The three figures before her shared a silent conversation, even as Twilight recovered from the sight of her five best friends vanishing. With a short nod, the three turned back to the lavender unicorn.
-Before we continue, do you understand that, by shouldering the responsibilities Rainbow Dash, your punishment shall be heavier than if she was to carry her own?-
A silent nod answered the question.
-And do you still agree to shoulder that burden?-
Another nod, this one carrying a slight hesitation.
-Then the condition of your punishment is thus...
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Celestia stared in horrid fascination at the marks on her pupil's head, two stretching from her temples with the third starting at the middle of her brow, momentarily before forcing herself to focus with a quick shake of her head as Twilight groaned. A flood of thoughts regarding the strange marking flew through her mind before she chose to enact the simplest and least damaging plan; she lit up her horn and cast a simplistic illusion that caused all others, even Twilight, to ignore it.
Her eyes fluttered open as Celestia's horn flickered out, eyes gazing out upon the land blearily. Seeing the shadow that lay over her, those eyes slowly rose to see the librarian's mentor that now engulfed her in a gentle hug that spoke of relief, concern and happiness.
As she shut her eyes to enjoy the moment, memories came unbidden; A clearing at night, an Ursa's corpse. A crater-pocked battlefield, white and midnight-blue clashing. The inside of a building, a shadowed creature chained.
Celestia started as she felt Twilight's hoof weakly attempt to push her away.
"Twilight?" she asked hesitantly, even as she moved slightly away.
"There's... something..." Twilight said faintly, attempting to stand on weary legs, "I need... to set... right." As she finished speaking, her body gave out on her. A golden glow surrounded her, lightening her body and steadying it. A now-solemn Celestia looked upon her student, already guessing what she planned. Gently wrapping a wing around her, the Solar Princess slowly guided her protégé.
=================================
'Can I really think of myself as anything but a monster, now?'
'Are you really that stupid?'
'What?' Suddenly, the colours that surrounded me seemed to fade to greyed hues as a being in white robes appeared before me, a black and white mask identical to the one I wore covering his face. Although, something seemed... off...
"You're not seriously believing that bullshit, are you? You saved their pathetic asses from an invasion, by the look of it, and you're here believing their shit about how you're evil while they get to call those dumbass idiots heroes?"
"Instinct?"The apparition before me threw me a scornful look before something caught both our attentions; a series of muted lights flashed among the crowd of ponies that had gathered without my noticing, revealing five of their kind that slowly fell back to earth and were shortly surrounded by others that wept joyously.
"Tch, you see that? All those worthless trash gather around the ones that did nothing and sing praise about them, when they did fuck all," Instinct snarled, gesturing viciously at the crowd behind him, even as a sixth light shone and deposited the pony that had betrayed me, "So don't you dare say that you're a monster for saving their hides from being enslaved!"
"I... understand...' was all I could say, even as Instinct faded away and the world brightened again. I looked again at the massacre behind me, and saw it in a new light; the enemies of the ungrateful ponies, slain by my hand. I felt no remorse for my actions any more, thanks to Instinct.
'I am not a monster...'
I saw my betrayer coming closer, the white horse supporting her.
'But that doesn't mean I'm not guilty of acting like one.'
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Everypony gradually fell silent as Twilight, supported by Celestia, slowly approached the Minotaur-like creature, anxious as to what was about to occur. When they were but a few metres from it - 'Him', Twilight corrected herself, rather sure the creature was male - Celestia allowed her pupil to stumble forward, supported solely by magic.
A sudden disturbance sounded out as members of the Wonderbolts dove onto the scene, ready to protect the Princess and her student from the creature.
Turning to face them while keeping her eye on Twilight, Celestia spoke commandingly, "Stand down, my loyal guards." The sight of the still-slightly bleeding scar had them hesitant about following the order, but still they did as ordered.
Turning back to the focus of everyponies attention, Celestia waited calmly for what was to occur.
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-Your magic, the thing you pride yourself in, shall be restrained. The well of magic shall not be diminished, but the seal that has been placed will use your own magic to limit its use,- the Raven said, eyes closing towards the end.
-The full effects will become clear once you return,- the Left stated, it's eyes closing as well.
-Furthermore, this punishment shall last until you gain the forgiveness of the creature whom you have wronged,- the Right finished, eyes easing shut.
=================================
All present could attest to how silently the world stood at that moment; no wind brushed neither fur, grass, dirt or stone, no birds sang their lilting tunes; as if the world itself was waiting with bated breath as to the outcome of this meeting;
One, backed by the remnants of an invading force with nary a scratch and, unbeknownst to many, bereft of memory.
The other, a student of royalty and, again unbeknownst, the reason that she and many others were injured.
The silence was broken when one stepped forward and said;
"My name is Twilight Sparkle, protègè of Princess Celestia, Solar Diarch of Equestria. And I am here...
To beg for your forgiveness." As her head hung low, she breathed to continue-
"WHAT?!"
Rainbow Dash struggled to stand up, despite the many ponies attempting to coax her into relaxing, visibly outraged at her friend's hung head, her bangs hiding her eyes, while she kept on her tirade, "Why should we be asking for that THING's forgiveness?!"
"Rainbow..."
"Why isn't it being arrested already?! Celestia knows that's the least it deserves!" Ponies nearby, Royal Guard especially, began nodding along with the pegasus.
"Rainbow."
"It comes here, hurts Princess Luna, blows up half the hospital, and saves us from the Changelings?! Why, so it can kill us it-"
"RAINBOW DASH, SHUT UP!"
Twilight's shout drew the gradually increasing attention away from Dash's words back to her, the mare herself stunned that what she had heard. Tears slowly trickled down the lavender mare's face.
"In the Paleopony era, a Unicorn named Marestotle discovered the connection between two events, which was named causality; or rather, cause and effect," Twilight spoke, her breath slightly shaking as she did, "I don't pretend to know what event brought him here, only that he is. What I do know, is that a series of events have brought us to this moment."
"Twilight, is this REALLY the time for a lecture?" Shining asked, before being hushed by Cadence.
"The Changeling army is dead, the hospital destroyed and ponies are hurt," Twilight continued, regardless of her brother's interruption, "because I chose to help imprison him, after promising I wouldn't try to fight.
So if you want to call him a monster, then you may as well call me one, too, because I'm just as responsible for what's happened over the last few days as he is."
As expected, everyone was stunned at the speech, and therefore responsibility, that Twilight gave and heaped upon herself. Even the stoic Princesses were speechless.
However, none expected the Hollow that stood there to be caught off-guard.
'Holy shit... she's actually serious...' Instinct muttered, partially in awe.
Twilight turned back to face the Hollow, taking a deep breath to steady her thoughts, before talking once more.
"I know that, after all that's happened, we... I don't deserve to ask you for forgiveness. Heck, I don't even have the right to talk to you. But, what I want to ask is...
Can I, no, can we have the chance to make it up to you?"
=================================
I stood there silently, as conflicting thoughts raced around my head as to whether or not I should accept. Instinct in particular was saying we owe them nothing; that they brought their pain down on themselves. I opened my mouth, unsure of what to say when;
'They are afraid, that's all.'
'What the...?' was all I could think before the world greyed out once more, except this time a vague black blur was present, a light-blue glow surrounding its edges.
'They only know of peace, so how else should they react in the face of violence? Fight back? Become afraid? That is how the world is.' The shadow stated, even as it slowly faded. Before it disappeared completely, it said something that I took to careful consideration as the world regained its colour.
'She is not asking for forgiveness...'
=================================
The Hollow breathed in, prepared to speak his piece, when he was interrupted.
"Hey, I just came up with a good name!"
Ponies and Hollow turned to face the jaw-wired Pinkie Pie, all wondering the same thing; 'How is she speaking through that?'
To which she, surprisingly, giggled, "Well, I AM the number-one Party Pony! I gotta know how to do ventriloquism for the odd gag! But anyhow, I have a name!" She turned to face the as-yet-unnamed Hollow as she spoke, "You keep calling out those weird words when you swing your sword and fire goes 'FWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHH!~', right? Although Getsuga sounds like a mouthful to say, and 'Getsu' would be like saying Luna raises and lowers you every night and- Oh, sorry, got carried away," she chuckled sheepishly, "Anyway, why not just call you Tenshou?"
"Ten...shou..." the Hollow slowly spoke, ponies staring at him; largely in amazement that he could talk in the first place, or the fact he was taking Pinkie's advice, with some fearful that they would join the Changeling's should he get upset. With a shrug, the pale white, Minotaur-esque creature shrugged.
"It'll work, I guess," Tenshou stated, glancing back at Twilight before turning around to at a mountain some distance away. Sighting what he was looking for, he turned back to Twilight, pointing at the cave within the mountain with his sword.
"If you need something, I'll be in there," was all he said before beginning to walk away.
"Wait, what about," Twilight started, before Tenshou cut across her.
"I guess I can accept your apology. However," his head twisted sideways until she could spy one vivid yellow eye.
"I won't forgive you." With that, he disappeared in a burst of static.
Even as Twilight's eyes grew dazed as a memory forced itself to the front of her mind, and collapsed to the concern of all present.
=================================
-However, - the Right spoke once more, it's eyes opening as a tendril of what looked like liquid lightning reached out from the arch, -should you inform any other of this condition...-
The Left's eyes opened as well as it continued, a similar ethereal appendage of smoke-like magma extending, Then your magic, and ability to use any magic...-
-Will be sealed away,- the Raven uttered, his golden eyes revealing themselves from behind his lids as he spoke the last word with tremendous gravity and echoed by the other two, an ink-like shadow that repelled all light around it extruded from a newly raised talon and touching Twilight's brow, whilst the other two made contact with their respective temples;
-Permanently.-
An aurora of lights surged down the connections from the three and into Twilight, spiralling toward and up her horn, before she, too, vanished in rainbow light.
=================================
Within the Castle of the Alicorn Sisters that stood, crumbling to Time's decay, deep inside the Everfree Forest, a dark shadow cackled lowly as it slipped out, it's prize claimed. Green eyes, leaking purple smoke, looked gleefully to the small satchel that held said prize as another piece fell into place.
'Soon,' was the only thought that held no concern for the various schemes and plans that ran rampant within the umbra Unicorn's mind, 'Soon, it shall all be mine...'
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Within the auditorium where only minutes before a pony was judged for her actions, only a single raven rested upon the top of a giant cross. Gold eyes opened as they viewed, once more, a portal of mist, and the events contained.
-Soon.- Gold eyes narrowed as a certain sequence played out once more as the Raven silently pledged, -Soon.-
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"Shit," Instinct muttered as he angrily studied his reflection at one of the many windows that filled the world he lived in, "That was too fucking close. But hey, at least nothing major's been done..." As he turned away while continuously muttering, a window became opaque momentarily.
Showing as inky black swirled within his left eye, consuming the white sclera.