Dark Cloud

by D5ky

Sacrifices

Twilight and Ventus flew at breakneck speed back toward Ponyville. The fields below them rolled past, looking brown and sullen. They hadn't had sun or water for weeks, and everything was dying.

Including Ponyville...

They couldn't talk to each other while flying, so they were each lost in their own thoughts. Twilight was worried sick about everypony who had survived. Looking at some of the spells she had learned in her study of dark magic, she knew Gale could lay waste to a town very quickly. She picked up speed, pushing herself beyond her regular magical capacities to go even faster. The strain on her increased the longer they flew, especially since she had to transfigure Ventus alongside herself. Thus, she was slightly relieved when a letter entered her magical inbox, giving her an excuse to descend.

She swooped down to a patch of brown grass, and they both reformed into their natural bodies. Ventus was also relieved they were taking a break, since he was so prone to airsickness. Twilight's relief evaporated a moment after they landed, changing instead to terror and nervousness, as she realized that this letter could only have come from Ponyville. She retrieved it, and read.

Her mouth fell open, and her face filled despair as her eyes watered immediately.

"What's happened?" Ventus asked, almost not wanting to hear the answer. She still didn't move, seeing as her brain had just melted inside her skull. Ventus trotted over, and read the letter for himself. It was short, hastily written, and sloppy.

Ponyville destroyed. No survivors.

Don't come. Hide. You're the last ponies in Equestria. It's over.

Spike

Sorrow hit him like an asteroid as the words registered in his brain. It really was over now. There was no one but them in the whole country. Spike had undoubtedly perished soon after he sent the letter.

He turned to Twilight, who had fallen to the earth. She wasn't audibly crying, but tears were running down her face, as the weight of the world crashed down on them both.

Ventus was sad, wounded, and angry, but he wasn't going to just let hope die. He didn't want to do this, after everything Midnight Sky had done, but he didn't really have a choice. He accessed his magical storage, and pulled out paper and quill. Feverishly, he began to write.

Midnight Sky,

Equestria has fallen. We just received word of Ponyville's destruction. If we do nothing, he'll find us eventually. And if he doesn't... Equestria isn't the only land on the planet. He might move on to the others. We have to save them. If you could help us, that would be great.

-Ventus

He sent the letter off, and waited. Twilight was still on the ground, torn apart inside by their circumstances. Ventus was surprised by how quickly the reply letter came.

If you're receiving this, then I'm already dead. I set a spell to send this if you survived, just in case something happened to me. I'm taking a wild guess that Gale has destroyed Equestria by now.

I'm praying that Twilight has survived as well. If she has, then she might know what to do. Gale must be stopped at all costs. There are still other species outside Equestria who will die. It won't be easy, but I trust you guys to do what needs to be done. Don't let me down.

-Midnight Sky

Ventus stared at the letter for a few moments, taking it in. He handed it to Twilight for her to read. As she did so, her expression hardened, but she never seemed confused, which meant Midnight Sky had been right. She did know what to do. She turned to look at Ventus.

"What did he mean?" He asked her. "What can we do?"

Twilight didn't answer at once. She did know what had to be done, but the prospect of doing it wasn't pretty. She didn't want to tell the stallion who had been with her through the whole nightmare, and who was still there, even when everypony else was gone. However, it wasn't going to be any easier if she waited longer. She turned back to him.

"Gale used my soul to regenerate, which means his soul has certain coding. If he tries to attack me again, I can absorb him back into me, and trap him. His soul will be temporarily intertwined with mine again, which means if mine goes anywhere, he'll be dragged with me."

"What are you saying?" Ventus asked, but he had a sickened feeling that he already knew where this was headed. Twilight put on a sad little smile.

"I'm going to trap him in my soul again, then..."

The plan clicked into place in Ventus' mind, without needing to hear the rest of it. His expression changed from one of worry to one of outright horror.

"No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no," he said repeatedly, backing away. "You can't mean what I think you mean."

She still wore the sad little smile, which confirmed the stallion's fears.

"It's the only way," she told him.

"You can't-- you couldn't possibly-- you're asking me to--" Ventus spluttered, unable to complete a full sentence.

"Everypony else is already dead," she reminded him. "The rest of the world will follow. Millions more will die. Unless we do this. This is the solution, this is the way."

Her mind was made up. She wasn't going to let the outside countries be wiped out as well. But Ventus wasn't going down without a fight.

"Can't you just... you know... stab yourself?" He asked, before realizing how dark of a question that was. But then again, it was suicide, or murder.

"It's not a murder," Twilight said, correctly interpreting his thoughts. "It's a sacrifice. And sometimes, sacrifices are necessary."

"I can't kill you!" Ventus exclaimed, voice shaking. "I just can't!"

She sighed. They were wasting time, and she knew it. Gale might move out of Equestria, and they would have to find him again. Plus, she didn't know if her resolution would hold. The longer she contemplated sacrificing herself to kill the daemon, the worse the prospect seemed. She didn't know how long her willpower would withstand her fear. This needed to be done now, before she changed her mind.

"Look," she began. "We don't have time for this. I'm going to trap Gale before he can move on." She glared at him. "He'll probably kill me, even if you don't. So, unless you want my sacrifice to be in vain, I suggest you come here."

She held out a hoof, wating for him to grab it so they could begin flying again.

Ventus' conscience was still screaming in protest, but he didn't have much of a choice. He grabbed her hoof, and they transfigured into a black cloud, resuming the flight back to Ponyville. He was still attempting to think of a way to sway the mare from her plan. But his mind was blank, and he didn't know how it could be done.

He watched as the scenery rolled beneath them, as they moved towards Ponyville at a greater speed than anypony had ever moved before. They approached the city rapidly, and Twilight set them down just outside the town boundaries. She was more scared than she had ever been in her whole life, as she contemplated the task ahead. She turned to look at the stallion beside her, who had been through so much with her.

"Promise me," she said simply. "Promise you'll kill me when I trap Gale."

Ventus looked into her lavender eyes. He saw, clear as day, how scared she was. But he also saw the determination to kill off this evil. He didn't know what to do, as he hesitated.

"Promise," Twilight said, more forcefully this time. Her eyes began tearing up, as she looked at her friend. His resolve dissolved as he looked at her. He knew he had no choice.

"Pinkie Promise," he replied. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Twilight's mouth quivered slightly, as she almost smiled. The two looked at each other for another moment. Then, they simultaneously moved towards each other, and wrapped their hooves around each other in a gentle embrace. As he held her, Ventus considered what could've happened without the war. If he could've gotten to know Twilight before all of the death and destruction, maybe something could've happened. But it was a life that he would never know. The war had changed everything, and there was nothing he could do about it.

After a minute, they broke apart. They looked at each other one last time, before turning to survey the ruined city. Smoke still rose from the smoldering wreckage of what had once been the most peaceful town in all of Equestria, what had once been Twilight's home. Her eyes filled with tears again, as she thought of everypony who had died.

Don't worry, she thought. I'll be with you soon.

She charged her horn, preparing to cast multiple powerful spells at once. When she released them, they were hidden completely from view, and her magical senses swept the town's remnants, locating Gale fairly quickly.

"He's by the town hall!" she said. "Let's go!"

She began running off into the town. Ventus could still see her, because it had been she who had turned them invisible. He hesitated for a moment longer, then followed. She turned corners without slowing down, moving for the center of town. He didn't know where they were going as he had never visited the town, and stayed as close as possible to her.

After another minute, they ran towards the remnants of city hall. The dome had fallen sideways, and cracked into several pieces on the ground. Within the pieces of the dome, a snow white pony stood, facing away from them.

"Can he sense us?" Ventus asked. Twilight shook her head. They looked at the daemon who, for some reason, was rooted to the spot.

"What's the plan?" Ventus asked in a whisper, just to ensure the stallion couldn't hear them. Twilight also quieted her voice as she responded.

"You're going to show yourself."

"Are you crazy?" he whispered, looking stunned. "He'll tear me to shreds!"

"I can only trap him while he's casting an offensive spell," said Twilight. "Don't worry, I won't let him hit you."

He was still having doubts about the entire plan. He didn't know if he would be able to kill Twilight when the time came, but he didn't have a choice. He was going to do one last favor for the mare beside him.

He nodded. "I'm ready."

Her horn glowed, and a black streak formed in the air. Something silver fell from it, and Ventus caught it before it could hit the ground. He recognized it. It was fifteen inches long, horribly sharp, and had once been held to his own throat.

"Isn't this one of--"

"Midnight Sky's knives?" Twilight finished the question. "Yes. It's called Cultro Venántium. The spell description says it can kill almost anything that lives, including most dark-blooded ponies, and can unlock almost any lock."

"Sounds pretty deadly," Ventus replied. He took the knife in one hoof, knowing full well what he would have to do with it soon.

Twilight turned back to look at Gale, who still had not moved. She looked to Ventus, who nodded, signaling his readiness. She released the concealment spell on him.

"Gale!" He yelled.

The daemon whirled around, enraged at hearing his Equestrian name. Twilight prepared to trap him, as he charged a spell to hit Ventus with. But at the last second, Gale turned to look right at where Twilight was. Instead of attacking Ventus, he launched himself backwards, transforming into the dark cloud as he did so. He quickly flew away from them.

Twilight cursed. She too transformed into a dark cloud, and flew after the daemon. Ventus tried to summon up the demonic forces from his soul, but to his horror, they seemed to have frozen.

"What the hell?!" he snarled, trying to get the horribly evil power to surface. But it was no good. His most powerful magic was dead to him in this moment, and he didn't know how to cast any dark magic spells without it.

Ventus knew he couldn't just sit there, waiting for them to return. He called up his memory, attempting to remember exactly the aura he had felt when Twilight transformed. He thought he had a pretty good idea of how the spell was performed. He charged his horn, attempting to mimic the spell. He put all of his mental power into it, but couldn't get the spell to go through.

"Oh come on," he muttered in frustration, as he attempted to transform again.

Meanwhile, Twilight was still chasing the daemon. She threw obstacles in front of him, trying to slow him down, but he managed to dodge them swiftly. She chased him around for several minutes, climbing higher and higher into the sky as she did so. Gale suddenly shot straight upwards, heading straight for the cloud barrier. She followed without hesitation. He vanished above the clouds, and she followed shortly after.

As she broke through the cloud barrier, the sky suddenly turned piercing blue, despite the lack of the sun. It was such a stark change from the greyness that they had experienced ever since Celestia's death that she had to cover her eyes.

Gale had landed on a cloud, and reformed into his pony form. She did the same, easily casting the spell to let her walk on clouds that she had learned so long ago. When she was done, the two faced each other. He smiled menacingly at her.

"You're trying to trap me?" he taunted across the gap at her. "Did you honestly expect that to work?"

Twilight bit her lip. She needed to word what she said carefully, or he would just start flying again.

"I don't need to trap you," she said, trying to bluff. "We've got Cultro Venántium. We can kill you without trapping you."

Gale laughed evilly once again.

"That blade can't kill me. But you already knew that," he taunted.

Twilight launched an orb of green fire at the daemon, who did a back hoofspring to avoid it. He laughed at the mare, as she again attempted to hit him with a spell, and he again managed to dodge it.

"Give it up, Twilight. You and your friend are finished. You--"

He was cut short, as the knife slashed through his stomach, then his chest. The pain of it was so great that he actually screamed out in pain. The knife felt like fire. He fell over sideways, falling fifteen feet to the next cloud below him.

Time for background music of feels.

Twilight smiled, as the black cloud which she knew to be Ventus shot above them, a glint shining off the silver knife. Twilight launched herself across the gap between clouds, landing on top of the daemon. She cast a spell to bind him there, rendering him unable to escape.

"Cultro Venántium might not kill you," she began. Her eyes shifted to red, and she smiled more evilly than Gale had.

"But it'll still hurt like hell."

In his cloudy, adrenaline-fueled state of pain, Gale lost control of his rage, and at last charged a spell to launch the mare off of him.

It was just what Twilight had been waiting for.

Her horn lit up with a black aura, and as the daemon began to cast his spell, he suddenly split apart, dissolving into the black cloud again. He then re-entered the mare in the same way he escaped; through her eyes and mouth. Ventus descended to the white clouds, reforming into a pony beside her. She finished absorbing the daemon, and instantly keeled over from the pain of it.

She could feel him immediately try to force his way out, fighting with every ounce of strength he had. Not thinking, she devoted her whole focus to stopping him from getting out. But in doing that, she stopped focusing on the cloud walk spell, and she fell right through the clouds. Ventus caught her, and levitated her back up to him. He recast the spell on her, and set her on the cloud's surface.

Twilight's teeth were clenched, and her eyes were screwed tightly shut, as she struggled. It was a thousand times harder than any other magic resistance she had ever needed to do. Struggling to do so, she opened her eyes and looked up at Ventus, tears flowing down her face.

"Do it," she pleaded with him.

Ventus was unable to suppress his tears, as he clenched the knife in his hoof. He began shaking violently, as he raised the knife. He froze in place as he made eye contact with her, and looked into her lavender eyes. He could see the effort it was taking to keep the daemon imprisoned, as she laid there on the cloud. There was pain in her eyes. She trusted him, and was begging him to do it.

"Please."

Ventus now had a river of tears flowing from him, as he raised the knife high. There was no escaping it now. He either did this, or it would all be for nothing.

He closed his eyes as his leg plunged. The knife lodged itself in her heart, and he cringed at the sickening crunching sound. Immediately, Gale stopped fighting. There was nothing he could do now. He didn't make a sound, as he began to perish with the mare he was prisoner of.

Twilight's mind slowed down as began to fade from consciousness, and she felt her heart valiantly trying to keep her alive. But Ventus had done the job right, just like she had wanted him to. Ventus cradled her head in his arms, as she slowly ticked through her final moments.

"Ventus..." she said weakly, as her senses slowed even more. He sat there, knowing she had seconds, fighting his brain into saying the words he wanted her to hear. The words he had been wanting to say for a while now. The words which had been put on hold because of the war.

"Twilight Sparkle... I love you," he declared, tears running down his face, thick and fast.

She looked slightly surprised, as the words registered. Her mind quickly flashed back through the entire time she had known him. How he had been so willing to listen to her on the train, how he had stood guard all night after Gale had been there, how he had immediately come back to the Crystal Empire after she had wrote to Celestia, how he had gotten to know the rest of her friends before official war had been declared on Sombra, how he had refused to let her go to the front lines, and how concerned he had been whenever she had been injured, whenever she was in pain. Whenever she made terrible decisions. She smiled as she realized something herself.

"I... love... you..... too," she managed to say. She weakly moved her hoof into his, and he clenched it as if he could keep her there by doing so. They looked into each other's eyes for what they both knew to be the final time.

Something in the lavender pair flickered, and then went out. Twilight Sparkle slumped in his arms, and she moved no more.

Her soul shot upwards like a rocket, dragging the spirit of Gale along with her. Approaching the crossroads, Twilight had no control over where they would go. But to her relief, they floated towards the light path, and disappeared within, never to be seen in this world again.

(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)(=)

Ventus was unaware how long he stayed up there, holding the dead body of one of the only mares he had ever loved. He was unwilling to accept the fact that she was dead. He felt as if his entire world had just died with her. After all, there were now no other Equestrian ponies left on the whole earth. There was nothing left for him, nothing whatsoever. No one to protect. No one to talk to.

Not even anyone to fight with.

Eventually, however, the stallion came back to his senses. He wrenched the knife from Twilight's chest, stowing it away magically. Being able to fly without his demon half now, he carried her body with him as he flew back towards the earth. Being able to control his every action was much better for his stomach, and he was no longer feeling airsick.

He descended all the way back to the ground, and reformed his body. Using magic, he dug a hole five feet in length and width, and two feet deep. He was determined to give the mare a proper burial, unlike all the rest of her dead comrades. He covered her in dirt, and smoothed the surface out. He found a large rock, and levitated it over to where he had buried her. Using magic, he inscribed the tombstone.

Here lies
Twilight Sparkle
Who sacrificed herself for the good of all the survivors.
May her spirit rest in peace.

It wasn't anything beautiful, but he never had been good with words

It's better than nothing, he told himself. He stood there, looking at the grave. It took him a while to notice the letter that had been delivered to him some time before. When he did notice it, he retrieved it, and opened it.

If you're reading this, Ventus, it means you've succeeded in killing Gale. Well done. But your work for Equestria isn't finished yet.

Many died during this war. But what if I told you I had a way to save them all? I know you must think I'm crazy, but if you come up to the cave where I lived, you'll find something that will help you.

I'm counting on you.

Ventus sat there, confused by the letter. How could he save everypony if they were already dead?

But then again, he thought, the letter did say I would think it was crazy... he decided it was worth checking out.

After all, he thought, everypony else is gone. What else am I gonna do with my time?

He took one long, final look at the tombstone of Twilight. Then, he transfigured and flew away, leaving her behind forever. He moved quickly back north, reaching the Crystal Empire a little over an hour later. Entering the cave, he turned back into a pony. He walked for a minute, having no trouble seeing through the total darkness.

When he reached the door that led to the real living space, however, he found his way blocked. The door had decided to seal itself shut. He retrieved Cultro Venántium from his storage, and inserted it into the door's crack. He heard a click, and the magical barrier vanished. The door swung easily open, leading him to the study.

Looking around, he noticed a small, blue crystal sitting on the table. Curious, he reached out for it. But as he did so, an image flashed across his vision. An image of a dark cyan unicorn crying out in pain. He could also hear the scream for a split second. Both vanished as quickly as they came. He jumped, withdrawing from the crystal slightly. But he reached back forward, and picked it up anyways.

He felt a strange aura pulsating from the crystal. As he held it, he suddenly realized that there was something else as well. It was as though somepony was trying to talk to him. He focused, trying harder to make out what they were saying.

Ah, it feels good to be out of that thing. I don't know how Gale could've done 8000 years, let alone a few hours.

He jumped again, as he registered who the voice belonged to.

Is this...

Yes, Ventus. This is Midnight Sky. Now, I need you to listen to me very carefully...

Current Equestria Population:
1

Author's Note:

And there you have it. For the second time, the story is over.
I was much more emotionally attached to my ponies this time around. Guess that means my writing is improving.
Well, it's been one hell of a ride. I had some ups and downs, but in the end, I'm extremely happy with this. I will be kinda sad to be done, but hey, there's still the sequel. And yes, there is a sequel, so don't be too sad. And if you've followed me, don't get too excited when I publish a new story - I'm definitely posting one, and maybe a second story that aren't the sequel. I'll put out a blog post when I publish the actual sequel.

You guys rock. Thanks for putting up with me, and taking the time to read my compilation of crazy ideas and even crazier characters.

ありがとう。じゃね。
-勉 (ベン)

Comments

[cellum95]

I think you have repeated this for how many times that I didn't even count?

[D5ky]

4180946 Well, he's basically my third editor. I appreciate what he does. I just end up making the same mistakes due to copy/paste.

[Exhelah]

Just so everypony knows, I'm not a perfect editor. So if you find mistakes in Sky's writing, let him know! I don't catch everything!

[cellum95]

4180955 ah okay. :P Sorry

[Midnight Spark]

"Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Just pointing out that a 'Pinkie Promise' is hope to fly, not die. But that's something you have to decide, seeing as in the situation Ventus could say anything.

Then, they simultaneously moved towards each other, and wrapped their hooves around each other in a gentle embrace.

Bit repetitive with 'each other' but not terribly bad.

Ventus considered what could've happened if the war had never happened.

Same as above. Might substitute 'occurred' for the second happened.

After another minute, they ran towards the remnants of a large domed building. The dome had fallen sideways onto the ground, and had cracked into several pieces. They saw a snow-white pony standing a little way beyond the smoldering wreckage. Twilight stopped, and so did Ventus.

Bit telly. Might consider changing it up to be Ventus'/Twilight's observations on the matter instead of just an ambiguous statement.

Twilight's mind slowed down, as began to fade from consciousness

as she began

he dug a hole 5 feet in length and width, and 2 feet deep.

Under ten, spell it out.

Its better than nothing, he told himself.

It's (Didn't see any other instances of this, but I didn't really look.)

Definitely looking forward to more, 5ky. You've kept me entertained the whole way through.

4181982
No one is perfect. And when it comes to editing, it gets even harder to get anywhere near that 'perfect' standard. So many rules, and little nuances that are impossible to remember. And half the time you spend so much time looking for the little things, that you miss the glaringly obvious. In my experiences, at least. You never stop learning in this 'job' known as editing, either. I've learned more since I started doing this kind of thing for 'fun' than I ever have in any school. From what I've seen; you are doing a pretty good job already. Keep up the good work.

[Midnight Spark]

4180946
Sorry if my comments come across as annoying, I just try to help out where I can and in this case it was easier for me to just comment corrections/thoughts instead of sending a PM, or whathaveyou. I would go through and delete all my comments but I find that a bunch of 'This comment has been removed' more disruptive and annoying than seeing corrections. I suppose I could edit them to remove said corrections, but I would rather not take the time with my slow internet.

4180955
If you would prefer me to go through and delete/edit comments to clear up some of the clutter, I would be happy to oblige. Just let me know. And if I notice errors/something worth mentioning in the future and you would rather me get that to you in a different way, you need only say the word.
Glad to know I'm appreciated. I'm here to help, so the fact that my comments can help, or at least point out something worth noting is all that matters.
Have a good one, 5ky. Keep up the great work and give me a shout if you're ever in need of another pair of eyes to pick things apart.

[cellum95]

4185296 ah.....:P

[D5ky]

4185296
4186528 So I added some background music of feels in here. I think you guys should re-read it with the music. It almost made me , and I was the one who wrote the scene!

[cellum95]

4197677 I didn't see it the music in the chapter :P Correct if I'm wrong though

[D5ky]

4201463 it's a YouTube video, but it's there.

[cellum95]

4211449 ah okay

[Cool_Story_Reader]

I think you did an amazing job rewriting this whole story
Gonna read the sequel a bit later.

[doomquill]

Totally just binge read this whole thing in less than three hours.

I've gotta say, this was a fantastic story with a fantastically thought-out ending. It did feel slightly rushed, though. You didn't give us much of a chance to appreciate the impact Twilight's death had on Ventus before the story ended. And you don't elaborate much on it in Dark Genesis, either.

It's a shame that you've stopped working on the sequel - I was really looking forward to it. I hope you have fun with whatever you spend your free time doing nowadays!