——- Canterlot Palace - Night
Luna wakes from her duties in the world of dreams with a start, a cold sweat coating her body. Her mind is racing from the encounter with that thing, that being that sleeps as rumored within the dark where no mortals can reach. If what it said is true, then she and all the others were very wrong. The bodies, the ruins, everything is the work of another monster lost to the mists of time. Something even that being, that somehow virtuous abomination that refers to itself as the Dark, thought long dead.
And she and her sister had just sent a platoon of royal guards-ponies deep into the ruins to find more information before she left to investigate the dream realm. With the information she has gained, a terrible realization dawns on Luna.
She can’t help but whisper aloud in a trembling voice, “Dear Faust, we and our sister have sent those ponies...by the heavens we may have sent them into the very maw of the monster itself.”
Unable to stay still, the Princess of the Night hurries to make arrangements. In any other circumstances she would be wary of words from one known as “The King of Woe and Lies”. However the reason that she had chosen to believe it is due to the circumstances behind their meeting.
You cannot lie in dreams, and as that creature spun its story she saw it all. Everything it spoke of was reflected as true in some way. Even the things it chose to not detail, all of it was real. The horror of that alone causes her to pick up her pace. Luna can only hope she isn’t too late.
———- The ruins
Far beneath the ruins in an old town somewhere in Equestria, a platoon of guards marches through catacombs. Laughing and joking about, the ponies are blissfully unaware of being watched and followed. A glint of gold shimmers upon the armor of the pony guarding the rear, a young unicorn with a pale blue coat and yellow mane and tail. Startled, he glances behind him only to see nothing but blackness beyond the flickering magic light.
“Yo, Sky Lights you see anything back there?” Shouts a rather boisterous and large framed earthpony guard stationed on the rear left flank of the platoon. His sandstone colored coat contrasting severely with his pink and red mane, a jovial expression mirrored by two red eyes.
Sky Lights turns his attention towards the stallion, rolling his eyes as he catches up to the rest of the platoon.
“Yeah Neon Cliff, I saw your identical twin from Manehatten in a gorgeous glitter coated outfit just trotting along behind us swaying his hips.”
The earthpony Neon Cliff just stares slack jawed in shock at the sky blue unicorn. “I never told you about Glimmer Cliff. Sky Lights, buddy, why didn’t you tell me you were friends with him?”
An equally shocked Sky Lights states back and responds sheepishly. “Actually I was making that up. Thought I saw something shimmering out of the corner of my eye, turns out it was nothing.”
Neon Cliff snorts before chuckling, as the platoon moves deeper into the catacombs. “Well your joke hit close to home man. I really do have an identical twin like that, well his mane is much brighter than mine. He’s also just completely fabulous if you get my drift. Best brother a stallion could ask for though, you would not believe the amount of martial arts skills he can pull of in hoofheels.”
Sky Lights just blinks slowly before shaking his head, his mane sticking our from his guard helmet in tufts. “Are you joking Neon? Because this just sounds like too much to be true..”
The sandstone coated earthpony flashes his friend a grin, “Nope. Not joking at all buddy. Glimmer Cliff, stage name Glimmer Nights, really is my identical twin brother. He’s a master of defensive combat, and nightlights as a trot n dale and burlesque performer in Manehatten. He’ll be stopping by in a week if you want to meet him. Don’t worry, he’s bringing his stallionfriend along so he likely won’t hit on you. Much.” Neon Cliff winks mischievously at his friend, as the rest of the platoon breaks out in laughter.
Another unicorn stationed further up fun the line shouts back, “Oi Sky Lights, I didn’t know you rolled that way in the Hay!” His deep green back shaking with giggles.
His face beet red Sky Lights shouts back, “For your information I roll both ways, and my barn door opens both ways too Meadow Path! Though I prefer fems myself.”
The entire platoon can’t help but break out in friendly chuckles at this, a red and blue earthpony mare adds her piece while trying to keep a straight face.
“Well Meadow, what do you think? Should we introduce Sky Lights to one of your ex’s from the Night Guard? After all you broke up with that one because she wasn’t buff enough for your tastes.”
The green unicorn responds in mock anger “How dare you insinuate that Rave Light would ever go for a unicorn like him Earth Rush. She was just too classy for me that’s all.”
Earth Rush shouts back with a laugh, “That’s not what she told me Meadow, but whatever helps you get over her...”
The jovial banter continues as the platoon continues to move deeper into the depths of the abandoned tunnels and catacombs. The talk eventually turns to the topic of the mission at hand, leaving raunchy humor and jests behind. The deeper they go, the more Sky Lights can’t help but feel like something else is in the caverns with them. But no matter how much he checks or how often, nothing is there.
Then again, he hasn’t looked up in quite some time. If he had, perhaps he would have spotted the golden glimmering light that is barely visible against the darkness of the catacomb walks. A light that has been following them silently for some time, and an impossible set of teeth set in a hungry grin that grows wider as they go ever deeper into the darkness before them.