//------------------------------// // The Nightmare's Return // Story: Daughters of Dusk // by PoneFluff //------------------------------// “Sis” A soft hoof poked at Hazy’s side, prompting a groan from the filly. Batting away the proding limb with her own hoof, the dark filly just tightened the hug around her sister. Her ears twitched at the sound of something knocking, causing an almost crystalline ring to fill the air.  “Five more minutes”  Despite Hazy’s truly herculean efforts, the hoof poked her again, succeeding in forcing the filly out of the comforting embrace of sleep. The blurry image of Star lying on top of her, with her hoof ready to prod Hazy again. “We need to get going, Sis, Apple Bloom and her family are waiting for us.”  Any murkiness of sleep fell away as Hazy scrambled to her hooves, looking out of the window to find the moon lurking in the sky right where it was supposed to be. Her blood ran cold as Star joined her looking out the window. The surface of the moon still had craters, although the face of the mare in the moon was gone. Stars ringed the moon, travelling away from it at a steady speed as they could already feel a wave of powerful alicorn magic traveling towards Equestria.  “Yer comin’ right?” A voice called from outside, yanking the fillies from their building panic. Star led the way, weaving out of the house and into the cool night air. The scent of apple trees filled hazy’s nostrils as they spotted the members of the Apple family waiting by the gate to their farm.  Star adjusted her cloak as the two galloped for the gate, fear of what was coming mixed with a sense of nervous excitement. Hazy pulled Apple Bloom into a hug as the sisters trotted up to the Apple family. Applejack turned to start heading for the gate, the large red stallion following behind, pausing only to gesture for the others to follow.  The group of ponies kept a steady pace, following the winding path down towards town. Hazy could see other groups filtering into the road, some larger groups pouring out of their houses. Apple Bloom yawned as they continued into town, her ears sagging down before raising up to listen for something.  Hazy and Star pricked their ears up, searching for whatever it was Applebloom had heard. Almost instantly they heard a familiar voice from earlier yelling. The white coated filly they'd talked to earlier emerged from behind another white mare the two immediately knew as their mother's friend Rarity.  "Hey!" Sweetie Belle yelled, galloping over with a wide grin. behind her trailed an orange and purple Pegasus filly, a slight strut to her walk as if she was trying to look nonchalant. Her mouth moving as a mile a minute, the verbal barrage nearly indecipherable to the two barely awake alicorns. Focusing, Hazy just caught the end of Sweetie Belle's opening salvo.  "I wanted you two to meet Scootaloo! These are the fillies I told you about, Scoots!" With a flick of her mane, the orange Pegasus filly joined the group. Her cool façade faltered immediately as Sweetie pulled her into a hug. The brief moment of quiet was broken as Sweetie unleashed another volley at the assembled fillies. "Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, we're all in Miss Cheerilee's class together. These are Star and...H-Haze?" "Oh, it's Hazy. Don't worry, I've had my name mispronounced and all sorts before," Hazy returned, having to wait for almost a minute as Sweetie's verbal barrage descended into a staccato of apologies. With a soft push from Big Mac the fillies got moving again, following the flow of ponies. Ahead of them, over the river of ponies, Hazy could just about see the roof of the town hall.  A golden glow spilled from its windows, the flickering light illuminating Ponyville's streets with aid by the sparse streetlamps. The group of fillies following close behind Applejack, using her wake to avoid being seperated by the crowd. As she guided them along, Applejack gave the group a brief head count before addressing them in a tone that offered no compromise. "Y'all stick together, Ah'll make sure ta find ya after the celebration. Try not ta go runnin' off."  Amidst the soft murmurs of the excited crowd, Hazy’s sense of dread only built. High above she could see the stars nearly touching the moon now. Whereas earlier that day she’d been able to feel Princess Celestia and who she guessed must have been Cadence in Canterlot. A new presence was building, Hazy could feel it pulling on the magic in the air. As they finally neared the town hall, she caught a glimpse of the white and green mare from before. Four Leaf wore a look of deep concern, a large book floating in her green magic as she scanned across its pages. Ignoring the risk, Hazy lit her horn, softly pulling Star to her side before placing a wing on her back beneath their cloaks. Hazy’s purple eyes met Four Leaf’s as the older mare looked up at the pulse of magic.  The town hall was decorated with lavish banners bearing Celestia’s cutiemark. The expertly designed banners and arrangements drew all eyes in the room towards the Town Hall’s centre stage. To the side, Hazy could see a row of brightly coloured birds, along with a pink and yellow pegasus she recognised as Fluttershy seemingly whispering to them. Flanking the stage, adorned in golden armour, two guardsponies gleamed and shone in the light, spears held at their side. Despite the crowd filling the room, a small gap was left in front of the stage, leaving about a pony length between the crowd and the guards. Before the group of fillies could squeeze their way further into the crowd a cough drew their attention. Hazy turned to see two fillies, one pink and the other grey. “I see you’re new to town, nopony wearing a genuine Canterlot silk cloak would want to,” The pink filly giggled into a hoof before leveling her gaze on Applebloom, despite their similar height, the newcomer managed to look down her muzzle at Hazy and Star’s companions. “degrade themselves by hanging around with these...blankflanks. My daddy has a private box for the celebration, you two would be welcome to join Silver Spoon and I.” Before anypony could get a word in, the pink filly took a step towards Hazy, her smug smile only growing more predatory. “Where are my manners? I’m Diamond Tiara, if you’re from Canterlot you’ll have heard of my daddy. Filthy Rich was one of the sponsors for last year's Grand Canterlot Fashion show. Now, come on, you don’t want these losers to ruin your family reputation, I’m sure.”  Crossing the short distance before Diamond Tiara could blink, the pink filly found herself bearing the brunt of a filly alicorn’s ire. Star’s glare alone shattered the smug aura of control Diamond was giving off. All of the fillies saw a shudder of panic run down the bully's spine as she took a step back. “L-let’s get to Daddy’s b-box, Silver” Silence fell over the group as they watched the two fillies retreat into the crowd, only to be mirrored as a hush fell over the crowd. Hazy turned as the sound of birdsong filled the air, conducted by Fluttershy. The curtain parted to reveal a light brown and grey mare emerging and waving to the gathered crowd as the birds suddenly stopped. Confusion flickered across the mare’s face before her smile returned. “Fillies and gentlecolts, as mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration!”  A wave of cheers erupted from the crowd, including a shrill whistle from Applebloom. Before the two sisters could join the cheer, Hazy had to suppress a yelp of pain as her horn felt like it froze. Star’s cry of pain shattered the cheerful mood, drawing the eyes of the crowd to the strange fillies clutching their horns as tears rolled down their cheeks. Almost instantly Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were at the sister’s sides, helping them keep standing. Whilst on stage, the mayor cleared her through before attempting to regain the crowd’s attention. “In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise, and celebrate the longest day of the year! And now, it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land, the very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day, the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestr-” Her words were cut off by a rumbling boom of thunder closely followed by a burst of panicked whispers. Hazy fought to open her eyes, despite the icy grip around her horn only to realise what was happening. As she tried to speak, a loud echoing laughter filled the room. All around the fillies, ponies were beginning to panic. Hazy spotted Rainbow Dash standing over Fluttershy as the yellow mare cowered. The guards stormed onto the stage, throwing back the curtain to reveal a dark grew fog where Princess Celestia should have been. A chaotic mixture of yells blended into the cacophony.  “Applebloom, Ah’m comin’!”   "Sweetie Belle!” “Everypony Please remain calm!” Another boom of thunder ushered in silence across the room as the darkness on the stage began to rise. Two piercing slitted eyes formed from within as the outline of a massive alicorn emerged out of the darkness. As she rose it felt as if all the warmth in the room was being drained away. Her coat blended into the shadows, as what looked like the night sky alive with galaxies spilled from her head and rear. The moment her mouth formed she began to laugh. Her cruel, almost psychotic, laugh filled the air and brought the room into perfect silence, leaving the dark alicorn as the sole source of sound. Her body was clad in gleaming silver and blue armour, glowing softly with a turquoise hue as Hazy could feel the enchantments practically oozing out of it.  As her laughter stopped, the dark alicorn’s gaze swept over the crowd, lingering on Hazy and Star before moving across the rest of the gathered ponies. Her attention was taken away from the crowd as the two guards charged her, their shining spear tips pointed at her throat. Seizing the opportunity, Star and Hazy began to back up towards the door, their friends following behind them almost on instinct to keep their small herd together.   “Halt!” Cried the pegasus guard as he launched into the air and dove for the dark alicorn. On her other side, the earth pony guard remained silent. The alicorn didn’t even seem phased as her horn ignited and plucked the pegasus out of the air, moments later a bone shattering crunch echoed through the air as the golden armoured body slammed into the wall before dropping to the ground. The crowd of ponies backed up, gasps of shock mingled with shrieks of horror. Having witnessed their comrade swatted aside like a fly from the air, the earth pony guard faltered, dropping her spear to the floor before she turned to flee. Hazy felt the dark alicorn’s horn charge a spell until it unleashed a spear of ice at the earth pony’s helmeted head. As it hurtled towards its target, the guard glanced over her shoulder and froze just as it would have impacted. Only, instead of slaying the stallion, the spear of ice dissolved into an icy mist as it crashed into a hastily erected, glowing green shield.  Silence fell over the packed room as the ponies parted to reveal Four Leaf, her horn lit as she advanced on the dark alicorn. The mare didn’t even flinch when face to face with the full force of the dark alicorn’s ire.  “Well, well, well, I see the two brats here have a guard worth something then. Why not joi-” The dark alicorn began to speak, only to be cut off by a yell from Four Leaf. “Nightmare Moon! By Her Majesty Princess Celestia’s authority as Princess of Equestria. I, Archmage Four Leaf Clover, descendant of Equestria’s first Archmage, Clover the Clever, offer you one chance to surrender and face trial for your crimes.” Four Leaf yelled as she advanced, the green light from her horn illuminating the room, casting eerie, shifting shadows against the walls. At the mention of Clover the Clever, Nightmare Moon’s aloof expression changed, her eyes beginning to narrow as Four Leaf closed in on the stage.  “You dare speak her name in my presence? You impudent little mare, I shall enjoy making you suffer and then secure my throne by eliminating those bastards that Celestia has sired in my absence!” Nightmare Moon practically roared, the building shaking as she spoke, sending a shower of plaster and dust down on the ponies. The mass of bodies pressing away from the stage threatened to sweep the group of fillies along with the tide or crush them underhoof.  “We need to leave...follow me!” Star hissed at the group before she started to work her way towards the side entrance of the Townhall. One by one, the fillies filtered through the crowd, ducking and weaving through gaps between fully grown ponies’ legs as they closed in towards the exit. Star could see their way out, a side door next to the staircase leading up to the box seats was just ahead of them as she galloped past a brown stallion with a slicked back mane. The five fillies bolted past the startled stallion as they emerged from beneath a pink mare who let out a shriek of panic as Hazy emerged from beneath her. Sparing a glance back over her shoulder, Hazy saw Nightmare Moon rear up before bringing her hooves down on Four Leaf’s shield. Screams of panic erupted as green sparks erupted from the shield, whilst beneath it, Hazy could clearly make out the resolute silhouette of Four Leaf.  Turning her back on the battle, Hazy galloped out the door and quickly regrouped with her friends, bringing up the rear as Star led them away from the town hall. The sounds of a frightened stampede of ponies mingled with the duel as it raged inside the town hall, disturbing the previously calm evening air. Five sets of hoof tracks would easily be hidden by the stampede that was about to burst out of the building, at least Hazy hoped it would be enough.  The group galloped as fast as they could, racing back down the path they’d followed into town. All around them Pponyville was empty, seemingly everypony had gone to the Summer Sun Celebration. Star steeled her jaw as she led the group onwards, her nerves built, fueled by the desolate down mixed with sounds of battle from behind them. The taste of blood in her mouth finally caused the filly to slow, panting for breath as she looked back at her companions.  Hazy and Applebloom were breathing heavily, their earth pony magic helping them to keep galloping. Hazy spared a moment to shoot a worried look to her sister, receiving a tired smile in response. Star glanced at Sscootaloo and Sweetie Belle, and had to suppress a wince. The orange filly’s coat clung to her, dripping sweat as she panted for breath, her small wings buzzing in an attempt to cool her down. Sweetie Belle somehow looked worse off, the make up she’d had on was running, resulting in long dark smears across her pristine white coat along with smears of muck where they’d have to squeeze along the floor.  “Star, take Applebloom and Scootaloo and go on ahead. I’ll stay with Sweetie.” Hazy spoke, the older filly’s voice mirroring a tone they both knew well from hearing their father give orders. Almost immediately the two other filly’s stiffened, they could tell there was no room for argument. Before Star could say anything, an ear piercing screech rang out from across the town, accompanied by a roaring boom, the night sky was briefly lit up by an immense burst of green magic. Taking the explosion as a hint to start running, the three fillies took off at a gallop, leaving Hazy and Sweetie alone.  The dark filly inhaled through her nostrils, pausing a few seconds before exhaling slowly. Practically all she could hear was the thundering of her heart in her ears, threatening to break the mask of calm she had hastily erected. Slowly, the thundering grew quieter, freeing Hazy’s ears to listen to the sounds of utter chaos coming from further into the town. “...we need to get moving before Nightmare Moon catches us…” “P-please,” Sweetie panted, fighting for breath,” just t-trot for now...we can catch up...once I can gallop.”  Hazy’s ears flicked and twitched as she watched the path behind her, still devoid of ponies despite the seconds that had ticked by. Resisting the urge to stretch her wings to relieve the tension in her back, Hazy’s eye was drawn back to Sweetie Belle. The white filly’s eyes slowly traced over the outline of Hazy’s back before a slight smile formed.  “...So when are you gonna tell us?” Sweetie asked as she started to trot up the path again, prompting Hazy to follow beside her after a moment. “Tell you what?” Hazy muttered, unable to hide the suspicion in her voice. “Your wings, silly, I thought I saw something move under your sister’s cloak but you’ve just confirmed it for me. Scootaloo has the same little twitch when she wants to stretch her wings.”  Hazy stopped dead in her tracks, her jaw meekly flapping up and down as she struggled to find words. The dam she’d constructed to hold her emotions in check was rapidly starting to collapse, panic rising to the surface as Hazy’s mind. Her mind conjured up fears of imprisonment, banishment or worse banishment then imprisonment, only further amping up her panic with her breaths coming in short heavy bursts.  Amidst her spiralling panic attack a hoof found itself placed on Hazy’s shoulder. “It’s okay...I won’t tell anypony, but friendships can’t be built on a lie. I learned that the hard way.” Before Hazy could muster a response she was pulled into a soft hug, Sweetie belle’s hooves wrapped around her neck. It felt like the warmth of the filly’s coat was flowing into her, silencing the worry and panic that had been building. With a renewed strength Hazy took a breath, and offered a smile to Sweetie. “Right, I promise I’ll tell the other’s when we catch up.” The duo took off at a gallop, charging down the path, unaware of three sets of eyes watching them. Two sets from behind a nearby house, whilst the final pair of eyes floated above them all. The cold cyan eyes stared down at the various fillies, a slight pang of regret mingled within Nightmare Moon, only to be quashed by rage as she felt a pulse of magic from canterlot. The little brats can wait, it seems the pink one has escaped.  Hazy and Sweetie almost spotted the cloud of darkness as it floated over the everfree forest, launching a small section of itself down into the mass of trees before angling off towards Canterlot.