• Published 4th Jan 2014
  • 6,619 Views, 448 Comments

Our Voices Carry Through The Hills - Surry



Twilight wakes up to find that she has lost her voice completely, and even worse, her magic. All the while, Ponyville is being absolutely annihilated by a unicorn that looks exactly like her.

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They Will Know Of My Love



They Will Know Of My Love


"Damn it!!" shouted the beige unicorn in frustration.

Her spell, growing second by second, nearly split the mountain itself in two, sending thousands of tons of flaming rock surging upward and across the endless expanse of the starry night sky. She had not counted on the stone amplifying her power by a magnitude such as this, but she was grateful to have some of the immense stress lifted from her body. Enough of her own blood had been spilled this night, yet she was afraid she would have to give even more.

The red beam, plunging skyward and still under her direct influence, reached the moon's plains in only a matter of seconds. A shockwave traveled up its length and pumped more of her energy into the lunar surface. With a colossal swelling of her power, it released and flooded the entirety of the heavenly body with her crimson aura. She effectively swallowed it up in her magical embrace, causing her to pant even heavier than before. Her clone assumed control of the next phase, widening the bridge to allow her leader absolute control.

Her aura was consumed inside the beam as well, yet she managed to expand it even further. She could hear her leader's thought inside of her own head now, much like on the first day. It was particularly excruciating, hearing her screams of agony and pure hatred, her memories; a twisting whirlwind of emotion, frustration, love, happiness, pain, torment, elation, frustration, exhilaration, optimism, and pessimism-- it was all so blinding and painful... just endless pain. Tears began to fall freely from her face, as the earth embedded within the mountain shredded into boiling slivers, small islands that diverged from the epicenter. Lava peeked up through the cracks, heat licked the surrounding air, and the stench of brimstone saturated everything.

It was becoming harder to breathe for all of them.

"DO IT NOW!!!" she screamed.

Finally, after long awaiting this moment, her clone allowed her access, and her left eye became visible upon the moon. Her aura formed her ocular shape in a matter of seconds, though she could not use it functionally like any other part of her body. At least they would see. Every pony in Equestria would see it, for they could all catch a glimpse of the moon. The darker center of red became her pupil, piercing the hearts of all who might gaze upon it. A lighter shade of the surrounding scarlet became her iris, and yet, the even brighter shade of pink became her sclera.

It was a perfect recreation of her terrifying, blood-red eye, gazing from on high across all the land.

She felt the connection instantaneously. A hundred minds, then a thousand, then hundreds of thousands all mingled with her thoughts, but she maintained control.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!" she cried in agony.

A million voices, screaming all at once across the expanse of her consciousness, tried to call out and be heard above her. Yet, her power was too great. She shouted them out. She forced them down. She plunged them down.

"Leader!!" yelped one of her clones, "Are you alright?!"

She could not hear her, maintaining extreme focus. Her nostrils were steadily bleeding now, as were her eyes. Her breaths became more ragged and deep. She grit her teeth fiercely to bite back the pain.

Then came the flood of voices once more. From the young to the old, she heard them all; every stallion, mare, colt, and filly who gazed upon the moon screamed within their minds. She found herself lost in a never-ending sea, adrift and wandering, yet forcing her influence upon them.

"LISTENNN TO MEEEE!!!!!!!!!"



"WHYYYY?! - What is this?! - What's happening?! - Where's Princess Celestia?! - MOMMY?! - GET OUT OF MY HEADDD!!! - ARE THEY DEAD?! - NO, THEY CAN'T BE!!! - Who's doing this?! - We're doomed!! - Twilight Sparkle attacked my wife!! - How was there more than one?!! - WE CAN'T FIGHT BACK ANYMORE!!! - LOOK AWAY FROM THE MOON!! - I CAN'T!!! - Canterlot is gone! - MY DAUGHTER IS GONE!! - I CAN'T FIND MY HUSBAND ANYWHERE!! - It's Twilight Sparkle!! She's responsible!! - WHY IS SHE DOING THIS?!! - GET OUT OF OUR HEADS!! GET OUT!!! GEEEETTT OOOUUUTTTTTT!!!!!"

She whimpered to herself; her feet stumbled, trying to maintain her balance. She had become weak from the barrage, but she was determined to make them hear. She was adamant, until her dying breath, that all of Equestria would know her pain.

"Silence..." she whispered at first, "Silence!" her voice then grew into a deafening roar, "SILENCE!!! ALL OF YOU!!! JUST BE QUIET!!!!"

THUMP!!

The earth shook again as she fired.

Her horn flared along with her words, sending another surge of boiling energy speeding along the shaft of her beam skyward towards the moon, slamming into it with incredible ferocity.

The voices quieted temporarily.

"NOW YOU WILL LISTEN!!!"

Silence, just as she had hoped.

"CELESTIA AND LUNA ARE NO MORE!!! YOUR PRECIOUS PRINCESS OF THE SUN IN NOT AS BENEVOLENT AS YOU'D ALL LIKE TO BELIEVE!!!"

She finally had them under her power; there would be no escaping for any pony.

Victory was at hand.


"What's happening to all of them?" asked a clone of Twilight Sparkle.

She walked past several royal guards calmly enough, all encased in her magical aura. They had fought valiantly, but their struggle was in vain. There was simply no way to defeat the onslaught of invincible, unicorn power. The captain's subordinates followed close behind her, all looking just as equally puzzled. The dark street upon which they walked was littered with ponies, halted in mid-gallop.

A few citizens of Manehattan, who just moments before had been trying to flee for their lives, were now captivated by the pinkish glow of the moon that swarmed over everything. Just as easy as they thought it would be, the clones no longer worried about their victims as they now remained motionless. They were not swallowed up by a magic spell, nor would they need to be immobilized. The doppelgangers only nodded in approval at their leader's handiwork.

"I didn't expect it to be this easy," commented one clone.

She walked over to one, particularly tall stallion and waved a hoof in front of his face. He would not look away from the moon for anything, even if he was about to be struck down. He seemed to be mumbling something incoherently to himself. They all were, in fact. Every last pony on the street was locked in some twisted trance... and crying. All of them had streams of tears running down the lengths of their faces, speaking in unintelligible whispers, and breathing frantically. They all seemed so distraught.

The clones knew exactly what was transpiring, though they were admittedly surprised their leader could achieve this level of influence so easily. They did not have to look upon the moon, however, to feel their leader's pain. It hung in their chests, in their hearts, wherever they went. When their consciousness had been first conceived, they were essentially freed from the shackles of this spell, for it was a double-edged sword they wielded from the very beginning.

"They're all so very... sad," noted another clone.

"They have to be," said her superior, "They have to feel what we felt."

"But, is this really the best way to go about it?" she replied.

"Perhaps not," agreed her officer, "Yet, you can't deny that this is the better option to simply freezing them all. We wouldn't have an Equestria if we did that. We're not here to exterminate every pony, but Celestia's damage must be undone."

"Are they really so far gone?" she asked, "What about the little ones? Are they not innocent?"

"They'll be fine!" barked her superior, "They must know never to repeat the atrocities. Correct?"

The more timid of the clones simply bowed out and went back to inspecting the citizens. It was so odd and cold to her, like they were dying on the inside, quietly and helplessly. She could not tell at this point if they really would die, for minds such as these, ones that were already filled with a consciousness and memories of their own, were never meant to bear this much emotional weight.

"I don't know..." she whispered between them.

Thump!

They all glanced back towards the direction of Canterlot, just in time to see another pulse of energy surge upwards through the pillar of light and collide with the moon, as if renewing their leader's hold on Equestria's citizens. As the blast radiated across the lunar surface, the redness in her eye became more pronounced and commanding.

A thick cloud, steeped in the pinkish glow, hung low over the mountain, full of leftover debris from the initial blast. The rain of fire had not reached the city, and simply would not at this distance. They were admittedly unsure how cities closer to Canterlot fared, but they knew their sisters would not let the ponies living in those settlements perish; that was not their goal.

Their ears all twitched suddenly, coinciding with the sound of some far off wailing from Manehattan's central district. It then grew... and festered, until it finally caught up them. Every pony began to sob unevenly; it was more pronounced in a select few. Their mumbling was becoming louder and louder, forcing the clones of Twilight to retreat aback to the comfort of each other. For reasons even they were not quite sure of, this was beginning to frighten them. Their leader's plan was about to come to fruition, but they began to doubt whether or not they still had control of the situation.

"Princess Luna..." whined a school-age filly.

"Get out of my head..." moaned an older mare.

"Let us go..." sobbed a younger stallion.

The clones all looked to each other for a sign of reassurance, but they could not find it between the five of them. In a moment of desperation, the group coalesced into a tighter formation to try and drown out the sound by their own talking.

"Is this normal?" asked one clone.

"I would consider nothing as normal," said the officer, "At this point, anyway."

"Will they retaliate?" she heard another subordinate ask.

"Doubtful," she scoffed, "They've been helpless thus far, and they'll still be helpless once this process is complete."



"GET OOOUUUUTTT!!!!" a scream broke out a few blocks away.

It was quickly followed by yet another; the wailing continued to flood the streets. Each subsequent scream increased in intensity.

"GEEETTTT OUUUTTT!!!"

"GEEEETTTT OOOOUUUTTTTT!!!!!!"


"Do you see that, Twilight?" Rainbow quietly asked.

The unicorn lifted her head even further as they walked, catching the pale, red glow from deeper within the cave. Rainbow could feel her hesitation by her foreleg hanging over her shoulder, but they trudged on. The pegasus glanced into her eyes for a moment and found herself quickly lost in her gaze. They were allowed some time now, for the tremors seemed to have temporarily deadened.

I don't know what's going to happen to us, Rainbow. I'm pretty scared, actually.

"I'm scared too," she admitted, "But honestly, I don't care what happens to me... so as long as I'm helping you."

Rainbow, I was trying to tell you this earlier... but you've already done too much for me. I could never repay you for what you've done for me. I could never say thank you enough, to show my true appreciation for you, that is.

"B-but..." Rainbow turned away, whispering softly to her, "Y-you don't have to... Twilight. You don't have to thank me, ever."

The pegasus forced the both of them to continue, wanting to just end the conversation there. This wasn't the right time. She could feel at least that much.

What are you talking about?! Of course I have to thank you!

She couldn't hear her from this position, and Twilight barely had the strength to retaliate. She would've dragged her feet behind her, but this was difficult enough on Rainbow; she was quickly losing strength. The unicorn did the only thing she could think of... and kissed her lightly on the cheek again, though, much to her dismay, she seemed to ignore it.

"It's not going to work," Rainbow muttered, "We have to get your voice back, Twilight. We have to win this together. Just thank me later."

She was hiding something; Twilight was certain of that much. Her emotions had never gotten the best of her like this before; it was unbearably irritating to her.

Why am I acting this way? Does she even feel the same about me? Just stop and talk to me for a second, Rainbow!

"Please, Twilight," she pleaded, "Just please... tell me we're almost there."

The pegasus halted once more, as they each felt another light quake pass under their feet. It was not as heavy, nor as burdensome to withstand as before, but they each thought perhaps it was because they were simply accustomed to it now. The reddish glow from deep within overcame Twilight's comparatively puny light, and the blast itself was sobering, bringing them back to the importance of the task at hand, though more so for Twilight than Rainbow. Possibly the trait she admired most about the pegasus was her sheer persistence, and she only loved her more for it, despite her desperate attempts to reel her back.

She pulled against Twilight's will, carrying her further and further inside the cavern. After stumbling for what seemed like an eternity, they passed into an even larger, hollowed-out part of the mountain connected to a series of smaller tunnels. However, the glow came most prominently from only one orifice.

No, Rainbow! You'll get hurt again!!

"We're gonna' fix this, Twilight," she stated simply.

The pegasus finally obeyed her wish, giving her one final moment of respite. She sat Twilight gently down on the floor, and she immediately clutched her side in agony. The unicorn had suffered immensely, and it was clearly breaking her spirit.

"Alright, heh," Rainbow lightly chuckled, "I guess you don't exactly have to show me which way to go anymore."

She placed a delicate hoof under Twilight's chin and lifted it until they made eye-contact. This distance between them was not something Rainbow wanted to get used to.

"Why won't you look at me?" she asked, "We're almost there, Twilight. Can't you see that?"

The unicorn chanced a cold glare at her, still biting through the pain.

"Dangerous?! Well of course it's going to be dangerous!" she retorted.

She received an even harsher shake of her head in response, though Twilight was giving her what she asked for.

"You're afraid... for me?"

Twilight was quite offended that Rainbow found that idea so preposterous, subsequently rolling her eyes. When they met with each other once again, she placed her right hoof lightly on Rainbow's cheek to ensure she was paying her full attention. Another tremor broke over the mountain, but they ignored it, instead gazing longingly into each other's eyes.

"I know..." mumbled Rainbow, "It's just that... I had no idea about that before, until now. Please forgive me, Twilight."

Forgive you? You're joking, right? You don't need to be forgiven for anything, Rainbow, except for maybe being a little too hot-headed.

The pegasus reared her head, blushing slightly at the comment, but then, she smiled warmly at her.

"I suppose I am, sometimes," she jokingly agreed.

Twilight returned the expression, still softly caressing her face.

And I wouldn't have you any other way. It's one of your better qualities.

"Better qualities?" she asked, "What exactly are th-- AHH!!"

THUMP!

A heavy burst of air, a by-product of the explosion, tore through their cavern and slammed into the two of them brutally, knocking them over onto their sides.Twilight's head hit the floor first, though the small distance she fell kept her injury to a minimum. They scooped each other up in the moment before they impacted, once again sharing the pain of the fall, letting the rest of the heat and sulfuric fumes roll over them.

They tumbled in their own tight embrace, holding each other close, and then the blast finally passed.

Twilight lifted her head off the ground slightly, as Rainbow gave her mare a close once-over. The pegasus gasped at the sight of blood that had seeped into her mane and pulled her head into her soft neck in a motherly sort of way. She tried to stifle the tears, her lips quivering and weak.

"T-twilight... you're hurt," she whimpered.

The unicorn didn't offer any resistance, instead nuzzling the side of her head into her mare's soft, blue coat, careful not to prod her with her horn. Twilight only barely managed to lift herself a few inches before Rainbow pulled back on her, an odd role-reversal. She rubbed a hoof lightly on her scalp where she had impacted, and slightly lifted her frame, painfully so. Rainbow was puzzled now, not because she seemed to recover so quickly, but because her attitude had seemed to change so fast.

Twilight was steadily becoming more agitated... yet stayed frightened at the same time. This swirling concoction of emotion made her quickly forget about the injury to her head, though it made it noticeably more difficult to stand. Seeing her friend's gaze stiffen, Rainbow swiftly up-righted herself and tried to brush some of the dirt out of her mare's mane, but Twilight was now staring adamantly at the last tunnel. She was frustrated now, remembering the image of her impostor's face, her own, Ponyville and Canterlot laid to ruins, Rainbow's look of anguish, her brother being lost outside.

Her violet eyes met the pegasus' once more, communicating something through a new stream of welling tears.

Let's go, Rainbow. I'm ready.

"What? Are you sure?" she asked.

I'm positive.

Her glum facial expression said otherwise, yet Rainbow humored her, calmly heaving one of her forelegs over her shoulder. The pegasus was not ready to admit it, but she was hoping Twilight was willing to back up her claim, and she would gladly help her every step of the way. She would protect her as best as she could. She would defend her as best as she could.

Twilight took one step, helped along slowly by Rainbow. Her feet faltered, almost unsure of themselves, but she persisted. She had learned as much from the pegasus that she loved. Rainbow lifted more of her weight, yet again to Twilight's dismay... but they were making fast progress now. They could feel the heat intensifying as they made their way down through the red glow of the lengthy shaft. Occasionally, a scream of pain could be heard, causing Twilight to wince at the memory of the first day the impostor attacked, but she repressed the tears. She would not allow them to boil to the surface now, especially not with Rainbow acting so bravely for her.

This is my chance. This is my opportunity to impress her. Wait? What am I saying? What about Equestria? Isn't that more important?

As they made the trek down the hall, she shook her head, trying to shove the emotions out of her head. She could not tell for the life of her what was more important anymore. She just wanted to cry for every pony, just like Celestia would.

"KAH-KAH!" she coughed.

A particularly potent whiff of the sulfuric stench had entered her nostrils, making her want to gag on it. It didn't help at all, considering her sternum was already fairly bruised, and just the simple act of breathing held a dull pain for her.

Rainbow stopped to let her get it all out of her system, but it was taking much longer than she thought it would. With worry spreading across her features, unable to help her mare with her breathing, she did what came naturally.

In a most calm and serene fashion, the pegasus slowly leaned over and planted a small, loving kiss on the unicorn's cheek, causing her pain to recede almost instantly. This time, it was Twilight's turn to blush. She glanced up at Rainbow and gazed into her eyes, smiling all the while and struggling to hold back her emotions.

"You're welcome," she said with a smirk.

Twilight hadn't even said anything to her.

THUMP!

The pegasus immediately responded this time; she was prepared. She threw one of her wings out in front of them, and curved it into a tight C-shape. The forceful gust of wind formed by the blast grazed over them, as both ponies pressed their weight forward. The heat was bearable for Rainbow, but she could tell it was definitely getting hotter, the further they went.

When the blast finally vacated the darkened corridor, she retracted her wing slowly to her side, fairly singed, but still usable. If she did feel any pain from it, it was not apparent in the slightest to Twilight, who thanked her silently once again.

"There's the light," she added nonchalantly, "You see it, Twilight? We're almost there."

Why do I get the feeling this is a huge mistake?

It took them a moment to realize it, but the light was not coming from a natural source. In fact, much to their horror, the light, which was so blinding and potent to their eyes, was being created entirely by a unicorn.

And, because of the screams and wailing, coming from a mare's voice which Twilight thought sounded eerily familiar, she nearly forced Rainbow to stop.

But she didn't.

They kept on going.

The cave eventually ended, and the light that flooded the chasm was bold and brilliant, capturing their attention. It was only because they clung together that they were able to look away. Twilight had never seen such an immense space, at least one that was surrounded entirely by walls, be they made of earth or not.

It was like walking into a furnace.

They immediately gazed below, searching for the source of this powerful spell that surged into the night sky. All they found were the backs of three familiar lavender-colored unicorns, and one that was not so. At the head of them, a unicorn maintaining the heated column of energy for her spell continued to scream in pain and agony... and Twilight vaguely recognized that voice, once again.

She lumbered backward, afraid of what she was witnessing, but Rainbow stayed her feet. Twilight continued to fidget at the top of the ancient staircase which led to the bottom level, when suddenly she hit a rock with her back hoof. Unfortunately, the rock dislodged an even heavier chunk of the staircase, which had slowly been eroded away over the course of millennia.

The weighty lump of stone broke away and fell...

and continued to fall.

"No," Rainbow whispered between them, as their eyes followed it all the way down.


"AHHH!!!" their leader yelped in pain as even more citizens of Equestria attempted to defy her, "I CAN'T LOSE!!!"

Her clone opposite her was struggling immensely to hold open the bridge, but she could feel her leader's power succeeding. There was no telling what would happen if every pony were given too much of her emotions. They might all go insane, or be stricken with depression, or even worse than that. She was so afraid for them, but in this melding of minds, she could not show weakness for even a second.

THUMP!

Her spell fired again, independent of her influence now, sounding off like a cannon skyward.

She coughed again, letting more blood pool on the stony floor beneath her. Bit by bit, larger pieces of earth surrounding her beam fell into the pit and were swallowed up by its hellfire. The stone was performing its function quite spectacularly, though perhaps maybe a little too well.

Beads of lava were beginning to seep to the surface through cracks in the floor surrounding her, causing her to subconsciously back away from the imposing heat. The flames rippling off from her hooves fought back the blaze temporarily, but she would not hold out forever.

"It's almost done!" her clone cried; her voice was shaky, attempting to hide the lie.

"I CAN'T EVEN TELL ANYMORE!!!" she shouted in reply.

Her cream-colored hooves continued to retreat from the beam as its once thunderous sound had now lowered to a dull hum in the background, save for the occasional burst of energy she pumped into it. However, the stone was taking more control of that issue now.

She opened her eyes, taking a temporary hiatus from the connection, and finally caught her breath. This was the most physically demanding task she had ever had the misfortune of carrying out in her entire life, but she was no longer doing it for herself. Her insides were being ripped apart, she could feel that much, and she had most likely taken years upon years off her lifespan, just within the last ten minutes or so. She did not even look away from the beam herself, until she heard a most peculiar sound.

They all heard it.

It sounded like a heavy stone fell from the ceiling, which could have been entirely possible, considering the second-hand nature of her spell, but what struck her as being odd about this sound... was that it came from behind her. She nearly panicked at the realization, yet remained calm.

Something had disturbed the stairwell; she was certain of it.

She flicked her head to the side, looking back upon the entrance, and immediately gasped at the sight of the new arrivals. Her subordinates quickly pulled an about-face as well, looking as equally stunned as their leader. From this distance, she could still feel the terror in the lavender unicorn's violet eyes.

"BUT HOW?!" she barked.

If it had not been for Rainbow Dash standing at her side, she probably would not have been able to tell her apart from any other clone, yet she knew. She had been discovered, not that she had much to fear, but she was determined to finish them once for all. Before any of her clones could react, she fired a shot, and it echoed at length through the chasm.

"NOO!!" the pegasus screamed.

Twilight recognized that stance only a split second before Rainbow did, and performed the only act her body could manage in that sheer instant of terror. She reflexively pushed the pegasus to the side, being that she already had a hoof around her, and let go. The blast nicked the stone surface beneath them and melted through it instantly, heating the air to unimaginable temperatures. If Rainbow had tried to save her or pull her out of the way, then they would've both been done for. The explosion knocked the wind out of their chests, leaving Twilight sightless and dazed as she fell.

Rainbow's vision blackened as well, and she tried to open her wings, but they only barely extended outward, providing little drag for her descent. The fall was tremendous, and she could not think clearly as her head frantically spun.

Tugging on her wings to upright her trajectory, she failed and fell into a rapid tailspin, only making the ringing in her head even worse. She tried to peek one eye open while plummeting to the earth, and somehow managed to catch a fleeting glimpse of her unicorn falling, like some kind of angel from atop her cloud. Twilight was unconscious; she could at least tell that much. She also seemed to be injured from the blast, even more so than before.

Fighting past the ringing in her head, Rainbow heard a faint scream, and it was also terribly familiar. It was Twilight's voice, calling to them plain as day, though she only screamed her own name. She couldn't decipher why Twilight would be screaming her own name. It could've been one of her impostors that was screaming, but that wouldn't have made any sense. They had no reason to care about them.

Although, if the clones did care for one of them, she would prefer it to be Twilight. The unicorn had seen enough punishment this night.

Rainbow's multi-colored mane blanketed her vision as she turned her head away, breezing past over her eyes and forehead, and she could only make out the ground approaching now. Instinct took over. She tried to fan out her wings again, and noticed a slight burning sensation. Although, that's exactly what it was. She had burnt yet again by the impostor's magic, and the sensation was only made worse with each frantic movement.

So, to end the pain, she simply stopped and closed her eyes, silently hoping she wouldn't die.

Then... she impacted.


Crack!

She abandoned her post holding open the bridge, immediately teleporting to just below the massive staircase. Twilight Sparkle had suffered the brunt of her leader's attack; she had to be saved. Using a simple blast of magic, she was able to cradle the unicorn moments before she hit the dense earth, encasing her in a delicate cocoon of safety. She prayed Rainbow Dash would fare well enough on her own, but to her shock, she did not seem to recover from the blast as quickly as she hoped. Helplessly, she watch the pegasus barely catch herself before impact, skidding along the surface of the stone floor before rolling lazily onto her side. She had been knocked out cold.

"TRAITORRRR!!" her leader screamed.

"No please!!" she retaliated, calmly releasing her hold on the actual Twilight, "Listen to me-- AHHHH!!!!!"

A new beam, heavier than any train and hotter than any star, slammed into her cheek and engulfed her vision. She went blind for a second, sailing backward through the air, body gone limp by reflex, heart skipping a beat... and she crashed onto her back.

With her crimes came punishment, but for her dedication came reward.

Her head rolled to the side, and she winced in agony. The intense inferno of her leader's blast had nearly left her face scarred, though luckily, the power and memories her leader had bestowed upon her also managed to save her from certain doom. She pushed up weakly from the ground, catching the sight of her leader commanding one of her other sisters to keep the bridge open. Her copy obliged and ran off to attend her duty, while she could only struggle to reach her feet. Her leader then turned towards Twilight, grimacing in unrefined anger and hatred.

"Nooooo!!" cried her subordinate in a pathetic tone, "Don't do it!! She's innocent and you know it!!"

"And you are a traitor!!" she scoffed coldly, "I should've known from the first moment you questioned me!"

With her face partially scalded off, revealing her leader's once unique, cream-colored coat, she placed an unsteady hoof on the ground and dragged herself along the floor. She was making progress slowly, though she had not left the true Twilight Sparkle's side by much.

The lavender unicorn was breathing, at least; it was a good sign, at this point. Her eyes fluttered unevenly, trying to piece together what had just occurred, and then glanced around at the entirety of the colossal room.

She was searching for something, or somepony, leaning every which way to get a better view. Then, her eyes flickered when she caught sight of her mare, and her chest heaved as she rolled over onto her side. Her heart was palpitating, screaming against her to stop, pulling against her legs with an unimaginable and invisible weight. But she continued to fight. She fought against her body. She fought against her muscles. She fought against the unicorns approaching her, paying little attention to them.

Then... she began to cry as she pulled.

She pulled on the earth, tugging her weight, but her muscles were feeling denser by the second.

Her heart was dying inside now.



Rainbow...










... had just stopped breathing.








No.

No.

No!

No!

NO!

NOO!

NOOOO!!!

NOOOOOOO!!!!!! RAINBOWWWWW!!!!

The unicorn stopped and reached, wishing and hoping that this was not real. She reached and reached further then pulled her body, dragged herself even more, and then reached again.

NO RAINBOW, PLEASE, I LOVE YOU!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!! YOU CAN'T DIE!!! I WANT TO LIVE WITH YOU FOREVER!!! COME BACK!!! WHY CAN'T I EVER SAVE YOU?!! ALL I'VE EVER WANTED WAS TO SAVE YOU!!! WHY?!! WHY?!! WHYY?!!!

"Twilight Sparkle," said the familiar voice behind her.

She did not listen for even a second, reaching ahead and pulling herself along even faster than before. Her desperation knew no limit.

"Twilight Sparkle!!" her impostor shouted.

The struggling unicorn couldn't hear anything anymore. It was only when a beige hoof, encased in red flame, stomped in front of her... that she finally stopped.

She had been defeated.

"Stop it!!" yelled her clone, "She doesn't care about you anymore! Can't you see that?! Can't you see she has suffered enough?!"

"I will decide, not you, when these ponies have suffered enough!!" she retorted, "You are a coward!! A betrayer of your own flesh and blood!!"

Her clone's illusory spell was beginning to dissipate, independent of her willing it to. Her false identity of Twilight Sparkle was shattering, falling off as purple shards and disintegrating into the surrounding air. Her breath was shallow, but she lifted herself, wincing in agony every so often.

"Why can't you see?!" she yelled, "Why can't you see she is just like us?!"

"Like us?! She was NEVER like us!! I had no one in my life to help me!! I had no one!!"

"Just like she did!! You sent her away to fend for herself, and damn it, if she did not get here by the help of this pegasus, then how would she have survived?! I ask you, leader, how could she?! ANSWER ME!!"

Twilight used the distraction, not paying attention to what they were saying, and continued to crawl from her foe's reach silently. Rainbow laid helplessly, seemingly dead, only a few yards away; a goal so weighty and immense, it gave Twilight hidden depths of strength she had never known before. She reached... and reached again for her.

"I do not have to answer you!! You betrayed me!!"

THUMP!

The mountain's sudden quaking was tied directly to her emotions, and this sudden outburst was not helping the situation. The chasm's vast floor was buckling with every scream and shout, forcing her to try to remain calm. The flames around her hooves began to rise once more; her blood continued to flow from her nose and mouth.

Her plan was falling apart at the seams... and so was the mountain around them.

"She is in love, just like you were! Just like we all still are!!" her subordinate retorted.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!!!!" she screamed.

She pressed a hoof against one ear to stifle some of the speech between them, but the flames on her hoof nearly scorched her bandages off. They were beginning to burn away; however, with a quick magical burst, the flame was extinguished from her cheek. She began to back away from her clone and glanced at the struggling violet unicorn for only a split second, as if to see if she had given up yet.

Her two clones who had not been preoccupied stayed close to her side, though they stayed out of her way. They were still contemplating whether or not to interfere, when their former comrade approached.

"What would she think of all this?! What would she say to you?!"

"SHUUUTT UUUPPPP!!!!!" she screamed even louder.

Her clone, physically exhausted from the attack and magically drained from holding open the bridge for so long, barely stumbled up to her leader. The last few shards of Twilight Sparkle faded away from her face, her body, her legs, and finally her hooves. However, her scarlet mane flowed beautifully, her newly blood-red eyes hung lowly and could melt the hardest of hearts, and her cheeks were left open to breathe and reveal the full grace of her features.

This horrified her leader.

THUMP!

"No... you look like me before..." she quietly muttered, "Before the accident... you look like me before all of that! WHY?!"

"Because," her clone started, "This is what we were all like at one point. This is the true us. Don't you see that?"

"What?" she whispered in disbelief.

"We've made mistakes," her sister said, "We've committed horrible crimes, but not in the name of love as you'd like to think."

"They deserved it..." she argued through building tears.

Her clone simply raised a hoof and pointed behind her; her new red eyes demanded her leader to look.

"Did they?" she asked.

Her leader glanced back to Twilight once more.

She gazed intently upon the scene unfolding before her; the lavender unicorn had nearly reached the pegasus, and their bodies neatly opposed each other in a mirror-like fashion. Rainbow had curled up into a sort of C-shape, her mouth dangling open, loosely and unresponsively. With Twilight's last bit of strength, her body collapsed into a similar form with her eyes at the level of her mare's gentle mouth. Their faces were upside-down compared to each other, and Twilight could barely breathe as she stared at Rainbow's lightly closed eyes.

She can't be gone. She just can't be. Why was I so stupid? Why did I have to put us in danger?

Twilight gradually reached one foreleg up to the level of of Rainbow's mane, lightly brushing it out of the way before continuing under her cheek. She delicately lifted her head, and her heart broke even further when she didn't respond to this either. She battled against the ground to raise up her other hoof, and ever so softly, cupped her mare's head in a quiet embrace. Still... nothing.

THUMP!

The earth shook again, tied synchronously to each break in the beige unicorn's heart.

Rainbow... I could spend an eternity letting you know how much I love you, and yet, I don't think I could ever fully communicate it. You might never know just how thankful I am, or ever will be, to have had you in my life.

Twilight lightly pulled her mare's muzzle closer and turned her head.

Their noses lightly brushed against each other as she leaned in even more slowly.

She gradually opened her lips, letting her lower jaw calmly search for its target.

She wanted to do this ever since Rainbow revived her on that first night. She never brought it up with her, but she distinctly remembered the taste Rainbow had left in her mouth that night, and from that point on, she had been desperately hoping to share this special moment with her. Yet, it always seemed as though one of them would have to be on the brink of death to go to such extremes. This broke Twilight inside.



They finally connected, and Twilight ever so quietly inhaled deeply of Rainbow's delicate scent.

Her lips were so soft and luscious, yet at the same time eerily lifeless. She pressed in her own lips with even greater force, as if trying to coax the life back into her... but it would not come.

Please... just kiss me back, Rainbow...

The pegasus' mouth remained limp within her own.

No... please...

She continued to kiss her in a respectful sort of manner, never passing any boundaries, and never making any progress either. Her tears flowed down her cheeks and onto her mare's, hindered by absolutely nothing. A small wetness formed on the heated ground because of it, just underneath their joined muzzles.

From a short distance away, the clone that had been ravaged by her leader began to approach the distraught unicorn. She could see her heart was dying from simply holding her mare, and despite her better judgement, blatantly ignored the safety of her own life.

"What are you doing?!" her leader hesitantly cried.

She responded without even looking back at her, feeling the full weight of her leader's glare at the back of her head.

"I'm helping," she calmly replied.

Twilight heard the hoofsteps this time and began to fear for her life, trying to bide what little time she had left to hold Rainbow. She reluctantly released her lips, and gazed upon her features again, caressing the sides of her face with her calm hooves.

At least I got this close. At least I got to kiss her.

But... why couldn't she just kiss me back?

This isn't fair...



"Twilight Sparkle," she heard above her.

Twilight was nearly blinded by the intense light behind her foe as she slowly turned her head to face the beige unicorn through glossy, teary eyes. She was pitiful, distraught, and still utterly defeated. Her heart had shattered more than once that night, as had the rest of her bruised frame been beaten.

Her former clone had never felt such pity for a being and quickly tried to come up with a way to alleviate some of her pain. She did not know if Rainbow Dash could still be saved, but she knew there was a way to help.

"There's something I'm sure you've been wanting back for some time now," she whispered.

Just please... help Rainbow.

Twilight found it difficult to make out her facial features, but being this close, she undeniably recognized those eyes. That voice was familiar too, and she swore that she had not heard it since her childhood. It was mature enough, probably so when she was younger as well.

The light emanating from the massive pillar of energy bled through the mare's scarlet hair as well, weaving a piercing, yet alluring persona.

Wait... I know her from somewhere...

Suddenly, she lowered her head toward Twilight, enticing a frightened grimace from the defeated unicorn. Nervously, she inched her entire body closer to Rainbow, praying that somehow the injured pegasus would miraculously come back to life and save her... but she did not.

"Hold still, Twilight Sparkle."

Her jaw dropped again, not wanting to find out what her enemy was about to do to her. Her memories of her were vague and fleeting, and she still could not tell if she was hostile. The mare opened her mouth as well and lightly cupped a hoof around Twilight's cheek. She almost looked as though she was going for a kiss, one that Twilight would not be able to prevent.

But she stopped.

Her mouth was held only a mere inch from Twilight's, and she wasn't quite sure how to react. The lavendar unicorn was sweating harshly, waiting in anticipation for something. Her body would not obey her commands; she was helpless to her enemy's influence.

"You need this more than I do," the mare spoke lowly as a faint trail of violet magic escaped past her lips, "I'm sorry this has taken so long."

She exhaled slowly in Twilight's direction, letting her breath reach Twilight's mouth. A spectral wisp of energy danced between their lips as it exited her muzzle. She nearly seemed to be sighing in relief, as if an immense burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Twilight coughed lightly in response, feeling the wisp of magic enter her throat and lungs; the sensation wasn't painful, though not terribly pleasurable either.

Twilight swallowed once as the last few wisps of magic entered her mouth, as the familiar mare stood taller than before, silently acknowledging her, as if saying 'you're welcome'. She held a hoof to her own throat, wincing at some slowly receding pain.

"Now, tell Miss Dash," she nearly choked on those words, "Tell her how you feel... with your own voice."

Twilight could've said much at that moment. The last three days had been a veritable hell, a worse nightmare than she could ever conjure while sleeping. She had the ever present and looming fear that she would never speak again, but it was only when Rainbow had been injured that she stopped caring. There was no point in speaking anyway, since she only truly cared now if she could communicate with Rainbow. But, at this moment, when Rainbow could not look her in the eye, her voice suddenly came to mind once again.

It had been her one chance at salvation, gratefully returned to her by the unicorn whom she thought was her enemy.

Through never-ending tears, she mustered courage.

She overcame doubts.

She had to speak.



"Thank you."



They were the first words she spoke, and they were directed at this mare...

but then she turned.


She placed an unsteady hoof beneath her, shaking frantically and unevenly. She felt as though one of her bones might break, yet she pressed more weight on it. She grunted in agony as she leaned herself over Rainbow, tapping into her deep well of love.

The clone's leader, still silently watching, began to cry as well. A small lump of agony and painful remembrance formed at the back of her throat.

THUMP!!

Another cannon shot rang out, yet Twilight's shaky foreleg somehow held its place. With her free hoof, she turned Rainbow onto her back and collapsed lazily upon her, resting her chest lightly upon her mare's. She attempted to be as careful as possible, but she was much too tired to avoid the clumsy mishap.

She ran her other hoof, now free, calmly through the length of her shaggy, multi-colored mane.

"Oh... Rainbow..." she whimpered, "You've carried me so far, and what do I have to show for it? I've lost you. I've lost everything..."

Her tears continued to fall upon Rainbow's blue coat as she caressed her ravishing face.

"I wanted us to live together. I wanted us to be together forever, even though I don't deserve you. I want so badly to save you, Rainbow... 'sniff'... but I just can't. I can't save anypony... from anything. I'm so useless without you... why?... Why?... WHHHYYYY?!"

She buried her face in Rainbow's chest to quiet her screams, hoping that perhaps they could jump-start her heart instead. She could not be consoled, for she had lost her true everything... everything that was important to her. Her friends were gone. Her brother was gone. Celestia was gone. Everypony in Equestria was probably gone as well to her, or at least they would be if her heart somehow survived this pounding it was taking.

Her voice was almost completely muffled by Rainbow's soft coat.

"I... just can't do it..." she mumbled, "I can't live without you, Rainbow... I can't go on... I could never go on without you... I just love you too much. There, I said it. I love you so much, Rainbow. I've seen just how amazing you truly are. I've seen you sacrifice so much for me. How could I NOT love you?!"

"Please!" cried her former impostor, "Please stop, Twilight Sparkle!"

The red-eyed unicorn placed a hoof over her chest in agony. Her soul was being crushed by the sight.

"NOO!!" Twilight screamed into her friend's chest; she had been blinded by her passion, "I have to tell her how much I love her! Even if she can't hear me!! I'll never stop saying it!! I love you, Rainbow!! Come back to me!! Be with me!! Stay with me!! Live with me!! All of this would have been for nothing if you don't get up!! NOW!!!"

Twilight's voice, after being silenced for nearly three days, reached its zenith; its boiling point. Her voice carried far above every sound in the immense chasm, including the dull hum of the monstrous pillar of energy, slowly drilling its way into the mountain and killing it.

"LILYYYY!!!" she screeched in agony, "Lily!!! Please help me save Rainbow!!!! HELP ME!!!"



That was the final straw.


The mare who had been her enemy from the start collapsed as her heart at last gave out.


The mention of that single name shredded her soul into tiny, insignificant fragments.



THUMP! THUMP!!


This time, two torrential bursts of magic tore an even larger scar into the earth.




Her two clones standing close by her side managed to assist her at the last instant, preventing her from colliding with the rough, heated floor. Her flaming aura all but disappeared into sheer nothingness as her jaw hung low in utter disbelief, blood still pooling beneath her.

"Leader," one of her clones acknowledged, "Can you stand?!"

"How?" she mumbled to herself, completely ignoring her, "How... does she know... of her?"

It took her a few seconds to regain her composure, but the damage had clearly been done.

Her tears welled and flowed as Twilight's did, as well as her other clone who resembled her old self. They both knew it at that moment, and it was something so palpable and unavoidable.

Twilight Sparkle had somehow won.



She stood up and approached, and somehow, she did so upon confident feet. Her spirit had been broken. Every pain within her face and neck, all the blood flowing down her cheeks, all the weakness in her body... had now all been for nothing. She did not notice any of it. After walking only a few yards, she found herself above Twilight and the pegasus, staring down upon them through pity and defeat, heavy in her own eyes. The lavender unicorn chanced a teary glance up at her and gasped at her horrifying features. With a quick wave of her hoof and a little assistance from her magic, she removed the bandages that plagued one half of her face.

Twilight held a startled hoof over her mouth when she saw the scars, terrible burns that horribly disfigured an entire hemisphere of her head. Her mane had been let down slightly to her help cover it up, but the strands could only hide so much. She would've looked terribly menacing to anypony, save for her rampant tears and blood, mixing and coalescing over her muzzle and cheeks.

She had clearly been through torture of the highest magnitude, physically and emotionally.



"Twilight Sparkle... One of my greatest students," she spoke just above a whisper; her voice was weak, yet refined.


There was a moment of silence; the unicorn still reeled in her own pain, and could not quite fathom the words she just uttered. She searched her memory, yet could only find faint fragments with which to piece a clear picture together. She tried remembering her eyes, for their deep scarlet coloring was unique among most ponies, but she had never been good at memorizing faces. And her professors, of whom she had few and little time with, she could barely remember any of them either.

Quite frankly, she was embarrassed that she did not come to the conclusion immediately... yet she did finally.

"Y-you..." Twilight muttered through her sobbing, "Y-you were my... W-why would you...?"

"You don't even remember me, do you?" she asked quietly, "I suppose I can't rightly blame you, Miss Sparkle. I never was meant to be a professor. I always knew I was meant for greater--"

"KILLING RAINBOW IS GREATER?!!!!"

She screamed as loudly as her tired lungs would allow, nearly deafening her foe.

"Miss Sparkle, she is not gone... yet," the scarred unicorn carefully cocked her head toward the immense pillar of light, "But there is still time. I'll handle this, just as I handle everything else."

Twilight watched her raise an unsteady hoof, enveloping it within her own red fire. Her horn flared to life as well and she began extracting a pure white aura from the beam. Her clones showed extreme hesitance at this seemingly simple act, terribly afraid of the ramifications, for they would be great.

"B-but leader!!" one clone cried out.

"No pony can stop me from this!" she retorted, "I will deal with the consequences of my actions personally!! Just let me do this!"

Twilight let the unicorn closer into Rainbow's personal space, even allowing her to place a gentle hoof on her mare's chest. The light she extracted from the beam traced a line through her one outstretched hoof, into her shoulders, through her chest, and down through her opposite hoof, directly into Rainbow's heart. She couldn't quite tell what her former teacher was doing at this point, but she seemed to be genuine in offering her help.

"Why are you helping me?" asked Twilight, "All you've done is hurt us so far, so why are you helping us?"

"Because Twilight," she gave her a bloody and teary glance, "I know love when I see it."

Rainbow's back left hoof twitched slightly, but she had commanded Twilight's full attention now.

"You destroyed Ponyville... you took my voice..." the weaker unicorn whispered.

"I have done far worse things than that, I'm afraid to say."

"But... why?"

"For a plethora of reasons, I must admit. However, I suppose my greatest would be not being heard by anypony. I screamed my heart out before the committee, Celestia's committee as it were, and still they chose not to listen to me."

"Is that why... you destroyed Canterlot then?"

"Partially... but I started with Ponyville first because I wanted her to know I was coming; coming for revenge of the highest order."

"That's not it though," Twilight interjected, "That's not why you're helping me now. I can see it."

The bloody mare chuckled under her breath, still feeding her spell into Rainbow's body. Twilight gave notice to her friend's life returning, though she had difficulty giving her attention to both mares simultaneously.

"You always were quick to catch on, Miss Sparkle."

Yet another tear fell from her cheek to the hot stone below.

"You're right about that," she admitted, "I'm helping you for my own reasons now. I've seen your pain, and you could never understand how much you remind me of myself. I've seen my love fall away right before my eyes, and how I wished that someone would hear my screams of agony. Yet, my cries always fell on deaf ears..."

"I... don't know what to say," Twilight muttered.

"You don't have to say anything," she responded, "I have already said everything for you. Everypony in Equestria knows of my pain now, and I suppose of yours."

"THEY ALL THINK I'M CRAZY BECAUSE OF YOU!!!" screamed Twilight.

She chuckled again, for she had another secret. Her voice was growing weaker, and she was finding it more and more difficult to stifle a cough here and there.

"Don't be so sure..." she choked on those words, "Celestia knows you are innocent, and honestly, that's all that really seems to matter in this country. Everypony only truly cares for what she thinks."

"T-that..." Twilight paused, "That's not always true."

The mare continued to be impressed by her own handiwork, feeling life slowly return to the pegasus. Her crimes would cost her dearly.

"Believe me, Miss Sparkle. It is true. I was handed the keys to a never-ending lifetime of opulence and power, and then I was stripped of it. I pleaded with Celestia for years, but... they were wasted years, now I see. I never even spoke to her again, until I requested my marriage to be held in Canterlot."

"You were going to get married?" asked Twilight as she tried to stifle more sniffling, "To whom? What was his name?"

"Heheh," she let out a small laugh in irony, then began to let her tears flow again. A colossal ocean of repressed feelings flooded her heart as she tried to find the words. She winced in agony, painfully remembering the face she loved, coughing while trying to spit out the name.

"The name you cried out for, just moments ago... 'sniff'," she sobbed heavily, "Where did you hear that name, Twilight?"

The weak unicorn was flabbergasted that she had brought it up, for she never thought it would be relevant to her.

She answered hesitantly.

"D-do...

you mean...





Lily?"




"YES!!" the mare suddenly shouted, "Where did you hear it, Twilight?!"




"She... told me herself," she whispered in reply.



"But... she never met you before, Miss Sparkle. She told me herself as well..." her eyes were clenched shut tightly, yet her tears kept coming. "She was so beautiful, Twilight. So beautiful in fact, she could make the princesses envious. Perhaps they were jealous!"


"I... don't understand," Twilight nervously stated.




"Don't you see?" the mare continued to choke, "She was so perfect, and yet imperfect at the same time. It took her four years to be able to speak to me, and yet I stayed!! I stayed by her even though she was mute!! I stayed by her despite the looks we received!! The cowards could never understand what we shared!! She loved me, and I loved her. So much so, that I was willing to bring Equestria to the brink of ruin to prove my love!! And then she died!!! She died!! SHE DIED!!!"

THUMP!! THUMP!! THUMP!!!!!

Her screams echoed even above the shouts of the earth itself. The chasm was not flooded by the noise of her blasts, but of the torrential bellows created by her vocal chords. She coughed up even more blood and fell defeated, still lightly giving Rainbow Dash what little she could. Her face released any tension, her features relaxed, her body let loose any stress, her limbs nearly fell limp, and her eyes fluttered in complete disarray.


"For you see, Twilight Sparkle..." she whispered,




"My agony knows no limit..." she continued,





"My love for her cannot be quelled...





Not for her...



Her beauty captured my soul...



And that... is why I made Lily my bride...


She was so beautiful."


Twilight had difficulty searching for an appropriate response, instinctively clutching Rainbow even tighter.

"I-I... wish I could've seen it..."



"By my power," the mare whispered, and paused, "You can, Twilight."

Author's Note:

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

I have some people I'd like to thank. Because honestly, if they weren't here, then this chapter might not have been either.

Kitasatina Mestina
Foals Errand
Lelouch Vi Britania
Senyu
Timelord358
LightningBass94
Tidal
EddWar
Hawkeye364
SHL
deli73
Timaeus
Undercover Brony

Thanks for the support guys!! :twilightsmile:

And thank you, Raven, for dealing with my constant nagging. Sorry. :facehoof:

WARNING: I am releasing my tie-in Chrysalis Story along with this chapter and it DOES contain spoilers. If you don't want anything ruined, then I suggest you finish reading this chapter FIRST.

Chryssi story: SPOILERS