Seeking Answers

Switchblade's face lit up at the offer, fortunately the mask and goggles hid these emotions "Would you?" he asked politely "It is definately dark magic as it was done as a torture from some cult of loonies, decided that if I wouldn't talk then I might as well not breathe, so they filled my lungs with that dark magic and left me in an alley for my colleagues to find." he explained, deciding that, considering Onyx's life, she wouldn't tell anypony of their conversations and so he felt that he could be honest with her.

"A cult, you say?" This was the most interesting news that spewed from his muzzle yet. "If you don't mind me asking, just where did you encounter them?" She had often wondered what happened to her comrades and associates back when the attack on the Crystal Empire was first launched. While she had been cursed to unconsciousness, no doubt many of them played larger roles in the conquest. And while the empire had been ruled for years, it hadn't been so long enough for them to have passed on from aging. Thus, when their Master sent the entire place into another realm come his defeat, they (as well as she) had gone with it. There was no hint as to what happened after the curse was lifted in their regards.

Though she was truly enthralled, Onyx diverted most of her attention to the task at hand. She kept the sphere close between them for light while her red eyes searched the stallion, their special talent seeking out the foul magic within him. With some serious concentration, the mare could see the essence pulsing within him, lining the colt's lungs and infiltrating every air sac. [color=red][i]Not very secure. This was done by an amateur- anypony with as much experience as me would have hidden the trail a lot better; sank it in on a deeper molecular level. Still, the use of such a tactic was rather cruel, and matched what her fellow acolytes would have done.

"Try to remain as still as possible, and keep your breathing even."

Onyx leaned in towards him until their horns touched at the tip. She couldn't hide her blushing cheeks from the gesture (which was rather personal), but she could ignore it. Closing her eyes momentarily, when they reopened, their sclera burned green and purple flames hissed from their corners. The magic within him became much more clearer to see. [i]Ok. Here we go. As a swirl of red magic surrounded her horn, the unicorn's amulet also began to glow. She could feel it lend her its strength, allowing for the transfer of her magical essence into his own to go much, much smoother.

Fortunately, learning a pony's anatomy was a big deal back in her schooling days- it made torture far more precise. Thus, she was able to lead the magic on through his system and to his lungs with little to no effort. Once there, it began to mix with the corrupted form he held and consume it..

Switchblade kept himself from shuddering at the sight of the mare channelling dark energy, focusing on breathing normally, as he was told

She could feel the foreign essence fading as well as see. Her nose wrinkled as she strained to push her magic into each and every small crevice within his lungs' lobes to ensure no trace amount was left behind. Once she felt comfortable with the purge, the unicorn withdrew her magic and disconnected it from her horn. After taking a step back, she focused on her sixth sense to 'feel' for any remaining dark magic within him. Satisfied with there being none, the mare smirked, rather proud of herself. "And that should do it."

Onyx rolled back her front shoulders and cracked her neck. Surprisingly, she didn't feel any fatigue despite all the work. That fact made her look back at her amulet, whose glow had faded as well. This pendant is becoming more in sync with my own essence. I can feel myself grasping better control already. Lightly, she chuckled to herself. Before too long I should have it mastered. Then, perhaps, I can acquire that form again. The unicorn flipped her mane and grinned from ear-to-ear.

"So, how do you feel now?"

After he got over the initial shock of the way the spell had to be performed, Switchblade had managed to stay completely relaxed through the spell. He looked at Onyx and did something completely unexpected for him, he embraced Onyx "Thank you so much, Onyx. I do not know how I can repay you now." he said with gratitude in his voice, he was slightly surprised that she didn't say about seeing any of the memories that he kept repressed in his essence, but he wasn't complaining.

His embrace made her shiver a bit unexpectedly and her cheeks turn a rosey shade of pink. Instantly, her mind was warped out from the present and thrown to the recent past. Within the vision, she saw herself and a white-coat unicorn sharing the same form of affection. Tears came to her eyes as she watched how much love was between them, but they evaporated within the purple flames of her dark magic. She blinked and shook her head, shattering their forms and forcing herself back into reality. After doing so, she simply waited for him to release her.

"No need to thank me. I've made it my purpose to enlighten others on the true meaning of my magic. Any opportunity I can get my hooves on to help others control the darkness, I willingly take. It was an honor to be able to help you."

The mare started to walk down the hall again at a much slower pace, making sure her red sphere was kept alongside them. "I'd still like to know where you encountered the cult." Onyx said calmly, though inwardly, she was growing quite anxious.

Switchblade nodded, going back to walking alongside Onyx "I encountered them in the criminal underworld of Manehatten; they were supposed to be a low threat group of thieves but when I went to shut them down, I found the truth. They tried to turn me over to their way of thinking; that complete order is the only way to a pure world, a world conveniently owned by them, I refused them and that's when they did that little spell on me." he shuddered as he remembered the experience "However, that is my life, working in the darkness to serve the light, saving Equestria without anypony knowing that they were in trouble, my name being kept from history."

She knew almost immediately that he hadn't encountered her comrades. Manehattan was too modern of a place for them to have infiltrated- they would have preferred more familiar territory. Nonetheless, she continued to listen to him with hopes that her assumption might be wrong. Again, his crossing of those criminals proved it wasn't them- their goal was not to rule the world with order, but to serve their Master and enhance the dark arts. With her hopes deflated, she simply nodded and continued the stroll, occasionally glancing into this room and that.

At the very end of the corridor was a large metal door, which had carvings of two alicorns gracefully prancing upon it. Upon further examination, Onyx noticed that the background depicted a world lost to time- one that existed millenia ago. There was a town with very few homes, all of which seemed to be made from straw and mud. Half of the background's sky was depicted with rays of sunlight and the other stars of a night's sky. This room must have held some significance to them. The unicorn thought as she pressed a hoof to it.

Her amulet's eye illuminated brightly, hinting that there was a spike of magical energy beyond. Onyx tried to push the door open but it refused to budge. Very well then.. Her purple flames expanded as she began to conjure magic to her horn, her mane became a shadow and fur darkened. "You may want to step back.."

Switchblade walked alongside Onyx until they got to the door, he noted her expression at his story and realised that she must have been hoping for some kind of link in his tale, he stopped as Onyx tried to open the door, he watched her first attempt fail then as he was about to offer help, he saw her chanelling a large amount of dark power and went to move backwards, tripping over just out of her sight as his scimitar got wedged on a rock, despite the weight of his armor, his trip and landing were unnoticeable unless one was focusing on him.

Keep control. Make sure your mind is clear and breathing even.. The magical energy continued to build within the aura around her horn, which now sparked with a red electrical current and sprouted flames. At her throat the amulet pulsated, releasing its own magical influence to mold with hers, enhancing it greatly. So strong was the power that the room shook and floor trembled, its stone bricks cracking and kicking up dust. Around her hooves, a red circular pattern of flames materialized, while a sphere of energy condensed around her.

Now focus. Her eyes fully turned green while their purple embers blazed stronger. Black bubbling magic began replacing the red, while the fire turned purple as it too succumbed to the darkness. She launched a black, green and purple beam from the tip of her horn into the door, which somehow redirected itself from where she aimed (which was the center) to the side where night dominated. It struck the depicted moon and caused the crescent to blaze white, while the stars also started to illuminate just like those in the heavens beyond the castle. In fact, the entire half of the door came to life, with the stone ponies moving about their day, the grass billowing to an unseen wind, and creatures of the night scurried about.

When enough magic was absorbed, the door creaked open. Its life was maintained even as Onyx reeled back her might and ended her show. The unicorn breathed heavily, sweat dotting her brow and knees buckling from the effort, but her mane continued to waver as shadows and eyes produced its dark magic. She looked over a shoulder and to the stallion, whom was in a rather odd predicament. Shaking her head, the mare proceeded forward and through the doorway, eventually disappearing into the darkness beyond..

Switchblade got up and followed the mare through the doorway, as he got to her side the true aim of the dark spell placed on him took effect, suddenly his horn lit up, displaying a series of still images in front of the pair, the most of them were of him with a young looking mare in different areas, but as it got to the end, it simply showed a tombstone in front of a town on fire with the words 'Maybe next time you'll be able to save them' spread across the memory in dark purple lettering.

The trick however, was meant for a younger Switchblade, one who would have been consumed with rage at all dark magic users; the present Switchblade wasn't like that, when he saw them, he just went silent and stopped. He looked around the darkened room for a way to distract his mind, he eventually settled on thinking about what the other part of that amulet would do; power was known to corrupt the strongest.

The sudden glare of light made her pupils constrict and head spin. She shook herself free from the sudden dizziness and took some time to recover before glancing towards the source, which was blurry at first but soon pristine. She quirked a brow while studying the still forms, uncertain what their purpose was. They appeared to be different variations of the stallion that accompanied her and some mare she couldn't recognize. Her eyes moved to the unknown unicorn in his flesh form. Just what was his game? Why was he showing her all of this?

Shrugging to herself, Onyx proceeded further into the blackness. She felt a shift beneath her hoof- a stone had sunk, triggered by her weight. Suddenly, bright white fire formed on the walls within the cold embrace of stone braziers. Their light was bright enough to illuminate half of the room, revealing several pillars with trophies displayed on their tops, protected behind thick magical shields. The walls were lined with banners of silk, embroiled with Princess Luna's cutie mark. On the ceiling above, the night's sky came alive through an illusion, but it was so realistic that one could easily mistake it for the actual thing.

The unicorn turned her head to look at the other half of the chamber, but it remained completely dark. Based on the room's layout, she supposed that the other section would represent Princess Celestia and the light. While she was curious to explore more of the treasures, her goal was to find the other half of her pendant, which meant venturing into the unknown. Just as she was about to cross the mid-line, she smashed into an unseen force. Onyx stumbled back a few paces while the air before her muzzle flickered white- there was a barrier in place.

"A magical barrier? I suppose my dark magic only allowed for this sector to be open. Which means I need a light spell to reveal the other.." Well, this was quite the predicament. "Unfortunately, I don't know of any.."

Switchblade, who was now back to walking, was engrossened in his thinking so wasn't paying attention to Onyx, he kept walking forwards and as he arrived at the shield, he walked straight through the field and onto the other side. Realising that Onyx wasn't behind him, he turned around and waited.

Onyx cocked her head to one side, nearly popping it off from her neck. The stallion had phased right through the magical barrier, much to her delight and dismay. Grunting, she placed a hoof forward and pressed against the wall which sparked in protest. Taking a deep calming breath, she settled the dark magic that burned within and without, allowing her mane to solidify and eyes to return to normal as well. She could feel the barrier's resistance ease up a bit, but not enough for her to push through. A bit frustrated, she plopped on her haunches and rubbed her chin, pondering what else to do.

Looking down at her hoof, an idea struck her. I remember the Crystal Ponies. They were filled with light and love, thanks to the Crystal Heart. She envisioned the artifact in all its stunning sight. Carved to perfection, its blue hue was an envy to painters, for none could match its raw beauty. While she had never fueled it with her own essence, having been taught that emotions were dangerous and otherwise useless, she could feel a sense of wonder and serenity the further she pictured it. I am a Crystal Pony. Half, anyways. The mare reminded herself. So this magic should be within me..

The unicorn relaxed every muscle, cleared her mind of all thoughts. She focused within, feeling for her own natural magical essence- the part which she had neglected for so long. As she did so, her black coat started to crystallize, while her red and black mane turned white. Her hooves, having usually been as black as her namesake, actually turned white as well. Slowly reopening her eyes, Onyx was startled to see the shine of her coat as well as the change of color that occurred. So..this is how I was born. I haven't seen myself like this since I was but a filly..

Getting to her hooves, she gave herself a look-over once more, took a deep breath, and walked towards the barrier..

Switchblade watched Onyx's transformation with a mix of confusion and wonder. When she was fully transformed, he held his hoof in front of his eyes, to stop the glare from the coat while his eyes adjusted "Not that it looks bad on you." he started "But why did you do that?" he was intrigued about why this mare had firstly looked like she had seen a miracle, and then transform into crystal.

She stopped short. "This is how I was born." After the statement she blushed, rather embarrassed. "Only when I started to learn about dark magic did I change. The type I study corrupts not only the mind, but body as well- at least until you learn how to control it." Her eyes fell to her sparkling white hoof. "It leaves a taint. My markings are what you saw me as before." The same hoof was lifted and pressed to the barrier. It sparked again, but this time, gave way a bit. Though not completely.

Onyx swore beneath her breath. As frustration flourished, her coat lost its sheen. "It's still not enough. I don't have an ounce of light magic in me anymore." Anger bloomed, causing red streaks to first appear in her mane and tail, followed by black as her mood soured. The ground rumbled from the force of her unstable emotions, threatening to break apart. When her normal form was once again present, she bit her lower lip and held her breath to steady herself. The unicorn pulled back all of her feelings until they were condensed and locked away deep within, giving her a nonchalant demeanor.

"I suppose you're going to have to look around in my stead." Admitting as much took a great blow to her pride. "I'm unable to cross the protective barrier."

Switchblade looked at Onyx, then to the room ahead of him, then back to Onyx; she wasn't joking about this. Suddenly a thought crossed his mind "So what am I looking for?" he asked Onyx. While he waited for an answer, he attempted to look through the dark of the room, but to no avail; he would have to go deeper in by himself if he wanted to find this thing. "So, I guess once you find the other part of that amulet, you'll be able to control your magic and stop it corrupting your body." he said plainly, trying to figure out her aim; if she wanted it for malicious reasons, he now had a way of stopping her.

She would have thumped her forehead with a hoof at his inquiry, but fortunately, her composure was maintained. "You're looking for a pendant that resembles this one, only white." The unicorn gestured to her amulet. "It will be shaped as this one's opposite- the two are meant to connect together and become one entity." Her eyes fell to the alicorn's face, then moved over to its black wing. "You should be able to feel its presence, seeing as you've used light magic before." The mare chewed on her lower lip a bit.

At his other question, Onyx shook her head. "The corruption I've experienced has come over years of magical practice. The amulet is meant to give the wearer untold power." She paused, unsure how much further to go into detail. He could very well choose to not only keep the pendant for himself, but destroy it. "It will bring a balance to me. I want my magic to grow, but I've gone as far into the dark side of it as I can." What she truly hoped for was ascendance- to become an alicorn, much as a certain pony had not too long ago.

"All I have now is my magic and learning more about it. Plus, in a way, the light will connect me with my parents. They were good ponies.." Onyx could barely remember them, in truth, with her last memory of them being her father taking her to the Crystal Empire without her mother's knowledge, and then abandoning her there to become the pawn of a dark magic user. "I have nothing to remember them by but myself. I'm all that's left of them."

Switchblade nodded slowly "I suppose that's reason enough." he said at the explanation, he turned around and drew his sword, its blade being immersed in a soft glow as it left the scabbard, he pointed it forwards down the hall and sent a pulse of light out around him, spreading like the ripples in water would, sensing a strong magical aura, he set off in its direction, he then felt the aura of something else, a strong, chilling aura. At this he went quiet, barely making any noises with his advances down the corridor.

He seems to have bought it. Good- I'd hate to have to turn on a good soul like his. Onyx watched him draw his blade, momentarily believing he had thrown a ruse and intended on using it against her. Thankfully, her fears were put to rest as he conjured magic and used it as a sensory device (or so it appeared) to seek out what she required. It's against my nature to kill the innocent- my very purpose is to show the world that dark magic is not necessarily evil. But I will do whatever it takes to get what is mine, and to achieve my ultimate goal.

Seeing as the room was large and it could take some time for him to find the pendant, the unicorn decided to do a little exploring herself. She set off to the first marble pillar and its trophy, which turned out to be a helmet. Curious, Onyx tilted her head and stepped closer. Its details were quite remarkable. It was a serene blue in hue, but had a silver gleam to it. It's a battle helmet, but no ordinary one. I can sense a great deal of darkness permeating it. She reared up onto her hind hooves for a better view, supporting herself with her front ones against the pillar. It does look familiar. But I can't quite put my hoof on it.

Shrugging, the mare dropped back onto all fours and cantered away, on towards the next piece on exhibit. It was another piece of armor which matched the first, but made for the neck and chest. The center had a crescent moon carved into it. This is obviously Princess Luna's. But why does it feel so cold? So malicious? Still unclear, Onyx had no choice but to carry on and continue her exploration, all the while pondering why such armor would be hidden away in a castle long forgotten..

Switchblade continued his search on his area of the hall, he eventually arrived at the end of the hall and was faced with the amulet, suddenly another pulse came back, one alongside the amulet, it was of pure evil, quickly Switchblade plucked up the amulet and started to run, behind him, the aura manifested itself into a creature brimming with talons and one lone eye, he was metres away from the barrier as he got tripped by the creature, the amulet flew out of his grasp and onto the other side of the barrier, he called out loudly "Help!"

Onyx froze dead in her tracks. What was that? Her fur stood on end while her horn sparked, shooting off random red bolts of electrical-like magic. Slowly, she turned to face the opposite side of the room, which still appeared dark to her eyes thanks to the barrier. She narrowed her gaze, focusing further down towards the end of the region. Something was manifesting beyond and it reeked of pure, unfiltered evil. That doesn't make sense. If only light magic can enter, how could something so sinister possibly exist there?

The thunderous sound of hooves echoed through the vast area. For some reason, the stallion was running full-speed. It must be something horrible if he's not facing it, what with all that talk before about him having culled criminals and all that.. A ping rang, making her ears twitch. At the same time the pendant at her throat brightened, its optic burned brighter than ever. Sure enough, when she gazed towards the source of the sound, its twin was there. Her heart froze and body stiffened. He did it. He actually found it. It's been here all this time..


His call for help snapped the unicorn from her sudden trance. And it sounds like he's still in trouble. Pathetic. Fortunately for the stallion, she wasn't an ungrateful mare. Unfortunately, she still couldn't see what was assailing him. ..Maybe it will give me enough insight..

Onyx sprinted on towards the pendant, her armor shaking and rattling loudly. She skid to a stop before it, and as she bent forward to pick it up, its black eye started to light up. The pieces raised on its own accord, surrounded by a blinding white light. She shielded her eyes from it with a leg, grunting all the while. In a flash it faded, but so did the pendant. As a sudden warmth flowed over her, filling every ounce of her essence and soul, she realized what had happened. As she expected, upon glancing down, the amulet was complete.

When she looked up to the barrier again, she could see it as a physical shape. Sneering, Onyx approached and forced a hoof against it, causing the magic to shatter like shards of glass. After doing so, the entire other side of the room became visible to her, as did the monstrosity that had its eye on the stallion. She had never seen anything like it before, but having sensed its negativity long ago, she knew it had to be reigned in.

"Foul creature of darkness, still yourself!" Onyx stomped her hooves, releasing a sudden burst of darkness energy as a wave that washed over the stone floor, passed over the stallion, and went to smash into the beast. "You will not harm this innocent, by my command!"

Switchblade smiled as the creature was forced off of him. "Well done." he said casually "Your feelings of wanting to help activated your lighter side." he looked at the creature, pity in his eyes "We shall meet again in another life, brother." he said, walking casually up to it before ramming his scimitar into its torso and watching as light flared through its body, dissipating it as he walked over to Onyx.

She stared at him. Just stared. Was this stallion..testing her? He..He's trying to teach me how to access the light? Completely dumbfounded, Onyx rubbed her forehead with an armored hoof. He could have easily vanquished that creature. Her eyes darted to his scimitar. Clearly, the blade was something much more than it appeared. Not only does he channel his magic through it, but it seems to possess a power all on its own. They moved to the spot where the fiend had once towered. One stab was all it took. Incredible.

Weighed down by her amazement, Onyx plopped onto her haunches. Remembering that her lesser goal had been accomplished, she immediately got back up and dashed over to the closest marble pillar. She bee-lined for the one that homed the mysterious helmet and once there, stood close enough to the black marble to see her own reflection. In it, her focus was upon her completed amulet. The dark side's white eyes remained calm, while the light side's black did the same. Their horns touched at the tip as did their muzzles, showing a true passionate connectivity. It's a balance. Something I must and will discover for myself. With this, I can finally start to learn about the light side of magic.

But first.. There must be some way that thing formed here. Lost in thought, the unicorn began to wander the dark side of the sisters' former room. She rounded the pillar with the helmet and stepped past the sternum armor. This way and that she gazed, questioning the decor and momentous. It wasn't strong, or so I don't believe. Dark, yes, but not powerful. At the very end, the last barrier held an old book within it. The cover was tattered and torn, colored a deep royal blue and speckled silver. It had no title or any other indication as to its purpose.

"I wonder.."

Switchblade watched Onyx going around the room, looking at different artefacts, he walked along behind her, scimitar still drawn. He sat down and lay his scimitar in front of him, speaking to it, as he spoke to it, the sword rung out softly. Switchblade then spoke the final words to it, causing the glow on the blade to stop "May the wheel turn evermore." at that point, the ringing also stopped, he got up and sheathed the sword, walking over to Onyx "What have you found?" he asked, looking at the book.