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CH.1. The Dream3,536 words
CH.2. Informing The Princesses4,535 words
CH.3. The Pillars Return3,242 words
CH.4. Somnambula's Memories3,403 words
CH.5. Princess Cadance & Pillar Of Hope3,162 words
CH.6. Fortified Defences5,084 words
CH.7. "Secret" Revealed3,285 words
CH.8. Unforgiving Sun3,184 words
CH.9. Kludgetown3,759 words
CH.10. Soldiers1,942 words

CH.4. Somnambula's Memories

When the Pillars and element bearers got back to Ponyville, many couldn’t help but notice the group of mares and stallions that they had never seen before. What struck them as odd was the new group of ponies looked fascinated by everything they saw—as if they hadn’t seen a town before.

Many shrugged it off as ponies who came from the outskirts of Equestria and perhaps were similar to the Crystal Empire—having their own traditions and lifestyles that might have been frowned upon by other ponies within Equestria.

With that, they left them be but many were understandably curious about the newcomers.

Twilight and the girls led the Pillars to the Castle of Friendship and showed them the way to the throne room where Spike was writing inside a book. When he noticed he wasn’t alone, he looked up and waved at the newcomers with a smile.

“Hello Starswirl, I see you’re friends are back safe and sound,” Spike observed and greeted the other Pillars who greeted him with smiles.

Starswirl chuckled with a smile. “Indeed and I couldn’t have achieved it, if it wasn’t for Miss Applejack,” he turned to the mare. “Miss Applejack, you should know that I will be eternally grateful for what you’ve done not just for me but my friends. If you ever need my help, just send me a letter.”

The apple farmer immediately blushed crimson when she heard the old wizard’s words but saw the stares everypony and dragon gave her. “Ah was just following Rockhoof’s orders…” she tried to dismiss.

“Ah, true lassie, but If you never informed Princess Twilight or the other rulers we would still be stuck in Limbo. For all you could have known, that could have been a very realistic dream and I wouldn’t have blamed ye one bit for it.” Rockhoof admitted with a small smile to the farmer. “But it’s a good thing you took it seriously as well—not that I expected you to return us from our imprisonment—this will give us an advantage over our foe.”

Somnambula subtly glared at Rockhoof without the element bearers noticing, but the Pillars felt her glare.

“And how do we hope to defeat our foe?” Somnambula asked using the word of the element she represented. The other Pillars looked at each other, feeling uncertain.

“Well, we have to find out first and foremost where Stygian is before we can make a move on the Pony Of Shadows,” Applejack replied after she recovered from the compliments she received.

“Yeah… that seems logical,” Magnus admitted but there were hints of sadness in them.

Twilight was reading a few scrolls that she had taken from one of the many libraries she had and was reading. While the others were chatting, she was beginning to question if Pony Of Shadows was real or not. The way the Pillars spoke of the Pony, made it seem as though they had battled it or at least faced the creature once upon a time. But… how could it be possible?

Pony Of Shadows was just a myth—legend—wasn’t it? She got lost in thought as she began to think over the many villains she had faced over the years. Nightmare Moon was a great example. She had discovered a prophecy that on the thousandth Summer Sun Celebration, the mare on the moon would return to cast eternal night over Equestria. With her friends, she managed to defeat her and discover that Nightmare Moon was Princess Luna, the younger sister of Princess Celestia.

It was a myth—a legend that you told fillies and colts as bedtime stories that they would fall asleep to.

Then there was Discord, the lord of chaos. He brought disharmony upon Equestria and made the ponies throughout the land miserable until the Princesses defeated him and cast him to his stone imprisonment. But when he managed to break free and cause chaos once more, he nearly succeeded in bringing disharmony to the Elements Of Harmony. Luckily, Princess Celestia had anticipated something like that happening and sent all the lessons she’d learned and brought Twilight back to her normal self.

After turning her friends back to their normal selves, they managed to trap Discord inside another stone imprisonment until Princess Celestia freed him so he could be reformed.

While Discord may not have been the same myth and legend as Nightmare Moon, that didn’t mean that it wasn’t a legend at all. Because it happened over a thousand years ago, many ponies—including Twilight—believed that it was a story that somepony made up and became popular and that somepony decided to create a statue from the descriptions the books had given.

Then there was the Crystal Empire that Twilight knew nothing about. There had been no books, scrolls, or even philosophers that had ever spoken or written about the empire made from Crystals. Princess Celestia had been the one to inform her of the empire and its history and she—or rather, Spike—saved the empire and became the hero that they essentially worship.

Finally, there was Tirek. Tirek was a centaur that consumed creatures' magic and grew in size and strength. He wasn’t a legend or myth, if anything, he was a creature that was mentioned quite a bit in scrolls from Starswirl himself—who meet Scorpan, Tireks’ younger brother—so it was no legend or myth but a fact.

But no doubt Tirek would be seen as a very dangerous villain and would no doubt end up in the history books and become a legend that way when the centaur passes on.

Having thought about all of this, it did make her wonder if it was possible that Pony Of Shadows wasn’t just a myth and legend but a real villain that once roamed Equestria—and from the sounds of the Pillars—still is out there somewhere, plotting.

“Starswirl,” Twilight called out to the wizard who was sipping a cup of tea given to him by Spike.

“Yes, Princess?” He asked curiously, making the others turn to Twilight.

“I know that this might be a very stupid question but… is the Pony Of Shadows real?” Her question was met with silence in the room.

The Element Bearers were confused and surprised by the question. Did Twilight—who adored Starswirl the Bearded above anything else, par Celestia—question him about the existence of a foe that they had been discussing for hours?

The Pillars were unsure of how to answer the mare’s question but it wasn’t a bad one. Rockhoof didn’t seem surprised by the question but looked sad. He couldn’t help but feel dumbfounded by the actions of his former little brother figure.

‘He wanted to be noticed, but no pony knows about his existence? What is he playing at?’ Rockhoof thought silently.

“Yes, he is indeed real, a very dangerous foe with sinister intentions towards us all,” Magnus replied to the Princesses’ question only to be met with a hoof to his face by none other than Somnambula who looked furious.

“Oh, no, Somnambula! Calm down please dearie!” Meadowbrook yelled while trying to hug the mare who glared at Magnus as if to petrify him. “He didn’t mean it like that I promise, just look at me,”

The Element Bearers were shocked at what they saw. They did not expect the Pillar of Hope to resort to such “brutish acts” as Rarity would say.

Somnambula looked at Meadowbrook who had a kind, sad smile that made her calm down and land on her hooves and stared at Magnus who looked surprised and blinked once, then twice before he soared near the roof of the castle and had a facial expression of a filly who learned Hearts Warming came early that year.

“I can feel pain again!!” He shouted in joy and flew around, much to the Elements Bearers' shock and confusion as he flew around like he found gold.

The other Pillars—including Somnambula—chuckled at his enthusiasm.

“Uh…”

Starswirl chuckled so much that he spilt some tea on his robes. When he noticed the other's stunned expressions he decided to explain.

“You see, Flash Magnus is a soldier through and through and inflicted a lot of pain on himself so he could withstand any attack but that led to some negative consequences that are best not mentioned here. Because of this, he has been desperate to find ways to feel pain but never succeeded. But it seems Limbo… ehm… helped him?”

“Yes, I finally can feel pain! Somnambula please do it again!” He landed before her and bowed like she was a wise mare with all the answers.

“Heavens no! Sorry that I did that… I just…” she lost her words and she looked to the crystal floors of the castle with Meadowbrook comforting her.

They were brought back to the topic and hand and it prompted Twilight to mull over what she had learned. So it was true that Pony Of Shadows was real but did the Pony have sinister intentions?

The lilac-coated mare glanced between Magnus and Somnambula. Magnus had said that the Pony had sinister intentions and in response, Somnambula had punched him, giving the signals that the pegasus didn’t believe that.

This was confusing.

Who was right and who was wrong? She didn’t want to make the Pillar of Hope angry at her but at the same time, she needed all the facts she could get. Rockhoof told Applejack that Pony Of Shadows couldn’t walk among the creatures of Equestria any longer which meant that this Pony had done something so terrible that they felt the need to warn them about him.

Somnambula had said that Pony wasn’t evil, though, so that begs the question of who was right and who was wrong. Twilight looked at her friends and realised that the emotions were too high for today.

When she looked out the window, she saw that it was getting late and suggested that they go to bed. The other Element Bearers decided to stay in the castle and the Pillars were shown different rooms that sat empty. Rockhoof and Meadowbrook would share since they were engaged, Magnus was given an empty bedroom, Starswirl also had an empty room and Somnambula had her room ready but she didn’t go to sleep.

She couldn’t sleep, there was nothing physically that was making her tired and her brain was trying to process everything that had happened.

Sitting at the foot of her bed, she looked at the wooden floors that needed cleaning and thought back to when she would spend time with Stygian. He was so kind, generous, honest, strong and gave hope whenever they needed it. He never gave up on them, not even once when they were close to losing a battle.

Their betrayal felt all the more heart-wrenching to her.

When she’d noticed how the unicorn she loved distanced himself from them, she believed that maybe he wanted to explore or perhaps believed that he had no purpose with them now that they became the Pillars of Equestria and weren’t needed anymore.

The thought terrified her so much that she made it a habit to always hang out with him whenever she had free time. However, even when they were around each other, she felt the distance between them. Nonetheless, he stuck around long enough leading up to the event when he borrowed their artefacts. She had been so distraught and angry.

Somnambula didn’t remember what she felt other than anger and sadness, but when she confronted him, something did seem… off. He looked surprised that they had found him and that is when they spoke the most brutal of words that would chatter any pony’s heart. A lone tear slid down her cheek and landed on the dusty wooden floor.

~~~~The Kingdom Of Darkness~~~~

The moon shined brightly over the beautiful Ponehenge which was a famous architectural site that many creatures—not just ponies—had the pleasure of seeing. Its remarkable beauty came from the carvings of the stones that had once resembled a star if you could fly and look down.

The marble stone was one of the most expensive and sought—stones in the entirety of Equestria. Many ponies and other creatures alike would do anything to have the pleasure of getting their hooves or claws on them.

Sadly only the richest of creatures could af afford it but it didn’t mean that no pony couldn’t admire Ponehenge if it wasn’t for the anger that radiated around it at the very moment.

Currently, the Pillars of Equestria were glaring at a unicorn who wore a brown robe that covered most of his body but not low enough so he would trip on his hooves when he walked or run.

Stygian—up until this point—had been considered a valuable Pillar that had knowledge that fascinated Starswirl, but that fascination had been misplaced. This pony was nothing more than a thief who stole from others for their own benefit. What they couldn’t understand was why he would do something like this.

“STYGIAN!” Starswirl roared at his fellow unicorn. The old wizard was breathing so heavily that smoke came from his nostrils. “How could you do this to us? How can you betray us so easily?!”

Stygian didn’t respond to that because he was never given the time.

“Yeah, how can you do that, huh?! After everything you did to help us, after we took you in… you betray us!?” Magnus was held back by Starswirl’s magic so he would attack the unicorn.

“Well…I just—”

“Save it, Stygian we don’t want to hear it. Obviously, you were trying to trick us from the start which you indeed succeeded with,” Rockhoof cut off and stared at Stygian in disappointment and stomped his hoof in anger. “To think I ever considered you my younger brother,”

Stygian didn’t show it, but he was hurt. He could do nothing but stare at the stone ground in peace.

“How could you do this to us, to Equestria?!” Mistmane looked at Stygian angrily. He didn’t respond immediately.

“I was just—”

“Save it, you filthy villain!” Starswirl roared once more, his anger getting the better of him. “You are no better than the Sirens or any of the villains we have ever faced at all. You wanted to see the power we hold, didn’t you? You wanted to power for yourself like a filthy thief, you’re greed became overwhelmed!”

“I can’t believe I ever considered you a good friend,” Meadowbrook glared at Stygian, the same glare she would use to the villains they faced. Being on the receiving end broke him physically and mentally.

“To think we spent so much time with one another, I cannot believe that you would betray us all. To think you were pretending to be our friend… I hope I never see you again,” Somnambula said.

After hearing those words, Stygian broke down in tears and ran away,

The Pillars angrily grabbed their artefacts and made their way to their castle where they put the objects on their thrones and began to move Stygian’s things.

They didn’t say anything as they removed the objects from his room and placed them inside boxes where they would send them to where he once lived. They had managed to be halfway done, when Meadowbrooks walked into the throne room and was surprised when she saw a book by Stygian’s side of the large table.

Looking around, she saw that the others were out of sight and moved towards the book and realised that it wasn’t a book—it was a journal. Stygian’s journal.

Instantly, she felt anger and wanted to throw it away in one of the boxes, but just as quickly as it’d come, it disappeared and curiosity got to the best of her and she opened the journal and began to read.

The first few pages held about his foal hood and teenage years which slowly switched over to his academic side of things. A few pages in and she was shocked to find how he found the Pillars and pointed them towards their first villains.

The text described all their strengths and weaknesses and what they could have done differently. Stygian also described the appearances of the villains and how they fought and relied on—quick observations.

However, the last few entries started to make Meadowbrook’s heart sink.

Dear Journal

Although I am also a Pillar, the other ponies don’t notice me as much. If anything, they most likely believe I was saved by them as well. My friends are enjoying themselves and I cannot blame them, they have saved the kingdom countless times and deserve to be cherished but what about me? Haven’t I done things that can be considered extraordinary? Well, I suppose being a tactician isn’t as cool as being the one throwing punches but I suppose That’s just how it is.

I am starting to feel lonely…

Meadowbrook heard the others enter the room and noticed what she was reading and began to read out of curiosity.

Dear Journal

I have begun to distance myself from the other Pillars. They seem to have caught on and have started asking questions but I do not know whether it is real or not. What am I saying? Of course, they care about me! They’re my friends, they would never do something to hurt me. They have stood by me whenever I needed them and I have done the same, the loneliness is getting to my head filling me with doubts. But I will admit that I am getting bothered by the amount of attention the other gets while I get none.

Maybe I should borrow their artefacts? No! I will resist the temptation!

The other Pillars started to piece together what this was leading to and their hearts started to sink.

Dear Journal

I just can’t take it anymore. My friends are all famous and cool because they are the ones who fight the villains but they don’t pay attention to me, I normally wouldn’t have been too bothered but they don’t even know me and always look confused whenever I talk to them as if I was part of the team… am I not part of the team? Haven’t I given them vital information that they needed to defeat even the strongest of foes? I will my friends do not ignore me, especially, not sweet Somnambula who I would do anything in the world for.

I have decided to borrow the artefacts to make copies. I do not want their power, instead, I want to use the copies to represent all the Pillars in one. Hopefully, they won’t notice them gone until I’ve created the copies. Maybe I’ll even earn their respect?

The Pillars felt tears well in their eyes and regret for what they had done. They looked at one another, Somnambula looked like a mess, her tears ruining her mascara but she didn’t care.

“We’ve been fools,” Starswirl uttered with a lone tear escaping his eyes and the others nodded in agreement.

“Come on, we gotta find Stygian!” Magnus sounded frantic when he spoke.

Before they could move, however, the doors to the castle opened and inside rushed the unicorn they were speaking of. But before they could even formulate the words they wanted to say they heard a unnatural voice speaking from Stygian’s mouth.

“You banished me from friendship, I’ll banish you permanently!!!” Stygian roared and muttered a chant they didn’t understand. Before they could even move, they were being sucked inside a large portal that led somewhere. Starswirl managed to dodge the spell just in time.

Somnambula was the last one to see Stygian and she saw his natural eyes that hadn’t been there before. His eyes when he spoke had been pure white but nothing felt natural with it. His eyes showed pure hatred and saw him spit on the ground before the portal closed.

~~The Kingdom Of Darkness~~

Somnambula cried silently inside her room and covered her eyes with her hooves as she remembered that hateful stare. She hadn’t believed that Stygian—her Stygian—held such emotion.

But he did, and it was all her fault. If she would have just spoken up about the unfair treatment then none of this would have happened.

Not bothering to get changed or brush her teeth, she cried herself to sleep, praying to the God’s that she could find Stygian again. Even if her lover was the Pony Of Shadows, she only saw Stygian.

Author's Note:

Hello everyone, Dragon-In-Black here back with another chapter of The Kingdom Of Darkness. I want to thank every one of you who are reading the story and I hope that you stick for the ride. I will write to you guys next time.

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