The violet rimmed eye looked through the telescope right up into the skies high above Equestria and without any tuning to the thing done, she looked straight up at perhaps the galaxy's most amazing thing. Something that caused her feelings to be stirred like nothing in the world could be doing. Not even the finest print of her favorite book could be doing the effects and the pleasant shiver that she got, from looking up into the skies high above her and seeing those wonderful creations.

"The pillars of creation, even more beautiful than I could have ever thought they would have been. So, majestic, if you excuse me the term. That, is true beauty right there and princess, you have the best seat in the house with it." Twilight spoke up with an excited tone to her voice after she had taken her eyes away from the telescope and gave one last glance over to the skies.

Everything she had seen in her entire life could be summed up with those words and not even the experience from all of that could tip on the fact of just how amazing those cosmic nebulae were. It were also words that caused the lunar princess to blush deeply as she wasn't used to such words from anypony different then her beloved sister. But they weren't unwelcome either, she had to admit that to her. Even though it wasn't done in a verbal manner.

"Why thank you Twilight. And I do have to admit that I indeed have the best seat in the house when it comes to it. Not that I'm complaining about that of course. The pillars always seem to be having that kind of nature to them really. Even when I still glance upon them one day of the week, I find myself magically intrigued by them. Something of about them is just so mysterious." Luna spoke up in a low voice of herself. With her own eyes aimed towards the general direction of the pillars, they almost seemed to be appearing right inside of her eyes. One pillar for each eye.

Twilight released a gentle giggle in response to the words before she released a deep sigh of mixed but positive emotions. Things seemed to be going for the better as everything bad was forgotten just for that small moment in time itself. "I, I don't know what to say to this. I never expected to be seeing something that beautiful, that close to me."

Luna slowly lowered her head back down in order to look the mulberry unicorn into the eyes as the pillars inside of them slowly disappeared. "Well, they are still light years away, I can assure you that. But I do understand the direction you are coming from. Though believe me when I say that certain things aren't learned by studying a dusty old book. No Twilight," the lunar princess spoke up as she gained a much wider smile below her muzzle. "Some things are meant to be seen by your own eyes. Understanding beauty, is one of those things. And those pillars, you find them amazing. Just like me."

Carefully did the ears of the unicorn listen to the words that were spoken against her and there wasn't anything else that she could be doing outside of agreeing with them. Luna actually hit the nails right on their head when it eventually came down to it. And perhaps the strangest part of all, was the fact that she seemed to be happy about it. It wasn't something that Luna herself could have ever predicted to happen, though what happened next was something even more unexpected.

For without a warning or word did Twilight walk up to the alicorn and before the lunar princess could even react were both of the mulberry mare her forelegs placed into the neck and a tight hug was given to her. A hug that tight had not even Luna ever received from anypony. The hug was so emotionally powerful that it cracked a tear or two in the eyes of Luna while returned it by wrapping one of her forelegs over the back of Twilight and bringing her in even closer.

"Thank you princess, thank you for everything you have shown me here. Maybe it may not have been much, but quality over quantity, right?" Twilight whispered before she left a small giggle of her own words.

Luna on the other end was literally speechless of all the happened events and didn't spoke a word. Though the emotions and motions made by her were more than enough for Twilight to realize she was expressing the gratitude of her own.

For a good set of second was the hug between the mares held until it was Luna herself who ever so gently broke it. The hooves of Twilight were released from the mare her back and they lowered themselves unto the ground again. The green bluish rimmed eyes of Luna looked over to the other mare and gave her a simple nod with a genuine smile.

"You're welcome for everything princess," the mulberry mare whispered to the alicorn before she started to make her departure. It was something that caused the princess to look up with a baffled expression upon her face and followed her suit.

"Going already milady Sparkle? What's the hurry if I may ask?"

"As shameful as it is to admit, I'm still a pony who feels herself best comfortable roaming around in the daylight provided by the sun. And if I don't go to bed now, I will never fall asleep for the night and thus end up with a massive headache and grumpy mood tomorrow." Twilight pleaded as her excuse on the matter. By then she had reached the door of the bedroom and looked over to Luna one last time.

"It, I understand, it's fine. Go, go and get your needed sleep. I sometimes forget that ponies like yourself are be needing sleep in order to get through the next day. Goodnight Twilight." Luna spoke up as the smile slowly dropped itself.

"You sure about that princess?"

"Yes, yes I'm sure."

Even though she didn't seem to be trusting it a whole lot, Twilight still believed the alicorn upon her words and the only thing that she could being was to leave the mare alone with her thoughts to ponder. Her departure of the room was something clean and swift. So she was there and so she was gone. Leaving the princess to plop down on her bed and sigh deeply to herself as the eyes closed themselves.

"What to make of this?" she questioned to herself as a single tear gently streamed the way down her cheek.

Though over in the woods of Everfree seemed nothing what it was as the nightmarish unicorn was accompanied with her pups. They were just wandering through the darkened woods without a true goal for their eyes. They almost seemed to be like ghosts who were traveling upon the land of the living. Or at least one of them as the other four really were like dogs. Their journey had caused them to leave the fog covered woods of White Tails and they had been wandering through the woods of Everfree for quite the little while by then.

They had walked past the old castle that had been visited by Luna not a few days ago. When they had arrived upon the place were the savages actually smelled the magic of the mare that was being used. It still lingered in the air for them to catch unto though the trail was already old.

The unicorn however didn't seem to be noticing it one bit and simply ordered her savages to continue roaming with her. Not even the desire to walk into the place and have a look around was something to be found within her systems. All she wanted to do was just to get away from there as quick as she possibly could have gone.

The company had then been walking for close to an hour before they arrived at perhaps their next spot of the trip before they would be going back towards the domain. Under the light of the moon itself, the nightmarish unicorn thought to have seen something shimmering in the distance before them. Not some light made by magic or by ponies. But a reflection of the light was cast from the rock itself.

Curiosity was the thing that had taken her more than anything at the moment as the will to investigate had taken over every single sense of her body. Her pace was being slowed down to a crawl and the savages followed almost suit. Their eyes were looking into every direction to make certain that they wouldn't get ambushed from any side. No matter what could have been done, they always approached everything like it was a massive trap.

It was their habit as it actually was the way that the unicorn herself had designed them to be. even if it was through some rather unforeseen side-effects. The blue rimmed, cat like irises of the nightmarish unicorn herself looked upon the light and took a step closer. "It's, it's a pond, in the middle of the forest?" she whispered to herself as one of the eyebrows rose itself up.

She couldn't actually believe the sights that were seen with her own eyes but still continued to take steps closer. And with each step that was being taken, the revelation was being made more and more. For literally in the middle of the forest of Everfree, without any indication whatsoever, they had stumbled upon one of those mythical ponds she had heard about through time itself.

"Waters that must never be drunk by any creature, for the time would go either forwards or backwards for it." Nightmare Rarity recalled herself. All five of them stepped out of the vegetation as the savages wanted to drink from the waters but after having taken a sniff or two, they turned themselves straight back around. If the scent alone was enough to make them turn away, what could be truly in the waters.

There would be a time to discover that sooner or later, as the nightmarish unicorn herself dared to make the step towards the edge of the pond and closed her eyes. "They are the stuff of legend, pony-tales made up to keep the foals entertained about the mystery of Everfree. Concealing the truth that lies behind it all," she spoke up to herself more as an excuse of the things she thought to be seeing.

Though she opened her eyes again and looked into the waters themselves which caused every last bit of that excuse to be smacked against the wall and shattered into a trillion little pieces. Her argument made against the pool had been busted as it did show something to her. For in the waters of the pond before her she saw two figures. Two figures that both controlled the body. Stronger even, the two figures out of which the entity was build up from.

A bit to her left there was the ivory coated unicorn with her genuine happy smile below the muzzle. While a bit to the right was the horrid face of Nightmare Moon clearly visible in the calm water. The both of them seemed to be in their prime and high days of their lives, something that caused Nightmare Rarity to be even more frightened. It seemed to be rather impossible that something like that, could actually be happening or had happened.

Something about the things she saw into those cursed waters didn't make even one bit of sense. And luckily for her, the distraction to not think about that anymore happened to be literally just behind the trees.

For from the darkened treelines it appeared with a mighty roar. The lion paw smashed itself against the bark of a tree next to it, causing it to shatter while the stinger of the scorpion tail was shot forward. "Oh, hello there," the dark entity spoke up after she had evaded the stinger like it was nothing. A grin formed itself below her muzzle as she looked straight into the eyes of the beast that was so foolish enough to attack her.

"You might have seen me as your late night snick. Well here's something new for you big boy, you're the late night snack of my pets." she spoke up before a step backwards was done. The creature itself of course didn't understand even one bit of the events that were going on, but the moment it saw the teeth of the savaged shadow stallion, the race for survival was on.

"Boys, tonight on the menu is manticore. Do as you please." Nightmare Rarity spoke up before she erupted in a snicker that would make any being uncomfortable of being around her. Though there were the shadow stallions were just shadows that could take a physical form, for her it was literally the other way around. Getting involved into the fight was therefore about the last thing that she wanted. So the wise thing was done by her and she actually retreated back into the shadows to let her savages handle with the massive creature.

The four savages growled a bit like an angered dog towards the mighty creature of Everfree before the screeching howl of the attack was released. The fight was on and only one side was able to actually get out of it alive.

Almost in unison did the savages just jump straight at the manticore and started to tear away pieces of flesh. Which revealed the bone and muscles that laid beneath it. The creature screamed it out in the pain as the tail stung one of them, if not impaled while the claws were used to get two others off of his body. With the one savage stuck in the actual stinger of the beast, the venom that was stored inside of it was pumped straight into the savage. Who in return roared it out in the pain before he tried to bite the entire tail literally into two pieces. The jaw of the muscular stallion opened and closed itself continuously as it tried to get to the tail of the beast.

Though luck wasn't on the side of the manticore itself. For with two of the savages on its foreclaws, one stuck on the stinger, there was still one that needed to be dealt with and it simply paced itself up and down before it with a huff every so often. The manticore couldn't concentrate itself as much as it had opened due to the fact that one of his brethren tried to get a hold of its tail every possible second.

So the only thing that it knew that could be done in order to actually make certain it would stop was a good smash on the head. Which was exactly the thing that was done. For with one powerful lash of the tail towards the ground did the savage hit the rock solid ground and was actually knocked out.

The manticore was the first being in the entire world that managed to actually knock out one of the unicorn's personal guards. A unicorn who had been watching the scene from a safe distance. With her head she tried to make the calculations of the impact that was being received to the skull but not even her mind could be calculating in such big numbers without any form of help from paper.

The other two savages were taken by their necks so that the jaws were a safe distance away from the flesh of the being. Though the first and initial attack of the beings had torn massive holes in the wings and flesh alone. All that basically was left to be done, was to actually end the being there and then. The savage who had been pacing up and down before the manticore had been waiting for a mistake.

One mistake was all that it would be taken in order to finish off one of Equestria's deadliest predators. And it would be doing literally everything to make certain that it would happen.

Agonizing seconds did the two enemies look at one another in the eyes. Not even blinks were granted as it meant a sign of weakness and thus a change for the opposing force to attack. Not something that was wanted by either party.

Yet where the nightmare forces had no eyes to actually look at and thus nothing to blink with, the manticore did. Being alive was the biggest mistake that it ever had in front of the shadows. For it was in the one moment that the blink was being made that the pacing just stopped dead in its tracks and the legs of the savage carried the creature over right to the neck of the manticore.

Without any sign of remorse or mercy were the jagged fangs set into the flesh of the predator who released a gruesome sound in response. The pain that was going through the neck was more than enough to release other two and then it was over. There was nothing that the manticore could be doing in order to prevent its death from happening. Not a single fight would have been worthy to give to the savages to survive. The facts had to be witnesses as they were and in nature it was eat, or be eaten.

In the eyes of the predator had the tables finally been turned. With a loud thumb unto the ground, did the muscular mix of creature fall down to the ground before it took its terminal breath. Died from the wounds right on the spot and the three savages began to eat right away from their prize. The feeding frenzy was more than enough to keep them happy for weeks when it came down to a hunt.

In time did the fourth one even came back to its knowledge before joining the party as well and eating every remaining but on the skeleton until the stomach was full.

Listening was the only thing that the nightmarish unicorn had been doing all that time and in the distance she heard the voices of ponies through the woods. With her pups stuffed on the flesh, there wasn't anything else she was interested in as the legs had been stretched. Not to forget the fact that she wished to remain hidden from the massive crowd.

The mental order was given to each of the savages to merge into the realm of the shadows as well and to make a quick escape from the place. They followed the order instantly and they were actually the first ones to dart away and return to the domain all the way back in White Tails. Nightmare Rarity was actually planning to be doing the same thing but the closer she heard the voices come, the more interest she actually got into them. She was getting more and more curious to see just how they were looking and why they were out there at night.

Something about the ponies that were hidden among the darkness was sparking her attention more and more. She granted herself the best seating in the house for the events to come. For as her clouded formation had the unicorn traveled up against a tree and laid her body lengthwise upon a branch thick enough to hold her weight. If they would be looking up or even in the general direction, they wouldn't be seeing a thing but she could be seeing everything.

Through the vegetation they then came, two stallions dressed like rangers of some sort stepped out of it and they were horrified as they saw the corpse of the freshly killed manticore. "Tis impossible that this thing just died, everything's gone of it already," one of them spoke up as he pointed to the bones. "Could never have been the screams."

"Now don't be so certain about that rookie. This might be your first night out here, but you still have a lot to learn. It's eat, or be eaten in these woods. This things fell victim to a thing with multiple heads. And from the looks of it, as massive appetite. You know a creature with multiple heads that live around here?" the older stallion spoke up as he looked at the rookie with a set of stern eyes.

The eyes of the rookie became as wide as they were allowed and the fear could be read right into them like an open book for the unicorn. "You don't mean that…that there is a hydra on the loose around here?" he spoke up with a frightful tone to his voice. Genuine fear filled him from hoof to head to tail. "I, I never thought, that they were coming this far out of the marshlands."

"You might be surprised by what a creature will be doing when it's hungry, rookie. You will be surprised by that," the older stallion spoke up before he turned his eyes away from the heap of bones and looked to the branch where the invisible Nightmare Rarity laid upon.

Though she happened to be quite the confident mare in her abilities and simply stared right back into his eyes. Something that was causing him to shudder and shiver a little bit in response. "Oh I know quite the bit of what a creature will be doing then." Nightmare Rarity whispered to herself without any form of sound to alert the two of them.

The older stallion turned his head away from the branch and allowed it to fall upon the waters of the pond. And once again had he felt that same shudder and shiver. "Like it wasn't worth enough already. Come on rookie, we have nothing to search here and do anymore. Not with such a pond in the close neighborhood."

It was a set of words that caused the rookie to shake his head a couple of times in response as he didn't seem to be getting just what was being told to him. Out of everything that he had previously heard from the mouth of that stallion, it was that they had to stay as long as possible. While at that peddle of water they would be making a hasty retreat? Something just didn't feel right there and then.

Though the time to ask the questions that were on his mind were granted to the fact that the other pony had already left the scene of the bones and pond. "Uh, hey! Wait for me!" the rookie yelled at the other stallion before he rushed after him. In the ears of Nightmare Rarity did the words echo they exchanged with one another before those became whispers and then they finally disappeared out of her hearing range.

It was also something that caused her to merge with the physical realm once again and grinned like the devil that she was. With her hindlegs laying over one another and the tail right behind that and hung off to the side of the branch, the forelegs were actually crossed over one another and the mane blocked out one of her eyes. "Oh trust me ranger, I do know what a creature does when it's that hungry. And it is everything but pretty," she spoke up to herself before the sickening snicker left her.

A snicker that went through the marrow and bone if somepony that would be happening to be around actually heard. A frightful sound that was everything but comforting. Though she couldn't be laying around on that branch all night. Even though it was oddly comfortable, she needed to return to her own domain in order to entertain some guests she had. "Do you hear the whispermare? The whispermare is near," she spoke up to herself before her body once again merged with the shadows and started upon the final sprint of the race. The sprint straight to her beloved dark crystal domain hidden deep within the fog of White Tails woods.

Once returned inside of the safe walls of the domain stood the unicorn herself in the courtyard and looked upon the three doorways that were the only ones outside of the exit. One by one she was getting her thoughts of them and evaluated her feelings. Though none of them seemed to be doing her any good. Each of the doorways had they own story to tell and it wasn't a pretty one. Even in the dead of night.

Yet there was just one thing that she needed to be doing. Which was to take the middle one in order to get some of her much needed sleep. Her hooves then almost automatically began to carry the body over to the doorway and then straight up the stairs. A massive strand of mane fell before her eyes as she continued to climb up before reaching her very own chambers.

Inside of the room had the unicorn dropped herself right upon the bed and snuggled up against the blankets and pillow before she would finally be going into a deep sleep of her own. A sleep in which even she would still be suffering the nightmares with which the entire scheme began. Nightmares that were the fuel for her powers and abilities. The very bubble of magic in which she was trapped in herself had revealed to her. Only to be forgotten again for the next day.

A day that had the unicorn getting out of her bed earlier than ever and after having combed her purple and white mane, stood in the courtyard once again. A fresh swig of air was taken into her nostrils as all of the smells caused her to exhale deeply. She seemed to be happy that particular morning. Happier than usual that was. It didn't seem to be having any particular reason.

Though the silence in which she stood, was disrupted the moment the Shadowblood came out of the dungeon and went up to her. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed him coming and only expected that trouble would be following him suit. But little did she knew, just the news happened to be that he was going to bring to her. "My queen, the batpony, she has gone crazier than any other soul after the treatment you gave her. She's getting out of control, turning into a vampire!"

"Stick a stake in her heart, then she'll listen," the unicorn returned in a chuckle to herself as her eyes continued to be looking upwards to the skies.

Though the answer he received from her wasn't the one he was actually hoping for. Instead Blood could be doing anything then except laugh. "This is getting out of control my queen. She is becoming unhandleable and next thing you know, the entire dungeon is getting into a riot." His words were spoken in the urgent tone that did made the unicorn listen to them with a set of perked eyes. Almost as if she couldn't believe it herself what he was saying.

"Oh really now commander? Is she becoming that much of trouble, this little whispermare of ours? Then I suppose you know just as well what we need to be doing with her right?" the nightmarish queen spoke up after she finally had even granted him a look from her eyes. The head turned itself over towards him as an even bigger grin formed itself below the muzzle.

To make the party even more complete had the four savages stepped out of the shadows behind the mare with a growl in their approach. Though it was the mere sight of them all that caused the commander to shiver in his own fears. Even though the growls weren't meant towards him, they still seemed to be that way. "Are you proposing, what I think you are, my queen?"

"Tie up the wings and bring her to me. Then we shall handle this once and for all." Nightmare Rarity returned to Shadowblood who made a quick bow before he turned back to the dungeon. "Open the gate! We'll be getting another runner."

On her command was the front gate of the dark crystal domain opened and the first thing that entered was the massive barrier of fog. It almost flooded the place with it before most of it started to sink down to a thick and compressed layer upon the ground. A layer not even half a hoof thick.

Deep within the bowels of the dungeon had Shadowblood returned once more to the cell in which the batpony was being held. A batpony who actually had returned to the ancient roots of her species. She hung upside down against the bars while her wings were wrapped around her body to form some kind of cocoon. "…Right, and how exactly was I going to be doing this again?" the stallion muttered to himself before he scratched the back of his head.

He didn't actually saw another way than to just get in there with her and do it with nothing but brute force that he had in his body. One way or the other he would be getting the batpony and he another day to live. Though in order to get her, he would be having just one shot so it had to go right the first try.

Unknown to him was the fact that the mare had heard the words he spoke against her the moment he came down into the dungeon itself. Yet it would only have been after he had locked himself into the cell with her, that the fun would actually being.

For the moment that was done was Shadowblood almost tackled down to the ground by the crazed batpony. Even though he could repel most of the attack, the force she was expressing on his body seemed to be a whole lot more than he originally had thought. "Ugh, so you're a lot stronger now, ain't ya? Well here's something new for you."

All of the muscles inside of the stallion's body were tensed even further and he managed to get a good hold of one of her forelegs as well as the neck. With his own forehooves placed just right, he managed to roll around and this gain the upper end in the fight. "Sorry missy, but you ain't biting me today," he chuckled to her as the forehoof was used to keep the neck to the ground. An action that was more done to keep himself safe, then any of the others. "Somepony please tie the wings of her and get it done would you?"

One of the guards who had been watching pretty much the whole time, walked into the cell and did the thing that was being asked of him. "Now you be a good batpony, so this might actually work out for you."

Though the only responses that he would be getting out of her were nothing but hisses and growls of hatred. "Help yourself then." Blood was then tabbed on the back with the message that the ropes were tightly secured around the wings and that they wouldn't be doing anywhere.

The light of the sun was the first thing that fell upon the face of the Whispermare in a very long time and she released a deep hiss towards it. She actually wanted to return to the darkness of the dungeon but the access was being blocked. Yet as the head was turned to the side could the nightmarish unicorn being seen in the fullest of glories and almost instantly she just rushes right at her.

Only to be stopped by the savages that all four had taken their position in between the queen and the batpony. "Now you just play along nicely or the game will already be over." Nightmare Rarity spoke up with a sickening grin clearly visible below her muzzle. Whatever she had planned for the batpony, it would be anything but good.

"Gone mad by my powers, is what they say and when I see you here like this, I would say that that is pretty correct." A deep chuckle was given as the eyes continued to investigate the creature from tail to nose in the fullest of detail. "So this is what the batponies become after you lock them up in a vault and show them their worst fears, natural predators that want to suck the very life out of every living being they encounter. Shame I don't need such a being in my ranks."

The batpony herself simply started to walk up and down on a bit of ground as the words were listened to. Though it was only the question if they were actually understood by her mind. It didn't seemed to be giving a much needed care to the unicorn. Hisses and growls were the only things that were released by the Whispermare. Not even a single word of pleading was left from her. She was a tough one, that much had to be admitted by the queen.

"Now then, this is where the fun really begins," the unicorn spoke up as she looked even deeper into the eyes of the batpony. "I'm going to give you a chance to run away from this hellish place. Only catch is that my little pups here, will be chasing you all of the way. Do they get you, it's game over on the spot. Do you manage to walk away, congratulations. Though know this, nopony has ever won the game."

The discouraging words weren't something that kept the Whispermare particularly frightened or anything else for that matter. She understood only one thing out of the words and that was the fact that she was given a chance to get out of there. A chance that she would be taking literally with the both of her hoof and wings of they were given the chance to be freed.

Though the motions made to just start running were already enough for the nightmarish queen to see just where it would be going to. Another massive grin slowly formed itself below her muzzle as she nodded to the batpony. "Go, go now and never return to me!" she shouted to the maddened creature.

It was a set of words that needed to be only said once to her. For almost instantly was the Whispermare gone like the wind and out of the doors of the domain. "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, go." Nightmare Rarity counted to each of her savages and at the 'go', all four of them were just going crazy. The screeching howl was released once again by one of them before the chase was being set. Another hunt was on but this one happened to be one that was to please their queen more than anything.

Rushing through the fog covered woods did the Whispermare try her utmost best in an attempt to find her exit out of the devilish place. Yet every direction that she went into caused her doubts to be raised further and further. Even in her state of madness did the logical side she had still try its utmost best to push through and fulfill the duty that was given by princess Luna. Though little did the ponies in the domain knew, that it was actually all just a play.

She had never gone actually mad as she had actually managed to somehow withstand the massive charges straight into her head, much to her own relief. Though now that she was lost within the fog of White Tails, not even the Whispermare herself knew which way she needed to be going. "Luna give me strength," she spoke up to herself as the wings tried their best to uncurl themselves but it never worked. Not to mention the fact that the knots of the things were on her back which was a place impossible to reach by her own.

It would have been the strength she was be asking for that she would receive. Although not in the manner that she had originally hoped. For one by one they managed to corner the batpony. A batpony whose eyes looked at the four of them and took careful steps back to stay out of their jumping range. Yet they continued to come closer and closer until the mare bumped into a treetrunk. That was the moment when she knew that everything was just lost for her. That was the moment that she knew her life would come to an end. "Whisper, no more," where the last words to ever leave her mouth before the savages attacked her with everything they had.

In the domain itself was Nightmare Rarity actually on the lookout for the savages. Once they had returned, they had a present for her. For the head of the Whispermare was being dropped before her forehooves. It was a thing that caused a sickening grin to appear upon her face as she released a chuckle. "Oh this here, is going to make a very nice example for the two of them," she spoke up just before the head rose itself up to one of the more common clouds of shadow and the command was spoken. "Deliver this to your majesty the princess, Luna of the Moon. I'm sure she will be happy with it, though don't get yourself caught or there will be the devil to pay."