//------------------------------// // Chapter 24 // Story: The Darkness in our Souls // by Black Light //------------------------------// Chapter 24 I was flying towards Canterlot as fast as I could. Not because I was running away for anything or because I was in a hurry to get to my father. It was because on my way out of town Fluttershy saw me flying out and I’m sure she is bound to tell the rest of the girls. I looked up towards Canterlot seeing the moon start to rise behind it. It didn’t take long for me to reach the gates. I flew low through the gates surprising some of the guards there, but I didn’t wait to see what they did. I continued to fly towards the castle. I felt the darkness in my head he wanted to get to my father and punish him for putting Skies in danger like he did. I quickly got to the castle and switched to running as I approached the door to the castle. I ran through the door once again surprising the guards standing there and turned my attention towards the throne room. I saw that both princesses were sitting there Celestia looked slightly surprised, but Luna looked like she had expected me. I guess her guard had told her about me coming to Canterlot. I looked at Luna, “Take me to him.” Was all I said and Luna nodded and started walking towards a door on the side of the room, and I followed her there. “What are you talking about. Where are you two going?” Celestia asked. I turned to her “I have some family business to take care of.” I walked into the door and turned towards Luna. “I think I would prefer to do this alone.” She started to say something to argue but decided against it and let me go down by myself. The door shut behind me and I started walking. Knowing the girls they’ll probably be here in a few minutes, so I will have to do what I need to do quickly. I turned a corner and started walking down a hallway with cells on both sides of the walls. I lit my horn with magic so I could see better. I turned my head side to side looking into all the cells. Most were empty but a few had a pony here or there. Then I came to his cell. I looked into it and saw him with a grin on his face. “Oh so you finally came to visit me.” He said. “You know why I’m really here. You told those griffins what I could do fully aware of what they would do.” “Yes, yes I did, but you know what I don’t regret anything. I’ve already seen my fear and I know that’s all you can do to me, so I have nothing left to fear from you. So now I want you to suffer. You finally found a place that you can stay at, but now that I’ve told the griffins, you’re going to be hunted again. You will have to lose everything and start running again.” He said. “You’re wrong about at least one thing. You only saw what the darkness can do. You haven’t seen what I can do to you. You should still fear me. I’ve seen more fear than you can imagine. I’ve seen so much torture. I know many different ways to make you suffer.” I said. I saw my father’s eyes go wide. He had seen his own fear, but he wasn’t prepared to see the fear of others. I turned around and started to walk away. “You have yet to see true fear, but don’t worry I’ll make sure you get to see it soon.” And I walked back down the hallway towards the door. I opened the door and walked back into the throne room just in time to see the Skies and the girls run through the door. When they saw me they quickly ran up to me and started talking all at once. I couldn’t understand a word they were saying so I held up my hoof. “Okay one pony at a time, Twilight go.” I said pointing my hoof at her. “We talked to the guard at your house. He said you were coming here because of your father. We wanted to make sure you didn’t do anything to drastic.” Twilight said. “Yes I came to see my father because of what he did, and I already did to him what I was planning on doing.” I said. “What did you do?” Rainbow asked. “Absolutely nothing.” I said smiling. The girls seemed lost as they tried to understand my action. “All I did was talk to him and made him believe that I was going to try and get revenge on him. Because I didn’t do anything now, he assumes that I will do something later, and he has no idea what I was going to do to him. That leaves it to his imagination. The greatest known fear is actually the fear of the unknown. I’ve already done everything that I’m going to do to him. The only thing that’s left is how much he lets it get to him.” The girls had listened to me talk each with different expressions. I felt the pounding in my head start and I moved my hoof to my head. “I have to go now. I’ll be back at Ponyville later.” And with that I teleported out of the castle, I felt my hooves touch grass and I looked around. I was at the base of the mountain below Canterlot. I looked around and saw a small hill with a tree on it. I grimaced as I saw that tree, it was deformed and had branches sprouting off in different directions, all devoid of leaves. I remembered this tree it wasn’t much smaller when I had my first encounter with it. It was the tree I had crashed into when I first preformed the Sonic Eclipse, this was the first thing that was destroyed by me. I walked over to the tree and sat down looking up between the different branches that were cracked and bent. Then my right eye blacked over and I couldn’t see anything out of it. In fact, I couldn’t do anything with the right side of my body. “The first thing that we destroyed. This tree is a milestone to the beginning of our journey I believe.” I heard the voice it was my own but it wasn’t. The darkness was talking through me again. “Can I ask you some questions?” I asked the darkness. “I don’t see why not, but I don’t know much more than what you know yourself.” The darkness responded. “Why don’t you talk like this all the time?” “I believe that is has something to do with us sharing this body at the same time. I think that when I only take over half some of your personality bleeds over to me. That is why I can only talk when we share the control.” The darkness answered. “Alright, so why do you want to destroy everything?” “Because, destruction and pain are all I have ever known, I want everypony to feel this as well.” “But why? Why not just try to make friends and control the power. You’ve done it before all the time with Skies.” “Because it will never make up for the suffering I have felt before. Even before you discovered the darkness inside I was still there. I wasn’t strong enough to do anything except feel the fear of others.” “Why did this have to happen to me? Of all the rotten luck.” “You think that it was luck that I became part of you.” The darkness let out a laugh. “It wasn’t an accident that we are one you know. This was all planed out from the very beginning.” “What do you mean?” I asked. “Oh, I’ve already told you too much. Maybe someday you’ll figure it out on your own, but then again maybe you will never find out the truth.” The darkness said as I started to feel the presence fade. “NO! Wait! Tell me, what do you mean!? Who planned this!?” I yelled at the darkness but he was already gone. I stood up and punched the tree behind me. ‘What did he mean that this was all planned?’ I stood there with my head against the tree trying to understand for a good while longer. Eventually I gave up and I looked towards the sky and saw the stars above me. I turned my head and looked in the direction of Ponyville. “Sorry girls, I’m going to be a bit later than I thought. I’ve got some questions that need answering and I’m not going to find them in Ponyville.” I said out loud knowing that my words wouldn’t reach them, but hoping that it would help me. I turned my attention towards the castle on the mountain above me. I started flying up towards the building that was the home of the royal sisters. I made it to the front and walked inside. I looked up and saw the princesses. They seemed surprised to see that I was still here so I broke the silence. “I’m sorry to disturb you princesses, but it seems that I am in need of some information. I was hoping you would allow me the use of the Canterlot Archives to find the information I need.” The princesses looked at each other then back to me and nodded. “Thank you.” I said turning around and heading in the direction of the Archives. This was going to be a long night.