Into the Void

by TF141Soldier

Chapter 1: The Day It All Went Away

Into the Void - Chapter One
An MLP Fanfic by: TF141Soldier

|Shipping| |Sad| |Dark|

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
- John Lennon, Imagine (Rest in Peace, 1940 - 1980)

"When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down 'happy'. They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life."
- John Lennon
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Situated on four thousand acres of pure landscape, the fading summer evening signifying the very end of a day, the last harsh glints of a golden sun barely covered by a mass of pure creche-like clouds in Ponyville, lay happiness. Purity. Peace. A cold wind cut through the atmosphere, the smells wafting in the air like music notes out of a song: the smells of juniper and Jeffrey pine, with the faint smell of ozone and rain.

One day, some of that changed.

Princess Luna stood on a flat hill, her flowing, raven-black mane almost becoming invisible with the falling sun, trading places for the night with the moon. Right on cue, Luna's horn, nothing more than a long bulge on the top of her forehead, began to glow with illuminscence, some star-like jags radiating off it: soon, the once-glaringly bright sun disappeared below the horizon, and up began to rise the brilliant moon, covering the whole landscape in both darkness and faint light.

"Huzzah." Luna muttered, feeling rather rested for the night - it sounded almost ironic, but it wasn't her duty to raise the moon every night. Her sun-raising sister had already fallen back asleep, and the moon was somewhat coated by a thick shade of clouds.

The night continued onward, and everything was okay.

Tomorrow, everything changed.
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"Come on! Work!"

It was starting to get to early morning, and Luna had just begun to use her horn again for the second time that night: the moon slowly disappeared. However, it was Celestia's turn. The porcelain-white alicorn was furiously using magic, her horn sizzling with magical energy. However, the harder Celestia attempted, the magic was simply not working. Celestia had done this for thousands of years: why now was it changing? The sky was now simply a void of gray colors, some streaks of odd black spiderwebbing across it like a black flower blooming: that alone wasn't natural, amongst the gray dome that now covered Ponyville, and Canterlot, and possibly all of Equestria.

"Sister, are thou having problems?" Luna asked sympathetically, knowing it had to of been an obvious 'yes'. But if there were to be any explanations as to what exactly the details of the problems were, it would have to be from the one who actually did the now-troubling task.

"I don't understand, Luna," Celestia muttered, half to herself, half to the moon raiser next to her. "I've been doing this for thousands of years, and my magic isn't working. Though my thoughts are always focused on raising the sun, it's not working..."

Luna had attempted to focus her thoughts into helping bring forth the source of natural light that helped ponies survive, putting every bit of mind into the one spell, the two alicorns attempting to raise the sun. Fog had begun to form in a misty haze to the west, and there seemed to be no change in the sky. It took Luna a while, but she finally gave in: she knew that her powers were only made to rotate the planet to nighttime.

After several minutes and who-knew how many scared ponies that there more likely were, Celestia looked like she was finally able to get a charge: and soon a peek of the sun was shown: soon the ball of white-orange ball radiating heat ascended from the horizon. There was, however, one problem: the largest object in the solar system, the one furious ball of fire that shone slanting shadows of morning was hiding behind the dull slab of gray that was the skyline above.

They weren't clouds: it took a while, but instincts took over for Celestia: she knew the weather all too well. There had to be a scientifically acceptable reason as to why the sun was shining nothing more than a flourescent light, like a chrome glowing object in space, viewable by all eyes. But there just wasn't: the streaks of black had increased, now looking like small branches on a large evergreen tree.

"Hehehehehe...."

That was when they heard it: a low growl of a voice, very husky: it wasn't a colt voice, but it had laces of masculine-sounding inflection. Though it mostly belonged to a mare's voice. The atmosphere now held the slightest orange tinge, interlocked with the jagged, lightning-like black. "What in Equestria is going on?" Celestia suddenly questioned, sounding now alert.

Suddenly, a sound identical to the entire universe exploding filled the entire sky, and an unknown force of nature completely flew Celestia and her sister back: light blinded them, sound erupted all around them, and pain engulfed them both as they slammed right into the hard ground: the whole atmosphere seemed to have collapsed.

Several seconds passed. Time seemed to reassemble itself: soon, feeling returned. Slowly, Luna's perception and senses returned: she could see the sky was a disturbing mix of blood-red, dark orange, and streaks of bright, icterine yellow. She could smell burnt ozone mixed with something in the grass: very sweet, as if the grass was freshly cut. She could hear sounds of distortion around her, some loud ambience completely blocking up anything else that may have been heard. And she could feel the numbness of her body: from the neckline to flank.

"Shazam! Score one for me!", the voice repeated. It sounded almost identical.

"Who on Equestria are you?" Celestia called out guardedly. "Reveal yourself and we will show peaceful restraint!"

That was when it appeared. It looked like a horrible freak of nature: a mutated creature, though it did have a distinct figure. Roughly the size of a taller draconequis, the whole torso seemed to glow in sleek silver radiance, with electricity dancing around it strangely. It had no distinct or distinguishable shape, but everything else seemed badly put together: two arms popped out from the pockmarked flesh that wasn't covered by metal: one dark green with only three real fingers, none of them the same size: the other one had a full four fingers, but it looked almost identical to a mechanical arm. Some lithium-charged light cells glowed out from random parts of the stuck-out body, and there was a real hoof somewhere: it looked like a dirty blond-like yellow. There were two clawed feet that clapsed and unclapsed for no apparent reason. But the scariest thing about the nightmarishly grotesque figure was its face: or whatever it was: all it was were two red orbs across a face with no nose or mouth: only two ears, a large horn, and eyes. And the wings: randomly placed attachments to an already random figure, bursting out from where the shoulder blades should be: long and both of them different colors: the left and right were an azure blue and deep purple, respectively. It looked hastily made.

"Oh, right, you don't recognize me.", the figure sounded discouraged. "You must not remember me: you didn't wildly emprison me. How straightforward and repetitive of you, Princess."

"You have blocked out the natural light that shines over Equestria! Surrender now and we will show restraint!", Celestia half-yelled, yet still sounding calm and collected.

"Yakkity yakkity yak. Is that all you do? I swear, you're so straightforward: raise the sun, lower the sun, shoot somepony with the Elements, trap them forever. Give me a break!"

"Thou are trespassing amongst forbidden grounds, and are destroying the usual fabric of reality!", Luna retorted.

"For the love! Like sister, like... younger sister!", the figure taunted. "Fine, if you want to know my name, it's Paranoia. Like Smokey Mare says, take only photos, leave only hoofprints!"

Paranoia was now rising above the ground, and in an explosive burst of energy, like a burst of lightning, another figure had replaced the abomination that it was before. There standing was only a simple pony. Roughly the size of the two alicorns, the mare's skin was a thorough orange: like the fading color of the sky during sunset. Her mane was a mix of a menacing gray and slick gold, and her face was contorted in a mocking sneer: her entire frame seemed very well-built, though it was hard to tell underneath the armor-like attachment on her torso: a well-curved bud, pointed at the edges and having lances of red amongst the silver. But the most menacing were her eyes: two festering pools of madness, two unrelenting black holes that stared with such an intensity it was almost like an entirely different galaxy was in the pupils. The wings were widespread, her horn was long and glowed with a green apex: some lightning circled around it. She looked like, impossibly, like a normal mare or alicorn. Yet the two sisters knew deep down, this was simply a body that Paranoia had decided.

"I'm back, baby. I am alive."
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Resting peacefully across soggy eastern Equestria land, Ponyville seemed relatively comfortable: with its piney woodland, bustling town, and short-grass prarie, Rainbow Dash stared at the sky, seeing autumn thunderheads hurtle west across the sky, a bank of boiling, blooming flowers across a blue sky with a ball of flare shining down upon Ponyville. The pegasi felt very content. Of course, the ponies actually living in Ponyville were totally unaware of the catastrophe about to erupt. A haze of rain descended in numerous drops through an open circle of golden sunlight in the distance, the distinct sound of rumbling thunder hiding in the premature darkness of the clouds.

And yet it perfectly matched what Dash felt on the inside.

Ever since Twilight Sparkle had introduced them to the true meaning of life, love, and friendship, and Dash - on the inside - realized who her heart truly had belonged to, she had concealed her thoughts to the world. It was such an odd process to hide your thoughts: usually the pegasus was so alive, so radiant, so usually matter-of-factly that it was almost innocent. But there was still one ache inside Dash that ate her up like a disease: like a vicious, clawing monster inside of her, then slashed away at her until the pain became too great. She had never had the heart to tell the particular mare about it, or the courage. Which, ironically enough, is weird for the Rainbow Dash: the Spirit of Loyalty. The bravest pony in Equestria, the one that would sacrifice herself without a thought of her own safety. The only pegasi in Equestria to pull off the famous Sonic Rainboom. And yet she couldn't even admit her feelings to the close friend that she loved so deeply.

Quiet desperation, silent desire.

That was how Dash viewed it for herself. She had holed herself up in the emotional fort for so long she almost felt like it was really causing her physical pain, and yet she felt somewhat at peace for not announcing just how she felt. An otherworldly sense of emotions had been running through her, yet trying to hide it with the usually egotistical, cocky attitude she was known for. And yet it was indescribable: anger, confusion, sadness, bitterness, and unhappiness. Dash had become accustomed to denouncing it as just being an alienated version of herself, whenever her friends inquisitively asked about her, she would always answer with a debauched, dishonest portrayal: "I'm doing great. Ya don't have to worry on the Dash!" And yet she was really just a hidden layer of complexity. Heck, sometimes she couldn't even understand how she functioned. And it wasn't just the whole idea of choking on her own feelings: it was other situations that had occurred, but they way Dash had propelled her own self-defense into the upper echelons of her thoughts spoke louder than her own words.

I love you Rarity...

Was it the stereotypical idea that opposites attract? It was really hard to actually describe waht she thought of the designer unicorn: the always curled-and-fashioned purple mane, the almost accent-like roll and purr of her voice, and how undeniably generous she was. She could detect feelings in ponies that almost no one else could ever find. She could propel a disaster into a success. She gave away valuable time of her own and respected other ponies' opinions even when she didn't agree with them. As far as substantial concerns went, the two usually bickered, and almost nothing Rarity did Dash agreed with: whereas Dash would rather roar through a lightning storm, Rarity would head off to the spa and get herself sparkly-clean, yet still look as awesome as ever. Dash would rather kick clouds and exercise her flank off, then supplement that with consistent, short naps. Rarity? She would design clothing and mostly stay indoors, barely seeing a whole lot of sunlight. And yet she was still interactive and social as anypony else.

Crap, I love you.
Damnit, I love you.

And yet Dash felt... ready.

Whenever there wasn't an event going on, whenever she wasn't endlessly with the five mares she had grown so close to over the months, she had done a little argument with herself: when should she admit to the fashion designer that she did indeed fancy her? She had pictured it happening multiple times, yet her mind never did focus on a happy ending. It was odd: wasn't the brain pattern supposed to eventually come up with something naturally peaceful? But all the pictures that portrayed in her minds and dreams usually ended up bad.

Then the single weirdest thing happened, suddenly matching the earlier depression Rainbow Dash had felt. An incredible mass of clouds enveloped the sky, and the whole world seemed to disappear into faint light.
---------------------------------------------------

"Paranoia, you're out of control!"

The unnatural tyrant had now vaulted on its hooves and slammed down right in front of the two alicorns, magic completely lashing off her entire figure. Before, the sun disappearing was simply to scare the alicorns, and nopony else across Equestria had even gotten it: but, of course, they had to ensure 'peace and security', with the entire 'holier-than-thou' route. It bored the living flank out of Paranoia.

But it was a simple plan that Paranoia had contemplated multiple times.

Step One: Remove any and all obstacles. That would be including the alicorns and removing the Elements' power permanently, or at least for a long period of time.

Step Two: Plant her own virus into everypony, watch them all fall into a deep sleep.

Step Three: Paranoia wins. The winning team rules.

As for Step Two, it had been a personal trait that Paranoia had gained over the years, in the underground space that Paranoia had lived in for years, avoiding the harsh gaze of Celestia, and to a lesser extent, her sister Luna: surviving on an endless supply of personally applied magic, she had avoided actually being imprisoned, or worse, having her powers removed. The virus was a trick that she had taught herself, even if it was unoriginal. The virus was naturally airborne and self-implanted, yet it was a hail of disease. Though it wasn't as unoriginal as Loneliness had once attempted - instead, it made the ponies exit their bodies and enter into an entirely different dimension: it had taken a long time for Paranoid to perfect it, but practice makes perfect. And while the miserable ponies all lived in the separate society, in the real world, everything would slowly go to hell, and the ones that Paranoia saw fit as not worthy of virus infection would live under her order. Her intentions were not to just blindly take over the world - she wanted to rule by example, to finish all the things that Celestia could not handle. She would simply the play the world like a violin, then pluck its strings slowly.

"You're underestimating us, Paranoia!" Celestia intoned, now fully glaring and magic was also flashing from the flesh bulge on her scalp. "We will strike you down if you don't surrender!"

"All hail president Celestia!" Paranoia mockingly yelled. "No, wait, more like El Presidente. No, wait, admiral Celestia. Our Great and Powerful Leader! Wait, wait, wait.... Oh, Landlord Celestia! There we go."

"We warned you, Paranoia." Luna suddenly growled. Six bright flashes started to glow around Paranoia, who yawned contently. Although she was exasperated by the unoriginality and undifferentiated situation, it was still entertaining to watch the alicorns attempt to bring her down. They considered her as a joke: Paranoia wasn't. The alicorns didn't know the things that she had seen and the things she had done. The next thing Paranoia knew, several prism-shaped orbs were circled in a triangle-like formation, each one a radiant color to represent a rainbow. Paranoia almost wanted to laugh.

The Elements of Harmony.

"I've never thought of myself as cruel, Paranoia." Celestia said, her voice a low rasp, stern and unchanging. "So I'll give you one last chance. Stop this right now. Without the sun, the world will die. Trees will wither and crops will perish. Now make amends!"

Paranoia suddenly erupted in laughter, not stopping one second for breath. The sensation of moving her muscles in pure joy was a great thing: the alicorns's senses of humor were so grim and straightforward. "Oh this is too rich! I think you both need a slap in the face, by the hoof of reality!"

And with that, Paranoia's horn suddenly began to erupt in a hail of magic, shooting out an arc of energy that connected with all six of the orbs that stood in front of her. Those stupid, ridiculously powerful forces of magic. The Elements had done unchangeable acts four times now, each time a rainbow exploding out of it, destroying abominations of humareity - the Spirit of Chaos and the Spirit of Eternal Despair, both intolerable in Celestia's eyes. The idea of Luna being banished to the moon by her own sister was a bitter irony to Paranoia. How hilarious! Paranoia instantly began to focus on the powerful weapons that she now held, ignoring the shocked expressions of the now-frightened sisters in front of them.

She didn't hesitate. A ray of black and red shot out and connected with five of the gems, the one important and elusive Element being saved for very last. Tendrils of lightning snaked around the magical gemstones, coating them in an eerie glow. It was now time to reverse engineer the Elements. Add an extra sucker punch to it.

Reserve reality.

Greed,

desire,

pride,

vanity,

and disrespect.

"The Elements of Corruption.", Paranoia purred, each Element now completely aligned in an eerie red-and-black glow - it was an interesting experience to see some of the very things that kept reality organized and harmony intact turn into the alternative versions of itselves in a matter of seconds, with the brain patterns coordinating the spell that Paranoia was processing now, and a simple light of the horn. "The Keepers of Disorganization. The Catalysts to the Endgame. Ironically enough? No good at keeping harmony or disharmony than anypony else."

"All brought together by corruption."

The princesses had tried multiple times to stop Paranoia: but she was too strong - as a matter of fact, Paranoia could have very well have had a barrier around her, shielding her from the rest of Equestria. Soon, even she felt the red-and-black light engulf her, then felt one of the most massive occurrences in her body. Blood rushed to her head quickly, adrenaline soared through herself and energy completely coursed through her veins: Paranoia could swore she could see the blood pumping through them. The next thing she knew, light erupted the atmosphere, and lightning exploded in pure voltage.

The image that Paranoia then saw seared into her mind permanently, like an iron through burning coal. The two alicorns were engulfed completely in lightning, and they both uttered haunting screams as their entire bodies were encased in the energy that exploded from the now-infected Elements: looks of pure terror were planted on their expressions.

However that was all Paranoia saw, because then it happened.

The whole world completely disappeared into white light.