What Lies Within

by KidatHeart5

The Umbrum World

Author's Note:

Watch out! This is a big-bang chapter!

Snow Pea groaned as her eyes fluttered open. She looked around her surroundings and noticed that it was darker than usual. She turned and gasped when she saw Nightmare Moon.

NMM said, “I see you’re finally up, young princess.”

Snow Pea tried to move, but soon realized that chains held her back. She pleaded, “Aunt Luna, I know you’re in there! You have to fight this.”

A sinister chuckle sent shivers up Snowy’s spine. She turned and saw Belladonna, who had just appeared from a shadowy smoke. The Umbrum princess said, “I’m afraid your precious Luna is gone, princess. There is only Nightmare Moon.”

Snow Pea shouted in protest, “You’re lying! I know she’s in there somewhere! I can feel it!”

Nightmare Moon said, “Well, if you want Princess Luna back, you’ll have to join us.”

This shocked Snowy and then she cried, “Never! I won’t use my snow powers to hurt anypony!”

“Do you even know just how you got your powers?”

“My parents told me enough! They said the Windigos gave me snow powers.”

When Snow Pea stood silent for a few moments, Nightmare Moon flashed an evil grin, “Admit it, you’re curious. You want to know just why the Windigos gave you your powers. Go ahead and tell the tiara what happened the day you got your powers.”

Snow Pea eventually caved and sighed, “Fire Tiara…”

Belladonna urged, “Yes, go on.”

“…show me what happened the day I got my powers.”

The tiara complied and glowed before projecting a screen of the Crystal Empire before the three of them. Almost instantly, Snow Pea was mesmerized by the events playing before her eyes…

A long time ago, Button Mash and Sweetie Belle attended their first Crystal Faire. Button was in total amazement of the beauty around him.

He smiled, “Oh, wow! It’s all so amazing, Sweetie Belle! I love it!”

His wife chuckled, “I knew you would.” She then rubbed her baby bump - which was starting to show - and said, “And I’m sure Baby will, too.”

Button smiled and rubbed her stomach with her. He said, “I know. Just think, Sweetie Belle. Just a few more months and our new son or daughter will be born.”

“Admit it. You want a colt.”

“Honestly, I’ll be happy with either a colt or a filly.”

Sweetie chuckled as she rubbed her muzzle against his, “Oh, you…” When they heard trumpets blast, she gasped playfully, “Come on, Button! We have to get to the dais in time to see the tribute to the Crystal Heart.”

“Way ahead of you!”

They both laughed as they raced each other to the dais. It reminded Snow Pea of the time she spent with Sunset at the Faire.

On the screen, Discord saw the royal couple panting from their pretend race and said, “What’s the rush, you two? Sweetie Belle has to be careful in her condition.”

Sweetie panted, “I’m fine, Discord. Don’t worry.”

He scoffed, “I’ve been worrying about you every day ever since that near-death incident.”

Twilight shushed them, “Shh! It’s starting.”

The crowd of ponies became quiet when Princess Cadance and Shining Armor walked up to the dais. Cadance addressed them, “Welcome, everypony! It is such an honor to be here today, especially since this is the first Crystal Faire my husband and I are ruling this fine kingdom. Of course, none of it would’ve been possible without him.” She wrapped her hoof around his and he smiled at her.

Shining Armor finished, “With love, anything is possible. Use that love and goodness in your heart today and spread it across Equestria.”

Within moments, the ponies focused on their positive emotions and used them to energize the Crystal Heart. It filled Snow Pea with amazement that she could actually see what wonders the Heart beheld without going through any of the trauma she experienced before.

The image then cut to her parents sleeping together in the guest room. Sweetie Belle moaned and asked Button, “Button, can you get a glass of water, please?”

Button groaned groggily, “Sure, honey.” He then got out of bed and went out the door.

Sweetie Belle stayed asleep in her bed until she shivered, “Button, I feel cold. Can you close the window, please?” When she heard an eerie howl, her eyes flew open with fright and she asked worriedly, “Button?” When she saw the Windigos, she screamed.

Button rushed to the bedroom at breakneck speed, but he arrived too late. He cried out, “No!”

The image dissolved and showed yet another moment. Discord, in police attire, was putting police tape all over the guest room.

Apple Bloom asked, “Discord, are you sure it’s necessary?”

He replied, “Of course it is! This is the scene of the crime!”

Scootaloo pointed out, “Um, how can we investigate it if we’re outside the room?”

Discord realized she was right. He had taped the entire doorway with police tape. He face-palmed and said, “Barn it!”

A guard then rushed up to the royals and said, “Your Highness! We have received reports from several ponies that Princess Sweetie Belle was taken by Windigos!”

The princesses gasped, “Windigos?!”

Discord sputtered, “Well, what could they possibly want with Sweetie Belle?!”

Button said with a determined look on his face, “I don’t know, but I almost lost her once. I’m not going to lose her again.”

The screen changed to Sweetie Belle being frightened by the Windigos swarming her. She asked, “Why…why did you bring me here? What do you want with me?”

One Windigo sinisterly chuckled, “It’s not you we want. It’s the unborn child in your womb.” Snow Pea grew immediately cold when she heard a Windigo speaking for the first time.

Sweetie Belle shouted, “Never! You will never have my baby!”

Another Windigo said, “But you don’t understand, princess. We need a vessel to spread our powers across Equestria. You see, we can only use our powers if there’s hatred and anger. But your beloved country has little to spare, so we need a pony in whom we can instill our powers.”

“But why mine?”

A third Windigo answered, “Trust us, princess. We originally wanted the crystal princess’s child, but she is not with one yet. So when you came along, we saw this as the perfect opportunity. There were other young candidates for the job, but they were of - shall we say - lower class. What we really want is a pony of royal blood. They say that royalty has due influence over the citizens. And since the Umbrum had a princess to lead them, we thought we could do the same.”

Just then, a Windigo sentry burst into the room and said, “Intruders at the southern gate!”

One of the Windigos turned to Sweetie Belle and smirked, “Ah. Your little rescue party, no doubt.” He ordered two of the Windigos, “Frost! Sleet! Make sure you watch the princess while the rest of us take care of important business.”

When most of the Windigos left, Sweetie Belle started to moan and crumple to the floor. She groaned, “Oh! The baby! Something’s wrong!” When Sleet and Frost leaned in towards her, Sweetie Belle unleashed a blast of magic and repelled the Windigos. Sweetie Belle said as she strode past the unconscious ghouls, “Some guards.” She told her unborn child, “See? Your mommy can whip some serious hide.”

Snow Pea thought, You got that right, Mom.

On the screen, Sweetie came to an icy slope. She slid down and skidded to a stop in a room with icy mirrors. She walked towards a mirror and to her surprise, she saw Canterlot. She gasped, “Canterlot?”

She went towards another and saw the Everfree Kingdom. She did the same for almost every mirror and then remarked, “Wow. The Windigos can see all over Equestria!”

Just then, she heard ruckus outside. She started racing towards the opposite doorway until she started slipping. Sweetie cried, “Whoa! I forgot! I’m on ice!”

She held her hoof out to use the nearest wall to brake her sliding. When her hoof made contact with the wall…

“Oww!”

Sweetie felt pain slice through her hoof and a cold rush course through her. She saw that an ice crystal had pierced her hoof and she used her magic to pluck it out. Holding her hoof up in the air, Sweetie slowly made her way down the hall.

The screen changed to show Button scouring the icy halls for his true love. He called out, “Sweetie?! Sweetie Belle?! Sweetie, where are you?!”

Just then, he heard a small sound down the hall. He stood his guard until he could make out a distinct and whispery voice shiver out, “Button?”

He knew who it was and raced to see his beloved wife. However, he skidded to a stop when he saw that Sweetie Belle has collapsed to the floor. Her mane had become snowy white and frost had decorated much of her body. She was shivering uncontrollably, but when she noticed Button, she said in a quivering voice, “Button…I’m glad you’re here.”

Button asked, “What happened to you, Sweetie?”

Just then, ominous chuckles and whinnies filled the air. Button’s pupils shrunk when he saw the Windigos approaching them.

A Windigo said, “She has touched an ice crystal, so now the snow magic runs in her. She will freeze to death…unless you were to agree to an alternative.”

Sweetie shivered, “Button…They want our child…Don’t let them take our baby…”

Button said, “But I can’t live without you.”

“Button…save the kingdom…I’m not worth it.”

“But you are, Sweetie Belle. You and our baby.” He turned to the Windigos and said, “You’ve got yourself a deal, but only on one condition. Spare Sweetie Belle’s life so that she may raise the child with me.”

The Windigos nodded at each other and then one said, “So be it.”

There was a glow surrounding Sweetie Belle and almost instantly, she was healed.

The head Windigo said, “The ice magic that plagued you now lives in the child. We shall collect it when the time comes.”

The screen then dissipated, leaving Snow Pea utterly shocked by what she saw.

Belladonna smirked, “Educating. Very educating.” She then turned to Snow Pea and said, “Do you see, young princess? You were meant to do the Windigos’ handiwork. It is your destiny.”

Snow Pea let out a sob and then shouted, “NO!”

Unbeknownst to her, the Fire Tiara shot out a ray of magic and it ricocheted across the room. Belladonna used this to her advantage and said, “You see? Your magic is powerful. You simply can’t let all that power go to wa-“

Just then, the brilliant amaranth beam of magic hit Belladonna’s neckpiece and she let out a yell. Before she knew it, Snow Pea saw images before her eyes. She saw Radiant Hope entering a red crystal and then facing three horse-like creatures. Snow Pea surmised that those three were the sirens. She found them unsettling. She then saw Radiant Hope signing her name on a piece of paper before being enveloped by a black sphere. Snow Pea was shocked to see who came out of the blackness then.

When Snow Pea snapped out of her trance, she said, “You’re the pony in the window.”

Belladonna sneered, “So what if I am?”

“You’re Radiant Hope, one of the lost princesses.”

“I no longer go by that name. I am now simply known as Belladonna, princess of the Umbrum.”

“But why? Why did you become evil?”

“’Why?’ I’ll tell you why! Your grandfather rejected me! My only friend turned away from me! And if that wasn’t enough, your grandfather turned my friend to stone! I gave up any pain I had because of them and learned that the darkness is so much stronger than any feeling at all.”

“You can still change for the better! It’s not too late for you to turn back into Radiant Hope!”

“I left that past behind. I must continue towards my future. A future of darkness and fear.”

“You can’t do that! The Umbrum and Windigos will rule the land forever!”

Belladonna smiled evilly, “That’s the idea.” She then began to sing, “I realize that you’ve always been an outcast…Not everyone has your magic, I should think…To find a pony that's like you…I've met one or maybe two…But the good ones disappear before I blink…”

Snow Pea’s heart skipped a beat when the Umbrum creeped out of the shadows, ominously chanting, “Oh, wuh-oh-wuh, oh…Oh, wuh-oh-wuh…”

Belladonna sang, “Now, I understand you have your reservations…”

“Oh-wuh…”

“It's hard to have magic as strange as yours…”

“Oh-oh-oh-oh…”

“But if you keep it in chains…Well, I think I've made it plain…What will happen if your powers are ignored!”

“Oh, wuh-oh-wuh, oh…Oh, wuh-oh-wuh…Unleash the magic, unleash the magic…The tiara’s made from flame…ah, ah-ah-ah… Star Swirl has used it, maybe abused it…ah-ah-ah…So then why can't you do the same? Oh, wuh-oh-wuh, oh…Oh, wuh-oh-wuh…”

“Call it power, call it magic…If we’re beat, it will be tragic…More important is the pony we'll have lost…”

“Oh-oh-oh-oh…”

“A chance like this won't come again…You'll regret not giving in…Isn’t finally belonging worth the cost?”

“Oh, wuh-oh-wuh, oh…Oh, wuh-oh-wuh…Unleash the magic, unleash the magic…We're not friends here after all…Our only interest in this business…ah-ah-ah…is seeing all Equestria fall…Oh, wuh-oh-wuh, oh…Oh, wuh-oh-wuh, oh…”

“What I'm suggesting's very simple…And since it's win-win on all scores…You only want to learn about those magic powers of yours…And as for me and all the others…We only want what we deserve…That darkness will rule the land and my…”

Belladonna and the Umbrum all sang, “…legacy will endure!”

The Umbrum princess then shot a ray of dark magic at Snow Pea, only for the younger princess to use a force field. Snowy protested, “No, I will never join you!”

As Snow Pea was saying that, the Umbrum sang in the background, “Unleash the magic, unleash the magic…”

Belladonna glared at her and merely said, “Hmm…Such a pity. I suppose we’ll have to use another measure. You know, Nightmare Moon didn’t take just you from Yakyakistan.”

Snowy asked, “What do you mean?”

As the conversation was happening, the Umbrum sang in the background, “If we’re beat, then it’s a crime…But we can win it if she begins it…ah-ah-ah…”

Belladonna smirked as she said, “Oh, you’ll see.” She then ordered the Umbrum, “Bring out the Air Vest!”

As she spoke her words, the Umbrum sang, “Belladonna will succeed this time…” They then began chanting, “Unleash the magic, free the magic now…”

Snow Pea shrieked, “No, you can’t! You can’t do that!”

Nightmare Moon held her back with her magic and said, “You had your chance, little filly. Now you must witness the consequences.”

Belladonna sang, “Imagine all I’ll do by setting it free…"

The Umbrum chanted, “Unleash the magic, free the magic now…”

“And now taking over depends on me…”

Snow Pea’s heart dropped when she saw a couple of Umbrum carrying in the Air Vest. She tried to use her magic to stop all of this, but her own fear and Nightmare Moon’s magic were too strong.

Belladonna then sang as she used her magic to levitate the vest to her, “And what doors would open if I were to use it…” She finished as she was putting it on, “Yes, the magic’s what I really want to see…”

The Umbrum chanted, “Unleash the magic, free the magic…Unleash the magic, free the magic…”

Snow Pea screamed, “NOOO!!!”

“Now!”

In a sphere of white light mingled with dark streaks, Belladonna was lifted off the ground. Much to her horror, Snow Pea saw bat wings emerge from the Umbrum princess’s silhouette! The filly almost fainted when she saw Belladonna lowering to the ground with actual bat wings now sticking out of the Air Vest.

Comments

[Godslittleprincess]

Darn it, royals! You should have let Discord or Spike put it on. All that trouble to get it for nothing.

[MinionsFanatic]

WOW, ... just woah!!!
AWESOME! Next chapter coming VERY VERY soon!!! Love it!

[Skye Mist]

Should've just had Discord wear it when they had the chance. Tsk, tsk.
I like your version of Unleash the Magic, real good lyric change.
The next chapter's bound to be extremely interesting.

[Marina Stars]

Darn you royals!!!!! Next time LISTEN TO DISCORD!!!!!

Cant wait for more!!!!

[Godslittleprincess]

I still can't believe it. All that trouble for nothing.