//------------------------------// // Act I: WANT IT NEED IT // Story: Sweetie Belle's Descent Into Madness- A Musical // by Matthais Unidostres //------------------------------// . . . . . . . . . Curtain Rise! Act I: WANT IT NEED IT The white unicorn filly walked through the moonlit town. She somehow knew it was Ponyville, although it certainly didn't feel like it. It was the blackest, darkest patch of midnight Sweetie Belle had ever experienced. The windows of the houses were all dark, and an eerie silence rang through the empty town. Sweetie Belle shivered. More than anything did she want to know where everypony was. She would soon wish she hadn't wanted to know. "Want it. Need it. Want it. Need it. . ." Sweetie Belle was filled with a terror she had only experience one other time in her life. A terror that even surpassed being in the presence of Nightmare Moon. A terror she had tried to put back in her past. But as she heard the eerie chant, she felt the old fear rising up again. The ponies seemed to come right out of the shadows. Shambling toward her like zombies. Their faces were caught in idiotic smiles, and in their eyes were red hearts. "Want it. Need it. Want it. Need it. . ." Sweetie Belle's insides turned to ice as she backed up in fear. "N-no! Stay away!" The ponies formed a ring around her, leaving her with no escape. Then, they all turned in one direction and bowed. Their chant continued, only the words changed: "Want her. Need her. Want her. Need her. . ." Sweetie Belle's eyes widened in horror as Princess Twilight Sparkle walked through the crowd. She was wearing the very same dress and crown she had worn on the day of her coronation. However, her eyes, hair, and smile were that of that infamous day. "No. . .Please. . .not again. . ." Sweetie Belle said as she stepped backwards from the Alicorn, only to bump into the ponies behind her. The mad Princess laughed and said, "Ooh, you're going to like Princess Twilight. And you're going to like her more than anything." Her horn flashed as she got ready to cast her spell. Sweetie Belle screamed. She couldn't help but feel grateful that her parents were heavy sleepers as she dug into a bowl of vanilla ice cream with oats on top. Sweetie Belle sighed as she licked her lips. It's not that she didn't want her parents to comfort her after having a nightmare. The problem was, this nightmare was unlike any other. It wasn't because it was scary, it was because of the dark truth that had spawned in. The truth deep within Sweetie Belle's heart. "I can't let anyone know about this. . .I'd have to tell them what I think. . .no, know. They'd think I'm a buzz kill, a downer, an alarmist, a traitor. They'd all hate me. . ." Sweetie Belle stared down hard at her midnight snack, frowning. She jammed her spoon down into the bowl resolutely. "They'd be wrong! They'd all be wrong! They just all stupid to realize what Celestia has done." Sweetie Belle's stomach churned as she remembered the coronation. Sure, she had smiled and congratulated Twilight along with Applebloom and Scootaloo, but inside, she was sick to her stomach. Swetie Belle's horn sparked as anger and despair filled her soul. "Twilight cannot be an Alicorn!" "Sweetie Belle? Hello! Anyone in there?!" Scootaloo called out. "Wh-wha?" the unicorn filly said as she lifted her head from the clubhouse table. "Aw come on, Sweetie Belle! This is the third time you've fallen asleep!" Scootaloo complained. "Did ya stay up all night or something?" Applebloom asked. Sweetie Belle looked around the clubhouse nervously. "Um. . .well. . .I had a stomach ache last night. . ." "That's perfect!" Scootaloo cheered. "HUH?" both Sweetie Belle and Applebloom said. "Cutie Mark Crusaders: Doctors!" Scootaloo said, and she began poking Sweetie Belle's tummy in random places. "Does it hurt here? Here? What about here?" Sweetie pushed Scoots away, "No, I'm fine now." "Darn," Scootaloo said. "Hey! Ah just got ahn ahdea!" Applebloom cheered, "Cutie Mark Crusaders: Royal Assistants!" Sweetie's heart skipped a beat. "Yeah! We can help Princess Twilight out with stuff!" Scootalo said. "NO!" Sweetie squeaked out. Applebloom and Scootaloo stared at their friend. She looked embarrassed at her outburst and nervously cleared her throat. "I mean. . .we don't want to bother her. I mean, she just became Princess. She won't need Royal Assistants yet. Besides, she already has Spike." Sweetie Belle smiled sweetly in an attempt to get her friends to agree with her. Applebloom eyed her suspiciously, but then sighed and said, "Maybe you're right. We don't want Spike to feel like he's being replaced." Sweetie Belle gained a warm, sincere smile to replace her fake one. Spike. There was one name that warmed her heart. Sweetie thought Spike was such a cute boy. Sure, he was a dragon, but she didn't care. He was always so happy, so nice, and so helpful. When greed overtook him, he fought back and won the battle against himself, unlike Twilight who was only defeated due to Celestia's intervention. In fact, it was Spike who had alerted Celestia about the purple mare's madness. So, in a sense, Sweetie Belle could honestly say that Spike had saved her. This warmed her heart further. Of course, Sweetie didn't immediately fall in love with Spike. She saw him as a potential best friend at first, but he was always so busy helping Twilight, and she was always so busy going Cutie Mark Crusading. However, this all changed during Princess Cadence and Shinning Armor's wedding. Dancing with Spike filled Sweetie with a joy unlike any she had ever felt. It wasn't anything like a cheesy romance novel. Sweetie Belle had felt content and happy in Spike's company, just loving the feeling of having fun with him, dancing with him, and admiring how both cute and handsome he was at the same time. Sweetie Belle enjoyed the warm feeling that was spreading through her as she allowed herself to fantasize as Applebloom and Scootaloo conversed. She loved Spike from a distance, and hoped that she'd one day be able to close the distance and tell him how she really felt about him. ". . .and hey! I'll bet that now that's she's an Alicorn Princess, that her magic's gotten a ton more stronger!" Warm feeling's gone. "DON'T SAY THAT!" Her friends looked at Sweetie Belle in even greater shock. Now the unicorn filly was in complete terror mode. Her body was very stiff, her knees were knocking, and her pupils had shrunken to pinpricks. She gulped as she turned away. "What was that?" Scootaloo asked incredulously. "Um . . ." Sweetie Belle said shakily. "Come on, Sweetie Belle," Applebloom said sympathetically, "What's the matter?" Sweetie Belle shivered coldly and said, "Well. . .do you really think Twilight was really ready to become a princess?" "What do you mean by that?" Scootaloo said, eyeing Sweetie Belle angrily. "Scootaloo!" Applebloom said, then she turned to Sweetie Belle and said softly, "So. . .what do you mean, Sweetie?" Sweetie Belle looked away and said, "Well, she has more power; and responsibility over all of Equestria. . .can she handle that?" "Hey!" Scootaloo said angrily, pushing Applebloom out of the way and getting up in Sweetie Belle's face. "If Rainbow Dash has faith in Twilight, then so do I. And hey! Applejack and Rairty have faith in Twilight too! So how come you don't? What are you? A traitor?!" Sweetie Belle's eyes filled with tears as her worst fears began to materialize in front of her. She wailed in grief as she quickly ran out of the clubhouse in tears. "WHAT THE HAY WAS THAT!" Applebloom shouted at Scootaloo. "Didn't you hear her? She said Twilight was a bad princess!" Scootaloo said. "No she didn't! She was just worried if Twilight could handle the stress! Heck! I couldn't do it! I mean, remember the Parasprites? Or when Twilight cast that 'Want It Need It' spell over us?" Applebloom said. "Remember when she got rid of the Ursa Minor? Or Cerberus? Or Trixie? And let's not forget what she did for Winter Wrap Up! Admit it! Twilight will be a great Princess!" Scootaloo argued. "Did ya have to make Sweetie Belle cry though?" Applebloom asked. Scootaloo blinked a few times, and then looked down sadly. "Oops. . ." Applebloom sighed, "Ah'm sure Sweetie Belle will forgive ya if you apologize and explain yourself." Scootaloo nodded, "Yeah. . .maybe I could convince her that Twilight can be a good Princess." Applebloom nodded back and smiled, "Yeah. That'd be good. Ah hope Sweetie Belle will understand. . . " She looked out the door thoughtfully and said, "It's already late. Maybe we should wait till tomorrow and let her calm down a bit." Sweetie Belle lay in her bed, tossing and turning nervously, unable to truly rest. "Sweetie Belle. . . " Sweetie Belle's eyes opened as the light turned on. She sat up in bed and looked over at the door. Rarity was standing there. "Rarity? What are you doing here?" Sweetie Belle asked. Rarity smiled as she walked over to her bed. "It's about Twilight," Sweetie Belle said. Sweetie Belle's eyes widened. Rarity smiled back, and her smile became wider, wider, and wider. Then her eyes became hearts. "Want her. Need her." she whispered. Sweetie Belle screamed at the top of her lungs as she jumped out of the bed and ran past her sister. She tore through the house until she got out of the front door. She ran away from the house and ran into the dark town. However, she was stopped by none other than Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Both were wearing wide smiles and hearts of eyes. "Want her. Need her." Sweetie Belle trembled with fear as she turned around, and was face to face with Applebloom and Scootaloo. "Want her. Need her." "No. . ." Sweetie Belle whispered as she fell to her knees. Then, Sweetie Belle heard the sound of flapping wings. She looked up to see the deranged purple mare flying straight down towards her. Sweetie Belle sat up in bed, screaming. She took harsh deep breaths as she looked wildly around the room. She rolled out of the bed and lay on the floor, filled with fear, trembling. She sniffed and wiped the tears from her eyes. She slowly walked towards the window and looked out at the moon, thinking off everything she had gone through. Sweetie took a sad sigh, and began to sing. Some unicorn spells should have never been devised This one in particular will leave you traumatized If you need an example, I'm the perfect paradigm The Want it Need it spell, works every time Struck by her incantation Charmed by her sweet sensation I can't resist, I can't disagree I can't break free Hobbled due to my hesitation Blinded to her desperation Her will persists, she toys with me I can't seem to breathe Sweetie Belle wandered out of her room and down the stairs. She looked around, fearful of the shadows around her. "Hi girls. . ." The breath caught in Sweetie Belle's chest. She stopped on the stairs and took deep breath after deep breath. She gulped down a lump in her throat and continued singing. This purple mare can be quite warped and twisted "I'd hate to cause a rift between such good friends," she insisted Like a fool I believed her, disarmed by her smile Now she's laughing manically, looks like I'm here awhile Struck by her incantation Charmed by her sweet sensation I can't resist, I can't disagree I can't break free Hobbled due to my hesitation Blinded to her desperation Her will persists, she toys with me I can't seem to breathe Sweetie Belle made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen. She stopped at the fridge, but then shook her head and frowned. "It's all Twilight's fault," Sweetie Belle said, "She's crazy and dangerous. That's why I suggested sending her after Babs. But maybe that would've been going to far. That horrible spell, and now she's a Princess and can do whatever she wants. . ." She grit her teeth, "Keeping Spike away from me. . ." Anguish built up in the young filly's chest as green magic energy surrounded her horn. With a cry of frustration, Sweetie Belle finished her song loud and strong. Drowning in these compelled desires Burning down in her alluring fire time's slipping by, She commands, I comply I will never be free from her cruel lies!! Sweetie Belle fell down on her chest. She felt exhausted for some strange reason. After lying on the ground for a bit to catch her breath, she slowly got up and went back to bed. The next morning, Sweetie Belle woke up feeling much better and more awake. She couldn't describe why she felt differently, she just felt good. Good enough to talk to Scootaloo again, and try to make up after their little disagreement. The filly ran into town, only to see a very shocking sight. Nearly everypony in town was gathered around the library. Curious, Sweetie Belle ran over to it. Also outside the crowd were Applebloom and Scootaloo. "What's going on?" Sweetie Belle asked. Scootaloo turned and gasped. She threw her legs around Sweetie Belle in a hug and said, "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry, Sweetie Belle! You were right about her all along! Why couldn't we all see it earlier!" "Huh?" Sweetie Belle said in confusion. "Listen," she said as she released her from the hug. Angry voices could be heard shouting from within the crowd. Some of them sounded familiar. "You are no Princess of mine!" "You made the Parasprites eat our gardens!" "My fashions were eaten up because of your spell, Twilight!" "Who do ya think ya are putting spells on mah family!" "All the chaos you have caused in my fair town! Unforgiveable!" "You? A Princess? Equestria is doomed!" "You'll destroy everything! We'll all end up like those cupcakes you ruined! Oh my gosh, you might hurt the twins!" "I know! How could we have even asked her to babysit! Thank goodness she was busy that time!" "Yes in deede! She even tried to 'help' me. Luckily I kicked her out!" In all of this chatter, a few lines caught Sweetie Belle seriously off guard. "We were all charmed by her sweet sensation during that coronation ceremony!" "This purple mare can be quite warped and twisted!" "Like a fool we believed that she was prepared for this!" "How were we all blinded to her desperation?" "We must stop her now, or we'll never be free from her cruel lies!" The uproar grew huge and more violent as a burst of purple shot up into the air, Sweetie Belle could see Twilight flying off in the direction of Canterlot, only a speck in the blue sky. "Wha-?" Sweetie Belle said softly. "Oh my gosh! Sweetie Belle!" came the voice of a certain purple dragon. Sweetie Belle immediately forgot her confusion and turned around to see Spike jumping up and down and pointing. "Look! Look at your flank!" he shouted. The Cutie Mark Crusaders all looked at Sweetie Belle's flank and gasped. "My Cutie Mark!" Curtian!