//------------------------------// // Chapter 20 // Story: Light's Shadow // by Jorofrarie //------------------------------// She hated it. All of it. In the beginning, all she’d wanted was to have a carefree existence without trouble, or burden, or any of the shit that she had to deal with now. Well, to late to go back. She had a task to accomplish, and he would not be happy if she screwed it up. It may be something that she would rather not be doing, it may seem the better alternative to hide under a rock like she did the last time around, anything may seem better. Really? Anything would be better, even capture. But she knew that in the end that wouldn’t work out well, that in the end he would end up finding her, and putting an end to her existence in all forms. So she obeyed, and responded to his commands, and went about them like some mindless animal, ready to do whatever he bid her. But did she feel happy about it? Did she enjoy the tasks? No. Did she use to enjoy them, once upon a time? Yes, oh yes, more than anything else in the world. She probably had a crush on him at some point. Not a real crush, more the one that a student might get towards a role model, or a mentor of some sorts. And he had been her mentor. She met him when she was still quite naïve, only recently starting to learn about the real world. He had already been around for quite a long time and so knew a lot more about everything than she did. That kind of knowledge does something to a girl. When you wake up, innocent and bushy-eyed, raring to go in a new environment, to immediately find a being that is infinitely more powerful than you, almost to the extent of omnipotence… It influences you… I didn’t know any better. I thought that what he was doing was the right way to go about things, that there was no other way. He was like a father to me. He was the one that taught me what I was, and how to use my nature to my advantage against others. I soon became his most trusted advisor, and fighter, and everything. I was so close to him. But he was like a flame. Get too close and you’ll get burned. But in this case he was more like a nuclear inferno; get too close and you’re likely to get incinerated in an instant, so quickly that you’ll have time to actually watch your ashes float away on the wind. She’d been on the receiving end of that, and it scarred her irreversibly. All of a sudden she started seeing the downsides to his actions, the millions of lives ruined by his work, the families torn apart, the worlds burned. And she couldn’t ignore it either. Some part of her had always quietly known, but had pushed the knowledge down so as for it to not be taken seriously. But after he turned on her, if only for an instant, she was no longer capable of overlooking everything. She would watch from the frontlines, sometimes carrying out his orders, but her heart wasn’t in it like it had used to be. Sure, she would still do the sabotages, and the infiltrations, all of that, but she didn’t want to do it. But that didn’t work, she couldn’t rebel. If she had tried to she would have been obliterated. But not just that, he would have absolutely torn her apart, scattering pieces of her everywhere, and there would be nothing she could do to stop him. The executions were the worst. He would make her watch, make her get so close that she could almost taste the fear and horror that was radiating from the victims. They thought that they were in for the most terrible experience of their life. But it wasn’t. It was even worse. His executions made planetary genocides look like tea parties. He would torture the victims, both physically and mentally, until they were begging for their death. But he wouldn’t provide that. He would find the ones that the person held dear, and he would make them watch as he slaughtered them, slowly slicing their throats open, inch by inch, letting the crimson metal ooze out, the acrid smell of iron filling the air. And then he would start on the victim, tearing off limbs slowly and painfully, savouring every last moment of it. The fingers were his favourite; apparently the small joints could be separated one by one, providing the most excruciating pain. And he wouldn’t stop, not until every last bit; every last drop of resistance was drained from his victim. And he knew how to break them easily, knowing the limits of their pain to stop them from passing out and missing some of his treatment. If they still wanted death then he’d either torture them or string them up somewhere to rot slowly, negating their will, leaving them powerless. I found it the most disgusting thing in existence, but of course I couldn’t say that, not with him there. I had to feign a smile and act enthusiastic for him, or else he’d get suspicious. But on the inside I was crying, rolling around, practically trying to burn my eyes to stop myself from seeing anything else. But I kept that on the inside, and I stopped the suspicion, and eventually I had my chance to escape. He never expected it of course, the best escapes are always like that, sudden and by surprise, and I think that’s the only reason that I escaped unscathed. If he had known what I’d do then I would’ve been destroyed in an instant. So I bided my time, waiting for the perfect moment to vanish into the blue, completely forsaking his values and disappearing. I travelled to every corner of existence to evade him, thinking that he’d follow me forever in an attempt to get retribution. But eventually I stopped, and waited, ready to see what would happen. But my expectations of him were sorely mistaken. He hadn’t even bothered to chase me that far, he was probably waiting for me to break down and prostrate myself at his feet. But I never went back, I decided that I would never go to his ways again. I was going to help, to make others’ lives better, not worse. I was going to make their wishes come true… And that is exactly why I spent over a millennia of my later life banished. He’s been around since the beginning, and he’ll probably be around long after we’re gone… -Celestia Chapter 20 A Quick Checkup I woke up to an image that will forever scar me and keep me up at night. I’ve seen horrors and deaths and destruction, to the point where an ordinary person would break down and stop functioning. But it wasn’t any of those things. It was something a lot more mundane. It was Pinkie’s hair. Think about it, you fell asleep outside, and wake up to the face of the most hyperactive insane looking piece of pink fluff that you’ve ever seen. It’s a little creepy. I wonder if the birds and animals were bothered much by the incredibly loud scream that pierced the air in the early hours of the morning… Pinkie didn’t let up however, and continued staring at me with an incredibly large grin on her face. I don’t think that she even noticed that I was awake at all, probably passed it off as a human thing. But if screaming loudly for no apparent reason seems normal for me… Wow, I just realized that I am a weird person. Yeah, shut up, I meant personality wise smartass. Be quiet and sit down, you were so good for the first part of the tale… I took a moment to gather myself before I pushed Pinkie off me, making her fall onto the ground. She didn’t even land hard, just going a barrel roll/cartwheel and landing on her hooves. I started to try and say something before I realized that she wasn’t even in front of me. It took me another few seconds to realize that she was on my head… I bet the birds were getting pretty disturbed by now. Pinkie just looked at me with those huge cerulean eyes for a moment, “Come on sleepy pants, you’ve gotta get up! Are you even awake?!” I sighed, “No Pinkie, I’m still asleep.” “Oki Doki Loki!” She paused for a moment, then gasped, “I DIDN’T KNOW THAT YOU SLEEP TALKED!!!!” I rolled my eyes and decided not to question the pony, some things in life are better that way. Then again, some things in life help to keep your brain from having a meltdown, so I think I made the right decision. I looked around. The sun was already hanging high in the sky, about a quarter of the way up from the horizon. The animals were already about, mostly congregating on Fluttershy’s cottage, however a few were in the field around me, even less actually daring to go anywhere near me. But I immediately noticed something strange, Luna was gone. I could see the indent on the grass where she had lain, but there was no pony there, she had vanished. I sighed, some things can’t be helped. I kinda wish that she had stayed instead of going away somewhere else. I started walking towards the cottage, hoping to see what the hell was happening that day, and maybe get something to eat. Pinkie was still on my head, occasionally saying a small string of completely random words for no apparent reason. I officially had a pink furry hat. Fun. It was a really peaceful thing, just walking through the field towards the house, and I almost wished that it could last forever. I hesitated just outside the threshold, more than a bit unwilling to sacrifice the last bit of freedom and peace that I knew I’d get for the day. And that’s exactly when the door burst open and Twilight shot out. I could almost imagine her frothing at the mouth as she raced towards me, and at one point there probably was a bit of froth that flecked off the side onto the grass. She only stopped her mad charge when she was at my feet, “Where the hay have you been Light?!” I held up my hands to respond, but Pinkie beat me to it, “Sorry Twilight, he can’t speak right now, he’s just sleepwalking. Well, he can speak, but I think it’s only sleeptalking. Isn’t that just weird?! I mean, really, sleeptalking and sleepwalking? That-“ I promptly ignored her completely in the slight chance that my head exploded, “Riiiight. In the land of the relatively sane, I’ve been sleepy in the field…” I waved my hands in the general direction and shrugged, “So, yeah. Is that a problem or anything? Oh, and where’s Luna?” Twilight seemed to calm down a bit as I said this, “You were in the field the whole time?” “…Yeah?” She visibly relaxed even further, “Oh, aahhhhh, okay then. Nothing. And Luna was seen going to bed a second ago, she usually sleeps during the day.” She started walking back into the cottage, “Come on, we’ve got a long day ahead of us.” Joy in solid form, that’s what this Twilight pony is. I followed her in and immediately froze as all six other ponies looked at me. It seemed that all of Twilight’s friends and Celestia had turned out for the occasion, which really made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside… “-ia actually weighs 1.989E30 kg! Way more than a family sedan! And that’s how Equestria was made…” Aaaaaand, there goes the happy feelings… I’m just feeling annoyed that I’ve gotta keep getting up to do this crap, even after I should logically be dead and/or insane. Well, you’ve got to make the best of it. Celestia stepped towards me, “Light, good, you’re up. We can’t delay much longer if we want to see him in a good mood, the customers usually annoy him a little.” She turned to leave the house, but I just shook my head, “Nuh-uh,” This seemed to shock her, as she turned towards me with uncertainty, “I need food, and I’m not going anywhere until I get some.” Celestia cracked a small smile, “I’m sure that Fluttershy would be able to help you out there Light.” She nodded towards the timid pegasus, who lifted a small hoof. I smiled, “That would be very much appreciated.” Applejack “-really mean it! I don’t trust him in the least! He’s going to turn on us and attack at any moment, I just know it! He. Is. Not. A. good. Pony!” “Ahhh, Rainbow? In case you hadn’ noticed, Light ain’t no pony in the first place.” Applejack gave her cyan friend a perfunctory glance from head to hoof, “Are you sure tha’ yur feeling completely fine?” Rainbow let out a small growl, “APPLEJACK!” Twilight and Rarity shushed her, Pinkie not even caring about the loud noises, “Applejack!” She said again in a strained whisper, “I’m telling you, I don’t trust this guy at all. I feel that, I don’t know, that he’s just going to turn on us at a moment’s notice.” She looked at the floor, “I know that it sounds silly, but I just don’t feel right around him, it’s like there’s a small voice in my head telling me that I shouldn’t be around him, and sometimes it tells me that I should actually hurt him…” Applejack was stunned, she had known Rainbow as her friend for so long, and she thought that she knew what she was like, and Rainbow was never xenophobic. If anything, she was the most accepting, well, behind Pinkie. She had had a griffin as her friend for Celestia’s sake! There was no reason for her to be acting like this now. But she was the element of Honesty, and she knew when someone was making things up, to an extent of course. Ponies liked to make the conclusion that just because she was the element she could tell exactly when somepony was lying, but it wasn’t like that, it was more like she had a better sense of telling someone’s face, seeing their tics, and their reactions. She had known Rainbow for so long that when she lied Applejack could tell. When Rainbow told a lie about sleeping on the job for example, her left eyelid would twitch twice, but if it was a lie about eating some of her apples it would be a slight rustle of the feathers. But Rainbow was being completely truthful here. She actually felt this way about Light, and that was worrying. For her to feel this way, then chances were that she might have a point. Contrary to common belief, Rainbow wasn’t stupid, not by a long shot. She had a façade of complete ignorance, an uncaring feel that penetrated anything. She was the athlete, not the ‘egghead’. But in reality she was practically a genius. If she had had the proper schooling then she might have almost approached Twilight, almost. But even thought she had spent her childhood in a flight camp, she was still smarter than most. She just hid it… very well… And if Rainbow thought something was wrong, then that was bad. Applejack would have to pay heed, Rainbow had their wellbeing in mind. She was the Element of Loyalty after all. Was there something going on with Light? Was he going to turn on them? Betray them? Was he… evil? Light Well, that was… interesting. There was more than a bit of a clash in interest between Fluttershy and I for obvious reasons. It seems that ponies don’t eat meat. Yeah, I know right? So I was forced to eat some amalgamation of fruits and things, which surprisingly wasn’t that bad, so all in all I still came out on top, food in my stomach. That’s a good outcome any day. And now I was being lead down the main streets of Ponyville by Celestia. She’d insisted that the others shouldn’t come, and had said that Luna was too busy sleeping. Apparently after I’d fallen asleep she’d stayed awake to monitor the night. I wish she had told me, and I might have stayed awake too to keep her company. The others were missing because this Time guy didn’t like visitors. Bit of a recluse according to the Princess, but some people are just like that, so I can’t say much. I was like that, couldn’t really told to a pedestrian now could I? And so they weren’t here. I personally could understand if Pinkie and Rainbow stayed out, and maybe Twilight, and Rarity might be annoying, and Fluttershy could frustrate him with her shyness, and Applejack can be a bit strong willed… But that still leaves… Oh wait… Well, I’m on my own then, apart from present company. It was immediately obvious the moment I stepped into Ponyville that it wasn’t going to be a fun walk. Although Celestia had talked to the townsfolk, their fear was still there, shining in their eyes, and I’d had practice at noticing these aspects. But at least they didn’t run and scream like I expected them to, so that was a small bonus, but that was mainly because of the Princess being in their presence, so they spent most of their time prostrated. And so I had to walk the entire way through Ponyville with the eyes of the populace bearing into my back, which wasn’t a pleasant experience, especially considering I usually performed stealth style silent stalker stuff, so I was a bit out of my territory. I tried waving at a few ponies, but there were only ever two reactions, fear, or hatred for the destruction. …Except for one weird pony that just stared at my hands as thought she’d seen a pile of cash. Coincidentally I suddenly got the picture of an instrument in my mind… ..I have no idea how thought… Eventually Celestia turned a corner, navigating us away from the main streets and onto a smaller, more narrow route. I had to fight down the sudden urge to shiver as memories resurfaced a little. It was darker in the backstreet, not much mind you, but enough to be noticeable. Celestia slowed as she moved deeper into the heart of Ponyville. I hadn’t realized that it was that big, but there seemed to be a whole network of roads and backstreets hidden amongst the houses. I was just starting to wonder just how long the journey would take when we slowed. I looked at Celestia, who was looking up at something. I followed her gaze and saw a sign that looked distinctly like an hourglass with sand in it, a mechanical pocket watch half open was drawn beside that, the cogs clearly showing. It was the place. Celestia looked back at me and nodded, I just blinked slowly, one eye, then the other, for no reason. Celestia rolled her eyes and turned back to the door, sauntering over to it. It was almost invisible in the brickwork of the building, especially with the sides of the tiny street being no more than four bodylengths wide. But it was there nonetheless. She knocked on it, and the sound seemed to hang for longer than it should have. Celestia quickly jumped back to avoid the door as it slammed into the ground in front of her. I swear, who makes their door like a bloody drawbridge? It just went straight where she was standing! But Celestia was unfazed, and lazily wandered over the now flat door as it lay on the ground. I hurried over the threshold to avoid being left outside as the chains embedded in the sides of the door pulled it back up flush with the wall. Inside it was as dark as the alley, if not darker. Small torches in brackets were hanging every few paces, providing a musty illumination. Celestia walked along the corridor and reached an atrium of sorts. There was desk going completely from left to right in the room, obviously a counter, but it doubled as a way to prevent a visitor from moving any further into the building without permission. It looked like it was meant for business as small brochures were scattered across the surface. I almost started to read one before a scuffling noise caught my attention. Celestia was watching the tabletop intensely, and the noise was getting louder. And then in a shower of watch parts and metal plating, a stallion popped up from behind the wooded counter. He was a dark chocolate brown, his mane slightly browner. There was that same image on his flank as was on the sign outside, minus the disassembled watch. He looked a bit annoyed at being disturbed, but that was about it. He nodded to Celestia, not even bothering to acknowledge her properly, before turning to me. He didn’t even seem disturbed by the fact that I was a human at all. And then he spoke. “Greetings there, you can call me the Doctor. How may I be of service…” Anyone who gets the drawbridge door reference gets an internet cookie. Hint, it's from a book series.