//------------------------------//
// Chapter 46 
// Story: Internal Darkness 
// by Silver Sorcerer 
//------------------------------//

Disclaimer: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all associated characters, settings and stories are the rightful subjects of Hasbro, the HUB, Studio B, and Lauren Faust. 

Chapter 46

They stayed by his side, silent, but always there. They were there for him in the beginning and they would be there for him now. If they end was to come, they wouldn't leave him behind. They had all silently agreed to do that. Regardless of what Magicon wanted, the four of them would remain behind and help him, whether it was defeating those supposedly real invaders or help put Magicon's mind at ease. Either case, they would help him to the best of their abilities.

While the storm raged outside the mansion, all was quiet inside. Only the loud booms of thunder echoed throughout the silent halls. Lightning flashed against them with such blinding intensity, but they ignored it; all of their attention was focused on the sleeping unicorn at the foot of the stairs.

They all had sat down beside him with worried expressions on their faces. The deep concern they had for him was evident and the love they had was unchanged from when they first met him. They had taken him in when their former master brought him and they had always worked for him. He was always kind and caring; never mean. They couldn't see why anypony would be after him; he was a good pony.

Deciding to break the silence, Trim Tam asked, "Should we wake him now?"

Fresh Mint shook her head. "He'll wake when he wants to wake."

"Fresh, he has been asleep for quite a while," Littlemore observed. "If we are going to help him, we surely need to understand exactly what's going on in his mind and the world around us."

"I have to agree with Littlemore," Garden Hedge stated.

"Fresh, we respect your right to shelter and protect him. He has been through a lot, but it'll only get worse for him the longer he is sheltered. We'll be gentle. We just want answers," Trim assured.

Fresh, realizing that she was fighting a losing battle, sighed, "Very well, guys. Just be gentle with him. If anything happens I don't like I'll be quick to get you all out of his sight."

They nodded and Littlemore stretched his hoof and rubbed Magicon on the shoulder. At first the unicorn didn't respond, but with a more forceful nudge his eyes flickered open and his ears twitched as he awoke. He slowly opened his eyes, which seemed cloudy to the rest of the group, and gazed upon the four of them. He smiled at them and slowly rose to a sitting position.

"How are you feeling?" Fresh asked.

"Alright. No complaints," he responded.

"Do you remember us?" Littlemore asked.

"Of course I do, Littlemore. How could I forget you?"

"No reason."

"Not to be blunt Magicon, but do you know why you are at the foot of the stairs?" Garden asked.

Magicon winced for a moment, but grimly acknowledged what had occurred. He couldn't tell if those recent images were real or not, the simple fact was that they hadn't harmed him physically or mentally. He still felt his soul safely secured inside him.

"Is there anything we can get for you?" Trim asked.

"Water, please."

Trim nodded and rushed off to the kitchen to fetch a glass for the unicorn.

"I just…can't believe it," Magicon stated.

"Believe what?" Littlemore asked.

"That it's come to this. I mean, this is quite comical, really: sitting at the foot of the stairs with a raging storm of my own creation outside, ready for the mob to arrive."

"Do you really think there is a mob after you?" Fresh asked.

"I know so. And it's not a figment of my imagination. I'm sure you guys have heard of Shining Armor, Princess Cadance, and the Elements of Harmony."

They nodded in reply.

"Well, it seems that they don't like me or the things that I've done as Prince so they're trying to overthrow me."

"Magicon, that is absurd," Garden commented which earned him malevolent glares from Fresh and Littlemore.

"What he means to say, is…that you're such a good pony. Nopony could possibly go after you for the things you've done," Fresh attempted to state.

"Enough of that crap, Fresh. You all know very well that I'm not a nice and friendly stallion. You all know of Red-Blood, the book, and what it instructed me to do."

"Magicon, we know of Red-Blood and of the book, but not what's inside of it," Littlemore stated matter-of-factly. "We probably couldn't read it anyway if we tried."

"Yeah…well basically, I'm responsible for a lot of the changes in Equestria."

"We already knew that," Garden commented. "You've done great things for Equestria."

"Great being the operative word there," Magicon said. "I've done many horrible things in Equestria as well."

"What have you done that's so horrible?" Littlemore asked, as if he couldn't believe that his master was truly capable of great evils.

"Murder," Magicon answered. The rest of the group retained their serious faces, as if no joy could remove it.

"M…murder?" Fresh asked hesitantly. "Who?"

"Princesses Celestia and Luna."

If the three were stunned by his admission, none of them showed it. They retained their seriousness as Magicon continued.

"You may think that I was crazy ever since I was a colt and was introduced to that book, but I wasn't. I was completely in a sound mind when I did it. The book told me to do it and gave me the tools to do so. I stabbed Celestia with an ancient dagger that creates an open wound that is impossible to heal. She died of blood-loss from that wound. As for Luna, I had stated in a public statement that she had committed suicide by hanging herself. Only half of that statement is true. She was hanged, but not by her own doing, by mine."

A deathly silence fell on them. Even the thunderstorm outside could not break the heavy silence that befell on all of them. The only sound was the echoing hoofsteps of Trim who reappeared with a glass of water and hoofed it to Magicon. He took it, gulped its contents, and set it aside.

"Since you missed it, Trim, I'll give you the abridged version. I murdered Princesses Celestia and Luna and took the throne for myself."

"Oh, is that all?" Trim asked almost in disbelief. Fresh whipped around and smacked him across the cheek.

"Fresh, don't," Magicon stated as he grabbed onto her hooves and set them down. "He has every right to know, just as you all do. I pray, however, that you keep this in the strictest confidence. None of this should be repeated outside these walls."

She sighed and slowly nodded as did the other three.

"Now, sadly for you, there is more. My murder spree did not come from the book entirely, but also from my past. You see…" he paused as he struggled to form the words and bring himself to bare it, "I told you all that my mother had died in a fire. Well, that's only partially true. The truth is…" he stopped as tears began streaming down his face.

Fresh rushed to his side, hugged him, and patted him on the back. "There, there, Magicon. You don't have to tell us. It's alright."

"No, I really do," he muffled through his tears and sobbing. "Please, Fresh, let me go. I need to tell you all of this."

Reluctantly, she withdrew and Magicon took a few deep breaths before speaking again. "I got into an argument with…my mother and I lost control…and I, unintentionally, cast a killing curse, which…killed her and started a fire as a direct result. I think…you know the rest."

The four remained motionless as Magicon wiped the tears from his eyes and struggled to regain his composure. They eyed each other, unsure of what to do. But Littlemore took an initiative anyway.

"What do you want us to say or do?" he asked reservedly.

Magicon waited a few moments before responding. "I guess…I really don't know."

"Do you have more to tell us?"

"About her, no. About my colthood, you already know. About the princesses, no. About my ruling, well you'll hear the story soon enough anyway."

"What do you mean?" asked Garden Hedge.

"I fear my endpoint is coming."

"What?"

"I fear this may be last night in Equestria and therefore, the last night of my existence."

"Magicon, you're not going to let them kill you, right?" Fresh asked.

"No, but I fear there will be too many."

"What I don't understand is why they want to kill you? Since you say they are the Elements of Harmony, they must have nobler mindsets than simply an eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth? They shouldn't be after you just because you murdered the princesses," Trim stated, almost cringing from a possible smack from Fresh.

"Well…I did more bad things that affected every one of them, personally."

"Would you be comfortable telling us?" Littlemore asked.

"I…I…I don't have time for this! They're coming and I need to defend the mansion! You all need to get out of here!" he sprang to his hooves, turned around to face the stairs, and tried to charge up them but felt his cape choking around his neck. Looking back he saw that Littlemore had the end of it in his mouth and was holding firm to it. His eyes begged for Magicon to stay and the unicorn reluctantly turned around and sat down in front of them.

"We're not letting you out of our sight, Magicon. Especially when you've been through so much and are in your 'circumstances'," Littlemore stated.

"Now, what else have you done?" Garden asked, but Magicon remained silent.

Noticing this Trim said, "Take all the time you need. The longer you wait the less time you have to prepare for that mob you described."

Magicon felt an annoying guilt in his stomach and grunted. "Fine, very well. I better clear my conscience, heh, whatever's left of it, anyhow. The ponies that are after me have their own grievances against me and my actions. This may take some time, you sure you guys want to hear it?"

"Yes," they answered except for Fresh who simply stared at the unicorn with an emotionless gaze.

"Okay, well let's start with Shining Armor," he shuddered at the name and the action that he was about to describe. "Shining and I…slept together…, then I erased the incident from his memory, then I restored it and threw him in prison. That happened a few days after Luna's death and he only escaped prison a few days ago."

"Magicon, forgive me but interrupting, and I know this is personal, but, you're statement…I, mean, are you a coltcuddler?" Garden asked in a tender voice, trying to not upset the stallion.

Magicon took a few moments before answering but swallowed hard and answered. "Yes, always have been. I don't know why or how, I just am. However, that does not mean I like any of you all. You are family to me and I love you like family. But moving on, Cadance is next. I brainwashed her, then threw her in jail when she broke free, and she found out about her husband thanks to the Elements. Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty, yeah, some loyalty she possessed, was made lieutenant of the Royal Guard, but discovered too many of my secrets and I tried to torture her, but I didn't have the nerve and she escaped.

"The rest of them I had put into my new government, as you probably saw in the papers. What nopony knew was that I put them there to keep them busy and separated so they would be weakened. I should've known better. I should've realized that no matter what you do nopony can keep best friends apart. They all betrayed me and are now after me."

"What about Twilight Sparkle?" Trim asked. "Isn't she part of the Elements of Harmony?"

"Ah, yes, Miss Sparkle. Well, I wanted her to become my apprentice but she was too curious and discovered Red-Blood's book. I was afraid she knew too much and threw her in jail. She somehow managed to find her brother and escape. I had to punish the night guards for that and then punish the royal guard for a coup they launched against me led by the elements and friends. So, there you have it, my personal and dark actions as ruler in a nutshell."

He sat back against the stairs and took a few deep breaths. Nothing changed inside of him; he still felt his dark soul. He had to admit that he felt no change or repentance from his admission. He was too dark, too evil, and too determined to change.

The four of them looked at each other with astonished faces. They couldn't believe that one pony was able to do all of that and was capable of so much. They knew Magicon was busy, but they never knew he was so busy with personal stuff. They knew he wasn't exactly the best or nicest pony around, but he was by no means evil, until now. He had tried to cement his power yet his attempts to do so only led to his undoing. Now he was threatened and scared for his life and the four of them had to do something.

Speaking for them all, Littlemore stated, "Magicon…I really don't know what to say."

"There's really nothing you can say," Magicon admitted. "I never expected to tell anypony of my actions, but you guys wanted and, quite possibly, needed to know. So you see, I'm a bad pony, a very bad pony."

Fresh slid beside him and put her hoof around his shoulder. "Look Magicon, It'll take me some time to get my head around your actions and your motivations, but I have one question for you."

"What is it?"

"Are you sorry?"

"Am I what?"

"Are you sorry for what you did? Do you wish it could've never happened?"

"If you're trying to make me feel better you're not helping."

"No, and I'm not asking for your repentance or apologies, that's not my place. But I want to know if you are sorry for everything that you did. If you never killed anypony and just went on to be a normal pony, would that have been better than the fate you find yourself in now?"

Magicon paused to consider the question and rubbed his chin in contemplation. "Mmm…I can't say. It's too hypothetical of a question. To suggest I would some other type of pony would mean my mother's death never happened and my subsequent fall to Red-Blood. Fresh, I really can only answer part of that question.

"I wouldn't know where I would be if I hadn't killed my mother: maybe working in a museum somewhere. But that doesn't matter. You want to know if I'm sorry, but I really can't say I am. I…did what I had to do for Red-Blood and myself."

Fresh removed her hoof from his shoulders with a stern glance. She was unsatisfied with his answer and, though not the type to prod, felt she had to do it.

"Magicon, do you still follow Red-Blood?"

He reacted immediately with a loud voice. "Heck no! He cast me out of his book when I needed him the most! He didn't approve of me ascending the throne! He said I didn't even complete the correct missions! I went above and beyond for him and he still didn't appreciate what I did! He is no longer my teacher and I am no longer his tool and I'm quite proud of that!"

The group was surprised by Magicon's outburst and it showed on all of their faces. Fresh slid away from the stallion and they glanced at each other, unsure of what to do.

Garden took the nerve and asked, "Anything else you want us to do?"

"No…just get out of here…hide somewhere safe and don't let them find you. They'll kill you too. I would never live with myself if you died but I lived."

"Magicon, as much as our perceptions have changed of you, we're not leaving you to handle this on your own," Trim stated.

"You must or you'll be killed."

"We realize that," Littlemore stated, "But I think we all agree that your safety is the most important thing to us. If you won't let us fight them, then we can at least help prepare the mansion for their arrival."

"No, no, no! I won't let you!" Magicon boomed and rose to all four of his hooves. His horn began its magenta aurora and the pupils in his eyes disappeared, replaced by a magenta aurora as his magic overcame him and reached a level he had never achieved before.

The four of them rushed to their hooves and backed away in response, fearful that a sudden movement or word would cause him to cast a terrible spell on all of them. Trim, realizing the dangerous and unstable nature of the unicorn, stretched his wings, took off, and slowly flew towards the unicorn. Magicon saw the flying pegasus and sent a spell directly at Trim, hitting him squarely in the chest.

The pegasus screamed and collapsed to the floor. He was only a few feet above the ground, so his fall was small, but he lay on the ground twitching and barely conscious.

Fresh screamed and Garden yelled, "Trim", while Littlemore rushed to Magicon and tackled him the ground.

He looked at the angry unicorn and smacked him across the cheek. His eyes instantly returned to their normal color and he looked back at Littlemore with a horrified look. His horn stopped glowing and he rose with Littlemore at his side. They ran over towards Trim who had fallen into an unconscious state.

"Oh my Celestia!" cried Fresh.

"Look what you did!" Garden yelled at Magicon. "You may have killed him!"

"I…I had no control!" Magicon pleaded, tears immediately streaming down his face. "I didn't know what was going on! It was like the magic took control of me! Trim! Trim! Wake Up!" He shook the pegasus intensely but no response came. "No! Trim, Trim! Wake Up! You can't be dead! I can't be the pony to kill you! You can't die like this! Not now!" He collapsed beside the pegasus, wailing.

Littlemore went to his wife and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Frightened. So very frightened," she stated hurriedly.

"Can you stay here and help the two of them?"

She nodded.

"Good, I'm going to get what I can from Trim."

"No, Littlemore. I'll go, you stay."

"You sure?"

She nodded.

"Alright, do be careful."

"I will."

As she turned around to leave the group she heard Littlemore call after her.

"Yes, Littlemore?"

"Fresh, I love you."

"I love you too, Littlemore."

They gave each other a sweet kiss for a few seconds until they parted and she climbed the stairs to wherever she went to get the tools to help ailing ponies. Littlemore smiled as she climbed and when he lost sight of her he returned to the weeping unicorn, unconscious pegasus, and motionless unicorn.

He looked at Garden and whispered, "Don't be angry with Magicon. He's not all there in his head and he lost control."

"What do we do?"

"Fresh is going to work her medicinal magic on Trim. Hopefully he's not badly injured. I'm going to help Magicon and get him out of here."

The unicorn nodded and Littlemore approached the weeping stallion.

"There, there, Magicon," he patted him on the back. "It was an accident. I'm sure you didn't kill him. It's nothing Fresh can't fix."

"If…only…" he uttered through his tears and sniffles.

"If only what, Magicon?"

"If only…I was a…better pony. None of this…would've happened. We could…all be happy…and no one had…to suffer."

Littlemore fell silent, completely at a loss for words. He didn't know what to say or even how to say it, if it came to him.

He tried to piece something together, "Well…things….just, uhh…happen…and everything happens for a reason…there maybe something you…can…learn from all of this."

"Yeah…that I'm just…such a bad pony."

"That suggests something, perhaps you never wanted to be a bad pony? Perhaps you just wanted to be different, but never bad?" Garden interjected.

"How…could…I help it? I…killed my mother…when I was…a colt. I've…been on…this path…since then."

"Your mother's death may have been inevitable, but why did you adhere to your former master so much? Littlemore and Fresh remember him."

"Yes, that's true," Littlemore added. "I remember when he first brought you here, Magicon. You were young, probably just beginning your adolescent years. He said you were a new permanent resident here and I told him 'we're not in the business of taking care of orphans'. Well, he said you would be the next master of the House. Turns out he was right."

"But…what's your point?" Magicon asked.

"Well, when you were here you always wanted to be with our former master. You clung to him like he was your father or mother. Now that I know why I can't blame you, but you took everything he taught you to heart even though it conflicted with your schooling and learning from your former parents."

"Yeah, I did…but what choice…did I have? He took me in…when nopony else would… and he educated me and…made me who I am today."

"Yes, but when he died, why did you still follow his path? Why not turn away from Red-Blood with his death?"

"I guess…because Red-Blood's influence was so strong. I felt…compelled to do it. I felt like if I didn't…I would be punished somehow."

"You never trusted your master or Red-Blood to be honest and tell you the full truth," Garden stated.

"I always wondered…if they hid something from me, if they kept secrets, and was always…worried that those secrets would come back and…hurt me if I didn't do as they said."

"So fear drove you to do it."

"Yeah…I guess, subconsciously, maybe…because my motivation wasn't fear: it was malice. I wanted to do it and…was glad to do it, at the time anyway. Now, well…I don't know."

"Enough of this. It doesn't matter anyway," interjected Fresh as she clambered down the stairs carrying a bucket with all sorts of bathroom accessories. The three watched her approach the unconscious pegasus and immediately set the stuff aside and began checking Trim to make sure he was alive.

She sighed and began organizing her affects. "He's alive, thank Celestia, but he needs help. Garden, take this bucket and fill it with warm water. Littlemore, garb some pillows and blankets; make sure there are some firm ones and soft ones. Magicon, stay here. Now, go."

The two rushed off with their duties while Magicon continued to lay on the floor while Fresh sat beside him and tended to Trim.

"I'm sorry, Fresh," Magicon apologized.

Fresh paused for a moment but then resumed her work, not allowing herself to make eye contact with the unicorn.

"Are…you upset, with me?"

She paused again, but this time she set her stuff aside and looked at the unicorn. She spoke softly, yet firmly, "Magicon, you've done many bad things in your life. But you don't seem to regret them. I can't force you to change and unless you do, you are going to have problems. That being said, I will never not like you, but I will say that my perception of you has changed. I'll…never look at you the same way again."

Magicon nodded and looked back at the pegasus. "He's barely breathing," he observed. "I wish there was more I could do."

"You've done quite enough already. I don't want you using your magic on any of us. Even if it's meant to help, in your state, it will end badly."

"Yeah, but what am I to do?"

"About what?"

"I suggest lock yourself somewhere and give some serious time to think about what you've done and what kind of pony you are and who you really want to be. You may come to realize that you don't want to be the Prince of Equestria. You stated that you are free from Red-Blood. Why not restart your life and try again? Everypony deserves a second chance, even you."