//------------------------------// // Snakes of Darkness // Story: Revenge of the Nightmares // by Commander_Pensword //------------------------------// Snakes of Darkness Princess Luna grinned as her chariot landed in front of the Golden Oak Library as the Guards smiled and sat down. She stepped off the chariot and walked over to the two guards that had pulled the chariot from Canterlot to Ponyville; using her magic to help remove the chains. “Thou art released for the evening, go and enjoy the festivities for the night.” She moved to knock on the door when she gasped in pain, kneeling on the ground and placing her front hooves on her head. Her eyes screwed shut from the pain. The magical flow in the air caused her eyes to snap open sending another jolt of pain through her body. Her pupils shrank in fear as she jerked back to a standing position. “Return to me Guards.” Her voice boomed in the royal Canterlot voice. She was good to see her personal guards, dressed with reptilian wings and the eyes were all ready for action. The door opened as Twilight looked outside, her eyes swirling. This year she had decided to go with her Star Swirl the Bearded again as she was still planning to start the Pony Group Study on Pony History. “What is wrong Princess?” Twilight Sparkle asked in worry. “Is there a problem? You, do realize that you kind of ruined your surprise scare this year, Pip…” She didn’t finished her sentence. “Twilight,” Princess Luna began. “Get the other Bearers of Harmony, I fear that something that came long before, has returned and if so,” She looked at Twilight. “Inform my Sister that she will need to bring the Elements of Harmony to Ponyville right away.” “What’s wrong?” Twilight asked once again, she could see something was really agitating Princess Luna. “What’s happened that would need the Elements?” She began to worry as many different possibilities began to crowd her mind; each one worse than the last. “The Nightmare I fear might have returned. The foul creature thou hast banished from my jealousy fueled rage just disrupted the local Magical field of the area.” She turned her head as her horn began to glow a faint blue color. “Coming from…” her voice trailed off as her eyes looked towards the distant shape of the Everfree Forest. Twilight had nothing more to say but to duck into the Library yelling for Spike. However she did shout. “Meet all at the Element of Kindness, as she lives closest to the Everfree Forest.” She looked at the guards. “Take off and scout ahead, I fear, there is only one place that might offer the protection needed to summon a foul creature… the old home of my sister and I.” She without another word took to the air, flying towards the forest edge. The four Pegasus guards formed up as they all flew towards the ruins that were in the Everfree Forest. The ruins were silent. The breeze had picked up a little, causing the fabric to rustle, but the sound was still silent enough to not wake the sleeping being that was in the middle of the circle. The sounds of quiet whimpering had faded as the shadows began to die more and more as the moon rose further into the sky. From a darker corner of the room, and a place where time, moister, and the breakdown of elements, a small hole had formed that could allow some creatures to enter into this chamber. As the breeze moved, the breathing form of a new creature disturbed the dust on the stone ground; a creature did enter into the room. A dark green shape slithered into the room, a dark red forked tongue flickered in and out, tasting the air, it slowly slithered towards the creature, the only thing that radiated warmth and not the sickly magic taste some of the creatures had. The body heat showed it was a large creature but it didn’t care, it was hunting for mice and other rodents. The markings on the snakes body warned others that might wish to try and eat it that it was not a good idea. The snake deciding that being interrupted from its sleep due to the commotion and magic outflow that woke it up would just have to wait. The warm body called to the cold blooded reptile as the chilly air made it sleepy; so it moved and curled up inside the cavity that was formed by the two outstretched limbs and from the way the hot air that shot out, it figured it was near the mouth. The snake coiled up to watch the creature. It blinked slowly as it began to see and in a way sense that the creature was rousing. It began to move and the reptile prepared in case it attacked. This was a nice spot and the reptile was not going to move. The creature moved a hand and brushed the side of the snake, with lightning reflexes the snake struck, sinking its fangs through the strange fabric and plunging two venom filled fangs into the flesh of the creature. The creature actually jerked awake and looked at the snake as it coiled as if to strike again. The creature grunting through the pain seemed to pull something from his side and the snake used that to strike again, attacking the leg. In a flash of movement from the creature the snake didn’t feel that blow that ended its life. The body flipped a little in the throes of death, but that was it. The creature took a deep breath as it pulled the sleeve of the outfit to show more of a beige color that were on his hands, he grimaced as he saw the snake bite and he could see that it was already becoming inflamed. He took a deep breath as the pain was spreading from both attack points. He moved, and winched from the pain in the leg. It was then that his ears began to pick up a sound which emanated from the ceiling. He looked up and just stared in wide eyed amazement at the missing roof and the rather large harvest moon in the sky, suddenly four shapes appeared in the moonlight and dove at him, in a moment of panic the creature, whose heart rate had increased curled into a ball to avoid being hurt. The only sounds he heard were clip clop on some kind of hard substance hitting the floor of the room he was in. He didn’t look up, but he heard something an intake of surprised breath. “A Cobra King snake, did it bite you?” He looked up, these were words, he could speak, but the words that tried to form in his mouth died as his mouth hung open. He was looking at a monster; it looked like some kind of horse, but it was wearing metal armor, the eyes which were looking at him were green reptilian in look and the dull grey body that was not covered in the armor made it look almost… sickly, but the thing that scared him the most was the bat wings. All he could do was make whimpering as the pain had continued to spread. He was unable to speak either and yet, he felt something behind him, he looked behind him and jerked at seeing more of the creatures, he was trying to see all of them but he didn’t know how many of them there were. He then heard another sound, the sound that he decided to try and make a conclusion, the sound of a creature landing, behind him. He turned his head to look at what had landed behind him and he gulped and jerked back in fear, the confusion, the pain, the still sleepy mind combined in a perfect storm that caused the creature to fall back as his eyes rolled to the back of his mind. Princess Luna was just as taken aback by the look of the creature. She turned her head to the side and looked at the corner of the room, but what had been there when she landed appeared to have fled at her presence, she would have chased it but what concerned her more was what she was seeing. She made a choice at that moment. “Guards, search the room and be careful, I want you to treat this as a crime scene.” “Princess,” One of the guards spoke. “What are you going to do?” The Pegasus guard motioned with his bat wing. “What do we do with this creature?” “I will be taking the creature to the Element of Kindness. There is no time to waste, if my eyes do not deceive me, I would say that this creature killed the snake, but,” her eyes spotted the loose sleeve and rose it, and frowned. “He’s been bitten already, we need to get him to the Element of Kindness if we wish to have any knowledge of what happened this creature may be our only lead. when you are done, report to my location and guard this creature with your all, at least till we know if he is a threat or not.” She used her magic to levitate the creature and the body of the snake onto her back, and after a few minutes of pondering, took the strange metal tube contraption that was also on the ground. She looked at the reflective armor that lay under a partially removed robe with a look of worry before she looked back at her guards. The guard that had been speaking before only nodded his head. “Of Course Princess, we shall start right away.” With those words Princess Luna took off with a dying creature on her back, the dead snake wrapped around the arm of the being for easier movement. She looked down at her guards one last time before she looked back up to the horizon, she flapped her wings once more and was now racing to the edge of the forest and where The Element of Kindness’ cottage was located, she could feel the now labored breathing of the creature on her back, she concentrated and the creature was covered in the aura of her own magic, making sure that it would not fall from her back as she picked up speed. She soon landed in front of the cottage and saw six ponies standing around. There was a gasp and a butter yellowed colored pony with a long pink mane rushed forward and in low voice asked Princess Luna about the creature. Princess Luna informed the pony of what had happened, the butter yellow pony nodded her head and in a soft voice that it seemed only Luna could hear helped bring the creature into the cottage, leaving five confused Ponies looking at each other before they too moved to the door only to have Princess Luna walk out. “Please be calm, Fluttershy says that she needs to concentrate if she is to help with the antidote for the snake bite, but she assures us all that if nothing else happens, we might have answers in the morning.” She looked out into the forest. “If you all don’t mind, I think I will stay in Ponyville for a few extra days, this is somewhat worrying.” The last part was more a statement of her own personal thoughts, the five other ponies only respected the privacy of the Princess, and waited with her for Fluttershy to say that they could see this new being. “You think if its friendly I can throw a welcome to Ponyville and glad you survived that nasty life threatening snake bite and happy you are better now party?” A pink pony with cotton candy looking hair asked in one single breath to the others. Princess Luna looked at pink pony. “Only if it proves to be friendly and is not a threat to Equestria Pinkie Pie,” She paused a little. “But even then I would think a small party would be acceptable once it makes it.” They all could hear in her voice that she was hoping that what she was saying would come to pass and they wouldn’t loss the only lead she had to what she was beginning to think was a living nightmare. She looked back at the forest with an uneasy feeling, for the first time in her long life, she was actually fearful of the night shadows, and what might now be lurking in the forest. She looked back at Twilight. “Has, has my sister sent the items yet?” Luna’s voice showed a little worry at what was going to happen, and hoped her sister had done what was needed. “Yes, We have them stored in Fluttershy’s cottage,” She saw the look on the Princess, one that she had seen on many other’s faces, but not on any of the Princesses before. “Please,” Princess Luna responded. “Please get all the bearers to put them on, and I shall tell you a tale to pass the time, it may just help incase what I fear is and has come true.” She saw Twilight Sparkles look and stopped the question before it even started. “I shall tell you and everypony at the same time.” Twilight Sparkle only nodded her head. “As you wish Princess Luna, I shall gather the others, but you might have to tell Fluttershy later.” She waited for Luna to respond. “Of course Twilight, I shall tell her after this stressful night is over and our, ‘Guest’ has pulled through the worst part.” Princess Luna returned to looking out at the forest. Twilight Sparkle looked at the forest in concern before trotting off to get the other girls and hear what might be the most interesting story that any of them would hear on a Nightmare Night.