BronyCray

            The Captain's jaw tightened as the edge grew closer. The wind whipped around her, nearly knocking her off of the stone parapet as she galloped forward. Her eyes narrowed as her wings flared, lifting her into the air just as the ground beneath her hooves ended. In a flash she was gone from the castle, the wind pulling her away as fast as her own will.            She had to remind herself how fortunate she was. She had been let out of that stone cell by chance, and part of her had expected to die down there. She hadn't had trouble with any castle guards, since Luna- no, Nightmare Moon hadn't told anyone of her capture. To the forc

      Though the night had passed, shadows were cast across the decrepit ground by the light from Sugarcube Corner. In some part of her mind, Twilight noted that the presence of the light was not only unnerving in and of itself, but also accentuated the eerie silence. Perhaps she had simply grown used to the effects of daytime, or perhaps a light that could banish unnatural darkness was likely quite unnatural itself. Even Dash, normally fidgety after only a few moments of staying still, was silent and unmoving next to her.      The two mares stood in silence, not sure what to do next.  It wasn't the frantic silence from their sprint through

The captain beat her wings rhythmically, flying nearly blindly. Barely a dozen stars kept the night alive, and years of flying instinct guided her more than sight. The crisp chill of the air told her that she was well above the treeline, and her natural sense of direction told her that she was flying northeast, dead on course to arrive at the castle. Though she told herself to hurry, her wings beat at a steady pace, lulling her body into autopilot as her mind wandered. For the hundredth time that night, a snapshot flared up before her mind. She was in the ancient ruins again, Twilight Sparkle in front of her. The stone beneath her hooves was

This is a side story for The Night that Never Ended. It should not be read before chapter 17, both for context and spoilers.     Rarity's hooves pounded as she ran, eyes wide and mouth panting as she galloped blindly. Before and around her was a solid wall of darkness, even the ground beneath her feet was lost to sight.     Away, away! Run away!     The words echoed in Rarity's mind, but her exhaustion took it's toll as she stumbled over her own hooves. The ground must have been stone, because she could feel the loose gravel and sharp edges cut against her flank as she slid, whimp

In the silence of the Everfree Forest, near a dry patch of ground that barely counted as a path, a low rumbling began. With relative smoothness despite it's girth, a slab of stone as wide as two ponies and half again as tall began to swing outwards. From the darkness inside came the sound of cranks and levers creaking, as well as the soft clop of hooves on stone. The cold night air carried with it the stench of rot, but the captain still found it welcoming. Beneath the decay and decomposition, there lay the rosy scent of freedom. "This doesn't mean I forgive you, you know." The captain didn't know why she said it, maybe just because it all s

The sky flickered with the few remaining stars, their lights disappearing one by one as day descended. Though the sun should have been rising, bathing the forest below in orange radiance, instead the last points of light were winking out, laying a darkened twilight over the rotted limbs below. But although the stars above gave in to the relentless advance of day, a beacon on the ground shone as bright as ever. From afar, a twinkle among the forest may have looked like a fallen star that refused to die, but for Trixie it was blinding agony. She should have felt relief, her deity's spell somehow failing to reveal the warrant officer's lies. S

          Throughout New Ponyville, barely a sound was made. Few ponies roamed the street, and those that did kept their heads down and their hooves moving quickly. In their homes, unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies alike either spent time with their family or gathered their belongings together. A few grabbed a large tool or heavy object that could be used as a weapon, and fewer still strapped old pieces and scraps of armor to their flanks.            The announcement by Trixie had reached everypony's ears, and the atmosphere was grim. So

Rarity sat in her new office. The air still smelled faintly of paint as she brushed a hoof across her spotless desk and sounds of hammers floated in from her window. The ponies had been lucky to find this cave just a few days ago, and were quickly constructing their new homes. Rarity's thoughts were not on the progress being made around her, however, as she looked down at the report before her in disbelief. A hundred times a day since coming here, she had counted her blessings. So many of her friends had escaped, so much had been saved. Who cared about a few buildings lost when lives and families remained intact? And now their new home was r