//------------------------------// // The Dark Knight (special ending) // Story: The Villain // by Dashie McCourty //------------------------------// **A/N**: This is a special ending to the ending of the previous chapter, "The Villain". I strongly suggest you read that chapter first before continuing along here. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My clothes are wet. Soaking wet. I'm still wondering what happened. To top it all off, my spirit is crushed and my heart is shattered. It's raining. It's raining very hard. The intensity of the thunder and the crackling of lightning to go along with the heavy drizzle symbolizes the current atmosphere right now. I'm heading into very depressing times. My name is Silver. Silver Wind. I'm a unicorn and I have an exceptional skill to use dark magic and my physical abilities are almost off the charts. Now, I'm nobody special -- because well, I'm not. My life's been a mess since Day 1. My family's been wiped out, my friends have all left me, and now I'm alone. Again. With no one else to care for me. I thought they were the ones that could help me lead me into the light -- and for a while, I never doubted that thought. However, it all came crashing to the ground as it used to do before I came to the town of Ponyville. Flashback... I'm waiting outside of Ponyville's library. I've grown used to this town, and even though I've only been here for a few months, it truly felt like a real home with warm and welcoming ponies. I met a lot great ponies here, I thought. Though, six ponies in particular really made me happy. Their names are Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. They called themselves "The Mane 6". It's a rather savvy name for a group of friends, if you ask me. They've all taught me how to be a true friend, something I've always had trouble doing because of my past life... One of them however, is the mare of the dreams. Her name is Pinkie Pie. What's there to say about her? Should I bring up how her smiles fill everypony with joy? That her beautiful mane would taste delicious as cotton candy? Or that her eyes would always pierce into my own, and into my very soul? Yes, I'm in love with Pinkie Pie. In fact, I had just tried to kiss her -- on the lips, to show my affection for her. I even told her I love her. However, she flinched and I only managed to kiss her nose. With that, she ran off into the library. It was about 10 minutes ago. Now obviously, I'm hurt. But, maybe she needs time to think about all this... oh wait, here comes Pinkie! With her friends... wait, why do they look angry? Twilight, the ringleader of the group, began to speak. "Hey." she said. "Get lost. We don`t want to see you ever again." ... Huh? Did she just say that? At this point, I was not only more hurt, but scared on what the others would say next. "Earth to idiot, do you copy?" said Rainbow Dash, in a harsh tone. "She told you to GET. LOST." What`s wrong with my friends? What have I done to make them so angry? Finally however, Pinkie spoke. "You." She began. "I'd never love a guy like you. Ever, in my life. If only I had known earlier that you would corrupt us with your dark emotions - which is what your cutie mark represents - I would have also rejected you." Tears began to form and fall from my eyes. I could not believe that this was happening. "I now know why you`re a loser." she told me. "Nobody in your life will ever love you. Not me, not my friends, and not your past friends. You can`t control us because that`s exactly what you are and what you always will be. A loser. And for the record, I never thought of you anything but a friend... which I can`t even call you anymore." No.... this IS happening... and it's all too real... but why are they saying this? What have I done to make them so angry with me...? I kept thinking about what Pinkie said to me until Twilight spoke... "Your kiss on Pinkie`s nose brought out your true colors." explained Twilight. "A form of black magic erupted within Pinkie's mind when you did this... not only did she become highly unsettled, but you had just shown her that you have a very dark heart. Princess Celestia always warned us that ponies with dark emotion cutie marks spell very bad news. It took us a while for us to look past your image of false bravado." I was too distracted by Pinkie Pie`s words of hurt to take Twilight`s words into account. "But..." I started to say, in choked sobs. "I only wanted to be your friends...!" "No! Get out of my face, and get out of my life!" Pinkie shouted. "And don`t ever come back here again! I hate you!" With my heart - and my spirit - both completely shattered now, I let out a big sob and ran in the other direction, heading towards the outskirts of Ponyville... End of flashback... There it is! My best friends - or should I say ex best friends - rejected me. They kicked me out of the town. Am I surprised? Of course I'm surprised! And heartbroken, too! That is what happens when you invest a lot of emotion towards anypony. If they let you down, you will be shattered. But these weren't just ordinary ponies. These were the Elements of Harmony. The very essence that brought forth light into Equestria -- something that the mighty Princess Celestia cannot do effectively on her own. They symbolize on what it means to be genuinely good figure towards not just the planet, but the universe, if that's even possible. And what did I manage to get at the end? A huge kick in the flank, with the message being very clear: "fuck your life". From the Elements of Harmony, no less. Not only did Pinkie reject me, but all her friends did, too. How out of character, I'm adding. I'm starting to feel hatred towards the so-called "Elements of Harmony". They rejected me. They love everybody except me. They will pay for leaving me like this; cold and alone... ...Will they pay? No, of course not! Must I go back against everything I held dear to me? Must I turn my back on everything they taught me? Will I make my best friends suffer all because I did something apparently wrong? No, they do not deserve that... or do they? What am I saying! They rejected me! Twilight made it damn clear... but they are supposed to love all creatures, big and small! I am no exception! But then again, who has ever cared for me in my life? My dead parents? My dead sister? I fall to my knees and start sobbing loudly. The sadness is just too overwhelming. I bet if Pinkie saw me like this, she wouldn't care at all. On some random scenario, she wouldn't care if I saved her from death. She wouldn't care about me if I poured my heart out into fighting a rampaging monster that would destroy all of Ponyville. And she certainly wouldn't care if I tried to apologize to her for kissing her... The truth is, I still care. About them. About the Mane 6. About all the times we've had, no matter how short my stay in Ponyville has been... but why do I feel resentment towards them? The answer is simple. They rejected me. All these emotions are just so fucking confusing. In fact, I feel a fit of rage coming up... but this rage all stopped I realized something. Even though they had thrown me off, I still cared about their well-being. Not only that, but I still loved each and every one of the Pony folk. I still loved Twilight, Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow, and Fluttershy. Even though they shunned me. Even though they hated me, I still loved them. As if on cue, lightning split open the sky as a winged figure flew down towards me... The figure itself was slightly taller than I was, had a very sharp horn, and its biggest feature was that its body was black as the night sky and it had a long, streaky mane that flew with the wind... It was none other than Princess Luna! I began to panic. Did Celestia send her personally to execute me here and now? Did Twilight's friends inform her of my apparent misdeed? No matter the reason, I lowered my gaze and began to tremble. "Child." she began. "You do not need to cower in fear like that. I know what happened outside of the library." Hearing her words, I stood up carefully. What exactly is she here for? "Allow me to repeat myself. I understand what happened outside of the library. You were harshly told off by subject Twilight and her friends, correct?" The Moon Princess said. "Y-yes..." I began. The sadness built up within me again. "...they did... I kissed Pinkie Pie, OK? And then they came out of the library and told me to get lost! And that they never wanted to see me again!" Without a warning, I threw my arms around Princess Luna... "How could they do that to me? How could they?" I continued, sobbing on Luna's mane. "There there, child. I know of your life. You have been hurt everywhere you went. Nobody took care of you before your adventures at Ponyville, and when you came here, it rejuvenated your life. And now you're hurt again..." The Moon Princess said, sadly. "I understand your sorrow." Luna said." I too, was once bewildered with resentment towards my loved ones. As each day and each night passed, that resentment and hatred grew within me. I turned into something wicked. I became Night Mare Moon, the evil mare in which your friends had defeated." "But, you need not follow that path of anger and hatred. You can become something else." I was confused as ever now. On one side, Twilight had just told me that I'm apparently nothing but an evil creature who seeks to destroy other people... but on the other side, here I have Princess Luna by my side telling me that I'm not. "But... Twilight told me that I have a very dark heart... and it's true, my magic is dark. It's very dark... gruesome and horrifying. My cutie mark itself says my special talent is dark magic..." I said. This whole thing made my brain hurt. "Yes, it is true. Your magical talent is extraordinarily dark. It is driven by emotion. Through sheer hatred, you have the ability to kill life." She explained. "You always wanted to hurt those who've hurt you. However, your stay in Ponyville has truly been a wonderful experience for you. You were finally able to acquire the love of other people -- through the magic of friendship. Why am I telling you this? Because you still care for your friends. Because you still love subject Pinkamena. And because you are able to keep picking yourself up from hurt." "You do not truly wish harm upon them. All you want is happiness -- and you still have the time to make it happen." Her words really pierced me. It was true. I didn't want them to be hurt just because they rejected me. No! This erased any doubt from my mind. I cared about them. They were my friends. Before them, my life was filled with anger and hate -- and the darkness became my only retreat... But that's in the past. I don't want to see others suffer. I'm done hiding in the dark. I'd rather die than become enemies with my friends. I closed my eyes, looked down, and smiled. Suddenly, my eyes darted open as my body and my cutie mark began to glow. Without warning, my cutie mark twisted and warped within a black light and finally it shattered. Out came a brand new cutie mark -- a black rose. Luna watched in awe. "I can feel it... the power of darkness... but it's different now." I managed to say, with an epiphany. "My magic... it doesn't have to evil! I'm not afraid anymore!" "You've discovered your magic's true power." said Luna. "Before this point, that was an impossible feat. But somehow, you've awakened the true power of darkness." I looked at her with a bright expression. It all made sense now. "The love I have for my friends transformed me." I explained. "I no longer feel resentment towards them, despite what they did to me." "I am proud of you, child, for realizing this." Luna spoke up. "You truly have learned a large lesson in friendship..." I hugged her. Maybe things won't be so bad after all... but what now? Will I return to Ponyville and face my friends? And fight for our friendship? "... however." Luna began to spoke. "I'm afraid you must not return to Ponyville to make amends with your friends. You see, I came to you on my own accord when subject Twilight sent a letter to the princess regarding your... actions with subject Pinkamena. My sister always believed that your previously 'evil' powers would always cause havoc and despair among pony folk. Despite this, she gave you the chance to come into Ponyville. When your kiss with subject Pinkamena went into disaster however, very disturbing emotions arose within subject Pinkamena and within the Elements. Thus, you are now labeled as an enemy." I was absolutely shocked at this, and regretful at the same time. If I hadn't kissed Pinkie... this would have never happened. What could have I done, though? We were alone outside.. and she looked so beautiful. What really bothered me though, was the fact that I am now labeled an enemy in the name of Celestia and her Elements of Harmony... "They are still the elements of harmony, dear child." Luna continued. "Always remember, your realization of love towards them sparked this. You now know your magic's true power. If you are somehow able to convince them that you are not the evil emperor, they will see you in a different light." I did not feel any resent towards them whatsoever. Because after all... even though they still hate me, they are my friends. I love them! They are my friends. The best friends I've ever had. The best ponies I've ever met. "Celestia told me you would kill me." Luna said, suddenly. "I came to find out. I did not expect you to mend your dark magic and turn it into the true power of darkness, however, as I am the only living being on the planet who has that capability." "What will you do now?" I thought about it. And then, I looked at Luna and smiled at her. "Something that's never been done before." I replied. "Something like the work of royal guards, but better." And so I turned and started to run towards my home just outside of Ponyville. I could hear Luna let out a laugh of amusement as she warped away. I had a smile on my face as I continued to run home. I've learned a lot tonight. Friendship may be hard, but it's definitely worth fighting for. And that's exactly what I'm going to do. I'm going to clean up the planet; because after all, Equestria isn't a utopia that everypony seems to claim it is. Yes, that is what I'm going to do. I'm going to help out other people in need. I'm going to uphold the magic that is friendship. I'm going to make Equestria a better place to live. And I'm going to rally as many ponies as I can in order to fulfill my now life-long objective. But I'm going to do it anonymously. I'm not going to reveal who I really am. Because I'm not going to do this for fame. I'm not going to do this because I have extraordinary powers or anything like that. I'm going to do this because it's right. As I lay down on the chair at my humble home, I smiled once again as I darted a kunai knife towards a target 25 feet away. Bullseye. As I adjusted my rather mysterious-looking costume, I began to laugh. This is for the subjects of Equestria. This is for my family. And this is for my all my friends. And so I rose. And so, I transformed into the stallion that would protect Equestria no matter where he went. And with that, I became... The Dark Knight.