//------------------------------// // Chapter Two: Silent Shadows (Part One) // Story: MLP: Descent into Madness // by Despair_Ponies //------------------------------// The sound of crunching limbs echoed loudly in the dank moonlight lit forest as two colts weaved through a winding path that for many years has been hidden from view. An undergrowth of ferns combined with feeling of the wind whispering through the branches of swaying willowing trees gave Glory the chills. He could not stop looking around as he walked behind Star Swirl for the movement of the trees around him seem surreal, flowing, and quite unnerving. “Glory, there is nothing around you, the path was enchanted by me many years ago,” Star Swirl spoke loudly, “just keep looking at me. We still have quite some distance to go yet to get to the nursery.” “Nursery? What nursery would be out this far and why is this path enchanted anyway?” asked Glory. “Well, let me start with something you may remember,” reply Star Swirl, “You know that time I magically lock my room for an over year?” “Yes, if I recalled not even Celestia could get that door open,” commented Glory, “Mind you, Many of the guards thought you had died in here. Until we saw that the plates we left near the door were coming out clean every morning.” Puzzled Glory ask, “So what was that about, and what is this nursery?” “First things in order Glory, let me set your worry of Canterlot aside,” comment back Star Swirl. “Well on that day, some years ago now, I received a letter,” Star Swirl tone sounded clear as if he had for some time be repeating the story within his head. “Glory there are mysteries in this world that I have been the keeper of for way too long and each one has been a strain upon the mind.” Star Swirl sighed as he walk forward through the mist of ferns "I created Nightmare Moon. it was my blunder that has left my youngest in danger of the very things I have been fighting against for so many years. To make matters worse their feeding upon her fears of abandonment. Combine that with my eldest daughter blindness to the feeling of others around her. This I think, pleaded my sweet light of a daughter into taking the form of Nightmare Moon. Star Swirl in a low somewhat purring tone said, "my poor Lucilla Serenity.” Star Swirl looking down at the ground as he continued his story. “I had given up hope of ever finding my enemy's homeland quite some time ago, but I could never imagine that I would end up tearing open a doorway for them to cross the boundary zones of the dimensional walls and enter this realm after all this time. It now makes sense as to why they chose her and not Celestia. The old pony tale about nightmares were true, 'Swift they come; For silent they break; Their ending time; Is quite bleak.' for these creatures are beings that eat loops of time. Only in nightmares do a limited amount of looped time exists and they feast upon the remaining feelings within those pony dreams. It was TIME, the thing that I have been the victim of over and over again. It's hazy force held the greatest threat to all of my pony skin and the things I wish to destroy so many times was trigger be me. My blind faith that I can one day fix my first mistake so very long ago lead more to fall victim to them. So desperate I was to feel her mane that I didn't even see the signs of what it was leading up too.” Star Swirl yelled at the trees that surrounded them, “What would any other pony do to feel the heart beat of their true love?” “After weeks of looking over the many of the scrolls within the library, I pulled down everything that I could about the substance of TIME. So many scrolls were written over this matter that I took them all to my chambers and read them five at a time. After reading over the scrolls for the better part of an hour, I walk to the door and put my ear to it. Hearing nothing, I took a quick peer to see that one of the fine fellow guards did bring me my lunch. Swiftly I pick it up my the tray contending some oats and an apple. Stepping back inside I sat the whole lot on the table close the window. Flipping my egg timer next the lushes meal over so I could keep track at how long it sat there as I went to fetch some cherry wine from my private stash. Returning from the small cellar hidden behinds some of the bookshelves, I notice that table in front of me two apples one on the plate and one off to the side. Now finding an apple just suddenly appearing in front of me was quite new. I had an overwhelming desired to try the spell I was building in my mind. I moved closer and flipped the egg timer again to restart its counting of current persevered time. Gazing at the apple I tried the incantation to move it back in time, but nothing happen. I tried again, this time taking a slow ordered breath. As I closed my eyes I could hear the pattering of sand and an image of an apple appearing within my mind. I uttered the incantation and to my surprise, the apple that I had on my own plate disappeared. Shocked I look around and under the table, but it was no longer there. My growling stomach made me realize that I had not eaten yet and I never taste that apple to see if it was fresh. Hesitant I took a bite into the only remaining apple its fresh juice flowed down my chin. It was then that I notice my egg timer had run out of the sand in the top bulb after I had flipped it only moments before. I thought so myself 'Surly TIME would not behave like this under normal conditions.' A curious thought came to my mind as I looked harder at it. A desired to turn it over for the next two turns of its ten-minute lifespan came to pulled at my mind. After the first ten-minute turn was done I noticed that this time a fork appeared with that I turn the egg timer over again letting its ten minutes of sand run out. As the seconds came to a close I became more and more excited knowing that this time I'll be sure to send a fork back another ten minutes. When the egg timer ended, I quickly flipped it over. Within the moments the first of its sands started to fall I closed my eyes and focus upon the movement of that tiny moment as I cast my spell. When I open my eyes the hourglass was empty and the fork was gone. I pulled out for the corner of my desk some parchment, a quill, and ink writing down my experience of this day. I started to think what if I could move things forwards. Could I make a path that would link both the past to the present? At first the work was slow, for a better part of a month I keep thinking that moving time forwards would be in effect the inverse of sending it back. So I took bigger and bigger hourglass spending all of its time as I tried to focus on some new apples. Trying to force my will to at least move one of them forward. It felt like a lost cause so I wrote a letter addressing it to myself thinking that I would remember some time to read it. That is when I realize that the letter that appeared on my desk that morning now a month in the past was the same as this letter now. Fear crept into my mind what if I didn't send this letter? What would happen to me of now? How would or could this make any sense? Soon I started to hear the sounds of gnawing, growling, and whispers. I ran to the door and flung it open to unfold that there was just inky black darkness and cold nothingness. Shutting the door, I ran to the table where the letter sat hearing the whispers and the growling coming closer. What if they get me? What was the point to TIME if there are things that eat away at the strings that are no longer connected? I couldn't stand for it anymore and flip over one of the hourglasses that I had made for a time span for a two-month interval. I closing my eyes, I could still hear the gnawing, growling, and whispers getting closer as I focus to reconnect myself to the time line in which I belonged. As soon I sent the letter into the past everything became quiet and the whisperers were gone. I looked outside the window to my chambers to the gardens around. They were as pristine as they had always been with the ponies playing inside the hedge labyrinth and the stone statue of my son looking like he was singing to the sky.