We return to Starlight and Inertia talking, laughing inside of Starlight’s shack in the Everfree Forest. Their friendship growing with the secret they share, the night was going to be a pleasant memory after all.
Starlight addresses her friends, “Let’s get you back to Ponyville, Woody keep watch over things here alright, I be back in the morning.”
Little did they know Nightmare moon had returned seemly pony napping Princess Celestia. As the main six (Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity) enter the forest, Starlight and Inertia are on the edge of the path their taking. Starlight sees the purple mist and feels its dark presence; it rushed towards her and both Inertia and Starlight scream as it takes hold of her.
“Ahaahh!”
Starlight’s eyes became red and her body began to grow before her friend, Inertia fled in pure terror. The main 6 pause turning back to see a dragon rise out of no where with dark red scales, almost black and piercing red eyes. It lunges at them slashing, chomping, and smashing it’s tail around trying to crush or slash them all.
Twilight tries to reason with the dragon, “ Please we didn’t mean to offend you perhaps if you calm down we can leave you in peace? Whaaah!”
Starlight Dragon’s angry stomps broke the mountainside free, but someone prevented her from following after her prey.
“You leave them alone you stupid dragon.” With a swift fly by Silver Fall draws the dragon attention away from the girls.
He flies high into the sky, “Lets see how you like my Meteor-Strike you overgrown lizard!”
Starlight Dragon unfolds her wings but before she could take off she is struck hard in the head. She angrily roars in response blasting the pegasus with a fire, setting his tail on fire as he flights much higher this time for his next attack. As this attack lands he struck the weak part of her skull, the dragon weakly roars before collapsing. Even he was shocked when she fell, creating a depression in the ground and knocking down a few trees. He flew down preparing to finish this violent creature off when Starlight returned to the normal dragon pony form before him.
“Please Stop!” Inertia cries out as she flies over to the stallion now standing over her friend. “Something took over her she not violent like that please don’t hurt her anymore. Just keep this a secret please, she wants to try and live a somewhat normal life.”
“As a member of the royal guard I cannot keep this from the princess. An unknown dangerous creature just tried to kill 6 ponies she must be made aware of its existence. But this is the Everfree Forest a place forbidden to enter, as long as she stays in the forest your friend is safe. Now I have to catch up with those girls and make sure they're safe you be careful miss.”
She waves and yells, “I will, thank you!”
A pair of glowing green blue eyes stares at her from a bush. Once Silver Fall is gone Woody comes out of the bushes,
“What made her lose control like that, and what stopped her?”
“Woody thank Celestia, I’m at a loss of words, one moment she was surrounded in a purple and blue mist then she started screaming in pain. A blow to the head knocked her out cold she gonna be alright, right?”
“It’s best that you go home Inertia I’ll take care of her, I’ve always have watched over her. I saw her in the dragon form again and I got here as soon as I could.”
Inertia replies, “Ok, just take good care of her.”
"You have my word Inertia I will take care of her."
Inertia walks away arriving in town shortly after leave Starlight in Woody’s care. The town was a buzz full of panicked ponies running with no true purpose locking themselves inside their homes.
“What happened here?”
A crazed stallion screams as he runs down the main road, “Run, run for you life you fool the pony of nights Nightmare Moon has returned and took our beloved princess.”
Apparently a pony by the name of Nightmare Moon has been spotted and has been accused of kidnapping Princess Celestia. After a few hours the sun rises and Princess Celestia, and the long missing Princess Luna return to Ponyville. Along with Equestria’s newest heroes the main six bringing the elements of harmony back to Equestria. But, back in the forest a different kind of story is unfolding.
Starlight’s eyes shoot open and she cries out in pain, “Starlight! Easy your in bad shape right now just relax.”
“I can’t relax and I’m fine I just have a headache. Get out of the way Woody I’m going to the creek I need to wash this mud off of me.”
“Fine Starlight, I'll clean up thing’s here just call my name if you need me.”
As she gets to the creek she sees her horn is back,
“What have I become, I’m a monster hiding behind a mask. What do they see a red kind unicorn, I see the monster that would kill them for even glancing my way. The potion was to fix this, get the monster out of me! All its done is make things worse making yet another character in the story of my life!” She slams her hoof into the stream distorting the image of herself… “I wanted to go back to who I was before, but it seems I've descend into madness instead. Talking to my reflection in a stream, talking about the pony I use to be. As if I was just a fading memory of the pony I once was...”
“I don’t see you that way Starlight.”
She turns around seeing a bronze coated pegasus with red eyes and hair and a black bat with a red star on its chest as its cutie mark. She tenses up pain shoots up her legs, she fights the pain speaking to the stranger.
“Who are you and why are you here.”
“My name is to hard for one of your kind to speak you may call me Deg. I am a guardian bronze dragon, I’ve been sent to find you Starlight Dragon. Help you to control the power you came to acquire, I take this form as it’s much easier to move and draws less attention.”
“Are there are more dragons like me?”
“Not for thousands of years the dragon that is apart of you is a Nightmare Dragon. A very powerful kind of dragon, and their blood lust is immeasurable the fact it hasn't corrupted you completely shows how strong of a spirit you contain.”
“All those nightmares of me killing were real?” she’s shaking with fear, looking at her own hooves.
“Unfortunately I have to say yes if it was in control then it will kill until it can’t anymore or it get bored.”
She is frozen in fear the images of her butchered parents and brothers flash before her eyes their blood on her clawed hooves. Tears stream down her face she collapses crying, as more faces appear in her eyes all wounded or dead. Deg walks over comforting her placing his hoof on her head just below her horn, suddenly all the faces were gone.
“The one that dwells with in you is stronger then I though it would be, torturing it’s host feeding on your emotions. Do not give into the nightmares Starlight, they are the creations of Maha-nu-kca, the dragon spirit within you.”
“Mahanukca, why would they need to feed like that?”
“Nightmare Dragons feed in several ways much like normal dragons eating gems but only they can kill absorbing the energy from the flesh of their kills. Stealing the life force from souls, strength and magic of the living, or feeding on the horror, sadness and hopelessness of the living. With more energy she would take over you body making you cease to exist a hollow shell for her to live once again. Much like the poor soul you saved when Discord ripped her out of the dragon that was flying by. She stole his body using it as her own her kind has been extinct for over 3000 years. How she has switched from body to body all these years still amazes me.”
“Can’t you rip her out of me and destroy her.”
“Unfortunately no, she has bound herself to your soul I rip her out you will die… and I can’t destroy her soul only the keeper can but if you die in the process, she moves on to a new host. Plus all the dragons have tried everything to kill off the last 2 nightmare dragons and we only been able to track her we lost her brother thousands of years ago. But you Starlight you must rest your wounds need tending. You will find me near by follow the scent of roses and I will be there.”
“I have so many questions…”
“They can wait your wounds have made you weak you need rest, so rest my dear I will answer all you questions soon.”