Stories
Ventus awoke, his eyes opening and beholding his pillow, as he had slept with his face in it. They were still in the cave, and judging by the lighting level, he assumed it was early morning. He turned his head to the side, and was surprised at the sight next to him.
He and Pinkie had fallen asleep holding hooves, and they were still linked. Pinkie's bag had actually slid closer to him, so they were now only two inches apart. Her hair was loose, and strands of it hung over her head, not obscuring her face. She was lightly breathing, as her stomach filled with air, and let it out again. Ventus still couldn't comprehend how she could look so innocently peaceful, when he had seen her in combat mode.
It can never happen, he told himself. Not now... not after I tell her what I am.
He softly dislodged his hoof from Pinkie's, in order to not awaken her. He stood up, as Pinkie shuffled slightly in her bag, but didn't wake up. Now able to see the whole of the cave, he saw that Spike and Discord were both still sleeping as well. Finding himself with a want for fresh air, he walked towards the mouth of the cave and walked outside.
The rain had stopped sometime in the night, but everything was still wet and refreshed. He inhaled deeply through his nose, taking in the smell of the rain and everything it had touched. It felt so wonderful, as he continued breathing and smelling the air. He felt as though the scent was inside of him. Never before had he felt so relaxed, despite what had happened the previous day.
Eventually, something else joined the scent of rain. Something that was hard to catch at first, and that he didn't register for a while. But once he did, dread shot through him. It wasn't a physical smell - it was a magic aura. An incredibly powerful dark magic aura. Eight miles away, and closing fast.
But when you can fly, eight miles doesn't mean much, especially when you can move faster than any Pegasus ever could.
Ventus tore back into the cave, awakening the others in a frenzy.
"I think we're about to be attacked! And whatever it is, it's strong!"
Discord's face told Ventus that he was sensing the same thing. The four of them ran outside again, in time to see the dark smoke descending from the sky. It descended, but didn't attack as they had been expecting. Instead, it began to swirl around, reforming into none other than...
"Twilight?" Ventus said in astonishment, as she finished solidifying into her real body. Everyone stared at her, but she didn't seem to notice or care as she galloped straight into Ventus' arms.
"You're all right," she said in relief. "All of you are all right..."
"Uh, Twilight..." Ventus began, awkwardly. Twilight didn't respond, as she turned to Spike next and hugged him. Then she hugged Pinkie, and even Discord, who looked as though he had witnessed pigs flying.
"I killed Sombra," Twilight said, after breaking away from Discord. "He's gone. We won the war!"
None of them said anything as they all looked at Twilight, with worry and slight fear in their faces. Ventus and Discord made eye contact, and each could tell that the other was sensing the same thing.
"...What?" she asked at last, looking at each of them in turn.
"Well..." Ventus said, trailing off, wondering if there was any way to put it delicately.
"What?" Twilight asked more forcefully, narrowing her eyes at the group.
"Well, it's just..." Ventus said, stumbling again. "Your eyes... they're..."
"They're red, Twilight."
Her mouth fell open in shock. "Red?"
Discord provided a mirror from thin air, so that Twilight could examine her eye color in it. When she saw that they were telling the truth, she began to internally panic. First the pain, and now this... she didn't know what to think.
She focused, hard, and could feel the energy within her eyes. She began to breathe deeply, and slowly, her eyes returned to their natural lavender color.
"Oh, come on," Pinkie groaned. "What's with all the freaky eyes lately?!"
"What did you do, Twilight?" Ventus asked, a bit more gently. "Where did you get this dark power?"
Twilight looked around nervously, then sighed in defeat. She told them the story, how the dark unicorn had shown up, and offered her the dark blood. How she had completely and utterly destroyed Sombra with ease. Then, she hesitated, wondering if she should mention the pain in her stomach.
"There's a bit more," Ventus said. "Go on. Tell us."
She sighed, knowing that Ventus could see it in her. She told them.
"...This is bad," Ventus muttered, turning away. "Really bad."
"What's bad?" Twilight asked, now lost.
"Come inside," Ventus said, beginning to walk toward the cave entrance. "We have work to do."
Twilight didn't know what he meant, and judging by the looks on everypony else's faces, they didn't either. But they all followed Ventus inside.
"Sit down," Ventus said, pointing at the pair of sleeping bags side-by-side that had held him and Pinkie. Twilight did as she was asked.
"I think there's more to this than the pony told you there would be," Ventus said, with a grim expression.
"What do you mean?"
"...I'm not sure yet," Ventus said. "But bear with me."
Twilight nodded, still confused.
"Ventus, what are you doing?" Pinkie asked, but he didn't answer.
"I need you three to keep absolutely silent," Ventus said. "This will take my deepest concentration."
His horn glowed jet-black, which made Twilight gasp in surprise. She hadn't thought he could use dark magic, but here he was, using a dark spell of revealing to peer into her soul, just as Sombra had done before his death.
"...I thought so," Ventus said, as his suspicions were confirmed.
"What? What's wrong?" Twilight said, panicked.
Ventus deliberated, wondering if there was any way to put it delicately. Deciding there wasn't, he dropped the train on her.
"There are only two ways to get dark blood that I know of. One is to be born with it, and the other... is to host a dark spirit. Twilight, I need to know exactly what the unicorn did to you. Everything you can remember. Every tiny detail."
She continued explaining, talking about how he had asked about hypnosis. What he had done. How she had fought what she took to be her own dark side.
"...This is really, really bad," Ventus reaffirmed.
"What's bad?!" Twilight exclaimed, finally bursting under the pressure. Ventus looked straight at her.
"There's a dark spirit latched to your soul. It's feeding on your now-physically-manifested dark side... and it has the same aura as that thing I sensed on the VIP train before the war."
Silence. Dead, shocked silence from all the others.
"WHAT?!" Twilight yelled, as the red returned to her eyes in full force. "What the hell do you mean?!"
"I can try to get it out," Ventus said. "But I need you to hold absolutely still."
He closed his eyes, and breathed deeply in and out. When he opened them again, everypony gave a shudder as the temperature in the cave dropped by about five degrees. Twilight could sense something within Ventus. And it terrified her. It was much darker, much more terrifying, and much more evil than anything she had yet encountered.
Ventus raised a hoof into the air, pointing it towards Twilight. He grabbed hold of the dark spirit, and began to try to force it and Twilight's soul apart. His body strained, as he threw everything he had into the demonic magic coming from his hoof. He was straining himself so hard that a few droplets of blood leaked out of his nose, as he tried to force the dark spirit out. But to no avail. After a minute, he stopped, and collapsed to the ground, panting. His eyes receded to their natural blue.
"I... can't... get... it... out," he said, between labored breaths. "It's... latched... too tight... to you."
"What in Celestia's name was that?" Twilight asked, now confused and terrified.
"We've waited long enough, Ventus," Pinkie said, with an insistent tone. "It's story time. What in the name of all things holy are you?"
Ventus looked around, and sighed in defeat.
"I'm going to need to start from the beginning," he said. "Everything will make more sense then."
"Go on," Pinkie pushed. Ventus took a deep, slow breath, and began.
"My mother was a single pegasus mare living in Canterlot, named Tenderwing Nightingale. She was pretty shy, and lived alone. No coltfriend. Not many friends. But one night, she felt like she was being watched. She felt as though somepony was lying in bed next to her. Even though she was scared to death, she ignored it, and went to sleep.
"A couple weeks later, she got sick. Really sick. She went to the doctor, and they gave her the impossible news. They told her she was pregnant. She didn't believe them - she hadn't ever had sex. When she told them this, they did some more scans, and the scans proved her point. They were left with a medical mystery, and I was born as a unicorn eight months later.
"Then, when I was just six years old, my Mom died. She hadn't seemed sick, and had been completely fine the day before. She just went to sleep, and never woke up. I was hauled off to the orphanage, where I lived until I was almost eight. Then... Celestia saw me."
At this point, his eyes watered a bit, as any thoughts of his dead 'foster mother' were still painful. But he continued anyway.
"She found me on the street when I was walking home from school. I don't know what she saw in me, but she took me to the Canterlot Advanced Academy for an aptitude test. I passed with flying colors, and was admitted. Then the bullying started."
He continued for some time, telling them how old he really was, how he had terrified Iron Hooves and his classmates, how they couldn't wipe Iron Hooves' memory (because his father was the unicorn who had developed the spell, and could break it), and how Celestia had taught him magic. He ended with the continued story from Detrot, how he had gone to see the Eye of Truth, and finally, that he was half-demon.
"...Whoa," Pinkie said, completely dumbfounded. "I have a crush on an old man..."
"What?" Ventus asked, not having paid attention.
"Nothing," Pinkie said, with her best and terrific poker face. "I just said I can't believe you're half demon."
"I'm sorry I doubted you," Discord said. "I've run across a few demons in my time, and I thought you had traded your soul for their power."
"I'm so lost," Spike said, shaking his head.
Twilight just stared.
As Ventus had told his story, he remembered the final thing the Eye of Truth had told him.
"When the final light of day fades away, return to where your role with this began."
The final light of day, he thought, thinking hard. What could that mean?
"What now?" Twilight asked. "What will we do about this... dark spirit?"
Twilight... the final light of day! he realized with a jolt. When Twilight fades away - when she goes darkside! It makes sense!
He grinned, and clapped his hooves together. "I know what we need to do!"
"What?" half the room asked at once. Ventus pointed at the earth pony, dragon, and draconeqqus.
"You three need to get back to Ponyville," he said. "Coordinate with Fluttershy. Tell her that we'll be back soon."
"But--" Pinkie began, but Ventus raised a hoof, and she fell silent.
"Don't argue," he said, with a dark look in his eyes. "Sombra might be dead, but with this new situation, We're not in the clear yet. Keep the military attitude."
It was an unusual look for Ventus to have. Pinkie nodded, ears drooping slightly. Discord snapped his fingers, and the sleeping bags all vanished after standing up and doing a couple of flips. He and Spike were prepared to leave, but Pinkie suddenly ran at Ventus, throwing her front hooves around his neck in a tight hug.
"Thanks," she said into his shoulder, "thanks for everything. Stay safe. Please."
"Oh-- all right," Ventus said, unsure of what to do as Twilight raised an eyebrow. Pinkie let go, and followed Discord and Spike out of the cave. She waved to the two, and they waved back. Pinkie smiled, and disappeared out of sight.
"What are we doing?" Twilight asked.
Ventus recounted his breakthrough to her. "So, the only problem is, where did my role in this begin?"
Twilight thought. "...The Crystal Empire, maybe?"
"It's worth a shot," Ventus said. "But it's a long walk."
"Who said we were walking?" Twilight said, with a slightly manic glint in her eye and tone of voice.
"Well, how else--" Ventus began, but he never got to finish. Twilight grabbed his shoulder, and immediately, they transformed into one cloud of black smoke. Ventus would've cried out in alarm if he still had a mouth, but that was no longer applicable. They flew out of the cave entrance, and began tearing north, much faster than the VIP Train could have ever moved.
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The dark path was a long one, but Sombra didn't really have a choice. The grey Pegasus had him suspended in midair, and they walked down the seemingly never-ending dirt path. There was nothing but darkness everywhere he looked, besides the path, and the stallion suspending him in midair.
"How long?" Sombra asked.
"Not much further," the stallion replied, not looking at him. "I wouldn't get too excited, though; this is the most pleasant part of the path."
They continued on in the seemingly infinite darkness for a while longer, until something changed on the path ahead. A new dark corridor lay directly ahead.
"This is it," the stallion said, dropping Sombra at last. "This is the gateway to where we exist. After you."
Sombra, extremely apprehensive, walked straight into the corridor, and came out on the other side.
Immediately, he wanted to go back through. The sight before him was almost indescribable. The assault of noise on his eardrums was deafening, and had he been alive, he was sure he would've lost his hearing. Simply put, it looked like hell. The hazy air around him didn't let him see very far, but he could see plenty enough to make him terrified beyond description. There were indentations in the rocky earth, creating five by five foot squares in the earth. In each square, a pony lay. They were either passed out, or in the company of another pony. The second pony in each square had a pushcart, and the pushcarts had all sorts of tools on them.
Tools of torture.
The screaming noises still assaulting his ears were the screams of the victims. And judging by the volume, there were hundreds of victims. Thousands. Maybe even millions, for all he knew. Who knew how ancient this place was, how many ponies that have ever existed made deals with demons?
He was tapped on the shoulder, and he whipped around. The grey stallion, unable to speak due to the noise, gestured for Sombra to follow him. He led Sombra on a path through the haze, in-between the squares. After another several minutes, they came to another dark corridor. Sombra jumped through it with relief, praying to every imaginary deity he knew of that it led somewhere better.
And boy, did it. The next place was a building, built like nothing Sombra had ever seen. Nicer than Canterlot. Nicer, even, than the crystal palace, which had been Sombra's favorite place on earth.
"What is this place?" He wondered aloud.
"It's different for everyone," the stallion said. "We stole it from the light path. And this is just a small piece of what awaits those who are lucky enough to go there."
"So... it's not like this everywhere?"
"Of course not," the stallion said, amused. "It's the dark path. Did you honestly expect it to be paradise? You saw the torture room."
They kept moving, and almost immediately, yet another dark corridor came into view.
"So, what have you worked out so far?" the stallion asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm a demon, and obviously I'm from here. What does that make you?"
It clicked. "I'm a demon now?"
"Damn straight," the Pegasus replied. "You make a deal with one of us, you die, and you become one of us."
“So what’s the story of the torture room, then?”
“Oh them?” the stallion shrugged. “They’re demons too, but the big boss is mad at them for one reason or another.
“There’s a big boss?” Sombra asked, surprised.
“Of course,” the stallion said. “We’re on our way to meet him now.”
He gestured forward, and Sombra walked through the next corridor.
He found himself in the largest single room he had ever seen. It was completely round, and had a diameter greater than twenty hoofball fields. The ceiling was a dome shape, encompassing the whole room. The stallion came through the corridor right behind Sombra.
“Every damn demon was a sentient being once,” the stallion informed him. “And like all sentient beings, they need sociality. Come on, let’s go meet some other demons.”
The stallion led Sombra across the giant room, towards a few ponies in a group not far away.
“What’s up, Wind Chime?” a voice said. “Congrats on the promotion!”
“Thanks, pops,” the stallion, apparently named ‘Wind Chime,’ responded. “I’ve got someone for you to meet.”
Wind Chime and the other ponies of the group stepped aside, so Sombra could see who Wind Chime had been talking to. He recognized the stallion almost immediately. It was Varázslat Sotetvarazslo.
It was his father.
“...Dad?” Sombra said.
“Sombra,” Varázslat replied, holding out his hooves. Sombra walked forward and embraced his father for the first time in 1100 years. “It’s good to see you, son.”
They broke apart.
“I wish you hadn’t needed to come here, though…” Varázslat trailed off.
“You two can catch up later,” Wind Chime said from the side. “He hasn’t talked to the big boss yet, pops.”
“Oh, you should go then,” Varázslat said. “I’m having a long, hard talk with you when you get back, Sombra.”
They continued to walk across the massive room. A few more demons called out to Wind Chime, but he informed them he was busy. They walked to a pony sitting at a desk, looking bored.
“Oh, hey, Wind Chime,” he said as soon as he noticed them.
“Hey Trans. Taking this newbie right here to meet the big boss.”
“Ooooh, can’t go in there right now,” Trans replied with a grimace. “Talken came home, and the Boss is pretty pissed with him. I can send you to observation for now, if you want.”
“That’ll work.”
Trans raised a hoof, and a dark corridor appeared. Wind Chime and Sombra walked through it.
“Trans is the only one allowed to open corridors in here,” Wind Chime explained. “Keeps things a lot more secure.”
The observation room was small, and had a single padded bench. A massive window showed a big, black abyss. Only a small blue platform was visible from where they sat.
“The Big Boss is the only demon without physical form,” Wind Chime said as they sat down. “He was the first demon, and opened the gateway for us to exist. Soon, things started making deals with him, and he had a plentiful supply of demons. But they were hunted. They needed a place to hide, where none could reach them. So the big boss opened the crack.”
“Wait, when you say The Crack, do you mean the World Crack? Leaking out all of that ley stuff?”
“Yes, the very same,” Wind Chime replied, looking smug. “This place, where we are, is right in the center of the heaviest ley concentration in the world. Nothing can reach us here. That’s why we only have Trans using portals in here. It keeps things from following us through.”
“But I tried my hardest!” a voice wailed. Sombra looked back out of the window with a jerk, realizing for the first time that there was a stallion on the platform. “I really did! Eden is just plain impenetrable!”
Silence.
“Where is the big boss, anyway?” Sombra asked. Wind Chime’s face got slightly darker.
“Imagine, for a moment, that you were the one who opened the world crack. Right there next to Eden, where only the most powerful beings in creation live. What do you would happen to you?"
"I'd be dead," Sombra said.
"Exactly. But they couldn't kill him. No one knows how, and no one dares ask - he gets touchy when it comes to Eden. But they couldn't kill him. They could only trap him so deep in the earth that he can never resurface. But he gave the other demons the opportunity they needed. They escaped into the ley, and moved within it to this spot. Then some other demons figured out how to move the cage the big boss is trapped in, and now he's here."
"NO! PLEASE! I'LL DO ANYTHING!" Talken cried.
"Poor Talken," Wind Chime said, sympathetically. "He had an impossible mission."
"What was it?"
"To find a way into Eden. No one could accomplish that."
"I'LL TRY AGAIN! I'LL GO BACK AND TRY AGAIN! PLEASE!"
"Watch carefully, Sombra," Wind Chime said. "This is what happens if you really offend the big boss."
Talken let out a scream of horror, as his body flattened on the earth as though the gravity had increased tenfold. The demon lit on fire, as his entire body burned away into the air.
"Since he made it possible for us to exist, he has absolute power over us," Wind Chime said over the screams, as Sombra grimaced at the sight before him. "He can utterly obliterate us."
"What happens afterward?" Sombra asked.
"I don't know, and I never want to find out," Wind Chime said with a shudder, as he stood up. "But now it's your turn."
Sombra never normally liked to admit he was scared of anything. But he did now. "And how do I avoid, uh... getting zapped?"
"Just don't mention Eden and you'll be fine," Wind Chime said, as he walked towards the exit.
"That's all? Are you sure?"
"Of course," Wind Chime said dismissively. "Besides, you're new. He usually has some degree of allowance until you get to know things here."
Though he didn't want to, Sombra stood and exited through the corridor.
"You're through this one, Sombra," Trans said, as Sombra exited the corridor. "Go on in."
"Where's Wind Chime?" Sombra asked. Trans raised an eyebrow.
"You go in alone," he said. "Wind Chime is probably still in the observation room."
Sombra looked back at the dark corridor he was supposed to be going through, and gulped. Summoning up his courage, he walked into the darkness.
He found himself on the blue platform he had seen earlier. Looking around, however, he couldn't see the observation room.
"Hello?" he called out.
For a minute, there was no response. Then,
Well, well, well. What do we have here? an icy, chilling voice said in his head. He gulped loudly again.
"I'm--"
I know who you are, Sombra. It was a rhetorical question.
Not knowing what to say, Sombra waited for the voice to say something else.
So you're a demon now. Do you know what demons do?
"Besides making deals with people? No," Sombra replied.
We do a lot. But your job is to do what I tell you. I know you saw what I just did to Talken. Just know, that's what happens if you fail. Or the torture room. It depends on how useful you are.
Sombra knew he had to do whatever this "first demon" wanted him to. "I'll do what you ask."
Good, good, the voice said. I normally give new demons a few days to get used to everything, but you're a special case. I want you started as soon as possible, because I've been waiting a long time for you, Sombra.
He was surprised. "Me? What for?"
I see a lot, Sombra, even in prison. From the moment you were born, I knew this job had to be you.
"What job?" Sombra asked, confused by how fast things were moving.
All in good time, the voice said. Right now, you have training to do. Tell Wind Chime that he is to train you in everything he knows. Then, you will have private training with me, on magic I've never given any other demon access to.
Sombra didn't know what to say. "I... yes sir," he said, awkwardly. "Thank you."
As soon as you're trained up, I will promote you to second in command. You're here for great purposes, Sombra. Don't disappoint me.
"I won't," Sombra said.
You are dismissed.
Sombra looked around. "How do I talk to Trans?"
But at that precise moment, a dark corridor opened right on top of him. It engulfed him, and he walked forward, exiting right in front of Trans. Wind Chime also stood there.
"What'd he say?" Wind Chime asked, eagerly. "You seemed pretty surprised.
Quickly, Sombra recounted the Big Boss' instructions, leaving off the part that he would be made second in command.
"...Private lessons with the big boss?" Wind Chime looked dumbfounded. "I've been here for thousands of years, and I've never heard of that before. He must have some hard work for you ahead."
"Better get started on the training then, right?" Sombra said.
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Twilight and Ventus flew over the icy cold of the north, drawing nearer and nearer to the Crystal Empire. Ventus was inwardly thankful that he didn't have a mouth, because he was sure he would've thrown up within the first fifteen minutes. He was definitely not a fan of flying when someone else was in control, just like he was with trains.
Soon, they were flying over the long-destroyed ruins of the Crystal Empire. Sombra had been merciless. Every building was ravaged to an unrecognizable state. Both Twilight and Ventus had brief flashbacks to the battle here as they flew overhead. Ventus was scanning for the ruined northernmost train station, but Twilight beat him to it. She descended, landing on the patch of station that was the least rubble-covered. They both reformed into their real bodies.
"That wasn't too bad, was it?" Twilight asked, looking around for Ventus. She found him keeled over on the ground, face green.
"You okay? You look pretty green..."
"I'm fine," Ventus lied, as he attempted to hold in the contents of his stomach. He looked into her eyes, not knowing that it would end up being a mistake.
"Liar," Twilight said.
She helped Ventus away from the platform, as he was unable to even stand up. Once they were near some bushes, she let him down.
"You don't happen to have a bucket in storage, do you?"
Twilight grinned, conjuring a bucket from thin air. "I learned from a friend once that you should always have one of these on you. No need to stop it now. Don't try to move until it's all out."
Ventus then proceeded to hurl the contents of his stomach into the bucket. Twilight calmly retreated a small distance, ignoring the retching sounds and the splatter of vomit hitting the bottom of the bucket. It took ten minutes, before he finally declared that he was done.
"All right, I'm good," Ventus said, casting a spell to cause the vomit to vanish and handing the bucket back to Twilight. "Next time, I get to do the flying."
"You don't know how," Twilight retorted.
"I'll learn," Ventus said. "And you can teach me."
"Or I can just fly," Twilight pointed out.
“Anyway, we don’t have time for this,” Ventus said, standing up again. “We need to figure out what to do.”
“The Eye said to return to where your role began, right?” Twilight asked.
“Yes,” Ventus replied, thinking hard. Then, it clicked.
“When I first brought you up here, where did you go?”
Twilight thought back. “Towards the northern mountain range.”
“Well, I vote we go there and see what we can find.”
Twilight didn’t have any other ideas, so she nodded, and the two set off towards the mountains.
Little did they know that the dark unicorn was waiting for them.
That he had been expecting them.
That they were acting exactly according to plan…
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Count me interested in your view of the map. Didn't spot any errors this time around either. I guess you weren't kidding when you said you were gonna kick your editors/proofreaders in the ass.
I am interested in the map.
Hmmm... Where will this lead Sombra?
“Imagine, for a moment, that you were the one who opened the world crack. Right there next to Eden, where only the most powerful beings in creation live. What do you would happen to you?"
You missed a word at the end of this paragraph. Speed isn't everything in writing, you know.
4109607
Lol, nope. There was still an error in this.