I looked between each of my visitors, both glaring intently in some manner. Was it surprising that I was nervous about all of this? After all, both royal sisters were visiting at the same time. This wasn't just another social visit; they were here for a reason. Whatever that reason was, they were clearly ready for a big confrontation.
I didn't really have a choice but to let them in, right? Refusal would be admitting my guilt in whatever they were likely here for. I gingerly stepped to the side with a nervous smile. "Sure, come right in."
They marched inside. They weren't here as some kindly house guests, so they stood on the far side of the room. Luna half-turned to face me, scrutinizing me. Celestia didn't even turn. Her back was facing me, yet I could feel her steely judgement.
"So, uh, what's going on?" I asked leadingly.
"Depends; is there something you want to tell us, Twilight?" Celestia asked, almost demandingly.
"Er, I guess that I'm getting sleepy?"
"Is that all? There's nothing else you think we need to know?" Luna asked in a chilling manner.
I wasn't liking where this conversation was going. I subtly moved a hand behind my back, filling it with magic. If this interrogation went where I think it was going, I'd need some method of escape. "I'm sure you have a subject in mind."
"How about dark magic? That seems to be popular today." Celestia suggested coldly.
I smiled wryly. "What, is magic not complicated enough that we also have to worry about a light/dark duality?"
Celestia spun and glared oppressively. "Do not joke about this, Twilight. We take dark magic very seriously."
I dropped my smile. "So, what? Are you investigating me? You think I used dark magic?"
"Twilight, I know you used dark magic."
I let out a big breath, partly with relief. It was good that they didn't catch on to my big secret. That still left me with our current topic, which still filled me with dread. There were few things as scary as having to discuss dark powers beyond your knowing. Which I apparently used. "I didn't even realize that I did."
Celestia's eyes narrowed. "You've been my student for over ten years, Twilight. I've overseen your education since the beginning. When you claim that you didn't realize what you were doing, try to remember that I know that claim as the lie it truly is."
Damn, Twilight must have dabbled in dark magic before. That complicates things. "Okay, so what's the big deal?"
"Dark magic is dangerous." Luna stated simply. "One false step is all it takes for dark magic to wreak unimaginable damage to not only the caster, but the ponies around them."
"Yes, we've seen ponies fall to the darkness before. It twists them into a cruel reflection of the once noble pony seeking only to sate their dark desires." Celestia added grimly. "It's what cost me my sister for a thousand years, and the reason I made you promise to never use dark magic ever again."
"Well you can rest easy, because I didn't intend to use dark magic. I barely even noticed that it happened." I said.
"If you used dark magic on accident, then things aren't as simple as we'd hoped." Luna said with a sigh. "Even a small brush with dark magic indicates that the user has opened themselves to the darkness in their heart."
I laughed wryly. "What, like I haven't done that already?"
Celestia glared me down. "Twilight, be serious. Somepony who uses dark magic willingly is predictable. They'll often act according to their inner demons and act with reckless abandon. An accidental case is more difficult to deal with as one can never be sure that they'll remain stable. They require immediate and nearly constant surveillance to limit their destructive potential."
My wry smile was strained. "So you have ponies watching me?"
Celestia stared hard into my eyes with calculating scrutiny. "No."
My smile took a paranoid tinge. Liar. "So what now? Am I forever tainted by the darkness of my soul?"
Celestia shook her head ruefully. "I hoped that you improved after all these years. You've managed to go a decade without using dark magic again. Tell me, what did you use that magic for?"
I considered that for a moment. If I told them that I was protecting Spike in the forest, they'd want to know why he was out there. I couldn't think of anything convincing, so I decided on ambiguity. "Well, I was out in the Everfree Forest and fought some timberwolves. Not a big deal, right?"
"Why do I get the feeling you aren't telling us everything? You're hiding something." Luna observed.
I chuckled disarmingly. "I don't know why that is. That's really what happened."
"And when you used dark magic?" Luna prodded.
"What can I say? I was desperate."
They scrutinized my body language. "Yet you seem none the worse for wear." Celestia claimed.
Heh, if they only knew. I wondered if showing them my wounds would help. Celestia spoke before I could make a decision on the matter. "What were the exact circumstances when you used dark magic? That would be very helpful in determining what needs to be done."
The effort I showed to recall the events was a nice facade to me thinking of a clever alibi. "I was fearful for my life. The wolves were bearing down on me, and I needed some way to fend them off. I just reacted."
"I see, so you were acting upon instinct." Luna concluded. She turned to her sister. "While her actions were understandable and just, they were ultimately under self-interest."
"Yes, which is unfortunate." Celestia sighed. "Twilight, I understand your actions and I'm very glad you survived, but it's necessary that we scan you for potential corruption."
"And what does this scan entail?" I asked.
"It's a spell that scans and analyses one's soul power. It will rate one's soul on a colored scale to determine the amount of corruption one has endured. With this spell, we'll know for sure how much danger dark magic has to your soul."
"Scanning my soul, you say?" I chuckled nervously. While I would love to assuage Celestia's fears over me, nothing good would come from this. If she got that spell off and scanned me, she'd find out in an instant that I wasn't the real Twilight. "Well, you have your reasons, but I'll have to decline."
"This wasn't up for discussion." Celestia said, lighting up her horn.
The light of her horn expanded and a magic aura moved to engulf me. I shot my energized hand out and unleashed magic of my own. A lavender aura met gold and surrounded it. The purple energy shrunk around Celestia's spell and snuffed it out, dispelling the effect.
Celestia and Luna took a shocked step forward, surprised at my hostile reaction. "Twilight Sparkle, what is the meaning of this insubordination?" Luna demanded.
I smiled with a worried shrug. "Well, it's important to stand on one's principles, you know? I'm a huge proponent of the right to privacy, and it doesn't get much more invasive than peeking in on something as personal as my soul."
Celestia lowered herself in a challenging stance. "Twilight, we need to do this. This is for everyone's safety! None of us yet know where you stand!"
I held my hands out to my sides, palms up and flaring with magic. "I'll tell you where I stand: life and liberty for all, even those you'd declare a public threat."
"Twilight, think about what you're doing." Celestia pleaded. "We do not wish to fight. Save yourself from undue harm and stand down."
"No can do, Princess." The flaring power in my hands intensified with my desperation. "I'd like to avoid fighting you as well, but I'd rather not subject myself to one of your invasive tests. Sorry, but my stance remains."
They lowered themselves aggressively, lighting their horns and ready to engage. "We had hoped that you would let us do what needed to be done without trouble, but you've given us no choice: we must restrain you."
I raised my arms, letting the aura of my power outline my strained smile. "I'd like to see you try."
Damn it, this wasn't going to end well. If I were in full condition, this would be difficult. Injured, this was nigh impossible. I'd need some way to work around my injuries, first of all. I couldn't heal my ankle, but I could numb the pain. It was risky, but an ice blast could take away the feeling long enough for me to stumble outside and take flight. That's assuming they didn't beat me to the punch and blast me immediately. Okay, Universal Dispel in one hand and Frost Bite in the other. Once I get outside, I'd cast flight and fight in the air.
Wait, they were alicorns; they're more accustomed to fighting in the air than I am. What choice did I have? It was either that or fight on an injured foot. Whatever, I'd have to wing it. They were dead set on this, and I couldn't just let them find me out on their own. Outsmarting two opponents at once was my only chance.
If I could just tell them about me saving Spike, then we might have avoided this.
"Wait!"
Celestia, Luna, and I turned to the table. Spike stood on top, fists clenched apprehensively. "You said that you have to scan her because she was acting in self-interest, right?"
"That's right." Celestia confirmed unsurely.
"So you wouldn't have to if she were acting for someone else, right?"
"Right again, Spike."
Spike took a deep breath, as if he was about to do something risky. "Well, Twilight wasn't fighting for herself. She was fighting for me."
"She was fighting for your sake? But why would you go into the forest?" Luna asked.
"Er, well, there's that castle out there. Twilight and her friends talked about it, and I just wanted to see what it was like." Spike said, impressing me. Spike just lied to the princesses' faces.
Luna and Celestia exchanged glances. "And you went alone, or were you with Twilight?"
"I was with Twilight when the timberwolves attacked." Spike answered. "When one of them tried to get me, Twilight snapped and beat them. She calmed down after that."
"Hmm, would you care to elaborate on the details, Twilight?" Celestia pressed.
I nodded. "One of the wolves attempted to bite Spike, and I just flew into a rage. I had to destroy the wolves before they got to Spike. When I saw that Spike was okay after the fighting stopped, the power and fury just left me."
There was a tense moment of silence. The auras didn't leave their horns, so I had to remain at the ready with my own magic. Celestia and Luna looked between us in consideration.
Celestia finally let out a relieved breath, and their magic died down. "That's good. I was worried for a moment."
I relaxed only a bit. "That's it, then? You aren't going to push this?"
"We still need to talk." She said, gesturing to the table. "Let's have a seat."
"Yeah," They sat at the table before me. I moved slowly on my pained ankle, trying my best to hide my injury. Luna glanced down at my foot, but made no other move to acknowledge my inhibition. "So how important was it that I was defending Spike in this? Why was that such a deciding factor?"
"There are many kinds of dark magic." Luna explained. "It's born from anger, jealousy, sorrow, and even fear. If one were to partially merge oneself with the darkness, as you have, motivation determines the extent of the corruption. If you were alone, then you would likely have summoned your fear. For a while afterwards, you would be consumed by that fear, fearing everything as a threat to your life. In this case where you were fighting to protect someone else, the damage is mitigated immensely. Since your anger disappeared when the fight ended, you were in control of yourself immediately and resumed normal activity."
"In other words, you came here to make sure I wasn't still affected."
"Yes and no." Celestia stepped in. "You aren't currently under its effects, but the damage has been done. Once somepony uses dark magic, especially with such intensity as you did, they are liable to do so again. Continued use would reduce the user's emotional control to the point that they'll act completely on emotion. Their sapience would be suspect, and as far as we can tell, one who's lost to the darkness in such a way ceases to be intelligent."
Celestia frowned grimly. "That's why it's important you learn to better control your emotions. It's not just you who's in danger if you lose control."
I lowered my gaze somberly. I didn't think my emotions would become such a problem. "I see. I'm sorry I lost control like that."
Celestia sighed. "There's no need to apologize for this incident. This is just a warning for you to be more careful in the future."
"Right, I'll be sure to avoid such conflict."
"I'm afraid it's not that simple." Luna lamented. "After such a dark surge, any intense emotion could cause a relapse. Avoiding fights is well and good, but you need to better handle yourself around even common annoyances. Every slight tragedy and irk is now a cause for concern."
I gripped my chest like I was hit in the sternum. "What? Is it really that bad?"
Luna hung her head. "I would know, Twilight Sparkle, I would know."
Sweat trickled down my face, nerves shooting on all fearful cylinders. "My God..."
"Twilight, please relax." Celestia soothed. "It's not all bad. Don't forget about the friendships that have gotten you here; they can help you even now."
I breathed deeply, holding a hand over my throat. I calmed myself the best I could, even if my fears were getting the better of me. The fold of my cloak slid down my arm as I concentrated.
"Twilight, what happened to your arm?" Celestia asked in shock.
I looked over my arm, finding three deep punctures from where I blocked a timberwolf's claw. Blood still trickled out, coating my arm in congealed red fluid. I held back a gasp which came out as a grunt. "This is nothing." I wiped at it with the edge of my cloak.
"Twilight, you are bleeding." Luna said, as if it meant something to me.
"It's just a flesh wound." I claimed. I wrapped it temporarily in my cloak, at least until I got around to getting the bandages again.
"It's more than that, isn't it?" Luna inferred. "You're movement earlier seemed a bit sluggish, so I ask you this: what are you hiding under your cloak?"
I grit my teeth. You just had to push it didn't you, Luna? I waved a glowing hand over my garments, dismissing them. What they saw drew shocked gasps from them. Medical tape, bandages and gauze all over me gave me an admittedly beaten appearance. Honestly, I didn't feel as good as I looked. Believe me, I know what I said.
"Twilight, you're very heavily injured! Were you really going to fight us in this condition?" Celestia gawped.
I looked off to the side. "If it came to that."
"But why didn't you go to the hospital, or even stop at the Element of Kindness's house? You need medical treatment!"
"I'm not going to alert anypony to my problems, Celestia. I did what I had to to keep this on the down low."
"Why the secrecy?" Luna asked. "Such pain must have been difficult to bear!"
"I can handle myself, so I'm not going to beg my friends, or anypony else, for help."
"Twilight, this is your well-being we're talking about! Your life was in danger! I'm sure your friends wouldn't mind helping you with that!" Celestia argued.
"I don't want help." I grunted tersely, clenching my fists against my elbows. "I'll handle my problems on my own. Timberwolves, marauders, monsters; I'll even fight the gods if I have to, and I'll do it alone." My eyes glowed with dark energy. "I'm not involving any of my friends. My problems are mine alone."
Celestia clenched her jaw tensely at my emotional display. "Alright Twilight, we won't push you. If you don't mind my asking, why do you insist on doing things alone?"
I blew a heavy breath through my nose. "I just... I don't want to trouble anyone for my sake." She wouldn't. "I'm strong enough to handle things on my own, so I will. I won't bother anyone else."
"Twilight," Luna teleported by my side and held a hoof on my shoulder. "It's okay to share your burdens. Hiding your pain only hurts you more."
Celestia came to my other side to further comfort me. I stood heavily on my good leg and pushed my chair back, shrugging off Luna's hoof and stopping Celestia. "It's fine. I'm fine. This is just a bigger setback than usual, that's all." I hobbled back and raised a glowing hand. "If you all don't mind, I'm pretty tired. I'd just like to get some sleep right now."
"Don't you want some help getting up the stairs?" Luna asked, taking note of my shredded ankle.
"I've got it covered." I placed my hand over my chest. The weight lifted from my body as I hovered slightly over the floor. "It was nice seeing you both. I'll see you around."
I hovered slowly up the stairs, keeping my hands on a solid surface so I didn't lose my orientation. I didn't want them to realize that I was too drowsy to see straight. Just as well, I wanted this day to be over with. With a little sleep I hoped that the next day would be better than this one.
Celestia, Luna, and Spike watched Twilight float up the stairs, torn between the immediate reflex to go after her and offer whatever help they could and honoring her wishes. The latter ultimately won them over when she disappeared upstairs.
Celestia sighed with resignation. "It seems Twilight is unwilling to speak to us over her troubles." She looked over to Spike. "Has Twilight ever spoken to you about this? Do you know why Twilight would be so protective?"
Spike carefully considered his response. He could have told Celestia about Dusk. She would've done something and brought Twilight back by the end of the week. It would all be over. He made his choice. "I'm sorry, princess, but Twilight won't talk to me about it, either."
"I see." She sighed again. "It seems Twilight has some hidden insecurities."
"Perhaps it really is as simple as her not wanting to burden others?" Luna offered.
"It's possible." Celestia said. "Whatever the case, her emotional state is still a cause for concern. We must return to the castle and decide on what needs to be done."
"Agreed." Luna smiled at Spike, but her smile was a little forced. "It was good to see you again, noble drake. I hope we can meet again under better circumstances."
"Yeah, me too. I should get some bandages for Twilight in case she forgets to patch up." Spike gestured to the basement, where they usually kept such items.
"Then this is goodbye to you, Spike."
The Royal Sisters left, kindly shutting the door behind them. Spike made his way down to the basement and sifted through their stashed items, Dusk's words on his mind.
Spike couldn't help but notice how insistent Dusk was about doing things alone. She said "on her own" and "alone" an awful lot.
She mentioned that she didn't have anything waiting for her back home. She expressed her concern that she would lose her current friends. She didn't even mention some way of keeping in contact with him. A common theme in everything he knew about Dusk was that she didn't have anyone around for her. It was just her and her struggles.
The corner of his mouth twitched. Dusk, do you really think of it as you versus the world?