Dusk returned his attention back to the problem before him, now that he felt the dreamwalker abruptly depart from his mind. While he might have preferred for Luna to fade away, much like his version, Selene, often did when she was spying in his mind and dreams, Luna’s departure was satisfactory, being that he sensed her leave.

Looking back at what he had to try and deal with, Dusk returned back to normal pony form, thus separating himself from the other thing. He may still be within his mind, but he knew that it wouldn’t be long before he had to try and shield it in the waking world. And he hoped that he could indeed recapture the otherworldly thing. He’d done it once, so he thought that it might be the same now.

As he gathered up his courage and magic, he peered at this creature, still attempting to fathom what exactly it was. It appeared as just an inky black blob that was mostly an amorphous shape without any discernible features. Just a black blob of negative energy floating in space. It seethed and roiled, but otherwise did not move, save to alter its orb shape to either an ovoid, then a teardrop, and again to pear-shaped, only to return once again to an orb.

Dusk blasted the thing with a spell of containment, only to observe the spell harmlessly bounce off the thing’s surface. Damn, he thought. That should have worked! It did last time…

After firing several more spells, he knew that it had become much too powerful for him alone to handle and contain. He was dreading this possibility, but at least he had already figured on this eventuality. It pays to always have a back-up plan, as his old mage teacher told him so many times while Dusk was learning how to become a war mage.

Therefore, he had set it up with Twilight before-hoof in the eventuality that he would need assistance in the case that the creature would escape. The problem he worried about was if she would come to his aid. That was his greatest fear, and also the one thing he hated most, having to depend on others for help.

As he stared at it, the thing began to pulse, only to expand its outer form significantly. Dusk, realizing what was changing, backed away, fleeing quickly to the edge of his memory and attempted to close it off. However, before he could begin to lock it down, he felt the thing trying to break free. forcing against the door to the rest of his mind. Desperate to contain the thing, he slammed the ethereal door, only to be shoved back again before he could start the locking spell. This time proved to Dusk that he was no longer in control, and he had to abandon any further attempts, instead returning to the waking world.

As he came to, he sensed that the thing was barely behind him as he escaped, and by the time he had stood, the thing was now here in the cavern with him, still silently bobbing as if mocking him, daring Dusk to do something drastic.

A creature of the Void, he thought. Surely it had to be dealt with by the magic of the Guardians!

Nevertheless, Dusk again threw more spells at it, which only either bounced away harmlessly, or was absorbed by the black blob. And each spell it took made the creature swell in size. So much, that it was nearly filled the entire back part of the cavern.

* * *

Three others, two princesses and a slender patchwork worm with yellow eyes, peered into the cavern with alarm.

“What is that thing?” she asked. “Discord, do you know what it is?”

He paused, wiping a pair of glasses idly with a cloth, letting his spiked tail sway a bit before answering. “Hm,” he hummed. “Well. It isn’t anything chaotic, dear Celestia. If I were to guess, I’d say the creature was something out of the Void beyond the realm of matter. How in the name of Chaos did your alicorn prince friend ever corral it makes me wonder. That he could so easily send me back to my universe with a mere toss of his hoofs leads me to believe that Prince Dusk is no small mage. That said, I have no idea what to do about it, nor do I have any power to make it go away. If I were to say what best course was, I’d say, RUN! Because, you have no way to defend against something out of the Void. And if it gets loose, it will destroy your world, if not the entire universe.”

Celestia bit her lip, considering how to calmly evacuate Canterlot. “Luna, go tell the captain of the Guard to go start the evacuation of Canterlot. Calmly, but with urgency. Where is Twilight?”

“Not far, Sister,” Luna replied, worry on her brow.

“Find her and tell her to gather her friends, just in case. Go!”

Celestia peered at her old nemesis. “You stay, Discord,” she told him. “You have some knowledge about it, and you may become useful for once, if need be.”

Luna teleported away instantly, while both Celestia and Discord placed a shield spell about the cavern, hoping that would prove enough, although Discord knew that it might only delay the inevitable.

* * *

While he did acknowledge the others beyond the cavern entrance, Dusk had more urgent and pressing issues to deal with. The thing was expanding beyond his ability to hold it, and he hoped that Celestia was smart enough to summon Twilight here. However, even as he thought about it, the blob quickly surged, fully enveloping Dusk within its inky darkness.

Dusk froze, unsure where he was currently. The best he figured, he was now inside the Void creature. Somehow. He had expected to be consumed, eaten for being a creature of positive matter, but the blob merely sucked him inside of itself. He opened his eyes, but could see nothing save empty blackness everywhere. At least, it was warm.

And he could sense. Turning in the direction where the cavern entrance might be, he was able to see both Celestia and Discord just beyond, yet could not see Luna. Even more troubling was the absence of Twilight. She should be here, ready to lend Dusk aid, which he surely could use about now.

Oddly, he could also feel. He had touch for some curious reason, as he was not hanging freely in space, but was apparently standing upright, his hoofs firmly on some kind of flooring. Also, he could breathe. The air was foul, but still contained enough oxygen to keep him from suffocation. As if the creature was keeping Dusk alive. Why, and for what purpose, he lacked knowledge, or idea even.

What was weird to Dusk, was the complete lack of any communication between himself and it. Nevertheless, he was able to sense some form of sentience within the creature. No true sapience, just the most primitive type of sentience, probably operating on the most basic levels of instinct. Perhaps if he tried, he might be able to communicate with it. Couldn’t hurt to try.

Before anything he could attempt, he sensed an overriding need for sustenance. The creature was hungry with a capital H. And it was ready to seek out food, whatever that was. Just as soon as he began to realize the creature’s hunger, it began to swell again and bob, as if preparing to flee.

In that instant, it launched itself forward, easily bursting out from the shielding spell across the entrance. Dusk barely spied Discord shove Celestia aside, only to leap away in the opposite direction as the blob flew past both of them and splat against the crystal wall. Dusk figured that it was not that bright to do that, but he was wrong in that assumption. The blob instantly began to melt into the crystal wall, then started to burrow into the solid crystal wall. It even began to pick up speed as it continued on through, eventually coming to solid granite, where it only increased its speed again and also began feeding on the rock.

Well, that explains much, Dusk thought. It can eat anything.

Dusk quickly formed a command, curious to discover how much sentience this thing had. Eat no pony, he sent.

The Void creature moaned, even shook in response, as if fighting Dusk’s command while it continued to eat its way out of the mountain. Still, Dusk was satisfied. The thing had responded.

The entire experience, while giving Dusk some fear, still left him speechless, yet curious. Just how much this thing was sentient was an open question. Sure, it wasn’t sapient enough to talk, yet did respond to his directive, However, he then was shown a picture in his mind, a question asked but not spoken. He replied by instantly forming a picture of a pony in his mind, and the thing quickly accepted it. At that moment, Dusk sensed something else as he and the thing ate through the rock. It was adapting, altering itself to mimic Dusk’s shape.

Dusk was then left breathless and alarmed. That this thing could change into something else meant that this was truly an awesome creature, but also horrifying.

Just as he was about to begin forming questions to ask it, they had come to the edge of the mountain, then burst through. Dusk felt nothing, yet the destruction he saw through the creature’s perceptions was terrible enough, as the whole part of the mountain gave way, spewing rock and huge boulders outward as they exited. The Void creature ate what it could as it continued onward, flying through the air for what must have been at least a kilometer or more.

Dusk quickly looked back as they flew beyond the mountainside where they had bore through and left a gaping hole. It was then that he heard something else. As he watched, he sensed another horrifying thing: one of the main struts supporting the overhanging part of Canterlot began to shift. Not only did it shift, but also started to collapse, the metal making a terrifying shriek as it buckled under the weight of the structures and castle above.

At that moment, two figures appeared about the edge of Canterlot, both floating close: a white pony, wings flapping in desperation, and a pale brown worm beside it. Both seemed to begin stabilizing that part of Canterlot which was beginning to sag.

That was the scene left in his mind, of Celestia and Discord trying to keep Canterlot from total collapse against the orange glow of the setting sun. Dusk feared what would happen, and wanted badly to lend aid, but trapped as he was within the Void creature, he was left helpless, unable to help save anything. Instead, the creature, now in open space, began to drop downward toward the valley below. Canterlot was soon out of his sight as they fell.

That was when Dusk noticed that the shape of the creature had began assuming a definite form, one not surprising in the least. Since the thing had trapped Dusk within itself, he had been aware that the inky host had been studying him. Now, as they dropped from the mountain, Dusk sensed that it was altering its appearance, becoming somewhat of a caricature of a pony form, sprouting a head and elongating its body, only for legs to extend outward from the body. Four legs swiftly sprouted, then a pair of what he could only assume was representing wings sprung out from its body.

But it didn’t stop there, as four more legs appeared between the initial set of legs, giving it an appearance of a giant black ant with a vaguely pony head, but without a tail.

Dusk used his sight sense that the creature provided, and he saw the forested ground rushing closer. He stiffened himself, expecting to feel it crash into the trees below.. As the trees quickly approached, the tops looking like large green spikes, the creature folded the faux wings, then slowed itself, coming to rest gently amongst the forest of evergreens. Its pony head still was above most of the trees, so Dusk was unable to see the ground, or at least much of it, yet he sensed that the creature was standing on solid ground.

Thinking quickly, Dusk began to draw on his magic to teleport out of the creature. Imagining the forest ground, he cast his spell, only for it to fizzle and die. And the creature about him grew larger then.

Fuck, he thought to himself. It was using his magic to live. Crap, where is she?

The Void creature reached down and bit off an entire tree, only to suck it up into its maw that had appeared then, and it moved onward to another tree, where it copied the first act of consuming a tree. It was beginning to feed on matter, much like a pony would when given a bowl of salad greens, or a bowl of raw hay.

Dusk looked about, desperate to find a way to stop it, but also to flee from his black prison and escape the creature. He struggled to find anything, magic, or even simply trying to burst out of the darkness he was imprisoned within, but to no avail. He was trapped solidly without hope of escape. Still, he knew that the creature was not only chewing up everything it stumbled across, but was also feeding off of Dusk himself.

Then, Dusk sensed something crash into the creature, only to quickly bounce away. After a moment, another crash and bounce off, this time on the opposite side. Then a third time from behind, each in quick succession.

Using his sense, Dusk noted a tiny speck of cyan flying at high velocity towards the black creature, and in the space of a breath, it once more slammed into the creature and flew away.

The creature paused, then projected a question to Dusk. Pony?

Dusk nodded in affirmation. Pony. Do not harm.

The creature sighed. It annoy.

The pegasus crashed into the head of the creature, but instead of merely fleeing, it paused and hovered before the creature, even standing up on hind legs while the forelegs moved in a threatening manner.

You fool, Blitz! Dusk screamed. Go away before you get hurt!

When the creature attempted to swat at it, the cyan pegasus backed away just out of the reach of the creature, yet still acted in a provocative manner at the creature, daring it to attack.

Again, the creature moved toward the hovering pony and tried to swat at it. And again, the pegasus dropped back while continuing to show a threatening manner. Dusk by now understood. Blitz was attempting to draw the Void creature away from the vicinity of Canterlot and away from any populated areas.

Dusk grinned, as it was exactly the thing that Blitz would do. Sure, Blitz lacked any actual ability to cause harm to the Void creature, but he could annoy it. Thinking swiftly, he sent to the creature, Follow.

The creature responded with an unvoiced question, yet trod ponderously toward the pegasus when Dusk did not reply. Soon, after several minutes of movement, Dusk saw that they had left the confines of the forest and had entered into a broad, fertile green valley meadow. The creature paused and moved its head, sensing out this new environment.

“Hey, lunkhead!” the pegasus cried, again slamming into the creature. “Come and get me!”

And the creature edged forward, chasing after the annoying little pony. But Dusk laughed to himself, realizing the ploy, but also noting that the words he had heard was not by a stallion, but a raspy-voiced mare.

Twilight’s version of Blitz, he thought in amusement. Probably the one he spied napping on a cloud the other day in Ponyville.

He then saw a flash of pale purple flying towards them, and he sighed, relieved that the princess was indeed coming to help. She paused to push aside Blitz, then continued to fly at the creature, but instead of attempting to hurt it, she instead flew about the creature, examining it and no doubt calculating just how to approach eliminating its threat.

Another pony? came the creature’s inquiry, and Dusk immediately nodded.

Do not eat, he sent in reply.

It not annoy. Why?

Learn of you, Dusk responded swiftly.

We take, the creature concluded. Feed.

No! Dusk quickly cried. Not feed!

The creature shuddered in annoyance at Dusk’s insistence, yet then extended a faux wing to bat away the newer flying pony. Dusk chuckled when Twilight instantly teleported away as the wing tried to swat at her, only to reappear before its head.

“Dusk!” she cried then. “Are you in there!?”

I’m here! He tried to vocalize, yet she seemed not to hear him. Tentatively, he extend a foreleg out, and discovered that his hoof was beyond the creature’s surface, and he wiggled it, hoping to catch her attention. She saw it apparently, and swiftly darted to the side of the head.

“Dusk?” she again asked. Then Dusk grasped her hoof with his and pulled her within the creature where he was, still unsure about how he had been able to reach out of the creature, yet glad he did..

She had shrieked when Dusk grabbed her, but after a brief moment of fright, she opened her eyes and beheld Dusk, who merely smirked in her direction.

“Welcome to my parlor, said the spider to the fly,” he said mockingly.

She punched him at his withers. “Damn you, Dusk!” she cried. “Stop being the ass for once! And, where are we?”

“Within the creature,” he replied simply. “I was not sure that you’d come, Princess, but I am glad that you did. Are your friends close?”

She nodded, “Close enough,” she replied with a nod.

“Can you feel your friends?” he pressed anxiously.

Again, her nod. “I can sense them, curiously,” she said, then frowned. “But how? They are all outside.”

“I have full sense of things beyond the creature, and even made contact with it,” he explained. “It does have some sentience, and actually some consciousness, enough to communicate back to me. However, this truly is a monster that will devour everything it sees and feels. You must destroy it now, Princess. You have the power to do it. I cannot, as I am not linked to the Guardian’s magic. You are. So, do that hoodoo, that you do, so well, Princess.”

She looked at him with concern. “In here?” she asked

Dusk nodded. “It would be best,” he agreed. “Killing something from within is the easiest solution. I should know, as that was my favorite way to eliminate any rivals and those I was directed to kill for Big Daddy. Made a mess, but it was effective.”

Twilight stared at Dusk in horror. “You really did kill ponies?” she asked in a weak voice.

He shrugged. “I am a paid assassin, Princess,” he stated blandly. “Now, do your thing, Princess before it begins to eat your world.”

She hesitated, peering at Dusk cautiously. “You won’t—” she began to ask, only for him to wave the question aside.

“I’ll be here, Princess,” he told her. “I’ll just be standing aside, and I promise not to interfere.” He grinned. “As lovely as you are to my male lust, I know better than to bother another while they cast magic. Now, Princess, do your Guardian magic thing that I’ve read so much about in your journal!”

With a curt nod, Twilight closed her eyes. Dusk backed away giving her plenty of space, unsure how she did that magic crap thing with the Guardian’s magic. He watched in fascination as she hovered in the air, and he could vaguely sense her reaching out to contact her friends outside. It felt odd, and the space began to feel…different. In just a few heartbeats, she opened her eyes, and Dusk backed away again, astonished by the fact that her eyes were now glowing in pure white light. But that was not all, either, as a sense of such pure magic began to manifest and surround them and the creature, leaving him speechless.

Twilight felt so alive. She had reached out to her friends, and they in turn responded, bonding themselves to her magic. But then she sensed that the Tree’s magic reaching out towards her, that pure magic of harmony which she had used before. Only now it was different. She had heard music while entranced by the Tree’s magic before. This time, she heard an entire orchestra of sounds. And what was once a simple thread of harmony magic was now much more. She sensed a whole lot of magic from differing points, not just her Tree. Even more, she could sense magic flowing from other Trees far from her universe, and each Tree added to the power growing at an exponential rate within her. This was an entirely different type of magic, yet still harmonious in feeling.

The magic of the Guardians, as Dusk puts it.

The magic increased swiftly, enveloping her into a vessel of dire magic. This felt more like an offensive type of magic, and she was soon overfilled in this magic, almost to the breaking point in her mind. The orchestra of sounds had become totally deafening, and she tried to recoil away from the noise that had turned into a shriek that pierced her ears.

And, still more magic added.

Twilight was entirely lost, and she began to scream in agony at the level of magic being poured into her soul. She could hardly endure any more of this, and she gave her being to it, having no more thoughts.

The link stretched and writhed, only to become a rainbow of magic that shot instantly out about the creature. Twilight was barely able to witness the ribbon of magic slice into the inky creature, only to thread into Dusk and out of him, then further outside and up, where it contacted Canterlot and repaired what had been broken, even restoring the mountainside supporting the castle and town.

Then, as quickly as it appeared, the magic ceased, leaving a silence that was deafening. Twilight dropped to the ground and fell on her side, gasping for air at trying to make sense of what she had just experienced. At least she was alive still. Her friends all quickly came and surrounded her, even holding her close as they began to excitedly talk about their individual experiences.

“Is it gone?” Twilight blearily asked, shaking her head to clear herself, yet not the sensation of that pure harmonious magic. Her soul still sang in the feeling of that.

“Yeah, the meanie is gone!” Pinkie replied in a sing-song manner, even dancing about in sheer happiness. “What was that thing, Twilight?”

“Dusk,” she replied with weariness. “Or, rather, what he had inside of him. I’ll explain it later to you all.”

Rainbow stood over Twilight, looking about with curiosity. “Okay, but where is he?” she asked.

Twilight bolted to standing, but nearly fell again when she felt dizzy from such a quick action. She walked slowly about with her head down, yet once she felt better, she raised her head and peered around. “Dusk?” she called out, frowning.

Rainbow instantly took the air in the growing darkness of evening. She looked around at the grassy meadow, even putting a hoof over her eyes as if blocking any light. She soon spied a dark shape in the grass some away, one nearly hidden in the tall grasses.

“There, I think,” she said in her raspy voice, pointing in the direction.

Twilight turned to look, then took to the air herself and flew to the form in the dark. She landed beside the recumbent form of Dusk laying on his side,

Dropping to her belly, she tried to shake Dusk, “Wake up, you silly goose!” she cried.

Dusk, however, remained unmoving.

Twilight grasped him and pulled him close, again shaking him roughly. “Dusk! Dusk!” she shouted, yet he remained unresponsive.

She then looked about in desperation, and upon seeing Rainbow nearby, she yelled at her friend, “Go quickly and bring back Princess Celestia! I’m not sure, but I think that Dusk is seriously injured!”

Rainbow was instantly airborne and darted away towards Canterlot, a trail of rainbow colors behind her.

Twilight hugged Dusk close and rocked, saying his name over and over again while her other friends gathered about in silence.

Applejack tilted her hat back, then said, “Twilight, he might be dead.”

Twilight shook her head roughly. “He can’t!” she cried. “It was Harmony magic! He can’t be dead!” She again stared down at him.

“Please Dusk! Awake and tell me how you lust for me, so I know that you are alive! Please!”

And the night closed in about her and Dusk.

Author's Note

End of Act One.
Act Two starts with the next chapter, with the story taking a turn...