//------------------------------// // Dark Madness // Story: Nightmare Twilight // by Tiger Girl //------------------------------// Moments before. . . Twilight Nightmare strode around a dark cave, as black as the night skies bereaved of clouds. "Yes, this will make a most satisfying place to rest," she murmured, evil eyes scanning the stone walls for any sign of life. Then, with a powerful thrust of her horn, she created a large mirror in the right wall. One more shock of black and an image of her former friends, accompanied by Trixie, appeared in it's reflection. "So, they have gathered another magical one to defeat me, it seems," she whispered, her eyes squinting and growing blacker. "They will not succeed, I will capture and destroy everypony would will not pay adherence to my reign!" A deep moan came from the dark, isolated background. Nightmare turned and glanced without a trace of pity at a white stallion, who lay in unconscious on the cave's floor. She had flown into the wimp as she left the city, for he was making his way cautiously though the darkened town. In pure annoyance, she had threatened her horn at him, causing the already frightened stallion to faint with one, faint cry of terror. Snatching the unfortunate soul in a dark aura of magic, she sped away once more towards the forest ahead, where a welcoming cave came into view. Such a place would be perfect to hold ponies for ransom in case of threats by those awful Princesses and also to increase the fear that everypony would soon hold of their new ruler. "He will be my first victim, should no one fear and obey my command," she smirked. Hearing a crying wisp from the mirror, she turned her attention back to it as her former reflection appeared: a timid, purple unicorn with eyes as wide, innocent and appealing as a young filly. She shone with a mixture of power and weakness, courage and despair. The unicorn opened her mouth and spoke with perfect calmness. "No, Nightmare, we will not harm him or anypony. They have been kind to us, and we have not been so to them." "I have told you already, Twilight. They want to vanquish us. They must die!" "No, we will not harm them. Cast them in shackles, make them plea for mercy. . .but we are a kind creature, are we not?" Nightmare could not decide between her personas. Her promise to Twilight had been to make certain that no one could inflict punishment upon her, and though the unicorn was merely a side of her conscience, enough argument and she risked losing her hold on Twilight's soul, and with that her power. "Let us make a compromise, Twilight," she hissed. "We will imprison all those who try to take what is rightfully ours, but try not to inflict physical pain." The adjustment worked, for her conscience helplessly faded back into the glass. Nightmare's reverie suddenly was distracted by a stomp of hooves, a rustle of the bush that guarded the rustic cave. She snarled and turned towards the shining light which slipped in a steady stream thorough the cave's opening which steadily outlined her ghastly figure. "Oh, what fools to enter this place," she thought, curling her lips. **** Each pony, frozen in terror by the shock of cold air and hiss of evil laughter, had only one desire--to run. A hastening of hooves, a clamor of jumbled, frantic voices, and streaks of dismay echoed off the pervasive walls. "The entrance is blocked, she has us trapped!" wailed Rarity, scraping her formally polished hooves at the stone which sealed any hopes of escape. A hideous voice ripped though the darkness; two eyes flashed cruel beams at light at the ponies who still dug at the stone, as if they thought the stone would obey their pleas and burst into molecules. "My little ponies, look who is in the snare now," she breathed, causing each pony to turn around and face her sinister majesty. "You!" she pointed a slender hoof at Trixie, whose forehead was shining with great drops of sweat as Nightmare poured her indignation upon her. "You thought you could overpower me. Me! The great and powerful Nightmare? I can only laugh at such absurdity! Oh, I just used your line, did I i not? Before this night ends you will not have the dignity to ever murmur those words, even in the leave of all honesty." Nightmare tiled her head with a sneer and darted her eyes at the others. "Does somepony feel left out?" she remarked sarcastically. "You will all face the same punishment as your little friend." "Not on my life!" cried Rainbow, snapping out of her immobilized state. Nightmare's threat had done enough to fury her passionate personality, even in the face of death--it was madness, but only she could spur the courage. Rainbow dashed into action. "Hurry everypony, adorn your elements!" Grasping open the satchel that still hung about her neck with her teeth, she scattered it's gold plated contents on the ground, as everypony hastened to snatch their symbols and slip them around their necks. Trixie stared in a frightened, bewildered state as Rainbow threw the shiny crown upon her head and ordered the other ponies behind her. Poor Spike chattered in the darkest corner, fumbling with a sweaty hand to denote a message to Princess Celestia in hopes that she would have arrived in Canterlot and heed his frantic plea for help. "Ok everypony, behind Trixie! That includes you Fluttershy, take your place!" Rainbow almost dragged her fearful friend into the group and then finally slammed down to earth, glancing hopefully at Trixie. "This is it Trixie! Make it happen!" "Make what happen?" Trixie screamed. "Nightmare watched the Rainbow's futile attempts with a half-amused expression, allowing them to face the uselessness of escape before she showcased her power. "Ahahahaha! So you go to the 'great and powerful Trixie' for help? You can never replace my element, I am the most powerful in Equestria! You shall be punished rightly for the mere attempted to vanquish me, you slaves!" Trixie screamed again in terror as a dark aurora of magic lifted her body and shoved her into a barred cage that hung overhead in the shadows. "Help meee! Help. . ." Trixie bumped roughly into the stallion who had been fromally thrown in the same cage as she. She instantly shrieked and jumped backwards, but paused seeing she had nothing to fear but a equally afraid, white unicorn. Now entirely recovered and aware of his predicament, he opened his tearful, blue eyes wide and latched on to Trixie in a tight grip, trembling. Although Trixie could not see the other ponies from her elevated prison, she could hear an awful clash of rocks and magic and assumed they had taken it upon themselves to personally attack the Nightmare, being derived of any other options. "Trixie!" yelled Fluttershy from the clutter, "Don't worry we'll save you, I promise!" "Yes, we got you into this mess and we won't let you down!" bellowed Rainbow from the whirlwind of clamor below. "No, don't try! It's useless!" Trixie cast several spells at the cage door, knowing quite well that nothing she knew would burst an enforcement of dark magic. She grunted, breaking into an even greater sweat as her last spell burst into white sparks as it contacted the bars and sinking to the ground in sheer exhaustion. The cave alighted in a bright flash of light and the five ponies and Spike, utterly defeated, were teleportated to the same cage. They lay on the ground, exhausted and beaten. "No! That wasn't even fair!" yelled Rainbow, smashing her body painfully into cage wall. She met the bars with a wamp and was sent flying backward, landing on the cold, hard floor. "Oh. .. it hurts!" With Rainbow down and quietly checking her appendages for busies, an enearthel silence rung until Rarity hesitativly lit up her horn to see where they had been imprisoned. The first pony her eyes feel on was rather large. . .he wasn't a pony at all! "Prince Blueblood!" she gasped, "Whatever are you doing here?" The poor stallion, who, with his red shot eyes and dirtied mane looked like he'd been though his worst nightmare, wondered what he had done to deserve being cast into confinement with the pony he most hated. "Save me, beautiful angel!" Bloodblood threw his hooves aroud Trixie's neck and sobbed. Trixie stood uneasily, at first trying to cautiously squirm out of his grip but finding that useless heaving a great sigh. She was more than exhausted, and felt her legs wobbling under her. "Release your hold on the great and powerful Trixie! Uhh please?" Bloodblood released his hold and with a menacing glace at Rarity, backed into a corner whipping away his tears. Rarity rolled her eyes. "What a wimp," she thought. "He is the most disregardful definition of a stallion I've ever seen." However, she felt a sense of pity for Bloodblood, who had been pampered and spoiled by royal life, and apt to be heart-broken should he even mess up his mane." Feeling insulted, she walked to the opposite side of the small cage. Trixie was still in a state of exhausted bewilderment, but cast off her uncertainty with her usually contempt. "Ridiculous, all of them." muttered Trixie, "I'll defeat Nightmare myself, just. . .after some sleep." Her lids became lead as she swooned into semi-consciousness on the hard ground. "We should all get some shut eye" said Applejack, "Nightmare is gone, who knows where, and we have to be ready for whatever happens tomorrow." Spike had already dwindled into sleep, his snores leaving gasps of smoke into the air, warming the chilled atmosphere. Rarity shifted down on her knees. The floor felt so hard and crumbly with dust. She quietly rolled around, trying to find a position less uncomfortable than the next. She wasn't the only pony suffering from discomfort, she could hear the shuffling of aching bodies all around her. Shutting her weary eyes, she drifted into a light sleep, thinking sadly about how leaving her false eyelashes on overnight would hurt her eyelashes. Hours later, Rarity awakened with a jerk to the sound of Trixie's voice feet away--she was mumbling incoherent sentences and thrashing about wildly. This continued for a few minutes while Rarity tried to ignore the pitiful noises, not wanting to disturb her tired friends. But it became unbearable, and she rose to see what was wrong. The other ponies had heard it too--they crept in the darkness towards the twisted sobs. "Sugercube, wake up," Applejack nudged Trixie lightly, and then a little harder when Trixie remained in her sleepy trance. Rainbow punched her shoulder with a hoof, "Trixie, WAKE UP!!" She stirred and opened her dewy eyes, and seeing everypony staring at her, burst into a fountain of tears. "Go away, leave Trixie alone!" "Sugercube, there's not much space to go," said Applejack. "Why not just tell us what's wrong?" "Because. . .because that's too embarrassing!" she wailed. "But why?" asked Pinkie Pie. "Because. . .it's about my past," she whimpered. "I can't tell anyone. . .you wouldn't understand." "Wouldn't understand? I grew up with you! What could possibly not be able to tell anyone, especially your friends?!" exclaimed Pinkie, her pitched voice loud echoing in the cave. "You don't know everything about me Pinkie, said Trixie. She closed her weary eyes and wiped away a tear. Seeing that the other ponies would not head her pleas to ignore her, she sighed and began the painful recollection. "When I was a little filly, I lived with my mother, Chelsea, in Filly Delphia. She was the most wonderful, kind, and hard working pony that ever existed. All she ever tried to do was protect and provide for me." Trixie's face hardened as she continued. "Because she had to raise me, she couldn't finish her magic education, and was unsuccessful as an instructor, forcing us to live homeless on the streets. She tried to become a street performer, traveling from place to place, hoping to be wanted, or at least accepted. It didn't help that everyone called her slut, and condemned her for leaving school. Everything that happened in the past wasn't her fault, and yet she bore the consequences of it." Trixie looked down and stroked at the ground with her right hoof before continuing. "That. . .that consequence was me. I wanted to help, but I couldn't. I could only learn whatever spells my mother taught me as we wandered from place to place. From Filly Delphia to Baltimore to Dodge City, the cruel society would only see her as an outcast; no one would do more than toss a few bits after her shows. She wasn't pitied. . . she was despised. We finally ended up in Rambling Rock Ridge, where she tried to make a living hauling rocks. . . but the toil of life had taken it's toll on her health. She became sick, very ill, and had no one but me to care for her." Here Trixie paused, swallowing the lump in her throat. "One night, it was clear and dark and humid. An eerie mist gathered around the dirt streets, making it hard to see. Even in the deep fog, I managed to beg two bits from passing ponies and bought mother some apple cider, returning proudly to our tent to help the pony I loved most. But when I entered. . .Oh I shall never forget the pangs of horror I felt! She lay there, still and cold to the touch. My frantic attempts to wake her were futile. I called for help, I screamed! Some ponies came cantering at my screams and took her to the hospital, but they could not save her. They tried to console me, but I was inconsolable. These were the same ponies who had ignored her, mocked her. They had killed her. I suppose everypony in Ridge had pity on me, but I despised their pity. I became a foster pony, and was enrolled at the Rock Ridge Public School." "That's. . . that's where you met me." gasped Pinkie with trembling lips, wet with her tears. "Yeah Pinkie," said Trixie. "You were. . . a great friend." She gave a sad laugh. "There was I, only treated kindly for pities sake, and you cheered me up every day with your comedy routines and talkative nature. You were always there for me, and you helped me discover my talent after I performed with you." "But if I meant so much to you, why did you leave me?" asked Pinkie, feeling bewildered. "Because. . ." Trixie sighed. "I see I must start from the beginning. You helped me discover my talent: the talent of performing magic shows. I couldn't help myself, and after I got my cutie mark, I knew it was what I was meant to do. I couldn't have been happier at this realization. After years of solitude, I wanted attention, which I never failed to receive by performing. The best part of each day was putting on shows with you at school and around town. I even thought everypony admired my talent and hoped the best for me. But one late evening as I was walking by the school house, I overhead my name in our teachers' conversation. Curious, I crept up to the window and pressed my ear against the lower crack. 'You know what happened to her mother, right?' I heard Mrs. Evergrey say. 'Lived the life of a prostitute and died as one, almost killing her poor daughter in the process. And now, Trixie has picked up her mother's habits. Right now it's innocent play, but I fear for her future. Ponies will not stand it, for her mother's soiled reputation lingers behind her tiger stalking it's prey.' I wouldn't hear anymore, I didn't want to. Dashing away from that detested voice, I ran home, to my room, and hid under the covers sobbing. How dare they call my mother such detestable names! And how dare they said her past tainted mine! Had they no respect? Is this what they thought of me? A slut and a show off? I gritted my teeth in fury. 'Who cares what they say, those horrible ponies who judge without tolerance,' I cried. 'I will become be the pony I was meant to be, a magic performer, and they will never stop me. I will become be the star of Equestia, the most powerful pony they'd ever laid eyes on. Then, they will be sorry.' From that day on, I turned my back on the world and everypony I knew, they were beneath me. . .all I could afford to care for was myself. I've been traveling around Equestia, putting on shows for audiences, any audience how would give me the attention I craved. I found that those teachers were wrong in one respect, for ponies actually enjoyed my shows. In this new generation, magic performers have a better reputation, a good one, even." Having finished her story, Trixie raised her head and looked at Pinkie sadly. "That's my past, and that's why I left you. It had nothing to do with you. Alone in my pain, I strove to be alone in my pride. I don't suppose you want to be my friend anymore, especially after I failed all of you tonight. A failure, that's all I am." Pinkie, overwhelmed with tears, threw her arms around Trixie's neck. "Oh Trixie, I forgive you, if there's even anything to forgive! You've lived such a hard life, and I don't think I could have even gone through that, and I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, and I want to make it up to you! So see, you don't even have anything to even be sorry for!" "No Pinkie, you were always there for me. . . I just wouldn't accept it. And after your parents let me work on their rock farm after the incident with the Ursa Minor, I should have been kind to you, but I wasn't. It is I who must be forgiven!" "No, it's me!" "I!" "Me!" Pinkie raised her voice to a shout. "Trixie!" returned the frustrated blue unicorn. Hearing Trixie resume her old habit of speaking in third person, which had been broken by a lack of confidence during her confession, Pinkie decided it wasn't safe to continue fighting. "Ok, but promise that you won't let it bother you. Pinkie Promise?" She smiled through her remaining tears at Trixie. Trixie hesitated for a second to remember Pinkie's favorite vow. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" The ponies' reunion was then disrupted by Rainbow. "Oh, my feels!" The tough pegasus was wiping away tears. "I don't think anyone wasn't touched by your story Trixe," said Fluttershy, "We are so happy that you're our friend." Rarity, overcome by the touching scene, suddenly felt a pang of guilt for how badly she'd treated Blueblood. "It takes a lady to make a gentleman" she thought, and addressed him nervously. "Uhh Bloodblood. . ." He looked up and she turned her head as to not shine her gleaming horn in his eyes. "Look, I'm sorry you're here and cannot imagine how you ever got into this mess. Would it make it up to you if I didn't charge you for that, um, outfit?" The suit was dusty and the gems were loosened, but he bushed tossed his mane out of his face and gave the slightest hint of a smile. "Sure, I'll forgive you for that." "YOU!" Trixie's lavender eyes flashed as she pointed a hoof at Bloodblood, the light form Rarity's horn catching a shark on its shiny tip. He jumped up alarmed. "Yes?!" "You, me, Rarity! We're all unicorns, and while we may not pocess the magical power of Twilight, we can put our magic together to break out of this prison!" "I hate to break it to you Trix, but this is black magic, and as far as I can remember, practically impenetrable," said Applejack. "Um, I think you are right Trixie, but Applejack has a good point too. If none of us has a spell to penetrate black magic, the only way to escape is to write one. That is, if you don't mind. . ." said Fluttershy. "Let's take this apart, said Rarity, motivated by Fluttershy's idea. "What gives a pony the ability to break through something?" "Well, when I was scared of participating in tornado duty two years ago, I couldn't enter the flight because I was afraid of what everypony would think of my poor flying skills. But Twilight reminded me that I had to do this for Equestria, Rainbow, and most of all, myself! So, I can break though things, in this case, my fears, when I'm faced with an emergency and not a performance. "Not a performance?" said Trixie, looking disappointed. "Yes, and also when I'm doing it for somepony other than myself, but for myself as well. Oh, it's rather complicated. . ." "Well, I had the strength to break through the wind barrier and make the sonic rainbow when I was trying to catch Rarity. I can also do it when I'm super happy, like during Candace and Shining Armor's wedding. So it's not when I'm thinking about myself, but when I'm helping others that I really outdo myself." "So, we need passion, understanding that this is an emergency and not a performance, and a desire to help others to break the walls" mused Trixie. "So the reason that the walls will not break easily that. . ." " NO PONY BREAKS A PINKIE PROMISE!" "Uh, Pinkie, that's totally unrelated," said Rainbow. "No it's not! You see, no pony can break a pinkie promise because that is the most serious vow they could ever make! Likewise, nopony can break this wall because it's made of black magic, the strongest magic that can ever be used! Now although there is nothing stronger than a pinkie promise, there is something stronger than black magic, and that is the magic of love, which in our case is loving each other so much that we want to help each other!" "So, if the spell contains passion, energy, and a desire to help others, we can break out of here," Fluttershy summarized, bouncing lightly with trepidation and excitement. "Ok. We've got the main facts down. Now to write the spell. . ." Trixie squinted her eyes and stared at the walls which taunted her with its boldness. Do this for Equestria, to save them from Nightmare. Do this for yourself, to gain back your reputation. All I need to do is write a spell. . . "May a light arise that blots out the darkness With an energy and passion which stands untied. Bring forth the spell to break down these walls Vanquish Nightmare once for us all" Upon repeating the spell in unison, the unicorns concentrated and shot a yellow wisp of light from their horns, which spread and wraped around each bar of the prison. One second more, and the bars dissolved into golden sand on the ground. There was a loud cry of anger from the other end of the cave as Nightmare felt the force of black magic dissolve. But nopony shock in fear as they had formally. They looked ahead, one purpose, one goal. Nightmare appeared, the elblem of evil. Her wings outspread and here eyes glinting with anger. "You think you're so powerful, breaking down my walls? Well, ye shall see the full power of the Nightmare!" She paused, swelling with wrath and pride. It would be cowardly to immediately terminate the ponies, so she waited for the ponies to make the first move. So deep was she in her inward decision of what action would best show her sovereignty that she did not realize how fatal this single move would be to her. The ponies used those few seconds wisely; they swiftly adorned their ornaments. Bloodblood dashed up beside Trixie who nodded for them all to repeat the spell. The unicorns in front sent one spark into the air. The flash spun a ball in space, directly between the ponies and Nightmare. Nightmare made a move towards them but jumped back, surprised at the intensity and heat of the ever growing spare of fire. Instantly and without warning, Trixie felt an overwhelming sense of warmth encompass her body. But she wasn't scared, and stood still as the waves swirled around her and lifted her up into the air, her body radiating with rays of sunlight. One more moment and the other ponies were also lifted from their positions and radiated, their eyes filling with a bright light from within them. The light filled the cave. The light wrapped around the Nightmare, hoisting her up through the cave walls which crumbled in the heat and dissolved instantaneously. "No, No No!! This cannot happen to us!" Nightmare screamed with a heavy curse. Her dark shadow was sucked out of Twilight's comparably small body and faded into the air as Twilight, freed from the curse, plummeted towards the ground.