//------------------------------// // Hope Lost, Hope Found // Story: Dusk Dawns // by AlphatheGriffin17 //------------------------------// Twilight was frozen in shock. Every part of her screamed at her to act, to try something, anything that might get her out of this, to help her friends. But she couldn't think, her mind was a complete blank, held in terror by the travesty of a pony that stood and laughed before her, his army of mindless slaves screeching along with him. How could she, when it might mean hurting the one she cared for the most? The others too seemed just as at a loss for what to do as she was. Some of them, like Spike, Pinkie and Fluttershy cowered away from the horde that encircled them. Others, like Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity and Ray, would step forward, but then retreat again, in two minds to whether they should attack or not. They needed direction of some kind, leadership, which she knew she was the only one to provide it. But no matter what, she just couldn't think of anything, to the point where she just wanted to break down and cry. What were you supposed to do in this situation? Surrounded by the ponies who were your neighbours, your friends, now out for your blood and led by a pony who she had spent every waking moment in happiness and caring, now wanting nothing more but to watch her suffer. What could she do? What could any of them do? In the end, that question was answered for her. Just as they started to close in, when she felt like this was truly the end, a bright flash appeared above them. The fierce glare of this light drove them back, stunned them temporarily, enough for the one who conjured it to descend into the middle of their group. "Stay close to us, everypony!" Out of impulse, Twilight did as she was commanded. At first, all she could see was Doom, glaring at her with the intensity of a thousand dying suns. Suddenly, the sensation of a teleportation spell hit her, but one more powerful than any she had ever cast. Next, she saw bright white marble, polished golden stones, a long bright red carpet across a tiled floor and knew where they were. They had been brought to the Canterlot throne room. Which confirmed the identity of their saviour, who was folding away her wings and gazing around at them all with concern and worry. "Princess Luna!" She hurried up to the princess and despite herself, threw her hooves around her in a hug. "Thank you so much!" "Ah… Twilight Sparkle." An awkward tone was in her voice and she patted her on the back a few times. "It was our… my pleasure." She suddenly realised what she was doing and pulled back. "Oh… sorry…" "Fret not, young filly. No doubt you could use some comfort, after what you have been through," she replied with understanding. "How fares your friends?" She looked around at the group. The majority were all staggering around, trying to recover from the unusual sensation teleportation brought, all with the exception of Ray, who was helping Fluttershy and Pinkie, who was calming down the Cake's foals. "Apart from about ta lose ma breakfast, ah'll be fine," groaned Applejack. "Shh, shh, it's okay babies, it's okay," soothed Pinkie, rocking them in her forelegs. "We're safe now, just a little bumpy ride, but we're okay." Luna looked shocked. "I did not know you were with children, Pinkamena." "They're not mine, they're the Cakes. I rescued them after… after their parents went crazy." Something very rare for Pinkie happened, a slight break in her voice. "A noble effort you have made then, to ensure their wellbeing." She summoned a nearby guard. "Take Miss Pie to Princess Cadence. She can assist you in taking care of them, then return here when all is well. There is much we must discuss." "But I…" She no doubt had reservations about leaving her employer's with a stranger, even if she was a princess. The look on Luna's face prevented her from arguing back. "Thank you, princess." A little reluctantly, she left with the guard. With the rarely heard sadness in her voice creeping in combined with her departure, Twilight began to feel a little hopeless again, as the Element of Laughter left them. Rainbow broke the silence in her departure. "Thanks for the save there, princess. How did you know we were in trouble?" "I was-" "Luna!" A little hope rekindled in Twilight with the arrival of the eldest of the sisters. "What's going on here? I saw you flying off to Ponyville in quite a hurry. Why are Twilight and her friends here? What's happened?" "I apologise for the abrupt departure, dear sister," replied Luna. "I had some strong suspicions that I needed to confirm." Realisation dawned on her teacher's face. "Is this to do with the fact you couldn't enter Dusk's dreams last night?" "Indeed and it is my sad duty to bring the dire news, confirmation of what I had feared. Blackhole Doom has returned." A little of their safety was shattered at these words. Shock now appeared on Celestia's features, as did a little fear. "How can that be possible?" she gasped. "I thought he had been vanquished, along with his master." "It would seem that we have been proven otherwise," said Luna grimly. "He has turned all of Ponyville into feral beasts under his control. I just arrived to find them all cornered and brought them here for their own safety." Celestia looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded. "You acted well, my sister. I would have done the same. I am glad to see that you're all safe." "We are too, princess." Twilight felt a little more security under the benevolence of the Sun princess's radiant smile. "I'm sorry, I've been keeping quiet for now, but now I just gotta ask… does everypony realise that we are with not one, but both rulers of Equestria?!" Ray asked incredulously. "Seriously, am I the only one who's noticed this?" "Who is this stallion?" Luna now turned her attention to him, looking sceptical. "His face and form are not known to me." "I… she… me… how…?" For once, Ray's confidence failed him, held completely awestruck at being in the presence of royalty. "You should see the look on your face." Laughing a little, Rainbow saved him from his trouble. "This wide-eyed guy is Ray Strike, a friend of Dusk's and, by extension, a friend of ours." Twilight noticed Celestia's eyes widen a little when she heard Ray's name, along with a slight flash of something in them, most closely akin to… she couldn't put her hoof on it, but it vanished just as quickly as it arrived, replaced by a welcoming smile. This was matched by Luna, though she seemed to be more genuine. "Ah yes, I recall now. My student mentioned him in a few of our lessons." Rarity stepped in too. "He might not look like the most kempt and refined of ponies, but his heart is in the right place and he is as much our friend as Dusk is." "I like him, if anypony wants to know…" Fluttershy blushed in her cheeks again. "He was really brave back in Ponyville… he protected me…" Luna stepped forward and held out a hoof. "It is good to meet you in person, Ray Strike. Dusk also speaks well of you, as they do, so we see no reason not to hold you in the same regard." "I… I… thank you, Y-your Highness," he stuttered, staring at her hoof for a while before he actually shook it. "Wait so, hold on… you know the princesses? Dusk too? I mean… what did you say? Student? Lessons? What?!" "Apparently, Dusk has not informed you of a few things. Just like him, I suppose…" A shadow of sadness descended on Luna's face when she talked about him. "Yeah, hold on a minute," Spike said. "Where is Dusk anyway? Why didn't we go and get him too?" "I told you, Spike. When I arrived at his home, Doom was there waiting for me," reiterated Rarity. "So? He could have been held prisoner there or something," insisted Spike. "We still could have tried to save him too, right Twilight?" She felt her insides turn cold when all eyes turned to her. "I… well, I suppose we…" "Poor fella, ah hope he's okay," Applejack sighed. "He's stuck there, in a whole town gone crazy an' we didn't have the time ta save him." "Who says we still don't?" Rainbow challenged. "I say we get back in there and pull his flank outta the fire before it's too late!" "Big brother…" Fluttershy's face was a visage of terror. "You think he'll be okay?" "I dread to think of what Doom might be doing to him," shuddered Rarity. "You can hear the loathing in his voice whenever he speaks of him. I just hope that we can still-" "STOP IT!" All of them turned to Twilight, whose tears were now flowing down her cheeks. "All of you! Just… don't!" Not able to face them, now fully realising the implications of what had just happened, Twilight turned and ran out of the throne room, her sobs echoing through the halls, drowning out the calls of her friends. "Twilight, come back!" Rainbow called, stopping halfway to the door that the unicorn had just run through. "Hey, wait up!" Spike ran after her too, but he completed the journey. In that moment of indecisiveness, she heard the sound of a teleporting spell in the hall and knew that there would be no way she'd be able to catch up with her now. Not without figuring out where she'd teleported to and that could be anywhere. "What got into her?" she wondered aloud. "It's obvious, isn't it?" Rarity said. "The poor dear must be feeling the worst about leaving Dusk behind. I don't blame her in the slightest." "Oh my… should we go after her?" asked Fluttershy. Celestia stepped in. "I'll see to Twilight. Luna, you stay here and explain the situation to them. They need to know what's at stake here." "Are you sure, sister?" the younger asked. "Am I the best one to tell them?" "Dusk is your student and shares this connection with you. Out of us, I think he would have preferred it that you were to explain it." "Explain what?" demanded Rainbow. "No disrespect, but what the hay is going on here?" "Luna will explain everything, Rainbow Dash," placated Celestia. "As I said, she's the best one to do so. Now, I must take after my student. I have a strong suspicion where she's gone." Her gaze lingered for a moment on Ray again, as it had before and she left them there in the throne room with the Night Princess, who seemed indecisive about what to do next. Ray saved her a bit of trouble by asking something else. "Why exactly is the Princess of the Sun going to comfort Twilight? Am I missing something here?" "Apparently so." Luna turned to him. "As Dusk is my student in magic, so Twilight is my sister's. How do you think it is that her special talent is magic?" "I'll be honest, I never really thought about that. I just thought she was gifted," he shrugged. "Dusk too, huh? And… you all know the princesses because of that? Which is pretty impressive, by the way." "Yeah, that and being the Elements of Harmony helps a bit," put in Rainbow. Confusion came over his face again. "Elements of what now?" "Oh, come now darling, surely you must know about the Elements of Harmony." He met Rarity's face with a blank look. "Nightmare Moon? The seven Elements? The magic of friendship?" "Are you making this up?" he asked bluntly. "Ya really don't know 'bout the Elements-a Harmony?" asked Applejack disbelievingly. "Not in the slightest. Nightmare Moon does ring a bell, sort of, but the rest of it? I got nothin'," he shrugged. "It is not important right now," cut in Luna. "Let us just say for now that they are objects of intense magical power and leave it at that." "Intense power?" He seemed to perk up at that. "Well, that's great! We could beat Doom with those, provided that you're not all messing with me." "We're not and no, we can't use them," Rainbow said. "All seven of us need to be here and, in case you hadn't noticed, we're missing somepony." "Well then, like you said, let's go and rescue him!" he suggested. "We'd just need to get him back and use these element thingies on Doom, no problem." "Yeah, like I said," she nodded, slamming one hoof into the other. "I never got to have a go at that jerk the first time around. Now, I can make up for lost time." "I am afraid that will also not be possible, considering Dusk's current… state." They all heard the tone of regret in Luna's voice. "Um… princess?" Fluttershy was the one who spoke up. "Do you… know what's happened to Dusk? Is it… bad?" Luna was silent for a bit before answering. "Most regrettably, yes, it is. But you should all know… you already saw what happened." "Why? Is he one of those zombie things?" Ray asked. "I didn't see him in the crowd." She spoke the next words with much deliberation and weight. "No… but he is the one who's leading them." Rainbow blinked and shook her head, sure that she had misheard her, because she could only mean one thing by that… "What do you mean by…?" Rarity's eyes widened in realisation. "Are you telling us, princess, that Blackhole Doom is… is…" "Yes, Rarity. Blackhole Doom and Dusk Noir are one and the same." The silence was so evident in the wake of this statement, you could hear a pin drop. It was horrible. Nopony moved, nopony spoke, but it was clear what they were all thinking. All of them were shocked at this news, but clearly unsure or even unwilling to voice their thoughts, from the sheer power of this revelation. Rainbow was no different, already feeling a mix of feelings rise up like bile in her throat. Shock at first, then disbelief, followed most prominently by anger, bubbling inside her like boiling lava. She didn't even really know why she was angry, all she got was the strong urge to punch something, or somepony, very hard, which she had a monumental struggle to keep under control. Again, Ray was the one who broke the silence. "What? Dusk… and Doom? How is that even possible? What the heck did he do to bring that about?" Apparently thankful to answer this question, Luna took it. "Do you recall a series of strange events that happened some months ago?" "Yeah, things were going a little crazy where I was at," he nodded. "Candy clouds, chocolate rain… it wasn't so bad, but I heard some places had it worse." Luna confirmed this, explaining to him what had happened when Discord had returned, Ponyville being the most affected area by the spirit's chaos. When she moved on to the part about the girls all being corrupted by Discord's power, she elaborated further that Discord had taken Dusk's fear of having a possible dark side and made it reality, transforming him into the monster that was now attacking their home. It made a little more sense for Rainbow picturing that, for they'd all acted a little nuts when Discord had used his power on them, but becoming a whole other pony, turning on his friends and hurting them, like they'd told her about… Rainbow still felt very angry, but mostly confused as to why… and a little bit of betrayal. It was probably because of this that Luna left to give them some time to acclimatise to this news, leaving the five of them alone in the throne room. The echo of the door closing seemed even louder in the wake of the silence. This time, somepony other than Ray broke the silence. "So… Dusk is Doom. That would explain why he was at his home." This, and the fact the princess was no longer present, pushed Rainbow to scream in rage and slam a hoof into the ground. "Rainbow, I think it would be best if we all remain-" "How could he do this to us?!" she screamed. "All the things we shared with him, did with him and he never told us, not even once, about any of THIS?!" "Ah gotta be honest here, ah can see where she's comin' from," put in Applejack, a serious look on her face. "Ah know all about tryin' ta keep somethin' big from yer friends an' ah know that it don't exactly turn out well." "Now, now, girls," Rarity said, "I'm sure he had his reasons…" "Yeah, well he never told them to us!" snapped Rainbow. "We could have helped him in some way or prepared if it looked like he was gonna come back!" "Again, she kinda has a point," agreed Applejack. "We weren't in the know 'bout this when we shoulda been. Heck, we coulda even stopped it while we had the chance." "But we didn't and now Doom is wrecking up out town, turning our friends against us and it's all Dusk's fault," growled Rainbow. "I can't believe what I'm hearing!" gasped Rarity. "Honestly, how could he even have begun to have told us about something like this?" "Oh come on, I would have!" "Oh really, Rainbow?" Rarity stepped forward in challenge. "If you had a darker side, one that was perfectly willing to hurt your friends and has done, while you had to live with what they have done, knowing you had absolutely no control, no way of stopping them… would you be so eager as to tell us?" "No! I mean, yes, I mean… whatever!" Rainbow hated losing, even in arguments, made only worse because of her mixed up feelings. "That kind of thing wouldn't exactly be easy to tell, even if it was to your friends," Ray agreed, standing next to Rarity. Rainbow stared at him. "Come on, Ray! You can't seriously be on her side for this!" "I'm just saying what I think and I understand why Dusk would have kept this secret from you all," he said in response. "Applejack, back me up here!" "Part-a fixin' a problem is tellin' yer friends about it an' lettin' them help ya out," the farm pony said factually. "Dusk coulda tried ta talk ta us about it an' we coulda helped him along with whatever he had goin' on in his head. This ain't the firs' time he's done somethin' like this neither." "Exactly. He's tried to fix stuff on his own before or kept quiet about something 'cause he doesn't wanna bother us with it," added Rainbow. "Only this time, we're all paying for it." "Fluttershy, you haven't said much on what you think of this," Rarity stated. "Yeah, whose side are you on here, Fluttershy?" challenged Rainbow. The timid Pegasus, who looked as if she'd been shivering silently in fear for a while, jumped at being addressed, hiding behind the locks of her mane. "I um… I… really don't want to upset anypony…" she stammered. "That ain't what this about, sugarcube," reminded Applejack. "We wanna know about what ya think about Dusk keepin' this whole thing under wraps fer so long." "Well… I… I think… I…" "You would surely see from his way, dear. He is like your brother, after all," noted Rarity. "Yeah, a brother that would have told his new pets to tear her head off," retorted Rainbow. "Rainbow, don't say things like that!" shot Ray. "It's the truth, though," said Applejack. "He weren't exactly discriminatin' 'bout who he was goin' for an' it coulda easily been her, if ya hadn't been there ta protect her." "But I was there, so what does it matter?" "What matters is that she could have been killed!" "That is hardly the point here!" shouted Rarity. "I don't know!" Fluttershy was on the verge of tears now, a few already trickling down her cheeks. "I don't know what I think! I know I'm scared of… of him and maybe… Dusk should have told us, but he didn't. I just… I want to know… I mean…" "Know what?" Ray asked gently. "Know… why we're all fighting about it." It was amazing how the quietest of them had silenced them so easily. "We're all just fighting and yelling and being mean to each other about this, but why aren't we doing something to help Dusk? We know now, so why don't we?" After a lengthy period of no answer to this question, Applejack had one. "Ah… can see what yer sayin'. But that's what's got us worried. Dusk coulda told us and we coulda helped, but he didn't. None-a us knew." "I did." They all whirled around at Pinkie's voice, quiet forgetting that she was here. Shock hit Rainbow again from this news, as it did with all of them. "Pinkie… what… you…?" "You gotta work on finishing your sentences, Dashie," she said brightly. "The babies are sleeping like… well, babies now. That Princess Cadence was really good with them, told me she would keep an eye on them, but I suggested both since there are two of them and I was coming back to see what was happening. Did I miss much?" "Pinkie, darling, correct me if I'm wrong but… did you just say that you knew about Dusk and Doom?" enquired Rarity. "Nope, you're not wrong. That's what I said." Though she kept her smile, there was a more serious tone in her voice now. "But… how? When?" asked Applejack. "After he and Twilight saved me from being one of Discord's baddies," she replied. "I took a little peek inside his head too and saw him, stewing away in there like mouldy porridge without any sugar. Like, at all. Bleh!" "Then why the hay didn't you tell us?!" demanded Rainbow. "Duh, I Pinkie promised." "Why would you promise to do something like that?!" "Because this is why." She even lost her smile now. "All of you are here, fighting and snapping away like Gummy and Angel over the last cupcake in the bowl and this is what he was scared of happening, that you would all start being scared of him. You were all scared around Luna when she wasn't Nightmare Moon anymore, even I was. He was scared that if he told you… he was gonna lose you all." "We wouldn't have left him," Rarity replied immediately. "Why would he even think that?" "The only other pony in the world who understood is Luna and she didn't have friends for a really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really long time after being Nightmare Moon. Add to that mix a little pony who would do anything to not be lonely again after discovering friendship and… well, do I need to draw it out?" Nopony responded to this. "Trick question, I wouldn't need to because this is all that would be left in his eyes." She held up a piece of paper. It was blank. She let it hang there for a bit, before making it into a paper aeroplane and throwing it away, nodding and sitting firmly, having made her point. There was still anger, simmering away, but was depleting now that Rainbow understood things better. She remembered how Dusk had been before, how happy he had been when he finally had friends. Knowing him… yeah, of course he'd be frightened that if he told them this secret, they would leave him. She was still ticked about what he'd done… but she could now understand why. Like she said, it wasn't the first time. "Ah guess yer right, Pinkie." Applejack looked round at them. "Some ponies tell ya when they spilled all the cider, others'll try an' hide it, hopin' ya never find out." "Indeed, but still… having to cope with those memories, all this time, without ever telling a soul for fear and shame…" Rarity didn't need to finish that. "Yeah, I guess…" Rainbow rubbed the back of her head, a thought occurring. "Did anypony else know?" "I saw something on his face at times and I addressed it once, but I didn't ask further. A lady doesn't pry into a gentlecolt's affairs," Rarity said simply. "I suspected as much too," said Ray calmly. "But I'll be honest, I didn't know it was anything as bad as this." "Ya seem ta have a knack fer that," noted Applejack. "Yeah, it's all in the way he acts. When he thinks none of you are looking, there are times when he looks like he's trying to cope with something bad, he grimaces and screws up his eyes, you can see it there too, grits his teeth like he's trying to block something out. It's also when he loses his temper. For a guy who's usually so docile and calm, it's a pretty drastic change that happens." Rainbow whistled in admirably. "You can tell all that, just from looking at him?" "Pretty much and I could tell something else too." His eyes drifted to the party pony. "When he looks at Pinkie, he doesn't seem as worried or scared about whatever's going on as opposed to when he looks at the rest of you, which is a sort of subtle guilt and fear. That suggests Pinkie knew about whatever it was and he could take some solace from that knowledge, probably enough to keep him going." Pinkie blinked and smiled again. "Looks like Dusk might not be the only psychic pony among us." "Wow… that's amazing," awed Fluttershy. "It's a gift," he shrugged, though with a slight blush from her comment. "I'll tell you this too. I'm not sure about how the rest of you feel, but I'm gonna help Dusk overcome his darkness. I may not be an Element thing like you all are, still not really solved on that, by the way, but I wanna do everything in my power to help my… my best friend." He said these words, particularly the last three, with such a weight and determination, that neither Rainbow, nor anypony else, was inclined to argue otherwise. In fact, hearing those words stirred something inside her. It drew up her anger again, though more at herself now for failing to act before. What Ray said there it… It was exactly how Dusk was like, if a little more brave than him. They'd all been standing around here, arguing about this and wasting time while their friend was in trouble. She felt the urge now to do something, anything to help, not really caring about which way she did it. They would all be too slow for her, but she could put an end to this. "Where are you going?" Rarity asked when she started to fly away. "For some air." She kept steady pace until she was out the door. She then picked up speed, bolted out and soared back towards Ponyville. Time to make up for lost time. One teleport hadn't been enough to get her there. She had to keep it up from the castle to the school, appearing only briefly before vanishing again at any point, just to make sure none of the others had followed her. She thought she'd heard Spike, but she didn't really care. She didn't want to talk to him or them or to anypony. She just wanted to be alone somewhere and she knew just the place. She'd stopped when she'd reached her destination. Her old private quarters at the school. It was the way she'd left it. The rows and rows of books, all placed in alphabetical order, the warm sun above streaming down from the balcony and the huge window, the comfy looking cushions in the lounge area and on her bed, even the hourglass in the corner on the second floor. It helped bring some comfort for a few moments… Until she remembered Dusk had stayed here, not too long ago. The tears that had already been falling came afresh and new and Twilight Sparkle ran into the corner, collapsed into the one of cushions, burying her face and sobbing. She even began to hate the sun, feeling like it was mocking her sadness from how warm it was. One thought kept repeating in her head, over and over again, only made worse now she was here. It was all her fault. All of this, everything… it was all her fault. How could it not be? The words they'd shot each other from last night's argument still rang clearly in her head like gongs. The last time she'd ever seen him and she'd told him that she never wanted to see him again, that she didn't feel for him the way he did for her. That had been what had done it and she had been so stupid not to see that, blinded by her selfish thoughts. Even if that hadn't been the cause of it, she'd known the truth about it, all this time. One of the few who had. She had any number of times to talk to him about it, to ask if there was any way at all she could help. She had all her magic and knowledge, she could have found away. But she hadn't. She'd been too scared to. Now, it looked like she may never get the chance. The worst part of it all was that if she was asked now, she still wouldn't be able to say how she felt about Dusk. She'd needed some time to get used to new thoughts and ideas before, like having her mind wander to him so constantly, the fluttering feeling she had in her chest when he held her, how it became like she was soaring in the sky when he kissed her, even things like wandering if he thought she would look good in something or asking what he thought about her mane. When he'd told her that he loved her… she didn't know how to respond. She didn't even know if she did love him. Some of her books had mentioned cases when pony's love for each other had only lasted a certain amount of time, then it faded, usually as part of something else. She didn't want that to happen, to experience the dreaded heartbreak, for her and for Dusk. But it looked like she was experiencing it right now anyway. Never before had she hurt so much, had her heart ached like this… She raised her ears when the sound of the door being opened reached them. Only one pony could have known she had come here and was in no mood to see even here, not even caring about showing the proper respect. "Go away, Celestia! Just… leave me alone!" she cried, not even looking towards the door. "Close, but you've got the wrong princess." "Cadence…?" She turned to see that it was indeed her old foalsitter who had joined her. "What… what are you doing here?" "I thought I might join you," she said in a conversational tone. "Auntie Celestia, princess to you, came by and thought you might need somepony to talk to." "Oh…" Twilight wasn't sure how to respond to that. "Weren't you… looking after the foals?" "They're sound asleep, they'll be fine." She sighed happily. "They're so adorable though, don't you think? I was almost tempted to say no, but you're more important right now, I think." Twilight's response was to retreat into silence again. On the one hoof, she wanted to stand by the reason she came here, to be alone. But on the other, Cadence had been among one of the first true friends she'd had before she considered it a waste of time. She felt she had a sort of deeper connection because of that. That and her special talent gave her a little bit of hope. Not much, but some. Cadence had taken a few steps closer. "I remember what I used to do when you were little and you got upset? I used to sing you that song and it always helped to make you feel better." "Yeah…" Twilight sniffed and looked away. "I don't think it'll be much help now though…" "You never know. Do you remember how it went?" she asked, a slight glimmer in her eye. "Cadence…" "Just try, Twilight. Come on." She appreciated what she was trying to do in making her feel better and Twilight decided she might as well try, even if she didn't think it would work. How could anything work to heal this pain? This wasn't some grazed knee or bruised leg. Still, she found herself recalling the lyrics and singing softly, Hush now, my dear, don't cry Don't sniff or sob or sigh Just tell me how or why Hug and kiss your tears goodbye Stop the sobs and wipe them dry Tell me and by and by Make it feel like you'll fly High up in the sky. "Feel any better?" Cadence was right above her now, smiling down upon her. Twilight wiped away some of her tears and answered, "A little…" "A little is better than not at all." She sank down on the cushions next to her, draping a wing over her comfortingly. "Now, how about telling me the how or why." "I… well…" She wanted to tell her, but no idea where to start. Just the thought made her despair all the more. "I heard, about what happened to Dusk," she said soothingly. "I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for you. He doesn't deserve that, neither of you do." "Oh, Cadence…" She couldn't help herself. She threw her hooves around her. "It's all my fault!" The princess just returned it, with no awkwardness or hesitation. "Twilight, what makes you say that? Why would you blame yourself for what happened?" "Because… it's true," she sobbed. "All that's happening, Doom… returning, it's because of me!" "Why?" "He… he told me that… that he loved me… and I said I didn't know if… if I…" "If you loved him back?" "Yes…" she whispered. "We got into a fight. I told him… told him I never wanted to see him again… that's what did it, I know it was! I've lost him now and it's all my fault!" The next question was one that Twilight certainly didn't expect. "And what about now?" "W-what?" She looked up to see she was still smiling. "You said to him then that you didn't know if you loved him or not. What about now though?" she repeated patiently. "Why… what does that matter?" she asked, confusion leaking through her sadness. "Well, the way you're acting now doesn't really look like a mare who's uncertain about her feelings to me," she said simply. "I'd say that it's rather self-evident." "No, it isn't!" she insisted loudly. She was getting a little annoyed at Cadence's attitude now.. "I still don't know if I… if I feel like that, I just don't." "And what makes you so sure of that?" "All the books that I've read, I would have thought they'd tell me…" She stopped from Cadence's giggling. "It's not funny!" "I know, I know, it's just… ever since you picked up your first one, you started to think that ever solution to any problem could be found in a book," she recalled, still giggling a little. "No matter what it was, you would try your best to find it." "I did and I have with this one," she said confidently, even if a small part of her didn't want her to. "They clearly stated that, statistically, most couples don't even…" "I'm sorry to say this, Twilight, but this isn't something that can be learned about in a book," she said gently, but with wisdom and experience too. "Love isn't something that can be organized into statistics or paragraphs or numbers. It can only be learned about by experiencing it, by sharing in it with the one who means the most to you, because they're the only ones who can teach you." "But… how… how do I know if I…?" "You just do. It doesn't come from what you think in here," she said, pointing to her head, "but what you feel in here." She placed a hoof on her heart and smiled sheepishly. "I know it sounds corny, but I'm a sort of self-taught expert on this kind of thing." Her words had more of an impact that she anticipated. She had experienced this before, when she'd desperately searched through all of those books, before she and Dusk became a couple and not one of them had provided an answer to her problem, no matter how much she'd looked. She'd pretty much had to dive into the deep end, go with her gut, in a way. Or rather… her heart. And she had never regretted. The time she had spent with Dusk had been some of the most memorable and wonderful moments of her life. Dancing together at the Gala, sharing their first kiss under the stars, curled up on the couch in each other's arms, listening to the steady beat of his heart. It had beaten perfectly in time with hers and she'd never noticed it before. She wouldn't give up those memories, those feelings anything in the world… Those feelings gave her hope, gave her a strength the likes of which she'd never felt before. It brought out of her despair and rekindled something inside her, that made her push past the self-loathing and pity and let her mind go to work again. All thanks to Cadence and her experience in something Twilight had never even considered dabbling in. One question remained though. "How do I know if I… if I love him? Really?" "That's not for me to say, but for you to find out for yourself, with him," she answered. "If we could even go back to that," she sighed hopelessly. Cadence placed a hoof on her shoulder. "You'll work it out. Something tells me you already have before." "But there's still Doom," she protested. "He's taken him over and he's got an army on his side! I don't know how we could stop him now, not without the use of the Elements, which we can't use because he's not with us. "That doesn't sound like the filly who stayed up reading five hours after her bedtime to me, even after her parents told her that she had to get her rest, she kept at it. You've never let something you strive for get out of your grasp that easily, Twilight and I doubt you'd start now." "That's hardly the same… wait… reading… that's it!" She sprang up and hurried to the nearest shelf. "Most of these are Canterlot exclusive editions for volumes of magic, the kind that Celestia got specifically for my studies. There might be something in these, something that might help me find a way to beat Doom, to save Dusk!" "Still thinking the solution can be found in a book then?" Cadence joked. "Yes, I do, except now I know I can find it!" she said with determination and assurance. "Just you wait, Cadence, I can do this!" "There's the Twilight Sparkle I know. Welcome back." She stood up to go. "Cadence, wait…" She looked back. "Thank you, I needed that." "It's what I'm here for," she said happily. "Good luck." "Oh don't worry, I know I can find some kind of spell in here to help Dusk," she replied. "I wasn't talking about finding a spell." With one last knowing smile, the Princess of Love left her quarters. Twilight didn't really know what she meant by that, nor did she have the time to think about it. Ponyville was in danger and her coltfriend needed her help. "Twilight?" She turned to see her dragon assistant standing in the door, fiddling with his claws nervously. "Need some help?" She felt some surprise at seeing him. "Spike? How long have you been there?" "Since Cadence came in here. She told me to wait outside until she was done, sort of explained the whole thing to me too." He rocked back and forth on his feet. "So… crazy stuff, huh?" "You know then? About Dusk?" He nodded. "And… how do you feel about that?" Spike was silent for a bit. "Well… it is pretty screwed-up, I'll say that much. But hey, I know all about having a monster side of me to deal with, something which I remember him trying to help me with. He didn't give up on me and neither will I, even if he is an evil lord of doom now." Twilight couldn't help but smile a little. "I'm glad to hear you say that, Spike." "Hey, he's my bro, what do you expect? He's always been there for me when I needed him. If there's a way to help him, I'll do it. That and…" He hesitated before adding, "even if it is completely gross when you two go all ga-ga over each other, I know he means a lot to you. For him and you, I'll help anyway I can. Even if I might end up paying for it in the long run." Even if he could be cheeky, insensitive and a little ego-centric, the loyalty and devotion that Spike could show at the most unexpected of times reminded Twilight of why she kept him around, why she thought of him as her little brother as much as her assistant and friend. "Good to know." She levitated a few volumes over to him. "Come on, we've got a lot of these to get through, number one dragon assistant." "Yes sir! I mean, ma'am, I mean… let's get to it!" he said, burying his head in one of the books she'd given him. This boosted Twilight's spirits again. With the two of them working to find something, they had an extra chance of saving her coltfriend. Her coltfriend… before, she'd always felt a tingle through her whole body when she thought of him like that. Now though, it felt more like a fire, burning in her very essence, in her soul, giving her that extra drive for what she needed. She didn't know why, but she wouldn't question it. No longer did she feel hopelessness from it, but a new determination to achieve her new goal, to save Dusk Noir from his darker side. Like Cadence had said, she wasn't going to let this stop her that easily. Ponyville wasn't exactly the friendliest of places in the world anymore. Broken walls, shattered windows, smoke rising from small fires that burned in its streets and buildings held precedence in it now. The citizens shuffled mindlessly down the roads, lay at the sides or even fought each other, savagely beating them down, but never killing them. That was something their master wouldn't allow. Not yet, anyway. Power. Control. Dominance. These were ideals that Blackhole Doom strove to achieve. Only through the drive, the burn that only anger and rage provided could he fulfil these ideals, to show all others just how truly pathetic and worthless they were compared to his might. His master had understood that, that was why he had given him life. Yet now, his master was frozen in stone and he was still free. If that didn't prove which of them was superior, the plans he had soon would. It was a shame, of course, that without his master's influence, he didn't have access to the powers he had before. But thanks to Luna, he unlocked more magic Dusk could only dream of wielding. His full potential unlocked in him, control of minds, control of shadows and so much more he longed to unleash. Right now, he sat in town hall, thinking about how to go about it. He didn't have a throne built or anything like that. He didn't need trappings or wealth to show his power. His mere presence was enough for that, as would his deeds, which all of Equestria would soon know. He'd already taken Ponyville, but what about when he took Cloudsdale, Canterlot and all other lands and cities beyond it? The anarchy, the glory he would rein over them all! Dusk was being kept suppressed away inside his head, just as he had once tried to do. But he'd felt the new strength seep through him, enough for him to break his counterpart's pathetic bonds and be free once more. Even Luna's power hadn't been enough to keep him at bay, he'd just needed to bide time and gather strength. His freedom had always been assured, as had been proven. This time, her magic wouldn't work on him. And if Luna or Celestia did try anything like that again, he knew just what to do to keep them at bay. He was disappointed, even angry, that the Elements and their friends had managed to escape. He had hoped to convert them to be part of his army or else crush them if he couldn't. But it was another opportunity, one to spread the fear of what he had done here to Canterlot, to give a foretaste to the princesses of what would be coming for them soon. He would make them watch as their city burned, their subjects turned on each other. Still, if he'd managed to get Spike and feed his greed, then the dragon would be a great aid in his bid for destruction, allowing him to crush their homes and his enemies underfoot. Seeing Twilight Sparkle too, the horror of her former lover and her former friend joining together in destruction and chaos. The pain she would feel inside, it would be even more satisfying than just causing her normal pain. He growled a little in annoyance. Whereas he would normally be experiencing some form of pleasure from the idea of that, instead a more unpleasant feeling rose in his chest. One that caused him even more anger when he identified what it was. Guilt. Why should he feel guilt about something like that? That was for his weaker side, not for him now that he had taken over once more. Perhaps there were still some remnants of it that he would need to purge. He knew how to do that. He envisaged even more of what he would do to Twilight Sparkle and her friends. He had already taken over her home and stamped out any trace of the colt that she had… loved. A pitiful concept, one that in the end had just caused her more pain and suffering when she'd lost her precious Dusk, something that made him laugh even more… and the guilt grow even further. No, no, that wasn't supposed to happen. He had memories of her parents, of her brother, her family. Once he marched on Canterlot, he would overthrow both princesses. Then, he would find her family, make them suffer and cry out in agony, make her watch and listen to it as well. He would show her the folly of friendship, of love, that it would only cause her pain, an ideal he fully embraced and used against those who stood against them, to show them! But no matter what he envisaged or imagined, the idea of causing Sparkle more pain just made that guilt rise even more, no matter how much he tried to squash it out or purge it. His anger rose too, because he didn't like this feeling and others that spawned from it. It just wouldn't go away, but why? Why couldn't he stop it? "You did something, didn't you?" he snarled, addressing Dusk. "You had her cast some sort of spell or perhaps you did, to try and weaken me. It won't work, your efforts are wasted, I've already won! Do you hear me?!" There was no answer. He didn't think there would be, but it didn't serve to stem his anger. He slammed his hoof into a wooden beam to relieve some of it, sending cracks through the wood. Not that he cared, the more destruction, the better. But he was fully worked up and angry now, the kind of rage punching a piece of wood wouldn't vent. He needed something else to exact his anger on, a different target. Fortunately, for him, that target came. "Hey, Doom! I'm calling you out!" The voice echoed from outside, from above the town. He commanded his horde to stay back their attack and stepped out to investigate. He felt a smile grow at what he saw. Hovering above the entrance to town hall, a pathetic attempt at bravado and courage on her face, was Rainbow Dash. She looked like she was ready for a fight. How lucky for him. "A fresh one," he growled. "I don't believe we had the pleasure the last time around." "Yeah, sorry, I had other things to do than waste my time socking to some jerk without barely breaking a sweat," she said cockily. "This time, I managed to free up a little time to make up for that." "None of your friends to help you?" "I'm making this personal, just so they don't have to go to the trouble of helping me kick your sorry flank," she retorted. "So smug, but for how long, I wonder?" he hissed, cackling a little. "Only for as long as it takes to beat you into the ground in ten seconds flat. Or none at all, if you're willing to give up," she said casually. Blackhole laughed fully now. "And how would you make me do that?" "'Cause honestly, I'd rather not hurt you, because of who else I'd be hurting as well." She let a threatening tone creep into her voice. "Let Dusk go and this doesn't have to end badly for you. Otherwise, I'm gonna have to beat him outta you." Doom laughed again at this delusion she presented. "Did you honestly think you could threaten me? When I could order my slaves to tear you apart with a flick of my hoof?" "Had to try," she shrugged, flexing her legs. "More fun for me, I guess." "How fitting, I was thinking the exact same thing." Doom smiled one last time, before roaring his challenge and bounding up to meet her when she charged. Another chance to cause Twilight Sparkle some pain, once he was through with her. Rainbow smacked into Doom with the force of a ball being shot out of a cannon. She beat him to the punch, crashed her hoof across his face and sent him hurtling back to earth. She pulled up out of the dive and swooped around, intending to gloat over her him, show him she meant business. Admittedly, she did hold some reservations about this fight. That was Dusk's body he was using after all and she was concerned about the possibility of hurting her friend. But, as they say, no pain, no gain and she was sure that, although he hated fighting, Dusk would want her to tear this guy a new one if it meant getting rid of him for good. That was what she intended to do. Beat him senseless and force him out of his head. Everypony had their limit, all she had to do was find his. Doom was already picking himself up from the crater he'd left when he'd hit the earth. Far from being disheartened, he looked enraged with her. She could feel his gaze even from up here, boring into her with the intensity of a laser beam. "Ready to give up yet?" she taunted, flashing her cocky smile. "I'm just getting started!" he roared and his magical horn flashed. The Pegasus saw something black rise from the earth and dived aside as a black tentacle rose to swipe her down. It missed and she punched it back, sending it reeling off. No time to celebrate, because three more came at her. Now this was gonna be a true test of her flying skills and boy, was she gonna ace it. She sped off, her wings flapping and guiding her through the skies. She nipped, ducked, soared and dived around attacking tentacles, not one of them even getting close to her. She could hear Doom below, roaring with frustration and rage while she did her little dance for him. It was like when Dusk had used his magic to do an obstacle course for her in the sky, only this was a lot more dangerous. Not that she cared. She always loved a bit of danger. Getting an idea for how to really rub this in his face, she kept up her dodging show, only this time with a purpose in mind. She circled around a point that she established in the sky, making sure that the tentacles followed her back and forth between this point. They were falling up shorter each time they tried to grab her, which meant her idea was working. A loud roar from Doom told her she had succeeded. She looked back and laughed when she confirmed it. The routes the tentacles had taken after her had left them tied up in a knot in the sky. Like a giant shoelace. Or a bow on a present. Speaking of presents… Barely leaving time to examine her handiwork, she looped around again and dived towards the ground. She levelled on it on her approach, performing her signature Super Speed Strut in Doom's direction. He'd be so tied up with undoing his mistake, he wouldn't even have time to see her coming until she smacked him across the face. But he did see her coming. She tried too late to stop herself, his hoof raised- CRASH! Hitting that fist was like a crash after a failed sonic rainboom. The throbbing in her face was only made worse when her momentum carried her across the ground, skidding and smacking on it before finally hitting a wall and collapsing in a heap. Though she felt dazed and her vision was blurred, she could still hear Doom thundering towards her. She shook her head and hopped straight to her hooves, ready to meet him. She ducked under the blow he sent to her head, sending two jabs into his side from a counter. Another duck, another dodge, blocked it, punch him twice in the face, flip backwards and smack him with her rear hooves. He staggered back, snarled at her and resumed his attack, more ferocious than ever. They continued this deadly dance, Rainbow's black belt karate skills coming to the forefront here. She kept up a series of dodges, counters, blocks, kicks and punches, striking him in areas where they would do the most damage. He hurt her too, mainly from the force his hooves hit hers, enough to make her wince, but not enough to stop her attack. She had him on the ropes. Her wings also were of great aid to her. A move she was proud of was jumping into the sky, hovering before him and delivering a quick series of kicks with her rear hooves at his face. He blocked most of them with his, but she managed to land a few, including one big one which got him across the eye. She laughed once and landed back on the ground, brimming with confidence that she could beat him. Until he started to cheat. He dodged under a punch she sent to his head, literally sinking into the ground in a patch of shadow. He went down under her before she knew it and shot up, punching her right in the chest, taking her off her hooves. Winded, she didn't have time to counter and felt the sharp, powerful punches he sent to her face, keeping her in the air. SMACK! A big final one he delivered sent her careering to the ground, landing hard and painfully. She staggered back onto her feet, now listening to his mocking laugher grating in her ears. She turned her gaze toward him, feeling her own anger mount. "Not bad… Doom," she gasped, keeping her confident tone. "You're good, I'll give you that… but I'm better!" Ignoring the pain as best she could, she spread her wings and took the sky again. She knew her advantages and those punches had really smarted. She couldn't afford to fight him on the ground, it was best to keep to the skies. Time to show him what she could really do. Gathering up speed, she flew back towards him and started to fly around him in circles. Soon enough, the wind travelled with her, transforming the area around him into a tornado. Her rainblow dry. See him stand against the power of a tornado in action, tossing and turning helplessly in the vortex she'd created. But when she heard him laughing, she could see him standing perfectly still at the centre, magic from his horn glowing around his hooves. He was doing something to keep him in place. A bolt of magic struck her, knocking her out of the vortex and sending her to the ground. Feeling the sting in her side, she looked up to see that the tornado hadn't gone and it had become darker. She felt a strong pull as it turned towards her, the top of it bending over to suck her up like the mouth of some huge monster. She tried to grip a hold, but it was too strong and she was sucked into it. Helpless, her wings useless, she could only scream while she was spun around at high speed, made only worse by Doom laughing at its centre. Suddenly, she was spat out of it, the world still spinning and making her feel sick. She hit something hard, a wall probably and fell to the ground again. She swallowed the bile that had risen in her throat and tried to recover from the dizziness… and the aching of her limbs. "Remind me again, which of us is better?" That was right next to her. She couldn't see as he picked her up, punched her again, grabbed her shoulders, swung her around and flung her down the street, her head hitting off the stone fountain. She could feel the pain like fire in her skull and tried to shake off her discomfort. Okay… this guy really wasn't messing around. Time to step up her game. She spread her wings and took to the sky again, trying to think of a plan. Spotting a lonely storm cloud not too far away, she grabbed it and pushed it towards him. She kicked him back under it when he tried to attack and did the same to the cloud, making it rain on him. Just before he could get back up, she kicked it one more time to zap him with a bolt of lightning. His roar of pain and anger sounded clearly below. Now he was stunned, she soared down under, grabbed him, hefting him up as best she could and took him skyward, building up power to hit him with the Buccaneer Blaze. She threw him upwards and picked up speed to pull off the move, already picturing the look on his face when that explosion of awesome energy hit him. She felt the energy build to the right point and swerved to let it all out. Rainbow heard the satisfying boom behind her and turned, intending to see the state of him once it had passed. But there was something wrong. The Blaze had frozen, it looked like and it seemed to be getting smaller. Doom stood there in the centre of it, floating on a cloud of shadow, the explosion actually being absorbed into his horn. He looked up at her, leered horribly and she realised what he was going to do. She swerved to dodge it, saw his horn glow brighter again- BOOM! Rainbow lost control, knocked off course by the force of the explosion. She screamed from the burning sensation that hit her, but more so from the outrage of it all. He'd hit her with her Buccaneer Blaze. Her own Buccaneer Blaze! The tornado was one thing, she could live with that, but this just tore it! Deciding now she would stop playing around and finish this before he did some real damage, she sped off to the sky again before he could catch her. She kept flying, until she was as high as she could possibly climb, turned around and collected herself for her biggest, her best move. One that would give her the added speed and strength to do some dish out some pain. The sonic rainboom. With one last intake of breath, to recover a little, she sped back towards the ground. The wind whipped through her mane while she gathered speed, the shape of Ponyville becoming all the more clear the closer she got. She looked around for a black speck of any sort, energy crackling around her body, getting closer to the climax. Preparing to pull out of the dive, take advantage of the speed it would give her, she knew she was close. Come on, come on, she urged mentally, almost there… wait, what was that? A flash of black across her vision? Then, she felt a sharp, powerful pain in her wings. Somehow, Doom had intercepted and attacked her on the way down. She cried out, felt her wings seize up. She tried to move them, but she could barely feel them. Whatever he had done, her wings were useless now. She wouldn't be able to stop herself. CRACKABOOM! She didn't. She smashed right into the ground. That numbness in her wings now passed through her whole body. She'd had bad crashes before, but that one had really done a number on her. Force and speed of sonic rainboom plus hard ground… not a winning combination. She weakly opened her eyes. Through the smoke and the dust, she could make out the forms of his pony mind slaves, hissing and snarling as she lay helplessly on the ground. She tried to raise a hoof, but barely had the strength to keep her eyes open. They grabbed her legs, forced her to stand, propping her up to face their master. He came through the smoke, triumph on his face, stepping over the ruined earth and cracks that ran through from her crash. He'd beaten her. Her, Rainbow Dash. The greatest flyer in all of Equestria. This guy who had once been her friend… "You see now?" he growled. "You can't beat me, nopony can." "Go on… then…" she gasped, every word painful to utter. "Finish… it…" She wasn't going to let him scare her. "No, not yet." He stared off somewhere else in the distance. "I know just how I can use you for a better purpose, Rainbow. To show to your friends who is truly in charge here." "Then…?" "Then… I will break you." She had been determined not to be scared by him. Needless to say those words, the guttural laughter he exerted in their wake, the look on his face… she failed that too.