The Shadow Within

by Alcatraz

Chapter 2: The Ongoing Struggle

Celestia stirs from her slumber, woken by the sounds of quiet sobbing.

"Twilight?" nudges Celestia, "are you ok?"

Twilight has her hooves covering her head with her wingtips trailing whisps of purple smoke off the ends of the feathers as they're tucked to her side, and looks up to Celestia from tear streaked eyes. Oh those eyes. Celestia saw it was too late to do anything at this point. Twilight's eyes were all whitened out and had the tell-tale signs of dark magic leaking out of the corner of her eyes. And her horn.... It looked like Sombra's.

"Tw, Twilight? What's going on? I told you not to let the Shadow get to you!"

"I... I'm sorry, Princess. But it is an offer I cannot refuse!"

Looking up at Celestia through those horrifying, pure white eyes strewn with raw power. Twilight opened her mouth to engulf Celestia with a blackened mouth, only to be wake up, startled, with a gasp, and breathing deeply to regain composure. Good, it was only a dream. Looking down under her wing at her star student, only a satasfied smile passing her lips for the sight before her is one of content. Twilight had curled up in a ball under Celestia's wing, like a kitten would do with a blanket.

"I said get lost, Sombra..." spoke Twilight.

That wiped the smile off Celestia's face, not completely, but with a chuckle that she just talked in her sleep. She knew that Twilight was dreaming about Sombra again, but the only solace she got was knowing that Twilight is at least trying to fight it off. But, one thing bothered her. Why Sombra, of all things? Why did the Shadows choose to manifest themselves as Sombra in an attempt to lure Twilght with promises of ruling as his Queen? Maybe only time will tell. Was there something about Twilight that she didn't know? Maybe she had a deep-seated desire to rule on her own? It is certainly a possibility, given her highly neurotic tendancies always kept the mare busy issuing orders about how neat and tidy things were supposed to be.

XXXXXXXXX

"Luna told me that it's impossible for you to create dreams, and only that the Nightmare Energy could do that. So, tell me. How are you doing it, why, and why have you chosen Sombra's form?"

The entity presenting itself as Sombra just sat on it's haunches and faded to a pure black shadow, retaining the body shape of a grown stallion, the eyes, Sombra's diadem, and spoke. The voice was nothing like Twilight had ever heard before, it's almost as though it's a conglomeration of thousands of voices mashed together in one body. "We are everywhere and we are one, for we are, LEGION! We lurk in the shadows of your minds, fueled by your deepest, almost darkest desires. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that you want everything to be ordered and organised; such as how you would run a Kingdom."

It was that moment Twilight felt something inside her snap off, almost like that little piece that was wanting to say no had decided to cut its losses and go AWOL, knowing that the Shadow is right.

"Tell me why I shouldn't, whatever your name is." Spat Twilight.

"The better question is: Why shouldn't you? You will get everything you ever wanted!"

"At the cost of everything I hold near and dear!" snapped Twilight, immediately after the Shadow had finished talking. "Look what happened to Luna; she got banished to the moon, both she and Celestia suffered being alone for 1000 years because you got to her!"

"You're forgetting that I didn't get to her, she let me. The elements won't work on you because you are an element! Luna and Celestia will be powerless to stop you and the other elements are useless against you. You will retain all waking consiousness, but your inherant darkness will come to fruition. It is all you ever wanted, and I am simply making you the offer: Let me into you and be a powerful Queen, or I shall make you a vessel for my own destructive purposes, regardless of the choice you make."

"What about my friends, and Spike? What will happen to those I care about?"

"When you become a Nightmare, you will gain the power to turn those into creatures of darkness too. Celestia and Luna are too powerful for the both of us combined to turn, their magical abilities overide what I have to offer. But those of a lesser mindset like who you mentioned, would be easy enough. All you'd need to do is pool dark magic into your horn and transfer it to them."

Twilight can do nothing at this point but hang her head, and cry.

XXXXXXXXX

"Twilight, Twilight, are you alright?"

Celestia has been watching Twilight sleep for some time, twitching often then eventually cry in her sleep.

"Princess? I'm not sure how much longer I can hold on. The Shadow just... keeps making more and more sense."

"Listen to me, Twilight. If darkness and fear take hole, you will become that which you most fear. Nightmares are nothing but fear that lives inside you. We all have the power to defeat them if you shine a little light of love on them! I still get nightmares. In fact, I get them so often I should be used to them by now. I'm not. No one ever really gets used to nightmares. You learned to run from what you feel, and that's why you have nightmares. To deny is to invite madness. To accept is to control."

"So, what you're saying is I can control it?"

"Yes, my dear. We all have to control our nightmares before they control us."

"So if I let The Shadow in, accept my own nightmares, I can control it?" Twilight couldn't bear to tell Celestia that the Shadow was going to get her either way; by choice on her behalf or by force. Either way she knows she's a gonner. But, Twilight is also keeping something from Celestia; that she already knew it could be controlled, as the Shadow stated. She knew if she could get her mentor to tell her to let it in, in a roundabout way, that she wouldn't feel as guilty letting it take her over. Call it a faux sense of approval.

"What are you trying to say, Twilight? That you want to let it in?"

"Like you just said. If I let it in and accept my nightmares, I can control them."

Celestia didn't like the sound of this. Standing up, her back to the door leading out to the dais. Physically discomposed by Twilight's words, she stood ready. For whatever might come next. Twilight stood up too, facing Celestia but with her head hung, the occasional tear running down her face and staining the stone floor beneath them both.

"If you do this, then I will be forced to-"

"You can't." Interrupted Twilight, a slight grin creaking from one corner of her mouth. "We both know that if, no, when it happens, the other five elements will be rendered useless. Having said that, I can choose to turn anypony else I choose toward the Shadow, but not you or Luna, for the power that will be granted to me will be equal to the both of you. In other words, we cancel each other out."

"Why are you speaking like this, why do you want this?" said Celestia, her eyes moistening. "When you came to Canterlot to study as my prodigee, I took you under my wing and raised you in a sense. Even though I took great care of you during all those years, I could never replace your parents. But after what we've been through together I consider you a part of me, a daughter almost. I love you, Twilight. Please don't do this to me."

"Because..." She had to be honest, after what Celestia just said. "Because it's going to happen anyway. The Shadow said that if I let it in then I'll have control over it, use it to my will. If I refuse, it'll make me do horrible things against my will to those that I care about; including you. I'm sorry, but I have no choice here. Please don't hate me for this, I'm just doing what I hope is the least painful route for me. I don't want this any more than you do."

"As much as I hate to admit it..." began Celestia, walking to Twilight and pulling her into a hug. "It does make sense." Both mares are in tears over the inevitable outcome of a situation neither of them wanted to happen. "I'm not sure how I'm going to handle what's going to happen, but if you're sure you're going to be able to control it like you think you can, maybe it's something you can use to your advantage. You need to tell your friends what's going to happen before it does. At this rate, you have to the end of the day and right now it's just about daybreak. Everypony should be up in a couple of hours so you should start telling your friends then."

"I... Have a better idea. Send a letter to them all; Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rainbow, Applejack, and Spike. I wish to remain here for the time being and speak with Luna about the transition, so-to-speak."

"As you wish. I'll start on the letters and send them out requesting everyone here at, what time?"

"I don't know. I was thinking in the evening so they could, uhm, watch... But I don't know if that'll be a good idea or not. How about mid afternoon and when we're done speaking those that choose to stay, can."

"Very well then, Twilight. One moment if you please, I have an idea and want to see if it's good enough."

Dear (insert friends name here)

Twilight and myself, request an audience with you at the throne room of Canterlot Castle mid afternoon. Please come at your earliest convenience, for this is a matter of great importance.

Celestia

"It'll suffice. Now, can you tell me where Luna is?"

"I'll call her here, but if you don't mind I'd like to sit off to the side and listen and speak in now and then, if at all."

Celestia called in one the guards posted outside the door, and told him to fetch Luna immediately. The time until then was spent holding each other in a tight embrace until came the knock on the door.

"Come in."

"Our presence was requested by your solar guard, Sister?"

"Indeed. Have a seat, we have much to inform you of."

The next couple of hours was spent informing Luna what had happened during the night, Twilight's unfortunate dichotomous choice, calling her friends to the castle, and the choice they plan to give her friends. "Luna, right now Twilight needs advice from you on how to deal with what's going to happen."

"I can't offer advice since the Shadow got the better of my darker side. For lack of a better way to put it, you're letting it in so it doesn't do harm, or rather you hope that no harm will come. I don't know what to say at this point, Twilight Sparkle, but I... wish you the best in a manner of speaking. I do not wish to be a part of upcoming events because of painful memories, so I shall be elsewhere."

Luna walks up to Twilight pulling her into a hug.

"Thank you, Luna." Twilight said, burying her face into Luna's neck. "I'm sorry this had to happen."

"Twilight; it is not your fault!" Barked Luna. "The Nightmare Energy is an entity of it's own, and it seeks out those whom are vulnerable. Once it has ahold of you, there's no letting it go. Nopony knows how to, save the Elements of Harmony, but that is out the window I'm guessing? I must be going now."

Not getting even half way through the door, Luna stopped and hung her head.

"Something wrong, Sister?" Asked Celestia.

"I... I am sorry to do this, but..." Flaring her wings and hovering mid-air with eyes whitened with power, Luna fired a beam of white and blue energy at Twilight, singing her coat, collapsing onto the floor.

"LUNA!?!? WHAT HAST THOUGH DONE!?" screamed Celestia, using her Royal Canterlot Voice.

"I simply cast a barrier around the energy that is inside her, but I must have exerted myself too much."

"Silly foal!" came a conglomerated voice. "Do you not realise that you imparted some of your energy into us? Now we need not wait until sundown, you gave enough power to begin what I had planned!"

"Celestia, go-" Twilight hadn't finished saying goodbye, her wings and limbs splayed out in a burst of familiar magic and energy. It was excrutiating. The energy forcing its way under Twilights skin, splintering bone to squeeze into every crevace then reforming back. Every cell every organism was the same. Twilight was getting broken from the inside out; mind, body and soul.

Author's Note:

This took longer than expected to put out, but in the end I succeeded in accomplishing 2k+ words by weeks end like I promised.

Comments

[DX-1118 C]

3630249 Nyan cat is a pop tart...

[unknown2]

"we are, LEGION!"
A mass effect reference!

[Edguy0009]

3712032
Or Bible reference which it most likely is.