• Published 18th Apr 2015
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Fear Me, for My Name is Twaith! - Michael Hudson



My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I am a wraith.

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An Unfair Game

Cadance yawned as she pushed a book away from herself. Glancing about, she
could see mountains of books, covering topics ranging from anatomy, to the supernatural. The element bearers, Celestia, and her beloved each had a pile besides them, though all were small when compared to the pony who had organized this. She stepped back as another book was thrown with almost ballistic force, wrapped in purple energy from atop its master's mountain. Cadance frowned before unfolding her wings, and beginning to fly to Twilight.

"Hey there."

Twilight looked up towards the voice, before looking back down to the next book, and putting it in her pile, noting it as one of her books from the catacombs. "Did you find something Cadance?"

Cadance set herself down besides Twilight, just before she put a hoof to the stressed mare's horn. The book in front of Twilight fell, and the princess almost immediately got a scowl in return. "What are you doing? We only have another sixteen hours before Sunset comes back, and we have to be able to fix her!"

Cadance shook her head slowly. "I know Twilight, but this won't work. We won't find an answer here."

Twilight stomped forward, sending more books clattering down along her mountain. Her horn began to glow as she charged a spell and narrowed her eyes. "We have to! I... I won't lose her."

Cadance put her hoof against the horn again, her leg throbbing in pain as the magic transferred itself. "I don't want her gone either. None of us do. However," she blinked back a tear, sympathizing with the younger unicorn before she spoke again, "these books won't help us."

Twilight began to shake as a tear came down her face. She shook her head vigorously, trying to keep it together. Sunset needed her to be focused, not to lament on the new positions they were in. "The-they have to. They just, have to."

Cadance wrapped a wing around Twilight. She had seen this pain so many times before, though with the ex-wraith, she was not sure if the pain was from the a loss of a love like normal. It could just be that the small pony thought she was losing all that she had. That didn't mean she could simply ignore the truth though. "They owe you nothing, just as they have owed nopony trying to cheat death in the past."

Twilight looked up at Cadance, tears now freely streaming down her face. "Please tell me you didn't just come up here to tell me that? I didn't need to hear it."

Cadance felt another tug at her chest. She had joined the search due to empathy, and because she too wanted to defeat Discord. Looking at the cute thing beside her though, showing such compassion for her friend, made her realize why so many called a wraith their companion. "I didn't. In fact, I have a plan. I believe we need to make Discord bring Sunset back."

Twilight looked down, her ears folding over the sides of her head. "I... I see the logic I suppose. Discord was able to bring me back in the first place, so he should be able to do the same to Sunset. He is the god of chaos though, so I doubt he would be willing to help us."

The alicorn shook her head. "Well, that's where my plan comes into play. See, he may be chaotic, but do you think that would stop him from playing a game, or push him towards it?"

Twilight held a hoof up to her mouth, slowly tapping it as her tears started to slow. "I suppose that might work, but we would need to pick the right game."

Cadance grinned at that, beginning to pet Twilight's head to try to relax her. "The game would be of reactions. He would think he could win, but if we use her for the judge," pointing to Celestia, who had only now noticed that the two were talking, "I am almost certain he would find it to be an uphill battle to beat me.”


The gears in Twilight's head began to whir, trying to push out the misery within her thoughts. Celestia was a very controlled pony, and as she had seen Discord's magic before, she would be more prepared for his tricks. That left one big question though. "How would we win?"

Cadance glanced back at her aunt, thinking about all of those years of foalsitting she had been forced to do, and the best way to get back at Celestia for them. "Oh, I'll think of something."

======+++++======

"Discord!" Cadance glanced around the barren field that used to be the Canterlot Garden Maze, waiting for a response. They had maybe four hours before Sunset came back, so they needed to work fast. "Discord, come out! We have a game for you."

"A game you say?"

The ponies gathered glanced around, before Fluttershy let out a yelp from dirt being displaced, and Discord rose out of the ground, his arms stretched out in front of him. He then stretched and yawned. "I really am honored actually. To spend your last few hours with me before Sunset comes is really quite... touching."

Twilight ground a hoof into the supple soil, her cheeks puffed out as she tried not to start screaming at the meanie. Cadance rubbed the mare between the wing joints as she took in a deep breath herself. "About that, well, you see-"

Discord put a finger to her muzzle, a grin on his face. "Oh trust me, I know you want a wager. I’ve honestly been expecting it all night. So, what will the challenge be? Kayaking perhaps?” He paused, snapping and beginning to row through the dirt with his small boat. "Or maybe something more original, like extreme library sorting!" This time, they were all teleported to Golden Oaks Library, where there were rings of fire, spike pits, and hundred of books that were pulled off of the shelves.

Cadance merely shook her head. "Nothing quite that fancy actually. In fact, it's simply a game of making a pony react through one action. Whoever can get Celestia to react more, gets the prize. For us, it would be you bringing back Sunset."

Discord tapped a talon to his chin, before coiling around Applejack, causing the farm mare to jump to the other side of the room and singe her tail on a hoop. "Sorry, but I doubt any of you can tempt me to agree to any sort of wager. I can make anything I want, so what could you possibly have to give me?"

Twilight knew it was her turn as she stepped up. "How about another draconequus?"

Discord had been just about to sip some tea, before the cup crashed onto the floor and became a flock of doves. "What?"

The purple unicorn stepped forward, just as they had planned. "I doubt you can simply make another one of you, and I've already been a wraith. It might be interesting, being a fellow spirit of chaos."

Discord stopped before glancing around the room. The assembled ponies looked concerned, but by the fact that no pony was actually acting with shock meant they had planned this. That they thought they could win. One more look at Twilight though, and his intelligence wavered for his heart. He swallowed his true reasoning for it, and nodded. "Fine, if not just to see what you have up your-"

The draconequus whipped around and grabbed Celestia's head. In a blink of an eye, Celestia witnessed every moment that Luna had spent on the moon. Felt all of the boredom and pain her sister had. Night after night of cold isolation, only wanting to be accepted, and at home. To have what her sister always did. The white mare stepped back, and hung her head low, letting out a single tear.

Cadance's jaw went slack at the sight of her aunt crying. She hadn't even thought that was possible. Discord pushed the alicorn's mouth up and whispered, "Beat that."

Cadance's head panicked. She was only now realizing that they were no longer in Canterlot, so an illusion of blowing up Canterlot Castle wouldn’t work. Now, she had no ideas, and a crying Celestia that she had to somehow change to something, anything else. She watched as Celestia blinked a few times, and began to shake. When the solar princess looked to Twilight, Cadance's heart almost skipped a beat as she knew what to do.

Cadance put a hoof underneath Twilight's chin, looked deep into the mare's amethyst eyes, and thought of an apology for Celestia as she pressed her muzzle against Twilight's. There was an audible gasp from the room, and Celestia simply stared for a moment. While the reminder of what she had done had hurt, she had long ago accepted what she had done, and with it, the pain. To watch the mare she was supposed to be with be kissed by her niece though, especially her niece that was betrothed, was a bit more shocking.

Cadance jumped away from Twilight when Celestia slammed her hooves down, the white alicorn letting her sadness be channeled into rage. "What do you think you're doing?"

Cadance smiled, but before she could say anything, the wobbling Twilight spoke. "So, that's what kissing is."

Cadance could only pale, before running from Celestia, who was screaming as parts of her mane intermittently caught on fire. In hindsight, she would thank Cadance for all of this, but for now, the pink homewrecker was going to die.

Discord watched the two barrel out the front door and sighed. He knew he should have gone for shock and awe, instead of something Celestia had fought with for so long. He then shrugged, making sure the tear coming down his face did not show. "You win some," he snapped and caused Sunset to appear in front of him, "you lose some."

Before the yellow wraith could do anything, Discord moved his hands back. He pput his wrists together, a blue ball forming between his palms, and then slammed the energy into Sunset’s barrel. The effect was immediate, as all of the magic that was consuming Sunset was blasted away from her. Unfortunately, it was directed at Twilight now, who wasn't quite fast enough to dodge.

Sunset collapsed to the ground with a thud. She could barely remember any of the past twenty hours. All she could remember was the deal she had made, and the fact that Twilight was supposed to be alive now. She then looked up, and saw a translucent Twilight hit the ground, and Discord snickering above her.

"Hahaha! You really thought I would let it be one sided if you won? I'll admit, I'm amazed that you were able to win in the first place, but," he teleported to in front of Twilight and picked her up by the chin, "I always play the long game."

Sunset stared as Twilight glanced at the ground, and a single tear came down and hit the wooden floor. Her thoughts cleared out of her mind to allow her being to be filled with one emotion. Rage.

Discord felt the wind whip about himself as suddenly a whole town's worth of magic seemed to have appeared behind him. He burped for a moment, with small, pink pubbles coming out that exploded like fireworks, before turning around. Before him floated Sunset, her eyes glowing, and the cutie mark on her flank becoming a spinning typhoon of fire. A book on one of the shelves burst into flames, and the elements came out of their prison, only to then surround Sunset and start glowing. "Wha-"

"Get away from my wraith, you son of a dragon!" Sunset threw her head back, and the glowing orb of magic around her exploded. Discord threw his hands up and tried to erect barriers for himself, but to no avail. The harmonious magic had him in its grip, and within seconds, he found his body returning to its petrified state.

The other elements stared as Sunset slowly lowered herself to the ground. Pinkie let out a cheer for her victorious friend. The others opened their mouths to join, but were cut off by the sound of the unicorn's body hitting the ground. What filled the air afterwards, was dead silence.

Rarity stepped forward, before reaching out a hoof and nudging Sunset. The yellow mare's side barely rose in response, and Fluttershy flew over to join them. Resting her head against Sunset's barrel, she heard the faintest of heartbeats. "But... but why?"

Now it was Twilight's turn to come over. She felt weak, and her essence was screaming, trying to go back to the freedom it had within Sunset. The amount of pain she must have been in over the last day while containing this must have been unbearable, and having to channel enough energy to undo Discord’s magic by herself... Twilight couldn't imagine having survived that herself. Even with understanding why though, she still didn't want to accept what was happening.

It wasn't spontaneous before. This time she could feel her desires as they dangled over a pool of untapped energy. Even if she didn't know what the energy entailed, it would give her options. Options that might just save her best friend. She let the pool be touched as she accepted her desire for Sunset to live, no matter what, and her body followed its instincts.

Slowly, Twilight lowered her head, and pressed her muzzle to Sunset's. It was a light kiss, and through it, Twilight fed Sunset a piece of her own essence, the newly found soul magic teaching her things that both excited, and frightened her. The others simply watched the brief embrace, before Fluttershy whispered, "She is growing stronger."

Twilight pulled away, her own eyes growing very heavy as she said no to her magic. She had only needed it to keep Sunset alive, not to wake her up. She would not be greedy, and pulled the edge of her desires away from the last pool of energy within her, before collapsing beside her best friend.

======+++++======

Cadance looked up from her hospital bed at the slight chill that seemed to have entered the room. Almost immediately, Twilight turned down her cold, and smiled at the princess. "Hi. I thought I should come by and see how you were doing."

Cadance let out a pained groan as she sat up and rubbed her head. "Let me put it this way. Don't ever get Celestia to go from fairly depressed to enraged like that. It's not good for your health."

Twilight let out a small laugh and floated to the edge of the bed. "I would imagine. When she breaks her mask, it breaks hard."

Cadance chuckled, thinking back to back when she was a younger filly and Celestia tried to protect her, especially when Shining Armor first asked her out. "Yeah, but she always means well. It might be part of what makes her so amazing."

A small nod came from Twilight. "I... I'm honestly surprised you were willing to go so far to help me. From what I'd known, I thought we were destined to be cursed enemies, always out for the others prizes and wishes."

Cadance raised a single eyebrow. "Sorry, but it's not like we're in a storybook. You may have scared me the first time we met, but after seeing how much you matter to everypony else, I knew you couldn’t be all bad, and even became someone I could care about too."

Twilight smiled at that and wrapped her hooves around Cadance's neck. The pink princess reciprocated hug, holding the wraith tight with magic. A small pink wisp escaped Cadance as she reflected on how happy everypony was now, including her, to have this one spirit back to normal. The wisp sunk into Twilight's cloak, becoming a bright, blue heart, before being closed up by black threads.

Once the two were done with the hug, Twilight nodded to herself, having made her mind up on a long standing problem she had had. "You know what? I think it's official. I will find another way to deal with my problem with you, instead of freezing you and dumping your body where nopony will find you."

Cadance chuckled for a moment. "Well, I'm happy to hea-" Her eyes shot open as the wraith glided into the floor. Twilight did not decide to come back when the rival for her possible, but not sure yet, crush yelled, "What did you just say?"

Author's Note:

I had to end it on a happy note, as this chapter was far sadder then I even expected. However, this also marks the end of the story focus part until about mid-January, so please, leave more comments once more. I suspect this one will have sparked some new ideas and such.

So yeah, lets keep trucking, hope you enjoyed the long chapter, and comments are open.