Hour of Twilight

by -Brutus

The Promise of a Lifetime

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// Story: Hour of Twilight
// Chapter: Chapter 8: The Promise of a Lifetime
// Author: Darth Femto
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Chapter Eight
The Promise of a Lifetime

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A bright flash of light engulfed the cyan pegasus. She scrunched her eyes closed and yelped at the intensity of the light. In her ears, a cold, harsh voice echoed out.

"... this was but the beginning of my hell..."

A hollow screech, followed by deathly silence. After what felt like an eternity, the light slowly dimmed out, allowing the pegasus to open her eyes. She blinked several times to adjust to the luminosity of the room and gaped. She was in what seemed to be a room filled with tiny beds and several young foals, about the same age as Scootaloo. Amongst the playing foals, Rainbow noticed the shape of the lavender filly playing with a silver filly pegasus with a pale blue mane. They seemed to be very excited about something.

"Mommy signed me up for Princess Celestia' school for gifted unicorns! I still can't believe it," the filly grinned at her friend, who seemed to share her enthusiasm. "However, I have to pass an entrance exam, and my magic is terrible!" Twilight whined.

Silverstar tackled the lavender unicorn, giggling. Twilight fought back, and withing a few seconds, it became a joyfull game of wrestling. After a while, they both tired out and sat on their backs, panting. "You know, Twi', you can do anything! You're the best unicorn ever!" she grinned with confidence at her lavender friend. Twilight blushed and sighed happily.

The silvery pegasus rose from the carpet and motioned for Twilight to follow her. Rainbow followed closely the two fillies, a frown on her face. 'Ugh, this is getting boring...' she muttered angrily under her breath.

The two fillies arrived at a secluded place outside the orphanage, a large oak tree overseeing the whole building from a hill, the Sun's warming rays gently breaking through the leaves, bathing the ground below in a mystical dancing shadow. Rainbow flew up and laid herself in the branches of the oak, gazing at the two fillies below, curious as to what was so important about this memory.

Twilight and Silverstar were whispering each other sweet words, giggling and snorting playfully. After some time, the silvery pegasus filly leaned in, closing her eyes. Her lips met those of the lavender filly, staying a little while before breaking up, panting. Silverstar opened her eyes and blushed, averting her gaze from her friend. Twilight was quite shocked, but snapped out of the trance and smiled, blushing herself. The cyan pegasus that was watching the whole display was stunned, her eyes the size of dishes.

After an awkward silence, Twilight approached the pegasus filly and embraced her, sighing happily. "I love you, Silverstar... You're my best friend ever!"

The other filly sniffled and chuckled lightly, tightening the hug. "I love you too, Twilight Sparkle," she looked her friend in the eyes, tears glistening in her eyes. "There's something I want you to know," she became serious all of a sudden.

The lavender filly looked questioningly at her friend, not sure what to make of her sudden change. "Is something wrong?"

Silverstar smiled weakly and pointed her right hoof at Twilight's heart. "I-I just want you to know... If there ever comes a time when we cannot be together... always know, that I am here," she poked at Twilight's chest. "If you carry me in your heart, then I will always be there, together with you. Forever," she smiled, resting her head on the lavender filly's shoulder, sobbing silently.

Twilight was stunned, her own eyes watering up, threatening to spill her tears soon. She hugged her friend even harder and gave a weak chuckle. "We will be together forever, Silverstar. I promise you!"

The silver pegasus stood up and chuckled. "Whoever arrives last at the house gets no cookies!" she grinned.

Twilight gasped and growled. "We have a deal."

The two fillies grinned and set out running back to the house, unaware of a cyan pegasus that stood above them at all times. Rainbow Dash witnessed everything. She could not hold back her tears, her own heart aching. She was crying, a soft smile on her lips. Glancing towards the house, she wiped her tears and straightened herself. She took off and flew towards the house, until she felt herself collapse in a white chasm. She yelped and tried flying upwards, but found herself paralyzed. She heard that voice again.

"...sometimes, love can bring you so much happiness. But what happens when all of that is taken away?...

Panicking, she screamed out, before fading into the abyss.

Panting and sweating, her heart beating faster than ever, the cyan pegasus was blinded by a bright light, which again faded away, leaving her on a stretched out corridor, of a pale white. Rainbow's nostrils were filled with the scent of medicine, of sterility. The utter 'blankness' of the air was suffocating, startling her. Then, it hit her.

It was a hospital.

Rainbow trotted down the corridor, avoiding several doctors and nurses walking around with clipboards and carts. Suddenly she heard a familiar voice, approaching her. Glancing to her left, she took notice of the filly Twilight, now a bit older, bearing a cutie mark aswell, trotted down the corridor along with her mother, staring sadly at the ground. When they passed by, she raised her head and nodded at the pegasus, motioning her to follow.

They paced slowly along the corridor until they finally stopped at room 102. Twilight's mother nuzzled her daughter affectionately and left. The lavender unicorn exhaled shakily a few times and took a deep breath. She magicked the door open and trotted inside, followed by the cyan pegasus, who was staring confused at the scene. Twilight took a turn to the right and disappeared behind a curtain.

Rainbow followed the unicorn and pulled the curtains aside, revealing a pale silvery figure laying in a hospital bed on its left side, facing the unicorn. Her mane was nowhere to be seen, only scars visible where it should have been. Her body was weak, drained of life, a very thin skin covering the bones, looking like the resting pony had been starving for a long time. Rainbow gasped in shock when she noticed a pair of very skinny and sickly wings protruding from the body of the sleeping pony. She now recognized it. The ill pony was Silverstar.

The pale silvery pegasus was sleeping, her breathing was ragged, a respiratory machine wheezing restlessly beside her. A couple of IV drips hung from poles surrounding the bed. Next to her pillow were several other syringes, filled with a strange, colourless fluid, labelled 'adrenaline'. Rainbow did not know much medicine, but she knew enough to understand that the liquid was keeping one's heart from stopping. Realization hit her full force. Silverstar was dying.

The only sound noticeable in the room was the medical machines' regular blipping and wheezing, and the sound of soft sobbing. Rainbow glanced to the unicorn beside her and cringed. Twilight was crying into her friend's hooves, completely burying her head into the pegasus' slowly rising chest. The cyan mare swallowed the lump in her throat and exhaled shakily.

"Twi'," she cooed gently, "why is she here... What happened to her?"

The lavender unicorn raised her head from her friend and stared into Rainbow's rosey eyes. She sniffled and wiped her tears, only to be replaced by fresh ones. "Mother told me she was diagnosed with leukemia at birth. She says that was the reason why Silverstar was abandoned in a maternity, shortly after she was born. Over the time, her body started to degrade, causing her to feel very sick. My parents tried helping her with the treatment, but she did not respond well. After a few years of struggles, her body began to shut down. She was brought in two months ago, when she could no longer stand up," she paused to catch her breath, shoulders heaving with pain. "They... they called us in today... because she is going to die. This is the last time-" Twilight was interrupted by a soft moan, turning around to see her friend stirring, her eyes slowly opening. The lavender unicorn rushed to Silverstar's side and held her hooves, while stroking her coat.

Silverstar slowly opened her eyes, groaning. Her body was hurting so much, wincing in pain at any movement. Her eyes darted around, her vision blurry. She noticed a purple blur in front of her and tried focusing, blinking rapidly several times.

"Ugh... Twi', is... is that you?" she whimpered in a raspy voice, her throat hurting.

"Yes, sweetie, I'm right here. Have some water," Twilight replied gently, grabbing a glass of water from the night stand with her magic and giving her friend a few sips.

The water felt heavenly, soothing Silverstar's throat. She coughed a few times and sighed, tried to adjust her position in bed, only to yelp in pain. "Aiee, ughh, oh Celestia it hurts..." she cried out softly, her eyes scrunched shut. Twilight hushed her and kissed her gently on the forehead. With her free hoof, she caressed her neck and helped relieve her pain. Silverstar's breathing was becoming calm, taking time to relax herself. She felt safe when she was with her friend, her lover. Suddenly, she felt something wet hit her coat. She opened her eyes slightly and gazed at the lavender unicorn. Tears were streaming her cheeks, her eyes shut out of pain, choking out sobs. They carried the weight of guilt and sorrow. Silverstar smiled and poked her friend.

"Hey, Twi', remember what I told you a few years ago, under the old oak, back at the orphanage?"

Twilight sniffled and wiped her tears off, looking at her friend with a sad frown. "Y-yes... and only now," she coughed, more tears leaving her eyes, "only now do I realize what you meant." She wailed. "I don't want to lose you, Silverstar. You're my only friend! I love you too much, I can't bear the thought, please don't leave me!" she cried out.

Silverstar looked peacefully upon the lavender unicorn, shakily raising a hoof to wipe off her tears and caress her cheek. "My dearest Twilight, I will never leave your side... Never. I-" she stammered, her eyes watering. "I will always, always... be here," she pointed at Twilight's heart, again. "Never... never forget that, my dearest... Twilight Sparkle, I promise..." she spoke, her voice dropping at the end of the sentence, a painful silence followed by a constant beep sound echoing out in the room. Silverstar was gone, her face wearing a soft smile, a gleam of hope in her half closed eyes. Her friend however, was broken.

The lavender unicorn held everything inside her, refusing to cry again, although she could not deny the immense pain in her heart. It burned her so much she wanted to scream out in agony. But she did not. She sniffled and sighed, rising from her spot and turning towards Rainbow Dash. The cyan pegasus was speechless, merely staring sadly at the broken unicorn in front of her. However, she did not say anything and simply trotted out the door.

Rainbow tried to follow her, but her path was blocked by falling debris. It appeared that the entire room was falling apart, engulfed in a black mist, burning everything it touched. The cyan pegasus panicked again and started screaming for help. Her cries of despair did not go unnoticed. A very loud ringing caused Rainbow Dash to cover her ears and yell out, her eardrums hurting a lot. Then, it suddenly stopped, allowing a voice to be heard out in the darkness of the void.

"...emotional wounds can destroy a pony forever... That's why... that's why it's better to be alone..."

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The clouds above the Everfree Forest were swirling furiously, lightning bolts flying across the heavens, lighting up the dark atmosphere. Wind blew with speed, picking up debris, turning into twisters that ravaged the land. A small rocky structure protruded from the ground, bearing a large double gate, bearing very powerful enchantments. The path leading to the structure was paved with the remains of many ponies, trampled bones and decaying flesh littering the ground; a gruesome sight to behold.

While on the outside, chaos was at its home, on the inside, a small squad formed of four royal guards stood around a table playing poker, oblivious to the extreme weather outside. A small pegasus guard, bearing a smile, looked at his comrades and snorted.

"Pff, guys, you really need to learn to play this game! I can't play all by myself. Here, let me give you a stimulant. Those who lose have to kiss each other," he said with a sly grin. The other guards grimaced and spat. One of them, a muscular earth pony gazed at the pegasus guard and chuckled.

"Oooh, that sounds interesting, Artie," he blew a kiss towards the said pegasus.

Artie glared at the big stallion, wanting to say something, but was interrupted by a strange feeling. He glanced at his friends and frowned, the sensation becoming harder to bear by each passing second. The others seemed to share his weight.

"This ain't good... To arms! Get ready for anything!" he barked at the other ponies, rallying them quickly.

Each of the four guards picked their swords and shield and stood in a row facing the gate, ready for anything. Sweat was pouring down their faces, their expressions becoming more grim. They braced themselves as the air became suffocating, before the sensation faded out completely. They glanced uneasily at each other, shrugging.

"What the hay was that?" one of the guards asked, confused at the strange phenomenon.

"Probably one of those shadow monsters wandering around... Buck him, let's get back to our-"

*KA-BOOOOM*

The explosion reverberated throughout the entire settlement, shaking it to its foundation. The thick doors were blown open with a gargantuan force, killing half of the guards and rendering the other two immobile. Fire burned out into the room, as the air carried its foul stench deeper into the compound. Artie, the pegasus guard raised his head briefly and scanned his surroundings, gasping when he noticed his dead comrades. His eyes snapped and glanced fearfully at the entrance of the building. In the billowing smoke and black mist, a shadowy figure as tall as Celestia trotted casually inside, stopping nose in nose with the small pegasus.

"Knock knock," Dawn smiled menacingly. Using her magic, she picked up the two surviving guards and trotted further down the corridors with them, heading towards the area where the residents of Ponyville would be hiding. She hummed to herself as she approached, her body convulsing with excitement. She reached a large door resembling the one at the entrance, however this one did not bore any enchantments. Something was wrong. Placing her ear on the door, she focused on any sounds that could be heard.

Silence.

Her face contorted in anger and turned towards one of the guards. "Where are they? Answer me, and I will grant you a swift death," she hissed at the injured pony.

Artie's comrade, Hulkshield, stared blankly at the black unicorn, snorting. "Like... like hell I'll tell ya."

Dawn became infuriated and poured more magic into her grip, bending her captive's body until it snapped from the middle, spraying blood everywhere. No howls of pain. He died quickly. However, his friend, Artie, was shaking in her grip, fear clearly etched on his face, sweat and blood drenching his pristine white coat.

"And I suppose you won't tell me either, right?"

Artie shook his head and yelped. "I will tell you anything, just... just please, let me live! I-I promise to tell you everything, just please, spare me!" he cried out at the black unicorn, his body convulsing in shock.

The Crimson Dawn pondered the trade and nodded. "Very well. Tell me everything, and you may leave in one piece."

The pegasus guard was dropped on the ground. He yelped in pain, wincing at every movement. Taking a deep breath, he began. "This was just a decoy, the real shelter is under Wildermane Keep, from the Fort to the west of Equestria, into the gryphon lands. Every pony was taken there through a series of tunnels and air ships. The outlying villages have been evacuated aswell. The Royal Guard stood behind to sacrifice themselves to hold out the enemy while the others escaped. This is all I know!" he covered his head with his arms.

Dawn stared blankly at him and frowned. "So, you say this was just a waste of time?!" she snapped, gripping him with her magic and proceeded to crush him.

He cried out in pain and begged for release, as his life was fading away. Suddenly, he was released from the grip and fell on his back, wailing in anguish, his wings being crushed to splinters. He glanced angrily at the departing black unicorn. Gathering whatever strength he had left, he yelled after her.

"Hey! You daughter of a whore! Come back here, I forgot to tell you something!" he bellowed, coughing up more blood. He found himself enveloped in a black aura once again and brought face to face with an angry unicorn, staring him down, bloodlust evident in her eyes.

"How DARE you insult my mother, you-"

"Cut the crap out, missy *cough*," Artie interrupted her, a smile appearing on his face. Dawn gasped. "I almost forgot... " he leaned in and whispered in her ear.

"Checkmate."

Loud explosions roared wildly, as the whole complex crumbled, burying down the deranged unicorn along with the guard. The ground shook fiercely, towers of dust rising into the already choked skies, the particles picked by the wind and blown across the forest. The forest was set ablaze by the burning debris, as it flew in all directions in a small radius of the blast.

As the dust finally settled, the ruins of the fake shelter burned viciously, dark smoke protruding from holes in the rubble. A single, bloody black hoof was stretched out of the debris, motionless. The Crimson Dawn, gravely injured, was buried deep under the rubble. Even though unconscious, she could hear a faint, unknown voice echo in her ears.

"... Pitiful creature, unlike my daughters... you can be injured. You are not immortal, fiend... Brace yourself, for the hour of reckoning approaches, as the flame of your star dies out."

Comments

[Alpha123]

he got her XD