//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Internal Darkness // by Silver Sorcerer //------------------------------// Disclaimer: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all associated characters, settings and stories are the rightful subjects of Hasbro, the HUB, Studio B, and Lauren Faust. Chapter 6 Magicon took a long breath as he fathomed what he just did. Before him sprawled out in a pool of blood and tears lay the Princess of the Sun, the Co-Ruler of Equestria for more than a thousand years, now lifeless and unmoving. Her beautiful light magenta eyes were closed and her mouth had shut. Even in death her body still maintained its regal composure. Her feathers were neatly combed and her mane remained elegantly tended. The only blemishes came from the dagger in her chest and the black burn mark on her head, both the result of Magicon’s deception and betrayal. His wicked smiled remained as he approached the princess and, using his teeth and a bit of magic, carefully pulled the dagger out of her. He ignored the taste of the blood and the ancient wood as blood gushed from the open wound. The blade was soaked in blood and he set it down in her growing pool of blood. It wouldn’t be long before he would have to return the dagger so Magicon was quick to use his time. Stepping away from the dead princess he closed his eyes and mumbled a long incantation, his horn glowing once again. This time an old and rusted branding iron appeared with the cursive letters ‘R’ and ‘B’ at the head. He telekinetically lifted it over to the fireplace, waited for it to become smoldering hot, then brought it over to the dead princess. Examining her dead corpse for a final time, Magicon thought of the wonderful times he had had with Celestia. Her calm, yet reassuring manner. Her grace and her leadership. Her guidance and compassion. She had left her mark on him which only angered Magicon and with a loud thrust and yell, brought the iron over his head and plunged it right on the princesses forehoof in a cloud of hot white smoke. As it rose and engulfed him, Magicon’s anger left as his composure and calmness returned. His mission was complete; he had succeeded and now he could relish in his success. Removing the iron from her, Magicon gazed in satisfaction at the letters ‘R’ and ‘B’ now permanently scarred on her body. Three new markings blemished her once flawless figure and would convince any-pony who the culprit was. Red-Blood had come, killed, and left, all while keeping to his words in that fateful letter. Princess Celestia finally suffered the ultimate consequence and Equestria would never be the same. Seeing the last rays of light slip from the horizon Magicon dispelled the branding iron back to its origin. He grabbed the blood-soaked dagger and with one final sweep of the room, he looked back at Celestia with emotionless eyes. He had killed his princess in one clean swoop starting with that letter and playing every move perfectly until it cumulated to her now dead body before him. There were no feelings of regret, no feelings of remorse, no tears; only feelings of pride, accomplishment, and wickedness. With everything checked Magicon teleported back to his chamber. The windows were still shut and the door was locked and, still holding the dagger, he opened the windows to allow the rising moon to penetrate the blackness of his chamber. He went back to his bed, bent down, telekinetically lifted the ancient book from its hiding place and placed it on his bed. He had not locked it from the previous night allowing the magic in the dagger to flow freely from its source here in the book. He flipped to the conjuring page and setting the dagger upon it, he read a series of enchantments as his horn glowed and with a quick flash of purple, the dagger vanished back to its unknown source. Sighing in relief, Magicon turned to another page, grabbed a quill and scribbled down on the page ‘Mission 19: Success’. Scanning over the assignment for the final time, Magicon smirked at how perfectly it had worked. He once feared that he couldn’t do it, that his haunted past would consume him. But no, he had overcome it and did the impossible: murder a princess. Closing and sealing the book, Magicon stared out the window at the tranquil night, waiting. He didn’t wait for long as there was a thunderous knock on the door. Jumping off the bed and opening the door, Magicon slightly gasped to see a panting and sweaty Shining Armor standing before him. He gasped for air in-between his words. “Magicon…we...have a…problem. Princess…Celestia…is…missing.” Magicon feigned his gasp and stared at Shining Armor. “What do you mean missing?” “She’s…not…in…her room. Princess Luna hasn’t…seen…her.” “She must’ve fled her room! Or worse, she was captured by Red-Blood! Oh my Celestia! Red-Blood could have her right now!” Magicon began panicking. “Calm down Magicon. Now…is not the…right time to…panic. We need to search…the palace…and Canterlot for her. I killed that assailant who…used Red-Blood as his cover.” Calming his nerves Magicon said, “You’re right, Shining. Now is not the time to panic. If we are to find her we must remain calm and focused. As for the assassin, I have a hunch that he wasn’t acting alone.” Shining Armor’s brow rose. “Well, if you’re right then we better get our flanks in gear.” He rushed down the hall leaving a motionless Magicon behind him. Noticing this, Shining Armor spun around shouted, “Come on Magicon. The princess’s life is at stake!” Snapping out of his momentary freeze, Magicon untied his cape, threw it on the bed, and galloped after Shining Armor in search of Princess Celestia. As they dashed down the halls of the palace, Magicon noticed the amount of guards also searching for the princess. Noticing their haste, frustration, and worry Magicon asked Shining Armor, “How long have you been searching?” “For about 10 minutes.” “Not to be random here, but where are we going?” “Back to the last place we saw Celestia.” They charged down a few more halls before arriving in the now crowded throne room. Hundreds of Royal Guards were moving in and out of the hall checking every nook and cranny for some sign of the princess. Shining Armor trotted forward and spoke to a few guards who shook their heads. He returned to Magicon in a frustrated state. “No luck, I take it?” “None whatsoever.” “Don’t worry, Shining. I’m sure you will find her. You’ve only been searching for 10 minutes. Like you said to me earlier, there’s no need to panic. Let’s keep looking.” They both continued their search for the princess, both inside and outside the palace and Canterlot, but the darkness of the night made it difficult to find anypony and their horns offered only so much light. While searching the outskirts of Canterlot, a thought popped into Shining Armor’s head. “Magicon?” “Hmm?” “I have an idea. What if we split up to search for Celestia?” “Well, I don’t know about that, Shining. Red-Blood could still possibly be at-large and after-Oh my Celestia! Luna!” Magicon was about to gallop back towards the palace when he felt a strong bite on his tail. “Calm your hooves Magicon. You’ve been rather nervous ever since the assassin attempted to attack Princess Celestia. Princess Luna is safe in her room. I haven’t told her about her sister yet but we will have to soon.” “Why?” “I don’t want to worry her. You know how sensitive and devoted Luna is to Celestia.” Magicon nodded. “But your near gallop did convince me of something,” Shining Armor continued. “It convinced me that you do want us to separately search for Celestia.” Magicon looked at Shining Armor with hesitant eyes, unwilling to meet his gaze. “I…come on Shining. If we are going to search for Celestia separately, we need to check every place over again and this time with few guards. We’ll need clues if we are going to find Celestia” “I agree, now let’s get back to the palace.” Arriving in the throne room, hundreds of Royal Guard ponies remained. Some were resting, others trying to console each other; overall the room was anxious of any news regarding Princess Celestia. Shining Armor mustered his words and volume as he spoke, “You have all done your duty in your quest for searching for Princess Celestia. But a massive search like this will only de-rail efforts to look for clues so you may all return to your quarters for a well-earned rest.” The Royal Guards, however, refused to move. Their loyalty and dedication was astounding, for nothing less would satisfy the princesses and Shining Armor. Shining Armor smirked, “Very well. Since you all wish to remain at your post, I’m ordering you all to remain here and speak not a word of this to anypony other than yourselves. We must avoid mass panic and hysteria. Understood?” “Sir, yes sir!” the guards saluted. Shining Armor and Magicon then left the Throne Room and separated down the hall. “You sure you’ll be ok, Magicon?” “Of course I will be. I’m not a weak and helpless unicorn.” Shining Armor nodded and began trotting down the long hall towards Celestia’s study. Magicon watched him slowly move through the darkness as his small malicious smile returned to his face. ‘Oh this is just too perfect,’ he thought. He let out a small chuckle and slowly trotted away, waiting for that moment of discovery. He didn’t wait long as a deafening roar erupted down the hall. Magicon recognized the voice and turning around he galloped down to its origin. He saw guards swarming the hall around him running in the direction to Celestia’s study. Arriving at the study, Magicon saw that the door had been smashed by a large body and the room looked the same when he committed his villainy just hours ago. Only this time, Shining Armor was standing over Celestia’s dead body fuming. “How is this possible?” he yelled in a deafening voice. “Celestia! No!” “Oh my…” Magicon squeaked out, his eyes in false horror as they gazed over the scene. Shining Armor whipped around, fire in his eyes, as Magicon felt a twinge of fear from Shining Armor. His gaze was murderous; almost like he killed Celestia. “Shining…wh…what happened her?” “What do you think dumbass? Our beloved princess has been murdered in cold blood! I’m a failure! I couldn’t protect her! Red-Blood came, killed her, and is probably now long gone!” He threw his hoof in the air and brought it down with all of his strength smashing a side table. “If I ever get my hooves on that pony, he’ll regret everything!” “Shining?” Cadance’s sweet voice called as she made her way past the guards now cramming into the study. “What’s wrong-oh,” she managed to stammer before fainting at the sight of Celestia’s corpse. “Remove her,” Magicon ordered as Shining Armor continued his rant. “I will get Red-Blood! He will pay for his crime against Equestria and all of pony-kind! I don’t care how long it takes; he will be captured and brought to justice!” “Shining, what is with the shouting?” Luna’s voice emerged as the guards stood aside to let her pass. Pausing to look at the corpse before her, her calm face morphed into one of shock and horror. “Sister?” she asked. “Tia?” she paused. “No. No, this can’t be. This isn’t possible! Tia!” She collapsed next to her sister now hysterical sobbing and shouting. “TIA! GET UP! GET UP! I WON’T LEAVE YOU! I REFUSE TO ACCEPT THIS! YOU’RE ALIVE, you’re alive…,” her hysterics slightly quieted as she hugged her dead sister, while the tears and wails continued. Magicon silently relished seeing everypony emotionally distressed by his work, but he put on his mask and attempted to console Luna who turned his hoof away. Looking around Magicon saw that the Royal Guards were also shocked. Some were sobbing; others were attempting to find comfort in one another; while others just stood paralyzed with infinite emotions. Shock, fear, horror, sadness, rage, vengeance, and an endless number of emotions filled everypony in the study. Their princess, their protector, their ruler known for her wisdom and warmth was now cold and dead. They realized that the raiser of the sun would never rise again. But many refused to accept it. Celestia had been ruling Equestria for generations and see couldn’t die; not yet and not like this. “She’s…she’s really…gone,” a guard stammered in-between his tears. Shining Armor quickly whipped around and stormed up to the guard’s face, “Silence Private! You’re on duty! You have no voice unless you are asked a question! Now get out of my sight before I blast you to bits! All of you!” The guards, having never seen Shining Armor in this fit of rage, ran through the door tumbling and tripping over each other as they scrambled out. Sealing the doorway with a door-like barrier, Magicon shook his head at the scene before him. A furious Shining Armor, a hysterical Luna, and a dead princess all lay before him and he didn’t care. He was emotionless when he shouldn’t be. ‘I should be enjoying this. Enjoying their suffering; enjoying their grieving. But I’m not. Why? What is wrong with me? What did I miss from Red-Blood’s philosophy? Wait, what if they know? What if they suspect I did it? No, that’s not possible. They can’t and don’t know the truth. They won’t know the truth either. I’ve got to change this picture-’ “Magicon!” shouted Shining Armor dashing Magicon’s thoughts as he jumped. “Wh…what is it Shining?” Magicon stammered. “Stop standing there like a mindless idiot and help me!” Shining was attempting to search for clues by mindless destroying and blasting instruments, books, and anything that met his magic creating more chaos in the room. “No I won’t Shining,” Magicon flatly stated. “What? You dare to defy me!” “Shut up Shining. You’re beyond stressed right now and you’re loosing your mind. Cease with this destruction right now or I’ll have to remove you.” “You have no power to do that!” “You forget Shining that the princesses and I control the military which includes the Royal Guard. I have the power to remove you with the princess’s consent. Sadly, Luna is in a state of hysterics by the devastating loss of her sister. So, I’m in charge for now. So cease the anger and destruction right now!” Shining Armor met Magicon’s stern and unyielding gaze with fire in his eyes. They locked their eyes, neither one moving or blinking. Both looked ready to shoot each other on the spot and blast each other into oblivion. Then both of them felt a spell hit them. A spell of warmth and peace; one that created a sweet and tender feeling inside. A spell of love. Magicon shook his head to see an awakened Princess Cadance standing in the doorway, barrier removed, with a mix of sadness and determination in her eyes. Realizing what spell she had cast Magicon turned and say Shining Armor wearing the same expression of apology and curiosity that Magicon wore. “I’m…I’m sorry Magicon,” Shining Armor quietly apologized. “I’m sorry too, Shining,” Magicon returned with the same affection. ‘Damn Cadance for having such potent and workable magic.’ Magicon thought. ‘I’m going to have to find a way to decrease the effects of her spell on me. But later; right now we’ve got a princess to console and another to mourn.’ Princess Cadance had walked up to Shining Armor and put a hoof on his face. Her face said it all: end the pointless fighting. Help Princess Luna the same way you help me. Seeing the message from her face Shining Armor beckoned Magicon to follow him and console Princess Luna. Magicon obeyed, shutting the curtains, rebuilding his barrier and sitting down next to the three around Celestia’s corpse in the low candlelight. The darkness of Red-Blood had come, but the light of friendship was their hope. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ The sun did not rise on the first day of spring. The moon had set, but its counterpart did not even touch the horizon. Equestria remained blanketed in a state of darkness that worried everypony. With no knowledge of the events in the palace many ponies questioned what Princess Celestia was doing or not doing. Rumors began to spread and everypony soon had a different story as to why the sun refused to rise and why Celestia was neglecting her duties. While the ponies questioned the day, the four ponies in Celestia’s Study knew what had happened, but were unsure of what to do. They had remained there all night grieving the loss of Celestia and attempted to comfort each other with stories of Celestia’s bravery, heroism, and devotion to Equestria. But old stories and reminiscing would not mend the gaping hole in their hearts that had once been their special place for Celestia. The tears still came, but were fewer and less potent. They were the tears of the last emotions of the night. When they passed, the grieving remained. The incomparable and inescapable feelings of loss would not heal easily or painlessly. Celestia had filled each of their lives with hope, warmth, compassion, and love. They had all been close friends who would stick together no matter what happened. But now, one of them was ripped from their hooves and destroyed her. She was gone and would never return. No magic, no potions, and no amount of love or friendship could bring a pony back from the world of death. One could only hope that she was happy wherever she was. They had been silent for a while before Luna sighed and spoke softly to the group. Her voice was hoarse and broken, but she ignored those trivial issues to deal with her friends and her subjects. “Friends…I don’t know how to say this…but I just want to thank you for your compassion, your sympathy, and your friendship. This is Equestria’s darkest hour; there is no doubt about that. But we must think of Celestia and what she represented. We’ve spent an entire night reminiscing about her and, as much as we don’t want to, we must leave Celestia and try to move on. We all have duties to perform and if we don’t we’ll be causing more trouble for Equestria.” “How will we tell everypony about Celestia?” Cadance asked. “It’s difficult to say right now, Cadance. The fallout will be tremendous. Everypony will be turning to us for guidance and leadership. We must be strong and confident. We must show everypony that we can bear this terrible tragedy and carry on with protecting and serving Equestria.” “Do you plan on searching for Red-Blood?” Shining Armor asked. Luna thought a moment and shook her head. “There’s no point in trying to finding him. We’ll be wasting our resources on a fruitless search. Red-Blood has the advantage of anonymity. He is most likely living like a normal pony somewhere in Equestria right now. We’ll see him again, I have no doubts about that, but he does not want to be found and I will not waste the time and energy of our soldiers on a wild pony chase.” “But your majesty, what about your safety? Red-Blood is still out there probably waiting for the perfect moment to strike you.” “Indeed he very well is, Shining. But now is not the time to worry about my safety. Red-Blood did his killings in private and left the evidence in public. As long as I remain in the public’s eye the chance of my death is less likely.” “But your highness,” Magicon protested, “You’re not one for the spotlight to begin with.” Luna paused before responding. “I know Magicon, but I’ve never raised the sun before either. Things are changing and we have to move with it if Equestria is going to be at peace.” Everpony was silent, understanding the meaning of Luna’s words and trying to imagine just how different Equestria would be without the sun princess. Finally, Luna broke the silence, “I think it’s time we admit the truth to Equestria. This will not be easy but it is necessary for the stability and trust of ponies everywhere. We are treading in unchartered waters with uncertain futures ahead for each of us. We must remain united and work together for Equestria and for Celestia.”