Damn it, damn it, damn it! Dark thought as he and Rainbow were flying over Sweet Apple acres with Applejack hanging onto his back.
Just as Dark had feared, Rainbow was finding them to tell them about Twilight catching the Feather Flu. And if they had to venture a guess as to how, it would probably have been from the water bucket pranks that were pulled on her during the Prank Wars. But the blame wasn't important to Dark right now. At the moment, his mind was flooded with memories of when his old village had been hit with it. While his mother and brother had both suffered lung damage from the coughing and lack of medicine, he was able to save them with his Healing Flame spell. Some of the others, like his stubborn uncle, one of his other cousins, and a hoofful of his fellow villagers, weren't as lucky to survive. That, and the violent shivering from their low body temperature didn't help in their recover either. Flying over the farm's border, Dark turned his attention back to Rainbow for some answers.
"I thought you said that Twilight couldn't get the Feather Flu because she's an alicorn?!" Dark asked, more worried than upset.
"I said that I wasn't sure," Rainbow reminded him. "There's never been any record of Princesses Celestia, Luna, or Cadence catching the Feather Flu before, so I could only guess as to whether or not they and Twilight could get it."
"Do they know for sure that Twilight has it?" Applejack asked.
"I don't know. I left to get Nurse Redheart and to find the rest of our friends before I had the chance to ask Spike."
"Is it really that bad that we need Nurse Redheart there?" Dark worryingly questioned.
"Considering how bad Twilight's got it, I would say so."
"Then what can we do ta help?" Applejack wondered. "And should you and Fluttershy really be helpin' her if it puts you two at risk of catchin' it as well?"
"We'll think of someway to help her without risking our health."
Letting it drop for now, the three continued in silence back to the castle. As they continued flying, Dark began pushing himself harder, flying faster than what he was used to. Seeing his increase in speed, Rainbow too began flying faster to catch up. While it was almost effortless for her to match his pace, she did take notice of how much Dark's flying has improved since she first started training him. With the speeds he was going, and with a passenger no less, Rainbow figured that Dark wouldn't need her teachings very soon. While this thought filled her with pride for teaching him so well, part of her was a little sad that their personal time together would soon end, though she wouldn't openly admit it.
With the speeds they were going, they quickly flew over Ponyville and down towards the castle. However, instead of simply landing and walking in, Dark used his magic to throw open the castle doors and fly straight inside. Passing through the doorway, Dark started flying upwards towards the floor that held Twilight's bedroom. After he came upon the third floor, he saw Rarity, Spike, and Nurse Redheart standing outside of Twilight's room. With a last few beats of his wings, Dark landed just outside of the group and let his passenger off while Rainbow landed right beside them. Hearing them land, Nurse Redheart turned to face them.
"Nice to see that I'm not here for you this time, Dark," she greeted in an attempt to lighten the mood.
"Considering the alternative, I'd prefer that it was me," he commented. "How's she doing?"
Nurse Redheart stepped forward. "From what I've seen so far of Twilight, she's got the worst case of the Feather Flue that I've ever seen. While the flu would normally cause a pegasus' body temperature to drop three or four degrees on average, Twilight's has dropped by seven. She's starting to catch hypothermia and we're doing what we can to try and raise her body temperature back up... but it's proving difficult."
"How so?"
"That's the part we're having trouble with," Rarity answered. "We've already given her hot soup, extra blankets, and some medicine that Nurse Redheart had provided for us, but it's not doing her much good."
"And unless I can get her into the hospital to run some tests on her," Nurse Redheart continued, "I can't know for sure what the problem is exactly."
"If you need to run tests on her, then why can't we move her there?" Dark asked.
"Because," Spike began, "Princess Celestia doesn't want everypony knowing about what's happened to Twilight."
"So she knows?"
"Yeah. I sent a letter to her a few hours ago and she's sent back a reply. In it, she told us to do whatever we could, but to not bring her to the hospital."
"Which is why I've sent Pinkie Pie to tell the doctor that I need those instruments here at the castle, so that I can privately run them on Twilight without anypony knowing about what happened to her," Nurse Redheart explained.
"But why the secrecy?" Dark wondered.
"According to the letter Princess Celestia sent," Spike started explaining, "she doesn't want word spreading around that one of the princesses has fallen ill like this, especially with the meeting with King Inferno coming up in less than two weeks. That's why she's sending her personal doctor by chariot to try and help us."
"Does her family know?"
"She didn't say, but knowing how close she is to them and Cadence, I wouldn't be surprised if she did."
If they know, then that means that Shining will know too, Dark grimaced. He better not try pinning this on me.
Dark paused as he looked around, noticing that Fluttershy wasn't among them.
"Hey, where's Fluttershy?" Dark asked.
"She's inside with Twilight," Rarity answered.
"Didn't we just talk about this on the way here?" Applejack questioned.
"I know," Rainbow agreed. "I'm actually surprised that Fluttershy went in there with how bad Twilight's got it. Even more so now after what we've just heard."
"You don't need to worry about Fluttershy in there," Nurse Redheart told them. "Turns out that she has her own hazmat suit for when some of her animals would get very sick." She paused as Dark, Applejack, and Rainbow started giving her questioning looks. "She explained it to us why she had one before you three got here."
"Alright then, what can we do to help?" Dark asked.
"For now, all we can do is wait until Pinkie Pie gets back with those instruments."
"So we just sit around then and do nothing?"
"Just about."
"But there must be something! If she's cold, then we just need to make her warmer."
"Dark," Rarity gently spoke, "we've already given her two bowls of hot soup and five heavy blankets."
"What about the room temperature? Can we start up a fire in her room to help?"
"We can't do that because her bedroom doesn't have a fireplace."
Dark mentally slapped himself for that one. When he tucked Twilight into bed earlier that week, he took a quick glance across her room. When he did, he noticed a lack of a fireplace, which he'd completely forgotten about until Rarity just now reminded him. Now becoming slightly irritated, Dark began rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"So there's no way we can control the room temperature," Dark concluded.
"Not unless we get a unicorn who can cast a spell to do just that," Nurse Redheart answered. "But, from what I understand, the only pony who can do that in Ponyville is Twilight herself. And she can't do that because her constant shivering won't allow her to focus enough to cast it."
Dark let out a tired sigh before his ears picked up on the sound of Twilight having another coughing fit. He knew that she didn't sound too good last night, but he didn't expect it to get so much worse. After her coughing had calmed down, Dark looked to Nurse Redheart.
"Would it be alright if I went in to see her?" he asked.
"Of course," Nurse Redheart answered.
Dark walked over to her as she started opening the door. Once they got in and closed it behind them, Dark could see Fluttershy standing at Twilight's bedside wearing a white suit with a mask and oxygen tank on her back. Hearing the door close, she turned around to see who it was. Seeing Dark and Nurse Redheart, Fluttershy gave them a small smile, though this one was more sad than happy.
"Hello, Dark," she welcomed.
"Hey, Fluttershy," Dark returned, walking up along side her to see Twilight.
As he got closer, he could see Twilight's body shivering beneath the layers of blankets with her head resting exposed on the pillows. However, while hearing her wheeze with each breath made him ache, his eyes became focused on a piece of white cloth with specks of blood on it. Fluttershy followed his gaze to the cloth, frowning as she saw it.
"She's been like this since I got here."
"Her violent coughing is causing damage to her throat," Nurse Redheart observed. "And from the sound of her breathing, it seems like her lungs have been affected too. If this keeps up, then it's very possible that she won't make it."
"I've seen this before," Dark spoke. "My brother and mother caught the Feather Flu once. Even though it wasn't as bad as what Twilight has, I was able to heal them through it. Maybe I can do the same for her?"
"You mean with that one spell you used on the injured soldiers the day after the attack?"
"The same. Even if I can't cure the actual flu, I can at least heal the damage it's done to her."
"If it'll help Twilight, then I say we try it," Fluttershy said.
"Agreed," Nurse Redheart nodded.
With everyone in agreement, Dark lit up his horn and casted his Healing Flame on Twilight. While Nurse Redheart had seen this spell before, she still found it interesting how it was fire, but it also healed. Fluttershy's reaction wasn't much different. Seeing this for the first time, she started feeling at peace, but was also curious about it. She could feel the warmth of the flame, but when she tried touching it with a hoof, it didn't burn her. A few minutes after the spell was cast, Twilight began to stir as she too started feeling the small warmth coming from it. Cracking her eyes open to see what it was, Twilight was met with the sight of Nurse Redheart, Fluttershy, and Dark looking down worryingly at her. After seeing them, she then noticed a new source of light shining just above her. Turning her head slightly, she could see the small ball of fire floating there in place. Knowing who it belonged to, Twilight looked to see Dark's horn lit as he looked back to her.
"Dark?" Twilight called in a raspy voice.
"Shhh," Dark quieted as he gently nuzzled her. "Just try and rest yourself. You have some damage to your throat and lungs, so I'm trying to heal them. In the meantime, you'll have to limit how much you speak so the healing can be done quicker."
With a small smile, Twilight nodded as she continued shivering.
"Still cold? Even with all of these blankets?" Dark asked, to which Twilight nodded.
Putting a claw on Twilight, Dark could easily tell that she was freezing. Sliding his claw under the blankets slightly, he was expecting to feel some kind of warmth from beneath them. To his surprise, though, he barely felt any heat contained within them at all. Reaching further, Dark began feeling the blankets, though it left Nurse Redheart and Fluttershy questioning his actions from their point of view.
"Umm, what are you doing?" Fluttershy asked.
"The blankets aren't warm," Dark replied.
"What do you mean 'they aren't warm'?" Nurse Redheart questioned.
"I mean that there isn't any body heat trapped within these blankets. Here, see for yourself."
Dark pulled the blankets back a little bit for Nurse Redheart to feel. Curious, she went to feel the blanket that covered Twilight. As she felt it, her eyes widened as she saw what exactly Dark had meant.
"But how?" she asked. "How aren't these blankets working to keep her warm? If they can't help keep her warm, then they aren't doing her any good."
"Exactly," Dark nodded in agreement. "This means that this whole time, despite having several heavy blankets on her, they haven't done anything to help her stay warm."
"But how is this possible?" Fluttershy asked.
Before anyone could venture a guess, the door opened up with Pinkie wheeling in some medical equipment, followed by a blue unicorn mare with green eyes, a white mane, and a red cross for a cutie mark.
"Just in time," the blue unicorn said to Pinkie as the two walked in together. "What are the odds that I would meet up with you and the equipment right as I get here?"
"Pretty well actually," Pinkie answered. "And please feel free to call me Pinkie."
"Very well then, Pinkie. In that case, I suppose I might as well introduce myself. I am Doctor Cura, Princess Celestia's personal doctor, but you can call me Cura if you wish." She paused to look over the three who were already gathered. "And who might you three be?"
"Oh, they're Nurse Redheart, Fluttershy, and Dark," Pinkie introduced.
"The kirin, huh?" Cura said as she started eyeing him. "Princess Celestia told me a little about you. I've never seen an actual kirin before."
Feeling her eyes scanning over him like that, Dark started feeling slightly uncomfortable.
"How about we get back to Twilight?" Dark suggested.
"Right, right," Cura nodded as she motioned for Pinkie to bring in the equipment. "So, what's the problem exactly? I was only told that she is sick."
"She's got the Feather Flu," Nurse Redheart began answering. "Her body temperature is very low, and her coughing has started to damage her lungs and throat, causing her start coughing up specks of blood."
"Alright, and what about that thing floating above her?"
"That's from me," Dark explained. "I'm using it to heal the damage that's already been done to her."
"Sound good to me," she shrugged as she walked up alongside Twilight's bed. "Now, let's see what's going on exactly."
Lighting her horn in a green aura, Cura encased Twilight in her magical aura. As she continued, she would mumble to herself while giving a small nod here and there. A few moments later, her horn's magic died down as she looked back to the others.
"Alright. I believe that I've found part of the cause as to why Princess Twilight has such a bad case of the Feather Flu," she announced.
"Well? What is it?" Dark asked.
"First, while I can confirm that she does indeed have the Feather Flu, I must ask as to how she caught it?"
"A few pranks involving some buckets filled with freezing water being dumped onto her head."
"Ah. Well then, that explains a lot actually," she said with an understanding nod. "Turns out that her magic is partially responsible for this. You see, the cold water has affected the magic in her horn, causing it to run cold throughout her body. Now, normally it would've just made her feel extra cold for a few days, but with the added effects of the Feather Flu stacked on top of that... well... this is the result."
"Would that explain why her blankets aren't getting warm from her body heat?" Dark asked.
"Say what now?" Cura asked before following Dark's gesture and feeling out the inner layer of the blankets. "Ah, I see now. Yes, that would explain it."
"So, what do we do then?" Fluttershy asked.
"Thanks to Mr. Dark-"
"Just Dark please."
"-we won't need to worry about her dying from having her own blood flooding her lungs, so we can rest easy there. As for getting her body temperature back up, we'll need a strong heat source."
"You mean like laying her beside a fire?"
"Something like that, but not quite. Now, I know a spell to warm blankets, so that could help. However, it'll be like putting a bandage on an open wound."
"So it'll only be a temporary thing," Nurse Redheart concluded, eliciting a confirming nod from Cura.
"Then how can we help warm Twilight back up?" Fluttershy asked.
"Ooh, ooh, I know!" Pinkie exclaimed as she bounced in place. "We could use Dark."
They all looked to Pinkie confusingly for a while before Nurse Redheart spoke up.
"Umm, what are you talking about exactly?" she asked.
"I mean that we use Dark to warm Twilight back up."
"You mean using his body heat," Cura clarified, getting an enthusiastic nod from Pinkie. "That might actually work."
"... seriously?" Dark asked, more out of why he didn't think of it sooner then of confusion.
"Sine you're a kirin, you have a higher average body temperature, right?"
"Yes," Dark nodded. "That, and I also have a fire sac."
"Good. In that case, you'll be responsible for keeping her warm while she rides this flu out."
"And what about the magic that's making her freeze like this? Would it even matter if I kept her warm if her magic will just keep freezing her?"
"Oh, right. In that case, we'll need to do a magic transfusion on her."
"Guessing that I'm going to be the one for that too then?"
"Depends on what kind of magic you use."
"Fire and dark magic."
"Did you say dark magic?"
Dark sighed. "Princess Celestia already knows about it and is fine with it. Besides, I gave Twilight some of my magic once before and she was alright."
"Did she say if there were any side effects?"
"She said that her body felt a little hot to her."
"In that case, Pinkie, will you bring me the magical transfusion generator? It's the box-looking one with the two wires with cuffs on the ends."
"Okie-dokie-lokie," she said as she brought over the item.
"Good. Now then, Dark, I'll need you to get close to Princess Twilight so that I can hook these onto you two, and for you to start warming her up."
With some hesitation, and a bit of embarrassment, Dark made his way over to the other side of Twilight's bed.
"... not to complain or anything, but this is sorta embarrassing," Dark admitted.
"What's so wrong about it?" Pinkie questioned. "It's not like you two haven't done this before."
"How did you- never mind. My point is that we were alone during those moments and didn't have an audience watching us."
"Then just pretend that we're not here," Cura suggested. "Besides, the more time we waste, the closer to danger Princess Twilight will be."
Grumbling beneath his breath, Dark slid himself beneath the several layers of bedsheets and scooted his way over to Twilight. Once he was close enough, Dark draped an arm and wing over her and pulled her close, shivering upon his contact with her cold body.
"Brrrr, cold," he commented.
"Oh, stallion up you big wuss," Cura half-teased as she prepped her machine. "Now hold still. I'm going to attach these to your horn."
Dark held still as she got everything set. Once Cura had him and Twilight hooked up, she looked back to Dark with one last bit of information.
"Now, just so that you're aware, you will start to feel tired during and after the process," she explained.
"How long will this take?" Dark asked.
"A few hours at the least," Cura answered with a shrug. "Maybe more."
"Alright," he sighed before a thought came to mind. "I know that I'm suppose to be keeping her warm, but what if I were to use my heated breath to help warm her up?"
"How so?"
"While my body will keep her back warm, she still has her front and side left. Not to mention that she's breathing in cool air. What I'm suggesting is that I use my fire sac to heat up my breath, and breath the hot air back down over her."
"And what about the warm air escaping?"
"It'll only escape through the opening by our heads. It can't go up into the blankets or down past her hooves because my wings will contain it."
"I don't see why he can't at least try," Nurse Redheart chimed.
"It's does sound like it might work," Fluttershy agreed.
"Alright then, you may go ahead and try it," Cura said approvingly. "However, if it doesn't work, then I want you to stop. You'll already have enough to deal with between giving her your magic and having to keep her constantly warm."
"Alright," Dark agreed. "Speaking of the transfusion, when are we going to begin?"
"I already started it up when we were talking."
Tilting his gaze to his horn, Dark could see his magical aura floating out of his horn, down the wires into the box, and back out into the wires leading to Twilight's horn. As the magic was slowly draining out of him, he could start to feel a little tingle in his horn. Ignoring it, Dark began his breathing exercises he learned from Spike to increase his body temperature. A technique that he'd developed after an incident with him falling into a lake after Winter Wrap-Up one time. As Dark focused, he could feel the fire sac growing hotter as he continued stoking it. Few minutes later, he felt as though he was warm enough and started breathing the warm air out. Though it wasn't quite as hot as the steam he used to help dry off Twilight after she got pranked, it wasn't that much cooler either.
Seeing Twilight starting to breath in the warm air was starting to make Dark feel like this could work. That is, until she started coughing again. Seeing her going through another coughing fit caused Dark's body to stiffen, thinking that he'd accidentally caused her condition to worsen. However, despite it not lasting as long as her last cough, it didn't help relief Dark of his worries. Seeing Twilight's reaction, Cura walked closer to observe her.
"Don't worry about it," she told Dark as she placed some pads with wires attached to them on base of Twilight's horn. "This is good. It means that the warm air is circulation the cold air out of her lungs."
"What are those for?" Dark asked.
"They're used to help monitor her magic." She pause when she looked over Dark. "Perhaps I should put some on you too, just to make sure that you don't run out of magic on us."
Before Dark could say anything, he quickly found that he had those sticky pads on his head too. Curious as to how they got there since Cura never moved or lit her horn, Dark turned his head to see Pinkie standing behind him with a second monitor.
"Thank you, Pinkie," Cura thanked.
"No problem, ma'am," Pinkie happily replied as she bounced back to join the others.
"So what now?" Dark asked.
"Now we wait," Nurse Redheart answered before turning to Cura. "That is what we're to do now, correct?"
"For the most part, that's right," she agreed. "At this point, all we can do for her is to keep an eye on her and the monitors."
"Sounds easy enough," Dark commented.
"Oh, that's just for us. Your job won't end until she's completely cured of this. Also, I'm going to have to ask that you try staying awake as much as possible during that time."
Dark groaned inwardly, but since this was for Twilight, he would be willing to put up with a night or two without sleep. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time he would have to do something like that. Seeing as they've done all that they could for the moment, Cura began escorting Nurse Redheart, Fluttershy, and Pinkie over to the door before turning back to him.
"Just so you know, I'll be staying here until Princess Twilight has recovered. Also, if you need anything, just give us a call and somepony will come to help you."
"And what if Twilight wakes up and needs to use the bathroom or something?" Dark wondered.
"She won't need to. Along with the scan that I ran on her, I also simultaneously put a sleep spell on her so she wouldn't wake up, or need to use the restroom for that matter."
"And what if I need to go?"
"Call and tell me first so I can enchant her blankets to keep her warm while you're gone. All that I ask though is that you be as quick as you can."
Leaving it at that, Cura and the others left the room and closed the door, leaving Dark alone with a sleeping Twilight. With a tired sigh, he looked down to see her sleeping peacefully. And while her coat still felt cold against him, he could also tell that it wasn't as cold as when he first started. Granted it wasn't much, but at least she wasn't getting any colder now. Continuing with his breathing exercises to keep himself toasty, and to keep his breath nice and warm, Dark soon started to feel tired. The worst part was that along with giving Twilight his magic, he was also having to maintain his Healing Flame to heal her too.
I've might've lost a cousin and uncle to this, but I won't lose her too, he thought to himself before he noticed Twilight shivering again.
Gently holding her tighter against him, Dark looked both worryingly and determined at her.
"Don't worry, Twilight," he whispered, "you're going to be alright, I'll see to that."
Seeing a small smile creep onto her face, Dark smiled back down to her as he continued to try warming her up. However, unknown to him, as he was doing that, his shadows were seeping out of his claws and began wrapping itself around Twilight's body.
Deep within Twilight's mind resided her conscious. She was completely aware that Princess Celestia's doctor had basically sedated her, but she understood that it was for her own good. However, she was a bit reluctant that it had to come to that.
Oh well, Twilight thought to herself, might as well sort through these thoughts of mine. But first...
Within Twilight's mind, she recreated her pony body and a library filled with books of her thoughts and memories. Each section was categorized by year, relevance, and of course, alphabetically. As she began going through them, she started feeling rather cold, which shouldn't happen since she was deep within her subconscious. With a thought, Twilight created a roaring fireplace by where she was working and continued onward. She didn't know how long she'd been doing this for before she heard somepony whispering to her.
While her mind was withdrawn, she could hear some of what was going on in the waking world, and could also make out who was saying it. Hearing Dark's words of assurance brought a comforting smile to Twilight as she continued with what she was doing. Wanting to keep track of time, Twilight then decided to add a clock and some windows to her little world. Feeling like she was set for now, Twilight was about to resume when she felt something off, or to be more precise, another consciousness intruding somewhere in her mind. After snapping around to find out where the intruder was and failing, Twilight decided to try calling it out.
Whoever you are, I know you're there! she shouted.
While Twilight didn't get any kind of answer, what she got instead was a door that wasn't there before. As she looked upon it, she felt something pulling her to it. With caution, Twilight slowly walked over to the door and carefully opened it. Once she did, she was meet with the ruins of a village. As Twilight walked through it, the door closed shut behind her, causing her to spin around and try opening it. Thankfully for her, the door wasn't locked and opened up. With a sigh of relief, Twilight closed it again and looked back to the moon-lit ruins to take in the sights. All around her she could see that most of the buildings were crumbled while a few were on fire. Twilight was about to walk around to take a look when she started seeing the bare skeletal bones of dead ponies. With a look of fear, Twilight shakily took a few steps back.
What happened here? she asked out loud.
That would've been my doing, a booing voice behind her answered.
Now scared, Twilight slowly turned around to see complete darkness. Both scared and confused, Twilight called out to it.
Hello? Is somepony there?
Someone, yes, though, I'm not quite a pony, it answered.
Then what are you? I can't exactly see you through all this darkness.
The booming voice gave an amused chuckle at that. Funny, that's pretty much the same thing that he said to me before we fought.
What are you talking about? Before you fought who? And who are you anyway?
Twilight's question was answered as the darkness was drawn into a single location. As Twilight watched the darkness dissipate, a massive black claw started revealing itself, followed by the arm, chest, and eventually, the dragon's head, which was sucking in all the darkness around them into its maw. With the dragon fully revealed to her, Twilight crouched down in fear. She'd seen plenty of adult dragons before, but this one was well over twice as big, almost three times if she had to guess. As she took in the sight of the monstrous behemoth, she noticed that the dragon had no scales, a great power, and more importantly, a pair of familiar, golden, draconic eyes. It didn't take her much longer to figure out who it is that she was now addressing.
Are you Nocturne? Twilight nervously asked.
The massive dragon gave a chuckle as it lowered its head to get a better look at Twilight.
That I am, he admitted. And if I'm not mistake, you are Princess Twilight Sparke, correct?
Yes, I am, but how is it that you're here?
I am the incarnation of death, he boomed with pride. I cannot be killed so easily by a mere dark magic spell.
But Discord said that Dark killed you, and I heard that your dead body was discovered in the ruins of Dark's village.
Only my body was killed, but like I said before, I cannot be killed like everything else. The only way I can truly die is by my either sister's magic, or my own. Just like how she can only die by her own magic, or by mine.
Then why are you here?
My old body was useless to me. Think about it for a moment. I had a massive hole in my stomach, my blood and guts were spilling out everywhere, and I couldn't die from it or heal it. Nocturne gave a snort of annoyance at the memory. So, in order for me to continue onward without any complications, I had to transfer my soul into the body of this pony, or kirin now I suppose.
And that's how Dark got his new limbs?
That is correct. When he was on the brink of death, he became more attuned to me, allowing me to converge my soul with his. However, it seems as though he got the better end of this deal, seeing as how he's in complete control over everything.
Alright, but how exactly did you manage to move your soul from your body to Dark's?
Nocturne chuckled. There is much about my magic that you and Dark don't know about. My magic goes beyond what you call dark magic. For example, if I wanted to, I could instantly strip a living creature if its life without harming its body.
Then why didn't you use it on Dark and let him beat you up instead, Twilight smirked.
Because I was curious and wanted to have some fun with him, he answered. Besides, I rarely got to have much fun like that.
Wait, so you attacked Dark's home because you were curious?
Partially. Part of it was also because that obnoxious king wouldn't shut up about him.
So then King Inferno did send you.
I could honestly care less about that whelp and his problems. However, the way that he described him is what cause me to look into him personally.
And that's what lead us to here, Twilight summarized, getting an agreeing nod from Nocturne. Speaking of here, how is it that you're in my mind if you're suppose to be apart of Dark?
Nocturne cocked an eyebrow at Twilight. Because you're dying.
Twilight's face paled in fear. What?!
Calm down, you're not dead yet. Your little boyfriend is seeing to that.
What do you mean by that exactly?
Though he's not aware of it, Dark's determination to keep you alive and safe is causing his magic, or rather my magic, to bind itself around you, thus keeping you from dying while he and your friends save you.
But how can death stop death?
Like I said, I'm the incarnation of death. If I wish, I may determine whether something dies or not. And now, Dark has that power too, though he seems completely oblivious to it.
Now knowing what Nocturne meant, Twilight gave him an understanding nod. As she continued looking over him, something came to mind. It wasn't the most important thing, but she was still curious about it.
I have to be honest, when Dark described you to us, I was sorta expecting you to act a bit... differently.
Nocturne sighed and shook his head. You can thank Dark for that. After I merged my soul with his, I started becoming influenced by his personality.
So before you merged with Dark, you were actually more hostile and destructive?
To some extent. I was also a little bit sadistic as well.
With a sigh, Twilight sat herself down and began looking around. Remembering where she was, she cringed when she saw the pony skeletons. Seeing her taking in her surroundings, Nocturne decided to clarify what she was seeing.
Incase you're wondering, this is Stonewall Village right after I attacked it, he explained.
I was afraid of that, she quietly said.
Seeing Twilight starting to get emotional about the dead ponies she was seeing was starting to make Nocturne feel uncomfortable. He made a mental note to curse Dark for giving him these emotions to him, even though it was by complete accident. With a thought, Nocturne changed the location from the ruins of Stonewall Village, to a meadow that he remembered flying across at one point in his life. Seeing the scene change, Twilight's sorrow began to fade as she took the new location in. Now out in the sunlight, she could properly see Nocturne unlike in the nighttime setting from before. Looking up at him, Twilight allowed for herself to smile.
Thanks for changing it like that, she thanked.
You can again thank Dark for that, Nocturne grumbled. It's because of him that I've felt inclined to change it for you.
Still, it was you yourself who changed it. Twilight paused as a thought came to mind. Hey, Nocturne?
Yes? What is it?
Are you an ally to us, or do you intend on finishing what you started with Dark?
No, I'm not your enemy. Besides, I'm starting to take a small liking to Dark, especially after how he crushed that ursa major's skull and destroyed that fleet of manticores. He paused to chuckle at the memory. He may yet make a good successor to me. That fight of his with the ursa was the closest I've been to surfacing. Just being able to use my roar again like that was satisfying.
So that was your roar that Dark used? Twilight asked, getting a confirming nod in return. Well, at least now I know why it sounded so different than the one he used before. In that case, I have a follow-up question. Do you have any friends?
Nocturne cocked an eye at her. I'm the Incarnation of Death and am currently secretly living inside another being. What do you think?
Twilight gave a forced laugh. Sorry, forgot about that. Anyway, I was wondering if we maybe could be friends? That is, if it's alright with you.
Seriously? he asked questionably. You'd want to befriend something like me?
Well you seem nice enough, and despite what you've done, I don't believe that you're all bad. And besides Spike, I've never befriended a dragon before, let alone one with such knowledge of magics that I've even never heard of.
... you're a strange pony to be asking me to be your friend, you know?
Well, I am the Princess of Friendship after all.
Nocturne gave an amused chuckle. That is true. Alright then, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have a friend. But on one condition, though.
Sure, Twilight happily nodded.
You're not to tell Dark about me. If he's to find out about me, I want him to learn on his own.
I don't like keeping important things like this from him.
Trust me, Princess, it's better for him that he finds out on his own.
Twilight sighed. That sounds a lot like what Discord said.
That's because I told him to be silent about me after he went poking around in Dark's head that one night, and now I'm asking you to do the same. So then, do we have an agreement?
Alright, she agreed, I won't tell Dark about you.
Good. Also... thanks.
Two days have passed since Twilight was put under. Since then, she would talk with her new friend to try and get to know him better, which to some extent, also meant that she'd also get to know Dark better too. During their time together, Nocturne explained to Twilight how Dark was able to do so well with his flight training with Rainbow, and his experimenting with his magic. As it turns out, Dark was subconsciously tapping into Nocturne's memories of how to fly, as well as how to use his magic. Thinking about it, it actually made a lot of sense to Twilight. Especially with how it should've taken Dark months to learn the basics of flying, but was instead able to do it within a few sessions. He went further on to explain to Twilight how since he and Dark are now one that along with Dark having access to Nocturne's memories, that he could tap into Dark's memories as well. He eventually offered to show Twilight some of them, but made sure to keep some of Dark's memories away.
Once Twilight took up the offer, they were brought to his memory of the time when his cousins and siblings played Ghost in the Graveyard together. Twilight did say how she wished she could've seen it, and now she could. One thing that she noticed, though, about his story was how Dark had left out the detail about how he'd screamed like a little filly when his cousin appeared out of the vines behind them, causing Twilight to giggle at him. She was later shown his family and Dark as a pony. Also, thanks to this being apart of Dark's memory, she could tour the village before Nocturne came and destroyed it. She felt perfectly fine until she was half-way through touring the village, noticing that the scenery was starting to fade.
What's happening? Twilight nervously asked.
Our time is up, Nocturne explained. Apparently, you're safe enough that my magic isn't needed anymore to help keep you from death.
So you're leaving then? Twilight asked.
In a sense. I'm still apart of Dark, so I won't truly be gone.
Will we meet again?
I would believe so.
Then perhaps Dark can join us next time?
Perhaps, but that may not happen for some time, though. Seeing as he and the world around him were almost completely faded by now, Nocturne gave Twilight a small piece of advice. Before we part ways, I will leave you with this cautionary warning; Beware of the one who stole my fang.
On the afternoon of the third day, Twilight stirred as she began to awaken, her senses slowly returning to her. The first thing that she noticed was that she wasn't nearly as cold as what she was when she went to sleep. Quite the opposite in fact as she felt warmth all around her. The next thing that she noticed was that her urge to cough was barely noticeable now. And finally, she felt restrained. Curious as to what's going on, Twilight opened her eyes to see a familiar blaze-orange coat, figuring that she must've shifted around in her sleep. As questions began running in her head about what had happened while she was asleep, she felt Dark starting to move. Tilting her head up, she saw Dark letting out a quiet yawn that showed off his fangs. Closing his mouth shut, Dark looked down to check on Twilight, but was surprised to see her looking back up at him with a soft smile on her face.
"Looks like somepony slept well," she commented.
"Twilight! You're awake!" Dark said in surprise before bringing a claw to her forehead and sighing in relief. "And your fever has finally broken."
"Of course I'm awake. Why wouldn't I be?" Twilight then remembered what Nocturne said about her dying. "On second thought, don't answer that."
Dark didn't say anything, instead he wrapped is other arm around Twilight and just held her close, which she returned by wrapping her forelegs around him. After a while had passed with the two laying in silence together, Twilight's ears picked up something that sounded like light sniveling. Pulling back slightly, Twilight saw that a tear was flowing from Dark's eyes.
"Dark? What's wrong?" Twilight asked as she brushed the tear away.
"I'm just relieved is all," he answered. "While you were asleep, there was a good period of time where Doctor Cura thought that you weren't going to make it. That you were going to die from this."
You have no idea just how close I actually was, Twilight though grimly. "It's alright, I'm fine now."
"Yeah," Dark sighed. "Thank Celestia for that."
"Actually, I believe that I should be thanking you. After all, you did say that I would be alright and that you'd see to it."
Dark cocked an eye in confusion. "You heard that? But I thought that you were asleep?"
"I was, but I could still hear you saying that to me."
"...well," Dark began with a blush, "did you hear anything else after that?"
"Nope. I was a bit busy after that to hear anything."
"Really? How could you be busy when you're asleep?"
"My body was asleep, but my mind was still active. Speaking of which," Twilight smirked, "while I was asleep, I had gained access to some of your memories."
"That's probably because of the magic transfusion that we did on- wait. What memories are you talking about exactly?" he nervously asked.
"Your memory of that one story you told me about. You know, that Ghost in the Graveyard game that you, your siblings, and cousins played together." Twilight started to laugh at him. "I didn't know that you used to scream like a little filly."
"There was a reason why I left that part out," Dark said, looking away from Twilight in embarrassment of her finding out.
"Also... I saw some of the memories of your family."
This caught Dark's attention as he looked back to her.
"You did?" he asked.
"Yeah. Your mother was rather beautiful."
"Yeah, she was."
"And I can see why your brother was such a chick magnet," she added, causing Dark to groan in annoyance. "Oh, come on now, I'm just teasing. Besides, you're the one that I fell in love with, not him."
Dark's cheeks and ears burned when he heard that. He looked down to Twilight, seeing that her own cheeks were flushed as what she'd just admitted started registering to her. It took him a moment to find his voice again so that he could confirm what she'd said, hoping that he was just hearing things.
"Did you just admit that you love me?" Dark asked.
Twilight's blush increased as she shyly looked away. "Maybe. Is that bad?"
"Not at all," he smiled. "Actually, I've been meaning to admit my feelings to you for some time now."
"What feelings exactly?"
"... that... I love you, Twilight."
"Really?" she hopefully asked.
"Really, really."
Leaning down, Dark started affectionately nuzzling Twilight's cheek, a gesture which she happily returned. The two remained like that for a while, nuzzling each other while laying in the other's embrace before Twilight pulled back to look Dark in the eyes, her cheeks now completely flushed.
"I haven't actually thanked you for all that you've done for me yet, have I?" she shyly asked.
"It's alright, you really don't need to- Mmph!" Dark was abruptly silenced by his lips suddenly becoming occupied.
With wide eyes, Dark looked down to see that Twilight was actually kissing him on the lips. His mind was spinning at the sudden fact that this was actually happening to him while his heart took-off faster than he'd thought possible. Not wanting to waste this moment, Dark closed his eyes before gently pressing back with a kiss of his own, earning a small squeak from Twilight from the sudden return. They stayed lip-locked for what felt like minutes to them before they finally parted their lips from each other, panting for breath to replenish their air-deprived lungs as they opened their eyes to gaze into the other's.
"That was better... than I'd thought it be," Dark said in between breaths.
"No kidding," Twilight agreed. "Plus, nopony interrupted us this time."
"Yeah," he happily agreed. Then question from before came to mind, one that he'd never gotten around to finishing. "Hey, Twilight?"
"Yes?"
Dark moved a claw from behind Twilight's back and gently held her hoof.
"Would you be my fillyfriend?" he finally asked.
With a sparkle in her eye, Twilight looked back up to Dark with a loving smile on her face. Removing her hoof from Dark's claw, she wrapped it around the back of his neck and pulled herself back up to be at eye level with him, their muzzles nearly touching.
"Does this answer your question?" she asked before kissing him again.
Not being taken by surprise like the last time, Dark immediately returned it with one of his own. As the two continued, they each pulled the other close to deepen their kiss. Soon, their surroundings started to fade away to them, leaving the new couple in their own little world. So focused was their attention on one another that no other sounds registered to them, not even when Twilight's bedroom door opened up as Cura walked in with a clipboard and some medical charts floating in front of her face.
"Hey, Dark," she greeted him without her eyes leaving the charts, making her completely oblivious as to what was going on, "I just came to let you know that according to these readings, Princess Twilight should be recovered enough for her to awaken between now and the next few hours."
After a few seconds of not hearing a reply, Cura looked up from her charts to see that Twilight was already very much awake as she and Dark were making out in her bed. Feeling her face heating up from intruding on such a private moment for them, she slowly and quietly backed away from the pair, made her way back out the door, and quietly closed it behind her. With eyes wide and her heart racing from almost being caught, Cura made her way through the hallway and down the stairs to meet up with Twilight's friends in lounge. When she entered, everyone, including Spike, all saw the look on her face as she walked in.
"Is everything alright?" Fluttershy nervously asked, fearing the worst.
"Yes, everything's fine," Cura answered before looking down to the little dragon. "Spike, would you mind sending this letter to Princess Celestia for me?"
"Sure," he answered before taking the letter and sending it off. "By the way, what was in that letter?"
"Just a quick report that Twilight is awake and is doing... great."
"That's great news!" Pinkie exclaimed.
"We should go up and see her," Rainbow suggested.
"That might not be a good idea just yet," Applejack told them. "Just because she's awake don't mean that we can go chargin' in there like a herd of stampedin' cattle."
"I agree with Applejack," Cura agreed with a nod, "none of us should really be going in there for a while yet."
"Why not?" Rarity questioned.
"Well... let's just say that I wasn't the first one to find out that Twilight was awake."
"You're talkin' about Dark, right," Applejack said, more of a confirmation than a question.
"I am."
"Alright, so what's the problem then?" Spike asked.
Cura's face started lighting up at having to remember what she saw. "Look, just trust me on this one and leave them alone for now. I promise, you'll all get your chance to see her... later."