Episode 7: Eternal Fire or Eternal Darkness

Twilight Sparkle was still in the darkness, asking herself questions…

“Isn’t the answer obvious?” she said. “I mean, I’m in darkness right now, not fire…”

“That’s how you’re viewing it at the moment, yes.” the storyteller told her. “Have you ever in your life viewed it as anything different?”

“When I was little, yeah.” Twilight replied with a chuckle. “Like every little kid who heard the stories about it, I was frightened out of my wits over the idea of being in fire forever. As I got older though, I realized how stupid that was. Burning forever for doing bad things on earth for less than a century...get out of here. Besides, anyone would get used to the pain of the heat eventually.”

“Such thinking is logically correct.” the storyteller said. “We’re all just lumps of meat and when we die, we all rot equally...did you ever believe that?”

“I never wanted to believe that.” Twilight responded. “But at a time where the ideas of heaven and hell were starting to become ludicrous to me, I just didn’t see what else to believe in. Reincarnation sounded nice, but as someone who was of science, it made me feel out of place to believe in something like that in a world that wouldn’t stop showing me evidence that living creatures just live their lives and die. Even being where I am now, it’s just all so muddled and mixed up…I still feel trapped inside of a vortex of not knowing what to believe just thinking about it...”

“Heh heh.” the storyteller chuckled. “I bet what makes it even more confusing is that Tartarus is real.”

“Ha ha, that hell is different from what we’re talking about.” Twilight retorted. “Back on the subject, I still don’t see the room for debate. I saw those demons that were killed by Myra melt away into darkness. When I was killed by Spike, I went to the Dark Sky. When I was killed by Fluttershy, I went...here…”

Twilight then remembered that she ended up here after Fluttershy trapped her in a book and incinerated it…while Luna was there...

“Oh fuck…” she swore as she looked over at the storyteller, who was laughing. “Don’t tell me…”

“My faithful student…” the storyteller said in a creepy tone of voice as she stretched a familiar white hoof out at her. “It is time for you to be baptized…”

Twilight felt a burning sensation as the white hoof was pressed up to her forehead and something became very clear to her as her mind assessed the pain…

“The pain…” she thought. “The pain I’ve felt that has never gone away...I want to escape from it...I want to go back to Myra’s story…”

Twilight tried to close her eyes, relax, and feel the vibrations like she had done before, but it was difficult with the unrelenting pain she was feeling with the storyteller’s flaming hoof pressing against her forehead harder and harder…

“It’s no use…” she thought. “The pain is too much...but how? It’s only physical pain. How can I still be so susceptible to physical pain after all the mental and spiritual pain I’ve been forced to endure? Every day...every hour...every...moment…”

Twilight gasped as she came to realize what the test here was…

“Do you understand now, my faithful student?” the storyteller asked. “The purpose of the fire?”

“Yes, I understand perfectly.” Twilight replied. “The fire is the pain that reminds us of where we are. Without it, we would grow completely numb to our mental suffering and slip into a stupor. It keeps us awake...it keeps reminding us that the false comfort our depressed minds have given us makes us complacent and weak. Just like how if it were not for the pain of our mortal bodies, we wouldn’t know that we were sick, if it were not for this fire that is constantly agonizing our spirits, we wouldn’t know that we were of the damned...”

“Precisely…” the storyteller told her. “You would fall asleep in darkness forever without it…wonderful work. Just what I expect from my most faithful student of all, Twilight Sparkle. Though you’re not exactly my student anymore, but the princess of friendship. In fact, not exactly a princess of friendship anymore, but a prince of darkness...from princess to prince...my sister had a similar upbringing...”

“You don’t have to try to make it as obvious as possible…” Twilight said with a disgruntled sigh. “I know who you are now.”

“But do you really?” the storyteller retorted as she stepped out of the darkness, revealing herself to be one who resembled Princess Celestia. “After all the deception you’ve witnessed, are you still adamant in believing that all is not what it seems while not truly believing in anything?”

“Hmph.” Twilight scoffed. “I’m already open to the possibility that you’re not really Celestia. But I truly believe in one thing. That you are my guide and what you teach me will be pivotal in my quest to earn heaven.”

“Don’t you mean escape from hell?” Celestia asked, giving her a sinister smirk.

“Heh heh heh…” Twilight responded with a sinister laugh. “Tell me your story...how you ended up down here…”

“After I tell you Myra’s story…” Celestia replied. “I’m sure you’ll be able to relax perfectly fine this time as you attempt to enter her world again, even as I cook you…”

True to what Celestia said, Twilight was able to lay down, relax, and feel the vibrations of Myra’s soul easily, even as Celestia used her magic to light Twilight on fire…

I don’t fear it anymore…

“I don’t fear it anymore, Nick.” Myra told Nick Rohn as he pointed his gun at where her heart was located. “I am no longer afraid of death…”

“Because of your arrogance?” Nick replied. “Most people who don’t fear death have lost fear of it out of hate for their lives, disbelief that they will have to pay penance for their wrongs at the end, and self-deceit of their fragility and the brevity of their lives. Sometimes it’s just one of the three, but knowing your track record, I’d say it’s all of the above.”

“I’m sorry to break it to you,” retorted Myra, “but it’s none of the above. I’m not here because I want to die, I already am seeking to atone for my sins, and I have told myself no lies. I’m here because you asked me to come here. That’s all.”

“So you mean to tell me that you would’ve showed up even if the fate of your village wasn’t at stake?” Nick mocked. “There are no unsolved issues of the past that you wish to resolve today? You really just came because you felt like it?”

“What I mean to say…” Myra said, giving Nick an icy glare. “Is that I’m not here because you intimidated me by putting out an order for my execution and the burning of my village if it took part in harboring me. I don’t care whether I’m quietly disposed of in the slums or sent out in a blaze of glory here. I just want to fight you…”

“And that’s really it?” Nick asked, still unconvinced. “This has nothing to do with anything that has ever happened between us? You simply forgot that you were the one who killed my parents?”

“So this is about revenge?” Myra replied.

“Not really.” Nick answered. “The prospect of taking vengeance for my fallen “loved ones” does not particularly interest me. My interest lies in the future of my company, but even more importantly, the future of my world. My dream is for the people of the world to be able to live in peace, without ever having to worry about demons like you robbing them of their lives on sudden notice.”

“...You know that I never wanted to be a demon.” Myra said. “I want exactly the same thing as you. A world where we don’t have to be afraid of the devils. But persecuting me and others who wish to escape from the darkness is not going to get you any closer to that goal.”

“Myra…” Nick replied, his voice dreary and cold. “...you know as well as I do that there is no escape from the darkness…”

Upon hearing that, Myra felt another vibration run through her, just as she had when she was talking to Loki earlier.

Nick then held his arms out as he looked up to the sky.

“Look at me…” he told her. “Look at where I stand now. All this recognition, all this fortune I hold in a world that I practically rule as a god...and do you think I’m any happier than I was the day when I learned that my entire future was planned out for me?”

Myra then had a flashback to when she was looking at a younger, emotionless Nick, who had just stepped into the kitchen to see Myra standing over the corpses of his parents.

“...When I saw him that day, he looked like he wanted to cry…” Myra thought. “But not for the reason a child normally would upon viewing such a scene…”

Myra then noticed that Nick was now returning the icy glare she gave him earlier as he gripped his gun…

“Have our roles reversed?” she asked herself.

“No matter how I feel…” Nick said solemnly. “It won’t change the fact that the fate you will meet today won’t be decided by me, but by the ones above whom you have gone against. And I know that killing you won’t make me any happier, for it is not you who has ruined me, but a collection of things that just so happened to include you as a factor that has ruined me. Nevertheless, it is still my god-given duty to deliver justice upon you this day…”

“...” Myra was silent as she got into her battle stance.

“That’s right, no more words…” Nick continued. “I don’t need to keep telling you that it’s not me you’re fighting against...but your destiny…”

Nick then fired a flaming bullet from his gun at Myra, who deflected it away with a swing of her sword. Myra then swiftly moved to the right to circle around to the edge of the tower where Nick was. Nick then fired another bullet towards where Myra was running. The bullet missed as Myra moved past it, running towards Nick with the speed of a superhuman. She jumped in the air, and was about to swing her sword at Nick, when all of a sudden…

“?!” Myra stopped in mid-air as her sixth sense commanded her to look behind her and see that the bullet that had missed her earlier was now flying towards her.

Immediately, Myra turned around and smacked the bullet away with a stroke of her sword, but was left vulnerable to a melee attack by Nick, who used his free hand to karate chop Myra in the chest, knocking her down to the ground. Nick then stepped on her chest and pointed the gun at her head.

“Bang.” he said, beginning to push harder on her chest with his foot. “If this was an ordinary battle, I’d already be the victor. I’d like to keep this fight going for as long as it should, but even prisoners on death row have their rights.”

“Agh...uh...ngah…” Myra was grunting in pain that was growing more and more from the pressure being put on her chest.

“I can end the pain now if you want…” Nick offered. “Just say mercy.”

“No…” she replied. “I don’t care if I’m not as strong as you...I’m seeing this out until the end…”

“Ha!” Nick scoffed as he kept smothering his foot on her chest. “I knew you’d say no. Stubbornness just makes one so predictable. It won’t change anything, you realize that, right? Like I told you, you’re not up against me, you’re up against the gods who have given you this fate. I was unable to defy mine, just as you will be unable to defy yours…”

“...” Myra’s mind was taken off the pain as she felt yet another vibration run through her.

“Unable to defy my fate…” she said to herself solemnly as her eyes became wide open. She then had another flashback, this time to a time where she was talking to Loki…

“I understand why you would believe such a thing…” Loki said to her. “But you must understand something very important about how the ones above us test us. They give each and every one of us a different path to follow. If they design part of the road we walk to have a curve, it will have a curve. If they design the road to be of rock and sand, it shall be. But we are allowed to tread the road they design for us any way we wish. If you don’t want to circle the curve like normal, you can leap to the other side of it. If you grow tired of walking on rock and sand, start building a house on the rock. Take the sand from the ground, hold a grain of it in your hand, and say, “This is all the problems of the world are to me. I will cement my own foundation upon this path. The road you have provided for me, I shall use to build my own.”.”

“Building your own future is something easier said in a proverb than done in real life…” an unphased Myra replied.

“And yet it is done by all every day.” Loki said. “Fate does not force us to do anything, Myra. A false reality such as that is only true if we want it to be.”

I’d wonder about that…

Those words echoed through Myra’s mind. Though they weren’t her words, they were said in a voice just like hers…

You of all people should know that you can’t be so trusting of others...honestly, all of the world’s problems are only a grain of sand? You’re too nice for even taking such foolish words with a grain of salt.

“But...he has no ulterior motive to deceive me…” Myra replied to these words in her mind. “He took me in for free...he’s done nothing but try to help me while asking for nothing in return…”

Liars who are only mistaken are still liars. You may have a bond of trust with him, but you are still only a victim of blindness following another victim of blindness. How “good” or how “trustworthy” we are, it really doesn’t matter. We’re all doomed to follow an erroneous path. And how can anyone rightfully blame us?

“...” Myra didn’t respond, already knowing where this was going.

You know that it’s true...I’m also willing to give the benefit of the doubt that he has no ulterior motive like you say. But does that really matter? Even the sweetest of goody-goodies have a few impurities in the intentions of their acts of kindness. Even they can’t help but be entertained in their gluttony of thinking of the rewards of kindness, and when they receive no rewards for their kindness, at least they can be entertained in their pride of their egos being fueled over what “good people” they are. You may think that Loki is encouraging you to build your own future for you, but even if you’re right...what if he’s just doing it for you...for himself?

“Do you ever shut up?” Myra finally made a rejoinder to this mystery speaker. “I’d like to know who the hell you are, but then again, I’d prefer not to hear you blather about yourself and your accomplishments in life.”

Then I’ll keep it brief. I am Satan. I am the ruler of darkness who works through you. I have come to you to give you my power. It is for myself, of course. I merely wish to test it…and don’t bother with a, “And if I say no?”, because I don’t take “No.” for an answer, just like my counterpart. Ah ha ha ha ha ha…

Myra then felt a feeling in her chest that was even worse than the pain of Nick stamping on her...it was a dark energy that literally felt like it was compacting her lungs. It had already been difficult to breathe, but this violent energy was now making breathing seem impossible. Nick quickly caught on to the fact that something was not right as he saw Myra gasp for air and jumped away from her. Unsure of what to do, he stood back and watched as Myra became consumed by a dark aura that surrounded her entire body...and her entire soul…

“UUUWWWAAAAAHHHHH!” Myra screamed in agony as she transformed into a black-scaled demon.

“What the hell…?” Nick said in his mind as he watched Myra stand up and look at herself. “There’s no way this is just the demon inside of her awakening...I was trying to draw it out of her, wanting to beat her at full power so that it would be a true victory, but...this is…”

“This isn’t me…” Myra said tearfully as she looked at herself. “This is what I’ve been trying to cast away…”

“For once, you’re definitely right about something.” Satan told her. “This isn’t you...it’s me. Your powerlessness will allow me to consume you and eventually devour your entire being. Soon, I’ll take your place…”

*bang*

The demon turned around, looking at Nick furiously as it felt the pain of a flaming bullet enter its head.

“I’m sorry, did I interrupt you?” Nick taunted, trying to fight a smile.

“You pathetic chickenshit.” the demon insulted. “I’d tear you to pieces if you weren’t hardly worth it. Instead, I’m going to deny you the “noble death” you’ve always dreamed about…”

The demon charged at Nick, even as Nick kept shooting it in the chest. Myra wanted to stop the demon, but her will wasn’t strong enough to do so. With the demon’s greatly enhanced endurance and pain resistance, he was able to get close enough to Nick to knock him away with a swing of his arm, sending him flying off the tower…

The demon smirked to itself as it snapped its fingers.

“And it’s over just like that…” it said to deride Nick. “All those years of work spent just to fall off a foundation of it...pitiful.”

“You’re abhorrent.” Myra angrily remarked, furious at not even being able to fly down and rescue Nick from the demon’s will overpowering hers. “Even if he forced me into it, this was still our fight that he himself felt forced into…”

“Thank you for telling me the obvious.” Satan retorted. “No shit you both were forced into this. You were called to this battle to be a vessel for me...whilst he was called to be a vessel for...”

“God.”

The demon then felt a surge of fear go through it as it turned around to see Nick in the form of a red angel with white wings that was surrounded by an aura of light…

“Ready your sword…” he said in a serious, chilling voice that intimidated even this demon as it pulled out Myra’s sword, which transformed into a blade of pure darkness. The angel flew down to the tower and brandished Nick’s gun, which transformed into a blade of pure fire. The two then began to fight with the swords, exchanging countless strokes with each other, until finally, the two clashed them together in an exchange that caused a shockwave of darkness and fire to be unleashed. In that exchange, the demon and the angel looked into each other’s eyes...each saying one word to each other in the duel’s denouement…

“Twilight…” the angel said as it overpowered Twilight and absorbed the sword of darkness into its sword of fire.

The demon stumbled back and knew its doom as the angel stabbed it in the heart with its newly powered sword, and collapsed to the ground, with blood flooding out of its body onto the floor. Looking up at the angel, it said to her…

“Fluttershy…”

With that, the demon transformed back into the human form of Myra, and the angel transformed back into the human form of Nick. From Myra’s dark aura, her sword reformed in her right hand, and from Nick’s light aura, his gun reformed in his right hand as well. But the blade of darkness and fire did not disappear. It remained in Myra’s heart, and looking upon it, Nick found himself fighting a smile again.

“Thanks for coming.” he said to Myra as he walked over to her apparently dead body and picked up her sword. “You may go home now…”

Nick then began to walk away with the sword in his hand as Myra suddenly felt a surge of livening energy in her soul course through her body that was on the verge of death. The energy, brimming with darkness, sent a shock through her that fully awakened her mind, and on impulse, her eyes opened…

...to see Nick rush towards her and stab the upper area of her chest with her own sword.

“...to hell…” Nick finished as Myra drifted into darkness…

...and fire that lit up that pitch-black realm Twilight Sparkle was in made her fully aware of the situation…

“Defeated again…” Twilight said to herself, smiling despite having “lost”. “No matter. At least I’ve learned something new. It’s that when you try to obey God’s rules to the letter, you end up disobeying him worse than you could ever possibly hope to when not trying to obey them at all…”

“So you already know my story…” Princess Celestia told Twilight, a devious grin on her face donning as she did so. “And I’m sure you already know what we must do to be fit to meet Fluttershy again…”

“Oh ho ho, yes I do already know…” Twilight replied, chuckling sinisterly. “We must be ready...to destroy her and take her throne for ourselves…”

Up in what appeared to be heaven, Fluttershy knew exactly what Twilight was thinking and chuckled sinisterly as well.

“Oh my…” she said to herself with an evil smile on her face. “It seems you still don’t know the greatest secret about us…”