//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: The Spark in the Night // by heavens-champion //------------------------------// PROLOGUE “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!” The agonizing screams of Rainbow Dash, captain of the Night Guard, echoed throughout the torture chamber. It had only been a few hours ago since she allowed the mysterious alicorn and her dragon to escape back to their timeline before Nightmare Moon could use the map, and now her princess was personally submitting her to a grueling punishment. She could feel the dark magic coursing through her veins, burning her from within. It felt like she was being torn apart from the inside. The blue pegasus could feel painful spasms throughout her body, causing her to writhe, as the dark blue aura enveloped her like mist, azure bolts of dark magic arcing across her body. She gazed upon Nightmare Moon. The black alicorn’s face was contorted into an expression of rage, her eyes burning with anger. Rainbow Dash learned to fear her princess’s wrath a long time ago. She saw her submit many of those who failed her to all kinds of punishments, all of them horrifying and cruel in their own way. She herself had feared that she would one night be on the receiving end of Nightmare Moon’s punishments. But she never thought that it would happen now, at this very moment. She let out another screech of agony as pain shot through her body once more. “Princess,” begged the pegasus, tears forming in her eyes, “Please! Stop! I-I’m sorry! We tried to catch her, but…” “But you failed!” Shouted Nightmare Moon, her eyes blazing with a white light. The pain in Rainbow Dash’s body intensified, causing her to scream again. Soon, tears of pain ran down her cheeks. She gritted her teeth, trying to fight back the urge to scream once more. “Please, Princess.” She pleaded. She wasn’t normally one to beg, but this was different. She had seen what happened when Nightmare Moon was angry, and the results were unpleasant. It frightened her. Terrified her, even. “That alicorn knew about the spell,” Nightmare Moon snarled, baring her fangs. “With it and her map, I would have found the Elements of Harmony and destroyed them. But you let her and her dragon slip away, and now the map is gone!” Another surge of pain shot through Rainbow Dash’s body. She tried to resist the urge to scream, but failed. She felt like her lungs would burst at any moment. “It happened so fast,” She cried. “By the time we came to our senses, they were already gone! Princess, please! I beg of you! Give me another chance! I won’t fail again! I promise! Please!” There was a tense silence, until Nightmare Moon relaxed her expression. The aura surrounding Rainbow Dash disappeared, and the young pegasus fell to the floor in a heap, convulsing slightly as dark magic jolted through her body for a few seconds. She looked up to see Nightmare Moon giving her a glare that could terrify even a dragon. “Normally, I would sentence you to a more severe punishment, Captain, as I did to your subordinate,” She said, her voice low and full of danger. Rainbow Dash swallowed hard, fear in her eyes. But then, the dark alicorn smirked. “But then, I would have to find another pegasus of your caliber to lead the Night Guard,” She continued, “And such ponies are hard to find. After all, that’s why I made you my greatest warrior. Your speed, willpower, and strength are second to none but myself. And that’s the kind of pony I would want on my side, rather than as an enemy.” Rainbow Dash struggled to stand back up, groaning as every part of her body ached. She forced herself to look up at Nightmare Moon. “Thank you, Princess,” She managed to say. “You have no idea how honored I am to hear that.” Nightmare Moon chuckled softly, her sinister expression unchanged. Rainbow Dash swallowed nervously. Ever since she had come to serve Nightmare Moon, she was unnerved by her princess’s laughter. It sounded so… unhinged; As if a thousand years of imprisonment had driven her to madness. Of course, she did her best to hide her anxiety whenever her laugh echoed throughout the castle. After all, what would ponies think of the notorious Captain Rainbow Dash if she showed a hint of fear? It would certainly damage her pride. “And because of your attributes,” Nightmare Moon continued, “It would be a waste to condemn you to a fate worse than death, like I had done to your subordinate.” Rainbow swallowed, her eyes betraying a glint of fear. She remembered the other guard, who also attempted to capture the mysterious travelers before they made their escape, begging for mercy before Nightmare Moon cast her most terrible spell upon him: The Slumber of Fear, a spell that placed the victim in a comatose state, in which they experienced horrific nightmares. The last victims of the spell long before tonight’s events were a unicorn couple who attempted to rise up against Nightmare Moon. They had been kept in the dungeon ever since, kept alive by Nightmare Moon’s magic. She would not let starvation claim them. She wanted their suffering to be a long one. Deep down, Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but pity them. Yes, they had risen up against the Princess, a fact that angered her greatly. And yet, she felt sorry for them. Ever since she became the Captain of the Night Guard, and Nightmare Moon’s greatest warrior, she served Nightmare Moon with pride, and anypony that stood up against her was an enemy in her eyes. But, ultimately, her heart would not allow her to be cold to their suffering. Although, she did well hiding it. She was an excellent actress. Nightmare Moon, however, could tell she was troubled. The dark alicorn approached the young pegasus, placed the tip of her ethereal mane under her chin, and lifted her face up until she gazed into her draconic eyes. “Something wrong, Captain?” She asked, her smirk replaced with a frown. Rainbow Dash stared into her eyes. She could see the anger in those eyes. Anger… and sadness. There was a tense silence, until it was finally broken by the pegasus mare. “No, princess,” She lied. “Nothing at all.” Nightmare raised her brow, unconvinced. Rainbow’s ears flattened against her skull, fear building up inside her once more. She was worried that Nightmare would subject her to another painful dose of her magic. She already suffered tonight once. She couldn’t bear to suffer another wave of unimaginable pain running through her body. She heaved a heavy sigh in defeat, closing her eyes. “It’s about the Slumber of Fear,” she muttered, her voice full of sadness. “It just doesn’t seem right, using it on other ponies, like those two unicorns in the dungeon.” “Are you defending my enemies?” The question carried a hint of anger. “N-n-no, Princess! I’d never do that!” Rainbow Dash stumbled upon her words. “It’s just, what if they go insane? All of those nightmares plaguing their dreams? Sooner or later, once they wake up, they might not be themselves anymore.” Nightmare Moon was silent as she pondered the words of her most faithful soldier. True, there was a chance the victims would lose their minds. She couldn’t be adored by her subjects if they were too busy giggling like mad ponies. After a few seconds of contemplation, she glanced down at Rainbow Dash. “Let me worry about that for now, Captain,” She said, nonchalantly, “In the meantime, you should focus on redeeming yourself for tonight’s mistake. Perhaps you could supervise the operations in Canterlot, make sure all the sun spells in the archives were destroyed. We can’t leave anything for any dissidents to use.” Rainbow Dash’s ears perked up. It sounded strange that Nightmare Moon would be worried about a rebellion. Ever since she returned and banished Princess Celestia to the moon and the unicorns from five nights ago, Rainbow Dash couldn’t fathom the idea that there would be ponies who would rise up against her. “Dissidents, Princess?” She asked. “But after those two Unicorns—” “Do you really think that only two ponies would remain loyal to my sister?!” Nightmare Moon interrupted, causing the pegasus to shrink back in fear. She was like an abused foal being yelled at by her parents. Rainbow Dash mentally hit herself for annoying the Princess. This just isn’t my night, she thought. The young pegasus slowly shook her head. “N-n-no, Princess.” She whimpered. “Of course not,” Huffed Nightmare Moon. “If two ponies stood up to me, then there’s no doubt there are other ponies who stand against me.” She narrowed her eyes. “Ponies who love her more than me.” She snarled. Rainbow Dash could hear the anger and resentment in her voice. “I have waited a thousand years to finish what I started, and I won’t allow rebels to ruin it for me. That is why you must go to the Royal Canterlot Archives, and destroy every sun spell within. Without such spells, any potential rebels will have no means to undo my night. Only I will be able to raise the sun.” She then smirked, a smug expression creeping across her visage. “And I’m not going to.” Rainbow Dash nodded as she processed her Princess’s speech. Ever since becoming the Captain of the Guard, she made sure that she heard every order Nightmare Moon gave her. “Now then,” Nightmare Moon continued. “While you’re out gathering your squadron, I will retire to my quarters.” “Yes, Princess.” Said Rainbow Dash. With that, the dark alicorn turned and walked out the door, leaving the pegasus. Rainbow Dash looked down to see her discarded helmet and picked it up, the helmet concealing her face, save for her mouth, as she put it back on. The young pegasus sighed as she left the torture chamber, her body still aching from the dark magic she was subjected to. As she walked down the hall, she looked out the window to see the moon. The image of a mare’s face was imbedded upon its surface, the moon itself in bright colors. It was on the moon where Equestria’s original ruler was now imprisoned. Nightmare Moon had banished her there as revenge for the same sentence she had been given a millennium ago. How ironic, Rainbow Dash thought, that the Princess of the Sun would receive the same punishment that Nightmare Moon did. The pegasus scoffed, eyeing the pastel-colored moon, or rather the Mare in the Moon, with contempt. Ever since she became the Captain of the Guard, Nightmare Moon told her that the Princess of the Sun was nothing more than a vain and egotistical despot, who left her subjects unprotected while she enjoyed her life of luxury. All that changed when Nightmare Moon returned to liberate Equestria from her reign. Since then, Equestria was subject to an era of perpetual darkness. For a long time, unicorn scholars had said that without the sun, Equestria would freeze. Thanks to Nightmare Moon’s magic, such a problem was avoided. Of course, her subjects had to pay tribute to her to make sure the light crystals remained lit, so their crops would continue to grow. Those ponies who did not would face the consequences. Still, such a rule was preferable to the apathy that plagued the rule of Celestia. Rainbow Dash mentally kicked herself for even thinking that name. Ever since the beginning of Nightmare Moon’s reign, it was forbidden to mention the Sun Princess’s name. The last pony to mention her name was banished to the Everfree Forest. When that alicorn’s dragon mentioned her, Rainbow was worried that Nightmare Moon would sentence them to a similar fate. She was surprised she took it very well. Then, Rainbow’s eyes narrowed. That alicorn. She did this to her. Because of her, Nightmare Moon was beginning to doubt her abilities. She made a fool out of her. She humiliated her. And nopony humiliated the Princess’s greatest warrior. Next to defying Nightmare Moon, it was the greatest mistake anypony could make. The prismatic pegasus bared her teeth in anger, a quiet snarl escaping her lips. “I’ll make her pay,” She hissed. “She’ll regret she ever came here!” “Who will regret what, now?” Asked a sophisticated voice. Rainbow Dash snapped out of her state of anger and turned to face the source of the voice. Standing in front of her was a unicorn mare. She had a light gray coat and cerulean blue eyes, as well as light blue eye shadow. Her violet mane was curled into a bun, as was her tail. She wore the black and light blue suit and purple shoes of the Castle’s Royal Servants. Rainbow Dash recognized her as Rarity, one of Nightmare Moon’s maids. She looked at her with a concerned expression, as opposed to her usual tense expression. Rainbow’s stunned expression eventually changed into one of indifference. “It’s nothing, Rarity,” She muttered, turning away from her. “Don’t worry about it.” Rarity, however, was unconvinced. She quirked an inquisitive eyebrow. “You and I both know that isn’t true.” She said. The young pegasus heaved an annoyed sigh. She hated it when Rarity pried, and after tonight’s fiasco, she wanted none of it. “I said, it doesn’t concern you,” She snarled. Most ponies would be intimidated by Dash when she was this angry, but Rarity would not. To the unicorn, it made her look incredibly immature. “It’s about that alicorn, isn’t it?” She asked. Rainbow’s eyes widened beneath her helmet. She sighed again, though out of resignation rather than annoyance. “Yes.” She said, her voice dripping with irritation. Rarity smirked, pleased that she managed to get the Captain of the Guard to tell her what was troubling her. The pegasus faced her, a frown on her face. “Another guard and I were the closest to the map,” She said. “We tried to catch her, but she and her dragon used the map to escape, and after the light faded, the map was gone before Nightmare Moon could use it to find the Elements. After that, we were brought back to the castle. The other guard was sentenced to the Slumber of Fear, while I faced Nightmare Moon’s Aura of Agony. If she didn’t favor me so much, I would have suffered much worse.” “Yes,” Said Rarity, barely a hint of pity in her voice. “I heard her ranting about that earlier. I suppose Her Majesty will have to find the Elements some other way, now.” Rainbow nodded her head in acknowledgement. “Still,” Continued Rarity, “It was rather strange that an alicorn other than the Princess would be wandering around the castle. Especially an alicorn with a… dragon.” She spoke the last word as if it was the worst thing anypony could say. Indeed, ever since the beginning of Nightmare Moon’s reign, dragons were considered as loathsome as they were dangerous. When Nightmare Moon had driven all the dragons back to their land, the ponies of Equestria were relieved. After what many came to call The Grand Eviction, Nightmare Moon had used her magic to create a barrier that prevented any dragon outside of Equestria from entering. Of course, there were still those dragons within Equestria’s borders who managed to escape the Eviction. But they were too weak to pose a threat. Rainbow gave a slight chuckle as she remembered the dragon. “Yeah,” She said. “A pony and her baby dragon. That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.” Although, deep down, she felt a pinch of guilt for saying that. After all, Nightmare Moon threatened to harm the dragon if the alicorn didn’t take them to the map. Dragon or not, to face Nightmare Moon’s fury was a fate worse than death. “So,” She heard Rarity say. “What mission of redemption has the Princess sent you on, after your failed attempt to capture our mysterious guest?” Rainbow Dash turned to face her completely. “The Princess believes that there’s a chance of a rebellion against her since those two unicorns five nights ago,” She said. “She’s asked me to oversee the destruction of every sun-related spell in the archives in Canterlot. She believes that will hinder any attempts to topple the regime. Personally, after last night, I don’t think anypony would be crazy enough to start a rebellion. But I’m in enough hot water as it is, especially after that alicorn humiliated me. I’ll take any chance to prove that I’m the greatest warrior in Nightmare Moon’s inner circle. I will prove my loyalty!” Rarity rolled her eyes. “Are you sure you’re doing this for the sake of Equestria and not for the sake of your wounded pride?” She asked. Her eyes widened when she realized her mistake. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash got up in the unicorn’s face, her eyes burning with anger beneath her helmet, which made her look much more menacing than without it. A small, frightened squeak escaped Rarity’s lips, her pupils shrinking to the size of pinpricks. “Do you doubt me?” She asked in a deceptively calm voice. Rarity didn’t answer. She was too frightened to. “Do. You. Doubt me?!” Rainbow repeated, her voice rising in volume, removing her helmet and showing her angry visage. “No! Of course not, Captain,” Yelped Rarity “It’s just that I’m worried that after tonight, you might not be in any condition to---” “I’m not doing this for me,” Rainbow interjected. “I’m doing this for Equestria! If there is another rebellion waiting to strike, I won’t stand by and let them bring back Ce--” -She caught herself before she could say the name- “The other princess! Did it ever bother you when the dragons infested Equestria, and the Princess of the Sun did nothing about them? Do you want to live under her rule again?! Do you?!” Rarity was silent, frightened by her friend's outburst, but she shook her head in reply. This was the first time Rainbow’s anger had ever intimidated her. Then again, she had never seen her this angry since the day her foalhood friend was believed to have died in the first rebellion when Nightmare Moon returned. The young pegasus calmed down, heaving a deep sigh, her steely gaze softening as guilt began to rise. “I’m sorry, Rarity,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “It’s just that so much has happened. First, two unicorns tried to start another rebellion, then an alicorn comes out of nowhere talking about somepony named Starlight Glimmer changing history, then she talks about her and her friends defeating Nightmare Moon with the Elements back in her world, and now the Princess doubts my abilities after I let her and her dragon escape.” Rarity remained silent for a moment, and then she nodded. “I understand,” She said. “And I’m sorry. I was being cold. Of course, that’s what happens when you try your best to keep Nightmare Castle nice and organized and go completely unappreciated for your attempts.” Resentment could be heard in her voice. It was true. Ever since Rarity was made a servant in Nightmare Moon’s castle, she made it her duty to make sure the castle was in the most presentable shape possible, especially when ponies came for a tour, from arranging tapestries, to cleaning the carpets. Of course, her deeds went unnoticed. The Night Guard, in particular, except for Rainbow Dash, treated her as nothing more than a slave. They would even intentionally drop food on the floor, making her have to wash it again despite finishing five seconds earlier. To say it frustrated her would barely scratch the surface. Infuriated her would have been much more accurate. Rainbow managed a small smile. “If it helps,” She reassured. “I appreciate what you do. Besides, somepony has to clean up after Night Watch and Vigilance. Seriously, sometimes I think those guys are pigs disguised as bat ponies.” The two shared a chuckle at Rainbow Dash’s little joke. It made Rarity feel better that at least Rainbow Dash appreciated her work. Rainbow Dash then placed her helmet back on, her smile turning into a determined frown. “Now if you’ll excuse me,” she said, “I have a job to do.” “Of course,” Said Rarity. “In the meantime, I’ll be performing the ever-so tedious task of rearranging tapestries. Sometimes, I wish they could rearrange themselves.” Rainbow nodded, and continued down the hall, leaving the unicorn to her own devices. The cyan pegasus continued to think about recent events, particularly the alicorn from before. Who was she? What did she mean when she said that she and her friends defeated Nightmare Moon? The pegasus snorted. What did it matter? Because of her, she was walking on thin ice with the Princess, the very pony she looked to for guidance, like a filly looked to her mother for guidance. It angered her, knowing that she had disappointed Nightmare Moon like that. But with this new mission she was given, a task to prevent any potential rebels from gaining any means to oppose Nightmare Moon’s reign, she saw an opportunity to prove herself to the princess; an opportunity to restore her honor. True, she was doing this for Equestria, but deep down, she wanted to prove her worth. After all, she wasn’t made Captain of the Guard for nothing, and she would prove that she had earned that title. I’ll show them, she thought, her magenta eyes narrowing, I’ll show them all. However, unknown to her, an earth pony mare wearing her own night maid uniform had listened in on the two’s conversation. She narrowed her eyes as she entered a separate room, pulling out a light blue crystal from her uniform collar. She held it close to her lips and spoke into it. “Sweetie Drops to Princess Cadance. I have some vital information.” *************************************************************** Meanwhile, in an abandoned library in Canterlot, a young unicorn had made her hiding spot, after the Night Guard had taken her parents five nights ago. Here, she had lived, with only rats and mice to keep her company, using magic to create food from thin air. Since that night, she hid herself, occasionally sneaking into Canterlot Castle to find new books for her to read and new food to eat, careful to avoid the Nox Legion regiment stationed to serve as Canterlot’s city guard. Alas, it wasn’t enough to fill the hole in her heart. Ever since she had failed the entrance exam, her life had taken a downward slump. She had isolated herself from the rest of the world, with only her family to comfort her. And now, her parents were prisoners, and her brother was missing. She had nopony left. She was alone. Her blood boiled when she remembered that night. A squadron of pegasi barged into their home, accusing her parents of treason. There was a tussle, Twilight and her brother were told to run, and then one of the guards knocked over a lamp, causing a fire to break out. She and her brother were separated by the flames, and their parents were eventually taken. She had last seen them being taken by the Night Guard into the direction of the Everfree Forest, where Nightmare Moon’s castle resided, where a fate worse than death awaited them. A quiet snarl escaped Twilight’s lips, her hooves trembling with anger. “Nightmare Moon…” She muttered quietly, anger rising in her voicing, “Night Guard… Nox Legion…” She then let out an enraged growl as she slammed her hooves against the floor, startling a few rats. Her lavender eyes were filled with rage. “I hate them!” She bellowed. “I HATE THEM ALL!”