Chapter 9
"Life Is A Party..."
She took them. They were gone. The one piece of her life that had remained had been forcefully ripped away from her. The pain in Twilight's heart sent hot tears streaming down her face. Pinkamina had slowly been taking her world apart, piece by piece. All the while, Twilight sat there, as reality fell to pieces, and the light was snuffed out.
It was time for the pain to end.
The chariot soared over miles of land at top speed, at Twilight's request. The piercing wind pounding against them as they cut through the midnight sky. The sun would rise soon.
Twilight never took her eyes off of the land ahead of them. Their destination was all she cared about now. All she had left.
After nearly an hour of flight, Twilight began to catch her first glimpse of Sugarcube Corner. It was as dreary as the rest of Ponyville. Windows were boarded, homes were empty, there was not a single light to be found.
"Land here." Twilight commanded, pointing toward their destination. The bakery.
She exited the chariot immediately upon its landing. Not even stopping to wait for Applejack or the guards. She simply stared at the building in front of them. She could only imagine all of the lives that had ended here. Ponies with their entire lives ahead of them, only to have them cut short for sick enjoyment.
"Miss!" Called a guard, "Please wait for us!"
They ran to her side, Applejack following close behind. The guards looked confused.
"Are you sure this is the right place?" one of them uttered, scanning the bakery.
"Yes, they're here." Twilight replied, emotionless.
They had to be here. Twilight simply couldn't accept the fact that they might be dead. It was too much.
"Applebloom," Applejack spoke, wiping away burning tears. "Please be okay..."
Twilight signaled for the guards to advance, to which they obeyed. Drawing their swords as they slowly approached the door to the aforementioned bakery.
They found the door was locked, which was expected. They began to slam against the door with their armored bodies, in hopes of bringing the door down to gain entry.
As this happened, Twilight began to think about what they might encounter once inside. However it was then that she realized there was NO way of telling what could be inside. It wasn't like anyone had ever left the bakery, nobody knew what it now contained. Twilight prepared herself for the worst, but nothing could have prepared her for what they encountered inside...
The guards broke through the door, and immediately charged in, seeking a threat, but they were met by...something else.
"Scootaloo?" Applejack uttered in shock, "What the hay are you doin' here!?"
The filly looked up at them with delight from the middle of the room.
"You're finally here! Oh I just knew you'd come!" She said, smiling.
"Scootaloo you have to get out of here," Twilight spoke, approaching the filly, "Hurry, before Pinkie finds you!"
Scootaloo chuckled.
"Find me? Twilight I don't think you understand-"
Suddenly one of the guards ran up to her, pushing Twilight out of the way in the process.
"Miss, this is not a place for fillies, it's dangerous here, you have to leave." He signaled for the other guard to grab the young pegasus.
"I'm not going anywhere," Scootaloo said, backing away, "But you are."
Suddenly, Scootaloo brought a hoof from behind her back and in front of her face and blew. White dust filled the room.
"What the!?-" Yelled a guard, shielding his eyes from the powdery material. "What is this?"
"NIGHTSHADE!" Twilight screamed, desperately covering her face.
Applejack copied Twilight's gesture as they heard the sound of armor and swords hit the floor.
"How did you know?" Scootaloo said, pushing the dust toward them with her wings. "We got it from Zecora's!"
Then it dawned on her. Pinkie wasn't alone.
Twilight looked to her left to find Applejack beginning to stagger from the dust's affects.
"Applejack!" She screamed.
But it was too late. She was gone.
Twilight watched as her friend fell limp to the floor. Then she felt it.
Reality began to fade in and out, and her vision became blurred.
"NO!" She screamed, struggling to stay awake.
"NO NO NO NO!"
It couldn't end like this. She couldn't go to sleep. Not now. Not now...
When Twilight regained consciousness, she found herself in a dark room. She tried to shake her head but found that a taut leather strap held it firmly in place. She struggled to move, but braces around her chest and limbs glued her to a rack formed from a series of sturdy planks, which spread her legs wide apart.Twilight's eyes darted back and forth and then fell upon a patchwork banner hanging from the rafters. Made from several tanned pony hides, the words "Life is a party" were scrawled on it in blood red. she struggled in her binds to no avail, as she writhed, SHE came into her line of sight.
"Good, you're awake, Now we can get started!"