What Lurks in the Shadows
The room is dark, with no windows. The sound of my hoof steps echoes throughout the empty room, a sharp tap against the tiled floor. The spell books that are held by my magic give off a very faint light, not even enough to pierce the darkness that surrounds me.
I find the darkness lovely, an escape from responsibility. A place where I am truly able to think, without anypony trailing around me asking for friendship advice. Sure, it's nice and all, I love helping people. But sometimes, I just wish to be alone. To work in secret.
I sigh, and carefully set the books down. Lifting my head up, I try to look for a candle. However, the darkness is just far to intense. Honestly, I'm thankful I haven't tripped over anything, even if the room is lacking in decor. It is rather empty.
My horn ignites with a brief flash, and shoots a thin line of light at the wall. Slowly, the wall blossoms into a throbbing light, then explodes throughout the room, throwing light unto everything. Suddenly, the room is lit up with a light that is much the same as a candle, or a lantern, except the light clings to everything. Where there should be shadows, there aren't.
I smile, and turn to the entrance.
"Okay Spike. Room is prepped for experimentation!" I declare, then trot to the door. I open it slightly, to the dark hall. The light in the room does not move, and stays in it's confined testing area.
"Gosh, Twilight. I know that you wanted to keep this experiment private, but what is it with the lights?" My assistant Spike mutters, and drags in the chemistry set, and assortment of spell books. "Did we really have to turn off EVERY one for this to work? You know I'm scared of the dark."
"Well, Spike. What we are doing is technically... Well, it's kinda illegal." I admit. "And we have to keep it, Y'know. On the down low."
"WHAT? Twilight, if Princess Celestia finds out, we're going to get in big trouble!" Spike cries, and I sigh. "I don't want her to yell at me!"
"Spike, I know! But I just have to know what this spell does! I need to know, Spike." I beg.
"Darnit, Twilight! Do you have any idea what you'll get us into? What if it summons some sort of tree deity? And then it turns us into, like, leaves or something?" Spike asks, taking a nervous gulp of air.
"That's why I'm here, Spike. No idea. I got this spell book," I then point to a large book, "and began looking through the pages. I found this spell called NIL, which strangely had no description. However, there was a set of instructions on how to conduct it. Isn't this exciting, Spike? An unknown spell!" I giddily jump up and down, before looking to him for his thoughts.
"Where... Where did you even get that book?" Spike asks, and looks to me, frustrated. He seems to have a distrust to the book.
Spike always seems to try to keep me in line, to make sure I don't perform experiments that are to dangerous. He's a good lab assistant. Cute, but I'm obviously not going to give up that easily.
"I found it in the Canterlot castle library. It was in the OFF-LIMITS section of the library." I say, smirking.
"Oh, of COURSE you did. Did it ever occur to you that MAYBE the princesses put that book there so that nopony could read it for a reason?" He argues.
"Well, duh! I just wanted a peak, saw the book, and knew that I had to have it! I promise we'll put it right back, as soon as we try this spell." I beg again, and finally, he gives in.
The other day, I didn't think I would have stepped hoof in that area of the castle. The princesses decided that it was not meant for anypony's eyes, but I just wanted a peak. Out of curiosity, of course. My eyes had landed upon a small book cover, with a strange star on its cover. It didn't look like mine, no. It was a normal six point star, only upside down. With a circle touching every point. I had then decided to check into it, and it had some pretty weird spells in it. I decided that I should probably try a few experiments with some of the spells, and this is what landed my assistant and I in the room in the first place.
"Ugh... Fine, Twi'. But as soon as we're done, you owe me food. I'm hungrrryyy." He sighs, and strides over to a single workbench. "So. What happens if, you know, the spell makes you go crazy or something?" He asks, looking over the conduction procedure. He lazily drags his claw over the book lightly, as to not scratch the pages.
"Well, we have Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow, Rarity, and Pinkie to make sure I don't do collateral damage. Hey, maybe this NIL thing will make me as tall as Celestia! That'd be pretty cool, huh?" I stretch my wings, and look to him with a wide smile, seeing what he thinks of it.
"Psh, you wish! She's freakin' tall!" He laughs, shaking his head (obviously doubtful).
"Well, maybe I could get as tall as Luna. She's tall too, don't you think?" I ask.
"Not compared to Celestia." He comments. "She's like, her shadow. But tiny. A tiny shadow."
Rolling my eyes, I tell him to get to work.
I grab the materials we need to perform the spell, and hoof about half of the supplies over to Spike.
We work in silence, slowly assigning the items to their specific places. Yawning tiredly, I look to Spike to see how close he is to finishing his assignments as I finish placing the final book on top of a bench.
He looks to me, smiling as he places the last candle down in it's circle.
"Okay, Twilight! What now, shoot magic at the floor or something? I'm ready to see the cool part." Spike says, excitedly. This is the part where I usually end up having to cast some sort of spell, most of the time involving fire.
"Huh. Well, actually, this doesn't say anything about me using magic from my horn. It says here that I have to... Offer... Blood..." I freeze, as I take a closer look at the procedure. Now, most of the time, I would say 'no' to these procedures, but my mind begins to work around all of the ways that I could outsmart the procedure.
"Twilight? I don't think I want to see this anymore." Spike whispers, nudging me. He begins to fidget, knowing that the decision to continue is still in my hooves. Which usually means that I will continue in my studies.
"Yeah..." I mutter, and look at the instructions once more. Sure enough, there it is, the words still plain as day. I begin to come to a resolution, and know that I have outsmarted a spell that seems to be fairly easy to conduct.
"Twilight, don't do this. I don't want you to get hurt." He begs. Spike looks deep into my eyes, noticeably shaking.
"I love you, Spike. More than anything. You don't have to see this. I just have to make a little cut... It doesn't have to be big." I mutter.
"C'mon, Twi'..." Spike uncomfortably shifts his position.
I lift my foreleg up to my face, and push my horn against it. The horn cuts roughly through my skin and fur, and I have to grit my teeth to avoid screaming. I look down tiredly at my throbbing leg, and confusedly try to blink away the dots.
What did I do? Why... Why did I do that...?
"Twilight!" Spike runs to my side, a worried expression plastered to his features. His panic stricken eyes dart over my body, a sudden urgency in his voice. I don't exactly understand why that is, however, as I try to grasp onto the reality of the room that seems to be spinning like crazy. Laughter. Hahaha! That's what it is.
"No... Oh, this hurts..." I moan, as I collapse to the floor. My hooves find their way around Spike, as he tries to drag me to the door. He's surprisingly strong for his size, but I already know he won't be able to carry me.
"No, Twilight! Why would you do that, you ripped up your whole leg!" He points to my leg, which is gushing dark blood out of it, as I try to understand what is happening to me. "I'm taking you to the nurse. You are bleeding like crazy Twilight, you shouldn't have gone on with the experiment!" Spike pulls harder, but to no avail.
Suddenly, I snap. It feels good to snap on someone suddenly. It makes me ecstatic. It makes me feel good.
"Spike, I am finishing this! I did NOT rip my leg apart for no reason." I growl.
"Twilight, please..." Spike begs. He's crying now, fighting me, as tears creep down his face.
I ignore him, even though I want to listen to him so bad... Curiosity is like a poison. It takes a hold of your system, and no matter how bad you want to stop, it just pushes you forward. This spell is so apalling, that I will literally be driven insane if I do not know what it does. I begin to breathe heavily, as the pain in my foreleg flares up like a flame.
"It says here th-that all I have to do now is lay down in the middle of those candles... And die." I moan as my blood seems to boil, as if I had magma as a replacement. I have to know, I HAVE TO KNOW, I HAVE TO KNOW!!!
"Twilight, you need help! You need to see the nurse!" He pleads for the final time. He looks broken, fearful, and more desperate than I've ever seen him.
"Yeah Spike... Right after... This..." I fumble to the candles, and collapse in the midst of their warm embrace. My eyes slowly close as more of my blood slowly pools around me, sticking to my fur. I can't feel anything, now. A numbness is being applied to my foreleg.
"Twilight! I'll, uh, get Nurse Redheart, and your friends! Just hold on, okay? I love you Twi', just hold on!" Spike darts for the door, as I begin to choke on my own saliva.
"Spike..." I whisper. Spike's head snaps to my direction, as he moves for the door.
"What is it Twilight?" He looks directly in my eyes, fear for me coursing through him. The fire from the candles lightens up his face nicely. Fear pulsing through him as if his... As if my very life depended on it.
But something isn't right. I feel cold. I feel hungry.
"When you get out of here, lock the door. Barricade it if you have to. But get Princess Celestia." I whisper, staring off. My vision is locked on my foreleg, which has a large lump that is slowly traveling towards the gash that is still gushing blood, matting down my fur. Panic settles into me, as I watch the blood spill faster still.
"Twilight? I'll be back, okay? I swear, you'll be okay!" He rushes to my side and holds my hoof gently, eyes shut tight. "You went to far this time, Twi'." Tears bead his eyes as he looks to the book, and then stands. Rushing off, he leaves me, closing the door behind him. Tightly.
The blood seeps into the floor, staining the nearly sparkling tile.
I begin to moan from the intensity of the pain, but close my mouth quickly as I feel something rough begin to take shape in my throat, which I assume is bile.
Twilight, Twilight, Twilight... They always did say that curiosity killed the cat. You were foolish. You were selfish, to listen to yourself rather than listen to the meat. It tried to protect you. The meat. Meat, meat, meat.
"S-spike..." I moan.
No. You have made a mistake, and thou will punish for it. Have you any idea child, what you've done? Have you any idea of what you and I can accomplish, peasant? I've bestowed a gift upon you. I own you now, Twilight Sparkle. Not even Satan himself can claim thy soul thou have brought me. YOU ARE ALL MINE, AS YOU ART ME.
I look up, to a dark figure. It wears a cheshire smile, and its eyes are cold, and unforgiving. They bore into the essence of my very soul, claiming me, killing me. The smile reveals all of the beings that it has tasted, all of the souls that it has felt writhing beneath it's teeth. Its shadowy arms stretch out to me, as it's mouth slowly opens, spilling BLOOD AND RUST on the floor.
I begin to scream into the night, as the candles all blow out at once.
A soft crunch is heard, and then a thud.
The magic that once lit up the room is gone, and only darkness and silence ensue.
And then a single candle flares to life, barely enough light to reveal an Alicorn wearing a wide Cheshire smile.
Author's Note
Curiosity killed no one,
Curiosity saved us all.
Curiosity is a wonder,
As was the foolish one's fall.
-NIL