Duskfall

by Celestial Swordsman

The Goddess Returns

Chapter 18 The Goddess Returns

Dusk stood as if posed in the center of the offering pool. With the blood added, the glassy surface now washed over her hooves. Twilight occupied the small platform by the edge and was engrossed in a spell book on the podium in front of her. She read by candlelight; shadow was more conducive to the strange and sometimes sinister mysticisms referred to collectively as dark magic.

The General stood beside the enchanter’s dais and stared at the subject. He was so quiet that Twilight would think he was asleep if she didn’t understand his fixation. He usually slept standing, because he could not comfortably lie down in his armor. When he awoke, he would often curse Luna for his dark dreams. “Is it ready?” he asked.

She broke her fixation with the text, where she had been absorbed in repeated recalculations and a last review. “Well, yes, but I don’t know if it will work,” Twilight cautioned. “I’ve never tried anything like this before.”

Spike, still impressed with the general, boasted, “Well, I’m sure! Me and Twi make the best team in all Equestria! If there’s anypony who can cast this spell right, it’s Twilight Sparkle.”

She shot him glare; she had told him to stop trying to impress her brother. Still weighing her doubts, Twilight stalled, “Are you sure we should do this? It’s such a drastic spell, and she’s very weak. She might not even survive.”

Dusk knew what General Armor would say. If she couldn’t be everything he needed, he would rather she was dead. He was ruthless that way. She had made sure of it. The deranged mind and insidiously corrupt power that had made him what he was could not be allowed to walk the earth again. The thought of becoming all of that again was unbearable. A cold armored hoof lifted her face into a colder stare and she forced a firm look past her desperation.

“If our dear Celestia is in there, she’s unstoppable, unkillable,” he declared with reverence.

He had tried once. During one of their evening encounters, she had pushed him too far. He attacked her madly, stabbing her with his horn. The struggle was over in seconds; he was no match for her magic. Had the wound been deeper, the outcome could have been different. Any who threatened her must die, but she spared him. Her vanity told her that he was still under her control. If she had made a mistake, she would fix it: he was too close to completion. If she called for assistance or sought her own healing in that moment he would indeed be ruined. She was bleeding, but she showed no pain or concern. Instead, she lay on him where he was immobilized, speaking sweetly to him and torturing him slowly. It was creative and methodical. She only paused to staunch the flow from her breast when she was sure he was distracted with his own torment. Her blood mixed with his as they were pressed spitefully together. Through the hate and pain, she found the experience strangely intimate and intoxicating. By the magical bonding of unicorns, she shared her demented soul. It was the only way she could reproduce herself. She never allowed her womb to bear any offspring who would consider themselves heirs to her throne. Thus that night passed, and by morning, General had regained his superstitious awe of her immortality.

Now he searched with his eyes for that scar. The ever-pristine goddess had disguised it well to her subjects, but if you knew where to look… Dusk realized she hadn’t checked. Was it there? All those awful memories seemed like a dream, and she liked to mentally separate herself from Celestia. He looked hard, and grew suspicious. “Maybe I really am a different pony,” she thought. Suddenly his eyes widened and lit up with satisfaction above his wicked smile. She wilted inside. Same scars, same pony. He had wounded her, years ago, in her very real past.

I made up Dusk in the prison. I’m Celestia. I’m the monster. A tear pushed past the spell Trixie had cast on her eyes.

The General cut his eyes towards Doctor Sparkle, quickly hiding his satisfaction to conceal his twisted past. “She’ll survive,” he concluded. “This is no way for her to live anyway.”

“Anything to raise the sun, right?” Twilight said before reading the opening verses of the incantation in the book. She cleaned out her mind, lowered her horn, and began to send out her light to do its work.

Dusk’s mind raced as the offering pool began to bubble about her legs. If this spell worked, she would again be flooded with the desire and power to rule, abuse, and hurt ponies like Derpy and Trixie. That couldn’t happen. A ceremonial dagger hung on the end of one of the new bookcases for dark magic. Maybe her horn had grown back enough to let her draw the knife to herself. “If I feel like I’m really changing back,” she thought, “I can just pull it here to my throat and--” she shuddered. She was afraid of dying. Being “restored” also seemed like dying. “Here’s hoping for a fail,” was her only grasp for survival.

The black water turned warm around her hooves. Was it just the bubbles, and the way the pink light shimmered in the churning water, or was something moving in there? Whoa, don’t freak out. None of the stuff on the edge is getting used up, so it hasn’t really started yet. Don’t kill yourself over nothing. She tried to stay alert and ready to react, feeling the hilt of the knife with her mind.

The spell’s opening completed, Twilight moved to the propagation phase with intense concentration. Her magic light shone brighter towards the subject. Dusk squinted into the glaring beam until all she could see was white. She tried to move her body or her mind but found herself transfixed. It’s too late!

The thorns on the roses tore off forcefully and fell into the pool of their own accord. The floor and bookcases began to rattle. The unicorns and dragon coughed as dust and cobwebs took flight from every corner of the library and settled into the water. Twilight stammered, without dropping her concentration on the magic process, “Something’s wrong! Spell… so hard… to control!”

Spike added, “I’m no expert, but shouldn’t it be using the stuff we gathered?”

“No, nothing’s wrong,” the older brother stated cryptically. “It’s so right, it’s so… Celestia. Keep going!”

Twilight shot a quick glance at him. “Who is the expert here?” she privately objected. Despite her misgivings, she did keep going. Nails pulled backwards out of wooden floors and bookcases before scraping and clattering over the edge of the pool. A stone slab from the ceiling was pulled into the water, burst into pieces, and dissolved. The oil from the lamps, various metal objects including the dagger, and a few select books joined the undirected brew. The unwanted items shoved their way through fruits, tore the silks, and scattered the flour and incense. Various items slipped into the mixture unidentified. Sensing a tug, the armored disciple braced himself against the floor and backed away.

Dusk could no longer perceive the outside world, but was lost in a strange fog of feelings and thoughts:

Shit, this better be a dream. I guess I’m dead. Well, maybe not. I may be

the same pony, but I’ve changed, right? If the spell doesn’t take away the

memories of the last week, I’ll still be sort of me.

Still, it sort of sucks to be Dusk anyway.

Uh, I would rather be myself than some other psycho pony.

But I sure would appreciate it if I wasn’t so stupid weak.

Again, under the circumstances, that hardly seems important.

Well I can’t wait to not be ugly. Ugly, sick, and small. Who

doesn’t have a cutie mark anyway? There’s nothing good

about being me. Ugh, I’m such a mistake I make myself cry.

Um, hello? I’d still like to live. I’m not ready to die, and I think

I’m better than Celestia in some weird ways I can’t quite put

into words. This is way too conversational, what is up with that?

Am I sure I don’t want to rule again? Life was so much better

in the palace. The world loved me, and treated me like I was

important. Not like trash. Dusk is trash.

I’m not trash, motherfucker! Great, now I’m insulting myself.

I’m finally losing it.

I had way more fun when I was a goddess. What would you

do for some dope, you little addict? You had plenty of it. And

plenty of power and sex. Because I wasn’t such an ugly little

bitch I couldn’t get laid.

Hey! The world didn’t love me anyway. I never even knew

what it was. Derpy loved me, picked me up out of nothing and

made me feel special. She cared about me for who I was and

not cause she had to. And Trixie? She almost died for me, with

no expectations or even me asking. That’s better than anything

I had as Celestia. Celestia burned those old reports on friendship

cause she couldn’t stand that somepony else had something that

she couldn’t.

Stop acting like you care so much about other ponies, when did

that start? Remember how much fun it is to make some pony so

scared and powerless? They have to act like they love you when

they hate you so much, isn’t it funny? Remember how exhilarating

it is to have so much control that you pin them down and do whatever

you want with them, and they have to smile?

No! I don’t feel that way any more! That’s not me, who said that?!

“I did.”

OH SHIT.

The enchanted broth turned to an opaque white around the paralyzed alicorn. The glossy substance began to ooze up her right legs, clutching and enveloping.

Who are you? I faced your temptations and I still want to be me.

That means I passed the test, right? So you can’t do anything to me.

Get out of my mind, now, or I’m gonna kick you out.

“I don’t think so. Cute to see you angry though. This is going to be

more fun than I thought.”

Dusk felt searing pain and then numbness as the mysterious mixture crawled up her. A stream of the warm, writhing thing flowed up her neck and began pooling on the right side of her face.

“Stupid filly, you can’t kick me out of your mind because it’s MY mind.

Of course you know who I am. I’m you. I’m Celestia.”

No, you’re not me. You can’t be.

“Very well, you’re totally right. I am a goddess. All bow to me as I

control the sun and the moon. The heavens bend to my will, and

in a short while, all Equestria will realize that it is mine. You—

you’re nothing. You’re pathetic, lost, and desperate without me.

But I don’t need you at all. What good are you?”

I’m not nothing, I’m a pony. I’m a mare, an important mare, and

I’m going to stop your war and put things back together. It’s still

my body, so I’ll use my magic and dispel you!

“You’re a bitch. Now relax and let me put you back together.”

Now the slime was advancing up her left legs too. The white collected as flesh across Dusk’s side and took hold of her wing. The wing held itself up as it grew full and powerful and stretched out great gleaming feathers, putting her other tattered wing to shame with its magnificence. Green, blue, and pink fibers squirmed out of her neck, pushing out clumps of her drab mane. Celestia’s features grew over the right side of Dusk’s face; the deity’s massive half-formed face bulged around the grey head. Coming into control of itself, Celestia’s eye strained to look down at Dusk, who cringed away from “herself”.

“I’ll put you back together. Ah, of course, your heart is on the other

side, so it will be a bit longer. Mmm, now I control our breathing,

isn’t that interesting? Ha, even better, now I have control of THAT.

Do you feel that? Do you like it?”

NO!

“I wonder if you can feel anything anymore. I bet you don’t even

know how much you’re crying. Come, come, I’ll make it all better.

You are mine now, isn’t that wonderful? You won’t have to hurt

ever again, my little pony.”

I’m sorry! Please don’t hurt me! I don’t want to die!

“I knew you could beg. I could keep a little of you in my subconscious

for when I’m bored. Do you want to live forever? I might keep you

around if you beg some more.”

Dusk screamed as hard as she could, but little made it out into the world. Celestia realized the Dusk side of their body was collapsing and steadied herself until those legs became white, enveloped, and hers. She grinned greedily as she consumed more and more, slowly closing around what remained of the weaker identity. She twisted their head and pushed Dusk’s face down towards the rest of her fading self. As she spoke, she moved Dusk’s jaw as well, and seemed to gobble up the pony as her grinning mouth opened and closed.

Unbeknownst to the hybrid thing, Celestia had for some time been so dominant that she was speaking her thoughts aloud. Twilight stared in confusion and revulsion at her teacher’s predatory progress.

“You’re mine now, you pathetic thing. You’re mine, but I don’t even want you.”

When it wasn’t carried away by Celestia’s movement, Dusk’s mouth gaped in pain and horror.

“Cheer up, I’m the best thing that ever happened to you. Smile, bitch.”

The swollen pale tongue licked its drooling lips before pushing up on Dusk’s cheek to force her to match her partner’s deranged expression. Celestia’s eyes dilated in ecstasy. “Smile and die, bitch!” She suddenly became aware of the outside world and the others staring. The huge malevolent eye moved from Twilight to the General, who joined her in twisted satisfaction. “Hello. I’m back,” she said smugly.

Twilight pulled herself away in shock, furrowed her brow angrily, and shot back, “Not yet, you aren’t.” She turned her head and magic attention to the cloudy red gem she had concealed. She flung it towards her brother and made it explode before he could react, sending out sparkling powder. He reared back angrily and froze, stunned by the enchanted dust.

“You little traitor, you think you can face ME?” challenged most of Empress Celestia.

Doctor Sparkle said sternly, “Smile and die, bitch.” She put all of her strength back into the spell and the pages of the spell book turned backwards. She groaned heavily as she struggled to bring it back under control. Her pink light shot out in a concentrated beam that blasted liquefying white flesh backwards. The goddess gave a final scream as she bubbled and peeled back off of Dusk’s flesh as if blown away by a gust of wind. White matter splattered greasily over floor, walls, and rare literature. With no one to hold her, Dusk pitched face down into the remnant of the fluid in the offering pool. Twilight gasped and staggered.

Spike, thoroughly confused, shouted, “What are you doing!?”

The exhausted magician stumbled hastily to her patient and pulled her face out of the noxious fluid. “Are you alive?” she asked, putting her hoof on Dusk’s neck. Feeling a pulse, she turned to her dumbfounded assistant and put forth, “Spike, if you trust me at all, help me resuscitate her right away. I must get out of here quickly.”
 

Comments

[Mr Pones]

Why is Celestia now a puddle of semen?

[Celestial Swordsman]

3007696 Why, if everypony knew that, it would be easy to save Equestria from perishing in darkness.

[Celestial Swordsman]

3007769

[Celestial Swordsman]

3007696 They attempted to reverse what happened in the beginning by building her old body and mind back onto the smaller Dusk identity. Of course, they didn't really understand what happened in the first place. Also, they don't know what they're dealing with getting in bed with those dark forces.
As far as what happened in the first chapter, the ponies are still trying to find out.
As far as just now, Celestia is lifeless goo because of Twilight. She started the spell, but reversed it before she finished because she could see that everything Dusk said in the last chapter was true.

(You understand, she hasn't been lurking around as a blob monster, that part was dead, so they summoned it back from scratch. That's why they needed a bunch of ingredients.)

[Celestial Swordsman]

People starting at the beginning, a warning: spoilers below.

.

[Kolwynia]

Oh, excellent. I loved when Celestia spoke out loud, and Dusk was all, Oh $#&%! And Twilight has not yet fallen so far, nice to see. Keep up the great work!