One Wish For Nothing

by BlackRoseRaven

Unequal Consequences

Chapter Three: Unequal Consequences
~BlackRoseRaven

Twilight Sparkle knocked hesitantly on Princess Celestia's ajar door, peeking through into the winged unicorn's bedroom. But Celestia only held up a hoof from her seat at her writing desk as she finished a few notes in a large, old book, saying softly: “I'll be with you in just a moment.”

The violet mare nodded quickly, saying embarrassedly: “Okay. I don't want to rush you or anything, I'll just... wait right here...”

Celestia didn't bother replying, continuing to write for a few moments before she stopped with her quill on the page, and her gaze silent as she stared down at the book. At the endless river of text scrawled over these pages, all these hopes, these dreams, these desires... and so many of them were so foolish. Stupid. Idiotic. Worthless...

She stopped, then shook her head quickly before dropping the quill between the pages and carefully closing the tome. A book always written by hoof, a book that she did her best to never touch with magic. A journal from the days long, long ago...

She pushed herself away from the table, then turned her eyes towards Twilight Sparkle, asking softly: “Are you ready?”

Twilight smiled up at her: naïve, innocent, trusting, loving. It was almost enough to make Celestia feel guilty, but she knew what had to be done: Equestria's continuing peace was more important than the life of any single pony, after all.

Celestia gave a brief smile, and then she shook her head quickly before suggesting gently: “Why don't we head up to the observation tower? There, we'll have plenty of room, and we can talk a little in privacy, Twilight.”

The violet mare blushed and nodded a few times at this, looking up with delight and warmth at her mentor, apparently forgetting everything from the seriousness of the situation they were faced with, to the fact that she was about to be tested. Celestia found it both endearing and... a little worrying, too. Normally, after all, Twilight would be having ridiculous anxiety attacks over her tests – likely thanks to the fact that some part of her was well-aware she had no real talent in magic, and all of it came from her struggle to master spells that a skilled unicorn could learn in only a matter of hours.

Celestia softened a little as she looked at the mare: at least she could respect Twilight's work ethic. The few truly talented unicorns, after all, usually became indolent and lazy, and their arrogance often led to them dropping into pointless lives of luxury... if only Twilight had been born with some innate ability in magic! Then she truly would have been a worthy inheritor...

Well, except for this one little thing. A natural talent for dark magic... Celestia had to repress a shiver before she cleared her throat when she realized Twilight was still staring up at her ardently, the Princess prompting gently: “Why don't we go up there now, then?”

The violet mare nodded hurriedly several times, smiling warmly up at the ivory mare before turned around and almost bounced off the doorframe as she scampered back into the hall. Celestia sighed quietly, shaking her head slowly and wishing wryly for a cigarette or a stiff drink before she followed the young mare out into the corridor.

Their journey up to one of the observation towers was relatively uneventful. Well, Twilight rambled the entire way, but Celestia just nodded along now and then, not exactly interested in what the mare had to say, thinking about the much more pressing issues at hoof than all the silly garbage Twilight kept bringing up.

They reached the top of the tower without running into anyone apart from the Royal Guards that routinely patrolled the halls. And Twilight marveled up at the night sky with foalish awe as they stepped out onto the top of the tower, her eyes roving over the stars and up to the moon before she whispered: “It's all so beautiful...”

Celestia frowned a little as she stepped out onto the roof herself, looking moodily up into the night sky for a moment before she sighed inwardly. Yes, Luna had rearranged the stars and the moon in some half-hearted gesture... but Twilight, of course, was too thick to realize why things seemed so much closer and larger than usual, or that the arrangement of blinking stars formed what was almost a veiled warning...

“Twilight.” Celestia said gently, and immediately the purple mare turned her eyes towards her, smiling warmly, looking up at her expectantly.

Celestia bit her lip and hesitated for a moment... and then she sighed softly before leaning down and saying softly: “Why don't you demonstrate this magic to me, Twilight Sparkle? But be careful. This is a very advanced, very dangerous form of magic-”

“Oh, I know! I did some research, or... well... at least as much as I could manage by myself. There was barely any information on any of it, but... I managed to scrape up a few old articles from the historical archives on certain kind of magic and...” Twilight blushed before she awkwardly dropped her head. “I'm sorry, I'm rambling, I... I just want you to know that I've worked really hard on this and done everything in my power to make sure that I take every precaution and-”

“Twilight. Please demonstrate.” Celestia said gently, although it was incredibly difficult for her to keep the growing irritation out of her voice... and worse than that, the worry that was building in her body. The way Twilight was talking about it...

And then Celestia stared as Twilight smiled even as black energy crackled over her horn, a terrible miasma bleeding out of her eyes as she said in a voice that was friendly, happy, without the slightest bit of strain: “Sorry, Princess, I'll do it right away!”

Her horn crackled, and there was a toxic pulse before she calmly flicked it upwards: black flames shot in a jet out of the spire, shooting up into the air above and becoming a dark sun that floated ominously above their heads, as Twilight said proudly: “See? See, Princess Celestia? I think my training is finally paying off because it all feels so-”

Celestia sharply flicked her horn to the side, and Twilight winced in pain and surprise as there was a single bright flash that dispelled her dark magic. She mouthed slowly as Celestia looked down at her coldly before the ivory mare gritted her teeth: she was disgusted to see that even with her counterspell, her horn still thrummed with dark power and that miasma was still pouring out of her eyes... “P-Princess?”

“Twilight Sparkle, sit down and be quiet.” Princess Celestia said sharply, and the violet mare whimpered as she dropped on her rump and lowered her head... but the ivory mare gritted her teeth in frustration as she saw that dark malevolence was still glowing in her eyes and from her horn, as she snapped angrily: “And drop that aura, now!”

Twilight flinched, then hurriedly clenched her eyes shut, and a moment later that aura vanished from her... but she still stank of it, of the dark magic she had used, and Celestia shook her head in disgust before she said coldly: “So many years of training, of... investment and work. And now look at you. Using these dark powers, abusing these... poisons. Do you understand what you've done?”

“N-N-No... I... I didn't... I j-just wanted to impress you...” whispered Twilight, trembling hard as she looked up and swallowed thickly, but she was unable to meet Celestia's glare, her whole body shivering, tears already starting to run from her eyes as she whimpered: “I... I just w-w-want to b-be the best student I can be and... I feel... I want...”

“Twilight, that is dark magic, evil magic. I did not demonstrate it to you so that you would mimic it like a... a monkey. I showed it to you because I wanted you to understand the evil and the danger of it, which you have obviously failed to do.” Celestia snapped, shaking her head shortly before she said with disgust: “That kind of magic is not our magic, it is not the magic of Equestria, or civilized unicorns. It is the magic of evil. It is a poison, a darkness. It is wrong and bad.”

Twilight trembled violently, and then she looked up and blurted, trying helplessly to defend her actions: “I... but it's just m-magic! Magic can't be good or evil, it's what you do with it, like-”

“Enough! Don't try and talk about things you clearly don't understand!” Celestia shouted, leaning angrily down towards the mare, who cowered back with another whimper and dropped her head as her whole body shook. “Some magics are forbidden for a reason, and if you're so arrogant that you truly believe that you're... pure-hearted and strong-willed enough to resist temptations that have turned hundreds, if not thousands of real unicorn mages infinitely more talented than you into nothing but brainless animals like Sombra-”

“No! N-No! I never said that, I n-n-never...” Twilight trembled violently, and then gave up all semblance of trying to make sense, suddenly dropping to the ground and bursting into wailing, miserable sobs.

And Celestia, even with her iron will and her resolve to cut off any possible threat to the country before it was too late, felt a stirring of guilt and discomfort cut through her mind. She hesitated for a moment, biting her lip before she quickly shoved her emotions aside, leaning down and snapping: “Stop crying and acting like a filly, you brought this on yourself!”

“I... didn't mean t-to!” wailed Twilight, and she looked up frantically, tears leaking from her eyes, her whole body shaking with her sobs as she cried out, her voice cracking, so terrified and upset that it was almost a scream: “P-Please! Please! I w-w-won't ever do it again, please please please!”

“No. I have no other choice.” Celestia said coldly, raising her head slowly as her horn glowed with golden light, and Twilight whimpered, curling up in terror but staring up at her with those amethyst eyes that held no hate or anger for her, but only fear and despair and self-loathing and... and...

Twenty minutes later, Celestia emerged from the tower into the main hall, grimacing in distaste as she looked down at one bloody hoof before irritably wiping it against the floor. Then she glanced over her shoulder at one of the construct guards she'd put on duty here, saying coldly: “Keep this room sealed. I will be sending one of my servants up shortly to... deal with cleaning up.”

“You're a monster.” said a quiet voice, and Celestia slowly looked away from the golem to see Luna standing in the hall, trembling and glaring up at her defiantly... but fearfully, as well. “I... I can't believe you! Didn't you learn anything from the crusades? Mommy would never-”

“Mommy is dead.” Celestia said shortly, and Luna froze up, looking like she'd been punched. Celestia only looked at her impassively for a few moments, and then she shook her head and shoved past, saying disgustedly: “And you're welcome, by the way.”

Luna snarled over her shoulder, opening her mouth... and then her eyes widened as something clicked in her mind before she spun back forwards. She scrambled past the constructs and hurried into the tower's interior...

And there, near the base of the staircase, was Twilight's bloodied and battered body. Luna trembled as she approached it... then sighed in relief as she reached down, silently touching the side of the mare's neck as she whispered: “Alive... hurt, but... alive. But...”

Luna didn't understand. Twilight looked like she'd been beaten, and she was covered in blood... but there wasn't a cut or scar on her body. But as she examined the bruising and her hide, she saw the little signs of regrown flesh here and there... meaning Celestia had probably healed her after doing something to her, then left her here. But she had left her suffering: she hadn't healed her because she cared about her, clearly, but because it covered something up...

Luna studied the violet mare, then shivered and shook her head as Twilight only lay on the ground, lost in unconsciousness. But there wasn't anything she could do right now: Celestia had some purpose in mind, and Luna knew better than to try and interfere with her. Even when her big sister was putting someone else's life at risk; to Celestia, 'protecting' Equestria was all-important.

For a few moments, the sapphire mare looked silently down at the bloody unicorn, and then she sighed softly before reaching up and touching her temple gently, saying quietly: “I hope for your sake, you really are the one pony in this whole country my sister actually cares about.”

With that, Luna shook her head before turning and walking away, leaving Twilight trembling and alone in the darkness of her mind, the darkness of the tower... and the burning iron grip of Celestia.

Morpheus and Antecedes sat across from each other, the stallion staring intently at the chessboard as Antecedes rested back in his chair, paging through a newspaper. The skeleton seemed bored at the most: Morpheus, meanwhile, was treating this like it was the most intense challenge he had ever faced, sweating a little as his eyes flicked back and forth over his pieces and his hooves rubbed together uncomfortably.

They were in a little, comfortable den that was situated far beneath the castle: unlike the fortress above, these rooms were fully furnished and served more of a purpose than to act like a giant cardboard cutout designed to attract Celestia's attention. And, well, because what evil mastermind didn't have a fortress? Sure, Antecedes had pointed out that maybe breaking convention would be a good idea, since the 'evil fortress of evil' was kind of an easy landmark to find, but... well, Morpheus wanted to be found anyway! So Antecedes wasn't so damn smart after all.

The not-so-smart skeleton in question looked up from his newspaper as Morpheus hesitantly started to reach forwards, and then he said dryly: “You wouldn't take so long to make a move if you'd actually think about cause and effect beforehoof, oh benevolent evil overlord.”

“Be quiet! Chess is... chess is nothing like real war, everypony knows that. Real war does not have... rules, and luck plays as much a part as... the quantity and quality of soldiers and... a king such as myself can eliminate more than one pawn with his powers at a time!” retorted Morpheus, and then he angrily reached out and swept up a bishop before using it to rudely bat one of Antecedes' knights off the board, smiling in triumph. “There! Now what do you have to say to that?”tt

Without looking, Antecedes reached up and used a pawn to gently swat Morpheus' bishop over, saying mildly: “The king is the weakest piece in the game. He's designed to be a liability. But I'm happy to agree that you share quite a few characteristics with that piece in particular, sure. And speaking of kings, yours is in check.”

“What? I don't.... I can't... what?” Morpheus looked disbelievingly over the chessboard, and then he growled in frustration as he finally saw it: the queen had an open line of sight straight to his king, thanks to Antecedes' last move. “Well, aren't you so cute? Still, I've claimed your most powerful pieces, and-”

“You captured a rook and a knight, Moonflower, and you've lost most of your pawns, both bishops, both knights, and one rook. And that's only because we have nothing better to do so I'm drawing the game out.” Antecedes retorted, and Morpheus hissed like a teakettle before he slammed his hooves down on either side of the chessboard, making the table rattle and the pieces jump.

“Don't call me that! That is no longer my name! I am King Morpheus, Prince of Darkness!” he replied furiously, and then he reached out... before halting with a hoof over the chessboard, narrowing his eyes and then smiling thinly at Antecedes, who was only looking at him patiently. “Oh, I see. You know that your wit is no match for mine, so you're trying to get me angry. You are trying to use my emotions against me; rather cruel, Antecedes, this is supposed to be a game between friends. But you always do take things so seriously, don't you?”

Morpheus sat back, smiling calmly and brushing his silver mane away from his features. But the fact he was sweating and flushed and still breathing a little hard all went to show that maybe, just maybe, he was the one who had the problem with taking things seriously.

So, instead of responding, Antecedes turned his eyes back to the paper and said mildly: “That mare you like has a new fashion line. Dazzling Diamonds, clothes for the aspiring... prostitute, I suppose, from the look of them. Oh, and purses. Gaudy, ugly purses the size of backpacks.”

“You know nothing of fashion, Antecedes. It's not always about function, but about making a statement. And furthermore, clothing exists to accent our assets. We ponies are already strong and savvy enough to exist in any climate even without clothing, after all: it is a symbol of status.” Morpheus replied calmly, brushing at himself with a proud smile as he gestured at his own body. “Unless, of course, we ourselves are a greater symbol than our clothing could ever be.”

“You're just embarrassed about the fact that one of your wings is smaller than the other, and it makes it awkward to tailor anything for you.” Antecedes replied without looking up, and Morpheus scowled and reached back to touch one wing self-consciously before the skeleton added: “Bright's Bewildering Beat is finishing up a short three show run, but they're calling for it to run for at least a month more. It's been very popular.”

“I am not Dim Dunn.” growled Morpheus, scowling horribly at the skeleton as he absently extended one wing and rubbed at it awkwardly. “And you are not earning yourself any further into my favor by continuing to compare us.”

“Yes, I'm trying very hard to kiss flank right now.” Antecedes said ironically, and then he sighed quietly before folding the paper and becoming more serious as he dropped it in his lap, saying in a softer tone: “Look. What I'm trying to say is that you are rushing, and you are making connections where there are none to be made. And worst of all, you're hesitating.”

“I... I am not.” Morpheus muttered, looking awkwardly away as he continued to toy nervously with the end of his wing, and then he looked down and added grouchily: “I'm concentrating, that's all. You always resort to cheap tricks to win this game.”

“And you have yet to send out Neato Burrito, who I believe is still patiently waiting in his room.” Antecedes said mildly, steering the topic away from the chess game. There was an awkward silence for a few moments as Morpheus shifted in his seat, trying to come up with some excuse, but the skeleton asked in a quieter voice: “What are you afraid of?”

Morpheus shifted again, and then he sighed and dropped his head, mumbling: “It might be... succeeding, Antecedes. Because you're right, I talk a big game, but... part of me is hesitating. Not about right or wrong, good or evil... I don't care about those things. What I care about is that I feel strangely... content right now. Celestia is afraid of me and I am powerful and have established myself. I have minions and... well, Neato, and you. It seems like such a shame that this is all going to be gone so fast.”

“It doesn't have to be.” Antecedes said gently, and Morpheus frowned as he looked up, before the skeleton shrugged and gestured towards him. “You could change your plan, that's all I'm saying. Maybe... maybe try and pick the Elements of Harmony off one at a time, at your leisure. Maybe you should confront Celestia and fight her... but leave her defeated. Leave her struggling. You could take over, or form your own kingdom... you don't have to do... this.”

“I do, though, I... I do. I need to prove that I am superior in every way... and I know that if I push Celestia too hard, if I threaten her too much, she'll use it against me!” Morpheus' voice rose, becoming angrier... but not at Antecedes. He was angry at the world, for leaving him in this impossible predicament. “As it is, we know the only reason she doesn't use it is because it will require stripping the Elements of Harmony of their power!”

“What once was, back again.” muttered Antecedes, and then he sighed quietly and shook his head slowly as the crimson light of his eyes flickered. “Look. Celestia likely doesn't even know that you know of the existence of the tablet. And even if she did, she wouldn't imagine that you know how to activate it, or about her true face. And... as painful as this might be for you to think about... you do not have to display your full power. You could... choose to lose.”

“I am not a comic book character or a villain from some child's cartoon! I am evil, real evil! And I am powerful and I will not have them... laugh at me or cast me aside anymore!” snapped Morpheus, and then he bad-temperedly swept a foreleg out, knocking chess pieces flying off the board.

There was silence for a few moments, and then Antecedes sighed again and sat back, shrugging and saying quietly: “Look. It's your call, Morpheus. I'm not a big fan of being not-alive, and what you want to do is something I want to see happen, because... for one thing, I'll be dead. For another, it would be incredible. We would see magic like had never been imagined in action. We would watch the death of an entire civilization, if not an entire world... we would have proof that there is a power out there, on a level that makes us look like gnats... and prove to everyone on this miserable little planet that we are no more important than... clumps of dirt on the ground or the dust in the air or anything else, in the grand scheme of things.”

“Death by existentialism.” Morpheus said dryly, and then he shivered a little and shook his head slowly. “I... I suppose I should tell Neato Burrito that it's time for him to get going, then.”

“I suppose you should.” Antecedes sounded strangely disappointed, and the stallion frowned across at his skeletal friend for a moment... but then only shrugged when Antecedes turned away to start picking up the pieces that had been knocked off the chessboard.

He lingered all the same for a moment, but then cleared his throat and slid out of his seat, gesturing awkwardly at the door and saying lamely: “I... I suppose I will, then. I'll. See you.”

Antecedes only grunted, and the stallion scowled at him for a moment before grumbling and turning, pushing his way out into the corridor. He almost ran right into a living suit of armor, the winged unicorn swearing under his breath as he carefully slipped past the silent sentinel slowly stalking through the hall.

He had no idea why Antecedes had insisted on creating such creepy creatures to crawl around these corridors: it wasn't like anyone was ever going to be able to sneak through all the layers of security above without being noticed, after all. But that was Antecedes: always concerned about silly 'what-ifs' and 'could-happens' and all this other nonsense.

Morpheus peered suspiciously over his shoulder after the animated suit of armor, then he huffed and turned his eyes back forwards, striding quickly down the hall to the far end. He bit his lip as he hovered uncertainly in front of the door for a moment, and then awkwardly rose his hoof-

The door was flung open, and Neato Burrito almost-glared out of the doorway at him, Morpheus wincing a bit before the earth pony saluted sharply and said fiercely: “I will make your enemies quiver in fear of you! Just give the word, boss, just give the word and I shall be on my way!”

“I uh... thank you, Neato Burrito.” Morpheus found himself hesitating again all the same, for more reasons than just the awkward vigor of the stallion, but then the winged unicorn closed his eyes and forced himself to take a long breath before saying almost grudgingly: “I... yes, I think it's time for you to send a message to Canterlot. I would like you to...”

Morpheus stopped, realizing he didn't actually have a target for Neato Burrito in mind. While he could just have the earth pony attack the castle, there was a chance that even the mighty little Luchador could be overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of Celestia's soldiers... or, more likely, he'd fall in the moat and drown, since the little stubby pony couldn't swim and sank like a rock.

But then a brilliant idea came to the stallion's mind, and his eyes widened slightly before he smiled suddenly, saying calmly: “I would like you to attack the theater playing host to Bright's Bewildering Beat, in Canterlot. It's something that no pony will be able to ignore, and it will force all of Equestria to acknowledge my presence.”

“I will, Señor Morpheus! I do not entirely agree with the rampant destruction of property, but in this case, I know it shall bring me great honor because they have been mocking your good name!” I will teach them to never slander a great pony like you again!” declared Neato Burrito, and Morpheus groaned and dropped his face in a hoof.

Neato frowned for a moment... but then suddenly brightened and nodded firmly, saying with a wide, rather frightening grin: “Yes! You are right, this is not a job for Neato Burrito!”

The stallion leapt backwards, slamming the door violently, and Morpheus swore and staggered backwards as the wood smacked painfully into his nose, grabbing at his muzzle as his eyes watered. But before he could even take a breath to shout, the door was flung back open, and the earth pony stepped back out in full Luchador regalia.

Silver and white boots covered his hooves, and a matching vest clung tightly to his body: this latter was connected to a heavy, U-shaped yoke of steel that locked around his neck, but left his throat bare instead of connecting, with large studs along the body. Really, the costume was quite simple...

But it was the mask that drew all the attention, and much more complex. It was a steel-silver, with narrow holes for his beady eyes and a single large gap that his muzzle poked through. Tight straps went under his chin to secure it, and thick, hanging veils of cloth fell down to his shoulders to half-cover the sides of his muzzle, making it harder to identify him and adding a sense of mysteriousness. Or making it look like he was wearing a mare's veil, Morpheus was never really quite sure.

The most terrifying thing about the mask, however, was the fact that there was a massive metal horseshoe that stood out of the front of it, upside down so the arms of the U-shaped piece of metal formed blinders on either side of his face, so thick that it almost completely blocked the sides of his muzzle from view. The horseshoe was immense and polished and black, secured by... well, Morpheus honestly had no idea, but despite its weight, the mask never seemed to strain or tear even though it was securely attached to the material. Either it was magical, or Neato Burrito was a lot better at sewing and stitching and costuming than he'd ever let on.

“This is a job for El Casco!” roared Neato Burrito... or rather, 'El Casco.' Morpheus grimaced a bit at this, as the alter ego of his loyal henchpony rose his head proudly. “I shall defend your honor, Señor Morpheus! Now, do not fear, for none have ever defeated El Casco, inside or outside of the ring! I shall ensure that you prevail, and in a way that is not contemptible nor will leave you a victim of further slurs upon your reputation!”

“Yes. Thank you.” Morpheus said moodily, noting ironically that if there ever really was a meeting of evil minds, Neato Burrito would likely get him thrown out of the meeting within the first minute. And then he would have to go back in and kill everyone just to ensure they all knew he was the superior force of darkness... so really, it's a good thing there's no other known evil lords around here. The darkness is a lonely place, but it's better that way. Because the alternative is... this.

El Casco was looking at him, eyes blazing with excitement, ready to move and do whatever he commanded... and Morpheus couldn't help but smile a little, in spite of his misgivings, his frustration, his... well, unfairness. Because like it or not, he knew that Neato Burrito was someone he could count on, someone he could trust; something very rare to have in your life even when you weren't pure evil.

“Alright... El Casco. You have your orders. Destroy the theater, and announce who sent you. Send a challenge to Celestia, then return here immediately: try not to get in any other fights along the way.” Morpheus said calmly, and the Luchador saluted sharply. He didn't move immediately, however, and there was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments before Morpheus sighed tiredly and grumbled: “So commands Señor Morpheus to his honorable Luchador, El Casco.”

“And El Casco hears him, and is away!” roared the earth pony, almost shaking the walls of the corridor as Morpheus winced, and then the Luchador dashed off so quickly he seemed to leave a streak of color in his wake.

The winged unicorn scowled moodily after the small pony, then he shook his head slowly before muttering: “Sometimes I wonder what possessed me to save that idiot.”

He paused for a moment, then shrugged briefly before turning and letting his hooves carry him down the corridor, as he thought idly about the day he had met Neato Burrito: a day that he both remembered fondly and regretted horribly.

It hadn't been long after his escape from Tartarus, actually... he had been out looking for a place to set up his new home, and he had ended up coming across a very curious sight: a dragon, attacking an earth pony. What he'd found strange was that the earth pony was actually fighting back.

Now, of course, he knew all about the laws and treaties Celestia had enforced with the dragons. Back then, he'd just assumed it was some unlucky pony who'd been attacked and was going to serve as a nice lunch for the giant red lizard.

But he'd been intrigued by how hard the little pony had fought. So hard, as a matter of fact, he'd managed to punch out several of the dragon's teeth and torn swathes through its scales. The dragon was furious and focused completely on the little pony, less intent on eating him and more just on killing the earth pony for these humiliations...

And not even knowing completely why, Morpheus had targeted one of the dragon's wounds before sending a spear of dark magic through the hole in the beast's scaly armor. It had torn apart most of the dragon's neck and felled the great beast... although of course the dragon collapsed right on top of the little stallion in his death throes. Which was an image that still amused Morpheus to this day.

He had calmly taken the opportunity to help himself to some of the dragon's still-fresh blood, any usable scales he could gather, and most of the beast's remaining teeth... but after about twenty minutes, the little earth pony had wriggled his way out from beneath the behemoth and run over to him. To the winged unicorn's surprise, the earth pony had thanked him profusely, then gone on a long ramble about how this dragon was some... terror of the valley, blah blah blah, saved the village, helped people, did great stuff, and other nonsense.

He'd only perked up when the stallion had pledged his loyalty to him: this had quickly turned to irritation when he'd discovered that this stallion, who loudly introduced himself and his career with a passion that Morpheus had at first mistaken as arrogance, was going to follow him everywhere he went. Eventually, he'd tried shooing Neato Burrito away with magic... only for the stallion to shrug this off and then compliment on him his 'blazing energy.'

Morpheus had been stunned by this turn of events. He had tried another, more powerful spell, and it had barely left a mark on the already-beaten-and-bruised Neato Burrito, who had laughed and declared him a 'promising beginner of Lucha Libre!'

So Morpheus had accidentally gained a loyal servant, one far stronger and more-solid than your average pony. And Neato Burrito had been with him for quite some time: they'd freed Antecedes from where he'd been imprisoned by Celestia, and Neato Burrito often ran out and took care of all the necessities for him, like shopping for things and spying on ponies and gathering information... while his alter-ego, the fearsome El Casco, robbed banks, stole precious objects, and beat up anyone that Morpheus told him to beat him. So really, it had all worked out quite well.

The winged unicorn absently pushed his way into his room, then approached his bed and crawled into it with a sigh of pleasure. It was a giant, soft thing that he literally sank into the mattress of, with blankets messily scattered around it and all variety of pillows, including one that was suspiciously shaped like a pony. Morpheus rose his head almost furtively to look back and forth around his dimly-lit room, and then he reached out and snatched this up before pulling it against his chest and flopping onto his back.

He mumbled a little to himself as he sank into the comfort of his bed, wishing strangely that... things had been different. He felt himself slipping down into a strange unhappy void, staring listlessly up at the ceiling as he clung to his pony-shaped pillow, and then he gritted his teeth in a badly-faked display of anger, trying to convince himself that was his... his insurmountable rage and aggression just boiling a hole in him, not... not sad feelings, which were for babies and good people.

“I... I will have my revenge!” snapped Morpheus, and then he dropped his head sulkily and muttered: “I... it's all your fault, Celestia. Your cruelty made me become what I am today.”

He stopped, then glanced awkwardly down at himself as his wings fluttered a bit at his side: okay, he was a handsome, powerful, nigh-omnipotent winged unicorn with an army at his command and his own fortress. Still, well... “Your... I mean, your cruelty caused the wounds in me that will never heal! Like... like my wing!”

Morpheus snapped his slightly-short wing out, nodding violently before he awkwardly folded this to begin playing with the tips of it with his hooves, still keeping the pony pillow hugged tight against his chest as he grumbled: “And I will have my revenge. Just you wait and see, Celestia. You might be laughing now... or... you might think you're laughing right now, but you're not. Your laughter is just a prelude to your screams of fear, a sad denial of your impediment fate!”

“I think you mean 'impending,' boss.” said a sour voice, and Morpheus squeaked, his first reaction being to squish himself further into bed and try to hide under his wing before he sat up with a glower at his writing desk.

It looked at first like there was nothing there, but after a moment, a tiny shape leapt up and landed on the table. It waddled forwards, and Morpheus blew his mane out of his eyes before he leaned sourly towards the tiny, rotund... “Toad. What are you doing here? You're sliming everywhere.”

Aptly-named Toad scowled at Morpheus: he was an ugly, warty, fat little thing, with sullen eyes... and a surprisingly-rumbling voice, as he growled in return: “If I had a choice, I wouldn't be here at all. But genius that you are, Mr. I'm Better Than My Teachers, you're the one who had to test forbidden black magic on his pet.”

“Oh, here we go again with the You Tested The Phoenix Spell On Me speech!” complained Morpheus, who waved a hoof dismissively. “I think that a few tiny inconveniences are nothing in compared to the infinite power and invulnerability I have imparted upon you.”

“'Little inconveniences?' Every time my life ends, I spontaneously combust! And then I come back as an egg! And if you forget to put me in a glass of water, when I hatch, I blow up. And I go through this over and over again until you go 'duhr huhr, hey, hey there, I guess I should put you in that aquarium, huh?'” retorted the amphibian angrily, stomping his floppy feet a few times before he pointed furiously at Morpheus, who scowled back at him. “And the fact you gave me pony level intelligence just means that, instead of being a dumb toad who blows up, then forgets about it, and lives out a happy life wallowing in mud and eating bugs, I spend every freaking day remembering and fearing the horrific pain that the so-called 'end' of my life will bring, wondering if I'm trapped in some reincarnating hell because I was some horrifically-evil pony in life!”

“I told you not to read those philosophy books. I told you. That's your fault.” Morpheus muttered, flopping back in his bed and sighing as he furled his wings and hugged his pony pillow against his chest. “Now leave Daddy alone, he wants to sleep.”

Toad groaned and closed his eyes, dropping his face into one webbed palm as he mumbled: “Dude, I am not a cat and you are not my father. Being your pet is bad enough. Can you at least not talk to me like I'm retarded, like your Loochie pal?”

Morpheus huffed at this, threatening: “If you don't treat him with a bit more respect, Toad, I'm going to let him boil you in a pot. Lucadores love frogs' legs.”

“No, that's those fancy ponies from across the ocean. You don't even know your stereotypes, colt, that's sad.” Toad huffed at this, then he waddled to the edge of the table, leaning forwards and asking grouchily: “So when are you going to feed me, by the way? I'm hungry.”

“You're always hungry, you bottomless pit.” muttered Morpheus, and then the winged unicorn gave a long, drawn-out sigh... but didn't move from his spot on the bed, saying mildly: “Go feed yourself. You have the intelligence to.”

Toad groaned, then whined: “Yeah, but I also don't have telekinesis or magical powers or anything else! Come on, you could at least get the jar for me! It's not like I can hunt anything else out here, either... ever since you splattered this whole place with dark energy, most of the bugs have grown bigger and meaner than I am. You owe your pet.”

“You hate being called my pet.” Morpheus grumbled, covering his head with the pony pillow and trying to hide beneath it, but he could still feel Toad glaring at him.

“I do, but it's the only thing that seems to get your butt in gear. Unless I bring up the story about how you tried to pass me off as your familiar when you went to magic school...” Toad wheedled, and the winged unicorn groaned and covered his ears with his hooves, the pony pillow tumbling off his head.

“Stop, stop! Fine, you idiot. Besides, you are my familiar.” Morpheus muttered, and then he sat up and held a hoof out, a jar floating down from a nearby shelf as he added in a mumble: “My familiar pain in the flank...”

Toad huffed at this, but then licked his lips greedily and hopped over to the edge of the table closest to the jar as Morpheus carefully opened it. He winced backwards from it, then uncomfortably tipped it forwards to pour a few mutilated bug-corpses into the lid, saying grudgingly: “Here. Now go away and leave me alone.”

Toad ignored him, his tongue lashing out to sweep up one the broken bodies greedily, and Morpheus turned his eyes away with a nauseated expression, adding in a groan: “Why of all the powerful, incredible magical creatures I've created, did you have to be the only one to return to me?”

“Hey, you sent that loony Loochie to come and break me out! You wanted me back!” whined Toad, and then he snatched up the last bug from the lid and chewed it up slowly, before saying thoughtfully: “I think you're lonely without me, boss. And I think you know who has all the real ideas here. Who's in charge. Who's got the master plan.”

“I do.” growled Morpheus, slamming the lid back on the jar.

“Those weren't questions.” Toad replied flatly, and then he sniffed disdainfully before adding grumpily: “And you know, you don't have to be such a giant wad, either. Look at you, you're acting like a caterpillar who crawled into a cocoon all excited, only to find out he turns into a moth. And then he gets eaten.”

Morpheus floated the jar of dead bugs back up to the top of one shelf, where he didn't have to look at it. Then he looked moodily over at Toad, considering doing the same to his pint-sized sidekick. “I forget why you were my pet in the first place.”

“Because, Moony, your parents were too poor to afford a dog. So you went out and picked me up and claimed I was a magic frog. Being too dumb and naïve at that time to understand that we toads are much more sophisticated and advanced than frogs.” replied Toad primly, brushing at himself with one webbed set of fingers.

The winged unicorn rolled his eyes, then he reached up and flicked Toad onto his back, grumbling: “Or maybe it's because I'm trying to create a better version of the phoenix spell, and you, my friend, are my only possible lead.”

“Thanks, chief.” Toad grumbled, still sprawled on his back. Then the little amphibian carefully rolled over and climbed back up to his feet, asking finally: “Why do you care, though? I mean. You're always doing all these weird little experiments and stuff, but... you know if you destroy Equestria...”

“Yes, I know.” Morpheus dropped his eyes, then he curled his short wing forwards to silently start playing with it, his eyes closed as he mumbled: “I know. But that is the ultimate goal, Toad... I'm... I'm merely trying to entertain myself before I bring this world crashing down into nothingness. Once I get the tablet...”

He quieted, then looked down and said softly: “The tablet contains our world's memories, and what our world dreams of. Whoever holds the tablet can use it to make any wish they want... can shape reality as they desire. I will gain entry to it with the Elements of Harmony, and then I will use it to... to make one wish, for nothing. And then everything will be nothing and there won't be any more hope or dreams or nightmares or suffering...”

He closed his eyes tightly, breathing slowly in and out before shaking his head quickly and muttering: “It would be an assured victory. It would prove my superiority. And from there...”

“That's kind of uncreative, boss. I mean, if you could wish for anything, why not just make yourself king of the world or something?” asked Toad mildly, and Morpheus gave his pet a flat look.

“Because, you little cretin, while it's easy to make even cosmic changes in the physical realm, the mental and emotional are outside the tablet's assured power. And those who have used the tablet before cannot be affected by its enchantment: Celestia has used the tablet at least once, and it's safe to assume that her sister likely has as well.” Morpheus halted, then gestured with one hoof, saying finally: “It's like mind control. When you know that someone is trying to tap into your psyche, you can find ways to resist it. If you don't understand what's going on, you stand no chance. But even knowing the tablet's existence diminishes its effectiveness.”

“Boss, no offense, but you don't even know if the tablet is fact or fiction yet. You could try a smaller wish first or something.” Toad suggested pointedly, but Morpheus only gave a sour laugh.

“Oh, yes, sure, and risk losing everything? No. No, better to deal in absolutes, Toad... and I will gain my absolute victory.” Morpheus smiled bitterly, then he shook his head shortly as he let go of his wing, furling it at his side and sitting up... but at the same time, he swept his pony pillow into his lap and clung to it as if for comfort, even as he said moodily: “I don't need anyone. And you should be happy, because when the world is gone, you will be too.”

“Gee. Thanks.” Toad said moodily, and then the amphibian dropped his head with a quiet sigh, murmuring: “Look, I know that... you're kind of a creampuff and all, whatever big scary face you put on for the world. But dude, just... lighten up, will you? And consider that not everything has to be extremes. Maybe it'd even be okay if-”

“I was captured? I was killed, tortured, thrown to the depths of darkness again?” Morpheus asked darkly, scowling over at Toad before he shook his head vehemently. “No. I won't be humiliated again. I won't be made to feel... feel weak, and helpless! I am neither of those things!”

Toad sighed tiredly at this, and then he shrugged and said finally: “Fine. Okay. Sure. What do I know? I'm just a wartier frog, right? Look, boss, just... don't think too hard. And don't mope too much, it's bad for you.”

Morpheus grumbled and flopped over on his side, scowling a little as he wrapped his wings around himself and hugged his pony-shaped pillow tightly against his body. He gazed silently off into the distance, and then he asked almost meekly, just as Toad began to turn away: “You don't... think I'm stupid, do you?”

“Boss, there's no one more stupid than you are. But I don't think you're a moron, even if everyone else tells you that you are. You were smart enough to make my life an endless hell, right?” Toad asked ironically, and Morpheus gave a small smile over his shoulder before the amphibian added gruffly: “Now stop being such a pansy. You're making all gay stallions look like faggots, you hear?”

Morpheus sighed tiredly, rolling his eyes and dropping back on his side as he mumbled: “I told you not to use that word. It's annoying. It reminds me of my parents.”

“What kind of bad guy is scared of offending people?” Toad asked pessimistically, and Morpheus only grumbled under his breath and snuggled himself deeper into his bed. The amphibian rolled his eyes, and then he sighed tiredly before saying grouchily: “I'm going back to my aquarium now, because you're being such a filly.”

“Lock your froggy door on the way out.” grumbled Morpheus in response, and Toad blew a raspberry at him before his pet hopped away. Morpheus refused to move until he heard the distinct clacking of the little swinging door that Toad used to get around their bunker, and then the winged unicorn quickly sat up and flicked his horn, a deadbolt locking into place over the swinging door.

Then he flopped back into his bed, hugging his pony pillow and muttering: “I'm just going to sulk for a while, and no one can stop me. I will resume being evil after I've had some beauty sleep. Besides, Antecedes can handle things around here, and Neato will take at least until morning. I have plenty of time to... take for myself.”

He nodded to himself almost moodily, then sighed to himself before closing his eyes and dropping his head. And for a little while, he was alone in silence, where nothing in the world mattered, where his darkling dreams were his only safeguard from loneliness.

Comments

[BarrenBaron]

Ok, not sure when this was written but the plot now reminds me of the stick of truth...

Also we know how literally this world takes wishes, why would wishing for nothing destroy everything, it's basically the equivalent of wishing for nothing to change... why not wish to free your parents while you're at it?

[hellcatte]

I wanna see this Celestia's reaction to Twilight Sparkle the lich and co.