//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Ponyville Nightmare // Story: Equestrian 'Hero' // by InsaneMan //------------------------------// Amazing is a too little word to describe what I saw in this new town. What I saw were ponies trotting or flying around everywhere. I just stood in awe at what I saw, pegasus flying moving clouds or delivering mail, Unicorns/Earth ponies talking or standing nears stalls, kids running and playing, adults watching them. All the while me, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, AKA the Cutie Mark Crusaders, was looking for the pony that Rainbow told us to prank. I know being in Ponyville could get me in trouble, but I wasn’t going to past this opportunity up, no way. We were all on a roof looking down, smiles on our face as we searched. Apparently, RD’s kind of pranks are getting a cloud and zapping the ground to scare ponies, amateur. I just shook my head at that, ‘She needs to learn from someone whose been doing it for a long time,’ I thought as I continued searching. I did see a violet unicorn with dark violet mane and tail, with pink highlights, and a 6 star cutie mark. And a purple baby dragon with green scales. The unicorn’s mane was all fluffed up from Rainbow’s speed. I watched as she walked in a tree house. And I mean a literal tree house. I look at the hot sauce in my hands and smiled, knowing that was our target. It took us a while, the crusaders needing help to get off the roof, but we finally made it to the house. I look to see a window and silently jumped on the window sill. I saw a whole lot a ponies in there. My eyes caught 2 particular ponies in there. I saw 2 fillies walking around. One was pink with light purple and white mane and tail, a tiara cutie mark, and a tiara in her mane. The other one was grey with grey and white mane and tail, wearing glasses, and a silver spoon as a cutie mark. I smiled, ‘I’ll deal with them later,’ I thought as I looked for my victim. Finally, I found her talking with Pinkie Pie. I silently, went under the table she was standing near. Don’t ask me how I wasn’t spotted, I don’t know that myself. I quickly put the hot sauce on the table and sneaked back outside through the window. I look back and saw the unicorn pouring the hot sauce into her cup. I chuckled, leaping out into the bushes. I look up to see the sun was going down and, after saying goodbye to the crusaders, headed home. I walked in, saying goodnight to the others, and headed to bed, ready for a good day tomorrow. The Next Day Well, this is not what I expected. You know how I said tomorrow would be good? Well, I was very wrong. I woke up this morning, knowing the others were at this Summer Sun Celebration, I headed towards the building. I was happy because, no one was outside to see me so, I could walk around freely. It wasn’t until I heard a giant explosion and rushed towards the building where it was coming from. I quickly burst through the door and saw a dark blue alicorn with a night sky colored mane and tail. It looked like there were stars in her mane and tail. Her eyes were cat like and she was now staring right at me. “Well, look who we have here. A lonely human lost in my town,” she said with a chuckle. All of the pony’s eyes were now on me as I slowly walk forward. I noticed little whispers here and there but, my attention was on her. “Who the hell are you?” I asked her. She cackled evilly, “You don’t know who I am?” I looked at her, not smiling, “Yeah, I just asked you that. This is where you tell me who you are and why you’re here,” I said sarcastically. She just glared at me as I smiled. “I am NIGHTMARE MOON!!” she bellowed, scaring the ponies. I covered my ears because, god damn she is loud. I glared at her, uncovering my ears. “So, are you trying to scare me or blow out my eardrums? Because you’re kinda doing the latter,” I said sarcastically. Her glare just seemed to increase, as she looked at me. “I know who you are boy. You have potential that you don’t even understand. You can either join me, or stay here and share the same fate as everypony else, Trystyn,” she said. Before I could ask her how she knew my name, she tossed me a weird looking pendent and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Just as she left, panic broke out in the room. During the panic, I noticed the purple unicorn run out and decided to follow her. I had to jump over a bunch of ponies before finally escaping the chaos. I followed her into the tree house and saw my other friends talking to her. “Are you a spy?” I heard Rainbow say to the unicorn. As I entered, everyone looked at me. “Well, look who it is,” RD said, charging towards me. She was stop by a tail grab from Applejack. I noticed the unicorn stomped towards me, clearly furious. “What are you doing here?” she asked. I rubbed the back of my head, “Well, after Nightmare Moon disappeared, I saw you run out and decided to follow you. Also, why are you so angry at me?” She seemed to get even more angry, “Because, you’re working for her!!” I looked at the others as they glared at me. I look back at her and deadpan. “I don’t know how you got that idea. But, I don’t work for her. She seems to know about me but I don’t know much about her.” She pointed at the pendent, “Then why did she give you that?” I looked at the pendent taking in the details of it. It look like some kind of black monster fighting a white creature. In the middle was a lock. I turned it around and the words, ‘The Truth Lies In Darkness,’ was carved in it. I shook my head, telling her I don’t know. She rolled her eyes, “Whatever, the point is, she is out and you’re the only one she knew by name.” I was about to argue with her, but she had a point. I sighed, “So, what’s your name and how do we stop this pony?” “My name is Twilight Sparkle, student of princess Celestia,” she pointed at the baby dragon looking for a book, “That is Spike, my #1 assistant.” She looked back at me, “And how we are going to stop her is with the Elements Of Harmony,” she said. “The Elements Of Harmony,” the others said in unison. “Yes, Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty, and a unknown 6th element,” Twilight explained. Spike then came running with a old looking book. “So where are these ‘Elements Of Harmony?” I asked, unsure of what is going on. Twilight then looked through the book and her pupils shrunk. “They’re in the old castle...in the Everfree Forest,” she finished, horrified. The others gasp at that while I just stood there confused. “So, it’s in a forest with dangerous creatures?” I asked. Before Twilight and answer, a portal appeared and bunch of shadowed tendrils sprayed out, trying to grab her. I didn’t have much time to tell her to move. So, I rushed in front of her, the tendrils grabbing me instead of her. The tendrils quickly took me through the portal as my friends yelled for me. Another tendril shot out of the portal, still aiming for the unicorn. I aimed my hand and shot a powerful blast of fire at it. This seemed to do the work, as it quickly dropped to the floor and disappeared. I was happy, the last act before I die was saving someone’s life. Few Hours Later… The tendrils threw on the ground as we exit the portal. I shook my head and looked at where they had brought me. It looked like a miniature castle’s room but it seemed to have aged a lot. Vines were through broken windows, the carpet looked tarnished and dust was covering it, and in front of me was a weird sculpture covered in moss. There was symbols on the sculpture that seemed very familiar. Before I could get to know more of my surroundings, I heard a door open behind me and a chilling all to familiar voice in the room. “It seems I had capture the one I wanted to see.” I turned to see none other than Nightmare Moon trotting towards me. I stood up and asked bluntly, “What the hell do you want?” She continued trotting until she was right in front of me. She was a little taller than me, her muzzle just above my head, but I still wanted answers. She smiled sweetly, like someone who’s about to tell you bad news but doesn’t want you upset. Then she said something that took me by surprise, “I just want to talk.”