Chapter Four ~ Revised
There were hundreds of the disgusting creatures below me. No…
As I raised my head to the horizon I could see hooves of yet more at the edges of the darkness. The wave of small, soulless ponies could go on forever. Thousands. Hundreds of thousands. How many last breaths did the demons steal?
They continued to reach for me. Continued to mechanically open and close their jaws as screeching cries echoed all around me, filling my ears with their dreadful song. Sightless eyes stared up at me, hungering for I knew not what.
Below me was the march of the soulless.
Suddenly, some of the ponies began to shake, falling to the ground and crying out in pain as pinpricks of red spread across their skin. Blood poured from their eyes, their mouths, and their ears. Everywhere. Their shrill cries transformed into tortured screams of agony.
Then I saw it. A dark, viscous fluid seeping up from the dirt, immersing the land as far as I could see in the darkness. An animalistic part of me—a deep, fearful part of me instinctually understood that all the land that was this hell was being flooded.
The oily sludge covered some and lifted others, mixing with the blood of those that had to succumbed to its influence. The ones that lived ran, crawling over their fallen comrades to escape the rising tide.
None could get away. A few of them, perhaps those beholden of a stronger will, paddled madly in hopes of keeping their heads above the churning mass of black. But the closer they came, the more I could hear their shuddering, wheezing breaths.
I was running out of time
***
I levitated a quill and ink along with some parchment, to the floor in front of me as I settled down to listen to the impending history lesson. Do you mind if I write this down?
If it could help you find what you're looking for, then by all means...
The Story of Nightmare Moon
Transcribed and recorded by Twilight Sparkle
The story of Nightmare Moon begins when Luna was just a filly, right around the same age as myself when I first dabbled in the dark arts.
Every day she felt outshined by her sister. Princess Celestia had a light coat and pretty eyes, longer legs and more slender features. She was very talented magically, able to move astrological bodies with ease. Celestia was more athletic, more intelligent, and extremely soft-spoken. She was embodied exactly that which was considered 'in fashion' during that day and age, while Luna was not. Luna didn't realize that at her age, she wasn't supposed to be.
While Princess Celestia did nothing to directly distress or dishearten her sister, Luna couldn't help but feel a childish resentment. She was jealous of everything that Celestia had, and was tired of being second best.
As I had, Luna attempted various studies of magical arts. She practiced and pushed herself, but none of it seemed to work. After nearly a year of diligent practice and failure, she was just about to give up.
Luna could not deal with the conflicting feelings inside her. She loved and looked up to her sister, yet she hated her for the same reasons she loved Celestia. She ran somewhere she knew she could be alone, a place she loved to be day or night. In the Royal Canterlot Gardens. She ran around the gardens, crying and screaming. She uprooted plants, bucked trees, and smashed statues. After quite a bit of this tantruming, she fell to the ground exhausted, crying into her hooves, when she heard a voice.
"Mah deah Princess, what be dah mattah?" the deep voice said. She looked up to find a zebra in front of her, a worried look on his face. He leaned a hoe against the wall next to various other gardening tools before placing a hoof on her shoulder.
Luna gaped for a moment, cheeks reddening. But in mere moments she broke down and confessed to the gardener her frustrations. He simply listened, letting her cry on his shoulder as she did so. After a time she stopped crying, and even felt better. She cleaned her face with a handkerchief he provided. After a moment of Luna putting herself to rights, the gardener placed a hoof on her shoulder, "Come bah da servant's quatahs tonight, ah jus' maht have ah little somethin' tah fix yer problem."
This was before slavery had been abolished in Equestria, when zebras were often seen working in the homes of the more affluent families of Canterlot. More often, these zebra slaves were one or two generations from their homeland. The gardener, however, had been born in the zebra homelands and brought to Equestria. This left him with a knowledge of ancient magic not fully understood by unicorns.
When her parents, the King and Queen, had raised the moon and she was supposed to have been long asleep, Luna slipped out of bed and crept from the room she shared with her sister. As Luna entered the servants quarters, Luna was met not only by the gardener, but the eldest of the zebra mares that lived in the castle. So old that she could no longer worked, but she had done so much for the family that she was allowed to live out what was left of her life in relative comfort.
She, too, had been a first generation slave, but she was more well versed in the ancient magics than the gardener.
Luna had always been afraid of the old mare, for she had far-away eyes and smelled of harsh herbs. She had been forced to clean around the magical artifacts, and being in the presence of such strong and sometimes dark magics had left her mind somewhat addled. But this time, when she spoke, she spoke with such a clarity Luna wondered if it was all an act.
"Princess... mah countryman heah tells meh ya wish to no longah be outshined by yah sistah... "
Luna approached timidly, nodding.
"Very well, den. I can make ya strong, make ya shine. But I must ask fah somethin' in return."
"What?" Luna had asked excitedly, "I'll do anything!"
"I be needen a lock of the mane of yah sistah, and a lock of mane of ya muddah."
"A... a lock of their mane? But why would you want that?"
"Yah need not concern yahself wid dat, little princess, just bring dem tomarrah night. Do dis, an' yah shall have yah powah."
So Luna did. During the day she was somehow able to get locks of mane, one from her sister and one from her mother. When Luna arrived the next night, there was a cauldron bubbling in the middle of the room with some strange concoction. The old mare took the hair from Luna and placed them in two separate bowls. With a wooden ladle she poured some of the brew over each. She handed one to Luna, the one that contained the lock from Celestia, and held the other herself.
The old mare bid Luna repeat strange words that she did not understand, but Luna did so. She spoke the words with the mare three times, they then held out the bowls as if toasting each other. They then drank deeply of the potion, not letting a drop remain.
After a few moments Luna looked at the other mare "I don't feel any different"
"Ahhh, it will take ah little time, ah day at da most. It needs tah intahgrate wid yah system fully. But when it does, yah will have da strength of ya sistah!"
For Luna, however, it did not take a full day. Within mere hours Luna had grown by several inches, and was able to lift things she had never even hoped to be able to previously. However, no one thought much of it, because of the nature of an Alicorn's growth.
"You're magic must have fully come in!" Celestia had said excitedly, "MOM! DAD! I THINK LUNA'S MAGIC CAME IN!"
The king and queen were just as thrilled at the prospect of Luna's magic having finally matured. To know for certain, they proposed that Luna raise the moon.
That night, as Luna bid the moon to wake from its slumber, it rose easily. More than that, she brought out the stars as well. It was as if preparing the night had been what she was meant to do. In a bright, blinding flash of light Luna's cutie mark appeared.
Luna had done it, she had proven she was just as strong as her sister. Not only to her family, but to herself. For a time, the sisters lived in harmony.
The next day, Luna went back to the servants quarters to thank the old mare, but she was not there. A younger mare was there, instead. She spoke strangely, stranger still than other zebras.
She told Luna, "Sadly, yesterday the old mare was found dead, so today I was given this room instead."
What Luna found stranger still, she had the same exact cutie mark as the older zebra, a nearly unheard of occurrence. I recall this has, on occasion, happened with twins - perhaps the two were related?
Note : ask Zecora if this happens in zebra bloodlines.
Several months later, while the princesses were being trained to take the throne, the King and Queen were pulled from Equestria, responding to some great danger that lay beyond the borders of the kingdom. This required their direct attention. With them they took all but one of the top regiments of the military to defend Equestria, the threat was so dire.
The beloved monarchs left the princesses in charge - Celestia would rule the day and Luna the night. All of the castle staff would be at the young rulers' disposal should they have needed guidance.
One creature, however, managed to slip past Canterlot's defenses. The monster known as Discord. He caused years of chaos, disrupting life for everypony. This was what prompted the initial search for the Elements of Harmony. With these, the sisters were able to defeat the foul beast... but not before he drove a wedge between the two.
He told Luna that Celestia would try to steal the throne for herself, and she would start by gathering the love of the people for herself, and force Luna out once she had been forgotten.
Luna wouldn't - couldn't - believe Discord's lies. He was only lying to create chaos, possibly in an effort to escape. The two managed to defeat Discord. The sisters encased him into a tomb of stone, where he could never harm anypony ever again.
But who did the pony's celebrate upon Discords defeat? Not the sisters... but Celestia! Word had somehow become spread that Celestia had solely defeated Discord. Despite Celestia's attempts to inform the public otherwise, and reassure Luna that she had not spread the rumors, Luna began to wonder if Discord had been right.
Over time she began to notice how ponies did not appreciate her night, but instead relished the day. Luna noticed the lack of attention her sister paid her, even during conversations of great importance. It was as though Celestia were taking all the royal duties upon herself, leaving Luna only to raise the moon. Luna started to believe Discords words... Celestia was pushing Luna out.
Luna's jealousy and paranoia grew, until one day she could no longer control it.
By now slavery had long been abolished by the sisters, yet the slave quarters had remained untouched while they decided what to do with them. Luna knew the younger mare had lived in the room for nearly two years after the bizarre, old mare passed away. Yet she felt certain she would find something left, something she could use.
Luna threw open the doors, searching for she knew not what. She felt compelled by some force she could not see. She pulled open the warped, wooden drawers of musty cabinets, overturned dust-layered furniture, looked behind abandoned bookshelves, but she found nothing more than rat-chewed clothing or papers. She still continued to look... there had to be something!
She heard, at that moment, a soft knocking. She jumped and turned to face the noise. There was nopony near, and the door still hung wide open. Her heart was pounding in her throat as she wondered whether or not she had imagined it. Perhaps the sound had echoed in from outside.
Knock, knock…
She had definitely not imagined that. The knocking began to get louder and more insistent. She followed the clamor to the old and decrepit bed. She slowly lifted the mattress, unsure of what she would find. Her trepidation only grew as the space revealed a chest, and the knocking suddenly stopped.
Luna swallowed nervously, reached out a hoof, and knocked twice on the chest.
It knocked back.
Luna gasped as she fell backwards, landing in a seated position in front of the chest. She watched, disbelieving, as the lid began to rise of its own accord. She looked around the room and chest with eyes and magic, but found nothing. She steadied her breath and reached into the chest.
When she pulled out her hoof she held a large black book, graced only with a silver-inscribed insignia.
***
...and I'm sure that you can guess what happened after that. The resulting accord with the Demon was what eventually transformed me into Nightmare Moon.
My eyes were wide as I transcribed the last few words onto the paper. And that was it? You're sure there wasn't anything else?
Princess Luna shook her head, No, Twilight, I am certain.
I glared down at the piece of paper. He... he had told the truth. I would double and likely triple-check Luna's version against the transcription I had created of the demon's story, but... I was certain it was the same.
Is there a problem, Twilight Sparkle?
No... no problem. Just thinking. Wait... Luna, if you found the same book that I did, why did we summon two different demons?
Luna thought for a moment ...perhaps we used a different spell from the same book, or the spell does not necessarily summon the same demon each time. Some magics react to the mood of the user. At the time I was feeling jealousy and hatred, while you were filled with desperation.
Could be... I muttered, shaking my head. I still couldn't believe the demon had told the truth. What was his game?
Luna looked at me, Your plight is troubling indeed, Twilight Sparkle. As my sister has already promised, I will dedicate what time I can towards helping you find a solution. She will be busy ruling the kingdom while I attempt to reacclimate to my position, but we will do everything within our power to free you.
Thank you, Princess, I said as I stood, rolling the paper with my magic and placing it in my pack. As I walked out of the room, Luna had one final thought for me.
Twilight, I really think that your answer lies with the Elements of Harmony. I know not why they failed to save you before, but my sister and I feel certain they are the key…
I nodded, then took my leave, mind racing as I returned to my room for the night. While preparing for my return to Ponyville the next day, I couldn't help but continue to wonder what the demon's motives were. It had to realize that I was looking for a way to remove it from my life, why would it willingly cooperate with my efforts? Was it trying to gain my trust so that it could trip me up at a vital moment?
Yes, that had to be it. There was no other explanation, was there?
***
After I returned to Ponyville I threw myself into my studies of friendship. Luna had to be right, the Elements of Magic were the key. The question was how.
I approached Zecora with questions about Zebra cutie marks, but told me that two appearances of the exact same cutie mark was just as rare of an occurrence with zebras as it was with ponies.
What an interesting query you have asked, how did this question come to pass? She wondered.
I bit my lip, wondering how much I should tell. Zecora new about all sorts of strange magic from the zebra homelands, and she was trustworthy. But would she understand my particular plight?
She stood there, looking at me questioningly. I realized then I had to ask her. While she and I were not as close as my Ponyville friends, she and I were friends all the same. She would be at the mercy of the demon if I could not remove him. I hung my head as I recognized just how far the consequences of what I had done had spread.
Oh, Zecora... I am in so much trouble. I got myself entangled with a creature too powerful for me to handle, and I just can't figure out how to fix it!
Such a predicament is terrifying, its true. How did this creature come to trouble you?
I made a deal with a demon. When I was a filly I found this book…
A book can contain extraordinary power, tell me of this book that turned your life so sour!
The book? What could be so important about the book? Well, it was really old. The binding was plain black, it just had a gold inscription on it.
Zecora's eyes went wide, and she began to rush around her hut. She pushed a paper and some charcol in front of me.
Hurry, you must draw the sign! Only then can I know the creature's design!
Did Zecora know something? Perhaps she knew about the demon? I quickly sketched out the simple little symbol that adorned the cover of the book and held the paper out to her.
She shook her head, staring at the drawing in shock You do not know what you have done... his reign of terror you have begun.
Please, Zecora! I'm trying to banish him! Tell me what you know!
When she finished speaking, I wished I had never asked.
Two of them. There were two of them. Equestria was their chess board. We were their pieces.
***
Months passed, so much changed, and yet it seemed as though I were no closer to finding answers than when I had began. I did come to learn that the demon would not lie to me. Whether this was because it did not feel the need, or for some more nefarious purpose, I did not know. I would always confirm anything he told me, and it was always the truth.
Even when I asked him about Zecora's information, he didn't deny it.
I had to get my friends out of this. They didn't deserve it.
But perhaps I did.
I remember when Discord leached everything that made us the Elements of Harmony from us, he didn’t take my magic. He took away my ability… my wish to make friends. He transformed me back into that sad little pony from Canterlot, afraid of friendship and hell bent on leaving the first place I’d ever been able to make them. Ponyville no longer felt like home.
My mind had been filled with fear and sadness. There was nothing I wanted more than to simply hide out in the woods somewhere, away from everypony, only taking Spike because the responsibility to take care of him had always been there.
But as I told him to pack I was interrupted by one of his enormous belches, a roll of parchment falling atop a growing pile of them that I had failed to notice before. A pile of letters from Celestia, Spike informed me. The part of me that had become corrupted by Discord wanted to ignore them, so I returned to packing.
Twilight, a familiar voice floated to me from the corner. Twilight, you really should take a closer look at those. I did my best to ignore my demon, the disconnect from friendship repulsing me from him most of all.
Twilight, he repeated, don’t be a child and read your letters. Celestia is very important and you don’t want to shirk your responsibilities, do you?
I let out a resigned sigh, his goading about responsibility reaching through the Discord-induced haze. That goading is likely the single, most important thing that demon has ever done, for without it I never would have read those letters. I would have fled Ponyville with Spike and allowed Celestia and Luna to attempt to deal with Discord on their own. With Luna so weakened and without the Elements… I’m not so sure they could have done it on their own.
As I picked up the letters I discovered they were written with my own handwriting—the letters I wrote to Celestia to report about friendship! Reading letter after letter the fog that had taken hold of my mind lifted, and I was reinvigorated with renewed purpose. I had to gather my friends and remind them of what made them so important to me, and each other.
So as I ran them each down and performed the memory spell I not only reminded them why they were so important to me, but I was also reminded about the fact that I was also worth more than being some demon’s plaything. In a very backwards way, the creature reminded me of that himself.
I don’t know if I could be prouder of us than the day we defeated Discord. We marched up to him proudly, with our heads held high, regardless of our earlier defeat. We were stronger because of it, and we knew it. I protected them when he attempted to once again submit them to his will, using the same shield spell I had used to protect Spike when he was just a hatchling.
As the power of the Elements flowed through us, I could feel it. The connection, it was never closer than when we were facing Discord, together. The Elements connected us in a way that was closer than simply friendship, I felt as though they were a part of me, and I was a part of them. As that rainbow crashed down against Discord and turned him to stone I knew that Celestia was right.
The key to defeating my demons was through the Elements of Harmony: my friends.
EDIT: Major Edit 01/28/14
So this chapter didn't get changed as much as others will be. Mostly the beginning and the end, while the middle had some stylistic updates. The chapters being updated after this one will be thoroughly reworked, not to mention more chapters will be added.
I've been a very busy pony 
=====
Twilight did a Mina Harker! Record ALL the memories!
She also did a Pandora. Twilight might be book smart, but she certainly lacks in certain facets of common sense.
Well bronies and pegisisters, only one chapter left! Is everypony ready? :D
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So amazing! But what is Twilight's element, if not magic?
2523186
Friendship, of course :) Friendship is the spark that brings the elements of harmony.
I know that the title says "friendship is magic" and we are supposed to believe it's the same thing, which in a way it is. But why beat around the bush? Twilight must of had a reason for saying magic as opposed to friendship, ya?
Why not because she owes her soul and the soul of any pony she befriends to a powerful demon? haha
2523258
It's currently right around 1,000 words, and will probably be about twice that. Ish.
Buuuuuuut there may or may not be a sequel. It depends on if my headcannon keeps going off like it is.
2523902 Oh my McJee us it all makes sense now *dies to death*
2524193
Oh noes! Dying to death? WE NEED A DOCTOR IN HERE!
2524221 It's okay! Bill Cosby saved me! He used his Jello Pudding to bring me back from the WizzleZop Pow Nomnomnom.
2527735
By all means! xD Go right ahead.
I'm fond of calling him Mr. Stinky Pants, myself
Din't find any errors here, probably too busy reading.
25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lwmgwvJYXt1r3k1m8o1_400.png
Evidence.
25.media.tumblr.com/bac06c998df363a0232b5bd5356a31bb/tumblr_mnbwhjAUzc1r3xauuo1_r1_1280.png
I am not bias in anyway.
But it's not the same book, Twilight's book had a gold glyph.
I still don't see what Twilight is doing wrong! How is reading books, exploring old libraries, and preforming magical experiments bad? I should never be a magic user I think if these are bad things.
Found another error in chapter 4.
"Cauldron".
1. Spelling occurrence
2. knew
3. Zebra should be lowercase for consistency with the rest of your style. I highlighted some examples to show how you've used capitalization (or lack of) in the rest of the work. I'm sure you get what I mean. Trying to explain pronouns scares me
Same spelling, and I eyed a double space. Small thing, but thought I'd point it out. That's just some manual editing/checking with an automatic program or ctrl-f.
Before I read on, I also noticed the silver vs. gold bit. I just hope my astuteness pays off. In this story, or something else... ...(after reading) noooo. Don't cause the end times Twilight! And the detail wasn't ignored. I'm sad though. I was hoping it might be sequel bait. I really like this.