Shadows of the Past

by Dr Atom Discharge

Chapter Eight: Doctors and Demons (Unedited)

Shadows Of The Past
Chapter Eight: Doctors and Demons

Last time: The ancient stone stairs, now smeared in blood leading up to where the newly erected gate had once stood, the splintered mess hanging off the hinges, smoke rose up from behind the falls, far too much for it to just be. The smell of brunt flesh, fabric and wood filled the air; striking terror into Twilight’s heart.

Luna gasped next to Twilight and the two captains suddenly became deadly serious but Twilight was the first up the steps, galloping at full speed up the ancient stonework and through the tattered remains of the gate into main courtyard, the shredded pieces of the tents smouldering on the ground. The blood smears seemed to follow to the stair case to the lower levels. Twilight kept going and was down the stairs just as the others came through the front gate.

Twilight galloped down the stairs with speed, and when she reached the bottom two guards galloped out to meet her, both were laced with sweat and one had a nasty cut on his cheek.
“It’s good that you’re back, we couldn’t stop them… they were like a couple of demons, one of the guards had caught them conspiring together… we went to investigate, and it all went to hell, fires started, and the guards started dying, it was all we could do to push them back into the library.” The guard with the cut cheek said catching his breath.

Twilight looked at him desperately “But who was it!?” Twilight said with worriedly.
“Ma’am, it was discord and-“ The guard stopped and they both saluted
“Your highness!” they both looked up at the princess who was now stood behind Twilight wearing a stern glare of seething anger.

“So Discord is behind this then!?” The Lunar Princess demanded causing the guards to flinch. Luna marched past Twilight and into the next room where the majority of the guards were posted around a barricaded door while the others seemed to be occupied tending to the wounded. Or counting the dead.

They all crowded around a table that had been set up for the commanders, Twilight kept looking around for Atom but could not spot him, not among those guarding the door, nor those tending the wounded… and thankfully not among the dead. Although, that left few options, and even fewer desirable ones.

Twilight’s attention snapped back to the Princess who had been issuing orders to do with wounded and dead when a young unicorn guard, about Twilight’s age, if not a year or two older, stepped up to the Princess. “Your highness, they have put up a magical barrier over the door, we can’t break through and we think they are trying to get into the Library!” The guard said panicked slightly.

Luna’s gaze hardened “Damn It Discord… We trusted you!” Luna said, marking through the ranks of soldiers towards the door, she stopped; her horn glowed as she lowered it towards the invisible barrier. For a moment nothing happened, but then there was a massive flash of light.

A few moments later everyone in the room came to, and sat up; The Princess was already sat in front of the barrier with a look of terror as the troops around her sat up rubbing their heads. Twilight watched the Princess mutter under her breath “No… no, no, no… this magic doesn’t exist in Equestria, not any more…” The princess swivelled around to one of the soldiers “This isn’t Discord’s doing! Who else is in there!? Who is he working with!?” She demanded, terrifying the young guard who managed to stammer out the response.
“D-d-doctor… Discharge your highness, Atom Discharge.”

All of the guards and the Princess looked at Twilight and watched in her eyes as her entire world collapsed, before solidifying into pure fury. Twilight was like a mare possessed, she marched towards the door her horn and eyes glowing purple. The guards parted before her as she marched towards the door she lowered her horn and let out a blast that didn’t blast apart the door… it obliterated it; all that was left was dust and a hole. The entire structure shook in response and Twilight stepped through the threshold. The next guard who tried to follow through hit the barrier again as it fixed itself.

Twilight marched through the dust and emerged in the empty room leading up to the Library door, at which stood Atom studying it, while Discord sunbathed on the ceiling. Twilight marched forth and Atom turned around to look at her, a wicked grin spread across his face. “My, my, you’re back rather early, I’d expected to be out of here before you’d ever gotten back, then again, this hasn’t exactly gone to plan now has it?” Atom said, letting out a dark chuckle.

Twilight continued marching towards Atom, fire burning in her eyes. “What are you doing?! You killed them! You burned down the Camp! And… and… you lied to me!” Twilight said angrily pressing right up into Atom’s face. Atom simply raised an eye brow and turned back towards the door, studying it again.
“Yes? Do you even know what I was doing? What my plan was?” Atom said very calmly.

Twilight looked away slightly embarrassed “N-no.” Twilight admitted, realising how brash she had been, but her anger rose again as Dr Discharge chuckled casually.
“Things really haven’t been going to plan… I should have known I couldn’t kill the Princess by myself that day… but things were just going far too well... but then Luna came and rescued us, and a much better started falling into place, and even better after Discord was released-“
“Ooooh yes!” Discord said sitting up in the lounging chair on the ceiling.
“Oh go back to your lazing” Discharge scoffed.

“Atom… sure she banished you for a few years… but why kill her!? Isn’t that taking this too far… Atom?” Twilight tried to reason, but Atom simply froze and looked around at her with an icy glare.
“A few years…? A FEW YEARS!? It’s been 13 years since I was banished! 13!!” Atom yelled “Twilight… I wasn’t there when my father died… should have, but at the time I was hiding in a Griffon Black Smith’s work shop hiding from the clan’s guards who had heard about my bounty!” Atom shouted with sorrow in his voice “If he deserved to die… so does she… no one is immortal… everyone has to die… even Celestia” Atom said quietly, turning back to the door.

Twilight looked down, trying to hold back her tears of sorrow, anger, and betrayal “Then why did you use us? Why play along this whole time? And why toy with me?” Twilight said still looking down, the tears now spilling over; slightly dampening the floor. Atom didn’t turn around to answer.
“Well, like I said, I came up with a new plan; you see I knew that I’d never be strong enough to defeat the Princess, in fact, the only real chance I stood to defeat the Princess is to set her against her sister or discord. And so I planned to set the Princesses in battle against each other; one would die, and the other weakened enough for Discord to easily finish her off. Now this is the best part Twilight, I know you’ll just love this bit.”

Atom turned around with a wicked grin spread across his face, moving towards Twilight “Princess Cadence would not be next in line, oooh no Twilight, you see; the throne, the crown, would go to Princess Celestia’s Apprentice, the one the Princess had been training since she was a young child. You Twilight would ascend to the throne. And I would have been there by your side, with you head over heels in love with me, I could bend the entirety of Equestria to my whim through your weak minded rule.” Atom let of a dark and sinister chuckle.

At that Moment Twilight’s fragile heart crumbled replaced with a solid lump of anger. She turned to Atom with a glare “You Bastard.” She said, barely a whisper. Atom raised an eyebrow
“What was that?” he said with an amused chuckle.
“You Bastard…” she said just louder. She looked up the blazing furies of hell burning in her eyes “YOU BASTARD!” She screamed, fear flashed in Atom’s eyes as he saw her eyes burning with magic, her horn glowed with magic, sparks flying from it.

Twilight let the Anger flow through her, putting everything into this one blast of Magic. It charged through her body and out of her horn, it powered through the air, tearing it asunder and rocketing through before colliding with a dark red barrier of magic. The blast of purple magic broke apart against the barrier like nothing more than tissue paper.

“My, my, you actually had me a little worried Twilight.” Atom scoffed. Twilight stared in terror. “Oh Twilight, did you ever think you could actually harm me? I have studied Magic that you aren’t even allowed in Equestria.” Atom said Darkly. “Hmm… like this one” A blast of Dark Red magic bolted towards her and fired her back onto the floor.

Twilight tried to stand back up but she couldn’t move her body, she was completely helpless. She looked up to see Atom leaning down with a wicked grin, Discord looked over his shoulder. “Awww, so helpless, so weak.” The lord of chaos commented with a smug grin.

Then, before Twilight’s eyes all but Atom froze, her body went cold, and the air became thick and dusty, making it hard for her to breath. Atom’s grin spread wider, so that his cheek bones stretched up past the edges of his face. “I told you I’d find you” Atom said in a sweet filly’s voice “I told you that you wouldn’t escape” Said the cold Rasping voice of the Defiler.

A gust of spectral wind tore away at the background like wall paper, just as it tore away at Atom’s skin to show the Defiler’s skeletal figure looming over the still paralyzed purple unicorn. “I told you, you would be mineeee!” The last word merging into a horrific scream as the horrific figure lunged forwards.

Twilight screamed and lunged forward Tackling Atom onto the floor of the medical tent. Twilight looked around very confused. Atom was almost confused, looking up at Twilight looking more than a little startled. Twilight looked around at the others still gathered around the bed; Luna, Blade and Sabre looking down at them seeming rather startled, the doctor still frozen with shock holding a thermometer apparently about to take her temperature, and Discord who was rolling around mid-air

After Twilight and Atom had extricated themselves from each other they stood up, Twilight looked around at them with confusion. “W-what’s going on? Where am I?” Twilight asked in an almost desperate voice.
“Twilight, when we got to camp…” Luna said before looking at Blade and Sabre then back at Twilight “…Well you ran forwards, screamed… then collapsed. You’ve been out cold for about an hour now.” Luna explained, leaving Twilight even more confused.

“Er… Miss Sparkle, you should really get into bed, you need to rest.” The doctor said, snapping out of his stupor. Twilight began to protest but suddenly felt limbs become heavy and her breaths deepen. Now that the Adrenalin of the ‘dream’ had passed she could feel how tired her body was after her trying day.

“Y-yes… I think maybe a bit of rest is a good idea.” Twilight said crawling back into the bed but staying sat up as everyone left her tent, Atom giving a worried glace back before leaving. Outside Atom stopped Blade for a moment just put of ear shot.
“Blade, I want to ask you an important favour; if ever I am not around please keep an eye out for Twilight, she’s really starting to worry me” Atom requested with concern in his eyes. Blade simply nodded in return.

Twilight was about to slip back down when suddenly the air grew thick in her lungs and she doubled over, coughing and spluttering. In her ear she heard the sweet filly like voice of the Defiler:
“Peek-a-boo… I found you.”

Comments

[strongiron]

Amazing, just like I would expect from you.

[Shiro]

Great job on the chapter again, quite the twist. :p

[trigrbrony777]

Dang it, you almost had me there. Darn Defiler! And great work!

[Dr Atom Discharge]

D'awww, you guys make me so happy :D