• Published 26th Apr 2012
  • 28,858 Views, 1,094 Comments

Friendship is Aura - KangTheGuardian



Lucario, the Aura Pokemon, and the newest resident of Equestria.

  • ...
36
 1,094
 28,858

Determination of the Night

”…Wake up…”

A voice called out to him, echoing past him as if it came from the end of a tunnel. He let out a small groan, his eyes still tightly shut. He didn’t feel much haste in opening them, nor in seeing who or what called for him.

”…-ello? Anyone home? Wake up!”

The voice was persistent. It was doubtful that it would cease anytime soon. Realizing that ignoring it anymore would just grant him further bother, he at last opened his eyes.

“Oh, there you go! I’ve been trying to wake you up for ages! Are you okay?”

He stared up at the being that was leaning over him. Its eyes were staring into his without any hesitation, as if they had known him since the first day they opened. It stared at him expectantly, waiting for an answer.

“…I am fine,” he eventually said, pulling himself off the ground. The being grew a big grin on its face as it heard this.

“Great! That’s good to hear. I didn’t want to be all alone in this place.”

“This place?” Intrigued by the being’s words, he looked around himself for the first time. He saw nothing, but at the same time many things. The area around them had no shape. Their bodies seemingly floated in the middle of a void, covered by a lingering presence. As he stared at it, he was unsure what to call it.

“…Where am I?” he asked the being, hoping it would have the answers he sought. However, the being grew a perplexed look on its face, scratching the back of its head as it looked around as well.

“Hmm, I’m not sure. I woke up just a short while ago too. You were the first thing I saw around here except for all the light.”

“Light?” he asked it, unable to understand the word. Was it referring to the presence around them?

“Yeah, do you like it? I came up with that word just a moment ago. I think it fits all this brightness perfectly, don’t you think?”

Brightness. Light. These were not the words he would use to describe the emptiness around them. Was the being really seeing the same thing he did? As he thought of it, a more fitting name came to his mind.

“I would call it darkness.”

“Darkness?” the being asked in a confused tone. “That’s a weird word. It feels so… depressing. Not what I would call it at all.”

The being blurted out yet another word he could not understand. Depressing? No matter how much he repeated it in his mind, he couldn’t decipher its meaning.

“Oh! I almost forgot!” the being suddenly exclaimed. “My name is *--*-*. What’s your name?”

He stared at the being for a moment. This time, he understood the meaning of its words. A name was a title used to refer to yourself. The reason he was quiet was because he repeated his own name in his mind over and over. It was only later that he would realize that it was the first time he had ever done that.

“…It’s **--*,” he eventually answered, granting him yet another beaming smile from the being.

“Hihi, nice to meet you, **--*.”


At the foot of a far-off mountain, a three-headed beast was laying down on the ground. While two of its heads slept on its paws, the third was looking out over the endless landscape before it. There were no trees, no roads, not even any grass as far as its eyes could see. While the soil was bared and vulnerable, it was completely flat and untouched. Not a single footprint was marked on it, as animals hadn’t roamed this place for centuries. The skies were clear, as if the clouds themselves avoided this cursed land. The sparkling night sky did little to liven up the dark mood that seemed to surround this place. Even the light of the sun normally just added to its creepy atmosphere.

The beast known as Cerberus let out a yawn from its still awake head. Finding its current view understandably boring, it turned around to look at the giant object that stood behind it.

A giant, black gate rose up from the earth right next to the mountain side. Or at least the beast knew that it was a gate. To outsiders, it would just look like a large, wide, rectangular pillar. There were no door handles on it, nor was it decorated with torches, statues, or even any support beams to balance it. It was just a flat, patternless wall, as if the architect that designed it was completely without inspiration.

The Gates of Tartarus. That was what the creatures of this world called it. A gateway between Equestria and the land of darkness. Nearly no living being in history had dared to enter. Those who did either never returned, or came back as something else, something far more dark and sinister.

Cerberus studied the gates for a few minutes, mostly out of boredom. It had already gazed at them countless times throughout the years, and this time was no different. It was about to turn around and let its third head join the other sleeping two when something caught its attention.

A hoof extended out of the black wall, soon followed by several more as a pony-like creature emerged from it. The gates neither cracked nor vibrated as the creature was joined by several more. They were all black, like the pillar itself was. When the first creature opened its eyelids, it revealed that the eyes behind them were no different either , sporting the same black color. From this distance, they looked like nothing more than three-dimensional shadows. The creature at the front of the group looked past the stunned Cerberus on the ground, staring at something far away in the distance.

“It’s time.”


“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS NIGHT PATROL, YAY!”

A few nearby ponies were startled as a trio of fillies suddenly shouted at the top of their lungs in the Town Square. It seemed like not even the kidnapping of Princess Celestia was enough to hinder the crusaders’ daily antics. The startled ponies cast a few annoyed glances at the fillies before returning to their own activities. Eternal night or not, it was still a normal day in Ponyville. Or at least as normal as it usually was without ursa attacks or parasprite invasions.

“Flashlights?” Scootaloo asked, reading from a checklist she and her friends had prepared beforehoof.

“Check!” Sweetie Belle answered.

“Handcuffs?”

“I’m sure good old rope will do the trick,” Apple Bloom answered while opening her backpack to show her friends. “Applejack has taught me all kinds of knots, so I can tie up any lawbreaker we find just fine.”

“Awesome! Cutie Mark Crusaders Night Patrol badges?”

“Made them during school today!” Sweetie Belle held out three name tags made out of paper. The fillies’ names were clumsily written on them.

“Aww. Couldn’t you make them out of metal like real badges?” Scootaloo asked disappointingly.

“Do I look like a blacksmith?” Sweetie Belle raised an annoyed brow. “These will do fine; nopony will notice them in the dark anyway.”

“It’s not that dark,” Apple Bloom stated. Sure enough, the moon was bright enough to lighten up the streets around them. Scootaloo was even able to read the checklist without a flashlight. While it was still much darker than during normal daylight, it hadn’t covered the village in darkness like usual nights did.

“Anyway, we couldn’t get any uniforms as Rarity is out of town,” Scootaloo continued. “Also, seeing as neither of you have your own shades, that leaves me as your awesome, cool looking squad leader!” Scootaloo pulled out a pair of sunglasses from her backpack. They were strikingly similiar to the ones owned by Rainbow Dash.

“Since when did wearing sunglasses make you the leader?” Sweetie Belle asked rather annoyed.

“Since I said so.” Scootaloo answered simply. She put the shades on with a smug grin before turning to the other two fillies. “Now, are we ready to do this?!”

“Um, Scootaloo? We’re over here.” Sweetie Belle’s voice came from behind Scootaloo. Wearing sunglasses in the middle of the night made the pegasus filly unable to see almost anything.

“Oh, sorry. Are we ready to do this?!”

“YEAH!” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle shouted in confirmation.

“All right! Let’s get this night patrol going!” Scootaloo announced as she turned around to begin their march. She only managed to take a few steps before walking straight into the wall of the nearby Town Hall. Relentless, she shook her head and turned right, this time succeeding in walking down the road.

“Shouldn’t we look through the alleyways first?” Apple Bloom asked behind her. “That’s what all the cool cops do in the stories.”

“Nah, we’ll save the best for last. It’s not like there are any bad guys there right now or anything.”


As the Cutie Mark Crusaders continued down the road, an eye peeked out from around one of the nearby alleyways. It cast a few nervous glances over the area, studying the ponies walking around. More importantly, it looked over at a white-colored house in the distance. The eye’s owner let out a quiet, evil laugh. For many weeks, he had planned for this day. The day the owner of that particular house would regret ever making a mockery of him and his pack. Now, with this sudden lingering night upon them, he had finally been given the chance he had waited for. With the cover of darkness, they would be able to effortlessly sneak in and-

“What do you see, Rover?” A voice interrupted his thoughts, nearly making him yell out in surprise. The diamond dog named Rover quickly turned around and smacked his partner-in-crime Spot over the head.

“Be quiet, you rock brain! You almost blew our cover!” he whispered.

“Oh, sorry,” Spot apologized while clutching his head.

“Fido, get the barrier ready.” Rover signaled to the third diamond dog further down the alley. Fido saluted before starting to rearrange a bunch of barrels and crates that stood around him. Soon enough, he had built a blockade between the inner alley and the streets, blocking anypony’s view of him, Rover, and Spot.

“All right, that should give us some privacy. Now, let’s go through the plan one more… wait, who’s the new guy?” Rover suddenly asked when he noticed a fourth dog with them.

“I dunno,” Fido answered. “He just appeared out of nowhere just a minute ago. I think he wants to join in on our plan.”

“Ugh, fine. Just don’t cause us any trouble.” Rover pointed a threatening finger at the fourth dog, who was sitting with his eyes closed as if he was asleep. “Bah! New recruits. If you can’t even stay awake during a night raid, you’ll never make it big in the pack! Now, here’s the deal:” Using his claw, Rover began to write a rough sketch of the area on the ground.

“That white house over there is the home of “Miss Rarity”. I’m sure you all remember the embarrassing ordeal she put us through when we captured her some time ago. Hehe, I wouldn’t mind hearing her whining once she notices that all her gems are gone after our little vengeful break-in. Anyway, the plan is simple. With these crates and barrels hiding us, we’ll dig a hole here and make our way to the house. Once we dig inside, we’ll grab all the gems we can and take them back here. We’ll then move to the other hole we’ve dug up not far from here, so that the ponies won’t track our trail so easily.”

“Wow, that’s brilliant!” Fido commented, genuinely impressed with such a complex plan.

“Of course it’s brilliant! That’s why I’m the head of this group, and don’t you forget it. Now, are there any questions?”

Fido and Spot shook their heads. However, the fourth dog raised his paw, eyes still closed.

“Yes, newbie, what is it?” Rover asked impatiently. Of course it was the rookie who needed to ask something.

“This whole 'breaking into someone’s house to steal their gems' plan that you’re about to do?”

Rover blinked as he noticed something strange about the voice. Did it really come from the new guy? He hadn’t opened his mouth or anything.

“Yeah… what about it?”

The fourth dog finally opened its eyes to look at Rover. A brief flash of light shined out from them before they turned back to their natural red color.

“How about you don’t?”


The ponies walking around Town Square stopped in their tracks as one of the nearby alleyways exploded in tree shards. Broken barrels and trashed crates flew out as terrified screams were heard coming from within. After several more sounds of broken wood and even an occasional cracked wall, a trio of diamond dogs ran out in a stumbled mess. Their clothes were tarnished and they all had several bruises on their furs. The one with a red shirt also seemed to have lost a few of his teeth.

“EVERY DOG FOR HIMSELF!”

“RUN! RUN!”

“THIS IS THE LAST TIME I DEAL WITH THOSE PESKY PONIES AND THEIR MANGY FRIENDS!”

The dogs ran past the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who had come back to see what the entire ruckus was about. As the dogs disappeared in the distance with their tails between their legs, the fillies and the other ponies looked back at the alley. Stepping out of the smoke and darkness, Lucario dusted himself off a bit before looking in the direction that the dogs ran off to.

“I suppose those were the diamond dogs that I’ve heard about. Can’t say that I could see any resemblance between me and them,” he said to himself. He had detected the dogs immediately once he got close to Ponyville a few minutes ago. He had been quite surprised when they thought of him as an ally, but he wasn’t about to let them break into Rarity’s home.

“LUCARIO!” The Pokémon soon didn’t have any more time to ponder the encounter, as he found the Cutie Mark Crusaders tackling him in a hug.

“It’s Lucario! He’s back!” a yellow-colored earth pony mare also shouted.

“What?! He’s really here?!” A pale blue pegasus with a yellow mane flew around the house corner upon hearing Lucario’s name. Before he knew it, he was surrounded by a horde of villagers from all sides.

“Is what the newspapers said really true? Has Princess Celestia been kidnapped?”

“Did you actually beat an entire army of changelings and their queen by yourself?! I mean, I saw that weird light right before that mountain blew up, but was that really you?”

“I thought seeing you defeat that dragon by yourself was incredible, but this?! How do you keep doing this stuff?!”

“Have you taken a look at this guy? There isn’t a single scratch on him! He couldn’t have possibly been through all that without getting hurt, could he?”

Lucario couldn’t answer every question thrown at him; neither could he quiet the ponies down enough for them to hear him out. Looking over their heads, he noticed a few other ponies watching him from within their houses. In contrast to the ponies around him, who seemed to be happy to see him again, their eyes were filled with something resembling contempt. Most of them closed the curtains over their windows upon seeing him looking back at them.

So there are some ponies here that don’t trust me after all, Lucario thought to himself. I suppose it can’t be helped. I can’t expect everyone to take the news of my battle and Celestia’s disappearance calmly.

As the group around him kept asking him several questions at once, Lucario looked up towards Canterlot in the distance. By now, Luna was probably on her way to interrogate the changeling captain.

Get an answer from him, Luna. Once you do, I’ll be on my way to save your sister. I promise.


“I can’t BELIEVE that disgusting vermin!” Luna said out loud to herself as she trotted through the castle, expressing rage with every step she took. “I’ll be the laughing stock of the entire kingdom for I don’t know how long because of this! What did he even do to me?! Was it just a prank he pulled in the middle of the battle? How DARE he humiliate me so?!”

A part of Luna knew that Lucario would never “prank” or “humiliate” others simply out of personal enjoyment. Such behavior simply wasn’t in his nature. He clearly had a reason for making her act so… excited during the fight. But seeing as she couldn’t understand it, even after regaining all her memories of that night, Luna allowed herself to keep blaming the Pokémon as she made her way to the prison cells.

“I swear, the next time I see him, I will strike him with lightning so bad that his fur will be scorched for-”

“Your highness.” A guard acknowledged her arrival to the prison entrance.

WHAT?!” Luna screamed out in her Royal Canterlot Voice. Only upon seeing that she had nearly scared the guard to death did she manage to calm herself down. She straightened herself and hoped that he wouldn’t notice the small blush on her cheeks.

“Ahem, I mean, I’m here to interrogate the prisoner you captured yesterday. I will make him reveal my sister’s whereabouts right here and now.”

“U-Understood, Princess.” The guard managed to gather himself. “I’ll have a few of my men accompany you to the-”

“No,” Luna interrupted him. “I will speak with him alone. Your presence won’t be necessary.”

“But your highness, he…” The guard tried to object, but found himself at a loss for words at Luna’s determined stare. “Very well. You’ll find him in cell block Z-5. We made sure to put him in the darkest corner this jail could offer.”

“Thank you.” Luna lightly bowed her head in gratitude before stepping through the doors behind the guard. A few torches were set up on the wall to her right as she entered, but she wouldn’t need them down there. Her magic would light her way.

Despite its size and complex design, Canterlot Prison was relatively underused. Crime had never been that big in the city, and criminals who were put there didn’t stay for more than a few days at most. In fact, the prison was usually so empty that several of the newer guards questioned why security had to be as tight as it was down there. Nevertheless, it was built to be the housing of criminals, and it needed to be guarded as such.

Block Z-5 was the innermost area of the entire prison. The number of criminals who had been placed there throughout the years could be counted on one dragon’s claw. It was a place where only the most sinister and irredeemable souls were put, so that they would never influence anyone who were unfortunate to be locked in nearby. A spot like this would have surely been saved to house Chrysalis, had she survived her encounter with Lucario. Seeing as she didn’t, the “honor” was bestowed on her captain instead.

Lucario told me that the changeling was too scared to speak with him. But truth be told, I don’t see how I have a better chance, Luna thought to herself as she walked. No matter how many times I go through the scenario in my head, I can’t see him revealing anything to me. It’s true that he would mock me, but he would never reveal my sister’s location, no matter how I acted.

By now, she had reached the entrance to the Z-5 block. Two guards were stationed outside, the emblems on their armors revealing their high rank. Shining Armor would have nopony less guarding such a prisoner, after all. They gave Luna a curt nod as she grabbed the door handle with her magic. Both of them raised their eyebrows however when Luna didn’t open the door. She stared into thin air, as if daydreaming.

Acting… yes, of course!

“Your highness?” Luna was brought back from her thinking by one of the guards’ concerned voices. She lightly shook her head before letting go of the handle and turning to the two of them.

“I originally planned to interrogate the prisoner myself, but I just had a different idea. I will need your help after all.”


The changeling captain awoke from his slumber. Sleeping on the hard bed wasn’t exactly comfortable, but he preferred it greatly to staying awake and remembering the events of the past day. The day his mistress had perished by the paw of that blue-furred freak. But as he returned to the waking world, his thoughts were focused on something different. More precisely on the loud explosion that erupted from the outer cell block door.

Rocks and dust blew past the changeling’s cell as he heard the screams of one of the guards stationed outside. This was soon followed by one of them flying past him at great speed, a magical green beam sending him down the corridor. As he hit the ground out of the changeling’s view, the area was briefly silent. Soon enough though, the sound of hoofsteps began to echo across the corridor, growing louder and louder as they approached the changeling’s cell.

The creature that walked past him didn’t look his way, but she didn’t need to. The former captain knew too well who she was. If there was a heart hidden deep in his chest, it surely skipped a beat upon seeing the last being he ever thought to see again.

“M-My lady!”

Chrysalis’ ears perked up slightly upon hearing someone shouting her title. Turning around, she saw a changeling desperately pressing himself against the magical barrier that kept him locked in. She stared at him for a moment before she blinked in what seemed to be eventual recognition.

“Ah, my faithful captain. So this is where you ended up after your rather… disappointing performance last night.”

“I have no words to explain my failure, your grace,” the changeling said. “But I thought you had… the ponies told me-”

“That I had perished?” Chrysalis interrupted him. “As if that meddlesome guardian could ever hope to end my existence. I’ll make sure to repay him in kind once we meet again.”

“So… my lady… you actually lost to hi-” Chrysalis’ green magic pierced through the cell barrier like nothing, lifting the changeling up into the air.

“You seem very inclined to stay in this place, captain, seeing as you’re so eager to question my abilities.”

“N-Never, your grace. I know that your powers and wisdom outrank his by miles.”

“Is that so?” Chrysalis replied with a smirk, letting the changeling fall back on the floor. “Still, maybe I should let you rot here anyway. You’ve failed me once already, and rather extraordinarily so. I came to this forsaken place to find someone who was capable to keep up with my schemes. I’m sure that I could find someone far more suited than you.” She turned around and began to walk away, leaving the changeling in his fate.

“W-Wait, my lady!” the changeling called to her. “Please, grant me another chance. I can still be of use to you. If nothing else, I’m the only one who knows the way back to… that place.”

Chrysalis stopped in the middle of her tracks. She didn’t turn around to face her former captain, but it was clear that she was thinking about something. She eventually rather hastily brought a hoof to her chin, as if not to appear as indecisive to her underling.

“Hmm, it’s true that it would be bothersome to describe the way to somepony new. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt to have some reinforcements called in, just in case. Hopefully more capable ones this time, considering how well you and your men performed before.”

“I’ll have them send stronger ones this time, your grace. Warriors that can overthrow Canterlot in less than a few hours. Please, grant me this chance to redeem myself!” the changeling begged. He didn’t dare to look up at Chrysalis who stood and watched him. Eventually, her horn began to glow as she fired a beam at the cell barrier, easily breaking it apart.

“Consider yourself lucky, captain,” she told him. “You will return to that place and gather whatever forces you can. A fair warning though: If they don’t meet my expectations, I’ll vanquish all of you myself.”

“Yes, my lady!” the changeling exclaimed as it hurried towards the broken doors. “I will do as you say and return to T-”

“Luna!” The changeling found himself crashing right into Shining Armor, who came rushing past the corner at the same time. Driven by what seemed to be adrenaline and haste, the unicorn didn’t even notice when he slammed his head right into the changeling’s own. Due to the injuries it has sustained to said body part the day before, the blow was more than enough to knock it out cold mid-sentence.

“SHINING ARMOR!” Chrysalis exclaimed before her body briefly glowed white. In less than two seconds, she had transformed back into Princess Luna. “Do you realize what you’ve just interrupted?! We were just a few words away from learning about my sister’s whereabouts!”

Luna’s plan had worked perfectly. Even if the changeling hadn’t mentioned the name of “that place”, it would’ve been easy for her to follow it in her smoke form. With the cover of the night, it wouldn’t have a chance to notice her. But thanks to Shining’s inopportune timing, that plan would never work again. Her anger at the royal captain soon vanished though when she noticed the expression on his face.

“What’s happening?” she asked him.

“Outside… the gates… something is… approaching…” Shining forced out between breaths. He didn’t have to say more to alert Luna of the situation though, as she quickly rushed past him through the exit. After taking a few more shaking breaths, Shining followed suit as well. Left behind were the two guards who had agreed to “act” in Luna’s plan.

“You think that was worth it?”

“Considering how much I will need to polish my armor after this, no, it wasn’t. By the way, she said she would pay for these damages, right?”

“Better prepare our paychecks just in case.”


Lucario walked out of the Town Hall, having just reported to the Mayor about the events that had taken place in Canterlot. She couldn’t do much about it, if anything at all, but at least she would now be able to tackle the wave of questions thrown at her by worried citizens.

Thankful for the lack of ponies waiting to question him outside, Lucario activated Aura Sense to scan the village. Most ponies were still walking around the streets, either finishing up their daily work or shopping around the stores. He also noticed a tunnel dug a distance away from where he had encountered the diamond dogs. He assumed that this was the exit route they had planned to use after succeeding in stealing Rarity’s gems. Perhaps he would take the opportunity to follow it and straighten the rest of them out.

Just as he prepared to leave though, he felt a somewhat familiar aura watching him from behind one of the distant houses. While he understood the worry and suspicion that some villagers felt for him, he still disliked being stalked. He also had a certain matter to discuss with this particular pony.

Using ExtremeSpeed, he disappeared out of sight right as the stallion watching him happened to blink. The next moment, Lucario was behind him and grabbed the stallion’s shoulder.

“I’m sure you have better things to do than to follow me around, don’t you?” he questioned the stallion. It was the same pony that had talked ill of Twilight, her friends, and Luna on the day of Razorfang’s attack. Shocked by Lucario’s sudden presence behind him, the stallion jumped and slammed his back into the nearby wall. After staring at Lucario for a few seconds, he managed to gather himself again.

“Hmph. Shows how much you know. I just finished packing my things for tomorrow.”

“What for?” Lucario asked.

“I’ve had it with this village. I’m going back to Trottingham first thing tomorrow morning. It’s much safer and normal there. Besides, there aren’t many who wish to see me here anymore after our little scene a few days ago.”

Lucario would be lying if he said that it was unfortunate to see the stallion go. “If the villagers dislike you for that event, you’ve no one to blame but yourself. I advise you to leave my friends out of any possible last grudge you have against them. Luna included.”

“Stop it with your constant defending of her already!” the stallion suddenly yelled. “You’ve been here for just about a week and you act as if you’ve known her your entire life! Do you even know what she has done to us in the past?!”

“Whatever she has done is history,” Lucario answered. “She clearly wants to move on, and she deserves the right to do so.”

“Oh.” A small smirk grew on the stallion’s face “So you don’t know then? I wonder if you would see her in the same light once you learn it. Trust me, you WILL learn eventually. It’s pretty hard to avoid. When you do, perhaps you'll see her like I do, like a constantly ticking bomb that could blow up at any moment, taking all of us with it!”

The stallion stared at Lucario for a moment, as if he was expecting the Pokémon to pounce at him for his words. But Lucario’s eyes weren’t filled with anger like they had been the last time they met. The feeling behind them this time seemed more like pity.

“Hey! Uh, Lucario!” A voice rang out from above them. Looking up, Lucario saw the pegasus Cloudchaser, who he had briefly met during the party after Razorfang’s defeat, waving a hoof at him. “I think you need to see this.”

Noticing her other hoof pointing towards Canterlot, Lucario followed the direction to see what was happening. What he saw made his eyes shoot wide open in shock. Before Cloud Chaser had the chance to say anything else, Lucario activated Magnet Rise and flew towards the distant city.

Darn. If I use ExtremeSpeed to cover the entire distance, it will leave me too fatigued, he cursed to himself as he flew. Please stay safe, everyone!


Luna grinded to a halt upon reaching the top of one of the city walls. Shining Armor soon caught up to her, thankfully not as out of breath now as before. Together, the two of them watched the scene in front of them.

Canterlot Plains was covered by a horde of black creatures. Luna was unsure how many they were, but they were many enough to nearly cover up the remains of the battle left behind by Lucario and Chrysalis. The creatures weren’t moving, simply standing still as if they were dolls left behind by a filly on the floor of their home. They just stood and watched the terrified guards and ponies watching them from within the city. At least Luna thought that they were watching. Their black eyes seemed to lack pupils, making it seem as if they were staring blankly at nothing in front of them.

“We noticed them approaching just a few minutes ago. My men haven’t dared to approach them yet, although I can understand them.”

Luna didn’t answer Shining’s report. She simply looked out over the small army before her. The expression on her face was impossible to read.

“Brother!” Shining suddenly noticed Twilight running up behind him, closely followed by her friends. “We noticed them before as well. What are they?!”

“Whoa nelly…” Applejack said to herself, doing her best to hide Fluttershy’s trembling body behind her.

“So… horrendous!” Rarity exclaimed while covering her mouth with a hoof. “I’ve never seen such characterless creatures in my entire life. All the gems in the world couldn’t liven up their image.”

Surprisingly, Rainbow was rather silent. Flying a few meters above her friends’ heads, she tried her best to hide the few drops of cold sweat that had begun to run down her forehead.

“Twily, I’m going to set up a barrier,” Shining told his sister. “You all go and get the Elements. I’m sure Luna can teleport you to their chambers immediately.”

“Are you two playing hide and seek?” Pinkie suddenly asked with her usual grin. Shining was shaken out of his trained captain persona.

“Wh-What? No, we aren’t playing hide and seek! Why would you even ask that?”

“Then why is Luna gone, but not you?” Pinkie grabbed Shining’s head and turned it back towards Luna’s last known location. She was gone. Looking around himself in a panicked state, he noticed a blue shape approach the army of black creatures out on the plains.

“Oh you've got to be kidding me…”


There was no hesitation in Luna’s steps as she approached the creatures. Her head was lowered, making her bangs cover her eyes from the creatures’ view, if they were watching her at all. She was sure that her friends were watching her from above the wall, shouting at her to return. But their worries were drenched out by another lingering thought in Luna’s mind. Something she intended to share with these creatures.

We dost not know from where thou hast cometh, nor do we know thyne motives.” The Royal Canterlot Voice wasn’t as loud as it usually was, but it was more controlled. It reached over the plains perfectly for the creatures to hear. “We dost not know what thou are, what thou can do, nor if thou are even capable of speech. But for the moment, those things matters not to us. What dost matter to us is information about our sister. We dost not think that we’re jumping to conclusions by thinking that thou are the ones behind it.

The creatures didn’t answer her, not that she expected them to. For just a brief moment, a small smile grew on Luna’s lips as she kept walking towards them.

So let us make something clear to thee all, beings of darkness: Thou WILL tell us what thou have done with our sister, and thou WILL tell us where thou have taken her.

High above the plains, clouds began to materialize from nowhere. They instantly turned black as the sound of thunder rumbled across Equestria. Beneath the creatures’ hooves, what remained of the grass after the last day’s battle began to shiver. For the first time since their arrival, a few of the creatures looked down and took a few steps back from where they stood. As lifeless as they seemed, they could still sense things like any normal pony could. Right now, they all felt as if nature itself was threatening to assault them at any time.

At the off-chance that none of thee can speak, we can promise thee one thing:

Luna lifted her head, revealing her glowing white eyes behind her bangs.

THOU WILL SOON WISH THOU COULD.


Just a bit more. I’m almost there. Lucario increased his speed a little as he was finally approaching his destination. Whatever those black creatures were, they wouldn’t get a chance to touch Canterlot as long as he was around. He prepared himself to use ExtremeSpeed to cover the last distance.

It was right then when lightning showered over the plains. Blinded by the sudden light, Lucario stopped in-midair and raised his arm to cover his eyes. Activating Aura Sense, he attempted to see what was going on. He found himself nearly breathless when he sensed the huge wave of energy that covered the plains, eradicating creature after creature faster than he could keep up with. It wasn’t just the lightning; the earth itself seemed to unleash its wrath upon them. What surprised him the most was that all of this came from a lone pony, who was simply watching the scene unravel before her.

At last, the lightning died out, leaving the world awfully quiet. Finally being able to lower his arm, Lucario deactivated Aura Sense and looked over the plains. Or at least what little he could see of it, as nearly everything was covered in dust. Seeing a blue light shine from within one of the clouds, Lucario dove down and landed just a short distance away from Luna. The princess of the night was holding one of the creatures in a steady, magical grip, forcing it to look into her eyes.

WHERE IS SHE, BEAST?! IF THOU WON’T ANSWER, A FAR MORE TERRIFYING FATE IS IN STORE FOR THEE THAN THIS!

The creature didn’t answer, although it was unclear if it was because of resistance or simply being chocked to unconsciousness by Luna.

VERY WELL! IF THOU INSIST TO AVOID ANSWERING, WE WILL MAKE SURE THOU-

“That’s enough.” Lucario placed a paw on Luna’s shoulder. She turned around to face him, her eyes still glowing white from magic. Judging by her surprised expression, she hadn’t even noticed him arrive. “We won’t learn anything from it like this. Please, calm yourself.”

Luna stared at him for a few more moments before letting out a long sigh. Her eyes ceased their glowing, turning them back to their natural blue color. She released her magic grip, letting the creature fall to the ground.

“I guess I went a bit overboard there.” Luna brought a hoof to her mouth in an apologetic manner. “You’re late, by the way.”

The sudden joke briefly surprised Lucario, but he couldn’t help but chuckle at it shortly afterwards. That is until he noticed that the black creature hadn’t hit the ground. It was floating just a few inches above the earth, held afloat by some unseen force. Quickly shoving Luna behind him, Lucario held up a paw and conjured an Aura Sphere at its end.

“If you wish to safekeep this world…” The creature floated up into a standing position, its hooves still not touching the ground. Its voice was deep and powerful, far more sinister sounding than anyone expected from even such a creature.

“Then come and face us, Guardian of the Aura.”

Then, the creature exploded. The dark ashes left behind shot up into the air and began to travel to the east. Watching it disappear into the distance, Lucario let his Aura Sphere dissolve and turned to Luna.

“Do you know where it’s going?”

“There’s only one place in that direction that I could see such creatures emerge from,” Luna answered, her eyes never leaving the direction the creature had flown towards. “It’s heading towards the Gates of Tartarus.”

“Tartarus?” Lucario questioned her, but Luna just shook her head.

“It will take a while to explain. Regardless, are you planning on going there?”

“Of course,” Lucario answered without hesitation, which made Luna smile a little.

“Good, because I’m going with you.”

To be continued…


Author's Note:

Many thanks to halo003qd and Icestar156 for proofreading!

The board is set and the pieces are moving...

Confused by the beginning of the chapter? Don't be. From now and until the end of this story arc, I will begin every chapter with a section about these two mysterious individuals. It'll all make sense towards the end, don't worry.

Spot the Scooby-Doo reference.

Luna definitely proved to be more than a damsel-in-distress in this chapter. Don't get on her bad side, or she'll go Thor on you. We'll see what more she can do later on.

Next time in Friendship is Aura: What is Tartarus? How will the citizens of Canterlot react to their only remaining princess heading there? Want to learn? Continue reading.

- KangTheGuardian -