//------------------------------// // 21-The Pendent's End. // Story: This Beautiful Darkness Shall Protect Me... // by Timemaster //------------------------------// A smell of pleasant roses went into my nose, as a stink of sweat and some blood faded away. My nose, in her hair, was about to sneeze, but I stop it. I scoot out from under her, but she was grabbing my pendent. I slowly edged out of Trixie's grasp, getting out of bed. Trixie's bed. Last night went horribly right, but I felt so dirty doing it. I go into the bathroom, seeing the pendent around my neck in the mirror. It had a large crack down the center, bigger than in the cafe/restaurant thing. I still cannot crush it into dust, though. My face was bed-ragged, but nothing my shape-shifting couldn't handle... but I should be cautious, for what if this thing breaks? Instead, like a normal pony, I use a small amount of gel. "Scribe?" Trixie said, knocking on the bathroom door. She rambles on about how last night was 'fun' while I brush my teeth. My mouth felt very dirty, but it was indeed fun. [Gurgle-gurgle] [Ptoo!] Feeling clean, I open the door. Trixie walks in, slapping my behind as I leave the room. "I am going to the council room, Trixie." I say, happy. "I'll meet you there after I get a shower... I still have no clue why you never broke a sweat." "If I told you my trade secrets, I would have to kill you." I say, smiling at her from her bed, collecting the pieces of my suit. I laugh to myself, for what I had said was probably true... ... In the council room, Shining Armor was being comforted by Gerald, who seemed a bit buzzed himself. Shining sees me. "Hey, look who I— found!" He says, he hoof on his head. Gerald looked at me, a small smile on his face, "Sorry I missed the last meeting, but I was just getting a drink... and it took some time to come." "I met him when you two went off somewhere!" Shining said, lifting his hoof off his head. He stares at me for a second, "Wait, did you two —" He rubs his head. "Did we what?" He stares at me again. "What?" He said, grabbing an orange with his magic. It falls when he starts to roll around the floor in pain. "Did you forget magic was connected to the brain you drowned?" Trixie said, coming through the door in the ruckus. She looked beautiful, but something was off... ["Why don't you stop and take a break from drinking?"] ["I do! I have for ten years!"] I continue to stare at her, trying to figure out what was different. Her hat was the same, so was her cape, but it was something around her. Something was missing... The aura. I couldn't see it. "Fuck." I said, outloud. "Woah, what are you talking about?" "I... I have something to do... where is Luna?" "Princess Luna? She is at the balconey with her sister ri—" Trixie said as I ran out the door towards the balcony. I felt the pendent break one more time. ... I am at the cafe, pushing past the kind waiter and into the personal room. The Princesses stare at me with confused looks, the both of them eating a souffle. "Princess Luna, I have something to say to you," I close the door, "and it is about this pendent." They exchange looks, "Yes,? Do you want us to fix it?" "NO!" I yell, my voice reverberateing through the cafe. The princesses stare at me with their eyes wide open. "Just... just be civil about thi—" [Crack...] The pendent falls to the floor, shattering. I see fire envelop me, a blue one. It burns... it burns so much... "What are we going to do about this one?" A changeling said, a buzz saw above my head. "Well, we could use him..." A love... horrible voice said. "How, my queen?" he says, his voice a bit chipper for a bastard. "Well, you know how humans have mages, too?" "Is he one of them?" "That and more." "More?" "Let us just say that he seems to be more than one mage..." He starts the buzz saw, "Well then, one new recruit coming up!" I am conscious throughout this, not even able to be knock unconscious because they stunned me. The grinding of the buzz againt my flesh hurt. It hurt so much that I wished I would die... Even though, I know, that no matter what insane method I took, I could never die... I wake up in an infirmary, my face feeling numb. Somepony walks through the door. "You should have told us, " Luna said, "That someone had planted a mind-control bomb on you... it would have helped." She laughs quietly, laying her hoof on my hoof. My hoof? "Can I see myself?" I say, the gauze muffling my noise. "Sure, my child, here you go." She hooves me the mirror as I tear away the gauze with my weak hooves, which seem to be missing some patches of fur. I feel the pain as the gauze rips away some more fur from my face... but I msut be sure. I look in the mirror, and see the face of the pony-me... but how? I begin to cry, smiling. My face among the ponies was safe, except for a large burn over my fore-head, so my identity is safe. I look to Luna, who is smiling at the incapacitated me, and say, "Thank you for saving me." She nods as another pony, clad in white, strolls in and injects me with something in a vial... ... I wake up in my bed, a box on the table. I move my weak legs, picking up the box. "How common is a mind-control bomb as to not attract attention?" I say, seeing a box of disenchanting stickers. I laugh loudly, realizing that I must have been the luckiest being in the Omniverse at that point, so I merrily 'skip' (with a limp) to the council room, beginning business... ... My dreams, as I am laying next to Trixie, are connected to her for today. I show her nothing of my past, but I show her of what kind of being I am. I show her all the horrifi memories of my past, but with grat concentration, ponify the characters in my memories. It feels good, seeing her tear up at my somewhat-false past, for I finally have someone. Someone to love... She leaves my dreams, but leaves the gate open. Another being comes in... "Princess Luna." "Human... ?" "Luna, I have to say something to you personally." "Whatis it?" she says, smiling at me. We have always enjoyed our small talk, but this is odd. "I am Wright." She looks at me, laughing. "What's so funny?" She wipes her tears, "How do you think you got back into that body, Allen?" I ponder about it, and feel horrified. I gulp. "I am sorry, my princess, for what has occurred! I will never speak to the dark hag ever again!" I bow before her, pleading for my safety. "Don't worry, my friend, only us two know about this," She said, going towards the gate, "but, if you ever try to contact your queen, you will be executed." "Why do you trust me?" "If you were lying about hating your queen, I would know... I am in your mind clearly, after all." "then what is my punishment?" I say, shrinking in my own dreams. "Your punishment is that you must obey everything we say without question. You got that?" Before I could answer, she leaves the room, laughing maniacly. They were going to use me for something, just like Queen Cry-a-lot. I knew that something was going to go down... But I have no damn clue what...