Celestial's Half-hours

by Celestial

Until Either Your Body or Your Mind Breaks [Dark]

Zapp blearily opened her eyes, realizing bit by bit she was stuck in place, strapped to a vertical table, her four legs spread and bound, and that a tight, cold metal band around her waist was pressing on her and making it unconfortable to breathe.

"Oh, look who's awake," cooed an earth pony figure, right in the middle of the large laboratory room, idly swinging a pocket watch to and fro, tethered to his brown hoof.

He wore a dapper suit and a bowler hat, mostly covering his wild red hair. "Don't bother about using your powers, Zapp; I've found ways to push them out of your capacities for the time being," he stated, smirking, walking closer to the bound superhero.

Nonetheless, Zapp tried her hardest to thresh out of her confines, with no success. "Rrrrgh! You know you'll never get away with this, Hypnotist! Me and my friends won't let you!"

The earth pony tilted his head in mock surprise. "Oh? I'm afraid I'll have to correct you there miss Zapp, for I will shortly be getting away with 'this', and precisely because you'll be helping me with 'this', and out of your own volition if I may so add."

Zapp was stunned. "What? No! You'll never convince anyone of us to join your dirty schemes! That's preposterous!"

"Why, you'll find three of your friends may already be saying otherwise. And you'll see why soon." With a push of a conveniently-near red button, the bounds on Zapp's legs began pulling away, and stretching her body to her limits. Her screams were already filling the room.

"You see, I'm making this simple to you. This machine won't be stopping until it brings your end, or I interrupt the process. And all it takes for you to stave off the inevitable, is simply to agree to my conditions, to play my little game for a while. You'll even be set free with your friends after I've done so."

Zapp managed to gather strength for a few words between gasps and shrieks. "You'll- *gasp* I'll die before giving up to you!"

"But is it really your best choice, miss superhero?" The Hypnotist continued in his mellifluous voice. "I'm sure your friends will miss you if you do."

"AAaaaaargh- Somepony else will come after me, and will- RRrrgh- defeat you!"

"Oh, but I'm afraid a death on the job wouldn't really set a good record for that, will it? Your stunt may actually scare new recruits away from such a demanding job, after all."

Zapp just screamed in response, as the pull was stretching her beyond what she thought was even imaginable for her body to bear. She could feel joints shift and muscles stretch in pure pain.

"And I'm honestly surprised you haven't even considered that if you're not among us anymore, you won't be able to help your friends get out of trouble ever again. It'd just be the end of that for you, and them.

"But there's always the alternative, you see. The one you heroes always take. The night before the dawn. The moment when all hope is lost, and you all have succumbed to the threat to the city. You should be comfortable with this kind of things, wouldn't you? You can do just the same here. Give up now to live tomorrow. Surrender to fight another day. All you have to do..." He was fixing his eyes intensely on Zapp's, who couldn't for her efforts, to pry them off his. Inbetween them, the pocket watch swung.

"Is shut out the pain... stop resisting and join your blissful sleep..."

Despite the pain, Zapp's half-lidded stare kept up, and she nodded.

"Fighting evil is something you'll do another day... Now, to gain your freedom, you'll have to play my game. Follow my orders, and you and your friends will be safe. Everything will be fine.

"Rest, and think how you are going to serve your new master, the Hypnotist."

Zapp nodded herself off to unconsciousness, after which the earth pony pressed the red button again, and all bonds retreated into the table, dropping the costumed pegasus unceremoniously on the floor.

The Hypnotist looked very contented with the outcome. "Marvellous," he said. "I believe Filly-Second's in for the next appointment."

He allowed himself a chuckle now that nopony was listening. "Let's see you Power Ponies wiggle out of this one..."

---------

Spike shut the comic book closed, unable to continue. Wide-eyed, he just walked upstairs and slithered into bed, trying to get all the thoughts to leave his head. He was starting to regret of ever buying that Very Mature edition comic under Twilight's nose.

Author's Note:

Prompt #535: I’m not going to kill you. I’m going to break you.