Remnant

“Now, how to use your darling little trinket, Sparkle.”

Opaline’s voice was littered with hatred as she uttered the ancient alicorn’s name, layers of malice and disdain filling every last syllable of the word. She loathed that mare, but she was grateful the foolish princess seemingly left her a parting gift.

Trotting through her castle, she paused outside Misty’s room. Eyeing the unicorn’s belongings, she stopped to focus on one of the many drawings the pony had made. It was a simple, almost childish drawing of her getting her cutie mark finally. Opaline couldn’t help but laugh at the hope-filled doodle.

“Ah, that poor naive thing. She truly is wrapped around my hoof.” She clutched the Element of Magic in her wing, a devilish grin splitting her countenance. “But if this works the way I’m hoping it will, I’ll have no need to deal with her uselessness any longer. That leech can be cast aside for all I care. She’s like the rest of them—inferior to the true rulers of Equestria.” She grit her teeth, staring at her own reflection in the Element of Magic. “Celestia…Luna…” she muttered, clenching the element harder. “Cadance…even that irksome daughter of hers…” she continued, her voice growing more aggressive. “And of course…that absolute waste of power, Twilight Sparkle.” She stamped a hoof against the ground, cracking the crystal floor below. “They all were fools! They didn’t understand that us alicorns should have absolute power over Equestria.” Her rage-filled glare morphed into a smile as she gazed longingly at the Element of Magic. “But you, my darling little artifact, will fix all that for me! Won’t you?”

As if in response, Opaline found herself blasted backwards. Rolling over herself. She shot up, wings spread in defense as the Element of Magic began to float in the air. Lightning fizzled around it, bolts of arcane electricity spreading from it and to the ground below. The crystal flooring beneath it cracked further, as the walls of Opaline’s home shuddered from the intense power flowing through them.

You.

Opaline backpedaled, a voice bellowing from the Element of Magic catching her off-guard.

I can’t see you.

Opaline narrowed her gaze, unable to recognize the voice.

But I know who would have this.

Perplexed, Opaline watched the Element with fierce curiosity.

And I suggest you don’t try anything.

Opaline remained stoic, drinking in every last word she heard.

Or your imprisonment will be changed to a more permanent solution.

And just like that, the shaking stopped, the electricity calmed, and Opaline’s castle fell silent once more. The Element of Magic lost its glow, as it fell to the ground below.

Cautiously, Opaline trotted over towards the relic, picking it up with her wing. Inspecting it, she felt a light warmth radiating from it, but beyond that nothing substantial seemed to be present.

“Now…who was that?” Opaline asked herself, turning the Element in her grasp. “Perhaps Twilight Sparkle, or any of the other alicorns?” She scoffed, laughing. “Oh, Opaline! Don’t be silly! Those fools are all rotting in the ground!” She chuckled at her own remark, despicable intent still illustrated perfectly within her smile. “Whoever that was, they dared to threaten Opaline Arcana.” She narrowed her gaze. “And I’ll be certain they face my wrath.”

She trotted through the hall, reaching the front of the castle. She could exit it, and even roam outside a fair distance, but there was always a limit—always a wall blocking her. Glancing up, right above the door, she spotted a gem.

The damned thing was the bane of her existence. It hid Equestria from her, and it trapped her within the bubble of isolation she had been in for moons. Glowering up at it, she raised the Element of Magic in her grasp. She strained, summoning the faint embers of magic she still had within her.

Fiery magic funneled into her horn, her body shaking from the immense effort it took to channel the spell she was conjuring. Sweat ran down her face, her veins bulged under her coat, and her teeth were firmly clenched, as she pulled together everything she had.

Finally, a burst of flames exploded out of her horn, and struck the Element of Magic. She had tried this spell endless times before on the sealing stone above the door, always failing to even scratch it—but with one of the most powerful relics in all of Equestria at her disposal…

The Element of Magic reacted, absorbing her magic. It shimmered intensely, glowing bright enough to light up the entire corridor. It shuddered in her grasp, the heat within it intensifying tenfold. Acting quickly, Opaline aimed it towards the sealing stone, praying to the gods above that her plan would work.

In a blinding flash of light, and a booming echo of destruction, Opaline was sent hurtling back. Rolling over herself several times, the sounds of fire and rubble filled her ears. Wincing as she stood, her joints aching from the intensity of what had been unleashed, she slowly opened her eyes.

Her vision cleared itself slowly, blurry shapes becoming visible bit by bit. The first thing she saw was the Element of Magic laying on the ground before her, sizzling with magic as its dormant color returned to it. She guided her gaze upwards, passing piles of crystal and bunches of flame.

And then she froze.

She had hoped to break the crystal, freeing herself from her prison and unleashing her onto the world once more. But, as she gazed up at where the door had been, her heart skipped a beat. She had utterly obliterated not only the crystal, but the entire door and most of the wall.

She might be free.

Her elation could not be contained, a wicked sneer splitting her muzzle as she stepped out into the outside world. She took a long, deep breath, placing the Element of Magic around her neck as she felt the first breezes of freedom in moons.

She took a few steps. She had done this before, but always loathed the fact that she’d eventually hit a wall. Hit a barrier that banished her from Equestria. A literal barricade against her aspirations.

She kept trotting, passing familiar sights she despised her knowledge of. Stones she had regretfully passed and returned to on many trips outside. Trees she had burnt to a crisp years ago still standing and rotting away. Pools of water that offered her the very occasional bit of fun she could find. It was all too familiar, all reminders of her inability to escape.

Yet she grew closer and closer to her goal, moving faster as she neared it. She knew the land far too well, having endless time to observe it. Though, she soon began to pass burn marks, remnants of her immense frustration from days long passed. They grew more frequent, and until long, she found her destination.

A singular line of scorch marks, moving in a curved line as far as the eye could see in both directions. A perfect reflection of her endless attempts to free herself from her prison. This was where the barrier had been. This is where she had been cut off from the world after her defeat to Twilight Sparkle and her friends.

Taking a deep breath, she took a step. She tensed, expecting to be blasted back by the barrier’s magic. Expecting to return back to the castle in a fit of utter rage and despair. Expecting to lose hope to fulfill her twisted dream.

But she felt nothing but the earth beneath her hoof as she finished her step. She opened her eyes, shocked, and took another step.

Then another.

And another.

And another.

Before long, she glanced back, seeing the scorch marks of her long dead hopes in the distance. A wicked smile spread itself across her muzzle, as she breathed her first breath of true freedom.

“One last failure by you and your friends, Sparkle.” She cackled, her voice echoing through the cliffs around her. “Now I’ll finish the job I started.”