Chapter 1: The First Sign
Author's Note
This is the revised "Awakening Chapter 1". I've decided to go a different route with this one. I hope you all like it. Let me know what you think in the comments below, or simply giving it a thumbs up or thumbs down.
Slight revision to my OC here. No longer am I Knight Shadow, the Wolf Guard of Twilight Sparkle. I have remade my OC. I am now Arcane Sigil, unicorn pony with a surprising ammount of power if tapped into correctly.
No, Arcane is not a god, I explain how he does what he does in the chapter, just read it.
There will be vore in this, you have been warned. Not in this first chapter, but eventually.
Fan Favorites are going to DIE. Giving you fair warning here. Bow out now if you want to avoid a potential gore fest.
NO... that does not confirm that Twilight's child is the spawn of a demon. Ponies are going to die because magic like that is way to powerful for a single being to control
Chapter 1: The First Sign
Twilight Sparkle, the student of Princess Celestia. Barer of the Element of Magic. Princess of Friendship. Headmare of the School of Friendship. High Ambassador of Friendship to the neighboring Nations. Had a splitting headache. It felt like her horn was cracking right down the middle. She groaned as she lay in bed, her pillow over her face and flipping sides often to press the cool side on her throbbing horn.
She’d already told Spike she wasn’t feeling well and if she wasn’t out of bed by lunch to send for Celestia, Nurse Redheart, and Cadance. A quick peek at the clock told her she had another two hours. Two more hours before her mentor, a trained physician, and her sister-in-law slash favorite pony aside from her friends were in the room checking on her. Groaning, she flipped the pillow again and pressed her horn against the cool surface.
She didn’t notice the passage of time. Didn’t realize she’d fallen asleep. When she woke up again, it was to a light shining in her eye. Nurse Redheart was checking for pupil dilation to see if she was responsive. Celestia and Cadance stood to the side, worried looks on their faces. Spike and her friends were at the foot of her bed, including her new captain, Tempest Shadow.
“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to worry you all… how long was I out…?” she asked as she sat up.
“Twilight, you were asleep for five hours. We tried everything to wake you.” Celestia said and Twilight looked up at her.
“That… doesn’t seem like a long time…” Twilight said, punctuating it with a yawn.
“It’s five in the afternoon, Princess Twilight.” Tempest said and Twilight’s eyes went wide only to snap closed as a wave of pain burned through her skull. “Spike tried to wake you at noon, as you requested of him, but you weren’t responding. He panicked, of course, and sent a letter to Celestia, who arrived quickly and checked you over. You were, for all intents and purposes, dead.”
“What!?” Twilight shouted, only to immediately regret it as her head throbbed.
“I was so worried Twilight…” Spike said, sounding like he’d been crying. “I don’t… I don’t want you to go…” he sniffed and Twilight reached for him with her hooves, rather than lifting him with her magic. He climbed up onto the bed and cuddled against her chest.
“I’m sorry for worrying you Spike… I didn’t expect to sleep in so late.”
“None of us thought you could sleep in Twilight.” Rainbow said and when Twilight really looked at them, they all looked like they’d been crying. Rarity’s normally pristine mane was disheveled, with ends of it sticking out everywhere. Fluttershy was hiding behind her mane and still crying softly. Applejack looked angry, and Twilight felt like she’d find out why later. Pinkie’s mane was flat but slowly fluffing back up. Rainbow Dash simply looked like she’d been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy. Without saying a word, Twilight held her hooves out to them and was immediately dogpiled by all of them.
The five of them piled onto Twilight’s bed, hugging their friend tightly, as if afraid if they stopped she’d disappear. Tempest and Celestia stood to the side as Red Heart scowled at them for a moment before stealing back one of Twilight’s legs to check her pulse. Twilight barely noticed the scowl, but she did notice that Red Heart had checked her pulse five different times during the entire encounter. Celestia had also noticed.
“What is it Nurse Red Heart?” the Monarch of the Sun asked and the nurse shook her head.
“I don’t understand anything that’s going on. She was, clinically, dead when we arrived. Her heart is even barely beating right now. It only beats when she’s content, excited or trying not to cry, like right now.”
“Pardon?” Celestia asked and Cadance went pale.
“Twilight… your horn…” Cadance said and Twilight looked at her sister in law. Everyone else, in turn, looked at her horn and gasped. Even Celestia.
“Nurse Red Heart, please explain what you meant…” Celestia said as she stared at Twilight’s horn. Twilight’s eyes widened as she stared at her friends, mentor, sister-in-law, the nurse, and her Captain, who were all staring at her horn. Not at her. Her horn.
“I mean she was dead. No pulse. No rhythm at all. Nothing. I even used my arcanometer to check her magic. Nothing. According to my readings as of five minutes ago, and even popping up every few seconds, Twilight Sparkle is dead.” Red Heart said and everyone froze for a moment then turned to Twilight.
One hour later, Twilight found herself back in Canterlot, in one of the hospitals with the most advanced equipment in the medical field. The doctors were using every means possible to discover why Twilight’s heart kept stopping. It wasn’t just a heart murmur, that was explainable by science and magic. The simple fact that her heart kept completely stopping, for ever-lengthening periods of time, was unexplainable. Naturally, news of Twilight’s “death” had reached her family. Shining Armor and Cadance, with Flurry Heart pulled out of school, were there immediately. Twilight Velvet and Nightlight were the next to arrive.
Rainbow thought that simply seeing how calm Twilight was kept the five of them calm, but she wasn’t completely sure calm was the right word to use. Looking at Twilight’s mom, she thought she was more… collected. Like she’d seen death before. A lot. Nightlight immediately scrubbed up with the doctors, even though he was an astrologist, and assisted where he could. Shining Armor fell back into step as a Captain, directing guards, nurses and even civilians to where they were needed and supposed to go. Cadance remained by Flurry and Twilight, ever the emotional pillar.
Opening her mouth to ask if Twilight was ok, she snapped it closed as the doors swung open, ushering in Celestia, Luna, two of their guards each, and… another pony. Rainbow and the others were sure they’d seen him somewhere before. Dark grey coat, a tri-colored mane and tail, golden eyes, and a cutie mark with five different colors. The guards and princesses stepped aside as the oddly familiar stallion approached Twilight’s bed. She sat up just a little as he did and they all watched as his horn lit.
Twilight’s friends’ eyes all went wide as a small flame licked at the corner of the bed Twilight was on before a small pillar of stone cropped up, hovering over the other corner. At the foot of the bed, a miniature whirlpool formed, floating in midair where the was no water. Beside it, a small twister. The four things stay still for a moment before a fifth object appeared. Hovering over Twilight’s heart, it was a small purple star, like her Cutie Mark. When it appeared, the other four objects glowed lightly as beams of light in four different colors, red, blue, green, and yellow, extended from them and touched the points of the star, causing it to glow.
“What can you see with your spell, Arcane?” Celestia asked and he glanced back at her then looked at the five objects again.
“It’s a magical malady. It isn’t brought on by poor hygiene or lack of exercise. I’ve never seen it’s like before, and you know the lengths I’ve gone to too study magic and strengthen my connection with the five elements.”
“There are six… actually.” Twilight said softly and he just smiled. Rainbow knew that smile. She used to look at Soarin and Spitfire that way. That wasn’t the smile of someone smarter saying something demeaning. That was the smile of someone looking at someone he loved dearly.
“There are six Elements of Harmony, yes. But there are five Elements of Creation. Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Spirit.” He said, each of the five objects lighting up slightly as he named them. “These five elements make up the fabric of life itself. Going back to very ancient times, back before Celestia and Luna were even alive, there was just an empty vastness. Beings of immense power lived within it, but they were lonely. So great was their power, they couldn’t venture too near each other for fear of destroying one another. So they created life. They molded the first ponies, earth ponies, out of stones.”
As he said this, a stone the size of a pony appeared, hovering next to him, and slowly molding into the shape of a young mare. “They shaped eyes, a nose, a mouth, and whatever other… equipment… they thought would suit the body.” As he said this, eyes, a nose, a mouth, and a small pair of teats appeared on her. Seeing Fluttershy’s blush and seeing her turn away from the stone mare, there was also the proper equipment in full view, since she didn’t have a tail. “Then, they breathed life into it.” Wind blasted through the room, flowing into the stone mare, producing a tail in the color of fresh grass and a mane to match. When the wind stopped, the stone mare sucked in a lung full of air and started breathing. “And then, they gave it the will, the fire, to live its own life and chart its own path.” The room warmed considerably as color was given to the sone mare. A dark brown to compliment the green of her mane and tail.
Her eyes opened, revealing emerald green orbs that were only slightly faded. She was still missing something. “You just created a living pony out of nothing…” one of the doctors said and Arcane just smiled.
“Not quite. She’s still missing one key ingredient. One thing that all ponies have from the day their conceived to the day they die.”
“A soul…” Twilight said softly and he nodded as he gently kissed the mare on her cheek. They all watched as her eyes lit up and she looked around the room.
“She’s going to need a place to stay, an education drilled into her, and a purpose. As you can see, she doesn’t have a cutie mark.” He said as he looked at Celestia, who nodded and gestured for her guards to escort the new mare out of the room.
“How is that possible? Life can’t just be… be created from nothing.”
“That’s how the ancient gods did it back in the time before Celestia and Luna. I’m not claiming to be a god, nor am I claiming to be more powerful than Celestia and Luna. In fact, I won’t be able to do that again for at least twelve years. Takes a lot out of me to channel all five elements like that.”
“He usually only uses one or two in tandem, and it serves him quite well.” Luna said and Twilight looked at him then at Celestia and Luna.
“Why did you bring him?”
“Because even with my magic drained like that, I can still do general spells, medicinal and combat oriented. Though my medical knowledge is a little more specific than theirs.” He said as he walked towards her. “I need you to lay back down and relax.” He said as his horn glowed a soft grey. She was sure it would be white usually, but he did say he was drained. She lay down on her back as he waved his horn over her, the soft grey seeming to flow from his horn onto her and cover her body. She did manage to watch the whole process; her head being propped up by four pillows. The magic swirled around her and over her, covering her from hoof to horn.
As they all watched, the magic centered on her chest glowed red while the magic centered just above her belly glowed pink. “Well… that’s not good.”
“What is it?” Celestia asked.
“Well, one of two things. Or both, with how the magic is reacting. One, the magic centered on her chest being red means there’s something malevolent inside her heart. Something that means her and the rest of us harm.”
“What!?” Twilight asked as the magic over her chest brightened.
“Relax, Princess.” He said and she breathed in and used Cadance’s breathing exercise. “Two, with it centered over her chest the way it is, it could simply mean that the more she moves and acts, the faster her heart beats. And with how bright it got, there may be something wrong with her heart. That is easily mended with some medication and rest.”
“And the pink over her belly?” Cadance asked.
“That’s why it’s not good. I’m going to be a little personal, Princess Twilight, and I want you to be truthful with me, even if it’s embarrassing.” He said and Twilight nodded. “Have you been with a stallion in the last few months?”
“Wh…what? No. I… I didn’t. I’ve never… I wouldn’t…” Twilight stammered, blushing furiously and he nodded.
“Alright. Then this is going to be… very surprising. Pink over the belly means one thing. She’s pregnant.”
“What!?” Twilight, Cadance, Shining and her friends all shouted.
Only an hour later, and everypony except Celestia, Twilight’s parents, two of the doctors, and the guard had left the room. “Explain again what you meant.” Celestia said, sitting beside Twilight’s bed as the mare in question continued to hyperventilate.
“Exactly what I said. The flames I created would be different colors depending on a malady they detected. Cancer would have been green, other deadly diseases would have been black or brown depending on the fatality of them, red simply means excitement or over-exertion. Pink flames only mean one thing and only that one thing. Pregnancy. As all of you have stated, she hasn’t been with a stallion, at all, from the day she earned her Cutiemark to today.” He said and one of the doctors scanned over her again, using a magically enhanced CT scanner.
Twilight stared at the screen connected to it as he moved it across her still flat belly. There was no possible way there was a life growing inside her. No way in Tartaros. Her blood froze as the doctor moved the scanner over her belly, just above her teats. There, in plain view for everyone to see, was an under-developed fetus. There was a nearly invisible horn nub present, so at least the baby would be a unicorn. “How is this possible?” Nightlight asked and the guard shrugged.
“I can’t begin to know. My magic isn’t that powerful.”
“You created a pony out of nothing!” Twilight snapped and he nodded.
“I did, yes, but I also utilized the aid of five elements of creation, the same elements that give each and every being on this planet life. Ponies eat the grass, drink the water, breath the air and live on the earth and the souls within each of us will pass on one day to rejoin those elements until they are needed for a new generation. And, as I said, I can’t do that again for at least twelve years. By that time, the mare I created will have found a lover and carried at least one child if she’s vigorous enough.” He said and she stared at him for a moment.
“Can we… have the room please. Just us, doctors, please?” she asked and everyone except the guard left. He stared at her until the door was closed before looking at the screens. “How certain are you?” she asked and he looked back at her.
“I can confirm with one hundred percent accuracy that you, Princess Twilight Sparkle, Headmare of the School of Friendship, Princess of Friendship, former barer of the Element of Magic, are pregnant.”
“Jeez I didn’t think I had that many titles…” she said and he smirked a little bit. “What can we do about it? I’m not ready to be a mother, and I certainly can’t expect Spike to drop everything he’s doing to help me raise a baby.”
“We have a few options at our disposal. We caught it early enough that getting rid of the child will be as simple as taking a pill or two.”
“Not an option. I won’t end a life that hasn’t even begun yet.” She said and he nodded.
“Alright, that takes a few options off of the table. We’re down to three. Option one, we let this play out, see what happens, and raise the child.”
“We?”
“I’ll be sticking around to help you of course. You’re a Princess, you need guards. I’ll sign a few papers with Celestia in the morning.”
“Option two?”
“Option two, we let this play out and then give the child to Celestia, Luna or Cadance. If you aren’t ready to be a mother yet, you can always simply give the child up for adoption.” She nodded silently then looked at him expectantly. “Option three… isn’t an option.”
“What do you mean?” She asked and he stared at her before turning to the screens.
“Option three… I kill you. End it here and now.” He said as he turned to her, his eyes dark, as if he’d done something like that before.
“O…ok… let’s not go that route… why would that have to be the option?”
“Because, Princess, a pregnancy like this can only be caused by two things. I know you’re listening, Celestia and Luna, so the two of you may come back in. Just you two.” He said and Twilight watched as the two monarchs walked back into the room and over to them. “A pregnancy such as this, with no stallion involved, is what’s known as a Dream Insemination.” As soon as he said that the two mares looked to Luna, who immediately raised her hooves in defense. “Not that sort of dream. Luna would have had no control over this. Her power over the dream realm extends to nearly all dreams but one type of dream.”
“Wet dreams.” Luna admitted openly. “I have no desire to see the personal fantasies of my subjects, thus I keep all doors to such dreams sealed away so they cannot tempt my curiosity.”
“So… I had a wet dream and it got me pregnant. That must be some potent magic.” Twilight said and the guard nodded.
“It was. It was either malefic or celestial.” He said and the two Royals turned to stare at him.
“Meaning…?” Twilight asked and the two Princesses watched him, as if expecting him to shrug it off.
“Meaning it was either a demon or an angel.” He said and both of them cast silencing spells on the room.
Twilight was alone. So very alone. She couldn’t see anyone or anything. She couldn’t hear anything. Light and sound were so far away she couldn’t find them.
“Am I dead…?”
“Where am I?”
“What happened?”
She started walking. Any direction, it didn’t matter. There had to be something. She wouldn’t stop until she found it.
It felt like months. She hadn’t had to stop for food and water even once on her journey, but she wasn’t getting any closer to anything, if there was anything. Her mouth was dry, and she felt like she was choking. Her only indication she was still alive. She needed food and water.
More months. She’d stopped counting really but it had to be much longer. She was certain she was starving to death. Or dehydrating to death. She hadn’t touched food or water in so long.
She finally stopped. She’d made no progress in however long it had been. There was no point in continuing to try and make progress if there was no progress to be made. She was resigned to accept her fate.
Water. There was water. It was raining down from above. Twilight tipped her head back and opened her mouth. What few drops she got quenched her thirst. Her throat was no longer dry, but she was starving.
What was she looking for? She couldn’t even remember now. It had to have been much more time than before, because her mane was longer. Still, she kept searching. She’d forgotten what food tasted like, but the rain was constant now and kept her hydrated. Was she getting closer to something?
Those were trees. Only a few yards ahead, but she could see trees. Where there were trees, there was fruit. And grass. Food. She hastened her steps.
The trees were her saving grace. Weak though she was, she managed to kick one and it dropped a watermelon. Too weary to question why, she broke it open by stepping on it and feasted. It helped her thirst more than her hunger, but at least it was something. Another tree dropped a peach, another dropped an apple. Her fourth tree dropped a potato. She stopped, thought to question it now that she had food, and walked to the stream nearby. Fresh water. It was still black everywhere, but there was food and water here.
No longer was she hungry or thirsty, but she was still lost. Her mental map formed; she made the oasis she’d found her central point. She would adventure out from here, mark where she’d been, and return. Even if that meant not much progress was made, she’d at least have a direction.
It was gone. Twilight looked around everywhere, but the oasis was gone. All that remained of it was the fruit she’d harvested before to feed her on her trek. Not even the water remained.
Voices. Her mane was much, much longer than before, but she could hear voices. She’d forgotten what those were. Her step quickened as she ran towards them. Voices meant ponies. Ponies meant home.
She gasped awake. The sounds of beeping filled the room, an uncomfortable pressure greeted her foreleg and her stomach felt horrible. Looking around, she could barely make out shapes. The beeping was coming from her left, a blurry grey and black box. More sounds. She looked around and saw more blurs approaching her in a myriad of colors ranging from pink to… a sky with a rainbow? She couldn’t hear and couldn’t see clearly. Another shape pushed through the others. This one felt familiar. Soft purple with purple on top of it.
Her eyes focused as the shape hugged her. Her mother. She wanted to hug her mother. She wanted to hold another pony. Her limbs wouldn’t move. Her mother stepped away and turned to another shape. Doctor Stable. Voices were exchanged, she couldn’t quite make out the words.
The doors burst open as four other shapes walked into the room. A shape as dark as the place she’d been reached her first. His scent washed over her, and tears came to her eyes. He’d been with her the entire time. She was never really alone. The tall white shape behind him gently moved him to the side but not away. The moving colors stop the shape brought tears to her eyes again. She was home. She couldn’t hear their words, but she was home.
Five hours later, Twilight was thankful she could tell time again, she was sitting up in the bed. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow were both in it with her, passed out near her legs. They’d been up the entire time, trying to find the thing that had done this to her. Her child. The infant that had been born from her because of a demon. Her words still didn’t work, the water she’d drank in the dark place had been an IV drip they had given her. The food had all been in her mind.
A hayburger, some fries, several frosties, and even some cookies her own mother had made sat on the table nearby, untouched. She was too occupied. Her brush with death had awoken something in her. She had to have her lips busy with something, and Arcane had been available. They were trying not to wake up Pinkie or Rainbow, but her lips ached for his. He’d been with her in that dark place, watching after her, taking care of her.
She was sure if her friends weren’t there, he’d be in that bed with her. She was also sure she wouldn’t be able to keep herself from doing something… naughty with him. They stopped kissing just to catch each other’s breath and the doors swung open. Celestia and Luna walked in followed by her mother. Arcane stepped back but remained close enough that all she’d have to do is reach out to touch him as the three mares walked over to her.
They didn’t want much. Celestia wanted to know what she’d seen, Luna wanted to know if she could feel any connection to dreams or anypony. Her mother just wanted to know her baby was ok. All she could say was she wasn’t sure. She didn’t know what she’d seen, she didn’t know if she felt dreams while she was there, and above all she didn’t know if she was ok.
Her heart was heavy, her head still hurt but not as much as before, and she felt alone. Even now, with everypony around her, she felt alone. She did admit to one thing. Having Arcane with her the entire time made her feel safe. Celestia wanted to take him away to ask him how in private, but Twilight wouldn’t let him leave. She couldn’t. He was her anchor now. Her reason and means of even being there. If he left, she felt like she’d float away.
The Princesses and her mother left soon after, her mother promising to come back soon after scolding her for not eating. The first thing she ate was a cookie. That had made her mother beam with joy. Her cookies had always been her baby’s favorite. Twilight’s eyes closed while she chewed, enjoying the taste of her favorite sweet as the Princesses and her mother left. When she finished the cookie, she sat in silence before turning to look at Arcane.
She knew what she needed from him. Her mind, heart and soul knew it. But some things came first. She stared at him for a moment before he nodded, moved to the foot of her bed and looked at her. She stared right back, swallowed, and nodded, closing her eyes. The blanket moved from her hind legs, which were gently pried apart, and she twitched as she felt his magic touch her. It slid around on her sex slowly, examining the outer most lips, before delving inside. His magic snaked its way into her, touching her innermost core.
She bit her lower lip, trying her best not to enjoy it. This wasn’t a sexual thing; this was an actual magical examination. Over the course of just a few hours, she gone from having a flat belly, to being, for all appearances, several months along with at least six foals, to giving birth to a fully grown pony that shot off into the distance like a rocket. She felt his magic numbing her lower lips and knew what was coming next. He was going to stretch her so he could see inside.
Closing her eyes, she let him work as she felt her body stretching. It wasn’t much, enough that a foal could slide through the opening easily, but it was enough. He looked inside her, looking for any damage or any indication of a spell or a curse.
His searching was interrupted soon. The doors swung open, and five ponies stood in the doorway. “What in the buck are ya doin’!?” a southern drawl shouted, and he looked up, his magic still stretching Twilight open as her five friends marched towards him ready to beat him bloody.
Author's Note
Sorry for the long wait, been kinda busy with stuff. Hope ya'll like this one. Wanted to go with a sort of "lost and alone in the bridge between life and death" thing.
