• Published 2nd Jun 2012
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Creeping Darkness - Pen Stroke



Alan Wake must write a story where Twilight faces the Darkness of his world to save Equestria

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Searching for the Old Gods

Journal #68

As with the short stories I’ve written in the Dark Place, when I wrote myself into “Creeping Darkness” I was pulled away from my typewriter, to play my part in the scene. Maybe that’s why I decided to make the scene play out on the Anderson Brothers’ farm. It was less for Twilight’s benefit and more my own. A chance to see even part of my own world again, to hear something besides the ticking of my typewriter. To remember the aged, senile rockers that helped me defeat the darkness and who found inspiration in Norse mythology.

Still, everything I do either creates cost or affords credit. That was what Thomas Zane didn’t understand about the Dark Place when he first tried to harness its power. He tried to bring Barbara Jagger back to life, but he didn’t give up anything in return. So, she came back wrong... possessed by the Dark Presence that later kidnapped my Alice.

That’s why I became trapped in the darkness in the first place. To undo the damage done by the Darkness in Bright Falls and to save Alice I had to pay a high price, and that price was keeping myself trapped in the darkness.

I believed... or rather hoped... that because Applejack had been taken the scales in the story had become unbalanced. That there was enough wiggle room, enough credit, for me to help Twilight. The cost of speaking to her, however, was steeper than I imagined. To tell Twilight what I did, more had to be paid to the Darkness. She had to face the army of Taken alone, and me...

The cost I had to pay was revealed when I came back to the cabin. The stabbing pain I felt while speaking to Twilight was only an after effect. Upon inspecting myself in a mirror, I’ve found a a thin layer of darkness over the top right quarter of my chest. Lingering shadows.

When that realization hit me I felt a wave of nausea over take my stomach and I bolted for the bathroom. There was nothing for me to throw up, but that didn’t stop me from dry heaving into the toilet bowl. Shadows that clung to my skin, that were warm to the touch.

I am becoming a Taken... the Dark Place was taking bits of me. I can’t say exactly what. It could just be parts of my body, but it could just as easy bit pieces of my soul or even my humanity.

The worst part... Nightmare Moon knows what has happened.

She has been whispering to me almost constantly since I discovered the beginning of my transformation. She only fell silent once I began to write this journal, but I can feel her presence. I can feel eyes looking over my shoulder, reading as I write... I think I can even feel her smiling.

She argued that if I keep trying to save Equestria I’ll be dooming myself. That I’ll never see Alice again. That I should be doing the exact opposite, that I should be letting her take over Equestria so that I can write myself free of the Dark Place. Use a single, true horror story to earn enough credit with the darkness to write myself free with just a few words.

She promises that it would work, and even if Equestria wasn’t enough I could just doom other worlds, write others into the darkness until my way out is paid. The worst part of it is I know she’s right; that by continuing to struggle I am risking my own life in a fight that I may not even be able to win. Are these ponies really worth it?

Alice... I wish you were here... even for a moment. I don’t know what to do...

What do I do, Alice? What do I do?

~~~

While she had slept for several hours straight, Twilight didn’t feel at all rested. Her eyes slid open, her gaze greeted by lantern light and Applejack’s hat. All her friends were asleep, which meant somepony had fallen asleep during their watch. Still, nothing bad had happened... so it was probably better they had all gotten some rest.

Getting to her hooves, Twilight’s eyes turned to the clock on the wall. It was almost nine in the morning, meaning the sun was up. Honestly, the store owner should have probably come in by now and found them asleep. Maybe he did, and was just out finding the sheriff so she could lock up the trespassers.

It was something Twilight would worry about if or when it became an issue. Until that point, all she wanted to do was go outside and enjoy the sunlight, to bask in the safe glow of day. She nosed open the door that separated the general store’s back room from the front, walking around the counter and between the aisles before heading outside.

Twilight made the walk still half asleep, eyes focused on the floor and her own hooves. Her dream had left her mentally exhausted. She didn’t look up once until she had stepped outside, turning her eye skyward to see the blue sky and any clouds. Twilight opened her eyes... and yet the only sight that greeted the unicorn was black sky speckled with stars.

The sun wasn’t up... oh by Celestia the sun wasn’t up!

Twilight bolted back inside the general store in a flash, using her magic to push a shelf up against the door. The moment of panic snapped Twilight’s mind awake faster than any cup of coffee could have managed, and she realized how big of an idiot she had been.

Of course the sun wouldn’t be up; Celestia had been taken! The sun couldn’t rise without the princess.

Why hadn’t she realized that earlier? She could have walked outside and right into a whole pack of Taken and been a sitting duck. And their plans relied on the sun coming up. They were going to try and find help in the morning, try to figure out a way to save Celestia, Luna, and Applejack. They were all going to do that during the nice, safe daytime... but without Celestia the sun wouldn’t come. They would be at the mercy of the shadows constantly.

And Twilight could only imagine that panic that was stretching across Equestria. How many ponies would blame this on Luna.? The moon princess was already having enough trouble with her public image; she didn’t need to be blamed for this. And how quickly was the darkness spreading over Equestria without the daylight stemming its advance?

The violet unicorn was so lost in thought that she didn’t take notice of the figure looming behind her. It drew closer, eventually reaching out a hoof and nudging her flank. Twilight jumped, letting out a small “Yeep!” as she spun about. Her horn lit up with light, the unicorn remembering what she had learned in her dream and preparing a flash of light.

“Hey, take it easy...” Dash said, putting a hoof up to shield her eyes. “It’s just me.”

“Dash... oh Rainbow Dash... don’t... DO that!” Twilight strained, letting the light on her horn dissipate. There was plenty of light for the moment since Dash was wearing one of the headband flashlights, also known as a headlamp.

“Heh heh... yea, I’m kind of realizing that now.” The pegasus admitted. “Still, you’re not usually this jumpy.”

“Well, being chased by Taken will do that to a pony.” Twilight half grumbled, dropping down on her haunches. “Especially now that I just realized the sun’s not going to come up since Celestia was kidnapped, which means we’ll have to try and fix all this in the dark.”

“How do you know the sun’s not coming up?”

“Dash, its almost nine in the morning. If the sun was going to rise, it would be up by now.”

The pegasus looked back, the light from her headlamp focusing on the clock on the wall.

“Whoa... I didn’t realize it was that late.”

“Dash, your powers of observation are astounding.”

The pegasus’ eyes furrowed as she turned back to Twilight. “Hay, I just didn’t check the clock, okay?!”

Twilight winced, realizing she had been a little harsher than she attended with her words. “Sorry Dash... I didn’t mean... I’m just tired.”

“And grumpy.”

“Yes, and grumpy.” The unicorn admitted. “I had another nightmare... and even though I’ve been asleep for hours I don’t feel rested at all.”

“Another nightmare? Like the one you told us about last night at the ice cream parlor?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes.”

“What was it about?”

“Let’s go wake the others up first. That way I only have to say it all one time.”

~~~

And the others listened, appreciating the fact that Twilight was learning more about what was going on from the strange creature in her dreams. She explained how the darkness was trying to engulf all of Equestria, how it was being lead by Nightmare Moon. She even showed her friends the spell she had discovered in her dream, the flash of light that somehow managed to harm the Taken.

They took it all in, listening to Twilight like a congregation might listen to a preacher. They didn’t understand the logic behind some of what she said. Parts sounded a bit crazy. Still, they listened and believed. Twilight was the one that had kept them safe in the light and they didn’t have a reason to doubt her.

“Well, that’s all well and good, but you said this creature told you how to fix all this?”

“He didn’t tell me, but he said we could find out for ourselves.” Twilight answered, meeting Rarity’s questioning gaze.

“How?”

“The creature said we’d need to seek the wisdom of the Old Gods from the black records only a needle can read.”

“Old Gods? There are no old gods. There are just Celestia and Luna.” Dash pointed out.

“Yes, but don’t you find the turn of phrase interesting?” Rarity noted. “It sounds almost like a riddle. Black records only a needle can play... did the creature say anything else?”

“That the Old Gods were the ones that told the tale of The Poet and The Muse.” Twilight replied before tilting her head, the words ringing in her head strangely. “Wait... The Poet and The Muse. That sounds familiar... of course, the song!”

“Song?” Dash echoed.

“There was a song in my dream that was about a poet and a muse. Now, if we assume the Old Gods were the one singing that song, then maybe the Old Gods aren’t really gods. Maybe its a band.”

“Of course!” Rarity said with a smile, eyes flashing with realization. “Black records that only a needle can read. It’s talking about vinyl music records.”

“Didn’t we visit a record shop last night?” Fluttershy asked.

“Oh, don’t remind me. Dash insisted we go inside. That dark little place had rock music blaring over its speakers. My poor ears were traumatized and I couldn’t stay inside for even a minute. I waited outside.”

“Hey, you have something against rock music?” Dash asked.

Rarity glanced over, nodding her head once. “Yes, as a matter of fact I do. It’s brutish, loud, and obnoxious music that is like sandpaper on the ears.”

“Are you kidding? Rock music is awesome! Come on Twilight, back me up here.”

“Well, I haven’t listened to that much rock music... and the last time I did all I really remember thinking was that it was awfully loud.”

“Ha! See? Loud and obnoxious.”

“She didn’t say that.” Dash argued.

“Putting tastes in music aside,” Rarity continued, not pursuing the argument further, “It would seem we need to find a record from this band, the Old Gods. And while the venue is offensive, the record shop from last night would probably be an ideal place to start looking.”

“Where is the record shop?” Twilight asked

“I don’t remember. Dash, you went inside. Surely you recall where it is.”

“We went to a lot of shops last night. I think it was by that big park, but other than that...”

The hope that was fluttering in Twilight’s heart flickered and dwindled.

“Well, it can’t be too hard to find.” Rarity pointed out. “We’ll just head out side and start looking.”

“But... what about the Taken?” Fluttershy asked, “Twilight said the sun hasn’t come up. Isn’t it dangerous outside?”

“We’ve got all these lights and Twilight has the spell she learned from her dream. I bet we can take those Taken.” Dash argued, getting to her hooves and taking a few swings with her front hooves, as if she was boxing.

“But what if something happens?” Pinkie Pie asked, the usually energetic mare still shell shocked and somber from the previous day’s events. “What if they get one of us... like they got Applejack?”

“The only way we’ll get Applejack back is if we beat this darkness.” Twilight pointed out, getting to her hooves, “and that means we’ve got to get to that record shop. Still, we can’t just go wandering around in the dark either. The longer we’re outside, the more danger we’re in.

“So, here’s what we’ll do. Everypony gets a headlamp and we’ll grab as many of the lanterns as we can carry. Then, we’ll start at the ice cream parlor and backtrack. The parlor was the last place you guys visited before I showed up, so if we just follow your path through the town backwards we’ll be sure to find the record shop.”

“Now that’s a plan I can get behind.” Dash said, hooking her wings through the handles on two lanterns.

Rarity nodded. “Yes, its better than just sitting here waiting for those horrible things to come and find us. Still, just promise me you won’t play that dreadful music too loud. My sensitive ears just can’t stand it.”

“Pinkie Pie... Fluttershy, if you want to stay here...” Twilight began, only to see her two other friends putting on headlamps and grabbing up lanterns.

“We’ll show those meanie, beanie, mean pants not to take our friends!” Pinkie said, her mane starting to curl as her usual energy returned. “Isn’t that right Fluttershy?”

“Oh... um... yes...” Fluttershy offered in response, trying to hide her shaking knees.

~~~

The group stepped out of the general store, armed to the teeth with lights. Each pony had a headlamp, Fluttershy and Dash had lanterns hooked around the base of each wing, and Pinkie Pie carried a lantern in her teeth. The final addition was the light from Twilight and Rarity’s horns, completing an all-around defense of light.

The final feature was Applejack’s hat, Fluttershy wearing it so that when the group found her they could give it back. The farm pony would be devastated if she lost it. Seeing the pink maned pegasus wearing the dusty, brown hat was a bit odd. Still, Twilight felt it was best to trust Fluttershy. No other pony would take better care of the hat until it could be returned to its true owner.

At the moment the night was normal; there was no prickling sense of danger and no Taken to be seen. The streets were utterly empty however, which was unnerving. Considering how late in the morning it was, Twilight would have expected to see somepony outside wondering why the sun wasn’t up. Still, the town was quiet and silent... as if in one night it had been utterly abandoned by the ponies that call it home.

As if they had all just vanished into the dark.

Rarity and Dash took the lead, backtracking the route the group took the previous evening before Twilight showed up. There were times the paired argued, but with Pinkie Pie acting more like her old self she broke up the confrontations before they could get out of hoof, adding her own opinion and ending the stalemate.

With the others leading, Twilight was able to keep her eyes peeled as she looked around for the darkness. Why hadn’t it come for them yet? What was it waiting for? They had been out in the open for a while now and still nothing had attacked. The only explanation was that maybe all the lights they had were actually keeping the Taken away... but for some reason Twilight couldn’t believe it was that easy.

It took roughly an hour of backtracking through the town, but the five ponies found themselves at a small park in the center of Emblem. The park was boarded on every side by shops, Rarity and Dash agreeing that one of the stores had to be the record shop they had found the night before.

“Okay,” Twilight offered, the lack of Taken emboldening her. “Let’s split up. Half of us will check the shops on one side of the park, the others will check the other side. If you find the record shop, give a shout.”

“Is isn’t it a bad idea to split up?” Fluttershy asked.

“We haven’t been attacked yet, so I’m guessing all these lights are keeping the darkness away. That, and the longer we’re outside the longer we’re in danger. The faster we find the record shop, the better.”

“Oh... okay...”

“So, how should we split up?” Pinkie asked. “OOO! Can I be a team captain?”

“Sure, Pinkie, who’s your first pick?”

“Oh... oh, I pick Rarity.”

“What! Why did you pick her?” Dash asked.

“Because she’s a unicorn, silly, and Twilight taught her that light flash spell. That and I couldn’t pick Twilight because she’s the other team captain.”

“Well... I guess that makes sense.” Dash said, crossing her hooves as she hovered mid air pouting.

“Okay Twilight, your turn.” Pinkie chirped.

“Fluttershy.”

“WHAT?!” Dash shouted in disbelief.

“She’s obviously scared, Dash, and I’m the one that has the most practice fighting the Taken, even if it was just a dream. I’d feel better if she was with me.”

“But... but that means I’m going to be picked last... I’ve never been picked last.”

“Oh, well...we were just saving the best for last.” Twilight offered.

“Oh... oh yea, that’s right. Yea, got to save the most awesome pony for last. I get ya. So, I guess that means I’m with Rarity and Pinkie Pie.”

Twilight nodded. “Yes, which is probably a good thing. The three will be able to check the shops fairly quickly, and I don’t mind taking it a bit slower for Fluttershy.”

“Thanks Twilight...”

“All righty, ponies, let’s move out.” Pinkie Pie chirped, spinning about in her hooves before breaking into a silly marching step, Rarity and Dash following behind her. Fluttershy and Twilight shared a smile at this, the sight of Pinkie Pie being... well, Pinkie Pie was a sign that things were okay... at least for the moment.

~~~

Fluttershy and Twilight reached the first shop, pressing their eyes against the glass as they tried to see into the darkness inside. Still, the blinds on the shop windows had been pulled down... and not just on the first shop but every shop on the street had windows that were blocked. Any hanging signs were also missing as well, vacant chains left dangling in the cool night air. It was like something was trying to hide the record shop from them.

“How are we supposed to figure out which shop is which if we can’t see inside?” Twilight wondered aloud, Fluttershy only able to offer a shrug before they heard the crash of breaking glass behind them. The pair spun, expecting to see a Taken. Instead, the sound originated from the far side of the park, where Rainbow Dash and the others were standing by the broken glass of a window.

“Oh, I do hope she doesn’t keep doing that.” Fluttershy said, “The shop owners around here won’t be happy when they find all their windows broken.”

“Yea, but it is a quick way to get into the shops.” Twilight admitted, her horn starting to glow. “But, let’s see if I can’t be a little more subtle.”

The purple unicorn stuck out her tongue in concentration, stretching out her magic to the lock on the shop’s front door. It took a couple moments, but a gentle clicking noise reached Twilight’s ears and soon after the door to the shop swung open.

The two ponies poked their heads inside, looking about the shop as their eyes were greeted with bouquets of flowers. A flower shop, not a record shop. Still, Twilight would have probably felt like the luckiest pony in the world if they had managed to find the record shop on the first try. Closing the door, she and Fluttershy moved back out to the sidewalk and down to the next shop as another crash of glass reached their ears, Rainbow Dash once again using a rock as a more forceful way of getting into the locked businesses.

~~~

A hardware store, a restaurant, and then a bookstore. Twilight and Fluttershy checked four of the eight shops on their side of the street. On the opposite side of the park, their friends were already working on the sixth and seventh shop, Dash going off on her own to search while Pinkie Pie and Rarity stuck together.

With another resounding click, the fifth shop on their side of the street opened, Twilight and Fluttershy moving inside. Again, it was not the record shop they were looking for. It was, instead a pet shop, and for the first time all evening Fluttershy charged ahead of Twilight.

“Oh, you poor things! Left all alone in the dark with all those scary things outside.” Fluttershy cooed, moving to the animals. “Don’t you worry, there’s nothing to be worried about.”

Twilight was once again impressed by Fluttershy’s ability to connect with small furry animals. The many dogs, cats, fishes, birds, lizards and other animals around the room all seemed to gravitate to her, looking utterly relieved that the yellow pegasus was there.

“Fluttershy, don’t you think we should go check the next shop?” Twilight asked, moving forward a bit as she happened to glance in one of the cages... taking a few quick steps away from it when she realized there was a snake inside.

“Oh no! These poor animals look like they haven’t been fed since yesterday. We need to at least make sure they have enough food and water.” Fluttershy replied before she turned her head to the back of the room, where one animal was continuing to panic. It was a bird in a cage, the avian in such a panic the cage itself was rocking in the air.

“Listen; that poor birdie is totally terrified. She’s probably been under that cage smock since yesterday.”

At that the yellow pegasus trotted to the back of the store, Twilight following slowly. Normally, the pegasus would have taken flight to take the fabric cover off the cage, but since her wings were currently holding lanterns Fluttershy resorted to jumping up onto the counter.

Reaching out to the swinging cage, Fluttershy used a hoof to stead it. “Don’t worry little birdie, it’s all right. Just let me get the smock off that cage.” With that she took the fabric cover of the cage in her teeth, giving it a pull.

With the cage cover gone the bird inside was revealed to be a raven. The blackbird continued to flap its wings in a panic before letting out a single, deep... unworldly caw. A caw that startled Fluttershy so much she tumbled off the counter, crashing to the floor. The pegasus herself was uninjured, but the lanterns she had been carrying broke against the hard floor, falling dark.

Twilight turned her horn on the raven, the cone of light striking the bird and with a final deep caw it burned away, like it had only been a shadow.

“Where... where did it go?” Fluttershy asked, using a hoof to push up Applejack’s hat. There was a moment pause, both ponies staring at the now empty case before a loud crash made them both jump. Twilight spun, her eyes focusing on the source of the noise. The front door of the pet shop had slammed shut.

“No... no no no nononononono!” Twilight said to herself in a panic, rushing to the door. She tried to use her magic to open it, but cringed as she felt something lash back at her. Putting her light on the door, the unicorn saw the door frame itself was wrapped in darkness, trembling and shacking as if possessed by a demon.

“Twilight!” Fluttershy called, the yellow pegasus running to the unicorn as she turned. The back door of the shop had just been burst open, a tall shadow wrapped stallion easily as large as Big Mac having just ran in. He was carrying a broom handle that had been snapped at both ends, leaving only sharp wooden spikes as he continued to barrel at the two mares.

Twilight used her magic to shove Fluttershy out of the way before jumping clear herself, the Stallion crashing into the front door. The force of the impact startled a number of the animals in the pet shop but the door itself holding strong.

“Oh, ssshhh, it’s okay.”

“It is not okay Fluttershy!” Twilight called, focusing her light on the stallion as he lumbered towards her. “You need to leave the animals alone and get that door open.”

“But... but...”

“Fluttershy!”

The yellow pegasus jumped, glancing first at the door and then at the scared animals. “I’ll be right back.” She promised, galloping towards the door, the light from her head lamp starting to burn away the shadows. It was slow, but Fluttershy kept her head turned towards the door so the light could continue to work.

“Come on... hurry... oh, please hurry.” Fluttershy said, the sounds of the fight between Twilight and the stallion reaching her ears. In the back of the shop, the unicorn kept jumping clear of the Taken stallion’s attacks, the lumbering behemoth taking large swing at her with the broken broom handle. The shadows on the stallion were burning away way too slowly; Twilight doubted she’d be able to keep dodging him long enough for it all burn away.

The broom handle clipped Twilight’s left shoulder, leaving a scratch deep enough to draw blood. The unicorn winced, backing into a corner of the shop as the Taken stallion loomed over her like death itself. The situation was desperate, and while she knew it would strain her magic she began to build up as much light as she could. The stallion was lifting the broom handle to strike, lingering just a bit as if wishing to savor the final moment.

Twilight unleashed the burst of light she was building when the stallion began to swing the broom handle. The shadows around him burnt away almost instantly, but the stallion himself remained. He stumbled back, but was still there... and let out a guttural roar before charging at Twilight again.

Had the unicorn been a moment slower she would have been trampled beneath those massive hooves. Still, she managed to roll clear, the stallion crashing into the animal cages. Scrambling, Twilight galloped back to the front of the store. Fluttershy was still keeping her headlamp focused on the door. The shadows were almost gone, but it would still take a bit longer to burn them all away.

The stallion had recovered, already heading towards the pair of mares. Twilight began to build another burst of light in her horn, gritting her teeth as she felt herself starting to strain her magic. She wouldn’t be able to pull off another large flash for a while, it was just too much effort, but at the moment it was their only chance.

The spell was ready when the stallion was within inches of the two, drawing back his broken broom handle to strike. Twilight unleashed the light magic, and in that single flash the stallion hollered in pain and faded away and the front door of the shop disappeared completely.

“Oh, Twilight... that was amazing.” Fluttershy offered, only for Twilight to collapse on the floor a moment later. Fluttershy bent down beside her friend, helping the unicorn back to her hooves.

“Are you all right?”

“Yea... I just can’t cast that spell very often. It takes a lot of magic to build up an explosion of light like that.”

“Well, at least we’re safe now. Yep... we’re all safe.”

“AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”

Twilight and Fluttershy turned, looking through the now open door frame of the shop. Outside, the night was dark and a hard wind was tearing at the park. A flock of ravens circled and swooped, their dreadful caws joining the harsh rhapsody of the wailing wind.

“That... that was Rarity...” Fluttershy said.

“YYYYAAAAAHHHHHH!”

“Pinkie Pie!” Twilight uttered, her voice filling with panic.

“HHHEELLLPPP!”

“RAINBOW DASH!” The pair said in unison, charging out the front door of the pet shop.

They saw lights flashing in two different shops, the windows from one illuminated with two different sources of light while in the other shop the light seemed to come from a single source. The lights in the two shops were moving and darting around frantically, as if the ponies carrying them were running for their lives.

Fluttershy and Twilight each took a shop, Fluttershy flying to the farther of the two shops while Twilight charged up to the nearest. Her horn glowed, the unicorn reaching out her magic to rip the door right off its hinges. Still, her magic was cast back. Like the door of the pet shop, the door was encased in shadows.

Twilight tried to focus the light from her horn as best she could, her own headlamp helping to burn the shadows away from the door more quickly. Still, it was taking time, and the unicorn could hear the panicked hoof movements and crashes from inside.

“No... stay away!” Rarity barked from inside.

“Hey, you leave my friend alone!” Pinkie Pie retorted, only to yelp in pain.

“Pinkie Pie!” Rarity called, a few flashes of light emanating from inside the shop.

“Don’t worry girls, I’m coming!” Twilight called, focusing all the strength she could muster into her light spell. The shadows on the door, however, continued to burn away painfully slow. Twilight was forced to listen as the struggle inside the shop continued. Still, it sounded like things weren’t going well for Rarity and Pinkie Pie.

“Rarity, look out behind you!”

“Wha-AH!”

Twilight’s concentration broke, the light from her horn burning out. One of the sources of light in shop had gone out, and she heard Rarity scream one final time. It was followed by a cry from Pinkie, hers more one of rage. Twilight could almost picture the party pony charging at the Taken inside the shop, trying to save Rarity... but within moments of that cry her light too went out... the shop totally dark.

The unicorn’s headlamp finished off the last few traces of shadow on the door, and without a thought of her own safety Twilight barreled in. She built up all the light magic she could in her horn, crying out through tears and rage as she released it all. The shop was completely blanketed in light, all the Taken inside being burnt away in an instant. Still, it was too little too late.

Twilight casted her eyes about the room, using her own headlamp to search, but there was no sign of Pinkie Pie or Rarity. They were gone... just like Applejack. They had been taken into the darkness.

Hopelessness began to build in Twilight, the unicorn struggling to stay on her hooves, knees shaking. Three of her friends gone... gone forever. It hadn’t even been a full day since the horrors had started and she had already lost three of her best friends. How long would it be before Fluttershy and Dash were gone? How long would it be before she was Taken as well?

Twilight’s heart skipped a beat, her eyes turning back outside. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash; they were still fighting. Before she even realized it, Twilight was on her hooves, galloping out back outside and down the street. Fluttershy was bucking at one of the windows of the shop, calling out to Rainbow Dash.

“Hold on Dash, I’m coming.” Fluttershy shouted, again trying to buck at the window but lacking the strength to make it break.

“Fluttershy!”

“Twilight!” The pegasus called, wincing a bit as the wind outside gusted. The pegasus didn’t even notice as Applejack’s hat flew off of her head, getting tossed into the darkened skies.

“Dash is trapped inside; I can’t touch the door and something is attacking her.”

“I know, stand back.” The unicorn answered, turning her attention across the street. Her magic was mostly spent after three of the light flashes, but she had enough to levitate. Twilight picked up a wooden cart, and with a twist of her head made it barrel at the shop window. The cart burst through in a shower of glass, knocking down a number of Taken inside along with some shelves.

Dash flew out a moment later, having ditched her lanterns so that she could use her wings.

“Thanks for the save!”

“We’re not out of the woods yet! We need to get someplace safe, NOW!”

“But what about Pinkie Pie and Rarity? Were you able...”

Fluttershy didn’t need to finish, Twilight hanging her head. Still, the trio couldn’t mourn their fallen comrades for long as Taken began to clamour through the broken window towards them. The trio made a run for the park, but saw that the Taken were all around them. The shadow clad stallions and mares were coming out from behind every bush, every tree; it was an army of Taken.

Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash stood back to back in the center of the enclosing horde, their head lamps causing a few of the Taken to fall back but unable to keep them all at bay.

“Dash... Fluttershy... you need to leave. Fly out of here, go to Canterlot and get help.”

“We can’t leave you!”

“You can’t carry me either. You need to get to Canterlot fast. Maybe the royal guards can do something.”

“But what about you?”

“You can’t worry about me.”

“Yes, we can. We aren’t going to leave you Twilight.” Dash said, putting a hoof down. “We’re staying right here. Isn’t that right Fluttershy?”

“Y... Ye... Yes.” Fluttershy added, even though she was shaking like a leaf.

Twilight grunted; she appreciated what her friends were doing but they needed to leave, they needed to escape. If they didn’t, then all the ponies who knew how to fight the darkness and the Taken would be gone. One of them needed to survive, if only to warn the rest of Equestria... that’s if it wasn’t already too late.

The Taken were close now, just a few more steps and they’d be ready to strike. The sky above was thick with ravens, so even if the pegasi had chosen to depart Twilight doubted they would have gotten very far. They were surrounded on all sides.

Twilight struggled, trying to summon one more flash of light from her horn, but it was too much. She had expended too much magic, pushed herself too far. She could hardly have lifted a book at the moment, let alone conjure enough light to hold back this many Taken. They were defenseless, their headlamps practically useless against so many of the shadow wrapped ponies.

“Hay, I just want to say... it’s been awesome.”

“Don’t talk like that, Rainbow Dash. We’ll get out of this.” Twilight tried to argue, but her voice quivered and failed. She wanted to believe they had a chance, but... the hope was withering in her chest. They were surrounded, her magic was spent, and all they had for light were some cheap general store headlamps.

The Taken crept forward, inching in on their trapped pray. The three mares pressed back against each other, trying to keep what distance remained between them and the shadowed ponies. The eyes that fell on them were filled with murderous intent, they would attack within moments.

It was at this point, as Twilight’s eyes danced about the scene, that the unicorn felt the last strand of hope in her heart snap. This... this really was it... despite how much she’d deny it. They had failed... it had proven to be too much. They’d never be able to save Celestia or Luna... save any of their friends. They would be taken... and Equestria would be swallowed up in darkness.