Blacklight Retribution: Ondra's Fall

“Midnight! You’re not helping, you’re supposed to be happy,” Twilight exclaimed, trying to go over the entire situation with me again.

“Ah, by the contrary, you said that to complete this assignment,” I leaned forward with a smug look, “EVERYpony needs to be happy, and from what I can see here. They’re all pathetic heaps of crystal equine anatomy.”

Twilight rolled her eyes and groaned in irritation, “I guess I’ll have to cope with it. You’d better be smiling and happy at the end of this assignment!”

I scoffed at the sentiment and walked with the group, towards a castle.

“Damn, this place is impressive. Crystal, eh?” I somewhat awed. My tastes were different from the six, I usually prefered seeing impressive things that save lives or make that job easier.

“The architecture was developed by many ponies who virtually worked on structural integrity while holding crystal elegance.” I kept a falsely interested face keeping eye contact with Twilight, waiting for her to continu-aaaaannnd she blushes and turns away... I was about to hear the most important parts of architecture and she couldn’t handle my interested stare, oh well. We continued to walk, until I was stopped from Shining Armor.

“Here is how it’s going to go down, and you better listen well, creature,” he gave me a hostile glare, and I kept a bored face, “If you try anything, ANYTHING. You will wish you didn’t get here. We were sent here to help this empire recover itself from it’s own fall, and I’m here to protect the ponies doing that. Not you, or anything involved WITH you is going to get in my way, you got that!”

Now was my time to push him away, he was really stabbing me with his hoof.

“I know I’m doing this,” I use telekinesis to lift him to my wing blade, barely touching him, “Do you?”

He snorted, and I let him go. We gave each other last glances, Shining Armor’s more hostile and continued following the group.

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Seven minutes Later: Crystal Empire’s Royalty Palace

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We arrive to the door leading to the royalty chamber.

“Here it is, the royal chambers,” Twilight said, concern looming on her face, “here goes nothing.”

I place a hoof on her shoulder, “ARE you ready for this?” placing a bit of emphasis on ‘are’, Shining Armor giving me the most threatening glare I’ve seen against me.

Twilight sighed, “Yes.”

She pushes those doors open, and we enter.

As we started walking through the doorway, I noticed a... Pink... Alicorn? Seriously, a legit alicorn that’s pink, how strange can this world g-forget it.

She looked tired, looked like she was deprived of her sleep for a week.

“Twilight!” she shot up with a mother’s smile after she noticed Twilight within fluttering eyes.

“Cadence!” Twilight cheered back, rushing towards her.

“Sun-shine, sun-shine! Lady bugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!” they cheerfully played in unison with gestures that looked like it came from their childhoods. They went into giggling fits and I noticed one thing during that whole fiasco: The Alicorn’s Horn was emitting energy the entire time-next thing I know she groans in pain and Shining Armor.

I noticed something else at the corner of my eye. There was a bipedal form moving about the chamber... A child? It was difficult to see because of the size of this place. I started walking to it’s last seen location, A human? In this world? A human CHILD?! I felt like I needed to investigate why she was here, in this world only for ponies. Poor child might think a pony was her mother.

“Midnight, where are you going?” Twilight asked, a curious look on her face.

“Oh this is the Midnight that saved Princess Luna from Nightmare Moon?” Cadence asked with a falsely tired smile. I couldn’t blame her, she was the one generating the force field protecting this place from that darkness all that time we were on our way here.

I gave her a stiff nod, “Yes,” I stated flatly.

“My that must have been difficult to handle without getting yourself hurt,” Cadence responded with a bit of concern.

I nod with a bored expression to the... Third princess? I noticed Shining Armor growing red, most likely off of anger.

“Show some respect to the princess, you foal!” I gave Shining Armor that ‘really?’ look then turned back to the princess.

“Please tell this military jock to get off my ass,” I requested without emotion, this earned a gasp from the entire group. Some faces of disapproval from the group, especially Captain Armor. The military jock started walking towards me. Then unsheathed some sort of blade, pretty much lethal enough to kill me. He brought that thing up to my neck, I still held a bored expression.

“Apologize to the princess now! You’re not supposed to be in this world!” wow, so arrogant, “You’re not supposed to exist! So apologize.”

I morph a wing into a blade without him noticing, “I am ready to die,” I press a blade to his heart and neck.

“Are you?” this captain glanced at my blades and let me go.

“Are you both done?” the sound of authority was pretty surprising coming from the Princess Cadence, “Shining Armor, you know better than to do that just because of his current form! I know you’re better than a racist!”

“But, you don-”

“No, you don’t understand!” Cadence interrupted, this was getting more interesting, “I know this stallion has done nothing to you, so just stop this right now!”

The Captain muttered to himself, “Understood.”

Cadence’s face brightened up, “Good. Now Midnight... eh...”

“-Flame,” I continued for her.

“Ah yes, Midnight Flame. What is your business here?” Cadence asked with a curious smile.

“To protect the elements of harmony,” I answered just like every other time someone asked me.

“I see. Good, I’m assuming Celestia sent for you?”

“Yes,”

“Then I know all of us will be on good terms, right. Shiny?” I couldn’t hold a snickering noise when I heard that pet name of his. He glared at me after my giggling fit, and walked towards Cadence.

“Of course,” Shining said with a false smile.

“Good!” Cadence then hugged the captain? Oh well, I’ll see if I need to care about it later.

“I need to see something,” I cut through the peace like a hot knife through butter.

“What is it?” Twilight asked.

“Something,” I repeated, “Important. I’ll see to it that I take care of it alone, I’ll be back.”

I stated my way to the door, until Rainbow Dash stopped me.

“How do we know you’re not going to betray us?” she started, “ Are you a spy?”

She pushed her face closer to mine at that last one, I went in to close that gap to nuzzle her nose.

She yelped like a schoolgirl bolting away from me with a blush and holding her face with her forehooves. I started laughing for some time, and instantly recovered my bored expression, “You don’t.” then I gently used my wing to push her out of the way.

Walking around downtown, I noticed the girl again, running fast. It looked like she was running away from something, she ran into an alleyway, but I didn’t see what was chasing her. I started my way into that alleyway. It was my little sister... No... She died during the first months after the first infection! She was there, in an upright fetus position, looked like she was crying into her knees and there was... Blood... All over her, What the hell happened?. I continue to walk to her.

“Sarah?! Sarah I’m here! What’s wro-”

“YOU FAILED,” She screeched at me, and grabbed my by the head and continued screaming at my face with a bloodied face. Everything went black... For a while.

“Where am I?” I was in a groundless space, all dark.

“You’re in the void, mate,” I sighed.

“This is getting old, you piece of shit,” I said to the voice that sounded like Freddie.

“Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I’m Freddie. Remember?”

A silhouette of Freddie appeared. Then started pointing at something behind me.

“HOLY JEE-WILIKERS BATMAN! WHAT IN HOLY TITTY SPRINKLES IS THAT?!” he screamed at the top of his lungs, I started turning my head... Very slowly, towards what he was talking about. I felt him slap me at the back of my head.

“I don’t have a lot of time so I’m going to make this brief,” he started, “the darkness-”

“Now is not the time to spoil that surprise isn’t it?” a sinister voice interrupted, it was that darkness.

“NO! I need more time! Ryman, LISTEN TO ME! Do not agree with what that bastard says, he will kill you and the others if you do! DO YOU UNDERSTA-”

“I think you gave too much,” the Darkness started, “It is time for you to go.”

“WAI-” he poofed into thin air.

“What do you want from me?” I asked.

“You will see soon enough, but for now. Understand that an ultimatum will come, and you will have to make the right choice.”

The form dissipated into the dark, and the background started forming color. This wasn’t the Crystal Empire... It was my home? I was still a pony...

“Ondra?” it was the voice of my little sister: Sarah.

“Sarah?!” I shouted, “Where are you? I’m here!”

“Ondra,” there was a distinctive noise of sobbing coming from her voice, “why did you leave us? Why did you leave mom and dad?”

I found her, she was in the similar fetus position. All bloody.

“You’re not real,” I started, “You died, I did all I could to help you, mom, AND dad!”

“It could have been better if you just died,” she continued sobbing.

“I get that a lot,” I chuckled at her attempt to bring me down.

“He’s giving you a chance to go home, you know,” I noticed this.

“Oh?” this was going to be a lie.

“He has enough power to do so,” her voice changed from a pathetic to a sinister child’s voice, “And all you have to do.”

She stood up and came closer to my ear, “Is kill the elements.”

I froze... Was this worth it? What would happen if I were to fail such a challenge.

Ruining a new set of lives in a new world would not fill my conscious with honor, but disgrace and shame. I decided to play along.

“When does it have to happen?” I asked the false sister hoping that she wouldn’t notice that I am completely against this.

“When it counts most. You’ll see it,” she started chuckling then deforms into dust. And I lost conscious.

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Crystal Empire/Kingdom: Royal Chamber

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I wake up with weak eyes.

“Ah, I see the new comer is awake,” I heard Cadence’s voice.

“I told you he’s going to stab us in the back!” Rainbow Dash snarled.

“Rainbow, you don’t know that yet,” Twilight said calmly, turning towards me with an expectant look.

“I’m not going to tell you to believe me. I’m going to tell you what I saw,” the entire room was silent with hostility, confusion, and worry all the same, “the darkness wants me to kill you all...”

The entire party gasped, “That’s not going to happen,” I growled.

I have decided that these ponies did not deserve any of this corruption, I had to stop the darkness. These ponies have done nothing but give me hospitality, and I will not let them fall.

“It told me that it has enough energy to send me back home,” I look down to my hooves and wings, “but there’s just nothing to get back to... My friends are dead, I failed my mission-”

“You don’t know that!” Twilight interrupted at that part. I stare at her with a confused mask.

“What?” dumbfounded by her exclamation, I glance at Twilight from the ground, she was walking towards me, “Twilight I-” I give a startled ‘oof’ when she pulled me into an embrace.

“You’ve done more things than any other normal stallion would do for a bunch of people he had just met! Don’t tell me somepony like you can lose himself this easily! Don’t help us because you think you’ve lost everything and have nothing else to lose! Help us because you know you’ve done everything right!” she hugged tighter with me not knowing what to do the entire time but to try to subtly get air, “You’re one of the best heroes Equestria could hope to have, and one of the best stallions to meet! I am NOT going to lose you over this ‘Darkness’!”

“Twilight-” I started, but interrupted, she was still hugging me.

I never tried to look at the positive parts of my predicament... Maybe NOW is the best time to really let go of it all. I’ve got a new thing to fight for...

I lay my head down on her shoulder letting out tears through both my eyes, “Thank you.”

And that was when I truly smiled... This assignment was going to be a success...