Twilight's Corruption

by vx2254

It Begins

Hours had passed, the sun rose over the Horizon, and Twilight rested comfortably on the bunk bed of a sleeping car. Sure, it was only several hours, but she cherished every sweet moment of peaceful rest she could get. It couldn't last forever, sadly; the conductor woke her, informing her that if she wanted to leave, she had to do so now. Without hesitation, she stepped out of bed, thanking the Stallion, and heading out to the platform.

The Crystal Empire certainly was beautiful at this time of year; powerful magics preserving the flora and fauna that would otherwise have perished from the cruel, unforgiving blizzard outside the Empire's protective boundaries. That made her think about her destination and what awaited her there. Reluctant to waste any time, she spread her wings and took flight, the sun rising beside behind her as she flew. Her thoughts turned to home and how long it would be before the others would find her note, encouraging the Alicorn to resolve these issues sooner, so as not to get her friends mixed up in the middle of this issue. Part of her still questioned her inability to ask her friends for support, though at this point such doubt was all but non-existent in her mind. She flew towards the Caverns as fast as her wings would carry her, determined to put an end to this.

Applejack approached the door to Twilight's library, with the others in tow. She'd confronted the others about Twilight's obvious issues last night after their little get-together, and now the five mares stood here; ready to face their friend and help her through whatever was bothering her. Applejack knocked on the door, soon greeted by a panicking Spike.

"Hey, Spike. Is Twilight there?" She asked, noticing Spike's distress.

"N-no... She left; according to this note, she's gone North." Spike replied, handing Applejack the note, the others gathering around to read it.

My Dear Friends;

For Weeks now I've been woken up late at night by nightmares, the likes of which I can't describe. I have a feeling I know who is responsible now and where he is; I'm going to put an end to this now and forever. You can find me in the Crystal Empire when it's finished.

Twilight Sparkle

"Any clues as to where exactly she may have gone?" Applejack asked, remaining level-headed while the others took a varying amount of time to soak this all in.

"There's a map on the table... S-she told me something about Crystal Caverns in her dreams." Spike said, calming down some.

"Right, let's see it, then." Applejack responded, walking in and taking a look at the map.

"Well... What now?" Rarity asked as Applejack read over the map.

"Now? We go after her, that's what." Applejack said, grabbing the map and rolling it up, turning to the others. "Well, come on; no sense wastin' time, she might very well need us up there."

The others understood very well by now, rushing out the door and for the train station, Applejack staying behind for a brief moment to tend to Spike.

"Don't worry, Spike. We'll all be back by tomorrow; safe and sound." She said in an effort to reassure the grieving dragon.

"I-I'll try not to..." He said, on the verge of tears, wondering why Twilight would do this without telling anypony; why she didn't just turn to their friends in the first place. And most importantly; why she didn't tell him.

Feeling bad about leaving Spike like this, Applejack gave him a hug in the hopes that would help somewhat "Look; ah don't know what's come over Twilight, but ah promise we'll figure it out. D'ya think you could tell Princess Celestia everythin' you know and meet us in the Crystal Empire?" Applejack asked, giving Spike a purpose in all this.

Taking a deep breath, Spike calmed down some, knowing very well that bringing this matter to the Princess' was likely the best course of action at this point; as their help could and likely would be very valuable. "Alright; I'll get working on a letter right away. Good luck." Spike said, running back inside to inform the Princess' of recent events. Waiting patiently for him, Applejack smiled as Spike left, having finished his letter to the Princess. The two walked to the Train Station together, the train apparently a bit late today. As they waited, a rather odd phenomena occurred; Spike began to vanish completely, confused and powerless to stop.

"What in tarnation!?" Applejack exclaimed, her first instinct to try and grab the dragon and hold him in place, only to find herself grabbing at air.

"Teleportation magic; and a very powerful spell, too." Rarity said, recognizing it for what it was.

"Wh-what!? Who cast it? And why?" Applejack asked, demanding some explanation.

"I... I don't know; perhaps the Princess'? It takes a lot of effort and concentration to Teleport others; and they're the only ones we know of with the power to pull off such highly advanced spells so easily..." Rarity said, looking to the others who agreed there were likely few, if any unicorns who could pull that off.

The train arrived, finally; and it likely wouldn't be here long in an effort to get back on schedule. Applejack looked to where Spike had been standing mere moments ago; reluctant to leave without him, but if they didn't leave now; they might be too late to save Twilight. She knew what Spike would have wanted, walking up to the ticket booth and purchasing five tickets, she and the others boarding the train bound for the Crystal Empire; the ride uneventful thus far. They all collectively hoped they'd reach their friend in time, and that Spike would be alright, Applejack still lingering on her questions from earlier; why would Princess Celestia pluck him away like that? What was she planning? Whatever the case; she tried to reassure herself, telling herself Spike would be alright, that whatever it was the Princess wanted it had to be very important, not necessarily life-threatening. Still, though...

The sudden change of scenery for Spike came as a great shock; one minute he was standing on the station Platform with Applejack and his other friends, next he was here; Canterlot Castle's throne room, standing before the Princess'. "P-princess Celestia?" He said, noticing the worried expression on the beloved rulers face. "Why did you do that? ... W-with all due respect, your highness."

Princess Celestia stood up, walking towards Spike, stopping beside him. "It's... Complicated. Come; walk with me, I'll explain as best I can." The Princess said, she and the baby dragon walking through the halls of the palace, his thoughts turning to his friends; wondering where they were now and if they'd be okay, though admittedly out of all of them one stood above the rest, and for good reason.

Here she was; the mouth of the caverns... This is where it all led to, this had to be where it was coming from. Taking a deep breath, Twilight stepped into the caves, her magic illuminating the otherwise dark passageways. She walked through familiar passages, sensing a powerful magical presence here, a presence that seemed to only grow more powerful the deeper she descended, and it scared her far more in real life than any nightmare could ever hope to achieve.

She soon found herself in the intimidatingly familiar chamber where she had been in her last Nightmare, dark crystals present all over, radiating powerful magics, such potent and intoxicating power... She was glad she hadn't brought her friend here after all, Rarity especially; as no common Unicorn would be able to resist the tempting power... She was barely holding her own herself, until a voice she recognized spoke to her.

"Ah, you've finally arrived." The deep, rough voice of King Sombra said, causing Twilight to go wide-eyed with fear.

"Sombra!" She shouted, turning, her horn glowing in preparation to cast a spell, only to find... Nothing?

The voice of the corrupt Unicorn was clearly audible, yet no physical form was present; not even the shadow form he had taken during his brief attempt to reclaim his Empire. "Confused? Look back; Twilight Sparkle, look back on when you invaded my palace in search of the Crystal Heart. Did you honestly think you could use Dark Magic and not attract my attention? You opened yourself up to me so willingly, and while I wasn't able to seize your body for myself then and there, I managed to slip enough of myself in there so that you wouldn't notice; until I grew too powerful for you to be rid of, that is."

Twilight stood frozen in shock and horror; this... This couldn't be true. This had to be another nightmare, there was no way somepony wouldn't have noticed the corruption within her.

"I laid dormant for so long, waiting for the perfect opportunity to bring you here. My patience, I see, was rewarded; your new form is oh so much more powerful than your old, Princess." The King of Darkness continued. "I will admit; I was afraid you'd resist my attempts to bring you here, and run to those precious friends of yours, or the Princess' first, but fortunate smiled upon me, it seems."

Feeling powerless and angry, Twilight couldn't take anymore of Sombra's taunting words. "Enough!" She shouted, only exposing herself to more of the corrupting effects of the dark magic. "I won't let you take my body, Sombra! You have no power over me!" She exclaimed, her anger turning to confusion upon prolonged silence.

"You are correct, Twilight Sparkle. I have no power over you or your body." Sombra said, sounding resigned, as if he were beaten. "But I don't need your body; my last act in this world will be to show you the path I walked, and let fate decide what happens after."

Before she could question what he meant by that; Twilight found herself flooded with memories; of a time long before her own; an outcast driven away by society due to his ambitions, labeled as "insane" and "monster". King Sombra had indeed come to these caverns before, and gave in to the dark powers assaulting Twilight's mind and soul. She felt the same surge of power Sombra had as she gave in to the power, let it flow through him freely and twist his very being. It may have been a mere memory, but it was still a very intoxicating feeling to a magic-user such as herself, the feeling amplified by her greater powers than any mere Unicorn. Tears rolled down Twilight's cheeks as the last bastions of resistance succumbed slowly to the effects this pool of profane magic had on her. Finally accepting it; a burst of magical energy covered her entire body, black, crystalline armor forming over her, her Cutie Mark taking on a much darker appearance; the stars surrounding the central one shifting in color to black, while the center start shifted to a much brighter, blood-red. Aside from this; Twilight remained more-or-less the same in physical appearance, though the same could not be said for her mentality and morality.

Taking a deep breath and released it slowly, she looked at her reflection in a patch of clear crystal, smiling as she looked over herself. "I understand now... Sombra, you foolish mortal; you hardly recognized the potential this magic has, especially in the hooves of a goddess!" Twilight said, eager to make use of her new-found powers; casting a bolt of magic powerful enough to obliterate an entire wall, widening the already vast chamber. She could hardly wait to see what else she was capable of; with such great power at her disposal, she could overthrow the weak Princess' and rule over all Equestria! There were just a few loose ends to tie up...

"Twilight!" Familiar voices shouted from further in the cave. The Alicorn looked off towards the exit and smiled in a twisted way. How convenient they should all gather here. Once her "friends" were taken care of; nothing would stop her. She began walking towards the closest voice; soon stumbling across a Rainbow-Maned Pegasus...

Comments

[Still Wearing Black]

I find it more than a little ridiculous that the character who is more loyal to Twilight - and knows her better - than anyone else is staying behind for...pretty much no reason whatsoever. Twilight is the most important person in Spike's life, yet it's mutually agreed by everyone that he's not coming, even though it has been demonstrated in canon that he sticks by her side in the most critical of situations, and that he can handle just as much danger.

It was also very irritating to see the other Element Bearers referred to as "her friends" rather than "their friends". It sounds like you're implying none of Spike's closest companions are his friends at all. Were that true, it would paint a very sad, ugly picture of his life. And it wouldn't make his alleged friends look too nice either.

Feeling bad about leaving Spike like this...

That's an easy fix, AJ; take him with you so he can help Twilight, like he's been dedicated to doing since childhood.

[MaskedWriter]

3367793
But he was teleported to Celestia? Clearly the writer had far more plans for Spike than to simply tag along with the other 5 to the caves. Even then, he's a dragon whelpling, literally an infant. If anyone could look over the library whilst the 6 were gone, it would be the #1 assistant.

[vx2254]

3372766

I will admit; initially I had no idea what role Spike could possibly play in this. The teleportation sequence was edited in because it was far more likely and ultimately a much better decision than just leaving him out of it altogether.