Red Sky

by MrMusicalPony

Chapter 2: Infra Black

Twilight’s ears perked by the sound of her bedroom door opening. She wearily opened her eyes to find one of the many servants standing there in the doorway.

“Ms. Sparkle, the king has demanded you come to the throne room immediately,” he said, leaving to allow Twilight to fully wake up.

She looked around her room like she did every morning, noticing its empty spaces. Her room only had a bed and a bookshelf with only a few books that she would read at night. She dreaded the room almost as much as the rest of this place; a place that used to be her joy, but now only brought fear and anguish for her.

Twilight yawned, stretching as she got out of her bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, and leaving the room. Whilst she waited a bit for the drowsiness to leave her completely her eyes fell onto the newly painted walls, the once alabaster, glowing, magical walls were now a deathly shade of grey. Every day she would forget a little bit more about what had used to be underneath that paint. Unwilling to linger on it, she dismissed it from her mind and started to head up to the throne room. She walked past many hallways and doors before she stood before the large doors into the throne room.

She approached the large doors, and waited for the guards to open them for her. Their horns glowed despite their unchanging stature as the large, maple doors opened, granting her entrance. She stepped inside the throne room. Her hoofsteps reverberated against the marble floors and echoed through the large chamber. She couldn't help but to look at the windows which, unlike the rest of the changed castle, she could never get used to. All of the stain glass windows were broken, even the one that had depicted her and her friends defeating Nightmare Moon and Discord so long ago.

“You stare at those old windows too much, Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight turned her attention to a unique stallion sitting upon the royal throne, swishing a cup of red wine in his armored hoof. She had always wondered why the stallion bothered to consume anything. After all, this particular member of ‘royalty’ wasn’t organic, or so it seemed. Twilight had wondered what exactly made up this stallion. His form was that of some red energy, which was only a faint outline of a pony. What made his pony form complete was the pony armor pieces grafted to the energy. Even his full helmet lacked any type of eyes, which Twilight found quite frightening.

“And you drink too much wine, Infra Black,” Twilight said, turning her attention back to the windows.

“Have you been studying hard, Twilight?” the armored stallion asked. He took a sip of wine, ignoring Twilight’s statement, as the wine went from his mouthpiece into the energy that made up his body, burning up within it. “I’m not granting you life for free.”

“I haven’t found anything yet,” Twilight said, as she turned her gaze was away from him. Upon hearing her words the armored stallion threw up his hooves in frustration, dropping the glass of wine to the ground, the glass shattering on the marble floor.

“Bah!” he roared. “Either it is you who are useless, or it is that damned Star-Swirl wing that is of waste.”

“I assure you, Infra Black, it is neither,” Twilight retorted. A servant rushed from Infra Black’s side to clean up the mess.

“You’ve performed the time travel spell before. Why is it so difficult to figure out a permanent method?” he argued.

Twilight turned her gaze away from him, both from lacking an answer for him and still unable to look the empty eye sockets in his helmet straight on.

“You already rule Equestria, Infra Black. Why is it so important to go to another time?” she asked.

The stallion to roll his non-existent eyes. “Is it not obvious?” he asked, anticipating an answer from her, but Twilight offered none. “Why not have a rule since the beginning? Why not establish a kingdom from the beginning of time, and be remembered as the ruler of the world since its birth? I could rule Old Equestria when it still thrived, and create a new world based upon my design.”

Twilight pondered the thought of it. She wondered if Infra Black would have turned the world into what it was now: a desolate land where everyone lived in fear and oppression, where the sky was never joyous, and where the weather always felt terrible with blazing infernos or unforgiving plagues. Infra Black never explained anything other than matters that were directly related to Twilight’s work. There were still many questions unanswered, important questions as to what he did with the princesses, and what he planned to do with his current ruling. There were other questions she wanted the answers to. ‘Where did he come from?’ and ‘what is he made of, and the true extent of his power?’

“There is no time to stare off into the distance, Twilight Sparkle. You must get to work.”

“Maybe I should be allowed a few extra hours of sleep before I do,” Twilight said with a yawn. “You woke me up early.”

“It gives you more time to work through the day, so no, you will not be allowed more sleep. You are not in a position to demand. You whine and complain about how you don’t get enough food or sleep; it is quite annoying. You are lucky that your mind is brilliant, or else I would have slain you already. ” He stressed his words, his non-existent glaring at her. “Like I did to Rainbow Dash.”

That last sentence rang in Twilight’s mind, and she finally drove up the courage to look the frightening stallion straight into his eyes, taking a step toward him.

“What do you mean by that?” she asked, trying to keep calm, even though her mind was assuming the worst from the blatant statement.

The stallion gave a small chuckle. “Don’t worry, she’s not actually dead.” He leaned forward in his throne in anticipation for his next statement. “But she might as well be.” The mouth of his helmet twisted to give a large grin, seeing as Twilight’s legs were shaking.

“What… What did you do to her, Black?!” she yelled, ignoring the fear growing in her mind. He laughed, sitting back in his throne, making Twilight more infuriated. “Why would you hurt somepony like Rainbow Dash? What’s the purpose?”

“Why don’t you just get back to work, Twilight?” Infra waved a hoof for her to shoo.

Suddenly, a servant entered the door, her face flustered.

“Your majesty, I have something urgent to tell you,” she said, taking a moment to catch her breath, showing that she had ran a distance to get there quickly.

“Well?” Infra Black asked impatiently. “If it’s so urgent then there should be no time to catch your breath.”

“It’s that stallion, sire,” she said bleakly, “the one with the white fur; a royal guard spotted him in the forest near Manehattan early this morning.”

Infra Black put a hoof to his chin in thought. “Well?” The armored stallion tapped his hooves on the throne. “Did the guard catch him?”

The servant shook her head. “He ran away when he realized he was spotted; the guard couldn’t catch him.”

“Such incompetent fools in the Royal Guard…” he scoffed. “He has returned. It is of no doubt that he is training a hero.” He tapped his other hoof on his throne, thinking to himself.

Twilight was delighted by this theory, but she had to know for sure. “How can you be so sure?” Twilight said, interrupting his thoughts. “Who is this stallion?”

“It is none of your concern, Twilight Sparkle. I don’t have time for your questions. With this new development there may not be much time. Now, be off with you!” he roared, the energy that made up his body creating a large spark that quickly vanished, but it was enough to make Twilight bolt for the door in fear.

***

Twilight whipped the sweat from her brow; she had been working very hard trying to find any traces of Star-Swirl the Bearded’s time spell in any of his scrolls or books, but it was to no avail. The only thing she could find regarding time travel.

She found books and scrolls that explained transformation spells, healing spells, strength spells, flying spells, and many others. She had flipped through most of the books, unraveled all the scrolls, and even checked for clues on the hourglass in the middle of the wing. She found almost every spell that could be fathomed, but time travel spells seemed to be non-existent. Even if she were to find a book on time travel it; most likely wouldn’t do much good. The books that she had found on these different spells only explained what they did and some basics on performing them, but not enough to have any substantial or lasting results.

“This is getting me nowhere,” she muttered to herself. She hoped that maybe Future Twilight would come back to her and tell her where to look, saving her from this unnerving search for the answer, but that seemed unlikely. It also seemed that time was not on her side at all, seeing as she didn’t seem to have much left before Infra Black’s anger would grow large enough to... She tried not to think of the possibilities.

She realized that this wing was not the place to look, but where could she?

“Twilight?” She heard a voice from the doorway. She turned back in her chair to see who it was; it was an older royal guard, one that she knew quite well. He took a few steps inside before closing the door behind him, speaking as he did so. “Have you been able to find anything?” he asked.

“No, I haven’t,” she said. “Did Infra Black tell you to come and ask me?”

“No, I was just… worried is all,” he said, walking slowly up to Twilight, who met his eyes. “He seems to be losing his patience lately. I’ve known you ever since you were born, and it would be a shame if I outlived you,” he said, shaking his head at the thought.

“Well, I’m not exactly a filly anymore, either.” She gave a small chuckle, but turned back around in her chair to stare upon the pile of open books on her desk. “But you’re right; there isn’t much time.” They both were quiet for a few moments as Twilight stared at the books, lost in thought. The royal guard looked at her with concerned eyes, but was unable to offer any solace.

“Do you know what I had planned to do during this time when I was younger?” she asked, her head hanging low, the royal guard again said nothing. “I had planned to maybe get married; have a few foals…” she said. A few tears started to flow down her cheek. “To live in Ponyville, forever, with my closest friends.

“But then no stallion came my way, so I had to be content with my friends, who were my family already, so it didn’t matter too much at that point.”

“But now I don’t know where any of them are. I have no idea if they’re still alive or not. As far as I know Pinkie and Rainbow Dash are dead, or close to it, but I’ve heard nothing about the others.” The guard put a hoof on her shoulder as he listened to her, feeling her body quiver with sorrow. “And instead of looking for them I’m stuck in this damned castle doing what I did before I had friends: just study, study, study.” She raised her hoof in defiance, her sorrowful voice turning grim and wrathful. “But I don’t want to sit here and study like I was when I was just a filly. I want to go out there and be with my friends.”

The room went quiet, and soon the royal guard turned Twilight’s chair around, embracing her, who hugged him back, crying into his shoulder.

“One day you’ll find your family again, Twilight,” he assured her, rubbing her back to comfort her. “I know you. You’re strong in mind, and pure of heart. You’ll find a way out of this; we all will.” Twilight let go of him, whipping the tears from her eyes.

“I guess I should get back to work,” she said as she let go of him, whipping the tears from her eyes. The royal guard nodded, turning from her and leaving the room. Sniffling from her recent outcry of emotions, Twilight sat in the silence of the room thinking about what to do next. She put a thoughtful hoof to her chin before coming up with an idea, sniffling from her recent outcry of emotions. “Maybe in order to find something about time travel you have to look back into time itself.”

***

Infra Black stood on the balcony of the highest tower of the castle. The cool breeze of the night seemed to extinguish the fire of his mane, but it would quickly sprout back up from the crown of his helmet. He looked out onto the city of Canterlot, watching as ponies walked around the night.

“It seems that the night is more inviting to the ponies than the day,” he spoke to himself quietly. “The night is still as they remember it, just as if Luna still controlled the sky’s ways. Soon enough they’ll only remember it as I who had moved the celestial bodies, rather than those accursed sisters.”

He decided to take a peek into the telescope, watching as a mother and her filly walked through the streets of Canterlot with smiles on their faces.

“These smiles still brought on from the night disgust my very soul, but still I allow them to have their happiness,” he thought, scoffing at the thought.

“And why is that?” A voice came from behind him, prompting him to turn to see where the voice was coming from. A stallion in a robe sat on the side of the balcony’s walls, only his head was revealed, which was white as snow.

“Timestone,” Infra Black addressed him nonchalantly, as if unsurprised by his presence. “Why is it that you’re here? Why do you still haunt my thoughts? Why is it you haunt my dreams and reek havoc through Equestria?” he asked, shaking his head, trying to escape the thoughts that filled his mind.

“Because you’ve yet to see the faces of those who will destroy you,” the robed stallion said, his voice level.

“I’ve already destroyed two of the Elements, Timestone, and I hold another captured. I have already prevented the heroes from using their powers against me.”

“The Elements of Harmony have already fulfilled their duties by defeating Discord and Nightmare Moon, Infra Black. It is time for new heroes to take their place.” Timestone smiled.

“And why would you tell me this?” Infra Black asked, as the energy within his body flustered. “Why not let me walk down the wrong path? Why not let me go after someone else while the real heroes stab me in the back?”

“Because I want you to return Lady Loyalty and Lady Laughter to their former states,” Timestone said, dropping from the wall to approach Infra Black, staring into the eye sockets of his helmet. “What benefits you to have them now that you know they mean nothing?”

“And what does it benefit me to return them?” Infra Black turned his back to him, putting his hooves up on the wall and looking down at the courtyard below that had a statue of the six mares that held the Elements. “Is it not that you trick me? There is no way for me to know if your words are truth. Even if they were, their Elements may be of use somehow.”

“Whatever you set out to seek with the Elements will be beyond your control. That I can assure you of,” Timestone said, putting his hood up with his hoof.

“Bah, what do you know?!” The energy within Infra Black’s armor flustered as he slammed his hooves on the wall.. He turned back to Timestone, but he was gone. He looked back over the balcony and saw the robed stallion running off through the Canterlot Gardens and into the darkness of the night. “Run, Timestone, but there is no place for you to hide. I know I won’t be able to catch you; that would be too simple. I was a fool before for thinking I could, but now I fear that you already know where each of my pieces will move on this board.”

***

Twilight browsed the archives of the Canterlot Library. She had read every book there, but there was a wing that used to be forbidden to enter under Celestia’s rule because of how old some of the books and scrolls were; they simply couldn’t be touched in fear of the history being lost to time’s toll on the items. She headed from the normal library into this wing

Twilight tried to be as careful as she could with the scrolls and books she picked up, seeing that they could crumble with the slightest slip of hoof. Some were interesting, but she realized they had no connection to what she needed. She had carefully flipped through pages of books that were mostly journals or accounts of specific pieces of history. All of it she decided was unimportant to her cause, until she came across one particular passage in an old archeologist’s journal.

I’ve found it; at long last I have found the cave that I’ve searched long and wide for. The mountains that separate Old Equestria from New are where this ancient passage of time has awaited me since its creation. It doesn’t look as to if I will be able to enter any further though, as within this cave is what appears to be a door. Beyond this door I know are the secrets of time itself, but I lack the key.

Three pedestals with stairs up to the top of them stand before the door. One has a symbol of a violin, another a treble sign, and the pedestal in the middle holds no sign, but instead on top of it there is a hole that I assume is the actual key.

The door itself is has a picture of an hourglass to represent time, but at one corner of it there is what appears to be a music score. I don’t know what any of this means, but what I do know is that I can’t open this door. Regardless, research will continue, and I will bring many others to examine this door. One day we will open it, if not now, then sometime later, and possibly into the far future. I only hope I’m alive to see what’s behind this door.

Twilight pondered on the entry, which was the last one regarding the subject. She assumed that he had gone elsewhere to discover new things, since she only skimmed the rest of the book and didn’t take time to really read it.

“This door,” she thought out loud, “it may lead us to an answer.” She put the journal back in its place on the shelves, making sure to be careful with the other books. Starting to make her way out of the library, she thought about what exactly she would tell Infra Black. She didn’t want to tell him about something that may be a step to his goal, but she couldn’t anger him anymore.

She stopped in her tracks before the library door when she came to the question she had been forcefully keeping out of her mind: Was she willing to die for the sake of Equestria? She weighed all of her options. Equestria was already in turmoil, but she feared that it would be in even worse condition if he were to rule the world from the very start.

The door hadn’t been opened yet, she thought, or if it was then nothing was really behind it. Perhaps Infra Black would become frustrated enough to just give up and be content with his current reign. If there was something behind the door and they found a way to open it, then she would be solely responsible for the demise of Equestria’s entire history. It would be her fault and hers alone.

She took in a deep breath, deciding that she just wouldn’t tell him. She was willing to die for Equestria, she decided. She didn’t have to die right now though, right? “I just won’t tell him I found anything yet.”

“And how would that benefit you, Twilight Sparkle?” The sudden voice echoing through the seemingly empty library made Twilight jump. She recognized the voice, gulping in fear that her assumption was correct. She turned around to see Infra Black sitting atop one of the bookshelves. His soulless eyes pierced her very soul, and she became engulfed in fear.

“Were you… watching me?” she asked, her legs starting to shake from the sudden adrenaline rush that shot through her.

“I have servants watching your every move, Twilight Sparkle, so that this wouldn’t happen. One came to me when she saw you get really into one of those dusty, old books.” Infra Black appeared to take in a deep breath. “You’re ‘strong in mind’, and ‘pure of heart’.” He laughed at the words he quoted, but then returned to his steady demeanor. “It’s not too late to have a family, Twilight. If you give me what I want I’d be willing to let you free to do as you wish. I can even make you as powerful as you wish to be, Twilight.”.

She shook her head. “I won’t let you deceive me, Infra Black,” she said, taking a few steps back, but soon driving up the courage to defy him, standing her ground with a determined look on her face. “I’d rather die before I let you have what you want.”

Infra Black began to laugh. “Oh, I won’t let you have the sweet embrace of death, Twilight Sparkle, not now that you have something I need.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked, focusing on Infra Black as he came down off of the bookshelf, taking slow steps towards her. Twilight backed up with every step he took. “Don’t come near me!” she yelled. Infra Black ignored her. Twilight bumped into the wall behind her, then realized she was cornered. She took in a deep breath as she started to charge her magic. She shot a beam of magic towards him, but when it hit one of his armor pieces a bit of the energy that made up his body repaired and regenerated it. Infra Black approached her, and when he was very close to her he let out a loud roar.

The energy of Infra Black’s body started to spread from his form onto Twilight, engulfing her inside of it. Twilight let out a scream, but no one came to her aid. She struggled, but it was of no use. She felt herself being drained. Her happiness, her hope, and her very soul felt like they were disappearing. She looked at her body which was nearly completely covered, watching as her mane turned from her vibrant purple to a shade of gray. When the energy subsided and returned intoInfra Black, Twilight laid on the ground hopelessly. She said not a word, only staring at the ground before her.

“Now we have something to bargain with, Twilight Sparkle.” Infra Black reached his hooves under her front legs and brought her up to her feet, where she only stared at the ground. “I will give you your Element back if you tell me what you know.”

Twilight hesitated to answer, but the growing pain within her heart made the resistance harder to bear. She decided to look around the library, but she saw no happiness in the books like she had only minutes ago. She felt like there was nothing for her anymore.

She wanted to die. It was a horrible feeling. She was no longer strong in mind or pure of heart. She wasn’t anything anymore, and now the information she held felt like a worthy price for her Element back.

“There’s…There’s a cave between New and Old Equestria,” she said, making Infra Black nod with delight. “In the cave there’s a door that has an hourglass on it. I think behind it may have the answer. That’s all I know.”

“Was it really that hard, Twilight Sparkle?” He laughed before turning away from her and making his way for the door.

“Wait!” she called to him. “My Element? Please, let me have it back!” She quivered, a few tears coming to her eyes.

“After I find what I want, Twilight Sparkle, you will have it.”

“But you said-”

“After I have what I want,” he repeated, and with no other words he left the library, Twilight watching as the door closed shut behind him. The sound echoed through the silent library making Twilight more aware of the fact that she was alone. Agonizing sobs escaped her throat as the primal fear started to take over. Without her Element, Twilight was nothing, and the realization made her hug her legs with her fore-hooves in sorrow as tears streamed down her cheeks.

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Chapter Proofread by Lucefudu and Letedwend

Comments

[Barbecue Sauce]

Poor Twilight.

[Konics]

........depressing.......