The Monster We Made

by Corah Il Cappo


Traitor

So yeah, I'm the element of Loyalty. More like the element of Awesome! Fastest flier in Equestria, inventor of the Sonic Rainboom, and soon to be the fifth member of the Wonderbolts! I mean really, is there anything I can't do?

Well, enough about me for now. What you wanna hear about is Twilight, right?

When Luna told me what had happened up in Canterlot, I was freaked out. I mean, I'd seen some pretty nasty things, like Discord, Sombra, and Chrysalis, but they'd never killed anypony. Driven them insane, impersonated them, yes...but nopony ever died. It was a lot to take in for me.

And so, we all went to Canterlot. I'll skip the details about the ride there.

When we finally reached the city, Luna didn't waste any time. She took us right to the throne room. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. That was where I saw her. She sat upon what was once Celestia's throne, with the aforementioned princess' corpse resting at her hooves. Celestia had been badly mangled, but was in much better shape than her niece. Cadence had been absolutely torn to shreds. Her pink coat was splotched with rust red fragments of dried blood. In some places her flesh was bruised, in others it seemed to have been torn with surgical precision, as if somepony had slit her open with a scalpel. Most prominent however, was the fact that she had been beheaded.

Even though I now stared at the corpses with my own two eyes, I simply couldn't believe it. It all felt like some sort of twisted dream, a waking nightmare that not even the darkest corners of my fancy could conjure. Twilight had been my friend once. Once a friend, always a friend.

That's what loyalty is all about, isn't it?

"Twilight Sparkle, you have committed crimes against Equestria, against the Royal Court, and against Harmony itself. You have made yourself an enemy of Equestria, and thus an enemy of Harmony. Prepare to face justice."

When Luna spoke those words, I wanted to cry out. I wanted to find another way. The Elements of Harmony weren't a cure for her delusion. They were euthanasia. This was all wrong. I wasn't a murderer... None of us were. There had to be another way.

"Twilight, please! Listen to me! We're friends! Remember?"

She didn't respond. She didn't even look at me.

"Please! I'm begging you! You've got to stop this!"

No reaction. I could feel the elements tugging at me. A choking blue aura began to form around me as Loyalty took me over. It was too late now.

"You were my friend once Twilight. You still are. I know you're in there Twilight! You've just got to-"

Loyalty dragged me into the air now, where I hovered with the other five elements. I didn't have a choice anymore.

Then I heard it.

I heard Twilight's unmistakable voice flutter into my head. Once inside, her words pounded upon my brain like a hammer on an anvil.

"You're trying to kill me. You're no friend of mine, traitor."

Those eleven words broke me. My loyalty was to her, but at the same time, it was to the other five. That's the hardest part about being the Element of Loyalty. Sometimes you're loyal to both sides. I wasn't a traitor!

If anypony was a traitor it was her. It was she who had killed Celestia and Cadence in cold blood. It was she who had attempted to usurp Equestria from its rightful rulers. It was she who had betrayed our friendship. Not me.

The Elements of Harmony flared up in all their rainbow colored glory, then descended on the alicorn. No longer did I wish there were another way. What would happen, would happen. I would feel no remorse for the result.

"Enough!"

What happened was that the elements failed. Without Magic to bind them, the other elements were useless. Our power was inverted, and shot back at us with incredible force. I was thrown back by the blast, turning over and over through the air as I sailed. I came to a stop against the back wall of the throne room.

My entire frame was racked by the shock. My bones rattled, and some of them probably shattered. I should have been in pain. I wasn't.

I hit the floor with an undignified thud, but I rose again. I stared at the goddess from across the room. She didn't even look at me. I had a choice to make. I could turn tail and flee the scene, and escape with my life. Or, I could stand my ground and fight. I knew I wouldn't survive the battle. It was the basic dilemma of all life. Flight or fight?

I chose to fight.

With the last bit of energy in my body, I hurled myself forward in flight. All the anger, all the sorrow, all the betrayal was channeled into this one final act.

I felt the air around me compressing and compacting. There was an earsplitting crack as I accelerated towards my target. I had done it. The entire spectrum of visible color now trailed behind me.

A sonic rainboom. My final act.

I hurtled towards the goddess. Faster and faster I flew, closing the gap between us in mere seconds. I prepared to begin the battle that would be my end.

Before I could, however, I was struck across the face with the back of the goddess' hoof. I spun, then again collided against the wall. I felt my wings buckle and snap. I slumped to the ground, burbling out blood.

My last act of defiance had been in vain.

I should have been in pain.

I wasn't.