Sigil of Souls, Stream of Memories

by Piccolo Sky

Daybreak: The Face of the Angra Mainyu

“Midnight Sparkle!”

---

With ears covered, all Sunset could hear after that fateful phrase was the sound of her own panicked breathing. Her mind raced. Was it happening? Had it already happened? Yet as she kept gasping, she realized nothing was different. The same memories she had clung to were still there. The same thoughts and feelings she had moments ago were still racing through her mind.

Her eyes opened as her breath caught in her throat. Her hands came off of her ears. There she was. Still in the same room. Still the same as she had been. Even though she had heard that name she was still herself.

The small joy she gained from that vanished a heartbeat later when she heard a cruel, mocking, and powerful voice not far from her.

“Hello again, itty-bitty girl.”

Sunset couldn’t help it…she let out a panicked whine. In an instant, she was back in that stairwell, feeling all the horror and terror she had all those years ago. Worse now…from knowing what it was as well as how it was real.

Her panicked eyes turned to where Twilight had been. A person was still standing there—but she knew at once it wasn’t Twilight. She could feel something horrible radiating off of it. Like it was a boiler of nothing but evil. Something that felt cold and made her skin itch and hair stick up all at the same time. It was still dressed like her, obviously. And from behind, it seemed like her at first. Only hunched over and with her head turned away.

The moment she laid eyes on it, however, it gave such a violent snap of its head that it seemed almost monstrous. She could hear the tendons creak from it—and at once beheld its horrific visage.

There were still traces of Twilight’s face on it…or perhaps it was still her face but twisted inhumanly. But the smile on her face was too wide and too unsettling. And her eyes…her horrible eyes… Like with Pinkie, the pupils had shrunk to tiny dots so there was almost nothing but the white of the corneas. Except they weren’t white anymore. They were some nauseating pale green. The pupils themselves were vibrant and purple. An eldritch light emitted from them. It made her skin appear darker and paler at the same time.

It let out a frenetic giggle.

It loved seeing her scared.

“Look who’s all grown up…and doesn’t have her big headmistress to save her…”

Sunset gasped. Her heart was pounding in her chest so much she thought it was burst from it. She told herself to run. To just look away and run. Pray this was a nightmare she’d wake up from soon just like she had every time before.

But she couldn’t move. Not due to fear—due to her body feeling like it was locked in ice.

It was keeping her there.

It giggled again. “You want to run? Uh-uh.” It turned to face her and stood tall. It felt like she had gained inches over her old persona, and Sunset felt like she was being crushed by its shadow like a bug. “Is that any way to treat your ‘little girl’ or ‘little sister’ or whatever I am to you? Come on…”

Like a crack of a whip, Sunset was yanked from where she stood, still frozen in position, and suddenly found her body hovering an inch from the monster’s grinning face.

“Give us a kiss!”

Sunset let out another sharp gasp. She couldn’t speak or look away. All she could do was let out a panicked mumbling.

This only made it snicker louder. It laughed at her for a few moments before it twisted its own face in a mockery and made the same mumbling right back at her. “Are you really so scared of me, Sunset?”

Its hands raised, and as Sunset desperately tried to move her head, it rested all eight of its fingers along the edge of her face.

“I used to live right under your skin. I know… How about I see if I can still fit?”

With that, all eight fingers drove their nails into her face. Sharp enough to break the skin and draw blood. But that wasn’t all. It immediately pushed them in deeper; shoving its nails under her skin. Like it was trying to dig under it. Needless to say, Sunset was soon screaming in pain.

Fortunately, it stopped before it could do anything drastic…like rip her face off…but as it pulled her bleeding fingers back, Sunset was horrified yet again to see her hand move of its own volition and place itself right in front of its grinning mouth.

“Or how about I tear you into itty-bitty pieces like I promised? I can start with your fingers! Then we can match like real sisters!”

It opened its mouth wide, threatening to bite into—and through—two of her fingers on that hand. Sunset let out another panicked whimper, but it stopped itself before it bit down.

“Oh, but that’s no good. I don’t like raw meat. I want it cooked.”

With that, Sunset’s outstretched hand was bathed in flames.

She only gaped in shock for the length of time it took for the pain to reach her head. Yet even with her skin surrounded by fire and burning right in front of her, she couldn’t move. Not to try and put it out or even clutch it in pain. The only route free to her was her voice, and so she screamed.

She screamed so much she couldn’t hear the laughter of Midnight Sparkle, nor could she hear it eventually die down. It made a cutting motion, and the fire was extinguished just as quickly as it had come, but a moment later she was flung away as quickly as she was yanked up to it. She didn’t hit the ground, but her body was left wrenched in midair, still in pain, and staring back at the Angra Mainyu as it looked wilder yet.

“Don’t worry! I’m not going to kill you now. That wouldn’t be proper. After all, by all rights, I should have eaten your soul and been wearing your flesh as my overcoat right now. It’s only fair that you get to enjoy it all along with me. I promise I’ll save you for last.”

Between her horror and pain Sunset couldn’t even answer, but Midnight Sparkle didn’t seem to care either way. It turned about and faced the five ladies, still frozen where they were.

“Now then…”

The horrible feeling exuding from it grew worse. Enough to make Sunset nauseated even through her terror and agony. The power coming off of it seemed to grow—starting to lift its hair and clothing up around her. It raised its intact hand to the sky and snapped its fingers.

“Wake up, testaments against humanity! Harbingers of this world’s demise! Let me see your sin, wickedness, and hate! Bathe me in it!”

The moment its finger snapped, the five were again freed. Only now it was worse than ever. Each of them seemed to completely surge with hate. Any remains of who they had been when they walked in had faded. Now their faces were simply twisted in expressions of loathing, fury, and misery.

Things grew worse as, much to Sunset’s shock, each of the five began to be enveloped in the same horrible sensation. Only now it was tangible. Auras of darkness began to emit from all of them together. They seemed to twist them downward, as if they was burning and withering them away very slowly. And as they curled up, the darkness around them grew stronger and more potent. Sunset felt the horrible sensation carried on the previous icy breeze throughout the entire chamber. The area around her began to quake. The mysterious machines began to flicker and fizzle, and some of them let out pops and bursts of sparks as it slowly built in intensity. It felt like the room itself…maybe even space itself…was trembling at its foundations.

Yet worst of all was Midnight Sparkle itself. The power around it surged further. Its hair now stood up completely and begin to be “highlighted” with the same fell light from its eyes. The same sickly aura began to radiate around on its brow as its feet slowly elevated before leaving the floor all together. All the while, it began to giggle like mad.

“Give it to me! All the hate and despair of your victims! Fill me! Such refreshing blood! Such delicious flesh! Such sumptuous sin! MORE!”

A tearing sound became audible even over the rising chaos. Sunset saw the back of its shirt was tearing right down the middle. As the quaking grew violent enough to start sending dust from the ceiling and the wind threatened to tear its clothes off all together, a bulge grew out of its back that pushed the garment to the point of splitting. It finally became too much for the clothes and broke apart.

As Midnight Sparkle screamed with delight, a pair of angled black wings exploded from the remains of its clothing and spread out wide. The energy intensified. Sunset saw the metal frames nearest it begin to warp and twist. Light started to erupt from it and the other five ladies.

In the midst of this, she didn’t see as Grogar managed to move his fingertips to quickly press some machinery in his armrest.

In response, white light erupted at the base of all six individuals. Midnight Sparkle didn’t seem to care—too lost in its own revelry. The light quickly expanded into a disk below each one, and then ignited into pillars that surrounded them. A chiming sound rang out as each one was surrounded, and then, most suddenly, the lights collapsed around them and went out.

When they did, the six were gone.

The wind and quaking died instantly. Loose machinery that had been damaged settled, although a few places kept sparking, but the chamber was silent and cool again. Sunset blinked for a moment before her bleeding, burned body was released. She could move again, but was powerless to do so before landing on the hard metal ground.

She was still in a lot of pain and now shocked at what had just happened, but she looked up. Spike was cringing with his tail between his legs and pulled back, but her main focus was on the one called ‘Discord’ as he frowned at Grogar.

“Now what in the world did you do that for? I’ve been bored for years watching the same old wars and violence and now that something was about to get good you send them away?”

“You heard me tell them it wasn’t today. They aren’t ready.”

“What about that demon? She looked ready to me. Granted, she’d be the most fun to keep around…”

“Something’s stopping the connection with her. She needs more time. Even if she didn’t, there’s a problem. She got an unfortunate injury against Sombra. She can’t cast Infinitum Ostium without all ten of her fingers. It will take time for her to find a way to heal that sort of handicap. It doesn’t matter, though. All of them have been consumed. They’ll only increase the misery and evil of this world the longer they’re out there. Entertain yourself with that, if you wish.”

Discord thought a moment before shrugging. “Oh, very well. The truth is, I’ve been wanting to see what the rest of those former Anima Viris could cook up. Not to mention it looks like ‘outside parties’ are taking an interest in this world too…”

“It matters not. As I made abundantly clear, I know the destiny of this world. They can do nothing to alter it. Not any more than Celestia could. All there is to do now is wait.”

He sighed in a touch of boredom. “Then I suppose we don’t need him anymore.”

He snapped his fingers. In a flash of light, Spike was surrounded and then vanished. Sunset let out a start, but by the time she looked at him she was just in time to see his bindings fall to the floor—bereft of their occupant.

“Now I suppose that just leaves this broken vessel,” Grogar mused; his hideous eyes looking back at Sunset.

She was still in quite a bit of pain, but even if she wasn’t she still shrank back. She couldn’t find her voice to even speak against him—if she even had anything she could say.

He stared at her for a few silent seconds; his face never changing.

“There’s nothing to be gained from you. Destiny governs us all, for good or ill. You, however, are now a completely broken vessel. All Celestia managed to do was rob you of purpose entirely. No power. No magic. Not even your Promethean Sigil. Utterly worthless. Your only purpose now is to simply die and be forgotten with the rest of the sinners.”

Sunset could only stare back speechless, yet couldn’t help but look even more hollow on hearing those words.

“Get out of my sight.”

“Allow me.”

Discord raised his hand and snapped his fingers again. Sunset barely had time to register the flash expanding around her before she was gone.

He blew on his fingers like they were a gun barrel, before he gave the side-eye to Grogar. “You seem rather nonchalant about this whole business. Even though you barely qualify as ‘mortal’, most mortals I’ve run into are terrified at the thought of death—let alone their souls being consumed to fuel a world destroyer.”

“As I’ve already said, none of us are immune to destiny. This is mine.”

Discord scoffed. “How utterly dull. It might be good for a laugh when you get to spring destiny on someone like a cream pie to the face…”

With that, he leaned back on thin air and raised a hand into the air, twirling his finger around to make a cream pie appear out of nothingness. He proceeded to next conjure a box, drop it inside, cover it with wrapping paper and a bow, and then send it floating in Grogar’s direction.

“But otherwise it’s far too predictable. Makes far too much sense. And you know my thoughts on that.”

“I’m afraid that’s where we don’t see eye to eye upon. There is no true chaos. Everything serves a purpose in the end. Especially from Harmonium’s handiwork.”

The box slowed to a halt right in front of Grogar’s face. It proceeded to unwrap itself. However, no pie sprung out to paste him. Rather, Discord’s own head was inside, frowning slightly.

“Let’s make one thing perfectly clear.”

The moment he said that, his head turned transparent, but still had a “frame” outline around it like a cartoon drawing.

“You aren’t the one I have to thank for bringing me here. I’m only enjoying the show right now because you promised me more fun than I’ve had in thousands of years and piqued my curiosity. The moment I decide things are getting too boring is the moment I decide your production is in need of a little ‘audience participation’. And when I put on a show, Grogar, no one gets to sit out. No matter how old or tethered to a chair they are. So for your sake, I hope your little ‘crystal ball’ or whatever it is you use didn’t show me getting impatient.”

The rest of the outline of his head vanished, as if erased from an invisible slate. His eyes, however, remained, and dropped down into Grogar’s lap. They sprung little arms and legs and leapt up from there, before crossing their arms and tapping their feet.

“Remember,” both of them said at once, “I’ve got my eyes on you.”

With that, both of them vanished with a flash.

Author's Note:

After the previous ginormous chapter, you all deserve a short one.

Well, based on the comments, looks like I didn't manage to fool anyone. I blame myself. My original intent was to try to keep the audience guessing as to which of the two, Twilight or Sunset, was the "original" and which one was the distilled Angra Mainyu. Yet unfortunately, as became clear while writing the previous chapter, the way I had set things up made it kind of obvious.

The big clue was supposed to be that Sunset Shimmer is the only character in the story who we have actually gotten into the "head" of so far. I purposely tried to avoid any type of interior monologue or inner thoughts of the rest of the Mane Six until now so that they would never be shown recalling their past misdeeds.

I'm also not sure I like referring to Midnight Sparkle as "it" rather than "she". I may change my mind about that later...

One chapter left in "Daybreak".

Comments

[BlackOpsElf]

Well, based on the comments, looks like I didn't manage to fool anyone.

I mean... on a certain level, it's an Equestria Girls fic, and we've already had the "evil Sunset" part, so it's time for the "Midnight Sparkle" part, right?