All other thoughts were driven from my mind as I watched the mysterious alicorn slink off into a forest set near the plateau. I knew that this was going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity, and that wasting it would be the most foolish mistake I could possibly make. I immediately set off in pursuit, my mind fixed on this new threat. Whoever this was, he was immensely powerful, as was evident by his knowledge of magic that I didn’t even know existed. I asked Luna about it.
‘We are not sure. There have been many books saying that spells that work to that effect exist, but we have never found one containing the spell itself. For this being to know one... he must be very learned... and old. Older than anypony we have ever encountered.’ I mulled her statement over. Most alicorns seemed to have a much greater lifespan than normal ponies. Was it even possible?
‘Is it possible that he is older than you and your sister?’ Luna’s response was in the affirmative.
‘Natural born alicorns have lifespans that can last several millennia. It is very likely that he has been around for at least a thousand years more than we have.’ Luna’s statement was worrying, but I pressed on. I had a job to do, and if this alicorn was involved with the vamponies, then he needed to be taken down, no matter the cost.
I reached the edge of the forest a short while later. It was imposing in the darkness of night, and I sensed that there were numerous foes hiding in its depths. Regardless, I strode in, determined to find my target.
The forest was deathly quiet. There wasn’t a breath of wind, not a chirp or buzz from insects, not even the call of a nightingale or owl graced the place. It was as if the entire forest was cowering in fear from the horrors that were slinking about within. It unnerved me slightly, but Luna’s presence comforted me, so I pressed on. The forest hadn't appeared that large upon first entering it, but as I walked, I found that it didn't appear that I was making any sort of progress. I stopped, looking about me in confusion. Then it dawned on me.
‘What is it, Shade?’ Luna inquired.
‘He’s placed a curse on the forest. I’ve been walking for some time, but I’m not moving anywhere. Can we dispel it?’ Luna didn’t respond immediately. She focused on the world around her, trying to determine exactly what the spell holding me back was.
‘We do not know. The spell is one foreign to us. It may take some time.’ I nodded, standing perfectly still. My ears twitched to and fro, trying to pick up any sort of noise.The forest was still deathly quiet. But I caught a noise. It was close. And I didn’t like it.
My magic instinctively wrapped around my crossbow and, bringing it to bear, I turned in the direction of the noise. I had heard faint laughter, but there was nothing visible in that direction. I frowned, lowering the weapon.
‘That’s... odd. Have you got anything?’ Luna gave me a negative. I groaned, shaking my head. Another sound from behind me caused me to jump and whirl about. Once again, I found myself staring at vacant space. ‘Really beginning to irk me.’
The laughter came again, from off to my right. I leveled my crossbow at the area where it had originated, but didn’t pull the release. At this point, all of my training was beginning to slip away as the unknown taunted me. I don’t know why I did this, but at that point, I decided to take a more direct approach to my problem.
“Stop hiding and face me!” I called into the shadows. My jeer was met with more laughter. I couldn’t find the source, but it was angering me to no end. In a fit of rage, I loosed a bolt into the darkness, in the direction the voice was coming from. Luna was about to reprimand me when I heard the bolt make impact not on wood, but on flesh. I grinned.
‘Twas a lucky shot.’ I could tell Luna was trying to hide her amusement and astonishment, but didn’t comment on it. ‘Oh, and we think we can breach the spell. Hold still.’ I felt her magic surge through me. Almost instantly there was a change in the forest around me. It seemed less grim and foreboding. I smiled, thanking Luna before moving back off into the underbrush.
Now I felt I was making progress. The forest around me felt different as I moved and ducked around. Thankfully, I encountered no other hostile threats other than the poor sod that had been taunting me. Not until I stumbled upon a small clearing, that is.
I immediately cast a shadow cloak spell and ducked silently into cover to watch the scene before me. The alicorn was there, with two vamponies beside. He was talking to them. It was the first time I got a good look at him.
I was shocked. I had expected him to look decrepit or run down, but it was quite the opposite. His coat was the purest white, without spot or discoloration, without even the slightest patch of loose hair in it. It was flawless. His tail and mane complemented it well, being the purest shade of muted silver that I had ever seen. They were flawless as well, styled like Canterlot elite.
His eyes were pitch black, and seemed endless when you looked at them. But, even then, I could pick out the shades of pure violet in his pupils. He was their master, alright. But his cutie mark was what stood out most. It was a crown, and a regal one at that, overlaid with gemstones and what appeared to be velvet. The crown of a real king. But behind it lay a sword, tipped with blood. I thought I understood what it meant, and it did my mind no favors.
It appeared that I was in the presence of either a usurper or a kingkiller. Or both.
I strained my ears, trying to catch what he was saying to his minions. I could barely make out his voice, but it sounded young and powerful. The voice of a king.
“...yes, I know,” he was saying. “I’ll deal with it. You have your tasks, now get about it. The night won’t last forever. At least, not yet.” With that, the two vamponies dashed off. The alicorn sighed, turning about and fixing his eyes upon me. I thought that maybe it was a trick of the dim moonlight, but I was horribly wrong.
“You can stop hiding. I know you’re there, hunter. Come out and face me like a stallion.” I felt compelled to do as he said. The nature of his voice was one of sinister, yet benevolent power. I wanted to listen to him. But Luna, being the better half of me, chipped in before I made so much as a single step.
‘Shade, thou does realize that this is perhaps the most powerful enemy you will ever face? Do not, and we mean this, DO NOT fall for his tricks. He most certainly has a voice to charm the birds out of the trees, but it’s a snake’s tongue. Venom lies behind his words. Be wary.’ I nodded at Luna’s words and stepped into the clearing, dispelling the shadow cloak. The alicorn smiled.
“That’s better. What did Luna tell you? Be careful around me? She’s right, you know.” I was more shocked by the fact that he knew Luna had spoken to me than the fact that he had known I was there. I would have voiced this, but he cut me off. “I can sense her. A spirit bond between the two of you? Isn’t that cute. I think she may fancy you, hunter. She didn’t do this for any of her other hunters.” I blushed furiously at this, and I heard Luna stutter something in the back of my mind.
“I’m a married stallion.” I replied. I don’t know why I did that, even now. I guess that the sound of his voice put me at such ease that I felt comfortable making small talk. The alicorn just smiled.
“You’ve heard of herds before, haven’t you?” I didn’t think I’d ever hear a squeak like that ever come from Luna. It was so high pitched I swore a different being was linked with me. She seemed embarrassed, but there was something else. I ignored it, filing it away for later.
“Right... you said that there were other hunters?” The alicorn nodded sagely.
“Oh yes, there were more. It’s been over two hundred years since I last fought one, though. What was his name again... Mane. Mane Helsing. He’s probably just a storybook character to you know, but he was once real. To think, he thought he could kill me with that silver stake. Laughable. But not you. You are different. So, so different from that oaf. I can sense that about you. You possess wisdom and courage beyond the others, but that can be attributed to your princess. It’s probably all hers.
“Oh, but where are my manners? Neither you or your precious princess know who I am, so allow me to introduce myself. I am... well, you may call me Insidious. My birth name has been lost to the millennia. I am the only one who still remembers it, and I choose to let it die. It was a stupid thing. Doesn’t quite carry the power I do.” He turned slightly, stepping to the side of the clearing, his eyes fixed on the moon. It was hard to see it through the trees, but it was there.
“So... you’re a vampony?” I asked. “Probably an important one, judging by your eyes.” Insidious smiled, turning back to me.
“You’re more clever than I first thought, hunter. Yes, I am an important vampony. A VIV, you could say, or Very Important Vampony. More specifically, I’m the original.” I guess I made an amusing face at this, because he started laughing. I’d heard a laugh like his before. It bothered me that Luna sounded a lot like him when she laughed.
“The... original?” I asked, still stunned. “But that means... you’re ancient. I mean, real ancient...” Insidious rolled his eyes, still chuckling to himself.
“No, really. Thanks for the heads up.” I narrowed my eyes as Luna growled in my mind.
‘We do not like him. We do not like this one at all.’ I agreed. This being, though wise as his age, was turning out to be quite rude. I guess not every evil force in the universe is going to be serious, after all. I was going to ask Luna something else when Insidious brought me back. He was continuing with what I guessed was going to be a monologue.
“You’ve caused me a lot of trouble, you know that? Especially with that business in Trottingham a few months ago. That map was rather important... but I guess it doesn’t matter. I just wanted to refresh my memories of what the walls did tell.” He paused, raising a hoof to his mouth. He was pondering something. I thought I might know, but were those walls really significant? Could he be speaking of the evil thing trapped in the ruin? I didn’t have long to think as he turned back to me.
“So, hunter... you know, that is getting really old. Tell me, what is your birth name?” I told him. He seemed amused. “Silent Shade? It’s a good name for a creature of the night, but not you. I can sense that you have not truly become one with the night, only with its magic. And even then, you are still rather limited in your knowledge. You still love your day. Well, allow me to tell you something, Shade.
“The day is coming to an end.” His words confused me.
“Um, no. The day is just beginning. It will be dawn in a little over an hour.” Insidious sighed, shaking his head.
“You miss the meaning of my words. Yes, you are correct, the new day will dawn, and soon, I will have to be back in the comfort of my darkness. But your precious sun will, someday soon, fail to rise. And when that evening dawns, when the moon holds it’s place in the sky for the beginning of a new era, then the day shall end. Your world, the world of Equestria that you hold so dear, will fall to me. And a new one shall rise. One blessed by the glories of the night.”
“Right... and my special talent is applebucking.” I jeered. Insidious growled at me.
“Do not act like a foal. You have no idea who you’re messing with.” I rolled my eyes, anger getting the better of me again.
“Alright, I’m done with this. You’re insane.” I growled back at him, drawing my crossbow. “I don’t care who you are, where you came from, or why you’re doing this, but know this: you’re a vampony. You’re my enemy. And you’re dead.” Insidious stared at me for a moment, then began to laugh. I felt my hooves buckle out from under me as his horn glowed black. I couldn’t move, and I dropped my crossbow as my own magic was cut off. The presence of Luna also seemed to be severed. I heard her call out my name before she was silenced. Whatever he was doing, he made one thing clear to me: I was helpless before him.
“You foal. You really think that you, with your petty crossbow and shadow magic, can kill me? Please. That pathetic weapon can’t hurt me. And your magic? I created her, the shadows you love to cling to. She bends her knee to me, and no matter how adept you are at using her, she answers to me as her last authority. If I tell her to stop, she stops. If I tell her to go, she goes. And if I tell her to cut off your magic, restrain you, and cut you off from your princess, she does.
“You know nothing of who I am. You know little of the world, and the manners and means by which it works. You think yourself so wise, so tough, but you are nothing, nothing, compared to me. I have been since the beginning, and I will be til the end.” He stopped talking, instead just watching me as I tried to fight against his magic. It was so powerful. There was literally nothing I could do against it. At last, I finally stopped fighting, and instead took to glowering at him. He laughed.
“You know? I like you. You’re much more fun that the others that I fought over the millennia. Allow me to do something that I’ve never done before: I will tell you a story. So just relax and listen well.
“You may not believe this, but I have, as I said, been here since the beginning. I don’t really remember much from those days, but some of the details are burned into my mind. What do I mean by beginning? I mean the creation of our world! The dawn of the first day! That is the time I speak of. That is the time I was born. I have been alive for well over seventy thousand years. And I still don’t look a day over 30!
“Well, at the time, the world was at peace. There was evil in it, yes, but most chose to live in harmony. Then there was me. I sought power. I sought immortality. And I sought the darkness. And by my actions, true corruption began to seep into the world. More and more, ponies and other creatures began to fight, quarrel, and generally be more wicked than before. Nopony knew that I was the source, and so my work continued.
“All of this was for the gain of my race, the alicorns. I wanted us to be immortal, to be the ones who ruled over all Equestrians for eternity. But, in order to gain that immortality, some heavy costs had to be paid. Sacrifices had to be made. Magical barriers had to be breached. The shadows had to be controlled. And the sun had to be blotted out. It still does.”
I found out that his magic was not keeping me silent, so I spoke up. “And you feel no remorse? No sense of loss? Nothing? You lost your sense of what it means to be Equestrian a long time ago, it seems.” Insidious frowned, turning his eyes to the grass below and shuffling.
“Is that what you think? No, I still regret some of the things I had to do to get here. I mean, I killed my own sister and drank her blood. That’s not a thing to do lightly, but it was necessary. You see, the blood of alicorns is special. It is laced with pure magical essence, and thus, it makes killing an alicorn a crime punishable by death. In fact, the magic in the blood itself, when an alicorn is slain, is what kills you. Unless, of course, you drink of it. And that is what I did. And look at me now!” His demeanor changed quickly, and he grinned wickedly down at me. “I have the power of gods. I have an army. I have the mortals cowering in their homes. I have the princess of the night on the verge of emotional collapse. And you really think that you can challenge me?”
“I can try. Oh, by the way, thanks for the Trottingham incident. I met my wife there.” I was trying to act like I didn’t care, but this revelation troubled me. This alicorn was basically claiming that he was the original, that he was, as he is known in our ancient texts, The Eldest of All Evil. I didn’t want to believe him, but I saw no other options. Luna and her sister knew of all the alicorns in the world - the whole four of them, at the time - but they hadn’t seen this guy coming. And he was a vampony. You’d think that’d make headlines. There was no other explanation. This was the real deal.
And I was trying to taunt him.
“Oh yes. I remember her. Pretty little pegasus. Wasn’t she in that village I just razed?” I felt a new wave of hatred wash over me. That was low. That was real low. He just kept on smiling.
“So, you seek to bring about eternal night? For what end?” Insidious rolled his eyes.
“Were you even paying attention? I’m a freaking vampony, and my army consists entirely of vamponies as well. You’re telling me you don’t know why I need eternal night? Really?” I glared at him.
“Why... why are you doing all this? Killing ponies, destroying the world around you... what is to gain from all this? What do you seek from this mindless destruction?” He turned around, his eyes turning to meet the heavens.
“Why? They always ask why... Well, time is running short for the both of us, so I’ll be quick. I was meant to rule, but when I attempted to seize the throne, I was met with great opposition. The rest of my race did not agree with me when I tried to explain that we were meant to rule, to be immortal. And now look at where that’s gotten them. The princesses you so love are creating alicorns with magic. With magic! These are pseudo-alicorns. Abominations. Blasphemy. The natural born line is dying, and the princesses are doing nothing to change that fact. So, I will remove them, establish my kingdom of night, and rule for all of time.” He turned back, smiling deviously. “And there’s naught you can do to stop me.” He paused, igniting his horn again. A small medallion appeared out of thin air. He placed it around my neck.
“Go to the Hall of Undoing with this. Then, you will see. You will understand. Oh, and tell your princess something for me. Tell her ‘Blood Reign’s work is not yet done. Brace for the coming Nightmare.’” He turned away his horn lighting up. I felt the magic barriers drop around me, and felt my magic - as well as the ever-comforting presence of Luna - rush back to me. “One last thing: without your precious princess, I was able give you a little parting gift. Let’s hope the Canterlot surgeons are skilled. You’re gonna need it.”
I had just begun to rise as he spoke. As his statement finished, all of the wounds I had received in the fight earlier tore open. I cried out in pain as my blood began to flow fast away. I collapsed, sure that death would claim me then, but it was not to be. Luna, who had felt the attack on my body in her own mind, was pouring all of her magic into me, trying as hard as she could to halt the flow that spelled my demise. But for all her work, she couldn’t stop it completely.
‘Ready thyself, Shade. We are bringing you home.’ I shook my head, and with the last of my strength, raised my crossbow once more. I took aim and let fly the bolt. It struck Insidious on the back of his leg. He stumbled, then whirled about to face me. I grinned cockily through the pain.
“Immortal, yes. But not invulnerable.” I groaned out, the pain becoming overwhelming. I struggled to rise to my hooves, but still managed it despite my injuries. The grass beneath me was stained red, but I didn’t care. “One day, Insidious. One day, you will meet your match. It will not be me, that I understand. But it will come. And when it comes, I will know of it, even in death. I will laugh as your scream echoes throughout what lies beyond. And I will laugh until it finally fades away.” I smiled, feeling myself become weaker every second I was standing upright. “Keep the bolt. As my gift to you.”
There was a double meaning to me leaving the bolt with him. One, I wanted him to remember me. I wanted him to remember who gave him that wound. But there was another reason. All the bolts I carried were slightly enchanted, making them easy to track down. I was giving Luna an easy way to find him. If anypony could destroy this monster, she and Celestia could.
I gave Luna the okay. The crossbow fell to the dirt as Luna’s magic enveloped me completely. I didn’t care if I lost it, I could always make a new one. Plus, more of my enchanted items to trace.There was a distinctive pop, and then blackness.
Less than a second passed before I found myself back in Canterlot, still on my hooves. I turned my head blearily to see Luna, gazing at me in horror. I felt consciousness slipping away from me, and I managed to get off a single word before I collapsed.
“Luna...” I hit the ground hard, the blackness creeping up around my vision. I heard Luna yell distantly, calling out for something, but I couldn’t make it out. My mind didn’t want to try, either. At last, my mind let go of reality, and drifted off into the bliss of unconsciousness. The pain vanished from my body, and I knew no more.
__________
It was some time later that I awoke. I was in the Royal Infirmary, bandaged up like it was nopony’s business. I groaned, trying to move, but I discovered that I was magically restrained. This was odd. I turned my head to see if anypony was there, but I was alone. This was also odd.
‘Where in Tartarus is everypony?’ I thought, still a little too groggy to speak. It was less than a second later that Luna’s presence washed over me. She seemed relieved and overjoyed that I had finally woken up.
‘Shade! Thou art finally awake! Give us a moment, we will be there shortly.’ As if on cue, the sound of rushing hoofbeats rapidly approached the room was in. A moment later, Luna, along with two of the royal healers, were in the room. They were making my injuries a bigger deal than they really were, fussing over every little scratch that I had. It annoyed me a bit, but I was happy to still be alive, and overjoyed that I was safe once more.
“What happened?” Luna, who had been smiling so widely, tears of joy wetting the fur of her face, immediately became very somber. It seemed like she was hiding something. Something that pained her immensely.
“Well, when thou did arrive back here in Canterlot, thou was in quite a delicate state. It’s been very worrying for the past few days. We thought thou might not make it more than a few times. It seems our healers were more than capable, though. Thou art still alive, after all.”
“You lost a great deal of blood,” One of the healers, a grey unicorn mare, added curtly. “Any longer and you would have been beyond saving. You’re very lucky to be alive, Shade. Very lucky indeed.” I thanked her before turning back to Luna.
“Where’s Insidious? Did we lose him?” Luna nodded.
“We are afraid that, after we drew you away, we accidentally severed all magical connection with the area, instead choosing to focus on you instead. We hadn’t expected him to do that to you, and we were so worried. Your crossbow and bolt have vanished, and we cannot trace them. We have tried, but he has simply vanished from the world. He crawled back into whatever hole he came from, and is now in there, most likely plotting his next scheme.”
“What of Calm Breeze? Where is she?” Luna hesitated. So that was it. That was the last thing I wanted to hear. And yet...
“We could not find her, nor any of the others that escaped the village. We fear the worst. We...” She hesitated again, chewing on her words for a moment. “I am sorry, Shade. I am so, so sorry.”
It was the second time she referred to herself with singular wording. The fact that she did so told me so much more than her words did. It told me that she, and she alone, truly felt the deepest sympathy a pony could feel. It told me that, as a friend and as the pony who had raised me, to her, losing Breeze was almost like losing her own daughter. It hurt her deeply.
But it didn’t hurt me.
She was wrong. I knew it. I could feel it. Breeze was still out there. I told her as much, but she shook it off, telling me not to go on such foolish hopes.
“Hope is all we have now, Luna.” I replied calmly. The spells restraining me had finally been broken, and I was sitting up, stretching my hooves and wings. “We are facing a truly unstoppable enemy, one we thought was dead. We need all the hope we can get.” Luna sighed once again in the face of my reasoning, nodded in defeat.
“We can see that we will not cause you to stray from your path. But please, tell us. What did Insidious tell you to tell us? We could not hear it.” I told her. She tilted her head in confusion. “Now, what is that supposed to mean?” I shook my head.
“I’m as clueless as you are, but one thing is clear to me. It’s a threat. He’s reaffirming my suspicion that you are their target. And now, he’s gearing up for the next move. This game has been in play for some time, and every move we make, he counters. We cannot let him win, but every time we try and stop him, he manages to slip around us. He didn’t even seem all that concerned that I’ve been wiping out his minions.
“He knows something we don’t, and whatever it is, it’s in that ruin. I have to find out what it is, or we’re doomed.” Luna nodded.
“Indeed. The Hall of Undoing has a lot more to play in this little game of his than first meets the eye. When you are well, you will go at once. In the meantime, we will devote a battalion of Night Guards to finding the survivors from the blaze. We will find Breeze.” I thanked her, laying back down and closing my eyes. I was so tired at that moment. The healers and Luna noticed, and left me alone as I drifted off to peaceful sleep.
Well, it would have been peaceful, were it not for a chilling presence that visited me that night. Luna’s comforting warmth seemed to be splintered from me, and in it’s place, a bone-chilling breeze had blown in. An icy voice accompanied it.
“My master is right. Your princess should be ready. Her shattered emotions, her vast longing, her burning jealousy... I hunger for them... she will be mine. Mark my words, hunter. Your princess will be mine. And her night, my night, will last forever...”
And I could not wake from this Nightmare.