Stars twinkled above in the twilight like diamonds in the sky. They sparkled in the heavens, out of reach beyond anypony’s hoof. These celestial gems are stolen, but are never truly gone during the day. At night, they return as if they were never gone. Oh, only if ponies could be so grossly incandescent. They were the sentinels of past events and will continue to watch over events yet to come.
In every group though, there always is a leader. What could this dominant object in the gloom of night possibly be? The answer is, the moon. It radiated not it’s own light, but it reflected the light of the sun through its entire being. Silence filled the air; it was an omen, a harbinger of what was to come. Something was wrong in the cosmic scale of the universe, and it was going to be balanced the only way it could, one way or another.
In the land before Equestria the world was unformed and shrouded by a fog. A land of gray cataclysm, earth, pegasus, and unicorn ponies merely existed. But then there was light and with light came disparity. Fire and ice, life and death, and of course, light and dark. One cannot exist without the other. It always will be that way, destroy one and it will reform eventually, stronger than it was before.
A black speck dotted the bottom of the moon; it froze there for a few moments until it sprouted a dark root. The root pulsated, enjoying the vigor of its birth into the new world. Before the new root would revel in being one of a kind, another one extended out of the center of the shadowy abyss and another one, and another one. Soon enough, roots had erupted from the black node. An entire system of veins that ran across the surface of the chalky moon had formed. The darkness consumed the luminescent body whole in inky blackness, the moon’s light, eclipsed.
The world stood still in those seconds where nothing in Equestria could be seen, except for illumination by magic or fire. Something strange was afoot though; the darkness began to recede back towards its source. It didn’t fully disappear, oh no, it reformed itself into a new, twisted shape. In mere moments, the moon, once barren and clean of blemishes, was adorned with a symbol, a familiar symbol. On the surface of the moon was the face and neck of an equine with a unicorn horn, the sign of Nightmare Moon.
###
The wee hours of the night sped by in hours and the first rays of sunlight shined through the windows of the Golden Oak Library of a certain purple alicorn. The mare known only as Twilight Sparkle, the newest edition to the Equestrian royalty of princesses, groggily woke from her slumber in bed. She used her magic to slide off a book from her snout and lay it precariously on the floor with her lavender colored magic. All that uttered from her lips was a groan. “Ugh!” She had fallen asleep again while reading, her favorite past time.
“Spike!” Twilight called out as she rolled out of bed, discarding the covers off her body. She then proceeded to stretch her body one hoof at a time before a dull thud reached her ears. The alicorn then peaked around the corner of her bedroom and saw that her assistant and dragon, Spike, had a rude awakening due to her yelling. It was expected, she did holler very loudly.
She looked down at her little purple munchkin with a nervous smile before she sheepishly apologized for the rude awakening. “Sorry, Spike. I didn’t know you’d be sleeping underneath a table.” She gave a light laugh, trying to lighten the awkwardness the situation had.
“It’s alright…” Spike groaned, rubbing his head with his scaly hand. He had bumped his head on the table from suddenly waking up, due to Twilight’s yell. “I’m going back to sleep.” He returned to his little basket he considered his bed and turned. His back was facing the mare and his head rested comfortably on the pillow.
Twilight nodded her head and trotted down the stairs happily, ready to start a new day in Ponyville. She used her magic to levitate a brush towards her mane to comb it into a more presentable fashion. The newly coroneted princess then quickly made a simple breakfast of a muffin for herself. She didn’t want to miss out on the day ahead of her. She had a busy schedule ahead of herself.
If by a busy schedule, you mean testing out various magic she has been experimenting with, then yes, by all means, it was busy. She trotted out the door with a saddlebag, and other various equipment she’d need for the tests she would do today. The sight before her brought a goofy looking grin to her face.
The first rays of sunlight from the fresh, new morning radiated down on her. She closed her eyes to bask in the illumination, flipping the long back of her mane. Morning dew glistened on the sparse blades of grass at her hooves. Twilight sighed in content; it was nice living in Ponyville.
It truly was different from the hustle and bustle of the metropolis that was Canterlot; she had lived in it most of her life. Her gaze shifted towards the miniature sized city in the distance that was said Canterlot itself. Everything seemed perfectly normal, as normal in this universe as it could be.
“Let’s get started!” She said to herself happily, putting her hooves together, clapping them in a fluid and solid motion. A cheeky smile was on her lips as she started to work on her daily routines.
###
“Almost….” The purple alicorn muttered to herself, her eyes squinted in concentration. She had pushed a twig onto a stump with a bullseye painted on a panel. It was her so-called ‘firing range,’ for testing alteration magic on simple objects. It was on the edge of town so if something went horribly wrong; it wouldn’t jeopardize any other ponies nearby.
“Got it!” Twilight exclaimed, raising a hoof into the air. She then trotted to a safe distance and braced her four hooves for any knockback in test firing her magic; her head was lowered a second after.
The unicorn’s horn, the most precious part of this unique species, was undoubtedly what made these equines special compared to their counterparts. It was the source of their arcane arts, and more important, it was part of each pony that possessed them. Twilight’s magic was almost unmatched in pure, raw power. It was only outstripped by the princesses of the times of day.
A sudden flash of light happened; it’s as if a camera had take a picture. Twilight shook her head in disarray to dispel the eyesore that just took place. She groaned, putting a hoof on the temple of her forehead.
“That wasn’t suppose to happen…” She opened her eyes. Her eyes were bobbing everywhere for a few moments before they came back into focus. The sight before her was baffling.
The twig that she had meant to turn into gold had instead been turned into a ripe, golden banana. “Well, I got it the right color, but not the right material!” She groaned before she slumped on the ground. She then leaned on her haunches, taking a moment to think about what could have went wrong.
An orange earth pony disrupted Twilight’s train of thought, however, by the name of Applejack. She was hollering at her, calling. “Twilight! Thank goodness I’ve bumped into ya! Those dang fruit bats are disturbing my orchard again.”
“Again! I thought we took care of them. Well, things should go better. I’ve perfected my spell in order to make them stop eating apples. This time though, it shouldn’t have any….ummm….repercussions.” Twilight put a hoof to her chin. She shivered at a recent incident that made one of her friends into a monster of some sorts.
###
Applejack huffed as she ran towards her orchard, Sweet Apple Acres with all her might. Sweat rolled down her forehead and she panted as she stood at the crest of the hill, overlooking the sight below her. It was a magnificent sight.
The trough of the hill was the beginning of a miniature valley of apple trees; there was a plethora of them. The leftover morning dew glistened on the shiny, maroon color of the apples amongst all the trees. The trees stood firmly as a testament of the lineage of the Apple family in Ponyville. Each tree signified the dedication of proud, resilient farmers. The bark was rigid and firm, a deep shade of brown.
Twilight lagged behind because she wasn’t as physically fit as her country friend. The two mares stood side by side each other. Their other four main friends had already started on removing the weed from the garden, the bats.
“Thank goodness you two are back! I don’t know how much longer we can contain the situation.” A creamy, white unicorn, named Rarity, put a hoof to her forehead. She exasperated a loud sigh. “I cannot get my hooves dirty!” She whined.
“Yeah! The bats are really starting to become a problem!” A rainbow mane pegasus, named Rainbow Dash, flew around a cluster of trees. In the process, she created a multi-colored tornado around the trees. It spawned an air current that warded off the flying mammals.
“Oh, it’s not so bad! All the want to do is eat!” A mare that needed no introduction around the town of Ponyville pounced on the ground. Her pink and poofy mane bounced to the slightest movement or touch. “Maybe we should just give them some food?” She gave a wide, toothy smile.
“Maybe Pinkie Pie has the right idea…” A nimble pegasus hovered over Pinkie Pie. She hid half of her face behind her large, pink mane. Only one eye and her nose poked out into visible view. It was none other than the timid, kind, caretaker, Fluttershy. “Maybe if we give them some food, they’ll leave us alone.”
“Unfortunately, bats don’t work like that.” Twilight corrected Fluttershy. She held her head up high as she recited a fact from the vast storage of memories. “Bats will return to any source of food they can. It’s an eating habit of most creatures. So, if we give them food now, they’ll just come back for more.”
“So….that means no feeding the bats?” Pinkie Pie poked her head past a cartful of apples that she had pushed towards the other mares. She had fully meant to carry out her intentions of feeding the bats, even without the approval of the other five.
“Pinkie, just put those apples back where ya found them.” Applejack spoke soundly and calmly. Her patience was wearing thin due to the bats threatening to pillage her crop harvest. She didn’t need Pinkie Pie jumping the gun with hasty decisions.
“Okie dokie, lokie!” Pinkie smiled, unfazed by the slight undertone of annoyance in the country mare’s voice. She pushed the cart to its rightful place and in seconds it was where it belonged.
While the other mares introduced themselves to each other, Twilight had already figured out how to handle the situation properly. That is, without using the so called ‘Stare,” of Fluttershy that put her quite the predicament the last time this happened.
She pointed a hoof up into the air and pointed at the competitive, sporty pegasus that drifted through the air. “Rainbow Dash, I need you to fly around into a large circle. That will bottle neck the bats into a small a radius as possible.”
“Right!” Rainbow Dash sounded off as she did what she was told. She flew towards he edge of the orchard before she flew in an almost perfect circle. It forced the numerous bats that were hiding into the trees to converge towards the center. It was all going according to Twilight’s plan.
An unforeseen wrench though was tossed into the plan; a few stragglers were escaping the pony-made tempest. The bats were scattering from the center of the winds and fluttering towards other apple trees to continue their feast, like a moth flittering towards a flame.
“Fluttershy!” Twilight hollered, stomping a hoof on the ground to gain her undivided attention in the chaos. “Round up the stragglers and put them back in the tornado!”
The yellow-mane pegasus nodded her head in agreement without much of a whimper or objection. She floated up towards the bats and calmly looked at them. She then held their wings with her hooves and guided them back towards the tempest, one by one.
“Rarity! Applejack!” Twilight said next. “You two, get a cart full of apples and be ready on my signal!”
“Ugh, why me?” Rarity whined as she braced her hooves, her lip quivering at the thought of being touched by filth.
“Ummmmm, because you’ve had the second most experience as a cow-pony.” Applejack mused to herself as she chuckled. A smirked adorned her lips.
“I told you to never speak of that again!” Rarity shrilled as the two of them went to fulfill their task.
“Pinkie Pie!” Twilight said at the bombastic, bouncing pink mare next to her. “Put a few apples and try to attract all the bats in the area.
Pinkie Pie merely saluted and went behind a few crates, returning to be in a costume that itself was an apple. Twilight was never going to understand her or her mannerisms.
After a few minutes, everything seemed to be going as plan, which brought a smile to the lavender alicorn’s lips. “Applejack! Rarity! You two ready over there?” Twilight shouted at the two mares.
“Yep! We got about every apple harvested today in these here carts ready to roll!” Applejack retorted as both of them grunted, moving such a heavy payload.
“Pinkie Pie! Lead them over to the cart!” Pinkie responded with a gleeful giggle as he skipped, hopped, jumped her way all around. The mammals soon saw themselves enticed at the big apple before them; they really wanted a bite. In mere seconds, they all began to chase the bobbing, bouncing apple in whatever direction it took them. All that was on the minds of the bats was that this was a prize worth sinking their teeth into.
“Weeeee!” Pinkie said as she led the bats over towards the cart that was filled to the brim with apples. Twilight waved a hoof over towards the foil ponies that stood tentative and ready.
“I guess that’s our cue.” Rarity said, a hint of hesitation in her voice due to her being unsure what this was suppose to do.
“Yeah, it is, now come over here and help me!” Applejack grunted as she began to push her entire body weight on the cart. The cart itself was stationed on top of a rather large hill. It was filled with potential energy that would soon become kinetic. Rarity followed Applejack’s example and pushed with all her might. “Uggggghhhh!”
The cart budged from the sheer forced pressed up against it and its wheels began to turn. The cart teetered on the hill, seeming to defy gravity for a second, until it started to topple down the hill. Pinkie Pie rushed by the cart before it went on its rampage. It rapidly gained momentum, speeding out of control, but the plan was working. The bat’s eyes gleamed with excitement as they saw their new bounty.
The cart continued to bounce and slide across hill after hill. Soon enough, the cart rolled out of sight; the bats were no longer a problem. A sigh of relief came over Rarity and Applejack as the collapsed on the hill. The two of them began to laugh in hysteria of what just happened.
The four others of the group trotted up the hill and joined in merriment over the little victory they had just accomplished. “See girls? There’s nothing we can’t achieve with the value of teamwork.” Twilight said as she closed her eyes.
“Well, to celebrate our little accomplishment!” Pinkie interjected. “How about we go to Sugarcube Corner?” She squealed, her eyes growing to the size of dinner plates. “I could use something to eat after that workout!”
A little chatter followed amongst the six ponies before a conclusion was reached; they would agree to Pinkie’s plan. “Oh, let’s bring little Spikey Wikey with us. I’m sure he would love to join us.” Rarity smirked, picking herself up off the ground.
###
The sky was clouded with ash, darkening the sky, preventing any sunlight from shining down on this patch of forsaken land. The sun, something so grossly incandescent, blocked from terminating the darkness. The air, hostile to any and all living things was almost unbreathable. The land, barren of all flora and small rodents, was filled with withered husks of what life was once there.
A stallion stood on the hill with all four of his hooves planted on the ground, but this was not an ordinary stallion. He was clad in jet-black armor that was composed of miniature plates along his body. His head was adorned with a matching helm that was fashioned into the shape of a lion. The back of the helm had a plume of crimson horsehair. It truly was a strange armor; it was as if it a hybrid of armor meant for assassins and for knights.
The stallion stood still as he stared into a simple, smooth hole into the mountainside. It was modest; large enough to fit one stallion from the sides, but it was taller than the height of an average pony. It was as if something had carved it into the face of the mountain. It was as if it was made for something, bigger.
The stallion trotted towards the entrance of a cave, surveying the land before he dare make another move. Black fog swirled around in a flurry of wisps that quickly dissipated into the air. A miasma of death and disease radiated from this cave. The stallion huffed as he placed a shroud over his mouth; holding his breath he embarked into the cave, a life-devouring abyss.
The cave itself was devoid of any light, except for the light that radiated from the mouth of said cave. The howls of wind running along the walls of granite filled the ears of the stallion; a shiver ran up his spine as he sensed a presence nearby. “Hello?” The stallion inquired, turning around in a 360-degree circle in a desperate attempt to see what was near.
Out of the shadows appeared an apparition that was hazed in inky blackness. It stood there, remaining quiet as it examined the pony that stood before him. The specter loomed over the mercenary, still not uttering a single sound. It had four limbs, but stood on only two; the other two limbs hanged on either one of its shoulders, dangling uselessly. It was clad in armor that was black as night with multiple spikes protruding from its shoulders.
Pauldrons adorned the front of the shoulders that were decorated with strange symbols that flickered purple. A helmet covered the face, the only things that weren’t covered by whatever strange alloy this beast was wearing, were its eyes. A pair of neon blue eyes looked down into a condescending gaze towards the stallion. The irises were in an oval shape, they too, were shaded an inky black.
The strange creature finally spoke in a raspy, hard tone. It stung the stallion’s ears like a knife running along a piece of metal, silent, yet sharp and precise. “So, you are the stallion I have sent for?” The humanoid figure circled the pony, shambling in a slow walk. The dull pitter-patter of metal stomping on the ground followed suit. The head of the creature was turned to its side, not looking the stallion in the eyes.
“Yes! I am Orinda!” The stallion spoke in a quick, hushed tone as he stared in shock and awe of what stared before him. It was terrifying, yet interesting at the same time to witness such a creature. “I was here to fulfill an assassination contract. I heard this job would yield quite the payout.” He smirked lightly, ignoring the trembling in his hooves.
“Ah, yes. You.” It simply stated, peering down at the plebian. “I have a very special mission for, one that will be crucial to the success of my plan. Succeed, and you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams. If you fail me though.” The creature balled up a fist with its twisted, armored fingers. “There will be no redemption for you.”
“O-of course! B-but there is no need to worry! I am the best assassin in all of Equestria. It’s a surprise you were able to contact me; hardly anypony knows me! That only shows how qualified I am.” Orinda stuttered as the armored figure continued to circle him. It resembled a lion stalking its prey, waiting for the opportune time to strike its prey. What situational irony that a stallion in the apparel that made him look like a lion, would be stalked. “What is your name anyway?” He raised an eyebrow, glancing up at the creature.
“Tenebrae is what I am, will, and forever shall be.” It hissed these words; acting like it didn’t even need to tell the stallion.
“Well, Tenebrae, your deed will be done, my lord.” Orinda buckled his front hooves down, tilting his head as he proceeded to preform a bow. He wanted to show as much respect to it, but more importantly, he didn’t want to piss this thing off.
Tenebrae chuckled a deep, baritone laugh that resonated throughout the cave. “Your actions amuse me, Orinda, thus I will tell you some of the things I have discovered recently.” Orinda couldn’t tell whether this thing was toying with him or being sincere.
“This body of mine, this human body I have discovered is quite interesting. Do you know of humans? They’re quite the curious little creatures.” Another laugh leaked out of the Tenebrae’s lips. “They claim to want only peace in their land, yet, they are constantly at war with each other. It is quite amusing, how such mortals can be hypocritical on a subject such as this.”
“They only pursue their own self interests and nothing more. They care only for themselves.” Tenebrae stopped in its tracks and stared off into the abyss before him. “This creature of dark is much better than the previous body I had. I could feel the conscious of that mare fighting back in vain. It didn’t assist her at all, but it was quite annoying.” Orinda swore he heard a sigh come from Tenebrae.
Dead silence followed for a few moments before Tenebrae continued on rambling. “This time though, my plans will not be foiled by some ponies that got lucky!” The grinding of teeth could be heard faintly as Tenebrae clenched both fists together at its side. Anger swelled up from inside the creature; the aura could be felt by Orinda himself, causing a tingling sensation to run down his entire body.
A burning desire quivered inside Orinda though. “W-what are you?” He asked; his feelings mixed with curiosity, fear, and revulsion. He naturally took a step back.
“I? I am the monument, to all your sins.” A sinister laughter echoed throughout the cave. Orinda blinked for a split second and Tenebrae was nowhere to be found. His heartbeat rapidly peaked, his breath and pulse increasing in rate; fear has struck the heart of this poor stallion. “I have walked among men and angels for thousands of years. Time has no end, no beginning, and no purpose.” Tenebrae said, his voice coming from all directions.
“I wandered the earth seeking forgiveness for my horrible crimes against ponies and man. I live to see death and destruction. Light over the dark, but the dark cannot be extinguished. I live in a prison of my own demise. I am lost in time.” Orinda felt something press against his body, smothering him in an onyx veil.
“Ahhhhhhh~!” Orinda grunted; he released howls of pain as he felt something being done to his body. It was all over in mere moments, but the intensity of the pain made it feel like centuries had passed before it was over. He gasped out for breath as he felt the shroud of darkness lift from his body and spit him onto the floor.
It took Orinda moments to regain full motor control of his body and stand on his four hooves again. He panted; sweat ran profusely down his body underneath his armor. He examined his body, but no damage or changes seem to have been made. He barked, consistently looking around for Tenebrae. “You can forget about that job now! I’ll never work for a lunatic who hurts me!”
Orinda started to trot towards the only beacon of hope that this cave had, the entrance, before another chuckle rang from the depths. “Oh, but you will.” Suddenly, a non-transparent covering of ebony masked the entrance. It was evident to anypony that the way had been shut, there was no way out. “You will do my bidding, or else.” The raspy voice of the animal continued to say.
“What if I refuse?” Orinda huffed, his eyes glaring, but there was nothing for him to set his sights on. In fact, he couldn’t even see his own hoof in front of his face. “I’m glad you invoked that question.” Tenebrae snickered. Silence followed for antagonizing moments before a flash of blue light filled the chamber, giving off an eerie glow.
“Look down at your chest, mister Orinda.” Tenebrae stepped back out into the neon blue light that flooded the chamber. The stallion gulped in terror, knowing he would regret in following this thing’s request, but he had to know.
A shrill, non-existent scream followed from the pony’s lips as he stared down at the sight before him. On his chest, was a single, obsidian spot that was visible over his chest plate. Inky tendrils sprouted from the spot, covering the rest of his chest. The veins themselves bulged and pulsated every second. “And don’t think by taking off your armor will you be able to get rid of it. Please, my magic is much better than that, give me some credit.” Tenebrae teased the stallion cruelly.
“This is the mark of darkness. It signifies that you are under my ownership and are my property.” A chortle followed as it went on its tangent. “It also serves as a way to seal the deal between you and me. In a month, this mark shall consume you completely and kill you!” A sinister smirk grew on Tenebrae’s lips. “I’m the only entity that can remove it and unless you kill the ponies I have designated for termination, the mark shall take its course.”
Orinda stood stupefied by what happened to him. He was now in the clutches of a lunatic, forced to do it’s bidding or else face the fate that this spot had for him. He hung his head in defeat because he knew he had no other choice than to follow the orders given to him. “You win.” He mumbled, a hint of resentment bellowed from his throat. “Just tell me what I have to do.”
“Excellent, excellent, excellent!” A gleeful noise escaped from Tenebrae’s lips; moments later, he extinguished all light in the room once again. This was not to last though, for soon, a new source of illumination filled the cave. It wasn’t just a simple bulb though; magical wisps in the air were synchronizing with each other to form something. It took Orinda a few moments, but he could make out letters, no, words!
“These are the ponies that I need killed. I do not care how you do it, but I need them dead.” Tenebrae said in a flat, serious tone. Orinda nodded his head yes. At the top of the list of the six ponies it wanted dead was Twilight Sparkle.
###
The Elements of Harmony were all laughing in merriment and enjoying a selection of sweets with an occasional sip of tea. Spike was serving as a courier of the food for the sake of being polite towards Rarity. He didn’t want to be scorched by the hot drinks he was serving, thus, he was forced into wearing his pink, frilly, frou-frou apron. Needless to say, an annoyed expression was painted on his face.
“Here you go, your majesty.” Spike hoisted the platter of teacups onto the table the six mares were all plopped down around. Spike always had the option of teasing Twilight with her new title; he knew that she didn’t like it. He thought it only fitting because she refused to get more masculine things around the library they called there home.
“Spike!” Twilight blushed in embarrassment, rubbing a hoof behind the back of her.
Ever since becoming an alicorn and new edition to royalty, it’s been difficult for her to embrace the title of ‘Princess Twilight.’
“Spikey Wikey!” Rarity called out towards the baby dragon. “Can you please refill my cup? It’s dreadfully empty.” The marshmallow pony emphasized that last statement; it was natural for a mare like her.
Spike quickly rushed over towards the mare he’s had a crush on for so long. He groaned as he lifted the teapot with all his might and tilted it. He began pouring the tea with as much grace and dexterity as he could muster.
As the tea flowed from the pot to the cup, a rumble erupted from the depths of the infantile dragon. A second later, Spike dropped the teapot, thereby, spilling tea all over himself. Rarity and Twilight gasped at what happened, fearing that Spike might have been burnt from the hot tea.
“It’s ok!” Spike quickly replied. He groaned in protest at the sticky, wet apron that was now on him, but he removed it, hanging it on a nearby chair to let it try.
“And that’s why you always wear an apron, folks!” Pinkie Pie interrupted as she stared off into the distance. She obviously was speaking to her audience and breaking the fourth wall again.
“Spike!” Twilight frowned in disapproval. “What’s wrong?” She leaned her head down; her eyes darted up and down his body. She was trying to allocate the source of his problem.
“It’s probably just indigestion from all those gems I ate this morning-” Spike retorted, but before he could finish his statement, a loud belch followed. A pint-sized inferno erupted from the dragon’s mouth. A scroll materialized from the flames and plopped itself in front of Twilight.
“A letter from Princess Celestia? What’s the occasion?” Rainbow Dash leaned back in her chair as she used her hoof to pick her teeth with a toothpick.
“She wants the five of you, Spike, and I to report to Canterlot immediately! And she wants us to pack all essentials we’ll need for a long journey.” Twilight said that last statement as if she were reciting a part from a dirge. The tone of her voice itself was a captivating melody that peaked the interest in the others.