Internal Darkness

by Silver Sorcerer

Chapter 20

Disclaimer: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all associated characters, settings and stories are the rightful subjects of Hasbro, the HUB, Studio B, and Lauren Faust.

Chapter 20

The sun rose once again and the group began what was quickly becoming their daily routine. Applejack rekindled the fire and scratched together a small breakfast. Provisions were running dangerously low and they would be out of food within a day. The need to get back to civilization was growing on them.

"How much longer do you think it will take to get back?" asked Rainbow Dash as she nibbled on a piece of toast.

"Two days, maybe three," Rarity estimated.

"We really did cover a lot of ground when we came up here," said Pinkie.

"Yes, we did."

"How are you feeling, Twilight?"

"I'm fine, Pinkie. Thanks for asking."

"And how are you feeling, Dashie?"

"Just swell, AJ."

Applejack raised an eyebrow, questioning whether she was being serious or sarcastic.

Noticing the face Rainbow said, "No really, AJ, I'm fine. I slept well last night and I'm not sore. I can fly normally again."

"Alright, just be careful."

"You always say that."

"And always will."

"Why?"

"Because Ah love ya'. That's why."

Rainbow smiled and blushed in embarrassment.

"I love you too, AJ."

The slowly brought their lips together and savored the moment. They almost lost each other in their romance had it not been for Rarity's "ahem" that broke their kiss.

"Hate to interrupt your 'moment', but I think I speak for everypony here in saying that you two should probably keep the kissing to a minimum in front of us."

"Do you have a problem with us, Rarity?" asked Rainbow.

"Oh absolutely not, Rainbow darling. I couldn't care if you fell in love with a tree, but I for one do not want to see all the crazy romance. That's between you and AJ."

"A little jealous, Rarity?" asked Applejack with a seductive smile.

"Jealous? Excuse me!"

"Ah think ya' need to take your head out of those cheap romance novels."

"Well, I never!"

"Girls, calm down," said Twilight. "Should we really be fighting about this?"

"Ah wouldn't call it a fight, Twilight."

"Applejack's right. It's more of a confrontation."

"Fight, confrontation, or whatever you want to call it; it's over," said Twilight.

The two girls looked at each other and sighed. Rarity knew she was envious of the two. She wanted a special somepony but she couldn't find a single one that fit her ideal description. Sure, she had met ponies that were true gentlecolts but they had faults in other places; faults Rarity couldn't accept.

'Maybe I am being too picky? Maybe I'm just trying too hard? Am I supposed to just wait around and have my stallion land on my doorstep? Will he just appear one day out of the blue? No, that's not possible. He's out there somewhere, I know it. The stallion I need has to be a perfectly cut diamond. Not cheap crystal, not emerald, not even sapphire, pure diamond. He's out there and I will find him and he will be everything I dreamed and more.'

She smiled as the image of a sexy, but proper stallion came into her vision. While Rarity daydreamed the rest of the girls continued their conversations.

"I can't wait to get back to Ponyville," said Fluttershy.

"I think we can all agree to that," agreed Rainbow.

"I bet Spike misses you," said Pinkie towards Twilight.

"Yeah, I'm sure he does. But he knows how to take care of himself."

"He's gotten bigger in the past months," Applejack commented.

"Well he's reached that stage in his life. His voice is getting deeper, his body is growing; he's maturing."

"Will…he…um…turn into a greedy dragon?" Fluttershy asked nervously.

"According to my books, no."

"Oh…well that's a relief," said Fluttershy as she let herself breathe easier.

"But girls, I have to ask. Would it be alright with you all if we stopped in Canterlot? I need to see my brother. I think something bad has happened to him."

"Absolutely, Twilight," said Rainbow Dash.

"What do you think is wrong with your brother?" asked Fluttershy.

"I don't know. It just feels…like something isn't right. Like he's in trouble or something."

"Well, if we're ta get ta Canterlot any sooner then we best be movin' on," said Applejack. She clopped her hooves in front of Rarity who shook her head as she snapped out of her daydream.

"Sorry, I was...uh…"

"Can it, Little Miss Rarity," said Applejack flatly. "We're movin' out."

"What? Already?"

"Eeyup," she said as she rose and began clearing camp. The other girls followed her, including Rarity who gave out a long sigh before rising and disassembling the tents. It had become an automatic process for them. Douse the fire, take down the tents, fold the blankets, dress warmly, and begin the trek again. They could do it in their sleep, making the cleanup time incredibly short.

With the camp fully packed the girls set off again. The forest had a very different feel than when they first passed through. It was lighter, brighter, and more pleasant to be in. Snow had fallen off the tree branches and was slowly melting into little puddles on the ground. A few early bird arrivals were chirping on the branches, much to Fluttershy's delight. Even a few squirrels and other small woodland creatures could be seen off the trail, making small prints in the snow as they moved along preparing for spring in the mountains.

"Wow. Even up here the animals know when spring is coming," remarked Rainbow.

"All creatures have a sense of time based on temperature and the length of the sun and moon," said Fluttershy.

"That would explain why they're up and out on this beautiful morning," said Twilight.

"Wait, I have a question," said Rarity. "If they know time, do they build their nests and burrows on their own?"

"Oh yes, Rarity," answered Fluttershy. "Even before ponies arrived, these animals built homes all on their own. We just made the process easier for them with Winter Wrap-Up."

"Ah," responded Rarity.

"Any more questions?"

Everypony shook their head as they kept moving through the forest. It was quiet other than the few bird chirps, their hoofprints making crunches in the snow, and the small talk they had amongst each other. Life had certainly taken a different direction for the six of them, a much better one. They hoped to return to their normal lives, even though one part of it would never do so. Though the sun and moon rose and fell, their true beholders would never rise again.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The bath had been refreshing, the dinner exquisite, and the evening pleasant. Magicon was enjoying every moment of his return back home. He hadn't felt this good in a long time and he truly needed it. He was glad of making the decision to flee the hustle and bustle of the city and the snobby court. Here, he didn't have to wear a mask. Here, he didn't have to lie or pretend. Here, he could be himself.

Magicon knew that Littlemore, Fresh Mint, Garden Hedge, and Tram Tam knew more about him than they admitted. But he didn't care. They were his servants, his friends, and his family. They were the only ponies that Magicon put blind faith and trust in. For years they had served him and his master before him with such dedication and loyalty that rivaled the Element bearer herself.

While never going into full details with his servants, Magicon knew that they knew about his real plans and his dark magic. But they turned a blind eye to it or showed compassion to him. They truly cared about him, even when he wasn't there.

"Did you know I still save the letters you send us?" asked Fresh Mint innocently.

"You still do? I thought you ended that years ago," responded Magicon.

He was seated in a comfy lounge chair, directly across from Fresh and Littlemore who were seated on a couch while Garden Hedge leaned against the mantelpiece of a warm fire. They were in the main parlor having a few drinks and sharing stories in a healthy form of entertainment.

"Tut, tut Magicon," scolded Littlemore with a smile. "You know my wife better than that. If you want something saved in this mansion, you throw it out. The mysterious dumpster diver will find some use for it," he said as he poked Fresh who smiled and rolled her eyes.

Magicon warmly smiled at the scene. "I see nothing has changed. Not even the ponies here."

"Why would we? It's not like we're guilty of treason or anything," teased Garden Hedge as he looked over at the three seated ponies.

They all laughed in their happy merriment.

"You have a very good point," said Magicon between his bursts of laughter.

"Speaking of which, have you processed any criminals yet?" asked Fresh almost with foallike interest.

"Dear, you know better than to ask Magicon those kind of questions. He's been on the job for less than a week. I doubt he's been able to keep his head straight," said Littlemore.

"Yes, well, it's true. I don't know how I got through it but I did. I'm not sure if it was the best idea leaving Canterlot on my first weekend as the new leader."

"But you needed it. You needed time for yourself. Everypony needs that," said Garden Hedge.

"Plus, you missed us," admitted Fresh.

"Yes, both of those are true."

"The ponies of Equestria can manage without you for 48 hours. As long as the sun and moon rise and no national crises arise, they can manage," said Littlemore.

"Here, here," cheered Garden as he raised his glass and drank the rest of its contents.

"More brandy, Garden?"

"I really shouldn't."

"Oh, come now. You're no drunkard. I wouldn't have hired you if you were," said Magicon lightheartedly.

"Oh, all right," relented Garden as Magicon telekinetically poured him another glass.

"So, now as the Ruler of Equestria have you given yourself a title or the like?" asked Fresh.

"As a matter of fact, yes. In my way own way to honor the princess I've kept the titles of nobility for myself and for royalty. I'm now Magicon, Prince of Equestria."

"Not Prince Magicon?"

"No. That's the difference. Calling me 'Prince Magicon' assumes I have royal blood and am related to the princesses. I am not in any way related to them. But saying 'Magicon, Prince of Equestria' means that my name is separate from my title and that the title can be bestowed to other ponies after I'm gone."

"You've already have this figured out, don't ya'?" asked Garden teasingly.

"Yes, I do," responded Magicon with a smile of his own.

"So, what big plans do have for Equestria, Magicon, Prince of Equestria?" asked Littlemore humorously.

"I plan to release Discord and make everypony suffer!" taunted Magicon as everypony laughed.

"No, seriously though," said Magicon as they calmed down from their laughter, "I plan on reforming and modernizing Equestria. Better technology, improved lifestyles, happier ponies, who wouldn't want this?"

"It definitely sounds like a good idea," said Fresh.

"I know it is."

"Have you started any work on it?" asked Garden.

"I only discussed it with a few of my advisors. Some loved it, some hated it, but all wanted changes to it. Now comes the long policymaking process."

"Don't worry, Magicon. I know you can do it," said Fresh confidently leaning over and putting a hoof to his shoulder.

Just then she noticed something about Magicon's cheek. It looked slightly discolored and bruised. She squinted her eyes to get a closer look and noticed other scars and cuts along his face.

"Umm…Magicon?"

"Yes, Fresh?" asked Magicon as he sipped his drink.

"What happened to your face?"

Magicon swallowed the remnants of his drink hard and fast as his eyes darted towards Fresh at the realization of the discovery.

"Wh…what do you mean?"

"What I mean is why there are cuts and bruises over your face?"

Noticing it too, Littlemore also stared at Magicon, making him feel unpleasant, and nodded.

"Fresh is right. What did you do to yourself? Get into a fight or something?"

"Why didn't we notice this before?" asked Garden as he looked over at Magicon as well. "Wait, you hid these marks, didn't you? You hexed yourself."

Red with embarrassment Magicon felt completely uncomfortable with the stares and questions from his servants.

"I…don't want to talk about it."

"Magicon, we respect your decision to keep certain things private but when it comes to your health, we draw the line," said Littlemore.

"It's only because we care," added Fresh.

"It's really uncomfortable for me to talk about it."

"How bad can it possibly be?" asked Garden.

"Bad."

"Why don't we decide that for ourselves? We're intelligent ponies. We can handle it."

"Oh, alright," Magicon relented. "But only because I trust you and because I don't want this damn hex on me any longer."

He dropped the hex which fell instantly revealing the true extent of Magicon's injuries. His right eye was blackened; his left cheek was severely bruised while his rick cheek had cuts along its face. His lips were puffy and awkward while his forehead had scratch marks. His neck was also bruised and his chest had deep implants from where Shining had planted his hooves.

Examining the full injuries Littlemore exclaimed, "My Celestia! What kind of fight did you get in?"

"A very tough one."

"With whom?" asked Garden as he kneeled down on the floor next to Magicon.

"With the now former Captain of the Royal Guard."

"Shining Armor?"

Magicon nodded as the three servants looked at each other with surprised and confused faces.

"How did it happen?" asked Garden.

"Well, Shining Armor became suspicious of my plans for reforming Equestria and our personal affairs and felt like he had to stop me at all costs." He paused. "He tried to kill me."

The three simply stared at him, their eyes filled with confusion, shock, and horror.

"When did this happen?" asked Littlemore.

"A few days ago."

"Geese Magicon. You're on the throne for less than a week and you're already being attacked. Maybe this role isn't for you," suggested Fresh.

"No, Fresh. It was a one time incident. It's not going to happen again."

"Where is Shining Armor now?" asked Garden.

"Rotting in prison for attacking me."

"Why haven't we heard about this before?" asked Littlemore.

"I have yet to publicly announce it."

"You must do so otherwise the press will speculate."

"I know that and already the palace probably knows and when I return tomorrow I wouldn't be surprised if all of Canterlot knows. I will make an announcement and control the issue."

"You're not going to control the issue looking like that," commented Fresh.

"Yes, but uhh…what do you have in mind?"

"I know a few things that will help heal those injuries much quicker and you won't have to resort to hexing yourself. Hexing is never a good thing to begin with and you know what happens if you do it too long."

"Yes, I know. Fresh, for an earth pony you sure know a lot about magic," said Magicon as he and Fresh rose to exit the room.

"When you live in this house, a pony has to," were her final words before escorting Magicon out of the parlor and upstairs to do what she could to help her master.

Walking up to the bathroom, Magicon continued to protest.

"Honestly, Fresh, it's not that bad. I can handle this myself."

"Not that bad' my hoof. Have you seen yourself recently? You look horrible. Shining Armor really did a job on you."

"Yeah, I guess he did," he mumbled.

"I don't why you wanted to hide it from us since you call us your 'family' and all. If you really think we are a family then you need to be more open with us, Magicon. I could've handled this when you first arrived and helped you. Now it's going to make the whole process longer."

'Here she goes again. Another one of those rants. She really is a mother,' Magicon thought to himself. He knew he couldn't stop her rants. Once Fresh Mint was started, she wouldn't stop until everything had been said. It was word vomit to Magicon and he just hung his head low and listened, hearing every word but processing none.

"And you thought you could've just easily solved it with a hex? Ha! A hex is dangerous and damaging to a pony's health. You're lucky I have stuff for magical spells and that hex didn't damage you. Come on, Magicon, into the bathroom. We've got work to do."

She dragged him into the bathroom and walked to the small closet pulling out bottles and soaps of all shapes and sizes as Magicon just stood in the doorway.

"Fresh, I just took a bath."

"Yes and now you're taking another one. Get in the tub."

Reluctantly Magicon took of his cape and did so. Upon seeing the cape Fresh looked at it and held it in her hooves.

"You need to get this washed, Magicon."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, washed. It's filthy. There's dirt, grass stains, and dried blood all over it. The Prince of Equestria can't wear that if he's going to demand respect from his subjects. I'll take care of it later. Right now, let's begin."

She turned on the water and began a variety of healing treatments for her master. Funny smelling soaps and ointments were soon all over Magicon's face and upper body as Fresh continued to work and clean him up.

"Fresh, this is so embarrassing."

"Who's watching you?"

Magicon's ears flipped downward as he thought about her question. She was right; nopony was watching them and what she was doing was a kind and selfless act like a mother should. She even talked and ranted like a mother. At that thought, images of his old mother filled his mind and he let out a long sigh.

"Something wrong, Magicon?"

"Well…it's just that you remind me so much of my old mother."

Fresh was silent after those words and continued to scrub Magicon's forehead.

"It's not that you were exactly like her. But you do have so traits and motherly qualities that were a lot like hers.

Finally, Fresh spoke, "I'm flattered you think of me as a mother, Magicon. Considering I never had any foals of my own, I never really got to be a mother other than to you so I guess I'm just compensating. But I'm not a replacement and I don't want you to think of me as such. If you want to talk, just let me or my husband know."

"Okay," Magicon mumbled.

"Alright. Here we go. There. You look, well, better than you did before."

She brought a hand mirror to show him and sure enough, she was right. Some of the bruises had disappeared, the cuts were thinner, and his lips weren't as puffy. She had even managed to help his black eye which was now much less obvious.

Putting the mirror aside Magicon said, "Thank you, Fresh."

"You're welcome. Tomorrow before you go, I'll have the cape cleaned and ready for you."

"I really don't like other ponies touching my cape, much less work on it."

"It's either that or you can't wear it. I'll not have the new Prince of Equestria look like he's been in a bar fight while he's ruling."

Magicon contemplated the options for a moment and relented to Fresh Mint's suggestion.

"Fine, take it," he grumbled.

"Thank you, Magicon," said Fresh as she tossed him a towel and he began drying himself. "Now, go get some shut-eye."

"But I was planning on working with some magic tonight."

"No, 'buts', Magicon. Now go to your room. You'll heal better with a full nights rest."

Magicon sighed and relented once again, annoyed at himself for a variety of reasons, "Fine. Good night, Fresh."

"Good night, Magicon."

He quickly left her and returned to his room, somewhat annoyed and saddened. Lighting a few candles he paced back and forth in the room. He was mad at himself for thinking he could use a hex to solve his problems. He wanted to be mad at Fresh for noticing and ruining his night, but he knew she was only looking out for him, just like any mother should.

"Mother…why does that invoke such painful memories? Mom, you know I didn't have any control over it. It just happened. You must forgive me. It wasn't on purpose. I was young, a colt, with barely any control over my magic. I had no idea that I had that kind of potential. I'm sorry."

He felt small tears stream down his cheeks at his apology. He realized something as he sat down on the bed lamenting: he never showed remorse for any of his actions except that one. Why? Why out all the things he did he regretted this one? Maybe because of what happened. Maybe because of what was to come. Magicon didn't know and didn't bother to find out. There was no answer, there was no solution. It happened so long ago and it still stuck with him. He couldn't forget.

"I love you, mom," were his final words as he climbed over to the rest of his bed and buried himself under the covers as he cried himself to sleep as the rain continued to softly pelt his windows.