Anima Mea Tenebre

by Nixus


The Morning After

“You have no one to blame but yourself. After all, it was you who killed them...”

Dante woke with a start as he breathed hard. He rubbed his eyes as he got up from his sweat soaked pillow. He looked at his wrist where he saw the familiar sight of the magic dampener hanging from it. He had put it on the day before. It served the dual purpose of limiting the amount of power Dante could use and, known only to himself, reducing the severity of the nightmares that had been plaguing him for months.

He sighed as he pushed the dark memories from his head. He got up and put on the outfit that Rarity had provided the day before. As he looked at himself in the mirror, he noticed a dark spot that had formed just a little left of where his heart was. It looked as though it had been burned into his skin but on closer inspection, he noticed the thin veins creeping from the affliction. It pulsed and grew slightly larger with each beat as though it was feeding off his blood. He ran his hand over it and felt a chill go down his spine as his nails grazed the area. The black mark felt cold in contrast to the rest of his body as he gently prodded at it.

Did the Bullywug infect me?

Bullywug blood was notorious for causing strange ailments. Symptoms could range from temporary blindness to violent seizures. He quickly peered into his bag before withdrawing a small vial of green liquid. Popping off the cork, he steeled himself as the foul tasting contents burned their way down his throat. He looked at the spot to see that it had stopped pulsating, but otherwise appeared unhindered by the antidote’s effects.

“Strange,” Dante muttered to himself as he put his arms through the sleeves. He made a mental note to find a healer in town to examine the strange mark. He inspected the rest of his body and was relieved to find nothing else growing on him. He stretched as he unleashed a yawn before exiting the room. He was greeted by the scent of pancakes cooking as he regarded the damage from the previous day.

Various pieces of furniture had been destroyed and were still scattered around the main floor. Torn pages and books were mixed into the mess while the walls bore a few scorch marks. He grimaced as he picked up a book only to have it disintegrate in his hand. He found one book on the history of Equestria, the slightly blackened pages held firm under the heavier cover which had taken most of the damage. Silently he sat down with the book and began to read. Starting first with the founding of the nation and the three tribes, and continuing until he reached the story of the fall of the Lunar Princess and her banishment. He was interrupted by the sound of Twilight entering the room. He closed the book and turned to see her with a plate of pancakes and juice balanced on her back. “Good morning Twilight.”

“Oh, I didn’t know you were awake,” Twilight said as she levitated the food onto the table. She noticed the book in front of him and gave him an inquisitive stare. “What are you reading?”

“It’s the history of Equestria,” Dante replied as he flipped through the pages. He stopped at the diagram of the elements before pushing the book back towards Twilight. “It mentions the Elements of Harmony a few times but never goes into detail. Do you have any other books on the subject?”

“Yes I do,” Twilight answered as she got up from her cushion. She knew exactly what book would help Dante, the only problem was that she would have to find it first. She went over to one of the bookshelves where she began to rummage through it, not noticing the weakened state of the bookshelf. Her hoof sorted through a few titles before coming to the exact book she needed. “Here it is! The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide.”

“Twilight, the bookcase!” Dante shouted as he ran towards the stunned mare. The bookshelf gave a creak as it began to fall towards Twilight. Dante summoned a quick burst of wind and propelled himself forward as he grabbed Twilight and used one hand to hold up the bookshelf.

Twilight found herself pressed closely to Dante’s chest with an arm wrapped around the small of her back. She felt Dante edge away from the bookcase with his arm still wrapped around her. He fell back as he let go of the bookcase falling to the floor on his back. Twilight’s mind flashed to some of the cheesy romance novels that Rarity had lent her as her arms clung to Dante’s body. She was on top of him, staring directly into his eyes as he breathed heavily. She pressed herself deeper onto his body as she felt the safety of his arms release her. A warm feeling made itself apparent in her chest as she looked at the Dante’s worried expression as he checked her for any injuries. A sudden creak sounded as the door opened and a group of figures entered the library.

“I’m telling you Moe, I think she’s got something against me!” Coppa’s voice rang out as he complained. Moe gave a sigh as he stopped before looking down at Dante and Twilight, causing Coppa to walk into his back. “Hey why’d you—Oh wow Dante, you work quickly I see.”

The comment caused both Dante and Twilight to blush as they separated and got up from the floor. Coppa stood there with his hands on his sides sporting a wide grin, while Moe stood silently with a small amused smile. Twilight fidgeted with the book in her hooves as she tried to avoid their gazes.

“I hope you don’t mind if we borrow our friend for a moment?” Moe asked as he sat down on a couch. “Or if you want, we could come back in an hour or so.”

“Its fine, what did you need?” Dante mumbled as he got up. He brushed a few bits of dust from the book case off his shirt as he glared at his friends. “I’m assuming this is important?”

“Yeah, Rainbow said she was going to show us the town and all the sights!” Coppa exclaimed as he went towards the door. “Sam’s gonna join us later though. He was in the middle of something when we found him in the forest.”

“I might as well see what Ponyville has to offer,” Dante said as he began to head towards the door. He turned to Twilight with an apologetic look as he closed it behind him. Twilight sighed as she levitated the bookshelf back in place before looking at the book on the floor. A thin wave of heat rose to the mares face as she placed the book on a nearby table before the door burst open causing her to jump with a yelp.

“By the way, Pinkie said she needed you for something,” Coppa announced as he poked his head through the door. Twilight tried desperately to slow her heartbeat as she breathed heavily. “Didn‘t say what it was about though. Also, could please tell her to stop popping out of nowhere? It’s getting kinda freaky.”

The door closed before Twilight could respond. She gave a huff as she heard the sounds of Spike waking up. She sat back down at the table and played with her food as the image of Dante holding her caused her to blush again.

*****

“So did you find anything interesting?” Moe asked Dante as Rainbow Dash spoke to Sam and Coppa. She had spent the last few hours dragging the four students around Ponyville and its landmarks. They had stopped at every major spot from the Library, where Dash had gone on a long-winded speech about the greatness of the “Daring Doo” series, to the hospital where they had all guessed Rainbow had spent many nights in.

“I found out a bit about the country’s history and the roles of the princesses,” Dante replied as he recalled what he had read. “The princesses apparently have the power to raise and lower the sun at will. Also, the three types of ponies all came from different tribes.”

“Anything else on the princesses or the elements?”

“I didn’t find much on the elements, and anything concerning the early rule of the Princesses seems pretty vague. Almost like it was heavily edited.”

“Strange, we’ll have to ask if we ever get to see Princess Celestia again.” Moe said as a sudden cough came from behind them. They both turned their heads to see Rainbow Dash giving them an annoyed look. “Sorry Rainbow, what was that?”

“I was asking if there was any other things you wanted to check out?” Dash asked as she rolled her eyes. “You guys need to stop spacing out. We’re almost done with the tour.”

“Yeah is there any place where we can get a drink?” Coppa asked as he looked around at the ponies giving them odd glances. Dante’s heart slowed as he heard the question. “Y’know, like alcohol and stuff?”

Please say no for the love of all that is holy.

“There is actually.” Rainbow smiled as she looked at Coppa. Dante swore under his breath as Coppa’s grin seemed to grow to immense sizes. He could have sworn that the dwarf also let loose some sort of low rumbling noise that sounded like a squee. “We have a winery that Berry Punch runs. She makes all the wine in Ponyville plus some other drinks.”

“Does she anything less fruity? You know, like beer?”

“What’s that?” replied a confused Rainbow who landed next to Coppa. Her head cocked to the side as Coppa rummaged through his own bag before withdrawing two glass bottles. Dante had to seriously resist questioning why he had brought those along with him. Coppa was never one to think rationally. He a always preferred instinct over careful consideration. The alcohol in his bag, Dante assumed, was more than likely just a home made batch Coppa was going to test after they had finished their task. they watched as Coppa popped the cap off of one with his finger and presented it to the rainbow mare. She gave it a sniff before taking it in her hoof and taking a sip of the bitter beer. She coughed as she swallowed the amber coloured liquid before a smile graced her face. “Wow that’s awesome!”

"Were those even twist offs?" Moe asked cautiously as Coppa grinned at Rainbow's reaction.

"Nope," Coppa said calmly, obviously proud of his work. "I take it you like it?"

"Yeah!" Rainbow laughed before downing the bottle. "Berry definetly needs this stuff! I'd sure as tartarus buy it!"

Oh god, not her too. Dante facepalmed as Rainbow downed the rest of the bottle and lead them to a house where a light purple earth pony was busy staggering around. The pony waved drunkenly as she saw Rainbow Dash approach only to lose her balance. Coppa grabbed the mare before she could hit the ground. She giggled to herself as Coppa helped her to her hooves.

“Well, hiya Rainbow *hic*!” Berry said as she stumbled a bit and knocked into Coppa, who had let go of the mare. “Who are these stallions? They look kinda funny, except you, you’re really soft.”

“Umm, thanks I guess?” Coppa said, blushing as the mare began to stroke his ears. Rainbow snickered as Dante had an amused look on his face. Berry started to nuzzle herself against Coppa’s cheek as she wrapped her hooves around his neck. Coppa turned red as he tried to escape the mare’s firm grasp. “Umm Berry was it? Can you let me go now?”

“*Hic* I just love soft things,” Berry slurred as she sat down with a half-lidded expression. Dante glanced to her side to see a number of wine bottles littering the ground. He continued to watch Berry stroke Coppa’s fur as she ignored his request. “Are you those stallions who saved the town yesterday?”

“Yes that would be us,” Moe answered as he gently kept Berry from trying to undress Coppa. The dwarf’s tail twitched in annoyance as he dusted off his pants. Dante tried to stifle a laugh as Coppa glared at him. “Coppa just wanted to ask you a few questions about your inventory.”

“What do ya want to know?” Berry punch asked as Coppa began to withdraw a second bottle of beer from his bag. He gave the bottle to Berry whose expression changed from drunken to a straight face in a flash. She gave a sniff of the contents before taking a sip of the alcohol. “Hmm... Main ingredients are malted barley, water, hops and yeast. Alcohol content, sitting at around fourteen percent but is dependent on the ingredients. Process to create requires heating, boiling, and mashing of the mixture. What do you call this drink?” She asked as the group stared at her, wide eyed at her seemingly coherent deduction.

“Beer, I was just wondering if you have anything like it.”

Berry giggled and swayed.“Nope, just cider, but I’m all out of that right now.”

“Okay, maybe another time then.” Coppa said as he waved goodbye. The mare giggled happily and waved as the four left. Rainbow gave them directions to Sugarcube Corner, saying that she need to discuss something with Berry. Dante cast a glance at Coppa and the dwarf met his gaze. He let out a defeated sigh as Dante smiled when he turned the corner to the giant bakery. “All right, what are you going to say?”

“Oh, nothing. Just who’s the one that’s working fast with the locals again?.”
Dante could hear Sam and Moe snicker as Coppa’s ears flattened against his head. He let out a grunt as they opened the door to the bakery. They were greeted with a pitch-black room that was deathly quiet.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” Moe inquired as he tried to find the light switch.

“Yeah. Something seems off,” Coppa added as he edged his way back towards the door. He jumped as the door slammed shut behind them. A sudden flash and stream of confetti caused the four to fall back as a massive crowd of ponies appeared from nowhere.

“SURPRISE!!!” They all shouted in unison as the four scrambled to get up from the pile.

“I can definitely get used to this,” Coppa said with a smile as the ponies all laughed. Dante let out a sigh but felt the corners of his mouth form a smile as he looked at the happy face of Twilight. Coppa laughed as a few ponies helped him up. “You guys are in for one wild night.”

******

“Have any of you seen Dante?” Twilight asked as she navigated the crowd of ponies dancing in the middle of the room. Moe was talking to Rose, Lily and Daisy as they stared in awe while ignoring an annoyed Rarity. Coppa was in the middle of the party right next to Lyra and Berry punch as they tried to match him in a game of shots. Sam had disappeared but Twilight found him sitting next to Fluttershy who was busy trying to make herself as small and inconspicuous as possible in his presence. None knew where Dante had gone and had suggested the other.

“Maybe he needed a breather,” Twilight said as she tried scanning the crowd again. Her gaze was blocked by a wall of pink as Pinkie shoved her face into Twilight’s. “Uhh, hi Pinkie.”

Pinkie only bounced up and down, her hooves making a small 'sproing' noise whenever she did so. “Who are you looking for? Is it Dante? Coppa was saying something about you two becoming special someponies. Does this mean I can throw another party now? A 'yay Twilight has a Crush Party'? Oh please say yes! It would be just so superific if you did!”

“Pinkie, I don't know what Coppa told you but he’s just a friend!” Twilight said annoyed as she felt a blush creep on her face. Pinkie just continued bouncing with a large smile and only making Twilight feel a little more embarrassed than she already was.Twilight took a breath and calmed herself before she spoke up again. “I’m just wondering where he went.”

“He went outside!” Pinkie said as she stopped bouncing and pointed a hoof at the door. Sure enough, Twilight could see a part of Dante as he stood next to the doorway. The Diablon was busy staring into space as he swirled the drink in his hand. He had an indifferent expression as he watched the ponies come and go from the party exchanging hellos and goodbyes to those who stopped. Twilight‘s mood fell a bit as she thought back to when she had first arrived in Ponyville. Pinkie in the meantime had bounced back to the dance floor and was egging on a teetering Lyra while Coppa and Berry Punch sat back unfazed.

“I’ll just go have a talk with him,” Twilight murmured to herself, cringing when Lyra fell to the floor unconscious. She levitated a glass of punch and took a sip before heading towards the door while the others made sure the fallen pony was unhurt.

“Undefeated!” Coppa shouted while a few ponies around him cheered. Twilight only caught the collective sigh from both Moe and Rarity as they watched Coppa stand on the table while doing a small jig with Berry Punch.

****

Dante took a sip from his glass as he looked at the night sky. He sighed as he heard the noises of the ponies and his friends enjoying the party. Staring into the night sky, he leaned against the wall of the bakery and watched as a star shot across the sky. He had never been one for parties, but the beat of the electronic music had started to catch his attention. He drummed his finger on the wall behind him as he began to quietly hum to himself.

His mind drifted off as he began to go over the few things had managed to learn from Equestria’s history. His focus however, was on the six elements. They were a source of great power and had been used to defeat anything that threatened Equestria. Powerful enough to defeat the god of chaos and banish one of the two diarchs. His thoughts ended as a sharp pain lanced through his head followed by a dark voice.

But will that petty power stop me? Will they be enough to save this land?

Dante’s eyes widened as he recognized the voice from his nightmares. He slowed his breathing as he tried to regain his composure. More pain came as he tried to suppress the voice as though it was resisting his attempts. A moan of pain escaped from his lips as he clutched his head. A final push ended the pain just as the voice intensified.
How long will you be able to suppress me Dante? How long until it happens again? You can try but you’ll never wash the guilt away.

No I won’t free you again! I can stop it this time! I won’t let you hurt anyone else!

Deny me all you want, I shall be the one in control. You four will be these ponies’ downfall.

“Are you alright Dante?” Twilight asked with worry in her voice. Dante cringed as he saw her poke her head out of the doorway. His head throbbed slightly as he sat down on a crate.

“Yes, I’m fine Twilight,” Dante lied as the voice died down. He hid his shaking hands behind him as he took a deep breath. The cool night air felt cold against his brow as the mare gave him a worried look. He looked around as his hands finished shaking before he tried to divert attention away from himself. “Beautiful night isn’t it?”

Twilight kept her eyes on the Diablon for few lingering seconds before turning towards the night sky. She turned back to him as she exited the doorway and took a seat next to him. He eyed her cautiously as his nerves righted themselves. He flexed his fingers a few times before he sent a small stream of magic to his hand.

Twilight gasped as the air hissed and popped while small red flames danced in Dante’s palm. She stared as the flames grew more intense and slowly began to engulf the outstretched limb. No signs of any sort of strain were visible on his face as the flame flickered. As suddenly as it began, the flames extinguished themselves as Dante balled his hands. He looked towards Twilight who was still staring at his hand. “How did you do that?”

“The flames?”

“Yes, I wanted to ask about the magic in your world. More specifically, the magic you use.”

Dante sighed as he flexed his hands again. They both watched as instead of a flame, a small ball of electricity formed in his palm. Twilight stared in amazement as he did the same motions a few more time changing the form and element of magic in his palm. “Might as well get it over with. What do you want to know?”

“Everything,” Twilight said, barely containing a squeal of excitement as she watched Dante stretch his arm. The flames ignited once again and he held the flame towards Twilight. She looked at it uncertainly before she tried touching it with her hoof. Instead of a burning sensation, she felt a pleasant warmth as the flame left Dante’s grasp and rested on her hoof. She stared at the flickering flame as it changed colour every few moments. She watched as Dante drew a circle in the dirt with a short line in the middle of the circle. Four smaller circles were placed at various points on the circle while two were placed at the opposite ends of the centred line. “How do you use magic?”

“Wizards like me draw our magic from these elements and the reserves of magic or mana that we are born with.”

“Your kind has elements too?”

“Sort of. In my world, there are six natural elements that all magic draws from. They are fire, water, electricity, and earth,” Dante said as he pointed at each individual circle. He then pointed at the last two in the centre. “These two represent light and dark.”

“Why are they in the centre though?” Twilight asked as she regarded the flame in her hoof. She turned her head towards Dante who was still staring at the diagram. “What makes them different?”

“Each element has its strengths and weaknesses. The wheel represents these,” Dante said as he pointed at the first circle. “Water may be strong against fire, but it is weak to electric attacks. In this case light magic is both weak and strong against dark magic. No other element really affects them that much.”

“So you can control all these elements?” Twilight asked. She let out a surprised squeak as the flames in her hoof suddenly sputtered and died out. She rubbed the spot as the warmth of the magic faded.

“Most of them,” Dante replied as he erased the diagram. He sat back down as he took a final swig from his cup. He set down the cup as he cracked his knuckles. “I can control the four outer elements but light magic isn’t my specialty. That type of magic is mainly used by other classes, like clerics.”

“What about this one?” Twilight said pointing at the final element. She saw Dante’s expression grow pained as her hoof pointed at the element of darkness. She retracted her hoof and gently placed it on his shoulder while giving him a concerned look. “Are you okay?”

“I’d rather not talk about that one Twilight,” Dante said as he erased the drawing. Twilight wanted to push the subject but stopped herself as she saw the beginning of tears start to build up in his eyes. Dante noticed her staring and quickly wiped his eyes. “Sorry, wind got something in my eye. Anything else you want to ask?”

“Just one last thing,” Twilight said as she scooted closer to him. Dante readied himself for whatever he thought the intelligent mare might have about his magic or world. “Can I touch your horns?”

Dante looked at her confused for few seconds, attempting register her request. “What?” Dante said as he stared at Twilight who shuffled uncomfortably. Her question seemed innocent, but the rather abrupt change of direction in the conversation caused him to do a double take.

“Can I ask why?”

Twilight was silent for a moment before her mouth opened. “I was curious about their purpose.” She pointed towards her own horn while Dante watched as a magenta aura surrounded it. “I thought maybe they were like unicorn horns. I wanted to test my hypothesis if that’s okay with you.”

“I guess it can’t hurt to try,” Dante said as he lowered his head towards Twilight. He watched as the purple hoof slowly made its way before grazing the side of his left horn. A shiver ran down his spine as the hoof found its way along the length of the horn before resting at the tip. As much as he hated to admit it, Diablon horns were extremely sensitive. They acted as a sensor, locating sources of magic that were abundant back home. He didn’t really understand why he was letting the purple unicorn inspect them. It just seemed like he could trust her, he didn't know why but it confused him to no end.

“Not as sharp as I expected,” Twilight muttered as her horn began to glow. Dante’s eyes widened as the words brought back a bittersweet memory. He felt a warmth well in his eyes as images he had long fought to suppress flashed in his head. For a moment, Twilight’s mane changed colour to a bright red as the rest of her body became more human. Twilight felt the feeling of his horns slipping from her hooves as he pulled away. She tilted her head just as Dante finished wiping his face with his sleeve. “Dante, what’s wrong?”

The mare reminds you of her? Good, then you know what to expect.

“Nothing,” Dante said as he rose from his seat and left the mare outside. Twilight wanted to protest but her mind told her to not press the issue. She had been able to assess the personalities of their new guests over the past few hours, but out of the four arrivals, Dante proved to be the most difficult to assess. In truth, there was something dark about him that sent shivers up her spine. An unknown factor that made him more dangerous than the others, yet seemed to weigh him down. Deciding that she didn't want to push away a new friend for the sake of answers, she made a note to investigate the matters further, but first, she had a party to help keep control of.

When she reentered the bakery, she was relieved to see that everything was going smoothly. The ponies, while still cautious of the four, had begun to warm up to their guests. Her mind became more optimistic as she saw the four becoming more comfortable as well, mainly the furry one who was currently laughing and singing with a few others. But it seemed as though a certain farmpony had other plans. Twilight felt her optimism drop as she saw Applejack trot towards Coppa with a scowl and a barrel of hard cider on her back.

This can't be good.
****

“Pardon?” Coppa stood still with an amused grin as he regarded the sour looking pony in front of him. The entire room had gone silent as the tension steadily rose. His furred ear flicked as he caught the soft whispers of a few onlookers. To his surprise, even Pinkie had stopped bouncing and wore a concerned expression. He sighed as he decided to play dumb as he regarded the second barrel of cider that brought in by Big Mac. “You wanna run that by me again?”

“Ya heard me!” Applejack scowled as her voice rose. She tapped a hoof against the barrel marked with at least six large black X’s. “I challenge ya to a drinkin contest! If ah win, ya leave the farm.”

“Coppa, think this through,” Moe said as he tried to defuse the situation. Coppa just stood there calmly as his gaze shifted from Applejack to the barrels. He chuckled as he thought about how ridiculous the situation looked. He had faced down dragons, giants and all sorts of other monsters that would make these ponies wet themselves.

“Sorry but I refuse,” Coppa said as he got up from his chair. He could clearly hear the sighs of relief coming from his friends. A small smile formed on his face as Dante and Sam nodded in respect at his decision. He flashed a grin at Moe who seemed to be the most relieved at his decision while he gloated silently internally. "I got better things to do."

Suck it Moe, you’re not the only one who can be “Mature.” Now only to find the bathroom and drain the dragon.

“Yer just a bucking coward!” Applejack swore as Coppa stopped in his tracks. He was about to disregard the comment until the mare opened her mouth again. “A no-good bucking mangy, cowardly mutt!”

Coppa felt something snap in his mind as well as a vein pop in his head as he turned around. Fuck maturity! This bitch is so going down! Coppa thought as he sat back down, a frown replacing his confident smirk. He grabbed two mugs from a different table and them slammed down while he staring directly into the mare's eyes with so much intensity, the farmpony actually flinched. His neck cracked as he rotated his head. He cracked each knuckle as he poured the cider into both mugs before handing the orange mare one. Applejack was taken back as she watched him down his first mug without difficulty before slamming it down, denting the table in the process. He spat on the ground as he cleared his throat. “Alright then," He snarled audibly, receiving a few gasps of fear and a few ponies visibly backing away from the pair. "Your turn.”