//------------------------------// // Letting Go // Story: The Quest // by LightningBass94 //------------------------------// Twilight was pulled into the building by an unseen force, and the heavy door slammed shut behind her, causing an echo to reverberate through the grand room, a room that couldn't have possibly been held within the ancient and decrepit building she had found hidden in the dying forest. Somehow, she'd wound up in a different place altogether, and her eyes lit up when she realized just where it was. Twilight was standing in the entrance to the vastest library she'd ever heard of. The room was well lit, with giant, golden chandeliers hanging from the tall ceiling. The room was at least one-hundred meters in length, half that in width, and it had four levels. Each one was filled with bookshelves, and each of those were filled with volumes upon volumes of books in turn. This was Twilight's dream come true. Each level above the first had an iron staircase leading up to it and a matching iron fence to keep an individual from falling. In the center of the room, on the first floor, there was a grand oak table, nearly as long as the room itself. There were polished wooden chairs all along each side. As a former librarian, the room was daunting. The upkeep of such an enormous library was unimaginable, yet there was not a speck of dust in sight. "Hello?" Twilight called out. Several seconds passed with no answer. "Is anypony there?" The only answers she received were from her own echoes. The librarian was nowhere to be seen. Further surveying the suspect library, Twilight's attention was caught by a book on the other side of the room. It was the only book not placed on a shelf. Instead, it was placed closed on a pedestal. It was a gigantic volume, leather-bound and with a red, silk bookmark. Pressed into the cover was the same marking she'd seen by the door. That was all the convincing Twilight needed to begin making her way toward the book. Perhaps it held some sort of clue as to her surroundings. Twilight would be happy enough just for some clue connecting this place to the forest whence she came. The settings seemed like day and night to her, but strangely enough, each gave her the same foreboding feeling that made her feel both watched and alone. The more Twilight thought on that feeling, the more a hot, stabbing pain plagued her, just behind the eyes. She attempted to shake off the pain and cleared her mind, continuing onward toward her goal. She needn't think any more on the subject. Twilight was confident that this book would hold all the answers she sought. Please, oh please do, she thought. Just as in the forest, Twilight mindlessly paced forward toward a singular goal, a strange mixture of anticipation and desperation grieving her with every step. All was lost to the alicorn as she focused on the tome before her. Finally she approached the object of her desire. She licked her lips and reached toward the book with a shaky hoof. The craving for this knowledge was almost maddening, but finally she would feel relief. Finally she could rest. Sweet, precious tome, reveal to me your secrets... Off in the distance, Twilight could hear a sinister cackling, but she was far too engrossed in her own thoughts to notice. With a flick of her hoof, Twilight opened the book to the marked page. Her eyes widened in terror. The hall was filled with a blood-curdling scream as Twilight felt herself pulled forward into the pages of the tome. She'd had a similar experience once before, but never had it been so intense. The process was slow this time. Twilight felt real pain as her body was compressed, then ripped apart into letters dotting the previously empty page. Every fiber of her being was in burning agony. Why me? she found herself asking as she was pulled into yet another reality. Why can't I just rest? I-I just want to rest... Why do my eyes hurt the most? Twilight couldn't be sure what happened next. Her hind hooves left the ground at last, and her vision went black. She was still in severe pain until her entire body was pulled through, but even then, she could feel herself being pulled forward. In fact, that was all she could feel. Her body stayed perfectly still, refusing to heed even the simplest of commands. She felt doomed to float through an infinite darkness with no chance of escape. From one perdition to the next, she traveled alone through this twisted world. How she wished now she'd opened another book. Any other would have been desired. She could have stayed forever in that wonderful place, but her insatiable thirst had found her trapped in a senseless abaddon from which she was sure there was no return, no escape. That unseen force pulled her ever forward, the same that had pulled her into the library. It seemed strange to her, but she knew she'd felt that force once before, though she couldn't put her hoof on it. That was another train of thought that hurt the longer she pondered on it. Twilight gave into the pain this time. She was broken, and somewhere deep down she felt like she was wrong for having thought about that unnatural force. She was willing to do anything to make this cycle of agony stop. THUMP! Twilight groaned, having been unceremoniously dropped onto a hard, wooden floor. It was warm, comfortable even, despite how hard it was. The sweet, familiar smell of oak sap and roasted pine nuts filled her nostrils. Her ears twitched as she heard whispers and stifled giggling from what she supposed to be the other end of the room. Timidly, she opened her eyes, afraid of what she may find. Her grasp on reality was rapidly slipping, and Twilight wasn't sure she could continue on in this manner for long. Nigh inaudible, a nervous laugh escaped her lips at the scene playing out before her. She was sure such a thing was impossible. Spike's eyes snapped open, and his pupils narrowed further. They were no longer the eyes of the good-natured whelp his friends had come to know. Spike's eyes were those of a dangerous predator, his prey within grasp. Slowly, he rose from his position, slumped against his boulder. A mad grin stretched across his face just before he stepped from behind his hide. As he stared at his opponent, he let out a chuckle. Vilthinex had still been franticly searching for his evening snack, but his head whipped around when he heard the drake laugh. "Remember me, guy?" Spike asked threateningly, "The thorn in your spine?" The only reply Vilthinex saw fit to grace the question with was a primitive snarl. There are only two ways for a dragon to grow, and though the process is reversible, that becomes harder to accomplish with each transformation. The dragon must either obtain a mound of treasure, no matter the means of acquisition, or he must go through the potentially harmful process of consuming vast amounts of fire. Only one of those two things was readily available in the swamp; knowing this, Spike made a mad dash for the closest boiling area of the sludge. Vilthinex caught on to Spike's plan. "No!" he shouted, delaying his venom shot for just the second Spike needed. It was likely that in his reckless abandon, Spike would have taken the shot anyway. Spike slammed his claw down onto the sweet spot, and the pressure was just enough to release a torrent of fire which engulfed him completely and shielded him from the venom. Spike looked down and opened his mouth within the flames. The agony was instantaneous. His own fire being the exception, he was far from fireproof on the inside, and he had to fight the urge to scream out, instead continuing to swallow the fire. His flesh was charring, but his body began to swell. Spike was giving way to his basic instincts, more animal than even Vilthinex. He sought to quicken the process, lest the geyser run out before he completed, and so he began swallowing entire gulps of the flame. His claws grew longer, dangerously sharp. Like a shark, his teeth fell out over and over again, growing in size each time. Previously surprisingly soft in his youth, the scales covering every inch of his body grew and hardened into an armor that only a dragon would have a chance at penetrating. Even a sword of diamonds would dull trying to pierce them. Tears flowed from his eyes, quickly evaporating in the violent flames. It wasn't long before he was the size of his opponent, if not larger, and it was at that point he turned to face Vilthinex. The elder dragon stared back with fear in his eyes. He was afraid because he'd never seen a dragon so feral. Even in his deepest rage, he had more control than Spike did in that moment. Such instinctual personality was a dangerous trait in dragons, and only now did her realize the mistake he made. He never should have threatened the ponies that could tame a dragon such as this. Such a feat would take an impossibly strong bond to accomplish, and just as strong a bond to cause the dragon to go feral once more. A terrifying roar erupted from Spike's maw, a gust of green flame equally as powerful as a geyser shooting into the sky from the lowest lobes of his lungs. His arms outstretched at his sides, claws at the ready to defend and maul any opponent foolish enough to come into range. Vilthinex would take no such chances with his opponent now. Instead, he used the battle cry to his advantage. His acid was unhindered in its flight, and Spike took a direct hit. The sheer force of the spitball threw Spike back, crushing a good amount of trees under him. Spike growled and wiped away the poisonous acid before it could do any more damage. His scales were still intact, but the substance had found its way through the crevices. Spike's body burned, and he found his vision blurring. This would have to end quickly. Spike slowly pushed himself up to a standing position on all fours, all the while staring down Vilthinex. The swamp dragon was standing on his back claws with a smug smile and arms crossed over his barrel. He knew his opponent had become a victim of poison, and now this was just a waiting game for him. He only had to endure long enough for the venom to take effect. Spike swayed a bit, snarling wildly at Vilthinex. His vision was darkening ever so slowly, but he'd sooner go blind than give in. He opened his mouth, and a heavy stream of fire shot out at Vilthinex. While such an attack would do little to actually harm another dragon, the force of his flame had grown exponentially along with his body. The torrential blast was like a fire hose to the swamp dragon's face, allowing a distraction and cover for Spike to close in on his prey. Even feral, he never lost the quick wit that had many times proven to be his greatest asset. As the purple dragon marched forward, a sputtering Vilthinex struggled not to breath in the flames. He never saw the claw come straight toward his chest. The flame stopped momentarily as Spike dug into Vilthinex's chest cavity, a malicious grin painted upon his face. Vilthinex coughed blood and venom, and his jaw fell slack. Spike took this as an opportunity to finish him once and for all. He shot another stream of flames into Vilthinex's mouth, and his claw twisted a quarter turn. He pulled away, taking with him Vilthinex's heart and a bit of each lung. Vilthinex's eyes rolled back as flames shot from his chest cavity. Spike's flame desisted, and he threw the heart down. Standing up on his back claws, he turned and began to stumble toward the direction his friends had fled. Twilight... he thought, just before he collapsed face down into the bog. His enormous form caused a wave to crash upon every bank the swamp water had. Behind him, Vilthinex fell as well. His black blood began to spill out into the swamp, mixing in with the sludge. As the dragon bled out, his entire swamp would be covered in his blood. Slowly, Spike used the last of his willpower to shrink to his original size. It was an even more painful experience than the growth had been. All the venom in his system was exponentially stronger, and his entire body was beaten and bruised. The youngling wasn't without a will to live, and so he rolled onto his back to keep from drowning, but that was all he could do. His breaths were short and agonal, his heart beats erratic. The venom coursing through his veins had passed through his heart many times over, and it was killing him from the inside out. Between the ringing in his ears, he thought he heard muffled shouts in the distance, but he was too far gone to acknowledge them. Before he lost consciousness, his last coherent thought was, Man... I'm gonna' be so awesome when I grow up... Twilight was home. In fact, as she slowly rose to her hooves, she found she was standing in her den near the door. The glow of the fire and tint of her windows suggested it was evening. None of this was of much importance to Twilight as she watched the other ponies in the room. Tears welled up in her eyes at the sight of Rainbow Dash and Trixie. She felt her heart catch in her throat and a knot form in her stomach. The pair were sitting in front of her fireplace, Rainbow's wing wrapped around Trixie. They seemed too busy whispering sweet nothings to each other to realize Twilight's intrusion. From her vantage point, Twilight could see Rainbow's dreamy gaze as she locked eyes with Trixie. She leaned in for a kiss. Just before the pair made contact, Twilight's silent grief gave way to a fiery rage. Her eyes glowed bright red as she shouted, "What in Celestia's name is going on here?" Her efforts were in vain, and the kiss went on as if Twilight didn't exist. The furious alicorn stomped toward them with indignation. Her hooves singed the wooden floorboards, leaving black prints in their wake. "Hey!" she shouted once more. "Rainbow, Trixie, what are you doing!?" Her tears were back, but the heat radiating from her body evaporated them before they had a chance to roll down her cheeks. Her fur was slowly lightening to a bright white. Trixie finally pulled away from the kiss, though neither of them paid any heed to the furious alicorn just inches away. The magician let out a contented sigh. "I never guessed I would be so relieved that Sparkle went missing," she whispered. "If you hadn't comforted me in my time of need, I never would realized how I was wasting my time with her." Twilight's eyes widened. She took a couple steps back, aghast at what she was hearing. Once the shock passed, her face contorted in rage once more. She crouched down and pounced, lunging like a viscous tiger at her marefriend with all intensions to maim, only to pass right through her and into the fireplace. Surprisingly, the flames didn't burn. In fact, she tumbled right through into the cool night air as if she were immaterial. Twilight crawled to her feet and began to run. She had to find the rest of her friends. Surely one of them was searching for her. From Sugarcube Corner, Twilight could see a pillar of smoke rising from the ovens. She set course for the colorful building, knowing she would at least find Pinkie Pie awake. The bakery was fairly close, and it didn't take very long before she was striding up the stone steps toward the door. As a habit, she first attempted to open the door with her magic, but she found that method to be ineffective. She surmised then that she had no physical presence in the world. Briefly, she wondered just how long she'd been missing. Was she dead? Did they find her body? Twilight had no time for such questions when there were answers to be discovered on the other side of the door before her, so she shook them away. Experimentally, she pressed her hoof against the door. It gave easily, her hoof passing through in a similar fashion as it did in the magic mirror. Slowly, she completed the step, and the rest of her body followed through the portal. What she found on the other side was nearly as concerning as what she'd seen within her own home. Pinkie was awake, yes, but there were no maps. There were no notes as she frantically searched for clues as to Twilight's whereabouts. Pinkie was hosting a small party, and among the guests were the rest of her friends. They chatted amongst themselves and other guests, each of them merry and drunk on cider. Twilight sat on her haunches in disbelief. "None of you even care," she stated in quiet surprise, knowing she couldn't be heard. "I'm missing, and not one of you is searching for me. You're not the least bit worried..." Just as she felt tears coming to her eyes once more, she heard that mischievous cackle once more. A creature of ethereal fog materialized before her, inky black tendrils stretching out from its ever-changing figure. "Poor, little princess," the creature whispered. Its voice was clearly female. "So unloved, so alone. You deserve so much more." A ghastly moan came from the creature's side, and yet another materialized in front of Twilight. This one spoke in a male voice, though it seemed to be crying out in incredible anguish with each word. "We never get what we deserve, do we?" he asked. "We die so alone. It's not fair." This creature had the look of a jackalope, though it stood at nearly two meters tall on its hind legs. Its fur was a shade of blue like the sky, and its antlers seemed to be made of pure gold. Its body was massive and muscular, but its shoulders slumped, and it casted its gaze upon the ground with a morose expression upon its face. Twilight jumped as she heard a terrifying growl sound behind her. "It makes you sick, doesn't it? How could they enjoy themselves so in your despair? Does it not infuriate you that they would abandon you at your lowest, after all you've done for them. Do you not feel betrayed?" Tears in her eyes, Twilight turned to face the final creature. The setting around her faded once more into the oblivion she'd so recently escaped from. The creature had all the features of a great demon. It stood nearly three meters tall. Its legs were those of a goat, and it had the horns of a ram. He was mostly humanoid in shape, though he had a physique Twilight was sure would be impossible for any mere human to achieve. His clawed hands curled into clenched fists. His red skin exuded a heat akin to a large furnace, and his black eyes lit a dangerous fire within Twilight's heart. "I do," she replied angrily. "I do feel betrayed." Wrath grinned wickedly at her response. "As you should. This is not the first time the Elements of Harmony have tasted betrayal, but we intend to make it their last. Allow me to teach you a history forgotten by time itself, Element of Magic." Wrath raised a claw to Twilight's face and touched it to her forehead. Her eyes glowed a bright white, and the awful headache that had been plaguing her returned once more. This time, she found herself somewhere else entirely. It was Gaia, at least. She was in the same world, but with an educated guess, she surmised this was the chaos that existed before time itself.