S2EP16 - Mind Games
Twilight tightened her arms around Nightmare Nyx, her legs shaking a bit.
"This isn't who you are Nyx, you can be whatever you want to be and no matter what you want to be, I'll still love and protect you," Twilight swore. Nyx hesitantly wrapped her arms around Twilight.
"Aww, such a sweet moment," Vinyl chuckled. All eyes turned to her, realizing she had taken the time to knock out the group of mages while everyone had been distracted.
"Well, happy ending, score one for V," Vinyl sighed, wrapping her mana around the group of mages.
"Not quite. I have control again, but Nightmare is still there...She's still me. And I still feel the same," Nyx pointed out, glaring at Celestia.
"If the people knew the truth about how you came to power, the wars, the betrayal and failure, would they still love you?" She demanded.
"Their love for me is not what is important. Peace is what is important, and maintaining that Peace isn't something that comes easily child," Celestia spoke softly, still gripping her sword.
"You would do well to remember, we had our part to play in this as well Child," Luna added as she entered the room, the Elements of Harmony by her side.
"Twilight!" her friends called out, rushing to her. She smiled weakly, leaning against Nyx.
Her friends stopped as Nyx glanced at them, wrapping her arms tighter around Twilight.
"Whoa!" Rainbow held up her hands, letting her armor fade. The others were quick to follow.
"This...is an interesting development," Luna murmured, offering Nyx a gentle smile.
"Sure, we aren't innocent, but what else were we to do? She was the one in charge, the one in power. We couldn't go against her!" Nyx yelled.
"And yet, we did. You are seeing only the horrible thoughts of Nightmare. You are missing the whole story," Luna spoke softly, holding out her hand. Nyx hesitated, grabbing her hand.
"Should you allow Child, we shall show you the whole truth, and from there you may decide your path," Luna offered. Nyx looked around the room, anger still boiling inside of her when she looked at Celestia. All she could think about was when she was chained down by that woman's magic as an innocent child, about to be killed for simply existing.
"I don't know how much my opinion of her will change. A woman willing to murder a child..." she spat.
"We do not ask you to change your mind, only to open it," Luna explained softly.
"I accept...But I want Twilight somewhere safe. Away from her," Nyx demanded.
"It shall be done. Bearers, would you mind guarding Twilight Sparkle and keeping an eye on our sister while the child and I speak?" Luna asked.
"Um...Yes Princess," Fluttershy murmured, chaos sparking around her and coating the floor. Nyx allowed Rainbow to take hold of Twilight, offering them a smile.
"Thank you for taking care of me,"
"Don't sweat it kid, thanks for saving Twilight..." Rainbow chuckled sadly.
"You're wrong. I didn't save her. She saved me," Nyx smiled. The girl turned woman followed Luna into a corner of the room where the two sat down. Luna smiled at her 'reflection', holding out her hands, palms up.
Nyx frowned, but placed her hands on top of Luna's.
"Loyalty, could we ask for thine assistance?" Luna called out. Rainbow raised an eyebrow, pointing at herself.
"Me? uh...Sure I guess," she shrugged. She glanced between her friends, Applejack giving her a nod and sitting beside Twilight. Rainbow let out a sigh, joining Luna and Nyx, resting her hands on her legs as she sat, crossing her legs.
"So, what do ya need me for?" she asked. Luna held out her hand.
"Wouldst thee join hands with us? Surely thou must realize by now what it is we intend?" Luna asked. Rainbow felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end and let out another sigh.
"You wanna do that mind diving stuff? Why me then? I'm not exactly an expert on magic, and this 'thou, thine, thee,' stuff is hurting my head," Rainbow argued. Luna couldn't help but smile, clearing her throat.
"I apologize Rainbow Dash. We...I, am still adjusting to this new culture. That way of speaking is a way of being myself, remembering another time. Things are so very different from how I know them. As for why I chose thee...You...You have experience in this field more than any of your friends. Was it not this path in which Discord healed the scars of your mind?" Luna spoke softly.
"How the hell do you know about that?" Rainbow growled.
"Celestia told us. We wanted to know everything about those who saved us from ourselves. And as for who told her, your mother and aunt shared that tale, but only because they were seeking guidance in helping you. You are a once in a lifetime case Rainbow Dash. You must surely have noticed your wounds recover faster than your friends," Luna offered her a small smile.
"Miss Rainbow?" Nyx finally spoke up.
"It's a long story kid...Fine, I'll help. But if I think for one second you are doing something funny in there..." Rainbow began to threaten.
"Her mind is a space that will not truly welcome me. Discord was welcome within your mind, because you saw that man as a father. We must admit, we treated him much the same..." Luna's smile faded for a moment before she cleared her throat.
"Shall we then?" she offered. Rainbow nodded, turning to Nyx.
"Alright kid, this is gonna be pretty weird. The short of it is, we're going inside your head to work out some problems you don't even know you have. Don't worry, I'm gonna be there every step of the way. I heard you've got that chicks memories, so you know that..." Rainbow pressed her thumb against the Element of Loyalty around her neck.
"...This thing means I've got your back, no matter what anyone else says," she grinned.
"I know Miss Rainbow...From that moment you promised to protect me to Twilight. I just had this feeling that if you had to...You would die for me..." Nyx hung her head.
"Listen here Nyx. I want you to know," Rainbow pointed to her friends.
"Every single person over there would die to save you, especially Twilight. And I'm the one that's supposed to rush in first, so of course I'd do anything to save you," Rainbow grinned, gasping as Nyx hugged her.
"Alright, lets get to work kid. You've gotta let us in. You don't have to trust her, just let her in the door, alright?"
"I understand, I tried the same thing with Twilight before, but something knocked me back. It seemed like a...Lock of some sort, maybe a wall? I'm not sure..."
"Interesting...It sounds quite a lot like Platinum's Puzzle. Nightmare would invoke such a thing," Luna scoffed, glancing over at Twilight.
"And that Child of Starswirl solved it...Your mother is a great woman," Luna chuckled. Nyx stiffened for a moment, smiling a little as her magic flared, opening the bridge to her mind.
"Yea...She really is..."
"I'm sure of it. Nexus really is innocent, check it," Vinyl, still in her armor, dragged a finger against Spell Nexus' skin, several runes lighting up.
"An extremely powerful Seal, just barely enough to hold back the Nightmare from escaping on her own. So that's why he needed Nyx. Nightmare was attempting to escape...But between his own Seals and us jumping in the middle of the ritual, it fell apart," Spike murmured, glancing over at Princess Luna. She and Rainbow Dash had mana swirling around them, a line of magic connecting their minds to Nyx.
"Spike..." Twilight wheezed. In an instant he was by her side, Vinyl blinking in surprise at his speed.
"I'm right here Twi," he said with a smile, grabbing her hand. She smiled weakly, wincing as her magic sparked around her.
"I-Is Nyx going to be okay?" she asked, trying to turn her head to where Nyx sat. Spike sat in her line of sight.
"Being honest, I dunno. Princess Luna is going to do whatever she can to save her from Nightmare and she has Rainbow helping her," Spike answered. Twilight nodded, laying her head back in Applejack's lap.
"Sorry to have worried you all...I shouldn't have tried to rush things like that..."
"Ya'll did what ya had t' fer that girl Twilight. If'n it'd been Applebloom, ah woulda done th' same," Applejack argued.
"I must admit Twilight, if I found Sweetie Belle in such a situation, I would've gone far more overboard," Rarity chuckled nervously. Twilight sighed, squeezing Spike's hand.
"Thank you everyone..." she smiled weakly before finally passing out. Spike let out a sigh.
"Is she gonna be alright Spike?" Applejack asked quietly, cupping her hands under Twilight's head.
"She's gone through a lot, freed herself of Nightmare's control. Battled against the magic of a God and won. She just needs some rest Applejack," Spike assured her. He stood and faced Celestia, grabbing his sword and stabbing it into the ground. He stood between her and Twilight, a determined look in his eyes.
"Was I wrong Spike?"
"Everyone makes mistakes Princess," Spike glanced over at Nyx "and everyone deserves a second chance,"
Nyx blinked as she floated in an endless void. Glancing down at herself she realized she was back to normal. In a flash of light, a little girl about her age took form, a head full of rainbow taking shape as she fully entered the space.
"Oh cool," she chuckled. It was a bit more high pitched, but she recognized the voice.
"Miss Rainbow?" Nyx asked, confused. The girl grinned, pointing a thumb at herself, the Element of Loyalty forming around her neck.
"In the flesh! Well, sorta. This place is your brain space kid. You're more comfortable around kids your age, so I got shifted. I don't mind, this kinda takes me back anyway. This first step is gonna be the hardest one. All this inky black stuff? That's the crud that's crowding your mind," Rainbow explained.
Nyx took another look around. It seemed to go on forever. Just how in the dark was she?
"I'm not gonna lie, not my thing, it took me literal months to clear away all my issues. So we're gonna jump to the big thing first," Rainbow held out her hand and Nyx took it without thinking.
"Where is Luna?" Nyx wondered. Rainbow glanced around, the Darkness slowly filtering away from her, as if afraid of her. A patch of white appeared on the ground beneath them, the two sinking through the Darkness to land on it.
"I guess she's stuck at the Door. You wanna trust her, but you can't. That's fine for now, we'll worry about that in a sec," Rainbow shrugged. She pointed down.
"This is about how much I can clear on my own. Think of it as a Comfort Zone, a place where nothing bad can touch you. If things get too hard, this spot will ALWAYS be here to save you," Rainbow assured her.
"Right...What do I do now?"
"Now...Now we fight Demons."
Luna let a sad smile touch her lips, her magic focused on the two before her.
"The Child does not yet trust us. We cannot blame them, though we hope Loyalty will help her see the truth," Luna spoke up.
"What will this solve Sister?" Celestia sighed
"We will spare a child of your Mercy," Luna all but spat.
"I'm not one to jump into someones family issues, but you two need to chill the fuck out," Vinyl said as she stepped between them, flaring out her mana to the edge of Fluttershy's Chaos.
"I suppose I should feel betrayed, but I did back myself into the corner on this one," Celestia chuckled softly.
"You seem to be taking this rather in stride Princess, I hope you know that none of us are truly against you," Rarity pointed out nervously
"When you've lived as long as I have, you try to take things as they come. If I am being honest, against the Elements, Spike, and Vinyl, I doubt myself a match,"
"Bullshit, a snap of your fingers would put me into a fuckin' Coma," Vinyl spat, patting the Sunburst mark on her armor.
"And a simple illusion of Morrigan would stop me in my tracks," Spike shrugged.
"We only beat Discord cause o' Twilight, ah doubt th' lot o' us could fight ya if'n we wanted t' Princess. Not that we wanna. But that there girl is Twilight's," Applejack added, squeezing her friends shoulder.
"And if'n we have t', we'll defend her," she finished.
"I would expect nothing less of you all," Celestia smiled, sheathing her sword. She glanced over at Luna, offering her a smile.
"You have my support Sister, even if you had to twist my arm for it,"
"We knew thou wouldst come around sooner or later," Luna returned the smile. Rainbow stiffened slightly, wincing as magic sparked from Nyx to her.
"I-Is she alright?" Fluttershy asked quickly.
"Loyalty is a tough one dearest Fluttershy. But the Darkest Depths of Nightmare's Mind are nothing to be scoffed at..."
"Demons?" Nyx asked.
"Yea kid. Your Demons, the things that scare you the most, the things you hate more than anything. Whatever the heck it is that you think ruined your life," Rainbow pointed out. She let out a sigh, rubbing the back of her head.
"For me...It was my mother," she frowned for a moment.
"Your mother?"
"It's a long story kid an we don't really have time to...Actually...Maybe it'll help. Have a seat kid," Rainbow sat down and closed her eyes for a moment, a campfire appearing in the center of her little circle.
"How did you..."
"This is my personal bubble. Anything past this, is all you. Heck, you can do it too, you can even control my bubble, since its your head," Rainbow grinned. Nyx crossed her arms and closed her eyes, a pair of small wooden stools appearing.
"Good work, fast learner. I like that," Rainbow chuckled. She held out her hands, a pair of sticks forming with marshmallows. She passed one over to Nyx and held her own over the fire.
"Alright, so the long an short of my story is that i'm dying," Rainbow began.
"What?!"
"Relax kid, I'm not going anywhere. But it is pretty serious. I have an illness called Marek's Disease. It's basically Death for a Skyborn. It kills our wings and destroys us from the inside out,"
"That's...horrible...I'm so sorry,"
"Eh, not your fault. But my mom was studying it, trying to cure it, cause my Dad also had it," Rainbow took a slow breath, gripping her stick tightly.
"You don't have to talk about this Miss Dash..."
"I do Kid, cause you've gotta do the same. I can't tell you to fight a war in your head and then be a bitch about my own problems. Don't repeat any of my swears either or Twilight'll kill me," Rainbow relaxed a little and sat upright.
"She started filling my body with small doses of Mana. All creatures interact with the magic of Terra differently, ya know? But only Magians and Celestian's can take Mana into their bodies. My mom thought that magic would be the answer. If Mana became my Immune System, the power of Magic could cure me," Rainbow did her best to explain.
"The Avaros-Mana Theory," Nyx mumbled. Rainbow stared for a moment.
"It was in a pile of books in the library..."
"Right...THAT," Rainbow growled, quickly calming herself.
"It's a theory based off the belief that if a Skyborn got their hands on magic, they'd basically be a god, or just stupidly powerful"
"Wow that's...an incredibly well way to explain it," Nyx giggled.
"You probably know all the details, huh?" Rainbow smirked.
"Sorry..."
"Don't be. Just look," Rainbow pointed to the edge of her circle.
"It got...bigger?" Nyx realized.
"Being yourself, it's pushing back the Darkness. Let's keep going then," Rainbow took a bite out of her marshmallow.
"Everyday, she'd cut off a feather. Everyday, she'd grow it back, only to cut it again," Rainbow spread out her wings. Nyx covered her mouth in shock. Rainbow's entire right wing was gone, only shreds of what it once was.
"It hurt kid. It hurt a lot...I can always remember that pain...But it wasn't the only thing. I could feel the mana tearing through me. It made me sick. it didn't belong," Rainbow started drawing circles in the ground with her stick.
"One day, my mom freaked out. The other doctors were going to stop her project. So she did something stupid. She gave me all of her magic. A ritual using her life as the duct tape to hold me together,"
"A Soul Ritual...bound by powerful Sacrificial Magicks...She made you into a Hybrid!" Nyx realized.
"Yea. Then my pops kicked the bucket and I had nothing but this..." Rainbow lifted her sleeve, showing the Magian marking on her shoulder. Her wing slowly came back to life.
"The Doctors wanted to know what made me tick. They poked and prodded me every single damn day wanting to further that stupid theory. I was just a kid, no older than you," Rainbow took a slow breath to relax.
"I was a freak. I should've been dead, but she refused to let me die. So i tried to run, an on that day, I met my real mom," Rainbow smiled and seemed to actually glow.
"Spitfire of the Wonderbolts. She got me outta that place, took me literally under her wing and got me the help I needed. I spent months in this little space, taking baby steps, one at a time, into the darkness," Rainbow sighed.
"I had basically an entire family walking alongside me the whole way and I had all the time in the world to get where I needed to be. You don't exactly have that luxury kid...On top of the fact that I had an expert helping me. I've just got experience with the treatment...But I'll be damned if I let you go this alone!" Rainbow stood from her stool, holding out her hand.
"You're very brave Miss Dash..." Nyx smiled, taking her hand.
"Nah, i'm just crazy," she grinned. The two turned to face the Darkness.
"The thing I hate the most, that I fear more than anything else. The thing that ruined my life..." Nyx let out a sigh.
"I can only think of one thing..."
"What is it kid?" Rainbow asked softly. Nyx frowned as a figure took shape before them at the edge of the circle. A little girl, a book under her arm while her free hand adjusted her glasses. In a burst of flame the book burned away, her glasses cracked and shattered, revealing her eyes. The eyes of a demon.
"Me"
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wow thats a hell of a come back chapter
Well that was worth the wait
Great chapter
Thank you
yea new chapters
9114056
I really am. I was afraid this would just be another dime a dozen humanized MLP redo, but no, this is its own world that stands on its own. It does what a good story like this should do, it takes the original as a base, and then EXPANDS. I was a bit hesitant as the first two chapters were basically episodes 1 and 2 of the show, but this chapter in particular is what had concinced me to give it a proper shot. Here's to more entertainment.
9116314
I get that, but is going that far just because a FREAKING CHILD, didn't take a hat off at the table? The guy's a lunatic!
9116317
He is a lunatic. Some people lose themselves when the chance for fame and fortune fall into their lap. And some people have demons that know one knows about until they show themselves