It had been 10 years since she'd been brought here, to there horrible ponies who' took Carr's of a little lavender alicorn, and the hated for what she was. She had tried to be on their good sides but, it was like these two didn't have any at all just bad sides.
"Please..." The little lavender foal begged as her foster mother dragged her across the floor. Her eyes shone with hours worth of tears, black and blue splotches painted over her body as if it were a canvas. She did her best to put as much sadness into her expression as possible, but only succeeded in a deep grimace. With every bump of wood or dip in the floor moldings her bruises would scrape against them, and her body was filled with an indescribable pain. A million tiny infernos raged beneath her skin and threatened to send her back into the dark void of unconsciousness.
Her foster mother ignored his every plea and wince. She just stared straight ahead as she dragged her further through the house. The chains that connected each set of hooves and kept her legs bound clinked together the entire way, each time bringing another pained wince as they drew nearer to their destination. Finally, they arrived. It was an old wooden door—chipped wood that had faded to a dull brown that reflected the contents within. Her foster mother stopped and dropped her on the floor, causing another wave of shooting pain and a scream of pain from the small filly.
She stared into the all consuming blackness that threatened to swallow her whole and gulped. “Please, Miss… Don’t do this! Why are you doing this to me? I don’t want to go back down there! I DON’T WANT TO GO BACK THERE!” A tiny kick broke her free of her foster mother’s grasp and flopped on her chained legs in a desperate attempt to gain her footing. She slipped and fell face first on to the floor. It was hopeless, and she knew it. The darkness was all that awaited her—her foster mother would not forgive her for this transgression.
A sharp tug of her mane brought her out of the daze of slamming into the floor. Her body was now filled with a whole new sort of pain as she was lifted into the air, her foster mother using only her hair to support all of her weight. "Go. Crawl back into the darkness where you belong, you little cretin!" The unicorn mare screamed at the child and struggled to keep a grip on her mane as he twisted and turned like a mad woman. The filly kicked and screamed as she moved her back. She knew what was coming, and she had no idea if she’d be able to handle it with her existing wounds. With one herculean heave, she sent her on a downward tumble head-over-hooves down the steeps steps...
The foal tumbled down the steps uncontrollably. Each bump hit an old bruise or created a new one until she came to an abrupt stop at the bottom and rolled over onto her stomach. Tears swelled in her eyes as she watched the cellar door close and the last light fade. All that was left to her violet eyes was darkness. She’d gotten used to it by now. Her eyes glinted in the small beams of light coming through the cracks in the door as they adjusted to the darkness. All around her were iron bars. The cage. Always the cage… she tried the iron bars that had slammed closed after she come to a stop, but they held tight.
She wasn't sure what hurt more; was it the physical pain of being thrown down a set of stairs or the emotional pain of being hated by her own foster family? She grunted at her predicament. No kindness. No compassion.
Never anything from those ponies… And yet, I’m trapped with them. It didn’t matter what they did to him now. The pain all blended together into a horrid mish mash of unspoken emotions locked away in her heart.. As cough from behind the old door at the top of the stairs drew her attention. Her head swiveled towards it in instinct, and her ears curled forward to hear the sound better.
"You know what the meaning of your name is?" her foster mother called from behind the door. "Twilight-a is a derivative of Sight-a, which means Cursed Child. You’re not our daughter, you little beast. Our daughter is gone. You’re just a Cursed Child from once you were sent here. A disappointment. Why don’t you crawl back into the Cursed Shadows and return to where you came from? It’ll be easier for the both of us."
The sound of hooves clopping away from the door and slight sniffles echoed in her ears, signifying her foster mother’s departure. Twilight couldn't conjure up any words. Why… I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t want this! Luncena, why have you forsaken me? Why must I must subjected to this torture? She banged against the bars of her cage, causing the cage to slam into that same indent in the side of the wall that she’d beaten so many times before. The young alicorn sat in the damp and musty darkness of the cellar. She sobbed uncontrollably as she rocked back and forth. The darkness was everywhere. She might as well had been born blind.
"Please... Let me out... Someone, please..." Twilight muttered under her ragged breaths. She called to the darkness for somepony to rescue her from this hell. There was never a response, just darkness. Still… she could feel it watching. Listening. Reacting. It was, in a way, her only true friend in this prison. Twilight knew this darkness all too well. She had been cast aside, ever since she had been brought here, never acknowledged as a living creature with a heart. The shadows wrapped her wounds and filled her with a strange sense of comfort. If she couldn’t see them, then they couldn’t hurt her. That was how it had always worked. The darkness was always there for her, but in the back of her mind, she heard something different. A small voice.
Hello, my child. This situation is quite sad, but I can help you. I can set you free… All you have to do is listen and learn. I promise. Then you’ll have the power. Then you’ll be in control. All you have to do is listen, and do whatever I say… Twilight smiled in the darkness. Her eyes glinted brighter in the darkness, as the final lights went out.
The stallion walked down the stairs to the basement, keeping his eyes open warily. I only need to get in, grab my hammer, and get out. That’s all. No need to be in here any longer than I need to be. As he touched the ground, the cold floor sent a shiver down his spine. He looked at the cage. There she—no, there it was. Sleeping. Snoozing peacefully. The stallion did his best to tiptoe around the cage and over to his tool bench. Each light knock of his hooves against concrete set his heart racing and brought him to a cold sweat. He did not want to accidentally disturb what unspeakable horror it housed.
He shuddered to imagine what might become of him should he be noticed. He fumbled around the tool bench, desperately searching for his hammer while making as little noise as possible. His random hoof movements caused several items to knock together, loud ‘clinks’ echoing every time. Each time, he would stop in his tracks and turn his head slowly to that… demon. The demon that resided in the cage. That demon that hadn’t eaten, drank, or been tended to in 10 years, yet still continued to live and breathe. His hooves eventually came into contact with a small wooden rod and picked it up. Its top-heaviness confirmed that he had found what he needed.
Oh, sweet merciful Luncena. Thank you so much. The stallion’s tense shoulders slumped in slight relaxation as he turned to the cage again. Good. Still asleep. As he turned, he could see the faint light making its way through the crack in the bottom of the door. The stallion took one step and heard the sound of metal on glass, followed by a loud crash. As he looked down in terror, he noted the broken glass and nails scattered across the ground like a small blanket.
The stallion felt as if a bucket of ice was washed over him. The monster trapped down there with him surely heard the noise. The stallion heard the cage rattle, and the ragged, raspy breathing of the being in the cage. He froze in place, hoping that the darkness would hide his presence in the basement.
"Mister?" a soft voice called out from the darkness. The stallion struggled with himself. The voice seemed vulnerable. It seemed sad. It almost seemed… pony-like.
Don't look at it. Don't turn around. The frail voice continued to ring in his head. The room was silent except for that same ragged breathing. So shallow. So… empty. As if something else was behind it.
"Mister, is that you?" the voice called again. It was begging now. Pleading with him.
The stallion did his best to ignore the child and he walked towards the exit. The cage behind him rattled and shook with a righteous fury. A horrible scraping and smashing sound broke the silence as the rusted cage battered an old indentation in the wall beside it. A decade of rust scraped against the floor, the sound of nails against a chalkboard filling the entire room. Don’t listen. Ignore it. It’s not real. He’s not your daughter at all. That thing is not your business. Leave.
"Mister? Why did you do this to me? Where are you going? Don't leave me alone!" The banging and rattling increased in intensity. The stallion did his best to keep moving towards the door, looking down and making sure that he wasn’t stepping on any nails. “Father. Please. Don’t leave… It’s dark. I don’t like it…”
He stopped in his tracks and turned to face the darkness before him. His voice escaped in a sad, defeated whisper. “You. You’re not my daughter. She never called me father. Don’t you dare.”
He sighed heavily as sobs and cries of sorrow and anger echoed throughout the old basement. have stopped. I have to leave. Now.
The stallion was about a foot from the door when he heard something else that he’d never heard in decades. The sound of metal chains hitting the floor. Then the sound of decades of rust swinging outwards. The thought of the door opening caused him to freeze up in fear.
Who could have possibly opened the door? There's nobody in here except me and her. The sound of another set of hooves clicking against the floor sent another wave of fear down his spine. They were soft and silent. They creeped up next to him and came to a stop. A familiar voice, spoke in a tone that made him freeze up as if was standing encased in ice.
"Mister Heart Blade, your under arrest for kidnapping and child abuse." the voice was stallion who took the hammer-holding stallion away.
Another set of hooves approached the cage, opening the with magic as well as undoing the child's bounds. A mare spoke softly to the child whome she had seen being yelled, if not beaten by the two ponies who where now in jail for what they had done. "Shh... Shh... It's alright... I'm not going to hurt you, I'm a police officer. My name's Kate Breeze, what's yours little one?"
Twilight tried to find her voice but her throat was too dry for such things. She gave a long chain of coughs, giving Miss Breeze the answer that she hadn't been given anything to eat or to drink. Kate bent down and picked up Twilight holding her cradled gently within her grasp, Twilight hurt everywhere but she was now far away for that pair who done so much wrong to her. She was happy and safe, and maybe even have the change to have family who would love her instead.