//------------------------------// // Companion of Darkness // Story: Stranger to Light // by Cromegas_Flare //------------------------------// Stranger to Light Chapter III: Sacrifice in Will   Dear Princes Celestia               It’s been two years since Spike ran away from home.  I understand fully why he did and I don’t blame him for being mad at me.  To this day, I don’t know why he was fused to my consciousness, forgotten by all, but I wish to work and find the answers.  If anything, not for me, but for him.  I just wish he could let me be near him so we can work together, and the last thing I want for him is to be alone.  If you have any Ideas, I would greatly appreciate the feedback.  Right now, we all need to be close to our friends, no matter our pain.               ~Twilight Sparkle       Dear Twilight Sparkle               It’s been awhile hasn’t it?  I know I haven’t wrote to you, and have ignored those letters you've sent.  Truth is, I hurt Twilight.  I’m more than mad at you, I'm angry, furious even.  So much so that all I want to do when I’m around you is hurt you.  I can’t let that happen, so please… Don’t contact me anymore.               ~Spike     Dear Spike, my number one assistant             Spike, I need to know.  Why exactly, do you hurt?   ~Twilight Sparkle.                 You don’t know what I saw  Twilight, you don’t want to know what I saw.  Yet you ask me in such a way that I know you won’t stop until I tell you.  Of all the things I learned, I know I can’t stop your thirst for information so here you go, and don’t come crying to me when you learn the truth you… you… When you returned, it was as if I no longer existed.  I wasn’t even me anymore.  One moment I was walking from your room after bringing you back, the next thing I know is that I am you… or at least… part of you.  I was your eyes Twilight, I felt all your emotions.  I watched day after day as Pinkie tried to make you laugh only to be rejected by your own dumb stupidity!  On top of that, I watched Rainbow Dash grow tired of your crap and hit you.  You know what I felt when that happened?  You know what I felt?! Rage. Pure and unadulterated rage.  You wanted Rainbow Dash gone Twilight.  That is what drew the line for me, you were so angry at Rainbow that whenever she was around, all you would did was stare at her, daring her to strike again.  I saw all that. I felt all of that. What’s worse is that I had to watch all our friend’s hope for you die, I watched as they accepted that you would be a vegetable for the rest of your life, for their lives.  Then in the end, I had to watch them suffer from the pain of losing all their friends.  Not just losing you Twilight, but each other.  I watched them grow old and die, and all that time… Not once did you have the strength to get up and hug them, to wake up and be with them.  You were a weak cowered hiding behind your emotions the whole stinking time. I don’t want anything to do with you, I want nothing to do with a weak pretty pony princess that needs to be pampered in order to be happy!  Don’t contact me again.     Twilight               I’ve thought about what I’ve said in the past couple of days…  Most of what I said was in a fit of rage, and I know that is no excuse, but that is the truth.  I know that you aren’t weak Twilight… it was unfair of me.  I’m Sorry.               ~Spike   Dear Spike               You don’t need to be sorry, I know what you said needed to be said.  I can only hope you are able to read this letter through my tears.  I’ll be honest, I’m glad you remember what it was like… because I can’t remember anything.  The only thing I remember is heading off somewhere to find you something… for your birthday… From there… the next thing I can recall is waking up to how things are now.  So, I don’t blame you for how you feel.  All I can ask is if you can forgive me.  So, can you forgive me?   ~With much love, Twilight     Twilight               Give me some time on that.  Though, I’ve been thinking on one of the things I said, about my experience of when Rainbow Dash slapped me… or you in the face.  The rage felt off… as if it was from something that was neither you nor me.  What do you think it means?  Or is it part of me wishing this was not real… I don’t know.   ~Spike     Dear Princess Celestia               I’ve been writing to Spike as of late and he brought up something interesting.  To summarize, during his unaccounted absence, his consciousness was apparently in mine.  During our conversations through letter, he has informed me that the emotions he felt while in that state were quite… Foreign.  I’m beginning to think that this may be a lead to what happened.  If you know anything, I hope you can help me.   Thanks in advanced               ~Twilight Sparkle     Twilight Sparkle   Is my sister Celestia in your company?               ~Luna, High arch of the Night   Dear Princess Luna               No, Princess Celestia is not with me right now.  Why do you ask?               ~Twilight     Twilight Sparkle               I fear that we live among the age of missing princesses... my sister has vanished.               ~Luna     Spike               I realize that you and Twilight are not currently in the best of relations, but I may need you to check on her well being.  I may have just sent her a letter giving news of my Sisters condition… without thinking of the repercussions.  If you would, please pay her a visit as to make sure she is well.   ~Luna     Luna               Why would you do that!?!  I’m on my way to visit her now.               ~Spike     Luna               I nearly had a heart attack when I got to Twilight.  I found her in a corner staring into nothingness, and I was afraid something was happening again.  However, a bit of water helped bring her out of it.  Apparently her fears that the same thing happening to Celestia are just as real as yours and mine.               ~Spike   Luna               Twilight is still a bit shaken up, but we are wondering, how did this happen?  Is there anything we need to know?               ~Spike     Dear Spike and Twilight Sparkle               There is quite a bit I would like to share with the both of you, but right now even I am not sure how this happened.  It was just yesterday when Celestia informed me that she was not feeling well and requested to be excused from court.  The next day, I found no sign of my sister in her bed chambers.  The only sign I found there was a letter from you, Twilight.  I do have a few questions concerning the time when both of you were… one in the same consciousness was it?  We can get back to that later, as of right now we all should focus all our efforts to finding Celestia.  I don’t think the whole of Equestria can handle another case of a missing princess.  I’ll keep you informed on our search.               ~Luna                     Thank you Luna, and if I find anything in my research I’ll let you know.  Also, do you have some Zotail?  Spike is having some stomach pains, and I have run out of the stuff and was wondering if you had some lying around somewhere.                   ~Twilight Sparkle                                 Dear Twilight Sparkle                   Enclosed in this letter is some of the medicine you have requested.  Next time though, could you head to the local pharmacy?  Zotail is a common enough drug, it should not be hard to find.   Also, tell Spike that he should stop eating ice cream as a primary meal.  That may help with his stomach aches.                   ~Princess Luna                                 Dear Princess Luna                   Thank you.  Also, the Ponyville pharmacy was out of Zotail, but I’ll be sure to search around more next time.                   Any word on Celestia yet?                   ~Twilight Sparkle                                 Dear Princess Luna                   If you have sent any letters recently please send them directly to me.  Spike’s stomach ache has gotten worse and he can’t send or receive anything.                   Thank you.                   ~Twilight Sparkle                                 Twilight Sparkle                   I’ll be sure to send letters to you, since Spike seems to be ill.  Please let me know when he feels better, I may have a task for the both of you.                   ~Luna                                   Princess Luna   You may want to come down here now.  Spike just started burping out letters, letters that were written by me years ago, during my disappearance.  I feel we may have some clues to what happened to Celestia.                   ~Twilight                           On my way.                                          ~Luna After Reading Twilight's Lost Letters                                         Twilight Sparkle                     I have arrived at the caves, just like we discussed.  I fear what we read my very well be true.  These caves hold damage that will halt any attempt to magic instantly.  There are signs here of inhabitants, but it is minimal, and feels as though the subject was forced to stay.  I can’t assume anything, but I do believe that this is evidence of you being held here as stated in the letters.                       I do believe that these ‘guardians’ are not who they say they are.  Magic like this would not be used without malicious means.  So I do have a task for you Twilight, if you could.  Research information on anything that deals with the claim guardians, and any information you find, even in myth, inform me immediately.                       ~Princess Luna, Regent of the Night.                                             Dear Princess Luna                     I’ll look into right away.  I won’t leave any book unopened.                       ~Twilight Sparkle       Luna                       While Twilight is looking through the books, I was wondering if I could ask you a question on the caves.                       Twilight made the trip to help me find out my origins.  So… Did you find anything in the caves that could link me to my roots?  I ask because despite all the horrible things that happened, I would still like to know where I came from.                      Any information you have, I would be grateful for.                       ~Spike.                          Spike                       I fear that anything in the cave that would relate to you was not only destroyed, but may have been forged to manipulate the flow of magic.  I wish I could give something of use to you, but based on what I found, I’m not sure we can even trust the most solid of evidence until after it is tested.                       I will continue to keep my ears and eyes peeled for any information on this matter.  I do this in understanding that any information would be invaluable for you.  Consider it a favor to a great friend.                       ~Luna                         Luna, It took me a while to find anything, but after looking through mounds of information on the term guardians, in a sense of in-materialized champions, I have found some information that may answer what we found.                       In the book titled Legends in the Shadows, I have found a bedtime story about those protected by beings.  However, those beings, who called themselves Guardians, would not only work to protect their subject, but their subject would slowly weaken to the point of being consumed in a lethargic state.  Allowing them to either completely drain their life force or attempt to possess.   These creatures were called wraiths in the story, and the way they work is similar to what we read in my letters.                       It’s hard to believe I wrote those, but at least we have them now.  It’s a lead.  I’ll be sure to update you when I find more information on the Wraiths.  If you feel that I am on the wrong track here, I do have some more stories found on Guardians, but right now, I feel this is our strongest lead.                       ~Twilight Sparkle                                             Twilight Sparkle                     Don’t worry about digging more into Wraiths.  I fear that they are the cause of all this and I’ll send you my personal research on the subject.  I feel that it will hold enough information on the subject for you.                       ~Luna                         Luna!  You knew?  At least you had some Idea?  Why didn’t you tell me?  This could have save us some time and we probably would be somewhere right now saving Celestia!                                             Twilight                     I need you to understand, and I feel I owe you some explanation to my decision to hold the information from you until we had some solid Idea.                       Yes, I had an Idea, and I hoped I was wrong.  Unfortunately I am right and now Equestria may be in greater peril than we ever could have foreseen.                       When I was young, before I could travel dreams I heard stories of the wraiths.  Stories that are now forever lost except on the information you have found.  These wraiths, despite all my research, I thought myth.  That is until now.                       I searched for any story and sliver of information I could on them, hoping to find out what exactly they were and to stop them.   However, short of bedtime stories, I found nothing.  I even taught myself how to peer into the dreams of my subjects, just to keep them safe from this potential harm.  Potential that after years of negative results, I felt to deem them myth.                       Now however, I’m glad I have kept the information.  Information I kept from you because I needed to be sure that this was surely the case, otherwise I would be leading you down a voided path.   I hope you understand that this information was held in the interest of keep your research accurate with no prior contamination.                       Let me explain a little of what I know about Wraiths.  They are mystical beings without any physical form.  Masters of deception, I have found that they will feed off one’s energy in hopes to consume and gain control of their prey’s physical form.  To do this, they find a way to bring an environment of stress, the reveal themselves as the only hope of escape.  From there, they protect the subject from any potential interference.                       For them to make an attack on this scale, I fear their power is more menacing than I thought.  I don’t know what their goal is, but if they feed off of the magical flow of nature, then they just harnessed one of the greatest conduits in existence.  What I need you to do right now is try to figure out how to communicate with their level of existence.  Find a way to communicate with non-materialistic intelligence.   Do you think you can do that Twilight Sparkle?                       ~Luna                   Luna         What if I find a way to recover my memories?  If I do that, maybe I’ll be able to remember some information that will help us find the wraiths?         ~Twilight Sparkle                 Twilight Sparkle         I write to you not as a princess, but as a friend.  Let’s concentrate on another route on locating the wraiths.  I recommend this to you because not only recovering your memories by force will take too much time, but will also cause major damage to you.  I’m not just talking about the shock of remembering all the horrible things you may have experienced, but because any attempted process of memory retrieval has only matched with traumatic results to the pony mind.         I believe that the lost letters that had somehow arrived though Spike is a greater gift in this mystery that we have received.  Let’s concentrate on what we have, and find some other way to move on.         I’m on my way to the crystal mountains to see if I can find any more clues there.  Might have actually changed since my last visit.         ~Luna     Luna         I agree with you on letting Twilight's memories return naturally.  It took me a while to help calm Twilight down from the obsession, and the only I did that was with the Idea that perhaps I could be used as a conduit on locating the wraiths.         If the letters were true, that I am an oracle to magic (That’s what I like to call it.), the perhaps I can use that energy to locate those creeps.  Twilight is already on finding a way to look into the ties of arcane energy to help with this plan.  So far it’s looking like it’s going places. If this works out, I’ll do all I can to find Celestia.  I’m tired of just waiting around, being the defenseless baby dragon.  No, this time I’m going to do something and help out. ~Spike  Spike         You Idea is sound, but please be careful.  We don’t know what these Wraiths have done to possibly prepare for this situation.  I await your word in progress. ~Princess Luna, Regent of the NIght.     Dear Princess Luna We just found the link we were looking for.  Spike is strongly connected to another plain of consciousness.  However, in order for him to proceed into this other state, we would need to enchant his body to be in stasis. I have figured out how to do this, but his body will be vulnerable.  Spike is here trying to convince me to send him on his mission, however I would like to consult with you the risks first. I don’t know what state Spike would be if I were to send him through right now. He might be powerful… or powerless.  I’m hoping for the former, but if he’s powerless over there, there is no way for me pull him out.  I would need to go and fish him out, but I really don’t know how to do that yet. I realize that the longer we wait, the closer the wraiths are to following through with the final stage of their plan. I need your input on what we should do. ~Twilight Sparkle                 Twilight Sparkle         I wouldn’t recommend entering this world until we understand more on what we are dealing with.  However, we can not afford to delay any longer.  My sister has been in there long enough, giving the Wraiths ample time to prepare for the final stage of whatever it is they are doing.  So when you and Spike are ready, you have my permission to proceed with the plan. ~Princess Luna, Regent of the Night      Luna         I’m going in.                 ~Spike                  Dear Twilight Sparkle I write this for you Twilight, in case things come to worse.  Don’t think for a second I feel this as a suicide mission, because I don’t feel that way at all.  With that said though, one can not be too careful.         From the time I returned to physical world, after being in the same body as you, I have had this rage.  Pure as the red bearing flag the griffin empire holds, all I wanted to do was hurt somepony, all Life.  I despised anything around me and all I wanted was the world to burn.  Even though I have said some hurtful things to you, I need you know that my anger was more to everything and I did all I could to not turn it all on you.         Over time, wrath would not leave my side.  I hurt not physically, but mentally.  Wishing nothing more but to end any life around me.  That was the reason why I kept away from you Twilight.  All this time, accompanied only by these feelings, I stayed away in my best efforts to protect you from myself.  I didn’t know how long I could keep my self control, only to break and follow through with thoughts that I wouldn’t wish you to know… at least in detail.         It was all I could do, Twilight, to remember the good times.  Back to the times where you would take me to Donut Joe’s when I’m feeling sad.  To the time where you would sit down and read to me The Adventure of Daring Do.  I always enjoyed that, and it didn’t matter what book it was.  I even kept memory of the time where we all stayed up late to watch the meteor shower.   With these memories, I was able to keep a deep respect for you despite my surface feelings of hostility.         Remember Twilight, I love you.  You are my sister, and not once have I hated you.  Even at my worst, I held on to those memories.         Thank you Twilight.  Thank you for being the best sister a dragon could have.  Thank you for teaching me the value of friendship, and showing me one of the greatest treasures.  A treasure that even a dragon can’t hold, a treasure that I, just a young dragon has.         Thank you.                 Your Brother                         ~Spike ~~+~~                 Luna         I’m worried Luna, Spike has not returned yet and it’s already been two days.  I realize that it’s quite the mission, but I should at least do something.  I can’t just leave him in there alone.         I have figured out a way for me to travel to that plain.  However, unlike spike, I will be there physically.  By altering my teleportation spell and reversing the quantum stabilization algorithm, it would land me to the same field as Spike.  Allowing me to not only utilize its rules but also it’s resources.  However, and this is a big however, I am more vulnerable. My body will be a guest to a world where physical structure is not supported.  I’ve made a bracelet to help keep me alive, but if I were to remove the bracelet… My body will be torn apart, and this world would then become my permanent home.  Either that, or I just die.  Either way, there would be no turning back.         I’m going to wait another day before going in, but by this time tomorrow, I’m going in to save Spike, and possibly Celestia as well.         ~Twilight Sparkle.         Alright Twilight Sparkle.  Please be careful.                 ~Luna         To anyone who finds this, please send to Princess Luna immediately.                   Dear Luna         I hope this letter finds you, weather I am successful, or in the case of emergency and my failure, this letter finds you quickly. I have written all of this as I travel along this alternate world.  I don’t know what to call it, but lets call it Sub Equestria.  I know it sounds sub par, but it holds true to where I am at.   It’s really weird here, I look around and I can still see everything from our world.  However, it’s misty and grey.  The buildings radiate mist and the ponies walk around unaware of my presence right by them.  It’s strange that I can’t use my wings to fly, I flap them and I don’t gain lift.  So over here I don’t fly by using my wings, but by will.  All I have to do is think and then I’m in the air. I’m going to head over to the old cave to see if I can find anything here in this realm. Maybe then, I’ll find a lead on where to go. End segment. Start Segment. I’m here at the cave, well outside it anyway.  Luna, you were right.  This cave is damaged, I can’t even get in.  It’s as if the non substantial structure is destroyed so anything in this realm cannot enter.  It’s like an impassible black wall, nothing can get in there. The peculiar thing is that I seem to be connected to this place.  I see a purple stream between me and the blocked cavern.  If weren’t for the fact that I’m starting to recall some events, including those in the lost letters, I would be scared.  I’m not though because I feel good with this stream, like it’s a part of me. Hard to explain. True, I can’t remember everything right now, but I feel that will change soon enough.  There is also a green stream leading from the cavern heading to Canterlot.  I think I’ll head over there to see what it’s connected.  If I could guess on anything,         I think it will lead to Spike.  With his connection to all this, it only makes sense. End Segment. Start Segment. I don’t know where to start, so I will just start from the beginning.  When I first arrived to Canterlot, the green mist vanished.  I didn’t think It would have lead me here for no reason so I decided to take look around.  As I was, I could see the energy from everything here being pulled to the palace.  It was as if something there was sucking in the energy.   Entering the Palace and into the hall of heroes, that is where I found Spike and Celestia, and it seems that Celestia is here physically.  I don’t know how they did it, but the wraiths had somehow brought Celestia here without taking her consciousness from her physical form.  Along with other beings--who I believe to be the wraiths.                    I need to sit down and make a plan.           End Segment         Start Segment         They’re in cages, so I will have to find some way to break them out, even at that point though, I don’t know if I can wake them up.  There are five tanks filled with some sort of gas probably some elements that I am unaware of, yet they feel familiar.  Probably because their colors match the coats of my friends.  Cyan, white, orange, pink, and yellow; now’s not the time to mourn them though.         If I can break those tanks, surely I can cause enough a distraction to wake up Spike and Celestia and get out of here.  If worse comes to shove, I can probably use magic to defend myself from the manipulation of the wraiths, it’s risky since I don’t know their full abilities, I am on their turf, but I need to try anyway.         So here goes nothing.  Not for me, but for them.  This must end now.          End Segment                  Start Segment         I just noticed something that I probably should note first.  I just got a closer look at both Spike and Celestia and it seems I may have come across a problem.  Something is draining the both of them and they are losing their color.  It also looks like their energy is being absorbed by one of the wraiths, the largest of the five here.  I also heard her speak about it being almost time, and the worst part is that I recognize the voice.  It’s soft and caring and when I hear it I feel like I want to trust whatever is being said.  If I didn’t know any better now, I probably would have given my position to talk with her.  She may even be the one who claimed to be my guardian. I’ll try to find a way to stop the link between them and my friends, but I don’t know any more.  I don’t have that much more time, and I should act soon. End Segment Start Segment To all my friends, to all who I love.  I write this right now because I don’t know what will happen and this may be the last chance I have to share my thoughts. I hold deep within fond memories.  Memories that help me appreciate the life I have lived so far, even after all that has happened from the mission out to enjoying life with my friends; Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy.  I hold those moments close because they have helped me appreciate everything I have experienced.  They have helped me become the mare I am today and I owe much to them. I also owe much to Equestria.  They accepted me as a Princess and helped me spread around the importance of Friendship.  They helped me become strong enough to stand up to Discord, Tirek, and many other people who wanted to harm and change the way things should be. Luna, I am lucky to have a friend like you and I am glad to have met you.  I want you to know that I appreciate the beautiful tapestry you bring us every night.  The stars that shine and the moon as it flies across the sky.  You do so much for everypony here, helping them get through their own personal nightmares, and befriending the ones who need friendship the most.  Thank you Luna, for all that you have done for me. Spike, from the time I hatched you I knew you were something special.  You are an amazing dragon and I hope I have succeeded in saving you from the wraiths, along with Celestia.  Even in the times where you were consumed with darkness and chaos, you overcame the worst and became and will become the mightiest of all dragons.  Not because your strength is beyond any other, but because the purity and kindness in your heart.  I know you will always try to do good Spike.  I hope I am around to see you grow up, but in the worst case, I know Equestria will be safe in your watchful gaze.  I love you Spike, never forget that. ~Twilight Sparkle End Segment Dear Princess Luna I'm back, and... and... I don't even know how to say it. I can’t believe it.  She’s gone.  And without her, we would all be gone.  I don’t even know where to start, but Celestia is safe, so we succeeded.  Thanks to Twilight, Equestria is safe from the Wraiths. I can’t remember all that had happened, and I’m not sure I will ever remember all the details, all I know is that Twilight moved on happy… Happy, something I wish I could feel… Happy… Celestia, I do have something to give you, it’s Twilight’s account of what happened in Sub Equestria, and her Final Letter.   ~Spike           To all who must know.                 She died happy.  Even when the guard went to pick up her body, her face was smiling.  Smiling while one single tear rolled down her cheek.  I can’t say that her body is dead, just that there is nothing of her really inside… except that tear. Maybe there is a way to pull her back?  Maybe this was all a bad dream and she will wake up to hug me and tell me all is well. No. I know that will not happen, all that I experienced in the sub world did happen.  I guess it’s time for me to tell you what really happened.  From when I walked in, to where Twilight sacrificed herself to save equestrian, no, sacrificed herself to save me. ~Spike