Stories of the Equestrian Republic

by Pathos14489

Rating: teen
Tags: Alternate Universe, Dark
Length: 5979

Short stories based in the universe created for Pulse and Apathy.

A collection of one shots and short stories based in the world of Pulse and Apathy. Either exploring the past—before Pulse—or post Apathy, running through multiple scenarios or setting up canon.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2016-05-13 06:23:22 UTC

1 — Proditio – Part I

I gagged and coughed, blood seeping into my lungs faster than my magic could close the wounds. I was severely weakened. I didn't understand what  had happened! I activated the telematrix but everything exploded into bright lights and pain. "Look at you, crawling on the ground like the pathetic excuse of a goddess you are." I pulled my face across the dusty ground, trying to stand with shattered limbs.

"St–" I was cut off by hacking coughs and heaving lungs, trying to empty themselves of blood. I managed to get the words out, my magic spewing the blood out of my mouth over the ground. "Starfield!" I snorted unintentionally, spatters of blood speckling my upper lip. "I don't understand! What happened?!" I felt her magic wrap around me and lift me up, but it felt wrong and tainted.

"What happened? I took advantage of your foolishness." My face paled and my eyes widened as I saw her eyes, burning green with pitch smoke, the irises blood red. "You never would've even thought that one of your precious few friends would betray you, Twilight. But I've proven you wrong."

"Sombra." I growled, despite the agony in my lungs and limbs. "What did he do to you?"

She causally dropped me. I yelped as my broken limbs turned in all the wrong directions upon smacking limp into the ground, the pain was unbearable, tears streamed down my face as I struggled to concentrate, trying to reactivate a healing spell, a levitation spell—any kind of spell that might stop the pain. "He didn't do anything, Twilight. What matters is what you did." Starfield took a deep breath, rising onto her haunches and bringing her forelegs to her chest. "Smell that air! Can you sense it?" She snickered, falling back down and cracking a rib as her hooves slammed into my brittle sides. "Breathe in the ashes of your subjects, Twilight! Fill your lungs with their scorched bodies."

"B–Buck you to Tartarus!" I winced, nearly all my magic was gone. While I hadn't felt this empty, this incredibly weak for thousands of years, I'd never felt my magic ripped out so forcefully. It was like feeling something grab your brain with claws and swish it around like stirred soup. I could barely manage the few spells attempting to heal my lungs so I could even breathe. She, on the other hoof, stood proud and tall, her mane flowing at least a dozen hoofs behind her and spiraling into the air. She was weakened, but still powerful enough to easily be able to kill me in this state.

She twisted my face around, my neck popping painfully as it was nearly turned too far. My throat closed up for a second, a groan finding its way out before my broken body turned with me. My blurred vision was nothing to hide her sadistic grin and flaming eyes as she hissed and muttered madness, mere inches from my face. "You haven't sensed it yet huh? Your magic is, so, very weak right now..." She purred, "It would be so easy to just kill you, Twilight. I could just rip your chest open and splatter your heart across your face while you watched." Starfield giggled as she almost fell over backing up, her laugh slowly changing into something I cannot describe. "Oooh. But I have a better way to end this, Twilight."

Flash!

I flinched, my eyes closing as she teleported away. When my eyes opened, she was—of course—gone. I just laid there, breathing and crying as magic ran through my and tried to repair the damage as quick as it could. I had to find her before she did something else, I had to find out what had happened. I had to save her from Sombra's influence.

But instead I laid there, groaning as the tiniest amount of magic sparked into my mushy legs. When I finally gathered the strength to stand. My legs wobbled and shook as I painfully struggled to my hooves, I had no idea how long it had taken for my nearly nonexistent magic reserve to heal me. The iron bands in my mane fell and clanked on the ground, the runes rusted and melted away—useless and every bone in my body felt like they were replaced with searing fire as I tested each joint, bending them all just a little. I lifted my hooves, and started dragging myself on four hooves.

I was standing, but every twitch, every movement felt the same as being dragged. I was moving at a slow and agonizing pace, my heart pounding violently in my ears. I had to find out what she'd done, I had to get back to Trottingham and make sure she hadn't–I tripped over the edge of the crater, tumbling and rolling down a small hill before my head landed gracefully on a flat stone. My ears rang and my vision swam, my aching limbs were replaced with rubber as fresh red filled my view.

I cursed, but not with actual words. It was more–so grunts that sounded like curses. I flailed my numb legs below me, trying to find land until I realized I was on my back. I dug them under me, pushing myself into the air at the perceived speed of a sonic rainboom. As my senses returned, I noticed the artificial sun was gone. Even the stars were gone, the sky was nothing but pitch black as I struggled to find my hoofing in almost absolute darkness. There was a small amount of light still, possibly left over. My subjects were likely panicking, 'The sun is gone! The sky is falling! It's the apocalypse!' I can hear their insanity already. I just have to get to Trottingham, it wasn't far. Then I could try to fix things

I yelled as I stumbled to the ground again, one of my legs freshly broken. This was going to be a long day.

«♦»

Trottingham was... In ruins. What had Starfield's device done? All these hundreds of thousands of lives, gone. I stumbled over the burned corpses of my little ponies, wincing as I passed each forever screaming, scarred face. The shimmering walls of the gold tinged buildings were cracked; dirtied by the ashes of the recently dead. With each step through what was once the kingdom I and my friends had spent several tens of thousands of years creating wafted fresher and fresher scents of death through my nostrils.

Everything hurt. My broken wings hurt, my heaving, hole ridden sides hurt, breathing, blinking and walking hurt. But seeing this unbiased destruction? This burned and damned hell that was once my home where my friends lived? This wasn't painful, it was beyond that. Hearing absolute silence in the city center—the most bustling and active quarter square mile on the planet—was heart breaking. My horn flickered, the pale purple light wavering and fading slowly. I barely had any magic left, much less enough to be wasting it as a flashlight. But without it I couldn't see; couldn't dodge the charred corpses.

It had been a long—and I really mean a long—time since I had trotted slowly through these streets without being near trampled. It had been around as long since I had felt my hair tickling my face. Every hint of life had been drained from it, every tiny breeze fluttered the grayed strands in the air. I was vaguely aware of my tail dragging across the ground behind me, but I didn't have the luxury to care.

I turned frantically, my eyes shifting across the pitch canvas of shadows. I could have sworn I had heard somepony. Should I risk Starfield further damaging things to search for a survivor who may or may not even exist? The layered, quaking echo from the direction of the castle answered for me as I 'ran', muttering an apology under my breath. Though it wasn't much of a run. It was more of a quick jog, maybe a gait if I were to be so egotistical as to lie to myself like that.

I tried to pump more magic into the healing spells I knew, but it only caused everything to hurt worse as the dull headache of magic withdrawl kicked in.

Crac—koom!

I gazed up as the great walls of the castle exploded outwards in brilliant yellow–gold light. My light died out quickly as I receded into the shadows, nearly falling over as I rested my aching bones. Just as I had started to grow weary and suspicious, Glowheart pierced the clouds of smoke. She flew past me, far overhead. The winds raged as she neared rainboom levels of speed, the signature cone of kinetic energy visibly forming around her.

I started to call out but the nearly noise died in my throat as another flew after her. "Glowheart! Starfield!" They couldn't possibly have heard me, I of course knew that. I pulled another breath, watching them circle each other in the air. Glowheart throwing raw magic and a few combat spells towards Starfield; the latter raged at my former student with vile magic, it curled around Starfield like a living sheath of shadows.

I panted as I looked around in the dark, beams of light from Glowheart's golden glow illuminating bits and pieces. What could I do to gain her attention? The only thing I had at my disposal was darkness!

Darkness.

Darkness!

I frowned as I felt it enter my heart; my darkest thoughts and bleakest desires. Which: given the situation, rather easily emerged. All my pain and loss; in the back of my mind I felt the mad tickles, little giggles finding their way to my vocal cords. Keep control Twilight, you got this. The world exploded in color as clouds of baneful emotion pooled around my eyes.

I unleashed my fury upon the world, straining not to cackle with glee as buildings and sidewalk exploded and crumbled to dust. I forced my gaze towards Glowheart; she had noticed. So had Starfield unfortunately, smashing city blocks wasn't have  a very stealthy way of communicating. In an instant I reeled as I cut off the dark magic, instantly weakened. That magic doesn't draw from a magic reserve luckily—or unluckily. It is created from deep set hatred and malice. Giving even the weakest unicorn immense power if they are angry enough, but with the cost of their sanity.

"Twilight!" I gasped and struggled to my hooves as Glowheart flew overhead.

"Glowheart!" My hooves gave as two walls of air slammed into me, knocking me back and to the ground. Starfield was making chase after my  friend, flying obviously faster than my ex–student ever could, much less now. I coughed, gagging as ash flooded my lungs with each gasped breath. "Buck... Too weak..." I don't have to be. My thoughts were plummeting into that dark hell, I knew deep down it was the only way I could help Glowheart. Before I noticed a pale shimmer under some rubble.

Near blinding light from behind me reflected brighter off the golden object, causing me to crawl over to it, ducking under the raining debris of another shattered building. It couldn't–It shouldn't be! But as I dug my hooves into the powder and stone remains of Trottingham Royal Armory, I cringed. "Celestia's chest guard." I said under my breath, pulling it to myself. I closed my eyes, feeling in with my tiny magic. It still had a little, minuscule amount of ambient magic in it, the enchantments placed in it all those tens of thousands of years ago still holding after all this time.

I sighed, feeling even that tiny amount of magic mingle with my own felt heavenly. It wasn't enough for even a basic level teleport, but it was enough to get me someplace to help. I climbed to my hooves with renewed ease, almost smiling as I ran down the mountain of destruction. Miles away I caught a glimpse of brilliant golden bolts the size of carriages falling to the ground, entire mountains crumbling away. My eyes widened as I dove behind a larger chunk of what I think used to be a store, bracing for impact.

I curled down as hurricane like winds ravaged over me, the several ton heaps of rubble being tilted over like mounds of parchment. I swore my ears were bleeding, but as I peeked over the slightly smaller chunk of store stone, they surprisingly weren't. I hopped to my hooves, continuing down the mountain as fast as I could. In the distance, I saw my destination: Mickey's Magical Enhancement Pharmacy. Or at least the remains of the ridiculously old franchise of pharmacy. I might be able to scrape together some kind of drug to give me a little boost. Drat, if only I reread Supernaturals last decade instead of last century, I might be able to put together something of quality.

I cringed as a greasy feeling and hatred seemed to slide through me. I threw my gaze up and saw a cloud of a slightly darker darkness than usual, sailing away from the fight in the distance. Starfield's–Sombra's magic was growing more powerful inside her. Whatever hatred she held for me and Glowheart was likely feeding it. I shook my head as I almost literally dove into the rubble, digging around for any sort of alchemical scraps I could find. I almost yelped in glee as my hoof wrapped around what I believed to be the veins of a demon heart, magic–a–plenty!

I audibly groaned as I tossed the nigh useless leek behind me. How the damned onion mimic managed to survive unscathed baffled me. Even more baffling was when I yanked a pill bottle of stallion cough enhancement pills from the rubble. I almost tossed it too when a thought occurred to me. My heart was the source of my magic, right? And these things kinda made the heart go into overdrive so it can better pump blood to the downstairs control room. So by that reasoning...

I popped the container open, tipping my head back as all twenty pills fell into my open maw. I gulped them down and continued searching.

Floop!

I felt blood rush to my cheeks as my wings splayed out behind me, twitching frantically. I almost wasted what little magic I had on a toxin cleansing spell, but as I was gathering the charge, my heart started beating louder.

Bum bum... Bum bum... Bum bumbumbumbumbum...

And faster! My mane rose off my back, leaving it feeling strangely familiar and yet, unfamiliar. My breath hitched as my eyes rolled into the back of my skull, dear Mothers this felt like pure bliss. The raw change in power was like night and–My eyes shot open as I conjured the artificial sun. As the ball of fire and plasma formed, I couldn't help but smile at it. Familiar. I cast my gaze down from the sky, lighting finally reaching the plan...et. My thoughts froze as my jaw unhinged slightly, dipping just south of being closed. As far as the eye could see, and I had pretty damn good eyes, the world was charred and broken.

My wings fell back to my side as I struggled to find words for my world; some form of apology maybe? But before a revelation blessed my tongue, the light was clouded out as a mist of black magic fell around me. I didn't even bother to look at the cause as I closed my eyes.

Blink

I opened my eyes on the other side of Trottingham just in time to see the east district explode in black flame. I quickly cast a spell to find my friend. There! I shifted my eyes to her and blinked again, erecting my wings.

Blink

I flapped as the ground fell out from under me, "Twilight!" I almost fell from the air as I heard her voice again.

"Glowheart." I flew over the remaining bakers dozen of hooves to her, "We can recap later, what's the status?"

"She's immensely powerful." She remarked frowning at the black speck that was Starfield. "I don't think we'll be able to beat her." I probably could if I used that power.

"That's the talk of losers." I said before flapping straight into a rainboom with one movement. I arced around her, sending small flares of stunning magic to test her reaction speed. A worthless effort however, she had simply cast a mass shield spell around herself, likely laced with a detection charm to conserve energy. Maybe I could overwhelm it with speed and get a shot pas–As I dodge a tree trunk sized beam of super concentrated, pitch black energy however, I suddenly doubted that.

Lucidity found me in the form of a pair of golden hooves smashing into my side, tugging me from the radius of another blast. "She's powerful." I simply responded, taking flight from the forelegs of my friend. The shockwave of a miles off two hundred–ish megaton explosion rocked over us, the wind flicking and burning my face. "At the rate her hate is growing, she'll crack the planet in half try to pick up a tea cup." I muttered.

"We have to placate her somehow." Glowheart hissed, a long streak of singed coat and roasted skin trailing her side. "I don't want to hurt her."

I grunted, swerving out of the way of another blast. "What about a concentrat–" I was cut off rather rudely as the pitch I'd dodged a moment earlier arced back around, slamming into, "Glowheart!" I yelled, flapping my wings, I burst over to her.

Oh Mothers, her screams. When I reached her, the skin on her entire right side had been seared away, steaming liquid dripping from her hidden eye. I imagine there wasn't an eye there at all honestly. "One moment!" I said, tipping my horn down. I grimaced with closed eyes as my mane withered away again, my tiny magic fleeing as I corralled it into yet another healing spell. Slowly, her wails quieted, silencing abruptly with a slimy pop. I dared my eyes open, both her eyes were wide; her pupils mere pinpricks as painful tears burned away at the cuts and scrapes on her cheek.

I panted, the magic flow cutting off as I tried to keep at least enough to walk. My head turned as I scanned for-Ah. There she is. Starfield flapped above us calmly, watching with the most disturbed grin I'd seen since the king of fear himself. "Hey." I nudged Glowheart, "No time for rest. We'll rest when she's dealt with." Almost unresponsive, she twitched enough to tell me she heard me. I frowned, she needed a couple more moments I suppose.

I could protect her with dark magic for just a tiny while, long enough for her to gather her strength. In the back of my mind, I heard the screaming calls. I had to use it, or she'd die. I glanced back, her wide, teary eyes broke my heart.

The air in front of me compressed just enough for me to turn in time. Another beam of black magic. If I used my body as a shield, I would die. If I moved, she would die. Either way...

Thund

The dull gong as our vile magics collided wasn't at all satisfactory, but it managed to divert her blast enough for us to both survive. The pools of vile magic bubbled around my eyes, clouding and changing my view. But she only cackled loudly. No words, no struggle. Just mad laughter.

Oh wait, that was me.

I became happily reminded of my heaving lungs as they struggled to fill with oxygen in time for it to be quickly exhaled. I was power itself; I was god. The euphoria of the magic tickled every nerve I didn't know I had; nearly orgasmic in nature. My eyes threatened to bounce their gaze back into my skull. This was the real me, my real emotions.

"Twilight!" I turned as I felt the golden glow pouring into me. Glowheart, still crying, was pouring her own magic into me. Consciousness returned as the dark magic was at least counteracted enough for me to expel it. ...Directly into Starlight's face, knocking her at least a five minutes rest away.

I heaved, so very weak again by comparison. ''Glowheart..." I whispered under my breath before collapsing.

«♦»

“It's hard to tell who has your back, from who has it long enough just to stab you in it.”

― Nicole Richie

1 — Aurora Custodia – Part II

During the first few centuries of the Alicorn Council's rule, many ponies who failed to understand the fact that Celestia had perished during the Second Resurrection, formed together as a cult called the Aurora Illuminatos, roughly translated to the Enlightened Dawn. They believed that Celestia had merely retreated into the sun itself, as though to hibernate and recover from her long, grueling battle. This is also due to the fact they wouldn't hear that Head Councilmare Twilight Sparkle had created the New Sun, as the previous one died with Celestia.

During the Aurora Illuminatos rough and small beginnings, they spent most of their time gathering ancient books and scrolls from the far gone times of the Equestrian Triarchy, and even before that, during the Diarchy. Their library soon grew to be the most extensive and priceless collection of books in Equestrian history, filled to the brim with every hint at Celestia the lore and mythology in every known culture had hidden away.

Approximately three hundred, eighty-three years, seven months and twelve days, "possibly around breakfast on an early morning, I was likely having pancakes"(Twilight Sparkle's exact words in the interview conducted for this book.) later, Twilight Sparkle decided to reach out to the group of now over five hundred ponies. On this day, the idea for the Aurora Custodia, the same group who helped fend off the legions of dark magic tainted unicorns, led by King Sombra, during the events following the Third Resurrection, was drafted. After a year of amendments and changes to the original draft, the group was transferred into the Republic's highest class of mages and council guard.

— Excerpt from *Strange Religious Cults Who Were Surprisingly Important*, pg. 28, Glowheart

«♦»

"Princess Twilight?" Whispers, little inklings of the past. Vision returned to me in the hazy ghost of my old bedchambers, a quick eye shift revealed it to be after Spike had grown too large for his basket, and another eye twitch showed that he still hadn't grown out of living in the Castle of Friendship. I remember the days he used to forget his correspondences to Dragon Lord Ember in my room, he was so used to leaving letters here, he did it out of habit.

Then I remembered the voice who called me, "Hello?" I responded, slowly crawling from my bed and reacquainting myself to my smaller form. Even my voice was a teeny, tiny thing. I sounded young, foolish. Like a living bundle of mistakes waiting to happen. But my memory of everything I had done remained intact, save for how I had gotten here. I stumbled clumsily to the door, straining a little to force forgotten muscle memories. Walking had grown alien; a robust and foreign concept.

The room was empty, whoever had called had either not existed at all, or had left soon after doing so. Given the fact I was likely in a lucid dream of sorts, it could be a mixture of both. I slowly made my way into the corridor, walking becoming easier with each step. "Did somepony need me?" I called out into the hall, my voice echoing back to me without response. I frowned and continued to explore, almost losing myself in the memory. A memory—That's it. Something had forced me into a memory. My own failing morals perhaps? Uncertain, but now with more answers, I found a greater confidence in my stride as I traced the breadcrumb trail memories usually lead.

Telling where you're supposed to go in a memory is easy most of the time, where you're not supposed to be is usually blurred and hazy, most of the details unknown and even broader shapes something of a mystery. Using that, I soon found myself in my old living room. Many a night I spent here, getting to know–"Princess Twilight!" I tumbled down, a reoccurring theme for me as of late, as a loud yellow blob flew into me.

"Yes?" Glowheart. Ah, so that's what this is. Did she put me here on purpose? Her skill in psychological tampering magic is rather lax, but this is definitely within her abilities. I couldn't help but smile down at the memory, while I could always remember Glowheart as a gentle, excitable filly with a thirst for random trivia and various magics with little use, seeing her again was truly magnificent.

"You've been sleeping all day!" She whined, allowing me back to my hooves. "And Princess Celestia should be here any minute now!" My breath hitched. Celestia, would I truly get to see her again? After all these years?

Gonnng...

I flinched at the doorbell, almost forgetting I had one way back then. "I'll get it!" Spike, now equal to my height, ran past and into a nearby corridor. I had to sit down, I feared I might lose my hoofing when I saw my teacher again. "Right this way, Princess." I heard Spike say from far away. I closed my eyes, clinching them shut in fear. Fear that when I saw her, I would break down. Could I handle this? Hoofs steps and friendly chuckles walked into the room before stopping

"Twilight?" I was afraid to open my eyes, afraid to see her die again. "Is something wrong?"

I opened my eyes but closed them again in pain, coughing as dirt and debris tried to escape my lungs. I pulled myself slowly, trying to put my hooves between my face and the mud. "Celestia...?" I muttered dumbly, wincing as I opened my right eye; the one that didn't feel like it had a rusty nail in it. Below me, in a puddle of sickly clear and murky red fluid, I saw a torn and mutilated amythest eye staring back up at—mine. In fact, itty bits of purple coat and splinters of bone was scattered around it as well. I stared for a moment before revelation dawned on me like vomit. Wait no, that was just vomit.

I had somehow lost my left eye, well it more just fell out and got messed up a little, it wasn't really lost in the literal sense. A shockwave flowed over me, sliding me and my poor little eye something of five or ten hooves away from where we were. I shifted my gaze up towards where it had came; in the distance was several small mushroom shaped clouds, each a varying color of wrong as they only grew larger and more destructive. Taint Flame, a sort of dark magic that acts like fire only less easy to put it out. Starfield had combined it with an explosive charm, leading to an infinitely expanding cloud of ever-burning hellfire. As apt an analogy for dark magic as any.

Surprisingly, my mane had a flow to it, fluttering in a different breeze than any blowing towards it with a faint violet glow. Either I had retained magic from Glowheart drowning the dark magic out of me, or I had regained some of my magic from my slumber. Either is equally likely, and if the former indeed happened, the latter increased it. I shuddered while pooling magic in my bloody eye socket, the strange feeling of a new eye popping into your socket was like... Imagine a cork from a wine bottle and a bubble popping at the same time inside your skull, but it wasn't painful. It was slimy.

I opened my new eye and looked around again, soon spotting my two friends. Well Glowheart and my ex-friend anyway. I could see even from here, Glowheart had little magic left. Her mane was sagging, almost not flowing at all. Not to mention she looked exhausted. Starfield however... She'd transformed even further, her pony form was gone, only a mere cloud of darkness and physical hatred. "Good morning, Twilight." Or her pony form was right behind me.

I braced in whatever way I could in the half second it took for the force of her hoof, added onto by her magic, to collide with the meager shield I managed to conjure between me and her. While dampening the blow, she shattered it and I found myself sailing through the breeze. It was times like these I took stock of my life, when I would wonder what life might've been like if, instead of becoming an immortal alicorn goddess thing, what if I had stayed a unicorn? What if I had found a nice stallion, settled down and had kids, before being forgotten by those kids and left to die alone after my husband died before me? That would've have been a nice life.

Instead, here I was. Being hunted down by one of my dearest friends, corrupted by dark, filthy magic to forever be damned to hellish, manic and delirious thoughts of hatred and chaos. My life is just a peach tree at this point, because I'm just peachy about my day. "Oof!" I said elegantly as I slammed softly into a cloud of light. I curiously prodded the magic, racking my brain for information about it. "The Aurora Custodia?" I asked uncertainly, looking around in confusion as two strikes of brilliant white light streaked the skies, aiming to strike straight through Starfield.

"Councilmare!" I looked back at the light cloud holding me as it slowly lowered me down near Glowheart. My hooves touched the ground, my gaze shifting to Glowheart as I raised an eyebrow. The cloud twirled, spinning in front of us as it formed into a pony.

Twinkle-Shine!!!

I swear I heard a sound effect as the pony emerged from the cloud, a... mediocre looking stallion who flashed a very embarrassing(for him, not us.) grin towards us. "Fear not, Councilmares, your saviors have arrived." As the final two flares settled aside him and their controllers exited, I knew our fate was sealed. It was General Cornflake and his band of merry misfits—Mothers help us, of anyone to survive this destruction, why couldn't it be a group of rapists or King Sombra himself? Why these three?.

They stood in front of us in a formation likely meant to protect, but it was of pour form. Starfield could've easily overpowered them even before being flooded with concentrated black magic, much less now. Not to mention simply teleporting behind them would negate their entire "defense". Not to mention... "With all due respect, Cornflake, please remove your bare flanks from in front of our faces." ...They weren't exactly leaving anything to the imagination.

They inched instead to our sides, two on mine and Cornflake guarding Glowheart himself. "Who's this dark one, Councilmares? A real nasty one her." Cornflake muttered.

"It's Councilmare Starfield." Glowheart grumbled as  several dozen tendrils the size of houses curled and twitched from the maelstrom around the dark one we were facing. They tore into the landscape like vapid strings of death, tearing apart the bygone lives of countless ponies and other sentient creatures, each aiming and spiraling towards us. I lowered my horn and growled as it pulled a painful amount of magic again, forming a dome of energy around us in time for–I felt screaming in my head, violent, blood curdling screams of torture and pain as the lines of magic skidded against the shield, cracking and shattering layers as I force new ones to replace them. I couldn't hold this up for long. I spotted one of the tendrils start to tunnel and knew what came next from experience.

Forcing more layers of energy into the ground under us, I warped the ground around our hooves to hold us in place as the beam of magic smashed into us from below. It lifted us and my head spun as gravity shifted below us, the other black tentacles swirled and curled up at us. I heard retching and silently hoped whoever it was could keep their lunch. We stopped abruptly, as did our attackers as the high queen of hate herself formed from darkness in front of dome. "Councilmare Starfield, how dare you transgress in such a disgusting manner!" One of Cornflakes pleebs yelled out in what can adequately be described as utter stupidity. "I demand you cease and desist at once!"

Starfield floated there, likely digesting the information he had given her. After some thought, she carefully worded her response by running her tongue across the shield and moaning as it popped and sizzled, blistering and frying from the protective charms naturally laced in one of the layers. Pain, anguish and hate, all key elements that fed to the power of dark magic. Revolting. "This is your fault, Twilight." I glared  as she started whispering to me.

"This is all... Your... Fault." Her glowing red and green eyes closed halfway, giving me something resembling bedroom eyes, but more like something a sadist would do to creep you out. "I love how you get off in the morning. You wake up every day and think to yourself, 'Oh my, I wonder what little filly I'm going to impress myself upon today?'." Well, maybe she was giving me bedroom eyes and she just really sucked at it. "Taking poor, silly fillies under your wing all the time, countless little fillies. Dozens and dozens, every one of them taken to your bedchambers and tutored."

I snorted. "Are you serious?"

"Taking them in there, and forcing them to love you. You are disgusting." She stared at me, her eyes widening in shock at her own words. "You are revolting and horrible and vile..." She whimpered before cackling. "You horse... You taught me to love you; taught me every spell and incantation you knew. I wanted you." She spun and twirled in the sky, rubbing her hoof across the dome despite, or likely because of the burning, searing pain. "No. I want you." She stared and laughed airlessly. "When I break this dome, we both know I can, Twilight, Sweetie, I'm going to kill these four, and keep you. I'm going to lock you away, and crawl inside of you." Her hooves tapped together, "Crack, crick—Snap. Break your rib cage apart and live inside after I gut you open. And we'll be together. Forever. Just like you taught me." Her face contorted to a strange look of warped happiness. "Every night I'll hold your still beating heart to my chest, and every morn I'll kiss it good bye as I shape our paradise in my image."

I furrowed my brow, my concentration wavering simply out of confusion and disbelief at what she had said. "That is the most sick, horrible thing I have ever heard uttered from another pony's mouth." I said, shaking my head slowly. "Not even the worst, most twisted and horrid magic on all of Equuis could distort and change your thoughts into such a filthy state. Were you always this disturbed and confused? Why didn't you come to me? Ask for help?"

Her eye twitched before she snorted and laughed manically. She tried to speak, but simply drifted away into the haze, her disturbed laughter echoing in our heads. I wanted to talk to her more, try to help her. But the tendrils all turned, aimed straight at our hearts. Too long.

«♦»

"Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned,

Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned."

—William Congreve