Chapter 1

The black coat of the Pegasus stallion concealed him from the dangers of the woods he had lived in. He took to the sky as he flew above the Everfree forest. Its wild and unkempt look a welcoming sight to him for he had grown up there he forgot how he came into being but he simply lived there. He was well past the years of a colt and he never understood his calling but felt it was important to him to keep ponies away from such a place. His cutie mark had never materialized. He simply lived within the gloom and in doing so his eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness making him appear to have more cat like eye slits of his lavender eye color. He wasn't evil, but he had an feeling of inevitability that death comes for them all, that everything happened for a reason. He did his best to detour ponies from entering the trees of this wood. Sometimes he was successful, scaring away some colt, filly,or pony that got to close but there were times where he was too late as he had come across the mangled corpses of some unfortunate pony, he felt sorrow for the pony but he was not able to help everypony from wondering into such a dangerous place. Death in Equestria was not all that talked about and the lights of Canterlot and ponyville seemed inviting enough but he rejected their easy logic and everything was perfect ways but secretly in his his heart of hearts he longed for friendship. He had heard the deeds of the 6 mares that did the bidding of Princess Celestia. He even went as far as to assist them from the shadows in any way he could, His black color made him an oddity. He had dealt with many of the unforgiving parts of the forest. The times the six wandered into his woods he kept his distance watching them. Never really interacting but always keeping watch for most creatures like timber wolves, and other creatures of deadly intentions stalked from the shadows. The first time they had wondered into his wood he was impressed at Fluttershy's easy taming of the manticore. He was happy that they overcame so many obstacles. He took the name Nightmare Darkness. His blackness swallowed up the light. He had only run ins with one other pony. Zecora, she lived in the more tame part of the forest but he had helped her get herbs that were difficult to acquire in the deeper wood. It was her who taught him to speak and use his voice and soon it bloomed into a friendship. Zecora became something of a mother figure to him tending to his wounds, giving him advice and listening to her troubles before the six came accusing her of hexing them which he found funny because in all the times he's known her she never displayed a magical trait. The small filly Apple Bloom as she was called was the brave one, coming into the wood after Zecora and helping her that were more then her brews. But after that incident the people of ponyville came to understand Zecora and that she was not some witch pony. That was a time ago and now was a later time as Nightmare flew back over the forest.

The sun broke through the gloom of the forest as he opened up his lavender eyes brining his hoof to shield his nocturnal eyes from the harshness of the light waking him from his thoughts of past events. He had slept in a tree off the ground away from the predators. Taking to the sky he saw a hooded figure walking toward Zecora's hut he glided down gently and onto the ground behind her she stopped and turned her head smiling.

"How be Ye, Darkness hide thee well." she turned around and removed her hood. He blinked and extended his wings and stretched and positions them on his back.

"The day comes and I Feel it is time to feed, and your fire place is warm indeed…" He smiled walking to her. She chuckled and walked with him.

"That is true come in sit while I stew." He followed her inside as she hung up her hood and began to make a stew from different herbs and the like from the surrounding forest. He sat by the fire as she began to hum a nursery rhyme though easily mistaken as an enchantment or spell. She looked to him and went to leave.

"I need ingredients three for our food to be the best it can be. He nodded and continued to watch the fire. As it danced an hour passed then he herd two voices One of Zecora's then the other he did not recognize. He quietly but quickly was out the window as a shadow, but watched from in through the window. As A small yellow filly with a red main and a ribbon to accent her look was at the door as Zecora looked at her letting her in.

"I've tried everything Zecora but still no cutie mark! Why I'm going to be as old as granny smith and still have a blank flank!" Apple Bloom said in frustration.

"Your frustrations well understood, but one must be patient for all things good." She replied walking towards her potions

"Ugh I've heard that from everypony, and know from every zebra I know, I'm just too impatient." She said but the chip in her tooth made her sound like she was slurring her words only slightly. Then she continued

"I just want my cutie mark and I want it now!" she said startling Zecora into dumping to much of her intended ingredient into the potion making it make a small grey mushroom cloud. He smiled at her child like blissfulness to the danger she had so willingly thrown herself into. Zecora didn't look to impressed as she looked at the filly who pulled back in shame then quickly recovered and smiled bearing her chipped tooth in a childlike smile then backed away so Zecora could complete the brew.

"For your cutie mark, you will have to wait. We must fix that tooth before it's too late." She said grabbing a ladle with her teeth and pouring it into a bowl for Apple Bloom. She looked at the bowl in suspicion.

"Now drink down every little drop, and that mixture will fix that chip on top." Zecora rhymed Apple Bloom took the bowl and drained it making an odd face after she had drank it. Then walking over to a golden vase she watched as the chip in her tooth grew back into place. Taking her tongue she had rubbed the roof of her mouth and along her tooth line then smiled in her reflection.

"Oh my star apples you did it Zecora!" she said thanking her

"Golly you have tonics that heal all sorts of ailments, Bad bones, bad back, bad breath." She pointed out reading the labels.

"Yes little one, it is true I have many a healing brew." She said showing some pride in her praise.

"And not only stuff that fixes the bad, but stuff that brings the good. Good health, good hair, good heavens!" she said then she seemed to get an idea. Which Nightmare Darkness only guessed….

"Hmmm, I bet you can, mix up a brew that can fix up….anything" She said playing the cute card leaning up against Zecora with pleading eyes. Zecora didn't look all that impressed.

"There are many mixtures in this room, but none for which you want apple bloom. A potion does not hold the key, time for a cutie mark is the only remedy." She said wisely. Apple bloom looks frustrated but agreed.

"Fine…" she said as Zecora began to mix something else up in another bowel. Most likely ask him to help do the dishes later he imagined.

"What you got goin on there?" Apple bloom asked

"I am brewing up another mix for a rooster and his chicks, seems the rooster has lost his crow, making mornings very slow." She said pulling out a heart's desire flower from her vase.

"Hey I've seen that flower bloom in ponyville, what is it?" She asked curiously

"It is one called heart's desire; a dash will ignite the rooster's fire." She said putting some of the petals into the bowel she continued.

"With heart's desire his talent comes into view, and he'll give a mighty cocka doodle doo!" she smiled at the small filly.

"Saaawey, heart's desire huh…" she said looking into the bowl.

"I me, what is this? I have run out of amethyst. I must go get this purple flower for the brew to have full power." She said walking to the door.

"Ya you go." Apple bloom said smiling looking at the bowl with an intention Zecora did not see as she left. He watched the filly begin to make her own brew and smiled at the pony whom simply was too impatient, It was also evident he himself did not have a Cutie mark. But he put that to the back of his mind. He watched her then she finished he concoction she drank it and looked to her flank to see a silver cutie mark of a ring appeared on her flank and she jumped with glee as she bounced out of the door. He followed her till she got to the edge of the forest. She stopped suddenly and turned to his direction the darting of her eyes betrayed her unease but as the shadows always kept him from site, this time was no different. He Chuckled

"I have a feeling that the brew she made, is going to be a bad day.." he rhymed as he flew back into the woods and to Zecora's house, where she was finishing her brew.

"Quick like a bolt you were to hide from Apple blooms' eye." she pointed out as he flew in through the window. He came to her side and looked at the final product as she placed it in a small bag.

"Deliver this brew for me, more of ponyville you should see. To Fluttershys house I need you to be" she said.

"Many a time I have set hoof there but never seen, as I likely scare." He replied picking up the brew.

"Nightmare, take care for you are not an evil pony but one who will take part in a larger story." She predicted. He shook his head making his golden main shimmer.

"Never more a thought I pray then the ponies who shun me from the day." He said as he walked out the door. Taking flight he stayed close to the tree tops. Gliding down then beating his black wings for a boost of momentum. He sailed over the trees then was over the green pasture he dove and was flying low to the ground as he flew past some ponies who looked left and right in shock to see it was nothing. They shrugged as they considered it a simple gust of a strong breeze. He arrived at fluttershys home and placed the brew at her front door and took his hoof knocking on the door, which opened almost instantaneously. He turned and began to bold as Fluttershy saw him blast upright into the sky and begin a dive back towards the Everfree forest. Fluttershy blinked in disbelief as she looked down to see the brew. "Oh this must be for Mr Rooster. He will be happy that he can be given medicine." She picked it up and saw the black pegasus dive into the ever free forest as she closed the door in fright as who would willingly go into that forest. Nightmare was happy to be back in his forest as he had done what Zecora asked but now he was afraid he was spotted for too long and would raise suspicion but he didn't worry so much if it was Fluttershy, as he name suggested and of what he observed from when her and her friends entered the wood she was timid and scared of everything other than animals. He flew back into the wood not going to Zecora's for food anymore he would gather his own grass and flowers for food. He flew now to the Ruins of the old castle where the Alicorn sisters once ruled.