Luna, it falls apart when you take a closer look, but you have to admit, it is rather well written, the song is melodically and it has quite a bit of affection for the mystery of the night. In a way you almost seem benevolent."
"I prefer being evil to being idiotic, thank you very much, sister!" The night princess answered and threw her head back. "Can I expect you to support me, when we ban this?"
"Ban it?" Celestia deadpanned.
"Of course! This is vile slander!"
"It's clearly fiction."
"What does that matter?"
The sun princess sighed and got up. She walked over to a bookshelf with a glass door and opened it. Her magic grabbed the entire content and dumped it in front of Luna. There was another row of books behind the first.
"Corona Blaze, the Tyrant Sun." Celestia said calmly and pointed to the first book "It became a trilogy, devoted to me turning the world into a desert. Here we have "The Sexy Adventures of Princess Molestia", a tale about me, sexually assaulting ponies, donkeys, gryphons, minotaurs, trees, flowers, cakes, minerals and a few forms of basic energy. Fifteen sequels. Another book about my tyranny: "Fall of the Lunar Republic.", because that is what Nightmare Moon wanted, right? Oh! And don't forget the "Chronicles of Princess Trollestia". A wonderful series, in which I play mean pranks on ponies and generally enjoy the suffering of others. It's still going on." The sun princess gave Luna a stare "And I only keep the good ones.We have free speech and artistic licence. Sister dear: Get over it! I doubt that you will ever have as many horrible books written about you, as I have about me!"
Luna closed her eyes for a moment and nodded. "You are right, sister!" she said after a few moments "My ire is clearly misplaced. Ponies treat you far worse than they treat me."
Celestia was about to say something, but a flash of magic had already consumed the lunar princess.
The white alicorn sighed and returned to her work.
*In the Crystal Empire*
"CADENCE!"
|
Davesknd
|
1372
| 9 |
Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Comedy,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
Celestial Bodies
|
There are things that will be written into the books of history. These stories will not!
|
incomplete
| 770 | 17 |
<p>Being an immortal goddess and supreme ruler of a nation is stressful. But sometimes you just have to cope with weird things. These are short stories about things that might or might not have happened, but were certainly erased from Equestrian history.</p>
|
teen
|
2014-02-26T04:36:07+00:00
|
2014-02-26T04:48:01+00:00
| 3,408 |
“Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years?” The dark Queen of the Night demanded to know. “Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?”
Suddenly the doors burst open.
“We did!”
Whatever hope of rescue the crowd had, was snuffed out, when they beheld sable robes, adorned with silver moons.
The strangers were many, at least twenty and they wore their determination like a badge of honour.
Well, that and their complete exhaustion. Most were wheezing and panting, as if they had run for a long time.
The one who had spoken, a tall unicorn stallion, slowly approached the dark princess. “We have seen the signs, we have awaited your crown!” he said loudly and got onto his knees as he finished “And we have prepared, my lady! We, the followers of Nightmare Moon, are honored and happy to welcome you back!”
Twilight Sparkle’s head almost exploded. “You have followers?!” she asked loudly.
“I didn’t know that!” Nightmare Moon answered, equally confused.
“During your exile, we have hidden from the eyes of Celestia.” The leader explained loudly “We lived amongst our fellow ponies, waiting, plotting, knowing that one day, you would return to us.” He sighed deeply “And honestly, we almost blew it. Our train was late and we had to run all the way from the station.”
“I told you to arrange for enough seats in the earlier one, but somepony did not listen…” came from somewhere in the ranks of the followers.
“Do not digress!” Nightmare Moon interrupted quickly “You claim to be my followers? You would swear fealty to me, the Mistress of the Night? Then where were you during my rebellion? What have you done while I was chained to the moon, I command?”
“I second that question!” Twilight yelled “How long have you crazy ponies been working against Celestia?”
“Erm… Four years and seven months.” The stallion admitted “But hey, we are almost thirty members by now! We even beat that book club from down the road!”
Several proud stops echoed through the hall. They had little acoustic competition. Most ponies in the hall, including the guards, were too confused, perplexed or busy keeping Pinkie Pie from interrupting the whole thing.
“Very well, my *follower*!” Nightmare Moon spoke with both amusement and arrogance “Entertain our curiosity. How have you prepared for my arrival? Are you aware of what is to come?”
The leader took a deep bow. “May I address your subjects?” he asked carefully.
“You may!” the dark princess answered with a wave of her hoof.
“Citizens of Ponyville!” the stallion announced and turned to the crowd “This summer sun celebration marks the 1000 anniversary of the banishment of the princess of Equestria! A millennium ago, we lost our princess of the night! And for a thousand years, Celestia ruled alone! Until today! For today, the stars themselves returned our just ruler and sovereign, our Lady Nightmare Moon, to us!
From this day on, we shall no longer celebrate the sun, but the return of our ruler! From this day forward, the rule of Nightmare Moon begins and may it last more than a thousand years!
Fear not, my fellow ponies, gryphons, zebras, donkey, cows and I think that over there is some kind of green and purple potato!”
“DRAGON!” An angry dragon proclaimed.
“Sorry! As I said, Fear not, for as much as this is the end of one aera, it marks the beginning of a new one. And we have prepared for everything. The night will last forever and we will prosper under this night!”
“STOP!” Twilight yelled. “This is crazy.
The leader sighed. “Look, Sparkle, Celestia had her turn and she had a good one, she clearly failed to prepare for this day. Otherwise, she would be here, blowing Lady Nightmare Moon up, or something. Just accept that we are at the beginning of a new era and roll with it.”
“But this is crazy! She is an usurper! A traitor to the crown! And she is clearly evil!”
Nightmare Moon was about to retort but the leader of the followers was quicker.
“Yes, yes, all of those things are true.” He answered calmly “At least Milady was at the time of her banishment.” He grabbed into his cloak and pulled out a few pieces of paper. “Now, we ran this through with our law experts and historians and according to them, a usurper ultra vires and, let us take the most extreme, perpetrator of attempted regicide, would be banished for life from the kingdom.”
Twilight nodded triumphantly.
“Now, there was a very interesting clause in the minotaur tolerance patent, section 707.” The stallion continued “Since the life expectancy of minotaurs is much longer than the average pony, princess Celestia set a standard for prison times that takes the length of the average life into account. Part of her reasoning was that if we ever had to sentence a dragon, we had to take their potential age into account.” Beneath the robes, a smile crept onto the stallion’s lips. “Long story short: Milady served her sentence. More than that in fact, since the law had a clause that allowed it to be applied ex post facto. And since her sentence has been carried out completely and without complaints, Milady has to be seen as completely rehabilitated, so would you please not slander your rightful ruler?”
Twilight’s jaw dropped.
And so did Nightmare Moon’s for that matter.
“You can’t be serious.” The student stammered.
“I have the copies here.” The stallion answered smugly “We also looked into Princess Celestia’s title claimants. She never revoked the title of “Princess of the Night”, therefore, it still belongs to Lady Nightmare Moon. In other words, Milady IS our legitimate ruler, even IF Celestia shows up now. Rather, any attempt by Celestia to remove her from office has to be considered an attempt to usurp her title illegitimately. In other words: You fight Milady, you’re the traitor to the crown.”
“bubububub…” the purple unicorn stammered, unable to formulate any coherent sentence.
Behind them, Nightmare Moon broke into maniacal laughter. “MUAHAHAHAAHA! Still hoping I would crawl back to you, Celestia, did you! But you have handed Equestria to me on a silver platter!” Grinning broadly, she addressed her followers “Had I known how useful followers could be, I would have put more effort into it! You have made your Princess very proud. Now let us celebrate my return! And let our enemies howl in despair, for the sun shall never shine again!”
Cheers followed from the followers, interlaced with some confused cheers from some ponies and Pinkie Pie, who was just happy that at least the silly dressed ponies were happy.
Twilight turned to one of the guards. “Can’t you arrest them or something?”
“Sorry, Ma’am, the documents are legit.” The guard answered. “And honestly, if she managed to stand up to Princess Celestia, she would probably whoop us in a few seconds.”
“We guards are mostly here to look good.” The other guard added.
“Yeah, we are basically eye candy for the tourists and the princess.” The first one explained.
“But… my brother is the captain…” Twilight sobbed. She was close to tears now.
“Yeah, only because he is the sexiest of us all…” the first guard answered.
AAAAAAAAHHH
Twilight awoke from the nightmare, her coat soaked in cold sweat. Out of reflex, her horn lit up and she looked around frantically.
“Twilight?” a soft and caring voice asked groggily. “What is it? Did you have a nightmare?”
Her senses finally returned to her and Twilight felt the soft coat of Princess Celestia, the familiar warmth of the royal beds and the sweet familiarity of her lovers embrace.
“Yes, Tia…” she answered slowly and relaxed into her princess’ closeness. “It was terrible…”
“What happened?” Celestia asked softly.
“The followers…” Twilight explained “They came to Nightmare Moon’s arrival… and they… they…” the unicorn dissolved into tears.
“What happened? Did they execute your friends? Did they turn the country into a dictatorship?”
“No!” Twilight wailed loudly. “THEY BEAT ME BY DOING RESEARCH!”
|
Davesknd
|
1372
| 10 |
Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Comedy,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
Celestial Bodies
|
There are things that will be written into the books of history. These stories will not!
|
incomplete
| 770 | 17 |
<p>Being an immortal goddess and supreme ruler of a nation is stressful. But sometimes you just have to cope with weird things. These are short stories about things that might or might not have happened, but were certainly erased from Equestrian history.</p>
|
teen
|
2014-08-29T19:14:34+00:00
|
2014-08-29T19:14:33+00:00
| 2,859 |
The armies had entered the snow filled wastes.
The white mountain sides disappeared under their slow approach and skies had filled with flying units, like they were locust.
There were the Hussaren from Horsetria in their fancy dress uniforms, Parthian archers, from Saddle Arabia, with their simple and mysterious garbs, the knights from Canterlot, proud and staunch and the sky filled with Pegasi and Gryphon Auxilliares, ready to attack.
King Sombra grinned on his balcony, as he saw his enemies approaching. The sisters had called in every ally possible. His victory would be so much sweeter, now that the whole world could witness it.
“SLAVE!” he yelled with a sadistic glee and his eyes burned evilly, as his scribe-slave approached slowly.
“Master?” the crystal pony asked meekly. His hooves were bound by irons and several ink wells and quills were chained to a vice on his neck. He was Sombra’s writing hoof, always ready to put the will of his lord into ink.
“The sisters are approaching. Have the army prepared and the gates opened. We shall meet their force on the icy fields. Their blood shall freeze when it hits the ground!” The tyrant king ordered eagerly. It had been too long since he had last felt the hunger of battle.
“My master, I am but your humble servant and follow every whim of yours… but I can’t do that.” The scribe answered slowly.
“YOU DARE DEFY ME?” Sombra yelled and smashed his hoof down so hard, the crystal of his palace cracked.
“No me lord, forgive me! But I can’t prepare the army, because we don’t have a standing army anymore.” The scribe begged pathetically.
“WHAT?” Sombra screamed.
“You… you ordered the entire Crystal Empire enslaved, my lord!” the scribe explained meekly “Everyone! The stallions, mares, foals, the sick, the wounded, the elderly… basically everyone is either working in the mines or watching the mines.”
Sombra scratched his chin for a moment. “Well, then let half of the army come. Certainly the elderly will not need supervision.”
“No, but we need them to teach the foals. Since everyone is either a slave or an overseer, we have no middle class to provide teachers, scholars or mentors. The elderly are doing hard labor and teaching the foals who are also doing hard labor. That system takes so long to produce skilled workers, our productivity is so low, we had to disband most of the army and enslave them, just to keep the Crystal Empire from going bankrupt.”
Sombra looked down at the smaller stallion in anger. “Why wasn’t I told?” he asked angrily.
“You were, master, but you just ordered me to bring you the crystal heart and threaten the ponies into servitude.”
The tyrant king let out a laugh. “Oh, I remember that day! Their wails and cries of despair tickled the cockles of my heart.”
“And it also halved production, because that completely depressed our overseers, who mostly gave up and began calling in sick. We enslaved them too, but then, we had no more control at all. Now the army is basically in there to keep our slaves from breaking down crying and provides basic health care for the elderly, because otherwise we would completely go down in flames.” The scribe explained.
Sombra nodded calmly. Then he turned back to the approaching army.
“Master?”
“I shall meet our enemy on the field.” He said with an icy cool.
“Alone?”
“Look, you fool, I am a conqueror and warrior, but you clearly see that I suck as an emperor. If I go out and face them alone, I might go down in history as a great and feared conqueror, who died due to his oversized ego.”
“Instead of the sad screw up that you are?”
“Exactly. And you are lucky that I am frozen with fear right now, otherwise, I would smite you!”
|
Davesknd
|
1372
| 11 |
Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Comedy,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
Celestial Bodies
|
There are things that will be written into the books of history. These stories will not!
|
incomplete
| 770 | 17 |
<p>Being an immortal goddess and supreme ruler of a nation is stressful. But sometimes you just have to cope with weird things. These are short stories about things that might or might not have happened, but were certainly erased from Equestrian history.</p>
|
teen
|
2016-04-22T15:10:09+00:00
|
2016-04-22T18:43:06+00:00
| 2,169 |
It was a nice day in the dragon lands and all was good. Princess Ember sat upon her small (by dragon standards) throne, enjoyed a nice pair of rubies and pondered how best to spend this evening. Being a dragon lord was amazing. Not only did everyone do exactly as you asked, dragons in maturity were such isolationists, they hardly ever needed things outside of small disputes and petty quarrels during the migration. So far, Ember had just decided on what kind of gems she would get during annual tribute and that her father's pension should not include any lapis lazuli (at least until he apologized for not getting her a doll for her fourth birthday, the lazy drake!).
Suddenly magic flashed and four giant dragons jumped onto her.
"SECURITY!" Came Ember's muffled scream from below the pile "GET THE SECURITY OFF ME!"
The guards got up and helped the smushed lord up. "I need smaller protectors!" She decided as said guards retreated with apologetic smiles on their faces.
"Oh, it wouldn't help, my dear. What they can't cover in size, they will make up in mass. During our recent assassination attempt, I had 15 of them on me..." The alabaster alicorn that had appeared in the panic inducing flash of magic stated casually. Another, smaller alicorn was beside her, though she was deep blue. "And all because the window cleaner had come early..."
The dragon lord shook her head and looked at the newcomers. "Oh..." she said "You must be the alicorn princesses of Equestria."
"INDEED THAT IS TRUTH!" Luna explained in full Canterlot voice "WE ART THE PROTECTORS OF EQUESTRIA, THE GUARDIANS OF SUN AND MOON AND THY FELLOW ROYALTY! WE HATH COME TO CONGRATULATE THEE FOR THY BECOMING THE NEW DRAGON LORD!"
Ember picked herself off the ground. She had not expected to be knocked over by the sheer voice of a pony. "Very nice to meet you, I guess." She answered, her ears ringing slightly. "What brings you princesses here?"
"Oh, hasn't old Torch told you?" Celesstia asked with a smile "He can be such a goof. I bet he instantly went on a vacation after the scepter was gone... probably in a huge lava lake with a stash of lapis lazuli in on claw and your mother in the other..."
Ember shook with disgust at the picture. "No, he didn't tell me much. Anyways, why are you here?"
"Oh, we visit every dragon lord after they have had a chance to settle in. You know, we get to know each other, talk official things..." Celestia explained cheerfully.
"I see..." Ember answered carefully. While this pony was bigger than her, she was smaller than father. Why would she know him so... well. "If this is about tribute or begging not to be conquered, don't worry, I won't ask anything of you. I won't be a bully."
Luna covered her mouth as she let out a very small giggle. Celestia's features remained calm. "Oh, that is very good to hear. I wish your father was this diplomatic on our first meeting. Gosh, I still remember him screaming at me how I should submit and prepare to be crushed under his claw and such... hillarious in retrospect."
"What?" Ember deadpanned.
"You see, most dragon lords instantly plan to enslave basically everything around the dragon lands when they get into power." Celestia said with a gentle smile. "Posturing and laughing and being completely enraptured with their own sense of importance. You should have seen your father, dear, he was poofing his chest out so much, it entered his cave an hour before the rest of him. Adorable..."
Suddenly Princess Luna leaned over to her sister. "Sis, can I go first this time?"
"Oh, of course, Luna." Celestia said with a smile "I simply adore how melodramatic you can be..."
Luna let out a small squee and made a step forward. "LORD OF THE DRA-"
"Please, no more shouting!" Ember yelled "I won't hear your sister's proposal if you deafen me first!"
The moon princess pouted. "Fine... Dragon lord Ember. I am Luna, the princess of the night, guide of the moon and maiden of sleep. I watch over the realm of dreams and rest, guiding all sentient creatures through its tides."
Ember nodded. She had heard her father say that dreaming used to be way more fun a thousand years ago and ever since that thing on the moon was gone, things seemed to work out better indeed.
"And while I take a neutral stance in this duty, never chosing to ignore the needs of anyone due to their nature, alignment or any other reason, I do care about the subjects in the waking world. You can not directly control all dragons in the world, that is their nature..."
The sky darkened suddenly.
"BUT should you ever ORDER your dragons to hurt my little ponies..."
Shadows became longer and seemed to grow claws.
"Then you and your people shall not know a peaceful night of rest again! I have seen into the dreams of the twisted and the deranged, I wandered the realms of nightmares and trust me, I have looked into the abyss. I can create creatures who only live to torture the dreaming. To make each night a living hell. And you will live through things that would kill you in the real world. Not your scales, not your fire and not your claws will save you for in the dreaming, you are MINE!"
The darkness retreated and the everything was normal again.
"But do not worry about it, you had no intention to hurt anypony anyways..."
Ember slowly crawled out from behind her throne, her whole body trembling, her eyes wide and her wings stuck firmly to her back. And the had thought that GETTING the scepter was scary...
"Very impressive Luna... you never cease to amaze me. A little melodramatic in the end though..." Celestia added with a gentle giggle.
"It's a gift..."
"Anyways, dragon lord Ember, I am Celestia, Princess of the sun, ruler of Equestria and guider of- I think you get it. Let me be quick... The sun is hot. Very hot." Celestia said, her smile never wavering "So hot in fact, it is beyond our regular terran physical states. If I ever had a reason, I might just pull it a little closer and suddenly an entire kingdom evaporates, no matter how though their scales are. And I could even break off a hoof-full, which would to just as much to singular targets. Why, one would need an entire legion of slaves to abuse my good nature to ever consider waging war against us..."
"I get it." Ember responded.
"We are very glad. Sorry to just appear like that and surprise you." Celestia added smiling "Now.. We won't take up any more of your time. Feel free to send us as many letters as you want. I like to keep in touch with my allies. And tell your father that I said hello. AND Knight from E4 to F6. Spares me a letter. Have a wonderful day..."
"That move will ruin your game, Tia. Take hi-"
A flash of magic and the two ponies were gone.
Ember was silent for a long time, staring ahead, understanding... understanding a lot.
|
Davesknd
|
1372
| 12 |
Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Comedy,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
Celestial Bodies
|
There are things that will be written into the books of history. These stories will not!
|
incomplete
| 770 | 17 |
<p>Being an immortal goddess and supreme ruler of a nation is stressful. But sometimes you just have to cope with weird things. These are short stories about things that might or might not have happened, but were certainly erased from Equestrian history.</p>
|
teen
|
2016-04-26T17:27:13+00:00
|
2016-04-26T18:09:16+00:00
| 2,057 |
Seven minutes after six.
Seven minutes ago, day court had ended, night court was about to begin and Phalanx, proud guardian of Princess Celestia and possibly future captain of the royal guard was exiting the showers. He had a smile on his face, seeing how his marefriend was about to end her shift as well and they would have a wonderful date in the movie theater in a short while. He quickly dried himself, eager to drag her into the next monster movie and enjoy himself some rubber costumes and tons of slime, while she would do her best to act as if she was not enjoying herself. Poor Dusty and her desperate claim to dignity. Both of them knew that she had been having a poster of "Swamp Thingie: The Swampening Swampiness" on her wall long before he dragged her into their first creature feature. Just embrace the camp and enjoy the fact that the goo on film was not nearly as sticky as the changeling goo Phalanx had been covered with once.
As he looked upon himself in the mirror, he noticed a few blonde hairs sprouting from the white coat on his chin. Maybe he should shave before the date...
He was getting his shaving equipment ready as a voice from behind startled him. "Hey there, handsome and wet!"
He turned, only to see his girlfriend, the most adorable maid in all of Canterlot, Dusty Feathers, standing in the door, still clad in her maid uniform and holding her stalwart feather duster. "Love, what are you doing in here?" Phalanx asked quickly. He knew that he was alone in the showers but he was pretty sure that she didn't know that.
"Relax..." Dusty answered "If anyone comes, I'll just pretend that I was cleaning up. I just wanted to give you a kiss before freshening up for our date." She pouted slightly and fluttered her eyelashes "Is that so wrong?"
"You are incorrigible!" Phalanx giggled.
"And that's why you love me!" Dusty rebutted and approached him. She rested her duster on the basin and leaned in to kiss Phalanx. The two gave each other a few more pecks before Dusty pulled back. "I'll be with you in ten minutes... don't run off!" she said happily and grabbed her duster. Sadly, she grabbed it a bit too carelessly and knocked Phalanx' straight razor off the basin. "Sorry!"
"It's fine, love, let me-"
"No, I'll get it!" Dusty interrupted and grabbed the razor-blade with one hoof. Her eyes went wide. "Wait, this thing is completely dull! How do you cut anything with that?" she asked loudly and suddenly something else grabbed her attention. "And how do you shave your beard without shaving your coat off? And why does it have the colour of your mane and not the colour of you coat? That all makes no-"
She was interrupted as Phalanx grabbed the bottle of shaving foam and sprayed it into her face. But instead of foam, a pink cloud filled her nostrils. Dusty shook her head and her eyes began to lose focus. A heartbeat later, she fell to the ground, sleeping deeply. Phalanx took the small mirror in his shaving kit and twisted a small switch under theinlay. The mirror turned white with the exception of one small black pupil that looked at him grimly. "What is it?" a voice snarled from the mirror.
"Lord Magnet! My girlfriend almost figured out our secret! I will have to use the dust of forgetfulness on her!"
"Understood! I will send you enough to refill your kit! Don't let her come close to the truth again. We can't let those girls know the truth about our gooooorgeous facial hair!"
"I know, sir. Phalanx out!"
"Toodles!"
Phalanx sighed and took a small bag of grey dust from the kit and measured it. He was about to sprinkle it on Dusty's face as a loud voice harrumphed behind him. He turned and looked into the questioning eyes of Princess Luna. "My Princess!" Phalanx exclaimed "I... can..." His hoof slowly moved toward the foam bottle, but Luna interrupted him.
"Don't even try it." Luna sighed "Are all stallions in Equestria still conspiring about their facial hair?"
Phalanx sighed. "Yes... we kinda are."
"Thousands of years and it is still the dumbest conspiracy on the planet!" Luna groaned loudly "Can't you all just admit that Starswirl the Bearded screwed up his biggest spell and cursed all stallions forever to silly facial hair? And now you have to remove it with magic."
"NEVER!" Phalanx stressed defiantly "Silly facial hair is our burden and our responsibility and we will endure it alone! Lord Magnet has been providing us with the means to remove it and keep our conspiracy up!" He sighed "And I'm sorry, Princess, but it's kinda all we have! With the exception of Starswirl and Sombra, the history books are exclusively full of mares! We had hope that Shining Armor would be a stallion to mention, but he mostly gets rescued and now he is probably gonna stay at home to raise his daughter. Let us at least have our conspiracy."
Luna shook her head. "Fine, but it is still idiotic. Now mind-wipe your marefriend and carry on. Having a mare passed out on the guard's locker room could be misunderstood."
She turned to leave the two, muttering about stallions and their low-self esteem.
|
Davesknd
|
1372
| 13 |
Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Comedy,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
Celestial Bodies
|
There are things that will be written into the books of history. These stories will not!
|
incomplete
| 770 | 17 |
<p>Being an immortal goddess and supreme ruler of a nation is stressful. But sometimes you just have to cope with weird things. These are short stories about things that might or might not have happened, but were certainly erased from Equestrian history.</p>
|
teen
|
2016-10-22T22:54:56+00:00
|
2016-10-22T22:54:56+00:00
| 1,880 |
*Spoilers for the FInale! Get out and watch if you haven't yet!*
Queen Chrysalis sat upon her throne of evil. Four princesses, one guard and five ponies hung from her ceiling, savely tugged away in cocoons. She could not help bug let out a cackle of delight. This was her moment! Her triumph! Her-
Suddenly the communication beetles went off.
The queen of changeling sighed and waited as the web formed. What was it this time?
Princess Celestia's face appeared inside of the orb. Panic twisted her features and sweat was dripping off her brow.
"Mask? What is it?" Chrysalis hissed. "This better be a report on when the first shipment of love is coming!"
"My queen! We need help!" the false Celestia yelped.
"Did they discover you? Are you not my best infiltrator?"
"No, we are still hidden, but this is getting too intese!" Mask gasped. "Those ponies, they keep giving us these orders and edicts to sign and we have no idea what to do!" A scroll levitated ontot he screen. "Like here! Taxation on imported oats! Is that important? Should we raise it? I have no idea! And they want it until tomorrow!"
"MASK!" Crysalis yelled "I am a queen with unquestioning authority over a philiovore species! Do you think I have any idea about currency or agriculture?" She brushed a hoof "Just improvise in a way that makes you the most beloved."
"Fine that, but can you please send at least three more so we can do shifts?" Mask begged "I looked through Celestia's schedule and that pony is mad! Mad I tell you! Court on seven days a week with TEN HOURS of work! This pony has no idea how to delegate! Just giving you this call means that i have probably caused four strikes and worsened our relationship with Zebragascar!"
"Mask, I'm sure we-" Chrysalis began, but a flicker in the orb caught her attention. "Wait I get another transmission! Hang on!"
The orb flickered again and suddenly, Princess Cadance was on screen.
"What is it?" Chrysalis demanded
"We have a problem!" Fake Cadance yelled "This orange guy is getting suspicious of Trachea!"
"Trachea is our best baby impersonator! Why would anypony get suspicious of her?"
"Well, she isn't used to impersonating a baby for such a long time in one sitting! And now its getting suspicious that she is still using the same diaper as when she started!" The changeling explained. "The guy is feeding her prunes and giving her belly massages! This can't be good for her sanity, my queen!"
The queen slowly began to massage her forehead. "I suddenly remember why I personally replaced the victim last time!" she hissed.
The screen flickered again. This time a fake Fluttershy appeared
"MY QUEEN! HAVE YOU EVER DELIVERED A PUPPY?"
|
Davesknd
|
1372
| 14 |
Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Comedy,Random,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
Celestial Bodies
|
There are things that will be written into the books of history. These stories will not!
|
incomplete
| 770 | 17 |
<p>Being an immortal goddess and supreme ruler of a nation is stressful. But sometimes you just have to cope with weird things. These are short stories about things that might or might not have happened, but were certainly erased from Equestrian history.</p>
|
teen
|
2018-03-25T13:29:22+00:00
|
2018-03-26T12:05:31+00:00
| 1,261 |
A portal tore through reality. Magical flames licked through the darkness. Slowly, a tall and gaunt stallion walked through, spite and anger on his face.
"Foolish princesses..." he muttered "How dare- WAH!"
A beam of bright light tore Chancelor Naysay out of his thoughts. Somepony had removed all the curtains within the Equestrian Educational Society. There were also several new flowerpots, ribbons and flags with rainbows.
"What is going on here?" The unicorn demanded to know.
"Hi uncle!" an cheery voice called out "Awwww! You copied my manestyle!"
"Oh goodness, NO!" the Chancellor groaned "Autumn, what in the name of Tartarus are you doing here?"
"He is here on my order!" A cold and calm voice said from behind Naysay.
The Chancellor turned around, coming face to face with the princess of the night. His eyes narrowed. "And what would that order be? What exactly is my educationally impaired relative supposed to do here? And why are there useless trinkets and the like around?"
"Well, Chancellor, recently the activities of this board came to our attention and to our great chagrin, we found a few complaints." Luna said calmly "First and foremost, it is rather worrying that your school board's office is more sinister and imposing than the headquarters of the Followers of Nightmare Moon has ever been. Therefore, we have decided to check and improve the working conditions of your employees."
"You know, Nany, a few flowers, some light, maybe a few foal-pictures. Things that say school and not torture dungeon." Autumn said happily "Don't worry about the robes, though, those are awesome!"
"Don't call me Nany, you're not a foal anymore!" Naysay said harshly and stepped up to Luna "And what gives you any right to burst into my halls and change anything?"
"Well, the state off Equestria does employ you, doesn't it?" Luna asked.
"Yes, so?"
"So, We decided to go on an unscheduled evaluation tour and you can believe this: We are not please with the results!" The Princess stated matter-of-factly "Autumn, please!"
The cultist nodded and produced a clipboard. "You see, we found several issues with the basic health and safety precautions."
"What?"
"First: High risk of eye-strain due to bad lighting. You might not notice, but half of your staff are using contact lenses or glasses. Those little reading lights are also much more expensive and wasteful than... you know... windows." Autumn stated neutrally "Construction will begin soon. We'll tear out a few walls, put in some good windows, maybe an additional chandelier and that's done with."
"You're kidding!" Naysay hissed
"Second: New seats. These high and imposing consoles and lecterns look good when you're dealing with convicts, but we found them to be very dangerous. Earth ponies and unicorns can fall off, dropped writing utensils would break, petitioners get cramped necks. We'll rip those out and give you proper desks. And ergonomic sitting balls! Yours is gonna be pink. That's your favourite colour, right?"
"What? Well, yes, but-"
"Third-"
"STOP!" Naysay yelled "What is this supposed to be? Princess, this is obviously a vindictive action for-"
"Are you suggesting that we have ulterior motives, Naysay?" Luna said coldly.
"This is about Twilight Sparkle's school, is it? Well, two can play that game! I will unlist Celestia's school as well! Then I-"
"Why, Chancellor Naysay, did you recently inspect the School for Gifted Unicorns and found it lacking?" The Princess of the moon asked with a hint of mocked surprise.
"Well, no, but-"
"Well, your staff has. And they found the school to be in top condition and rated it with the highest marks. Very recently in fact. They state that the school is teaching and functioning by the book." Luna stated and suddenly her voice became icy "Unlike your institution, which apparently thinks it is above simple health and safety regulations!"
"But-"
"Consider yourself officially reprimanded! Autumn will come here periodically to oversee the proceedings. The crown expects this building to become a healthy, inviting and happy office, worthy of the Equestrian ideal of Harmony!" Luna declared.
"But!"
"Don't worry, uncle!" Autumn said with a much too wide grin and began to pull Naysay with him. Something in his eyes seemed to scream of a thousand missing Hearth Warming Eve presents. "I've already found the most adorable set of protective covers for all your documents. You like puce, don't you? And then there are a few bunny-shaped perforators and just the perfect colour of laced curtains for your personal office! Come, I'll show you!"
Luna watched quietly as her follower dragged a trembling Naysay away and a small pang of guilt hit her stomach. Evil did run in this family.
|
Pascoite
|
1377
| 1 |
Discord,Main 6,Sweetie Belle,Trixie,Dark,Drama,Sad,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
A New Harmony
|
Discord is up for a rematch, with some serious mind games, and a divide-and-conquer strategy.
|
complete
| 33 | 3 |
<p>Twilight Sparkle has defeated Discord, but she lacked the discipline to do a proper job of it. He's ready for a rematch, but he's recruited three ponies to be his unwitting minions, and nopony will know he's behind it until it's too late. Everypony is in for some serious mind games.</p>
|
teen
|
2011-10-13T00:04:01+00:00
|
2013-02-24T01:51:38+00:00
| 3,659 |
Another summer in Ponyville. Another dark summer. No matter. There had been many dark days before now, but it’s bearable when the end is in sight. All the ruckus at the Grand Galloping Gala had weakened this prison considerably, and the childish squabbling of those three stupid fillies had finished the job. My freedom proved to be short-lived, however. The fault is my own, as I never considered that juvenile upstart Twilight powerful enough to command the Elements of Harmony. I was half right. She could control the power well enough to trap me, but only just. She lacks focus yet, and her effort was sadly lacking. These walls are tantalizingly thin, and restrict only physical movement. They can’t contain my mind. But best not to play my hand too quickly.
The Elements are still out there after all, but wielded now by those weaklings. The Princesses – now there were formidable adversaries, but they’re irrelevant now – control the power no more. And while Twilight’s friendships have become the source of that power, they are also its greatest weakness. Only one need be corrupted. Going after all six last time was a grave miscalculation. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Perhaps a bit of organization is needed, to take a page from Twilight’s playbook.
First order of business: acquire an underling to do my dirty work for me, and take the fall, if necessary. I can stay confined for the time being, and avoid raising any suspicions.
Second: another layer of defense, a distraction to keep Twilight and her meddlers occupied. Keeping them out of my hair would be a wise precaution, and it will be fun to see them scurrying about on foal’s errands.
Finally, a point to prove. Twilight’s friends, those preposterous little simpletons! Applejack’s wretched honesty, Rarity’s pathetic generosity, Rainbow Dash’s useless loyalty, Pinkie’s chaotic… actually, there’s a filly after my own heart. That half-wit Twilight was the most laughable of all! I’d done nothing, nothing, and she’d folded of her own accord! How delicious! But the last one, Fluttershy and her sickening kindness, was different. I couldn’t turn her. Only the brute force approach sufficed. Most unsatisfying! That will have to be rectified, of course. This is a matter of pride.
Wonderful! Now I’ve got my little chess pieces assembled. The disciple, the outcast, and the traitor. Who to fill the first two roles? Decisions, decisions… But the third is clear. Fluttershy. This is going to be fun. I will break her.
|
Pascoite
|
1377
| 2 |
Discord,Main 6,Sweetie Belle,Trixie,Dark,Drama,Sad,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
A New Harmony
|
Discord is up for a rematch, with some serious mind games, and a divide-and-conquer strategy.
|
complete
| 33 | 3 |
<p>Twilight Sparkle has defeated Discord, but she lacked the discipline to do a proper job of it. He's ready for a rematch, but he's recruited three ponies to be his unwitting minions, and nopony will know he's behind it until it's too late. Everypony is in for some serious mind games.</p>
|
teen
|
2011-10-16T22:54:17+00:00
|
2013-02-24T01:53:45+00:00
| 4,303 |
Sweetie Belle panted in the summer heat as she rested just outside the Carousel Boutique. It was actually cooler out here. Rarity was in panic mode inside, running every iron, presser, and sewing machine in the place in a mad dash to fill an order for something or other. Sweetie Belle needed the break, as all morning she’d been assisting her big sister Rarity as best she could, which was frustratingly limited. She had labored for years under the assumption that her hidden talents would be related to Rarity’s mastery of all things fashion, but while she was a perfectly adequate helper and could produce quality work, she lacked artistic vision and the ability to handle the more complex projects.
Even worse, she felt utterly alone. The second anniversary of the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ founding was nearing, but the members had been gradually losing their enthusiasm for it. For a while, they had believed all the talk about their blank flanks being an exciting source of potential, but month after month of wasted effort had eventually led to discouragement and half-hearted participation. The club couldn’t even meet these days, and that was probably going to be its death knell. They would likely not resume when school started again in the fall. Scootaloo was off at flight school for the summer. Pegasus ponies almost always had a cutie mark related to flying, so of course she’d return with one. Apple Bloom was spending the summer working her relatives’ farm in Apple-loosa. The entire family had apple cutie marks. Obviously, her talent lay there, and that much dedicated labor would surely produce the coveted insignia. Which just left Sweetie Belle, her boring, lonely summer, her dead-end job, her blank flank, and her self-pity.
She let out a deep sigh, and directed a pleading look up at the sky. Imploring the cosmos to intervene on her behalf had never worked before, but it didn’t require much effort either. “With my luck, my cutie mark will be the special talent to go through life without a cutie mark,” she thought. She had experienced a growth spurt during the spring, and looked older than the other two Crusaders, so her featureless coat looked even more out of place these days.
“Oh, Sweetie Beeeeeelle!” came a sing-song voice from inside. “Do be a dear, and help me lay out these fabric patterns. Hoity Toity wants these all finished by tomorrow, and of course I only have four hooves, and… Oh, Opalescence, that is NOT A SCRATCHING POST!”
Sweetie Belle trudged back inside and numbed herself to the feeling of monotony that had been all too prevalent of late. “Oh well, another day closer to… to what?” she muttered under her breath. “To another day, I suppose.”
--------
Sweetie Belle tossed and turned that night. Considering her mood, it hadn’t been unusual lately, but she had a strange feeling tonight. There were tendrils of consciousness wriggling at the edges of her thoughts, but they stayed maddeningly out of reach. She instinctively reached out with her magic, as Twilight had begun teaching her some basic spells. In her state of half-sleep, she imagined that she was expanding her mind to meet the intrusion and determine its nature, but it drew back whenever she tried. Her defensive posture gradually relaxed as the last vestiges of her resolve and wakefulness faded.
She suddenly found herself alert and in an endless void. The floor was gray and featureless, with a dim ashy light from no discernable source. The weak glow did little to pierce the lugubrious and constricting atmosphere. Little by little, she began to perceive a faint whispering from the inky darkness. It was unintelligible, but somewhat familiar. As it slowly gained in volume, she began to squint into the distance to catch a glimpse of what was approaching. Despite the eerie setting, she felt oddly calm. This was obviously a dream.
-Boo!-
The suddenly clear voice came from right next to her ear, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. She rapidly whipped her head around, but saw nothing. She began to cower, casting her gaze all around in an effort to identify its source. Now the voice returned, seemingly coming from all around her.
-Sorry for the theatrics, my dear, but I simply can’t resist drama.-
She opened her mouth soundlessly, and tried to stammer something, but the voice anticipated her thoughts.
-Oh, this is no dream, my pretty little pony.-
It now took on a wheedling and pouty tone.
-Ahh, never fear, there’s no reason to be in such a state.-
The voice turned suddenly stern and somber.
-On the contrary, I bear good news. I’m the best thing that’s ever happened to you.-
“But… but…,” she managed.
-Tut, tut. I have the stage. You remember me, of course? Good. I know you and your little friends felt responsible for freeing me. Pity. To carry that guilt for so long… But you have a grain of truth there, my perceptive little filly! Only, it was not your little band of misfits that unlocked that particular dungeon. It was you. Just you.-
“No, Discord!” she shouted. “Everypony knows you feed on conflict! I couldn’t have done it myself! I accept responsibility for whatever part I played, but you make it sound like I did it on purpose!”
-Oho, you've grown quite bold since we last met! How precious! But, getting back to the point… There’s more than one way to skin a cat, as they say (“they” being anypony other than Fluttershy, I suppose), and you have a rather rare gift, my perfectly precocious pony!
“Gift?” Sweetie Belle was incredulous. “I’ve spent the last two years finding out that I don’t have one!”
-I'm getting to that. You see, I am rather ancient, from before the time of Celestia and Luna. There were very powerful beings in that time. I suppose you’d categorize us as demons, for lack of a better word. Most have moved along. I, however, find Equestria so entertaining, and blessed this land with my wisdom.-
Sweetie Belle could almost hear his self-important grin. "Yes, we appreciated that."
-But, I digress. I didn’t escape because of your petty arguments. I escaped simply because you were near. While the feeble creatures that pass for demons these days are like insignificant ants compared to me, I do share some characteristics with them. Like a compulsion to serve one who has the appropriate talents. That’s where you come in. You are scarcest of the scarce, a Demon Master, and your mere presence gave me the strength to break free.-
Sweetie Belle’s mind raced. She only heard about half of what the voice was telling her, but she caught enough to understand where this was going. “A Demon Master?” she said doubtfully. “Assuming I believe you, why are you telling me this? I know you well enough to be certain you’ve got something to gain. Not interested.”
-Hear me out. I’ve been defeated twice now, and am resigned to the fact that it would happen again. But I’ve turned over a new leaf! I’m a changed draconequus! In short, I’d rather be relatively free in service to you than confined interminably. I think it’s a fair bargain.-
Sweetie Belle mulled this over for a moment. She decided to probe a bit further and try to tease out Discord’s motive. “Okay, but what do I get in return? I’ve never even heard of a Demon Master before. And I don’t believe for a second that the Princesses would allow it.”
-Always the loyal subject. But the risk is all mine. I can assist you from a distance, and it will be entirely your choice if and when to release me from my prison. But more importantly… this is your purpose. I can sense it in you. It is your unique ability. Throw it away if you like, but be sure you fully understand what that means.-
“You mean… this is … my talent? How I get my cutie mark?” she quavered.
-Comprehension dawns, yes? I can sense magical abilities. Usually they’re something inconsequential, but you’re one of the few that has ever been interesting. Go on, give it a try.-
She stood silently for a moment, unsure of what to do. Presently she found her voice, but with some trepidation. “Discord, I… I command you to leave me!” she said uncertainly.
-Oh, come on. Say it like you mean it. But something a little less confrontational this time, maybe? After all, I can’t help you if I’m not here.-
After considering this briefly, Sweetie Belle more confidently said, “Discord, I command you to finish Rarity’s work for her, so she can get some rest!”
-You really are unimaginative, aren’t you? Very well.-
She found herself standing in the Carousel Boutique’s darkened work area, a soft glow of moonlight streaming through the windows, with all of the finished orders hanging neatly on the racks. While trying to determine if she’d actually been transported there, or was just being shown a vision, she began to notice a slight itching on her side. Jerking her head around, she stared at the blood-red spot on her side, shimmering in the darkness, as it traced out a pattern. It left its distinctive color behind as it traversed lines over her skin, lines that continued to glow faintly, even after they were completed. In the end, the symbol was a softly luminescent pentacle. Her heart leapt when she saw it, the long-awaited fulfillment of her most desperate desires! Her cutie mark, her life’s purpose! She quickly suppressed her elation as much as she could, with her distrust of Discord still lingering in the back of her mind.
-There, that wasn’t so hard, was it? I trust this proves at least that part of what I’ve said. And the rest is entirely up to you.-
Sweetie Belle stood for a long time in silence. Finally, she ventured, “So I don’t have to let you out until I’m convinced this is for real? Or never, if that’s my choice?”
-Technically, yes, but you do yourself a disservice. You couldn’t choose that. Think of all the good you could do with my power at your command.-
After another long and thoughtful pause: “Okay, but if this thing’s not there anymore when I wake up, deal’s off. I won’t agree to anything until then.”
-I wouldn’t expect anything less. But first, some ground rules. The game must have rules, yes? I must stress how exceedingly rare your gift is. You could literally count on one hoof the number of other ponies who have manifested it in the last thousand years. The other, the poor wretch, had no self-control and went about flaunting his skills in public, a public which feared and misunderstood. His lack of discretion earned him an assassin’s blade, on direct orders of Celestia, I might add.-
-So, secrecy is rule one. Tell no pony, show no pony, or it’s your own skin you risk. You’ll need to do something to hide that mark. Once your talent is fully developed, you can demonstrate it to Celestia and pray she doesn’t consider it dangerous. Or you can keep it secret and explain it away as unicorn magic. Either way, with your capabilities, you stand to be lauded as a hero.-
-The second rule is to acquire insurance. We will need one of the Elements. I suggest the crown of Magic, as it’s the rarest. Unfortunately, I can’t help you with this task, since I currently suffer from the handicap of being unable to move. You’ll have to stow it away for safekeeping. Without it, they won’t be able to stop you from perfecting your art. Hide it somewhere without telling me, if you still distrust me.-
The last few sentences began to fade as she returned to natural sleep, but Sweetie Belle had listened intently. After her presence and the workroom scene had dispelled, only the voice was left in the darkness.
-My first play, and not a bad one. Checkmate in four moves, Celestia. Heh, heh, heh…-
--------
Sweetie Belle awoke slowly from one of the better sleeps she’d had recently. She lay motionless for a while and enjoyed the feeling of being rested for a change. Yawn. Stretch. She rolled out of bed and noticed the smell of breakfast wafting up from the kitchen. As she descended the stairs into the workroom, she casually glanced around to see what the weather was like this morning. Her gaze passing over the outgoing orders racks, she froze as a chill went through her body. The racks were full, the work complete!
She quickly looked back along each of her sides, seeing the lightly phosphorescent, deep red pentacles. She gasped sharply, and backed against the wall. Hearing this, Rarity headed toward the workroom, levitating a tray of apple-cinnamon oatmeal for both of them. As her sister entered the room, Sweetie Belle began to panic. She stayed where she was, against the wall near the bottom of the stairs, and kept maneuvering to face her sister directly, minimizing the view of her flanks.
Rarity craned her neck around slightly, catching a glimpse of dark red, and said, “Why, whatever is that on you? Have you injured yourself?”
The younger pony was momentarily dumbstruck, but then mumbled a quick, “Yeah, be right back,” and reversed up the stairs, continuing to keep her sides as obscured as possible. Once out of view, she dashed into Rarity’s washroom.
“My word, we must get you down to Nurse Redheart straightaway!” came the voice from downstairs, laden with concern.
“No, no, it’s okay!” Sweetie Belle answered. “It’s nothing. I’m just going to put a bandage on it.” She rummaged through Rarity’s vanity and seized on a box of adhesive bandages. It took four of them to cover each mark entirely, but she could still see the soft glow through them. She pulled them back off, and desperately rifled through the cabinet of makeup. A bottle of foundation eventually bobbed to the surface. Her coat was a close enough match to her sister’s. This would work! She dabbed some on her side and smeared it over her cutie mark. She smiled, satisfied. It would only be visible if somepony looked closely. As she breathed a sigh of relief, the makeup began to turn brown and flake off.
The voice from downstairs returned. “Is everything alright up there, dear? You’ve been up there a while.” Hearing no response, Rarity continued, “If you’re looking for the bandages, the small adhesives are in the lower left drawer, and the larger gauze ones are underneath.”
Sweetie Belle lunged back toward the box of bandages she had first tried, and dug below them, producing the larger package. She taped one over the mark on her left side and waited a minute. It seemed to be doing the job. She added one to her other side, tidied up, and went back downstairs, still being careful to expose only one of her sides to Rarity’s view. If her sister noticed they were on both sides, it would be difficult to explain.
“I thought it was on the other… oh, never mind,” said Rarity. “Thank you very much for finishing the work last night. I thought you’d gone to bed, dear. I didn’t think you had it in you!”
“It wasn’t me,” replied Sweetie Belle. “You must have worked so late that you don’t remember.”
Rarity conceded, “I guess so! Well, we can deliver these to Canterlot, then take a few days off. Eat your oatmeal, dear, it’s getting cold.”
--------
Later in the day, Sweetie Belle sneaked back into the workroom. She couldn’t risk anypony seeing the twin bandages, and the pentacles were starting to burn through, leaving a light brown char on the outermost layer of gauze. She retrieved her Cutie Mark Crusaders cape from her room, and brought it down to the workroom. It didn’t fit properly anymore, and needed to be lengthened. In a moment of inspiration, she also realized that she’d have to add a hood. She couldn’t take the chance that somepony would notice the glow underneath, especially if it were night, and recognize her face. The patch on it would also have to go, as too many ponies would recall it.
With Rarity out making the delivery, she had plenty of time to work uninterrupted. She finished in less than an hour, and tried on her revised cloak in front of the large mirror. It would work perfectly! It covered both of her sides nicely, but still hung out far enough from her coat that she thought it wouldn’t be affected like the bandages and makeup were. A few uneventful hours later, her assumption was confirmed.
--------
The next morning, Sweetie Belle once again descended the stairs for breakfast, with more confidence this time, and with her new cloak draped over her, the hood down. However, she was treated to yet another surprise: there stood Discord in the middle of the workroom. Panicked, she hissed, “How did you get out?” knowing that Rarity might overhear if she didn’t keep quiet.
“Oh, relax,” he replied. “This is just an image. A projection, if you will. I’d explain the principles behind the hippomorphism of abstract concepts, but only Twilight Sparkle could possibly find that interesting. We have work to do. I like the fashion sense, by the way.”
Hearing her sister, Rarity came through the doorway. “Good morning!” she sung. “I thought I heard you in here. Why ever are you wearing that thing? Not bad, but an odd choice for this weather.”
Sweetie Belle grimaced as Rarity walked right into Discord, but she passed through him. Discord grinned from ear to ear and stuck his head down inside Rarity’s, making her appear to have three horns. “Hmm, surprisingly little in here,” he deadpanned. “Don’t worry, she can’t hear me either,” he reassured, straightening up.
“I just want to create a different look. Something to set me apart,” explained Sweetie Belle.
“Well, you’ve certainly done that,” Rarity answered. “I’m here if you want any help with it. Remember, we need to start on the next order soon, but we have the rest of the week off. I’ll be at my spa appointment if you need me.” She walked out the front door.
“I thought she’d never leave,” said Discord. “Come along, students. We’re going on a field trip. Time is precious, and we need to get you trained.” He led Sweetie Belle through the town and into the Everfree Forest.
It was a long walk, and she had plenty of time to think. She couldn’t believe it had finally happened! Her cutie mark! The enormity of it weighed on her, but she was ecstatic. She felt like she was going to overflow! A song welled up within her heart, and she began humming an opening passage. She opened her mouth to sing.
“Oh, please!” interrupted Discord. “We don’t have time for that. We’re here.” They found a clearing well away from the road where they wouldn’t be disturbed.
“Lesson one,” began Discord authoritatively. He donned a pair of half-moon glasses and produced a poster of the forest’s monsters. “Know what you’re dealing with. All of the strange beasties in the forest are a combination of animal and demon. The more non-animal traits they have, the more demonic they are. For example, the manticore is composed of parts of normal animals, and has the abilities of normal animals. As such, it is only a small part demon. Conversely, the ursa major has a body made of the night sky. Very supernatural, lots of demon.” He indicated each in turn with a wooden pointer.
“How do you…” began Sweetie Belle.
“Raise your hoof, please,” came the stern rebuke.
She raised a foreleg.
“Questions? Any? No?”
She waggled her hoof insistently.
“Ah, yes, a question in the back?”
“How do you tell when a creature looks animal but has demon powers?”
“Knowledge or experience,” replied Discord. “The best way is to know beforehand. I’m sure your dear friend Twilight can lend you a book on the subject. The alternative is to see how obedient the creature in question is when you ask it to please stop mauling you.”
A nervous expression crossed Sweetie Belle’s face. “Shouldn’t I have studied that before coming out here?”
“Never fear,” Discord reassured her. “I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. Besides, I doubt it will matter. None of these creatures will be able to resist you. Just be prepared for the relative effort required.” He paused to let the lesson sink in. “Now, try it out. Imagine you’re broadcasting your thoughts throughout the forest. Order whatever can hear you to come here. Do it with confidence. Don’t let there be any doubt that your commands must be obeyed.”
She was silent for a while and did as he asked. She closed her eyes and concentrated. After a few minutes, she heard a rustling at the edge of the clearing. A harpy hopped out of the trees, and stood there, watchful. It looked like a large vulture, but walked upright, and had a strange, wrinkled, apelike face.
“What next?” Sweetie Belle asked, looking over at Discord.
“Careful!” he said, quickly but softly. “Maintain your concentration. Now make it do something.”
The harpy obeyed as Sweetie Belle instructed it to fly in circles above the clearing, retrieve a rock from the river, and return to perch in a nearby tree. It sat there expectantly, awaiting the next command. “Was that good?” she asked.
“Yes, very,” Discord responded. “But I have an idea. Make it fly up to those low clouds there.” Once she had complied, he continued, “Now make it fly back down here as fast as it can.” The harpy began to dive as soon as Sweetie Belle spoke the order. As it gained speed, Sweetie Belle waited, seemingly too long. She began to worry that it wouldn’t be able to pull out of the dive in time. Still, she waited for Discord to say something. Finally, she couldn’t hold back.
“Stop!” she yelled. The harpy hovered within a few feet of the ground. “Weren’t you going to tell me to stop it?” she asked, her voice breaking.
“Of course not,” he retorted coldly, as if it had never even occurred to him to do so. “Why would I? It would have killed you without a second thought, given the chance. Why should you treat it any differently?”
“I… don’t know,” she stammered. “It… it just… doesn’t seem right.”
He rolled his eyes. “These things are tools,” he admonished. “You use them, and you throw them away.” After waiting for a response, but getting none, he continued more forcefully. “Tell it to stop breathing. Tell its heart to burst. Do something!” She began to cry softly. He sighed, and his tone became quite curt. “Fine. Maybe you don’t have the stomach for this. Stay here and practice for a while. Then see Twilight about the book. Get the crown while you’re there. Make sure you think about how you’re going to do it.” He stalked off into the trees, making a dismissive gesture. “I’ll be in touch,” he added just before he disappeared.
It took Sweetie Belle a while to recover. She didn’t know it would be like this. Was she doing the right thing? Maybe it was just one of those things where you achieve personal growth through pain. She’d had all she could take for one day, however.
She sent the harpy away, and called several other monsters, having each in turn perform some basic movements. One of the creatures in particular was a large snake with red eyes. She noticed that she had more difficulty controlling creatures when they were under the snake's scrutiny. They were sluggish to respond. She decided to test a theory. Sweetie Belle released a small monster from her thrall, one that she judged to be harmless. It looked confused for a moment, then bolted for the forest. She ordered the snake to block its path, and when it met the snake’s gaze, it stood there, transfixed. This could prove useful. She dismissed everything but the snake, and started toward the library with it in tow, as the sun sank below the horizon. The dimming light among the trees reminded her to pull her hood up.
--------
It was fully dark by the time Sweetie Belle reached the library. She encountered nopony on the way. Softly, she rapped at the door, in case Spike had already retired to bed. Twilight Sparkle came to the door.
“Thank you for not disturbing Spike,” she said. “It sure is unusual to see anypony here so late, and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you here! But, welcome all the same! What can I help you with?”
“Do you have any books on the creatures in the Everfree Forest?” queried Sweetie Belle. “And how they’re related to demons?”
Twilight looked at her for a second. “That’s an odd request. Why the sudden interest? And at this time of night?”
Sweetie Belle’s face flushed a little. “I was just over in that area today and got curious. I remembered… Fluttershy… mentioning something about it. I was just on my way home.”
Her horn beginning to glow, Twilight floated a book down from a high shelf and onto the table. She smiled. “There! Is that all you need?”
“Um… one more thing,” Sweetie Belle ventured meekly, the color draining from her face. The darkness outside made the library windows like mirrors. Over Sweetie Belle’s shoulder, Twilight noticed two points of red light reflected in the door panes and froze. “I’m sorry, Twilight,” Sweetie Belle whispered, her eyes beginning to tear. She searched the library quietly in order to avoid waking Spike, coming up empty-hooved. On a hunch, she put her mouth up to Twilight’s ear and whispered, “Where is the crown? The Element of Magic?”
Twilight spoke dully. “In the jeweled box… under my bed.”
Sweetie Belle stole up the stairs, and slid the box out from under the bed. She took the crown out and replaced the box. Once back downstairs, with the crown safely stashed in her saddle bag, she stood again in front of Twilight Sparkle, and released the snake. The two red dots slid down, outside Twilight’s field of view, and the snake slithered soundlessly out the door, toward the forest. Twilight blinked once and looked confused. She couldn’t pick up her train of thought.
“You okay, Twilight?” asked Sweetie Belle. “I was just saying thanks for the book. Good night.”
Twilight looked distant. “Oh. Okay. You’re welcome. Good night.” She watched Sweetie Belle leave, then tried to shake the cobwebs out of her mind. Failing, she went up to bed and doused the lights.
--------
When Sweetie Belle arrived home, Rarity was already asleep. She went up to her room and hid the crown in the bottom of her dresser. Her cloak hung, her saddle bag set in the corner, and her book out, she began to read. She went over each chapter multiple times, and quizzed herself on the entire contents before advancing to the next. She had the essentials of nearly half the book memorized before she succumbed to fatigue, shortly before sunrise.
--------
Through all of the evening’s events, Discord had watched, never far away, but never seen. He was pleased with his progress. “Mate in three.”
|
Pascoite
|
1377
| 3 |
Discord,Main 6,Sweetie Belle,Trixie,Dark,Drama,Sad,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
A New Harmony
|
Discord is up for a rematch, with some serious mind games, and a divide-and-conquer strategy.
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complete
| 33 | 3 |
<p>Twilight Sparkle has defeated Discord, but she lacked the discipline to do a proper job of it. He's ready for a rematch, but he's recruited three ponies to be his unwitting minions, and nopony will know he's behind it until it's too late. Everypony is in for some serious mind games.</p>
|
teen
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2011-10-23T00:17:14+00:00
|
2013-02-24T02:15:33+00:00
| 3,080 |
A badly repaired wagon sat beside the road from Fillydelphia, its wheels mired in thick mud. Driving rain pelted the aged boards and leaked through myriad cracks and holes, each new crash of thunder bringing stifled squeaks of fear from a pony shivering in the corner. The weathered and broken sign outside proclaimed the occupant to be “GRE T & POW RF L,” but in its current condition, failed to say to whom it referred. Even if it had, it would not have deterred the two stallions with dark, heavy cloaks that were approaching in the night. The pony inside, wearing a sodden, threadbare cape and pointed hat, heard their voices over the wind.
“Do you think there might be anything valuable in here?”
“Probably not. It looks pretty old. Must be cleaned out already. But we can check.” The door rattled. “It’s locked. Hold on.” A powerful kick struck the hasp and broke it free. Two hooded heads peered in.
A flash of lightning momentarily illuminated something blue in the corner. The next flash revealed an impressive array of razor-sharp teeth advancing out the door. Stumbling backwards in horror, the stallions watched as a large dragon burst forth from the wagon, sending splintered wood flying in all directions. They turned and ran without looking back. Had they done so, they would have seen the wyvern shimmer and fade, and the wagon return to its original, if dilapidated, condition.
The Great and Powerful (or Enraged and Unstable, as may have been more accurate at that moment) Trixie slammed a hoof against a half-buried wagon wheel in frustration. She realized that she had no practical shelter anymore, and should continue on to Ponyville. She was hoping to pass through without stopping in this of all places, but she no longer had a choice.
After several miles’ trek, Trixie finally arrived in town. The few bits left in her coin purse wouldn’t make any headway toward securing a room for the night. She crawled under a picnic table near the town center, and collapsed from exhaustion.
--------
Applejack knocked frantically on the library’s door. “Twi! Twi! Git out here, lickety split!”
Twilight Sparkle ran from her desk to answer. “What is it? Is somepony hurt?”
“Well, I dunno,” Applejack answered. “But she’s back! Trixie’s back! Passed out in the square, like Granny Smith after too much cider!”
Twilight ran after Applejack to see, and by then a large crowd had gathered. Most showed genuine concern, but Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity wore scowls. Twilight pushed to the front, ran over to Trixie and lightly shook her. “Trixie? Can you hear me?”
Nurse Redheart arrived and worked her way through the crowd. She checked Trixie over briefly and reported, “She’s dehydrated, and it doesn’t look like she’s had anything to eat in the last few days. Can somepony help me get her to the clinic? Applejack, you’re strong…”
“No way, no how!” refused Applejack. “After what she did? Ah ain’t puttin’ mahself out fer her!”
“Aww, AJ!” chastised Big Macintosh from behind her. “Don’t be like that! You gotta help a pony in need.” She remained unconvinced. “Consarn it!” he roared at her, and lay down so Twilight and Nurse Redheart could hoist Trixie onto his back.
--------
When Trixie woke, she saw two ponies watching her: a nurse she didn’t recognize, and a purple unicorn she did. “Twilight!” she spat. “What did you do to me?”
Twilight ignored this. “Are you okay, Trixie? You had us worried!” The only response was a glare that nearly took the paint off the wall. Twilight smiled and patted her on the shoulder. Recoiling abruptly, Trixie nearly fell out of bed. She managed an unsteady footing and headed for the door.
Nurse Redheart called after her, “Ma’am, you shouldn’t be up!” but Trixie paid her no heed.
Twilight caught up with her outside and put a hoof around her shoulder to steady her, saying, “Please, you’re weak. Come to the library and have lunch with me. I’d really like to talk to you.” Trixie gave her a look of sheer revulsion. “Please,” Twilight reiterated, “It would mean a lot to me.” Trixie stopped momentarily, gave a brief nod of assent, and allowed Twilight to lead her.
--------
Trixie wolfed down everything Twilight could put in front of her. She was ravenous, and Twilight was happy to help. It was obvious she had fallen on hard times. She was exceedingly thin, had an unkempt mane, and dark circles were well-ingrained under her eyes. When Trixie seemed to be slowing down, Twilight sat down next to her and began to try engaging her in conversation.
“I was hoping to get a chance to talk to you again sometime. You’re so good at illusion magic, and I haven’t spent much time on it. I’d love to learn from you!” she said.
Trixie mumbled a noncommittal “okay” and took a long drink of water. She eyed Spike warily as he went about his chores, but he seemed disinterested in the whole affair. She drained the glass.
“What have you been doing?” continued Twilight. “We hear comments from the occasional traveler about seeing impressive magic shows. It’s from a different city every time! You must be doing well to be so famous.”
Her stare fixed on the table in front of her and her teeth clenched, Trixie grudgingly obliged. “I do alright. But the public always wants more. Once you’re already great and powerful, there’s nowhere to go but down.” She didn’t even believe that posturing herself. “Small crowds these days. Can’t afford to fix the wagon. Left it behind.” She paused to chew some more. “Can’t do much real magic anymore. Mostly illusions now. They don’t take as much confidence.”
“Well, you can stay here with me!” Twilight offered. “And I’m really sorry about what happened last time you were here.” She failed to see the fire rising in Trixie’s eyes. “My friends took things a little too seriously, and I shouldn’t have let things get out of…”
“DON’T YOU DARE PITY ME!” exploded Trixie. “I could handle them fine, but you… you baited me so you could…” She screamed in frustration, and her horn flared to life. The room suddenly filled with wave upon wave of snakes, ankle deep. Twilight shrieked and leapt for the stairs, as Spike peered down from the loft to see what had caused the commotion. Twilight noticed that the snakes were illusions that passed through the furniture, but even with that knowledge, she still couldn’t bring herself to come back down the stairs.
As Trixie stomped toward the door, Twilight pleaded with her, “No, Trixie! Please don’t go! I really want to help!”
“I don’t need your help!” Trixie retorted. “I don’t need you, I don’t need your friends, and I don’t need this stupid town!” She disappeared in a puff of smoke. Safely out of sight, she made her way to the knoll on the edge of town, where she could see all of Ponyville. She sat down, hidden behind some scrub, and looked out on the town with a loathing glare.
“I must say, I share that sentiment,” came a voice from behind her.
Trixie turned with a start to see a strange amalgam of creatures. “What are you?” she asked, her voice heavy with annoyance.
“Discord,” he proclaimed proudly, striking a regal pose. Silence greeted him. “The dranconequus.” Still nothing. “Surely you’ve heard of me?”
“Yes, I remember some talk about that,” she admitted, clearly unimpressed. “I know an illusion when I see one. Where are you really?”
“Tucked safely away, alas,” he complained, “but I am not without resources. Believe me when I say I have no more love for this place than you do. And I find several of the residents just as irritating, too. I think we have something to gain from each other.”
Trixie snorted her response. “I just want to leave here as soon as I can. Besides, what would I do to them? I can only make illusions.”
“Well, what’s wrong with that?” Discord asked. “Why bother with the dog when the bark will do? You underestimate yourself. Most ponies can’t help but believe what they see before their eyes. Even when revealed as a mirage, it can remain surprisingly potent. But here is my gift to you: I can give you the secret ingredient. I know everypony’s weaknesses. And I can give you access to their dreams.”
She stared at him, mouth agape. “What will that cost me? I don’t have anything to give…”
“Oh, but you do!” he eagerly replied. “You have the means to make them all scurry about in misery. Seeing that would be payment enough.”
Trixie waved at him dismissively. “Do it yourself. If you can enter dreams, you don’t need me.”
“It’s not that simple,” Discord explained. “I can show them a real place, or an image they already have in mind. I can’t force them to see whatever I choose.”
She began to understand. “So, you’ll open the door and tell me what button to push? Then I go in and rummage around in somepony’s head?” He nodded conspiratorially. She considered it, but in the end still hadn’t changed her mind. “You’d make this world bleak for me, too. I’m not ruining my chance to find what little happiness I still can.”
“Among the rumors you’d heard about me,” he said, “must have been the little tidbit that I stayed in Ponyville, though I certainly could have gone anywhere I wished. I have no interest in the rest of Equestria. Ponyville is all I want. Go wherever else you please.”
Leaving Ponyville and its inhabitants to Discord’s mercy had a nice ring to it. “Count me in,” she said.
“Good,” said Discord smugly. “We’ll talk later.” His image slowly faded away.
Trixie took some of what he had said to heart. Even knowing something was an illusion didn’t completely nullify its effectiveness. She cast an illusion to relieve her groaning belly and her fatigue. It helped a little. She lay down in the bushes and waited for nightfall.
--------
Twilight Sparkle remembered having this dream before. She rarely enjoyed dreams, as she couldn’t help analyzing them and viewing them as scientific phenomena. But she always liked this one. She was in the library, making a checklist of every task for the rest of her life. Everything planned, no surprises, forever! Grocery shopping, three years, two months, and five days from now. Check! Clean the library on the first day of spring, in another twenty-seven years. Check! The list went on forever! No matter how many pages she turned, another always appeared. It was blissful!
As she continued cataloging her future, something didn’t look right, though. She could see an image of each event occurring as the pages flipped past. But these weren’t what she had planned.
Twilight walked away from town on her way back to school. Her friends all tearfully waved goodbye. She could tell from their expressions that they didn’t expect to see her again. She fought down any feelings of friendship she had for them. It would be easier if she kept her emotions under control, or never even had them in the first place. It involved less risk. It was the logical choice.
Intense drought had destroyed most sources of livelihood in Ponyville. Anypony who plied an honest trade had relocated elsewhere in order to provide for her family. The town had fallen into disrepair and was known widely as a hub of criminal activity. Canterlot regarded it with an apprehensive toleration. After all, if somepony stepped too far out of line, at least the royal guard knew where to look. They had struck an uneasy truce, as too many powerful ponies in Canterlot owed favors. The whimsical village that provided Twilight’s happiest memories had become an eyesore and a disgrace.
Celestia no longer had any time for her. She was too busy with her own duties, and didn’t even enjoy Twilight’s company anymore. They hadn’t spoken in years. After graduation, Twilight’s career could have led her anywhere, and she couldn’t risk maintaining a relationship that might be strained by distance.
Spike grew past adolescence, and left to find a life of his own. As Twilight grew old, he saw her only sparingly in between his ten-year naps, and she hadn’t been welcoming. He woke from a hundred-year sleep to find her long since dead. He missed her terribly, and wondered if she would have felt the same. She had to admit she wouldn't.
Twilight worked as an official city sorcerer in a far-flung corner of Equestria, a job for which she had lost all joy. Magic came too automatically now; it lacked any pleasure. Learning existed for its own sake. There was no satisfaction in acquiring it, or any feeling of accomplishment. She delighted in nothing anymore, living alone, and dying alone. She bequeathed her estate to her school, having no friends or family to name as beneficiary. Her funeral was attended only by a few city dignitaries who felt it to be the dutiful thing to do, or who just felt it proper to close out that chapter in local history.
--------
Rarity could sense that something wasn’t right with Sweetie Belle. She couldn’t explain it, but her younger sister knew something that would destroy Rarity if it were publicly known. If she didn’t have her image, she was nothing.
Sweetie Belle refused to listen to reason. She wouldn’t divulge what information she knew or how she had learned it. Rarity couldn’t take any preemptive action if she didn’t know which rumors to refute.
She could feel all of those eyes on her whenever she went out in town. Everypony judging her, snickering behind her back. Why her? She knew all the right ponies, ran in all the right circles.
Sweetie Belle had done this on purpose! She was jealous, of course. This was intolerable! She’d have to have a talk with her sister.
Rarity found her sister in the Carousel Boutique. She confronted Sweetie Belle, who would admit nothing. Beginning to chase the younger filly around the shop, Rarity flew into a rage. Whenever she closed the distance, Rarity swiped at Sweetie Belle with her hooves, inflicting several superficial wounds. Rarity levitated whatever objects she could find and flung them. A large pair of fabric shears scored a direct hit on the filly’s shoulder, and opened a long gash, knocking her off of her hooves. Pouncing on the downed pony, Rarity connected with a hard kick to the ribs.
Sweetie Belle regained her hooves and stumbled up the stairs, deflecting whatever blows she could. She backed into the washroom as Rarity’s horn began to glow. Rarity tore free the large ceramic basin with her magic, and brandished it over her head. The young filly cowered in fear and attempted to shield herself with her forelegs, as Rarity heaved the vessel downward.
--------
Fluttershy heard voices coming from outside her cottage. The sound was too intense for a simple conversation. She noticed an unnatural light casting eerie shadows through her windows. Peering timidly over a windowsill, she saw a large mob outside, marked by bright points of unicorn horn-light and flickering torches that played through the trees, washing over wickedly gnarled branches. Most ponies wielded whatever makeshift weapons they could muster: hayforks, sickles, scythes, clubs…
A frightened stampede of animals fled before the crowd. Most were creatures unique to the Everfree Forest, but some normal fauna had become entrained in the flow as well. The townsponies struck at them with every opportunity, leaving a trail of wounded and dying beasts along the roadside. Several managed to crawl to the sanctuary that was Fluttershy’s yard, followed by an arm of the mob that had diverted from the roadway to give chase. Fluttershy rushed from her house and protested as loudly as she could manage, but few heard, and none gave her words any consideration. She ran back to the doorway and waved the creatures inside, where their last remaining hope of safety lay. The stragglers were cut down mercilessly.
Fluttershy slammed the door and barred it. Out the back window, she could see more and more animals fall victim to the maddened swarm, who were chanting excoriations and seeking retribution for lost crops and livestock. They lit the forest afire when they were unwilling to maintain their pursuit any deeper.
The smaller group of raiders had Fluttershy’s cottage surrounded. They beat on the doors and windows, warning that she should surrender and let justice be dispensed. She quailed under the onslaught and curled up against the rear wall. The crush outside had lost what little patience remained, and ignited her home.
Within minutes, the conflagration engulfed the entire structure. Tendrils of flame rained down from the rafters, and the cries of panicked animals came from all around Fluttershy. She was paralyzed with fear and could take no action to save herself or her friends. The last few creatures huddled against her as the inferno licked at her coat. She coughed, the smoke and scorching heat searing her lungs. With a loud crack, the roof beams failed, and began to collapse on top of her.
--------
Twilight Sparkle awoke with a start. She had a feeling of utter despair, but it took her a moment to piece together the cause. She remembered her dream, that awful dream! As with most dreams, the details had already begun to fade, but it felt strangely poignant. She shuddered as she realized that it contained uncomfortable truths that she had never considered, or at least been able to deceive herself into disregarding. Of course she’d have to leave Ponyville eventually. Of course she’d finish school. Of course Spike… Oh Celestia, Spike!
She ran upstairs and found him still snoring in the early dawn light. She bent over him and kissed him lightly on the forehead. “Oh, Spike!” Twilight said softly. “Why didn’t I see it? I should have considered…” She rested her cheek against his and tried to control her sobbing so she wouldn’t disturb him. He stirred lightly, but didn’t wake. She ran down to the kitchen, closed the door, and allowed herself an unrestrained release of sorrow. She curled up on the floor and shook as spasms of emotion wracked her body.
Outside, Ditzy Doo was delivering the morning newspapers. She could hear the sounds of a pony in pain inside the library. Lifting a foreleg across her brow to cut the low sun’s glare, she peered in the kitchen window. She gasped and flew around to try the back door, finding it unlocked. Coming into the kitchen, she said gently, “Twilight? Are… are you okay?” Twilight looked up, startled, with red, swollen eyes.
“Oh… Hi, Ditzy,” Twilight said, slightly embarrassed, as she walked over to the table and offered her guest a chair. The two ponies rarely had occasion to speak, and didn’t know each other very well. “No, I’m going to lose my best friend, and I should have seen it coming!” She began to cry anew. To herself, she silently added, “And the only way to protect myself would be to wall off my feelings, and cost me all of my other friends.”
Ditzy let the minutes pass in silence and made some tea for both of them before taking her seat. Her eyes always crossed when she was deep in thought. Now they came back into focus to stare into her teacup. “You know, most ponies don’t think much of me. My mind wanders – I don’t stay in the moment, and I kind of turn into a klutz. I just find it works better for me if I consider a problem at length before acting on it, so I spend a lot of my time zoned out.”
She had Twilight’s attention by now, and the purple pony had calmed down considerably while sipping her tea. “One thing I do know about is friends who aren’t supposed to be together. I love my daughter Dinky more than anything, but nopony thinks we belong as a family. They say we’re mismatched. We don’t care. We make our own rules. We make it work. It’s worth it.” She placed a comforting hoof on Twilight’s shoulder.
“Thanks, Ditzy,” Twilight said. She leaned in and gave Ditzy a quick hug. “I shouldn’t keep you from your rounds, though.”
Ditzy laughed derisively. “Oh, nopony will be surprised if I’m late. Are you sure you feel better?”
“Yes,” lied Twilight. “But please take a muffin with you.” Ditzy’s eyes lit up.
Twilight Sparkle had a newfound respect for the cross-eyed mailpony. As Ditzy flitted past the window, her eyes went out of focus again. Twilight did feel a little better about Spike. She needed to talk to him at some point, but she was afraid to hear his answer.
--------
When dawn finally broke, Rarity emerged from a troubled and restless sleep. She sat on the edge of the bed and held her hooves in front of her face. How could she do that to Sweetie Belle? Worse yet, she hadn’t felt detached from the dream, as if watching somepony else, who happened to look like her, commit those acts. She had understood the rage, as if it had been her own.
She was shaking as she walked down to Sweetie Belle’s room. She found Sweetie Belle already awake, and she flopped forward onto the bed to place her forelegs around her younger sister’s neck in a tight embrace. She seemed on the verge of tears. “Sweetie Belle, I promise I will never hurt you, I will never do anything to cause you pain!”
Sweetie Belle didn’t know how to react. She hugged Rarity back, and squirmed a little under the sheet to reposition her flank, which threatened to become uncovered and expose her cutie mark. It had to remain a secret.
Rarity sat up and looked her sister in the eye. “No matter what you or I do, we’re always sisters, and I will always love you. You must know that. We must look out for each other.” She patted Sweetie Belle’s head, sniffled, and left for her washroom to begin her morning routine.
Sweetie Belle had no idea what had caused that episode. “Of course we watch out for each other,” she thought. “Why would either of us hurt the other? She almost sounded guilty! What could I have done to make her feel...?”
“Oh, Celestia! I thought I had kept it secret! Does she know?”
--------
Nopony was around to hear Fluttershy’s muffled squeaks of distress. She went about her morning duties of seeing to her animals, but she was agitated about what she had dreamt. She couldn’t believe that anypony would really treat innocent animals that way.
However, she had to admit it was a remote possibility. Monsters from the forest rarely left the protection and concealment of the trees, but sporadic incidents did occur. She couldn’t completely discount the eventuality that a random surge in this activity would invite the townsponies’ ire. All she knew for certain is that she would be caught in the middle.
Could she really attend to the injuries of a beast that had hurt a friend, when it may have been acting merely in self-defense? Could she continue to respect a friend who sought revenge against a creature motivated only by fear and hunger? How could somepony weigh her life’s calling against all of the personal relationships she holds dear?
Fluttershy was unsure how she would react in those circumstances. The animals wouldn’t understand what was happening. They would need an advocate, but the townsponies could understand reason; surely they would listen to her. She just hoped that would never become necessary. Of course it wouldn’t. There was nothing to worry about.
--------
Feeling real mirth for the first time in over a year, Trixie looked down from her vantage point. She had ascended the clock tower on the town hall during the night. It afforded her an excellent view of almost every part of town. Furthermore, nopony ever came up here. She would be undisturbed.
She could see Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and Fluttershy going about their errands in town. None appeared to be fully engaged in her task. Any foal could see the characteristic signs of unusually heavy crying on Twilight. She stared at the ground, speaking to nopony. Rarity exhibited a thousand-yard stare and nearly stumbled into every possible obstacle. Fluttershy smiled at the small array of animals escorting her, but gave a wide berth to any ponies she encountered, looking concerned for her entourage.
Trixie would have preferred to include Rainbow Dash and Applejack among her victims, but Discord had chosen her targets specifically. Perhaps another time. She returned her attention to the town below.
She cast a new illusion that she had invented during her long travels. It formed a small rectangle in front of her face, and whatever she saw through it was greatly magnified. She focused it on Fluttershy’s face and imagined pelting her with some manner of projectile. BAM! Rarity. POW! Twilight. BANG! She laughed maniacally, but had to stifle herself with her hooves as a passerby below peered up at the sound.
Discord had another mission for her as well, but so far all he would disclose is that she should cast some general illusions of misdirection around the town. It would be amusing to watch the effects, and they may come in useful later. She turned her attention to the market stalls and warped the light so that ponies saw in unexpected directions: around corners, backwards, slanted. They ended up in unintended destinations and unfamiliar surroundings. The shoppers wandered about aimlessly, their confusion growing by the minute, with Trixie taking great delight in guiding them around like puppets.
She caught a glimpse of movement, and let her illusions dispel. A cloaked figure was sneaking out of the boutique, skirting the edge of town, and obviously trying to stay hidden. Recasting her magnifier, Trixie focused it on the furtive skulker and recognized her as the pony that Discord had her include in Rarity’s dream. It was Rarity’s younger sister, Sweetie Belle, and she had something to hide. All the better for Trixie; she just had to find out what that secret was. Little did she know how easy it was going to be.
“Yes, interesting little filly, isn’t she,” said a smug voice from over Trixie’s shoulder.
“Ah, I see,” responded Trixie. “If you think so, then she must be working for you.”
“After a fashion,” Discord admitted. “More accurately, I’m working for her.”
Trixie returned a blank look. “I don’t get it.”
“All in good time. All I need from you now is one little favor. That filly’s stolen a little item of Twilight’s. I’d feel safer with it in your custody. You’ll find it in her dresser. You’ll know it when you see it.”
“Okay… a little strange, but I can manage that. What should I do with it?” Trixie asked.
“I really don’t care,” said Discord, beginning to fade away. “Just make sure Twilight never sees it again.”
--------
Somepony standing in the royal sculpture garden at that moment may have heard faint laughter. “Just two moves left, Celestia, and I still have one piece yet to enter the game! You won’t even be able to put up a fight, and then how will you save your precious Ponyville? I’ll see you yet as a statue in my private collection!”
|
Pascoite
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1377
| 4 |
Discord,Main 6,Sweetie Belle,Trixie,Dark,Drama,Sad,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
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A New Harmony
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Discord is up for a rematch, with some serious mind games, and a divide-and-conquer strategy.
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complete
| 33 | 3 |
<p>Twilight Sparkle has defeated Discord, but she lacked the discipline to do a proper job of it. He's ready for a rematch, but he's recruited three ponies to be his unwitting minions, and nopony will know he's behind it until it's too late. Everypony is in for some serious mind games.</p>
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teen
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2012-01-08T02:36:22+00:00
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2013-02-24T02:35:50+00:00
| 2,522 |
A raucous yowling woke Fluttershy from a sound sleep just as the first rosy touches of dawn began to seep over the horizon. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and checked the clock. She was due to rise in fifteen minutes anyway.
Stepping timidly over to the window, she peered out into the yard to see what the noise was. A manticore lay in the yard, licking a trio of puncture wounds on its side. Fluttershy thought she might recognize it as the same one she had helped when Twilight Sparkle had first arrived in Ponyville.
“Angel, please wake up! I need your help!” The white rabbit stirred, and flashed a grumpy expression. “Angel, there’s an injured animal outside!” Finally convinced of the seriousness of his friend’s request, he rushed to grab a first-aid kit and join her in the yard.
“There, there, Mr. Manticore. It’s going to be okay.” Fluttershy dabbed on some disinfecting ointment, and applied a bandage. “How ever did you manage to get hurt, you poor thing?”
“Ah’ll tell ya how!” rang an angry voice from down the path. “That thing trampled all through one o’ mah cornfields last night, and busted a hole in the barn! He’s lucky that’s all Ah did to him!” Applejack strode purposefully into the yard, brandishing a pitchfork.
Fluttershy gasped. “Oh, no! He wouldn’t hurt anypony! Something scared him, and he’s just trying to get back home. He’s a gentle little guy.” It began to purr as she scratched a hoof under its massive chin.
Frustrated at the impasse, Applejack couldn’t think of anything else to do but return home. She called back over her shoulder, “Jes’ make sure he don’t come ‘round mah farm no more! Ah’ll be ready next time!”
“Oh, you didn’t mean any harm, did you?” Fluttershy asked the beast, tousling its mane. “Who’s a little sweetie?”
--------
“Good morning, Sweetie Belle!” said a translucent version of Discord. “You know, we’ve really got to come up with a better name for you. ‘Sweetie Belle’ just isn’t very intimidating. Behold, Sweetie Belle, Master of Demons! You see? It lacks something.”
Sweetie Belle sat up groggily, chagrined at the early hour. “Well, according to you, I’ve got a long time before I’ll need any titles.”
“Yes, but what do I call you in the meantime?”
“I don’t know. Belle? Her Majesty the Most High Empress of the Forest? I don’t really care. Why are you here so early?”
“You’ll hear soon enough. Suffice it to say the natives are restless. Something’s got the forest animals upset. Somepony who was able to keep them at bay would surely earn the gratitude of the Princesses…”
“Got it,” Sweetie Belle said, rolling out of bed and pulling on her cloak. As she dashed out Carousel Boutique’s front door, another figure emerged from the shadows and made its way up to the filly’s now-vacant bedroom.
The Great and Powerful Trixie picked carefully through Sweetie Belle’s dresser, looking for the item of great import that Discord said it would contain. Dresses. Capes. Socks. Socks? What pony in her right mind wore socks? She’d rarely seen any, except for the large discarded pile of them that the strange, apelike creatures left outside the Conversion Bureau.
Something glittered at the bottom of the drawer. “Oh, Celestia! The Crown of Magic! This must be worth a fortune!” She wondered if it might enhance her own magic, and tried it on. She didn’t feel anything. Testing a few spells she had lost the ability to cast, Trixie couldn’t detect a change. Oh, well. No teleporting out of here; she’d have to walk as usual. She deposited the crown in the vast storage portal of her hat, and followed Sweetie Belle toward the forest.
--------
Through her recent practice sessions, Sweetie Belle had found that the larger creatures were a little more difficult to control, but if she applied her horn magic as well, it became ridiculously easy. She didn’t have the nerve to summon an ursa major, but had chanced upon one in the forest one evening, and had successfully dominated its mind from the concealment of the bushes. Now, she sat by the forest’s edge, listening for the thoughts of its inhabitants.
Discord was right – there was a lot of unrest. Sweetie Belle put up a mental wall across the edge of the forest, and broadcast a message: “Stay back! Do not leave the forest!” She felt most of the activity drawing back deeper into the trees, but detected an atmosphere largely of confusion and fear, not malice. She decided she’d better remain here and try to keep things under control.
The Great and Powerful Trixie peered around a tree at Sweetie Belle. She could feel waves of magic energy emanating from the filly, but they were completely alien. She couldn’t surmise their purpose until a small five-tailed fox demon dashed from the woods. The magical aura intensified, and Sweetie Belle’s horn began to glow.
“Stop!” she shouted, and to Trixie’s amazement, it obeyed. The fox calmly walked back toward the woods. It was then that Trixie noticed the strange red glow under Sweetie Belle’s cloak. As the glow intensified, so did the unsettling magical aura. Trixie got a sudden sensation of intense vertigo as the warped power swept over her. She doubled over and lay on the ground, stroking her temples with her hooves. By the time she recovered, Sweetie Belle had left.
“What was that?” Trixie said to nopony in particular. “Whatever else it is, it’s unnatural. I wouldn’t care to be near that again.” She rushed to track down Sweetie Belle, but kept her distance this time. Sweetie Belle was trying to divert a manticore this time, one with a bandaged wound on its side. Of course! This was the same beast that had attacked Sweet Apple Acres overnight. “Oh, this is perfect!”
Trixie began to weave her illusions, bending the light through labyrinthine paths. As Sweetie Belle herded the injured creature toward a vision of thick sylvan vegetation, it emerged from the forest heading directly for town. It wouldn’t do much harm, and Fluttershy could convince it to leave after it had a chance to give everypony a good scare.
When the frightened and confused animal stampeded down the main thoroughfare of Ponyville, ponies dove for cover behind wagons, sought refuge in houses, and took wing, if they were able. The few unicorns present tried to push it back with their magic, and multiple stallions swung improvised polearms – broomsticks, shovels, firewood – to drive it away. Beaten and pelted with stones, the beast ran to the only solace it knew: Fluttershy’s cottage.
Tending to her garden, the yellow pegasus was surprised to see the repeat visitor bounding over the low rise in the roadway, wailing in pain. “You poor dear, have you gotten into trouble again? Oh, it looks like it’s just some nicks and bruises. How do you keep losing your way?”
Fluttershy whirled at the sound of angry shouts in the distance. “There it is!” “Fluttershy’s helping it again!” The pink-maned mare shrunk away in apprehension.
“Of course I… it’s hurt and… I couldn’t just let it…”
“How can you treat that thing?” cried an earth pony mare that Fluttershy didn’t recognize. “It crashed through five market stalls, tore up Daisy’s flower beds, and broke the windows of Bon Bon’s shop! For all we know, you sent it on a rampage!”
Applejack pushed to the front of the crowd. “Now, y’all hang on a minute! Ah ain’t any happier ‘bout that beast than anypony else. Heck, it caused a ruckus on mah farm last night. But y’all can’t think Fluttershy had anything ta do with this. She’s got no wish ta hurt nopony. Right, sugarcube?”
The cowering pegasus could only nod nervously. It’s just like my dream!
“Okay, y’all jes’ head back ta town. Ah’ll take care o’ this.” Applejack waited for the mob to disperse, then quietly conferred with her friend.
“Sugarcube, ya gotta see how this looks! That manticore weren’t hurt bad. Ya shoulda jes’ shooed it on inta the forest.”
“I… I can’t hold back when an animal’s injured. Besides, he wasn’t trying to hurt anypony! He’s more scared than they are.”
“But why is he coming back? An’ it’s not jes’ him. There are lots o’ animals runnin’ amok in the woods lately. Ah think it’s best if ya jes’ keep yer distance from all this.”
--------
Over the next few nights, more and more demonic animals made moonlight forays into Ponyville. Most were harmless, but the already heightened tension in town threatened to become a barely-contained powder keg. Finally, much to Fluttershy’s horror, a squad of Royal Guardsponies was deployed to patrol against any further nighttime incursions.
The Great and Powerful Trixie was keeping her usual watch on Sweetie Belle, but didn’t need to follow her all the way through town to her predictable destination of Carousel Boutique. Voices carrying through an open window of the library caught Trixie’s attention, and she tiphoofed close to listen.
“Is this really necessary?” Spike remarked, watching the glint of torchlight off highly-polished armor, as the sentries paced their assigned routes. He sat by the upstairs window watching the town below, as five mares tried to keep up a languid conversation in the library.
“I could’ve just handled this myself,” Rainbow Dash bragged, “if Celestia had thought of asking.”
“I don’t mind so much. More ponies in town means bigger parties,” Pinkie Pie answered halfheartedly, her mane and coloration noticeably below their usual standards.
“Ah’m jes’ concerned ‘bout Fluttershy,” stated the blonde earth pony. “She’s betwixt a rock an’ a hard place on this, an’ Ah’m worried she might be in danger. Ah oughtta spend the night over there to make sure she don’t come to no harm. An’ what’s with these two?” Applejack added, pointing at Rarity and Twilight Sparkle.
Rarity broke her distant stare and met Applejack’s gaze briefly. “Oh, I suppose I’m not very good company right now. I’ve… got a lot on my mind. I’ve just been a little preoccupied about my sister.”
“I’m not myself either these days,” admitted Twilight. “Something’s just got me in a funk.”
“What’s happened to us? Nopony’s willing to talk about what’s bothering her, and Fluttershy isn’t even here.” complained Spike.
Not now, Spike, thought Twilight. Don’t press me on this now.
“We’re fine,” Rainbow reassured him. “It’s just a rough patch, that’s all.”
“Yeah, Spike, ya fret too much. We’re friends forever. In fact, Ah best be gettin’ ta another friend now. Ah need ta make sure Fluttershy’s gonna be alright.”
Outside, Trixie was disgusted at how emotional she had become. I’m supposed to be stronger than this! I don’t need any ponies like them! But… it wasn’t always that way. I remember when I used to have friends. Oh, Trixie, what have you gotten yourself into?
The ponies in the library said their good nights and set out for their homes. Twilight stayed on the doorstep for a moment to take down the “Open” sign hanging in the window and douse the outside light. As she headed back inside, she caught a glimpse of blue in the bushes. “Hello? Is somepony there?” She craned her neck forward and squinted into the evening gloom. “Trixie? Is that you?” A silver-maned head eventually rose above the shrub.
“Yes, Twilight, it’s Trixie.”
“What are you doing out here?”
“Just… uh… looking for a place to sleep.” And definitely not peeping through the window.
“Please, come in out of the cold. I’ve got a spare bed.”
After a moment of indecision, Trixie decided to accept the invitation. Twilight invited her to sit and enjoy a glass of milk while she leafed through some light bedtime reading. Feeling awkward for sitting there in silence, Trixie tried making some small talk. “What are you reading?”
“I’ve been doing more research on the Elements of Harmony. The last time we tried to use them, I attempted to substitute Spike for Rainbow Dash, since he is loyal. This book suggests that it could have worked, if Spike were a pony. It may be possible for anypony who is a good enough example of an element to use it.”
“What about… the crown? What does it do?”
“The secret to using it is friendship. It does require a magic user to wield it, but it’s activated by feeling the spark of friendship. Once that happens, it powers the other elements. I’ve got it upstairs – would you like to see it?”
“No! No, that’s okay, but… why would you keep it here? That hardly seems safe.”
“Well, locking them up in the palace didn’t keep Discord from getting them. We just thought that if there wasn’t a sure way to keep them secure, we’d at least have quick access if we needed them.”
Trixie reverted to silence for a while as Twilight returned to her tome. “Twilight, why are you so nice to me? I haven’t done anything to deserve it.”
Recovering from being momentarily stunned, Twilight answered, “Why wouldn’t I? You haven’t done anything to me.”
“But… I have done things I’m not proud of.”
“That ursa minor wasn’t your fault. Besides, I guess it’s just in my nature to trust that there’s a potential friend in every pony.”
“It must be nice. I must be too cynical to believe that attitude could exist. Look at me, talking with you about friendship when I stormed out of here in anger just the other day.”
“Trixie, are you okay? You seem really down on yourself. You used to be so confident.”
“I just got tired of life beating me down, and then I was jealous of what you had, with your friends and your magic. Just seeing you sit around with everypony earlier made me see what I’d been missing. And why I’m not worth it.”
“No, Trixie, you can’t believe that!”
“Twilight, you of all ponies would never forgive me…” Trixie stopped, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. “I should just get to bed.” I’ll tell you in the morning, Twilight. Then we’ll see what the limits of your friendship are.
--------
As Applejack was nearing Fluttershy’s house, several monsters that she couldn’t identify in the darkness streaked past her on their way back to the Everfree Forest. One was bleeding profusely, and separated from its brethren to mewl at the yellow pony’s window. From behind her, Applejack could hear a large mob giving chase.
The farm pony ran to the cottage and found the door ajar. She poked her head in and looked for her friend. “Fluttershy? Ya here?” Receiving no reply, she tried again. “Angel? How ’bout you?” she called, not really wanting to endure his sarcasm, but the home was deserted. Checking Angel’s bed to be sure, she found a note tucked under the blanket.
I’ve gone to where I can treat the poor animals in peace. I hope this note finds a friend, as I believe only somepony close to me would think to look here. Please find a way to convince everypony that the creatures aren’t at fault. Something else is stirring up trouble in the forest.
Applejack stepped back out into the yard to confront the crowd. “Y’all have driven her off! Ah hope everypony is satisfied! Y’all took the gentlest pony that ever lived, and made her feel unwelcome! And she’s jes’ the kind to forgive ya fer it, too!”
The fire sapped from their anger, the mob milled about uncertainly, as Applejack charged past them on her way back to the library, Fluttershy’s note clutched in her teeth.
Inside the house, a malevolent voice chuckled. “All the pieces are on the board, Celestia! Checkmate.”
--------
Sweetie Belle had tried for several hours to get some badly needed sleep after her impossibly busy day. The sheer volume of forest animals she’d had to turn back had left her exhausted, but she was still restless. The constant agitation of the supernatural fauna drowned out her own thoughts, and made slumber impossible.
She rose from her bed and donned her cloak again, determined to keep the beasts at bay long enough to afford her some rest. She dashed out of the boutique and galloped around the edge of town toward the woods. In her hurry, she crashed headlong into another pony coming the opposite way.
In the inky blackness, Applejack hadn’t seen whatever had knocked her flat on her back. She rubbed her head, blinking, and slowly became aware of a roseate glow illuminating the area. Rising to her hooves, she saw that it originated from another pony, stunned and breathing heavily on the ground. The light shone from the pony’s side, where a strange symbol phosphoresced under the canopy of trees.
“What the hay is that?” she exclaimed, creeping forward for a closer look. “Is that thing a cutie mark? Ah never seen nothin’ like it!” The other pony gave a low groan and staggered to her hooves, the hood of her cloak slipping down her neck. “SWEETIE BELLE!?” A look of sheer terror crossed the filly’s face as she backed away and turned to run. “Sweetie Belle, what’s goin’ on here?”
Applejack jumped to tackle her, but the mark on Sweetie Belle’s flank flared to a sanguine brightness, joined by the white glow of her horn. Time seemed to slow as a large wolf-like creature intercepted Applejack in midair and pinned her to the ground. She managed to wedge a rear hoof between them, and launched the beast skyward, resuming pursuit of her quarry. As she caught up, she anticipated the attack this time, diving low to the earth, and somersaulting under the leaping beast. Rolling out of her landing, Applejack pounced and got a firm mouth hold on the filly’s tail, dragging her to a halt. She tugged a rope out of her saddle bag and quickly hog-tied the young pony, but immediately realized the futility of trying to handle the situation herself, as the pentacle and horn blazed in the night, inciting myriad foreboding noises from far off among the trees.
Hoping she was near enough to town, Applejack cried out. “Twilight! Pinkie! Dash! Rarity! Somepony come help me!”
Twilight Sparkle was about to mark her place and put her book down for the night when she heard the shouting. She ran toward the commotion, adding her own voice in calling for Rarity as she passed the boutique. An ivory head poked out of an upstairs window. “What is it, dear?”
“Go get Pinkie and follow me! Sompeony’s in trouble!” she called over her shoulder.
Twilight arrived on the scene to find Applejack holding a bound Sweetie Belle down. As she approached, she noticed the strange symbol on the filly’s side, and first felt the waves of warped magical energy. A wall of nausea swept over the purple unicorn, and she sank to her knees, swaying unsteadily.
“Twilight! What’s wrong?” Applejack’s friend couldn’t answer, her head swimming. Pinkie and Rarity finally arrived to see Twilight collapsed on the ground, and Applejack fighting to restrain a struggling Sweetie Belle, with a pack of dire wolves slowly advancing out of the trees. Rarity began to wobble as well, feeling the same effects as Twilight.
Pinkie ran to Applejack’s side, not sure what she could do to assist. “Go help Twilight!” directed the blonde mare. “Somethin’ funny’s goin’ on with the magic. She might be able ta stop it!”
Pinkie draped Twilight’s leg over her shoulder and walked her close to Sweetie Belle. She could see the purple coat taking on more of a green tint the closer she got. “Twilight! You’ve got to stop Sweetie Belle somehow!”
Her horn beginning to emit a purple light, Twilight fought against the vertigo and tried the only strategy that had entered her mind. She projected her horn’s glow toward the captured filly, who felt a sudden juggernaut of somnolence, and soon lost consciousness. With her captive safely asleep, Applejack could finally do something about the lupine assault. She began bucking around wildly and shouting; without Sweetie Belle’s beacon summoning them, she was able to intimidate them into running away.
Finally, Applejack and Twilight Sparkle, who had regained her equilibrium, were able to examine the filly’s cutie mark. It luminesced softly in the darkness, having reverted to a dormant state, but Twilight could still sense a faint queasiness from it.
“What the hay is that, Twilight?” Applejack asked.
“I don’t know.” She leaned forward slowly and touched her horn to the pentacle. She could feel a force repelling her, and when she made contact, the mark gave off red sparks that jolted her, making her back off. “Pinkie, go tell Spike what’s happened. We need him to send a letter to Celestia right away! He should still be awake, but try not to disturb Trixie.”
As Pinkie dashed off, Applejack looked at the unicorn incredulously. “Trixie? Are you serious?”
“Applejack, I had a long talk with her tonight. Something’s different about her. Please, give her a chance.”
“If ya say so, Twilight, but Ah dunno.”
Rarity hadn’t been able to approach her sister, even now that the nausea had faded. She had been an emotional wreck over the filly lately, and she couldn’t bear to see Sweetie Belle in the midst of a very grave situation.
Just then, a brilliant flash of light announced Celestia’s arrival. “What’s happened here, my little ponies?”
“I don’t know how that got there,” Twilight said, indicating Sweetie Belle’s cutie mark. “It feels kind of like the time Apple Bloom tried to get me to give her a cutie mark with my magic, but it’s warped.”
“I can see that,” Celestia remarked, feeling the slight ripples upsetting her balance. “We need to find out what caused it before I can decide what to do about it.”
“Oh, I can save you the trouble,” came a voice from the trees. A ghostly apparition of Discord stepped out. “I gave that to her. Isn’t it delightful? One of my better ideas. ‘Demon Master Sweetie Belle!’ I know, I know. I tried to do something about the name, but we didn’t get that far yet.”
“Discord!” Celestia hissed. “What are you up to?”
“Oh, nothing much. Just this.” He waved his paw, and the purple cocoon of light around Sweetie Belle dissipated, her eyes fluttering open.
When she saw Celestia looming over her, Sweetie Belle screamed in terror. Her horn and pentacles surged to life again, and Celestia’s knees buckled under the sweeping disorientation, the two unicorns crumpling as well. Her teeth gritted, the filly summoned a cockatrice out of the forest, turning it against the incapacitated alicorn. Celestia felt the petrification taking hold of her hooves as she withered under the beast’s gaze. Her horn radiating a blinding light, the Princess fought the creeping stone, slowing its progress, but it had already encased her legs.
“Ha! See how you like it, Celestia!” taunted Discord.
Applejack lunged at the cockatrice from behind, knocking it aside. With its eye contact broken, Celestia could finally wrest her gaze from it and began to reverse its encroaching spell. Sweetie Belle knew she’d be unlikely to trick the Princess again, so she sent the cockatrice after Applejack, the only currently mobile pony.
“Don’t look at it!” Celestia warned, and Applejack was careful to keep her back toward it, tracking its position by the shadow it cast in the glow of the alicorn’s horn, and kicking at it.
Rarity struggled through the waves of distortion and crawled toward her sister. “Sweetie Belle, what are you doing? Stop this, please!”
“I can’t!” the filly shouted between her sobs. “She’ll kill me!”
“No, surely not, dear! Where did you get that idea?” The ivory unicorn tried to hold her sister’s hoof in a gesture of reassurance, but Sweetie Belle avoided her grasp.
“No, don’t stop me! If you keep me here, you’ll be killing me too!”
Rarity jerked her hoof back as if she’d just touched molten iron. My dream! Sweetie Belle, I would never hurt you! She watched her sister run off, powerless to do anything about it. The phantasmic form of Discord raced after her, an expression of rage on its face.
Without the filly’s dominating aura controlling it, the cockatrice broke off its attack and retreated for the forest. Rid of the debilitating nausea, Twilight immediately rose and ran after Sweetie Belle, calling back to her friends. “AJ, round up the others! I’m afraid we’re going to need them!”
“Be careful, Twilight!” Celestia shouted, the rocky encrustation now down to her knees. “He’s dangerous!”
“But Twilight!” answered Applejack, but her friend was already out of earshot. She continued anyway, quietly. “Fluttershy’s… gone…”
|
Pascoite
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1377
| 5 |
Discord,Main 6,Sweetie Belle,Trixie,Dark,Drama,Sad,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
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A New Harmony
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Discord is up for a rematch, with some serious mind games, and a divide-and-conquer strategy.
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complete
| 33 | 3 |
<p>Twilight Sparkle has defeated Discord, but she lacked the discipline to do a proper job of it. He's ready for a rematch, but he's recruited three ponies to be his unwitting minions, and nopony will know he's behind it until it's too late. Everypony is in for some serious mind games.</p>
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teen
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2013-02-23T23:30:23+00:00
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2013-02-23T23:30:23+00:00
| 1,168 |
Sweetie Belle dodged through rough trunks and underbrush, darting left and right in an attempt to shake any possible pursuit. She finally surrendered to the burning ache in her muscles as she cantered to a halt behind a jagged outcrop of rock. Her chest heaving to draw precious air, she dropped onto wobbling knees. Just as she began to consider resuming her flight, an unexpected voice sent a shock of fright up her spine.
“What in Equestria was that?” cried Discord, his frown just inches from Sweetie Belle’s face.
The filly stumbled backward and tripped over an exposed tree root as she gasped against the words caught in her throat.
“You bested Princess Celestia herself, and yet you let one stupid earth pony outwit you?” Discord shook his head and pointed an accusatory talon. “That was your only chance. Congratulations. You’re probably the most wanted criminal on the planet now. And I’m your only friend,” he added, rubbing his forehead.
“I’m… I’m sorry,” Sweetie Belle stammered as she regained an unsteady footing. “I don’t know… I can’t believe I actually attacked the Princess!” She stared past her mismatched mentor, her body slightly rocking to the rhythm of her pounding heart.
“I can’t help you like this, you know,” he stated flatly.
Sweetie Belle nodded almost imperceptibly, still transfixed.
“You have to let me out.”
She failed to detect the guttural quality that had crept into Discord’s voice. Her eyes remained unfocused as she turned her head to meet his gaze and give one more vague nod.
--------
Twilight Sparkle raced after Sweetie Belle, but the filly had too much of a head start. The sounds of cracking scrub had faded some time ago, depriving Twilight of any directional cues. She slowed to try and catch some last vestige of noise from her quarry, but no sign remained.
What was that thing? It felt… twisted. She shuddered at the memory of that vertigo-inducing symbol etched on Sweetie Belle’s flank. Discord sure seemed proud of it.
Twilight’s ears pricked at her sudden realization. Discord! If he’s involved, there’s only one way this is headed.
Moments later, she appeared with a brilliant purple flash in the sculpture garden of Canterlot Palace. A stony draconequus towered over her in the darkness. She quickly dismissed the notion that it had turned to look at her. Preposterous! It’s just stone. For now…
She knelt in the grass next to the statue and waited. Sooner or later, Sweetie Belle would come here. I’d better be ready this time.
--------
Trixie awoke to the sounds of a hushed discussion in the library downstairs. She silently descended the staircase halfway, her ears pricking at the mention of her name.
“Leave Trixie out of this. It’s our fight.”
“I agree, sugarcube. I don’t know how she won Twilight over, but I still don’t trust her.”
“Well, somepony’s got to sneak up there and get Twilight’s crown without waking her. And with the reigning ‘Shh!’ champion missing, you’re the quietest one of us, Applejack.”
“Alright, but only ’cause time’s a-wastin’. Twi could be in major trouble by now.”
Trixie abandoned any aspirations of stealth and hurried into the midst of the discussion. “What happened to Twilight?” she asked, her heart pounding.
Rainbow Dash twisted her mouth into a frown and squinted at the new arrival.
Applejack swallowed and gritted her teeth, remembering her promise to Twilight. She found that she couldn’t force a smile, but at least if she spoke slowly, she was able to keep the venom out of her voice. “Yeah, she is—” Applejack pried the word from her throat “—sugarcube.”
“Well, what are you waiting for?” Trixie yelled, already on her way out the door.
“We need the crown!” Pinkie shouted after her.
“Already got it!” Trixie’s rapidly diminishing voice called back. “And I know where Twilight’s going!”
Applejack shook her head, her patience long since expended. “Get along after her, y’all!”
“Aren’t you coming, dear?” asked Rarity.
“Naw, I gotta go find Fluttershy. I’ve been rackin’ my brain, and I think I figured out how.”
--------
Just as the birds began sounding their dawn reveille, an exhausted Sweetie Belle emerged from the cover of the forest and took her first steps up the winding road to Canterlot. She smoothed her cloak to ensure it concealed her cutie mark. Once the panting unicorn had reached the city gates, she proceeded nonchalantly to the sculpture garden, comfortable in the knowledge that nopony here would recognize her.
Sweetie Belle took a few hesitating steps into the garden and looked up at Discord’s motionless form. She gulped and took a deep breath, casting a glance around to make sure she was alone. “A-are you here, Dis—?”
Twilight Sparkle stepped out from behind the statue. “Sweetie Belle, what is this all about?” Her stern gaze belied the gentle, measured tone she forced. “I don’t know what’s made you do this, but it’s gotten way out of hoof. Let me help.”
The younger unicorn leaped backward into a defensive stance, silently cursing the trembling plainly visible in her fatigued legs. “I can’t,” she said through clenched teeth. “I have to get away from here, or they’ll kill me. Nopony can help me now.”
“Oh, tut, tut! I thought we already covered that.” Discord smirked as his ghostly form materialized in front of Twilight. “I’ve got your back, Demon Master.” He flew straight at Twilight with incredible speed. She backed away and held up a protective foreleg to ward off his attack, but the shade passed through her unimpeded.
Her cutie mark and horn immediately blazing, Sweetie Belle sent waves of arcane energy toward Twilight, forcing her to crumple to the ground and squeeze her eyes shut against the resulting dizziness. The conflicting forces of horn and pentacle caused rippling distortions visible in the air, the chaotic interface rumbling like thunder.
A loud cracking noise preceded a shower of dust and stone fragments that rained down on Twilight from the statue above her. She rolled out of the way as it fully disintegrated, leaving an unencumbered draconequus free to step down from the pedestal.
Discord snapped his fingers, producing a fedora simply for the purpose of being able to doff it to his audience. “Greetings and salutations, Twilight Sparkle. Sweetie Belle.” He nodded to each in turn, a smug grin playing across his features. “Thank you kindly, Demon Master,” he said, theatrically sweeping an arm across his body in a gracious bow. “Congratulations for outliving your usefulness.” The draconequus swatted Sweetie Belle with the back of his paw, sending her sprawling across the ground until she slumped unconscious against the hedge.
Twilight Sparkle charged her horn, whipping up a cloud of rocky particles from the statue’s remnants. She sent the dusty mass flying toward him and tried to form a shell around his body, but she wasn’t fast enough. Turning to face his attacker, Discord flicked a talon at her and flashed a self-satisfied smile as the gravel bombarded her face, blinding her. She stepped back into a defensive posture and gritted her teeth as she swiped at the grit in her eyes. In the blur of her obscured vision, Twilight couldn’t see the tawny paw swinging for her. It caught her squarely on the jaw and sent her sliding across the grass.
“You know you have no hope, of course,” gloated Discord. “You and your pathetic little friends.”
Rolling back to her hooves, Twilight rubbed a foreleg across her bruised cheek. She folded her ears back and squinted in a defiant sneer. “You’re not up to full strength yet or you wouldn’t have bothered fighting me.” A purple glow began to swirl about her, whipping the air into a vortex that lurched at the draconequus.
Straining against the gale, Discord dropped to all fours to gain what purchase he could in the earth. His labored progress finally flagged in the windstorm’s fury, but he had approached close enough; the tufted end of his tail caught Twilight on the shoulder and slammed her against his former prison’s base.
Reeling from the impact, Twilight shook her head momentarily to fight off the spinning sensation. By the time she looked up again, Discord was in midair, flying straight at her with claws bared.
He failed to hear the rapidly approaching hoofbeats behind him over the sound of his own yelling.
--------
Applejack knelt down as she tightened the knot of a cloth bandage around Winona’s leg with her teeth. The confused canine looked up, her ears plastered back. Cocking her head, she gave an inquisitive whine and squinted against the first rays of dawn streaming over the distant hilltops.
“We talked about this, remember? You gotta do a convincing job. Now, let’s hear it.”
A half-hearted whimper escaped the dog’s throat before she sought an approving smile from her owner.
“Not bad for a start, but you can do better, sugarcube! C’mon! Sell it!” Applejack said, waving her forelegs.
Winona knitted her brow and uttered a heart-wrenching yelp after rising to hobble around on her bandaged leg. Seeing the triumphant expression her master wore, she gave a playful bark, then allowed her tongue to loll out the side of her mouth as she wagged her tail furiously.
Shaking her head as the smile faded from her face, Applejack nudged the brim of her hat a little further up. “You were doin’ so good, too! You broke character.”
Winona tucked her tail between her legs and sidled up to Applejack. Once she felt that enough time had passed to establish her contrition, she ventured a glance upward and rolled onto her back to request a belly rub.
Applejack allowed herself a brief indulgence of making Winona’s leg kick reflexively before snapping her concentration back to the task at hoof. “Alright, time’s a-wastin’. It’ll have to be good enough.”
The long trot to the edge of the Everfree Forest passed in silence as Winona kept by Applejack’s side, deftly weaving around her flicking hooves. When they finally reached the first dense copse of trees, Applejack motioned for her companion to wander into the thicket, then took cover behind a stout oak. Winona milled about for a few minutes, making pitiable sounds and walking with a pronounced limp. However, the only attention she managed to attract was that of a startled covey of mourning doves. An hour later, the disheartened dog slunk back toward Applejack and curled up next to her, an enormous yawn drawing a squeak from her throat.
“It’s okay, sugarcube,” Applejack reassured her. “I think that might be enough. Now we wait.”
Before long, Winona’s ears pricked at the distant sound of crunching leaves and a soft voice. One of the doves returned and settled on a nearby branch, cooing excitedly.
“Where was it? Oh dear, I hope the poor thing is okay.”
Applejack hissed at Winona and nudged her back out from their hiding spot. Winona stumbled from the bushes and emitted a high-pitched keening.
“There, there, dear,” Fluttershy comforted her through a gentle smile. “Let’s have a look—Winona? What are you doing out here?”
“She’s with me.” Stepping out from behind the tree, Applejack set her jaw in anticipation of a quarrel. Instead, the pegasus ran over and locked her in a tight embrace.
“Applejack! It’s so good to see you!”
“Um… yeah, same here,” said a flustered Applejack with a nervous grin, reaching a foreleg around to return the hug. “I kinda figured you’d be… well, mad.”
“Oh, no. I could never be mad. You got my note, just like I hoped!” Fluttershy trilled, smiling so broadly that her cheeks trembled. “But… what’s wrong with Winona?”
“Nothin’, sugarcube,” Applejack replied. “She was bait. And good bait at that,” she added, giving her pet a commending wink. “Here you go, girl. You earned it.” Applejack reached into her saddlebag and produced a large biscuit, then flung it in a high arc. Winona timed her leap perfectly and already had half of it devoured before she landed. “Where’ve you been, Shy?”
“Well, um, I’ve been staying with Zecora,” Fluttershy explained. “Because I left my normal place, she kindly volunteered some space. The critters find a helpful mare, and know I still can treat them there. Oh, now she’s got me doing that, too.”
“That’s great, Shy,” Applejack said, the impatience in her eyes underscoring her voice’s note of urgency, “but we need you. Where’s your Element? We gotta go! Discord’s at it again!”
“Um, it’s at Zecora’s house,” answered Fluttershy while trying to take refuge behind her mane from the unwelcome news. “Where are we going?”
“I dunno, sugarcube.” Applejack shrugged and glanced off in the direction of the palace. “Somewhere ’round Canterlot, judgin’ by which way Sweetie Belle was headed. I expect they won’t be hard to find.”
“Sweetie Belle? What…?”
“I’ll explain on the way.” Tilting her head toward Zecora’s home, Applejack added, “C’mon.” She trotted off without looking back to see if Fluttershy was following.
--------
Discord’s leonine claws swung toward Twilight’s head as she braced for the impact. At the last moment, Discord’s body jerked sideways, propelled by a dusky blue streak. He tumbled across the ground before righting himself and turning to face his assailant.
“Ah, the prodigal filly, come back for redemption, eh?” he spat. “You’re not even worth my time.” Cracking his knuckles, he advanced once again on Twilight, a leer on his face.
Trixie watched as Twilight fought to see through the dusty tears that clouded her vision, making her lash out at the blurry mirages in front of her. Trixie’s eyes grew wide as she momentarily backed away, her legs trembling, but as her horn’s glow increased, she strode toward Discord with renewed determination. Through gritted teeth, she growled, “You leave her alone!” The aura around her horn reached a new intensity as she clenched her eyes shut. Four flaps of turf sprung up and snapped shut around Discord.
He slashed easily through the soil with his talons and stepped out of the grassy pyramid, his look of astonishment not even half as intense as that on Trixie’s gaping face. “Aha! So you’re more than just a one-trick pony, I see.”
“You mean…” Trixie stammered quietly, “I actually…” She shook herself out of her reverie as Discord approached. The scowl returning to her face, she lowered her head and charged him. Trixie dodged his paw’s feint, but his talons caught her unprepared, leaving a trio of deep gashes as they raked down her side. She cried out and braced for another impact, but a flurry of motion over at the garden’s trellised entryway caught her attention.
Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash had just passed the last of the small, glowing trail markers Trixie had left for them and galloped into the garden just in time to see a deathly paleness overtaking her face as she sank to her knees. Discord made one last lunge toward Twilight, but the last traces of light surrounding Trixie’s horn enveloped his arm and held it in check. With a grunt, he loomed over Trixie as her strength failed. The last thing she saw before losing consciousness was a purple form tackling him from behind, then disappearing with him in a brilliant flash.
--------
When Applejack and Fluttershy finally trotted up to the Canterlot city gate, the guards on duty stepped in front of their path. “Excuse me, ma’am. Are you those other two Elements from Ponyville?” the captain asked.
“Um… yes, sir. I reckon we are,” Applejack replied.
“Princess Celestia arrived not long ago. She said to send you to the sculpture garden as soon as you arrived. Do you know your way?”
“Yes… yes, we do. C’mon, Shy!” The two galloped through the city until they reached the palace grounds, then grimaced upon remembering the circumstances of their last visit during the Gala. As they stepped through the ivied archway marking the entrance to the garden, their eyes immediately alit on three hubs of activity.
Rarity knelt by the side of her unconscious sister, her forehead creased as she lightly splashed some cool water on Sweetie Belle’s face. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were applying bandages to a badly wounded Trixie, whose limp form drew shallow, ragged breaths. In the center of the garden stood Celestia, her eyes closed in concentration as she used her magic to examine the large stone hemisphere that dominated the statuary.
Celestia looked up at the new arrivals and smiled, her wings drooping loosely by her sides. She exhaled heavily before her bloodshot eyes focused on Fluttershy. “How fortunate that Applejack was able to find our Element of Kindness,” she remarked as she tilted her head downward.
Bowing, Applejack looked up when the Princess’s breathing deepened and saw her head slowly sinking toward the ground. “Um… yes, Your Highness.” Celestia’s eyes snapped back open. “She hadn’t gone far.”
Fluttershy hid her face as an embarrassed smile crept across it. “I’m sorry. I just—”
“No explanation is necessary. Please rise,” said the Princess. “We have much work do.” She stifled a yawn and led them over to Trixie. “I have sent word to have my sister awakened. After last night’s events and having to raise the sun this morning, I do not have the strength to handle this situation alone. We need to know what Trixie witnessed.” Celestia lay down in the grass next to the wounded mare and gave Rainbow Dash a concerned glance.
Dash anticipated the Princess’s question. “We’ve got her bandaged, Princess. I’m glad she was out when we put on the disinfectant, or it would’ve hurt!” She shook her head, then recovered from a brief moment of silent distraction. “I think she’ll be fine, though.”
Eager for the chance to contribute, Pinkie Pie bounced up beside Rainbow. “Uh huh! She’ll be good as new, lickety split!” Once she finally opened her eyes, she saw the fatigue gnawing at Celestia. “I’ve got some awesome hot coffee, Princess! Fresh from Sugarcube Corner. Would you like some?” she asked, pulling an insulated bottle from her saddlebag.
“Actually, that sounds like a good idea,” Celestia replied, and poured herself a cup. It floated along beside her as she strained to regain her hooves and walk toward Sweetie Belle’s prone form. The unsteadiness in her knees only grew worse as she approached the faint red glow of Sweetie Belle’s cutie mark. “How is she, Rarity?”
“Her pulse seems to have settled down, Your Highness. I think she’s just resting now. Oh, I can’t believe my own sister would attack—”
“Please. I believe she was coerced,” Celestia assured her while mustering as kind a smile as possible. “She has nothing to fear from me. I do, however, need to determine exactly what the nature of her ‘talent’ is.”
“Trixie’s comin’ around, y’all,” Applejack called from behind the Princess. “You’d best come over here.”
Celestia downed her cup of coffee and returned to Trixie’s side. When Trixie attempted to get to her hooves to bow, the glow of Celestia’s magic surrounded her and held her down. “Please rest, Trixie. We just need to know what happened.”
“Discord attacked Twilight and—” She winced and drew a sharp breath as the effort of speaking tightened the muscles in her side. Through clenched teeth, she continued. “I tried to stop him. He was still weak. She—she teleported somewhere with him.”
“Luna should be able to trace where, but I already have my suspicions. Ah!” Celestia remarked as Luna flapped to a landing beside her, flanked by two of her personal guard. “We have work to do. That,” she said, pointing at Sweetie Belle’s cutie mark, “has to go. But first, please tell me where you think that enormous rock originated. Twilight Sparkle teleported somewhere and exchanged positions with it.” Luna’s eyes widened as she raised an eyebrow at the massive stone.
--------
Twilight awoke with a pounding in her head. She rubbed a hoof to her temple and then blinked a few times to make sure her eyes were actually open. Bracing herself to try standing, she immediately collapsed back to the ground, a searing pain burning down her right side. As a soft groan escaped her lips, she lit her horn with a weak glow and peered at the dull rock walls surrounding her.
“Clever pony. But you must know that this place won’t hold me forever.” Discord smirked at her as he stepped from the shadows.
“Doesn’t need to.” Twilight looked along her bruised and battered body, then let her head sink to the cold granite as her light died. “My friends will be here soon.” Remnants of illumination danced in front of her eyes as a wave of lightheadedness washed over her.
“You’re in no condition to do anything about it. And what threat will your pathetic little friends pose without their precious Element of Magic?”
Twilight could practically hear his expression of glee. “Your magic can’t reach through stone. And there’s an awful lot of it here.”
“I can move. And I have claws. It may take me a hundred years, but I’ll dig my way out eventually. You should have teleported me into a more draconequus-shaped space.”
“I can’t be that precise over this distance. That’s why I’m even here with you. I had to make sure I didn’t miss and put you outside somewhere.” Twilight winced again at the pain in her sides and the throbbing in her skull as her head swum, once again descending toward unconsciousness. She heard an evil chuckle and one last remark in the darkness.
“Oh, I’m the only one who’s ever getting out of here.”
--------
Luna bent low to examine Sweetie Belle’s cutie mark, wrinkling her nose at the faint vertigo it caused. “This is… horribly unnatural,” she said, looking up at Celestia. “How did it even get here?”
“Discord did something to her. I don’t know what,” Trixie replied. “That was before he got to me.” She looked away from the assembled ponies and hung her head. “I just know that it lets her control demons.”
Nodding, Luna beckoned her sister over. “This will take both of us.” Her horn’s glow enveloped Sweetie Belle as Luna tried to get a feel for the magic that had been infused in her.
As Luna loomed over her and Celestia looked on, Sweetie Belle’s eyelids fluttered open. She stifled a scream and charged her horn, but Rarity moved in front of her and grabbed her by the shoulders.
“No, Sweetie Belle! They only mean to help you!” Rarity shouted as she fought back the rising wave of nausea.
Sweetie Belle shook her head as she backed against the hedge. “No! They’re going to kill me!”
“No they won’t!” Rarity said, looking her sister in the eye. “Discord lied to you. That should come as no surprise. Nopony will hurt you. I wouldn’t allow it,” she added, directing a pointed look at the Princesses.
“But… Discord told me there was only one pony that had this talent before… and Celestia had him killed.” Sweetie Belle gulped as her heart raced.
Stepping forward, Celestia knelt down next to her. “Sweetie Belle,” she said in her gentlest tone, “I have never seen anything like this before. It is not a real cutie mark. We have to remove it. I promise no harm will come to you.”
Seeing her sister add an encouraging nod, Sweetie Belle forced a smile and allowed her magic to dissipate.
“Discord gave you a real ability, but he could control it,” Luna explained. “It would be foolish to allow that influence over you to remain. However,” she added, “the fact remains that such a power has been forced upon you. You may well retain it to some degree, perhaps permanently.”
Sweetie Belle hesitantly lay down on her side as Rarity held her in a hug. A moment later, Luna and Celestia had flared their horns to a fiery intensity and touched them to the pentacle on Sweetie Belle’s flank. A shower of red sparks immediately shot up from it as the air rippled with distortions, the red star hissing and seething its defiance. The cutie mark’s crimson glow intensified, pushing the Princesses back. Fighting to maintain their footing, the alicorns’ hooves left deep scratches in the turf.
“Rarity!” Celestia shouted into the swirling wind. “Please help! We need every bit of magic we can collect.”
“How…?” Rarity replied as she frowned down at her sister, who had begun trembling.
“Just add whatever energy you can.” Luna took her eyes off Sweetie Belle for a moment and waited for Rarity’s gaze to meet her own. “We can redirect it.”
Nodding, Rarity gulped and brought her magic to bear. As soon as she did, the magical resistance pushed her away as well, but her effort had enabled the Princesses to creep forward slowly once more.
“Trixie!” Celestia called.
Fluttershy let out a whimper, barely above the sound of the wind. “No… Her bandages…”
Before Fluttershy could act, however, Trixie had struggled to her hooves and added her own stream of energy. In response, Sweetie Belle’s pentacle flared even brighter until nopony could look at it.
Luna gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, straining to get close enough to touch her horn to the cutie mark again. Flapping her wings hard to get that last bit of momentum, she finally reached it.
The sound of breaking glass echoed throughout the garden as red shards erupted into the air. Everypony stood transfixed for a moment, looking at the glittering fragments as they drifted slowly earthward and faded to ash, finally borne off by the now-subdued breeze.
When she had returned to her senses, Rarity whipped her head back toward Sweetie Belle. “Are you okay?” Her mouth hung open as she tried to slow her panting.
Sweetie Belle opened one eye, and glanced down at her side. Looking up at her sister, she gave a weak nod as her eyes welled with tears. “I’m sorry…”
Rarity leaned in and hugged Sweetie Belle tightly. “I’m just glad we’ve got that all sorted out.” She backed off a little, letting a few of her own tears dot the grass. “I’ve just been… so worried about you lately, and…”
“I thought I finally had it. My cutie mark…” Sweetie Belle averted her eyes as she sniffled.
Just as she was leaning back in for another hug, Rarity turned toward the sound of a clearing throat behind her.
“We must act quickly,” Luna said, “on Twilight’s behalf. I do not know how long she can hold out. It is reasonable to assume she is not safe.”
“You know where she’s gone?” Applejack asked, stepping forward.
Luna nodded. “I can teleport us there, to the center of Dragon Mountain. It would make the thickest stone walls in all of Equestria.” As the assembled ponies gasped, Luna continued. “We must bring the Elements with us, but first, we must locate the Element of Magic.”
Sweetie Belle’s mouth hung open momentarily as she tried to force the words out. Finally, she grimaced and let out a small sob. “I—”
“I have it,” Trixie said, glancing over at Sweetie Belle. “And I’m coming with you.”
“How’d you get that?” asked Applejack, raising an eyebrow.
Trixie set her jaw. “Discord,” she growled, bracing a hoof to stand.
“Whoa, whoa!” cried Applejack as she blocked Trixie’s path. “You’ve done plenty already, sugarcube. You need to rest.”
Luna looked over to Trixie. “Your friend”—Trixie’s head jerked up and her eyes widened at the use of that word—“is correct. You must remain behind.”
Trixie’s mouth continued to hang open as she glanced back and forth between a smiling Applejack and Luna. Finally, she removed her hat, reached in a hoof, and pulled out the crown. “Who’ll use it?” she asked as Luna levitated it toward herself.
“With any luck, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said as a glow resurged from her horn, growing to envelop the five assembled Elements. She then glanced at Celestia’s trembling knees. “Rest, sister. We shall return shortly.”
Just before the teleport spell took hold, Trixie lurched forward into Luna’s side, with Sweetie Belle close behind.
--------
Twilight stirred to the sound of scratching. It took her a moment in the total darkness to realize that her eyes were actually open. She attempted to stand, but the burning pain in her side sent her back to the ground, stars dancing in her vision.
“Awake again?” The scratching halted and footsteps approached her. “You’ve been out for about two hours, and I’ve already gotten a good quarter-inch closer to freedom. I should be out in… oh, eighty years or so. Blink of an eye.”
Twilight didn’t reply. She lay her head back on the ground and considered trying out a few of the healing spells she knew, but they took too long to work, and any glow from her horn, no matter how faint, would shine like a beacon in this black void. Forcing her breathing to slow, she concentrated on getting what rest she could.
The frigid stone actually felt good. Out of the shadows, she could see Spike approaching with a nice, tall glass of water. Perfect! That’ll hit the spot. She wriggled off the spot that her body heat had warmed a bit to get more of that pleasant sensation. It wasn’t until a few beads of sweat had trickled across her face that she regained any semblance of clarity. Pain flared along her ribs, but it soon faded into blissful numbness once more as Spike set the glass down next to her. As she reached for it, a bright light sliced through the image, and she squinted at the blurry figures in the distance. Surrounded by multicolored spots, a central midnight-blue blotch registered in her mind just before everything went black.
Luna flashed into existence in the center of the cavern amid seven other ponies. As soon as she had materialized, Trixie sank back to her knees and met Discord’s glare, illuminated with the full light of Luna’s magic. Trixie staggered back to her hooves and galloped to Twilight’s side. Brushing Twilight’s forelock up, she ran a foreleg across Twilight’s cheek. “She’s burning up! It must be shock.”
Discord stood with his arms crossed and smirked at Luna. “Oh, dear,” he said, clicking his tongue as he puffed out his lower lip. “You seem to be one Element shy of a set. Tragic.”
Luna glanced back and forth between the crown she had floating in front of herself and Twilight. Upon catching sight of it, Discord’s eyes shot wide open. He managed to close his gaping jaw, then glared at Trixie. Turning toward Twilight, he swung his talon at her, keeping it on target even through the fresh source of light that threatened to distract him.
“Stop, Discord!” Sweetie Belle yelled as her horn blazed. His arm halting in mid-swipe, Discord grunted as he strained against the magic that confined him. Claws inched forward through the glow that enveloped them as Sweetie Belle squeezed her eyes shut. “I said stop!”
Discord growled as he struggled to keep his claw moving toward Twilight. He raised his arm in a sweeping gesture.
“Behind me, everypony!” Luna shouted as she conjured a shield to deflect the wall of flame he sent their way. Most of the Elements managed to duck behind her, but the thinner edge of the barrier was only partially successful, allowing the inferno to singe the tips of Trixie’s and Sweetie Belle’s manes.
Trixie flipped her cape up in time to ward off the last of the heat, then tugged the Element of Magic away from Luna and set it gently on Twilight’s head. “C’mon, Twilight,” she rasped.
With one final snarl, Discord jerked his arm backward and free of Sweetie Belle’s magic. Trixie lowered her head and closed her eyes, and soon there were a dozen copies of her dodging and feinting around Discord from all sides. While they had him distracted, she bit down on Twilight’s tail and tried to drag her over toward Luna, but she felt a renewed burning on her side as a fresh streak of red soaked through her bandages.
The other five Elements rushed over to help pull Twilight over to Luna, but Discord had finished slashing his way through all of the impostors and grabbed Twilight, hefting her over his shoulder. “No. She stays with me.”
Twilight’s crown clattered to the ground and rolled in front of Trixie. She looked up to where Twilight’s glazed eyes had opened halfway and stared unfocused at the wall. “Yes, Princess Celestia,” she mumbled, “this is my friend, Trixie.”
Her breath caught in her throat, Trixie glanced back down at the crown in time to see Applejack scoop it up. Applejack shoved it over Trixie’s hat and looked her in the eye.
“It’s gotta be you, sugarcube,” she said with a fierce smile.
“B-but… I…”
“The magic works through friendship. Twi said so herself,” said Applejack, pointing a hoof toward Twilight. “I heard what she said. You gotta believe it.”
Trixie shook her head and gulped.
“When she saw you in need and shared a meal with you. When she gave you a place to sleep. How’d that make you feel?” Applejack patted her shoulder.
Looking past Applejack, Trixie saw four other faces grinning back.
“Think about it. Remember how it felt.”
Trixie hesitated, then gave a small nod. She focused on that unfamiliar warmth, keeping her concentration even as a voice rang out next to her.
“You put her down!” Sweetie Belle shouted, and Discord’s body once more lurched to a halt.
He whipped his head around and gaped at the whirlwind that had formed around Trixie. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy all hung in midair, their necklaces streaming light. Trixie raised her head, but kept her eyes shut, tears dripping from her muzzle as little fits of laughter sounded through her blissful smile.
As Discord shielded his eyes from the increasing glow, Sweetie Belle threw her shoulder into him, knocking Twilight loose. Sweetie Belle dove under her limp form to take the brunt of the impact.
Trixie closed her eyes against the still-growing brightness, but it cut right through her eyelids. The rest of her senses died away, only the radiating warmth left to sweep over her in the sudden stillness. With a final flash, everything went black once more.
--------
Trixie limped into the garden and weaved her way among the statues until she took her place in the group already seated in the center. A tall statue of a dranconequus loomed over them, and next to it, smiling stone faces of Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. As well as Sweetie Belle and Trixie. She gasped when she recognized her own likeness staring back at her.
“Feelin’ better, sugarcube?” Applejack asked.
“Yes.” Trixie blushed and looked down at the grass. “I just don’t think I should have been part of that,” she added, waving a hoof at her statue. “I caused half the trouble myself.”
“Actually, Discord caused every last bit of the trouble. And he still gets a statue.” Celestia walked over to the assembled ponies and beamed at them. “I am glad you could all be here. I wanted you to be the first to see it before we did the public dedication.”
“Uh… Princess? Is it a good idea… you know… to leave Discord out here again?” Fluttershy asked from behind her mane. “I mean… with what happened the last two times…”
Celestia chuckled and held a hoof to her chest. “Oh, that is not the real Discord. He is still at the center of Dragon Mountain. I thought that would be a wise precaution.”
“Then what…?” Rainbow Dash asked, jabbing a hoof toward his likeness.
Luna strode over with a broad grin on her face. “That would be my doing. I fashioned both of these out of that mound of rock Twilight left here. It just seemed like too good an opportunity to pass up.”
Her ears pricking toward her own likeness, Rarity craned her neck to see around the side of the pedestal. “What is that? Over there…” She rose to her hooves and took a few tentative steps toward some scratches she could see in the stone. Upon closer inspection, they read: May include Tom or Tom by-products.
Rarity’s face turned a deep red, and she began to shake. Behind her, Rainbow Dash fell over onto her back, laughing uncontrollably. “I thought we all agreed never to speak of that again!” Rarity shot as she whipped her head around. She let out a low growl.
“Nice,” Pinkie said as Rainbow managed to roll upright and slap hooves with her in one fluid motion.
“You come back here this instant!” Rarity shouted as she ran after the fleeing pegasus.
Applejack chuckled for a moment, then patted Fluttershy on the shoulder. “I had a nice, long talk with some o’ the ponies in town. They feel bad about how they treated you, and… well, they wanted to say they were sorry. We’ve arranged for Pinkie to throw you a ‘welcome back’ party. That is, if you can forgive ’em.”
“Oh, I was never angry,” Fluttershy replied with a soft smile. “I was just afraid for my animals. But if everypony promises to be more understanding with them…”
Applejack nodded. “Yeah, they do. And so do I.”
Leaping at Fluttershy, Pinkie nearly tackled her with a hug. “This is going to be the best ‘we’re sorry, Fluttershy’ party ever!” She held a hoof to her chin and squinted. “Of course, it’s the only one of those I can think of… but that still makes it the best!”
“And how about you, Trixie?” Twilight asked. “Will you stay in town this time?”
Trixie sighed and shook her head. “I appreciate what you taught me. All of you,” she added, sweeping her hoof around the group. “You’ll always hold a special place with me. I just need to spend some time thinking about what’s happened. Fix up my old wagon. Decide what’s next for me. But I’ll come back from time to time.” She leaned over to hug Twilight and whispered in her ear, “You’ll never know what it means that you stood up for me. You’re right—there’s power in friendship, and I need to understand it. I’ll visit, though.” She patted Twilight’s hoof.
“You’ll certainly have a lot to tell your friends when they get back,” Twilight said to Sweetie Belle.
“Yeah, but they’re gonna come back with their cutie marks. I’ll still be left behind.”
“Nuh-uh,” Applejack replied. “Just got a letter from Apple Bloom a few days ago. She’ll be home next week, and still a blank flank. Though I don’t know ’bout Scootaloo.”
“And how many of your friends can say they have a statue at the palace?” Twilight added.
Sweetie Belle sighed. It hadn’t turned out so bad after all. She still had a strange ability to control some magical creatures—she’d already tried it on Philomena while she was here, but no luck. She also had a very unique adventure. But she couldn’t help thinking that it would have all been better if she’d just had the super-boring summer she was afraid of. What good had come of any of this?
For a moment, Sweetie Belle watched Trixie smiling and looking around at everypony there. She had to grin herself, and when Celestia caught her eye and nodded at her… Well, maybe things did have a way or working out for the better.
“I’m gonna try to catch up to my sister. See you all back in Ponyville for the party?” she asked. Everypony nodded back, and she started toward the entrance, but she felt a hoof on her shoulder. She turned to see Trixie, who wrapped her in a hug that lingered much longer than she would have expected.
A new friend. Yeah. Definitely better than boredom.
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Novel Idea
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1378
| 1 |
Discord,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Spike,Adventure,Dark,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
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The Everfree Chronicles
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A stallion returns after a three year stay within the Everfree Forest on Celestia's orders.
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incomplete
| -1 | -1 |
<p>When a stallion who spent a three year stay within the Everfree forest at the request of Princess Celestia returns to Ponyville the mane 6 find themselves forced into facing a foe none of them are prepared to handle. The Elements of Harmony may not be all they need to survive, if their friendship can last the journey into the heart...of the Everfree Forest.</p>
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teen
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2011-10-20T01:29:44+00:00
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2011-10-20T01:29:44+00:00
| 1,715 |
Chapter 1: A Welcome Home Party, Pinkie Pie Style
The unicorn student Twilight Sparkle was making her way, slowly through Ponyville. Taking time to enjoy the fall scenery which would be gone soon enough to allow three months of winter. It had been only a few weeks since her friends and herself had managed to overcome Discord and save Equestria using the Elements of Harmony and all six of them had been taking it easy since that chaotic event.
Today the young unicorn had decided to give herself (and Spike, her assistant) a rarely encountered day off to relax from their studies into the Magic of Unicorns. Spike had opted to go spend the day following around Rarity and helping her as needed (not much of a vacation) Twilight thought to herself, but she knew the young dragon enjoyed it, and was sure that Rarity could use the help running her Dress Shop.
Twilight, on the other hand had spent some time visiting Fluttershy for tea and was now making her way back to the Library which was her home here in Ponyville. The streets, however, were surprisingly empty on this beautifully clear day, a few ponies seen scurrying along quickly all seeming very excited for reasons unknown to the young unicorn.
“Did you hear!?” Lyra said to her friend Bon-bon as the two hustled out of Lyra’s house, seeming rather excited Lyra was absolutely beaming, but Bon-bon, much like Twilight, seemed to have no idea what was going on. “HE’s coming back today!” she said pulling along her fellow pony up and around the house leading her to some place unknown to Twilight.
“He? Who’s he…?” the lavender Unicorn asked out loud looking around for some sign of anypony to ask. But there was no one. Not even in the sky, which was so clear and perfect that Twilight was sure there would be plenty of the Pegasus Weather Teams up there clearing it. The sky, however, seemed to be making itself perfect on its own design. Sighing the Unicorn moved on to her house putting the randomness of the event aside to focus on her studies which she had planned to dive into for the rest of the night.
Approaching the massive Tree-Library which was her home Twilight took a last look around for anypony out and about but alas there was not one pony to be seen. Pushing open the top and bottom part of the wooden door she was met with quite the surprise.
The room was decorated in massively obtrusive pink, streamers, balloons, punch bowls, chips, and decorations that Twilight couldn’t even begin to place. They were scattered chaotically all throughout the room. As was almost everypony in Ponyville!
“Twilight!” Pinkie Pie said jumping up beside Twilight as if from no where, the brilliantly pink pony hopping circles around the Unicorn. “Hurry we need help getting everything set up before HE gets here.” She gasped breathlessly moving away from Twilight to go help Rainbow Dash who was busy hanging a welcome home sign across the birth of the upper floor, the energetic Pegasus looking very irritated at the scrutiny of Rarity, the highly strung unicorn bellow.
“But what’s going on?” Twilight asked out loud, not that anyone answered. They all seemed far too busy in preparation for someone who was, as far as Twilight could tell, coming home. Using her levitation magic she helped out with streamers and signs as best she could still having no idea what was going on. So in the end Twilight decided to make her way through the crowd to find Applejack to see if she could help illuminate the situation.
Twilight found the apple farming pony over by the food directing her brother, Big Macintosh, and her sister Applebloom in their preparation of a variety of apple based foods that they were setting up along the left side of the room. After several attempts to break her General like demeanour she got a response though it wasn’t what she had wanted.
“Sugarcube, I know this all may seem pretty crazy to you, but I promise you’ll understand soo-… Applebloom that is not where I told you that goes!” the blonde had managed to say before running off to commandeer the troops, leaving Twilight standing alone, defeated.
It wasn’t long before Pinkie’s voice echoed out painfully over the crowd. “ALL RIGHT EVERYPONY LIGHTS OFF, HATS ON, CUPCAKES IN!” she bellowed and everyone did as was generally instructed, the lights all went out leaving Twilight alone in a sea of ponies in the dark... and then silence. Obviously it was a surprise party, Twilight decided, ending up right next to Pinkie Pie.
The pink earth pony looked on the verge of a semi-nuclear explosion so much energy was being stored in that little ball of party based chaos. The silence in the room was growing to a palpable level, some of the ponies where barely breathing less they ruin the surprise. Pinkie Pie was quite beside herself, entire body vibrating with pent up excitement.
It was the first sound to break the silence, the echoing clop rang throughout Ponyville as a lone pony moved across the cobblestone. The anticipation grew all the more as ninety percent of the ponies were sure that this sound was the approach of the one they were waiting for. Indeed the hoovesteps were getting closer to the Library, it sounded like at any moment the door would open revealing the noise maker who was so busy interrupting the good silence that was filling the library.
Twilight focused as hard as she could through the over bearing silence to listen to that resounding clop. It was an odd beat, not the usual “1-2, 34” of a normal walk, it felt stilted as if one hoof was carrying the weight of two, with the other foot being dragged along afterward. The purple Unicorn pondered who this pony could be but she would not need to ponder for much longer.
The door to the library opened and light fell within the gateway, the decorations hidden out of reach of the sun’s piercing rays. The pony that entered was encompassed in too much light for Twilight to make out however, as her eyes had over time grown more accustomed to the dark. Still the ponies waited.
The new figure closed the door behind himself and stumbled in the dark a little looking for the light switch.
It happened simultaneously and instantly. The lights flared on blinding the stallion and a gigantic roar echoed out throughout all of Ponyville, reaching even the Everfree forest far on the outskirts.
“SURPRISE!!!!”
The now revealed pony fell onto his haunches overwhelmed. Though the screeching yell deafened Twilight for a moment she was able to focus enough to catch a good look of this new Stallion. He had a caramel brown coat, his back and sides covered in scars, some small and light discolorations to what appeared to be healed over wounds and gaps where flesh once was, on his back was a double bagged saddle with thickly filled pockets. His mane was a rich chocolate brown which fell about his face covering the left side completely. Twilight took an instant and noted his clothing, he wore a wide brimmed Fedora hat of a brown which matched his coat pulled titled low over the left side of his face, hiding it beneath the brim and his hair, his legs had leather wrappings which looked almost bracer like, a rudimentary armour. Taking a step forward, Twilight tried to get closer to him to but she was cut off by a sea of ponies, most predominantly within that sea being Pinkie Pie.
“Were you excited? I hope you were excited. I wanted you to be excited, I was excited, I don’t think I was ever more excited. Except for that time I saw Twilight and went all “WAAAAAAAH” but I mean who can top that? Even this couldn’t top that but it was really close you know, very very close, so were you excited?” the hyped up pony rambled all in one sentence to the colt who was sitting on his haunches blinking his one revealed eye at the lights, slowly opening it to reveal the rich mahogany orb.
“Yes, I was ver’ excit’d Pinkie Pie.” the nameless pony said. “An’ very surpris’d.” he said pulling at his hat to cover the left side of his face more beneath the brim. His pronunciation of the words felt thick and uncommon as if he wasn’t used to talking, his “p”’s sounding almost painfully deep. “I mad’ sur’ not to tell ye so this wouldn’ be happenin’.” he growled a little one open eye searching through the plethora of ponies who were all busy welcoming him back and saying how happy they were to see him. He nodded back to each one and gave thanks for them all coming to such a flamboyant party. Shortly they all had their fill and the wall of ponies dissolved into the party, DJ PON-3 starting her turntables which were set up on the second level, heavy speakers hung from the wall sending their beats down into the dancing mass. By the time Twilight got close enough to his new Pony the only ones around him were: the still hopping Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy who was currently hidden slightly behind Rarity, Rainbow Dash hovering up above their heads and Applejack looking embarrassed at the floor, pawing it with her hoof absently. Spike was there too, which made Twilight more then a little curious. It was also the first time Twilight got a good look at the Stallion, good enough to make out his cutie mark.
A pair of dice, in mid roll seemed to float majestically on his flank. Twilight could not even begin to fathom what his special talent would be with such a cutie mark.
“I’m mighty sorry, Lucky.” Applejack said making sure not to make eye contact with the new stallion. “Ye know I can’t lie to nopony.” she pleaded looking very ashamed with herself, the rich brown colt sighing and giving a tug on his hat.
“It’s a’ight lass.” Lucky said defeated shaking his head at the party and the noise, the scarred pony looked rather tired. “Jus’ was hopin’ for a wee bit o’ sleep.” he yawned, shrugging it off. Then he gave them all a rich smile which didn’t seem to match his worn and torn body. “It’s mighty fine to see ya’ll again though.” he drawled stretching his legs and getting up. Turning, Lucky faced the Unicorn Heroine. “You, little lady, must be Twilight Sparkle.” he said richly holding up his hoof to her for a shake. “I’ve heard a might good bit about you.”
His smile was infectious but it couldn’t overpower Twilight’s suspicions, but she did, regardless, shake his hoof.
“So you’ve heard a lot about me?” Twilight asked, letting her hoof fall, Lucky’s going back down to the floor as well, tapping a little to DJ Pon-3’s current beat.
“Yes indeed, though I’m surprised you never sent me any letters yourself. The girls and Spike have been messaging me for months with stories about your adventures but there hasn’t been a letter from you.” Lucky said his voice a little confused at the situation. “Either way I think I shoul’ introduce myself righ’ proper. I’m Lucky Roll, pleasure to meet yeah.” The stallion said tipping his hat to the younger Unicorn.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lucky Roll.” Was all Twilight could say, she was crushed on the inside as to why her friends hadn’t told her about this character, how come they had never let her in on that they were messaging him. But most importantly she was upset that Spike, her trusted companion and dearest friend had not told her of what was going on.
“We wanted to tell you!” Pinkie’s bubbly voice popped up. “But every time we had a spare moment when we weren’t being chased by something or some crazy antics were going on or we all had to work.”
“That’s right, sugar-cube. We didn’t mean to keep anything secret.” Applejack said, recovering from her embarrassment.
“Oh oh oh or we were making cupcakes. Delicious cupcakes.” Pinkie Pie added, the group all looking at the random pony.
“Pinkie Pie. You. Are. So random.” Rainbow Dashed said looking down at the pink earth pony with a little squint.
“Just like old times, eh?” Lucky asked laughing he pawed down at the floor, taking each of them into his field of vision one by one. “It really has b’n too long hasn’ it?”
“Three years…” Fluttershy whispered from off to the side, moving forward a little, obvious the lessons she was going through with Rainbow Dash to increase her assertiveness were taking a long time to sink in.
“Yes, exactly. Three loooooong arduous years without you over to help meeeeee.” Rarity complained slightly drawing her words out. “Just where have you been?”
“Oh ai? Well the Princess needed me to go deeper into the forest then usual. Had to look after something for her while she was busy ruling Equestria. When lil’ Luna woke up I had to move in deeper as well to make sure what I was guarding was well watched from within.” He said making no promises to tell them what he was protecting deep within the Everfree forest. “Managed to pick me up som’ new momento’s there, don’tcha know.” the Stallion said moving his head in the directions of the scars on his underside and back.
There was a moment of silence, Twilight was unsure of how to read the situation. Her friends did indeed looked as if their friend Lucky was far more beat up then usual. But for a pony to spend three years in the heart of the Everfree Forest was unheard of. To spend any extended time in that forest is extraordinarily dangerous. "The princess..?" had she heard him right? It was her princess, her teacher… and he mentioned Luna, so he has a way to receive messages from the princess, and Spike.
“You work for Princess Celestia?” Twilight asked turning her head, having spent a great amount of time with her mentor over the past years since Celestia had taken her under her wing the young Unicorn found it peculiar that she had never heard mention of someone so important as to be given a three-year long task within the mighty Everfree Forest.
“Yes indeed lil’ miss.” He said with a smile and a air of pride. “I’ve been working with the Lil’ Lady since I was just wee bit high.” Lucky said raising his hoof to reflect his height, roughly that of a pony at the same age of Applebloom or Scootaloo. “She has had me living and working the forest ever since, and acting as her personal liaison to Zecora for the Zebra Tribe.” he continued pounding his chest a little, happy with his status.
“I’ve never heard of anyone living in the forest…” Twilight said sceptically all the other ponies making non-committal faces as if it was a taboo topic.
“Well of course I had to technically live here, in Ponyville. This library to b’ ‘xact.” Roll said nodding to the raving ponies within the large library, his accent becoming less noticeable and prominent “The mayor wouldn’t let Celestia use me any other way…though I suppose I spent most of my time in safe houses I’v' made over the years anyway’… Ponyville still feels lik’ I’m back home, dontcha know?” he chuckled throwing a hoof over Rianbow Dash who had landed beside him and the other fore-hoof over Applejack in a tight hug. “And see’in ya’ll again just makes it worth it.”
Twilight went quiet as the ponies, her close friends, all talked excitingly to Lucky and watched in from the outside of the circle, even Spike was deep in the conversation that she had tuned out. She felt like she had long ago, before coming to Ponyville…before making friends a time when she felt separated from everyone there, and she wished for all her worth that she had a book to read or something to study instead of standing there silently in the life filled party.
This was different than that she decided, walking away from the group towards the punch and apple based treats, not that anyone noticed. Side stepping a mildly tipsy Apple Cider who was singing out of tune and pitch a leg tossed around his friend Chef Sandy, the two colts having right the time apparently. Pushing them from her mind and the second Dj who had jumped up behind the tables with PON-3, Vinyl’s protégé, DJ Trance taking his turn at the tables, the music’s tone and beat shifting automatically. All Twilight could focus on however, was how she felt at this moment. It was loneliness…it was different. Twilight admitted to herself surprised to find that ugly emotion was followed by the less pleasant jealousy. She was angry that this Stallion who’d been away for years could just show up and push her aside like this, taking her friends from her. Twilight got even angrier at herself for this feeling, she was a smart and rational pony. Understanding that her friends were being reunited with someone they had all known and who had been away for a long time meant a great deal to them. Twilight knew how they felt but she still felt hurt that she was being so easily pushed aside.
Grabbing onto an apple cupcake, with its granny smith apple whipped topping, Twilight began to eat methodically. It had no taste for the Unicorn though, she just felt the need to do something and, not wanting to risk the sea of ponies, eating a cupcake felt like a good idea. Though she quickly found herself choking as a hoof rapped against her back.
Lucky was beside her then, his caramel brown face near hers, a cup of punch in his mouth. “Wan’ a drink lil'missy?” he asked, feeding her the cup which she downed quickly to clear up the food she was forced to swallow by the sudden back pat.
“Aren’t you busy catching up?” Twilight asked once she had finished choking, her voice more then a little spiteful, Lucky’s taken aback face not lost on her and she felt immediately terrible for being so angry with the weathered pony.
“It was getting quite chaotic so I excus’d meself for a drink.” he said grabbing another cup and downing it quickly looking out across the dance floor. “And I thought we could use this moment to get to kno----” he began but he was interrupted.
As was the entire party. For at that moment an unpony roar echoed all across Ponyville, originating from the edge of the wild and untamed Everfree forest.
It was a cry filled with earth shattering evil which shook the turntables off their track, ponies to their knees and sent birds fleeing in all directions for miles.
Beneath the cry’s bestial blood lust there was a word so deep and unnaturally spoken from lips not meant to share the speech of civilized creatures. The word which shook through all the ponies to the bone save one.
“LLLLUUUUCCCCKKKKYYYY!!!!!!!”
The caramel pony lifted his hoof and pulled down his hat again, which had ridden up. A nervous tick he had developed over the years. Twilight being the only one near him was able to hear what he muttered under his breath. His one mahogany eye sharpening to a dangerous degree, he suddenly looked much like a warrior, a veteran of fighting off monsters that no one had ever known. His ruggedness had changed to a vicious, instinctual look of a trained warrior. His voice was so cold and uninviting it forced shivers down Twilight’s spine.
“Well don’t dat beat all.”
|
Novel Idea
|
1378
| 2 |
Discord,Main 6,Original Character,Princess Celestia,Princess Luna,Spike,Adventure,Dark,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,Gore
|
The Everfree Chronicles
|
A stallion returns after a three year stay within the Everfree Forest on Celestia's orders.
|
incomplete
| -1 | -1 |
<p>When a stallion who spent a three year stay within the Everfree forest at the request of Princess Celestia returns to Ponyville the mane 6 find themselves forced into facing a foe none of them are prepared to handle. The Elements of Harmony may not be all they need to survive, if their friendship can last the journey into the heart...of the Everfree Forest.</p>
|
teen
|
2011-10-14T15:40:17+00:00
|
2011-10-14T15:40:17+00:00
| 1,078 |
Chapter 2: Luck is in the eye of…
The Beholder, an ancient and massive tyrant which had long ago ruled deep within the mountains of the Everfree forest. Feared by Demons and Alicorns alike, this monster had been nothing but a shadow of his former self, eye-stalks swirling madly, heavily fanged mouth gaped wide as the time lost beast roared for his prey at the edge of this small, rural town. It’s many long and spindly eye stalks coiling and coalescing along its body over new scars and missing flesh, the direct cause of its most hated prey.
The beast gnashed his teeth violently roaring louder to the town of ponies. His bane had returned to a place where he would be able to pounce. How long? A year, two… time had meant very little to the demi-god beast till he had been bested by that… little pony… that Lucky Roll.
It was unable to understand how something so weak, frail and small could contend with him a monster not short of the divine. His “luck” had bested the beast time and time again, his magic and torture of other monsters within the massive dark forest had revealed to him bits and piece’s of the pony’s almost magic luck. First hand the Beholder had learned all too well that Lucky Roll was a monster in his own right. They had manage to wound and scare each other on a level of equals… and the thought filled the monster with rage froth forming at its mouth as it roared again.
“EQUALS WITH ME!?! THAT LITTLE COLT THINKS HE CAN RIVAL ME!?!?! I, ONE OF THE GREATEST MONSTERS ACROSS THIS WORLD. BESTED BY A PONY!?!?! EQUAL TO THAT PONY!?!?” the beast roared in his mind enraging himself more and more. He could hear the tell-tale clop of a single pony approaching.
It would be Lucky, it would always be him. Though the Beholder hated it, hated to admit it more then he hated to draw another breath with his prey alive there was a brotherhood between them, when one called the other would rise to battle time and time again till. In the end, the Beholder feasted it’s massive jaws on the pony’s flesh, the very through making the floating eye sphere roar in delight.
Lucky Roll coming into view at the edge of town, down the street from a massive tree building, sitting on his haunches and calmly and slowly as if there was no monster hovering at the edge of the forest before him.
XXXXXXX
“Now list’n here, ev’rypony.” Lucky said calmly, but his voice tore across the panicked welcome home party. To Twilight Sparkle’s surprise everypony was immediately quiet and attentive, even the CMC sat quietly in front of him, shivering in fear though they were. “I’ll take care of this righ’ business lik’.” His rich, chocolate voice said the words flowing deep with his accent. “Not aone of yall is to come out an’ interfere with m’… y’hear?”
To the lavender unicorn’s surprise everyone nodded and spoke words of encouragement to him. Maybe she was the only one close enough to the caramel coated pony to see the shivering in his knees or the bead of sweat on his forehead.
“What do you mean? You can't think you’re going out there alone do you?” She said turning to face Lucky, she felt a hoof touch her back and there was AJ, shaking her head.
“Not now Sugarcube, you don’t quite know how things work with Lucky…” the apple farmer said carefully pulling Twilight closer away from Lucky though she protested.
“How do you feel?” Fluttershy whispered over the slight mumbles, her head low to the ground. Little yellow body shaking more then any one else’s in the room but she found the courage to talk.
The chocolate maned Stallion smiled and walked forward reaching a hoof up he ruffled Fluttershy’s mane playfully. “Lucky as ever.” his voice rang out with nothing but confidence and passion. He turned and walked to the door, Twilight tried her best to follow but Applejack held her back eyes watching Lucky closely, as she noticed the whole room was. Everypony in Ponyville was watching this Stallion who had returned to them war torn and ravaged and they were about to send him into the fray again, Twilight realized. No one there felt good about what was happening but this was something out of their power. They were untrained to deal with anything like this and the best they could do is run from whatever was there.
Lucky’s voice cut out across the thoughts raging within the unicorn’s mind, pulling her back to the present situation. He pulled his hat low and gave them a formal, business like nod. “Time to earn mah keep.”
XXXXXXX
Lucky Roll made his way slowly down the main street of Ponyville, directly in line from the Library was the Beholder, the enemy calling for him. It was there, a tug inside of his body, he could never explain it. It was a calm stride... though his heart was racing more and more, beating rapidly against his chest. He couldn’t fight the fear, this “Luck” inside of him had always given him the best possible result. Still he felt every scar burnt into his flesh when the best outcome was something that he could not begin to recall without breaking into a cold sweat. Lucky moved at ease though, staring down the dark grey monster as if he was merely an inconvenience, the luck was there with him, he was sure in the end he’d survive… well he hoped. The worse case scenario he dies and sates the monster’s hunger who intern leaves the other ponies of Ponyville alone. At least they'd be safe then.
Stop. The luck inside him told him to stop and sit, right there where he was and so he did, lowering his haunches to the ground. There was no urge to arm himself, no urge to take a pre-emptive strike. Only to sit, maybe make conversation. Yes conversation would be ok, Lucky thought at least, sweat dripping down his face a little, he could feel it wetting his fedora hat . He hated this fear, it took all of his strength not to show it, or weakness to the monster before him. An opening must never be shown, the walls can’t come down.
“Nice t’ see ya again.” He said as calmly as he could, hoping the beast would be enraged beyond the point to see the signs of his nervousness, his fear. That small quiver in his voice.
“You dare talk to me like that…” the Beholder growled floating closer to the apparently cocky pony, its rage beaming from every eye. “Do you even comprehend how quickly I could kill you this very second.” It growled some eyes twirling and focusing on their pray.
Lucky did the best he could to laugh, a hollow and sarcastic laugh. Pulling his hat over the hair which covered half his face he gifted the monster with a cocky half grin. “Well you’d need to ask yourself. Do ye feel "Lucky"? Well… do you?” those words cut the Beholder deeper and wider then any weapon.
Lucky couldn’t help but smile genuinely at the fear which momentarily crossed the monster’s form. It was uncertain. They had both learned to fear each other after battle and battle they had seen the powers both wielded to the fullest extent. Hesitation was the side of the coin in the battle between these two which determined the fate each and every time. If Lucky could ignore his fear and follow his gut instinctively he would always turn up on top, whereas if the Beholder had never learned more, and became aware of a power that the pony before him now that he did not know anything about it would be easy for him to destroy Lucky Roll at his whim.
“Grrr you and your luck…” The beholder grumbled in his bestial tongue near enough to Lucky that the pony could smell it’s rancid odour. “You are always so sure, so ready to die for this luck of yours…” it growled so close now Lucky could almost feel the eye stalks on his flesh, sure that his shivering would give him away, his heart felt like it was fighting to rip open his chest and flee.
It was at that moment when there was a change in luck, a tug to look behind and a powerful gallop which echoed across the ghostly town.
XXXXXXX
Twilight and the group looked out the window at the large, almost house sized monster which was hovering closer and closer to Lucky.
“We can’t just leave him there like this…” The young magic user said looking to her friends, Spike was nodding furiously back to her but his tail was shivering a little in his arms. Rarity looked at a loss as to what to do. Applejack was struggling inwardly, the Apple Family gene in her demanding she go help a pony in need but her consciousness telling her they couldn’t be much help. Fluttershy had turned her head away from the scene and was muttering to herself in that tiny pitchy voice of hers seeming lost. Rainbow Dash was hovering about them, she had the urge to fly out and kick that flying eye ball in the face, or whatever she could hit. There was fear though, it had sunk it’s fangs even into the brave Pegasus’s powerful hide. Pinkie Pie was sitting there looking out the window eyes stuck on Lucky no one could read her face for it was almost as emotionless as Gummy’s, her beautiful pink coat seeming to have lost some of its sheen.
“Sugarcube I know that this is a lot different… but Lucky out there is the best pony we have when it comes to dealing with badies…like that one...” Applejack said looking out the window to their caramel defender.
“But we could use the elements of Harmony….” Twilight whined, the hatred and jealousy had moved on to concern. Whether she liked the pony or otherwise a citizen of Equestria was there staring down a monster like there was no other option. For a town he hadn’t seen in years simply out of duty.
“Darling we don’t know how that thing will react to us being there.” Rarity said calmly looking sad that she could not help in anyway, her fears at the foremost of her mind.
Twilight looked at her friends hopelessly, they were all scared but beyond that, they all knew that Lucky would be able to handle it without them getting in the way. Half their fears stemmed from causing something to go wrong in the Stallion’s plan. The unicorn looked back out the window, she didn’t need to use her magic to see the slight shiver in Lucky’s legs as he sat there, the monstrous Beholder hovering inches from his body.
“Well I’m going.”
XXXXXXXX
Lucky looked forward the shivering had stopped, was it luck or had he known what was approaching behind him. The Beholder would never know as the Caramel Coated colt stood up and tipped his hat to the monster, the lavender coat of Twilight Sparkle coming into his peripheral.
The brave stallion turned his head to see all of Ponyville behind him, everyone of them. Fluttershy hiding behind Rainbow Dash who looked ready to barrel down into the floating eye-beast, Rarity was standing tall, head held high, Applejack flanked by her big brother Big Macintosh looked ready to start bucking. Lucky couldn’t contain the emotion washing over him as he smiled genuinely and tilted his hat to everypony in Ponyville looking for all his worth their brave defender. His one visible mahogany eye turned back to focus on the beast looking for all its worth like a dagger ready to strike.
“What’ll ye do now?” The Stallion asked standing up from his sitting position, the sick euphoria of “Luck” poured over his body viciously elating him to a level of recklessness beyond his fear. “Even if you take me out, I’m sure you can’t handle all this pony.” Cheers from the crowd filled his breast with confidence, Applejack loud ‘Darn right ye can’t handle dis pony.’ her deep southern drawl ringing out over the cheers. The massive floating beast winced back eyes dancing on their stalks changing focus rapidly as it pulled further and further back away from the group.
“Lucky….” the beast growled, the word rolling on it’s tongue violently. It’s eye was focused now only on the Caramel nuisance. Every stalked looked ready to fire their magic and obliterate the pony where he stood, but the Beholder was a slow beast. It’s magic could only move its slow body so quickly and a pony would be able to catch him easily, a Pegasus much quicker. The racial pool of ponies before him provided more of a threat then their raw numbers, a Pegasus could rain down attacks from above and disable his eyes, the Unicorns with their magic could in theory repel his magic attacks and the Earth Ponies could rain attacks upon his body. It was a large group that could use its versatile nature to its advantage and adapt to any attack he delivered quickly. The Beholder, though furious and powerful knew that in order to survive long enough to enjoy the taste of the kill it wished to find in the annoying, Lucky Roll, he would not find it there today. “We will finish this later…mark my words.” It hissed, acidly pulling away and turning its back on the horde of angry equines.
Rainbow Dash moved to charge, as did Pinkie Pie, who showed up wearing a pan over her head with a wooden spoon in her muzzle having taken the time to armour up before following the rest of the herd. But Lucky stalled them raising his hood and shaking his head slowly.
“That’s not how we roll.” Lucky said loudly enough for the beast to hear him as it entered the forest the floating ball pausing for a moment it’s ears trained on that venomous voice. “A scar on the back among equals is a sign of dishon’r, don’cha know.” he said smiling at the girls as the beast roared, trees around it being up rooted and scarred beyond belief as magical beams of light flickered wildly from eye stalks.
Lucky laughed, softly, a quiver in his throat that only a few of the cheering ponies would have noticed as they celebrated the retreat of the monster. There was however one pony that was far from cheering.
A positively furious Twilight Sparkle, her purple cheeks flushed a blood black raised a hoof and smacked Lucky on the top of his head.
“What in the wide world of Equestria did you think you were doing?!” she shrilled wide purple eyes drilling wholes into the Stallion before him, her five friends giving him very similar looks all grouped together around him.
“Well I don’t know wh’t I was thinking, rightly at leas’.” he drawled on teasingly tilting his hat to them. “But right now I’m thinking’ I’m ver’ lucky to have yall for friends who’ll show up when I need them.” His lips were drawn in a teasing cocky smile as he turned from the six mares to head back to the library.
“Now, weren’ we still having a parteh, where we not!?” he echoed loud enough to shake the crowd.
XXXXXXX
The party continued long into the night, Twilight found that she couldn’t get close to Lucky to question him about earlier. After stumbling back into the Library the stallion had pardoned himself to what was now her room to rest for a while, everypony understanding that he would be spent from the encounter with the monster allowed it and continued to rave long into the night.
Shortly after the clock hit 2 a.m. the majority of ponies began to file out of the Library, though Vinyl Scratch was still moving her head to the beat coming from her tables, and Pinkie Pie was still dancing like she had just started ( Twilight would later suspect that Pinkie had been dipping her Pie into more then just the punch). Fluttershy looked completely wobbly and tired, Applejack offered to take her home and walked out the door with the yellow Pegasus leaning heavily on her flank. Rarity had left earlier with Sweetie Belle and Spike was passed out in the corner his tail wrapped in his arms and legs. After what seemed like forever but was only a few more minutes Rainbow Dash dragged out Pinkie and the rest of the ponies, without their dancing idol to worship fled to their homes for what would most likely be a long night of hard sleep. In due time the tables stopped their spinning and Vinyl made her way down from the makeshift stage seeming shaky and unstable, flanked by her protégé Trance who was keeping her up against his back. They exchanged a few words about getting their equipment the following afternoon and they too disappeared into the night leaving the purple Unicorn alone.
Shaking her horned head exhausted the spent Twilight began to make her way to the door leading to her room, she would sleep in Spike’s bed after levitating down some blankets to help keep the baby dragon warm. Well that was what Twilight would have loved to do had a sickening gurgle not erupted deep from within Spike’s chest and followed by the ensuing burp of green flames which coalesced slowly into a sealed scroll from the Princess.
“What the…?” she said out loud her horn lighting up violet to lift the scroll to her eyes in the dim light of the after party. She read it once, her slightly blood shot eyes sore from the strain. Then re-read it a few times. “Spike! Spike, get up!” she said nudging the Dragon roughly with her hoof, sure his scales would absorb any actual impact.
“Huh, wha, mommy?” his brilliant green eyes opened looking at Twilight tiredly. “You’re not mommy…” he growled disappointed rolling over when a sharp kick forced him awake. “Whaaaaaaa” he whined getting to his knees.
“Start packing our things Spike, there’s trouble and the Princess needs us and the girls to go help.” Twilight said going to open the door.
“And where are you going? Spike whined fumbling in the dark room for the Unicorn’s rucksack.
“To sleep, you can sleep while we travel, promise.” Twilight said going into the room. “I’ll get up early and go get the girls, while I’m out you give the letter to Lucky.” she ordered levitating it his way.
In the dark the Dragon could barely read the letter but he made out enough to increase his speed, the opening paragraph forcing the little dragon to hustle his tail.
“My most Faithful Student Twilight Sparkle
Disaster has stricken KnottingHoove and I’m afraid you and your friends
Are the only ones I can rely on to help them in their time of need.”
|
Bookish Delight
|
1380
| 1 |
Main 6,Princess Luna,Alternate Universe,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
P3 Project Episode 6: I Wish
|
A happier take on the Grand Galloping Gala! Everypony achieves their dreams except Rarity--so far...
|
complete
| 91 | 3 |
<p>After so much preparation, the Grand Galloping Gala is here at last! How will its attendants from Ponyville fare... and most importantly, will Rarity find true love? (An AU alternative to the canon Gala... written before the Gala. Ahhh, naivete.)</p>
|
teen
|
2011-10-11T03:19:03+00:00
|
2011-10-11T03:19:03+00:00
| 3,722 |
A majestic indigo unicorn pegasus stepped forth onto one of her castle's higher outdoor balconies. A microphone was already prepared for her, allowing her voice to travel a great distance while carrying some of the most important words she was to say in quite some time:
"Thank you all for arriving today. Welcome, one and all ponies, to the all-day, all-night festival we affectionately call the Grand Galloping Gala! For those of you attending for the first time: this is the day where those who reside in our fair capital city of Canterlot, as well as a multitude of honored guests, are allowed to take a well-deserved break from the rigors of daily life--and as always, make new friends in the process! Originally created by my sister Celestia, the Grand Galloping Gala is a decades-old tradition... which means this shall be my first attendance as well."
Princess Luna of Equestria allowed herself a slight chuckle at her own joke, and at her own expense. It wasn't quite so long ago that she'd been the feared anti-deity known as Nightmare Moon--yet here she was now, hosting royal parties in front of an audience of hundreds with not a scared face in sight. Not bad for upward mobility, if she did say so herself.
It was time, then, to deliver the final flourish.
"Therefore, as I stand before you, I hereby issue one and only one royal decree this day in my sister's name: that everypony gathered here enjoy themselves to their heart's content--and know that I shall be amongst you, doing the very same. Thank you, and let the merriment commence!"
–––
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
Pony Permutation Project!: Episode 6
"I Wish"
Part 1 of 2
by Bookish Delight, 2010–2011
All characters and referred properties belong to Hasbro.
–––
That was how Princess Luna had opened the ceremonies late that morning, and her subjects had followed her wishes to the letter--Rarity's best friends among them.
It was nighttime at the Gala now. The breeze blew warmly, and the moon was shining high--not that anypony could tell with so many lights about.
Along the expansive main fairgrounds of the castle courtyard, ponies were still socializing, playing, dining, and overall very much enjoying themselves, though now in a far more subdued manner than they had been during the day. Streamers, balloons, lights and other decorations of every size, shape, color, type and luminance were spread everywhere they could be spread--and speaking of spreads, the buffet was massive as well.
Rarity looked at the large clock on the fairgrounds, then at the castle in the distance. There was time enough; what harm would it do to check in on her comrades? She was, after all, the only one of them thus far--well, perhaps except for Twilight Sparkle, she'd have to one day inquire about that--to attend a social event of this magnitude.
It would be quite the lark to see how things turned out for them...
---
"Five hundred eighty four, five hundred eighty five, five hundred eighty six..."
As Rarity approached Applejack's cart and stand, she noticed two things. The first was that the orange earth pony was lost in concentration. The second was that since the festival lights were glinting off of the large pile of gold coins Applejack was counting, Rarity had to shield her eyes from the glare--no small achievement when dealing with a pony used to the shine of jewelry.
"My word, Applejack," she said with a gasp, "did you perhaps happen to win today's Gala Golden Raffle?"
Applejack didn't look up. "Hah! As if I'd trade places with whoever won that piddly pile o' chump change compared to what I've--wait a sec..." Finally recognizing the voice that had spoken to her, Applejack did look up--and once she saw Rarity, she burst into an ear-to-ear smile. "Rarity! Hiya! Good gravy, darlin', you have no idea just how happy I am right now!"
Rarity nodded. "It certainly looks like you accomplished your goal of turning a profit today."
Applejack gave a little squeal of happiness. "Mission complete, an' then some! I tell you, I've sold enough apple-stuffs today to give our farm a hundred spitshines! Went through the whole stock! And I've got you to thank for it."
Rarity blinked. "Me?"
"Darn tootin', you! Recognize somethin'?"
Applejack stepped out from behind the stand, revealing the outfit that Rarity had made for her shortly before the Gala--a beautiful green denim dress with matching boots, a brown saddle, and apple emblems plastered wherever they could fit. There was even a new apple-themed hat to go with it.
The outfit's maker gasped again. "Oh, Applejack! You wore your gown to business? I wish I'd known of your plans sooner, I would have used even sturdier material! Did you even get to have any fun while you were here?"
"You kiddin'? Just wearin' this thing was fun enough! This dress of yours turned more heads than Pinkie Pie's singing voice! 'Cept in a good way." Her voice dropped to a mischievous whisper. "Had a lot o' colts buying a lot more n' they originally planned, too, if y'all get my drift..."
"Oh, I most certainly do," Rarity said as the two shared a giggle.
"So yeah: I'm real sorry again about underestimatin' your design work. It's amazing. Whole buncha ponies even asked for autographed pictures of me in this!" She gestured towards the gold. "Hence this extra-big pile o' moolah. Some of this belongs to you, by the way. S'only fair. It's your design, and truth be told, I never felt so... so pretty till today." She pointed to Rarity's dress. "Like how you probably feel wearin' that number."
Rarity smiled. "Why, thank you, Applejack! I gather our emotions truly are similar on that front. As for the money, I absolutely couldn't," she said. "I may make the dresses, but it's up to the wearer to make them work. I insist you keep it."
"Y'mean it?" Applejack gasped. "Thanks a bunch, Rarity! Next time I get the urge to call you a beauty-obsessed stick-in-the-mud, I'll think better of it. Probably. Maybe." She winked.
Rarity chuckled. "All I can ask, I suppose. Well, then, I'm glad everything worked out. I'll be off now."
"Bye, Rarity," Applejack said, going back to counting gold coins. "Five-hundred eighty-nine, five hundred seve... wait, that ain't right--awww, dagnabbit, I lost count!"
She hesitated, knowing what she had to do... then smiled and sighed. "Well, could be worse, I guess," she said, dumping the bag she'd been putting her counted gold into. "One... two..."
---
Rarity continued to walk until she reached the middle of the fairgrounds. Soon after she did, a groan could clearly be heard in the distance.
"Hello?" she called out. "Is somepony in trouble? Whoever it is, answer me!"
The voice called back. "Rarity?"
"Pinkie Pie?" Rarity called back in recognition.
"Rarity! O... over here!"
Rarity followed the voice, and almost tripped over a pink earth pony, who had fallen on her back onto the grass. Her hooves fidgeted in midair.
"Oh my gosh, Pinkie Pie? What happened to you?"
"Rarity! You gotta help me. Can't ... fight this... alone..."
Rarity reached out with her hoof. "Let me help you up!"
"No! Don't move me! If I look at anything but you or the empty sky, it'll only make things worse!"
"Make what worse?" She looked down at Pinkie, whose smile was actually bigger than it was normally. Her eyes were open wider than usual, her tongue lolled to the side... never had happiness looked so scary.
"Party Coma," Pinkie Pie whispered. "It's coming."
"Party Coma?"
Pinkie Pie closed her eyes nodded, then opened her eyes again. "Party Coma is what happens if a party actually manages to be too awesome for Pinkie Pie to handle! I've only had it happen a few times before, so I totally forgot about it! Everything goes pink, and when it's all over, I wake up someplace different! Which would normally be fine, except..." She clutched Rarity's front legs, pulling her closer. "...we're not in Ponyville right now! Who knows where I'd end up?"
She put her head back on the grass, happily groaning again. Rarity sighed, now completely at a loss. "How did this even happen to you?"
"That's the thing," Pinkie said, still making sure to stare straight upwards. "I was actually being careful! When I got here, I almost pinked out from the decorations alone, and I instantly knew I was going to have to to pace myself! So I made sure to sample one and only one piece of food or dessert from the buffet. But the next thing I knew-"
Rarity interrupted. "Pinkie Pie, the Grand Galloping Gala has over one thousand types of confections imported from every region of Equestria."
"...I do remember losing count somewhere around the triple digits."
Rarity shook her head. "Okay, it's clear that this is something you've brought on yourself. I sympathize, I truly do, but if this isn't something potentially life-threatening, then I'm going to have to go."
"No! Don't! Don't leave!" Pinkie Pie clutched at Rarity's legs again. "Can barely... move... so many balloons... so many streamers! Pinkie Pie has... never been so happy... in her entire liiiiiiiife..."
Rarity struggled. It would simply not do for her night to be done in by something as base as delirium! "Pinkie, no! I have to... let go of me, I have to get you some help, I-"
"No you don't. It's okay now."
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Pinkie Pie was back on all four legs, smiling normally, breathing normally, and aside from her dress, looking good as new!
"Whew! I'm totally all better now! Thanks, Rarity!"
"What the..." Rarity could do naught but double-take. "Pinkie, I admit I'm used to being somewhat confused by your ways, but-"
"No worries," Pinkie said. "Allow me to explain! Party Coma was about to happen, and there wasn't much I could do to stop it unless I found something to take my mind off of things! Seeing you all confused helped me to do just that!" She giggled. "You're so funny when you're flustered!"
Rarity rolled her eyes. "What wonderful news."
"Yeah, really! But it's all part of my Pinkie Pie Perfect Party Powers! Any party that doesn't put me into the Coma makes me more festive!" She threw up her front hooves and spun around in triumph. "Now I can handle any party as intense as this one! Or, um, milder."
Rarity thought about this. "You know, that almost makes sense. In the weirdest way possible, mind."
"Of course it does! But wow, it's never taken this long for me to recover before! This Gala is amazing! And wearing this dress made it even better!"
"Did it truly?"
"Yeah! You making candy part of my dress theme meant I could mix and match from the buffet and always come out looking totally sweet--literally!" She looked behind herself, a the now grass-stained bottom of her gown. "'Course, that's kind of impossible now since I fell over half an hour ago. Does your shop have a drycleaning service?"
Rarity shook her head, sighed, and trotted off without a word.
"Hey, we should add candy to your dress too! Not that it isn't already awesome... Rarity?... Rarity? Where'd you go? Oh well. Time to go back to high-jumping the streamers! Ooh, and there's still like half the buffet I haven't touched! And (GASP) oh my gosh, the balloons! I need to play volleyball with the balloons! Oh! But first I need to talk to the colt in charge of the Pin-The-Tail-On-The-Pony Tournament to let me do a do-over since that was where I fell down in the first place-"
Rarity forced herself to not hear any of this. She was going to need her sanity to get through tonight, and she preferred for it to not be stolen early.
---
She was soon out of the fairgrounds, and halfway towards the castle. Upon reaching this area, she could hear boisterous laughing in the skies!
Rarity knew that laugh all too well. She looked up and saw exactly who she expected:
"Rainbow Dash? What are you so happy about, if I may ask?"
Seeing Rarity, Rainbow Dash floated down to a gentle landing. "You absolutely may ask! Guess who's a total shoo-in for the Wonderbolts?"
Rarity recoiled in elated shock--that had been one of the pegasus's biggest dreams! "Oh, Rainbow Dash! Do you really mean it? You've finally been inducted?"
Rainbow Dash looked at the ground. "Weeeelllll..."
Rarity knew that word, too. "Uh oh."
"No, hear me out! So I got to the stadium where they perform every year, right? And I went in there, and I wowed everyone with all the moves I'd been working on!" She floated back up, darted around and somersaulted in midair as re-enactment. "Strut, Flash, Blaze, the whole nine! It was incredible, Rarity! You should've seen it!"
"Sounds good so far. Then what happened?"
Dash hovered at eye level, and sighed. "Well, then I was hauled away by security because I'd technically crashed their show. I've been banned until next year. The nerve of some ponies!"
Up until now, Rarity had done a good job of holding in her laughter--but she was but one pony, and this was officially too much.
Rainbow Dash glared. "Oh! So glad to see my bad luck entertains you!"
"No, no, I don't mean to, it's just... banned on your first visit? I would expect your first impression here to be no less!" Rarity's laughter continued.
Rainbow Dash tossed her mane. "Heh. Well, it's true that most of Equestria just isn't ready for me yet."
"Yes, yes, of course." Eventually Rarity calmed down enough to ask, "Pray, continue."
"Finally. Anyway, as I was flying away, one of the 'Bolts actually came to me and said they liked what they saw! They seemed to be especially impressed that I could do it in a gown. So I guess that's a point in your favor.
She gave me their business card, and said we might be able to talk after they finished their Equestria World Tour."
"How long's that?"
"Good question. Let's see..."
From her pocket, Rainbow Dash removed the latest issue of Speedster's Digest (this month's cover story: "Remembering Firefly"), and flipped it open to the center. "Wonderbolts... Equestria World Tour... huh. About six months." She closed the magazine. "Okay, so, it'll be a wait. But I feel really good about my chances!"
"Well, you know what they say: every little step helps."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"It was meant as one. Well, I'm pleased to hear of your good fortune. And now, I must be off before I'm late."
"For your very important date?" Rainbow Dash giggled.
Rarity sighed melodramatically. "I walked straight into that one, didn't I?"
Rainbow Dash paused before answering with, "You know what, Princess? Knock 'em dead in there. You deserve to."
Rarity held back a mild blush. "Thank you. But I'm hardly the Princess--especially here."
"You're Ponyville's Princess. And really, who's going to challenge you for that title? Just be careful you don't show up Celestia with your fashion sense tonight. Even I can see it's off the scale."
Again, Rarity was just one pony, unable to fight being overwhelmed. Her cheeks flushed full crimson. "Thank you again, Dash."
"Yeah, sure. Now get out of here before I regret all this mushy stuff."
Rarity chuckled. "As you wish, then."
---
At last, the castle stood before her.
Inside, very soon, would be the Gala Evening Ball--an event where only true socialites and ponies of the utmost decorum would be allowed to mingle.
And the ultimate prize--those who impressed the present royalty the most would be able to dance with said royalty themselves.
There was one member of royalty in particular that Rarity was interested in--and when she got her hooves on him, the rest of her life would be grand and glorious.
It was only a matter of time, now.
Using light from her horn and a nearby window, she checked herself once more. She was wearing one of her most favorite gowns--brand new, one of her best works as a designer, and lovingly stitched together by her best friends.
It was a gorgeous, flowing red, yellow and pink ensemble which covered most of her body while still accentuating it. Much like Pinkie's gown, decorations were symmetrically placed everywhere empty space threatened; except with shiny jewels as opposed to candy pieces. One of those jewels was also used for her necklace.
However, what her other friends hadn't known until today was that she'd imported a quartet of diamond glass horseshoes from the other side of Equestria. They'd set her back quite a bit, but the effect was worth it. Her hooves were sparkling, and that effect traveled quite a bit up the length of the dress itself. She'd gotten the inspiration from designing Twilight's outfit. It was always good to follow the muse wherever it took you.
She was currently, for lack of a better phrase, dressed to impress--so much so that she impressed herself right now.
Tonight was going to be absolutely perfect.
She finished checking herself just in time; bells rang, signaling for those gathered out front to enter in an orderly fashion.
With a confident air, Rarity strutted inside the castle...
|
Bookish Delight
|
1380
| 2 |
Main 6,Princess Luna,Alternate Universe,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
P3 Project Episode 6: I Wish
|
A happier take on the Grand Galloping Gala! Everypony achieves their dreams except Rarity--so far...
|
complete
| 91 | 3 |
<p>After so much preparation, the Grand Galloping Gala is here at last! How will its attendants from Ponyville fare... and most importantly, will Rarity find true love? (An AU alternative to the canon Gala... written before the Gala. Ahhh, naivete.)</p>
|
teen
|
2011-10-11T03:21:59+00:00
|
2011-10-11T03:21:59+00:00
| 3,706 |
–––
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
Pony Permutation Project!: Episode 6
"I Wish"
Part 2 of 2
by Bookish Delight, 2010–2011
All characters and referred properties belong to Hasbro.
–––
...and not thirty minutes after she had entered the ball, Rarity found herself running outside the back exit of Canterlot Castle, into its garden.
She would not cry. She dared not cry. She'd been through worse than this. Not long before this party even began, she'd suffered through the near-destruction of her entire dress-designing career! She absolutely would not shed a single tear over an affair as trite as this!
But dash it all! She wanted to so badly!
So preoccupied was she with the events of minutes prior that she nearly passed Fluttershy without knowing it.
"Rarity?" the yellow pegasus asked, turning her head by half of a circumference as she faced Rarity running towards, then besides, then past herself. "I've never seen you move so fast before. Is something the matter?"
The unicorn skidded to a stop. "Fluttershy!"
Yes, yes! Fluttershy! A pony who would surely listen to her plight! She returned to her side, and draped her front legs around the pegasus in despair. "Oh, Fluttershy, to simply say that something is 'the matter' is a gross understatement! The dilemma I face... it is unprecedented, unheard of! Not to mention utterly humiliating!"
Fluttershy blinked, and replied slowly. "Rarity, part of me can't believe these words are coming out of my mouth but... I think you need to calm down."
Rarity allowed those words to hit her, realized their meaning, and decided to take deep breaths to do just that. "Yes, yes, Fluttershy, you're right, you're absolutely right. I'm terribly sorry. It's just... I've never had to come to grips with something like this before. Never with... with..." She trailed off.
"With what?"
Rarity let go of Fluttershy, standing back on all fours again as she regained her composure and prepared to take things from the top. "Do you remember when we all told Twilight our reasons for wanting to attend this gigantic social event in the first place?"
Fluttershy nodded happily. "Oh, very well! In fact, I'm living mine right now." She pranced around happily, brushing up against various flora and fauna in the process. "Just as I thought, the Princesses are privy to the greatest, most exotic garden ever, with plants of all sizes and colors, and animals I've never seen before in my life! And the best part is, wearing your gown makes me feel like I'm truly one with them-"
"Yes, yes, rest assured I'm very happy for you. But do you remember my purpose here?"
"Hmmmm." Fluttershy's face scrunched momentarily in thought, then lit up in accomplishment. "Oh, yes, I do remember: 'Operation Sneaky Seduction!'" Seeing Rarity's mouth agape, she quickly felt the need to explain herself. "At least, that's what Rainbow Dash called it. I, however, have no idea what she meant by that."
Rarity gritted her teeth inwardly, reminding herself to dye that pegasus's mane and tail monochrome the next time she slept. "Suffice to say there was somepony here I was interested in, yes. I came here to establish a... rapport with him, if you will."
Fluttershy stared at Rarity blankly.
Rarity tried again. "I wished to let him know that I was... you know... available?"
Still the blank stare.
"I liked him, and I wanted him to like me back."
"...OH!" Fluttershy blushed, showing that she finally understood. "So you were driven here by love! That's wonderful! I'm a big fan of love! Rarity, I'm so happy for you! How did it go?"
It was now Rarity's turn to stare at Fluttershy--only hers was less blank and far more forlorn.
"...oh. This must be why you're not happy right now. Oh, Rarity, I'm so sorry. Did he..." Her voice slipped to a whisper. "...did he reject you?"
Rarity shook her head. "Even worse: he completely ignored me!" she yelled to the skies. "For some cheeky fillies on the other side of the room who dared to wear far too much makeup, along with completely garish, uncoordinated, asymmetrical, color-clashing multitudes of gigantic jewels about their necks and flanks, covering a bombardment of truly uninspiring slapdashes of fabric and the most smug smiles you ever saw! Tasteless on all fronts!"
"I..." Try as she might, Fluttershy truly had no words. The worst she had come to any sort of rejection in her life was when she'd once had trouble with coaxing a bear out of his cave during the last Winter Wrap-Up. (True, it might have been earlier than he'd planned to end his hibernation, but only by one day! There'd been no reason for him to be so snooty and snarly and sharp-clawed about it!)
"Then again," Rarity said, "could they know something I don't? Perhaps all six of us were wrong! Perhaps excess truly is the way to go when it comes to matters of the heart!"
Her horn glowed as she used her unicorn magic powers to teleport one of her boutique's mirror's and a selection of shiny baubles directly in front of her. She began mixing and matching new patterns of them onto her dress, switching and shuffling as she tried to find something that didn't make her go blind--either physically or in disgust.
"Good heavens, Fluttershy, what could possibly be wrong with me? I've devoted every day of my life towards modeling myself as a member of high society, and rising to the standards it demands--and when I finally brush up against it... oh! To be stood up so!" Unable to find a new and suitable combination, she stopped where she was, exhaled sharply, and let the jewels fall, along with her head a second later. "Perhaps... perhaps I have been aiming too high after all."
"Um... Rarity?" Fluttershy tapped her shoulder. "I always hate to be a bother when you're feeling sorry for yourself-"
"Quite all right, Fluttershy. What is it?"
"When you ran here from the castle, did you lose one of your shoes?"
Rarity looked down at her front hooves--sure enough, one of them was indeed unshod! "Oh, my! In all the haste, I must have-"
But before Rarity could finally break down into tears, Fluttershy added, "Well, the reason I ask is that I'm wondering if the one he's holding might be it."
"'He?'"
Fluttershy pointed in a direction. Rarity followed that direction... and saw... and saw.. him! Celestia's nephew, here in front of them, absolutely! There was no mistaking that white coat... those perfect eyes... in short, that hunky family resemblance!
And what was this? Was he... yes! He was carrying her missing diamond glass shoe, gracefully returning it to her! Oh, joyous night! Had her fortunes finally turned? She considered fainting--should she faint? No, no! She'd worked too hard to lose consciousness now--the slim chance that it might land her in his embrace was hardly worth the risk!
It was decided, then: conscious she would stay. As Fluttershy walked away to leave the two alone (and to chase a particularly shiny bug floating by), Rarity stepped forward to meet the stallion. "Well, hello there."
"Hello," he replied, in a majestic voice straight out of Rarity's dreams. "I take it this shoe is yours?" He examined it. "It looks to truly be one of a kind... much like its owner."
"Custom made, on both accounts," said Rarity. "Thank you for returning it. But I'm still not speaking to you. You ignored me during the ball proper." She closed her eyes and turned her head to the side in a mock, "Hmph."
The stallion did naught but chuckle. "Are you kidding? I was afraid you would ignore me. You dazzled the rest of the assembled from even my vantage point. Unfortunately, there are always ponies I must dance with each year, lest they become offended. I was hoping that as we danced through the crowd, we would gradually make our way towards each other. But then you disappeared. I was crushed... until about thirty seconds ago." He held out Rarity's shoe once more. "May I?"
Rarity put up her hoof, allowing the shoe to be slipped back upon it. Their eyes met, and looking as deep into them as she could... Rarity gasped as she saw something unexpected, but special nonetheless. She smiled, and closed her eyes, her heart part aflutter, and part at peace.
"What do I call you?" she asked.
"'Charming' will do for tonight," the stallion replied.
"Fitting, if I say so myself."
"I was hoping you'd say that. May I have this dance?"
Rarity conjured a self-playing violin in above them. "You most certainly may."
And dance they did, sharing a slow ballad under the stars. Slow dancing was an entirely different art for ponies than at other speeds. With rapid shifts between four legs or even two in short spurts, fast dancing was not too hard to pick up. Successful slow-dancing, however, required balance training on both two and four legs, as well as a clear and focused mind. Legs were slowly shuffled, hooves were clasped together, intricate paths were drawn on the grass. It was an activity usually left to socialites, as a clear mark of their status.
Fortunately, Rarity had been practicing for years, to the point where she appeared to be even better at the art than Charming himself. To his credit, however, he did manage to keep up for the whole song, with hardly a faltered step in sight.
Eventually the song finished, the violin disappeared, and the two were left silent under the stars once more.
"That was wonderful," Rarity said, her voice a dreamy whisper. "You have no idea how long I've wanted a night just like this. Dancing in the heart of Canterlot with those who share the philosophy of the dignified... how long I've dreamed, how long I've prepared..."
"It warms my heart as well," said Charming, "to see such a happy smile on your face, Rarity. In your position, I've seen one too many pony act vain. Entitled. But you're different. I can see that. Your entire heart is in this." He moved closer, slowly. "I wish to know that heart better."
Rarity did the same, her eyes narrowing to accompany a confident smile. "Oh, I think there'll be ample opportunity for such a thing to happen... Twilight Sparkle."
"Wha-"
That was all 'Charming' was able to utter before Rarity closed the distance, allowing their lips to meet. While Rarity's eyes were blissfully closed, 'Charming's' were as wide as dinner plates--and after exactly five seconds, 'he' was blown back from Ponyville's Princess by way of an invisible force, with a bright flash to accompany it.
When things returned to normal... sure enough, a familiar starry-gowned violet unicorn lay on the ground, clutching her head in dizziness. "Owwww... what hit me?"
"Just as I thought. Come now, Twilight, such a demeanor won't pass on the night of the greatest party in Equestria. Up we go." Rarity held out a hoof, which Twilight Sparkle took in order to right herself...
"Whoa-"
...and then fall into Rarity's grip as she tried to stop the world from spinning.
"Oh, my," Rarity 'tch'ed. "It looks like you've gone and pushed yourself to your limits. And all on my account."
"Definitely feels that way," groaned Twilight, finally getting a handle on things. "You... you said my name earlier. Did that mean-"
"-that I knew all along? Well... not quite. You actually had me when you made your striking entrance, and roughly thirty seconds thereafter. But then you made the mistake of coming a little too close for comfort."
Twilight sat down, and buried her head in her hooves. "Oh, of course! When I walked up to re-shoe you..."
"I saw clean through your disguise. Please don't feel badly, Twilight. You never could have known. You may be one of the most powerful unicorns in Equestria, but your powers are of a balanced, well-rounded sort. I, however, am a specialist of appearances. For me, seeing through simple glamorization spells is... well, simple."
Twilight shook her head. "That 'simple spell' took me weeks to get to even the level I have it at now."
"And I'm sure it will come in as handy in the future as it did tonight."
"What do you mean, tonight? You said yourself that you saw right through me! I failed."
"'Failed?' Bite your tongue!" Rarity gasped. "You did no such thing!"
She stepped forward, pulled apart Twilight's hooves, and nudged her face upwards so that their eyes met. Rarity shook her head inwardly--she could see the absolute tiniest hint of tears forming at the base of Twilight Sparkle's eyes. She was hardly surprised--Twilight had shown on more than one occasion that one of the things she hated most was for one of her well-laid plans to fail.
Clearly she felt this was one of those times. Rarity was determined to set her straight.
"Look at my face, Twilight. Look at it right now."
Reluctantly, Twilight wiped her eyes, did so, and was shocked to see Rarity beaming with happiness.
"Do you see this smile? Do you remember how it was also there when we danced? It's as genuine now as it was then. You've quite the knack for atmosphere and acting, Sparkle--not to mention dance! Read up on some techniques before tonight, did we?"
Twilight nodded weakly. "I... I did, actually."
"Gosh, you did go all out preparing for this. And I'll have you know that all that preparation combined to create a fantasy most... breathtaking," Rarity said, fanning herself. "Every filly is allowed some imaginative indulgence--and in the end, I truly appreciated what you were trying to do. Any disappointment I might have initially had once I realized what was actually going on was dashed in mere moments!" She held out her hoof, helping Twilight up once again, and still standing close. "And that's why I still kissed you. I figured somepony who would go this far for me deserves one of my kisses more than one who never knew what he could have had."
"Y-yeah, I wondered about that." Twilight sighed. "So you're saying I shouldn't beat myself up about this?"
"I'd save the self-chastisement for a more deserving occasion, yes."
"Then I'll do my best to do just that. I really appreciate it, Rarity. And I'm truly glad I could help you out."
"Then my job is done--as is yours. Still, I must admit I am curious: why go so far for me?"
"It's simple, really." Twilight's analytical voice took over the proceedings--clearly she was now back in her element. "You seemed to be the only one who might have needed it. All of you were talking about your reasons for wanting to go to the Gala, but your reason was the only one who hinged on the whims of somepony else. I didn't think it was right for everypony else to live their dream here while you were left out. Because I had a special reason to be here too--and it was to see all of my friends happy. That's a dream I wouldn't have had even a year ago... because a year ago, I didn't have any friends to wish well."
"Oh, my, I'd almost forgotten that," Rarity said, draping her front legs around Twilight in a heartfelt hug. "No wonder you considered my plight to be a special case."
Twilight nodded, and returned Rarity's embrace as they sat on the grass. "I'm no stranger to rejection, Rarity. If I had my way, it would be something nopony would ever have to face. Least of all you. I look at you, and I see class and refinement combined into a single pony. I see a pony who puts style and grace above all else, and who is very, very beautiful, with or without any fancy makeup or outfits. But most of all, you're a pony who thrives on pride, yet isn't selfish about it. I've always been jealous of that. You turn heads, while I'm still learning not to turn away from them."
Rarity smiled, cuddling Twilight even more firmly. "I could give you some pointers if you wish. Lessons, even."
Twilight giggled. "No, no... I think this is something I have to learn in my own way. Thanks for the offer, though."
"I should be thanking you. For reminding me of what I should already know. And if I may--I truly wish you'd stop being so hard on yourself. The truth of the matter is, I've never known a more cordial 'antisocial.' There's far more hope for you than you think." She let go of Twilight, got back up, took one full step away, and gestured towards her. "May I have this dance?"
Twilight looked on, surprised. "Are you okay with it being me and not Celestia's charming nephew?"
Rarity smiled proudly. "I consider it an asset."
With a blush, Twilight took hold of Rarity's hoof. The violin played, and the two slow-danced again under the stars--putting a perfect end to a perfect night.
---
High in the air, camouflaged by the sky where her namesake took nightly refuge, a unicorn pegasus--who had taken time out of her rounds to watch recent events unfold--smiled and nodded to herself as she watched the two Ponyville residents shuffle along her garden.
So... the one who has 'never had a friend' also has the greatest potential for friendship. Such delightfully poetic irony... I'm beginning to understand why you were special enough to turn me. Twilight Sparkle, my sister has spoken highly of you on many occasions. Perhaps it's finally time I found out why.
Princess Luna flew back to the castle, plans already forming in her mind.
We will meet soon, my little unicorn. We have much to discuss... and to learn from one another...
|
NTSTS
|
1383
| 1 |
Other,Random,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
Lily's Medication
|
Lily's friends convince her to take pills for her anxiety, but things quickly get out of control.
|
complete
| 81 | 4 |
<p>After a discussion with Rose and Daisy, Lily's anxiety becomes the subject of discussion, and her two friends convince her to take medication for her anxiousness. In a fashion befitting her anxiety, she worries unduly and overdoses, and experiences a variety of hallucinations as a result, leading her on a bizarre journey through Ponyville.</p>
|
teen
|
2011-10-11T07:10:42+00:00
|
2011-10-11T07:10:42+00:00
| 3,374 |
“Did you hear about Berry Punch?”
Rose’s voice was low as she whispered conspiratorially to her two friends, both of whom leaned in close for the latest tidbit of juicy gossip. The ‘Flower Trio’ as they were known around town, consisting of Rose, Lily, and Daisy, spent the majority of their free time together at Daisy’s house. Most often their activities consisted of chatter about the day to day goings on around Ponvyille, with particular notice paid to any activity or noteworthy events that could be passed around as scandalous here-say.
Rose continued her impartation of secrets, not waiting for a response from the other two ponies.
“I heard that she got so drunk at Pinkie Pie’s last party that she passed out in the middle of the street!”
The two ponies listening eagerly both gave their customary gasps of astonishment. Lily felt compelled to compound on her reaction with an addendum of additional shock.
“Oh my goodness, how awful! Such a display of indecency – I’m horrified at the thought of someone like her raising that poor little filly Ruby!”
Rose and Daisy shared sideways glances as Lily finished her horrified rant, hooves clasped to the sides of her face in exaggerated shock. The two broke eye contact, and Rose continued with her tidbits of community secrets.
“Um, yes… Anyway. I also heard…”
Again, the two other ponies leaned their heads in deeply, the whispering going on despite the fact that nopony would be able to hear the conversation taking place in the security of Daisy’s living room.
“…that Mayor Mare is having an affair with Big Macintosh!”
Despite the dubious nature of the claim, another series of gasps rang out. The group had never been keen on discretion when it came to gossip. And, again, Lilly’s voice rose several octaves as she responded with abject distress at the subject of the knowledge she had just received.
“Oh heavens no! If we can’t rely on our trusted officials, the town will surely fall to shambles! Who will look after the community when the head of our public office is impeached?!”
Again, Rose and Daisy looked at each other past their entirely too distraught friend. They shared a knowing nod before Daisy cleared her throat and spoke up.
“You know Lily… don’t you think you might be overreacting to some of this, just a little bit?”
Lily’s reaction was a combination of her usual shock mixed with frustration at her friend’s audaciousness on questioning her concern.
“Girls, what on earth do you mean? If I don’t worry for the sake of the town, who in Ponyville will?”
A moment of awkward silence passed as Rose and Daisy collected their words. This time it was Rose’s turn to speak, which she did in a volume above her previous hushed whispering.
“It’s not, um, the town in particular we think you’re worrying about too much, Lily… we understand that you’re concerned, but…”
Daisy picked up the sentence that Rose had let trail off into mumbling.
“We just think you worry too much. You know. About EVERYTHING.”
Lily’s face twisted into genuine confusion.
“Girls… I don’t understand.” A silence filled the air again, before quickly being replaced with the sound of distraught sobbing. Lily had burst into tears, burying her head in her hooves. Rose and Lily both opened their mouths in shock.
“Lily, what’s wrong? We’re just saying you could stand to be a little more mellow about things…” Rose patted the crying earth-pony on the back of her head in an attempt to console her.
“But… now I’m worried that you two don’t like me and I’ll have to find new friends, and if I can’t find new friends I’ll have to move into a new town and start my whole life over!”
Amidst the frantic sobbing, Rose and Daisy again shared looks of concern. Apparently things were worse than they thought. It seemed to be for the best that they had this conversation sooner, rather than later.
“Lily, hun… you don’t have to worry about this. Or about anything that much, really…” Daisy added as a muttered aside, before Lilly drew her head up, cheeks stained with tears.
“Huh?” she managed a quiet inquiry, sniffling away the remnants of her crying.
“We’re not going to stop being your friends anytime soon, sweetheart. We just… well, we worry about you. We think you over think things a little too much, and that maybe it would be best if you found a way to be… calmer.”
Lily wiped away a tear that had collected at the corner of her eye, brushing it away with her hoof.
“I don’t understand,” she sniveled, lip still trembling precariously at the edge of another outburst. Rose rubbed her back soothingly as Daisy took over the explanation.
“We talked to someone-“
“-who knows about this kind of stuff.” Rose couldn’t help but finish her friend’s sentence, a practice that was common among the three regardless of subject matter, almost as if they shared the same brain at times.
“And she said that she had something that might help you… mellow out a little bit.”
Still whimpering softly, Lily blinked away the last teardrops to clear her eyes as she stared at the object Daisy had procured. A small bottle, that rattled as it was raised. She couldn’t make out the tiny writing on the side of the label, but she saw a collection of pills behind the orange plastic.
Her expression turned quizzical as she waited for a further explanation.
“These are something that will help you calm down when you’re upset, or nervous.” Daisy offered the bottle forward, and Lily cautiously grasped it between her two front hooves, taking time to study the label.
“Extra… strength… anti-anxiety… medication…” she read, taking her time with each word to ensure the accuracy of her dictation. Lily wasn’t slow… not unduly so, but she did tend to err on the careful side, whether in reading or other activities.
“Just take one or two when you feel yourself getting upset, and they should make you feel much better.” Rose said, and smiled cheerfully.
Lilly gulped anxiously, turning the tiny bottle over in her hooves as she examined its contents.
“I dunno girls… do you really think I worry that much?”
Rose and Daisy turned to each other, and shared another nod.
“YES.”
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And so Lily found herself sitting on her bed, bottle of pills in hoof. She turned the plastic capsule around, making a slight shaking noise as the contents rattled about.
I didn’t think anypony thought I was that much of a worrywart…
Though she knew she was often the first to react most strongly to a situation, Lily simply felt it was a display of concern, rather than undue distress on her part. She had meant what had been said earlier – if she wasn’t the one to fret over the various goings on for the sake of others, then who would?
Though it stemmed from genuine concern, her train of thought had already jumped the rails and spiraled into a tunnel of dangerous over-contemplation. Even though they had assured her otherwise… what if her friends really were tired of her obsessive over-thinking of everything? What if they had only consoled her until she left so they could cut off all contact and never speak to her again? What if everypony in town secretly loathed her for the same reasons, and were only putting up a front so that she remained unaware, but secretly jeering at her and plotting ways to make her life miserable as a result of their hatred, that would explain all the random misfortunes that went on in her life like the other day when she had put down her coffee spoon for a moment and it had disappeared, but she knew she put it there, and she had searched for fifteen minutes and almost been late for work, which would have surely gotten her fired, and then she’d have to-
Lily could feel a bout of hyperventilation coming on. She gasped for air as her heart beat rapidly in her chest, and she clutched at it with a hoof as she attempted to calm herself. Panting, she looked down at the bottle of pills she still held in her other hoof.
Well, surely being a little calmer couldn’t hurt…
After taking a moment to collect her breath and regain control of her thoughts, Lily raised the bottle to her mouth and twisted the cap off with a quick turn. She peered inside at the strange collection of tiny multi-coloured plastic capsules, wondering how it was that such a tiny bit of medicine could so radically change the way her thoughts flowed.
A shake of the bottle tumbled two of the pill onto her bedside table next to the glass of water she had prepared for their ingestion. How many had the directions said to take again? Though the label was only a turn away, Lily supposed that if she was indeed as nervous as her friends had pointed out, a little extra medication couldn’t hurt. At the very worst, she’d just end up extra calm, and what was the harm in that?
With a lick of her tongue, the two pills were lifted from the table into her mouth. They tasted like… nothing. Simply the subtle flavor of plastic on her tastebuds, which was hardly unpleasant. So, that was one worry out of the way. Lily grasped the glass of water between her hooves and lifted it to her mouth, downing the medication with a rush of the cool refreshing drink.
That wasn’t so hard.
She waited for a moment at the side of her bed, for something to change.
Hm.
I don’t feel any different… she thought, scanning around her bedroom idly, half expecting something to change. Mentally, she went through a list of simple thoughts and their related musings to see if her brain had changed its approach to assessing the world. Everything seemed to be normal…
Maybe they didn’t work. What if my brain is already too screwed up to be fixed? What if I’m a lost cause, and I’ll just spend the rest of my life worrying and being scared and miserable and…
Lily caught herself mid-panic, grasping at her bed-covers in anxiety with one of her hooves. I’d better take a couple more just to be on the safe side…
Another three pills found their way from the bottle to her bedside table, and a second draught of water washed them down to join the previous two. Feeling better already, Lily waited calmly for another minute before checking herself for differences. Upsettingly, everything still seemed to be the same.
I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong… Lily could feel the smallest of tears welling up at the corners of her eyes. She wanted so badly to do what her friends had asked of her, to change from the constant over-thinker they saw her as to a more mellow and affable pony. She couldn’t let them down…
And so, five more pills from bottle to table to mouth were swallowed. Lily waited longer this time, counting the seconds along with her clock as she tallied a full three minutes of patient sitting. Still, she felt nothing different. The bottle was a third empty now.
Several pauses adding up to half an hour of accumulated waiting later, and the entire bottle lay empty, tossed onto the carpeted floor in discontent. Lilly was crying into her pillow, pounding the mattress with her hoof in frustration. It wasn’t fair – all she had wanted to do was to make her friends happy. And, she had to admit, feeling less worried all the time would have been nice as well. If only the stupid pills-
Abruptly, Lily’s distress was washed over by a wave of drowsiness. The sudden burst of lethargy came out of nowhere, and her eyelids immediately fell closed. The pillow she had been venting her frustration to moments ago became suddenly a welcoming softness, beckoning her to sleep, and she sighed softly as the waiting folds of her bed sheets greeted her into slumber.
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When she awoke some time later, Lily’s eyes were blurred with sleep. She struggled to make out of the position of the hands on her clock as she rubbed her eyes with her hooves. The tiny moving arms of the time-piece seemed to dance at the very edge of her vision as she fought to bring them into focus.
Half past noon. She had overslept, now being late for work by several hours.
Oddly, the thought didn’t trouble her.
Where normally even a minutes tardiness would have thrown her into a fit of panic and distress, now the notion merely ambled through the corridors of her mind, filing itself neatly into a well structured list of concerns to be addressed when the time was appropriate.
Hm. Guess I’m late.
Drawing herself up from bed where she had fallen overtop her blanket, Lily groggily looked towards her bedroom window. The rays of the afternoon sun glowed peacefully through the cream coloured curtains, illuminating tiny specks of dust in the air and creating a warm bright patch on the carpet. Lily smiled distractedly at the scene. Bright sun. Happy summer days. For some reason everything seemed to warrant a cheerful reaction today.
Bracing herself against the headboard for support as she sat up, Lily noticed a curious sensation emanating from the carved wood. Bringing her eyes to the point where her hoof met the headboard, she noticed something unusual – instead of the ornately constructed bed-frame that she was used to, the wooden board looked somewhat peculiar this afternoon. At the point of contact between herself and the wood, Lily felt something strange – like a warm, fuzzy tickle that danced at the sole of her hoof. She looked closer, leaning forward to examine the wood more intimately.
Underneath her hoof, hundreds of tiny tendrils danced, blossoming outward from the brown wood of the headboard and tickling her foot. The sight was strange, but, somehow, not alarming. Instead, it only elicited a small giggle as the tingling sensation spread up her foreleg.
Laughing quietly to herself, Lily withdrew her hoof, placing it on the softness of the blanket underneath her. Soft. So soft. Softer than usual. Lazily, Lily turned her head, casting her gaze downward.
The quilting was writhing underneath her body, like a sea of tiny moving bodies or particles turning and moving in unison, squirming in all directions. The repeated trace of the miniscule objects or creatures that composed the blanket was soothing against her fur, and soon Lily felt entirely relaxed, falling backwards into the mass of tumbling entities, letting the blanket envelope her completely with its softness.
This wasn’t anything to worry about, not at all. Everything felt so calm, so good… what was the point in being upset?
It took some time for Lily to draw herself away from the soothing caress of the wriggling blanket-thing that had wrapped itself around her body, but eventually she supposed she must get up and face the rest of the day. Maybe find her way to work eventually? There was no hurry, really, no need to rush. Everything would be dealt with in due time, worrying would only make things more complicated…
As she dragged herself out of bed, landing with her hooves on the floor, the carpet danced and tickled her as the headboard had done previously, the tiny fibres of the brow fabric waving at her enticingly from below. It prompted another giggle, and she stood for a moment enjoying the feeling before walking sluggishly to her bedside table. Some of that water must still be there…
The transparent liquid filled half the cup still, and Lily peered into the glass at it curiously. Examination seemed to be a theme for the day, so taking the time to notice any peculiarities before consuming the water might be a good idea.
A pair of eyes stare back at her from inside the glass.
Normally a face inside her water might have prompted a scream or hyperventilation, but instead Lily only chuckled distractedly as she grabbed the glass between her hooves, shaking it back and forth as the now gelatinous entity inside wobbled about, continuing to stare at her from its place of confinement.
“Helloooooo, little water face,” she said with her voice several pitches above normal, drawing out parts of her speech for no reason in particular. The vibrations of her voice only seemed to prompt further jiggling from the water-face, and she found herself laughing again, before tilting her head back and downing the eye-bearing liquid without a second thought.
What a fun day… she thought idly, swaying slightly as she made her way to the bedroom door, resting her hoof on it for further support. For some reason it was harder to stay upright than normal today…
The door-frame bubbled at her touch, burbling like a pot of soup on a hot stove, melting underneath her hoof and dripping downward into a pool on the carpet.
Hm. Maybe I should go talk to Daisy and Rose about this…The thought was far from urgent, but it did occur to her that the pieces of her bedroom didn’t normally melt and wriggle in such a fashion. Nothing to be concerned about, probably. Just something odd that had decided to happen. She couldn’t bring herself to be worried about it, honestly; everything just felt so good: even the suspicious collection of door-frame goo that had begun to accrue at her feet.
Still giggling to herself, Lily exited her bedroom and prepared herself for the walk across town to see her friends.
I wonder what the rest of Ponyville will be like today…
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The town greeted her arrival with open arms. Where normally the streets would have seemed filled with hostile intentions and leering passerby at every corner, today the sunshine illuminated the twinkle in every pony’s eye to a bright, shining sparkle that made her feel calmer by the minute. Open store doorways laughed along with her as she stumbled through the streets, and the grass and dirt underfoot sang in harmony with her giggles, each green blade humming softly as the wind passed by. Errant pebbles on the dirt bounced like hopping insects, and Lily found herself stopping to admire one amidst a crowd of ponies. She hadn’t intended to draw attention, but this particular rock was just far too fascinating to pass up.
“Ooooh…” she cooed as she leaned in close to the piece of granite, taking in the beauty of its circular nature. Almost a perfect sphere… so pretty.
“Hello little rock. How are you today?” Lily was oblivious to the concerned stares of the ponies around her as she began her conversation with the fascinating rock. She waited patiently for its reply, rocking side to side on her hooves for a minute before she deduced that this particular pebble was the quiet type. No worries. She had greeted him, and that was all the mattered.
“Bye bye now…” she mumbled softly, giggling again before walking – no, hopping now – off in the direction of Rose’s house. She couldn’t wait to see her friends… they would be so happy to see her, and learn that the medication had worked! Now she didn’t have a care in the world, just the way they had wanted…
Normally the whispers of on-lookers in her presence would have proven quite alarming, but today their voices merely joined the chorus of harmony that followed Lily’s every movement. Was this what life was like free of obsessive worry? She would have to thank Rose and Daisy extra hard for their help; she couldn’t remember a time she felt better.
As she bounced her way in the direction of the trio’s usual meeting place, her erratic movement path found her staring face to face with a confused looking stallion, who paused just before colliding with the exuberant singing filly in front of him.
“Er… excuse me, miss.”
His voice found its way to Lily’s ears through a haze of intertwining melodies and distractions, and she blinked rapidly as she attempted to piece the words together. Instead of replying, she stared forward in fascination, drinking in the sight of the pony in front of her. He looked… different.
Lily blinked again. A set of sixteen multi-faceted eyes blinked back at her.
“Hee hee…”
Lily could see herself mirrored in each of the reflective orbs staring at her – Her bright pink coat shimmered in the makeshift mirrors, and she noticed her soft yellow hair was unusually frazzled: she must have forgotten to give it a brushing before she left the house. Normally a cause for concern… but not today!
“Uh… miss?”
There was that voice again. It seemed further away now, as if crawling through a tunnel to reach her. Lily looked downwards slightly, wondering if the owner of the eyes in front of her was the one speaking – she saw his mouth move in slow motion, groggily articulating the sounds that formed his inquiry. Half way through the sentence she was only just seeing come into being, she noticed something in particular – his tongue was so long. It seemed to stretch further with each articulation… at first just lolling out of his mouth slightly… but then it was stretching, elongating, sprawling down over his chin and all the way down to the ground… and moving! Like some sort of snake, or strange reptile…
She could only watch in fascination as the curious animated appendage snaked towards her, wriggling in the dirt as it approached her hooves. As it reached her leg, the giant tongue gave her a precursory lick, leaving tiny beads of saliva on her now dampened soft pink fur. She giggled at the sensation – the feeling tickled as much as anything else had that day, and she raised her foreleg in reflex at the prodding. The tongue-serpent withdrew for a moment, before continuing its crawl towards her, wrapping itself around her other foot. The constricting sensation, instead of feeling alarming, was pleasant – the pink flesh encircling her was warm, and comforting, and the pressure on her leg as it squeezed softly was delightful.
Lily let herself be overcome by the feeling for a moment as the tongue snaked itself around her forelegs, pulsing and slithering over her body and sending tingles up and down her spine. Everything that day had felt so good, but this… this was a new level of pleasant. Lily felt herself letting out soft cooing noises as her fur was coated with moisture, her body warming under the caress of the peculiar entity.
Eventually she felt the feeling subside as the tongue withdrew, lurching backwards over the ground and into the waiting mouth of the many-eyed pony that had been its source. His mouth continued to hang open upon the tongue’s re-entry, gaping at her along with his eyes, which stared at her, unblinking. Lily absentmindedly raised a hoof to her face, and rubbed the slimy limb along the side of her face – the warm spittle felt wonderful against her cheek, and she hummed in contentment, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them slowly.
Paying no attention to the wide-eyed pony in front of her, she resumed her trek towards the Flower Trio meeting spot.
“Ooooh, I can’t wait to see Daisy and Rose… this is going to be so much fun!”
As she walked on, Lily left a crowd of astonished onlookers in her wake, including the entirely baffled gentlepony who had confronted her initially, and was now left wondering if the image of the distracted pink pony cooing and moaning in front of him would ever leave his mind.
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“Has she been like this the whole time?”
“Uh-huh.” Rose nodded grimly at her friends question, the two of them gesturing to the subject of their discussion – Lily was standing in the center of the living room, staring bemusedly at the wall and giggling to herself distractedly.
“Hee… hahaha…”
The two unofficial sisters shared a look of concern.
“Have you tried talking to her at all?”
Rose nodded again. “Yes, of course. All I could get out of her was that she had taken some of her medication, and that she was feeling better… or so she says.”
Daisy walked closer to Lily as she spoke.
“She seems really… out of it.”
“I know. What should we do?”
Lily continued her languid gazing off into the distance as her friend approached, seemingly oblivious for the moment to the world around her.
“Lily… hun, are you okay?”
Through the hum in her ears, Lily heard a singular sound creeping through the barrier of soothing static that currently occupied all of her senses. A voice, one that was very familiar… Lazily, she turned her body, shakily raising each hoof after another in the most awkward turn she had performed since she was a newborn foal learning to walk for the first time. A familiar face danced in front of her, blurry and difficult to make out, but still there.
“Daisy! Oh, I’m so glad you’re here!”
Lily immediately closed the distance between herself and the concerned looking earth-pony in front of her, leaning in close as their proximity grew. As soon as she felt the warmth of Daisy’s body against hers, she let out a soft sigh, and nuzzled closer to the welcoming fur. So soft, just like the blanket she had left waiting for her at home…
“Lily?”
The voice that slowly crawled into her ears sounded distant, and distorted… like it was underwater, or being forced through a thick layer of sheet-metal. Lily withdrew her face from the soft coat of light pink fur that she had buried her snout in, and turned her attention to the source of the sound that had called out to her.
Remnants of pink followed her movement.
“What…” Lily let out a small expression of confusion as she reached up and felt the softness that lingered on her face. Instead of searching for the countenance of the speaker she had just heard, her attention was drawn back to the side she had nuzzled moments ago. Where her face had been, there was now an imprint of her features left behind.
Daisy’s fur seemed to be… melting. It was dripping off her body like wax from a candle, globbing in clumps before oozing slowly down towards the floor. Yet, instead of detaching, the clusters of goo remained attached to the pink pony’s body. It was as though her whole body was slowly gelatinizing, turning from a solid half-way to a liquid…
Lily raised her hoof and gave an experimental prod to the quickly accruing mass of goo that was her friend’s side – the soft squishy material yielded under her touch, and she found herself fascinated by its properties: malleable, but firm, like a more accommodating gelatin.
“Woah…”
This was the only reaction Lily could muster. She pressed harder on the still vaguely pony-shaped blob in front of her, and her hoof sank into the squishy mass with a soft slurping noise as she leaned her weight forward. The texture of the goo was peculiar, but not uninviting – just like all the strange sensations she had felt earlier, the feeling was unorthodox, but soothing. In fact, the lingering tickle that the ooze left along her skin was almost electric – it sent tingles running down her body, making her quiver slightly as the sensation spread.
She could feel her body urging her to give in to the feeling – her legs were leaning forward, pressing her face and chest into the now alien form of her friend. Lily caught a glimpse of Daisy’s face before she buried herself in the gelatinous goo-pile – she saw only a welcoming smile, her final signal to proceed without hesitation.
A moan escaped Lily’s lips as the folds of slime welcomed her. Daisy’s hooves had already melted completely, and her height was reduced significantly as a result – Lily found herself falling forward into the blob on the floor, sighing contentedly as the electric tingles coursed through her skin, warmth spreading through her body as the layers of goo enveloped her. So peaceful, and so invigorating at the same time – Lily nuzzled her face into a protruding bubble nearby, humming loudly with contentment as pink blocked out the remains of her vision.
Every one of her senses was overwhelmed – her body felt on fire from the inside, charged with a tension she had never before experienced. A pleasant aroma wafted from every inch of air, like a bouquet of fresh picked flowers mingling with the subtle plastic fragrance of sun-tan lotion, or hair-gel. Experimentally, Lily lapped at a section of her semi-animate blanket with her tongue, and a delicious flavor greeted her, pink bubblegum washing over her taste buds in waves.
So good. Lily couldn’t believe the strength of the sensations overwhelming her body. So warm, so welcoming, so charged and full of titillating electricity – all she wanted to do for the rest of time was to remain here, rubbing herself amidst the gooey pile that had moments ago been a wholly composed pony named Daisy.
Rose. Rose had to join them, it would be so perfect… Lily called out the name of the third member of their trio, begging her to come forward and take part in the amazing sensation.
“Rose… Rose…” Lily’s voice sounded strange in her own ears. The way her mouth was forming the words… it was peculiar, like the syllables were slipping away. Curious, she raised a hoof to her face with the intent of examining her features. She couldn’t tell what was a lingering twinge from the contact with the goo, and what was the innate energy she had felt since awaking that afternoon.
The cause of her slurred speech became apparent as the texture of her hoof and chin collided, each piece melding into the other in a mass of slime. She could feel her foreleg melting, slowly dripping down into the rest of her body, forming a companion to the already complete goo pile she had submerged herself in. This felt even better than being solid… Now she could feel the caress of Daisy’s touch in every pore, feel the slithering of the pink earth-pony’s caress sprawling languidly across every inch of her quickly decomposing body.
Her smile was the last thing to melt into the gelatinous embrace as she spied a glimpse of white and red out of the corner of her eye. Rose had heard her, and was on her way to join already, a shambling mass of ooze sluggishly making its way closer to the two intertwining goo-ponies locked in their slippery affections.
As the structure of her bones fell apart, Daisy became vaguely aware that she still possessed some semblance of control over her movements. Instead of firm limbs and extremities, her movement was more fluid – the structure of her body still remained, but simply collapsed onto itself endlessly. She could move, but performing any task with rigidity would have been a struggle.
No matter. She could make due with what she had for the moment.
Lily felt what had previously been her mouth sinking into a mass of smooshy flesh in front of her - whether it was Daisy or Rose she couldn’t be sure. She only knew that the feeling which met her advances was heavenly, and that she must continue.
“Mmmnnhgh…” the sounds she made were incomprehensible now, only a purest expression of pleasure. Waves of goo interwove with her own, each slippery caress sending jolts of excitement jiggling through her. She felt another mouth on hers for a moment, meeting the slippery tongue that wove its way inside with gentle licks. If she had been solid she would have been grinding herself against whatever lay next to her, but now instead simply pressed the remaining semblance of her body into the other two malleable creatures she had become mixed together with.
“Gooood…” she had to form the word, to tell them how amazing it felt, how happy she was that they were together. Rose and Daisy, her sisters in everything but the most literal sense, were becoming a part of her – she felt every inch of their slick fur and skin melting into her, the hotness of their breath permeating the essence of her soul. So hot, so stimulating – her mind was on fire with the sensations overwhelming her, sending her mouth into a torrent of gibberish, struggling to let out the feeling welling up inside her.
Now she could feel her face reaching the final steps of liquefaction; her lips were oozing inside her mouth, and her head was dissolving into the pool that made up the rest of her body. She could feel the last remnants of her structure subsuming into the waiting blobs of the other two ponies, all three of them merging together, collecting every inch of skin and fur and features into a singular pool. Lily’s thoughts were blurring, she could only see multicoloured swirls with what remained of her eyes, until her vision left completely, and every sense was overwhelmed with a sticky softness, the only thing left as she melted finally and completely into one, singular whole.
And it felt so good.
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Rose’s face was contorted with worry as she paced by the side of the hospital bed. Every few seconds she would cast a glance sideways at the form of her friend underneath the clinical white blankets, worrying herself even further every time she noticed Lily’s anxious thrashing or noises of discomfort.
She let go a sigh of relief as she saw a familiar face return from around the corner of the crowded hospital tent, and Daisy smiled meekly back at her as she approached, the on-duty nurse pony in tow behind her.
“Is she going to be okay?” Rose voiced her most pressing concern immediately – everything else could wait until she was sure Lily would be alright.
Daisy nodded wearily, but left the explanation up to Nurse Redheart, who put the minds of the two girls at ease in as soothing a tone as she could muster.
“She’s going to be perfectly fine. It seems the medication she was prescribed had something of an adverse effect on her brain chemistry. That, coupled with the overwhelming overdose… well, it’s a miracle the side effects weren’t worse!”
Rose and Daisy clung together, wrapping their hooves around each other as they stared on in shock. Nurse Redheart sighed before continuing.
“That said… your friend is going to be fine. She just needs a bit of rest. After some time for the pills to work their way out of her system she’ll be back to normal.”
The two ponies breathed out loudly, relaxing their tense grips on each other and returning to all four feet. Daisy made her way to Lily’s bedside, and placed a hoof on the distressed pony’s forehead, meeting beads of sweat as she did so and wiping them away gently. Rose, however, stayed close to the nurse, feeling it necessary to make sure there was nothing else the two could do to help.
“Is there anything else we can do? I just feel so awful for suggesting the medication to her in the first place…”
“Oh, don’t fret, dear. There’s no way you could have known what the effects would be, especially in that large a dose. Side-effects of this magnitude are almost unprecedented… don’t beat yourself up over it. Right now, all she needs is rest… and, when she wakes up, to know that you two are there for her.”
Rose still looked worried, but she bobbed her head up and down in acknowledgement before letting Nurse Redheart return to her work elsewhere in the hospital. The red haired, white coated pony took her place beside Daisy, the two of them waiting anxiously for their friend to awake.
After several hours, Lily’s fevered tossing and turning had subdued, and the two ponies by her bedside practically jumped with joy as she cracked one eye open. Her voice was hoarse as she tried to speak.
“What… where am I…”
“Oh, Lily, don’t talk sweetheart, you don’t want to strain yourself.” Daisy immediately busied herself straightening Lily’s pillow underneath her head, running a hoof through the bed-ridden pony’s yellow hair as she did so.
“Huh? What’s going on?” Lily ignored Daisy’s pampering as she raised herself upwards, sitting awkwardly with her weight rested on her forelegs behind her back.
“We were just worried about you, hun. You gave us quite a scare.” Rose explained as she grabbed a glass of water nearby, and offered it forward. “Would you like some water, dear?”
“Yes, please, thanks…” Lily noticed her throat was unusually dry. She grabbed the glass between her hooves and swallowed the cold liquid eagerly, letting out a gasp of satisfaction after downing the contents.
“Would somepony please tell me what happened?” she asked after finishing the water and passing it back to Rose’s waiting hooves.
Daisy was practically in tears as she answered. “Oh, Lily, it’s all our fault! Those pills we gave you… the doctors said they must have mixed up with something in your brain the wrong way, and made you go all crazy! You were acting so strange, and then you wouldn’t stop laughing, and you passed out, so we took you here, to the hospital…”
“The pills didn’t work?” Lily felt so confused. All the events after she had taken the medication and fallen asleep… everything was such a blur.
“Oh hun, you should have seen yourself. You were staring into space and giggling at everything… you had both of us so worried.” Rose patted Lily gently on the back, rubbing her hoof up and down soothingly.
“But I remember… I remember waking up the next day, and I felt… good. I wasn’t worried about anything. Everything felt… great.”
“They say you might have been hallucinating, a bit. We’re sorry, hun. We were just worried about you. We never meant for any of this to happen. Can you forgive us?”
Daisy and Rose looked pleadingly at their friend, both of their eyes brimming with tears of guilt at the mess their over-eagerness to ‘fix’ Lily’s nervousness had caused.
Lily blinked her eyes blearily, but didn’t need much time to think on her answer.
“Of course I forgive you guys. You’re my best friends… I know you didn’t mean for anything bad to happen.”
“Oh, Lily!” Daisy had broken down into full-blown crying, and she wrapped her legs around a slightly startled Lily in an embrace of forgiveness. Rose simply sniffed quietly, but she joined the group hug, the three ponies basking the warmth of the embrace for a moment before separating.
Lily sighed as the hug ended, and raised a hoof to her face, rubbing the sleep out of one of her eyes.
“Ugh… I feel like I haven’t eaten anything in days. Is there any chance there’s some food at this hospital?”
Rose nodded and smiled cheerfully. “Of course, hun! I thought you might be hungry, so I got something from the cafeteria just in case.”
Lily blinked as Rose held the small plate forward. Next to a collection of carrots and other assorted greens was a small desert portion – a bowl of pink jello, jiggling rapidly as Lily stared at it: a blob of gelatinous ooze, peering back at her over the rim of its serving container.
Her lips let out a sigh as Lily fell backwards into her pillow, eyes falling shut as she fainted, the pink goo wobbling at her as she collapsed.
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PonyMarine
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1385
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Derpy Hooves,Original Character,Princess Luna,Crossover,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
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Stormriders: Luna's Own
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Action takes to the skies as the 368th Night Fighter Wing battles to defend Equestria!
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complete
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<p>Sign up to defend equestria as the ponies of the 368th Night Fighter Wing take to the skies in armored jet fighters called strikers to defend the realm against all comers! </p><p>Flight Officers Flare and Zephyr are the newest pilots of the Equestrian Aerospace Defense Force and take their duty to the crowns and country quite seriously, especially after being hand picked for Princess Luna's personal fighter squadron, the 368th Night Fighter Wing. With a border dispute with the Northern Griffon Kingdom heating up looks like our heroes might be getting a lot more action then they bargined for!</p><p>This is an action-adventure fic, dark tag is because for Equestria anything with a war or dying is pretty dark to my mind. Ponies are fighting and individuals will die, it is however no more graphic then say... the movie Top Gun. There will also be adult language (cussing, lots and lots of cussing) through out the story.</p><p>Squadron Patch provided by Explosion-Man of deviantart. (cover image)</p>
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teen
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2011-12-22T16:02:34+00:00
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2011-12-22T16:02:34+00:00
| 2,687 |
Welcome to Stormriders: Luna's Own, as you can guess this is a military styled fic so a lot of military terminology as well as my own fanon terms will get thrown about a bit, just to make sure nopony gets too confused I've provided this glossary of all the terminology I'll be using in the fic! If I add a new term it'll be added here! Some of this, like the wall of text below is all mental world building for me, so don't worry about reading it if you don't want to, if it's important I'll establish it in the text.
368th Night Fighter Wing: I use Wing in the British/United States Navy term in which the "Wing" is an administrative formation over two or more squadrons and their support staff. A usual EADF Wing is comprised of at least three squadrons for a total of thirty two aircraft. Internal orginization can set these squadrons up with individual designations or callsigns or they can just follow the wing callsign. The 368th is comprised of two squadrons the 98th Night Fighter Squadron (Selene squadron) and the 99th (Stardust squadron) The Wing CO and XO each lead a squadron in combat, but their planes and their wingmen do not not count towards the squadron totals of twelve each. So the wing has a total of twenty eight aircraft. Also under the command of the Wing is the maintenance support unit, and the 13th Company, 5th Royal Marine battalion which comprises of three platoons of infantry and a heavy weapons platoon, it also has a small unit of Marine Scout Snipers to provide special overwatch details for the Princess.
Glossary:
ADFB: Aerospace Defense Force Base, designates an airbase under the control of the EADF
AWACS : Airborne Warning and Control System - An aircraft that provides command and control to a battlespace utilizing power radar systems, also works as an eye in the sky pinpointing threats and really new tactical information to squadron commanders. The E-321 Skyeye is the EADF's AWACS aircraft and it's design is such that even earth ponies and unicorns can cre on it.
Boot: A new or junior pony in a military organization so called originally because they are fresh out of basic training or "boot camp" and they're so new their boots aren't broken in yet.
Bearing: An extension of discipline, keeping one's bearing means not showing emotion in any form of formal/military setting, this can range from public events or formations like the graduation, or getting your ass chewed.
CAP: Combat Airspace Patrol - Regular aerial patrol of an area like a no fly zone, secure airspace, etc.
Colonel: the sixth rank of officer in the equestrian armed forces, and a rank below general. These senior officers are usually found commanding large units and medium sized bases.
CSAR: Combat Search and Rescue, a specialized type of SAR unit that focuses on recovering pilots and personnel in active combat zones or behind enemy lines.
EADF: Equestrian Aerospace Defense Force - the aerial branch of the Equestrian military
F/A-29 Thunderhoof: The EADF's primary multi-role striker and the workhorse (pardon the expression everypony) of the fleet.
Flight Officer (FO): The most junior rank of officer in the pilot corps, equivalent to 2nd Lieutenant in the ground forces.
Fox calls: A fighter pilot radio call to designate firing of aerial weapons to friendly forces. Fox 1 is a semi-active radar guided missile, fox 2 is a heat seeker, fox 3 is a active radar guided missile, fox 4 is guns and in this universe fox 5 is a special weapon such as a lighting discharge.
Captain (Capt): the third rank of officer in the Equestrian Armed Forces, usually found as an XO or other form of unit sub-commander in the EADF and as a Company commander in the army and Marines.
Major (Maj): The fourth rank of officer in the Equestrian Armed Forces, usually found in command of a wing in the EADF or a battalion in the army and Royal Marines.
Master Sergeant (MSgt): Also known as "Tops" these Senior Non-commissioned Officers are placed in places of great trust and responsibility supervising and training numerous ponies, their wrath is legendary and to be avoided at all costs. They hold the eighth position in the enlisted rank structure, the second highest possible as an enlisted pony.
Northern Command: abbreviated to "NorCom" this is the North Sector Military Command of Equestria.
No Fly Zone: (from wikipedia) A no-fly zone (or no-flight zone) is a territory over an area which aircraft are not permitted to fly. Such zones are usually set up in a military context, somewhat like a demilitarized zone in the sky, and usually prohibit military aircraft of a belligerent nation from operating in the region.
Royal Marines: Equestria's Royal Marines aka the ERMC (Equestrian Royal Marine Corps) have an illustrious history as a recon, commando and special security detail and are renowned for having brutal initial training requirements on par with the Royal Guard, by long tradition, the 13th Company, 5th Marine Battalion (13/5) has served as the personal bodyguard of Princess Luna during her travels apart from Princess Celestia and as the security element for the 368th. Successive Company Commanders refused to allow the detail to slip despite offers by multiple Battalion Commanders to return the Company to it's original unit. Equestrian Royal Marines also have a reputation for being extremely prideful and bullheaded.
SAR: Search and Rescue, Teams of ponies trained to seek lost or injured personnel. Usually in the form of helicopters with specially trained flight medics.
Senior Airpony: A junior enlisted member of the EADF this is the third rank an enlisted pony can reach.
Sergeant/Staff Sergeant: Non-commissioned Officers at positions 5 and 6 respectively, these ponies are the leaders on the lines taking and executing orders from Senior NCOs and Officers and directly managing the junior enlisted personnel.
Striker: the wings, engines, weapons and armor a pegasi integrates with for combat use. It straps on more like armor then an actual aircraft you pilot.
Addition Equestrian Military Rank structure: EADF and Royal Marines, I got a comment on DA that was to the effect of wanting the nuts and bolts of this type of thing. So I wrote it up just in case any one wants to reference it.
Equestrian Armed Forces Rank structure:
Enlisted:
EADF/Royal Marines/paygrade
Airpony Recruit/Private/E-1
Airpony/Private First Class/E-2
Senior Airpony/Lance Corporal/E-3
Technical Corporal/Corporal/E-4
Sergeant/Sergeant/E-5
Staff Sergeant/Staff Sergeant/E-6
Wind Sergeant/Gunnery Sergeant/E-7
Master Sergeant/Master Sergeant/E-8
Chief Master Sergeant/Sergeant Major/E-9
Officer:
EADF/Royal Marines/Paygrade
Flight Officer*/2nd Lieutenant/O-1
Senior Flight Officer/1st Lieutenant/O-2
Captain/Captain/O-3
Major/Major/O-4
Lieutenant Colonel/Lieutenant Colonel/O-5
Colonel/Colonel/O-6
General Grades:
EADF/Royal Marines/Paygrade
Brigadier General/Brigadier General/G-1
Major General/Major General/G-2
Lieutenant General/Lieutenant General/G-3
General/General/G-4
General of the Aerospace Defense Force/Commandant of the Royal Marine Corps/G-5 (only one pony holds this rank at any time)
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PonyMarine
|
1385
| 2 |
Derpy Hooves,Original Character,Princess Luna,Crossover,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
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Stormriders: Luna's Own
|
Action takes to the skies as the 368th Night Fighter Wing battles to defend Equestria!
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complete
| 22 | 1 |
<p>Sign up to defend equestria as the ponies of the 368th Night Fighter Wing take to the skies in armored jet fighters called strikers to defend the realm against all comers! </p><p>Flight Officers Flare and Zephyr are the newest pilots of the Equestrian Aerospace Defense Force and take their duty to the crowns and country quite seriously, especially after being hand picked for Princess Luna's personal fighter squadron, the 368th Night Fighter Wing. With a border dispute with the Northern Griffon Kingdom heating up looks like our heroes might be getting a lot more action then they bargined for!</p><p>This is an action-adventure fic, dark tag is because for Equestria anything with a war or dying is pretty dark to my mind. Ponies are fighting and individuals will die, it is however no more graphic then say... the movie Top Gun. There will also be adult language (cussing, lots and lots of cussing) through out the story.</p><p>Squadron Patch provided by Explosion-Man of deviantart. (cover image)</p>
|
teen
|
2012-02-23T05:46:42+00:00
|
2012-02-23T05:46:42+00:00
| 2,169 |
Prologue: Background Music
The world is at peace. It's been 150 years since the border disputes with the Northern Griffon Kingdom. Since then the only contact has been from Equestrian Aerospace Defense Force (EADF) Combat Airspace Patrol (C.A.P) sighting their fighters patrolling on their half of the no-fly zone. Recent land disputes between civilian mining groups in the mountains, however, may have the border between the two kingdoms heating up again and with diplomatic relations practically non-existent; the fires of war may be on the horizon…
Northern Equestrian Border
Griffin No Fly Zone C.A.P
370th Night Fighter Wing - Nighthawks
0100 hours
"Nighthawk 3, Lead, tighten up to the formation".
"Copy that Lead, closing the gap".
"No need to be nervous Flight Officer, I know it's your first flight with the squadron out of the academy, but the no-fly zone tends to be pretty quiet most ni-"
"Lead! Seven here. Flash report coming in. One of our mountain radar stations just went off-air with no explanation. Northern Command wants a flyover with all speed."
"Guess I spoke too soon, Three. Nighthawks, Lead, time to shake the lead out, fillies. Break to wing pairs and spread out into combat formation. Three, you're with me."
A chorus of wilcos and the tight chatter of wing pairs forming up was all the speaking the three squadrons of aircraft had to do. They were well trained and this is what they were waiting for. Flight Officer Cloud Burst, also known as Nighthawk 3, quickly maneuvered his F/A-29 Thunderhoof fighter back and to the left of his commanding officer.
The night air was cold and crisp as a little of it slipped past his flight helmet and high altitude breathing system. The moon was light was bright and clear as it lit the mountain ranges below. A night that had started out as a fam flight for him with the squadron and the no fly zone had suddenly turned in to something much more. Somepony might be in big trouble down there... It made him think about his sister, Cloud Dancer, who was with the 368th south west of here. Was she okay tonight?
"Three!"
"Three here, Lead"
"You were drifting off. Get your head in the game."
"Roger, Sir".
"Northern Command, this is Nighthawk Lead. We're approaching visual range of Radar Post 3-9"
"Lead this is 5. I have visual and- Celestia's hooves, it's on fire!"
"Five, Lead, get a hold of yourself and give me an assessment."
"Roger Lead, taking a closer sweep... Luna's mane, bodies everywhere, the post has been completely destroyed. Looks like by aerial attack, no sign of ground forces in the area."
"Copy, NorComm this Nighthaw-"
"Nighthawk Lead, this is AWACS Stormwatch. You have multiple bandits inbound."
"Luna dammit! Nighthawks, break off and engage incoming fighters. Try to get a visual ID!"
The battle was joined…and then the dying started. The sky was filled with missiles, gunfire and explosions as the thirty-two aircraft of the 370th struggled to get clear of the sudden onslaught of the aggressors. Cloud Burster had been trained in basic air combat maneuvering but this... he wasn't ready for this. It sounded like half the wing had already been wiped out and they had barely broken to engage! His surroundings whipped past him as he followed Nighthawk lead, pulling their wing pair in to a hard-G rolling turn, trying to get clear of the ambush. A quick look off to his right and he saw and heard as Nighthawk five, still shaken from her over flight of the radar post, got boxed in by cannon fire from two of the enemy flyers and shot down with close-range missile shots. There was no sign of Nighthawk four any where near her. He refocused, the Major took them up and into an inverted loop that nearly had him blacking out.
"Three, when we come out of this loop, pick a target and hit them with a radar-guided missile as soon as you get a lock."
"Aye, sir."
His voice was shaky. He hoped the major didn't notice how nervous he was. They pulled out of the loop tight and hard, in perfect formation, like the Wonderbolts doing a stunt. He got his targeting pod searching for an enemy and got a clear tone off of a fighter pulling through the smoke cloud that had once been Nighthawk seven.
"Nighthawk three, Fox three!"
The missile raced off its pylon and closed the gap between him and the enemy plane in a heartbeat. He wanted to shout, to celebrate avenging the deaths of his comrades, but training kept him professional.
"Lead, three here. Splash one bandit."
Nothing but static answered him, nothing at all. Cloud Burster went evasive, scanning, trying to find any friendly fighters in the area. Trying to find the Major. His radio transmissions were getting more and more frantic, but it was obvious he was alone. He jumped up frequencies to Battlespace Tactical as he started racing away from the area, knowing that the enemy fighters weren't going to leave him alive and that they were hunting him already.
"Nighthawk three to Stormwatch. I think I'm the only one left. Going supersonic to evade the enemy."
The words died in his mouth as the sound of first one, then two, then three missile lock warnings started screaming in his ears. There was no chance for chaff or flares and fancy flying, not with three missiles closing fast. A quick glance to his rear and he could see the rockets burning towards him, faster then the eye could track. He had just enough time for one final thought; a final whisper.
"Cloud Dancer..."
100 miles away
EADF AWACS aircraft
call sign "Stormwatch"
"This is Stormwatch to Nighthawk 3, is anypony out there? Repeat, Stormwatch to Nighthawks, any call sign respond". Staff Sergeant Aria "Ears" Roughhoof was one of the few earth ponies in the EADF, but also one of the most exceptional Radar and communications technicians in the force. Aboard her E-321 Skyeye AWACS aircraft, with her crew of seven, they were the best at what they did - and they had just failed.
Aria turned to the flight control officer, Captain Aurora Starheart.
"Ma'am, we've lost all radar and radio contact with the 370th. The last radio contact with friendly forces indicates that the entire wing, as well as the outpost has been completely destroyed. We've also lost radar contact with the bandit aircraft." Captain Starheart felt her heart drop a couple inches in her chest. Whatever had started tonight didn't bode well at all.
"Thank you, Staff Sergeant. I'll make the call to NorCom. Thirty two fighters...an entire Celestia-cursed wing!"
She shook her head softly, her sky-blue mane shaking like the flag of a defeated army.
"In the meantime, Staff Sergeant, contact Mareimar Aerospace Defense Force Base. Ask them to scramble CSAR assets with escorts; there may be survivors on the ground."
"Tell them the area is hostile?"
"Yes, Staff Sergeant, until units from Mareimar can tell us otherwise."
"Aye ma'am, I'll get right on it."
|
PonyMarine
|
1385
| 3 |
Derpy Hooves,Original Character,Princess Luna,Crossover,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
Stormriders: Luna's Own
|
Action takes to the skies as the 368th Night Fighter Wing battles to defend Equestria!
|
complete
| 22 | 1 |
<p>Sign up to defend equestria as the ponies of the 368th Night Fighter Wing take to the skies in armored jet fighters called strikers to defend the realm against all comers! </p><p>Flight Officers Flare and Zephyr are the newest pilots of the Equestrian Aerospace Defense Force and take their duty to the crowns and country quite seriously, especially after being hand picked for Princess Luna's personal fighter squadron, the 368th Night Fighter Wing. With a border dispute with the Northern Griffon Kingdom heating up looks like our heroes might be getting a lot more action then they bargined for!</p><p>This is an action-adventure fic, dark tag is because for Equestria anything with a war or dying is pretty dark to my mind. Ponies are fighting and individuals will die, it is however no more graphic then say... the movie Top Gun. There will also be adult language (cussing, lots and lots of cussing) through out the story.</p><p>Squadron Patch provided by Explosion-Man of deviantart. (cover image)</p>
|
teen
|
2011-11-11T06:06:14+00:00
|
2011-11-11T06:06:14+00:00
| 1,821 |
EADF Flight Academy
Hoovington Drill Field/Aerial Demonstration Arena
Flight School Class 327 - Graduation
1530 local time
background music
The stadium was filled with ponies. The families of the seven hundred pegasi graduating from the EADF Flight Officer Candidate Course generated a roar that could even drown out a Striker engine at full burn. As the mass formation swooped into the stadium, the roar got even louder, practically shattering Candidate-that is Flight Officer Flare's hearing. The stormcloud grey colt felt the wind causing his bright orange mane and tail to flutter in the wind and sent a chill down his back. A quick glance over at the dark purple and navy blue maned mare beside him, Flight Officer Zephyr, his wing mate and best friend at the academy, told him she was similarly affected. 'Can't let it show though, have to maintain bearing, we're about to get our wings!' The Senior Flight Instructor brought the candidates to a perfect halt-and-hover landing in close order, before the reviewing stand.
"SQUADRON! ATTEN-HUT!"
The old aviation veteran turned to the stand and saluted.
"General, Class 327 prepared for graduation."
The old General returned the salute with the snap and precision of a stallion with half his years.
"Excellent, Major. You may take your post. Fillies and gentlecolts, it is my pleasure to present to you class 327 of the finest fliers Equestria has to offer. These young ponies have volunteered to fight tooth-and-hoof to defend our country and we appreciate their courage, their sacrifice and their heroism. However, I regret to inform you that I am not the colt to send these brave young warriors forth into the blue skies."
The General paused for a moment, enjoying the confusion and murmurs throughout the class and the assembled crowd.
"Fillies and gentlecolts it is my singular honor to introduce to you Her Royal Highness, Princess Luna of Equestria."
As Princess Luna came up the reviewing stand, in that moment, you could have heard a pin drop. Whatever the crowd had been expecting, this was not it; but the moment was immediately over and the audience erupted in applause for the recently returned Princess, who had just resumed her public duties about Equestria.
The Princess's coat was rich and shining, her eyes sharp and clear. When she spoke her voice was soft, but with a timber that implied strength and confidence.
"Fillies and gentlecolts, it is a pleasure to share this day of celebration for these skilled young fliers with you. Flying is my own personal passion and getting to share it with the brave aviators of class 327 is a singular pleasure. It is also my pleasure to inform you all of a change in the EADF. Before my…leave of absence, I was the commander of the EADF; and the 368th Night Fighter Wing was my personal squadron, Princess Luna's Own. They’ve maintained this designation for the last thousand years and are now resuming their duties as my personal squadron at Canterlot Aerospace Defense Force Base. This is especially exciting news for you, the fliers of class 327, as two of your number have been given orders to join the squadron."
That gave the audience and the class a real cause for pause. A slight shiver of motion went through the ranks; each of the seven hundred assembled cadets trying to figure out who had been singled out from amongst them for such an honor.
"Flight Officer Flare and Flight Officer Zephyr, if you could join me on the reviewing stand please?"
Flare and Zeph took a sidelong glance at each other and quickly fell out of the formation, marching up to the reviewing stand with Flare in the lead. The pair of stunned pegasi came to a halt, faced and saluted.
"Your Highness, Flight Officers Flare and Zephyr reporting as ordered!"
The Princess smiled, obviously slightly amused by the formality.
"At ease, flight officers"
The Princess approached, an aide quickly trotted up with a tray on which two sets of flight wings and a pair of unique looking squadron patches sat.
"You are both to be commended. Your skill and passion for flying made you stand out amongst your classmates. Flight Officer Flare, your daring, courage and penchant for aerobatics are of particular note. Similarly Flight Officer Zephyr your intelligence and level head will serve you well as you fly with the 368th."
The rest of the ceremony was a daze for both the young flyers, as was the avalanche of backslapping and congratulations from their classmates after. With no families to separate out and find, Zeph and Flare made a quick exit and celebrated their good fortune. The longtime friends were overjoyed to be able to keep flying together. But having caught the notice of someone as important as Princess Luna? It was almost too good to be true. Early the next morning the young flight officers shouldered their bags and departed in to the dawn for Canterlot AFB.
|
PonyMarine
|
1385
| 4 |
Derpy Hooves,Original Character,Princess Luna,Crossover,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
Stormriders: Luna's Own
|
Action takes to the skies as the 368th Night Fighter Wing battles to defend Equestria!
|
complete
| 22 | 1 |
<p>Sign up to defend equestria as the ponies of the 368th Night Fighter Wing take to the skies in armored jet fighters called strikers to defend the realm against all comers! </p><p>Flight Officers Flare and Zephyr are the newest pilots of the Equestrian Aerospace Defense Force and take their duty to the crowns and country quite seriously, especially after being hand picked for Princess Luna's personal fighter squadron, the 368th Night Fighter Wing. With a border dispute with the Northern Griffon Kingdom heating up looks like our heroes might be getting a lot more action then they bargined for!</p><p>This is an action-adventure fic, dark tag is because for Equestria anything with a war or dying is pretty dark to my mind. Ponies are fighting and individuals will die, it is however no more graphic then say... the movie Top Gun. There will also be adult language (cussing, lots and lots of cussing) through out the story.</p><p>Squadron Patch provided by Explosion-Man of deviantart. (cover image)</p>
|
teen
|
2012-02-23T05:51:02+00:00
|
2012-02-23T05:51:02+00:00
| 2,232 |
Stormriders: Luna's Own
Chapter 2: On the road and settling in
Near Ponyville Airspace
1430 Local time
Background Music
Mostly clear skies, a few light puffy clouds, and a soft, gentle breeze. Objectively speaking, it was the perfect day to fly. Flare and Zephyr were making the most of the long flight from the EADF Academy to Canterlot AFB. It was their first day of unaugmented, unregimented flying in a long time. No flight helmet in your face, no cockpit glass and flight suit keeping the wind off you, no engine hurling you through the air; just you, your wings and good company.
Flare banked right, away from Zephyr, and let a soft thermal carry him up and back, to the left, rolling as he went so he dropped in on top of her inverted.
"Hey Zeph, got a question for you."
Zeph snorted, used to her old friend's aerial antics.
"Hey pony-feathers-for-brains, you were flying right next to me. Couldn't you have asked me from there?"
"I could’ve...but this is so much more fun!"
Zeph rolled her eyes.
"You're insufferable sometimes"
Flare started grinning like a maniac.
"It's part of my charm as you well know."
"Uh huh, you keep saying that, but you have to have charm for it to be part of your charm."
Flare rolled back to the right, settling back in to his original position at Zephs side.
"Ach my ego! What a grievous emotional wound from my dearest friend!"
Zeph tossed a mock kick at her flying partner.
"Alright, what was your question?"
"Well, I've been thinking it over, and I'm honored the Princess selected us for her squadron and everything, but why exactly does she have a personal fighter squadron anyway? She can fly, and if what ponies say about the magic the Princesses can do are true, she can teleport."
Zephyr sighed, "You really are a bird brain, aren't you? I guess those high academic marks you somehow managed to pull off were just a front."
Zephyr talked right over Flare's stammered attempts at a retort.
"She's royalty, for one, so her going anywhere with out an escort is extremely unlikely. So I'd guess most of the squadron's job is ceremonial in nature. From what the Princess said in the speech yesterday, the 368th has been her personal squadron for a long time, so I'd say there's a hefty dose of tradition involved too..."
Flare was staring off on the horizon to their left, obviously watching something intently.
"Care to listen to the answer to question you asked, or am I interrupting your contemplation of the world at large?"
The sarcasm dripping from Zephyr's voice was thick enough to count as a solid object. Flare shook his head a little.
"Sorry got distracted. There's a rainbow-colored contrail over there! And we're close to Ponyville! I bet it's Rainbow Dash!"
Zeph chortled in amusement.
"Flare you are such a fancolt!"
"She's one of the top fliers alive, Zeph! She shattered the sound barrier AND managed to do something to break known physics and distort the visible light spectrum!"
Zeph snorted, obviously holding back laughter.
"Uh huh, sure thing lover colt. Whatever you say. I think you just like the shape of her flank!"
Flare gave a half-laugh, half-outraged noise and took a swipe at Zeph in response; and the two friends dashed off through the clouds, alternately smacking at each other, play fighting as they flew.
A short flight later, the pair entered Canterlot airspace and received clearance to land at Canterlot Air Force Base. A ground crewpony ran out and directed them to a hangar off to the left of the main flight line, it's own compound really, over which Princess Luna's dark purple standard fluttered in the soft, mid-afternoon breeze. A large stallion with a dark blue beret marking him as a Royal Equestrian Marine quickly checked their orders and ID cards, then passed them off to a younger and smaller Royal Marine who escorted them to the Commanding Officer's office, which is where they were waiting now...
background music
"Get in here!" The bark was crisp, sharp and powerful, biting the air like a sword striking a blow. The two ponies rushed in to the office.
"Sir, Flight Officers Flare and Zephyr, reporting for duty pending flight orders with the 368th Night Fighter Wing!"
The older stallion grunted as he took the orders from their outstretched hooves and inspected them briefly.
"Very well, everything looks to be in order. At ease flight officers, I am Major Windsheer, your new commanding officer. I want you to understand one thing very clearly coming here. Look out my window."
The Major gestured at his window overlooking the hangar bay of the 368th where rows of gleaming fighters and a large transport aircraft sat gleaming. They looked brand new. The Major snorted.
"I know what you're thinking, ‘pretty swank rides’ right?"
The flight officers nodded, obviously confused as to where the Major was going with this.
"That's because it's all brand new. For the last thousand years while, Her Highness Princess Luna was in exile, this unit was shit on. Nothing was official, nothing was in orders, but because we and the 13th Company, 5th Battalion of Royal Marines maintained our loyalty and designation to the Lady of the Night, we received horrible treatment and the bare minimum of equipment to survive as units. Until a month ago, we were stationed at an out of the way posthole of a base with barely enough fighters and equipment to maintain flight qualifications. Despite all that, I demand the absolute best from my ponies and I will demand the same from you; you will work harder and fly harder then you ever have in your entire lives. CAN YOU HANDLE THAT!?"
Only years of being screamed at and drilled at the academy saved the stunned ponies
"SIR! Yes sir!"
The Major leaned back on his haunches and grinned malevolently.
"Excellent." He pushed a button on his desk intercom, "Captain Cloud Dancer, if you'd join us please."
No sooner had the Major finished speaking than a very pissed off mare stormed in. She came to attention and saluted the Major
"Sir, reporting as ordered."
"Excellent, Captain. This is Flight Officer Zephyr and Flight Officer Flare. They’re all yours."
"Aye Sir."
With that the mare with a dark blue coat and shocking white mane rounded on them, turning her molten gold eyes on the pair of flight officers.
"ALL RIGHT YOU RUNTS, GET THE HELL OUT OF THE MAJOR'S OFFICE, DOUBLE TIME! COME ON, SHAKE A FLANK!"
The Major waited until his office door slammed before he let himself start laughing. He always enjoyed this part of breaking in fresh boots.
The running torrent of abuse from Captain Cloud Dancer was impressive. Not just for its length and volume, but its sheer variety of insults as she lead them through the hangar. She insulted every fiber of their being: moral, emotional, physical and genetic, right down to the very last detail. She could have made the best of the Drill and Flight Instructors at the Academy look like amateurs. The Captain took them on a whirlwind tour, ending in the hangar where a young grey and blonde pegasus mare was getting a similar verbal tour de force from an older looking enlisted stallion. Seeing them distracted at the sight of someone else getting chewed out, Captain Cloud Dancer stopped short with an evil grin on her face.
"So I'm not good enough to pay attention to, eh? Well maybe Master Sergeant Ironheart will take time out of his busy schedule to handle you along with his favorite airpony over there."
Before either flight officer could say a word, the Captain jumped over to the large stallion and took him aside for a moment and then walked off, obviously pleased with her new arrangements. The large steel-colored stallion strode over to the pair; staring at them with so much rage the Captain's face would have been a welcome sight. He snorted at them with derision.
"You lot are what the academy is putting out as excuses for aviators these days? I am Master Sergeant Ironheart, the Chief Mechanic of the 368th. The Captain has placed you under my care for half the day, every day till she says otherwise. You will be training with Senior Airman Clanky Doo, the worst mechanic I've seen in twenty-five years of service. I suspect you lot will match up to her nicely- Celestia dammit DOO! Get over here and quit standing around with your horn polisher hanging open!"
The gray mare cantered towards the group and promptly tripped over her own hooves, ending up in a pile with Flare and Zephyr.
She whispered softly, "Sorry about this, it's my fault."
The big Master Sergeant eyed the pile of younger ponies on the floor in front of him.
"Yup, you three are definitely pegasi of a feather."
As the three ponies tried to pick themselves up, Zephyr couldn't help but notice Cloud Dancer walking away as if on a death march. Her head was down and she looked...depressed. The thought was quickly chased away, however, as the enraged Master Sergeant began to hand out toothbrushes for toilet cleaning detail.
|
PonyMarine
|
1385
| 5 |
Derpy Hooves,Original Character,Princess Luna,Crossover,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
Stormriders: Luna's Own
|
Action takes to the skies as the 368th Night Fighter Wing battles to defend Equestria!
|
complete
| 22 | 1 |
<p>Sign up to defend equestria as the ponies of the 368th Night Fighter Wing take to the skies in armored jet fighters called strikers to defend the realm against all comers! </p><p>Flight Officers Flare and Zephyr are the newest pilots of the Equestrian Aerospace Defense Force and take their duty to the crowns and country quite seriously, especially after being hand picked for Princess Luna's personal fighter squadron, the 368th Night Fighter Wing. With a border dispute with the Northern Griffon Kingdom heating up looks like our heroes might be getting a lot more action then they bargined for!</p><p>This is an action-adventure fic, dark tag is because for Equestria anything with a war or dying is pretty dark to my mind. Ponies are fighting and individuals will die, it is however no more graphic then say... the movie Top Gun. There will also be adult language (cussing, lots and lots of cussing) through out the story.</p><p>Squadron Patch provided by Explosion-Man of deviantart. (cover image)</p>
|
teen
|
2012-02-23T05:52:36+00:00
|
2012-02-23T05:52:36+00:00
| 2,020 |
A Letter from Cousin Clanky
Background music
english version
Dear Ditzy and Dinky,
Hi girls, it's cousin Clanky again. I thought I'd send you a quick letter back to thank you again for the great care package! The muffins were delicious and me and my new friends really enjoyed them. A new mare and stallion joined the squadron last month so they're super new like me! Captain Cloud Dancer and Master Sergeant Ironheart are as mean to them as they are to me which isn't so good. Their officers so technically we're not supposed to hang out or be friends, but old Rustheart apparently said something to the Major about the three of us being "cut from the same cloth" and "the same kind of idiot" so the Major ordered us billeted together which means we share a living quarters, Zephyr the mare and I get a seperate room because of some segregation rule but the stallion, Flare is close by still. The Major also says that it's ok for us to spend time together off duty. It makes sense because we sure do work together alot on duty!
Albeit alot of that work is peeling potatoes and cleaning but Rustheart made me the lead mechanic for their wing pair, so I get to work on Flare and Zeph's planes exclusively! I'm not much of a lead mechanic though... more the only mechanic. I'm the only one who does maintenance on their fighters. There's plenty of that to do, they were assigned the junkiest pair of birds I've ever seen, I've done what I could short of sending them to the depot for a full overhaul, but to be honest they need to be scrapped, not overhauled. Cap'n Cloud Dancer is still pushing them hard, on top of all the scut work they do with me their getting flown hard every day, makes for some long hours for me too, but Flare and Zeph will stay and help work on their fighters with me, even though I can tell their exhausted, till the work's finally done.
Rustheart also said with any luck the three of us working together would result in us dying in a mishap of some sort, answering his prayers and saving the unit a whole heap of trouble but I don't think he meant it. On a positive note, Flare, Zeph and I are having lots of fun during the scant liberty we manage to get. We even managed to get a weekend pass (not sure how that got past Rustheart) and went up to Canterlot last weekend!
Things have gotten a lot rougher in general since Flare and Zeph got here though, the unit is being even colder to us and the work load has at least tripled, constant midnight alerts and scramble flights, tools in my kit going missing and somehow ending up in the freezer, the fuel tanks on the strikers being mysteriously empty. The Captain is just drilling us in to the ground with work outs too, running harder, faster and longer then either of the three of us had before, strenuous flight drills (even for me!), ground fighting and lots of weapons training with the Marines too, they sure like doing ground fighting with us Cous, almost knocked my shoulder out of joint last time and we always come out so bruised it can be hard to move! We're pulling together though, the three of us made a pact to not let them or any one else beat us. We just have to keep fighting, we'll show them exactly what kind of steel we're made of.
I'll write again soon!
Lots of love,
Clanky Doo
P.S.
If Flare, Zeph and I can get another weekend pass I'll try to talk them in to coming with me to see you and Dinky! Ponyville would be a nice change of pace from the squadron that's for sure.
|
PonyMarine
|
1385
| 6 |
Derpy Hooves,Original Character,Princess Luna,Crossover,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
Stormriders: Luna's Own
|
Action takes to the skies as the 368th Night Fighter Wing battles to defend Equestria!
|
complete
| 22 | 1 |
<p>Sign up to defend equestria as the ponies of the 368th Night Fighter Wing take to the skies in armored jet fighters called strikers to defend the realm against all comers! </p><p>Flight Officers Flare and Zephyr are the newest pilots of the Equestrian Aerospace Defense Force and take their duty to the crowns and country quite seriously, especially after being hand picked for Princess Luna's personal fighter squadron, the 368th Night Fighter Wing. With a border dispute with the Northern Griffon Kingdom heating up looks like our heroes might be getting a lot more action then they bargined for!</p><p>This is an action-adventure fic, dark tag is because for Equestria anything with a war or dying is pretty dark to my mind. Ponies are fighting and individuals will die, it is however no more graphic then say... the movie Top Gun. There will also be adult language (cussing, lots and lots of cussing) through out the story.</p><p>Squadron Patch provided by Explosion-Man of deviantart. (cover image)</p>
|
teen
|
2011-11-11T06:36:36+00:00
|
2011-11-11T06:36:36+00:00
| 1,817 |
A month has passed....
Canterlot Palace, Princess Celestia's Chambers
0930 Local time
background music
Luna had known this talk wasn't going to go over well with Celestia, but all the same, she thought her big sister was over reacting just a teensy bit... Well, at least she's not thrown anything in addition to shouting. Celestia took that precise second to launch a particularly well-aimed pillow that caught Luna right on the nose. So much for that.
"CELESTIA! Sister, please!"
The sharp tone in Luna's voice silenced her ranting and riled older sister almost immediately. Celestia dropped the second pillow she had just taken up and a sad tone was evident in her voice instead of anger.
"Luna...little sister, it's been so long. I just don't understand why you want to leave me again."
Luna walked over to her older sibling and put a hoof around her neck.
"Tia, I don't want to leave you at all! You know I don't, but we're the leaders of this country and sometimes, that means more important things have to be taken in to consideration than what we want. You heard the same intelligence and strategic briefings I did about the situation that's developing on the Northern border. They need one of us there to ensure the defense of our country while the other stays here in Canterlot and tries to find a diplomatic solution and prevent an all out war.
Celestia sniffed a little bit, obviously close to tears.
"I...but there's generals and all sorts of..."
Luna gently cut her big sister off.
"No, Tia. You know as well as I do that stakes this high mean we should both be involved. You've always been the born diplomat big sister. Your place is in Canterlot, ensuring that what looks like storm clouds become sunshine."
"What then is your place, little sister?"
"My place is to hold back the storm should it come. To defend and watch over our ponies just as you will from Canterlot."
"Your safety...."
"I'll be safe big sister. Remember? I have the 368th and a whole company of Royal Marines just to make sure I'll be protected and we'll be on Mareimar Aerospace Defense Force Base. I'm sure everypony on that base will make sure not a single equestrian, including me, comes to harm. This is the way it should be now that I've resumed my duties and titles Tia. Ruling together as equals, just like back then, before...before the curse."
Now it was Luna's turn to have her eyes start to water as memories of the blackness and evil magic that had enveloped her and forced her sister to banish her to the moon to allow the dark spell to be weakened over a thousand years; but Tia knew and pulled her younger sister into a tight embrace.
"You're right. You're right as always little sister. I'm just scared of losing you again."
"You won't; but you still have to let me do this."
"I know...."
The two sisters stayed like that for a long time, wrapped in a long embrace as only the closest of siblings can share, each willing the pain the other felt to heal just a little bit faster.
368th Night Fighter Wing and 13/5 Royal Marines Company Compound
368th Wing Barracks
0127 local time
Flare was having trouble sleeping. He'd been tossing and turning for a few hours now and was finally giving up. The stallion shook his mane out to at least an attempt at being presentable and pulled his flight suit on. As he walked to the door, he thought 'Zeph and Clanky both keep odd hours at times. Maybe one of them will be up and go to the chow hall with me for a late night snack or somethi-’ Flare's train of thought was derailed abruptly as his door burst inward and two large stallions dressed in all black rushed in to the room. The last conscious thought he had as a hoof rocketed towards his temple was 'oh Celestia now what?' then blackness.
When Flare awoke, he was bound, gagged and had a sack over his head. He was semi aware of what felt like other ponies on either side of him as his mind struggled towards full consciousness. Flare's training came back to him quickly and he took quick stock of his surroundings. They were moving in what sounded like a large diesel truck, like the kinds the Marines used to haul troops and equipment. A quick test of his bonds showed them to be sturdy and with no hope of slipping them; Flare sighed through his gag and worked to get comfortable. He was just going to have to sit back and enjoy the ride for now.
A short while later, the trucks came to a halt and Flare found himself being tossed out of the bed. Just as he was getting his breath back, two ponies, whom he assumed were Zeph and Clanky, landed on top of him with muffled swearing and what sounded like a gagged attempt at an apology respectively. They didn't stay on the ground for long and Flare found himself being dragged along the ground to the sound of drumbeats and...was that bagpipes? (background music)
Flare was dropped quickly and his blindfold and gag were torn away, revealing Zeph and Clanky next to him in similar circumstances on the cobblestone floor of what appeared to be an old ruin, it's roof torn away exposing a brilliant night sky. The three were between two large formations of ponies. The Marine company formed up directly across from the EADF unit, distinguished by their dark green berets but all were in the immaculate, unique, jet-black with blue trim, dress uniforms worn only by the personal unit of Princess Luna. To the rear was a massive bon fire, as well as the squadron pipe and drum band, which explained the music. Directly to the front of them was the entire unit command staff of both units, with the major presiding over the whole affair like a Lord reviewing his assembled knights, and in a way that's exactly what was happening.
Major Windsheer stepped forward.
“Executive Officer, Captain Cloud Dancer, REPORT!"
The Captain snapped to and with mechanical precision, moved in front of the Major and offered a crisp salute.
"Sir, Captain Cloud Dancer, 368th Night Fighter Wing reporting!"
"Excellent. Captain, what is the status of the boots who have been given to Luna's celestial grace in defense of crown and country? Are these fledglings that you bring before this assembled unit prepared to stand forward as defenders of the realm and Her Royal Highness, Our Lady of the Night?"
"Sir, it is my belief and the belief of Master Sergeant Ironheart that these three are prepared."
Only discipline and bearing kept Flare, Zeph and Clanky's jaws from collectively hitting the floor. Captain Cloud Dancer and Master Sergeant Ironheart were the ultimate villains as far as they were concerned, with never anything approximating a kind word or positive phrase, just more insults, criticism and punishment details. Yet here was the Captain, vouching for them in front of everypony! The Major considered her words carefully and with a steely tone in his voice said,
"Very well Captain, take your post."
The Captain saluted and returned to her position in the command staff formation, taking the time to shoot the three awaiting the Major a venomous glare that spelled out exactly what would happen to Flare, Zeph and Clanky if they somehow managed to screw up whatever was about to happen.
The Major stepped up a few paces until he was right in front of the company.
"One thousand years, fillies and gentlecolts, one thousand years. This, the 368th Wing, the 98th and 99th Night Fighter Squadrons and the 13th Company, 5th Battalion of the Equestrian Royal Marine Corps, have stayed loyal in the absence of the Princess for ONE THOUSAND YEARS. We, above all, are her most faithful servants. We above all knew that she would return to us. As history became legend and legend became myth, we kept our place, waiting for the Lady's return. We, and the Marines and Air Ponies that came before us have suffered for that loyalty; but now, with the Princess's honorable return and the balance restored, we have been vindicated. All of us have made the pledge to forsake the day, and to walk in darkness. We do this to defend our loved ones and our beloved homeland from all that would stalk that darkness and prey on the weak and innocent. We are warriors of air and darkness, pledged personally to the defense the Lady of the Night. If there is one pony here that would not give their lives in defense of the crown, the country, and her people, let them depart from us now! We shall not judge them; merely pity their lack of resolve, loyalty and courage."
The Major paused and took a breath, waiting to see if there were any takers for his offer to leave. Not a single pony moved a hair. It was dead silent, except for the crackle of the fire. After a sufficient pause the Major roared at his troops,
"UNBENT! UNBOWED! UNBROKEN!"
To which the entire assembled unit responded:
"NO SURRENDER! NO RETREAT, UNTIL THE MOON FALLS FROM THE SKY!"
The Major smiled a tight, fierce grin. It would have looked more in place on some kind of predator, like a wolf or dragon. He started speaking again in a more normal tone.
"Airponies, Marines, tonight is a special night. The three before us have been sent to us not knowing our ways. We have ostracized them and isolated them. We have hurt them and run them ragged. They have stuck together, supported one another and have shown us fighting spirit, determination and courage. They have shown themselves to be worthy to join us. Flight Officers Flare and Zephyr, Senior Airpony Doo, ATTEN-HUT!"
The three snapped up to attention, their hooves clicking in perfect unison on the cold stone of the old ruin. The Major paced before them, a perfect cadence between his hooves as he walked.
"Are you prepared, with all your heart and all your soul, to fight for Equestria, Their Royal Highnesses and their people? To give your youth, your health, your mind and indeed your very life in their defense?"
They needed no prompting. "Yes Sir!"
The Major nodded and continued, "Are you prepared to take on special duty to Her Royal Highness, Princess Luna of Equestria, the Lady of the Night and the Bringer of the Moon, to forsake the light of the sun and ever walk in darkness, a silent guardian of Her Highness and the people as they slumber? To do everything and everything to defend Her Highness from harm at the cost of your lives, with nary a thought to your own health or safety? Consider this carefully. Once you take this oath, you will always be one of us. You will always be pledged to our Lady of the Night. We are all volunteers. If you have doubts or if your heart might waiver, we do not want you here. Reply individually when you are prepared."
The Major took a few steps back, waiting for their answer, an intense look gracing his dark features. The three took a quick glance at each other, and with a mutual nod of reassurance stepped forward together. Flare took the lead.
"Sir! I am prepared to give anything and everything in defense of Her Highness!"
Zephyr and Clanky’s own statements of assent quickly echoed Flare’s. An approving roar went up amongst the ponies of the assembled unit. As the noise quieted down, the Major spoke again.
"Very well, I hereby name you full members of the 368th Night Fighter Wing, wing pair six of the 98th Night Fighter Squadron, call signs Selene 11 and Selene 12. Senior Airpony Doo! You will continue your duties as their wing pair lead mechanic." This was followed with a wink and chuckle, "We'll see about getting you some proper Strikers instead of those old rust buckets too."
The roaring and cheers of approval went on a lot longer this time and by the end of it, the three ponies were in the rear of the EADF formation. The Major waited patiently to let the noise die down a little again. It was obvious he had something important to say and the unit silenced themselves quickly.
"I have other news for the Wing today. I have received warning orders from Princess Luna herself. In a week's time, we are to head forth, with Her Highness, to Mareimar Aerospace Defense Force Base in the North. The Lady shall be taking charge personally of the base and the defense of the Northern Border. As you may have heard, there is a potential border dispute with the Northern Griffon Kingdom and the 370th Night Fighter Wing was completely destroyed as well as one of our border radar stations. No further attacks have happened since then, but the Princess wishes to be prepared while Princess Celestia continues to attempt to find a diplomatic solution. Fillies, gentlecolts, by order of Her Royal Highness, Princess Luna of Equestria, it is my solemn duty to charge you to PREPARE FOR BATTLE!"
With that and signal from Captain Cloud Dancer, the pipe and drum band started to play the wing battle song and the entire assembled unit began to sing along.
Axes flash and broadswords swing
Shining armor's piercing ring
Horses run with the polished shield
Fight those bastards till they yield
Midnight mare and blood red roan
Fight to keep this land your own
Sound the horn and call the cry
How many of them can we make die?
|
PonyMarine
|
1385
| 7 |
Derpy Hooves,Original Character,Princess Luna,Crossover,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
Stormriders: Luna's Own
|
Action takes to the skies as the 368th Night Fighter Wing battles to defend Equestria!
|
complete
| 22 | 1 |
<p>Sign up to defend equestria as the ponies of the 368th Night Fighter Wing take to the skies in armored jet fighters called strikers to defend the realm against all comers! </p><p>Flight Officers Flare and Zephyr are the newest pilots of the Equestrian Aerospace Defense Force and take their duty to the crowns and country quite seriously, especially after being hand picked for Princess Luna's personal fighter squadron, the 368th Night Fighter Wing. With a border dispute with the Northern Griffon Kingdom heating up looks like our heroes might be getting a lot more action then they bargined for!</p><p>This is an action-adventure fic, dark tag is because for Equestria anything with a war or dying is pretty dark to my mind. Ponies are fighting and individuals will die, it is however no more graphic then say... the movie Top Gun. There will also be adult language (cussing, lots and lots of cussing) through out the story.</p><p>Squadron Patch provided by Explosion-Man of deviantart. (cover image)</p>
|
teen
|
2012-02-23T06:05:39+00:00
|
2012-02-23T06:05:39+00:00
| 2,214 |
368th Night Fighter Wing Compound
Hangar 2, 98th Night Fighter Squadron
0532 - Day of departure for Mareimar AFB
background music
Dawn. The air was crisp, pure, and beautiful as Princess Celestia’s Sun began to peak the horizon and Princess Luna began to draw down the moon. Zephyr considered that she had met the Princess in person and would be flying escort for her in just a few hours more as the unit made the transition to the northland with their Lady. The hangar was nearly empty, just the Thunderhoof sfighter in their rows. The squadron’s two Draft Horse heavy transports were already outside, being loaded with pre-staged gear and equipment by a slightly sleepy-eyed ground crew. Zephyr smiled as she got to the final two strikers in the row. The brand new planes gleamed with the pride and effort she, Flare, and Clanky had put in to them this past week to make sure they were flight and battle ready. Clanky had even snuck into town and bought some paint to do up custom art on their units to surprise her friends with. Flare’s name was beneath a beautiful arc of fire that looked like somepony had captured a bit of Celestia’s sun and her own name was emblazoned under a cherry blossom on the breeze – her favorite flower.
‘Gonna have to pay Clanky back for all that work somehow,’ she thought to herself. A box of blueberry muffins (the blonde mare’s favorite) would probably do the trick, at least to start.
Zeph started her walk around, inspecting the large twin engined, twin tailed, aircraft. She could recall the details of the unit from memory; how it interacted and amplified the natural passive magic of a pegasi, and how the larger jet turbines used on large transport aircraft – like the ones currently being loaded on the pad – were impractical in terms of size and efficiency for the more agilely sized fighters. She finished her inspection with a quick electrical systems check and settled on the ground, lying against her striker, watching the sun come up. Zeph loved mornings like this and was taking in this one as much as she could. In her heart of hearts, she knew this would be the last peaceful morning she got in awhile, maybe one of her last at all. The shiver went long down her spine as a torrent of thoughts and emotions rushed to her, worrying about what might be coming in the next few days. Her thoughts were interrupted by a sunny shout of greeting ringing out from across the hangar. Flare and Clanky were coming over with some covered trays and she caught the scent of hot food wafting from them. She shoved her morbid thoughts aside and got up to go meet her friends. As long as they were together, Zephyr knew things would be all right.
Several hours later
Clanky buckled in to her seat aboard the big transport plane. As odd as it might seem, she was always nervous when flying on anything other then her own wings, and the big jetliner was no exception. With a snap and crackle the intercom came to life:
"Attention all passengers, this is your aircraft commander speaking. The Princess is aboard, and all our final preparations have been made. Please ensure you're strapped in. We should be taxiing in a few minutes. Thank you."
Clanky turned and looked out the window to the right of her, instantly finding Zeph and Flare's strikers in the lineup of the two fighter wings preparing to launch in tight succession. They were loaded down with heavy external fuel tanks and were running with very low loads of munitions for this hop. Mareimar was very far to the North and even with the externals; the fighters would be cutting it close to make it in to the base. She hoped her friends weren't too uncomfortable in their strikers for the long flight.
98th and 99th Night Fighter Squadrons
background music
The fighters were lined up on a side taxiway, ready to make a sharp right and take off on the order. The four planes of the command flight were ahead of the other twenty-four planes of the two squadrons, the CO, XO and their wingponies, ready to take to the skies first and ensure an orderly formation.
"All planes, this is the CO. The command flight will be call sign Nightguard, by the numbers, report status"
"Selene One, flight ready, Nightguard One."
“Selene Two, ready"
The familiar ritual of the ready checks locked Flare's head back in his cockpit and cooled him down a bit. He was nervous, no shame in admitting it. His first mission with the squadron into a combat zone – and with the Princess under their care no less! He didn't want to let Major Windsheer (A.K.A. Nightguard One) down, much less anyone else and especially not the Princess. Hearing Zephyr call off her status shook him out of his thoughts and returned him to the pre-flight routine.
"Selene Twelve, two lit and in the green."
"Copy that. Tower, this is Nightguard One, 368th Night Fighter Wing requesting clearance for takeoffs from run way Three Charlie."
"Roger that Nightguard One, take off clearance is granted. Give 'em hell, sir."
"Thank you, Tower, we'll bring you back a souvenir. Nightguard One to all aircraft, launch by wing pairs and take up defensive positions once the transports are airborne."
The squadron took wing like it was orchestrated with each pair launching down the runway and settling into their pre-assigned positions with ease around the two transports to begin the long flight north.
Three hours later
Mareimar AFB - Air Traffic Control Tower
A timid-looking, young earth pony cantered over to the desk currently being occupied by the base's commanding officer: a very severe looking stallion named Colonel Steelhoof. He had a bit of a reputation as a pony to be avoided, especially since he was a Royal Marine aviator in charge of an EADF base, but it was a joint posting and he was the senior officer.
The Colonel focused a single eye on the young mare in front of him, glaring down at her, and asked with a growl, "can I help you, Airpony, or are you just going to stand there like a carousel horse?"
The mare gasped a little bit, saluted and stammering slightly, gave her report.
"Sir, we just received a radio communication from the 368th Wing. They're about fifty minutes out and are low on fuel. They’ll need immediate clearance to land as soon as they reach the landing pattern."
The Colonel leaned back on his haunches, letting the stub of his cigar roll around in his mouth a little bit.
"Very well, Airpony, return to your post and inform flight control that I want two runways cleared ASAP. If there're any foul-ups with the Princess's arrival to my base, I will personally be bucking every single pony vaguely connected to it into the next life, clear?"
"Aye, sir!"
The now slightly frightened mare sped off with a quickness to perform her assigned tasks. The Colonel watched her go with a half smile on his face. The nervous ones were always the easiest to mess with a little. He’d have to have a word with that particular mare's Staff Sergeant about finding her some kind of combat training or something to help her bearing and self confidence.
"SIR! Radar contact! Multiple contacts bearing northwest of the base, estimating fifty to sixty fighters and six medium bombers, no response to radio hails and no IFF beacons."
The Colonel was out of his chair and rushing over to the screen in a heartbeat.
‘Son of a bitch, of all the Celestia-damned gin joints,’ he thought as he started barking rapid-fire orders ‘this is gonna be one hell of a mess.’
"Alright settle down, the lot of you! Sound battle stations, and power up all anti-air defenses. Non-essential personnel are to move to air raid bunkers at once. I want every fighter on this base that isn't under repairs in the air within the next fifteen minutes. Scramble the Alert Five, and tell them to form up with the CAP. We can't let these scumbags any where near the Princess! NOW, MOVE IT!"
The chilling scream of an air raid siren started to howl across the base. What had once been a relatively tranquil scene became a beehive of activity. Even over the sirens, the roar of the engines of the alert fighters going airborne rippled across the base.
Today had just gotten interesting.
368th Wing formation
Approx. 25 minutes flight time from
Mareimar AFB
background music
"This is AWACS Stormwatch to Nightguard One, please respond, over."
"Stormwatch, this is NightGuard One, what can we do for you today?"
"Nightguard One, Mareimar is currently under aerial attack by unknown enemy forces. Radar has also determined you have bandits on an intercept course.”
"...Horseapples."
"That's about our sentiments on this end, Nightguard One. Stormwatch has taken over battlespace management for the duration of the engagement. You’ll be switched over to tower control on final approach in to the base. One of the local squadrons is breaking off to escort you in but you're going to be in engagement range of the bandits before they can reach you."
"Copy that, Stormwatch, thanks for the heads up. All fighters this is Nightguard One. Siphon the last of the fuel from your external tanks and jettison them. We're going to be under enemy attack shortly. Spread out to battle formations. Weapons are hot. ROE is to engage any enemy fighter on sight. I know we're short on fuel and shorter still on ammunition. Special storm weapons are authorized. We must defend the Princess and the transports at all costs."
Short, tense responses came in from the twenty-seven aircraft listening with bated breaths to the Major’s transmission. If they were authorizing the special storm weapons designed to channel the natural magic of a pegasus, then they were in even deeper shit than the Major was letting on.
|
PonyMarine
|
1385
| 8 |
Derpy Hooves,Original Character,Princess Luna,Crossover,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
|
Stormriders: Luna's Own
|
Action takes to the skies as the 368th Night Fighter Wing battles to defend Equestria!
|
complete
| 22 | 1 |
<p>Sign up to defend equestria as the ponies of the 368th Night Fighter Wing take to the skies in armored jet fighters called strikers to defend the realm against all comers! </p><p>Flight Officers Flare and Zephyr are the newest pilots of the Equestrian Aerospace Defense Force and take their duty to the crowns and country quite seriously, especially after being hand picked for Princess Luna's personal fighter squadron, the 368th Night Fighter Wing. With a border dispute with the Northern Griffon Kingdom heating up looks like our heroes might be getting a lot more action then they bargined for!</p><p>This is an action-adventure fic, dark tag is because for Equestria anything with a war or dying is pretty dark to my mind. Ponies are fighting and individuals will die, it is however no more graphic then say... the movie Top Gun. There will also be adult language (cussing, lots and lots of cussing) through out the story.</p><p>Squadron Patch provided by Explosion-Man of deviantart. (cover image)</p>
|
teen
|
2012-01-08T17:38:10+00:00
|
2012-01-08T17:38:10+00:00
| 2,029 |
40 Minutes flight time from Mareimar ADFB
background music
"Break right! Break right!"
"Selene Three, you've got one on your tail! Jink left, I'll clear him off!"
"Stardust Six, fox two!"
Combat, as always, was hellfire and chaos at their purest. Aircraft darted this way and that, desperately trying to keep the enemy interceptors away from the two big transports as they screamed toward the airfield, the safety of Mareimar's extensive air defense systems and the armored hangars that would provide shelter for Princess Luna and the 368th during their temporary stay in Mareimar. Those hangars were a long way off, though; no matter how close the navigators said they were. The transports were fitted with special electronic countermeasures and they were operating at full power, filling the air with radar jamming waves so powerful they could almost physically knock missiles out of the air. Unicorn mages on both transports had shielding magic up, but there was only so much they could do against the fusillade of incoming missiles and the sheer volume of cannon fire.
For her own part, Princess Luna was calm, leaving her private state room and joining her subjects in the main passenger compartment, calming them with a soft, steady voice, filled with courage and belief in the pilots dueling in the air around her. A particular blonde-and-grey pegasus was trying to focus on those words as she watched out the window, looking for a glance of her friends flashing by, just to know they were still there, just to know he was still okay...
Flare and Zephyr were doing their training credit. The dodges and sudden turns were more than enough to keep them clear of enemy missiles and gun fire, so with barely a word of communication, they swung out wide from the intense dog fights surrounding the transport, allowing them to dive back into the fray from out of the sun, getting locks on enemy fighters that hadn't yet been engaged. Flare clicked his COM line to his wingmare as they got ready to launch.
"Selene Eleven, Twelve here. This is it for our missiles, so let's make these shots count!"
"Like there was ever any doubt, Twelve."
The tones of confirmed radar locks burned hot in their ears as the heads up displays in their flight helmets started flashing green. In one almost unified action, the two remaining missiles had leapt off their rails in to the blue skies, hunting down the selected enemy fighters like wolves chasing down deer.
"Selene Twelve, fox one!"
“Selene Eleven, fox one!"
Twin balls of flame lit up separate parts of the sky as debris rained down from the enemy fighters that had just been destroyed by their missile fire. They started looking in to re-engage the enemy; they still had a couple cannon rounds apiece that they could donate in the Princess's name but found the skies to be clear of enemy forces for now.
"Tower to all incoming fighters for Dark Crown ferry flight, break off and land. Proceed to ready line 2-7 for immediate refueling and rearm. Repeat; break off immediately. Falcon Squadron and Talon Squadron are engaging the bandits in your location to provide terminal cover."
The Major was fuming in his cockpit, but he knew a command like that was coming from the colonel of the base and he had the full strategic picture in view.
"All planes, this is Nightguard One. Comply with instructions from tower as fast as possible, ponies! I want us back in there, over these transports, yesterday!"
The transition between the 368th and the incoming local squadrons was smooth and the 368th raced towards the ground and the awaiting fuel and munitions. Flare and Zephyr were last in the stack to land when Stormwatch broke in.
"All airborne strikers in Mareimar airspace, the incoming transports have lost their fighter escort! Repeat, Falcon and Talon squadrons are gone, any unengaged fighters should move to cover Dark Crown with all possible speed.”
Flare's eyes snapped wide and he opened a private COM channel to Zephyr.
"We're probably the closest to the transports. We have to go and we have to go now!"
"The bravado is all well and good, Flare, but we're in the pattern, low on fuel and down to a couple hundred cannon rounds a piece."
"The Major authorized special weapons. We can use the Storm Cannons; all we have to do is buy the rest of the squadron some time and hold them off long enough for the rest of the unit to get back to the transports."
"...You're seriously trying to get us killed, I swear."
"So you're in?"
"Yeah I'm in, but we're in the approach pattern. Call a wave off and let's do this."
Flare switched up to the tower's frequency.
"Tower, Selene Twelve. Wave off, wave off, wave off. Runway remains clear, leaving the pattern."
"Selene Twelve, state your intentions."
"Responding to emergency support request from the transports."
The air traffic control operator's voice remained remarkably calm.
"You realize you're violating a direct order to land, refuel and rearm, correct?"
Flare began to mess with some of the COM settings, letting interference and static creep across the channel.
"Tower... having some communications... issues..."
Flare cut the channel and switched back to his channel with Zeph.
"Twelve, do you really have to be such a ham all the time?"
"It's a gift, Eleven. Now let's get to those transports."
Meanwhile aboard the transports
Clanky hated flying when she wasn't on her own wings. Turns out she also really hated flying on airplanes while said airplane was getting shot at. Her window seat provided her a ringside view as the last of the remaining escort strikers got blown out of the sky. The only good news was that of the remaining bandits, there seemed to be the only one left. She took in the design of the aircraft as it flashed past, obviously coming about for a run. It was a mean looking thing, all sharp angles and edges, like a predatory bird. Its air intake cowling was even painted to resemble claws. A single thought went through Clanky's mind as she watched the fighter pull in on the left, coming in slow, taunting and toying with it's prey.
'Screw this!'
The blonde mare got out of her seat and headed to the rear of the aircraft, aware of all the eyes on her. She wasn't just going to sit around and wait for a missile up the tailpipe. She kicked open a weapons locker in the cargo bay and grabbed a medium machinegun. Working quickly, she loaded it and slung the weapon over her shoulder. Afterwards, she punched the intercom panel.
"Attention please, this is your stewardess. The aircraft commander has turned on the fasten seat belt sign. To better facilitate your safety, we will be utilizing small arms fire from the left rear paratrooper door to attempt to drive off any rude strangers that try to interfere with the remaining portion of our flight. Please remain calm and secure all loose items in your immediate vicinity. Everything is under control. Emergency depressurization in five, four, three, two, one-"
And with that, Clanky smacked the open panel for the paratrooper door and braced herself, and her machinegun, in the now-open doorframe of the aircraft. Leveling the large, belt-fed weapon, she sighted in on the enemy fighter, still lazily moving in for a kill shot with its guns on the transport aircraft’s engines, and began peppering it with rounds. Clanky was a mechanic - an expert in her field - and much like a doctor is the deadliest pony you'll ever meet because of his or her knowledge of the body, so too was Clanky when it came to destroying the aircraft threatening the transport. With quick bursts letting her aim her fire with tracer rounds, Clanky adjusted fire until she was pumping rounds straight into the claw-painted air intakes she had noticed earlier. Jet engines, despite their size and power, are delicate systems and anything penetrating that system that shouldn't be there can cause spectacular damage, very quickly. The engine enemy fighter proved to be no exception to this rule. The force of the cavitation literally ripped the plane apart, gouts of flame ripped through the aircraft's skin and shredded the mainstay of the fuselage. As the burning wreckage rained down from the sky, a hoof tapped Clanky's shoulder. Three Royal Marines were behind her, struggling to set up tripod and remove a weapons system from a crate nearby.
"Miss, begging your pardon but this might make your next kill a little bit easier."
The Marines finished their work and started to move the .50 caliber heavy machinegun to the door, tying it in to the plane with some heavy ropes. Clanky rubbed her hooves together a little.
"I don't suppose you mind if I borrow that, do you?"
The first Marine laughed and stuck her hoof out to shake.
"Miss, you just saved all our hides. It'd be an honor. I’m Staff Sergeant Reckless and these clowns are one of my machinegun teams."
Clanky gave the mare's hoof a firm shake and settled in behind the heavy belt-fed weapon.
"Senior Airpony Doo. Staff Sergeant, Gentlecolts, let's buck some flank."
Flare and Zephyr's Strikers
"Twelve, Eleven, here's the plan. We're still receiving telemetry from Stormwatch. We can see another squadron breaking off to come at the transports; we'll hit them high and out of the sun. You're fitted with the “Thunderhead” storm cannon, right?"
"Affirmative. Clanky checked it out back at base and it's functioning perfectly."
"Perfect. I have a "Snow Lancer" ice cannon. You go in first, do a full power wide dispersion shot. You'll only get one at the power levels we're operating at. Try to take down or scramble as many as you can, then go to full throttle and play bait. I'll drop in behind you and nail the remnants with the ice cannon."
Flare wasn't exactly wild about this plan, that's for sure. Diving, practically unarmed, into a squadron of enemy fighters was not his idea of a good time. He complied, though, after all, Zephyr was the tactical genius. He brought his Storm Cannon online and set it up for a single, wide dispersion shot, basically generating a brief lighting storm. He leveled out with Zephyr and waited for her to give the signal.
"Selene Twelve, break and dive!"
"Copy. Tally ho!"
Flare broke and dove hard. Speed and surprise was what this type of attack had been about since the start of air combat, especially when it was one aircraft attacking a twelve aircraft formation – or a suicide mission as it was more commonly called. Flare focused on his positioning. He aimed right for the center of the formation and increased the angle of his dive, going near vertical. A yellow warning flashed on his HUD announced that the enemy fighters were in range for his Storm Cannon system. He started to engage the system.
"Selene Twelve, fox five!"
The sky in front of his fighter erupted in a lightning storm reminiscent of the wrath of an ancient god. The rippling tendrils of electricity smashed the majority of the enemy formation out of the sky, leaving only three enemy machines that had been on the edges of the formation. He cut to afterburner, ripping through their formation like a thunderbolt himself, jinking and dodging as the three aircraft gave chase, determined to avenge themselves on their new foe.
"Selene Eleven, fox five!"
Zephyr used her own Storm Cannon like a surgeon. Giant, icy spears pierced the cockpits of two of the aircraft pursuing Flare. She flashed by herself, unable to break the momentum of her dive as nimbly with the power drain from using her Storm Cannon twice in rapid succession.
"Twelve, Eleven. One more on your tail, going to try to come around for another pass."
"Copy Eleven, I'm going to bring him up on the left side of the transports. Come in over the top."
Flare was sweating in his cockpit. Whoever was behind him, he was good, very good. He was matching Flare pace for pace and move for move. If Zeph couldn't catch him when he brought him up, he had a very good chance of being a very dead pony. Seeing his mental mark in his HUD, he yanked back hard on his stick, leading the bandit up past the transport. The aircraft behind him exploded in a cascade of fire.
"Eleven, was that you?"
"Not me, Twelve... I- I think it was the transport!"
"Eleven... correct me if I'm crazy, but those transports are unarmed, aren't they?"
"Your guess is as good as mine, Twelve."
The radios crackled for a second and Stormwatch broke in.
"Stormwatch to all aircraft. Remaining enemy aircraft are in full retreat. Battlespace is clear of hostiles. Turn over to Mareimar tower for landing and recovery instructions. CSAR assets have been launched for recovery."
Mareimar AFB
Secure Hangar 2
God, it felt good it be on solid ground! Flare felt the exhaustion and stress of the past day of flying hit his body all at once after completing his shut down procedure and dropping out of the striker. He moved over to Zephyr, who had just finished pulling herself out of her own striker and were starting to do a damage inspection when they spotted an enraged looking Major Windsheer stalking towards them with Clanky in tow. Princess Luna, however, got to them first, walking up behind them and catching their attention with a soft clearing of her throat. Flare and Zeph jumped about foot in their air, spun, and saluted. Luna smiled warmly.
"Hello again Flight Officers. It seems I have you to thank for my safety today. I'm glad to know I made such a good choice when selecting fliers for my squadron."
With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Flare and Zeph slightly open jawed and flathoofed but not before shooting a little wink and smile to Major Windsheer as if to say 'don't go too hard on them'. The Major didn't seem quite capable of taking that advice at the moment, however. If looks could kill the Major's glare would qualify as a weapon of mass destruction. In a lethal whisper, the Major finally spoke after a few minutes of tense silence.
"As soon as I find out where the hell my office is, you three’d better be in it!"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Legends of the Corps #1: Staff Sergeant Reckless, USMC. Now I don't have to tell you all I sneak references to all sorts of things in to my writing all the time, but occasionally those references are parts of Marine Corps lore and history. In this case the reference is very direct, but the history it references is extremely obscure. SSgt Reckless was a female Marine who served in the brutal combat of the Korean war, Her Military Decorations included two Purple Hearts, Good Conduct Medal, Presidential Unit Citation with star, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, and Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation. Reckless also happened to be a horse. During the battle of Outpost Vegas, Reckless walked on her own through 35 miles of hell between the ammunition supply point and the guns and mortars she was supporting under constant enemy fire. In one day she hauled close to five tons of ammunition. During the same battle she used (She mind, the Marines didn't force her she did this on her own) herself as a living shield to let trapped Marines return safely to the front line. In my personal opinion she is one of the most under decorated Marines in the history of the Corps. She had three foals, Dauntless, Fearless and Chesty and finally reported to her final duty station, passing away 13 May, 1968. SSgt Reckless was buried with full military honors aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in California.
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PonyMarine
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1385
| 9 |
Derpy Hooves,Original Character,Princess Luna,Crossover,Adventure,Comedy,Dark,Slice of Life,My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
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Stormriders: Luna's Own
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Action takes to the skies as the 368th Night Fighter Wing battles to defend Equestria!
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complete
| 22 | 1 |
<p>Sign up to defend equestria as the ponies of the 368th Night Fighter Wing take to the skies in armored jet fighters called strikers to defend the realm against all comers! </p><p>Flight Officers Flare and Zephyr are the newest pilots of the Equestrian Aerospace Defense Force and take their duty to the crowns and country quite seriously, especially after being hand picked for Princess Luna's personal fighter squadron, the 368th Night Fighter Wing. With a border dispute with the Northern Griffon Kingdom heating up looks like our heroes might be getting a lot more action then they bargined for!</p><p>This is an action-adventure fic, dark tag is because for Equestria anything with a war or dying is pretty dark to my mind. Ponies are fighting and individuals will die, it is however no more graphic then say... the movie Top Gun. There will also be adult language (cussing, lots and lots of cussing) through out the story.</p><p>Squadron Patch provided by Explosion-Man of deviantart. (cover image)</p>
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teen
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2011-11-05T23:29:57+00:00
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2011-11-05T23:29:57+00:00
| 1,542 |
The Major was furious to say the least. He'd been yelling at the three ponies in front of him for a good thirty minutes now for failing to obey direct orders, endangering themselves and others, and a massive disregard for in-flight safety on the part of a certain mechanic. He’d had to stop and take a breath. They were damn lucky they'd pulled off saving the day instead of fucking up in the slightest in either situation.
"I ought to court martial you both for ignoring direct orders from your commanding officer. Don't think you’re getting off lightly, Doo. You deserve one too for that stunt on the transport. Thank Luna the pilot was able to compensate for the sudden depressurization."
The Major stopped again, took another breath, and tried to calm himself a down.
"But the fact remains, you three came out of this heroes. Without your actions, we would have almost certainly lost both transports and everyone aboard. So, by way of reward and punishment, I'm just gonna hammer medals straight in to your thick skulls. I have a briefing to be at. Get out of my sight...and good work."
The quick barks of affirmatives and the sight of the three ponies turning tail and practically fleeing his office was a good sign. They were heroes and their stunts had worked this time, but Windsheer knew, from long years of experience that nine times out of ten, heroics just got ponies killed. Hopefully that ear blistering would rein them in a little bit. The Major picked up a notepad with pen attached. He had another briefing from the Equestian Military Special Intelligence division. Hopefully, the spooks actually had something useful to tell them about the situation, like whether or not this was a declaration of war by the Northern Griffin Kingdom.
Classified Briefing of Senior Personnel
Marimar ADFB
1745 Local time
The Major shifted uncomfortably in his seat around the large table of the conference room. He hated briefings with a passion and formal briefings like this one were even worse. He was seated to the right of Princess Luna who capped one end of the table. Then, the various squadron commanders and senior officers of the base lined the table to the other head, where Colonel Steelhoof sat, a badly chomped stub of his cigar resting on his lip. He looked as impatient with the briefing process as Major Windsheer felt. The EMSI analyst finally finished his long-winded opening that sounded like it came directly from a manual on how to present things in the most painful manner possible and finally launched in to the meat of the matter.
"Your Highness, Mares and Stallions, thanks to successful negotiations with the Northern Griffin Kingdom by Princess Celestia, as well as intelligence operations along the border by EMSI, we have positively confirmed the aggressor during the present border difficulties. The fighters and bombers attacking us belong to units of the NGK Airforce belonging to their Southern Command Group. The Southern Command Group is lead by a griffin who goes by Lord Claw. His rank in their military is Second Talon, which is equivalent to a four star General by our rankings. EMSI's information and information provided by NGK sources have revealed that Lord Claw's attacks in to Equestria are actually part of a larger plot to overthrow the current griffin royal family. Claw is a war hero and extremely popular with the people. The Southern Command gives him control of massive amounts of troops and aircraft. There's even rumors he's managed to build a mountain command post that no one outside of his forces knows about or can locate."
Colonel Steelhoof smashed his cigar stub into the ashtray sitting near him.
"How exactly has EMSI confirmed this and what benefit does Claw gain from attacking Equestria?"
The door of the conference room opened and a scratchy rasping voice answered the Colonel.
"He makes himself appear strong, to have the best interests of the people at heart, and to be willing to take actions instead of tal. These things are prized in our society, Colonel."
The room was stunned as a large and very regal looking black griffin entered the room, the jeweled collar around his neck marking him as someone very important. The intelligence analyst appeared flustered for a moment and then stammered out an introduction.
"This is First Talon Lord Subotai, the overall commander of their military and the Right Claw of the King of the North; a position of great importance in their culture. The NGK made an offer to Princess Celestia on how to deal with the situation. The King cannot directly move against Lord Claw because he's too popular with the people; but if outsiders defeat him, not only will his standing be lost, but the King can then crush him with out worry of any backlash. Lord Subotai is here at the King's request, as well as the wishes of Her Highness, to prove that this offer for us to eliminate Claw is honest.”
Subotai ruffled his feathers a bit and stepped more to the center of the room.
"When I speak, I speak with His Majesty's voice. I am his Right Claw, most trusted of all his warriors and advisers. The first guardian of His eyrie We have no desire to war with your nation again, especially not over something so trivial as the work of miners. We also have a desire to be rid of Claw, who has betrayed the trust of the throne and committed the highest treason by working against His Majesty and attacking your country. Honor demands that your nation be given redress by taking Claw and those who follow him, draining their blood, smashing their eyries, and burning their lands."
"Don't hurt that it's politically expedient to you all too." Colonel Steelhoof growled out from behind a fresh unlit cigar.
The griffon's eyes narrowed slightly into what would approximate a smirk for an animal with a beak.
"A wise hunter can catch twice the prey with a single talon, Colonel. That does not make our offer any less genuine, which is why your Princess Celestia has accepted it."
The Major's heart sank as the Colonel and the griffin continued their light, verbal sparring. This was gonna be a long briefing.
The next day
Secure Hangar 2
2036 local time
Background Music
It'd been a long day of work. Flare and Zephyr's strikers had each gained some bullet holes here and there and Flare's electrical system had been partially fried from a minor fault in the Storm Cannon system. The day had been spent in companionable silence mostly; the trio mentally rehashing what happened to them the previous day. Questions about certain systems and repairs or requests to pass a certain part or tool were the only conversation as the three ponies focused on their work. Flare let out a long sigh and dropped to the ground by his striker, settling back on his haunches.
"I don't know about you two, but I think it's time we took a break."
Clanky, smudged with grease and a couple unidentifiable chemicals, wiped her hooves off and sat down next to Flare, Zeph following after securing a cowling shut.
"I think that's it for my striker. Thanks for the help, Clanky."
"Heh, what can I say? It is my job to keep these things in the air."
Clanky let out a soft sigh and relaxed back against the support strut of Flare's striker.
"This break was a good idea. I honestly don't remember the last time we stopped."
Zeph laughed softly.
"I seem to recall eating at some point, but I'll be damned if I can remember when we did."
Zephyr breathed in deeply, enjoying the small island of peace with her friends. So much had already changed in the past two days they'd all managed to save each other's lives in combat. All of them had killed. Zephyr wasn't really paying attention to Clanky and Flare now. He was telling the mechanic some story from their foalhood. Zephyr and Flare had grown up together, practically siblings. They'd met early one spring morning, when Flare had landed on top of her after jumping off a roof. Celestia only knew how he'd managed to get up there, but he did, and he took a running jump off it, already struggling to fly and failing in a spectacular manner. He'd actually managed to knock them both through the clouds, he’d hit her so hard, but his dad, who had been watching, dove and grabbed them. Flare had come over the next day to apologize and ask if she wanted to play. They'd been like siblings ever since. The mare shook her head a little; Flare and Clanky were both trying to get her attention.
"Sorry, guys, I zoned out a little."
Flare laughed at his friend.
"Your striker's all closed up, Zeph. You might as well go make an early night of it while Clanky and I finish up here."
Despite Zephyr’s protests that she was fine, her friends quickly chased her from the hangar. She really did need the rest, so she’d let them push her out the door. She took one last look over her shoulder and noticed they’d both sat back down by Flare’s striker, though Clanky was sitting a lot closer to Flare.
‘Flare and Clanky? They have been spending a lot of time together recently… but the Major’s exemption on the fraternization order doesn’t go that far. Flare wouldn’t risk his career like that, would he?’
Background Music*
Zeph shrugged it off. Her friends knew what they were doing, if they were even doing anything at all. She walked back to the barracks. Her room was on the first floor and close to the mare’s locker rooms and showers. This late at night no one was usually in them, but as she passed by, she could have sworn she heard sobbing and… was that pounding? Zephyr rushed in and was greeted by the sight of Captain Cloud Dancer. Her coat streaked with tears and blood, her wild mane contrasting to her normal orderly appearance. She was pounding her locker door with both hooves, the metal buckling under the force. Zephyr swallowed nervously.
"Ca-captain, are you okay?"
Cloud Dancer whirled on Zephyr. Her usually molten eyes were a flame, all the emotion inside was burning her up, tearing her apart, and she had no idea how to deal with the intruder before her. She was a torrent inside, wanting to lash out at the young mare for intruding, wanting to reach to her for help, needing someone when there was truly no one else; not after her brother had been murdered, after he had died just a few months ago, after what was left of her world was shattered.
"Nothing’s wrong. Return to your quarters."
Zephyr gave her a look, almost as if to argue. It was clear she wasn't okay. Even she knew she was lying and badly at that. As she turned to leave, Cloud Dancer heard a voice call out, like a cool breeze across her pained, burning heart and soul. Her brother's voice – Cloud Burster's voice, whispering,
"Sometimes you just need to trust someone."
The path before her cleared and, with a shaky voice, Cloud Dancer lifted her head and called out.
"Flight Officer... Zephyr, please wait. I could really use someone to talk to."
She didn't have to say another word, and the other mare was across the room, pulling her in to a hug.
"It's alright. Whatever it is just let it out."
So she did. She dropped all pretense, all illusions of rank and bearing, and she sobbed into Zephyr's mane, letting all the tears and pain flow out, letting all the loss, the sense of abandonment, the last family she had on the planet had died in the crash. Her brother, who she'd practically raised after their parents had passed in their foalhood. She was alone, cold and frozen; but in the caring hooves of Zephyr, she let it all met away.
After a while, the sobbing subsided, and the talking began. It was all one sided, but she knew Zephyr was paying attention to every word as she told her about her parents dying when she and her brother were foals and her brother's death with the 370th. Eventually, she started to pass out, utterly exhausted and Zephyr helped her back to her quarters on the second deck. As Zephyr slipped out the door, she whispered back in to the room.
"You can always count on me as your friend."
As Cloud Dancer fell in to a deep sleep, the last conscious thought that flashed around her mind was,
‘I... have a friend? It's been so long since I've had one of those... it's nice.’
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Author's note: I just want to make the point that the image in the video for the song "Memories" Vietnam Reflections by Lee Tater is a coincidence, while they all (this part of the fic, the song and the image) have pained emotional tones, and the image certainly goes with the song, I am not implying any connection between that image and my story, any real loss of life, or any real war at all. As a United States Marine such actions are beyond me and dishonorable. This is a work of fiction meant for the amusement and enjoyment of all, there is no connection to any real historical events except for scattered references that I leave around for other history nerds like me
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