Darkshine

by Foxtrot

Part 8

Princess Luna glared at the page. Her teeth were clenched and her brow furrowed. A bead of sweat ran down her nose. The quill raced across the paper, trailing little spots and splashes of ink. Spike was hovering by her left shoulder. He rose on tiptoes to peer at the scrawled script which was sprinting down the page. 'That bit, right there.' He tapped with a concerned foreclaw. 'I don't think she wrote that. In fact I'm sure she didn't.'

Luna threw down the quill. 'Spike, you are not helping!'

'OK, OK, sorry.'

'I am trying to reconstruct a complicated spell based on what I think Twilight Sparkle's intentions were. All this, with minimal data. Of course it won't be the same.'

He raised his hands. 'I was just trying to...'

'Spike.' Rarity gave him a kindly smile. 'Come over here and let me mother you.'

'Don't want mothering.'

'SPIKE!'

'Fine, OK. I'm coming.' He slouched over to Rarity with visible ill grace.

'Now then, Spikey.' She fussed over him with magically brandished flannel. 'My my, did they not have any water on the moon? No, I suppose not. I've never seen such a dusty dragon. Oh, would you look at that. I seem to have made a clean patch.'

Luna shut the chatter out. Concentrate – she need to concentrate. Her gaze darted between the various spell books, all propped open with paperweights and teacups. So difficult to read these ancient magical formulae. Harder by far to weave them into actual usable incantations. Hardest of all to guess Twilight Sparkle's original intention.

The nib snapped. Luna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. I can do this.

I must do this.

Rainbow Dash was flying tight agitated circuits of the library. 'I hate this. I hate feeling so bucking helpless.'

You and me also, thought Luna.

'The Princess,' said Fluttershy. 'She's going to be all right, isn't she?'

She just needs to buy us some time, thought Luna.

Dewey System raised a hoof. 'Who is this Darkshine you ponies keep talking about?'

'She's the ponification of all darkness, hatred and betrayal.' Pinkie Pie bounced over with a helpful smile. 'She wants to bring eternal night to all Equestria.'

'Oh, thanks. I was worried there for a while.'

'You're welcome.'

Princess Luna kicked the table. 'Will you all please shut up...' she dropped the quill again. 'Tia... she's here.'

It started as a dimming of the lights. Then it was a breath of evil sucking the warmth from body and soul alike. Everypony felt it. Round-eyed, they crowded closer to the pool of lamplight round the writing desk.

Applejack looked quickly back and forth. 'Where the hay is she?'

'Everywhere.' The low, treacly voice spoke in everpony's ear. Fluttershy gave a squeak of horror. Poor little Dewey System fainted clean away. And now they saw a silhouette of absolute blackness, like a window into the freezing depths of space, take form not three pony strides away. The body was featureless – only the eyes were visible, and white pointed teeth behind night black lips.

'Surprise,' said Darkshine.

'Form the circle,' ordered Luna. For once the others didn't argue. All six Bearers raced to their places, joined their hooves together, felt the warmth kindle in their hearts, the light strengthen to drive the darkness back.

Luna formed the initial thought-symbols. The transitions spun and interlocked. The master incantation, the sovereign weapon against the dark, powered by the passion of pony friends who had fought and suffered together and would not give up hope, took shape.

It's working, thought Luna. I did it. Straight off the page.

The ebon shape turned fully to face them. 'You've been busy, I see.'

Luna could barely hear above the surging magic in her horn and the humming in her skull and the music playing in her ears.

Now we unify the forces. Now we get our friend back.

What came next felt like a steel hawser snapping in her brain. Pure agony lashed across her temples. Luna fell to the floor. She lay twisted and helpless, horn smoking. Dimly she perceived the others whimpering in pain. It was fortunate that she had borne the brunt of the backlash. The force of it would have killed any of the mortal ponies – blasted them to atoms.

The Avatar of Night's hooves clopped to a halt by her head. 'I'm surprised.'

Luna pawed feebly at the air.

'You actually thought that would work. You seriously expected that I, Darkshine, would not have devised a defence against a spell that I myself created. Incredible.' Luna felt herself lifted up, as limp and helpless as a sack of Sweet Apple Acres' mouldy old windfalls. All around her friends were slackly hanging in midair, barely conscious. Spike was nowhere to be seen.

'I was going to cosign you all to eternal night but instead I've decided to be nice to you. I'm going to spare you the torment and just kill you all now. Myself. No, don't bother to thank me.'

Applejack stirred feebly.

'AJ,' cried Darkshine in a gloating sing-song. 'You can be the first.' An invisible fist closed around the earth pony's body. Bone ground against bone. Applejack's eyes opened, then bulged. Her jaws worked as she tried to force words out.

'Muh-muh-spuh.'

Pinkie Pie sprang to life. 'Huh? Huh? What was that? AJ, speak up.'

Applejack's eyes appeared to drift to the opposite corners of her skull. Her ribcage groaned as it was squeezed in on itself. She was now a shade of deep orange. 'Muh-muh-spuh!'

'Oh, I get it.' Pinkie's brilliant smile beamed out. 'She said: memory spell!'

Spike popped up from behind the desk. He filled his lungs and belched a gout of green fire. The flames enveloped Darkshine, crawled over her mane and body. The Avatar flinched and shook her head. The flames couldn't really hurt her but they certainly distracted her. Darkshine's control weakened the merest fraction.

It was enough. Applejack's hind legs – those mighty appendages forged by year upon year of apple bucking – lashed out with the force of pistons. Her hooves struck Darkshine square in the forehead. The black mare stumbled backwards, landing square on her ass. 'You horrible little bag of horse apples. For that, I promise, you die screaming!'

And suddenly Pinkie Pie was right in front of her, bouncing up and down on elasticated legs. Darkshine's eyes went round with shock. 'How did you manage to... oh, of course. You're Pinkie Pie.'

'The one and only party pony. And guess what else. Blubbel-ubbel-ubbel-ubbel,' went Pinkie's tongue directly in Darkshine's face. The black mare reared up and stamped a hoof down on Pinkie's neck. Pinned and helpless, Pinkie attempted to grin ingratiatingly.

Darkshine bared predator's fangs. 'I wonder how you'd look in red.'

'Not on my watch!' Rainbow Dash slammed into Darkshine's flank. The Avatar oofed and took a stumbling sidestep. Dash rebounded and flopped to the ground, pawing at the floorboards in agony. 'Sweet Celestia. You must be made outta granite.'

Darkshine loomed over her with wings spread.

With twin yells Fluttershy and Rarity sprang onto Darkshine's back. Applejack, Dash and Pinkie piled in as well. Darkshine was borne to the ground. The pyramid of squirming, struggling ponies swayed back and forth and was still.

'Let go of me!' A wave of force blasted everypony to the far corners of the library, sending them crashing into things. Darkshine leaped to her feet and shook her wings free. 'Will you all just die, already?'

And then Princess Luna hit her right between the eyes with the memory spell.

#

Darkshine could see Twilight's friends. They were crowding round, tears in their eyes, mouths working as they called to her – but their voices never reached her. It was like a bubble of smoked glass had formed all around her.

The memories. She squeezed her slitted eyes tight shut and tried to stem the flood. But the river had burst its banks and there was no stopping it – not with words or wishes. Terrible things. All the terrible things she had done came back to her. All down the aeons, the lies and betrayals and wicked suggestions and poisoned whispers poured into the ears of the weak and the wounded.

It had been their choice, in the end, hadn't it? To betray and cause untold pain to the ones they loved?

But none of it would have happened without her.

Why were these most recent memories the most painful of all? Before there was any such thing as the entity Darkshine there had been Twilight Sparkle. All Twilight's less than stellar actions – all the petty selfishnesses and jealousies and wounding words a young unicorn was capable off – all of it came back to her. The strange thing was, Darkshine wanted to tell her come on Twi, don't be so hard on yourself. You're not as bad as you think. Not compared to me, anyway.

And now a figure came walking towards her over the darkling plane of her mind. It was a diminutive lilac unicorn with an indigo fringe and a star on her rump. Darkshine turned to face her. 'Little ghost. What do you want, little ghost?'

Twilight gave a diffident bob of her head. 'I thought maybe it's time to put a stop to this.'

'What? You mean to fight me again? Don't bother. I would master you in an instant.'

Twilight shook her head. 'Not going to fight you. Nuh-uh.'

Darkshine turned away. 'Then stop wasting my time. Go away. Leave me in peace.'

'I've been in here, with you, all the time.' Twilight's voice followed her. 'I saw how my friends fought for me – how they never stopped believing.'

'Deluded fools, all of them.'

Twilight teleported directly in front of her. 'This isn't about them. It's about me – us.'

'Is there some point to this?'

'I have the Dark inside me. I know that now.' Twilight sighed and pressed a hoof over her heart. 'But my friends have helped me overcome it.' She brightened up. 'I'm reconciled. I'm not afraid of you – my own personal darkness. I accept you. You're a part of me.'

Seeing that guileless face with open smile Darkshine felt the first stirrings of alarm. And now an extraordinary thing happened. Darkshine found herself a good hoof-length closer to the ground. She stared down at her limbs in shock. Shrinking – she was shrinking. No, not exactly. She realised the answer as she surveyed the altered proportions of her limbs. She was regressing – getting younger by the moment. The first real fear she had known in aeons of time took hold of her. 'Little ghost, what have you done to me?'

'I guess... I've healed you.'

'No. That is not possible.' Now she was a whimpering foal, huge-eyed and clumsy. 'Look at me. I'm fading. I'm sinking back into the cold and the lonely nothing.'

'Shush, it's OK.'

Darkshine raised her pleading gaze. 'I don't want to go back to the dark. Twilight, please help me.'

Twilight knelt down and touched her muzzle to the infant's forehead. 'You're not going anywhere. You're staying right here with me.'

'Promise me, Twilight. Promise you'll keep hold of me and never let me go.'

'Of course I promise. After all – you're me.'

Darkshine was a helpless newborn – and then she was nothing at all. Only Twilight Sparkle remained. She looked to her friends with a smile of triumph. The bubble of smoked glass melted away and then they were all around her and their voices were in her ears and their warmth pressed against her body and their wings embraced her and their scents were in her nose. And she cried gentle tears of joy.

A healing light filled the library. 'Let me go,' she gasped. 'Please, girls. I love you all but will you just let me go?' They drew back with a murmur and all of them, Applejack and Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, knelt in homage. Only Luna stayed on her feet with tears running down her cheeks.

Twilight Sparkle went to Princess Celestia and hung her head. 'Princess – I'm ready.'

'Ready for what, Twilight Sparkle?'

'For whatever punishment you decree.' There were soft voices of protest from behind her.

'Twilight, look at me.' At last Twilight looked into the face of the Sun. How beautiful Celestia was – of course she knew that, everypony did. But it seemed as if she was seeing the goddess, really seeing her for the first time. Where had these new eyes come from?

'And why,' said Celestia, 'should I punish you?'

'I let the darkness in,' said Twilight simply.

'My most favoured student.' Celestia gave that familiar chuckle, at once loving and sly. 'You have done what I could not. You have put an end to a great evil which has plagued creation for countless cycles of time. You should not be punished. Rewarded, maybe. Celebrated...'

'No.' Twilight shook her head. 'No, that would be too easy. I can't go back to the way I was. Not after everything that's happened.'

'Twilight Sparkle, what do you wish?'

She thought for a moment. 'To make amends.'

'Very well. Since you are so eager for judgement, my doom is this. You are to repair what Darkshine marred. Where Equestria has been hurt, you will heal. Where Equestria has been damaged, you will repair. You will find the peace you seek, Twilight Sparkle. I will make sure of it.'

#

The moon was sinking towards its bed in the West. Two companions sat on the hill just outside Ponyville, gazing at its unmarked face.

'It was like a dream,' said Twilight Sparkle.

Princess Luna nodded. 'Very like a dream.'

'It wasn't cold up there.'

'Indeed it was not.'

'It wasn't really warm either.'

'I remember it well.'

Twilight's brows drew together while her wide open eyes tracked the sinking disk. 'At first I though there were no colours at all. That it was just black and grey and silver. But then I started to see reds... yellows and browns...' Twilight's voice took on a dreamy quality. 'But no blues. And never any greens.'

There was silence for a while as both of them revolved their own thoughts. Then; 'Twilight Sparkle,' said Luna. 'You should not be ashamed of your feelings.'

'My feelings.' Twilight gave a nervous little laugh. 'I don't know what you're talking about.'

'I am referring to my sister.'

'No.' Twilight shook her head vigorously. 'No, no, no! That wasn't me. That was Darkshine.'

'All Darkshine did was express what was hidden inside you. That's how you defeated her... isn't it?'

'Ugh.' Twilight hung her head with a sigh. 'She's the immortal ruler of Equestria and I'm just her student. A straight 'A' student but one nonetheless.'

'You came back from the moon, did you not? You defeated the most terrible enemy Equestria has ever faced, did you not?'

'I kind of had help.' Twilight gave a wry smile. 'But when you put it like that...'

'I would say that after all that, anything is possible. Wouldn't you?' Luna extended a wing and Twilight leaned gratefully against her.

'Maybe I'll... write her a letter.'

#

But she never did.

#

The ancient legend haunted city of Inverneigh brooded beneath a dark storm-wracked sky. Its grim old buildings loomed blackly against racing clouds. Here and there yellow squares of lighted windows gleamed like watchful eyes.

This habitation of ponykind dated back to the founding of Equestria, when fell creatures had come from the Northern Wastes. Then a great fortress had been built to guard the high passes, and a city had grown up around it. The monsters had gone, but Inverneigh remained; a place on the edge, forever looking into the lonely wildness.

The oldest district of Inverneigh was the High City which clustered around the foot of the castle. Here the town houses jostled together, their upper stories almost touching over the narrow cobbled streets. Gas lit street lamps shone out here and there, their light mostly serving to make the shadows darker. The few townsfolk brave enough to be abroad were bundled up against the blustery wind. They did not linger, but hurried to their destinations.

In a secluded court there was a domicile of sinister antiquity. This house, if such a jumble of roofs and turrets and tiny windows could be called such, had sagged and settled over the centuries. Now, with its drunken uprights and not very level stories, it seemed to glare at itself.

A faint gleam of light could be seen from the leaded windows. The house itself was empty but an oil lamp flickering in an alcove told of current occupancy. A steep and narrow flight of stairs led down to the cellar. This was the most spacious room of the edifice. Its vaulted ceiling was high enough for a unicorn to wander at will without bumping her horn. There were bookshelves full of magical tomes. Benches were laden with all manner of magical paraphenalia.

A stone pedestal stood in the centre of the room. A brass bowl had been placed on top. The bowl was full to the brim with oily liquid. Green flames flickered on its surface. Standing facing it was a unicorn mare. She was wearing an oversized floppy wizard's hat. Her cutie mark was concealed by the star patterned cloak draped over her hindquarters. Her blue coat appeared greyish in the pallid light.

'Ahem.' The unicorn cleared her throat. 'You spirits of fire, hear me.' The oily liquid stirred in its bowl. 'You elements of the upper air, heed me.' Emerald flames kindled at the bowl's rim.

'You heralds and messengers of the secret world, attend me!' There was a liquid whoosh as the flames caught. The unicorn reared onto her hind legs and pawed the air. 'My hooves stand below the deepest abyss and the point of my horn rises above the brightest heaven. By the secret names written in my book of power I command you. Appear to me and do my bidding. I command!' The fire grew bright, then painful for the naked eye; yet it gave no heat. Shapes took form in its depths; a circling cavalcade of wild-eyed feral horses with streaming flames for manes. Then the light dimmed to a fitful glow. The unicorn dropped to the stone floor. The corners of her mouth quirked up in a smile. 'A little theatrical, maybe.'

'Maybe.' A figure stepped out of the shadows, wearing a heavy travelling cloak. The hood was raised to hide its face. 'How did you know I was here?'

'Do not underestimate The Great and Powerful Trixie,' said Trixie, thoroughly rolling all the 'r's. 'Her powers continue to grow.'

'So it seems.'

'She has a good teacher.' The two ponies fondly rubbed their muzzles together. 'You are staying with us long here in Inverneigh?'

'No. I have to leave in the morning. I just came here to check up. In case... you know.' With a toss of her head Twilight Sparkle shrugged off the hood. Seen in the fitful greenish glow of the bowl, she had the body of an athlete. All excess body fat had long since been pared away. Lean muscles flexed beneath her hide. However it was the body of an athlete who habitually pushed herself to exhaustion. Too well did Trixie read the signs of exhaustion; the tremor of the knees, the drained sagging of the neck.

Twilight's once guileless face was marked by a jagged scar running down over one eyebrow. Her eyes gleamed with a hard and adamant purpose. Trixie tsked as she noticed the latest change; a streak of white just above the left temple.

'You have been busy, I assume.' Trixie tried to sound casual.

'You haven't read my letters?'

'I read them when you bother to send them – which is less than you should and even less frequent of late. Where is young Spike?'

Twilight looked at the floor. 'I left him in Ponyville. He needed to rest.'

Oh, and you don't? Trixie gave a considering frown. 'Twilight, how long is it since you've had a decent sit-down meal?'

Twilight shuffled her hooves. 'I honestly don't recall.'

'Then it is decided.' Trixie assumed her most imperious manner. 'You will accompany The Great and Powerful Trixie to the kitchen, immediately.'

#

Trixie watched Twilight eat her way through a second plate of hay fries. The lilac jaws ground in mechanical circles, displaying little sign of enjoyment. Twilight finished and drained a glass of milk.

'Twilight, must you leave so soon?'

Twilight swallowed mightily and wiped her muzzle. 'Yes. New leads.'

'Which will lead nowhere.'

A shrug of the lilac shoulders. Clearly it was of no consequence.

'Trixie is concerned.'

Twilight stifled a belch. 'What about.'

'Look at yourself. You turn up on my doorstep with the appetite of a famine victim and saddlebags under your eyes. Your health is clearly suffering.'

'What about it.' Twilight shrugged. 'This is more important.'

'Trixie does not think so.'

The fire blazed up in Twilight's eyes. 'We aren't safe! What if it comes back?'

'Could it, Twilight Sparkle? Come back?'

'No. The Dark rests easy. That battle's been fought and won.'

'Then I fail to see...'

'I said it wrong.' Twilight shook her head. 'What if something like it appeared in Equestria? Something my Princess couldn't put down? We've travelled far, Spike and me. We've seem more than anypony should. There is terror in the dark spaces. Terror and death. There are things asleep, but they could awaken. My poor ponies would burn like stubble in the fields. I have to go on.' Twilight's head drooped. 'I have to.'

'Five years, Twilight Sparkle.' One of Twilight's ears twitched. 'Five years you have schooled Trixie. Had her searching the realm with all the might of her magic. Straining her senses for the faintest hint of the things you fear. And what has she found? Nothing.'

'Then you're a bad student. Or maybe I'm a bad teacher.'

'Trixie is not finished. Five years, you yourself have been searching. What have you found? Some poor deluded diabolists. Would-be necromancers afraid of their own shadows. Lackwits ready to cast their horseshoes in fright at a bump in the night. Folk more deserving of pity than censure.'

'Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence,' quoted Twilight with little conviction.

'Twilight,' said Trixie with slow force. 'It is over.'

'I don't think so.'

'Stop punishing yourself.'

'I'm not... aargh!' Twilight waved her hooves in the air.

' The Great and Powerful Trixie would not see you destroy yourself.'

Only now did anger kindle in the purple eyes. 'Is that what you think is going to happen?'

'It is.'

The two glared at each other over the table. It was Trixie who looked away first. Twilight shrugged and fell to licking the last fragments of hay fries from the plate. Trixie adjusted her hat to a businesslike angle and went to prepare more food. 'Trixie.' The voice floated over her shoulder while she was flipping the skillet. 'I couldn't wish for a better friend in all Equestria.'

And don't I know it. Trixie smiled wryly. 'I have heard that this year Princess Celestia will perform the Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville.'

'Is that right.'

'Your friends will all be there. Your friends.' She emphasised the last words. 'You should go to them.'

There was half a minute of silence. And then: 'I'm tired,' said Twilight faintly. 'I'm so tired.'

Trixie turned from the sizzling skillet, only to see Twilight slumped across the table, peacefully asleep.

Comments

[Pleaseworkforonce]

ooh at first i was like
then i was like

[Somebody]

Damn it. Not Trixie...

It's like... every time I manage to find and follow a good Twilight grimdark story, which has to be, like, my favorite kind, that worst pony always, ALWAYS has to show up somewhere in the middle and ruin the whole freaking story. God I hate her.

Anyway, besides that, I've been following this story for a while now and it's pretty good. I urge you to continue, even if you don't violently kill off Trixie asap. But it would be nice if you did...

[Foxtrot]

613198

I was aware that the appearance of The Horned One might not meet with universal approval. However for what I needed in the story at this point, she was the best choice.

Anyway thanks for reading and I'm glad you've enjoyed the story thus far (with one exception)

Foxtrot XXX

[psychostasis]

Why can't the bad guy win for once?