The Elements of Darkness: Element #1 Suffering

Magic?

A wooden floor, a soft blanket, my face in a puddle of blood, noa gift “what?” The blood is a gift.“who?” in order for an earth pony to use magic one must split their consciousness. “So you’re my other consciousness?” No I’m just giving you a fighting chance, or am I? The voice fades away.

A bright flash then the only thing I see is a field of black.

Split my consciousness huh. So that’s how Pinkie Pie does it, but I don’t want someone like Pinkamina running free in my head. What is an emotion I rarely use? Pride? Joy? Love? Pride sounds the easiest, but how to separate it? What about the “gift”? A flashback to the dream I had after crashing into the ground, a sparkling black dragon forcing the blood out of my leg using nothing but his mind. That has to be it! What was it Gravity manipulation? Some type of blood-control? Power over Iron? I’ll just try to move the blood first.

I sat down in my mind and focused on my breathing like it was the recovery strait of a race. I’ve got it! I concentrated on the fact that I was worthless and pathetic. Then I tried to convince myself that I was special and that everything I did always worked out. The two thoughts conflicting with each other eventually formed two voices shouting at each other which then turned to an enormous feeling of hate. Shit. ”What’s wrong?” I can’t do anything; I might as well lay down and die right here. “Nonsense I always do what I set out to do.” I did It, I actually did it! I don’t think you could make that blood on the ground into a perfect circle. “Of course I can, but why would I do anything you asked me to do?”

I looked to my left to find a perfect copy of my old human body standing over me in the black chamber. Idea! I turned and bucked him in the face with my hind legs. Then jumped on him and summoned chains from the depths of my imagination pinning him to the ground.

“Because I said so, you may be me but you’ve never had to feel the pain I live with every day, the suffering I cause others simply by existing. Every breath I take pained me until I got here and I will not go through that again. So you can either do as I say or I destroy you right here and start over”

“O my, you are a violent one. Very well, your body is a disgrace anyway, I’d much rather have this form.” he said with a feminine twirl.

It took little effort to bring me out of my reverie.

The same soft blanket was covering me, but a circle of blood with an inscribed regular pentagon slowly formed around me.

“There, are you satisfied?”

Yes as long as you stay obedient I don’t care how you occupy your time.

“As you wish”

Now I couldn’t just see the circle, I could feel it. In fact I could feel all the blood in my body too. Interesting, so this is magic.

I pulled some blood out from underneath my freshly bandaged wings and shaped it into a pentagram fitting it inside the pentagon. This is easy, what do I need Pride for?

“I have a name you know.”

Then you’d best tell me it

“John”

Well John, if I can do this on my own what do I need you for?

The circle of blood lifts off the ground forming a floating hand which flies to my face and slaps it
“Why! Because I can do it perfectly without using any of your strength.”

You’re still using my blood.

“Well, if you give me a body of my own that wouldn’t be a problem.”

If that’s what you want I think we can cut a deal; how about if you help me escape this world I’ll make you a body to call your own

“Deal”

It was then that I noticed something; only Fluttershy would have had the knowledge of how to stop the bleeding and wrap my wounds, so this had to be her house. So where was everypony?
Searching the house quietly so as not to wake any sleeping animals I discovered the house was completely devoid of life. All of the animals’ living areas were clean and orderly. The chicken coop, there has to be animals in there.

As I approached the coop I heard voices coming from the road that led to town.
Running inside I tripped on a loose board. Better to hide then have to explain myself.
“But with the princesses gone what else are we to do?”

“That pony is dangerous. She was bleeding; nopony has bled since Celestia took the throne.”

“The guards said that they disappeared the night before she came she has to know something about what happened”

So the princesses are gone, I guess Michael couldn’t fake those two.

“She’s not here!”

“What do you mean she’s not here?”

“There is an odd puddle of blood where I left her last night, but she is gone!”

“Split up everypony she couldn’t have gotten far.”

Crap

Where to hide? The ceiling!

Jumping up to the rafters I barely managed to catch one in my hooves; as I was pulling myself up Fluttershy ran into the coop.

Come on, don’t look up

“Fluttershy where are you?”

“In here”

“Something has happened to Bon-bon! We need your help in town.”

“I’ll be right there”

I let out the breath I had been holding as she left.

I’d better get myself a disguise