Darkness Rising

by SkyHighFlyer

Chapter 33, Darkness is Rising

If anypony in Ponyville were awake in the earliest hours of the morning, they might mistakenly assume the town was being invaded. Princess Celestia strode through the town, and behind her every member of the royal guard that could be armed on such short notice followed.

That wasn’t very many though. Since weapons enchanted with light magic were no longer being produced, the only ones that they had available were a few kept in storage in case of emergencies such as this. There were certainly a few others lying around, but it would take days to dig them all out from wherever they were hiding.

Every guard received some form of weapon, even if it was one they weren’t entirely sure how to use. Their orders were fairly simple, spread out, secure the town, and ensure that the element bearers were safe and bring them to the library.

All except Twilight, for her they were ordered to kill on sight. They were given no explanation for their orders, nor any justification for using such violence, but they all obeyed, even if a bit reluctantly.

Shining Armor was instructed to accompany Princess Celestia personally. He was very uncomfortable being ordered to kill his little sister without reason, and the princess promised that she would explain everything to him with the rest of the element bearers, once Ponyville was secure and the bearers were safe.

As they walked through town and towards the library, Celestia was still shaken by all that had occurred that morning. When she saw what her student had become, she was frozen. She was paralyzed and couldn’t act. Though she reacted quickly afterward, this left her with only more uncertainty, and with the passage of time even more questions went on unanswered.

As they arrived at the library, it occurred to her that she didn’t know if she could face Twilight again, and that her guards certainly had no hope against her.

Her worst fears were realized. The vampires had returned, and her faithful student had fallen to them. In the course of one night, the two events she dreaded more than anything else had come to pass.

She gave Spike the same promise that she made Shining Armor, that she would explain everything that was going on once the rest of the element bearers were there. She told him that she always prayed that she would never have to bring this news to him. With nothing better to do, he joined her in waiting.

Pinkie was the first to arrive, and then Rarity. It was her most sincere hope that everypony would arrive safely, but when her guards returned with the news that Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were nowhere to be found, she knew instantly that they arrived too late to save them. Celestia blamed herself, believing that if she had just paid more attention she could have saved them all, even Twilight. Nevertheless, she maintained the expression of calm serenity, save for a little anger that seeped out despite her best efforts to conceal it.

Applejack arrived last, much to Celestia’s relief. Finally forcing herself to accept that the others weren’t coming, she stood up and said, “It’s good to see that you’re alright, though I wish I could say the same for the others. I’ve prayed for years that I would never have to deliver this news again, and especially not where Twilight is concerned. Guards, leave us.”

Her guards bowed and stepped outside, closing the door behind them. Rarity and Pinkie shared a worried glance with each other.

Now that they had some privacy, Princess Celestia continued, “First, I would like to say that I share your loss. Twilight was just as much of a friend to me as she was to all of you.”

“Princess, I’m sorry to rush you, but can you please tell us what’s wrong. What’s happened to Twilight?” Shining Armor asked impatiently.

“Not just to Twilight, I fear that Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash may have also suffered the same fate,” Celestia replied. “It’s a little complicated. I’ll try to explain as best I can, but I must warn you that nothing that is said here is to leave this room. We were caught unprepared earlier tonight, and mass panic is the last thing we need.

“A long time ago, Equestria lived in terror of an ancient race of magical creatures. Though they’ve long since fallen from power, they were once a powerful race that stalked the night and preyed on the innocent and defenseless ponies of the time. They are pure evil, beings of total darkness. Long ago, I vowed that I would not rest until they were destroyed completely, and for a long time we fought them back. They faded into legend as a result of our efforts.”

“As time went on and they became a shadow of the threat they once represented, we made the mistake of letting our guard down, and now Twilight has paid the price for our failure. She has become one of them. I'm sorry to say that she can’t be saved now, once somepony is turned by them there’s no cure and no hope for redemption. I’m sorry to deliver this news, but we can do nothing now except to stop her before she can harm anypony else.”

Princess Celestia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As much as it pained her, Celestia knew that killing Twilight was the only way to protect innocent ponies. It was what Twilight would have wanted, and it was the best way to honor her memory.

“Um, Princess,” Rarity said, “I don’t mean to interrupt your story, but we already know all of this. Twilight told us this over a month ago.”

That caught Celestia by surprise. She gave Rarity a strange, inquisitive look. “I see, what exactly did she tell you?”

“A lot more than you have,” Rarity replied. “She told us what legends were inspired by them, and a little about their history, although she told it all from a different perspective. She also told us that she was born as one of them, not turned like Fluttershy and Rainbow. She said that Shining’s parents adopted as a foal.”

Celestia remained silent, though she had a hard time believing that what Rarity said was true. She had no reason to suspect that Rarity was lying, but she also knew enough from Twilight’s youth to disprove what she said. Still, it would be necessary to follow up that particular branch of investigation when they got back to Canterlot.

“In any case, Twilight is gone now, as are Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. We are now aware of a direct threat to the safety of Equestria and its ponies. We’ll begin arming and mobilizing the royal guard immediately. Twilight has proven elusive this time, but we won’t make the same mistakes again. We will be ready next time they act, and we’ll do whatever it takes to defend Equestria.”

Shining Armor stood up and gave Celestia a desperate look. “Princess, surly there must be another way out of this. We must be able to negotiate with them, right?”

“Shining Armor,” she replied, “I know this these creatures better than anypony else. I have lost more to them than you can ever imagine, and I’ve learned from experience that they cannot be reasoned with. They will only continue to kill innocent ponies without cause or reason until they are destroyed. Two guards have already died to them this morning, and three more are severely wounded. I’m sorry about Twilight, but you need to move on. She’s no longer the pony you knew, and if you cannot understand that then you’ll fall into the same trap that so many have before you. I’ll give you a more detailed briefing when we return to Canterlot.”

She stood up and turned to the others with a stern, fierce look. “The same goes for you. I understand that they were your friends, and I want you to understand that I feel your loss. I too have lost many close friends to these creatures, but you cannot trust them anymore, or they’ll use that to their advantage.

"There is a great darkness rising, and we aren't ready to challenge them yet. For now, I’m leaving my guards in Ponyville, in case they attempt to target the remaining element bearers. Captain Shining Armor and I will return to Canterlot and begin coordinating a response.”

As she left the library, Celestia couldn’t help but feel as if there was something she was missing. She shook it off, dismissed it as unanswered questions. She had no doubt about Twilight’s intentions now, even if she was the only one.