Chapter 21: The Return
"Two star-crossed lovers...what a pitiful sight. Here you two are before me at the brink of life and you still try to oppose me." He said, looking back at Twilight. "Oh how I would enjoy killing both of you at this very moment…but alas, I have a different and more painful idea. I can't kill Night Shadow here because he is a part of me and I can't kill Twilight because I want to break her heart like she did to him. So why not just put you in prison for eternity? No…I want you to see the end result of my rule, to witness the horror of what I am capable of."
The black pony laughed at he shot both Twilight and Night Shadow with the exact same spell Celestia used to send Night Shadow forward in time.
"I will send you to the future where my words are law, where the people have no hope and where the sun never rises! You will return to a land full of misery and torment, full of war and destruction! It is there I will defeat anyone with ease and it is there that I will break the will of the most hopeful. The memories of your love will be ripped away to prove that it was never meant to be! YOU WILL BEG ME TO END YOUR LIVES, AND I WILL BE THE KING OF THE MY NEW EMPIRE FOREVER!"
"You can't win! You never can and never will!" Night Shadow yelled.
"But I already have!" The black pony said, laughing evilly.
"You can never win! One day, if not us, somepony will stop you and put an end to your reign of terror!" Twilight shouted.
"And until that day comes…BEGONE!"
Seven long years pass…
Twilight abruptly awoke in the middle of a destroyed arena filled with rubble, overgrowth, and darkness. Her eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness as she slowly stood to her hooves, wondering where she was. With a simple spell, she illuminated the arena with a purple glow, but quickly regretted her decision. Hidden in the dark were hundreds of skeletons scattered throughout the large room that looked untouched for years, frightening her to the point that she was about to scream. Before she could, her mouth was covered by a hoof.
"Quiet….you want the whole world to know you're here?"
Twilight recognized the voice, but when she tried to recall who it was her mind became clouded. To afraid to try anything, she simply nodded, attempting to calm down. Once the pony released her, a dark purple light shined behind her, tempting her to turn around at that moment.
"Who are you and why were you laying next to me, do you not know who I am?" The voice asked.
"I could ask the same of you." Twilight replied softly.
"You still haven't answered me!" The voice said, more demanding.
"Twilight...Sparkle…" She said hesitantly. "What's yours?"
"Why should I tell you?"
"Because…I already told you mine…" She said, turning around to see her "captor."
Twilight eyes were instantly greeted with the sight of a red pony with outrageously long hair. He sighed deeply before avoiding eye contact with her.
"My name is Night Shadow…that's all you need to know." He said, gripping his stomach with his hoof.
"That name…why does that sound so familiar?"
Twilight scanned his body, noticing blood was dripping down his chest, stomach and lower waist.
"You hurt." Twilight said with worry, slowly approaching him. "Let me hel-
"You will do no such thing!" Night Shadow shouted, slowly backing away in pain. "It's nothing anyways."
"Don't be stubborn, you're bleeding all over the place."
"Night Shadow, with wounds like that you're going to bleed out. Let me help you."
"I told you, I don't need your help!"
"So bleeding on the floor is better? I'm sorry, but you made me do this."
Twilight grabbed Night Shadow and pinned him onto his back by force.
"What are you doing?!" Night Shadow demanded, trying to break free from her magic.
"What's it look like I'm doing." She said, throwing off Night Shadow's hoofs from his stomach.
Using what little she had, she covered his wounds with magic and stopped the bleeding. The wounds, however, would have to be sealed up another way.
"We're going to have to find some way to stitch up these wounds. At least I was able to stop the bleeding though."
"Oh geez, thanks." Night Shadow said with sarcasm. "Can you let me go now."
"A simple thank you will be nice."
"...*sigh*...will you please let me go" He said in a nicer tone.
Twilight rolled her eyes as she dropped her hold on Night Shadow. The red pony slowly got up to his hooves, staring into her eyes in curiosity.
"You're welcome by the way." Twilight said, cutting off his train of thought.
"Pffff, like I needed your-
Twilight caught Night Shadow just before he collapsed in pain. At this point, walking would be a miracle for him.
"You sure about that?" Twilight asked with a soft smile.
Night Shadow looked up to her with a defeated look.
"Fine, you win. You happy now."
"Not until you're healed."
"Why do you care about me? You just meet me and here you are catering to me like a handicapped child."
"There's something about you that I can't place my hoof on. Like the world depends on me to figure out who you are."
"I don't have the time for that. I have to stop him before it's too late." He said, attempting to walk again
"Death Fire…he's the one you're after, right?" Twilight asked.
Night Shadow paused in his tracks.
"How do you know that?"
"He cast me into a portal, sending me into the future. That's all I remember."
"That's what he did to me to. But I don't remember you being there."
"I don't remember you either, but those wounds…they had to have come from-
Twilight was suddenly hit with the flashback of Night Shadow being impaled on Death Fire's wings before she returned to the present.
"Death Fire did this to you with his wings, didn't he."
Night Shadow turned to Twilight with an intrigued look.
"Ok…this is getting weird." Night Shadow stated.
"Look, something's telling me we need to stick together. So don't go running off or something."
"Yeah…because I'm totally capable of running away with cherry sized holes in my stomach."
"You know what I mean."
"Not really…"
Twilight faced hoofed.
"Are you normally this dense?" Twilight asked.
"Only on Mondays."
Twilight sighed in frustration, leaning down and placing Night Shadow's hoof around her neck.
"If I remember correctly, Dark Fire used to have a medical lab in Celestia's old castle. Judging by where we are, we are directly above the lab."
"How does that help us?"
"If the arena's elevator still works, we can just descend down to the floor and find some supplies, get you healed up."
"You really think that old thing will work after however many years."
"It's worth a try." Twilight said, looking at what looked like the elevators doorway.
Twilight attempted to lift Night Shadow onto her back with magic, struggling at first until she finally got him in a comfortable place. However when she tried to move, she realized that hauling boulders would be easier than carrying the pony on her back.
"Can you try to levitate yourself?" Twilight asked, struggling to even take a step. "You are really heavy."
"Barely." Night Shadow stated weakly. "How strong are you, anyways?"
"Well…I never like to put myself above others. But I think I'm-
"No, like physically."
"I'm a mare, what does that say."
"I've seen some pretty strong mares in my time. Some of them were so strong that they could fight off armies with ease. One specifically was able to do something I thought no other mare could ever do."
"Which is?" Twilight asked with curiosity.
"Win over my heart…"
Twilight would have expressed more feelings for him, but she was busy attempting to not become a purple pancake. After practically ten minutes she made it to the elevator door and pressed the button on the side. Surprising as it was, the elevator responded and opened slowly with a long drawn out screeching sound that would have made ears bleed. She stepped into the elevator and pressed the button inside before the elevator began its descent. Two minutes passed before the doors opened again, revealing the armory.
"The med bay is close by, we just have to get there." Twilight declared.
"Twilight, put me down, you look like you're going to topple over."
"But then how are you going to be able to walk."
"I should have enough energy to simply float in place. You would just have to pull me around like a balloon from there."
"And why didn't you do this before?!" Twilight asked in aggravation.
"I forgot…."
"Oh course you did."
Night Shadow began to levitate off of Twilight's back, wrapping her hooves around her neck. This made carrying around the stallion much easier, literally feeling the weight lift off her shoulders. Twilight carried on once again, passing by hundreds of untouched guns and weapons.
"Do you think these things still work." Twilight asked.
"Depends on who made them. Still...why would they place so many weapons here and then leave them."
"Everyone must have evacuated when Death Fire emerged. These weapons were probably forgotten or just prototypes."
"When we leave I'll grab some that might be useful, maybe find some supplies."
"That would be best."
Twilight found the exit and left the armory, heading down the hallways with only her horn lighting her way. The purple mare felt afraid, like something was going to jump out at her and frighten her, but Night Shadow's presence calmed her down. Some would have said Night Shadow simply being close to her was the reason she wasn't as frightened, however, there was something much deeper than that she just couldn't figure out. After what seemed like hours she arrived at her destination and opened the door the the med bay.
"We made it." Twilight said in relief.
"Good, at least some things are going our way."
Twilight walked over to one of the hospital beds and gently placed Night Shadow down on his back.
"See if the lights still work." Night Shadow said.
Twilight looked around and quickly found a switch. Walking over to it she flicked it and as if by magic, the lights came to life.
"We have power, that's for certain." Twilight pointed out, walking back to Night Shadow. "After we find something to seal up those wounds, how long do you think it will be until you're up and running again."
"A day tops."
"A day!" Twilight shouted in disbelief. "Night Shadow, I can fit a golf ball in some of the wounds you have, there's no way you can-
"Twilight, I know it sounds strange, but to be honest everything about me is strange. You just have to trust me on that, ok."
"That doesn't make logical sense! No pony with those kinds of wounds can be healed in one day."
"Well what fun is there in making sense. It's boring."
"Making sense! What your saying is impossible!"
"Nothing is impossible Twilight….except the stuff that's impossible."
"...what…."
"We just meet and I already broke your head…great…I better go get the plunger."
"Again….what?"
"Just ignore my rambling and see if you can find medical equipment. It will be a lot simpler then trying to understand."
Twilight stood there in confusion as her head began to hurt.
"Yeah, I probably should."
She turned around to see what she could find. After looking in the drawer, cabinets, and everything else in the room she came back with pain pills, a used stitching needle with thread, an open first aid kit, and a slightly rusted shot.
"This is all I could find." Twilight said, looking over the items. "All of them seem risky to use, especially in your situation."
"It would be best if you left the room then. I will use what I have."
"Night Shadow, I'm not about to let you injure yourself or give yourself an infection."
"What's in the medkit then?" Night Shadow asked.
Twilight looked inside, noticing some bloody cloth and half a bottle of alcohol. The other items were either missing or simply unusable. She showed the items to Night Shadow, who nodded in return.
"Like I said, I will be fine. See if you can find anything else in this castle before we leave it for good. This is Celestia's old castle after all so there might be some recorded information."
"That still doesn't help the fact that you are going to try to sow yourself up with a bloody needle."
Night Shadow put his hoof on Twilight's cheek.
"Twilight...stop worrying and just let me do it."
"You're going to-
"Twilight...I'm going to be fine. Now say it."
Twilight struggled with the obvious. If he used the needle he would surely infect himself, and who knows how long it was in there to begin with. However, the stallions words melted into her head like butter, giving her confidence and assurance.
"You're going to be fine…" Twilight whispered.
"Thank you...now leave me to work."
Twilight slowly nodded and turned to the exit door. The moment she pushed the button, commanding the door to slide open, Night Shadow called out to her.
"Hey Twilight…has anyone ever told you that you look cute when you are confused?" Night Shadow asked with a soft smile.
Twilight's ears folded as her eyes dilated, recalling the voice in her head. But right before she could put the pieces together a whisper invaded her head.
'The memories of your love will be ripped away to prove that it was never meant to be...'
"I need to get to the bottom of this." Twilight whispered, shutting the door behind her.
(I don't know why, but this part was awkward for me to write.)
Twilight walked through many dark hallways and corridors until she reached the door to the ancient library of Celestia and Luna. The door looked as if it had been blasted open and vegetation had began to grow around the door. When she walked in, she was horrified to see that everything had been burned and destroyed. Vegetation had filled the room, giving it the impression of a garden rather than a library and anything left that wasn't consumed by the fire was slowly rotting away.
"Why would they do such a thing…" Twilight whispered, walking to the middle of the room to sit down in defeat. "Thousands of years of recorded history, lost just like that and never to be remembered."
"Or at least he believed." A once boastful voice said behind her.
Twilight turned around to see Trixie in a dark robe with a bag on her side.
"Why are you here?" Twilight asked. "After everything you did, why did you come here?!"
"To see it with my own eyes." Trixie said, walking towards her. "Death Fire claimed you were dead…yet no matter how many times he said it, I always had a feeling you were spared. Thought, I never did know when you would return. Unfortunately…it's too late to make a difference…"
"I'm here to stay this time, Trixe. I might have been gone for seven years but it makes no difference to me. I'm going to put an end to his reign and with the help of my friends and Celestia we can-
"Twilight…you don't understand do you? It's been seven years since you disappeared, a lot of has changed. What used to be Equestria is now nothing more than a nation of enslavement and war."
"I don't care how bad it looks or how powerful he has become, the combined powers of the elements will be enough to stop him and save Equestria."
"It's too late for that now….it's over…he's already won." Trixie said with defeat.
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked. "Explain yourself."
Trixie closed her eyes and levitated the bag off of her side, tossing it to Twilight. When it landed onto the ground it made a loud metallic thud, giving it the impression that it was heavy. Twilight approached the bag and stood over it, reaching a hoof down to open it. Once she did, she reached in and pulled out a golden crown covered in dry blood.
"This….this is Celestia's." Twilight said, inspecting it further. "Why is this…"
Twilight's hooves began to shake as she looked deeper into the bag, seeing Luna's crown and the elements of harmony all stained with dry blood.
"Twilight…I did everything I could…but it still wasn't enough. I'm….sorry…"
"This is a joke, right….it's just a joke….a bad dream….I'll wake up soon, right?" Twilight said as her eyes began to water.
"They sacrificed everything for one last chance at freedom. There was just too many of them to fight off…and eventually they…"
"This can't be true….it can't be true!" Twilight started to yell as more tears streamed down her face. "They can't be gone….THEY CAN'T BE GONE!"
"I'm sorry….I really am." Trixie said, walking towards her. "I wish I could've-
Twilight instantly stood up and threw her into the wall with red magic, keeping her in place as she was being suffocated.
"YOU'RE THE ONE THAT DID THIS TO THEM!" Twilight yelled with rage.
"Twilight, stop!" Trixie said, struggling to breath as she was being choked. "I tried so hard to save them! But you have to understand…your anger won't bring them back! It will only increase his power!"
"You should've learned your lesson the first time, you should of turned away from boasting instead of coming back for revenge." Twilight said with rising rage, applying more pressure with her magic.
"Stop it….please….I'm sorry I did the things I did...but killing me won't solve anything." Trixie said, losing consciousness.
"You're the one that stopped me from destroying Death Fire while we had the chance! You're the one that joined Dark Fire to conquer Equestria all because you couldn't admit that you were wrong! You're the one that ordered for me to be captured so you could try to defeat me in front of everyone! So why shouldn't I kill you!" Twilight screamed, losing herself in her rage.
"Please….Twilight….I don't want to die….I don't…..want to…" Trixie whispered as tears streamed down her face.
"The only thing you did right was coming back here so I could finish you off for good!" Twilight said as her eyes started to glow red. "Now I'm going to end your miserable existence once and for all!"
"Mom….help me…." Trixie whispered as she lost consciousness.
'STOP THIS NOW!' Twilight's head screamed.
Twilight's eyes returned to normal as she broke the control of her anger, releasing Trixie from her grasp.
"I'm a monster…" Twilight whispered as she began to cry loudly.
"We all are when we let our anger control us." A voice said from a distance.
Twilight turned to see Zepher staring right at her.
"You saw everything, so why don't you agree?" Twilight asked, still shaking with sadness.
"I might have heard everything, seeing is something I haven't done in many years." Zepher said, walking over to Trixie and placing his horn onto her head.
He used a quick burst of magic before looking back up to Twilight.
"What you just experienced was the power of Death Fire's magic. Even those of the strongest minds can be affected if we are clouded with rage, and that is exactly what he planned to happen. As long as you are in Equestria, you are in danger of turning on those that care for you so that they would return the favor."
"But I was…"
"I know the deaths of your friends was hard to hear, but understand your pain, Twilight. My mother was among the list of those that perished and I to almost fell to my own rage. However, as we all know, anger is what fuels Death Fire's power and he counts on us to react in this way. We can't afford to give it to him."
"They were everything to me. They made me who I am."
"As sad as it may be, we can't change what has already happened. Fate has brought you here for a reason, and must decide what that reason is."
"I can't do it alone…I just can't."
"You aren't alone. No one ever is."
Zepher walked over to pick Trixie up onto his back.
"Everything is going to be fine. Always remember that." Zepher said, looking back at Twilight. "Now…if you are so kind. I would like to be reacquainted with an old foe of mine."
"And who would that be?"
"I think you can figure it out."
