Circa 1042 After Nightmare's Banishment (A.N.B.), Hour and Day Unknown; Castle of the Two Sisters...
The shade carrying the broadsword sank into the ground. It popped up right in front of Crystal. Nightingale pulled out her mother's katana to try and block an attack. However, the shade made no swing. It dropped the broadsword at the unicorn-changeling's hooves. It also produced a belt and a sheath from inside of itself.
Crystal blinked at the gifts. "Who are you?"
A whisper echoed, everywhere and nowhere. "This one has neither name nor life. It acts upon the last will of the blade's owner. If the owner were to be captured by the enemy, this one was to deliver the weapon to his second-born foal. The first one was like it, and was to carry the spouse's weapon to their first-born. But the shades are not meant to leave this world, forcing the first one to cease to be upon leaving."
Nightingale gasped while glancing at the katana. "That's why it was lying down outside the mirror on the other side!"
"Where are the owners of these swords now, Shade?" Crystal picked up the items in a levitation and went about properly equipping them.
"That knowledge is beyond this one. The message and weapon have been delivered."
The shadowy figure seemed to be carried away by wind. It broke into smaller and smaller pieces before vanishing entirely. Crystal sighed and his gaze turned to his sister. Nightingale sheathed the katana and nodded.
Smolder put her clawed hands into a make-shift 'T'. "Whoa, whoa, what the flame was that? Why did you act like a creepy dark creature was no big deal when it handed you a sword?"
"That does seem like the kind of story where the forces of darkness have a catch to their power deal." Krusty stared expectantly at the siblings.
"Well, I've seen Dad use them before for smaller things." Crystal shrugged. "They made for a fun distraction in the backyard for us when a plumber had to work inside the house."
"I asked Mama about Papa's powers." Nightingale fiddled with her wings in front of herself. "Some time after they met each other, Papa got called into an expedition of sorts. On that expedition, he kind of died, but not really. So, one of the side effects of that was having a little more in-touch with death magic, summoning dark familiars, and even a portal to a specified individual through time and space, provided he already met said creature."
Krusty scratched his head. "This is a lot to just take in."
"If he can make a portal, why couldn't he just come find you guys?" Smolder crossed her arms.
"That shade mentioned that Papa had been captured, by a necro-lich." Nightingale gently patted one wing against the other. "Their death magic field might be interfering with his own power. Papa can send things, but not summon them back."
Crystal nodded. "And they've clearly got enough magic to keep Mom and Dad in separate places, else she'd be able to free him with one hoof tied behind her back."
There was a howl in the background of the forest. The siblings were pretty sure the culprit of the noise was a timberwolf.
"We should probably continue this conversation some place with less wild animals." Nightingale shook her wings to about half their full span.
"Please, I could just incinerate a pack of timberwolves." Smolder grinned.
Krusty held up a hoof. "Actually, I recall that they can regenerate, even from ashes."
Smolder hunched over in disbelief. "Oh, that is buffalo crap!"
Nightingale sighed and spread her wings. "Welcome to the Everfree Forest."
Crystal shape-shifted into a copy of Nightingale. After that, the four took flight along the path that lead out of the forest. With the sky unable to fully commit to day or night, it was difficult to tell how long the trip took. They passed a rushing river, a bunch of dead trees, and a cliff face. Finally, after seeing several patches of ferns, mushrooms, and blue flowers, they found themselves outside the edge of the forest. They slowly landed to walk.
Nightingale wasn't sure what she expected. Old stories of Discord after his first release from stone said that he discombobulated the town beyond recognition. Colors and patterns were supposed to be randomly swapped around. Objects were supposed to breathe and animals were supposed to swim through materials in which such an action was impossible. Gravity and sound were meant to be all mixed up under the reign of chaos. None of those descriptors quite matched up with what she laid her eyes.
Ponyville was still recognizable as a town. But there were patches of moss and mold overgrowing the rooftops. Several windows were broken, and wooden boards were falling off. Light posts were toppled and barrel fires were standing. In other words, it was a classic version of age destroying an abandoned village.
'Normal' didn't fit the picture of Discord taking over.
Crystal shifted back to his default form. "This is somehow more unsettling than what I expected."
Nightingale nodded. "I guess we can start at our house. They're not there, but it's better to make sure right away."
"Lead on, little pony." Smolder looked at her expectantly.
---
Hour Unknown; Ponyville...
The pegasus filly was happy to see that her house was still standing. She was a bit disheartened that it had the same neglect as the rest of the town. Those feelings were put on pause when she saw the front door. It was bent inward and the upper hinge was completely ripped out of the doorway. She motioned for the others to be quiet as she slowly approached the entrance.
When she peeked around the door into the inside of the house, Nightingale saw some vertically slit eyes. A diamond dog jumped out of the darkness toward her. Nightingale yelped as she was pinned to the ground. Claws dug into her sides. She tried to kick the mutt off, but her hooves couldn't connect.
Crystal ran forth and lit up his horn. A curved, green barrier shot forward. This spell knocked the diamond dog away, eliciting a high-pitched whine. Crystal rushed to his sister's side to help her up. But some growls revealed three more diamond dogs leaving the house. At the same time, the first one recovered itself to join its pack.
It was about then that the siblings noticed something unusual about the bipedal canines. Parts of their heads were ripped open, showing off their gray matter. They were also foaming at the mouth. Faster than they could say "zombies", the cursed dogs were leaping at them all at once. Crystal put up his barrier spell.
A yellow hoof roundhouse kicked one dog in the head. An orange tail smacked another dog across the chest. Nightingale and Crystal perked up as they watched Krusty and Smolder kick some keister. In a flash of blue, there were two Smolders slashing with their claws. The original spat out a couple fireballs, blowing off a couple undead heads. Her copy whipped around before slicing a couple necks.
Crystal lowered his barrier and sighed. "Are you alright?"
"I'm a bit sore." Nightingale's wings held firm against her shoulders. "Did they break skin?"
Crystal looked her over. "No bite marks, but you're bleeding."
Smolder adjusted her harness. "Honey, get her some bandages. I'm going to make sure the rest of the house is clear. If you see fire or hear an explosion, that'll be my signal that there's trouble."
"But... alright." Krusty rummaged through the duffel bag on the ground. "Just come back to me."
"I always do." Smolder smirked before charging inside.
Krusty pulled out and opened a med-kit. He pulled out a couple of small, white packages, cotton, and a tiny vial of rubbing alcohol. "This is going to sting a little, but I need you to hold still."
Nightingale slowly nodded. "Okay."
As Krusty went about cleaning the cuts, Nightingale grit her teeth. Her wing hugged Crystal with enough force for him to stare forward without blinking. Meanwhile, Krusty had already moved to putting band-aids over the red gashes. When Nightingale opened her eyes to look, the job was done.
"Thank you," she said.
"You're welcome." Krusty smiled at her.
"Could you let me have some air back?" Crystal wheezed.
Nightingale released him. "Sorry! Sorry."
A window on the side of the house slid open. Smolder hopped out and flew around front again. She nonchalantly tossed a grenade up and down before putting it back on her pouch.
"Aside from some broken furniture, the place is empty." She crossed her arms. "It's a shame too. I was half hoping for an excuse to blind some fools."
Krusty shrugged. "Well, never look a gift pony in the mouth. Now, we can set up temporary base here."
Smolder glanced over. "As long as that's alright with the residents."
Nightingale blinked. "Oh, uh... yeah. I guess that's okay."
Crystal nodded. "Yeah. Let's take a few minutes to rest inside."
---
Nightingale went for a short trot through her childhood home. A flashback let her see a casual bubble bath. The little filly splashed her father in his eyes. He yelled out as he hurried to find a towel and wipe the soap out. Her concerned cooing brought him back, to absolve her guilt. At the end of the memory, she saw the current mold lines and the broken porcelain.
A stop by her bedroom sparked another memory. It was a Hearth's Warming Day. She and her little brother had gotten a plush doll each, one puppy and one kitty. They held their toys up to each other and hugged it out. Present Nightingale sighed when she lightly patted the headless cat. Its stuffing had been scattered by scavengers some time ago.
Passing by the door to the basement, there wasn't so much a flashback so much as her ear flicking. Her mother often went down with two band mates. One would play drums and one would play keyboard while her mother sang. Nightingale pulled the metal chain near the stairs. She was surprised when the basement's lights turned on like normal.
She lowered her hooves one step at a time until something creaked on the fourth stair. She opted to glide the rest of the way down. The drum set and the keyboard stand were right where her mother's band had left them. They were both covered with tarps. She turned to stand with her tail facing the instruments. In her head, she counted imaginary beats while steadily waving one of her feathers.
~Every trial a mountain, every mistake a trench
Why oh why do we try? Might as well take the bench
It's called giving it all up, because it's so easy to do
But that's the devil's doubt, there's so much more to life for you~
She could see it so vividly now. Her mother was on stage in front of a standing microphone. The colt drummer was nodding his head as he tapped out a supporting rhythm. The mare at the keyboard was practically dancing with just her front hooves. Several unicorns in an audience were lighting up horns to glow in the night.
~There... is one who is power
There... is one who is King
His name is Wonderful Counselor
His is The Way, The Truth, The Life
He's my
Friend~
She was sitting with her brother and her father in the front row. All three were smiling as they watched.
~There are times we go hungry, there are times that we hurt
Thrown some place that's so different, lose sight of what we're worth
Darkness keeps on calling us, 'cause the storm is marching here
Don't give your demons an inch. There is still somebody near~
Nightingale opened her wings to their full span. A wind brushed past her and her mane. Her cutie mark flickered. Translucent phantoms of a white snake and a black dove appeared. The snake slithered in a circle around her hooves while the dove hovered above her head.
~There... is one who is power
There... is one who is King
His name is Wonderful Counselor
He is the Way, The Truth, The Life
He's my
Friend~
---
Smolder looked out the window and up at the sky. "Uh, are you seeing what I'm seeing?"
Krusty tilted his head while looking out. "If you mean the clear blue sky and the choreographed pegasus ponies, then yes."
Crystal ran over to the basement's door. "Hey, Night! You've got to come see this!"
Nightingale blinked twice and rubbed her eyes. "Huh?" She flew above the stairs to the first floor. "What happened?"
There was a loud boom that rattled the windows. Some of them even broke out of the frames and fell to pieces on the ground. Nightingale and Crystal ran over to look up and outside. A huge semi-circle of colors rushed through the sky. There was a collective utterance of awe.
"There's no mistaking what that means, right?" Krusty smiled wryly.
"Rainbow Dash is back in Equestria." Nightingale waved her wing around for emphasis. "Possibly all of them are coming back."
"The last battle with Discord is about to start." Smolder chuckled. "What say we get going too?"
"Where do we go?" Crystal raised a brow-less spot above his eye.
The dragon cracked her knuckles. "Maybe we can beat some answers out of him as soon as the Element Ponies take him down a peg."
Krusty tapped her on the shoulder. "I love your enthusiasm, Smoldy, but he's a master of chaos. He'd probably use the opening to make you start hitting yourself."
"Do you have a better idea?" Smolder held a hand to her hip.
At that point, several ponies and a few other creatures galloped by. Somehow, their united force made the grass look greener and the streets cleaner. The air felt lighter yet also fuller than it had a moment ago.
"The ponies and their magic!" Nightingale curled up one wing and hit it against her other, open wing. "It's dispelling some of the death magic! This could be our chance, Crystal!"
"Our what?" Crystal looked at her weird before opening his eyes fully. "Oh! That! Wow, it has been literal ages since we've done that."
Krusty turned away from the window. "What's on your mind, teens?"
Nightingale and Crystal held each other's hoof. They gently pressed their foreheads together while Crystal's horn pulsated a bluish light. In a sort of aether space, the siblings floated through a wide tunnel. They forged ahead to the other end and pinged.
Dad! Can you hear us?
---
???
There can't be any pony else here. It's just me. I don't have a family or friends anymore. They're all gone.
There was only void surrounding him. Whispers filled his ears with nothing but crippling emptiness. There wasn't a single living thing left that would care to free him from this prison. Yet... the illusions of hope still kept tapping. He had already lost his sanity, right? What else did he have to lose by answering?
The windigo, guarding the chained up changeling, coughed profusely.
Dad! It's me, Crystal! Where are you right now?
Crystal? The corners of his mouth twitched in his sleep. My little colt, how've you been? Are you okay? I don't remember who was supposed to foal-sit you tonight.
Papa, we can talk about sitters later! Please, just tell us where you are!
Night? His ears swiveled. Is that you? You sound different. Did you catch a cold?
This is our little hive mind and it's been a few years, Papa. Can you describe your surroundings?
I... huh... that's weird... His hoof shook against something. It's too dark for me to see anything. Normally, I don't have that kind of trouble.
Try opening your eyes.
My eyes? After a few seconds of fighting heaviness, he managed to move his lids to where his eyes could see through small openings. Then, they snapped open. "What the chitin?"
The changeling took stock of his surroundings. It was a large, chamber room. The rocky floor, walls, and ceiling were all covered in ice. His front hooves were strapped up against one of these frozen walls with dark magic chains. That was right! He started to remember... the rotten necro-lich that struck a deal with Discord and trapped him here!
Close to the ceiling, a windigo was making some mixed noises. It sounded like a cross between a whinny and a cough. The changeling remembered the old pony's tale. Windigoes were attracted to hatred, disagreements, and cold hearts. But the warmth of love suffocated them. So...
Hey, kids! You up for a field trip? He smiled and pictured the face of his daughter.
A portal appeared soundlessly, perpendicular to the floor. Before the windigo could make another sound, a pegasus filly, a unicorn-changeling colt, a shiny yellow changeling, and a young orange dragon all jumped into the chamber. Love and care practically radiated from the newcomers. The windigo let out one last neigh before getting driven to lifeless particles.
"Papa!" Nightingale called out and flew up.
"Night?" Her father stared widely. "Wow, you weren't kidding about the years. You grew up so fast."
"Hang on, happy father!" Smolder flew up to about their current height. "Let's get you out of those."
Before he could ask, the dragon was breathing a stream of orange fire at the chains. After a few seconds of concentration, the links melted apart. Nightingale and Smolder caught him just as he started falling. He tried moving his wings, but they were whipping kind of slowly. They brought him down to the floor, currently covered in a lukewarm puddle of water.
"What's aching, old-timer?" Krusty shuffled through his duffel bag. "I think we've still got a few painkillers in here."
"I'm sorry, have we met before?" He tilted his head.
"Ah, where are my manners?" Krusty chuckled. "My name's Krusty. This is Smolder. We met your children in the other world."
Slowly, he nodded. "Nice to meet you. I'm called Zephyr Ward." He gasped. "What am I doing? Night!" He hugged tightly to his daughter. "Holy cow, you've really grown up!"
Nightingale used her wings to hug him back. Her hooves were a little constricted at that moment. "Glad to see you safe again, Papa."
He blinked twice. "Didn't you say I hadn't popped yet to get that title?"
"Well, reality kind of popped around us all." Nightingale sighed happily. "I think you've earned it."
"Hey, Dad." Crystal levitated the sheathed sword over his shoulder. "I think this looks better on you."
"My son." Zephyr reached over and pulled his other child into the hug. "Oh... did that mean old draconequus hurt you?"
"Eh, I just had to spend a few years on the streets after high school." Crystal smiled and shrugged. "No big deal."
Zephyr tilted his head. "High school?"
"Long story." Crystal shook his head. "We'll have plenty of time for those later."
Nightingale managed to eventually pull out of the hug and straighten out her limbs. "Papa, do you know where the lich took Mama?"
Zephyr took his sword and equipped it. "I know a quick way we can find out." He held out his hooves, but wheezed abruptly. "Oh, crap... didn't think I was drained that much."
"Hey, don't sweat it, pal." Smolder waved her hand dismissively. "Opening one portal like that is pretty impressive, considering you should logically be a vegetable right about now."
"Even more impressive since you can somehow use that magic without a horn." Krusty nodded.
Zephyr scratched his head. "Well, it is and it isn't magic. Augh... wish the guy who taught me that technique was here. He'd be able to explain it better."
Krusty shrugged. "As long as you have some idea of what you're doing, that's good enough." He eyed him over. "You know, aside from a missing horn, you seem identical to the old model. Would it be possible to get your strength back by feeding on love?"
Zephyr shook his head. "The last time my wife fed me, it felt like it should have been enough to last for the rest of my lifetime, plus a portion to feed my foals until they were older. I sort of swore off feeding on love ever again."
"And yet you feel drained?" Smolder crossed her arms. "Sounds like this necro-whatever's power is no joke. You sure you can't eat just enough love to get back to a decent strength level?"
Zephyr actually looked a little angry. "Unless you're suggesting I force-feed off my own children, there's no pony here that would be able to provide that love."
Krusty and Smolder took that moment to kiss each other deeply.
Zephyr's anger was instantly replaced by a blink surprise. "You?"
The two held each other, hoof in arm. Krusty grinned. "We've got love to spare."
He scrunched his face in uncertainty. "I don't know..."
Smolder whipped her tail to the left. "Hey, I can punch you to stop if you're worried about taking too much. How's that for an insurance policy?"
"Hmm..." Zephyr looked down in thought. "Alright, I guess this qualifies as a reasonable emergency. Are you ready? I can't really gauge what you'll feel once I start."
Krusty nodded. "Go for it, Z.W!"
The pegasus-changeling took a few steady breaths. His eyes stared off into space as his tongue flicked out. A small stream of pink flowed from both the dragon and the yellow changeling. As the stream flowed into Zephyr's throat, there was a faint white aura around his whole body. About three seconds after the stream had started, it cut off.
He exhaled as his aura dimmed. "That was... delicious."
Smolder shivered a bit. "Ew, I've got goosebumps."
"Felt kind of tingly." Krusty chuckled nervously. "Hey, you still 'like me', like me?"
"Is my fire breath hot?" Smolder snorted out a puff of smoke.
Krusty lightly tapped the dragon on her chest. "Oh, you."
Smolder pretended to chew on Krusty's ear.
"Ah ha ha! Sweetheart, not in front of the kids!" Krusty laughed loudly.
Nightingale and Crystal had already put up one hoof each to cover their eyes. Zephyr trotted around the puddle to stand next to his children.
Zephyr cleared his throat. "So, uh... ready to see your mother again?"
"Right after I drown myself in this millimeter deep water." Crystal shook his head. "No, but seriously."
"Yeah, I've got something to return to her." Nightingale tapped her wing against the curved sheath.
Smolder and Krusty managed to compose themselves. Zephyr mentally focused on an image of his wife. Upon doing so, a new round opening in space appeared inside the rocky chamber. Nightingale and Crystal hopped through it first. Smolder and Krusty flew into it after them. Zephyr hopped into the window just before dispelling it behind himself. The portal closed, leaving an empty chamber.
---