The brawl lasted longer than I would’ve liked. I’m having some difficulty remembering it. I believe that I fell into a sort of trance. Somehow I had achieved a total awareness of the field and my foes’ positions. My blackened eye had an unobstructed view of my surroundings, even where my head should’ve been in the way, and the digits on my face were sensitive enough to pick up on the softest air movements. That, combined with the toughened skin of my slowly-evolving form, allowed me to dodge and parry the guards’ blows without breaking a sweat. There was a primal rhythm to the battle, one I followed nigh effortlessly. Sidestep the glaive. Counter with a right cross. Incapacitate with a sweep. My advantages were offset slightly by my lack of fighting experience. The swings and kicks I delivered with my untransformed limbs bounced harmlessly off of the guards’ armor. I was forced to rely heavily on the tentacles that had replaced my left, and this inhibited my balance. I recall that one of the soldiers finally managed to knock me down after I had disposed of the others. Unfortunately for him, he hesitated before delivering the coup de grâce, which gave me ample time to trip and disarm him.
I braced myself for reinforcements. None came. I looked around. Four or five bruised stallions in various stages of (un)consciousness surrounded me. They were all still alive of course; I had stopped just short of causing any permanent damage. The most prolonged healing they would undertake would be of their pride. And perhaps a fractured bone or two. I dusted myself off, and turned my attention to the shield.
Abel and Gestalt pulled a sky chariot carrying Spike, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and the sack of evidence to the edge of Canterlot an indeterminate amount of time later. They found a crack in the shield that was large enough for a pony of average size to squeeze through.
“That’s impossible,” Abel whispered, disbelieving. “The force field should be completely invulnerable to outside force. And all these unconscious guards…”
Gestalt patted the youth on the back.
“Keep it together, lad. I need you to run to th’ captain quick. Tell him to renew the shield spell immediately. Also you could mention th’ train wreck we saw earlier. I’ll stay here and make sure nothing else comes through.”
He turned to the rest of the group.
“Sorry, you lot will have t’ find Twilight on yer own. And be careful, it looks like the city’s been infiltrated. Doesn’t look like anythin’ too big, but if’n it’s strong enough to punch through the wall, you’d best avoid it.”
“I think this is Twilight’s doing,” Rarity announced.
“Oh?” Gestalt looked at her quizzically.
She tried to arrange her thoughts into a coherent stream.
“We didn’t find her on the derailed train earlier, but it was the only one running to Canterlot today. It’s a safe bet that she survived the crash and made her way over here on hoof. If the shield somehow found her to be hostile, she might be able to jam or weaken her brother’s protective spell enough to be able to break through.”
I also had to take certain measures to ensure that the rest of the force field stayed in one piece, even after I had broken through a chunk.
“I suppose that’s logical…”
“I think we should wait to renew the shield until after we’ve dealt with her. Otherwise, she’ll be pushed from Canterlot and we’ll have to find her all over again. If she’s even in one piece at that point.”
Rarity was correct. When cast, Shining Armor’s shielding spell expanded outwards. This was the principle that allowed us to repel the changeling invasion during the royal wedding. Woe betide any malicious element that was found indoors when the spell was cast.
“A’right, you’ve made yer point,” Gestalt conceded. “Abel, help me revive one o’ these guards. We’ll ask ‘em what happened.”
He turned back to Rarity.
“Your task hasn’t changed. Find ‘er. Godspeed.”
Shield or no, the Other God’s appearance was having adverse effects on Canterlot. There was a lack of direct sunlight, and somehow the various light sources in and around the city were doing a mediocre job of keeping the darkness at bay. Nowhere was this truer than the castle. Gloom pervaded the gothic spires and spilled out into the buildings bellow. I could barely see the feeble flickering of candles and torches within. The presence of the royal guard ensured that the citizens of Canterlot did not get too unruly. Unlike Ponyville, which had fallen into a blind panic, Canterlot displayed a sort of quiet, steadily mounting dread. In a way, this felt even worse. This was the capital of Equestria, and it was just about ready to explode. My glimpses into the lower layers grew more and more frequent. The ivory towers turned into great teeth of some unknown behemoth. The cobblestone streets became coated with a sort of pulpy bio-matter. As I got closer and closer to the castle, I noticed hideously twisted skeletons littering the road. Mares and stallions alike had fallen here never to get up again. Bones should not have bent this way. Several of the bodies had somehow curled into near-perfect spheres. In spite of these terrifying carcasses, the city was silent. Had everypony simply fallen dead, as these poor souls? What could have killed so many, how had they decomposed to such a remarkable degree, and why were the bones contorted as they were?
But no, Canterlot was not empty. As in Ponyville, I noticed signs of life by the windows. Most of the population was cowering indoors, quietly awaiting their demise. I was irritated by this. Perhaps they were all going to die. But even so, they should at least spare a glance for their heavenly master. This was quite possibly their last opportunity.
I readied myself for another fight as I walked up to the castle entrance. I needn’t have bothered. The two guards had evidently turned on one another. They lay bloodied on the steps, the teeth of one clenched around the neck of the other. As I opened the great doors, I thought I heard hoofsteps in the distance. They echoed in the streets and they were headed my way. I didn’t bother waiting to see who it was. Time was short and I had things to do. I entered the castle and was greeted by another corpse. The receptionist had committed suicide. It struck me that letting so many bodies strew the city was probably unhygienic. Surely burning the things wouldn’t take too long. The laziness these folks displayed was disgusting.
The great halls of the castle were dark. The few lit torches looked as though they might go out any minute and the images upon the stained glass windows were unseen in the gloom. Guards were patrolling the labyrinthine passages, accompanied by hideous shadows. They were clearly on edge, and glanced around frequently, as though they saw things that weren’t there. I managed to avoid many of them by hiding in the darkness and I swiftly disposed of the few that took notice of me. I checked the throne room out of principle. In truth, the Princess was rarely to be found here. Given the commotion across the kingdom, it was very possible that she wasn’t in the castle at all. I’d be very disappointed if I was unable to locate her. I saw an indefinable shape resting upon the royal seat. As I brought a candle near, it began to shift slightly. Before long, I was looking at the profile of a familiar stallion. He sat casually upon the gleaming throne, smiling at me. I sighed.
“I’d appreciate it if you stopped stalking me. “
“Well. I guess you’ll just have to pretend I’m not here, then. I would quite like to finally meet this mentor of yours. She’s in her study, just up the staircase there.” He nodded vaguely to the back of the room. “See? I’m helping.”
We ascended the large spiral staircase, which led to a chamber that was a good deal smaller than what I’d expected. Several tables crowded the space, littered with piles of books and scrolls. The eastern wall was a single window, looking out over the edge of Canterlot and providing a breathtaking view of the valley below. The study was probably most brilliant at dawn, when the Princess pulled the sun over the distant horizon. Presently, with Azherkin occupying the skies and the night only just beginning, the room was as dark as the rest of the castle. The only light was provided by a modest chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
An unnatural breeze wafted in as we entered the room, violently shaking the chandelier. The shadows danced. Princess Celestia looked up from the various documents that had absorbed much of her attention. Her eyes fell on me. I thought I heard her give a little gasp. Something dark took ahold of me as I addressed her.
“Oh dear. It seems our meeting is a little overdue. Matters just kept getting in the way, as they do…” I permitted myself a little grin. “You’ll forgive my delay, won’t you, Princess.”
She continued staring at me wordlessly.
“What’s the matter?” I taunted. “Your Highness looks unwell.”
At last she spoke.
“…I could say the same of you,” she said carefully. “What’s befallen you, Twilight?”
“Indeed! What could’ve happened to turn sweet little Twilight into a demon? And yet the answer is so simple… Hear me. I am the one that brought the omnipotent Other Gods to Equestria.”
“So Rarity’s suspicions were true…” The Princess glanced at my cohort. “And this stallion is..?”
“Solitaire, at your service.” He gave a little bow. “I am, for lack of a better term, a public relations officer. For the aforementioned deities.”
She narrowed her eyes and looked back to me.
“I see. Tell me why. Why would you betray the kingdom like this, Twilight? You had everything you could’ve wanted. My guidance, the ownership of a sizeable library. You had friends. What could compel you to throw it all away?”
“You don’t see it!” I screamed, frustrated. “You’re as blind as the rest of them! Everything we do, I do… amounts to nothing! In the end, all one is left to do is struggle feebly, taking shallow breaths, watching all their work simply slip away with them. Even alicorns aren’t immortal, Princess.”
She nodded sadly. I continued my rant.
“But now, with the help of the Other Gods, I CAN live forever. I can ensure that the actions I take are preserved eternally! If Azherkin wills it, perhaps you can join me. This is a fantastic opportunity. Don’t you dare dispute that fact.”
The Princess remained silent for a brief period. She sounded tired when she spoke again.
“It’s disheartening to see you overcome with these negative emotions of yours,” she said. “But there’s little I can do at this point. My kingdom is in ruins and my best student is to blame. As it’s been said, fate is not without a sense of irony.”
She sat down at the table across from me, lifted a quill and returned to her documents. I was stunned. I expected outrage; I expected a heated argument concerning the nature of existence and our place in the universe. Instead, all she offered me was quiet resignation. In spite of what I said, Princess Celestia was willing to simply lie down and die.
She looked up from her parchment.
“I only wonder what you intend to do once you’ve achieved your immortality.”
The question buzzed around my ears like a gnat. It was so basic, yet the answer eluded me. The door burst open and Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Spike rushed in. I was grateful for the distraction.
“You’ve found me once again. Well done.” I turned to look at them.
“I see you’ve , uhh… got quite the makeover, darling,” Rarity murmured, swaying slightly. She looked like she was about to faint.
“So…” Pinkie began thoughtfully. “Do those squid legs of yours need water, or what? Can you squirt ink now?” I felt the urge to roll my eyes.
“I guess this means that you did do all this,” said Spike. “Didn’t you? Twilight?”
“She has summoned monstrosities beyond description and inspired panic throughout the continent,” Princess Celestia flatly stated.
“But she’s done so much more,” said Solitaire. “This may yet be the point of ascension for your species. You should praise her, and praise Our coming.”
It was here that Rarity took notice of the stallion. She bent into a crouch, as if preparing to pounce.
“…You…” she growled.
“…Me?” His tone betrayed nothing.
Princess Celestia looked inquiringly to Rarity, who gave her an almost imperceptible signal. I sensed a change in the atmosphere of the crowded study. Pinkie Pie and Spike followed Rarity’s lead and shifted into what looked like combat stances. Behind me, the tip of Celestia’s horn lit up menacingly. Standing beside me, Solitaire took off his black spectacles and stashed them in one of his pockets. His eyes were a pure milky white. I flexed the tentacles that had overtaken my leg, easily breaking the ropes that held them together.
Only the howling winds outside filled the silence that followed. I cleared my throat after a solid minute had passed.
“This is ludicrous. You will yield. Before one of us does something they’ll regret.”
“I can hardly believe you would debase yourself like this,” hissed Rarity. “What you’ve done to Equestria…” She paused for dramatic effect. “…is absolutely evil!”
I was unimpressed.
“Is that really the word you would use to describe what I’ve accomplished here? There are motivations behind every action, Rarity. To classify them as good or evil is childish. Narrow-minded. Discard your outdated conceptions of morality. They will serve no purpose where we’re headed.”
“Rainbow Dash is crippled because of you! And Fluttershy’s d-DEAD!”
As the last word echoed across the chamber, time itself seemed to slow to a crawl. Pinkie and Spike turned to Rarity, mouths agape. I tried to piece the words together, but they seemed incompatible. There have been casualties, and I wasn’t even aware. The death outside the castle and around the kingdom seemed removed from me. I wasn’t acquainted with any of the fallen, so why should it have concerned me? But now I saw that my friends were hurting and I was to blame. The fatalities were no longer faceless. They had friends and family of their own. I was only superficially aware of the fact before now. How could I presume to know what was best for the species if I didn’t care about these losses? The ponies around me had a will of their own. What if they did not want to ascend? What did ascension really mean, anyway?
“Solitaire.” I looked at him coldly. “Is it true, what she says?”
“Perish the thought. I cannot verify the case of your Rainbow Dash, but Fluttershy is alive and reasonably well. She has been taken to the Gray Domain for study.”
“Study,” I repeated, loathing the implications.
“We are curious about these Elements of Harmony you hold. Obviously We wouldn’t dream of using you personally in Our research, so We took the liberty of collecting another.”
“Bring her back,” I commanded. “Immediately.”
Solitaire frowned for the first time.
“As you wish.”
The large window behind the Princess seemed to fold in on itself. As an afterthought, it shattered into thousands of almost microscopic shards. The air sparkled. We looked away and covered our faces. When the glass dust settled, I looked up and saw two harbingers carrying the yellow pegasus. She was badly malnourished. Her ribs were visible and her eyes were sunken. Physical bruising and scarring were not present, though I couldn’t be sure that the Other Gods could not restore damaged flesh. She was shaking like a leaf. The two winged demons dropped her unceremoniously on the glass-covered floor of the chamber. She tried to get up, but could not muster the strength. Pinkie Pie rushed over and helped her climb onto her back. Fluttershy now looked at me.
“Twilight… It was you… Why?”
I fixed my eyes firmly on the floor.
“I can’t do this anymore,” I whispered. The ears of the ponies surrounding me perked up in response.
I felt Solitaire’s blank stare burning a hole in my side.
“Beg pardon?”
“I’m done. You can all. Just go back where you came from.”
He took off his hat and scratched his head absentmindedly.
“Are you certain you wish to reconsider? After having come so far this may prove… unpleasant.”
“I don’t care.”
And that was it. Cutting off the Gods’ entry into this world would be easy. They needed my permission to exist here, at least until the fabric of this dimension collapsed into theirs. Without any further hesitation, I cast one last spell to end this nightmare. The gate into this world slowly swung shut. A bright light engulfed us, and the outlines of our surroundings swam. Our glimpses into the lower layers grew less frequent until they ceased altogether. An awful buzzing grew in volume until it was all we heard. Then… silence.
I lay on my side, filled with blinding agony. For although I had escaped my contract with the malevolent deities, I had not done so unscathed. They had scarred half my face and taken one of my legs. My tears mingled with blood and the resulting mixture pooled on the floor by my cheek. The pain washed over me in waves, flooding me until I could think of nothing else. I screamed until I lost my voice, until I feared that my lungs would burst.
Outside, now without a conduit into this realm, Azherkin began to burn. The celestial pyre lit up the night. Countless harbingers were visible as they circled Him. Then, they too succumbed to the blaze. The burning Other God began to retreat. Soon He would be a speck in the skies once more, before disappearing completely.
Solitaire put his fedora back on.
“Well. That’s a shame. I suppose I too should be on my way.” He looked at me. “Though perhaps after all this trouble, I might as well take you with me, hmm?”
“W-wait a second!” Rarity shouted as he reached for me. I closed my eyes.
He patted me on the head affectionately.
“Just kidding.” He smirked. “It’s sad that we must part ways like this. Nevertheless. I wish you nothing but the best.” Having said this, he stepped back and faded away for the final time.
Confused and disoriented from the pain and loss of blood, I dimly registered the others surrounding me. Spike was in tears as he repeated my name over and over. Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were positively glowing with concern. Princess Celestia stepped over to me. I looked up, but could not read her expression.
“I won’t ask for your forgiveness,” I whispered in my last few moments of consciousness. “I know I do not deserve it.”