//------------------------------// // 2 – Wounds of the Deep // Story: The Magister of the Deep // by The Voice in the Water //------------------------------// In the sky above the Everfree, the Magister soared on her mismatched wings, the land below nothing but a blur as she sped along. She was heading back towards the source of the Sky; That cancerous infection the Deep had charged her with cleansing from the world. Even from this great distance, she could feel the Sky’s bearers in the core of her being, their very presence a shallow, irritating itch. In the dark recesses of her mind, she knew what she had to do. The Sky was anathema to the true form of reality, and she would be the blade that reaped it from this world. Thinking to the six that embodied the Sky’s precepts, she almost felt grateful. In their own misguided way, they’d done her a favor. They’d shown how false the Sky's lies were, and given her a chance to right that wrong. She would kill them all. Yes, every one of them would die in horror and despair, and as the last of their life’s blood soaked her face, she would savor their realization that they were the ones who brought the Deep to this cankerous Sky poisoned world. It would be the greatest gift she could give them. She stopped. In the distance, something had caught her attention. Along the edge of the Everfree, there was a building. It was small and cozy; a home. It was modestly decked out with ornaments and other Hearth Warming knick-knacks, and from within, she could faintly hear the sound of merriment. Her body twitched with anticipation as she drew power from the well of the Deep burning within her. The whole scene stank of the Sky. And it would be purged. *Canterlot High, the next morning* Reality rippled as the gate between worlds opened and spat a disoriented Twilight Sparkle onto the snow-covered grass. Picking herself up, she shivered and wrapped her arms around her midsection, instantly missing her insulating pegasus fur. It was obvious to her that the clothes the mirror had decided to give her were ill-suited for the weather. Cold discomfort could wait though. She needed to find Sunset. There was no sign of anyone at the school. Remembering that it was the day after Hearth’s Warming, she figured that it was closed for the holiday. She wouldn’t find Sunset here. Best to check her house first. Turning away from the school, Twilight broke into a light jog, quickly making her way towards the less prosperous part of West Canterlot. She had to stop a few times to catch her breath, but soon, she arrived at the old neighborhood. Even after her last visit, it still surprised her that Sunset could live in such a place. The neighborhood itself was dilapidated, the snow and ice barely masking the garbage strewn about on the sidewalk, while graffiti covered the sides of the buildings. Most of the houses in the area were abandoned, a few having actually collapsed from neglect. Sunset’s wasn’t in much better shape. While it was still mostly structurally sound, the building itself was in horrid disrepair, paint chipping off the sides, most of the windows cracked and those few that were actually broken were not replaced, but instead stuffed full of newspaper. The only sign that the place was inhabited was the fact the porch was free of detritus. But as Twilight looked over the house, she saw something conspicuously absent: any sign of tracks in the snow from Sunset’s motorcycle. ‘It’s okay’ Twilight thought, ‘she might not be using it with this snow.’ Steeling herself, Twilight made her way around the side of the building. Taking a quick look around to make sure nobody was looking, she hopped the fence, landing in the back yard with a crunch. Unlike the front, Sunset had made an effort to keep the backyard in slightly better condition, the most obvious improvement being the dozen or so planter beds she’d installed to grow fruits and vegetables during the warmer part of the year. Passing the snow-capped dead and dormant crop plants, Twilight quickly made her way to the back door. Lifting one of the stones, she pulled out a small box with a set of buttons on its face, thankful that Sunset had trusted her with where she hid her spare keys. Clicking the combination into the buttons, she popped the box open and extracted the back-door key, which she used to open the lock, before she returned the key to its hiding place and stepping inside. As she made her way into the house, she had to suppress a shiver. The house was both cold and dark, with only the feeble rays of light passing through the curtains to provide illumination. Sunset was technically a squatter, so she’d never had the power turned on, instead relying on flashlights when the sun wouldn’t do the job. The oppressive obtenebration of the house was one thing, but there was another that had Twilight on edge. It was too quiet. There was no sound of anyone in the building besides her. If Sunset had been around, she’d have come out to investigate the noise of the back-door opening. Growing more concerned, Twilight made her way through the gloom to Sunset’s bedroom. When she reached the door, she twisted the knob and peaked inside, only to find the room vacant. It was sparsely furnished, with only a large inflatable mattress topped with a thermal sleeping bag and a few crates to serve as decoration. Pushing the door open, she stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. Like the rest of the house, the room was oppressively dark. Carefully making her way over to the window, she pulled the shades open, letting the light in. Looking back around to the makeshift bed, it was apparent that Sunset had not slept here last night. And from the layer of dust and the stagnant scent in the air, she hadn’t used the room in days. But there were other things amiss. The most obvious was the presence of the small, rectangular piece of plastic on the crate next to the air mattress. From her brief stints on this side of the mirror, Twilight knew that the device was called a cellphone, and that most humans, and unicorns-turned-human, rarely left such devices behind without good reason. Picking the phone up, she powered it up and saw nearly a dozen new messages waiting to be read. It was an invasion of Sunset’s privacy, but Twilight was beyond caring. It might give her some clue about what had happened to her friend. Clumsily, she pressed the screen on the little device until the messages popped up. To her surprise, the first was from Applejack. Tilting her head curiously, she opened the message. She barely finished the first few words before she covered her mouth to stifle a gasp. You miserable bitch! I don’t know why you’re doing this, but if I ever see your sorry hide again, you’re going to wish you were never born! Twilight nearly dropped the phone as she reeled back from the pure vitriol she had just read. Going back to the message que, she hesitantly highlighted the next message, this one from Pinkie. It was just as bad as the first. Sunset you big poopie head! How could you do this to me! I swear, if you don’t knock it off I’ll tell Limestone where you live, and she’ll give you a lesson in manners. With her boots! The next one was from Rainbow. Screw you Shimmer! Why don’t you just go and die you stupid lying whore! I swear if you show your sorry face around here again, you’re leaving in an ambulance! Twilight nearly dropped the phone as her head reeled and her chest tightened. What had Sunset done to warrant that sort of thing from her friends? With shaking hands, Twilight resumed scrolling. Rarity, Flash Sentry, Fluttershy, and several others without names flew past, all of them directing the same level of hate and threats of violence at Sunset. Dropping the phone onto the mattress, Twilight had to take a few cleansing breaths, lifting her hand to her chest as she inhaled then moving it away as she exhaled. Three repetitions of the technique brought her enough calm to think again. This had to be why Sunset had reached out to her. But, it still didn’t answer the question that burned in the princess’s mind: where was she? Rising, Twilight made her way out of the bedroom, and into the living room. Colapseing on Sunset's old, threadbare couch, Twilight tried to think. What could have possibly happened to turn the girls against Sunset so completely? Growling with frustration, she wished that she’d been able to read Sunset’s messages before the journal was ruined. She had a feeling that it would hold the information she needed. As she sat there with her head in her hands, her eyes happened to fall on a piece of folded paper on the table. Curious, she reached out and picked it up, only to find that there were two pieces of paper folded together. Looking them over, she recognized the handwriting was Sunset’s. As she looked them over she realised that they were letters of some sort, one addressed to her, and one addressed to a general “whoever finds this letter”. Narrowing her eyes, she began to read the latter. Half way through, a cold, horrid sensation sank into the pit of her stomach, and her eyes shrank to pinpricks. Stuffing both into her pocket, she made for the door. She needed to find the girls right away! *Canterlot High Soccer Field* Rainbow Dash was pacing back and forth before her army. The field of battle had been covered in snow the day before, but thanks to their efforts, the troublesome powder had been cleaned off, though the grass was still brown and dead. It didn’t matter. Rainbow stopped her pacing and turned towards her teammates, giving them a fierce, critical eye. They didn’t even flinch. “Alright everyone!” Rainbow Dash shouted to the other Wondercolts, “I know you’re probably all still fat and happy from Hearth’s Warming, but I’m not going to put up with any slacking on my watch! We’re the Wondercolts, and that mean we need to show everyone we’re still the best!” “Yea!” The Wondercolts shouted in response. “Not good enough! Let me hear it!” Rainbow shouted. “YEA!” They replied, louder this time. “Once more, with SPIRIT!” “YEA!!” “That’s what I like to hear!” She shouted as she raised a fist into the air. “Alright, we’re gonna’ get warmed up, and then we’ll go over our drills. Lets start it off with some laps around the field!” With that, the Wondercolts began to file off to the track, Rainbow following behind. Doing a quick head count, Rainbow found one teammate conspicuously absent. “Hey, where’s Fleetfoot?” Rainbow asked as she started her first lap. There was a noncommittal murmur from the rest of the team. “I think she was visiting with her cousins out near Lake Everfree.” Blaze eventually said. “And she didn’t call to say she wasn’t going to be here?” Rainbow asked, her voice tinted with irritation. “C’mon cap.” Cloudchaser said as she jogged next to Rainbow, “It probably just slipped her mind. Besides, she’s never missed practice before. Cut her a little slack.” “Eh, fine. This one time.” Rainbow growled. Cloudchaser was right. After Rainbow, Fleetfoot was the most dedicated Colt on the team. As weird as it was for her to not even check in, it was probably just her getting caught up with family. After all the drama with Sunset’s Anon-a-Miss bullshit, she wasn’t in the mood to have any more crap pop up in her life. She still couldn’t believe that Sunset had stabbed her and the others in the back like that. Especially after the whole thing with the Sirens. Rainbow had honestly thought she’d changed, but she guessed that she’d been wrong. “Cap, you okay? Ya look kinda pissed.” Blaze said as Rainbow began to pass her. “Eh, oh, it’s nothing. Just got some aggression to work out. Life and all that.” Rainbow said. “Right.” Blaze said, a knowing and sympathetic look on her face. “That whole thing with Shimmer. Not surprised she’d pull that kinda thing on us. Tigers and stripes, y’know.” “Hmph. I guess you’re right. She really played all of us in the end.” Rainbow grunted. “I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s just practice, then raid Big Marinara’s. Nothing gets me through a bad day like a good sausage & chicken deep dish.” “I like the sound of that.” Blaze said before resuming her lap. Rainbow nodded once more, before turning her attention back to the task at hand. As she jogged, a low moan drifted through the air. She and other Wondercolts slowed to a stop. As they began to look about for the source of the sound, a fog suddenly and mysteriously settled over the entire field. Every one of them shivered involuntarily. There was something about the fog that chilled them to the bone. It wasn’t just the cold of the mist, but something deeper. A primal chill as though a hungry predator was near, and they were helpless little mice. “Krreeeeeeee-eeeeeee-aaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuunnnnnnnngh…thoomb!” Rainbow slowly shook her head as she lowered her hands, her ears still aching from the horrid screeching that had just assaulted her. Looking to the other Wondercolts, she saw they’d reacted similarly. Each one looked confused and dazed from the sudden wailing that had flooded across the field. Before Rainbow could wonder what had just happened, her eyes fell on something far stranger. Hovering in the air maybe three feet above the ground in the center of the field, there was a massive, roiling black sphere of… something. Rainbow wasn’t sure what. It looked like molten tar, its surface glistening in the morning light. The air around the thing was distorted, almost like how the air above the pavement would waver on a hot summer day. The very sight of the thing filled every member of the Wondercolts with nameless dread. Even with all the weirdness they’d gone through the last few months, this was something far and beyond any of it. But, despite the unnatural strangeness of it, nobody could move or take their eyes off the alien manifestation. But for Rainbow, there was something else. As she stared at the sphere with stunned horror, she could feel it emanating… something. She found that she couldn’t really put it into words. It was like conquest and genocide had somehow managed to manifest itself in a physical shape, the very air feeling like it was trying to crush and oppress her. If she’d stopped to think about it, the sensation was almost a direct inversion of the joyful energy she felt when she “ponied up” against the sirens. But at that moment, such thoughts did not come to her. Only mute dread. She wasn’t sure who screamed, but as she looked towards the source, she spotted Flitter covering her mouth and pointing to the sky with a trembling finger, her eyes wide and dilated. Following her line of sight, Rainbow looked up… and nearly screamed herself. Some twenty feet above the field, there was a figure silhouetted against the clouds. It looked human in only the most generous sense, its body held aloft by a slowly flapping pair of massive, mismatched wings. The creature wore something that looked vaguely like full body plate armor, with several long spikes attached to the shoulders and elbows. At the base of its feet, it glowed a harsh, phosphorescent white, which transitioned to a darker hue further up, till its head, which was nearly pitch black, save for a pair of eyes that shone like fiery spotlights. Black flames flickered behind the creature’s head, like some sort of macabre torch. The figure stared down at them, periodically twitching as its head lolled to the side. Like the black sphere below it, the entity radiated an aura that felt like extinction manifested in a physical form. None of the Wondercolts could move, as they tried to comprehend what they were seeing. Whatever this thing was, it was unnatural to the highest degree, their minds screaming that it could not be, that it should not be. They all held as still as possible, instincts telling them that if they moved, they might draw its attention. As they watched, the figure slowly drew its right arm above its left shoulder, before it threw its hand out in a wide arc, leaving a half dozen small spheres of purple light in the gesture’s wake. The spheres hovered there for an instant, then, without warning, lanced down at the gathered Wondercolts like spears. Before anyone could react, the volley struck. Rainbow was dimly aware of seeing the spheres slam into both Misty Fly and Cloudchaser. A fraction of a second later, the spheres detonated with a wail, blasting both girls into the ground before they ricocheted into the air from the force of the blow. Their bodies tumbled across the pitch for a moment before coming to rest, perfectly still, agony burned into their slack features and smoldering craters torn into their chests. It was then that all chaos broke loose. Screams of terror rang out across the field as the Wondercolts began to panic, rushing to put distance between themselves and the floating abomination. Even the normally stoic Rainbow Dash turned and began to flee. Looking over her shoulder to see the figure as she sprinted away, her blood froze in her veins. The creature had vanished. Coming to a halt, she swung her head around wildly, desperate to find where it went. Most of the other Colts continued to try and put distance between them and the spot where the floating spectre of death had just been. “Krreeeeeeee-eeeeeee-aaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuunnnnnnnngh…thoomb! …thoomb! …thoomb! …thoomb! …thoomb! …thoomb!” Rainbow gasped for breath as the shrieking died down, but not just from the ear-splitting sound that had assaulted her. The world suddenly felt so much heavier, as though she were wearing lead weights on every part of her body. Her eyes were also acting up; everything was drained of all color, leaving the landscape a dull, flat, gray. Looking up, she spotted half a dozen new spheres spread around the field, including one directly above her. Somehow, the oppressive aura around the sphere had sapped the strength right out of her body. As she tried to free herself from the crushing weight of the sphere’s influence, she spotted movement out of the corner of her eyes. With great effort, Rainbow turned her head and gasped. The creature was advancing on Blaze and Flitter, who were desperately trying to flee through the suffocating aura of one of the black spheres. She could only watch in mute despair as the creature raised its hand and pointed its palm at the two girls. Before either of them could react, two more bolts of that same hideous purple light lanced out and punched through their backs, pitching them forward before they tumbled across the ground and came to a final stop. “NO!” Rainbow managed to shout as she tried to move through the sphere’s sapping aura to reach her fallen friends. The sound of her cry had an effect on the creature. With a shudder, it sharply turned towards her, its baleful, glowing eyes fully focused on the Wondercolt’s captain. An icy chill ran down her spine, as the creature seemed to regard her for a moment. In that painful instant of time, Rainbow could have sworn there was something familiar about it. Then, it shifted its weight to the side, and was gone. Before Rainbow could process how the creature had vanished into thin air, she felt a sharp impact to her back that sent her tumbling across the dead grass of the field and onto the track, the stench of burnt cloth and ozone filling her nostrils. Gasping for breath, she saw the creature slowly place the foot it had just kicked her with back on the ground. It just stood there for a moment, its head lolling to the side as its body twitched and spasmed. Then, in an improbable burst of motion, it rushed forward, its foot striking her in the stomach, lifting her into the air and sending her tumbling across the ground again. Dry heaving from the force of the blow, Rainbow tried to get to her feet, but barely managed to rise before the creature was upon her again. Snapping its hand around her throat, the abomination hoisted her into the air. Rainbow gritted her teeth against the pain as she could feel her skin blistering as the creature tightened its vice-like grip on her throat. Grasping the creature’s forearm and kicking wildly, Rainbow desperately tried to get it to let go, but couldn't get its grip to slacken. In that horrible instant as the world began to fade, with the creature so close to her, Rainbow realized why it was so familiar. Though all of the color had been replaced by that terrible white-to-black spectrum, she could still see enough of its… her… features to recognize who was choking the life out of her. Rainbow’s eyes widened. “Sunset?” She whispered. At the sound of Rainbow speaking her former name, the creature that was once Sunset Shimmer stopped applying pressure to her victim’s windpipe, a brief moment of silence passing as she regarded her former friend. The moment ended sharply with a furious, unnatural shriek as the Magister whipped around and, with a mighty backhanded throw, hurled Rainbow away. She bounced and tumbled across the dead grass for several feet before coming to rest near the bleachers. With great effort, Rainbow pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, coughing for breath as she clutched her singed neck. Before she could move any further, a shadow fell across her vision. Looking up, Rainbow saw Sunset looming above her like a hawk, staring with those baleful fountains of radiance. Lifting her foot, Sunset placed it on Rainbow’s shoulder and roughly pushed, flipping her onto her back before stepping on her sternum, pinning her in place, her touch singeing Rainbow’s jersey. A full body shudder coursed across Sunset as she pressed down on Rainbow’s ribcage, eliciting a pained scream from the athlete. Ignoring the human's cries, the Magister slowly she raised her arm and pointed her palm at Rainbow’s head, a sphere of purple light manifesting itself at the tip of the outstretched limb. Rainbow wanted to scream, to curse Sunset, to do anything to show she wasn’t beaten. But she couldn’t. She just gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. She hoped that when that bolt hit, it would be over quickly. “Rainbow!” A familiar voice called out. Cracking an eye open, Rainbow spotted the unmistakable form of Princess Twilight sprinting towards her from across the field. “No…” Rainbow whispered. “Please… no…” Glancing up, Rainbow’s heart sank; Sunset’s attention had shifted to the Princess, the strange convulsions that had rocked her glowing body suddenly quiet. Sunset appeared to stare at the Princess as she rushed towards them, before staggering back as though struck, her right hand grasping her chest as she doubled over, a horrifying shriek escaping from her form. Then, in an instant, her body shone with hot white light, and vanished into the air, as though she were sucked backwards through a drain. As Sunset disappeared, the fog shrouding the field began to dissipate, while the black spheres began to shrink inwardly, before fading away without a trace. Slowly getting to her feet, Rainbow staggered to the side as Twilight finally reached her. The princess grasped Rainbow by the arm, steadying her. “Oh Celestia! Rainbow, are you alright? What happened? What was that thing?” “Sunset…” Rainbow coughed. “What?” Twilight gasped. “That was Sunset Shimmer…” Rainbow snarled as she punched the ground and pinched her eyes shut, unable to fight back her tears.