A sickness is spreading across all of Equestria. Something is poisoning the minds of all inhabitants, ponies or otherwise. Whatever the case, it needs to be stopped.
Ever since the Crystal Empire appeared, something had been amiss. A disappearance, here or there, nothing more. Then, their bodies turned up on the street. A plague quickly overtook the land, spreading the seeds of insanity and paranoia across Equestria. Years afterward, Doctor Sparkle and her broken friends find themselves in the middle of this celestial conflict. It is up to them, to stop the sickness.
Unlike our other stories, this one has been planned in advance! We're taking on an all new concept here, so any feedback is appreciated. Learning is part of the fun after all. This story is our second League of Legends crossover, our first being You Seek Knowledge?, but that one got boring quick. We'll pick up on it at a later date.
If no one can tell, this crossover will feature our favourite genocidal interdimensional ghost, Nocturne! Specifically though, his Eternum skin, which comes with its own little backstory. Despite being a League crossover, we still go that little bit further to describe some characters and concepts to non-players, who would be a little confounded by some language.
As always, be polite in the comments. Don't fight with each other, keep a reasonable level of grammar and make sure it is related. If you happen to dislike an aspect of this story, please provide a short explanation on what so that we can improve. With that, read onward!
In the infinite expanse of the Multiverse, there is only darkness. All things are candles on a moonless night, ready to be extinguished by the cold winds. It is my greatest pleasure to snuff them out. Every single one will die. Every man, woman, child, bird, beast, wyrm, everything.
Even you.
I was born in the dreams of mankind, sentenced to float in the endless void of the collective human subconscious. I was a measly thing, a passing thought, a mere minnow in an infinite ocean. There I drifted for eternity, the long forgotten shadow of humankind. The beast kept hidden in all sentient beings. The quiet, malignant desire for chaos, rebellion, violence and death. Yet, I was weak. I couldn’t lift a finger in this realm, for it wasn’t mine. I was swimming through a cyclone of foreign thoughts, constantly stabbing me with their iron prongs of thought. Never will you dream of such agony. My pain gave way to hatred and rage. My desire to kill stoked by the malicious thoughts of you despicable beings.
Then, I found the light.
It was a curious, little ball in a realm of infinite darkness. It was warm, bright, opened my eyes to the world. I sensed life, emotion, intelligence, experience, sadness and love as I held it close. It made me feel human, an experience too foreign to acknowledge. I kept the light close, caging it in my narrow fingertips, contemplating its frailty.
Then, I snuffed it out.
I crushed it between my hands as a human would crush an insect. Life grew cold between my hands. It darkened, dissipated, faded away like smoke. The sheer rush I felt by ending a life rejuvenated me. I could feel the power of death flow through my body, granting me strength. Looking all around, I saw many more lights. Little stars hovering in the eternal night sky. I went from one to another, and another. I felt their life drain through my palms like the sands of time. Each light extinguished granted me more and more power.
I was drunk of it. The power overflowed through my veins, poisoning my heart with their broken dreams. Their fear made me stronger, their deaths gave me life. I knew my true purpose. To end human lives, to watch their souls drain through my fingers, to feast on their everlasting torment.
That is, until they found me…
<-(\|/)->
“Nocturne,” a gruff voice spoke up.
That was his name. The only name they could give him to suit his hideous crimes. The name of the genocidal spectre that haunted Runeterran dreams for almost a decade now. He was trialled for the murder of hundreds of people and the minds of thousands more. He could have ended far more had they not found him on their Twisted Tree Line.
He was a shadowy spirit, completely composed of darkness, like clouds rolling in from a storm. He wore armour for defense and huge armblades for attack, too large for a human to carry and wield with the speed and lethality he did. In place of legs, he floated 3-4 feet off the ground. His piercing, ethereal blue eyes glinted with malicious intent, like he was silently plotting to kill everyone he looked at. He was currently chained magical binding links of metal designed specifically for him. Being a ghost of sorts, he was hard to keep down.
“Do you know why you’re here?” the voice said again
Nocturne looked up. he was in a vast chamber, a circular affair with five ascending rows of seats. Lit only by daylight, it was a tall, imposing structure that allowed all members to look down upon their subjects. Summoners were seated on these rings of power. These men and women in their purple-blue robes made up the Supreme Council of Runeterra. This world was filled with strife, blood was shed and people died in their hundreds every day. The Summoners, powerful mages of manipulative magics, formed a truce between all races and regions. They formed a competition, a series of games to replace all wars in Runeterra. They called it:
The League of Legends
Champions from all around Runeterra came to represent their people, or themselves, in a heated conflict of power and skill. The noble Demacians, violent Noxians, the hextech scientists of Piltover, Ice born of Freljord and more were represented. However, some odd ones like Nocturne, were chosen for the simple concept of justice. He served in the league as punishment for his first killing spree on League territory, eight or so novice summoners.
The gruff, bearded summoner grew impatient, giving him a hard shove which left him completely unmoved. He stood, or rather, floated in the centre of the council, the subject of their scrutiny.
“I said, do you know why you’re here?” the summoner asked again
Nocturne hissed at the man through his non-existent teeth.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he huffed
The summoner withdrew a scroll from the air with magic, then set upon reading it aloud.
“Nocturne, The Eternal Nightmare,” he announced to all the council “You are charged with numerous assaults toward league officials, the murder of hundreads of Demacian and Noxian civilians and the death of Luxanna Crownguard of Demacia, outside of league competition.”
Nocturne only responded with a sinister chuckle, as if more amused than worried. This reaction troubled the council, eliciting worried murmurs between the gathering.
“Do you have anything to say in your defense?”
Nocturne just broke out into gales of laughter, a horrible sound like metal crashing against metal under the deepest ocean. The troubled whispers of the council grew in volume, until they were silenced by the bearded one.
“Well then,” he continued, with no hidden contempt “You are to be put to death on the Eve of Harrowing Day. Send him to the holding cell,”
Two summoners stepped forward to escort the dark assassin. Taking a chain each, they led Nocturne out of the council chamber, to the prison block. Nocturne himself did little to hide his laughter, brandishing the sound to all those who would hear it. Wicked gales echoed throughout expansive halls of the building.
In this land of dreams, only glimpses could be seen past the absolute wave of fear and despair. A rolling, ragged sky, stained in blood. The ground, a sea of death, the powdered bones of all who came before you. The skulls, still adorned by lively possessions, cling desperately to the life they used to live.
In vain…
Then, there is him. A figure clad in metal, a body of nothing but bare flesh and hatred, no more, no less. Anger and death are his tools, and with them, he seeks to free all things from their torment.
Life is an illusion, the preamble for the ultimatum of the universe. It is our greatest privilege to witness its passing. He seeks to speed our way through, to shrug off the chains and proceed onward, to experience the truth.
Bound no longer, and more powerful than ever, he has come to this world to free us.
<-(\|/)->
Twilight awoke with a start. She had the dream again, or rather, nightmare. Looking outside, the sky was blanketed in grey, rolling clouds. No sign of Celestia’s sun penetrated the thick blanket. It had been so long since anypony could feel the sunshine on their face. Its warmth would do wonders of good to the bleak state they all found themselves in.
Cloudsdale couldn’t spare any pegasi to clear them. Those who were available were just too afraid to even try. These were Everfree clouds, and the mysterious plague that wrought the land came close with cloud’s arrival.
Like every morning, she got out of bed and made herself some breakfast. Every morning she would see the small empty bed, where her number one assistant used to sleep. She missed his company, his quirky attitude, funny jokes, and his willingness to help. A grim reminder of times long since past.
Finally ready, she made herself presentable, brushing her deep purple mane, adjusting her white shirt and dusty brown coat, then walked outside her library home. As always, she was greeted by the empty streets. Very rarely did she see any pony walk outside freely. On Tuesdays however, a stallion in a cloak, pulling a large wagon would come by to collect the bodies. “Bring out your dead!” he used to call.
Heaving a deep sigh, she trotted through town, towards the train station. Looking left and right, she could only see the pale reflections of what this town used to be, of what it meant to her. Looking on it now, it broke her heart every single time. Her friends tried their hardest to visit, coming every other day, but it felt like they just didn’t come often enough.
Rainbow had long since given up her Wonderbolts dream to work in Cloudsdale with the relief effort. Rarity lived alone in the boutique, absolutely refusing to move to Manehatten with her parents and Sweetie Belle. Applejack tried her hardest to keep the farm going. She was doing well, since there was no one to pay the bills to anymore, yet she had an equally hard time keeping her family together, ever since Granny smith past away.
Twilight’s never heard from Pinkie Pie or Fluttershy since the whole thing began. She could only assume the worst. Finally arriving at the station, she walked past the counter, and boarded the train. As usual, she was the only passenger. The train sluggishly sped out of the station, leaving the purple unicorn to make herself comfortable, despite the circumstances.
The carriages were filthy. Every square inch was covered in dust, cobwebs and other unspeakable things. Mostly since Nopony could spare the time to clean them all. Willing employees were in short supply now a days. Ponies were literally dropping like flies. The train itself only had one operator, a stallion whose stubborn pride kept him in the job. You have to commend him on his courage, but in the end, it doesn’t make a difference whether you stay inside, or continued to work.
The train trip felt much longer than it actually was. Twilight was quickly running out of books to read. The only other written material she brought was her notes, and she was hesitant to even look at that dusty old folder let alone read it. Yet, if she wanted any chance to save Equestria, she had to.
The ‘Notes’ as they were called was everything the ponies knew for sure about the mysterious illness that swept across the land like the hand of death. The disease was slow to act, but once it did, it was devastating. Ponies dropped right and left, with no warning what so ever. The public thought that the recent arrival of the Crystal Ponies was to blame, but in reality, they were the first ones to go extinct. No healthy Crystal Ponies existed any more. All infected, and soon, dead.
The train stopped at the Canterlot station, screeching to a halt as it always did. Twilight stepped off the carriage and proceeded through the empty station. Canterlot was the least affected city in all of Equestria. It still held that regal, pompous aura that the nobles loved so much. However, it took no expert to see that the plague took its toll here as much as other places, they just hid it better. The pristine ivory white towers have faded to grey a long time ago, many were laced in moss and vines. The grey, broiling sky loomed overhead, ever present since that fateful day.
The studious purple unicorn approached the largest and most well-kept building in all of Canterlot, and possibly, all of Equestria.
The Canterlot Psychiatric Hospital
This monumental structure was built into the Royal Palace’s least used wings, and has expanded since then. It looked like any other hospital, but was heavily fortified, inside and out. The guards have clearly learnt from the Empire incident, and are taking no chances. Twilight had to check in with her official ID and passphrase, even though she entered the building every day, and at the exact same time.
She was the greeted by the same faces, the same stiff nods and looks of respect. She had made leaps and bounds in the research of the disease, which to be honest, is not enough to save any pony yet. Her folder of notes contained only five pages after all, half as much as she was able back in magic kindergarten. Her office, was simple and practical, a table, two chairs, a lamp and a filing cabinet. The cabinet was full of subject and victim files. Infected at the top, Endangered in the middle, and at the bottom, Deceased. She had to use extra boxes for that category.
Heaving a sigh, she checked the clock at the wall. 8 o’clock, she was early. Her first scheduled patient wasn’t for another half hour. At least it gave her time to revise. The disease had no symptoms for the first couple days, the incubation period was no longer than one week. Afterwards, the victim experiences increasing feelings of anxiety, depression and paranoia. After another week, these feelings could cap at suicidal, contempt, dynamic or full blown insanity. The victim continues to live for an undetermined amount of time, before they just, die. No warning, they just keel over and die.
At 8:20, Twilight got a knock on the door. Not getting up, she opened it up to find the familiar face of Nurse Red Heart. She had been transferred from Ponyville ever since Patient #3013 moved into the local hospital there. She was a clean white earth pony with a pale pink mane done up in a bun underneath her nurse’s hat. Her cutie mark was a red cross.
“Twilight Sparkle?” she asked
Twi didn’t respond, but looked to her in acknowledgment.
“The Head Doctor as requested your presence. All the other doctors are meeting with him in the rehab ward.”
Twilight nodded glumly and stood up from her comfy chair. Tucking her notes in a small saddlebag, she shouldered past Nurse Redheart and into the meandering white halls, towards the rehab ward.
<-(\|/)->
The Physical Rehabilitation Ward was an inside joke to all of the hospital’s staff. No patient had ever survived the plague, so this expansive hall had been modified into a meeting place. Chairs were positioned facing a make-shift stage, with all the physical equipment shoved up to one side, gathering dust. Twilight took a seat on the front row, nodding her greetings to her fellow doctors. Nurse Redheart stood by the door to await any stragglers.
Soon, an elderly blue unicorn in a worn lab coat, almost as grey as his mane, took the stage.
“Ahem,”
He cleared his throat out of habit. There was precious little to talk idly about.
“Thank you all for coming,” he said in a gravelly voice “Let us dispense with the pleasantries and get down to business,”
He levitated a small file from under his lab coat and briefly scanned its contents before speaking again.
“As you know, the press has been ever so helpful in calming the public. In this week’s paper, they have published an article stating that the death toll on the plague is decreasing every day,”
The crowd shared brief murmurs, some chuckling at the mere thought.
“Would any pony hazard a guess as to why they would publish this?”
A dull green hoof shot up from the back of the audience.
“Yes professor Mangrove?”
“Um, to reduce panic?” she said unsurely
The head doctor nodded
“Of course, but there is another reason,”
He turned an intelligent blue eye towards a certain purple unicorn.
“Care to tell us, Doctor Sparkle?”
She sighed deeply. Why does he always have to single her out like this?
“Because there are simply less ponies left alive to die, Doctor Walker,”
She wasn’t being pessimistic, just brutally honest.
“Correct,” Walker confirmed, dispelling the angry whispers with a held hoof “If we take a look at the total death toll, we are far from over the proverbial hill. Ponies out there are depending on us to find a cure. I want everyone to redouble their efforts. The sooner we develop a cure, the sooner we could all go back to our remaining family.”
Everyone gave out an annoyed sigh. Everyone worked at their absolute hardest, but to sadly very little effect. Many have lost sleep because of this.
“Nurses Aloe and Lotus will now give you the progress report,”
Walker stepped out of the spotlight to take a seat near the back of the stage. Aloe Vera and Lotus Blossom were Ponyville’s resident spa ponies. Aloe had a dainty pink coat and a long, bright blue glossy mane and tail. Lotus sported an inverse colour scheme, but was otherwise identical. They both wore the Nurse’s headband and lab coat adorned with the red cross. Twilight hadn’t seen them in a while now. They were commissioned as nurses and sent to this hospital to work as nurses, thanks to their social experience.
They both shared the microphone on the podium, then began to speak.
“Good morning to you all, ladies and gents,” Aloe greeted
“The progress report goes as follows,” Lotus continued
“The plague has been found to specifically target the parts of the brain that determine personality, emotion and memory,”
“Without actually damaging the brain, the disease triggers specific memories and emotions associated with pain, fear and confusion,”
“This results in nightmares of remarkable clarity, driving the infected into mental instability,”
“Physical symptoms have been identified, but their cause is unknown,”
“These symptoms include the darkening of bodily fluids, profuse tear and saliva production and reddening of the irises,”
“How and why it torments ponies this way is unknown,”
“Finally, Doctor Twilight Sparkle has deduced and confirmed that the plague is not of any bacterial, viral or parasitic nature,”
Shocked gasps filled the room as every pony who knew where Twilight sat started boring holes into her with their eyes. Twilight slumped in her chair in turn, ignoring the stares.
“Take that as a template for future research,”
“Good Luck!”
They then both left the stage, leaving behind a horde of depressed and/or angry doctors plus one grumpy purple unicorn. Just as she was joining everyone, filing out of room, a voice called to her.
“Doctor Sparkle, may I have a word with you?”
Twilight turned to see Doctor Walker staring at her, motioning for her to come back stage. Disguising her confusion, she followed him in.
Backstage was a mess of old props and gym equipment. All of it was gathering dust and webs, even the flickering lights showed neglect. The two unicorns managed to find an empty room, where actors were supposed to prepare before their cues. For all they knew, it could have been a janitor’s closet.
Walker pulled up two chairs and motioned for Twilight to sit.
“Now, Doctor Sparkle,” he began cautiously “I understand there is some tension between you and the princess, hm?”
Her eyes widened in surprise, but quickly narrowed at the mention of ‘princess’.
“I have no reason to talk to her,” she growled
“She has been quite adamant to speak with you. She may have lost her governing power, but as monarch and keeper of day it is best to heed her words.”
“Some keeper of day she turned out to be,” Twilight huffed “I haven’t seen a single ray of sunshine since this whole thing started,”
“And you think she’s to blame?” he asked with arched eyebrows
Twi gave out a sigh “Well, no, but…”
“No buts. As your colleague I advise you to meet with her for lunch at the castle at 1200 hours on the dot.”
“What if I refused?”
Walker gave her a cheeky grin.
“Then maybe I would command you as your superior, to meet with her,”
Twilight rolled her eyes. She wasn’t going to win this one, was she?
“Fine,” she conceded “I’ll meet her for lunch, as you said,”
“There’s a good girl,” he nodded “Now, we best both be off. If my timetable’s correct, your first patient will be miss Shoe Shine,”
Doctor Sparkle gave a single nod in confirmation and headed out. Doctor Walker took a moment to reflect upon the plague, before departing the room himself.
Nocturne stood chained on the eastern altar of the Twisted Tree Line. One of the Leagues many battle grounds, it consisted two lanes, joining two Summoning Nexus with a compact jungle of trees between. The whole area was surrounded in the trees that gave this place its name. Crooked, deathly boughs reached in all directions. Fog seeped from between the trunks like some form of ethereal mist. The league hosted many matches on these fields, but this one in particular was special. This arena was situated inside the densest forest in the Shadow Isles.
The very first, Twisted Tree Line.
The western altar’s very own chains bound the murderous spectre to its surface. It was a round, metal object like a giant storm drain in the western half of the jungle, a mirror to the one on the east. 16 summoners alone were chosen to bind him, while more were present to carry out protocol, or simply to witness. The spirits of both the western and eastern altars were both in attendance. The former though, was terribly displeased.
“What is the meaning of this?” she said,
A robed, blue ghost of a woman stood by the prisoner, a look of utter disgust on her face. Nocturne on the other hand, regarded her bleakly.
“Why have you brought this monstrosity here? It reeks with death, take it away!”
“And you don’t?” the east spirit sighed wirily, a similar blue robed spirit, but of a bearded man “This place reeks with death all the time,”
“Silence you!” West snarled “I will not have this murderer on my altar, especially to be executed,”
The bearded summoner from before stepped forward, flanked by two of his guards. Robed, armoured figures wielding a magically enhanced spear each.
“The council has made a decision,” he answered roughly “They deemed it fitting that he be killed on the same place he was stopped,”
The west spirit charged toward the man, screeching her ghostly wails. The two guards advanced, drawing spears on the advancing spectre. She reeled to avoid the enchanted armaments, but did not cease her attempts.
“You do not understand!” she pleaded “His death will only bring pain and suffering upon us all!”
“We have feared that death may only bring him back to where he once was,” the bearded one said “But we have no evidence to suggest he would return to his realm. For all we know, he could very well travel to oblivion,”
“The souls here are vying for his removal! Repulsed by his evil! Take it to the eastern altar if you would wish to kill him here!”
“Now, now,” East grumbled “My disposition on the league may be questionable, but here I represent the spirits as you do. I can confirm that the souls here are restless, more than usual,”
“Nevertheless, we have our orders,”
West was about to charge again, but the firm ghostly hand of the western spirit stopped her.
“We are well aware of what your council has decided,” he murmured “And as representatives of the council, we respect that. West and I don’t agree on many things, but as your fellow summoners we beg of you to think of another way,”
“We have made our decision,” he concluded firmly “The execution shall take place,”
East nodded in defeat.
“Very well, come, West, there is nothing to see here,”
With that, they both faded away.
Nocturne gazed back at them with his piercing blue eyes, a smirk on his mouthless face and a chuckle in his throat.
“Soon,” he whispered “So soon…”
<-(\|/)->
“Twilight?”
Twilight Sparkle gasped in surprise.
She was in her office again. The light bulb burned down low and a mildly annoyed Nurse Redheart stood in the doorway. She had nodded off again, a bad habit to have when you’re a doctor, but when you’re looking after patients who can’t or won’t sleep at all, you learn to be grateful for it.
“Come along Doctor Sparkle,” Nurse Redheart beckoned “Your appointment with Shoe Shine is in 5 minutes,”
Practically rolling out of her chair, Doctor Sparkle retrieved her small file of notes and headed towards the main building, Nurse Redheart following behind.
The hallways were a pristine white that bounced the light from the halls as effectively as mirrors. Twilight had passed many doctors and nurses on her way. They spoke in hushed tones, but stopped entirely when Twilight walked past, only to resume once they thought she was out of ear shot.
“Did you hear her in the meeting?” one had said “Not a bacterium, virus or parasite! What else could it be?”
“I don’t know,” his partner had confided “It’s definitely not fungus, we ruled that one out ages ago,”
“It’s just getting more hopeless by the day,”
The trip to the Main Ward was a solemn one. No matter how many times she passed it, Twilight couldn’t help but grimace at the state of some of the ponies there. The infection did terrible things to their brain, often times reducing them to slavering beasts with a newfound taste for flesh. Twi had the greatest displeasure of having to euthanize many a pony. It saddened her further to know that ponies she used to know might be in those cages and cells, waiting to be found.
Every day she had a list of ponies to meet and try to help. The emphasis was on ‘try’ since no pony in need so far has ever accepted her help, at least not willingly. The list steadily grew longer and longer with each day, soon up to the point where she would have to retake permanent residence in Canterlot. But she couldn’t leave Ponyville, there was a bond there that was too painful to even try to severe. Her friends were there, and they mean the world to her.
Her list began with Shoe Shine, a sky blue earth pony mare with a grey-white puffy mane and tail. She was a good warm up for the other subjects, since she was the calmest of the bunch. Since her exposure to the infection, she had become quite schizophrenic, often talking to herself and making up other personalities for the things around her. Her cell was covered in murals, a vain effort to throw the horrible visions out of her head. Most of these paintings were made out of her own blood until staff provided her with paint. Most of it was nonsensical, but what could be determined was an insightful glimpse into what exactly was going through their heads. In short, she was a valuable test subject.
The cell was an old concrete room with iron bars facing the hall. It held a sink, private shower and toilet, bed, desk, dresser and a chair. It was well furnished for a cell, they weren’t housing criminals after all.
Shoe Shine was busily painting another mural on top of one of her old ones. Her style was ragged and deliberate, like scratching more than brushing. The colours were various shades of red and black, deviations from this scheme were rare. An intern was trying hard to copy her mural onto paper, but the shape of the work made it challenging.
Twilight approached the cell silently, and with a nod of her head, dismissed the intern. Shoe Shine looked up at the sound of approaching hooves. The blue mare had clearly seen better days, her coat and mane was a dishevelled mess, and her eyes were glazed over a milky white and tear streaked. Her hooves were stained in red and black paint, a crooked, twitchy smile on her face.
“Good morning, Miss Shine,” Twilight greeted with a nod, taking a seat opposite the bars.
Shoe Shine scrambled away from her unfinished mural to sit across from Twilight, the bars keeping them separate.
“Good morning to you, Doctor,” Shoe Shine smiled, a slight wavering in her voice
“How are you feeling?”
Shine grumbled, eyes downcast “I don’t know. Every day I see things. Terrible, absolutely awful things. I try to get them out of my head, but every time I do, a new vision fills in the space,”
“Speaking of visions…”
Doctor Sparkle looked towards Shine’s latest painting. It was a huge, looming shadow with blood red eyes and claws, hunched over a foal in its cot. Below it was scrawled:
He sees you when you’re sleeping…
… and when your awake.
Twilight eyed it critically. Compared to her other murals, this one was the most clear. It seemed that her works were progressively betting more identifiable by the day. No pony knows what it could mean in relation to the disease, but at the same time, they’re too afraid to find out. Her works made great progress in understanding the disease’s nature.
“Who is ‘he’?” Twilight asked. It was a question she asked all her patients.
“I daren’t speak his name,” Shine whispered feverishly. All Twi’s answers, summed up in one simple sentence.
It didn’t stop the intelligent purple unicorn though. At first, the eternal prospect of ‘him’ seemed too coincidental. What was earlier dismissed as recurring hallucinations, soon developed into mass hysteria. After all, what were the odds that all afflicted ponies would dream of the same thing?
‘Him’ often appeared to them as a looming, black shadow with red eyes, and claws dripping with blood. He was so frightening, that his mere presence in the afflicted’s dreams have driven many into utter insanity. Patient #3013 being the most famous example, having lived in this condition for years now.
“Can you tell me about him?” Twi questioned, pressing further
Shine looked up at her with sad, dead eyes.
“I guess, I’ll try,” she mumbled
Shoe Shine took a seat directly opposite Twilight, the iron bars remaining between them. She startled twiddling her hooves and shaking nervously, then began to speak. Softly at first, but when she gained volume her speech became ragged and caught in her throat, like she was forcing herself to talk.
“H-he’s a nightmare. He’s just a big, black shadow that appears to me in my dreams. Every time I sleep I see him there, waiting for me. Then I run, as fast and as hard as I can. Sometimes I run through a forest, sometimes through a village, or city, or school. Wherever the place is, I just run. But he always catches me, pins me down and-and-and…”
She broke down into a sobbing mess, right there on the spot.
“He tells me to say his name, but I can’t. if I do, I die, he told me, but he tells me to say it. He tortures me, with all the memories I thought I buried,”
“He’s not here now,” Twilight said “So why can’t you say it here?”
“He’s watching me, I can feel it,” she cried, choking on sobs “Always watching,”
“There’s no one else here,”
“I’m telling you he’s here!” Shoe Shine screamed
Suddenly, the temperature dropped. A chill past through the bodies of both ponies. Twilight rose from her chair, looking confusedly between Shine and the air around them, trying rigorously to spot the figure she spoke of.
“Please,” Shoe Shine pleaded, shivering with every breath “Leave,”
“But…” Twilight protested
“Please, for me?”
Twilight was about to protest again, but then she looked into her eyes. She was genuinely fearful, more than the regular, paranoia induced fear. She was actually afraid. Scrawling a couple notes in her book, Twilight looked back to the tearful blue pony, and sighed.
“Okay,” she conceded, getting up to leave “See you tomorrow Ms Shine,”
“Tomorrow’s nice,” she smiled “Bye Doctor,”
Twilight’s shift continued on, visiting ponies much like Shoe Shine. She didn’t expect them to recover, but at least show signs of what went on in their heads. Her list went on, Ace, Bubble, Rose, Dewdrop and onwards. All the ponies she tended to were at various stages of mental decay. Those that couldn’t be worked with anymore, were either euthanized, or went to the Asylum.
These days were long and drawn out, doing the same thing since two years ago every day, with no holidays. Twi could understand the amount of help they needed, but it didn’t help her feel any better about herself. She just wished to see her friends again.
Twilight glumly looked up from the hospital balcony to the ever present grey sky above, a mug of warm tea in one hoof and a somewhat dejected muffin in the other. She didn’t know what to think, she didn’t know what to expect. Doctor Walker said she would be here so of course Twi was expecting her to show up. Yet at the same time, no one has ever gotten more than a glimpse of her since this whole thing started. Some say she had abandoned them and withdrew safely inside her castle. Some say she had died and was little more than an angered ghost, skulking her hallowed halls.
Neither was true, as the long familiar shape of her alabaster wings carried a slender white alicorn gracefully through the air towards the bored doctor. Princess Celestia of Equestria landed with a soft clop of gold adorned hooves and wordlessly took her seat opposite the purple unicorn. Twilight studied the solar princess through a façade of blank boredom. The princess looked tardy, not because she was late, she look tired. Missing a few night’s sleep wasn’t an uncommon thing these days, but whereas Twilight’s overall colour dulled a few tones, Celestia’s looked stone grey. Her eyes were tired and spoke of of many held tears. With a shuddering breath, the princess began to speak. “Twilight I…”
“Why?”
Celestia didn’t look surprised by the interruption, but met Twilight’s stern glare with an even one.
“Why are you here?”
Celestia smiled faintly “To see you of course,”
“Where were you?” Twilight seethed
“In my castle,” Celestia replied evenly “There is nowhere else I’d rather be,”
“Damn right,” she snarled “What with all this death around us? Did you just, decide, to sit up there, while the rest of us wandered around like sheep, dropping like flies and trying desperately to not give up hope? And where the hell were you?”
Celestia remained silent
“That’s right, in your Tartarus damned castle,”
Slience reigned for minutes, but between the pair, it could’ve lasted years. Princess Celestia had not been seen since Twilight’s own fateful day. The day she failed, as a friend, mentor, student…
As a daughter.
The princess cleared her throat loudly, putting Twilight out of her daze.
“I’m terribly sorry to ask you of this Twilight, but…”
“Oh, the great Princess Celestia has finally returned to talk to me and she’s already asking for something?” said Twilight sarcastically “Typical,”
“Please,” Celestia asked “It is of great…”
“Importance? Sure, let me go check my box of care. Oh wait, it’s empty! Tell me why would I give my left hoof about what’s important to you anymore?”
“Twilight…”
“Don’t you ‘Twilight’ me!” she yelled “I hate you! You left me there! With her! And I failed ALL OF THEM!”
She stood quickly from her chair, knocking over and shocking everything but the pony she was so angry at.
“Things have changed Celestia,” Twilight murmured sadly “Ponies are dying. They are my patients, my responsibility. You’ve failed yours Celestia, go home, you’re probably better off there,”
Without another word, turned and left the table. Princess Celestia merely sat there, staring at her empty plate.
“Oh Luna,” she murmured “What can I do?”
Then, she began to cry.
Somewhere out there, in the wilderness, a blue star-spangled mare wondered the same thing.
<-(\|/)->
Twilight took the long way to her office this time. There’s no rush, besides, she needed the time to think. Despite her pure and utter hatred for her former mentor, she couldn’t help but be curious. What did she want? If it could possibly help cure the epidemic then she has every responsibility to investigate, and yet…
She stopped
No, if there’s a cure, she’ll find it by herself. No pony was going to tell her what to do anymore. She has a new responsibility now. Nothing will change until the cure is found. “Ah, Dr Sparkle, there you are!” Dr Walker greeted warmly, walking alongside her “I trust the meeting went well?”
Twilight remained silent.
“… or not. Anyway, I just received a letter for you,” he said, pulling a sheet of paper
“A letter?” Twilight asked dryly
“Yes, the mail mare assured me it was of the utmost importance,”
She nodded glumly and took the letter off his hooves
“Well then, I best be off. Good luck to you, Doctor,”
With that, he departed for an adjoining hall and left her at the crossroads. Twilight studied the paper. It was folded three times lengthways and had the dry, grainy texture of parchment. This obviously did not come from the hospital, but it only made her curious. With moderate trepidation she opened the letter and read it in silence.
The answers you seek are here. Go to your old house in Canterlot tonight, the door will be unlocked.
Meet you there,
L
She knitted her brow in confusion. Who is this ‘L’ and how did she get into her house, for that matter, how did he get in. Despite that, the letter was indeed intriguing. If it held information on the cure it could definitely be worth the risk. But still, it could be a trap…
She shook her head
It can’t be, no pony would have the time and patience to find out where she lived and break the lock, especially in times like these. Looks like she’s got her plans for tonight.
<-(\|/)->
Twilight’s shift ended a good half hour ago. It was 6:00pm and the cloud darkened grey skies receded to the deep blue hue of night. Yet where was the moon? Like the sun, it was hidden by the clouds. Only a faint glimmer from each can be felt through the cloud, making night time more dangerous than usual.
Her old tower stood tall and proud, a worn ivory building particularly covered in moss and vines. It’s been a while since she lived here, and dreaded the day she’d have to again. Waving away some cobwebs and vines, the door was unlocked as described by the letter and held slightly ajar. Twilight gingerly opened it to find the room in complete darkness. Conjuring a light, she found the place cluttered with bizarre scientific instruments and sheet covered furniture. It resembled more like an abandoned laboratory than her old house. Broken vials lay on the floor and a whole myriad of smells assaulted her nose.
Taking careful steps inside, she could see that the nightstands were missing their candles and the curtains haphazardly nailed to the windowsill, blocking the windows. What really bothered he was that despite the mess, all the equipment looked fresh.
“YOU CAME!”
“Gah!” Twilight yelled, taking large steps backward
In front of her was the sickest looking pony she had ever laid eyes upon. He was untidy, brown fur overgrown in some areas and missing in others. He wore a tattered and scorched lab coat and the expression of a mad pony, twitching eyes and all.
“Mistress said you’d come!” he cheered, giggling madly “Yes, mistress is always right you know! Always right! Always…”
As he rambled on, Twilight couldn’t help but see that he looked familiar too. Trying to imagine the strange stallion in a healthier state, she could swear he looked like…
“Professor Lucid?” Twilight asked unsurely “Is that you?”
The mad pony stopped.
“She remembers,” he whispered “She remembers! SHE REMEMBERS! HAHAHAHA!”
He then resumed his crazy laughter and prancing, much to Twilight’s dismay. Professor Lucid used to be Canterlot’s leading experts in mental health, but it was no secret he was interested in the mechanics of dreaming. In fact, roughly six months after the Crystal Empire incident, he was never heard from since. Some say he was responsible for the plague, but evidence later proved otherwise.
“Did you send me that letter?” Twilight asked
He replied hurriedly “No no no, mistress sent letter. Yes, mistress knows yes, she knows everypony,”
“Who is your ‘mistress’?”
“No no, not for me to say, no, cannot say,” he murmured “You must meet mistress, yes. Mistress knows you, mistress knows everypony,”
“So you’ve said…”
“Mistress must meet you yes, she wants to meet you, and mistress is mistress, must not say no to mistress, no,”
Twilight rolled her eyes. This guy’s going to give her a headache.
“Fine, how do I meet your mistress?”
“Mistress sees you yes. She sees you now, and me too! You must sleep yes, sleep and you see her too!”
“Okay, how do I do that?”
“Like this!”
And he brought a hard wooden bat right cross her head.
<-(\|/)->
When Twilight finally awoke, she found herself in a place so incredibly wrong, yet so horrifyingly similar. The sands of bone, the blood red sky, the mountains of skulls…
She was dreaming.
Chained to the top of the tallest of the dunes was a tall, monotoned mare. Fur bleached white and luxuriant mane a plethora of blacks and greys. Her skin stretched taught against her bones. She regarded her with blank eyes, devoid of emotion.
“You have come, Twilight Sparkle,”
Her whisper carried itself across the plain, ringing bells in Twilight’s ears despite the distance.
“You know me?” she asked
“As well as you knew me,” she responded cryptically
“What do you want?”
“I want you to seek me out,”
“But where? I don’t even know this place,”
The mare shook her head
“Not here, there. Seek me at Canterlot castle look for the one called Luna,”
“Luna?” Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow “Luna’s been dead for years,”
“Far from dead, I am afraid,” she replied mournfully “Seek her out, and you will have your answer,”
Without a final word the hellish world around began to vanish, leaving behind a blank, white world as Twilight awaited consciousness.
<-(\|/)->
It had been a while since she vanished. A while long enough for the spectre to return. A gruesome ghost held form by shadow, flesh and metal, approached the captive mare. A voice like ringing metal, whispers in the darkness, permeated the space.
“You shouldn’t have intervened,”
“Do what you will to me, monster,” she retorted “She will succeed where I have failed,”
“Oh, I doubt that. As entertaining as skinning you alive might be, there are some things you are good for alive than dead,”
“And what might they be?”
“Expanding my influence across your world,” he announced with sadistic glee “Spreading my beautiful corruption,”
“You are sick if you think subjecting my people to your madness is anything akin to beauty,”
“I am not the one who’s ill, my little pet. It is her. Don’t look at me like that. You didn’t really think your plan of yours would go unnoticed…”
