//------------------------------// // A Princess' Fall // Story: Those Left Behind // by the7Saviors //------------------------------// This. All of this. The grass, the trees, the Sun, the bright blue sky, my library... my son, little brother, and faithful assitant. None of it was real. I knew intellectually that this was an impossibility. Ponyville wasn't alive and well in Tartarus, that was absurd and made no sense whatsoever. "Um... Twilight?" It wasn't like I had finally lost my faculties or anything—far from it in fact. I knew where I was, and I still knew what I had to do. Winding up... wherever this was didn't change that fact. "Twilight?" I just had to keep telling myself none of this was real, and that I was still in Tartarus. As long as I did that, I wouldn't fall for such an obvious trap. What was even the point of such a thing anyway? "Twilight!" I needed to keep telling myself it wasn't real. It isn't real, I'm still in Tartarus. It isn't real, I'm still in Tartarus. It isn't real, I'm still in Tartarus. "It isn't real... I'm still in Tartarus... it... it isn't r-real... I'm.... s... s-still—" "TWILIGHT!" I flinched violently and snapped my gaze towards and extremely concerned looking Spike. To my horror, I only now noticed I had pulled my son into a tight embrace, stroking his spines methodically as I sat in front of the entrance to the library. When... when did that happen? "Twilight, can you please let me go?" I stared at him for a moment before slowly releasing my grip and letting him step away from me. He backed up a step and eyed me critically. "Twilight, you don't look so good," he stated with a frown, "I think you should come inside and talk to the girls. It was supposed to be a surprise party for you.. but with you like this..." The... girls? No. The fact that Spike was here was already impossible, but to have the rest of my friends here? No, something was clearly wrong here, and I had to find a way to— I slowly rose to my hooves and took a few shaky steps past the little drake—my eyes locked firmly on the slightly open door before me. My friends were waiting for me... they were right there, in the libra— This. Isn't. Real. I slowed to a stop just before the door. "Twilight?" I looked back to see Spike standing there with an expectant look. "Aren't you gonna go inside?" I opened my mouth... then closed it again and gave a single nod, before pushing the door open. I didn't know why I was listening to Spike, but I couldn't help it for some reason. I knew. I knew better, and yet I obeyed. Something compelled me to obey, and I knew what it was. It wasn't any external force pushing me to go forward, it wasn't Spike, it wasn't even my own determination. It was something far more primal than that. It was the same instinct that made me literally exhaust myself to death fleeing from Cadence. It was the need to gather, to be with more of my own. It was overpowering, it was overwhelming, and I couldn't stop it. Even knowing that they were fake, I needed to see them... no matter how much it hurt. "SURPRI—gghak!" I killed Pinkie Pie. She wanted to surprise me with a party and in my surprise, I crushed her windpipe in my telekinesis. I release my hold on her throat and let her drop to the floor gasping, choking, and gagging as she failed to draw any breath into her lungs. This isn't real, I'm still in Tartarus. My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it beating against my ribcage. This isn't real, I'm still in Tartarus. She crawled towards me, weakly pawing at my legs and asking me why, not with words, but with a look. I found myself staring into those eyes with no answer to give. I watched those bright blue eyes slowly glaze over and took an involuntary step back as her head fell to the floor with a muted thud. "T-This... isn't real... I'm..." She didn't move. "I'm... I-I'm..." I heard more voices from further in the library followed by a sudden gasp. I snapped my gaze forward and saw them all... Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy. I saw the initial confusion as they took in the scene before them. I saw each of their confused looks turn to ones of shock and horror as they realized what had actually happened. One of my ears twitched as I heard a tiny quivering voice from behind me. "T-Twilight?" This isn't real, I'm still in Tartarus. I turned to see Spike standing right behind me, his eyes locked on the body in front of me. After a second his gaze drifted from Pinkie to me, that same look of horror and confusion written on his face like all the others. "Twilight... w... w-what did you do?" "I... I didn't," I shook my head rapidly as I backed away from the purple drake, "no. No, this... this isn't my fault, it's not real—none of this... is real," I whirled around and jabbed a hoof at my horror stricken friends, "none of you are real!" "Twilight, darling," Rarity nearly whispered in a shaky voice, "w-what are you talking about? You... you killed Pinkie, and now you're going to stand there and tell us—" "You're. Not. Real!" I shouted frantically, "you can't be real... b-because if you are... then that means I... t-that I—gah!" A cyan hoof caught me in the face and I fell to the floor. "It means you just killed one of your friends!" Rainbow Dash growled, "one of our friends!" "N-No, I didn't," I whimpered, clutching at my eye and trying to rise to my hooves, "I... she's not... she wasn't—" "She was very real, Twilight Sparkle," came Rarity's voice, cold and hard, "as real as you and I, or any of the rest of us." "N-No!," I cried, "this isn't Ponyville! I'm s-still in Tartarus! This—oof!" Another hoof connected with my barrel and sent me skidding across the floor. I heard Applejack's furious voice say something, but I couldn't focus on that as I curled up on the ground in pain. There was something building inside me. Some kind of emotion, or feeling, or... something. I didn't know what it was, but it scared me. It scared me so much that I tried to push the feeling down. Somewhere deep down, I think I knew what it was. I had been afraid of it ever since Luna and I had been skulking our way through the destroyed city—maybe even before then. I knew it was coming. I wouldn't be able to stop it. I tried to tell myself during my nightmarish trip through Tartarus that I wouldn't—couldn't let it happen... but this was too much. It was far too much for me. I wasn't prepared for it. I couldn't take it. I finally see my friends again, and I kill one of them by accident. Now the rest hate and probably fear me. I cracked a teary eye open and winced at the sight of both Rainbow Dash and Applejack standing over me with nothing but hate and malice in their eyes. I blocked out their horrible words and looked over to where Pinkie's body was. Fluttershy was sobbing over the body and Rarity was trying to comfort Spike, who's eyes were locked on me with a look of confusion, horror... and betrayal. This was it. The look on Spike's face had finally done it. I was breaking. For the longest time I was afraid that there would be an incident that would push me over the edge, and it had happened—not when Cadence was being attacked, but now—here in this farce of a library. That's right. This... None of this was real. I shouldn't feel guilty about what I did to 'Pinkie' because it wasn't Pinkie. The anger and sorrow my 'friends' felt at what I had done didn't mean anything because they weren't real. I could crush all their windpipes and it wouldn't mean a thing. I could tear them apart like I was torn apart time and again, and I doubt they'd feel it, I could impale them, burn them, crush them, slice them open and spill their nonexistent guts, and not have to worry because of one simple fact. My friends and my son were already dead. The only thing this... illusion, accomplished in the end was making me angry... very angry. It mocked me and made light of everything I had lost. It tried to dangle happiness right in front of my face, knowing I could never get back what was taken from me. Knowing I could never be happy again. And I hated it for that. "You feel it, don't you?" My attention was drawn back to Pinkie's body, still unmoving, though I swear I had heard it— "The overwhelming desire to end that which torments you, the absolute need to make the hurt go away... I can help you, you know." My eyes widened in fear. Is that— "No you silly equine, it's not that thing you've been fleeing from all this time. I'm something different... something far stronger... something that's willing to help you end that monster along with allll of your suffering." Pinkie still hadn't moved from her prone position and yet, I knew the voice was coming from her. I really had lost it if I was hearing these kinds of things from a corpse. "Oh, you've lost it alright, and that's exactly why I'm able to speak to you now. You've reached rock bottom, Twilight Sparkle, there's no lower point for you than this, here in this moment." I said nothing, I paid no attention to my friends as they continued to verbally assault me, sob over Pinkie's body, or comfort each other. My mind was solely focused on this new voice and I listened with every fiber of my being, desperate to hold on for just a little longer. "Even now, you were mere seconds away from falling to insanity and brutally slaughtering the rest of your 'friends' in a blind psychotic rage while you laughed and laughed and laughed as your mind broke down further and further... but I feel that would've been a waste, so I intervened." "P-Please..." "The fact of the matter is that you came here to accomplish a task, a very important task, little lady... and I can give you the means to finish it." "Please..." "If you want this power though, you'll have to throw everything else away... are you willing to do that, Twilight Sparkle? Are you willing to give yourself entirely to this power, knowing that you'll never truly feel again? You'd be giving up your equinity just like those other alicorns before y—" "Please just... make the pain go away... please... I can't..." Tears streamed down my face as I lay there on the ground, staring at the corpse of the happiest, friendliest mare I had ever met. I had stopped listening to the voice's warnings in favor of holding on to what remained of myself. If it was offering a way out, I was going to take it, no matter what it was. The voice was silent for a long moment before speaking again, both amusement and triumph coloring its tone. "Very well, Twilight Sparkle, if that's truly what you want, then I won't waste anymore time... Give me all of you, and I shall give you all of me..." With a loud snap, Pinkie's head twisted all the way around to face me, her eyes completely white and a wicked smile splitting her muzzle nearly in half. "...with these words, a contract is formed and I am finally set free!" Its eyes flashed a bright white, and I screamed. An explosion of agony wracked my body and everything faded until there was nothing left but a shining white light and unending pain.