//------------------------------// // Chapter: 7 Check mate // Story: Slendershy // by the ghost //------------------------------// Fluttershy stared back from the chess board to Twilights body which lay limp on the library floor. A balloon floated above her. "Y-You killed her you monster!" Shouted Fluttershy at the screen "You're a monster!" "You're the one who sacrificed her piece, its not my fault." typed the Scholar. "You made a bad move, now its your turn again." Fluttershy was numb, she knew that one of her best friends had just died, but she couldn't even process it. It was too quick and unexpected, this couldn't have happened, but Fluttershy knew that in an hour she would be crying her eyes out. "Twilight i'm so so sorry, I'll never make this up to you." Another message showed up on the screen. "Are you going to finish the game or not?" Fluttershy weakly walked over to the key board and typed "GO TO HEL, I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR STUPID GAME" in big bold letters. "Its spelled HELL you dolt" The Scholar typed back. "learn to spell." "ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS JUST DIED AND YOUR WORRIED ABOUT SPELLING?" typed Fluttershy. "Its 'You're', and are you going to make a move or not?" typed the Scholar calmly. Fluttershy was in disbelief, there had to be some way to save her friend there just had to. "Please... don't do this bring Twilight back." "What makes you think I can?" "I don't know" There was silence in the library, no one moved, Twilight's lungs were perfectly still and Fluttershy's might as well be. "Why don't you do it?" typed the Scholar. This took Fluttershy by surprise "What" typed Fluttershy "You're a seed right? Doesn't that mean you need to start building your own collective?" "What are you even talking about?" "Do you see that balloon flying above your friend?" Fluttershy looked over at Twilight's body. Sure enough there was a balloon. It was purple, about the same size as a large beach ball, with Twilight's cutie mark on it, just floating there right above her head. Something about it didn't seem quite right. "What is it?" asked Fluttershy. "Its Twilight's soul." "But what" "Here's what you do. If you eat it you'll bring your friend back to life indefinitely. Her life force becomes intertwined with yours. However there's a catch. If you die or your memory is tampered with in some way, Twilight will not only die, but her soul will be destroyed forever. No reincarnation, no afterlife, nothing. Understand?" Fluttershy's mind was spinning. What should do? Can she even trust the Scholar? Did she have the right to take Twilight's soul or should she just let one of her best friends die? So many questions screamed in her mind. "You don't have much time, her soul will start to float away if you don't hurry. The clock is ticking little seed. Clock. Is. Ticking." Fluttershy made up her mind. She'd do it. She went over and grabbed the balloon. She held it carefully in her hooves. Its was spongey and light. She couldn't believe that in her hooves she held Twilights fragile soul. She paused a moment and began to swallow the balloon shaped soul. It tasted odd, kinda like grape juice mixed with alcohol. She started to choke a little, but in the end she managed to swallow it. She breathed deeply for several moments gaining her breath back. "Well that wasn't so.." Suddenly a stomach cramp like nothing she had ever felt before ripped through her stomach. Fluttershy wanted to vomit to take out her insides and rub them all over the walls. As Fluttershy collapsed on the floor from the pain she could hear laughter coming from that walls that surrounded her. And then she blacked out. *** Fluttershy saw young twilight playing with her brother in the park. Hanging out with Cadence Twilight going to school for the first time Twilight learning to levitate objects Twilight studying under Celestia Twilight having her first crush Twilight losing her first crush Twilights toys Twilight teaching Spike to talk Twilight meeting her friends and her time in Ponyville Twilight becoming an alicorn Twilight dying. Filly twilight sitting alone in the dark Fluttershy saw all these things and suddenly a deep dark instinct kicked in. Some uncontrollable urge took over her body and she was watching as an observer not in control of her actions. She walked over to the young Twilight who was sitting in the dark playing with her dolls next to a bathtub. Filly Twilight saw her coming up to her and waved her hoof. Her face was a smile so happy to see her. So happy So innocent Fluttershy slowly approached her. "Hi Fluttershy," Filly Twilight said beaming at her. "Want to help me build a book fort?" She didn't have a chance Fluttershy grabbed her by the throat with a tendril choking her. Filly Twilight tried to fight back, but it was no use. "Flutters, please, I don't like this game can we do something else please Flutters I don't like this I... don't." Fluttershy didn't let her finish her sentence. Instead she took her head and banged it against the ground causing her to bleed silver unicorn blood. "I... thought... Friends... I don't... why..." murmured Twilight softly. "I don't want to die." Fluttershy felt a ping somewhere deep inside herself, but it was far too weak to have an impact on her. Not in this state at least. She pushed the young Twilight's head into the bathtub which was filled with pale yellow acid and her head began steaming in reaction to it. She struggled at first, but as time went on there were less and less bubbles coming up from the bath. Her skin was starting to rot away. Finally, after what seemed like forever, there was a popping sound. Twilight was completely gone bones and all, dissolved into the acid bath. Thats when she heard Twilight say softly "Fluttershy are you ok? .... . .-. / ... --- ..- .-.. / .. ... / --. --- -. . / ... .... . / .-- .- ... / -... . - - . .-. / --- ..-. ..-. / -.. . .- -../ *** Fluttershy opened her eyes to see Twilight leaning over her looking concerned. "Twilight?" said Fluttershy, staring at the purple unicorn looking down at her. "Thank goodness you're alright. For a minute there I thought you were dead, I found you lying on the floor of the library unconscious." "Yeah... I'm fine." Fluttershy said softly trying to block out the memory of her murdering a tiny Twilight. "Are you feeling ok Twilight?" "Me? Of course I feel fine. Why wouldn't I be? "No reason" Said Fluttershy sighing of relief. The Scholar hadn't been lying after all. "Now about those chains, I enchanted these wire cutters so they could cut through diamond. You should have no problem cutting them now." "Thanks Twilight." Flutttershy looked around the room over to the computer. It had gone dark. "Couldn't find anything about a tall faceless pony in the books though, and the only book that might have had something was burned a little so reading it was impossible." "Its ok, it was worth a shot. I'll see you later Twilight" "Leaving so soon?" "Yeah I'll see you later Twilight, feeling sick." Though not really from an illness. "Well get better soon." Fluttershy left the library bringing the pony in chains on her back. They walked in silence back towards Fluttershy's cottage. Thats when the pony in chains spoke up. "Shame you never finished that chess match." "I didn't really need that information that badly. Besides, its not worth all those ponies' lives." "I've never seen a seed that cared for other ponies. Most of the time they are cynical bastards who shut out the rest of the world." said the pony in Chains. Now was Fluttershy's chance to figure out whats going on. This pony in chains might be able to tell her whats going on. She didn't need to win the chess game after all. "What exactly is a seed?" asked Fluttershy. "Well..." He said slowly "Let me tell you what I know..." - .... . / -.-. .... . ... ... / --. .- -- . / -. . ...- . .-. / . -. -.. ...