//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: He Has Returned // Story: Midnight Black // by Goddess Of The Sea //------------------------------// Twilight locked the wooden door behind them with a smile. She rattled the doorknob for reassurance, and then turned around. Spike was already waiting for Twilight a few feet away. "Let’s go!" He cheered. Twilight grinned and followed Spike eagerly. Today was a beautiful day; Fillies were laughing and playing, mothers were chatting with each other, the weather was nice and warm, and there was nice cool breeze to cool anypony off if they got too hot. There was even a fresh new batch of piping hot apple pies at the bakery, thanks to Sweet Apple Acres. On the way to Pinkie Pie's party, something seemed different about Ponyville. Even though the day was beautiful, and well celebrated, something was...off. "Spike," Twilight began, "where's BonBon? She's usually out here every morning." Twilight looked round as she trotted. No sign of BonBon anywhere. In the morning they would usually chat with each other until BonBon would leave for work, so it was a bit odd not to see her. "Maybe she's sick?" Spike suggested. He sneezed. "She seemed perfectly healthy yesterday," Twilight replied. They passed the bakery, the delicious smells of pies, tarts, and other sweets filled their noses. Spike's stomach growled. He patted it. "I'm so hungry right now!" He whined. "Well, don't fret, I can see Pinkie's house from here," Twilight smiled. Not long after that, they knocked on the door. Pinkie Pie's ears perked up and she grinned her usually goofy grin. She dashed towards the door and nearly ripped it off as she opened it. "Twilight! Spike! You guys made it! Woohoo!" Pinkie Pie shouted and jumped for joy. Spike and Twilight laughed as they walked inside. They could see everypony playing "Pin the Tail On the Pony." It was a game everypony always enjoyed. "Ooh! My turn!" Pinkie Pie squealed in delight. Twilight tied a piece of white cloth around Pinkie Pie's head and spun her around. Pinkie Pie put the tail on the pony's head instead of his tail in a wobbly way. When Pinkie Pie took off the blind fold, she giggled. "Who wants cake?" NavyBell stood in front of her dead sister's body. Her irises were black, but her slit pupils were a crimson red. NavyBell scoffed and kicked her dear sister's dead body. More blood poured out of the wound on Snow Rose's stomach. Her eyes were wide open. NavyBell didn't even bother closing them. "You were always weak," she scoffed and turned around. She hit the wall with her left foreleg. Many medium sized rocks fell on Snow Rose, covering her body. NavyBell grinned a demon's grin. She turned around and walked back to the end of the cave, humming a song that was the, “Trick or Treat” tune. "Gone, gone, gone away,” she sang softly as she walked, “nopony is left here today. They’re all dead, without their head,” she stopped in front of a dark glowing jewel, “any scared pony that fled, I made sure that they all bled.” She examined the jewel. The Endless Insanity gem still looked beautifully radiant, as if it was its first day on earth. NavyBell grinned. “I missed you so much!” She cooed and used her unicorn powers to lift the gem up. She cuddled it as if it was her own child. The gem responded by glowing brighter for a second, before calming down. NavyBell opened her bag and put the powerful gem in it. “Have to keep you safe!” She giggled and trotted away. As she passed her sister’s body, she spitted on it for fun, then giggled again and trotted away. Once she was outside, she could see all of Equestria. The snowy mountain was very high up. “My, my,” she whistled, “this place sure looks different. I remember ponies screaming in fear, and war and bloodshed erupting all over the land. Alas, that was a long time ago.” She started down the mountain towards Ponyville. “Lets see what Ponyville has to offer me,” “Bye Pinkie Pie!” Spike waved goodbye as he left the exciting party with the exhausted Twilight. “That was bigger than most parties,” Twilight yawned. “And later, it’s eleven PM!” They slowly walked back home to the library. Twilight slowly opened the door and shut it. She turned around and gasped. Spike had already fallen asleep on the floor. Twilight smiled and picked him up with her unicorn powers. “Spike, you should go to sleep.” She walked up the stairs. “You’re still a baby dragon, after all,” she reminded and opened the door. She set the sleeping baby dragon down and climbed into her own bed. She felt that tomorrow would be a good day. NavyBell looked down at her growling stomach and moaned. “I didn’t think such a child could get so hungry so quickly,” she admitted as she trudged through the emptiness town. The cold icy wind made the shutters flap and creak. NavyBell shivered. She would have to find shelter and some food if she wanted to continue on with her plan. Trudging through the town, she smelled something. She smelt delicious apples not too far away. Her stomach growled even more as her dry mouth drooled. Oh, the scent smelt like heaven. NavyBell picked up her pace to the destination of the aurora. She read a sign that aid, “Sweet Apple Acres!” She walked past the sign and continued on towards the apple trees. Next to one large tree sat a bundle of delicious apples. NavyBell generously dug into the piles. Her rapacious nature got the best of her as she ate yet another bucket of apples. After a while, all the buckets of apples were gone. NavyBell sighed in bliss and looked around for some clear water she could drink to quench her undying thirst. She spotted one after a minute and, once again, generously drank all of the water. Oh, this farm has to be her favorite out of all she’s traveled to. Suddenly, she saw a bright yellow light shine from a house close by. The door opened. Big McIntosh stood in the doorway as he looked around. He had heard that someone was outside on the farm. He stepped out of the house and gasped when he saw the empty buckets. NavyBell quickly ran off to hide. Her galloping echoed into the starry night. She panted as she slowed to a stop in front of a library. “I’ll hide in here,” she whispered. Quietly, she opened the door. She noticed that it was getting harder and harder to move her body. She needed to rest, and fast, otherwise she would pass out. Unfortunately, NavyBell couldn’t see in the dark, and ended up knocking a vase over. The shatter echoed through the house as NavyBell growled. This was something she wasn’t looking forward to. A door was opened, and the lights turned on. NavyBell’s vision started to blur. Everything she heard sounded like far away echoes. The last thing she saw, was a purple unicorn, and a baby dragon.