> Elements of Destiny > by MorningGlory > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prologue > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was the day before the big celebration in Ponyville. So many ponies filled the streets and the hustle and bustle made the small town seem full and bubbling with excitement. After all, tomorrow would mark the first year anniversary of the wedding of Princes Mi Amore Cadenza, or Cadence, and Shining Armor. And perhaps no one other than Twilight Sparkle and the Elements of Harmony were excited for the celebration. As the former ran around town with her list and scaly assistant to ensure that everything would fall in place together, the latter group were doing their own needs to complete the celebration. Pinkie Pie and Applejack were baking, Rarity and Fluttershy were working on the decorations and music together, and Rainbow Dash was preparing to perform the Sonic Rainboom again as well as adding new tricks to the entire thing. During the chaos reigning from the preparations, Morning Glory trotted along with Zecora and Lyra, chattering in excitement for everything. Bon-Bon was busy assisting the Apple farm and getting food prepared. Morning was joining Zecora and Lyra up to the market, then she planned on heading to Sugar Cube Corner to assist her cousin and best friend in the baking. Morning was very excited for the celebration tomorrow. The wedding a year ago was tremendous and everypony was still gossiping about the details about it. She dreamed of being there and was so jealous of Applejack for being involved with the wedding. But now... Now she had the chance to contribute and meet the princess herself. As she and Zecora spoke animatedly, she wasn't focusing on her steps and a solid form hit her hard. She fell back on her haunches and shook her head, a soft gasp from her companion causing her to look up at who she ran into. Her eyes widened slightly as the stallion looked down at her, looking likewise as surprised. Then he smiled tenderly to her and offered her a hoof. "Sorry. Didn't see you there," he apologized sincerely, the deep voice surprising her. Morning shook her head as she stood, flashing a smile up at the stallion before her. "No, no. T'wasn't your fault! I shoulda been payin' attention to where I was goin'." The stallion simply chuckled a bit at that. "It's busy with the anniversary celebration. I think everyone is a bit short-sighted." Something about his words made her mind bristle, confusion swimming in her eyes. But Zecora came up beside her and she pushed it away. She smiled softly to the stallion. "Sorry. I ought to be goin'. My friend and I got lots to do. I'll see ya at the celebration, right?" "Oh, certainly." The stallion bowed his head. As he did, his charcoal fur gave an interesting shine of pure silver in the sunlight. Morning forced her eyes away and she began to walk away before the feathery touch of wings stopped her. She turned to see the stallion smiling a bit at her. "I'm Storm Runner, by the way." Her smile simply grew. "Morning Glory. See you 'round, Storm." The two girls trotted away, but Morning felt his eyes remaining on her. Her zebra companion gave her a sideways look before looking ahead. "If I didn't know my eyesight was perfect, I'd think he bumped into you on purpose." Morning shook her head at that. "Heavens, it was just an accident, Zecora." Her friend smirked a little. "Oh my dear companion, I do think you've intrigued that cute stallion." Zecora continued to smirk but Morning just furrowed her brow at that. She thought of Fluttershy talking about running into a stallion that was looking at her. She highly doubted it was fate. Accidents happen and ponies check each other out. It's not like it was an uncommon thing. Was it? ***** Evening was dawning and everypony was gathered in town. The streets were crowded and full of chatter and life as curious eyes awaited seeing the princess and her husband. A large stage in the center of the town was constructed for the couple to stand on and for the festivities to begin. Mayor Mare stood in front of the stage, overseeing everything. Morning Glory stood beside Applejack ask they looked around. Something bristled on the back of her neck. Something was... terribly, terribly amiss here. But she just couldn't put her hoof on it. Her worries were shaken away as Applejack leaned in to whisper to her. "Ah think they'll be here soon." "I hope so..." She whispered back anxiously, eyes skimming around, looking for that stallion she met earlier. A nudge to her flank distracted her and she looked over to see Apple Bloom looking up at her. "Whatcha lookin' fer?" "I'm lookin' for a friend of mine, Bloom," she replied casually. "Yer coltfriend or fillyfriend?" "Apple Bloom!" Came Applejack's stern tone. The filly blushed sheepishly at being chastised for being nosy. Morning nuzzled her younger cousin fondly. "It's alright, Bloom. Go find your friends. I'm sure they're lookin' for ya." Applejack and Morning Glory watched as the filly took off in a bounce and shared in a chuckle. All eyes moved to the stage as Mayor Mare stepped forward. "Fillies and gentlecolts! It is with the greatest honor that I present to you our own Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor!" As she spoke, a chariot with some of the royal guard lowered down. The door opened and cheers erupted. The pink alicorn princess stepped out, followed by her husband and she flashed a brilliant smile to the crowd. They both waved in greeting before the cheering died down. Cadence then spoke out. "Thank you, everypony! I know we had a lot of excitement at the wedding last year but it means so much to us to celebrate with our family and friends this year. It means so much to us that-" Suddenly, a large crack sounded and all heads turned to look. Nothing looked out of the ordinary until another crack echoed around them. Sugar Cube Corner collapsed in a blaze of fire and screams erupted of shock and amazement. Ponies began to peer around as a darkness began to descend onto the town. Morning Glory tensed her body and looked around. She lifted her gaze up in time to see the stage collapse, taking Cadence and Shining Armor with it. She took a step forward, to help, before a deep voice sounded in her ear. "Morning Glory, run!" She turned to see Storm Runner there beside her. She couldn't find Applejack as chaos hit the town, various shops and homes catching fire or collapsing from unknown assailants using magic on them. She swallowed hard and nodded, taking off in a fast sprint along with Storm Runner. They dodged crowd members until a cyan blur flew past them, screeching to a halt. "Rainbow!" Morning called out loudly. Rainbow Dash pointed a hoof towards the outskirts of town and she understood. She took off, knowing that's where the others were. The town was in total chaos. Fires burned brightly. Screams of pain and surprise echoed everywhere. Poor unfortunate ponies got trampled on if they were in the way of the panicked crowds. Foals cried for their mothers as the got separated. It was a scene out of a horror show and it made Morning Glory's stomach churn. Eventually, Storm Runner got her to the edge of the town. They turned around to see the dark shadow engulfing the town for a brief moment before taking off into the air and disappearing. Applejack came running up to her. "Ah can't find Apple Bloom or Mac!" She cried desperately, looking around. Morning followed her desperate gaze. Twilight was being consoled by Rarity, sobbing painfully because her brother was under the pile of rubble that was once the grand stage. Fluttershy consoled Pinkie Pie, who had a singed coat and was consoling the Cake twins, their parents nowhere to be found. Rainbow Dash darted all through the sky, trying to get clouds to stop the fires. Applejack moved back to her friends as other survivors made their way out of town. Morning Glory looked around at the devastation of the war and she took in a shaky breath before looking at Storm Runner. "What in the name of the two princesses is going on here?!" Storm Runner looked on at the smoldering fires of what was once blissful Ponyville, not taking his eyes off it. He spoke lowly, uttering a phrase that made Morning Glory and the Elements of Harmony freeze and stare at him, shocked. "Nightmare Moon has returned." > Chapter 1 - The World As We Know It Is Gone > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Several pairs of eyes remained on Storm Runner despite the chaos below in the town. A cool wind picked up, swirling around the mares and the stallion, making each of them shiver in kind. Twilight stammered a bit before finally speaking. "N-Nightmare Moon? That's not... no, that's not possible! We saved Princess Luna! She was Nightmare Moon!" Storm Runner let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "No. She wasn't. Nightmare Moon isn't a pony. Nor is it just Nightmare Moon. It's just a nightmare. A darkness that possesses ponies and destroys everything happy and bright. It's an ancient thing that can't be truly destroyed." Twilight frowned and shook her head. "I never read anything about that. That can't be true!" "It wasn't put in any books. Celestia didn't deem it required knowledge," Storm said bitterly. Morning Glory, finally speaking up, moved to Storm Runner's side. "How do ya know all of this, then?" "Because I'm a member of Luna's guard." The matter-of-fact tone the stallion used startled the mares. Rainbow Dash flew over and hovered above Storm, glowering at the stallion. "You don't look like the normal ponies in her guard. You don't have the weird ears or bat wings!" She pointed out. "It's a long, long story. I'll explain it later. For now, we need to focus on the town." Storm pointed as the dark clouds dispersed, leaving the ruined town down below bathed in sunlight. "The damage is done. We need to focus on the town. Then, once that's done... We'll go to the Princesses and I'll explain everything." "I hope you can, Storm," Morning murmured, turning her eyes to the town, her heart aching as she did. "I really, really hope you can..." *** Hours had passed since the attack on Ponyville. Families were torn apart and left asunder. The losses were great but none worse than for the Elements of Harmony. Twilight Sparkle lost her brother in the collapse of the stage. Cadence was in critical condition but there was a chance for her to survive. Rarity lost Sweetie Belle in the fires as well as her boutique, which held everything she had to her name. Fluttershy lost countless friends, though none of the animal friends were lost thanks to her cottage being outside of town. Rainbow Dash lost Scootaloo, the filly who admired her greatly. She recovered the Cutie Mark Cruisaders' body amidst the rubble and sobbed pitifully for thirty minutes. Pinkie Pie lost the Cakes and Sugar Cube Corner. All that she had left were the infants, left orphaned and scared. Applejack and, by extension, Morning Glory suffered the largest compound loss. Apple Bloom perished with her friends, huddled in an attempt to survive the onslaught. Granny Smith also perished, trampled by the crowd. And perhaps the worst of all- they could not locate Big Macintosh. Like countless others, his body did not show up but he was presumed dead. Twilight, despite her agony, quickly teleported them all to the castle to speak with Celestia and Luna. However, they were greeted with a disdainful sight. The castle was devastatingly destroyed. Windows were shattered with glass shards littering the once beautiful carpet that was now singed with the after effects of fire, similar to that of the town. A few of the royal guard for both princesses limped around as they tried to restore a sense of order to the castle but their struggle was in vain. The nightmare that had destroyed much of Ponyville had also left shattered halls in the castle- a sign that even their great capitol wasn't safe. Eventually, the small group of ponies made their way to the throne room. Once they slipped past the broken doors, their hearts shattered. The largest of the thrones- dawned with a bright sun emblem- was toppled over, the fabric ripped and burned, parts of the chair broken completely. Celestia was nowhere to be seen. However, a familiar navy alicorn was spotted looking just as shell-shocked as the rest of Ponyville when the clouds dispersed. "Princess Luna?" Storm Runner's voice startled Morning out of her woe-some thoughts. She had forgotten he was right there at her side. Briefly she wondered why this strange pegasus was so protective but she assumed it was just because she had endured a tremendous loss and had no one to lean on. The younger princess lifted her head and her eyes widened. "Storm Runner...? You've survived?" The stallion nodded, stepping forward a half pace. "Princess... Nightmare has returned." Luna's face fell and for a moment, she looked dark. Twilight and the rest bristled before Luna spoke. "I had assumed as much when the darkness came and took away my sister. I had heard about the attack on Ponyville. My sister and I were preparing to go there to help fight it but..." She trailed off, casting her gaze aside before she looked at the others. "We need to save my sister." "But how? We don't even know what this Nightmare is!" Twilight scowled at the lack of information given before casting a pointed glare at Storm Runner. Luna went to answer before the stallion raised a hoof. "I promised them answers. And I'll be the one to give them." Startled that the unknown stallion shushed the distraught princess, they all cast their eyes to him. Morning studied his face as he spoke. "A long time ago, before Princess Luna was banished to the moon, there was a rumored darkness spreading all over the world. Long time friends were fighting. Wars broke out. The king and queen of Equestria rallied the other kingdoms to fight the menace. The Gryphons, the dragons, the Crystal Empire... Everyone. Through the power of friendship, magic and kindness, it seemed that the darkness had finally been destroyed..." Luna stepped forward as Storm trailed off. "But that was not true. It had only injured the darkness, leaving it to hide away in the hearts of those it had already infected, intending to burst forth at the appropriate time to bring even more darkness to the land. When I was but a filly, my father and mother fought the darkness. Little did I know that it had infected me. As the Princess of the Night, I had embraced all darkness as a friend, to use kindly and provide comfort to others. But Nightmare had seeped into my heart. Over the centuries, I grew more and more hateful to my sister for her offerings of the sun and having ponies sleep through my night. That is where my story begins that you are all too familiar with." "So yer sayin' we didn't actually stop Nightmare Moon years ago?" Applejack scowled at that. "You stopped the nightmare in me, yes. But not Nightmare itself," Luna clarified, a touch of sorrow to her tone. Finally, Morning stepped forward to speak. "Then what can we do? So many ponies died today. We can't let any others get hurt or die..." Luna's face was cast in shadow before she spoke. "You all need to travel across Equestria and the other lands and find allies to fight this horror. Reports have flown in that there have been other instances like this. Perhaps your travels and facing the darkness with the magic inside of you all will help you defeat it once and for all." The Elements of Harmony nodded in unison as this was essentially their duty anyway. But Morning Glory looked down at her hooves. She had already lost her grandmother and little cousin. Would she also lose her best friend and the other friends she gained in the adventure? A charcoal wing flicked her cheek and she looked up to Storm Runner. He just offered her a kind gaze before he turned to Luna. "Your Highness, I would like to accompany the girls to ensure their protection. They have all just had a trying day and could do with some assistance." Luna hesitated a few seconds before her gaze fell to Morning Glory. She took a deep breath before spoke. "Young Morning... You are family of Applejack, correct?" Startled, Morning nodded and the Princess continued. "With the current state of the world, and being in the same situation as well, I cannot allow the remains of family to go separately. If you can provide support for the Elements of Harmony and their tough trials ahead, and agree to listen to Storm Runner, I will allow you to accompany them." The young mare inhaled in surprise before she looked to her cousin and the other girls. They all had the signs of previous tears on their faces. They all had suffered losses and weren't as strong as they could have been. Something wormed its way into her heart and she turned her green gaze on the alicorn before her. She held her head high even though her heart was just as broken as the others. "I will do whatever I can to help these girls. I ain't going to let them fight this alone. What kinda friend would I be if I did?" A shrill squeal of delight spouted behind her and startled everyone before a pink blur pounced on her and hugged her tightly, nuzzling her neck. "Oh I knew you were a good pony at heart! I just knew it! You're as sweet as... As... As, well, sugar!" Pinkie Pie said cheerily. Finally, a ripple of laughter escaped everyone, including a chuckle from the previously stoic stallion. Luna nodded approvingly. "Then as my right as Princess of the Night, I decree that the Elements of Harmony and young Morning Glory will set out in the morning to herald the safety of the world as we know it." Royal guards then came forth at Luna's words to escort the girls out to some reserved quarters for them to stay for the night. Morning strayed behind as Twilight began her thoughts of a plan of how to begin this journey and the girls chatted as they each contributed ideas for it. But before she left the hall, she heard Storm speak to Luna behind her. "Your Highness... Luna... The girls will be in danger if Nightmare catches wind what we're doing." "You are correct. But they are going to endure a journey few should ever have to endure. I fear that this journey will change them in ways they aren't quite prepared for. But they are our only hope." "Do you think we can do it?" The door shut behind her and Morning wished strongly she could have heard Luna's reply.