Arc 1-6 (Burn the Candle at Both Ends)
Year 379, month 11, week 1, day 6
It’s been several centuries and all of the original ponies I created have died; however, Pinkie is still alive and well apparently, the power I gave her keeps her young as well. Go figure. Seeing, as she is the oldest and most experienced pony, I instructed her to take the reins of leadership. The newer generation does not even believe I exist. Good. I’d rather not be involved directly anymore. I do not want to be worshipped as a god.
Year 934, month 7, week 1, day 3
Pinkie came to me in tears, claiming that she has not had friends in almost 500 years. From the loneliness in her eyes, I can tell that she isn’t lying. The ponies wised up and noticed that management didn’t change despite the tricks Pinkie used to keep them off of her trail. She says that they know she’s been around since the creation of ponykind and that they know she has powers no other pony possesses. According to her, they raised her to the status of a god emperor. None of this I knew, I’d been asleep on the moon a good millennium prior. I could fix this problem easily. I took enough away the portion of her power that kept her young and gave her the power of reincarnation. Every time she dies she’ll lose the memories of her past life, but she’ll always be a pink earth pony mare named Pinkie (in some fashion)and she’ll always have the powers I gave her. Her love of parties and her talents will remain constant and she’ll always be able to feel me watching.
Year 1004, month 2, week 3, day 3
Today, Pinkie died for the first time. For the first time in countless ages, I shed tears. I know she’ll return, but she won’t remember me. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt truly alone.
-Journal of Kokusho
-Burn the Candle at Both Ends-
The setting was as serene as it could be. Birds chirped in the distance, singing of the beauty of the new dawn. A gentle sea breeze wafted across the white sands of the beach, carrying with it the salty scent of natural brine and marine life. Where the white sands ended, lush viridescent grass sprung up, trailing off until great thick wooden trunks rose up into the skyline. Gracefully, Belius strode across the surface of the emerald waters with her arms outstretched towards the skies. Small winged balls of glowing water occasionally landed on her hands or shoulders each receiving caring nuzzles before being sent on its way. Belius, the water spirit, frolicked carelessly over her waters. This was her domain and here she was queen.
The fox like goddesses wanted for nothing other than the happiness and safety of her children, the water sprites. They were delicate little things, buzzing about on glittering gossamer wings. Together they were the weather of the world. Her children went wherever the wind took them, pooling together in midair in the perfect show of harmony. As a family, they brought rain to far off lands. The results of her children’s joining weren’t always as benign though. Hurricanes, typhoons, floods, and thunderstorms were all the doing of her children, but they could no more control when they merged or the effects of their merger any more than one could chose the amount of air their blood cells carry. They were a part of a natural system, one that Belius felt occurred for a reason.
Belius mulled on what her enemies wanted: A complete cease and desist of her and her children’s weather altering activities. Of course her answer had been no. Without her and the water sprites, how would the creatures on the other side of the sea receive rainwater during the wet monsoons? She wasn’t the only one to receive such a command, both of her brothers and her sister had be given the same ultimatum: Cease you disruptive activities or prepare to face righteous judgment. Their response had been the same as hers, a resounding “no”. Berial-- Lord of Light and Life; Ifrit-- King of Fire and Instinct; Zerona-- Queen of Darkness and Fear; and herself, Belius-- Spirit of Water and Tranquility all chose to oppose their oppressors.
With each choice comes consequences and the consequence of their choice was war. Belius refused to fight their oppressors, instead providing her kin asylum when they needed to recuperate. Her kin, however fought with gusto, defending their land and children with everything they had. The fighting continued for centuries, neither side able to gain any ground over the other. Belius believed that the fighting would never end. Then Fear fell. With Zerona’s death, they lost morale and fighting strength allowing their foes to push them into a corner. Belius grieved over the loss of her sister for nearly a year, but never let her sadness lash out at the world.
Belius stared into the calm water below her as she began to relive her grief. Super-heated air crackled and whistled, breaking the spirit from her thoughts and drawing her attention to the beach in front of her.
The air whined in protest over the physics-shattering event occurring in front of Belius. Without warning, a massive rift of chaotic flames tore everything along the sandy beach into pieces, disturbing the serenity of the scene. The burning doorway snapped open, taking in a sudden burst of fresh air from surrounding area. The rapid influx of fuel gave the flame within the rift renewed life, causing a deadly, concussive backdraft that burned and toppled several of weeping willows at the tree line. The sands surrounding the blaze became glass as the angry inferno roiled the nearby ocean waters.
A battered and bloodied figured fell out of the raging flame, causing the fire to fizzle out. Desperately, it tried to right itself and stand on its own two legs, but its beaten body refused to obey. Its claws gripped at the sand, digging deep furrows in the sediment. The gesture was full of rage, even though the creature’s face was hidden, you could tell that it wished there was a throat where its claws closed.
“Damn her!”
“Ifrit!” Belius yelled. Immediately, she ceased her frolicking and galloped over to her fallen brother.
“She killed him...” He fell-- unconscious-- into Belius’s embrace.
Belius gently rested the wolf’s head on her lap and summoned a large mass of water from sea. The cool, emerald liquid rushed to Ifrit, covering his wounds like a medical salve. Belius held her hands over her brother’s body and called upon her magic. Her clawed hands and the patches of seawater both emitted a bright blue glow and pulsed in time with each other, slowly their lives synchronized with each other’s.
A heartbeat for a heartbeat. A surge of magic for a surge of magic.
As if time were being reversed Ifrit’s wounds started to heal, some completely vanishing, though the worst lingered a while longer.
Belius didn’t even have to question where the wounds came from; the cauterized gashes and severe burns on the beast king of flames could have only been inflicted by one being, one mare.
The water spirit shivered, her eyelids were clenched as tightly as possible as in an attempt to stem the flow of tears. One of her brothers was dead and the other barely escaped.
I begged you not to antagonize the ponies… She rubbed the fur on her brother’s face. Look at where it’s gotten you.
Ifrit shifted and squirmed as Belius worked on revitalizing him. Suddenly, as if a switch had been flipped, the wolf’s eyes snapped open. His eyes darted around; it was clear from the low growls that he was one small push away from panic. He tried to jump up and make a break for it, but Belius brought him into a powerful, loving embrace before he could get away. Like the wild beast he was, Ifrit struggled, thrashed, and growled. Waves of intense heat burst from him, incinerating the small shoreline plants, and scorching the sands around him.
“Shhh, it’s alright, you’re safe now,” she whispered into his ear.
“Our struggle against the ponies has escalated, she knows how to kill us. Permanently… ” His arms hung limply at his sides. “I- We can’t continue like this. Belius, you need to help me fight back.”
“This is why I told you to leave the ponies be. I warn-”
“-You warned me?” Ifrit interjected. “Belius, our brother is dead! His blood is on the ponies’ hooves… Other than live, what have we done? ”
Silence was his answer.
Water sprites danced around the two’s heads making cheerful, upbeat sounds, glad that mother’s family was well.
Belius stared at the ground and refused to make eye contact with Ifrit.
“They’re hunting us down; Berial is dead… She’ll come for me, then for you, Belius...”
...Belius, Belius, Bel… Belius!
She awoke with a start. Bright, glowing blue eyes hovered not too far from her face. Staring into the deep pools, she could feel the concern behind the gaze.
“M-master?”
“There’s just no help for you is there Belius?” Kokusho held out his hand to her. With a firm yank he pulled her up. “I’m not you master, I’m your friend.”
Once she was up and the haze had fallen from her mind she came to a startling realization. They were no longer in the strange ruins that she and Kokusho found.
The chilly mountain air nipped at the flesh under Belius’s coat, but freezing temperatures were of no concern to the water spirit. A thin frosty mist hovered around her face, slightly hampering her view. The world beneath her seemed to stretch on forever. The greens of the forest and the blues of lakes painted a tranquil scene, letting her forget her recent dream. Somehow, they had gotten to one of Equestria’s frozen peaks, nearly a thousand miles away from the volcano. She couldn’t imagine Kokusho carrying her all the way here in his weakened state, but she had no other idea for how they made the trip.
“What happened to that strange place we were in with the warp pipe generator?” she still had no idea what that was.
Kokusho chuckled. “Funny you should mention that.”
The man held up his right arm so that Belius could get a closer look. He closed his eyes and furrowed his brow as he concentrated. White electricity snaked across his arm, increasing in intensity with each passing moment. With a wave of his arm he tore the space in front of them open, creating a stable rift. The edges of the portal crackled and pulsed with power.
They peered through the breach together, Belius, eager to see where it led.
It led to her flanks.
Belius stared at the strange scene. Before her was nothing but a fuzzy faded yellow surface. She tilted her head as she tried to decipher what she was seeing. “What manner of scrying spell is this?”
A devious grin spread across Kokusho’s face as he reached into the portal, a small amount of electricity came to life at the tip of his finger.
“EEK!” Belius leaped away from the human’s shocking touch, her sudden uncoordinated movement caused her to nearly face plant in the snow.
Kokusho couldn’t hold his mirth in any longer, his silly grin gave way to full-fledged laughter the moment he caught sight of Belius’s flushed face and puffed out cheeks.
The uncharacteristically vulnerable squeal was something he never thought he would hear from her. For as long as he’d known her the water spirit had been a pillar of inner strength and a source of reason and clarity whenever he needed it. The least he could do for her was to give her a few laughs in this trying time.
Kokusho’s joviality was infectious, soon Belius found herself chuckling quietly at his antics. She lay down in the snow, her legs delicately folded beneath her frame and continued to gaze out at the world. Not even a second later, she felt Kokusho taking his place at her side.
“Even though temperature isn’t a threat to me, I still feel cold,” he leaned into her, letting her fur shield him from the winds.
Belius curled up around him, sharing her body heat. “You do not believe yourself better than the inhabitants of this world. You see yourself as someone who is just as weak as everyone else.” She turned to look at him. “You feel cold because you think you should, you think the laws of the world apply to you.” She never once broke eye contact with Kokusho. “It’s one of the qualities I admire most about you. It’s why I follow you and not my brother.”
For several minutes, Kokusho just sat there, silently contemplating what his friend had said.
“You were frowning...”
Belius looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
“In your sleep... you were frowning. Bad memories?” The human asked.
“I suppose you could call them that,” Belius said quieter than usual as she stared at the snow around them.
“Ifrit?”
She nodded. The entire motion looked downcast. “The last time we saw each other I didn’t see things as he did and now he’s ignoring me. Perhaps if I had helped Ifrit back then-” she was stopped by Kokusho’s finger on her lips.
He sighed, “Why do you keep bringing this up? There’s nothing you could’ve done. What happened wasn’t entirely your fault.” He ran his fingers through her fur. The methodical massage eliciting a calmed purr from her. Kokusho could feel her muscles relaxing at his touch.
“I just can’t let it go...”
“Don’t let it eat you alive.”
“...”
“Mast- Kokusho, I am cold as well.”
“I know, Bel, I know.”
The two friends sat there on the frozen peak, watching the sun set. Without Celestia influencing it, it was more graceful than it had been in centuries. The calculated, precise dip of the star now seemed feral, unleashed. To the public they wouldn’t notice any difference, but to the two immortals this sunset was the beginning of a new era. Even at a time like this, they could spare a moment just to appreciate what they had. It wasn’t much, but it was all they needed.
-Burn the Candle at Both Ends-
“Shit,” Grim Stride cursed as he leaned over the railing of the carriage.
Shit indeed. Their carriage had overshot its projected destination by almost a mile and a half, placing them directly above the heart of Trottingham. The cityscape had become a beautiful masterpiece created by an amalgamation of the most dreadful ingredients. Below them, fires raged and wolves rampaged. Smoke and the acrid stench of cooked flesh pervaded the air, cloaking the streets in a veil of death; while a cacophony of horrifying screams created the abhorrent symphony for the piece. Pony parts lay scattered across the streets, leaving ribbons of bloods trailing from the severed limbs back to their dead or dying owners.
Grim wretched when he peaked over the railing of their sky carriage. The bat pony hadn’t witnessed a scene this horrific since the changeling incursion on luvcat territory. As gruesome as it was to see the little felines beaten and drained until they were nothing more than bruised husks, it paled in comparison to the carnage below him.
“Damn, we’re going to have to continue on this course until we get to the other side of town,” his stomach still lurched when he looked below, but if it bothered the stallion, he hid it well. “From there we evacuate anypony we can and push these beasts to the center of town where we can finish them off! Everypony got that?” He received as cascade of battle cries as an answer. His team was on board, all except for the shivering librarian with her hooves cupped over her ears.
WhatamIdoinghere… whatamIdoinghere… whatamIdoinghere... Twilight had been repeated that mantra ever since they came out of supersonic transit.
Curiosity had once again gotten the better of the bookish mare, her insatiable need to know all but forced her to look over the railing once they slowed down. The moment she saw the state of Trottingham, she recoiled away from the murderous view and withdrew herself from the real world. This was nothing like her other experiences. Nightmare Moon-- the jealous goddess; Discord-- the spirit of chaos; Chrysalis-- the parasitic queen; and Sombra-- the tyrannical slave driver; were all villainous in their own terrible way, but none of them reveled in such wanton murder and destruction!
IthoughtIunderstood… IthoughtIunderstood… Dear sweet Celestia, what can I do here? I want to help, but- but… This is just too much… I can’t... A shrill cry caused her ears to perk up and herself destructive inner world to shatter.
It sounded like a filly, but in all this chaos? Twilight jerked around and leaned of the carriage railings. Swiveling ears searched for the source of the cry.
“Twilight,” Grim called out.
Twilight couldn’t hear anything other than the crying of the threatened child.
Her frantic searching ended when she spotted a fallen mare clutching her filly. Twilight immediately bristled when she saw what was stalking towards them, climbing up on to the railings she delicately balanced on the edge of the flying carriage. From up here the amarok would have looked like little more than brown splotch, but to Twilight, it appeared as if she were peering through a telescope. Suddenly, her fear didn’t seem to matter anymore, all that mattered was the two ponies in danger right now.
I can save them, I know I can! Slowly, she let her body tilt forward.
“Don’t you dare!” The stallion yelled after her. “Stick to the plan!”
They stared at each other for a moment. The moment his eyes caught hers, Grim knew that he had lost any possible argument he could bring up. Damn his rank, it wouldn’t do anything to convince the mare in front of him. Twilight had that look in her eyes: the look she had when she stood up after being knocked down, the look she had when she didn’t immediately know the solution to a situation. Everything from her focused expression to her strong posture yelled that her mind was made up.
“I can’t do that, those ponies need help!” I apologize princess, but I’m about to do something illogical… Stupid even. And with that she let herself fall.
“Luna- damnit!”
“Do we go after her, sir,” Dune Bug asked as she watched the unicorn plummet like a lavender brick.
“No, stay the course, we don’t have the time to retrieve her now.” Don’t die you foalish mare.
-Burn the Candle at Both Ends-
The wind rushing through her mane felt good, better than she could have ever imagined. It was exhilarating! I have to master that wing spell at some point.
Twilight gathered a small amount of magic, and then released the burst of energy behind her, adding thrust to her rapidly accelerating descent. The explosion of mana rocketed her pass the sound barrier, causing a resounding whip-like crack effect as she made a beeline for her target. The wolf never saw the purple missile that struck her down.
What happens when a seventy- nine kilo pony travelling at five kilometers a second slams into the ground? It would be like detonating a fifth of a ton of TNT. Twilight almost came to the realization a little too late. Twilight slammed into the wolf like a catapulted stone in a castle’s wall. The moment she felt her hooves contact stone, the mare cast a powerful force-dampening field.
The force of the impact was enough to send the mother and her foal reeling across the ground. The cobble stone split like a nut, and the buildings shook violently, some collapsing from the force. Whatever it was that hit the wolf hit struck with enough force to bury it in a massive crater with an elevated rim.
Twilight’s ears were ringing and her vision was completely obscured by dust. A strange burning sensation on the tip of her ear and at several places across her body caused to shiver and jerk; she still wasn’t use to rapid regeneration, but she definitely wasn’t complaining. She crawled off the unconscious wolf and out of the newly formed crater (that she would later completely deny being the cause of).
Twilight coughed violently, expunging the invading dust particles from her lungs. Luckily, the mare and her foal were directly in front of her so she didn’t have to look too hard to find them.
She had given them a chance to escape, but they were just lying there, staring at her.
"You've got to get out of here! Head towards-" she coughed again. "-the edge of town, the Night Guard will take you back to Canterlot!"
The mother nodded. As fast as she could she grabbed up her filly. Placing the child her on her back, she put all her strength and focus into fleeing.
Twilight watched the two ponies dart off into the town. Please... Let them make it out of here. She thought as the mother's tail disappeared around the corner of a building.
A throaty growl came from behind her, causing her heart to leap into her chest. Twilight took a breath and calmly turned around. Ok, you can do this Twilight... Remember what Grim taught you... Remember the text on hellhounds...
A single claw gripped at the edges of the crater, the weakened cobblestone gave under the wolf’s strength, causing her to tumble back into hole. She yelped loudly. Twilight took a mental note of how vulnerable distressed it sounded. It almost sounds like a… Oh horse-apples...
The scratching of claws echoed through the city streets, mingling with the crackling and popping of burning wood. Three more of the large bipedal wolves revealed themselves. One came crawling down the side of the building to Twilight’s left, a shred of fresh pony flesh hung from its jaws and swung lazily with each movement the beast made. Another peaked around the corner down the road. It raised its nose to the sky and took a few whiffs of the air. It’s head turned to the crater that female had fallen in, then to the lavender mare who had caused his pack mate such pain. The final wolf vaulted from rooftop to rooftop with a staggering degree of ease. For a moment, Twilight was mesmerized by the creature’s agility. Her moment of blissful curiosity didn’t last long. Her foes bolted down the street covering the distance in under a second, putting them nose to nose with the mare. They rose to their full height, six feet of murderous fur and muscle towered over her as dark brown eyes burned with primal rage. And every ounce of it was directed at Twilight.
A glint of light flashed above her head, had she been any slower she would have completely missed it. They’re fast. Twilight’s training kicked in, breaking her musings. With practiced precision, she telekinetically drew her halberd above her head, intercepting the lightning quick strike. The force of the blow caused the cobblestone under Twilight’s hooves to shatter like dinner plates. The mental feedback was excruciating It felt as if a ton of bricks were rattling around in her skull, pressing down against her brain. Twilight whimpered as she felt her telekinesis buckle under the creature’s strength. She struggled to keep her guard up, but it was a losing battle. They’re too strong.
Then stop playing their game.
Twilight stood across the mat from Grim, panting. Her mane was soaked with sweat from the day’s sparring sessions causing it to stick to her like a spider web. She grumbled incoherently under her breath as the tiny cuts and bruises littering her body healed.
“You’re too fast and too strong!” She called out, “You’ve been doing this sort of thing for years, not to mention the fact that you’re some sort of super pony!” She huffed.
During their sparring session, she formed rough estimates of the numbers behind his physical prowess. They didn’t make sense. There was no way a normal pony, bat or otherwise, should be able to do what he does.
“Don’t try to best me on my terms then.” Grim tapped on his head, “This is your greatest strength. No matter how fast or how strong you get never forget, Twilight. You are a thinker.”
Twilight drew more magic into herself, causing a secondary over glow to form around her horn. The other wolves, seeing their pack mate struggle to end the small pony, jumped to his aid. Claws and teeth shot towards the mare at the speed of sound. She let of a panicked shriek as the beasts tore into her flesh. Canines pierced her shoulder, tearing out bloody slabs of skin and muscle and painting the ground beneath her crimson. Claws slashed at her left side, shattering her ribcage, rupturing her lung and spilling her guts in the process. Her magic died out, causing the halberd to fall, clattering loudly against the ruined stone. Without the polearm hindering its progress her original assailant’s weaponized limb crashed against her face. Twilight didn’t even have time to scream before her skull was smashed in and her head torn in two. Brain matter and sharp segments of bone sprayed out from the point of impact. Pink mush leaked out of the side of her head still attached to her neck, splattering into the blended heap of viscera at her hooves.
Twilight swayed back and forth as the strength rapidly drained from her body. The mare fell to the ground. She smiled eerily at her killers. Her entire form shimmered with magic. Bright cracks raced across her body until the mare’s visage was like that of stained glass. Her grin grew as a magenta sphere formed around all four them. Twilight’s eyes burned with magic. The light emanating from her body rapidly increased until it was unbearable, forcing the wolves to shield their eyes from the magical flare in front of them.
Quicker than the wolves could react, the inside of the bubble was inundated in white light. Muffled whines escaped the shield as furred fists hammered at the prison. Soon the cries stopped and the shield fell, releasing the dark grey smoke trapped within. Everything within the shields boundaries had been vaporized or severely burned. Two bodies, barely distinguishable from the char around them, rested in the soot. A slab of burned meat sloughed off the one of the corpses, the only movement from the bodies.
A cloaked figure skulked through the alley’s shadows. A thin smile spread across the hooded pony’s mouth, flashing a white toothy grin to over her shoulder towards the smoldering pile of bodies. For my first time using the explosive body clone spell it went fairly well. I used a little too much magic though. Never overcharge a spell to compensate for lack of experience. She recited Celestia’s lesson to herself and nodded her head, satisfied at her sloppy, but effective tactic. Ok, now that that’s taken care of I can turn my attention to regrou-
Before Twilight could finish her thought, a dry, cracked claw burst through the wall of the building to her left, showering her in wooden splinters. A Powerful hand seized her throat, crushing her windpipe while fine dagger-like claws pierced her flesh. Twilight was helpless against the creature’s onslaught. The sudden attack caused her body to go rigid and her brain to shut down. Twilight hadn’t made a move to defend herself, not even when the smoking, burned beast viciously slammed her body into the ground- repeatedly. Her head swam as the scene before her rapidly shifted from open sky to cobblestone with each flex of the wolf’s powerful arm. Eventually its brutal attacks ceased. With its energy expended, the creature tired and fell over, landing next to her with a soft thud. Panting from her ordeal, Twilight could only stare at her assailant through bleary eyes as tears flowed freely down her cheeks. A weak whimper escaped her mouth, slipping through the thin space between her lips and sounding more like a broken whistle than a sound of agony. The mare grunted each time a bone shifted back into place and mended itself.
The creature beside her was cooked black and horribly disfigured. All but a few patches of fur had been incinerated, dotting it’s body like sparse patches of vegetation in a droughted desert. Its ruined flesh was split open and cracked. The first thing that came to Twilight’s mind as she gazed at the steaming wounds was a dried lakebed. The wolf’s left arm was nonexistent, completely eradicated by the contained blast the unicorn released upon it and its brethren.
Twilight rolled over and stood, loosening the pebbles from her coat. Her thoughts were running at a mile a minute and she felt as if her head would explode at any moment. Everything was crashing down around her. She was alone in hostile territory. At least I saved those two ponies. Now I can catch up with Grim. She took a deep breath to steady her heart rate. A moment later she had compartmentalized her thoughts and pushed the more disturbing of them into a deep dark hole that she could review later. Find Grim and everything will be okay.
-Burn the Candle at Both Ends-
A single scorched and bloody lavender hoof jutted out from a pile of smoldering rubble. The injured extremity wiggled around until it found purchase on a sturdy stone support beam. With as much strength as she could muster, the battered mare pulled herself out of the seared remains of whatever the structure had been before its annihilation.
Bone, stone, and wood all snapped with the same enthusiasm as Twilight hefted herself up through the destruction. Patches of dried, caked up blood stained her coat. The dark crimson blotches dotted her body as if she were a murderer who had just reveled in her butchery. Her entire left ear had been torn off, leaving a gory stump of cartilage connected to a section of badly cracked skull. The crash dislocated her jaw, it hung uselessly, unable to be moved. Her back and side both looked like a griffon sushi chef’s cutting board; deep gashes exposed bone, muscle, and organs to the open air. Pulverized, would be the best way to describe several of the vertebrae in her lower back. The exposed discs reminded one of shattered dinner plates.
Shakily, Twilight rose to her hooves. Steam rolled off of her as the wounds on her body closed and mended. Suddenly, the strength left her legs sending her muzzle first into the dirt. Twilight hit the ground, choking for air. A torrent of crimson life fluid and mauled flesh gushed from her mouth with each cough. She clenched at her chest, desperately. The feeling was like nothing she’d ever felt before- somewhere between drowning and and being set on fire from the inside out. Her vision faded with each passing second until the darkness threatened to completely overtake her. The sounds of the world grew muffled to her. Even the beating of her heart seemed distant. She could feel her panicking heart slow to a crawl, as weakness took over her body.
Twilight, resigned to her fate, let herself fall limp- that’s when she felt it- something cold and stiff jutting out from her chest. With what little magic she could muster, she grabbed hold of the obstruction and pulled with all of her telekinetic might, removing it with a wet sounding pop that was immediately accompanied by the splash of liquid on stone. Twilight’s vision returned quickly once her healed lung could properly expunge the blood that flooded it.
Everything had been reduced to smoke and ashes in a heartbeat. The skies were clogged with enough ash to block out Celestia’s sun, choking away what little life Trottingham had left. Instead of buildings, piles of wreckage occupied Trottingham, reducing the visage of the once great town to that of a blackened plain dotted with the carbonized husks of dwellings. A swing sets devoid of foals and parents defiantly remained upright, mocking the ruinous powers that levelled the city. It was a joke in and of itself. On the skeleton of razed hut, a scrap of the Equestrian flag waved proudly. Nothing remained of if save for a discolored wing, ripped to the point where only five feathers spread over a dirtied moon, clutching at the satellite.
Twilight’s nose scrunched up, the town smelled like rancid flesh. The odor of seared flesh and charred plant matter dominated her nostrils, causing her to blench. Tears flowed freely from her eyes, now that the shock dissipated and the barriers between herself and reality crumbled, her raw heart was left to shoulder the scene before her. The mare held a hoof up to her head.
“W-what happened...”
Twilight rounded the corner of the final building in the block. Town square lie in disarray before her, completely empty save for the gratuitous gore, consuming fires, and battered combatants. A large, imposing wolf like creature towered over a defiant looking bat-pony. The shredded bodies of Grim’s squad lay strewn about the plaza. Limbs and entrails were tossed haphazardly like discarded toys in a foals playpen. The macabre game seemed to be ending and now pegasus was alone against a beast of nature, the very aspect of bloodlust, passion, and fire.
Grim’s conviction, however, did not waver. He dashed at the beast with his front legs outstretched, each leg brandishing both his nodachi and katana, each poised to sink into Ifrit’s flesh. The captain moved like greased lightning, reaching speeds Twilight thought impossible for the pony body to withstand. Ifrit would never be able to react to Grim’s strike in time, not from this range. Twilight’s eyes lost track of the pegasus. She knew her perceptions were playing a trick on her, but it felt like hours before the strike connected.
The sonic boom reached her right as the pegasus’ body rocketed into an adjacent building. Grim’s body smashed against the sturdy construction, both giving way simultaneously. The mare blinked, confused by the turn of events. Twilight could see his injuries as they formed. She watched as his snapped ribs punched through the his chest, and his skull flattened. She watched as his wings crumpled against the reinforced construction and as his legs bent at inappropriate angles from the force of the impact.
This was neither the outcome she wanted, nor expected.
“Impressive, for a pony.” Ifrit said, his voice, sweet as poison apple.
“You, unlike your pathetic pack, forced me to actually focus on avoiding that strike; had I underestimated you, little pony, you may have managed to sink your sad little briars into my flesh.” The wolf smiled at Grim’s twitching body, displaying his predatory teeth to the dying soldier.
The busted up form of the night captain jerkily slid down from its resting place, leaving a trail of blood along the side of the structure and landing in a heap. Dark grey feathers danced in the air around Grim before finally joining him on the ground.
This wasn’t happening, it was too surreal. Grim, the lightning fast night guard captain lay dying at the paws of the demon Ifrit. Twilight let her eyes roam across the carnage splayed out in front of her. Through the raging infernos, she barely made out the forms of several familiar ponies. Tears welled up in her eyes as she identified each mangled corpse as one of the members of Grim’s squad. Her entire body shook, every fiber of her being screamed her, compelling her legs run to their barely recognizable bodies. But she didn’t.
No hope... There’s no hope left…If she held her head any lower, her muzzle would be coated in the same ashen snow that smothered stone streets of Trottingham. No! Not like this. Even if I have to stand up to Ifrit myself, I’ll stop him! I have to...
Through agony and weakness, Grim spoke up. “Y-you’re just a s-s-selfish coward. A slave t-to your in-instincts… Too afraid t-to even try a d-different way of life… You don’t-” the captain coughs up even care that you’re hurting others...” Grim spat a glob blood and mucus out of mouth. Chips of the pony’s teeth mingled with the dirt, pebbles, and soot that had settled on the streets with the pony.
“Defiant to your last breath. You continue to impress me pony.” The wolf held a claw out as he spoke.
The air above Ifrit’s overturned palms wavered, distorting Twilight’s view of his machinations. Intermittent bursts of white flame jumped between his fingers while burning gel dribbled from his hands onto the ground. The dirt beneath him hissed loudly as the gel made contact with the ground, but not loud enough to drown out the ancient creatures words.
“You have the spirit of a hunter and a will of fire. You, little pony, are worthy of experiencing the World Fire. A large orb of the burning pseudo-liquid formed in Ifrit’s palm.
“O Flame through me enact thy will,
“Soak thee in desire and instinct,
“Let the Blaze rise up and judge this pony’s worth,
“By Flame destabilize the controller of bondage in thy life,
“By Flame neutralize all stigma inherited from thy parents,
“With Flame, trample upon all enemies of thy advancement and promotion,
“No darkness shall hide from the light of thy Flame.”
Ifrit lazily tossed the fireball onto Grim’s still body. Liquid fire cascaded over the pony’s body like a tsunami overtaking a harbor. The moment the blaze touch the night guard’s body, he sprung to life.
Twilight’s ears perked up at the sight of Grim standing again, relieved by the sight of him alive and well. It took everything she had not to run to him and draw the stallion into a powerful embrace. This was the best thing to happen this night. All wasn’t lost! She could rush in and grab Grim and they could fly back to Canterlot. She knew she could save him. She knew that Grim would make it.
Then the screaming started. Grim’s agonized voice broke through the crackling sounds of cooking matter. Whatever the noise was that came from his mouth. Twilight was sure it wasn’t from a pony. Ponies’ voices didn’t sound like ancient rusted gears grinding against each other. The burning stallion fell muzzle first onto the ground, tearing at his body with his hooves in a vain attempt to rip his own skin from the bones. He continued to roll and yell forcing Twilight to avert her eyes from the barbaric display. Eventually it ended and the town was silent. Twilight looked up. Her eyes widened and tears formed on the brim of her eyelids from what she saw.
“A shame,” Ifrit intoned as he crushed the pegasus’ smoldering skeleton.
Several smaller bipedal forms cloaked in red and gold robes emerged from around the eastern side of the town square. Twilight assumed them to be wolves like the ones she saw attacking the town. They moved toward seamlessly, ten sets of legs all working to bring a large onyx and spinel chest to Ifrit. By the magic radiating from the chest, Twilight could tell that it was enchanted with hundreds of sealing spells, likely of the princesses’ own creation. They raised the chest and presented it to Ifrit, bowing their heads to stare at the floor while they did so.
“All things are born in fire and to fire all things shall fall.” He placed his claws on chest and focused his power on the enchantments keeping it closed.
Twilight’s fur stood on end and her horn tingled in reaction to the amount of raw, primal magic surging through the air. Her irises produced a faint glow, a side effect of her body venting the extra magical energy she was taking in. A small burst of superheated air originating from Ifrit and the chest washed over her.
“NOOO! The Harlots! They will not keep me from my prize. My pack and I have suffered for over one thousand years. I will not be DENIED!” he roared.
Twilight felt the familiar surge of magic radiating from the wolf once more, however this time the power was wrong. Her stomach lurched from the raged soaked mana permeating the area. She could feel his desperation and the concentration of magic increased. Raw mana arced between the individual strands of her mane as sparks of it flew out from her horn in uncontrollable spurts. Everything around her became wavy and distorted.
The temperature was rising. Fast.
She panted to cool herself off, but opening her mouth only caused the her spit to boil and evaporate. Just like the tears, staining her cheeks had moments before.
“I need to get out of here...” Twilight muttered under her breath.
She fell over on her side. It was too much. The heat was frying the fur off her body and blistering her skin as she struggled to pick herself up. She tried everything she could to find her strength, but the heat sapped it all. Her body grew heavier and more unresponsive with each passing second. Twilight feebly raised a hoof, but once succeeded in pawing at the ground.
If this was to be the end, she at least wanted to see it. Using the last of her energy, Twilight opened her dried out eyes.
She didn’t even get to scream before the sea of flames consumed her.
A deep frown etched its way onto Twilight’s face. Probably should have left that memory buried. But she knew that was a lie. Had she not reminisced she wouldn't have the knowledge of Ifrit gaining possession some strange chest.
She trotted through the smoking devastation around her. Wherever she was it wasn’t town square. According to her mental map she had been blasted several blocks away from where she was. With a sigh, she swallowed her apprehension and made
The walk to town square was a dreary one. Fire, smoke, and corpses littered the streets (if you could even call the slagged paths streets anymore). After travelling with her nose to the ground for several minutes, Twilight finally reached her destination. Trottingham’s beautiful town square was even more ruined than it was her first time here. Like everything else it was completely leveled. Even Ser Locke’s Fountain was nothing more than a pile of rubble.
Despite the status of the buildings, Twilight could tell, by her orientation, where Grim fell against Ifrit. She hadn’t seen or heard any signs of the wolves since she woke up, but she still treaded cautiously to her friend’s resting place. If what she remembered was correct Twilight knew she would find nothing but ashes, so instead of searching for the stallion’s body she opted to recover his swords. She dug around the site vigorously until her hooves his something metallic. Using her magic, she cleared the debris off the top of the object, revealing the undamaged nodachi and katana. Twilight lifted the weapons in her telekinetic grip and placed them on her back alongside her halberd. There was nothing left for her here. She crouched low and prepared a powerful jump, but a sudden spike of pain broke her concentration, causing her to grip the back of her head. Her skull throbbed for a moment, but the pain was short lived.
“Urgh. What was that? A magic surge?” she guessed as she rubbed the back of her neck.
There was a sniffle behind her. Survivors? Twilight’s heart raced at the prospect of finding somepony alive among the destruction. I’ll get them somewhere with some medical facilities I’ll- She whipped around to face the pony who was basically begging for attention. Her red eyes spied nothing but air. Another sniffle brought her gaze down.
Standing at her hooves was a filly. A white, translucent earth pony filly. Twilight’s jaws worked, but no words came out. Trails of wispy vapor rose from the ghostly child’s body. This was a being of pure magical energy. The filly’s body emitted mana like a geyser, freely spilling power all around her. Twilight felt something wrap around her hooves. It’s touch sent electricity through the mare’s body. Her face drooped; through their contact, she could feel the child’s rapidly diminishing mana reserves.
“I can’t find my mommy,” the filly said. “The nice pony saved us from the bad dogs then it got hot and n-now I can’t f-find her…” she stuttered. Vapor poured from filly’s eyes. Twilight assumed they were supposed to be tears.
Twilight pulled her into a comforting embrace. Stroking the child’s mane, Twilight spoke softly, “Shh, little one. I don’t know where your mother is”-- the filly tensed at the news-- “but I promise you’ll be with her shortly. I-I can sing you a song to pass the time… Would you like that?” Twilight tried her best to sound as gentle as possible. She wasn’t a mother and she didn’t plan to be for a very long time. She’d been training all this time for combat, not for putting foals to bed.
A cheek brushing against her chest reminded her that she had a pony in her clutches. And according to the pattern of the pony’s movement, Twilight had a song to sing.
The unicorn sighed. I’m really not cut out for this. Fluttershy would know what to do in this situation. A small smile graced Twilight’s face. “This is a beautiful little song a friend taught me.”
“Hush now, quiet now~”
As Twilight sang and rocked the foal, she looked over the wreckage that was once Trottingham. Even with her first hoof account of events, she could figure out where it all went wrong. If they hadn’t overshot their destination would they have been fast enough to evacuate the town? If she was with Grim and the squad, could they have stopped Ifrit? The mare watched as blue wisps similar to the ones trailing off the little filly’s body seeped out from under the ruins of shattered buildings.
“It’s time to go to bed~” The last traces of filly the floated away, scattering to the winds.
-Burn the Candle at Both Ends-
After what Twilight had just seen, a long flight was just what she needed. As she found out earlier, having the wind wash through your mane and supersonic speeds was quite calming. She’d had hours of silent flight to mull over everything, but now that time was at an end, Canterlot was in view. She used her magic to slow her approach on the castle’s pegasi runway. Her cloak was rigid, holding its shape and allowing her to glide easily. Twilight put a small amount of mana into the cloak, causing it to become pliable for a split second before shaping itself into a parachute.
Before Twilight could lose her footing, ground control was at her side. Trained support ponies took her weapon, removed her cloak, and unlatched her armor. The items fell to the ground unceremoniously, they were unimportant now. Like a pit crew tuning up a chariot, they cared for Twilight. In less than two minutes, she was hydrated, place on a gurney, then wheeled into the castle. Darkness encroached upon the corners of her vision as she watched the ornate glass fixtures hanging above whizzed by. I-I made it back...
Another uneasy, unrefreshing nightmare filled slumber. Another day of tossing and turning in bed because of traumas that nopony should ever have to endure.
Twilight’s cheek brushed against her cool, fluffy pillow. She didn’t know how long it had been since her arrival at the castle, everything was a frustrating blur of self-loathing and fury. The mare had mixed feelings; in her sleep, she’d everything again: the bodies, the fire, the bloodshed, everything. She was so tired of it all. It was only her first outing for the cause of stopping Kokusho, but she’d seen enough. Her eyelids twitched. The memories of Trottingham threatened to flood her thoughts, as if a dam were near its breaking point. She groaned, cracking her eyes open, she tried to take in her surroundings and get her bearings. The space was much too dark to see anything, but the smell was familiar. “Too familiar...”
She summoned a floating mote of bright purple light. The impromptu flare illuminated the room around her, revealing the space. Twilight’s eyes swept over the bed she was in. It was small, but she could still fit in it well enough. The six pointed star pattern comforter from her days as filly greeted her, she snuggled into the cottony fluff. For the moment, she was at peace. Twilight took solace in such a simple thing because it told her she was somewhere safe, somewhere nothing could harm or frighten her. The bookshelves towered over her defensively like vigilant sentinels tasked with her defense. She let herself remain wrapped up in the odor of books that had not been cracked open in years. It was a basic joy of hers, something primal she could enjoy without overthinking.
Twilight felt a surge of magic building in the room with her. Teleporting was her most iconic skill, she knew the mechanics of it in and out. She knew when somepony was teleporting, it was for her reading that magic in the air was as simple as reading a foals picture book.
The Princess of the Night appeared a few feet away from the bed, looking as if nothing was wrong. Twilight slid out of bed, wincing in anticipation for how sore her body would be, however, the pain and discomfort never came.
Oh, right… The revelation sat sourly on her mind. Less than a week ago, her ability to take great deals of punishment and recover rapidly seemed like such a boon; long days of training with no pesky the muscle tenderness afterward, wounds healing immediately with little to no scar tissue, and boundless stamina convinced Twilight that she was better off. Even now she was thankful for the Death Essence’s contribution to her survival, if it didn’t grant her such impressive fortitude she wouldn’t be here now. Still, fathers, mothers, and foals had died, whereas she lived. Ponies with much more to live for than her were gone, entire families reduced to ash in the blink of an eye. Why do I get to live? Her head hung low as she reflected on Trottingham’s fate.
Luna approached the unicorn and lowered her head, giving her friend a comforting nuzzle. Twilight shied away from the contact, too ashamed to accept the warmth of the princess. Luna noticed the mare’s ice-cold reaction and backed off. The alicorn knew the fate that befell Trottingham and that Twilight likely took it as a personal failure.
“Twilight, there was nothing you could do...”
Twilight shut her eyelids shut. Tears threatened to burst forth … Her entire body quaked as she held in her emotions.
Quickly, Luna replaced the morose tone in her voice with one of amiable determination. “However, you must understand that this won’t be the last time where you fail to save everypony. We will have other chances to stop Kokusho and his vile cohorts. Come Twilight, we must meet with my sister and prepare for future assaults from the demons of Tartarus!” She trotted for the door with Twilight in tow.
Right as Luna reached the door something snapped in Twilight. It was was if a magical bomb had went off in her skull, freezing her where she stood.
“No...” The unicorn muttered under her breath.
Luna stopped in her tracks, tossing a glance over her shoulder at the young mare, “No?”
“I-I can’t do this again Luna… J-just tell P-princess Celestia that I apologize, but I can’t go back out there and fight like- like this again!”
The dark alicorn slowly turned around on her hooves and brought Twilight into a strong, loving embrace. “It’s okay Twilight, we all fail sometimes. My sister and I are here to support you.” She stroked the purple mare’s back, “I understand how you feel...”
Twilight chuckled. The sound was dry, mirthless, uncharacteristic of the unicorn. Luna broke the embrace to look into the unicorn’s eye purple eyes. Twilight’s gaze was fixed on the ground at her hooves. Her bangs hide the tear streaming down her face from Luna, but the immortal could still make out her friend’s shaky breathing.
“You understand...” Twilight’s voice was low and carried a dark undertone. The words were tainted with a rage that Luna had never heard from the young pony before.
“I’ve seen much death in my days, Twilight, it is never easy to witness the end of another’s life.” Luna intoned.
“But have you seen what I have? Felt what I have?” She asked dryly. “It felt so- so wrong… You’ve seen the physical side, you’ve seen ponies die... but have you seen what happens after that?” Twilight’s eyes were wide open by this point. Her trembling worsened and sweat beaded on her brow as she continued to vent on her escort.
“Have you ever sat for hours on end with the dead comforted their confused, terrified souls? Have you ever lied to fillies and colts about why they were ghosts?
“Twilight-”
“No! I-it’s my turn. Let me talk now!” She yelled abruptly, throwing Luna off balance. “Princess Celestia loves receiving my friendship reports, and I have no doubts that both of you would like to hear a full report on what happened in Trottingham, well here it is!” Twilight sucked in a huge volume of air, filling her lungs with the life giving oxygen as she prepared for her speech.
“Dear Princess Celestia and Luna,
Did you know that a foal’s soul wasn’t mature enough to exist outside of the body for more than a few hours? I learned this after the spirit of a foal I personally rescued evaporated into wisps of aether in my hooves! I’ve never felt so smothered, so out of my league in my life. Here was a precious, innocent life, taken, and I utterly failed to live up to expectations and stop the threat… I-I found her mother’s soul searching for her and explained that both she and her child were dead. The mare asked me if she and her foal would be reunited on the other side… I said yes and I’m a terrible pony for it. B-but what the buck am I supposed to say to a question like that?!”
The last sentence, though included in the report, felt like a letter addressed to Luna personally. Luna was absorbed, but at the same time blown completely away. Twilight, at some point during her rant, managed to advance on the dark alicorn. In her time of passion, the purple maned mare chose to accentuate her grief by pounding away at her princess’s chest.
Luna stood there, speechless as the distressed young mare beat at her with tired hooves. Confusion etched its way across her face as she tried to figure out which hurt more; the anguish-filled strikes from the mare, each landing like the thunderous blow of a siege engine or the fact that she and her sister sent such an innocent soul to do their dirty work, and intended to do so repeatedly.
As soon as it began, it ended. But to Luna, it felt like hours of torture on her mind, body, and soul. She was sure that by the time this was all over, both she and her sister would have a nice little cell in Tartarus carved out for them.
Right next to Discord.
Twilight took a step away from Luna, her tear filled eyes pleading with those of the alicorn’s. No words were spoken spoke between the two, only understanding. Her horn flared as she drew a large amount of magic to herself. The words that poured out from Twilight’s broken soul, conveyed by the look they exchanged, were mirrored by Luna.
“I’m sorry,” both souls said simultaneously.
The flow of mana condensed tightly against the mare’s body, hugging her like a blanket. Energy exploded outward, lighting up the room, and forcing Luna to cover her eyes with a hoof. Where Twilight had been now stood empty, nothing betrayed that the she was ever there save for the circle of slagged marble tiles.
The alicorn’s starry mane danced behind her, carried on waves of aether. She stared blankly at the molten stone in front of her. Her face was a mask of porcelain. A single tear ran down the slick material, eroding everything in its wake.
“What now?”
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How doesn't this have more attention?? First of all great fic second of all it's in friggin featured. People wouldn't know a good thing it bit them in the ass
excellent chapter
I was waiting for signs of life in this story
Awesome chapter. So much pain... I feel for Twilight. I hope she comes to terms with it.
Just started this chapter, but I wanted to say two things:
I recommend getting a proof reader or reading this outloud to yourself slowly and carefully. That is what I do for technical issues like grammar and spelling, which this story has quite a few of.
I hope you included some support from the rest of the Mane Six, because I just can't see the Diarchs NOT enlisting their help to keep Twilight strong... unless they sacrificed themselves so that Twilight would have souls in her... but if that is so, then it deserves its own scene. And if not, then I wonder how Twilight has any other souls in herself at all that require the treatments.
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I do read them aloud. Sometimes you catch things long after it's published. Maybe later you notice a certain part doesn't flow well. While there are no words that are flat out misspelled (in this chp), there may be a few misused versions of words hiding around (Except for mergings and rainwaters those are just wrong). I'm always sweeping the chapters whenever I have a spare moment, slowly cleaning up issues as I go. Even a team of prereaders and editors miss things.
Twilight is facing challenges far worse than anything the mane six have ever confronted (unless you count a few comic scenarios). She isn't prohibited from talking to them through letters and such, but actually adventuring with Twi, is completely out of the question. Celestia and Luna know that her friends can't hold their own.
Still gives me nightmares
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