Darkness is in Everyone

"W-W-What you mean by that?" Twilight started to get nervous around Sokar's presence as he circled her.

"I mean, I can help you become more powerful than ever before. Surely you remember the times where your friends were at danger because you haven't acquired power. The times you were facing alone the dangers while your friends had do deal with their problems when you were separated." Sokar stated before here face with cackle at the on his words.

Twilight wanted to protest but he was right. There were situations where she lacked the strength to help herself and her friends. A power that she needed in the direst situations. She looked at the ground, lowering her head in shame. "But power can corrupt. It's true what you said but I know that if I would go for a quest to get it I would become an empty husk, a monster."

"That is true. But in the right hands, you can change that. Even helping your friends. I know how it feels to watch the ones that you care about suffer from bad persons. Don't you want to change that?" Sokar asked her honestly.

Twilight hesitated for the moment. Deep inside her core, there was a lust for power. She always had it in her. Even after becoming an alicorn, she always wanted more and more. Though she knew that going this path would end for her and her friends very badly. But amongst that, the safety of her friends was the most important for her. "I do. I do want to keep my friends safe but..."

"You're afraid that you will lose yourself. I understand that. I learned from the experience, that no matter what will happens I won't forget about myself and my family. No matter the cost." Sokar placed his hand on her shoulder and she looked at him, smiling.

"Thanks. I learned when I was a filly, that you have to do things, that would make you look like a bad guy, to protect those close to you." Twilight said to him, catching him off guard but he wasn't showing his surprise. Sokar realized at this moment that she wasn't innocent as she was looking.

'Perhaps I was mistaken by her look. Her talent is Magic after all. Maybe she will handle Dark Magic very well.' "I agree with you on this. I too have done some things that made me look like a villain but it was a lesser evil. Sometimes you have made lesser evil to prevent greater, a darker one to rise and hunt the world."

For the moment, there was a silence between. Twilight decided to broke it. She turned to Sokar and asked him. "You told me that you will make me stronger. How?"

Sokar smiled at her question."That's a simple thing and the second reason why I wanted to talk with you. Do you remember the Pony of Shadows? The one that you, Starlight and the Pillars banished to limbo and freed Stygian from it?"

"I do remember him... wait. How do you know this?" Twilight asked Sokar suspicion about how he knows their adventure with Stygian.

"Well in this case..." Sokar back off from her and with a snap of his fingers, a dark purple bubble before him and with it was a black goo, swirling in every direction. "...why I will show you, my dear."

Twilight looked at the ooze with fascination. "What's is that?"

When she looked at it, the blob formed two milky eyes and looked at her. It hissed at her with a voice that she recognized "Hello, Princess."

Twilight eyes widened from the moment of realization who's voice belong to. "You! But... but how... we banished you into Limbo..."

Sokar let out a sinister laugh before speaking. "True, you and you're friends banished him, but not to Limbo, but into my realm, the Abyss. When he arrived I took him as a guest and he explained everything to me. Including how he was banished because of one misunderstood."

"What you mean? He manipulated Stygian and because of him they, along with the Pillars, were sent to Limbo!"

Sokar slightly growled, sending Twilight a glare to her. "You didn't let me finish and you already started to judge him. For me that's hypocrisy."

"Excuse me?" Twilight asked surprised, being caught off guard by him.

"Styx told me everything. He only wanted to help Stygian to gain the power to fight alongside the Pillars but Star Swirl in his arrogance fought him with the rest of the Pillars, leading to a battle that ended a banishment to the Limbo. Stygian and Styx's. You blame him for your idol being stuck but in reality, the blame belongs to him." Sokar said shocking Twilight and surprising Styx, he didn't think that will be defended. "So tell me, will you judge someone by someone else mistake? Or you will believe someone that is stuck in his old ways and full of arrogance?"

Twilight lowered her head in guilt, her mane fell, cowering her eyes. "...You're right... I'm sorry." She suddenly looked at Sokar, remembering that he said to the shadow by his name. "Wait. Styx? That his name?"

"Yes. You guessed right, my friend." Styx hissed to her calmly.

"Okay then. Now can you please tell me what are you? I never saw a life form like you Styx."

"Styx belongs to the symbiotic race of creatures called Shadows. They inhabited the darkest corners of the galaxy in your world. He was summoned by Stygian and that's how he ended up in your world."

"What? I thought that he was created by Stygian with the power of the artifacts of the Pillars!" Twilight said, shocked by the information that she received.

"You're wrong. Styx existed before you were born Twilight. Maybe even before the banishment of Nightmare Moon, I don't know. But what I know that he was the Old One or rather First Born. Those are extraordinarily rare members of them living in the world. They still exist to this day, hiding in the dark."

"We were considered as gods among our species. I don't know how many are left out there, but I know that not many. We are the rarest type amongst Shadows. When I heard the call, I was curious. After Stygian told me everything, I wanted to help him. But his master believed that I took control over Stygian's body and mind, so he with others fought against us. Then that old fool cast us with the rest of the Pillars to Limbo. Years being trapped there affected my mind and you saw the effects of it." Styx explained to Twilight with a hint of shame and regret in his voice.

Twilight felt sad for Styx. She couldn't believe that here icon would be so harsh, let alone sent someone to the place where no one could ever return. It was a fate worse than death.

"If you allow me to bond with you, I'll give you the strength to help ponies and your friends. You will still be in control of yourself and I won't influence your thoughts. What do you say?" Styx offered her a proposition that was hard to refuse.

Twilight hesitated for the moment. She was suspicious about it. It sounded perfect. Too perfect for her. Decided to take a chance she deeply sighed before speaking to Styx. "I agree on one condition. If you try something funny I will rip you off and send you to the deepest pit of Tartarus! Got it?!"

He slightly chuckled at the alicorn's behavior before giving her an answer. "Deal." Then he looked at Sokar, who gave him a nod and a bubble around the Shadow disappeared, making him land on the ground and after that, he started to crawl to Twilight and when he reached her, the ooze started to engulf her from hoofs to head.

Her body started to grow bigger and more muscular. The muscle on the legs and body pushed forward and grew in a matter of seconds. The mane and tail became a mass of flowing dark purple mist. The same mist appeared at the back of her legs. Eyes turned white and looked like patches. The horn grew longer and looked like a blade. Feathers on her wings turn to the membrane and looked like bat wings. Finally, on her chest appeared the symbol, similar to the one that Stygian had when he was bonded with Styx.

Twilight opened her eyes and the first thing that she felt was a wave of magic that coursed through her new form. It sent a way of pleasure across her body and mind. She smiled at that, revealing the sharp fangs that could tear anything with its grasp. She noticed that she was now bigger, even from Stygian when he was wearing the Old One, and notice that the library became too small for her. She looked down and saw Sokar with a smile on his face.

With the snap of his fingers, Sokar created a big mirror out of thin air. Twilight saw her reflection and was delighted with it.

"Amazing!" Twilight said with the mix of her voice that was dominating and Styx's. "In my life, I never fell so strong, so powerful, so-"

Good? That is a common feeling when someone bonds with our race. Said the voice inside Twilight's mind that belonged to Styx.

You can talk like that?

Of course I can. After all, I'm part of you now. Remember?

Do you think that I don't hear you two chatting there? Said an amused voice that surprised both them and they recognized that was Sokar's voice. You that I'm here right?

You can speak telepathically? Twilight was surprised at that.

Of course I can and I can read your mind, my dear. I must say that are some things in your brain that picked my curiosity. Sokar said in a mischievous tone.

"Hey! Buck off from that!" Twilight said angrily at Sokar, who was smiling at her. "Using mind magic like that is breaking rules of private on one who was under it!"

"Yeah right. Like you allowing Styx reading yours..." Sokar said to both of them making Twilight slightly blush under the goo.

"That is different..." Twilight said nervously and that made Sokar laugh, making her face turn crimson red.

"You mean that you two are in a relationship. I wonder what Cadance could tell about it. Maybe she could give to both of you some advice Hahahahahahahaha!" He couldn't stop laughing and after some time he finally managed to calm himself down. "Okay... Ha... Okay. *coughing* Now then. How are you two gonna pass that door?"

"That's simple." Their body suddenly started to melt and became a big mass of goo and with that, they slithered through the door. Before their body left they formed their head and looked at Sokar. "Are you coming?"

Sokar was shocked and surprised that Twilight managed to do that without training but he wasn't showing her that "Sure. Let's go."

After they left the castle, Twilight returned to her earlier form and they started to go through Ponyville while Sokar watching his chin, thinking about what happened. 'First, Twilight has bonded to Shadows that are masters of Dark Magic, especially the Old Ones. And now, she starting to learn the basics of her new abilities. Corruption started to affect her in a good way. After all, I became an Aspect of Madness, which makes Corruption part of it. I wonder if Celestia and Luna will embrace it. That would be interesting. The Goddess of the Sun and the Goddess of the Moon embrace the Darkness within. Only a few managed to do that but I confident that they will succeed, like Twilight.'

"It seems that you started to pull your strings, Sokar." Said the voice that made him turn around. He saw Luna standing a few meters away from him in the black cloak. In her hands, she was holding a scythe.

"You're wearing a Grim Reaper costume, Luna. Tired of being Nightmare Moon every time?" Sokar asked her.

"You can say that. I decided to wear something different and for the sake of the subjects." Luna answered.

"I see. You said earlier said that I pulled my strings. Is that good thing or bad thing in your opinion?" Sokar wanted to make sure that he can trust her on this topic.

"Good. Even I can see that someone like Styx is no monster inside. Like me, he was misunderstood. And because of that, he suffered." Luna cleared her through before continuing. "The world is not black and white, but for the most ponies sadly it is."

"So you know the concept of balance. Light cannot exist without Darkness and Darkness can't exist without light." Sokar said, confirming his suspicion about her. "The World is a mixture of grey. Not everything is Good and Evil. It's a matter of perspective. Our own choices and decisions make us who we are. We follow a path either to the twilight or to the dawn." Sokar said to her.

Luna smiled at his words. "Your words bring wisdom. Not everypony knows about. Most of them want a simple life, where they can peacefully enjoy their lives. But that has caused an imbalance in Equestria. Chaos and Order are conflicted with each other. Celestia and I saw that after defeating Discord. That was one of the reasons why he conquered our home. But he failed to realize that he too dangered the balance."

Sokar slightly chuckled at that. "He lost himself in the process. And now he was reformed by her friend Fluttershy."

"Indeed. He redeemed himself." Luna said before starting leaving Sokar alone. "Now you have to excuse me, I must enjoy the night while it lasts. Oh, and the last thing, my sister wants you to talk with you. I don't what is about but I can already see that is something serious. Later Sokar." Luna waved her hoof before leaving.

'Something serious huh?' Sokar looked at the Canterlot and then he sensed a dark essence. The same one he felt many years ago from the creature that was Hell Incarnate.

'Him? Here?! How?!' Sokar was shocked that he was in this world. 'That means one thing. Celestia is his vessel.'

"That's the same thing I thought about." Said the voice that belonged to Vrede, who too, was wearing the costume. His suit was resembling a necromancer. Shoulder and chest were made of bones. A long clock at his back with the hoodie.

Currently, he had his hands hide in his pockets. "I too had a feeling that this night won't be boring."

"Tell me about it. I'll go to Canterlot. During my visit make sure that you won't pissed of anyone. Got it?" Sokar asked his brother, knowing he would do something like that.

"Okay, okay, jeez. You don't have to worry about it. I will keep in check my comedy. For now." Vrede answered his brother, who slightly growled at it before disappearing in the black cloud of fire. He turned away, noticing Twilight in her new form, holding in hands, a bucket, full of sweets.

"*Whistle* Not bad. Not bad at all."