//------------------------------// // Prologue 1: Distorted Night (REWRITTEN) // Story: Equestrylvania Chronicles - Demon Child // by Reizthefakebrony //------------------------------// The night reigned over Equestria, silently blessing Canterlot. The stars populated the night sky, being their own heaven. Yet there was something bizarre in the air. It wasn't the blow of the wind, and it wasn't the prelude of a storm either. It was the cold breath of the night. A cold that was more chilling than the usual. Timberwolves hastily retreated upon feeling it, as if they were escaping the shadow of a predator far more ferocious than them. In the hour after the moon descended, the land waited in the silent of the night for the melody of the sun that followed its own radiance. But what broke the silence were brief, agonizing screams. Princesses screams. That chilling part was followed by a uncomfortable silence, that was then filled with the startled mumbling of the inhabitants who heard that. As the ponies of the city were looking out of the window, asking what happened, the cold breath instantly chilled their blood and made them retreat in fear, like they were threatened by a blade. The sun didn't came up and the night was deprived of the moon. The stars began to die off, seemingly killed. The violet nocturnal sky darkened, slowly , to the point that its color became almost close to the pitch-black. Suddenly, the whole Canterlot trembled frantically. The Castle and the other buildings of the city began to collapse at a very fast pace. Terrified screams echoed through the seismic chaos that was devastating everything around them. A few of them scream to Princess Celestia to save them, but she didn't appeared at all. Inside the castle, in the tower, the Night Guards rushed through the staircase avoiding the pieces of stone falling on them, knowing that Celestia went there to raise the sun. Once they reached, they found a closed door. They slammed it opened and stormed inside. They instantly froze in shock as their eyes feel on a unconscious alicorn laying on the floor, wrapped in a black liquid, exuding red electric jolts from her horn, which was strangely creepy for them. But more disturbing for them was her face, being stuck with agony and incredulity. Before they could even try to help her, the earthquake became even stronger. The floor beneath them suddenly inclined downward. The guard ponies found themselves falling in the doorway leading to the balcony, and then to the void. The body of their ruler followed them, unaware of the chaos that was destroying her sacred place. They weren't aware that wasn't just the tower that crumbled down. The entire Canterlot was falling down to the void, detached from the mountain by the quakes. Its inhabitants were dragged to their incoming death, helpless and screaming. The debrises descended toward the terrain, accelerating their speed according to the force of gravity. Like meteors, the pieces of what used to be the majestic city crashed violently on the forest at the base of the mountain, raising a curtain of dust as they were crushing trees, wild animals and most of their screaming victims. Crashing sounds echoed so loudly that they almost arrived in the neighbor places. Some of the rocky chunks ended up falling in the river and a few surviving animals abandoned their places to avoid the rockfall. Under the lifeless gaze of a imposed, sinister night, at the mountainside where Canterlot was standing, the earth was still trembling. Then, dark flames appeared from nowhere, engulfing the whole area. Something emerged from the blaze, adorned with a sinister intent. Once the thing entered into this word, the dark flames instantly dissipated and the trembling stopped, giving to Equestria the time to met its own, horrible new guest. A huge, imposing castle made in a grim marble, unfamiliar and unknown to the rest of that world was standing in the place of the jewel known as Canterlot. It entered into Equestria without It didn't belong to It didn't emanate any hope, warmth or majesty. It was a monument to something vile and everything else that goes against the harmony of the land, exuding emptiness, madness and perversion. The castle was engulfed by a oppressing, spectral mist that spread around the whole mountainside and beyond, rendering the chilling air more unbearable. That thing stood tall, silently gazing upon the landscape beneath the mountain. Its evil influence was craving to feast on the purity of the world in which it was in. Waiting for someone. Someone whose castle was tribute to. Its own master. A half minute ago. Hearing the screams echoing in the air, Twilight suddenly woke up with a start and rolled out of her bed. She went into the corridor and rushed toward the balcony. Once outside, her skin was met by a very chilling cold that instantly entered in her bone and veins. She shivered upon being stung by that feeling. However that was nothing compared to the sight that baffled her mind and shocked her like not other. Something about the sky felt horribly off, being almost entirely tinted in pitch black, adorned by few dark clouds and an almost thick fog. Disturbing enough, the moon wasn't there at all, and yet the night was still present without his son. It was as if the night became a completely different entity, made sinister and unsettling by the absence of moonlight. But what caught her attention was the silhouette of Canterlot in the distance, which suddenly crumbled and fell toward down, in front of her very eyes. Multiple, huge debris and the helpless inhabitants crashed on the forest beneath them, crushed by the force of gravity. Before Twilight could contemplate the tragedy that struck her hometown, something emerged in its place. Its killer emerged from there. Greeted by the dark fire, it made its form known, being castle engulfed in a spectral mist. A giant monument to everything that stands against harmony. A omen of doom and a symbol of depravity. Twilight froze in shocked horror, still shaken by the downfall of Canterlot. The majestic place in which she lived for a period, was now laying lifeless and shattered on the arboreal bed far away from her. Her thoughts were directed to her parents, her other friends, Princess Luna and her mentor, Princess Celestia. Her heart swelled with pure fury for what had been done to Canterlot. However, Twilight put that to a hold for another moment. She has far more pressing problems that she has to care of. "I have to alert the whole Ponyville and my friends," Twilight said with high concern as she rushed inside. "I don't know what is going on but I have to do something, as soon as possible!" Running around her own castle, Twilight made her way to the library. In her arrival, something unexpected coldly greeted her. She went wide-eyed by the shock upon seeing an almost devastated Celestia laying unconscious on the floor. Her wings being almost tattered, her rainbow ethereal mane being partially burnt and her horn being almost scorched. "PRINCESS CELESTIA!!!" Rushing toward her to help her was her only sane reaction. The dice were already rolled and nopony could predict the results or even the number of the sides that they had. One certainty was took for granted. That was only the prelude to the madness.