~The Truth of Despair~

February 3rd
3:34 am

Princess Celestia

My eyes studied the inside of the cage. I've been here for months now, unable to break free of the confines of my own mind. Ever since that… that thing took over. It called itself a Demon Lord, but I doubted it had any nobility to it at all. However, it was powerful, enough so to control my body. I'm glad, however, that Luna had the sense to cover the non-moving sun with the moon, otherwise my little ponies would be burnt to a crisp by now.

"It must be so dreary in that old cage." The now-familiar voice of Despair the Demoness said. "I could always make a more comfortable one for you… after all, this is your mind."

I watched as the creature took form in front of me, as it had a couple times before. It was bipedal, with pitch-black skin that dripped darkness in a liquid form. Her eyes were a harsh violet, which leaked an aura of the same color. It wrapped itself in a violet dress for a bipedal creature, one that barely covered up any… unmentionables. "What do you want of me now that I haven't already given you?"

"Aww, poor little Celestia. She still has no idea why things are going so perfectly well for me." She said, walking up to the bars of the cage in my mind. "And to think, the answer is so simple… but you've forced yourself to forget it, haven't you? What you did to that poor colt?"

"That colt…?" I asked. Thinking, my mind drew me a portrait of the colt in question, a young, happy pegasus. "You must mean Ventus. What I did to him was because of his own actions, nothing more."

"And that's just what I wanted you to think, bravo. My memory charms are more potent than I thought." Despair said. "Oh, you think he just so happened to find some research to pin blame on you because of an unknown reason?"

"I never understood why he went so far as to try to incriminate me to the public, or to kill me, that much is true… he was always just a charming colt…"

Despair laughed. "Maybe you'd like to see what happened with your own eyes, through his own?" Before I could answer, my vision hazed until it went black.

~POV switch: the past, Gale Stormwing. The day of his mother's death~

"Momma, can you take us to the market, please?" My sister, Aria, cried out to our mom. I added on my trademarked puppy-dog eyes to help her plea. "There's a big sale on all kinds of old poetry today, and I want to get some!"

"And I want to try out the new flavor of cotton candy that's there!" I added in. Our mother smiled down on us.

"Oh, alright." She said. "But stay near me, got it?" We nodded our heads furiously, and we soon found ourselves surrounded by the market stalls near the center of Canterlot. Sure, this city was known for its high-society stores, but farmers, writers, and other ponies did sell their wares in traditional market stalls in the center of town, near the castle. I was happily munching on some juniper-flavored cotton candy (really good stuff, by the way) as my sister browsed the stall of the antique collector. We may be really close on some things, but some of her interests just confuse me.

"Excuse me, miss?" I heard a voice say. It belonged to a castle guard, as he walked up to my mother. "Are you Mrs. Caramel Heart?"

"Indeed I am. Is there any trouble, good sir?" my mom responded.

"I've been ordered to take you and your foals to the castle. Princess Celestia wishes to see you all." More guards appeared, each of them stoic and scary-looking.

"Well, if the princess ordered it… Aria, come over here, we're going to be occupied for a bit." My mom said. The guards instantly surrounded us as we were led to the castle interior. Up two sets of stairs later, and I was greeted by massive wooden doors depicting two Alicorns. We were ushered inside, and the guards closed the door after we entered.

"Greetings, my little ponies." A heavenly voice said to us. I was feeling cautious, especially since the guards hadn't followed us in. "It's great to finally see everypony here." The voice belonged to Princess Celestia herself, as she sat on her throne. We bowed, and only after did I notice two other ponies in the room; what looked to be a commander or a captain of the guard, who had a white coat and black mane that cut around his horn, and my father.

"Not trying to be rude or anything, your highness," My mother said. "But why did you summon us?"

"That is a question to be answered in a more private place. Follow me." We were led out of the back of the throne room, into a smaller chamber that lacked windows. Various vials and beakers lined the walls, bubbling contents of unknown make. "You all know of the Griffon Empire's threats recently, yes?"

"Of course, your highness." The guard said. "There have been talks of war, even."

"Yes, and even though I don't believe an attack will happen, Dusk Lulamoon, I do like to take precautions. That is why I have summoned all of you." The princess's eyes flashed green for a second, which went unnoticed except for me. "I wish to create a super-pony, one who can fight for us with the efficiency of a hundred stallions. And your son here, Gale, meets my expectations."

"Me?" I asked.

"Absolutely not!" My father said, stepping forward. "Princess, I may be a Wonderbolt, one of your personally hoof-chosen fliers, but I cannot give my consent to you taking my child for a research project!"

My mother reacted similarly. "I won't let you take our son for this. Come on, kids, we're leaving."

"That's funny." Princess Celestia said. "I don't remember asking." Her horn lit up with a golden aura, and my mother's head did the same. Celestia jerked her head to the side, and my mom fell to the floor, unmoving.

"P-Princess?" The guard said. He and my father were gripped in golden auras, and pinned to the wall. Metal restraints snaked forward and kept them there. "Princess! What is this madness?"

"Sorry, captain. But I need a unicorn for this and Caramel here just wasn't strong enough." My eyes fixed on my mother's lifeless ones. I was horrified, even as Celestia picked up my sister and opened the door, giving her to a guard. "Take her to the dungeons. I'll be by later to check up on her."

"Gale, run!" My dad screamed. Too late. Celestia's golden aura ensnared me, lifting me onto a central dais that also had restraints.

"I want the perfect weapon to defend Equestria… I need the magic of a strong unicorn…" Dusk's body glowed a harsh gold as Celestia's eyes glowed black and purple, and a shadowy spirit flowed out of him. "I need the speed of a valiant pegasus…" the same happened to my father, who was limp afterwards. "And I just need the innocent, moldable mind of a courageous foal."

The moment after that was extreme pain for me. Both of the soul-cloud things mixed into me, combining with my being. I screamed. And screamed… pain was the only thing I knew…

~The present, Celestia~

"No… why… I didn't do that!" I screamed.

"Yes, you did." Despair said. "But not of your own will. I wanted you to cause despair among ponies, I relish in it. And that was only the start."

"You controlled me then?" I asked. "I knew I was not myself… I did not know that until a few days ago, when I awoke in here…"

"You were full of Despair from the loss of your sister to her own sins. That despair in your heart let me in no matter where I was, controlling you, causing you to create the pony who would bring about the most sorrow for as many ponies as possible."

"But why did you come to me now, instead of then? Why did you only possess me now?"

"To be honest, I was cocky. I could work you like a puppet from a distance, I felt I didn't need to use such crude methods. But then your sister returned, and my way into your heart was blocked." Despair paced forward. "But, the truth is, you created Ventus from the souls of Gale, Highwind, and Dusk. A foal, a Wonderbolt, and the father of a showmare."

"How come he doesn't remember this? He would want me dead if he knew the truth! He simply thought I pushed him out of a castle window!"

"He found out about what you did… that's why he wants you dead. I altered his memories through you, making him think he was Ventus all his life. And I know he will kill you; he found out you killed his mother. And your death will bring about the despair of everypony in your kingdom!"

I looked at the demon as she laughed. I was the pawn in all of this? Forced to turn a helpless foal into an arbiter of revenge, to split a happy relationship of my little ponies? Forced to not lower the sun to burn them? Forced to do nothing at all but watch as this creature uses me to bring about the end of happy times for my subjects? "…Why?"

"Because, my dear princess," Despair said, fading away to take control of my body once more, "I am Despair. And I like nothing more than to see everypony shiver with fear and hide, scared for their lives."

~End of Chapter~

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