Chapters Beyond Madness Somewhere Past Depravity
From her seat by the window Twilight Sparkle watched Ponyville shrink into the distance. Her head resting against her hoof, she fell into a crescent solace away from her friends cheer and chattering to sort out the conflicting thoughts duking it out in her. She didn't know how to take the news of her brother's wedding. Should she be happy to hear about her brother's big wedding or angry and maybe a little depressed that the closest person she had in the world wouldn't bother to tell her this in person. The more she thought about the more her doubt ate away at her. She valued her love and friendship with her Big Brother Best Friend Forever, but it felt more and more that maybe he stopped caring as much. She almost felt a tear before she wiped away her thoughts and swallowed her feeling
'There's no evidence to support anything. I should talk with Shiny before I get too worked up over something that could be nothing.'
She stifled a sniffle and looked back at her friends. The rest of the elements were getting hyped up for their roles in the wedding. Rainbow Dash practically and literally doing flips in the air, Pinkie barely bouncing in her seat, Fluttershy speaking loud enough to hear her voice, Rarity fawning out loud over some elaborate vision she has for festivities. Applejack was more reserved, making boasts on her cider, who was the only one to see Twilight by herself.
"You okay, sugarcube?"
Twilight weakly nodded her head, "Yeah, just fine Applejack"
The cowpony accepted it with a genuine smile and went back to listening to her friends. Twilight though didn't feel right, leaving her a little stranded despite being with her friends to brew in her anxiety.
The train stopped with a loud metal screech and with a pull of a lever from the engine room all the doors opened up on the Friendship Express. Twilight and her friends made their way out giggling to contain their excitement well except Twilight who kept to small smile, when the mood turned somber in the face a dozen guards posted all around the train station in plain view. The alertness of guards who seemed on edge gave a tense feeling to the girls as they made their approach to a stallion in armor.
Rarity spoke up, "Excuse sir, but is there any particular reason for all the... added security."
"Yeah, why's the entire Royal Guard put up on display here," Applejack said as she waved a hoof around pointing out the ceiling guards, the street guards, and the mailbox guard.
The stallion's deep voice was calm and even, "Canterlot's been put on high alert, when we received word that there may be an attempt on the Princess's life during the wedding."
Twilight looked up at the bright pink sky surrounding Canterlot, "Well, that does explain the bubble shield around Canterlot... Wait, is Captain Shining Armor holding up that barrier?"
"Ma'am even if I cou-," the stallion started only to be interrupted by Twilight
"Of course it's Shiny's spell. Nopony else could've done that. Duh," Twilight lightly slaps her forehead with her hoof.
The stallion eyes scrutinize on Twilight, "Ma'am ev-"
Twilight looks over to her friends around her, "Sorry girls, I'm going straight to see my brother, I'll meet back up with all of you later at the castle."
"Wait, miss-" but before the guard could finish, Twilight was already in a brisk trot away from him. He looked back to the group of mares, "She's not going to start any trouble will she?"
Then his vision turning very pink, "Of course not silly, she's Twilight Sparkle. Element of Magic, Princess Celestia's personal student, and one of my very bestest friends. She doesn't start trouble, trouble starts her."
Rainbow Dash lazily floated over her on a cloud, "Don't you mean, 'she doesn't find trouble, trouble find her'?"
"Exactly," Pinkie exclaimed, "I'm sure nothing's going to be Twilight's fault."
The soldier casted a slight glance to the Canterlot castle, while the five mares started walking away in different direction. Applejack lightly tapped at the shoulder hoof of the guard to get his attention, "Don't you worry about that Captain of yours, soldierboy. The worst he's in for, is an earful of an angry sibling"
His shoulder's relaxed and gave a knowing smile, "Ahhhh..."
"Shining Armor!" yelled a cute, angry mare.
The guards of the front palace watch all tensed and casted worried glances over the stone walls. The only thing worse than security alert and surprise inspection was an angry mare. After a few quiet moment some of the stallions grabbed their spears, eliciting a chuckle from their friends. Twilight walked out in the open and few of guards actually posed to throw their spears getting more of laugh from the bored stallions.
A voice came from behind them, "Hey, hey easy guys," causing the guards to stiffen out and come to attention. Although his tone was relaxed and lay-back, it was who was speaking that sombered up their mood. The stallions turned around a saluted Shining Armor, Captain of the Guard as well as the pony who signed their pay and could send them clean out latrines for a month. Despite Captain Armour's approach at familiarity it took a certain gall not to be on edge in front of the guy in charge of Canterlot.
Shining Armor looked over the edge of the castle's front gate and went from a casual smile to bright grin. "Twily? Is that you!?" He waved over to his subordinates beside him, "Open the gates let her in."
The guards broke their salute and scrambled for the controls of the gate, while Shining Armor left for the stairs down to ground level. The sound cogs turned, as the criss cross pattern in front of the purple unicorn lifted revealing to Shining her rather angry demeanor. His mind quickly scrambled for worst case scenarios and damage control.
"I am miffed with you, mister," Twilight was doing a war march as she approach her brother. The onlooking guards all had guilty smiles as they "oooohh"ed together.
Out of instinct Shining Armor said, "Look Twily I can explain-"
"Well then, please try to explain this to me; why you didn't tell me about your wedding in person?"
All at once Shining Armor was washed in relief putting him in a state of shock, before he closed his eyes and deflated on the spot. He whispered under his breath, "Oh thank Celestia," dropped his head forward and released the breath he was saving.
He looked up at her with comfortable smile and the angry look on her face broke into a sadder, pleading face.
"Really Shining, I was so angry you wouldn't come see me in person. I'm your LSBFF, you're suppose to let me in on this stuff. Or am I not your Little Sister Best Friend Forever?" She ended her question with a shy pout.
Shining took in a deep breath, and opened his mouth to answer Twilight when he heard snickering behind him. With a single glance he found seven red faced stallions trying not to laugh with only four of them bothering to cover their mouths. He gave them a look, a rare one coming from him, that reminded them of his position. Immediately that shut-up the on looking guards, giving Shining room to think.
"Look Twily, I'm sorry I couldn't invite you in person, but as soon as the wedding plans started I've been needing 6 hooves to keep up with work lately. There was a tip that put everything over top telling us that someone might plan an attack. I've been so worked lately with the dome, I..."
Twilight's angry attitude melted into sympathy, before the fire in her burned even hotter, "Oh and that reminds me, who is this mysterious Princess Mi Amora... whatever that you're marrying?"
"Wait," Shining said slowly, "You don't know her?"
"No."
This gave shining a sly smile and he raised his head high trying his best to tower himself over Twilight, "Oh ho, this is good. It looks like I have a special surprise for you."
"Well then tell me already," Twilight whined.
"Sorry, baby sis, this is one to savor," Shining said avoiding Twilight's angry stare.
"Shiny, you can't do this to me. I'm you're Little Sister Best Friend Forever, you're suppose to tell me these things."
"Well this the sort of thing that BBBFFs have to do for their baby sisters."
"But it's torture." Twilight then threw a hoof over her forehead and talked with a stiff voice, "You are literally killing. me right now. The pain is. unbearable," Twilight threw herself back in dramatic gasp and fell over. She peeked from the hoof over her eyes to see Shining only raised an eyebrow at the over dramatic acting.
'Note to self, ask Rarity later for some tips on acting'
"Okay, you're metaphorically killing me," Twilight relented before bouncing back to her hooves, "You have to Shining, you owe me one."
The white stallion lowered his head to his sister's face with a confident grin, "From when?"
Twilight bit her tongue thinking back for something she might have over her older brother. She hummed in thought before she offered weakly, "When I saved Equestria?"
That wiped the smug grin off Shining face as he thought about. Though she was his little sister, Twilight was still technically a bonafide, national hero. But then again, she was his little sister. But it's his duty as an Equestrian to treat her with respect, but that does conflict with his duty as older brother to mess with her. Really though...
Before he find resolution, he was called over, "Oh Shining there you are."
A pink alicorn strode over the siblings with a relaxed strode. At the sight of a familiar face Twilight perked up, and leaped up to her old babysitter.
"Cadance? Is that you?" Twilight asked with big glowing eyes.
"Well, yeah, though to everyone except Shining Armo-"
"Oh, yea, it's been forever," she elicited before she stood straight and started prancing in place while singing, "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake, clap your-"
"Wait, wait wait. Forgive me, it's been so long and the week was a rush, remind me, who are you?"
"Huh?"
"Oh cmon, Honey, you remember, you were the babysister and she was the babysat," Shining got up and walked beside Cadance, "It hasn't been that-, well actually, it has been a long time."
Cadance took a moment to think before she put a hoof over her chest, "Oh Celestia, I'm so sorry Twilight. It's so hard to remember everyone and everything since the wedding's come up, but the things I do remember is hearing about a hero mare save Equestria over and over, it's hard to believe it was my little Twilight."
Shining rolled his eyes, "Pfft, you're telling me."
Twilight felt her heart sink. Candance didn't remember anything from their past. It felt like a stab in the heart, but -wait just a feather. "Hold on," Twilight snapped over at Cadance, "You're getting married!? And Shining!?"
Twilight would like to think she was a smart mare. She was a natural prodigy and being taught by a dozen tutor and the Princess herself, but never has one plus one ever been so hard to add up. She puffed her cheeks out and sweated dripped from her forehead as she stared intently at the ground as heat was drawn to her face.
She stopped and looked at the two standing side by side... suspiciously close, and slowly spoke out, "So, you're both telling me, that you are getting married soon," She held a hoof towards the cracking up face of her older brother, "And you are getting married soon," She pointed a hoof at the bewildered princess, "so that must meannnnnn"
She sat on the ground and pressed both her hooves on her head before winding up, "Errrrrrrrr," and then weakly offered, "You're both getting married to each other?"
"Bahhhahahah," His brother laughed and jumped over to her pulling her into a hug and kept laugh, "That's my little detective little sister!"
"SHINING ARMOR!" Twilight flailed her forehooves hooves in the air as Shining waved her around in his embrace. Everypony within sight couldn't help but smile at the silly two brother and sister.
Beyond Madness Somewhere Past Depravity
There are lines and boundaries to the mind. Limits and guards meant to keep things stable and safe for the survival. And what lies beyond those limits is a never-ending sea of madness and dark depravities born within the consciousness of every living and breathing thing held back by the gifts of God. And beyond that… lies something else entirely.
She had failed. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy and even Rainbow Dash had all left her despite all they had been through. They were supposed to be friends. Her family, even her dear BBFFF had disgraced and renounced her.
Spike didn’t even spare a glance as he rushed to the side of Princess Cadance.
She was already having a hard time standing at that point. The sheer magnitude of her mistake had just smashed her full force. No one believed her.
Then, at last, Princess Celestia came to her side. In the small, still functioning, pieces of her mind, she begged for hope. She begged for some semblance of comfort or grace. The princess’s face shined out to her, filled with the love and compassion Twilight had always found in the Sun Princess growing up, with all her infinite wisdom and compassion.
What lesson would she learn?
What words would she use to soothe her heart?
Would she tell Twilight to beg for forgiveness from everypony? After all, she gives and gives, and Twilight takes and takes.
But now she needs a bit more.
“Oh, Princess, I’m so sorry, how do I fix-“
The sound of something slamming came harshly.
Twilight's optimistic smile dropped as she realized she wasn’t looking at the Princess anymore, she never had been.
She was now staring at the empty ceiling of the ceremony room. The room was dark and empty, save the sunset leaking through the windows. In her lonesome whilst in the ceremony room, she came to a bitter conclusion. She finally grasped just how far she had fallen. How she was now completely abandoned. Completely alone, more than she had ever been before.
Tears began to stream down her cheek. Her feet falling from beneath her while she collapsed completely on the floor. She cried harder than ever before. She screamed, though her voice eventually clamored down to cry more and more.
Even the guards posted down the hall felt guilty, they could not abandon their post to provide any support. But the news of Twilight’s actions steeled their heart from breaking protocol.
It had been minutes, though those quickly turned into hours before she had no more tears to cry. No energy to grieve. Now she could no longer ignore dwelling on her failure, it was all that was left to do. Crying was only a safeguard to keep her from thinking, from focusing on her failure. But now her inner demons swarmed her. Feeding her thoughts of doubt, fear, jealousy and self-pity. All these thoughts swirled in her mind as she cringed on the ground, shivering and hyperventilating.
Though these emotions quickly turned to something else. Similar to how fire turned to ashes and ember after a fire, her emotions turned to one last form of expression.
Anger.
“How dare they abandon me like that!? after all I-” She shouted internally.
“Why me!? Why did I barge in like some stupid fucking idiot and embarrass myself in front-“
“Maybe I was wrong. What do I know? Maybe it was a simple headache spell and Shining is just-” She thought to herself, attempting to provide reason, thought it didn't seem to work, so she returned to angry, rage filled, thought.
“Nightmare Moon! Discord! I saved them all! They owe their lives to me! This is my thanks!? This is-”
“I should go back to Ponyville. I need to leave them. They don’t want me here. Their better off-“
“Why did I do that? I’m so stupid. Now my friends will always think of this everytime-“
These dark thoughts screamed and echoed in her mind as she neared her limits. Her energy was feeling sapped. Her will to live withdrawing. Her eyes closed as her body began to shut down and leave her in the loving grace of unconsciousness. But as she neared sleep, just before she could drift off, one last thought streamed into her head. One sweet whisper, that could not have been more misplaced. As if the devil wanted one last suicidal hooray, Twilight listened to just three words.
“You failed Twilight”
The impact of those three words surged through the unicorn. The bomb was lit. Her eyes pierced open and her body shivered. The words came from the voice of Princess Celestia herself.
“You failed Twilight”
Her body lifted back up on her four hooves like a puppet coming to life. Her bones felt hollow her blood ran ice cold. The fur on her spine pricked up in place and her mane flowed chaotically in an invisible wind.
“This was an important test, and here you went and failed. I am extremely disappointed.”
It was known among the elite psychologists and twilight's past therapists in Canterlot, that below Discord and Nightmaremoon, the greatest threat to all Equestria is in Celestia’s hooves, the time bomb known as Twilight Sparkle. Under the constant gaze and scrutiny of an alicorn, no friends growing up. Mother was a dutchess, her brother was captain of the guard, and not to mention her high magic concentration in her body being a direct link to her suffering consciousness, which was kept in check with the daily dose of 400 mL of Manadrix.
It was a recipe for disaster, that causes Canterlot’s best to drink just enough every night to get a good night’s sleep.
“Aye Twiilit Spurkle!”
The purple pony with the swirling irises looked up around her. Sure enough found a floating gray Earth Pony with a long white beard and a pointy blue hat with bells adorn it.
“St-Star Swirl the Bearded,” Twilight asked with a smile, “What are you doing here?”
Star Swirls' Scottish accent came in force, “Ay comfrem the fuehture. Canterlut is en trrable! We need yahr healp!”
The proud purple unicorn stood tall and proud, “Twilight Sparkle is always ready to help a,” Twilight’s head skipped off the record as the odd word came off her tounge with the grace of a wrecking ball, “fu-fu-fu-fu-fu-friend in need. What do we need to do?” She asked.
Star Swirl smiled, “That’s the attatude lassie! We need to stohp Queen Zorgnoz fram Area 57! She’s here to eat yer brather!”
Twilight gasped loudly, “Not Shiny!”
“Aye lassie, he’s in great danejjer!”
“How do we stop him, Star Swirl!?”
Meanwhile outside the hall…
Private Hammers looked over to partner with a worried look, “Dude, I don’t like the sound of this.”
Private Wine nodded agreement. He was getting goose bumps all over. They hoped after the crying, Twilight would finally come out and walk of shame herself to her private quarters and sleep it off like Celestia planned, but now…
Twilight’s voice leaked into the hall again, “Time to. Go to. Theh LIBRARY ~!”
A powerful flash leaked from the double doors of the ceremonies room and powerful thunder heard.
It was seconds before the two soldiers shared a look.
Private Hammers took a deep breath before he slowly spoke up, “It was Princess Celestia’s orders to not make contact with Twilight, but…”
“Yeah, I think this is worth mentioning to the sergeant when we shift posts,” Wine agreed.
The Statue of Discord stood alone in the moonlit gardens outside of Canterlot Castle. Frozen in a state of shock, he stood less than graceful among the rest of Equestria’s worst nightmares. The spell cast upon him by the Elements of Harmony kept him from reaching out into the world around or stirring up the magic to escape his prison.
He could not see, nor could he hear, for that was taken away from him; leaving him to think and feel.
But he could feel alright, though feel isn’t quite the right term. A being as powerful as him could sense on even higher levels than the common crowd his world has host to. The energy and magic stirring about in the blood of the royal pony guards, the leaves in the trees, in the air, even small pebbles had something to feel. In Discord’s chaos driven mind he looked not at a dark concrete sheet before his eyes, but at the magical essence in the air and could see a beautiful canvas of reds, blues, greens, whites and more all under the large blue dome overhead of Canterlot.
Discord was back to doing what he had done for the last thousand years. Watching, waiting, and plotting.
But then something different happened.
Something new. Something rather… disturbing, even to a being of his acquired taste.
The maelstrom plane on which all magic existed on was brewing in sinister fashion within the castle. A giant aura of black and violet expanded and deflated at the beat of heart. Slowly growing to encompass the library.
Already the stone sarcophagus powered by stagnation of peace and harmony started to chip away at his right claw.
Beyond Madness Somewhere Past Depravity
Twilight liked books a lot. Oh who are we kidding, she loved books, ever since she was little filly.
Twilight giddily closed her eyes and savored the flavor of ancient, processed tree pulp. It’s aged one that tasted the most refined. She idly crunched on the treasured scrolls of Star Swirl the Beard with a cute smile on her face. She sure loved her books.
“Aye, lassie, ya done learn'n the spell yet!?”
Twilight looked over to the floating image a grey, white bearded pegasus in scuba gear. She nodded her head in delight.
“Gued, weer on a tiyme schedule heer. 'Membur the monster who has yer brother in her evul clutches!?”
Twilight tilted her head as she continued to munch on her reading material.
Star Swirl sighed and stood upright and started a strange dance.
“She’s an evil enchantress, she does evil dances! An’ if you look into her ey’s she’ll put yuh in trances! An’ then whut'll she dew? She’ll make an ev’l brew, An’ then she’ll gobble ya up, IN A BIG! TAAASTTYYYY! STEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWW!!!”
He came down and poked his head into Twilight’s face, shaking his hoof at her.
“So get off yer keester and go out save yer BBFBFD or whatever ya call that big lug of brother that’s about to marry a creature so mean it puts the lochness monster’s moth’r in law to shame!!”
Star Swirl was muzzle to muzzle with the purple unicorn, breathing heavily to catch his breath.
Twilight wordlessly jumped up in place and turned to trot to the door, an act that brought a sparkle to the eye of the floating gray horse.
“That’s mah girl. Yah go get em Twilight!!” He cheered.
All around her the stacks of books and wooden bookshelves started to decay rapidly with each step, dissipating until there was nothing but darkness around her. Yet she still walked.
It was finally the morning Canterlot had eagerly awaited.
The day of the wedding.
The early morning weather pegasi went to work placing clouds shaped as cute hearts up above the castle. The royalty gathered and talked amongst each other in the former throne room. The news reporters tried and failed at every turn in an attempt to smuggle a camera into the event hall. The guards were devout to prevent any risk of flash photography to ruin the perfect moment.
The chattering of ponies resonated through the halls with gossip and idle conversation. The birds Fluttershy had gathered together were being comforted by said mare, who was trying to calm their anxiety.
The ponies felt a bit part of this anxiety too, but this was put off as nervous anticipation for the big day.
The rest of the elements filed in their seats smiling and laughing together, except pinkie pie who was more subdued into just smiling and nodding than taking part in any of the talk. Shining Armor shifted nervously in place at his spot at the altar. His dad put a comforting hoof on his son’s shoulder, and its effects were instant.
“Thanks, I guess I’m a bit on edge”
“Don’t worry son. Believe me, I understand,” Shining Armor’s Dad gave a knowing smile.
Celestia smiled over at Shining who went from a tumble weed to a stiff board. He was in charge of guarding the Princess’s and all of Canterlot at all times and had never broke a nervous sweat.
Yet here he was almost teetering in place at his own wedding.
Her little ponies were quite the cards.
She sighed, before her thoughts drifted to her own student. The Night Captain did tell her that Twilight was locked up in the library having an episode, but she knew that Twilight would only come out of it in tears and sobs. There wouldn’t be enough time for her to be at the ceremonies.
So she instead put it off and would wait until after the vows to go get her student, that way it would be a bit easier for her to mix into the party, because everypony would be in good enough mood to let her.
When Celestia was told of Twilight’s state, she wanted to rush over to her side. But with wedding preparations being done all that morning, she didn't have the time to. Instead, she had to place some powerful wards over the library and ask Luna to look over Twilight’s dreams.
The poor girl, she hadn't slept all night in her distress.
Celestia's heart sank when she forgot the possibility that Twilight might have an episode after that. Honestly she felt rather guilty, not instantly comforting her, but even the princess of the sun can get caught up in the mood.
‘Blasted herd mentality, I should have been better than that.’, she thought to herself. She just hoped she could make this up to Twilight.
The chatter fell silent, the birds now calmed started their songful chirping and doors opened to let Princess Mi Amora Cadenza walk down red carpeted isles. A trio of fillies threw flowers as the mare of the hour took graceful stride down the aisles.
Cadance took her place by the altar and the song met its end.
Celestia smiled and began, “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today for the sacred union between two young ponies. It has been over 700 years-”
A pause that lasted only a second came from the princess of the sun.
A pause almost all ponies wouldn’t recognize or see, but it was there.
She felt her wards shattered. Not tripped. Not dispelled. But shattered in an instant on a magnitude that would send lesser pony into shock. Her eyes widened in distress, but quickly overcame her fear by force, this wasn't the time to look scared. She was a ruler, she couldn't be.
Still, she had concern. She needed to handle this herself, but first she would need to just find a good stopping point that didn't look suspicious. She'd have to finish her part and then give the responsibility of handling the rest of the ceremony over to somepony else.
Perhaps Applejack. A country-fried royal wedding might give the nobles something to talk about.
Fluttershy’s birds fidgeted nervously.
Twilight had a skip in her step as she trotted at brisk pace down the castle halls. Humming gleefully to herself.
“...daaaa da da, beeeeee boo boo boo, boop baaaa da daa da, beep boo boo do...”
Behind her dragged the ragged, torn remains of ripped intestines and rotting limbs. Bits of golden metal could be seen as well, all held up by large black tendrils sprouting from her bleeding spine.
A unicorn guard trotting by had enough time to get a good look at her and lets his eyes widen in a mix of disgust and shock before a spike of marble jutted upwards from the floor. The spike went easily through his underbelly and left him handing there, wordless, as the unfazed purple mare skipped happily by him.
A pegasus guard, witness to the sudden impaling, took flight and began a dive from the air. He aimed his spear at the purple menace with just intentions. To be a hero in the face of horror and danger.
Though, his sudden flight took an unexpected and equally sudden decent. His body hit the ground at unheard of speeds that would make even the fastest fliers envious.
He splattered onto the ground at an astounding speed and turned into nothing more than a thick and chunky red paste before Twilight, who only altered her path of trotting as to not get her hooves messy.
"They should really invest in some wet floor signs here." She chirped, turning a corner at the end of the hallway she had been walking.
One could look down the hallway the purple mare had trotted through and see something disturbing. Limbs, blood and innards scattered around the floor like confetti.
Not to mention the bodies of which they belonged to, each of them all subjected to a equally creative and brutal death. Some were impaled from marble spike, other were on the flat end of a pillar that Twilight had raised from the ground and into the ceiling. Others had their own limbs telepathically shoved into their torsos.
All by one mare, who was now happily skipping to her own humming that followed no rhythm.
“-Canterlot had seen another alicorn. That is, until Cadance shimmered. And so it was with great privilege that I invited Cadance from her home in Manehattan to my own doorstep here in Canterlot to study with me. It warms my heart seeing her find enough love in somepony else as to share her life with them.” Celestia continued without a hitch.
She turned to the captain of the guard.
“As for you, Captain Shining Armor, I have always applauded your bravery on Equestria’s frontiers, but it was when you asked Princess Cadence's hoof in marriage did I truly grasp the fullness of your audacity. I commend you, Shining Armor.”
She took a second for the audience to chuckle at her banter and think of a way to transition this over to Applejack, though her thoughts were broken when the double doors of the throne room slammed open and a bitter air rushed in.
The forced silence and awe struck all the ponies in place. The birds scattered out the window as glass shattered around them.
Everypony saw an unhinged purple unicorn, in a state of prowling with the look of a deranged child on her face. She looked left and right with swirling irises, a disturbing smile, and a crooked neck. Behind her was splattered blood painted on the wall. And she emanated a magical aura.
Everypony had an aura, showing the color of their magic and the power behind it. It was invisible and intangible, but it was there, and sometimes ponies could feel off each other.
But here, it was something different. It was so potent, so powerful; it was visible to the naked eye. From the floor to the ceiling, a mass of black with violet hues and swirls stretched out from the open flesh wounds scattered all around her body of the slightly successful attempts of subduing her.
Within seconds, the bloody mess in the hall was covered by the sheer volume of Twilight’s dark twisted magic, festering in on itself. The wood on the doors started to show signs of rot. The banners and red silk carpet started to shrivel up and wither. The very stone walls started to crack under the force her presence.
There was something in everypony that forced them still. A pulse ran within them through each and every fiber of their being, trying to push itself to the forefront of their mind.
A long forgotten message buried under million years of genetic Darwinism, passed down through ancient coding buried within since the dawn of life.
Extinction.
Twilight rose up like a rag doll and looked over to Candance. Every fiber of the poor mare screamed for panic in what she saw, but her hooves wouldn’t move and her horn wouldn’t light.
Even her lungs were having trouble completing their task.
A breeze rolled in from outside, one that chilled the ponies in the room to their bones.
“There are two ways to fertilize your lawn,” Twilight started, breaking the silence like glass.
Her voice was calm and levelheaded despite her outward composure, “the first way, the way you do it Zordinox, and also the reason you will not win, is you go out and you buy the fertilizer. Not necessarily the cheapest one either - buck, you might even buy the premium fertilizer - then you pour it on your lawn. You get moderate results, nothing spectacular, but you're content with it.”
Twilight took a deep breath before returning to her speech, her voice surprisingly lifted proudly.
“The second way to fertilize your lawn is, while you are out fighting for something noble, something bigger than yourself, you accidentally shit yourself during the immense effort you put into achieving your goal. That shit gracefully runs down your leg and makes contact with the soil. From that contact blossoms a lushness rain forest. That is why I will be victorious.”
There’s a pause, everypony absolutely flabbergasted. Nobody was sure whether or not to chuckle awkwardly or take the sentence seriously. Their bodies screamed to them that the figure in front of them was death itself, yet their eyes suggested it was just a unicorn who was sick in the head.
“My student how far gone have you-“ The Sun Goddess began to ask.
“Zordinox, I have just shit myself!" The purple mare interrupted suddenly, her horn sparking rapidly.
At the first sign of Twilight’s horn glowing, before Celestia could even react, a spiral of flames danced between the two. Out from the fire flew a familiarly mismatched body in a coiling serpent like manner.
What followed was a snap of their fingers.
At an instant Twilight and the darkness around her was replaced by a small plush replica of the purple unicorn, the darkness covering the area now gone completely.
It revealed the stone that had been being eaten away under where the plush stood.
Discord looked intently at the doll before he turned to Celestia with a look rare to find on him. In a hardened, serious face, Discord the Avatar of Chaos and Disharmony gave her a dreadful look and an even more dreadful claim.
“My dear, Celestia, we have a very big problem.”
