//------------------------------// // It calls itself nightmare // Story: Finding Malcador // by ThatRarityIsaSpy //------------------------------// “Are you okay Saul?” Thule asked watching the librarian. Something was off. “Yeah fine. I just felt something was watching me the entire night.” “Time to get sleep brother. That’s normally not a good sign.” Martellus said. “No he’s right. There is something watching us.” Cyrus said emerging from a rock. “I can tell you right now, there is something watching us.” “Is something wrong Mr. Cyrus?” Applebloom asked popping out of nowhere. “Ah wonder if there’s any...” “No, it’s all fine, just we better get back on our way.” “Ah okay. Princess Celestia says it’s only a few miles before we go to the place where no pony has ever been!” “Great....” Cyrus said. “And next time, talk about this on the vox!” The last part being over the vox channel. “Like I was saying, there is something watching us. I don’t know what it is or what it wants but everyone should be on our guard. I’ll tell Luna and Celestia....” “It really doe...” “I can vouch for him.” Arven said stepping into the discussion. “There’s something out there. Emperor knows what foul beast it could be.” “Fine. Tell Celestia, Luna and possibly Rainbow Dash... but that one does have a tendency to be rash about things.....” “Like?” “Trying to pounce on a chaos space marine? Or even better yet, try and challenge it to a fight?” “Then why is...” “Cause she won.” The good majority of the space marines who heard this had a hard time of keeping a straight face for the rest of the day. “And this it. The edge. Few ponies have been this far down south in Equestria. Almost none return.” Celestia said. “We shall be the first.” “I sense powerful psychic.... lifeforms.” Saul said. “Whatever is down there, it’s dangerous. On your guard brothers.” Bolters, chainswords and likewise were broken out. Everyone readied themselves for trouble. It should be noted that shadow forces inhabited here............ “Sixty-six buckets of oats on the wall sixty-six buckets of oats!” “Take one down, pass it around, sixty-five....” “Do they ever quit?” Thule asked to Dashie. “No.” She said stuffing clouds into her ears. “Awfully dark out here....” “Luna has anything to do with it?” “Nope. It’s naturally dark down here for some reason....” Celestia cut in. “How do you know that?” Everyone stopped walking to hear her answer. Celestia then realized something..... she didn’t. “I don’t know..... how I knew....” She said. “Maybe we should keep on walking.” “Are you hiding something?” Luna asked. “What? No! I would never hide anything from anyone! Let alone you.” Celestia said indignantly. Well, at least I am not the only one who has dirty secrets. Thule thought. “You hear something?” Cyrus asked Martellus as they entered a fog. Celestia quickly casted a spell to allow them to see. “No. My audio sensors detect nothing except for us two.” “Sweet Emperor....” Saul said stopping. “I hear something.... it.... it’s whispering to me....” “Chaos? Here? That’s impossible!” Arven said. “But...” “It’s not chaos.” Saul said. “But something potentially just as vile.... it call’s itself..... Nightmare.” Every pony stopped dead in their tracks. “He needs help.” “Yes, the last thing we need is for some like HIM to be corrupted.” The very word corrupted commonly made a space marine feel uneasy. A quick explanation of what was potential corrupting Saul did little to ease the tension. “Nightmare... Nightmare... what do they want?” Arven asked. “They want to shroud Equestria in darkness for reasons unbeknownst to any pony. However, if he get’s corrupted he will be possessed by some dark and vile spirit to which he will become their tool. With human magic-users wielding destructive magic, I fear what he could do....” Celestia said. “He will not fall.” Cyrus said soothingly as they continued walking. “Saul is strong, he will never turn his back from his duty and from what he is. He is a space marine, one of the Emperor’s finest warriors! He will not fall to some petty spirit!” “But for good measure, we should get out of here lest something...... happens.” Arven said. Thank the Emperor for Aegis or he’d probably become the same nervous wreck that Saul had turned into. “Will he be all right?” Applebloom asked tugging at Celestia’s wing. “He will be. I am sure of it.” Celestia said half to Applebloom half to the blood ravens. “But... he’s scared isn’t he?” That notion did give the cutie mark crusaders a chill. If something could make turn a human into a nervous wreck, how bad was it? “Ah mean, when he’s so strong and HE’S afraid then that....” “Don’t you worry child.” Celestia said. “We will see to it he comes out fine.” “What’s that...” “Shhhh! Their praying!” Luna said. “Best not to offend them.” The muttering and chanting grew distinctly louder as Saul continued to writhe in agony as the nightmare forces mocked and gibed at him within his mind. "So is he okay?" Adrastia asked. "Does being well-enough to descend into a fit of rage constitute as okay?" Martellus said back. "If so, yes." "When I find whoever is doing this, I am going to flay them alive!" Saul said in a tone that would of impressed the angry marines. "You might just get the chance." Luna said. "You see, the nightmare forces do manifest occasionally. Tia, how much farther?" "Only a few more hours of this hell on earth." Celestia said. "I still worry for Saul." "He'll be fine once he get's his hands on whatever nightmare forces you speak of." Thule said. "Now then, when do you think this fog will clear up?" "Probably never." Luna said not knowing how she knew that.