Darkshine

by Foxtrot

Part 3

That went well, thought Twilight in the sudden gloom. She looked down at the book. The words pursued their uncaring, spiderish course across the paper. She tried to continue her researches but it was pointless. Her mind ran constantly in tight, obsessive circles. What had she said to Luna? What to do about it? She expected Luna to return at any moment, or even worse, Celestia to appear because she was Very Disappointed. Magic Kindergarten for you, Twilight Sparkle.

The shadows thickened, the sun's light reddened. A sudden flight of birds coming home to roost above the window made her nerves jangle horribly. She retired to bed without talking to another living soul. Only the servants were about, gliding on noiseless hooves, and who paid any attention to them?

She tried to write in her commonplace book. Research for today: inconclusive. Something is wrong. Ruin awaits all Equestria... did I really just write that?

The candle burned low before she retired. She lay in bed, desperately tired but knowing sleep would never come.

I warned you she was dangerous.

'You again.'

She sent her own sister to the Moon.

Twilight leaped out of bed, horn ablaze. 'She had to do it! She had no choice!'

That's what she wants everyone to think.

Twilight's anger faded. 'I was there when Luna came back. I saw how she was. The tears in her eyes.'

Can you so easily know the mind of a goddess, Twilight Sparkle?

'She's wise. And good.'

And prepared to do anything for Equestria. Anything. Luna herself said so.

'How do you know what Luna said? What are you?'

Are you sure you really want to know?

Twilight stood silently for a time. Then: 'I'm not afraid.'

So be it. Go to the corner of the room.

'Erm... OK.' Twilight advanced on suddenly shaky hooves to the empty corner furthest from the bed.

Not that corner. The other one.

Twilight turned to look – even though she knew perfectly well what stood in the other corner. 'No.' She shook her head. 'Nuh-uh... no!' Her voice rose to a shout.

I warned you, Twilight Sparkle. Now it's too late. You cannot unlearn what once you have learned. Her hooves moved of their own accord, or so it seemed to her, inching her over the polished floorboards towards what stood so innocently in that corner.

A mirror.

As she approached the polished surface of the glass she saw it reflected the most terrible thing in the world. Herself. The other Twilight – the one in the mirror – stood with head bowed and unwilling. The indigo fringe had fallen down over her face. As the real Twilight shook her head in jerky denial the reflection looked up. The eyes opened. They were purest blue with cat-slit pupils. Night Mare Moon's eyes.

Twilight Sparkle let out a wail of horror. She scrambled across the room and threw herself onto the bed. That thing in the mirror – it could still see her. She curled up, squashing herself down into a ball, anything to get out of sight of the eyes. But she couldn't stop the voice in her head. So now you understand. I was Night Mare Moon. But above that I am the Dark. I am forever and everywhere. And I am you.

'Luna,' stammered Twilight. 'She broke free of you. She'll know what to do.'

You drove her away, remember? With your foolish and insensitive questions.

'Celestia... the Princess...'

Little fool. You know what she'll do to you once she knows I am inside you. You're not even her sister.

'The others.'

What others? What foolishness is this? The voice of the Dark dripped with scorn.

'My friends. The Elements of Harmony.' Twilight uncurled and got to her feet. 'Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Rarity and Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie.' The mere sound of their names made the darkness seem less absolute.

They can't help you.

'I'll go back to Ponyville, first thing tomorrow. We'll figure out what to do.' Twilight's heart quickened with joy. She jumped off the bed. Packing – she had to do some packing! She trotted round the room, taking things out of drawers more or less at random.

You're not their favourite, you know.

Twilight Sparkle came to a halt. 'What? What do you mean?'

You remember that business with the photographer last year? Rarity and Fluttershy – they've been close since then. Have you noticed how often they hang out together at the spa?

'But, I... see them all the time.'

You see them as part of the group. How often do you do anything with them?

'No,' stammered Twilight. 'No, that's all wrong. And anyway. What about Applejack and Rainbow Dash...'

I think, mused the voice of the Dark, those two are a little closer than friends. If you know what I mean.

Twilight sank to the floor. A knife of envy twisted in her guts. It wasn't fair. Why could she never have that? She was the only one who...

'Pinkie Pie,' she gasped.

You were late.

'I apologised for that!' Twilight struck herself on the temple, hard. 'And she said she didn't mind...'

Pinkie Pie is everyone's friend, continued the Dark with merciless insight. She said so herself. You're not special to her. And now she's got the twins to take care of, she doesn't need you at all. Twilight crouched on the floor, trembling as the Dark drove icy nails into her heart. You're the outsider. The least best friend. Every group has one. You know that, Twilight Sparkle.

It was true.

They let you hang out with them because they're too polite to shake you off. But to they ever come to you unless they have a problem?

And yet.

In her innermost heart she knew she wasn't going to stand for this. 'They're my friends,' she whispered. 'I love them.' Slowly she got to her feet. Some of the coldness ebbed away. 'I am going back to Ponyville tomorrow. And then we'll see.'

#

The next day she was on the first train back to Ponyville. Her head was fuzzy and aching, her thoughts sluggish. Her mane was doing that strange messy thing it sometimes did. She was choosing not to dwell on the consequences of running out of Canterlot without a word to anyone. Ahead, like a shining beacon in her mind, lay Ponyville. How foolish she had ever been to leave!

The little engine puffed round the final bend. She leaned her head out of the window, keen to blow away the cobwebs with fresh clean air. Ponyville came into view. She was not expecting to see the column of smoke rising from the Town Hall.

She leaped out of the carriage before the train had a chance to stop. With reckless speed she raced to the centre of town. The square was packed with ponies. Emergency teams were shoring up the still burning shell of the Town Hall. Mayor Mare was directing operations, megaphone clutched in one hoof. The normally trim pony's glasses were askew on her muzzle. She had a sooty smudge on one cheek.

Twilight galloped to a halt. 'Mayor, what happened here?'

'There was a fire. We still don't know how it started.' The mayor resettled her glasses. 'It's been burning all night. And this... just after we got it repaired after the last disaster. I really don't know what we've done to deserve this.' She shook her head.

Twilight looked up. Teams of pegasi were shepherding clouds into position. As she watched a streak of multicoloured power braked to a halt, brandishing a small but heavily laden cloud.

The mayor raised her megaphone. 'Get it close to the seat of the fire as you can, Rainbow Dash.'

Dash threw a quick salute. 'Gotcha, Mayor. Oh hi, Twilight – come to join in the fun?'

Fun was the last word Twilight would have chosen. Her pegasus friend was smudged all over with smoke. Her wing feathers were singed, eyes reddened from constantly diving through choking fumes.

Twilight looked again at the Town Hall. The fire had done terrible damage but the shell of the building was standing – it was still worth saving.

She flipped through her mental card index of spells. Energy manipulation – too complicated. Repair – not really. Environmental control... yes. 'Stand back, everpony. I'm going to try something.' She closed her eyes and concentrated. The metamagical formula for sucking all the oxygen out of the building shook shape in her mind. Her horn glowed...

'No,' yelled Rainbow Dash. 'Twilight, don't!'

The moment the spell began its journey to reality she knew something was wrong. The magical surge, which should have been precise and controlled, was wild. She tried to abort the casting, too late. A wave of purplish magic sprang from her horn.

There was a sound like an enormous wet blanket dropped from a great height.

There was a prolonged splintering crash.

Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes. The irony of it was, the fire was still burning. But the Town Hall – or what was left of it – was an imploded heap of smouldering rubble. A few ponies had been caught in the wreckage and were struggling feebly to free themselves.

'Twilight,' yelled Dash from above. 'What did I just say?'

'Rainbow, I'm so sorry,' Twilight stammered. 'It shouldn't have done that. Maybe I could just...'

'No, don't bother. Now I gotta go find another cloud. Sweet Celestia.' Dash flew off.

Twilight turned to the mayor. 'I am so sorry! I have no idea why that happened. Let me just...'

'No! No thank you, Twilight Sparkle.' The mayor controlled herself with a visible effort. 'I think you've done enough.' She probably hadn't meant it to come out like that but it cut Twilight to the heart. She backed away as the mayor embarked on a new, terse series of orders.

'I was only trying to help...' but nopony was listening.

#

So I messed up, thought Twilight. So Rainbow Dash is mad at me. Well she has every reason to be. And friends don't stay mad at friends. A little shiver of anguish went right through her.

At least Pinkie Pie would be pleased to see her.

She knocked on the door of Sugarcube Corner, the venue of so many happy gatherings of yore. As she waited, Twilight wondered what in Equestria she was going to say. Oh hi Pinkie. Guess what, I seem to have been possessed by an ancient spirit of evil...

But she waited, and she waited, and nopony came. Maybe Pinkie was helping out at the Town Hall, but there hadn't been any sight of her. Twilight knocked again, harder.

The door opened. Pinkie appeared, wearing an ominous frown. 'Will you please just keep the noise down... oh hi, Twilight.'

Twilight shuffled her hooves. 'Pinkie, I need to talk to you about something really important. Can I come in?'

Pinkie looked shiftily left and right. 'Well all right. If you promise to be quiet as...' she thought about it with narrowed eyes. 'Quiet as a dropped cornflake.' She stood aside to let Twilight pass.

'I thought you might have been at the Town Square,' said Twilight as they tiptoed through the house.

'I've been up all night. I went out for a bit. But then I came back.'

'You must be tired, Pinkie.'

'I'm fine,' said Pinkie Pie with uncharacteristic terseness. 'Not worried at all.'

'What would you be worried about?'

The curve of Pinkie's back tensed. By now they had got to the back of the house. The Cake Twins were both asleep in their cots. Twilight recognised the grumpy, pinch-faced slumber of sick infants. The thermometers stuck in their little mouths confirmed it. 'Oh my gosh. What's wrong with them?'

Pinkie extracted a thermometer from Pumpkin Cake's mouth and peered at it with fierce concentration. 'We're not quite sure. Some kind of a fever. It came on very late last night. Mr and Mrs Cake have been frantic. I only just got them to go to bed.'

Now here was something she knew about. Here was a chance to help – to make amends for the débâcle with the town square. Twilight's heart lifted. 'I've studied specialist care for infants. Have you thought of... er...'

Pinkie turned to stare at her. 'Twilight, are you suggesting I can't take care of them myself?'

'No, I wasn't...'

'We have had this conversation before, if you recall.'

Twilight gave a small panicked laugh. 'I just meant, if you need any help...'

'Well I don't,' said Pinkie with finality.

'Pinkie!'

'SHHH,' went Pinkie, with unwarranted harshness, in Twilight's face.

'OK, then. I'll just go.'

'Okie-dokie-lokie.' Pinkie set to quietly fussing around the sleeping foals.

Twilight retreated towards the door. 'Maybe I could come back later...'

Pinkie waved a hoof in dismissal.

#

Fluttershy – the Element of Kindness. She'd listen to the story from beginning to end. She wouldn't interrupt and she wouldn't judge. And she'd know what to do.

Except that Twilight Sparkle had been standing outside the cottage on the edge of the Everfree Forest for five minutes and Fluttershy had not appeared.

Twilight hesitated. After all, Pinkie Pie had reacted badly to loud knocking. Then she administered a gentle, Fluttershy-like tap on the door.

Still nopony answered.

Twilight dithered, then opened the door. 'Hello? Fluttershy? Are you there?' No reply. A cursory inspection of the cottage revealed no sign of the yellow pegasus or anypony else. The back door stood open. Twilight went out into the garden. Normally the carefully tended green space would be filled with the twittering of birds. Bunnies and whatnot would be hopping around. The chickens would be scratching in their run. But today the garden was silent.

Twilight saw that the doors of the hutches, and the chicken runs, stood wide. Somepony – or something – had evidently opened the enclosures and for good measure driven the animals away.

Twilight eyed the dark eaves of the Everfree Forest, mere metres away. Fluttershy was sure to be in there somewhere, searching for her friends. She likely wouldn't be back for hours. Twilight turned and walked away with heavy steps. It felt like her horizons were shrinking by the moment.

#

Rarity, then. Surely the smart and perceptive white unicorn would give her the time of day. Even if she was best friends with Fluttershy and Twilight was a distant fifth in the rankings...

but no, she couldn't be thinking like that. She couldn't be giving in. Handing victory to the Dark. Twilight Sparkle was no pushover! Boldly she tapped on the door of Rarity's boutique, as one who had every right to demand some attention from her friend.

There was no answer. Twilight experienced a sickening second of deja vu. Then Rarity's clear soprano called out come in.

Twilight opened the door. The boutique was in chaos. Bundles of fabric, buttons, zippers and the like were strewn everywhere in great heaps. Rarity's mannequins were in an embarrassing state of undress. The fashion designer herself was seated at her work table. Sweetie Belle crouched nearby, looking for all the world like a sprinter poised on the blocks.

Twilight had seen Rarity at work many times. Always it had been with an expression of abstracted bliss as she did the thing she loved most. Now however Rarity sewed with grim concentration, hooves shuttling as she fed fabric through her machine.

Twilight picked her way through the coils of ribbon and pincushions on the floor. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask what in Equestria had happened. But no; she had vital concerns of her own.

'Ah, Twilight.' Rarity barely glanced in her direction.

'Rarity, I need to tell you... well I need to tell somepony about something really important...'

'Sorry, can't talk right now.'

The sting of betrayal was painful and immediate. 'But... why?'

'Twilight,' cried Rarity. 'Have you no idea of the magnitude of the disaster?' She spread her arms wide.

'I agree Ponyville's had a rough night. But I really don't think...'

'Sweetie Belle,' sang Rarity. 'Diamante ribbon, if you please.' Immediately her little sister sprang to her feet and dived into the pile of fabric. The multicoloured jumble swayed to and fro. Sweetie Belle emerged, bearing the ribbon between clenched teeth.

'That is spangly,' hissed Rarity. 'I specifically asked for diamante.'

'OK! OK, I got it, sis.' Sweetie Belle resubmerged, reappearing with a ribbon which, in Twilight's eyes, looked identical. She dropped in on the work table and stepped back with an anxious smile.

'Thank you, Sweetie Belle,' Rarity trilled. 'That is just what I wanted. Anyway... I wasn't talking about Ponyville.'

Twilight blinked. 'Not about Ponyville?'

'I was referring to my latest collection.' Rarity did something complicated with ribbon and thread. The sewing machine started up again. 'What did I find this morning? All the stitches in all the dresses had been unpicked. I simply can't imagine how it happened. But that is the situation we have to deal with.'

Twilight felt a surge of irritation. 'Ponyville's taken some hard knocks, Rarity. I must say, I think this crisis of yours is, in comparison, kind of trivial.'

The sewing machine whirred to a halt.

'Trivial,' repeated Rarity with ominous calm. 'Trivial, did you say, Twilight?' Her voice rose. 'For your information I spent most of the night and the entire morning helping with the cleanup in the town square. Only now do I...' she glanced at Sweetie Belle. 'Only now do we find the time to work on this extremely important commission. I don't think trivial enters into it.' She stood with legs set and sapphire eyes blazing, daring Twilight to come back at her. 'Now will you please leave. We have a lot of work to do.'

Maybe I can help... but the words died stillborn in Twilight's mouth. She knew better than that. She walked out under Sweetie Belle's disapproving glare. Glancing back, Twilight saw Rarity bent once more over her machine. She had already forgotten Twilight was there.

#

Twilight trotted distractedly along Ponyville's main street. Afternoon was by now fading into evening. The townsfolk, many of whom had shared in the day's labours, were making their grateful ways home. No-one paid any attention to her.

What was going on? What was the matter with her friends? Why were they acting as if...

acting as if they didn't need her?

Twilight came to a halt. 'Stop that! Don't think like that.' An aquamarine earth pony paused, gave her a funny look, then hurried on. She paid him no heed. 'There's still Applejack. She'll be honest with me. Yep.'

Sweet Apple Acres was not far. Its occupants however were not at home. 'Oh, this is ridiculous!' Twilight looked around. There was no sign of anypony. A premonition stirred. She trotted through the orchard, making for the barn.

Twilight went slowly now and her steps were heavy. A coldness had taken hold of her. The barn emerged from behind the apple trees. It had clearly suffered near catastrophic damage. It appeared to have been picked up, shaken violently and put down again. Its uprights leaned outwards at drunken angles. Its roof had sagged.

The Apple family were at work trying to salvage their property. They had set up a complicated system of pulleys and guy ropes. Applejack was pacing backwards with a rope clutched in her teeth.

Capable, dependable AJ! Why had Twilight not gone to her first of all? The unicorn's eyes brimmed with tears. Applejack would listen. She had to.

Deftly Applejack wound the ropes around the horns of Big Mac's collar. 'All set there?'

'Eeyup.'

'Then git.' Lightly she swatted his flank. He set his teeth and pulled. Applejack grabbed hold of the rope, and then Granny Smith. She was a tough old mare. Even Apple Bloom joined in. Together the four of them heaved. The barn emitted a mournful creak.

Applejack spat out the rope. 'OK, hold 'er right there!' Big Mac uttered a groan of relief. Strong as he was, he was clearly near his limits. 'Just let me take a look at the north side here.' Applejack backed away from the barn, waggled her eyebrows and peered at it with a surveyor's eye. Then she looked around her with a frown. 'That's weird... there's something mighty queer hereabouts...'

Twilight stepped out of the shadows. Applejack gave a yell of alarm, then took off her hat and fanned herself. 'Gosh darn it, Twi. Why'd you have to startle me like that?'

'Applejack, sorry. But I need to talk to you. Please.'

A pained expression appeared on the earth pony's face. 'Sorry Twilight. But you see the barn, there? The way it stands now a breath of wind could knock it clean over. Can't it wait?'

'But... I can fix it!'

A wary look appeared in Applejack's eyes. 'Say what, Twi?'

'Precise and carefully applied unicorn telekinesis. It can stabilise the barn.' Twilight glanced up at her horn. She'd have to guard against the wild magic surge she'd experienced earlier. Luckily there were ways around that...

'Now hold on there.' Applejack held up a hoof. 'Are you suggestin' we can't fix it ourselves? Is that what you're sayin'?'

No, no, no it was all going wrong again... 'AJ, magic is a tool like any other. Doesn't it make sense to use it?'

'See here.' Applejack settled her had firmly on her head. 'I heard about what you did down there in the town square. I'd prefer it if you kept that horn o' yours under control, if it's all the same.'

'But... magic...'

'Ah said no, Twilight. Now if you'll just excuse me.'

'Applejack, please. Don't turn away from me...' but the earth pony was already heading back to the barn. Twilight stood for a while watching the Apple family at work. Applejack had a swift conversation with her brother. He nodded then raised his head. Another rope was attached and pulled on. The barn groaned as its angles became a little more parallel.

Twilight felt that strange premonition again. I've been here before, she thought. I've seen the barn like this. She looked again at the structure. On closer inspection it appeared to have been blown up from within. And yet there were no scorch marks or burns. What could do that to a barn? Nothing – apart from from powerful and destructive magic.

There was a grassy rise a little way to the north of the building. It was just where you'd stand if you wanted a commanding position for a casting. Twilight paced slowly up to the top. There, at the crest of the rise, clearly imprinted on wet grass, was a pair of hoofprints. Twilight placed her front feet in them. The prints were a precise match for her own hooves.

Comments

[Pleaseworkforonce]

hmm heres my prediction rareitys going to say something on the lines of we were to concerned about our own problems to see twilight had her own i hope to see befor thursday but that may be a bit much to hope for ok it is

[Foxtrot]

521407

you predict correctly bear in mind it is the Dark manipulating everybody by attacking them through their vulnerabilities, only they can't see it.

No new updates for at least a week sadly, I'm off to the States for my holidays

Foxtrot XXX

[Pleaseworkforonce]

WHY IS THERE NO ME GUSTA EMOTE!!!

[themanesix]

hmmmm, this has got to ba a set up......also very reminiscent of lesson zero......oh my