The Dark Side of Her Moon
[Disclaimer] What can I say; I enjoy taking the innocence of a kid's show and making it disturbing as hell. I'm not showing favoritism I'm just finding ways of adding on to a small amount of stories. While there are a lot of MLP Fics there is a small amount of M rated compared to others. Me, I like to read and make M rated stories. No it's not for lemons, but instead for the fact that an M rating means that there isn't a limitation to what your story can reach. Like art, I could not ask someone to draw something for me than turn around and give them a specific way of drawing it. That would destroy the unique way that they would create their art and I would end up getting an uninteresting piece of art not because it isn't good, but because it was held back by the limitations set. So before I ramble on, I don't own MLP or any apples that go to the respected owners. Begin.
Chapter 1 – Shining Eclipse
This night was like any other as he just stared up at the moon, the feeling of overwhelming loneliness swelling within him as he just stared at the moon. A feeling like this use to come from past times of having to remember that he was the only human to live among an unnatural world inhabited mostly by a pony race, but no this night. This night he was thinking about what purpose his life held after the night of the banishment of the young lunar Princess. It was only through her that he was able to live in a place where his kind were unheard of and thought to have no right of existence. She looked under the skin and saw that he had the heart that reflected that of anypony in Equestria. He differed in no way other than appearance and she was the first pony to ever give him a chance. His life had been rough when he had first shown up in Equestria. No one would shelter him, he would be violently assaulted for being different, and he would sadly have to resort to theft or digging in the trash so as not to starve. For a world that seemed so childish, there were darker demons lying dormant underneath that innocent façade. It wasn't until he had come tumbling half dead out of the Everfree forest that he was actually shown a bout of kindness. When he had awoken that day he found himself lying in a bed inside what seem to be a cottage near the forest he had emerged from. The first thing he did was quickly panic and once he saw a yellow mare enter the room he bolted for the door and rushed passed the startled mare, angering the creatures of the forest on his way out. He wanted to thank the mare for helping him in his time of need, but with his experience in abuse from other ponies it was his first reaction to get away as fast as possible. He wasn't trying to be rude, he was just afraid of what she might do to him. The panic worsened as he had accidentally made his run through the village nearby, Ponyville. Everypony had either backed away out of fear or stared on in curiosity as he made his way through the town square. It wasn't until about an hour after it turned into a village chase that he was finally captured, encased in an inescapable golden mist like substance. He became even more frightened when he was faced by a white coated pony that outclassed every other one he saw in tremendous size. He was nothing but a fourteen year old boy at the time, and seeing something as utterly unbelievable as magic would send someone of that maturity into shock. When she had asked him just who and what he was he felt instantly calm, like her voice held something of a mothers touch and promised protection. She was a pony who was gifted with not only a Unicorn's horn that was longer than a usual horn, but also a pair of Pegasus wings of the same condition. Her mane and tail were split into four colors of turquoise, cerulean, heliotrope, and a pale cobalt blue. Her eyes were a light magenta that complemented the amethysts that were centered in the golden tiara atop her head, and golden necklace. On her hooves were a lighter golden set of shoes that held intricate patterns as they slightly rose up the front of each hoof. Glancing around her side he found that, like mostly every other pony, she had a mark on her flank that was shaped as the sun. She was quick to repeat the question and he nervously answered by telling her that he was known as a species called human, but didn't exactly know who he was. Somewhat satisfied with his answer, she set him down and he was soon assaulted by another pony that stepped out from behind the larger one. The new mare looked a lot younger than the taller mare beside her and seemed to show it with her childish curiosity. She had a dark blue coat that had a black splotch on her flank were a crescent moon was set as a top layer. Her mane and tail were a lighter blue compared to her coat and seemed to bring out her lighter cyan eyes. She too had a horn and wings, like the other winged Unicorn, and shared a necklace and tiara with both of hers somewhat black and the necklace having a crescent moon on it. It actually made him somewhat happy to see somepony so young not running from him yelling something like monster. She sat in front of him and began studying him, constantly poking at his chest and appendages. It was even funny to hear the onslaught of questions that came rushing out of her mouth, her excitement at learning something new escalating the more she looked at all of the unique features of the so called human before her. He tried to answer her questions the best he could, ranging from why he didn't have a mane or tail to how somepony like him tends to earn something called a Cutie Mark. He found it kind of cute how she spoke in third world and kept referring to herself as we. He was having a good time talking to her, the other winged Unicorn smiling as she watched her companion quench her thirst for knowledge. It wasn't until she had brought up why he didn't have a name did his mood diminished. Just like he had explained to the other pony, he knew not how he ended up in their world and why he couldn't remember anything about him. That's why he was a bit confused when he didn't get any answer from her, but instead to looked up to find her in a thinking position. It was through her that that one day had been come one of the happiest days he had to remember. It was at that moment that she had come up with her own name for him, Seeth. It was at that moment that he had not only sported one hell of a blush, but was shocked beyond any though. The only thing he could ask was why, and the answer he got was something that floored him by the simplicity of it all.
"Because, we think it is unique and cool like thou." After never having a name the answer he got wasn't something he thought he would ever hear. Through the later explained Alicorns, he was able to gain a home and those who actually cared for him. Over the years he was trained by the two sisters and became something he never thought he could become. He had somehow gained the power of controlling magic, but seemed to only specialize in the destructive fields. He was soon trained to become part of the Royal Guard and was taken for immediate conditioning. Once he had become fit for the guard, Luna took him on as her own private guard that would only answer to her and Celestia in her absence. He had spent years under her command, but it wasn't something that he ever thought of the cute looking life of Equestria ponies. He was a one man team, an assassin who would extinguish the lives of those that would threaten them or the people of Canterlot and Ponyville. He would sometimes be sent as an ambassador to other provinces to settle treaty matters. When something needed to be done without alarming the public, he was dispatched in a heartbeat. This along with the fun he had with the two sisters was all he needed in his life to be happy. The only thing that ever ruined it was the appearance of the darkness that had been fed by jealousy, Nightmare Moon. Luna's inner demon that was given power through the jealous thoughts of how she believed that everypony appreciated Celestia's sun rather than her moon. It saddened to watch the mare that had given him everything that made his life livable just stolen from them in petty emotions. How much it hurt him as he battled to subdue her before watching her own sister Imprison Luna inside the moon. But Nightmare Moon didn't leave without a few final gifts. She saw Luna's emotions for him and decided to bestow upon him a life of the endless memories of that day. Somehow, even out of Celestia's knowledge, she had granted Seeth something equal to immortality as a reminder of how he couldn't save Luna.
Seeth let out a sigh of sadness as he once again spent another night alone, reliving that night once more and beating himself up over how he should have been able to do better. He was told time and time again by Celestia that it wasn't his fault, but when he was stationed as one of her personal and most trustworthy jobs, not being able to save her was a huge blow to his position and pride. Seeth let out another sigh as he stood up and dusted himself off. He had been living for pretty much over a thousand years and yet he still couldn't leave any of that behind. While the past is the past, one just doesn't seem to forget it. His thoughts were interrupted by a scroll that flashed to life out of thin air, landing in his opened outstretched palm. Instead of reading it his felt slowly melded into pitch black before it rose up and covered his whole body. Once he was covered, his body seemed to unwind like twine around a spool before the shadowy mist floated through an open window.
Celestia waited patiently as this a black mist entered the throne room, touching down and slowly forming a kneeling figure the more it connected and soon left Seeth in its place. "You sent." Celestia's expression grew serious as she stared at the frowning human before her.
"Yes, but please stop kneeling. Nothing like that is needed in a bond such as ours." Seeth slowly stood up and slightly leaned back on his feet, calmly placing his hands in his jacket pockets. "Now, the reason I sent for you was that I received a letter from my newest pupil, Twilight Sparkle." Seeth gave a curt nod, remembering the lavender mare the Princess had taken into tutoring after seeing how promising she was in the practice of magic. "She has reminded me that today is the day the seal will fall, and Nightmare Moon will return to Equestria." The new information made Seeth go stiff as his grit his teeth. Hearing the name of that faker brought an immense amount of rage from the human. He would give anything to face that ignorant mare once more and bring Luna back to them. "I have sent her to Ponyville under the guise that I wanted her to make new friends. What she doesn't know is that she is an important key to unlocking the power of the Elements of Harmony that have become unusable to me. Since I know that this would not only be of great importance, but also a personal demon that you wish to deal with, I am sending you to watch over her and wait for the time to strike. I believe in the power if the Elements, but I don't believe that their power will be enough to finish the job. I want you to leave with her tomorrow, unseen by her or anypony else. This will be no different from any mission that you have been assigned except for the fact that this will involve the target surviving. I trust in your skill and believe that you will finally bring Luna back home to us." Seeth smiled at the thought of being able to see the Luna he grew up with once more.
"Trust me when I say that there is no way I'll repeat the past. I beat that insignificant mare until I send it back into its little pit of darkness. I will bring your sister back this time, without failure!" Celestia smiled at the enthusiasm Luna's shadow leaked. She knew that his word was trustworthy and had no second thoughts about his success.
"Good, prepare for your departure in the morning and good luck." Seeth gave her a toothy grin before raising his index and middle finger to his forehead in a salute, leaving in the same means he entered.
"…and I also want you to try and make some friends." A mare and dragon were both sitting side by side in a sky chariot heading for the small town of Ponyville. The mare had a lavender coat with a dark blue mane and tail that had streaks of purple and dark pink running through them. Her eyes were a dark purple and on her flank was a pink six pointed star with a smaller star behind it, surrounded by smaller white stars. Along for the ride was a small purple baby dragon. Rounded spikes started from the top of his and reached all the way down to his tail that was ended in an arrow. His underside was a pale light green and his eyes were a darker green with slit pupils. The dragon looked to the mare's expression as he finished reading the letter and saw that she had a look of disbelief from what she had heard.
"I don't have time for that Spike! It is more than likely that tonight is the night that is said to be the release of Nightmare Moon from her prison on the moon. If this is true, then we have to find out where we can find the Elements of Harmony so we can stop her." Spike just waved off the mare's incessant rambling about the possibilities of some myth coming true.
"C'mon Twilight, this is the first time we'll see the outside of Canterlot in a long time so let's enjoy it while we can." But Twilight paid no attention to the dragon's pleas.
"I don't care about making friends Spike. We have to make sure that we can stop Nightmare Moon from returning. If we don't, who knows what could happen to Ponyville or even all of Equestria!" This is what Seeth had to listen to as he used his magic to jump among the clouds above the sky chariot. As Celestia had explained, Twilight was already focused on finding the Elements of Harmony, but she had also told him that six were needed to completely activate their power. That was the whole purpose behind Celestia's plan to get Twilight to make friends. If she couldn't figure that out she would never resurrect their power and he would have to step in for more drastic measures. Before he had left, Celestia had given him specific details to not interfere unless it was needed and to keep from everypony's sight while in town. It would be like any other assassination mission, only this time there was a capture target and not extermination. Seeth stopped and watched as Twilight and Spike hopped out of the chariot as it landed and made their way into town. The sky chariot turned around and once again took off into the sky, passing Seeth as the he and the guards exchanged nods while passing. He continued hopping through the clouds as he kept close watch on the lavender mare. Seeth took a small bit of time examining the city that he hadn't been able to take time to look at in any past mission visits. Nothing had really changed since his first visit her except for new faces and a few new buildings and businesses. The bright atmosphere he saw when he came here always brought him a happy feeling for some unknown reason. Turning back to Twilight he found that she had run into some pink mare and he had watched in confused amusement as the mare seemed to gasp in surprise and slowly float in the air before taking off at blinding speeds. Seeth didn't question it as he had found the residents of this particular town to have some rather strange quirks to them. After watching Twilight get over her shock, they continued on to check on the ponies in charge of making the food. Seeth chuckled as he watched Twilight get acquainted with the mare running the farm that was handling the food. She was a light orange mare with a seemingly blonde mane and tail that were held up in a ponytail. Atop her mane was a brown Stetson that brought her southern personality. Her eyes were a dark green and her face was dotted with freckles on each cheek. Her Cutie Mark was that of three red apples in a sort of triangle on her flank. Twilight put a hoof out to greet the mare and the country pony quickly took hold of it and introduced herself as Applejack in the flurry of a vicious hoofshake. After introductions Applejack invited Twilight to sample some of the dishes that were being made for something called the Summer Sun Celebration. The Unicorn attempted to refuse, but caved in under the pressure of a pouting filly.
Twilight slowly walked back into Ponyville, trying to ignore the weight her bulging stomach was bringing down on her. "Okay Spike, what do have to do next?"
"Well, there's supposed to be a Pegasus named Rainbow Dash who was assigned to clearing the sky." Twilight looked around above in agitation as she saw numerous clouds above.
"Seems Rainbow Dash is slacking in the loyalty department don't you think?"
Seeth stood on a cloud and watched as Twilight looked among the clouds for something. Cursing to himself, he ducked among the clouds to avoid detection. He didn't remember ever giving away any indication that he was following her, but he didn't want risk anything on a hunch. He waited as the dragon and Unicorn didn't seem to show any sign of them actually seeing him. They just seemed to be looking for something that was supposed to be in the area at the time.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Out of pure reflex, Seeth spun on a heel and delivered a soft kick to whoever had caught him of guard. He looked on wide eyed as he saw a rainbow blur head straight for Twilight.
"Shit!"
Twilight couldn't register what had happened as some form of mass slammed into her side and landed both of them in a puddle of mud. The body jumped off of her as fast as it came as Twilight heard the flapping of wings. "Where did that punk go? I'll pop him so hard he won't stop until he hits the tallest tower of Canterlot Castle!" Twilight slowly stood up, somehow feeling as if she had just lost a large sum of weight. Looking up she found the culprit of the sudden crash test flying above her, frantically searching for something above the clouds. The Pegasus had a light cyan coat with a unique rainbow colored mane and tail. Her eyes were a light cerise and on her flank was the Cutie Mark of a white cloud with a slightly curving rainbow thunderbolt shooting from said cloud.
"Excuse me, Rainbow Dash." Rainbow Dash's ears perked up at the calling of her name and turned around, a sheepish expression suddenly taking over her features as she saw what she had accidentally done to the Unicorn.
"Sorry about that, here let me help you out." The Pegasus took off and immediately returned with a cloud. Placing it over Twilight, she hopped on top of cloud making it pour down rain on the muddied Unicorn. When Rainbow looked over her work she again relived the look of embarrassment that Twilight had first met. "Don't worry, I'll give you my very own Rainblow Dry." She speedily took off and began to fly circles around Twilight. A few laps brought about the life of a rainbow vortex that sent Twilight sprawling to the ground, her mane and tail frizzing up in random directions. This brought a fit of laughter from both Rainbow Dash and Spike as Twilight looked up at the Pegasus in annoyance.
"While I appreciate the gesture, shouldn't you be clearing the skies?" Rainbow just sat back on a cloud, waving a hoof at Twilight.
"Yeah yeah, I'll get to that in-" She halted that sentence as a looked of anger formed along her brow. "Actually, give me ten seconds and I'll have the sky cleared. I still have a little score to settle with some punk who thought it was cool to turn me into his personal kickball!" Puzzled, Twilight watched in amazement as the Pegasus was true to her word and had the sky clear in what she thought was less than the time she had originally given her! After she was down she hovered in a quick circle before punching both of her hooves together. "Darn, must have given me the slip when he sent me flying. Anyways, it was good meeting you…"
"Twilight Sparkle."
"…but I have to keep practicing some new moves I came up with." The Pegasus lived up to her name as she dashed away at a moment's notice.
Seeth watched the blur that was Rainbow Dash slowly become a speck in the distance as she went off to who knows where. He had gotten careless and was spotted; luckily the mare hadn't really grabbed a glimpse of him so he was still somewhat in the clear. He was lucky that he took refuge among the rooftops before Rainbow went and cleared the skies otherwise he would have been screwed. He moved on through the rooftops as he caught back up to Twilight who was now being dressed up in multiple clothes by a white Unicorn. Her mane and tail was a deep indigo and curled at the ends. Her eyes were a nice azure and on her flank was a Cutie Mark of three diamonds. Meanwhile, Spike looked to be gawking at the mare as she speedily got Twilight out of her current outfit and into another. Soon the mare disappeared into the back of the building and that's when Twilight took the incentive to book it. "Isn't Rarity the most amazing Unicorn you've ever seen?"
"Come on Spike, let's get out of her before she decides to go overboard and use me as a model for dye and the summer catalog!" Twilight ditched the clothing, grabbed Spike, and sped out the door.
"What's next Spike, I'm getting a bit tired of this town and its crazy ponies."
"All that's left is to check on the pony that is in charge of music." It was then that both dragon and pony stopped once they heard the beautiful chirping coming from down the road. They slowly made their way to the sound and poked their heads through some bushes to find a Pegasus mare orchestrating a group of birds. Her coat was a light yellow and her mane and tail were a very light pink that curled up at the tips. Her eyes were a light cyan and on her flank was the Cutie Mark of three butterflies that had light blue bodies with pink wings.
"Oh…hold on please." Stopping the music she flew up to one of the birds that were perched up on the top branch. "I'm sorry, but uh…you're a bit off." The bird acknowledged her advice with a rapid nod of its head. "Okay, let try again in one, two, thr-"
"Excuse me." Twilight's sudden intrusion caused all of the birds to scatter away and scared the Pegasus and had her hiding behind her mane. "My name is Twilight Sparkle and I'm her to supervise the Summer Sun Celebration. Are you the pony in charge of music, because that was beautiful." The Pegasus just seemed to back up further into her mane as she seemed to try and vanish from the Unicorn's sight. "Might I ask what your name is?" She once again got no answer from the timid Pegasus. "Okay then, I guess I'll just leave you to getting back to your music since it looks like the birds came back." With that, Twilight turned around and began heading to the place she was supposed to be staying in during her visit. What she didn't expect was to be tackled by the mare that wouldn't answer any questions as she took hold of Spike.
"Oh my gosh, I've never seen a baby dragon before! What's your name?"
"I'm Spike, you?"
"My name's Fluttershy, oh this is so amazing! I've always thought of meeting a baby dragon and now here I am actually talking to one!" Twilight sighed as she continued on down the road with Spike on her back as the two went on a frenzy of question and answer. It wasn't until they had finally made it to the building that Twilight was staying at. It was a large tree that had a large amount of windows dotting the outside. Up top was a balcony that had a nice view over Ponyville. On some of the windows there were awnings made from what look to be leaves that had grown off of the tree. The door had the picture of a lit candle and had two door handles yet didn't seem to look like it would split apart when pulled. Outside of the building was a sign that held the picture of a book. Once Twilight reached the door she was quick to spin around to the yellow mare that had stayed with them on the journey.
"I'm terribly sorry, but it seems we will have to part ways here. It was nice meeting to you though, bye!" With that, Twilight quickly shut the door and let out a sigh of relief.
"You know Twilight; it wouldn't hurt to at least show some effort in making a friend or two."
"I already told you why I can't Spike. And I definitely can't do that with all of these insane ponies surrounding me."
"SURPRISE!" Twilight launched herself into the air as she jumped at the intrusion of what seemed to be every voice of Ponyville as pretty much the entire town had gathered in her home. She was even more startled when she was assaulted by the same pink mare that she had met that morning. The mare had a light pink coat with a darker pink mane and tail that seem to puff out as if it were cotton candy. Her eyes were a light cerulean and on her flank was a Cutie Mark of three balloons, two light blue with yellow strings and one yellow with a light blue string. She seemed to show an immense amount of undying energy that lightened up the atmosphere of the party.
"Hi I'm Pinkie Pie, the pony you saw this morning. Sorry about that, but when I saw that you were new in Ponyville I knew that I had to throw a party! That's why I was like, HUHHHHHHHHHHHH. And then I took off to get the party that you're at right now ready for when you came. I hope you like it!" While Pinkie Pie was going on with her explanation for the party, Twilight was making herself a drink. Sadly she wasn't paying attention and had accidentally mixed some hot sauce into her drink. Once she had taken a drink she soon felt the effects as smoke comically came out of her ears and she darted off into another room.
Seeth sat among the shadows as he watched Twilight try and block out the noise of the party in the room next door. She kept glancing up to the window, watching the moon and quivering in fear of what that night could hold. Spike soon walked in on the mare, a lamp shade atop his head as he looked up to the worried mare. "C'mon Twilight you need to loosen up a bit. Sitting with your nose buried in these books and myths aren't healthy for you."
"I can't Spike, not until I'm sure Nightmare Moon won't return or I can find the Elements of Harmony."
"Fine, but we should go now. The Summer Sun Celebration is about to begin." Twilight nodded and jumped down to the floor as the both made their way out of the door, a black mist hovering over them during their departure.
Soon the two were gathered up inside Ponyville Town Hall along with every other resident of Ponyville. Everypony sat around as they waited for the beginning of the celebration and the appearance of the Princess. After a while the mayor of the town, Mayor Mare, stepped out into the crowed. The mayor had a light amber coat with a light grayish mane and tail that had a darker gray strip running through both. Behind her half-moon gold rimmed glasses were a pair of dark blue eyes. On her neck was a white collar that had a dark sea foam green fluffy tie like fabric. Her flank held the Cutie Mark of a scroll that was wrapped in a blue ribbon. "Attention everypony, we are here in the last minutes before the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration. So without further interruption, I present to you Princess Celestia." Fluttershy signaled the birds to begin their music as the curtains were pulled back to reveal an empty balcony. Rarity took a glance inside to be sure before coming out with a look of shock.
"She's gone!"
Seeth looked on from the upper level balconies, watching as the ponies below grew uneasy as time passed at finding that their Princess wasn't among them. He wasn't worried as he had already known that this was all in the planning for the resurrection of the Elements. The only thing that worried him was the chill that instantly ran down his spine. His muscles tensed as he watched some dark blue mist swirl among the crowd, frightening the citizens below. What he saw next had him splintering the wooden railing he had been gripping. He watched as that insignificant bitch of a mare that made his life a living hell, materialize upon the balcony that had been prepped for the Princess. Nightmare Moon made her presence known with her flashy entrance. The tall Alicorn glared at the town population that had been gathered in the Town Hall. Nightmare Moon was a pitch black coated mare with a mane in tail that looked like the starry sky itself while it moved in a nonexistent breeze. On her head was a helmet along with an armor chest piece like necklace that had a crescent moon in its center and also wore some intricate shoes that were all a pale blue color. Her eyes were a fairly light blue that had a black slit pupil. On her flank was a purple splotch that had a crescent moon similar to the one on her chest piece.
"Hello my loyal subjects, it's good to see the faces of those who despised my moon even after all of these years." Everypony coward away as the dark mare's gaze past over them. "I see that none of you seem to know who I am. Is it because you don't see the crown that used to adorn my head? Did any of you see that this day was coming, the day of my return?"
"I saw them and I know who you are!" The mare of the night turned to Twilight as she announced her knowledge of her return.
"Oh really, then who am I?"
"You are the mare in the moon, Nightm-" She was interrupted as some weird black shadow shot at Nightmare Moon, knocking her back. The shadow wrapped around her neck as Seeth melted out of the shadow, his hand being replaced with the black under head. The glare that he gave her made even the mare's blood freeze as it promised spilt blood. He picked Nightmare Moon up before sending her flying as he turned around and chucked her at the balcony as she took out the railing and a small piece of the balcony and kicked up dust when she impacted with the ground. The ponies watched on in fear as they saw the weird creature that knocked Nightmare Moon back appear in the blink of an eye, with both of his legs on either side of her, and lifted her up by her neck.
"I know who you are, you're coming with me." Shadows seemed to engulf the two before it looked as if it crushed them, leaving behind wisps of black smoke.
Seeth and Nightmare Moon melded together from the shadows a few feet away from entering the Everfree Forest. He lifted the mare and tossed her at the tree, leaving it to crack under the power as she hit the ground. Nightmare Moon slowly pushed herself up while glaring at the insolent fool who dared to attack her. "Who does thou think he is to think he can treat me like a ragdoll?" When she was able to fully stand Nightmare Moon finally got a full intake on Seeth's appearance, her eyes widening in realization before a vicious smirk overtook her lips. "Ah, it has been a while since we have met face to face. Does thou enjoy my little parting present?" The smirk was replaced with a painful grimace as her head jerked to the side from the feeling of the back of Seeth's hand.
"I know you're in there Luna, and I am sorry for hurting you. Please forgive me for anything that I may do at the moment, I will take any punishment for my treachery once you are freed." That sent a chuckle down Nightmare Moon's throat.
"Do you really think that she can be saved? There is no hope for that sorry excuse for a pitiful mare." That brought about another jerk of her head to the opposite side. She growled in annoyance at the little pest's actions. "You are trying m-"
"And the more you keep talking, the harder it is to keep myself from hurting you beyond recognition! The only thing holding me back is that everything you feel, Luna feels to. I already know that I have dealt her a good bit of pain in the past few minutes and I'd rather not deal any more. I only brought you here to see Luna once again and to break out a little anger on the little filly that's getting what she deserves." Seeth put his hand down, turned around, and began walking away.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"I'm not going to be the one that will defeat you, I'm just back up. And for both of our sakes, I hope that things won't come to that. Until then, we can't wait to welcome you back Luna." Seeth disappeared with his signature exit through the surrounding shadows, leaving behind a pissed mare that slithered into the Everfree Forest in a misty vapor.
"No, no, no, no, is there anything here on the Elements of Harmony?" Twilight had managed to slink her way out of the crowd of ponies and went back to the library. After seeing that her hunch about Nightmare Moon was true she wanted to find any available information on the Elements in a desperate attempt to find where they were hidden.
"And just exactly are these Elements of Harmony? Are you some kind of spy working for that hot head of a mare?" Twilight was surprised when she came face to face with an agitated Rainbow Dash before Applejack intervened and pulled the red hot mare away from the bookworm.
"Now hold on there filly, don't go accusing ponies of something you're not sure about. I'm sure Twilight has a good reason to be secretive about something like this." The country mare looked to Twilight with a questioning glance, hoping the Unicorn would prove her instincts right. Twilight levitated the book she had on the tale of Nightmare Moon as the other five mares she met that day filed into her home.
"Yes, that pony that appeared in the Town Hall is known as Nightmare Moon and is the pony from the myth of the mare that was sealed in the moon. I read that the only thing that was powerful enough to defeat her was known as the Elements of Harmony, but I haven't had any luck on finding information on their whereabouts." Twilight was startled by the feeling of something hitting her hoof. Looking down she found a booked titled 'The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide'. She looked up to find the astounded face of Pinkie Pie staring down at the book with her.
"Wow Twilight, books must really like you! I was looking to see if there was any book here that fit any description of the Elements of Harmony and then this book just fell of the shelf and slid right over to you!" Just pushing it off as one of the crazy pony's quirks, Twilight opened the book to try and find any information on the Elements of Harmony.
"The book says that the Elements were hidden and guarded inside the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. The castle has been abandoned for many years and now lay in ruins deep within the Everfree Forest." The name of the forest elicited an uncontrollable shiver from all of the mares. "Well it seems we know where we're going."
"Uh…I-I don't know about this. Couldn't we j-just try…and maybe ask…her p-politely if she'll stop. I mean i-if that's okay with you." Twilight slowly brushed a calming hoof through the timid mare's mane, getting a small squeak from Fluttershy.
"It's okay; you don't have to come with. In fact, none of you girls have to join me. I'm sure I can get this job done by myself."
"Oh no surgarcube, don't think for a second that I'm going to let one of my friends walk off into some place like the Everfree Forest alone when I know I can help them. You can count me in."
"Me two, I'm not gonna let that dumb mare get away with taking our Princess!"
"I must agree darling, it will be safer should we all traverse the forest together."
"Oh this is will be so fun! Maybe there will be all kinds of new ponies we can meet and throw parties for!"
"I-I could help you…get through the forest. I don't…k-know a lot about it, but I've…been in it a f-few times." Twilight sighed in defeat as she saw that she wouldn't be able to steer their determination, but couldn't help but smile at how willing they were to help some pony they had just met.
"Alright then girls, let's get going so we can find the Elements!" The mares prepared for the perilous journey through the unpredictable forest, careless to think of what really waited for them beyond the underbrush.
"I should have known, the cliché bad guy waits for the protagonist at the point of interest only to stop them before they reach their goal. Then the next thing that always tends to happen is that the protagonist finds a way to defeat the arrogant antagonist. If the one thing that has become older than me is how many times I've watched how this unfolds." Seeth stepped up beside the night mare as she stood posted in a tower in the ruins of the castle that currently held the Elements if Harmony. Nightmare Moon scoffed at the presence of the human pest that she couldn't seem to exterminate.
"What does thou want before finally leaving me in peace?"
"Not much, just trying to get a seat to the show before I watch your sorry ass sent back to the abyss where you belong."
"Such a vile mouth, I don't believe Luna would appreciate such language in her presence."
"Trust me when I say that I'm positive the same things are going through her mind." Nightmare opened her mouth and suddenly stopping as her eyes widened in shock, before taking on a glare of anger. The anger boiled more as she heard a deep chuckle come from the human. "Seems to look like your time is about up. That's gotta suck, not even a day out and you're about to become nothing but a memory." The mare growled before lashing out at Seeth, the human taking the blow as his head jerked to his right.
"Trust me when I say this, I will stop them from recharging the Elements and you will never see that puny filly ever again." Nightmare Moon recoiled as Seeth struck her hard enough to draw blood that leaked from her nose.
"And I already told you that I was willing to take any punish, even the death penalty, for what I do in this small time. The only reason you aren't dead is because I know Luna can still be saved and those mares are the only way of doing just that." Seeth smiled as her heard the doors to the castle echo throughout the halls as they were slowly opened. "Looks like you're leaving faster than I thought." Nightmare Moon growled once more before vanishing in a mist and headed for the unsuspecting mares. Seeth followed so he could keep a close eye on the outcome and jump in should things get nasty.
As the six mares entered the castle they instantly noticed how unstable the old structure was. Twilight stopped all of the ponies as a stone that made up a small section of the ceiling fell right in their path. "We should be careful while venturing through her, there's no telling when this whole place is going to collapse." Rarity however, had a completely different outlook on the situation.
"Oh dear this place is just so drab that it hurts my eyes to even bear witness to it. The dreary atmosphere, the ugly colors, I don't think I can continue unless I wish to have my heart give out at such disgusting scenery!"
"Shucks Rarity, can't you go one minute without going on about how terrible something is?" The white Unicorn just huffed and dramatically threw her head to the side with a whip of her mane. Applejack just rolled her eyes at the prissy mare's attitude and continued on with the other through the castle. They examined the halls they walked through, seeing pictures of Celestia when she was younger along with some younger dark blue mare, and some broken furniture. After a small time of walking they came upon a flight of stairs that twisted into a tower on the side of the castle. The mares took their time cautiously crawling up the stairs in case something unexpected was to occur. Not long after they had started were they done as they now stood in front of a large rusted door. Twilight studied the door before her horn was alighted by a magical glow, slowly forcing the door in on itself. Once the task was complete each pony was surprised when they only found five stones lying in the desolate room. Twilight hurriedly made her way over to the stones and crouched next to them while prodding at them with her hoof.
"Just great, we get here and I still have no clue on how to activate them." She sat in front of the rocks as she began casting a multitude of spells in an attempt to give the Elements a kick start. The other five mares watched on in the sidelines while Twilight tried her hardest to work the only thing that could help them battle Nightmare Moon. Deciding that none of them were any help standing around, they filed through the door to try and see if they could find any extra information on the
Elements of Harmony. As soon as the set their hooves outside the door it slammed shut, successfully locking them out and separating them from Twilight.
Twilight was frightened by the sudden crash of the door closing itself, but was even more worried as she watched the same mare that had started this epidemic appear before her. Nightmare Moon gave off a maniacal chuckle as she watched the lavender mare tremble at the sight of the Alicorn. "Thank you so much for showing me just where I could find the Elements. Perhaps I could reward you by making your end a little less painful than I had intended. A horn to the heart sounds quick enough, don't you agree?" Nightmare Moon's face split into a grin as she charged Twilight before she suddenly slid into nothing when a flash of light hit her vision. Spinning on a hoof she found that Twilight had teleported behind her and was still trying in vain to work the Elements.
"Come on, work, activate, help, answer, something reassuring!" Nightmare just burst into laughter at the mare's pathetic attempt to try and find her salvation. Twilight jumped back as a dark aura shrouded the stones and levitated them over to Nightmare Moon.
"You stupid filly, you can't possibly hope to control the Elements. Somepony so young cannot grasp the power nor do they have the experience to wield them alone." Nightmare Moon slowly lined them up in front of her, a grin that widened as she then began pulling them apart from each other before using all of her magical for to crush the Elements together, leaving them to become nothing but a pile if dust. Twilight went slack jawed as she witnessed her only line of defense was wiped from existence in the matter of seconds. Nightmare relished in that look of hopelessness, finding it fitting for the pony that had met her end.
"Twilight, Twilight can you hear us?" Applejack continues to yell the Unicorn's name as she shoulder charged the door in a desperate attempt to get in the room. "Darn, doesn't look we'll be able to get in there on our own. We might need Twilight's help on the other side before we can get this door opened. Rainbow, can you fly around and see if you can see anything from any of those windows." The rainbow mare saluted before taking off in a sudden burst of speed.
"Twilight, Twilight can you hear us?" Nightmare Moon's ears twitched as she heard the pony's call coming from the other side of the door.
"Well would you look at that, it seems your friends want to join you in death. Such a happy scene, too bad it is only destined for a despairing conclusion that will be lost under the rubble of this decrepit castle. So, shall we continue where we had left off a few moments ago?" Twilight froze as she watched the starry mare charge her once more. This time Twilight was too frightened to try and escaped and only braced herself for the final blow. She was surprised though when she hear a grunt that hadn't escaped her mouth. Slowly peeping out from under her eyelids she instantly became slack jawed at the outrageous sight before her. Some bipedal creature she had never seen before was keeping Nightmare Moon at bay with not even a struggle through the grip of one of its appendages. It wore a long flowing black jacket that seemed to look as if it was torn and stripped of fabric with the shredded ends giving similar movements to Nightmare Moon's mane. It also wore a pair of pants, but not any like she had seen ponies wear in Canterlot. These pants flared out around its legs and seemed to have multiple straps and buckles with chains and other miscellaneous items hanging from them. They had a unique color scheme of a dark red with a bright white trimming. On his hands were a pair of black gloves and strangely enough they only covered the first two weird bony things that came after the fat stub at the end of whatever they were all attached to. She couldn't see much of his back hooves because of the fact that he pants covered a lot of them, but she could see that he wore a pair of bulky black boots that were covered at the ends in a pointed metal that looked like it should have been on a medieval knight. Twilight was rather angered when she tried to get a glimpse at the face of her savior, but found that he had put up the hood of his jacket.
Seeth watched as the dark mare before him struggle against the grip he had on her horn, a bored expression on his face as he witnessed the feeble display of power. Nightmare on the other hand was burning with volcanic rage as she saw that she couldn't force that stupid human back with her power. When she had last seen him he was nothing but a little wimpy creature being trained for the guard that she saw would easily kill him on the first assignment. This isn't what she had planned on, she believed that the human would wallow in pity and curl up in a corner wishing for death. Now here he was foiling the plan she had been taking countless precautions with to ensure her victory. No, she wasn't going to lose the battle this easily. "Come on Nightmare; don't tell me all of that time on the moon went straight to your ass as you sat on it for a thousand years. I honestly would have hoped that the mare that had sent me into a deep depression all those years ago would put up a much better fight. I hate myself even more just thinking about how I lost Luna to such a pitiful being such as you." Nightmare Moon broke from the contact when she felt Seeth loosen his grip and she quickly put distance between each of them.
"Don't you even think that for one second you are better than me you inferior human! None are more powerful than me and I will show you why!" Nightmare Moon went wide eyed when she saw a chain pass only inches from her cheek, hearing the sound of the chain wrapping and metal in metal before watching the chain become choked. The mare looked behind her in surprise when she heard multiple hoofsteps and found that Seeth had opened the door, letting in the five mares she had separated from Twilight. The first one to make any kind of move was Rainbow Dash as she kept pointing a hoof at Seeth.
"See Applejack, that's that weird creature I was telling you I saw. And the same one who thought it would be funny to kick me out of the sky." Seeth showed no signs of caring or emotion for that matter as Rainbow put went head to head with him. "You want to explain what that whole thing was a bout bub?"
Seeth surprised the Pegasus when he clamped her mouth shut with one of his weird paw looking things and pushed her out of his face. "Maybe some other time, right now you have something more important to deal with." Rainbow Dash turned around to see her friends circling Nightmare Moon, each mare sporting a disliking expression aside from Fluttershy who was trying to hide from the dark pony. Rainbow turned back to him, pointing a hoof at her then at him before taking off to join her friends. Twilight stepped towards Nightmare Moon with the newfound confidence that came with her friends having her back.
"Give up Nightmare. There's no way you can win!" Nightmare's cheeks puffed out as she failed to hold back the laugh that erupted from her throat.
"Don't fool yourself filly, you don't have the Elements of Harmony so there is no way you can defeat me." Nightmare Moon was quickly shocked when she watched the dust that was once the Elements swirl at the hooves of the six mares. She was even more surprised to find that Twilight was smirking at the mare that was once only seconds from ending her life.
"That's what I thought at first, but then it hit me. The Elements themselves were never those stone to begin with! There was never anything that said that the Elements could and would only be inanimate objects. No, each Element is a characteristic that is represented by each pony in this room. Applejack, the pony who reassured me that everything was going to be okay, that nothing bad would happen to me represents Honesty." The dust thinned out before wrapping around Applejack's neck in a blinding light that died down to show that a golden necklace with a gem that looked like her Cutie Mark adorned her neck. "Fluttershy who, while we tried to resolve through violence, calmed a Manticore and kept it from harming us represents Kindness." The event repeated giving Fluttershy a similar necklace that had a jewel that copied her Cutie Mark. "Pinkie Pie who faced danger and defeated it by laughing it away and always staying on the upside of the situation represents Laughter." Pinkie Pie hopped in joy as she gained the same necklace with a jewel that had her Cutie Mark on it. "Rarity who was able to part with the one thing that meant the most and defined her to help a grieving sea serpent represents Generosity." The white Unicorn marveled at the beauty the jewel that was carved into the shape of her Cutie Mark held. "Rainbow Dash was able to give up a chance at her dream to help her friends in their time of need, she represents Loyalty." Rainbow Dash puffed out her chest as she too gained her very own necklace. Nightmare Moon could only go into another fit of laughter at the bluff that was used to try and scare her.
"It doesn't matter, without the sixth Element your fate is the same as it was moments ago!"
"Oh but you wrong, for the Elements were revived by a spark. With this spark we were able to unlock the powers the Elements of Harmony hold. The spark that binds these things and us together is the power of Magic!" An intricate crown that held the gem that reflected Twilight's Cutie Mark rose above her before falling atop her head. Nightmare Moon took a small step back as a set of rainbows shot forth from the Elements and formed one larger rainbow that headed straight for the mare. On impact the rainbow swirled around Nightmare for a few seconds before dispersing. After everything the six mares put forth they were disheartened when they found the dark mare standing, if only barely.
"Like I told you, I will not fall as easily as you think. I've put too much effort in this plan to be defeated on such a whim." Everypony in the room were silenced by the hoof falls of the boots the strange creature wore as he made his way to Nightmare Moon. The mare's eyes widened as the fear finally surface when she saw the hooded face of the man that was about to finish the job while she was in her weakened state. "Stay back, you won't defeat me this easily! I'm Nightmare Moon and one of the most powerful mares in Equestria! Think about what will happen to Luna!" Seeth stepped forward and took hold of Nightmare Moon's lower jaw, pulling her forward and making her come face to face with him.
"You're scared of me Nightmare, because you know that I can send your sorry ass away." As he said those words she became scared and began thrashing in his hold in hopes of braking free.
"Don't you dare, I won't go back you can't mak-" Nightmare Moon was silenced as her lips met those of the human. She went stiff as her eyes reverted from their slit pupil and the dark visage of Nightmare Moon began fading away into dust. Every dark characteristic that represented Nightmare Moon disappeared and left behind the form of the unconscious mare that had been used as the evil mare's vessel. Seeth smiled as he saw the weakened form of the pony he had dreamed of seeing since the day she had been banished.
"Welcome back, Luna." Twilight and her friends stood shocked at what they had just seen. They had witnessed the weird creature kiss Nightmare Moon! And that was just the beginning as they watched Nightmare Moon just vanish in the wind and leave behind a much younger mare. Twilight's mind was literally about to fry as it was going haywire at all the questions that just piled within her mind. She was only snapped out of her internal rant when she heard hoofsteps and looked up to find the weird creature in front of her, his its hood down so that she could finally study his face. His face was slender, not seeing enough fat to actually show on his features. He had a short brown hair that spike out a little towards the front and sort of jutted out over his right, never really falling down to cover it. The tips of the mane that stood were dyed a pale blue, a weird combination of colors in her eyes. His eyes were a very light blue that reminded her of ice and almost gave her the indication that he could have possibly been blind. Now that he was actually facing her she could see that he was wearing a white tank top that sort of loosely hung off of his body never really giving any hints on his body structure. "Are you girls alright?" All six of the ponies nodded as they had trouble keeping their jaws off of the floor. The thing that knocked them out of their stupor was Rainbow Dash flying over to Seeth and punching him in the face. The further unhinging of their jaws was a rather comical scene to watch if it wasn't for the seriousness of the situation.
"Just who are you and what are you doing here?" Seeth stayed silent and just stared dead ahead at the brash Pegasus. "Are you going to answer me?" Seeth casually rose his arms, causing Rainbow Dash to briefly flinch, and crossed them on his chest. The Pegasus became more enraged as the weird thing in front of her continued to ignore her. Rainbow raised another hoof in preparation for another strike.
"Stop, Rainbow Dash!" The rainbow mare froze in mid punch at Twilight's command. She fell to the ground as Twilight move forward, giving Seeth one last once over. They seemed to be studying each other before, surprisingly; Seeth broke the silence between the two.
"So you are Princess Celestia's student." Twilight's eyes widened at how he spoke of information she had never disclosed to anypony she had met while in Ponyville.
"How do you know about that?" The mare became frustrated as the creature seemed to once again become mute.
"You can be a little more sociable, Seeth. Your mission is complete and there for you are off the clock. I swear, maybe I should have sent you with Twilight as a known guest so you too could make friends." Everypony turned to watch Princess Celestia gently touch down inside the castle. Twilight quickly ran over to the Princess and was met with a hug. Stepping back the Unicorn looked up to Celestia with a questioning gaze.
"Princess, why are you here and how do you know who this creature is?" Princess Celestia looked towards Seeth, throwing a playful smirk.
"You still haven't told her yet?"
"You know that I have no intentions of giving any information away unless given the permission." She just shook her head at the typical attitude the human showed when it came to the potential safety of her and her sister. "Speaking of sister…" Celestia stepped past Seeth and made her way over to the unconscious mare that Nightmare Moon left behind. The Princess lied down next to her as the mare stirred and slowly opened her eyes. "It's been a long time Luna, to think I would have to do something as selfish as banish my own sister from the family. It is something that sickens me every time I think on the matter. A sister should have tried to help her family in their time of need and yet all I did was give you a prison that you didn't deserve. If there is any way to ask for forgiveness, I will gladly take any measure to gain it from you." The little speech brought tears to the pale mare's eyes as she hugged the sister she hadn't seen in a thousand years.
"Oh sister, we would like us to be a family once more. We are sorry for the way we acted and wish for forgiveness." Celestia smiled down at Luna and returned the hug.
"Like is said, if anypony should be asking for forgiveness it should be me. I will always love you Luna, no matter what, and will never dream of taking you out of the family." Seeth had a wide smile on his face as he watched the sweet reunion. The six Element wielders also smiled at the scene, the surprise from everything they had already witnessed before keeping the fact that Luna was Celestia's sister from surprising them as much as it should have. Said Princess stood up along with her sister and turned to her student. "I congratulate you on a job well done not only making friends, but also finding the Elements of Harmony."
"But you told me that it was just an old pony's tale."
"No, I said to go to Ponyville and try to make some friends. I sent you to Ponyville for the sole purpose of finding the Elements, but I also knew that there was no way only one pony could activate them. As you can see, the power of friendship is a greater ally than you had originally thought and is also what activated the Elements." Twilight nodded her head in understanding as she processed the plan the Princess had set forward.
"But what about him?" She gestured over to Seeth who was still standing with his arms cross, not really giving a care about anything else that was happening at the moment.
"Do you want me to tell them or will you?" The human let out a sigh in defeat as he dropped his arms and stepped towards the six mares.
"My name is Seeth and I am the only known species called human that is known to exist in this world at the moment. I am part of the more hidden branches of the Royal Guard and only answer to Luna as I am part of her guard. I work alone in the assassination unit and take care of those who threatened our peace and sometimes travel as an ambassador to other countries in hopes of peace. As Nightmare Moon, Luna placed a permanent curse on me that seems to have given me about the same lifespan as an Alicorn, making somewhat immortal in a sense. Anything else?" Of course, Rainbow Dash couldn't keep her mouth shut for any reason.
"Yeah, why did you kick me when I asked you a question?"
"I am sorry about that, but I was supposed to stay hidden and you almost blew my cover so I acted on my instincts." Rainbow sat back down, seemingly pleased but not any happier with her answer. Seeth turned back to Celestia and once again crossed his arms. "I will meet you back at the castle once you return. Please return safely." He dispelled in a slither of shadows that shot into the sky before spreading out across the sky. Twilight was mesmerized at the display of flashy exiting the human was now renowned for. Rainbow Dash thought of things a bit differently though.
"Next time I see him I'll beat his ass."
Luna lied on the balcony outside her room as she bathed alone in the moonlight. The happiness that she felt swelling inside of her had become a foreign feeling to her, and yet it felt so right. She was back home and once again beside her sister. It was also astonishing to see the human she had taken in countless years ago. He had grown a lot since she had left and it didn't seem like he let any of his skills falter. Speaking of which. "It is rather unlike you to summon yourself into my private quarters." She turned around to find said human bowing in her presence. "Come now, I would think that after all of these years you'd know such things are unneeded. We've been through a lot together and have more than just some guard to the royalty relationship." Seeth stood, but didn't dare meet the moon mare's eyes.
"After the things I did, I don't believe I have the right to treat you like that." Her eyes softened at the conflicting emotions she saw with the boy.
"Please don't beat yourself up over that. I know you and that you would never harm me under purposeful reason. You were angered by the darkness that lingered within my mind and couldn't stand how she used me for her personal gain."
"That still isn't a justified reason. I should have controlled myself, my emotions. I was trained by the guard and myself for years on how to mask and control emotions just to let it slip up. It is an inexcusable and treacherous deed that I had laid even a finger on you." He was surprised when he felt a pair of hooves entangle his neck.
"You have done so much during your time here and this night was not overlooked. You were finally able to save me from my despair and bring me back to you and my sister. The anger is understandable seeing as how not only did she give you the ability to potentially live forever, but also stole the one that showed you the first bout of kindness you had seen since your arrival. I can forgive you because what you did was needed to save me. Besides, you didn't hurt me at all. You hit the mental coat of my jealous rage, not my physical body. I might have felt it, but you didn't really hurt me." Luna smiled when she felt the human's arms wrap wound her back.
"You have idea how happy I am to see you back." Seeth broke the hug as he backed away and vanished in a burst of his trademark shadows. Smiling as he left she raised a hoof that gently touched her lips.
"A little more than you think actually."
And there you have it, a third story to add to my collection. It's no fun when there are always human in the pony world stories and the human gets treated nicely in like five minutes. There isn't anything saying that Equestria doesn't hold a few similarities to reality. Also, this will be my last new story until more updates have been added to my active one so as not to have so many plots in my head that I forget one. So the next update will be in Sins of the Fallen since that is the only one that hasn't been updated yet, so look forward to that.
Embodiment of Darkness