Black Diamond
Phantom trailed behind the three fillies, never falling too far behind as they journeyed further into the forest. The yellow one that led them would often stop and look around before advancing onward again.
“I think it’s this way, girls,” said Applebloom, pointing a hoof down a worn-looking path. The yellow filly sped off, with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo chasing after her. “I just know that this time for sure we’ll get our cutie marks.”
Phantom began to make his descent towards the trio of fillies. Alone in this dark forest, these young ponies wouldn’t be able to properly defend themselves against him. As he began to prepare to strike, he heard a rustling of leaves and stopped.
His senses burned to life. A familiar scent stung his nose as apprehension struck him. He flew up into the nearest tree, rocking the branches in his haste and knocking a few stray leaves from them.
“Applebloom, what in tarnation are ya doin’ out here?” Big Macintosh walked out of the foliage, a stray twig caught in his golden mane. He shot all three of the little fillies a disapproving glare as the fillies shared a worried look.
“Big Mac, hey, uh, fancy meetin’ you out here.” Applebloom plastered a toothy smile on her muzzle. “I was just comin’ over to see if Zecora needed any-”
“And Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle are with ya because?” asked Macintosh, cocking an eyebrow at his youngest sister.
“You can never have too many helping hooves?” chimed in Sweetie Belle.
The stalwart stallion leaned down closer till he was face to face with Applebloom. All three Cutie Mark Crusaders huddled up against each other as Macintosh’s temper began to flare up. “All three of ya’ll should know better than to be in this forest so close to night. You know how restless the monsters in here get,” said Macintosh.
Phantom continued to observe as Macintosh disciplined the young ones. After he was finished, he ushered them to follow him. Phantom remained up in the tree, cursing to himself as he saw his prey evade his grasp.
If they are anything like humans… perhaps they live... close together. These ponies acted oddly similar to the humans he used to feed on. If he followed them, surely they would lead him to more. Weaving through the tree line, Phantom caught up to the four ponies. His gnawing hunger drove him forward, but he did not allow it to control his actions.
As they neared the edge of the forest, Phantom immediately came to a halt. The ponies exited the forest first, with Macintosh bringing up the rear. “I hope ya’ll know that you’re grounded for this lil’ stunt.” Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle all groaned in perfect unison as they trudged forward with their heads hanging low.
Just when Macintosh was a good yard away from the forest, he snapped his head back towards the trees. His eyes scanned over the dark green leaves and the twisted boughs of the Everfree oaks. “Just my mind playin’ tricks on me, I guess,” he muttered to himself, but with a small tinge of uncertainty.
Phantom watched as his potential meal grew further and further away from him. Had the red pony seen him? Did he have the same abilities as that striped one? Ridding himself of these doubts, he looked towards the setting sun. As it dipped down over the mountains in the distance, the moon rose in its place.
Drifting out into the open, Phantom’s form rippled and then disappeared into the open air. He was a creature of darkness, after all; the night was when he would be at his strongest. The now-invisible Heartless sniffed the air, catching the scent of his prey. They hadn’t gotten far.
Like a leaf in the wind, Phantom moved silently as the cold, crisp night air caressed him. He didn’t pay any mind to the numbing bite of the cold air as he tracked down the ponies. As he traveled on, he could see a growing light glowing off in the distance.
Wooden cottages with hay-thatched roofs were neatly aligned. Small lanterns hung out near the doors of many of the houses, while some had lit candles neatly placed on their windowsills. Other ponies were in the streets, retreating towards their homes as the moon rose up. Phantom flew up high above the houses, sniffing the air again. He had lost his prey, and the overwhelming amount of smells made it too difficult to discern where they had gone.
Knock! Knock!
A faint tapping alerted Phantom somewhere down below. Peering over the ridge of the roof, he saw a conical building jutting out between two ordinary homes. Standing outside the purple building, the red pony, Macintosh, was talking with a white, purple-maned pony. The small white pony from before was in between the two, her eyes settled directly at the ground. The larger white pony threw her leg to her forehead as she mumbled something indecipherable to him.
Macintosh left with the yellow and orange one as the two white ponies went inside their home.
Phantom’s hidden eyes flicked between the two groups. He could delve inside of the white ones’ dwelling, yet the red one’s heart was much stronger than either of theirs. Phantom decided to continue to stalk Macintosh and the fillies.
For what seemed like hours, Phantom remained high in the sky as Macintosh dropped off the orange filly at her home. Now all that remained were Macintosh and Applebloom. The two walked silently. Occasionally Macintosh would say something, earning him a small answer from Applebloom. After walking a great distance, the three of them were on the outskirts of the small town. Dropping down from the rooftops, Phantom slowly began to creep up closer. The red one first... He could almost taste the heart essence as he came closer. Right before he could strike him down, a voice shouted out.
“Mister Macintosh!”
Phantom reeled back, somersaulting backwards in the air. A few yards away, a brown pony waved his hoof at Macintosh. At his side were a pair of fillies, one bright pink and one a dull, steel grey. The trio walked over to him at a hurried pace while Phantom positioned himself behind a rain barrel placed behind a house.
Despite still being invisible, if anything were to pass through him, his façade would break and expose him. Phantom hovered just above the lid of the barrel as he listened in on the group of ponies.
- - - - -
“Well, Macintosh, I know Zap Apple season is right around the corner. Are you sure that we can’t possibly work out a deal for more jars?” pleaded Filthy Rich. Running a hoof through his greased mane, Rich felt his heart racing as the stern earth pony remained steadfast in his decision. True, his sales had exceeded his projected expectations, but with a current windfall in the market, he needed to rake in the bits.
“Ye’ll get what we can only give ya, Mister Filthy.”
“Rich, if you please, Mister Macintosh,” corrected the business pony. “Perhaps we could discuss this later, at Rich Manor, perhaps? My family and yours haven’t actually sat down before. We should change that.”
Macintosh was no fool to the art of subtlety, but he knew it could be equally as bad to flat out refuse a benefactor’s proposal. “That’s mighty kind of you, Mr. Rich. I’ll be sure ta let Applejack and Granny know then. Come on, Applebloom, we got a big day ahead of us tomorrow.”
“Goodbye, Macintosh.”
“See ya later, blank fl-I mean, Applebloom.” Diamond Tiara sneered at the youngest Apple as her older brother pulled her away. She smiled up at her father but was greeted by a frown from him.
“Diamond, I’m tempted to send Silver Spoon back home and cancel your little sleepover. Ms. Cheerilee wrote me a letter today about your attitude towards your classmates. You’d be hurting daddy if the Apples decided to stop doing business with us because you upset Miss Applebloom too much.”
Despite her father’s warning, Diamond merely tossed her white-streaked purple mane. “We’re just funning around, daddy. There’s no need to worry.”
“Yeah, Mister Rich, it’s not like there’s nopony else who could sell the Zap Apple Jam like Barnyard Bargains,” added Silver Spoon. Better say something, or else Diamond is gonna be in one of her moods. The two squished their faces together, smiling up at Rich.
Filthy Rich let out a sigh. One of these days, Diamond, you’ll go too far. “Alright you two, let’s head home. I bet your mother is worried sick, Diamond.”
- - - - -
Phantom slowly edged himself out from behind the barrel. Macintosh and Applebloom were now far gone up the hill covered in apple trees. Now he felt his attention drawn to the three ponies in front of him. The one called Rich, his heart was a mixture of fear and hope. The small grey one, she reeked of anxiety and a small sense of joy.
Shifting his gaze towards the pink filly, he felt his form flicker. He could feel the malcontent pouring from deep inside, small traces of anger and sadness swirling inside of the darkness deep within. His previous thoughts of trying to obtain Macintosh’s heart forgotten, Phantom felt his hunger rise as he smelt the darkness wafting from Diamond’s heart.
As the ponies turned and left the scene, the Heartless glided behind them. He had found his newest victim.
- - - - -
Rich Manor was far above the average dwelling for anypony in Ponyville. Compared to the high-ranking society one would find in Canterlot, it would be deemed ‘adequate’ by a noble. Rising up four stories and twice as wide as the average home, it stood out proudly amongst many. Filthy Rich prided himself on what he had achieved, building his store chain from the ground up. Quite literally.
When Filthy and the two fillies passed through the oak doors, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon scampered off to the theater room. While Filthy retired to his room, the two friends lounged in the warm confines of the goosedown pillows. Both happily munched on a tub of popcorn as Randolph, the family butler, placed a film reel on a projector.
“There we are, Miss Tiara. Will there be any further need of my services tonight?” said Randolph. The aged earth pony cricked his neck as the young mistress of the house tapped a hoof against her chin.
“Nah, I’ll call you if I need something, Randolph.” Waving a hoof of dismissal, Diamond rolled over onto her back as she watched the previews begin to roll. She grumbled to herself as the different promotions for upcoming film premieres played out on the screen. “Ughh, I thought I told daddy to buy the films without these stupid premieres.”
Diamond grabbed a wad of popcorn from her bucket and shoved it into her mouth. Munching quite loudly as the movie began to play, she reached out to her side for a drink, but saw that she had knocked over her soda. Darn it, daddy is going to be so mad when he sees the carpet stained.
Standing up, Diamond rang a small, crystal bell on a nearby table and paused for a few seconds as she waited patiently for Randolph to come. A minute passed before she rung the bell again, shaking it to the point that the clapper cracked the sides. Grunting in annoyance, the pink earth pony set the bell down roughly before making her way towards the kitchen. “Silver, pause the movie, will you? You don’t want to me to miss out on anything, right?”
Silver Spoon immediately pressed the stop button on the projector. “No way, D.T. I’ll be waiting for you to come back. As Diamond left the room, Silver Spoon let out a pained sigh. For once, I wish she’d treat me like a friend rather than a punching bag for once. One of these days, Diamond, I’m going to tell you to shut up. Resting her head on her forelegs, Spoon nestled into her pillow as her thoughts of talking back to Diamond played in her mind.
Diamond Tiara stomped into the kitchen, a deep scowl etched on her face. “Randolph? RANDOLPH?” called out Diamond Tiara. The spoiled filly looked around, her frustration bubbling over as her faithful butler failed to respond. Giving up on a response, Diamond opened up the fridge and retrieved a soda. She popped off the aluminum lid and took a quick swig before returning to watch her film.
Fwish.
Diamond let out a small squeak of surprise as the curtains of the kitchen fluttered wildly. Her eyes remained glued to the closed window, wondering if a small crack from underneath had disturbed the curtains. Minutes passed until she thought better of it and once again was on her way towards the foyer.
Hearts…
A low, sinister voice invaded her ears, and she froze in place. One hoof remained in the air as her eyes swiveled in their sockets to locate its owner. Diamond found herself breaking out in a cold sweat as she turned her head to both sides. The perpetual darkness of the night was the only thing to greet her.
Ughh. Come on, Tiara. Don’t be such a scaredy pony, like those stupid blank flanks. Nearing the archway, Diamond took one last look around. As she took a single step forward, she felt something brush against her hoof.
Diamond’s eyes widened in pure horror. A billowing, tattered white cloak hung in the air. The hood of the cloak was bent forward, as if something was looking down at her somewhere deep within.
Hearts…Give me…
“W-who are you?” stammered out Diamond as she began to backpedal away from the cloak. The cloak lurched forward, slowly making its way towards the cowering filly.
Your heart…give…
“Do you know who I am? Who my daddy is?” stuttered out Diamond Tiara as she felt her back leaning up against the wall. She could feel her heart pounding within her chest as pure terror told her to run as fast as she could.
Give…me...your…Heart!
The high-pitched scream of a filly sliced through the air and then immediately stopped, like a needle suddenly pulled off its record. Silver Spoon ran into the kitchen along with Filthy Rich and his wife and Randolph. All four of them saw a bright pink light shine and then disappear.
Tink, tink, tink.
A wiry silver tiara dropped to the floor, splitting apart from the sudden impact. The center gemstone clattering along the floor. Above it, a tattered cloak hovered in place, flapping in an unseen breeze. It spun around, turning to face the ponies.
“Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?!” yelled Filthy. The stallion stood in front of his family, pointing an accusing hoof at Phantom. His eyes narrowed at the Heartless with rage.
Heh…hehehe… A ball of purple fire roared to life in between Phantom and the ponies.
Disappear…into…darkness… The dark fireball exploded outward, shooting forward. Silver Spoon felt somepony wrap their forelegs around her, pulling her out of harm’s way just before the roiling ball of cursed fire made contact.
A blazing inferno erupted out of the Rich Manor, sending burning timbers flying across the manicured lawn. Ponies ran to their windows as the explosion boomed outward, rocking the very foundations of the wealthy estate. Those who were closest to the incident that night saw a lithe figure escaping from the scene, enshrouded in purple fire. The side of Rich Manor began collapsing as the timbers burned at an unnatural rate, decimating the estate.
Four figures fled from the scene of the incident: one elderly pony with a badly burned stallion slung across his back and a mare with an unconscious filly across hers. Just as the moon began to descend while the sun rose to take its place, half of Rich Manor was nothing more than smoldering cinders.
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good
Woohoo
5993124
5992940
Now are we talking good as story development wise or are we talking
both
5993235
So what do you think of the story so far?
is dt dead I mean she is just a child
very good can't wait to read the next chapter and who gets it next
5993388
Her heart was stolen by Phantom, so I don't know how to clarify if she is dead per say. In game, people whose hearts are devoured turn into heartless. Also the premise for the story is dark, Phantom is a heartless, a creature of darkness whose sole purpose is to devour hearts.
don't they turn into heartless once their heart is stolen?
5993451
Yes. However, it can't reveal much as of this point. I don't want to spoil any future chapters for now...or else Phantom will come after you!
ok but my heart is made of sugar and deep fired carbs
5993476 I think Karma bitting Diamond Tiara hard is an understatement. Dying is not exactly what I would have in store for her.
5995964
Well this is a dark fic nion. You're the second person to make this comment relating to this but I'd like to point a few things out. Phantom is a Heartless, a creature of darkness that seeks out hearts. He's on a leash being held by Xehanort. He doesn't have a sense of morality and doesn't care as to what he does to regain his strength. Though, future chapters may honestly surprise you.
5996064 Oh no I understand the nature of the heartless. It just means that I don't necessarily feel right about this punishment. It's imporportional at best but I can certainly understand that life isn't exactly fair.
5996202
It wasn't designed to be a punishment. Phantom is merely follow his basic instinct to gather hearts. I'm not trying to dub it as some kind of form of justice.
5996725 Right right I get it I really do.