Finding the Light
Location: Everfree Forest
"You traitor!" The lavender pony yelled from the cage. "I trusted you! WE trusted you! Now you are going to side with the enemy?!"
A dark entity formed next to the traitor. "Oh come now, princess. you should have seen this coming." He smiled and began to creep around his new ally. "She had a dark heart to start with! I merely brought it out." The traitor, in turn, looked away at the sight.
"I only did it to survive." She responded.
"And survive you will!" The ponified darkness said. His horn grew bright and his eyes began to glow a menacing green. "Look into my eyes and tell me that the world we will live in will not be something you have not desired!"
Still attempting to look away, the mare could not help but peek at her desire. Soon, her eyes reflected what she had truly wanted. All the cities that had shunned her and all the ponies who had hated her now bowed in absolute respect to the one princess...no. The one QUEEN. The scene flashed closer to a small town. In the center, a magnificent statue of the traitor and the dark entity stood side to side, radiating with a power that spoke of corruption and absolute darkness in all their reach.
Ponies strapped to giant carriages were forced to continue working on a massive fortress. They cried loud as the darkness poisoned their minds and led to them fighting, only for the darkness to creep closer. But perhaps the most enticing part was who was at the very center of the small town.
The 4 princesses were caught in a magical cage and being stripped of all their power. As they struggled to be free, the tubes that sucked their godly powers flowed into a giant machine, giving power to the very person they had shamed.
All this flowed through her mind. And light or doubt in her heart quickly dissipated until only a shred of either exist in the eyes; for it is said that the eyes are the window to the soul, and the traitor's eyes had gone black and all sign of mercy had disappeared. The darkness once again creeped further into the mind of the blue pony.
"It can all be yours." It whispered. "All you have to do is rid the world of HER." He pointed his horn in the direction of the jailed mare. "She shunned you and hurt you. Your career was ruined because of her! End her now, and I promise you all you have seen."
A smiled crept on the face of the traitor.
"Don't do it Trixie!" The prisoner yelled.
"This is the end for you Twilight Sparkle!"
Twilight looked into the eyes of the mare she had struggled so hard to help. Here she was now, the prisoner of her kindness and generosity. The darkness had truly taken over the light in the heart of Trixie.
"DO IT!" The darkness yelled. "Do it for your master, Sombra, and I will give you all you ask!"
The blue mare yelled and charged her horn and aimed it at the pony in the cage. And at that moment, Twilight Sparkle's life from the past few days shot by in her eyes, just as they say happens when one is about to die.
The beginning, the journey, and the betrayal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Location: Ponyville
The moon shined in the dark of the night. Twilight and her friends had gathered in the village hall for Hearth's Warming Eve. They were given special seats due to their constant and heroic actions in society. Yet, Twilight did not feel the need to do such a thing. She enjoyed sitting with her fellow Ponyvillians, sitting next to Derpy and hearing Lyra and Bon Bon chatter. All on top of Vinyl and Octavia arguing over who would be a good DJ.
Ah, the good ol' days.
But now, with her position of princess, most ponies tended to distance themselves. Sure, they loved her, but it was more out of fear that love. Due to this, Twilight made doubly sure to decree (one of her first) that she be treated like an average pony when at home. They were like her family; no one pony was above another.
"Mares and gentle colts!" Announced Mayor Mare. "I present to you this year's performance of "The Founding of Equestria"! We were able to get some very special guests to work on this play so please give them your full attention!" She bowed and hushed down the crowd. "Without further ado, let the story begin!"
The crowd clapped as the first ponies appeared.
"Long ago, there were three tribes: the Pegasi, the earth pony, and the unicorns..."
~~~~~~~~~~~
Location: Ponyville Library
10 minutes before the incident...
"That was awesome!" Rainbow Dash fanboyed. In her excitement, she had hugged and picked up all three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. She was now praising them for their performance.
"I, for one, thought it was wonderful as well." Rarity inputted, hugging Sweetie Belle.
They had gathered in the Twilight's home and were enjoying some hot chocolate, made and warmed by Twilight's number 1 assistant. The mares had been discussing and talking about how well everypony had done, but especially their siblings. Fluttershy had lended the help of animals as well. Finally, the chatter had died down and everypony went home to rest for the night in preparation for the next day. There would be several more activities as soon as the sun rose.
Twilight and Spike cleaned the main living room up after their guests left. It was messy; Spike just knew Twilight liked to have things organized. To that extent, neither of them really cleaned, more so they stacked all the dishes in the kitchen sink but did not actually clean them yet. Spike passed out on the floor soon after. Twilight looked at her dragon brother.
"Good night, number 1 assistant."
She still had much work to do. Despite what some ponies think, she did help the princess with everyday laws and court. She was the editor for laws and often had to do several revisions for the princesses to ensure all throughout Equestria had a voice and was fair.
She had just seated herself down when a knock came to the door.
"I wonder what pony is up this late?' Then she suddenly remembered herself as a younger filly who refused the virtues of friendship. She opened the door only to almost shut it in the face of the mare who had arrived.
"Uh. Hello Twilight- Err, princess..." The mare looked quite terrified, which was quite a far cry from her usual demeanor. Not to mention about 300% more humble.
"Twilight is fine, Trixie." She didn't know what to make of the scene. Sure, she had made up with Trixie, but she still hurt Twilight badly. Had it not been for her friends and Zecora's "charm" she may not have reunited and freed Ponyville.
"Mind if I come in?"
Twilight nodded her head and allowed her to come in. "What's the problem, Trixie?"
The mare took her hat off and sat on her haunches. "Twilight, I need your help."
"What do you need help with?" Twilight responded, a little too quickly. Favors were common for Twilight to give out, but what could bring somepony down like Trixie so much that they went to a rival for help?
"I know this may sound weird, but something's wrong in the Everfree Forest." She pulled a map out of her saddle and showed Twilight the location in the middle of a forest clearing. "I noticed it as I was crossing the forest to get to a nearby town. The clearing had not been there before. But what is weird is as I got near it..." Her voice seemed to drop several decibels.
"What?" Twilight asked. "Something wrong?"
Trixie quickly recovered. "It's nothing. You don't need to know. Mind your own business." Twilight was taken aback. Suddenly, memories of the old Trixie (if she had changed) resurfaced. Who was Twilight talking to?
"Sorry." The magician apologized. "Anyway, as I got near it, I felt evil energy residing within it. It was just a small cloud of pure black. I don't even know how to describe it."
Twilight thought on it for a few moments. What enemy had she face that had such qualities? Sombra was a possibility but he had been defeated. Chrysalis had actually sent ambassadors to Celestia asking for help and Discord was...still Discord. Other than them, only Nightmare Moon would appear as something as that. And Twilight was pretty sure that Princess Luna had not gone mad since she last saw her.
"Alright." Twilight finally concluded. "Let's look into this."
Trixie smiled, but quickly hid it. "Thank you, Princess."
Twilight nodded and went to her room to prepare a note for Spike and pack some books and scrolls for research. Trixie remained in the main room, contemplating Twilight's response. Surely she was suspicious, but how to get her to lower her guard?
If she wanted the plan to work correctly, she had to make sure Twilight did her part. She was the only one foolish enough to actually attempt to do what Trixie was going to have her do.
That, and only an Alicorn could piece together the consciousness of a fallen deity.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Location: Everfree Forest
They were near the edge of the Everfree. Legend had it that at night or very, very early in the morning, the Everfree's worst monsters came out. Everything from serpents in the river to gigantic trolls that would easily smash an army of ponies.
Twilight and Trixie could easily vouch it was true.
"Trixie?" Twilight spoke up.
The blue unicorn turned to her current ally. "Yes, Princess?"
"You don't have to call me that." Twilight responded quickly. They hadn't said anything to each other for the past few minutes after having entered the forest and Twilight was beginning to feel the mare was giving her the cold shoulder.
"How have you been?"
Trixie's mouth fell open, if only for a moment. She quickly caught herself and swallowed hard. Now was not the time to feel nervous. She had to show her loyalty to the princess if she wanted Twilight to follow through.
"The great and powerful Trixie has been doing well!" She said, a little too loudly. When the princess stared at the blue pony like she had gone crazy, she adjusted her volume.
"I mean...I've been well. Just doing work wherever I can." She explained.
Twilight gave a perplexed look. "But didn't you used to have a traveling show gig?"
"Yes," she responded sadly. "but it hasn't gotten a lot of good reception recently."
"Why is that?"
Because of you and your stupid friends, she thought. "Well, I don't really know. I do my usual spells and magic and they throw rotten tomatoes at me." Her voice had gotten cold, Twilight noticed. When Trixie looked up from the ground, having realized she was showing her feelings again, she reimbursed her previous statement.
"I'm fine now though." And soon I will finally have all I want, she whispered in her mind. Twilight and her petty friends would finally learn how it felt to be alone, to have no one to help you. To be so embarrassed you wish you had never been born. Twilight lived a comfy lifestyle. She has no idea what I've had to do to get where I am. It all comes so naturally to her. Me, I have to work and-
She was doing it again. Trixie pushed the thoughts away. If she didn't focus, they would both end up in the gutter. Not that she minded the princess in a gutter; she had just had her fill of it. But soon, it would all change.
They had been walking in silence for about another 10 minutes when it happened.
The ground began to shake. Trees fell and ravens flew to another save zone. Rock around them began to jump up and down and fall over.
"What's going on?!" Twilight whispered.
"I...I have no idea! This should have been easy..." Trixie caught herself.
"What?" Twilight said.
"Nothing Twilight." Trixie pointed at some rocks. "Let's hide over there."
Twilight and Trixie quietly made their way to the rock. From there, they peeked over to see what monster had come to attack them. What they saw was undeniably worse.
A massive mass of muscle had blocked their path. The..."thing" had several obvious features. Its' hands had several claws and spikes while its' tale looked just as sharp. It was barely wearing any clothing, yet several pounds of gold chains and weapons around its' neck.
It looked around, apparently oblivious to the two unicorns.
"Where are you, ponies! I know you are here! The dark master has sent me to crush you both!" He sniffed the air and his eyes landed on a pile of stones about the height of a pony. He gave a mighty leap into the air and smashed his hands on the stones.
"HAH! I have bested you!" The giant laughed. When he check his hand to see if he had finished the job, he simply grunted at not seeing a sign of the pony on his hand.
Twilight and Trixie held their breaths as the giant continued to rant, smashing this and that. Twilight grimaced. Even if the Everfree was an evil place, it still needed to be protected. Not only was it the former home of the princesses, but it was also where the elements of harmony were being kept to keep the forest in check.
"Hey you!" Twilight yelled out loud. Trixie's mouth was agape.
"Hey Twi-"
"No Trixie. I will not allow this monster to attempt to destroy this forest." Twilight interrupted. She lit up her horn and prepared to fight the monster.
"Ah! The pony has arrived." He stooped down to pick her up...and missed. Twilight dodged to the left. "Hold still pony!" The giant yelled.
"Why do you want me?" Twilight yelled at the towering mass of horror.
The giant whirled around and attempted to grab the pony, only to grab air. "Because master says I can! And when you are dead, I can eat your friend too!"
Master? Twilight thought. Who could the giant be working for? Were there other forces in play? She began to breath heavy. Her magic reserves were beginning to deplete. Constant teleportation took a charge out of any unicorn, even a princess. On top, the Everfree Forest seemed to sap away at her very magical core. She had to end this quick.
Running out from her spot, she yelled at the giant. "Hey you! Ugly!"
The giant turned to the small equine. Having attracted its' attention, Twilight fired a shot of magical energy right into its' face. The giant rocked back in agony, but refused to fall. He had retreated next to another pile of rocks.
Twilight prepared her final blow, when she her a shrill cry enter the air.
"HELP!" Cried a blue magician. The giant had discovered the hiding place where Trixie had taken cover, not wanting to be caught up in the attack. He now dangled the helpless pony, getting ready to eat her.
"STOP!" Twilight yelled. She charged her horn, only to lower it at the sight of the giant showing he was ready to eat the pony should she make a move.
"Let go of me you brute!" Trixie yelled. "Don't you know who I am?! I am the Great and Powerful Trixie!" She charged her horn and shot a tendril of electricity at the giant. The giant, in turn, merely laughed as the tickle magic did nothing to faze his grip.
"GRAHAHAHA! You are a funny one!" He smiled. Trixie continued to yell all manners of curses at the giant, to no avail.
Twilight was absolutely terrified. With no one else around, or her friends, she truly had to face the decision alone. Shooting the giant might only anger him into eating Trixie. On the other hand, if she did nothing, Trixie would still die.
Her mind went into panic mode. The life of one of her subjects- no, her FRIEND, was in danger. If she didn't act fast, how could she ever look herself in the mirror again, knowing she could not make the correct decision-
"Take me!" Twilight yelled. The giant and Trixie both turned to the Alicorn. Even Twilight was shocked. She had never expected that to come out of her mouth.
"Take me instead!" Twilight insisted. "I'll take Trixie's place and satisfy you. Just let her go." Twilight dropped head and powered down. The giant smiled and laid down the half strangled blue pony. He bent over and exchanged it for the purple Alicorn. Opening his mouth wide and dangling Twilight over his mouth, the princess gave one last look at the world.
She could see the dark evening sky and Luna's moon. The trees actually looked less menacing and more inviting than what awaited her. But the last site she saw before having lost consciousness from the breath of the giant:
Trixie sat there, smiling. But it wasn't any regular smile. It spoke of unforgiving memories; of moments the mare had regretted. In her eye, Twilight saw a small light become engulfed in darkness, leaving nothing but a dark void where her soul was.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Location: ???
"I have done as you asked." Said a voice from the darkness.
"Very good." Said a response. It was clearly a stallion or at least a male.
"Will I have what I asked for?" Darkness still engulfed all her vision.
"Not until I have begun the process. Once it is complete, I will regain my form and you will become my lovely queen." Twilight's vision began to clear.
"I don't care about that. I just want to see her suffer for what she did to me." It was clearly the voice of a mare. However, Twilight could not move her head to see.
"I will-" The voice cut off. "I see our guest has awoken."
Twilight's body soon began to receive feeling. She pulled up her head. To her left, a pony in a black robe with the hood pulled over sat by a system of levers. To her right, a mass of darkness seemed to barely manifest itself.
"Where...am I?" Twilight groaned. She could barely speak, let alone think straight.
A laugh came from her right. "My dear, sweet filly. You are in a location only I know of. Not even Celestia or Luna could ever find it."
Twilight raised her head again as more of her mind cleared. All around her, there were charts and small chests along with different potions lining the walls. Several scribbling were splattered across it all and an overall darkness seemed to loom. In a small corner, a dying lamp sat to at least provide some light.
"You are in my soul." The hooded figure spoke.
"Who are you?" Twilight asked groggily. Then in a more forceful tone, "Where is Trixie? What have you done to her?"
The darkness laughed. "Oh nothing. Perhaps she can tell you what happened." The clouds of darkness moved to the robed figure. With a powerful wind, the hood fell down and Twilight gasped.
Standing before her, the jailer, was Trixie. But something was certainly wrong. Her eyes were almost completely black. Her mane had turned red and her coat had become a dark shade of gray.
Twilight was far too shocked to even speak. She knew it was Trixie, but she could not believe it.
Trixie noticed and felt she was being judged. She magically slapped the princess. "Stop looking at me! Don't you know who I am now? I have you and I will drain all your power. Fear me!"
Twilight's expression changed from shock to disappointment. "Trixie, why?"
Finally, the moment had come. "You have no idea what I have suffered! I had to go through so much because of you and your petty FRIENDS." At that word, her words seemed to emphasize her absolute hatred.
"Because of you, I lost business and eventually quit. I worked at a rock farm for a year! On top, people would laugh at me and tell me I was worthless. You have no idea-" She slapped Twilight with her magic, "what I have had to go through because of you and your-" Tears had now formed from her eyes, a small twinkle Twilight saw.
The blue mare let go of the princess. Twilight, feeling both bruised internally and externally, attempted to ask. "Why? What did I do?"
Trixie turned to her prisoner. "You. Made. My. Life. Hell."
She pulled her hood up again, but not before Twilight imparted her thoughts.
"Trixie," she began, "I may never know what you had to experience. I know I hurt you in the past. But that's exactly what it is!" She coughed. The robed figure hesitated.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know you had harbored such hatred for me. I didn't know you had to suffer. But that is because you never told me." Twilight finished.
"And what would you have done?" Trixie said, not bothering to turn around.
"I would have helped a friend in need."
Trixie's eyes went wide. She would have helped? What could she have done? It was her fault in the first place!
Ridiculous!
Trixie grunted and trotted away. The cloud of darkness continued to float in front of the purple equine.
"I am going to begin the ritual to transfer the energy, Trixie. Will you watch?"
Trixie merely responded. "Do as you please, Master Sombra."
Twilight's eyes were the size of dinner plates. So it was Sombra! He must have corrupted her mind. And now, he would literally suck the life out of Twilight and use it to reform his body!
"Sombra! You fiend! The world does not need you!"
"Spare me, princess." Sombra responded. "I've been waiting for this for a while now and I'm not about to let it go to waste.
Trixie re-entered with a set of tubes. She began to insert them to the machine that Twilight was attached to.
"Trixie, you don't have to do this." Twilight whispered.
Trixie hesitated, only for a moment. "It's too late Twilight. There is no saving me."
"It's never too late!" Twilight urged. "We can fight off the evil together."
The room seemed to become slightly brighter. The potions on the shelves seemed to tremble a little. The lamp in the corner had gotten brighter. That was when it hit Twilight like a pound of books.
This was Trixie's "soul room". Here, she contemplated her life. It truly did manifest well. From a glance, the notes on the walls were scribbles, but on closer inspection, they were each and every hardship she had endured. The darkness looming in the room was due to the lamp in the corner with its flame getting darker and darker.
Twilight had to try. She had to reignite the fire.
"Alright."
Trixie faltered once more. Sombra was not as happy or forgiving. "Trixie! Do not listen to her! Stick to the plan!"
The mare looked at Twilight. "I give up. You win."
"What?" Trixie asked. "Of course I win! That is how this game is played! You were the pawn and you must be sacrifice to make me a queen. I will win this game and rule Equestria!"
Twilight relaxed her face and muscles. The lamp in the corner had grown significantly brighter, but now she needed the final push.
"You traitor!" The lavender pony yelled from the machine. "I trusted you! WE trusted you! Now you are going to side with the enemy?!"
Sombra formed next to the traitor. "Oh come now, princess. you should have seen this coming." He smiled and began to creep around his new ally. "She had a dark heart to start with! I merely brought it out." The traitor, in turn, looked away at the sight.
"I only did it to survive." She responded.
"And survive you will!" The ponified darkness said. His horn grew bright and his eyes began to glow a menacing green. "Look into my eyes and tell me that the world we will live in will not be something you have not desired!"
Still attempting to look away, the mare could not help but peek at her desire. Soon, her eyes reflected what she had truly wanted. All the cities that had shunned her and all the ponies who had hated her now bowed in absolute respect to the one princess...no. The one QUEEN. The scene flashed closer to a small town. In the center, a magnificent statue of the traitor and the dark entity stood side to side, radiating with a power that spoke of corruption and absolute darkness in all their reach.
Ponies strapped to giant carriages were forced to continue working on a massive fortress. They cried loud as the darkness poisoned their minds and led to then fighting, only for the darkness to creep closer. But perhaps the most enticing part was who was at the very center of the small town.
The 4 princesses were caught in a magical cage and being stripped of all their power. As they struggled to be free, the tubes that sucked their godly powers flowed into a giant machine, giving power to the very person they had shamed.
All this flowed through her mind. And light or doubt in her heart quickly dissipated until only a shred of either exist in the eyes; for it is said that the eyes are the window to the soul, and the traitor's eyes had gone black and all sign of mercy had disappeared. The darkness once again creeped further into the mind of the blue pony.
"It can all be yours." It whispered. "All you have to do is rid the world of HER." He pointed his horn in the direction of the jailed mare. "She shunned you and hurt you. Your career was ruined because of her! End her now, and I promise you all you have seen."
A smiled crept on the face of the traitor.
"Don't do it Trixie!" The prisoner yelled.
"This is the end for you Twilight Sparkle!"
Twilight looked into the eyes of the mare she had struggled so hard to help. Here she was now, the prisoner of her kindness and generosity. The darkness had truly taken over the light in the heart of Trixie.
"DO IT!" The darkness yelled. "Do it for your master, Sombra, and I will give you all you ask!"
The blue mare yelled and charged her horn and aimed it...at fired.
At the lamp in the corner.
With a load whoosh, the lamp lit quickly, pushing away the darkness. Trixie moved to free the latches from the machine.
"You dare defy me!?" Sombra roared.
"I should never have trusted you!" Trixie yelled. "You pushed darkness into my heart. You made me see the bitter hatred." Tears flowed from her eyes as she undid the final latch.
"You tried to use me." She sobbed.
"WHAT USE IS A PONY WHO CANNOT EVEN SEE WHAT SHE DESIRES AND CALLS UPON ME TO HELP HER!" He roared, firing a shot of darkness at the mare. It was a direct hit.
"Trixie!" Twilight yelled, trying to get close to her friend. She was breathing heavy and her magic was at an all time low.
"Sombra! I will defeat you!" Twilight stood up and charged her horn.
"HAHAHAHAH! Fight me then, Princess Twilight Sparkle!"
All around them, the darkness began to take hold. Twilight fired shot after shot at the growing darkness but was unable to. She formed a shield around Trixie. Sombra began to pelt the shield and Twilight was dark magic. A shot hit Twilight directly.
Her mind began to falter. What if she couldn't win? What if she couldn't save her friend? Images of her failure began to show everywhere. Her friend were enslaved. Her brother and sister in law were thrown into a prison along with the princesses. The land of Equestria had fallen.
She began to sob. She was useless. She couldn't even save her friend...
"You are not useless."
Twilight looked up. A small light emerged from the dark recesses of her despair.
"You are the one that show the GRRREEEAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE how to be strong!" With a sudden burst of light, all of Twilight's darkness dispersed. She could clearly see the enemy...and Trixie standing up to the darkness in her own soul.
"Now help me, Twilight Sparkle!" The magician yelled, holding out a hoof to help the crying mare up.
As they touched, Twilight began to see her hope. She had friends. She had a family. Her mentor and co-mentor and all of the allies she had made stood there with her. Memories of home and Ponyville flowed through her, from the Young Fliers Competition to the road to the Equestrian Games.
She stood up and combined her energy with Trixie's.
"Isn't that cute!" Sombra laughed. "But play time is over. It is the end of the Time of Light. Now begins the Rule of the Dark!" With a maniacal laughter, the darkness poured over the mares.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Location: Ponyville
"Spike, please write down what I say."
"Alright."
"Life is cruel. Sometimes it seems like there is no hope at all. But that is where one line of reasoning ends and another begins. There is always hope. No matter how much we push away the light, it will always be there. It is ready to be used whenever necessary. It is a beacon deep in our souls, striving to always stay lit. Hope is the light, and the lamp is what protects it. It is the bonds we have formed and the good memories we have kept. They help keep the flame alive and push back the darkness.
For in every dark, there is a light, and in every light, a dark."
Spike put down the quill. "Phew! I almost got a claw cramp! So what time is the show?"
Twilight looked over the text and closed the journal. "It should be starting in a few minutes. I didn't know you were a fan..."
"Are you kidding me?" Spike fanboyed. "She has some awesome tricks since she returned. I can't wait to see what she has in store."
Twilight smiled.
"Yes Spike. Now let's make the fire brighter."