//------------------------------// // Legend about the Children of the Night // Story: Children of the Night // by Pony paladin //------------------------------// It is a beautiful and sunny day in the Crystal Empire, and six ponies and a little purple dragon are leaving the train station. "Hey Twilight, what do you think Princess Celestia want?" Asked the little purple dragon on the back of a purple Alicorn, the alcorn had a six point star cutie mark, "I'm not sure spike," she said "but if Princess Celestia has sent for us, then it must be important," she said and raised her head. "She probably need my awesome skills," said an cyan Pegasus with a rainbow colored mane, she had a cloud with a rainbow lightning bolt for a cutie mark. "Hold ya horses, Rainbow, the princess sent for all of us, not just you," said a light brownish earth pony, she had a yellow mane and a country accent, her cutie mark was three apples. "Girls," said a white unicorn mare whit an indigo mane and three jewels for cutie mark, "we mustn't forget the most important thing," she said and looked over at twilight. "And what's that?" Asked the Alicorn and looked confused. "That we must lead you and that Flash Sentry pony together," said the white unicorn. "Rarity, I have already told you that I don't have a crush on him," Twilight said and walked into an iron plate and fell down. When she looked up, she saw an orange Pegasus with a blue mane and a shield behind an lightning bolt cutie mark, "I can see we still meeting this way" he said, and helped her up. "Flash? What are you doing here?" Asked twilight and blushed "your brother Prince shining armor got two carriages ready for you and your friends," he said and turned around. "Wait, two carriages?" Said Twilight confused, "yes, one for your friends and one for you," said Flash "but why?" She asked. "In the Crystal Empire is it a tradition that royalty has a carriage for themselves, with a guard with them," he said and lead the way for them. "Why didn't he come down himself?" Twilight asked and followed him. "He did want to, but Princess Cadance persuaded him into that I should be the guard" he said as they arrived at the carriages. "She did?" Said Twilight a bit angrily, "Yes, Well then shall we go?" Said Flash. After Twilight and Flash has entered their carriage, began Rarity to smile, "What are you smiiiiiiling about?" Asked a bright pink pony with a dark pink mane and three balloons for cutie mark. "Well Pinkie Pie Darling, it looks like we have a princess on our side," Rarity said and eyed the carriage. "Of course silly we have Twilight," said Pinkie Pie with a smile, "I'll think she means Princess Cadance Pinkie" Applejack said. "Ooooooohhh! that makes sense". "Um, shouldn't we get into the carriage?" Asked a yellow Pegasus with a bright pink mane, she had three butterflys for cutie mark, "Fluttershy is right let's go girls," said Applejack. [Half an hour later] It was a short trip to the castle and the mane six were on their way inside. "Twilight sparkle" said a white Alicorn with a multi colored mane and a smile, her cutie mark was the sun, "it's nice to see you". "It's also good to see you princess," said Twilight and bowed with the others, "so, what is the reason you summoned us?" Asked Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow" said Applejack "It's okay" said Celestia "and don't worry, it's not all of Equestria who are at risk this time," the princess informed them, so they all began to calm down. The Princess then got a serious look on her face, "have any of you ever heard about the legend about the children of the night?" Asked Celestia seriously. Twilight looked at her friends and they all nodded no, "no princess, we haven't," she said confused, "it doesn't surprise me," she said and used her magic to take an old book from a hidden shelf. "Although most of Equestria cannot remember it, I remember it as if it were yesterday," said Celestia with a sad voice, as she opened the book "though it was countless moons ago". Then Celestia used her magic to make some pictures of what she was reading. "Oh my, how sad," said Fluttershy just below a whisper and the others agreed with her, "Princess, you want us to find these foal's that Luna took with her?" Asked Twilight while Celestia put the book back in its place "no Twilight" she said, turning towards them. "A few years ago, I sent off somepony to find them," she said, and the mane six looked in wonder at each other, "but what do you want us to do then?" Asked Twilight even more confused than normal, "I want the six of you to go and find him". "Wait a minute there Princess," said Rainbow Dash a little annoyed, "I'm just as happy for an adventure like any other, but why not just ask Princess Luna about where she took them?". "I already have asked her Rainbow Dash," Celestia said, "the day she came home after having taken them away. I demanded to know where she took them off so I could get them back to us, but she refused to say anything, so I forbade her to see them again, "she said with a heavy heart. "We understand, princess," said Applejack, "and we'll do everything to help him". "But, where do we start?" Asked Fluttershy, "that is why I asked you to come to the crystal empire," said Celestia and walked over to a window that turned towards the mountains, "you must walk past the mountains behind the crystal empire, and continue to the nightmare forest, then you should be able to find him somewhere inside". "N-n-n-nightmare forest!" Said Fluttershy terrified and hid behind the others, "rest assured princess, we will not fail you," said Twilight and turned to the others "let's go!" She said. [15 minutes later Crystal mountains] "So, this is the infamous crystal mountains," said Rainbow Dash and frowns, "they don't look so dangerous". "Well, remember what the guards said on the way here," said Twilight and began to go forward, "nopony have ever returned from these mountains". "Well dear, I must agree with Rainbow" said Rarity, "a mountain with so many precious gems can't possibly be dangerous". "Oh, oh, maybe we could hold a gemstone party!" Said Pinkie and threw some Streamers into the air, "I don't think now is a good time Pinkie," said Applejack. "Now come on, ya'll or Twilight goes without the rest of us," she said and then they all went together but they did not notice a pair of glowing eyes and growling behind them. After they had gone for a while, began Spike to pull in Twilight's tail. "Uh, Twilight?" He said scared, "I think there's somepony following us". "Oh Spike," said Twilight, "don't be silly, it is not possible for anything other than dragons to live up here," she said with a smile, "yeah, you're right, it's only dragons that can live here," said Spike, and then came a crystal paw in front of Twilight and the others. When they looked up, they saw something that reminded of a Timber Wolf, but this one was made of gems. In the first few minutes, there was not anyone that moved, "stand completely still, maybe it hasn't seen us," whispered Twilight to the others. "Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" Pinkie cry as she ran past them and the crystal wolf so it discovered them, "ruuuuuuuuun!" Shouted Rainbow and they all ran towards the bottom of the mountain. "What in tarnation is that?" Asked Applejack while they ran away, "I don't know, but I can see the forest!" Said Twilight and tried to fly, but she couldn't concentrate. Pinkie, who was behind all of them, fell over a pebble and hit them all so they all bundled into the dark forest. "Are y'all okay?" Asked Applejack after a little while ,"ugh" came from the other, "yeah, we all right," said Twilight and stood up, " I don't know about the rest you, but that BEAST didn't need to be so rude and dreadful," said Rarity and dusted herself off. "But what was that thing?" Asked Rainbow but before anyone could answer her, Pinkie popped up, "whoo! That was fun, who would like to go on one more time?" Asked the pink pony and the others looked at her annoyed, "what about we just move on," said Twilight. They were all amazed by the fauna of the forest, "I must say, this place has a lot of new plants," said Applejack after they had walked for a while, "I wonder if there is some new kinds of animals," said Fluttershy gently. Suddenly the earth began to tremble "Uh, guys," said Rainbow "am I the only one who can feel the earth tremble?" And then began theothes to notice it too, "This can't be good," said Twilight. They turned and saw a huge centipede running against them "JUUUUUUUUMP!!!!!!!" Shouted Applejack, they were only just able to avoided being hit by the huge centipede, "is everypony all right?" Asked Twilight when the centipede had passed them, "I think so?" Said Spike and looked around "uh, where's Rainbow?" He said and the others saw she was not there. "HEEEEEELP!" Screamed Rainbow and the others discovered she was stuck on the centipede, "Rainbow!" They cried and ran after her. The centipede ran into an open part of the forest and turned sharply to the right and disappeared "where did it go?" Asked Spike up from twilight's back. "I don't know," said Applejack worried, "Twilight, what do you think we should do?" She asked "Uh, guys," Fluttershy said "we have troubles ". The others turned and saw a bunch of Timberwolves "grrrrrrrr" they growled "Grrrrrrr" they heard behind them and saw several more Timberwolves "we surrounded" said a terrified Spike. And then there came a sound that sounded like a dying animal, and up in a tree they could see a pony who held a horn, he then dropped it, he then took a vine and made a poor Tarzan howl and ended up in some bushes farther away. "Well that was not very elegant," said Rarity, then turned all the Timberwolves against them again now that the distraction was gone, "anypony have a plan B?" Applejack asked. And when she had asked, came something out of the bushes, it was the pony from the tree and he had some weird apples around the neck and a sword strap to his bag, "ah haa, ha, ha, ha, ha, haaa" he said as he threw the apples after the Timberwolves and as they hit their target, came there some kind of smoke from them, "take cover!" He said before he threw the last apple on the ground and made a huge dust cloud. When the smoke cleared, they were all gone. Close to a lake, there are three cragadile, two adults and a baby, on the way up from the lake. The baby stopped at a plant in the lake to eat it, but one of the adults stopped it and they then moved on. When they had disappeared, began the plant to slowly get up and showed a dark red pony with a deep gray mane and sword in his mouth and some bushes nearby, proved to be the mane five and spike in disguise. "That was fun, let's try again," said Pinkie as she took her disguise off, "Pinkie, I don't think we should try it again," said Fluttershy quietly. The others then began to take their disguises, while not taking notice of the pony that saved them. "Don't you think that we should thank the pony that saved us?" Asked Applejack. "You're right Applejack" said Twilight and turned to their rescue pony "you need many thanks for res....." said Twilight before she stopped mid sentence. "Is there something wrong Twi?" Asked Applejack since Twilight stopped in her sentence and the mysterious Pony turned and frozed completely solid when he saw Twilight. "Twilight?" He said absolutely amazed "Paladin?" Said Twilight just as amazed. TO BE CONTINUED.