//------------------------------// // The Only Chapter // Story: The Night // by Bookpony579 //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle ran through the forest as fast as she could, which wasn't easy since the rain made it hard to see through her glasses. I can't believe I didn't notice these clouds earlier! She mentally chided herself for going off by herself during her friend's camping trip. She was so caught up in the sights and sounds of the forest that didn't pay attention to where she was going and didn't notice the storm clouds until she felt the first few drops. Now she was lost, soaked through, and freezing, but she persisted on, hoping to come across a cave or something that she could use as shelter until the storm passed. What she did not expect to see was a castle peaking over the trees. She headed towards it and found herself face to face with an old, eerie castle in the middle of the woods. Twilight was surprised for a minute but the loud clapping of thunder along with another wave of rain reminded her of where she was. Realizing this was no time for questions, Twilight rushed up to the castle door and let herself in, making sure to leave the door just a little open behind her so it wouldn't get stuck. Now safely out of the rain and wind, Twilight set her backpack down and tried to dry off as best as she could while examining her new surroundings. The hallway was dark, of course, but the occasional flashes of lightning through the windows lit it up revealing the high ceiling, the unlit torches lining the walls, the curtain-doors leading to other rooms, and two gargoyle statues that seemed to be guarding the front door. At the end of the hall was another door with a balcony above it as though the person who built it wanted to greet their guests with style. Where did this place come from? From all the books and maps she had studied before coming here, there had been no mention of any castles whatsoever. The castle itself had a sinister atmosphere. Twilight felt a chill run up her spine, as though someone was watching her. "H-Hello? Is anyone there?" Silence was her only answer. "I-I didn't mean to trespass, but I just needed to get out of the rain!" Once again there was no answer, and Twilight felt silly for thinking there was anyone there at all. Despite the nice state the castle was in, it obviously was abandoned. Better call my friends to let them know I'm safe. She pulled out her cell phone, only to groan to find that she had no signal. Must be because of the storm... She sighed and decided she was just gonna have to wait until the storm passed before trying to find her way back to the campsite. Thankfully she always carried a book with her just in case. She pulled it out of her bag and sat down against the wall to enjoy it. Twilight hoped it would distract her from the castle's creepiness. High in the castle, a figure was getting ready to meet his surprise guest. He put on his black cape, top hat and checked himself over in the mirror. The creature in the glass appeared to be a mix of various animals with a lion's paw, a cloven hoof, and a bat wing just for starters. His yellow eyes with red pupils seemed to glow at the prospect of finally meeting the girl. He had seen her as she was running in the woods and was immediately entranced by her appearance. Her indigo hair with pink and purple streaks reminded him of the twilight sky. Her skin was the color of lilacs and her violet eyes, hidden behind thick glasses, sparkled like the stars. Oh yes... he knew then and there that she was meant to be his and so he had revealed his castle to her. He chuckled as he grabbed a nearby cane and made his way down the stairs to greet her. He arrive at the balcony at the end of the hall where the girl was. She appeared to be so absorbed in her book that she hadn't noticed him. He grinned and snapped his fingers, and one by one the torches in the hall lit up right after one another. This is what got Twilight's attention as she looked up in surprise at the seemingly self-activating torches. When she got up and looked down the hall, her eyes went wide as she finally saw the creature standing on the balcony. She was both awed and terrified by his freakish appearance. The creature chuckled at her reaction and swiftly jumped down from the balcony to just a few feet in front of her, still smirking. Twilight gasped and took a frightened step back, not taking her eyes off him. The creature in turn, kept his eyes on her. "Hello there my dear." He said in a smooth voice that did little to reassure her. "H-Hi..." was all she managed to choke out. The creature chuckled again at her fear. "I would like to personally welcome you to my castle." Twilight blinked at this before finally finding her voice. "I-I'm so sorry for for breaking in! I-I just got lost and then it started raining...!" She rambled in a trembling voice. The creature just waved an...eagle claw? at her words. "Oh don't worry about that my dear! In fact the only reason you saw this castle at all was because I allowed you to!" "Huh?" Was all Twilight managed to get out. "Oh yes. You see, I saw you running through the rain and decided to lend you a helping paw." He said, promptly raising his lion paw for her to see. "O-oh..well thank you, then." "Your more than welcome!" He said, bowing and straightening up. "My name is Discord. Now would you do me the pleasure of giving me your name?" "I-It's Twilight. Twilight Sparkle." "Twilight Sparkle..." Twilight shivered at the way it rolled off his tongue. "A beautiful name for a beautiful girl." Twilight blushed at this despite her fear. Discord's eyes examined Twilight in a way that made her shiver again. In his terrifying eyes, Twilight could see power, playfulness and trickery with a dose of...something else when he looked at her. Something that made her heart skip a beat. I need to get out of here! "Um..well it's been nice meeting you, but I think the rain's stopped and I really should be going...." She turned around...only to find herself face-to-face with Discord, still wearing that same unsettling grin. She shrieked and jumped back. "Oh I'm sorry my dear, but I'm afraid I can't let you go." "W-what...?" She whimpered, backing away from the creature. "You see....it gets so lonely in this castle all by myself. I sure would enjoy someone to share it with me..." This seemed to be the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back as Twilight quickly took off running away from him. Unfortunately just before she reached to the door, Discord once again teleported right in front of her. Discord used his cane to knock the book from Twilight's hands. It landed a few feet away with some pages flying out of it. Twilight looked at Discord in terror as he simply leaned forward on his cane and gazed at her. Twilight immediately took off for the exit. Thank goodness I left it open! Unfortunately with a quick snap of his claw the front gate shut and locked. Twilight desperately tried pushing and pulling on it, but she was now trapped inside. "Open! Open! Please open!" Discord approached her again and before she could run off, he held out his cane and a length of fabric shot out of it and wrapped itself around Twilight's wrist and started dragging her toward him. "No! No! NO!" Twilight managed to unwrap her wrist and tried to run again, only for the fabric to wrap itself all around Twilight from her neck to her feet. Suddenly the fabric seemed to explode leaving Twilight unharmed, but now in an off the shoulders light and dark blue gown decorated with stars with opera gloves and a hair clip to match. Her hair was styled in an elegant bun and her makeup was perfectly done. Strangely, even though her glasses were now gone, she could see just fine. She felt a tugging at her waist and saw that she was being dragged back towards Discord. Twilight tried to fight against it and free herself, but it was no use. She quickly found herself face-to-face with Discord once again. Discord was grinning sinisterly again when a bright flash of light temporarily blinded Twilight for a few seconds. When she opened her eyes, he was gone, but she was also floating above the ground with no control of her limbs. Looking around she saw that she was attached to marionette strings with Discord controlling her from up on the balcony. Discord sung her around for a little bit, like a puppet master playing with his dolls. While he was enjoying himself, Twilight was terrified. Swiftly she began biting and tearing at the strings, breaking them until she was finally free and fell to the ground. Discord was shocked, to say the least. Discord jumped down from the balcony and tried to grab her, but Twilight was too quick and swiftly escaped through of the curtains. Discord just sighed and rolled his eyes before chasing after her. Why must she be so difficult? Twilight was running up a flight of stairs as fast as she could in her new shoes. Come on! Come on! There has to be another exit somewhere! However, just as she reached the top of the steps, Discord was there, waiting for her. He grinned and gave a little wave before pulling a lever on the wall. The steps folded into a slide which Twilight slid down on, screaming all the while. Discord slid after her. Eventually Twilight found herself running through a series of long hallways with Discord right on her tail. "Please! Just leave me alone!" She begged. He only laughed at this. "Oh come now! I just want us to have a little fun together..." Twilight certainly did NOT like the tone he was using. Coming upon another hallway, Twilight quickly hid around a corner before Discord could see. He quickly moved past her hiding place and further down the hall. Twilight gave a little sigh of relief and kept going. Why does this have to happen to me? She continued running and eventually come upon another door. She quickly reached for it... Yes! ....but just before she made contact, a lion paw quickly grabbed it and turned her to face a grinning Discord. "Oh I don't think so!" Twilight found herself spun around in a waltz as Discord forced her to dance with him. She struggled to get away but he was too strong. Somebody help me! As she was dipped down, she could see all around the hall. At the top she could see chandeliers every few feet lighting up the hall way, and at the end of the hall above a statue was the rope keeping them in place. Twilight got an idea. Perfect. She then began dancing willingly with Discord and throwing herself into the waltz, much to his surprise. Twilight managed to step away from him and beckoned him down the hall. Discord look shocked for a second before grinning maliciously, pleased that she was finally accepting this. He quickly followed after her, tossing aside his hat and cape along the way. When he reached her, he grabbed her before pushing the statue aside and sitting her on top of the pedestal, just below the rope. Twilight stretched her arms above her head as discord began undoing the strings of her dress with one hand while pushing up her skirt with the other. Twilight desperately reached her hands up further until she finally grabbed hold of the rope. She pulled on it as hard as she could. The chandeliers began shaking. Discord looked away to see what was happening, seizing her chance, she grabbed his can and smacked him with it as hard as she could, knocking him directly underneath a falling chandelier. All Discord could do was look up and utter: "Oh buck..." Twilight closed her eyes as several loud smashes echoed through the halls. Opening her eyes, Twilight saw several fallen and destroyed chandeliers, with no sign of Discord. She gave a sigh of relief, it was all over. Finally... Twilight made her way through the halls until she finally found the one where she had first entered this nightmare castle. She headed straight for the door. The girls are not going to believe what happened to me tonight... Well, at least Rarity would like the dress. She reached to grab the handle... *grab* ....only for it to be once again snatched by a lion paw attached to a grinning and still very much alive Discord. Twilight felt her heart stop in her chest as he opened his mouth: "And just where are you going my dear? The fun is just getting started!" As the rain retreated and the sun began to rise, a loud scream could be heard from the castle just before it disappeared from mortal view once again. The End.