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// Twisted 
// Story: Breaking Twilight 
// by Shaelyn 
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	Twilight groaned as she started to wake from her slumber. Her entire body was aching and she couldn't remember what had happened the night before, but she could only assume it had something to do with Chrysalis. She didn't feel like getting up, and her food wasn't here yet anyways, so she stayed laying down while she examined her body. Fresh bruises, welts, and even a few shallow cuts now adorned her already messy and unkempt fur, adding blood to the dirt and grime of not having washed in many days. She considered trying to groom herself, but what difference would it make for her to be a pretty prisoner? None at all, she thought, rolling herself over onto her hooves. Memories of the night before were already starting to come back, hazy details of whipping and begging. She had been begging... but was she begging for it to stop? Twilight put it out of her mind, she didn't want to know the answer because part of her already knew it. She got a rush from the pain, once it started she didn't want it to end. She loved the pain, even if she didn't fully understand why. She wanted more, and she was already wondering when the next visit from Chrysalis would be. It was the question that filled her mind for several sleepless nights spent waiting.

"Chrysalis, why won't you come back? Have you abandoned me? Am I not good enough for you now?" Twilight shouted at the walls, "Am I just a toy to you, to be played with and then locked away in a chest?! Did you ever even have a plan for me?" her tone slowly softened as she gave up on her yelling. She felt hollow inside, even her captor had abandoned her. She had nothing again, no, less than nothing. She had nothing when she still had Chrysalis' attention. In anger she charged at the wall, twisting her body at the last second to buck it with full force. The impact did nothing to the solid stone, but the jolt through her body left her shaky and unable to keep herself standing. With her legs folded under her she sat on the floor, trying to figure out where she'd gone wrong. "Please... Chrysalis... I don't want to be alone."

It went on much like this every day for a week, Twilight's rage growing greater every day. Chrysalis would pay, but not for locking her away. Chrysalis would pay for abandoning her, just like her friends who never came to save her, and the Princess that refused to return her affections. She had kicked the wall so many times now that it was starting to chip, but it was taking its toll on her hooves as well, bloody hoofprints decorating the floor. At first it had been a way to vent, but now it had become something more like practice. She could see the face of Chrysalis in that wall, and every kick made that image a little more battered.

"It's time, Twilight." came the unexpected voice of Chrysalis as Twilight prepared herself to attack the wall once more. A quick spin revealed Chrysalis standing just behind her, but her sudden appearance didn't even phase Twilight now, "I know what's been on your mind, and I think you're ready. You'll find that you-" Twilight didn't give Chrysalis time to finish her statement. One swift kick to the chest left her gasping for air, and as Twilight turned to face Chrysalis again for round two Chrysalis took a few steps back. She had a look of worry on her face as she caught her breath, watching Twilight advance on her. After a bout of coughing Chrysalis tried to finish her sentence, "I've had the magical barrier lifted. If you truly want to kill me, then now's your chance to do it."

Twilight slowed her approach, eying Chrysalis with suspicion. Chrysalis wasn't lying, Twi realized, the room was somehow lighter. It was almost like a pressure had been removed from her, but why would Chrysalis put herself in such danger? Twilight shook her head clear of thought and let the blaze of magic rush through her horn. In a flash of light Chrysalis was bound to the floor, unable to lift her hooves, but she still seemed calm. "What are you planning Chrysalis? Why..." she left the question unfinished as she stared into Chrysalis' eyes.

"Kill me, Twilight. You have the power to do it and there's nothing that can stop you now. I'm the reason you're here, and the cause of all your pain and suffering. Go on, I know you want your revenge." Chrysalis said, closing her eyes.

Twilight gave a feral growl and let her magic take hold, staring at Chrysalis as needles of pure energy formed in the air, rotating around the Queen's body. There were only a few at first, but as Twilight let her anger flow into her magic more and more appeared, "No... I can't kill you because I don't want to, but..." with a sudden wave of force all the dozens of needles stopped moving and in unison swung to point at Chrysalis like a deadly compass, "I want you to feel my pain." The strike was perfect, precise, clean. Every needle pierced through Chrysalis at a different angle, a different point, in a different way. None of them were lethal, but each one was aimed to cause excruciating pain. Pierced through from every conceivable direction Chrysalis was paralyzed, both eyes wide now. The expression on the Queen's face alone was Twilight's revenge, but she wasn't done yet. With Chrysalis unable to move, Twilight walked right up to her and smiled in her face. "What you've done to me..." one of the needles began to withdraw from Chrysalis' neck, "I don't think I can ever go back now, can I?" finally the needle came out, leaving no trace that it had ever been there at all, "That's why I can't forgive you." a second needle came out, again from the neck, so that Chrysalis could move her head again, "But I don't want to go back anymore." Chrysalis panted softly, barely comprehending Twilight's words as anguish filled her every thought, "Friendship never made me feel the way you do, my Queen." the comment was dripping with venom, but Twilight was still smiling. Three of the needles through Chrysalis' chest exploded into nothingness, causing Chrysalis to scream in agony. "I hate what you've done to me... For me to enjoy this... you've made me a monster, haven't you?" Twilight said over Chrysalis' shouts, her smiling fading into an angry grimace, "They wouldn't understand what you've done. They'd try to help me, and fix me." each emphasized word came with another excruciating removal, leaving Chrysalis a little more able to struggle, "They can't do that, though, can they? You made me this way, you made me want this. You're the only one that would understand... " Twilight sobbed softly, her grasp of the spell fading, "That's why you did this, you wanted me to love you..." her strength gone Twilight fell to her knees, her head hung low. All of her magic faded away, from the needles to the restraints, leaving Chrysalis free to move once more. "I hate myself for it too... I hate that I love what you did, the way you make me feel. That I love you."

Chrysalis took a wobbly step toward Twilight, lifting one hoof to Twi's chin to force Twilight to look up. Chrysalis' face was stained with tears, and blood dripped from her lip where she'd bitten down too hard, but despite both of these things she was smiling sweetly. She didn't say anything, and neither did Twi. They simply stayed in that pose, the silence saying more than their words ever could.

Chrysalis was the first to move, letting go of Twilight and walking to the nearby wall. The wall itself quivered as if made of liquid before vanishing completely, revealing a long narrow hallway. "I said before that it was time, and it is. I've kept too many secrets from you Twilight, for your own good. It's time to tell you the whole truth of why you're here. Come with me." Twilight stood without hesitation, moving to Chrysalis side as the Queen started to walk away and down the hall. "When I first brought you here, it was because you're close to Cadence. I thought that if you helped me I could capture her, and with her magic I would be able to feed my colony without drawing unwanted attention to ourselves. Her magic is a mere parlor trick compared to yours, however." they continued to walk until they met with the end of the hallway, opening up into a giant hive of activity. Caverns connected by tunnels surrounded Chrysalis and Twilight, and everywhere she looked there were hordes of Changelings buzzing about busily. "Tell me, Twilight, where did you learn that spell you just used on me?"

Twilight paused in her tracks, thinking back on it, "I don't know... I don't think I've ever read about any spell like that. It just came to me." she admitted.

"It's a spell I used on you, the night when I first tasted your love for pain. But it's a gruesome spell, and after I'd done it even I felt bad for you. You learned that spell just from experiencing it." Chrysalis turned to Twilight, "That is your gift, something I hadn't understood when my spies first returned with the information about you. Something the Princess needed you for. While others have the magic best suited to their skills, you are a truly gifted unicorn. Your skill is magic itself. That's why you can activate the elements of harmony, why you learn spells so quickly and naturally, and why the Princess used you."

"Then what do you expect me to do now? I can't go back and bring Cadence here... it wouldn't be right." Twilight said, trying to retain some of her moral fiber.

"I don't expect you to, what I want is something more simple. I want you to learn her own spell, the power of love amplification. With that spell and your raw magical prowess you could feed my entire colony a hundred times over, and we could live together happily. I would have you by my side, and together we would rule over my colony. Wouldn't that be... wonderful?" Chrysalis sighed softly, looking out over the cavern. Many of the changelings had noticed the pair now, and were staring from afar, but none of them dared get closer.

"You want me to feed an entire colony of changelings? I don't think I could do that... I'm not as powerful as you must think I am."

"But you are, Twilight. You have more power than you know, and together we can unlock that power. I can give you anything you want, if you'll accept my offer. It's a big decision though. I'll give you time to think about it."