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// The rise of darkness, and the cowering unicorn. 
// Story: Darkness Cometh and Betrayal by a Guard 
// by mogymog 
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	So it began like any other average normal day in the land of Equestria, the sun was rising, shining brightly as Princess Celestia brought forth the day for all the little ponies to enjoy. But today wasn't an average normal day like all the rest, for it was the day before the Summer Sun Celebration, where Princess Celestia would go to Ponyville and raise the sun on that most special day of the year. Whilst the day went on, a purple unicorn went about her day as well, doing things that all little purple bookworm unicorns did; read, learn, go places. She did all that in her excitement of knowing that when she got back home she'd be able to read and learn more, something she was always happy to do.

She eventually returned home, to find her best friend a small purple dragon awaiting for her there. Well, more like she burst the door open and ran through and messed up a gift he had wrapped for a pony's party, but that is another story altogether. They bantered a bit before the dragon burped and a scroll appeared and landed, she used her magic to unravel it and bring it up and read it. Usually she was happy to get letters from her teacher, her princess, but today’s was different. Her teacher wanted her to away, to visit a small town called Ponyville in preparation for the Summer Sun Celebration. She wasn't sure how to feel, on one hand she loved the celebration and the fun, but on the other hand it was a place she'd never been before and she was timid and unsure, scared almost to go there.

She didn't want to disappoint her teacher, but for some reason she just could not bring herself to do it, so she did the only thing she knew to do. She grabbed a few books with her magic and dived under her bed to hide and read. Oh sure, her little dragon friend tried his hardest to convince her to come out and go, but she was having none of that at all, she was going to stay there, read, and after tomorrow she would figure out how to apologize and make it up to Princess Celestia for abandoning her like that. Eventually the dragon as well gave up and went on his way to do his thing, cleaning and enjoying the nice peaceful day as it were.

So, there was no Twilight Sparkle at Ponyville to make sure all the food was ready and waiting, all the banners nice and shiny. No Twilight Sparkle there to make sure the festivities were good, or things were perfect for Princess Celestia's arrival and the celebration, but surely that wouldn't matter it would go as it did every year. Indeed for the most part it did, all the ponies got their parts set up, all the food from Sweet Apple Acres, from Sugar Cube Corners, it was all splendid and ready to go, all the banners and decorations and pretty things from the Carousel Boutique as well. Nothing could make it any better, short of the arrival of Princess Celestia, who was due soon, and then the wait till the right time to bring forth the new sun and let the celebrative festive time begin.

But, as all stories eventually turn out, not all is as it appears to be, not is all sunny and bright and filled with flowers and candy, and this story is no different from the rest. The start of the story is already known, a timid shy book worm purple Unicorn, a powerful Princess that raises the sun and the moon, a purple dragon that can cough up letters. But no, those aren't the heroes of the story. They perhaps play a part in the grand scheme of things, but there is so much else there to look forward too. Now, we've rambled on long enough, yes?


As the ponies of Ponyville gathered that morning in the city hall to await the princess, her speech, and the start of the Summer Sun Celebration, not a care in the world. But when the curtains were pulled back, they were met with emptiness, for nothing was there: No princess, no pony, nothing, and in the moment of shock failed to notice the shadows creeping along the walls. Those shadows soon coalesced into a shape, taking form and from it stood a large ebony Alicorn. She surveyed the ponies below her and let out hearty evil laughter. Well, that certainly got the attention of the ponies as they all turned to look, staring and gasping in sheer terror at the form that stood before them.

As the large black Alicorn looked around at the stunned audience she grinned a large toothy grin and spoke, “Tell me my little ponies, do you know who I am? Do you know of the darkness, of the tales of my return?” as she waited none of them knew, for none kept up on the legends and tales of old, which only made the Alicorn angry and she growled out, “I am NIGHTMARE MOON! The bringer of darkness, and now that I am free I shall take your sun and your princess away forever. She is now my prisoner, and her precious Sun as well. Eternal night shall reign!” She cackled more, and as all this set in the ponies below snapped and started running around in sheer tearing screaming trying to escape to get away.

Screaming and running in terror is surprisingly easy and simple for a bunch of normal ponies, with no aspiration of fame, being a hero or doing anything that could possibly cause untold pain and horrors. But they were good at it, many diving under tables, some behind chairs, even others behind curtains hoping they wouldn't be seen, the thoughts running through most of them were basically the same of not wanting to be hurt, maimed, killed, eaten, or whatever else evil things might spring from this black terror before them.

This only made Nightmare Moon very happy. She zapped a few of them, before flapping her wings and lifting off, “I shall return soon, and when I do I expect the honor I deserve or I will not hesitate to make an example of you!” With that she shot a hole through the roof and flew off towards the Everfree Forest, off to her castle. Whether she would make do on her promise to come back, to punish them, or simple enjoy knowing they were suffering... Who's to say? No one was there to ask her, or perhaps too afraid to ask her if they were.

Meanwhile in Canterlot, things were not going so great either, though the guards had no idea what was happening. The fact the sun was not up yet caused them a whole lot of worry. They began mobilizing for fear that there could be an attack, or that they would be called to do something. It was a bit of a mad rush at first as guards running around getting to and fro to spots to defend and running orders around while their officers worked to figure out the problems. In the midst was Captain Shining Armor of the Equestrian Royal Guard, barking orders and trying his best to organize things without a princess there to oversee anything.

But not all the guards where where there though; some still asleep, some still waking up, some still lost in confusion. But that was to be expected, as it’s not something that normally comes up or happens. Hell in the peaceful kingdom, the guards were barely ever needed and more simply for show and possibly helping others doing menial tasks than anything else that might actually be needed. But when they were needed, they were a force to be reckoned with, deadly, precise, and able to take on any force they could meet. Or so they believed.

In one particular bunk room that housed a dozen guards, they were still coming to terms with the emergency. Many of them were still asleep, or just coming out of sleep still groggy and clueless on what was going on. One of them a pegasus pony was on his bunk, sitting up but clutching his head in pain, his face contorted in unmentionable agony as some kind of headache tore through him, making him suffer for some unknown reason. He at the moment didn't care about anything, other than the splitting insanity going on between his ears and he was going to do anything to get rid of it.

But he knew of no way to get rid of it, no medication he could get, no sleep, nothing he could try at the moment in this situation, all he could do was keep his eyes closed and suffer and rub his temples. But then something happened, he wasn't sure what but... it was as if his mind suddenly cleared, as if his pain was gone and he opened his eyes, looking out at the other ponies in the room, his guard mates, his friends... and it just made sense. He hopped off his bunk, looked around and then grinned, but not the kind of grin a normal glad pony would have, but one that was somehow changed… somehow different. Then, it began.

Throughout the rest of Equestria, ponies displayed various concerns, some completely freaking out, some just not caring, still others claiming it was the end of days. Everywhere, though, it was some kind of disaster. Without the sun, ponies could do nothing but hope and pray it would come back and the world would be as it was, because it generally didn't happen that the sun just never came back without some kind of official word to explain something about it. As for a certain purple unicorn, Twilight didn't notice the disaster happening all around her, as she was wrapped up in her book. That mistake would suddenly -- and harshly -- be shown for what it was.

Behind Equestria, the rest of the world, some of the creatures cared little, while others looked on wondering of what was going on. Yet other, more sinister creatures began to crawl, slither and shuffle from the darkness in which they hide. They saw that the entire world was now shadows, and they knew that they could begin their missions, their plots, their advances without being noticed and without fear of others. The changelings especially took note. Their Queen saw a power struggle and she decided that... yes, this was the perfect time to begin to put in motions her plans to conquer Equestria and enslave those ponies.