Deep Dark

by Dragryphon

Chapter 3: Discoveries

“No. No no no!” Princess Luna yelled, slamming her hoof down upon the tabletop and startling the Legislature members nearby, the gathering sitting around the large Solar and Lunar table during one of the many meetings that called for such an arrangement. Her sister was not in attendance for this one, and it was left to Luna to take care of the morning’s business.

“These plans would not work in the slightest, nor would they stay within the budget allocated to the project,” Luna snorted, glaring down at the diagrams spread before her. They looked more like a school filly’s artwork than anything done by a real architect. “The materials are more fanciful than practical; they can’t handle the stress that would be required, and I swear the building would look more like a dollhouse than an actual museum. Please, take these back to an actual architect and get a quote, as well as some real plans. Would you?”

Luna sighed and ignored the urge to rub at her temples. At least I don’t have to deal with every little issue that Equestria has. Only the really important ones get this far. By Altair, at times I just wish these problems weren’t so big, and the Legislature so stubborn. Brushing aside the plans to allow an awaiting servant to carry them off, she lifted the report that listed the day’s agenda.

Various tax changes, done that. Theproposition of an expedition into the Everfree Forest by a group of unicorns and pegasus scouts to see if it was possible to re-tame the forest and create a mining town near the base of one of the mountains; that took most of the morning. A proposal for a new museum on the outskirts of Canterlot; that’s finished.

Looking about the room at the Legislature members, Luna swayed as a sudden bout of dizziness struck her. Holding a hoof to her head, she blinked several times, wondering to herself, What was that?

“Princess? Are you alright?” a unicorn asked, drawing the attention of the rest of the room.

Waving her hoof as the episode passed, the Goddess of the Night nodded before going back to the list once more, scanning her eyes down it. Alright, a few more things, then I get to go see the Captain of the Guard about increasing recruitment and training so as to replace those guards that have been reported missing. It’s no coincidence that they’ve all been ones who were guarding the chamber Celly showed me and...

Another wave of dizziness hit, this time strong enough to nearly topple the alicorn. Luna managed not to show anything more than a slight waver, but just as she was coming out of it, a third wave hit her and she toppled over, blacking out like a room that had just had the torch doused.

The Princess wasn’t out for more than a minute before she came to again.

The first thing Luna noticed was that she was lying upon her back, having fallen off her cushion. The second was that the ceiling was horribly drab. Maybe a nice night sky painting would do it wonders... The third, all the ministers were currently gathered around her with worried looks upon their faces, but not too close, of course. Nopony ever laid a hoof upon the Princesses without permission unless it was an utmost emergency. The final thing Luna noticed, or rather heard, was the echo of a cry reverberating within her head. A cry for help from her sister.

Oh please oh please oh please oh please don’t be what I think it is! Oh Altair, please don’t let it be Erebus!

Luna’s thoughts were frantic as she dashed down the halls of Canterlot Castle, causing no few ponies walking down them to jump out of the way of the Princess. Shortly after she had woken up, Luna had given the ministers only a brief explanation that there was trouble brewing before she had run out of the chambers.

I’m not ready for this! I’m not ready for this! But I must be there for Celly, no matter what happens. She can handle Erebus, and I can help! she thought, eyes frantically darting in every direction. Lighting her horn, the Goddess reached out with her magic and searched for her sister, finding only traces of her as if she were in many places, yet had already left those same places. What’s going on...? 

Unable to lock onto her sister’s location, Luna released her magic and galloped in the direction of the lower levels of the castle, not bothering to even take the steps slowly, barreling down them with reckless abandon. All possible speed was required here, and she had no time to dilly dally watching her step.

Somehow managing to not break her neck, the alicorn turned the corner to find the corridor leading to the various locked chambers and the Core empty, unchanged except that now the hidden chamber was open. Carefully making her way forth, Luna peeked around the corner only to find the chamber empty, without even the statue being present. This is very bad... Where are th-

An ominous voice stopped the alicorn mid-thought and sent a chill down her spine. “Hello, Luna of Trelaria.”

Jumping what felt like the height of Cloudsdale into the air, Luna turned swiftly around and gasped at the sight before her. She had never originally seen what her sister had, only having knowledge of what Celestia had written of and told her directly. Truth be told, the monstrosity before her wasn’t as frightening as some of the things she had seen in Nightmare Moon’s Slumber, yet having Erebus present, right there in front of her, made it seem all the more terrifying.

Putting on her bravest face, even though she was shaking, Luna glared up at the black abomination of undeath. “And to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Erebus? Where is my sister!?” she demanded, the alicorn’s shaky voice betraying her unease.

Erebus stared... Or rather, Luna guessed he was staring with those eyeless sockets of his... down at her, the telltale rumble of his laugh drifting from his body. “Celestia is quite strong. She is currently fighting my power. However, she will fall, just as you soon shall. Abide by me, Luna, or suffer your sister’s fate. The warmth of day has done much to destroy your line. Such a pity, but it can be easily be rectified once more. Abide by me, Luna of Trelaria, and take your rightful throne once again.”

“My sister will defeat you, monster!” Luna yelled back at Erebus, taking a step back from his presence. However, she was taken aback by what she heard, “M-My rightfu- No! What are you talking about?! I am on my rightful throne! I am of Equestria, not whatever made up nation you’re speaking of!”

Erebus spread out his wings, releasing a choking cloud of dust around his body, “Pity. Nopony ever listens to the Harbinger. And thus they die. You too shall die, Luna of Trelaria, unless you abide by me. What is your decision?” He stepped forward, walking slowly around Luna while keeping his eyeless gaze upon her. His tendrils writhed behind him, at times seeming almost autonomous in their motions.

Luna retreated until she found herself trapped in that small chamber, terrified not just for herself, but also for her sister. Her eyes darted from side to side before she thought of anything that might stall the monstrosity.
“C-Can I have time to t-think about it?” Her eyes were as wide as saucers by this point.

Her question, however, seemed to stop Erebus short. His tendrils even stopped moving for a moment before slowly creeping back to life again, reserved, as if they were being cautious. He had obviously never been asked such before. “...I will allow it, Luna of Trelaria. However, I will not wait for long. Do not disappoint me.” Then, suddenly, he was gone, leaving naught but chilled air behind.

Stepping out of the chamber apprehensively, Luna looked down to either end of the hallway before sprinting down its length. I cannot believe that worked! This is bad. Very bad. But... I know who can help us...

Meanwhile, in Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle was having a different kind of problem... Locating all her friends. At times, it was easy; at others, it was downright impossible. This time was proving to be one of the latter sort. Twilight knew Rainbow Dash was presumably sleeping upon a cloud somewhere, and it would have been easy to find her if there had been only a lone cloud in the sky. However, the pegasi had scheduled the day to be partly cloudy, so instead there were quite a few.

Applejack was most likely off tending the apple orchards. The very large apple orchards that a pony could search in for days and not find another soul. Twilight sighed as she made her way out of Sugarcube Corner, which Pinkie Pie had most conspicuously not been in, and gave another searching gaze at the skies before heading back to her library. Rarity hadn’t been home either, which was strange. Or rather, it was unusual. However there usually wasn’t much that was ordinary when it involved her friends.

Fluttershy wasn’t around, either. Wherever could they be? Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie? What could you all be doing now that prevents me from finding you? This question plagued the unicorn the entire walk back to her library until she reached the door. Pushing it open, darkness greeted her within as Twilight softly spoke to herself, “I was so looking forward to reading that tome with the girls. It even looks like Spike is asleep, if it’s this dar-”

Twilight was immediately interrupted as the lights flickered on and Pinkie Pie dropped in from above yelling, “Surprise! I knew you wanted all of us to be here for when you started that book of yours so I thought that you’d be grateful if I gathered everypony for you and then I realized what better time to have a party, too!” 

The unicorn was, of course, startled in no small way, having leapt high into the air before coming down upon the wooden floor with her legs splaying out in every direction. Heart pounding in her chest, Twilight gave Pinkie a brief glare, then noticed her friends off to the side gathered around a large table. On the center of the table sat the book they were meant to read together.

Standing back on all four hooves as Pinkie Pie bounced her way back to the group. Twilight raised her eyebrow at the decorations and streamers everywhere, then glanced questioningly at her friends.

“Don’ look at us, Sugarcube, this is Pinkie Pie we’re dealin’ with. Not much we cain do ‘bout ’er,” Applejack said, shaking her head before smiling over at Twilight.

Rarity laughed softly, then tentatively tapped the book with a single hoof, as if she were afraid to discover what lay within, “It’s a good thing though, Twilight. If everything you’ve told us about what the Princess explained is correct, then we will definitely need some lightheartedness around us.”

With a shake of her head, Twilight settled her mane back into place before she took her place at the table. “Well, I can say I am happy about the party, Pinkie, but I don’t think we’ll need it quite yet. Maybe later once we’re done!” Twilight nodded and forced herself to smile. I almost always look forward to Pinkie’s parties, but now is just not the right time for it.

Grabbing the book before her, Twilight flipped the cover open as she began to speak. “What I was thinking was that I could read it out loud. It’s not the most effective way, but it’s the best one for us to all know what’s going-” Twilight paused for a second and blinked once she actually read what lay beyond the cover. A sheet of parchment had been glued to the inside of the cover.

Twilight Sparkle took a closer look at the parchment and read over the writing, then her face lit up and she smiled broadly at her friends. "Ooor, better yet! Apparently the Princesses saw reason to give me a special spell for this.” Lifting the book and turning it around so the girls could see it, Twilight poked at the parchment with her hoof saying, “This is apparently a complex spell that allows me to turn the words from books into a visual representation of what goes on within. I’d love if it worked on any book, but Princess Celestia wrote here that it only works on a few, this being one of them.”

I guess it has something to do with how magical the text is. Either way, this is so much better than just reading it aloud! I’m a bit trepidatious about it all, though. The Princess did say that this would not sit well with any of us.

The unicorn swallowed, then started gathering power in her horn to cast the spell, weaving and stitching it together not unlike Rarity doing the same with a dress. It’s not as hard as I think, just...tedious. Come on, Twilight, you can do this, I can’t let my friends down, they’re expecting me to complete this spell.

It took several long moments, all the while Twilight’s friends looked on, at first in expectation, then worry. Finally, Twilight released the spell and slouched over in magical exhaustion. The book before her glowed briefly, then reverted back to normal, which caused Rainbow Dash to raise an eyebrow.

“Did it work?” she asked. “I would love to be able to see what other ways we’ve used to kick Nightmare Moon’s flanks!” Standing on her rear hooves, Rainbow shadowboxed the air, then settled back down with a large grin plastered across her face. “Nightmare Moon was never a threat to us! Even Fluttershy could have taken her on with both hooves tied behind her back!”

“I-I’m not so sure about that, Rainbow... Twilight did say this was about how Nightmare Moon had won, not how we beat her again. I’m not sure if I want to see what happens to us...” Fluttershy replied demurely, turning her head aside to stare instead at the floor.

“I’m not sure I wish to either, Fluttershy. The Princesses said before I parted ways with them that it was imperative that I read this. Something about a new threat to Equestria. Why they couldn’t simply tell me about it, I have no idea, but the Princesses do work in mysterious ways,” Twilight gave a half-hearted shrug, then pulled the book closer and opened the cover. As she flipped the first page, she said, “On the other hoof, I can’t wait to see what happens. To know other realms of reali-EEP!”

Everypony let out a loud gasp when, just as Twilight flipped the page, the spell she had cast took effect. A cloud of magic rose from the tome, expanding until a spheroid bubble took up nearly the entire table, forcing the group of ponies to scoot back a short distance. Within, power swirled and formed currents within the sphere before coalescing into an image. Another gasp came from the throats of the ponies, as well as a collective shout, “Princess Celestia!?”

Indeed, suspended within the bubble was an image of their beloved Princess. She stood still for a moment before beginning to speak. “My little ponies, and my beloved and most faithful student, Twilight. If you are watching this now, then I must presume that my student has completed the spell I gave her in an admirable fashion. Few can pull it off, my student, even fewer without having hours of study. Twilight Sparkle, you are everything I could have asked for, everything I wanted, you are like a daughter to me...”

Once again, Twilight got the feeling that the Princess, even though she was just a recorded image, was hiding something, but that feeling was pushed aside upon being told she was like a daughter to the Princess. Shaking her head at the thought, Twilight continued to watch. 

The image of the Princess sighed, and bowed her head, then raised it back up with a stern expression upon her face and a determined look about her. “I do not know when you are watching this; whether it is weeks, days, or even hours before the timewhen you must take action, but know, my student, my beloved, that what lies within these pages is a bitter pill to take. What happens in the end, more bitter still. There is a threat to Equestria far greater than Nightmare Moon ever was, and which may in fact have been the reason my sister’s Nightmare came to be.” The image of Celestia stamped a hoof, and her expression changed to one of sorrow. “Twilight Sparkle, my student, what I found will hit you hard, but it hit me far harder for the knowledge I have. We do not have much time, and circumstances may cause you to lose me, or me to lose you, but I believe in you and your friends to be able to help when the time comes, to help repel this new threat. May Erebus understand the full implications of his attack.”

The image of Celestia winked out, and Twilight and her friends stared wide-eyed at each other, chattering amongst themselves.

“Who’s Erebus?”

“Twilight, what did she mean about you and her?”

"...Pinkie... Whar did ya get that popcorn?”

“I made it while we were watching the Princess!”

“...I’m scared of what we’re about to see...”

“Fluttershy, you need to pony up and take life by the... Ummm... Applejack, does life have horns?”

“How the hay would ah know? Ah just lasso and ride it like every other pony!”

Twilight herself was deep in thought, ignoring her friends around her. Erebus... The name means Darkness, Shadow, the area between the Light and the Dark, the balance between the two... What did the Princess mean about her and me? She actually seemed worried about me, very worried... What if...

Yet again Twilight’s thoughts were interrupted, this time by the images coming together to show the beginning scenes of what the Princess had written of the alternate timeline. Nothing could have prepared any of the ponies for what they realized. It was through Nightmare Moon’s eyes.

Pinkie Pie commented quite swiftly on the situation, “Oooo, it’s getting good already! A movie through Black Snooty’s eyes!”

However, as they watched, excitement turned to sadness. The banishment of the Elements of Harmony; the subversion and enslavement of Twilight; even the total conversion of Canterlot’s populace. Only Twilight Sparkle amongst them all had read what Nightmare Moon could do; the rest of her friends only knew what Nightmare Moon had done on her return.

Looking around at her friends, Twilight could see that they each were blanched and lighter in color, even Pinkie Pie’s poofy mane and tail looked a bit deflated. Turning her attention back to the images, the lavender unicorn swallowed, her mind blank, unsure of what to think. It wasn’t as bad as the War of the Night, but this personally involved her.

As time wore on, the group of friends’ eyes grew wider, their complexions more pale, and even Pinkie Pie stopped her running commentary halfway through. There was nothing to laugh about, and the fact that they had all managed to dodge that crossbow bolt left a sour taste in their mouths. Twilight could not believe just how much could have gone wrong if Nightmare Moon had reached the Elements first.

They had just gotten to the part where Nightmare Moon was reminiscing, months after her takeover when the sound of hooves pounding frantically upon the library doors disrupted the ponies’ spellbound attentions. Twilight slammed the book shut, thus terminating the spell, and got up and shook herself from nose to tail. Just as she reached the door, however, it burst open to reveal a pale and panting Princess Luna.

“Princess!” Twilight gasped, bowing low before the alicorn and drawing the attention of the rest of her friends, who all proceeded to bow as well. “Oh dear, oh dear! If I knew you were coming, I’d ha-”

For a third time in the past few hours, Twilight was interrupted. Luna managed to gasp out, “No time for that, Erebus has struck, it’s got my sister! It took Celestia!”

Twilight could tell that Luna was on the verge of tears, and wouldn’t doubt that the Princess was holding them in to look stronger in front of her subjects. Suddenly terrified, not only for the Princesses, but also for her friends, the unicorn shakily turned around and yelled to them, “Girls! We must all get our Elements to help the Princesses to the greatest possible extent of our capa-”

“There’s no time!” Luna interrupted Twilight for the fourth time tonight, which seemed to have become a common occurrence throughout the evening. Everypony turned to stare at the Princess as she dashed into their midst. “That is time we don’t have, we must get to the Castle and try to find something there that can help! I have no doubt that my sister hid something in her chambers that should help us against Erebus.”

“But it’ll take hours for us to reach Cant-” Twilight started, just as Luna’s horn glowed brightly. All at once, there was a flash of light, a powerful tugging sensation, and then a discombobulation that the unicorn knew to be teleportation magic. The alicorn had teleported them all straight from Twilight’s library to Princess Celestia’s bedchambers.
Flattening her ears at being interrupted again, Twilight thought, Oh, why do I bother...

(A/N) I must thank my two new editors, Fifth Alicorn and Rhiiazami for their contributions to editing my fics. They have both apparently been long time fans of mine since Warmth for the Night and Solar Flare. I am glad to have them on the team. Now, in other news, while talking with them, I had discovered some parallels with Empty Room coming up. I want to make a disclaimer now, any and all parallels to that story are coincidences. I’m not the first to come up with some things, and neither is the author of that story. I’ll explain further when they pop up, but for now, I’ll say that while I was writing Solar Flare, I’ve had a want to further it with more background, it was always meant to be a story that had so much more to it than just what I wrote, and I’ve even dropped hints throughout my stories of what is to come. Once again, you’ll soon see what I mean, and I’ll explain my reasonings and wants behind why I wrote them. Can’t tell you now, of course. Spooooileeeers~ And yes, I AM taking my time, revealing the story bit by bit, so expect chapters that aren’t as long as Solar Flare, but will add up pretty quickly.