//------------------------------//
// Nighttime 
// Story: Autumn 
// by canonkiller 
//------------------------------//

     Above it all, above the chaos and the darkness and the shadow, the sky was bright with stars. It seemed like there was no longer space between them, like the heavens had decided to spotlight this ending dance. The sky alive with light and the ground dark and lifeless, it was not hard to imagine that everything had simply flipped, that the burning lights of Canterlot were against a grounded night sky.
It was hard to define if it was nothing more than a dream.
Or a nightmare.

Time continued around him, a cast shadow between reality and dreaming. This thin, dark, dangerous line, was the location of a draconequus's hurried footprints. This place, hidden in the dusk, was not where one would meet travellers. So he walked alone, down the border, a being that did not fit in anywhere.
He did, however, accept this. He knew what he was going to end up ebing, what was going to happen.
He was going to die.
He did not know how. He did not know when. He simply knew he would.
He was ready.
Each step he took seemed to hurt more, both physically and mentally. He was growing weaker. His once untapped power was running out, drained by physical strain and consumed by the Shard. 
He did not know when he would give, only that he would.
The Shard was stronger than he had believed it was going to be. Before, when it was not completed, he could control it with ease.
But now, even wih time itself suffocating his mind, it was slowly tearing him apart. Every time he looked down, he could have sworn he was fading away. And not just because he was on the borderline of chaos, but because he was. He was leaving, faster than he could predict.
He hoped he could get to her in time.
He was not leaving her again.

Sky snorted and stood up, still adjusting to his new center of balance. He glared at the stubborn white film on his shoulders and cursed it multiple times.
If Obsidian has the Shard, why do you still bear marks?
"If I knew, I'd have gotten rid of it."
You're still fully in control?
"Yeah...?"
Try using it to your advantage. If you can hold this much... try reverting to your other form.
Pictures of thousands of bloody bodies, blood in his mouth, on his skin, in his eyes, the feeling of warmth, of power, feeling so proud of being the only one left-
"No. I can't."
I don't know what you went through before. But you might be able to stop it from happening again.
He looked up at Celestia's conjured form, seeing reassurance somewhere in her dark eyes. I'll fight it if it gets out of control.
"Oh...okay..." He could see Obsidian, a dark fire around him, laughing, the blood on his fur, the shining madness in his eyes, the despair beneath... no. No other would ever have to suffer through that. "Okay."
He closed his eyes against the faint glow of Celestia's weak magic and fell into darkness. He let the shadows sweep ovr his skin, let it remember his sins and his triumph. For a brief moment, he saw his own face reflected in blood, and it was gone, whisked into black. He let out a choked scream as pain flooded every nerve ending in his body. He felt his bones crack, felt them move, felt his form changing, his fur burning as it melted into skin, his eyes stinging like daggers in his skull.
And it was done. He slowly opened his eyes, felt the difference of them, saw deeper than his companion's light. He could see two of his once-hooves, which now ending in almost-invisible toes, the small claws on them the same colour as his skin.
Are you okay? Talk if you are. If you don't talk, I'll attack you.
"I'm fine."

Spike squinted against the light, growling quietly.
"By the stars above, I never thought I'd find you! Do you have any idea how many tunnels I've gotten stuck in today to save your rumps?"
"Discord?" Sunrise asked, sticking her head out from behind her father's leg.
"No, I'm the mailmare." He frowned, looking around the cavern. "I think I can teleport you all at once. Actually... CAN ANYONE IN HERE USE MAGIC?"
A few Unicorns and Sunrise stepped out, the Unicorns looking at Discord with a burning fear.
"Oh, yeah. I'm the bad guy." He looked at each of them, as if trying to figure out where they were from. "It's been a year. You should know the Princesses are dead?" They nodded. "And Luna released me?" More nods. "Um... we had a son?" Hesitant nods. "Well, I'm the good guy. You're safe here. Ignore anything you might have heard about me. All rumors. I swear. Except for the chaos thing. That's true." He paused, shaking his head. "Never mind." He lit his claws, sending a couple of sparks into the air. The tiny flickers began etching a pattern in the air. "You are right about... here." Discord reached up to the lines, leaving a pulsing red dot. You need to get to... there." He placed another dot in the center of a massive circle.
"Think you can handle getting there?"
Sunrise and two of the Unicorns nodded, but the final shook his head and backed into the group. "Sunrise, you go first. Try to pull along as many ponies as you can. I'll handle your father the lardlump."
"The what?" Spike growled, lowering his head until it was level with Discord's. 
"Nothing."
"That's what I thought."

"I think I'm okay." Sky muttered. "I'm in control."
Sure?
"Ugh... I was just getting used to my old form." He tried to frown, but realized he couldn't. So he shrugged. "I feel okay. I don't want to kill anything."
That's good... right?
"Supreme, actually." Sky streched out, popping the bones in his back and rolling his ankles. "Ow. Okay, I think I have enough magic to get us out of here. Oww... shoulder. Ow."
Celestia smiled.