Bloodline
Chapter 11 – From Light into Shadow
Two ponies wandered down a dark hallway. The first one was clothed in a dark and heavy cloak while the second was walking like the creator that made him. His flank was bare and his wings were short. Their gazes pointed straight toward a small flickering light of some candles. The cloaked ponies eyes wandered from time to time to the crystal pegasus by her side. “I wonder... You barely resisted when I wanted to take you with me. Was there any particular reason you agreed so easily?”
Light Chaser didn't even look at the other pony. “Except of your threat to harm Rainbow Dash?”
The dark pony hissed silently into his cloak. “Yes.”
Light Chaser coldly answered, “No.”
Slowly, they came closer to the illuminated door frame at the end of the hallway. No voices came from inside the room. Only a shadow danced in the light and exposed the presence of another pony. The moment they entered the dark pony exposed her face.
She revealed her foggy gray mane and brown eyes. Even her coat was colored in an ashen gray hue. This unicorn was the complete opposite of the word 'colorful'. Rapidly, she walked forward to the stallion waiting for her. The grey mare turned around and faced Light Chaser directly. “My name is Whisper. I'm sorry that I hadn't the time to introduce myself before.”
Whisper pointed her hoof at the light-brown stallion next to her and flashed him a cheeky smile. “And this handsome stallion wants to be called the Doctor. Don't mind his weird name, he is a special one.”
Both ponies proceed to sit down at a nearby table. Only there chairs were set around the table. Light Chaser carefully watched them. “Are you the only member of this cult?”
Whisper had to laugh slightly at the naïve stallion. She waved him over and pointed at the empty chair at the other end of the rectangular table. “You are mistaken, Light Chaser. Please sit down and listen to us.”
Light Chaser narrowed his eyes, but he followed the instructions of the self-secure mare. He sat down and watched both of them closely. “I already know what your cult wants from me. So why talk?”
The Doctor simply had to laugh at the brash attitude of the just recently awoken pegasus. “For a pony that only wanders among other ponies for a few days, you're quite rough. You are either really quickly adapting or just really disrespectful. We are only here to help you.”
Light Chaser cocked an eye at the brown earth pony. “Help me?”
Whisper licked her lips and shoot him a devilish grin. “You are right that we supposed to be member of the cult that wants to awaken your father from the dead, but we wouldn't be here sitting with you if we hadn't had something different in mind.”
Light Chaser seemed to be a little bit distracted and uninterested in his fate, but now he was fully aware of the ponies in front of him. “Something different? What other sick goals do you and your friend wish to accomplish?”
Whisper rose slowly from her chair and took a small pouch out of her cloak. She pulled a familiar artifact out of it and laid it in front of Light Chaser. “I guess you're familiar with this one?”
Light Chaser's eyes wandered down and focused the Amulet of the Dark Alicorn. “Of course, I do. It is the charm that Twilight was talking about.”
The Doctor simply smiled at the hesitant pegasus. He seemed to be confident about his plan. “Listen, we want you to wear it.”
Light Chaser's eyes rocketed back up and locked on the stallion. “Sorry? It don't apply to pegasi. There is no use for it.”
The Doctor's smile got even more confident than before. “Really? Why don't you try to wear it and see if something will happen?”
A unpleasant feeling fluttered through Light Chaser's belly when he thought about wearing the amulet. The two others observed him carefully, but their concerns relieved when the angles of his lips turned upwards. Light Chaser reached for the charm and swung it around his neck. It clicked into it's lock and laid perfectly on his crystal body.
It felt to him like cold water got poured over his body. The sinister energy of the charm flooded his body and reached every single cell. The cold chill yielded and was replaced by an intense pain. It felt like a burning arrow was shot into his head.
Unnoticed from the in pain cringing pegasus, the magic made its way towards his wings. The magic has tainted his entire body to a darkish gray. Only the tips of his feathers were glowing in an intense black aura. It slowly build new feathers that were added to his usual feathers. They newly gained primary feathers formed a framing underneath his wings. For a short moment, it seemed like his reddish eyes were burning from the inside.
The pain left Light Chaser's body. He raised to his full height and expanded his wings. With one powerful wing flap he took off into the air and hovered above Whisper's and the Doctor's head. “I can fly! I can finally fly!”
Whisper flashed the airborne stallion a childish smile before her gaze turned once more stern and dark. “You might have already guessed that we want more than just giving you the ability to fly.”
Light Chaser's red eyes shot down, back at the ponies at the ground. “What kind of deed do you have in mind?”
The gray mare looked at the Doctor and waited from him to advance. He returned her gaze and nodded firmly. “Well... Where do I begin? Many years ago we had infiltrated this cult under the lead of this dreadful Trixie to avoid them from succeeding in their plans. Now the time has come to destroy the cult. It may sound odd, but you have to fly to the Crystal Empire and achieve the fragment of your father's horn before the cult itself reaches it. They can't resurrect him if you are refusing yourself to them. It is really important that you act like you are a member of the cult as long as possible. They have to believe that we convinced you to join us. But we will do a little twist at this scenario. As soon as you grab the fragment you have to dash into the endless sky. Near the Crystal Castle is a very special lake. The ponies are telling tales that this lake is endlessly deep and no pony could retrieve what lies at the ground of this lake. You simply have to toss it into the lake. At this point our little cooperation ends and we will never see each other again. After this, you are a free pegasus and able to do what ever you want. “
Light Chaser simply snorted at the explanation of the Doctor. “What about the Princesses and the others? Will they abandon me?”
The Doctor exchanged worried gazes with his companion, but eventually paid attention to Light again. “This might be possible. We don't exactly know what they will do during our plan.“
Light Chaser's gaze wandered to the ground and focused a single outstanding nail. “And what are you two doing now?”
Whisper waited for him to land on the ground again. “We will go to Trixie and tell her that you are traveling to the Crystal Empire and meet us there.”
Light Chaser turned around, but stopped in the framing of the door. “Very well, I will go and destroy the fragment for you. But none of you will harm any of my prior friends.”
Whisper nodded and looked after him as he left the room. “We promise, Light.”
The dark pegasus left the room, his hoof steps were still audible along with his voice. “I'm not Light anymore, there is nothing good left. I just want to be done with you.”
He walked along the dark hallway and looked for the exit. Light reached a stone stair that led to the outer world. The light surrounded him as he stepped through the door and allowed his eyes to look over northern Equestria. There it was, far in the distant could be the Crystal Empire seen. “Let the act begin...”
Light expanded his wings and flapped as hard as he could. His body was lifted into the air. Another powerful wing flap let him accelerate. His wings beat over and over up and down. They made him faster as he ever would have believed.
It will take some time for him to reach the Crystal Empire, but his deed will certainly be done before night has fallen over Equestria.
But he still can't know, that the Princesses were already preparing for the arrival of the cult. It was quite simple for them. They had simply to wait until they enter the main hall of the Crystal Castle. Magically, they will lock the doors and stun every member that arrived. This will make it easy to secure Light Chaser. At least, this is what they believed.
The sun was already reaching for the horizon, but the Princesses hadn’t lost their patience. Several hours they had to wait until the crystal doors would eventually swing open, revealing a small filly with a small red vial around her neck. She stepped clumsily inside and looked carefully around the room, acting like nothing happened. Finally, she proceeded to step up the crystal stairs.
Twilight hissed in impatience and rolled with her eyes. “Will they ever arrive here? Why are they taking so long? They already have everything they need except the horn fragment. Such a sultry bunch of ponies should already be tearing in the walls of this castle!”
Princess Celestia couldn't believe what she'd heard from her former pupil. “Twilight? Are you serious? This would be the most terrible thing to happen. We worked out this plan especially to avoid anypony to be hurt. We want to settle this as peacefully as possible.”
Twilight looked back at the older of the alicorn sisters. “You said it yourself! Peacefully as possible! If necessary, we have to use violence to bring them back to their senses. None of them should go unpunished for their doings!”
A loud slapping noise rang through the entrance hall. Twilight felt an intense pain on her cheek. She didn't see it coming, but she could follow Princess Luna's hoof as it left her face after the Princess slapped her. In disbelief she stared at the midnight blue alicorn and watched how Princess Luna gave her a disappointed face. “I expected you to be different, Twilight Sparkle. This is the exact behavior which led me to become Nightmare Moon. Even though they murdered Spike, you must shield your heart from hatred and anger. You became a being with great responsibilities and power. You have to protect your other friends with all of your power.”
Every word that rang through Twilight's head left in the next second. Her mind was blurred by anger and grief that she tried to suppress as hard as possible. “Protect my friends? I already failed to do it twice! Spike is already gone and Light Chaser is working together with this cult! He has no idea what he might cause. I'm sure he is afraid and just waits for us to rescue him.”
Princess Celestia couldn't act different than shook her head. “I would have never thought that you might lose your faith just as quickly as you did right now. Your loss is tragic, but that doesn't mean that you have to let down your other friends as well. Don't forget that you've become a Princess because you cared for your friends more than for your own life. Twilight, please concentrate upon what is important right now. We have to save our friend without hurting anypony. Spike might not return through our deeds, but he lost his life while he defended our secret as good as he could manage. Don't let his sacrifice be for nothing. Be strong, Twilight Sparkle. Be strong for Spike.”
A loud clapping noise was audible from the spot where the little filly has entered the room before. The Princesses hadn't pay any attention to their surroundings anymore and missed that a bunch of ponies had entered the building. A blue unicorn mare with a white and blue highlighted mane stood in front as their leader. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is pitying you, Princesses. Your efforts are pointless. We will obtain ultimate strength and defeat you!”
Twilight left their hiding spot and coked an eye at her acquaintance. “Trixie? What are you doing here?”
Before Trixie could answer another familiar voice rang from a window above them. A crystal pegasus with black tipped wings stood proudly in the place of an open window and threw a shadow over the entire hall. “She will lead us to victory, Twilight.”