The Tell-Tale Heart

by Melancholy Ma Loi

Need It

There were only two hooves resting on the stone by her door. Hind hooves. Her gaze was drawn upwards, over the long forelegs, passed the terrible wicker coffin case and into its owners exhausted blue eyes.

Were his eyes blue before? she wondered distantly as her exhausted body began to tense once more, winding itself up like a broken clockwork toy. Her heart thrummed in her chest as she locked eyes with the stallion. He was so still though. He didn't even appear t be breathing.

She watched him as she slowly got to her hooves. His eyes never left her own.

THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP

Her heart beat on, but oh, what a terrible sound it was in the silence of that stallion's stare!

She levitated a moonstone sample from where it rested on her desk, and jerked back when the stretched pony stuttered to life, a toy even more broken and mutilated than she. he twitched across the floor with incredible speed and snapped at her horn.

She dropped the rock and dodged passed the pony as he reached for her. The wicker coffin case fell to the floor with a crash, spilling bones and jewelry across her bedroom floor. Twilight leaped through her door and down the stairs, gasping and sobbing in terror. The stretched pony suddenly fell in front of her from the ceiling, or so it seemed. The part of her brain that was still rational insisted that it -he - had simply jumped from the banister. her had the higher ground, it would be easy since he was so tall.

Twilight streaked into her kitchen, ready to crash through the window should she need to when she suddenly skidded to a stop. She could fight this thing.

She could keep Death out of her dreams for the rest of her life!

The purple mare braced her legs and waited, body low along the ground as her horn flared with light.

THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP.

It was Death's heart beating now. though her own was probably just as loud, synchronizing.Her eyes fixated on the collection of knifes her mother kept attached to a magnetic strip of metal. Their deadly points glimmered lustfully in the moonlight.

THUMP TH-THUM-THUMP THUMP

Death slowly walked into the kitchen, looking lost, and almost foal-like, Apparently he missed his goody bag.

"You want something, take this!"

The stallion shrieked once, its first sound. The shriek was high and reedy, like broken glass in a garbage disposal. It only made that one sound before turning almost hypnotically for the set of knifes.

"Need it?" she hissed, in terror as much as rage.

The stallion attacked the knives, and swiftly became red. Blood pooled on the shiny checkered tile of the kitchen, and twilight felt sick, only watched as the stallion continued to impale itself on rack. Knifes fell with each impact until it battered itself against the magnets, bruising his bloody, deformed body.

It was then that Twilight noticed something... odd. What she'd though had been a brown mane was actually blue.

She shrugged this aside and levitated the now unconscious stallion into the broom closet, which would have been a tight fit for a normally sized stallion, but this one was so twiggy it would be easy to fit him inside.

Or so she thought. It took much arranging before the stallion fir amongst the fruit preserves, but she managed. Soon she was moping up the kitchen floor, and polishing the dirtied knives, whistling as she worked.

She'd just finished cleaning when the bell rang. She had a passing worry for her parents before remembering that they had left for Las Pegasus earlier in the day - after she'd returned with her brother from the library.

Two stallions of the royal guard were on her door step. She smiled at them, recognizing them as her brothers friends before inviting them inside.

"Your neighbor reported hearing quite a ruckus in here earlier, Ms. Sparkle. Though something might have happened."

"Oh that was just me," she insisted with a happy giggle. "I've been having terrible nightmares lately. To be honest I'm surprised this is the first call you've gotten."

The guards looked st each other before looking down at her. She smiled back sweetly, so happy to have rid herself of her stalker that she invited them into the kitchen for hot chocolate.

THUMP.

The first sound of a heart beat made her ears twitch and her hoof shake so hard it nearly tore the top right off the box of coco powder.

"You okay, Ms.Sparkle?"

"Oh I'm fine," she said with a laugh a might more hysterical than it should have been. Her face was rather pale, but the guards mostly thought it was only normal considering that she had nightmares bad enough to make her scream out in the night.

THUM THUMP.

She twitched and put on an even bigger smile for the guards as she served them hot coco.They chatted, while she listened to Death's heart start beating again.

Oh Celestia he's still alive. He's in that cupboard. He's in there just smiling and waiting and watching me through the slats.

She fancied she could even hear Death breathing, almost a laughing breath! while the guards drank their chocolate and discussed the new cloud formation the pegasi were trying for the Summer Sun Celebration in two months time.

THUMP THUMP THUMP

"Don't you hear that?" she whimpered. The guards didn't seem to hear her plea however, and only continued to chat her up with happy smiles. So innocent, and unsuspecting of the monster in her closet. She had to cover her mouth at that thought, before hysterical snorting laughter poured out of her.

THUMP THUMP THUMP

TWIIILEEEE

She did laugh then, so suddenly that one of the guards jerked back and spilled hot chocolate all over his coat. Twilight ignored him and levitated a chair over her head as she charged at the cupboard in a panic and rage.

"HERE HE IS!" she screamed. "THE MONSTER! DEATH! DEATH! HE'LL KILL US!"

And from the cupboard, stumbled Shining Armor, one eyes drifting, face squashed and looking just barely wrong enough to send someone screaming from the room.That was the fault of his violent crashing into the rack of knifes. even now, so injured as he was, her brother limped for the rack of knifes so recently cleaned.

Twilight Sparkle screamed.

---

Princess Celestia Looked down on her sleeping pupil and the heavily bandaged head of the castle guard where they lay in their hospital beds. The both breathed easily, no horror now in their dreams. Celestia sighed and touched her horn to both of theirs, drawing out the horrific memories much as she had for the other witnesses and trotted silently toward Twilight Sparkle's home. The Moon Stone that had caused this lunacy had to be confiscated and destroyed.

Who knew that nearly a year later, a run in with a dragon equis would stir up an echo of the spell in her faithful students head?

Comments

[Melancholy Ma Loi]

Also Known as why Shining Armor's Facial Animation Sucks! :D

Inspired by an argument.

Okay, here are a few explanations just in case - If the want it need it spell can work on a doll, who's to say it cannot also alter a though process? In this case, Twilight cast it on a pony, therefore creating a constant loop of compulsion. The only reason he didn't manage to kill himself is because such a method would be very hard, especially when ramming head first into something. you're bond to knock yourself out. Twilight made him want and need his own destruction, but was fixated on the rack, hence why that was his method.

As for why he wasn't out longer, IRL the movies have it wrong, if you don't wake up in a short while after passing out from a head injury, you never will. Obviously I have no idea how this would work with horses, but these horses talk, sooo... yeah.

And if it wasn't obvious Twilight started to hallucinate.

[Jewbacca]

Hm...a ponyfied version of one of Poe's most popular short stories?

This should be interesting...

[abandoned2123]

So you wrote all of this in about a day? My God, you're bloody talented. I'd love to be able to write as quickly as you with such a high-quality style.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who hates Shining's face. Those eyes... that box-like face.... eughhhhh

[Melancholy Ma Loi]

598069 Oh so true. That was the biggest down point in the canterlot episodes. ^-^ And I'm glad you like it. I've been writing for years though, and when I'm inspired I can really pump 'em out.

[RavensDagger]

Gave you a thumb up, just because you mention Allen Poe.

[Melancholy Ma Loi]

598107 Nah, not to make a point, I just got inspired to actually do a version of my own from the ensuing argument. I don't usually write fanfiction, so it was just because a plot bunny attacked me.

[Crysis Commander]

Just for mentioning the great Edgar Allen Poe, you receive an instant like from me.

[CBM8]

Tell-Tale Heart? OH HELL YES!

weknowmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/dis-gon-b-gud.gif

[Shrinky Frod]

Wild plot bunny used nose-wiggle! It's super effective!

I like the story, though parts of it are occasionally a little confusing. It could use an editing pass, that's the main thing, but I like the effect you build out of things. Crazy-Twi is crazy.....

[SCP Pinkamena]

"Now in death, bring me life! All that I am will be coming home now. I did it all for you.
I'm becoming real now with all I am. All I am."

[Melancholy Ma Loi]

598251 Thank you. I'll most likely do an editing run in a few days, once My brain turns off auto edit.
598242 That gif is epic.
598261 Oh my, what is that from?

[SCP Pinkamena]

598362 Coming Home Elena Siegman and Kevin Sherwood

[Sorren]

598362 Why did you delete my comment?

[FlashFoward]

I do like Poe and this is fairly sadistic. I enjoyed it.

[DeiStar]

.....

I got banned for this.

But Poe's work is in public domain now, so if you acknowledge the author, it should be fine.

598069

And you, I remember you, you said I plagiarised The Tell-Tale Heart, but as I said above, that tale is in public domain now. And I acknowledged Poe as the author.

[Melancholy Ma Loi]

599191 I didn't think I did that. o.0 I can delete comments?

[Sorren]

599693 -_- yes. yes you can.

[Melancholy Ma Loi]

599721 Well I'm sorry. I'm knew here and I fI did so, I totally didn't mean too.

[Pleaseworkforonce]

596943 yes yes it does

[V-Pony]

Jeebus....this freaked me out!
VERY good writing here!

[Melancholy Ma Loi]

618890 Thank you. ^-^