//------------------------------// // Angel Of Darkness // Story: At Twilight's End // by Shrouded_Legacy //------------------------------// When Twilight stepped off the train onto the Ponyville platform, she took a second to get her bearings. It was nearing midnight, but the light reflected off Luna's moon was plenty enough to see that her quaint, lively town was now quiet and morose. There also seemed some sort of oppresive magic field bearing down on the city, as Twilight's horn tingled with every movement she made. The land looked the same, but devoid of its usual goings on. She stood there until the train started moving again. “What have I done... ?” She asked breathlessly. “I've got to find a way to make this all okay. Who knew that one small mistake could cause so much heartache?” She slowly stepped off the platform and started down the street toward the town hall, thinking it was near enough the center of Ponyville that it should offer a good vantage point to see the rest of the town. She kept seeing flashes of movement, but when she'd look for what was moving it seemingly disappeared. She wondered anxiously if it was magic, or mere visual– and auditory –hallucinations. As she neared the center of town, a she saw a bush near her move and heard the leaves rustle. She bristled and backed up, crossing the border from anxious to scared. “Show yourself!” She demanded, her voice warbling involuntarily. It rustled again and she saw a small white rabbit jump from the bush. The two exchanged glances, and Twilight noticed a faint glimmer in his eyes that she had only seen in – “Angel?” She asked, softly, as if speaking might make him disappear. The rabbit looked around furtively, then hopped up to Twilight tapped her leg twice and started dashing away. Twilight followed, assuming that's what he wanted. After a few twists and turns, Angel led Twilight to the Apple family's farm on the outskirts of Ponyville. Specifically, to the barn where the cattle slept. Twilight entered cautiously, her nerves still fraying due to the atmosphere that engulfed her once happy home town. She could barely see anything, but she began to relax due to what she heard. “T-Twilight?” A demure voice whispered through the darkness. “Fluttershy!” Twilight's fear vanished as the familiar yellow pegasus stepped out of the shadows. Twilight moved in to nuzzle her fondly. “Oh thank Celestia! I was afraid something horrible happened to you all! The town, the air, everything here just feels... wrong!” “Oh, I know. Ever since Trixie showed up, things have been slowly getting worse.” Fluttershy returned Twilight's show of affection, though it was far more tempered. “It's so good to see you awake after what happened at the Crystal Kingdom.” Twilight could hear the hope shimmering in her soft voice. “Trixie is here? She did all of this? How is that even possible?” Twilight shook her head vigorously. “Nevermind that! Where is everybody else? Are they hurt?” Fluttershy took a couple steps backwards as Twilight began frantically whipping her head from side to side, trying to find their friends. “Umm, Twilight, please, calm down. The others are alright... mostly. Trixie has them and has been running them ragged for almost a moon now.” She took a breath. “Trixie has a necklace that made her very powerful, and we found a reference to it in your library.” She pulled a small bundle of papers from concealment under one of her wings. “Scootaloo and I tried to get help, but after Trixie turned her into a chicken... I... I just hid here.” Her head drooped. “I'm so sorry, Twilight...” Twilight nuzzled her friend again. “Don't be, Fluttershy. If you and Angel hadn't been here, I wouldn't know what I was walking into.” She smiled warmly, continuing, “Your mission was a successful one, since now that I'm here I can be the help you sought.” Fluttershy smiled a little at this sentiment, but couldn't bring herself to acutally say anything. “Transmogrification is a very complex magic, and Trixie shouldn't be capable of such things.” Twilight stated while picking up the bundle of paper. She cast a Candlelight spell, and a small orb of magical light began hovering over head. She refocused on her telekinesis to manipulate the seal and pages, scanning through the information therein. Once she finished she looked up thoughtfully and started pacing. “The Alicorn Amulet... I have studied this before. Besides the information you guys gathered, it's also one of three relics that Starswirl hid due to their destructive power, both on the world and the pony who wears them.” Twilight's expression grew somber. “How long has Trixie been here, Fluttershy?” “Too long, I'm afraid. It's been a full moon cycle already.” Fluttershy's voice was barely more than a whisper, but Twilight could hear in its tone a small part of the horrors she must have witnessed. Twilight thought for a moment. “How much longer can you stay hidden?” She asked after a couple silent minutes. “Oh, I don't know, Twilight... Trixie was pretty angry that I got away, so she might still be looking.” Her voice dropped to barely audible, not wanting to answer directly. “So, not long...” Twilight nodded absently. “Okay, if you get caught, let the others know to look for a pink flare from the direction of the Everfree.” Twilight stopped pacing and put a hoof on her shoulder. “I'm going to go to the Castle of the Two Sisters, in hopes that the library there will having something I can reference to so that I can stop Trixie from doing any more harm.” “Please hurry, Twilight. She has been torturing the town for quite some time.” Fluttershy nuzzled Twilight, continuing, “And please, please, be careful. The forest has been... upset since we all got back from the Crystal Kingdom.” Fluttershy shuddered, remembering some untold horror. “And Trixie's arrival only agitated it more.” Twilight nodded. “I will be. You do the same, Fluttershy.” Twilight's tone was somber. “Her mind may already be breaking, and she could become very dangerous.” Fluttershy nodded, her face twisted with poorly concealed anxiety. Rather than continuing to draw out those farewells, Twilight cast a muffle spell on her hooves and dispelled the candlelight. She peeked around outside to make sure that noone was there, and, upon reaching the consensus that she was safe to do so, stepped out cautiously. She crept along the brush, staying off the path, in an attempt to remain unnoticed. “Espionage one-oh-one: Walk with the Shadows.” She reminded herself, grinning. “Adventures like this bring everyone closer. They'll welcome me with open arms once I pacify Trixie, and then we can all work together to wrest the Crystal Heart from Sombra.” Thinking about it made her giddy. Even if they would have a hard time forgiving her for her mistake up in the Crystal Kingdom, they would have to acknowledge her efforts here. “After we defeat Sombra and recapture the Heart, Celestia will see that she was wrong. She'll take me back and apologize for once again underestimating her Faithful Student.” It was not long until she was near the path into the Everfree Forest. Even when docile, there was a terrifying presence about these woods. The world came to life when you stepped past those first few trees. Not only were there many predators and highly dangerous creatures, some bordering on the line of being monstrous, but the even the plants themselves would try to repel travelers. Most ponies in Ponyville avoid the area as though it were a plague, lest they might be set upon by Timberwolves, Manticores, Chimeras and other such things. Twilight knew that there were several such untamed areas dotting the Equestrian landscape, but only had firsthand knowledge of this one. It was, after all, a natural barrier that separated common pony-folk from the Castle of the Two Sisters, which was where all of this began. Drawing in the courage to face what awaited her, Twilight stepped lively into the dark. “It's too quiet...” Twilight said softly, thinking aloud. “There are no scents, sounds... I haven't come across anything turned into stone...” She was getting restless, waiting for an attack that never came. “I don't even feel like I'm being followed. It's just... quiet...” She finished with a whimper. She felt a strange fluctuation of the ambient magical energy as she moved forward. “Hush, now; quiet now.” The dark voice whispered in perfect tune. “Your dreams will keep you through the night.” It continued with its creepy verse of the popular lullaby. “Hush now; quiet now. Your fears are out of sight.” Twilight wondered what it was getting at. “Hush, now; quiet now. Though night may break upon the dawn, listen for my call, and together we will rise!” Twilight stopped walking and looked around anxiously, scanning for danger. “Why the song?” Afraid that something was going to come out at the voices call, Twilight widened her stance. “Forgive us our sentimentality. This clearing had a name once, you know.” Twilight hadn't even noticed she had passed into a clearing, nor did had she seen the crumbled marble statue on the far end. “This was known as the Garden of Shadows, as it was where Luna came to escape the Sun. Such beautiful flowers blossomed here under the light of twilight, and their radiant glory persisted through the night, only to close and hide from the sun. We worked together to create a place where we could admire these flowers forever, and so what followed would become known as the Eclipse, or the “Eternal Night”. It was around then that Luna's hide began to darken and her cutie mark shown through...it is also where Nightwind Squall, the first of our Thestral Guard, pledged his allegience, before the rift...” Twilight heard a sort of wistfulness that she never would have expected from a 'Nightmare'. She sounded almost... happy in her reminiscence. Twilight began wondering just how much she didn't know about the War of Heavens. It was becoming hard to believe that this voice was indeed Nightmare Moon, the same mare who had only just over a year before threatened to plunge the world into eternal night. “She never did identify herself, just said, 'you know who we are'. Being a creature of shadows does not necessarily mean that she is indeed a Nightmare...” Twilight's thoughts searched for a way to reason her newest discovery. “But her voice and speech pattern both match perfectly, and her knowledge of Luna's past seems to be firsthand...” “There is much unsaid of what transpired those many years ago. A millenium is a long time for ponies to forget.” The voice began to grow harder again, but Twilight could hear emotion in that statement. Anger, melancholy, and longing lingered in her voice. “As much as you say you want to protect me, I feel that you truly only want me. I can but scarcely imagine how painful, how lonely, it must be to be villainized. To be alone for a thousand years...” Twilight surprised herself by saying. All of this had quickly passed into surrealism, but Twilight felt was actually handling it well. Considering how far out of left field it was for her, she spoke her heart without real thought behind it. Having uttered those words, though, she began to reflect upon them. If Sombra was telling the truth about why he was so harsh... “These words are true, Twilight Sparkle. Perhaps, though, villainy is deserved in my case. We were foolish, and Luna too ignorant, too innocent.” There was a great sigh, then she continued, “Alas, 'tis all We shall say. Speak to Luna if you would seek inquire further.” Already moving by this point, Twilight exited the clearing heading towards the old royal castle. Making a mental note to talk to Luna, Twilight took the travel time to reflect upon all that had happened. She had forgotten about Fluttershy's warning due to her analyzation of the information she had acquired bout her mind-mate, and so was too distracted to realize the pulse of magical energy released into the night sky as she crossed the threshold of the forest. It wasn't until she stepped onto the bridge that she realized she had arrived at her destination. The clack of her hoof against the first wooden plank tore her from her reverie, and she looked up at the castle grounds before her. She knew that there was something wrong, as it took considerably less time to get there than when she and her friends came the first time. “If I had come to a river, I would just shrug it off, but to surpass both the valley and the river...” But before she could finish that thought, she felt a surge of magic and she was thrown backwards. Though not as deftly as she would have liked, Twilight manged to land upright, though shaken and weak. She dropped to her hocks to breathe, and after a while stood back up and saw a black-yellow spiral. “Shadowbolts?” Twilight closed her eyes and shook her head, thinking that she was seeing things. When she opened them again, the swirl was still there. Since it never took a corporeal form, Twilight, assuming it to be some form of rogue magical manifestation, tried something she hadn't had much chance, or reason, to use before. She began to force an overglow from her horn and released it as a sphere of pure magical energy. She knew that the Everfree Forest had a lot more ambient magical energy than most of the other places she had been, but what she observed in the sphere was nothing like what she would have expected. It grew. “Magical energy should dissipate upon release from a concentrated focal point,” Twilight thought in wonder, “so either this sphere has become a focus for the ambient energies, or this field is so saturated with rogue energy that there is no way for the energy to disperse properly.” Twilight pondered this for a minute, realizing that recently she had felt the magic shifting oddly. She had thought nothing of it at the time, considering where she was, but now she wished she had paid more attention. And as she shifted her attention, she began to speak her mind aloud. “In fact, there are some parallels between this chaotic force and... Discord's magic?” It hit her as she said it. “Curiouser and curiouser...” As though a kid again she began making wild theories about how the ambient magicks would affect spellcraft and whether she could learn to control chaos through study of the few areas like this across Equestria. It was in this spirit she decided to take the lavender magic bubble and throw it against the black and yellow swirl. She had no basis to make a hypothesis as to the consequence, so she watched with bated breath and wished – Oh how she wished – for a pen and some parchment. She began to hear a hum that rose in tone the closer her bubble neared the swirl. It passed into inaudible range, and Twilight began to have a headache that got progressively worse until the two forces met. Everything then went silent and still. Twilight looked around, and found that all of the laws of nature seemed unhinged. She took a step, feeling like she was wading through water, and heard nothing when her foot hit the ground. She twisted the leg she had stepped with and felt no sensory feedback. Beginning to worry, she tried to talk, and though she could feel her mouth moving, she heard no sound. “This isn't the Everfree's magic field...! Where am I?” She could feel herself becoming frantic but a dark, cool voice inside kept her cohesive. “This is the Everfree, as its forebear intended, or do you believe there to be a second Castle of the Two Sisters? The forest is alive now that the barrier has been weakened. It rested until your “experiment” awoke it from its thousand year incubation.” The voice purred. Twilight felt as though she was compelled to draw something in the dirt under her hooves. After subconsciously completing what she realized was a Zebraic sealing fetish, it began to glow. “Put your hoof in the middle and repeat these words.” Comforted again by the shadows' embrace, Twilight obeyed willingly. She was too frightened of losing control that she didn't even hesitate to do as she was told. Together they spoke both inward and outward, saying, “Chaos ascendant darkens our days. Come, Harmony, and seal his dark ways!” The glowing glyph glimmered greater. “Deliver us from spirits malign, Restore Nature's whole and true design!” There was a blinding flash and Twilight felt as though she had teleported to a separate location. The ambient magicks faded and she felt filled with a strange force. “We haven't time for analysis, Twilight Sparkle. Quickly, into the castle! It will provide us with some measure of shelter.” The voice urged her onward. As soon as her sight readjusted, she ran across the bridge as fast as her hooves could carry her. Once she passed the threshold into the main atrium, she felt safer, even if not by any great measure. “The world itself has become far more dangerous without the light of the Crystal Heart...” Twilight began thinking that this was all her fault, and the voice inside affirmed her fears. “Nay, rather the darkness you spread has powered the forces that feed on such energy. The Crystal Heart is nothing but a universal magnifier of whatever magical force is acted upon it. Your own fear and anger now fuels the chaotic energies that already abode here.” “I can't let myself stop now then. If it's my fault, then I must set it right. I have to pass this test!” Twilight resolved, feeling empowered by the calm confidence of the Voice. She stepped forward, raising her head and squaring her posture. “You said I know who you are, but I believe you're mistaken. I know nothing about you.” Twilight's self-assurance was rarely as strong as it was in this moment. Hoping to get some answers out of what she could no longer assume to be a 'Nightmare,' she continued, “So what are you? I always believed what 'tainted' Luna was a malevolent force from the dark side of the moon, preying upon her fears and the pain she felt. If this were the case, and you are who you implied you were, why are you with me? I love the night, but have no direct connection to it.” “That statement is misleading. If it were not for the link you and the sisters share, We would not be here with you.” The voice started to become quiet, as if it was tired from the seal that it had created. Twilight stopped for a moment, absorbing the statement. She was linked to Luna? Was that why she was never able to dismiss the prophecy of Nightmare Moon's return? And, perhaps even more astounding, was the sincerety the voice showed. “You do not seem to be the vicious figure that historians make you out to be.” “Indeed? Perhaps time has softened my cold, black heart... or, perhaps, the victor may not speak the whole truth.” The Voice countered with quite an edge. “I'm so sorry! I only meant that--” Twilight flushed at her faux pas. “Be still.We understand you meant no offense, yet still 'tis irksome that you might still harbor ill will against us. We know what ponies whisper in the dark; we know how they fear what they do not understand. We walk dreams of heroic light and vengeful dark.” The voice grew dark, though it sounded tired. “Tell me, Twilight Sparkle, do you know what it is to be unnoticed in the eyes of any audience you sought? To be feared or reviled by the only ones who saw you?” The voice stilled for a moment, then continued softly. “We shared in her pain, and in bearing it we knew her melancholy. Our ire was tempered by her loyalty for a time, but after...” The voice stopped. “It is not my place. Luna's story is her own.” “It seems to me that your stories are so intertwined that they should qualify as inextricable. Only in fantasy do you see such mystic or esoteric tales. You are immortal due to being incorporeal, and you speak as though you once were not. Your consciousness is somehow fused to the core of Luna's...” A sudden thought occurred. “Is Luna in trouble?! If you are a part of her and not with her, isn't she going to... to die?” Twilight's heart rate shot through the roof as she thought that she might inadvertantly kill Luna. The voice started laughing in response. “Fret not, my little pony. Your precious Luna is safe... Only weakened. She has strength enough without the Cloak of Night that she... bears... regularly.” Noticing the pauses, Twilight began to wonder about the true motives of this great unknown who knows so much. “I have one more wonder, if you'll indulge it.” “By all means, we've nowhere important to be!” The sarcasm dripped heavily off that last statement, but Twilight continued as though she hadn't heard. “Luna is powerful enough to paint the sky without your aid, but with your depth of knowledge you two would have been a most terrifying foe for most anybody. I find myself curious, then, as to why you want me.” Twilight stated her question. “You're a clever girl. I'm sure you don't need me to spell it out for you. I will give you a hint however: Only the brightest stars show when between the moon and sun, find one to wish upon, and your wish will surely come.” The voice laughed at the posed riddle. Twilight noticed something different about the presence inside her, but she couldn't put a hoof on it. Shrugging it off for more important matters, she continued walking again. There was already so much to think about, but she didn't have time for dissemenation of her current predicament. She had to save Fluttershy and the others, after all, and then she'd have time to study afterwards. But she just could not seem to expel the niggling worry that something just wasn't right.