//------------------------------// // Lies // Story: What Choice Do I Have? // by chaos2012 //------------------------------// Twilight's eyes snapped open as she shot up from her Nightmare. Her breaths came in rapid gasps as her nerves rocked her body, causing her to shake continuously. It was just like the one she had the other night inside of the throne room with Spike. The only difference, however, was Luna was the one this time crashing through the window, her battered body bleeding on the ground until it was engulfed in lava just like her sister was. Shutting her eyes again, she tried to calm her mind to think, but when she reopened them and saw her bleach white leg, her heart didn't slow down. 'I'm... I'm still like this?' She questioned herself. Using her magic, Twilight conjured a small pool of aura to act as a mirror to give herself a reflection. She could only hope that she was still imagining everything that had happened, that it was just her mind playing a horrible trick on her. When she saw herself in her magic however, her heart sank once again; her burning mane still flickered erratically above her head, along with those horrid red eyes and pure white coat. She hadn't changed back from the night before. Looking around, Twilight noted the bleak, dank cave she had fled into when she reappeared from her teleportation. She didn't even know where she was now, her spell had taken her to the limit of distance that she possessed. Her personal record before was five miles, but with whatever power had come from inside of her, there was no doubt that amount had been amplified. Whatever distance it was, she didn't care. As long as she got away from everything, that was what mattered. Away from Canterlot. Away from Every pony. Away from her mentor. That last thought stuck into Twilight’ head as she sat there on the stone floor. Ever since the beginning, Celestia’s reaction to her was what tormented her thoughts the most over anything. The moment she even mentioned the name Crimson Flames, she saw how terrified the princess became, even to where she tried to kill her without warning. Never once in all the years she served under the princess had Twilight ever seen her react to anything to such an extent to where she was willing to- "Rah!" Twilight screamed as she slammed her hoof into the ground. "What is happening to me!? Why did this happen! Why! Why! WHY!" Every time she hit the stone, a patch of flames burst out from her hoof, which she quickly noticed and forced herself to stop. Her mouth shook from pure frustration, but slowly turned into quivering as her eyes slowly narrowed. Tears began to drip down her cheeks until they reached her chin and dripped onto the ground. Not able to deal with it, she dropped onto her belly and buried her muzzle into her hooves. "Why... Why did this happen?"Twilight choked out between her sobs. Everything going through her mind was causing her emotions to become a swirling whirlpool of turmoil. Nothing that was happening was making sense to her anymore. The pain in her head was nothing compared to the pain inside her heart. The worst part about everything was the fact that not a single pony would want to help her. Celestia, the one she always loved, tried to kill her when she asked for help. Even Luna, one she saw as a friend had betrayed her and tried to finish her off as well. It tore at her heart, but her friends were probably no better. None came by and tried to help her when she was hurting back in the library. Rainbow Dash especially was the one that got to her. 'That stupid pony...' Twilight growled to herself, "...the supposed element of Loyalty never even bothered to give me comfort when I needed it. All I remember getting was a cold shoulder from that Pegasus. And then Spike... That little dragon traitor. He must have told the princess something about me when I was on my way there. They must have worked together to- Twilight stopped herself when she realized what she was saying. "What is wrong with me?" She had started accusing Spike of betraying her and trying to have her killed. If any one soul was to help her, it was Spike, and she knew it. Whenever she felt hurt, he would always be there to comfort her and make her feel better. Never once in his life had he tried to betray her in any form whatsoever, and yet she had immediately turned on him like a conniving snake. To what reason she even started saying something like that was beyond her. It didn't matter anymore though. Not one pony in her life would take her in anymore. Her friends were terrified just by her eyes, she couldn't even imagine what they would do seeing her like this. Both princesses had tried to kill her, one of the main reasons she fled. Even her own mother, one she thought would love her no matter what, shoved her away like a leper. Her heart was shattered from the pain she was enduring, causing more tears to fall from her eyes. She had nowhere to go. She was alone. ... ... ... "Do not worry Twilight. You will not need them anymore." Twilight heart skipped at the cold voice inside her mind again. A cold gaze formed in Twilights brow from the thought of that thing still inside her. "What are you doing here?" She angrily asked. "What do you mean Twilight? I have always been here inside of you. I have always been you." The voice responded casually. "No... I am not this monster that you are." "A monster? Whoever said anything about being a- "Princess Celestia did! She tried to kill me because I look like you!" Twilight screamed out. "Are you really going to listen to that liar, Twilight?' The voice chuckled inside her head. 'She has been using you from the moment you served her." Furious, Twilight shut her eyes and reentered her subconscious. Once again she found herself inside the black void of her mind, staring at the fire version of herself. The irony of this moment however was both Twilight and the other version of herself weren't so different anymore. In fact, they were exactly the same as each other now, whether it be their coat color to the eyes that burned as bright as their manes. While Twilight hated this thought, her copy simply smiled. 'It does look good to see you like this. That is the power that you deserve to wield.' Twilight bared her teeth in anger to the statement, stomping her hoof in anger. "This is nothing that I wanted. You have destroyed my life and everything that I have loved!" "There was never a life for you there, Twilight. Everypony in your life was against you and planned to betray you sooner or later." Before she answered, the picture she saw in that book suddenly came up in Twilight's mind. That stallion in the picture wasn't just a horrible memory for the princess to panic like that. She knew "You... You aren't me." Twilight said. "Twilight, quit trying to deny the fact that you are- "You are not me. I know who you are..." Twilight took a deep breath as she took a step forward. "Crimson Flames. That is who you really are." The fire copy sat quiet for a moment before a large smile spread across its muzzle. "So you finally know who I am. I guess I don't need to do this form anymore." In an instant, a burst of fire encircled the unicorn, causing Twilight to cover her eyes from the bright light. Almost as fast as it came, the fire dissipated, allowing Twilight to open her eyes forward again. When she looked however, the sight caused her to step backwards and fall onto her rump. Where that form of herself once stood was the unicorn stallion that was from the picture in that book she found. His muscular body stood a head taller than she was, in fact, nearly the size of Big Mac. His bleached coat was much more ragged and thick than a normal ponies, making his frame seem even thicker than it already was. The most noticeable difference on the new pony was the cutie mark replacing her own purple star. On its flank sat a swirling tornado of flames extending from the tail of a fireball. It was so unlike anypony she had ever seen before, yet it felt so familiar to her. The stallion before her was Crimson Flames himself. Trotting forward, Crimson smiled down upon the stunned mare. "I had chosen to appear as you to let you feel more easily acquainted with your experience, but now that you know that I am here, I might as well not hide." Twilight had made the assumption to the connection between herself and the pony in the book, but to hear the deep voice come out of this stallion made her sit in disbelief. This stallion that was regarded as a monster to the world was living inside of her. "You... You are the one who made me like this?" "I made you something extraordinary Twilight." Crimson stepped closer until he stood directly in front of her. "You were destined to be the one to- "YOU TURNED ME INTO A MONSTER!" Twilight screamed at the top of her lungs, jumping off the ground and launching herself at the startled stallion. Colliding into his chest, she tackled him backwards into the blackness, but in an instant he vanished entirely from her grasp. "Wh-what?" "Twilight, don't try and fight what has happened." The voice behind her sent a chill up Twilight’s spine. Flipping around, she saw him standing there, a large grin upon his face. "How... How did you get there? You didn't teleport." "I am part of your subconscious Twilight. Part of your soul. I can be anywhere within you at any moment. But I would rather not fight with you, since we can work together." "Together?" Twilight crawled to her hooves and glared at Crimson. "Why would I want to do anything with you. You turned me into a monster." "I did something amazing for you. You are a pony born with my powers, which means your magic is far beyond any unicorn in your time. You should be honored to be the one to inherit my gifts." Crimson trotted towards Twilight, his horn casting a patch of fire that shifted into the shape of a burning rose. "I am happy that of any pony, it would happen to you." Twilight watched as the fire flower was levitated over in front of her face. Gritting her teeth, she swung her hoof and broke the fire apart. "So that is all I am to you? A vessel for your power to come back after you died? I am nothing but something to use for your own gain!" "I am saving this world from weakness and despair." The smile on Crimson fell away as he spoke. "This entire land is flooded with ponies of useless lives mulling around in the dirt, serving under that so called princess you served." "What kind of pony are you?" Twilight trotted directly into Crimsons face, all fear vanished from her heart. "You are a sick, and twisted freak who tried to destroy Equestria because of whatever reason you saw fit. And now, after you failed, you want to use me to kill the princess, don't you?" "Our mentor is the one reason everything has happened." Twilight's eyes became the size of dinner plates from what she heard. "I-I-our mentor?" She stuttered. "I figured she would never tell you about me..." Crimson turned around, his fire tail dragging across Twilight's chin as he walked away. "Celestia never mentioned how I was the first student she ever trained, did she?" He looked backward and saw the stunned look on her. "I'll take your silence as my answer." "Well over a millennia ago, I was a colt gifted with a talent in magic far beyond the level most stallions could ever hope to achieve in their life. When the princess saw the power I had, she took me into the castle to be her student. My magic grew even more than before, the new techniques she had pushed me to learn. Every part of my power and control came from inside that castle. You strive to push yourself to become stronger, and that is what I was doing for her." "She always taught me that I could be great, to push myself further than before no matter what. That is what she taught me. I did everything for her, all of my training and goals were for her to be happy, to become proud of me. After time however, I realized in the end that I was the one being played." "All she wanted to use me for was a subject to test her abilities with. But after time with my teachings, I soon became so powerful that she tried to keep me from growing any stronger. She refused to teach me anything else so that I could not turn into something she would see as a threat to her precious rule." Crimson stepped away from Twilight, his brow furrowed as he was deep in thought. "After everything I did for her, she turned out to be nothing more than a master to her slave." "That's not true..." Twilight glared at him, "... You are lying to me. I read the history in that book about you. You were an insane pony that tried to destroy Equestria. You killed innocent ponies because you- "I was doing what Celestia trained me to do." The angered stallion turned back to Twilight, "She always told me I was destined to be greater than any unicorn alive, and I must push myself to be stronger. Celestia however refused to help me grow stronger when my talent began to increase. She saw I was one to take her off the pedestal she sits on along with her sister, overlooking the lives of their subjects like cattle. I was doing all of this for her, she created me." Twilight's breath caught in her throat the more she listened to his words. Part of her wanted to shut him out of her thoughts and be rid of him... But another part wanted to let Crimson speak on to tell a totally different perspective to the book she read. "You claim you were a slave to her, and yet you are the one controlling me." "Am I controlling you?" Crimson asked with a smirk, "You chose to talk to me now because you want answers. I would gladly give them to you if you wish. I read through ancient scrolls hidden away in the library at Canterlot and discovered the creature Aligon." "I know..." Twilight responded, "I saw him in that book. A dragon and unicorn hybrid." The white stallion nodded in approval. "Exactly. Starswirl was a pony of legend, his powers dwarfing any other unicorn in his time and perhaps for eternity. The idea of fusing his powers with a dragon’s is astounding, revealing how powerful a being could become by doing that. It took me time to put it together, but Celestia wanted me to do that for myself." "What!?" Twilight exclaimed, "why in Equestria would she ever want something like that? There is no way- "She was testing me from the moment she picked me." Crimson growled at her, "do you think it was coincidence that she chose me, a unicorn that controls fire, when she had a Phoenix at the time?" Twilight's mind thought back to the mystical bird for the princess. "Philomena?" "Why would she pick me of all ponies to be her student? It's because she saw my potential to what I could be. And yet when I surpassed the power she saw, she betrayed me after I was doing all of the things she expected of me. I died, taking my own life before she could kill me, but my power couldn't be extinguished by her." Crimson couldn't help but chuckle for a moment. "It seems like fate that the pony strong enough to wield my power would be you Twilight." Twilight's heart skipped a beat hearing that. "Wield your power? What do you mean?" "My soul lived on, containing all of my powers due to the rebirth effect of the Phoenix. The only problem was I could not return right then. My powers had not developed enough to where being reborn from by own ashes. I had to linger... Sitting in limbo until a pony was strong enough to control my abilities. And that pony of all... Is you." A sickening crawl moved up Twilights skin at those words. Her legs began shaking to the point to where she almost fell to her stomach. Her breaths came in extremely quick and raspy gasps, making her stumble slightly. "It's true then... You possessed me. You used me so you could come back and do whatever sick plan you think- "It is fate that you would be the one to gain my power?" Crimson stepped back from Twilight, giving her space to take in everything. "Celestia only takes ponies to serve her that rank above all others in strength. You were chosen because she wants those that are capable of surpassing her. I in fact am freeing you." Twilight panted as she glared up to the soul of Crimson. "You are just making that up to cover yourself. You are a sick and twisted freak that is lying to me." "Don't try and fool yourself Twilight. How many ponies do you know have the magical capabilities that you do? Celestia chose you out of so many ponies in all of Those that have gone through her class because she saw how strong you are. You may not realize it, but she purposely picked you so that you will be restricted from growing your talent any more." Crimson lowered his head to be eye level with her. "Haven't you noticed how she stopped teaching you advanced spells once you passed the high level classes?" Before she said anything, Twilight stopped herself and thought about what he just said. She had advanced much faster than any other pony in studies that she could think of. Being able to cast spells at the age of nine which most stallions at twenty couldn't pull off was something she just figured as a high level skill. She did remember though when she had requested to increase her level of magic training on multiple occasions, Celestia always stated that she wasn't ready for magic like that... No matter how much she asked. Crimson noticed the confusion growing in her face. "You see her put on a mask of emotions when she speaks to you Twilight, but in reality that mentor of yours is as conniving as any serpent in these lands. You may think that she cares for you, but she doesn't. Everything in your life shows me that." "What?" Twilight asked in concern. "My life? Wait.... You, you have seen everything?" Crimson nodded. "I may have been unable to come out in the beginning, but I was there. I watched your life role by day after day, showing me the fate you were to share. You were just as much of a slave as I was." "You're lying..." Twilight glared at him, her teeth clenched in anger, "I.. I wasn't a slave. I was a student that- "Of course you were a slave. The moment you agreed to serve her you were set to live a life under her control. Unable to do what you wish because your choices were all made by her." The burning stallion leaned in so his muzzle was right up to her ear. "Every event you have lived through was a game of chess with your so called goddess." Twilight turned to look at him in confusion. "Chess?" "The princess knew the coming of her sister from the moon, and yet she allowed you to figure it out on your own. You nearly died trying to recover those elements that she never even told you about. Her so called test not only almost cost you your life, but it insured you into serving her for whatever task that is needed. You recall the events with the dragon in the mountain? A dangerous beast that could easily kill anything it wanted and Celestia sends you to talk to it with no protection of guards or anything." "I was... We were doing the service to protect the land from its smoke." Twilight tried to find reasoning for the event, but as she thought more about it, the lingering feeling of doubt began to creep into her heart. Why did the princess send them unprotected to a dragon? Why couldn't the guards go and push it out? "The release of Discord. The spirit of chaos and perhaps one of the single most powerful creatures in the history of the planet. The only ones that could have rivaled him are the princesses themselves, and what did they do? They allowed you and your friends to face him yourselves, with nothing more than your own will to find the elements. Don't try and tell me that wasn't some sick game to test your skill against a deity." The more Twilight listened, she couldn't stop the nagging feeling growing inside of her heart. All these different events that she was remembering were revealing different perspectives to everything. She looked back up as Crimson came closer towards her. "And just recently, Sombra returned to the northern region. A unicorn ruling by the use of dark magic and what does your precious princess do? She sends you and a few other mares up there with nothing, not even the Elements of Harmony. She even admitted that she and her sister stopped him once, she could have easily stopped him again. She didn't however, she allowed you to risk your life to challenge him just for her so called test." "You were nothing more than a pawn in her life." Crimson marched towards her, passing by on her right side before coming around. "Every event in your existence has been in her control, and she didn't even care about your life once. Even your so called friends that you live are all working for her." That last statement sent a shock through the mares heart, making her eyes shoot up to him. "What are you talking about? How are they involved with the princess?" "The moment you met them it was a set-up. You were sent to your new home when the princess told you to 'make friends' as she says. Do you think it was coincidence the ones you met were the elements of harmony? Every single stop for you was a prearranged pick from the princess to set you up with so you could become her simple pieces of protection." It is quite a shame that you felt like you had a bond with them too. I could sense how happy you were with them, but I am sorry to see how they don't even care the slightest for your when- "You're lying! They wouldn't do that to me!" Twilight screamed out at Crimson. "All of those times we laughed. The games. The Parties. We loved each other." "Then where were they when you felt like you needed help?" Crimson asked her, forcing her to fall silent as he continued, "You even admit to yourself that you were in pain and yet none of them came to help you." Twilight felt her mouth slightly open, confused in how to respond. "I... I tried to stay away from them." "And yet none of them came to see if you were okay. Every time you needed something they simply turned their gaze the other way and let you do it all by yourself. Just like your princess, they completely ignored your warnings about that changeling and your brother. You were left alone to figure out the entire problem yourself. They only came to help once they saw it necessary for them." Crimson turned his back away from her, and looked turned his head around to keep eye contact. "Not to mention that dragon traitor." Twilight stepped back in shock, almost experiencing déjà vu to what she said earlier. "Spike. He's.... He isn't a traitor..." "Yes he is Twilight, he has always been going behind your back." Crimson flipped back around and faced his burning female counterpart. "He went to the princess and told her you were experiencing odd sensations, warning her that I was returning. And don't let her emotions and lies hide her true motives. She has been awaiting my arrival ever since she tried to kill me back then, and she has been planning everything from the beginning. That egg test she does is a set up. To hatch a dragon by magic requires unbelievable magical talent, which meant all average ponies fail. when one did achieve that feat, she took them immediately as a student because of the chance they could be the one to be my rebirth." And him being your assistant is no coincidence, Twilight. What did she always have you do with him?" Crimson used his fire to create an image of a piece of paper, until it disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Does that look familiar? The same thing your so called assistant does every time the princess needs something." The gears in Twilight’s head began spinning as she started to realize the connections Crimson was pointing out. Celestia had always required her to send messages to her via Spike, to check up on what she was doing constantly. Any time something would happen, the princess would want to know immediately. Always submitting letters was in fact more than a simple request; it was a requirement that Twilight send them to her... Master. "She made you follow her like a beaten dog. The fear of being punished for stepping out of line made you worry to the point of seclusion. You were so afraid to say anything wrong to her, just like- "Just like a slave." Twilight finished, her eyes floating up towards Crimson. The stallion noted the fury radiating from her gaze, but it wasn't directed towards him. It was of the realization to what her life had been this entire time. She was tricked into believing that her life was a natural mix of events that led her to Ponyville. The fury of being connived into thinking that anypony cared about her, while the truth had been hidden behind the disgusting smiles they wore. Seeing this made Crimson smile. "Exactly. Everything I have told you is the truth. Both you and I were tricked into thinking she cared about us. But now we know the truth, don't we?" Crimson asked her. "We were pawns to her game. Used as servants to do her bidding." Twilight growled out, her voice growing deeper with every word. A wave of red aura began to pulse out from her hooves, radiating with each exhale. "And what did she do to restrict our growth?" "She refused to teach us anymore. We could have became so much more, except she was frightened that we would be too much to control." "Tell me, how did she make you believe you actually were of use to her?" "She made me go through dangerous tasks, not caring if I died or not just to test my ability." The red aura around Twilight shifted into a wall of flames, the bright fire bursting out in powerful flashes. "What did she do to keep you under her control?" "She set everything up so I would be surrounded by her servants. All those ponies I thought were my friends were put there by her, so that we would all meet and they could act like they cared for me." Twilight's eyes closed as she vented, all this anger coming from the fact she was betrayed. "And Spike was her little spy. He was always around me, able to see everything I did. The moment I showed any change he went crawling to her and told her. That is why she tried to kill me when I arrived. He warned her." "Put it all together, Twilight. She forced you to follow her ways, a pony who puts herself above others just because she is stronger than them. That is why she made an entire world of lies to keep you contained, the way she kept me contained. But this time it's different. You can show her what you truly are capable of. Unleash the power that is inside of you. LET IT ALL OUT OUT NOW!" Twilight's hooves lifted up and slammed back down, unleashing a tsunami of fire in all directions and engulfing every single area of space in sight. After a moment her eyes shot back open, the blood red irises glowing even brighter than before. She saw herself back Inside the cave she had hidden in, its entire inner facing lined in dancing flames now. Her mouth hung open as she panted, trails of black smoke exiting her mouth. "I will not let her control my life anymore." She snarled. 'What are you going to do now?' Crimsons voice said inside her head. Twilight's eyes fell upon the cave opening, the small trickle of daylight reaching the interior. Stared at it for several seconds before a large grin spread across her face. "I will destroy this prison of a world she created, the lies she tells to keep that crown of her head. It... Is my destiny."