Equivalent Exchange
When Twilight awoke, the first thing she noticed was that the world seemed much brighter. “Perhaps it is because I spent most of yesterday poking through old, dusty, dark and dank dungeons?” She pondered on it for a short while before rising and setting off toward the castle entrance. There wasn't much to eat around here, so she determined to find some edible herbs on her way to Ponyville.
As she approached the rift in front of the castle, it struck her again how much brighter everything seemed. She could still feel an impending sense of doom as she entered the Everfree, but it was definitely more inviting than it had been the day before. “Something is different... I can hear sounds of life coming from the forest now, whereas it was entirely still on our way up.” Twilight noted mentally. “Also, the ambient magics seem to be less... malevolent.” She strode forward cautiously, as she always did in the Everfree.
True to the perks of being well rested, Twilight kept a much sharper eye on the surroundings, paying attention to the currents in the magical field and attempting to further memorize the local topography. Time passed much slower this time around, as her nerves weren't nearly as frayed. “I still have a mentor, even if I'll never be able to speak to him. Star-Swirl is one of the most prolific wizards in Equestrian history, if not in the history of all of Equus. Surely there are more things I can learn from his books and many more after via his letters to Celestia.” Twilight thought to herself.
As she walked through the forest, she came across an area that, though it was morning, still bore the blue light of the moon. “Garden of shadows indeed. She seems to have been truthful...” She thought as she looked around the clearing. She saw the flowers that the voice spoke of, and they were indeed beautiful. It was as Twilight inspected and admired the surroundings that she realized how quiet her head had been.
The presence in her mind was gone.
Twilight couldn't feel her mental companion at all anymore. Despite her feeling a little betrayed about the circumstances, Twilight felt lonely and wished for the intimate companionship, however dark it may have been. She waited here for a while, wondering if her presence in the Garden of Shadows would draw her mind-mate back, and when it did not, Twilight began to think about how things had been until recently. “Now that I can be fairly confident my thoughts are mine again, perhaps it is time for a bit of reflection.” She reasoned.
“My mind mate had multiple voices, as though she'd had multiple hosts. I wonder if she takes aspects from each, or if there's some sort of impression from the minds it touches... the softer voice was more eloquent, and primarily used the old royal 'We', so I am to guess that was Luna's influence... Perhaps Luna really did send her to me, but wouldn't she fear that I would be corrupted?” She shook her head as she walked over to the broken statue of the Thestral guard. “No, after my friends and I broke the hold that Luna had allowed the snake to obtain, I'm sure she would trust me enough to not give in.” The thought made her smile a little. “She referred to herself as the “Cloak of Night”. A cloak is like a sheet, but allows for more movement... Perhaps the technicality doesn't matter, and the cloak is to be equal to a sheet, or a covering, making the “Cloak of Night” the stars?” Twilight hypothesized, humming as she examined both her thoughts and the statue in front of her. The thought of her power being split in twain between a set of souls was an intriguing idea, and Twilight resolved to ask at some point. “He certainly would've been quite a handsome stallion...” Twilight said softly, her mind running parallel to itself. Once she read the inscription at the base of the statue, however, the two tracks instantly crossed.
Here Lies Nightwind Squall, Nightwatch Captain, and bodyguard and personal friend to the Mistress of Dreams. May we never forget the sacrifice he gave for our our beoved Princess.
“THE MOON SHALL NOT RELENT”
Standing still while she watched the ground underneath her feet, giving a moment of silence for the deceased, she felt a strange pulling sensation. Her visioned darkened and she heard a whisper and moan in her mind. “The stars will doom her.” One said while the other promised “The stars will give her strength!” She backed up a bit, shaking her head. “She will be lost in the pain.” Followed by, “When something's lost, something's gained.” After the exchange, Twilight began to feel the ambient magicks of the Everfree again.
"What in Tartarus was that?” There was no answer readily available, and Twilight couldn't place a finger on any probable cause until she felt a chill run up her spine. She pulled out the Voidsever and heard a soft scream in her mind. She took a minute to examine the ring, which now had a dark blue aura and an aetherial chill. “Was I... being sheltered by the voice? It can't have been Luna herself, but... I couldn't feel any of the energies until that exchange... And now that she's gone...” Twilight shuddered. “Oh, Luna... please be okay...”
The rest of the trip was uneventful, save for the dark chill emanating from the ring, until she reached the border of Ponyville. As she entered the little town, she again felt the overwhelming sense of suppression. She crept along to Fluttershy's cottage and let fire a pink flare to announce her return to her friends. She did not yet want to be seen by Trixie however, so she crept along the forest's edge and towards the Apple family's farm. Once there, she sought out Fluttershy to see if she was still there, but what she found was even more unsettling than her friends disappearance.
Angel lay there, writhing in agony. He had been half-transmogrified into some creature that shouldn't exist. Twilight could see blood from the fusing, and upon looking at Fluttershy's dearest pet and oldest friend, she couldn't look away. “Oh by the gods...” was all she could say. Angel's body had been merged with a couple different animal's appendages. “Genetic reconfiguration would be preferable to barbarity like this.” Twilight thought to herself.
Angel had been transmuted into an oryctolagusian chimera, and Twilight knew that returning him to his former self would be impossible at this point. “I can only offer the sweet release from the pain of life...” Twilight whispered to the writhing abomination, tears forming in her eyes as the wretch before her begged as coherently as it could to die. Nodding, Twilight stood up, but had a dark idea. “If his life was forfeit, shouldn't it be for good reason? I know that if I were to die for a friend, I wouldn't want that death to be in vain...” Twilight reasoned as she twirled Voidsever out of her pack. “I may need the strength to get rid of Trixie... If she has this much power, I cannot afford to take chances, lest I end up a plaything like Fluttershy's poor pet.” She thought. “But, if I do this, then I'm no better than she. Survival, or ideals? Necromancy is a dark art, and the grimoire describing this artefact said that it fused itself to it's host. Do I really need the power that badly?”
She watched as the grotesque image of Angel started convulsing on the floor. Thinking of her and her friends like this, she knew she had to prevent it whatever the cost to herself. She donned the ring, knowing she full well she would be incapable of removing it herself. As she did so, her vision changed. It became darkened with a slight red tint, and she could see five specs of aetherial light zipping around Angel. Drawn by the bidding of her newest accessory, she summoned a sealing blade and promptly brought it down on Angel.
Blood splattered over her and her mind began to revolt against her decision to power an artefact she knew she couldn't remove. As much as she regretted its necessity, she now felt empowered even more beyond her regular self. This burst of power was accompanied by a dark thrill. This was the first actual muderous action in Equestria for a very long time, and, deep in her, there was a flame ignited that felt almost blissful. She noticed something then that had seemed to have gone unchecked until now. She noticed something that she should have seen before placing the ring upon her horn, and she traced it back to the curse on the door.
She had been changed.
No longer was she the herald of the magic of friendship. She still believed in her friends, and in her heart, she knew that they now were the only ones who could save her from the darkness she now faced. Even if she may no longer admit it, she knew her love for them would give her the strength she would soon need to not use her powers.
No longer was she the student of Celestia. She still admired her, but she had seen a darker side that had captured her. She wondered idly if this was why Celestia never shared dark magic with her. Twilight was powerful in her own right, but not being able to harness her raw power ensured that she could remain controlled, either by herself or her old mentor. She couldn't have been faithful if she wasn't given the choice.
No longer was she a peaceful bookworm. Now she could see herself as a leader. A ruler in her own right. After all, was she not more powerful than everyone around her? Why could she not lead them, as she, being more studious than they, should know better what would do well for them. Among her friends she was the smartest, and maybe even the strongest. Was this not why she became the leader of their little group?
By murdering Angel in a dark decision to gain strength over her opponent, she had proven the darkest fathoms of ponydom can be reached by even the most righteous of ponies. Possessing the strength of Voidsever had caused her mind to envision ever greater feats that she might perform to show that she was worthy of the love once bestowed upon her by her former mentor.
And all of it would start here, in Ponyville. All of it would start here, with Trixie. This was to be a great moment in her life, she was sure. Just as sure as she was in her heart that she had made the gravest of mistakes by donning the Voidsever. Yet all of the conflicting feelings couldn't shut out the severeity of watching those five little specs of light be absorbed by the blade, and the rush of vitality gained as the power of the spec eeped into her being. Nor could it make her truly regret desiring the power to stop someone who had made it necessary to gain the power.
“IT IS TIME!” Twilight yelled at the top of her lungs. Her horn shimmered with overglow and her heart thudded with a flood of adrenaline. It was, indeed, time for the two sorceresses to meet.
Little did they know it would be the last time.
Twilight stalked out of the barn and into town, but was unopposed until she reached town hall, where there were a host of ponies gathered behind Trixie. The hope in their eyes was nearly palpable as they looked upon their lavender savior, expecting some great feat of magic to show up Trixie and release them from their servitude.
Her face set in a scowl and lightly splattered with blood, Twilight shouted as she slowly, menacingly, advanced. “Trixie! What ever fight you had with me should have stayed that way. The damage you have done here is irreparable and unforgivable! Your dominion of Ponyville is at an end!”
A mad grin spread across Trixie's face, and her eyes flashed red as the gem set in the Alicorn Amulet began to emit a dark aura. “Twilight Sparkle! My arch-nemesis! My only rival!” She reared up and spread her hooves dramatically. As she landed, she pointed a hoof at the slowly advancing lavender mare. “You are nothing against Trrrixie! The greatest and most powerful of all!” She spun and flourished her cape, removing her hat, then turned to face her opponent, who stopped about twenty yards away. “This Amulet has increased my already considerable power by more than you could possibly imagine! I could even take Celestia's everlasting Sun out of the sky! I have created new life, and can bring back the dead! I truly am the greatest sorcerer in the entirety of Equus!”
“You are weak, and pathetic. You play with the hard-won lives of others, and create only grotesque mimicry of what life should be! The world ill needs a sorceress such as yourself! Remove the Amulet, or I shall be forced to remove it from you!” Twilight shouted, an ethereal echo beginning to form around the last bit of her sentence as her eyes glowed white, still emitting the dark green and purple aura associated with dark magic. Her presence seemed to grow as her own magical aura began to dispel the oppressive field already there.
Trixie, driven mad by the power of the amulet, began laughing as dark blue, leathery wings sprouted from her back. She lifted herself into the air, blood dripping down her sides. “Surrender the amulet? Heresy! Watch, slaves, as I strike down this arrogant little pony!” Flashes of light erupted from Trixie's horn, burning so hot that they glassed the ground upon impact.
Twilight dodged Trixie's first barrage, and began analyzing the situation as Trixie taunted her. The air around them was saturated with magical energy, so Twilight quickly decided on a course of action. She blinked and a glyph began glowing red on her completely white eyes. The same glyph began to appear in the air in multiple areas around the two of them, and Twilight disappeared as Trixie started another barrage. It seemed as though Twilight was slipping in and out of the dimension, appearing in one location just to disappear and reappear somewhere else.
Finally she appeared directly behind the hovering Trixie, and, having by this point summoned her soul-sword, cleaved through the bone of one of her wings. She neatly severed the wing, bringing her opponent flailing to the ground. Once Trixie hit the ground, she started to cower, realization in her eyes. She abandoned trying to fight, knowing it to be futile, and instead tried to run, only to have Twilight reappear right in front of her, sword raised just beside her. Trixie could feel the hunger emanating from the ghastly apparition.
Twilight felt a rush of magic as Trixie tried to defend herself. Twilight flourished the blade to deflect the mind bullet, and riposted automatically by cutting off Trixie's horn, mere centimeters from her forehead. Instantly, the fire in Trixie's eyes died out and the Alicorn Amulet flashed brilliantly before fading. Trixie fell limply, as though all her strength had left her.
There was a stunned silence as Twilight stood darkly over Trixie, whose coat had begun to lose its usual luster. Twilight let out a primal scream as the silence drew longer, and her friends started forward cautiously, to attempt to calm her. Seeing how poorly her friends had fared angered her further, causing her to spin back toward Trixie and wrap her telekinesis around her neck. Twilight dragged her defeated foe up by her head and neck so that they were face to face. Fear was plastered on Trixie's face, but Twilight would have her revenge.
“THIS IS THE PRICE OF ARROGANCE!” Twilight shouted, multiple layers of ethereal presence echoing her. Summoning her sword back, she held it to the throat of the numbly cowering mare. “She's defenseless, Twilight! She is in shock, this is murder! Don't do this!” Her mind and heart cried out to stop her body, along with a familiar feeling, a familiar voice, that attempted to bolster her resistance. “You are Ours now, Twilight Sparkle. Resistance is futile...” A voice that was both her and not hissed before plunging the blade deep into Trixie's chest, twisting it and ripping it out violently, spraying blood everywhere. Trixie's lifeless shell fell with a thud that reverberated in the silence. No one dared breathe as they felt the malevolence seeping from Twilight. An aura began to overtake her as a cluster of motes rose to her sword and merged with it, sending a feeling of mad euphoria through her.
A dark laugh seemed to rise from the ground as a cackling Twilight was joined by a host of deep, chaotic laughter. The blood pooling around Trixie's corpse rose into the air by itself and exploded outward as a grotesque creature with a hoof, a reptilian leg, a paw and a talon attached to a serpentine body with a grey pony's head coiled around itself in midair.
The Lord of Chaos had returned!
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I'm going to give this a try BUT, Twilight was told by Celestia herself they she had to do this on her own.
6236743 This is something that I have referenced a couple of times, once being in the opening lines of the story. Did I imply otherwise elsewhere?
6237015 well it sounded like she ignored Celestia's words but in this instence she did.
This is where you lost me.
6237076
Keep in mind that Sombra is back in power, so there's preparations to be made for that, and now we know that Discord is back, so she would be running interference on that. Twilight has been out for a couple of months, and once we see a bit more of the world, it becomes even clearer that things are different with a dark Crystal Heart.
non-spoiler version: Things are not always as they appear. Off screen characters have lives as well.
6237004 This however is pretty apt. We know now that she was trying to get Twilight ready for being a princess, but in this AU it turned out a fair bit different, due to the Royal Sisters not running reconnaissance or interference. Luna tried to help, but her ability to this point has been limited.
6237108 I was originally calling it the Grimsever, but tried to change it... I guessed I missed a few, sorry :(
Took me a bit longer to get out, but yep. Only thing stronger than having friends is killing them, apparently.
Well, it's not quite so simple. A little bit reference to an Anime called "The Legend of the Legendary Heroes", and a little bit reference to basic runic spell casting, Being the element of magic can difficult sometimes. Also remember that last chapter I dabbled a bit in blood magic, where the shadow casters would inscribe runes inside themselves.
OOoooookay.
Calm the hell down, Twi.
So, Starswirl was wrong? Discord does enjoy a bit of mass slaughter from time to time?
It feels like Twi went batshit cray cray a little too fast, but I guess the Voidsever is really powerful like that? Honestly sounded like the Hollow was the best one, since it only started to affect you if you lost it.
Never yell the words "This is the price of Arrogance" Just don't do it. You can't be the good guy and yell those words. Maybe if you said them at a normal volume, or said something like "Your arrogance was your undoing", but painting yourself as the harbinger of fate while yelling at someone that they are arrogant...
Fun story. Really picking up the pace, now that Twi has prepped herself. Can't wait to see the next chapter, and sad that I will have to. Good luck with your exam! Hope it goes well for you. See ya in a while.
6237097 I'm sorry it didn't live up to expectations. Any tips on how to make it better next time?
6237211 Well one it was that Trixie was being able to pull off her conquest of Ponyville with Celestia still in Canterlot. Then outting in Discord like that. Twilight was doing great being more anti hero or dark hero then what the last chapter did. Her killing Trixie and Discord showing up was what killed this for me.
I don't know why but i do love a story were the main character becomes a dark but complete badass. Can't wait for more.