Chapter twenty eight
It’s an odd feeling, having one’s mind quite literally put together after centuries of being lost among your own thoughts. To not know where you come from, to now relive the final moments of your past life, and quite literally see the parents that you never knew you had, but always knew were there, die before you all over again.
A strange feeling indeed, and one that doesn’t come without its own heart ache.
Crimson hooves wrap around the set of lunar armor there on the floor, cracked, and worn from years of use, and repair. It holds all the marks of battle that the Celestial counterpart from the closet they found shares as well. Picking up the helmet, Midnight flips it over to get a glance at the inside, already having an idea what he may find, but still making the choice to.
Only reading out one thing etched, “Golden Shadow…” A few tears start to fall as he holds the metal piece close to his chest. “…mom.”
He looks over the rest of the armor, or more so at the bones that he can see underneath the open parts from where leather used to bind the plates and had long sense broken open. Eventually his own hoof comes to rest on the hoof ring that protrudes out from under the bracer before him. Similar to the, one that he had a momentary glance at, out in the hall.
They loved one another… both were willing to give up a life they had come to know in the guard, just to have the chance at having a life with each other, and making something more of it together than they ever could apart. Get married, have a family, dreams of growing old together, and watching their own grandchildren. And in less than an hour, all of it was taken away. Because their love wasn’t looked at the same way by others, like it was by them.
“Midnight?” Luna rests a hoof on his shoulder. Swearing that she can feel the colt’s own temperature dropping as he dies a little inside. Though before she can make a proper judgment on that, Midnight tugs his body away from her, “Don’t close others out, please don’t… Midnight,” the smitten princess nearly begs with him, “…I know what happened.”
“How…?” he asks her in silent anger. Even though his voice was calm and almost a whisper. Without even seeing the tears running down his face, Luna can hear the venom in his words, until he finally breaks. “How could you know?!” Midnight snaps back at her, nearly grinding away at his fangs while he fumes at the mare, not even caring about who he is addressing, “In what way could you ever know, what happened to them!”
“I watched it… with you…” Luna maintains her cool and composed tone, knowing that he has every right to be angry. Even if it is just being misdirected. The best thing she can do is try to calm him down, and let him vent a bit, “…The same spell that Twilight did before to try and look at your memories, I did on you while you were going through the motions, and reliving them for yourself…”
Soon enough at that realization, without any more will in his own legs to even hold himself up. Midnight falls forward in to Luna’s all too willing hooves, and they are both on the ground. Luna cradling the colt against her bosom, as he starts to sob once more in to her chest, and she runs a hoof through his mane while trying to relax him.
“They were once friends… his friends? How could they have done that to him, to her?” He questions their own actions, looking at the bones that remain from the guards that came in that night and took everything he held dear to him while but a foal, “They had never done anything to harm another, and then they get cut down by these… these… Royal Guards!” With a single hoof he raises up the remaining bones in the room from the guards out of their armor, and with nothing more than a flick of the wrist, crushes them in one go in to dust. But a quick squeeze from a mares wings that envelope him, beckons the colt to calm himself and use his gift wisely.
“Easy now Midnight…” she shushes him with a stroke of his mane, “I know this is a lot to take in all at once… though lets be reasonable… after all these years, I don’t think either of us would have expected them to be found alive,” After a few tensing seconds for Midnight to collect himself, a simple nod from him agrees with her for a moment. It is a true motion, after all, close to being half a millennia old. Midnight can’t really say that he thought he was going to walk in and get to talk to them face to face.
“…I know, as much as I hate to say it, you’re right,” Midnight finally answers her, “I just wished it didn’t have to end for them like it did… not like this,” He lowers his head a tad even more, to steer his eyes clear of the bodies that lie around.
“No one would wish such a thing, not even on my worst enemies would I desire it to happen to their parents,” Luna nudges him a bit to raise his head up to look at her, “However, you know your roots now. Even if they are not the most pleasant of beginnings,” she cringes for a second to hold back a tear, “Look at where you have come to?”
“Crying my eyes out in the middle of a floor, to a home that I once knew?” he deadpans at the worst possible time.
A pair of cobalt eyes as cold as ice snaps to his own in a scowl at the smart ass answer, “I mean what you went through to get here.”
Silently kicking himself for the previous answer. Midnight does take a moment as he looks away from her gaze to think about that question, and to keep his mind from any more pain at her penetrating gaze. After having a childhood at the hooves of Fall and Floral, and then beginning his life out in the real world. Midnight has traveled the world, encountered many different characters when he would venture in to town. Seen the rise, and fall of several kingdoms of other nations. Watched families in his passing through certain towns over years, age up, and down with the coming of newborns, and the passing of old ones. Over the years, he has helped dozens upon dozens of individuals with various life threatening bouts, even if they may have not known it was him.
Midnight wondered for years about where he came from, and his origins, of who his parents actually were. After all, it didn’t take long for him to find out that Fall and Floral where not his parents, just look at him. Midnight has caused so much heart ache over time in his attempts to do good as well, due to his travel companion that was there on his shoulder. Ready and willing to make things head towards disaster whenever he could. Though in the end, Midnight would always rather try and fail, than not try at all. On top of this the colt had learned many things that you can’t get in a class room.
He has learned how to treat others with respect from his upbringing, and watching others interact.
He’s learned how to laugh, and smile, because he always had more than enough time to be sad.
Midnight knew how to be strong, because when he loses himself, he feels the most weak.
He learned how to love, because he has seen hatred in the world, and the effects it can have on others.
On top of this, he knows how to be sweet and kind to others… Because seldom has Midnight ever had the feeling returned to him.
From all his walks of life that he has stepped in the horse shoes of. He has managed to wind up in the Crystal Empire once more. Insult the royal family there. Obtain the Lunar Princess’s own sympathy. Had the opportunity for the princess and another to help figure out what is wrong with him. The lunar princess even going out of her way, and helping him to satisfy the odd food cravings he has, as well as her own. Managed to share quite a few tender moments with Luna, grow feelings for such a mare that he would not even have thought possible, and now both of them together finding out his origins.
‘And me crying my eyes out… like a foal in a home I once knew, held in the princess’s very hooves,’ Midnight smiles for the first time after his little event. Nuzzling himself a little closer in to her chest, enjoying the comfort he gets from having another there to hold him. Luna doesn’t even question the action, and only tightens her grip ever more. As she graces him with a warm smile, and a gentle stroke of his mane once again.
“Everything that you have been though, has made you who you are now. Even if you may not like where they took you…” She leans down, and kisses the top of his head. Telling herself in an excuse that it is to show her compassion, and not affection, “…They have all, influenced you.”
“For better… or for worse,” Midnight beams back at her.
‘Oh I would say it’s for worse,’ Shard’s voice tinged with anger, and an odd amount of joy. Reigns in to Midnight’s mind as it speaks for the first time in what seems like ages, ‘Your parents died at the hooves of others that didn’t understand. Boo bucking who… cry me a river.’
The simple twitch in the side of his eye is enough to tell Luna that they aren’t alone any more in conversation, and with a nod from him, it is confirmed even more so, “you’re the one that gave me that push to kill those guards,” Midnight holds his tongue, “I guess that’s about the only thing I should thank you for.”
‘You’re oh so welcome, Midnight,’ Shard mutters back sincerely, ‘it was the first time I was ever let in to you. You were nothing, but a foal that was alone, and afraid. That dark magic flowed after your loss more than I would have ever dreamed,’ with a sucker punch to his conscious, Shard makes his move finally, ‘and filled every pore you had to offer!’ A choke hold is put at the base of Midnight’s brain, as it seems everything starts to go dark. Not even the calls from the mare he cares for, break through to him as Midnight drifts back in to the domain of one he hates so much.
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The open area of his minds landscape remains set back in to a dim mist. As Midnight sits up to his flank from the ground. Looking about, and seeing nothing but the eerie glow of the ethereal light. It’s enough to make out the body of the darkness that surrounds him usually. Broken, and cracked glass shards, compile themselves together with sludge to make the pony form of Shard. Though this form has the same build as Midnight, as opposed to the lean colt that he is used to. With a single stomp of Shard’s hoof, the wings, tail and mane erupt from his body in a shroud of black smoke as they flow through a never felt breeze.
Emerald eyes no longer staying hidden behind a vale, as the eye lids open to give a wink to the colt across from them at the same level as he, “You and I haven’t talked in a while now,” Shard snickers to his counterpart.
“And I would have liked it to stay an eternity,” Midnight grunts under his breath loud enough for him to hear, “Though I’m hearing from you later than I would have expected.”
“Well that’s because I have been busy wouldn’t you know…” He pauses while taking in Midnight’s oblivious glare, “What? Did you think I was just sitting back, and watching you play about in records, and history books with the princess, and doing nothing about it? I’ve been getting stronger, focusing my energies… I mean look at me!” the darkness flares out his wings to their fullest, and shows off his strong stature that is on par with Midnight himself.
“Your mind is weak after all…” Shard tuts, “All I needed was… a push,” The darkness launches out a few tendrils of glass from his own body. Wrapping up and around the colt as they ensnare is form, though Midnight does nothing. All he does is allow the dark magic to do its work, as the glass cuts in to his skin and tries to seep inside his body once again, “You see… you are still weak. Even with your knew found knowledge, I still am stronger than you!” The light chuckling of the stallion Shard is trying to intimidate, beckons only insult from the almost crystalline colt, “What? Why are you laughing?!”
“BECAUSE YOU FOOL!” Midnight bursts out in one go from his enchanted voice. The shockwave spell doing in his mind what it would do out in the real world. Throwing off the darkness, and even shattering the front of Shard’s muzzle off. As the demon spawn rises back up from the ground, and its nose starts to put itself back together shard by shard. “…My mind was weak, I was weak… though now I am stronger. Nothing is broken in me anymore,” Midnight explains as he slowly approaches the stunned form of his tormentor, “There are no pores to fill up like you did when I was a foal… you are now nothing, but a nightmare to me,” The final offence breaks off any hold that the darkness would have hoped to have against the stallion. And with the pounding of his own hoof, Midnight sends a tremor through the ground that lifts Shard, tossing him about like a rag doll against the terrain.
“This…isn’t possible?” Shard says, dumbfounded for once in a blue moon.
Soon becoming well away of the looming shadow over him, as he looks up to the hulking form of Midnight there only a few paces from him. All his patients, and waiting to build up his strength for the last win, and he only waited too long to launch that assault. Though the more he thinks about his fault, the more he realizes that he has enough strength to try something else. To him, there may just be a way out of this. The voice of reason in the tone of a sweet mare on the outside is just an added bonus to Midnight’s awakening, already feeling her sweet symphony of words ushering him back from his prison, and onward to the Luna’s presence.
‘And once again she pulls me out,’ Midnight smiles to himself before turning to look once more at the entity of misery and pain before him, “It is possible…you have lost.”
“When will you learn?” It snaps back at him, as Shard rises to his own hooves, “I am you! If I lose… then so do you!” With that the darkened form lunges at the colt. Literally leaping down Midnight’s throat, and inside of him once more. Leaving Midnight gagging at the fowl taste in his mouth, while it slithers down his gullet and around his gut. Just in time for his eyes to shut, as he’s brought back.
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Luna meanwhile sits there still on the ground with the colt wrapped up in her hooves as she rests the back of his head against her chest. He has been like this for a few minutes by now, and she is starting to worry at what is going on in that head of his, “Come on Midnight I know you are in there… find the light. Just like you always have,” Her muzzle grazes by his own, tickling all the right nerves, and with a mighty cough. A puff of black smoke and tar, hurtles its way out of his chest, and throat and in to the wall in front of them. Though the mare isn’t even paying attention to that at the moment, only watching as Midnight starts to come too finally, “I knew you had it in you,” She squeezes ever tighter around his middle. Glad to have the colt there once more with her.
“I’m glad I did after all…” Midnight says proudly. Happy to still be held in her rather warm embrace, as he feels the heat run off from her cheeks, “…I heard you in my mind once more… thank you, Luna.”
“Don’t mention it. Kind of getting used to it by now,” She giggles with him while nuzzling his neck. Not even caring if her cheeks are flushed red, or her heart is racing a mile a minute. The princess is simply enjoying the moment they have together after this little journey, they both are in fact. And Midnight thankfully closes his eyes in peace.
“Oh isn’t this just… sweet.”
Both of them snap their attention to the pile of what looks like ooze at first in the corner of the room. Though after a few seconds, it starts to pull itself back together piece by piece. Every shard of glass from the shattered mind that was expelled from Midnight’s own, pulling in to one another with a black sort of muck that holds it all together. The smoke beginning to come out of the top of its head as it wraps around the body and leaves behind the wings, tail, and mane to suit. Finally, finishing off with the same pair of neon green eyes that would haunt Midnight in his head for centuries.
Now meeting him face to face for the first time out in the real world, “Hello… Midnight.”
Star struck at first, Luna finally puts it together as she involuntarily holds him a bit tauter, “Is that who I think I is?”
“That it is, Luna…” Midnight rises up to gain his footing, “…That’s Shard, my inner demon.”
“Oh don’t sound so coy… Besides I think I count as an outer demon now,” The darkness begins to snicker at him. That is before wrapping the smoke from his wings around the colt, and lifting him up off his feet in one go, “…After all we have some catching up to do!”
Before either of the ponies have time to react, with a single buck from his hind legs. The darkness kicks down the wall behind him, and throws himself, and Midnight out in to the yard under the time of night that he was named after. Shard whips the ensnared colt up and over his head, hurtling him across the back yard. Being tossed in to a tree will do wonders to a colt’s back, as Midnight hears half his vertebra crack in unison, as he gets back to his feet while the tree itself even starts to show signs of damage.
Now left to face off against that which he wants to spit in the face of most.
“Ha! You see Midnight what happens when you, and I don’t play!” The darkness starts to mock him while laughing insanely, “Thanks to you I was allowed to fester! My usual overzealous nature inhibited me from doing so before hoof,” he owes it up to his own flaws, “Though I learned a little self-control, and in doing so my strength has increased. Although it wasn’t enough to get in your blasted head and beat you once and for all… It was enough to get out here in the real world to see you one on one,” Shard kicks up some of the dirt under his hooves, almost ready to charge like a bull, “I should thank you! But heck, let’s be honest here,” The jade eyes lock with that of the colt across from him once more in his rant, “It’d be more fun just to kill you.”
“NO!” Midnight shouts immediately.
The magical shock catches the demon off guard, and tears off a portion of Shard’s side. Forcing the colt down to the ground. In doing so, giving Midnight the time he needs to attack. Pounding either hoof in to the ground. The outside is enraptured in an aura, and encases the colt’s limbs. Thrusting himself forward as Midnight starts to pummel the dark colt, and take off chunks left, and right with every swing. The splinters fly, Midnight breaks a sweat, and the dark laughs at him once more. That is until it finally realizes something, a little too late, and a hoof comes up cracking him in the jaw. The resulting fall from the hit lands the dark colt on the ground as he spits out a jagged tooth, and a puddle of muck which can only be assumed as blood.
“Shut you up now didn’t it,” Midnight mutters as he bucks the dark in to the same tree he was sent in to. The final blow toppling over the tree to its side. The fallen now resting there next to the stump for a moment as it looks over its own wounds. All of which are still clear as crystal for him to see, “You heal perfectly fine in my head, but out here… I have a chance.”
“And you still forget one thing!” The dark gets back up, glaring at the stallion across from him with a pair of unworldly emerald eyes. Eyes that start to glow brighter as the Ray spell leaves them and head toward Shard’s once host. The sensation from his flesh being incinerated reaches Midnight’s mind in a split second while the tissue burns way, and from sheer reflex alone the same hoof bracer enchantment is used to act as a shield while he brings is up to block the attack. The force from Shard’s attack has enough oomph in it to even force the colt across the ground, Midnight’s hooves digging in to the ground, while the final charge hits him and sends a shower of sparks from the breaking of both spells. Dazed after the hit, the crimson colt looks up from the pit he’s dug himself. To see the dark entity standing there triumphantly as his green eyes start to glow once more for another attack, “Even when I am no longer in you, you and I are still connected at a deeper level than you will ever understand…” he chuckles, “you can’t kill what makes you, you.”
“But I can!” A blue blur comes out of nowhere, and socks the dark pony in the side with a mighty magical burst from her own horn. The impact leaving a clear hole in his chest, and his own impact crater. As Luna lands next to Midnight, and helps him out of the hole, “Are you alright?”
“Taking a spell to the chest isn’t one of my better past times… Though I have to say, better now,” he covers the burn marks on his chest to ease her pain, getting a quick smile from her in return as they both take a fighting stance against the one before them now, “He’s weak while out here in our world… He can’t heal like he could before.”
“He is rather adept in magic though… your kind of magic.”
“And so am I…” The tell tail feeling of scorching air beckons Midnight to raise up an onyx barrier from his shrouded hooves to protect them. Luna seeing through, watches the dark pony sending the searing magical flame from its gullet, at them. Though in the attack, as they both feel the heat beating against the wall between them and a trip to the burn ward, their attackers eyes remain closed. Luna rolls out, and around the cover piece as Shard closes his mouth and smoke is left to come out of the nostrils.
‘My turn…’ Luna tells herself, charging up a lighting spell, and casting in in to the form. Though with only a quick flick of the wrist, it is deflected off to Shard’s side with only a shield sphere held in midair as it glances off the surface. Harmlessly blasting a hole back in to the ground, as it makes contact.
“Is that all you got prince-” Shard tries to call her out.
Though his words are cut short by the rapture of frost around his legs, and body as ice starts to build up in a block. Before quickly being cracked out of it once more by getting body slammed by a girthy colt, “That is called a distraction thank you very much!” Midnight brings himself back around, only to have his hoof caught in mid-swing, and struck upwards. Buckling the elbow, and almost cracking the bone altogether. The darkness lifts him right back up, and with an ear perked up from the sound of the on rushing princess. Shard twists around, and tosses Midnight in to her.
Wide eyed with the sight of the colt flying through the air against his will. Luna has not the time to react, as he collides with her form, and they both find themselves tumbling over the ground. Resulting in the mare on the sour end of this deal, the bottom. Luna tries to get up, but the weight of the colt is something of wonder, and soon she finds herself eating dirt once more, ‘Oh he isn’t going to live this one down.’
Eventually he rolls off, and they both get up in time to see the darkness pouring a green mass of energy in to the ground as several roots pick themselves up, and out of the dirt, and thrust at the two under Shard’s control. Luna conjures up a magic blade, and slices away at those that come at her, even splitting a few down the middle. While Midnight pulls a new trick out of the bag, forcing his gag reflex with a little throat flexing. The colt’s gullet sends a stream of what one would guess is radioactive looking, magically infused, glowing, vomit at the foliage. The steaming concoction, liquefying the roots as it collides with them. Running the stream down their length, the foliage appendages are quick work for the acid as they wither away in to nothing more than a pile of muck on the ground.
“Ack!” The sound of a mare in over her head fills, Midnight’s ears while he turns around to find Luna twisted up in a pair of the roots grabbing at her hooves, and around her horn.
Winding her up like an anaconda off the ground, and in to the air. The wind slowly is being crushed out of her lungs with every exhale as the intake becomes harder, and harder the more she tries. Even the dim light of her moon is fading away, as the roots cover her even more. Though with a quick spell to the base, the mare starts to fall, only to be caught by the carful hooves of Midnight before she hits the ground.
“Don’t worry…I got you,” And with several chomps of his jaw, Midnight takes off the roots that bound her.
Meanwhile the darkness has his own fun at the moment watching the display. More so the magic that is flowing in, and through the colt freely without any hint of failure. ‘It isn’t draining him like it would before… he really is healed now. Drat, now how is this going to work?’ the subtle eye glance that Midnight gives Luna as he sets her back down, reminds Shard all he needs to know for the moment. Breaking out of his trance, to feel the full force of a spike spell digging in to him, it’s moments like these he is thankful that he has no internal organs, as the darkness digs out the crystal spike.
“That… is a cheap shot! Princess,” He drops the spike to the ground while getting a scowl from the lunar mare.
“Oh cry me a river will you!” Midnight mocks him back while tackling the form to the ground and head butting him a few times.
A rising heat up in his throat, beckons the nocturnal colt to leap up in the air and hover off the ground from his target while sending a scorching flame in to Shard’s direction. The head from the magic flame doing its part, as it scorches the earth around the apparition, and even starts to boil off some of the ooze that held him together, leaving a few smaller pieces to chip off. Though the glass has an entirely different effect. With a touch down from Midnight away from the flames. The darkness manages to get up while there are several cracks from the joints across him straining to hold up the heated frame.
However, the cracking halts in his body while the now pliable glass allows him to bend well from the heat until the muck is replenished from his own magic, “I may not be able to heal entirely, and put myself back together. Though that doesn’t mean that I’m entirely helpless to heal something.”
“Good to know…” Midnight brings out the same flames from his throat as they both do the same spell.
In the center, lime flames dance and tango with one another. Neither caster giving in, until they extinguish the spell, and leave a plot of smoke between them. Until the princess hurtles herself through the cloud at her target with a magic mace. Caving it in to Shard’s hot form, while she tries to hold him by the head, though the heated glass is able to absorb the hit rather well. On top of that, it does give Shard a rather nice defense.
“Son of a-!” Luna barks out for a second as she leaps back away from his still searing hot form that even still glows at this hour in the night.
“Awe. Too hot for you my dear?” He snickers at her, before a gout of acid from his good counterpart snuffs out Shard’s fun, and leaves him dripping there green before he shakes it off like a dog, “Oh that’s just… nasty.”
“Cooled you down still,” Midnight responds while he flies through the air, tackling the apparition to the other side of the yard. Proceeding to try, and bring a glowing hoof in to Shard’s skull. Before he can make contact though, Shard’s reflexes kick in and he lets loose a quick shockwave spell, hurtling Midnight up and off of his target. Allowing the darkness a moment to get his footing.
The heavy trotting of a mare scorned, lets Shard know that he is about to get another hit soon, while his ears perk up at the sound. Whipping around to meet her, Shard holds out a hoof, wrapping a green aura around Luna and lifting her clear off the ground. Moving faster than Luna’s own ability to catch herself, the entity tosses the princess in to an oak with just the flick of a hoof that Luna felt all too well. The impact is forceful enough to whip her head backwards right in to the trunk, as it sends stars dancing across her vision as she slumps down to the ground in a daze.
“You’re grounded, princess,” Shard spits out under his tongue. Using the same hoof to grab hold of the branch above her, and drop it down in to Luna’s outstretched wing.
“AGghh!” Luna bites down on her lip, while the cracking of bone is heard over the calmness of the night air drawing the attention of her colt, “M-m-my wing…” She quivers unable to move from the weight of the limb on her own and the pain as it shoots through her body, lighting up her brain.
“Luna!” Midnight holds out a hoof to her. Rolling back over on to his feet, and faces off against the colt.
“You are stronger…” The darkness that Midnight has dealt with for years realizes as he talks out loud. Watching the blood start to trickle from Midnight’s nose after the previous blow, “On top of this your mind has healed… which means,” Shard sends his gaze to the lunar mare that still rests there by the tree with the branch fallen on her wing. Laying there defenseless, and ripe for the picking, “…All I need to do is break it once more!”
In a flash, Shard conjures the smoke that makes up his wings to beat furiously against the air, lifting his high in to the air from a position where he eye balls the princess like a hawk ready to strike down. Narrowing down his jade orbs, he dive bombs Luna at the base of the tree. Dead set on taking out the one that Midnight is falling for, and shattering his mind once more. This is something that he would never recover from, and with the added strength of waiting it out. The darkness would have full reign of the body he will soon call home again.
Luna looks up at the pair of glowing green eyes that puncture the night sky above her. Still unable to move, and not able to concentrate enough through the dancing of pain to cast a simple spell to get the branch off of her so she could move better. The princess for all her might, is left there at the mercy of one that would do nothing, but cause her death, and one who has her affections, misery.
That is, until that very colt steps in.
The top half of the tree that Luna resides against gets encased in an emerald aura at the hooves of Midnight’s own magic. Tearing clean from the base, leaving the princess to lie there against a trunk, as the top portion is hurtled in to the air to meet Shard head on. While his eyes grow wider the closer it gets, “Oh bugger…”
The foliage smashes in to his face, bringing Shard back down to the ground in a heaping pile of twisted branches and an evil putrid mess. Stepping out of the tangled mess of limbs, with several branches and twigs sticking out of which ever various parts of his body. The nightmarish mass of pure dark magic, and even Luna, both look up to see the same sight. Though each with a different outlook on the colt standing there between each other.
Shard hatting the fact that now he lost the element of surprise in rushing the princess.
While Luna remains ever to glad to see her colt of the night, standing there with hooves braced firm against the ground.
“Don’t even think about it!” Midnight screeches out.
Though this one outburst does not call out a shockwave that the dark had braced for, but instead causing Midnight’s hooves to glow without him even directing them. While he calls upon something else, guiding it only with his mind. A rattle, a crash and several other sounds of broken wood and masonry coming from the house, urges the dark colt to look upon the home, and watch as the Lunar and Celestial suits of armor from his parents. Come flying out towards Midnight with himself in the path. Breaking apart at their straps midflight, Shard is forced to duck a few times to dodge them as they make their way to the new owner.
Each, and every section that makes up the armor breaking apart as they are fitted up, and around the colt’s own large frame. Bracers fusing together to patch up his longer legs, as the back plates do the same as well. While much of the rest of the armor follows the same process, meeting the needs of the wearer. Back plates layer atop each other like shingles on a roof, fitting over his spine and running up to the base of the neck, where the neck plates take over. Both chest plates weld together from the magic alone that Midnight is pumping in to them, while they strap themselves on to his chest. All the plates locking up and around him, giving him full protection and only allowing his wings and tail to protrude from his suit.
Meanwhile, the helmets of both his mother, and father, are shaped out in midair from one another. To cover his larger head as they lock around, under his jaw line, while each of the decorative manes trail down the back of his skull. As each of the weapon sheaths strap on to either side of him. Capping off the suit in its transformation to fit the user, leaving the bloodied colt to stand there in an impressive display of gold and violet plates, mixed in with one another. A sight that even forces Shard to pause for a second, raise his hooves, and applaud.
“Well I got to give you credit where it’s due…” He slowly claps at the colt, antagonizing him, “I have to say that is impressive,” The mocking nature only results in a charge from the darkness, as Shard tries to attack once more.
“Oh… I’m not done yet,” Midnight mutters. Drawing out both weapons from the sheaths, under the power from his magic, the blades themselves are forge welded together in midair. Both normal sized swords, growing in one length twice as long as it is wielded outwards. Forcing Shard to run head long in to the broadsword, skewering him down the middle. Lifting him up and over his head, Midnight slams him back in to the ground, drawing out the sword to strike. The darkness from his mind feels fear for one of the first times in a long while as it rolls out, and away from the attack, from a colt he has tormented more and more through the years. “Oh you aren’t going anywhere…” the angered stallion scorns him.
Shard attempts to get to his hooves and gallop away to get some distance between himself and Midnight. Though the conjuring of enchanted barbed wire shooting in the ground from the armored colt’s mane and tail, erupting around his legs, halts any escape. While he is dragged right back in front of the stallion, quickly being pinned to the ground with a sword to the gut, “Ugh… that’s going to leave a-” any further remark Shard could come up with is silenced the moment a metal hoof bracer contacts his jaw.
“You have irritated me for years,” Midnight socks him once more, “Played with me to kill like a puppet, when I just wanted to help others, and for what?” he asks before bringing his forehead in to Shard’s, “Your enjoyment!”
A darkened hoof rises up, and punches Midnight back in the jaw to return the favor, but nothing will break the colt’s stride while he wears the armor. The action only furthering the adrenaline pumping through the already enraged colt. As Midnight whips his wings back and forth, bringing out the enchanted darts, and hurtles them in to Shard’s limbs to pin him even more, “You will never be allowed to harm me, any pony else, or her… I will end this one way or another!”
“And how will you do that? Huh?!” Shard spits back in his face, “You can’t kill me! Remember? I am you. To kill me, would be to kill part of you,” the sinister grin that Midnight has come to know and hate, fills his face once more as he realizes something, “and now I’m out in the real world… how hard would it be for me to find another host?”
In truth Midnight never did think of that as a possibility. Inside of himself the darkness is his tormentor, his burden, but it is also contained, and only his burden. No other pony has to deal with it, unless they are a victim of Shard’s actions. Though the thoughts buzzing about his head, leaves Midnight open to attack. A single shockwave spell launches Midnight back up in to the air, and on to his back once again, giving a severe case of déjà vu. The added weight of the armor does its part, and protects him from the force of the spell. But not so much the weight of its own self as the plates land on top of his chest, crunching inwards, and Midnight can only feel what he can guess is a few cracked ribs.
‘No time for that now though,’ He mutters to himself while forcing himself to get back up.
Meanwhile Shard picks himself up off the ground, and gets the sword out of his chest. Now only glaring at the mare still at the base of the tree. Wielding the sword in an aura he slowly makes his way over to her. While the princess still squirms about from her position helplessly, as she can feel the twisting, and further cracking of bone with every movement, as she slumps down to her hooves once more. Panting after her efforts to get free, and listening in to the calm hoof steps of the tormentor approaching.
“Princess…” She glances up at the dark pony after he calls to her, “Give my regards to Sky, and Golden would you?”
The sword is raised up above his head for the attack, as she gracefully closes her eyes, and let’s lose one final tear. The sorrows and woes that she never got to know a particular colt a little better after this mess is all said, and done with. Though as she hears the grunt from the colt attempting to drop the blade upon her. It is only followed by a loud ting from it hitting another piece of metal. Slowly cracking her eyes open, Luna sees that Midnight dived in front of the blade in the hopes, and success, of his parent’s armor stopping the attack in time. Whipping around Shard, and grasping the blade to stave off any further attempt to swing it. Midnight peers deep in to his curses soul with a wicked grin, before tossing him over to one side.
“You know, you’re right…” Midnight notes. Ripping the blade from the darkness with his own magic, “…I can’t kill you.”
“Well it’s about time you realized-”
With a swipe of the hoof, the blade is brought down across Shard’s midsection, cutting him cleanly in half. Pints of ooze seeps out over the ground, as the shadow of a pony tries to hold off his own yelp from the attack. With closed eyes, Midnight stabs the blade back in to the ground next to himself. Conjuring out green tendrils of barbed wire, running out from his mane and tail and down to the ground while slithering across the surface. Several of the wires wrap clear around the severed lower half of his enemy’s body, and the colt lifts it up in to the air. All it takes is a moment, and the body is torn to pieces from the tendrils. Reduced down to shards of Shard, and sludge as Midnight funnels it in to the one place he knows it will remain safe no matter what.
His mouth.
Now even the pitch black pony is horrified at what he is witnessing. Using his remaining hooves to try, and push himself away as he watches half his body get swallowed by his seemingly demented host, “But… but how?”
“I can’t kill you,” Midnight explains while licking up the remaining parts of ooze on his face, “However, that doesn’t mean I can’t eat you, and keep you where you can’t hurt others.”
With that the colt throws himself at his fears, and attacks them head long. With every punch that the dark tries to throw. Midnight bites chunks out of the remaining hooves, and the spells that it tries to cast, he simply blocks. With Shard’s wings, or what’s left of them, flapping to try to fly. Midnight eyes the small torso, and head still there hovering.
Building up the energy in his eyes he shoots out a ray, and clips the very wings from the creature. Catching all the falling bits in his tendrils before they even hit the ground as he guides them down his gullet. With that gone out of the way, Midnight unhinges his jaw, extending it out like a snack as he engulfs the torso. Drawing it in with the enchanted wire and his neck muscles until it is completely down. Leaving nothing more than a head with a blank stare still gazing at him.
“Don’t worry,” Midnight whispers to him, “We aren’t quite done yet,” In a few quick slices the head falls apart like having gone through a cheese grader, and Midnight lifts them all back up to throw down the hatch. To another battle field that the night time colt had fought on for years.
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The dark landscape of the colt’s mind now houses the darkness, as Shard comes to in the middle of the floor there after being engulfed. It takes a few seconds for him to realize where he is, and once he does. He immediately checks the rest of his limbs to see if they are all there. “Everything is back the way it was?” He wonders in surprise after finding all his parts attached to him now.
“As I said, you heal great in my head,” The echoing voice of Midnight resonates through the walls of his mind as he speaks, and takes up the roll that his curse once had.
“You put me back here?” A slow grin starts to grow on Shard’s face ever more at what this might allow, though the egomaniacal laugh of his host puts him back in place.
“You fool… You are my burden to bear. No one else will have to deal with you so long as you are in here…” Midnight starts to explain. The light of the area getting brighter, and brighter with every passing second, and word. While the light itself from the colt’s mind seems to burn Shard across his whole form, “you may have been strong, but I tore you apart… you are nothing… and I will end it,” A pair of chains shoots out of the ground, and wraps themselves around the glassy colt in the center. Crushing him under their weight as they start to squeeze even tighter, breaking apart the glass under the strain. Followed shortly by the trickles of the dark puss running down their length from Shard.
“I will… get… you,” It fights to speak between breaths. Though the chains tighten further, and further.
“You tried once, and you failed to stay …” His now captor reminds him, “After all… my mind is strong now, and I am no longer afraid of you…” The floor underneath the colt opens up in to a dark abyss. Not even the light that is now shining about Midnight’s mind lights it up in the slightest, and the helpless victim can only stare down in to it with his own fear at what this brings to the table for himself.
“What… Is this place?”
“Oh this place? This is where my mind hid the memories of my past,” Midnight informs him while lifting the trapped colt higher up in to the air above the pit, “It is the deepest darkest hole I could find for you, and one that you will have no power at all in, with nothing to feed off of…” in the silence of his mind, Midnight swears he can hear a final gulp from the inmost part of Shard’s throat, “So long, my old friend.”
With a final whip of the chain, Shard is cast in to the darkness that he helped to create in the colt’s mind. Feeling every little hint of fear, and thought of lonesomeness that Midnight himself had gone through over the years. All the while screaming his way in to the depths, as the door closes. Letting the light shine completely in for Midnight, and his eyes open to the world for what would seem like the first time.
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Luna had sat there, and watched Midnight mumble to himself with his eyes glassed over in the back of his head. With not a clue as to what was going on in his head. She just saw the colt literally eat his demon after tearing him apart, and then go in to a trance in his own little world. Now left to see the golden orbs come back to her, and glance over with a straight face that slowly breaks in to a smile. The colt makes his way over to her, and uses his own strength to lift the branch off.
Only to get a shooting glare from the mare in return from the sharp pain, “Sorry about that…” he bites his lip.
“Don’t… mention it,” She winces at the surge coursing through her now after sitting down for so long. Though as Luna tries to get back up, it only results in her stumbling in to his hooves as Midnight catches her once more.
“Don’t worry…” She hears, before looking back up to him with graceful eyes, “I’ve got you.”
“I know you do, Midnight,” Luna leans in to his neck for a moment with a tear falling from her eye. The soft secure beat of his heart even through the neck line, brings a steady smile to her face as the mare welcomes it openly. Though even with this happy moment that he is back to her. It still urges one question to be asked, “Is…is it over?”
“He’s …not gone,” Midnight admits, listening in to the back of his head. Silent now, but still knowing that he is never going to be alone for as long as he lives. Though for now, Shard is trapped in some of the chaos he helped to create, ‘I can live with him being lost in my own thoughts,’ he starts to chuckle to himself, “But he isn’t coming back any time soon either… whatever strength Shard had over me is gone, and now, he is nothing.”
Sheathing the sword away after combining the holders, and with a short walk back to the house with her leaning on his side for support. Midnight uses a sheet to wrap up his mare’s wing, keeping it steady for now. Seeing as she won’t be using it any time soon to fly back home. Though as they head out the front door and prepare to depart, the colt simply holds up a hoof to her so he can have a moment. Running inside the home he once knew, after a few seconds, Midnight appears once more.
“What was it you had to grab?” She asks him while she sits down on the ground to ease her wing. Only thing he shows her, is a photo book titled Memories in his grasp, as he slides it down in to the breast plate of the armor he still wears.
“I had to grab it… a reminder of sorts.”
“That I can understand… besides,” She smiles at him warmly, “Now you can fill it with your own.”
With only a simple grin to answer her opinion. Midnight reaches up, and under her, lifting the mare up on to his back as she steadies herself after the surprising action by wrapping a pair of hooves around his neck. Though the slight giggle from behind the nape of his neck draws his attention away from the night sky ahead of them in their journey back.
“What are you laughing at back there?”
“Oh nothing…” She brushes it off at first, before leaning in to his neck with her own, “I just have to say you look rather fetching with armor on.”
‘Hmm I can’t really argue with that…’ He looks himself over for a moment. His parent’s protected him when he was but a foal, preventing him from meeting his own fate too soon, while they met their own. And now, their armor doing their part, and protecting him in his time of need, and even giving him the tools needed to help finish the fight. Flaring out his wings to stretch them a bit, the colt flexes them some before looking up at the clear night sky.
“Well we got a long trip ahead of us with only one making the flight…” Midnight smiles for a moment while craning his head to meet hers halfway, “But hey, the company is half the fun… right?” With that he plants a sweet, and simple kiss on her cheek. Before she has time to think about the sudden on rush of hormones running through her system, he shoots off in to the night time air.