//------------------------------//
// Vile, Evil, Horrible and Cruel 
// Story: My Little Pony: The Brothers of Discord 
// by mr.myxsiple 
//------------------------------//


CHAPTER 8
EVIL, VILE, HORRIBLE AND CRUEL


That afternoon, Ash found himself wandering around the corridors of his home alone. He wanted to have a round of chess, but Psych was nowhere to be found. Their house was so big, and Psych could be anywhere. Ash decided to give and just go back to his room and stay there.

Along the way, he passed by the door leading to Soltice's room. It was ajar allowing him to peek inside. The teal unicorn was sitting on his bed on which several books and scrolls were scattered about. Five books were floating around him surrounded by a teal magical aura.

Solstice magically flipped through the pages with his magic. Every few seconds, he'd sigh and toss a book aside before replacing it with another one. As he put down a graph depicting the slow but definitely increasing amount of light in Ponyville's soil, he noticed his brother looking at him from outside.

"Oh, hello Ash. Forgive me for not seeing you there. As you can see, I've been busy for quite some time now. Why don't you come in?" Smiling warmly, Solstice magically opened the door wide for him. Ash slowly entered as Solstice went through a few more books.

"I'm afraid Scar and Ironhead's efforts in Ponyville have yielded no results. Even as we speak, light continues to fill Ponyville's soil, its cause still unknown."

Ash remained silent as Solstice sighed and placed all the books down. "But enough about that. So what have you been up to lately?" he asked cheerily.

Ash instantly knew that this was yet another attempt to reach out to him. He considered his, as well as the rest of the family's, efforts were pointless. There was nothing they could to help him; he had given up trying to change ages ago.

Solstice on the other hand refused to give up. He didn't care that Ash had spent years refusing their help. His brother was a troubled boy who needed guidance if not from their dad then from his eldest brother. He wondered if Blues had found Psych and tried talking to him. However, the thought concerned him; without Ash around, Psych wouldn't hesitate to use his powers on Blues. Solstice hoped the later would be careful.

"I know. Perhaps you'd like a game of chess. I'll have you know I'm quite talented at it." Solstice said brushing his hoof on his coat. He knew that Ash did indeed love to play chess, and without his usual opponent around, now was the chance to bond something Ash liked.

The pegasus bowed a bit. "I...OK..." he said not looking at his brother. That put a hopeful smile on Solstice's face.

"Excellent. Your set is in your room correct?" Solstice's horn glowed; a flash of teal light later, Ash's chess set appeared and landed among the books and scrolls on Solstice's bed. Using his magic once again, Solstice put all the things aside and scooted aside to let Ash hop on.

"Now then, shall we begin?



"Checkmate." Ash said several minutes later. He sighed; Solstice was good, but wasn't as good as Psych. Their match was shorter than the ones Ash usually had. As they played, Solstice tried starting up several conversations all of which Ash responded with by knocking his pieces over. Seeing the match over, Ash began to pack up his chess set.

"Say, that was a good match Ash. I honestly never expected you to be this talented." Solstice said. "I believe you earned that Cutie-Mark of yours."

Ash snapped his chess set up and began to leave. "Ash, wait. Er...perhaps another round?"

He was ignored. Solstice decided to take things a bit more seriously. "Ash listen, I know we don't usually spend much time together-"

"Just...Just stop." Ash said . He slowly turning around. "I don't want to hear it."

"Ash please...listen to me...I want to help you." Solstice jumped off the bed and approached him. "That's all any of us wish to do to you and to Psych."

"You can't. You can't help me. I'm...beyond help. You can't change who I am. Nopony can." Ash bowed his head.

Solstice gently extended a hoof. "Ash, what you think you are is far from the real you. Deep down-"

His hoof was suddenly swatted away. "Deep down, I'm nothing but evil." Ash interrupted, his legs trembling slightly. "I make ponies suffer. I care for nothing. I hurt, destroy and kill! D-don't think I won't do that to you!" he shouted, his eyes turning scarlet. "Because that's what I do! This...this is who I am!"

But in those eyes, Solstice didn't see somepony evil at all. He gingerly placed a hoof on his brother's shoulder. "Ash-"

But the later, angry and panicking, knocked his hoof aside. "Don't say I'm not. Wh-what do you know? I know what I am and...and I accept it! I'll...I'll hurt you; I'll kill you if I want to, and I'll like it too!"

I'm evil. I'm vile. I'm horrible...I'm cruel. That's...who I am. Everypony hates me...I'll hurt...I'll k-kill if I want to...

"Ash..."

Why aren't you burning him to a crisp?

"Ash please..."

Hurt him! Do what you're supposed to do! Why are you hesitating?!

"Listen to me Ash, I don't believe-"

But the later had picked up his chess set and violently through it at Solstice. At the last second, he put up a teal magical barrier around him. Ash's chess set broke in two, its pieces scattering across the floor. Solstice gently lowered his barrier and watched as a white chess pawn rolled on the floor until it his Ash's hoof.

Solstice looked up at his brother and saw him panting as he reverted his eyes back to their normal color. Those eyes still showed anger and hate within them, but Solstice saw something else, something that looked like regret. Was Ash showing remorse for his actions?

Before he could say or do anything else, Ash quickly turned and bolted out of the room as fast as he could. All Solstice could do was raise his hoof to try and stop him, but his brother had already left. Defeated, he sighed and lowered his hoof still very concerned about Ash.

He thought he almost saw tears in his eyes when he left.



Ash flew as fast as his wings allowed him. Every wing beat put him further way from his home, from Solstice and the rest of them. He wanted to be alone; he needed to be alone. Being around other ponies only made the pain worse. He angrily wiped his eyes to get rid of the small amount of tears that formed.

After flying for a long time, he finally reached the clearing he usually stayed in. But even as he touched down, his mind was still full of thoughts. Nopony can help you...he thought to himself. Nopony can change who you are. The only thing you're capable off his hurting others. Didn't you try to hurt Solstice even when he was trying to help you? And if Psych hear about it, he'll hurt him. You just don't hurt others, you make others hurt each other as well. All you do is cause suffering.

Ash clutched his head in pain as he tried to block out his thoughts. Unfortunately, they kept on coming. "I only know how to hurt others..." he muttered as his grip tightened. "I'm evil..." His breath became ragged. "I'm vile…" He started to tremble. "I…am...CRUEL!"

He screamed as he uncovered his head and opened his eyes which suddenly turned scarlet. A sudden flash of light and a wave of heat later, the bush right next to him suddenly caught on fire. Ash flinched and scampered away from it before he could get burned. Panting, he watched as the bush was slowly consumed by the flames he created.

He had lost control of his powers. He covered his face and screamed as loud and as long as he could not caring that his throat began to ache. After several seconds, he finally stopped and slumped to the ground panting. As the smoke spiraled into the sky, Ash thought that somepony might notice it and investigate. He quickly rose left the clearing before anypony could show up. He went further into the forests, further away from his home.

To his surprise, something came up. As he parted through a pair for trees, he saw before him, a small cottage next to a small creek. He looked back; he must've reached the other end of the forest. He was also surprised that somepony would live to close to the forest despite it being full of danger.

Nevertheless, he wanted to get away. He turned and was about to leave, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw something flying towards him. He realized this too late causing what ever it was to hit him in the temple. The blow wasn't enough however to knock Ash down or critically injure him in any way. Recovered, Ash saw whatever had hit him roll across the ground in front of him-a carrot.

He looked over in the direction it came from, and, to his surprise, he saw a grumpy and very familiar white rabbit. Said rabbit was also carrying another carrot which was quickly thrown at Ash. Not wanting to get hit again, the latter focused and incinerated the carrot completely before it could hit him. The sight was enough to freak the rabbit out and made him make a beeline for the house.

Ash sighed and shook his head to get rid of the thoughts of incinerating the rabbit as well. What's stopping you? He turned away and thought about his next move when he heard the door open. "Now Angel, what is it this ti-"

Both the voice and Ash stopped at the same time. The latter turned to its source and once again came face to face with that same yellow pegasus, Fluttershy. He should've known that coming across that rabbit would lead him to her again. She must live in that cottage, but who'd want to live so close to the dangerous Everfree Forrest?

"A...Ash...?" Fluttershy managed to get out. She then spotted the carrot nearby. "Oh dear, did Angel throw that? I'm so sorry. He isn't usually like this even around strangers." She bowed her head and pawed the ground a bit.

He wondered is she was going to make that rabbit apologize again just like the first time they met. Speaking of the first day they met, he also remembered her being completely unaffected by his Glare. The fact still puzzled him to this day.

Wanting to see it once again, Ash approached Fluttershy, who backed up a bit, and gazed into her eyes. Usually, it only took a few seconds before the Glare took effect and his target would be inflicted with fear and panic. Fluttershy's face showed timidity and confusion but not fear.

Ash pulled back still unable to believe what just happened. She seemed to truly be completely immune to his Glare. Fluttershy opened her mouth to say something, but Ash turned his gaze to Angel and locked eyes with him. It was just then did she noticed just how intense and focused his gaze. It actually look kinda familiar. It looked kinda liked-

"My Stare?" she said out loud. By then Angel had already ran back into her cottage. "You...You have a gaze like mine?"

Ash looked at her with furrowed eyebrows, and she backed off. "I-I'm sorry for being rude. I was just wondering..."

He sighed and shook his head. "You're pathetic." he said quietly but loud enough for her to hear him. "Y-You're weak. You're...you're a coward that can't say a damn sentence without-"

But he couldn't finish his last sentence. Stammering, he turned away from her. What's wrong? Why'd you stop? She is weak. She is pathetic. Say it to her face! Ash growled but couldn't bring himself to continue his barrage of insults. It was his momentary hesitation to hurt Solstice all over again.

As for Fluttershy, she was visibly hurt from the things he said, but something in his eyes changed that. She recognized those eyes; they kinda looked like the ones on an animal frightened by something, but there was more to them than that. They seemed to be filled with...fear? Or was it something else?

Several things told her that Ash was a dangerous pony, but those eyes made her think otherwise.

"Uh…Ash?" she said snapping him out of his thoughts. "It's OK. I know you don't really mean the things you said."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "I said horrible things to you, and you think I don't mean it?" He shook his head. "Well I do mean it. Y-you're pathetic…you weak…you're…Gah…"

He turned away from her and walked towards the forest. "You don't know me…I'm dangerous…I'm vile…hated…and evil…Don't…Don't think I won't hurt you!"

As he turned and shouted at her, she saw it again, the fear in his eyes. What was he afraid of? "I'll…I'll seriously hurt you…Don't say stuff like that…You don't who what I am…"

Fluttershy took a tentative step towards him. Ash tensed up but remained still. "You're right. I really don't know who you are, and to be honest, I'm afraid of you actually. But…I can see it in your eyes. You…you don't mean to be mean all the time don't you?"

Ash's eyes widened at that. He stared at Fluttershy wide-eyed with shock before running into the forest ignoring her startled yelp. After running some distance away, he spread his wings and took off. He flew through the forest, away from her, away from anypony whom he might hurt. After flying until his wings hurt, he ended up at the very he was trying to get away from in the first place-his home.

At that moment, the door opened, and Psych stepped out. "Ash, there you are." He approached his brother. "I was just about to look for-what happened?"

Ash remained silent and looked away leading the earth pony to sigh. "It's OK You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. "C'mon, let's go back in."

Psych entered the house leaving Ash alone outside. The latter had one thing on his mind, that mare Fluttershy. Her actions and what she told him greatly confused him. She didn't know anything about him and yet, she was came close to discovering his deepest secret, a secret that nopony knew of except for Psych who seemed to suspect it and was worried by it. Growling again, Ash entered his home, Fluttershy still on his mind.



I'm evil. I'm vile. I'm horrible...I'm cruel. That's...who I am.

He kept repeating that mantra in his head as he stared into the black, empty void before him. He was alone, completely separated from anypony else. If there was anypony else there, he'd surely end up hurting them…

I'm evil. I'm vile. I'm horrible...I'm cruel. That's...who I am.

He strangely felt a presence before him. He raised his head and saw before him that same mare, Fluttershy, care and compassion in her eyes. "Ash…" she said.

"Stop…" he told her shakily. "S-Stop it! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" he screamed at her. "Stop giving me that look! "

"But I-"

"Stop trying to help me!" he bellowed. "I'm evil! I'm vile! I'm horrible! I'm cruel! That's who I am! Stop it! Stop giving me your kindness! I…"

Ashe collapsed and began to tremble. "Stop it please…" he whispered. "I…I don't deserve it…"

"Indeed you don't." a loud, booming voice said.

Ash watched as a massive pillar of fire burst from beneath Fluttershy's hooves consuming her entirely. He gasped and backed off as the flames intensified; he could no longer see Fluttershy and assumed that she had already been burnt to a crisp. He could've done that...With his powers, something like that could easily be done to her and to others...

Eventually, the pillar died down, and a new pony stood in in Fluttershy's place, a pegasus like them. His coat was a mixture of different shades of red, orange, yellow and gold. His mane and tail were made of actual flames. The most striking part of him were his eyes. They were vividly scarlet, the exact shade his eyes took whenever he used his powers.

"You're evil. You're vile. You're horrible. You're cruel. That's...who you are." the fire pony said. "You and I are the same."

"They...They hate me...Everypony hates me..." Ash said gloomily. "I only know...how to hurt others...I'm...a monster...I don't deserve anything...or anypony..."

The fire pony nodded and vanished into nothingness. Ash was once again all alone in the middle of the vast darkness. To him, loneliness had always been a blessing. There was no one to hurt, no one to suffer because of him. He almost wished he'd never have to leave. Consumed by his grief, Ash laid down and curled up into a fetal position.

I'm evil. I'm vile. I'm horrible...I'm cruel. That's...who I am.