Whatever Did Lurk in the Dark?
I was alone when he came to me, as I often am, holed up in this dusty hovel. It is not much to look at, from within or without, but it brings me peace of mind, and it allows my thoughts to take form on a page. Within these walls, I find salvation of sorts as I record my story for these future generations to heed, and if I'm so lucky, to learn from.
No creature has ever bothered me here. Even my friends rarely visit, knowing my reclusive nature. But that all changed one unassuming afternoon. Storm clouds gathered out of nowhere, and a bold knock on my door beset a flash of light.
“Pardon the intrusion, governor, but it's coming down like a parasprite swarm, out there. I don’t suppose you might entertain a lost draconequus for two ticks, while he dries off?”
I did not turn from my work, even as the bulbous eyes of parasprites mixed themselves between the raindrops outside my window. When this failed to get my attention, he shuffled about, snapping that potent claw and beckoning his every whim into existence.
The barks of a dog filled the cabin, followed by a curious scampering. Something came alongside me, hovering just in my peripheral, but still, I did not turn. I didn’t need to. The tassels of an animated footstool were all the imagery I needed.
“I appreciate your hospitality. What a homey little cabin in the woods you have here. Very minimalist. Very Sam Reini.”
I sighed at my typewriter.
"You're Discord, I presume,” I said, suppressing the uncertain shake in my voice. “Welcome, I suppose. I've read about you, and your unique powers. I assume you're the cause of this sudden downpour.”
The roof now whined with the relentless thumping of hapless, falling parasprites. I heard him flutter his lips.
“You know, ponies are always so quick to blame me for strange weather. I'll have you know there’s a massive, magical forest with its own weather patterns just over the hill.”
I turned in my chair. He mirrored me, sitting behind a desk of his own. He was a gangly creature, tall and thin, resembling some sort of single-headed chimera. He wore a trim black suit with a small bowl hat, and in his lap was the animated, panting footstool. He stroked it slowly, watching me with yellow eyes that shone in the dim light.
It’s hard to describe what being in his presence is like. Even the deepest of hay fever-induced dreams couldn't quite compare. If I hadn't previously learned of his reformation, let alone who or what he was, I'd have been terrified.
“You’ll forgive me if I’m hesitant to grant you the benefit of the doubt,” I said coolly. “You are a self-proclaimed spirit of disharmony, after all.”
“Oh, but that was so many seasons ago. I’m past all that, now,” he said far too sweetly for my liking. His hat violently turned itself inside out, and a halo paired with wings crowned his head in its place.
“The sirens said similar things, before wreaking chaos among whole towns at their leisure.”
Discord scoffed.
“'Chaos', please, I could outdo those hacks with one pinky claw. Though, that’s the old me talking. These days I find meaning in greater things than strife. I’ve moved on from my pride, just as you’ve moved on from revenge. Or, so I’ve read.”
The footstool jumped from his lap with a yip, and a copy of my latest novel replaced it. My stomach lurched.
“Three best-selling novels in less than a year is quite admirable,” he praised, rapidly flipping through pages. “And here I thought Twilight was prolific.”
I watched him for a time. I waited to see where this conversation was headed, but he said no more. Rather, he seemed to be more interested in immersing himself in my book.
I knew better. He was simply waiting for me to inquire about his reason for coming here. Playing his game was the only sensible option I had, and he knew it as well.
“What do you want with me, Discord?”
“To welcome you to Team Reformation, of course,” he proclaimed joyfully. He dismissed the book with a snap and slithered up to full height. A crudely-drawn banner emblazoned with my likeness unfurled from the ceiling as if it'd always been there. "Congratulations, Stygian, you're now the fourth major baddie to see the light of friendship. How does it feel?"
A copy of him appeared to my right, holding some elongated tool forged of metal up to my face. I pushed it away.
"Fourth?"
"As far as nationwide threats go. Turn that filter off and your number is much less impressive, I'm afraid."
I glanced out the window. The parasprites had gone, but the rain seemed to be coming down harder now.
"Before I wrote those books, I hid myself away here and did nothing but read," I said. "A millennium had gone by in what felt like the blink of an eye for me. I found myself in an unfamiliar world, with endless history to catch up on. Magic, cultural achievements, and societal structure that I could never have conceived. It was only after all that catching up that I felt inspired to share my story with this new world."
I stood from my chair and closed the gap to the window. Streams of water fell like a curtain, obscuring the dark, dim world from view. Only then could I not tell the difference between the world I knew and the one in which I stood.
"...You are one of the topics I read about extensively, Discord." I could see his reflection move upon mention. "You, a near godlike being who could tear reality apart and rebuild it, enslaved ponykind not long after my friends and I were banished. If not for Starswirl's prized students, you might still be in power."
I paused. I watched as the flowing raindrops melted his reflection over and over again. I waited for a quip, but none came.
"The archives ended with your second imprisonment in stone," I continued. "But news articles of only a few years ago told of the princess's efforts to have you reformed, and your subsequent friendship with Princess Twilight and her friends."
I turned. He'd reclined himself in a lavish floating chair, sipping some fruit drink from a straw as long and twisted as he was.
"You were imprisoned nearly as long as my friends and I. With that in mind, I wish to ask you this: how did you acclimate to this strange new era? And how did you, a creature of chaos, adjust to a way of life that suppressed what you are? Why would you choose to?"
He stared at me for a time, his one large fang shifting within his jaw. When he spoke, he stood up and walked down an invisible set of steps to the floor.
"Why, the magic of friendship, of course. Honestly, Stygian, haven't you been paying attention? You were blasted by a rainbow laser, were you not?"
I blinked, meaning to shake my head before stopping.
"Well, yes, I mean—technically I was, though it wasn't ultimately meant for me, per se."
Discord tapped my side reassuringly. It didn't have the intended effect.
"So was I," he said shakily, pulling a handkerchief from somewhere unseen and wiping a tear. "See? You fit right in, already. Team Reformation, where friendship lasers are the real magic. You, me, Princess Luna, and...well, I suppose Starlight never got a good blasting, now that I think about it. That's okay. That's why she had to become a friendship student instead."
He turned and walked away, leaving me to flabbergast over just how little that response had helped.
"I simply found meaning in companionship." He morphed his chair into a longer, even more lavish furniture piece I did not recognize. "Fluttershy, the single greatest pony to ever live, taught me that it was something worth having, and that I could not have it for as long as I chose to do things my way, all the time. A sad, if necessary trade-off. What fun is there in a world all your own if you've no one to share your laughs with?"
We both stopped to listen to the downpour outside, and my nerves began to settle. He was a strange creature, yes, perhaps unpredictable by every definition, but something about him had piqued my interest. There was intelligence, even thoughtfulness behind his wit and lawless ways.
In a way, he was reminiscent of Starswirl.
"That is truly astounding," I said, at last, eyeing the floor. "Perhaps even gods have the wants and needs of mortals."
He laughed.
"Prolific and cryptic. You're such a hoot, Stygian. I know a zebra who lives nearby that you'd get along swimmingly with."
I looked around my small cabin for what felt like the first time, seeing dark and dingy walls and corners where I never had before. I'd never needed to look before. All I'd ever needed was a roof to stop the rain, and a typewriter by candlelight.
"My apologies," I prefaced, venturing to a solitary chest adjacent to my desk. "I've no experience in hosting guests, be they spirits or otherwise. I'll fetch a few more candles."
"More things we have in common," he mused. "But don't trouble yourself. Save your candles for a night when you don't have access to omnipotence."
Another claw snap. Two rows of wall sconces, each adorning two candles, now illuminated the entire cabin. Each was carved with Discord's face and winked cheerily, but I was given no time to marvel at them. Something powerful pulled at my body in an instant, teleporting me into the folds of a cushioned chair across from him.
He gave me a coy smile. "You asked a question of me, Stygian, so allow me to ask one of you, now. How much do you actually know about the entity you became? What do you know about the Pony of Shadows?"
I found myself in a sudden sweat. The same carefree eyes that once lazily drifted in and out of focus now stared at me intently.
"...Only that it was born from my need for vengeance," I murmured. "I found it in the Well of Shade, where it had beckoned to me in my dreams. It spoke of power—a power I could use to get back at the friends who wronged me. I...I listened. I listened because I could not see the path ahead of me, anymore. Without my friends, I was lost. And it was strange, it was as if it knew every action I would take, like it was in my head."
I stopped, noticing the curl growing along the corners of Discord's smile. At that moment, something came to me, and I, too, grew tense and serious.
"You know something about it, don't you."
"Now what in Equestria would give you that impression?"
"You wear your thoughts on your lip."
He stuck his tongue between his teeth and blew. "Better?"
I rolled my eyes. "Immensely."
"Let's just say you're not the only pony to have their turmoil become a lightning rod for dark magic."
"...What do you mean?"
"Come now, Stygian, you can't proclaim that you're caught up on Equestrian history and then go asking questions like that. What sort of bookish stereotype do you purport to be?"
Another snap. A thick, brown book fell before my hooves and startled me. The golden bust of an alicorn watched me from its cover.
"Don't tell me you never once came across the term 'The Mare in the Moon' during your literary travels."
I gripped the fallen tome with magic and lifted it. As I began to turn pages, I found my eyes growing steadily wider. A figure of darkness, suited in blue armor, seemed to wait for me more and more the deeper I dared to go.
"I came across it, yes," I uttered. It was not a lie, but not exactly the truth, either. I bit my lip. "But never was this 'Nightmare Moon' visually depicted, before. I only ever saw passing mentions of the 'lost princess, the Mare in the Moon'; snippets of a greater story."
Through my skimming, something caught my eye, and I backtracked. A particular article stuck out to me, and I looked at him suddenly.
"Jealousy?"
"Indubitably."
"From Princess Luna? One of Starswirl's prized students?"
"'The bigger they are', as they say."
I looked again. The purple eyes of the armored mare gave me vertigo. Even when Discord spoke again, I could not look away. I had seen eyes so dark before, depicted in stone within the bowels of the Hollow Shades.
"Ponies often like to tout magic as a benevolent force, but the truth is never so simple. Magic is a primal force. It can bend to any shape it's molded into, reflect any color that's filtered through it. And, as members of Team Reformation, we now know that friendship is magic. Now, if you would, Stygian, tell the class what friendship can be classified as."
"...An emotional connection," I breathed, finding the strength to close the book at last. "And emotions channel magic, be they positive or negative."
A dozen Discords cheered and clapped for me, but I couldn't hear them. My mind raced at a pace I'd not felt since facing the sirens. I watched my hooves shake against the floorboards, weighted by realizations I could scarcely contain.
There had been another. Another who had fallen prey to their own hatred and despair, becoming something they weren't, like me. I was not the exception to the rule, and that both comforted and terrified me.
It could only mean that magic could filter through us at our worst just as easily as it could at our best. Moreover, it had the power to amplify—no, to isolate—those emotions which triggered it and use them as fuel. Was my hatred, my wounded heart a beacon for dark magic? Was I doomed to my fate from the very moment my heart craved vengeance?
"What of the Well of Shade?" I blurted suddenly. "How does that fit into all of this?"
Discord absent-mindedly paddled a paddle ball. "You know, it's the darndest thing. I seem to remember a cult of sorts that once built a village, tucked away in the woods somewhere. Mind you this was back before even Old Poneish was the hip, new thing. The cult came to understand that those who underwent severe emotional trauma in their village were, over time, granted great magical powers. Well, you can guess the sort of shenanigans that went on from there. Ritualistic dark magic became fun for the whole family, with power attainment seen as not only a status symbol, but a right of passage."
I laid back in my conjured chair. My mind had already gone elsewhere, rehearsing versions of a conversation that Starswirl and I would later be having.
Discord's paddle ball had fallen limp and motionless, but still, I watched it. I watched it because I was far too scared to gaze at the face that matched his new, dark tone.
"Ponies severed their emotional ties with others—in quite unpleasant ways—to gain power quickly. Power born not from talent or practice, but the raw emotional suffering they'd placed on themselves. Suffice to say, this cult ran their village into the ground. Ponies had attained power but lost sight of everything else in the process. They became little more than animals."
"...I unearthed something down there, didn't I?" I asked quietly. "Something forgotten. Something leftover from all those years ago. It called out to me, sensing how vulnerable I was, and preyed upon my anger. I...I played right into its hoof."
"We believe so, yes. You attained levels of power that go beyond some of the greatest practitioners of magic our world has ever known, Stygian, and it was done in such a short amount of time. The Well of Shade, and its history, are the only reasonable explanation we have."
My heart stopped at the sudden presence of another, but I knew the voice right away. In the time it took me to turn, Discord had already sprung from his seat, his cushion undulating in the aftermath from a large, attached spring.
"Dearest Luna, you made it!" he cried, curling around her body like a constrictor. He was wrapped in azure magic and removed just as quickly. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd be attending our little lore party at all, this evening."
My eyes settled on her, and I felt my breath leave me. I held memories of Luna, fleeting interactions with a young and timid filly chosen, with her sister, to become my friends' student, but this...this was not that filly. Even my glances from afar upon my brief visit to Canterlot Castle did her no justice. Her eyes watched me with patience and confidence, alike. She stood tall, firm, and grounded, even as Discord did his very best to pine for her attention.
"It's been a very, very long time, Stygian," she said to me. "I feel like I barely even saw you during our reunion with Starswirl. How are you doing? No worse for wear because of Discord, I hope?"
She smiled, and I scarcely realized that my lips hung apart.
"A long time, indeed. It is my honor to see you again as not only a grown mare but as a ruler of Equestria, Luna."
I bowed, and she giggled, urging me to stand again.
"And yes, somehow I've weathered Discord thus far, thank you. Your timing is quite impeccable, really. We'd just delved a bit into what I've missed in these past thousand years, and perhaps farther back still."
She nodded politely before switching her focus to Discord. Her face grew more stern.
"Yes, well, there is a reason for the overlap," she began. She nodded to Discord, and he summoned a table of dark cedar in the middle of my cabin, complete with three stools. When she gestured to them, I obliged. I briefly wondered if any of this would be mine to keep. "As I'm sure you've long since gathered, Discord's visit was no chance event. Mine is not either. It was actually my plan to meet you today, though I originally hoped to arrive with Discord. I'm afraid I was held up by more than one unfortunately timed responsibility."
It was my turn to smile. "Even an unfortunate responsibility is tiers of importance above a dreary fellow like me, princess. There is nothing to apologize for."
"He's actually quite modest when he's not being blatantly wronged by stuffy wizards," Discord mumbled. Luna glared at him, and I had to stifle a laugh for the first time that day.
When Luna looked at me again, there was a seed of urgency in her eyes. "Stygian, from the moment I learned of your identity as the Pony of Shadows, I felt something gnawing away at me. And then, when Princess Twilight informed me of your rescue at the Well of Shade, I was certain there was something there, waiting for me to discover it. But even ponies our age know little about the Hollow Shades or the inhabitants that once lived there. Before we spoke, I had to find someone who could give me the insight I needed. Luckily for me, there is one creature alive today who fits the bill."
Our eyes turned to Discord together, and something existential crept upon me. Caught up in Discord's earlier tale as I was, I'd not stopped long enough to consider the ramifications of his knowledge.
"Just how old are you, Discord?" I asked. I wasn't sure if it was a question I actually wanted answered. "The original inhabitants of the Hollow Shades are theorized to be some of the earliest ponies on the continent. That's tens of thousands of years, if not far older."
He watched me, and as he summoned a tea set from nothingness and poured cups for the three of us, he smiled. It was the most haunting thing I'd ever experienced.
"When Discord told me of the Hollow Shades' dark past, I felt pieces of a puzzle falling into place." Luna grasped a cup in her aura and sipped it. "I have since come up with a theory regarding your transformation, and how it may relate to my own, Stygian. Would you care to hear it?"
My heart pounded against my chest. I merely nodded, encouraging the princess to continue. She laid down her cup, and together, we shared a long, solemn look.
"I believe that magic has the power to affix itself to our emotional turmoil and fester there. I believe negative feelings—those that are truly severe—are like tar, a toxic quicksand that traps magic and twists it to match what the heart desires. I believe it is capable of even drawing in the natural magic that is all around us, in addition to our own."
I sniffed, suddenly aware of tears on my cheeks. Though my mind intently listened to every word, my heart focused elsewhere. Just to see the princess speak of such things with weight in her eyes and voice was a painful experience, and one I hoped to never see again.
"I do not believe I had any contact with or influence from the Well of Shade," she continued. "Like the founders of the Hollow Shades, my corruption was a slow, self-inflicted process. The jealousy I felt towards my sister was not a sprint, but a marathon. Entire years went by while I harbored resentment for Celestia and her sun. I grew cold and distant, never once addressing the problem upfront with her, and I allowed myself to wallow in my anger. I reached a boiling point and lashed out, and when I did, so too did that amassed magic. By the time I realized the gravity of what I'd done to myself, I was lying on the floor of a forgotten castle, mercifully rescued by six good friends."
A pink handkerchief, folded into an origami bird, fluttered over to me. I gently grabbed it and wiped my face, thanking Discord with a nod.
His face was empathetic. It was alien to him, but comforting all the same.
"Conversely, you were-"
"Consumed by dark magic that'd already been created."
I looked at Luna again. She shed tears of her own, though with far more grace than I. A subtle film reflected off her eyes, filtering the candlelight.
"I agree with your assessment, princess," I said. "There is nothing to suggest otherwise. My corruption happened within weeks, and from what I've been told by Princess Twilight, I was able to best even her in single combat. I'd like to vouch for my own talents with magic, but to claim such feats would be grossly inaccurate, not to mention disrespectful."
I propped myself up on my hooves, tracing the veins of colored wood in the tabletop with my eyes. They spread and snaked themselves out, overtaking the entire table. In them, I saw the tendrils of my shadow, seeking to grip and corrupt all they touched.
"Within days of being cast out by my friends, I had ominous dreams every night. A voice spoke to me, making promises of salvation through power. It seemed so sincere, so reassuring at the time; a light in the dark reaching out to me. Even in my novels, I speak of this, of its melodic voice and soothsaying. Knowing what I do now, I am disturbed by its craftiness, and my own naivete in trusting it."
"I wish I had found my calling by that point, Stygian. I would have proudly fought away that false light for you."
Again, she made me smile. I couldn't help but think that her talents lied outside the dream realm as well.
"You're too kind, princess. But perhaps everything was for the best, in the end. My friends learned something valuable, and now, we all can enjoy a world so vibrant and teeming with life and peace. If I could go back in time, I'm not certain I would change a thing."
She reached across the table and laid her hoof on mine, and I moved it forward to ease her attempt. Never would I have imagined another pony could so perfectly understand what I'd gone through. This modern world was a true miracle, and I suspected I was ignorant, still, of the many joys it had to offer.
"What a beautiful analysis, my fellow book club buddies. Gold stars all around. Same time next week?"
Luna and I became aware of adhesive stars adorning our horns, and we laughed in tandem. Her blue aura carefully plucked them away.
"I wish to speak to Celestia and Starswirl about these discussions," said Luna, her former composure returned. "I'm not ashamed to say that I still feel most confident when my former teacher reviews my work. I know a certain princess who may very well like to record and publish our findings for the sake of magic history, as well. But first, Discord, there is one more task I need your help with."
Luna stood from her stool and walked towards the window. In its reflection, now free of rain, I saw a face cold and sure.
"I wish to destroy the Well of Shade and seal its entrance forever. While it remains doubtful that some trace of dark magic still slumbers inside, I will not sleep another day while that pit, and all its tainted history, lays exposed to the world."
Discord swiftly whirled himself into a tornado. He emerged again with a yellow vest, hat, and some curious red box with a lever.
"Oh, you always were the fun princess! Say no more, Your Majesty!"
Luna noticed my stare right away. She retraced her steps and joined me, once more offering a supportive hoof.
"Stygian, you may remain here if you like. I will not ask you to return to that place."
"No," I said quickly. I, too, stood from my seat, and I met Luna's gaze with resolve just as strong. "I need this, as well. Bringing closure to this chapter of my life will be freeing, I think. Who knows? It may even make an excellent ending for this final book in my autobiography series."
Luna nodded, sharing my newly reborn smile.
As we readied to depart, I went to my trunk and rummaged for my hooded traveling cloak. I ended up prolonging the search as I listened to two of my most unlikely friends.
"By the way, Luna, won't CayCay hatch a few hens over us deliberately destroying historical landmarks? Twilight, too, for that matter?"
"Not unless you tell them we did. What dear sister doesn't know won't hurt her, and if Twilight wished to study the ruins so badly, I imagine she should have done so sometime this past year. Freak landslides cannot always be predicted."
As I pulled my cloak out, Discord's hushed voice filled my ear.
"This is why she's best princess, Stygian."