Songs of Innocence

Chapter 68: Records of Time - Night of Nightmares

Near the ancient town of Contrapasso, one dark night, long, long ago...

["One Of A Kind" from Bayonetta]

Two unicorns raced across the land, as the evil moon watched from above. It observed Equestria as it was brought to its knees as demons and night-things swarmed, turning on their masters, destroying everything in their path in a parade of mindless evil. Devils and stygian beasts filled the land as far as the eye could see.

The two noble ponies rushed through the cliffs of the mountainside on which Canterlot rested. While nearly all of the demons rampaging were ones who used their freedom to wreak havoc, there was one, the Trampler of Hope, the horse demon Alloces, who stayed loyal to its mutual masters, which were the two ponies. It rode the stallion and mare through the darkest night that had fallen on the world.

"Canto," the mare said to her stallion partner, "I fear we may be too late. I can see the castle of the two royal sisters in ruins! Oh, we have failed you, dea Celestia! The sun will never rise again!" she cried.

"Angela! Calm yourself!" Canto said sternly but understandingly. "This is not the end of days, I know for sure."

"But, if we do fail... then what of our foal?"

"...They will be fine. You will be fine, too. I will make sure of that."

Alloces streaked through the mountainside with an urgency equal to its masters', and it unflinchingly slashed its horn through swarms of the unwholesome insects of Tartarus that attempted pathetically to stop the monstrous steed. Scenes of abominations ravaging the blackened land played out everywhere the eye could see, and even the night sky was infested. Legions of pegasi soldiers fell to haunting mockeries of avian creatures. 

Angela shielded her eyes from the horrid sights, but she knew that what she saw would never leave her. She and Canto were not the only ones responsible for this, but their entire town was, as well. The town of Contrapasso was a town of mystics, wizards, and witches, built to harness the powers of the dark and Tartarean. They were more in contact with the spiritual entities of the world than anyone else, and when Princess Luna showed interest in learning their arts, they were more than happy to teach her. She became the most skilled and powerful of even their own supposed "masters" of the dark arts of summoning.

She had but one demon contracted to her, but that demon was perhaps one of, if not the, most powerful of them all: Despoena. The alicorn was in complete control of her demon, but she could not resist the alluring murmurs her demon would whisper to her behind closed doors. Promises of excessive power, and musings that raised Luna's ego to the point where she now spoke about night being better than day. Her growing narcissism was only further enabled by the mostly nocturnal Contrapassians, whose unwavering faith in her ultimately lead to... this.

The sky was horribly black, without a single star twinkling in the far distance. The wild forest Alloces dashed through was pitch black, but it was certainly just as rampant with vile creatures. A trail of countless of their severed bodies followed Alloces as it went. 

"I can see the castle beyond the trees." Canto said, holding Angela close. 

But unknown to them, this wasn't going to get any easier. Their progress would be suddenly halted by vines of qlippoth like barbed wire. It wrapped around the olden trees, and trapped the demonic equine within the circle the vines had created using the flora. Alloces huffed in annoyance, while the ponies were left bewildered and brimming with dread.