“Get back. Get away from me, damn you.”
Twilight ran down a twisted corridor. The walls were aged with mold and were dry and cracked. A sheen of sweat coated her face, and a look of anger and determination clouded her features.
“How many times do I have to kill you!?” she screamed behind her.
She galloped around a corner and continued running. A voice called out from behind her.
“You can't keep running from me, Twilight! I'll eventually win this fight.”
Twilight snorted and kept running. “Bullshit. I've done it for years, and I'll keep doing it. You hear me? I'll. Never. Stop.”
Her pursuer simply giggled. “You say that, but when you are at your weakest, I will take you, Twilight Sparkle, and nothing will stop me. I almost won after your little fight with Render, yet somehow, you managed to hold on to your sanity. Not for long...”
Twilight kept running, not turning back to retort. She heard the clopping of hooves and looked next to her.
Running next to her was a replica of herself. Her mane and tail were disheveled and looked like they had been cut by a foal with scissors. Her expression was twisted into a smile, though not one that showed happiness or laughter. It was a permanent smile that showed insanity and hate
“I'll just take your body now.”
Twilight screeched to halt and ran down another corridor. “Like hell you will,” she called back as her copy missed the change. As she galloped, she reached a hoof into her saddlebag and pulled out a spike with words from another language engraved on it.
She began chanting as she ran:
“Bavanneer chattis jangir aagyavetal masna veerll
Bavanneer chattis jangir aagyavetal masna veerll
Khaata bol tyacha jeev baandhul
Maar tyacha haat baandhul”
“NOT THIS TIME,” Twilight's copy screamed from behind her.
Twilight turned her head slightly and saw the evil thing running straight at her. Its head bent sideways so far it looked as though its neck would snap.
“Pahil tyache doole baandhu, baandhu nau nadi baandhu, bahattar koti baandhu, baandhu ne-baandhull
Karl Bhairavachi aan, guruchi aan, maazhi aan, guruki shapath, meri magat furo mantra ishwari vaachal”
“NOOOOO,” the copy screamed as it jumped at her. Twilight whipped around and struck the creature in the neck with the spike. It dug in and left a gaping hole in its neck.
“Aree aree Hanuman, tum bade bemanl
Hum thumare paavpar bahattar rog dur karl
Ne kar tyala l-”
Instead of crying out in pain, the creature's smile seemed to grow even larger. “Clever pony thinks she can kill me?”
“Ram Laxman ki gwahi l”
The creature's body slumped onto the ground, blood pouring from its neck. “Oh well,” it rasped. “Next time,” it said before winking to Twilight.
“Gorakh Macchindra ki gwahil!”
As Twilight finished the chant, she stabbed the spike into the head of the copy. It winked at her one more time before its body melted into black and the world blasted apart.
=
“Excuse me, but could at least tell me who you are?”
Luna looked down on the golden unicorn before her, a look of cautious curiosity on her face.
The unicorn only smiled. “You heard Inquio. My name is Benevolentia, but you may call me Dawn.”
The princess gave her a stern look. “I know your name, but who ARE you?”
Dawn looked at the princess with an unimpressed look. “Hmm. Impatient, are we? I am one of six, but I don't think that will satisfy the question. Come with me.” She turned and walked up to the door to Inquio's room. Luna followed her as she walked up to the old and broken door.
Dawn turned a long bolt and faced Luna. “Welcome to the mind of Twilight Sparkle.”
From a presentation like that, Luna expected a grand room with ornate decorations. Luna was left disappointed.
While the room was large, it was rather plain. The room was a dome. It was at least 50 feet tall and 100 feet long. The walls were pure white, and the room was bright, but Luna couldn't find the source of light. A few feet away from the door were couches and chairs with two mares reclining on them reading books.
The mares, Luna supposed, were similar to what Twilight Sparkle looked like now. They were both lavender and similar in height, but that’s where the similarities stopped.
One mare was lying on the couch, a fierce look in her eyes. Her mane and tail were cut long and sharp. Her legs, chest and even her face were marked with black tattoos that looked to be runes or markings. Her eyelashes, long and curved in a manner that expressed beauty and intimidation.
The other mare was much plainer, except her mane and tail were much longer. Her eyelashes were long and curved, and she had the look of one who would seduce anypony they saw.
As Luna and Dawn approached, the mares seemed not to notice them. Dawn stood for a moment before clearing her throat. The mares turned their heads away from their books and immediately focused their vision on Luna.
“Princess. Allow me to introduce you to Judicium,” she said while motioning with her hoof to the tattooed mare, “and." indicating with her other hoof to the long haired mare. "Vindicta."
“...Judgment and Vengeance,” Luna stated to the mares before her. “That's it, isn't it? You all represent something in Twilight.”
She turned to face Dawn. “Benevolentia is another word for Kindness.”
She turned to Judicium. “You represent Judgment. You see the ponies she interacts with, and you decide what should happen to them.”
“And you,” she turned to Vindicta. “Your name is self-explanatory. You take revenge on those who have done you wrong.”
Vindicta just smiled. Her smile seemed more seductive than happy. “The Lunar Princess knows well,” she complimented Luna. Her voice was high but controlled and sickly sweet. “She's much smarter than she looks.”
Luna replied only by glaring at the offending pony. “I think I've seen enough.”
“HEY!” a voice called out. Luna looked across the dome to see a door explode open. As it opened, flames shot out from within it. In a moment, a blazing blur shot out from the opening. It sped across the room and stopped just a few feet from Luna, causing Luna to stumble backwards a few steps, a look of shock and bewilderment covering her features.
Standing before her was a pure white unicorn with a mane and tail that seemed to be made of pure fire. Her eyes glowed cherry red and seemed to radiate heat themselves. She stared at Luna with a look of hate and disgust.
“YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY THAT!”
Her voice was deep and loud, like she didn't know how to speak without shouting.
“You and that bitch Celestia gave up on Twilight, and you've seen enough!? You have no idea what it is like for her.”
“Saevio!” Dawn screamed. “What are you--”
“Shut up, Dawn. You know I'm right.”
“I agree with Dawn, Saevio,” Judicium replied, her lip curling in disbelief and disgust. “This is taking things too far. Return to your chambers THIS INSTANT.”
“What’s wrong?” she sneered at Judicium. “Are you upset that I'm taking your job? Whatever. Defend her if you want, but you know I spoke the truth.”
She turned briskly and walked away, returning to her room. Dawn, Vindicta, and Judicium turned to Luna with pained expressions. Luna had a shaky hoof covering her mouth. Her eyes were tearing up. When she met the gazes of the other mares, she closed her eyes and turned her head to the side, small tears leaking out from underneath her eyelids.
The four remained in silence for a few minutes before Dawn finally spoke, “That...that would be Saevio. Twilight's rage.”
Luna had mostly recovered from her shock, and took a deep breath. “I see,” she croaked.
Judicium cleared her throat. “Princess... Do not take her words to heart. You may not approve of me, but I judge all. You have no reason to be sad. You tried to help Twilight, and even though you lost hope as well, you have no need to feel that sorrow. I could tell you wanted to heal her, but you could not. That is not your fault.”
Luna turned to Judicium but said nothing. The smile she gave her said enough.
“Princess,” Dawn inquired. “I fear you should leave soon. I only showed you all of this because I felt that you should know what you are up against. If Twilight finds out, it won’t go over well with her, and Saevio's little outburst may have alerted her. She might be here soon.”
Luna nodded. “Very well. I thank you for your kindness, but I have one last question. Earlier you said there were 6 of you, but I've only seen 5. You, Saevio, Judicium, Inquio, and Vindicta. Who is the sixth?”
The three mares drew sharp breaths. Judicium and Vindicta turned to Dawn. Vindicta spoke first, all sense of seduction and playfulness gone, “D-Dawn?”
Dawn stared at the ground uneasily. She took a deep breath and gulped. “T-There... is another...”
“Dawn...” Judicium called in a warning voice.
“The darker part of Twilight's soul and mind...”
“Benevolentia...” Judicium called, louder this time, and more forcefully.
“The one that exists in the farthest point of Twilight's mind.”
The door to Saevio's room flew open yet again, but this time, Saevio simply stood in the door frame. Instead of hate and rage, her emotions showed panic and intense fear.
“DAWN,” she screamed
Dawn's voice was but a whisper now. Luna strained to hear the final word she spoke.
“...Dementis...”
Suddenly, a dark chuckle filled the air. “Aw. Did somebody call me? What a surprise. No one ever does.”
Luna took a step back. She once knew a voice like that. Darkness flowed through its words, trying to corrupt the minds of those who heard it speak. “Insanity…” She muttered.
Saevio fled back into her room.
The voice laughed again. “I see. The night princess herself is here. Hmm, and to what do we owe this great honor? Do you know my voice, princess? Can you feel the power beneath my words? Of course you can. You've experienced it before.”
A cloud of black smoke began forming in front of the four mares. As it formed, it changed color. Its legs and body were lavender; however, its mane and tail were pitch black. The creature’s head hung, so none of the four could see its face.
The creature chuckled again. “You, my princess... heh heh heh... you have experienced... the NIGHTMARE.”
The creature lifted its head to reveal solid black eyes. Its head cocked to the side so far it looked as if the neck would snap. Its face was a mess of cuts and scars, and an insane smile stretched across it.
“Feed me, princess. Let me taste your magic.”
Luna sneered and fired a magic blast at the creature. It struck the creature in the chest, knocking its breath from it. Its mouth hung open for a moment before turning into a wide smile. The black orb of magic began spreading across the creature. “Yes...Yes... More, night princess. Give me more.”
A stream of magic began pulling from Luna's horn. She fought to stop it, but she couldn't fight against the insane being before her.
The creature just smiled as it absorbed more and more magic. “Excellent. I can feel the-”
The creature's head suddenly whipped back, and the creature gave a strangled gasp. “No. Not now. Please...let me have more.” It faced the four mares again, with giant spike protruding from its forehead. It's smile, now a grimace.
Two more spikes shot out from behind the four mares, striking the monster in the chest. Blood did not flow from the wounds; instead, black smoke and Luna's magic poured out. The stolen magic returned to Luna, spreading through her.
Luna and the others turned to see somepony they never expected: Twilight Sparkle. She wore a cloak, and four spikes, similar to the ones sticking out of Dementis, were held in her magic. Her mouth was moving, speaking magical words. She glared at the creature floating in front of her so intensely that it made Saevio look like a puppy.
“Gorakh Macchindra ki gwahil!”
The creature screamed before blasting apart into nothing. She returned the spikes underneath her cloak. She gave a disapproving look to where Dementis had been.
“I thought I told you to never speak that name.”
Dawn bowed her head in shame. “I am sorry, master. Please forgive me.”
Twilight simply narrowed her eyes, still staring at the air. “I'll deal with you later. However…”
She turned to face Luna. “You do not belong here.” Her horn began glowing and her lip curled in disgust.
Luna's face grew stern. “Twilight! Stop-”
“Be silent!” she commanded the princess. “And get out of my head.”
She fired a blast at the lunar princess, banishing her from Twilight's mind.
Note. Dementis should look something like this, but with a black mane and wider smile: Dementis
And Judicum like this, but without leg nets. Warning. The image is slightly R34ish. Only one I could find. Judicium
