The Darkest of Stars

One and a Half Months Later...

One Month Until the Darkest Star Arrives...

It was a beautiful sunny day. The brightest star in the sky hung brightly and proudly, casting it's light all over the land. Wildflowers were scattered all across the green and luscious grass, dotting the landscape with hues of reds, blues and yellows. The day would be perfect, if not for the intense battle going on in the middle of the meadow.

Twilight had to sidestep a large, purple laser from Trixie, just narrowly avoiding it. Irritated, Trixie fired an electrical blast. Twilight then vanished, just missing the attack. Trixie looked around, trying to guess where Twilight had disappeared to. Suddenly, her eyes darted upward. Twilight was there, prepared to throw down a huge ball of purple energy. Trixie grinned mischievously, vanishing as well. Twilight's head darted around to the left and right. A full five seconds passed without Trixie reappearing. She heard an echoing cackle come from nowhere in particular.

“What's the matter, Twilight Sparkle?” The voice came from Trixie, but it had sort of an ethereal quality to it. “Can't fight what you can't see?” Suddenly, Twilight was lifted straight up into the air. Her front legs were stretched out to her sides. She tried to struggle out of the air, but she was held fast. “Need to go somewhere? Don't worry, I'll let you go.” As soon as the sentence ended, Twilight was thrown straight down to the ground.

Twilight stopped in midair as soon as she was about to hit the ground. She flipped herself over and landed safely on all four hooves. Then, Trixie appeared beside her. Twilight turned to face her, but then another Trixie appeared. And another. And another. Before Twilight realized it, she was surrounded by ten Trixies. Twilight smiled as she turned to look at all of the purple magicians standing around her. “Mastered cloning, I see,” Twilight remarked.

All of the Trixies spoke at the same time, harmonizing with each other eerily. “You could say that.”

Twilight smiled, energy crackling from her horn. “Now just to find out who the original is!” A wave of purple energy emitted from her horn, going out in a circle. Every single Trixie simply evaporated into thin air. Twilight looked genuinely confused. She looked around, confused about what just occurred. Then she realized.

Trixie was floating above her head, a large ball of crackling, purple energy being held above her head. “Incorrect.” She threw the ball straight down at Twilight, heading directly toward her. Just as it was about to hit her, she caught it, stopping it in mid air. Trixie did not even have time to react as Twilight threw the ball back towards her. She just evaporated in the sky.

Twilight let out a sigh of relief. A few moments passed before she started to look annoyed. “You know you can come out now.”

Trixie walked up behind Twilight. There wasn't a single scratch on her. “I have a liking for the dramatic. You should know that by now.”

Twilight didn't look surprised at all. “It's just a training session, you know.” Twilight dusted herself off a little. “You nearly got me there. That invisibility spell almost did the trick was pretty good.”

Trixie flipped her mane, still smiling. “Just another spectacular performance by-” She made fireworks and brilliant lights appear behind her as she stood up on her hind legs. “-The GREAT and POWERFUL TRIXIE!”

Twilight rolled her eyes, shaking her head. Still, she looked a bit worried. “Those clones almost turned it around. Even I haven't figured out cloning spells. How did you do that?”

Trixie looked like she was trying to figure out what had happened as well. “I'm...not sure either. I was just able to...do it.”

Twilight didn't look convinced. “That makes no sense at all.”

Trixie chuckled. “Any more sense than hatching a dragon egg with a rainbow?”

Twilight groaned, as if this wasn't the first time that that story has been brought up. “It wasn't the-ugh, never mind.” She smiled and turned away. “You know, it's about time for lunch. We should head back to Canterlot.”

Trixie looked kind of embarrassed. “Um...Twilight...?”

Twilight turned back around. “Hm?”

Trixie looked incredibly uncomfortable. “I guess...if you hadn't helped me, it would have taken me a little longer to get even better than I already am. So...thanks, I guess.”

Twilight brightened up considerably. Now it was her turn to be embarrassed. “I didn't do that much really. You could already do all of that, you just didn't realize it yet.”

Trixie smiled cockily, glancing over her nose at Twilight. “Hm, I guess you're right.”

“Well that didn't last too long,” Twilight responded deadpan.

“Would you still like me if I was any different?”

Before Twilight could answer, Trixie vanished in a cloud of purple smoke. “I'll see you back at the castle, Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight could hear her voice say.

Twilight just sat there, looking incredibly introspective. “Trixie...she's gotten exponentially powerful. She had the potential, but...”

“You're spot on, Sparkles.”

Twilight jumped at the sound of the familiar voice. “Kassandra? Where have you-” Her eyes widened at the sight she saw before her. It was definitely Kassandra, but she looked very different. Her eyes were dripping with black tears that vanished when they left her face. It was if she were wearing some cheap, black makeup that was just running constantly. Coming off the corner of her eyes were black veins, as if she had a headache. Her horn was smoking with some kind of black energy that fell to the ground constantly. Her usually straight mane was disheveled and messy and frayed. She looked like a mess, to be honest.

“What...what happened?” Twilight asked.

Kassandra's voice was cracked and sounded almost sad. “This...this is what happens-” She lifted her necklace into view. The brilliant red jewel was now cloudy and almost dirty. “-when the bonds of friendship have been broken.”

“What do you mean?”

“Come with me. We have a lot to talk about.”

~

Celestia vomited into the toilet. She had been feeling a little ill the past few weeks, but had never before in her life felt this sick. She was breathing heavily, feeling out of breath although she had done anything strenuous that day. She felt absolutely awful.

She coughed violently, heaving dryly. The session last for a full seven seconds before something came up. Red liquid splattered into the toilet. To her horror, Celestia realized what it was. “It's...blood...” she said to herself weakly. “That's...that's...”

“Impossible? You're so naïve, dear Celestia.”

Celestia suddenly felt even worse when she heard the snide voice inside of her head. “Blackstar...what do you want?”

“You don't sound that happy to hear me. I'm not going to lie, that makes me really...indifferent.”

Celestia had another coughing fit before she responded. “I'll ask again...what do you want?”

“My my, you're short tempered. Anyway, I think it's you that has a question for me.”

Celestia wiped the blood and vomit away from her mouth, feeling as though the wave had passed. “Yes I do, in fact. How many hearts do you have?”

“Really? Wouldn't you rather want to know where they are?”

“Would you tell me if I asked?” Celestia challenged.

“...good point,” Blackstar conceded. “My original heart was shattered by Starswirl the Bearded. It was broken into one large shard, the now destroyed Alicorn Amulet. Thank you, by the way.”

“You're welcome,” Celestia said deadpan.

“Not counting the amulet, there are a total of four shards.”

Celestia thought about that for a moment. “So there's one more besides the three Radley, Kassandra and Allis possess...”

Blackstar chuckled. “Oh that's right...”

“What?”

Blackstar laughed so loud it made Celestia's ears ring. “Those children still think that it's my heart that keeps them bound.” She chuckled before continuing. “No no, there are indeed four shards of my heart, but the Order of the Darkest Star does not possess any of them.”

“Then what are the necklaces they wear made of?”

“Nah ah ah! My generosity only goes so far, my dear princess of the day.”

“It was worth a try..." Celestia conceded.

"It was really...and I don't mean the poorly executed question. I meant the attempt to turn my body against me."

"If that's what you think I'm doing, it's worked out perfectly," Celestia said with a grin. She was now standing up straight, looking almost like her normal, regal self.

Blackstar sounded irritated. "What do you mean by that, princess?"

Celestia was still smiling. "Nah ah ah! My generosity only goes so far, princess of the stars."

Blackstar did not sound amused. "Enjoy yourself, Princess Celestia. You have only one month left before the prophecy is fulfilled. You shall fade and I shall live. Farewell, for now."

She was gone, leaving Celestia alone to sort this new bit of information out. Four shards left, and they did not include the necklaces the Order wear. What were they then? And where are these other shards? And just what was she planning to do with Trixie?

~

Allis sat on a cliff, basking in the rays of the setting sun. Even though he couldn't see the brightest star in the sky, he could still feel its warmth. He sighed heavily.

How could Radley do something like that? For years, he and Kassandra had always thought of Radley as a brother. After all, he was the one that saved them after they were orphaned. They laughed, cried and played together as fillies. Even after they were cursed to fight Blackstar for the rest of their lives, they still remained friends. He liked to think that even if they weren't magically bound together, they would still be together. But to think that he was the reason behind it all...

“What's got you so down?”

Allis jumped when he heard the voice. “Night princess...”

Princess Luna chuckled as she came to sit beside the blind pegasus. “You're the last pony I would expect to be able to sneak up on.”

Allis smiled wryly. “It's easy when I'm not paying attention.”

An extended silence followed before Allis coughed nervously. “Princess...I'm...”

Luna interrupted him. “Don't worry about it. You did what you had to to fulfill you're duty.”

Allis shook his head. “I panicked. I should never have done what I did. There's always another way.”

“Blackstar did what Blackstar did,” Luna said. “You can't blame yourself. I don't.”

Allis went silent again. He was clearly uncomfortable. Luna placed a hoof on his shoulder. “Come with me.” She spread out her wings. “Us winged ponies belong in the sky...” She paused, then added with a smile. “..even if both of our wings don't match.” She took off into the sky.

Allis smiled and joined her in the air. Even without his sight, flying just felt natural to him. He could fly as well as any other pegasus, banking and gliding gracefully.

“Radley didn't do it with malicious intent,” Luna said out of the blue.

“Invading dreams again?” Allis said, not being one to get easily caught off guard.

“Not invading,” Luna defended. “More like...observing. It's the best way to see what's in a pony's heart. In a dream, your thoughts are uninhibited and free. It's only when you awake that you put your guard up again.”

Allis scoffed, but didn't say anything.

“Tell me something...” Luna continued. “Why are you like this?”

“Clarify.”

“Corrupted,” Luna said. “Why is only one of your wings deformed and demonic? Why are you blind?”

“You know why,” Allis said, sounding a little irritated. “Because of the spell that bound us to Blackstar.”

“What if I told you that it wasn't the spell that corrupted you?” Luna proposed. “What if it was what resulted from the spell that made you the way you are?”

Allis was clearly interested, but not quite convinced. “What do you mean?”

“What if it was the feelings you felt towards each other...or more likely, what you felt towards Starswirl that corrupted your hearts and your outer appearances?”

Allis considered this, but shook his head. “That can't be it. We all resented Starswirl for what we thought he did to us, but there is no way that it could have brought about this level of change in us.”

“Are you so sure? It's possible that the spell also amplified those feelings and manifested them in your appearances.”

Allis thought again about it. Suddenly, realization hit him like a lightning bolt. “Come to think of it...Radley's appearance never did change, although he himself was bound to Blackstar as well. That's because...!”

Luna nodded affirmation. “Now you see. Radley never resented Starswirl because he knew that he was not the source of the spell. As such, his being never showed any outward signs of resentment.”

Allis stamped his hooves on the ground in anger. “To think that all these years, the answer was right in front of our eyes...”

“I said that he never showed any outward signs,” Luna corrected. “However, it's his inside that you must worry about.”

“What is that supposed to mean? Am I to believe that he feels guilty for what he did?”

Luna looked directly at where Allis's eyes were supposed to be behind his blindfold. “The reason why Radley bound you, himself and Kassandra to Blackstar is the very reason why the two of you must rekindle your friendship with him.”

~

Later That Night...

It was very late into the night and sleep had eluded Radley Kane. He had never felt so lost before. He was still staying with Fluttershy, still trying to figure things out. He knew there was no way that he could conquer that Blackstar alone. He also knew that if Blackstar were to prevail this time, there wouldn't be another chance at the next thousand years.

Trixie Lulamoon...

How could it be possible that the body of the first alicorn would not only survive being “destroyed” by Starswirl the Bearded for over three thousand years and gain it's own sentience? He had no idea how that was possible. He had to find her somehow. But what would he do once he found her? Would it be right to kill her? Even though she was the body of Blackstar, she was her own person...wasn't she?

His friends had deserted him. Or...he had deserted his friends. He couldn't blame them at all, to be honest. It was his fault after all, all of it. Even the fact that Blackstar still exists could be blamed on him. Still, he wished that he had the courage to tell them the real reason why he had done what he did.

There was a small cracking noise outside of his window. He quickly got out of bed and looked outside. Spending so much time with Allis Yahn had made him a bit more sensitive than most to strange noises. By the sound of the crack he could tell that it was not any of the animals Fluttershy took care of around her cottage and in the forest. It sounded like...a hoofstep.

“Is this what you've been reduced to? A housewife?”

Radley turned around to find a crimson red, middle-aged pony standing behind him. He was about a head taller than himself. It was hard to tell anything else about him in the dim moonlight. “What the...who are you? And what are you doing here?”

He chuckled. “Who am I? That's only the second time in the last three thousand years that I've been asked that. However, I should not be surprised that you do not recognize me. We were separated when you were just a newborn filly.”

Radley's eyes got bigger. “Wait...you can't be...can you?” he stammered.

Alexander Kane bowed to his son. “My name is Alexander Kane. It has been a long time, my son.”

Radley took a step back, suddenly unsure. “No, you can't be. There's no way that you can be alive.”

Alexander cocked his head sideways. “And sons tend to outlive their fathers by three millenia? I was never aware of that small detail.”

Radley rolled his eyes. “Still, I'm just supposed to believe that you're my father just because you broke into Fluttershy's house and know my name?”

Alexander brushed his long hair aside and smiled. “Radley...what do you know about cutie marks?”

Radley was a bit thrown off by the question. “Well, a cutie mark is determined by a pony's destiny. Once a pony figures out what they want to do, usually by the age of 5 or 7, the get a mark that signifies that desire or destiny.”

Alexander chuckled. “I see you are using the grade school definition. But it is...mostly correct.”

“What are you getting at?”

“Is it possible for more than one pony to have the same destiny?”

“Yes, I suppose,” Radley said after a brief pause.

“Then it must be possible for more than one pony to share the same cutie mark?”

Radley shook his head. “I don't believe so. Although two destinies may be similar, the marks would different.”

Alexander was still smiling as he turned around. “Then this will be a shock for you.”

Radley's eyes widened, seeing the cutie mark on his alleged father's flank. It was the exact same as his own, a sort of sideways, curved 'v' with a dash in the middle of it. “That's...”

“...impossible?” Alexander finished. “Heh, nothing is impossible my son. You and I, we share the same destiny. We are one of a kind. Together-” He got close to Radley and pointed towards the sky. “-we can make the world stop.”

Radley took a step back. “Just who are you?”

Alexander stood aside and started to walk away. “I do not like explaining myself more than once. We will see each other again, my son.” And with that, he was gone.

Radley chased after him into the forest, but there was no trace that any pony had been there. He trotted back to the cottage, having no idea what just occurred. Fluttershy was there waiting for him. She seemed quite shaken. “I heard someone out here...was it you?” she said in a shaky voice.

Radley didn't answer right away. “Fluttershy...thank you for letting me stay here for the past month. It helped a lot.”

“Oh...you're welcome,” Fluttershy said.

“But now I need to find Allis and Kassandra. We need to be able to defeat the Blackstar. I also have just one last favor to ask of you.”

“What do you need?”

“I need you to gather your friends together along with the Elements of Harmony in Canterlot. If all goes well, Allis, Kassandra and I will meet the six of you in three weeks time. That's where we will make our plan.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I'll do my best.”

“Alright then.” Radley clapped his hooves together and slammed them down on the ground. “Farewell, Fluttershy.” He vanished in a flash of light.