//------------------------------// // Weird Séance // Story: The Real Nightmare Knights // by Bigwig6666 //------------------------------// “Mm hmhm mhm...” Tempest Shadow hummed a familiar tune to herself as she buttered the second slice of toast she had made for herself, glad to be out of her ectoplasmic gak stained uniform and in from the cold autumn wind. Her freshly made hot cocoa sat on the counter, to which she carefully picked it up and took it over to the lounge, setting it down on the table and then went back to retrieve her food. Not having a working horn and thus unable to use magic had never stopped her from enjoying the basic amenities most unicorns afforded, like simply holding more than one thing at once, so she had learned to live--for all intents and purposes--like an earth pony, even if she took a bit longer than normal. She pulled the collar of her dressing gown close to her and moved back through to the other room, where her fellow Knights waited for her to finish getting herself sorted out. Her slippers, as pink and fluffy and as much a juxtaposition to her short temper as her equally pink and fuzzy dressing gown, made quiet and padded hoofsteps as she moved, until she eventually sunk into one of the comfy chairs currently going unoccupied. All of the Knights wore the same type of dressing gown--at this point it was much their uniform as their actual uniform. All were pink, fluffy and, in a word, cute. Even Tirek, the mighty magic-eating centaur wore one as he sat with his hooves up on his extraordinarily large chair and ate a cupcake topped with multicoloured sprinkles. Chrysalis sat idly and with a bored expression as Cozy Glow excitedly tapped her hooves together and inched forwards on her little bean bag. In front of them, and the source for the filly’s excitement, was an old black and white television set with an old horror movie currently playing. “Really, now this is just ridiculous,” the former queen muttered bitterly. “Do we really need to have a ‘movie night’?” “Princess Twilight said we need to spend more time together to become a more effective team,” Cozy replied, speaking in a monotone voice as if she had practiced it. She perched on the edge of her bean bag, with her eyes firmly affixed to the screen. “She said one of the things she and her friends did was a movie night, and besides, we might pick up a thing or two from watching something with ghosts in it, couldn’t we Tempy?” “We are not friends,” the changeling growled under her breath. “We’re co-workers.” Tempest grunted and noisily crunched her toast. “What is this, anyway?” she asked. “Drag Me To Tartarus, apparently,” Tirek sulkily responded with folded arms and a huff as he ate his own snacks. “An insult to my former cellmates if you ask me.” Cozy rolled her eyes and waved a hoof at them, still refusing to turn around and look them in the eye. “I was a prisoner in Tartarus too, ya know, and I don’t think it’s offensive. Now shush, and pay attention, I can’t hear anything over all of your yammering.” Chrysalis rolled her eyes and inspected her hoof, finding more interest in herself than her comrades as usual. Tempest looked at them all in turn and sighed before taking short and quiet nibbles of her toast. Cozy was, of course, the youngest, but by far the smartest of the group. She was the thinker; it was her tactics that they typically followed when determining how to approach a situation. She formed the plans that ensured them victory after victory, or swift retribution if they ever failed. A vengeful mind tended to do that. Tirek, meanwhile, was their resident magic expert, being far older than any of them combined and having experienced the true denizens of Tartarus first-hand. On matters of the paranormal and supernatural, what he said was what they followed. If he said wraith, they prepped themselves for a wraith. If he said eldritch abomination, they fought an eldritch abomination. If he advised caution they were cautious--you get the idea. Chrysalis was something akin to a heavy hitter, shapeshifting herself into a smattering of various different creatures in order to battle with those abnormally large spectres and even able to take the form of one of the deceased loved ones, for when violence wasn’t the answer. Of course, Chrysalis being Chrysalis, this usually only ended up making the dead even more restless. There was Director Luna, formerly princess. Ever as calm and collected as when she was a princess--save for when she was chewing them out for causing her an ever-growing list of trouble. She saw to all the public relations the Knights had, treating everything she dealt with with a cold, ruthless and business-like like manner. Despite her outward frigidness, she cared deeply for the Knights as she did for all of Equestria, and viewed them all as proudly as if she was their mother--which in some ways, she was--having founded the Nightmare Knights and given all its members a purpose in life instead of either wandering the world aimlessly or being frozen in stone for all eternity. And last but not least there was Tempest herself. Their straight-faced, no nonsense leader, their drill sergeant, and their warden. She was given the arduous task of making sure they fell into line when needed, and she was the mare responsible for reporting directly to Director Luna on most matters, usually taking the brunt of her verbal onslaught for her team if they had warranted one. As much as she may have resented them at times, she would happily admit she enjoyed their company. They were the outcasts, the misfits of Equestria. Willing to do the dirty work nopony else wanted, or couldn’t, do. Not only that, but at one point they had all been enemies of Equestria, which made them perfect for throwing themselves at danger time and time again. In the commander’s eyes, and most of Equestria no doubt, they were... expendable, and thus forged a bond together, albeit one that would wain and tear in places at times due to their infighting. When it mattered, though, when their lives--and for a certain someone, their cushy jobs--were on the line, never mind that of Equestria, they worked as one unit, one single entity that took down ghosts, ghouls, and anything else in their job description with ruthless force and relentless anger. Tempest suddenly looked around and frowned, realising they were one member of their group short, the lesser known but equally as important fifth member of the Knights, even if she was only honorary and not an active ghist hunter like the rest of them were. “Where’s Jack?” she asked. Chrysalis waved a hoof at her with disinterest and picked at something in her mane. “Downstairs, somewhere. I saw that wretched creature struggle with a mound of papers when we came in.” “And you didn’t offer help?” “Why would I? She was doing her job. Unless you had an ‘ulterior motive’ for hiring a secretary?” The changeling batted her eyelashes at Tempest with a coy grin. Tempest simply scowled at her and pushed herself up and out of her seat, deciding to go and see if the young mare wanted or needed help. She set her empty plate and cup of cocoa down on the table and stretched her legs. Cozy glanced at her with wide eyes and clutched a pillow tight to her chest. “Where’re you going?” she squeaked, clearly terrified from the scary movie. “I’m gonna see if Jack wants in on this, or some help at least. She is part of the team, after all,” Tempest said back to her without looking back. “I won’t be long, just go ahead and keep watching.” The filly looked somewhat disheartened at her words but still turned her attention back to the screen, and proceeded to yelp and bury her face in her pillow, quivering in fear. The sound of Tirek berating her and Chrysalis giggling gleefully at her discomfort could be heard as Tempest left the room and started down the stairs nearby. “Oh come on, nothing even scary happened!” Tempest chuckled to herself shook her head, carrying herself down the large set of ancient stairs. Their base of operations, as cliché as it may have seemed, was in fact the dilapidated ruin, and the possibly haunted, Castle of the Two Sisters, long since fallen into disrepair and disuse even after the Knights had moved in. Director Luna had been kind enough to organise them to be set up with electricity, a working plumbing system, and transform the ruin into somewhere liveable for her team, but that still didn’t make up for the sheer amount of cobwebs they had had to clear away. Or the cold drafts that chilled them to the bone. Or the howling winds that rocked them gently to sleep. And the leaky holes. But still, it was their home, their bastion away from the horrors they faced on a daily, sometimes hourly basis, and a reprieve from the masses of Equestria. Tempest reached the bottom of the stairs and entered into the great hall in search of their secretary’s ‘office’, which was really nothing more than a desk surrounded by a mass of papers, folders, and documents. For knights of an order like theirs to have secretary seemed like an odd choice, but after finding several missed calls and a few letters of complaints when they returned from a previous job, they decided somebody to help with the administration effort was sorely needed. At the commander’s suggestion, Luna had put out an offer of employment, and after a short delay a spunky young mare named Jackdaw Inkwell was enlisted as the Nightmare Knights’ secretary and receptionist. With her thick Manehattan Hooflyn accent and largely unflappable attitude, as well as being able to match Chrysalis’s snide comments with her own equally as sardonic comments, she virtually ensured that she was a perfect match to join the team, and took her new strange and unusual occupation in stride, even developing something of a crush on Tirek. “Jack?” Tempest’s voice called out as she looked around the great hall, towards the desk. “You here?” Silence answered the scarred unicorn as she came to a halt. The quiet creaking of a chair made her ears twitch and a cold wind blew through the dusty hall, making the heckles on the back of her neck stand up on end. “Ugh,” she grunted. “I’ve spent too much time surrounded by ghosts...” A quiet breathing and light snoring coming from nearby put her at ease, and soon enough she spotted who she was looking for, napping after a hard day’s work, slumped over her desk. Tempest thought better than to wake her, and simply pulled the mare’s moth riddled blanket over her shoulders and grimaced. “Remind me to put in an invoice to Luna for a new blanket for you,” she chuckled softly. “Hnn...” the mare murmured quietly in her sleep, making Tempest smile. “Mmm...” “Alright, take it easy,” the Knight whispered gently at her. As she pulled away she saw the stack of organised papers on the desk and smiled again, glad to see their secretary was a hard worker at heart, much like the rest of the team. The commander turned around and quietly made her way back towards the stairs, and back towards her fellows, when all of a sudden a terribly loud banging came from the main door, startling her and making her spin around, fully alert and ready in case of danger. Jackdaw herself awoke with a start and a yell, and promptly fell off of her chair in surprise, landing on the cold floor with a heavy thud. She quickly picked herself up and readjusted her glasses and stomped over towards the door, grumbling under her breath while she did so. “I’m comin’, I’m comin,” she yawned as the rapid knocking persisted. “Who do ya think y’are, can’t ya see we’re closed?!” she growled as she unbolted the door. Tempest watched her from the stairs, quietly and carefully as the door swung open, curious to see who was knocking with such urgency at this hour, and was prepared to berate Chrysalis for ordering food without consulting her again. Instead what she saw surprised the daylights out of her, as a young, butter coloured pegasus filly with a sniffy nose shivered and looked up at Jackdaw with wide and frightened eyes. “O-oh, I’m s-sorry...” the filly stammered. “B-but th-this is the N-Nightmare Knights, r-right?” Jack nodded, immediately softening her voice and demeanour. “Sure is, sweetheart, whatcha doin’ here, though? Where’re your parents? Oh ya must be freezin’ out here, hurry up an’ come in. You want some cocoa?” The filly nodded and sniffed as the secretary ushered her in and closed the heavy wooden door shut. When she turned around, she and Tempest, who had descended to the bottom of the stairs now, locked eyes, and shared he same worried smile for a moment. “Oh hey here’s Commander Tempest now. You wanna talk to her?” The filly looked up at Tempest and her lower lip trembled in awe. “W-wow,” she breathed. Her wings fluttered weakly. “T-Tempest Shadow... You’re e-even cooler in p-person than th-they said...” Tempest smiled awkwardly back at the filly and rubbed at her neck, having never been one to receive adoration before. “Thanks, I guess? What’s your name, kid?” She asked as the Knights’ secretary gave the filly a gentle push forwards. “What are you doing here? Where are your friends, and your parents?” The filly rubbed her nose and shivered on the spot. “M-my name is Honey Bee… I... I didn’t know what to do, I told them not do try it, but they...” She trailed off and trembled, saying lightly from side to side. “They wouldn’t leave the Ouija board alone...” The commander’s eyes went wide at the mention of the dreaded object, and rushed forwards as the filly began to cry. She ripped off her dressing gown and wrapped the child up in as much as she could, and spoke in as much a soothing voice as she could. “Hey, hey it’s okay. Come here. You wanna meet the team and tell them what happened?” The filly’s eyes went wide. “W-wow, you really mean it?” she asked, with a hint of glee in her voice. “M-meet the famous Nightmare Knights?” Tempest nodded, feeling a small sense of pride well up in her. “Sure do, kid.” She and the filly waited patiently for Jack to come back through from the makeshift kitchen. Soon enough the mare dashed over as quickly as she dared, carrying a very hot cup of hot cocoa and fussed at her mane. “How’s my mane look? Is T up there?” “Yes, Jack,” Tempest chuckled, rolling her eyes. “But we have bigger things to worry about now don’t we?” “Right. Sorry boss,” the mare replied with a sheepish grin and pinkened cheeks. She offered the cup of cocoa to the filly and smiled down at her. “Here ya go, kid. Be careful, though, it’s hot.” The filly gratefully took the cocoa and smiled up at Jack. “Th-thanks, miss.” Together, all three of them quickly began ascending towards the other Knights, and Tempest felt a knot begin to form in her stomach. *** “Alright everyone, listen up,” the commander barked as she pushed the large wooden door open and she, Jack and the filly entered the lounge. Cozy Glow immediately shrieked at the sudden loud noise and shot up from her bean bag, disappearing into the rafters like a frightened bird, while Tirek jolted himself awake and looked around wildly, and Chrysalis simply looked around at them with a bored and disdainful grimace. Her eyes travelled from Tempest and jackdaw to the small filly and frowned. “Taking in strays now are we? What have we become?” she bemoaned herself and leaned back in her chair, breathing a heavy sigh of discontentment. “First friendship ‘lessons’ and now this... ugh...” “W-wow, you’re Chrysalis!” the filly squeaked in excitement. “And T-Tirek,” she said, looking at the imposing centaur as he stood up and approached them. “And... I don’t see Miss Cozy?” “I’m up h-h-here...” came a wavering and subdued voice. Cozy poked out from behind her hiding spot with massive eyes and gently, and reluctantly, floated down to greet them. “S-s-sorry, T-T-Tempy, I, uh...” She bashfully pawed at the ground while Tempest fixed her with a firm glare. “You k-k-kinda sp-p-pooked me...” “Listen up,” she repeated coldly, staring daggers ahead at Chrysalis, still lazily sitting in her chair in disinterest at the world around her. “This young filly here has something to tell us...” She looked down and patted the foal’s head. “Go on. Start at the beginning.” The filly took a deep breath. “My friends found a Ouija board in the attic of my grandpa, so we thought we’d try and use it in a séance to try and talk to my other friend’s grandma. Well, we did... the thing, but s-something, uh... something happened.” Her eyes flicked around to the adults around her. “I... I think my friend got possessed--but not by his grandma... h-he started speaking in a weird voice and then tried to... hurt us... I had to trap him in the room... I couldn’t... I ran... " The filly’s eyes shrunk to pinpricks as she recanted her tale, shivering more and more with each passing moment. Jackdaw quickly put her hoof around the filly and pulled her in, cooing at her gently. “Hey, hey, it’s alright, sweetheart. The Knights are gonna take care of it, ya hear?” Tirek leaned down to the filly, suddenly seeming very interested in her and stroked his beard. “A possession? I see,” he murmured slowly, ignoring Jack’s flushed cheeks and heavy breathing as he grew closer to her. Cozy Glow, with trembling legs and loud knees, stood in between his hooves and looked up at Tempest, then down at the filly curiously. “Th-that’s b-b-bad isn-n-n’t it-t-t?” she asked to nopony in particular, trying to force her teeth to stop chattering. “It is,” Tirek replied with narrow eyes. He stared the filly in the eyes and spoke in a low voice as she looked at him. “Tell me, child, where did you perform this... séance of yours?” “A-at the School of Friendship, Mr T-Tirek, sir...” the filly whispered, fearfully shuffling on the spot. “In Miss Starlight’s office...” Tempest groaned inwardly and saw Chrysalis rise up out of her seat. As the changeling turned her eyes were pinpricks and a furious scowl quickly formed on her face at the mention of that place. “The School of Friendship?” she hissed. “In... Starlight’s office?!” “Be nice, Chrysalis,” Tempest warned, raising a hoof and her voice at her pre-emptively. “Yes, the school, yes Starlight’s office. If whatever this is isn’t strong enough to break through walls, it’ll still be in there.” She jabbed an accusatory hoof at the changeling as she began quaking with rage. “I want no trouble from you this time, Chrysalis. You’re lucky Starlight didn’t press charges. Remember what the director said last time?” Chrysalis snorted indignantly and grew close to the commander, mere inches away from the pony’s face. “If that sow tries to make small talk with me again, I’ll-” “You’ll respond nicely or pay for the consequences yourself.” Tempest jammed her head against the former queen’s, staring razor sharp daggers into her eyes and flared her nostrils. Lightning sparked between their horns and the room seemed to grow colder with each breath. “Am I clear?” The changeling bared her fangs and reluctantly pulled back. “Crystal. Commander,” she hissed, smoothing her mane down with a dark look in her eye. “Good.” Tempest stamped her hoof, signalling them to line up in front of her. Jack guided their young guest away from them quietly. “C’mon, kid, best leave ‘em to it.” The unicorn with a broken horn cleared her throat and paced in front of her team. “All of you, get dressed and get ready to move out. There’s a kid on the line and I’m not letting anypony else get hurt. Tirek, what are we dealing with?” Tirek tapped his chin and thought for a moment. “There are two ghosts that use Ouija boards that I know of. Phantoms and demons. To be certain I’d need more data.” “Do we have enough space in the vault?” “Indeed we do.” “Well then that narrows it down at least.” Tempest nodded at him and looked down at the youngest of their team. “You hear that, Cozy? Demon or phantom. What’s the game plan here?” Cozy closed her eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath. When she opened them, gone was the cute little filly, innocently afraid of a scary movie, and in her place was the cold and calculated Nightmare Knight. “Demons are more aggressive than phantoms, so depending on which one it is we could be in for a fight.” She tapped her chin and frowned. “I suggest a pincer manoeuvre. Tempest, you and Chrysalis go on the offensive, while Tirek and I hang back and make sure it doesn’t leave the school. We circle around and close up together, and trap it between us, then we blow it to smithereens.” The Knights, including Chrysalis nodded and murmured in agreement. “Mhm. Sounds good. Jack, can you-” Tempest started. The young earth pony nodded and flicked a strand of red hair out of her eyes. “Stay here an’ keep the kid company? Sure thing, boss.” “Thanks. Knights, get ready and rendezvous in the main hall. We leave in five.” As they dispersed, Tirek’s eyes met Jackdaw’s for a brief moment. She smiled up at him and twirled some of her mane around her hoof, looking at him over her glasses. “Be careful out there, T,” she said quietly as her cheeks flushed red. He looked down his nose at her and rolled his eyes, then snorted dismissively and turned away, making her visibly deflate. “Nightmare Knights are real heartbreakers, kid,” Jack said sadly to Honey Bee as the Knights made to get themselves ready. The filly looked up at her curiously and flapped her small wings, then looked towards the group with no small amount of awe. “Don’t ever fall in love with one of ‘em...” In one of the many houses in Ponyville, in a stuffy old attic and surrounded by dust, cobwebs and stacks of old boxes, three young friends looked around at each other with a glint of excitement in their eyes. To them, they had discovered a treasure trove of secrets and wonder. To anypony else, they had simply wandered into an old storage area. “We’ll show those Cutie Mark Crusaders they’re not the only awesome trio to come out of Ponyville,” said the first of the friends. A unicorn colt, with a coat as dark as slate and an equally as grey a mane, called Onyx, grinned from ear to ear as he opened another box and looked inside, smiling at all the old books and dusty artefacts. “Just as soon as we find something awesome for show and tell. Any idea what exactly we’re looking for, Honey?” Honey Bee, the second of the friends, and who’s grandpa’s house they were currently investigating in search of something--anything--special, nodded. “My grandpa tells me stories from when he went all over the world. He’s bound to have something in here that’s-” She stopped herself mid sentence and fluttered over to the other side of the attic as a box curiously labelled--DO NOT OPEN--caught her eye. She let out a small gasp and quickly waved her friends over to it, giving them each a thrilled look. Naturally, as children, their curiosity got the better of them and without a second thought or paying any heed to the large, clear as day warning, they dragged the large, ‘forbidden’ box forwards where they then proceeded to gaze at it with intense curiosity and childlike wonder. “What do you guys think is in here?” asked the third friend, a white coated filly with a red mane called Candy Cane. She was the youngest of their group, and the only earth pony of the trio, and the only one with a sense of caution. “Beats me,” replied Onyx, still grinning from ear to ear. “But I bet it’s cool, whatever it is.” His horn fizzed and sparked weakly as he tipped the box over, where it landed with a thud. “Careful!” Honey cried in a hushed voice. Her ears turned down as she cast a wary glance over towards the trap door, the entrance to the attic. “We shouldn’t be up here anyway, and if grandpa-” “We’ll be careful, Honey,” chuckled Onyx back at her and stuck his tongue out. “Don’t worry so much. C’mon, help me up, I’ll have a look inside.” In quiet agreement, Candy and Honey stood flank to flank while Onyx clambered on top of them to peer inside. “It’s just another box,” he murmured. “Wait... is that... Holy cow guys I think-” The sound of his horn igniting with magic filled the quiet space, and he hopped down off of them clutching something to his chest. “Oh wow this is gonna be so cool, guys check it out!” He laid whatever it was he had found down, and the two fillies frowned down at the unassuming board, furthering their frowns when the unicorn lifted the lid off of it and revealed a board of some sort covered in letters. “What is it?” Candy asked. “Yeah Onyx, what is it?” Honey parroted. Onyx danced on the tips of his hooves in a barely contained excitement as he stared down at the board. “It’s a Ouija board!” he squeaked. “Ponies can use them to talk to spirits and stuff!” “Spirits?” Honey Bee rolled her eyes, ever the sceptic. “Wee-gee board? C’mon Ony, we need something cool for show and tell, not this mumbo jumbo-” “It’s not mumbo jumbo!” Onyx defensively cried, tearing his eyes away from the board to look at her. “And it’s Ouija. Spirits are real, my gram gram used to tell me stories all the time about them. Hey!” He suddenly clapped his front hooves together and leaned forwards. “I’ve just had an idea. We can use it to talk to my gramma!” Both Candy and Honey shared a worried look. “Onyx... your grandma-” “I know, but that’s what Ouija boards are used for. To communicate with spirits. I told you guys I can feel her sometimes watching over me. It’ll be fun, c’mon!” Before they could protest any more, Onyx placed the lid back on the board’s box and carried it away with a smug look on his face. “We’ll take it to school tomorrow. We can ask Miss Starlight to sit in and watch us if that’ll make you two feel better.” Honey sighed and shook her head in defeat. “I guess. Alright, Ony, have it your way. C’mon Candy.” She nudged her young friend and rolled her eyes, eliciting some giggling from the two fillies. The three friends ventured back down the stairs, blissfully unaware of how grave their actions in the coming future may actually be. *** The following day... Starlight Glimmer looked up in surprise as a gentle knocking came from the other side of her door. The hour was late, and school had just finished--everypony, griffon, hippogriff, dragon, yak or changeling should be home or in their dorm by now, and so she wondered who in Equestria would be coming to see her so late. “Come in!” she called out, choosing to put on a friendly face now and ask questions later, thinking it must be an important issue if whoever it was waited until school was finished. The door was pushed open, and three sheepish looking foals entered, carrying a small box between them. “Hello, Miss Starlight,” they said in unison. Starlight smiled down at them. “Well hello you three!” She pushed herself up from her desk and walked around to greet them properly, recognising them as new starters to the youngest year of the school. “Honey Bee, Onyx and Candy Cane, right? How can I help?” The fillies and the colt nodded eagerly. “Wow she knows our names!” the red and white one whispered, making no trace to hide her excitement. “Um, Miss Starlight?” said Onyx, taking a ginger step forwards. “We, uh, we wanted to ask if you could, um... watch something for us?” “Of course I can!” Starlight beamed with pride at them asking something like this of her, it obviously meant a lot to them and naturally as Headmare of the School of Friendship she was more than happy to- “We wanna hold a séance you see, for my gramma.” -To help them with anything... they... wanted. “A séance?” “Uh huh. My gramma used to say the spirits of the dead still linger, so I wanted to ask if she’ll appear for show and tell tomorrow.” Onyx looked up at her with big, wide eyes and smiled. Honey Bee, the pegasus of the group piped up and fluttered her small wings. “And we want you to, uh, supervise it, miss... if you wouldn’t mind.” Starlight looked up at the space above the door frame and exhaled through her nostrils, wondering what happened to the youth of today. Ghosts. Spirits. Séances. What happened to just reading a good scary book? “Jeez, Starlight you sound so old...” She murmured to herself. She facehoofed and smiled sheepishly at them. “Alright, kids. I’ll sit in and watch to make sure nothing ‘happens’ to you.” “Great! Can we start it now?” “Ssssure...” “Wow Miss Starlight you’re awesome!” The foals quickly assembled themselves in a triangle, placing the box down gently in the middle of them. They folded their legs and lifted the lid up off of it, while Starlight returned to her seat with mild interest and pink cheeks. “Oh, I’m just doing my duty as your teacher,” she murmured, smiling to herself, thinking nothing more of the idle fancies of children. “You guys know how a Ouija board works?” Onyx asked, looking over at his friends in turn. Honey and Candy both shook their heads. “I seen it in a movie before. We all put our hooves here, on this thing,” he said, reaching out and putting his hoof on the planchette, the moving piece. The fillies followed suit, gingerly and tentatively placing their hooves on the same thing. “And then we ask some questions.” They all looked at each other, while Starlight watched curiously. “Alright, you go first, Ony,” said Honey. “It’s your gramma you wanna talk to right?” Onyx nodded excitedly. He cleared his throat and with as much courage he could muster, began to speak. “Gramma? Can you hear me?” Silence fell upon them all. The fillies looked at one another then at Onyx sadly. Candy reached out and put her hoof on his shoulder, while Starlight also leaned forwards. “Hey guys, not to be a downer or anything,” she said slowly and carefully. “But Ouija boards and séances don’t... really work.” She put on a sad smile and her most understanding voice when the two fillies looked up at her curiously. The colt’s eyes were fixed firmly on the board, watching for any sign of movement or response. “They’re just gimmicks. Used to tell spooooky stories late at night between friends.” “But what about the Nightmare Knights? Don’t they fight real ghosts?” Honey Bee asked. Her wide eyes shone and shimmered in the light of the lamp on the Headmare’s desk. Candy nodded, patting Onyx on the back sadly. “Yeah that’s right, my cousin in Canterlot said they fought a ghost the size of her house.” Starlight groaned and scratched the behind of her ear. She had her own feelings about the exact legitimacy of the ‘Nightmare Knights’, and one of their number in particular she had an equal amount of fear and disdain for, regardless of what ‘good’ they did nowadays. “The Nightmare Knights,” she began slowly. “Well, what can I say about them? They’re, uh... interesting. I personally don’t believe in ghosts, but...” She licked her lips, knowing this was a delicate subject. “They-” “HnnnNNN...” Onyx suddenly groaned, cutting her off. A soft whisper of pain escaped the young colt and his pupils shrank. His breath came out as wisps on the wind. Starlight frowned and noted the sudden decline in temperature of her office. “That’s... odd,” she murmured. “Does he usually do that?” Candy removed her hoof from him and shook her head, suddenly feeling very afraid of her dear friend. The colt’s hoof suddenly began to push the planchette around, towards several letters. “Ony?” Honey asked with wide eyes as she followed his rapid movements. “What are you...” Starlight furrowed her brow and noted the letters begin to repeat themselves. Three simple letters, over and over. “R-U-N... run?” She suddenly felt a palpable dread rise up in her, and a chill ran down her spine. “Onyx what are you doing?” The colt’s mouth twisted and contorted as if he was struggling with something. The letters kept repeating, his hooves moving rapidly across the board in an erratic fashion. R-U-N. R-U-N. R-U-N. R-U- The planchette stopped, frozen mid movement. Onyx’s eyes closed and he stopped breathing. Starlight immediately got up out of her seat and waved the fillies over to her. “Girls, come here,” she ordered firmly. “Now.” The fillies fearfully and quickly darted to the other side of her desk to stand with her, watching their friend with enormously wide eyes. “Onyx?” Honey whispered. “Ony?” Onyx’s eyes snapped open, and his mouth twisted into a cruel looking grin. A voice, not his voice, rumbled out from him. Something deep and guttural. Something evil. “Onyx is not here,” he rasped, exhaling a long, dogged breath. Starlight’s horn immediately ignited as the small unicorn turned to them and rose up into the air, hoisting himself up with invisible wings. His horn crackled to life with solid black magic. “Girls, get behind me!” she ordered again. “Quickly now! Onyx this isn’t funny,” she said, addressing the young unicorn. “Stop this right now before somepony gets hurt.” Onyx, or whatever was controlling Onyx, looked at them and sneered. “Stupid, mortal creature. I will not be ordered by you.” Honey pushed herself out from underneath Starlight and stepped forwards, despite her teacher’s protests. “Ony?” she whispered as she stared up at him with tears in her eyes. “Onyx, p-please...” “Silence!” Onyx roared. Black magic surged from his horn and swatted the young filly away, sending her sprawling through the air and landing towards the door. She landed with a whimper and looked around to see the Headmare puff her chest out. “Run, Honey!” she yelled as a shield formed around her and the remaining filly. “You!” She raged at the possessed unicorn. “Don’t you dare touch my students again!” A glow of magic surrounded Honey and cast her out. The door slammed shut behind her, and soon all she could hear was her own heavy breathing, and muffled sounds of a fight on the other side. She quickly picked herself up and, with tears streaming down her face, beat her wings as fast as she could and tore through the school. She didn’t know who to tell, or what to do. Then it came to her, even through the panicked haze she found herself in. The name of the one group who could possibly help save her friends and Miss Starlight. The Nightmare Knights. And as luck, or fate, would have it, they were only situated in the castle in the Everfree Forest, just outside of Ponyville. All she had to do was charge through the dark forest... The filly swallowed hard as she reached the entrance to the school. She didn’t pause, she didn’t hesitate in the slightest. Instead, she burst through the doors and soared through the skies, towards the edge of the Everfree Forest, thinking and wishing her friends would be okay soon. She only hoped that the Knights would listen to her. *** The present... Tempest Shadow’s horn sparked and fizzed idly with magic. She eyed the School of Friendship carefully, looking up at the extravagantly designed building for any sign of the spirit they were after having left. It was clean, as far as she could tell, and she sniffed the air, taking a deep long breath. Ghosts left a smell of burnt toast wherever they went, strangely enough, you see, something she had quickly learned in her new occupation. She smelled nothing, thankfully and with a satisfied nod she turned around. She cleared her throat and addressed the Knights as they readied themselves. “Remember the plan?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at them individually. Tirek and Cozy Glow nodded, while Chrysalis craned her neck upwards and tutted in disgust, not paying attention and lost in her own world. The commander sighed and continued on regardless. “Chrysalis, you’re with me. Cozy and Tirek, you enter behind us in two minutes exactly, and bar the doors behind you. If this thing runs, it’s on you.” Cozy saluted in a military fashion and grimaced as she looked over the school. “Aye aye, Commander.” Tempest nodded at her and turned back to the door. She cracked her neck and her shoulder muscles, and pressed a hoof against them. The heavy doors swung open with a loud creak. She strained her ears, listening out for any signs of life or fighting. Although she heard nothing, she remained hopeful that if anypony could defend themselves, Starlight Glimmer could. Honey Bee had also mentioned another of her friends was still in there, not that it mattered much, the Knights’ primary objective was to eliminate the threat, and secondly to ensure nopony else got hurt. Tempest figured that if this thing got the better of them, which it obviously wouldn’t, more ponies would get hurt regardless, and that was simply unacceptable. Glancing to her left she saw Chrysalis slowly approach and shiver in disgust. “This place is horrid,” the changeling muttered under her breath. “I can feel them all here, asleep in their... beds.” Her wings buzzed briefly and fluttered lightly as her scowl deepened. “Those blood traitors I once called my family...” “Focus, Chrysalis,” Tempest warned. “We’re here for a job. Keep your thoughts to yourself unless they’re about our prey.” “Prey?” Chrysalis mused as they entered together, flank to chitinous flank. “You sound almost like one of my old praetorian guards.” The commander glared at her and soldiered on. Their hoofsteps echoed around them, and the eyes on all the portraits seemed to follow her. The school itself was pristine, just as how she imagined Twilight’s institution should be. She realised she had no idea where to go, having never set foot in this place before. “Where’s Starlight’s office?” she murmured to herself. Chrysalis snorted upon hearing her. “If I was that wretch, I’d have my office at the centre of the school.” She sneered at a painting of Twilight’s smiling face and raised her hoof to her mouth, performing a fake gagging animation. “Yugh.” Tempest rolled her eyes but silently agreed with her all the same. It would make sense for a Headmare’s study to be in the centre of the school. As close to all the students as possible she supposed. “Alright.” She paused and looked around, and inwardly groaned to herself. “Cozy should have draw us a map...” “Starlight’s office is this way, in case you were wondering,” the changeling grunted, nodding her head in a direction. Tempest gave her a puzzled look. “I entered this place undercover once or twice, looking for a way to covertly take my revenge on her.” The look of bepuzzlement turned into a disapproving scowl. “Oh, hush,” Chrysalis muttered and avoided the look being sent her way. “I never did anything or got very far. She was always surrounded by so many of these simple creatures.” The commander grumbled in the dim light. “We’ll talk about your discretions later, Chrysalis.” She shook her head and sighed. “For now we focus on the mission. Agreed?” “Fine.” “Lead the way then, your majesty.” Tempest flashed her a toothy grin and inclined her head in a bow. Chrysalis ignored her snide jab and strode on ahead, sniffing at the air occasionally. Tempest thought she was searching for the smell of ghosts, and it was only until one point, she saw the queen’s tongue lap up some drool that she realised it was a scent of ‘food’ the inhabitants of the school radiated that she was smelling. “So much love... within these walls...” Chrysalis mumbled, almost in a trance like state. “Focus,” Tempest growled. “Or do I have to get physical with you?” Chrysalis batted her eyelashes and half closed her eyelids in a sultry manner at her. “Why Commander, I never figured you for that type,” she giggled coyly. Tempest felt her cheeks immediately flush with blood, thankful her dark coat hid such blemishes, and scowled. “Chrysalis,” she hissed, if only to keep her from barking and waking somebody up. “Focus.” The changeling rolled her eyes. She came to a sharp halt and sniffed the air. She turned her head and sniffed again, growing closer to a door. She pressed her head against it and listened for a moment, gesturing for Tempest to come closer. “Here,” she whispered, her voice taking on a severe tonal shift. “It’s here. I can sense... Starlight’s wretched presence.” Tempest nodded and moved to the other side of the door. They looked each other in the eye. Any animosity of the previous moments was wiped clean as they assumed their roles as Knights once gain. With a sharp intake of breath, Tempest reached out and pressed her hoof against the door. It was hot, almost burning hot, like there was a raging inferno on the other side of the door. She knew what that meant. “Demon.” “Tirek was right,” Chrysalis agreed, inspecting her own hoof before placing it on the ground. “Ready, Commander?” “Ready. On my signal. Three. Two. One-” It was now or never. Together the Knights pushed the door open and charged forwards. One’s horn was glowing vibrantly in a brilliant green aura, while the other’s crackled to life with pale blue lightning. Despite the warmth radiating within the room, their breaths came out as if they were outside in the middle of winter. Their eyes were immediately directed towards the mass of shadows swirling in one corner of the room, banging and raging against a magical force field. And up against the wall opposite, behind an overturned table, and similarly contained--or protected--by another magic shield of the same colour, Starlight Glimmer poked her head up. She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as she saw the Knights, and with a shaking hoof pointed to the growing dark presence in the room. Tempest nodded at her and trained her focus back on the beast. “Chrysalis, close the door, stay back while I speak with our unwelcome guest.” Chrysalis nodded and kicked the door shut behind her. A nearby chair was surrounded by a series of glowing green lights that resembled fireflies promptly jammed itself against the door as a makeshift barricade, for all the good it would do them if the demon decided to run. “Starlight Glimmer?” the commander said to the mare behind the shield. “I presume?” Starlight nodded. She spoke, but her words were muffled by the magic shield. Tempest shook her head and pointed to her ears. “I can’t hear you. What?” The unicorn rolled her eyes and pointed at her horn, then at the shadowy mass in the corner of the room. She reached around and pointed to a small filly clutching at one of her back legs and burying her face into her tail, then back at the shadow. The Knight quickly put two and two together. She already knew it was one of Honey Bee’s friends who was possessed anyway, so that was a wonderfully useful bit of information Starlight had given her, and she began to share in Chrysalis’s dislike for her. She turned her head and looked Starlight in the eye, fixing her with a cold glare. “We need to lower the shields,” she said slowly, making sure to enunciate her words and move her lips in a way that was readable, and hoped the Headmare of the school could lip read. Thankfully, Starlight Glimmer did appear to have the capabilities to lip read, and the magical shield opposite to her flickered and faded, like a lamp losing its power. The swirling mass of shadow dispersed to reveal a scarred and deformed, grotesque looking colt unicorn floating three, maybe four feet off the ground. His eyes glowed with an unnatural hate and malice. Chrysalis bared her fangs at it and braced herself, while Tempest took a step forwards. She cleared her throat and began her speech. “As a duly dedicated representative of the state of Equestria, I hereby order you to cease any and all supernatural activity, and return forthwith to your place of origin after releasing this host.” The child looked down at her and snarled. “Who are you to command me?” he rasped at her. Tempest assumed that it was the demon, not the child speaking. “I am a Nightmare Knight. Is Onyx alive?” she asked, remembering what Honey Bee had told her, and couldn’t help but smirk as the demon’s eyes widened. “He’s in here. With me,” the colt continued to rasp, taking deep, ragged breaths as he spoke. He chuckled, a horrid rasping sound that turned into a a painful cough. “Nightmare. Knight. You are an enemy to us.” Tempest narrowed her eyes and cracked her muscles again, keeping in between the creature and the mare with the filly. “Yes we are.” She flared her nostrils and gave a subtle nod to Chrysalis, who inched closer without taking her eyes off the beast. “Will you comply with our wishes?” The possessed colt hissed and bared his teeth. “This vessel is mine now,” it said, almost mockingly. “I will not surrender it.” Tempest smirked in response. “Have it your way.” She nodded to Chrysalis, who’s horn ignited in a flash of green light and fired a concentrated stream of energy towards the possessed colt, where it coiled around him like sentient rope and burned into his skin. The demon let loose a howl of pain and an outrageously loud roar. While Starlight had gotten lucky that this demon was bound by more-or-less a set of mortal rules, there were those that did not. As regular magic had no effect on such monsters, Luna had taught all of her Knights a series of spells specifically designed to counteract the magic of the departed and face down creatures of the night. A way to fight fire with fire, as the saying went. One of those spells was an imprisonment spell, which Chrysalis had just employed, and its job was as described on the tin. The Knights used these spells specifically for a victim suffering a possession. One or more of them would hold the affected in place, while another would entice the demon out with a hardier, more powerful vessel, like Tempest herself. The possessed Onyx fixed her with a hateful glare and roared at her. “Release me!” he ordered. The commander shook her head. “Let’s make a deal, instead. You demons like making deals, yeah?” She grinned coyly and took a step closer. The demon furrowed its brow at her and snarled again. “What are your terms?” Tempest cracked her neck and stretched her legs. “The body you’re inhabiting is a weak, defenceless foal of a pony isn’t it?” she coldly stated, beginning to pace back and forth in front of it. “Wouldn’t you be happier in a stronger, more capable body? One you could wreak true havoc with?” The demon’s eyes narrowed at her. The shadow surrounding the colt’s body dissipated for a moment to reveal his body. “You would suggest another?” it asked, looking her up and down. “I would.” “Yours?” “Hmm.” Tempest tapped her chin, deep in thought. “It does sound tempting, to host such a powerful being like yourself. But-” She held up her hoof. “Before I agree, I’d need assurances you wouldn’t kick me out of my own body. I worked hard for this, you know.” She looked up into the soulless black eyes of the creature. “Such as?” it asked, clearly falling for the bait. It continued to eye her, and then Chrysalis, who’s magic still surrounded it and bound it in place with a quiet hiss. “Speak!” The commander spun around as she came to the end of her pacing. “I’d need you to promise not to injure or hurt anypony else, be they young or old, able bodied or infirm, while inhabiting my body.” She stopped in front of it and looked up with a slight shrug. “That’s it.” The demon began to smile. It shifted in its magical cage and appeared to bow. “Thine wish shall be granted, if I am only released.” “Ah, but-” Tempest rubbed the back of her head and inhaled through clenched teeth “See, I’d need to hear you say it as part of a verbal contract. If you would, then my partner here will release you-” She nodded towards Chrysalis, who nodded back with a silent grin on her face. “And we can get started on dominating or destroying Equestria as you see fit. Sound fair?” The colt shifted and twisted around. He held up a hoof and let his forked tongue slither out from behind his blackened and rotted teeth. “By the servants of Tartarus and in the name of the Father, I, Mistrazol, Duke of Tartarus, will-” “Thank you, that’s it,” Tempest cut him off with a chuckle. She looked up with a smirk, losing all pretence of politeness and cordiality she had been speaking to it with. “Thank you for that enlightening discussion, Mistrazol,” she laughed. Chrysalis also laughed out loud and continued to grin as the demon’s eyes widened, realising it had been tricked. “No!” it hissed. The commander of the Knights held her head up high and mighty, and looked the demon possessed colt in the eye. “Mistrazol, Duke of Tartarus, I command you to leave this child be, and return from whence you came!” “Nooooooo!” the demon shrieked. The magic surrounding it disappeared, and the shadows surrounding the colt’s body began to rise up into the air, forming a foreboding looking black cloud. Once every inch of it had left Onyx, the cloud dove down towards the Ouija board on the ground and absorbed itself into the cursed object. The pair of Knights looked down at it, then up at each other. With a firm nod, Tempest pointed her horn towards it and fired a bolt of lightning at it, immediately scorching the wood and snapping the board in half, shattering the link between their realms. The colt, meanwhile, slumped to the floor with a heavy thud. His chest remained still for a few moments while Chrysalis stepped closer to investigate. “Is he alive?” Tempest asked, looking down at the broken Ouija board. It felt exhilarating to her to banish a demon like that. She always did get a kick out of her new occupation now. “He is breathing. With minimal damage,” Chrysalis replied with a grin, which immediately began to fade as the magic shield surrounding one corner of the room dissipated, and a small filly with a red and white mane darted out from behind her cover. “Onyx!” she squealed, immediately rushing to her young friend’s side and skidded to a halt beside him. “Is he--will he--is it--ohh-” she stammered, looking between all the adults in the room with wide, puffy eyes, no doubt from crying and weeping too much. Her jaw quivered as she looked up at the former queen, until the changeling sneered and turned away, grumbling under her breath about how wretched ponies were. Starlight Glimmer also left the cover and approached Tempest slowly, making her look up at her with a blank expression. The mare looked utterly bewildered beyond belief. Her mane was frazzled and her breath came heavy. “What... was that?” she croaked. “A demon,” Tempest replied matter of factly. “Oh... how did-” “A demon’s power resides in their name. If you know their name, they’re bound by an ancient set of laws to obey you.” The Knight waved her hoof and sighed. “I don’t know exactly how it works so don’t ask me.” She looked down at the filly and the colt and frowned, then looked up at Starlight. “They need medical attention. You’re their teacher, you should do it.” She picked up the broken board and turned the pieces over, looking at them curiously. “We’ll take this to dispose of safely. Luna will forward you the bill.” “Wha--bill? What do you mean bill?” Starlight began, furrowing her brow in confusion. “You can’t just-” Without another word, or deigning listening to the Headmare’s protests, Tempest turned and signalled to Chrysalis it was time for them to leave. The changeling queen glared bloody murder at Starlight, both former enemies locking eyes for the briefest moment, before she turned and stamped her hooves on the way out. The chair she had jammed against the door snapped as her magic ripped it away and let it carelessly fall onto the ground. Tempest was proud of her, mostly for following the right conduct and her signals, but also for not attacking Starlight herself. It must have taken no small amount of restraint on her part. She looked down at the broken pieces of the Ouija board in her hooves and sighed. “Another night, another job. Tirek will probably want to look at this,” she said casually, as if they hadn’t just faced down an angry demon from another realm of existence. Chrysalis nodded in a silent and barely controlled rage. Tempest glanced at her and smiled. “That was nice work in there, Chrysalis. I’m glad you’re on my side.” Her words reached the changeling’s ears, making her pause for a brief moment. The look of hate on her face vanished, and with a small smile she begrudgingly muttered under her breath. “You’re welcome.” As Headmare Starlight Glimmer tended to her students and a horse-drawn ambulance rolled up outside the school, the Nightmare Knights reconvened with their comrades and set off back to headquarters without any fanfare or congratulations. Most of the world remained blissfully unaware of the dangers they continued to face, and that was how they liked it. Cozy asked incessant questions about what exactly happened, and Tirek took the broken board from Tempest with delighted curiosity and enthusiasm, studying the ancient markings and cursed wood. As the commander said, another night, another job done for the Nightmare Knights.