//------------------------------// // Prologue: the Break // Story: Buttercup Rose: the Breaking // by Spacegirlss12 //------------------------------// It was a beautiful spring morning in Ponyville. Ponies all around town were smiling, enjoying the sunshine and cool breeze, including a young unicorn filly named Buttercup Rose. said unicorn sat at a river a few miles outside of Ponyville, listening to the birds and babbling brook, and preparing for school. She smiled. She liked this spot. It was a good place to escape the bullies who teased her every day. Buttercup sighed contently. She started down into the river she was sitting at. “Hey, Losercup!” Buttercup grit her teeth when she heard that familiar oh-so-snide voice. “Yes, Diamond Necklace?” Buttercup’s voice was full of disdain. “Guess what?” Buttercup stood up and turned around to face Diamond Necklace and her cohort, Golden Ruby. “What?” Buttercup asked boredly. “Look at this!” Diamond held a copy of the Foal Free Press up for Buttercup to see. It had a picture of her putting fake votes into the voting box for this year’s presidential election and grinning. The headline was “Buttercup: Freedom Fighter or Fraud?” “Whu--what? I didn’t--I mean--you--...” Buttercup went silent. “You didn’t what? Mean to get caught? Now, everypony will know you deserve to be called Losercup!” Diamond grinned. “No! I didn’t do that! I-i don’t remember that at all!” Buttercup backed up. “You don’t? Perhaps we’ll both have to jog your memory!” Diamond knocked Buttercup over. The two bullies then jumped around Buttercup in a circle, singsonging the word Losercup over and over again. Buttercup grunted. Control it, control it,control it,control it,control it,control it,control it,control it,control it… She tried to keep the anger from taking over, but was failing. She growled. She shouted. The fillies’ jumping and shouting was interrupted. “THAT’S IT! I HAVE HAD IT WITH YOU TWO! YOU TEASE ME, YOU BLACKMAIL ME, YOU PUNCH ME… WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME!?” Buttercup grabbed the fillies by the necks in her magic. She punched them. “How do you like it, huh!? How do you like the other side!?” Buttercup proceeded to punch the fillies until they were lumps on the ground. Buttercup just stood there, breathing heavily. She looked down at what used to be two fillies. “Wh… what have I done…?” Buttercup backed up in fear. She ran home as fast as her little legs could carry her. She threw the door open, ran into her older sister’s room, and locked herself in the closet. Once there, she cried. “What have I done?” she cried for what seemed like an eternity. She waited there, sobbing, in the darkness. “I can’t tell anypony. I have to keep it a secret. I have to bury them.” Buttercup couldn’t help but cry more. She didn’t even notice her sister’s voice. She was crying too hard. Buttercup didn’t even look up when she heard the closet door open. “Buttercup?” Sunset asked. “S-sis…” Buttercup cried more. “What’s wrong? Did those two bullies tease you again?” Buttercup only sobbed into her sister’s chest. “Shh, shh shh shh, it’s going to be okay… it’ll be alright…” Sunset hugged Buttercup as the little filly sobbed into her older sister’s fur. Several minutes passed. Buttercup had just started to calm. “Now, can you tell me what’s wrong?” Sunset smiled. “W-well--” and then there was a knock on the door. “Oh! Somepony’s at the door! Do you want to help me get it?” Buttercup nodded. “Mm-hmm…” Buttercup climbed up on Sunset’s back and clung to her neck. Sunset went to get the door. She opened it. Ms. Heartstrings was on the other side. Buttercup ducked behind her sister’s neck. “Oh, ms. Heartstrings! To what do I owe the pleasure?” Sunset asked. “I’m afraid, Ms. Flower, that I have found two fillies dead.” ms. Heartstrings said. “Oh no! What happened? Who were the fillies?” Sunset put her hoof up to her mouth. Buttercup barely managed not to cry. “They were Diamond Necklace and Golden Ruby. I know they were picking on a few foals, but they didn’t deserve this…” Sunset nodded. “You’re right. This was too much even for them. Maybe Buttercup knows what happened. I found in my closet a few minutes ago, crying.” Sunset led Ms. Heartstrings into the living room and set Buttercup down on the couch. “Buttercup? Would you like to tell us what happened? Do you know?” Sunset smiled. “...” Buttercup was about to tell them what happened. Just as she opened her mouth, she saw herself being sent to an asylum or prison. She shook her head, blinked, and started to talk. “It was a Timberwolf. The two fillies were apologizing to me for the teasing when it attacked. I got away and tried to save them, but it got the fillies before I could. I ran into the closet when I was away from it.” the lie tasted vile in Buttercup’s mouth. But I can’t tell the truth. “Oh no…” Sunset and Ms. Heartstrings looked at each other. “Timberwolves?” Ms. Heartstrings was very concerned now. “Do you think there were others?” Sunset asked. “No. well… not that I could see.” Buttercup’s stomach churned now. They’ll send me away. There was a heavy sigh from both adults. “Good.” Sunset picked Buttercup up. “Are you okay?” Sunset checked Buttercup for injuries. There were none, save for a small scratch that Buttercup had gotten on way to school that morning. I’m a murderer. “I’m fine, big sis! But… it was my fault.” Buttercup looked down. “What was your fault?” Buttercup started to cry again. The guilt had come back. “I-i…” Buttercup was scooped up into Sunset’s hooves. She cried into Buttercup’s fur once again. “Shh, Shh… it wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known that the Timberwolf would come and attack you. It’ll be okay…” Sunset comforted Buttercup the best she could after Ms. Heartstrings left. Buttercup sobbed until she couldn’t sob anymore. “Feeling better?” Sunset smiled. Buttercup nodded, though truthfully, she didn’t feel anything. Later, Buttercup sat in her room, at her vanity. She looked down at the tearstained journal. It had a letter to the fillies who died written in it. Buttercup was about to stand up and close the journal, when… “Heya, Buttercup!” Buttercup’s head snapped up. She looked around, and finally spotted the source of the voice. Her reflection was talking to her. “H-hello? who are you?” Buttercup asked. “My name’s Scarlet Knife! I was created when you killed those two fillies as a way to keep you sane.” the pony in the mirror smiled. Buttercup didn’t say anything. “Alright then. I have a deal for you, Buttercup. If you let me out at night, then I’ll keep you safe and guiltless. How 'bout it?” Scarlet asked. “You would take the fillies away?” Buttercup asked. “Yep! I can take all the nasty guilt away for you! You just need to clap my hoof and let me out every night!” Scarlet grinned and put her hoof out for Buttercup to clap. “...really?” Scarlet only nodded this time. Buttercup lifted her hoof and moved it towards Scarlet’s. “Just clap my hoof, and everything will be fixed.” Buttercup clapped her hoof down on Scarlet’s. “Yes! Good job, Buttercup! You won’t miss the guilt!” Scarlet grinned and disappeared. Buttercup passed out, not knowing that that decision was the worst one of her life.