Reality is but a mist: created by those around you.
Dishonesty: The truth of it all!
Created By,
Serra Quill
~ CHAPTER ONE ~
~#~
Twilight and her friends had arrived hours ago, they had seen a glimpse of what Sombra was before entering Cadences large shield, he was darkness, true dark magic. When Twilight had seen the state both Shining and Cadence had been in she spared no moment, Celestia had asked her alone to find the heart and that is what she will do, like always she made a plan and everypony had carried it out.
The Crystal ponies were the catalysts to activating the heart so as Twilight searched the rest of the girls made old time traditions of the kingdom come to life once again, many ponies began to gleam once more with their shiny coats as Twilight bound around the place looking.
Twilight ran quickly before stopping at a crossroads, she began thinking of another area as her assistant stopped next to her panting and gasping for air, "Twi-Twilight... slow.. down, I really cant keep up-"
"There is no time Spike, I have to find the heart, Oh where could it be," Twilight asked to no one in particular, Spike was about to speak but Twilight sprung into action once more, "How could I have been so stupid, where would an overlord put a time old artifact that could destroy him, obviously where nopony would go," she said as they ran once more.
It was but a few short minutes before both Twilight and Spike had arrived at the throne room, Spike waited until he got his breathe back before turning to Twilight, "The throne room? why would Sombra have it here? wouldn't they have found it already?"
"No Spike, not here...-" Twilight said before facing away from the throne, her horn glowed purple before turning a sickly black and green color. As she charged more power her purple eyes gained red rings as mist came from the white of them. With a flash the magic gripped the floor in dark magic, Twilight thought she had heard a small giggle in the distance, the distraction was only a fraction of her concentration before she finished the spell. After the dust cleared a large thud erupted under them, piece by piece a circle that lead down a spiraling staircase opened.
"This, is where we are going, I thought as much, Sombra would have a different layout back then meaning hidden compartments. With him being a dark magic user it was obviously going to open by dark magic only," Twilight said as her features returned to normal.
"Could have said that earlier Twi, Lets go then," Spike said as he started the staircase, only to be stopped by a hoof in his path, he looked up to Twilight as she shook her head.
Twilight moved forward, "No Spike, stay here, I will be back soon. Celestia asked me alone to find the heart, that means I need you to keep a look out for me up here, understood?" she said with a raised eyebrow.
Spike seemed aprehensive but he nodded, "Sure," he said as he turned and flopped down to his rump, grabbing a nearby stone that came out when the floor moved. "Just be careful Twilight," Spike said, a sad but soft features on his face in worry for Twilight.
"No worrys, hakuna matata right?"
"What?"
Twilight started walking down the stairs, "Nothing," the staircase was steep but she made quick pace. Ten minutes had passed and the light was dimming so she cast a light spell, the eerie space around her shined, the black crystal around them laced with magic and the cobwebs from untold amount of time lay underneath step.
As she walked down the staircase the magic from below grew stronger, making Twilight slightly uncomfortable, "Dark magic that was probably placed to scare away the citizens," Twilight said outloud.
"That my dear is incorrect"
Twilight stopped as she spun around, the small whispers of a voice had thrown her off, "hello?" she asked as no one replied, not even Spike could hear her from this far down. To her dismay and fear no one replied, she turned and moved faster but as she got down around twenty steps she heard the same voice once again.
"Please calm down my dear, you will surely slip if you move this fast," Twilight whipped her head around to find this voice, even extending her light spell but no pony was down their with her. "Don't be afraid my dear-"
Before the voice could carry on Twilight began to panic slightly, "Who are you? show yourself, your just a part of this dark magic here to hurt me or worse," Twilight said as her horn lit up.
A small chuckle was heard from the whispers, the sound echoed across the walls, "No my dear, I am no threat, I wish to help you-"
"You lie, your here to stop me from getting the crystal heart-"
"Quite the opposite," the voice said as a flash made Twilight cover her eyes, as the speckles of light that invaded her vision disappeared she opened her eyes. "There, no more of that long walk-"
Twilight became frantic before turning and seeing the staircase, "Where did you take me? where am I?"
"Quite a lot of questions, I brought you to the bottom of the staircase with a teleportation spell, as for your earlier question as to who I am, all in due time my dearest Twilight-" the voice stopped at her sudden movement.
Twilight walked up to a door at the far end of the room as she reached for it with her magic, "I would not touch that door," the voice quipped.
Twilight grasped the handle, "Why what could happ-" she said halfway as the door moved away, pulling her as she skid along the ground, at the tug she released her magic and tumbled into a sitting position now facing the door... it was like it was taunting her. "Oh yeah? try this you irritating peace of crystal," she said as she got angrier, usually Twilight kept her feelings in place due to some unforeseen accidents but she shrugged it off as being the dark magic in this places fault. With a jolt black magic rippled the air as it collided with the black crystal above the door.
"Well done my dear-"
After the door began to hum with energy and stopped moving away from her Twilight stood in front of the door, "How did you know my name? you are just a voice that the spell is making... so how? is it using my memories as a source of information?"
"Far from it, I am... I mean was a pony but now... well lets not get on that subject. I am here to help you and just want to give you some warning, Twilight I have watched over you since you were just a little filly, many times they tried to rid you from their sight but every time you overcame their trials"
"What are you talking about... you was a pony? and who the heck is trying to get rid of me?" Twilight was utterly confused, for one... the none existent voice (by deduction) was being acknowledged by her willingly, two... this thing just said he watched her from foal hood, which was for better lack of the term scary.
"I cannot tell you who I am but I can tell you the truth... this is the truth, once you know you may not believe me but that door shall prove it true. A thousand years ago this land was prosperous, ponies filled the surrounding areas, even creatures from other parts of the world. That was until the usurper came, the first news of the fiend was of one of the kingdoms far border town being incinerated, It was truly tragic," the voice said, Twilight listened as the sad tone struck her.
"The king at the tim-"
"King? what do you mean, don't you mean Celestia and Luna-"
"NO!" the voice shouted, the words bounded around the room until it echoed away, "I am sorry. The king who loved his subjects, adored their affections and showered them with gifts, their happiness ran true until that letter had arrived. Sombra, he was the ninth unicorn in his family to become king and as such when the tragic struck, many looked to him-"
"But Sombra is evil, I mean Celestia told me that he-"
"That my dear is where you are wrong, who was the one to tell you? who was the one who asked you to fight this threat alone? who has planned every step you have taken since you met them? on numerous occasions this mare had sent you into hell, a hell that was trial by fire in hopes that you would fail, in hopes that finally she would be rid of the one being in the solar system that had a chance against her and her foul kin!"
"No, your lying, it cant be!"
"That day when we received that letter, the king with tearful eyes cast his soul asunder to battle the tyrannic sisters that killed and ravaged his lands. It lasted many days but Solaris and Eclipse were too much, Celestia and her damned sister had him by his throat, pinned to the ground"
"No!"
"Accepting his defeat with his final breathe was his only choice but then Solaris had told him what she will do with the Crystal kingdom and all of its ponies, just to have her kin, this was the last time the kings subjects had seen him. He used his boiling rage and cast dark magic over the kingdom, it spread far and wide, many places became corrupted but it was a small cost. His soul was torn from his body, the kingdom was gone and so was Sombra but when they returned so did both the soul and the body... but the body was possessed by some unknown entity making the citizens flee from their once happy King"
"Thats not true, that cant be... Celestia and Luna would never-"
"All you know my dear is fabrication, if you do not believe me, step through the door and find out yourself"
Twilight looked at the door before sighing, "Why should I believe you, the story sounds very true but I wont believe it since this black magic will probably be a conjured illusion th-"
"You know well what black magic is Twilight, Dark magic does not lie, only in truth is hatred born. The truths of pony kind is what ponies hate and fear most, both are necessary along with willpower to cast black magic and therefore only truth will come from black magic, the dark depths of ones fear brought to life"
Twilight was about to retort but no words came, for some reason the words struck true, from the little amount she had and the hands on experience Twilight knew that black magic never hid its dark nature. It could not, it made you realize how weak you were but at the same time how strong, unlike what you thought it wasn't uncontrollable it was the fear of using it that made it hard to use. "So if I walk through here-"
"If you walk through the door my dear, you will be placed in the most difficult trial yet, your worst fear, the truth. You know what you must do to get to the Crystal heart, you must do this alone but know I am still here"
Twilight felt like she wanted to not believe the voice but no matter what the sad tone in his voice and the small amount of pity that came from it clawed at her chest. Twilight reached forward with her magic as she opened the door, blinding light once again covered her vision (she must really get back on making a spell for instant shades for explosions), with the light fading she opened once again.
She looked around as she saw the moon lowering above the mountains for the sun to rise, "Hello? voice?" there was no answer, looking again her ears flicked at the noise of talking behind a door to her left. As she opened it somehow the ponies inside did not hear her, to her surprise it was Luna and Celestia, their faces looked angry as Celestia looked down upon a scroll.
The angry scowl soon turned int a grin, Twilight shuddered as she looked at her mentor, the grin was one she had never seen, it almost seemed malevolent. She walked in t be earshot, "Luna, I have arranged a small tragic encounter, I sent Cadence and Shining ahead of us and our plan has worked. Cadence although sick has kept the shield up unknowingly of the plan, unfortunate but she will be taken care of after the calamity-"
"Calami-" Twilight said before grasping her mouth, luckily the ponies still hadn't noticed her.
"I have already sent message to her and her friends, this time the brats will be out of the way and as such with some luck that hell spawn will die by the hands of Sombra," Celestia said with a gleam to her eyes, Luna smiled back.
"Thee have done well sister, hast thou started preparation to start the ritual? once we have the crystal heart soon we shall have our kin, these dirty little being will be but a foot note upon history whe-" suddenly the voices of both alicorns grew distant and blurred, Twilight felt the magic fading as the vision grew brighter.
It wasn't long before she was back staring at the door, "How could you?" Twilight didn't want to believe it but from what her mentor had said... the voice was speaking the truth.
