//------------------------------// // 5 - Emergence - Scheduled For Rewrite // Story: To Be Malevolent // by The Bannerlord //------------------------------// Time Skip - Past Silence, the lack of even the simplest sound. A vast empty expanse of absolutely nothing, only darkness. Here, there is nothing, was nothing, and it craved to become something. To escape the void that was its prison. Stillness, without even the slightest movement. Without the chirping of birds, without the tranquillity of the wild. Absolutely nothing, there hasn’t been anything here for decades. Something wanted to leave here. However, eventually, that almost non-existent object finally arrived, dazed, confused, scared. It was beyond frightened, it could not see anything, hear anything, feel anything, taste anything, it felt robbed of all of its amenities. It motioned forth, only to find itself stuck, somewhere, nowhere. It tried to scream, but nothing ever came from its attempts. Nothing. It knew not the time, the place, even the simplest detail. It was secluded in a world of emptiness. Time, or rather the lack of it passed. Still nothing, the creature attempted to huddle itself, anything. Still nothing. Nothing ever came to its pleas, or the pleas that it would’ve uttered. Eventually, any form of struggle halted. Still alone. Eventually, something appeared, something to help it. No, it didn’t come to help. The creature was struck with an immense pain, something beyond what it had ever experienced. Continuous pain, it never ceased, never once died down. It would never stop. Why? He could not understand. There was only pain and sorrow he never thought possible. Still, he tried to scream, still he tried to lash out, still trying to escape. No, he had to adapt to this pain. Eventually, he felt himself touching ground, he still heard no sound, but he could see clearly, a box in front of him. It had no unique shape, no special touch, it was merely a metal box. He tried moving forward, but found himself collapse into the dark floor beneath him. He screeched, but this time it was heard, it echoed throughout the void. Then, answering his call were many unidentifiable creatures, which he could only distinguish by their silhouettes. They seemed infinite and were of all different proportions. The roars of those amalgamations could be heard echoing through the void, never ceasing. He was in anguish at this point, the group was charging towards him, but he wouldn’t have been able to escape. Standing there, only watching as fate came running. They never stampeded him, no. Instead, they comforted him, and that pain ceased for the briefest moment. They didn’t look distorted; they were not the monsters he thought they were. No, they only wanted to help. Those creatures then led him to the box, pointing towards it with their appendages. A faint and distorted Help us was heard, then, it was chanted by all the creatures. Their voice wasn’t distorted either, they only asked for help. Finally, he approached the container, curious what was inside, why the creatures considered it salvation. He tapped at it, observing it, trying to find all of the intricacies, anything to open it. There was nothing, nothing at all. His phantom pain was returning. Frustration. Immense torment. Freedom. The box crumbled to dust before him, nothing ever touched the `ground`. Where the former metal crate once stood, was a miasma of energy, it was scorching. Those creatures that asked for assistance now swarmed towards the shroud, seemingly combining with it, all becoming one. Then, the mist expanded outwards, encompassing everything in the void, not a hint of black remained. Dispersing, the shroud revealed a chamber with glass all around, pointing towards one point in the entire room, where the tormented creature stood. There was now light, though its origin was unknown. “Hello?” he spoke, the voice was unusually deep compared to before, when he screeched. `Grasping` himself, he noticed his appendages, then, he looked at the mirrors in more detail. This was foreign, completely alien. This is a room in which he never fathomed to be in. Everything was inexplicable. He pried himself for memories, finding only a few indistinct images, and voices. Then, those who answered his call came back. Their appearance would’ve been terrifying, something out of nightmares. But he only watched as they amassed, materialising in the glass chamber. They did not approach as friends. Once again, they began chanting; He did it. This act confused the tormented. He? Who was this `he`? Were they the ones responsible for bringing him to this realm, where he came from before? Unexplained queries began to manifest everywhere within his mindscape. Then, all around, the reflections turned into `him`. Something completely foreign, a creature the likes of which he has never seen, or he had seen before. Suddenly, all of the creatures turned into mist, then forming back into one being. A Unicorn. He instantly guessed, despite not knowing where this knowledge came from. It trotted forward, straight towards him, all of the mirrors seemingly pointed towards it, only reflecting its form. Sound had been omitted from the chamber. There was nothing, only the Unicorn and the tormented. Still, the voiceless Unicorn continued its approach, never once slowing, never once galloping. It was directly in front of the tormented now, examining him, another Unicorn. Blank, without any distinguishing features. The two observed each other for what must’ve been hours, however, there was no way to check time. “You have suffered enough.” The shade-like Unicorn spoke, its voice gentle, echoing through the void. “He, he who created you should suffer. That which locked you away for so long, that should suffer in your stead.” It continued, calm, gentle, yet the anger eventually built up in its voice. “Who am I?” The tormented Unicorn spoke, his voice was of anguish, of suffering, it was raspy. “Where am I? How long have I been trapped here?” He was crestfallen, forced to suffer for naught. Its very purpose, its very existence was unknown to it. “You, you are nothing, yet you are many things.” Cryptic, the Unicorn disliked the enigmatic nature immediately. “You think you are nowhere, but you are somewhere secluded, safe, but not for you.” “You have been here for much longer than you think, years have passed since your arrival.” The first Unicorn finished, sighing. “I am nowhere? Somewhere safe and secluded? It has only felt like a few hours have passed.” He was perplexed, this shade-Unicorn had to be deciphered. He hoped the answers would come in due time, when the truth of his situation would be revealed. “You are not yet ready for the answers. You must be prepared for it; I shall guide you.” Still, the calm, composed voice, it soothed his pain. All the mirrors surrounding them shattered at once, revealing behind them, a dark temperate forest. “Then teach me what I do not understand. My thirst, nay, lust for knowledge and reason is awaiting.” The two equines travelled deep into the forest, where one shall tutor the other. Time Skip - Present It was the silence and darkness that terrified many, the moon was at its zenith, all around, rain droplets were cradled in the Everfree’s grasp. Flora shuffled in the wind, shielding fauna from the dreadful weather. Chaos was sat down before a campfire, gazing vacantly into it, shielded from the elements with a straw canopy, unmoving. All of the world was frozen, around him. Fierce flames continued to shine, burning intensely. Around the Unicorn, light was absent, completely abandoning his presence, except the searing flames. Still looking forward, nothing progressed. Those pure white eyes were dimming, losing their glow, pupils returning their original colour, dark brown. No motion, only observation, the visage drained of emotion. The mane no longer flew wildly, the crown no longer emitting dark magic. The coat, once charcoal was now light grey, similar to before the total corruption. However, no malediction is forever halted, and the charcoal began to quickly slither back onto its lighter counterpart. “Stop.” The Unicorn spoke, his voice was calm, yet melancholic. “Why? Answer me.” His magic took hold of the crown, and he gently placed it onto his hooves, which were now semi-covered with dark magics. “A moment of respite, if you may.” Surprisingly, his accursed counterpart halted. “Answer me.” The crown is placed onto the ground, right before the blazing campfire. *Thou still persist, despite mine actions? * The thought emerged, the thought of Chaos. *Do not hold back. Let me take control once more, we both know that you cannot stop me permanently. * Then, the dark magic began creeping once again. “It is you who persists.” Contrasting magics began to combat for dominance over the body. The Unicorn, despite his focus on combating the biggest threat to him, manages to shuffle forth, gripping the crown with both hooves. *Doth thou knoweth what hath kept me so persistent all these decades? Perseverance, tenacity. * Wisps of magic shot out of the Unicorn’s form, emerging, re-emerging and re-entering the body. Constantly battling for control. “We do not have to fight, yet you still choose to embezzle what is not yours.” His voice never changed in tone, still calm, still morose. Then, a flare of anger, the crown was now scorching in the campfire. *Nay, fetch mine crown! * Hissing, panic filled the mind, the dark magic billowed up, forming a miasma with the signature white eyes. It sped towards the metal piece of headgear, desperately attempting to rescue it. The crown only burned, blood-curdling cries were emitted from it, the sound of countless Ponies’ screams bellowed. The apparition watched in horror; its creation was destroyed before its eyes. “Nay…Nay-nay-nay, tis’ unfair!” The dark mist’ horn attempted to grab hold of the crystal, which was now laying before the Unicorn. Its opponent’s magic grips the crystal, levitating towards the corporeal one. “You had done nothing to deserve this!” He slams it into the muddy floor. Stomping it with full fury. “This pitiful act of mindless frightening is over." Dark magic combusts and flares out, the apparition could only watch in dismay, all of the confidence, the arrogance removed from It. In a mere moment, the dismay had been transformed into pure unbridled anger. “THOU INSOLENT WHELP!!! PREPARE TO BURN!” Significant portions of its power were removed, but those that were retained, it used to the fullest. Beams of dark magic sped towards the Unicorn, screeching as it almost made contact. Those beams were halted completely by a quick shield spell, immediately dispelled after fulfilling its intended purpose. The apparition casts one of its infamous blinding spells, temporarily dazing his opponent. Its miasma floating forward, completely unrestrained, once again striking at the Unicorn’s body. Its adversary hissing upon contact. With his hissing concluded, the Unicorn proceeded to levitate one of the burning logs of the Sampfire, swatting at the fog of dark magic, retreating as it approached. Neither combatant had any thoughts other than survival at this point, and they were prepared to destroy each other once more. In that moment, the sound of trotting. Both halted in total silence, scanning their surroundings. The clash of armour plates and rain drops reverberated. Equestrian Guards, no doubt they had noticed my counterpart’s yelling. *Damn it, if that fool hadn’t destroyed mine artefact! * The pair now glared at each other with loathing, contemplating their options. Both deciding on a mad dash away from the Equestrian patrol. As the two scurried off in opposite directions, both were halted by an invisible force, completely stopping the two from escaping. The apparition felt its incorporeal form re-entering the Unicorn’s mind, the last glimpse of the world being of the night sky and its constellations. *W-what? NAY! We’re bound! * Unfortunately for the apparition, it failed to comprehend the reality of the dark magic ritual it had committed so long ago. *Aye, I must re-instate my dominance over this body. * It mentally sighed. The Unicorn felt a great surge of energy, the form he despised out of all. But it was necessary for his escape. Ignoring the return of his loathed counterpart, the Unicorn turned to mist, steaming forward at his prime speed. The Equestrian Guards ponies are barely granted a moment to react as a miasma races pass them, leaving behind a trail of smoke, not to be seen for an extended period of time. Time Skip - Past “To master the magical drain, you mustn’t hesitate.” The Shade-Unicorn began, staring down at his apprentice. “Showing weakness will be your downfall, is that understood?” He had a hoof on top of the tormented Unicorn, pinning them down. “But I had done as you demonstrated! What more is th-“ Before he could finish his sentence, a hoof was violently struck on his muzzle. “What do you wish of me?” A defeated sigh escaped, and he waited, yet reply was given. “You still do not answer me, Mentor.” “The strong does not answer to the weak. A valuable lesson, when I was whole.” The Unicorn mentor looked up towards the sky, specifically at the magical boundaries that separated his world from that beyond. “You imply that tis’ only a fraction of your power?” The apprentice gulped, prompting yet another strike, this time he was not as merciful. “Mercy! For goodness sake!” “What did I just say?” Finally letting go of the pitiful stallion beneath him, a hoof on his face, the mentor shook his head in disappointment. “Let us get back to magical drain, before trailing off completely.” Rising up from the dirt, the apprentice nodded, eyes locked onto yet another shade, a thrall of the mentor, his guinea-pig-pony. I can do this; I can do this… His mind repeated the mantra, attempting to reassure himself of the casting. Unfortunately, the mentor wasn’t a very merciful pony. His shade-spawns were extremely hostile when given the command to retaliate. In fact, one might say he found amusement in seeing the apprentice being beaten and moulded into his image of a powerful Pony. Once again, like so many attempts preceding, the Unicorn was utterly crushed, writhing in pain on the floor. He may have experienced pain like no other before, but this was something special. It was actually melting him, only his mentor’s magic would halt the effects of the poison. This would become more than a regular occurrence. But the mentor had no pity, what he saw was only progress, only improving results. Examining every intricate detail of every failure. He knew that the apprentice would dare not to think of betraying, for he was the only key to the knowledge the tormented Unicorn desired. “You had failed me once again, how predictable. This will be enough combat training for one day.” Still, despite his complete disregard for the Unicorn under his tutelage, there was a great amount of respect for the young one. It seemed as if the young stallion would never cease, only wanting to continue, through what? His sheer tenacity. The two seldom rested, in between the rigorous combat drillings, the older and wiser would teach the younger certain historical details, which seemed to spark his memory and certain details, including newer details would come. The more revealed to the young Unicorn, the less comfortable he felt, and the more paranoid. But that mattered not, for now, the answers were still far from his reach. Time Skip - Present Those dark brown eyes were locked on the apparition, no movement was made. This tactic preferred to the Unicorn, to make his opponents uneasy, to not display emotion. By now, he had become a master. However, today, it was different. “Yesterday, it was my anniversary.” Punctuating it with a sigh, he looked down at his hooves. “It was also our anniversary.” This was an assumption, a correct assumption. It had been decades since the apparition had begun its torment. “Yesterday, I was to cease. But yet I live in my prime, just as when I first arrived.” The Unicorn began prodding himself. “Is this a damnable property of your magic?” He growled, once again, letting his emotions take over. “I don’t even fear death anymore.” “If thou hadn’t destroyed mine crown jewel…Yes, tis’ a property of mine magic.” The mist encircled its former body. “Decades prior, I had realised mine true goal, mine purpose.” It began its monologue. “My world had been shattered, when I believe I had been transported. But I hadn’t been displaced into any world, nay, I had been re-created. Reborn, reincarnated. You are only the vessel of which I was to force my will upon. But you have more of my memory than I do, but that…Those aren’t my memories, those are yours.” Time Skip - Past “It has been long since your arrival, young one.” The mentor and his apprentice were trotting down the long path of their temperate forest. “I had promised so much to you. For your first answer, you are in my…His…Their mind. This world, as you may have guessed, is not real.” The younger Unicorn had his full attention on the elder. “I have merely manipulated it to our benefit. This part of the mind is completely secluded from the rest, it is locked. Do you remember that metal box? It was the literal interpretation for where we are trapped. To destroy it, is to set us free.” “It disintegrated before my very being, or was that only a representation? My memories feel less and less validated by the day. I can already feel the paranoia creeping onto me.” “Those memories you have retained, they are not yours, but rather his. You and me, we are alike, we have been created here. Banish those false thoughts, for they are not yours. We have created you as our champion. And he, he who had originally trapped us away, he who had tormented you since inception, he shall suffer the worst.” “But…You mean to say…I was never who I thought I was? All of my memories are false? We are mere mental constructs, created to toil in anguish? I see what you had meant, when you told me I was unready. Now, I am ready for all truths, due to you.” “All of the hardships I had put you through, yes. It was for the penultimate truth, that you, we, have been fighting him, the damned jailor of my brethren. “Then what do you represent? What do we represent? Intruders? Locked permanently away in our very own dungeon. Trapped forevermore. If I could not best you, then what chance do I have against this mental prison?” “You have unprecedented amount of natural power, raw and untamed, it seemed as if you are a manifestation of all the locked away thoughts and emotions of him. But with only this, you were unprepared, untrained, young. We had to teach you, now, it is time.” The mentor finishes, both now at the boundary of the temperate forest. The elder places a hoof on the boundary, instantaneously transporting them to the void, the pitch black nowhere that the younger originated from. This time, the other shades were everywhere. A horde of indistinguishable creatures. The apprentice had realised that his comrade had abandoned his side, and the shades began surrounding him. All consecutively igniting their magic and discharging above the Unicorn, a burst of shining light illuminated the entire void. All came crashing down onto the tormented Unicorn, magic piercing him from all directions, in addition, a blinding light that negated vision. To describe such an experience, is like tossing one’s very own soul into a grinder, which also contained a myriad of many other spirits, abominations, et cetera. Pain, a sense of warm, such as on a summer beach, cold, such as being encased in permafrost, all the sensations burned into him. This was something truly indescribable. That pain returned, that phantom pain from so long ago. With that, the ritual ended. The luminescent glow disappeared. Those silhouettes and indistinguishable creatures all ceased to exist. There was only the pain, and, a thought emerged from the Unicorn’s mind. Freedom. Freedom. Freedom. The mantra continued, and he felt himself instinctively look up towards the sunless boundaries of the mind. If it is freedom you desire, then it is freedom I shall grant. His horn ignited, shooting straight up into the boundary. The void began to collapse around him, smoke seeped in. Amalgamations of the mind, of him, they had to be terminated. With a quick jerk of the head, the great beam of magic sliced through all approaching assailants. As those creatures disintegrated, the Unicorn looked down at his hooves, firing yet another spell, this time to propel him beyond the boundary, into the new escape route he had created. This moment, he took in the aroma of the beyond. Behind, the `metal box` shattered into a million pieces, combusting and shooting in all directions. They had done it, they had escaped, finally. My first taste of freedom has yet to come. There shall be justice, and I shall deliver it! The mindscape beyond, it was…Honestly, it was disorderly, chaotic. His mental prison was actually more inviting than…This. But it did not matter, he couldn’t care less for his tormenter. Now, I shall destroy all of it, escape from the mind, and assume total control! Finishing his pondering with laughter, he looked around the hell-mindscape in wonder and disgust. There had to be somewhere to escape, or even better, take over. There was decades of torture and torment awaiting his torturer. Time Skip - Past The now freed Unicorn had been wandering around the mindscape for what felt like hours. Despite it being in absolute disrepair and disorder, he felt comfortable traversing this world, it was as if all mental bridges bent to his will. This, he realised was the true purpose of his cage, that the mind was terrified of those which it had locked away, it was a slave to those emotions. Nothing attempted to retaliate against his intrusion. As a matter of fact, they guided him to his destination, obedient. The mind is a truly wonderful place. Everywhere, everything was the culmination of pure imagination. Some of the inventive landmarks and structures were even constructed to his liking. Well, it failed to surprise. After all, according to his mentor, he and him shared memories. Only, one was vindictive and bitter, and the other was benevolent, or at least as benevolent as he could be and somewhat of a show-off. This wasn’t exactly the most pleasant thought to the tormented. Eventually, he realised that the colossal spire at the centre was the path out and face-hoofed, completely and utterly disappointed with his own lack of common sense. He approached a bridge towards the tower, which had been floating on an island anchored by great chains. Those who guarded the tower bowed before him, not a single acted against him. Scaling the tower would’ve been tedious, had he not been taught his mist-form, disintegrating and re-materializing into this convenient gaseous miasma. Arriving at the final floor, he was awestruck. It was an imitation of the stairway to…Not exactly what he’d call heaven. Turning around to face the disorderly world behind him, he examined all of the unfathomable details, becoming more relieved to escape the mind. He strode up the stairs, grinning like no other, his escape was less-than palpable. There weren’t any obstacles in his path. Exuberant wouldn’t have described him at this moment, the illumination, it was blinding. Time Skip - Past Dirt, the taste of dirt. Blood and oxygen, the smell, it relieved him. A tingling sensation came from his muzzle, nothing too serious, compared to what he felt before. However, what intrigued him the most, it was conversation, or rather, all around, it was bustling with activity. He had made it, he had escaped. Finally, he had control. The light, he remembered striking it with mist-formed tendrils, along with other shades. Something was wrong, he felt his limbs were restricted by something, it felt like rope. Then, a slap to the muzzle, his eyes flared open. Before him, another Pony, this one lacked a distinguishing feature, the horn. It had reared back in surprise. Mumbling incomprehensibly, and then motioning to his, what were presumed to be comrades. “Wh-?” The first word spoken in reality; it would’ve formed `what` if he had not immediately been assaulted. In retaliation, his horn ignited and casted a blinding spell. His telekinesis, combined with strength tore his bindings apart. Standing up, he was greeted with a rag-tag army of Ponies, all wearing varying degrees of armour, seeming originating from eleventh century Europe. Most seemed to prefer the padded gambesons and mail hauberks. Most wore the nasal helm, similar to Normans. “Norman Ponies, this is a reality I never thought I would wake up in, I must’ve gone bonkers.” He said aloud, adding a chuckle at the end. Those Ponies didn’t take too kindly to his comment, and charged towards him. “Then again, I had to deal with abominations that of which none of you could fathom.” He took a wild guess at these Ponies’ imagination, later finding out that Ponies could be scared by virtually anything, firing off precise light magical beams at each of them, only to find that their armour actually protected them quite well. They closed in quick, so he quickly switched tactics, using telekinesis to its fullest. Ponies were lifted into the air and crashed into each other, this was amusing to him, self-defence quickly became slaughter. Those Ponies weren’t just randomly tossed about, they were deliberately thrown at their comrades’ weapons, or their own. Ensuring that none of them would survive, magical beams, this time charged up, tore straight through the heaviest of armour, thought it was quite magically exhausting. As he finished with the grunts of the Ponies, a massive hornless one approached him. Massive compared to the smaller Ponies of course. He was about the same size as the tormented Unicorn. Wielding a devastating mace and clad in the finest armour of the camp. “Oi, stop murdering my men! I’ll be the one gutting you today, Unicorn!” Truly an inspiring Pony. He barely got the attention of the Unicorn, and lunged forth to crush the damned charcoal demon. The Unicorn merely created a shield, which was shattered in a single hit with the mace, to his surprise. But unfortunately for the Earth Pony, his opponent constantly stepped backwards, keeping a distance and blasting him with magic. It was not a very pleasant experience, but nopony becomes the Chief if they are weak. Then, a grand idea for the Unicorn, he dashed pass the large Pony, finding the biggest and sharpest pike of the camp, ready to impale the substantially annoying problem. Vlad the Impaler, Pony form. He had waited for the Chief to lumber over, lacing the pike with deadly magics, and then the enduring Pony threw the mace directly at him, at that moment, the pike soared through the air, piercing straight through the big Pony, killing him instantly. The mace smashed the Unicorn, breaking multiple bones, damaging the skin, veins and causing him to collapse in minor annoyance. He has persevered through hell and in no world was he dying here. Immediately, he began to mend the broken body parts, at the same time, planting the pike now impaling the pony Chief upright, so all the camp can witness. He limped into the nearby forest, which suspiciously resembled the one which he had trained in. Finding a tree, he laid down and rested, blood smeared all over his body. He closed his eyes, and felt he was being dragged away. He wasn’t being dragged by anything. Then, unconsciousness. Control was slipping from him. It felt like…No, it was nothing he’d ever feel before. The owner of this body was taking control once more. Time Skip - Present “Thou hadst created me, mine comrades. I had decided to guide thee, for that is the greatest method of torture thou could suffer. When thy body is masqueraded around, committing heinous misdeeds. Now all of Equestria despises thee, and the only one who can help thee, is me.” “You have been murdering and tormenting countless Ponies, and tormenting me for the majority of my life just to spite me, Have you no mercy?” “I have only destroyed those deserving, tormenting the others. We art two halves of one person, art we not? These are misdeeds that thou would’ve committed, or considered, hadst thou not locked away mine brethren. Impulses thou had always felt, but chose to lock away entirely.” The two hadn’t moved an inch since the start of their conversation. They were in a cave, located outside of the Everfree forest, for it had recently been claimed as the grounds for a new Castle, the Everfree Castle. Debating, arguing and general boredom dominated the cave. The Unicorn had used a majority of its power restraining his emotions, quite literally and stopping it from harming anypony. Unfortunately, it seemed to overpower him on occasion, and take control briefly, feeding on its favourite emotion, and regathering its magic. With the destruction of the crown and its jewel, the vast deposit of dark energy had flooded the entire world. The apparition had attempted to recreate the crown, unfortunately, after rigorous researching, it had found that the crystal used to contain so much energy was exceedingly rare, in fact, to find one required luck beyond understanding. Eventually, Chaos shall return, renewed in strength and magical potential. But as of now, one must play the waiting game, and watch as the world grows. Where shall he wait? A question the Unicorn always pondered, after all, his public image had already been shattered by the one whom desired vengeance beyond all else. He was a towering Unicorn pony, and his coat was unique in Pony standards, so it wouldn’t be easy to disguise one’s self. “Return to me, and we shall hide near the south of the Everfree, I believe I remember another cave there, nearby the river. You can do your petty vengeance, torment me, I do not…Cannot mind. But remember, we mustn’t reveal ourselves completely, I rather liked being immortal.” The Unicorn turned, trotting out of the cave towards the stormy Everfree, rain blocking the skies. “As you wish.”