Introduction
How far can one go, once their spirit has been broken? When one loses everything, what else is there to live for? Everything can be changed by the will of a single person, but how far does will take you when you have nothing left?
“You would not believe the honor it is to be here,” Rarity said to the dark figure sitting across from her, “I’ve been trying to get in touch with you for ages...” she trailed off.
“Well,” The figure said, uninterested “It’s not like you were subtle.”
“I apologize” Rarity said.
The figure merely stared, “Oh, it’s alright,” she assured, “I have a lot to say to you. Are you enjoying the drink?”
Rarity glanced at the glass of liquid on the table.
“Divine” She replied.
The figure began to smile, “good to hear,” her eyes locked with Rarity’s, “It was Dash’s favorite...”
Rarity’s eyes widened. She looked down at what she was drinking, something was, off.....
“I taste something else in here.” Rarity stammered, trying to compose herself.
“Just a bit of Mercury.” The figure replied, the smile still frozen on her face.
“What?” Rarity exclaimed, rising from her chair, “That’s how you’re going to kill me? With poison?”
The figure leaned back in her chair, smile still plastered on her face. “Of course.” she said calmly, “I wouldn’t want you to ‘enjoy’ your end.”
“No,” she continued, “I want you to die slowly and quietly, Rarity. Perhaps in your sleep...Speaking of which, you’re asleep right now. In reality, there are soldiers breaking into your home. They’re coming to take you away Rarity...”
“WHAT!?” Rarity screamed, struggling to breathe.
“You’ve done terrible things Rarity...” The figure responded coldly.
“But, I didn’t mean to!” She replied, tears forming in her eyes.
“Yes you did,” the figure interrupted, “It’s who you are, you’re a psychotic creature.”
“And frankly,” She continued ominously, “ I hope I don’t see you again...”
Rarity fell to the floor, still vaguely aware of what was going on around her as the figure stood over her, and stared directly into her eyes.
“You’re a monster, deal with it.” Her smile crept up again, “Now wake up, and face the consequences.”
Chapter 1
“Paranoia”
It had been nearly a year since Dash’s death. Nopony saw it coming. How could they? There was no way anypony could have predicted that the happiest person they knew was harboring a monster deep inside. Dash’s death affected everyone, and what was once a world flowing with happiness and harmony, had now become a living nightmare. In the death of Dash came the rise of Pinkamina, the once loved girl had now become a monster. She was a remorseless murderer, drawing a number from a jar every morning to find her next victim, and making sure the last moments of their life were spent begging for it to be over. Few were aware of what she was doing, and those who knew kept quiet, for they had no idea what she was capable of. In the year following the death of her first victim, Pinkamina had cut countless innocent lives short, she had stopped caring. About life, about friends, about everything, only, there was one thing she still held dear...
“Twilight!” Spike screamed desperately trying to soothe the ex-student,
“You’ve got to calm down” he said, in as calm a voice as he could manage, “Nopony is coming to get you, everything is fine, I'm here! You’re number 1 assistant remember?”
Twilight simply stared, seemingly coming back to reality.
“What happened?” she asked nervously, looking around the room and noticing the damage she had done. “I did it again didn’t I...” She finally whispered.
“It’s ok,” Spike said, picking up a quill and paper from the mess that now covered the room, “Here, why don’t you write to the princess? That always seems to make you feel better!”
She stared at him and the paper, before finally sighing in depression.
“It’s not the same spike, it never will be.” she whispered, observing the results of her ‘breakdown’.
“Not if you act like that,” Spike responded, “Maybe if you write to her enough, she’ll forgive you and take you back as her star pupil, and everything can be normal again, and...”
Twilight glared at him with teary eyes, “Spike don’t you get it?!” She rose and began to scream, “things can never go back to the way they were! Dash is dead! Nopony has seen Fluttershy for weeks, Rarity is...different, AJ’s a drunk, Pinkie is a psycho, and I’m....” She paused and began to cry, “I don't even know anymore...”
Spike slowly walked up to her, trying his hardest to comfort her, “I know how you feel, it’s hard to believe that just a year ago, our biggest problem was trying to keep our friendship, but now.....” Spike looked down at Twilight, who was now laying on the floor gazing at the window, he could tell she wanted to be alone.
“Anyway,” He said, trying to return to his normal composure, “I’ll be um, re-organizing the shelves if you need me, just remember Twi,” Spike said, suddenly becoming very serious, “You’re not alone.”
Twilight stood solemnly in her room, staring at the moon high in the night sky outside of her window. It brought her back memories of when she had first arrived in Ponyville. The day she met all of her friends, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie pie.....
She remembered all of the adventures they had shared. Defeating Nightmare Moon, going to the Gala, visiting Appleoosa, watching Dash win the Best Young Fliers competition. Dash...
Twilight held on to these memories, deep in her heart, it was the only thing that kept her sane, but after all this time, even that was slowly slipping away. Her friends were all but gone now, as was her hope. Twilight remembered that she was not innocent either, she remembered the sound of children laughing. They laughed at her misery, at her misfortune, at her flaws. She had to stop it! she thought, she just couldn’t let it go on....
She remembered seeing the shocked expression on the teachers’ faces, the screaming children, the blood on her hooves. Celestia had abandoned her, she remembered thinking this, alone in her padded cell, she yearned for it all to be over.
“Stop laughing...” She mumbled to herself, “Stop laughing, stop laughing, stop laughing, stop....please”
Twilight’s eyes slowly opened to reveal the bright beams of light pouring in through her window, it was morning. She rose from the floor and looked around her room, observing the result of her episode the previous night. She slowly brought herself down the stairs to find Spike reading a newspaper with a shocked expression on his face.
“Twilight,” spike managed to mumble through the shock, “Y-you should come see this...”
Twilight used her magic to levitate the paper from spike’s claws, and into her view.
“Rarity...” Twilight’s spirit sank, “She’s being...executed?”
Spike was frozen, his eyes still wide in disbelief, “Why?” he choked out, “Why would they try to execute Rarity? I don’t...”
Twilight felt guilty, she had never told Spike about that day she confronted her old friend. What she had seen her doing, what she had become, Spike wouldn’t have been able to handle it.
“I...don’t know,” Twilight lied
Who else could have known? She thought to herself. And who could possibly want her dead? Rarity, had...changed it was true, but she had never threatened to hurt anypony against their will, why would anypony...
It all connected, somewhere in her mind she knew that only one pony was sick enough to end somepony’s life without a reason, just to watch them suffer, to watch the light die from their eyes. Rarity’s number had come up.
Twilight’s heart sank, her whole body shivered in fear, and sadness.
“Spike,” She said slowly raising her head, “We have to leave...”
“Leave?” Spike stammered, rising from his chair, “To where? Twilight we can’t keep running, maybe we could talk to the princess and..”
Twilight glared at him in frustration, “The princess doesn’t care about us anymore Spike!” Her voice raised to a scream, “She never will! It’s over! Everyone is dead Spike, they aren’t coming back, we ARE alone!”
Twilight took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down before she got out of control.
“I...I’m sorry Spike,” She said while trying to compose herself, “I didn’t mean to scream at you like that, but it’s over, you are the only friend I have left, and I don’t want something to happen to you.”
“It’s ok Twi,” he responded quietly, “But you’re wrong about one thing...”
Twilight stared at him, puzzled.
“What?” She asked.
“I’m not the only one.” Spike responded.
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked, confused, “Who else could there be?”
Spike looked right back into her eyes, she now knew what he meant.
“AJ.”