Under the Black Sky

“IT. IS. OVER.”

The Chimera closed its eyes again and let its foremost head drop to the earth. It drew a long breath, then began to exhale in short, soft bursts. As Sky watched and listened, his fury gave way to a sense of confusion as he realized what was going on: the Chimera was laughing.

He narrowed his eyes. “What’s so funny?” he asked coldly.

“You—you think this is over?” the Chimera sputtered. “You have no idea.”

Sky’s wrath began to boil again. How dare this thing think that it was still a threat to him! It lay crumpled on the ground before him: defeated and desperate. He pressed his hooves further against his enemy’s neck, straining its already haggard breathing even more. “Well, since we’re here, all civil and such, why don’t you just share your grand plan?”

In a flash, all six of the Chimera’s eyes were facing him, each one aflame with vengeance. “Gladly,” came a dreadful trio of voices.

The Chimera’s body was suddenly wreathed in black flame, causing Sky to leap back in alarm. As the flames rose higher and higher, the creature rose to its feet, magically looking much like its normal self, showing no signs of the epic battle it had just fought. Sky looked on incredulously.

“You have grown very powerful, but you are still very mistaken if you think that you can destroy us,” it said, rolling its heads from side to side.

“You just don’t know when to give up!” Sky shouted. He didn’t know how it had recovered, but the fact that it had only fueled the fires of his hatred even more. The fiery devastation of the landscape around him was a reflection of his own mind. It felt like it would erupt. “I will hunt you all over Equestria and rip apart every forest in this land if I have to. But make no mistake, I will destroy you!”

The Chimera regarded him with a disturbing look of satisfaction. “Is that so?” it replied. “Well, then, let us inform you of something: that’s just what we’ve been wanting to hear.”

“And why’s that?” Sky asked in spite of himself. The question actually surprised him. All he really wanted to do was rip the thing apart with his hooves, not have a civil conversation with it.

“Because it means that you’re ready.”

The statement rattled around in Sky’s skull like a marble in a jar. He shivered as he heard the Chimera’s echoing voice transform into his own:

“He means that I’m not ready. The Chimera isn’t just trying to get into my head…it’s trying to control my thoughts and actions.”

“You’re just like us now.”

The words snapped Sky out of his stupor. “What? I’m nothing like you!” he shouted, face contorted in a look of disgust.

The Chimera chuckled softly. “Really? You’ve told us that we are just a creature of hatred that desires to create as much destruction as possible. And now, you just said that you were willing to wipe out every forest in Equestria just to be able to destroy us. And all fueled by your hatred for us. Are we right?”

Sky grimaced. “That’s…that’s not true! I’m doing this for Equestria!” he screamed back.

The creature shook its head and bared a fang-filled smile. The orange glow of the remaining fires gave the impression that its teeth were wreathed in flame. “Oh, stop your denial. We already know what you’re thinking. We have been in your head for days. And we know every thought you’ve entertained for even a moment.” Its eyes glowed red as it spoke. “So don’t even try and tell us that you’re not doing this because you hate us. That’s the only reason you’re doing it.”

Sky suddenly felt cold inside. His heart felt like it was pumping ice water, and his lungs felt like they were made of lead. “N—no…” he managed. “This is for…for Equestria. For my friends…”

“You certainly don’t sound very sure of yourself,” the Chimera mocked. “Let us show you just how right we are.” With a slight motion of its head, the air around Sky seemed to change. He looked around frantically, waiting for some blast of magic or something to attack him. But he saw nothing.

Until he looked down.

Black flames. They seemed to be coming from the ground directly beneath his hooves. They were wrapping up around his legs, trying to encase him in a black magic cocoon.

Sky leapt away instinctively. He hovered in the air as he watched the flames on the ground dissipate almost as soon as he left it. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief as he brought pointed his hoof at the Chimera and yelled, “Ha!”

Only, his shout never came. For at that moment, he saw the horrifying truth.

The flames hadn’t been coming from the ground beneath him. They were coming from him.

“Gah!” he cried out. His legs and wings suddenly felt as heavy as a load of bricks, causing him to plummet to the earth below. He landed with a thud as dying embers took to the air in the wake of his crash. He struggled against the shadows, trying to wipe them off with his hooves, to no avail. “Wh—what is this?!” he shouted in terror.

The Chimera made a slow, methodical walk towards Sky. “Oh, these shadows? They are just the embodiment of your hatred. Most cannot see it until one harnesses it as a form of magic, like we have…and like you have.”

Sky still fought with the shadows, hoping to find some way to cast them off. He rolled onto his back, kicking and bucking with all his might. The black flames continued to rise high above him. If this is hatred, I don’t want any part of it!

He flipped back to his hooves, but his body felt as heavy as a house. He struggled to back away from the approaching beast, though it was all he could do to keep a few steps ahead of it.

“Your hatred for us has given you tremendous strength,” the Chimera hissed. “Magic and power that could rival even the most potent unicorn. Power that we would find most useful.” All three of its heads licked their lips.

Oh, no.

He turned to run, but his exhaustion only caused him to collapse to the ground. He tried to move his legs, to pull himself through the ashes and debris of the war zone, but his body refused to respond.

“The amount of hatred you bear will make you a most useful servant for us,” he heard the Chimera growl behind him. He turned his head in time to see the creature continue its slow approach. Above it, an immense pillar of shadow rose. And in the midst of the shadow, two great crimson eyes had opened up, along with an enormous red fanged mouth that was bending down to where Sky lay helpless.

Desperate, Sky turned away and tried to focus his mind. C’mon, wings, WORK! But despite his most powerful urgings, he remained where he was. He risked another look behind him. The shadow was almost on him.

He closed his eyes and let his head drop to the dirt. He had failed.

Then, out of the silence, a mare’s voice came to him. If you want to rid yourself of the darkness, you must fill its space with light.

He could hear the Chimera laughing behind him. The shadow’s presence grew more and more oppressive as it closed in on him. Within a few seconds, it would all be over.

He tried to summon the images of his friends or family to his mind. Faces, cutie marks, even their names…but all he could see was the blackness of his own malice. All was dark around him.

Suddenly, out of the darkness, he saw the glowing white horn of a unicorn. He latched onto it. The light of the horn expanded to reveal a flowing green mane to match the bright green eyes of her face. Her pure white coat seemed to sparkle as he felt his fear melt from him.

Lily…be my light.

Blackness fell. Everything was enveloped in a thick silence. Sky was aware of an overwhelming tension over his body and a swelling pressure in his head. He clung to the fading image of Lily, desperate to keep sight of her. The tightness in his brain became unbearable. Still he fought.

Out of nowhere, the roar of an eruption shattered the silence. Sky felt his body jolt against a sudden shockwave. He reeled for a moment before righting himself. As he did, he became aware of a strange sensation of weightlessness. No, it was more than that…he wasn’t bound by anything anymore. It reminded him of his race against Rainbow Dash: it was as if he had left his body behind.

A bright light burst before his eyes. He watched in wonder for a moment before a powerful wind ran right through him, picking him up and carrying him with it. As he sped along, Sky felt as though he were being stretched like a rubber band, as if his very existence was being warped.

With one last glance at the source of the light, Sky saw it abruptly grow in radiance, as though it desired to rival the sun. Its brilliance seemed to tear right through him, sending him tumbling into an empty void. He remembered nothing. He knew nothing.

And his consciousness fell.