Sounds came in a jumble through the darkness, it was as though I was hearing voices underwater, they were distorted and my wavering consciousness wasn’t making discerning their message any easier.

“G… OFFA… E… I AIN’T LEA… ER… RE!!” that accent… Applejack? What was she talking about?

“I’m… rry darling bu… n’t reach her…” That’s Rarity, I thought, reach who though?

“AH DON’T CA… ONNA GE… R…” Applejack sounded upset, I remembered Granny Smith and an ache worked its way through the haze of my mind.

“NO! APPLEJA… N’T!!” was that Pinkie?

Suddenly my thought process was cut off by a massive snap of displaced air followed by a crash off in the distance. I tried to open my eyes but it was so bright… it hurt, I couldn’t see anything, I felt like I was floating, the words were coming in clearer though.

“Oh dear, is she okay?” Rarity again, what happened?

“She’s okay, out cold, bonked her head, I told her we couldn’t reach Twilight, not through that… thing…” Definitely Pinkie, I thought to myself, I didn’t know of any other pony who would use the word ‘bonked’ without a thought. But what thing was she talking about, and why did everything have to be so bright?

“Girls,” Pinkie again, “help Rarity with Applejack and head out back, we can’t stay here, I’ll be out in a jiffy.”

I heard a high pitched chorus of assent, part of my waking mind breathed a sigh of relief, the girls were okay, but what about Sweetie Belle? What about Mayor Mare and Big Mac, what about Fluttershy?

I heard the dull sound of muffled hoof-falls, everything still sounded so distorted but I gathered that everypony was going somewhere, where though? And why couldn’t I move, why couldn’t I open my eyes, and why in the name of Celestia’s royal flank was it so bright? Suddenly I heard the sound of hooves moving closer, I thought I could smell bubblegum and frosting, Pinkie Pie... her voice was low and the sounds were fading but I heard her.

“I’m sorry Twi’, I’m so sorry…” there were tears in her voice and her words were broken by the occasional stifled sob, “I tried to come through but… I’m sorry… it won’t let me take you with us, it’s angry, and a little scared I think, remember that, it’s scared ok? Things are going to be hard but we’ll find you…. I’ll find you… I pro... se,” I could feel whatever was hold me sliding me back into unconsciousness I struggled to hold on, “I’ll find y… cross my he… rt… hope to f… sti… upcake in my eye...”

“I… v… ou Twilight…”

Everything went dark again.

+=+

My first sensation was pain, not serious pain or torturous pain, I’d had enough of both to know the difference; it was just unpleasant and constant. I felt like I was being dragged across a mile of bad road, I briefly reflected on how tired I was of waking up in the dark confused and covered in bruises before gingerly opening my eyes, that sensation of brightness and the haze that had stolen my consciousness earlier was gone. After a moment of focusing I realized my original comparison was right on the bits with one exception. I was in fact being dragged on at least two miles of bad road. I could see the ruins of houses I knew were in Ponyville proper, which was at least two miles from Sweet Apple Acres farmhouse. I winced and stifled a moan as the pain in my legs hit me, I looked down and saw rudely wrought chains of iron wrapped around my legs and waists, I followed the chains which were attached to…

A massive colt with a brutally scared coat where it wasn’t covered in thick rusted plates of metal. I very nearly screamed but bit back the impulse, I knew if I made any sudden noises or movements my chances of survival would drop from merely astronomical to non-existent. It’s funny how you make those distinctions when you’re about to die, the world comes down to two choices, ‘the one that means I’ll most likely die, and the one that means I will die’. I tried to ignore the sounds of his breathing, it was like listening to hot air pass through a broken vent, and it was a horrible sound, angry and labored as if all this creature wanted to do was lie down and die. It certainly looked like it should’ve done so a long time ago. I wondered very briefly what exactly was keeping this caricature of a stallion moving at all, was it just another manifestation like the Other’s? Or was it something else entirely? Even now amidst all the horror and the desperate nature of my situation I could still wonder about what was essentially a philosophical or at least scholastic quandary. It took my mind off of being dragged over jagged cobblestones at least.

Without fanfare we suddenly stopped, I was absurdly grateful for the moment’s rest, a feeling which rapidly faded along with all the moisture in my mouth as I saw where exactly we had stopped.

Sugarcube Corner.

This was where it had all started. At least in my own mind. All the horror, the death, the curse, it had all begun in the basement of this… forgive me Pinkie… this wretched place.

Of course, back then it hadn’t been torn from its foundations, rising from the depths of the building was a rich dark energy that rose like smoke from a chimney, the Corner rose with it ever so slightly, the wooden walls were cracked and broken, the glass of the windows shattered with that same energy pour out of it like corrupted firelight.

“INSIDE”

I nearly leapt out of my skin, in all the time I had feared that thing it had never once occurred to me that it could talk, of course I had heard it scream but that had only convinced me further, it was the roar of a unthinking demon made of metal and hatred. Its voice was not much better, it was like old granite falling apart and barely decipherable. In my shock I turned to face it, properly this time, my fear overridden by my surprise and for a brief moment I met its eyes.

I’m not really sure what I expected its eyes to look like up close, just as I had never expected it to talk, would it have empty eye sockets, devoid of life and pity, fiery red eyes like the demon I had so long imagined it to be? The glowing graveyard hue of a corpse-light that was said to haunt old graveyards at night maybe? Whatever it was I certainly didn’t expect what was actually there. The most startling shade of storm-cloud grey I had ever seen tinged with a sadness that rocked me to my hooves.

It turned away as mechanically as ever to face the Corner.

“INSIDE,” it repeated; its tone and timbre identical to before but somehow more threatening for being said a second time, this time it rose one massive hoof and brought it down on the chain, shattering it in a single strike.

For a moment I considered running, a very short moment, the pragmatic side of my mind quickly nixed that idea, for one I was barely in a condition to walk quickly, much less attempt an escape, and secondly, maybe more importantly, I didn’t want to give him an excuse to hurt me, the instinctual part of my mind was screaming at me to get away from it as quickly as possible by whatever means necessary.

“O-okay,” I replied quietly, I choked on two miles of road-dust and ash, I was apparently back in the ‘Other World’ again. My whole body hurt as I moved gingerly out of the now-loosened chains that had restrained me during the trip and stood up. I mentally revised my assessment, hurt wasn’t nearly the word for it, I felt like one large bruise but, I reflected meaningfully, it was hardly the worst pain I’d felt. Mentally steeling myself I moved on unsteady legs up the gently floating steps leading to the unnaturally lifted Corner. Each step brought me into closer proximity with that smoky power that smelled like cold ashes and bad dreams, it made the ache in my head pound a little harder for every step I took until my skull felt like it was being torn apart as I stood on the cusp of entering. With a heave of exertion I forced myself over the threshold and into that nightmare place that had haunted my mind since I had found two of my friends dead amidst of a pile of brutalized corpses in the basement.

The pain in my head vanished.

I blinked in disbelief. To that point I hadn’t realized that my head had been hurting almost continuously since that night, sometimes a little and sometimes a lot but always hurting. Now the pain was gone and for a second I wanted to sink to the floor in relief and just enjoy the sensation of not having a headache. I couldn’t though, I knew why I was here, there was something down there in the darkness that wanted me here and I couldn’t do anything about it. I couldn’t avoid it anymore and there was simply nowhere left to run. Thinking back a part of me knew it would eventually play out like this, that I would end up standing at the end of this unholy chasm staring into the maw of that horrible blood-stained basement. I suppose in hindsight that was why I felt oddly at peace with this turn of events. I didn’t by any means want to go down those steps, I wanted to do anything but, despite that desire though I let out a single steady breath and nodded, affirming my decision to myself if no one else. Down there was more than my worst nightmare, down there was my mentor, my teacher, my goddess, and my princess. If I was going to die, or worse, I wouldn’t do it anywhere else.

I put one hoof on the first step, then another, and made my way down the staircase. A part of me knew it was going far deeper than it should, that the basement wasn’t nearly this many steps down, but the rest of me didn’t bother questioning for once. This wasn’t my world any longer, this world belonged to that thing in the basement of Sugarcube Corner and that meant that this world didn’t have to follow any laws but those that were laid down by the thing I was going to meet. Finally I reached a doorway, it wasn’t large or ornate, it was instead simply the unassuming wooden door that lead into the basement of the Corner, I took one more deep breath fully aware that it could be my last and pushed the door open.

My world exploded into light.

+=+

Slowly.

Ever so slowly.

The light dimmed.

Like the blind flare of dawn, or more aptly the last strobe of brilliant light as the sun vanished over the horizon, the light faded to levels that were tolerable, and finally comfortable. I opened my eyes and gasped in wonder, I was standing on nothing, no stone, no earth, just nothing, and all around me were stars and galaxies, comets and asteroids, and the whole of creation was lit by the peculiar half-seen illumination from which my parents had taken my name.

Twilight

It was a whisper, and only just barely that, like a sound on the wind except there was no wind here, I glanced around and in the distance saw a glimmer of something solid. I turned gingerly, vertigo surging for a moment before passing as I put my hoof down; I knew there was nothing I could do to make this world make sense so I made my way cautiously towards the object. It looked like the remains of a thousand shattered mirrors fit haphazardly together without a care in Equestria for what pieces best fit where. It was grotesque but oddly enthralling, like one of those pieces of modern art that Rarity seemed so fascinated with. There was certainly a unique beauty to it, especially in the way it reflected the starlight and omnipresent luminescence.

Twilight…

I looked around, I had definitely heard a voice, a whisper.

“H-hello?” I called out tentatively.

Where are you looking Twilight?

The voice was stronger now, more resonant, enough so that I could make out features of the voice, it was lustrously feminine for one.

“I’m don’t understand, what do you mean?” I cast my gaze around but saw only the celestial bodies of the realm around me.

Look forward Twilight, I’m here

I looked forward but all I saw was my own reflection, albeit twisted and distorted by the endless fractures and fragments, it was barely recognizable but the colors were right. Then my image’s mouth moved by itself.

You see now?

I held back a shout of surprise as the realization sank in.

“It’s you isn’t it?” I said softly, becoming more and more sure that I was correct.

And who might that be? The voice sounded curiously amused.

“My Other,” I stated.

The image moved to where its face took up a larger portion of fragmented glass, I saw it was not just the effect of the fractures that distorted the image but the image itself that was so bent and unnatural. I felt a wave of nausea roll up from my stomach as I half-remembered what I’d seen in the reflective glass of the window in the kitchen.

The warped skull of my Other twisted into a maniac grin, Yes… Other… that’s what I am.

“Am I… Inside my own head?” I asked quizzically, the question brought a wave of raucous laughter from my image in the mirror causing me to glare at it.

Hehehahahehaa… Oh my no… no if anything we are in MY head

“Wait what?!” The shock registered on my face as I took in what she said, “How? You’re MY Other how can we be in your head?” I began to pace and as I did so I realized that no matter what direction I looked at the glass from the perspective never seemed to change, even when I circled it.

Simple, because right now you and I are on equal footing in the world beyond this place

“What does that mean though?” I needed to know, I needed someone to tell me what was happening and at this point, I’d even hear it from… that thing. As I paced around the pillar of tortured glass it followed but it never seemed to change.

You have brought this place closer and closer with every moment, you mind is a beacon to our power, a whisper that has crossed unimaginable gulfs to reach us, and now we are here. Fragments of a world that might have been.

“But where are we, what is that place out there? That wasteland? Is that what might have happened? Is that what you mean?” I pleaded with her, with it, for answers to questions that had rang in my mind since this horror began, she let out a husky laugh.

It is what might have been and it is what will be for they are one and the same. You have brought me into this existence and I have whispered into the cracks in your mind, I have slept deeply in the darkness of this place where horrors are tied to the depths of your psyche.

“Wait… no that’s… you’re my Other but…” suddenly all of the monstrous truths I’d been given slid into place, “Laughter became Madness, Honesty became Duplicity, Loyalty became Shame, and… Magic became a Curse, this whole time…”

Yessss…. It hissed abominably, a hellish gleam in its unwholesome eyes, eyes that matched mine perfectly.

You understand now… You, I, we… We are Accursed, the blight and the pestilence, the ash and the fire, we will join and we will become I, and I will bring my curse to this land of Equestria and all will scream in exalted despair.

As she spoke she seemed to strain against my movements and to my horror I felt myself moving to with her, she pressed her hooves against the glass and the fragmented mirror groaned as she pushed against it.

I felt despair, was she right? Was I in her mind? Was… was I becoming her reflection?

As these thoughts tore into my mind she pressed harder, the glass seeming to separate at the seams.

Am I real anymore? If I’m moving with her am I…

....

....

....

It’s scared ok?

Her voice, Pinkie’s voice, came back to me.

“…Scared of me,” I whispered softly to myself.

What?! She hissed hatefully as she fought to continue moving, but she had stopped, I had stopped and we both stared into each other’s identical eyes.

“You,” I said with a smidgeon of courage, “You’re scared of me.”

It didn’t answer, it made no response at all, it just stared. The abject venom in its eyes said everything I needed to know.

“You said it yourself, we’re on equal footing…” I followed my line of thought to its conclusion, “But you’re wrong, see this isn’t your world, not yet any way. We’re not in your mind, we’re in our mind, a border, but I’m not letting you cross over…”

You Cannot Stop Me! She screamed as she struggled against the walls of torn glass, I felt it, my mind bending against her attacks, she had been distracting me, worming her way into my mind to make me more pliable, more susceptible, and she had almost succeeded.

“No, I can stop you, I… I can,” the idea occurred to me mid-sentence, realizing that there was something I could do.

I remembered one of my first lessons from Celestia, about the dangers of using magic, especially for someone as young and powerful as I was, ‘Always maintain a steady flow of power and remember that you are not limitless, otherwise you risk burning yourself out’, and that was my answer, it had never occurred to me because quite simply I had learned that lesson so long ago and so often that it was second nature. Every unicorn in Equestria knows how to balance between power and overload, it’s like an earth pony knowing how to walk without tripping. So if she was my Element of Magic turned into a curse, then I…

“…I just have to burn out my magic.”

Those words almost made me choke, they certainly made that thing in the mirror blanch which was enough to overcome my instincts.

NO! YOU CANNOT DO THIS! I WILL END YOU! I WILL SURGE INTO THIS REALITY AND EVERYTHING WILL BURN! I DEFEATED YOUR TEACHER! I WILL DEFEAT YOU!

It screamed and screamed as I poured torrents of power into my horn and as the burning became unbearable I whispered to it one last time.

“No, you won’t, because I’m stronger than her.”

The power released in a cataclysmic wave, greater than anything I had ever produced on my own, greater even than the power I and my friends had released when we were united by the Elements of Harmony. The stars vanished and the blood-stained basement stood before me in a brief flash of light, standing amidst it was a tired, sweat-soaked, and worn out Alicorn. My last sight of my beloved Princess was her fiercely proud smile before she too was taken apart molecule by molecule by the ravening light.