Bonds
Chapter 3: I'm yourself, You're myself
Previous Chapter Next ChapterCelestia was out on her perch for the tenth time that day; her mind was abuzz with activity after reading a letter from her student. Twilight Sparkle, the bearer of the Element of Magic had made some friends. What attracted her attention the most however, was the number of close friends she had. Five ponies. Five elements without their bearers. Could it be? Could the elements of harmony have finally united? She was no fool; she knew a storm was brewing in Manehattan. For months now, she had sensed a fellow alicorn there. Unfortunately, the magic signature was familiar to her. She now knew that Aura Light, a denizen of the velvet realm had appeared in Equestria, and it was not good news at all. His presence signified that equinity would soon have to face an ordeal. There was only one ordeal in the entire history of the world that would warrant Aura’s presence. A Nightmare was approaching. If Twilight was in danger, Celestia knew the first thing she would do was run to Canterlot, to Celestia. If she did that, then regardless of the decisions of the other five, the elements of Harmony would not activate and thus would not be able to destroy the Nightmare. She needed a reason to blockade the whole of Manehattan, to force Twilight to face her destiny and to confirm if her friends were the other elements of Harmony.
It was the worst day ever! Nopony wanted to go with him! Eli wouldn’t be caught dead in an ‘uncivilised watering hole’ using her own words. Trixie had to prepare for a test on Monday. Neon was busy doing something. Even Soarin’, his usual drinking buddy, did not wish to go as he already had a hangover. He had managed to drag Twilight along but the she had brought a book to read. How the hay did a pony study at a nightclub anyway?
Either way, he found himself sitting at the bar while Twilight cantered up the stairs and disappeared into the rooftop garden. The entire nightclub was filled with wonderful music being played by a white unicorn and a gray earth pony, the special guest promised by the club. Deciding to at least convince Twilight to have some fun before starting to party himself, he ordered some non-alcoholic drinks and started up the stairs intent on getting Twilight to at least enjoy herself a bit before she got started on her studies. As he stepped onto the rooftop garden, he felt a sudden chill run over his spine. As he looked around, he quickly found Twilight lying near the edge of the building, using the railings to prop up the book in front of her.
When he walked next to her, Twilight finally noticed that she was not alone on the rooftop. As she turned to look at him, Dusk offered her one of the drinks, which she took before gingerly sipping at the beverage. Dusk sat down next to her and started drinking as well. As they looked down at the busy street below, they continued to drink in silence. Finally, Twilight spoke, “What are you doing up here? Shouldn’t you be downstairs getting so drunk that I have to cart you back to the dormitory?”
Dusk smiled at her, before replying, “You know, you say that you’ve gone clubbing before but you always just find a nice little corner before sitting down and reading, even Eli loosened up especially once that high class bar opened up. I’m not going down there unless you come with me.” Dusk saw her turn to look wistfully at her book and so continued, “There some things that cannot be learnt in books you know, let’s go down there and enjoy ourselves.”
A certain pony watched on as the two ponies chatted on the rooftop. His cutie mark was that of a tarot card. Looking from above, a pattern that resembled a magic circle made of steel and trees was easily seen. Checking his watch, he found that it was 11:50. Only one thought ran through his mind. Soon.
GONG! GONG! GONG!
The chime of the bell tower interrupted their conversation. Something was wrong with the magic in the air. On the third gong, the moon turned a ghostly green. On the six gong, the sky turned blood red. On the ninth, all the sounds coming from the party just below them stopped. On the twelfth, a voice spoke from behind them.
“I am a shadow, the true self.” Twilight and Dusk swerved around only to see a yellow-eyed Dusk Norn covered in a dark aura. “I am you, and you are me...”
Dusk shuddered and stepped back. After taking a moment to gather his courage, he snarled at the shadow, “What are you talking about? Who are you!” Twilight was lost in the exchange, sending out her magic, she tried to figure out what spell was causing this occurrence.
“Everypony left me... I'm so lonely. Mom... Dad...Starlight...Why did you all go? Why's everypony leaving me behind by myself? Twilight's leaving at the end of the month. Trixie and Neon are going to Las Neighgas after they graduate. Eli was never particularly close to me in the first place... Even my brother... He's going to leave me and become a wonderbolt! “The Dusk look-a-like broke out into a maniacal laughter that petered out into sobs. It looked so pathetic, cowered into a ball that Twilight, caution ignored, moved to try and console the pony. Barely had she taken a step forward did he start laughing again."Then again... I'm going to be a Royal Guard so I'm don't need them! I'm going to a great protector of peace!" The pony lifted his eyes up and stared at Twilight and Dusk, face twisted in an eerie grin. “Did you really believe that? Protecting Equestria? Mantaining peace? What a joke! My reasons for wanting to join the Royal Guard are not so noble... I simply want to join so I can legally kill others. It feels so good knowing that I control the fates of other ponies!"
Twilight hastily revised her plan and stepped back, watching in horror as Dusk drew his sword and faced his double. “Shut up... Shut UP! YOU’RE NOT ME!” This was met with scathing laughter from the shadow as it was engulfed with a pillar of thick black fog. When it cleared, a pitch-dark gargantuan figure stood before them. It was covered in chains that was attached to shackles and weights that clanked noisily even as he breathed.
The thing smiled and lunged forward at the two ponies.