//------------------------------// // The Monster // Story: A Mother's Duty // by Rated Ponystar //------------------------------// A Mother’s Duty By The Rated Ponystar Edited and based on the KillerRarityVerse by BronyWriter Chapter 1: The Monster "When this monster entered my brain, I will never know, but it is here to stay. How does one cure himself? I can't stop it, the monster goes on, and hurts me as well as society. Maybe you can stop him. I can't." - Dennis Rader (The BTK Killer) *** Sweetie Belle hated these walls. There was no joy in them, no emotion. Just an empty feeling that slowly sucked away your soul as you stared into the grey nothing. She had once seen these walls every day for more than a decade. It was like entering a world without color, without spirit. There was nothing to do but stare into the void and slowly feel your hope fade away. It surprised her that she never went mad like she lead them to believe, but one thing kept her sane. One thing prevented her from screaming endlessly in her cramped cell. Her beautiful daughter, Joyous Blossom. It was all for her. To keep her safe. To keep her secret known. To not lose her like she lost her sister, Rarity. She would never let her daughter become a murderer and get the needle. She couldn’t live through that again. And yet, for all her efforts, she failed. Her daughter gave in to her guilt and admitted everything. Before the princesses could end her life, they agreed to spare her if Sweetie Belle agreed to be treated yet imprisoned for life. She would never be free, but she would still be alive. That was enough for Sweetie Belle. With enough effort they managed to convince Joyous Blossom to live, despite her desires to die, and let them find someway to save her from herself. A year since then and Sweetie Belle was still seeing these walls. The damn walls that now caged her daughter the same way she once was. But it was better than the alternative. Better than having to bury her daughter like they did with her sister. Blossom was the one remaining light in Sweetie's life that she had left after a near lifetime of suffering. Yet behind these caged walls was another pony. No, not a pony. A monster. Something that made any guard silent and shiver the moment they saw her. Somepony that even the princesses were afraid of. Although her horn was removed the moment she was admitted, it still didn’t lessen the fact that if she wasn’t chained up, if she had just the right moment and time, she would kill you. It would not be quick. It would not be painless. It would be downright brutal and bloody to the point where you begged for death. She too was afraid of this monster, but not because she was afraid of dying. It was because the monster lived inside her daughter. “Miss Belle?” said the guard at the final checkpoint. “You’re clear to go. She’s already waiting for you.” Sweetie Belle nodded and made her way through the gate, avoiding the look of pity he always had every time she came to visit Blossom. Her hooves made their way through the various halls, passing by the multiple guards who nodded to her or said nothing. The path to visitor’s room was like second nature to her, as was the faces of all the guards she passed by. Further and further into the mental ward she went, to a section that housed two ponies. Her daughter and the monster. Reaching the end of the hall, she stopped at a sealed door where two guards scanned her as usual. After a few seconds, she was allowed inside and the door was sealed behind her. The walls were the same as the outside, yet even they had more life in them then the pony tied in the chair in the middle of the room. Every time Sweetie visited, she found it harder and harder to recognize her daughter. It wasn’t the chains, the lack of a horn, the loss of color in her once bright purple mane, nor the numerous self inflicted scratches on her face and legs. It was the eyes. Eyes that held the darkest of the abyss, sheltering something truly frightening. Something that, if released, would leave a trail of blood in it’s wake. She had hoped to see the eyes of her daughter, the ones that held some innocence when she was little, but the moment she saw the hornless unicorn look up Sweetie Belle knew it wasn’t going to happen. The monster was here today, not Joyous Blossom. “Hello, Mommy....” Blossom whispered, looking up for just a split second before gazing back down on the floor. “Hello, Blossom...,” muttered Sweetie in the most loving tone she could give, but it nearly made her choke. She saw the spare chair and slowly sat down next to it, letting the silence stand still between them like a brick wall. Numerous times she had visited her daughter since she was put in the mental ward, and each conversation was always different. Sometimes her daughter would stay silent, sometimes they would talk. On the rare chance she had her daughter only, and not the monster, she found herself smiling. But even then, each visit from her real daughter ended with the same question that tore Sweetie Belle's heart apart: “Would you please kill me?” Today this wasn’t her daughter though. This was the monster. The same monster that was in Rarity. The same monster she could have been the moment she strapped Twilight Sparkle down and had a knife pointed right at her. The same monster that ruined her life and the lives of so many. Sweetie Belle took a deep breath and tried to play it cool. “How are you doing, baby?” “I’m okay... I guess,” muttered Blossom, her tone containing no emotion behind it. “What’s it like outside?” “It’s... sunny,” answered Sweetie Belle. “I miss the sun... so warm... so bright...” Blossom snorted. “Nowadays the only sun I get to see is the one plastered on Celestia’s behind when she comes to check in on me. I don’t know why she bothers; I can’t be fixed. She can’t get rid of Aunt Rarity.” Sweetie Belle bit her lip. “Blossom, you don’t know that. There... there could be a way to save you; don’t you want to stop thinking about killing ponies? Stop Rarity from telling you what to do? All of us are worried about you.” Blossom was silent for a long time. Then she slowly raised her head, eyes watering, and asked, “Then how come you’re the only one who visits me, Mommy?” Closing her eyes, Sweetie Belle tried to hold herself back from hugging her daughter. It was against the rules ever since she asked Apple Seed for a hug once and tried to bite out her jugular. The Apples stopped coming after that. Then the rest of the Elements and their families. Twilight, who swore to help as best she could, also stopped coming, leaving in tears when Blossom kept pressuring to admit that she was a failure for trying to cure Rarity before and letting nine other ponies die. Even Comet, despite her efforts, was no longer allowed to see her sister due to her parents fearing Blossom. The only ponies who now came to see her were Sweetie Belle and the Princesses. The only ones who had not given up on her. Time passed as Sweetie Belle tried to say something to her daughter, but she found herself silent. She glanced at the clock in the room; there was very little time left. Joyous Blossom then looked up at her mother and smiled. “Mommy, do you want to know of a dream I had last night?” “Of course, baby,” said Sweetie Belle, forcing a smile. “Was it a nice dream?” Joyous Blossom nodded. “It was a very nice dream. I dreamed I was a foal again. I was playing with some of my old classmates and then came Golden Necklace and Fire Ruby. They were being mean again, as usual... and then I found a rock.” Sweetie Belle’s smile soon faded and was replaced by horror. “It was a really big rock and they kept talking and talking. I couldn’t stand it... so I brought the rock on their heads. Their heads went pop and they stopped talking. Then everypony was shouting and screaming, calling me other names. So I took the rock and started running around, shutting them up. They all stopped screaming. Apple Bloom, Apple Seed, Twilight and her friends, the Princesses, Shining Armor, Miss Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara. Everypony was quiet and covered in red. Then it was just you and I, Mommy. And I was so happy because we were alone at last. Just the two of us forever. Alone in a red covered Ponyville....” For the remaining minutes of silence, Sweetie Belle just stood there, staring at her daughter with a horrified look. She slowly began to turn green before the door finally opened and allowed her to leave. She quickly looked back at her daughter who smiled, yet it was a smile that brought a chill to her very bones. “Have a nice day, Mommy. Me and Rarity both love you.” Sweetie Belle could only nod before she left the room, turned around the corner, and lost her lunch on the floor. *** After taking a few minutes to collect herself, a disheartened Sweetie Belle made her way past the checkpoints while earning a few sympathetic glances aimed at her. She ignored them and proceeded to make her way towards the entrance of the ward with as much dignity as she could muster. What she didn’t expect to find was Princess Celestia and Princess Luna waiting for her. “Sweetie Belle, it’s good to see you again,” said Celestia with a smile and a nod. “Hello, your majesties,” whispered Sweetie Belle, staying still. She was probably the only pony in Equestria who no longer bowed to the royal sisters, something that had earned her scoldings from various ponies. It was no concern to her; she had very little respect for the princesses anymore who had spent years watching her scared daughter, believing her to be the same kind of monster Rarity was. Well they got their bucking wish and I hope they're happy with it. “How is Joyous Blossom doing?” asked Luna, keeping her face emotionless. “She’s...” Sweetie Belle tried to find the right words. “... a bit under the weather.” Her attempts to hide her discomfort obviously failed from the concerned look from Celestia and the narrowing of the eyes from Luna. “We were actually hoping to meet with you, Sweetie Belle. A new drug has recently been made for those suffering from delusions, and we would like to see if it could help Joyous Blossom,” explained Celestia, with a small smile. “Yes, of course. Anything that can help my daughter,” said Sweetie Belle instantaneously, her tone on the edge of desperation. “We hardly think it will make a difference in the matter,” muttered Luna, but Sweetie Belle caught it. “What are you saying?” demanded Sweetie Belle, eyes glowing with fury. “My daughter needs help and maybe this can do it.” “Tis is the same thing thou hast said with the last drug, and the drug before that, and the dozens of medications we have tried before,” Luna pointed out, glaring back. “Sweetie Belle, We understand our sister and I promised to help thy daughter after she agreed to life imprisonment for her crimes, but it’s been a year now and she’s only gotten worse!” Sweetie Belle stepped forward, not caring if she was breaking whatever rules there were, and placed her furious face inches away from Luna. “My daughter didn’t deserve this, Luna! She’s just a sick filly who's had a horrible life because of the actions of others! If you tried hard enough...” This time Celestia answered, hoping to mediate between the two. “Sweetie Belle! I know you are upset, but do not mistake us! We want to help Blossom; we’ve been trying our best.” Celestia sighed. “But it’s getting harder. Many are criticizing us for wasting such money and resources on helping your daughter, and no psychologists or therapists want to work with her. She’s scared them away.” “And no amount of medication has helped her change for the better,” stated Luna, shaking her head. “We are sorry, Sweetie Belle. We know this is hard to accept, but at this point We believe thy daughter is a lost cause.” Sweetie Belle started at the two with such rage, it brought up a familiar feeling she only had twice in her life. Once was when she had confronted Twilight Sparkle of the memory spell planted on her, and the other when Diamond Tiara all but admitted she put that damned article of her sister on her daughter’s desk. It was pure and utter hatred. “A lost cause, huh?! What then?! Do you give her the needle like you did my sister?! Take away the only family I really have left?!” shouted Sweetie Belle, growling like a wolf. “Sweetie, there is still your pare-” “My parents refuse to acknowledge that me or Blossom even exist anymore! They believe us all to be lost causes just like my sister was and refuse to feel anything when dealing with us, just to spare them the grief!” shouted Sweetie Belle. “You will help my daughter! You promised you would if we got her to agree to not be executed! It’s bad enough you took her horn despite my warnings of her fear of losing it, but now you're giving up?! I hate you!” Unable to hear anymore, Sweetie Belle ran out the door, tears in her eyes. Celestia made a move to go get her, but Luna stopped her older sister. “Don’t, Tia. She needs to be alone and accept the harsh, cold fact that we both know.” “Unlike you, Luna, I refuse to give up,” scolded Celestia. “Somewhere inside that body is the real Blossom and we will help her. We promised we would and I will not break that promise to see Sweetie Belle and Joyous Blossom suffer more than they should have.” Luna shook her head. “Even if we did manage to cure her, sister, what then? She still is guilty for two murders, and it was before the law was changed. We cannot execute her since our sentence must be followed, but what life will she have? To sit in these wards or a cell for the rest of her life? To never walk among ponies? To never fall in love or start a family? Sane or not, Joyous Blossom’s life is over.” “Then... do you think we should have given her the needle, Luna?” asked Celestia, with unsure eyes. It was not the first time they had question their action to spare the poor soul that had come to them, pleading for her death so that she could be free from her horrible life. Luna closed her eyes. “Back then, We didn’t want to see another soul suffer and wanted to spare everypony another sorrowful loss. But if we known that this would have happened... then yes. She should have died that day, if only to spare her this pain.” Celestia said nothing. She only continued to move further into the mental ward, followed by her sister.