Thank you to LoverofCrist and ConningOfficer for amazing stories. There will be many references from their stories in this chapter and chapters to come. I have been sick lately, and I am aware that it has been over a week since I last updated. My computer doesn't have spell check, so I have had to use my schools computers. Enjoy!
Chapter 4 Payton's POV
I didn't know where I was when I woke up. There were a pair of unicorn and pegasus mares, tending to a filly who had fallen and cut her foreleg.
The white unicorn with red hair looked over and saw that I was up, "Oh! Your awake! How do you feel princess?"
I sat up and looked at her, "My head and wings are kinda sore, do you have anything for that?" the nurse went over to the cabinet across the room, and grabbed a small blue bottle.
"Its a small healing potion, you can have some and go when you're ready. Now if you'll excuse me, I have another patient to tend to!" she walked away back to the filly.
I didn't know what to expect when I first drank some of the potion, it kinda tasted like cookie dough! I felt better after a minute, but something, how can I put it, dark was left behind.
I left what I guess was the castle infirmary, and went down many corridors to the throne room. I heard Discord and Twilight talking, but the topic was not a good one.
"Discord, you know as well as I do that she could be dangerous!" Twilight said.
"Twilight! I'm ashamed of you! She is the prophesied one! She has power she doesn't even know about! If you send her back, Equestria will be doomed!" Discord was on my side, but I was hurt about what Twilight had said.
"I know, but Luna was evil, and Sombra is too! Both pony parents were/are! Once she has a taste, she may go evil! We can't trust her! Also she is from a different world, one with no magic!" They continued arguing, but I wasn't there to listen any more. I was already flying out the nearest window.
I didn't know where I was going, but I wanted to get as far away from that castle as possible. I eventually found a small clearing far away from Ponyville. I sat down and wept. So this is how they think of me. After I've been trying to help them save their world! I thought on and on.
"I… I feel… so hurt. I thought they were my friends! I just want to co home!" I wasn't aware of who was behind me.
" You heard all that didn't you?" It was Discord.
I looked at him with my tear filled blue eyes, " Yeah, thanks for being on my side but you can take me home now."
"Are you Kidding!? No! I came to say that we couldn't find you anywhere, and we started to think you were captured by sombra!" he looked me in the eye , "I'm sorry you had to hear what Twilight said. She just had her wings in a bunch and she's really stressed lately. Can you forgive her?"
I stared at him for a second and nodded, "Yeah, but what did you mean that I have more power that I realise, and that I'm the prophesied one?"
He shifted on his feet uncomfortably, "I..uh.. Ok, you know of clover the clever, well she saw you when she studied divination, and she wrote a proficiency about you. You can read it…" he paused and shaw a rustling in the grass of the meadow where I was.
There was a streak of purple and blue hair slowly creeping towards me, Discord just levitated the being into the air.
"Hey! No Fair! You didn't let me scare you!" Said a mare. Except she really wasn't a mare, she was a doe! She had little horn nubs, and a soccer ball and a paw print cutie mark. I didn't know that deer here had cutie marks!
"Hello! I'm…" I thought of a name for my pony persona, and I chose the most sensible thing, "Midnight Music! Nice to meet you! This is Discord, spirit of,... bla bla bla, you know who he is."
The doe looked at me with interest and bowed, "I know who Discord is! But you are a new princess I presume, The legends say nothing about you, yet…" she smiled at me with a tender heart, reminding me of my friend Trista, "I'm Ahote, in my language it means 'Restless one,' come with me to my camp, we are about to have lunch!" Ahote lead us about a mile away, and to a small native, (I guess,) Equestrian village.
It had TP's just like back home! They were painted, and there was one big one in the center, where I presumed the chief was. I was correct. Ahote opened the hatch and let us in. There were a buck and and a doe that was older that I was.
"Hello Anna! Hello Father. I found these two in the meadow, they are very import-"
"I know who he is, and he is not welcome here, begone evil spirit!" Discord took that as his cue to leave, also leaving me behind, I was not happy about that, " However, i do not know who this young flower is. She is obviously powerful and an Equestrian princess." Ahote's father looked at me with big green eyes, I was about to fly away… but I was too afraid.
"I… I'm Princess Midnight Music of Equestria…" I continued and told him about sombra, my world, and about how there is a proficiency about me that I didn't know about.
"Hmm… I am Askuwheteau, chief of the wind clan. You have met my daughter Ahote, and this is my wife Anna," Anna was a blue unicorn with a purple mane and a paw print cutie mark, " Ahote is a fierce fighter, and she inherits her mother's magic. Come, I will show you the camp.
He led me around the small camp, "Here is where the food is stored, weapons here, and all the rest are homes." he sighed, " I am greatly worried that the shadow king is back. I will send one of my warriors with you to fight."
" You really don-" I tried to argue, but the stag put up his hoof.
"I must, my tribe must be represented. Take Ahote, and return her when the battles are finished. And take some weapons for your armies. Now go, Ahote will be with you in a few minutes." he looked at me with his deep green eyes.
"Thank you, Equestria is in your debt. Stay safe, I would recommend staying in a place with running water nearby, such as the ocean, or a river." he nodded and walked away.
Discord met me up on a hill, I started smacking him, but not too hard (I didn't want to be turned into an orange!) "Don't just leave me! Dont do that again! Ahote is coming with us, when she gets here can you teleport us to canterlot? I want to talk to Princess Lu- Mother." He nodded.
I knew that look he gave me, he looked at me like my dad did, he knew something was up, "Are you sure you don't want to go home? It's getting dangerous, almost chaotic, and not my kind of chaotic, a dark magic kind of chaos."
Ok so the lord of chaos, being scared, that terrified me. But I saw a familiar purple and blue head running over to us, "Hey guys! I can't believe my father is letting me go with you! I brought us some food, even though he," Ahote pointed to Discord with her hoof, "Could summon anything for us."
We set out for the nearest town. Discord turned into a grey stallion with bushy eyebrows, a goatee, and a misleading compas cutie mark. I chuckled as he trotted along unhappy in his disguise. I was thinking about my mom, Tomorrow, Tomorrow we will attack, then I can go home,
We found a small town, and with our luck, the train wouldn't be arriving for another hour, "Hey Discord, Ahote, I'm taking a walk, I'll be careful don't worry!" I turned and went down the street of the small town of appaloosa. I heard a noise down a dark alleyway (I know my life is so cliche.) I saw a dark grey pegasus mare with a blue scarcely mane, she was fighting with a pony.
"Get back!" she yelled, she did something I recognized as an exercise. A black mist came out from the pony's mouth. I gasped, and immediately regretted it.
The mare charged me, and pinned me to the ground, "HOW MUCH HAVE YOU SEEN?!" I told her that I saw the exorcisism, and the mist, "I'm sorry princess, I'm a monster hunter, and that there, was a demon. It possessed that poor mare. I'm just waiting for the next train, which," she looked at a broken timepiece, "Is leaved NOW! Got to go bye" she flew all the way to the train station which was only a couple blocks away.
"Oh horsefeathers…" I mumbled. I met up with her at the train station, "Hey, i have a ticket too, want to sit with us?"
"Us?" she asked, her electric blue eyes looked at me questioningly, I pointed to Discord and Ahote, "Ok, but as long as he doesn't turn my hair into cotton candy." I laughed, it turned out that she was the middle child she had two brothers, their names were Sam and Dean WindCatcher. Her name was actually Crystal. She wasn't as fragile as one.
"So, you hunt monsters? Do you have any… unemotional friends?" I asked.
"Yeah, Castel! He- Wait… How did you know that?"
I smiled, "Just a hunch, and tell Dean to be wary of the donkey jaw." She looked at me like I was crazy. I love the T.V show Supernatural. So does Juniper.
So… If there is a Sam and Dean, is there a Doctor? Oh god! Please, please, please! I thought. Discord looked at me with a look like: "You just figured it out?" man that dude could read the look on a blob fish's face!
Ok, so any person/ pony in both worlds, exists, they do in the other! I almost died and went to fangirl heaven.
The trip was just about the most peaceful part of my trip. By the time we arrived in ponyville, Discord was about to lose his top from all the little fillies harassing him with questions: "Do you have a cutie mark?" and "Are you StarSwirl the bearded?" or my favorite, "Do you love Princess Celestia, or Princess Luna?" I almost got turned into an orange for laughing so hard!
"No, No, and NO! No more questions! Go back to your mothers!" groaned the fuming Draquoniqeuess. We walked to the castle, I was nervous about what Twilight and her friends would say. I tried to chicken out, but Discord and Crystal caught me, and I couldn't go anywhere, no matter how hard I tried.
When we walked in, the girls hugged me and asked me so many questions, there would be enough to fill the whole castle: "Where did you go?" "We thought Sombra got you!" "Can we throw you a 'Glad you're not dead party?" "You're not hurt are ya' , sugarcube?"
Twilight looked at me solemnly, I knew she felt bad, so i sat down next to her throne.
"I'm so sorry Payton! I didn't know you were listening! Eventhough I knew I shouldn't have said it I sti-" she rambled with tears in her eyes.
"Its ok Twilight. You were looking out for me." I knew I had to get home, and soon, "We need to go to canterlot, and then prepare for battle against Sombra. Like in the next two days." I was hoping she would say yes, my prayers were answered.
"Yes! Spike take a letter and tell Princess Luna and Celestia to expect us at once. Discord would you like to take Payton you and I to the castle?" Discord didn't have to say anything. We appeared in the Canterlot throne room. The two Princesses were sitting on their thrones.
"Payton! Twilight! We have been worried! The shadow King has grown more powerful. Twilight Celestia, I must discuss something with my daughter." said Luna. The three nodded, and I went into the library, and Luna put an old dusty book on the table.
"I am aware thou knows of the Sapphire key. You have the piece correct?" I nodded and took the piece out of my saddle bag, "If we add silver, star iron, and some of our magic, it will be enough to channel the true magic of the key, and defeat sombra. We won't even have to put him in the jar!" She clapped her hoofs excitedly.
"So, he will be able to become good again right? But then what? Where will he stay? He can't go to the crystal empire, those ponies probably loathe him!"
Luna looked at her hooves and smiled, "Child, I am the ruler of dreams, And your mother. Sombra had a castle built for you when he was good. But when you were lost, he went mad." I had learned more about sombra, and my past from the dream I had on the train. I cared for sombra now, no matter how evil he is or was, " I miss him too, now, let us summon the royal keymaker, and Defeat my love!"
After we called the Keymaker, Luna told me that he was young like me, and his name was Locked. Funny name for a keymaker.
He walked into the throne room with a small wagon and a tool belt. I held in a gasp when I saw him. As he trotted in, his brown copy mane bounced around his horn. And his coat was dirty from his forge. Locked's cutie mark was a key with a music note by it. I wondered why.
"Your majesties. I have been wondering why you have called me so late in the day." he said. His voice was firm yet smooth.
"Thank you Locked for coming on such short notice," said Princess Celestia, "We need you to create the base of the sapphire key. You know what it is. It needs to be made out of star iron, silver, and tied around the top must be my nieces wing feathers."
"Princess Cadence? But I thought she was defending the Crystal Empire," I stepped out from behind Luna and his eyes got big, "Ohh… Ok then, you finally beat me Celestia." the two chuckled like they were the only ones in the room.
"I would like my daughter to help with the key. She will after all have to put some of her own magic into it. Now go. Both of you, down to the royal forge." Luna ushered.
I met with Locked down in the forge. We talked about what kind of key we should make. We came up with the idea of having a simple old fashioned skeleton key.
"Maybe we can even mix both the star iron and the silver! Then the magic will flow faster, and more efficiently!" I said. Im not kidding when I say he literally beamed at me.
"Thats a great idea! Why didn't I think of that! Your pretty cool! You know... for a little princess." Locked said. I took that as a challenge, and I would win.
"What?! I'm tough! I'm smart, and I'm not all serious like Celestia!"
We laughed for a little while, "Ok I have to agree with you on that one. I bet it's a bit scary having to defeat your dad. I want to help, but my parents want me safe at home, they said quote 'If you get summoned by a princess to fight you may go but if not, you're staying here.' unquote"
I wanted him to follow his dreams, "Then I Princess Midnight Music, summon Sir Locked to be in thy Royal Army to help bring down the Shadow King." We laughed so hard at my impression of Luna. I will probibly have nightmares for a week for that!
I helped Locked pour the molten metal into the cast. We plucked and grounded up one of my feathers.
"This looks amazing! I can't believe I get the honor to be making one of the most magical items in the world!" he smiled so big, I thought he was going to break his jaw.
We worked through most of the night. But we eventually had to rest for the battle tomorrow.
"I'm heading to bed, and I command thee to go to thy bed as well. I will show thee to thy suit." I led him to an empty guest room across the hall from mine.
After he closed the door, I went into my room. As soon as my head hit my pillow, I was out like a light.
My dream started out in a small crystal room. A grey unicorn, (Who I now know as Sombra,) walked in. I could tell he was happy to see me, by the way he trotted in.
"Midnight! My little girl, my my… You have gotten tall." good Sombra smiled and chuckled. It was hard to imagine that this guy was the same pony that I had to use the key on.
A girlish giggle came out of my mouth, "I'm not as tall as Aunt Tia, She is as tall as the castle!" I sounded the same age I am now, around thirteen.
Sombra gave me a sad look, "Forgive me, But I just want to protect you." he blasted me with a blue light and everything went black.
I could hear him screaming, magical energy crackled. Then I heard him "My dear, You will never free him. Not with or without the key. I'm too powerful. You are only a mere filly. I will be expecting you in the morning for the final battle. Be prepared to face your fears, warn your armies, Princess Cadence was already defeated. You have no chance."
I sat straight up in my bed. The sun wasn't up yet. I went out into the hallway, and found some of Luna's bat pony guards. They bowed, and saluted.
"Good morning, where is my mother?" I asked
"Out on the balcony your highness, she is about to lower the moon for the sun."
I thanked them and went out to the balcony where Luna was, "Um… Mother, I had a dream. It was more like a flash back. I saw when Sombra was good, and when he put me into crystle. Then Evil Sombra spoke to me. We need to get the armies ready. We need to attack today. Discord can transport us. The key is finished. All we have to do is get the army together, and attack."
"I had the same dream, but I was frozen in place, and I watched you and him transform. It broke my heart. But I agree, we will alert the royal guard at once," she whispered something to a soldier, and she scurried off to the barracks, "Now we must wake the others, I'm not going to wake Discord. Your first chore from me. Now wake thy friends."
Waking the Lord of Chaos was the worst chore ever, "No! Five more years mommy!"
"Discord, Wake up or I'll get a bucket of ice water."
"I'm up, I'm up!" He cried.
He wasn't happy. Getting woken up at around five in the morning, not a great start for the lord of chaos.
We all packed the needed things: Food, armor, and butt kicking aditude. The key was made and stored in my armored magic bag. Crystal was even joining, "Hey, I got to help ya fight that dude. Your stuck with me now!" a bracelet jingled on her hoof. It had a dagger, and a scull (a pony scull.)
"Where did you get that?" I asked.
"My brothers sent it, now lets go and kick some shadow butt."