//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: Nightmare in Equestria // by Paragon Knight //------------------------------// Summer Stone hummed happily in the kitchen as she made breakfast for herself early in the morning (the sky still dark and full of stars), a fruit salad, making a little more than she usually did since her visit to the doctor earlier that week. She couldn't wait for her husband to come home to tell him the great news. She was tempted to just send a letter to the Castle of the Two Sisters where he was stationed as Princess Luna’s night guard after she found out, but then quickly decided against that, wanting to tell him in person what he was about to become. After finishing preparing her breakfast, Summer Stone went to the dining room setting her fruit salad on the table and then sat down. Though Summer Stone did not start eating her breakfast right away. She just sat there for a while thinking about her life while looking down and putting a hoof on her stomach smiling. She thought about her career as a sculptor; how she was ridiculed for choosing such a career because she was an earth pony. She thought about the time both Princesses hoof selected her to make the garden fountains of both Princesses for the royal gardens at the Castle of the Two Sisters. Summer Stone then thought about the day her then stallionfreind, Brave Wind proposed to her; it was the happiest day of her life. Summer Stone sighed as she thought about where she was now, not wanting to change anything in her life for anything in the world. Summer Stone was about to begin her meal for the morning until she heard the front door open. She got out of the dining room to see her husband in front of the door. “Brave Wind! Honey, welcome home! If I knew you were headed home earlier, I would have made some more fruit salad.” Said Summer Stone smiling at her husband. Her smile soon faded as she saw Brave Wind. The dark gray pegasus stallion did not look too well. “Brave, are you feeling alright?” Asked Summer Stone concerned. “No, Summer I am not feeling well. Ever since I left the castle, I haven’t been feeling well.” “What happened at the castle? I thought you were to return home next week.” Wondered Summer Stone. “ I do not know. Lately, Princess Luna has been acting strange for the past few months. She has been distant; she does not even talk to Princess Celestia much anymore. She also has pretty much canceled the night court and yesterday, before she even raised the moon, the Princess ordered all of the night guard to leave the castle and not to return until she calls for us. I do not understand what she meant at the last part and neither do the others in the night guard. Everypony is worried that something bad is going to happen.” Replied Brave Wind. Summer Stone began to wonder what was going on with the Princess. She has heard the allegations everypony has been pinning on Princess Luna and the nightmares. Everypony was convinced that the Princess of the Night has something to do with all the ponies who died unable to wake up from their nightmares. Summer Stone having met Princess Luna in person felt sorry for the her, it must not have been easy having to deal with ponies who blame her for something she had no part of and still continue on with her royal duties. But it seems as if the Princess was showing signs of snapping. Brave Wind held his head with his hoof as he started feeling pain. Summer Stone noticed his pain as she told him, ” Brave, go upstairs and rest. I will make some more fruit salad so that you can have something to eat and I will also bring some medicine just in case your headache continues.” “Thank you sweetheart, I feel better already,” said Brave Wind nuzzling his wife. “I also have a surprise for you,” said Summer Stone trying to lift her husband’s spirit up, ”but I will tell you only after you eaten and taken your medicine.” Brave Wind gave her a funny look and then laughed as he went up stairs to their bedroom. Summer Stone waited to hear the door to their bedroom close to head to the kitchen. But she didn't get far because her stomach started growling, ”Oh, I almost forgot,” looking down to her stomach, “with Brave Wind coming home early I completely forgot about our own meal. I’m sorry, let’s go eat right now,” cooed Summer Stone. After finishing her own meal, Summer Stone went to the kitchen to prepare a meal for Brave Wind. She also pulled out some herbs from the cabinet in order to make the medicine for his headache. Twenty minutes later, Summer Stone headed upstairs with the fruit salad and medicine on her back heading to the bedroom. Summer Stone opened the door slowly and quietly as she entered the dark bedroom. She didn't turn on the lights because she didn't want to disturb Brave. She moved as quietly as she could until she reached the bed. “Brave honey, wake up. I have your meal and the medicine as well if you still need it”, whispered Summer Stone. “...” There was no answer. “Brave, Dinner is ready”, Summer Stone whispered again. Still no answer from Brave Wind. Summer Stone turned on the light on the lamp near the bed. What she saw shocked her. Brave Wind was not in bed, but his feathers were all over the bed; some full of blood. Summer Stone started to feel uneasy. Was Brave Wind having the feather flu? Was that why he wasn't feeling well? “Brave, where are you?“ Summer Stone called out. She headed to the bathroom to see if he was there, but she saw that the bathroom lights were also out so there would be no way that he would be there. Summer Stone was now panicking. Brave Wind was nowhere to be found and she was worried about her husband’s condition. As Summer Stone walked around the room, she thought she heard something in the room. She became wary when she heard it. What else could be in the room with her? Summer Stone started making her way out the bedroom. Reaching to the entrance of the bedroom, Summer Stone saw the light switch to the room. She thought it would be best if she turned on the lights so that she can have a better chance at finding whatever was in the room with her. So Summer Stone flipped the switch. When the lights went on, a loud screech filled the entire room. Summer Stone put her hooves over her ears to dampen the noise that was causing her a lot of pain. Summer then felt herself being tackled to the floor by something large. When she opened her eyes, she stared face to face at Brave Wind. The pony on top of her was her husband; that much she was sure of. But his physical traits were different. Brave’s feathered wings were gone, and in its place were flexible dark blue bat wings. Brave still had his dark gray coat , but his ears seemed more fluffy than usual. Another distinguishable feature were his pupils, being thin and slitted as opposed to his wide, circular pupils of his normal eyes. His eyes seemed dilated because of the light that was in the room and she wondered if the light was hurting him, but it didn't seem to bother him; he never took his eyes off of Summer Stone. But the most intimidating feature were his fangs. She didn't even want to think about what he can do with those fangs. Summer Stone never felt so afraid in her life before. But worrying about her husband, Summer Stone tried to talk to him. “Brave, its me, Summer Stone. Please, for the love of Celestia, let me go. You are sick and need help. You don’t want to do this. You don’t want to hurt your family”, she continued as tears began to flow from her eyes, "Brave, I’m pregnant.” She smiled despite the river of tears continuing, “That was the surprise I wanted to tell you. You are going to be a father.” Brave Wind didn't seem to care about the news Summer Stone just gave him because he hissed at her before he attacked, opening his mouth to reveal those large fangs of his, and then puncturing Summer’s neck with them. Summer Stone let out a blood-curdling scream. She could feel Brave’s fangs going deeper into her neck as well as her blood escaping from her wound. She could also feel his tongue licking off the blood in her wound; he was feeding off of her. Summer Stone now knew that the pony attacking her was no longer her husband, he was a monster trying to kill her and her unborn foal. But she wasn't going to let that happen. With all her might, Summer Stone started bucking at the bat-like pony. Being physically bigger than her, the bat-like pony did not seem phased by Summer’s attempt at getting him off of her. Summer continued bucking, but she was starting to tire herself out. I have to think of something to get him off of me, thought Summer, I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up. Summer then noticed that the bat-like pony had loosen his grip on her hoofs, too busy feeding on her to realize that he didn't have a good hold on her anymore. Summer Stone began flailing her forelegs as well as using her last ounce of her earth pony strength to send the bat-like pony flying across the room. Summer sighed in relief as she heard her attacker crash into the bedroom floor. But she was also exhausted. Summer could still feel her neck throbbing from the bite. Wanting to know how bad her wound was, she put a hoof on the wound to see how much blood she lost; her body tensed up as she did. Removing her hoof from her wound, Summer saw that it was covered in blood. I have to get out of here. Thought Summer Stone. Summer Stone tried to get on her hooves, but the bat-like pony was already on its hooves. The bat-like pony filled the room again with its loud screech, this time shattering the glass on the window. Then bat-like pony locked eyes with Summer and charged at her. This time though, Summer Stone no longer had the strength to fight him. The bat-like pony got on top of her once again trying to bite her to continue his meal. Unsure on what to do next, Summer’s lips reacted before she even had a chance to think on it. “Somepony! Anypony! Help me!” Out of some stroke of luck it seemed as if somepony did her cry for help because somepony shouted out, “ What the hay is going on?” “Please help, I am being attacked! I don’t know how much longer I can keep my attacker back!”, Summer Stone shouted back. The sound of her door being blown apart and then the sound of hoofsteps coming up the stairs could be heard as Summer Stone was struggling to keep the bat-like pony from making a meal out of her. “What the fuck is that?”, asked a light green unicorn stallion as he came rushing in the room. “Just...help...me…” Struggled Summer to say. The stallion complied as he grabbed the bat-like pony with his magic away from Summer Stone. The bat-like pony however, did not like the idea of being held down. He struggled to get out of the levitation spell with no avail. The bat-like pony then screeched again, forcing the light green stallion to interrupt his levitation spell in order to cover his ears. With the spell no longer holding him, the bat-like pony ran towards the window. He looked one last time at Summer Stone before flying into the night sky. “Are you okay?”, asked the stallion as he came to check on Summer Stone. “No...I'm not okay. My husband just tried to kill me and I had to fight him in order to protect my foal.” “I am sorry for your loss, but you lost a lot of blood and you need treatment for your wound. Let me take you to the hospital.” Summer Stone did not reply quickly. She was too busy thinking on what was supposed to be a happy day turned into her worst nightmare. She knew that she will remember this day for the rest of her life, having her husband turn into that...thing, and then trying to kill her. “Will you take me there?” The stallion nodded. ” Thank you, perhaps when I get to the hospital, I can forget about this day and just rest.” “Oh, I promise that you will have plenty of time to rest after I am through with you.” Replied the stallion with a sinister voice. Dark clouds then began to surround the light green stallion. In his place stood a black, shadow-like creature with a small head with a white fog-like ghostly plume billowing from its head covering one of its bright blue eyes with a red spiky growth around its neck and the shadow-like creature’s body looked like it was wearing an old, ripped cloak. “Wh-What a-are y-y- you?” Stammered Summer Stone as she looked upon the pitch-black creature. “I might as well tell you, seeing as you will never wake up from this nightmare again. I am the bringer of darkness. Minotaurs, griffins, zebras, and ponies. All the creatures of this world are weaklings, for far too long you all have struggled in this world to be the dominant species. And I have taken upon myself purge the world of the weak. Soon the world will be ruled by the rightful dominate species. And only the strong will live in this new world.” “And now“, started the pitch-black creature as it put hands together and formed a crimson and black ball in its hands, ”pleasant dreams”. Then it fired it at Summer Stone. When she was hit, a crimson bubble appeared around her body that soon disappeared, making her fall asleep, leaving her trapped in her nightmare.