Chapters As I entered the small town I headed for the only house where the lights still were lit. To be perfectly honest it didn't look much like a house, it either looked like some one had carved a house inside a tree or like a tree had grown through the underside of a house and nearly devoured it. But, sure would beat sleeping outside again. Right before I knocked on the door I took a quick glimpse around what I could see to check if this was the only house I could see if I could get shelter for the night, without risking awaking anypony. But, no. Ponyville was all dark apart from this one house. I rose the doorknob and let it go. It gave of a silenced thump when it hit the door. I waited a few minutes before I rose it again and let it go, a little harder this time.
I now heard the voice of a child inside. “Yeah, yeah. I'm coming.” I took a deep breath and wondered how the fillies here up north looked, the few I had meet on the country ways in the deep south had been sickeningly skinny and with a equally foul temper. When the door went up I was quite surprised to look down at a baby-dragon. “Yes?” It asked and yawned. “Ehh...Um...I...” I couldn't get the words forth as a stream of memories came back to me, I hadn't seen a dragon of any age since my I was just a filly when my father took me camping in the mountains.
Come on you know how to speak don't you? Having finally gotten a hold of myself I said in a as diplomatic tone I could. “I've travelled far, and this is the only house with the lights lit, so I was hoping I could get to spend the night here?” The dragon seemed to consider it for a few moments, much longer than I was hoping for. “Yeah, why not. Seems kinda cruel to let you sleep outside.” I let out a long sigh of relief. “Thank you.” When I was inside I asked the little dragon. “Could I ask you four questions?” It shrugged its shoulders. “You've already asked me one so, fire all.” I smiled at the dragons good mood and said. “The first one, where might I crash?” The dragon rubbed the scales under its chin and said. “Pretty much anywhere is fine with me, just don't break anything.” I lifted my saddlebags of my back, with a sign of relief, and dropped them in a corner. I took a small second to study the room, it looked like it was some sort of library with bookcases along the walls. “The second one, what is your name?” “Oh, the name's Spike.” I looked at the dragons green spikes of his head, back and tail, and thought to myself. How fitting. “The third one, I'm going to need some new clothes? I'm going to meet some very important ponies whenever I get there.” Spike answered back. “Go see Rarity she knows everything about that.” I was some what puzzled by yet a new name, but I was so tired that I just wanted to get questions over with and go to sleep. “So, final question, where can I find the ruling pony here?” Spike's forehead got some new wrinkles I hadn't seen before and he asked. “By that you mean princess Celestia?” “Yes,” I said understanding his confusion. “If she is the one ruling here.” Still a little confused Spike said. “In Canterlot, she's there with Twilight and Luna, you can take the train there.” “Um, I just need directions.” Spike pointed over his shoulder and said. “Over there, you should be able to see it when the morning comes.” I nodded, yawned and said. “Thanks for answering my questions, I'll probably be gone before you wake up tomorrow. Good night.” Spike yawned deeply. “Good night.” I went to my stuff and early collapsed over my things.
In my dreams the same dream haunted my sleep. I was in a big open landscape. I stood on a balcony and gazed over the wast open field beneath me. On the other side of the field, a enormous tower rose in to the sky, the top spire pierced the clouds and was blocked from view. The field in front of me is partly bathed in fog and in a few places you could see the forests and hills underneath. The tower was tall, narrow and made from pure, white stone with exquisite arches and decorations. The sun shined like a glimmered like jewel in the sky without a single cloud to disrupt its life giving light. In the distance I could hear a bird singing over the sound of the wind. Anypony would describe the situation a idyllic. But then, as always. From the top of the tower a cold darkness spread, over the field and over the sky. The I heard a laugh and then a voice. Both evil and empty of all love and goodness. “You can't escape me, I am you!” And then I saw him. The same shadowy stallion who had haunted me for the past thousand full moons or so. He was completely black, both in coat and mane, two red eyes glared at me and a array of white teeth in his mouth made him seem even more demonic than before. “Who are you?” I shouted out. Always the same words, always the same naive hope that he would give a better answer. “I am you, you are me. It has been like that ever since the fall, the betrayal.” He smiled a evil smile and his teeth, or rather fangs, glimmered with a cold dead gleam. I saw up, and as always, when the darkness reached the sun a beam of light shone down upon the demon and a he dissolved into bits of darkness. A Alicorn came down from the hole in the darkness the sun carved out. She, because it was always a she, had a white coat and a rainbow colored mane. After her came two more. The first one was dark blue in her coat and with a mane resembling the night sky and the second one was purple with a dark purple mane. They stood around me, raised their wings and looked down at me with glowing eyes. Twelve crystals materialized and started to float around us, they circled faster and faster until you could only see a blur of colors. Then they slowly got into their own orbits and when they stopped they pointed at us from all angles. A bright of light and I felt something on by back and without thinking I spread my own wings and ascended up into the heavens with them. And I woke up. What does it mean? I thought to myself. I felt a tear go down my cheek. The empty feeling after the dream always made me sad or empty, at a time I nearly took down a entire forest, just to feel something, just a little guilt. But, no when the dream was over I couldn't feel any feelings.
When the first rays of light entered through one of the house's many windows I was already packed and ready. I left a note saying “Thank you,” and a jewel for the dragon. Before I went outside I took a look at myself in the mirror. “Good heavens...” I muttered. My once stilled white coat was full of dust and mud and the same with my mane. The color reminded me more of half-way rotten hay than the onyx black color I always could boast about. Out side I found a half-full bucket of water and gave myself a wash. Every time the water became filthy I tossed it out with magic. The black and white aura gave the water a mysterious look. When I was finished I dried myself and played with the thought of taking paid to do this. But, I threw it away when I came to think of that any pegasus with a somewhat descent weather control could do it faster and better that me.
When I was finished I looked around the town in search of the mare called Rarity. A part of me, the one who had lived in one of the worlds biggest cities ever since I was a filly, doubted if this small town would have a skilled enough tailor to make me clothes fit for a meeting with such important ponies as I would be meeting but, the part of me that had been on the road for any hundreds of moons was close to overwhelmed with the amount of houses. Ever since I left my previous home of Acoirna, The Jewel in The South, I hadn't been in more populated areas than a group of run-down shacks. I walked up and down the humble streets of Ponyville without finding anything and it wasn't until everypony got out of their houses that I bumped into somepony who finally asked if I was lost. It took me nearly by shock because she stood behind me whilst I had my muzzle far down a small map I grabbed right before I got to Ponyville. “Are you lost dear?” The voice came from a clearly sophisticated mare and I turned around in a embarrassingly clumsy manner to answer. “Uh.. yes I am in fact as lost as can be.” “Oh, might I gave you directions?” Now that I had gathered my senses I could get a clearer picture of who I was talking to. She had a white coat, beautifully groomed , her mane was purple and curly and her cutie mark was three diamonds. “I'm looking for a pony named Rarity. Could you tell me where she lives?” She laughed a low laughter. “I might know where you could find her.” If it was something I was not in the mood for, it was guessing games. Or if I'm to be honest, was never in the mood. If it was one thing I hated with all my heart, it was when somepony withheld information. Nothing good comes out of it. When I did say anything she resumed talking. “I'm Rarity, you aren't from around here, are you darling?” “No, you can sort of say that are not,” I shook my head and got on to my actual point. “I'm going to see some rather high-class members of society and, I haven't got a wardrobe to support such a meeting,” I took a bag filled to the brim with bits. “Price is no concern.” She smiled and said. “Oh darling, it would not be a problem. Generosity is one of my areas of expertise.” I didn't know what to say and kept my mouth shut. She walked through the increasingly more crowded streets to a building I figured out to be a shop of sorts.
When we got inside and into the room where the ¨magic¨ happened she made me stand still in the middle of the room whilst she took measurements and the things she needed to do in order to know what to do with the suit. “Do you have any idea on what you want?” I stood still like a manikin and said. “I was thinking a suit of sorts, but I'm totally inapt at thinking anything when it comes to design.” She gave me a short hmm as an answer. She went over to a pile of fabrics and chose a piece of dark gray silk and held it in front of me, either to see if it it fitted to my appearance. Then, she went back to her measurements and wrote them down on a note block she levitated with her magic. I don't know how long I stood there, since I had a fashionista for a mother I had to me her manikin whenever she had a new design so I learned myself to enter a sleep-like state were I only surfaced to answer questions. “I hate to intrude, but who are going to meet?” I took a few seconds to savor the moment, thinking I could really impress the mare with the news. I obviously did not know Rarity’s circle of friends. “I'm going to Canterlot and meat Celestia.” Rarity then said, to my surprise and disappointment. “Oh. I'm heading there later today, I was planning to get there right away. But, then you showed up,” She stopped talking for a few seconds whilst she measured the length of my hind legs. “Can't wait to meet Twilight again. I was in Manehattan when she left and now she's been gone for two months now.” Again. A new name and a new place I needed to learn. And, once again, I chose to not show my ignorance. “How are you going to get to Canterlot?” She mumbled something through her closed lips and took you the needles she had in her mouth. “I'm going to use the newly made railway, or it has been given a great brush up.” I let out a small sigh and thought to myself. Wonder how much time I'll need to get up to date with this place? “Perhaps you would like to go with us, we forgot that Twilight wouldn't be with us when we got the tickets.” “Who are “we” may I ask?” I didn't quite like the idea of sharing more words than I needed, I'd always been scared of being betrayed. “Oh, it's me, Applejack, Flutteshy, Pinkie Pie and Spike. Rainbow Dash and Twilight will meet us at the station when we reach Canterlot.” I answered after a little while. “Fine with me, I'm sick of walking on hoof.” After that we didn't say much as Rarity needed to focus, not that I minded it that much. When she was done with the measurements I went the back of the room and placed myself in front of one of the windows. And after yet some more time she was finished. “Pffew, not my best work but, I hope it's good enough.” It was just as I had thought of it. Though it might sound cheesy, it is the truth. A gray suit jacket with black linings along lines. Though it was by far not a complex design it was expertly made, from the pinpoint accurate stitching to the excellent choice of fabric. I smiled and said. “It looks great and no matter how generous you might be, miss Rarity, it would be wrong to not pay you.” It took my wallet out of the my saddlebags I placed in the corner when we started. “So, what is a price you would be willing to accept?” She gave it a long think before she said. “Eight bits.” With a contempt smile on my face I handed the money over. Why shouldn't I be smiling? It was the bargain of the millennium.
When we were about to exit the shop three fillies came in a happy, careless trot. One was a earth pony, one was a unicorn and the last was a pegasus. The earth pony was cream colored with a red mane, the unicorn was white and with a purple and pink curly made. And lastly there was the pegasus who had a orange coat and a purple mane. It was a strange mix of colors seeing them together. “Hey sis!” The white one said and smiled from ear to ear. “Hello Sweetie Bell.” Rarity quickly took a glance at me and looked forward with a sort of dreading expression on her face. When they were about to walk past us the cream one turned her head around and exclaimed. “Girls, look there,” The two others stopped in their tracks and turned around. Rarity and I also turned around. “He ain't got his cutie mark!” Rarity groaned loudly. “We can't stop now, the train will be departing in a few moments.” The three fillies looked disappointed and like they wanted to say something more but a sharp look from Rarity silenced them with a gaze filled with warning.
We hurried down the street, away from the disappointed fillies. “Your sister and?” Rarity took a little while to register my question and she didn't answer until we reached the train station. “That was my sister Sweetie Bell, Applejack's sister and Scootaloo, a friend of them.” At this time we were just outside the station and on our way through the ticket control. When we were through the security gates and onto the platform Rarity was greeted by four other characters, three of which I had never seen before. One was the baby-dragon Spike and the three others were two earth ponies and a pegasus. They all greeted Rarity with great enthusiasm. And after that they turned their attention to me. One of the earth ponies, with a pink coat and mane, jumped up and down while she asked me about who I was. “I'm... I'm...” Again, the long time on the road had meant that I had forgotten a lot about myself. But, I didn't think it had this deep roots. “I'm... I'm Deman Ner're.” They all looked at me with a confused expression and stood still for a small minute. “I'm from way south so...”
Before it could get any more awkward a voice came from the train waiting to depart. “Everypony aboard the train. Departing to Canterlot in five minutes!” The message was repeated down the line in the other wagons. Which really wasn't really that necessary since we were the only ponies on the platform. We got inside, I got my ticket from Rarity and, whilst they sat in the front of the wagon, I sat down in the back. I took a quill and some parchment out of my bags. The quill rested over the parchment before it started to move over, forming words. And ever so carefully these words emerged.
In every story ever told,
the most powerful deity is not a hero,
nor is it the villain, holding the world
in his or her hooves.
It is the pony holding the quill or
the pony in charge of the writing.
So if this life turns out to be
just something of a deity beyond
my comprehension and vision of
the thing I see as reality,
rules this world.
What can I do?
Apart from flowing
the strokes of his or hers
quill and thoughts.
When I looked at the poem I smiled. I...am...a....fucking genius. The poem had some flaws I had to iron out but, apart from that, this was gold. I mean... Good grief...
The rest of the train journey I tried to get the few flaws out or perhaps get a new verse into the mix but, I didn't get anywhere. After sometime we got out of the train, we it had stopped of course and the sight that greeted me left me without words. I got out of the train last over me I saw a cyan pegasus, nothing special, but then I saw down, or forwards. On the platform in front of us. Stood a purple alicorn. Her mane was a darker shade of purple with a think vein of pink. She was one of the ponies from my dreams. “Oh...Shit.”
Even though you could clearly see that it was the same pony from my nightmares there where some differences. Like the fact that she had bags under her eyes and almost all the divine grace she had in my dreams was gone, almost. A other thing was the enormous stack of books she levitated a few feet in the air. The pink pony ran over to her and lunged at her in a tight embrace. “Twilight! I've missed you so much!” The Alicorn that had to be the Twilight I had heard Rarity talk about gasped for air and tried to get the nearly rabid pony of her. “Hello Pinkie. You're choking me.” Pinkie, relentlessly, loosened here grip around Twilight and jumped up and down whilst the rest of my company came towards her and the Pegasus that had been flying over us when we got to the station. Over the now departing train I could here Pinkie shout something along the lines of. “Rainbow Dash! I'm so happy to see you!” And then she jumped a few feet up in the air and stuck to the Pegasus like a mosquito and she dragged her down towards the ground. And I could here different greetings mixed in between and at last when all that had been done Twilight asked. “Who is that guy,” She pointed a hoof at me. “He's been standing there ever since you left the train.” Rarity was the one answering and I didn't care I was just glad that I didn't need to engage the conversation. “He says that his name is Deman Ner're and that he has come to ask you, Celestia and Luna something.” I was about to say “No, I came to speak to royalty.” When I realized what Rarity meant I stopped and I didn't come longer than. “No, I ca-.” And I fell on my knees. “I-I'm sorry your highness. I deeply apology for meeting you in this state.” I slammed my gaze down and bent my head. “I'm glad that you bless me with your presence.”
I heard hoof steps and I awaited a slap over the back of my head. But, all that happened was that someone put a hoof on the side of my head and turned my head up. “What's with the act?” I was staring into the cyan Pegasus' red eyes. She shook her head and a strain of rainbow colored hair fell in front of her eyes. After a short huff she pulled me up on my hooves. Out load I said. “I'm showing respect.” And then I said so low that she wouldn't be able to hear me. “Something you apparently can't...” The princess came over and said. “Now, what did you want to ask me?” I swallowed a lump in my throat and said carefully. “I wish to have some time to prepare myself and I would like to do it in the presence of all of you,” And I quickly added. “Unless it bothers her majesty.” “No, it doesn't.” She said with a smile. With a sigh of relief, we walked to the castle and when there I got into the first unoccupied room and got my things ready. First, the suit. It fit like a glove, perhaps a bit tight around my fore legs but, nothing I could make a descent complaint over. And then the difficult part came. Getting the eyebrow piercing to sit straight. I didn't remember much when it came to the subject of my past but, something I remembered was that the eye piercing was important to get right. I had no idea why. No need to take risks though. The one I chose was a semi-circle with three spikes pointing out from it. Each symbolizing the crown's ruling might . One was the might to make rules, the second was the might to approve rules and the third was the might to rule. I found out that the problem with getting a piercing, if you don't wear it, is that it gets tricky to find the holes again. After some failed attempts, and a whole lot of swearing and paper towels, I got it to sit correctly.
After that I took out my notes and rehearsed a few times over until a guard came in and said that they were ready to meet me. I followed him through the corridor, up a small staircase and into a enormous throne room. In the end sat yet again two more characters from my dreams, the only thing that missed now was the shadow stallion. With a deep breath and went towards them at a slightly faster pace then I was personally comfortable with. The white Alicorn in the middle was the first to say anything. “Greetings Deman Ner're,” I stopped, bowed and resumed walking towards them. When I was few steps away from the platform the three thrones were placed on. “Your majesties,” I talked in a slow voice with clear emphasis on when I addressed their titles, as I had been taught. “I have traveled far, for the deepest south, to seek your help.” After a small pause I resumed. “For the past thousand moons or so, I have been haunted by nightmares. And now I seek your help. In return I will teach, and pass on, the ancient magical art of ritual magic.” The dark blue one that had to be Luna arose from her seat and walked down from the platform. “What rituals?” She turned around, looked at the others of her kin and back to me. “We all have bad experiences with rituals?” This hit me like a hammer. I had totally forgotten to write this down. Before I started to hyperventilate I calmed myself down and took out a book with rituals and guidelines on how to execute them. I browsed through the pages until I found something of interest. “Visit the past, see things you thought were lost to the waves of the past.” I flipped the book around and showed it to the princess. The picture showed a star piercing a mirror with a beam of light. Under the steps of how to perform the ritual were written in order. She took the book in her magic and read down the page. When she got back to her seat she said. “Well, I must say that there is some things here that seem interesting.” She sat down and said. “I accept you offer.” With only one name remaining I connected the dots with the names and all. “Very well,” Celestia said. “Feel free to start when ever you feel like it sister.” “Deman, are you ready?” Luna asked. No word could even scratch the surface on how ready I was. So, I just nodded. The three princesses got up from their seats and walked down from the platform. Celestia and Twilight stood behind Luna. “Before I can cure you from your nightmares I need to see them first. So brace yourself, if I go to deep into your mind just tell me to stop.” I nodded again, slower this time unsure about what would happen.
Her eyes turned white as she went down in the dark abyss of dreams and nightmares. Then, it came. The dark figure. Black as the night, like no light hit it. My heart started to race as a well known feeling came to me, fear. The stallion went trough the room towards Luna. I tried to scream and tried to move towards her, but the words froze in my throat and my legs became as melted to the ground. It blended with her and they turned into one being. It was black as night with armor as stars in the sky. The being in front of me turned back into Luna, back into the unknown shadow stallion, back into the unknown shadow mare and, finally. back into Luna. Then I heard the voices of the shadows through Luna's voice. “Yes, we are here. You can't escape us, we are you.” With a voice trembling with fear I finally managed to whisper. “No...not here...” The shadow beings started to laugh trough Luna. For every heartbeat, for every breath of air, a pain inside my head grew stronger and stronger. All until I finally screamed in pain and agony. A bright flash of light and the shadows in the nightmare version of the throne room burnt away and I closed my eyes.
The force of gravity seemed like it was exemplified by a thousandfold when I opened my eyes. I struggled to hold my balance as I looked around the room. The once glorious throne room was in ruin. The three princesses had been sent flying and were now laying in different piles around the platform in puddles of their own blood. Behind me, I saw that the guards were in equally painful situation. There were cracks in the floor and the walls and the windows were in a billion pieces of the floor. As I turned around and intended to gallop away from the mess I had created a pain in the back of my head hit me and I fell to the floor. When I got up the room was dark as night. Dark storm clouds covered the skies and almost no light could penetrate them. A flash of light and after it came the sound of a thunderclap. On the staircase in front of the platform lay Luna. She was dark with blood and her wings were contorted in a angle that meant that they where broken in several places. "You dare to turn you back on me?" The body of Luna started to float in the air with blood from the wounds in her chest dripping on the floor. She opened her eyes and a dark aura surrounded them. "How dare you turn your back on me?" Blood dripped from her mouth as drool. "I have been alive for fifteen thousand years and I will not let you ruin my life." She was possessed! The sickly contorted body and the eyes. No normal pony would look like that. "Don't run away from me," Luna spread her fore hooves as to embrace me. "Come here. Be one with your darkness." I would at a later time come to regret my choice of words, but now, the stereotypical hero's courage had come over me. "If it looks like this, like you." I braced myself for the attack I thought would come. "I will rather die!" Whoever was possessing Luna let her go and she fell to the ground with a sickening sound. "Very well, let's see about how your promise holds up." The shadow stallion materialized in front of me. And just as I was about to take the initiative to attack, he vanished. "You call me a coward?" As the shadow stallion disappeared the light and reality came back. And after a few minutes everything was back in order, or depending on how one sees order. There were still ponies laying around the room, in puddles of their own blood, the walls and the floor still had cracks, and the windows were still in shards. And then the truth came to me. Luna wasn't possessed. I was...
In the hallway behind the throne room I could hear guards galloping towards the door. With only a second to spare I found my only route out of the room that didn't involve me getting arrested. The window. As I threw myself out of the window I knew that my chances of surviving would be less than zero. "To the afterlife..." And I was on my way. The ground came towards me at a incredible pace and I would have hit it if a cyan Pegasus had interfered. "You idiot, I wan't to die!" I hit her in the face in a vain attempt to get her to let go of me. "Wait a bit and I will spare the trouble of suicide." When we got behind the walls of the courtyard she let go of me and I fell down. My fall was only a few feet, around six, but it still hurt like the deepest pits of Tartarus. I spun around when I hit the ground and the gravel made deep cuts in my sides and on my back. When I stopped she lifted me up and said. "Listen here you little piece of shit. What have you done to Twilight?" I groaned in pain. "Nothing..." Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes and said. "If you come here with such petty horsefeathers I will drag you along the gravel until your spine is gone," She held me even closer and stared into my eyes. "What have you done to Twilight?" I didn't say anything. Eyes burning with hatred and anger, she was about to do as she promised four guards came through the small that connected the court The shards of glass made the cuts in my side even deeper and when I finally laid still there was a trail of blood after me. Two guards took a hold of me and dragged me into a jail cell. There they bandaged my wounds and left me there.
When the pain had somewhat subsided I thought to myself. That went well... And I passed out. I slept without any nightmares. No shadow ponies or demons haunting my dreams. And at a later time I have come to realize that every drop of blood spent that day and every deep fear were still worth the few hours of uninterrupted tranquility.
When you spend most of your time in a fever, keeping track of time is by far not the easiest thing to do. At least for me. In between the unrest full nights, and the fever-induced seizures I asked the guards or the doctor that came to see me about the time. A day passed, a week. At this point I got a little better but, I still was in a near coma like state. A month, two months. When the fever dreams became my new home and reality I was dragged out by the guards, given some food and drink and after that a unicorn came and healed me. Seems I have suffered enough. I thought to myself. I was given a hour to rest without having a disease in my body. I was then brought into the throne room. The sunshine burnt my eyes and I shivered as the light came back to my vision. The throne room was filled with ponies of different sizes and with, what seemed like, different social statuses. But, there was no one I recognized. It must have been a strange sight. A stallion shacking like a leaf in the autumn breeze. "How do you like the light foul demon?" A voice from within the crowd asked. So, they think I'm the demon? If only they knew. Nothing less was to be expected though, a unicorn offering to teach ritual magic, then causing enormous damage to the castle and then nearly killing the princesses and the guards. I mean, how could one blame them?
The mass of ponies parted and I saw the platform with the thrones. On their thrones sat the princesses each with their own bandages and scars. The guards put me down and a shock wave of pain jolted through me, starting in my legs and ending in my head. This ending with me falling to the ground and the wounds opening again. And as drops of blood fell to the floor and the white bandages slowly got more and more red spots, the weaker or more sentimental ponies in the crowd seemed to think I had suffered enough. With a little struggle I got up but, every time I tried to get up the pain took me and I fell to the floor. "Do...you...enjoy this?" I asked the ponies who now appeared more as tyrants than fair rulers. Against what I thought they actually heard me and Twilight took the word. "No. We do not." The guards helped me to the staircase and made sure I didn't fall over. "So, what do you want from me?" Every breath of air sent waves of pain through me but, before the guards needed to help me, I heard the words of my mother running through my head. Don't look weak. Be strong Deman, be strong. The few memories the nightmares hadn't claimed filled me with strength. "Forgiveness, and that you teach the arts you promised." The words of that the princesses could even consider taking up knowledge in those horrid arts spread concerned, fearful, and angry reactions throughout the crowd. If the princesses of Canterlot had been the tyrants they seemed like, from my perspective at least, they would have killed the ponies in the crowd that protested. I thought this because of my experiences with royalty back in Acoirna. They didn't have anything against marking their dominance. They struck down anyone who dared to oppose them, torturing or killing them in the feared Prisons of Honor. A treatment I got from their guards was that I was dragged into the back of an alley and beat me down until I was holding onto life by just and inch, and then they healed me enough for me not to die!
I was tempted to tell them to sod of. But, my better judgment came to my rescue and I replied. "Yes."
The cyan Pegasus named Rainbow Dash came up to the platform. "Are you sure about the Twi?" Twilight Sparkle, I had managed to fetch her full name whilst I was sick, said through the angle of her mouth. "It's not any day you get to be the first in many years to learn a new art, especially a art of magic." Dash took a few seconds before she responded. "This art as you call it is ritual magic! They use dead bodies and cannibalism to use magic!" Ugh...Those words hurt... It was true that some sick maniacs had used the magic of death to become the most powerful ponies to have ever lived at the time and despite extensive purges and attempts to control it, some cult member refused to die and the memories were now carved in stone. "No...I do not use death to earn my powers," The crowd now turned their attention to me. "I spit at the users of such horrid magic. My arts celebrate life and uses other things than bodies. So what you are referring to is Blood Magic, and I will never use it." With the news some members of the crowd seemed relieved, but almost everypony else still stared at me in disbelief and scorn. "Good, now to why we got this ceremony thrown together," Celestia got her word in. "Do you Deman Ner're, swear to teach the arts you have talked about?" I knew that even if this didn't cut it for a ceremony like this, but telling them would not be the way to go. The ceremony needed to be done out in the free air, with a ritual and not just some promises. Just roll with it Deman... "I do." Celestia smiled and said. "Will you never injure a living thing when doing this?" I had give them the harsh truth. "I will do what I can to avoid it." Some nervous whispering amongst the crowd, but Celestia didn't seem to care. "And finally. Will you forgive us for your pain and suffering?" This was a tough one. I wanted to say no and leave. But, that was out of the question, I could not give up. I could not live with the nightmares who were slowly eating away at my sanity. "Yes." The news seemed to please the princess even more and now Luna started to smile (Twilight had been smiling this entire time) and Celestia then said. "When can we begin?" With the amount of things needed for rituals I couldn't start that day, even if I wanted, so I said. "Tomorrow, I need to prepare myself." After some time of awkward silence the guards made the crowd go out of the throne room and Deman followed. I went back into my room and took a piece of paper and a splinter of wood and carved a intricate pattern into the paper. A restoration spell. As soon as it was executed the effect was upon me. No words can quite explain how it is to return to your strength after being sick in a matter of seconds. The closest thing I can come to describe it would be a orgasm.
Still panting for air I leaned towards my bed until I could resume breathing normally. Now, I could finally get a closer look at my room. It was dim with bare stone walls. My bed was placed in the middle and the only other furniture was a chest and a bookshelf, without any books. There were no windows and the air was chocking. My bags had been moved from the first room I had used and there I found some bits. Before I left the room I brought a sheet of paper and the wooden splinter.
Whilst following the last members of the crowd I made sure to cover my face. I walked in the far back and hoped to get outside without making contact with anyone. But, alas, I heard a voice from a mare behind me. "Hey you!" I had to turn around, the outcome would be the same no matter what, so I did."Mind if I join you?" She was about three inches lower than me, with a red mane and a orange coat. She seemed fragile for a earth pony and the bloodshot eyes either told me that she had a allergic reaction or that she had been awake all night, and in a city like Canterlot, where fields weren't very plentiful, it would suggest that she studied. "Yes actually." She caught up to me and held out a hoof to stop me. "Why?" I tried to avoid eye contact, but then she took my face in her hoof and forced me to look her in the eyes. One of them was blue and the other one was orange. "I want to be alone." She now stood in front of me and looked me deeper in the eyes. "Anything wrong?" Have patience Deman. I tought to myself. Starting to get annoyed by the mare's persistence I said. "Weather or not something is wrong or not, is none of your business," I now lowered my voice so that the guards wouldn't have any reason to imprison me. "If you follow me I will smear you all over the walls." She didn't say anything so I took off. Right before she was out of my field of hearing she said. "You got quite the nerve for a blank-flank!" Oh no you didn't you bitch! Rage boiled in my head as I turned around. My horn lit up and she levitated towards me. The black and white aura-bubble around her sealed away her screams. With a little spell it turned invisible and for anyone who didn't know what was going on it had to have looked strange. A unicorn with a lit up horn, without levitating something or performing some kind of spell. If only they knew... Again.
I went out into the courtyard what Dash had first dropped me in all those moons ago. There were no traces of my blood anywhere. I found a door in the room. Past it was a round room very similar to my room except that this room was completely empty. The aura-bubble came back into view and the mare dropped on the floor. While she was still trying to make heads and tails of where she was I locked the door, in case you don't know, spells like the aura-bubble blocks out what is outside to who ever is inside. My horn lit up again and a smokeless fireball flew to the back wall and gave the room the familiar orange light of fire. "So, what did you say to me?" She stood up and said, rather angrily. "I told you that you," She pointed a hoof at me. "Has quite the nerve to talk to somepony like that. You don't have your qutie mark and, my guess is that, you probably don't even have a job." "So what?" She laughed at me. She laughed at me. "Why? You are pathetic! The only thing to match it is your mouth!" The rage that had some what somewhat subsided whilst I was on my way out came back. What happened next is difficult to explain...
In the area around my field of view shadows began to dance around the edges and the shadows elsewhere got darker. Like in a...dream... With some time in between the image my eyes painted in front of me vanished, and then, came back and vanished again. Like my subconsciousness and my consciousness were in a argument over whether or not I should be awake or not.
But, this is what happened. My horn lit up and she started to float again. And all of a suddenly here neck started to stretch. She screamed in pain, but I couldn't stop. The screams became louder and louder. But, they didn't last for long. Her head got torn off by may magic and the blood splattered all over me, the ceiling, the walls and the floor. My eyesight blinked out right before her head was completely torn of, it blacked out and when it returned the body and the head was floating in front of me. Out of both wounds blood vessels hung down like long strings of red thread and blood poured out from them coloring the mare and the floor red as roses. Spikes from the spine stuck up from the wounds and penetrated the skin along the edges. And then...the face... The face! It was contorted in a sicking display of pain and fear. I heard myself say. "How do you like that, bitch?" Why did I say that!? Why did I kill her!? She was innocent! I turned the body around and shoved the body over the fireball. It took a few minutes to start burning, but when it started to burn it burnt with a strong fire. And soon, the corpse was reduced to a burnt shell, too charred to be recognized. The room got filled with the smell of burnt flesh and I, carefully, snuck out of the room, out into the courtyard. I took a some water from the fountain in the right-hoof corner of the courtyard. The fresh blood was easy to wake up and when I was out of the courtyard my vision turned back to normal. The knowledge of what I had done didn't plague me, like it wasn't me. I smiled and thought about the fact. I am possessed, so maybe it's that?
Out in the streets of Canterlot I found a shop with a array of quills, empty scrolls and books, and different other office-supplies. There I bough a utility knife. At a goldsmith I found a rather sweet looking trinket. I had no idea what I was going to use it for, but I needed gold. Magic flowed much more easily through metals like gold. Silver could be used for the same things, but gold was so much better. Alchemy was a art that was very underused. Most ponies stopped when they could turn anything into gold, I didn't though. I did turn things into gold, one of the few things I remember doing was to give ponies turds made of gold and watch the confused facial expressions. The sight when several feeling played across their faces could always crack you up. When I decided continue my studies in the filed of alchemy, a world of possibilities opened. Potions, spells and, after sometime, rituals gave me enormous power. At a time I could cheat death with a potion I named Foniskens Taiers, or for those of you that doesn't speak Ye Olde Tongue, The Tears of The Phoenix. One sip of that and you could stand a mediocre sized cannonball to the face.
I didn't have any more errands to attend so I spent a few hours window shopping the sun started to go down and the sky went from blue to purple. Back at the castle Luna waited for me. I slowed down and tilted my head, at the time I was unaware of her role in Equestria I was even more confused than one might expect. She had a serious expression on her face and said slowly. "Come with me." I bowed and did as she asked. She went up through several corridors and up a long staircase. After some time I got bored and started to levitate. All the ponies I met on the way to Canterlot had gone of their hinges when they figured it out. What in all of Equestria was the big deal? That was beyond me. And even Luna lifted a eyebrow when I came out of the staircase and into the room she had led me to. "Why am I here?" She stood at the end of the room, with a picture levitating in front of her. "You saw something when I looked into your mind, didn't you?" I thought about the question, what could it have to do with her? "Yes I did." She snapped after a breath of air that escaped her lungs and straightened up. "What did you see?" This was a reaction I did not expect. The youthful mare shock like a filly, scared of her own shadow. When I saw her like this I wanted to comfort her, but the only thing I could do was to tell her what I saw. The shadows stallion and the shadow mare. When I was about to start with the second act of my nightmare she stopped me. "I presume you know about Nightmare Moon?" My silence filled her in on my ignorance and she shared the story about how she became Nightmare Moon. After that she walked towards the staircase, turned and said. "Feel free to sleep here for the night, I have things to attend." And as the sound of her hoofsteps died out I heard that sh shouted. "Don't touch my stuff!" I had to laugh and trotted across the room to the balcony, there I could see far and wide across the wast lands around Canterlot. The thing that caught my attention though transpired in a courtyard and after a short ritual to temporarily enhance my hearing I could take hear the conversation. "...ound her like this sir." A mare said, she had a strong voice, but something had scared her. "With all the blood and the decapitated head?" A stallion asked. "No. We did it ourself." She whispered, but I heard her, and out loud she said. "Yes sir." They were obviously scared and the stallion said. "First murder in Canterlot in nine hundred years..." He must have found a small scrap of courage deep down. "Pack up. Get the doctor here, he will be able to say more than we can." The two ponies took the body back into the room, sealed it off and parted.
I sat down on the fence around the balcony and dangled with my hind legs over the giant abyss beneath me. I didn't know that I had what it took to commit murder... Then, the voice of the shadow stallion came back into my head. Not like that maybe. But you have killed before. Let me enlighten you. It came as a shock and I nearly fell of the fence and when I had my hooves back on safe ground, memories flashed before my eyes. A young filly with onyx black hair and white fur was walking through a corridor. He had a doll slung over his back and I was in a happy trot and went into a room where he left it. After sometime a other filly, a girl, came in and took the doll. After that when the first filly came for it. When he didn't find it he went through room to room and eventually came to the room were the girl was. "Give it back!" He shouted, but the girl said back. "No. It's mine. I took it and, besides, you are to cowardly to take it back!" My darkness always had a special place in your mind, even when you were a filly. And you really hated her, so all I had to was to push you over the edge. The shadow stallion was now next to me and I was in the room, right next to the door. The filly that was me lunged at the other filly and bit her throat, it was over so fast, and before you knew it, she was dead. I walked out of the room with the doll over my back and the scene disappeared. You were only five years back then. Already with a life on you consciousness, your sisters. This struck me hard. "My sister..." I closed the doors and laid myself to sleep on a big rug I found in the corner. I didn't touch her stuff though.