Controlling the Beast Within

What should I do?

That was the first thought that went through my mind. It wasn’t like I’d been through this sort of thing before. Besides Luna, I hadn’t really met any more of these “chaotic elements” yet, and I was highly doubting that going right up to Trixie and telling her everything would go smoothly. If anything, it’d probably go as well as my first meeting with Twilight. And that was all if my hunch was correct to begin with!

Perhaps I should contact one of the Princesses?

“...’Look for the other elements’.”, I muttered to myself. “It was Discord that told me that.”

A heavy sigh was released as I fell back onto my bed, staring at the ceiling. There definitely was some sort of beef between Discord and the princesses. Going and telling the two that I had received orders from him probably would get them a bit antsy. Especially Celestia. She was the one that didn’t want me to know I was an Element in the first place—Which I really should have been told about, regardless of my opposition to hear it...

“Luna would be the better of the two to speak with.”, I’d finally decided, leaning forward and getting up from the bed.

Walking over to my window, I glanced out to still see a bright, afternoon sky. Though there were a few close-by roofs obscuring my view, I could manage to see a crowd around Trixie’s stage. A frown started to form at a sudden speculation, though.

Would she even be awake right now?

Shaking my head, I headed towards the doorway. Being the “Night Princess” no doubt meant she was resting during the day. Which left me—sadly—on my own this time. Which was kind of bad, since I had no freaking clue what to do! Walking down the stairwell towards the main room to the library, I let out a low groan of annoyance.

“Why do secrets have to be so damn complicated?”, I grumbled, heading for the kitchen. “I mean, I get that there could be some sort of panic if all of Equestria suddenly found out that, not only are there wielders of The Elements of Harmony, but there’s ALSO these beings that possess these things called the Elements of Calamity.”

Going into the fridge, I pulled out a jug of apple juice and brought it over to the table, sitting down. “Oh yeah, they sound like wonderful guys, right? And get this! That frightening Nightmare Moon, who was really your other Princess? She’s one! Kind of the reason she went all crazy to begin with.”

Unscrewing the cap, I helped myself to a couple of gulps before placing the bottle down on the table with a small sigh. “So is that weird creature that’s been living with the local librarian. But wait, there’s more! Not only is he, apparently, the living embodiment of big angy, but he’s also secretly a ferocious monster with fangs and claws meant for tearing flesh!” I even went as far as to pretend that I was gnashing at meat and bone vigorously, making snapping and snarling sounds.

Pausing a moment, sort of realizing how unstable I’d just gone and made myself sound, I slouched back into my seat with a false chuckle. “...Yeah. I’m sure anyone who heard that would react in a very rational manner. Why, I’d be surprised if they didn’t.” I went to take another chug of juice when I froze mid-sip.

A sudden shiver ran up my spine as my ears picked up the faintest of breaths coming from the doorway.

...There’s someone here.

I wasn’t sure what to do. The mere thought that I’d literally just unloaded the list of things I was not supposed to be sharing with others—and that someone more than likely just heard all of it—was making my stomach churn. It didn’t really matter who it was that had heard. They were no doubt freaking out, about to call the guard. In which then I would be dead. Or they would be dead, and I would be in even more trouble.

Slowly, I placed the jug down on the table before ever so slightly turning my head a tad bit over my shoulder, stretching out my arms over my head.

“I wonder when Twi and Spike will be getting back...”, I said to myself, doing my best to not sound alert.

I could feel my senses hike up a bit more, my hearing suddenly honing in on a steadily increasing heartbeat. A draft seemed to come from somewhere near the doorway, the faintest scent of lavender hitting my nostrils. And that’s when I knew who the eavesdropper was.

“...I know you’re there, Twilight.”

There was a hushed gasp, followed by the sound of frantic hooves attempting to maneuver over themselves. She was more than likely preparing to bolt. The door was flying open in a pale pink glow, with her heading straight for the exit. And she would have succeeded, too.

Had I not been just as fast in getting up and slamming the door shut in front of her.

No words were said. We both simply stood still, frozen in our own stances. Hers was of pure shock, with large amounts of fear on the side. She looked like she was in a position to flee, but her legs had locked themselves stiff, preventing her from escaping. I simply stood in front of the door, one arm stretched out and holding the door shut. I wasn’t looking directly at her, but more toward the floor in front of her. My expression, if I had to guess, was rather calm. But I could feel the small traces of affliction seeping through. And we stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, but was likely only a few minutes.

Finally, I managed to form a sentence, though it was stifled. “Don’t run away.” My gaze stayed glued to the floor, still not being able to look up at her, but I could still notice her flinch at my words. “...Please.”

There was another momentary pause before she spoke up. “W-What are you?” She added emphasis as she continued. “Really?”

It took more willpower than I’d like to admit to meet her apprehensive stare with my own somber one.

“...I really don’t know anymore.”, I started with a rather grim tone to my voice. “I want to say I’m no different than before I even got here, but—” I trailed off as I tried to condense my thoughts into words, which was suddenly a rather difficult task for me.

“What did you mean when you called yourself a ‘ferocious monster’?”, Twilight asked firmly, though with a still present echo of unease.

I paused a moment, before tilting my head slightly in a wake of reflection. “Do you remember back when you first saw me? At that old castle where you fought Lun- I mean, Nightmare Moon?”

She seemed to stop and think for a second as well, before nodding her head. “I do.”

“She’s the reason I’m here. She summoned me up with some powerful spell in hopes that if things started to go downhill with you and your friends, I would…”, I brought my hand up and itched at the back of my head uncomfortably. “...step in and take care of you.” It took her a moment to understand what I was implying, but her ever-so-paling face had me continuing. “But it backfired on her. For whatever reason, I was able to fight the curse she put on me, and in doing so, fought back against her... I was just about to take care of her when that friendship beam caught the both of us.” I stopped briefly, before continuing with a mock chuckle. “Thanks for that, by the way. I’d hate to have ended up ripping Luna to shreds. She’s actually a really nice pony princess.”

Twilight’s face was somewhere between questioning and revulsion. “How can you joke about something like that so casually?”

I couldn’t help stopping to wonder about it myself, before shaking my head with an audible sigh. “...It’s a stress-induced reflex, I think.”

Twilight finally moved her gaze off me, groaning in what sounded like frustration. “I-I just can’t believe you’ve been hiding all this from me!”

I placed my hands into my pockets, leaning against the door. “Well, it wasn’t entirely my fault. The way I figured, since Princess Celestia didn’t inform you about it when telling you I was staying here, too, she wanted it kept secret.” I shivered slightly at the thought of what she might do to me for spilling the beans. “I didn’t really like lying to you, but I thought it was necessary. I’m sorry…”

The unicorn just let out a huff, turning her back to me. She stayed quiet for a few seconds, before glancing over her shoulder toward me once more. Her gaze was hard but slowly began to soften, until it was more disappointment than anything else.

“...If the Princess thought it best not to inform me, then you were only following her wishes.” She turned to face me once more, ears flattened. “Though I don’t understand her reasons for doing so, I’ll have to respect them.”

“Well, yeah.” I agreed, nodding my head. “But then again, I could have just been making a mountain out of a molehill.” Scratching at the small bit of stubble that I had, I shrugged my shoulders as I headed off toward the living area. “In my own opinion, I think you deserve to at least know a little bit. Seeing as you’re my caretaker and all.” Plopping down on the couch, I stared at the mare who’d stayed behind before patting the empty spot next to me. “Consider it my apology.”

Twilight still seemed rather nervous, seeing as I could still smell the anxiety coming off of her, but she eventually made her way into the room. Though, she decided on taking a seat in the chair a ways away from me.

I felt slightly bad about it but just shrugged it off for now. “Ask me a question, and I’ll try to answer it the best I can.”

She didn’t seem to waste any time. “Tell me about this curse, first.”

Attempting not to frown while clearing my throat, I nodded before starting. “Caba...llio lupos? I think that’s what Princess Celestia called it. But it basically boils down to a curse of the ‘pony wolves’.” I sank back into the couch, still not really liking that name for it, but staring up at the ceiling as a familiar quote began forming in the recesses of my mind. “...Even a man who is pure in heart, and says his prayers by night... May become a wolf, when the wolfbane blooms, and the autumn moon is bright.”

“...What’s that supposed to mean?”, inquired Twilight.

I chuckled, shaking my head. “It was just a line from a movie back home. The Wolfman.” I closed my eyes as I remembered the first time I’d seen that movie with my mom and little sister. It seems like such a long time ago now… “But that’s pretty much the curse. Under normal circumstances, I would have slowly lost my mind and been forced to change into a large, wolf-like monster that’s only real purpose was to kill and devour others. At least, that’s what happened to the ponies that obtained the curse.”

Twilight’s unease rose quite a bit at that. I glanced over toward her, a soft smile on my face.

“However, and for whatever reason, I was able to control it on the first go. Luna then came to me and had me do this ‘dream thing’ the night I arrived at your library. I was to conquer the beast inside me, which I managed to do, succeeding in taking full control of the curse. Now I can change whenever I want, and get a bunch of heightened senses to boot.” I shrugged, placing my hands behind my head and resting it on them. “It hasn’t proven to be that bad a thing to have, yet.” Aside from getting a bit antsy and needing a quick moonlit stroll every now and again.

“C-Can I see it?”

I flinched slightly at the sudden question, looking back at her with a bit of discomfort. “...See what?”

Twilight’s gaze was diverted from me, and she was rubbing at her hind leg with her opposite hoof in a manner that resembled discomfort. It took her a moment, but she was soon looking me in the eyes with her own uncertain ones. “Would you show it to me? Your…”, she hesitated a second before continuing, “...other form?”

I wasn’t really sure what to say. Directing my eyes toward my knees, I didn’t even think I really wanted to. Telling her the truth was one thing, but changing into a rather intimidating creature right before her eyes just seemed…

“No, not yet. I think it’s too soon for something like that.”

Her ears flattened a bit, though I could see just a hint of relief in her posture. With a small nod, she regained a bit of her composure as she gained another confused expression. “Now, tell me about these other elements. What were they…?”

“The Elements of Calamity.”, I answered. “And it just so happens I’m one of them. Wrath, to be exact.”

The unicorn’s puzzlement only seemed to grow. “But… How’s that even possible?” She pointed a hoof at me. “You’re not even from Equus, right? How could you hold power from someplace you’ve never been to?”

I shook my head with a sigh. “Your guess is as good as mine. The Princesses weren’t too informative on that one, either.”

“And you said Princess Luna was…”

I nodded once more. “The Element of Envy.”

Twilight shook her head while holding it with a hoof. “It’s just… difficult to wrap my mind around. I’ve studied so many different subjects, and read countless books, and yet I’ve never heard anything about there being another group of Elements.”

“Well, from what I can gather, they seem to be closely related to what my world knew as ‘The Seven Deadly Sins’.” Twilight tilted her head at that. “They were these seven traits that were considered profane, and highly sacrilegious.”

“I think I understood most of that.”, she said in a rather uncertain tone. “So, these ‘Seven Sins’ were things that your kind saw as bad in nature. Being envious, as well as showing wrath towards others?” I nodded in confirmation. “Do you remember what the other five were?”

Repositioning myself on the couch so I was sitting on the edge with my elbows resting on my knees, I shook my head. “It was all part of a more religious thing on Earth. I mean, I learned right from wrong, but I never really paid too much attention to that sort of stuff. However, I think I narrowed one of them down.” My face grew a bit smugger before stating. “And they just so happen to be in town.”

Twi tilted her head slightly, not seeming to understand. However, something must have clicked since her eyes were soon widening. “Y-You mean there’s another one of these elements here?!”

I nodded with a sly grin, before growing a bit more considerate. “Yup. Or at least I think so. At first, it was sort of just this nagging feeling in the back of my mind. But then as I got to thinking, it all just fell into place.” Stretching out my arms over my head, I let out a sudden yawn before getting up to my feet. “Pride was one of those Deadly Sins. And it seems like we’ve got ourselves quite the prideful magician right in front of the Town Hall, wouldn’t you say?”

“...Wait.”, she said rather flatly. “You’re saying Trixie is an Element of Calamity?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “As I said, it’s just a hunch I got. But she did seem to fit the bill, though.”

Which was true, too. Sure, I’ve seen show people on tv and online before, but she was just a big, boastful, insensitive, bee-atch. Add that to the fact that it was rather coincidental to have her come into town right after having Discord send me that message in a dream… Just a bit too coincidental for my own taste.

There was a silence while the studious mare went into thought. I took that time to walk over to the window, glancing out toward the sky. Judging off of pure intuition, I’d have guessed about an hour and a half or more had passed since I last looked outside.

Still too early to contact Luna…

“Well...” came Twilight’s voice from behind me. “I’ll admit that she does appear to qualify as a rather domineering mare. But I wouldn’t go and say she’s some embodiment of an element of cataclysmic proportion.”

I turned to face her, raising an eyebrow. “And do I just scream ‘hate and fury’?”

She frowned for a second before letting out an exaggerated sigh. “Well, you have been managing to irritate me as of late...”

I couldn’t help but grimace a bit at that. She sort of did have a point, after all. But, that was just all unintentional stuff, right? And with Celestia having toned down the ‘hateful thing’ inside me, I should be acting a bit better now. ...Right?

A grin came over my face as I patted the little unicorn on the head. “Yeah, well, that’s just my way of showing I accept you as my friend.”

She flinched ever so lightly at my impulsive touch, but eased up a bit at my words. “Your… Friend?”

...Maybe she really did take the truth too hard.

I tilted my head in mild confusion, as well as a tad bit of worry. “Aren’t we?” I glanced away for a second before continuing. “I mean, I know I may not come off as the most well-mannered dude, but…” I put on a somewhat complimentary smile. “I’d say you’ve put up with me long enough to be called my friend.”

A smile slowly formed on her muzzle, though it was quickly taken back by a dismissive “I’ll think about it.” I couldn’t stop myself from laughing a bit.

“Take your time, Ms. Sparkle.” I gave her a small bow before heading towards the doorway. “After all, I can understand the complexities of having a wrathful, aggravating, monster as a buddy.”

Her ears were flattening at that last part. “You make it rather difficult to remember that you’re telling the truth...”

I stopped for a second, replaying her words through my mind before letting out a soft chuckle. “Yeah. I guess you’re right.” With a sharp intake of air, and a clap of my hands, I turned around to face her once more. “But, don’t tell the others, alright?”

Twilight’s expression turned rather sour. “You want me to lie to my new friends?”

I shook my head in response. “Not ‘lie’. Just…” I nodded my head from side to side, thinking. “...Obscure the truth a bit.”

“That’s pretty much what lying is, Nick...”

Sighing, I looked back at the still unamused unicorn. “I’d just like them to get to know me a bit more. Without having something like that influencing them.”

Twilight hesitated, before lowering her gaze with a heavy sigh, seemingly defeated “Fine…” She quickly brought her eyes back up at me with a vengeance, though. “But you’re telling them all the truth if they find out on their own!”

I nodded my head, placing a closed fist over my chest. “I promise.” And with that, I was opening the front door. “Now, be a good girl while I go do some business.” The look she gave had me grinning.

...I think she’ll be fine with it.

Exiting the library and closing the door behind me, I scanned the area before heading straight to where Trixie’s stage had been. There were quite a few houses between here and there, so I was not quite able to tell if there were others still there. However, I figured I’d just find out upon my arrival. I did take note of the time, though, which was starting to look like late afternoon.

“Now, how to break the ice with a mare that probably wants nothing to do with me…”, I pondered aloud. Though significantly quieter than I normally spoke. “...Gotta start getting better at talking to myself.”

Scratching my chin whiskers—Remind myself to find a method of shaving here—I continued to brainstorm ideas until the magical-unfolding-stage-cart was in sight. The crowd seemed to have dispersed, leaving the area rather barren. Making my way towards the doorway, I peeked through the window to find it empty inside. My ears did catch the sound of a familiar voice speaking aloud from the opposite side of the cart, though.

Hopping the railing, I proceeded over towards the source when I came to a standstill at the sight of the darker cyan unicorn. She appeared to be far too busy combing her mane in front of a mirror to notice my approach. The fact she had her eyes closed, as well, helped a bit, too. Taking the chance to stay incognito, I simply leaned against the wooden siding of the wagon and watched her silently.

...Stalker Mode activated.

She didn’t really appear to notice me, continuing to comb out her mane. It took a second for it to actually click, but this was the first I’d seen her without her hat on. Her mane was a mixture of light sky blue and white, growing out in striped locks. She also appeared rather well groomed, which I guess was normal seeing as she was a mare. I was so absorbed in my staring, that I almost didn’t see two other ponies running toward us. Snapping out of it though, I quickly dove back behind the carriage, listening carefully to hear if I’d been seen.

It was just those two unicorns from before. Snips and Snails, if I remembered correctly. They just seemed to be bringing her a drink she’d asked for. I couldn’t help but smirk at the fact she’d turned the two of them into her lackeys. My expression did change to curiosity when that ‘Ursa Major’ was brought up once more. That interest was quickly shot down by Trixie shooing off the pair with some sort of far-fetched excuse. With the unicorns gone, the magician went back to fussing with her mane. Once I was sure we were alone once more, I went straight back to leaning on the side of the cart parallel to her.

Several seconds of silence went by before I finally spoke out, smiling my best. “Seems you’ve got yourself some admirers.”

“And you have some nerve to spy on the Great and Powerful Trixie.”, Trixie spat, lowering her comb before glancing sideways at me. I recoiled slightly at the realization that she’d known I’d been here the whole time. “What could you possibly want?” She turned towards me, venom clear in her gaze. “Come to mock Trixie some more? Or perhaps you still need a demonstration of how Great and Powerful Trixie really is!”

I was quickly back peddling a bit when her horn began sparking to life. “Woah, woah, woah!” I was waving my hands in front of me in an attempt to stop her. “I’ve come with no ill intentions this time, I swear.”

The sorceress glowered at me for a couple more seconds before her horn extinguished, standing into a rather neutral stance. She still didn’t look all that happy, though. Pausing for a second to gather up my composure, I attempted to sort out my words before saying them. I was already on thin ice. The last thing I needed was a blast of magic to the face...

“Look, I know we sort of got off on the wrong foot— Or hoof rather.”

The unicorn kept her eyes glued to me, her look of agitation never faltering.

Diverting my gaze toward the sky while scratching the back of my head, I let out a rather pent-up sigh before saying, “So to make up for my actions, and show that I am truly sorry for what I did, I’d like to ask if you’d like to get a bite to eat with me, or something.”

Trixie stayed silent. I began to think this whole thing may have been a waste of time. She wasn’t really showing any signs of interest, and more than likely thought I was just planning to do something to her instead. Andwhy should she trust me anyway, right?

“Trixie accepts your proposal.”

Wait, what?

I was staring at her in mild disbelief. “Y-You do?”

Though I could have sworn there was a slight smirk on her face, as well as a—Is she blushing?! Both facial features, however, were gone all too fast to tell for sure if they had been there to begin with. Rolling her eyes, she simply restated herself to me.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie acknowledges your weak attempt at redemption, and accepts your crudely thought-up invitation.” Her eyes narrowed as she continued, though. “But if The Great and Powerful Trixie does not enjoy herself, in even the slightest bit, she will force you to participate in her next performance.”

Well, that doesn’t sound so bad…

Her muzzle twisted into a rather grim smile. “Where she places you in a box, and saws it in half…”

Okay, that sounds bad.

Grimacing slightly at the mental pictures of being dismembered, I quickly nodded my head with a small gulp. “U-Understood.”

Pushing all that aside, I straightened up a bit before asking, “Are you able to go now, or should I come back later?”

“Trixie is ready as she’ll ever be…”, she responded with lackluster. “Where do you intend on taking such an extravagant mare, who has extremely high tastes, such as The Great and Powerful Trixie?”

Tilting my head slightly in a moment’s thought, I mentally cursed myself for being rather broke. “Well, let’s see…”

Trixie huffed in annoyance. “You do not even know? Ha! Trixie isn’t surprised in the slightest.” She closed her eyes as she waved a hoof at me, as if she were shooing away a mutt. “She wouldn’t even be surprised if you didn’t have any bits to pay with.”

A chord of mild irritation was struck at that. Turning on my heel, I began to head toward the only place I could think of off the top of my head. I called out to the ill-mannered unicorn in a rather smug tone.

“I actually do know where I’ll be taking you. It’s supposed to be a rather nice bar here in Ponyville.”

Trixie was at my side, a rather questioning gaze on her face. “‘Supposed to be’? Have you not even been there yourself yet?”

A small bead of sweat trickled down my temple at that, though I wasn’t going to cave under her yet.

“No, but I’ve spoken with the owner on several occasions. Even got offered a job there after she and some others witnessed me scaring off a griffon several days ago.”

Trixie let out a mock laugh, eyeing me up and down. “You scare off a griffon? Trixie doesn’t even think you could startle an elderly field mouse...”

I huffed at that. “And I don’t think you could fend off an Ursa Major.”

She didn’t like that. “You dare accuse The Great and Powerful Trixie of lying?!”

I glanced at her, frowning slightly. “I’m more of a ‘seeing is believing’ kind of guy.” I motioned my hand toward everything around us. “Hell, I wouldn’t have even believed a place like this ever existed without being thrown into it.”

The darker cyan mare just let out a quiet growl. There were a few moments of silence before she spoke out again.

“Where does a creature like you even come from?”

Narrowly dodging the insult, I simply answered with, “Another planet.”

She reeled back at that. “You’re an extraterrestrial? Please.” She rolled her eyes in doubt. “There is no such thing as little, green stallions from outer space.”

I chuckled at her description of aliens. “Well, it’s kind of true. I came here from a different world than this one, called ‘Earth’.”

“A rather lousy name for a planet.”, she stated. “Might as well just call it ‘Dirt’.”

“It actually isn’t all that different from your own planet. Just... not quite as colorful.” I was still getting used to it. “That, plus instead of equines being the more dominant species, mine are.”

She seemed to accept that, or had grown bored with that topic, spouting out, “Whatever.”

Dear God, what have I gotten myself into...

I had been routing out the directions Berry had given me before in my mind throughout the conversation, and thought we should have been getting close to the bar by now. Sure enough, with the sun just getting ready to set off in the distance, I could distinctly pick up the sound of music coming from somewhere nearby.

Leading Trixie over toward a rather flashy-looking building, I paused in front of it to get a good look at it. The exterior seemed to be a bit more modernized than the make of the other houses and such that littered Ponyville. And from the build of it, it was more than likely pretty sizable on the inside. A formidable neon sign shined down from above the doorway, reading “The Grapevine”, followed by what resembled Berry Punch’s cutie mark.

“Well, the mare sure knows how to draw attention.”, I muttered to myself before reaching for the doorway. I was kind enough to hold it open, looking back at Trixie. “After you, your enchantress.” The unicorn just rolled her eyes as she passed by me and into the building.

I couldn’t really shake off the feeling, as I followed the mare in, that I was in for a rather… interesting night...