Something lurks in the darkness of the Everfree...
Strange noises have been coming from the Everfree ever since Twilight and her friends finished repairing the Castle of the Pony Sisters. What's worse, the Princesses have disappeared, and nopony knows where they are! In desparation, Twilight turns to one of her oldest friends for aid...
Who is this friend? What horrors await in the unexplored depths of the mysterious Everfree Forest?
Celestia and Luna were making there way along the nerly non-existent path to the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, their ancestoral home. Twilight and her friends had been working for months to rebuild and repair the crumbling structure, and had just finished. They had invited the Princesses to see their work, and get their opinion.
"Sister, do not worry," said Luna to a nervous Celestia, "It will look as grand as it did we we lived there."
"I know," said Celestia with a sigh. "It's just that it's not OUR home anymore, it's Twilight's now."
"Are thy not proud of thy former student," questioned Luna.
"I am very proud," said Celestia, "Why wouldn't I be?"
Luna was about to answer when a deep growling noise reverberated through the trees, shaking the soil at their hooves and causing leaves to fall from the trees.
"What was that," asked Luna.
Suddenly, a deep, shadowy voice echoed through the forest, answering Luna's question.
"I am not what, but who. I am that which you fear most, and that you want more than anything other. I am the shadow in the corner, and the shade beneath the trees. You do not know me, and yet you do. But I know you, Princesses, and believe your reign is at an end."
"Who are you," demanded Celestia. "Show yourself!"
"You are in no position to make demands, Princess of the Sun," the voice said, "Hmm, I wonder where your dear sister went?"
"What do you-," Celestia began, looking over to where Lunawas, only to find her gone, her regalia laying on the ground.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH LUNA!"
"You will find out soon enough, Princess," said the voice. "The sun has shined for the last time on Equus, and the moon will never give hope in the night ever again."
As the voice finished, the shadows around Celestia began to move. Before she had the chance to even scream, the shadows were upon her.
Seconds later, all that was on the path were two sets of royal regalia. One golden and one black.
Twilight paced anxiously in the main hall of the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. Spike, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had all fallen asleep hours ago, but Twilight couldn't stop worrying, as usual.
"They should have been here hours ago," said Twilight. Celestia and Luna had sent word they would be visiting the castle to inspect the work she and her friends had done, but the time they should have arrived was supposed to have been twelve hours ago, and there was still no sign of the Princesses.
"Maybe we should go and look for them," a voice said from behind her.
Twilight nearly jumped out of her fur. She turned to see Spike standing there, wide awake and ready to go.
"Good idea," said Twilight as the duo left the castle. Unfortunately, Twilight didn't notice the Spike that was still cuddled up to Rarity.
As they made their way deeper into the forest, Spike began to mutter under his breath, worrying Twilight.
"Spike, are you alright?"
"Hmm, oh, I'm fine," Spike said with a questionable smile. Twilight simply shrugged and turned in time to avoid almost tripping over a pile of gold regalia.
"What the hay," Twilight said as she once again approached the regalia. It consisted of a collar and a crown, both unsettlingly familiar...
"THESE ARE CELESTIA'S," Twilight exclaimed, only then noticing the black pile with a white crescent moon emblazoned on its collar that lay nearby. "THEY'VE BEEN KIDNAPPED!"
"I know," said a deep voice from behind her. She turned in time to see what she'd thought was Spike dissolve into tentacles of black, which quickly retreated into the shadow of the forest.
Twilight flared her wings when another, far deeper, menacing voice echoed through the forest.
"Ah, Princess Twilight Sparkle, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. I must say, it was easier to lure you out here than I had anticipated. But no matter. I have the Sun and the Moon, but what are you? What do I control if I get you?"
"Who are you," demanded Twilight.
"That does not matter," said the voice. "What matters is what YOU represent, little Princess. Shall we find out?"
Suddenly, the shadows of the forest began to move, encircling Twilight before creeping towards her. She fired a bolt of magic at the approaching shadow, but it simply passed through. She closed her eyes, accepting the inevitable.
Suddenly, a brilliant flash of pink lit up the clearing, causing the voice to scream in agony.
"This cannot BE! RETREAT!"
With that, the shadows vanished into the dark depths of the forest, leaving Twilight alone with whatever had caused that flash.
Twilight turned to see Cadence standing behind her, a smile crossing her face when she saw Twilight was alright.
"Are you the real Cadence," asked Twilight.
"I could ask you the same thing," replied Cadence.
Suddenly, an idea leapt into both of their minds, and they performed the greeting they'd used so many times before, laughing as they finished.
"It really is you," Twilight said as she hugged Cadence.
"Yep," said Cadence.
"What are you doing out here in the forest," asked Twilight. "Shouldn't you be in The Crystal Empire?"
"Celestia invited me to tour the Castle of the Pony Sisters with them," said Cadence, who waved her hoof in the direction of the Princess' regalia, "I guess that will have to wait."
"I guess Discord was right," Twilight said, "Something bad DOES happen whenever we see each other."
Cadence nodded. "Let's go, before that thing comes back."
Twilight nodded and led Cadence back to the castle. It looked quite majestic now that it had been repaired. There were no gaping holes in the roof or walls, and all the windows once again bore stained glass. The walls had been whitewashed, making it look almost like Canterlot, but not on the side of a mountain. The courtyard now had a working fountain made from white marble, and the paths had all been re-cobbled. The great doors to the main hall had been replace with a golden wood, and really pulled the scene together, but not more than the flowerbeds that lined the paths.
“It’s beautiful,” said Cadence in sheer awe.
“Rarity set it all up,” said Twilight knowingly. “I think she’ll appreciate the compliments.”
Cadence nodded as she followed Twilight inside.
The interior was as grand as the exterior. White-washed walls with gold inlays, gemstones embedded into intricate designs, banners that once were torn and faded had either been repaired or replaced. The thrones themselved had been refinished and reupholstered, looking as they did over 1000 years ago. The torchlight reflecting off the pearl and gold inlays really dazzled anypony who came in, much as thay did Cadence, who was left speechless.
"Amazing," Cadence finally said.
Twilight nodded. "Rarity spent days making and repairing the banners, and reupholstering the thrones was harder than we thought, but we managed."
Cadence nodded and followed Twilight through the gleaming hall to where the others were sleeping, and quickly proceeded with waking them.
"Girls, wake up! We've got a little problem," said Twilight.
One by one, the others slowly woke from their pleasant sleep.
"Darling, what is so important that you have to interrupt my beautysleep," asked Rarity.
"The Princesses have been kidnapped," said Cadence in a matter-of-fact tone.
Those words woke them right up, and they were all on their hooves in less than a second. Spike was the most shocked, and would've fallen on his snout if Twilight hadn't caught him.
"Are y'all pull'in our hooves," asked Appljack.
Twilight shook her head. "No, I saw where they'd been kidnapped, and I would've been too if Cadence hadn't shown up when she had."
"We need to get help," said Spike, to which everypony nodded.
Spike turned to face Twilight. "Do you know anyone that could help?"
Twilight closed her eyes in deep thought. She was like that for a few minutes before she opened her eyes again.
"There is someone, but I'll need to send a message."
15 minutes later...
Twilight looked over her letter one last time.
Dear Prince Winter,
I need your help. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have been kidnapped. I know it is hard to believe, consdering that they are powerful alicorns, but I have seen the evidence.
I believe the strange shadow creature that's lurking in the forest is what kidnapped them, and Cadence seems to be the only one able to harm it.
Please, help me. We're in the Castle of the Royal Ponys Sisters.
Please, hurry.
Your former student,
Princess Twilight Sparkle
After making sure everything was correct, Twilight levitated the letter over to Spike, who quickly sent it to it's recipient.
“My lord,” a guard clad in silver heavy full-body armor as he burst into a rather large, highly decorated throne hall.
“What is it, Flynn,” said an alicorn who sat in the throne. This was Prince John Winter, Prince of the Kingdom of Solstice. He was the oldest being in existence, dating back to the time of the Alicorn Faust herself, and was patron god of life, knowledge, and logic. He was tall, taller than even Princess Celestia. His coat was pure white, and his mane and tail light shades of grey. He wore a crown but no other regalia, instead wearing a blue, fur-lined cloak with the White Tree of Solstice emblazoned on the back. He bore an eight-point star in two shades of blue as a cutie mark, and had blue eye that matched the darker shade of the blues.
“A message has come through the Contract Seal,” said Flynn as he struck the pose normal of a Solstice guard.
“What,” Winter said as he rose from his throne. “Who’s it from?”
“Princess Twilight Sparkle, my Prince,” said Flynn as he levitated the scroll from his satchel.
Winter grabbed the scroll with his magic and brought it before him. He examined it carefully, then slowly broke the seal and unrolled it.
Dear Prince Winter,
I need your help. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have been kidnapped. I know it is hard to believe, considering that they are powerful alicorns, but I have seen the evidence.
I believe the strange shadow creature that's lurking in the forest is what kidnapped them, and Cadence seems to be the only one able to harm it.
Please, help me. We're in the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters.
Please, hurry.
Your former student,
Princess Twilight Sparkle
Winter lowered the letter, knowing what had to be done.
“My lord is something wrong,” asked Flynn.
Winter turned to Flynn. “Recall Field Marshal Stormcry, and prepare the armies.”
“Why,” asked Flynn.
“Blackness has returned,” Winter said before disappearing in a flash of light.
Meanwhile, in the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters…
“Why can’t ya tell us who ya called,” asked Applejack.
“I told you, he’s an old friend,” said Twilight defiantly.
“With all due respect, maybe it would be best if you told us,” said Rarity.
“If she doesn’t want to say, then she doesn’t want to say,” said Cadence.
“Right,” Spike said with a nod.
They had been arguing like this from the moment Twilight had sent the message for help. Cadence and Spike were still on her side, but her other friends weren’t as trusting, and the circumstances weren’t helping at all.
As Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to make a fairly inappropriate comment, a blinding flash of blue light appeared in the hall, disorienting everypony for a few seconds.
Twilight was the first to recover, and looked around to see who or what had caused the flash. After a moment, her eyes came to rest on the chest of a tall alicorn in a blue cloak with white fur trim, with a white tree emblazoned on the back. She looked up into his deep blue eyes, knowing who this mystical alicorn was.
“Hello,” he said with a bow, “It has been too long.”
Twilight leapt into the stallion’s chest, feeling the muscles hidden beneath the smooth fur. She wrapped her forehooves around him.
“It has been to long Winter,” said Twilight, sobbing with joy.
“Now, now,” Winter said as her lifted her head with one of his forehooves, “Don’t cry. It’s not very regal, isn’t it.”
Twilight nodded but continued sobbing anyway. This went on for some time. In that time, the other ponies recovered and beheld the great alicorn that Twilight was hugging. They could not decide what was more shocking: the alicorn, or the fact that Twilight was hugging him.
After a while, Twilight calmed down, let go of the stallion, and turned to her friends.
“This is Prince Winter,” Twilight said. “He was one of my teachers when I was a filly, back when Celestia began training me.”
The other ponies and Spike were all stunned, except Cadence, who looked quite thoughtful. The thoughts going through all of their heads was ‘Twilight had another teacher?’ or ‘Who is Prince Winter?’ or ‘Where did that alicorn come from? And why haven’t we heard of him before?’
“It is nice to see you, Prince Winter,” said Cadence.
“Same to you, Cadence,” Winter said. “Sorry about the delays, but the shipment of wine should arrive in a few hours.”
“Good,” Cadence said. “I was wondering where it was.”
Winter nodded before his expression became serious. “Your letter said that Celestia and Luna had been kidnapped, and there is some kind of shadow being lurking in the forest.”
Twilight nodded. “If it weren’t for Cadence, that thing would’ve got me too.”
Winter began pacing. “What did Cadence do to drive off the shadow?”
“I used my magic,” Cadence said.
“Hmmm,” Winter said. “Your magic is based on love, correct?” Cadence nodded before Winter turned his attention to Twilight. “Did you attack it?”
“I tried to,” said Twilight, “But my magic went right through it.”
“Then it’s as I feared,” Winter said, “Long ago, before the coming of Celestia and Luna, a being of shadow, known only as Blackness, ravaged Equus. For centuries, his reign of terror left Equus in ruins. I kept my ponies in Solstice, but my hoof was forced when he dared to attack my kingdom.” Winter took a moment to catch his breath before he continued, “After exhausting every resource at my disposal, I used the Element of Love, the Seventh Element of Harmony, to attack Blackness. It was effective, and I managed to banish Blackness from Equus. Unfortunately, it seems he’s returned to finish what he started.”
“And what is that,” asked Twilight.
“Winter turned to Twilight, a grim look on his face. “To conquer all of Equus, and do so by any means necessary.”
Luna opened her eyes as a wave of pain surged through her. She groaned as the pain intensified, and began to convulse. Then, as suddenly as the pain began, it disappeared.
"Still nothing," said a voice.
"Nope," said another voice. "It like it's fur is made of kevlar or something, I don't know. The saw just won't cut through."
"Bah, let's just leave it for now and come back later," said a third voice, "Besides, I'm getting hungry."
A sound of approval eminated from the other two, and the voiced slowly faded. A screeching sound was heard, then a loud clang, then silence.
Once Luna was sure she was alone, she opened her eyes.
It was obvious she was in some type of laboratoy, and she was on a operating table, but a lot of the equipment was strange. Metal boxes with lights and displays lined the room. She saw the scalples and dissection tools lined neatly on a table beside her table and instantly knew one thing.
She needed to escape, and fast.
Suddenly, alarms began ringing, and red lights began flashing. At the same time, a voice began blaring on the loudspeaker.
“ATTENTION! SUBJECT 1462 HAS ESCAPED IT’S CELL! SECURITY PERSONEL TO SUB-LEVEL 12! USE OF LETHAL FORCE AUTHORIZED!”
Luna didn’t know what any of that meant, but she knew that lethal wasn’t a good thing. But someone else was here? And they’d escaped? Maybe she could use that as a diversion for her escape!
Luna quickly blasted down the door and galloped into the corridor. Everything looked the same as she raced through the long halls. Eventually, she saw wording on a wall that read SUB-LEVEL 0-GROUND LEVEL, which told her that any door to the outside would get her out of wherever she was.
A short while later, she came across a door with a sign that read EXIT, and quickly went through to be greeted by the damp, morning air of the Everfree Forest. As she made her way away from the facility, she hoped her sister hadn’t been captured as well.