//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 - Crimson Sky // Story: The Darkness among the Stars // by Haseo //------------------------------// Chapter 9 Crimson Sky The sky had turned crimson as Twilight and Soul wandered down the road to Ponyville. She walked a few steps behind Soul and observed him. “So... you and Applejack. Seemed you two get very great along. Did something special happen?” Her eyebrows twitched slightly. He wasn't really bothered. “What should have happened?” Twilight closed the distance between her and Soul. “Well, you seem to take a favour in her and you whispered something into her ear.” The black stallion had to grin, but Twilight couldn't see it. “Don't worry, everypony thinks that I'm your stallion.” Twilight stopped in her tracks and began to cough a little bit. “Don't be stupid, nopony is thinking something like that.” His grin got even wider but Twilight changed the subject. “This morning you didn't answer my question. So, what did you mean that it was completely impossible to meet you?” A short silence occurred. “It was impossible because we didn't live at the same time.” Twilight's eyes narrowed. “Soul? How old are you exactly?” They already stood in front of the library but Soul hesitated a short moment before he would answer. “Let's talk inside, I think you will want to know more than you asked for until now.” He slowly opened the wooden door and illuminated it with candles by his magic while it slowly swung open. Its hinges began to shriek loudly and the light from inside the library pushed outside. Only the dim lights were shimmering inside. Soul turned his head towards Twilight, his eyes covered in shadows. He flashed her a sinister smile, his teeth seemed to be razor sharp. She had to gulp at his appearance but didn't cringe. The shadows must be playing games with her eyes. They stepped inside the library until they reached the centre of the room. The glow faded as the door closed and now they could only see their faces in the candle light. “First, I -...” The room lit up and a pink mare jumped in front of Soul and Twilight. Music began to play, a really catchy beat. “Surprise! Welcome to Twilight-got-her-first-coltfriend-party! Well, I didn't really know if he is your first, but surely the first since you moved to Ponyville aaaaanndd I'm reaaally happy to meet him for the first time, but of course we met before but he didn't see me. I was just like 'wush' and ran past him. Oh and my name is Pinkie Pie...” The room was filled with everypony that Twilight knew. All of her friends were there. Even Applejack somehow overtook them and was here before them. The pink mare continued to talk quickly and her eyes were distracted by everything in the background, but Soul lowered his head to Twilight's level. “Is she always like that?” Twilight rolled her eyes back and stepped towards Pinkie Pie, she pointed her hoof at her chest. “Listen, we are not a couple and we will never - and I can only repeat myself - we will never be a couple!” Little tears formed in Pinkie’s eyes and her lips began to twitch, like she was gasping for air. Soul walked now past the two mares. Both of them wondered what he was up to. His head hung low and his gaze didn't meet anypony else in the room. He stopped right next to the buffet. He raised his head again and levitated the punchbowl. He threw it down his throat with one single sip. The fluid ran beneath his mouth and soaked his beard and mane. The room fell into complete silence except for the music that was playing. Everypony’s eyes were following his steps as he stepped up the wooden stairs and went to the second floor. The pink mare's mane flattened and lost its usual bouncy look. She had tears in her eyes and look sorrowfully at the ground. “Did I screw it up?” Her eyes now nearly exploding from the water pressure, but before anypony attending could answer, a voice rang from upstairs. “Hey everypony! I thought a party was about to start! But all I can hear are dead boring ponies!” The music player lit up in his sapphire blue magic aura and began to play even louder. He looked with a gleeful expression down the stairs. “Let's do this Twilight-got-a-temporal-roommate-party!” He jumped down the rest of the stairs and took a small leap to the stunned Pinkie Pie and gave her a lift. He took her hooves and swirled her around to the music. Her mane instantly became bouncy again and she squeaked with glee. Her sad frown turned into a grin that took its path through her whole face. As he released her, she still turned around in her dizziness. “Best comeback ever!” The multi-coloured wall of ponies that surrounded them began to dance as well. Laughter could be heard all over the usually quiet library. Pinkie Pie found her balance again and jumped on Soul's back and hugged him around his neck. He turned his head and nuzzled her a little bit on the cheek. “Thank you, Miss Pie. I'm really happy that you threw this party.” While they talked a little bit, Pinkie couldn't hold still. In the meantime, Twilight's friends gathered around her. The fabulous fashioner looked a little bit concerned at the dancing old stallion and hyper pink party pony. “Twilight, I think you hurt him with your outburst. It is some sort of stallion thing I presume. You stomped on his pride as a male.” The eyes of the lavender librarian narrowed and she looked for a few seconds at Rarity. “Oh you mean just LIKE YOU! You humiliated him with your little favour.” Rarity slightly blushed and look shameful away from her friends. “You're right Twilight. But shouldn’t we be worried about him? He drank the whole punch bowl before, I don't think it is healthy.” They took a better look at Soul and Pinkie. They still danced with each other and looked very happy. Both literally beamed with glee at each other and couldn't stop laughing.Twilight smiled at the picture. She could have never presumed that her unexpected guest would party like this in such a short time. “I think a stallion of his height wouldn't be affected from that low spiked drink, even in that mass.” While the two mares talked about his little alcohol abuse, they didn't notice that Applejack looked at him with a thoughtful gaze the whole time. Her eyes were filled with sadness and sorrow, her body showed less signs of her normally so self-assured and impetuous character. “Girls? What do ya know about him?” Rarity and Twilight were still fighting when Applejack asked them, they turned around with a curious expression. “Where did that question come from all of a sudden?” Applejack looked them directly into their eyes. Her sadness was still the ruling element in her eyes until they wandered back to the massive stallion. “Ah think that somehow... he has experienced very sad things in his past. He don’t like to talk about them. Maybe we should stop bugging him about that.” Rarity was the one who responded while Twilight fell into the world of her own thoughts. “Applejack? I don't know how to say it but... You see him a little bit different than we do, right?" She was startled by the awkward question from her white friend and drew small imaginary circles with her hoof on the wooden floor. Her mouth formed to an awkward looking wavy line. “It's not what you think. But it is something in his eyes that affects me.” While she talked, Rarity's gaze became accusatory, but it wandered to Applejack’s still drawing hoof. So, she didn’t bother with her unmistakable signals. “His eyes are full of sadness and sorrow. He must’ve experienced such indescribable pain. Deep within his mind is incredible hidden darkness and wrath. Buried under a thin shell, waiting to take revenge.” Small tears had formed in her eyes as she finished her last sentence. Rarity herself couldn't believe what Applejack had said while she looked at the still celebrating pony. “What are you talking about? I don’t know where something like this is coming from, especially from you, but just look at him, how happy he is. This is a horrible thought.” The farmer looked with watery eyes at Rarity and stepped next to her. Her head stood right next to Rarity's as she whispered in her ear. “Sometimes you should take a better look into somepony's eyes. There are more ponies than you could believe that are hiding something dark.” As Applejack went away to Soul, Rarity couldn't cover a small sob and a few tears. “Darling, you couldn't possibly be talking about yourself. Twilight what do you think about that?” Twilight snapped out of her thoughts and looked with sad and rueful eyes at her white friend. “Sorry, I wasn’t really paying attention, but I think she is right, we shouldn't bother him with that. If he wants to tell us about him, he will do it by himself. It is not like he is running away from us.” She looked out of the window, where the sun had finally set and only the stars illuminated the sky with their sparkling ambiance. Princess Luna had surpassed herself with the beauty of her night once more. Applejack approached Soul and looked at him with a pleading gaze. “Hey, can we talk for a minute upstairs?” He nodded slowly and took a short bow before Pinkie to thank her for the dance. He and Applejack struggled through the crowd before they reached the stairs. They left the loud party and placed themselves on Twilight's stargazing balcony. He waited until she began to speak, her voice was wavy and shaky. The uncertainty in her voice was clear. “It is about before, Ah just wanted to say… how sorry Ah feel for ya. That you lost your wife and your foal on such a horrible way. Nopony deserves something like that. Ah think ya would have been a great father. Even though Ah barely know you, but something is telling me that you're a good pony.” Small tears formed in his eyes as he slowly got closer to her, he laid his hoof upon her shoulder and whispered into her ear. “Thank you for your kind words, but I'm a horrific pony who is made from the same fabric nightmares are built. I don't deserve any happiness anymore.” Her eyes grew to the size of dishes filled with water. She was frozen at the spot by his words, small tears ran down her cheek. “That is not true!” Her voice cracked at every single word. They got distracted enough that they seemingly didn't notice their eavesdropper at the balcony door. She peeked through the gap between the doors and could see the two shadows of them. They were entwined like a pair of roses that grew around a pillar, like a loving embrace. But in reality, they were sitting apart from one another." The blue pegasus listener couldn't believe what she saw. She was filled with rage how the old bloke seemed to touch her friend. She wanted to dash forward to knock him down but something held her back. Soul pushed himself away from Applejack and looked into her eyes. “Thank you for caring about me, but please stop. I couldn't cope with the loss of one more. I know that you wanted to tell me about your parents but I think we should talk another day. Today we both should have fun. Go downstairs I will follow you soon.” Applejack poked him against his shoulder and left the balcony through the door. A few seconds passed. As soon as he was sure that the farmer pony was gone, he spoke up again. “Did you really think I wouldn't notice you?” An athletic pegasus mare dropped slowly from the ceiling behind the doors. Her multi-coloured mane came into view and she carefully hovered to the massive stallion. “My name is Rainbow Dash! I'm Equestria’s fastest flier, but more importantly the best friend of AJ! You surely have already heard about me.” His mouth stood agape as he could see her fully. “You have the same eyes and mane as her … unbelievable.” Rainbow looked at him like he was some sort of alien. “What are you blabbering at?” Soul shook his head rapidly to clear his mind. “You just reminded me of somepony...” She rolled her eyes back and rose higher in the air. “You! Listen! How dare you touch Applejack like this! Your filly-friend left you and now you're flirting with a mare that is at least fifty years younger than you?” She was now on a roll, she didn't notice the drilling gaze of the older stallion. She didn't realize that she was tempting the beast caged inside of him, but he just stood there and watched her as she flounced through the air and waved her mane back and forth. “Oh I know! She left you because you flirt with younger ones! That is the reason she took your foal away from you. You're a pervert!" Soul could only hardly hold himself back, his eyes were filled with anger and wrath, but Rainbow wouldn't stop. “You know what? You deserved every single thing that has happened to you!” The fuse inside the mind of the usual collected and calm stallion finally snapped. A burning flame shot right next to Rainbow Dash's neck and hit the railing behind her, leaving the wooden border in ashes. “I demand you to leave now. The first strike was a warning, the second will find its destination.” The intent to kill rose in his eyes, but the proud stubborn pegasus didn't budge. “Your ex-fillyfriend did great to leave such a violent and reckless thug!” His eyes shot wide open, the muscles in his body began to tense up. He leaped towards the hovering mare but missed her as Rainbow flew quickly high in the air.  “Ha! Here in the air you can’t possibly...” The words got stuck in her throat as she looked down and couldn't find her hunter. She searched for him around the library until a massive shock wave hit her. She began to stagger. Her expression quickly changed from fearless and brave to afraid and cowardly. Rainbow fell down, back first. As she opened her eyes mid-air, she saw him up in the air. He stood right in front of the moon. Out of his back stretched two massive wings made of black fire that radiated the whole sky. “Brace yourself, sinner. The wrath of the stars will fall upon you.” The sky above Ponyville had become crimson again, illuminated in the colour of blood shinning from his artificial wings.