Evil Rising

by lordvad3r95

Prologue

Voltaic Shock trotted down a spacious hallway in the Royal Canterlot Palace. He was on his way to Princess Celestia’s private chambers, on special summons from the Princess herself. He pondered the meaning of the summons as he walked, as the Princess had been sending him his new assignments by mail since the incident five months ago. It must have been fairly important to summon him here. Not that he was complaining; on the contrary, he was a little eager to see the Princess in person again. The last time had been three months ago, when he had been requested to be relieved of his duties as Blueblood's bodyguard.

Still though, he was more than a little nervous. He wondered what her majesty would think of his most recent mission. As the Princess’s Right Hoof, specially chosen by Celestia herself, it was his duty to see that certain disasters be prevented before they happen.But his mission north to find any traces of the Crystal Empire had turned up.... nothing. Only ice, snow, and a single, extremely irritable yeti. He couldn’t even detect any traces of the magical aura given off by every living creature ( and some non-living one’s as well). Even if they were dead, there still should have been some faint trace of it, so the lack of even those fundamental elements was deeply disturbing.

He had finally reached the large, gilded door that led to Princess Celestia’s innermost sanctuary. He was just about to knock it’s solid, yet welcoming surface when he heard a gentle voice call out, “Voltaic, please come in. We’ve been expecting you.” The door swung open, enveloped by a golden light that was not it’s own. He cautiously entered the room to see the Princess of the Sun in a deep conversation with her younger sister on the balcony.

Upon seeing him walking up to them, they ceased their hushed whispering and turned to face him. “Voltaic Shock, how are you?” Celestia asked warmly.

“I’m quite all right your majesty,” he answered stiffly.

“What’s wrong Voltaic? Is there something you wish to tell about your trip north?”

Voltaic sighed, then decided to just get it over with. He took a deep breath, then said, “I’ve failed, your majesty. My assignment to the Frozen North has not yielded any findings on the Crystal Empire. Not even their magical aura’s remain. I... I’m sorry,” he finished, and prepared himself to take whatever punishment she deemed fit.

Celestia looked him over for a moment, then said, “I’m not Silvermane, Voltaic; I’m not going to punish you. You’re one of the best Right Hooves I’ve ever had; if neither you nor Luna could find anything up there, then there simply isn’t anything to find as of yet. But that isn’t why I called you here.”

Voltaic blinked in surprise. “Then, if I may ask your majesties, why was I summoned here?” he asked, keeping an uneasy eye on Luna’s poker face.

“Well, part of it was to settle a little argument Luna and I were just having,” she replied with a sly smile.

“Okaaaay,” he responded warily. The two rulers of Equestria were known for their legendary pranks, and he didn’t want to be on the receiving end of one.

“So here’s the thing,” the Princess began, “Luna and I have been getting a kick out of listening to Ghost’s radio show since your... abrupt departure. Now, he stopped doing shows about two days ago, and we have a little wager. Luna thinks he stopped because of certain ponies vexing him to no end, while I think he left for health reasons. Tell me Voltaic, which do you think its is?”

Voltaic had been expecting many issues important to Equestria to be discussed here, but that was the last thing he expected.Studying both of them closely, he said, “I believe he made an announcement stating health issues as the reason for his departure.”

Luna, looking thoroughly annoyed at this point, growled menacingly as she hoofed over five bits to her snickering sibling.

“Looks like I win again, Wuna,” Celestia teased.

“Oh, shove it Toothpaste Hair,” Luna replied with a scowl.

“Now Luna, no need to be so sour in front of Voltaic here,” Celestia said with a soft chuckle, “After all I only called him here because of you. Now, what is it you wanted to tell him?”

“We would appreciate it if you left us for this, Tia,” Luna said, “No offense to you Sister, but this is between Voltaic and I.”

Princess Celestia nodded solemnly and removed herself from the balcony, leaving him to wonder just what it was Luna wanted to talk to him about.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Luna spoke up, “So, Voltaic Shock. Our sister tells us that you are a very reliable pony, correct?”

Daylight didn’t respond at first, unable to discern her motive for this private chit-chat. After a few moments, however, he replied, “Yes, she’d say something along those lines, I’m sure.”

“Good. We have a little.... offer for you,” she she responded, a brief shadow flashing just behind her eyes.

Voltaic studied her face, disconcerted by the slightly menacing way she’d said “offer.” Backing away slowly so she (hopefully) wouldn’t notice, he asked, ”Are you okay Princess?”

“Why Voltaic,” she said in a provocative way that made Daylight want to run away as fast as he could, “of course. Why would you ask?”

“Well, you seem a little...” he paused, struggling to find the right word for the chill he felt.

“A little what? Disconcerting? Terrifying, even?” she half-shouted as she got closer to him.

“N-n-n-no,” he stammered out as he backed into the heavy, closed door. Oh where is Princess Celestia? he thought frantically. She was so close that he could almost feel the coldness emanating from the Princess of the Night.

“Then what is it?” she asked in a much softer tone that was somehow even more terrifying than her shout. Suddenly, her pupils took on a cat-like appearance, and Voltaic knew then who was doing the talking here.

“You’re not Luna, yo-hmph,” he said as his enemy silenced him with a gag spell.

“Shhh,” she whispered softly into his ear. “You talk too much.” She suddenly leaned over and gently kissed him on the cheek, leaving a painful, lip-shaped burn. He tried to scream, but the gag in his mouth kept him from making any substantial noise. The burn slowly sunk into his flesh, leaving no traces behind. He felt very weak,almost as if his legs were made of jell-o instead of flesh and bone. Unable to struggle with the dark tendrils wrapping themselves around his mind, he passed out...

Voltaic woke up after a few minutes, his head pounding with each beat of his still-panicked heart. Luna was gone, off to destinations unknown. He remembered she wanted to talk to him about something, but, oddly enough, he couldn’t remember anything from their conversation. The only thing he could remember was her taking off abruptly, saying something about being late for Night Court.

Shaking his head lightly, he trotted off the balcony and back into the room. He found his employer waiting for him by her study, where the letters ponies frequently sent her were neatly categorized by date and sender.

“Hello Voltaic. Where has Luna gone?” Celestia inquired.

“I think she left to attend Night Court,” he replied in a confused voice.

Celestia, suspecting something troubling had occurred between them, but shrugged it off and said, “Well, if you feel up to it, I actually do have an assignment for you.”

At the mention of an assignment, Voltaic snapped out of his trance and responded, “Of course Princess. What would you have me do?”

“This assignment is a fairly simple one, but essential to the survival of our nation,” she started. “Your mission is to go to the town of Ponyville and act as Twilight Sparkle’s bodyguard. You will protect her from all harm, whether it be external or to contain her in case she loses control of her abilities again. We don’t need a repeat of last week.”

“Understood Princess,” he agreed enthusiastically. This mission would be just the opportunity to get close to the Element of Magic without drawing undue attention. “When should I leave?”

“At exactly nine o’clock tomorrow morning,” she answered. “Twilight will provide lodging for you in the town’s library. You should have everything you need in two saddlebags I already had packed for you.”

Voltaic thanked the Princess, and was about to leave when she stopped him.

“Wait,” she started, “I have just one more thing to add, my little pony. Not all of the monsters you may encounter in Ponyville will be the ones you can see...”

Author's Note:

Due to the negative feedback associated with it, my OC's name has been changed. Hopefully this one will get a better reception.