//------------------------------// // Chapter 38 // Story: The Darkness in our Souls // by Black Light //------------------------------// Chapter 38 I was walking out of the hospital with Skies. I had stayed the night in the hospital so the doctors could do some blood tests. They showed nothing unusual so the doctors let me go the next morning. “So what do you think it was?” Skies asked me. “I don’t know.” I answered. “I think the darkness is trying to figure it out right now.” I told her. I could feel him stirring around in my mind trying to figure out what happened yesterday. “What about Starry Night?” Skies asked. “The doctors told me she was released an hour before I was. Twilight came to pick her up, so I assume everypony is at Twilight’s right now.” I answered as I started to walk in the direction of the library. Skies and I walked to Twilight’s in a few minutes. We were both outside the door, I raised my hoof and knocked. The door handle was surrounded by a purple aura and soon the door opened. Skies and I walked in and I shut the door behind us. When I turned back around I saw all of the girls there and I gave a smile. “So how is everypony today?” I asked. “Shouldn’t we be asking you that?” Rainbow countered. “Perhaps, but I don’t really care. I’m feeling better now, still slightly weak but better.” I responded. “So what was it that happened?” Twilight asked as she spoke I felt the darkness stop thinking so hard. He then started to ask for control. Thinking he was onto something I let him come through. As my right side blacked out I could hear that the darkness was taking long raspy breaths. “I think I might just know now.” He told Twilight. The entire froze as he took partial control all of their attention on him. “What’s up with you?” I asked. “You seem… weak, really weak.” “Yes well that’s what will happen to you when your life force is being siphoned off.” He responded. “What?” Twilight asked. “I’ve figured it out. I know why I’ve never had to deal with another darkness before.” He began to answer. “It’s because there can’t be another darkness. Only one can exist at one time. I’ve been moving from body to body for a long time, but even I know that there was a darkness before me that did exactly what I have been doing. Even though being a…” The darkness started, searching for the right word. “Spirit grants us a long life, we are not immortal. Eventually, whether from starvation of fears, or some other method. All spirits will eventually die.” “So you weren’t the first darkness?” I asked. “No I wasn’t, but that’s not the point right now. The point is that somehow a second darkness has been created.” He said looking at Starry Night. “And whatever magical forces of nature there are in this world. They are trying to restore balance.” “You mean they’re trying to make only one darkness again?” I questioned. “Precisely.” The darkness answered. “You said your life-force was being siphoned off.” Twilight stated. “Does that mean that it’s going to make one darkness again by getting rid of one of you?” “You could just say kill, you know?” The darkness said to her. Twilight’s eyes looked away for a second. After a pause Rainbow was the first to speak up. “So why should we do anything to stop it?” “What?” Twilight asked. “Well if he’s right that means that it’s going to get rid of the darkness inside Shadow. Doesn’t that mean you’ll be normal?” She asked. I thought for a moment. “No, no I wouldn’t be normal.” I answered. “The darkness and I are one being. If he loses his life-force-” “Shadow loses his as well.” The darkness finished for me. The girls all gave a small gasp. “Judging by how things are going, I would say that if this continues both myself and the other darkness will die within a few days, four at most.” “So- so what do we do?” Twilight asked. “Well that’s quite simple. If you kill one of us before our time is up, the other will survive.” The darkness said with a grin. “NO!” I shouted exercising my strength over him. “Nopony is going to die. We’ll find another way.” “Of course you will.” The darkness said chuckling. The then turned to the mares. “I hope you make the right choice.” He told them before receding back into my mind. The girls were visibly shaken from what the darkness had told them. “I- I need to take a walk.” I told the girls. “Not without me.” Rainbow told me. “Please Rainbow just-” “NO!” she shouted at me and I shut my mouth. “I’m going with you whether you like it or not.” “Why?” I asked. “Because I know you, and I know that would go through any pain, even death, if it meant that you could save somepony else.” She told me with a few tears in her eyes. “I just- I’m just scared what you might do if you can’t find some other way to stop this.” As Rainbow spoke I brought her close to me. “Rainbow, I said that nopony is going to die, and I meant it. We are going to find another way.” I reassured her. I said that out loud, but inside I knew she was right. The thought that by removing myself from the equation I might save Starry Night had crossed my mind, more than once even. I looked to the other mares and saw Applejack. I saw it in her eyes, she knew that I wasn’t telling them the whole truth, and she knew that I had a good amount of doubt. I looked away not wanting to look anymore. I stepped away from Rainbow, closing my eyes and trying to think. I felt a tap on my shoulder and when I opened my eyes Applejack was standing there. “Listen, we need to talk.” She told me in her signature southern accent. “Applejack I-” “Now!” She said forcefully, cutting me off. I slowly nodded my head and the two of us walked a small distance away from the rest of the girls. “Applejack I know what you’re going to say.” I said to her trying to keep my voice low so the others couldn’t eavesdrop. “That you’re out of your buckin’ mind.” She responded. “You really would do it wouldn’t ya?” She asked. “If it meant you could save somepony?” I nodded slightly. Applejack gave a sigh. “Ya need to stop doing this, you can’t keep lyin’ about these type of things. Back at the Gala you told us a lie. In the end I decided not to question you about it because I figured it wasn’t that important, but this. This is serious.” I lowered my head. “I know, I know, but I can’t just get rid of that option.” I told her. “I can promise this though. I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that everypony makes it out of this.” Applejack looked at me before sighing. She knew I was telling the truth, but it wasn’t exactly what she wanted to hear. Eventually she just nodded and walked away. I stood off a ways for a few more moments collecting myself before I turned around with a small grin on my face. “So Twilight any ideas?” I asked. Twilight who had a large pile of books next to her, shook her head. “I can’t find anything helpful in here. I’ve already sent a letter to the princesses telling them what I could, but I don’t know how much they could help.” I nodded and levitated a book from the pile. “Applejack could you do us a favor and bring some apples from your farm? I don’t think we’ll have a lot of time to eat and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a late night.” I said turning to face her. Applejack gave a small smile and nodded. “Sure thing partner. I’ll be back before ya know it.” She said as she left the library and started off towards Sweet Apple Acres. I opened the book and began reading. “You should probably get some rest.” I said to Starry Night. She gave a small nod and started towards Twilight’s spare bedroom, but she stopped halfway to the stairs. I felt it, the feeling of losing control, but outside my body I quickly slammed my book shut and moved in-between Starry and the rest of the girls. Starry’s mane and tail began to flare up floating in the air, and I began to hear a small chuckle coming from her. She turned around and her eyes were a pitch black and I stared straight back. I could tell she was weak by the way her shoulders slouched. “So according to that fool, all I have to do to live is to kill you?” She said in more of a statement than a question. “Yeah, I can do that.” She said with a grin before she lunged at me.