The Dark Mirror Saga: Book 1: The Tale of the Last Caribou

Twilight woke up only when she felt the familiar shoving of Spike pushing against her whenever she overslept. Her dreams were filled with screams, desolation, and terrible, unending nightmares. But worst of all, she couldn’t wake up. Not because she didn’t want to, but because she refused to wake up. So many horrible implications came to her. How many other dimensions were suffering? How was it just that they were so safe and sound when others suffered so deeply? How many of those dimensions had to deal with a caribou infestation?

Infestation.

“That’s what they are… an infestation,” she muttered as she opened her eyes and felt as exhausted as she had been before crawling to her bed the night prior. Her eyelids were heavy, her wings were made out of steel, and her fur was matted and messy was her mane. But she truly didn’t care much about how she looked. Not now, at least. Turning to the side, she saw Spike standing by the edge of her bed, smiling weakly at her.

“Morning,” he said, leaning forth. “I would ask how did you sleep, but your face tells me you hardly had any of it, huh?”

Twilight winced. “That bad?”

“Worse. You look as if somepony mistook you for a mop and washed the entirety of Canterlot with you. Seriously, Twi, are you… okay?”

“I’m sane and lucid if that’s what you are referring to, Spike. Emotionally, though? Not at all. Part of me doesn’t want to return, but I have to. I must know the rest of the story and… hopefully never use this cursed, tainted knowledge to protect us in the future,” she replied, moving the covers away and sitting on the edge before Spike jumped to sit next to her. Using a wing, she hugged him tightly. “Thanks for watching over me, Spike.”

“I’m your number one assistant for a reason, right?” He chuckled, then his expression turned somber. “Twilight… you’re not the only one that had a bad night. I think you should go see Cadance and Shining Armor first. I’ll go check on Luna and Celestia, okay?”

Twilight nodded. “What about the others?”

“They went home. Starlight is with Trixie. And Sunset is in the library,” he replied before jumping off the bed. “I’ll go make breakfast after everypony’s awake, okay?”

“I don’t know what I would do without you, Spike,” Twilight replied with a weak, coy smile. She watched the little dragon walk out of her room before she mustered the strength to stand on her hooves and face a new day. Shaking about for a few good seconds, she actually felt some stress and exhaustion wash down her body. Which reminded her that she needed to take a shower.

A quick shower later, she used a spell to dry herself before setting off to visit Cadance and Shining’s room. Flurry Heart was, thankfully, being overwatched by Sunburst back at the Crystal Empire. Knocking on the door instantly gained her a surprised yelp coming from Cadance. A few seconds later, the door opened to reveal a rather disheveled Cadance.

“Ah, Twilight. Please, come in. Sorry about the mess,” the pink alicorn apologized as she moved aside, allowing her sister-in-law entry.

Twilight entered the room, finding it was, indeed, messy. Bedsheets were scattered about, overturned furniture laid across the floor, Shining was snoring lightly over a pile of curtains, and everything looked as if a tornado had assaulted them during the night. “Judging by the bangs on your eyes, I take it you didn’t sleep that much either?”

Cadance shook her head. “I haven’t slept at all, Twilight. After everything you told us yesterday… Dainn’s message… I-I can’t take it out of my mind. The more I think about it, the more sense it makes. It’s a dreadful reality that I never wanted to see… or was simply too ignorant to see. He opened my eyes, Twilight. I wish he had not. I wish I could remain ignorant about my own immortality.”

Twilight nodded, moving alongside her fellow alicorn until they sat by the bed’s edge next to each other. “I understand how you feel, Cadance. Ignorance is bliss, some would say. Truth is often dark, terrible, and sad, but it will never lie to you…”

Cadance sighed heavily but her eyes didn’t water. She had no more tears to shed. At least, not at that moment. “Every time I close my eyes I see my husband, old, decrepit, on his deathbed… while I remain the same, unable to do anything to help him. I see myself alone, Twilight. And I’m… I’m so afraid. So, so afraid of that future coming to pass,” shivering, she continued. “What if I grow to become cold and unfeeling? Jaded to the one thing that defines me? What if I turn into a cold, heartless, uncaring husk of my former self? Am I weak for fearing such a thing? How have my aunts dealt with their immortality all these years? Why… why didn't they tell us about the dark side of immortality?”

“I think they wanted to protect us and… I think they didn’t want to break our psyches or deflate our outlook on life. Or maybe they have yet to experience such losses? I mean, they’ve never been married, they don’t have foals and… wait a second. Blueblood. Prince Blueblood is their nephew. How? I’ve checked the records, he wasn’t adopted. He’s blood-related to them in some way,” Twilight suddenly realized and sighed again, feeling a headache coming her way. “This just keeps getting better and better.” She said with dripping sarcasm.

“Maybe they had another sibling in the past? A non-alicorn? But if so… why haven’t they mentioned him or her at all?” Cadance sighed again, her wings faltering behind her. Her eyes wandered to the sleeping form of her husband, making her smile softly. “...I’m going to make sure he ascends, Twilight. I love Shining Armor more than anything and equally as much as I love Flurry. I will not lose him.”

She nodded. “And I’ll help you as much as I can, Cadance.”

“And so will we,” Celestia said as she entered the room with Luna at her side and Spike riding her back. “Sorry, we couldn’t help but overhear your conversation.”

“Your door was open,” Luna added, turning to Twilight. “Twilight, you raised a fair question regarding our nephew. You see…,” turning to Celestia, the two sisters stared at each other for long moments before nodding. “We lied yesterday.”

Cadance’s wings flared and her expression became inquisitive and angry. “So there is sexism regarding alicornhood? Do you truly decide who gets to ascend?”

“No. We spoke the truth on that subject,” Celestia quickly answered. “Truly, my dear niece, we cannot control the process; I can only guide those who reach the apotheosis of ascension, nothing more. We are baffled as to how is it possible that no stallion has ascended yet. The possibility is there, but so far unachievable.”

With her anger dying, Cadance looked around the room in quick succession while her brain worked overtime analyzing the information and any possible alternative she could conjure. After a few seconds of frenzied pondering, she spoke again. “Then… what did you lie over? I don’t understand.”

“We had a brother, long, long ago. An older brother. His name was Storm “Blueblood” Solaris. And he was an alicorn, just like us. Just like our father. But Blueblood was a free spirit who rejected the crown and wished to be expunged from all records, forgotten by history itself,” Luna answered, smiling gloomily. “There was a battle against Windigoes and he… he sacrificed himself in that battle, saving us. He made us promise to look over his family and to always remain a secret, a memory, and to forget him.”

“Ever the pessimist he was, but we honored his requests as much as we could. That is why our nephew, Blueblood, is related to us by blood. And yet, despite carrying our brother’s lineage, none have ascended in all these years,” Celestia added sharing her sister’s mood.

“Then how did I, a filly, ascend? I… I don’t even remember why I ascended. All you told me was that I ‘had a great future ahead of me’ and I believed you, auntie… or are you lying to us, to me? What if Dainn is right? What if you truly want a mare dominating alicorn sisterhood? You know how everypony loves us, adore us. Without any stallion alicorns to share or compete for power or influence… just a single-minded council without outside influence?” She swallowed. “A true Matriarchy?”

“Cadance, look into my eyes and search for deceit in my intentions,” Celestia said, gently and softly. “You are distressed, angry, confused, tired, and unable to think straight. Do you honestly believe that I -or any of us- wish for such a thing? To rule with an iron hoof as a shadowy organization controlling all the power to be had? What more power can I, any of us, desire? I control the Sun, Luna the Moon. Us two alone already hold the fates of every creature on the planet. If we wanted to become tyrants, what need would we have for more competition as you put it?”

Luna stepped forth. “We delegate responsibilities, civil duties, and work over to several organizations, councils, noble houses, and more. We’ve actively removed ourselves from ultimate power as much as possible. I could command the army to assault our neighbors, but I can be stopped by our laws and organizational structure. And you, my niece, can literally alter the emotions, perceptions, and souls of those around you. Where is the tyrant in you? And Twilight? A powerful mage, one who holds the very powers of Friendship and Harmony within her hooves. Not even she can do it alone and requires her friends to do so. Cadance, are we tyrants? Do you truly believe we seek that which we reject?”

“I… I don’t know! I DON’T KNOW! I don’t know anything anymore!” Cadance cried out, shaking her head rapidly. “T-Then why did you adopt me in the first place!? Was it because I ascended or was it because you just wanted a niece to aid you!?”

“I adopted you, Cadance, because I wanted nothing more than to guide you, teach you about your powers, your responsibilities, and so much more. Your parents, may they rest in peace, gave me their blessings after I found you, shivering, cowering, crying, and afraid of what had just happened. I saw a lonely alicorn mare, lost and fearful. Is that not enough reason for one to take care of another?”

“If I… if I hadn’t ascended… would you have adopted me anyways?” She asked hesitantly.

“My dear Cadance, your ascension was what brought me to you in the first place. Had you not ascended, we likely would have never met,” Celestia answered, honestly. “As for what you did to ascend, my dear. You did one of the most miraculous things I have ever witnessed,” tilting her head, she smiled a motherly, loving smile. “You granted your parents hope and strength enough for you to spend their last days in peace and in a loving embrace, allowing me the chance to ask for their blessings to adopt you. That was your great feat, Cadance. You can influence the hearts and the very souls of others with a mere thought because your heart is an infinite well of love and hope.”

Cadance closed the distance between the two older alicorns and hugged them tightly with open wings, spending several minutes softly crying against their coats. Twilight and Spike could only watch in silence until the moment ended a few moments later with a fading whimper and bright smiles.

“I-I’m sorry for what I said, aunties, I’m just… so tired and confused,” Cadance began, sighing and taking a step back. “I tried to put myself in the hooves of the caribou and I ended up seeing the dangers of the all-controlling matriarchy they feared. To us they are irredeemable monsters, because they were; their actions and culture show it clearly and yet it was done out of fear, terror, and a misguided belief of superiority.”

Luna nodded, frowning. “And yet, when you peer upon us, their fears are but justified. We could hold the world hostage whenever we so desire. Twilight could destroy cities in but an instant if pressed to do so or indoctrinate creatures using Friendship as an excuse or tool. And you, Cadance? You could easily achieve what Sombra desired: complete control over your subjects, turning them into blind devout followers.”

“We have tremendous power, we are not ignorant of such ugly truths,” Celestia continued, her voice saddened, almost quivering. “You two are young, my dears. We… made a mistake when we, especially I, neglected to tell you truths and dangers that you should’ve known from the start. But trust me, we did it thinking about your well-being.” Closing her eyes, the dark tendrils of dark magic emerged around her eyelids until she opened them to reveal a mix of purple and green colors swirling in her eyes. “You do not know the depths of darkness and solitude that a single mistake can reach.”

Luna’s eyes went white, her teeth morphed into fangs, and her mane became wild, stars moving and streaking through it freely, chaotically. “Nor have you heard the temptations and dark whispers of seductive power; ever pushing you into the abyss a single step at a time.”

Twilight felt weak to her knees and nearly collapsed upon seeing a small reflection of the very tangible evil that resided within the hearts of her mentor and the Princess of the Night. It was a sober reminder that no one was purely good nor purely evil; everyone could fall, but not all could be redeemed. Then, steeling her heart, a realization crossed her mind. “Sweet Harmony… you… you’ve been tempted before?”

“Mine fall is well known and is no secret,” Luna replied, returning to normal. “Jealousy and bitterness found a place in my heart, letting a Nightmare enter and… you know the consequences of the battle I lost. I was gone and Nightmare Moon was born, taking my place.”

“While my temptation was much more insidious. There was a time, believe it or not, when I was a despot. A warmongering brute, a conqueror… a megalomaniac. However, I was blessed by meeting a unicorn, wise in his own right, who taught me and Luna the most valuable lesson we could ever learn from him.”

“Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Absolute power… brings absolute destruction,” Cadance muttered, paraphrasing Dainn’s warning about the cycle. “But… then… why hide all this from us?”

“Because we were foolish. We thought about imparting such a lesson to you in the span of the next centuries, letting you grow in power slowly, letting you learn it, control it, mold it. Then, guide you on the correct path. That is another flaw of immortality that only now I can see clearly: a lack of urgency. That is a mistake that we will not commit again,” Celestia sighed once more, looking back at Spike who rubbed her neck and she leaned back to gently kiss his cheek. “It’s the little things that remind me why I convinced myself that wanting to protect you from your own nature was the right idea, my dearest Cadance, Twilight.”

“The truth is, the more your powers grow, the more your ambitions and inflated sense of ego shall grow as well. It may be subtle, it may be blatant, but it will be there. You must not allow that side to win. Blueblood once told us: within ourselves there are two beasts fighting, one who protects and one who destroys. The one that wins is the one you feed,” said the blue alicorn.

“Remember that fiery Celestia Dainn faced, Twilight?” Asked Celestia, gently.

“How can I not? He said their Celestia called it Daybreaker,” Twilight replied with a tremble traveling up her spine.

“Daybreaker is my dark side, Twilight. My Nightmare Moon, if you will. I have never given in to the temptation completely, nor do I plan or wish to do so, but I know that it is there, within me, lurking, waiting, and trying to escape. You two, and Flurry Heart, will develop a dark side, too, and you will know their name for they are you at the end of the day. Never forget that. Never reject your dark side. Embrace it. Own it. Control it. Only then you will stand a chance against it,” with a sad, tired chuckle, she continued. “What is better, pray tell? To be born good or to know your power, your dark, evil side… and actively reject it every single day through effort and actions?”

Horrified, Cadance turned to Shining’s sleeping form. “W-Will my husband develop a dark side if -no- when he ascends?”

“If he ascends, then yes. But do not be mistaken, Cadance. Every creature has a dark side. It’s just that… the more powerful the creature, the more present that side of us is,” Luna replied, using her magic to project a figure of Discord and the Element Bearers. “When Discord ‘flipped’ Twilight and her friends, all he did was bring their dark side to the surface. For example, Fluttershy is the kindest pony we know, and yet her dark side is the nastiest, most ferocious, and terrible among you all.”

“Greeeeeeat, so that means that Twilight’s dark side is apathy?” Spike commented, rolling his eyes. “Meh, not so bad! She’s way scarier when she obsesses over anything.”

“...I’m cutting your allowance in half, Spike,” Twilight threatened, blushing and narrowing her eyes.

“Whatever you say, Midnight Sparkle,” Spike said, chuckling at the end. “And you would beeeeee… Heartbreaker? Nah, too similar. Oh! Heart Snatcher. Hmmm, kinda sounds like something Chrysalis would do. Ideas, anyone?”

Cadance blinked, then smiled, and finally let out a series of snorting chuckles as she wiped a tear from her eyes. “T-Thanks, Spike. I needed that.”

“Happy to help!”

“Then, what are we to do now?” Twilight asked, narrowing her eyes. “We can’t just be ticking time bombs, we have to do something about it. Both to grow stronger, and to be able to protect our homes and loved ones, but also to keep ourselves from going over the edge. Huh… n-now I kinda see what Dainn had to go through. Good heavens, and he did it all on his own and with almost everyone around him set against him. No wonder why he failed so miserably.”

“I am more astonished by the fact he at least tried at the start to become more than what his species were,” Cadance lamented.

“I think I can pinpoint his greatest mistake,” all eyes turned to Celestia. “He began with a goal in mind, to be a leader and push his people out of this Cycle they suffered from. But when he became King, the only position that would grant him enough influence and power to do so, he focused more on his image, what his subjects would say about his actions, and what his damnable council would do against him if he didn’t uphold their traditions, and tried to please everyone, rather than project his power and authority.”

“Which, in turn, emboldened his council to make more demands, to dictate his actions, and the eventual total departure into depravity and hedonism,” Twilight finished, using a hoof to massage her forehead. “Why couldn't he be like Tirek? Then I wouldn’t feel bad about punching him or for saying such awful things to him.”

“Regardless, our course of action is clear and a long path lies before us. Let’s begin by filling our stomachs?” Luna proposed, to which everypony nodded in agreement. Cadance lifted her husband over her back, carrying him gently; allowing him just a few more moments of peaceful slumber.

Their breakfast went normally as they ate in silence, all of them tired and mentally exhausted. But after drinking some much-needed sugary goods, coffee, and pancakes, they were ready to move on with their days. Twilight was the first to get ready, gathering a packed saddle bag. As she was about to return to Dainn’s dimension, her bag opened on its own, releasing the necklace. She watched it land on the table as it rolled to her until it bumped against Celestias’ hoof again, coming to a final halt. “Oh you have got to be kidding me…” exclaimed the lavender alicorn in disbelief.

“Don’t be mad, Twilight. It only wishes to say goodbye,” Cadance said, looking at the necklace with sad, heavy eyes.

Celestia didn’t hesitate this time and picked it up with her hooves. She didn’t say anything whilst doing so, she merely stared at it with profound longing and tenderness. For long seconds that stretched into eons, she simply stared at it until, with a hint of regret on her part, she leaned forth and softly kissed the forged sunstones that matched her Cutie Mark. “I hope that you find rest someday,” she muttered softly before returning the necklace to Twilight’s saddle bag. There was no struggle, no visible change on it. Only cold acceptance.

“I… should get moving.”

Was all Twilight could muster to say before heading to her basement, ready to return the necklace to its creator.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Twilight made her way through the lonely hallways of the dilapidated castle, her eyes lingering on the several stained glasses and murals during her walk. To her surprise, Dainn wasn’t there waiting for her like last time. She looked around searching for him, but no luck. Sighing, she sat on her rock and decided to wait for him. Several minutes passed with only the howling wind for company, the eerie and nasty ambiance of the whole place (not to mention being alone with the wretched throne was something she did not enjoy at all) making her more uncomfortable by the second.

“Where is he? I was certain he had some sort of omniscient spell or something. Was it dumb luck or--” she froze when she heard a faint but agonizingly haunting howl of pure pain, making her jump to her hooves. Fiddling with her bag, she waited for a few seconds, silently hoping to not hear that noise again. As her heartbeat slowed down, she sighed in relief, but knew that there was only one possible source for that noise. “Dainn? Dainn? It’s me, Twilight Sparkle! A-Are you okay? I could come back another day if you’re not feeling… if you don’t want company right now!”

Silence was her answer.

Gulping down a lump of lead that clogged her throat, her nervousness fell into the pit of her stomach before taking a deep, calming breath of the stale, cold, dead air. It didn’t really work, but she had no other alternatives. “Dainn?” She called again, louder, almost shouting his name, but there was no response. Spreading her wings, she began hovering a meter or so above the ground and began moving in the direction of the pained howl she heard earlier. “Looks like I’m going to find you this time, huh? I’ll have to thank Dash when I return. Might be a bit lazy using my wings to move around, but I don’t want to spend more time than necessary alone in here. How does he manage it? I would’ve left this forsaken place within the first month if I was him.”

As she moved through the familiar hallways of the castle, perfectly mirroring that from her own dimension, she followed not a sound but a sensation of bitterness and coldness that made itself distinct. She had yet to see more of the castle, but everything was the same as the exterior and the forgotten chambers, hallways, and rooms she had already seen. “It’s sad… a place that once held so much life and activity reduced to this state…”

It didn’t take her more than a few minutes to reach the Grand Ballroom, used for the Grand Galloping Gala and other such important events, and beyond the destroyed ballroom, the lifeless gardens bearing only the long-since dried up, shriveled remains of trees and stone decorations scattered around the place.

Twilight gasped when she realized the stone decorations weren’t decorations at all, but rather crude tombstones. There were dozens of them, hundreds, most of them piled close together and left blank, but there were a few others set on the Eastern Wing of the gardens that looked to be properly spaced. Squinting her eyes, she saw an intact statue in the middle of the large garden section. At first, she mistook it for a guardian statue or a gargoyle overlooking and protecting the tombs, but the closer she got to it, the more familiar the statue became. It wasn’t until the wind picked up that the statue moved. No. Not the statue. The robes of the statue.

With her eyes widening instantly, Twilight felt her heart skip a beat when she realized that the statue was none other but an immobile Dainn. “DAINN!” She cried out his name as she rushed like a projectile toward him. She flew past him and only stopped with a strong flap of her wings as she dropped to the ground next to him. She froze in shock when she saw him clearly.

His eyes were wide open. Really, really wide open. Literally. They were just hollow marbles with no pupils, irises, or sclera. Just two round orbs, perpetually staring at the void and even more lifeless than his blue, cold eyes. His mouth was wide open, locked into an eternal scream that didn’t make a noise. His arms and fingers were more branches than appendages, with his fingers wriggled and twisted at odd, near-unnatural angles. He was kneeling, thankfully, but he was completely still. Like a statue or worse. It was as if a cockatrice had petrified him but left him unchanged.

Shaking her shock away, she grasped his shoulders and tried to shake him. Impossibly, he refused to move despite tapping into her alicorn strength, he didn’t budge a single inch. “D-Dainn! DAINN! Wake up! W-What happened!? Who did this to you?” She cried out, looking around for any possible assailant, but nothing happened. She couldn’t hear nor sense anyone else but Dainn.

“Come on, Twilight, think of something!” Twilight reprimanded herself while her mind was running through every possible solution she could think about. Nonono, using magic on him won’t work. I don’t know if this is the product of a spell or not. And if it is, I don’t know any spell that could do… this! At best I’ll just end up torturing him and at worst I could make whatever is happening to him a permanent thing. Moving him is impossible either. H-he’s not even breathing. Damn it, what do I do!?

Minutes passed that felt like days for the worried, panicked alicorn. Not knowing a viable solution to any given problem was something she wasn’t used to. She was at a loss and that made her more anxious, which in turn made her more desperate, only to start the process all over again, threatening to drive her into a spiral of impotence and madness if she didn’t stop.

She was nearing the edge of a mental breakdown when the encouraging words of Spike, Celestia, and everypony else close to her resonated within her. Her panic diminished and her mind cleared, slowly but surely calming down. “R-Remain focused… panicking serves no one… breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out. Theoreticals and practicals, theoreticals and practicals. Keep your mind open and calm, for a troubled mind never sails safely,” she muttered under her breath, repeating the mantras she had learned when growing up and the lessons given to her by Applejack, Cadance, and Fluttershy to keep calm and collected.

“Okay, Twilight. Think. This is obviously something you’ve never seen before and you have zero experience dealing with caribou, whatever is keeping Dainn alive, and if you try anything even remotely dangerous, it could end up really, really badly. No pressure whatsoever. Nope. Not here,” with a frustrated sigh, she reached for Dainn’s exposed hands, flinching at the coldness she felt for a moment but grabbing them more tightly a moment after.

That was when, before she could do anything about it, a sharp but insignificant jolt of magic attacked her hands. It was like taking a vaccine shot, enough to notice it but not enough for her to do more than frown at the sudden intrusion. Her mouth was agape, however, by that stab of magic. Very, very familiar magic.

Her own magic. Twisted, corrupted, vomit-inducing, but it was her magic. Or rather, this dimension’s Twilight Sparkle’s magic.

“Why does he have a trace of my -Twilight’s- magic?” Closing her eyes, she focused for a moment on that wayward magic until she felt it again. But it wasn’t her magic. It was Cadances'. “What in the world?” She exclaimed, confused. Opening her eyes, she let go of Dainn as she pondered silently why and how was it possible for Dainn to not only have a vestige of her power, but also Cadance’s. A creeping answer climbed up her chest, freezing her lungs as the picture of that nightmare throne appeared at the forefront of her mind. “...oh, sweet feathers, please let me be wrong.”

Grabbing his hands again, she forcefully injected some of her energy into him, nothing more than what a regular telekinetic bubble would require, but the effect was instantaneous. Four distinct waves of magical energy danced and sliced at her hands in an attempt to make her join Dainn’s current state.

Twilight snarled and let go of his hands. “...alicorn magic. There’s alicorn magic inside him. But how? D-Did he absorb this world’s alicorn magic for himself? No… that can’t be it. This is entirely different. Oh… oh Dainn. You stupid, stupid idiot. What the fuck were you thinking?” She asked herself before sitting on the ground, legs crossed and rubbing her temples furiously. “Alright… questions for later. And you better believe you’re going to answer, Dainn. But first… how am I going to break you out of that trance?”

As if to answer her question, a metallic cling from her saddlebag caught her attention. The strange part was that there was nothing her bag had bumped against to make that noise. With a sigh, she opened it to reveal the necklace. “Of course, it had to be you. Oh. OH! Of course! This might be me grasping at straws, but it’s better than nothing!”

Swiftly, Twilight placed the necklace back on Dainn’s right hand, letting it rest there for several seconds until a finger moved. Then another and another and soon his entire hand formed a fist clenching the necklace gently, lovingly. His white marble eyes began to return to their original state as his entire body began to creak, crack, and groan.

Then, suddenly, Dainn jerked forth nearly bumping heads with Twilight but stopping less than two inches in front of her. His eyes returned to their normal state; reflecting anguish, despair, terror, guilt, misery, and unfathomable sadness and regret while his mouth, still wide open, let out a screaming howl of everything his eyes reflected so loud and so intense that a non-immortal would’ve been deafened at that moment.

But Twilight heard it all, she could see it all. A howl of pain transformed into a guttural scream of pain so deep that for a moment she could’ve sworn she heard multiple voices laughing, taunting, mocking, and cursing Dainn at the same time.

It only lasted a few seconds at most, perhaps less than that. And it hurt. It had hurt so bad she couldn’t describe what those few seconds that stretched into lifetimes were like, but she could only compare it to if a yak had slapped her with all their strength only to then throw her at a bunch of dragons ready to use her as a punching bag. But extended for millennia.

A coughing fit ended the howl of despair and Dainn lurched back, coughing violently and feebly trying to get on his hooves without success. All around them, though, the howl could still be heard echoing endlessly through the ruins of the castle, Canterlot, and the rest of the dead, ravaged, desolate world.

When Dainn was done coughing and could breathe normally once more, he stood up, still clenching the necklace oh so delicately and began to speak.

“Thank you… I… it’s not a pleasant experience,” said the caribou, turning away from a bewildered Twilight.

The alicorn nodded slowly, but her focus was not on Dainn himself, but rather on his hands. Or more specifically, his bulging veins. She hadn’t noticed it before, mainly because those veins were definitely not bulging when she arrived, but now she could see it as plain as day, removing any doubt she could possibly have from her mind. They were quickly disappearing, but the glowing flow of yellow, purple, deep blue, and pink colors were more than evident. Undeniable proof of what he had done… and why she found him in the state he was in.

“Does it… happen often?” She asked, finding strength in her legs once more.

“No. But it is not rare either. I could be trapped in that state for hours, days, or weeks. One time, I was like for what I believe were three years. It is not a pleasant experience,” Dainn replied, his voice a blanket of emotions, hollow, and lifeless. “Again. Thank you, for helping me.”

“You can thank me by telling me what made you think stealing and absorbing the power of four alicorns was a good idea, Dainn,” she asked, frowning. “And why is that magic tormenting you? Yes, I could feel what it was doing, Dainn. Why--”

“Do you know what is like to relieve your worst memories over and over again as if they were the first time despite knowing they are just memories? Do you know what is like to be attacked and tormented by those who are not here anymore? To have your very being set against you, constantly and never-ending reminding you of your mistakes? Can you imagine that, Not-My-Twilight? Can you even fathom the punishment I carved for myself and so justly deserve?” There was no apathy, anger, or contempt in his voice. There was nothing there. Only a lifeless essence that refused and could not die out.

Dainn slightly, ever so slightly, turned around and with a single wave of his left hand, asked Twilight to move to the side. Twilight obeyed, not knowing how to answer his questions, and found that a gravestone was behind her. When she read the name on it, Celestia, she took an involuntary step back, giving Dainn the chance to gently caress the stone.

“I buried her remains here. Luna’s are over there. Shining Armor and Cadance share that one over there… Gunne, Ginna, Oksho… the Bearers… even your grave. They’re all here. The others? Corpses I could find and give a burial. Most of I didn’t know. Didn’t care. They deserved at least that,” he chuckled. “I stole their power, thinking that with it I could prevent the Cycle, that I could rule justly and how nature intended. The Strong rule, the Weak obey… foolish. H-How… foolish. My ‘glorious’ reign barely lasted a year, Twilight. One measly year and not even to full closure. Has there been anyone in your dimension capable of bringing such destruction in such a short amount of time? I doubt it.”

“Compared to what you achieved? No. I don’t believe so,” Twilight replied, glancing at the tombstones until she found hers, neatly surrounded by six other graves. “That’s why you have to tell me more. What happened after you defeated Celestia.”

“I will not,” Dainn replied, his eyes finally reflecting a vestige of emotion even if it was faint. “What more do you need to hear anyways? You could barely stand my retelling of how the Fall began… what happened next you’ve seen already. The debauchery, the corruption, the rampant hedonism. All of it. What more is there for me to tell?” He turned around, clutching the necklace close to his chest. “Leave and never return. Protect your home and grow to become worthy of your position as Princess. I have nothing more to tell you.”

“Like hell you don’t!” Twilight protested. “You may be right in your assumption that I can picture mentally the horrors that you and your people unleashed, but that’s not enough! I have to know how and why you stole the Princesses powers, how you became immortal, what the enchantment is exactly, what happened to me and my friends, and how THIS-” she shouted, spreading her arms and wings wide, “-came to be!”

“I… cannot tell you more. Please. I thought I was stronger, that my punishment had eroded every vestige of my self-pity and will to live… but I don’t want to revive those memories. Suffering in silence and alone I can handle. But to share my pain, my mistakes, and my regrets with another… it is worse than I could’ve ever imagined. Please, Twilight, do not make me talk.”

“Listen here, Dainn,” Twilight stormed right in front of him, pushing a finger against his nose while glaring at him with tears swelling in her eyes. “What you did… what happened here, I don’t know if you could ever be forgiven. But if you truly wish to atone, then you must tell me more. Finish your story and help me prevent this or anything close to this happen two at least two other dimensions. Cadance, my Cadance, that is, first judged you as an unforgivable monster, but after I gave her your warning she broke down and questioned everything she knew.”

“W-What?” Dainn asked, confusion shining through his cold, dead blue eyes. “What?”

“She pitties you, Dainn. Do you know why? Because she put herself in your place -in the place of the caribou as a whole- and she pointed out the very real dangers a matriarchy of powerful immortal alicorns could bring. What your people so idiotically imagined as a threat… she saw as a tangible danger if we ever gave into the temptations of power. After all-” she scoffed angrily, “-the Strong rule, the Weak obey, right?”

“...”

“Exactly. You have no right to stand here, feeling bad for yourself and wallowing in remorse when you were nothing but a stupid, blind, arrogant bastard that apparently fell in love with the mare you trained and tortured into becoming your pet. Even now, Dainn, you are exactly that same weak, stupid idiot you hate so much. Be strong for once and finish your damn tale.”

“...I… I didn’t train her…”

Twilight blinked, anger fizzling out slowly. “What? No. You trained her. She was your pet, wasn’t she?”

“She was my pet… Luna too. But I didn’t train them. I… I swear, I never laid a finger on them in private. Yes, I raped and fucked them and countless other females in public and during events, but never once in private. Why? Because I felt nothing. Oh, sure, the physicality felt good. But it was a hollow pleasure that left me more empty by the end of it. To me, sex was nothing more than an acting role I had to play.”

“Then… who trained them?” Twilight asked, confused yet intrigued.

“Hrathr trained them for me. I could never stomach the training methods at all. I didn’t have the spine nor the stomach for them. Celestia was turned into a red collar,” he chuckled. “‘I have a nascent empire to look over, administer, and protect. Not to mention coordinate our efforts against those fools that deny the glory of Male Superiority and the rightful rule of the Caribou. My focus must remain on that goal in mind and not on training a couple of whores even if it’d take me a few seconds to tame them. I’m far too busy to let such things distract me. I’ll allow Hrathr to train them in my stead. Let’s see how efficient he truly is.’”

A dark chuckle escaped his throat after letting a few seconds of silence fall between them. “That was my excuse, more or less, when I was asked why I didn’t train my prizes.”

“Since that’s the case, then how did you fell in love with Celestia?” Twilight asked, pressing on.

“Fall in love? Please, Twilight, I am incapable of love. I don’t even know what that feels like. I held great affection for her; Hrathr succeeded in making her an obedient pet. Luna? Not so much. Celestia was caring and attentive, good company and, as I mentioned, obedient to a fault. I took Oksho’s example to heart and decided to reward her with a nice gift. That necklace is the result of that.”

“A necklace that was made out of love. Cadance said so when she saw it. Tartarus, Celestia didn’t want to give it back at first, but after she tried it on, she came to the conclusion it wasn’t done for her.”

“N-No… that can’t be true. It was just a gift. A simple… gift. To show my appreciation and to reward her,” Dainn said, visibly showing some distress.

“Oh, really? Well, how many tries did it take you to make that necklace just perfect?”

“How did you--?”

“Cadance saw it. The craftsmanship and the sheer dedication it has. How many hours did you spend making it? WHY did you make it in the first place? Aren’t you a scholar? Did you learn how to smith and become a jeweler just for a ‘reward’? I don’t believe that. And I think you know you don’t believe that either, Dainn. So, what was it? What made you fall in love with Celestia? Was that necklace an attempt to win her love or--

“I. DO. NOT. DESERVE. HER. LOVE!” Dainn hissed angrily, his eyes flickering with energy before dying down once more. “I… she… m-my Celestia… she was good to me, Twilight. I… I just wanted to… I just… she… I… I… I don’t…,” he sighed, unable to formulate any coherent answer - or excuse, Twilight thought. “Did… did your Celestia like it that much? Did it fit her? W-Were the proportions fitting? Was it comfortable?”

Twilight nodded. “She loved it. But… it didn’t fit her since our anatomies are very different. It was a bit awkward, but despite that, Celestia looked so right with that necklace on. She praised it constantly and even kissed it before I came back,” eyeing the necklace, she continued. “It truly does have a mind of its own.”

“...I see… that… that is good to hear. It brings some closure to my heart, at least,” Dainn then turned to the side and began to walk. “Come. There is something I wish to show you,” wordlessly, Twilight followed up to the edge of the gardens, leaving the graves behind them and reaching the overview leading to what once had been the grand maze. They didn’t need to peer over the edge in order to see a small mound of twisted, discarded pieces of gold long since forgotten and neglected, with fragments of gems scattered around the place.

“Whoa… there must be hundreds. Wait. Are those your failed attempts?” She asked, mildly surprised.

“I myself lost count… but I think there are at least a thousand failed attempts before I got this necklace, fit for a beautiful Princess,” Dainn stared at the pile with a mix of longing and disdain. “It doesn’t matter now. I should… I should throw it away.”

“But you’ve already tried that and it always comes back, does it not? You told me as much already. Do you even want to get rid of it?” Asked the lavender alicorn.

“...No. Not really. I… I should’ve done things differently. I should’ve… I should’ve…,” another sigh escaped his lips.

“Dainn… there’s something I wish to know. If you couldn’t give the necklace to Celestia, what was it that stopped you? Regret? Guilt? Remorse?”

“Not at all, Twilight. What prevented me from giving Celestia her necklace was the beginning of the end for my people, Equestria, and the world,” he shook his head. “Did you know I honestly thought Celestia and Luna were lying about controlling the sun and the moon? Why would I believe them when the two celestial bodies kept moving on their own even after I cut off their horns?” Gripping his cane tightly, he continued through shaking hands. “What was one more lie told by heretical females, right? But I learned too late that was not the case. The sun and moon have not moved ever since that faithful day. Discord wasn’t moving them, neither could I or you or Cadance. So who made sure to move them? The answer is so obvious now after what you told me regarding horns and magic.”

Twilight nodded. “Their connection to the sun and the moon is a fundamental one. It must’ve been taxing and difficult to do it with their horns cut, but they did it and secretly. Your incompetence astonishes me, Dainn.”

“You and me both,” he said, agreeing to the well-deserved insult. “It is easier to see your failings and accept them only in hindsight, I do suppose. And even then, you may uncover more than you thought you knew.”

“Then, Dainn, illuminate me. How was it possible for your reign to last a mere year? Was it an invading army? Did you drive your forces thin? Did the enchantment backfire on you all? Did someone try to kill you and take your place?” Twilight questioned even as the air around her grew colder.

“All of them, Twilight. All of them and more,” Dainn turned to face her with a tired, pained, distant expression on his face. “Three were the major reasons why my reign fell into ruination. The enchantment showed its irreparable flaws. My council bickered and squabbled as they tried to take the throne away from me; amongst other assassination attempts, including those made by Spike. But the biggest reason was simply known as the War of Food.”

“Wait, what? War of Food? Are you seriously saying that you had problems with starvation? Really?” Twilight asked, taken aback. “B-but that shouldn’t be possible. Equestria is a fertile land beyond comprehension. Throw seeds out of the window and by next month you’ll be able to harvest something. How in the name of Harmony did starvation became such a great problem?”

“Simply put? Gross incompetence. Take for example Ponyville. When we took over Ponyville, the mares owning land were discharged and proper stallions or caribou were put in place, with overseers and magistrates to keep everything running smoothly. What a joke. The arable lands were expanded ten times over, butchering resources, cutting down trees, and anxious to reap a plentiful harvest. Now, this could’ve worked were it not for two factors. The first was that many of the old crops were burned and discarded, replaced with our own crops. The--- the fucking idiots in charge never understood why cold and tundra-based crops couldn’t grow in a temperate climate and blamed the farm stallions for sabotage. Whatever food could be harvested and stored before our invasion was ransacked, wasted in banquets and celebrations. It didn’t take long before the logistical issues began to arise within the first month.”

Twilight listened carefully and agreed with Dainn’s observations. “And the second reason? W-What could be worse than a backlogged, inefficient and downright moronic logistical and farming system?”

“I wasn’t done with the first problem, Twilight… remember I had forbidden to touch the wings of females, pegasi mainly, until I figured out a way that wouldn’t kill them?”

She nodded then pondered. “Wait… but you said that you’d tell me who came up with the… solution to deal with pegasi wings.”

“Not just pegasi wings. Any female captured with wings would suffer that same fate. But who was the monster responsible for this brutality? None other than Princess Cadance herself.”

Twilight gasped and felt her stomach doing summersaults at the mere notion that Cadance would ever think something so horrible. Then again… she was in a Dark Universe and she had been corrupted beyond understanding. “H-How did she do it? Wh-Why would she… I don’t understand.”

“By plucking and sheathing her own wings in public, that’s how. She then did it to Celestia and Luna, in front of a great audience all as a show to humiliate them,” Dainn said with palpable poison in his words. “At that moment I should’ve realized something was wrong with the enchantment and the way my councilors flocked behind her idea. Male Superiority forbids taking action if said action is inspired or dictated by a female. They followed her idea and rejected my own solution vehemently. Only Oksho and his followers took in my decision. It was less effective but more merciful. By applying simple weight runes, their ability to fly was rendered useless but they got to keep their wings.”

“W-Why didn’t you enforce it!?” Twilight asked, horrified.

“I tried… I tried so very hard, but I was ignored. From a logical view, it makes sense why I should be ignored. The cost alone of the rune forging and the time needed to do it was a hundred times more expensive than Cadance’s way, not to mention only being able to deal with a few hundred females a week rather than get them all sheathed in that same timeframe. Not only that, but the feathers would be turned into tools for cleaning, jewelry, and trophies,” Dainn replied, shaking his head.

“Simple. Brutal. Cruel. Direct. That was her method. Have their wings plucked and to prevent them from growing back, use wing sheaths filled with rough, stoney material for black collars, comfortable fluffy cotton for red and white collars… another sick way to force compliance out of a few mares. Disgusting, I know,” another heavy sigh, another icy glare of regret.

“But that was only the prelude to a massive ailment. The greatest part of this problem was that pegasi were in charge of controlling, directing, and manipulating the weather. Cut their available workforce by over seventy percent plus the stallions that died during the invasion, were switched, or escaped?”

Horror struck Twilight’s features, her life nearly draining from her face. “Oh sweet mother of Celestia… the weather was completely haywire, wasn’t it?”

“And that was the manageable problem,” with a deep, guttural hum, his eyes narrowed. “The second problem was much more simple… and a thousand times more far-reaching. Tell me, Twilight, what do you think happens to a society that falls into hedonism, depravity, and rampant sexual excess? They stop working. They stop caring about tomorrow or even the present. They only wish to indulge in their perversions. Productivity slowed down to a crawl. This led to other unforeseen activities. Diamond Dog slaver gangs constantly kidnap mares only to hold them for ransom at high prices. Griffons raided the borders nearly unchallenged. Entire towns disappeared after changelings attacked.”

“Of course, we caribou couldn’t be blamed for such a turn of events! Of course not! It was the ponies who were the incompetent ones! Not us! Griffons are attacking? Show them gold and they suddenly embrace the natural order of things! The changelings are a problem? Sounds like excellent new pets to hunt down! Diamond dogs attacking and kidnapping mares for ransom? Use the enchantment to turn them to our side. Zebras being a problem? Throw the griffons at them. Diamond dogs being an issue? Hunt them down or pay them off and the problem is gone.”

“Just like Oksho predicted… you became over-reliant on it, didn’t you?”

“It made things too easy and the ugly side of the enchantment surfaced when ponies focused more and more on their own pleasure. It got to the point that even most caribou were disgusted and afraid of their sheer levels of depravity. The things I saw them do… Twilight, my mentor was many things, but he knew how to whip sex-craving idiots into doing their jobs. The ponies converted by the enchantment were… monsters. I shall spare you the details, but believe me when I tell you that you truly do not wish to know.”

“...Give me one example. Please… or I shall not stop until I get answers on my own,” Twilight replied. “I’m a scholar, too, remember?”

Dainn shook his head slowly. “Don't say I didn't warn you. You do know mares that enjoy piercings, right?” The alicorn nodded. “A mare with an inclination for piercings would take whatever sharp, pointy object she could find and stab herself repeatedly, over and over again in a display of gore, blood, and screams of pure pleasure. It was as if she couldn’t feel pain at all; each stab drove her to an orgasm that only climaxed when she finally died… with a wide, lustful smile on her face. An empty, soulless, endless smile of pure depravity and insanity.”

Twilight fell to her knees and vacated the contents of her stomach, her imagination providing a rather vivid series of images of what Dainn described. Worst of all, she could feel he had been tame in his description, and yet it brought her to her knees. “A-alright,” she coughed, “n-not going to ask for more details. Sweet feathers, how could you stand that?”

“Who says I did? I too hurled when I saw that and many, many worse things, Twilight. During the war, cannibalism was quite popular,” Dainn added with tangible contempt.

“But that sheer depravity came nearing the waning days of my reign… and the decision that would doom the entire world, and myself, to what you see before you. Before all of that, however, the celebration of my victory was to come first. Let us return inside, Twilight. Let us be comfortable… and continue with what came after Celestia’s defeat. My coronation as the new and true “King” of Equestria.”