//------------------------------// // EVER // Story: Aria Blaze: Throat Puncher // by Dubs Rewatcher //------------------------------// Aria watched her next victim with a devilish smirk. Star Swirl the Bearded stood in his bedchambers, staring at the Crystal Mirror, the scene of his greatest triumph. With a smile, he raised his head high into the air, basking in the jingle of the many bells hooked to his hat. He truly thought he the greatest unicorn ever to live. Aria jumped out of the mirror and punched him in the throat. She remained a human, even after stepping out of the glass. The elderly unicorn couldn’t even scream out in surprise as he fell to the marble floor. He gasped a few times, trying to scramble away, but it was no use. He soon passed out, lulled to sleep by the sound of Aria’s laughter. Aria stifled her guffaws to mere snickers and turned to the doorway, just in time for two burly pegasus guards to rush in, wings flared. “Stop!” they yelled in unison. They leapt forward, aiming straight for Aria. They would rip her to shreds and send the scraps back through the mirror. Aria sidestepped them both and, when they turned back around, punched them both in the throat. She grinned as they fell, crumpling into a heap right on top of Star Swirl. Aria drank in their pained groans like nectar, letting it fill her. Did they really think hooves could beat hands? Idiots. “Enough.” Aria flicked a glance towards the doorway. Princess Celestia met Aria’s eyes with a glare as she walked in, horn alight with magic. The alicorn tensed her legs, ready to fight. “This has gone on for long enough!” she declared, her voice loud enough to crack the windows. “Cursed siren, you must be punished for your crimes! Stand down now, or be destroyed.” Aria smirked and, with a single finger, gestured for Celestia to come at her. Celestia nodded. “As you wish.” The entire room went red as a great ball of fire rose from the tip of Celestia’s horn, as if she were summoning the sun itself. The Princess roared and launched the miniature sun straight at Aria’s head. It incinerated everything in its path, destroying all, leaving none, and it was about to obliterate Aria— Aria punched the ball of fire in the throat. It exploded into a whirlwind of hot dust, leaving her completely unscathed. Celestia took a few steps back. “What? But how? That should have killed you! That should have—” Aria ran up and punched Celestia in the throat. As Celestia tumbled down, she let out an agonized cry. “Why?” she asked as Aria stood over her, her teeth bared like a crazed hyena. “Why are you doing this?” “Because I can,” Aria said. She leaned down and grabbed Celestia’s head, forcing the Princess to look her in the eyes. “Now say my name.” “What?” Celestia stammered, eyes filling with tears. “But I don’t—” “Say my name!” Aria screamed, punching Celestia in the throat again. Celestia nodded, but stayed silent. It was as if the words were caught on her lips. Her cheeks bulged with a name unsaid, a demand uncompleted. It was only as Aria raised her fist high into the air, ready to crush Celestia’s windpipe for good, that the royal, immortal alicorn yelped: “Ari, it’s time to wake up!” Aria opened her eyes to find Sonata’s face hanging just above hers, close enough that their breaths mixed. Sonata had Aria pinned beneath the blanket with all four limbs, and with every new second babbled a bit louder. “Are you awake yet?” “I was having a good dream,” Aria grumbled, balling up her fists. “Aw, really? That’s so nice!” Sonata said. “I love good dreams! They’re so… well, good!” She giggled into her hand, giving Aria enough leeway to pull her arms out of the blanket. ‘Punish her.’ Aria punched Sonata in the throat. Sonata flew off the bed and cried out in pain as she hit the floor back-first. “Ow,” she said, breathing hard. Sonata lifted herself up and glared at Aria. “What was that for?” she asked, voice scratchy. Veins bulged in Aria’s tensed arms. She took a few deep breaths and wiped off the sheen of sweat that covered her forehead. Did I just…? Aria thought, watching as Sonata massaged her throat. Aria gulped. I did. “Don’t wake me when I’m sleeping!” Aria sputtered, slamming a fist noiselessly into the mattress. “And you know that you’re supposed to stay out of my room!” “Since when?” “Since forever!” Aria said. “Why are you even in here?” “Adagio told me to wake you,” Sonata said. “We’re gonna go check out that school. You know, the one that we saw the magic coming from like two months ago?” An image of that mystic light flashed through Aria’s mind, and with it came a chill creeping down her back. She shoved the memory away and pulled the covers off of her body. “Oh,” she said, striding over to her closet. “Why didn’t you just say so?” “I was gonna, but then you hit me!” Sonata said. She paused for a moment before lifting herself off the ground and muttering, “That really hurt, y’know.” “Whatever.” Aria pulled out a pair of purple jeans. “Why are you still in my room?” Sonata started to argue, but stopped before she could finish a single sentence. She sighed and walked out, massaging her throat. As soon as the door was closed, Aria dropped the jeans onto her bed and backed up against a wall, wringing her burning knuckles. Her heart still thumped with enough force to rattle her chest, and her breaths came in quivering whispers. Ever since that night in the café nearly two months ago, weird things had been going on. Weirder than usual, at least—and living with Sonata, a girl who still believed that tiny pixies lived inside the television and acted out all the programs, that was saying something. Every moment of every day, her hands tingled. Sometimes, it felt like static was crawling across her skin, slipping through her bones. Other times, her knuckles burned as if they were being pressed against a hot iron. She had tried all sorts of ointments, oils… she had even started drinking green tea at one point, hearing that it helped calm your nerves. It had taken three tries just to swallow a drop of that human-made dreck without gagging. She had been tracking it, and it seemed like her hands hurt the worst when she was angry—and lately, that was pretty common. She could barely make it through a sentence of conversation without wanting to throw herself out a window, to tear her own ears off, to punch whichever stupid human she was talking to in the throat until they couldn’t ever bother her again. Sometimes she couldn’t help herself. Sometimes, without even thinking about it, she would just throw a punch, straight to the center of someone’s throat. They would gurgle on the ground as she ran away. Aria was amazed that no one had reported her yet. And that dream... She had been having that same dream every night for a month now. Every time she got a little farther, punched a little harder. Honestly, it was a pretty nice dream. After all, she was pretty good at punching throats. ‘You’re not good,’ said the strange voice. ‘You’re fantastic.’ “Heh.” Aria nodded. “I am, aren’t I?” Sonata’s face flashed through her mind. Aria pounded an itching fist against the wall. How could she have attacked one of her own? She had sworn never to touch them. What was she thinking? …And why had it felt so good? Her arms trembled at the memory. Looking Sonata in the eyes, just to jab a fist straight into her stupid little throat. She loved the way Sonata’s skin dented under her knuckles like dough, ready to be pounded flat. Aria wanted to try it again— “No!” Aria growled, slapping herself. Whatever was going on with her, whatever this voice was, she wouldn’t let it win. She just needed to take a few deep breaths and calm down. “Aria!” Adagio screamed from across the apartment. “Hurry up! We’re not going to miss our chance at world domination because you can’t find a pair of jeans that fit!” Aria punched a hole through her wall.