MLP Darker Nights - Ch 1

"Spike?"
Twilight looked over her shoulder to her diminutive dragon companion. he appeared to be asleep again, nestled among her many unshelved books. hard to get decent help around here these days, but there wasn't much of a problem with doing a little work by yourself.
Her house was only in a state of disarray as of lately too; She'd been working on perfecting different spells, wearing herself and Spike out, and of course leaving her too tired to really try cleaning up the books that lay strewn across the floor.
A knock came from her door.
"Gosh, so late at night?" Twilight groaned, making her way toward the door.
It opened letting in bright rays of sunlight, and a glamorous pony known to many as Rarity.
She strode inwards.
"Good morning Twilight!"
She stopped, first viewing the surroundings of books and other nicknacks left around the house.
"Oh Twilight! What happened here?"
Rarity gawked, and locked focus on her friend.
"Those rings under your eyes!" She gasped clapping her hooves over her mouth.
"Haven't you been getting your recommended beauty sleep?!"
"Oh Rarity, you worry too much."
Twilight shook her head and pulled a book from her shelf, flipping idly through the pages, not focusing on finding a spell in particular.
"Put the book down girl!" Rarity breathed.
"You'll wear yourself out!"
She nudged her friend towards her bedroom.
"No ifs ands or buts:" Rarity urged, "You get some sleep!"
Almost not remembering the incident with Apple Jack when she had worn herself out to the point of her mind breaking, Twilight nodded.
"Yeah, and then I'll clean up... Can't do good magic knowing my place is such a mess..."
She yawned, nuzzling herself under her sheets.
Rarity pulled the blanket gently over her friend, she was out before she could finish, poor filly... Rarity smiled warmly, good deed done for the morning, she headed out silently, making good sure that she closed the door gently.

"HEYA!" A bellow ruined the silence, and her perfectly curled coiffure.
"Where's Twilight? I haven't seen her in days! I mean it's sort of like her to do this, but you think she would take some time to come out and greet us and share a treat or a milkshake or a friendly hello or maybe a slice of cake or a nod of the head or maybe a wave or a hoofshake or-"

"PinkiePie! I don't think you're ever tired- but other Ponies do need some beauty sleep!"
Rarity cut her off, attempting to ease the flyaway hairs in her mane.
"Twilight's been working ever so hard recently, and it's up to us to let her sleep..."
"Oh! Why didn't you say so?"
Pinkie pulled the door open, peering inside the darkened house, "Hello?" she whispered before being yanked out.

"That means -Pinkie, that we should leave her alone!"
The two nodded in concurrence and strode off into Ponyville.

Apple Jack was hard at work. It was the best kind of day for expanding the plantation, the apple family had grown in numbers, and it was only a matter of time when Apple bloom and the other little fillies were able to chip in and help, more apple trees would be necessary, and more profits could be a good thing, especially to feed those rambunctious little ones as they grow and work.
Her hooves dug into the dry clay of a difficult hill, once the stones are revealed she could get some tools to lift them up, and then hook up a plow, so that Big mac could help too.
Her hooves struck something strange. It wasn't a rock, it looked like a box.
"What in the sam hay is that?"
She looked it over, scraping more mud off of it.
"Maybe I've gone found myself some treasure!" she beamed.
"Then my family could buy more tools to clear out more room for us!" she fantasized momentarily.
Big Mac strode over calmly to see what she had.
Apple Jack looked up to her brother and grinned sheepishly.
"Hey Mac, It's... Uh... Kinda in the way of ma diggin, couldja help me move it?" she asked bashfully, it looked a little too heavy for her to move by her lonesome anyways.

"Yup,"Mac Replied.
He left, returning after a while with a harness. Apple Jack's excitement had grown exponentially while she had waited.
Mac latched the ends of the hooks to the crate. He began straining to pull it out of the mud, inch by inch.

"Sure looks heavy." Apple Jack commented.
"Heck, maybe it's full of bricks? Gold bricks!"
Forget tools! Apple Jack imagined the family operating fancy machines. She shook her head -Nah! The Apple family always prides itself on hard work, but she was certain whatever treasure could be in this box would be a great help to them anyways.
Mac rolled his eyes, he'd seen that look in his sister's eyes a few times, he figured the box would be filled with mud, or potatoes, something silly and disappointing, but he figured he had nothing better to do than to play along.
The box had made its way from the dirt as the sun started to set. Mac was sweating profusely, Apple Jack had spent herself trying to help push it from the other side for a while.
"Fwew!" She panted.
Mac Sighed, signaling with his hoof to his ambitious sister that the sun was setting.
She folded her ears down, "I guess yer right Mac, we best be headin' on inside, it'd be hard to see what's inside anyway with the sun bein' down and all..." she reasoned.
Little did she know that the had just unearthed one of the most formidable and cruel evils in all of Equestria.

An owl perched on the branch by a window in Twilight's house. He hooted deeply, signaling nighttime and well needed bed-rest for all Ponies.
Twilight flopped out of bed, mildly startled by the sound.
"Spike?"
She moved over to his bed.
"Spike, what time is it?" She asked him flipping the lights on.
Spike groaned and pulled the covers over his head.
"Bed time..."
He rolled over angrily.
"Oh! Sorry Spike!"
Twilight flipped the lights back off after catching sight of the clock, it read 8, Well past bed time for baby dragons.
Even though he had probably slept the entire day, she decided that she should let him sleep.
Twilight walked into her library, humming cheerily she began to scoop up various books and place them gingerly back onto the shelves in alphabetical order. Sweeping followed and then some quick dusting, she never had time in a day nor peace of mind to get those chores done. By the time she had finished those small chores it was about twelve, and to her dismay, she was not tired. Rarity's plan had certainly backfired. Here she was, awake and it was the middle of the night, everypony else was asleep!

"I'm sure a brisk walk wouldn't hurt," She thought to herself.
She threw on a light coat and head out the door.
Ponyville was silent, rather calm. She'd never really seen it like this. She looked skyward to the lovely stars.
"Wow, it's so... Magical..." She smiled warmly.
The night sky was truly wonderful, the view for the center of Ponyville at night was breath taking.
Peering into the sky she thought she spotted a Pegasus, silhouetted against the glaring moon, but after blinking there appeared to be nothing of the sort.
She shook her head.
"Oh Twilight, you're seeing things..."
She told herself wandered along the cobbled path, past the ever so glorified boutique that belonged to her friend Rarity.

A twisted shadow crept onto the shining porcelain floors of the boutique.
The ever so light sound of darkened hooves pacing their way, almost gliding across the tiles.
Restful, Rarity lay in her large and garish bed, her face smeared with her over night rejuvenation pack, and her eyes calmly shut beneath cucumbers.
The shadow moved into the room silently, and glided effortlessly to her side.
Piercing red eyes...Watching... Plotting...

Twilight snored loudly, tangled in her bed.
No matter how hard he tried, Spike couldn't drown her out.
"So much for sleeping in!" He groaned.
"How can you sleep over that!?"
He glared over at the sleeping pony. Yawning he made his way into the pantry.
"Gatta be something around here to eat..."
Spike rubbed his stomach spying a jar of rhinestones on the top of the shelf.
"Oh those look nice!"
He imagined how smooth and crunchy they would be. He looked over his shoulder to the stairs leading to the bedroom.
"But... What if..."
It was unbearable. He knew twilight wouldn't mind if he had a few and put the rest right back, she probably wouldn't even notice! He strained to reach them, but his tiny stature could only reach up to the first three shelves.
"Darn it..." He grunted.
With pure determination in his eyes he stole to the library, and grabbed the biggest books he could carry; he proceeded to stack them atop of each other. Standing at twice his height on top of the books, he clasped his prize in his claws,
"Yes! Spike, you are a genius!" he applauded himself.