Bright Darkness

by Rattus and The Victor

Behind

He awoke abruptly in his room, though for the first time that he could remember, the room was completely devoid of guards and medical personal. He cocked his head, which had a throbbing soreness to it. Scanning the room once more confirmed he was indeed alone. As silently as he could, he squirmed off the bed and stretched his weak legs. The silence disturbed him as he anxiously looked around once more, before walking over to the window, staring out of it longingly.

The moonlight gently bathed the land and the stars gleamed brilliantly like jewels. He sighed, seldom did he get a proper glance outside, unless he was moved from his bed. He touched the wall, as this was the closest he could get to the outdoors currently.

He knew that even if he managed to crawl out the window now, he would most defiantly be caught in a land he did not know and it would be very incriminating. He had always enjoyed the night the most. Something about it revitalized him. The quietness and softness of moonlight was when the world was at its very best.

The realization of that thought punched through his gut and heart. I enjoy the night! He thought excitedly. This was one of the few things he had learned about himself since his emergence from the ice. He wondered what other things he liked, and the excitement of getting to know flooded through him. He tried to focus on a name for himself. Radiance. That word was always clawing through his mind, and he figured that must be his name. It was very nice after all, even if it sounded pretentious. He looked down at his blank flank, wondering if perhaps his cutie mark could make it seem less so. The thought of discovering what it was filled him while child like wonder and motivation he had never felt before.

I could actually be meant to do something! I could actually make a difference!

A difference. A positive one. That didn't sound like something an evil king of old would want.

The path to corruption is walled and roofed with good intentions though- even if they are misguided you think you are doing the right thing. He had no idea what corner of his mind this had come from, but it filled him again with hopelessness. It is true, those who wrong us think they have done good most of the time- even if the gain is only their own. I wondered you wronged me to teach me that?

---

Cadence marched through the underground dungeons followed by a plethora of guards. It wasn't even dawn yet, however she would prefer to have this ready before Celestia came. Celestia already had enough to put up with already. The least she could do was alleviate one burden.

"Trixie?" she called, attempting to sound calm. Though a part of her was unable to fight a primal fear that surrounded this. It was so easy to be corrupted by Sombra's magic, and she could not allow herself to be. She had an Empire to overlook- and she knew the power could be spread just as the light magic of love. And if she allowed herself to succumb to this, that magic would spray all across Equestria. She breathed in deeply, mustering all kindness she could.

"Trixie?" she tried again, this time in a very motherly tone. The blue unicorn awoke slowly, though it was apparent that she hadn't had a single night of good sleep since arriving here. She now had a gaunt, and defeated look about her. She was barley able to clapper to her hooves and employee the concentration needed to stare the Princess directly in the eye.

Cadence nodded to a few guards, who went to open the cell. Trixie looked in confusion and fear, barely able to formulate coherent words. "I am going to die today, aren't I?"

"Of course not dear," Cadence cooed, laying a wing along her back. "Come with me, you'll get some sleep here really soon."

Trixie's form shook underneath her wing, though they advanced forward nonetheless.

---

The trek of walking through the dungeons was pure agony to Trixie. Her entire body screamed in protest and pain with each movement, but she had to move as stillness hurt as well. Cadence's wing offered a pale comfort, though is was more terrifying than anything. Like a spider coddling is captured prey, wound in webbing.

I am going to die. For saving some pony. No. For being a pony worthy of death, to justice I have been unkind.

She gasped when fresh air hit her. She had taken advantage of its deliciousness prior. The luxury of darkness also washed over her, as her eyes no longer stung from constant brightness. They continued to walk along the harsh rock and crystal flooring for a while, before it turned into dry dirt with exasperated patches of grass attempting to grow from it. Trixie hadn't realized that the Empire stretched out for so long. In the distance she could see the some of the outskirts of the Empire, along with the large castle that rose above it all.

Nearby was a very crude building made from stone and wood, though on a much greener expanse of land. The jagged black stones she had seen in the dungeon appeared to have been shoved around it's perimeter. Trixie too felt like the grass, crushed by the immense weight of a magic and vitality stealing stone. Cadence stood by her side still, her wing lessening its firm hold as light began to peek out from the horizon. The sky began to turn a dusty rose-gold when a figure was spotted walking towards them from afar.

Celestia. Terror and dread filled Trixie once more, however she knew she didn't have the energy to even muster the thought of using her legs to run. Taking in breaths of the crisp morning air, she calmed herself. Ready for her own destruction or a punishment fit for her past cruelties.

"It will be alright," cooed Cadence. Trixie was unnerved at how kind Cadence had become. It felt like she was in the company of an entirely different pony than however many days prior. Weeks even. She hadn't any way to tell time when she had been down their. Her mind fried from her loneliness and malnutrishment.

Celestia soon reached them. She was stunning in the dawn light she had brought forth, perhaps the most stunning of all was the smile she cared when she locked eyes with Trixie.

"Trixie, isn't it?" Celestia casually said, as though this were a blind date. Cadence took her wing off of Trixie, leaving her to the coldness of the early hours. Trixie nodded, a overwhelming sensation of safety and companionship began to form in the back of her brain. Clumsily, she teetered over towards Celestia like a foal to their mother, stopping just before her feet. She bowed her head in repentance, "I am sorry." she managed to get out.

"What for?" Celestia asked, "All I will ask of you is to rest for now."

"Rest?" Trixie asked, both understanding and but not being able to grasp what the alicorn meant by it.

"Yes." Celestia replied. "You do look rather tired." Celestia shot Cadence a cold, questioning look. "But we will fix that. Come along."

Celestia guided Trixie towards the arcane building. A small string of guards followed, Cadence had disappeared however. All Trixie could recall from that point on was laying on a small bed in a dark room before quickly being taken over by sleep.

---

Twilight walked through the castle with a brisk eagerness. The scent of lavender from the scones on the wall relaxed her, as did the elegant layout of the castle. It was just as beautiful at night as it was in the day. The marble pillars soaked up the daylight while the cool moonlight extenuated the almost undetectable impurities. Both night and day spilled different colors from the stained glass windows on the way to the throne room; the portrait of their defeat of NightMare Moon was the most gorgeous under the night however. The colors seemed to mingle and dance on the floor in a playful manner she had never seen in the day.

Her voracious appetite for magical knowledge caused her to hasten her pace. She worried that perhaps she arrived too
early-though if you weren't at least twenty minutes early you were forty minutes late, she felt. She had defiantly arrived too late to converse with Celestia, which she felt a little shame for, as she selfishly wanted to chat with her before lessons with Luna began.

As Twilight entered the throne room, she immediately noticed something was off, but couldn't detect off hoof what it was. Perhaps the sight of Luna sitting at the throne rather than Celestia was it. Luna carried a much more serious, even grim aura. She appeared unaffected by the sight of Twilight, merely stepping down and walking her way.

"Twilight Sparkle," Luna said, "Welcome to your Animo Magic lessons. Shall we begin?"

It was very apparent Luna had never really taken on a student, as she delivered this in clunky, timid but over authoritative tone. "Of course!" Twilight said, "I just have to-"

Luna's eyes widened and she became stiff, "Twilight, did you hear that?"

Twilight merely shook her head, now keeping very still. Luna's horn flared to life, sending a dark blue orb into the room, ripping it's way around it.

Twilight gasped in pain as she was shot back against a wall, knocking the air out of her. A cry was wrung out of her as the dark blue light continued to ravage the throne room. Perhaps worst of all was the stunned face on Princess Luna as she stared back at Twilight in horror. A stinging pain shot throughout Twilight, causing her to writhe as she attempted to physically fight back against the magic restraint and understand what was going on.

Twilight couldn't hold long any longer and began to fade into black. Before she did however, she saw a familiar purple and green baby dragon crawling menacingly along the throne platform, eyeing the princess. His eyes were wild, the whites consumed with green and accompanied by red iris and pupils. A gaseous dark purple leaked from them, flickering like a flame.

"Behind!" was all Twilight got out before faded away from the world.