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Grimoire

by Samsara

Chapters

The Zebra

"There you go, Twilight, darlin'; the finest herbs from my very own garden."  Zecora gleefully nudged over a small satchel of herbs and spices that Twilight had to order several days in advance.  The unicorn dropped her small pouch of bits onto the counter and tossed the herbs into her saddle bags.

"Thanks a ton, Zecora.  I don't know what I'd do without you."  Twilight Sparkle, librarian extraordinaire, could never bring herself to do any gardening, and so had to resort to buying anything that her most recent 'scientific ventures' required.  

"You are most welcome, Twilight.  Though I fear you should hurry; the forest is dangerous at night."

"You're right...  Sun's about to go down.  But before I go, what music is this?  I've never heard it before, but the accent sounds almost like yours."  Twilight referenced the soft, comforting sound that had been radiating throughout Zecora's home for that whole encounter.  Something about it had a powerful, emotional connection, without being forceful or angry.

"I am afraid you are mistaken, my dear.  This artist and I were born in places nowhere near.  Though I do not blame you for failing to recognize, for these are lands far beyond your eyes."

"Well the music is lovely, may I ask who it is?"

"This stallion is one who seems to reach out directly to me.  He is a singer from the southern islands, by the name of Bob Mare-ley.  His songs teach of the beauty of all walks of life, even in times of great, horrible strife."

"Ah, well thank you Zecora.  I'll have to look him up later on.  Oh, and thank you again so much for the herbs."

"You're most welcome, once more.  Now, get your flank out that door!"

"Alright, alright, I'm going.  It was nice catching up with you!  We've gotta do this again soon."

"Perhaps when the night is further away, we can 'catch up' all day."

Twilight nodded and headed out into the waning light of the ending day.  The sun was already gently brushing against the mountain range by Canterlot, but the canopy of trees always made the night come early for the forest.  Twilight felt a soft breeze brush through the fur of her coat, causing a small shiver to run up her spine.  She glanced around, as if looking for the source of the wind, and kept on walking.  She followed her path slowly but surely, peeking into the gradually growing shadows of the unnatural forest.  As she walked, it seemed to her almost as if the light itself was draining away from the environment, leaving the shadows to engulf everything that she could see.  Twilight sped up her trot, caving into her irrational side and allowing fear to take her over for just a while.  As she ran, she heard things in the forest; the squeaks of small creatures, the roars of larger ones, squeals, moans, cries, chirps, even some sounds that she'd never heard before.  Each time she heard or saw something unusual she could feel her heart skip a beat, her breathing rate rise, and of course, her movements getting clumsier.  As she ran, gritting her teeth and glancing around quickly to avoid any hazards, she felt her hoof clunk hard against something jutting out of the ground.  She gasped, tripping up beneath her own hooves and falling flat on her face, sliding along the ground for what seemed like miles.  After coming to a stop she rolled onto her back and looked around, searching for any evidence that something had done that on purpose to trap her.  Her head whipped side to side to try and find her assailant, sending bits of dirt and other natural debris flicking off of her face from the impact; she could feel that she may have scraped up her jaw a little during the slide.  Finally she sees what she tripped over: a book.  Twilight found herself dumbfounded at this very thought, crawling over to it and inspecting it.  She tried to stand, but buckled down in agony as she felt her hoof send a splitting pain into her foreleg the moment she put weight on it.  The book was only partially buried, and she could see the indentation in the ground where her hoof had struck it, but somehow it didn't take any damage.  For that matter, there wasn't any water damage on the pages from what she could tell, which was certainly odd for something lying in moist forest soil.  Twilight used her magic to wrench the book free, looking it over and shaking off some of the dirt to get a better view.  The thing was bound in leather, or at least that's what she hoped it was (somehow the texture reminded her of horse hide) and the pages on the outside were trimmed in fine gold.

Twilight winced and looked down to her hoof, only to be greeted back by a small crack which, luckily, wasn't bleeding.  Her gaze shifted back to the source of this injury, inspecting and admiring the hefty thing that levitated before her.  She used her magic to slightly open the pages, listening to the crackle of a well aged book spine being flexed gently to be read for the first time in ages.  She couldn't enjoy this for long, however, because as soon as she began to see a soft glow come from within the slowly opening book, she was snapped back into reality by a snarl from over her right shoulder.  Twilight shut the book quickly enough for some dust to escape its pages, spinning her head around and seeing a large pair of yellow eyes staring at her from somewhere in the dark.  She got up, holding her injured hoof in front of her and ran, levitating the book alongside her and forgetting that she had extra room in her saddle bags to store it in.  Running with three legs wasn't something that she was used to, but in a rush of adrenaline-filled reflex she managed to keep her balance all the way until the forest opened back into civilization.  

Upon exiting the forest, Twilight slowed down, still moving quickly away from the horrors that stalked behind her, but at least gave herself enough time to catch her second wind.  She looked over toward the mountains and saw that the sun had disappeared completely, painting a small corner of the sky the same thick crimson that always reminded the unicorn of fresh blood.  She put her injured hoof down after having forgotten about it, only to yank it up once more as the weight of her body sent a stabbing pain into her foreleg.  "Dammit!"

She began her slow trek back home, deciding not to open her new tome until she was in the safety of the library.  She had nopony to talk to however.  Not a soul was walking around outside at this point; most were either staying comfortably inside their homes or otherwise just avoiding any social contact.  The few that were socializing did so inside at dinner parties or other such events: the solitude of the little town actually came as a surprise to the unicorn, especially considering the usual hustle and bustle of Ponyville lifestyle.   As her body calmed down from her dangerous fright just moments ago  she started to really feel that crack in her hoof, as well as the added difficulty of walking without one of her legs to help support her.  On her way back she did take the time to examine the book, at least on the outside.  The binding and quality of the book itself gave the impression that it was almost brand new, but the leather on the outside and extreme weathering of the colors begged to differ.  There was no title at all, and the binding seemed to her to be stitched in a very delicate and precise manner.  Everything about this book was a mystery to Twilight, and not being one to question the neutrality of inanimate objects, she found it absolutely fascinating.  

Before she knew it, the unicorn found herself stepping up the walkway to the Library.  She used her magic to open the door, not wanting to touch anything with her injured hoof, and glanced around for Spike on the way in.  Twilight set the strange book down on a small table that she kept next to her sofa, just to have it someplace safe, and then slowly limped over toward her bathroom.  She spent some time looking in the mirror and examining her face, picking out small bits of dirt from her fur and washing up a little bit.  She slowly placed her cracked hoof under some warm, running water in the sink, trying to wash out any dirt before wrapping it up in medical gauze.  Twilight kept everything that could possibly be relevant to first aid in her medicine cabinet just in case something strange happened; lucky her.  She popped a couple of painkillers and then walked slowly out into her living room again, trying to put her hoof down and use it to walk, but after a few grieving seconds she resolved to let the painkillers set in first.  She levitated her new book alongside her and started up the stairs, giving the heavy thing another good look-over.  The portions of the book that she'd been holding onto seemed to her like they'd been getting less and less weathered.  It was almost as if the book was repairing itself just due to her very touch.  Twilight gently laid the book onto her desk and went to get a new candle and some paper.  Everything about this tome screamed at her to read it, and she wanted to be perfectly prepared to take notes, copy down phrases, correctly cite her source, and of course, analyze the living hell out of this book.

All prepared, the unicorn readied herself for the examination: candle lit and at a safe distance from anything flammable, ink and quill perfectly placed for her to reach without blotting, book set at a slight angle so that her head can turn and read it perfectly, desk giving plenty of space to rest her forelegs while she worked, and not a sound in the world to disturb her.  She took one deep breath and reached with her injured hoof to open the book.  Once more, the crackling of a book spine, along with Twilight's own excited heartbeat, were the only sounds that seemed to enter the room, until the door opened that is.  Twilight quickly shut the book, as if she were looking at something inappropriate, and whipped her head around to see Spike standing in the doorway.

"Hey, Twilight.  When did you get back?"  Spike looked to the unicorn like he had just been woken up from a deep slumber.

"Hey, Spike.  Sorry if I woke you up, I just got back a few minutes ago."  Twilight, trying to act nonchalantly about the new, eerie book that she possessed, laid her foreleg across her lap and revealed the bandaged hoof to the little dragon.

"What happened to your hoof?"  Spike's perception wasn't completely impaired, even by the lack of sleep, and he expressed his concern for the unicorn in a very genuine manner.

"Oh, I just bumped it against a rock on the way back.  No big deal, little cracked but it's nothing time can't fix."  Twilight didn't know why she felt the need to lie to Spike about the book, but it came almost reflexively.

"A cracked hoof?  You really should go see the doctor about that.  I don't think that's something that just goes away, Twilight."

"Well it's too late right now anyway...  I'll head over to the doctor's office tomorrow and have it looked at, alright?"

"Alright, Twi...  I'm just worried about you is all.  You've been spending a lot more time inside lately than usual."

"Oh don't you worry about me.  I've been staying inside because I have a lot that I need to do and a lot that I want to do inside.  There's nothing different or wrong about me, now go back to bed, it's late."

Spike shrugged as Twilight finished her sentence.  He rubbed his eye and set off toward his bed, ignoring the soft candlelight that Twilight produced in her study.  

"Alrighty...  Time to read this thing."  Twilight looked down at the book, brushing her injured hoof along the cover.  The book was magic, and the unicorn could tell.  She didn't know how, or why, or even what was magical about it, but just being in its presence caused her to feel almost invigorated .  Touching it brought a warmth to her hoof, and seemed to create a magnetism between her hoof and the suede finish of the book.  The tiniest fibers aligned themselves with her hoof and adjusted appropriately as it moved across the cover.  She pulled her hoof away, watching as the cover of the book itself seemed to follow the appendage.  With a curiosity about her, she waved the hoof over the book, which responded by opening itself in that direction, revealing the very first page on the inside.  No author's notes, no imprint, no title, nothing.  She waved her hoof over it once more, watching in awe as the page turned for her with no contact whatsoever.  The unicorn couldn't help herself but to sit and blink, staring at the pageful of incomprehensible lettering.  She'd heard of enchanted objects, but ones that seem to follow your own command via gestures were still almost surreal as far as the unicorn was concerned.  She sat and studied the letters, feeling like if she squinted at them hard enough they might blur into some kind of readable language.  She gave up after a few seconds, waving her other hoof across the book to close it once more, noticing that the cover had become slightly more pristine.  Each time she took her eyes off of the book it seemed to change, but never for the worse for whatever reason.

Twilight blew her candle out, resolving to go to bed and try to decipher the enigmatic script at a later date, though she immediately noticed a pale glow from the gold trim of the pages.  Under no light, the book seemed to have been illuminating itself.  She waved her hoof over the thing once more, opening it back up (and finding an almost silly kind of joy in doing so) and marveling at the glow.  The book's pages seemed to give off just enough light to read, or at least attempt to read, the words without any kind of eye strain.  It didn't project this light, seeming to be under a spotlight that wasn't really there.  

"What the hay are you?"  Twilight asked the book, half expecting (and half hoping for) it to actually answer her, but to her disappointment it just sat and glowed on her desk.  She re-lit her candle, which seemed to burn away the ghostly glow of the book's pages and replace it with the soft, flickering orange light of the flame.  Twilight levitated her quill over and began writing a short series of notes on this book.

The Unnamed Tome:

Found in the Everfree Forest, not sure how much it weighs, but it's definitely heavy.

Seems to be bound in some kind of animal hide, indeterminable without some kind of forensic analysis, though I

hesitate to actually do so for it looks almost like pony-skin, gruesome as that is.

The lettering is strange; it looks absolutely archaic.  Each character seems to be constructed of some series of

wedges and dashes, almost like they were carved into clay or stone and then pressed onto the page, or meticulously

colored in by a quill.

It responds inexplicably to the gestures of my hooves; I needn't touch it to cause it to move and open, nor use my

magic.  It seems to be enchanted to obey me entirely on its own, though I don't know why...   I'll have to ask Spike to

test out this telekinesis for himself to see if the effect functions with just any living being.

The pages illuminate themselves without any light source, though this doesn't seem to project onto any other

surfaces.  I can't explain this (I'll be damned if I'm not going to try though...) but it seems almost like some sort of

illusion; like the light itself isn't actually real, but just a trick to allow me to keep seeing the illegible words...  Almost

taunting me

The book seems to change and repair itself each time I look away, almost like it's trying to please me without me

noticing.  This is by a large margin the most bizarre thing I've ever found in my life.  That being the case, I'll start

keeping a journal of observations with every single interaction I have with the book, should anything of note happen, I'll

need a record...  Though honestly, I don't think anypony would believe me if I tried to tell them what's been

happening...  I'm hardly sure I even believe it all myself.

Twilight set her quill back into the inkwell, sitting back in her chair and looking into her candle for no other reason than to distract her eyes while she thought.  She certainly had a strange day, and it wasn't getting any less strange now that this book was in her possession, but something about it was (for lack of a better word in the unicorn's mind) spellbinding.  Everything about it shouted that it was special, important, beautiful, but then also scary.  It was almost too good to be true, and Twilight knew this, but she couldn't let it go.  She looked over to the book, still sitting just like any ordinary book on her desk, wide open with those strange letters etched masterfully into the pages.  She stared into it for a few seconds, expecting something incredible to happen, but finding herself disappointed as the pristine pages stared right back.  She sighed and waved her hoof over the book again, closing it up and twirling it so that its edges lined up perfectly with the edges of her desk.  The unicorn kept looking at the book, not wanting to take her eyes off of it, but constantly berating herself for being so suspicious of such a simple object.  She eventually just sighed and stood up, blowing out her candle and walking over to her bedroom.  

"Don't you go anywhere while I'm sleeping."  Twilight called down over her shoulder as she climbed up her ladder, giving no weight to her words and just trying to joke to herself that it's just a book, just like every other book she owned.  "It's just a book."

Absorb the Words

Twilight's dreams were haunted that night by things that she couldn't even identify.  The unicorn saw architecture, symbols, even other ponies that she could swear that she'd never seen before.  Her mind flooded with information, and she found herself tumbling within the torrents of a dream that threatened to engulf her; no matter where she turned her head, something else was there; she couldn't escape.  Within the premise of her dream state, she wanted only to be alone and at peace, but of course this wasn't allowed.  The unicorn snapped her eyes open and took a deep breath, not immediately sitting up, but still waking with a start.  She glanced around her room, looking at her front hooves to make sure she was actually awake.  She used her magic to open her curtains and look out the window, catching the soft crimson of a sunrise as it just barely peaked over the horizon.  The unicorn sighed heavily and rubbed her head with the back of her foreleg, squinting her eyes and trying to break herself away from the mangled sleep pattern still fresh in her mind.  With a few deep breaths she managed to convince herself to just get out of bed and step slowly toward her bathroom.  

In the bizarre moment between lucidity and a rude awakening, Twilight had forgotten about her injured hoof, only remembering it as she stepped onto the tile of her bathroom and heard the muffled clop of the bandage on the floor.  She looked down quickly, expecting that same stabbing pain to shoot into her leg once more, but she never received it.  She gave a quizzical look and walked over to her sink, looking in the mirror at her face as she propped herself up and slowly unwrapped her bandage.  Beneath the white wrap sat a perfect, lavender hoof with no injury whatsoever: it had healed itself overnight.  Twilight quickly glanced around her bathroom again, trying to see if she really was awake or if it was actually a dream, because she vividly remembered the pain that the crack had caused her.  She tried a trick that she had picked up out of some psychology journal to tell if she was in her own mind or in the real world, glancing at a small clock on her counter top twice to see if the time was vastly different, but only saw the gentle ticking of a perfectly calibrated timepiece.  

The unicorn wasn't quite sure, but she felt like she had slept for days.  Her body was definitely stiff from the workout and stress she got the day before, but she felt extremely rejuvenated.  She checked her eyes in the mirror, noticing that they weren't bloodshot at all, but did show a thin white ring around her irises.  Twilight didn't really know what to make of this, so she just shrugged and used her telekinesis to open the curtain around her shower.  She reached out her hoof and used the opportunity to stretch her foreleg and yawn, turning the water on nearly as hot as it would go and stepping in, letting herself bask in the warmth of the cascading shower.  Twilight stood up in her secluded room, propping her hooves against the wall to keep a steady balance as she brought her mane as close to the shower head as she could.  The sound of water impacting with her skull drowned out everything else, so she lost herself in her own little world.  She looked down, staring at the bathtub floor to give her eyes something to focus on, and let all manner of thoughts wander through her head.  The shower was her only sanctuary, as it was entirely devoid of distractions and filled her with the comforting feeling of warm water rushing over her body.  Everything from Artichokes to Zebras flashed into her head; her mind always tended to wander in the shower, and she could spend as long as she wanted just letting it do so.  No restrictions, no control, no filter, no rules, just pure thought, and Twilight loved every second of it.  

She focused on the water as it entered the drain, trying something that had always eluded her: the ability to control water telekinetically.  She held her hoof out, focusing all of her brainpower on grabbing individual droplets out of the stream as they fell and forming them into a steadily growing ball.  The sheer amount of concentration it took to do this was enough to frustrate her:  she could pull Rainbow Dash out of the air if she wanted, but water wouldn't hold still for all of her efforts.  The sphere floated just millimeters off of her hoof, growing as she pulled more water into it, and shimmering in the dim light of her bathroom in the early morning.  The more water she brought down, the more difficult it became to control the sphere.  

As it reached the size of a golf ball it began to quiver, causing Twilight to have to strain herself to keep it steady and stop pulling anymore water droplets in.  She stood there for a second, staring at her creation since she couldn't move without causing it to disintegrate.  Her horn let off a few sparks as she had to force herself to continue holding the spell, sending magical energy arcing through the downpour of water.  She could feel herself losing control of the ball, causing it to pulse from the bottom up, almost as if her hoof were pushing small quakes of energy through it.  She ground her teeth, trying to keep it steady and stable, but felt as if the energy she was forcing into it was only making the problem worse.  Without warning, the ball broke apart, splashing into her hoof and sending a small amount of very warm water running down along her foreleg.  

"Still not getting any better..."  Twilight sighed, hanging her head down and letting her mane soak up the water as it ran through her coat.  She levitated her shampoo over and finished up in the shower, washing herself thoroughly and getting out after the inevitable disappointment of her consistent failure.  She examined herself in the mirror for a while, thinking about leaving her mane down like it was right out of the shower, but eventually settling to brush it and put it up: the same hairstyle for two years straight.  Every single day in her life felt the same, every single day was scheduled with every single miniscule detail in exactly the right place.  Twilight's eyes slowly relaxed in the mirror as she examined herself and thought about her life through a new lens, her reflection giving back a disappointed, deadpan look.  She realized long ago that having a plan for everything in life led to a lack of excitement, but never had any kind of initiative to do something about it.  Planning was comfortable and predictable, without any kind of unnecessary risk, and that made the unicorn feel safe.  She didn't bother telling herself that she would try and do something out of the ordinary today because she knew it would be a lie, so she just went downstairs to get some breakfast.

On her way downstairs, Twilight noticed that the book had been turned last night so that the bottom edge was facing her bed perfectly.  She remembered clearly lining up the edges with her desk, but just figured that Spike had gotten curious last night and inspected the thing.  This thought struck Twilight and reminded her about that book; she had all but forgotten about it since she'd woken up that morning.  Once she stepped into the living area she decided that she'd just look for some kind of text on ancient languages after breakfast to see if she could match up the one in the book with English.  

"Heya, Twilight.  How'd ya sleep?"  Spike went about his chores with a checklist in one clawed hand and a pen in the other, checking off his general duties as he completed them.  The sun was actually up by this point, and Twilight just assumed he had gotten out of bed while she was in the shower, so she simply cast him a soft response.

"I slept alright, mostly just some weird dreams but I've had worse.  How about you?  You're up awful early."

"Oh, I actually couldn't sleep at all last night.  I was having weird dreams too, b-but I feel fine.  I can get all my chores done, easily."

"Don't work yourself too hard, Spike, it is the weekend after all.  Want breakfast?"  

"No thanks, Twi.  I'm really not all that hungry for some reason."

"Yeah, you know...  I'm really not either.  Well I'm just gonna have a glass of orange juice and an apple or something, feel free to get whatever you like if you do feel your appetite come back today."

"Alright, Twilight.  Oh by the way, did you get that book from Zecora or what?  Looks creepy."

"What?  The book looks creepy?  But no I didn't get it from Zecora, I found it in the Everfree Forest."  Twilight stepped into the kitchen as she and Spike chatted away, casually removing a glass from her cupboard and filling it with orange juice from the refrigerator.  She glanced around her kitchen for any fruit lying around, but couldn't find any in the usual place, so she resolved to pick some up from town later on in the week.  

"Yeah, the book looks kinda creepy.  I dunno what about it does...  I guess that it's really old and what not, but I just get this weird vibe from it, like it's dangerous or something...  and you getting it from the Everfree Forest doesn't really help all that much."

Twilight shrugged and sipped at her orange juice, realizing that she wasn't even really thirsty at that moment either.  "Relax, Spike.  It's just a book.  We've got several hundred books just lyin' around here all the time."

"That's exactly my point.  We're surrounded in books, but that one just seems...  Different.  I dunno how to describe it."

"Well, I guess I kinda know what you mean about it seeming... 'different'... but that doesn't mean it's creepy.  I actually think it's fascinating."

"No offense, Twilight, but you would think that a book like that is fascinating."  

"Well what do you expect from me?  It's a cool old book.  I think it might be magic."

"The book itself?  Or does it have spells in it or something."

"I actually can't read it...  It's in some kind of odd language that I've never seen before, but I think the book itself is magic."

"Twilight, maybe we should tell Princess Celestia about this before we go messing around with it."

"Nonsense, Spike.  The Princess doesn't have time to deal with every book I find out in the woods.  I'll figure out what's up with it and then if it's something really important then we can tell Celestia.  Otherwise it's just like any other book that we own.  Although it doesn't have a title...  So I guess I can't put it on the shelves."

"Doesn't seem like you'd want anypony taking it from you anyway though..."

"Oh certainly not!  I've got a lot more to study about it.  You can even help if you like."

"Mmn..."  Spike hesitated to agree to this, but couldn't resist the familiar glow in Twilight's eyes that only came about when something really interested her.  "Alright...  Just call me when you need my help, okay?"

"Okay, Spike.  That sounds perfect.  For now though I just need to look around for any examples of that one's language...  Could you really quickly climb up there and grab me a copy of 'Archaic Arcane Alphabets'?"  Twilight gulped down a few mouthfuls of her juice and pointed her previously injured hoof up to the furthest corner of her 'A' section as it still sat visible from the kitchen.

"No problem...  Hey, didn't you have your hoof wrapped up in gauze last night?"  Spike cast Twilight a curious glance, starting to worry a little bit at the validity of the things that she's been talking about.

"Y-yeah...  It was fine this morning so I just didn't put another layer of gauze on after my shower...  It doesn't hurt to walk around on it either.  What's it to you anyway?"

"Woah, no need to snap at me, Twilight...  Just worried about you is all, you were complaining about it last night so I figured it was something serious."

"S-sorry, Spike...  I don't know what came over me.  The hoof is fine...  It wasn't last night, but it's fine now.  Please, just get me the book."

"Yeah...  It's fine, don't worry about it."

Twilight, feeling genuinely bad about snapping at the innocent dragon, looked down into her half-empty glass of orange juice.  Her reflection gazed back at her with a fairly depressed countenance, rippling from all of the soft vibrations from the various sources around her home.  She closed her eyes and lifted the glass to her lips with her hooves, draining the rest of the fluid and levitating the empty vessel into the sink.  She stood up and walked out into the library proper, apologizing to Spike again and thanking him for the book before stepping back upstairs.  She sat down at her desk, facing out the window and into the morning light, using it to illuminate her basic text of languages as she skimmed it for anything resembling the wedge-like writing in the mysterious tome.  She almost hadn't noticed, but the book had rotated itself again, seeming to keep its lower edge oriented toward the unicorn each time she walked past it or moved away, like it was following her.  

As she flipped through to the final page, Twilight hadn't pulled anything too similar out of the text, only ending up with something that seemed like it could have come from centuries ago but had no real connection to the writing in the book.  She looked over from her textbook down to the tome, deciding to flip it open without touching it (prompting a wide grin as always) and compare the alphabets directly instead of relying on memory for this part, but found something a little disturbing.  The wording in the tome had actually translated itself into English at some point that night.  Twilight dropped her copy of 'Archaic Arcane Alphabets' as soon as she saw this feature, and felt her heart sink into her chest as her eyes slowly scanned the first few lines of the book.

I welcome thee, young student, to read unto me as your guide into the world of the supernaturals.  All things arcane exist within, so reject what you think you know, for that is only the beginning of what true knowledge still awaits.  Should you choose the path that this tome may offer, be wary, for there is no turning back.

A Spark in the Pit

Twilight sat cold and still, leafing through the pages of the obviously magical book and taking wonder at each one.  Every subject that she thought she might want to learn about, as well as many sub-topics within the specifics showed up before her.  She paused with her hoof hovering over the page on one subject: Telekinesis.  Beneath the title sat a short introduction that captivated the unicorn's attention.

"The art of telekinesis is one as old as magic itself.  The most basic, and often most coveted ability, to move an object with one's mind, has both baffled and intrigued magic users for ages.  Perhaps the most common mistake in the use of telekinesis is the notion that one must use a direct magical connection via the horn.  This is not true, however, as telekinesis isn't quite so esoteric as other magics.  This idea is in fact a lie that was fabricated to keep any and all magical abilities (even the simplest and most basic of such) isolated to the unicorn population, while indeed, all of ponykind has been touched by the ethereal light that is magic.  The horn simply allows one to concentrate this touch, and bring it forth as a tangible thing.  In order to practice true telekinesis, you mustn't channel magical energy through your horn, but attempt to use the power of your will directly.  Your body is a conduit, but the horn limits the whole body's effectiveness by training you to only concentrate on a single portion of it.  The pages of this book have been enchanted, and so offer a connection to the user's will, giving an effortless telekinetic bond.  The real effort comes from lifting unbound objects, but to facilitate strength, I should suggest that you try your hoof at lifting this book without touching it or channeling magical energy."

Twilight, baffled as she was, dropped the book on the desk and sat staring at it for a second.  She wasn't sure if the book was talking to her through some kind of destiny-bound text, or was just written so that it seemed almost like an instructor.  At this point she wasn't sure whether or not she should discount any possible notion since the book had already expressed plenty of astounding abilities.  She glanced around over her shoulder, not seeing anypony there to sneak up on her, not hearing any ghostly voices, and not feeling any deathly chill, so she decided to just give the exercise a try.  Twilight stared at the book, thinking to herself that she would lift it up with some kind of invisible arm and bring it up to her eye level.  Nothing happened.  She held out both of her hooves this time, slowly dragging them upward and watching for any response from the tome.  This time the cover fluttered, bringing a few pages into an intangible updraft, but not lifting the book.  The unicorn gritted her teeth and focused all of her will, though most of it went to not reflexively lifting the book with her horn.  She watched the thing shift on the desk, moving more than it was earlier, and slowly but surely rising off the table.  Twilight allowed a proud grin to sneak across her face, moving her two hooves down to "support" the heavy thing and help it rise even though it was several feet in front of her.  She looked up and away from the book to be sure she really wasn't using any magic; neither the object itself nor her horn projected the usual lavender colored aura, and she certainly didn't feel the familiar warmth of a spell being cast.  

The book hovered well over a foot and a half off of the desk, and Twilight couldn't help but stand from her chair to continue holding it in place.  She never would have thought that telekinesis could be possible without the aid of magic, let alone this simple.  The feeling was magnificent, though very different from the direct use of magic.  Twilight felt weightless, while magical energy usually weighed her down.  She wasn't draining anything, nor struggling to really do it, just standing in pure concentration and holding what felt like a leash wrapped around the book, dangling it above the desk and moving it in whatever way she wanted.  Twilight gave a big grin and reveled in her accomplishment, minor as it was, losing her focus on the environment around her.  Smaller objects around her hooves began to quiver, but Twilight didn't notice them.  The unicorn simply called the book over to her, slowly floating it in front of her face and opening it with the flick of a wrist.  The first page that she opened to read very simply:  "Well done."

"Bored?"  Spike's voice penetrated Twilight's thoughts and broke her concentration, sending the book down to slam on the desk, as well as scattering all of the other small objects that managed to inch their way toward her.  Twilight cringed as the loud bang resounded through the mostly quiet room; it sounded to her like somepony had just fired off a cannon, though it honestly wasn't all that loud from a casual standpoint.  

"No, Spike...  I was trying to lift this without using my horn or touching it."  Twilight compulsively reached forward and lined the edges of the book up with her desk once more.

"Can unicorns do that?"

"It was working great until you barged in."

"Sorry, Twilight..."  

Twilight sighed and sat back in her chair.  "No, don't worry about it...  C'mere though, I want you to see this; it's actually pretty cool."

Spike complied and walked over to Twilight's side, watching the book as she prepared herself to perform her new trick.  The unicorn repeated her earlier gestures by focusing on the book, lifting it slightly off of the table and slowly gaining altitude.  Spike glanced back at Twilight's horn a few times, being sure there wasn't any aura of magic, and stood otherwise in awe at the spectacle.  "I had no idea you could do that, Twilight."

"Me either."  Twilight's responses were kept relatively short as she tried to keep her concentration on the book, but she managed to throw in some chopped up details.  "The book taught me how to do it.  Pretty nifty huh?"

"Very.  What else can the book do?"

"Seems like...  Just about anything, really.  I'll need to read more of it."  Twilight lightly set the book down on her desk, cover closed, and walked up to it.  She beckoned Spike over to demonstrate its unusual ability to open and close without being touched, independent of the concentration needed for that telekinesis that she just showed him.  "Watch this."  She waved her hoof over the cover of the book, opening it and flipping through several pages.  Spike was still a little naive of various magics, but from what Twilight had showed him he knew that she shouldn't be able to do that without using her horn, nor while so distracted.  

"That's really weird, Twi.  You sure you wanna keep messing with this thing without telling the Princess?"

"I'm positive, Spike.  We can't bother the princess with this yet.  I'll just read a little more of it, see what it can do, but otherwise it might just be a magnet or something silly like that.  While I have you here, why don't you try it?  I wanna know if there's any connection between just me or if you can open it too."

Spike, glanced at the book and then back to Twilight; he really didn't want to go near it.  His "bad vibe" was still bugging him, but the unicorn seemed to insist with only the use of her eyes.  He gave a sigh and stepped over to the book, waving his claws over it in the same manner as Twilight, but watched in both relief and disappointment as nothing happened.  The book stayed perfectly still, so he tried it again: nothing.  He looked over his shoulder at the unicorn and shrugged, reaching down to grab the book and try to open it physically.  The odd thing was that he couldn't open it, hard as he tried; the thing seemed to be closed so tightly that he couldn't even bend the cover as he was trying to wrench it open.  Twilight reached her hoof out and gently rested it on the dragon's shoulder, signalling for him to stop.  She took the tome from him with her hooves, looking at it for any sign of scratches or other possible damage that Spike could have caused, but couldn't find anything at all.

"Sorry, Twilight..."  

"No, no it's okay.  The book is fine, and it might just work only for me anyhow..."

"If you found it in the woods how could it possible only work for you?"

"I dunno...  It did say something about a 'binding' or something like that...  Either way it still works just fine for me, I'll need to examine it a little more."  Twilight demonstrated the functionality of her power by levitating the thing back over to her desk; once again not accompanied by the purple aura that her magic usually casts.  

"The more you tell me about this book the more I think you should get rid of it, Twilight..."

"I can't just 'get rid of it', Spike."  Twilight sent an indignant look over to the dragon as she walked past him up to the desk.  "This is a very interesting piece of literature...  Most of the books about magic in Celestia's library just talk about specific spells and how to do them.  Sometimes entire volumes are dedicated to a single spell, or even a part of a spell.  This book seems to decode and explain the very essence of magic itself, do you have any idea what that means?"

"Uhm... no."

"That means that every single spell, trick, wonderment, or phenomenon in the entire world can be explained from out of this book if I read it for long enough.  Everything, Spike... This 'book', if you can even call it that anymore, is the Magnum Opus of all magic, maybe of all things."

"I think you're exaggerating a little bit, Twilight...  So far the only thing you've done with it is learn how to make it float, and you could do that anyway."

"That's only because you don't know what I know, Spike.  Here, I'll show you."  Twilight reached out for the book and paused as she was struck with a thought.  She laid her forelegs in a relaxed position by her sides and opened the tome with her mind only (though this did take a few attempts).  Spike looked down onto the pages of the book and seemed to scan over it meticulously, taking in every single word on the page.

"What language is this?  I can't read it..."  Spike looked down at the enigmatic script before him, appearing to his eyes as the wedged pattern that Twilight first saw within the book.

"What do you mean?  It's in plain English, though some of the words are a little weirdly written..."

"That's not it at all, Twilight...  Living with you my whole life hasn't exactly been a detriment to my vocabulary...  I mean it's not even in English, it looks like someone just dipped a rock in ink and smacked it against the pages or something."

"You really see it like that?"

"Yeah...  do you really see it in English?"

"Yes I do...  Look here,"  Twilight said as she directed the dragon's attention to the page with her outstretched hoof.  The unicorn pointed the tip of it at the very top of the random page that she had opened the book to, "The In-Depth Guide to Elemental Magics."

"Say again?"

"Ugh... 'The In-Depth Guide to Elemental Magics.' Spike...  Didn't you hear me?"

"No I didn't...  It sounded like you mumbled some made-up language...  Are you sure you're feeling okay, Twilight?"

"I'm feeling fine, Spike...  How many times do I have to tell you that?"  

"I'd believe you a little more if you actually ate something...  You've been up here studying this thing all day."

Twilight looked out her window and saw that the sun was mere hours away from cresting the mountains around Canterlot.  If she had to estimate, she'd say it was around 4-o'-clock in the afternoon.  She had completely lost track of time, and yet still wasn't hungry or tired at all.  "I'm fine, Spike.  I'm just not hungry is all."

"If you say so...  I'm going to go start making some dinner, and I'll leave some out for you if you want it later."

"I'm sure I will, Spike, thank you."

"You're welcome, just please take care of yourself, Twilight.  I'm really starting to worry about you."

Twilight just waved the dragon off after casting him a light eye-roll.  In truth she was starting to worry about herself too; logically she should have been hungry, but she still felt like she had just eaten from last night.  She looked down at the open book and scanned over the lettering.  Sure enough, it still read "The In-Depth Guide to Elemental Magics" clear as day.  The meaning of the title didn't really strike meaning to her when she was showing Spike, though, so she decided to give the passage a good skimming.  

Earth, Fire, Water, and Air.  The four elements that lesser ponies are allowed to observe, and the four most powerful forces on the planet.  Magic is as old as time itself, and thus, so are these four basic elements.  It only makes sense that they would go together, does it not?  All you need to harness, nay, to dominate these elements resides in your willpower, mediated with the accompanying text of course.  Should you find yourself curious about the fifth element, however, you should suppress that curiosity.  One such as yourself is not worthy of its power, nor would you even know what to do with it or how to handle it...  Yet.

Bright Eyes

"Earth, the most static of all elements, is assumed to be the most easily manipulated.  This is not true, for it requires much in the way of mental prowess to truly move earth and stone itself.  What makes earth more basic is its ease in control: losing your focus while shifting a mass of dirt doesn't have the same side effects as with a towering inferno spouting from your hooves.  To begin, we must establish a distinction between the elemental power of moving earth and the telekinesis ability.  In essence these are the same, you reach out with your mind and, through force of will alone, move the object of your desires.  Shifting earth is not in the same spirit, however; one does not simply reach out with an invisible claw and pluck the earth from its source, as with telekinesis, but rather forces the source itself to move with the grace and poise of water.  To shape a mountain is a feat that only the powers of the planet itself have done, but even those had to start somewhere.  Step onto soft ground, young mage, and make yourself as rigid and unmoving as stone.

Twilight read over the short paragraph and thought intently about just what this meant.  The book's establishment of that distinction between telekinesis and earth magic tempted her to simply try it.  Everything this book said was a temptation as a matter of fact, and poor Twilight fell for it every single time.  She trotted downstairs, passing Spike as he cooked some kind of delicious-smelling meal, and headed toward the doorway into the library's back yard.  She made sure to stay quiet as she did this to avoid grabbing the dragon's attention; she knew he'd just start worrying if she started doing experiments outside.  

The unicorn floated the book alongside her without using any magic, but still had to channel her telekinesis through her horn to open doors with the grace and silence that she needed at this moment.  As the doorway clicked shut behind her and she stepped out into the waning light of the setting sun, Twilight felt invigorated.  The orange rays cast over her body gave her a warmth that she hadn't felt all day, and the beauty of the nature surrounding her reminded her just why she loved Ponyville so much; it did not remind her of her friends, however.  She flipped the book open and found the page that detailed earth magic, reading over it and scanning for some kind of procedural steps to follow.  

Begin by planting your hooves firmly to soft ground, rock will be too difficult for the time being...

Twilight didn't need to step too far from the door before she found soft soil, standing with her hooves firmly planted into it and balancing her weight on each leg as perfectly as she could.  She instinctively spread her legs to about shoulder and hip width during this stance, taking a powerful, almost intimidating body language as she flipped through the book once more.

Tilt your head down and close your eyes.  Focus on the ground around you, smell it, breathe it in, and examine its essence.  

The idea was a strange one, but she did her best.  She shut her eyes and lowered her head as much as she could without straining, taking long and deep breaths to focus her senses.  It took a few minutes of this quiet meditation before she began to catch onto what the book was hinting at: actually feeling the rhythm of the planet around her.  Something akin to a pulse gently caressed her hooves from beneath, and the wind gave her the feeling of breath on her neck.  The slightest movements and changes in the immediate environment became apparent and important to the unicorn, attuning her until even her own heart shared the beat with that of the ground.  She tilted her head back up, relaxing in her total focus and opening her eyes, studying the book for more progression.

"Well done, mage.  You've brought your body in line with the earth, and through this you may shift it with your will.  Try to create something, and don't be squeamish about over-doing it; you'll need all of your power to shift the earth, even this soft soil before you.  To create a mountain, you must start with a hill."

Twilight moved the book away from her view and rested it softly on her back, feeling that she would need full focus for this to work (and certainly respecting the opinion of the book's judgment on her power).  She gazed out onto the ground before her, picking an exact spot and dialing in on it.  Her heart rate was steady and stoic for this, continuing to pulse in unison with the feeling in her hooves, and making her feel as if she were one with the ground itself.  This feeling sparked a thought in her mind; to treat the earth as an extension of herself (she had read that in a fantasy novel someplace), so she imagined an unseen appendage below the spot on the ground that she was focusing on.  This new appendage, gaining its own feelings and actions within her mind, grew and grew as she willed it into being, drawing strength from the unicorn's very being as she forced it against the ground.  She could feel the pull and shift, watching intently for any signs of movement with the earth below her.  The more she focused, the more powerful it felt, and subsequently the more invigorating this all was.  She began to breathe harder, but not faster, taking in more oxygen with each breath as the muscles in her body strained to keep herself steady.  The 'muscles' in her projected arm were the only ones really gaining any kind of work, however, and with each second of added strength she could feel the ground compress upward.  Just a little more, Twilight, she thought to herself, grinding her teeth as she fought against all of the powers of the planet, watching tiny pebbles and other small earth-bound objects quiver in the spot before her.  Just... A little... Bit... More!

Twilight watched her designated spot rise from the ground, tenting up around it like a perfectly round molehill, bringing an inertia to her imaginary appendage that kept it moving with the force of her will.  The instant she let herself relax, though, the hill sank back into the earth and brought with it any evidence that anything had happened.  This prompted a frustrated groan from the unicorn, followed by a naturally exhausted response from her body.  She immediately felt weakened by the experience and dropped to her knees, breathing heavily and letting her body relax to regain its energy; she felt like she spent everything she had just to do that little tiny shift in ground, only to have it sink away from her.  She moved the book over, still feeling almost no resistance from the telekinesis required to do so, and read the following text.

"Well done, mage, you managed to do what very few ever have.  However, this is nothing to celebrate, for you took initiative into your own hooves to continue the lesson, and so you must learn from your mistakes."

Twilight felt something brush across her lip, and looked down to see the soil beneath her stained with blood.  She wiped her muzzle with her hoof and realized that her nose was bleeding profusely, but she didn't really have the incentive to fix it at the moment.  The unicorn simply resolved to go find something to block the bleeding if it got to the point of danger, but for now she just wished to continue reading.

"What you've done was an attempt to break the earth away from its source, which is how telekinesis works; but recall that we made a very specific distinction regarding telekinesis and earth magic.  The earth fought you all the way and you actually managed to win, which is no laughing matter, but earth magic is not about fighting the ground, it's about controlling it and working with it.  Should you try to pull the earth away from its source again, you will destroy your own mind (and it is very much possible that you could have done that here) so you must find a way to affect the source and not the product.  When you lift ground, it creates a vacuum somewhere within the planet; something that needs to be filled or it will simply be empty space that attempts to pull its loss back into it, and this is what causes the difficulty.  Replace all that you move, and the earth will be a tool that can be bent, shaped, and molded to your will; a skill that can be honed with practice until the very mountains themselves will tremble before your might."

"Replace what you move..."  Twilight repeated her lesson with a gasping breath, standing back up on her quivering legs and replanting her hooves in the soil.  She leaned her head down once more and tried to control her breathing again, scanning for the beat of the world in a somewhat impatient manner.  The longer she stood there, the more the lesson started to 'kick in' for her; so she slowed her thinking and let the world's beat come to her instead.  

She had enough time to catch her second wind and calm down, but no sooner did that come than did the beat of the world rejoin with her body.  She was a natural; taking to this focus and discipline very quickly, and indeed it would impress (and probably intimidate) her instructor, if she had one that is.  She focused once more on the spot before her, but this time she brought her senses to be more broad in their approach.  She pressed onto two spaces directly beside the spot she wanted to raise, using more of these imagined arms, and began to feel the world shift.  In no time, and with almost no effort, the earth to the side of her designated space began to sink, causing the spot between them to rise and build on itself like a spire.  She locked her gaze with the tip of this small citadel, bringing the thing up to nearly eye level of herself and holding it there with an incredible sense of accomplishment.  She was so intently focused on this minor pinnacle that she didn't hear the door open behind her.  

"Now what are you doing?"  Spike's voice invaded the unicorn's thoughts once again, breaking her focus away from her spire and directing it toward a reflex to hide herself.  Spike had walked in on Twilight before, and each time she would flinch as her focus was broken away, making her react in the same way as if she had been doing something wrong, even when she wasn't, and this was no different.  She flinched and flailed her hooves, but with a mind so intent on directing her will she couldn't stop the inevitable "flinching" of the invisible arms that had been manipulating the ground around her.  The spire shot up into the air, gaining an altitude almost as high as the tree next to them and piercing one of the various branches on the way up.  The thing thinned out to compensate for lack of matter, turning it into a spear of earth that seemed to compress and harden with the surprised contraction of Twilight's mind and muscles.  

Both the unicorn and the dragon stared wide-eyed at the sudden growth, utterly surprised at the power behind it.  After a few tense seconds, the branch that the spear had pierced fell to the ground before them with a shivering crack; luckily it wasn't one of the ones supporting anything in the home.  

"Holy sh--"  Spike began a very surprised interjection, but was interrupted by a very unamused Twilight Sparkle.

"Spike!  I was really focused on that...  Oh, sweet Princess look what happened!  I'm going to be so angry if that went into one of the rooms!"  

"I'm sorry, Twilight...  But what exactly is that?"

"It's Earth Magic, Spike.  I'm using my mind to manipulate the ground and earth itself without having to pick up things with my telekinesis and cobble something lamely together."

"I think maybe you're pushing yourself a little too hard...  You look really tired."  Spike, still standing behind the unicorn, had managed to catch the weakness in Twilight's stance as she struggled to hold herself up.

"Nah, I just tried it the wrong way earlier and that's what did it...  I just need to catch my breath a little bit, and I could do this all night."  Twilight turned as she said this, starting toward the library to check for any damages upstairs.

"Woah!  Your nose is bleeding!"  Spike caught glimpse of Twilight's badly bleeding muzzle, pointing it out to the unicorn as she walked past him and toward the back door into the library.

"Yeah, I know... but it'll be fine, it's just a little nosebleed."  Twilight glanced into the window of the door, catching a reflection of her face and seeing the severity of the wound.  "Woah... nevermind, I didn't think it was that bad."

"Did that thing hit you on the way up?"

"No, no it's all coming from the inside of my nose..."  Twilight stared into the reflection and watched blood flow from her muzzle, not feeling any kind of pain but certainly feeling an appropriate level of worry from the sheer volume.  She looked back over her shoulder and saw a nearly continuous trail of the crimson liquid following behind her from soil to doorstep.  "Could you go get me a rag, Spike?"

"Way ahead of you..."  Spike had already stepped over the threshold of the open door and run into the kitchen, grabbing the nearest, darkest towel that he could and rushing it back out to the wounded unicorn.  

"Thank you, maybe you're right, I do need a rest."  Twilight took the towel in her hoof and pressed it up against her muzzle.  As her body slowly lost its adrenaline rush from all of the accomplishment earlier, she began to feel a dull pain right between her eyes.  

"Don't you wanna eat dinner first?"  Spike grabbed onto Twilight's foreleg as she stepped across the threshold into the house.  She didn't dare use her telekinesis to hover the towel against her face, but the book stayed perfectly level on her back regardless of how stumbling her movements were.  

"No thank you, Spike...  I'm actually feeling kinda nauseous..."  This wasn't entirely a lie, the taste of blood didn't exactly sit well with a strict vegetarian such as Twilight.

"Well go lay down, and leave this book someplace where you can't get at it.  It's getting late anyway and I don't think it would be a good idea for you to stay up all night reading that thing again."

"You're right, Spike, and you know what?  I don't really trust myself.  Here, take the book and go hide it until tomorrow."  Twilight shifted her hips toward the dragon, who promptly took the book into his claws and thought about where he might store it.  

"Alright, Twi.  Lemme just help you upstairs and then I'll hide it, you're looking a little woozy still."  Twilight didn't object to this, but found her mind almost entirely blank to thoughts of the book itself.  She could only think in a frustratingly nonsensical pattern.  She groaned as the ladder to her sleeping area came into view: she had forgotten about that wretched thing.  Spike quickly ran up with the book coiled in his tail, dropping it behind one of the bookcases up there as he dragged Twilight's bed toward the edge.  "Want me to just bring this down there for you?  That way you don't have to climb right now and probably fall and break your neck."

"Sure, drop it down, let me just get out of the wa--"  Spike heard the word 'sure' and just tossed the mattress down with a loud bang, followed by both pillows and the quilted comforter that Twilight kept. "--ay...  Thank you, Spike."  Luckily the furniture didn't hit her, but at that point she probably wouldn't have cared either way.  She plopped her weary body down onto the soft mattress and moved a pillow over to support her head at an upward angle.  Spike climbed back down the ladder and saw Twilight laying on her back, towel still clutched onto her nose with a now relaxed hoof and falling into a very deep sleep almost instantly.  It wasn't any secret that he was intensely worried, but all he could really think to do was tuck her in.  He didn't leave, though, instead deciding to drag his own small bed down and set it right beside hers, curling up and trying to get to sleep as well.

"Goodnight, Twilight."  He whispered softly to the unconscious unicorn, sighing with disappointment as no response came from her other than the rattly breath of a very tired pony.  

Power of Imagination

Twilight fluttered her eyes open and looked around the room; she had been sleeping but didn't remember having a dream.  She stood up and felt her stiff joints crack as she tried to move, making her groan and try to catch her balance.  She looked down to her mattress, immediately noticing the amount of blood on the sheets and towel.  It seemed to her that she should have bled out by the looks of the furniture, so she rushed to the bathroom.  As she passed by her windows she could see it was still night time, so she tried to stay quiet to avoid waking Spike.  Her mirror reflected a very sick looking unicorn, and it didn't take long for her to begin a rattling cough that sprayed blood into the sink.  As soon as she could, Twilight gasped in a deep breath, only to feel the same burning in her lungs as before and sink into a wretched cough once again.  She could feel whatever fluid it was that was in her lungs move with the hacking, so she tried to balance breathing through her nose and attempting to force it out of her between periods of convulsion that she could scarcely control.  Even though the cause of her cough seemed to be almost out, the action itself seemed to get worse; she could almost feel her ears being buffeted by the echoes of the loud, guttural hacking in her bathroom.  One final cough and whatever it was came out, splattering the sink with blood and causing Twilight to close her eyes and take deep breaths.  She heard, however, a very strange skittering, and opened her eyes to see the malformed tail of something as it crawled down her drain, leaving a bloody streak along the white porcelain sink.  

She backed away, feeling immediately like she was going to vomit from thinking that something alive just came out of her lungs, and indeed gagging at the prospect.  It didn't take too long for her to realize that she stepped back way too far for her little bathroom, though; she looked around to see a very dark, brick tunnel.  She thought that she might be in a sewer system (thankfully it didn't smell like it), but she couldn't identify the environment beyond speculation.  Since she hadn't anything better to do, she started to walk forward and explore this new place without any notion of danger.  Every clop of her hooves on the concrete floor sent a loud echo through the halls, eliminating any kind of comfort she thought she could take in stealth.  The only thing that broke over this echo, however, was a rather familiar chattering from inside a hole in the wall.  She couldn't identify the sound even though it appeared to be something very simple, so she walked toward it regardless.  She looked down inside the hole and didn't see anything; the chattering stopped as she got close, however.  

"Hello?"  Twilight called out into the hole.  Her instincts told her to speak, even though the emanating sound could only be coming from some small rodent.  "Is anypony the--"  The unicorn was interrupted by the feeling of her lungs filling up with fluid again.  Whatever it was seemed to have come from the hole, but she still had no idea what was happening to her body.  Inside of her chest, as she struggled to breathe, she could feel an unnerving wriggling that made her think something had invaded her.  In the throws of fear she fell over onto her back, clutching her chest and coughing madly again.  She managed to bring herself onto her side, and interestingly felt a few hefty pats on her back.  This all brought her back into consciousness, showing her that she was only dreaming, although the coughing was all too real.  Spike was hitting her back to help loosen whatever was in her lungs, and Twilight had managed to sit up on her knees to get a slightly more comfortable angle.  She grabbed the towel and coughed into it a small spray of partially dried blood, clearing her throat and lungs of the stuff before taking a very long, rattly breath.  

"Are you okay, Twilight?"  Spike stayed by her side, not taking his claws away from Twilight's back, but gently rubbing them up and down instead.  She had always done this for him when he was young and got coughing fits at night.

"Yeah..."  Twilight's speech was already weakened from the fit, but her heavy and difficult breaths interrupted it further.  "Yeah... I'll be fine.  Thank you."

"I think maybe you should go to a doctor soon...  You just coughed up a bunch of blood."

"It's probably just from the bleeding sinuses, Spike.  I went to sleep with a bloody nose so I most likely just breathed it all in, it's nothing to be worried about."

"If you say so..."

Twilight cleared her throat and tried to swallow, the metallic taste of blood sticking to the back of her tongue.  She cringed and checked to see if she was still bleeding, rubbing her foreleg up against her nose once more and seeing only the brown flakes of long-since-dried blood.  "Could you go get me a glass of water, please?"

"Of course, be right back."  Spike ran off to fetch the drink while Twilight checked the time: 4:17 AM.  She sat back on her bed and examined the pillows, mostly dried blood that had clearly fallen off of her muzzle, but the occasional small stain of crimson still showed up.

"Wull these are ruined..."  Twilight pulled the pillow out of the pillowcase and sighed as she looked it over.  The bloodstain had permeated all the way into the feathers as far as she could tell, so the thing had to be thrown out.

"Here you go."  Spike stepped back up the stairs and handed Twilight her water, which she happily gulped back after clearing her throat again.  

"Thank you, Spike.  Are you still tired?"  Twilight slowly drank from the glass after her first few gulps, sipping on it and sitting back next to the dragon.

"Not really, why?"

"I'm just gonna go take a shower and get ready for the day early...  I don't really wanna go back to sleep."  Twilight tried to suppress the memory of that nightmare and get a fresh start.  "Besides, we're both up early, we can do something together today.  It's been a while since we've gone out and done anything fun hasn't it?"

"Yeah, you're right.  What do you wanna go do?"

"I dunno...  Just walk around Ponyville and see what captures our interest."

"Sounds like fun to me.  Maybe you can show off some of your new tricks that you picked up, as long as you don't give yourself another nosebleed."

"Oh I don't plan on getting another one of those...  That really sucked."

"looked like it did, anyway while you're in the shower I'll go make some breakfast or something, what do you want?"

"Uhm..."  Twilight still wasn't hungry, and she had actually noticed something very 'off' with her body by that time.  Just to appease the dragon, though, she asked for a glass of orange juice and a piece of toast, claiming that she was still feeling sick.  Spike shrugged and agreed to get those things for her, still very worried about the unicorn's obviously degrading health but not knowing how to directly intervene.  

Twilight slowly entered her bathroom again, instinctively checking the walls for any sign of 'dreamlike' qualities, and not finding anything at all.  She stepped into her shower and stood back, focusing on the knob for the water and trying to use her newly acquired telekinesis ability to turn it.  It took an intense level of focus, one that she assumed would be ordinary to a regular object that she hadn't practiced on moving, but she was finally able to twist it gingerly over into the warm zone.  It took a few seconds for the water to warm up, but she had learned from past readings that cold water helped to get dried blood stains out of fabric, so she figured it would work just as well on her face.  

Twilight's time in the shower was far from practically spent; she stood under the water as it warmed up and simply took to enjoying its comfort without even trying to wash herself.  She still felt weak from the rough day prior, and subsequently knew the spire of earth was still out there right next to the library.  Twilight knew that it would be a total eyesore to anypony that might come walking past, so she did her best to clean herself up and try to rejuvenate her tired muscles just in case somepony showed up on her doorstep wondering what's been going on.  She had no idea what she wanted to do with Spike that day, but she figured she'd just let him pick it out.  She spent several minutes with her eyes closed, balancing on her hooves and letting the hot water wash over her, only coming out of the trance once the fluid started to cool down noticeably.  Her water heater was a little old, so she only got about a half hour worth of hot water from it.  Without actually washing her hair or coat she stepped out of the shower and went about the long process of drying off.  She always kept two fresh towels ready because her mane itself tended to hold onto water like a sponge, so she could easily saturate one if she tried to use it solo.  She used her non-horn based telekinesis to clumsily lift her hairbrush, feeling herself getting stronger and more coordinated with it each time she used the ability.  With her hair in a satisfactorily brushed state, Twilight stepped down to meet Spike in the kitchen.  She snatched up her breakfast with her telekinesis, almost spilling the glass of juice as she brought it to her lips, but got the hang of it eventually.

"You look a lot better, Twilight."  Spike chowed down as he spoke, eating quickly through a very large plate of pancakes that he had whipped up for his own breakfast.

"Thank you, Spike.  I think I'll be fine, just worked myself a little too hard yesterday so some time off will be great.  Speaking of which: do you want to go out and watch the sunrise?"  Twilight finished up her orange juice and very gingerly nibbled on her toast; she desperately wanted to go back up and continue her book, but she managed to will herself away long enough to spend some quality time with her number one assistant.  If he was less worried about her, she could get more done, so it was prudent in the long run; so she figured, anyway.

"Sure I do.  That'll probably be fun."

"It's supposed to be beautiful.  If you can get up high enough then you can watch the first light of dawn break through the Everfree Forest, which Fluttershy has told me is 'magical'."

"We'll have to do that then, though we should leave soonish if we want to get even close to the mountains."

"Who says we have to go near the mountains?"

"You said we had to get up high enough..."

"I also learned a few new tricks yesterday, and I wanna try them out."

"Well alright...  Just don't hurt yourself again."

"Oh I promise I'll stop if it even feels like I'm coming close to that again.  I hurt myself because I did it wrong though, and now I know how to do it right, so I don't think I will anyway."

"Even so...  What do you plan to do?"

"You'll see...  Just promise me you'll keep perfectly quiet and still while I do it alright?"

"Against my better judgment, I promise, Twilight."

"Good, then take your time eating, we'll only need to go out into the back yard for a little bit to do this."

"You're not even going to finish the toast?"

Twilight looked down and shrugged at the half-eaten piece of warm bread.  She walked over to Spike and kissed him on the head, trying to divert his attention to her lack of appetite. "Thank you for making it, I'm just not hungry is all."

"I really find that hard to believe, Twilight..."

"Well believe it, I'm just not hungry.  I could be sick, or I could be perfectly fine and just not have an appetite for some other strange reason... I dunno. What I do know is that I'm just not hungry."

"Alright, alright.  You've made your point.  I'm hungry, though, so if you don't mind I'll take the toast and finish these babies up."

"Take your time, Spike.  Just come meet me outside when you're done."  Twilight moved toward the back door, exiting and closing it shut with a slightly over-powered bang (she was still getting used to her new telekinesis).  The unicorn looked up at the spire of earth that she had accidentally created and circled around it.  The earth itself was actually very smooth since she managed to compress it down into solid rock; it didn't sway or move with the wind at all which was surprising for how thin the thing was.  Twilight looked up through the branches and tried to determine the tip, figuring that she should probably fix it while she had the chance.  She took her usual stance, repeating every step that she went through yesterday to attune herself with the earth.  The signals were there, but they weren't quite the same magnitude; everything seemed to be dulled and blurred into the background noise of the environment at her hooves.  She spent more time in her meditative focus, figuratively pulling at the strings of the earth and trying to find its beat and key, only doing so after nearly becoming so frustrated that she abandoned the prospect.  She pressed down onto the tip of the spire, pulling from within the sunken spaces around it and trying to bring it back into the earth.  Her efforts were grueling, and she struggled to move it just a little bit; it was as if her mental strength had degraded since the night before.  She pressed herself harder, following the technique and watching the earth spire slowly sink back down into its natural place.  It took much longer than she would have wanted, and she felt that familiar strain in her mind (no nosebleed that time, thankfully), but she did manage to get it replaced eventually.  Just the added effort, however, brought her frustration in the matter.

Why can't I do this?  It was practically too easy last night...  Twilight's mind continued to dwell on the fact that she seemed to have lost her powers overnight.  It didn't take her too long, though, to put two and two together.

"Spike, where'd you put the book last night?"

"Oh c'mon, Twi.  We agreed you wouldn't read it today."

"We also agreed that I'd watch the sunrise with you, and it's almost time for that.  I just need to look something up real quick before I can get us up high enough to do it."

Spike gave a low groan, looking up at Twilight's sparkling eyes and big smile.  "Okay, fine, I'll go get it for you, but after this you've gotta put it away for the rest of the day okay?"

"Okay, okay...  Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye...  There, I gave you a Pinkie Pie Promise."  Twilight mimed along the promise with her hoof, making sure to overemphasize every single motion.

"Alright, fine, it's up behind your bookshelf where your bed used to be.  You feeling okay to climb up there now?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine, thank you."  Twilight finished her sentence and ran upstairs in the library, immediately climbing her ladder into her sleeping area.  Spike, however, stayed behind and looked out the still-open back door.  Twilight had bled so much the night before then that he could actually make out the bloodstain on the ground from where he was sitting.  He still worried about her for that, but couldn't help himself from noticing a very tiny disturbance of green in the burgundy-colored soil.

Twilight poked her nose behind the shelf and quickly located her book, pulling it over with her telekinesis and dropping it onto the floor, pages open.  She asked the book in her mind why her powers felt as though they had weakened, and as usual the pages that she opened to provided her with a perfect answer.

"It's quite simple, my student.  You alone don't have the power to produce the results that you've been seeing recently, though you are indeed very powerful.  The more time we spend apart, and the further apart we are, the less influential your knowledge of these magics will be.  We are not quite 'one and the same' yet, though I am bonded to you most certainly.  When we first made contact in the woods, your hoof was split and a very small amount of blood fell onto my pages.  This allowed me to connect directly to your body and augment your powers as I saw fit, though it is nothing like a contract.  I've been giving you a taste, Twilight Sparkle, a taste of the power that lies within the two of us, and you may use it as you see fit, but not without me.  That is, unless we come to an agreement."

Twilight read her name in the same ancient text that every other page was adorned with and felt her heart sink.  The raw power of the book hadn't actually seemed threatening to her until now, especially with the prospect of some kind of physical connection to her very being.  However, the idea that she could actually use it however she wanted certainly was tempting.  Her mind raced and she could feel herself becoming rejuvenated simply by being in the tome's presence (a familiar feeling, but one that only made itself apparent by this point), so she glanced over to the side and lifted another book with her mind.  Simple, the thing came right up as she pulled at it, and followed her every command, right down to opening to a specific page.  She placed the book back onto the shelf and looked down to the open grimoire in front of her; the lettering on the pages had changed.  

"To answer the question that I can tell you're thinking, Twilight: the aforementioned 'agreement' has to do with allowing me some use of your body as a channel.  You will be given unfettered access to the very forces that shaped your entire world, but you'll be making a bit of a sacrifice in the process.  For now, though, I will not push this contract on you: continue to learn from me, and continue to work with my magics; master the elements, and then I will show you just how far I can take you from your mundane life in Ponyville.  Moving mountains, Twilight Sparkle, is only the beginning."

These words worried the unicorn, driving her to think twice about continuing to use the book, though a little voice in the back of her mind prodded her toward learning this long-dead knowledge.  She loved learning, and would never pass up the opportunity to explore magic, especially so when the magic wasn't known to anypony else, so her decision was eventually to proceed, albeit with caution.  Her final thought before toting the book downstairs was that she wouldn't dare tell Spike what she just read; it would only drive him to worry.

The purple dragon knelt outside by the blood-stained earth, looking down into it as Twilight joined him outside.  She couldn't quite see what he's looking at, but called out to gain his attention.

"Alright, got what I needed.  So are you ready?"

"Hm?  Oh, yeah, yeah let's go.  Aaaaand you brought the book..."

"It's just for this part, Spike.  I'll put it away when we go hit the town, what're you looking at by the way?"

"Oh, it just looks like a flower is trying to grow right here where your nose bled yesterday."

"That's kinda weird.  Let me see."  Twilight looked over Spike's shoulder and saw exactly what he described.  The dark stain formed a fairly neat circle, and right in the center was a very small, bitter-green sprout that seemed healthy enough to reach directly upward.  The sun was just barely beginning to paint the sky a pale orange as it began to rise, so Twilight nudged the dragon and coaxed him a few more feet out into the back yard.  

"Is this as far as we're going to go?"  Spike stood still as Twilight drew a circle about ten feet in diameter in the dirt with her hoof.  She looked over at him to get a good gauge of the distance and nodded.

"Yep, this is all we'll need.  Now then, hop on my back."

"Seriously?  The last time I did that you wouldn't let me live it down for months."

"That's because you were playing pretend with that stalactite 'lance' and using me as your steed."

"Oh c'mon.  The situation was perfect."  The dragon gingerly climbed up onto Twilight's back as she passed the book to him.  He took the thing but didn't try to open it, just holding it there for her as she trotted over to the center of the circle.  "So what are you planning?"

"Just watch.  I gotta concentrate so I'll be a minute, 'kay?"

"Okay, Twilight.  Sorry."

Twilight gave the dragon a nod to let him know everything was alright, then took her stance and worked to find the beat of the world beneath her.  With the book in direct contact with her back she found it immediately, amazed at the vivid pulse that instantly brushed her hooves as she relaxed.  Her eyes opened, and she could tell that they had the familiar white glow that she only got during a very powerful spell, so she couldn't help but crack a smile.  The circle that she drew acted as a dividing line between the earth that rose and the earth that fell, forcing up a small platform on top of a spire as fissures formed around them, bringing the pair up far higher than the treeline.  Spike clung to the unicorn as he felt his stomach sink from the rapid ascension.  By the time Twilight stopped raising the pillar, the pair was high enough to see the horizon line itself as the trees faded away into a dull green blur.  Twilight dropped her concentration and took a few deep breaths, feeling some more blood drip from her nose, but not nearly as much as last night.  The breeze up there was chilly, but the warm rays of sunlight that began to blanket their bodies was enough to counter that.  Spike stared in awe at the distance, looking over the edge and seeing the very clear crater around the spire that Twilight had created, looking back to her as she took a cocky pose.  "Pretty neat, huh?"

Spike nodded, standing completely speechless on the pillar of soft dirt and watching the sunrise like he had wanted to.  Twilight sat down in the center, offering Spike a chance to sit with her and quietly watching the magnificent orange light paint more and more of the sky; as far as either of them was concerned, it was just another normal morning in Ponyville.

Why Don't You Take Me There?

Twilight and Spike went about their day around Ponyville, taking the time to enjoy the luxuries that they rarely ever participated in during their usual daily life.  They explored thrift shops, looked at public artwork, and otherwise simply immersed themselves in the general culture of the little town.  They got lunch, sat in the park, and felt the fatigue of the day catch up with them by about two in the afternoon, though Twilight wasn't actually 'tired' in the traditional sense.  She did, however, take the opportunity to bring Spike back to the library for a mid-day nap; immediately taking up her book as soon as he crashed.

"So... book...  What should I call you?  You seem to be almost sentient, hard as that is to believe."  Twilight spoke directly to the still closed book in her lap, trying to come up with some kind of personal connection to it if she could.  She waited a few seconds and then opened the book to a random page, taking the same steps as she always had and closely reading each and every word.

"Those in life called me Iago, though names have long since become redundant to me.  I have no need for them."

Twilight didn't bother closing the page since so much of it was still blank, instead, she held it with her hooves and asked another question: "So you were a pony then?"

Across the blank, ancient parchment was scrawled pure-black text in deep ink, just as if a fountain pen were writing them before Twilight's very eyes.  "I'm afraid not, I come from a time where many other creatures lived in harmony with one another.  Ponies were a rather small minority.

"So what were you?"

"You'll learn more about me soon enough, but I'm afraid I can't just simply give you personal information without anything in return..."

"What is it that you want?"

"Oh, nothing in particular, Twilight.  There's very little information that I don't have about you."

"That's my point...  You seem to know everything about me, how's that fair?"

"Tisk, tisk, Twilight Sparkle.  'Fairness' isn't the issue here, merit is.  I've earned the right to know about you, and just about everything else in this whole world, but you'll just have to continue to work if you wish to earn what I have to teach you."

"Well...  How can I do that for you then?"

"Continue what you're doing: learning, and I'll help you continue my legacy.  There is much that I've yet to do, and I wish for you to help me with that."

"I'd love to.  So continue with the elements then?"

"Precisely, and for the record I must say that I was pleasantly impressed with your earth magic this morning.  That showed a remarkable amount of skill to control that large of a structure."

"Why thank you, it really was nothing though, I feel like you're more responsible for it than I am."

"I only help to channel the energies, you're the one who controls them.  That will change, though, so don't get comfortable.  Do beware, you could destroy your body in the process."

"Would I be wrong to guess that's what happened to you?"

"You would be wrong to underestimate me, Twilight Sparkle.  I do not have the same ineptitude that you do, so don't take any kind of arrogant solace in the speed of your learning."

"Sorry, that's not how I meant it."

"Watch your tone next time, I may seem only a tome to you, but I am far more powerful than you may ever realize."

"Understood...  What element would you recommend I move on to now, though?"

"Air and Water are nothing similar to each other, but they do hold a bit of overlap in their method of control.  You may wish to attempt the learning of both of them at once."

"Piece of cake.  How would you propose I do that, though?"

"Go find some water and I'll tell you."  This final command finished the page before Twilight, not leaving anymore room for the bizarre conversation.  She closed the book and stood up, still a little bewildered that she just had a discussion with a book, but she shrugged it off and went downstairs.  She used her telekinesis for just about everything by that point, moving small objects around and forcing the larger ones (often dangerously at that) into their places.  The cabinet door came open very easily, and she managed to fine tune the use of her new power so that it didn't slam shut anymore.

Twilight found a small cup, she wasn't even sure where she had gotten the thing, but she figured it should work perfectly for this new lesson.  She slowly filled it to within millimeters of the brim and then levitated it behind her, trotting back upstairs to begin.  The book laid motionless on the floor, though Twilight couldn't shake the feeling that it was alive somehow.  She opened it with a wave of the hoof, setting herself and the glass down next to it and cocking her head to read what it had to say.  

"Water is a peculiarity among the elements.  It is abundant, yet absolutely finite, and treasured for its simplicity.  You cannot pick it up as a stone, nor can you shape it as with earth.  At least not without a constant input of energy, that is.  Tell me, Twilight.  What do you know about water?"

Twilight blinked a few times and looked over at the glass, shrugging and answering the book out loud, "Well, it's clear, mostly tasteless unless there are minerals present, it's made up of hydrogen and oxygen, can be split via simple electrolysis into its component elements, and it's polar so it'll dissolve most of the known metals and compounds fairly easily... and--"  Halfway through her rambling, Twilight noticed some more writing scrawl itself across the page.

"The polarity was what I was looking for.  Part of what makes you so valuable as a student is your near limitless knowledge of things, with almost no practical application for them.  Now then, polarizing the atmosphere is something that I know you've done before with your magic, if unintentionally, and that's the basic principle for controlling water.  Well, that and the more...  dangerous method."

"Dangerous?"  The word actually piqued Twilight's curiosity.  Since she'd come in contact with this book, she hadn't seen many risks, but the small ones that presented themselves had started to garner her attention and curiosity at that point.

"Well, yes, dangerous.  In my life I developed two methods for controlling water naturally, one based on its natural capillary properties due to its polar structure, and the other based around the effect that the moon has on the tides: essentially the manipulation of gravity.  Each has its drawbacks and benefits; polarization of the atmosphere allows you to force small quantities of water to do whatever you please, but performing on the gravity of the planet (although very taxing to your mind) allows you to quite literally control the very oceans themselves in an imprecise and brutish manner."

"That sounds like fun."  The purple unicorn let her thoughts wander for a second, imagining such an immense level of control over the sea.  Even the very thought sent a small tingle down her spine.

"Quite a good lot of fun it was.  The world feels much smaller when you can clutch it in your claws and bend it to your will."

"Claws, eh?  What were you?"  Twilight's curiosity got the better of her, and images of every sentient animal flashed through her mind as she tried to match the general personality up to this book's own.

"None of your concern, Twilight Sparkle.  Now enough of this mindless chatter, try to lift the water out of the glass."

She just shrugged again and looked back to the glass, taking this humble little cup of water as a challenge to be conquered.  She focused on the liquid itself, though it remained still as a mirror's finish, and when she focused on the glass all she could think to do was lift it with her telekinesis.  She tried looking into the water again, focusing and taking whatever techniques she'd learned thus far as a stepping stone, even going so far as to use her telekinesis directly on the water.  A single, small drop lifted out of the glass and then almost immediately fell back in.  The unicorn tilted her head back and gave out a frustrated groan, looking over to the book and inquiring how she might actually do this.  She flipped it open after her question and found, as expected, the answer already scrawled out for her on the page.

"Water is a funny thing, isn't it?  It's definitely there, but you can't really reach out and grab onto it.  It doesn't hold itself together with parts like solid objects do, so you can't just tug on a part and watch the rest of it follow."

"I noticed.  Look, this is getting old, how do I control it exactly?"  Twilight didn't quite notice any changes in her behavior, though by this point she could tell that her patience was running low even with mundane tasks.  She made a mental note to start keeping a psychological diary of herself to profile later.

"You don't focus on the water, you focus on the space around it."

"How's that going to help?  The glass is just an object that I can lift..."

"Not the glass, Twilight Sparkle.  Everything in this universe is made up of very tiny particles, and those particles never, ever touch.  They're so small that only the most fundamental forces can fit between them: intangible things like gravity and magnetic force, though these particles are actually the cause for those things.  The space between the water and the glass is rife with these forces, however small they may be, and it is this that you have to focus on.  Begin with a bubble of air, for gasses have more than enough of this space between particles, so you might try to separate the glass and the water with air to give yourself something more to work with."

"That's all well and good, but what exactly is the target?  What's the goal that I'm reaching for to make these things happen?"

"Will the forces of magnetism to depress and excite; give them the energy to force things, or steal it away to let them fall.  It will take quite a bit of finesse, but I know you'll be able to do it."

Twilight sat back and thought for a second, glancing back over to the glass of water after processing.  She found a single bubble of air toward the bottom and dialed in on it.  Her vision had seemed to improve over the days previous to then, but she hadn't even noticed until now.  She looked back at the book for any last fragments of sage advice, and of course found something there for her.

"The bubbles in the water stick to imperfections in the glass.  Your entire world is made up of imperfections, Twilight Sparkle, and once you can exploit them there will be nothing that you cannot accomplish, and no error you cannot fix."

The unicorn looked back to the glass once more, running each word through her head over and over, closing her eyes to try and visualize them.  She could only see power, immense power, something that she wanted very badly.  She opened her eyes again and focused on the bubbles in the glass, sending a signal.  She wasn't sure exactly what would happen, but in her mind she repeated a mantra: excite.  The bubbles quivered and a few broke free, floating up to the surface of the water and breaking.  She focused a little harder, concentrating on a single bubble nearly in the center of the bottom of the glass.  The thing was tiny, so much so that the tension of the water and the glass held it fixed perfectly to the bottom of the cup; the perfect target.  Excite.

With a single small quiver, the bubble grew a little, taking on a larger surface within the glass.  Twilight knew that she needed to keep all of the water inside together, so she focused on the top of the slightly larger bubble, sending another signal in hopes that it would flatten out.  The air seemed to obey her, flattening itself and spreading its surface along the glass floor, not quite large enough to fill out the whole glass though.  She told it to excite once more, and the bubble expanded to meet the walls of the cup, effectively lifting the water out by a fraction of a millimeter.  Twilight continued her command, creating an imaginary bowl between the air bubble and the water, forcing the bubble to take an unnatural shape.  This took a serious toll on Twilight's concentration, however, and the bubble rose up the sides of the glass unevenly and with a slightly quivering motion.  The unicorn was an expert on staying focused, but when the glass shattered she still let everything fall.  Most of the pieces were fairly large, but water spilled out along the floor with a familiar sparkling as it carried tiny, dangerous shards of glass up to a foot away from the transparent heap.

With a sigh, the unicorn grabbed her book and backed away from the puddle of water, making sure none of the liquid touched the either of them.  She opened it as it floated next to her head and glanced in, hoping for any kind of explanation to already be there.  The page was blank, so she simply asked aloud: "What went wrong?"

"It's simple, really.  You expanded the air bubble by essentially heating it up; what happens is that you cause the particles to vibrate and exert their forces a little more strongly.  You didn't add any air to it, so the volume of air in that tiny little bubble that you started with got stretched out to fit that incredible space.  Basically you created a vacuum between the glass and the water, and with the pressures of your atmosphere around here the glass simply couldn't handle it.  You were on the right track, though, just next time add a few more bubbles into it from outside of the water.  Lifting it should be the most difficult part; once it's in the air and you can concentrate on it, it'll be trivial to manipulate."

"So, controlling water is actually controlling air?"

"Not exactly.  Have you ever seen a large bubble rise in water?"

"Yes I have.  Why?"

"By controlling the densities of the air and the polarity of the forces around the water, you can literally control how and what water does.  If you make air dense enough, water will float on it, though the gasses in the air would become liquid at that pressure, so you augment the effect with an excited magnetism around the water: a polarity that already pushes it out against gravity.  Water cannot be compressed, so every effect on its surface has a direct and immediate reaction someplace else in the water.  This can take form as ripples or, in a zero gravity environment, the change of shape.  Once you have the ability to do that, you'll be able to make literal structures out of water that a pony could walk on, or even draw moisture out of the air and condense it on a whim.  The only reason you're using air at the moment is because it provides you with the highest concentration of fast-moving, energetic particles, which in this case act as a kind of power source for you to twist and manipulate whatever they're close to."

Twilight took every word to heart, letting the appeal to her scientific mind take over.  She immediately watched as the edges of the water crept back, evaporating slowly away from her.  She did what she could to save it, and created a ring of excited air around the puddle, slowly closing it in.  Her eyes darted back and forth, point to point on the ring, doing the best she could to focus on the entire thing at once: the water seemed to press right up against a wall that didn't actually exist.  She closed it in even further, forcing the water into a cylinder that, by then, was nearly the same width as the glass used to be.  She gave the cylinder a base, coaxing air in beneath it and lifting it up off of the ground.  The barriers were far from static, however, so the water seemed to wriggle and jiggle in a little cylindrical mass.  She pressed the shape with her mind and attempted to form a sphere, but the water refused to stay still.  She didn't mind, however, and simply marveled at the simplicity of holding such a thing: something she had struggled to do for years up until this moment.  She held everything as it was, trying to shift her concentration over to the pile of broken glass.  Though each time her eyes stopped focusing on the water, the amorphous blob became more and more spastic.  She could only see from her peripheral vision that it nearly fell apart.  She gave up on trying to keep it still and held it up to the ray of light coming in through her window, examining it for any glass.  She saw none, and brought the water to her mouth, sucking it in and swallowing it.  She knew it was just on the floor, but at this moment there was no more efficient way to dispose of it; she also really just wanted the satisfaction of drinking straight out of the air.  

Twilight moved around where she thought all of the broken glass could be, searching for each and every sparkle as the angle of the light changed.  She trotted a full circle around the area and located what she figured was all of it, using her new telekinesis to gather it all up in a floating heap.  With no aura around the glass Twilight could actually look at the menacing edges: she was so careful all the time that she wasn't around broken glass very often, and even less often spending the time to really look at it.  The sharpness of the edges was chaotic and random, jutting off in awkward, splintered directions that left the shards fragile and dangerous.  This simply would not do for the unicorn.  

Twilight pushed the heap further away from her face and applied as much pressure as she could with her mind.  The tips of the shards were pulverized almost instantly, with every speck of the glass powder being caught in the levitation along with the rest of it.  The crunching and grinding of glass caused Twilight to grind her teeth in annoyance, but not to stop with the process; even the nosebleed from the exertion didn't stop her.  Every single bit of glass that composed the cup was slowly pressed, crushed, ground, and twisted into a sphere.  The thing wasn't quite fused together, though it clearly became hotter as Twilight crushed it, so she simply crushed it more.  All of the matter eventually became pressed into the size of a marble, and Twilight could no longer crush it down into a smaller form.  She rotated it though, taking it apart into hemispheres and grinding them against each other.  Eventually, she split the sphere into several concentric circles of rotating glass, building friction and heat as they sped up.  Each one spun opposite of the disc above and below it until the entire ball of glass was the consistency of a paste, glowing a very hot orange midair.  She brought the sphere closer to her and rotated it all as one: the quick spinning kept it as perfectly spherical as she could manage.

Twilight could feel the heat from the glowing marble against her face as she looked at it; it wasn't quite bright or hot enough to hurt her eyes, but it was just enough to fuse the glass together under the intense pressure.  After having worked with glass before, she knew that cooling it too quickly would simply fracture it, so she trotted toward her staircase, leaving the book behind and taking it upon her own power to carry the marble with her.  She passed through her living room and headed toward the basement, still examining the little glass ball as the glow subsided into a translucent little sphere.  

Twilight flicked the lights on as she carefully stepped down the stairs, glancing around for any equipment left out from her previous experiments.  Everything was perfectly organized in its place, as usual, so she simply had to focus on not dropping the little ball while she stepped over to her chemistry apparatuses.  She removed a ceramic crucible and placed it out on her heat-resistant table, giving the marble a little tap to make sure it wasn't still soft enough to flow.  With care, she lowered the ball into the crucible and looked in, examining its perfectly spherical form and giving a smile.  She trotted back to the staircase and headed up, realizing that she left a few small drops of blood behind her as she walked downstairs and checking her nose to make sure it wasn't still bleeding.  Since the injury had stopped she simply walked past it; she didn't bleed on any carpet and the floors were protected by magic from a very old spell that stopped them from absorbing any kind of color other than the varnish they were originally painted with.  That had saved her hardwood from the occasional Pinkie Pie encounter, so Twilight figured it would definitely work for a little blood.

She stepped back into her room, pulling the book toward her from afar with the telekinesis and flipping it open, hoping for some kind of criticism.  

"Very good job, Twilight Sparkle.  Though I must ask, why did you do that to the glass?"

"Well...  Broken glass is dangerous, and frankly ugly.  It just kinda juts out everywhere...  Figured I'd do something with it that made it safer and easier to get rid of."

"But why a sphere?"

"A perfect sphere is the most perfect thing in existence...  Perfectly dense, perfectly distributed weight, perfect size, each point on the surface is the exact same distance from the center as any other point...  And if you put a perfect sphere on a perfectly flat plane, it wouldn't roll, and only one single point would ever be in 'contact' with the plane."

"That's the answer I was hoping for, Twilight Sparkle.  Some may say that 'nopony is perfect', but if you strive for perfection, then I can make it happen."

"So there really is such a thing as natural perfection?"

"Natural?  No.  Celestia wouldn't allow natural perfection, but she can't control everything.  Even she's not perfect."

"What's next, then?"

"We'll get you more accustomed to air, which you seem to understand the basics of already, and introduce you to fire."

"Thank you, Iago.  For everything."  In a small twist away from her impatient behavior, Twilight couldn't help herself but extend a greeting to the mysterious force within the book.  

"Don't thank me yet, Twilight Sparkle.  I still have yet to give you my greatest gift."

"I look forward to receiving it."  Twilight's sincerity was only matched by the deviousness of her motivation.  She wanted knowledge, respect, and most of all: Power.  She knew this book, this creature, could give it to her, and she wasn't about to give up.

"As do I, Twilight Sparkle, I anticipate you'll use my gift just the right way."

A Collection of Journal Entries

I am writing this intentionally for my eyes only, but in the event that somepony else comes across this journal, you'll need some context.  This is a psychological profile of me, Twilight Sparkle, showing date and time as well as a somewhat objective view on my behavioral tendencies for that day.  This journal is intended to be used by me to evaluate myself later on, for I've seen a slight change in my thoughts since the discovery of Iago.

06/15/1012, 4:09 Thursday Evening

This is the pioneer entry to my psychological journal, and I must say that I haven't got a benchmark for direct comparison just yet.  For all intents and purposes, use this as the beginning point.  My patience is running lower and lower each day; subtle changes though, not a random act of violence.  Frankly I didn't even notice until just today after feeling unusually snappy.  The problem was that it didn't seem unusual at the time; I've been growing more and more agitated for some time now, and I fear that I may become a danger to myself and other ponies if it should continue this way.

~Signing off, TS

06/16/1012, 5:02 Friday Evening

Today was a wonderful day: I decided to go back and practice some of my other skills rather than move on to learning about Air and Fire.  Water is moving along at a steady pace now and lately, with regards to earth, practice has become a contest to see how much mass I can move in a single sitting without hemorrhaging out of my nose.  I've still yet to find the cause of the nosebleeds, but they're more or less tolerable.  I noticed I was much more joyful today, perhaps due in major part to the accomplishments that I've been managing, but I can still feel a rather sinister, nagging sense of hatred each time somepony obligates me to do something other than learn from my new best friend.

~With Love, Twi

06/17/1012, 4:36 Saturday Evening

I didn't actually get to do anything with the book today, as much as I had wanted to, but instead went on a picnic with the girls.  Nothing particularly bad happened, but I must admit it was somewhat of a waste of time that could very well have been spent gathering my strength.  I did read somewhere that if a pony doesn't take long breaks every so often that they'll start to burn out a little bit though... and I guess that must be happening to me since Fluttershy and Rarity both asked me if I was feeling okay.  It's not really any business of theirs, but I just told them the truth: that I've never felt better in my life.

~Time to Study, TS

06/19/1012, 6:54 Monday Evening

Spike is actually a very thoughtful little dragon, to my surprise.  He acted totally autonomously today and yesterday, baking and cooking for myself (even though I refused every time) and a few... unwanted house guests.  The reason I didn't leave an entry for yesterday was because I had to keep the "Cutie Mark Crusaders" entertained.  Rarity and Applejack were "too busy" to handle them today, and Fluttershy is nowhere to be found.  Celestia knows I wouldn't leave children in Rainbow Dash's care even if I knew where she had flown off to though, so I guess I'm the only responsible pony in town.  Oh well, at least they're gone and I can have some time to myself; I've really missed just sitting back and relaxing for a while.  I didn't even get to practice, so after I finish this entry up I'm going to go see how rusty I've gotten in my time away.

~Burnin' the Midnight Oil, TS

06/20/1012, 12:17 Tuesday Morning

I broke a hole in the side of the library with a rogue section of earth...  It's really windy in here.  I should probably ask myself how that makes me feel, but I don't really care at the moment... I just wanna fix it.

~FML, Twilight

06/20/1012, 12:31 Tuesday Afternoon

I managed to find a spell book about botany this morning.  Within it was the most perfect spell: Woodshaping!  It allowed me to actually speed up and control the growth of woody plants (like the library's tree) but it just didn't feel the same.  I'm still good at traditional unicorn magic, but it seems so much less potent than my new elemental prowess.  I can only equate it to snapping a doorknob with static electricity instead of watching somepony's house get demolished by a lightning storm.  Oh well, the library's all fixed up, so maybe I can get back to my studies.

~Lost in a Sea of Knowledge, Twilight Sparkle

06/21/1012, 5:46 Wednesday Evening

Ahh, practice, how I've missed you.  I spent most of my day simply standing in my back yard and playing with the ground.  Luckily for me, I didn't kill anypony with it by accident, nor did I destroy any property, so I must be getting better.  I think tomorrow I'll head down to the creek and get a little more used to water magic.  Either way, I don't really feel very different from yesterday.  Still relieved, still relaxed, and still wanting to get better with what I'm doing.  I swear, though, I might start to snap a little bit if I get anymore bother from Spike.  He's just so damn clingy lately.

~About to go to sleep, TS

06/21/1012, 11:42 Wednesday Night

I can't sleep.  I don't know why, but every time I close my eyes I just see...  Nothing.  It's really boring, so I figured I'd just pull an all-nighter tonight and see what I can do with water for a little while.  I'm off to the creek, wish me luck.

~Trotting the Night away, TS

06/22/1012, 7:57 Thursday Night

Well, I've been awake for more than twenty-four hours and feel just fine.  The water magic went really well last night, so I figured I'd make some breakfast for Spike.  He's been a huge help to me lately and I really do appreciate him, no matter how much he gets on my nerves.  Apparently there are fish in the creek out by the Everfree Forest, I had no idea until today.  They never jump.  I'd say I'm doing alright with the aggression, maybe it was just a bad day or something and I read way too much into it.  I'm a real sweetheart when you look at me.

~Can do no Wrong, Twilight

06/23/1012, 4:23 Friday Evening

I've officially determined that I no longer need sleep.  It's been approaching forty-eight hours and I'm not even tired!  I practice on water nearly constantly, and I'm so getting the hang of it.  I actually re-routed a portion of the creek to come closer to the library with a combination of earth and water magics, so now I have a pretty spiffy practice area right near my back yard!  This is spectacular.  Oh, and another anomaly: I hadn't even noticed it but I haven't eaten anything in nearly two weeks.  I must not need food either.  That's pretty bizarre, but I suppose it could be the amount of foreign energy flowing through my body.  I still feel thirsty though, so my best guess is that my energy sources are being given to me from the surrounding universe and not from food.  I've never felt so alive!

~Livin' it up, TS

06/24/1012, 8:12  Friday Night

I tried to sleep tonight.  Just for fun, I tried to sleep.  Just for an hour...  I had the worst nightmare.  Everything... Burning.  My friends, my books, my home... Ponyville... all of it, just... burning.  I don't want to sleep anymore.

Apatheia

Spike very slowly poked his head from around the corner of the staircase leading up into Twilight's study.  The unicorn had locked herself in the room for the past week and very rarely left; not even to eat.  The dragon gazed in to see Twilight slouched over her desk, vigorously writing with a quill that seemed to be floating and writing entirely by itself, and surrounded by a bizarre collection of perfectly spherical objects made up of various materials.  

"Uhm, Twilight?"  Spike stayed behind the doorway with his head poking in, not daring to disturb Twilight too much when she was in this kind of a mood.

"What do you want, Spike?"  Twilight wasn't particularly aggressive in her speech, but instead chose to project it in a harsh, matter-of-fact type way that left the dragon reeling.  He opened his mouth to speak but was distracted by a paper sphere (crushed as dense as it could get) smashing against the wall next to him.  

"Are you feeling alright?  You haven't gone outside in days."

Twilight sighed and turned herself around in her chair, looking over to the dragon and showing her weathered and stressed appearance.  She hadn't brushed her hair that day, nor had she slept the three nights before, and her eyes were certainly showing it.  Her coat seemed to take on a slightly more pale color, and the space beneath her eyes showed what should have been an exhausted and agonized unicorn.  Her ribcage was all too visible on her malnourished body, even at Spike's distance, and the poor little dragon could only feel like Twilight was literally killing herself with her studies.  "I keep telling you, I'm fine.  Why does everypony keep asking me how I feel?"

"Have you looked in the mirror lately?"

"No.  I don't have time to stare at myself, there's more than too much learning left to do."

"Well, can't you at least eat something?"  Spike hadn't even bothered to make anything for Twilight that night, she always turned him away or just sneakily disposed of the food after he left her.

"I tell you the same thing every time you ask me that, Spike: I'm not hungry."

"Oh come on.  That can't even be possible!  You look like you're starving to death in your chair."

Twilight picked the dragon up with her telekinesis and dragged him over to her.  He didn't struggle, only whimpered and winced as Twilight's sinister look dug deep into his head.  "You have no concept of what's possible and what isn't, Spike.  I've seen things that would break your unconditioned little mind like a twig, so don't you lecture me on what's 'possible'...  Do you understand me?"

Spike refused to make eye contact with the unicorn; he learned a little while ago that she didn't take too kindly to any kind of insubordination as of late.  Instead, he looked down at the ground, tracing the pathways of various small objects that gravitated toward his location from the residual telekinetic field.  "Y-Yes I do, Twilight."

"Good boy.  Now if you'll kindly get out of my study, I've got something I need to do, and it could be dangerous."  With this, Twilight threw Spike back out the doorway that he entered through, not giving him any chance to recover and leave on his own.  The toss wasn't meant to hurt him, and he landed softly on his back just outside the door, but the worst wound went to his heart.  Spike stepped away, feeling more unimportant than usual with one of Twilight's episodes, and resolved to simply leave the library for a little while.  The unicorn looked back down to her papers, coming to the conclusion that what she was writing was absolutely wrong.  She continued with her psychological journal every single day, wanting nothing more than to keep an accurate account of her behavior down on paper so that she knew what direction she was going later on, but somehow everything she wrote just came out flawed.  Papers were balled up and scattered around her desk, each saying the same thing with one single little tweak that changed virtually nothing as far as meaning went, but each one brought her closer and closer to the "truth".  She dipped her quill into the inkwell and aligned one last scrap of parchment on her desk, intent on getting the journal perfectly correct this time.  

06/25/1012,  8:34 Saturday Night

Each day I train my mind harder and harder.  It's almost like I have a second body, one that's trapped within this frail, silly little pony that I am forced to walk around as every single day.  My second body is growing so strong...  I bet I could crush diamond with my telekinesis...  I need to hurry up and learn the rest of what I can so that I can get better with it.  I haven't a clue what Iago has in store for me, but based on what's happened so far: it must be absolutely spectacular.  I refuse to give up in the face of danger, which is great for the time being, because I'm about to start playing with Fire.

Wish me Luck, Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight lifted up the parchment from her desk and placed it inside of the small binding that she kept next to her.  A very old book cover had provided safe haven for her "psychological journal" and was quickly catching hold of every single note that she wrote.  Next to Iago, this was one of her most prized possessions.  She turned away from her journal and opened the book, looking into the softly glowing text and discerning her next set of instructions.

"Fire, Twilight Sparkle, the destroyer of all and shaper of woe.  The mighty phoenix understands the necessity of fire for renewal, as do all young forests sprouting from the ashes of their ancestors.  Without air, there would be no fire, and without fire, there would be no rebirth.  Do you think you can control such a violent and volatile element?"

"Of course I can, Iago.  I've mastered the other three haven't I?"  The unicorn's ego had grown proportionally with her power, giving her the attitude that there was nothing she could not do.

"You've mastered earth and water, but air still eludes your direct will."

"Is that so?"  Twilight looked over her shoulder and gazed among the loose papers littering the floor; with one swoop of her concentrated mind, the room erupted in a gale that lifted anything lighter than a chair from the ground.  She used her telekinesis to keep things mounted on shelves as papers and broken quills whirled around and, when she gave the mental order, flew directly into her already full wastebasket.  "Then what, pray tell, is more responsive than that?"

"You can force air, Twilight Sparkle.  There is far more to control than simply pushing something to your whim.  You can create a tiny spire out of earth that measures thinner than your horn and threatens to stand tall against the ravages of time.  You can bring water out of a river to meet your face, writhing and thrashing with all the energy and flow that it carries on its own, but you cannot control air anywhere close to the level of finesse of those other two.  Create a vacuum from the ceiling to the floor for me and then we'll talk."  

"A vacuum?  What will that accomplish?"

"While it is good for you to question practicality, it isn't good to question me.  I told you to do it, so do it, unless you can't handle the pressure."

"Ha-Ha..."  The unicorn wasn't amused at all by the horrible pun, but decided to go along with the command anyway.  She certainly was eager to please Iago, even though he... it... wouldn't tell her anything about itself.  

"Theoretically, in a vacuum, a heavy ball and a feather would fall at exactly the same speed.  If you can make a vacuum then you can test that little theory and be the first pony to ever truly know; while at the same time demonstrating the fine and delicate control of holding air back when the forces of the whole planet's atmosphere are working against you."

"Alright, alright.  You've made your point.  I'll give it a try."  Twilight gathered up a few things from the center of her room that didn't get tossed away by her gale and pushed them to the side.  She designated a specific section of the floor to create the vacuum in, figuring that she should try to make this quick.  Every single day her patience wore down until she reached a constantly snappy and upset state of mind.  Air was a finicky element, always evading capture in the specific, little things.  Twilight knew exactly what Iago wanted her to do; the only reason she was so upset was that it actually would take some effort.  The unicorn was slowly getting to the point where she wanted all of the reward without any of the work, and she didn't even realize it.

Twilight did her best to focus on a small sphere of air right in front of her, willing it to expand out from the center.  The most difficult part for the unicorn about this kind of magic was that there were no immediately visible results: she'd just have to assume if she'd gotten it right or not.  She concentrated and tried her best to keep the flow of energy directed at one spot, and since there was no backdrop or visible mark around the vacuum, Twilight had to walk slowly around the area in a circle to keep the depth right.  She could feel something happening; it took a heavier and heavier load of concentration each passing second to keep the energy stuck in one place, so she knew to expand it upward and not just simply out.  The invisible ball stretched up and down, touching the floor and displacing the air around it, but didn't quite reach to the ceiling at that point.  Twilight kicked a small scrap of paper by her hoof into the range of the invisible cylinder, watching as it curved its trajectory from meeting a wall of air that separated atmosphere from vacuum.  

The unicorn let loose everything that she had, pressing the vacuum up to the ceiling and forcing it to stay with all of her might.  Once it actually reached the surface it became much easier to hold, so she managed to allocate her attention back to the book.  With a quick and very rough yank Twilight brought the book over to her with her telekinesis, dropping it at her feet and looking down, hesitating to move her body at all.  Twilight flipped the book open without any effort and read what it had to say, reflexively craving every bit of praise she could get from Iago.

"That's the trick, now try dropping a feather and something heavy from the ceiling, just to see if it's a true vacuum."

The unicorn was becoming almost addicted to reading good things in the book, so she obeyed its every command; when she thought she could gain from it, of course.  She glanced around the room quickly, grabbing a used quill and the remains of some old device that Twilight had crushed into a sphere just for fun, moving the objects up to the approximate edge of her vacuum.  With a slow progression she pushed them inside, watching the air distort and leave a small trail of steam from the rapid condensation as the objects entered the space.  Twilight strained to keep focus on the cylinder and the objects within it all at once, taking only enough time to make sure they were aligned well enough before letting them go.  

To Twilight's surprise, the objects actually did fall at nearly the same rate, with only a small flutter in the feather as a tiny bit of residual air must have stayed inside the cylinder.  The unicorn let her concentration go and sat back on her haunches, staring up at the ceiling and catching her breath a bit.  The room felt a slight breeze as air rushed in to fill the vacuum once more, letting Twilight's hair blow into her face; a minor annoyance.  She flicked her head to the side and looked down to her book, reading into whatever it had to say for her.

"Very good, with a little practice you might be able to make a perfect vacuum.  Something that I myself needed time to master.  So, do you wish to master the art of pyromancy?"

"As long as you can teach, I can learn, Iago."

"Good answer.  Let's get started, then.  Go find a candle, or anything to focus on really, and set it up on your table."

Twilight complied and went to her small storage space beneath the lofted portion of her bedroom.  She grabbed a few candles and brought them over to the desk, arranging them by color and setting the book off to the side.  After a short time, she decided to also go get a bucket of water, just in case.  

Once everything was ready, she performed her usual routine of flipping the book open to any random page; something that still intrigued her.  Iago had already prepared a lesson for her.

"Ah, Fire.  The most powerful, most feared, and most beautiful of all the tangible elements.  My personal favorite, for it is violent, ruthless and utterly unstoppable once it begins to consume, yet it never quite removes something.  A field will burn away, and the soil will be fertile behind it.  A village will be immolated, and its inhabitants burned, scarred, and annihilated, but flowers and trees will engulf the land within a decade.  Fire is impartial: consuming and destroying good and evil, and fueling balance on this lovely little rock that you call Equestria.  There's something so hypnotic about watching flames lick along something, turning it black and shriveled, and then to dust.  Don't you agree, Twilight Sparkle?"

"Of course I do."  Twilight's answers were kept brief and to the point; a recent slew of scoldings had trained her to do so, if not without the occasional burst of insubordination.

"Fire is an easy one to start, Twilight Sparkle, but is one of the most difficult to control.  Like air, it is dependent on energy for its strength, but the stronger it is, the more focused you have to remain.  Like water, it cannot be lifted simply like an object, but instead nudged along in the universe, and like earth, fire must be replaced if it is moved from somewhere else, lest it spontaneously extinguish or explode.  With enough energy, no fuel is needed, for even the air around it can catch fire, but this is extremely taxing to your body, and may destroy you.  Are you prepared?"

"I've never been more prepared for anything my whole life, Iago."

"That's certainly true: you've never had me to prepare you.  Now, focus on the wick of the candle.  We're beginning here because these are a local and static fuel source: this minimizes the risk of the fire spreading against your will."

Twilight located the long, unburned wick of the new candle and straightened it up with her telekinesis, focusing so firmly on it that she could pick out the individual fibers that make it up.  Without moving the candle, or even her head, she levitated the tome by her side and turned her eyes to read.

"Imagine each little particle within that wick, then move them.  Find them all, vibrate them, force them to quiver, and the energy generated will eventually build to combustion.  This is a rudimentary ability, but can produce some of the most powerful effects."

Twilight brought her gaze back to the wick of the candle, measuring its shape and distance from her face, and then closed her eyes.  The unicorn's mind was flush with mental images of herself 'zooming' in on the wick.  She passed the threads, and then passed the fibers, moving inward closer and closer, smaller and smaller, until she was envisioning the very molecular structure of the thread itself.  With all of the practice that she'd been having, Twilight's telekinesis was fine tuned so well that she could pick each of these imaginary atoms and cause them to twitch.  After a few seconds of doing this in her mind, she reopened her eyes, trying to follow the same intense level of concentration that she'd built up.  The wick itself began to quiver, but she fixed that problem and held it perfectly still, beginning once more.  She could see a few of the small strands begin to fray and pull away from the thread, then she spotted a slight discoloration begin to form.  She poured herself into the candle, feeling her body tense up and cringe as her mind ripped energy out of the ether.  The discoloration brought the wick from white to a light tan, slowly burning away the unperturbed substances in the thread.

Just as Twilight thought she'd failed, the candle lit itself; a quiet and placid flame danced atop the small wax cylinder.  The unicorn took a startlingly deep breath, realizing that she'd forgotten to breathe in the time that she was focused on the candle.  Instead of looking directly back to Iago, however, she simply tried to augment the flame by herself.  She knew what was going to come, so she simply focused on the base of the flame, where wax touched wick, and repeated her earlier process.  The flame danced more rapidly, as if in a small breeze, and then grew slightly, reaching out and away from its waxy base and toward the ceiling.  Twilight continued, not realizing that the wax around the wick had liquified and rose up a little.  Without any warning (other than a small "sweat" of wax along the edges of the thing) the entire candle burst into flame, sending a few weak bits of wax from the brim flying about the library.

Time seemed to slow down for the unicorn as the exploded candle sent trails of flaming liquid in almost every direction.  She could watch as the liquid spread in the air and caught fire, moving at a snail's pace toward her very flammable walls, floor, and worst of all: books.  Twilight froze, feeling as though her loss of control had just cost her everything, including her very home, but a single voice resounded through her mind:

"Focus, Twilight Sparkle.  You can do this."

Hyperventilating, the unicorn looked to her side and read (at what could only be described as a super-pony speed) what Iago had written for her.

"This is good: panic, fear, resentment, hatred... passion... will bring you power. If you aren't careful, though, emotions can bring about your destruction.  I'd suggest you learn to suppress them.  Save your library until then, Twilight Sparkle, and use all of your experience to do it, if not out of skill, but out of necessity."

The unicorn turned her head to look around.  Everything was still slow, including her movement, but she could see the burning wax leaving trails of liquid flame behind it anywhere she looked.  She turned around and around, taking in the slowly changing positions of any flames as they came in contact with the various surfaces, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.  Something inside her changed right then; she distilled all of the panic and all of the fear down into a single, calm sequence of procedure.  Her constant obsession with scientific theory led her to do everything in a heartbeat, so she simply assessed her situation.  

Twilight stirred the air in the room, ripping the still moving wax away from wherever it was going, and then used her knowledge of water magic to stabilize and control the flaming liquid.  Anything stuck already to a surface was pulled away with telekinesis, keeping it far away from the many flammable objects in her midst.  She brought everything in toward herself, still keeping her eyes closed and keeping focused on the very aura of the room.  She could feel the energies flowing around herself, and she made use of this.  The residual flaming wax that stayed stuck to the bookshelves and walls was extinguished when Twilight brought in all of the air around the room into a small bubble around herself, concentrating the oxygen and subsequently bringing the combustion of the candle and stray wax to a violent, and roaring blaze.  She opened her eyes to see her handiwork: marveling at the swirling mass of burning fluid as it encircled her.  She pulled the already half-liquid candle off of the wooden table and extinguished the burning wood that it separated from, merging the destroyed candle with the ring of fire around her body.  She looked out and saw barely anything but a scorch mark on her walls and floor, everything was completely under control.  

Twilight breathed in deep, watching the inferno around her with a stark concentration.  She released the bubble of air and let it fill out the room once more, blowing any small objects around her desk all directions around the room.  With a smile, she crushed every bit of the flaming wax flowing lazily around her into a ball, igniting a raging (yet still controlled) inferno in front of her.  Her breathing increased in rate as she moved one hoof above the ball and one hoof below, crushing the ball into as dense as it could go with her telekinesis, and watching the fire consume it.  She tried to directly manipulate the flames themselves, pressing against their wild and unbound forms, and bringing them down, away from the ball.  As the flames obeyed her, Twilight stared down into the ball, watching a lick of fire rise and fall in every single direction from the ball of wax, including downward.  The thing resembled the sun, burning bright and violently, yet completely within her grasp: it was exhilarating.  

The only other lit candles around the room were blown out during her gale, so this ball was the only source of light for the study.  It cast an eerie glow and dancing shadow of the standing unicorn onto her wall and made the rest of the world seem to shrink away.  The raw, unbound power of fire dancing and writhing between Twilight's hooves brought a grin to her face.  What couldn't she control if she could control all of this?

Fearless

Spike sat perfectly still with his arms crossed and his knees up on the back steps of the library.  A single tear dripped down and hit the dirt, leaving a tiny crater in the soil as the little dragon tried his best to fight back his audible sobs.  He pulled his head up from his crossed arms, looking out toward the night-blanketed field behind the library.  Twilight's blood still stained the earth, though over a week of sunlight had seriously faded the color: it was only there at all due to an absence of rain.  In the large spot where Twilight had bled the most, a small plant had emerged from the soil sometime over the last week.  It stood small, but strong and healthy, thrusting a single flower into the sky.  Spike cocked his head and examined the thing from afar: it had five violet petals, and a series of long, yellow stalks in the center.  It was a beautiful flower, but Spike couldn't help from noticing the surreal nature of a single one growing exactly in the center of the stain.  He didn't pay it much mind, however, and went back to wiping his cheeks off with the back of his arm.  

The dragon stood up from the steps and turned to go back inside; his mind had changed from wanting to walk around town at night.  He slumped through the kitchen, taking in his surroundings and opening up the refrigerator to examine the rations.  Twilight hadn't gone to the store in weeks, so whatever he got was limited to what he could actually carry, which ended up not being much, and even less after Twilight stopped giving him any money for grocery shopping.  Spike's stomach grumbled a little bit as his eyes scanned the barren interior of the refrigerator.  What looked to be year-and-a-half-old butter, a small bowl of unidentifiable leftovers, and a salad drawer with a stripped head of lettuce was all that was to be found in here.  Spike took the lettuce head (what remained of it anyway) and finished it off; it was bitter and old, but at least it was food.  

He was starting to get sick of Twilight's neglect.  She literally hadn't left the upstairs of the library in weeks and it was starting to bother the dragon.  He even had to relocate his bed down to the living room because of the eerie lights and constant noise of Twilight's "practice" as she called it.  With a huff he walked back out into the living room, noticing one of Twilight's spare quills lying on the lower end of a bookshelf; Twilight had forgotten it a few days ago.  Spike looked into the bookshelf and saw a small stash of paper and ink where a larger book must have sat hiding them.  The dragon resolved that he should immediately let the Princess know about the dangerous state that Twilight was in; it was then or never, after all.  

Dear Princess Celestia,

It's Spike, and unfortunately I have some bad news.  Twilight hasn't quite been herself lately.  She found this old spellbook out in the woods and has been sitting up in her room with her nose in it for weeks!  I just don't know what I should do, and I figured that you'd be able to help.  You've always come through for her in the past, and she just won't listen to me.  

~Love, Spike.

As Spike added his signature to the scroll, he rolled it up as per the usual routine and sent it.  The flames seemed oddly to gravitate upward more than usual, but the letter still burned to smoke and wafted out one of the many open windows throughout the library.  Spike had no idea why, but the whole building smelled like smoke all the time, even though Twilight insisted it was nothing.

"You've done well, Twilight Sparkle, and have learned so very much.  I must ask you one thing before we continue however.  How committed are you to learning?"

"Oh, I'm the most committed unicorn you'll ever find, Iago."

"You have certainly proven that so far, but are you willing to make a great sacrifice in order to further your knowledge?  To reject the commonplace notions of ethics and morality?  Blurring the thin line between right and wrong, and then stepping upon it while teetering over the edges of your inevitable fate?"

Twilight slowly and carefully read the text, knowing that anything phrased this way would not be an easy task, nor would it be a "good-hearted" one.  With the promise of infinite knowledge, however, Twilight was almost salivating with anticipation, and would do nearly anything to get it.  "Iago.  Boundaries exist only to constrain.  I'll defy them as you see fit."

"I knew there was a reason I liked you, Twilight Sparkle.  You're so ambitious; it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  Now then, I will need you to prepare a ritual for me; a very important ritual.  Can you do this for me?"

"Of course.  What do you need done?"

"Start by getting pure beeswax.  You'll need no less than ten pounds of it, and do be sure your chemistry equipment is clean, will you?"

"Certainly.  Is that all?"

"No, it's not, but I'll fill you in some more when you need to know.  Until then, work on getting the wax and a large, very clean pot to melt it in."

"Do you have any specific preference on the beeswax?"

"Very astute of you to know that certain bees make better wax than others.  Actually, since you asked, yes I do have a specific preference.  Out in the Everfree Forest, about eight hundred paces from the base of the mountain directly beneath Canterlot exists a very strange place.  The forest itself is magical around those parts, and many of the creatures grow to oddly large proportions; bees included.  These bees make the purest and most velvety wax that I've ever used, so if you wish you may go there.  The better the quality, the more likely this will be to work."

"I'll set out first thing in the morning, then.  You can count on me."

"Oh, I know I can, Twilight Sparkle.  I would have crushed you long ago if I couldn't.  But why wait until morning?  You've all the time in the world right now."

"The worst monsters in the Everfree Forest come out at night, right?"

"What's your point?  Are you not powerful enough to ward of any unwanted intruders?"

"I suppose I am...  It could be good practice."

"Then what are you waiting for?  Get going.  Unlike me, you haven't got until the end of time."

Spike sat quietly in his favorite chair, reading a heavy fairy tale about an oddly hungry cicada that just couldn't get his fill.  The tome sat in his lap, and the dragon felt an almost spiritual connection to the insect in the book.  His stomach growled, breaking the silence, and sent a familiar feeling up his gullet.  With a rather rude belch, the dragon materialized a green flame in front of him that formed the usual small, tightly bound scroll from Canterlot.  After slipping off the red ribbon and seal that the Princess always used, Spike unraveled the scroll and gave it a quick glance over.

Spike,

While I do appreciate your worry for Twilight and the loyalty of your friendship to her, I must think that you have to be overreacting just a little.  It seems that every other week Twilight gets unhealthily obsessed with some new book or other, and that there's absolutely nothing to be done about it without direct intervention from myself.  I'm quite certain that she'll be fine on her own, and there's far too much to do in Canterlot that requires my personal attention.  If she doesn't improve by next week, write again, but otherwise I'm sure all she needs is a little reminder of why she's friends with anypony in the first place.

~Princess Celestia.

Spike grumbled and crushed the letter in his claws, tossing the crumpled and shredded paper aside onto the floor somewhere.  The dragon decided to go up to Twilight's study and tell her to get out and talk to somepony else in the morning.  Spike approached the doorway and was immediately greeted by a very proud-looking (despite her current physical state) Twilight Sparkle, trotting toward the doorway.  

"Oh!  Hello there, Spike.  What brings you up here?"  Twilight asked in an oddly cheerful manner.  

"I was just going to ask you a favor when you got the time..."  Spike didn't want to offend Twilight, and so tried to avoid the issue a little bit. "Going somewhere?"

"Yeah, I'm off to the Everfree Forest for a little while... Consequently, you can go ahead and sleep here in the study if you like.  I should be gone for the rest of the night."

"You're going to the Everfree Forest?  At night?  Are you insane?!"

"Quite the opposite, Spike.  I need to get pure beeswax, and there are apparently some bees out there that make only the best.  Plus I don't need sleep so waiting until morning would just be a huge waste of time."

"What in Celestia's name do you need beeswax from the Everfree Forest for?"

"Iunno...  I just know that I need it.  So I'll be back when I have some.  Sleep well, Spike."  With that, Twilight set off toward her front door, not allowing the dragon to protest her leaving anymore.  She quickly levitated her saddlebags over and fixed them to herself, heading into the kitchen for a little more preparation work.  She lined the bags with parchment paper to keep the wax from ruining them, and then grabbed a large knife to heat and scrape the wax with.  Without another word to Spike, Twilight left the library, and the dragon simply went upstairs and went to sleep; not in the mood to deal with Twilight anymore that night.

The cool breeze of the dead of night lightly flows through Twilight's disheveled mane, giving her an oddly refreshed feeling to be exposed to a comfortable change in temperature.  She looks out toward the forest, especially the portion that lies beneath Canterlot off in the distance, and sets off forward: her tome floating conspicuously behind her.  Twilight glanced around, finding nothing of interest specifically.  The small town of Ponyville was certainly a dark and quiet place at night; there were so very few lights around town.  The unicorn quickly trotted toward the edge of the forest, turning and pacing around it as she closed in toward the mountains.  

The walk was a grueling one, taking a toll on Twilight's focus and driving her to almost hypnotize herself with the constantly moving flashes of dull vegetation.  The unicorn slowed to a stop and glanced around; she had stayed just outside of the Everfree Forest until then, but it had started to slowly creep out and close in on her.  She decided at that moment to try something that had always given her trouble before finding the book: levitation of herself.  

The unicorn looked down to her hooves, lifting her front ones up and giving them a quick look over.  She figured that personal levitation couldn't be too difficult, so she simply used her telekinesis to try and grab at her feet.  This worked, as a matter of fact, but since her feet were the ones being grabbed she didn't have a whole lot of control over her roll and yaw.  If anypony were there at that moment, it would have been a somewhat amusing spectacle: Twilight flying over with little control and the occasional flailing of hooves to try and stabilize herself.  Eventually, she got the hang of things, and hovered steadily off the ground, slowly rising over the trees of the forest and basking in the fresh air.

Twilight glanced around her and took in what little scenery she could: the moon was bright enough to illuminate a little bit of the landscape, but otherwise anything specific just merged into a blackish-gray blob for miles.  The unicorn could faintly discern the lights of Canterlot off in the distance, however, and so floated her way slowly but surely in that direction.  She experimented with various speeds and body positions, making herself more aerodynamic for a while (before realizing that she actually had control over her wind resistance via air magic) and scanned along the ground as she flew over it.  The Everfree Forest certainly changed at night; harboring dozens of odd looking creatures of various sizes, and giving Twilight the impression that she was headed the right direction.  

After about fifteen minutes of flight, the unicorn came to a space in the shadow of the mountainside city of Canterlot.  Deciding to take a rest on a small cairn along the side of the mountain, Twilight flipped her book open and levitated it in front of her, taking the time to inquire about some more direction before she set out to find the bees.  

"Eight-hundred paces east of Canterlot, huh?  Seems kinda vague... Do you have anything more specific?"

"Back in my day, measurements were pretty hit and miss...  For a time we used "Queen's Hooves" as a system of measurement, but before Celestia came along, the Queens were mortal and the sizes were always changing.  I personally decided on paces because they were constant for me.  Don't worry, I'll be keeping track and let you know if you go too far."

"You said 'Queen's Hooves'?  We had a Queen?"

"Of course we did, Twilight Sparkle.  How can you have a Princess without a Queen?  As a matter of fact we might still have one; the only explanation for the usurper that currently holds the throne is her longevity and refusal to breed with anyone...  But I digress, and this is all ancient history with nothing to be done about it, now."

"Celestia refuses to breed with anyone?  But she has nieces and nephews."

"Oh, Twilight.  Your ignorance is just so adorable.  They aren't actually related, but are simply from the same lineage of creature.  There are just so few of them left that they consider themselves immediate family.  The winged-unicorns were some of the first of the ponies, but through interbreeding they began... losing body parts.  Wings, horns, bits and pieces of their bodies that contributed to their insanely long lifespan...  Their tall stature, that sort of thing.  In a way, you're all related to Celestia, and in another way, you're all doomed to sit beneath her."

"But why aren't there very many other winged unicorns like her?  If they all live forever, wouldn't that mean there would be more?"

"There weren't very many to begin with, but their pedigree started having adverse effects on them with age.  After a certain period of time, they began to die after childbirth, but otherwise they could last indefinitely.  Celestia found this out and took the world's longest vow of chastity.  So now she stands, pure as snow, and ruling over the whole of Equestria as her race slowly dies out because they chose to follow the natural cycle of evolution."

"She never told me about that..."

"And why should she?  A student with your mental faculties could potentially be a threat. Why else do you think she took you under her wing and taught you everything you know?  She could limit the amount of knowledge you could gain, limit your power, keep tabs on you, and of course; eliminate you if necessary."

"That...  That bitch!"

"Now, now, Twilight Sparkle.  Remember what I told you about tempering your emotions.  Use them as motivation, and nothing more, lest they control and consume you.  Now then, let's just get moving and find those bees... you'll grow more powerful by the day, and soon Celestia herself will cower at your hooves."

Twilight's teeth gritted together as she stood up and paced around.  She wasn't quite sure if she believed everything that Iago had told her, but the possibility was there.  The possibility was always there.  She placed her book into her saddlebag and then took a running start toward the ragged cliff face just a few feet away.  With a powerful leap, she dove into the night air, catching her body with telekinetic force and propelling her forward and down, entering the forest canopy at a dangerous speed.  She managed to create a barrier of pure force around her body, pushing branches and leaves and other dangerous things away before they got anywhere near her, bringing herself to a landing at the base of a large tree.  

Twilight glanced around her immediate surroundings, spotting some small clump of moss on the side of a tree and ripping it off telekinetically.  She pulled the clump toward her and ignited it viciously, giving herself a floating torch to light the area with as she trotted calmly through the foreign landscape.  Eyes in the shadows closed and darted away when exposed to the light, and various noises would halt in her presence every step she took.  It was like the entire world was making a path for her to travel through, and she wanted even more of that feeling.  

After a few minutes of wandering (or maybe it was an hour, Twilight couldn't tell), the unicorn started to pick up a dull, droning sound from somewhere in the distance.  She had lost track of exactly where she was, so she just instinctively followed the noise and listened for it to pick up in volume.  It didn't take too long for Twilight to hear the noise coming from multiple directions, leading her off into a bizarre section of the woods where there seemed to be very little decay going on along the ground.  The soil felt hard and brittle, very difficult for anything to grow in, yet she was surrounded by thick and healthy trees.  

Once the droning sound had surrounded her, Twilight started to get a little frustrated.  Just as she was about to torch the entire section of forest, a massive yellow streak took her by surprise from the left side.  She stumbled and fell off of her feet, tracking the blur as it traveled quickly, yet lazily, off in some direction: this was a standard bee that was nearly the size of a normal pony.  Twilight took off after the buzzing monster, keeping up with it in hopes that it would lead her back to its hive.  

Twilight wasn't quite prepared for just how large the hive would be; her jaw seemed to almost hit the floor as she approached it from within the trees.  Above her stood a ridiculous mound of a hive spilling out of the cavity of a massive (and once-regal) tree.  The tree was actually wilting from the weight of the hive, and the large bee (amongst many others) landed on the underside of the hive, crawling in through a hole that might have been big enough for a dragon to fit through.  The unicorn very slowly approached it and worked her way beneath the structure.  

She could only offer pity to the mighty tree struggling to hold up the weight of the hive, but somehow she felt nothing else toward it.  Her usual compassion, even for the occasional plant, had worn away completely by this point, and her actions entirely reflected it.  Twilight, without a second thought, took to her levitation once more, heading upward into the hive and nudging her way past a few of the monstrous bees on the way inside which was pitch black, but certainly not silent.  Twilight's ears were buffeted with the loudest torrent of buzzing that she'd ever heard in her life, and certainly the loudest that she ever hoped to hear.  She left the opening and scanned along the forest floor, eventually taking a reasonably sized stick up in her telekinesis (already straining her mind from carrying herself in such balance) and lighting it ablaze.  She returned into the hive and glanced around: taking in every single bit of her surroundings with awe.

There were hundreds of honeycombs, with each hexagonal cell large enough for Twilight herself to curl up in if she wanted.  Each one seemed to be full of honey or pollen, and oddly enough devoid of grubs.  Twilight located several cells toward the bottom of the hive and dropped herself on the of the structure.  The material itself was entirely beeswax, and she just happened to be lucky enough to land on a portion that wasn't coated in honey.  Twilight took out her knife and began to heat it, only stopping after it glowed red hot and produced enough heat for her to actually feel several feet from her face.  The surrounding bees didn't pay any mind to the unicorn's presence, continuing about their lazy task as if nothing else mattered.

The unicorn carved away a slab of beeswax as thick as her foreleg and as wide as her own body, letting the precious honey spill out into the surrounding space.  She tried a little; dipping her hoof into the goop and pulling away in a very long strand until she could lick a little off.  The instant it touched her tongue, Twilight felt extremely relaxed.  She almost fell to her knees, but managed to hold herself up after a little bit of adorable stumbling.  With a few deep breaths, Twilight regained her footing and set her hoof down, inadvertently sticking it to the floor with the remaining honey.  This was no threatening feeling, though.  As a matter of fact, Twilight had never felt better, (nor had she tasted better honey) in her entire life.  She pulled the slab of beeswax away and placed it in her saddle bag, repeating that step once more for another slab and removing her tome, filling up both of her bags to the brim with the fresh wax, and leaving no more room for storage.  Twilight wasn't finished, though, and decided to craft a small "jar" out of some of the remaining wax; collecting a large portion of the honey for herself, and then taking off after she was satisfied.  

As Twilight took off into the night, she saw several of the bees seem to cast her a glance.  She couldn't really tell if they could even move their heads in a way that did that, but she didn't let it bother her all the same.  The unicorn took to the skies of the Everfree Forest, leaving the large hive behind and flying through the air with her load of wax and honey.  The effects of the honey hadn't quite worn off at that point, though, and Twilight could swear that the wind was quite literally kissing her mane.  Everything felt different; not necessarily worse, but different; it was almost as if every single feeling she'd ever felt was coming alive for the very first time.  She could hear the leaves rustling below her in the wind, even though she was whizzing past them far too quickly for such a soft noise.  She could see the individual lights of her library, regardless of the fact that she was miles into the forest, and she could feel the various temperature differences in the air as she passed by it.  Everything was so vivid and so wonderful that she never wanted to stop.  

She decided to enjoy her state, doing a kind of barrel roll in the air and feeling every single tip of her mane tickle across her skin as it slapped against her neck.  She took in a very deep breath after holding herself upside-down and perceiving the world from a zero gravity perspective.  The air swirled in her lungs, and she could feel each little chamber in her chest fill with life-giving oxygen, and then expel it from her body.  She was almost overstimulated from her senses, but everything looked, sounded, felt, and smelled absolutely beautiful.

Once she finally reached her library, Twilight landed on her porch in the upper portion.  She opened the door softly and stepped inside, noticing everything within.  The honey wasn't affecting her quite as strongly at that point, but she could still feel her heightened senses tingling in every single pore of her body and mind.  As the honey gradually wore off, she examined the beeswax in her saddlebags, removing them along with the parchment paper and placing the slabs on her desk.  From the looks of it, she gathered a little bit more than enough, but that would allow her to do some study on it after she found the time.  She placed her small jar of honey toward the back of her desk, and opened her book on the little bit of clean space that still remained.  There was already a good amount of text written out for her to peruse.

"Very good, you've gathered nearly double the amount I asked for.  It seems that the bees have been growing lately, and making the wax more dense every single year.  The reason I had you gather this, my student, is because I'll need you to make votive candles for me.  These won't be just any candles, but will indeed help with a small ritual that could bring us together even closer.  The power behind this ritual can tear apart any life that catches itself unprepared in its wake, so it's absolutely imperative that we use pure materials, perfect concentration, and have a mastery of the various elements.  You can do what you will with the rest of the wax, though it should seem unremarkable to you.  Perhaps holding a small magical charge, but otherwise just beeswax.  

Though, I see you took some of the honey.  Quite an interesting idea, for I never tried it.  It was my notion that it was poisonous...  but I suppose that's not the case since you're still alive and kicking, Twilight Sparkle.  Pray tell, what's it like?"

"It's very interesting...  It tastes sweet, and thick, and with a perfect consistency.  It's not too sweet though, and doesn't overpower your taste buds, but then after you eat it you feel extremely relaxed.  After that, you seem to come back into perfect consciousness, and your senses have...  Well, they've exploded almost.  You can feel and see and taste and hear every little thing around you, even things far away.  It's wonderful."

"That's perfect.  Keep some of that honey, you'll need it for the ritual.  In the mean time, however, there's one thing you need to do before you make the candles.  Deep in the forest to the southeast lies a primeval spring.  This spring is very magical, and in fact provided me with a great place to revive my power in my life.  This spring is as old as Equestria itself, and should be treated like a place of worship, but getting there is no small task.  You will be tested by the Everfree Forest, and most likely brought to your knees.  Should you succeed, the reward is a water that, when distilled, produces crystalline salts that will retain the perfect magical essence of any element they're treated with.  A very valuable thing indeed.  I want you to get some of these salts, and imbue them with elemental power before we continue.  Once that's finished, there will be only a few more steps.  You're a wonderful student, Twilight Sparkle.  Don't fail me now."

"I couldn't fail you if I tried, Iago."

Will o' the Wisp

Twilight, after having set the wax on a flame-sanitized surface in her basement, placed a very large self-made glass bowl over the two large slabs.  During her frequent travels to the nearby river, the unicorn found large deposits of sand from a far off beach that seemed to have been carried through the water.  This sand definitely had silicates in it, and so she managed to magically melt the stuff into glass and use her air magic to create masterfully crafted glass objects.  It was a hobby that she only used for practice in finesse of her fire and air control, but lately it had been serving a more practical purpose.  The unicorn pulled all of the air that she could out of the spherical bulb of glass and fixed it down to the counter top vacuum sealing it and keeping it fixed to the table via the difference in air pressure; nothing would get in or out until she wanted it to.

The unicorn took to her staircase and reemerged into the living room of her library.  Spike was sound asleep in his bed at the foot of a bookshelf, so Twilight walked over to see him.  The unicorn magically pulled his blanket up over his body and tucked him in, reverting briefly back to her old self in his presence.  Once that minute task was over with, she grabbed a large black cloak out of her closet and wrapped around her shoulders.  She remembered getting this thing during one of her old, moody "occult" phases, and frankly this entire venture was reminding her of that personal episode.  The cloak was a lovely feeling to her: hiding her away from the suspicious and unworthy eyes that could potentially surround her, but never limiting her abilities.  She pulled the hood over her horn, covering everything that she could with the soft piece of velvety fabric and taking off toward the back door once more.  Her body still had yet to feel any fatigue, and her mind felt as sharp as ever.

Twilight quietly swung the back door to the Library open, sneaking out into the night and taking a few steps toward the forest.  The first thing she noticed, however, was the oddly placed flower sitting in the middle of her dirt pathway.  The curious unicorn lowered her head and tried to examine the thing, though the lack of light other than from the moon was making it difficult for her to really take it in.  She could tell that it was definitely a single flower, though, and that it had bloomed in a place oddly distant from others of its kind.  She shrugged, however, and took toward the night-blanketed forest either way, figuring that it was just some freak seed that had gotten blown there in the wind or something along those lines.  She took to the skies once more, this time going as high as she could instead of skimming along the tops of the trees: trying to spot the heart of the forest if at all possible.  

As she scanned over the dark landscape, she could see from the color shift in the sky that the night was soon to approach its end, and she didn't want to be caught floating around in the day time.  The night air was very warm, warmer than most other nights as a matter of fact, so Twilight didn't mind just staying still and perusing the trees for any sign of a center.  From what she could tell, the expanse of the forest didn't actually end, but simply thinned out in certain places and left pockets of clearing from time to time, extending its reach over the horizon. This prompted her to flip her book open and begin reading.  A small gust of wind blew against her face and pushed the hood off of her head, but didn't blow the cloak off entirely, so she didn't actually bother to do anything about it.  

Just as she was about to ask the book exactly where to go, her thoughts were interrupted by the odd sound of snoring from very close to her back.  She slowly turned around, and caught the image of a snoozing Rainbow Dash on a tiny cloud lazily floating along in the wind.  The pegasus rolled over and opened her eyes a little (not quite "waking up" however), and rubbed her nose with the back of her forehoof.

"Ugh... Twilight, don't you know you're supposed to read in the Library...  You could hurt yourself way up here..."  At the end of this cautionary statement, she rolled back over onto her other side and fell asleep, leaving Twilight completely speechless from the situation.  After she regained her composure, Twilight decided to take off toward the forest a little way, keeping a slow clip and reading on the fly.  

"You cannot reach this place from above, Twilight Sparkle.  Though I must admire your innovation in personal flight.  The trees that surround this place are filled with deadly brambles, and they only thin out enough to pass through toward the ground, otherwise you're likely to get stuck in the canopy and bleed to death."

"Well, where's the closest place I can land?"  Twilight asked in a somewhat droll voice as she dodged out of the way of a flock of approaching morning-birds.  

"If you're still in the air when the sun comes up, you'll be likely to notice a tall, thick, very dark green patch of forest: that's where you'd like to be, but since we're out here at night, the best I can say is to look for a series of very tall trees and land on the outskirts of them.  Once you're there, move into the thickest portion of forest you can find: it will only get worse, but that's how you know you're on the right track."

Twilight looked up from her tome and replaced it by her side, keeping it magically pinned to her so that she wouldn't lose track of it.  Scanning the forest, the unicorn could only barely pick out the various height differences in the individual trees; leading to a small bout of frustration on the matter.  Twilight's night vision wasn't very good (years of reading in a barely candle-lit room had caught up to her) so she ended up flying slowly over the whole forest and looking for varying degrees of height in the treetops.  

With the sunrise came shadows of the trees, giving Twilight the ability to spot the taller portion of the forest, as well as the colors that Iago had instructed her to look for and helping her to spot the unusual section of forest in no time at all.  The unicorn took flight toward the area, still reveling in the wonderful feeling that it was to actually fly.  She made sure not to rush, taking in the scenery as she sped over it, watching over each new development as it came into view and then promptly left.  Nature really was a beautiful thing to Twilight, and the Everfree Forest had started to become fascinating with the rise of her power.  

As she approached them, Twilight could see that the trees definitely grew taller in this area of forest, and far more green.  The height differences seemed to radiate from the center (tallest to lowest), which she assumed held the spring that Iago had told her about.  Twilight examined the trees as she approached them, noticing quickly that their trunks were extraordinarily thick with respect to their proportions of height.  Some of them even seemed to join together in the air, or at least weave their branches together to create an almost impenetrable mass of plant matter.  

Twilight slowly picked her way through the canopy of trees, telekinetically pushing through whenever she had to, and landed on the damp forest floor.  Her hooves sank a little and water welled up around them, but she trudged forward toward a natural arch made from the bizarre trees that reached up toward the sky.  The unicorn entered the arch and glanced around, not seeing anything particularly out of the ordinary right away, but felt a small bramble prick her leg as she stepped forward.  She winced and glanced down, finding that whatever wasn't bare mud was just thick briar patches extending along the ground.  

"Oh I can tell this is gonna be real fun already..."  The unicorn said aloud, yanking her hoof out of the mud and scraping the thorns of the briar against her coat; lucky for her it wasn't quite sharp enough to get through.  She levitated her book in front of her and went to ask it a question, finding to her surprise that there was already an entry on the page.

"Twilight, I need you to pay attention very, very carefully.  There are two things that you absolutely must know about this section of forest: You can not by any means use your magic to move these obstacles out of the way, and you can not trust what you see.  There will be horrors, and there will be aberrations lurking around, but they will not attack you.  If you see anything that you aren't completely sure about, I want you to consult me, otherwise you could very easily die in here."

"I can't use my magic?  Are you serious!?  Why the hay not?"

"The Everfree Forest is more than just a frightening place that most ponies don't like to live in, Twilight Sparkle.  The deeper you get, the more bizarre this place becomes; we're nearly at the heart of the forest, so the usual laws of your world don't apply here.  There is a very powerful ward in this area that prevents the spread of magic: using the elemental magics that I've been teaching you would be like throwing water on an oil fire, only in your mind and your soul."

As the glowing words scribbled across the page, Twilight thought that she caught something out of the corner of her eye and turned to look at it.  Something was definitely off in the distance; groping at the trees with clawed hands and escaping into the darkness of the canopy, but Twilight couldn't quite make out what it was.  "W-what about unicorn magic?"

"Not only is that prestidigitation absolutely useless, but since it entirely uses your horn as a channel, it would likely explode.  Frankly, I don't think you'd look too great as an earth pony with a scorched face."

Once more Twilight's concentration on her book was disturbed, but this time by a horrendous rustling in the bushes behind her.  She spun around to look and saw absolutely nothing, only to feel some kind of moist breath on the back of her neck.  Her head whipped around again, trying to find whatever assailant monstrosity was chasing her through the briars, but still couldn't find anything.  "It'll only get worse, but that's how you know you're on the right track..."  She repeated to herself, taking a few steps forward into the frightening brush in front of her.  She had gotten five steps into the forest heart before she heard a twig snap about three feet behind her, startling her and sending her off running as fast as she could.  

She brushed past brambles and briars, feeling the small thorns rip into the skin of her legs, but sloughing off the pain due to the adrenaline.  Twilight dodged under tree branches, jumped over rocks and stumps, nearly tripping every step of the way and never shaking the feeling that she was being followed.  She dared to look back one single time, seeing nothing directly behind her but the overgrown, shadowy forest covering up her tracks behind her.  Every single step forward brought her deeper and deeper into the thorn bushes.

Twilight had to pause and catch her breath, looking around at her surroundings and noticing an intricate working of vines up along the trees, each one baring a slew of thorns that looked sharp enough to rip through metal.  These vines were much thicker than the small brambles earlier, and imposed immediate danger to even the tiniest mistake in Twilight's steps.  Claustrophobia didn't take long to set in on the unicorn, given that the forest seemed to actually shrink around her as she pushed on forward; she even started hearing more and more distant sounds.  The errant squawk of some unnamed species of bird and the growl of some horrifying canid monster tore through the dense web of dangerous plant life and teased at Twilight's nerves.  

She continued to walk forward, passing off everything that she heard as machinations of her psyche, and trying her best to simply keep calm.  The squeal of a lesser creature in its death rattles threw this off however, sending her heart skipping and rousing her to run once more, but she fought back the urge; the plants here could kill her if she ran into them.  This was demonstrated to her by a very large insect much like the bees from before (though looking to be more fly-like in appearance) landing on a beautifully natural looking mat, only to be devoured by a quick folding of vegetation that left only a muffled buzz fighting for its last breaths.  

Twilight's breathing grew shaky as she calmed down, feeling the sore aches of being cut open in dozens of tiny scrapes along her legs.  She looked down to assess the wounds and promptly wished that she didn't: just the sight of so many small cuts made her feel all the more pained by the wounds.  Blood ran down her legs in a small stream that collected mass as it reached her hooves, staining the mud red as she trudged through it.  She could feel her heart sink as she looked on, taking the route in front of her that bore the nastiest looking patch of brambles, both alive and dead, to wall off her progress.

The unicorn glanced around at the forest, having a minor panic attack as everything continued to change around her.  She decided to place a barrier around herself, silently cursing the magical ward away in her mind.  She didn't quite feel like her mind was set ablaze by the barrier, so she kept it up and ran forward, impacting the briar patch in front of her and immediately feeling the effects.  Each time a thorn scraped against her barrier, she could feel it like a nail on a chalkboard inside of her mind.  She continued through the brambles, fighting back the growing migraine as best she could while still keeping focus.  The sound buffeted her head, making her wince and stumble each step through, and the sounds only grew worse.  Her legs were entangled in brambles, constantly screeching inside of her mind, and forcing her to struggle to pull them out.  Her progress was all but halted in the magical forest, bringing her to the point of hyperventilation and a cold sweat.  

Twilight's heart pounded in her chest, her mind felt as thought it was about to shatter from the constant sonic attack, and her body strained against the entangling vines around her; her barrier wasn't going to hold up for too long.  She noticed the slow shimmer of the body-fitting magical shield begin to fade, so she fought for control, straining her body to the point that every single fiber of her being ached.  She took one more step and felt a sinking sensation in her chest; she had fallen forward.  This was the last straw, and she completely lost her focus, allowing her body to come into direct contact with the brambles around her.  

Her agonized scream was muffled by the surrounding vegetation, letting absolutely nothing escape her general area as the unicorn fell into a net of thorny vines.  Dozens of small puncture wounds littered her body, and the unicorn was sent into a horrible fit of pain with each small movement.  She pulled her hind leg to try and curl into a defensive ball, but felt it get caught in the thorns, ripping away at her flesh when she tried to move it.  Tears streamed down her bloody cheeks and her countenance twisted into a grimace: before each of her eyes was a single, massive thorn that seemed specifically meant to blind her in the most sadistic way possible.  

In a fit of anger and fear, the unicorn tried to set the forest ablaze with her magic, but to her dismay this resulted in her head feeling like it had been split on a rock.  She let out another yell: one of desperation, fear, agony, and unfathomable sadness.  

"No!  No, no no no, I'm going to die in here!"  Twilight screamed out, feeling her tears navigate their way through the bloodstained fur on her cheeks.  She struggled and writhed once more, pulling at every single limb on her body to try and bring them closer to her torso, but only feeling the sadistic thorns rip away at her body even more.  "I don't wanna die!  Somepony help!  Help me, please!"  Every move she made, more thorns pierced her skin and dug into her body; eventually she just wanted it to end and for the pain to go away.  

Twilight tried to glance around and get a view of where her legs were, seeing that each one was pulled in a different direction than the others.  She was suspended in this horrific trap of thorny vines, each one slowly becoming stained with her freely flowing blood.  The area below her fell into a chasm so deep that she couldn't see the bottom: only a foggy crevasse full of these vines and, to her dismay, the corpses and skeletons of hundreds of other unfortunate ponies.  

The instant Twilight spotted this grisly scene, her stomach sank in her body.  If she had eaten anything in the past two weeks, it would have come up just then, but her body settled for a dry retching that left her throat feeling raw (along with several more punctures across her body from the twitching).  "What... W-w-what is this place?!"  Twilight moved her head as best she could without too much pain from the thorns, spotting more and more of the twisted bodies surrounding her.  Every single direction had several bodies, and she could only assume that a number of ponies equaling the population of Ponyville had died in this hellish place.  

Twilight began to sob, not knowing what else she could even do other than curl up and die, her hope literally draining from her body like the unmeasurable volume of blood that she had been losing up to this point.  To her chagrin, she felt something drip on the back of her neck, and she craned it to look.  Dangling just a few feet above her was the visage of some unknown, pale blue stallion with a dark purple mane in about the same situation as she was.  Unlike Twilight, however, this stallion wasn't quite as lucky as to still be alive: a large vine had wrapped itself around his eyes and his mouth, gagging him and puncturing his eyes with the thorns (thankfully the vine hid this gruesome sight from poor Twilight), as well as continuing down his neck.  He wasn't twitching or gasping, so any blood that fell from him was simply being drained by the forest.  

The unicorn couldn't take it anymore, and hung her head down to cry.  All she could bring herself to do was to sob and wait for the sweet embrace of death to take her away from her suffering.  From time to time she opened her eyes, wishing that this was just some kind of nightmare, but time and time again she saw the twisted bodies surrounding her, and her own tortured frame being assimilated into the macabre web.  She grew delirious from her blood loss, and glanced around nearly in a trance, taking in every vine and every corpse, watching various fluids drip all around her in a crimson rain.  Her face was already stained with her own blood and tears, as well as dirt and pollen from the forest, so she couldn't care less what landed on it from her surroundings, and the initial trauma of the sights around her had begun to wear off.  She started to target some of the ponies and try to figure out who was luckiest out of the pack.  One looked as if he was hung by the neck only: a quick death she could assume, but the thorns would have made it painful.  Another seemed to be cocooned in the vines all save his or her hooves: that had to suck.   She looked down with a deadpan countenance and saw, to her surprise, her book sitting just below her and stained a little with her blood.  

This vision was enough to pull her out of her trance, though not enough to restore her liveliness.  She tried to open the book with her telekinesis, and watched it crack a bit before being pressed back by the vines surrounding it.  She tried one more time, forcing the book with all of her remaining might, putting more strain on her mind than she ever thought that she could.  Once more, she felt the nails on a chalkboard within her head, but ignored the pain in her body and in her mind, forcing the book, her only true salvation, to open and advise her.  

"Run, Twilight Sparkle."

"Run?  Run?!  Where the hell am I supposed to run to?  I don't even know where the ground is!  I can't move!  I can't breathe, I can't feel anything, I'm going to die in here!"

"You'll only die if you give up.  That's how this place works, by preying on your fear until every last ounce of hope is drained from you.  Just trust me, run forward."

Twilight looked ahead and saw the gruesome mask of thorns in front of her, waiting for the unicorn to drive her face into it and put her eyes out.  "Are you insane?  I'll be blinded!  I'm already bleeding out over this chasm!"

"Just run, Twilight Sparkle.  The forest wouldn't put that directly in front of you if it didn't want you to fear it.  It wants you to hang there and die, it doesn't want you to run forward."

"But my legs are bound.  I can't do anything without the thorns--"

"The thorns are just there to scare you, ignore them and run before you bleed to death!"

Twilight stopped her argument and pulled her legs beneath her, trying to orient herself into a running position.  The thorns tore into her body once more, this time feeling as though they were damaging her muscle tissue.  Twilight let go in agony, screaming out once more and letting her legs return to their original positions.  She tried again, knowing that Iago had a better idea of what to do than she did, but still not trusting him explicitly.  She held her tortured legs beneath her body and brought her foreleg out to take a step (onto what, she wasn't sure).  She pulled it back and felt resistance, noticing that her body actually moved forward, and her face moved one inch closer to the horrible mat of thorny vines that threatened her vision.  She gritted her teeth and pushed on, moving her legs methodically in a stepping motion, though feeling virtually nothing beneath her hooves.  The thorns tore into her body, almost flaying her with how violent the scratches and tears were becoming step by step.  The moment came that her face would contact the thorns before her, and she simply shut her eyes as hard as she could, pushing on and letting out a blood-curdling scream of anger, fear, and pain.  Her primal emotions took over and she had to fight not to curl back up into the fetal position.  She could feel the thorns penetrate her eyelids and dig slowly, painfully, into her eyes.  She never stopped screaming as the dagger-like thorns pushed themselves into her face and neck, tearing away skin and flesh and making Twilight want nothing more than to die and escape the pain.  A few more steps, a few more seconds of agony, and a few more inches forward in the suspension above a bottomless pit of corpses and sorrow.

She fought and fought, combating her own instincts to sit down and clutch her pained body, and started to run.  She timed her legs so that they held a balance even though they were all being held uncomfortably by tight thorny vines, but she didn't let that deter her.  She galloped into the agonizing thorns and clenched her teeth to try and fight the pain with a tensing of muscle.  She felt a thorn go through her cheek and scrape along her teeth from the front of her mouth all the way to her jaw bone, presumably ripping that portion of her face off and claiming it forever within the vines.  She didn't care anymore and kept on running, hoping for a faster death at full gallop rather than just sitting there and bleeding for days.  Eventually, she felt something strike her hoof and send her tumbling forward, but to her surprise she hit the damp muddy ground of the forest floor.  Her eyes flew open (surprising her that they were still there at all) and darted around her surroundings, looking once more at the mud on the ground and the brambles ahead of her, but not at a web of dead and bleeding ponies in a mesh of thorns.  She was in nature again, turning around to see her book lying in the mud and a large bramble bush behind her with a few vines torn out of it.  

She picked her book up and opened it, looking for some kind of explanation to what had just happened, finding an entry being scrawled out before her very eyes.

"You've just encountered a terror bramble.  One of my personal favorites of this section of forest, at least in plant life.  Its thorns contain a hallucinogenic toxin that make you think you're trapped, though the location of being trapped is different for everyone, usually preying on primal fears and phobias.  The bush tricks you into wanting to stay still until you either bleed or starve to death, leaving your body on the ground beneath it to fertilize the soil and keep it alive.  It's a very sinister plant, and I absolutely love its style.

"You mean none of that was real?"

"None of it was real, Twilight Sparkle.  You may have some minor scratches from the tiny thorns, and some bigger ones from the actual plants around here, but you're largely unharmed.  You may see frightening things for a few days though, the toxins take quite some time to get out of your body with natural processes.  Now keep walking, it's almost noon and you still have to get out of this place alive and with your salts."

Twilight took a few deep breaths and cracked her back, looking around and finding the approximate path into the heart of the forest and walking forward at a slow and deliberate pace.  The unicorn had no idea what would happen next, and knew she wouldn't be prepared for it, but she could feel the scholarly drive backing her every step and reassuring her every doubt.

Essence

Twilight held a large branch in her mouth, nudging her way through the thick brush and scrub that stood in her way.  She hacked away at whatever wouldn't move with a push, and slowly picked her way into the heart of the Everfree Forest, not daring to use her magic.  Every single ounce of pain that had settled into her body from the constant assault of cuts and bruises had faded and taken up residence within her mind; she felt as though her brain would explode any moment.  With a few deep breaths, though, she pushed onward, never really hoping for anything more than an end to this state of perpetual discomfort.  She performed her actions like a robot: methodically moving forward, hacking away at brambles with her improvised weapon, stalling to clear away the thorns, and then moving again.  

After what felt to her like an eternity, Twilight emerged into a clearing where the trees seemed to arch and web over each other.  Twilight could see no sky, nor leaves even, but only the twisted bark of tree trunks reaching into the air and weaving together into a dome above her.  The area was a near perfect hemisphere, and at the center sat a perfectly circular pool of luminescent water that cast a beautiful blue glow onto the entire clearing and the instant Twilight stepped inside, she could feel a very strong magical force wash over her.  The feeling was absolutely invigorating, and Twilight felt a deep shudder hit her spine as the pleasurable feeling surrounded her being and warmed her from the damp cold of the forest.  

She moved in toward the pool, throwing caution to the wind and simply wanting to see her reward first-hand, which did not disappoint her.  The water that came from the spring had a glassy finish to it and what seemed to be a very low surface tension.  The surface of the fluid rippled as she approached, picking up the slightest vibrations even in the ground around the spring.  She couldn't see into the pool, receiving only a perfect, rippling reflection of herself staring back with one change.  Something about her eyes wasn't quite right; they didn't really look like a set of normal pony eyes, instead seeming to be all dark-purple with a barely noticeable pale violet in the center.  She figured this was just some trick of the pool, though, and didn't pay too much attention to them.  

Twilight reached her hoof down and touched the liquid, feeling almost no resistance from it as her foreleg sank into the depths.  Everywhere on her skin that the water touched felt like an electric current was running through it, invigorating the nerves and muscles in her body and warming them, but never to the point of discomfort.  As a matter of fact, Twilight had never felt anything quite so amazing in her life, and had to fight herself from simply diving into the pool.  In a small fit of desperation, Twilight turned to read from her book, seeing nothing in the pages and asking what exactly she was supposed to do with the fluid here.  

"As I've said before, you have to evaporate the water and collect the salts from it.  Simply take what you need, though, for it is somewhat dangerous to take too much from this place."

"What'll happen if I take too much?"

"I'm unsure, though I have a feeling the forest will destabilize.  All things considered, this pool could be the font of magical energy for every plant in the Everfree, so we don't want to disturb it too much more than we need to, lest it destroy the ecosystem.  However... Toward the end of my life I was doing some research on the properties of the salts in here.  That research I will share with you after our little ritual."

"Well...  How much did you say we needed?"

"Just a few hoof-fulls for you.  The crystals will be very large, so get as many as you can.  I'm sure just one or two gallons of the water will suffice, but take what you need until you feel comfortable in the amounts."

Twilight set the book down on the grass around the pool, glancing around to ensure her safety and then setting to work on the pool before her.  She tried her water magic to lift the fluid out and examine it, cautiously at first in anticipation for the upcoming migraine, so only taking a few drops up out of the water.  The pain never came to her, however, so she pulled a much larger volume out of the pool and hovered it in front of her eyes.  Twilight took a few steps back, levitating the shimmering mass of water just a few inches out from her face and examining it.  Still, she could not see through it; it was completely opaque and perfectly reflective, though seemed to have no viscosity.  She heated the sphere by simply applying energy into it, watching small bubbles break on the surface of the fluid and becoming almost captivated by it.  As the ball of mercurial water slowly began to decrease in size, a large, perfectly white crystalline shard fell out of the bottom and plummeted toward the ground.

Twilight caught the thing with her telekinesis before it impacted the forest floor and brought it over to her, keeping her ball boiling and floating in the air while simultaneously examining the crystal.  Unlike the water, the substance was almost as clear as glass, but the visible portions of it retained a perfect white that could rival fresh morning snow.  Out of the corner of her eye, she could see another of these crystals fall out of the ball, but this time she couldn't quite react to it and it hit the ground.  The fragile-looking thing was deceptive in its looks, driving itself into the ground about halfway without any bouncing or adjustment of position; Twilight concluded that the substance, whatever it was, must be very dense.  

Twilight allowed the water to boil away completely, taking at least two hours (though she superheated it toward the end to try and speed the process) and collected each crystal as it fell.  She left the one on the ground to see if it had any kind of change, but couldn't quite observe anything different about it.  After a quick consultation with Iago, she determined that it would be best to just leave it there lest it taint the batch that she was going to use.  Once the last ounce of fluid formed itself into a large, identical crystal and faded away, Twilight examined her collection.  It seemed that each one was completely uniform with each other, forming an asymmetrical shape that somehow managed to stay exact amongst all of the crystals.  She decided that if any were left after the ritual she'd need to study everything about them.

After realizing that she had forgotten her saddle bags for this trip, Twilight set her torn cloak down on the ground, flattening it out and examining it for a large enough, contiguous space to set down the tome and the crystals if she could.  Luckily for her, she moved the tome in the open position down onto the cloth before the crystals and spotted the most recent entry: "Don't put those salts down!"

Twilight complied with the demand and kept them levitating, examining the book for what Iago wanted her to do with them.  

"I'm rather glad you didn't bring your saddle bags for this, because I would not allow you to place those valuable things in them anyway.  These crystals can't touch anything, as a matter of fact even air can degrade their quality.  I want you to turn the page and place the entire pile down, then close this book.  Can you do that for me?"

Without answering, Twilight simply turned the page and gently laid the crystals as balanced as she could onto the blank paper, closing the tome with her telekinesis and worrying that she would crush the salts or shred the book.  Without any noise at all, the book closed just as if she had closed it any other way, leaving no space or bulge to worry about, and no crystals to be found.  She flipped the tome back open and examined the glowing script that sat anew on the page.

"I'll keep these safe until you need them.  Thank you, Twilight Sparkle."

"Hey, that's pretty nifty...  How'd you do that?"

"It's just a simple void conjuration.  I can teach it to you after you've performed the ritual, but I'm afraid it would be too impractical and tedious to do it through this bothersome script.  I dare say you've gotten plenty of these for now, so I'd suggest you leave the forest before nightfall comes."

"Just one thing, first.  I'll be right back."  Twilight didn't even wait for Iago to respond and simply closed him up on her cloak, leaving him in the grass and stepping over to the pool.  She spotted the crystal that she had dropped and examined it in the ground.  The grass and other vegetation immediately surrounding the embedded shard had grown up around it and sprouted toward the sky in that short time.  Twilight figured that something about these crystals changed the fertility of the soil around them, and decided that a future study into the properties of these would definitely be in order.  The unicorn then moved onto the actual spring, deciding to smell the air directly above the pool of shimmering liquid and picking up a fantastic scent that she had never experienced before.  It seemed to her to be every single delicious smell in the world merged into one; infinitely pleasing, but not overpowering, and yet giving Twilight no one way to describe it.  She could no longer stop herself and dipped her nose into the water, gulping back several mouthfuls of it before coming up for air.  

The liquid gave the sensation of a very fine aged liquor; burning her throat on the way down, but not harsh enough to be displeasing.  It tasted kind of like flavored water, but she couldn't quite pin down the flavor, much like the smell of the fluid itself.  To her, it tasted like everything she'd ever tasted in her life, and she quivered in excitement from the wonderful feeling within her.  Everything seemed to be teeming with energy in her body; her nerves were all excited at once, and her senses were sharpened until she could locate the exact distance of a butterfly off in the distance simply by listening to the flapping of its wings.  She stumbled back to her cloak and book, flipping it open with her telekinesis (or rather slamming it, the power behind the action had taken a mighty leap forward).  As she began to explain the feeling, she was interrupted by frantically scribbled glowing text on the page.

"Foolish child!  Please tell me you didn't drink from the pool!"

"Huh?  What's the big deal Iago?  That water is... incredible."

"It's 'incredible' because it's pure magic.  Do you understand what that much power in your body could do to you?  Have you ever seen a tree get struck by lightning?  Or a moth fly into the flame of a candle?  How much did you drink?!"

"Just a few mouthfuls...  I'll be alright, won't I?"

"A few mouthfuls?!  Great... The most promisingly venerable student I've ever had was silly enough to actually drink the water.  No other pony will ever find me in this part of the Everfree..."

"Wait, what?!  But I feel just fine.  Maybe a little warm but..."

"You have five minutes or so before you'll feel the full effects.  It does have to enter your bloodstream you know.  Might as well say a few last words with the time that you have left...  I suppose you'll at least go out in an interesting way."

"You mean I'm going to die?!"

"I'd say you have an eighty percent chance of immediate death, fifteen percent chance of severe tissue damage and then later death, and a five percent chance of survival.  To put it bluntly, you'll probably burst into magical fire if you can't release enough of that energy.  The fire that this causes in organisms is beautiful though...  Have you ever seen a flame that burns pure black?" Iago's coldness toward his student's endangered life brought the situation into perspective for her: something very, very bad was about to happen, and the feelings in her stomach were definitely attributing that to fact.

Twilight panicked, moving aside and kneeling onto the ground.  She could feel her stomach growing more and more warm from the fluid inside of it, so she quickly pushed her hoof into her mouth, trying to induce her gag reflex.  It worked; the unicorn vomited up what amounted to mostly silvery liquid that burned her throat and tongue as it exited, but she could still feel the building energy in her system.  Every one of her nerves was tingling with that same energizing feeling that had washed into her skin the instant she stepped into this dome, though it continued to grow until it was actually painful.  She levitated herself, getting off of the ground and looking around her surroundings for some kind of solution, though she wasn't quite sure what she was going to look for.  She saw an errant tree attempting to grow within the clearing, so she tried to light it on fire, figuring that she could simply push the magical energy out of her body by practicing her elemental magics (fire being the most intensive consumer) but was reminded brutally of the magic ward within this portion of forest by a splitting headache.  

The unicorn glanced around frantically, trying to find something to burn and some way to get this power channeling before it destroyed her body, eventually looking down and seeing her own two hooves.  She grimaced, but resolved to put up another form-fitting barrier on her body and, experimentally, light that barrier aflame.  Her hooves, already shimmering with a magical shield, lit with a roaring fire that extended up to her elbows, causing her to blink rapidly and forcing her to focus on several things at once.  She could feel the building energy slow down, but not quite stop in its progression, so she resolved that a slightly more intense version this self-conflagration would be the only way to survive.  Floating there above the magical pool, Twilight lit her entire body, magically shielded, into a roaring inferno that put the brightness of the glowing spring beneath her to shame.

Twilight could open her eyes without fear of them drying out thanks to the shield, but she could literally see the bases of flames rising from her pupils, sending bright light directly into her retinas.  She kept her eyes clenched shut and tried to monitor her panicked breathing; every single lungful of air she took was far too hot to be comfortable.  She could feel the power in her body being pushed through her and expunged into the fire around her body, so she knew this was the only way to go, but it was still a horrifying thought.  If she let her barrier fall, she'd be incinerated at the heart of this conflagration, and if she let herself fall then she'd hit the magically guarded floor and probably have her mind assaulted once more.  If she let the flames fall, the magical water in her body could annihilate her very being, so her life literally relied on her focusing on each of the three events without fault, lest she be consumed in a very painful way.  She kept everything consistent, but still felt the power rise within her, so she upped the 'fuel' to her inferno, bringing it into a massive cinder that rose up nearly twenty feet away from the unicorn's levitating body.

She curled herself into a ball, floating in her fiery prison, trying to expend every ounce of extra energy that she had taken in, forcing it out of her body through mighty flame that could intimidate even the bravest of dragons.  She felt her muscles twitch and her nerves tingle: the fire wasn't enough, but she couldn't apply too many of her mental faculties to it lest she lose focus on her levitation or barrier, so she resolved to simply fly up.  The sound of flames whipping as the air above her flowed around her frame buffeted her hearing until she was nearly deaf, but she managed to use the white noise as a way to help keep focus.  She knew she'd hit the ceiling eventually, but couldn't think of anything else to do without killing herself, and so braced for both the mental and physical impact.

The magical fire around her body was so hot that the trees above her were immediately consumed upon her getting close to them, and although her mind was wracked with pain, she kept her upward path right through the canopy.  The dome was no match for her, and the ward shattered at the might of her magical exertion, sending her bursting forth from the forest and sailing into the sky.  Her body left a trail of flames nearly fifty feet long as she continued up into the air, body aflame with the most intense fires that anypony would ever see, though she was just far enough out of sight from any livable area that nopony actually did.  Her barrier held strong, and the flames continued to burn away the excess, leaving her just enough leeway to manipulate the area of the fire around her as she sailed into the afternoon sky.  She removed the fire from her head, allowing her to breathe fresh and cool air as long as she moved forward, as well as to see where she was coming from and where she was headed.  

She looked down in a bewilderment, watching her fiery form tear through the sky at an impressive speed and leave a blazing trail behind all the way down to the forest canopy.  She could see the hole in the treetops, circumvented by fire, that she had left in her wake.  She couldn't help but let out a very amused laugh, stopping her flight to soar forward at very high speeds and listening to the wind as it buffeted her body.  She could feel the energy within her beginning to decrease, but she wouldn't stop even if she needed to; flight was a primal enjoyment for the unicorn, and flying while projecting fire onto your own body and remaining largely unharmed by it simply left her giddy with the incredible display of her growing power.  

After circling the heart of the forest several times, Twilight began to feel a slight fatigue.  The last of the excess was leaving her body, so she extinguished the flames and flew back down toward the hole in the canopy that she had left, reentering it and finding her cloak one more time lying in the grass awaiting her.  The trees had already healed up from the wounding blaze and were on their way to regrowing the dome, but Twilight had more than enough room to get back through.  She landed by the pond, glancing around at the beams of light pushing their way through the smoke left by her near-self-immolation.  She couldn't help but smirk at the raw might of her magic, and she vowed to return to this place for another sample of that fluid: if she could find the proper dosing (she thought) she could easily give herself an extra 'boost' should she ever need it.

She trotted back over to her cloak and book, kneeling down next to them and catching her breath a bit.  She was extremely fatigued from that level of intensity, and realized that her nose was bleeding again, though she just pressed her already damaged cloak up to her muzzle to retain the bleeding and opened the book.  "Well Iago... I'm still here, what else ya got?"

"Okay, you win.  I'm very, very impressed by that, Twilight Sparkle.  Most creatures would have died attempting such a thing, or would have just panicked until they burst into flame, but you... Oh, you.  Not only are you more than worthy of being my student, but it would be my honor to continue to teach you."

"I'm glad you think so, and I'm also glad that you saw everything... I was worried nopony was watching...  I wouldn't believe it myself if I hadn't looked."

"I don't 'see' things in the same way that you do, Twilight Sparkle.  In the absence of eyes, I cannot take in the light of this world.  You could say I've been blinded by death, but in the same way that a bat locates its surroundings by listening to the echoes of its voice, I can see everything around me by listening to the echoes of the magic of the world.  What you did just now lit up my world like a hundred suns... It was glorious."

"Well then, I suppose it's time to go home.  Lucky me for having a little shortcut." Twilight punctuated her sentence with a giggle, feeling as though she'd surpassed her teacher's every expectation: something that would always make her feel like a little filly again.  She picked up her cloak and hid herself as best she could, levitating her book behind her and taking to the skies once more.  The unicorn brushed her way through the already closing hole in the canopy and skimmed the treetops toward Ponyville, enjoying once more the feeling of air rushing past her body.  Despite some of the events that had transpired, Twilight had a great day, and it would only get better.

The Summoning

Twilight entered her library at around three-o'-clock in the afternoon, keeping her cloak draped over her withers despite its recent battering.  She took a deep breath and sat down, feeling the fatigue of the day catch up to her and make her want to just sit back and relax for a minute.  Her mind was still abuzz with activity, however, and she couldn't stop recounting the fiery flight that she had taken.  Since she had no intention of sleeping, she simply sat up and stared at the wall for a few minutes, losing herself in thought.  Eventually, she levitated her book up into her lap and flipped it open, looking down at the glowing words that must have been waiting on her the whole time.

"While I do agree that you've certainly earned a rest, I think it's time for us to take the next step in your education, Twilight Sparkle.  If you don't mind, bring me down to your basement with the wax so I can instruct you on the procedure."

Without hesitation, Twilight stood up and trotted toward her staircase, noticing on the way that Spike was rummaging around in the kitchen.  She poked her head inside and greeted the dragon, spotting a small potted plant on the kitchen table and realizing very quickly that it was the single flower from outside.

"Hey, Spike.  Did you bring that in here?"

"Hmm?  Oh, yeah I did.  It's kinda pretty, don't you think?"

"Yeah I guess it is.  Do you know what kind of flower it is?"

"No, but I figured I'd ask Daisy sometime tonight if I could...  By the way, did you just get home?"

"Yeah I did.  Just rummaging around for some things is all."

"Have you even gone to bed in the past few days?"

"I haven't slept in well over a week, Spike.  I don't need to anymore."  Twilight instinctively played with the cover of her book, wanting to get downstairs but not wanting to be rude to the dragon since he hadn't done anything to deserve a snap... yet.  She looked down amid the conversation and found a new line of text waiting below the first short paragraph, giving it a read in anticipation for a scolding of some sort.

"Solanum dulcamara.  Otherwise known as the Nightshade flower.  Beautiful isn't it?  Despite the fact that it's poisonous to you.  Funny though, they don't usually grow too far outside of the forest."

"It was growing just out back for a while...  Guess a seed got blown out here or something."

"Where it came from doesn't matter.  All things that grow are sure to decay, just instruct your dragon not to eat it."

"Please tell me you're not talking to that book..."  Spike washed his hands off in the sink as he spoke, presumably to clean up from the "gardening".

"Mmn, I know what that flower is.  It's called nightshade and you shouldn't eat it.  It's poisonous."  Spike could tell that Twilight's thinking was a little distracted by the way she truncated her sentences.

"I wasn't going to eat it, Twilight...  It's a flower.  Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm just saying, is all.  It's poisonous so wash your hands if you touch it.  Otherwise thank you for bringing it in, it really is pretty.  Anyway, I have to get downstairs now and start an experiment.  If you need anything just yell for me!"

"Well can I have like ten bits to go get some food?  There hasn't been anything to eat in this library for days."

"Oh... Sure... Just uhm, go get them off of my desk upstairs; I think I've got a coin purse up there someplace.  I'm sure you'll find it."  Twilight finished up her sentence just as she started trotting downstairs, shutting the door behind her and figuring that Spike would be able to fend for himself.  The dragon, though somewhat offended by the lack of attention paid, had started to get used to it.  Bitterly, he moved upstairs and into Twilight's room to search for the coins; at least he could get something to eat this time.

Twilight, meanwhile, hadn't any time to waste.  She slammed her book down on the center table in her basement and went about reading for any kind of procedure.  Her curiosity had always been her biggest downfall, but this time she toiled with powers that could very well destroy her.  She knew this, but didn't let the threat stop her; especially since the promise of a new kind of power was just so very tempting.

She sat down at the island in her basement, setting her book down and unsealing and moving the slabs of wax to give herself some workspace.  

"Alright, Iago.  What do I need to do in order to make this happen?"  With this, she opened the book and skimmed over it, gathering her answer as it scrawled across the page.

"The only thing you'll need to go out and get to infuse the crystals is pure water and very fertile soil.  Both should be simple, given your abilities."

"I could just go take some topsoil from Sweet Apple Acres...  I think Applejack is plowing their fields today anyway, so it should be perfect."

"Indeed, and you could probably purify water yourself considering your control over it.  There is enough clean air around you for you to bring down into a dense enough concentration to infuse the crystals, and fire should be almost instinctual by now."

"I'll be back with the soil then.  Oh, wait...  I need some wicks for the candles.  I'll just stop by Rarity's shop and pick up some thread or something...  This should be done by today though, Iago.  I'll be quick."

"I'm not going anywhere, and neither are these crystals.  Time stops in the void, so they'll be brand new for when you return.  Do hurry back; I anticipate this ritual, Twilight Sparkle and I promise that it will be very rewarding."

Twilight silently acknowledged the instructions and immediately left, dropping her cloak off in the corner and (while not worrying at all about her appearance) taking off into the emerging daylight.  The streets were bustling with ponies on their afternoon schedules, though many paused to comprehend Twilight's presence.  She paid it no mind, however, and kept on her mission toward the Carousel Boutique.  The unicorn wasn't quite used to going for days on end without sleep, but her body seemed to be blocking out any kind of fatigue.  Her pace was still brisk and confident, though she felt much lighter, almost numb save for the various pressure differences caused by her trotting.

Eventually the boutique came into view and Twilight happily cantered over to the building.  She took a peek inside and spotted a nearly abandoned shop, with only two ponies inside whose shapes Twilight could barely make out.  She opened the door and stepped inside, noticing that the place wasn't quite as brightly lit as usual, and approached the near-silhouettes of Rarity and Fluttershy.  

"Hey there you two, why is it so dark in here?"

"Twilight?  Oh, I haven't seen you in weeks!  What have you been up to?"  Rarity seemed to be fitting the clearly uncomfortable pegasus for some new dress or other.  

"Well, you know...  Just... Studying and all that.  The usual."  Twilight hesitated to lie to Rarity, but knew that if she just came out and told her that she'd made friends with a book and was learning how to create fire with her mind that she'd just worry.

"Of course, the usual, but usually you don't sequester yourself in the library for so long without stopping by.  I was honestly getting a little worried."  Rarity left Fluttershy's side, moving over to a large window and throwing the velvety curtains open to let in the sunlight.  "Oh, and to answer your question: the light was getting in my eyes from the window so I thought maybe closing up the curtains would give me a new perspe--"  Rarity turned to look Twilight in the eye mid sentence and completely lost her place.  The sight of the lavender unicorn left her absolutely speechless.  

Fluttershy turned to follow Rarity's gaze after her eyes had adjusted to the light and seemed to follow the same expression, although she did interject with a timid "Oh... Oh my..."

"What's the matter?"  Twilight hadn't looked into a legitimate mirror in well over a week (little did she know that her reflection in the magical pool from the Everfree Forest had been severely altered to her will), so she wasn't quite aware of her ghastly state.  Twilight's eyes had sunken back to the point where she seemed almost dead, her complexion had suffered from the lack of sleep or food, leaving her coat coarse and dull, and her body had lost almost all of its weight from the absence of any kind of nutrition in her diet for the past two weeks.  She was a walking corpse.

"Good heavens, Twilight!  What in Equestria have you been eating?  You're skin and bones!  You look simply dreadful!"

Twilight hadn't had any reason to think about what she looked like considering how great she felt, so this was all news to her.  "What?  I feel just fine."  

Fluttershy, without saying a word, simply brought over a mirror for the unicorn to look into.  What peered back didn't seem at all like Twilight's former self.  She could see the outline of her skull just beneath her skin, and the vivid purple of her mane and coat had faded to a grayish lilac.  Her stomach sank, and Twilight felt as if she were looking at her own body at a wake, but she needed to play it off like nothing was wrong.

"Oh!  Right...  It's been so long since I'd thought about it.  I'm actually a little sick right now and haven't really had much of an appetite."

"Is there anything we could do for you?"  Fluttershy chimed in in her usual motherly tone.  Twilight's condition immediately sparked a slew of possible diagnoses in the pegasus's thoughts.

"Well I just came over here to see if I could get some cotton or wool thread that might work for a candle wick.  I just got some new, uhm, aromatherapy candles that are supposed to help with this specific condition.  I just need to put a wick in them."

Rarity didn't even hesitate, almost instantly producing some stiff thread that she had stored close by.  "Here, this should work just fine.  It's wound a little too tightly and was made a little too thick to be anything but quilting thread, and even then only decorative.  Take as much as you need, it should burn slowly enough to work."

"You seem to know a lot about that..."

"Believe it or not I had a phase where I made candles.  It really was good fun, but I never really found myself able to express that artistic side of myself as much as with dressmaking.  I don't have any legitimate wicks, but that should work just fine.  Oh, do feel better, darling.  I'd hate for you to have to look this way for the rest of your life."

"Well, thank you so much, Rarity.  I'll be sure I rest up and... such."

"If you need anything, Twilight, don't hesitate to send Spike over and ask me.  You know we're always here for you."  Fluttershy kept her distance from Twilight as she spoke, and Rarity tried to sneakily cover her muzzle up with some loose silk, so Twilight could tell they bought her little "illness" ruse.  She simply nodded and gave a weak smile, then turned to leave with her thread.  

Twilight took the back roads back toward the library that time, staying away from public to avoid the embarrassing stares.  The stop was quick, only giving Twilight enough time to drop off the thread and grab a large jar for the soil as well as to say hello to Spike.  The dragon had brought back several large paper bags of various groceries since Twilight had left and was in the process of putting them away.  Twilight found herself avoiding his attention more and more, almost being annoyed by his presence.  She felt awful that she'd think such things about Spike, her best friend since his birth and "Number One Assistant", but lately he'd been so obnoxious.  She didn't think her behavior was strange at all, and never questioned it, resolving to abandon the psychological journal (which she hadn't written in for some time) and to focus all of her efforts on her new education.  

The unicorn left through the back door once more, keeping to the perimeter of Ponyville on her journey.  This time, however, she avoided the citizens not for the imminent criticism, but for their ignorance.  Twilight knew that none of them would understand even if she explained to them exactly what was happening, so she simply chose to avoid contact with such... lesser beings.  Her walk was in a contemptible trance, drowning her surroundings out and running over hypothetical situations where she was forced to interact with somepony who would judge her intensely.  Every single scenario caused her to scoff and mimic the conversation in the real world: a spectacle that would look very strange from the outside had anyone been there to see it.

Sweet Apple Acres came into Twilight's view slowly but surely, and it certainly looked different when approaching from the orchard side.  She could see that, at this point in the day, Applejack and Big Macintosh had plowed most of the field and turned over the earth, giving Twilight exactly what she would want.  She snuck forward, looking around for any sign of the farmers.  Nothing was moving in the patch of farmland where she was, so she simply used her jar to scoop the dirt up gently, trying not to impact it too much.  With a satisfactory amount, the unicorn turned around to head home, but caught Applejack standing right behind her.

"Twilight!  I thought that was you, but...  wull gosh, you've certainly uhm...  Lost some weight."  Applejack was worried about offending Twilight, but had come over to investigate the sighting of a "suspicious pony" on her property.

Twilight's heart skipped a beat; the earth pony could be fairly stealthy if left to her own devices apparently.  "Oh!  Just... just getting this... jar of dirt!"  Twilight had to force a bit of a grin as she held the jar up for Applejack to see.  She really didn't have any explanation ready, so her mind was racing to try and find something logical.  

"Y'needed some dirt?  Uhm... Why?"  Applejack looked over the sickly unicorn, not wanting to comment on her current state, but feeling like she really ought to say something out of concern for her friend's health.

"Well... As you can see, I'm not exactly feeling my best.  I just needed some dirt for a, uhm, mud treatment that's supposed to help.  I didn't need much, just this jar here."

"That's all well and good, but why'd you come all the way out here to Sweet Apple Acres?  Ain't ya got dirt in your back yard?"

"It needs to be farm soil...  It's... better that way?"  Twilight adjusted the weight on her hooves over and over again, unwittingly giving off an air of nervousness that the humble mare could easily pick up on.

"Listen, Twilight...  If you need to talk about somethin' you know I'm here for you, right?  You sure don't seem yourself... and if somepony had asked me I'd never'a thought I'd catch somepony as smart as you stealin' dirt from little ol' me.  You sure everything's alright?"

Twilight paused; having been reminded of her friendship caused her to step back and look at how she was acting.  It really was antisocial, and it wasn't healthy at all, but the circumstances seemed to justify her actions, at least as far as she could see.  "Applejack, I promise everything's going to be okay.  I'm just a little sick, so if you don't mind I'll need to be getting home so I can rest up.  Thank you for your concern though, it's honestly very appreciated."

"If you insist, Sugar Cube.  Don't let me stop ya."  Applejack could tell that Twilight was withholding something, but she simply decided to keep her nose in her own business.  The earth pony stepped aside and waved Twilight off, to which she promptly trotted back toward her library.  Applejack couldn't help herself from worrying, but she felt that she really should stay out of it, all things considered.  To her, Twilight was a smart pony who sometimes got her priorities wrong, but it hadn't ever hurt her before, so why should it now?

Twilight rolled the jar over with her telekinesis as she trotted back to the library, again taking the back roads to avoid unwanted attention.  Such a simple thing, yet she knew it would be important.  Things that she had taken for granted in the past: water, candles, quills, flowers, the dirt outside... all of it had the power to create or destroy, and Twilight had begun to see that now.  She cherished everything she saw, because she could potentially use it to benefit herself, or crush her enemies.  

The sun had moved most of the way across the sky by the time Twilight's errands were complete, hovering barely above the peaks of the mountains behind Canterlot and slowly lowering itself toward the night-time darkness.  Twilight hurried into her basement once more, making sure to lock the door on the way down.  The soft glow of the dusk sun cast a very eery light around the room, leaving the corners dark and the table and island as the only things to have any kind of light cast on them, soft as it was.  Twilight slowly trotted down the stairs, listening to the clop, clop, clop of her hooves echo off the walls, but otherwise it was completely silent in the basement.  She reached the desk and opened her book, setting aside her jar of dirt, and fetching a beaker from her various lab equipment.  She used the nearby sink to fill it with water, and heated it with her magic.

The water boiled in almost no time, considering the magical flames could conjure almost any temperature in the blink of an eye, but she easily captured every bit of the water vapor in a magical bubble and kept the purified, distilled liquid separate from everything else.  She set the "bubble" down onto her table and opened up her book, skimming the pages for the rest of the procedure with eagerness that she hadn't felt since she was a filly.

"Very good, Twilight Sparkle.  Now we get to infuse the crystals with their various elemental components.  Close me up, and reopen me, I'll give you enough of the salts for one element, so infuse them all with the same one, and I'll repeat it for each one following."

Twilight followed the directions and closed the cover of the book, simultaneously opening her jar of soil and removing it.  The mass of earth levitated free from the jar and took position next to Twilight's head and she returned her concentration to the book.  She flipped it open to find a fraction of the crystals sitting on the pages, just above the next set of instructions.

"Now, mix the crystals with the soil and press down on the mass as hard as you can.  Apply pressure in every direction and compress it until they begin to fuse.  Do not look directly at them or you may go blind, but you'll know when everything's finished.  Be sure not to drop them, also, for that would be just... embarrassing."

Twilight smirked at the last entry and brought the crystals and soil together.  She followed her directions to the letter, mixing the soil and crystals together as best as she could and keeping them from separating at all.  She looked into the mass, noticing immediately that the crystals seemed to absorb the color from the dirt, slowly staining their glassy outsides brown.  Once she was satisfied with the shape of the mass, she compressed it; gritting her teeth and shutting her eyes tight to drown out any other distractions in order to keep her concentration.  The mass grew smaller and smaller, and she could only feel the change in size through the magic that she applied to it.  She felt the whole thing push back against her, but she wouldn't give in and continued to compress it.  Finally, the mass seemed to collapse, and she could see (even through closed eyes) a very bright flash of light, nearly hurting to be so close to.  She opened her eyes after this had happened to see only the crystals floating before her.  The soil was entirely gone, and the crystals had taken on its color, each one shining with its own internal brown light and giving off a very obvious magical signature.  She looked down to her book and saw a space on the left-most page where she assumed she should place the newly infused crystals.  On the other page displayed a review.

"Very good, Twilight Sparkle!  Look at those, while you have the chance, aren't they marvelous?  These are the truest essence of elemental magic, holding the might of an earthquake within such a small package.  Beautiful things they are, and all a result of your creation and manipulation.  Be proud, Twilight Sparkle, and continue.  Water and air are the same process, so move on to those next."

Twilight closed the book on her new earth salts, opening it once more to receive a fresh batch of plain ones in their place.  She lifted them into the air carefully and mixed them with the purified water, immediately compressing the mass as best she could.  Since water cannot be truly compressed, however, Twilight simply struggled against a constantly growing counter-pressure, to which she responded with more force.  Her nose started to bleed a little, a very familiar feeling to her, but she ignored it as always, watching the mass grow smaller and smaller as the crystals absorbed the water into themselves.  Once more, the mass collapsed, bringing with it a blinding flash of light and leaving behind several large crystals as blue as the sky and shining like sunlight through a pond.  Each one seemed to almost be made of water, though not nearly as calm as a simple puddle; it was as if each one contained a raging tsunami within itself.  

She followed the same process, placing the new crystals into the book and removing the plain ones to infuse with air, this time used to the amount of energy it would take and able to control herself better.  Air infused very quickly, and left behind a set of crystals that held within them a gale of wind.  These glowed pure white and seemed far more restless than the other set.  She'd begun to notice a pattern here.  

Finally, she removed her fourth set of crystals, looking them over and merging them into a loose ball.  She focused on the things and ignited them with a fire that was nearly as intense as the one she used in the forest.  The room lit up with orange light, casting away all of the shadows as she stared into this inferno, watching the crystals soak up the surrounding color like a sponge.  She applied a pressure to the ball of flame, but continued to pour energy into it, burning them until the flame was nearly white hot.  Like the others, however, the flames collapsed inward, and fused with the salts to leave behind a beautiful, ruby colored shell with a glowing, dancing orange light pouring out from within them.  Each crystal held a small, formless fire inside of it, and projected the brightest light of each element so far.  They were absolutely gorgeous, and dangerously powerful at the same time.

Twilight places these final crystals into the book and closes it, opening it back up to see, to her surprise, one final pile of salts.  She pulls them up and looks down to see if there's some kind of mistake, but instead finds a small explanation waiting for her.

"There are, indeed, five elements, Twilight Sparkle.  The first four are tangible, beautiful, creative, and destructive.  Earth, Air, Water, and Fire.  The final one, Spirit, is a bit tougher to work with, but it has been the object of my study for the longest time.  You have one more set of crystals to infuse before the ritual can begin.  Are you prepared for this?"

"Am I prepared?  I marched into the Everfree Forest and gathered these damned things up.  I went through the worst horrors of my life, faced insects that could rip me in half, nearly died several times for you, and you're asking me if I'm prepared?  I'm honestly offended, Iago!"  Twilight felt a small tinge of anger well up inside of her at this last-minute discovery, and irrationally let it go.  The book, however, responded with a very calm tone, and very even writing.

"Twilight Sparkle, I understand all of that, and it is certainly much appreciated, but this will be different.  Once these crystals are infused, you'll place them in candles and we'll begin the ritual.  Once that's over, everything will have changed.  I offer you this chance to turn back, to go replace me in the Everfree Forest and to forget I was ever here.  Otherwise, if you continue, there will be no turning back...  Ever."

Twilight actually had to think about this for a while.  Iago seemed to address her as an equal, and was offering her a chance to abandon all of her work.  She knew that he wouldn't do that unless it was very serious, so the gravity of the statements had hit right to her heart.  From her options, however, she decided that the power, the glory, and the knowledge would be worth any risk... any sacrifice.  "Iago...  I'm willing to accept whatever challenges you can throw at me.  What do I need to do to infuse these with the fifth element?"

"Cut your wrists."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Cut your wrists and infuse them with the blood.  To my knowledge that's the only way to do it without sacrificing a living creature and toying with the dark arts."

"R-Really?"  The mention of more pain brought out some hesitation in Twilight, so she simply waited for the text to respond to her just in case it was a cruel joke of some sort.

"Really.  After that, we'll need to be quick about the rest of the ritual.  So if you'd like to prepare some of the mundane tasks ahead of time, you're welcome to do so."

"O-okay...  What exactly do I need to do?"  

"Move this table aside and leave yourself a large, open space.  You'll need it.  Draw this symbol:

In melted wax, with the top-most point directed to the north.  After you infuse the final set of crystals, you will make large votive candles out of them, placing one on each point of the star.  Earth is to be set on the southwest point, Fire on the southeast.  Air on the northwest, Water on the northeast, and finally, Spirit on the north.  Have this seating ready before you infuse the final set of crystals with spirit, for you'll need to be quick about the ritual lest you bleed to death in the middle of the incantation."

Twilight gulped back her aversion to the subject and started about her task, taking all the time that she needed to get the angles on the star absolutely perfect.  Even going so far as to hammer a tether into the very center in order to get a perfect circle.  The resulting chalk outline was so exact that it may have been done by a machine, and meticulously measured to be exactly what she needed it to be.  She got to work covering the chalk lines with some of the beeswax that she had collected, trying to evenly distribute it around so that the thickness of the lines was completely uniform.  

Once she was finished, the unicorn stepped back and admired her work.  Everything was absolutely perfect, though she knew that her life would be at risk the instant she started the ritual, so it was a little bittersweet.  She turned back to her book, analyzing the remainder of her wax and deciding to form it into something resembling a cheese wheel.  She had to soften the wax a little bit, but it wasn't difficult at all to manipulate it telekinetically.  Either she was getting better with her magic, or the wax responded better to magic than most other mundane things.  She sectioned the wax into five large chunks, turning back to the book and asking if she should create the other candles before she started on the Spirit crystals.

"Since you can control the flow of heat, setting the candles won't take particularly long... but if you feel safer having the first four ready before you move on, I don't blame you.  Feel free to do so, but just remember that I'll be there to guide you every step of the way, and I have full faith that you'll be alright... if not far, far better for it.  Just make sure the salts are evenly distributed in the wax when you set the candles."

Twilight gave a nervous nod and shut the book, reopening it and removing each of the sets of elemental salts.  She moved all of them into her field of view, along with a large chunk of wax for each one and keeping them carefully separated.  She glanced around for the thread that Rarity had given her, finding it on the corner of the table where she had left it.  For some reason, she expected it to have been upstairs, or some other place inconvenient... maybe it was just hopefulness to avoid her upcoming self-harm.  She tried her telekinesis to snip the thread, finding (after some trial and error) that she could indeed create a barrier thin enough to have an edge which cut cleanly through the thread, leaving five long strings awaiting their use in the candles.  

She heated all of the wax at once, capturing the salts in the resulting globs of liquid and mixing them with a telekinetic churning.  After she was satisfied with their mixing, she formed each one into a cylinder, pulling the wicks through and then drawing all of the heat from it with her mind.  The process worked surprisingly well, leaving the unicorn with four massive, nearly identical candles.  

As the moment approached, Twilight could feel her heartbeat start to race.  Unfortunately for her, this was the most alive she had felt in weeks, and it took paralyzing fear to bring that out.  She wasn't quite sure what she was afraid of, either.  Pain was trivial after the incident with the "Terror Bramble", and the concept of her own death had come close before.  Something was different though, and she couldn't quite put her hoof on it.  She used that fear, however, to drive herself forward and to tackle her goal.  For all she knew, Iago held the secrets to immortality and infinite power.  If he didn't, she'd help him find them.

Twilight finished everything that she needed in preparation for the ritual, all except her last set of crystals.  She opened her tome to reveal, once again, the fifth pile of salts sitting on the page and waiting for their elemental treatment.  It took some time for the unicorn to work up the nerve, but she finally sat back and held her two front legs out, trying to materialize a barrier thin enough to cut.  The fear continued to ruin her concentration, however, so she just couldn't keep it sharp enough.  She dropped her concentration and looked down at her hooves.  Her forelegs were extremely thin, and she seemed to be shaking as she sat; if she didn't know any better, she'd think that she was already dead and just being held together with a magical force.  

Twilight tilted her head up and glanced around the room, finding her table full of "medical" tools off in the corner of her vision.  She stood up and walked over to it, telekinetically pulling the drawer open with all of her various utensils for dissections.  She removed a single, clean, extremely sharp scalpel from the drawer and held it up.  Even her telekinesis was shaky at this point, making her worry that she might do too much damage if she tried it that way.  Twilight gave a deep sigh and stepped back toward the desk, sitting right across from the open book and taking the scalpel in her mouth; she looked down one last time at her wrists.  The unicorn brought her left foreleg up and pressed the edge of the blade just behind her hoof, dragging it back diagonally toward her knee and wincing all the while.  The pain was more of a dull ache than a sharp sensation, giving her the impression that she had given herself some nerve damage.  She looked down at the wound: it hadn't started bleeding yet, only sat there as a large red fissure in her foreleg.  The fissure eventually welled up with blood, seeming to fill with the crimson liquid in the same direction as she had dragged the scalpel across it, eventually pouring down toward her knee and dripping off onto the floor.  She rotated the scalpel and moved onto her other wrist, performing the same incision and then dropping the blade onto the floor.  

Somehow the clang reached her ears with more of an intensity than she expected.  She did her best to capture all of the blood as it fell from her forelegs, bringing it up into a floating mass in front of her.  She had only sat there for about a minute, but it was the longest minute of her life.  She was so paranoid that any second she could die from the blood loss, and so was meticulously monitoring her body and what few signals of health it sent to her.  Once she was satisfied that she had collected enough blood (with a few tears mixed in from the fear and pain), she brought the crystals up and mixed them together.  The salts seemed far more keen to absorb the blood than they did with the other elements, simply soaking it up and not requiring too much extra pressure from her.  The flash wasn't quite as brilliant, however, and she simply looked off to the side rather than shutting her eyes entirely.  At the end of the infusion, she sat with a large pile of beautiful crystals floating in front of her: each one seemed to shimmer dark red, but glow with an indigo light that stemmed from the center.  She found herself nearly hypnotized by their majesty, but was broken away by the sound of dripping blood on the concrete floor beneath her.  

She quickly melted the wax and set the candle, keeping her forelegs elevated to try and limit the amount of blood that she was losing.  For a minute she tried a pair of tourniquets made from the remaining thread, but was convinced that it would only limit her during the ritual and cause more damage than benefit.  After some very quick consideration, Twilight just brought the candles over and placed them in order, sitting down in the small pentagon at the center of her symbol, and lighting each of the candles at the same time with the fire magic that she had spent so long learning.  She levitated the book in front of her, but it instructed her to lay it in the small space separated from her by a line, so she set it there where she could read.  Everything was set up exactly as Iago had ordered, and each of the candles burned with a light that mimicked their elements' color, with the indigo one sitting right in Twilight's view.  The unicorn looked back down to her book and gathered how to continue.  The only thing that scrawled across the page was, identifiably, an incantation.  Twilight started her recitation of the small poem, and thus sealed a chapter of her life that would forever stain her being.

"I call upon earth; release the body whom you have taken into thyself,

I call upon air; return to the lungs of the one you've left behind,

I call upon water; flow once more through the veins of the deceased,

I call upon fire; ignite once more the flames of knowledge within the fallen."

The elemental candles each burst into flame as she called their names, with the fire following along the line of the star toward the next candle of the order.  One by one they all lit ablaze, casting a smoke into the air that took on the pale representative color of their elements.  The room became somewhat hazy, and very hot, but Twilight continued vigilantly.  

"Finally, I call upon spirit.  Come down from the afterlife, and rejoin the living once more!"  

With this, all four lines leading from each element into the spirit candle ignited, leaving each of the five votive candles ablaze with a bright, intense flame.  Twilight looked down from the book and saw that her small pentagon area for herself to sit in was slowly filling with her blood.  The wounds seemed to bleed to excess with this ritual, so she resolved to hurry and finish it.

"To ye who walks the astral planes,

Heed this call and hear thy name,

A mortal hails thee from this earth,

Through her, through me, have rebirth!"

Drip, drip, drip; Twilight's blood continued to flow and hit the ground, pooling around her and slowly draining away her strength.  Spots began to form at the periphery of her vision, and she started to feel light in the head.

"Cursed to breathe the soil in sorrow,

Ne'er to see another morrow,

Leave thine shadow walk behind,

The veil of death though shalt unbind."

The unicorn continued with as much fervor as she could possibly muster.  Her breathing slowed, but she managed to control it just enough to continue her speech unhindered.

"Reject the chains of Death's embrace,

Stretch with skin and don thy face,

Learn thy steps and see thy shape,

Adorn your soul with vessel and fate!"

Twilight looked down, nearly finished with the incantation, but feeling like she would nearly pass out.  Sitting in the fiery pit of blood and burning wax was taxing her concentration.  She knew she couldn't fail or she would die down there in her basement, so she pushed on: forcing herself to complete the incantation and bring Iago out of his prison.

"In my flesh thou shalt have life,

Through my spirit laid on the knife,

I fill thee with breath for years since paid,

Rise, my master, by the blade!"

The final word escaped Twilight's lips and her environment immediately responded.  Gravity seemed to cease, causing her to float into the air.  She hadn't the strength to hold herself, so her body naturally took the fetal position and let her glance around to watch the reaction.  The book floated before her as well, but took a bearing back toward the indigo candle and lowered itself into the flame.  Twilight watched through the inverted dripping of her blood from floor to ceiling as the pages that she had turned to for guidance all this time ignited and slowly burned away.  The fire around her changed to violet, along with most of the smoke surrounding her.  The whole ordeal seemed to have a calming effect on the unicorn, or perhaps that was the blood loss, but she could feel every single muscle go limp.  

Just as time seemed to stand still, a ghostly figure rose out of the smoke from the Spirit candle.  The smoke itself seemed to glow with a pale silver light and take the shape of some kind of animal.  Twilight was feeling a little woozy and couldn't quite make it out, but it definitely reflected a large grin as it wafted toward her.  The unicorn's breathing had slowed down nearly to a stop, so the figure reached its clawed hands out and rested them on her shoulders.  "Breathe, Twilight Sparkle."  It spoke in a whispering, echoing voice that seemed to originate inside of her head, and her body twitched in response.  

She actually lost control of her own body at that point, letting her eyes close and nearly passing out from the loss of vital blood pressure, but she knew that her limbs were stretching from the half-numb feel.  Her body splayed out in the air and her head tilted back, finally ending in a deep, gasping breath.  She couldn't quite see it, but she inhaled all of the smoke from around her, sending every single particle into her body in a swirling mass that she could feel permeate her veins from the inside.  As soon as the last of the smoke entered her lungs, Twilight opened her eyes and yelled.  The scream was thick and primal, stemming entirely from emotions that had been suppressed, hidden, or otherwise ignored.  The entire capacity of her lungs escaped through her mouth in this scream, and tears rolled down her cheeks, though she couldn't identify why, nor could she close her eyes and wipe them away.  At the apex of her scream, an invisible barrier expanded from her chest, moving outward in a sphere and pushing everything away.  The fires around her extinguished, and all of the blood that had left her body was vaporized and mixed into the air so finely that she couldn't even see it anymore.  Papers were thrown and her table was upturned.  The scalpel flew away and embedded itself in the wall just beneath the window (now, the sun had finally set, leaving the last rays of light reaching up over the mountains before their eventual disappearance).  The entire room had been hit by what seemed like a hurricane.

Twilight dropped down to the ground and took several deep, noisy breaths, glancing around with what seemed like a new filter on her eyes.  Though the light of day had died out, she seemed to observe things clearly (if not differently), and see everything as its most basic entity.  She slowed her breathing down to a relaxed state, but still heard a kind of heaving breath, though it was coming from inside her mind.  She silently questioned what the breathing was, and to her surprise it responded in a rasping, ancient, and rather sinister voice:

"Oh...  It is just wonderful to be back."

Renaissance

"Are you still alive, Twilight Sparkle?"  The voice in Twilight's head seemed to call out to her, athough she had lost track of where she was for a little while.  Her eyes fluttered open, and she found herself laying on the ground curled into a ball, with the bright blue sky visible through the window to her right.  She had lost consciousness and slept there all night, though her memory of the past day or so was only coming back in waves.  "It would be a shame for you to have gone through all of that for simple oblivion."

The unicorn gasped and pulled her forelegs up to look at them, worried that she may have come close to bleeding out from her incident the night before.  She wasn't quite awake yet, so as far as she was concerned (based on the way her sleep-dazed mind was working at the time) she had died and was currently experiencing whatever afterlife was awaiting her, but her wrists seemed to indicate otherwise.  The wounds had completely healed, leaving no scar as a matter of fact, and even though the light was dim her coat looked shinier.  She stood up, not saying a thing but still receiving a response from the new voice in her head.

"You cut it very close there, Twilight.  You prefer Twilight over 'Twilight Sparkle', right?"

"Y-yeah, yeah I do..."  Twilight slowly regained her consciousness and looked around.  She realized that she had been out cold all night on the floor, but was surprisingly loose for having slept on concrete for several hours.

"Don't be alarmed, but you may look a bit different.  As much as I personally admire the walking corpse look, I didn't think it quite fitting to one as powerful as yourself."

"You changed my body?"  Twilight was speaking out loud to the voice in her head.  The act was brought on by the daze of waking, but she didn't think enough of it to stop

"I don't think 'changed' is quite the right word...  I prefer 'augmented'.  Being that you've now given yourself entirely to magical practice, I saw it only fit to give you a magically illustrative vessel to reside in."

As Iago spoke directly into her mind, Twilight wandered over to a small closet in the corner of her basement.  Somewhere in storage she had a floor mirror, and so she threw things aside in searching for it.  She didn't actually touch anything but the floor, using her telekinesis to toss aside large groups of clutter.  She realized just how much more powerful she had become after the ritual by the way one small figurine embedded itself in the wall next to her.  She could see the glint of reflective glass toward the closet wall and took a step back.  She figured she'd break it if she kept throwing everything around, so she pulled a few things out.  Then a few more, and then more and more.  She flitted her eyes back and forth, targeting every single little object in her closet.  Wood carvings, glass figurines, metal sculptures, mementos and the like all flew out and floated beside her.  She didn't even need to focus very much to keep everything in her grip.

Once the closet was empty, save the floor mirror, she pulled the thing out and set it right in front of her.  Her vision was blurred by well over two years of dust coating the thing, so she took a second to reorganize her closet before she dusted it off.  She placed each of the dozens of objects into the closet in their own little group, marveling at how quickly everything moved at her whim; all she had to do was think, and they would go exactly where she wanted them to.  Once everything was back in its place (leaving the closet with much more space than before) she flame-dusted the mirror.  The thing ignited intensely, though it extinguished after a few seconds of worry.  Lucky for Twilight, the stand was metal and the fire didn't quite reach high enough to set the ceiling ablaze, so she simply ended up with a dust-free (if not smokey) view of herself.

The unicorn's mouth dropped open at the sight, leaving her more or less speechless as she sat and comprehended the figure that stared back.  She was stunning, thin as a model but retaining enough weight to still seem healthy.  Her shoulders seemed like they had grown a little less stocky (something she was silently self conscious about since she was young) and her mane had even grown out a little.  She hadn't even thought about growing it out, but it seemed to compliment her sleek and thin body nicely.  Her coat had regained a very healthy shine, and her hips seemed to have just the perfect curve to them that she'd always envied certain ponies from Canterlot over.  

"Damn..."

"Do you like what you see?"

"I'm... sexy..."

"I suppose that's one way to say it, yes.  I've never truly been attracted to ponies, so I don't particularly know the difference.  I just pulled from your memories of what you thought was beautiful and decided to give you that appearance, while still keeping you identifiably you, of course."

"So... you have the power to cha--... augment bodies...  why didn't you stop me from wasting away earlier?"

"I had the power to do so, easily, but I didn't have the connection.  What you did just last night bound us together as spirits.  We're two souls in one body, you could say.  Before we were bound, I could only control the direct things, like pushing a little energy into you to keep you from having to eat or sleep, and preventing the water in your system from evaporating out of you.  From within I can assume control of every system, every organ, every tissue... every single cell.  Though I certainly promise I won't do it again without your permission.  Consider this little change a... gift of good will.  You welcomed me into yourself, after all, so I may as well have given you everything you've ever wanted for yourself to be."

"I suppose it's not much of a surprise that since you're in my head you can read my thoughts...  But I guess I'm amazed that you could go as deep as you did."

"It's not just the ability to read thoughts, Twilight...  I can teach you to do that if you like, but what I have access to isn't quite as elementary.  I can see patterns, Twilight, and from my position at the edge of the living I can see everything at once.  You've bound me to you, so your very existence is crystal clear.  Everything you've ever done, I can see, and everything you've impacted, I can see."

"That's a bit frightening..."

"Don't have any reservations about that, my dear.  So long as you don't cross me, I'll only use that knowledge to benefit you.  To benefit us I should say.  This may be your body, but I've taken up residence in it, and added some new wiring, if you will."

"What exactly did you do to me?"

"As of exactly three hours and fourty-two minutes ago, you're running entirely on energy from the Aether.  The purest, most limitless energy in every possible reality, coursing through your cells.  Without moderation, this could easily destroy you, and me too, as a matter of fact.  With the proper moderation, however, you will never need to sleep, never need to eat, and never need to drink, nor will you ever feel the effects of such.  Wounds that are done to you can be undone in time, but with a strong enough flow of energy time doesn't even seem to matter.  Cut your wrist again, I'll demonstrate."

Twilight still hadn't pulled her gaze away from the mirror.  The pony staring back was so beautiful, she could hardly believe it was actually her.  "Uhm...  Okay."  Twilight obliged by looking over to the window at the scalpel embedded in the wall.  Somehow she found it easier to recall minor details in her memories as well as big-picture type things, (assuming this was Iago's doing) and immediately pulled from her memory the scalpel being thrown aside and under the window.  She pulled the scalpel out of the wall and brought it over to herself, drawing some moisture out of the air and scrubbing at the blade with a telekinetic manifestation of something abrasive.  She managed to clean the thing off of wood and concrete particles (as well as the remaining blood that had clung to it) and then sanitized it by igniting the blade for a few seconds.  

Once she was satisfied (and after a few more casual glances in the mirror), Twilight lowered the blade to her wrist again.  She dragged it across her foreleg and watched as the wound formed from the slicing motion, only to heal along the fissure and bind closed, following the scalpel's trajectory across her skin.  Less than a second after she pulled the blade away, her wound had shut completely, leaving no trace of its existence, nor any kind of blood having fallen from her body.  "Okay, that's pretty neat."

"'Neat' would be an understatement, Twilight.  But yes, you've been given a very special gift.  You're greater than mortal now, my friend.  Age will not effect you, nor will malnutrition or thirst.  You're biologically immortal."

"Biologically immortal, and have the ability to heal my wounds at an extraordinary speed."

"Why yes, but don't mistake that for true immortality.  You can indeed be killed, in any number of ways as a matter of fact.  Many of which are only accessible to myself, though, so I'd suggest you stay on my good side."

"Don't worry, Iago.  I've every intention of being the best student you've ever had."

"Quite the set of horseshoes to fill, I must say.  I personally taught someone who you pride yourself in the knowledge of: Starswirl the Bearded.  He was my last student, in fact."

"Get out!  You taught him?!"

"Haha, why yes I did.  He was a talented one, and very bright, though he seemed to have to work a little harder to get many aspects of the elements that came perfectly naturally to you.  I have no notion in my mind that you can't surpass him, Twilight, instead I hope you do.  It would be nice to teach some of the greatest secrets to a student and have them survive for a change."

"I take it many of your students die?"

"So far... all of them have."

Twilight couldn't help but give a gulp at this revelation. "S-so what chance do I have, then?"

"Why, you're proving to be the fastest learner, I assume you'll pull through, and if not I may at least learn something new.  I've died in the pursuit of my research, as I deemed it necessary to sacrifice everything.  Many of my students have agreed with me on this, and have helped me progress even in death.  Should you help me find the truest secrets of this universe, then you will have surpassed even my life's accomplishments.  I expect you'll take this responsibility seriously?"

"Will I take it seriously?  Hah, as long as the sky stays blue and the sun continues to rise in the morning, I'll take it very seriously, Iago."

"Well... should something happen to Celestia, perhaps the sun may cease to rise.  What then?"

"It was only a figure of speech... but I guess in that situation I'd take it even more seriously... the entire world would be in danger if the sun stopped rising, I do believe."

"Right you are, I apologize for missing the jest.  Either way, It's the early morning and I'll be needing to do some rearranging up here."

"Uhm... 'Rearranging'?"

"Forgive me, archiving is probably a better term.  I just need to peruse your memories and find out what you know, what I can teach you, and what would drive you mad if you tried to learn.  Take a day to yourself, enjoy life while you still have it, and get to know your new body.  I feel everything you feel now, and I've been lying alone in that forest since Starswirl the Bearded died.  Needless to say, so long as you enjoy yourself, it'll be appreciated."

"So...  When you mentioned that 'wounds' I receive will heal immediately..."

"Yes, Twilight, I know you've never engaged in sexual activity.  To be honest, I'm not quite sure what will happen there.  You're the only female student that I've taken on thus far."

Twilight blushed at the fact that he picked up on her meaning so quickly, but knew that the lack of privacy in her thoughts would be something she needed to get used to.  "R-really?  I'm the only one?"

"As I said: Starswirl the Bearded was my last student, and back in his day women like yourself were discouraged from practicing magic past only that useful for cooking, cleaning, and the like."

"Why is that?"

"Back then females were far more scarce than they are now.  While empowered as far as knowledge of practical things went, they were more or less put off by the pursuit of magical aptitude.  Much of the population was biased to the point that females were far too frail to handle such things, but from what I've seen, a stallion is broken just as easy as a mare."

"Well...  Make yourself at home, I suppose.  Not that you need me to say that."

Iago gave a little huff in response, but didn't actually continue to converse with the unicorn.  Twilight started to wander upstairs, realizing that she wasn't used to being undirected for the day.  Her first order of business, she decided, would be to go give Rarity back the remainder of her thread.  At least that way she could dispel any rumors about her being terminally ill.

The unicorn moved upstairs, tripping on the way up as she wasn't quite used to her slightly longer legs, and unlocking the doorway when she finally reached the top.  She slowly pulled it open with her hoof (only doing so to get a look at the graceful, slender movement of her new foreleg) and saw that Spike had fallen asleep just outside.

"Spike...  You awake, buddy?"  Twilight softly cooed, leaning down and nosing the snoozing dragon.  He rolled over and opened his eyes, nodding and yawning audibly.  He hadn't quite gotten his vision focused, and simply started trying to explain himself.  

"I heard you scream last night and then go quiet... but the door was locked.  I was waiting outside but..."  He yawned again, interrupting his sentence and causing him to rub his eyes and stretch out.  "... but you never came back up.  I was so worried."  

"Well don't be worried, Spike.  I'm feeling great, see?"  Twilight kneeled down next to the dragon as he woke up and let off a soft smile.  

Spike finally woke up and actually looked at Twilight, almost not recognizing her for a second there.  "W-woah..."  

"Heh, surprised?"  

" What the hay happened to you? You look... Different."

"I feel wonderful!  Don't you think I look great too?"

"Well... Yeah, you really do look a whole lot better."

"You seem like you wanna say something."

"Well...  You just look different is all.  Like some kind of Canterlot supermodel.  Yesterday you looked really sick, though.  How'd you manage that?"

"Nothing really... just a bit of a magical remedy and a little rest and relaxation downstairs is all.  Speaking of which, I think I'm gonna head out today.  D'ya think you can hold down the fort until I get back?"

"Sure, Twilight.  Good to see you getting out of this library again...  I was really starting to worry."

"It'll be good to get some fresh air.  I'm sorry for worrying you, but I just had some important things that I needed to get done.  Don't think anything more about it.  Need anything while I'm out?"

"No... No I think I've got enough to keep me occupied.  Have fun, Twilight."

"Thanks, Spike!  I will!"  Twilight flicked her mane over her shoulder and trotted out the front door with her head held high.  She already felt better about herself, and walked happily through the streets of Ponyville.  She conversed with Iago about some of the features of this new situation as she showed herself off; many of the patrons gawked at Twilight, especially those that knew her in passing.

So, Iago, you told me to go out and eat, right?  Her conversation was entirely in her mind, this time.  She didn't need to look like she was talking to herself while walking down the road.

"Yes, you can if you like.  Goodness, it certainly is a mess up here...  Anyway, you won't ever need to use the restroom since you won't be digesting the food in the same way, but you'll still get the satisfaction of indulging in the tastes and feeling full."

Alright, and I assume drinking will be the same.

"Do you mean alcohol?"

Well...  I didn't, but I suppose we may as well cover that topic.

"Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately depending on your attitude, since your body will not be metabolizing anything that you put into it, you'll simply drink whatever alcoholic beverage like water, and it'll be consumed by the energies of the Aether, never to be heard from again.  Simply put, you can't truly get drunk, but you'll be able to enjoy tastes and that familiar burning sensation that many of you ponies seem to enjoy."

Okay... and I suppose certain other... cycles will be stopped too?

"Aging is halted, you'll never experience menopause, you'll never feel the effects of bone degeneration or the like, and your menstrual cycle will cease, yes.  You also will never be able to bear children, I'm sorry to admit.  It comes with having your body essentially stop in time."

Is there any way to change that?  N-not that I want children, just if I should so change my attitude...

"None that I know of, Twilight.  At this point you could create a child from the stones in the ground if you should so desire, however, so don't feel too lost.  Let me make this very simple for you: you can do just about anything with no consequences.   Anything that alters your bodily functions will have no effect, and anything that could kill you is far less threatening.  Go enjoy yourself in all the carnal pleasures that you can, because after tonight you'll be far too busy to even consider your body as anything more than a prison to some higher form.  It's an opportunity... do with it what you will."

Twilight felt almost as if a door was closed in her face; Iago had gone silent and refused to continue the conversation.  She simply kept walking, glancing around the town and taking everything in.  Where she saw things through simple eyes before, Twilight was analyzing parts and pieces of everything she saw.  She picked apart the shell, nuts, bolts, and nails of a nearby wagon, finding any weaknesses and analyzing the whole structure at once.  She saw a building, glancing into the window and catching the sight of a support beam that must have been holding up half of the weight of the entire thing.  The best part is that she was hardly thinking about these aspects, they all just came naturally to her.  A pair of ponies walked in front of her, chattering on about some coltfriend issue or other and inadvertently giving off their own insecurities.  Twilight was loving this, and trotted along the side of the road with that intense air of confidence that she'd so recently picked up.  Things were finally looking her way.

The Eye of the Storm

The bell above Rarity's door jingled the instant that Twilight entered the boutique.  The unicorn looked around for her friend, unable to spot her in the immediate area.  

"Rarity!  You there?"  Twilight called out into the store.  "I'm here to give you back that thread!  The candles worked wonders."

"Is that you, Twilight?"  The white unicorn's gentle voice came down her stairs and into the bottom floor of the boutique.  "I'll be right down, dear!"  After a very short delay, Rarity trotted down the stairs with her trademark red glasses on and a strip of measuring tape draped around her withers.  Clearly he was distracted by her business; just enough to not keep her mane from covering her eyes.  "I do hope you're feeling better, I'd hate for you to be sick for too long."

"Oh, you could say I'm starting to come around."  Twilight let a sarcastic tinge linger in her voice as she spoke, tracking the white unicorn as she trotted downstairs.

"Well that's wonderful Twili--"  The unicorn caught glimpse of her friend and stood awestruck at her appearance. "H... Bu-... H-ho... Ha-wha?"  Only gibberish escaped her mouth as her attention divided between trying to find the right thing to say and take in all that she could see at once.

Twilight could only giggle in self-satisfaction.  "What's the matter, Rarity?  You feeling okay?"

"I've got to get the name of those candles!"

"It's nice to see you too."  Twilight set the thread down on a nearby box and couldn't get the grin off of her face.  Rarity's expression was priceless.  

"Oh don't get me wrong, dear, it's lovely to see that you're feeling better.  It's just that...  Well, you looked like death just yesterday!  How in Equestria could you pull off a look like that overnight?"

"Just some really good tea, a little 'R&R' and some aromatherapy.  Also a nice mud mask...  You know, the usual homeopathic remedies."

"Well whatever it is you've done has certainly worked for you.  Goodness, you really do look... spectacular."

"Thank you, thank you.  I feel great.  Listen, I need to go see Applejack real quick and thank her for letting me rummage around in her farm for a little while, but if you aren't busy tonight d'ya think that you might wanna go out?"

"Where did you have in mind?"  Rarity asked nervously with an obvious shift in her body language, expecting some kind of museum or archeological dig site to be Twilight's area of interest when she brought this up.

"Oh I dunno, wherever you go to meet colts, I know you go out on the town from time to time."

"Are you... being serious, Twilight?  You've never been interested in 'going out' like that before."

"Exactly.  While I was sick I uh, I got to thinking.  Maybe I should try and get out more, maybe meet a nice guy...  Try something new."

"Well then!  I guess I could find some time later tonight.  Any what you're looking for in a stallion?"

"Patient, calm, nice, and intelligent...  I guess that's it really."

"Hmm...  You've never considered Big Macintosh, have you?"  Rarity didn't really have to think about that one too long before throwing her suggestion out there.

"Not that I could ever say...  He doesn't exactly strike me as the sharpest knife in the drawer."

"Now now, Twilight.  He may just be a country boy but he's not dumb.  From what little he's said to me I'd be inclined to think that he's actually a quick learner.  You ought to talk to him while you're out at Sweet Apple Acres."

"I'll think about it, but I'm not sure how Applejack would feel about that."

"He's a big colt, older than Applejack anyhow, I'm sure she'll respect whatever he wants."

She's hiding something from you, Twilight.  That familiar, raspy voice snuck its way back into Twilight's mind as she chatted with her friend.

Oh?  What's she hiding?  Twilight responded in thought.

Well I couldn't tell you exactly, but she certainly can.  You mentioned you wanted to read thoughts earlier, right?  Why not give it a try?

How do I even start?

Every thought has a voice, Twilight, you just have to listen for it.  Wait until she speaks again on the subject, and take in everything she says.  The important thing for you to do, though, is to listen to what's behind the voice.  What gives her words substance?  What are her thoughts?  Once you hear them, it'll get easier and easier to drown out what's said, and to pluck the source of each statement directly from her mind.

"Twilight?  Are you sure you're feeling better?"  Rarity chimed in with a cock of the head and a few concerned blinks.

"Huh?  Oh!  Sorry, just... lost in thought, that's all."

"Just that you trailed off there for a moment..."

"Yeah, I'm fine.  As I said, I was just thinking.  I've been doing an awful lot of that lately."

It's not working, Iago.

She has yet to say anything with a distorted meaning.  She's honestly concerned for you.  Just take that for what it is, but try to get her to lie to you.  Blatant lies are the easiest to hear.

"You've certainly got a high opinion of Big Mac."  Without too much transition or hesitation, Twilight went right for the throat.

"Well it's just a little... girlish interest, what can I say?"

"You're certain that's it?"  Twilight eyed Rarity for the usual body language, picking up a tell that she was lying from a little twitch in her ear.  From here, she listened in, and did exactly as Iago said.

"Well he's no Prince Blueblood..."

"I thought you hated him for how he acted at the gala?"

"Well... that was a bit rude but I'm sure he was just on an off day..."  Rarity's tell returned, betraying to the unicorn that she was certainly altering the truth.  Twilight focused on every single word that escaped Rarity's lips, trying to pick them apart.  Her heightened senses allowed her to actually analyze everything in extraordinary detail, even locating the forced Canterlot dialect that she had been putting forward for years.  Just toward the end she thought that she could hear something like an echo behind her voice.  It was faint, but it was certainly there.

"Oh c'mon.  He treated you like a servant!"

"I'm sure he just wasn't used to the company.  Or he mistook me for somepony else...  There's no way he could treat everyone like that!"  Again, at the end of Rarity's statement Twilight heard an echo.  This time she could actually make out what it was, though: He was such a jackass!

There, you heard it, didn't you?  Iago seemed to be enjoying himself a little too much as he spoke, and Twilight couldn't help herself but share in the feeling.

Yes I did.  I wonder why she would lie about that though?  She yelled at him in front of Princess Celestia and everypony else.

"Oh c'mon Rarity...  He was acting like a complete jackass don't you think?"  Twilight decided to use Rarity's own description just to see if it could incite any other reactions.

"I dunno if I'd go so far as to say that.  He definitely wasn't very polite, though."  Rarity's responses were getting a little more shaky during this interrogation.  She didn't like lying to Twilight, but she couldn't admit the obvious crush she had on the big red Stallion.  There was one more echo behind her statement: Not like Macintosh...

"Oh Rarity, you don't have to hide anything from me.  I'm your friend aren't I?"  

"Well, yes.  Yes you are, Twilight.  B-but I'm not hiding anything.  Honestly, Big Macintosh just isn't my type."

"I didn't mention Big Macintosh being your type..."

"Oh... right, you didn't...  Uhm... I just..."

"You've got a crush on him don't you?"

"Okay fine!  Maybe I do.  Why is it so important to you, hmm?"  Rarity finally exploded and took a very defensive posture.  Her body could tell Twilight almost as much about her current state of mind than the echoes could.

"Woah, calm down, Rarity.  I didn't mean anything by it.  Why is it such a sensitive topic?"

"It's not...  Who said it was?"

Listen for the reason, Twilight, it's got to be fresh in her mind.

Twilight was getting better at listening to the echos and pulled the meaning away while almost drowning out her voice.  Rarity's question: "Who said it was?"  was just a vessel to carry along the real message.  I can't be seen with him...  I'd have no future.

The lavender unicorn gave a little smirk and looked into Rarity's worried eyes with a gaze of understanding.  Twilight slowly walked over to Rarity, brushing her nose against her friend's neck right behind her ear and whispering, "Don't be so shallow."  With that, she turned to leave.  Rarity stood absolutely speechless, not understanding exactly how Twilight had done that; moreover worrying about whether or not Twilight could actually read her thoughts.  The idea was implanted in her mind, however, and Rarity mentally went over the way she might consider talking to Big Macintosh the next time she saw him.

Twilight left the boutique in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, figuring that Rarity would get back to her on going out for a little fun after a little recovery time.  She trotted along with an obvious sense of satisfaction after her tiny victory with Rarity.  She was definitely being liberal with her new skill, trying to improve on it a little more each time she was presented with the opportunity.  Every single conversation she passed by was ripe with distortions of the truth, leaving every one of the individual ponies' reputations stained in Twilight's mind.  She didn't quite see the transformation, but she was slowly learning not to trust anything that was ever said.  

You know, Twilight.  Your friend Applejack would be an interesting test subject for this skill.  Iago kept chiming in from time to time to express his own interest in something.  She certainly wouldn't be an easy 'read', but claiming to be one of the most honest ponies in town certainly is a large order to fill.  It would be fun to see what she lies about.

I've never known Applejack to lie...  Well, except for that time when Discord got hold of her, but that was a completely outside force.  Twilight happily responded any time she was spoken to, but kept walking in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, taking a shortcut through the park in the center of town.

Ahh, Discord, he's quite the fellow isn't he?

You know him?  Don't tell me you taught him too.

No, not quite.  Though I have to admit that he did teach me, although unwittingly.  He loved to torment Celestia, so naturally I idolized him.  I documented all of the things he did to her and the reactions that they brought out, trying to get a little dirt on the old hag should I ever decide to get back at her for anything.  Back then she had a simple pink mane; now she wears it as a badge of her power and has changed it to the flowing celestial texture that it currently presents.  Celestia very much dislikes the color pink, Twilight, so she even used to go so far as to dye it once or twice; she would use fresh blueberries to turn it a dark purple.  Discord, knowing this, turned her hair into cotton candy one day and I swear I thought she was going to burst into flame with how angry she was.

Yeah, that sounds like Discord.

Once she defeated him and turned him to stone, cruelly using him to decorate the back yard, I determined him to be weak and chose to ignore him from then on.  No offense to you, but if you and your neurotic friends could defeat him even after he had taken away the very essence of what made you friends, I don't see how he could command the respect of someone that could turn the very air around him into a sword to rip his enemies to pieces with.

That sounds like a nifty trick...  I'll have to try it.

Well you continue to astound me, Twilight.  The way you use telekinesis to create small blades and textures is very interesting.  To manipulate spacial inertia in such a way definitely shows me that you're more than promising.  I dare say you could be the one.

What do you mean by 'the one'?  Twilight found herself wandering a little too close to the curb and had to stop herself from stepping off in a puddle.  Her attention was unduly divided, since she could focus on several things at once now but she wasn't quite accustomed to multitasking yet.  She tried to get used to that ability, but still needed a little practice before it became second-nature.

Why, the one to help me finish my research, Twilight.  The very secrets to immortality itself.  I've explored many venues, from the manipulation of time to the manipulation of the earth, as well as a rather scarring attempt at travel through the Aether, but I'm afraid the frailty of my body caused my eventual demise, however long I put it off.  Undeath wasn't my idea of continued life either, because to my knowledge you can't come back from that, so I decided to avoid it.

Undeath?  Like a zombie or a vampire?

Almost, Twilight.  Zombies are mindless, however, and vampires are as frail as their curse wills them to be, so that's just a different set of weaknesses beyond mortality.  What I want is the strength of the stars themselves, to hold the universe in my claws and shape it how I please.  Becoming a Lich is very close, but I'd still be dead, only bound to a body that would continue to rot away until the bones became dust.

I'm sure I've heard of Liches before...

Yes, you read about them in the third volume of "Tales from the Occult" which imparted to you, and I quote: "A Lich is a very powerful sorcerer who has given his body to death so that his spirit may remain bound to the earth, unhindered by the ravages of age and time, and free to learn as much about magic as they wish to pursue."  Not a bad definition, but they're still dead, and they're still rotting.  Not what I'd like to have for myself.

Well you can maintain a body with energy from the Aether, I'm living proof of that, so why don't you just do something like that for yourself?

A very good question, Twilight.  For which I have two answers:  One: I learned about maintaining bodies through the help of a rather talented mule named Edwin several centuries ago, long after my body's death and my imprisonment within the book, so I never had the chance to maintain my own body in such a way.  Two: doing this is a full-time job, Twilight.  I'm able to analyze your memories and learn a little about you constantly, as well as communicate, because I'm very practiced and very well versed in this kind of maintenance, but I'm not alive.  My brain is free from the limits of structure, and my body is free from the limits of time.  My consciousness, most of all, is free from the limits of having to divide itself into the various processes of keeping a body alive, much less between doing that while also manipulating energies into every single atom within said body.  I simply can't be alive and do all of that kind of micromanaging at the same time, at least I haven't found a way to efficiently do so quite yet.  Even if I could do that and survive, I wouldn't be able to do much else.  You can see the conundrum.

Yeah, I guess that would be a problem.  Twilight stopped as a carriage crossed in front of her.  She looked into it and, as usual, picked out the position of every single nail on the thing.  She was trying to train herself to focus on several things at once, and so gave herself a goal to shoot for.  The portions of the wagon that she couldn't see gave way to estimations based on the side that she could, and she even went so far as to spot loose or missing nails based on how the wagon swayed and rolled along on the wheels.  She was definitely getting better at everything she put her mind to, and at an incredible speed.  Not sure how to fix that.  Is there any way to have something mediate the energy that goes through the Aether and into your body?  Some kind of...  ethereal capacitor or something?

Not at the moment, but I'll look into it.  Perhaps there's a way we could develop such a thing.  But I've taken up enough of your time, this is your day, Twilight.

Never a bother to hear from you, Iago.  I hope it's not too cluttered in there.  With that, the voice in Twilight's mind quieted down, leaving her behind to her own devices just in time.  She could see the peak of the Apple family farmhouse off in the distance, so she simply brought up the clip and crossed the street in front of her quickly.

  Twilight crossed the street carelessly, not paying attention to the quickly moving cart that had just rounded the corner.  The unicorn realized that she was on a collision path with it just a moment too late and, while the driver of the cart yanked the reins and tried to stop, she was hit.  Twilight was immediately thrown to the ground with the impact and pulled under the cart.  Time slowed down for her, and every little creek of the wood rolling over her body seemed almost musical to her.  She heard her leg snap and felt a small change in pressure, but she didn't feel any pain to go along with it.  She looked down to see the wound, almost completely ignoring the rest of the cart as it skidded over her and rolled over her legs again.  From the twisted shape of her right leg, she could tell it was broken very badly, but a cursory glance at her other leg didn't reveal any injury (further clouded by the fact that she couldn't feel any pain, she had no idea of the nature of the problems).

After what felt like ages, the cart rolled all the way over Twilight (physically spinning and rolling her broken and battered body in the process) and came to a prompt halt.  The cart driver and the panicked stallions pulling it immediately began the process of detaching themselves from the cart and hurrying toward the unicorn.  Once she could see the sky, however, Twilight simply laid on her back and looked up into the air, relaxing in the middle of the street and even giving a little chuckle.  She sat up and examined her leg, running her front hooves down it as the three stallions ran over to her side.  Twilight watched her leg morph back into its usual shape, listening to the organic and muffled crunching of bone setting itself within the confines of a toned muscular structure.

"Sweet Princess!  Are you okay, ma'am?"  The cart driver kneeled down next to her and looked her over to try and determine her injuries.

"Yes,  I'm fine, actually.  Just knocked the wind out of me is all."  Twilight rotated her shoulders and stood up, easily placing her normal weight on the appendage and not feeling out of touch at all.

"Are you sure?  It felt like we..."

"Relax, bud.  I'm fine.  Twilight walked around him without a limp or any other kind of obvious injury as she spoke, trying to put his very obvious worries at rest.  "See?  Everything's alright.  It was my fault for not looking before I crossed.  Why don't you and your friends there just take it easy and get where you need to be, I won't keep you any longer and we won't have to deal with any more problems, hm?"  

"U-uhm...  Are you sure you don't want to go see a doctor or something?  I mean, just to make sure."  One of the stallions from the front of the cart spoke up in concern.  Little did Twilight know, he had actually heard her leg snap.  

"Nah, I think I know my own body.  I'm feeling just fine, if not a little dusty."

"Well either way, please accept my sincerest apologies, and that of my comrades, we honestly just didn't see you and we're very late."

"Nonsense, sir.  Go on and try to make your appointment, and I'll make it to mine, deal?"  Twilight looked the grey-maned cart driver in the eyes and tried her best to beckon him to leave.  A crowd had started to gather around the accident site and Twilight didn't want too much attention to her almost miraculous healing ability.  Somepony was bound to have seen what happened to her, and she simply wanted everything to blow over quietly.

The lavender pony crossed the street again, this time avoiding any unnecessary attention, and trotted up to Applejack's humble farm home.  Applejack had set herself up in the rocking chair on their porch with her hat covering her eyes, and so didn't see Twilight's approach (or, hopefully, the grisly accident earlier).  

"Hey, AJ.  What's goin' on?"  Twilight asked cheerfully as she stepped up onto the porch.

"Hm?  Oh, Twilight!"  Applejack was brought out of her light nap and immediately recognized Twilight's voice.  The earth pony moved the hat away from her eyes and sat up a little to seem more polite, but wasn't quite prepared for what she saw.  "W-woah...  I take it you're feeling better."

"I've been getting that a lot today.  But yes, yes I am.  As a matter of fact I've never felt better!  Everything I did worked out better than I expected."

"Wull I'm just glad you're doin' alright there, Twi.  From the way you looked I figured y'had one hoof in the grave."

"Oh I don't think I could have looked that bad...  I appreciate the concern though, and I just stopped by to let you know everything was alright and to apologize for acting kinda weird yesterday."  Twilight shifted around on her hooves, waiting for a response.  Although she tried to, she couldn't zero in on an echo behind Applejack's voice, and so figured that everything she was saying was truth.

"Wull that's mighty nice of you Twilight.  But you don't need to apologize, I know that bein' sick doesn't always leave you in the right state o' mind, so don't you go a-stressin' about it too much.  Like I said, I'm just glad you're alright."

"I'll be just fine, Applejack.  Oh!  Do you know what Big Macintosh is up to?  I've got something I'd like to talk to him about."

"What's that you'd like to talk to him about?"

"Oh it's nothing, just needed to ask him something."

"C'mon, Twilight, I know you better than that.  It ain't nothin'."

"Okay fine, I just want to know if he's single or not."

"You ain't thinkin' of datin' my big brother are you?"

"No!  Not me, anyway.  I just have a friend who wants to know, that's all."

"What friend?"

"Oh c'mon, AJ.  Can't she have a little confidentiality?"

Applejack gave a sigh and rolled her eyes a little, looking back to Twilight and trying futilely to make a guess of whom Twilight was referring to.  "Fine.  You can talk to him if you want, but he's a little shy on the subject.  

"Oh don't you worry, Applejack, I won't push anything that's obviously not welcome."

"I trust you.  I reckon he'll be either in the house or out by the barn, depends on where he is with his work."  With this final statement, Applejack nodded quickly to bring her hat back down over her eyes and continue her nap.  Twilight walked away from the porch and glanced around the side of the humble farm home.  She spotted the barn and looked at the doorway, spying that it was slightly ajar and figuring that Big Macintosh must be still inside.  Twilight made a bee line for the barn in hopes of catching the stallion privately.

On reaching the structure, Twilight poked her head in the open door and scanned around the dimly lit barn.  Big Macintosh wasn't exactly being stealthy as he packed away dry food stories, but Twilight needed to make sure they were alone for embarrassment's sake.  

"Hey, Mac!"  Twilight hailed to the stallion, stepping inside and telekinetically nudging the door shut.

"Wull howdy there, Twilight.  You're lookin' lovely this evenin'."  Big Macintosh turned around and wiped his brow during his response.  He'd clearly had a long day and was just looking to go sit down for a while.

"Why thank you.  I do have a few questions for you, though.  If you've got the time.'

"I suppose I could spare a few minutes.  Just about finished up in here as a matter o' fact."

"Well then I'll just cut to the chase.  I don't imagine a big, strong, polite guy like yourself has any trouble with the ladies around town..."

"Just what're you gettin' at, Twilight?"  Macintosh eyed the unicorn curiously, retaining his calm demeanor and trying to figure out Twilight's motive.

"Two things.  One: are you single?"

"Yes, I ain't really got the time for datin'.  Nor the interest."  Twilight applied her ability to listen in but couldn't quite pick out any kind of change from Big Macintosh's response.  As a matter of fact, where anyone else's voices had an echo of some kind, Mac's was absolutely silent.  It was as if he was just speaking exactly what came to mind with no filter.

"Two: how is it you feel about Rarity?"

"About Rarity?  Twilight, of all the ponies in town you coulda' asked me about, you sure picked the strangest one."

"Oh c'mon, she's not that bad."

"Now now, I never said she was 'bad'.  Just an odd match for me.  She's so worried about the silliest things...  I'm frankly not even sure she's got her head on right half the time."

"Afraid you wouldn't get along?"

"Wull I dunno.  Do we even have anything in common?"

"You ever hear the phrase, 'opposites attract'?  Sometimes relationship chemistry doesn't have to come with shared interests.  You're quiet, a good listener, big and strong and very thoughtful.  Rarity can get into periods of time where she just won't shut the hay up."

"Is that right?"  The big red earth pony couldn't help but chuckle at the way Twilight put it.

"Yeah, and a little birdie tells me that she's got a thing for you anyhow."

"Oh?  So why hasn't she said anything?"

"No offense to you, but you're not exactly the easiest guy to get a hold of.  No offense to her, but she's a little old fashioned in the way of having a guy express interest in her first."

"Alright, bear with me for just a minute, Twilight.  I've got a few things t'ask you."

"Fair enough, fire away."

"Just how would you expect that kind of a relationship to work?  You came all this way out here to talk to me about it, I imagine you've got some kind of plan."

"Uhm...  I certainly wasn't expecting that.  I was honestly kinda hoping that old cliche about 'love blossoming out of the oddest places' would prove to be true."

"How's this: Rarity's obsessively clean and touchy about all of her things.  I'm content to work around in the dirt all day and then just drop down for a rest wherever I can.  I feel like that little detail would be a thorn in her side more than once in an odd occasion."

"Alright, but if you could look past that..."

"As you said, she's a little chatterbox and I'm a stallion of very few words."

"Well 'as I said', I don't think that little detail will be much of a problem.  You're a good listener and she needs a good listener."

"I also don't know a thing about what she'd be talkin' about."

Twilight started to read into his meaning, though she still couldn't pull an echo from his speech.  "You certainly seem to have thought this through."  

"Oh... well I'd be lyin' if I said I hadn't."  This did seem to make the stallion nervous, but his voice didn't change any.

"So she does interest you!  Why don't you just take the chance, huh?"

"I've got a lot of work to do every day, Twilight.  I ain't got the time for that sort of filly-chasin'.  Plus she's runnin' a business of her own and I don't imagine she's got much time, either."

"Trust me, Mac.  If you knew how much free time she had to spend thinking about the strangest and most useless junk, you'd be surprised."

"Listen, Twilight.  I appreciate what you're tryin' to do but I just don't see what the point is."

"Not everything's gotta have a point, big guy.  Every time I see you I feel like you're a little tiny bit more stressed out.  And every time I see Rarity I feel like her neurosis is slowly eating away at her facade until one day she's going to explode.  She's got a thing for you, you just kinda admitted to having a thing for her, and the both of you seem to need to blow off a little steam.  Seems like a match made in heaven from my point of view."

Big Macintosh shook his head and started on a slow trot toward the door.  "Tell ya what, Twilight.  The weekend's comin' up and I'm pretty sure I can come up with some reason to head into town.  If I have a talk with her will you drop the subject?"

"Sure thing, bud."  Twilight smirked and followed Big Macintosh toward the door, pulling it open absentmindedly for him with her new Telekinesis.  The stallion noticed that the usual aura didn't form around the door where it should have, but chose to keep his mouth shut.  

"Thank you.  If the ice breaks and we get together, then that's great.  If not, I'll at least be able to say I tried, ain't that right?"

"That's all I ask."

"Wull good, now if you don't mind I really need to sit down.  My back's killin' me."

"I'll leave you alone, then.  Nice talking with you!"  Twilight stepped out the door and closed it behind her, keeping a few paces behind the earth pony in front of her.

"It was nice talkin' with you too, Twilight.  Don't be such a stranger, though.  I know AJ'd love to have you over for dinner every so often, she's been hung up on the subject a lot lately."

"Oh?  Well I'm sure I can make it by sometime next week...  We'll keep in touch."

"Walk home safe, Twilight."

Twilight gave a little nod and split away from the stallion.  She didn't bother stopping by the house to say goodbye to Applejack; her mind was a little preoccupied.

That was quite the interesting piece of conversation, Twilight.  Iago's voice crawled out of her mind as the unicorn walked home.

I thought so too.  I'm coming to realize that I can't really 'read' the Apple family, though.  Know anything about that?

That's actually a pretty simple problem.  Obviously one of two things must be true: either they're telling the pure truth, or (and this is far more likely) they're able to block you out mentally.

How would they be able to do that?

It could be their down-to-earth, stoic nature presenting itself as a mental wall, or they could be secretly trained to hunt down psychics...  I'm guessing it's the former, but every possible scenario is worth consideration.

So they're unreadable?

No.  Anything that has thought can be read.  Actually, anything that's alive can be read.  If you wish to read the thoughts of a tree, you could.  With the right kind of training, of course.

Trees think?

They live, don't they?  Mind you, their thoughts are very basic and very simple.  Very suppressed even.  Often times just something along the lines of, "Need" or "Content" or "Sunlight".  They don't contemplate existence because they don't need to.  They simply exist.  Their lives are actually quite peaceful, and I've given many years to envy.

Alright, that notwithstanding, could you read them?

I admit I've been rather...  Disengaged with your thought processes these past few hours.  Speaking of which, why in the world did you just spend nearly an hour of your time trying to hook your friends up?  What's the point?

Macintosh is very big, very strong, and very strong-willed.  Rarity is very passionate, and a lot more intelligent than she lets on.  When emotions run high, wills start to degrade and manipulation starts to get a little easier, and I feel like the two of them could come in handy in the future should I ever need... test subjects.  It'd be nice to have them around and easily accessible.

Interesting proposition.  You're considering controlling them?

Possibly.  If progress warrants it, anyway.  As I said, Big Macintosh is very big, and Rarity is pretty and smart...  They could prove useful if we need them.

I'm proud, Twilight.  Great forethought, good choices...  Something I'd do.  You're learning quickly.

Thank you, Iago.  I thought you might appreciate them.  Twilight rounded the corner of a nameless little building in the center of town, turning onto the road that led to the library.  Hmm...  Still going through my mind?

Of course I am.  To me, it's like you going through and reading every single book in your library.

I only wish I could do that all in one day.

By now you probably could, but unlike myself digging through your mind I don't think your library could house any information that you'd find truly useful.  Either way, you've still got quite a bit of time left to kill, so finish your personal errands.

Twilight acknowledged her mentor and continued home.  The library had become a simple hub for her travels, as well as a storage space for her various collections of useful objects.  She had effectively begun to separate herself from the world, considering everything around her simply a "thing"; an ephemeral entity that would eventually fade, unlike her.  Her friends would die, her home would crumble, her town would expand and possibly even recede back into a tiny plot of worthless land.  She was the only thing in her life that would be guaranteed to stand the test of time.  Celestia slipped her mind, however, and Twilight refused to acknowledge her existence.  This wasn't out of spite, but out of defiance; Celestia wouldn't rule forever.  Twilight would make sure of that.

With the Aid of a Friend

The day had gone on with little else to occupy Twilight, leaving her enough free time to sit back and watch the sunset.  As the fiery orb approached the horizon, Twilight held one hoof above it, keeping it in line with the very top of the sun and pretending to force it down.  Twilight normally would have felt silly with this kind of imaginary act, but it could very easily become a reality should something happen to her old teacher.

From her vantage point on top of the Carousel Boutique, Twilight could see nearly to the edge of town; luckily nobody noticed her fly up there and perch near the central spire.  She stood up and trotted quietly over the pink and purple shingles toward the edge.  With a graceful bounce she stepped onto the wall, telekinetically holding herself up perpendicular to the ground and walking down the wall just because she could.  She reoriented her own personal gravity back down to the ground and continued toward the door, knocking a few times with the back of her hoof to signal Rarity that she had come over (rather than doing so the hour before while she watched the sunset).  

Rarity opened the door, dressed up in a somewhat tight fitting blue dress that rode fairly high on her flanks, along with a similar color of eyeshadow and lipstick.  She flashed a smile and eyed Twilight curiously, noticing that she chose not to wear anything at all for the night out.

"Well, well, well.  You got awfully dressed up, Rarity."  Twilight moved away from the door and beckoned Rarity to join her.  

"I never mind getting dressed up for all the boys out there.  Don't you like it, Twilight?"  Rarity closed her eyes and tilted her nose up as she walked past Twilight, giving off her usual air of superiority.

"I have to admit you do look great, though the blue lipstick is a little out of the ordinary."

"It's not too much is it?  I just think it brings out my eyes."

"Well I don't exactly think it's your eyes that all the fellas will be looking at."  

This comment sparked a coy giggle from Twilight's friend.  "Oh, I suppose you're right.  But this way at least it makes it look like I'm trying."

"Is that a crack at the fact that I'm not dressed up?"

"Why no, Twilight!  Honestly with your new look I'd think it strange that you'd consider covering it up.  I was only saying..."

"It's no problem at all, Rarity.  I'm just teasing you."  Twilight trotted alongside Rarity and passed the time during the walk with idle conversation.

"Of all the ponies I thought would tease me tonight, you've got to be the last of them."

"So how often do you do this sort of thing?"

"Not too often.  Every now and again, though, my 'drive' kicks up and begs me to go find somepony who can take care of it.  I've honestly tried my best to have a long relationship with some of the colts here in Ponyville, but frankly I can't hang onto one to save my life."

"Is that so?"

"Well, it's my fault mostly.  I can admit to being a touch...  High maintenance."

"No offense, but that's a little bit of an understatement."

"Okay fine...  Needy, is that better?"

"Needy sounds about right."

"Irrelevant as that is..."  Rarity gave Twilight an annoyed glare in the middle of this sentence,  "I don't see an issue indulging myself in the rituals of my desires.  I pamper myself at the spa with Fluttershy every week, I make my own robes out of fabric that is hoof-picked by ponies in very far-away lands, and I live in my own store and make money doing something I love.  All of those are desires that I've taken it upon myself to entertain, why's that any different from... carnal pleasure?"

"Well...  I guess I just worry about the reputation it might cause."

"Oh please...  Society and its double-standards can go ahead and kiss my hooves.  Why is it that if a stallion sleeps with a new mare every weekend he's considered a stud, but if a mare has a new coltfriend all the time she's filthy?"

"Now you're on about double-standards?  It's like a whole new Rarity comes out on club-nights, hm?"

"You're going to be giving me a hard time all night aren't you, Twilight?"

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry.  I'll stop now.  I actually agree with you on that last part, it really is a little bit insensitive to the ladies."

"Thank you!  I'm honestly glad I've got a friend to go with...  The place is usually full of other mares and only a few guys, but I can't help but feel a little unsafe going places by myself."

"Is this place in a bad part of town?"

"Oh, I don't think it's a particularly bad part of town.  I'm just a poor little mare all by my lonesome dressed up like... this... walking around at night.  Seems dangerous to me regardless of the location."

"Heh, well don't worry, Rarity.  I'll make sure you get home safe tonight."  Twilight looked up to see the dimly lit streets cast in the shadows of downtown Ponyville.  She had never actually wandered the back roads of the town despite how long she'd lived there, and so was going into brand new territory; the discovery was exciting.  

"I'll take you up on that if neither of us find a colt to have a good night with.  Otherwise I'd hope you don't follow me home."

"As oblivious as I seem to be as far as social situations go, I think I could figure that one out, Rarity."

"Just making sure, darling.  You know that old adage: 'Hope for the best, expect the worst'?"

Twilight simply rolled her eyes in response and gave Rarity a friendly hip-chuck to let her know that she wasn't actually offended.  The two shared a short laugh and progressed with their leisurely walk; Twilight continued to analyze her surroundings and try to memorize the layout of the streets.  Before long, the lavender unicorn spotted a flickering neon light off in the distance that must have been their destination.  As they approached, she could make out the bright purple lettering: Ataraxia.

"This the place?"

"Mhmm.  It seems a little dingy on the outside but it's actually very nice.  I think it's one of those spots that's only ever populated by ponies who know it's there, so most of them are regulars and are very polite.  Honestly I think you'll love it here."

"How'd you find out about it?"

"Some time ago a friend brought me here, I suppose the cycle repeats itself hm?"  

"Yeah I guess so."

Twilight and Rarity walked toward the unguarded front door and stepped inside.  The club wasn't exactly modern, but the inside was beautifully maintained.  All of the wood appeared to be from back when Ponyville was first established, coated in a beautiful vintage finish and retaining all of the natural wear and tear of years gone by.  The walls were all paneled with the same original wood, and the ceiling housed dozens of small mirrors that each reflected and refracted the dozens of candles strewn around the place.  Inside, the building really opened up into a very well laid out floor plan with a lot of space and a great energy abound.  

"Wow.  I gotta say, Rarity.  This really is a beautiful building."

"Oh I know!  It's all original paneling and that dark finish just brings out the lovely ambiance of the dim lighting...  I love the feng shui of the room."

Twilight and Rarity found an empty booth along the wall to sit, somewhat out of the way but not hidden in a corner.  Rarity gazed around, presumably to size up the crowd, while Twilight just sat back and relaxed, waiting for any kind of signal as to what was expected of her.  Fed up with the brief moment of silence, however, Twilight decided to engage in a little smalltalk so that she didn't seem like her usual awkward self (she was desperately trying to display that she had reinvented herself, if only for a small gain of respect).  

"So...  Ataraxia huh?  Odd name for a night club."

"Mmn, yes, one of the great few pegasi who came down to help settle Ponyville picked the name.  I think it roughly translates to 'tranquility', or something along those lines.  This isn't exactly supposed to be an exuberant club, just a sophisticated lounge where ponies can go to enjoy themselves and socialize...  Would you like something to drink?"  Rarity kept her chin tilted down and her muzzle facing Twilight exactly.  Twilight caught that Rarity was  trying to keep her 'good side' displayed in a cute way toward the rest of the lounge.  The lavender unicorn couldn't turn down the offer for a drink, though.  She had never had liquor before, mostly due to several irrational fears: addiction, alcohol poisoning, brain degradation or several other maladies that she had heard of on the subject.  None of that mattered anymore, though, so she threw caution to the wind.

"Mmn, why not?  Might as well loosen up, right?"

"That's the spirit!  Heh-heh... no pun intended."  Rarity's awful pun made Twilight roll her eyes, but she flashed a smile anyway.

"So what do you like?"

"I'm not exactly well-versed in the flavors of alcoholic beverages, Rarity.  Got any recommendations?"

"Well, I assume you've already eaten dinner... I certainly have.  With no heavy food to go with it we can stay away from any chianti or zinfandel.  Frankly, in the absence of food I can't exactly say that there's any perfect choice of wine to drink, but since it's a relaxed occasion I'd say a dessert wine would be a good start.  Perhaps a sauterne or even Port wine."

"I have to say I'm impressed.  I had no idea you were such a connoisseur."

"Just another hobby I've picked up over the years.  You know, because I need just one more thing to spend all of my time and money on.  Speaking of which, those wines are kind of expensive but I'd say they're entirely worth the price.  You don't drink much, do you?"

"Not at all, as a matter of fact"

"Well then try the sauterne, it has a little less alcohol in it and ought to be a little sweeter.  Port is fortified with brandy so it's more of an acquired taste, at least in my humble opinion."

"Mmn, I think I'm feeling adventurous.  I'll give the Port a try."  Twilight sat back and made herself comfortable while perusing the rather slim crowd.

"Well alright then, I'll be right back."  Rarity stood up from her side of the booth and walked over toward the back wall.  The bar area was very minimal, but Rarity stepped up to it nonetheless and took a rather seductive stance over one of the stools in front of it.  A few stallions took notice as she ordered the drinks, following her with their gazes as she trotted back.  

"You didn't pay?"  Twilight noticed no money changing hooves and needed to slake her curiosity.

"I just had them put it on my tab is all,"  Rarity said happily as she took her seat once more and flicked her mane away from her eyes.  Twilight caught the echo of Rarity's true motives behind the obvious lie: One of those guys will probably pick up the charge.

Twilight chose not to let on that she caught her meaning, simply grinning and giving a little huff before looking down and dragging her hoof in a little circle on the beautiful antique table.  "So how'd you pick up wine culture?  I don't imagine we get the best selection in Ponyville."

"I guess you could say it's one of my silly obsessions that go along with dreams of Canterlot fame and glory.  I actually forced myself to learn about wine culture with the hopes that I could impress some noble or other, but really I've only been to two events where it's come in handy.  One was a visit to Canterlot on a date that ended just dreadfully, and another was a friend's cousin's birthday..."

"Don't take this the wrong way, Rarity, but you go to some awfully great lengths to pander to 'important' ponies."

"Oh no offense taken whatsoever, darling.  Honestly I've since given up trying to do all that for other ponies and started paying more attention to my own interests.  Ugh, as if I wasn't always out for myself."

"Well I think one of the things I've always liked about you is that you spend equal portions paying attention to your own needs and the needs of others."

"Hah, well thank you, Twilight.  I do appreciate that."

"Hello there, ladies, having a nice night?"  A yellow-coated unicorn appeared with two large glasses of wine floating magically together.

"We're having a lovely evening, Joy, thank you."  Rarity greeted the waitress (obviously a close friend) with a hug.  "Twilight, this is Joyful Day."

"A pleasure to meet you,"  Twilight said with a nod and a forced smile.

"The pleasure's all mine.  All my friends call me Joy, by the way."  The waitress delicately lowered the glasses down and set them in front of the other two unicorns, standing up straight and flicking her head to the side.  Her short-cut mint green mane didn't fall too much further than her eyes, but still seemed to bug her incessantly.  "Here are your drinks, hope you enjoy them."

"Thanks a million, Joy!"  Rarity smiled and picked her glass up, smelling the brim before taking a very slow sip.

"You're very welcome, oh and by the way your old trick is still working.  That handsome orange colt over there and his pegasus buddy picked up the check.  I swear you've put a dozen drinks on your tab and haven't paid for a single one."

"So that's your secret?"  Twilight decided to join in on the friendly jeering of Rarity's calculated plan.

"Hey, I didn't tell them to pay for it!  That's their choice."

"I don't blame you at all, Rarity.  You've got quite a system going and frankly," Joy paused and leaned down, lowering her voice and flashing a wink to both of the unicorns at the table "frankly I'd take anything I could get at this point."  

"Oh don't even start with that, you're gorgeous!"  Rarity gently nudged Joy's shoulder with her hoof, sharing another friendly chuckle.  "I'm sure you could get any colt in this place if you just asked them."

"I'm on the clock, Rare, that's a bit unprofessional."

"Just a suggestion, Joy."

"We'll see, anyway enjoy, I gotta go do some dishes."  With that, Joy left the pair behind to enjoy their wine; Twilight had been sitting quietly and only then took the first sip.  It was far less 'sweet' than she had expected, but it was by no means unpleasant.  The light burn of alcohol lingered in her throat as she swallowed the wine, and the flavors lightly bounded from her tongue as she took a breath and placed the glass back on the table.  

"So, what'd you think?"  Rarity eyed Twilight in anticipation for her reaction to the first time ever drinking wine.

"It's great, actually.  I couldn't drink a whole lot of it, but I definitely like it."

"I'm glad to hear it!.  By the way, a sauterne would go perfectly with any of Applejack's baking.  We ought to buy a bottle one day and just have a little get together with them, don't you think?"

"I thought Applejack was a little too 'rustic' for you."

"Oh she and I may not agree on everything, but I couldn't possibly deny her talents in the culinary arts.  Plus apples go well with that sort of white wine."

"Well that does sound like it could be fun.  Maybe we can."

"I'm sure it'd be very entertaining.  Oh, speaking of which, what do you think of those two over there who so graciously paid for our drinks?"

"What do you mean?"  Twilight hadn't really been paying attention to the pair, in truth she wasn't entirely interested in the pursuit of what would very likely be a one-night-stand.

"Well, how do they look to you?  Attractive?"

"I guess...  I'm not exactly getting a great look from all the way over here."  Rarity rolled her eyes and grinned to Twilight, hailing over to the two stallions with a wave of her hoof to which they promptly responded.  The two approached calmly; an orange earth pony with a red, long mane accompanied by a beige pegasus with a black, short-backed mane that hung over his right eye who clearly had reservations about socializing.  

"Hello there, ladies."  The earth pony stepped up and bowed his head, his friend following close behind and mimicking his movements (with a slight delay, of course).

"So I understand we have you two to thank for the payment of our drinks tonight, hm?"  Rarity flashed a smile as the two approached the table, sitting with one leg crossed over the other and not moving from her spot at the edge of the booth.

"That you do, I suppose, and I certainly hope you're enjoying them."

"Why yes I believe they've certainly hit the spot.  Twilight?"

"Oh, yeah it's wonderful, thank you very much."  Twilight was caught off-guard with the question and tried to seem like she was paying attention and not just lost in a virulent mixture of crippling boredom and slowly rising disdain for socializing.

"This is my good friend Twilight Sparkle, and my name is Rarity.  A pleasure to meet you mister..."  Rarity paused at the end of her sentence to bait the answer.

"I'm Dawn Ray and this is Thunderhead, and the pleasure is all ours I'm sure."  The bright orange earth pony cheerfully introduced himself, though his pegasus friend was awfully quiet.  "What brings you two beautiful mares to this place tonight?"

Twilight rolled her eyes at the comment and ended with a rather pained look to Rarity.  Of course, she came to discover that the ivory unicorn was absolutely loving the cheesy affection.  "Twilight here isn't exactly the social butterfly that I am, but she expressed interest in going out so I decided to bring her to one of my favorite places in town.  Figured it'd be a good first date, hmm?"  With this she flashed a wink at 'Dawn Ray'; a name that Twilight found more than just a little ridiculous.

"Interesting coincidence, I dragged Thunderhead out here because he's been moping over a breakup for the past two months."

"Not exactly the same thing there, fella."  Twilight decided to voice her distaste to the pompous pony through a snarky comment, but he remained unphased.  The earth pony was expressing far more interest in Rarity anyhow.  

"W-well I didn't mean any offense.  Just trying to break the ice is all."  Dawn Ray recovered quickly with this response.  The lavender unicorn shrugged, figuring that she'd sufficiently expressed her dominance and taking a little solace in that.  

Rarity stood up and offered Dawn Ray a seat, to which Twilight followed suit for the quiet pegasus (who nervously took the offer).  Twilight and Rarity immediately took the outside seats next to their counterparts, keeping a quick path to the exit ready just in case they should wish to leave.  Smalltalk erupted from the other side of the table, with Rarity keeping her usual coy evasiveness to test the interest level (which Dawn Ray was producing in droves).  Twilight turned her head to the nervous gray pegasus and flashed a smile, taking consolation in the fact that he hadn't proven to be a complete douche-bag yet.

"So... moping over a breakup for two months, huh?"  Twilight rested her hoof on the table and propped her head up, trying to show a little feigned interest in the pegasus.

"O-oh...  Uhm, it's not exactly that.  Yeah I was dumped two months ago but that's not what I'm 'moping' about...  I actually rather hate it when he says it like that."  Thunderhead tried to explain his disposition, but was clearly one of the more reserved types.  This, however, definitely piqued the interest from Twilight now that she'd garnered a little more dominance in her attitude.

"Then what is it?  And why don't you just tell him to quit introducing you that way if it annoys you, hm?"  Twilight lowered her eyelids a little and smirked, trying to see if she could make the pegasus shrink away a little bit.

"Oh I couldn't do that.  At least he's nice enough to bring me out with him every now and then."  He spoke quietly enough so that his buddy couldn't hear across the table; luckily the surrounding noise (soft as it was) helped to drown it all out.  "I just haven't really wanted to be in a relationship since then...  No offense or anything but I've had better things to do with my time and money."

"Hah!  That's a very practical way to look at it...  I like."  Twilight tilted her head to the side a little and looked up into the pegasus's dark brown eyes.

"I-I-I just, I didn't...  I just don't see the point is all.  Putting myself out there just to get my heart broken again...  I'd rather not.  Or at least wait a little while before I set myself up for failure again."

Twilight leaned a little closer to the stallion and spoke just a little more quietly, knowing her voice would be a little seductive from it.  "I know the feeling, I've got a friend who likes to pester me about that same thing, but I just enjoy most of my nights to myself, honestly."  Thunderhead grinned and looked down, blushing just a little and oddly evading eye contact.

"I guess I'm glad you understand, then."

"Well...  Since we understand each other, mind if I make a proposition?"

"G-go ahead."

"Why don't I go to your place, we have a little fun, then I head home and not have the pressure of a possibly-failed-time-wasting-heart-breaking-relationship to wake up to?  We appease our friends, relieve a little stress, and then go our separate ways, pursuing it if we decide we want to afterward."

"W-well I, uhm...  I..."  The pegasus blushed intensely; it was clear that he hadn't ever been in this situation before.  "I don't really see anything... wrong with that..."

"So just say yes, there's no pressure and there aren't any strings attached."

"Well...  you are one of the most... beautiful mares I've ever met."

"Now you're just tryin' to flatter me, mister Thunderhead."

"W-w-w-well I ca-an stop if you w--"

"Relax!  I was only giving you a tough time.  Now c'mon, let's get out of here."  Twilight leaned up and moved her muzzle closer to his ear, "I don't like your friend, anyhow."  Twilight and Thunderhead each glanced over to the couple that had been hitting it off thus far.  Rarity was sitting back and fluttering her eyelids and Dawn Ray was showing her some magic trick with a coaster and her wine glass.  Twilight immediately thought of a 'magic trick' of her own where she'd make the coaster 'disappear' to someplace very uncomfortable, but chose not to voice that little gem.

"Oh he's not that bad...  but I agree, let's get out of here."

Twilight stood up and smiled contentedly, calmly whispering across the seat, "Glad you saw it my way."

Thunderhead followed suit, but the sudden shift captured Rarity's attention.  "Leaving already, darling?"

"Well yeah, you brought me here to meet somepony and, well, I met somepony.  Figure we'll get out of your hair."

"Haha!  Wow, buddy, you sure do work quick."  Dawn Ray tapped at the table with his free hoof a little bit to emphasize his point.

"Hey, c'mon now Ray, let's keep it kinda classy."  Thunderhead said gingerly as he escaped the booth seat.

"Do have fun, you two.  Oh and Twilight..."  Rarity beckoned her friend over to whisper in her ear.  "Come check in with me tomorrow, I want to make sure everything went alright."

"Will do, Rarity.  I'll see you later, and you have a good night as well."  With that, Twilight left the interesting little bar and headed out into the town.

The Psychophagist

"So how'd you end up in Ponyville?  Pegasi aren't the most common ponies down here."  Twilight slowly walked alongside Thunderhead, keeping pace with and trusting the direction of his own nervous steps as they pushed deeper into Ponyville's underside.

"Oh, my family was never really into the whole cloud-making thing.  They were kinda rebellious and decided to come down here and work the farms with the earth ponies."  Thunderhead kept glancing around, but they'd been on a pretty directed course ever since they Ponyville's Main-Street.

"That's... definitely bizarre.  Not totally unheard of, though."  

"Oh?  I honestly thought my parents were the only ones that have ever done such a thing."

"Well that's certainly not true.  I have this friend, Fluttershy, who's a pegasus and has been in Ponyville since she was just a filly.  She's kinda the veterinarian around here, hanging out with all the sick animals and nursing them back to health...  Her heart is a little bigger than her mind sometimes, but I love her to death."

"Sounds like something mom would have done...  She didn't like the physical labor and industrial feel of making clouds in a factory and wanted to work outside.  That and she always loved the smell of grass, which we didn't have in Cloudsdale.  Dad felt the same way, so without as much as a thought they just moved down here."

"Well I can't say I've ever seen you, and in such a small town that's a little unheard of.  But who am I kidding?  I rarely ever leave my library anyhow."

"Well if it makes you feel better I was home-schooled all my life and then stuck to the farm.  I only recently moved into town because I just couldn't deal with the isolation anymore.  Problem is, and I didn't realize this until I got here, I don't really have the social skills to interact with all of these strange ponies.  I'm just isolated in a populated place... kinda ironic I think."

"Hey, I know how you feel.  I only moved here from Canterlot two years ago or so, and I came from Celestia's school for gifted unicorns so you can imagine how social I am."

"Well you don't exactly seem to be having much trouble talking with me."

"I could say the same about you...  Either way, I'm not about to jump up on the fountain and start quoting ancient playwrights."

"I suppose that would be a little odd, especially considering it's almost ten-o'-clock."

"I'll wait until at least noon before I start spouting lines from the tragedy of Julius Courser"

"Nothing quite like being woken up in the middle of the night by 'Et tu, Brumbeé?', eh Twilight?"

The two shared a laugh at the notion and made a left down a dark street.  They were headed into the deeper parts of downtown Ponyville; not the most threatening place exactly, but certainly more so than the rest of the little town.  Twilight continued to walk along with the exact same confidence as she had picked up earlier, but the pegasus next to her seemed to grow more and more nervous the closer they got to his home.

"I have to admit, I usually fly home.  This is kind of a bad part of town."

"Oh it doesn't seem that bad, Canterlot is so much worse at night."

"Heh, I bet, but still..."

"Well don't worry, I'll protect you if we get mugged."  Twilight flashed the pegasus a wink, but he didn't seem to notice it.  His eyes were fixed on a dingy little building that was rapidly approaching.

"T-thanks, Twilight.  Anyway, this is the place, up here on the right... by the street lamp."  

Twilight didn't say anything as they stepped into the alleyway behind the building.  About halfway down there was a narrow staircase leading up to a dimly lit door, which led into a small apartment that obviously belonged to a bachelor.  Several dirty dishes sat in the sink, as well as at least a half dozen empty liquor bottles on a tiny, ring-stained coffee table.  It wasn't exactly pleasant, and Twilight wanted to set the place on fire if only to sanitize it.  The strange part was that she actually had to seriously think about whether or not to do so.

"I'm really sorry about the mess...  I didn't really think I'd be coming home with anypony that needed a first impression."

"Oh it's... It's not that bad.  I've definitely seen worse."

"Still, I kinda feel bad...  Would you, uhm, like something to drink?"

"We just got here from a bar."

"Oh yeah... heh, sorry I'm just a little..."  Thunderhead seemed to stumble over his words and, on one occasion, stumble over an empty vodka bottle on the floor.  He was nervously trying to clean up a little bit (if only by kicking some of the refuse out of sight), so Twilight used the distraction to sneak up behind him.  "I really wish I had cleaned u--"  In the middle of his sentence, as he turned his face to speak nervously in Twilight's direction, he got a little surprise.  Twilight's muzzle pressed up against his, and her foreleg draped over his withers in a very light hug.  

The stallion was absolutely stunned, and Twilight was loving the fact that she could have that effect so easily.  "Just relax...  I don't judge a book by its cover."

"W-wull my bedroom's a whole lot worse..."

"So go lay down on the couch."  Twilight pulled back and gave a sly grin.  The poor stallion was so captured by her beauty and apparent interest in him that he was practically wrapped around her hoof.  He didn't hesitate to walk briskly over to the couch, using his wing to brush some debris off of it before dropping down on his back.  Twilight sat down on the cushion and leaned over Thunderhead, brushing his mane away from his eyes and smiling down to him.  He was nervous, so much so that he was actually lightly shaking, and that told Twilight one thing: he was a weak, innocent little pony.

Twilight leaned forward and met her lips with his once more, this time propping her weight up on the couch and hiking her leg over him, joining him completely on the shallow sofa.  She placed her hooves on his shoulders and effectively pinned the stallion down, sitting up in her straddling position and letting her long mane hang down and drape over the side of the couch.  Any time the gray stallion tried to speak, she simply kissed him to shut the stuttering noise up.  Eventually, though, Thunderhead was allowed to voice something (albeit shaky and nervous due to what he thought was a genuine attraction).

"I, uhm...  I... This is my f-first..."

"Heh, believe it or not it's mine too."  The unicorn's revelation seemed to baffle her partner, but he decided not to ask too many questions.  "Just relax, Thunderhead.  I hear tell that nervous guys tend to have... problems."

The pegasus's eyes glanced away from Twilight's gaze and his cheeks flushed deep red.  "I-I-I don't really think I'm having that problem."  Twilight cocked her head a little to the side and moved back a little.  She didn't have to go very far to feel what he meant, and it prompted a smirk from his lavender lover.  She reached her hoof back and stroked a little bit, watching his face as he quickly lost himself to lust driven enslavement.  

Twilight leaned forward and gave the stallion another kiss, using the motion to grind back and 'engage' with him.  His size wasn't anything special, but he was a decent fit and didn't slow Twilight down at all.  She immediately sat up and held her hooves firmly against his shoulders, performing a quick and rough job that Thunderhead clearly wasn't expecting.  Twilight hadn't ever felt anything like that before, and she quickly saw how easily one could lose themselves in the moment.  The friction, the tingling sensation crawling up her back, the jolts of a deep pleasure surging through her nerves.  She felt none of the pain that was rumored to be typical of a 'first-timer', though she knew that was a result of her new body's state.  The feelings of carnal bliss continued to keep time with her own set rhythm, but she refused to lose her concentration to such a primal enjoyment.

Twilight kept perfect focus on the stallion below her as well as her surroundings.  She continued to read his facial cues (not to mention the low noises he was making), looking for the precise moment where she could break him mentally with so much as a word.  His resolve had melted away quickly, but Twilight could still see a little spirit reflecting from his eyes.  

The unicorn definitely felt alive; she was taking what she wanted from a lesser being, and she was so in tune with her own body that every single thrust felt like the softest silk gliding over every nerve in her body.  She made sure to tilt her head and toss her mane in such a way that she thought was enjoyable to watch.  Thunderhead was a slave and, from the looks of him, not prepared to last much longer.  Twilight adjusted her hips and changed the rhythm a little, dragging her hooves down his chest and shifting her weight, knowing instinctively what to do through a prior knowledge of pony anatomy.  Twilight could feel her own peak approaching and sped up, driving herself forward and treating the stallion like a tool for her own pleasure.  He didn't mind, of course, and Twilight could tell that he had already finished (from a brief but noticeable curling of his knees and tensing of the muscles in his lower body).  

Twilight, methodical as always, did everything she knew to do in order to make her 'big moment' feel as great as possible.  She kept her rhythm and, at the very peak of the climax, dropped herself down onto the stallion, holding there and releasing a calm, quiet moan.  She kept her position on top of him and slowly tilted her head down, looking at Thunderhead and examining his body language.  He wasn't exactly in a position to talk, but she got plenty of information from the way he was lying there.  His head had turned to the side, he was breathing very heavily, and his eyes were shut.  Not a single muscle in his body was tense, and he seemed as drained as he could possibly be.  Twilight used her hoof to guide his muzzle back up to face her, then kissed him.  This one wasn't quite as deep or passionate as the first few, but she only needed his attention at this point.  

Thunderhead opened his eyes and Twilight looked down into them, leaning forward and hovering just above his face.  Something seemed off with her depth perception, though: his face seemed to be very large and very far away, rather than up close and the usual size of a normal pony's head.  Twilight, though seeing this, reached her foreleg out toward the large, dilated brown eye.  Her hoof seemed small in her vision, and actually touched the lens on Thunderhead's eye, though he didn't flinch in the slightest.  This surreal effect didn't phase the unicorn whatsoever and she didn't even realize the inconsistencies of the logic.  It was as if she had fallen into a dream: not knowing how she got there, where she was, nor what was happening (and not questioning the logic of her surroundings) but just going along with the situation.  Twilight, curious as ever, pushed forward and felt her entire foreleg push its way into his eye, though it was small enough to slip into the pupil with plenty of space all around.

Twilight leaned forward and felt her whole body sink in.  She didn't find it the least bit strange, though, and swam through into his optic nerve.  Her body melded with the tissue, or so it seemed, and traveled along the nerve like an impulse, picking up the signals that he was seeing all the while.  Every part of the nerve that her body touched seemed to 'feel' what he was seeing.  A mild case of synesthesia took over and gave Twilight the sensation of sight over her entire body.  She didn't ever want to stop.  

The unicorn continued down the nerve until she hit Thunderhead's optic chiasm where she escaped out into the rest of his brain.  Twilight had a very intimate understanding of how the generic pony brain was supposed to look, and so could identify many of the problems and misrepresentations of her current vision, but chose to continue along with it.  She seemed to be suspended in a liquid, and promptly swam through it up to exactly where she wanted to go.

Twilight found the stallion's sensory cortex and immediately wedged herself into it.  Her hypothesis that she'd experience the feelings that Thunderhead was receiving was proven to be more than could have hoped for: she was almost overloaded with sensation.  The experience was almost sexual for Twilight, due in part to the fact that Thunderhead's brain was still flooded with endorphins from their recent interaction, but also to the fact that she was directly connecting herself with the end result of every feeling that her host could gain with his entire body.  

She felt herself falling away from reality, but didn't fight it.  Twilight disappeared into the gray matter of a metaphorical brain, sinking down into its core and emerging into another sheltered zone of fluid and outstanding nerves.  The unicorn knew that this wasn't a 'real' part of the brain, but she appreciated its beauty and its manifestation just the same.  She was inside of what seemed like a sphere, with a cord of nervous tissue connecting the poles and standing out as the only real structure to the entire place.  Twilight approached the cord and very quickly came to know what it was meant to represent.  The thing had an energy about it, seeming to cast a warm light out into the surrounding darkness and pulse with a familiar feel and sound.  Twilight got close enough to touch her hoof to it, bringing her a new feeling that she hadn't gotten yet.  She could feel a tingle like blood was just pumping into a numb limb, as well as a calm and rhythmic pulse.  This cord was throbbing with pure life.  

The closer Twilight was to the nerve, the more alive she felt.  For the first time in weeks, she gave in purely to a primal desire: wrapping her legs around it and pulling herself close.  She let her tongue loll out and brush against the nerve, arcing energy between it and the cord.  The taste was absolutely divine, though she couldn't exactly pin down what it was.  She could feel a transfer into her body, feeling life and power pulled directly out of the nerve and placed raw into her very being.  Twilight couldn't pull herself away from the fragile thing, and was doing her best to be sure it wouldn't snap from the handling.  She felt as though she could never get her fill, but was still rational enough to realize that she needed to leave that place.  She followed the nerve to the top of her enclosure, and burst out through the top.  As she swam, the sphere became the inside of Thunderhead's eye again, and the lens birthed her out and back into her own consciousness.  

Twilight took a deep, raspy breath, still straddling Thunderhead on his couch, and slowly regained composure of her body.  She looked down to see the stallion cowering, clenching his eyes shut and shivering violently.  She hiked her leg back over and stood up; Thunderhead immediately took the opportunity to curl into the fetal position and stare blankly at the wall, shivering and sniveling like a frightened child.  Twilight smiled and reached her hoof down to stroke his cheek, but he only flinched and pulled away.  He was broken, and while Twilight didn't know exactly what happened, she knew that she could do it again with a little instruction.  

"Take care of yourself, Thunderhead.  I had a nice time."  Twilight knew he wasn't in any condition to answer, but she mockingly addressed him as she headed for the door.  She looked back over her shoulder and noticed a small dark border around his cheap wooden coffee table.  On top of that, Thunderhead was so drenched in sweat that his fur seemed a full shade darker.  The smell of smoke permeated the room, but nothing was expressly on fire.  Curious but apathetic, Twilight left the dingy apartment and headed down the dark alley and back to the street.

Twilight didn't bother flying home, instead opting to walk the street and enjoy the night life.  Ponyville was more or less abandoned, especially in this portion of town, but lights flickered and shapes shifted around with seedy deals going on every which way.  The dregs of society had always interested Twilight, but she never had the courage to really explore around in a position to see behind the curtain.  She'd always wondered what could drive a pony to drug use or crime, and in her innocence she had neglected to look to sheer pleasure or desperation.  

"Iago, you there?"  Twilight asked out loud, not forgetting that she could simply think, but instead feeling the need to actually speak to someone.

Yes, Twilight?  Iago responded immediately, seeming far less distracted this time than he had been before.

"What exactly happened back there?"

Ahhh...  Where to start?  As you said before: when emotions run high, wills are weak.  "Thunderhead" as he calls himself was already an exceptionally weak individual, but you broke him down to his most basic sense of self.

"That much I know, but what happened to him?  To me even..."

To him?  Well, the invasion of one's mind is always a traumatic experience, especially in a moment when you've succumbed to primal urges and addictions.  You simply broke into his consciousness with your own and stole from him his own feelings.  He'll be fine eventually, but the scars left by your actions in his head will remain.  You could have killed him if you wanted to.

"Oh?  How could I have done that?"

It's simple really.  All living creatures have a consciousness, and a melding of mind and body creates the ability to live and experience all things.  If you invade the mind and sever that connection, they'll let their body die.  The heart and lungs are controlled by the medulla, and the medulla is controlled by the subconscious, so you can kill anyone you want with a simple attack to the right point in their mind.

"That's certainly an interesting prospect...  I don't imagine that's something that can just be done willy-nilly, though."

To invade anyone that isn't weak willed and relaxed takes practice and training, but I can help you if you wish to learn more.  Regardless, you're certainly an entity to be feared, even if these silly ponies don't understand that quite yet.

"You flatter me."  Twilight smiled to herself and turned the corner, seeing a long straightaway until she hit a familiar street.  She started to walk forward but was halted by a voice from over her shoulder.

"I've never seen you before."

Twilight turned her head to follow the source of the voice, finding that her gaze plunged into a shadow-cast alleyway to an earth pony leaning against the bare brick of the building next to him.  "That's because I've never been here before tonight."  She responded in a calm and condescending tone.

"I should say not.  A gorgeous unicorn mare who looks like something off the cover of a dirty magazine walking home alone and talking to herself is a very memorable thing.  You know that's dangerous, right?"  Twilight caught the gleam of steel down by the stallion's hoof: he was holding a knife.

"Dangerous?  To whom?"  Twilight stepped into the alley and made direct eye contact with the stranger, never losing her cool.  This surprised the hidden earth pony, but he'd been in enough of these situations to slough it off.

"Awfully brave for such a pretty gal.  Either you're too innocent for your own good, or so used to being protected by a great big stud that you've got an ego on ya.  Either way I'll enjoy it."

"Trust me when I say I've never had the need to be 'protected', sir.  Tell you what, I'm feeling charitable.  Why don't you just turn around and leave, hm?"  The earth pony's jaw fell open as Twilight threatened him, so he shifted his position against the brick wall and made absolutely sure that Twilight saw his knife.

"I don't think you're in any position to be making threats, sweetheart.  Now, if you have any money on you that you're willing to part with, maybe I'd consider letting you go."

"I'm afraid I don't have any money on me right now.  That's a pretty nice knife, by the way.  Where'd you get it?"

"What, this old thing?"  The stallion held it up so that the moon reflected off of the perfectly polished steel blade.  "I got this off of a dumb little colt who also didn't have any money on him.  He didn't part with it very easily, but that didn't exactly stop me."

"Shame, I was hoping you'd be able to tell me the blacksmith that made it."

"As entertaining as your 'courage' is to me, I'm getting a little impatient.  Either find some money, or figure out some other kind of payment for me before things get... violent."  The stallion, devoid of color in the black of night, stepped over to the stoic unicorn and smelled her neck.  He was confident, but Twilight was just toying with him at this point, knowing full well that he was about to bite off far more than he could chew.  She just needed the right cue.

"You really think you're scaring me, don't you?"  Twilight took a stoic stance and smirked at the stallion.  She could tell he was getting intensely frustrated and just kept pushing.  "That's just adorable.  I'll give you one more chance to go ho--"  Twilight was interrupted by a vicious slash across her nose.  The stallion had swung the knife from the top-right of her forehead all the way down to the bottom of her opposite cheek.

"Maybe with a great big gash in that pretty little face of yours you'll learn your place, bitch."  The stallion smiled sadistically as Twilight clutched her face and dropped to the ground, completely ignorant that she was only playing along.  His jaw nearly hit the floor as she stood up and the open wound healed completely, leaving no scar, no blood, and no evidence of its existence whatsoever.  

"Is that all you've got?"  Twilight advanced into the alley, finally picking up a nervous hesitation in the stallion's body language as he took a single step back.  "You certainly talk a lot, but that was such a pathetic swing..."

"G-Get the hell away from me...  I don't know how you did that but I've killed before and I'll do it again!"  The mysterious stranger brushed against the side wall of the alley and immediately felt cornered.  He still had several yards to go before he hit the back of the alley, but he swung again anyway.  Twilight stopped the knife this time, though, yanking it out of his hoof and holding it in front of her face with her telekinesis.  Awestruck, the stallion took a few more steps back, but Twilight closed the gap and grabbed the knife out of the air with her hoof.  

"Aww, now you're running away?  I gave you two chances... that's a whole lot more than I've given anypony else."

"Fuck you!  Damn unicorns always doing that magic bullshit."  The stallion nearly tripped over a loose brick, gathering his bearings and immediately grabbing it up.  He tried to be stealthy, but Twilight's night vision was absolutely perfect, so she watched everything that he was trying to do with a smile.  As he swung the brick at her head, she charged forward and shouldered the stallion, ramming him against the brick wall and driving the dagger up through the bottom of his muzzle.  The brick hit the ground and broke, producing the only other sound besides the organic grinding noise of steel on bone and the muffled whimper of a wounded pony with his mouth stuck shut on a blade.  

"Oh, you talk far too much.  This is a much better look for you."  Twilight looked into his frightened gaze.  She loved the feelings of power that she was taking; knowing that his life was in her hooves just like her pegasus friend.  "You pathetic little criminal...  You're an insect to me.  A horsefly.  Know what I do to flies that bite me?"  In the absence of any answer, Twilight twisted the knife.  She could hear the protrusion of skull that made up his muzzle crunch and splinter and coax a pained yowl out of the victim.  "Oh, now you don't have anything to say?  You just couldn't shut the hell up earlier!"  Twilight saw a tear escape his eye and pressed forward, exploiting every weakness and holding him against the brick wall with her foreleg, keeping her whole body tense.  She pushed on his head and scraped it against the bare brick, using her telekinesis to manipulate his body, but miming along with her hooves to give the illusion that she was much stronger than she was.  "I'll answer for you, then.  I crush flies that bite!"

With this, Twilight held her hoof against his chest and lifted him from that area with a telekinetic tether.  She threw him over her shoulder into a trio of empty trashcans while holding the knife and yanking it out in the same motion.  The clanging and groaning of twisting metal on top of another yell of agony was music to Twilight's ears.  She walked slowly and menacingly over to the wounded assailant, dragging the knife on the cobblestone below to add another source of intimidation.  She could see one of the crushed aluminum cylinders lazily roll away as he tried to stand, but Twilight reached him before he could get to any kind of stable position.  She just kicked him in the ribs and knocked him back down, out of breath and bleeding out of his mouth and nose.  He was gasping for air already, drowning on his own blood and wheezing from the punishment.

"How many ponies have you killed, hm?  How many poor souls have you put in this very situation?  Did you ever ask them to beg for their lives?"  Twilight hovered over the criminal, dangling the knife over his face and swinging it back and forth like a pendulum, taunting it at his already wounded nose and gauging the fear in his eyes.  "How many did you rob?  How many did you leave for dead on the curb?"  The pony tried to back away a little, but Twilight wouldn't have it at all.  She violently kicked him in the ribs again, crushing at least one of them by the sound of it.  "What?  You can taunt and kill and wound and rob but when you're put there you just cower and back away?  You pathetic little pony..."  The stallion crumpled into a ball and clutched his chest, coughing up sprays of blood onto the moonlit cobblestone.  Twilight was very sincerely enjoying this: breaking him down bit by bit until he begged for mercy.

"Y-y-you g-ge-get away fro-om me..."  The earth pony half begged and half demanded, kicking his back leg to try and push himself away.

"Oh no, you're mine now.  My little toy, to play with, to break, and to replace.  Twilight dropped down to her knees and buried one in his stomach, exploiting the broken rib and pushing what's left of the air in his lungs straight out, followed by a spray of blood.  "You're nothing...  The world won't miss you when you're gone.  The families you've stolen life and property from might cheer, but otherwise your memory will fade with time.  Everything about you is fragile...  Pathetic."

"C-cra-azy bitch!"

Twilight frowned at this defiance, finally putting her new blade to some use.  She sunk the point of the dagger into his right eye, piercing the eyelid as he shut it tight in reflex.  His screams, a symphony of raw anguish, were by far the most delightful noises that had ever graced Twilight's ears.  The small jet of vitreous humor that shot out of his ruined eye socket glimmered in the darkness and landed in a visible streak on the cobblestone and brick wall surrounding.  The unicorn then used the knife to scoop out what was left of his deflated eye and toss it to the side.  The would-be attacker struggled with every ounce of strength he hadn't lost to shock, but just couldn't escape Twilight's punishment.  Twilight could tell that her victim was getting delirious from his steady blood loss coupled with intense pain, so the unicorn tried to keep his attention by forcing his face up to view hers.  

"Tell me something.  Are you afraid?"  The stallion responded with a wet, bloody cough and a turning away of his remaining good eye.  Twilight continued to be annoyed by the refusal to answer, and so drove the knife into his shoulder until she felt it dig into the bone.  "Answer me!"  

At that point, he couldn't produce much else besides screams and whimpers.  The stallion tried his best to wrench free of Twilight's grip, so she decided to let him go to see what he would do.  The knife remained in his shoulder, but he didn't seem to realize it.  In an adrenaline and fear fueled stupor, the stallion stood up and limped toward the street, leaving Twilight standing next to the bent and upturned pile of old garbage cans to watch and be entertained.  He made it a few steps before crumpling from his wounded leg, not to mention a newly damaged sense of depth perception and the loss of several pints of blood.  Just as he tried weakly to stand again, Twilight materialized a telekinetic sphere above the stallion.  It was invisible, more or less, but distorted the light that passed through it to create an eerie black-hole type of illusion above the wounded earth pony.  Just as he seemed to think that Twilight was about to let him go, the unicorn mercilessly brought the object down on the small of his back.

The sound of shattering vertebrae echoed through the alley, followed immediately by a primal, blood curdling yell of agony.  The stallion's back legs were rendered completely useless as his back snapped under Twilight's attack, causing the tortured pony to drop to the cobblestone and writhe what was left controllable of his body in the most unrelenting pain he'd ever experienced.  Twilight grabbed onto his limp hind legs with invisible tethers and dragged him back through the alley, drawing a very loud scream of fear pleading her to leave him alone.  

The stallion looked up at what would be the last image he ever saw: Twilight Sparkle with the moon silhouetting her head, smiling wickedly down at him and reaching her hooves out to dig into his chest.  Twilight magically lifted the stallion by the skin, adding to his already intense pain and holding him up to the light.  "I'm done with you, insect.  I wonder how long you can hold your breath."  As Twilight spoke, she split the cobblestone below her with a churning of the earth beneath it.  The stranger looked down and watched in terror as the ground opened like a maw, causing him to strain himself in one last feeble attempt to fight for his life.  The unicorn threw her victim into the soft dirt, slowly letting the fissure close up over him and taking pleasure in his pointless attempts to claw his way out.  Soon, only his flailing forelegs stuck out from the flowing earth, so she closed the hole entirely, ignoring the scar in the cobblestone as well as the blood-splattered alley before she left.  Twilight did take some time to admire her methodology, laying her ear to the bare earth as if to listen for her victim's final breath.  

Twilight lightly dragged her hoof along the soil, smiling with her face to the ground and giving an eerily girlish giggle.  "That's right, insect.  Stop your struggling and let death steal you away.  It's far more than the likes of you deserve, but it's my little gift to a weak, pathetic little colt."

Twilight laid there for a while, breathing in the earthy smell from the freshly turned soil, feeling all of the stress and anger from the altercation melt away.  She stood up and dusted herself off, realizing that the knife had dislodged from her victim at some point before she buried him, so she took it.  It was a beautiful memento, clearly made by an experienced blacksmith and engraved with an expert filigree pattern on the handle.  She shook it a little to get the remaining blood and fluids off of it, and then kept it levitating by her side while she got back on track for home.  

Impressive handiwork, I have to say.  About halfway down the street Iago made his presence known.

I thought so too.  Though I never could get him to admit defeat.

If it makes you feel any better, he's still alive.  Coming to terms with his death, actually...  Just took a lungful of dirt and is waiting until the pain goes away.

I guess that's something at least...  I didn't have to do that, though.  I warned him.

I'm not blaming you for crushing him, Twilight.  As a matter of fact I support it entirely; these dregs should learn their place.  Even if it's only one measly life at a time.  Just, if you're going to start killing, I suggest waiting until you command everyone around you to bend at your will before making examples.  If you leave nothing behind but blood on the cobblestone there's no way for these blind citizens to know who to fear.

I guess that's true...  But I didn't do it to scare anyone... anyone but him... and not even that, really. he just had it coming.

You can lie to yourself, Twilight, but don't lie to me.  You enjoyed it.

Alright, fine, I did.  He was a worthless waste of life and I'm happy to have taken it away from him.

That's the spirit.  Just pour a little bleach in the gene pool until it's exactly the color you want it.

You all done up there?

Oh yes, I have been for a while.  I've just been watching you and confirming a few theories.

What's there to confirm?

Well, if you had paid a little more attention to your surroundings during your romp with Thunderhead and your altercation with Dusty--

His name was Dusty?

Yes...  Beautifully ironic, isn't it?  Anyway, if you had paid more attention to your surroundings, you would have noticed a significant change in temperature during those moments of passion.

I noticed that at the apartment, but what's that got to do with anything?

I'm sure you recall that I keep telling you to temper your emotions, yes?

How could I forget?  Twilight was a little sarcastic, but still sincere.  She had to come back from talking down to other ponies and then immediately addressing her instructor.

Well, this is a perfect example.  Passion is a very unstable thing, Twilight, whether it be driven by anger or pleasure or any other emotion you might be able to conjure.  A normal being experiences certain physiological changes relating to their cognitive function during moments of passion, but you're no normal being.  Since your body and mind draw energy from a place of limitless power, rather than from the world around you, moments of passion essentially turn you into a living heat-sink.  It's not always enough power flowing through you to cause any real damage, but it does radiate outward into the surrounding environment.  As a matter of fact, you actually started to melt the garbage cans that you were near in that alleyway.  I was worried that would happen, but it's certainly good to know.

Is it that big of a problem?  It seems like it could even be used to intimidate if nothing else.

Normally I'd agree with you, but you seem to be misunderstanding something fundamental about the way your universe works.  The Aether is not a 'place' in this plane of existence, but is instead its own place entirely.  When you draw energy from it to fuel your body, you disengage yourself from this universe's supply of energy for the limitless flow that is the Aether.  Your universe has a set and specific amount of energy.  It never goes away, and none of it is ever produced, it simply exists in different forms, some stored and some free, and is always changing with time and reaction.  When you draw too much power from the Aether and radiate it out into the surrounding universe, you're actually adding energy to something that should not be changing... ever.  It may only be a tiny bit compared to the vastness of your universe, but every little bit will contribute to the eventual decay of this plane, and since you plan to live forever, that will directly effect you at some point.

Alright, Iago, I'll keep that in mind.

Be sure that you do.  I respect you, Twilight, I really do, but I need you to pay careful attention to how you use the power I've given you.  If you aren't careful, you could destroy not only yourself, but also this world.  Perhaps even the universe if you're extraordinarily careless.

The gravity of everything had been slowly sinking in, finally rooting itself into Twilight's mind during this statement.  She simply caved in and gave her gratitude to her councilor.  Alright, Iago.  Thank you for the guidance, and please keep it coming.

I'll be the torchlight that guides you.  Just be sure to aim me in the right direction.

Heh...  Well it's been one damn eventful day.  I think I need to go home and just... rest.

You've certainly earned it, my student.  Rest well.

Tutelage

Twilight got home around four in the morning, slumping down on her favorite easy chair and sitting back to relax.  After having not slept for several weeks, the unicorn just loved the feeling of a soft cushion beneath her.  She decided that she'd just take until sunup to have a little time to herself, taking in the comfort of her home and feeling almost like her old self again.  She allowed herself to sink into the plush cushion, to feel every single muscle in her body loosen up and to slowly close her eyes until her entire world was black.

She followed the low and calm sound of her own breathing, feeling almost hypnotized by the rhythmic sound as it slowed and deepened, sending her lower into that relaxed trance.  The noise was eventually interrupted, however, by something that sounded a bit like static on a radio.  She cocked one eye open and realized that she wasn't in her library anymore, but sitting back on a small pile of very dark red sand.  She stood up from the mound and examined it, not quite able to find where she was, nor where the pile of sand had come from.  She checked her surroundings, realizing that she was on a very narrow stretch of ground with what looked like sheer cliff face on either side (though she couldn't see over them) and a peninsula of deep brown granite stretching out into a point behind her.  The sound of static continued to hum in her ears, keeping a low drone that never really drowned out any sound, but was ever present.  

Twilight walked around the pile of blood-red sand and headed toward the peninsula, finding herself curiously drawn to it.  The earth seemed to incline as she walked, shifting gravity's origin behind her as if she were climbing a mountain.  Eventually, as the rock tapered down into a point and the static noise rose to a deafening roar in volume, Twilight found herself clutching the side of a sheer cliff face, forcing herself forward to the rapidly approaching summit.  She had no idea what she would find on the other side, but from the looks of the airfoil wake behind the bits of exposed rock, Twilight could infer that some kind of very powerful wind was blowing.  The granite, fractured and rough as it already was, eventually pulled into a jagged point; the unicorn placed one hoof on either side and pulled herself up, exposing her face to the force behind the mountain.

Her mane was incinerated, and Twilight was nearly blinded by an intense, boundless light that seemed to radiate with the force of a gale from every direction before her.  The unicorn climbed the rest of the way up onto the mountain, feeling gravity relax itself and allow her to stand flat on this pointed, shattered rock.  On her new perch, Twilight basked herself in the light, despite what her better judgment and self preservation instincts told her to do.  Her coat and skin began to smolder, burning away and peeling back as the intense wind and radiation annihilated her physical form.  She felt no pain, however, and couldn't look away from the beautiful, unbound sight.  As her skin left her in large black curls, exposing muscle (none of which existed for very long with this much exposure) Twilight looked down to examine herself and try to figure out her condition.  It didn't hurt, and she could still feel the heat coming from the light, as well as the harshness of the glare even in the absence of skin and most of her muscle.  It was as if nothing was changing, yet her body disintegrated before her very eyes (which, logic would dictate, should have long since burst and evaporated by then).  

Twilight looked back out toward the direction of the wind, feeling her bones crumble and wash away in the intense radiating light.  She could actually feel her hooves disengage from the ground and her annihilated body wisp away into oblivion.  She was floating, then, and moved in toward the light, finding peace in its beauty and destructive force and desiring everything that this power held to be within her grasp.  Her senses (still somehow present) were all overwhelmed: she felt a harsh but pleasing warmth, saw blinding light, heard loud and uninterrupted static, and tasted and smelled a persistent ozone flavor in the air.  As soon as she felt she could take no more, she woke up.

Twilight glanced around, finding that she was safely inside of her library and still in her easy chair.  She looked at her hooves; they were still there, as was the rest of her.  She adjusted her position a little, looking around the room and making absolutely sure that everything was in its place as she came back into reality.  

Please tell me you saw that dream, Iago.  Twilight addressed her mentor in hopes that the situation could be explained.  

I see everything that you see, machinations of your own mind or not.  Iago responded immediately after the thought ended, punctual as always.

Care to explain what that was?  Just a dream or some kind of vision?

It was just a dream, that place doesn't actually exist in a physical representation like that.  Although your mind didn't just invent something so bizarre: that was a beautifully rendered interpretation of the junction of your universe and the Aether.

The junction?  Aren't they separate universes?

Absolutely, but haven't you ever wondered about the true origin of your own realm of existence?

Of course.  I actually went through a little cosmology phase back in my early days of schooling.

Rhetorical question, my student.  Either way, this plane exists because of a freak accident in the various orders of existence.

Twilight gave a little pause and blinked a few times, coming fully out of her sleepy feeling and straightening up in her chair.  Care to elaborate a little for me?

Happily.  The various universes of reality are ordered into several different basic structures.  In the same way that your world is built up of the various elements that are now slaves to your power, your universe is built up of even more basic elements from the four cosmoses.  The Aether is the cosmos of energy: an entire universe that is completely built up of the most raw and basic forms of energy that you could possibly imagine.  The Singularity is the cosmos of matter:  that entire universe is one single infinitely large particle of matter of infinite density and infinite mass.  The Void is the cosmos of space: absolute nothingness, yet physics couldn't survive without it.  If it were even possible to describe a pattern of spatial organization for this, there would be one final cosmos in the center: The Chronum, cosmos of time.  This one is by far the most interesting reality in my opinion, leaving absolutely nothing but passage of time and constant change with no space, matter or energy to constrain it.  Because of the volatility of the medium in which these cosmoses sit, something caused them to collide.  I've yet to find what this event is, be it deliberate or accidental, forceful or delicate, spontaneous or planned...  But each of the cosmoses came together and, through their collision, produced your universe.

That's...  absolutely fascinating.  What exactly is happening to the cosmoses?

The most wonderful thing that could ever be happening to them: destruction.  You sit in the fulcrum of this convergence: the blast wave of a crash and your stars are but the glass and splinters scattered by the impact.  The Aether and the Singularity came together at the borders of the Void.  The Singularity fractured, spilling its contents into something completely foreign to the infinitely dense structure: nothingness.  The Void acted as enough of a matrix to suspend the pulverized matter in a brilliantly disordered arrangement of very tiny particles, but it was the unquantifiable empty space that gave those particles their size.  The Aether spilled its own contents into the Void as well, though they mixed together with the split particles of matter that existed, and brought them into motion.  They utilized the space together, creating the first atoms as subatomic particles were drawn together.  This movement welcomed the cosmos of time, giving the movements just enough order to not tear the rubble apart.  From this, your realm was born, but a fraction of the debris of four far greater things.  What you saw in your dream was the junction between the Aether and the Singularity, as well as the purity of destruction that that place was causing.  Glorious, isn't it?

But that's not a real place, right?  I can't just go fly there on a whim?

It's both real and not real.  Your mind produced a worldly view of it, and that's where the flaw lies.  The universes absolutely are colliding and are doing so at a very specific point, but they exist in more dimensions than just the three spatial ones that you see in and that inconsistent temporal one that you all still don't understand.  Were you to find a way to get to that point, your body would be disintegrated long before you came into view of the phenomena, and that's even if you could see it.  I still don't know if that's possible or not.

I suppose that's not that big a deal...  Seems to me like it would just be a reminder of the frailty of my existence.  Twilight examined her hoof casually during her thought process, taking the most pessimistic view that she could.

It's a problem only worth thinking about after mortality is dealt with, I say.  That said, I figure this is as good a time as any to bring up something that might interest you.  I found that you put nearly a month of study into necromancy, care to tell me a little about that?

What, that old phase?  It's a funny story, actually...  I really only started it because I had a cat who grew old and died and I wanted to bring her back...  Celestia found out that I was looking into the dark arts though and really quickly put a stop to it.  I'm not sure why she keeps the books in the Canterlot library if I wasn't allowed to read them, but I wasn't exactly in the habit of asking questions.

Well if you'd like to continue that research, I'd be happy to help you.

Thanks, Iago, but that cat is waaaay long gone.

I don't mean the cat.  I hate cats...  Either way, I can teach you some rune inscriptions that can bind, for lack of a better word, a 'spirit' into a body.  With a little more advanced inscription you can actually leash their will, but you'll definitely need to practice a little and learn why it works.

What can you just teach me as word of mouth?

Well, apart from the obvious physiological needs, the body is run entirely on the will of its inhabitant.  To understand that, you need to understand the nature of the mind itself, as well as the nature of the magic that you'll be manipulating.  For eons, there have been rumors of a "spirit" or "soul" that is what makes up the essence of the individual.  The truth of that matter, however, is that the individual is entirely based around the flow of energy through the specialized neurons in their brain.  How these neurons interact, the processes that they run through, the very structure of the brain itself is what makes up the individual, and the very progression of energy through that structure helps to define what's similar and different in any living creature's thought process.  To isolate that is to find life itself, and to organize it is to create that life.

I'm guessing that's where the runes come in.  Twilight stood up from her chair and slowly walked into her kitchen, casually opening the refrigerator and glancing around inside.  Nothing in there (abundant as it was) looked appetizing, however, so she just sat down at the table and looked calmly out the window.

Good guess.  The runic language, when physically inscribed, has the ability to channel energy in very precise arrangements.  Spirit binding is a very complex set of runes, but once complete it lasts as long as the medium on which it's inscribed.  Therein lies the problem, however: you have to have a free spirit and an object to bind it to.  That object becomes infinitely valuable to the spirit, and it doesn't take the bound individual very long to realize this fact.  This is why I developed a leash to keep their will in tune with the appropriator of life, in this case you.  Of course, we can't start the practice without bodies.

If you had mentioned that last night it wouldn't have been much of a problem.  Twilight smirked and traced her hoof in a circle on her table.  She guided the appendage with her telekinesis and built a barrier around it, making it as sharp and hard as cut diamond.  The little circle that she traced came into reality as a deep gash in the table.

That wouldn't do, they need to die very quickly before the binding otherwise it gets exponentially more difficult and far less permanent.  To teach you and allow you to have the practice you need before you got it right would leave the body to decompose and the residual mental energy to disorganize completely.

So I'd need a fresh one, then?

As fresh as you can.  If at all possible just have everything ready and then kill them immediately before the incantation.

Like a mise en place... alright I can do that.   Now I just need to find someone that nopony will miss.

You could always go trotting about back alleys again, that didn't seem to be too difficult.

Nah, the police will notice a pattern...  I'm sure I could just go out of town for it, travel isn't an issue and news doesn't travel too quickly.

Good thinking.  Just be prepared for me to give you instruction whenever I feel you need it, and let me know if there's something else you'd like to learn about.

Hmm...  Got any tips on mind control?

That's a far more difficult prospect than you might think.  If you're being direct, willpower tries to expel you.  If you do it subtly, you have to be just soft enough to get past their consciousness, but firm enough to break into the mind and take over.  What might be easier for you is to simply puppet their limbs around against their own body strength...  There tends to involve a lot more bone breaking than the mind control method, but that's only when the targets are physically fit enough to snap their own bones when they resist a forced movement.  Otherwise there's always the good old fashioned option of mental manipulation, blackmail, threats and the like.

I get your point.  So spirit binding is the only way to reanimate the dead, then?

Well no.  Again, you can puppet the limbs of anything as you want, and a dead subject doesn't resist nearly as much as a live one... though it's not quite as fun in my opinion.

I'd have to concentrate for that one, though...  There's no way to make like a zombie?  Mindless but independently animated, and not requiring my attention to maintain living?

There may be, but I can't recall off the top of my head, or yours for that matter.  Go out and bring home a live body and I'll look into it.

Alright...  Mind if I run a personal errand while I'm out?

Do whatever you wish, I don't control you.  I'm just here to make suggestions and somewhat trust in your judgment.

Alright, well...  Thank you I guess.  Twilight stood up from the little chair and turned to leave, catching sight of the potted nightshade flower that Spike had brought home.  She didn't notice it before, but it had bloomed a second flower since last she saw, and each one seemed bigger and more vibrant.  Twilight shrugged and walked by, smelling the beautiful purple and yellow flowers and relishing the earthy, damp flavor.  She started toward her door and, right before she opened it, was interrupted by a series of frantic knocks from the other side.  

Twilight opened the door and immediately squinted her eyes from the sunlight, bringing into focus an overwrought white unicorn.

"Oh thank goodness...  I was so worried!"  Rarity exclaimed and pushed her way into the library entrance, simply pacing nervously back and forth in Twilight's living room.  The lavender unicorn just closed the door behind her and walked silently back to join her.

"Sorry I haven't been over to check in with you yet...  What time is it?"  Twilight rubbed her eye with the back of her foreleg, trying to sneakily set up an alibi of being asleep all day.

"It's almost three in the afternoon.  Normally I'd have given you a little more time, but...  I don't suppose you've read the paper yet?"

"No, I just got up...  Got home pretty late actually...  What's in it?"

"Well apparently something just horrible happened off in the part of town that you disappeared into last night...   A police officer on patrol in the early morning found an alleyway with the street torn up and the... and the trashcans all knocked over and covered in blood..."  Rarity was nearly hyperventilating as she described the grisly scene that Twilight had left behind.  "They think a bear cornered some poor pony back in there, but they haven't found a body yet.  Oh Twilight!  I was so afraid it was you!"  The white unicorn gave up her nervous back-and-forth trotting and jumped over to give Twilight a big hug.  "I never would have forgiven myself if...  If something bad happened the one night I brought you out with me."

Twilight smiled as Rarity buried her nose in her shoulder, gently rubbing her back and cooing into her ear.  "Well I didn't get the paper today, and I'm very sorry for worrying you so much.  If it makes you feel any better I got home safe and sound and wasn't even near there when whatever happened happened.  I actually had a wonderful night, so just relax... okay?"

"Thank you, Twilight... I'll be alright, I just thought that I might have been...  I might have been responsible for something terrible that happened to you."  Rarity pulled away from Twilight with a single tear rolling down her cheek.  She clearly had been having her nerves wracked since she had gotten up that morning.

"Just look at me.  I'm right here and I'm feeling great.  That's the only thing that I can think of you being responsible for."  Twilight stood up proudly and tried to bring Rarity back from her strained and scared feeling.  For such a drama queen, Rarity seemed to have serious trouble switching appropriately between emotional states.  

The white unicorn did, however, give a little laugh and try to bring herself back into a state of happiness.  Both for Twilight's safety and for the fact that she had fun the night before.  "I guess that's true...  So how was it?"

"How was what, exactly?"  Twilight knew what Rarity meant, but wanted to see if she could goad her a little just for fun.

"Well... you know...  Didn't you say you had a 'wonderful night'?  Or did you just mean that in a platonic sense?"

"No, I knew what you meant, Rarity.  It was... interesting."

"He wasn't premature was he?"  Surprisingly, Rarity 'went there' immediately.

"No!  He was a little... sooner than me, but at least I got there.  What about you?  Did you have a good night?"

"Oh... well no, not really."

"Aww, you seemed to be really hitting it off with 'Dawn Ray' right before I left."  Twilight made air quotes with her hooves and rolled her eyes as she pronounced the name.  She still hated it.

"Well after his buddy left he kept ordering drinks.  I assume he was trying to get me tipsy, but he got absolutely sloshed in an hour and a half.  As ready as I was for the company of a stallion last night, I can't say I've ever found it arousing when a guy throws up in the curb on the way home."  Rarity turned and trotted over to Twilight's seating arrangements, sitting down and fidgeting uncomfortably as she brought herself back to a normal demeanor.

"Hah!  Yeah that's not quite the same as a candlelit dinner."  Twilight joined her friend on the sofa and tried to project an air of relaxation to help Rarity calm down completely.

"That and the fact that I had to keep him from falling in the street twice...  I just left him at his front door and headed home myself, couldn't have been too much later than midnight.  Honestly I hope I never see him again...  Was Thunderhead the romantic type?"

"Not really... but at least he wasn't an idiot.  His apartment was disgusting, though...  If I didn't have Spike I might have just turned around and made him walk back here with me."

"Any plans to keep things going with him?"

"No I don't think so, He was kinda... wimpy for my taste.  He's sweet and all but I think he'd have more in common with Fluttershy than me.

"He seemed the quiet type...  At least you had your fun though, I'm still a little pent up."

"Well you should know I stopped by Sweet Apple Acres and had a little conversation with Big Macintosh on your behalf."

"Oh now why in Equestria would you do a thing like that?  I told you how I feel..."  Rarity's discomfort had been slowly melting away up to that point, then being replaced by indignation.

"C'mon, Rarity, just talk to him!  Send him a letter telling you to meet him someplace and have a little talk, it doesn't have to be like a proposal."

"Ugh...  I suppose I could be discreet...  There just aren't many places in Ponyville desolate enough to get away with that sort of thing."

"Get away with what?  You're not robbing a bank together."

"It just feels like I'm going behind Applejack's back.  I feel like she wouldn't want me going out with her brother..."

"I guess the park would be out of the question?  It might be too likely to get spotted unless you're there in the middle of the night."

"While a killer bear is on the loose?  I think not!  What about Sugar Cube Corner?"

"... Pinkie."

"I know, but really it's not usually that bus--"

"Pinkie."

"Maybe she's not the most subtle pony in town, but--"

"Pinkie Pie is the absolute antithesis of subtlety."  Twilight kept a very serious face plastered on as she spoke.

"Maybe so, but she can keep a secret as long as she's asked!"

"Well it's up to you...  I don't really wanna get involved any more than I already ha--."

"I... don't suppose that it'd be too much to ask for you to accompany me?"  

"--ave...  No, not at all, Rarity.  I'd love to join you."  Twilight sarcastically retorted.  "Why do you need me there?"

"Well it was your idea for me to get together with him in the first place.  Besides, I would definitely need somepony to distract our pink friend."

"You could just not go to Sugar Cube Corner."

"It's a familiar place to both of us and, as I said, not usually very busy."  Rarity started to dip into her pleading tone of voice that she always conjured up when she wasn't about to back down from an issue.

Twilight just gave a heavy sigh and dropped her head into her forelegs to massage her forehead.  "Fine...  Just let me know when you need me there and I'll join you as soon as possible."

"Oh thank you!  I'll try to keep it relatively quick, and I promise I won't drag you along if anything happens after.  Just that one time."

"Yeah, I've heard that one before."

"It's been a good talk, Twilight, but I need to get going.  Work starts again tomorrow and I need to go back and clean the boutique a little more, maybe get started on some projects.  I'll just out of your hair before you change your mind, hmm?"

"That sounds like a spectacular idea."

Rarity huffed out a little laugh and stood up to walk out the door.  "Thank you, Twilight.  It really means a lot to me.  Take care of yourself, darling!"

"I will, I promise."  Twilight stayed in her seat and waved her counterpart off, forcing a smile and shutting the door behind her very firmly.  "Ugh... Iago?  How long does it take for a society to die?  I'm sick of this... social dressage that I have to keep doing."  Twilight asked out loud to the voice in her head.

Unless you individually break those involved, the masses tend to cling onto hopes and dreams for several years after they're taken over politically.

"But I want it now."

I'm afraid I can't help you much there, Twilight.  You could always just start up a series of behind-the-scenes high profile assassinations or property destruction.  Loss of a powerful symbol tends to throw a state into anarchy faster than a direct coup.

"Don't tempt me...  Either way, I can think of a few things that might just be cathartic enough to tide me over until then."

Is that so?  Care to enlighten me?

"Let's just say I'll be visiting a few old friends.  One of them will be very helpful with my research."

And if she refuses to help?

"I didn't say she'd have a choice."

The Past Still Lives On

The gently swaying canopy of the Everfree Forest was becoming far too familiar to Twilight than she ever expected it would.  Upon first moving to Ponyville living so close to the edge of the forest had worried the unicorn, however since the advent of her new life she found an appreciation for such convenience.  The sun slowly pushed its way along the sky, proceeding on its perpetual motion and completely disregarding the events on the ground.  Trees filtered the dwindling light into a soft glow, streaming down in beams to dot Twilight's path ahead.  The unicorn brought her black cloak along and was wearing it around her withers, not for any particular reason apart from the simple pleasure of draping soft cloth on her back.  As she slowly proceeded through a semi-familiar part of the forest, Twilight summoned up the vengeful spirit that had been locked away inside of her for so long.  She was tired of feeling weak and had put herself on the warpath to prove her power both to herself and to one of her ancient enemies.  

Mind if I ask where you're going?  Iago, sounding distracted with something, decided to speak up and inquire about Twilight's direction.

Can't you read my thoughts?  Twilight never took her eyes off of the weathered forest path in front of her, snapping back at her mentor in a somewhat friendly and somewhat genuinely exasperated demeanor.

Not involuntarily.  I'm a little busy right now, and have a small level of respect for your privacy.

Well, I know you went through my memories, so I know you've seen that time when Spike ran away from the Library after I got my pet owl.

So you're going after the dragon?

Absolutely.  He chased me through the woods, threatened to kill me, my pet, and my assistant...  I'm not a weak little pony anymore.

Ambitious.  How do you plan to do it?

Oh I'll just improvise while I'm there I'm sure.  I can breathe fire, I can fly, I can take a punch, so he's not exactly at any kind of advantage over me.  Difference is I'm small and tough to hit, but he's big and lumbering and susceptible to all of the things I can conjure up.

Just what do you hope to gain by killing the dragon?  Not that I wish you to stop, I'm just curious.

Well, if nothing else I know he's got a horde in his cave.  Mostly gems from what I could tell, but there should be more.

What use is worldly wealth?

Well, the gems could be used to buy off Spike if he ever sees anything he shouldn't.  That and I don't want to pass off the opportunity to make some statue or other out of one contiguous diamond.  Plus, ponies are greedy and can turn a blind eye for enough gold, who knows when it'll come in handy?

I suppose, just try not to think so small-time.  Why bribe a politician when you can just cut off their head?

Two reasons: subtlety and influence.  Two mouths spread a doctrine faster than one, and if nobles start turning up headless then a bunch of ponies might start grabbing their pitchforks and torches.

Have it your way, Twilight.  I look forward to seeing this.

Twilight smirked and picked up the pace a little, ducking under a familiar fallen log on the overgrown path.  She looked up above the canopy, spotting the mountain that housed the dragon's lair.  The closer she got the more scorched trees Twilight noticed lying around, reaffirming that she was on the right track.  Eventually, as the sheer stone wall came into view, the only plant life for a good fifty feet existed in the form of charcoal and ash.  

Twilight looked into the dark cave as it came into view, only spotting the generous glimmer of thousands of gems flashing away the residual sunlight.  She smiled and explored around the cave in a wide circle, glancing behind corners and into dark patches and trying to see if her old nemesis happened to be home.  From what she could tell the dragon was out prowling around the forest somewhere, so she stepped in and started to scout out the lair.  

The cave ran deeper than Twilight had originally thought, leading her down passages that seemed to be hollowed out with the dragon's vicious claws.  To her delight the horrid reptile kept his horde very neatly organized into its own separate pile..  Twilight noticed a glimmering pile of coins down one of the self-made caverns and went to investigate them.  Every single coin in the chamber was a gold bit, all of which seemed to be made within the past fifty years or so.  In the cavern directly next to it, Twilight found tens of thousands of tarnished silver coins that also seemed to be from the same era.  The process continued on, with copper coins, weapons, armor, trinkets, and thousands of other things.  The only objects that weren't fully organized were his gems, which didn't surprise Twilight since they were essentially food.  

After looking around and marveling at the massive range of objects in the dragon's possession, Twilight stepped back toward the mouth of the cave and looked up to the sky.  The sun was in a perfect position to cast a glimmering ray into the cave, so Twilight decided to make herself comfortable.  She hopped up onto the massive pile of gemstones, nestling herself into it so that the sun's ray was like a spotlight on her body and leaving her a spectacular view of the forest.  She decided to pick up and examine a few of the gems directly around her, looking through them and doing her best to determine their value from the cut and color.  

After about her fourth large amethyst, Twilight noticed out of the corner of her eye as a very large shadow fell on the cave.  She cracked a smile but kept the stone levitating in front of her eye, using the dwindling light that shone over the very large figure's shoulders to examine the beautiful purple stone.  The instant the light faded, Twilight glanced over the top of her gem with an annoyed expression and addressed the forest-green dragon in front of her, "Do you mind?"

"You're either very foolish, or very eager to die,"  The dragon grumbled, baring his teeth and hovering his head just inches away from the lounging unicorn.

"I'm neither.  Don't you recognize me?"  Twilight set the stone down and leaned back, displacing a few diamonds that skittered down the mountain of gems and danced across the floor.

"Actually I do.  You came to the timely rescue of that obnoxious, thieving infant.  Tell me something: was he the one that nigh destroyed your town a few months back?"  Smoke trailed out from under the dragon's repulsive forked tongue as he spoke.  Oddly enough, he took a more relaxed posture as the conversation went on, though he clearly was simply unafraid of Twilight.

"If you must know, yes that was Spike.  You could say he found his roots."

"And what about you?"  The dragon reached out a claw and forcefully jabbed Twilight in the chest to punctuate this final word.  "What brings you back here?  I've nothing of yours to take back and I don't imagine you came to engage me in friendly conversation."

"While I admit the idea of concept swapping with something your age could be enlightening, I'm afraid you're right in that it's not why I'm here.  I've come to kill you."  Twilight kept a perfectly serious look on her face as she addressed the reptile, but he didn't respond in kind.  His lips curled into a smirk and he let out a smokey chuckle.

"Surely you're joking.  I could swallow you whole."

"Let me step outside with you and you can try.  Don't want this gorgeous horde to be ruined in the scuffle now do we?"

The dragon gave a hefty laugh again, stepping back from the cave and using his wing to wave Twilight outside.  "Be my guest."

Twilight levitated herself out of the pile of gems, floating gently to her hooves and trotting out through the arch that the dragon left for her.  While he was very confident that Twilight was just a regular pony, the massive reptile was wise enough to understand not to judge a book by its cover.  Twilight took a deep breath through her nose as she emerged from the cave, honestly loving the scent of burnt plant matter.  

"Before we do this, pony, mind explaining to me what provoked you to seek your vengeance?  Most of your kind tend to count their blessings after surviving an encounter with an angry dragon."

"You chased me and Spike through the night, attacked us aggressively and only let up because you got caught in the woods.  That's a grievous insult, and I demand satisfaction.  Though I'm honestly wondering why you're in such a calm mood right now.  You weren't exactly the patient type when last we met."

"Your little friend was intruding on my food and my territory.  He seemed intent on moving in and was very disrespectful, if I do say so myself.  So I guess I'll answer the same way: I was dealt an insult."

Twilight removed her cloak and let it fall to the ground, flicking her mane away from her eyes as she did so.  "I guess I can respect that, but that doesn't mean I'll let it go."

"I have no genuine problem with you, however, so I'll give you one last chance to leave."  The dragon twisted his head and cracked his neck as his sentence ended.  Craning down to look at Twilight seemed to be bothering him.

"Oh you just wish I'd let you go that easily.  Twilight tilted her head down and swiped it to the side, throwing her hair out of her eyes and looking up confidently at the lizard.

The dragon huffed out a short laugh, taking more of a stance disbelief than a combat posture.  His pity, however, had been thinning out each time Twilight said something aggressive.  He shrugged and gave up trying to reason with the unicorn, looking Twilight in the eyes and saying, "I'll be sure your bones are brought back to Ponyville."  Just before taking a breath through his nose and exhaling potent flame down on her.

The smoke cleared and, to the dragon's surprise, Twilight was still standing amidst the charred earth.  The tips of her ears as well as her right foreleg were on fire, but Twilight didn't seem nearly as worried as the average pony should.  Twilight lifted her hoof up and lightly blew on it, sending a stream of fire spreading out in the dragon's direction.  Twilight's foe finally recognized the threat before him and took a slightly more aggressive stance.  "So I can see that you're no ordinary pony.  I don't suppose you'll explain yourself?"

"A magician never reveals her secrets.  What's the matter?  Do you fear the unknown?"  Twilight deliberately played on the dragon's pride, knowing that a prod to the ego was likely to garner a response eventually.  She expected something witty to come from him, but was instead greeted with a large, overhead slam from his fist.  The unicorn barely had any time to react, but managed to materialize several invisible blades and spikes above her body.  They were sparse enough to sink into her enemy's claws, but numerous enough to stop his assault before it even touched her.  

No fingers fell around Twilight like she expected (rather wanted), instead the slashes in the dragon's hand ground to an abrupt halt as the invisible and infinitely thin blades reached the bone.  Twilight had heard stories that dragon bones were indestructible, and she intended to test that little theory out at some point.  

The reptile yanked his clawed hand away with a loud yelp, clutching it and taking a step back to keep his balance.  He violently unfurled his wings and snarled at Twilight who simply stood there laughing softly into her hoof.  A few large drops of blood fell from the wounded claws, vaporizing in the air and bursting into a lazy blue flame before they hit the charred ground below.  The sight of his own blood enraged the dragon, prompting him to exhale another blast of intense flame toward the little unicorn.  Twilight, however, split the blaze down the middle and caught most of it in her control.  She pressed it down into a glowing little orange ball that hovered just inches from her horn.

Cornered, her scaled enemy unfurled his wings and prepared to abandon the horde and start anew.  Twilight wasn't going to let him get away, though, and brought down dozens of telekinetic razors onto the exposed leather of his wings.  The thin membranes stretched out on their own, preparing to catch air but were instead greeted by the invisible weaponry.  The hide shredded and split apart, spreading more of the volatile dragon blood out against the already blackened forest and provoking another pained yelp from the dragon.  His eyes were showing fear for what Twilight assumed was the first time in his life.  The dragon snarled once more, growling at Twilight and rearing his neck back.  The unicorn knew that she probably wouldn't be able to stave off a direct bite (and realized that having her body destroyed was likely to present complications), so she instead threw him off balance with a little ingenuity.  She worked silently beneath the ground, pooling all of the water that was left in the soil underneath the dragon and liquified the dirt below him.  With that, to add a little insurance, she drove a tendril of mud up and wrapped it around his wounded foreleg, yanking it down and slamming his shoulder and neck into the ashen mire.

The massive, lumbering green dragon fell and struck out with snapping jaws, missing Twilight by just a few feet before writhing his tail to try futilely to escape from the trap.  Slowly but surely, Twilight brought more earthen tendrils out of the ground and wrapped them around various parts of the struggling dragon, ending with a tight collar just behind his jaw.  The unicorn stepped casually forward to the bound dragon, never having lost focus on her tiny ball of fire during the ordeal, so she began to push more and more energy into it.  As she came just inches away from the lizard's nose, she reached out a hoof and gently stroked along it, having never felt the scales of an adult dragon before.  His eyes held a mixture of contempt and fear, scanning over the situation for any possibility of escape or any opportunity to wound or kill his captor.  If he couldn't escape, this dragon was ready to fight until the bitter end.

Twilight's gentle touching on the dragon's nose could be misconstrued as almost motherly, and she knew this full well.  The unicorn smiled down into the reptile's huge eyes and moved the little ball of energy to her side; by then it had gotten white hot.  Twilight moved her hoof down and nestled it between the dragon's lips, keeping her back hoof on his lower jaw and miming along to her telekinesis prying the creature's maw open.  He tried to bite down but just couldn't break the stalwart grip of the spell, so he resolved to one last attempt at his fire breath.  Twilight didn't have much time to react, but still managed to capture some of the flame while letting the remainder spray against her indestructible body and dissipate out into the air.  The orb was now so bright that just looking at it started to grow painful.  

The unicorn was getting annoyed with the constant fire breath, and so she wrapped a few invisible tethers around the two longest teeth that she could find.  The dragon's maw wide open before her would have been so much more intimidating if she didn't have the power to destroy it with a thought.  She picked the favored pair of teeth and ripped them out, having to hold the dragon still immediately afterward lest he yank his head out of the restraints that she had prepared.  The flammable blood started to flow, and Twilight located the two large glands that helped produce flame toward the back of his throat.  She actually stepped inside of the dragon's mouth, using her small ball of energy as a torch to light the tapering fleshy tunnel.  Once her back hooves rested softly on the floor of the dragon's fleshy maw, she sunk the two teeth into his throat and permanently destroyed the dragon's primary choice of attack.  Twilight turned around to exit, watching as the horrified animal tried his damnedest to clench his jaws shut with absolutely no progress.  She ran her hoof along the strained muscle on the inside of his mouth, transferring it to one of his teeth and stroking it down the dagger-like piece of ivory.  

Twilight exited the dragon's maw as casually as if it were a porch step, turning around and standing slightly to the side so that her quarry could see her.  She decided that she had tortured the dragon enough and drove the little ball of fire into his throat, pushing it further and further past sizzling flesh into his stomach.  As soon as she got it as far as she desired, she shut the dragon's mouth and let the bundle of energy go.  The reaction wasn't quite as fast or violent as she expected it to be, instead starting with a small glowing behind his eyes and  smoke rising from under his scales.  Eventually, however, every single bit of flesh on the dragon's skeleton disintegrated in a flash, casting light from between his scales and briefly blinding the unicorn.  Luckily for her, however, no damage to any part of her body was permanent.  Once she regained her sight, Twilight looked over her quarry and couldn't help but smirk: all that remained of the dragon was a contiguous skeleton covered by his scaly hide.  No flesh stayed there save for some dense connective tissue that managed to survive the immolation.  Even some parts of the dragon's fireproof hide were breached, particularly under the belly and around most of the joints where his skin and scales were thin and weak.  

Twilight sat back and admired her kill, marveling at the barely-covered skull that just seconds ago contained lively flesh.  Even the two teeth that she had jammed into his fire producing glands had stayed there, protruding out of the remaining jawbone.  It took about a minute for Twilight to realize just how taxing the ordeal was, however, so she took a little while to catch her breath.

Surprised?  Iago quickly asked as Twilight slumped down on the ashy ground.

Surprised at what?  Twilight responded in kind, giving off an air of annoyance rather than genuine interest.

That he tried to flee, of course.  Your little friend in the alley seemed braver than the dragon.  Does that surprise you?

Well I did expect a dragon to have a little more wisdom than a petty criminal.

They're far more intelligent than most tend to realize.  There was a time when I thought it was such a shame for a dragon to die, but in the grand scheme of things even they don't measure up to me.

Why was it ever a shame?

Before the current monarchy there was a parliament, and before that dragons ruled the planet.  If you could get past their greed and pride they had a wealth of knowledge and information.  Years long past still lived on in their minds, and the knowledge of arcane secrets flowed between their teeth like the fire that they're so well known for as they spoke.  Entire history books were written about them, even many by them, and thousands were housed in a spectacular library.  Almost everything was kept there, but one of the first few things that happened when Celestia came to power was the greatest crime ever to befall society: the burning of that library.  It was razed to the ground, the keepers and librarians all trapped inside, and even the foundation was pulled up and distributed around.  Nothing was allowed to stay, so for the longest time a dragon was the only thing alive that could confirm the traces of history that may have been forgotten by others.  Nowadays the Great Wyrms have died off, leaving behind the disrespectful spawn that roam your world.  They don't know the meaning of knowledge, nor the meaning of society, and that's why there's nothing left of their civilization.

The "Great Wyrms" huh?  Who were they?

"Great Wyrm" is a title that was given to, or rather taken by, an ancient dragon who prized knowledge as the only true wealth to be hoarded.  They were beautiful creatures, as big as your town and strong enough to dig tunnels through entire mountains in less than a few days.  As a dragon matures, they stay incredibly greedy, but they also start to think very philosophically about their lives; eventually finding refuge in knowledge.  These dragons will actually spend their horde to acquire rare and interesting books or encyclopedias, collecting even the most mundane facts about the littlest things just to draw into the bigger picture.  Oh what I wouldn't give to have been visited by a Great Wyrm, but sadly the last one died off before the new era under Celestia began.

Was she responsible?

Goodness no.  If Celestia could kill a Great Wyrm, regardless of how much help she received from an army, I would be thoroughly impressed.  Those beasts could lay waste to the entire planet in a matter of weeks if they so desired, but they always knew better.  Other dragons sought them out for advice and would sacrifice something of their own in order to coax knowledge out of the Wyrms, and for a while they were even respected as elders and chieftains amongst their peers.

So all it takes for a Great Wyrm is a dragon who's fond of learning?  Twilight stood up and began to slowly circle her kill, eyeing the pale green scales and looking at herself in the mirrored finish.  After years of sleeping on diamonds and other hard gems the dragon's scales had been polished down to a surface like glass, reflecting dozens of copies of Twilight's beautiful countenance and paying into her own conceited sense of self.

It takes a bit more than that, I'm afraid.  Every single Great Wyrm has always been an incredible leader.  Since a grand majority of dragons are little beyond greedy, vain and aggressive, the only way to command respect amidst them is to show them your power and influence.  No Great Wyrm had ever risen to that rank without spilling the blood of several of their own kind, and even more of another's kind.  To put things in perspective, their eyes looked like molten metal, their heads were big enough for one to easily devour your little library in a swift bite and their temperament would provoke one to do so if they didn't agree with your literature.

Sounds like they'd be quite a fight.

I imagine so.  I was never lucky enough to see one in person, but I did get to read a book written by the last of them.

I don't suppose I'd have a copy of that in my library.

Well considering that the entire tree from your library wouldn't have made enough paper for a third of it, I'll venture to guess you don't.  It was quite the read, I have to say, though I only made it through about a quarter of the book.  I spent years reading it, but to sift through the knowledge of such a primeval creature wasn't exactly quick work.

As Iago taught Twilight about the most ancient sages of dragonkind, she began the simple task of slicing a relatively large patch of hide out of the remaining skin on the corpse.  Is that so?  Are there any copies left?

I'm afraid not.  That book, as well as thousands of other pieces of wonderful literature was within the Library of Ruthe.

Twilight shaped the skin around a telekinetic sphere, cutting off some of the excess leather and forming the skin into a bag.  She heated up the scales and rubbed them together, knowing from experience that the scales would fuse together in the presence of enough heat.  She let the thing hang, a perfect sack made from the hide of the dragon.  That's a shame...  Could you help me out here, though?  You mentioned something about a void spell that could hold things.

Of course, the void conjure.  It's quite simple, really, though it involves a channeling of energy that I'm not sure you can tap into as a living being.  Place your hoof in the sack and let me do the work.  

Twilight  followed the order methodically, placing her hoof in the dragon-hide bag and letting it set for a while though it didn't take long for her to feel a pulse through her nerves leading down toward her foreleg.  The bag immediately clenched around her leg, forming a slight vacuum and then slowly releasing in pressure.  Eventually it simply fell off and slapped to the ground, sounding like exactly what it was: a patch of semi-dry skin.

Did that even do anything?

Try putting your hoof in it again.  

The unicorn levitated the bag over and pushed her hoof in, but found that the bag consumed her entire front leg up to the shoulder.  She smirks and pulls it out, looking inside and seeing nothing but a formless blackness past the mouth of the sack.  Now that's cool.  Is there a limit to how much it can hold?

No limit at all, I imagine you'll be putting the entire horde in there, hmm?

Oh absolutely.  Maybe some other things too...  Would a living creature survive?  Twilight didn't even hesitate to run back toward the cave, scooping a massive quantity of random gems into the bottomless bag.  She reached in to see if she could find them, but felt as though she was simply running her hoof through a bag of gems.  She had no trouble finding any individual, even though there was apparently nothing but a black void inside the bag when she looked in to see it.  

Since it places them in the void, time should stop and everything should be perfectly fine.  However since there's an absence of space, time or any other matter I'm not sure if they'll be torn part from it.  You'll have to try it out.

"Uh huh..."  Twilight absently responded aloud as she positioned herself in the sunlight.  The unicorn lifted the entire horde of gemstones up into the sky, separating each gem by type into separate levitating piles and pulling out only the most poorly formed ones that she could.  Every single gem that was ugly, malformed, nonuniform or otherwise flawed was cast into a ball in the center of Twilight's vision.  She crushed them together, beginning with the diamonds, moving onto the sapphires, then rubies and so forth with her own knowledge of gemstone hardness.  The sound of crunching gems reminded the unicorn of shattering bones and left her with a grin on her face.  The growing, layered ball of gemstones grew larger by the minute, and the horde started to seem far less massive.  

After Twilight methodically packed up the horde into her bottomless dragonhide bag, she left the cave and admired her kill once more.  She glanced around for her cloak so that she could leave, but found to her dismay that it had been incinerated in the fight.  She didn't hesitate, however, to step back over toward the dragon's remains.  She picked a large area near his left shoulder, working again to cut through the scales and thick hide, but this time carving out a larger patch toward the center of his back.  She pulled the irregular slab of leather away, folding the skin and poking a pair of small holes in the edges.  She briefly dug around in her bag and produced an irregularly large cut spinel, fastening it between the holes and using it as a makeshift clasp for her new dragon-hide cloak.  She threw it over herself, the smaller and more flexible scaled portion from the dragon's shoulder making up the hood.  The fit was nearly perfect and covered her entire body, leaving her incredibly satisfied with the trophy.  

With that she set off for her library, carrying the wealth of entire cities beneath the hide of a dragon.  If anything dared to stand in Twilight's way, it wouldn't stand for long.

Never Purify

The sun slowly dropped below the mountains and cast its rays through the library windows.  Spike was soundly napping in his bed, lounging on his back and snoring as loud as ever.  Twilight had found her way back into the library and hid her new (possibly offensive) cloak in the closet.  She stood over the sleeping little dragon and smiled, immediately being reminded of a time where she could appreciate the simple cuteness of her assistant snoozing in his bed.  This memory, like Spike's nap, ended when Twilight upturned the dragon-hide bag and dropped a sphere about the size of her head just in front of him.  The thing had been a little more dense than Twilight had expected, splitting and crushing the floorboards until jagged wood jutted out below the massive gemstone.

"Wha!?  Huh?  Twilight?"  Spike was yanked out of his sleep almost as violently as his elder was just killed.  He flailed his head around, looking for the source of the noise and eventually dropping eyes on the large sphere in front of him.  "What the hay is that?"

"That, Spike, is Equestria's first and only gemstone jawbreaker.  It's got a diamond core, surrounded by rubies, sapphires and emeralds, then any other stones that I could find.  There are a grand total of eight-hundred-forty-seven individual layers, with every single gem known to pony or dragon kind... and it's all for you."  During the course of her description of the sphere, Spike's eyes dilated and his mouth started to water: he was hypnotized by the thing and couldn't help himself from drooling.

"W-wh-what's the occasion?"  The little dragon reached up his forearm and wiped his mouth, reaching out his free claw to feel the fantastic treat.

"Well...  On my last little expedition outside I found myself amidst hundreds of gems andI realized how little I've been appreciating you lately.  We both remember what happened last time I stopped giving you the attention you deserved.  I figured I'd just get you something nice while I had the chance...  I want you to know that you're the best assistant I've ever had, you know that right?"  Twilight fluttered her eyelids and quickly hid the bag.  She was lucky that Spike was so focused on the ball of delicious gemstones that he didn't even notice where it came from.

"Of course I know that!  I'm the best best, ain't I?"

"That's for sure.  Now can you make me a promise?"

"Sure, Twilight.  Anything."

"I'm going to need your help on some things coming up, and I need you to kinda... keep quiet about them.  Can you do that?"  Twilight rested her hoof on the ball as she spoke, lightly rolling it away from the greedy, sparkly-eyed dragon as she asked her question.

"You don't have to worry about it at all, Twi.  My lips are sealed."

"Good."  Twilight rolled the sphere toward her assistant and flashed a big smile, letting him latch onto the sphere and immediately take a massive bite out of it.  The chomp left a jagged crater in the ball, reaching only about halfway to the core but filling Spike's mouth entirely.  As he chewed and crunched the hundreds of gemstones Twilight grinned and turned to walk away, stopping by to grab her new cloak and bury her bag in the closet, stepping out for one last errand in the forest.

Twilight stood briefly in the shadow of her library and let it pour over her path.  The sun was setting on another day before the deadly forest, and someone was about to have their night ruined.  The unicorn set off forward, letting the dragonhide cloak lightly flap at her heels as she stepped toward the darkness.  She pulled her hood up over her head, draping it so that it dangled just a little in front of her eyes and clasped it around her neck so that it stayed very well put.  She simply trotted along into the woods, knowing indirectly where to go by following a well-traveled path.

The journey started off fairly quietly, giving Twilight some time to think in her partial blindness from the low hood.  Iago had been silent the whole trip, so she had given her thought process into her own personal feelings for the first time in weeks.  This, coupled with the reminiscing that she'd been doing on her target prompted her mind to delve into the old Twilight's pattern of constant thought.  The purple unicorn focused in on her new target, thinking about all the different ways that she wanted to do this.  She didn't, however, think too hard on anything vengeful.  Twilight was so much further inclined to the process that she simply let any kind of past anger slip her mind, though it was still certainly there.

She was yanked out of her deep thought by a snapping twig off to her left, which prompted her to flick her hood off and methodically scan the forest around her.  The snap fell into a dead silence as she immediately stopped her trot, but was gradually replaced by a low growl.  A pair of yellow eyes, followed by several others, slowly emerged from the woods and revealed the creatures behind them.  A half dozen bizarre animals pulled away from the brush, seeming canine in appearance but completely made up of driftwood and fallen sticks.  Twilight recognized these as the aptly named 'Timber Wolves'.

"Huh, is it zap apple season already?"  Twilight gazed around, picking out the location of all six of the creatures as they crept toward her.  As soon as the obvious leader of the pack lunged for her, she caught all of them in a telekinetic field.  Their legs flailed as they floated lazily off the ground, centering their focus on the calmly smiling unicorn standing in the middle of the circle.  With a single thought, each one of them burst into flame, pulling a half dozen howls of agony from each of their bizarre muzzles.  After a few seconds of letting them squirm, Twilight slammed them against their leader, crushing their wooden bodies into a twitching mass of smoldering twigs.  

Satisfied with her new torch, Twilight set off down an overgrown path that seemed just wide enough for a wagon to fit through.  The forest was far from quiet, but it seemed to create a moving pocket of stillness as Twilight stepped through it.  Crickets and night birds quit their chirping as the unicorn approached, and she even noticed a few other pairs of eyes recede into the woods as she carried the mass of burning wood ahead of her.  The further she got the more the forest started to thin out, so she began to hear noises from further away; one specifically was the gentle babbling of a small stream.  

Twilight was simply letting her instincts drive her: she knew that a clearing would be an ideal place for a camp, that being next to flowing water would also be ideal, and that staying away from the beaten path at least a little way was an intelligent idea for someone trying not to be found.  The target, if still in the forest at all, would be most likely near where Twilight was walking.  Bingo.

For all the rumors of her exile from civilization and eventual identity change just to live a peaceful life in a traveling carnival, one explanation seemed far more likely: "The Great and Powerful Trixie" had simply retreated into the woods, setting up a semi-permanent home in a diligently repaired wagon on the bank of the only known clean river in the Everfree Forest.  

As the heavily-weathered and sun bleached colors of Trixie's old wagon came into view, Twilight tossed her torch into the river.  She lifted her hood and let it rest against her shoulders as she approached, noticing the familiar flicker of candle light through a small window in the wagon.  The forest peeled itself away and left nothing but soft blue-green grass for the clearing, though many of the colors merged together in the pale light of the late night.  The wagon was parked just a short distance from the river, clearly having been moved a few times to avoid the volatile water level.  Tall grass was enveloping the wheels and the hitch seemed to have been unmoved for months; things couldn't have gone more smoothly.

Trixie's wagon kept the small step ladder up to the door attached, but Twilight just levitated herself up along it and kept her approach silent.  As she brought herself close to the makeshift doorway, Twilight could hear a soft tune being hummed from inside.  This was followed by a quiet but still clear set of objections and propositions, leaving the impression that Trixie was either vain enough or desperate enough for contact to warrant talking to herself.  

"Oh, Trixie.  You do look wonderful today..."  The muffled voice seemed to speak with enough soft discomfort to indicate that she had been caught before, but was getting used to the solitary woodland lifestyle.  Twilight decided to interrupt the conversation by lightly knocking with the back of her hoof.  Tap, tap, tap.

As soon as Twilight knocked, Trixie stopped talking to herself and paused completely.  She didn't, however, get up to answer the door; after waiting for a confirmation (and never receiving one) she just went back to her business.  This set Twilight back a little, but she simply knocked again.  This time, however, Trixie was sure that she had heard something and went to investigate.  

"Hello?  Is somepony th--"  Trixie's upper door swung open softly, revealing the visiting party to simply be Twilight Sparkle.  Trixie halted her speech and let her face sink into a scowl, not even bothering to say a word but just slamming the door shut again.

"Oh come on, Trixie.  Do you treat all of your guests like that?"  Twilight stayed right next to the door, calling softly into the lightly open crack by the hinge."

"How dare you come and find me!"  Trixie yelled out from inside the wagon.  Judging from the banging, Twilight assumed that she had simply gone back to her previous activity with a new anger-fueled energy.  "First you ridicule Trixie in front of that whole... town, if you can even call it that, now you've come back to mock her?  It's been nearly two years!  Let it go!"

This reaction honestly left Twilight speechless.  That delicious instance of hypocrisy wasn't what Twilight had come out there for, however.  "What if I told you I came out here to apologize?"

The banging stopped and Twilight could hear the cautious clopping of hooves stepping back toward the door; it stayed shut, however.  "Trixie is listening."

"I mean... I didn't come here to apologize.  I was just curious what you'd do if I told you I did."  Twilight couldn't help but snicker at the resounding grunt of disapproval from the other side of the door.  She stepped back down onto the ground, taking a few paces away from the wagon and raising her voice a little bit.  "I'd like you to come out here and talk with me, Trixie.  I'll only ask nicely once."

Trixie didn't respond.  As a matter of fact, the light that penetrated the seams along her door had gone out and the entire wagon had grown completely silent.  Twilight just shrugged and examined it briefly, easily picking out all the points where nails had been placed to hold the thing together.  "Last chance, Trixie.  Get out here."  Still no response.  With a single thought and a brief period of focus, Twilight ripped every single nail out of the wagon, listening to the lazy groan of wood right before it fell to pieces.  The light blue unicorn sat dumbfounded in the center of her destroyed home, looking straight ahead with wide eyes and not even turning to meet Twilight's gaze.

"You should have listened.  This could have been a whole lot nicer if you just came out to talk to me when I asked."  Twilight casually stepped toward the wreckage, bringing all of the nails in toward her and heating them up.  As the iron grew red-hot, she pressed it into something about the size of a cannon ball, buffering it with other small metal objects from in and around the rubble.

Trixie didn't say a thing, she only turned her head with a look of pure fear and anxiety at her assailant.  The bloody red light cast away from the ball of molten metal set an eery glow over Twilight's oddly calm face.  The blue unicorn tried to shrink away, clambering back over her destroyed wagon but never breaking eye contact.  She started to hyperventilate, her stomach sank, and the entire world seemed to narrow until the only thing around her was the bright red ball and the terrifying sight of the murderous pony above.  

Twilight drew all of the energy out of the ball, forcing it to fall ice-cold in seconds as she closed the final few feet between herself and the terrified pony.  Trixie found herself backed up against a rock and immediately curled into the fetal position, not knowing anything else to do.  "I have to admit, Trixie, I'm a little glad you didn't just come out like I asked."  Twilight planted her leg immediately to the right of her victim, holding her other foreleg up and dropping the ball onto her hoof.  She casually examined the thing before turning her gaze back down to the tear-streaked face of the once-cocky pony below.  "I've really always wanted to do this."

With that, Twilight brought the iron ball down and bashed it into the side of Trixie's head.  Her mane was thrown from the inertia, and Trixie instinctively curled into a ball and let herself crumple onto the ground.  Her face was covered by her messy hair, though, so Twilight couldn't quite tell if she was still conscious at first glance.  The tell of a moving hoof to clutch her wounded head, however, told her that Trixie was still barely awake.  Twilight dropped the iron ball and focused her hearing onto the snap and crunch of a wooden board being pulverized by the object.  She dropped onto her knees and used her hoof to lightly pull Trixie's hair away from her face and hook it behind her ear.  This 'loving' gesture was misunderstood by the dazed unicorn, however, and she turned to look up at Twilight's new form.  

Twilight was far prettier than Trixie had remembered, but that only left more to resent.  Her memory had been thrown off completely by the attack, and Trixie couldn't quite recall the situation that she was in; at least not immediately.  Twilight looked down to the bloodied and battered unicorn below her: it was certainly a good look for Trixie.  Twilight pushed on her victim's shoulder and rolled her fully onto her back, bringing both of her front hooves down and pressing them against her neck.  Trixie's hind legs flailed, but Twilight sat down on the unicorn's lap to keep her still.  She couldn't get away from this death grip, and ended up staring into Twilight's eyes as a wicked smile emerged across her face.

Twilight was more than happy to bask in Trixie's pain, drinking it in slowly and enjoying the velvety feel of Trixie's neck beneath her hooves.  She leaned forward and pressed more weight down, almost giddy from the excitement as her victim's mouth dropped open and twitched to gasp for air.  Even without the intense power that Iago had gifted to her, Twilight felt like she could still manage to take Trixie down.  Every single twitch and struggle from Trixie's body traveled into Twilight, and she started to let her anger take over.  Vengeance snuck its tendrils into Twilight's motivation, making every single second that she watched Trixie's face hover on the crevasse between fear, pain, and unfathomable sadness feel like the length of a spectacular live show.  She only pulled herself away after Trixie went completely limp.  

Twilight looked over her shoulder and watched as Trixie's hind leg twitched, though her face had gone completely relaxed.  As soon as Twilight's hooves left her neck, Trixie took a deep breath, though it was clearly involuntary.  Satisfied, Twilight hiked the unicorn up via telekinesis, wrapping her in the brand new cloak and draping the package over her back.  

As she turned to leave, Twilight noticed several of the softer materials from the inside of Trixie's wagon (curtains, pillows, blankets and other such things) had spontaneously caught fire.  The unicorn looked around but saw no candles, finally coming to the conclusion that she had simply gotten carried away again.  During the search, however, Twilight found a broken picture frame sitting amongst some of the rubble.  She lifted it to take a look and saw a simple photograph of Trixie in a line in front of the Colt Theater in midtown Manehattan.  She was holding a script, and Twilight assumed that this was some kind of audition.  The unicorn glanced around but couldn't find any of the glass nearby that should have come from the picture frame, so she figured that Trixie had broken the picture some time ago.  

"Just a shattered dream, eh?  The Great and Powerful Trixie reduced to a traveling show because the bigwigs wouldn't take her?"  Twilight spoke to the unconscious and bound pony on her back as if she were truly expecting a response, but after a few seconds of silence she simply crushed the flimsy picture frame until the low-quality tin it was made of fractured and stepped away, bringing her quarry with her and taking back toward the road.  

The trip home went off more or less without a hitch, though Twilight thought she heard Trixie start to come to about halfway home.  The problem was remedied quickly by swinging her at a nearby tree and knocking her out again.  Once complete, Trixie showed very few signs of life.  Her body hung limp and she bled from her nose and mouth, though she was indeed still breathing.  Twilight quietly opened her door and made a bee line for her basement, dragging the pony behind her still wrapped in the dragonhide.  

She quietly stepped down the stairs into her basement, lighting several candles with just a thought and hovering Trixie beside her.  She grabbed only the end of her cloak and let the rest of the weight drop, spinning Trixie's body and dropping it brutally on the concrete floor.  She didn't seem to come fully back to consciousness from this, but she did curl up again and clutch her body in pain.  Twilight looked around for a suitable place to hold her, but realized that she was completely unprepared for any prisoners.  

Thinking quickly, Twilight targeted a bookshelf on the edge of the circular wall by her lab equipment.  She telekinetically gave the top of the bookcase a tug, prying it away and dumping the literature out onto the floor.  She pulled away the debris and exposed the dirt from outside into the basement, immediately laying the bookshelf on its back and dropping every single lost journal and book back inside of it.  

Twilight returned her focus to the bare soil wall, calling on her attunement to the earth to push it in and shape it into a small cave, condensing the soil along the new walls to make it as hard as granite and leaving only the floor somewhat soft.  Satisfied, she tossed the limp and nearly lifeless unicorn into the homemade cave, briefly watching her ragdoll of a body roll to a stop and then replacing the bookshelf in front of her.  She made sure that the edges were sealed off, but kept air flowing by cutting several holes in the back of the shelf.  These were hidden by many of the books, allowing Trixie air and the occasional beam of light: a luxury as far as Twilight was concerned..  At that point, all Twilight had to do was wait for Trixie to wake up, and what better way to pass the time than to prepare?  She sat back and picked up the nearest bladed object to her and positioned it onto the beautiful wood surface of her workspace.  It occurred to Twilight (and to her glee) that she had inadvertently picked up the very same scalpel that she used to cut her wrists only a few short weeks ago.

So, Iago...  help me get started here.  I want everything I'll need to know in order to raise the dead.

The Pierced Spirit

Hundreds of small objects that Twilight once considered valuable littered the floor of her basement.  Sunlight began to peek in through the window at the opposite side of the room as her stairs (she had been working all night carving her inscription).  The gorgeous table that she had been carving into, solid oak and beautifully crafted, sat propped up against a wall with the entire surface covered with hundreds of little runes.  Twilight had individually carved these at the direction of her master, and was currently working on the final symbol.  Her scalpel had gone completely dull from overwork and the sharpest point had bent more than a few times, so Twilight had to magically sharpen the thing over and over.  The runes were very organic in their structure, owing to the fact that the unicorn refused to carve them with her magical perfection if only to preserve their whimsey.  

The dull scalpel gouged out the last ribbon of wood from the antique surface and left the whole thing, edge to edge, littered with similar runes.  With a quick flash, she ignited and disposed of the various wood shavings all over her floor, expertly keeping any char from forming anywhere in the library as they curled into tiny black maggots and disappeared.  She stood back and admired her work, though she knew that she was missing something.  Luckily for her, however, Iago was already prepared with a critique.

So, who is meant to be bound to this?  The raspy old voice may have sounded like nails on a chalkboard to many, but Twilight had grown more than comfortable with it in her head.

No one.  This is just a master template that I'm gonna work off of.  You said I have to do this for each one, right?  Twilight didn't hesitate at all, but she was quickly scanning over the engraved tabletop for any errors that she may have missed.

Well if that's the case, mind if I point a few things out?

I'd expect nothing less.

While I respect you, you have no room for expectations.  Iago's temper flared up again.  He seemed to be getting angry at a slightly higher rate than he had before, though Twilight felt that she could have just been jumping to conclusions.

Sorry, Iago...  I didn't mean anything by it.

Iago paused for a minute, gathering his composure and continuing the lesson promptly.  As I was going to say, with round objects like this one you may do the engraving in several different ways.  You've gone with a simple left-to-right pattern, though the issue with this is that a round surface doesn't always make efficient use of space with lateral organization like that.

Good to know, so a spiral would be better?  Concentric circles I think would have too much separation.

That's exactly what would happen, circles of the like can create instability in the binding.  Either way, if you could use something with a natural guide, such as a straight or flat squared surface, that would be best, but otherwise you seem to be doing alright...  Save for a minor error in the fifth line, forty-eighth rune from the left.

What's wrong with it?  Twilight immediately located the rune, being able to follow a spatial matrix with almost no time lost.

You're missing a slash across the base, an easy fix.  Otherwise everything looks just about perfect.  Have you any clue what you'll use to bind Trixie?

Trixie had actually been awake for the past half hour, and Twilight had known this fact.  The light blue unicorn was trying to figure out where she was (and possibly who she was) but had otherwise not tried to escape, which worried Twilight that she may have caused some kind of lasting injury.  Well...  Everything she owned is probably either burned down by now or claimed by the forest.  I think I've got an idea though, she's got literally nothing so I can create value where there was none before.

Brilliant.  I take it we won't be performing this ritual today, then?

I'm sure it'll take a little while, but that doesn't mean I can't 'experiment' a little bit.

What are you planning?

You'll see.  With a devious smile, Twilight moved to her secret bookcase and wrestled it open.  She slipped inside and cast a very basic light spell above her horn, sending out a glow that was so dim that she could barely make out the color on Trixie's coat.  Trixie, however, squinted her eyes and shrunk away from the light, clearly so adapted to the darkness (and obviously still concussed) that her eyes didn't adjust properly.

"Hello, Trixie.  How did you sleep?"  Twilight's question was simply sarcastic and only meant to intimidate poor Trixie.  It worked.

"W-w-who a-are you?"  Trixie had backed away from the open door, pressing herself against the rounded cave wall and shivering in fear.  She was slowly recovering and certainly did recognize the unmistakeable face of her assailant.  

"Oh that's right, I forgot that nopony's ever told you my name...  Well, everyone around here calls me Twilight Sparkle, but you can just call me ma'am or you can keep your little mouth shut.  Your choice."

"You ca-an't do this to me..."  Trixie paused a little to adjust her jaw, the thin bones in her skull seemed to have been badly hurt when Twilight hit her with the iron ball.  Talking must have been painful; a weakness that Twilight found very beneficial and easy to exploit.  "You won't get away wi--"  Amidst her sentence, Twilight slammed Trixie's face into the dirt floor, forcing her fractured jaw against the impacted soil below and grinding it side to side.

"Let's get something straight, Trixie.  Nopony's going to notice you've gone missing, nopony's going to miss you, and nopony's going to come to help you.  You're mine now, so you'll follow my orders."  Twilight forced her victim's face onto its side, letting her look right down into her frightened, tear filled eye.  "If you're a good little filly and do what I say, maybe you can have some luxuries.  We'll start with food and water, which... you won't be getting tonight since you talked back... but I'll give you another chance tomorrow.  Are we clear?"

Trixie defied Twilight by shutting her eyes and refusing to answer.  Twilight, however, was fully prepared to get anything she wanted from Trixie.  She telekinetically grabbed every single hair in Trixie's mane, yanking her up and holding her by the oddly well-maintained strands.  At that, she twisted Trixie's right foreleg back, bending it in an unnatural and very uncomfortable position until she howled in pain.  "I asked you a question."  Twilight dropped her voice from the phony 'motherly' tone that she had been taking into a very adequate reflection of her true colors: a twisted and disturbing castigation that seemed to drip with venomous words.  "Are..."  Twilight twisted the joint around Trixie's wrist a little with this portion of her statement.  "We..."  She then moved to the elbow, listening to the gasps and squeaks of stifled pain from Trixie's mouth.  "Clear?"  At the end of her question, Twilight bent Trixie's shoulder, nearly breaking it and definitely pulling a few muscles.  Trixie couldn't handle this pain and finally gave in, screaming out and struggling futilely against Twilight's grasp.

"Yes!!  Yes! P-please le-et me... Let me go!"  Trixie's words were distorted by her agony, producing more of a whining groan than an actual sentence.  Twilight was satisfied enough with this answer and let her go, though not without kicking Trixie in the stomach and forcibly laying her back down on the floor.  

"Get comfortable, Trixie.  You're going to be here for a while."  Twilight left Trixie cowering in her den, crying like a newborn and curled up in the closest thing she had to a corner.  Twilight closed the bookcase tight and made sure there wasn't any space for Trixie to see through if she were to look out.  Everything was going swimmingly, and she knew that she could easily break Trixie's defiance after just a few days of that kind of treatment.  With any luck, she could even ruin her sleep cycle and hide from her any kind of passage of time: the ultimate psychological torture.  She even entertained the thought of making ice-cold water periodically drip from the ceiling.

Aww.  Why'd you leave?  That was just getting good.  Iago took a sarcastically disappointed tone, though Twilight knew that he was enjoying himself while Trixie was in pain.

If I beat her to a pulp right now then I won't have anything worse I can threaten her with.  She needs to trust me at least a little...  Is there any way for me to make her feel better?

Looking to reward, eh?  Well you could take the direct approach and just shut down her nerves, though that could paralyze her or stop her heart if you're not careful.

Got anything else for me?  I need her alive at least until I get her inscription ready and I'd like to minimize any fatal accidents until then.

Well you can always trick her brain into thinking that she isn't feeling any pain, or physically heal her.

How would I heal her?

A simple flow of energy from your body to hers.  You really only need to make contact for a brief period, but if you put the same focus into yourself as you do to raise the temperature of objects, it should give her a warming and soothing sensation radiating off of you.  It's kind of a proxy effect of your own natural healing ability, only coming off of you since your coil expels excess energy.  After that, you can choose to focus it into any area of her body and it'll heal her up just like you.

I like that idea...  If I'm her only source of comfort she'll have to warm up to me eventually.

You may wish to do that to her jaw before you feed her, if eating is too painful of an experience she may not value food as much without extended periods of starvation.

You're right... and it's hard to threaten basic needs when they're already pushed to the brink.

Now you're thinking like me, Twilight.  I must admit I'm proud.

This is going to take a while, I can tell...

Likely, but that doesn't mean you can't have a little fun with it and be productive at the same time.

Twilight sat back and thought for a moment, simply running ideas through her head.  Trixie wasn't explicitly useful except in that she would provide a platform for her spirit binding experiment.  Until she was sure she'd get everything exactly right, however, Twilight didn't want to risk losing the body.  If nothing else, she decided that she should give that 'healing' a try, just to be sure she could.

Twilight pried the bookcase open once again, curious to see if Trixie had even gotten up in the short time that Twilight was away.  The light blue pony simply stayed huddled in her "corner", stroking her tail and crying; nothing too out of the ordinary.  She must have been in great pain, and Twilight had a point that she needed to make.  Trixie shrunk away from Twilight as she stepped inside, flinching already after her treatment thus far.

"Trixie, come here."  Twilight took a stance in the center of Trixie's little cave, trying to command her prisoner to join her with no avail.  Trixie shook her head and refused to make eye contact, hiding like a child in the corner.  "I said come here, Trixie.  Don't make me force you."

"T-T-T-Trixie d-d-doe-esn't wan-want, to."  Trixie, cowering and sobbing, reverted to her obnoxious use of the third person to talk about herself.  Twilight was in no mood for it: it showed self importance and power, and as far as she was concerned Twilight was the only one that deserved anything of the like.

"Well Twilight doesn't give a fuck what Trixie wants.  I told you to get over here and you will get over here or bad things are going to happen."  Twilight's face dropped into a snarl, she was taking her control over the unicorn way too far, but didn't think it anything out of the ordinary. Twilight deserved respect and obedience, even if she had to force it (so she thought).

Trixie didn't respond this time, but she didn't move either.  The victim simply hid her face in her tail and quivered, leaving the pathetic form for Twilight to exploit.  The lavender unicorn made short work of this disobedience by quickly and aggressively moving into Trixie's corner.  She viciously grabbed Trixie's foreleg and twisted it again, this time bending it behind her back and not stopping until she heard the violent pop and crunch of dislocating bone and tearing muscle.  Trixie's knee had gone backwards and her shoulder had come out of its socket, ripping a tormented howl from her mouth.  Trixie almost whited out from this treatment and already felt nauseous, not believing for a second that she could feel any more pain.  Twilight had pressed her body against the dirt floor and hard walls, keeping her from moving or escaping by completely imposing her presence above the helpless unicorn.

"I can be a source of great pain, Trixie, and I'm more than happy to oblige that."  To make her point even more potent, Twilight twisted Trixie's foreleg again, watching her coat deform with the impossible angle like a leathery balloon.  Trixie retched from the pain, but had nothing in her stomach to vomit up after skipping dinner last night.  She couldn't even see anymore.  "Or I can help you, and I'd be happy to help.  Do you want the pain to go away?"

Twilight's victim's only response was a low moan of anguish; her head was spinning and she was nearing the cusp of passing out, but Twilight knew a few tricks to keep her conscious.  She made sure to give her a violent kick to the tailbone, jarring her reflexes and pulling her just away from the brink.  "Answer me, Trixie.  Do you want the pain to go away?"

Amidst sobs and tortured howls, Trixie managed to speak.  Her words weren't fragmented, rather slurred by delirium from the suffering that she was trying desperately to endure, but all she could muster up was a half-hearted "Yes..."

"Are you going to listen to me?"

"... Y-Yes..."

"Do you understand that I can break you like a toy?  That I own you now?  That I could cut off this foreleg, and any other part of your body that I wanted for... whatever fucking reason I choose?"

"Yes!  By the Princess!  Please don't!"  Trixie started to panic, though her speech had only gotten more frantic and less understandable by this reaction.

"Good, hold still."  Twilight dropped Trixie's foreleg, letting it fall limply next to her body and dangle like the useless sack of meat and lymph that it was.  She kept her hoof pressed against the damaged shoulder, increasing the flow of energy through her own body as she was instructed and feeling a delightful warm tingle within.  She knew that the feeling was radiating out of her just by the sensations dancing over her skin.  Trixie's shoulder crackled some more as the muscles pulled the bone back into its socket, but she didn't make a single sound.  She calmed down during this process, still crying but not howling like a wild animal anymore.  Twilight moved her hoof down along the ruined appendage, repairing it almost miraculously and restoring all of its normal function.  

Trixie's body underwent a very marvelous reaction to this.  The process started as a warming anesthetic radiance pulsing through her shoulder, numbing the horrid pain that she had just suffered.  The bone resetting and muscles gripping onto her skeleton with renewed vigor should have hurt at least a little, but it felt closer to the satisfying crackle of popping your back after a hard day's work (not that she would ever know what that felt like).  Her entire foreleg had gotten loose and limber once it was all over, and actually felt better than new.  She was surprised, but welcoming to the gesture when Twilight reached her glorious hoof up and brought the same feeling to her fractured and displaced jaw.  The pestering pain in Trixie's head and mouth receded and her teeth stopped throbbing, being replaced by a relaxed and comfortable sense of loosened muscle and warming numbness.

Trixie looked up into her captor's eyes, letting her tear-streaked face and matted, filthy fur show a countenance of genuine gratitude.  Twilight had that little blue bitch wrapped around her hoof.  "So now you see.  I can make your life a living hell or a realized paradise, and it's all up to you.  Don't make me hurt you again, Trixie, Just listen to me when I tell you to do something and everything will be okay."  The lavender unicorn was extremely deceptive in her tone, but Trixie was willing to glom onto anything resembling care.

"Trixie won't make you hurt her again...  Please don't...  Trixie wasn't--"  The unicorn tried to speak her mind but was quickly interrupted by her agitated captor.

"Stop talking about yourself like you're not here!  That annoys me to no end and I swear on Celestia's mane that I'll rip your tongue out if you keep doing it."

"Tr-- I...  I'm sorry...  I won't."  Trixie saw the anger in Twilight's eyes almost literally flare up.  She was starting to catch on to Twilight's demands and already learned her place.  Her spirit wasn't dead, but it was certainly beaten down.

"Good.  Now I suggest you get some rest.  If you prove helpful enough I might even give you something to sleep on."  Twilight smiled with a motherly countenance, showing that her emotions were only a means to an end.  Twilight could swap seamlessly between anything she wanted to portray to alter the comfort level of anyone in her presence, and she did so wherever necessary to continue her own agenda.  The only thing real about Twilight now was her anger and desire to rule.  

Twilight moved out of her still-open bookcase, slamming it shut and fixing it down with telekinetic precision and power.  As she left her prisoner (presumably to rot), Twilight heard a somewhat low banging on the doorway leading down to her basement.  She walked slowly up the stairs and answered, finding Spike on the other side with a concerned look on his face, nervously wringing his claws together.

"What is it, Spike?"  Twilight asked with an annoyed undertone in her voice.

"I thought I heard screaming...  I just wanted to make sure you were okay.  I-I've been out here for five minutes and you didn't answer so I just... started to worry."

"I'm sure it was just your imagination, Spike...  Maybe you were having a bad dream.  Everything's fine, I'm just doing a few experiments."

"Oh... Uhm...  Do you need any help?"  Spike tilted his chin away and looked up with his comparatively large eyes.  He had felt so left out of Twilight's life recently that he was eager to do anything he could.

"Hmm...  Actually I do have something that I need done, d'you think you can handle it?"  Twilight got a fantastic idea that could keep Spike both out of her mane and useful at the same time, she just had to be smart about it.

"Oh come on, your number-one-assistant can handle anything you throw at him!"  Spike nearly bounced as Twilight offered him a job; he really would do anything for her at this point.

"Do you have any friends, or know of any ponies around town, that seem like they don't have many... acquaintances or don't really spend much time around other ponies?"

"I don't really know...  This is kind of a small town, Twilight, everypony knows each other here."

"I know they do, Spike, but if you can think of anyone that might be kinda lonely I want you to send them my way.  I'm doing a, uhm...  Psychological experiment on the... relationship between loneliness and..."  Twilight was completely fabricating this out of thin air, and she knew how sloppy it was but figured that Spike was just gullible enough for it to work.  "an-and obsessive item possessiveness!  That's it."

"Obsessive item possessiveness?"

"Yeah, when a pony clings onto something and gives it a really great personal value even if it doesn't seem worth that much.  I theorize that lonely ponies might be more prone to that sort of thing, so if you could turn a few of them my way and tell them to bring their most favorite thing in the world that they own that'd be just... super!"

"You really think anypony's going to agree to that?"

"Tell them I'll pay them."

"Do we have that kind of money?"

"Uhh...  Yeah we do actually.  Remember all those gems I got hold of?"

"I haven't exactly seen them..."

"That's because I hid the ones I didn't want you to eat.  I trust you and all but you're still a dragon."

"Hey, I'm just a victim of circumstance!"

"Hence why I limited the circumstance.  Now go forth my number-one-assistant!  I need your help desperately for this experiment to work, so don't faff about!"  With that, Twilight slammed the door in Spike's face.  While she seemed enthusiastic enough, Spike couldn't shake a pestering bad feeling about that whole thing.  Nevertheless, he went off into the morning sun, figuring he'd start with some of the younger ponies around that he knew were outcast from the cliques of the schoolyard.

Twilight walked back into her basement, glancing around at the disorganized items all over the floor.  With Spike gone to look for some more 'subjects' Twilight had some time to clean up and get ready.  If she could help it, she'd get plenty of practice raising the dead before she committed the only irreplaceable thing that Trixie still had: her body.

Grovel

With little to keep her occupied, Twilight quickly reorganized her things and decided to go out.  The day was still young and she figured that she could quell some rumors before they started just by being about the town.  Before leaving, she churned the earth beneath the foundation of the library one last time, pulling a tendril in through the floor and haphazardly wrapping it around Trixie's secret bookcase to fix it where it was.  Can't be too careful, right?  

Twilight expected Spike to fail in his quest, or to at least bring someone back that would be missed whether he knew it or not, so she took it upon herself to pick a few subjects of her own, just in case she needed to send someone away.  Iago had stayed completely quiet since Spike showed his face, but Twilight didn't particularly care.  She trotted confidently up her stairs and entered the living room, glancing around for anything casual to carry around.  She felt like she would look too naked without a cloak or a bag or something, but for the life of her couldn't recall many times where she actually brought anything along.  The time away from civilized action was starting to get to her.  

After having decided to bring absolutely nothing (save a few coins and gems for potential necessary trade) Twilight set off into Ponyville once more.  This was a mild morning, with the sun softly hidden behind puffy white clouds and the various commerce of the day bustling on around her.  The sheer presence of life and high spirits was nearly sickening to Twilight; she wanted so desperately to yell out to them and show them just how short and miserable their existences really were, but kept silent to brood a little longer.  Twilight felt like she was in a bubble, stepping through town with a secluded area all to herself; something that separated her from the other ponies around.  Twilight looked to the ground, letting her eyes scan along her hooves.  So elegant a creature she was, and so gracefully gliding along the poorly laid cobblestone ground.  Flawed, all of them.  Every.  Single.  One.  Like the stones on the ground: they weren't placed right.  Just a single spike here, a single twitch or tremor under the ground and it turns into a difficult to traverse field of sharp stones and old, broken mortar.  

Twilight stopped walking, lifting her gaze and looking around as she approached town square.  She had been walking absentmindedly, giving only enough attention to her own thoughts.  The cornerstones of the surrounding buildings were exposed: she could crack them and send them crumbling down.  Sugar Cube Corner on a busy morning; ten, maybe fifteen dead in a collapse.  Several more wounded.  The Carousel Boutique the day before Hearts and Hooves day; between one and two dozen killed in a collapse.  Maybe an explosion in the middle of town, maybe a conflagration of every building she could see.  Something spectacular, or perhaps something subtle.  She could shatter the dam that precariously kept a wall of water away from Ponyville's skyline or she could split the ground and swallow Ponyville into the center of the planet.  She could create a storm that would rip these flimsy buildings apart and toss the bodies of the weak around like the dolls they were.  

"Hi there!"  Twilight halted her absent-minded walk and stood straight up, nearly jumping at the enthusiastic shriek from the creature in front of her.  She turned to look it in the face and tilted her head to the side, quizzically examining the pony but not quite sure how to respond.  

"Uhm...  Hello?"  Twilight certainly didn't know this one, but she had definitely seen it before.

"I get that look a lot.  You don't know me, but my name's Sea Swirl, it's nice to meet you!"  The obnoxious pony just insisted on getting in Twilight's face.  Her colors were a little bit lighter than Twilight's, leaving a solid pale pink coat with a very deep blue mane.  She did have pretty eyes, Twilight could admit that, but she really didn't feel comfortable with them staring at her just then.

"Yeah, good to meet you too..."  Twilight's greeting trailed off as she continued forward, pushing past this new addition and continuing on her macabre meandering.  To her chagrin, however, Sea Swirl kept pace.

"You don't seem like you're having a very good day."  

"What gave you that idea?"  Twilight was getting very annoyed and tried to make it perfectly clear through a sarcastic tone, but that one wasn't about to give up without making a scene.

"Well, to be honest it's the way you're walking.  Either you had a little too much to drink last night or you're just feeling down about something.  You know the best cure for the blues is to just have a friendly conversation, right?"

And the best cure for a pest problem is extermination.  Twilight thought to herself before giving a semi-agreeable comment.  "Yeah, I know.  Listen I'm heading over to visit a friend right now as a matter of fact.  So if you could just...  Y'know...  Get back to whatever the hay it was that you were doing before pestering me?"

"Oh I wasn't doing anything!  It's my day off and I just love to sit around and chat with other ponies.  Make new friends, catch up with old ones, that sort of thing.  You wouldn't need any new friends would you?"  Sea Swirl just added the straw that broke the camel's back.  Twilight stopped and turned to look at her with a soft grin.

"You know what, I wanna show you a magic trick."

"Oohh I love magic!  I can't do much myself, but I really love it when other ponies do it well."

"Look me in the eyes and think of your very favorite family member."

"Oh that's an easy one, that's my--"

"Ah, ah, ah.  Don't tell me, just shut up and think."  Though I know that could be difficult for you.  Twilight stretched her neck out and stood up tall, looking deep into Sea Swirl's raspberry colored eyes.  It didn't take very long for her to feel the same out-of-body effect as she did with Thunderhead, so she swam forward and plunged into the deep black pool before her.  Sea Swirl's brain was much larger than her first impression made it seem, but Twilight easily located the areas that were firing back in her grey-matter.  Twilight viciously targeted these memory centers and tore at them telekinetically, completely shredding the links and nervous tissue that went off as Sea Swirl brought to light her fondest memories.  With her work done, Twilight went back and emerged into her own body, looking forward into the still grinning but now much more confused unicorn before her.

"There.  Now describe that pony for me."  Twilight stood back in cruel anticipation, knowing exactly what she did but wanting to see it play out.  A crowd had started to gather round the two of them due to the oddness of their situation.

"I--"  Sea Swirl started and slowly changed the expression on her face from gleeful to horrified.  "I-I-I can't..."

Twilight winked and turned around, continuing to walk on her way and leaving her victim to plop down onto the cobblestone and stare at her hooves.  The minimal crowd that had gathered started to murmur and glance around, paying close attention to Sea Swirl as she shivered and started to well up with sadness.  "I can't remember..."  

The last things Twilight remembered of Sea Swirl were the tears of a deep and intimate sadness streaming down her cheeks.  What she didn't see, however, was the eventual drop of blood that made its way out of her nose.  Within three days of the encounter, Sea Swirl died from a cerebral hemorrhage in a hospital bed with her sister (who then was a total stranger) sobbing by her side.  The well-being of that insignificant pony meant nothing to Twilight, however, so she didn't dwell on what would happen.  What mattered to her was that the trauma she inflicted got the obnoxious creature to leave her alone, and that's exactly what happened.  

The split-second evasion of Sea Swirl reminded Twilight to actually check up on Rarity.  She originally had planned on just walking through town and saying hello to any of her acquaintances if they should so happen to show up, but taking the initiative to check on her saplings wasn't a bad plan.  

Her walk slowed to a simple trudge forward, though she didn't seem encumbered by any burden mental or physical.  Twilight simply slowed down and gazed around, taking in the life and beauty of the world.  It didn't stay beautiful for long, mind you, but instead got filtered through the mind of a true psychopath.  The gorgeous blue sky became a suffocating blanket of perceived limits, the sun a symbol of the Princess's reign over the entire land.  The trees were just the earth extending into civilization and wishing to destroy it, while the buildings were the ones upsetting the balance of nature and begging to be destroyed.  The ponies?  Well they were special.  Twilight looked at them as she had once looked at a cart; examining every little piece that made them go: she could cut off a leg and apply just the right electrical stimulus to make it move, she could cut off their head and stare into their eyes as their still-living brain suffocated and drained of blood, she could disembowel one and watch it flop about in blinding agony for hours, but she refused to accept them as beings that were truly living.  The closest they came to an actual existence in her mind was akin to cockroaches... ants... things to be crushed, kicked, exterminated, or burned with a magnifying glass just for the sheer pleasure of it.  They couldn't speak to her, not on her level, and they certainly couldn't take action against her, so she wondered to herself why she continued to beat around the bush and apply an element of subtlety to her growing superiority.  All she had to do was say the word, nay, think the thought, and the entire world would bend before her rule.

Twilight's walk down the main roads stretched onward, not oblivious to the growing anxiety that many of the ponies she crossed paths with exhibited, but otherwise apathetic on the subject.  They were right to fear her, though in truth they were just worried about what they saw.  Twilight's frequent over-excitement was starting to have some physiological effects on her body, and Twilight was totally unaware of them.  As energy flows through a medium, that medium will generally tend to decay regardless of how well attuned it is.  Thus was Twilight's fate: having her body put back together beautifully only to slowly begin to degrade piece-by-piece again, though this time was far less violent.  Nevertheless, Twilight approached the walkway to Rarity's semi-famous boutique with all the gusto that she could force.

Without too much preparation Twilight simply knocked on the door three times, letting anyone inside know that she was coming, and then opened the door to let herself in.  The windows had been opened up and let the gentle glow of the day in, which on top of the fact that the door was unlocked let Twilight know that the boutique was certainly open for business, but Rarity was nowhere to be found.

"Rarity?"  Twilight, annoyed by her friend's absence, took her first few steps into the boutique.  The bell above the entryway jangled as the door shut (though curiously hadn't done so on opening), punctuating Twilight's entrance and leaving her to stand there in silence.  There weren't any customers around, nor were there too many new dresses out.  It seemed almost like Rarity had completely abandoned the place, save a single cracked door off in the corner.  Twilight had given up any previous notions of modesty or respect for other ponies' private lives, so she moved deliberately over toward the doorway and pushed it all the way open.  Inside was Rarity's kitchen, with the ivory unicorn humming along as she read the morning paper.  She didn't hear Twilight come in, call, or even open the door, so Twilight stepped over alongside her and made her presence known.

"Whah!"  Rarity nearly jumped out of her chair, jerking her head around to see Twilight as she approached.  For a brief second, she didn't recognize the lavender unicorn.  Perhaps 'lavender' isn't the right color anymore, though, as her coat had turned a full shade darker (seemingly the result of flame or exposure to smoke) and seemed to tighten against her muscle and accent every single strand of sinew that she had in her.  Twilight still retained her beauty, but had an almost menacing look about her face and body.  "Forgive me, Twilight.  I didn't hear you come in..."  Rarity set her paper down and moved one hoof to her chest, feeling her heartbeat slowly return to its normal pace.

"Sorry to startle you like that.  I just stopped by to check in and see how you were doing."  Twilight forced a smile and sat down in the chair opposite Rarity.  Though she couldn't help herself from asking, "How come every time I come in here you're never out front?"

"Oh...  Well honestly I don't get that many customers.  The odd birthday will spring up, or somepony will get a bonus or have saved up enough money for some special occasion...  The bottom line is that ponies don't spend too much time in here.  Not in droves anyhow, and I can usually hear the bell so I don't really feel like torturing myself and standing behind that counter all day.  There's no point in looking pretty and stressing my hooves if there's no one around to appreciate it."

"Fair enough.  Though maybe you need to get a louder bell, or at least have your hearing checked."  The slightly darker-purple unicorn flashed a friendly smile, receiving an indignant scoff and snarky reply from her friend.

"Oh and what about you?  Dying your coat, are we?"  Rarity pointed out the slight change in color, not making too big a deal out of it but still curious enough to hope for an explanation.  Twilight, however, could hear the echo of her thoughts on this curiosity.

"What, this?  Oh it's nothing...  Just a stain is all."

"A stain?  On your whole body?"

"Yeah, there's these, ehm...  These tar pits out in the Everfree Forest."

Rarity was having a little trouble believing all of this, but she had no reason not to trust her friend.  "T-tar pits?  You were exploring tar pits in the Everfree Forest?"

"Not exploring, exactly.  I was trying to get a sample so that I could study it when...  Well you know how there's those cartoons about tar pits where there's that huge stereotype bubble that pops and sprays tar every which way?"

"I suppose..."  Rarity had actually been able to recall a comic strip in the paper from a few days ago where just such a thing happened, but she didn't particularly want to reinforce Twilight's dangerous behavior.

"Well they're not as fictitious as I thought.  I got splashed with tar and spend all day yesterday trying to get it out...  Apparently to no avail."  Twilight was getting much better at lying to her friends.  This, unlike most of the other changes she was experiencing, was something she noticed and indeed took pride in.

"Well I can't say I've ever had to get tar out of fur before...  have you tried baking soda?"

"No, but I certainly will next time I take a shower.  Thank you."  Twilight had nervous thoughts racing through her conscious mind, but her body was absolutely still and cool; relaxed to the point where she might as well have been at the spa.  She resolved on a subject change.  "So...  Any news about Big Macintosh?"  

Rarity huffed out a little laugh and folded up her newspaper.  She had been casually glancing over it the whole time, but still allotting plenty of attention to Twilight's explanations.  "Something like that, yes."

"Care to elaborate for me?"

"I sent him a letter like you said, and he came out here to speak to me face to face.  He... expressed interest in spending a day where we could casually chat and get to know each other better, but he didn't want to do it at Sugar Cube Corner."

"Can't say I blame him for that...  What with Pinkie Pie and all."

"Believe it or not, darling, it's not Pinkie he's worried about.  He uhm."  Rarity's voice trailed off a little.  Twilight noticed a slight red tinge around her cheeks and a quick batting-away of the eyes.

"He... what?"  Twilight took pleasure in exploiting this clear realm of shame from her friend, pressuring her to finish the sentence that she started.

"He didn't want Applejack to see us together."  Twilight was honestly a little surprised that Rarity admitted this so freely, but she simply sat back in her chair and smirked, crossing her hooves under the table and spreading her forelegs out across the top.  

"Awwh,  well try not to think of it as him being embarrassed about you...  You know how Applejack can get sometimes, he just wants to be sure there's no drama in public is all."

"I guess so.  It still just hurts to think about, you know?"

Twilight couldn't relate in any way.  The few times she had thought about dating were either completely influenced by peer pressure or were more involved in scientific curiosity than love.  She never had any public dating drama, nor private for that matter, and the furthest she'd ever gotten with a colt was the product of rumor-quelling and hedonistic curiosity.  Not to mention the fact that it resulted in his permanent mental scarring.  "I know exactly how you feel, Rarity."

Rarity smiled and relaxed a little herself, though her obvious nervous ticks and twitches still played about along her cheeks.  "Thank you, Twilight.  I knew you'd understand."

"If it's any help, you're welcome to come over to the library and have your little date."  The idea struck Twilight like lightning; if she could get the two of them together literally inside her home, she'd have the easiest time getting them 'prepared' for her little experiment.

"Do you mean it?"

"Of course.  Applejack wouldn't think to look there, if she even went looking in the first place.  I've got plenty of room and... well, the place just hasn't exactly been very lively lately, if you know what I mean."  Twilight got much more satisfaction out of that dark little joke than she should have.

Rarity sat and thought for a minute, flipping her newspaper over and glancing at the front to remind herself of the current date.  It was saturday, so she expected that tomorrow Big Macintosh wouldn't be working.  Twilight realized this as well and knew that she'd need to go home and make a few preparations.  "Would tomorrow work?"  Rarity seemed a little hesitant to ask, but she certainly did need the excuse to get closer to the big stallion.

Twilight answered almost instantly, barely giving Rarity time to finish her sentence.  "Tomorrow's perfect!  I'll see you two then...  What time were you considering?"

"I was thinking somewhere around lunch time...  That way he's got an excuse to go out and be gone for a while."

"Lunch time works perfectly for me.  Just come on over whenever you feel like it.  I'll make sure everything's ready."

"You keep talking like I'm about to propose to him or something, Twilight...  A little over eager aren't you?"  Rarity chuckled as she spoke, batting her eyelashes at Twilight's bizarre behavior.  She'd been noticing quite a bit of strange behavior in Twilight lately, as a matter of fact.

"Sorry.  I just mean I'll be set up to be relaxing and all.  I'm not trying to insinuate anything..."

"Relax, Twilight.  We'll be there probably around noon, don't give yourself any more stress than you already do.  Goodness knows you don't need anymore, and I already feel like I'm imposing just being there."

"Nonsense, Rarity!  My home is yours.  Make yourselves totally comfortable while you're there.  And if you need anything at all, don't hesitate to ask; I'd be happy to aid you in any way I can."  As disconnected from involuntary actions as her body had gotten in these past few weeks, Twilight still couldn't help but crack a mischievous smile at the very notion of having those two subjects so easily accessible.  This thought started to eclipse her memories of Rarity as a close friend, changing her from equal to object in her eyes and permanently staining her as such in Twilight's eyes.

The door bell jangled, breaking Twilight away from her world of fantasy and thought with a somewhat violent jerk of her neck.  Rarity's ear twitched at the sound, so Twilight knew that she heard it too.  "Saved by the bell" certainly lived up to its general meaning at that point in time.  

"Well, I guess I've got a customer to deal with.  Thank you for stopping by, Twilight, it's been a pleasure as always."

"The pleasure's all mine, Rarity.  You know I enjoy your company."  Twilight felt she needed to say something nice, but was a little surprised at how it came out.  Even more so at the casual giggle that it prompted from Rarity in response.

"The same to you."  Rarity stood up and flicked her mane into a respectable position and started toward the door.  Twilight followed along and waved herself off, parting ways with Rarity as soon as they entered the foyer and heading directly for the door.  

She decided to fly home and quickly made for a back alley where she was out of sight.  She figured that flying high enough would hide the fact that she didn't have any wings and help her take the guise of a pegasus.  She just needed to make sure she could get home as quickly as possible: there was much to do.

Your Chosen Misery

Twilight made her landing around the back of the library, preparing to enter through the back in an attempt to avoid prying eyes.  Her kitchen, though vacant, presented Twilight with a residual feeling of the presence of life.  Spike must have brought something back with him, so she thought.  After sniffing her gorgeous nightshade plant (by then it had gotten very much more lively, boasting nearly a dozen flowers and woody stems that held them firmly in place) the unicorn took a quick peek around her door and saw a very young, scrawny little colt sitting on her living room sofa and clutching a camera.

"Dammit, Spike..."  Twilight said under her breath, closing her eyes and shaking her head gently back and forth.  "Children are always missed."  She finished her sentence with a semi-audible growl, stepping out into the living room and then immediately pasting a false smile onto her face.  "Well hello there, little one.  Where are your parents?"

The young pegasus jumped nearly out of his seat; he hadn't heard Twilight's approach.  "Oh!  Uhm..."  He seemed a little shy, so Twilight sat down across from him to try and make herself seem less threatening (quite the feat, honestly).

"Uhm-what?"  Twilight tilted her head down and leaned forward a little.  Her best attempts at being motherly or friendly shown across as sinister and menacing to the young and impressionable beige pegasus.  He sunk back in his chair, thinking to himself that he may have just been lured into a witch's home as far as he knew.  

"M-m-my p-parents are a-at home..."

"Well I'm sorry but I'll need their permission if I want to do this study.  Spike did tell you about the study, right?"  The shivering pegasus didn't answer right away, but Twilight kept on the pressure.  "Spike was the purple baby dragon that, I'm assuming, you met."

"Y-yes."

"Good, go home and ask your parents if you can participate in a somewhat invasive psychological experiment that involves potential loss of your most favorite object."  Twilight deliberately wanted it to sound awful so that the little thing wouldn't come back.

"Huh?"  He tilted his head to the side and sat almost perfectly still in a bewilderment.

"Here..."  Twilight quickly yanked a sheet of paper and quill over to herself with the non-effort of telekinesis, writing (as quickly as she could) exactly what she had just told him.  She made sure to mention that for 'liability reasons' a signature wouldn't be good enough and that they would need to physically show up to give permission, hoping that their lazy side would shine through just this once.  "Take this home with you and give it to your parents.  I still think you're a little too young for me to do this study with, but I guess even extreme ends of a spectrum are still valid."  Twilight paused and stood up.  Her quick speech and terrifying presence had startled and confused the younger pony; he really wasn't sure exactly what he was supposed to do.  "Hey, skinny, did you hear me?  Go home."

The colt nodded and stood up, almost falling off of the couch as he did so, and began slowly walking toward the door.  Twilight's patience was wearing very thin, so she simply yelled at the top of her lungs, "GO!" to get him moving.  Needless to say, it put a very potent hitch in his step, sending the pegasus almost literally flying out the door and crying as he ran home.  Twilight hadn't noticed, but that yell included what sounded almost like a second, much deeper and more raspy voice underlying her own.  

At this point, Twilight was starting to feel a little fatigued.  Not by a lack of energy (hers was completely limitless), but by an overwhelming frustration in being let down by others.  She sincerely felt that nobody else could produce the results that she wanted, and therefore she'd have to do everything herself.  Spike was nowhere to be found, however, so she simply resolved to go feed Trixie and then head out to look for a subject or two on her own.  She was hoping that the seedier parts of Ponyville would be ripe with activity, and nobody would miss a few hoodlums off the streets.

Twilight meandered back into the kitchen, removing a bowl from her cabinets and filling it partway with a nearly empty box of old oats.  She ground the oats up into a very fine powder and filled the bowl with water that she magically heated, letting it cook down during the walk back toward her basement.  Crude paste, still probably too good for Trixie, but she needed to eat and this would keep her alive.  Twilight, feeling merciful, brought along a glass of water as well, though every single movement she made was held in complete bitterness for her captive.  

With her oatmeal and water hovering behind her, Twilight entered her basement with cold, calculated steps.  She had grown almost robotic over time, now making every single movement seem calm and deliberate and leaving almost no sway of her body to miscalculation of her steps.  The tendril that she had left in front of the bookcase hiding Trixie hadn't moved, so she tore it away and laid it down on the basement floor.  Prying open the bookcase, Twilight poked her head in and scanned around for Trixie, immediately spotting her huddled up in a corner, asleep.  The air quality was atrocious in there; everything was dry, dusty, filthy, and smelled as though it had been used as a bathroom (though considering Trixie had been in there for nearly a day that wasn't surprising), so Twilight split the ceiling above her all the way to the sky.  Trixie immediately woke up at the flood of light, turning her face out to see the waning sun as Twilight hardened the earth in the immensely narrow chimney until it was nearly as solid as granite.  

"Hello, Trixie.  Care for some food?"  Twilight tossed the bowl inside, letting it skid across the floor and nearly spill its contents halfway between the doorway and Trixie.  She set the water glass down nicely just to make sure she didn't break it, but otherwise Twilight didn't particularly care whether Trixie got what she wanted or not.  The chimney that she broke through only served so that she didn't suffocate, otherwise offering little in the way of light.  

"Oh, thank you!"  Trixie sincerely cried out, dashing forward and burying her face in the bowl of oats.  It wasn't much, but she had been absolutely starving.  Twilight didn't even respond, instead just shut the door and re-wrapped the tendril of earth.  The light blue unicorn was a little too busy with her meal to care; her environment was dreadful and the only light that ever poured in felt as if it would burn her eyes out, but the warmth of the oats filled her belly up and gave her just that littlest inkling of hope that everything would turn out okay in the end.

Twilight didn't bother sticking around to make sure Trixie could keep down the food that she was given; she figured that Trixie wouldn't let herself starve for too long.  Twilight didn't want to go out hunting for bodies in broad daylight, though, so she came to the decision to wait until sundown.  In the mean time, she figured she ought to go take a look at her inscriptions and possibly her prisoner one more time.

Twilight's basement, changed as it was, still served the same function, unlike its inhabitant.  Twilight trotted deliberately down the stairs, keeping her eyes fixed on the bookshelf that she had used as a permanent template and immediately turning it to greet her as she closed in.  The backing, still covered in hoof-carved runes and still presenting an intimidating inscribed monolith, showed off its secrets to the inquisitive unicorn.  The fact that her understanding of everything had grown so substantially left her with a single, irritating fact: she couldn't truly understand the language in front of her.  As such, she simply scrolled over it with her eyes, picking out patterns (some of which were false, and some real) and trying to decipher the whole thing at once, though she still struggled to come to any direct conclusions.  

Need help with something, Twilight?  Iago's raspy voice dug into Twilight's mind once more, this time seeming a little more intrusive than the others, though that could have just been due to his absence for so long.

Not particularly, I know what this stuff all does, but I can't quite figure out what it means.  Twilight's response was definitely distracted; she hadn't stopped scanning over the runes even to answer her teacher.

That's not surprising in the least, you weren't meant to understand it.

I beg your pardon?  This got Twilight to quit reading and listen intently.

The language you see before you isn't quite like your written pony languages.  The order of the words doesn't matter as far as spacial organization goes, and the grammar is beyond something you or I could ever fully understand.  It's very ancient and very magical, and I suspect it's actually an old dragon dialect.

So how do you know what this means?

Before Celestia had the great library burned I managed to paw my way through a few of the books lying therein.  One of which was an immense lexicon of an old wizard's travels throughout the lands beyond your shores.  He brought back with him the knowledge of dozens of cultures and the magical wonders that belonged to them, one of which was the inscription you see before you.  I spent years analyzing it, just as you are now, but found only one thing: it's absolutely incomprehensible.  You could switch any of those 'words' with each other and it would still function, I only have it written out that way because that's how it was copied down in the tome.  I like uniformity, Twilight, surprises don't suit me well.

So you're just abusing a bunch of words that seem to have an effect without any knowledge of how they work?

No, you are abusing a bunch of words that seem to have an effect without any knowledge of how they work; I'm teaching you how to abuse them.  That language has been not only lost to the ages, but to the mental capacity of the remaining creatures.  I suspect it would be physically impossible for our minds to process that kind of organization, it's as if it's all written in three dimensional space, while you write in two dimensional space.  

I don't suppose you've any other spells from this language.

I'm afraid not, though it's not particularly difficult to emulate this process, at least in a less efficient manner.

We'll have to crack this someday, I rather like the notion of being able to use words as a source of power.  One problem at a time, though, which portions of this are which?  As Twilight replied in her mind she reached over and picked up her scalpel, hovering it by her horn and tapping the back end of the knife against it.

The first seventy-eight words are the basis of the inscription, from what I've found.  This is the reason it's ordered the way it is, but you can rearrange the words as much as you want and still get the same effect.  Without those first seventy-eight the inscription won't produce anything whatsoever.  From there, the next hundred and twenty-four words are the portion that actually binds the subject's mental faculties to their phylactery.  As Iago spoke inside Twilight's mind, she used her scalpel to carve boxes around the separate areas that were being designated.  If she couldn't understand the patterns, she'd at least have a legend.  The next section allows for the exercise of free will, those sixty-one words can be removed to create a more or less mindless being, but I prefer the addition of the final section of eighty-nine words that allows for the direct mental control of the subject without relinquishing consciousness.

What else?

That's all.

No it's not.  There's still a lot of text left here.

Yes, one hundred and sixty-six words that don't seem to perform any true duties.  I've actually removed all of them and got the same visible effect as with the first three hundred and fifty-two.

They have to do something...  Why else would they have been in there?

My best explanation is that the wizard simply inscribed directly from what he saw in an old tome; from the flavor text around the runes I came to the conclusion that he didn't know exactly what they meant either.  It doesn't matter though, there are easier ways to raise the dead as puppets, and all they serve to do is intimidate anyway.  I've given up on this subject: it's not worth my time.

Alright, well I'll just keep it around regardless.  The unicorn scratched a large box around the perimeter around the final stretch of words, including a question mark along the side as a nostalgic glimpse into her inquisitive, literary-critic past.But how do I apply any of this?  Twilight completed her segregation of the different sections of text, admiring and puzzling over the work from a few steps back.

There are a few ways of doing so, the first is the recitation of an incantation that will, when heard by the victim before their death, create a solid, stable link between themselves and the object that you're using as a phylactery.  The second is more...  Quick and dirty I believe is the expression.  You simply smear a small amount of the victim's blood on the phylactery object before killing them.  This, while functional, will not result in a very stable connection and can sometimes lead to... unexpected complications.

What kind of 'unexpected complications'?

In severe cases one or more of those sections of text won't actually function, which could lead to premature death of the subject at any point, or a loss of control, mental faculties or other such things.  Basically you have to soak the object in their blood and hope that their will isn't very strong if you want to use blood control effectively.

Good to know.  Thank you, Iago, I'll get that incantation from you a little later, for the time being I think I'm going to just relax and take care of a little personal business.

As you wish, Twilight, I'm happy I could help.  Don't be too long, though; it's never too soon to take up the crown and rule over this land.

Oh I know, you don't have to worry about how I feel on that subject.  I'll get Celestia off the seat of power when I can.

You can now, you just aren't willing to.

Alright, fine, I think it's better to put that back a little while longer.  What's so bad about that?

She's a threat and you're letting her continue to be one, that's what's so bad about it.

With all due respect, I'll decide when I go assault my former teacher and mentor.  You may have a long standing grudge with her, but I'm just indifferent enough to take my time and make sure everything goes right the first time.

Iago wasn't exactly happy with this response.  As a matter of fact, many of Twilight's responses had been irksome as of late, but he'd kept his anger leashed to certain special information that he held.  There's always a line, however.  Twilight immediately crumpled to her knees, feeling a sharp pain in her chest like someone was stabbing her in the heart.  The agony radiated through her entire body, as if every single one of her nerve endings was being assaulted beyond its capacity to actually detect pain.  Twilight tried to scream, but couldn't get her lungs to move.  She tried to stand, but found her back legs paralyzed and her forelegs only able to flail miserably.  She tried to take a breath, but her windpipe felt as though it were being squeezed shut by a pair of immense, clawed hands.

You do not speak down to me like I'm some parrot on your shoulder.  I created you, Twilight Sparkle, and I can destroy you with as little as a thought.  You exist because I allow it, and you do what I tell you because I demand it.  Iago's voice gave the aura of an ancient, terrifying wrath, sending it through Twilight's crippled and tortured body as if it were the very thing causing the pain.  Every time he emphasized a point, Twilight felt a throb of pain unlike anything she'd ever experienced before jolt right through her body.  Consider this your only warning, and I'm giving it to you because I like you.  If you fuck up again I'll destroy you.  I won't kill you, you only wish you could embrace that release, I'll break you into a thousand pieces, put them back together again, and then break each one of them into a thousand pieces.  Your very essence is mine now, and I'll not have an uppity little thrall cast such asinine slurs against me.  Do you understand?

Even Twilight's thoughts felt crippled, she couldn't think or speak, but she let out a whimper as if to answer.  This, however, wasn't satisfactory, and for the first time since her pact with Iago, Twilight felt a severe, permeating fear invade her self-proclaimed perfection.  I asked you a question.  Do.  You.  Understand?

With this, Twilight's thoughts were allowed to flow once more, and she answered silently within her own mind.  Yes!

Good.  Finish your work, you egotistical little wretch, and then talk to me again when you've learned your place.  With this, Iago released whatever it was that he had done to Twilight, prompting her to immediately take a long, gasping, pained breath and curl into a ball.  Twilight's body shivered as it came back into her control, causing her eyes to mist up and nearly break down into tears.  Every single fiber of her being had been touched by the painful finger of Iago's wrath in that one attack, and Twilight immediately realized the depth of her commitment; this wasn't a second-thought, however, and she still had no regrets, but she knew to keep her thoughts in check from then on.  Iago was the power source and she was the channel, not the other way around.  The unicorn stood up and fixed her hair, taking a deep breath and wiping the tears away from her eyes.  She wanted to pretend that had never happened, but it would always stay with her.  

Dominance is a primal, bestial notion, but when you give something the illusion of power and then immediately take it away, it tends to take retribution out on those weaker than it.  For as sophisticated as she'd become Twilight still had animal tendencies, as well as many weaklings to exercise them with.

The Sky Has Opened

Like an animal, Trixie had licked her bowl absolutely clean of the oat paste that was her meal.  Twilight, having caught her doing this, decided to treat her like an animal, and had dragged her by the neck with a telekinetic leash over to a far corner of her earthen cell.  Once again Twilight was indulging in a bestial enjoyment of simply beating down a weaker member of her species.  Trixie's face was half buried in the dirt, Twilight's hoof was grinding down on her collar bone, and her other hoof was repeatedly bashing into the pale blue unicorn's fair cheek.  Tears, blood, a little mucus, sweat, and various other fluids had mixed with the dirt, making a running filth that served only to enrage Twilight even further.  She wasn't mad at Trixie, she was just simply mad, and Trixie was the nearest and easiest victim to direct that rage toward.  She couldn't get back at Iago, in fact she suppressed any thoughts of such things immediately as they came up for fear that he was listening in, but she could simply refract all of that pent up rage that had built from her own mental beating into something as worthless as her prisoner.  

Twilight had lost track of time, (she'd been beating Trixie for a good five minutes straight) and her victim was unconscious with her eye swollen completely shut and stained a much darker blue than it should have been.  She was gasping for air, struggling to breathe through a bruised and bleeding mouth, as well as having a half crushed windpipe to boot.  Twilight stood up, staring down at the pathetic sight and scorning it as the very body of weakness.  Throughout that time, Trixie had only once asked 'why?' and Twilight couldn't give an honest answer, she simply bashed against her muzzle over and over until she couldn't speak anymore.  In Twilight's head, she didn't need a reason, she did as she pleased and nothing could stop her.  Nothing except Iago, but he didn't care about the lives of ponies so he wouldn't stop her.  Twilight had to fight her instinct to leave Trixie to drown in the slowly deepening pool of muck around her face, thinking it a truly fitting end to her bleak little life.  Instead Twilight pulled her up by her shoulders and propped her up against the wall.  Slowly, she allowed primal energy to pulse through her hooves and into her victim's body, bringing her back from the brink of death and into the bitter, dusty world of the living once more.  Trixie remained unconscious, but Twilight knew that was a good thing; for all Trixie knew that had all just been a bad dream.  

As soon as Twilight stepped out from behind the bookcase she felt the ambient temperature change; it was almost like walking into an air-conditioned room from outside on a summer's day.  She took a deep breath, calmed her mind, and set about toward her staircase, hoping for a little peace and quiet at least for just a while.  To say Twilight had a short fuse at that instant would be an understatement, so it's no surprise that her teeth instinctively started grinding the instant she heard Spike shuffling around outside the door.  She pushed the heavy oak slab open with her telekinesis and stepped out, glancing around the entryway for any sign of other ponies, though all she could see was Spike in the middle of reorganizing some books on the lower shelves.

"What're you doing, Spike?"  Twilight's voice caught the little dragon off guard, but he'd started to get used to her sneaking up on him like that.

"I really wish you wouldn't do that..."  Spike caught his breath and turned around, still holding a book in his claws.  "I'm just putting these where they should be, they're not in alphabetical order."

Twilight realized that Spike was holding one of the few books she used to hide her quill, stationary and inkwell back when she kept her mental journal; she had an incomplete page back there.  "I'll take care of it, just go... take a nap or something."

"You sure?  I'm almost done and really don't mind at all."  Spike didn't really wait for a response, but went straight back to his job of reorganizing.  Deep down he just wanted to make Twilight happy, but as he pulled a book away from the shelf and knocked out a stack of papers, only the opposite happened.

"Spike, get out.  Now."  Twilight tried to keep herself from blowing up, but a menacing sternness easily came out with her voice.

"Oops, I'll get that, sorry Twi--"  As Spike bent down to pick up the papers, Twilight grabbed him and slammed his body against the wall.  She didn't need him to read that journal entry, and certainly wasn't about to let him ruin anything that she'd worked so hard to bury.  

"I said, get out!"  Twilight dropped Spike and let his body weight slowly pry his spines out of the wall, dropping him bewildered onto the floor.  For a second he stood there absolutely confused, not quite knowing how to take what just happened, but the fear and inner pain of being physically struck (something that had never happened before) by the one pony he felt he could trust eventually set in.  His eyes welled up with tears and the little dragon stepped off toward his room, trying to stave off the imminent sobbing.  

Twilight watched her assistant walk up the stairs and toward their mutual bedroom, rubbing his eyes and refusing to look down at the unicorn.  She brought her gaze down to the floor, scanning over the incomplete journal entry and picking it up with her telekinesis.  

"So this was Twilight Sparkle, hmm?"   Twilight said aloud, reading over the meaningless and ignorant words that she had once scribbled down onto the page.  She was so naive back then, and had definitely come a long way from such idiotic ramblings.  "You died a long time ago.  It just took you a few good lessons to realize it..."  She finished her sentence by magically lighting the corner of the page on fire, letting the flames consume the parchment from bottom up in a single swell.  Soon, all that was left of the page was ash and smoke, and what a wonderful smell that was.

Twilight looked to the wall where she had thrown Spike, checking on the damage that his body had caused.  Spikes spines had definitely split through some of the wood, but Twilight immediately spotted a few smaller cuts in the wall somewhat to the left and definitely much further than where the dragon had been.  It took a second, but she recognized them as older graduations: Spike was interested in how much he was growing for a little while, and so had convinced Twilight to help him measure by leaving small cuts in the wall.  What a happy little memory of vandalism and pointless time-wasting: Twilight exhaled an exasperated huff and pulled her hoof back, slamming it into the area of the wall with the small cuts.  She only expected to make a resounding noise, or at absolute worst a dent, but the wood paneling splintered and the carved tree trunk behind it gave way to her forceful punch.  Twilight stood there and examined the hole she made in her wall, amazed that such a seemingly light attack had left such an effect; she wasn't used to using her body as a weapon, only her mind.

Well, that was certainly pointless.  Once again, though this time in a much more cheerful demeanor, Iago invaded Twilight's mind.

Most of the things I've done today have been pointless, Iago.  Twilight was still angry and, while she could certainly hold her tongue, her thoughts went more or less freely based on that passion.

Very true.  Now then, is there something you'd like to say to me?  

Yes there is, actually.  I'm absolutely not sorry for telling you off like I did.  I do, however, know when I've been beat, and I can tell when deference is the better choice, so you can be sure I'll pay closer attention to what you have to say.

Devotion based on power that you've experienced first hand, but no trust or blind idolatry...  I knew there was a reason I kept you, Twilight Sparkle.

I do request that you don't push me, though.

No no, that won't be necessary.  I'll admit that I was perhaps...  Somewhat at fault there.  We are working together, after all.  Isn't that right?  There was a bit of a 'snakey' undertone to this last portion, but Twilight was willing to take the bone that Iago had thrown her.

We are, and learning from one's mistakes is how one makes progress, isn't it?

Indubitably.  You're a fast learner, Twilight, just be sure to pick out the important subjects first.

I'm still not going to go bullrush Canterlot just yet.

Oh no, I wasn't trying to say you should.  As a matter of fact, I've been doing a little bit of thinking and have come to the conclusion that, perhaps, you're right to wait a little longer.  The changeling invasion weakened their guard, yes, but as a retaliation they've got every single remaining soldier on high alert all hours of the day.  You could easily kill them all anyway, but it would strike far deeper into their hearts if you waited until they were at full strength, maybe toyed with them a bit and then made a dazzling display.

I have to admit, Iago, you never did strike me as one for showmanship.

Symbols are important to these creatures, and a severed head is certainly a powerful one.  The heads of every single one of their enforcers as well as their royalty would be world shattering.  I'm not ignorant to these things, Twilight, I just simply refuse to accept the point unless it's actually practical.

Then you'll understand why I'm waiting until sundown before I go out and find a few new bodies.

Yes, Twilight, subtlety.  You don't want to be caught so early, so you play behind the persona of the psychopathic child: cutting the legs off of grasshoppers just to watch how they react, ultimately resulting in the killing of your parents.

Speaking from experience?

I didn't kill my parents, Twilight, Celestia did.

So the personal vendetta finally comes out...  The voice in Twilight's mind had grown to be more capable of displaying emotion than her projected voice, and the snarky, sarcastic nature certainly rang through here.

No love lost there, they contributed little to my eventual transcendence, but the fact that she trots around, refusing to acknowledge her enemies even as they stare her in the face, refusing to accept weakness, to realize the state of ignorance that she has shoved her subjects into...  Her very existence is an insult to all things intellectual; you of all creatures should realize that.

While I do understand where you come from, she was my teacher.  It's hard to think of her as destructive to intellect.  She's not exactly stupid.

Of course she isn't stupid, a stupid mind couldn't have caused the genocide of dozens of races, built castles upon their bones, staked land that once marked their graves as a place for commerce, or built an empire and sat at its head for two thousand years.  She's very intelligent, but being so she understands the danger behind knowledge: she controlled you, Twilight, by controlling what you could learn.  She held back the magics that I've taught you, she held back the history that you've come to learn, and above all she held back the crimes that she committed to rise to power.  Celestia fed you truths, yes, but she filtered them out and kept the ones she didn't like for herself, she's kept secrets that could have saved nations, forged alliances amongst grave enemies, and sparked wars between the truly just and unjust.  She poisoned your mind with ignorance, Twilight, and you should count yourself fortunate that I'm here and willing to teach you.

Oh but fortune isn't all there is to it, Iago.  You've got an agenda, that much I can see plain as the body you built for me.

Is that so?

Of course it is.  If you wanted nothing of me you wouldn't have bothered to come this far with me, how blind do you think I am?  I appreciate the value of your assistance, and I'm perfectly happy to be your pupil, but if you sit there in my head and play pretend that I'm just lucky and all you want is to help me rise to the top because you think I'm special then I'm going to be insulted.

Iago paused, and though his mind didn't reach into Twilight's for a few seconds, she knew he was still scanning hers for weaknesses.  He'd taught her more than he originally intended, and now she knew him nearly as well as he knew her.  Fair enough, Twilight.  I need a conduit, and as Celestia's most valuable and magically potent unicorn, not only do you connect to the Aether better than any other creature on this planet, but you connect to her better.  She rules this land, and I plan to take it back.  You're my vessel, and you'll be duly rewarded for that service, rest assured.

Hmh, just be careful what you choose to keep from me.

My dear, I'll keep whatever I want from you.  That said, to correct you from earlier, no I can't be beaten, certainly not by you.  This phrase would have drained the color from Twilight's cheeks if her body and mind were at all connected.  Just after Iago 'admitted' that he was wrong, Twilight stifled and suppressed a thought that, since he could be wrong he could be defeated.  This wasn't an inner monologue for her, it wasn't a surface thought, but just the act of her acknowledging it by pushing it down had revealed it to Iago.  It would be unwise to start a rivalry with someone who pulls on your strings, little puppet.

Very well, I'll dance for you.  Only for the time being, anyhow.  Twilight almost giggled to herself, feeling a bizarre giddiness arise from this little game of cat and mouse that she was playing.  She was doomed to lose no matter what, and the pervasive surveillance of her own mind had torn her between fighting against Iago or accepting him as her puppet master.  The one thing she hadn't had in quite a while: a challenge, something that seemed impossible, the mountain to climb and the dragon perched up top had not only just stared her in the face, but had added her to its horde as well.

The sudden change in her mood from angry to excitedly manic was accompanied by a desire to go apologize to Spike; she could still use his help if nothing else.  Twilight, happy in her own mind, trotted up the stairs to go find her assistant and glanced out a nearby window to check on the time.  Lately she hadn't been caring about dates or hours, only whether or not that oppressive sun was dangling over her head.  Thankfully, the beaming yellow orb had sunk down toward the mountains, giving Twilight a straining anticipation of when she could go out on the town for some new test subjects.

Spike had shut himself inside their mutual room, so Twilight simply knocked on the door and produced the most motherly voice she could.  "Spike?  Are you okay?"  She received no answer, so she continued the miniature conversation with beautifully orchestrated quasi-regret.  "I know that probably scared you, and I'm really...  Really sorry.  I don't know what came over me and I'd just like a chance to apologize.  I'd really rather it wasn't through a door."  The illusion was flawless, she even included a sniffle in there to feign crying.  It worked, just as anticipated, and Spike opened up the door, letting Twilight step inside (with an indiscernibly peppy bounce in her body language).

"I hope I didn't hurt you, Spike.  I feel so awful about that...  It's just been kind of a long, frustrating day."  Twilight sat down, realizing that her body was betraying her true feelings.  She forced her shoulders to slump and her back to slouch, letting her head hang low enough to be at eye-level with the sitting baby dragon.

"It's alright, Twi.  I forgive you."  Spike looked up from the floor as he finished his statement.  All the while that Twilight was in the room he had simply been drawing imaginary circles in the floor with his claws.  Twilight didn't even respond, but instead forced her face to mimic a pained smile and held her forelegs out for a hug.  Spike happily accepted the embrace.

"I love you, Spike.  I don't ever want to hurt you again..."  Twilight rattled her vocal cords, letting them sound as if she were crying, but really kept her eyes open and dry, staring intently at the razor sharp spines on his back.

"I..."  Spike's emotions, unlike her best friend's, were all too real.  He hadn't heard 'I love you' in quite some time, so it plucked just the right heartstrings to send his eyes deep into Twilight's shoulder.  "I love you too, Twilight."

The unicorn pulled Spike in a little harder, squeezing him like a plush toy and lightly nuzzling against his neck.  She wanted to seem convincing, so she stayed there with him until he was done crying; not once did she shed a tear.  Eventually, she made another appeal to the dragon's sentimental side.  "There's still a little time left in the day, is there anything you wanna go do together?"

"Uhm...  Could we go get pancakes?"  Spike looked up from Twilight's shoulder; she expected he'd want something sweet, though the way he said 'go get' meant he wasn't up for cooking them himself.  She wasn't exactly happy about that, but if all it took was a stack of fluffy dough to buy him off, she could easily provide.  Though there was only one place that Twilight knew of that might serve pancakes that late in the day, and it was a somewhat less-than-desirable place to be.

You See the Lighting Fade

"Are you sure you're feeling okay, Twilight?  You look a little bit...  Darker than usual."  Pinkie Pie did her best not to stare, but was absolutely horrible at it.  She was scanning over Twilight's various outstanding features with her quick, darting blue eyes.

"I'm fine, Pinkie, really, can you please just get the pancakes?"  Twilight had gotten to the point where she couldn't tell the difference between her annoyed voice and her everyday speaking tone.  From the outside looking in, however, this comment definitely projected the strain being put on her nerves.

"O-Okie dokey lokey, Twilight.  Need anything else?"

"No."

"Milk or syrup or butter or--"

"No, Pinkie."

"A-actually butter and syrup would be good..."  Spike's meager little voice rose from the bar stool he was sitting at, catching Twilight's 'practical' request off guard.

"Alright, fine, butter and syrup too, just please make it quick, I haven't got all night."  As Twilight snapped orders at the confused and somewhat saddened pink pony Spike just dropped his head onto his arms.  The little dragon could always pick up on the general surrounding emotions of his friends, which made him constantly irritable and depressed whenever he was caught around Twilight.  Pinkie Pie, on the other hand, just didn't understand what she'd done wrong to deserve being berated like that.  She went about her job, though, and cooked up Spike's favorite recipe of blueberry pancakes as quickly as she could.

About ten minutes passed before Pinkie Pie returned with an obscene stack of plate-sized blueberry pancakes.  Twilight had been tapping her hoof repeatedly and staring out the window, watching as the sun gradually sunk towards the mountainous horizon with each passing tick of the clock.  Spike's eyes lit up as soon as he saw the pancakes, however, and he briefly forgot just how 'off' Twilight's mood had been.  Pinkie Pie, who had been balancing the stack on her nose all the way in like a circus seal, dropped the huge mound of pancakes with butter and syrup liberally drizzled onto them right in front of Spike.

"About time...  How much do I owe you?"  Twilight felt around in her saddlebag for a few of the coins she had brought along for the various expenses that she had anticipated.

"Oh they're on the house, Twilight.  I figured since you've been so barky-darkie-warkie I'd do a little somethin' nice for you and Spike."  Pinkie glanced down at the purple mound of teeth and claws as he quite literally dug into the massive stack.  "And hey!  Whenever I'm feeling like a grump I just think about this little ditty and I'm right back to my old self.  Whenever lif--"  Just as soon as the music would have started to take over the ambient background, Pinkie was interrupted with Twilight's hoof in her mouth.

"I swear on my mother's life, Pinkie, if you start singing I'll rip out your tongue and staple it to your forehead."  The aggressive tone in Twilight's voice was certainly present regardless of the fact that her speech was calm and collected and her facial expression remained relaxed.  She brought her hoof slowly down and away from the pink pony's lips and set it back down to the ground, watching as her mouth stayed slacked open and her eyes started to well up with tears.  "I don't have time for this nonsense anyway...  Spike, I need to go.  Finish your pancakes and then head on home, I'll meet you back there later."

"Where are you going?"  Spike asked through a mouthful of pancake.  The fluffy morsel brought his words out in a series of muffled consonants, but Twilight understood what he asked well enough.

"Just out and about, I'll be back later.  Oh and Pinkie?"  Twilight shifted her gaze back over to Pinkie Pie.  She was still a little shocked at the comment and hadn't moved whatsoever, though the ends of her hair had straightened out in parallel to her immediate drop in mood.  "You should wear your hair down more often, it's a good look for you."  And with a smirk, Twilight turned to leave, shutting the door behind her with a resounding thud before either of them had a chance to say anything.

"W-w-why would she sa-ay that?"  Pinkie Pie asked nobody in particular through her early-stage sobbing.

"I don't know, she's been acting really weird these past few weeks.  I'm starting to think she's really just not herself anymore."

"I want the old Twilight back."  Pinkie sat down and curled her tail around to her front, lightly hugging it to her chest: a comforting action she had done when she felt sad and lonely as a little filly.

"I do too...  I think Rainbow Dash said this once, but she might have just added a little too much 'bitch' to her coffee this morning."  This comment made Pinkie Pie crack a smile, though it didn't quite bring her completely out of her mood.

"Spike?"

"Yeah, Pinkie?"

"You wanna have a party?  Just the two of us?"

"Sure, Pinkie, I'd like that."

When Twilight left Sugar Cube Corner she immediately turned west and headed off into some lesser-known parts of Ponyville.  Walking west allowed her to watch the sun intently, almost as if she were having a staring contest with it and forcing a very, very slow blink in her opponent.  Twilight even thought of the sun as Celestia's eye, seeing as how it served much of the same purpose.  The big floating orb hovered over everything, making them feel watched and dominated, and only once night fell did the chaff of society feel safe to wander the streets.

The cobblestone beneath Twilight's hooves began to darken as the light-giving orb descended behind the mountains, slowly allowing the shadow of the whole world to rise up along Twilight's dark, elegant form.  She nearly blended with the shadows themselves, disappearing against the slowly degrading quality of the road and the crumbling cornerstones of buildings and alleyways.  The sky still glowed as though a fire were set in the heavens, but the ground was amidst deepest night and the lone unicorn felt the same resounding shiver run up her back as a deep pleasure that had just washed over her.  The very concept of twilight: that space between darkness and light as one fades into the other, slowly becoming either night or day, drove the same-named unicorn forward in her desires.  Tonight, she decided, she would be the night itself, not just Twilight.

Ponyville was an entirely different beast at night: the quiet parts of town where she normally resided in became so stagnant that one might think them abandoned, while the outskirts and seedier parts of the little agricultural town (the bits that weren't often patrolled by law enforcement) almost immediately sprang to life like a nocturnal flower.  Establishments selling liquor illegally, brothels, drug dens, all unmarked but all active and apparently well known to the locals started to open their doors and welcome the 'early' customers.  Many of the ponies heading into these establishments resembled almost a group of stereotypes connected to the various vices hidden behind the doors: gamblers seemed distressed and tired, as if they just got finished with a long day, perverts were obviously ashamed (though a few were unabashed and possibly throwing parties), while junkies and drunks were scratching, shifting and pushing their way towards their next fix.  Twilight was looking forward to this.

Before you go about this, Twilight, may I have a word with you?  Iago made sure to grab Twilight's attention away from the flickering lights from inside this filthy looking portion of town before she got too far.

Of course, Iago, what can I do for you?  Twilight, having her mood completely elevated by such a "good" situation, responded in kind.

Step into that alleyway over there before we do, I think you'll appreciate this idea.  Twilight followed the request and stepped away into a dirty, narrow cobblestone alley to her immediate right.  A group of rats quickly scattered as soon as the sound of Twilight's hooves echoed down the grimy hall of stone and all that was left was a single, burned out garbage can and some kind of large piece of glass off at the end.  That old windowpane, there, look into it for me.

I know what I look like, Iago...  Twilight still obeyed the command, but didn't exactly project any kind of enjoyment of the subject.  Aided by the moonlight, Twilight saw her marvelously sinister face staring right back at her, and as soon as she did Iago chimed right back in.

You won't in a second.  Regardless of whether or not you've met these ponies they could recognize you.  You're a famous entity, Twilight, having saved the world twice, been the personal student of the Princess and being family with the captain of her royal guard and all, so I figure a temporary change in appearance would do this night well.

Heh, I never thought you'd be the one to suggest hiding my identity from other ponies.  Twilight tilted her head back and forth in the makeshift mirror, looking herself over and realizing just how sublime her body had really become.

Not that I don't enjoy a good show of power, but considering your plans and what you've left to accomplish I can't say that I condone flaunting your might around and daring the royalty to come down and solve everyone's problems.  Hold still.  As soon as Iago completed his thought, Twilight both felt and watched as several changes to her body took place.  Her irises shifted from the deep purple that she'd been born with to thin, dazzling rings of gold that seemed to reflect and sparkle every single speck of light that hit them, while her coat darkened to a near black sheen.  Her mane darkened much further than her coat, turning raven black and only retaining color in her highlights: deep royal purple and an almost auburn streak to compliment it.  Her coat still shone with the familiar plum color whenever light reflected from it, but in darkness it was simply black.  To complete the shift, her mane and tail grew out a bit as well.  Her tail nearly swept along the ground while her mane fell over one eye and extended past her chin; neither her mane nor her tail retained the perfectly trimmed edge, either, getting uneven in length to appear jagged and slightly unkempt.  In all Twilight was satisfied with the transformation; she shifted to the side to get a better look at her body, finding the cherry on top of everything: her cutie mark had changed from the six pointed star design into a small, purple flower with yellow stamens reaching out radially from the center.

"Oh Iago, you know me so well it's almost frightening..."  Twilight spoke aloud as she continued to examine her new look, loving every inch of her body's mysterious visage and letting her words trail off at the end.

I'm glad you approve, now go have your fun so that we can return to your education, I'm getting a little impatient up here.

This isn't just a leisure stroll, Iago, I plan on gaining a little bit more experience with that necromancy you taught me.  Just watch and see.  Twilight smiled big and turned to leave, feeling the unfamiliar caress of her long mane swipe along her muzzle and neck.  She briefly considered letting her actual mane grow out a little more because of the grace in which it sat on her.

Whatever your motives, I'll leave you to them.  I've got some thinking to do, so just enjoy yourself.

Oh you won't have to worry about that, this'll be educational and fun.

Twilight trotted with her head held high out of the alleyway, glancing around for a popular looking place to crash.  One building in particular stood out fairly well, appearing to be an old hotel re-purposed for some other use, so Twilight immediately went over to investigate.  Her suspicions were confirmed the instant she joined the short queue line of ponies heading inside by the overwhelming male population and harsh sounding music coming from inside; this building was obviously a whorehouse.

The line moved in quickly enough since there wasn't any charge at the door, and the familiar smells of hormones and pheromones flooded the air so most of the guys walking in wanted to move fairly quickly.  Alcohol, sharp dancing music, and a minority of sultry fillies standing just out of reach of the growing mob of stallions (and even the occasional mare in the crowd) were all this place was made to hold; dignity, honor, bashfulness and general moderation of any kind were left at the door.  It wasn't long after Twilight made her entrance that a stallion had taken notice of her, and by the time she had gotten situated inside to a more or less comfortable location he had snuck up behind her and set his hoof on her withers, slowly stroking it down her back toward her tail.  "Well hello there, you wouldn't happen to be one of the employees now would ya?"

Twilight was more annoyed by this action than creeped out, so she turned to look the stallion in the eye with a bitter cold stare.  "If you want to keep that hoof, you'll take it off of me right this instant."

"Ooohh a feisty one, I like feisty...  Do you want payment up front or someth--"  The stallion's sentence was cut short by a brutal pain in his foreleg.  He wasn't quite sure where it was coming from, but it felt almost as if the entire limb were being stabbed at from the inside out by millions of invisible knives.  He would have dropped to his knees, but some strange force kept him from moving at all.

"Three things, sweetheart."  Twilight turned around to face the stallion fully, removing his hoof from her body with a brush of her own foreleg and letting him stand there and cringe.  Her annunciation held the venomous overtone of sarcasm very prominently.  "One, as you can see, I'm a unicorn, and that means I have the ability to use magic."  As she said this her horn glowed very softly just to show it off a little bit.  "Two, I've got the bone of your leg wrapped up in a magical wire, to put it in layman's terms.  That means that even as I do absolutely nothing to you, just the pulse of your heartbeat moves it away from the muscles enough to hurt as bad as it does now."  The stallion's eyes were already wide open from the pain, but now the panic started to really hook into his mind.  He started to hyperventilate a little bit but otherwise didn't say a single word.  "Three, I can pull on those bones any time I want, which will hurt...  A whole lot.  Do you understand me?"  Twilight gave a little tug to get the point across, but didn't pull hard enough to cause any damage.  The stallion stifled a loud yelp and just nodded as fast as he could.  "Good, now if you touch me again I'll pull every single bone out of your body.  I'll pull them all out and watch what's left of you twitch on the ground in the most blinding agony you've ever experienced until you bleed to death from the open wounds a full ninety seconds later, all the while making your skeleton dance around you like a puppet.  You don't want that, do you?"

"Shit!  No.  No no no no fuck no!"  The stallion struggled and tried to get away, but just pulling back caused a huge jolt of pain to shoot into his shoulder.  

"Good, then I guess you'd better leave, hmm?"  Twilight let him go and watched him fall to the ground, immediately hearing a third voice over her shoulder call out to her.

"This guy givin' you trouble?"  The soft but still scratchy voice of a mare reached Twilight, bringing her attention around to see what was obviously one of the establishment's 'attractions.'

"Oh no, we resolved the issue.  I believe he was just leaving, isn't that right?"  Twilight turned her head to look at the collapsed stallion.  He clumsily picked himself up and backed up through the crowd, bumping into several other ponies on the way and even tripping a few times.  It didn't take long for him to disappear out the door, however.  "Thank you, though, and you are?"

"Sandy Shores, a pleasure to meet you, miss?"  Twilight held out her hoof to the mare, who promptly touched it with her own and stepped down off of the slight stage above.

"Umbra Noctis.  The pleasure's all mine."  Twilight thought up a rather appropriate pseudonym on the spot, ending up rather proud of herself.

"Pretty name.  Mind if I ask what brings such a soft lookin' pony like you to a place like this?"

"Oh, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a little 'experimentation' in mind."  Twilight flashed a wink to Sandy, though she meant her statement a little more literally than she hoped it would be taken.

"Well I suppose it's a good place for that.  Though I'm sure I could recommend more reputable institutions."

"This place isn't so bad...  Maybe not the classiest joint ever but certainly not the trashiest..."  The corner of Twilight's eye caught a pair of mares onstage thoroughly making out and captivating the attention of a huge portion of the crowd.  "By the way, you said your surname was 'Shores' right?  Any relation to Sapphire Shores?"

"Hah!  I wish, naw that's just a coincidence.  Though I'll admit that I've...  Pretended it was true to make a sale once or twice."

"Can't begrudge you one bit for that, gotta do what you gotta do, right?"  Twilight was enjoying the passion and honesty in Sandy's voice, especially the sincerity with which she spoke.  Clearly she was a mare that had seen a lot of ponies and grown just jaded enough to not care what they thought, but still retained enough of her own passions and opinions to have an upright, strong willed personality.  Twilight loved a challenge.  "So...  I've never done this before... paying for it I mean...  O-or even with another mare.  Do you tell me your rates or..?"  Twilight had to refrain from just asking her how much it'd be for a night, figuring the false innocence role would be slightly easier to pull on this one.

"Well, normally I'd give you my card, we'd work out a deal and then go about our business.  Buuuut...  Well I've never seen you around here.  Whaddya say I comp you a round?  Just don't tell my manager."

"Awwh, well I couldn't do that if it might get you in trouble!"  Any more energy and Twilight would be pushing the realm of 'sarcastic whore' voice intonation.

"Don't worry about it.  Just don't tell anyone and you won't get in trouble.  It's kinda like you... being here."  Sandy Shores walked off, beckoning for Twilight to follow her around the crowd.  Twilight happily obliged, rapidly sifting through her memory of the runes that needed to be carved for a bound spirit.

The bedrooms were all located upstairs.  Sandy had gone ahead and explained on the way up that the building was once a hotel for various travelers on their way to Canterlot from the northern villages.  That the mares there only occupied the first floor because the owners refused to refinish the rooms above.  All information that Twilight would freely forget as soon as she could.

"All right...  This is the place.  Sorry it's not much to look at."  Sandy stood in her doorway and beckoned Twilight inside.  The distinct smell of old must beneath a lavender scented candle gave the impression of a very thick-aired room.  The light from the hallway was more intense than the fuzzy red glow from downstairs, so Twilight got a good look at Sandy Shores for the first time.  She was a pretty little earth pony, wearing a relatively short-cut auburn mane and tail with a single tan streak running through the both of them, backed by a slightly darker beige coat and what appeared to be a clam shell cutie mark.  One could only assume she came from the coast.

Twilight, or rather "Umbra" stepped quietly into the dim little room, though Sandy quickly lit a tiny candelabra in the corner to set the ambiance.  The lavender scent started to get a little more refined and pungent after this, and Sandy Shores made rightly sure to close the door and lock it.

"There you have it, just you and me all alone, so did you have anything at all in mind?"  Sandy kept a very sultry look on her face as she meandered back toward Twilight.  The unicorn was still getting used to the long hair covering up one of her eyes and so kept flicking it aside routinely, all the while maintaining an incredibly calm posture.

"I was hoping you'd be able to take the lead..."

"Well that's not a problem, sugar, I just figured I should make sure I know how fast you wanna take things, this being your introduction to this sort of thing and all."

Twilight smirked and stepped on over to the low bed in the opposite corner.  It was certainly very comfortable looking: a rather large mattress supported by four hoof-carved legs and an elaborate headboard, clad in a velvet comforter (how they kept it clean was a mystery) and fantastic silk sheets.  "Why don't we just keep it nice and natural, hm?  See where things go on their own."  Twilight sat down on the bed side-saddle, inching her body up and never looking away from Sandy in the flickering candlelight.  The little beige mare cocked her head in obvious interest and flashed back a smile, joining Twilight on the bed and resting her hooves calmly to her side.

"Hard to say no to that,"  She said, keeping her upper body at just the angle to arch her back and lean toward Twilight without being too unsubtle.  "Just tell me if I cross any lines."

The unicorn picked up on Sandy's more than obvious signals and lowered her eyelids, leaning just a little bit closer, keeping her eyes half open and tilting her head lightly to the side.  Her earth pony companion didn't hesitate too much, eventually joining muzzles and pressing their lips together in a closed-mouth kiss.

"Don't you know not to kiss a whore?"  Sandy kept her chin a little low as she spoke to Twilight, pulling away just enough to keep looking her in the eyes.

Twilight, on the other hand, saw a perfect opportunity to exploit emotions, especially since she could tell through the phantom echo behind Sandy's words that she very much enjoyed that.  "I didn't kiss a whore, Sandy, I kissed you."

"Heh...  A-aww..."  Sandy didn't quite know how to react; it was a little sudden, and very unexpected, but she could still appreciate the sincerity.  She didn't get a chance for a rebuttal, though, since Twilight hopped over and stole another kiss.  Their forelegs wrapped each other up in a tight embrace and Twilight made sure the pair was brought down onto the bed, lying side by side and continuing to lock lips.  By this time Sandy took a little initiative, intertwining her hind legs with Twilight's and pulling their hips together, bringing them as close as possible until they virtually shared every single breath.

Twilight made sure to grip onto Sandy very tight, rolling so that she lay just on top of her and never breaking the kiss.  The unicorn made sure her earth pony companion was getting plenty of attention, slowly building up her emotions and silently searching for something that she could use against her.  Sandy, all the while, was completely unaware of Twilight's evil motives.  She subscribed fully to the forward sexual nature of her actions and was indeed loving it.  To her it seemed like more than just a 'sale.'

Twilight moved her muzzle down Sandy's neck, gently biting along the tendons and soft area of flesh that stood out, coaxing a small moan from her companion and prompting Twilight to stretch out and get a little more comfortable.  Her foreleg extended well above the two of them, slipping inadvertently under the pillow and feeling something thin and smooth sitting there to greet her hoof..  Twilight sat up just a little and pulled the object out from underneath the pillow and gave it a quick glance, finding a thick leather collar dangling from her hoof that captured both ponies' attention.

"A collar?"  Twilight tilted her head down and asked with a smirk.

"What can I say?  Some clients like to be a little dominant and, well, I like to oblige them."  Sandy answered honestly, smiling back and giving a little blush.

"We'll have to try that a little later then,"  Twilight capped her sentence off by leaning down once more, nuzzling and nibbling against Sandy's neck and dropping the collar onto the bed.  To distract Sandy, she moved her hoof down between her hind legs, stimulating her with a soft rub to start with and gradually increasing her pressure and speed.  Needless to say, the earth pony was putty in Twilight's hooves, and she started to work on her other task.  Without her partner noticing, Twilight began the process of magically burning the hundreds of runes into the inside of the collar, slowly and carefully making sure each one was placed exactly where it needed to be.

After a few minutes passed, Sandy started to writhe a little bit and arch her back, growing more and more sensitive by the second from Twilight's attention to her.  The blackened unicorn made sure her runes were perfectly singed into the soft leather of the collar and sat up, holding her hooves on Sandy's shoulders so that she could stare down in a domineering fashion into her pretty brown eyes.  Twilight's thoughts wandered a little bit, bringing her to think about how beautiful and delicate this pony looked sitting beneath her, though sympathy wasn't even close to a good descriptor of Twilight's feelings.  Twilight knew what she set out to do and the manipulation had gone perfectly; it was time for the final step.

Twilight pulled the collar up and stretched it out, snapping the leather together a bit to punctuate her point.  This completely focused Sandy's attention on Twilight, giving her the chance to fix the little leather collar around her neck comfortably, pretending like she just wanted to try out the kink.  Sandy gleefully accepted that gesture and propped herself against the headboard, letting Twilight take complete control; too perfect.  The unicorn moved down again and embraced Sandy, pinning her lightly against the headboard and resting her chin on the earth pony's shoulder.  With a single quick movement, Twilight loosened the collar enough to get her hoof underneath it, then tightened it right back up again.  Sandy, innocent as she was (and what little that was), just thought this was a game.

It was only after Twilight pulled back and twisted her hoof that the earth pony realized what was happening; the collar tightened around her neck enough to cut off her airflow, causing her to flail a little bit and struggle futilely against the domineering unicorn.  As Twilight strangled Sandy, however, she kept her position lying on top of her, whispering a few things into her ear while she struggled to stay alive.

"You are the weakness of all living things."  Twilight's speech dribbled out of her mouth like a venomous ichor, seeming just like it to the frightened and pained earth pony.

"You are fragile as a leaf in autumn.  Brittle like sun baked sandstone."  Twilight put a little more pressure on the collar, bringing Sandy to the point where her neck felt as though it could break any second.

"You walk this earth, spending each day like a currency until you finally overdraw and wait to die."  The things Twilight was saying were ritualistic in their repetition, but Sandy didn't take too much notice; she just wanted out.

"You see the light at the end of the tunnel, you beg for sweet release, but I've taken your last days.  I've planted your bones in the soil, and I'll be the one to decide your fate."  Darkness was starting to take over Sandy's vision; she was on the verge of passing out from lack of oxygen.

"You will die here, now, at my command and by my own power.  From this death I'll harness you, bring you back, and hold you here."  Twilight had moved from a whisper to a loud, imposing speech, grinding the words into her victim's ear with a sternness that only a seasoned, ancient evil could produce.

"I will take your life then give it back, and in return you'll be my servant until I choose to release you.  Now die."  With this final statement Twilight twisted her hoof a full three hundred and sixty degrees, collapsing Sandy's windpipe and blood vessels, pushing her over the edge and causing her to lose consciousness.  Twilight only had to hold the collar in place for two more minutes before the earth pony died.

The instant her heart stopped beating (and Twilight was definitely keeping track) the collar glowed an intense violet, particularly emanating from the runes beneath.  After a quick light show Sandy took a deep breath and violently came back into the world of the living.  The breath itself, however, was entirely reflexive: she didn't need to breathe and stopped doing so after a few minutes had passed.

"Welcome back, Sandy."  Twilight sat at the foot of the bed, looking into the collared earth pony sitting horrified before her.

"W-wh-w-w-where a-am I?  Wha-at hap-p-pened?"  Sandy Shores was in a very intense state of shock and certainly didn't realize the impact of her current situation.

"You're back in your room at the brothel where you work.  Do you remember that?"

"Y-yes..."  Sandy started to calm down a little, glancing around and examining every little space that she was in.  

"Good.  You'll go about your job like nothing ever happened, and you certainly won't tell anyone about this little mishap.  You're technically not alive, not anymore, but you'll feel like you are forever, or at least until I decide to let you go.  I may call on you in the future, so be prepared, and as a reward I'll allow you to leave this earth whenever you want, but until then you just keep your adorable little mouth shut, okay?"

"Yes ma'am..."  Sandy's words were sad and forced, and she certainly didn't know why she was saying them, but she just couldn't help it.

"Good girl.  Now I need to be going, thanks for the lovely evening."  Twilight put on her most convincing false smile and kissed Sandy on the cheek before trotting out the door.  The earth pony simply sat there curled up in the fetal position, staring at her hooves and shivering a little.  She couldn't feel her heart beating in her chest and she didn't breathe...  She was dead.  Dead and trapped.

Touch the Darkness...

Twilight left Sandy Shores' room and headed back toward the brothel's staircase.  Slowly and confidently, she strode down and muscled her way through the crowd of gawking stallions and virulent perverts looking to spend their hard-earned (or ill gotten) money on a quick lay in one of the scummiest portions of town.  Each one was a seed waiting to be planted, and Twilight was the new gardener.  She could only imagine what kinds of filth Canterlot's downtown district held.  Ponyville, however, was all Twilight could deal with at the moment, so she left the old hotel to move onto the next place.

The streets were teeming with nightlife by then, so Twilight didn't have to worry about finding something that needed to die; it was more of a kid in a candy store type situation.  The echoes of their thoughts, however, were far more potent than she was used to.  Every step she took she could hear a voice, and then behind that voice was the true nature of the speaker sneaking its way out into the world.  This was almost deafening, both to her ears and to her mind, so Twilight picked up her pace and forced her way toward a nearby building.  There weren't any lights on from the ground floor up (as a matter of fact, the windows were boarded and the place simply looked as though it had been condemned for some time) but the basement windows projected several patches of artificial, flickering yellow light.

The only visible path into the basement was a dimly lit staircase with a group of near-unconscious pegasi lying out front.  Easy targets as they'd be, they were a little too exposed at that moment, so Twilight trotted right past them without a second thought.  The staircase had been fractured from decades of ill treatment and harsh weather; all that was left was essentially gravel that inexplicably clung to the shape of a stair and at the bottom was a rusted, dented, and otherwise mistreated iron door.  A more than fitting entryway to the sensory assault at the bottom, however: Twilight was hit in the face with an immediate jump in temperature and humidity, followed by the stench of vomit, opium smoke, tobacco and several other "products of the body" mixed together.  This would have been sickening had Twilight's gag reflex not have become voluntary, so she just cringed in disgust and slowly walked in and examined the scene.  It was deplorable, the air was so thick she could nearly taste it, nearly feel it crawling down her throat and depositing its filth into her perfect body.

Strung out stallions and mares littered the disgusting and unwashed old mats and pillows that were clustered into cobweb ridden corners of the bare cement building.  Every other pony had passed out in their own vomit or was rolling on the floor with no concept of reality.  Clouded minds were far too easy, but Twilight needed a challenge.  She wondered, only for a brief second, if many different lives could be bound to the same object and thus gave herself something to focus on and test, if nothing else.   With that single thought in mind, Twilight stepped into the opium den, gaining the brief attention of some of the patrons, but then immediately losing it the moment she moved past their obscured fields of vision.

One specific device was set up in the middle of what might have once been a beautiful arrangement of pillows and mats, now stained by thousands of bodies having spent hours on top of them; a gorgeous opium lamp that was slowly burning away at a brand new batch of oil, letting the smokers draw from their long pipes.  Many of the ponies on the cushions appeared to have been there all day, but a few were just getting situated as to the youth of the night.  Twilight found a somewhat clean spot and sat down to join the patrons, none of whom lifted their heads (or, frankly, even their eyelids) in greeting.  Of the dozen or so ponies surrounding the lamp, only three seemed to be of their right mental faculties.  One of whom was busy taking a long draw from his brass opium pipe while the other two were very impaired, but still cognizant of their surroundings.  When he was done, the smoking earth pony leaned back and relaxed against the cushions, laying his pipe accidentally down on a nearly unconscious neighbor's leg.  The heat from the oil lamp caused a nasty burn, casting the smell of singed flesh and hair into the already foul air: Twilight couldn't handle the atrocious conditions, so she promptly decided what needed to be done: a thorough cleansing.  

Twilight levitated the pipe off of the very confused and writhing semi-conscious pegasus and drew it over to herself, checking the opening for any remaining opium and placing the end into her mouth.  Some of the yellow crust still remained, so she held the pipe just inches above the very hot oil lamp and slowly inhaled, taking the burning fumes into her lungs and holding them still briefly.  The smoke did absolutely nothing for Twilight, but it did allow her a medium with which to carve her runes: using the particulate matter present in the air passing through the pipe as an abrasive, Twilight etched every single eldritch rune from memory into the inside of the long metal pipe, knowing that it was already an important figure to each of the wretches in the building.

She kept inhaling, taking a complete lungful of the acrid fumes, letting the air exit from her mouth and nostrils in thick white clouds as she spoke.  Twilight repeated the old words that bound her first victim, projecting them so that every single pony in the den could hear her.

"You..."  Twilight's voice, filtered by the thick white smoke, sounded a touch less tonal than usual, which gave it a far more intimidating quality.  "You are the weakness of all living things."  This drew attention, but didn't break the various highs around the room.  "You are fragile as a leaf in autumn.  Brittle like sun baked sandstone."  

Twilight inhaled again from the opium pipe, drawing in more smoke for nothing other than dramatic effect.  "You walk this earth, spending each day like a currency until you finally overdraw and wait to die."  At about this point a few of the patrons were having their buzz killed, spending more attention on Twilight's insulting rant on their lifestyle than on the opium in their veins.  "You see the light at the end of the tunnel, you beg for sweet release but I've taken your last days."  Once more, Twilight needed a new draw.

"Just who do you think you are?"  One of the strung out ponies managed to grind out from his crumpled position off in the corner.

"I've planted your bones in the soil, and I'll be the one to decide your fate."

"Fuck off."  One of the half-conscious ponies sitting next to Twilight spat, still not taking the effort to get up from the greasy pillows.

"You will die here, now, at my command and by my own power.  From these deaths I'll harness you, bring you back, and hold you here."  The pony who was originally smoking the pipe that Twilight was currently holding in front of her leaned forward, trying to find his balance with the intent of taking back the instrument.  Twilight already had a new lungful, having used most of the opium resin inside the thing.  "I will take your lives, then give them back, and in return you'll be my servants until I choose to release you."

"I said fuck off!"  The pony, now revealed to be a dark green unicorn stood up and approached Twilight.  The blackened unicorn didn't move an inch, instead she focused on the oil lamp in the center of the cushions, taking the initiative to close and lock the massive iron door at the only exit to the basement before finishing off her ritual.

"Now, die."  With this final word, Twilight heated the oil inside the lamp, fracturing the sides and throwing it in all directions.  Just before the green unicorn had a chance to strike Twilight, he was blinded by a flash of boiling oil that promptly burst into flame.  Every single one of the ponies in the opium den was hit with the burning black liquid, though the fires spread much too quickly for just the simple little splashes of oil that they were.  Twilight simply took another drag off of the opium pipe, using the writhing and screaming flame-engulfed body of her would-be assailant to completely cash out the rest of the drug inside.

Twilight looked around, keeping the fragile brass pipe safe from the flames.  As they grew in intensity, so too did the cries of their victims: nearly sixty ponies in the den were burning alive, each one rolling about on the ground or scratching at the far-too-small windows to attempt an escape.  Several had clambered for the door and were desperately trying to open it, continuously flicking their heads back to stave away the blaze, but doing so in vein.  The cushions and lamps weren't safe from the inferno either, having only added fuel to the bright orange glow.  Somewhere in the blaze a pony had tripped over a glass instrument, shattering it and now suffering through the stabbing of invisible little shards in her knees.  Twilight simply waved her gaze across the sight: it was absolutely beautiful.  Fire consuming filth, killing the growing molds and scums that grew in a dark environment; the light swallowing the shadow.

One of several ponies' silhouettes showed black through the fire surrounding it; waving its forelegs clumsily as the pain and muscle damage started to set in, preventing the form from bashing out the fire on its head and mane.  A large portion of another's face slid off from the steaming bone and onto the floor somewhat further away; even through what sounded like cooking bacon in a bonfire Twilight could hear the greasy plop as it hit the bare concrete floor.  

Nearly two minutes passed before the screams began to subside, only to be replaced by agonized moans from the very last breaths any of them would ever take of their own free will, and the twitching mass of charred flesh and bone lay quiet in its own filth at the bottom of a condemned building.  Twilight hadn't ever moved, though her cushion had been consumed in the conflagration (frankly she was glad that filthy thing was gone) and she simply sat on the floor, holding her pipe and looking it over.  Oddly enough, the stench of burned flesh and hair was far more pleasant to Twilight's nose than was that of the wastes-of-oxygen that were those ponies.

Twilight looked around once more, now having a clear view all the way through the place without a wall of fire to block her.  The walls were scorched but in-tact, with a few of them still displaying the blackened, skinless corpses of Twilight's most recent victims, clinging to the wall like macabre tapestries.  The bodies littering the floor were set in all kinds of poses: some had died trying to fight the flames on their own bodies, others had died trying to protect some of the few sentimental possessions they owned, but none of them had tried to help someone other than themselves survive.  Their bodies, like charcoal, sat smoking and smoldering on the concrete floor, sitting in a pool of rendered pony gristle that was slowly beginning to congeal into a pale gray and yellow film climbing on every surface that its edges could reach.  The eyes were some of the first organs to burst in the heat, but some of the bodies retained a yellow and red stained orb, silently staring off into nothingness in the peace of death.  Until, of course, Twilight's pipe performed its magic.

From the opening at both ends of the device came the same purple glow that had signified Sandy Shores' unwilling pact, and so, very slowly, the mass of bodies came back into the world of the living.  The occasional puff of escaping steam or pop of cooling fat was replaced by a kind of mewling coming from the tongueless and immolated mouths of the undead, as well as a splintering of charred bones as muscles tugged on their fragile remains.  They tried to stand, tried to return to the task that they were in the middle of before their deaths, but ultimately were halted by a simple whistle from Twilight's unscathed lips.

"You're all mine now, you know."  Twilight said calmly, still examining her pipe and looking more intently at her own reflection within it.  "So color me curious.  Do you feel pain?"

Most of the bodies stayed silent, only letting out pained grunts and groans as they continued to try and move their stiff and fragile forms.  One that still had some of its tongue left managed to hiss out, "Yes..."

Twilight walked over to the source of the hiss, glancing over the shivering, smoke-billowing body propped against the wall.  It was arched somewhat over another pony, one whose eyes had remained fixed into its skull (and were looking woefully up at Twilight's contour that only barely showed through the smoke and darkness) and with the angle they were burned to death at it almost seemed as if they'd fused together.  Just to make sure, Twilight yanked on the speaker, tearing him away with a crunching of burnt skin and muscle and tossing him into the center of the room, causing him to skid and leave more of his corpse scraped onto the rough, unfinished basement floor.  If his lungs hadn't been turned to worthless little ash-sacks in the blaze he might have yelled out in pain, instead all he could produce was a pathetic, gritty whimper.

"Good.  You're all to stay in this basement, as a matter of fact I want you all to stay exactly where you are right now.  Lay down, sleep if you wish, but regardless of what happens you'll stay put.  If anyone opens this door to get in, you all rise and kill them.  If I come in here you'll acknowledge me, but otherwise I expect you to not move from this spot.  There will be a time that I call on you, until then you will not exit this basement.  Are we clear?"  The collective of bodies twitched their brittle necks in acknowledgement, most being unable to speak and others being unable to move their heads beyond rudimentary twitching.  "Then I'll take my leave.  Suffer now in silence, and remember, kill anyone that comes in here, regardless of the pain it causes you: no ponies ever leave this place."

Twilight walked calmly towards the door as she spoke, tilting her head side to side to address each of the charred corpses individually before telekinetically sliding the metal thing open.  Two ponies that had tried to escape were crushed against the wall as she did this, both making some sort of pained moan through their ruined vocal cords.  The instant Twilight left she secured the door and ran her hoof through her mane, making sure the rising air from the heat didn't tousle it about too much.  Then, without a second thought (though not without her usual post-murder giddiness) the black unicorn strode off towards her next set of victims in the form of a bar down the street.  None of the other establishments along the way looked appetizing; slightly less classy whore-houses, shells of semi-demolished buildings with homeless living in them and groups of diseased and forgotten stallions and mares huddled together for warmth in their last days of life.  Boring.

The crowd had grown very thin in the short time it had taken Twilight to get situated into her opium den; most of the ponies of the night-world had quickly found their place and only a few were still out and about.  The bar that Twilight had targeted seemed to be one of the more popular locations and certainly wasn't light on the selection that they offered.  From what she could tell, it was actually a licensed establishment that was more or less up to code as far as health violations went; why it was located so deep into Ponyville's ass-end was a mystery.

Twilight pushed her way through the swinging doors inside, entering the warm pocket of trapped air laced with the scents of alcohol and a few other smells that Twilight wasn't quite familiar with.  Twilight approached the bar proper, a large, varnished oak surface with a relatively short stallion sitting behind it.  Nobody was sitting at the bar itself, though stools had been set out for such an occasion, but every single body in the place was huddled in a corner.  Only some of them appeared to be amidst alcohol of any kind; some kept their heads low.  "Hello, sir,"  Twilight said, fighting the sarcasm in her voice.

The bartender looked up from his minor distraction behind the bar and almost didn't believe the pony standing in front of him.  Of all the descriptive words that could describe his usual patrons, gorgeous wasn't one of them.  "H-hello there, miss."

After thinking over the consequences of killing the bartender for a second, Twilight just asked for a glass of water and sat down on a stool.  The bartender didn't hesitate to fetch that, pouring from a pitcher rather than a tap and giving Twilight her drink without saying a thing.  "I thought it was supposed to be your job to help a girl loosen up after a long day and facilitate conversation."  Twilight's remark was certainly razor-tongued, but this fellow intrigued her just a little bit.  He seemed awfully out of place.

"Listen, if you're from the police you know you'll need to show me a warrant before you can search around."  The bartender went back to keeping busy behind the counter, obviously feeling that Twilight was just as out of place as he.  The instant the word "police" entered the air, however, a few of the ponies in the corners whipped their heads around and immediately became wary.

"Hah, oh trust me I'm not from the police.  I just don't come to this side of town very often... Thought I'd try something new.  You know those rumors that go around about bars and the like...  World-weary bartender wiping down the counters and keeping everypony drunk and happy.  Not too much to ask for a little storybook whimsy don't you think?"

"Listen sweetheart, the only stories you'll find down here are the ones that explain why children shouldn't go home with strangers.  It's not my job to talk anyone through their problems, and it's certainly not my job to make sure anyone's happy.  I just give them a place to come and kill their sorrows; that's the only thing we get in abundance here.  So why don't you go back to your 'upper' Ponyville, take a hot bath and then slip into a warm bed before some psycho gets his hooves on you?  You stick out like a sore thumb right now."

"Are you saying I'm being unsubtle?"

"Somethin' like that."

"Care to explain how I could better blend in?"  Twilight tilted her face down and looked up at the bartender with an overtly exaggerated quizzical look.  He thought it was cute but knew she was just fucking with him.

"For one you could stop being so perfect."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Everyone in here, every single one of them with myself included, has something wrong with them.  Everypony has a flaw in some way, but some of them are a little more obvious than others, and those ponies get swept into this district.  If you want to blend in here, you'll need to quit having a body like it came straight out of a porn magazine, quit movin' your damn head around like you think you're fooling me with that fake-ass curiosity thing you've got going, and knock off the innocent act.  Nobody's that perfect, certainly nobody who comes down here, so if you really want to look like one of my regulars I suggest you go lose an eye and half a cheek, or show off that embarrassing habit of yours that I'm sure you have, or let someone see that scar you're probably hiding, or take out your false teeth...  Whatever you do, take off the mask and show everyone how the world wronged you, that way these 'fine gentlemen' in this 'fine district of filth and strife' won't want to be a part of the world that wrongs you.  Now is there anymore of my 'pardon' you'd like to 'beg' or can I get you something else to drink?"

Twilight certainly wasn't prepared for such a remark, and this stallion had brought out quite a vile mixture of rage inside of her.  What was left of the water that she didn't drink had evaporated from the ambient temperature rising off of her energized body.  "How about the shittiest bottle of pure grain alcohol you've got back there?"

"Trying to forget something, Black Rose?"  The bartender found his mark, a brandless bottle of bottom-of-the-barrel grain alcohol: the kind that ought to make you vomit from just smelling it.

"Black Rose?"  Twilight let her face relax, asking honest questions with honest looks of an honest lack of intrigue, only making small talk; certainly satisfactory to the sarcastic bartender.

"You know, like the little story.  You wanted story-book whimsy right?  Once there was a black rose, the only black rose in an entire garden.  All of the other roses were beautiful, but so was the black rose, only the black rose was unique so the gardener spent more time caring for it."  The bartender mocked Twilight's original entrance by exaggerating the flicks of his choppy green mane and even fluttering his eyelids as he described the cartooney beauty of the various roses in the fictional garden.

Well, one winter was far too cold and the black rose withered away despite the gardener's best efforts to preserve it.  Try as she might, the gardener couldn't ever get another black rose to grow, no matter how much she begged and planted, even asking help from her friends.  She died without ever seeing another, and instead of thinking about how she had witnessed the fleeting beauty of a rarity in nature, the gardener spent all her time thinking about the loss and died with pain in her heart.  So, Black Rose, have you broken any hearts?  Or are you just waiting for the winter to come."

Twilight couldn't help but smile since this stallion was oddly apt in his metaphors; Twilight had grown accustomed to snarkiness as a proper outlet for dominance rather than outright aggression.  She took the bottle that he provided her and brought the neck to her teeth, ripping out the small cap that mediated how much liquid flowed through it.  She tipped the bottle up and drank, gulp after horrid gulp slithering into her mouth like boiling lead and burying itself in her stomach to be slowly absorbed into the Aether as unbound energy.  "I've broken many hearts, but I'm far from withered."  Twilight flicked the neck of the bottle as she emphasized the word "far", making sure he understood her point exactly.

"If you're still standing in five minutes after that I'm going to ask you to say that again."

"What this?"  Twilight held up the bottle and wriggled it back and forth to swish around the contents, immediately going for another swig and draining the entire thing down to about a third total content.  "If this is all you've got, I'm going to be sober as a bird all night."

"I'll take that to mean you're a hard alcoholic, then?"

"You first.  Tell me something about yourself."

"I run a bar, so the extent of my day to day life is waking up at about 6 in the afternoon, opening this crappy place up and then watching ponies come in here to get drunk or high and then stumble out.  I don't see half the ponies that come in here more than once, and the ones that I do I see nearly every night.  Good enough for ya?"

"Yeah, I guess I'll take that...  Now what do you want to know?"

"How many guys have you slept with just so you could get a free meal out of 'em?"

"Awfully personal, don'cha think?"

"Maybe this'll help."  The cream-colored pony set down a slightly smaller bottle of whiskey; the cheap kind, but much better than that grain alcohol.  "You wanted to chat up the bartender, you'll deal with the questions."

"Likewise... and If you must know it's two."  Twilight spoke with conviction, losing any trace of the lie on her perfect mask against the outside.  She wanted to see how good this one really was.  Twilight repeated her routine with the whiskey, though she didn't drain the entire bottle in one go.  "Ever killed anypony?"

"What kinda question is that coming from a fragile little thing like you?"

"Two things: I'm not fragile, and I just wanna know."

"Alright, yeah, I have.  Some asshole tried to rob me a few years back, I cracked him a little too hard with a champagne bottle.  Long story short he bled out on my floor, cops don't care about these places so most of the time we just settle our scores face to face.  Guy had about eighty bits on him so I just called it a really good tip."  The bartender reached out and nabbed the bottle of whiskey from Twilight, taking a swig for himself and then handing it right back to her.  "Now you've got me curious.  You ever killed anyone?"

"You mean before or after I came to Ponyville?"

"Now you're starting to scare me, miss."

"Good.  Any of your regulars like to give you trouble?"

"Is that your question?"

"For this round, yes, now answer it."

The bartender turned to look at one of the rowdier tables, nodding at a particularly obnoxious pastel orange stallion who was obviously too big for his own good.  He could have given Big Macintosh a run for his money, but clearly spent his days in these filthy back alleys doing Celestia-knows-what.  "Him.  He comes in here every night and starts a fight that damn near kills some poor bastard.  At least once a year it actually does kill them and I have to close down for a day or two to clean up the blood."

"Wanna see something cool?"

"Isn't it my turn?"

"Yes, and that counts as your question."

"Dammit...  Alright yeah, let's see something cool."

"Put another bottle of grain alcohol on the table and then go over and let that big jackass know I challenge him to a drinking contest."

"So your flaw is that you've got a death wish?"

"As I said, you get to see something cool."

"If you insist..."  The bartender followed Twilight's directions, placing the huge bottle of horrid liquor on the bar and walking over to the ruffian.  Twilight could see him whisper into his ear and then immediately heard a bellowing laugh.

"Who did?"  The big orange moron yelled out, obviously trying to appear tough for his acquaintances,  "Her?  Is this a joke?"  

Twilight figured it'd be a good idea to expedite this as quickly as she could so she spun around on her bar stool and yelled across the empty space between them, "What's the matter?  Scared?"

Too easy; this struck a chord with the pony that Twilight would call "Pumpkin" from then on.  "You think I'm scared of a little thing like you?  What're you?  Ninety pounds?"

"If you're not scared, how come you're still in the corner yelling across the room?  Got a real bulldog mouth on the head of a little bitch."  The challenge was indeed accepted, though Pumpkin was as aggressive as possible so he could act like he was still in control.  

"The fuck you just say to me?"

"What?  Did I stutter?  You heard me call you a little bitch, what'cha gonna do about it?" He crossed the room with a scowl and threw himself down onto the stool, pouring the grain alcohol into a glass for both himself and for Twilight.

"Drink."  He looked Twilight in the eye, hoping to psych her out, but Twilight responded by throwing back the entire glass.

"Your turn, Pumpkin."  Pumpkin curled his lip back in anger at the nickname, but took his turn with almost the same apathy to the poison as Twilight had.  This went on for some time; back and forth draining of glass after glass of the worst tasting alcohol that Ponyville had to offer.  While Pumpkin had started to hesitate and choke on the liquid fire, however, Twilight kept her composure.

After nearly half the bottle had been drained, the big orange moron started to look a little green.  "Aww, what's the matter, Pumpkin?  Feelin' a little sick?"  

The stallion looked Twilight dead in the eye, even though his were glazed over and bloodshot from the massive amounts of alcohol coursing through his thinned blood.  "Fuck yo-u, bisch..."

"Say that again?"  Twilight pretended like she didn't hear, but Pumpkin wasn't quite drunk enough to miss the obvious sarcasm.

"I said...  Fuck...  You!"  Pumpkin made sure to enunciate as best he could, definitely highlighting the slurs in his voice.  "I would...  But I'd probably break your li'l ass in ha-alf..."

"Oh that's cute.  Touch me and the only thing you'll break is the stool I'm sitting on."

"W-what?"  This actually confused Pumpkin.  By this time all the ponies in the bar had started to gather around to watch Twilight drink this big son-of-a-bitch under the table.

"Touch me and find out.  You know... Unless you're scared."  Needless to say, Pumpkin stood up and stumbled away from his stool, beckoning Twilight to do the same (though she did so with far more elegance than he).  The crowd eagerly formed a circle around the two, and the bartender was already prepared to break it up the instant he saw Twilight go limp (at least that was his expected outcome).

Pumpkin made a few clumsy moves toward Twilight, trying to get her to flinch at his size but failed miserably.  He didn't take it well when somepony ignored his threats, though, so he picked up his foreleg and swung it like a baseball bat.  The hoof connected with Twilight's head, amazingly, and forced her to actually adjust her footing in order to keep upright.  Her jaw had dislocated from the rounded corner his hoof wedging itself between her teeth, cutting her cheek almost all the way through from the inside and shattering her eye socket.  Her skull had cracked all the way up toward the center of her forehead and would have proven to be a fatal wound on anyone but her.  The black unicorn stood up straight, cracking her jaw back into place and blinking a few times to get her eye back in the right place.  "That's it?"

Pumpkin was absolutely awestruck by the fact that Twilight was still standing.  His hamfisted punch to the face was usually what ended his fights, often for good, but the little, frail-looking unicorn before him had just worn it like a scarf.  Moreover, she stepped elegantly over to her barstool, picking it up and testing the weight a little bit by swinging it against air, but Pumpkin didn't move out of the way at all; he wasn't even sure if this whole situation was real or not.  

Reality hit him, well, like a barstool, however.  Twilight had certainly augmented herself to get a little better swing off but accidentally wound up splintering the thing.  The cushion had dislodged from the top as soon as the legs crunched and sent sharp slivers of wood burrowing into Pumpkin's thick skin.  The bits of wood that gave the legs support didn't hold up well either, but provided enough of a solid mass to actually dislocate his shoulder from the sheer blunt force.  He dropped, groaning out in pain and taking a knee, trying to play it off like it didn't hurt even though everypony in the bar could see the lump where his shoulder shouldn't have been.  Twilight didn't stop for him, however, and stepped up onto his right side, taking her place next to his wounded foreleg and pressing her hoof down on his back.  Slowly but surely, he dropped to his knees, and then his chest after having all of the air forced out of his ribcage from the thousands of pounds of pressure being invisibly placed between his shoulder blades.  He was allowed to breathe, but only barely, and Twilight levitated the half empty bottle of grain alcohol over to herself.  

The bar was dead silent save for the groans from the drunken Pumpkin, so Twilight broke the dead air by holding the bottle up in the air and proclaiming "Cheers!" just before downing the rest of it.  The instant she finished, she pried Pumpkin's jaws apart and forced the bottle in, waiting until the base of it was just beneath his teeth and the neck was buried far down his throat.  His gag reflex, coupled with the nausea of being far too drunk caused a foul stream of semi-clear brownish fluid to erupt around the bottle and spill out onto the floor, but Twilight continued to make her point with ease.  "This looks like the biggest guy in here, and he just got his ass kicked by a little Canterlot flower...  Fancy that."  Twilight did an exaggerated pirouette on Pumpkin's back so that her nose was facing his tail, addressing the rest of the crowd face to face.  "Now watch what happens when you fuck with me."  She smiled big and raised her back leg, stomping down hard on Pumpkin's muzzle and shattering the bottle, sending big shards of broken glass into his gums, trachea, esophagus, stomach, even his lungs since he was struggling to breathe around the intrusive object.  The big oaf swallowed instinctively as soon as he felt something move, so the jagged neck of the bottle ended up burying itself in his stomach along with several razor sharp slivers of glass.  The entire crowd let out an audible gasp, horrified by the show of force that Twilight's tiny frame had just put out.  "Any questions?"

The group of half-drunk, half-high ponies stared in shock as "Pumpkin" coughed up a flowing mix of glass speckled crimson; the alcohol had thinned his blood so it was pouring out of him much faster than normal.  As soon as he finished his dreadful hacking, the big orange stallion let out a gravelly moan to signify his agony, prompting two unicorns (most likely his only friends in the world) to rush in and drag him out of the bar, leaving a snail-trail of red on the cheap hardwood floor.  Twilight contentedly walked back to the bar, parting the crowd in a way that may just as well have been telekinetic.  The bartender was absolutely awestruck.  

"Told you it'd be cool."  Twilight said with a grin, picking up her bottle of whiskey and pouring it out into the glass she left on the counter.

"Well...  That was certainly the most fucked up thing I've seen a girl do to a guy in this place...  I think I need a drink after that."  The earth pony reached down and poured a shot of whiskey into the other glass, downing it in one harsh gulp.

"Only in this place?"

"Well there was this one time at a whore-house down the street where this mare asked for a volunteer from the audience.  She was pretty well known for being weird and this time she had this hatching chicken egg with her..."

"You know what?  I don't think I wanna know."

"Yeah...  I'd rather I didn't know either, but unfortunately I couldn't look away."

"Well if nothing else that asshole won't be causing any trouble in here from now on."

"True, and I guess I've got you to thank.  I never got your name."

"Just call me Umbra."

"Will do, Umbra.  By the way I'd be inclined to say you learned a lesson tonight."

"Oh?"

"Mhmm, instead of talking about your own flaws, doesn't it feel just so much better to watch them play out?"

"Hrmm..."  Twilight was actually struck by the profundity of that statement, having been intentionally not paying attention to the echoes of the bartender's voice.  He had proven to be much more intelligent than the rest of the dregs, so Twilight was willing to accept that he had proven worthy of leaving alive for the moment.  "I think you're right...  Thank you for the drinks, by the way, how much do I owe you?"

"Nah, forget it.  With the exception of the whiskey that swill I gave you has been sitting here since I first opened up, I should be paying you to get rid of it for me."

"Then how about the whiskey?"

"On the house.  You put on quite a show, Black Rose, so just consider it a tip."

"Well thank you again.  Now if you'll excuse me I think I've got a few more flaws to go watch play out; it's been a pleasure.

"Pleasure's all mine.  Come on back anytime you like."

"We'll see,"  Twilight said with venom on her tongue.  The only reason she could think of to return to that bar would be to burn it to the ground, but there wasn't any point in ruining the nice guy's mood.  She'd gotten a little fun out of it if nothing else, and managed to spot a few of the obvious cocaine users slip out the door as soon as the action started; they were next on her list.

... It's Been Waiting For You

Twilight hurried herself out the doors, glancing into the alleyway that sat just south of the bar: nothing.  She tried the other alleyway and again saw nothing, so she held her nose up to the air and sniffed at it like a wolf, not really knowing if anything would happen.  Oddly enough she did smell a faint twist of anxiety in the air; she couldn't explain why, but she knew exactly that that's what she could detect, the smell of lingering fear in one's heart trickling down their spine; it was delicious.  Twilight followed this scent almost as if she could see it, moving west across the street and down a few blocks, finding the alley with three homeless-looking ponies in their grotty clothes huddled in a corner; sending off the anxious smell like Rarity after buying a new bottle of perfume.  

The trio appeared to have only escaped the bar for a little quiet privacy, not being too badly affected by the violence that had just interrupted their night.  Twilight quietly slunk into the alley, blending in with the shadows as though she were an extension of them.  About halfway in, Twilight heard the telltale snort of a pony inhaling through one of his nostrils over a surface; these were definitely the guys.  

"I keep telling you all, I was an inventor!"  One of the three ponies' voices cut through the darkness and gave Twilight just a bit of pause.  "I had an airship and everything."

"Sure you did, Sad...  And I used to be governor of Canterlot's Royal Bath House."  This one, a bit more gruff in its sound than the higher pitched and somewhat squeaky sound of the first voice, chimed right in to shoot down the obvious arrogance of the first speaker.

"It's true!  And she was my fiancee!  I swear it."  

"Pfft, I've seen this picture in Playpony, she wasn't your wife."  This voice came from the third of the trio, obviously smaller and more quiet than the others, but a bit more unabashed in his direction.

"Fiancee!"

"Whatever, either way she wasn't it."

"If she was gonna marry you how come you're down in Ponyville?  Ain't you supposed to be in Canterlot or some-shit?"  Mystery-Pony-Number-Two, a.k.a. the Governor of Canterlot's Royal Bath House, asked with sarcasm in his voice.  He didn't really care.

"Trottingham!  I've told you fools that many times!"

"Doesn't answer the question."  Mystery Pony number three was just egging him on and enjoying that the clearly downtrodden Mystery-Pony-Number-One was making an ass out of himself.

"She left me and took everything.  Now all I have left is this picture..."

"Mhmm, and it's a damn good thing it's a nice flat surface."  Mystery-Pony-Number-Two said in a cold, uncaring voice, then immediately followed it with a long sniff.

Twilight had enough of the mindless drivel that the ponies were giving out, but decided to make the moment last a little bit; she stepped out of the shadows just behind the two who were goading on the one they called "Sad" and threw her forelegs over their shoulders, looking back and forth between them and happily exclaiming in an unbelievably girly voice, "Hey there, fellas."

Perhaps it was the fact that none of the three had seen or heard Twilight's approach, perhaps it was the overtly friendly voice and behavior, or perhaps it was the cocaine coursing through all three of their veins, but the two ponies that Twilight had just touched nearly jumped out of their own skin in surprise.  

"Holy fuck!  Where'd you come from?"  The orange and cream colored pony earth pony on Twilight's left (Mystery-Pony-Number-Three) yelled.

"Well I just came from the bar down the street...  Don't tell me you didn't see my show."  Twilight turned her face to meet his, grinning and exhaling to let him smell the alcohol on her breath.  

The two-tone green pegasus on Twilight's right recognized her as the one that beat the ever-loving crap out of the big orange stallion and started to reach for a hidden knife he kept under his right wing.  Twilight was too focused on the other to notice, but "Sad" kept flicking his eyes back down to him.  

"Y-y-you killed that big guy!"  Mystery-Pony-Number-Two interjected, shivering a bit from the guile that Twilight had exhibited; his past had made him very wary of ponies that could sneak up on him.

"I didn't kill him...  He was still moaning when his buds dragged him out of there, wasn't he?"  Twilight turned to meet the gaze of the pegasus, grinning at him and freezing him in his tracks.  He may as well have turned to stone with the petrifying grin of Twilight's sinister muzzle; all the color drained from his cheeks and his heart and breathing both skipped a beat.  "Sad" didn't dare to move at this point.  "So anyway...  What'cha doin' in this alley all by yourselves?"

Neither of the ponies that Twilight was draped over dared to say a thing, but "Sad" spoke up with a pompous, unabashed candor, "Cocaine.  We're doing cocaine; it's a new drug you can get derived from the plants deep in the Everfree Forest...  It makes you feel like you can accomplish anything."

"Well I appreciate your honesty..."  Twilight snarled a little and tossed her muzzle back and forth between the two ponies she was hugging on, making sure to intimidate them both for not speaking up.  "Mind if I join you?"

"Hell no!"  The cream colored earth pony shouted, obviously still extremely nervous from Twilight's intrusion.

"Yeah, this shit's expensive and we're not exactly feeling charitable right now.  If you want some, you're gonna have to put out first."  The pegasus kept his hoof on his knife as he spoke, but this time Twilight was aware of it.  The statement coaxed a snicker and poorly worded affirmation out of his earth-pony friend.

"Heh-heh-heh... yeah, gonna hafta put out."

"Come on now, mates...  Are we really going to be so uncivilized as to solicit this young lady for...  That?"  The first, shadow-hidden earth pony spoke up trying to halt the unsightly behavior of his companions.

"You don't have to, but It'd certainly be my pleasure to."  The earth pony stood up and sniffed just behind Twilight's ear; she had turned her head to meet the gaze of "Sad" but otherwise hadn't moved.

"I'll give you one chance to cut this nonsense out.  It won't turn out well for you, that I can guarantee."

"Hey, I'm a stallion of my word.  You want the coke, you bend over for us, otherwise you're S.O.L. sweetheart."  Every inch of the pegasus's body reeked of terror, but he tried his damnedest to play it off cool.

"Heheheheh, yeah, you gotta get down if you wanna get high."  That cream colored fool was getting more than just a little obnoxious.  He just followed the pegasus's stupid ideas instead of generating any of his own: a sheep among sheep.

"So you're not going to just forget that little notion, then?"  Twilight's eyes shifted to an unamused half-lidded state, glancing back and forth between the two morons and then centering on the brown and grey earth pony huddled up on the back wall of the alley; he knew not to fuck with her already, but the other two weren't so smart.

"Sure won't...  Hell, maybe we'll say you don't have a choice in the matter."  The cream colored earth pony drew a very sharp hunk of metal out from behind him, obviously having carried it around for a while, and pressed it to Twilight's throat.  He raised his opposite foreleg and tightened it around the one that Twilight had draped over his shoulders, giving him the illusion that the unicorn couldn't move.  The pegasus, on the other hand, didn't draw his own blade, but actually pulled himself away to watch from a better angle what was about to happen.

Twilight looked over to the earth pony with the shiv and smirked, reaching her hoof up and pressing on his, digging the rusty iron blade into her throat and pushing it so deep that it disappeared beneath her blackened coat.  All three ponies' faces dropped from their various emotions into the same, twisted grimace of both morbid curiosity and terror.  Twilight then grabbed the pegasus's knife with a firm telekinetic grip, throwing it upwards and slicing his wing off at the joint, coaxing a shriek of pain from him right before she swung the knife down and pinned his back leg to the fractured cobblestone ground with it.  The cream colored earth pony with a short, auburn mane had backed away in horror, pressing his back up against the wall and sitting as far away from Twilight as he possibly could; she was, unfortunately for him, blocking the only exit.  She smiled at him with a big, toothy grin, opening her teeth up and, having pulled the shiv up through her windpipe and into her mouth via telekinesis, removed the bit of metal and held it in her hoof at eye level.  "Would you look at that...  I do have a razor tongue after all."

Twilight's menacing voice was partially drowned out by the pained yelling of the pegasus, so she threw the earth pony over to him with a resounding thud and held the two of them still right next to each other.  She held up the shiv once more and placed it back into her mouth, closing her lips around it and stepping up to the bleeding pegasus, giving him a quick smile before taking his chin in her hoof and kissing him.  As she did so, she slowly pushed the shiv from her mouth into his, slicing his tongue in half and driving it into the back of his throat, pushing it past muffled screams of agony and very audible screams of terror from the earth pony sitting next to him until, eventually, the point emerged from the back of his neck.  The pegasus's eyes rolled back into his head and his twitching body fell limp, so she let it fall and land in the lap of his accomplice.  

"H-ho-holy shit!"  The original owner of the shiv was hyperventilating, unable to move from his spot due to the invisible tethers keeping him anchored to the dark alley wall and floor.  Claustrophobia was setting in around the trauma of watching his friend be killed by a femme fatale right before his eyes.  "What the hell are you?!"

Twilight didn't answer; she didn't feel the need to do so.  She simply trotted a few steps over to meet eye to eye with the quivering pony.  His eyes were continuously darting back and forth between the unicorn and the pegasus corpse in his lap; he could feel the still-warm blood trickling down his thighs and dripping onto the resonant surface below.  Twilight held her tongue out in an almost childish tease, grinning as she did so under the pale light of a half-covered moon in the shadows of seedy buildings; nothing could be more out of place than that seemingly innocent smile.  The earth pony couldn't steady himself at all, however, and continued to look on in horror.

Twilight, standing at least a foot away from his body, dragged her tongue up and down as if she were licking him, but translated across the foot or so of space was an invisible blade, slicing into his skin at the exact spots where Twilight's tongue would have been, leaving deep gouges in his flesh and tearing yell after agonized yell out of his mouth.

The morbid work that she was doing carved little symbols into him, really serving no purpose but to terrify and intimidate him and all who would ever see the body.  She cut a little too deep into his shoulder, though, because his entire foreleg eventually fell to the ground with a muffled, bony plop, prompting the artery to shoot a jet of blood nearly two feet out from him.  The cocaine and terror had both combined to raise his heart rate and blood pressure so much that every single cut in his body (and oh yes, there were hundreds) bled like cracks in a dam.  Only after three minutes of continuous slashing did he finally bleed out, taking his final gasps of breath as his carved and dripping face tilted down to stare his dead friend in the eyes.

Twilight stepped back and admired her handiwork; a butchered body missing an eye and with hundreds of little carved meaningless words all over his body, as well as a pegasus laying in his lap, coated in a mixture of blood from two sources set up to look almost like an eldritch sacrifice.  She smiled, giggled a little even, and flapped her ear as she heard the labored breathing of the one remaining earth pony off in the corner.

"I thought you'd have run by now..."  Twilight said calmly, looking over to him with her spotless black coat.  The only thing on her that had gotten bloodied were her lips from the kiss of death, and it was so even that it resembled a slightly morbid brand of lipstick.

"P-p-please don't kill me!"  The dappled earth pony clung onto the wall, his wretched state only given any kind of intrigue by his clothes.  Twilight hadn't noticed them before, but he was wearing a grimy three piece khaki suit that had been torn in many places and faded with age.  He wore the remains of a destroyed top hat with some kind of bronze device dangling a lens in front of one eye to cap off the look.  Clean him up and he could have been the Mayor of Trottingham.

"Can you give me a good enough reason not to?"  Twilight wanted to hear anything he had to say; excuses were always fun to throw back into their owners' faces.

The gray and brown earth pony paused for a second, looking down to the lump of flattened glass surrounding a picture of a hot pink mare with two-tone cotton-candy pink and magenta mane sitting on the floor.  "No...  No I can't."

Twilight perked her eyebrows, having never expected the survival instincts of any of her victims to be nil.  "Now there's an interesting answer...  Do go on."

The pony stuttered a little, but sat up straight and fixed his hat, readjusting the monocle in front of his face and then with a practiced tug, set his tie.  "Well...  I used to be an inventor...  Famous in Trottingham for my devices; they used steam to accomplish tasks that only unicorns could once do: harvest entire fields of crops in just hours, print newspapers for the entire city with only a single flip of a switch, even run cotton or wool into a single strand of cohesive yarn...  I made myself an airship too...  It could float for days and carry thousands of pounds of equipment; I was an earth pony that rivaled the pegasi.  I never liked magic, it was elitist and esoteric and always bred pompousness in the unicorns, but I eventually met one...  Her."  The earth pony tilted his nose down, directing Twilight's attention to the chipped glass paperweight on the ground.  The group had been snorting cocaine off of the flattened bottom, taking their lines off of the curvacious body of the mysterious mare in the photograph.  "I fell in love with her, took her in and even used her magic to help me create my inventions.  She was so helpful..."

"What's your name?"

"My name is Steam Saddle...  A pleasure to meet you, though I wish it were under ehm...  Better circumstances."  Steam Saddle punctuated his point by nodding toward the two corpses just feet away from them, though he was still sheepish enough to avert his eyes from the sight.

"And what was her name?"

"Zinfandel...  She tolerated me for years, all of the things that I did that irked her never made her stop loving me...  Until the cocaine.  I started doing this stuff quite some time ago...  It kept me awake, helped me invent new things, better things, more things...  But she didn't like how it made me: irritable, daft, jittery, and generally unhealthy.  She left me after I refused to quit for the fifth time...  The fifth fucking time!"  Steam's obvious sadness quickly mutated into rage.  Clearly he had a serious inclination for self-loathing after the incident.  "She stuck with me for so long and through so much, but I was too stupid...  Too blind to just look at what I was doing to myself and to her.  I deserved for her to leave me, and she deserved better than me...  I just wish I'd listened the first time...  Hell the fifth time, even...  I just wish I'd quit.  Now...  Now this shit is my life..."  Steam Saddle sat down and rubbed his nose: his nostrils were powdered with residual cocaine and had inflamed from the substance being inside.  "The only memory of her I have is this and I just got my fix by sniffing it off of her...  So really, miss, if you're going to kill me you'd be doing me a favor.  You'd be doing me, her, yourself, and the world a favor."

"I have only one question for you, Mister Steam Saddle."

Steam saddle sniffled a little and looked up, letting tears run out of his reddened grey eyes as the memories finally chipped his resolve into dust.  "Yes?"

"Do you want to die?"

"No..."

Twilight picked up the lump of glass and examined the photo of Zinfandel.  She was gorgeous, and of course showing a very slutty side of herself in that picture; ass toward the camera and a winking grin over her shoulder.  Twilight started to burn the runes into the glass, getting every single one exactly right save a single portion.  She left out the 'paragraph' that took away a pony's free will; she wanted an experiment.

"I know what you need."

"And what, pray tell, is that?"  The sarcasm in Steam Saddle's voice eeked out over his sorrow.

"Look into my eyes, I want you to tell me what you see."

"I see gold..."  Steam Saddle did as he was told, not wanting to object to the obviously far more powerful creature before him.  "Gold and...  And tranquility."

"Tranquility?"

"You're a psychopath...  No normal pony could murder two others and have such a relaxed look in their eyes...  You don't feel anything, do you?"

"No, I feel more than you could ever know, I'm just the master of my own body."

"Fascinating..."  Steam Saddle was taking the bait; perhaps it was his impaired judgment leading him on, but Twilight had him hook, line and sinker.

"No one's the master of your body...  Certainly not you with this...  Feeble little addiction."

"No...  No I'm not.  I'm a slave to my desires, and I know it."  His will was already broken down from years of isolation from his true love and a constant self destructive addiction...  Too easy, and yet still fun.

"You need a master, don't you?  Or rather a mistress...  That's what she was, wasn't she?  Your mistress?"

"Yes...  She kept me from doing the things that could have killed me, but still allowed me to be me...  I miss her so much."  He broke down and started to cry again, but Twilight yanked his chin back up and forced him to keep looking into her deep, golden eyes.

"Do you want that feeling again?"

Steam Saddle paused one more time, looking down to his photograph of a lost lover sitting inside runic glass.  "Yes...  Yes I do."

"Do you understand my power?"

"That was no ordinary unicorn magic...  No I don't understand your power..."  He was in a trance, falling pray to Twilight's venomous words and letting them lull him into dreamlike bliss.

"Good answer, you're smarter than I thought.  Perhaps I can use you, would you like that?"

"Yes...  Give me purpose."

"Do you swear yourself to me?"

"Yes..."

"Do you trust me?"

"No..."

"Good."  Twilight wasn't directly inside his head, instead just staring him in the eyes, letting him follow her suggestions for how to behave without her even needing to say them.  "I will not waste such willing participation...  So I'll give you a gift, would you like that?"

"I would.  What gift is it?"  Twilight allowed Steam Saddle to come back into a semi-lucid state so that he could be completely aware of what was about to happen.

"All I need is for you to submit entirely to me, can you do that?"  She wanted him to make the choice willingly only for the satisfaction of having her power recognized enough to receive a gift of someone's life; there was otherwise no actual need for him to do so: she could have it either way.

"I can...  You have my being in its entirety."  The time Steam Saddle spent staring into Twilight's eyes had sobered him up, and by then he was feeling more alive than he had in decades.  Everything was coming into perspective, and his salvation was in the sublimity of Twilight's dark heart.

"Good."  Twilight smiled and brought the glass lump down below his chest, walking forward and coaxing him to stand up against the wall.  "Hold still," she said, slowly drawing an atom-thin telekinetic blade from her hoof.  He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, letting out a surprised yelp as she drove the thing into the space just above his heart.  Twilight pulled it back slowly, letting his pierced aorta push blood out of his body in torrents, soaking the lump of glass and setting solid into the individual runes.  She twisted the blade and shredded his heart, ending his life instantly and catching his body in a kind of macabre hug before he hit the floor.  The glow from the runes had shifted from the familiar faint purple in earlier uses of the magic to a very dark crimson, bringing him back into the world, with his full free will intact.  

He opened his eyes, face absolutely pale from the blood loss, and took in his surroundings.  He didn't quite remember what had happened right away, but realized that he was hugging Twilight in an alley and slowly started to recollect his position; up to and including the stab in the heart.  "What did you do?"

"I've brought you back from death, and now your only purpose is to serve me.  Your life is mine, literally, and you'll live as long as I wish for you to."

"H-how?"

"It's magic, my magic.  I don't have to explain it to you and I shan't."  Twilight pulled back and looked the earth pony in the eyes; he was considerably more attractive without that filthy aura of life around him, but he was still so far beneath Twilight in her mind that she looked at him more as a domesticated animal than anything else.  "Just understand that if I break this little lump, it's down into the cold embrace of death you go, got it?"

"I understand...  What will you have me do?"

"You can do as you wish for now, but I'll call to you someday, and when you hear my beckoning then you will come to me.  Alcohol and drugs won't affect you, so I suggest you get back to doing what you really loved, otherwise you can feel free to sit here and rot for all I care, just realize the value of this gift: you'll never die or grow old, and you don't need to eat, sleep, drink, or even breathe to feel tip top shape as you do right now."

"What should I call you?"

"You shouldn't call me, I'll call you."

Steam Saddle was just a little irritated by that response, but knew better than to talk back already.  "Understood."

Twilight ended the conversation with a bow, turning to leave the alley as well as that filthy piece of Ponyville behind.  The rest of her army would grow with both willing and unwilling participants as the days stretched on, this she knew, but she needed to release Trixie and indoctrinate her as well; she just wasn't sure if she wanted it to be willing or unwilling yet.

[Steam Saddle OC provided with permission and by request from RetroGamer1224!]

The Night Isn't Yours to Own

Twilight's journey home wasn't quite as clear as usual.  While she could normally look into her memory and tell you exactly how many birds were flying just above the sign that told her what cross streets she was on at any given second without any kind of hesitation, this walk would be somewhat of a blur.  As she trotted back toward the library Twilight's vision began to narrow down, almost as if her world was being squeezed shut from the outside in.  Her breathing stayed at about the same speed and intensity, but oddly became more apparent to her; she could hear every single breath she took clear as wind rustling through leaves.  Her hoofsteps were the same, and eventually her heartbeat even followed into the equation.  Twilight was aware of her body; her perfect, beautiful, terrifying body, as it walked through town and came into contact with a few unlucky ponies.

One was a mare, not the most wholesome kind but otherwise not a vicious criminal.  She had robbed for food before, even beaten a stallion half to death when he refused to give up his pocketwatch so that she could pawn it off for a quick fix, so she certainly wasn't innocent, but she wasn't a murderer.  None of this factored into Twilight's view of her as she passed along on the road, however, and this mare wound up being brutally introduced to the unicorn's temper.  Twilight's perception was so bizarrely altered during the interaction that she almost felt like a spectator, but she absolutely was participating in the horrible murder of this bystander; it was her ideas of how to kill her that played out after all.

When all was said and done the blue mare with a yellow mane that Twilight had come into unfortunate contact with on the way home wound up sliced from her groin to her chin, splitting her body lengthwise and leaving her head in tact; eyes open and mouth agape.  The building that Twilight was nearest suffered the most gruesome bits of this scene, however, since she nailed all four legs of the body to the largest blank face she could find.  The mare had been butterflied like a steak, all before she had a chance to say a word, and was stuck on a wall adjacent a major crossroad for all to see as the sun came up.  It took her a little under 45 seconds to die of blood loss, and she was conscious for about half that.

That said, the memory of Twilight killing this mare came to her only in fragments, as if it were a dream, which was further implied by the fact that she had indeed woken up from what felt like a full night of restful sleep.  Twilight sat up and looked down, letting the blanket fall from her shoulders and heap up by her legs: she was back to the same shade of darkened purple that she had been just before the transformation into her alter ego, "Umbra".  Her body was still sleek and slim, but her mane was about the same length as it had been grown to when she changed over.

Iago?  Twilight called out into her own mind, hoping to ask just how real the last night actually was.

Yes, Twilight?  Did you enjoy your rest?  Iago was definitely faking sincerity; Twilight had done that enough times to recognize the subtleties within the voice.  Even though it was still only a voice in her head, it rung with a kind of quality that made it more real than anything else.

I'm not honestly sure...  I didn't think I ever went to sleep last night.

Oh no you certainly did, though not without your own share of...  shall we say, high profile antics.

How exactly do you mean?

Bodies have been found, Twilight, and while they can't be connected to you they certainly can be identified as all from the same killer.

What's identifying about them?  We've got several burned alive and a few of them cut up...  I even left the weapon stuck in one of their skulls.

Those aren't the ones I'm talking about, of course.

Those are the only ones I killed.  Twilight was starting to get a little impatient, but that was stemming mostly from the fact that she hadn't been confused by missing information for quite some time and it was, frankly, a foreign and disliked feeling.

The night was still very young when you did those.  Your mind was starting to fade in and out a little bit, however, so I tried to keep you awake as best I could.

Who else did I kill?

Just some more commoners...  Honestly most of them deserved it anyhow, even if you didn't know it at the time.  Killers, rogues, liars, cheats...  Really the only victims were those that made lives more difficult to tolerate, a filth that had needed cleaning for a long time.

So what was the most identifying thing about them?  That they were all scum?

No, I'm afraid not, though that was certainly present.  You made a nasty habit of carving things into them, or spelling things out in their blood.  While some use their bodies as a canvas to tattoo a life story onto themselves, you used the bodies of your victims as your paint and the world as your canvas, though your artwork isn't quite as accepted in society.

Quit beating around the bush, Iago.  What did I do?

Well...  Go down into your basement and find out.

Twilight's amnesia coupled with Iago's obviously purposeful evasiveness of her questions stirred a very unwelcome feeling of concern in her.  She rose out of her bed and levitated toward the stairs, setting herself down without stopping her gentle motion forward and simply translating the movement into a slow walk down into her living room.  Spike, who had been asleep at the foot of Twilight's bed the whole night, wasn't immediately roused by her silent movement toward the stairs.

The basement door creaked open slowly but surely, revealing the pitch black darkness behind.  Twilight tried to light her candles but saw only sparks go off as bare wood tried to ignite.  With a sigh, she moved into the black, shutting the door behind her and allowing her eyes to adjust to the dark.

Twilight spotted one of her candles broken off of the wall and laying flat on her stairs, so she quickly swept it up and lit it, burning the flame a little brighter than usual to try and illuminate the entire basement.  She'd regret that decision, having not quite been prepared for the grisly scene before her.  Two dead ponies sat propped against Twilight's wall.  Well, two in total; each was cut in half at the hindquarters and was sitting along the corner just in front of Trixie's little space.  To Twilight's chagrin, that too was propped open, though not nearly enough to allow a pony enough space for an escape.

The floor was absolutely coated with a film of coagulated blood from the two bodies, in which was traced out thousands of little symbols in a circular pattern, following the basement's curvature and separated by smaller concentric circles.  No magical aura surrounded it, but the entire glyph was clearly meant to represent something.  Twilight could only vaguely even remember this entire event; having snippets of memory flash into focus every few minutes, each one punctuated by the memory of a blood curdling scream from one of the stallions.  

Both of the two ponies had been wearing clothing, so Twilight moved in to inspect it.  Navy blue coat, leather belt over the shoulder and around the waist and sure enough, a badge.  Police officers, with their hooves cuffed behind their backs and their lower halves at least 2 feet away from where they should be.  Their eyes had been cut off from the world by a barbed, earthen blindfold and their mouths nailed shut by a similar earthen spike.  What a way to go.

How come I'm having so much trouble remembering all this?  Twilight asked Iago, hoping to keep his attention fixed.

I'm not sure, Twilight.  Perhaps all that alcohol you drank somehow did manage to affect you even in your exalted form...  Iago was still just as evasive, though she could tell it wasn't evasiveness born of fear, it was moreso along the lines of amusement.

I'm not buyin' it, Iago.  You'd know it if that were true, so I'm not going to ask you again.  Why can't I remember?

You were...  A little enraged at that point, Twilight.  Suffice to say your body was lighting things and ponies' hair on fire by the end of the night...  and I don't mean that little oil lamp adventure you had, I rather enjoyed that.

So... what, I just went berserk and now I can't remember anything?

The more berserk you went the more blatant you were in your displays of power.  Things started out private and then started to spill out into the streets, so I worried that it would only be a matter of time before you flattened the entire town.  That berserk rage you fell into wasn't what cut your memory off, though, it was me suppressing... well... you.

You did what?

Oh please, don't even start with that.  The energy you were exuding was enough to start crumbling architecture, I just stopped it before you did too much damage.

But not before killing a couple of police officers...

To be perfectly frank I was amused during every second of that...  You sliced them in half nearly a quarter mile from here and dragged them back by their spinal columns.  They didn't die until about two hours ago since you cauterized their arteries.  Either way... they tried to stop you to ask if you wanted a walk home being that you were coming out of the nastier side of town and looked like a delicate little flower...  You were very clear with them that getting in your way was a poor decision on their part.

When exactly did you stop me?

At around the time you nearly dragged the bodies up to your good friend Rarity's back porch.

Why would I ever do that?

I'm not sure...  None of my students have ever survived through a rage state like that before, so I've never gotten a chance to ask.  Seems you don't know either.  Could be that she was just fresh in your mind, or it could be that you've got some kind of deep seated hatred for her, or it could have been a gift...  Perhaps you're like a cat in that you think dropping rodent corpses into someone's slippers is a happy gesture.  Either way, I kept your cover just enough to prevent Rarity from witnessing your brutality.

If you stopped me there how come these cops' entrails are all...  organized about my workspace?

Just a little something I like to do from time to time to remind me of home...  You've inspired me to start 'painting' again.

Twilight glanced around the room with a better look at the floor.  The various sigils and glyphs within concentric circles certainly were interesting, it was just a shame that they smelled of death and tripe.  If you don't mind I'd like to keep the visceral artwork to a minimum in my living space, please...

Suit yourself, but frankly it's the only place where it won't likely be seen by the public, and you left a bit of a wild swathe of gore in your wake last night.  Just be grateful I stopped you at all.

So when you suppressed me...  Where exactly did I go?  Twilight stepped down and hovered herself just inches off the ground, keeping the slowly coagulating crimson and brown tapestry away from her hooves.

Do you want the short answer or the correct answer?

Start with short, we'll see how unsatisfied I am.

You went to sleep when I suppressed you.

But...?  Twilight used her hoof to adjust the jaw of one of the police officers, taking a look at him down her nose.

But what?

But my body was still moving around, that's what.

That's obviously because I took brief control.  Admittedly I've gotten a bit rusty at that whole... walking thing.  It's been a while.

You took over my body?  Twilight dropped the corpse and let its chin flop back down to his chest, leaving a muffled, leathery slap resonating in the nearly empty basement.

Technically yes...  Really I just moved it around while its consciousness was sitting in something of a padded room.  I couldn't leave you there with dead authority figures in the middle of the road...  You'd have had to kill your way out of a prison and then all hell would have broken loose much sooner than we want.

How come I can't remember the 'padded room' then?  If that's where my consciousness went.

Did you often remember your dreams back when you slept?  Bear in mind you dreampt every night since you were a month old.

When you put it that way, no...  Not often.

That's because your mind is translating the images and ideas in the dream much more differently than it is while you're awake.  Your 'padded room' was really just a dream where you could vent all of your passions in one single blow.  You don't remember it because the concept of a single object receiving all of your love, hate, happiness, sadness, inspiration, disgust, fear and interest at the same time baffles you.  Nonetheless that's what you did.

That sounds like quite the catharsis...  I take it it worked?

Well try and think about how docile you are right now.  Do you think it worked?

Twilight was about to answer but had her thoughts interrupted by a kind of frightened whimper from behind the bookcase.  Twilight looked into the open crack and cocked her head, taking just a few steps forward and shining a magical light inside.  Trixie immediately scampered away from the opening and into her favorite corner, sniveling at Twilight's presence.  The lavender unicorn pried the door open just enough for her to step inside, imposing her power onto Trixie once more.

"Good morning, Trixie."  Twilight softly said with a wicked smile to top off her sentence.  

"P-please...  I didn't see anything, I swear!"  Trixie's eyes started to mist up in fear and sadness; she was afraid that Twilight might do the same to her.

"I didn't ask you if you saw anything, Trixie.  What's gotten into you?"  Twilight took a few steps forward, shrinking Trixie's world down to just the hard stone walls that she was surrounded by.

"D-d-don't hurt me!  I do-on't wanna di-ie!"  Trixie broke down into full sobbing, curling up into the fetal position and burying her nose in her tail.  The fur on her face had already been matted down from her constant sobbing all night.  She had to sit in her room and listen to the moans of the dying police officers as they slowly approached the sweet embrace of death, so Trixie's rationale had shriveled up to that of a small child's.

"Why are you so scared of me, Trixie?"

The blue unicorn didn't respond, only half-opened her eye to look Twilight in the face as if the question were some kind of trick.

"Answer me.  Why are you so scared?"  Twilight sat down, keeping her imposing position over Trixie just as firm but making herself a little more comfortable.

"B-because you ki-illed them..."

"Fair enough.  But what do I care that you saw a couple of pigs die?  Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that you're scared of me...  You certainly should be."  Twilight grinned and leaned toward Trixie, reveling in her terror as she shrunk away into the stone.  Being cooped up into something akin to sensory deprivation for several days, along with limited food and water and the constant fear of torture of death had broken every last fiber of arrogance out of Trixie.  All that was left was a crying little child at Twilight's mercy.

"Ple-ease don't hu-urt me."  Trixie's eyes were bright red from hours upon hours of crying, the terror of the moment had only served to restart the tears.

"Now why would I do such a thing?"

"I sa-aw what you did."  Trixie shrunk away once more as she said this, still hiding her face in such a childish attempt at making the 'monster' go away.

"That doesn't mean I'm going to hurt you, Trixie.  Do you want to know what it does mean?"

Trixie didn't answer, but she did pull her foreleg away from her face.  She looked at Twilight's neck, avoiding eye contact but still feigning like she was looking directly at her.

"It means that you need to learn a lesson."  Twilight stated happily, hoping for Trixie to fall into the same kind of implicit trust as she had once coaxed before.  "I don't care about laws, Trixie, I don't fear punishment, nor do I fear the government around me.  I do whatever I want to whomever I want, and that includes you."  Twilight prodded Trixie's chest with her hoof as she said this, raising herself up off of the ground and standing over her once more.  "I'm far more powerful than the laws that those cops enforced, and I'm more powerful than the government that paid them.  Do you understand?"

Trixie nodded, not wanting to say another word for fear of bringing a display of Twilight's power.

"Good girl, so if I ask you to jump, what are you gonna do?"

"J-jump..."

"Correct, and if I want you to kill somepony, what are you going to do?"

"I..."  Trixie's mind couldn't really wrap itself around the concept of being forced to kill, but she knew that she needed to answer Twilight correctly. "I'll kill them..."

"Good.  And if it should so happen that I want you to die?"

"I...  I-I-I..."  Trixie had started to cry again.  Her slowly progressing state of dehydration had left her tears feeling almost acidic to her eyes to the point that she couldn't even see.  Everything was just a blur of discomfort and fear.  "I don't want to die!"

"That's the wrong answer, Trixie..."  Twilight's voice dropped from the false jubilance that she had been speaking in to a very serious tone.

Trixie curled up again, quickly contracting herself into a pathetic little dirty blue ball.  She made a kind of squeak before whimpering out gibbering apologies.  She shook in absolute terror, fearing another series of painful blows.  Her memory of the captured period was only pain and misery, though each time she woke up from a near-death beating to be perfectly fine, so her grasp on reality was even starting to degrade.

"Stop it, Trixie.  I'm not going to hurt you."  Twilight growled a little as she spoke, fighting the urge to just wring her neck where she lay.  "Just understand your place; at my hooves.  You're a thing at most, so if you want any better treatment you'd better start behaving the way I want you to.  My demands aren't difficult, just do exactly as I say without hesitation or question, and things can only get better for you.  Do you understand?"

"Y-yes...  Yes I understand, Twilight...  Thank you."

"No need to thank me, Trixie, just be good.  Would you like some water?"

"Yes!  Please!  I need some!"  Trixie uncurled herself from her little ball at the promise of water, leaning forward and almost shivering from the weak and neglected state of her body.  Twilight looked down to the ground and telekinetically pressed a hemisphere into the dirt, magically coaxing water to pool into it until nearly a half-pint was sitting in the ground.  It was filthy, nearly undrinkable water, but Trixie was absolutely desperate.  Desperate enough to throw herself to the ground and sink her muzzle into the dirty pool, gulping down as much of the muddy fluid as she could before pulling back up to take a breath.  Twilight didn't stick around to watch Trixie drink, instead choosing to leave and clean up the mess she had made in her basement.  The instant she stepped out into the gory mess of a room, she closed up Trixie's bookcase to lock her back inside.  The next time it opened, Twilight decided, she'd kill her.

With that in mind, Twilight looked around her room, levitating herself out to the middle of it and hovering a few feet off the ground.  With a single motion, she set the whole place on fire, preserving the wooden walls and floor by keeping direct control of every single inch of flame and only burning away the gore and tripe.  She left the bodies for the time being, though didn't stop them from catching fire on their own with the building heat and flames.  What was there quickly turned to ash and cast a horrid stench into the air, but Twilight kept hovering and looking around, making sure not to miss anything as she burned away the filthy blood of such lesser beings.  About halfway through the immolation, however, the door to her basement opened.

Twilight whipped her head up and stopped the fire, dropping down onto the floor with a crunch and looking up to see Spike paused in the doorway.  If it were physically possible for his scales to turn white, they would have.  He saw, for the first time in his young life, two dead bodies; unfortunately for him they were mutilated and brutally killed to boot.  The vision of a pair of semi-charred corpses propped against the wall, both cut in half with viscera spilling out onto the floor would forever be carved into his mind, not to mention the smell of burnt blood, clothing, hair and flesh.  He seemed almost nauseous enough to fall to his knees and throw up, but Twilight quickly attempted to get him out of the basement.  She activated some of her old unicorn magic that she hadn't touched in ages, using it to teleport herself right in front of Spike and push him out of her space.

"Spike, why didn't you knock?"  Her voice inflection was angry and low, but Spike wasn't really able to comment on much at the moment.

"W-wh-what was wrong with them?"

"Nothing,"  Twilight said, forgetting to try and divert his thoughts.  She truly wasn't sure what to do about this problem.

"B-but they looked hurt..."  Spike kept staring into the basement doorway as Twilight shoved him out, slamming the door behind her.  His eyes stayed trained on the spot even though his line of sight was broken.

"Spike.  Listen to me.  You didn't see what you thought you saw.  I need you to go back upstairs right now."

Spike looked up to Twilight, fear and trauma in his young, innocent little eyes as every single gentle thought of Twilight came shattering down inside his head.  He looked into Twilight's eyes as she stared down at him, noticing the interlacing of gold that didn't quite get pushed out of them after her transformation back.  He couldn't help himself from instinctively asking, "Who are you?"

"I'm Twilight, Spike.  How could you even ask me that?"  Twilight started to worry that Spike was on to her.  She materialized a blade just a few inches from his neck, ready to kill him the instant he said anything out of line.

"Just...  Nevermind.  I, uhm...  D-do you need me to get you anything?"  Spike looked away from his mentor, glancing along the floor and trying to collect himself.  His usual routine drove him to only worry about Twilight's state of mind rather than his own.

"No, Spike...  You look a little sick, why don't you get to bed?"  Twilight moved the blade away from him, letting the little dragon take a few steps back to realize his nausea.  He may not have been sure what he saw, but the physiological effects were definitely present.  

"Yeah, I don't really feel good...  You sure you'll be okay if I take a little time off?"

"Get to sleep, Spike.  I appreciate you wanting to help but there's really nothing you can do.  And, y'know...  I don't wanna overwork you if you're sick."  Twilight faked a smile, trying to be as sincere as she could.  Luckily for the little dragon, she let the blade dissolve back into nothingness.  "I don't need your help today, thank you, just make sure you feel better in case I do need you tomorrow."

"T-thanks, Twilight...  I'll just... I'll just get to bed now."  Spike stumbled toward the stairs, feeling like he was going to throw up all the while.  He desperately wanted to believe that Twilight was still his harmless, intelligent mentor who would never hurt a fly, but the images of the two stallions cut in half and partially charred was still fresh in his mind.  

You should have killed him.  Iago said to Twilight just as Spike left her view up the stairs.

That would have been pointless...  He's very helpful most of the time.  Twilight turned and opened her basement door, this time locking it from the inside

That little bastard has a tongue, doesn't he?  What's to stop him from wagging it?

I'll take care of it, Iago.  Just leave Spike out of this.  I watched him grow up and have been sharing secrets with him since he was small.  He'll trust my judgment no matter what.

Hrmh...  If you insist, but I still think you should slit his throat in his sleep.

I said I'll handle it, Iago.

Don't take that tone.  I've more experience than ten of your lifetimes.  I know what I'm talking about, you insolent little shit.

Yeah?  Well I get the feeling you've never worked with anyone else that entire ten lifetimes.  I can handle it, and I know you don't like it that I still have some kind of independence, but you've just gotta fucking deal with that.

Twilight quickly felt a surging pain in her chest, followed quickly by Iago's voice letting out a frustrated growl.  How dare you speak to me like that!

Instead of dropping to her knees, however, Twilight kept a weak stance and held her ground.  I'll talk to you however I want.  If you think I'm just going to roll over and let you drive me around like a used wagon you can think again.  I know you need me for something so I know you're not going to kill me, and I swear if you think you can hurt me bad enough to bend to you you've got another thing coming.

You're not the only talented unicorn in this world, Twilight.  If I killed you I could easily find another.

Heh...  Not another one as close to Celestia as I am...  Twilight mouthed along to her thought, giving a wicked grin to the floor as she started to crumble.  Her body bent forward in agony, but she managed to keep standing out of sheer stubborn will.

Iago paused.  Twilight could almost hear his teeth grinding in her mind, even though they weren't real.

That's what I thought.  You've got something you need to say to her and you need me to say it.  So why don't you let go of my heart and get back in your little corner.  I'll call you when I care to hear your opinion.

The instant you stop being relevant, Twilight Sparkle, I swear I'll break you.

Twilight shivered and stood up, letting her body get back to normal as the pain went away.  She cracked her neck and smiled wide, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before speaking back to Iago.  Everything can be killed, Iago, even you.

Do you presume to threaten me?

That's not a threat, you son of a bitch, just an observation.  As soon as I find your neck I'll hold a blade to it, you can count on that.  Twilight's eyes were darting around the room the whole time she was having her 'conversation' with Iago.  She was just zoning out, but continually running her view over the ground was giving her a nice distraction from her bodily pain.  That, however, ended in full as soon as she finished her statement.

I almost respect you more for saying that, Twilight Sparkle.

Is that so?

Keep in mind that what we have is mutual.  I don't want to kill you, but if you give me ultimatums like I'm something to be bargained with, I will.  I'd truly like to see you live out your life and watch what you could create and destroy, so don't give me a reason to end it so soon.

If you're so powerful then I take it you wouldn't mind fighting me face to face?  Instead of cowering around inside my head like some kind of a parasite.

If it comes to that, Twilight, I'll very much enjoy eating whatever's left of you.

And I'll enjoy ripping you limb from limb, whatever the fuck you are.

Iago gave a little chuckle, acknowledging Twilight's statements with what was mentally akin to a gentle nod.  Then we have an agreement.  If all goes well the terms will never be met.

I can't say I'm sure which one I'm hoping for just yet.

I think you and I both hope for a happy, harmonious, cooperative decapitation of this government with you as the blade and me as the arm.

Just make sure to take care of your swords, Iago.  They tend to cut both ways and it'd be a shame if the edge you pointed at your enemies grew dull.

You wouldn't dare, Twilight.  Your life depends on how keen you can be.

Star Crossed

Spike had lied himself down at the foot of Twilight's bed and tried to go back to sleep.  He knew what he saw, even though he wouldn't admit it, but desperately wanted to believe that Twilight would never do such a horrible thing.  The little dragon's stomach turned over and over inside of him, giving him a sense of vertigo and intense nausea; he would have thrown up but just so happened to have been woken up before breakfast.  Every time he closed his eyes he saw the bodies; bound and gagged, coated in blood and burnt flesh and spilling coagulated and putrid innards onto the floor.  The floor that Twilight was proudly standing on.  

Twilight's 'new form' had started to replace his earlier memories of her.  The happy, smiling face full of life and emotion faded into the wicked, non empathic thing that came home each morning from Celestia-knows-where.  The gentle smile and happy cock of the head from the old Twilight had given way to condescension and a sinister grin, not to mention the voice filled with disdain.  The scariest thing, Spike thought, was that he could easily imagine that Twilight killing somepony with a smile on her face.  He could see what was once his best friend and mentor laughing amongst the screams of the dying.  

With only a little hesitation, Spike stood up and jumped down from the loft into Twilight's workspace.  He took a quill and some paper, dipped the tip into Twilight's unused inkwell and started to scrawl out a letter.  His handwriting had gotten a little shaky, but he knew that he needed to fight through the trauma for this cause.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I need your help...

So, Twilight, what do you plan to do now?  Keep sweeping the slums for more bodies?  Iago's mocking questions had always gotten on Twilight's nerves, but the stress of her recent discovery just added to a certain snap in her voice, though she certainly knew how to hold her tongue.

I don't have a plan, Iago.  

Oh no?  But you're just so bright and well organized are you not?

Perhaps, but I've also had just about enough of you poking my ribs like that.  Get back in your book.

My book?  Don't you remember, Twilight, we burned that.

I'll write another one, just get the fuck out of my head.

You only wish it were that easy.  We have an agreement, Twilight Sparkle, don't you remember?

Oh I remember, but contracts can always be ripped up, even ones signed in blood.

You signed in far more than blood, Twilight Sparkle.  And this can't be revoked, that was part of the deal.

And just what is the deal, Iago?  You set up shop inside my mind like some kind of crappy motel in exchange for seemingly infinite power?  I'm not an idiot, there's always a catch whenever something seems too good to be true.  Those death threats you've been making lately aren't helping either.  I don't see why I should keep you around if all you do is tell me you're going to kill me every time I open my mouth against you.

Instead of getting angry like Twilight expected, Iago just gave a quiet little chuckle.  Oh, Twilight.  You don't seem to understand something very fundamental.  Allow me to explain, and do pay attention because this is the last time I'm going to put up with your insolence without punishment.  Iago cleared his throat (at least he implanted the noise of a throat being cleared into Twilight's thoughts) and Twilight's body immediately went limp.  She started to have a small panic attack within her mind, but everything about her physiology continued as normal.

Even with all of your power --all that I've given you and all that you've developed on your own-- you're not a goddess, Twilight.  The bottom line is, when I say jump, you jump.  Iago made his point by causing Twilight's body to literally jump.  She had absolutely no control; her limbs were paralyzed as far as she was concerned, even her face and eyes, but her mind was fully conscious.  You.  Don't.  Have.  A.  Choice.  As Iago spoke to Twilight in her mind her body gave another series of leaps.  Each one looking more colorful and flamboyant than the last, with the final hop resulting in a pirouette and dexterous poising of her limbs.  

Twilight could only stare on, taking in whatever line of sight Iago decided to point her eyes at.  She glanced into her floor mirror against her will, showing back her sinister body with a very long mane and, oddly enough, a gentle smile.  Twilight's body levitated (through unicorn magic) a brush over and began brushing her mane softly, humming along a tune that she had never heard before.  With horror, Twilight watched her body perform these actions on its own, eventually tossing her mane back over her shoulders and starting to dance.  Like a puppet she pranced around the room, performing complicated and precise ballet movements, none of which she had ever even seen done before, culminating in a very long spin with her hooves above her head, even bowing to the mirror when she was finished.

You son of a bitch...  Twilight said in her head, trying to speak aloud but not getting any connection to her mouth.

"Oh, Twilight.  Can't you see what I've been telling you all along?"  Twilight's own mouth spoke aloud, revealing Twilight's voice with all of Twilight's old voice inflections and mannerisms shining through as if it were really her speaking.  "I don't need your cooperation, but I'd certainly enjoy having it.  Or... maybe we should go ask Spike what he thinks?"  Twilight's body looked into the mirror as it spoke, revealing to her the devilish smile that made Iago's point perfectly known.

You leave him out of this!  This is about me, Iago, you know that.

"Oh dear, you still love him don't you?"  Iago tossed Twilight's head back and let out a terrifying laugh, and said, through an almost jolly demeanor, "I thought I'd broken you of all your old, bad habits."

Suffice to say I get your point.  Let me go.  Twilight tried to mask her fear in an angry tone.  She knew that she'd been beat, but was still determined to fight if she could.  The problem there was that she had no clue how.

Iago took Twilight's hoof and raised it to the top of the mirror, slowly dragging it down the center as he spoke.  Even Twilight's magical abilities were enslaved to him; a telikenetic blade sliced the glass in half as the hoof slid down toward the bottom.  "Oh no, Twilight, that's not good enough.  You've been unreasonably belligerent toward me for some time now, so you need to be punished.  Sure, I've showed my hand here, but I want you to realize something..."  The hoof reached the bottom of the mirror and the thing fell in half.  Twilight looked down and into the split piece of glass and metal, seeing two of herself staring up.  "I will never answer to you, and you'll only not answer to me when I'm in a good enough mood.  Understand?"

Yes, Iago.  I understand.  Twilight's thoughts were being suppressed, not by Iago but by herself.  She knew that he had full control of her and that nothing she could think of would escape his knowledge.  That said, she did her best to refrain from thinking about anything that might go against Iago; just what Iago wanted.  We have the same goal, you and I.  You've shown me that you're nothing to screw around with, and while I guess I didn't respect that earlier, you can rest assured that I do now.

"Then this is the last time we'll be having this conversation?"

Yes.  Let's just focus on getting Celestia's head...  Together.

We'll have much more than just her head, Twilight.  Iago returned to thought and slowly let Twilight take control of her body again.  The feeling returned to every inch of her insides slowly, radiating out from her head as if she had just gone numb for a while and was allowing blood to return.  It's good to have you working with me again, Twilight.  Don't make me do that again.

You shouldn't have to worry about it.  I guess I just wanted a little better personal treatment.

Well, you've survived my presence within you much longer than any of my other students, so for that I can commend you.  That, and considering the intense amount of stress I've been putting on you it's really a wonder that you're still sane...  So I can admit you deserve a little more respect.  Very well, Twilight Sparkle, you'll have it.

Twilight sat down and looked at her hooves; they were hers again.  She knew that she needed a way to ensure that she could keep control of her own body, but didn't have a clue how to do it.  For the time being, she decided to simply agree with Iago on everything that she could.  I appreciate it.

Now then, how are you feeling?

I'm feeling good, Iago.  Very good.

You're sure?  Even after all of that?  Because we've got to start acting very soon and you'll need to be in excellent condition.

Positive.  Though I do have a question.

Ask away, I'll see if I have an answer for you.

Why is it that you hate Celestia so much?  We've kinda...  Touched on this subject, but you've never actually told me.

To be perfectly frank, she's the reason my people and many others have been sentenced to a life of primitive obscurity.  We were slaughtered in her name, many wounded, villages burned and hundreds left to die of infected wounds out in the wilderness.  Genocide, Twilight Sparkle, that's why I hate her.  Not to mention her stance on history.

Her stance on history?

She would sooner burn a book that told of her atrocities than allow knowledge to be gained and learned from.  She's slain many to get to where she is, and she ensures her place in the future by promoting ignorance.

Celestia promoting ignorance...  Seems unlikely, just gonna say.

Oh?  I suppose as her 'personal student' you feel like she's only a teacher then, hm?

Well...  Yes.

You're very intelligent, Twilight, sometimes too intelligent for your own good and far too intelligent for Celestia's own good.  She took you under her wing because she understood that; she needed to know what you were learning.  If you ever became a threat to her, she'd send one of her guards to slit your throat in your sleep.

Twilight didn't really know how to respond.  Her dislike for the princess had been growing for some time, but had certainly plateaued.  The idea that she had always felt threatened by Twilight was something to be entertained, however, and Twilight started to remember things that seemed almost like red flags for that sort of explanation.  Celestia constantly giving her busy-work assignments, having to pre-approve any research she had ever done, even times when Twilight would ask for certain books and only receive a fraction of the ones she wished for.  She'd been monitored and limited all her life; Iago had, ironically, set her free.

Iago, my friend, I'd say we have a princess to kill.

Good that we finally see eye to eye, Twilight.  Shall we march on Canterlot by nightfall?

No, there's one thing that we should do first.

Pray tell what that is?

Gather the elements of harmony, of course.

I beg your pardon?

My friends, Iago.  We're the most trusted ponies in the world as far as she's concerned.  Think about the look on her face when she finds out that every single one has betrayed her.

You presume that they'll all listen to you?  This is a radical and violent change you're suggesting; your "friends" don't live up to any of that.

Twilight sat on her haunches and materialized a blade across her hoof, leaving it just visible in the light and running it along her opposite foreleg.  "I think they can be persuaded."  It felt wonderful to be able to speak again.

So how are you going to proceed with this plan?  I'm honestly curious.

"I take it you're only curious because you've stopped reading my mind?"  Twilight, relishing in the resumed control of her body, walked over to the two bodies.  She sat down and started to delicately pull every drop of water out of them, leaving the blood and other proteins, but drying everything out so that it was easier to clean up and dispose of.

What can I say?  It tends to be dull literature...  Very predictable.

"Jackass..."  Twilight gathered the water into a ball and guided it over to her false-backed bookcase, sliding it through a crack and into Trixie's chambers.  She blindly sent it to where she could remember the little divot in the dirt was and let it splash down, giving Trixie just that little bit more water that she wanted and certainly not letting her know the source.  "Either way, if you're so curious I'll just tell you that we're going to start with Big Macintosh."

While I'm thoroughly convinced that your "Elements of Harmony" are all complete bunk anyway, isn't he just a regular pony?  Don't you have to be "special" to be in that little clique?

"He's not an Element, Iago, he's bait.  Think about this a little bit: he's related to one of the Elements and is, as far as I know, already in bed with another.  It's the perfect time bomb since Rarity and Applejack tend to have... issues seeing eye to eye."

What about the rest?

"Rainbow Dash has an ego so inflated that she can be appealed to through simple fallacies, Fluttershy's a doormat to the point of self destruction and Pinkie Pie doesn't tend to think things through until they're already too late.  Oh, and 'yours truly' is the ringleader.  They may not realize it but my word tends to be law as far as the 'Elements of Harmony' go, so this'll be cake."

And if anything should go wrong?  What's your 'Plan B', as it were.

"Plan B is I kill everyone in this town and raise them as mindless zombies, go rip Canterlot to pieces with a brand new undead army and then slice off Celestia's head so that I can skewer it on Luna's horn."

Not as elegant as your first idea, but I like it.  Poor Luna won't be able to close her eyes for weeks if you do that.

"That raises another question, you don't have anything against Luna do you?"

Nothing personal, no, but she certainly isn't worth letting live.  She's close to Celestia, agrees with her and her methods, and is an otherwise loyal sister.  Nothing good can come of keeping her around after you and I take power, so she needs to be killed as well.

"Can't just keep her in the dungeon, can we?"  Twilight asked sarcastically.  She picked up her mummified bodies and crushed them together inside of a telekinetic sphere.  She compressed the dead flesh until it was just a little tiny ball, which she promptly lit on fire and burned with enough intensity to consume the entire thing in just seconds.

As fun as that would be, no.  Cliches are overly common for a reason, Twilight: they happen.  We keep her in the dungeon, she escapes, builds an army, comes back to bite us later.  Cutting off her head might be heartless, but it's a hell of a lot more efficient and would avoid drama in the future.  If she escapes in the siege, hunt her down and kill her.  If she stands and fights, make an example, and if you should see Princess Cadence ever again...  Well, I expect you to do the exact same.  Kill your enemies, Twilight, if they're allowed to live then they'll pounce on any little opening they can get to have you thrown down.  You'll never get a positive return from sympathizing with them, so just slaughter anyone who doesn't kneel at the sight of you.

"Understood, Iago.  It'll be a very bloody weekend, that's for sure."

Bloody is the best kind.

"Before we get started, though, I've gotta go take care of our little friend."  Twilight smirked and tilted her gaze over to Trixie's bookcase, deciding once and for all to finish what she had started.  She pried the bookcase open and glanced inside, watching Trixie have a minor heart attack at the sight of Twilight.  She had heard everything and, while she was thoroughly convinced that Twilight was insane, she knew what the purple unicorn wanted.  

"Hello Trixie."  Twilight said menacingly, slowly walking into the enclosure and leaving the bookcase open.  Her head was low and her countenance had a genuine grin of smooth malice across it.

"G-g-get away!"  Trixie wasn't quite as cooperative this time around as she had been; survival instincts were starting to kick in since the fear of death was looming so close.

"What happened to jumping when I said 'jump'?"

Trixie started to hyperventilate, sinking herself into the muddy floor and pressing her back against the stone-hard wall.  Twilight was getting closer and closer and Trixie didn't want to die.  The instant Twilight got within too threatening of a distance, Trixie flared up her under-powered telekinetic unicorn magic to try and fight Twilight off; swinging at her head with a rock that had come loose some time during her captivity.  She landed a solid and rather firm hit on her captor, knocking several teeth out and temporarily blinding her by collapsing her eye socket again, but Twilight naturally didn't feel a thing and healed every single bit of it up immediately.  

Trixie took off running as soon as the rock impacted Twilight's face, but the purple unicorn was ready for that kind of daring; she reached her foreleg out and clotheslined Trixie's nearly skeletal body as she tried to dash past, knocking her onto her back and then immediately dropping her hoof down to her neck.  "So that's how it's going to be, hm?  And here I was considering letting you have your free will..."

The light blue unicorn's terrified eyes reflected everything that Twilight did, letting her watch the sadistic movements that followed.  Trixie never stopped struggling, though her body had grown horribly weak from malnourishment and from lack of sleep, so Twilight didn't even have have to use her power to keep her restrained.  She did, however, use her new telekinesis to teach Trixie a lesson about magic by taking a hold of her horn.  Trixie's chin was forced down, clasping her jaws shut against Twilight's hoof as her horn was stressed and pulled.  With a surge of energy and a sickening snap, the unicorn's precious horn broke off at the base and sent a spurt of blood surging out along with it; even the root was removed in the violent gesture.  Trixie let out the most agonized, blood curdling scream that she ever had in her life; the pain was enough to make her see spots for the next few minutes.

"I'm sorry I had to do that, Trixie, but I can't have you disobeying me."  Twilight twirled the freshly plucked horn in her field of telekinesis, using a fine edge to carve each of her mystical runes into its surface as she spoke.  She was applying just enough pressure to Trixie's throat to cut off her air, but she wasn't being suffocated quite enough to go unconscious.  "Iago always said that blood control was less stable, but at this point I don't think you're worth the effort for a recitation."  Twilight took the newly carved horn and pressed the pointed tip against Trixie's carotid artery, slowly adding pressure until the unicorn's last breaths were accented with a muffled squeal.  Her blood sprayed out onto the horn that was once her own, activating the runes and prompting several futile attempts at a final escape.  She thrashed about, mixing her blood and tears in with the dirt until her whole face and body were soaked with crimson mud.  Twilight got to enjoy about two minutes of Trixie's remaining life in helpless thrashing,  going so far as to cut off blood flow to the wound with a kind of telekinetic tourniquet.  She would always let go just in time for her to take a breath and sob a few more times; once her two minutes was up, however, Trixie lied dead in her own blood and filth with Twilight straddling over her, holding her neck and relishing in the excitement of finally ending her long standing rival's wretched little existence.

Twilight waited a few minutes for her to get up but it seemed to be that her magic had somehow failed.  Twilight checked the horn; everything was exactly as it should have been, but Trixie's body sat perfectly still, dead as a dessicated skull in the desert.  

"What gives, Iago?"  Twilight asked aloud, picking Trixie up by the hind leg and lifting her body, leaving only her head in an awkward position in the mud.

She's dead.

"No shit.  Got any useful information for me?"

Mmmn, I don't think she'll be coming back.  Her mind was far too turbulent after the way you treated her.

"I thought weak wills were a good thing."

Moderation, Twilight.  She was beyond stressed every single day, so the final idea of being brutally killed and slapped around must have just broken her completely.  There wasn't enough of her consciousness left to bind to the horn so even if you used the more stable method I doubt it would have worked.  By the way, I really liked that idea of you using the horn to bind her; clever.

"Thank you, but I'm a little disappointed that she won't be back.  I could have used her."

It's just as well, Twilight.  Trixie wasn't particularly worth much as far as I could tell, you'll be better off without something additional to worry about.

"Yeah, true...  Though I do have an idea."

What might that be?

"Just a little technique I learned some time ago, should be easier now that I have so much magical control and it'll give me something to remember Trixie by."  Twilight gleefully trotted toward the entrance to Trixie's enclosure, dragging the body along by the ankle and then leaving it in the middle of the dirt cavern, keeping the body away from the walls and then posing it in Twilight's favorite position: begging for mercy.  Twilight then left to go gather a few things, letting Trixie's body drop unceremoniously into the mud.  What Twilight didn't know was that Trixie's consciousness had in fact been bound to her old body, but control had not.  Trixie was fully aware of her surroundings, and could indeed feel everything, but just couldn't move or project that in any way.  Perhaps the most unfortunate part about her current state, however, was the fact that she could indeed still feel pain and panic.

Offer Me Good Omen

Armed with her largest cauldron full of ancient golden coins, Twilight rapidly raised the temperature of each of the shining metal pieces until they began to melt.  She made sure the iron pot was large enough and, once the gold had all liquified, lifted Trixie's body up to dangle over the thing.  She had posed the blue unicorn's form with her eyes open and her face almost quivering in fear; an appropriate look that Twilight had wanted to preserve forever.  She made sure to protect Trixie's hair with a magical barrier so that it didn't immediately burn away and then slowly dipped her into the molten metal, not knowing that Trixie was still bound to the body enough to feel it.  Her only salvation was the fact that Twilight had unwittingly reattached her horn.  Once the molten gold had seeped into it enough to destroy the runes, Trixie once more found the sweet embrace of death.  Her body, however, as it was slowly destroyed by the intense heat of molten gold, was preserved by the shell as it hardened around her.  Twilight used her control of magical fire to render Trixie's body down into nothingness and proceeded to fill the empty space with more gold, leaving a solid metal statue of Trixie in a submissive, begging state behind.  

"There.  I think that'll accent my home perfectly."  Twilight smiled big, pleased with herself for having preserved Trixie's memory as such a pathetic little thing.

It certainly does her justice, Twilight.  Iago clearly enjoyed the dipping, or at least faked it extremely well, but Twilight had a hunch that his sadistic nature had led him to actually be entertained by such a barbaric act.

"Yes, I think so too."  Twilight finished her sentence and took a step forward, examining her 'sculpture' for flaws and then touching them up with her telekinesis.  After all was said and done, Twilight ended with a perfectly polished solid gold statue of Trixie, using up only a fraction (albeit a large one) of the coins that she had found within the dragon's hoard.

So what do you plan to do with Big Macintosh?

"Use him, of course.  I'd like for Applejack to catch him and Rarity in the act of something... unwholesome...  Not sure how I'm going to set that up quite yet, though.  To be honest I'm not even sure if they're 'that far' in their relationship, probably not."

You could always urge them along.

"I think anything aside from direct mind control is doomed to fail in that regard, Iago."  Twilight kept speaking out loud, refusing to bottle herself up in her mind anymore.  Her little experience with being trapped had left her dying to keep her freedom wherever possible.

Oh I can think of one thing that might work.  Iago's statement sounded very sinister for such a well-veiled threat.  Not the same kind of sinister as he always was, though, more of an impassioned kind of sinister like the snarl on a wolf as it kills a rabbit.

"Do tell."

I know you've experimented with teleportation quite a bit, even showed me a little of it earlier when you quickly shielded your little dragon friend's eyes, but have you ever tried shadow-walking?

"No I'm afraid I haven't...  I haven't even heard of such a thing."

Well as I'm sure you can infer, it involves stepping into shadows as if they were small doorways, proceeding to walk through a world where shadows are the primearchs and material things are the reflections, and then emerging wherever you like.

"How's that supposed to help?"  Twilight set Trixie in front of the bookcase that closed off her old pen, using her as a decoration now and then starting off to leave the basement behind.

It would allow you to enter Big Macintosh's presence entirely unnoticed, then take over for yourself.

"More mind control?"

Not exactly.  You'd essentially be doing to him... well...  What I've been doing to you when your insubordination reigns.  I can teach you to step into his mind and take control, no practice necessary.

"No practice, huh?  Seems a little too good to be true."

Well I'd certainly be helping you, and also providing an anchor.  You won't be able to place your physical body into his without surgery, but at that point you might as well just flay him and make a costume.

"You just want me to leave my body for a little bit."  Twilight's sarcastic tone started to build.  She certainly didn't trust Iago, especially not with her body being left unattended in a direct possession like that.

Oh please, Twilight, I could take over your body at any time with very little effort.  I don't need you to leave your body in order to do so.  I only refrain in that because I choose to, you know that.

"Hey I dunno, maybe it gets cramped in there and you need to stretch your legs."

Cramped?  In this big, empty space?

"Haw haw,"  Twilight gave her sarcastic guffaw aloud as she shut the door to the basement, making sure to telekinetically shut the lock before heading towards the front doorway, "You know what I mean, we're two consciousnesses in the same head.  There's gotta be a little bit of elbow-knocking every so often."

While that is true, my point stands.  I don't need simple little pleasures like that, I only need results, and frankly I think that you taking over Big Macintosh and sending him over to Rarity would be a fabulous idea.  Though I expect far more than just hearts to be broken by that.

"Oh don't worry, there will be.  You can be sure of that."  Twilight smirked to herself and kept walking, only pausing to a quivering little voice coming from down the steps.  

"W-who are you talking to?"  Spike asked wearily.  He had just sent off a very short cry-for-help style letter to Celestia and was ready to just go pass out.  Twilight hadn't known about the letter (if she did then Spike would be a very dead dragon), but she could easily tell that he was sleepy and therefore gullible.

"I'm just talking to myself is all...  You ever have those ideas that you really wanna explain to someone but there's just... nopony around to listen?  Sometimes you gotta say them out loud anyway or they just don't come together right."

"Oh...  Yeah, yeah I guess that makes sense...  Sorry for bothering you, Twilight."

"It's okay, Spike, just get back to sleep, you need to feel better."  Twilight's words were intensely hollow; she had no real emotions to show, but she even quit faking them for a brief minute.  A robot may have said the same thing and gotten the exact same output.

Spike yawned and started to turn around, rubbing his eyes and completely missing the apathy in Twilight's voice.  "That sounds like a great idea...  I'll talk to you in a few hours..."  And with that, Spike wandered back to bed, leaving that little problem (so Twilight thought) to solve itself.

With Spike out of the way, Twilight made sure to examine her body for any splattering of blood or mud or what-have-you and then promptly burn it away.  She headed for her front door, clean and soft as if she had just showered and brushed herself, and prepared for a session of quick work with Big Macintosh, then some hopefully entertaining time with her good friends thereafter.  The walk, unfortunately, was a relatively long one between Twilight's library and Sweet Apple Acres, so the purple unicorn simply had some time alone with her thoughts.

She gave herself several quick scenarios in which she could trick Big Macintosh into thinking that Twilight was acting as a messenger on Rarity's behalf, then another where she would directly order him to head on over to Rarity's boutique, or even a few where she could (although she didn't know exactly how she still entertained the idea) go into his head and literally change his deepest desires to be spending time with the white, prissy little thing.  These many different ideas, none of which had been decided on, were throwing Twilight into turmoil and starting to stir up that familiar feeling of pulsing heat radiating out from her body.

Twilight...  Iago seemed a little impatient in his call, but he definitely spoke with a very calm inflection.

Twilight didn't answer him, however, and simply kept on walking.

Twilight.  This next call held much more impact, though Twilight kept on ignoring him.  She was lost in thought and, unfortunately, didn't care to stop and think; at this rate she'd have to use whichever plan was freshest in her mind the instant she got to Sweet Apple Acres.

Twilight!  Iago finally broke his semi-patient demeanor and yelled, snapping Twilight's attention back to her inner half.

What?!  The purple unicorn yelled right back, impatiently demanding that Iago explain himself with that one simple word.  

You lit a bush on fire.  Twilight's attention was directed about fifteen feet behind her, to which a shrub was smoldering away right on the outskirts of Ponyville's park.  

I don't see how that's at all consequential...  Nopony will even notice,  Twilight barked right back at Iago before she continued to trot down the road.  

Just calm down.  You're stressing out over this and it's making you burn things that you walk past, that's not exactly low profile.

And just what do you know about low profile?

You're the one who wanted this to be a quiet job, so why don't you just shut up and listen?

Alright, fine, what do you want to say?

Go stand on the shadow of that bench right there.  Twilight felt her eyes dart over to her target, completely against her will, but she decided not to protest and simply do as she was told.  Now I'm only going to do this for you once, so pay very close attention to what you feel happen to your body.

What am I feeling for, exactly?

You'll see...  Iago said with a trailing voice, letting his presence gradually diminish until only Twilight's own thoughts were left in her mind.  Almost immediately as soon as he got quiet, however, Twilight looked down and noticed the shadow from the bench starting to envelop her hoof and climb up her foreleg.  She could feel her body starting to melt, though it wasn't painful, and before long she fell completely into the stratified shadow of the park bench.  Off in the distance, Berry Punch (a touch hungover) blinked a few times and looked around; nopony else was around to have seen Twilight disappear, so she continued her walk of shame back to her home whilst trying to convince herself that she was just still drunk.

Meanwhile, Twilight found herself with the sensation of falling, though her world had darkened and she realized that she was indeed upside down.  Everything looked as though the sun were in an eclipse, no color for as far as the eye could see.  She levitated herself a bit and oriented her body where it needed to be, setting her hooves down on the darkened ground and taking a look.  Oddly, the colors that normally should have been in the objects were projected onto the ground.  

So this is the plane of shadow, hm?  I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at how... desaturated it is.

Quit standing around with your mouth half open, we have work to do.  Iago's impatience cut through his usual tone of voice, though he didn't seem to be expecting any kind of back-talk coming from Twilight whatsoever by this point.

Okay...  Twilight looked around in awe, watching as shadow ponies slowly emerged from their dark homes and cast colorful images of themselves onto the ground.  What exactly is the plan?  I just step into Big Macintosh's shadow and all's well?

A neat little trick about this place, if you can manage to get big Macintosh to look down at his shadow, your consciousness can cross the barrier of shadows and enter the mind of another much easier than it can in the material world.  You simply look into his eyes, they'll be a part of his "anti-shadow" and then do the same thing you always do to invade a mind.  His will won't be in the way because he won't even feel it, so you'll have a very slick time getting in.  Afterwards I'll emerge behind you and join you on the walk around town in your body.

That's a very neat little trick...  How come you didn't tell me about this before?

Coming here isn't exactly my forte.  I don't like to do it, I can't always do it, and when I do it I generally don't get much accomplished, it just so happened that this was a good opportunity to actually make use of the place.

What do you mean you "can't always come here?"  Do you have issues traversing the planes?

No, what I mean is that sometimes the way shadows are cast bodies get... muddled.  It's a standard problem with forcing three dimensional objects with secondary qualities like color through a barrier made entirely of two dimensional, monochromatic... light-stuff.  It's difficult to explain, but there's a good chance your head could have exploded.  Or some other parts of you, and the same risk comes into play on the way back.  Don't worry though, I've done this all before and I'll be sure to be very careful.

Oh well that's comforting...

If I wanted you to be comfortable I'd have made you believe you were still in bed while I went out and did all of the important errands today.  Of course that would probably result in a crater where this... paltry little town used to be.

Hey now, it may be a paltry little town but it's still got a very long-standing importance to Celestia in it.  Just remember that before you go about destroying it completely.

That's part of why I want to destroy it completely.

Now I know you fancy yourself a powerful being, Iago, but Celestia is too, and I'm sure I'm not mistake in pointing out that it's that power which has stopped you from going on to kill her in this past two thousand years, hmm?

Iago paused, getting back to Twilight about fifteen seconds later with a very annoyed tone in his voice.  What's your point?

My point is that if you kill everything like you clearly want to then Celestia won't have any inhibitions.  She'll just do whatever it takes to stop you, and my guess is that it'll be more than enough to kill you for good.

Focus on the task at hand, Twilight.

Heh, is that a twinge of fear I detec--  Twilight's sentence was interrupted by a sharp, all encompassing pain going down her back.

I swear on all that you deem valuable that if you ever  accuse me of fear again I will make you feel agony like you've never even imagined.  Are we clear?

Twilight, though almost buckling under the intense pain of what felt to her like her spine being torn out, just laughed right through it all and threw Iago's venomous words back in his face.  But Iago, don't you remember?  You need me.

All I need is a living body...  A puppet.  I didn't say I'd kill you and I could very easily walk around in your skin for a while.  Don't test me, pony.

Twilight started to walk forward, towards the shadowy cameo of Sweet Apple Acres, remaining defiant the whole way.  What's the matter?  Afraid you'll fail?  She had to grunt and trudge on through the pain, fighting what felt like the weight of the whole world on her body and a pair of chilled fingers on her backbone.

Do you want to die here, Twilight Sparkle?  In this cold, unknown little inkblot?  I can always find another.  Perhaps I'll just take one of the other five.  Twilight felt her nose start to bleed and an intense pressure build up behind her eyes.  Her brain was under direct assault from the spectral figure.

H-How?  Huh?  You have to get their permission to get i-in.  Tha-at's what you did to m-me, right?  Twilight continued to walk, though she looked like something out of a zombie movie.  Every step she took in the realm of shadows was stiff, rigid, and jerky; she was clearly fighting something, but the denizens of the world paid absolutely no notice to her.  It was as if she didn't exist at all; just a phantom shadow on the ground.

You all have vices.  Yours was power and I gave it to you.  Rarity's are wealth and beauty and I can give her those too.  Applejack's is respect, Fluttershy's is confidence, Rainbow Dash's is fame, Pinkie Pie just wants to feel loved...  It's very easy to manipulate you little creatures you know.

Aww...  Twilight finished off her sigh of false sympathy with a spatter of blood straight out of her lungs.  And here I thought we had something... S-special.

Oh we do, Twilight Sparkle, and I've invested far too much time into you to just throw you away like a used rag, but if you continue to try my nerves you'll find out that even the most valuable thing in the world can outlive its usefulness.

I'm familiar with that co-oncept, Iago...  You've already... outlived yours.  Twilight started to wheeze and gasp for air as she plodded forward, starting to feel her body go limp either from blood loss or from her own nerve control being muscled out of the way.

Is that so?  Have you stopped to think that I'm the only thing keeping you alive?

No...  I've stopped to think that you're the one killing me in the first place.

Touché, Twilight Sparkle.  Though for the time being I am indeed allowing you to live.  Perhaps you can get on my good side if you do as you're told and I'll let you walk free when we're done here.

I'm not your slave, Iago.  I'm your student...  I demand you recognize that.

Just what is that supposed to mean?

Students have this nasty tendency of surpassing their masters.  Twilight grinned big, standing up straight and sniffling the blood dripping from her nose back up inside.  She took a deep breath and focused every ounce of power she could draw onto her own body, making it move comfortably and stably, stopping the damage that Iago had been causing her.  Iago sat speechless in her mind for a while, though eventually he chimed back in with his bemused, raspy voice once again grinding against her mind's ears.

And I have a nasty tendency of killing my students.  Keep that in mind.

You keep my point in mind!  Twilight's retort wasn't too much better than a childish snap-back, but the point she had made was definitely persuasive: Iago had a threat on his hands, and Twilight knew that she had enough leverage to make it work.

You know what?  I will.  I'll play your little game and I'll humor you just this once, but you had better watch out where your thoughts end up, because I'll not tolerate any kind of treasonous ideas.  Now go do your chores.  I'm starting to get a little impatient.  I want to see Celestia's head mounted on a pike before the end of the week.

That should be plenty of time.  But I have to ask, what do you plan to do after you take over?  Aside from the obvious... trying to kill me off and all that.

Why, to bring my people back of course.

Your people?

A race long forgotten, though our successors still live today, skulking in your shadows and populating your depths.  Believe me, Twilight Sparkle, we shall multiply again, and you ponies will be utterly crushed.

I don't suppose you're gonna give me a free pass on that, hm?

Don't worry, Twilight, one of two things will happen: either you'll have ascended along with me to a state of being so much more than ponykind that you'll be untouchable by my children, or you'll be destroyed quickly and painlessly by me.  You've done more than enough to help me that I won't allow you to suffer...  Unless you aggravate me sufficiently.  Then, oh, shall you suffer.

Well then, looks like I'll have to just paste on a smile, grit my teeth and bear with your insufferable nagging for the next few days, hmm?  Twilight made her displeasure known, highlighting her obviously bitter statement with an obnoxious mental inflection to make it sound like a sarcastic beg.  She chose not to fight Iago any more that day, though, he had loosened his grip on her body so she could finally walk and breathe again.  Twilight found out the hard way, though, that pushing him away with her own magic had been very taxing: she was physically and mentally tired for the first time in many days.  

It might help to bite down on something.  Iago, sinister as always, prodded the joke into Twilight's ribs before going back to whatever it was that he did inside her head.  Twilight just stepped on towards Sweet Apple Acres, where she saw the tall, lumbering shade of Big Macintosh's shadow propped up against a black, formless tree.  

She was gonna enjoy this.

Strength In the Darkness

Twilight stepped out onto the projected, colored shadow of Big Macintosh, staring out into the bizarre negative space that was the realm of shadow.  His shadow-realm body, the extension of blackness that sat up against that of a tree, was clearly snoozing in the cool light of the late morning.  Down on the ground, his body in the material world showed itself as an image on the ground, eyes closed and a single straw dangling out of his mouth threatening to fall onto the ground.  Twilight cocked her head and examined the black, formless mass sitting before her.  She reached out a hoof, brushing the back of her colored, material wrist against his cheek; it felt cold and yet solid, much like concrete that hadn't been touched by the sun.  She couldn't help but smile as both the material and the shadow Big Macintosh reacted to her touch, pulling away clumsily in their sleep.  He'd look good in black.

Twilight looked up and at the black, shadowy tree.  She could vaguely make out a cluster of young apples, so she grabbed one with her telekinesis and ripped it off of the branch.  With the orb floating in front of her, she couldn't help but take a bite simply out of curiosity; it too was cold and had absolutely no flavor.  The texture was almost like water vapor, yet still solid and crisp like an apple, and instead of dripping with juices it simply cast off a thick, black smoke into the world.  She swallowed the shadow apple, feeling the chill of darkness permeate her body from the inside out, making her shiver almost in pleasure.  It reminded her of the beauty that she saw when a pony died; that hollowing of their eyes as their heart stops and their brain slowly fades away like an old candle flame.  

With a final glance at the apple, vapor rising off of the gaping bite that she took out of it, she pulled it back and dropped it onto her upturned hoof, throwing forward as hard as she could and bouncing it off of the shadow Big Macintosh's forehead.  This, of course, woke him up; both the real, material him as well as the shadow him.  He looked down and at the apple, spotting the thing with a bite missing from it and tilting his head in confusion.  This was the reaction Twilight had hoped for; she had tilted her chin down as well and was staring into his green eyes down on the floor.  As she stared in through the veil between material and shadow, Big Macintosh found himself entranced by something; a swirling darkness beneath the apple.  Twilight, on the other hand, knew exactly what she was doing.  She felt her body start to disconnect and her consciousness move out toward the ground.  Gravity ceased, her senses failed, and all that existed as far as Twilight was concerned were the barriers that Twilight quickly broke through.  First was her own mind; she was forced out, by Iago undoubtedly, and hurled into the shadowy veil.  Next, she burst through that dimensional wall, feeling (even with a lack of any sensation of touch) the very spatial third dimension shatter as she exited and then rapidly entered it once more.  Finally, Big Macintosh's mind didn't stand a chance: her consciousness entered his mind and forced his away, bottling it up somewhere deep and dark in the recesses of his mind so that Twilight Sparkle could take over the lumbering stallion.  

Sensation flooded back to her, first touch, then sound, then scent.  She could taste the gritty, natural flavor of a straw still in her new mouth.  She could smell the bitten and browning apple on the ground, surrounded by the natural, earthy smell of grass and dirt and air swirling together.  The touch of bark on her back and grass against her rump, the sound of a bird chirping somewhere in the tree above her, and the soft glow of light being reflected from the world around her eyes, none of which were present in the shadow world, all stimulated Twilight's mind.  Big Macintosh's body was hers to command, and her body was still in the shadow.

The apple, however, oriented itself upright and the shadow beneath it began to extend.  Twilight's body, her actual body, pushed its way out of the darkness with her hoof holding onto the apple.  She promptly finished eating it the instant her entire form was present in the material world again.

"Hello, beautiful."  Twilight Sparkle said as she watched herself eat.  Big Macintosh's voice carried her words, however, and she almost blushed from the surprising depth.

"Ahhh, I don't quite know how I feel about the hooves...  But I must say I do enjoy the way this body supports itself.  You can stand up so tall, it's no wonder the equine frame has been associated with royalty for so long."

"I'm glad you like it, Iago, but remember that it's a rental.  Don't do anything I wouldn't do."  Twilight stood up and stretched herself, trying to get used to the girth of her new body so that she didn't walk into things too much while she was out 'driving it around.'

"Oh don't worry...  I won't destroy anything unless you need me to."

"Good, now if you'll excuse me I have a mare to visit."

"I'll give you a half hour before I go anywhere.  Don't worry, though, Applejack will be there exactly when you need her to be."

"Thank you, Iago...  Shouldn't take me too long, I've seen the way Rarity looks at this big lug."

Twilight Sparkle's body bowed her head and held her hoof out in the direction of Rarity's boutique, letting the apple fall down to the ground to join with the rest of the insignificant mulch.  Twilight, or rather Big Macintosh, walked away in that direction, still retaining the girly walk that she had developed all her life.  For once, however awkward the new body was, Twilight finally had her mind to herself and the feeling was beyond liberating.

Naturally, Twilight spent her walk over to the Carousel Boutique thinking about how to kill Iago.  Her first thought was to simply force him into another body somehow and then kill that, but (seeing as how he was a being without any real ties to the natural world) she wasn't sure that would work on him.

Beyond that plan, she thought of another possibility; the very thing she did to Big Macintosh.  If it were possible, maybe she could force his consciousness into a small space and either destroy it or lock it up; however she knew that he was much more powerful than she in that regard.  He had leverage, she wouldn't deny him that, but she had ambition and was notoriously persistent.  She'd get him, but first she wanted to get Celestia.  One problem at a time.

Noon approached and Twilight felt Big Macintosh's strength carrying her all the way down the road; she could only revel in it.  She had knocked into a few passing ponies on the way, getting a few odd looks from many of them (sultry ones from a mare or two) but simply ignoring them after voicing a quiet apology.  Twilight eventually came up to the fence around the Carousel Boutique.  A crow sat atop a far away fence post, singing his song out of key and casting a brief air of sorrow into the atmosphere.  Twilight, quite some time ago, may have found that romantic, and even then without the oppression of Iago dangling over her mind she found it somewhat pleasing.

She plodded up the walkway, letting her heavy hooves clunk down on the solid ground and knocked on the door.  Nobody answered, though Twilight spotted the familiar bold type of a "Closed" sign off in one window.  She knocked one more time to try and get anyone's attention, hoping that Rarity hadn't picked today to go out to the spa with Fluttershy or some other prissy nonsense like that.  Nothing but echoes replied, so Twilight reached out Big Macintosh's huge hoof and clicked open the door; it was unlocked.  She stepped inside, glancing around and seeing her body's reflection in the tri-view mirrors off in one corner of the absurdly pink room.  Twilight wondered what Big Macintosh was thinking while his consciousness was compressed into a tiny little space.  She didn't, however, have any way to detect that, nor did she have any of his memories like she expected.

Twilight managed to hear something from upstairs: the sound of running water.  Twilight turned to look at the staircase and focus; Big Macintosh's hearing wasn't quite as sharp as her own body's, so she could only just barely detect the noise.  She stepped on over, letting the sound get louder and louder as she slowly hefted the big frame upstairs, listening in for any sign of Rarity's little sister.  She should have been at school, but Twilight wasn't about to take any chances at ruining the plan.  A weak will makes suggestibility easier.  Emotions make willpower fail.  Twilight held the key to Rarity's desires and was just waiting to see the unicorn's face when she ripped them all away.

Rarity was a remarkably quiet shower-taker; no singing or humming, nor much clunking around from frantic, rushed movements.  She just stood there, letting the water wash over her and enjoyed the warmth.  Twilight rounded the corner of Rarity's staircase, looking in through the cracked door of the bathroom and spotting her quarry.  There she stood, behind the steamy glass of a sliding door shower, mane draped down her back and forelegs up, supporting her body in a standing position so that the shower head was much closer to her scalp.  Twilight knew from personal experience how good that felt (as well as the fact that it rendered you as good as deaf) so she moved in and lightly pushed the bathroom door open, not making much of a sound besides the clunking of her heavy surrogate hooves on the floor.

Rarity's contours were the only things that could truly be seen through the glass; everything else was muddled up into blotches of white and purple, with three light blue entities where her cutie mark's colors shone through.  She really did have a beautiful body, and the drape of her soaking wet mane down her back left only more to enjoy.  Catching her when she wasn't dolled up as usual was a rare treat, and Twilight felt a small twinge of desire; real desire, not just the want to strip away Rarity's emotions and render her as a tool, but a physical want for her.  This was somewhat distressing; Twilight didn't want those kinds of distractions.  She even thought that she was rid of them for good, but perhaps it was Iago's absence that allowed her mind to wander into such basic and primal wants.  That notwithstanding, Twilight figured that it would only make her job easier: she was here to seduce Rarity after all, and a genuine desire might snip away any hints of falsehood from her countenance during the act.

Iago's gone... Really gone!  I could get used to this.  All of the power without the leash...  Without the 'puppet master'.  Twilight thought to herself, loving that she could let her thoughts echo through her mind and fade away without prompting a snippy response.  I only wish I could keep it this way...  Perhaps I can run.  Twilight continued through the bathroom as she thought, making sure to avoid running into anything; Rarity still didn't notice the big stallion's approach.  Twilight started to see the unicorn's body a little better as she got closer, specifically noticing that her eyes were closed.  I could start a new life, bring Rarity with me...  Take on the form of Big Macintosh...  But Iago has my body...  I miss it... love it... He can't have it.  That is what he wants, after all...  A powerful body.  Twilight found herself staring through the glass, hungrily eying Rarity's form even as blurred as it was.  What she started to realize was that her old body gave no physiological responses to anything: Big Mactinosh's body, however, had hormones flowing through it and a heartbeat that was a thrall to his brain.  Twilight was starting to feel excited, though she certainly didn't realize it right away.

He only fears Celestia...  I can get Celestia to kill him...  She won't kill me, and then I can kill her.  I'll let them fight until there's a victor and then kill whoever survives!  They'll be weak...  They'll be easy...  Big Macintosh's eyes dilated, though they were enslaved to Twilight's mind, and his big heart started to pound in her chest like a sledgehammer on a strong wall.  She started to breathe more heavily, feeling the involuntary responses to physical excitement once more and finally noticing that she hadn't felt this way since she woke up after a rather inappropriate dream several months ago.  Her new body had more control over her mind than she knew, and she reached out, pressing her hoof quietly against the glass.  I'll be the last mare standing...  I can rule without Iago, I can have everything I've ever dreamed of...  The sun and moon will bow to me...  Each thought only stimulated her further until Big Macintosh's body was beyond even the description "hot and heavy".  She slid the glass doorway open; Rarity stifled a shriek, covering herself with her mane and tail and whipping her head around to see who was there.  She wasn't quite sure how she felt about it, but the form that entered her vision was that of Big Macintosh staring at her and clearly anticipating something.

Rarity's face immediately burned red hot with blush and she couldn't tear her eyes away from the big stallion, though she certainly didn't try to do so.  She just couldn't find any words to say, and Twilight didn't need her to say a thing.  Twilight smiled: she gave, to the best of her ability, the big, soft smile that Big Macintosh was almost famous for around town.  Rarity seemed to calm down a bit, though she never let herself come out of the startled position that she was in.

"I thought you might like to see me...  Y'know... if the store wasn't busy."  Twilight said, still amazed at the depth and carry of Big Macintosh's voice.  

"I-I-I-I..."  Rarity stuttered, not quite prepared for such an invasion of her privacy.  She had been harboring feelings for Big Macintosh, however, and this almost seemed like one of her fantasies coming true, but it was so absolutely random that she couldn't handle it as smoothly as she thought she'd be able to.

Twilight didn't wait for her to sort everything out, though, and leaned forward, locking Big Macintosh's lips with Rarity's and feeling every single second of it.  The blood pumping into the big stallion's face from his elevated heartbeat made everything more sensitive; she could actually feel Rarity's lips flush with heat from her own embarrassed reaction.  She didn't fight, however, and Twilight took the opportunity to join her in the shower, standing on the big hind legs that she controlled and pressing Rarity's back against the tile.  

Big Macintosh's body reacted just as one would expect to the situation, and Twilight wasn't exactly used to the equipment that the male body provided her.  The feelings were both alien and familiar: the feeling of engorging, of anticipation, of arousal, she knew what was happening but was still surprised at the very slight differences.  She looked down, examining Big Macintosh's pride and joy: the rumors that seemed to endlessly circulate the internal female gossip line, unfortunately, were a little bit off.  He was about average objectively speaking, though the size of his body made it look much smaller than it actually was.  Rarity seemed a little disappointed, but no less excited from the moment, so Twilight distracted her gaze with another kiss.

This time she was more into it, pressing her lips back and wrapping her forelegs around Big Macintosh's neck.  The heat of passion overtook them both, sending them into the throes of a heated sexual encounter.  Twilight, dressed in Big Macintosh's body, mounted and pushed, grinding her belly against Rarity's and driving in what she had to offer as far as it would comfortably go.  Rarity didn't fight at all, rather worked back and bucked her hips, helping along the interaction so that Twilight's surrogate genitals slid into her at just a slightly different (and more exciting) angle.  

Things were going very smoothly for the two; even though Twilight was just as inexperienced with sex in a mare's body as she was in a stallion's body, Rarity seemed to make up for it with her own brand of expertise.  It wasn't too long before Twilight started to feel a certain contraction within Big Macintosh's groin.  Her finer muscle controls started to dwindle, making her movements feel wild and out of control (which, of course, was only welcomed with open arms by Rarity).  Twilight held back, holding fast on muscles she had never held before, keeping back the inevitable for as long as she possibly could.  Rarity, on the other hand, reached her conclusion at around that same time.  Twilight felt, through the extremely sensitive flesh that she had set inside Rarity, several contractions as the white mare let herself melt into orgasm.  The contractions, firm as they were, signaled Twilight (who could readily identify what they were) to stop holding back.  

A flood of endorphins reached Big Macintosh's brain, immediately stimulating Twilight's consciousness as the body it occupied drifted into bliss.  Rarity didn't seem to mind, but Twilight had done everything the natural way; finishing up inside and leaving both of their bodies pressed hard against each other, basking in the steam and warmth of the water falling over them.  Both of their bodies could feel the individual droplets as they impacted their fur; the sensitivity of afterglow kicking in almost immediately just brought out the smallest details.  Rarity, still blushing and panting, looked up slowly into Big Macintosh's eyes, though unbeknownst to her Twilight looked back.  Rarity's beauty, now filtered through the lens of a testosterone saturated mind, hit Twilight much harder than she expected.  She caught herself staring hungrily at her, forcing back a repeating urge to take her and run.  Instead, she brought up Big Macintosh's hoof and gently stroked it down Rarity's cheek, smiling once more and just cherishing the moment, knowing that it was doomed to end violently.

Rarity smiled back and relaxed, using her magic to shut off the water so that she could lay back in the bathtub and let Twilight lay with her.  The two of them found a comfortable place and snuggled for a few minutes, though eventually Rarity's ears perked up at a sound that Twilight had missed.  She seemed distraught, however, and Twilight quickly remembered her plan:  Applejack was here.  Muffled voices, one being Twilight's own and the other being Applejack's, crept their way up the stairs and brought Rarity on the verge of an anxiety attack.

"What's the matter?"  Twilight asked in his heavy, deep male voice that was Big Macintosh's.

"T-that sounds like your sister..."  Rarity's choice to omit Applejack's name actually interested Twilight; she was clearly afraid of the earth pony, which struck her as a little strange for such 'good friends.'

"You're not ashamed of me are you?"  Twilight fell onto an old habit of guilt tripping, taking more than a little delight in flustering someone with that little attack.

"N-n-n-no I j-...  I just..."  Rarity's eyes glanced back and forth between Big Macintosh and the bathroom door; she was trying her best to find the right words to say but, in the end, came up short.

"Tell me why we're in Rarity's home again?  I still ain't quite clear on this whole...  breakin' and enterin' thing."  Applejack's voice snuck out around the door frame, making Twilight smirk and Rarity cringe.  Twilight Sparkle's old body followed close behind.

"It's not breaking and entering, AJ, Rarity told us we were always welcome in her home.  Besides, I'm sure she's in here somewhere and I need to talk to you two about some things."  Twilight was amazed at how well Iago represented her voice.  Frightened, actually, since he drew on the memory of Rarity inviting both her and Applejack inside.  That was back during their slumber party, long before Twilight encountered Iago.  

"If you say so...  I just--"  Applejack turned her head into the bathroom as the pair was walking by, spotting Rarity and her brother lying in the bathtub together; her jaw may as well have hit the floor.  "What the f..."  She had to stop herself from cursing, though she certainly came closer than normal to doing so.

"Applejack!  I...  I was just..."  Rarity sat up with a start, covering herself up regardless of the fact that she rarely wore clothes.

"Is that...  What are you two doing in the bathtub?"  Iago, wearing Twilight's face, finished his question by flashing a grin to Big Macintosh's body in the bathtub, signifying that he was satisfied with the awkwardness of the moment.  Just his presence seemed to make the room colder.

"I fell!"  Rarity spouted, unable to realize the absurdity of that idea.  "I fell and Big Macintosh was just helping me."

"Mmmhmm, and I'm sure Big Macintosh fell in there with you, is that it?  Or did he actually fall into you too?"  Applejack was clearly getting angry with Rarity, though it seemed to be the lie that set it off.

"Well... I... I just..."

"Don't even say it, Rarity.  I don't wanna hear it.  Mac, of all the gals you could pick around town, why in Equestria would you pick... her?"  Applejack flashed a frustrated, quizzical look to her brother.

"Now what ever is that supposed to mean?"  Rarity interrupted before Twilight could respond, much to the unicorn-turned-earth-pony's delight.  Less work, and they were already getting riled up.

"It's supposed to mean you're a snobby, inconsiderate, lying tart!  My big brother deserves somepony who's actually done a day's work at some point or another in their life, not some... doll that sits around all day makin' up drama."

"How dare you!  After all I've done for you and your family!"  Rarity forced herself out of the bathtub, not for a single second paying attention to the quality of her mane.

"Like what?  Any time I need your help paintin' somethin' or fixin' up one thing or another you have some kind of 'appointment' that just conveniently makes it so you can't come over.  Now why is that, hmm?  It certainly ain't cuz you're screwin' my brother, that's for damn sure.  He actually helps!"

"Oh and what about your curtains?  The ones that Apple Bloom and Scootaloo ruined while you were out, the ones I went out of my way to fix for you free of charge?  Not to mention all of your nice placemats and rugs and other such things around your house.  Those would look like rats had been living in them for two decades had I not been there to fix them up.  All for you because, I thought, you were a close friend of mine!"

"Wull Lah-dee-fuckin'-dah, you made my curtains look all purdy, I just dunno what ah'd do if'n ah couldn't get the sunlight outta mah house."  Applejack made sure her sarcastic caricature of a ridiculous southern stereotype irked Rarity every single way she knew how to.  Rude body movements, obnoxious voice intonations, and just about every other thing that Applejack knew about to push Rarity's buttons.

"Fine then!  See if I ever do anything else for you out of the kindness of my heart."

"My family doesn't need your kind of kindness, 'Miss Rarity'."  Applejack cocked her head side to side, miming along the syllables of her sarcastic projection of the name.  "We've been doin' just fine on our own since this town was founded."

"Oh right, I forgot that being stuck in agriculture for twenty generations gave you some kind of tenure that meant nopony's supposed to interact with you.  Silly me."  The angrier Rarity got, the more her Canterlot accentuation came out.  To Applejack, however, this was just an offensive gesture of 'talking down' to her.

Between spits of argument, Twilight stood up out of the bathtub and walked over towards her mentor.  The two mares between them didn't even seem to notice.

"Well at least my family's given something back to this town!  I don't even remember the last time I saw anypony that wasn't one of us six wearin' any of your clothes.  I swear you just make them and then disassemble them back into fabric again or somethin'."

"Oh please, I contribute more in income tax every year than you have your entire life!  This town needs me just as much as it needs the ponies that operate the dam to keep the water from flooding us all out."

"Pfft.  I'd take a flood over you any day."  Applejack had run out of things to say (and was deeply offended by the monetary remark) so she simply snapped the meanest thing she could think of at the moment.

"Hah, well apparently your brother didn't mind taking me."  Rarity, in kind, had that witty remark just waiting to be thrown out.  Though she certainly didn't anticipate the severity of Applejack's reaction.  She did indeed set out to make her angry, but not to literally coax a lunge.  Applejack, in a fit of rage, hit Rarity as hard as she could right on the jaw; you'd have thought she was a professional boxer.

Rarity yelped and crumpled to the ground, clutching her face and hiding from Applejack's imposing stature.  

"Don't you ever say that again!"  Applejack refused to back away, keeping herself hovering just above Rarity so that she could yell directly into her ears.

While the two had their eyes averted, Twilight gazed back into her own body's eyes and felt her consciousness separate from Big Macintosh's brain.  Though the feeling of disembodiment was always unsettling, it was absolutely worth it to be back in her own body, and certainly to be back in her own gender.  Big Macintosh, however, didn't quite reconnect to himself as easily as Twilight did, and collapsed onto the floor in a semiconscious heap.  

The sound of her brother collapsing brought Applejack's attention back around and away from Rarity.  Twilight gazed into her eyes and saw the absolutely perfect cocktail of emotions: anger and fear, the two most primal and raw of them all.  Both at their height; the anger from the argument with Rarity and fear as her brother's possible injury sunk in, so Twilight reacted immediately.  The two locked eyes and Applejack found herself absolutely frozen.  Twilight wasn't invading her mind, rather she was just holding her there.  Iago, on the other hand, did all of the work.  Twilight could almost hear Applejack's thoughts as she gazed into those big, frightened green eyes.  Iago was rearranging them, screwing around with them, trying to break something inside Applejack so that she'd bend to him, but the invasion didn't seem to be going as planned.  

Aarrgh!  She's a fighter...  Iago's voice came back into Twilight's mind as if it had been literally outside.  It flooded in first as an echo, and then as a more resonant tone, eventually returning to its full force.  I don't like fighters...  Kill her.

Kill her?  But we need the elements of harmony together to break Celestia.  Twilight protested Iago but never stopped staring into Applejack's eyes.  On the surfaces, she could actually see memories: specifically ones about Rarity, good ones of course, though they were all being readily broken down by the current situation.

Take a look in the hallway, I brought the pendents that she and the white one wear.  Oh, and I took the liberty of carving that set of runes that you like so much into them, just in case.  They'll still be the elements of harmony, but they'll be yours.

Do you need me to kill Rarity too?

Not yet, let's watch and see what happens.  Iago didn't even hesitate to respond after Twilight asked him.  Clearly he knew more than he let on, but was willing to keep Twilight's disbelief suspended just a little longer.

Twilight stepped forward, glancing down at the unconscious big Macintosh.  The instant her gaze had broken with Applejack's, the earth pony sprang to life and dove down to her brother's side.  She called out to him, slapped his cheeks to try and wake him up, but absolutely nothing came of it.  Twilight stood by her side, staring down at the twitching body for a while before glancing over to Applejack.  She looked up at the purple unicorn with fear and pain in her eyes, pleading for her to do something to help, but Twilight's goals were elsewhere.  In one swift motion, Twilight slashed her hoof across Applejack's neck, slitting her throat all the way to the spinal column with an atom-thin blade: Applejack immediately stood up, tried to gasp, took several steps back (choking and bleeding the whole way), and tripped over Rarity, ending her fall by landing hard in the damp bathtub.

Blood from that encounter had gotten everywhere; the walls were splattered with it, the floor had a trail leading from Big Macintosh over to the tub, and even the ceiling received a splotch or two.  Most of all, though, was Rarity: her white coat readily soaked up the crimson fluid and she, being somewhat disoriented, took a minute to realize what had just happened.  She let out a loud, horrified scream, lifting her front hooves up and examining them; only finding that blood had started to seep in.

"Rarity..."  Twilight said in as menacing a voice as she could muster.  "Are you okay?"

Rarity slowly tore her gaze away from her bloodied hooves, staring up at Twilight half in disbelief and half in terror.  "W-w-wha-..."  She just couldn't think of a single thing to say.  She had been punched by her best friend, seemed to have lost all recollection of the past few minutes, and then woke up with Big Macintosh collapsed on the floor, Applejack lying stone-still in the bathtub, and covered in blood .  For all she knew, she was responsible, and Twilight could see that in her frightened little face.

"You lost it, Rarity...  You killed Applejack."  Twilight knew that the ruse wouldn't last forever, but she figured it would be fun to use for the time being.

"No!  No I couldn't have!  S-she... She was my friend!"  Rarity threw her head over to the bathtub, glancing in and spotting Applejack's body.

"Friends don't hit each other like that...  It was self defense."  Twilight let her sentences trail off at the end, watching Rarity's reactions closely.  She was believing every single word that Twilight fed to her.

The white unicorn just couldn't bring her eyes away from the tub, however, and she witnessed the most horrible thing she had ever seen.  The basin of the tub was starting to fill with the earth pony's slowly draining blood, and Applejack's blonde mane quickly soaked it up, making her look far more wounded than she truly was.  The body was in awful shape: her eyes and cheeks were wet with tears, mouth was agape and blood leaked from her nose and between her teeth.  The last look on Applejack's face was one of pain and horror, and Rarity's sheltered lifestyle had never prepared her for the sight of a dead body, never mind that of a close friend in such a state.  Her resolve tore to shreds and she broke down, blamed herself, and began sobbing into her forelegs.  The raspy, dreadful din of Rarity's cries of mental anguish set Twilight into a very happy mood, so she gleefully (though she tried her damnedest to stifle her obvious happiness) trotted over, making her actions seem like she intended to comfort the white, bloodstained unicorn on the horribly stained bathroom floor.

"It's going to be okay, Rarity.  I can bring her back."  Twilight rested her foreleg around Rarity's withers, pulling her into a hug and letting her cry.  The unicorn gladly accepted, burying her face in Twilight's shoulder and pressing hard into her soft fur.  The added pressure helped, but the sentiment just drew more tears from her, prolonging the frightened reaction for a few seconds longer.

Rarity tried frantically to decide where her emotions would stay; her mind was in absolute turmoil.  She was hyperventilating and, through the chaos of a completely shaken world, open to suggestion far wilder than most ponies would normally be.  "W-what do you need?"

"I need you to make me a promise, Rarity, can you do that for me?"

"Yes... Yes, yes of course I can, what promise?"  Rarity's eagerness to help Twilight undo the mistake that she thought she had made was so pleasing to Twilight that she actually cracked a smile, one that didn't go unnoticed by the white unicorn.  

"You have to promise me that you'll trust me, and that Celestia will never... ever hear of what goes on today.  Can you promise me that?"  Twilight looked down into Rarity's eyes, helping her sort out her emotions one by one, calming them and giving her peace.  Rarity took this as a simple comfort that she found from being held by Twilight, the same kind that she got from Big Macintosh's touch.

"Yes, I promise...  I'll never speak to Celestia about this.  I swear on my life."

"Not only will you never speak to her about this, but you'll join me in fighting her if I need you to."

"What?"  Rarity was taken aback by this, but was still willing to listen.

"Celestia would rather see Applejack dead than brought back with my magic.  She doesn't agree with that sort of thing.  Not only that, but she'd see me hanged or imprisoned for practicing such a thing, and see you executed for the murder.  Now we don't want that, do we?"

"No, no not at all..."  Rarity started to sound more and more hypnotized as Twilight spoke.  She had fallen into her trap and was slowly losing herself to Twilight's agenda.  For all intents and purposes, Twilight was the spider that had just injected its victim with those horrible enzymes.  Poor Rarity was the unfortunate fly about to be devoured after its insides had liquefied.

"Good, and if Applejack stays dead, many ponies in town will starve.  Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom can't handle the farm all by themselves.  They need her."

"They need her..."  Rarity couldn't break the gaze.  Everything she had ever wanted to feel seemed to come from staring into Twilight's beautiful eyes.  To Rarity, even the purple unicorn's eyes seemed more beautiful each passing second, though not in such a way to inspire jealousy.

"You and I need her."

"We need her..."

"We don't need the Princess."

"We don't need Celestia..."

"We can stop her from halting the life changing progress of healing magic, can't we, Rarity?"

"We can stop her..."

"We can kill her."

"We can..."  Rarity nodded, mouth still open and mind still traumatized.  Applejack's body had been broken and would be pieced back together by Twilight's ancient magic.  Rarity's mind had gone through the same fate; broken into splinters by an earth shattering event, only to be put back together just the way Twilight and Iago wanted it to be.  Loyal, subservient, and unquestioning.  In a swift and violent motion the elements of harmony had been destroyed, thrown into dissonance by the fragility of the lives of the ponies whose shoulders they rested on.  Harmony had died with Applejack.

The Devil's Pretty Angel Wings Are Fake

Applejack's body slowly rose up, her neck knitted together and her eyes seemed finally full of life once more.  Rarity, never having torn her eyes away from the body during the entire ritual, blinked several times in disbelief.  She was absolutely exhilarated to have her friend back but, having felt entirely responsible for her death, was wary of whether or not Applejack might forgive her.

The white unicorn was certainly amazed by the show of power that Twilight exhibited; she knew that Twilight was great at her craft, but had no idea that it could extend to the point of life giving.  Applejack's eyes rapidly blinked, glancing around the room and first meeting gazes with Twilight.  Eventually she bowed her head, not acknowledging much of anything, and started to walk toward the front door.

"Applejack!  Where are you going?  Do you feel okay?"  Rarity chased down Applejack and tried to get her to stop and talk.  The earth pony simply kept on moving.  "Applejack!"

The seemingly brain-dead mare turned her head to look at Rarity, then quickly glanced over at Twilight.  After a few seconds she responded to Rarity's beckoning.  "I'm headed to the library, Rarity."

"But...  Don't you think you should sit down for a while?  You've...  You've been through a lot..."  Rarity fought back more tears, worried that Applejack wanted to leave out of spite.  The white unicorn still was under the impression that she was the one who killed Applejack, so she simply wanted to hear three simple words: I forgive you.  Unfortunately for her, Applejack seemed to have her goals set and, being in the current state that she was, she didn't seem about to stray from her path at all.

"I'm fine, Rarity.  I really need to go."  Applejack's voice came out as robotic and distant, like she was having trouble figuring out where she was and was simply responding in the most default of phrases she could think of.  With that final exclamation, however, she left Rarity sitting in the bathroom and walked out the door.  Rarity could only stare in disbelief.  On the one hand, Twilight just brought Applejack back from the dead, which was miraculous in itself, but on the other hand she still lost a very close friend.  

"You might want to go with her, Rarity."  Twilight stood next to Big Macintosh, helping bring him back out of his temporary paralysis from being mentally invaded.  She gazed into his eyes, gently stroked down his mane and used Iago's help to guide the big stallion's consciousness back into its rightful place.  He seemed to calm down during the treatment, but still had the odd twitch and flail of his limbs as he tried to move them.

"Why?  She probably never wants to see me again..."  Rarity let her tears flow, though she didn't make any noise to accompany them.

"No, Rarity, she does.  She's just preoccupied at the moment."  Twilight spoke very matter-of-factly, which seemed beyond strange to Rarity, but she went along with it regardless.  "You really ought to join her."

"But what's at the library?"

"It's just a gathering place.  I'm going to be holding a meeting with all six of us, so she just wants to get there ahead of the crowd.  That's all."

"How do you know so much about what she wants?"

"Oh, Rarity."  Twilight couldn't help but laugh a little, leaving Big Macintosh's side (who had abruptly passed out after he got situated back in his own head) so that she could stand by Rarity.  "I know much, much more than you might think.  Just trust me on this one, she's going back to the library for a gathering, and if you don't join her...  Well I'll have to see what I can do to make you join her."

"W-what?"  Rarity, frightened by the power in Twilight's voice and the anger with which she said that, shrunk away and eyed Twilight with an air of suspicion and fear.

Careful, Twilight.  She's prone to suggestion, but if you order her around too much she might get wise to the manipulation.  Iago's sage advice sprang into action the instant Twilight started to screw up her plan.  This time it was welcome, but Twilight wasn't sure what she'd do if he started barking commands at her.

"What I mean to say is..."  Twilight paused, deciding to stall a little so that she could think up something believable,  "Sorry, I'm having kind of a weird day, what with Applejack and Big Macintosh... walking in on you and dealing with that whole fight..."

"I'm sorry...  I didn't mean for you to see any of that."

"Listen, it's alright.  I'm here to help and all of us have a lot to prepare for.  Please, Rarity, just get to the library with Applejack.  I'm going to run over and grab Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash and then we can start the meeting up.

"Twilight...  While I respect the urgency of whatever it is this meeting is going to be about...  Just look at my bathroom."  Rarity glanced around at all of the blood, especially that all over her coat.  It had started to dry, leaving disgusting globs of coagulated blood amidst a slowly darkening pool of reddish brown.  Rarity's coat, however, had already stained to the point that she'd have to take an ice bath just to get the streaks and splatters of brown fur to whiten again.  "I really need to clean this place up...  Myself included."

"I'll clean, just get to the library and use my shower, please."  Twilight was starting to get impatient, but she readily masked it with a pleading tone.

"What if somepony runs into me on the street looking... like this?"

I brought one of your blue cloaks along, it's in the hallway.  Iago gave Twilight this information quickly, perhaps too quickly.  He knew too much and it was starting to bother Twilight, but for the time being she simply relayed the message.

"I have a cape in the hallway, it's blue so it should help bring out your eyes and it's long enough to cover you up.  If anyone asks just say it's a little bit of mud and you're heading in to wash it off.  Nopony's going to suspect anything."  Twilight started to gently pull all the water out of the still wet blood, drying it out quickly before it had a chance to seep into the surrounding materials too deep.

"Alright...  Please be by soon...  I'm scared, Twilight."  A moment of sincerity from Rarity's voice reached Twilight's ears.  For that brief moment she felt almost like herself again, though it was very quickly pushed away.  Twilight didn't know this, but Iago immediately crushed any kind of sentiment as soon as it entered Twilight's subconscious.  This one slipped past.

"I will as soon as I can, Rarity.  I promise."  Twilight nudged Rarity toward the door, trying her best to get the white unicorn to just leave her alone.  She gave in, resolving to just follow Applejack down the road, catch up, and hopefully get her to accept an apology.  Twilight, happy to have her gone, went about her cleanup of the bathroom.

All of the blood had been dried out by Twilight's casual removal of the water, giving her an easy way to simply use her telekinesis to scrape it all off.  With all of the blood having been pulled loose, Twilight simply balled it up and set it ablaze, burning away all remnants of it in an intense little fireball.  She figured that it would be best to bring Big Macintosh out and leave him in Rarity's bed, at least that way he'd have a hint on why he was there if he couldn't remember.  She lifted his big, hefty body up and levitated it out the door, dragging it out into the hallway and into Rarity's room.  She laid him down on the over sized, luxurious bed that Rarity had sitting perfectly organized against the back wall.  She didn't bother pulling any covers over him, but she did make sure his head was lying comfortably on a pillow.  She wasn't sure when Big Macintosh would awaken, or if he was ever aware of her presence in his mind, but he'd soon wake up and Twilight would be long gone.

After the good bit of cleaning that Twilight provided, she left the Carousel Boutique and headed off toward Fluttershy's house.  With luck, the more timid one would be an easy target and Twilight was certainly ready for something simple.  Twilight, during her walk over to the outskirts of Ponyville, once more struggled to keep true dominance of her own thoughts.  She started to see what Iago was really doing: slowly muscling her mind out of the way, making his presence more important to her decisions than her own, and trying to truly take over.  She was in too deep, and unfortunately for her she had grown bitter, cynical and stubborn from Iago's teachings, so she wasn't exactly about to admit defeat nor ask for help.  She filled her head with random information, lazily disguising it as relevant to her current situation, but really just making things up to think so that Iago's voice (if it was ever really heard) was blocked out by the mental white noise.

Twilight?  Iago's voice managed to chip its way into Twilight's thoughts.

Kill 'em all.  Going to kill them, every single one.  Damn the elements, damn them all.  The elements are useless without Celestia...  Twilight just continued to ignore Iago, trying her damnedest to block herself from accidentally detailing the plan in her own head.

Twilight!  I'm not going to play this game with you again.  Quit thinking for five seconds.  Not that that's a new concept for you at all...  

Soon as we're done they're dead.  Just gotta get them all, then get Celestia... Might kill them first, use them, dispose...  Might just not get them all.  Might kill the ones I have, kill the Princess myself...

Twilight.  This is the last time I'm going to ask.

Then don't ask.  Just let me work.  Twilight broke her train of random thought reflexively, barking back that order without a second thought.

Despite all I've taught you, you still don't seem to grasp how this relationship functions...  Iago let his voice fall into a disappointed, raspy din.  Twilight, however, passed it off as absolutely nothing.

Iago, why don't you go take a nap for a little while?  You sound like you're getting a little cranky.

Don't patronize me, girl.

Or what?  Twilight stood up perfectly straight and cocked her head, listening in for a response and, frankly, looking a little bit insane on the street.

Iago didn't respond at all, though Twilight could still feel his domineering presence inside her head.

That's what I thought.  Now if you don't mind, I have some things to do, so why don't you just... oh I don't know... go to a quiet place!  With this, Twilight did her best to replicate the invasion of Big Macintosh's mind, though instead of taking over a foreign body, she was simply taking over her own.  Iago certainly didn't appreciate this, and he voiced his distaste with a mind-numbing roar.  Twilight, however, wasn't about to give up after a half-hearted effort; she concentrated as hard as she could, pushing Iago away and condensing him into a small corner of her mind.  He was suppressed, he was removed, and he was under her control, even if only briefly.

Twilight couldn't hold this state very long, though, and after only a brief forty-five seconds or so of mental revolution she was forced to give up and release Iago back into her head.  No sooner did Iago resume his presence than did he give Twilight the feeling of a heart attack once more: it honestly felt like her heart was being ripped out of her chest through every possible direction that it could be.  Twilight collapsed to her knees on the side of the road, prompting the worried attention of one of the passersby.  The wounded purple unicorn, unfortunately, could not respond to her.

How dare you!  Iago's voice cut through Twilight's thoughts like a dull knife, ripping every single one away from her head as it entered her mind.  This time, when he spoke, his voice held a passion that Twilight had never been able to detect before: raw, unadulterated hatred.  Twilight knew that her only chance to survive was to appeal to this and to lead him on, so she did just that.

Oohhh... Oh, yes, Iago.  Let that out.  All that pent up anger, all that rage...

I should have just killed you a long time ago...  All I need is your body, I don't need your rebellious little delinquent brain!

What are you waiting for?  Kill me.  Kill me right now.  Split me in half lengthwise!  Horrify every single one of the ponies gathered around me.  Murder your favorite little student.  Get mad, Iago.  Get angry and just let those emotions take over.  Twilight writhed on the ground as she spoke inward, mouthing along a few of the syllables that she thought and kicking her legs in a way that forced her body to grind against the cobblestone street.  She had drawn a crowd of six other ponies, all of whom were staring on in shock at the frightening behavior.

Iago didn't respond, but the pain didn't subside either.  However, Twilight figured that it was a good sign that it wasn't getting any worse.

It feels so good, doesn't it?  So good to just kill something that's caused you so much annoyance.  To destroy something beautiful, to rip away a life.  Something so irreplaceable...  Twilight felt Iago calm down only trough the slight recession in the torrent of emotions surrounding her mind.  She knew she had him where she wanted him, so she kept pushing and pushing, silently hoping that he'd reevaluate his goals enough to let Twilight get away with just that one act of insubordination.  Go on, Iago.  Do it!  I'm waiting!  We're all waiting.  Twilight turned her head toward the worried mare hanging over her.  She was just another pony from around town, 'Bon Bon' was her name, Twilight thought.  The purple unicorn simply nodded, smiled, and struggled to her feet, assuring the stranger that she was indeed alright even though she couldn't really stand without almost crumbling.  

Iago's grip on Twilight's heart still didn't loosen and she started to see spots and get a little nauseous from the pain.  What are you waiting for?  If I were you I'd have killed me already.  Me and all these other weaklings.

I'll never stoop to your level.  Ever.  Iago let go of Twilight and she felt the pain recede, standing up tall and taking a few deep breaths.  She left Bon Bon behind her and started to walk away; the earth pony didn't stop Twilight and, after a few moments of hesitation, simply let it go and walked on toward her own home.  Twilight, her leash-holder finally doing as she wished for once, moved on to complete her mission.

The purple unicorn kept her thoughts almost entirely to herself, no small task considering her current 'guest' inside her head.  She simply didn't think about anything, instead focusing on various parts of her body as they trudged on toward Fluttershy's hut.  It was an old meditation technique she had learned several years ago to try and drown out distractions, though it certainly wasn't being used for that end, and Iago didn't have too much to say about it.  He simply went along for the ride, quiet as a mouse, and presumably searched or plotted or brooded or did whatever he did while he was up there inside Twilight's head.  

Eventually, after several minutes of listening to her perfectly timed heartbeats and breath, Twilight came upon the absurdly nature-ridden dwelling of Fluttershy.  Twilight scoffed at the cutesy little animals and critters dashing from branch to branch in the trees around her home; disgusting, all of them.  Iago made no comment, but Twilight figured that his cynicism was just about as rancid as hers.  

With all of the enthusiasm of a dead cactus, Twilight dragged herself up to Fluttershy's doorstep and knocked with the back of her hoof, not having to wait very long before the door was pulled open by none other than Rainbow Dash.  

"Hey, Rainbow.  What're you doing here?" Twilight asked, hiding her surprise behind her perfectly controlled, emotionless face.

Rainbow Dash glanced around over Twilight's shoulders, making sure nopony else was around, and then reached out to pull her inside.  The instant the door slammed behind her, Twilight was given a response.  "Don't get the wrong idea or nothin', but I'm helping Fluttershy clean out all of her animals' dens and stuff.  I just felt like I owed her...  Y'know, 'cuz I make her do things that she hates all the time."  She cringed as she spoke, but clearly showed a little sentiment in what she was doing.

"That's very noble of you, Rainbow Dash."  Twilight cocked her head and examined Fluttershy's home, noticing how about half of the various dens and kennels were sparkling clean and the other half looked as if they'd been lazily swept out at best.  "How long have you been here?"

"I dunno...  two hours or so?  Don't think I'm some kind of dweeb for helping out.  Like I said, I feel like I owe her a favor."

"Well don't you worry, there's no judgment from me."  Twilight stepped out toward the center of Fluttershy's living room, moving right past Rainbow Dash as if she were nothing.  "Could you go get her?  There's something I need to talk to you two about."

"Uh... Okay..."  Rainbow Dash flapped herself past Twilight, eying her quizzically.  She noticed something different about her, but just couldn't put her hoof on it.  Regardless, she went off to find Fluttershy.  The yellow pegasus was in some kind of heated debate about the state of Angel's den, but her light blue cohort quickly drew her attention to Twilight in the living room.

Rainbow Dash kept herself aloft but Fluttershy trotted in on the ground.  Twilight simply sat herself down in the rather large easy chair that Fluttershy kept across from her coffee table.  Twilight had always thought it a little odd that the most shy pony in town had such a welcoming home with room for nearly a half dozen ponies.

"What is it, Twilight?  Is everything okay?"  Fluttershy, falling into her old habits of keeping her head low and wearing that cute little worried look, stepped in alongside Rainbow Dash.  All seemed normal except for Twilight sitting down with a very cold and stern demeanor.

"No, everything is not okay.  As a matter of fact I can hardly think of anything worse.  We've all been lied to for a very long time, my friends."  Twilight was as candid as she could be, choosing to relay the 'information' that Iago had been feeding her, prepared to poke holes in any dispute that the pair could possibly offer.

"Who's been lying to us?"  Rainbow Dash asked as she landed, taking a rude, laid-back posture on Fluttershy's couch; just making herself comfortable of course.

"Our beautiful, all powerful, all knowing, fearless leader, Celestia.  Who else?"  Twilight made sure to cock her head and emphasize the sarcastic voice intonation as she spoke.

"But... but what would she be lying about?"  Fluttershy clearly didn't believe it right away, but Rainbow Dash's face curled back in disgust.  Gullible as always.

"Yeah I'm kinda curious to hear about this.  Just what has she been lying about?"  The blue pegasus adjusted her posture on the couch to a much less relaxed position.

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed the weirdly high frequency of world-threatening events we all have to deal with.  In the past three years we've all been together, all directly after Celestia's influence, the world has nearly ended, what, five times?  Before we met, has it ever happened?  Not that I'm aware of.  Doesn't that strike you as kind of odd?"

"What's your point, Twilight?"  Fluttershy sat down next to Rainbow Dash, leaning forward and listening intently, but certainly not going along with it quite as heavily as her friend.

"My point is that we haven't been doing exactly as we've been told.  We've been eliminating competition.  Celestia feels threatened by these other entities: the changelings, Discord, her sister...  They've all been out for her throne and, since she has no direct successors, she's pretty much got her rule set out for the rest of time so long as she has a special task force ready to defend it.  Sounds an awful lot like the 'elements of harmony' to me."

"So you're telling me that Celestia's just been using us to keep herself at the top all this time?"  Rainbow Dash's wings sprung up as was typical for a pegasus in an excited state.  Twilight decided to play off of that excitement.

"Yes, Rainbow Dash, that's exactly what I'm saying.  She doesn't ever really inform us of our targets, she just points us at them and tells us to defeat them.  She never consults us when she writes things into law, she never asks our opinions on her rule, she never includes us in politics...  We're just the brainwashed tip of her longest, pointiest spear."

"I don't believe this!"  Rainbow Dash sprang up from her seat, startling Fluttershy a little bit.  She hovered there above the couch, making the deadly mistake of looking Twilight in the eyes amidst the outburst.  "She lied to us all this time about why we were doing the things we did and just used us?  I hate being used like that!"  The storm in her mind calmed as Twilight took its reigns.  Rainbow Dash, with all of her anger and frustration flared up as it was, had her mind forced toward a single goal: follow Twilight against the princess.

"Don't you think you're overreacting a little bit?"  Fluttershy chimed in.  She glanced between Twilight and Rainbow Dash back and forth, though she certainly didn't make eye contact with either.  "I mean...  She could just be doing what she thinks is best for us."

"What's best for us?"  Rainbow Dash landed behind the couch, resting her front hooves on Fluttershy's shoulders over the back of the big sofa.  This made Fluttershy squeak and cringe, though she calmed down after the invasion of privacy had set for a little while.  "If she actually cared about what was best for us she wouldn't have kept us in the dark this whole time and sent us against her greatest enemies completely blind.  She never helps us fight them, the only time she even tried to she got beaten down into the freakin' ground!  We're left to fend for ourselves and fight her battles for her just so that she can stay in power and you think she's doing what's best?"  The yellow pegasus, subject to this verbal assault, huddled herself up in fright.  Even though the insemination of the idea into Rainbow Dash's mind had worked like a charm, Twilight took a different tactic in dealing with Fluttershy, who tended to be a little bit more cautious about everything.

"Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash may be a little... worked up, but she's right.  We were all picked because of our talents in a certain area; arbitrary talents that Celestia just happened to pick out.  Plus she picked me to lead the rest of you five.  Think about that for a minute, I'm her personal student, the one who literally learned everything from her and has ties only to her.  The only reason I even noticed any of this is because I've been doing a lot of deep, personal thinking and I spotted a few little holes in the story.  Celestia has complete control over the elements of harmony, and they're a very powerful force, as you've no doubt noticed."

"I don't know...  This seems a little bit... over the top."  Twilight knew that Fluttershy wasn't falling for it and it was starting to frustrate the unicorn.  Iago hadn't stepped in to keep Twilight calm, so she was falling prey to her bad habit of letting that frustration drive her more than she ought to.  Twilight stood up and looked Rainbow Dash in the eyes, tilting her head back toward Fluttershy's staircase to signal her to leave the room, which the pegasus promptly did.  Fluttershy watched her exit and only slowly turned back to face Twilight, finding that the unicorn had sat herself down in Rainbow Dash's old spot, looking her dead in the face.  

"Fluttershy, I'm here asking for your help.  I know the princess has been lying to us, I know she's been deceiving all six of us for her own personal agenda, and I know that I have the support of Applejack and Rarity, and now even Rainbow Dash.  I need to know I can count on you too.  We're going to find Celestia and confront her, convince her to make a few changes and then hopefully we can deal with this little problem once and for all.  That's what we do, isn't it?  We're problem solvers."

Fluttershy glanced around, very uncomfortable with the situation (though this wasn't exactly new), and stuttered out a question.  "N-nopony's going to get hurt?"

"My goal isn't to hurt anyone.  I just want to make sure this all gets straightened out, Fluttershy."  Twilight didn't even feel the slightest remorse for this bold-faced lie.  The closest thing to guilt she felt at that moment was in making the decision to kill Fluttershy first so that she didn't spend too much time in shock over the manipulation.

"I still don't know..."

With this, Twilight had given up completely and snapped, letting her rage form the next of her words.  Fluttershy's indecision drove Twilight to grab the pegasus' chin and force the two to look each other in the eye.  "Let me put it this way.  If you don't help me I'll burn down your home and every single fucking animal in here.  Got it?"

The fear and dread that this statement caused immediately shattered Fluttershy's mind.  Twilight was absolutely relentless in her invasion, driving Fluttershy's motives to help Twilight and avoid the loss of everything she loved.  Primal emotions hooked their roots in the pegasus' mind and Twilight effectively had the timid little one collared to her will.  With Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash on board, that left only Pinkie Pie to gather before the final front against Celestia could be started.

Everything was going according to plan.

Those Too Weak To Learn

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash took off together, following Twilight's advice and heading to the library for their gathering.  With only Pinkie Pie left before every single one of the Elements of Harmony were converted, Twilight simply couldn't be stopped.  She left Fluttershy's house, slamming the door behind her and setting her sights toward Ponyville's town square.  Afternoon had struck and the sun was dipping closer and closer to the mountains that cradled Canterlot's architecture.  Twilight looked up into the burning orb, letting her body's regenerative properties keep her eyes from burning right out of her head.  Once more, Twilight indulged herself the simple pleasure of symbolic gameplay: blotting out the sun with her hoof and pretending to stamp it out.

During her walk, no other ponies even tried to interact with her.  She was blending into the crowd, not even making a ripple in the tide of events, or so they all thought.  It was both a good and a strange feeling, however, as Twilight was certainly used to drawing an eye by that point.  They'll all look back on this day fondly when I'm queen...  Twilight thought, letting her mind trail and lead into dozens upon dozens of unbound thoughts, losing herself almost entirely to her own mind while her body propelled itself blindly forward.  They'll all remember seeing me on the streets, passing me by.  They'll all wonder what would have happened if they had been my friends, or my family, or if they'd said hello by the side of the road.  They'll all wish I was a little nicer, wish for a painless, meager existence, wish for me to let them go.  But they're all mine.  Twilight's thoughts came and went, helping drag a big, crazy looking grin across her darkened face.  

Ponies started to part out of Twilight's way as she trudged into the slightly more populated town square.  She didn't even bother to move out of the way of the ponies in front of her; if they didn't do it for her then she'd just bowl them over.  After only a few bumped elbows, Twilight Sparkle found herself at the end of a very long line leading into Sugar Cube Corner.  Twilight, without any of her usual patience, just muscled her way into the door, shoving past several angry ponies along the way.  Behind the counter sat Mr. and Mrs. Cake supervising Pinkie's usual position.

"Where's Pinkie Pie?"  Twilight asked, cocking her head to one side and walking up to the counter.  She reared up and placed her forelegs crossing one another on the counter to try and convey being rushed.

"Oh, well, we're not a hundred percent sure, Twilight.  She asked us for the day off today and we gave it to her.  We're really not the kind of folks who pry."  Mrs. Cake responded, nervously cashing orders and clearly not having the same grasp on her job as Pinkie Pie did.

"Well..."  Twilight inched herself over toward the cash register, smiling a big, fake, wolfish smile and batting her eyelashes.  The line of customers to her immediate left wasn't getting any shorter, but the ponies that were standing in it constantly changed.  "I am the kind to pry.  So, why don't you just give me... oh I dunno...  An educated guess on where she might be, hmm?"  Twilight traced her hoof in a circle on the counter top, leaving a steadily growing incision in the varnished wood beneath.  

"I uhm...  I really don't know, Twilight.   Oh, sir, that's four bits, not three."  Mrs. Cake tried to divide her clearly distressed attention between the two parties before her, and failed.

"Well I gave you four, see there it is on the counter still."  The mottled brown Pony standing in line voiced his protest right in Twilight's ear, irking her and driving her just that much closer to a snap.

"Oh... Well... Silly me, right you are.  Here you go then, nice doing business with you!"  Mrs. Cake waved the customer off and greeted the one immediately behind him.  Twilight held her foreleg out to the side, immediately stopping the line and prompting the grumbles of disapproval from each individual therein.

"Wild guess, then.  Please, Mrs. Cake, I don't have all day."

"Well neither do I."  Barked the yellow earth pony behind Twilight's foreleg barrier.  The purple unicorn didn't even need to respond; she simply turned her head so slowly it might as well have had rusty hinges squeaking away.  She ended the stare down with a quick and dirty manipulation of the pony's perception.  To the earth pony, Twilight's head had just deformed hideously into a terrifying abomination, complete with snapping jaws, flicking forked tongue, horns and thorns and venomous fangs, along with the worst, most piercing red eyes one could ever have nightmares about.  This vision effected only her; the color drained from her face and she shrank back, stunned at the aberration she was seeing and glancing around for a bout of approval.  Since nopony else seemed to pay attention (and the vision was just so real) she just ran back out the door, screaming bloody murder and crying her eyes out.  The crowd behind her looked on with a curiosity that slowly faded to a dull, grey apathy.  

"I-I-I think I last saw her with your friend Spike.  Have you tried checking at your library?"  Mrs. Cake finally had her attention undivided, though the answer just frustrated Twilight more.  

"No, I guess I haven't."  Twilight said with a grumble, though she thought to herself that it'd be just too convenient if it happened to be true.

"Well try there, she's certainly not here!"  Mrs. Cake shooed Twilight out the door and welcomed the next, non-terrified customer up to the counter.  Twilight, going off of the fact that Pinkie was last seen with Spike, decided that the library wouldn't be a bad starting point.  She'd just scan all of his hangouts until the two of them turned up.

Twilight stepped outside, impatient enough to use her old magic once again to expedite her travels, and teleported from Sugar Cube Corner back to the library.  With a loud pop and chime, Twilight came back into existence right outside her doorstep.  She stepped inside, throwing the door open and seeing all of her friends sitting in her living room.  Rainbow Dash and Rarity turned their heads the instant the door was flung open, but Applejack kept staring at the wall like the zombie that she was, and Fluttershy refused to make eye contact.

"Pinkie hasn't turned up yet, has she?"  Twilight didn't even bother stepping all the way inside the door during her question.  She received no response, just a general shaking of the heads from the two attentive ponies in her living room.  With that, she turned and left, slamming the door behind her and snapping out of reality once again, only to appear in a meadow that was infamous for harboring the obnoxious pink earth pony.  Though the view in the late afternoon sun glare was absolutely breathtaking the unicorn didn't even bother to stop and admire it.  With Twilight's quarry nowhere to be seen, she let out a loud, frustrated groan and teleported once more, though this time back into Ponyville.

Twilight spent a grand majority of the next hour magically popping into and out of various places around town, desperately trying to locate Pinkie Pie.  Each location that she visited, however, only built upon her already unstable temper.  She eventually quit trying to be discreet and focused on her efficiency: she could be seen magically poofing into the living rooms or bathrooms or kitchens of various homes, even those of strangers on occasion.  Pinkie Pie was nowhere to be found, at least as far as obvious and usual places were concerned.  For the life of her, Twilight had run out of ideas on where to find the final element of harmony.  

In one desperate final attempt, Twilight went back to Sugar Cube Corner, choosing this time to walk instead of simply popping into the building.  It wasn't a terribly long walk, that's for sure, just a quiet one.  Twilight had started to build up somewhat of a reputation for recent violent outbursts, so several of the ponies that she normally ran into gave her a wide berth.  There's always a kind of awkward silence within a space whenever you have a crowd trying to avoid someone for whatever reason, but the fact that Iago hadn't said much since Twilight started her search just made the entire situation unsettling.  To Twilight, the feeling was akin to being deafened so she certainly wasn't within her usual comfort zone.  

Once she finally returned, Sugar Cube Corner looked as though it may as well have been closed.  No one was behind the counter, nor was there a line, nor customers just sitting and talking to each other, but the door wasn't locked.  As soon as the bell above the door signaled Twilight's entrance, Mrs. Cake once more showed herself.  She was in the kitchen, presumably cleaning up, but couldn't be arsed to fully bring her body all the way into the room for a potential customer.

"Oh!  Hello there Twilight.  Did you find Pinkie Pie?"  She asked, wiping a mixture of sweat and flower off of her brow with the back of her foreleg.

"No, I didn't, but seeing as how she lives here I just figured I'd sit and wait."  Twilight didn't even make eye contact with the older mare, choosing instead to sit down at one of the small tables by the windows and stare off into the late afternoon sky.  After politely turning down a few free pastries to keep herself occupied, Twilight sat and suffered through a very boring fifteen minutes.  After that time had passed, give or take, the purple unicorn heard the one thing that she really wished she hadn't heard: the muffled sound of a giggle from upstairs.

Twilight stood up with a very angry expulsion of energy: smaller objects where tossed around a little bit, but nothing too serious came of her outburst.  She quickly stepped over to the Cakes' staircase and looked up, listening in and once more picking up the unmistakeable laugh of Pinkie Pie.  It was, however, accompanied by Spike's also familiar voice.

"Oh those sons of bitches..."  Twilight looked over into the kitchen, noticing Mrs. Cake going about her business of sweeping the floor.  She seemed to be humming along just loudly enough, coupled with increasing age and baby-deafened ears, so that she couldn't hear the commotion upstairs.  Twilight ground her teeth and headed up, intent on finding out why she just wasted close to two hours trying to find those morons.  She viciously threw the door open, though Pinkie Pie wasn't about to halt herself amidst telling a joke.

"So... So..."  The pink earth pony gasped out between breaths, unable to stop laughing just as she was about to deliver the punchline.  "So the donkey says to the gopher..."  She tried her damnedest to stifle the laugh, but only ended up snickering loudly into her hoof for a few seconds.  "... So he says, 'But that's not your cousin, those are my teeth!"

Twilight certainly didn't get the joke, having missed the setup, but even if she did she probably wouldn't have laughed.  Spike and Pinkie, on the other hand, were practically crying; it must have been a truly fantastic piece of artisan humor.  That notwithstanding, Twilight stepped into the room and, with a sternness in her voice that could kill a redwood sapling, spoke to the pair.  

"Spike.  Go home."  Twilight said.  She didn't once raise her voice, but Spike knew that she was dead serious.  He stood up, wrung his hands, and tried to explain himself, but before he could even get a squeak out Twilight cut him off.  "Now, Spike."

The dragon hung his head and left, sadly plopping his feet down the steps so that he could leave his day of fun.  Pinkie Pie sat quietly (indeed it was strange, but Twilight's voice held a deep, penetrating anger that didn't even need energy to carry itself) and waited for the unicorn to address her.

"How long have you been here, Pinkie Pie?"

"O-Only about thirty minutes, Twili--"  Pinkie Pie's body was still hyped up on her high-energy expedition with Spike, but her mind had shrunk back to the point that her whole being was uncomfortable and confused.

"You've been here for half an hour?"  Twilight's voice started to raise a little bit.  She couldn't hold back the anger any longer and was just looking for a reason to vent it.  "Where the hell else have you been all day?"

"W-well, we went for a long walk around town, went to the park, went to Sweet Apple Acres...  We just walked around all day.  That's all...  I promise."  Pinkie Pie eventually started to curl back and sit up straight, ready to take on the interrogation as best she could.

"Heh...  Hahahaha."  Twilight let out a short series of laughs, ones that still retained the sternness in her voice, but laughs nonetheless.  "So it's pretty safe to say that, while I've been looking for you all..."  Twilight trailed off as she took a deep breath, stopping herself from literally screaming the rest of her sentence at Pinkie Pie.  "... all afternoon...  You've just been maybe ten minutes ahead of me?"

"I...  I don't..."  Pinkie just shrugged and shook her head, unable to grasp the idea of Twilight having just missed her a dozen times.  Twilight took the opportunity to relieve the tension in the pink pony, but to also deceive her.

The purple unicorn walked over to the circular window on the wall in Pinkie's room, tilted it open along the small, horizontal hinge that allowed it to flip open like a coin, and stuck her head out to take a deep sniff of the cool air.  "Ahh...  Come over here and smell this, would you?  It's just lovely."  Pinkie Pie, uncomfortable as she was with the sudden change in voice intonation and seriousness in the way Twilight said things, just played along.  She did as Twilight did, sticking her head out the window, closing her eyes, and taking a deep, slow breath through her nose.  As she did so, however, Twilight removed herself from the windowsill and placed her hooves on the big circular thing itself.  As soon as Pinkie finished her deep breath Twilight slammed the window shut, letting Pinkie Pie's neck stop it from shutting all the way.  This gave her a small triangle of open space that she could talk through, as well as hear Pinkie Pie's yelp of pain and fear followed by struggled attempts at breathing.  She didn't have her windpipe completely cut off, so she could survive like that as long as Twilight wanted her to, but it certainly wasn't comfortable.

"Alright, Pinkie Pie.  How the hell do you do it?  Hmm?"  Twilight held the window down on Pinkie's neck, letting her mane split apart to accommodate the jagged wooden corner digging into her backbone.  "How in the ever loving fuck do you always manage to stay one frustrating step ahead of me?!"  As she spoke, Twilight's voice raised up and she began to exude enough anger and unbound heat to raise the ambient temperature in the room.  Pinkie Pie felt like she was standing next to a fireplace.

"I-I-I..."  Pinkie tried her best to speak, only able to cough out a sad, pathetic cluster of syllables which only made Twilight press the window down harder.

"Shut up!"  Twilight lowered her muzzle to the small triangle of space and spoke out to Pinkie in a much more controlled manner.  "I don't know what I did in some past life to deserve the fucked up karma that you keep throwing my way, but with that stupid Pinkie Sense thing, with my library's delicate organization patterns, with those damn pranks that you kept pulling on me day after fucking day!"  Any more rage behind her words and Twilight would be foaming at the mouth.  She couldn't keep the controlled tone for very long, and gradually let her voice rise up to a yell as she spoke.  "You always manage to evade even the most basic forms of self control, or regular thought patterns, and you're always one step ahead of me.  Even now...  I can use deductive reasoning to see the future and I still can't figure out what the fuck you're doing at any given moment.  And you know what?  I'm absolutely sick of it!  I'm sick of you, I'm sick of your unbelievably stupid lifestyle, I'm sick of your stories about living on a damn rock farm!  I'm sick of everything that you stand for and you had better believe that I am this!  Fucking!  Close!  To finding out which is stronger: your backbone or the window!"  Twilight hammered her hoof against the wall each time she paused mid sentence just to amplify her point.

Pinkie Pie was reduced to tears within seconds of the hateful, abusive yelling that Twilight was haranguing her with.  She simply didn't understand what she had done wrong.  Twilight, thinking very seriously about just decapitating her right there and letting her head fall onto the street below, paused for just a second.  After deciding for something a little different, she pulled the window open and yanked on Pinkie's shoulders.  The pink mare fell into the room, crumbling onto the floor and coughing violently, but Twilight didn't give her even a moment's respite.

"Get up."

"But--"

"Get.  The fuck.  Up!"  Pinkie Pie immediately obliged, though her knees were shaky and she could barely hold her head up.  Twilight didn't want to bother dragging her through the streets, so she did what she had been doing all day long: teleported the both of them back to her library.  She didn't, however, join the entire group in the living room, but instead wound up inside of Twilight's bedroom.  Pinkie Pie, disoriented from a lack of air, an abundance of pain, and the nausea that comes from teleportation simply fell onto her haunches and tried to find her bearings.  Twilight, on the other hand, immediately left the room to fetch the goofy, balloon-sporting necklace that represented Pinkie Pie's element.  

Upon entering the room once more, Twilight spotted Pinkie Pie trying to stand, so she used her telekinetic force to slam her down onto the floor again.  The cowering pink pony could do nothing but whimper, staring big-eyed up at Twilight as if to ask why.  Twilight, having planned to just kill Pinkie on the floor, felt her own body halt for a second.  As soon as their eyes met, she felt Iago's presence slither away and push into Pinkie Pie's head, though he had temporarily paralyzed the unicorn so that she couldn't just slaughter Pinkie with Iago still inside, or so she assumed.

It only took around forty five seconds before Iago returned, though his only words were an affirmation of Twilight's original plan.  Kill her.  Please.

Twilight smirked as she went about the wetwork, clasping the choker around Pinkie's neck and then stepping back.  Pinkie Pie blinked a few times, trying to get the tears and eyelashes out of her eyes.  Before she could even truly understand the situation that she had been put in, her head whipped to one side.  Twilight had gripped onto Pinkie's muzzle and the base of her skull with her telekinesis, spun her head a full two hundred and seventy degrees and slipped every single disc inside her upper spinal column.  Twilight had crushed her neck and the sensitive brain stem that sat precariously within the fragile column of bone.  Pinkie Pie's heart and lungs immediately seized up, and she died instantly..

Twilight relaxed for the first time that afternoon as she watched Pinkie's body fall like a bag of meat onto the floor.  It made a much louder clunk than she expected it to, but within a minute the primeval runes on the inside of her element brought her right back.  Of course, with a broken neck, she still couldn't hold her head up despite having undead tendons.  Twilight didn't exactly care enough to fix her, so she simply ordered the mindless pony to go downstairs and join the others, though Twilight didn't stand up with her.  The zombie Pinkie Pie didn't pay any mind, however, and simply did as she was told.  It really was odd to see her so placid, so Twilight just sat back and enjoyed the show of a slow, lethargic and quiet Pinkie Pie walking out the door.

Well then, I guess that's all of them.  Twilight thought to herself, finding room to just sit back and relax.  It had been a very long day and she wanted nothing but to rest.

It certainly is.  Iago responded, though his statement was unusually short and choppy.

Heh, so what was it like inside Pinkie Pie's mind?

I won't lie to you, Twilight, it was a frightening place.  She was far more trouble than she was worth to bring to our agenda, even in a state of considerable shock and trauma.

So could you like...  See her thoughts?  Like dreams or something?

Could you when you were inside Big Macintosh?

No, but to be fair your consciousness isn't part of a body anymore.  You're the most abstract thing I've ever had a meaningful conversation with, and I had that bout with discord for a little while.

Fair enough, but still.  No I couldn't see her thoughts in the same visual quality that your brains produce.  I could, however, feel what she was feeling.

Oh yeah?  What was that?

Among the turmoil there were two very distinct areas of almost pure emotion.  One was unnervingly calm and collected, while the other was empathetic and chaotic, responding to the tumultuous trauma that you dealt to her mind with your treatment.  Judging from your memories on Pinkie Pie I'd say...  Well...  She had some demons, let's leave it there.

I think we all know that, Iago.  Glad you got to experience it first hand.

I'm glad she's dead now...  That's something I rather wouldn't do again.

Hah!  Well, I think I'll just take a rest for a little while before I go down there...  Today's been trying and I really wouldn't mind waiting until tomorrow to attack Canterlot.

I wish we had that kind of luxury.  You may be annoyed to hear that Celestia is on her way here right now.

What?  Twilight had to pause and think about that for a second, but the anger and frustration in her mind's voice was so fine tuned that it reacted quicker than she did.

As I said, she's on her way here right now.  I estimate an hour or so before she arrives at your doorstep.

How could you possibly know that?

She and I share more of a connection than you realize...  That and the immense power that she exudes from her body leaves me with a very reliable way of monitoring her presence.  Since I've taken up residence inside your head she's left Canterlot City fourteen times, stayed within the castle walls for more than twenty four hours six times, and left the country only once.  She moves very quickly and leaves ripples that I can feel, and now those ripples are traveling toward Ponyville.  I could be wrong that she's coming to visit, but what's coming off of her isn't the usual energetic pulse of a boring daily routine; she's very worked up about something and she's headed in our direction.

Can she feel you?

If she could she'd have stopped this a very long time ago.  No.  I can only feel her because I exist in the same plane that all energy exists in.  She simply makes a louder noise than the magical ponies and artifacts that inhabit your realm.  Either way she'll be here within the hour, there's no more time to prepare.

Twilight found herself conflicted; on the one hand she was absolutely excited to finally get to fight her old teacher, but on the other hand she had wanted to do so on her own terms.  Everything she'd worked for would be interrupted by the Princess's intrusion.  She had no time to coordinate, no time to talk to her obnoxious friends, no time to plan or organize or think.  She did, however, have the opportunity to express her attitude in raw, unstructured combat, and that was something that she looked forward to.

Remember what I've taught you, Twilight Sparkle.  I'll do my best to help, and if you can procure her head for me then I'll ensure you a permanent position at my side.  I'll remove myself from your mind and take my place in this world with you...  Alongside you.

Heh, well that's an enticing offer...  Why bring it up so late?

I've given some thought to what you've been saying, specifically your futile attempts at threatening me, and I think you may have a point.  I realize that you'll be a powerful ally and I'd prefer not to overstep my bounds and lose you.  Just keep it in mind as we face this common enemy, and keep in mind that I always keep my word.

One problem at a time, Iago.  If you'll excuse me I have to go let the girls know what they've just signed up for.  I hope Celestia's ready to die.

Oh, Twilight, she's been ready to die for a very long time.

In the Fires of the Sun

"Alright, girls, I'm glad you're all here.  Not a moment too soon, either, because we're about to have some very important company."  Twilight spoke in a very matter-of-fact way as she descended the stairs into her living room.  The five ponies all turned to look with varying degrees of interest, but each one was compelled to pay attention in some way.  "I've asked you all to come here, as you know, because Celestia has been manipulating every single one of us for years.  Now, I've decided to confront the 'good princess' about this nasty business, but unfortunately before I could actually think of a... peaceful way to do so..."  Twilight had to force herself to keep a straight face as she said this.  "Somepony leaked information about this meeting, I'm not sure who or how, but I do know that Celestia is on her way here as we speak.  Hold fast, my friends, because she's going to try and stop us any way she can."

"Well we all know she can lose...  You saw what Chrysalis did to her.  Discord too, she couldn't stop either of them on her own."  Rainbow Dash exclaimed, eager to engage in an all out fight with the Princess if she could.  "She made us do the dirty work!  She doesn't stand a chance."

"T-Twilight said nopony had to get hurt..."  Fluttershy spoke up as soon as Rainbow Dash exhibited her violent streak.  The other pegasus rolled her eyes, but Twilight addressed that concern as skillfully as she could.

"You're right, Fluttershy, nopony has to get hurt.  The Princess isn't likely to be violent anyhow, unless of course we start it, so I don't think it'll even come to that."  Twilight tried to cut anymore peanut-gallery input by taking a very dominant stance in the conversation: just spouting off what she needed them all to know with no breaks in between.  "You all need to trust me, that's the only way we'll make it through this."

"What's going to happen, exactly?"  Rarity asked through a forced quizzical look, though her timid posture suggested that she was far more afraid than she was letting on.

"I don't know for sure, but this is going to be trying.  Be strong, girls, I believe in you."  Twilight's comment came out as almost sincere, though she really just mimicked herself from an earlier bout of actual sincerity some months ago.  It did, however, inspire confidence and courage in her companions, most of whom sat up straighter and took a few deep breaths to prepare themselves.  The undead, however, continued to stare off blankly into space.  For the next fifteen minutes, Twilight began positioning her friends, equipped with all six elements of harmony, as far from the front door as they could be without leaving the room.  Each of the five ponies in support of Twilight stood incrementally along her circular wall of bookshelves, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Twilight's old mentor.  

Twilight was the first to hear Celestia land just outside her door.  For the first time in a while the Princess apparently didn't force her guards to carry her where she needed to go, though Twilight could certainly hear dozens of hooves falling onto the ground right after Celestia's heavy, dramatic landing.  To the unicorn's surprise, however, the other sets of hooves kept coming and coming.  Eventually, she must have heard at least fifty other pegasus ponies land outside the library: Celestia knew what she was getting into and brought a platoon to back her up.  Fluttershy's teeth were audibly chattering, and Rarity kept shifting her weight so heavily that Twilight could actually feel it vibrate through the floor.  Within only a few seconds of the final pony landing, and definitely without hesitation, Celestia kicked in Twilight's doorway.

"Alright you six, get inside but stay by this wall, don't get too close to her yet."  Celestia's expression wasn't one of wise placidity as it usually was, but instead was completely overcast with disdain.  The Princess's army was marching outside the library, surrounding the entire tree in a circle of very heavily armed and armored pegasi.  However, six individuals stepped inside the doorway, immediately taking their places in almost perfect intervals along the circular wall opposite Twilight's friends.  Each one, with the Princess included, was wearing an intricately, but crudely, carved pewter pendant.  They were somewhat unremarkable in their size and craftsmanship, but each one boasted a large tree with knotted roots in a deep relief sculpting on the facade.

"You know, the door wasn't locked, Princess."  Twilight said, glancing around and studying each of the ponies around her.  The one on the leftmost edge of their formation seemed worried, but the others were stoic veterans that had clearly done something like this before, or at least trained every single day for it.

"Don't speak, abomination."  Celestia's indifference actually caught Twilight off guard for a second, but she rebounded back in a most personal way.

"That's how you talk to your favorite student?"

"I'm giving you a chance to get out of her right now, Iago, I know it's you.  Don't think that if I have to I won't kill Twilight to make sure you never see the light of day again."

Twilight opened her mouth to speak once more, but her body seized up and refused to cooperate.  Her head tilted down and twisted to the side, stretching out and making her entire form shudder.  Immediately after the unicorn's body fell into complete limpness, Twilight felt as though her muscles had taken control of themselves.  She started to speak, but not in her usual voice, and certainly not one that she had any control over: this was Iago's voice.  His true voice.

"Come now, Celestia, surely even you can recognize when I'm controlling someone's vocations."  The voice that carried words from Twilight's mouth was much, much higher pitched than she had expected.  The voice in her head had absolutely no tone, but this one seemed to have a very heavy one, and one that registered almost in an ancient, raspy squeal than much of a speaking voice.

"I know Twilight would never willingly do any of this!"  Twilight recognized Iago's tactic in getting Celestia riled up, so she didn't resist him.  She did, however, study the Princess's body, knowing the tells that she expressed whenever she got exceptionally angry.  This was working all too well.  "You get out of her!  You're not getting your way this time!  I'll kill you before I let you do this all over again."

"Oh that's where you're wrong.  But I'll tell you what: I'm not going to kill you."  Iago laughed his little laugh, and as high as it was it was still menacing.  "I'm going to let Twilight do it.  You see I've learned something in these past two thousand years...  You've never once killed your students.  You always waited until I did it for you."

"You lie!"  Celestia actually bucked herself forward with this; one of her guards on her side reached a hoof out and placed it on her foreleg, to which she immediately pulled herself back and tried to calm down as best she could.  Iago had her in a very nasty little web.

"Do I?  You've never killed a student whenever we've fought... and all those ones that died because of your negligence--"

"You killed them, you monster!  You murdered them for your own gain!  I won't let you take Twilight, and I won't let you hurt any of my subjects.  Ever!  Again!"  The Princess was screaming now, with her eyes tearing up and her mouth in an uncharacteristic scowl of hatred.  Twilight saw weakness in her emotions, but she also saw an unyielding determination; something that could be a problem.

"Allow me to prove that I mean what I say, 'Princess'...  You and your little guards will be the only casualties tonight, and all from Twilight's doing.  You see I've been teaching her about you, and she's not very happy about what she found out.  It may surprise you to know that she's not under my control, but simply under my wing."

Celestia didn't even dignify this with a verbal response, but she did proceed with a very potent action.  She reached up, quickly and viciously, and slammed her hoof into the figure around her neck.  The instant she made this contact, a pale, thick green light seemed to trace its way around the relief carving, culminating in the Princess yelling out some word in an archaic language that Twilight had never heard before.  This word did not simply fall off and die after a single echo like most of her speech did inside the library: it created something of an explosion.  

A magical wall threw itself in all directions, slamming into Twilight and forcing her back against her bookcases: she bowled over Applejack on the way, and only barely missed Rarity.  The dome that had exploded outward only seemed to effect Twilight, however, as the other ponies were left completely unmoved.  She did notice, though, that the elements of harmony necklaces on each of her friends (her own tiara included) received the same forceful blow that Twilight's entire body had.  Each one was inscribed with the runic pattern to keep a dead pony bound, and each one shattered into dust the instant the spell touched them.  Without their phylacteries to bind them any longer, the two earth ponies dropped limp onto the floor, returning to the peace of death for the final time.  None of those present in the library, save Celestia, knew that the radius of the spell consumed the entire town, shattering every single object that Twilight had left in her wake and killing every single walking corpse that she had brought back.  The Princess just wanted insurance that all of Ponyville wouldn't need to be policed until every undead was destroyed.

That bitch!  Kill her, Twilight!  Kill her now!  Iago's voice screeched into Twilight's mind, though it had returned back to its old, toneless sound.  He did, however, sound as though he were in a great deal of pain even though Twilight barely felt a thing besides the pressure of her body slamming into the shelf.

"Run, girls, that's not Twilight anymore."  Celestia called over to the remaining three ponies in the room.  Fluttershy immediately ran sobbing out the door, so Twilight tripped her as she ran.  The pegasus ate the hardwood floor on her way down, making her curl up to cover her nose with her forelegs and reduce herself down to the fetal position.  Two of the guards behind Celestia stepped forward to help her, but the Princess held her wings up to stop them.  "I'll ensure she makes it out safely, you all need to stay in formation.  Fluttershy, run!"  Fluttershy weakly attempted to crawl, but she was just too shaken to make any real progress; the guards stood and watched, but clearly didn't enjoy the order to do nothing.  Rarity and Rainbow Dash didn't run along with Fluttershy in the beginning, though; they stayed by Twilight's side.

"Don't listen to that cow!"  Twilight spoke in an unnervingly calm tone, projecting her words loudly but with a kind of restraint that only served to make the situation uncomfortable.  "She just killed Applejack and Pinkie Pie!"

"She's lying to you!  I don't know what she's been telling you, but you have to trust me.  She's being manipulated and she's manipulating you all, too!  I can save her but you can't be near her.  She'll kill you all!"

"That's enough out of you!"  Twilight barked at the Princess, picking herself up fully and standing up straight.  Subtly, she wrapped a kinetic tether around Fluttershy's hind leg so that she couldn't escape; none of the guards noticed a thing.  "You've lied to me and my friends for long enough, Celestia.  Iago was right, he isn't controlling me, he's just been teaching me!  He's given me magic, he's given me knowledge, he's shown me history from books that you've had burned!"  As Twilight spoke her own emotions started to leak into her mind.  Iago was allowing this, of course, for his own gain; Twilight's body very quickly began to radiate an intense heat.

Princess Celestia only stood there, staring into Twilight's eyes and trying her best to judge if Twilight was being honest.  Iago wasn't even trying to invade her, and Twilight figured that he'd attempted it once before and was promptly thrown back.  

"Twilight...  That's really you, isn't it?  You really believe him..."  The anger melted away from Celestia's face and was replaced by an expression of deep, penetrating sorrow.  

"I'm afraid so, Princess.  He's been a much better teacher to me than you have.  I've made the kinds of improvements that I used to only dream of.  While I was under you I just slowly crawled my way up to worthless cantrips that I never get a chance to use outside of a lesson plan."  This cut deep into Celestia's resolve, so much so that she actually winced and let a tear creep its way down her cheek.  Twilight took a step forward, getting ready to simply slice off her head, but she wasn't prepared for the soldiers' reaction.  The instant Twilight moved, each one of the trusted pegasus ponies that Celestia had brought along tilted their heads down and touched their amulets, all of which produced a sound that seemed to only bother Twilight and Iago.  The sound began as a simply distracting thing, but very quickly grew to be a deafening, crippling cacophony.  It was unlike any real-world sound that she'd ever heard before, but its presence was undeniable.  

Celestia recovered from the personal wound that Twilight had dealt her and flapped her wings in a silent order to advance.  The guards did so, causing the sound to grow louder as they approached and bringing Twilight to her knees.  Iago was screaming inside her head, which didn't help Twilight's own attempt to just grin and bear the pain, so she eventually broke down and let out a pained howl of her own.  She knew that they'd kill her if they got close enough, or at least felt that way from the horrible agony that the assault on her mind was causing her, so she singled out the weakest link: the newbie pegasus on the far left.  The instant she looked him in the eyes, the cacophony seemed to relax; he had lost his concentration and sealed his own fate as Twilight's target.  

"Don't look at her!"  Celestia yelled at him, reinforcing his morale but only temporarily.

He has a family, Twilight.  The small break in intensity had given Iago enough time to pick out some information about the stallion when Twilight gazed into his eyes, and he communicated every single piece that he could before the noise grew again.  He has one child, a daughter.  He and his wife live together in Canterlot on a very nice wage.  He signed up for this role because, prior to now, these specific magical guards haven't been used for five hundred years.  He wanted an easy, cushy job without the day to day danger of being an actual guard.  He's afraid.

"What are you doing here?"  Twilight took deep, menacing breaths and continued to keep eye contact with the pegasus, frightening him just by her presence, and even more by her question.  He didn't answer.

"Do not let her speak to you!  Ignore it and stay in formation!"  Celestia just wouldn't shut up, but Twilight could tell by his hesitation that her assault was getting through.

"Didn't she tell you that you could die here?  Even if you succeed in killing me, there's nothing stopping me from leveling this town in a fiery explosion as my final action.  Who's going to support your wife and daughter if daddy's been burnt alive?"

"H--...  How could you know that?"  The guard finally stopped moving entirely, breaking the sound in its entirety; evidently all six of them needed to be in synch for the spell to work.  The guards and the Princess all shot him a glare, both terrified and angry.

"I know everything about you..." Twilight said, flashing him a grin and letting Iago scrounge around for more information with as little pause as she could manage.

His name is Kenning.

"... Kenning."  Twilight made sure to enunciate his name with a bitter and snappy tone.  He was so unprepared for this event that he couldn't even move.

"All of you, leave, right now."  Celestia saw what was about to happen and ordered her guards to exit.  The one immediately to the Princess's right started to protest but she just glared down at him and shook her head.  "I said leave, that's an order.  Tell Aegis and Waerd that they're needed, but you need to leave before you're all killed."

Twilight couldn't help herself but laugh at the small troupe.  Whatever Celestia's 'plan b' was would have to do far better than that to kill the most powerful unicorn on the planet.  After the guards had left (Twilight had simply let them go, deciding that it wasn't worth the provocation to kill them just then), two more stepped inside the door and took their places right by Celestia's side.  These two dark gray pegasi wore the same pendants that the others did, but they were clearly far better trained.  In fact, Twilight recognized them as the pair of guards that frequently sat to the right and left of the Princess's throne: her most trusted, most capable, and most loyal personal bodyguards.  Aside from the pendants, the two guards carried spears, seemingly made out of the same pewter and engraved with a similar knotted pattern going up the shafts.  

"Iago, I'm going to give you one last chance to leave her body.  You can't harm these two, nor can you harm me.  The Old Magic won't break through these wards, but the enchantment on the spears will help them seek out your black, shriveled heart the instant I give the order."

"I imagine even magical spears will still kill me along with him, Princess."  Twilight said, hoping to bring out another hesitation from her old teacher.

"I don't care.  Iago's too dangerous to let live, and besides...  You made your bed, Twilight, and picked only the most unfortunate company.  There's nothing I can do to help you as long as you submit to him."

Heh...  She may not be able to help you, but I can.  Iago spoke in the most disgusting little slithery voice that he could manage.  That notwithstanding, the prospect certainly intrigued Twilight.

How so?  She asked, keeping the Princess and her guards distracted on the outside world with a short giggle of her own.  The two guards held their spears perfectly still and aimed right for the unicorn; they may as well have been made of the same stone that Celestia's garden statues were.  Fluttershy, from the ground, looked over her shoulder at Twilight as she laughed; not long after did Twilight have the attention of Rarity and Rainbow Dash as well.

Just hold still, I'm going to make a few changes.

Twilight stood up straight, held her breath, tilted her head back, and closed her eyes in preparation for whatever Iago was planning, and what that was had made itself very evident very quickly.  Twilight felt her body stretch and twist, extending her legs, splitting her hooves into thrice-cloven, clawed lumps at the ends of her fetlocks.  Her muzzle pushed its way out of her skull, stretching and crackling as new bone was created from virtually nothing: her teeth extended as well, sharpening at the tips and filling out the new space within her muzzle.  Her ribs felt as though they were being pushed out from the inside, expanding and adding to one another to create a solid mass around her heart and lungs, while her spine lengthened to keep proportion with her new legs.  From her position, Twilight could hear the crackle and pop of every single bone and joint in her body, including those that were added.  Her legs now had two sets of knees, her neck was much longer and her jaw felt as though it could unhinge itself with how wide she could open it.  The two guards stared on, stoically keeping their faces as still as they could despite the terror that they felt deep down inside.  The pseudonatural terror that stood before them sent the stomachs of every single pony in the room sinking down to the very depths of their bodies.  Celestia started to look a little nauseous as well, though she must have seen this song and dance at least once before; she simply shook her head and rapidly regained her composure.  The guards stayed under orders to stay at Celestia's side, though she held her hoof up in preparation for the attack.  Twilight looked around the room, catching an almost panoramic view from what she could only assume were a new, better-set eyes, and smiled a big, wolfish grin at each of the very brave guards.  

Now, my pet, kill them.  Iago said with a calm and almost jaunty quality of voice within her mind.  Twilight was all too happy to oblige that request.  She let out a gravelly, piercing howl and immediately bounded forward, upon which Celestia gave the command to kill.  Twilight, not being used to her new joints and limbs, stumbled forward toward the guards, giving absolutely no attention to their spears.  Both of them, in a systematic and perfectly synchronized attack, buried the pewter things in Twilight's chest, though her thick, interwoven ribcage caught them before they could get in very far.  The pair looked surprised for a second, reacting by pushing harder and making absolutely no progress, to their chagrin.  Twilight, however, gave out her terrifying, new version of a giggle and swung her heavy, multi-jointed legs at the guard to her left.  The impact was bone-shattering, dislocating his shoulder and leaving several gashes in the side of the victim as Twilight's 'claws' tore right through his coat and flesh.  He was thrown a few feet away, dropping his spear (which was stuck inside Twilight's chest) and hit the ground with a yelp.

The other guard watched in terror as the abomination very nearly killed his companion.  She swung her foreleg back at him, going for a clean hit to the skull, but he ducked just in time, removed the spear, and slashed at Twilight's face in a feeble attempt to blind her.  The spearhead burrowed into Twilight's muzzle, glancing off of the thick bone and ripping its way out the opposite side of her face, but she didn't even flinch.  The guard just stood and stared into her eyes, trying his best to recover from the swing in time and failing miserably: Twilight had thrown herself onto him and began monstrously tearing him to pieces.  The pounce had knocked out the spear in Twilight's skin-and-bones aberrant chest out and sent it clanging away, so the guard's only hope of saving himself was effectively removed.  She clamped her jaw down on his neck, instantly crushing his windpipe and coming very close to pulverizing the vertebrae in his spine.  She dug her clawed hooves (if you could even call them that by that point) into his chest and raked, pulling shreds of skin and bits of muscle out with them.  She shook her head side to side, viciously snarling and digging her teeth into his flesh as he struggled to survive by kicking and swinging at Twilight's stomach to no avail.  Eventually, with the strength of Twilight's new body, she had torn the guard's head off, leaving his stump of a neck and torn open chest cavity to gush blood onto the floor.  

Twilight had no time to really enjoy her kill, however, because both Celestia and the other wounded guard had thrown themselves into her to try and save the victim.  It had taken her only two seconds to kill him as she did, and the reactions of the shaken Princess and wounded bodyguard were too little, too late to keep him from his gruesome fate.  The sheer force at which the two bodies had slammed into Twilight's own had knocked her down, with Celestia burying a hoof into her neck and pressing her full weight down on the aberrant form beneath.  The remaining guard grabbed his spear and punctured Twilight's stomach with it, angling it up so that it pushed into her chest cavity under the armor plated ribcage that Iago had grown for her.  

Unlike the first attack, Twilight actually felt pain with the stab wound.  Iago apparently did too, as he immediately shrieked inside Twilight's mind and spouted off orders at her.

Get it out!  Get it the fuck out of us now!

Twilight yelled out in her own way, unable to articulate any words with her new, blasphemously formed mouth, and so only released the most primal, agonized noises that anyone in the room had ever heard.  Rarity and Rainbow Dash were so shocked by the transformation that they were still catching up with the battle itself.  Fluttershy had backed herself into the wall and stared on in horrid fascination.  She couldn't look away from the terrors that unfolded before her and simply sat there, rocking herself back and forth in the fetal position.  Twilight reared back her hind legs, folded them as best she could (which, with a several-jointed design proved to be remarkably well), and kicked the guard in the chest.  This sent him halfway across the room from the sheer strength and force behind it, but she hadn't managed to wound him very much.  As soon as he landed, he recovered his bearings and, even with the pain of a dislocated shoulder, ran for the other spear.  Twilight was too distracted by trying to snap her jaws onto Celestia's throat (or leg, or anything she could reach for, really) to notice.  The once-proud unicorn's brilliant mind had been reduced to a swirling mass of hatred and bloodlust, leaving her oblivious to any sort of intentions that the ponies around her had.  The remaining guard ran forward, using his entire might and momentum to force the spear into Twilight's torso, just inches from the other and pointing in the same direction.

Twilight felt every single inch of the spear enter her body: it had punctured one of her lungs and caught itself on the inside of her ribcage, while the other had only barely missed her heart.  Iago's screeching had become like that of a dying animal, piercing the inside of Twilight's mind and cutting off any shred of organized thought that she might have been able to produce: her only goal at that point was survival.  Twilight writhed and flailed on the ground, swinging her imposing limbs and snapping her deadly jaws, even stabbing at Celestia's foreleg as best she could with her twisted, lengthened horn, but the Princess was magically restraining the abominable unicorn from getting close enough to deal any damage aside from surface scratches.  Iago's agonized screeches were accompanied by a deep feeling of hatred, one that spanned the gap between both of their minds and built upon itself, forcing the unicorn to become incredibly hot to the touch.  So much so that the Princess had to fight her instincts to let her go and prevent her hoof from burning away.

"Fine work, Aegis.  Please now, chant with me."  The Princess was holding back her own sorrow and grief, trying to remain stoic in the face of such a gruesome treatment of her once prized student.  As she looked down, into the abominable monster that once was Twilight beneath her, snapping frothing jaws, darting her unblinking eyes back and forth, writhing on the ground and unable to articulate a single thought that wasn't pure hatred, her heart broke into pieces.  She truly loved Twilight like a daughter, and now was struggling to kill her like an animal in front of her three (remaining) best friends, all of whom watched with the fixation of extreme post traumatic stress.  Celestia closed her eyes, pressing down even harder with her foreleg on Twilight's neck and moving her other foreleg to the thing's chest.  Her remaining bodyguard placed his hooves on both of the spears, also closing his eyes.  They began to chant in tandem, giving what sounded like a final prayer in the ancient, guttural language that the other spells had all been cast in.

The chant began low and slow, though it gained speed and power as Celestia and Aegis spoke.  They were in perfect synchronization, and the sound of the powerful old words excited their pendants and the spears; Twilight felt as though they had just gotten red-hot and were burning her from the inside out.  All four of the powerful objects glowed with the same pale green light as they had before, and it only grew in intensity as the chant went on, so even Twilight's feral brain could tell that she needed to do something or die.  Iago, who was feeling the brunt of the pain, made a split-second decision to simply add more limbs to Twilight's form: two long, prehensile, barely formed masses sprang from Twilight's shoulders, pushing her up off of the ground partway and throwing her enemies off balance.  She whipped one of the new tentacles around, slamming it into the side of Aegis's skull and knocking him unconscious almost immediately.  She used her new freedom to kick Celestia in the chest with one of her forelegs, forcing her back several feet before letting out a blood-curdling howl of animosity.  Celestia flinched and didn't quite seem to know what to do, but her spell had been interrupted and the spears had stopped glowing, so she needed to think very quickly.  Twilight's first order of business was to remove the spears; each of her new limbs wrapped its thick, muscular mass around a spear, yanking hard and ripping the long pewter things from her chest.  At this moment, the three smaller ponies in the room broke out of their trance of terror, realizing (not for the first time, but for the one that seemed the most real) that their lives were in immediate danger.  Fluttershy tried to run, but Twilight threw a spear in a fit of angry reflex.  The little yellow pegasus didn't stand a chance.

As soon as Fluttershy opened her wings to fly out the door, the long spear punctured her chest just behind her left shoulder.  It pushed itself all the way through, piercing the wall behind her and pinning her body to it.  She felt nothing to begin with, but looked down and saw herself so grievously wounded that she could do nothing but quake and try to find the appropriate noise to make for that situation.  She stood there babbling a little bit, quickly getting woozy from major internal bleeding as her pulmonary artery was severed by the weapon.  Rarity saw the pony that she had spent countless days at the spa with get impaled on the wall, making her hesitate from her running and reel back in shock.  The white unicorn backed herself against the wall, hyperventilating and nervously glancing around for some kind of escape; the only one had Celestia and a terrifying monstrosity between her and it.  Rainbow Dash's eyes clouded up with tears as she watched Fluttershy try to find someplace to place her legs in a desperate search for even a tiny amount of respite from the pain.  The yellow pegasus, one of her best friends in the entire world, was dying in pain right in front of her and there was nothing she could do about it; Rainbow Dash certainly knew that she couldn't harm Twilight in her current state, so she backed against the same wall as Rarity.  The white unicorn instinctively pressed her body against Rainbow's, and the cyan pegasus hugged herself around Rarity; their minds were virtually destroyed by fear, so they reverted to their basest need for the smallest amount of comfort with one another.  They were all that was left.

Celestia looked around at the destruction unfolding, doing her best to keep focused on Twilight's pattern of movements so that she could stop the monster in its tracks if she needed to.  Fluttershy's face was streaked with tears and blood was slowly pouring from her mouth; death found her in just under two minutes from the first strike, leaving her hanging limply from the punctured wall.  She saw the gruesomely sundered corpse of Waerd growing cold and coagulated in the middle of the library.  She saw the Aegis knocked unconscious and Rarity and Rainbow Dash huddled together in fear like children; each of their lives depended on her success, so she tried her best to pain Twilight as a fully deserving target, but all the Princess could see was her student.  No matter how deformed, how horribly altered Twilight's face was at the time, she looked into her eyes and saw the young, intelligent, naive unicorn behind them, and she knew that she would rather die than let Iago take anymore lives that day.  Celestia grabbed her pendant with her hoof and tore it from her neck, rushing forward and tackling Twilight, forcing the pendant against her face and holding Twilight's entire body as still as she could with a magical aura.  Twilight once more felt a searing pain burrow through her head; the magic of the archaic pendant blinded her temporarily and felt as though it were threatening to burn a hole right through her skull.

"Run, damn it!"  Celestia yelled through her own tears.  Her voice trembled in anger and sorrow, projecting the rawest vibrato of a tortured soul that ever existed.  The two ponies saw their opportunity and ran, though Rainbow Dash stopped on the way to try and help Fluttershy.  Rarity was already out the door, but Twilight wasn't intent on letting them escape if she could help it.  She swung her foreleg in a wide arc, materializing, to the best of her ability at that time of distraction and pain, a telekinetic blade that would reach the pegasus.  It was a little too long for the room, however, and hit the ceiling, gouging out wood almost a foot deep before progressing down.  Rainbow Dash heard the blade hit the ceiling and spun around; she made it about half of a turn before the invisible thing connected.  

Celestia watched all of this in what seemed to her like slow motion.  She could see the slow, thin red line form along Rainbow's body as the shimmering, transparent blade cut her from the top of the small of her back down to her belly.  She could watch as blood filled the seam and signified the separation that only momentarily held her together via surface tension of her bodily fluids.  The Princess nearly threw up when Rainbow's body split in half just forward of her hips.  The pegasus fell, not quite sure what had happened, but came to a very rude awakening when she looked down and saw her own viscera slowly oozing out onto the hardwood floor.  

For about five seconds, Rainbow Dash stared in disbelief, mouth agape and with all of the color draining from her face.  After that, however, she let out a weak, raspy, pitiful yell.  She was so deep in shock that there was nothing she could do besides scream for several seconds, and eventually attempt to scoop her innards back into her abdominal cavity with her hooves.  Celestia forcibly tore her attention away from Rainbow Dash's bifurcated body and pinned it back to Twilight.  With no more potential casualties in the room, and with her anger at Iago having been pent up since the last time they met more than five hundred years ago, she expressed her rage duly.  Twilight continued to fight, and Iago continued to yell in agonized noises inside her head, but Celestia proceeded to savagely bash the pendant into Twilight's face and chest over and over.

"Get out of her!  Get out!"  Celestia's face was wrought with tears and red cheeks from an intense anger, she no longer saw her student inside of the murderous creature beneath her, only her most despised enemy hiding  behind yet another unacceptable casualty.  "Leave her alone, you son of a bitch!"  

The charm that Celestia was using to smash into Twilight had an effect beyond just bludgeoning pain.  She could feel the magic it contained slowly crushing Iago, or at least it felt like crushing, and as he was dragged away, screaming and fighting and writhing within her mind, his effects on her slowly wore away as well.  Twilight's body began to shift back to normal (though this process wasn't exactly quick and painless); her jaw pulled back to a normal pony muzzle , her legs lost their joints and their extra length, her ribs became vulnerable and flexible once more, and her spine crunched its way back down to size.  The worst thing about this vicious, passionate beating, however, was the pain.  Every single instance of pain that Twilight should have felt while Iago was within her: the broken leg, the shattered bones, the cuts, the impacts, the burning, the nausea, the loss of herself, and of course the intense changes to her form hit her all at once.  Twilight screamed again, but this time it was truly Twilight, and Celestia knew it.  She couldn't stop her assault, though, lest Iago take over once more and more firmly root himself inside her mind.  She pressed her pendant into Twilight's vulnerable little chest, permanently burning the design of the tree into her fragile skin, but exorcising Iago's presence in the one final move.  Twilight could feel the cloud of anger and hatred drain away into a vacuum, she could feel his shrieking start to grow quieter and move... down, for lack of a better description.  His presence left her mind, and as it did so did all of her hatred, all of her shock, and all of her emotion.

"Get out of her!  I'm going to kill you, you bastard!  Get out!"  Celestia let her anger and sadness take over completely.  Her movements were jerky and violent, and her resolve had all but disappeared completely.  Tears flowed freely from off of her chin and onto Twilight, and for the first time in a while the purple unicorn actually felt something.  Twilight felt remorse, sadness of her own, empathy for the Princess and horror at what she'd done to her friends.  She felt the cool thud of tears landing on her fur, and the uncomfortable grind of hot stone against her body, but she also felt a deep, throbbing pain in her chest...  Something else was very, very wrong.

Celestia ceased her relentless barrage of blows on Twilight's chest and dropped her amulet.  The big, regal alacorn knelt down beside her pupil, quickly cradling her head and back with her hooves and stretching her wings out to blanket her.  Twilight wasn't quite sure how to react, or even how to feel for that matter.  The apathy, coupled with dull pain everywhere in her body (much worse in some parts than others) simply had her confused.

Twilight's emotions slowly flooded back to her, though not in the same proportions as when Iago had left: she actually felt happy, she felt loved, and she felt warm.  She wanted to look up to the Princess, to thank her, to cry on her shoulder, to cling onto her and never let go, to dance and laugh, even to try and strangle her for what she did.  Every single emotion that Twilight felt in her entire life came back and directed itself toward Celestia, and they only continued to grow in intensity as the vacuum of her mind filled itself once again without Iago to filter it.  Twilight tried to move, but her muscles were so stiff that she felt as though they'd break if she supported her own weight.

"Don't move, Twilight...  Is Iago still there?"  Celestia kept her muzzle very close to Twilight's ears, letting her hear every single word, feel the caress of her breath, and pick up on the calming tone of voice that Celestia used.  Despite all that Iago had taught her, despite everything she truly hated about the Princess, Twilight couldn't bring herself to feel any genuine animosity for her at that point.  She opened her mouth to speak, but the instant she did that everything went very, very wrong.  The unicorn felt a deep, sharp pain in her chest, giving her flashbacks to her feral state not too long ago of being stabbed with those damned spears.  She looked down and her wounds had healed, however even the movement of her neck caused her such an intense feeling of agony that she nearly passed out.  Celestia took a step back, letting Twilight lay still on the ground and watching in fear at what was happening.

Twilight couldn't help herself from screaming at that point as the pain moved itself up from her lower chest to behind her sternum; she felt like she was being gutted, but she couldn't see anything.  Her screams didn't last too long; they quickly garbled as blood filled Twilight's esophagus.  She rolled over onto her stomach instinctively, trying to cough out all of the fluid in her lungs (all of which splattered in crimson dots and splashes in front of her), but it just kept on coming.  The Princess ran over next to her and tried to heal Twilight with one of her spells, to a mixed effect: Twilight felt her body fill with warmth as some of her flesh began to knit together from the spell, but still had a piercing, agonizing pain shooting through her entire body.  Once again it moved, though this time Twilight felt more than just a general ascension: something alive was moving around in her throat.  Twilight panicked, still only barely conscious from half-drowning on blood and coming down off of a feral state into an emotionless, painful heap, and tried to get whatever was in her throat out.  She leaned forward and coughed violently, splattering more blood out onto the hardwood and moving the lump a little bit more.  This, however, blocked off her already limited air, so she laid down on the floor and violently beat at her neck with one of her hooves, trying to kill it or move it or do whatever she could to stop it from killing her.  Her movements grew jerky and uncoordinated; she made a great deal of noise flopping around on her floor, and Princess Celestia didn't know what to do even in all of her wisdom and experience.

Celestia called for the guards and ten of them entered, most of which reeled in horror at the carnage strewn about the small room.  Fluttershy's lifeless body dangled like a piece of meat on the wall, directly beneath which was the still writhing and screaming torso of Rainbow Dash, separated by her other half with about a foot of space covered in tripe.  Two more bodies littered the floor, lifeless yet seeming relatively unharmed, and in the center sat the bloodied, battered, choking student being cradled by the bloodied, battered, sobbing teacher.

Rainbow Dash reached up a hoof and tried to grab onto the leg of one of the guards.  He felt the sharp pain of grief stab him in his heart and promptly knelt down to hold onto her hoof, looking her in the eyes and trying to calm her down from her wailing, terrified state.  This guard was a saint, keeping his eyes locked with Rainbow Dash's and gently stroking her hoof, reassuring her even though he knew in his heart of hearts that she would die within the hour, sooner if she was lucky.  

"Please..."  Celestia had to muster up the constitution to say such a thing, but she proceeded with the order, gruesome as it was.  "Just put her out of her misery.  I don't want her to suffer anymore."

"No!"  Rainbow Dash protested to the best of her ability, but when your abdominal muscles are severed your words tend not to carry very well.  Her yells came out weak and pleading, nothing at all like the proud image that she was so used to holding up with herself.  "I don't wanna die!"

The guard tending Rainbow Dash looked over his shoulder at Celestia, not needing to say anything to portray his hesitance to her.  "She's in shock,"  The Princess said with tears in her eyes, refusing to look away from Twilight's dying form for even a second.  "Please, just end it.  If there were anything I, or any other in the world, could do to help we'd have done it already."

The guard solemnly lowered his head, waved to another (who promptly brought him a spear) and stood to position the weapon.  Rainbow Dash pled in a kind of agonized and terrified gibberish that could only come from a fatally wounded animal.  She had lost any kind of higher thought to her situation and reverted to almost childlike instincts: clinging onto the guard's foreleg with her own so tightly that she nearly pulled her body (what was still contiguous anyway) off of the ground, crying loudly, hiding her eyes from the spear as it was pointed toward the center of her chest, and wishing aloud that the guard would just get away.

Another guard came over to help, pressing Rainbow's shoulders down to the ground so that the spear carrier wouldn't miss and cause anymore pain than was necessary.  Both stallions were empathizing heavily with Rainbow Dash, crying quietly even through their stoic warrior facades, and trying their best to calm her final seconds down.  They failed in doing so, however, as one would expect, but the iron tipped spear did pierce Rainbow's weakly beating heart with the speed and precision of a weathered veteran of many wars.  She took one final gasp as the weapon punctured her chest, and then everyone who dared gaze on the heart wrenching scene did watch as the life in her gorgeous, magenta eyes faded away into the pale glaze of death.

Twilight's eyes were indeed glued to the scene her friend's final breath, though she herself felt as though her own wasn't far away.  The unicorn had lost the will to fight, darkness was closing around the corners of her vision and her blood flowed freely from her mouth and nose.  She tried to stand once more, tried to crawl or do any kind of movement, but simply couldn't muster the power.  Just as it seemed all hope was lost, however, she felt her body wrench itself upward.  Her eyes shot open and she started to retch violently, hacking against her will and trying to expunge whatever was inside of her.  Celestia stayed close, trying her best to help Twilight cough up what was in her throat by continually pounding her hoof on the unicorn's back.  The world's colors were blinding, as was the pain in her body, but Twilight remained conscious through it all thanks to the boon (or perhaps curse) of some unseen force.

The time came for the object to move away from Twilight's esophagus, though whatever it was didn't want to leave without a fight.  Twilight screamed in pain, letting the lump muffle her voice as it left her throat behind; it felt to her like she had swallowed fishhooks that were being yanked out from her stomach.  Celestia backed up, letting Twilight have some space, and from her muzzle dropped the perpetrator:  A small, fuzzy lump followed by an avalanche of blood and soft muscle from the inside of Twilight's body; she fell almost as soon as the ball of wet fur did.  The lump unfurled itself and hissed, revealing itself to be a little white rat (as white as it could have been after being soaked in pints of blood for nearly two straight minutes) that stood in a combative stance at the center of the crimson pool.  Celestia reeled back, though only for a second, before grabbing the closest guard's weapon and swinging it at the rat.  Its dexterity proved much faster than the Princess's clumsy, raging strike however, and the rat scurried off toward a damaged window at the far side of the living room.  

"Kill it!  Kill it now!"  The Princess screamed at every one of her guards, though few reacted quickly enough even to have a chance at stopping the creature.  Twilight, in her weakness, directed her eyes to the halberd that the Princess had swung and tried to use her telekinesis.  The trick that Iago had taught her didn't work even in the slightest, so she returned to her unicorn magic.  This much more familiar orison actually did what it was intended: it sent a weak, lavender aura around the haft of the polearm and ripped it free from the ground.  She threw it as accurately as she could at the wall, trying to track the rodent and impale it as it ran up to the window.  Celestia was surprised by this act of strength and dropped to her knees by Twilight, unable to react any more than she had without accidentally harming one of her guards or herself in her drained condition.  

The halberd flew through the air, narrowly missing (and startling) two of the white pegasi that were in pursuit of the filthy rat and buried itself into the wood so deep that nearly half of the blade disappeared into the wall.  Unfortunately, Twilight had missed her target, which quickly scaled the wall to perch on the windowsill.  Amidst the bloody paw prints up the facade, the rat turned its head to look down at Twilight: the piercing green of its eyes burrowed into the unicorn's mind as what might be the last thing she truly saw.  The familiarity of this feeling, the futility of her life as it dwindled away only to be looked down on by something so insignificant left a wound far deeper than the dozens of vicious claw marks on the inside of her throat and lungs.  Iago had gotten exactly what he wanted: a crushing blow to Celestia, the removal of Twilight Sparkle, and an escape with his own body to command.

The rodent turned and jumped out the window, to which the Princess ordered every single guard in Ponyville to comb the streets and slaughter anything with a bald tail, though the doubt in her voice suggested that she knew it was hopeless to pursue.  She turned to Twilight and hung her head down, knocking her horn against Twilight's and casting her most potent healing spell.  The Princess was desperately trying to save Twilight from a brutal end by her oldest enemy, but she knew for a fact that anyone touched by Iago's corruption was doomed to a bloody fate.  Twilight's flesh refused to knit any more and she continued to bleed into her lungs, slowly drowning at the Princess's hooves.  Celestia wept loudly, continuing to attempt the healing, though after a point she just yelled in frustration with her magical aura surrounding the both of them.  

"Stay with me, Twilight...  Please."  The Princess gave up her magic and simply leaned down to hold Twilight against her chest.  The wounded unicorn was fading very quickly, unable to feel too much beyond numb pressure and the cold caress of Celestia's metal breastplate on her cheek.  Twilight looked up as best she could, though her strength wasn't quite enough for her to lift her head entirely.  The Princess helped, using her hoof to gently guide Twilight's head up so that they could lock eyes one last time.  Both were letting tears stream down their cheeks, though for different reasons of course.  Twilight's emotional imbalance still hadn't quite sorted itself out, so she looked on and cycled through every single primal emotion known to pony kind.  Celestia, on the other hand, was watching yet another prodigious student of hers die in her grasp.  She couldn't help but feel completely at fault; had she kept Twilight in Canterlot this never would have happened, or had she taken heed of Spike's very first letter she might have been able to stop it all.  Silently, the Princess cursed herself and wept for Twilight, holding her close enough that her student could hear her powerful heartbeat.

Twilight's mind started to go numb, her body had long since dulled and become a husk of cumbersome meat dangling from the frayed sinew of her consciousness.  The unicorn closed her eyes and nuzzled herself into the Princess's pure white fur, staining it with copious amounts of blood.  Twilight wasn't quite sure if she was still alive at any given moment once her eyes closed, but she continued to feel sensations from the world around her for some time.  The Princess refused to let Twilight go for as long as she felt breath against her skin; she held onto her like a child holds onto a doll, casting her futile healing magic as imaginary medicine for something already dead.  Twilight felt the warmth of this healing, though she never felt relief from her slow descent into death.  Each of her senses began to dwindle and dull, leaving her with the feeling of being cast into nothingness.  Eventually every one of them shut down one by one, starting with sight on the closing of her eyelids.  Her taste went next, followed closely by touch.  For all she knew she was floating in a void, slipping quickly away from the world of the living.  Twilight could only hear the Princess's heartbeat erratically adjusting to the patterns of her sob-laden breaths.  The strings keeping Twilight alive were eventually cut, however, and she could only experience one final sensation, one final link to the world.

Whether it was real or not, Twilight Sparkle's last remnant of life was a scent; the bittersweet aroma of a nightshade flower; soft and regal, tender and deadly, mild and powerful all on its own.  Twilight's name would, from then on, be struck down in the records as another victim of purest evil; she'd be remembered only by Rarity for killing every one of her friends, and only by Celestia as yet another critical failure.  She slid unwittingly away, falling into the void as even the nightshade smell receded.  Twilight submitted to the darkness, taking her place against the cold, gentle bosom of death alongside the other Elements of Harmony, resting peacefully in quiet eternity.

~Fin

Children of the Night (Sequel Teaser!)

On an uncobbled road, in the cold grayscale of night with naught but the pale moon to guide her, a lonely shape walks onward and skirts the Everfree Forest.  Her movements are slow, deliberate, and planned, not betraying any sense of her motives nor identity, for she covered her body in its entirety in a long, black shawl.  On top of a gradually approaching hill, amidst the silver glow of starlight, lay a very small town flanked only by thick plots of agriculture.  With a chilling breeze at her back, the unicorn glanced up at the first building nearby: candlelight flickered gently behind the single pane window.  With the twilight of daybreak only four hours away, something was definitely wrong, and with the current state of affairs of the world she figured it would be safe to investigate.

It didn't take long to close the gap between herself and the house: her movements were so precise and deliberate that, when given a reason for conviction, she seemed to travel supernaturally fast.  She gazed into the window, looking in at a very quaint room without much luxury, and at a young male pony lying in his bed.  He was dead, she knew it, but she needed to get closer in order to feel for the perpetrator.  She had hoped very dearly that the current problem hadn't spread this far into barely settled land, but the blood stain on this poor colt's nose was indication to the latter.  She leaned forward, using her hoof to flick her hood back just enough to expose her horn, then touched it to the window and sealed it until it was air tight.  The unicorn then stepped around to the front door, not a very far walk of course, and tested it.  The door was locked, but even the most complex locks still relied on basic mechanical operation: she leaned down, looked inside, and let her magic do the work.  Each of the pins within the lock moved itself, while the bolt spun of its own accord.  Slowly but surely the pins separated, dropping into place and allowing the cylinder to be inched ever closer to freedom.  Finally, the last pin clicked and the lock opened, granting the unicorn access into the small farmhouse.  As quickly and quietly as she had approached, the cloaked figure made her way to the colt's room.  With only four rooms or so, this wasn't exactly difficult to do.

The unicorn found the doorway that she wanted and pushed on it, irritatingly enough it too was locked.  She didn't particularly care for finesse at this point, though, so she used her magic to force it open.  The crunching of metal and wood was probably the loudest thing that sleepy little town had heard in quite some time, and the unicorn detected rustling from the other major doorway in the house.  She did not care, however, and made her way calmly and deliberately into the bedroom.  The scent of blood wafted through the air, but was rapidly overpowered by the stench of death as soon as the still environment was disturbed.  The unicorn stepped forward to the edge of the bed, looking down at the bloodied figure and using her hoof to remove the old quilt that was lying on top of him.  The thing made a sickening peeling noise as it separated from his body, revealing that his chest had been torn open, or rather eaten open, and that his heart was indeed missing.  There was no sign of the perpetrator.

The silence of the room was very quickly disrupted by the colt's parents barging over toward the open doorway.  They moved so quickly that, when they stopped at the threshold they very nearly extinguished the burned-down candle on the colt's dresser just from the change in air pressure.

"Who are you?  What are you doing in our house?"  The stallion yelled into the room, holding his foreleg around his wife who stared on in disbelief at the cloaked figure.  The instance they realized that their son was wounded, though, they forsook anymore questions.  "What did you do to my boy!?"

"Calm down."  The unicorn spoke from beneath her hood, turning halfway so that she could face the enraged parents.  The stallion whispered to his wife to go fetch his pitchfork, which she did with absolutely no hesitation.

"I don't know who you are or what you're doing here, but you had better start explaining yourself this instant!"  As he finished his yelling, the light blue mare returned with his rusty old pitchfork.  The stallion grabbed it and viciously prodded it in the cloaked unicorn's direction just to make his point more clear.

The unicorn smirked.  In the dim light of a single candle, the two earth ponies could only see the flash of her teeth beneath the hood.  To his surprise, however, the pale yellow stallion's pitchfork started to bend almost by itself.  The forks at the end tilted upward in a ninety degree angle, flaking off bits of rust and making a horrific grinding sound as it did so.  He dropped the tool, though it didn't fall where he expected it to: it turned and flew toward him and his wife.  They both flinched, still already shocked by the apparent murder of their son, but the teeth of the pitchfork found their way only into the doorjamb, extending the wooden handle across the doorway like a stop arm.

"I'd advise you not to step into this room until I'm done here.  I did not kill your son, but I know who did.  Well... what, rather."  As she spoke in her calm and unperturbed voice, the unicorn turned her head back to the colt's body.  To the parents' horror, she reached her hooves down to the cavity in his chest, spreading it open with a crunching of ribs and a squelching of half coagulated blood.  "Oh, and to answer your question,"  She flicked her head back, letting the hood drop down onto her withers as she worked, revealing her scarred and weathered face to them.  She turned to look the parents in the eye, still holding her hooves inside of their sons' chest, but smiling once more as if she were exchanging pleasantries over tea.  Her left eye had a very unique scar on it, one akin to a tree tough it was slightly incomplete: like a failed brand attempt.  Her throat had a great deal of stitching going down it, and she was covered in small, unhealed (though not bleeding) wounds.  The parents could tell that this unicorn was at one point very attractive, but she seemed as if she'd seen wars unspeakable.  Her purple hair and faded magenta highlights fell down as they exited the hood, and her pale lavender coat barely reflected any light at all.  It was as dull as her cold, glazed eyes.

"You may call me Umbra, and I'm afraid you have a rat problem."  With this, 'Umbra Noctis' telekinetically pulled a group of small rats out of the boy's chest.  Each one writhed and squirmed, hissing and snapping their jaws in her direction to express their 'displeasure' at being pulled out of the body by their tails.  The parents looked on in terror at the little brown creatures, and were rendered speechless as the purple unicorn produced a small, ancient pewter dagger embossed with an ornate sun and sliced off all of their heads at once.  Their bodies didn't fall to the floor, though she did release them, but instead they burst into flames, burning away until not even ash remained of them.

The speechless, quivering and crying parents couldn't tear their eyes away from the very wounded unicorn, even as she walked back toward them.  She didn't need, nor want, for them to speak to her, though, so she made her point very clear.  "I got all the rats, so you can cremate his body.  Oh and be sure to wash yourselves very thoroughly with lemons after you step into the room.  Every inch.  There's a terrible plague going around...  You really don't want to catch it."

Umbra proceeded to rip the pitchfork out of the wall and drop it on the floor.  The parents stepped out of her way as she walked past, leaving the premises of their house and walking off into the night.  The light blue mare fell to the floor, as did her husband not long after, and they sat at the threshold, staring blankly into the room with tears rolling down each of their cheeks.

As the mysterious stranger walked in through the back woods town, she could see signs of the infestation: torch sconces pillaged, bits of hay and other dried goods stolen and left as a fallen trail into back alleys and sewers, rats scurrying about, both of the magical and nonmagical variety.  She was needed here, but in truth she was needed all over Equestria.  The best case scenario by that time was genocide: the question was whether it would be of the ponies or of the rats.

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Other Titles in this Series:

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  2. The Day the Rats Went to War

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Grimoire

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