Come Dawn or Darkness

Its so peaceful...

The shadows caressed her, wrapping themselves about the little unicorn's body like the gentle arms of a lover. The pain was gone. The sounds of war disappeared. Everything was calm as she laid down in the darkness, allowing the shadows to ease her cares away.

I've never been so comfortable...

The voice in the back of her head had long since fallen silent. The manacle no longer shimmered with its cursed light. He was going to sacrifice us... To save his friends... Well it looks like that puts an end to that plan. She giggled to herself as the abyss stretched on ahead of her.

All around was the still darkness that permeated every inch of the void. Soft, sweet, unmoving shadows relaxed every muscle in her body. Her mind was at ease, her convictions and anger slipping away like water down a drain. She was finally content.

So what if she never saw her friends again. Who cares if she never returned to Ponyville. What difference would it make if she never again was able to gaze upon Equestria. She had nearly sealed its doom with her carelessness. Her friends would understand and carry on without her; she had faith in them. Ponyville would find a new librarian; its not like she ever got many visitors in that old library to begin with. And Equestria. Ha! Who needed it. She had this glorious, beautiful darkness to keep her occupied for the rest of eternity. She could hardly wait to get st-

What?! No! My... My friends! And Torrent and Luna! I can't just abandon them!

But of course that was ridiculous. Her friends were fine, perfectly safe on the other side of the mirror. They were smart and strong, they'd get along just fine without her. And Torrent and Luna had been looking after themselves for thousands of years. They'd be just fine without her.

No! No! I need to get back to Equestria before the invasion! There's still time to stop them if I hurry!

But the more she thought about it the more silly the notion seemed. What could she do against an entire invasion force. Surely Torrent would be able to handle it, especially with Princess Luna and Princess

Celestia! She'll be worried, she'll come looking for me! I need to let her know I'm alright.

...She needed to do no such thing. She simply needed to lay there. To clear her mind and let her body relax. She simply had to enjoy the darkness and allow it to comfort her. To take all of her cares and worries away.

I... I just need... I just need to... Relax...

She laid back down. Her eyes grew heavy as she began to yawn. Sleep would take her soon, and then she would finally know true peace for the first time in her life.

So............peaceful............

She closed her eyes. And that was the end.

Good bye, Equestria... Good night.......

The darkness engulfed her, surrounding her with its comforting embrace. It filled in all around her as she drifted off to sleep. She could feel its soft, loving touch as it ran across her skin, covering every inch her fur, mane, and tail. She could feel it as it traced her outline, the shadows running across her ears, her nose, her tightly closed eyelids. It comforted every fiber of her being as it ran across her mussel and into her mouth... And then she felt it...

Gah! What? What is.... Get off! Get off of me! Let me go!!!

The darkness had filled her mouth, it was the only thing that prevented her from screaming in terror as she suddenly realized where was. She was falling! Not lying down, not sleeping, not being gently embraced by the darkness, but falling through it at speeds she could barely begin to comprehend!

And worst of all, even worse than the shadowy tendril slowly creeping down her throat to strangle her from the inside out, was the one which was working its way through her mind. She could finally feel it, it's cold, lifeless fingers slowly making their way through her memories. She was not certain how long she had been falling, but she sure that the shadows had been crawling through her consciousness for far longer than they should have ever been allowed to. It was not until the tenebrous probe finally found what it was seeking, however, that that fear was confirmed.

In one split second of absolute fear all the doubt and worry and pain that she should have been feeling came rushing back to her as the shadows brushed against her soul. Elated, they made their move, freeing her mind for a moment as they reached out to claim her very essence as their new plaything. It was in that moment, that one fragment of a second where the abyss' grip on her wavered, that she was finally able to focus her thoughts and make her move.

Her eyes began to turn white as she concentrated on the spell, her horn focusing the magic as she channeled it throughout her entire body. Suddenly her entire being began to shimmer with deep violet light. The Void recoiled, attempting to pull back its tendril as the hated glow started to permeate ever corner of its victim's body. What should have been a simple matter of claiming an unconscious soul suddenly became an experience of absolute pain for the unliving monstrosity that was the Abyss.

As the light continued to grow throughout her, Twilight could feel the probe shrinking, fading within her. Ultimately, her power reduced it to absolute nothingness, freeing her from its grip and allowing her time to concentrate on what had happened. She was suddenly fully conscious of the darkness flying past her as she fell. She put out the light, now aware of the devastating effect it could have on any abyssal intruders who dared try to enter her mind.

She focused her considerable brain power on finding some way out of the situation she was now tumbling through. Her first step was to get her fall under control, which she managed to do with considerable difficulty at first. Wings would have been a too much to ask for at this point, she supposed. When she was finally certain that she was facing the right direction, she braced herself, bent her legs, and focused her thoughts on the darkness. Her eyes shut as she prepared herself for an uncomfortable landing.

When the pain she had been waiting for did not come, she cautiously opened one eye to check her surroundings. Surprised, she opened the other one, blinked, and silently rejoiced. She was standing on the shadowy fog of the Void, though when her fall had actually stopped she could not say.

Now... How do I get back up?

She struggled to grasp the idea of what she was attempting, but ultimately her mind proved far too rational to comprehend the bizarre situation she had found herself in. She had trained in the Void with Torrent for what had seemed like years, yet this aspect of the endeavor had never sat well with her. She focused her thoughts and tried once more to step upward back toward where she had fallen from.

Her hoof fell through the air back down to where she was standing, the dark mist swirling around her leg as it connected with the black surface of the abyss. It just doesn't make sense! I can stand on it but I still can't climb it... She tried again and again each attempt met with the same result. She was just about ready to give up when the sound of fabric flapping in the wind filled her ears.

She looked around, the sound seeming to come from every diction at once, but was unable to find its source. A moment later she became distinctly aware of another sound, one which she was certain was being amplified by the dark world around her. It was the smooth, nearly-silent shinking sound of a blade cutting through the air. It wasn't until the last possible second that she realized what was happening. The abyss was twisting the sounds to confuse her. It had not given up on trying to claim its latest prize just yet.

As understanding dawned on her she instinctively jumped backwards, not entirely certain what it was she was expecting to happen. A split second later a massive, green greatsword came plummeting down through the darkness, tumbling blade-first through the spot she had just been standing in. Had she had more time to think she would have caught it with her magic, but in her distracted state she was helpless to do anything but let it fall through the Void and out of sight.

Her near brush with the blade was quickly pushed to the back of her mind as the rest of the situation began to make sense. She had fallen. No, not fallen, someone had pushed her. She had been smashed down into the darkness, pummeled beneath the weight of a giant metallic fist. By rights she should have been dead a hundred times over, yet death held no sway in the Void, so she had gone on living. But her body should still have been shattered by the strike.

She looked down at the manacle on her leg. It's aura had faded to only the faintest of glows and she could no longer hear the voice of the creature whose soul dwelled within it. The old witch's voice had been the stuff of nightmares the first few times it had spoken to her, yet her advice had always proven useful and without her constant chattering Twilight suddenly felt a bit unsure of what to do next.

Her thoughts returned to the blade. My bones should have been reduced to powder by the giant. I guess the manacle must have worked after all... But does that mean Torrent took ALL of the damage from it or did it protect him too? She rather doubted the latter. Years of magical studies had taught her early on that nothing came without a price. Wealth, power, protection, they all required a sacrifice on someone's part. And the fact that the sword had come crashing through the abyss only strengthened her certainty that her teacher had been thoroughly battered by the attack which was meant to kill her.

A few moments later her fears were confirmed once again. The sound of flapping cloths returned, intensified, and then vanished. A split second later something else came falling through the darkness, but she was ready this time. Clearing her mind she focused her power on stopping the momentum that the object had been building up. It came to a halt a few inches above the shadowy ground she was standing upon, a ghostly violet aura encasing it as Twilight gained full control of its movement.

She brought it to rest on the surface of the void, not entirely sure it would remain there. To her surprise, it stayed. She stepped toward the object; long billowing cloth draped over itself in a bundle with bright green runes adorning nearly every inch of it. She suddenly jumped back, horrified as a twisted mass of metal and flesh freed itself from the folds of the cloth. Long, gasping breaths emitted from within as the black steel unclenched, revealing itself to be a hand clawing forth from the rest of the bundle.

What she had hoped was merely her teacher's cloak actually proved to be his entire body, broken and bloody but still held together within the confines of the living metal cape. "Torrent!? How did- Are you... I-I'm so so sorry!" She attempted to open the cloak up a bit more to determine the seriousness of the injuries he had sustained, but it quickly drew itself back over him as small ocean of blood began to escape. "Oh no, no no no no no! This is all my fault! I never shou-"

A sickening CRACK cut her off as something inside the cloak shifted and turned. The exposed hand clenched back into a fist as an agonized scream gurgled forth from beneath the green glow of the runes. Some of the symbols began to fade as more cracking and snapping emanated from the shattered remains of the knight. After a few minutes only the runes adorning the trimmed rims of the cloak remained illuminated. "Swn...... wn't yer...." His voice was faint and strained, each word a struggle.

Rather than speak any more he beckoned he forward, his one good hand urging her closer. Twilight started forward hesitantly, not entire certain what to expect. A pang of fear shot through her as the hand shot out and grabbed her by the head once she was within range, dragging her down to her knees with a strength she was powerless to resist. She tried to cry out but was silenced as her mind was assaulted with images and memories which were not her own.

"Twilight, calm down! Get ahold of yourself, and do it quickly. We don't have much time."

The wanderer's voice was clear as day now, and like so many other sounds in the abyss, seemingly came from all around her.

"How did you.... You're talking normally again. But... but your still breathing so heavily." The wheezing, blood-drenched breaths were constant, leaving her uncertain just how he was able to speak so comfortably all of the sudden.

"I'm not talking, Twilight, I'm thinking. All of this is in your head; my jaw hasn't fully reattached yet so we're just going to have to communicate like this for now. Help me up." The broken bundle of humanity stirred beside her as it attempted to stand.

Surrounding him with her magic and allowing him to lean his considerable weight against her, Twilight was able to get him back of his feet. The cloak was still wound tightly about the majority of his body, completely concealing his head, left arm, and torso from view. "That's good. Now, move back a few steps."

She did not want to leave his side; he was barely standing as it was and, without her there for support, he was bound to collapse to the floor again. It was not until he rushed her with both his hand and mind that she moved back, leaving him standing in a hunched, broken position like some bizarre, unfinished marionette with too few strings to hold it up. He stumbled forward a step, but then managed to catch himself as the huge emerald sword phased into existence in his hand, its blade plunged deep into the ground. He gripped the hilt for support and then reached out for Twilight once more.

She shied away at first, fearing his touch as it had seemed so very similar to that of the abyss itself. Steeling herself, she stepped forward and allowed him to lay his mailed hand upon her once more. Again, the contents of his mind flooded in as his consciousness connected with hers. "Your doing fine, my student. Now I need you to stop worrying. Concentrate on the task at hand and we'll get through this just fine."

"T-Task at hand? Master, I don't even know where we are. How can I concentrate on anything when my mind is still racing from having almost died back there?! And now this! Your in no condition to be moving around, you shouldn't even be able to stand! We have to get you out of here and back to Equestria. I'm sure Princess Luna made it back safely. She and Princess Celestia can fix you up, I'm us of it!"

"I'll be fine. I've suffered far worse injuries than this. As for getting back to your world, how do you propose we do that if you can't get back to the portal? That is the task at hand. I'm getting you out of here. Luna hasn't left the Void yet, but I'm confident that she can look after herself. Th moment your through the mirror Princess Celestia will be released and the two of you can organize a strike from that side of the portal. Luna and I will track them from this side and join you once I've absorbed enough energy from the Void to be back in one piece."

The cloak unfolded, revealing the rest of his broken appearance to her as the metallic cloth formed into a pair of wings. Blood drenched the front of his clothes from neck to waist. In a few spots sharp bone pieces were still protruding through skin and fabric alike. One of his legs had twisted to the side, leaving his foot pointed off in an angle it was never meant to go. His left hand had been broken in half, with the fingers of his claw hanging limp off of severed knuckles, as a thing layer of skin and muscle tissue acted as the only thing holding them on at all. Yet even as she looked she could see the wounds slowly mending themselves.

"I'm going to fly us both up. The moment we reach the mirror, I want you to charge through. I don't care what you see once we're up there or how much help you think you'll be. You NEED to get back immediately."

"I understand, but... What did you mean when you said me returning would release Princess Celestia?"

"Theres no time, we need to go now! She'll explain it to you once your through, I'm sure. Until then, just trust me." And with that he lurched forward and bathed up his student in his, essentially healed, arms. His wings pounded the air beneath them until the pair were soaring upward at a dizzying speed.

They climbed for what seemed like hours, the timelessness of the void twisting their perception as they went. Still, she could sense the knight had some vague idea of where he was going, if nothing else. She could feel the beats growing slower and spaced further apart, leading her to assume they had nearly reached their destination. It was not until the moment that the wanderer's wings stopped moving entirely that she realized what was happening.

"Torrent? TORRENT!?"

The pair fell into a steep downward dive as the wizard fell back into a state of unconsciousness. The oncoming wind beat against her face as she was pulled down, locked in her teacher's arms. It was all she could do not to scream as she attempted to drag him back into the waking world.

With their minds still connected, Twilight began screaming desperately into Torrent's subconscious. Torrent, please, you have to wake up! We're falling! I can't lift you! HELP!!!

The knight's grip began to loosen. For a moment Twilight feared they would be separated and left falling into different regions of the abyss. Then all at once his eyes fluttered open, his grip on her tightened, and his wings unfurled once more. "My apologies, Twilight... That was reckless of me."

"It's fine, its fine!" She tried to sound confident but it came out shaken and unconvincing. It was becoming perfectly clear to her that it would be very hard for things to be less fine. "Is your jaw fixed or are you still thinking all of this?"

"Not yet, I'll fix it after we're out of all this. Once I've had a chance to absorb a bit more of the Void's energies. The last thing I want is to end up passing out again because I was too busy mending a superficial wound."

A light finally appeared above in the sky above them. A blood-red gateway swirling with strange black lights awaited them. The doorway's color had shifted during the course of their battle but it remained open and welcoming as they drew near. "Alright, lets get you back through that gate bef-"

His words were cut off as the sound of metal impacting upon flesh began to ring out through the darkness. "...Is that-"

"Shh!" The knight silenced her as he attempted to locate the source of the sound. "...Twilight, I'm afraid I'll need your assistance just a short bit longer. Hold still." His wings shifted to become a pair of claw-like appendages which grabbed up Twilight and held her just above his shoulder. With his student secure and safe within the grasp of the metallic cloth, the wizard began walking away from the gateway. "I'm going to need you to be my voice. Think you can work the intimidation angle here?"

"It's that snake monster isn't it? The one Princess Luna was fighting?"

"That would be my guess. I'm not entirely certain what we're going to find when come upon them, so be ready for anything. Distract her with your words, frighten her if you can, but just make sure she focuses on us rather than on Luna."

"Got it."

The shadows rushed in to conceal the pair's approach; the abyss clearly pleased with the knowledge that it would be getting at least one more new plaything out of confrontation. The knight's footsteps were deafened, his approach shrouded by the darkness. Even the materialization of his great emerald sword was hidden from sight as he walked toward the source of the noise.

"Before I forget again, let me teach you that one quickly."

Twilight felt a great deal of pressure on her mind as a current of mysterious knowledge flowed in. She was suddenly able to understand the way that her teacher was capable of breaching the boundaries between worlds to pull objects in and out of the Void on a whim. "You made a great deal of progress learning the spell on your own with the flower pots, but there are certain aspects that would have taken you far too long to master without my help."

"Wait! You could have just transferred that knowledge to me at any time? Doesn't that make all the training we did seem a little... pointless? I wasted so much time learning basic level spells that you could have simply placed in my mind to begin with!"

"It's not that simple, and now is hardly the time to discuss it even if it was. For the time being just understand that what I've given you just now would have been useless without your previous training. Even with it this is only an imperfect version of the spell. Fortunately you strike me as a student who is more than capable of figuring out the remaining details on your own. Piece it together with trial and error and you'll master it in a few hours, rather than in the few months it would have otherwise taken. Now look sharp, I can see them just up ahead and...."

He didn't say anything else, his mind had fallen silent as something wicked jumped to the forefront of his consciousness.

"What is it? What did you see?"

"...."

The knights irises began to lose their color, the pupils expanding until they took up the entirety of his eyes. Twilight could feel her master's mind slipping away, but as their connection broke she heard a deep growl from somewhere inside him whisper "Our prey."