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// Chapter 18- The Tyrant and the Princess-Part Two 
// Story: Only the Broken, Only the Cursed (please read blog post) 
// by DougtheLoremaster 
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The land was craggy and desolate. Craters decorated the surface as though the area had been impacted by countless large objects. There was no plant life, and a cold wind blew across the lifeless surface. And there she sat, staring down at the world of Equus; thinking and talking to herself. 
“Mother was right about her, she was quite deadly after all. In time, perhaps, I will take her head, but for now, she is more than deserving to be the ruling Tyrant.”
Twilight blinked as she watched the odd scene, the Nightmare before her was none other than the ‘Luna’ that her middle name was based on. The Tyrant’s sister. Much to Twilight’s surprise, she seemed calm, and well kept together, as though accepting of the outcome.
The Nightmare chuckled darkly to herself as she stared at the mangled mass of flesh that had been her left wing.
“She really did a number on me, didn’t she? Never thought I could have pride in another creature.”
Turning her attention back to the surface of Equus, she smiled, her fangs bared with malicious joy.
“We did it, mom, she’s ready.”

	***

Twilight looked confused.
“Wasn’t she upset at having been blasted apart?”
Grogar shook his head.
“No, because she knew it would happen. The Nightmares are extremely prideful, no matter the cost, no matter the extreme, the bloodline comes before everything. She was prepared to endure the devastating wounds she received, as long as her sister’s abilities were unlocked.
 From the moment she became Luna, Nightmare Moon was made fully aware of what exactly was to be done in order to prepare the Daybreaker that was her older sister for the throne. Even if her sister had destroyed her completely, it was a price she was willing to pay.”
Twilight continued watching in silence as Nightmare Moon suddenly called out.
“Who are you to trespass on my domain?”
She appeared to be staring directly at her. Twilight nervously whispered as Nightmare Moon’s eyes narrowed in annoyance.
“C-Can she see us?”
Clover shook her head.
“No. She cannot.”
“Then who is she talking to?”
Clover took a deep breath as though mentally preparing herself for something. Raising a hoof, she pointed at a spiraling vortex of lime green and obsidian black magic.
“Her.”
That’s when Twilight saw her; Princess Celestia slowly stepped through the portal, but Twilight didn’t recognize her. The normally flowing mane, harnessing the colors of the aurora, was frayed. The colors were washed out but pulsed with a tint of lime green. Her body’s fur was no longer creamy white but a horribly matted midnight black. What had been her cutie mark; the celestial sun was a sick, pulsating acid green. Her eyes, however, were no longer Amethyst, but the same sickly lime green as the magic emanating from her. She spoke with a distorted voice, shaken and grainy.
“Sister! At last, I have found you.”
“You are no sister of mine.”
The words were emotionless, but not without peril. A cold breeze swirled at Nightmare Moon’s hooves as she spoke. Twilight watched the Nightmare sniff slightly at the air, before wrinkling her nose in disgust.
“Begone imposter while I am still in a charitable mood.”
That’s when Twilight understood what was going on. Remember the taste of my magic Twilight, remember it well. On a hunch she sniffed the air, and she too could smell the hideous odor of forbidden magic, it entered her nose, and made its way to her tongue, causing her to almost gag. It was rancid, putrid, and rotten. This was not her mother’s magic. But then, whose was it? Twilight muttered to herself.
She’s right. That’s not mom.”
Overhearing this, Clover nodded her head.
“You’re right. It’s not the Celestia you know, it is, however, Princess Celestia.”
Twilight was aghast, this was the repentant soul of Clover’s universe?
“What happened to her?”
“Forbidden fruit grows within a nestle of thorns. The thorns are entangled with the fruit, they cannot be removed. They tear into the flesh and embed themselves, waiting for those who would seek what they cannot have. To partake of the flesh, one must ingest the thorns as well.”
Grogar’s voice held an imposing tone of anger as he answered her. His words seemed to have been memorized, As though spoken from memory. Twilight wasn’t sure why, but she felt like he was speaking to another at the same time. She sat quietly, thinking about what he said.
At once the scene froze, and questioningly, Grogar looked at his wife. Clover’s attention was entirely focused on Twilight, looking oddly expectant at the little filly. Grogar could see his wife was in her teaching mode, though for what reason, he couldn’t fathom. Still, untold time together told him that she had a reason for everything she did.
Twilight was lost in thought, however, and didn’t notice the attention she was getting. Instead, she seemed to be talking it out with herself.
“Forbidden fruit has thorns, Taboo...forbidden magic maybe?”
Clover’s eyes glinted with excitement. Twilight meanwhile continued her rambling.
“Taboo with thorns, thorns...maybe that means cost or penalty? I got it! Celestia performed a forbidden spell and the cost of it was far more than she realized.”
“Very good. You’re halfway there.”
Clover’s voice was filled with encouragement. Grogar watched in silence, confused at his wife’s antics. What was her angle? What exactly was she trying to do? That's when it hit him. The talk from earlier. Shortly, before Twilight was brought here, the two discussed the powers of the strange entity known as Twilight.

***

“This could be our chance. Our son is blinded by his own ego and is bringing it here. We didn’t create this one, but it’s still young. If we were to allow it to know of us, perhaps in the future it could fix what’s been done. There has to be a reason for it existing, after all. Didn’t you find it strange that our magic stopped working on those realms after it came into being?”
Clover glared at her husband.
“She. It’s a living being. And it has adopted the form of a filly. She is not some object, and is most certainly not of our doing, I agree with you on that.”
Clover’s eyes softened.
“She's just a child, though she’s old enough to be a mare. Having the ability to naturally absorb, decipher and perform any magic is a wonderful power, but comes at an unfortunate price. 
Imagine her being exposed to chaos magic? She is a sponge, Grogar. Any magic she comes in contact with, becomes a part of her being, not just abilities. It could utterly corrupt her core, leading to further complications.  
Could we really ask such a thing of one who doesn’t know better?”
“What other choice do we have? The realms are only responding to her, not us.”
Clover sighed. It went against every fiber of her harmonious ideals, but maybe there was still a way for both Harmony and Chaos in this situation to work in tandem. And they really did need her to restore the realms otherwise both could be destroyed.
“I know we have no other options, but if we are to do this, I say we show her the extent of magic, what is, was, and could be. She can then decide for herself. After all, we both agreed; No interference in the realms. It’s always their choice.”

***

Clover smiled down at Twilight, like a mother to her child, as Twilight slowly pieced the information gathered together. Grogar closed his eyes and smiled. So, it’s come to this, huh? A being created from the merging of our magic, but not by us. I suppose it’s only natural, we were not the first after all. We too, received our stature by those who came before us. Still, borne of Chaos and Harmony, she will have an unfathomable decision to make. Can we rely on such an infant deciding the fate of existence as we know it?
Clover meanwhile, was having her own thoughts. She’s already absorbed Grogar’s Chaos, at a far accelerated rate than expected and even now, she very clearly is fusing my own magic within her core. Chaos and Harmony are fusing within her, but I don’t see corruption. Could a new type of magic be being forged? And if so, why and what could it be?
Clover tried to see, just what it was that drove the young filly. Flashes of Twilight’s meetings with Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack appeared in her mind. The ghost of a smile crossed Clover’s lips, she understood. I see. Now, that is magic worth dying for. Alright little one, show us what you can do. First, however, the Mother of Creation still has more to teach you, before you spread those wings.
“Such drastic actions always have a consequence, Twilight. Just watch what happened.”
Hearing Clover’s angelic voice caused Twilight to cease her musings, and her eyes snapped back to the scene as it started up once more.

***

The corrupted Princess of Equestria stood before the injured Nightmare Moon. The Nightmare’s wing was hanging on by a flap of skin, while gashes decorated her hide. The extent of the damage she had taken during her sister’s awakening was immense, needing to regenerate before she could wield her magic once again. Still, the Nightmare lacked the ability to show fear as well as defend herself, and so she quietly stated once again.
“Leave. Now.”
It was clear, however, this version of Celestia was beyond reasoning and logic. She had come to bring her sister home, by any means necessary. Her horn glowed a vile black before chains of black and green shot out and wrapped around her sister. Her voice was distorted and gravely. Malicious even.
“Not without you, Luna!”
While Nightmare Moon protested and dug in her heels, Celestia forcibly dragged her back through the portal. The scene changed and suddenly the two were back in that stone room, but something had happened to Nightmare Moon; her flesh was glowing in patches of the same sickly green, and her body had completely filled the gashes and chunks missing from her body with the rancid magic.
Twilight nearly vomited as the smell of Celestia’s sister changed from the sweet stench of death to a horrible aroma of life and death, a putrid mixture.
“What’s going on? What happened?”
Clover’s answer carried a saddened tone.
“She, like Celestia, was corrupted by the mixture of Grogar’s Chaos and my own Harmony. The two don’t meld well, so we tend to separate them. However, Celestia’s spell took her to the Nightmare Moon of the Realm of Death, by bringing her back through the portal the plague created from Celestia’s journey was spread to her. A plague that affects not the body or the mind, but the very core of a being; leading to the corruption of the soul.
Sadly though, once created the plague spread through mere contact of any kind. Words, touch, or even the acknowledgment of the being. From Celestia and Nightmare Moon, soon the entire realm was infected.”
Clover spoke slowly as her words came to life before Twilight’s eyes. Twilight watched as over the course of 1000 years the plague-infected all creatures of Clover’s realm. Twilight watched as the infected then cast the same spells to travel to her realm, her kind was grabbed and dragged back to be corrupted as well.
“Are those..”
“Yes, that is the Cultists your kind have fought since your Tyrant proclaimed their existence to the realm 8 years ago.”
“8 years, you don’t mean…That night?”
Clover nodded. Her eyes glinted dangerously for a moment before she continued.
“What your kind refers to as The Night of Fire, I do believe. Yes, on that night, the you and five others Grogar created, perished within your realm. However, that night something else happened to change the natural course of everything. The Tyrant snapped. She lost the emotionless neutrality she had held for centuries. Nightmares are seldom loyal to anything but their own goals but as she watched Twilight Velvet and Nightlight being torn limb from limb, a switch was flipped.”
It was then the scene changed once more, revealing to Twilight the events that led to her creation.