Darkness Falls

Can you ever fully forgive?

Is it possible to forgive, even if what said convict did was horribly wrong? Saddle Hussein, Al Capony or even Ahoof Hitler? Would someone forgive the misguided actions of the fallen?

I groaned. After my outburst at my friends, I had a splitting headache.

"Stop whining," Nightmare Moon snapped from inside the bathroom.

"Stop telling me what to do! I am a full grown mare!" I retorted.

I groaned again, this time louder, much to the displeasure to my malevolent teacher.

"Shut up, it was only a little mi-" she slipped.

"A little what, exactly?" I got up, despite the horrible headache, and advanced toward the enchanted mirror.

"A little, eh, mind magic," Nightmare Moon said lightly, as if to change the subject.

Another terrible feeling sunk inside me. “What did you do?” I whispered.

After no response from the unwilling mare, I screamed, “What did you do?”

“I may have accidentally altered your response slightly,” she confessed.

“You WHAT?!” I growled, ready to go full Rapidash mode.

Feeling more empowered, Nightmare Moon’s eyes sparked with pride. “I ‘fixed’ your reaction to your so-called friends.”

“What would I have done?” I shouted at the mirror.

“Are you sure you want to-“

“I SAID, LET ME SEE!” I screamed again at the mirror.

“Fine.” Nightmare Moon muttered. “So pushy.” She said under her breath.

“What was that?” I said dangerously.

“Nothing,”

“I thought so,”

After a few moments of glimmering horn, Nightmare Moon spoke again.

“I opened the viewing portal. It works much the same as the time travel spell you used-“

“Just show me the freaking portal,” I growled.

“Jeez, I’ll open it. But you’ll learn that information after,” She lit her horn again and the mirror space to her left glowed a soft baby blue. The scene changed to that of the downstairs library.

An alicorn— me— was spread out on the wooden floor. A group of five ponies in various colors were speaking in a hushed conversation. The alicorn groaned and staggered to its hooves.

“Rarity- Applejack- Pinkie- Flutters and Rainbow- help me,” then the alicorn collapsed to the floor, bringing a fresh wave of alarmed murmurs.

You couldn’t quite make out the lower species’ words, but from the excessive use of hoof movements, they seemed to be in a heated argument.

“That is Twi, just possessed by some disgusting pony. Or it’s Twi performin’ an exorcism on herself. Which is unlikely.” I heard Applejack say, pointing to the spasming me on the floor.

“Looks like an exorcism. Weren’t you in that movie, Pinkie?” Rainbow Dash looked up from my body to Pinkie.

Before she could respond, Rarity scolded them.

“You should be ASHAMED of yourselves! Bickering over who was in what movie- disgraceful when our dear friend may be dying before our very eyes!” Rarity snarled.

She crouched down in front of my head and whispered something. I stopped seizing and Rarity straightened up.

The scene faded away into the reflective surface of the mirror.

I was silent for a moment. “So I wouldn’t have yelled at them? Wouldn’t have denounced our friendship?” I asked hoarsely.

Nightmare Moon’s eyes darkened. “Yes. Then you would have gone to Canterlot with your oh-so-special friends,” she sneered. “and gotten ‘fixed’ by the dictator the forced you to banish me from Luna!”

“She didn’t force me to do anything! I did what was right!” I shot back.

Nightmare Moon smiled evilly, eyes narrowing in dark glee. “And that led you to me,”

“But I sure as hell can leave!” I yelled and my horn sparked furiously.

She just gave me this amused smile. “Oh there won’t be any of that, will there Nightmare Moon?”

“What?”

Her horn glittered menacingly and a sharp pain brought me to my knees with a cry of pain.

“Nopony double-crosses Nightmare Moon. Nopony.” She snarled and everything went dark.

Every muscle in my body was screaming in protest as I shuddered with every conscious thought.

"Get your sorry flank up and pay attention," a familiar voice snapped.

I got to my knees and huffed from the effort. It felt like... like... like a bolt of lightning struck me in a pool. I groaned as pain shot through like said electricity.

"What.... the hell... did... you do?" I managed to grunt.

Nightmare Moon was flipped on her back, examining a perfectly pedicured hoof for chipping. She glanced over to me in mock surprise. "Oh, Sleeping Beauty's awake and on her hooves."

I gnashed my teeth in anger, eyes blazing. I would have repeated myself, but I didn't have the energy. Pity.

"I fully merged with you. This picture you're seeing? It's just a hologram. I'm inside your head, Twilight Sparkle. And you can't get me out."

I huffed, still unable to speak.

Nightma- my darker side grinned a wide reptilian smile, much like the Cheshire Cat. "A mite upset, aren't you? I'll have to fix that." She stood up, looming above my cowering form. Her eyes narrowed in concentration and lit her horn in a glimmering azure aura.

Something- a higher influence, a divine intervention- seized my body like I was a ragdoll and straightened my screaming leg muscles. I would have arched my neck and screamed, but I had no control over what I could do. No will. No conscience. No future.

"That's better," my mirror image nodded in acceptance. "I was hoping to have you flying by now, but somepony decided to rebel!" The not-me said in a singsong voice. I noticed that the previously Nightmare Moon looked like my own reflection. MY new one.

"Oh, I don't believe 'Nightmare Moon' is a fitting name. I took it under Luna's influence, yes, but you are not the Lunar Princess," a disembodied voice cooed, voice echoing off the bathroom walls. "But alas, it has sentimental value. After all, she led me to the most powerful unicorn in Equestria."

She allowed me to respond to her.

"Nightma--"

"That's isn't my name anymore," she snapped. "I- rather, we are called Artume now. Right, Artume?"

She let me answer again.

"Never," I croaked.

She whipped me with an electrical current like Daring Do would whip a snake. Coldly, ruthlessly, she lashed out like a mother bear.

"What is your name?" she asked cruelly.

"T--"

Crack!

"Sp--"

Crack!

After what seemed like hours of undulating pain, my primal core gave in to stop the relentless abuse.

"What is your name?"

"Artume," I sniffed, attempting to tuck into a fetal position. But no, she had taken control with an iron hoof after I said it.

"Better," she said ruefully. Then she smiled a terrible grin. I felt my soul tar when I heard those words she uttered next.

"Now we take Ponyville."