//------------------------------// // Chapter 17 - Recovery // Story: Fear Within // by VirtualCipher //------------------------------// Luna's moon shone like a crystal orb, its glow became a sight of beauty along with the stars orchestrating their lights in the endless night. However, the beauty of the night did not match up with the atmosphere of Canterlot. It felt haunted. Poisoned and drugged with grief. The throne room was reckoned with unsettlement. The horrors that were witnessed could not leave, nor could they die. The Princess of Friendship, Element of Magic was just lost. She remained still, her face weakened to show any emotion, all that could be said was that she was miserable. Her body told her not to move, to stay seated on the floor of the throne room, devoid of any courage to even lift a hoof. Traumatised and faithless, her eyes pointed towards the ground as she denied to look up at the stained window of Spike, saving the Crystal Empire as he delivered the Crystal Heart. Nothing came good from that stained window, the only thing she remembered was torment and mockery despite seeing her friend becoming a saviour, it was tainted with sickening thoughts as was the others. Did she dare to look up? Motionless, the eyes remained darted at the floor, she remained focused on her punishment, nothing was on her mind but the constant torture Spike had to put up with, the pain he went through, past and present. How could she have been so foolish? Spike was missing and she immediately thought is was for the best. Hoping that he would find a life among the dragons, but no. She drove him away with constant pushing and shoving, making him do every bit of work there was to offer all while she had fun with her friends. Even when he did get to have that same fun, it was ruined with abuse and humiliation. Now, this... This entire time, before Manehatten was attacked, he was suffering in the dark with a freak obsessed with fear. She replaced him... Why did she think that was a good idea? He didn't take too well with the Owlicious incident and why didn't she learn from that mistake? Truth be told, she forgot him... Twilight continued her life as the Princess of Friendship with her friends supporting her and a new assistant, but the one friend who needed her the most, she never came. Spike spent countless days waiting for her to come and she never did all because she hoped for the best rather than thinking what could go wrong. Fright broke him, he dissected his mind into pieces of pain, suffering and misery. The throne room only contained one soul; one that had been contaminated with grief. Her spirits were low and all faith in harmony and friendship had been lost. Discord was right. Friendship can't save this one. It was unknown to Twilight that standing before her was Shining Armour, heartbroken to see his little sister in such a state of agonising pain. There was nothing Shining could say that would make her feel better. The sadness Shining felt was consumed by anger, but he refused to show it. "Twily..." Shining Armour spoke. "I'm so sorry you saw that. I'm sorry about Spike. I have been informed on the situation and the princesses have ordered me and my team to advance to Tartarus. We are going to put up a force field around the gates of the prison, preventing anything from getting in. I'll be gone for a while, but I assure you, Fright is going down along with that disgusting Queen Chrysalis." Shining Armour levelled with her sister, pulling her into a hug. Twilight failed to follow her brother's move, she remained still, not moving. As Shining pulled away, he could still see that Twilight was staring down at the floor, but somehow, he could still see her misery. Her face was weak of happiness and miserable with grief in her eyes. This stung his heart. It was hard to witness her sister so... so dismantled. "I love you, little sis," Shining said his goodbye. "I'll be back soon... Just, please... Try and forget what you saw." Steady, the captain of the guard turned himself around, exiting the throne room to see Princess Celestia waiting for his return. Celestia's eyes were filled with sorrow, begging for an answer from Shining. In response, he sighed. "I couldn't get anything out of her," Shining Armour confessed, feeling like a failure. "She didn't even look at me. What did Fright do?!" "I told you, Shining Armour. He tortured Spike, he broke his mind. He wasn't just doing it to prove how much of a threat he was. He was doing it to punish Twilight, to punish us. He knows her weakness; her friends," Celestia informed. Shining growled, "We can't let any of them get away with this!" "We need to focus on the objective!" Celestia told. "Vengeance cannot be played on our minds, not when Equestria is threatened with a prison break. Do you remember your mission?" "Of course," Shining Armour said. "But I don't think thirty ponies are going to be enough as a defence team. That's if the force field goes down." "It won't, Shining Armour. Your magic is powerful enough to last against changelings, diamond dogs and dragons. All you need to do is raise the force field around Tartarus' entrance and then enchant the gates. Once the gates have been enchanted, our enemies will never gain access to that prison." "How long is this enchantment spell going to take?" Shining asked. "A while." She answered. "That's why I need you to raise the shield over your team and Tartarus' entrance so our enemies won't get the drop on you. Once the enchantment spell is complete, all threats who try to break through the doors will receive a shock that will push them back." Celestia continued, "I know thirty ponies aren't enough for this mission, but it's best they are keeping the land safe. Canterlot, Ponyville, the Crystal Empire, Baltimare and many more kingdoms and cities cannot end up like Manehatten. Please, once your mission is complete, you get out of there as soon as you can. I don't want anypony hurt, there's too much of that going around." Shining Armour's face presented determination as she spoke, "I won't let you down, Princess. My team won't let you down." The princess replied with a small smile, "Your bravery is something that should be admired throughout Equestria. Gather your team and ready your airship. Travelling on hoof is too dangerous with the changelings lurking around. Good luck Shining Armour, and stay safe." Before Shining Armour escorted himself to the airship, he spoke, "Princess. Please, take care of my sister." Celestia took in his request and nodded. Obeying the princess' command without further delay, Shining Armour readied his team and took off in an airship, advancing to Tartarus. Princess Celestia watched as the airship endured further away into the misty night. Two Hours Later... After what seemed like an eternity, Princess Celestia along with her sister Luna had received a scroll from Shining Armour about their arrival in Tartarus. No one was there. Queen Chrysalis, the Diamond Dogs, dragons, changelings, Fright, Flim and Flam were nowhere to be seen. They notified the two sisters that the force field had successfully covered the front entrance of Tartarus. Nothing was getting in. This news eased the princesses, but not for long. The thought of Twilight's inactivity worried them. The throne room only contained one soul; one that had been contaminated with grief. Her spirits were low and all faith in harmony and friendship had been lost. Discord was right. Friendship can't save this one. Peeking through the double doors into the throne room were three ponies. Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Pinkie Pie, all who had empathy seated in their system. "She's been like that for a while," Rainbow Dash stated. "She hasn't moved a muscle." "What else would ya expect?" Applejack spoke with dejection in her voice, sounding quite frail. "We all just witnessed somethin' disturbin'. Our friend had his mind broken by our mistakes, our foolish ways that hurt 'im, and now, whatever Fright injected into him, I'm sure he's scared more than ever." "This... This isn't our fault!" Rainbow Dash refused to reveal guilt. "We didn't torture Spike! You saw him, that... freak did this!" "It's true that Fright tortured him, Rainbow, but you heard what he said. From the Winter Wrap-Up to the Iron Pony competition. We did a lot of damage to the poor fella. Ah! What was ah thinkin'? Throwing him around in a contest and leaving him to freeze his tail off," Applejack growled at herself. "But we didn't abduct him and produce experiments of fear on him!" Rainbow Dash argued. "No, but we did hurt him. If it was physical, emotional or mental pain, it doesn't matter now. What's done is done. Ah just wish we could have done something." Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash heard the sound of sniffling, turning their heads to see a depressed Pinkie Pie who was facing her back to them. "Oh... come on, Pinkie," Rainbow Dash cooed, gently placing a hoof on her back. "We can't..." Her voice was cut off with a sniffle as she held back her own tears. "Why?" Pinkie Pie asked. "What did we do to deserve this? What monster would be bent on creating fears to harm an innocent baby dragon?" "Ah don't know, Pinkie," Applejack confessed. "Ah just don't... know..." Pinkie Pie continued. "How could we just... forget him like that?" She sniffled. "What kind of friends are we if we just..." She couldn't finish, she just continued to cry. "I forgot his birthday, I threw a party and how did I not invite him to my own?! How many fun events did I leave him out of?!" "We can't think like that Pinkie," Applejack told with her voice easing. "This is what Fright wants, to make us feel sorry and lose hope." "I'm not losing hope!" Rainbow Dash said with determination. "I may feel bad for what I did to Spike, but Fright! He has a whole lot of pain coming his way!" She growled. "I don't want to see what happened to Spike happen to you girls," Pinkie Pie confessed. "I don't want it happening to anypony, what if it happens to Fluttershy next?!" She panicked. "That's not gonna happen', Pinkie," Applejack said. "You can't think like that." "What's goin' on?" Applejack turned her head as did Rainbow Dash to see three fillies. Pinkie's eyes were already on them. "Ah thought you three were sleepin'!" Applejack snapped. "Yeah, you're supposed to be in bed," Rainbow Dash told. "Sorry," Scootaloo apologised. "We heard something about Spike," Sweetie Belle said. "Is he alright?" The three ponies looked at each other, they couldn't lie nor did they want to frighten them. "Truth be told, no. He isn't," Applejack said. "Oh..." Sweetie Belle's eyes darted downwards in sadness. "Wh-What happened?" Applebloom asked. "He... He's just hurt, that's all," Rainbow Dash said. "He's... He's not going to... Die is he?" Scootaloo asked. "What? No, of course not. He's just hurt," Rainbow Dash cooed. The three fillies felt relieved that their friend wasn't gone, however, they weren't told the truth of what actually happened to him. "What did happen' to Spike?" Applebloom said. "It's really late you three," Pinkie Pie informed. "You need to go to bed and sleep." The three fillies caught onto Pinkie's sudden change in personality. She wasn't cheerful, happy or hyperactive. She was dull, sad. "Okay." They acknowledged Pinkie Pie's instruction, feeling sad. "Wait, have you seen my sister around?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Ah think it would be best if she had some time alone," Applejack advised. Sweetie Belle may have been a filly, but she wasn't dumb, she knew that her sister needed time alone. If Spike got hurt then it seemed natural for her to feel down, for them to feel down. "Was it that bad?" She asked. Applejack sighed, "Come on you three, get some shut eye." The three fillies knew that they weren't going to get anywhere with knowing what exactly happened to their friend, but they could tell it was bad if it made Pinkie Pie different from her personality. Same went with the others sounding so dull. Perhaps it was best that they didn't know. Applebloom obeyed her sister's command, "Okay sis." And just like that, the three fillies went back to bed, being obedient rather than rebellious. "I think it's for the best that they didn't know what happened to him for now," Pinkie Pie said. "I agree." A regal voice called out. Approaching the three was Princess Celestia, feeling somewhat safe under her majestic presence. "Princess Celestia?" Applejack said. "Are all of you alright?" She asked. "We're alright, but we're not the ones needing your worriment," Rainbow Dash added. "Spike needs us and Twilight's broken." Sadly, Celestia's eyes peered through the double doors as she saw her beloved friend remaining in the exact same place two hours before. "What are we going do?" Applejack asked. Celestia spoke, "I'm going to talk to her. What you all saw should have never have come to reality. You have all been through so much and your bravery will be honoured throughout Equestria. I would like to thank you all for your dedication to keeping this land safe. Now, I suggest you go rest." "Rest? But, what about Tartarus?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "No need to worry. Shining Armour along with his team have set up a force field, a barrier produced by his magic around Tartarus' entrance. Nothing can slip into his defence. From there on he will proceed to enchant the gates so nothing can break in." "We can't just sit here and-" Rainbow Dash was interrupted. "Yes, you can. You've lost your friend for months, only to find out that he was taken by a sick creature. You've risked your lives in Manehatten and a camp filled with Diamond Dogs and dragons. Please, I know you want justice, Rainbow, but I can't have you in a place like Tartarus. Now please, go and rest." Celestia prevented herself from speaking as she entered the throne room, leaving Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Pinkie Pie in the shadows. "I'm... I'm going to find Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash stated. "I'll come with you," Pinkie Pie suggested. "No," Rainbow sadly declined. "I think I just need to make an alone approach. She's frightened. It would be best if you two kept a lookout for Rarity." "Oh, sure," Pinkie Pie acknowledged. "Come on, Pinkie," Applejack gestured her hoof to sit next to her. While Rainbow Dash endured from her two friends, Pinkie Pie and Applejack watched her descend into the corridor. She quickly found herself on a balcony, gazing at the night sky. Nopony was around, nopony could see her and that's what she wanted right now. Simply, tears began to roll down her cheeks. Her sniffling was accompanied with deep breaths, the cold air filling her lungs. She was in a rough state and it looked like she wasn't going to stop her crying anytime soon. She hated crying, to her it showed nothing but weakness, but it was too painful to hold back. She was supposed to be loyal, not treacherous. The memories flooded in her mind like a plague, hard to avoid and get over. Spike's voice invaded her thoughts. "I nearly froze to death and they didn't care!" "Why *hic* did... they do this?" "Make it stop!" Those cries of dolorous hit her hard as her tears streamed down her cheeks. Spike's voice faded and Fright's cold whispers came to taunt her. "Applejack and Rainbow Dash used you as a test dummy, a guinea pig in the Iron Hooves competition and for what? Just to prove who was the toughest. They abuse you." Rainbow's face sank into something far worse than just guilt and depression. She was afraid. She knew that her actions came with consequences, but this made her feel like a monster. The voice continued... "I wanted more than all of this, but this is what happens when you think friendship can solve everything." Rainbow's eyes closed and narrowed down in anger. This has all gone too far. Her sobbing began to ease as she looked up into the night sky, beyond this world. "I have to make this right," she said. The moment her tears dried, she turned her back and resumed entering the castle, however, she was stopped by crying, gentle crying coming from the garden. Rainbow Dash already knew who it belonged to. Her wings formed the position of flight, untucking themselves by her side. Darkness had fallen over the sun, casting the orb of heat to fall into its slumber for the night. This night felt too afraid to show it's stars, perhaps even the stars could feel fear from the one who brought torture and pain towards harmony. Outside, in the Canterlot gardens rested the Element of Kindness, softly, but painfully crying her eyes, showing that every tear was worth agony. Her head rested against a tree, it seemed to be the only thing keeping her company at the moment. Softly, steps were taken along the nicely, trimmed grass. The sound of the natural, green grass gave a quiet brushing sound. Despite this, Fluttershy was not alarmed, nor did she care. Her eyes were sealed shut, tears streaming with no sign of stopping anytime soon. To her right, Rainbow witnessed the poor pegasus. This somewhat triggered flashbacks to when they were young and in flight school together. Often, Fluttershy would get picked on and laughed at, mainly because she had a fear of flying. She would never stand up for herself, she allowed those bullies to get to her, calling her names and laughing at her. She always cried. Rainbow Dash would always be there to comfort her and now, it only seems necessary to do it again. Not another moment was thought, Rainbow approached Fluttershy with ease and sat next to her under the lone tree. Carefully, her hoof began to gently stroke the pegasus' pink mane, trying to calm her. The sound of sobbing slowly decreased, only sniffling was now heard. Tightly, the yellow pegasus hugged her friend, deeply burying her face into her shoulder, spilling her remaining tears. Rainbow Dash softly hushed, "It wasn't your fault. You did nothing wrong..." Fluttershy didn't acknowledge her words, she continued to cry. Rainbow Dash silenced herself, waiting for Fluttershy to speak. That wasn't until a while. She didn't care for how long she took, she only cared for being there, comforting her. As minutes passed, her sobbing began to ease, her tears reducing. "How are you feeling?" Rainbow asked. "Horrible," Fluttershy answered. "Discord's gone because Fright used me as his weakness; his fear. Spike... Sp-" Already, Fluttershy began to tear up again. "Don't think about it, don't think about it," Rainbow Dash calmed her, pulling her in, embracing her tighter and not letting go. "I'm scared, Rainbow," Fluttershy confessed. "I've always been scared and I'm scared for us. I don't want anypony to get hurt, not anymore." "You know what, Shy?" Rainbow Dash started, "I'm scared too." Fluttershy looked at her friend. "After Twilight putting her life at risk for us in Manehatten, almost being burnt in the Diamond Dogs' camp, hearing about Discord's message and now Spike... You're not alone, Shy. But I can't feel sorry for myself. That's been going on for far too long since the moment Spike was taken from us, we saw what happened and then Fright has the nerve to tell us it was our own doing?" She continued, standing herself up, "I get it. I may be the Element of Loyalty but I wasn't loyal to him. But how loyal would I be if I just gave up? Not just on him, but Equestria. Once this madness has stopped, we find Spike and we make things right. Fright's not getting off easy, no he isn't." Rainbow dash turned to Fluttershy who showed an expression of sadness, but awe. "It's time we made a stand, all of us. We can't let anymore suffer the same way Spike has. Are you with me?" She asked, holding out her hoof. Fluttershy slowly worked her hoof towards Rainbow, but hesitated, dropping it. "I can't!" Fluttershy cried, "That face, that stitched face! I don't want anypony getting hurt, but I can't deal with him! What he's done! I'm afraid of him! I want to help, but I'm scared!" Rainbow Dash quickly lunged herself towards her, hugging her tight yet again. "Okay, okay. Please, please, calm down. I'm here for you, I'll always be here for you, you know that." Fluttershy sobbed, "I-I know, but - but what if I'm not here for you? For our friends? You know I'm a coward, you know I'm scared, what can I do to help you all other than just being kind?!" Rainbow Dash slowly pulled herself away, giving a warm smile, "You can stop beating yourself up. You help us way more than you think. You tamed a manticore, you made a full grown dragon cry, you reformed the God of Chaos! You're not a coward. I know fear is a strong thing to get over, but we can do it together as friends. Remember, I'm scared as well, but we're here for each other. Twilight, Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Even the princesses. Fright's trying so hard to win, but we won't let him. The Tartarus situation is being dealt with and we're winning! All we need to do is find him and Spike. He's our friend. What do you say Shy?" Rainbow extended her hoof once again, "Are you with me to set things right?" Fluttershy sniffled and held out her hoof, making contact with her friend. "Th-Thank you." She thanked. Rainbow pulled up her friend with ease, wrapping her wing around her. "It's not easy, I know, but we have to make things right. We can start by comforting Twilight. I guess, she took it worse than any of us." Fluttershy nodded her head, wiping the remaining tears, "Rainbow. Really, thank you." Rainbow Dash gave a smile as a response, walking along with her friend by her side into the castle. Meanwhile back at the throne room. Just as Rainbow Dash left Applejack and Pinkie Pie to find Fluttershy, Celestia entered the throne room, approaching a soul that been destroyed by fear. Twilight did not react nor did she bother with the sound of steps being echoed through the throne room. Below her majestic presence, Celestia pained to see her student in such a state of hopelessness and depression. It was obvious to why she came to her and that was to comfort her, but how? The princess was too feeling depressed after what she saw. The dragon she took in as an egg, the one that was destined to be with Twilight had been broken. Broken by her former student who went insane because of her mistakes. She did not believe what Fright said, she did not use Spike for some sort of test, he was destined to be with Twilight, right? There was nothing bad about what she did... Right? Celestia didn't say a word. First, she sat with her student, then she tried to speak, but she did have to admit, it was hard. More than hard. It was difficult, it would be difficult for anypony to be in this situation. "There is no other way for me to say this. I'm sorry." She spoke. "You have been through so much. From keeping Ponyville safe by becoming the Element of Magic, battling creatures such as Tirek. You have gone through so much pain, but this is something that should never have happened." Twilight took in her words, but she did not respond, she didn't know how at the moment, she became thoughtless. She continued, "Spike... Was taken from his dragon kind, that was true. I may have used as an entrance exam, but it was only to give him a home, he ended up with you. You took care of him, you did the best you could." "It wasn't enough," Twilight said. "P-Pardon?" Celestia spoke, hesitating to hear what she had said. "It wasn't enough for what I did. You heard what he said. I used him for my own needs, I abused him and humiliated him, I replaced him when he was crying for my help. I forgot him." "Twilight..." The princess cooed. "You don't understand! I didn't even try to be his friend, I looked at him as an assistant; a pet. It was true that I loved him, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't the same love as his: He saw me as a family; a sister and I saw him as an assistant; one that wasn't needed. Because of me, I lived like a princess every day, oblivious to the fact that he had been taken and broken. All of this was done just to punish me because he's right. I always saw my friends as my strength, but little did I know they are a weakness that could be used against me. He targeted Spike to demonstrate that." Twilight continued, "I may be the Princess of Friendship, the Element of Magic and bringer of harmony along with my friends, but that doesn't mean I'm perfect. I treated Spike differently compared to my friends. I treated him like he was meaningless." "You can't let his words get to you. You can't let him break you because deep down, you know that he wants this. He wants you to battle yourself and question your faith in harmony. He's trying to twist your mind, Twilight. After everything that has happened I can't let you lose faith like this, all because Fright went to this length to prove a point." Twilight interrupted, "His point was proven: Harmony is nothing." Then her words trailed off into silence. The response that was given by her mentor was a deep sigh, "I know how this feels. You have every right to feel this emptiness inside of you. I felt it when I banished my dear sister to the moon. I thought that Equestria would have been a better place if I just didn't move. To this day, I still regret it, pushing my own sister to the edge of madness and being responsible for her imprisonment. When she came back as you predicted, I will admit I was terrified. You handled the situation so well with your friends, and it was thanks to you, Nightmare Moon was no more. The emptiness I felt was gone when my sister and I made a new start and even though she has forgiven me, I still haven't. You may regret what you have done, Princess Twilight, but this was not your doing. You may have hurt Spike and so have I, but you were not responsible for his torture. You weren't the one sending him away, he ran away and you searched for him. You replaced him as an assistant, not a friend, not family because everypony knows that they cannot be replaced." Twilight responded, "Not Spike. Every time I close my eyes, I can still see his face. Before he left without a trace, I made him cry when I confessed I forgot about him. His eyes were filled with nothing but confusion and sadness. Now, all I can see is him in pain. I can hear him crying and screaming because I was a fool to replace him. I watched helplessly as Fright injected that poisonous drug into him. I watched and I became powerless to do anything, he wanted me to know just how impotent I really am." She sniffled. Gently, Celestia placed her wing around Twilight, comforting her, keeping her warm. This was all unbearable for the two of them. As the Twilight began to calm herself down from the constant pain, a question was raised towards her mentor. "Why is he like this?" Celestia's eyes widened, her pupils beginning to quiver. When she said 'he' she knew who she was referring to. Confused and struggling to process her question. Her silence seemed like she had ignored her question. Twilight repeated, "Why is Fright like this?" Celestia wished that this was a question that couldn't be answered, but she was wrong. She couldn't lie to her most faithful student. Sadly, her eyes looked down at Twilight. Celestia spoke, "Remember how I said Fright was once a unicorn like you? Remember how I said he was a student here in Canterlot? Well, he forged his own path. He had friends, a life that could be admired, he graduated from being my student and became my own personal scientist. He was happy to report what new discoveries he found. Potions and cures to illnesses, new types of magic spells. But he did take a rather disgusting like to dark magic. As I said before; King Sombra was his influence. He planned that he could make Equestria a better place if we could produce fears, strike terror into our enemies, the demons that threatened us. But using dark magic wouldn't make us any better. I denied his request and his research was destroyed. This was a foolish and ignorant choice I had made. Time after time, I shut him down. The next thing that had happened was that he went behind my back to producing dark magic, making weapons that would demonstrate the power of fear. That's why he carries around that syringe on his wrist, to inject the fears into those who oppose him." She continued. "When I found out about his project carrying on, I was furious that he went against my order. When his lab was located, I witnessed the true horror he was capable of. His friends, the ones he loved were all strapped onto gurneys, screaming and crying in agony. The very same magic that was used on you in Manehatten, the very same thing he injected into Spike. They were all seeing their worst fears; their phobias, crying out in terror as they begged the nightmares to stop. One had been throwing up on himself non-stop. Constant syringes had been poked into their bloodstream, and there was Fright... Pleased with his work, proud that he had poisoned his friends' minds with his chemical weapons of fear. He wanted to show me that there was more, animals had been part of his experiment too. He had created a new type of potion. He held up a syringe and showed me what was in it. Again, dark magic but liquefied. It would turn anypony or anyone into a monster, a terrifying creature, an abomination. He wanted Equestria to see the monster that he saw, what I should look like. He tried to use it on me, but I didn't take too kindly to what he did to his friends, what he was trying to do to me. His magic was nothing compared to mine, I turned the syringe against him, prodding him in the neck... and he looked at me... Scared. It was at this moment I had realised what I did, and I was shocked with myself. It was too late." "Wh-What happened?" Twilight asked. Celestia sniffled, "He began choking, gasping for air as he fell to the ground, letting out screams of pain as I just stood there, watching every bit of his agonising discomfort. His fur and skin fell off, his bones increasing in size, madly throwing up. Parts of his teeth fell out, his jaw nearly breaking along with his tail falling off, his hooves became hands with crooked fingers. No longer did he have hooves, no longer did he have fur, no longer did he have a tail and a mane, no longer was he a pony. He was some sort of humanoid creature, a demonstration of what dark magic could do. This transformation turned him into a monster of nightmares. His face was a mess, a traumatising mess. I left him there, too disgusted to look at him and not by his appearance, but by what he did to his friends. I ordered the guards to help me remove his victims from his experiment and they said they were nearly there for a month, they continued to cry and we treated them with as much healthcare as we could, and as for Fright. When I returned to see him, I was expecting to see his new, deformed body on the ground, but... He was gone... Vanished from the scene. It was only until Manehatten was attacked, he had returned to haunt me. Somedays I question myself who was the real monster. Me or Fright?" Twilight was a little traumatised by the story, probably one of the most brutal acts she had performed. "So... Fright's like this... Because of you." Celestia felt angered, but it was true. "I didn't shut him down just because I disagreed with his experiments, I shut him down because I was afraid. He became enthralled and it seemed like I had only made it worse when I destroyed his research. I made him experiment on his friends, I made him the monster he is today. Am I proud? No. Was it right to stop him from experimenting on his friends? Yes. I was ignorant, blinded by fear. But in the end, he wanted me afraid and it led me to perform a horrid act." Not one bit did Twilight feel sympathetic for Fright, he has no right to corrupt harmony, break minds and create fear. "You did what you had to do, princess," Twilight spoke. "You did it because you cared for him, but it was taken down the wrong path. It wasn't your fault, it was Fright's." Celestia didn't know how to acknowledge, she didn't know if she was right or wrong, but it did help to hear that Twilight understands what she had to do. "What do you plan to do with him?" Twilight asked. "Nothing yet. Lock him away, banishing him, bring him to the depths of Tartarus-" Celestia was interrupted. "Whatever you do make it as painful as possible," She growled. Celestia was shocked to hear this sudden, cold side of Twilight before, she was the Princess of Friendship and this seemed out of her character. "That's hatred talking, Twilight. I know you're mad, but leave his punishment to me," She declared. "You should not have to bear the same mistake I made." Twilight's focus on her story quickly faded and the contact she had with her princess was broken. She changed the subject. "Is my brother alright?" Celestia announced, "Your brother has notified us that he has successfully generated a force field over Tartarus. He's enchanting the gates as we speak." "When will he come back?" "I don't know, Twilight. But if he's made it this far, then he won't fail now." Twilight weakly lifted a smile, "Yeah... That's Shining. Too stubborn to lose." Outside the throne room, Pinkie Pie and Applejack waited. They were caught off guard as they saw Rarity approaching them. The unicorn appeared to be in the same state as Twilight, however, she seemed to be functioning a lot better than the Princess of Friendship. "Rarity?" Pinkie Pie said "How are ya feelin'?" Applejack asked. Ignoring their questions, Rarity sat opposite her two friends and her eyes had dried out. Not another tear could be produced. Her eyes just felt like a void of mortification. "Rarity?" Applejack spoke once more, trying to catch her attention. A moment passed until she finally acknowledged her friends with a sniffle. "Did you see the way he looked at him?" Rarity asked. "How he looked at Fright? How he talked to him?" Both earth ponies were confused to where Rarity was going with this. "He acknowledged his presence as if he was his friend? He even referred to Spike as his 'friend'. What sick soul tortures a baby dragon just to prove a point? What kind of friend would just hurt him like that?" Answering her own question, Rarity continued, "Then again, I guess I'm no different compared to Fright when it comes to hurting Spike." "Rarity, don't talk like that," Applejack cooed. "It's hard not to when Fright held many good points about us. Are we really the representations of harmony? Are we really the Elements of Harmony?" "Don't Rarity," Pinkie Pie hushed, "I don't want to go through this again." "I'm sorry," Rarity apologised, sniffling. "I'm just scared of who the real monster is." Applejack spoke, "The monster here is the one tryin' to break every creature out of Tartarus. You may have hurt Spike, but it was never your intention." Before Rarity could reply, all three of them took notice to the sound of steps being taken by at least two ponies, the three saw Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy making their way towards them through the dark corridor. "Girls," Rainbow Dash spoke. The way tonight had been carried out, they all felt victims of fear and guilt, seeing everypony together was like a family reunion and it hadn't been that long since they saw each other. "Where's Twilight?" Fluttershy whispered quietly. Somehow, managing to understand her quiet and disturbed whisper, Pinkie Pie answered, "She's still in the throne room." Rainbow Dash was surprised, "Still?" She spoke in a worried tone. "Princess Celestia's talkin' to her," Applejack informed. "She wanted a moment-" Abruptly, Princess Luna zoomed past the five of them like a blur, travelling that fast. She felt herself barging through the double doors of the throne room. The conversation between Celestia and Twilight had been disconnected when they saw Luna barge into the throne room, looking panicked. She was in a right state of apprehension. "Luna?" Celestia came into the throne room, seeing her sister alarmed. "Wh-What is it?" She hesitated to ask. "I have most urgent news from Shining Armour! Quickly, read this!" Luna instructed. Promptly, Luna levitated the scroll towards her sister, opening it. "Shining?" Twilight grew concerned, mainly worried. "What does it say?" Celestia's eyes scanned through the scroll and the look of dread was shown on her face. The five ponies entered the throne room, looking worried and concerned about what had Princess Luna in such a hurry. "Princess Celestia?" Fluttershy said. Hesitant to speak, Celestia trembled her words out, "Th-They're being attacked. The barrier held by Shining Armour has been destroyed." "What?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Destroyed? But how? Ah thought only Shining Armour could lower the barrier, how could it just break?" Applejack asked. "Wait!" Twilight spoke, "How can the barrier be destroyed?" "He didn't have enough time to explain," Celestia stated. "But he said he's under attack by an unknown threat. Something dark." "He's being attacked by just one enemy? Is it Fright's fear spell?" Rainbow Dash theorised. "I don't know," Celestia stated. "Fright's power has been increasing since Manehatten." "Time is being wasted here, Celestia," Luna growled. "You-You're right!" Celestia agreed. "Luna, we must go." "I'm coming as well," Twilight stated. Both princesses turned with an expression of shock. "Absolutely not!" Luna denied. "Twilight, you have suffered more than enough, Luna and I can take care of this terror," Celestia assured. "Celestia, please! Every bit of time is dying away and from what my brother said, he's going to need all of the help he can get. I can offer support with my magic. I can finish off the enchantment spell." "Twilight, if this is about vengeance-" "This is not about petty vengeance!" Twilight stated. "This is about my brother who's risking his life for us. I've already lost Spike and I'm not going to lose him!" "Please, Celestia. I've already lost Spike to a monster. I don't want to lose my brother too," Twilight begged. Celestia exhaled as a sign of defeat, "Okay." "Sister, you can't be serious? Tartarus is a place of-" "I have come out far worse Luna. I need to do this, it's something I have to do. He's my brother and I need to be there for him. Time cannot be wasted," Twilight said. Princess Luna gave her sister an annoyed glare, despising her choice. "We're coming too," Rainbow Dash said with Applejack supporting her decision. Pinkie Pie nodded with Fluttershy feeling unsure. "You can't go alone, Twilight," Rarity added. "I want to make this madness go away and I know we can do that if we stick together. I'm not abandoning you all like I did at the Diamond Dogs' camp." Everypony turned to Fluttershy. "Spike was our friend, no other creature must suffer the same way he did," Fluttershy added. "We have been trampled on for far too long. We've suffered from threats, darkness and fear." Her delicate and frail voice spoke, "I'm not going to lie that I'm afraid. I am scared of this scenario we have been placed into, but they've gone too far. Tartarus is a place of treachery, going alone will surely frighten me, but as long as I am with my friends, I will be alright. I need to be there for you all, for Twilight, for Spike. For Shining Armour and the rest of those ponies." Opposite Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash gave a proud smile. "Wow, Fluttershy..." Pinkie Pie commented. Twilight smiled, "After we've saved Shining and prevented the breakout, we'll find Spike. No more giving up on him! You girls heard him, what Fright said: 'He's not dead. Just broken.' And what's broken can be fixed. I will set this right, I have to." "We have to," Applejack told. "He's our friend, too." The girls smiled at Twilight, ready to encounter the worst. "Then it's settled. You six, an airship is lowered on the other side of the castle. Prepare yourselves immediately. Our magic isn't strong enough to teleport us to a place like Tartarus and we'll get there faster by flight," Celestia ordered. The six acknowledged the Princess of the Sun, hurrying to their transport. "Luna, I need you stay here and watch over Canterlot and that includes the three fillies." Luna responded with a corrupt glare, still infuriated by Celestia's decision, "Why are you doing this?" Celestia spoke, "I am the reason Fright is what he is now. I can't let him ruin Equestria just to prove a point, it's time that I confronted his face. It's time that I stopped remembering the past and focused on the future, protecting Equestria from fears." Luna sighed, "Just... Be careful, okay..." Celestia nodded, embracing her sister, "This will be over soon." Twilight's thoughts trailed off into hope as well as worriment, her family was on the line as well as Equestria. The world needs harmony and she knew she would give it along with her friends. She had already lost someone to fear, she won't make the same mistake. 'Whoever you are, whatever you are... If my brother is hurt... I'm coming for you and I'll give you something to fear!'