//------------------------------// // 1: Vacant // Story: The Book of Nightmares // by A Green Notebook //------------------------------// Chapter 1: Vacant           “...Am I losing you?” Five guards. All of us sitting in the typical Royal Guard dispatch wagon. Big rectangular steel box without the top portion. Intricate designs that the engineers made with the spare gold that wasn’t used on Celestia’s very own chariot. Wheels that could help us break the sound barrier, should we need carry out our missions on land, which at the moment, probably was the most viable thing. I didn’t like being hit in the face by rain. Pacifist, the pegasus who was flying us through the clouds and rain, thought it was a good idea to fly while there was a storm ravaging the land. Well ravaging a town that goes by the name of Ponyville. Then again, the report was very urgent, and we did have to arrive as soon as possible to figure out the missing pony mystery. “Peacekeeper,” The blood colored stallion at the head of the wagon, commonly known as Illusion, called. “You okay?” Illusion was the group’s wise diplomat (should it prove useful in a situation). He was as big as an oak tree, big muscles for a unicorn. When we first met, I was so scared of him, I seldom talked to him, save for the times the whole group was together, when he actually tried to make a conversation with me. His unnatural black mane was actually a hair dye he used to cover up his real mane color, as I had found out about a week ago, one week after I joined the guard. Only once, i’d suffered the true arcane abilities of a unicorn, and after said experience, I don’t think I’ll rummage through ‘my locker’ ever again. “I’m fine.” I responded simply, continuing to stare at my golden helmet, the one every Royal Guard (unless you were a Lunar Guard) received. “We almost there?” The electric blue pegasus who was flying us to our destination just nodded, and began his painfully slow descent. My intestines were floating inside, trying to see if they could sprout wings and fly. All of my organs were in a levitation state, like a unicorn wanted to do a levitating trick, only to find out that they’d been tugging at the pony’s innards. I slammed my helmet onto my head and gripped onto the edge of the wagon, almost forcing a dent into the metal. The female Lunar Guard ahead of me chuckled at the sight of me. I must’ve been pitiful in her eyes, and I instantly wished that I was back at the armory, or at the Canterlot Castle doing typical guard duty. Actually, screw guard duty, I thought. Who wants to stand by a door the whole day, staring off into space, and probably could fall asleep standing up at any moment. “Hey, Rookie.” The mare ahead of me began to inquire. “You sure you're okay?” This Lunar Guard was one of the two that was carrying out the task given to us by the captain. Nocturnal was her name, at least that’s what I thought. Every pony in the group called her something other than it, ranging from Moonshadow to Blue Moon. When I first met her, she called herself Nocturnal, but I don’t know if that was her true name or not, being that every pony called her something different. Probably one of the most nicest pegasus i’d ever met, Nocturnal taught me how to use the blade, and lectured me on Equestrian law and order, and what to look out for when on patrol. “Positive!” I yelled over the howling winds. Rain pelted my eyes, forcing me to squint, but to no avail. Pacifist was probably having a field day flying into the clouds, probably doing it on purpose trying to piss me off. For a pony whose name meant ‘peace loving’, he sure as hell loves to cause conflict. “Are we almost there?” I asked desperately. I could feel my stomach inching its way into my throat. A shade of green was probably consuming my silver coated fur. My sandy mane kept making attempts to creep into my emerald eyes. “Keep calm, Rookie,” The other Lunar Guard at the head of our vehicle called. Shade was his name, and that I knew for sure. Unlike his sister Nocturnal, this guy was a complete hard ass. He was a blue earth pony, pushing the squad for excellence. Real dick sometimes, but it was understandable. He did want what was best for the group, and took our mistakes as his responsibility. “We’re almost there.” “Closer than you think.” Illusion pointed ahead of Pacifist. There it was; the village of Ponyville. “Visual contact.” “Finally!” The silver mare beside me exclaimed. “I thought I needed to give the Rook my barf bag.” A small chuckle ran through the wagon. My ears fell, and my face lit up. Leave it to Jester to embarrass me like that. Again. The mare’s hoof wrapped around my neck and she pulled me closer to her. “Aw, lighten up Rookie! We’re a family here! A big, nice, happy (and angsty) family!” “What was that last part?” Nocturnal inquired. “Nothing.” Jester spoke, the same grin she always kept on her face spreading onto Nocturnal’s. Our descent began to slow down, and my intestines began to drift back to their original positions. I looked over to the side, staring down at the troublesome town. In the center, the town hall was erected, the wooden tower overshadowing a portion of the marketplace. Ponies ran in and out of the cylindrical wooden structure, mostly entering the building, for reasons I will soon find out. The town hall acted as the intersection that divided the whole town into different sectors. At least to me it did. The western section seemed to be the marketplace, numerous stands with ponies selling fruits and vegetables standing about, going on with their day. Ponies seemed to act as though there was nothing wrong, as far as I could tell from up here in the slowly dying rain. Buildings stood tall, each one with a variety of attention grabbers, be it a bold sign or a pony outside of the store beckoning others to enter. One particular building didn’t need a sign to grab even the most aloof pony’s attention. It looked like a shorter and remodeled version of the town hall. Silver exterior, with violet trimmings, and a group of mannequins at the tip of the Canterlot-like structure. It seemed to glow like a star in the night sky, radiating a brilliance that was capable of being spotted in Canterlot’s ‘fancy’ stores. Another shop grabbed my attention. I may not have been inside, or anywhere near entering it, but my mouth was watering from the way the building looked. Imagine a cupcake about the size of a three floored building. Now just imagine all of your favorite frostings and toppings stacked on top of one another, or on the verge of sliding off the side. Now carve in some glass panels and a door, and there you go; there was the most delicious building I’ve ever seen. It was worthy of being labeled a Princess’s birthday cake, unlike the actual plain birthday cakes given to Celestia this past year. To the eastern side of the village lied the residential area. The shops that couldn’t fit in the marketplace had all been given a small portion of land in the residential area, which was probably a good thing, depending on what the buildings or stands sold. Ponies wouldn’t have to trek all the way to the farthest part of town to get food, or any other miscellaneous supplies should the vendors sell them. In the center of the residential area stood a tree. Yes, a tree. Trees aren’t so astonishing to me, but the only thing that separated this one from the others in Equestria was that there was some pony living in it! Who would've taken the time to hollow out a tree, fill it up with furniture, and begin living in there their whole lives? Probably a pony who was in dire need of a home and couldn’t afford to buy one or too lazy to build one from scratch. Actually that doesn’t make any- “We’ve arrived to our destination,” Pacifist announced. “I hope you all enjoyed the flight, and I wish you luck on that assignment!” “Thanks for the lift.” Illusion appreciated. “Yeah, yeah.” I unboarded the wagon, eager to step off the rickety vehicle. For something made out of mostly steel, the damn thing flew like it was made of wood, like it would fall apart at any given moment. If there was one thing the group knew about me, was that I couldn’t stand sitting in that wretched wagon. It was unbearable to me. “Alright guys,” Shade began, stopping us all. “I want to make this quick, so lets get to the entrance.” “Wait,” The unnamed mare stopped. She was an earth pony, a golden shine to her body, except for her mane, which was as crimson as blood. I’ve never really noticed her presence, just from her being so silent all the time. Her impromptu arrival all the time, during my first week of guard duty, always made me think that she was a higher rank than Shade. It was until she actually spoke to me on my fourth day, her voice was very quiet, like she didn’t want to be heard, but was making a poor attempt in doing so. She wasn’t shy, but was very focused on other things. “Aren’t we supposed to meet some pony first?” “Yeah,” I spoke. “Didn’t Reporter say something about a...What’s her name?” “Twilight Sparkle.” The golden mare answered. Shade thought for a moment, then regained his vague memory of the mission briefing. “Right. My money says she’s at the entrance to the Everfree.” Before beginning the trek to the forest entrance with my fellow guardsmen, I glanced back at Pacifist. He didn’t seem to be bothered by our leaving, but did glance over at me. Something made me want to go back to Canterlot. Maybe it was the fact I was going to enter the Everfree forest. Whatever was bothering me, was pissing me off. I just wanted to go through the mission, find the missing people, and leave. Probably find the source of the missing persons too. “Rookie!” Shade called. I trotted over to the group, trying my best to catch up to them, but also blot out my worries. The edge of the forest was a frightening sight. A dark hallway made of vines, trees, leaves, and bushes led to the darkest denizens of Equestria. In front of the entrance stood a lavender unicorn. Her mane was simply done, no curls or waves, but instead very plain dark blue mane, a pink streak going down the left side of her mane. Her lavender eyes carried worry as their primary expression at the moment. Drifting down to her flank, was a cutie mark of a star (at least thats what I think it is). Her horn levitated an umbrella, small, but large enough to prevent her from taking a single droplet of water to any part of her body. She spotted the five of us, and let out a sigh of relief. Shade was the first to greet the lavender mare, introducing himself and the rest of us. “I’m Shade,” The stallion gestured towards Illusion and the other ponies. “This is-” “Illusion.” The crimson stallion cut off. “...This is Jester, my sister Nocturnal, and-” Shade pointed at me. “-Our latest addition to the family, we just call him Rookie.” “Twilight Sparkle.” The violet unicorn shook hooves with our Lunar Guard leader. “I’m so glad you all came. I just wish you could have been faster with your arrival.” Illusion explained the turbulence problem we were facing on our way to this town, and unlike a Canterlot pony, who if you said anything, would complain about something, Twilight completely understood our dilemma. I was glad that ponies outside of the capital city of Equestria were different, and better yet: more polite and appreciative. Illusion began to inquire when the mysterious happenings started. My money was on cultists. Ever since that incident with Nightmare Moon and Discord, some shady characters were found worshiping the damn supernatural beings. Discord cultists were found more often than the ones for the Mare of The Moon. I guess since Luna was back, Nightmare Moon was becoming 'outdated'. “Well, it began a few days ago.” Twilight began, anxiety in her voice. “At first, it was just pets going missing. Posters were set up all over the town, everywhere you look. It was two days ago when ponies began to go missing though.” “Was there any trail?” Nocturnal questioned. “You know, like to where the pony was taken?” “The second pony, Reporter said,” Shade answered “The second pony resisted against something, although we still don’t know what.” The stallion turned back towards the lavender mare. “Can you identify the ponies that were taken away?” Twilight’s ears twitched. As did mine. I averted my attention to the entrance to the dark supernatural forest. Illusion put his helmet on, specially made to match his size, and custom made with a face plate to match his intimidation value. There was a faint sound radiating around the entrance, the sound almost impossible to describe. It was like a little filly’s whimpering, but mixed with a mare crying in pain too, but there was no form in the dark entrance approaching us. If there was another thing that scared me the most about venturing into the Everfree Forest, it was the chances of never leaving and joining the songs of agony I was hearing now. “Jester, Rookie,” Shade began to order. “Scout out ahead. Jester gimme your map.” The mare complied with the stallion’s order and revealed a paper, diagrammed with the known locations of the Everfree Forest. Who ever went through the trouble of making such a map must have been paid a fortune to venture in the most dangerous and unpredictable areas in Equestria. Jester set an arcane way-point on the map, a small circle highlighting a small portion of the map, about a few hours away from our current position. “We’ll regroup in that clearing at the evening. Don’t stray too far from the trail, in fact, Rookie, you get that communication spell to work?” “Well, I was still working on it before we left, but as long as we’re not too far from each other, Jester and I can keep in contact.” “That’s what I was hoping for.” Without another word, Jester and I stood at the gates of grass and vines, the gates that would lead us into the depths of the hazardous, and spine-tingling forest. I could hear Jester’s breathing getting more intense as we took our first steps into the forest. My breaths did the same, becoming shorter, and although nothing was said, there was the sound of fear exiting through my exhalings. Sweat sluggishly made its way down my forehead and around my eyes. I turned back hoping to see the light of the entrance, but it seemed like the vines and leaves covered the entrance, forcing the rest of the group to have to take another route to regroup with us. The slightest movements the forest made caused me to jump, and neither my willpower or Jester’s presence helped subdue the fear that was accumulating with each step that  I took. The rustling of the leaves sent shivers down my spine, even with the wildlife making them come into contact together. The wind howled like a wolf, increasing my paranoia and anxiety. Every movement I made was followed by either a small jump, or trying to get Jester to keep moving forward. The light drizzle had passed, but the clouds still blotted out the sun. The muddy path that we followed seemed to attract all kinds of nasty little creatures, ranging from spiders to roaches, probably looking to infestate the village of Ponyville. Jester stop and let out a loud ‘eek’ when introduced to an insect or whatever other creatures roamed the forest floor. I would start to make jokes about her fear of nature, but I knew how that would end; with me requiring a medical team, probably needing to replace one of my ‘prized jewels’. Jester was a dirty fighter, and being a unicorn helped in most situations. Both of us stopped when the spine-tingling ambient sounds resonated through the forest walls surrounding the path. It was closer now, competing with the wind’s howling; the same sound of the filly whimpering, and the mare’s cries were replaced with a kind of chanting. Each strand of hair on my body stood up as the chanting seemed to become more audible, except that the words were incomprehensible. “Let’s try that communications spell Rookie.” Jester suggested. “Right.” I focused energy into my horn, trying to establish a connection with the mare. My vision slowly blurred, and my head was beginning to ache. “Should I try and find..uh..well, you?” The silver mare questioned in a manner that sounded almost like a joke, but had a bit of sincerity in it. “That would be much appreciated!” I managed. It was like searching for a pony in a crown in Manehattan. In order for the spell to work, both Jester and I had to focus on making a ‘channel’ I’ll call it, to be able to speak through a form of telepathy. For the channel to work, both of us needed to ‘link’ our thoughts as best as we could. “I could feel something!” Jester announced, struggling to speak her words. “That’s my horn.” I staggered. I was about to break away from the spell, my head on the verge of exploding. Right before I released my contact, I felt a surge of energy course through my body. The spell had worked! “Are we good?” I spoke in my mind, testing to see if my arcane prowess proved to be useful. “Wha-! Oh shit, the spell worked!”   “Good.” I said, speaking out loud. “Yeah. wanna split up? Test the field range?” “Yeah, but let’s make it quick. I hate this place already. I'll let you know when to come over.” I walked further down the path, occasionally speaking to the mare through the spell, saying ‘testing’ or ‘echoes’. Jester responded each call, up until I seemed to be about a mile away from the mare. When I came within the maximum distance I ordered Jester to follow the trail over to me. No answer. “Jester? You still there?”  No answer. My heart was racing, and so was I. My hooves moved faster than I thought they ever could. water was slowly accumulating in my eyes, and it wasn’t from the returning drizzle. I didn’t know if I were going the right way or not, but soon enough I found the area Jester was supposed to be staying until I gave her the all clear. Her hoof prints were still on the ground, but there was no Jester standing there. Just me, analyzing the hoof prints to see if anything could tell me where she was. “Jester!” I called, my voice’s echoe the only response I gained. My heart rate increased, and questions began rushing through my head, Should I get back to the group and tell them I lost Jester? No. What would they think of me then? Maybe the mare needed some privacy? There were no restrooms out here so that would be logical wouldn’t it? No, that wouldn’t restrain her from responding to me. Where was she? I called for Jester, but to no avail. When silence reigned the forest, the ambient sounds I was hearing with Jester were getting louder, almost like a wall was blocking the ponies who were crying in agony. The problem was the familiar voice I was hearing along with the others. It was Jester, joining the songs of the damned. It was ahead of me, from the sounds of it. “Jester? Jester I’m Coming!” I dashed into the bushes, and beyond, into the woods and wilderness, in hopes that I would run into the silver mare with golden armor. Desperation stole all other emotions as I traversed through the wilderness, tears in my eyes as I tried to look for the one friend that I had to accompany me, and the only true friend I had since joining the Royal Guard.