the queen of hate

by CarlosJim04

This happens after the Canterlot weddings and before the Crystal Empire. Can a pony who was betrayed by all her acquaintances ever trust them again. Can she let friendship return to her heart again? That's what the unicorn Twilight Sparkle wonders This happens in an alternate universe, different from the universe where the series takes place

3. Chapter 3

After several days following the few passable paths. Finally they had managed to reach the only station that was not under surveillance of the royal guard, Ranbow Dash stayed away while seeing in the distance with the help of a pair of binoculars, the little Scootaloo on the other hand remained asleep due to fatigue since she was not as used to travel long distances in difficult terrain as her sister, everything would have been easier flying as had been the plan from the beginning but for some reason there were more patrols watching the skies and since she had sneaked Scoot out of the orphanage it was not a good idea to let herself be seen, even though she was the fastest she did not want to make mistakes now that she was carrying something very important to her.

¬Well, it looks like this will be easy - she said to herself after observing the routine of the only two ponies in charge of the recharge station, only one of them gave a little tour occasionally while the other remained asleep at the foot of the dispenser, there was a considerable area to hide while waiting for the next cargo transport and thus get far enough away with some luck.

¬ What's up Ranibow Dash, are they following us? - asked the little filly who had already woken up a bit sleepily, deep inside she wondered if this would have been a good idea since she was afraid of what could happen to her sister in case the royal guard came to capture them.

¬Everything is fine Scoot, I found transportation for us, there is not much surveillance so it won't be a problem if we manage to board it without being seen.

-What will happen to us after we board it, if they find us they will take you away from me and return me to the orphanage.

-Don't worry Scoot, I won't let that happen and luckily for us. This station supplies distant settlements so once we board it we will be fine until we reach our destination, soon we will be free far away from here.

The little filly smiled at this while Raninbow only remained pensive in the face of the unknown, not knowing if they would make it to whatever destination the train would take them to, but what she was sure of was that she would protect her at any cost even at the cost of her own life, As time went by more events were happening elsewhere as if they were pieces on a chessboard for someone else's amusement or at least that's how Celestia began to consider it, after the vision she had had in the gardens several ideas ran through her mind trying to find something that connected it with that event and with that shadow pony that disturbed her, "Soon we will meet again", was the phrase that also began to worry her since in her memories she could not locate any pony or creature that fit that description either ally or enemy, the search reports were still negative but also the distrust towards Shining Armor began to emerge seeing the null progress of the search thinking that maybe he was trying to protect his sister but as she had these thoughts she discarded them while she said to herself that it was her family that she was distrusting.

Princess Luna was still unable to locate Twilight through the world of dreams and she could not even find the door to them, even with the little experience of the unicorn in magic and potions it would be impossible for her to stay awake for so long, something was not right and if she wanted to get to the bottom she should retrace her steps to find clues about it in the room that had been assigned to her when they arrived for the wedding, It was fortunate that her sister forbade access after what happened and the order was still in force, after directing her steps there she entered, pushing aside the magical barrier and began her investigation while scanning everything with her magic to recreate what happened there that night. In seconds the room was illuminated with a faint blue light that began to reconstruct everything in spiritual form and even a version of Twilight herself who was crouched in the far corner, her gaze showed despair and fear while her eyes looked in all directions as if looking for something that should not be there.

-Looks like we weren't so wrong, Twilight was being stalked by something in her room that she couldn't see? I wonder if that had something to do with her actions when she took the element of magic from the royal vault, maybe if we explore the room a little more we can find more clues about what happened next - he said to himself while shining his horn so that the actions that happened there that night would move faster.

As if it were a silent movie the princess of the night repeated again and again what she had seen trying to find some detail apart from the one she had already found, anyone who saw what she saw would think on the spot that the unicorn would have lost her mind which would not justify her actions. But not Princess Luna, something inside her told her that there was much more behind the theft and possibly Twilight's life could be in danger, but her thoughts as well as her investigation were suddenly interrupted as the door opened breaking the spell she had cast.

-What are you doing here Luna, this room is closed until the investigation begins, I don't want the information that may still be here to be altered.

-Please Celestia, your investigators are inefficient and they are always skipping important conclusions and clues to save themselves the work and you know that very well, I prefer to do the investigation on my own before you decide to do something you will regret later.

-I'm not in the mood for discussions sister, if you want to tell me something do it without so much beating around the bush, I feel that this is getting nowhere and that maybe Shining Armor may be hiding information about his sister's search from me for some reason - I've only found one clue, I don't know if it is connected with the problem I am having to find her through her dreams but if so then it is a powerful entity to block me completely -after saying this the princess of the night observed how her sister's face changed to a more serious expression as if she was also relating it to what she had already experienced in that vision.

-Luna please, use the magic amplifier and try to locate Twilight, I don't want to think about it but I fear that maybe this entity is hunting her - I will do my best sister but the magic amplifier is not a guarantee to locate her, we need the carriers and their elements, if they synchronize maybe we can locate her more accurately but until then I can't do much.

- I will give the order immediately to locate those who are absent, I will be in charge of going to Ponyville to bring the others personally and explain the situation to them.

With a plan in mind to follow. They both set off to do their thing, for Luna it would be an exhausting night using her magic beyond the limit to try to break that block that prevented her from finding her while for Celestia it would be more difficult given the new reluctant attitude of the girls because of the newspapers, sometimes she wondered if it was worth protecting those who caused harm to others with this kind of actions but it was something she couldn't avoid even if she wanted to, the night was finally starting to cover the skies and with it the stars were shining in the firmament as the night spectators, for Rainbow Dash a night like this would merit a long and relaxing night flight to feel the wind under her wings . But for now she would be content to pass unnoticed in the place where the train would take them, getting on had turned out to be the easiest and they had even settled in a carriage which was used to house workers when these were required, their good fortune smiled on them even knowing the destination of the cargo since it was a direct trip without stopovers which would allow them to rest without worries of the search patrols.

Likewise in ponyville. A certain farmer thought the same as she looked at the starry sky and lost herself in memories of better times trying to take her mind off the current problems that had been weighing her down, but having Fluttershy by her side still in that bed babbling Twilight's name from time to time while asking for forgiveness kept irritating her but she could still keep her composure, Again and again she repeated to herself that she would not lower herself to fall into the game of others, all that fury she reserved it for someone else and she would enjoy the moment when she should be free of it but until then she would remain as she was until now, the night went on and nothing relevant had happened so she could soon retire and leave Pinkie Pie in her care.

-Hello friend, how was your night, were there any ghosts and weird things that merit a big party? - Pinkie's carefree and somewhat strange attitude did not surprise the pony farmer at all, but she was surprised at how quickly she had assimilated the problem as if it was something unimportant, but it was something she did not care to know.

-If there are, believe me, she has been in charge of driving them away with her whining of guilt and her childish attitude, I will come at the same time so... - At that moment AppleJack noticed that her friend's countenance had completely changed and she looked slightly irritated.

-The good and always honest AppleJack feels uncomfortable from a poor pony who is in bed, awww, it's a pity she can't defend herself from that - the tone the pink pony was using was loaded with irony and sarcasm at the same time she was looking at her with a certain contempt which was starting to unnerve her - What does that mean Pinkie Pie? - Oh silly, you're too slow to realize what I'm talking about and too dumb to understand.

-I'm not playing games you crazy bitch, if you have something to say to my face do it at once or I swear... - A strong blow in her face silenced her claim and before she could react another one came and threw her to the ground without her being able to do anything to avoid it.

-Never ever dare to call me crazy AppleJack, like it or not you must accept things as they are now and until they find Twilight to explain what the hell she was thinking when she went with the element the best thing we could do would be to give her the benefit of the doubt, or is that brain of yours dried up for lack of air because of that hat you don't take off at all? - The sly smile she was now showing him ended up making her explode, without wasting time the pony farmer got up to try to kick him but it was useless, the way Pinkie Pie moved and reacted to each attempt made it very clear that she was stronger and she would prove it again by throwing her to the other end of the room making a huge fuss with it.

-What are you doing in here?! This is a hospital. Look at what you did, if you have a problem to fix do it outside where you won't damage anything, have I made myself clear about that ladies! - Nurse Red Heart had entered the room when she heard the noise while making her rounds and found the room in chaos, and one of the ponies on the floor, she didn't have to think long to figure out what was going on to react like that.

-Sorry Red Heart, I was just showing Appleack a move I learned to keep unwanted ponies away, please don't bother, I'll take care of cleaning everything up and make it look brighter - Okay and if you are done I remind you that no noise unless you want your friend to get upset.

Pinkie Pie just smiled her big smile while she slowly turned to AppleJack to look at her with narrowed eyes and told her as an ultimatum "don't call me crazy again or you will end up here and I will be happy to take care of you" the smile had turned somber as well as the pony's look and then returned to normal, the sore farmer got up and without saying anything else she headed for the exit while she snorted for what had happened, Fluttershy was starting to wake up and before she could ask her friend anything she grabbed her face with both hooves while putting on her best face and whispering "today you and I are going to have a great day and if I hear you say the same stupid things you've been saying again, then your bunny is going to have a very bad time, and you don't want that to happen, do you? "Poor Pegasus began to feel the fear of the words of her friend who was now looking at her in a malicious way while drawing a smile that contrasted perfectly making her instinctively respond with a weak denial, without a doubt things were not going better by any means for the group of friends.

As the days went by, things that were apparently calm became complicated again after Celestia's nephew made a comment that alluded to a robbery that occurred in the royal vault, which could only be opened with his magic, Cadance did everything in her power to deal with the reporters with the help of her husband, but the pressure and the questions were so great that she did not fail to link the theft with the disappearance of Celestia's personal student, If only the poor people knew how right that comment would have been at the time. On her side, the princess of the night kept pushing herself more and more to enter Twilight's dreams but it was still something impossible to achieve, somehow something was blocking her in such a way that no matter how hard she pushed herself, she ended up giving in and falling without strength, Her magic was not enough to pass that barrier that was holding her back and the magic amplifier was not working because whatever it was that prevented her search was closely linked to what had happened that night in the unicorn's room.

- Damn it, it is not possible that my own enclosure is used by someone else, I have to find a way to pass that blockade if I want to contact her, if only I had more magical power maybe...

- Luna...please tell me that you have managed to get past that blockade you informed me about - asked Celestia's voice somewhat discouraged already because of the time that had passed so far without results.

- I'm sorry sister but I'm afraid that whoever is behind this is more powerful than me, no matter how hard I try even with the amplifier I just can't get through that barrier, I just don't understand it - Luna tried to rejoin but she was so exhausted that she couldn't, her sister just meditated trying to find some way to help her until she decided to do something that might be dangerous.

-There might be a way Luna, if Cadance and I feed our magic to the amplifier maybe there is a chance to pass that barrier...but I don't know if that could affect you - Enough of going to the safe sister, if we want to find her I will face the risks so go get Cadance and let's do it, time is a luxury that we should not waste - Celestia looked worried about it but her sister was right, the visions she had were a sign of a future disaster and if they didn't act now that they could do it maybe they could not avoid it.

While Celestia went to look for her niece, the princess of the night was ready to take a potion to recover her energy and magic spent so far in all the failed attempts that had already begun to bother her completely, it was not long before her sister returned and also brought Shining Armor who upon hearing what they had planned to do did not hesitate for a moment to help if they could bring back her sister.

-Are you sure this will work aunt, I wouldn't want to harbor false hopes on it - the look of the princess of love reflected all the sadness that she kept inside her and that she refused to externalize, she wanted to have some hope but also the fear in her was growing either because of the failure or because her aunt would be hurt by what they were trying to do.

- Desperate times call for desperate measures honey, once we overload the amplifier everything will be in Luna's hull, we only need a few seconds to locate her and this is our best option to achieve it - Celestia's look said it all, she was very determined to try any method that could lead her to her student and thus find out if there was any connection with her vision of days ago.

- Before we start I think it will be necessary for you to drink this, you need all your strength and energy for what we are going to do as we don't know how tiring it will be, we only need a considerable amount so don't do anything foolish that could risk your integrity please - after that only warning. Luna gave them each a potion to revitalize themselves again, nerves began to surface in the group but there was no turning back now.

After getting everything ready and making sure there would be no distractions. The princess of the night positioned herself in the center of the room while looking at a crystal of considerable size which levitated on a platform while changing color slowly and sequentially as her sister, niece and her husband took position forming a triangle, Little by little the magic began to become visible in her horns while it concentrated on the tip to then come out in the form of a powerful beam of light that hit the crystal which began to increase its incandescent glow, as the seconds passed the brightness continued to increase to the point where it became impossible to keep your eyes open in the room, Luna wasted no time and concentrating with all her strength she went back into the dreamlike enclosure ready to finally break the barrier.

As in other occasions the barrier that blocked her resisted her onslaught but now that the amplifier was being charged with more magical energy it was giving way little by little fracturing due to the significant increase in power, soon cracks began to form and the princess of the night took advantage of this by launching a powerful ray that finally exploded, She had finally eliminated the barrier and was now ready to start her quest or at least that was what she thought, as soon as she began to move the darkness began to cover everything with a blanket so dense that gave the impression of swallowing everything in an instant, the atmosphere gradually began to feel heavy and cold as if it were a nightmare. Without wasting time she used her magic to create a huge sphere of light to fade the blackness that surrounded her, but it refused to disappear.

- This doesn't make sense, how is it possible that I can't vanish this darkness, I don't understand? - Despair began to surface in her when she saw that her attempts were useless, no matter how much magic she used the darkness would not vanish and the worst came when she began to hear a faint laughter that gradually increased in intensity until it became unbearable.

- So it was you after all, I didn't imagine you could get past my barrier but I guess I underestimated you a bit even though you save me things by being here, soon we can have fun spreading chaos and darkness. - Who are you and why do you speak to me with such familiarity? I demand that you show yourself! - An inexplicable fear began to take hold of her as she kept looking in all directions trying to find the source of the voice.

-Poor, poor Princess Luna, what makes you think I'm talking to you, you are completely expendable and I don't need you for the game I'm playing.

Before she could reply the dark energy began to compact trying to imprison her which made her react quickly creating a sphere of light to avoid it, no matter how hard she tried she could not expand the sphere that struggled to keep up with the pressure it was being subjected to, while this was happening in the dream world things in the real world were not going well, Princess Luna's body tensed while she used more magic from the amplifier which had increased the amount of light she was giving off, Celestia knew immediately that something had gone wrong and rushed to break the bond to recover her sister but it was impossible given the amount of magical power that overflowed uncontrollably, fearing the worst she ordered her niece and her husband to leave the room and get as far away as possible, Cadance refused to leave her aunts but Shining took her and took her out of there ignoring her pleas anticipating what could happen.

Using all her magic, Celestia began to charge the amplifying crystal once again causing it to start to get out of control due to the excess of energy, little by little small cracks began to be visible as it reached its critical mass, He only had one chance to rescue his sister who was now screaming in desperation as the energy emanated from her body tracing light marks that were nothing more than magical energy looking for a way out, using all his strength he created a containment field to weaken the connection but at that moment the crystal began to crack so he turned his attention to the magical field to reinforce it and contain the coming explosion, A powerful beam of light was seen in the distance and then extinguished in the blink of an eye, the room had been shattered and the crystal was only a fine dust that had spread all over the floor while at the other end of the room was glimpsed a weak Celestia that covered with her wings the body of her sister while still maintaining a protective field over them, Cadance entered the room with her husband and some guards to take them to the infirmary to attend them as soon as possible, especially the princess of the night who had received more damage.

While that was happening in Canterlot someone else was about to go through a bitter experience, after arriving at their destination in one of the settlements near Yanhoover a couple of Pegasos finally felt free from their pursuers, after the long train ride Rainbvow Dash wasted no time and after posing as a pair of sisters looking for a fresh start in a new place, at first instance the area looked somewhat rural but that was something she didn't mind at all although she was annoyed that the climate of the place was managed at her will as it would reduce her job options, the first few days were spent in a modest hotel while she researched about the place, however the ponies of the place were somewhat reluctant to talk about it with strangers so she immediately came out with any quip as Pinkie pie to avoid drawing attention, it wasn't long before she found a simple job at the local Inn as a waitress and earn some extra bits now that she had already spent a good part of her savings in building a simple house, Scootaloo for his part did not have much trouble fitting in with the place although he had to keep up appearances. Especially because of her lack of flying skills, which she made go unnoticed with the use of a vest that gave her the appearance of an earth pony - Dash... do you think they have stopped looking for us? - asked the little filly, a little worried that the guard would arrive and take Rainbow under arrest.

- I don't know but it's better not to think about that for now, we are too far away and we covered our trail for them to have followed us... and I remind you to address me as North Wind, we can't draw attention to ourselves and risk someone to give us away to the guard of the detachment, we went through too much to end up trapped here - she answered with a calm attitude, smiling a little smile while she served her a couple of toasts with jam and a glass of milk.

- Dash just gave him a serious look and then smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

-Hey, I'm brave too, it's not fair that you only imitate her - I commented as a complaint and joke to see what she could answer - I know, but if I imitate you, won't we both be discovered? - Good one Scoot, finish your breakfast and get ready for school and remember to go straight to the Inn when you leave for lunch, I don't want you to end up eating the weird stuff from Mr. Barrells' grocery store - no doubt she will know how to manage, that was what she told herself while she looked at the clock on the wall, she still had some time left to tidy up some things before leaving for work although if she was in Ponyville she would probably still be sleeping in her bed to get up late as she used to do.

There was no doubt that mornings were lively in this new place, despite how it looked. Harbor Star of Dawn was a lively and simple place even though some of its residents were a bit reluctant to open up completely to new ponies, from what little he knew of the place was that the settlement was designed for mining and the timber trade, on a smaller scale for fishing though good income was made from it by selling to third parties as well as boat tours, though of course, The locals argued that a sea creature roamed the area and was very aggressive with the boats that ventured near the perimeter of Berbén Island, a small portion of land visible from the dock and where the first quarry and mines that now remained abandoned were supposed to have been established.

Also because of another story told by the locals about creatures and ghosts that reclaimed their land from the invading ponies, something that for her sounded more like a story to scare little foals before going to sleep, but the truth is that some constructions could be seen but no one went there and even the guards of the detachment were very strict with the Pegasos or smaller boats that tried to venture and check if the stories were true.

For Rainbow Dash that would have been like being in the shoes of her favorite fictional character but she was no fool, she knew she couldn't afford to be reckless given her situation as well as trying to outwit a solar guard fence, there was definitely more to those old wives tales but for now she would just worry about trying to make a life and keep a low profile at least until something else took priority on the guards agenda, after finishing breakfast she said goodbye to Scootaloo who left to go to school while she cleaned the dishes and got ready to go to the Meson to work, without a doubt the most tiring thing for her was to dye her hair in an ashy tone and wear that wide dress to keep her cutie mark hidden, if Rarity saw her she would surely have a fit while she reproached her for her bad taste although frankly she didn't care about that.

After finishing the little things he had he finished getting ready and headed towards his workplace while thinking about what he could prepare for dinner, working in this place was the most boring thing in his own words but at least that had its charm since he could relax more and prepare only for closing time which was when the clientele increased significantly. Although that encouraged the closing of the establishment, although that morning things were going to be different and proof of that was the small tumult that had been created in front of the Inn where apparently they were discussing about something very heatedly, common sense told him to pass it but curiosity could more coupled with the boredom of the place without knowing what it would trigger.

-I tell you it's true, there is someone living on Berbén Island! - Surely you imagined it after drinking so much cider, no one has put a helmet in that place since that demon woke up from its entrails - You are wrong, I tell you there is someone living there, if you don't believe me you can ask the one in charge of the guard, he also saw the same as me - If it is as you say why haven't they organized a search party, or better yet, how could someone pass the fence and even that creature that attacks everything that comes near? - That...

-They are just visions of yours, nothing..." No sooner was the sentence finished when a shout coming from the dock caught everyone's attention making them go there to see with their own eyes what they were saying.

-There's a pony on the island, there's a pony on the island! - Rainbow did not waste time and also went to the dock where she could see in the distance a small body that kept looking towards the settlement, everyone was surprised that a pony was still in that place but as soon as someone brought some binoculars to see who it could be the pony dissolved in the air, this filled everyone with fear and they did not waste time in going to their homes to take shelter thinking that what they had seen could be a bad omen, Dash instead remained immovable without believing in what he had observed, not that he refused to believe what he had seen given past experiences but without information about what was happening in that place could not draw a conclusion, it was like seeing a version of Everfree forest in the distance and surrounded by the sea, he decided not to waste time and rushed to get to work where some ponies had taken refuge to drink something to calm their nerves. At the same time they continued their conversation with the owner of the place, who was looking very serious about what had happened.

- I tell you without fear of being wrong, it is the ghost of that pony.

- No, this must be one of the creatures that now inhabit the island, I don't think it is her ghost.

- How can you say that, we all clearly saw that it was a pony...or the ghost of one at least - commented a parishioner while he looked thoughtful, it was as if he was trying to remember something important without succeeding.

- I find it hard to believe that it is the ghost of that pony, even if it was, she should have already ascended to the light and not be trapped there - said the owner of the place while she poured some cider to try to calm the atmosphere while she signaled Rainbow to bring something hot, she wasted no time in doing so since it seemed that the conversation was getting more interesting than she thought.

- Did you forget that he was killed by a dragon rooster, those pests are a real danger?

- Don't remind me, his body was unrecognizable and upset everyone, forcing us to leave Berbén to avoid the same end.

- I heard from the guard that after the incident patrols were made to capture them and send them away but they never found the aforementioned, the decision to leave Berbén was mostly due to the fear of an unknown creature that claimed the life of a pony.

- Not to mention she was a unicorn, poor thing didn't stand a chance against whatever she saw but at least we're safe and that thing is trapped over there along with the creature crawling in the depths.

A dead pony, a unicorn that had succumbed to whatever it was that inhabited that place and caused those who lived there to seek refuge in this location, something didn't quite add up with this place and the mere mention of a unicorn already made it worth investigating what they were really hiding, The shift after that had become boring to the point that they ended up closing early because of the fear that vision had caused, even the news had reached the school where the children had entered a state of panic that ended up suspending classes which did not bother Scootaloo who now returned home in the company of his sister who was still pensive about what happened.

- Do you think it's really a North Wind ghost?

- Frankly I don't know what to believe, I know what I saw and besides that conversation I heard at the Meson about a unicorn, something strange is happening here and I'm afraid we could end up involved Wheels - answered the Pegasus to Scootaloo who was still trying to make sense of all this.

- I wonder if it has something to do with what the kids told me at school?

-You know about this and you didn't tell me? - the look of disbelief from Rainbow Dash took the foal by surprise, who imagined that her sister might already know about that particular subject, but apparently it was the opposite.

- I didn't think it was a real thing, we lived in ponyville and with all the weird stuff nothing like this ever happened...although Applebloom once told me about something that happened to her in a place called Sunny Town deep in the Everfree Forest.

-Sunny Town, you guys sure read a lot of horror stories, when we get home I'd like you to tell me about what your friends at school told you, there might be a clue as to what is going on in this settlement.

Rainbow Dash was washing the dinner dishes while Scootaloo had retired to rest, her mind was still a little wandering after the story she heard about her little sister from her school friends as well as the object she had with her until the moment of her death, something deep inside told her that maybe, just maybe it could be her absent friend, however she did not know anything else to affirm it and try to write to Canterlot anonymously about it, she needed to be completely sure about it and there were only two ways, through some guard of the detachment or go to the Berbén island to get answers even knowing the danger that it represented.

The days passed without further mishaps in the settlement, the investigations of the Pegasus had made little progress given the suspicion with which they handled that information together and especially because of the object that had been stolen almost under their noses a few hours after they moved the remains to their headquarters, everything seemed to indicate that the only way to get answers would be to go to the island itself and enter the mining settlement knowing the risk that this would bring, her best option would be to arrive from the air to avoid the supposed creature and use a cloud to go unnoticed, she would also need some things to make her way as well as a flashlight although if Pinkie Pie was here she would have loved to get those night vision goggles she used to use on occasions when she wanted to surprise someone.

- Stop having your head in the clouds honey, we have a good clientele this day to distract us - Huh, y-yes I'm so sorry Honey Crips, I think I've been reading too much before sleeping - Nothing with excess honey, for now take care of the tables before they get grumpy for being late - she told her while smiling since she also used to go through the same thing when she was her age, this relieved a little the Pegasus who wasted no time in doing her job to avoid repeating it again.

- I never thought I would see this place so full with the things I've seen these days - You'll get used to it quickly, besides it's because there will be dense fog and no one wants to be outside when the sunset comes, you never know what can happen on nights like that and more being in this place where you've already seen that there are no normal things.

This made her sketch a smile thinking that it would be the best opportunity she could have to go to that island without being detected, she would have to prepare everything once she left work as well as avoid Scootaloo noticing her departure which would not be a problem knowing how fast she could fall asleep after a cup of hot cocoa, the hours passed calmly and little by little the mist began to rise covering the horizon and the streets of Harbor Star of Dawn to the point that the streetlights had been lit earlier than usual, It would be five o'clock in the afternoon when Rainbow returned home in the company of her sister who did not stop telling the new story she had heard today regarding the dense fog that now had covered the entire area and limited by far the range of vision, the sunset finally arrived and with it the settlement had been swallowed by the mist preventing to see the last rays of the sun, as Rainbow prepared dinner she made a mental review about the things she would need once the foal fell asleep although that began to distract her from her work.

- Rainbow wake up, dinner is burning!

- Hey, what's that, oh pens, quick pass me the lid Scoot!

- That was close. What's the matter, was the guard asking questions? - asked the foal, a little worried about the distracted attitude she was presenting, since it was not at all normal.

- Nothing like that, I'm just a little tired. You don't need to worry about that - are you sure that's all it is, you're not planning to go to the island tonight without me, are you? - the little girl sensed something but didn't dare to ask directly, although it didn't seem necessary.

- W-What island, do I look like a pony that would be able to do that after seeing all the weird things in this place as well as that supposed ghost? - The Pegasus began to act nervous and to be elusive with her gaze which only strengthened what the little girl was already thinking.

- As much as to know that you have been asking questions to some of the guard about the unicorn as well as the object that was found next to her body and that also disappeared a few hours later in an inexplicable way - H-How...?! - Scootaloo's answer had left her perplexed since she had been very careful not to seem too obvious to avoid her involvement, although everything seemed to indicate that it would be the opposite - some of my companions are family of some guards, how do you think I found out about some of the things I told you?

- If I had known I would have saved myself a lot of things and problems Scoot.

- And that's not all Rainbow, look at this. A friend of mine from school gave it to me and she told me that this is what the object that pony was wearing looks like, it looks a lot like the crown that Twilight used to defeat Nightmare Moon, right?

- Not only looks like it, that's the crown she used on that occasion... something is not right with all this - Then let's go to the island, surely she was responsible for that vision that was seen in the distance that day and that scared everyone - exclaimed the little girl eager to be in an adventure with her sister even though she didn't like it very much.

- It's too dangerous for you to come with me, it's better if you stay here and besides you have school tomorrow so you can stay awake - Come on Rainbow, you know you need me as your adventure companion and find secret paths - Do you know how to find secret paths Scoot? - I asked her somewhat incredulously while raising an eyebrow contrasting her posture, the Pegasus knew that this was not a game and much less was it to be taken lightly.

- Well no...but I've read a lot of Daring Doo so it can't be that hard to do, plus I can fit through the small holes.

- I must be crazy to do this, get ready we are leaving in a few minutes and remember you will obey me in everything, we don't need to take any more risks than we are already taking.

It didn't take them long to get ready, they equipped only the essentials in a small saddlebag and after turning off the lights of their house they left cautiously taking advantage of the dense mist that would be very helpful to pass through the guards' encirclement, after mounting the little one on her back she spread her wings to begin to gain altitude, The plan Rainbow had in mind was to gain enough altitude to then move towards the island while gliding and avoid attracting attention with her flapping wings, luckily the wind was in their favor and that would help them gain good speed as they gradually descended until they reached Berbén.

- This is the best feeling of my life! Hold on tight Scoot, I don't want you to fall and remember we have to be quiet until we get to that island, I just hope we don't have any problems. The ride to the island was certainly starting to bring back fond memories for the older Pegasus of when she used to do her night flights in the ponyville sky, remembering her old home was something that made her sad but she had to stay strong as she had left town for a good reason and that was all that mattered now, After a few minutes of flight she began to lower her altitude calculating the distance they had already traveled until she spotted what seemed to be one of the lights of the pier that still worked despite the time and lack of maintenance, with that sign as a guide she made a quick entry although she never expected that the entire wooden structure was destroyed although it was not a problem for her landing, finally they were on the Berbén island, the home of all the strange things that happened in the area.

Scootaloo wasted no time and took out a flashlight to illuminate the path through the vegetation that now covered much of what appeared to be a path, next to it was an old wooden sign which was broken but could still be read in the direction to follow for the mining settlement, cautiously they walked past some fallen trees while Dash lit an old oil lamp to go marking with it the route they were doing and in case of emergency know where to go, Although for her it would be easier to fly if it were not for what was swarming in the trees of the place, since they began to go deeper she began to hear sounds coming from these which had her on alert, she did not want to say anything to her little sister to prevent her from getting nervous because they ran the risk that the cries of the foal would trigger something that they could not defend themselves from.

After several minutes of advancing through the brush they managed to spot the perimeter fence of the settlement, it did not look as deteriorated as they thought and the buildings were in good condition which only brought them doubts about what could be happening in that place, The silence was sepulchral and the atmosphere felt strange and vaguely familiar to Rainbow as she walked among the buildings looking into their dark interior as if something was watching them closely, waiting for the right moment to attack them or when they made their first mistake, the echo of their footsteps on the cobblestone floor of the streets did not help much to calm their spirits.

Especially those of the little one, who was already beginning to tremble as something was calling her in a whisper, which was beginning to terrify her.

- R-Rainbow... - Spoke Scootaloo worried - What is it Scoot, do you need anything? - Raimbow encouraged her -N-No I... do you think we can go back home and come back in the morning? - said the little girl with fear and nervousness while trying to keep calm - You know we can't come here in the morning without attracting the attention of the guard, besides we have to explore the buildings to try to find some clue.

- B-But... - the filly seemed terrified about something -... Just stay next to my Scoot, don't pay attention to her and don't let her games affect you, she's just trying to scare us.

- Did you hear her too?!

- Ever since we arrived I've realized that something is not right with this place, it seems as if we are being led into a trap and we are going straight into it.

- Why don't we run to the dock then?

- Because that's what it expects us to do, the trees we passed are full of creatures and it wouldn't doubt that they would attack us if we ran away, I'm sorry to say this Scoot but we have no choice but to play their game, just stay with me and I'll protect you.

Things were starting to get interesting at the same time that the atmosphere began to feel heavy with every step they took, after going a good distance Rainbow indicated to the little one that they would enter the inn that Honey Crisp managed before leaving the island, the creaking of the door made the little foal alert and she clung to her sister's leg while she tried to calm her down, with the light of the lantern they began to check the place as well as the few rooms of the place without finding anything strange that they should worry about, Cautiously they approached the counter and began to review the registry books in which appeared the registry of a pony called Paper Ink whose origin was Ponyville, this ended up convincing Rainbow that it was undoubtedly Twilight since she knew the Paper Ink pony and worked in a sign store, the information she had found would certainly be useful to get the guard off her back if she managed to send a letter to Celestia or Shining Armor.

-Well we're done, it's time to go home Scoot.

-Did you find anything useful?

-More than you can imagine, I just need to send a letter to Princess Celestia and... I'm afraid I can't let you do that, my plans are going too smoothly for a stupid Pegasus to ruin them for a silly unicorn - a voice echoed in the place taking the sisters by surprise while they were on guard for what could happen. - Who the hell are you and where are you hiding?! Come on show yourself now, you coward!

- Oh my child, I'm afraid to tell you that you're barking up the wrong tree but don't worry, I'll teach you some manners and a little of my warm welcome so you'll see what a good host I am.

At that moment the darkness began to hover over them until it swallowed them up while the little girl's screams were drowned in the blackness of the night until they disappeared in the cold and sepulchral silence, the distant echoes of screams were silenced as soon as they disappeared in the darkness of the night as if they had never existed, after the passing of the hours the Pegasus woke up hearing in the distance the echo of the dripping water as well as perceiving the aroma of the humidity in the rocks, her vision was still blurred and she did not remember when she had lost consciousness since the only memory that came to her was being swallowed by the darkness after hearing that strange voice, after recovering her vision she could notice the faint lights of torches which illuminated the place which seemed to be some kind of cavern or perhaps the mine itself, at that moment she reacted by remembering that her sister was with her and began to look for her while she stood up only to fall feeling a huge pain of which she had not been aware until that moment.

-What the hell happened, my body is all sore and bruised... it must have been the thing that attacked us at the inn, hell I can't waste time, I need to find Scoot as soon as possible.

Pushing aside the pain. She made the attempt to fly but her wings hurt with every flap she gave which only made her abandon the idea and start walking trying to find the path that would lead her to her sister, the dimly lit corridors seemed to extend in an endless network of tunnels and alternative routes capable of losing the most daring if not that most of them had succumbed to earth movements and lack of maintenance, only the main tunnel was the one that looked in perfect condition as it was of natural creation and the rock looked thick enough to succumb so easily, - "apparently it could only go this way" - she said to herself as she saw that the path seemed to take her deeper and deeper where the torches failed to illuminate the whole place.

The minutes passed and the uncertainty of how the little girl would be made her very nervous, she shouldn't have brought her here in the first place and above all she should have listened to her when she had asked her to return but she didn't listen to her. If something happened to her she would never forgive herself, it was then when she heard him there in that semi-darkness in which he was calling her through whispers while laughing at her, without wasting time and forgetting the pain in her body she began to jog slowly and then gradually increase her speed, That thing whatever it was had to have his sister with him and he would not let it hurt her even if he had to risk his own life in it, when he reached the end of the road he managed to visualize an old wooden door which he kicked down taking advantage of the momentum he was carrying, the noise of the falling doors made a loud echo that reverberated throughout the place until it was gradually extinguished.

- Finally you arrived Rainbow Dash, although it is a little rude of you what you did to my door just to come in to greet me - in front of her was what seemed to be a hooded pony with a tunic that had his back to her in the middle of the dark room, his soft voice emulated a mare although by the slight tone of sweetness that he put in it could also feel some bitterness and hatred.

- Who the hell are you and where do you have my sister, or do you prefer me to call you by your name Twilight? - It was enough that she mentioned that name to end up feeling in her body a strong pain that increased in intensity to the point of ending up on the floor because of it at the same time that the pony began to approach her.

- Don't ever mention that stupid little girl's name in my presence if you want to keep breathing, I've been waiting a long time to put my plans into action and you're not going to interfere with them unless you want to see that little girl's life extinguished.

- Scoot, what did you do to her, you bitch?! - the strange pony used her magic to light the torches of the place at the same time that she showed the beaten and tied body of the little Scootaloo who was unconscious and breathing with difficulty.

- I only played with her for a while but it seems it was too much for the poor thing, kids nowadays don't last as long as they used to, but be glad. She is still breathing even though she will eventually stop breathing to rot in a corner of this place.

- You're a fucking bitch! - The adrenaline in the Pegasus' body was running out of control which made her forget the pain as she lunged at her ready to beat her to a pulp but was blocked by a magical barrier that only unnerved her more to the point of telling her - "I'll kill you with my own hooves Twilight, I swear I will!

After saying again the name of the unicorn, she projected her with force to a wall and not satisfied with that, she began to hit her, projecting her in all directions while the magical energy emanating from her body began to burn the ragged tunic that fell to pieces still burning, Rainbow Dash saw her with difficulty and that did nothing but increase the hatred that was inside her when she saw that she was right. And the pony in front of her was none other than Twilight herself who saw her in the same way but with more rage until she began to smile maliciously and expelled a large amount of magic that completely illuminated the whole place, the light was so strong that it hurt the eyes of the Pegasus who with work managed to distinguish what was happening within that light until it ceased and what appeared after it could hardly be considered a pony, The body was large, bipedal and somewhat strange since it now had claws instead of hooves and the colors of its mane and fur had changed to a dark tone that contrasted with those black eyes that emitted a halo of light like blood, that thing that was in front of her could hardly be Twilight.

- W-What thing-are you? - The Pegasus' body was throbbing with pure pain from the way he had treated her, she wouldn't hesitate to think that some of her bones would be broken as breathing was painful but what was surprising her the most was that he hadn't used magic to do what he did, that pony in front of her or whatever she was now were something different than Nightmare Moon was.

- Right now I will be your best friend and you will be thankful for it, we will have so much fun with what I have planned for Equestria and the others.

- I-I have no intention of helping a m-monster like you, what the heck did you do to Twilight, how come y-you had her looks? - I believe I had told you not to mention that name in my presence, I don't feel like losing my new friend right now and it wouldn't be fun to turn you into a puppet with no will...or would it? -S - Whatever you are-you're-you're crazy, I would never g-give my friendship to someone s-such as you.

- In that you are wrong dear friend, you already gave it to me in the past when that little idiot came to your hometown, it was so beautiful to have friends again but if it wasn't for her I would have also had fun in all her adventures... but now that will be different, we are going to have so much fun spreading chaos all over this land that you will forget that once existed that little crybaby Twilight - F-FUCK YOU FUCKING SICK BITCH! - She screamed at him while spitting a mixture of saliva and blood at his feet that only ended up making the smile that creature already had on her face bigger.

- That's an excellent idea Rainbow Dash, but it will be another time, what matters to me now is that you do me a small favor and talk to Celestia's bitch and tell her that this time she won't be able to save her special little girl as she did before, I can't wait to see her face when you tell her and she remembers me.

- What m-makes you think t-that I will do what y-you ask me to do? - I ask the pegasus - because as your new friend I plan to help you get out of here so you can take your little friend to the hospital or to the cemetery, I don't care which one you choose but you'll have to move fast. Oh that's right, This should be enough to allow you to fly or whatever and don't forget to take that little girl with you, I don't want trash in my house - after saying this a halo of dark magic covered her body as she felt how she was recovering part of her strength and the pain began to diminish allowing her to get up and move her wings, at that moment the creature's magic finished acting on her body as the filly's restraints opened to let her fall.

Without wasting time she took her sister and left in a hurry through one of the mine's vents to reach the outside and get away from that thing, unfortunately her body did not recover completely and she could feel it every time she tried to go faster feeling a very sharp pain in her wings that made her slow down, in her mind she only repeated that she would not give up even if it cost her to fly again and she pushed herself even more but her body was not willing to obey her, after a few minutes in the narrow vent tunnel they had finally reached the outside without knowing that her new "friend" had already prepared other surprises for her, the skies quickly began to be covered with huge storm clouds that in seconds were released in the form of a powerful storm that hindered visibility and flooded the skies with powerful lightning and thunderbolts.

Seeing that the air route had been blocked she had no choice but to risk flying to ground level where another surprise awaited her, horrible insectoid beings came out to cut her way once she left the abandoned settlement area, they were fast and knew how to move very well in the dense rain which was not a good sign and much less to see those tiny jaws full of fangs wanting a piece of fresh meat, using all her agility she went into the forest hoping to lose them but it was useless and they were already too close, desperately she managed to spot in the distance a huge hive of thunder termites on top of a pine tree, it was undoubtedly the worst idea that could have occurred to her in such a short time but she had no options left.

This unleashed the fury of the small insects that soon created a huge cloud that covered the area to launch a huge electric shock that ended up burning the insectoids.

However, for Rainbow that action had had a cost since part of the lightning hit her right wing, numbing it, her speed had been reduced and although she had already left the danger far behind she still needed to reach the coast. But something else was ready to prevent her from achieving such a thing, from the depths a huge shadow began to emerge in the form of huge jaws that threatened to devour them whole, with difficulty Dash managed to dodge the bite of the sea beast while she said to herself - "I will not belittle the stories that seem false, that thing is huge! "- the swell after the exit of the beast's mouth became rougher as the storm became a thunderstorm in the sea adding more difficulty to the poor Pegasus, she needed to gain height but her body was already reaching its limit and soon she would fall into the sea where she would be easy prey for that thing, Scoot's moans made her decide to take a much greater risk for her safety and after starting to climb ignoring the pain or the force of the rays that she was dodging with difficulty she let herself fall in a dive to try to gain speed with the inertia and at the last moment she unfolded her wings achieving a spinning effect that increased her speed.

The coast was getting closer and closer and began to increase its speed, leaving the creature far behind, which only let out a guttural roar that was lost in the storm. While Rainbow was already arriving to Harbor Star of Dawn, a patrol appeared at that moment making their nightly rounds until they were impacted by her due to the tiredness, pain and exhaustion that made it very difficult for her to remain conscious and before falling asleep she only managed to say - "my sister... doctor... please...". - The guards wasted no time and quickly moved them to the detachment to be treated for their wounds and later they would interrogate them about it and perhaps something else. While from the shadows the strange creature remained as a spectator drawing a wide smile as he saw that everything was going according to his plan and soon he would pay a visit to his new best friends.

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You look like a sweet angel when she's asleep, wake up honey it's time for you to see this world with your eyes again.

- Who the...?

- No-oh, don't talk honey. You still need to get your strength back, all that time that was stolen from you you'll soon be able to get it back just like me.

- Time... yes... I must get back what's mine and then...

- No honey, it's not the time to act yet. But soon it will be so don't let her find out or none of you will get what you want, sweet dreams... my little angel of the shadows.