Equestrian Darkness: Friendship’s Requiem
Chapter 4: The Dark Equine Trinity
Far away from Ponyville was a stone slab, indistinguishable from the surrounding rock, but it was far from ordinary. While rocks around it cracked and eroded, this rock was untouched by time. No terrestrial force could harm it, but an extraterrestrial force could. Like a lightning bolt, magic from the stars came down upon the rock, and just like that, it shattered into sand.
As the remains blew away in the wind, it revealed a lone pegasus. Her lime green coat was stretched over a scrawny body, making her look like a skeleton with skin. Her mane and tail was thin and white like cobweb. Fluttering in the wind, the hairs looked ghostly and delicate. The mare was able to spread her wings and move her emaciated body despite millennia of imprisonment. Although her body was weak, when she opened her eyes, they glowed a bright green, revealing a mind that was vast like an ocean. If one were to look into those glowing orbs, one could see a maelstrom of knowledge, emotions, and thoughts swirling in a collective conscious, all contained in a single skull.
She reached out and could feel the minds of every living thing. Every mind was open to her and she could probe them all with ease. No thought or emotion was sacred to her. As she searched, she felt the minds of Tarik and Twilight. She opened her wings and took off, conjuring an illusion to hide herself.
Twilight fought to break free of the binding spell both physically and magically, but the spell easily disabled her powers and its hold was too strong to pull free.
Tarik circled around her, eyeing her with a hungry gaze. “Try as you may, but you will not escape. My power over the magical arts is superior to any mere mortal. That is why I was able to redirect your teleportation here.”
“Y-You brought me here? But that’s impossible.”
“With the power of Ulyaoth, nothing is impossible.”
Twilight shook with fright. The rationale of her skeptical mind was gone as she saw and felt Tarik’s demonic power. “What is it you want?”
“Your name is Twilight Sparkle, the owner of the library?”
“Yes.”
“Recently, did you find anything that did not belong? A beating heart, perhaps?”
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Lying to me will only work toward your detriment. If Abdullah was searching your library for it, then it must have been there. Furthermore, I doubt it was a coincidence that your library would have all those rune signs and ancient knowledge conveniently secluded in a secret room. You know where the Essence of Mantarok is and you will tell me.” Before he could get his answer, Tarik’s ears twitched. “Aw, it seems we have a visitor.”
From out of the trees, Abdullah rocketed into the air in an angelic leap, making an arc toward Tarik.
Tarik effortlessly caught Abdullah telekinetically. “How many times must I tell you to think before you strike?”
Abdullah struggled against Tarik’s magic, but nonetheless remained helpless as he fought to break free.
Tarik threw Abdullah across the ground, smashing him against the dirt with a loud thud.
Abdullah sprung back onto his hooves. With a stamp of his leg, he smashed the ground, causing the earth to crack.
With his horn glowing brightly, Tarik easily levitated off the ground out of harm’s way.
Abdullah stomped the ground again, tossing rocks into the air and bucking them toward Tarik with his hind legs.
Tarik shattered the rocks into dust with a concentrated burst of energy from his horn. His horn glowed a brilliant blue as he built up his power. “Now, experience the wrath of Ulyaoth.” Tarik’s horn was as bright as the sun as he conjured not one but five circles of power around Abdullah. Each one reciting the spell at the same time in an ominous echo.
Like a fierce electrical storm, Abdullah was blasted with several magical energy attacks. He shrieked in pain as each attack burned deep into his flesh, leaving him collapsed to the ground, bleeding profusely.
“You...killed him...” said Twilight, staring in shock at Abdullah.
“Of course not,” said Tarik. “He can survive more abuse than any mere mortal. Besides, as frustrating as it is, I need him alive in case,” Tarik froze as a sudden chill came over him, “she shows herself.”
Twilight felt it, too. It was like an alien cold was in the air. Although Tarik’s spell prevented her from turning her head, her eyes darted in every which way to see where the odd presence was coming from.
“Mert, where are you?” shouted Tarik, his eyes searching frantically in all directions.
Although Tarik was smug and confident when he defeated Abdullah, Twilight could see worry in his eyes. He gently swayed from side to side with discomfort.
Like a ghostly phantom, a pegasus materialized in front of Tarik. Her green eyes glowed with power.
“Leave this place, Mert,” ordered Tarik. “This unicorn is mine.”
“We laugh at your challenge. He thinks he is more powerful than us. Let’s destroy him...but we can’t...no we must.”
What startled Twilight was that she could hear Mert speak, but Mert’s mouth did not move at all. She maintained the same deadpan expression the whole time. In fact, as Twilight thought about it some more, she realized that she did not hear Mert’s voice with her ears, but instead heard it telepathically in her head.
“For thousands of years, we’ve dreamed of nothing more than haunting your nightmares. Yes, what horrors we bring. We shall kill him. Or drive him insane.” Mert circled around Tarik, her glowing eyes never leaving his.
As Mert walked, Twilight got a good look at Mert’s Cutie Mark, and immediately recognized the rune on her flank. It belonged to Xel’lotath.
With a glow of his horn, Tarik used another magical attack spell.
Antorbok...Redgormor...Ulyaoth.
A blue energy shot fourth, but rather than hitting Mert, it swerved around her. Desperate, Tarik tried to pin her down telekinetically, but like a hand grasping at smoke, his powers would not connect.
“Find us if you can.” Mert seemed to replicate herself like an ameba, surrounding Tarik in phantoms. Each phantom mirrored each other’s movement, a mere reflection of the real thing.
Tarik directed his energies wildly, searching for Mert, but she was well hidden behind her illusions.
Antorbok...Par— Tarik’s spell was interrupted, causing a shower of sparks. He convulsed in agony as he felt his mind being invaded. He shot blasts of magic from his horn, but each blast merely passed through the replicants as if they were fog.
Tarik screamed in terror as he was bombarded with horrific hallucinations. His vision blurred into a mesh of colors. Injuries that were not there burned his flesh. He fought to use his magic, but his mind was too clouded, overwhelmed by hellish sensations. The hallucinations were so intrusive, it hampered his very sense of reality, until he collapsed on the ground, unresponsive to the world around him.
Twilight could not believe what she had just seen. Tarik had defeated Abdullah without much effort, and yet this strange pony easily conquered him.
Mert suddenly materialized before Twilight, her gaze piercing into Twilight’s soul. “Now, you will reveal to us where the Essence of Mantarok is.”
Twilight felt Mert snake her way into her mind. Every thought and memory Twilight had was suddenly open to Mert. Twilight fought the psychic intrusion, but Mert was strong, pushing effortlessly against her mental defenses. Within minutes, Mert found a memory...of Canterlot and Princess Celestia.
As Twilight fought to protect her own mind, her eyes suddenly caught sight of Abdullah. The massive pony was standing on his own four hooves, his injuries rapidly healing.
Through Twilight’s mind, Mert saw what she saw. She pulled free of Twilight and spun around to face the new threat. Without a word, Mert vanished into thin air.
Despite Mert’s illusions, Abdullah’s highly evolved senses could easily see through her invisibility. His eyes followed her as she was taking off into the sky, as visible as daylight to Abdullah. He leaped into the air and easily kicked Mert back down to the ground with a loud smack, breaking her invisibility.
Mert flipped back onto her feet and stared at Abdullah, trying to work her way into Abdullah’s mind, but it was like hitting a brick wall, absolutely impenetrable.
Abdullah threw himself onto Mert, mercilessly kicking her in the abdomen.
Unable to fight back, Mert had to use her wings to keep airborne to dodge Abdullah’s attacks, but Abdullah was faster than her and delivered another strike to the chest, knocking her onto her back. Mert could taste her own blood in her mouth.
Mert conjured more illusionary replicants of herself, surrounding her opponent with phantoms. However, Abdullah could smell the real Mert. He charged toward her, passing through the illusion and punched her, knocking her onto her back again.
Mert tried to fly away, but Abdullah was merciless. With a lion’s pounce, he forced her to the ground and held her in place with his body weight. He ruthlessly struck Mert repeatedly in the face and chest. After only a few punches, Mert was left lying dazed on the ground, bleeding from her injuries.
With Mert out of the way, Abdullah sprinted toward Twilight, intending to take her for himself. However, within the time he spent fighting Mert, Tarik was able to recover from Mert’s psychic assault.
Before Abdullah could reach Twilight, Tarik easily tossed him aside using telekinesis. Before he could do anything else, he felt Mert’s consciousness entering his, forcing more hallucinations into his mind. Mert flew toward Twilight, but Abdullah tackled her, forcing her back down.
Twilight watched the fight in amazement. Every time one got the upper hand over another, the third would intervene. The three fought over Twilight, never truly gaining the upper hand. As the fight raged on, Twilight could only gawk in fascination as the relationship of these three deities became apparent to her. Strength beats mind. Mind beats magic. Magic beats strength.
Bankorok...Pargon...Redgormor...Ulyaoth...Pargon.
The five runes Tarik summoned created an enclosed force field, protecting him from Abdullah who struck the field with his hooves, but was unable to break it.
Hovering high out of reach, Mert used her own magic. Five runes appeared in mid air around her. Each one glowed green as the incantation was spoken by a monstrously angelic voice.
Nethlek...Pargon...Redgormor...Xel’lotath...Pargon.
With a flare of magical energy, the spell extinguished Tarik’s force field in an instant. However, it also undid the binding spell that held Twilight in place. Without hesitation, Twilight teleported away.
The three foes ceased their assault upon realizing the prize they had been fighting for was gone. Growling in anger, Abdullah ran off in a blur, smashing through trees along the way.
Tarik teleported away without a word.
As for Mert, she flew off, heading toward Canterlot.