Twilight stared out into the darkened maze of the Everfree, almost deaf to the commotion around her, worry churning her stomach fitfully, the sun having set some time ago and still there was no sign of Rainbow Dash nor the enigmatic Seeker. Applejack had told her about how the stallion had fled the party in a near panic, making some hurried excuse as he had galloped off. She sighed softly, remembering how Pinkie Pie had carried on about him missing the party she had thrown to celebrate their victory over Tirek, having had to calm the mare down before they realized they were missing a certain cyan pegasus as well. It had been hours since then and now a search party was being organized to find Seeker, the earth pony having been spotted entering the forest, though what had driven him inside was anypony's guess. She had a feeling Rainbow had followed him as well, the pegasus having been suspicious of him from the very moment she had tackled him to the floor the day before.
“That mare,” Twilight huffed, glancing back over one shoulder to take in the various ponies that had gathered, though she imagined most of them were here to find the reckless weather pony than out of concern for the stallion they didn't even know. Oh, she knew that they'd look for him, of course, but Dash was a part of their community after all. It was only natural they would be more concerned for her than a complete stranger. She noticed she was no longer alone, Applejack having come to join her while she'd been lost in thought.
“Don't you worry none, sugarcube,” the stetson wearing earth mare assured her, offering her a kind smile. “That Rainbow Dash might be a reckless foal at times, but she's stubborn and as tough as they come.” This caused the princess to smile ever so slightly, an encouraging sight. “That Seeker feller didn't seem the type to go down easy neither, so don't you fret none.”
“But it's the Everfree forest, AJ,” Twilight reminded her, her smile fading as she spoke. “It's dangerous enough during the day, but at night...” She trailed off, shivering slightly, their own foray into the forest years ago having been in darkness as well. “Is everypony ready then?”
“Eeyup, they're just waiting on you,” Applejack replied, watching as Twilight put on what she liked to think of as her “princess face”, the alicorn turning and heading over to give the others their instructions for searching the forest. The apple farmer turned her attention back to the forest, frowning slightly now that she was by herself. “What in tarnation were those foals thinking anyhow?”
0o0o0o0o0o0
“What the buck was I even thinking?” Rainbow Dash whined, feeling sore, tired and like she'd raced the Running of the Leaves with a lead weight strapped to her back. The monstrous stallion that had inadvertently rescued her had yet to move, though she noticed that his wounds had started to heal, which wasn't exactly a good sign in her opinion. Her own scrapes and cuts from the chase had stopped bleeding at least, though she was one heck of a mess at the moment. “Heh, Rarity would totally pitch a fit if she saw me now.” She chuckled at the thought, stretching a bit and wincing as her muscles protested the movement.
The moon had risen above the trees, casting its silvery glow over the clearing. “Ugh, if only I hadn't lost so many stupid feathers,” she griped, raising her damaged wing and glaring at the missing primaries before giving an annoyed huff. “Stupid forest.” She shot the monster that had chased her a dirty look. “Stupid shape shifting monster pony.” And plonked down on her flanks, ears flattening down against her mane as she sighed wearily. “And stupid me.” She glanced over at Seeker as he started to stir, his wounds barely visible against his black coat now. “Oh, crapbaskets, not now!”
The nightmarish stallion opened his eyes, the cerulean orbs zeroing in on her as his nostrils flared, causing the pegasus to back up nervously. “H-hey now, just keep away!” He ignored her words, rising to his cloven hooves and starting towards her, causing Rainbow's heart to start hammering against her ribs, fear once again taking hold. “Easy, easy, good boy.” He kept coming, forcing her to continue her retreat. “Y-you wouldn't want to eat me, really.” He bared his fangs, an odd hiss escaping from between his teeth. “I-I work out a lot, so I'm probably all tough and chewy and stuff, you know?” She backed into the trunk of a tree, pressing herself against it, starting to tremble slightly. “C'mon, stop, I don't wanna be eaten!”
He was right on top of her now, his hot, acrid smelling breath puffing over her mane as she squeezed her eyes shut. “Please, don't do it!” Yet the the pain she expected didn't come, the mare cracking one eye open to try and figure out why he'd stopped. He was staring off to the north, the flames of his mane and tail burning brighter now than they had before. “What the buck is your problem?” He didn't reply, of course, moving back to the center of the clearing and continuing to gaze out into the darkness. “Hey, don't ignore-wait, the buck am I saying?!?” Dash shook her head, hiding behind the tree and trying to slow down her racing heart. “You go right ahead and just keep doing...whatever the hay it is you're doing.” She shuddered, not knowing why he had stopped and not really caring either. “I am never coming back to this forest ever again.”
0o0o0o0o0o0
Princess Luna landed in the town square of Ponyville, the village in an uproar it seemed, her thestral guards touching down behind her as she took in the situation. The source of the dark magic she had felt was still strong, coming from within the Everfree forest. From the palace that she and her sister had once shared perhaps? Her darker self had been stripped away there after all, so it would make some sense if that was the case. The ponies seemed to be organizing a search party with Twilight Sparkle and her companions at the head. This was something she could not allow.
“Citizens of Ponyville, heed Our words!” She called to them, swiftly gaining their undivided attention, many bowing to her despite their obvious surprise. “We have come to investigate a disturbance We have sensed from within the Everfree forest. We ask that you disperse so that We may do so without the need to worry for the safety of Our subjects.” The crowd hesitated, glancing between the two princesses until Twilight nodded, the group dispersing at last. “Twilight Sparkle, it is good to see thee well,” she said once they were alone, a genuine smile on her face as she greeted her friend. “We apologize for disrupting your efforts, but this is something We must deal with on Our own.” Her words seemed to confuse the younger alicorn, causing her to frown slightly.
“Wait, how did you hear about this?” Twilight asked, clearly puzzled about the lunar princess's arrival. “I mean, we only just organized a search party and didn't have time to send any messages to either you or Princess Celestia.” Her frown deepened slightly. “I have a feeling you're not here for the same reason we are.”
“Do explain then,” Luna said, curious as to what her fellow princess meant by that. “We have come to deal with the source of dark magic that has appeared within the Everfree forest, of course. What else would bring Us here?”
“Wait, dark magic?” Rarity shared a concerned look with her other friends, not liking the sound of that one bit. “But what about Rainbow Dash and that Seeker fellow? They've been missing for hours now.”
“Yeah, we can't have an OC stay missing with an established character!” Pinkie added her two cents, such as they were. “Ponies would be like: oh, no, the author is trying to ship his pony with one of the main six! The scandal! The horror!” She made goofy ghost sounds, waving her hooves around in an overly silly fashion. “His inexperience with romance stuff would make it totally scary! Oooooo~” More hoof waggling followed.
“Um...pardon?” Luna blinked owlishly, the pink earth mare's words leaving her struggling to comprehend them. She hadn't much experience dealing with Pinkie's eccentricities, leaving her feeling off balance, while Twilight, Applejack and Rarity exchanged similar looks, sharing the same thought. Pinkie was simply being Pinkie again, no doubt about it. “What is this OC you speak of?”
“Well an OC is an original character and-” Pinkie was suddenly interrupted by Applejack just about sticking her hoof in her mouth to silence her. “Mnf!”
“Ah think we've got more important things to be worried about right now, like Rainbow Dash and this Seeker feller out there lost in the Everfree with the dark mojo goin' on,” the apple farmer pointed out, causing Pinkie to relent for the time being. “So, how we gonna do this?”
“We are able to sense where the dark magic is located,” Luna replied after she had recovered enough to form coherent thoughts, Pinkie having thrown her off her game for a bit there. “Therefor We shall perform a search from the air with Our guard while you stay here and make sure this evil does not slip past Us.”
“But what about-” Twilight made to protest, Luna silencing her with a raised hoof, understanding in the princess's eyes.
“Be at peace, Twilight Sparkle,” she said, offering her fellow princess a smile as she spoke. “We understand thine concern for your comrade and We shall do Our utmost to find her and bring her back safely.” Her smile faded soon faded however. “Though the name Seeker is not one We are familiar with, as one of Our subjects, We will see to his safety as well.” She hesitated, sighing softly. “We would bring you with Us, Twilight, but this is something We must face on Our own. We hope you understand.” Twilight searched Luna's eyes for some answer as to why she was so adamant about going out there by herself, but all she could see within them was stubborn determination.
“Okay, Luna, I understand,” the princess of friendship said finally, sighing in resignation. “But if you don't return in an hour we'll come looking for you, no matter what you say.” This only caused Luna to chuckle softly.
“If We do not return in an hour, Twilight, t'would be best that you seek out Our sister's aid instead,” she informed her, spreading her wings and taking off before the lavender alicorn could respond, her night guard in hot pursuit. The four of them watched her go, even Pinkie Pie showing her concern at this point.
“What in the world could be so terrible that she would be worried about not coming back?” Rarity wondered aloud, the others not really having an answer for her. Whatever it was, though, it was certainly nothing to be trifled with.
0o0o0o0o0o0
“And he's still just standing there,” Rainbow muttered, watching the nightmarish stallion standing almost entirely still. If it weren't for the flames and his breathing she'd think he'd turned into a statue or something. “Okay, Rainbow, think.” She looked around, frowning as she took in her surroundings. “No way you're running around the Everfree in the dark and you can't exactly fly right now, so what do you do?” She worried her lower lip between her teeth, trying to think of something. “Okay, maybe you could build a signal fire.” There were certainly enough sticks laying around from her pseudo savior's battle with the timber wolves after all.
“They taught us how to build a fire at Flight Camp, so you should be able to manage.” She suddenly smirked. “Or you could always hold one up to the big guy's tail and wait for it to light. Of course that would mean getting close to the freak again.” She shivered slightly, smirk vanishing as quickly as it had come. “Yeah, not happening.” He'd been standing still for awhile now and she wasn't about to do anything to upset the homicidal beast.
She still didn't know what the hay was even going on. How did that Seeker stallion turn into some sort of monster horse? And those eyes. There was no mistaking those eyes. So, again, how was this possible? They'd beaten that stuffy old Nightmare...hadn't they? Well, it wasn't like he was going to be giving her any answers, though even she could figure a few things out. One: this isn't something he did willingly. Otherwise why would he struggle against it? Two: this wasn't the first time.
Obviously he was aware of it, but there had been something else, a sort of weary resignation about him just as the moon supposedly started to rise. And three: there was nothing of the Earth stallion inside that black coated monster once the change was finished. No sane stallion would lay a hoof on Rainbow Dash, the pegasus mare just too awesome after all. Her train of thought soon hit a wall, though, a deep rumbling sound coming from the pony turned monster.
“Is he...growling?” Dash wondered, the sound definitely similar. She followed his gaze as his head tilted back so he could look up, able to make out something moving against the night sky. “No way.” She stepped out of hiding, grinning as the shapes became more distinct. “Sweet, rescue party.” She raised one hoof, waving to the six figures as they descended. “Hey, down here! Am I glad to see you guys!” The one in the lead turned out to be Princess Luna, much to her surprise, flanked by her guards, the princess of the moon staring down at the black monster with a stony expression on her face.
“Protect Our little pony,” the diarch instructed the thestrals accompanying her, all of whom swiftly moving to obey, touching down and forming a wall between Rainbow Dash and the creature, whose attention lay solely on Luna at this point, his growl becoming a snarl as she lowered herself slowly to the ground. “We shall deal with this...creature personally.”
0o0o0o0o0o0
Luna gazed upon the creature she sensed the power of the Nightmare residing within, eyes narrowing as she took in its form. It had taken the form of a large stallion, perhaps even taller than Celestia, jet black coat rippling with muscle that quivered as it glared at her with naked hatred. So it recognized her then. Not all that surprising, given how long she had played host to its power. It pawed at the ground with one cloven hoof, snorting fire as it looked ready to charge at any moment.
“We know not how you survived, monster,” Luna began spreading her wings and readying herself for battle, eyes glowing with white light as she gathered her power to strike. “But thou art merely a fragment of thine former self and We shall take great pleasure in stamping out your vile taint once and for all!” Energy blazed around her horn, spheres of cerulean light spinning around her before launching themselves at her foe, the beast forced to leap out of their path several times before they collided with the earth, the ground shaking with the force of the ensuing explosion.
“Thou art a slippery beast for certain but We shall not be deterred!” Out of the smoke came a burst of fire, the princess swiftly having to erect a barrier in order to keep herself from being burned, the white flames crackling across the field ineffectually. “T'would seem Our estimation of thy strength was correct. Thou art finished, Nightmare!” She took to the air just as the monstrous stallion burst forth from the fading smoke, its hooves splitting the earth where she had last been standing.
The Nightmare whinnied its defiance, the sound putting a chill in even her bones, but it could not touch her, the blasts of fire it sent her way easily dodged. It was almost sad, really, how far the once powerful entity had fallen since its defeat. But there was no pity in her heart as she gazed upon it coldly, already tired of this game. Her horn shone with power, the princess of the moon ready to wipe the creature from existence, even as it stamped and bellowed in petulant frustration. She was already thinking to the remainder of her night, for if there was one fragment there would certainly be more. She would simply have to seek them out wherever they had hidden themselves and put an end to the Nightmare for good.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Rainbow Dash had watched as Luna had spoken to the creature, shivering at how detached the lunar princess had sounded at first, her voice chilling to hear. She made a mental note never to really piss her off, and no sooner had she finished the thought when the battle started. Well, it wasn't much of a battle really, the beast unable to even so much as lay a hoof on Luna, though the princess seemed more than willing to destroy him.
“This ain't right,” the pegasus said softly, shaking her head as Luna took to the air, well out of Seeker's reach. She couldn't make out what the alicorn said next but she imagined it wasn't anything good, her heartbeat loud in her ears as she saw the princess gathering fresh magical energy in her horn. “No, it's not his fault!” Dash cried suddenly, surprising the thestral guards as she rushed past them, galloping towards the Earth stallion turned monster as fast as her hooves could carry her, even as Luna prepared to unleash her attack.
“STOP!!!” Her shout drew the attention of both combatants, though it was already too late, the concentrated blast of power Luna had just unleashed speeding towards both her and the Nightmare now, the cyan mare having closed the distance swiftly it seemed. The next few moments were a mess of noise, smoke and the smell of burnt flesh, though oddly enough Rainbow didn't feel any pain. She briefly wondered if this was what dying was like, a gentle thing, but as her vision and hearing cleared she found the sky blotted out and the sound of heavily strained breathes filling her ears.
“W-what?” She was huddled on the ground under something, something big and black that trembled and wheezed for air, smoke rising from its coat. Somehow, for some reason she couldn't fathom, Seeker had put himself between her and the blast. Why? He'd been trying to bucking eat her before, so why?!? Some wet landed on her cheek, Dash instinctively reaching up to wipe it away before looking down at her hoof to see what it was, a smear of red now staining its surface. Then the beast of a stallion swayed and fell, Rainbow having to scramble to get out from under him before he toppled to the ground with a weak, pained sounding groan.
The pegasus mare turned her head to look, her pupils shrinking to pinpricks and her ears folding back as she took in the mess of blood and burns that was the stallion's back. The mare swiftly turned away and started to retch, suddenly glad she hadn't eaten anything at the party as her body attempted to get rid of the contents of her already empty stomach. She tried to say something, her words a mere croak as they issued from her burning throat. Dash saw Luna, eyes wide as she stood unmoving, her thestral guards unsure of what they should be doing without their princess's direction.
“H-help him,” Rainbow Dash finally managed to get out, looking to the guards imploringly. “Don't just stand there, damn it, help him!” They, in turn, looked to Luna, who was still just staring at her fallen foe, seemingly unable to comprehend what she had just seen. “Why are you all just standing around? He's bucking dying, for Celestia's sake!” Indeed, his breathing was getting weaker by the second, the flames of his mane and tail burning low. Dash looked from the thestrals, to Luna, then back, growing increasingly frantic as they stood there like useless lumps. “WHY AREN'T YOU HELPING HIM?!?”
0o0o0o0o0o0
It was cold again. It was always cold in the dark, though, so he supposed he shouldn't have been surprised. The dark was where he went when the other took the reigns, forcing him to wait, helpless, for the sun to rise and banish it to the darkest corners of his mind and soul once again. Around him stretched an endless black void and within that void he could hear it moving, feel it watching him as it circled him in the darkness. How long had he been trapped like this now? Had the pegasus mare escaped? He had no perception of time nor of what was transpiring outside the dark, only the cold and the seemingly endless waiting for the sun's eventual return. Something was different tonight, however. The other was restless, hissing hatefully as it slithered in the shadows. Something had clearly agitated it, though what could bother the other so was a question he had no answers to.
Then something changed about the dark, like the beginnings of dawn almost and he could see, see outside the dark for just a single moment. The pegasus, Rainbow Dash, was standing in front of him and something, some harsh sphere of crackling light, was rocketing towards them both. He didn't know what was happening or why but he gave the other a sudden push, forcing it to interpose itself between the mare and the light. PAIN! Burning, mind shattering PAIN! For a few seconds he and the other were one and the pain was excruciating! His body burned and and froze all at once and he huddled in the dark, whimpering in agony as he waited for it to pass. The pain faded, time passed, and there was only the cold again, only serving to make the aches now permeating his body worse. Slowly the dark grew brighter and he knew the dawn was finally coming, the pain only growing worse as the darkness faded entirely.
0o0o0o0o0o0
“Oh, by Luna, what fresh hell is this?” Seeker rasped weakly as his consciousness returned, much to his great regret. His back was mass of pain, his limbs stirring only faintly as he tried to will himself to move, to even twitch, feeling terribly weak. He only remembered vague images of the previous night, of the cold and a sudden pain, then the dark falling once again. He cracked one eye open, only able to make out an indistinct blur, something yellow and pink jerking back away from him.
“O-oh, I'm sorry, please excuse me, I was only changing your bandages,” the blob squeaked hesitantly, the voice faintly familiar, though for the life of him he couldn't place it. “I'mterriblysorrypleasedon'teatmebye!” Then the blur was gone and there was the sound of a latch swiftly being shut with a firm metallic click. Well, not the oddest thing he had ever woken up to, though he could certain do without the throbbing, burning mess of his back at the moment.
“By the sisters, what happened?” He wondered aloud, clearing his throat and grimacing a bit, his mouth terribly dry. His vision was slowly coming into focus, the stallion rolling onto his stomach with a groan, the world swimming in gray at the sudden movement. It was almost like he was suffering from the aftereffects of blood loss, which, from his years of near constant travel and “adventuring”, he was all too familiar with. He craned his head around to look at his back, able to make out that it was indeed bandaged, right around his middle and across his barrel as well.
“Well, looks like I got on the bad side of something nasty.” He frowned, trying to recall something, anything, that would give him some clue as to what had happened the night before, but no matter how he struggled nothing would come to him. Whatever had happened, though, he was now in some sort of cell. That would explain the sound he had heard, the butter yellow blur likely having been a terribly frightened physician of some sort that had immediately fled upon realizing he was awake. “I guess my secret's out then.”
“Ah, We see thou art indeed awake at last,” a regal, commanding voice spoke to him suddenly, his head snapping up to see a deep, midnight blue colored alicorn mare, mane and tail flowing and sparkling like the night sky itself. And she looked really, really unhappy to see him. “Fluttershy was not entirely clear when she fled from thine cell, but We were able to discern that much at least.” He shivered as her eyes narrowed, her gaze cold as she looked upon him like something she could easily crush.
“We see that thou art humbled by Our presence, as thou should be, for We are Luna, Princess of the Night.” He had sort of already guessed that much, but who was he to interrupt an all powerful alicorn goddess when she was clearly on a roll? “And we would have words with thee, Nightmare cursed.” Yup, his secret was definitely out of the proverbial bag. “Thou hast much to explain. To start with, how didst thou come to possess a fragment of the wretched Nightmare? What dark hole didst thou wrest it from? Speak, Seeker, lest We grow impatient.”
Seeker shuddered as he looked up at her, filled with awe and fear in equal measure, having never imagined that being in the presence of the lunar goddess would be quite like this. Slowly, shakily, the earth stallion forced himself to stand, gritting his teeth as grayness swam across his vision, muscling through the dizziness to give the princess a respectful bow before sinking to the floor, exhausted from just this simple act. “Forgive me for not standing in your presence, Your Highness, but my injuries have sapped my strength,” he said, keeping his eyes downcast, able to feel her gaze boring right through his skull, licking his suddenly dry lips before continuing. “My story is only part of a greater tale, much of which has been lost due to the passage of time.” He glanced upwards briefly, able to see that she was indeed becoming impatient with him. “It began one thousand years ago, not long after Princess Celestia and yourself defeated the spirit of Chaos...”