//------------------------------// // Ill Tidings // Story: Lanterns of Equestria- The Blackest Night // by Moon Chaser //------------------------------// Ill Tidings. By Moon Chaser Canterlot Castle, The Private Apartments of the Lunar Court, 8:30 A.M. the day after the reading of the Book of Oa and the appearance of the Blue Ring. [=Nightmare Moon of Equestria, RISE=] “No! Be gone! I am no longer Nightmare Moon!” [=Nightmare Moon of Equestria, RISE=] A black ring then flew at Luna attempting to place itself on her horn, which now glowed. The Night princess reared up as a wall of magical force appeared. The black ring pushed through the spell barrier and landed itself on her horn. Tendrils of unlight appeared from the ring and drove themselves into Luna’s skull. [=Nightmare Moon of Equestria, RISE=] As blackness more empty than anything else she had known overwhelmed her. She could feel all the thoughts and feelings that she was melt away, the darkness consuming her very soul. [=Nightmare Moon of Equestria, RISE=] Her last thought was to scream. “Majesty?” Luna’s eyes snapped open as she looked up from a large cherry wood desk at the blurry image of her private secretary. She blinked rapidly for a moment as her eyes to struggle to focus. Subdued beams of sunlight pushed their way into her chambers through the cracks in the closed blinds over her windows. She turned to look at her secretary again, her face blank, concealing the nature of the dream the bat pony had woken her from. “Princess? I’m sorry to disturb you before you retire for the day but a letter has arrived from Twilight Sparkle,” Midnight Rain said. Luna stood up and arched her back, stretching out any kinks that dared to try and form in her spine. “You also said to not let you sleep at your desk again mam.” “Quiet so, quite so.” Ah, her grand desk! She loved this desk. When her sister had first given her the fine piece of furniture, the servants had not been able to pass it through the doors to her private chambers. She had found it a bit amusing watching some of the unicorns attempting to teleport the desk into her chambers. Finally she herself had to use her magic to get the prized furniture into her chambers. Luna half suspected that her sister had given her the overly large furniture knowing that it could not be easily moved into her accommodations. Luna’s secretary held out the message case before her offering the tube to the princess. Magical Telekinesis lifted the sealed scroll from Midnight Rain’s saddlebags and opened the case. The letter was then levitated before the Princess of the Moon. As she read the letter, the bat pony mare waited quietly. “I hope all is well.” Princess Luna smiled as she faced her assistant. “Indeed. Twilight assures me that our request will be honored. We need to prepare my private laboratory for the arrival of Lantern rings.” The pegasus nocturne nodded while uttering “yes majesty.” “Now, I need to speak the Captain of the Guard. Where is Shining Armor?” “He stayed in Ponyville to see to relations between the Lanterns and the Crown mam. He is due back soon.” Luna’s eyes narrowed for a moment. “I need you to take a letter then, he needs a free hoof, a clearance from the Grand Marshall’s order.” A frown spread across the princess’s face as her secretary set up her typewriter. “I understand his position and the logic of his order, but I need to go around him for the time being,” she sighed. Midnight Rain took a long deep breath, exhaling noisily. “Majesty, do you still intend to try all of the rings yourself?” Princess Luna looked at her assistant with a single eyebrow raised in puzzlement. “Yes, you know I do.” “The Red Ring may kill you my Princess, please don’t try it!” A silver shod hoof was laid gently on the bat pony’s head. ”Oh my Midnight Rain…I know your fear and I hear you, but there are things I need to know.” “But…highness…should not somepony else…” “Hush child. I have made preparations in anticipation of the red ring, it will be alright. Take my letter, and make two copies: one for my records the other for Prince Shining Armor. He should complement his wife…even if it must be hidden for now.” *** Ponyville, Sugar Cube Corner the morning after the party for Applejack. “This can’t be happening!” Carrot Cake looked over the empty cake cart for the third time. It seemed impossible that the wedding cake that he and Cup Cake had worked on so hard had disappeared. They had managed to do so much in the last two days; preparing for Applejack’s party, keeping up with the increase in demand for morning baked goods, maintaining catering contracts. It had been stressful, but the Cakes, with Pinkie’s help, had handled everything. Had they been so busy that they had lost an entire wedding cake? “Cinnamon twist,” Mrs. Cake called out,” have you found the cake yet? We need to start getting it ready to take over to the Rich house for Mr. Rich’s cousin’s wedding?” Carrot Cake poked at the empty baking cart and frowned. “The label says that it should be here, but it’s gone! Where did we put it?” “I’ll wake Pinkie and get her to help. Could you take over at the counter?” Mr. Cake nodded and turned away from the cart. “Gingersnap we put it on that cart before we went to bed, I know we did! Where did that cake go?” “We’ll worry about that latter,” Cup Cake pulled up a cart with two bundles placed on its surface. An adolescent brown and white colt had entered the kitchen area. “The new delivery colt you hired is here to take the bagels to the mayor’s railroad meeting.” Mr. Cake pushed the bagel cart over to the waiting colt. He was average height with a mane and tail cropped short and tied with bindings at their ends. The new delivery colt had already collected the cream cheese for the delivery that he now placed into the bundles on the cart. “You don’t have to collect any money, the order was already paid for,” the colt nodded. “After that, I have something that needs to go to Fluttershy’s cottage.” Wide eyes looked at Carrot Cake, sparkling with the daylight. “The crystal house? You want me to go to the castle of the Star Sapphires?” The tall baker chuckled. “I won’t call it a castle yet per se but yes…I need you to take an order to her later today.” Grinning broadly the colt heaved the bundles onto his back and made his way to the rear door of Sugar Cube Corner as a blue glow filled the kitchen. A soft quietness fell on all the patrons of the bakery as Blue Lantern Pinkie Pie floated down the stairway. Pinkie looked as if she were asleep. She had come down stairs without a sound, or a movement of her body at all. She was ‘sitting’ in the air with her eyes closed, a small smile on her face. Her breathing was slow, even. It was like she was a cobalt and pink colored statue from Cloudsdale floating in the air, unsupported by anything from the ground. Still and serene Blue Lantern Pinkie Pie was a bit un-nerving for everypony. Her eyes popped open, followed by her mouth pulling itself into that sparkling grin, the smile that defined Ponyville’s resident party pony and now the world’s only Blue Lantern. Pinkie tumbled while she stretched, still levitating in the air. The ponies in Sugar Cube Corner watched the bearer of the blue ring as she finished the waking ritual, responding to her numerous greetings of ‘HI’ as she continued her slow anti-gravitational summersaults. When she had finished she came to the ground. She was still clad in the costume of a Blue Lantern. She continued greeting all in the bakery before focusing her attention on Sugar Cube Corner’s proprietress about the disappearance of the wedding cake. Lines of worry carved themselves across Cup Cake’s face as she spoke to Pinkie, who responded by smiling while munching on a blueberry muffin. Pinkie then floated up to the top of a shelf and retrieved a container of baking soda. She placed the tin on the rolling table and set about collecting more ingredients for a new cake. As Mrs. Cake talked, Pinkie listened and made some notes on a clip board. “Don’t worry Mrs. Cake! I’ll make you a new one right away.” “Pinkie…we don’t have a lot of time. The cake has to be ready by five o’clock today!” Pinkie Pie placed a ring bearing hoof on the shoulder of her land lady and employer. “It will be ok,” she said, blue light flashing in her eyes. “Honestly, it will all be ok, I promise. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” *** Canterlot Castle, 11:30 AM. The day after the reading of the Book of Oa Thundering hooves of the galloping guard echoed through the halls leading to the throne room. The rapidity of his pace and the sound he generated spoke of the urgency of his task. “The princess is in the throne room” the royal chamberlain had told him before he set off to notify Princess Celestia of the visitor bearing a sealed message from a place they rarely received messages from, and never were those messages good news. He came to a halt before the closed doors of the royal chamber, almost crashing into the double doors. He placed a hoof on one of the door handles as he took a deep breath and opened the door to the throne room. There were actually four throne rooms in Canterlot Castle. There are the ‘petty’ thrones of the two sisters’ in their respective residence halls where they preside over private meetings and discrete hearings of their own. Celestia’s chair in the Hall of the Sun was gold leaf while Luna’s in the Hall of the Moon was silver clad. Then there was the new Grand Throne Room where the great audiences and events were held. Celestia had ordered its construction when Luna returned from exile in the Moon and laid down the design herself. Only very recently had construction been completed. Two huge curule chairs, each carved of a single stone were at the head of that chamber; one of pure obsidian studded with diamonds and silver wire, the other of white alabaster bespeckled with crystals and gold wire. Behind each throne is a great banner with the cutie mark of the seat’s owner and between the two banners is the great coat of arms of the Principality of Equestria. This room was meant as both a peace offering to her sister and as a statement that the Diarchy had returned and Celestia was no longer lone ruler of the land. Then there was what everyone, including the sisters themselves called ‘the throne room’. It was indeed the original seat and room first built when Castle Canterlot was expanded to become the seat of government for the new capital centuries ago. It was the place where day to day business of the country was conducted and official greetings were held. The two guards standing before the great doors regarded their colleague with puzzlement while he caught his breath. Between gasps he reported that it was urgent he see the presiding Princess right away. After finally using the watch word, one of the guards quietly cracked opened one of the doors and told an attendant of the messenger’s arrival. The opening allowed the voice of the Princess to be heard within, conducting the normal business of the day: “I think that the rail line will be fine as it is mapped out, and having a special plow locomotive available for the winter is sensible conclusion,” she said as she signed a document the secretary placed before her. The guard entered the chamber as she moved to another document, the room becoming silent as he entered to approach the princess. The rays of her sun made the glass of the throne room shine with a cascade of shifting colors, vibrant hues filling every corner and crevice in the great chamber with their light. The effect was a warm and well lighted without the intensity of the direct sunlight. The Crown Princess of Equestria was not one for severity, and she had felt that this room should reflect her philosophy, to not be harsh or cold, unless it was the last choice available, thus the room was made to be a physical reminder both to her and those who came to see her that her light was gentled but there were few places her light did not reach into. The bronze clad Earth pony came before the dais Celestia’s seat sat on then removed his helmet and bowed low before speaking. “Your majesty, a messenger has arrived to see you, “the guard fidgeted nervously for half a moment, “He’s from Tartarus and bears a triple sealed message!” Princess Celestia looked away from her reading platform gazing down at the guard bringing her this news. A slight grimace spread across her face, betraying the concern that lurked beneath her calm exterior. She looked into the eyes of the door guard, “Grant him entrance and please summon the Grand Marshall and the Head of the Arcane Academy immediately. When they have arrived, bring the messenger in.” Celestia’s secretary gestured and the normal attendants bowed and exited the great room leaving only the princess, the royal secretary, the scribes and the guards in the room. “Thank you. Please return to your duties,” the gentle voice said. The guard bowed again and backed away to the door before donning his helmet and leaving the room. The royal secretary approached the princess, “do you want me to wake Princess Luna your majesty?” “No Raven, let Luna sleep unless the Ward indicates it is of immediate concern. She has been very busy the last few nights and she needs the rest. Have the scribes record the meeting for when we meet her later,” the secretary nodded as she motioned for the royal scribe to come forward. One of the great doors silently swung open and the Grand Marshall of the Army entered with his secretary following three steps behind. The old flag officer had chosen to wear a very informal uniform today, the only indicator if his station was his shoulder boards and the unicorn staff officer that followed him into the royal presence. Both ponies approached and bowed before Princess Celestia. Before rising from his bow the commander of the armed forces of the nation greeted his monarch. “Summoned, I appear. Mine is to obey. What would your majesty have of this servant?” “We would have such formality dispensed with old friend. Please, no ceremony is necessary.” The Grand Marshall nodded and rose, his aide following his commander’s example. “The reason I called you here is we have received a message from Tartarus,” the princess said flatly. The Marshall raised a single eyebrow in puzzlement as Celestia continued. “He bears a triple sealed case, such a case from that place can only mean bad news. I have called for the Magistrix of the Arcane Academy to come as well. We will proceed when she arrives.” She looked at her secretary, “This is a protected meeting Raven, all my appointments are postponed until we conclude, all records are sealed.” The bespectacled mare nodded. One of the doors opened again and a very old unicorn mare entered. She wore a long cape decorated with scroll work and symbols of magical formula. Her hat was large and pointed with a single large bell attached to the end of the hat’s cone that chimed every odd step, the wide brim hiding most of her features. The only truly discernible thing you could see of was her eyes; like fire rubies they were with an inner light that sparkled from underneath the huge hat. Her gaze unnerved the guards when she looked at them, riveting them in place. She carried a staff with runes and other magical symbols that had been carved and gilt inlayed into the old knotted wood. The old mage leaned on her staff as she kneeled before the Princess. “Your majesty, since you have called for me,” a light appeared from under her hat, a scroll floated out from her robes moving toward the princess. “I have brought what you requested a few days ago. I have here the survey of the crypts you requested. It is complete.” Celestia grabbed the document with her magical telekinesis, levitating it to her secretary for review later. “Is it as I feared?” the princess of the sun asked. “It is worse my princess, MUCH worse.” The old mare said with a hint of terror in her voice. “Grand Marshall, I will send a copy to your office after this meeting. You should know…who we may be up against.” The Grand Marshall nodded. The aide scribbled notes with magic into an official looking ledger book. There was a knock at the double doors and the guard that had brought word of the messenger before poked his head in.” Your highness, I present a message from the Captain of the Watch of Tartarus delivered by trooper Berry Brook.” The doors swung wide open as a Bat pony in grey armor walked in, the messenger case slung around his neck. He walked to the halfway point between the entrance doors and the throne before bowing. The Grand Marshall and the Magistrix bowed to the messenger as Celestia gestured for him to rise. “Thank you for coming,” she said to the trooper. She then looked at the guards at the front door and raised her voice in command. “This room is now sealed. Do not open until I so order it save if Princess Luna herself comes!” “Yes highness, “the guards answered in unison and they pulled close the doors, latches thrown by magic to lock the chamber. “Now then….” began Princess Celestia. ...The private chambers of Princess Luna, later that afternoon… “You can’t find them?” “No Tia I cannot. When I go to see them in their dreams, the Elements of Harmony are missing from the dreamscape. I cannot find where they are, and…” Luna frowned slightly. “And?” “Well…the dreamscape near where they should be is very strange…it’s very…alien.” Celestia closed her eyes in thought for a moment. “Maybe it is the rings? Perhaps it affects their dreams. Twilight said that all rings seem to inhabit a portion of their mind.” The lady of dreams shook her head answering her sister negatively. “No. I’ve looked in on other lanterns that were asleep and been able to find all of them and walk in their dreams. Some of them were disturbing, frightening,…graphic!” the Alicorn of the Moon twitched. “The strange thing was that all of them were aware of me even when I entered their dreamscape ‘invisibly’! Apparently the rings made them aware of my presence. But Twilight Sparkle and her friends I could not find! I could not even find the troublesome pink one last night! Only the Elements…the first ones to receive a ring are like this.” Lose parchments moved under a magical glow, landing in front of the mistress of dreams. “These are from the meeting about Tartarus,” she asked. The Lady of Day nodded. Princess Luna then removed a muffin from a serving dish. It hung in the air by her magic as she took a bite. She chewed at her breakfast slowly as she read the records of the meeting with the messenger. On the table before her: the Ward Captain’s official report and the Magistrix’s compilation of the crypts deep under Canterlot that had been vacated, the occupants now undoubtedly walking the earth again as Black Lanterns from all the evidence available. Celestia sipped at her afternoon tea silently. Luna pulled the Ward report to herself with magic and allowed the meeting recording to fall back on the table. She had just scanned the report when she had first rose, but now she read the report completely. Your Royal Highnesses, It is with the deepest regrets that I must inform you that the fastness of Tartarus has been breached. This report was issued after a survey was made and repairs undertaken. Two days ago, a force of creatures known to the crown as Black Lanterns attacked and penetrated the gates of Tartarus. Seventy were killed including twenty five griffons and four Kirin on official mission with us. The graves of the long serving were disturbed just before the attack and several members of the guards were attacked by their passed family, the ‘zombies’ tearing the heart out of whatever being they decided to attack physically. No force of our arms or magic could stop them. The great guard dog Cerberus was confined by the power of the creatures and though unharmed, he could not overcome their mysterious power and was imprisoned until they departed. The force was led by two prominent Black Lanterns, one a Zebra mare, the other a stallion that looked very much like a mage of ancient times and wielded magic power of a level we have only seen from your Majesties themselves in addition to the mysterious power all Black Lanterns possess. We were able to place a small force to observe the Black Lanterns, staying hidden in secret spots within sight of the gate entrance and observing their movements. Even if we could not attack with any chance of success, we could observe and report back their actions. What this force did was after they defeated and drove off the garrison troops they broke the locks on the iron gates and removed the Black Pearl in Amber from the cave of horrors, smashing it to dust with what can only be called pure darkness once it had cleared the gates. Each of their number then took a portion of the destroyed relic and flew away, every individual heading in a different direction when they departed. We understand the Black Pearl in Amber is very large and would be difficult to transport, but the rendering of the artifact effectively into sand is beyond the understanding of your humble servants and to our knowledge no magic known could do such a thing. The complete damage, casualty and wounded lists are included in this dispatch report for your majesty’s information. I have not notified any of the families of the slain as of yet, waiting for royal permission before doing so out of concerns for security and stability. With the deepest regrets, Captain of the Tartarus Ward Blazing Sword Luna returned the letter to the table top and then glanced at the list of violated graves from the Magistrix, noting several names mentally before turning her attention to her sister who was staring out at the great garden and maze. “Do you remember what the Black Pearl in Amber was Luna?” She swallowed another bite of muffin before speaking,” you and I are probably the only living beings who do know what it is Tia! Its true nature has been forgotten over the millennia.” Luna glanced down at the parchment then back up to her sister again. “What do they want with the Tomb of Typhon? Why did they smash it to pieces instead of trying to make the fell creature into a Black Lantern?” “Typhon,” Celestia breathed. Said to be father of all monsters in the world! The being that in the time before her and her sister almost caused no other living creature to walk the earth. Powers far older then both of them had killed and imprisoned the vile creature by turning it into the Black Pearl, encasing it in Amber and inscribing spells on its surface to keep the eldritch horror perpetually locked away, unable to be summoned or called upon by magic of any kind. Even Discord’s power was unable to affect the prison of the oldest and greatest of monsters that had ever existed. The prison was thought indestructible. “They were led by two, a Zebra…undoubtedly the Elements of Harmony’s friend, the shaman Zecora. The other…you know who that was.” Luna said as she levitated the list from the crypts between Celestia and herself, turning the writing towards her sister. Celestia continued to stare at the garden. “When are you going to tell her Tia?” The sun princess bit her bottom lip,” I have to tell her but it might break her. All of this…it’s all so much for her to bear. She is showing the strain.” Princess Luna lowered her head and sighed. “I know. It will be hard for her to hear, but she needs to know.” Celestia’s face became dark for a moment, the rudiments of a scowl formed in the lines of her face. “How do I tell her Luna? How do I tell Twilight that one of the most cherished and respected ponies in all history, a unicorn that she idolizes, has fallen?” She looked at the list from the crypts and frowned. “How do I tell her that Star Swirl the Bearded has returned…as a Black Lantern?” *** “Let a Diamond Dog have any old hole in the ground and he’ll make it a home.” From The Codex of the Blackest Night, the Book of Oa by Clarissi Applejack Sweet Apple Acres Farm, the afternoon after the reading of the Book of Oa. “Ok…Ah think that’s enough for today. Ya learned how ta fly…and make constructs. Let’s head inta’ town and get you somethin’ ta eat then we’ll turn in for the night. I gotta place for ya ta sleep.” “Um...” the dog pointed behind her, “do you mind if I take hole over there near the river Applejack?” Rufus pointed at what looked like a hollow in the side of a small hill or rise near the main stream that feed much of the orchards for the Apple farm. “I think it serve me nicely.” “Really? Ya don’t want the sleep in the barn,” the farm mare asked. She was offering the great dog a decent place to sleep, yet he was asking to occupy a dirty hole? “It’s comfy and clean.” “No..I like to sleep there please.” Rufus spied a pile of wreckage and refuse near the dividing fence. “What…you doing with all that wood?” “Oh that? It’s what’s left over from the attack on the farm. The Black Lanterns trashed things up so we had to rebuild the chicken coops and barns.” Applejack raised a single eye brow. “It’s just a pile of wreckage.” Rufus stroked the bottom of his muzzle with a paw. “Then you not mind if I use any for den? “ “Um, sure if’n ya want to.” “Good,” he then rubbed his tummy.” I do needs to eat.” “Well then let’s meet up with Twi an’ Rarity for supper. I need ta introduce ya properly anyhow.” Dog ears laid flat against the sides of Rufus’s head. Applejack chuckled. “Yer gonna have ta meet her sooner or later Rufus.” “I’d rather mine at night!” Applejack cocked her head to one side. “Is, that a bad thing for some reason?” “You have no idea…I tell at meal.” “So what do ya eat anyway? Ah’m not sayin’ yer like Winona but…” A ball of green energy appeared from Applejack’s ring. The point of light split and then expanded, becoming two images, one a taciturn pegasus, the other an aged bat pony. Applejack looked over her rump at the Diamond Dog, “I gotta talk to these folks. Can ya give me a moment or two?” Rufus nodded and began walking to the junk pile to get a better look at what he could salvage for ‘his’ den as his ‘War pack leader’ began talking. “Howdy there sir, Ah’m Applejack….”