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// Darkness Defines Light 
// Story: Atelophobia 
// by Ice Star 
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light and shadow
day and night
tyrant who she sees from the world outside the crystal window
that frames the latest landscape
of her latest adventure—that word leaves her with such a sour feeling—that she only wants to leave
because there's a destination that's important
and a journey that she can forgo
since the end is what matters
what makes things perfect
or a failure
and that is all that matters

and opposing this tyrant was her
and her friends
good, brave heroes
acting as they should
under the words of Celestia
to save
to preserve
to shed light upon 
and to spread
the magic of friendship

she had to pass this latest test
and unlike lost gods and monsters
this time her foe was a pony
(or so she thought, Celestia had called him a unicorn and she didn't doubt Her)
and a pony with power unseen
and magic that was unreal
and unheard of
as though he stood on a bridge
between mortal and god
black and white
and that should not exist

perfection and imperfection
good and evil
pass or fail
ultimately, twilight knew
everything boiled down
to either or
one or the other
in the end
as Celestia said
you must choose

and twilight was to be
a hero
a spark
an element
a friend
a savior
not because she wanted to
but because
she already was
and She wanted her to be
and twilight wanted to be perfect

sombra was not perfect
could not be perfect
he was a conqueror
a brute
a murderer
he could not be right
if twilight let him win
there would be no perfection
there would be failure

and twilight knew that those who were good
like Her
and her friends
and everypony that wasn't like them:
monsters, murderers, thieves, and all things awful
were right
and that no matter what
because She told her long ago
and twilight knew in her heart and mind
that evil was imperfect
evil was always wrong
and so was sombra