Shattered Mirror

by The Bricklayer

Bonus Chapter: What if...?

Timelines, they can branch out in many different possibilities depending on various actions, some so tiny we may not even suspect they'd have a affect on our own lives. Remember that old theory on chaos, a butterfly flaps it's wings in Paris or wherever and causes a hurricane in Indonesia? That is exactly what I'm talking about and have been trying to make a point about throughout this tale. Our actions change everything, resulting in many different parallel universes. Remember, in the main story I have recounted Starlight and company defeated Celestia and brought her back her back to the side of the light. But what if... They did not?

---

Canterlot Castle Dungeons

It was over, Starlight knew. How could do many things have gone so wrong so fast? She sat, thinking over how quickly victory could have turned to defeat in a instant. They'd had Celestia (Starlight defiantly resfused to think of in her probably ego driven self given title of "Queen" Celestia) on the ropes, almost defeated and on the brink, but in a instant, a blink of a eye, things all went to Tartarus. She remembered it so well...

---

Starlight and Twilight stood firm behind their shield with Celestia flinging balls of solar fire at them as Nightmare Moon lay nearly dead on the floor behind them.

"Give up, fools!" The Solar Tyrant roared in fury as her blows against the shield continued to be withstood.

"N-Never..." Starlight groaned out as she devoted her strength to keeping the bubble from breaking and shattering like glass shards, not at all similar to the state the stained glass windows were currently in.

"You're like little baby foals next to me, I have lived for centuries and my power only grows the longer I live. You however..." Celestia darkly chuckled. "Shall not for much longer."

"Our power behind our friendship, something I should have been taught long ago, is stronger then you. You don't have a hold on me any longer!" Twilight yelled in fury, tired of Celestia's madness and manipulations. But the Alicorn mare could only chuckle further, making Starlight very worried indeed.

"What's she up to?" She wondered to herself, and then she found out.

"Don't have any more of a hold on you? Can't manipulate you any more?" Celestia asked sarcastically and Twilight looked horrorstruck as her tormenter smirked. "Yes, I can read your thoughts. I made you what you are MIDNIGHT Sparkle, and I can re-make you!" She roared.

"Can you?" Twilight asked defiantly even though fear showed in her eyes which Celestia continued to smirk when she detected it.

"Let's put on what you would call a little test of that theory, shall we?" Celestia asked before there was a bright flash of light like a flare from a raging sun and next thing Starlight knew she was stabbed in the side by a horn and lost focus due to the pain and because of that her shield broke into a million pieces. Her world became a blur and the very last thing she saw before she slipped under into the world of unconsciousness due to the sharp stabbing pain in her side was Twilight standing over her with a blank look in her eyes and Celestia laughing in triumph. It was over, Starlight had lost and she knew it. And all of Equestria and the lands beyond it was at Celestia's mercy. Harmony, along with her teacher, was doomed...

---

The present...

The cell door opened, and Celestia entered the small room with two of her brainwashed guards standing outside. The Queen of Equestria turned to them.

"Leave us." She said, and so the guards did leaving Starlight and Celestia alone in the room together.

"What do you want? Come to gloat?" Starlight asked defiantly. She wasn't broken yet, not would she ever allow herself to be.

"I consider myself above that." Celestia replied simply and Starlight allowed herself a roll of the eyes. Getting under the skin of her "ruler" was one of the few simple pleasures she had left.

"Funny, our little spat seemed to disagree with your words. You contridict yourself." Starlight replied flatly and Celestia burst out laughing.

"Alright, you got me. I'm a hypocrite and a liar, so what?" Celestia asked cheerfully, as if this wasn't a bad thing. Starlight narrowed her eyes.

"What do you really want? I really doubt just banter is on your mind." Starlight growled. Celestia patted her on the head, as if Starlight were a simple pet.

"Well, I admit it was it was a thing I was wanting to do. My my, aren't you a smart little thing? My late sister taught you well." She mocked and Starlight tried not to let her tears show in front of the madmare, but show they did and Celestia actually had the nerve to smile at this.

"Good, cry all you like. Nothing you can do to change the past, and you know it." Celestia continued with her mockery.

"Go to Tartarus, you bitch." Starlight snarled and her tormenter smirked before she leaned in close and whispered in Starlight's ear these very words.

"You see, I can't. Know why? It's because we're already there."

She then left, and Starlight sobbed quietly for she knew the words were true.

---

Twilight's Cell

Meanwhile, another unicorn mare sobbed to herself, not just because of despair and lost hope but because of guilt. She'd been used, twice, by the same mare for her own whims. She'd seen the Element Bearers tortured and killed in various horrific ways that still haunted her dreams, she'd seen her home and all of Equus turned into a living nightmare. The sun scorched the earth, drying up lakes and making it impossible for crops to grow, while towns of ponies starved to death because of this. But the worst was Celestia herself. Every night, she came.

"You know, you still haven't accepted my offer. That's still open, by the way." The Queen of Equestria commented lightly. "I could always use somemare to continue my grand lineage."

"Not happening." Twilight whispered, almost too sofely to hear.

"What was that? Go on, speak up." Celestia replied to her. Twilight's only response was to spit directly in Celestia's face. The alicorn grimaced and wiped said spit away from her muzzle.

"My my, that isn't very dignified at all. Definitely not befitting of a future wife of mine." Celestia remarked and Twilight glared.

"You really are delusional aren't you?" Twilight asked in a dry, sarcastic tone of voice and the room's other occupant's mane blazed like a wildfire as her expression became dark and cold.

"You know I could take control of you and have my way with you right now." Celestia continued with a distinct snarl in her voice before her voice became softer and almost kind and loving. Almost.

"Admit it, you want me." She said, and Twilight shuddered in revulsion at her words. Celestia shrugged before she turned and left the room with a frustrated sigh and a "Oh well, you'll come around eventually. Everypony does."

---

The next night, as always, Celestia came back ready to try again. And Twilight, as ever was ready to refuse.

"You know, you're a fun little plaything. This game of ours, it's beginning to grow on me." Celestia remarked lightly to herself before she continued with what Twilight termed her "delusions".

"I could have you begging for me, but still you reject me." Celestia remarked as Twilight dryly asked "Is there a point to all this somewhere?"

Celestia ignored her and continued on.

"...So I've decided to try a different tact as they say, or well they used to anyways before I came back 'round." She laughed to herself, and then Twilight's head filled with images, images of Starlight being tortured in various and increasingly horrific ways and then dying right before her eyes, only to be brought back to life again for the whole cycle to start over again, and again and again. And she saw her brother, and then Nightmare Moon go through the exact same thing.

"Those images? The ones you see?" Celestia asked. "I can make them happen, but I can also not do those things if you just accept me."

Twilight felt the tears sting her eyes as she finally, at last, succumbed...

The End...

Author's Note:

Well, I did warn you ahead of time. I'm truly very sorry, but I did want to explore the possibility of what if Celestia won and what the living Hell under her rule might be like for two certain ponies.

If anyone's wondering, I was inspired by David Tennant's absolutely frightening and disturbing portrayal of Kilgrave from Marvel's Jessica Jones, namely his manic obsession and sheer vileness.

I do have one thing that might sooth your nerves and help you sleep better, for the final bonus chapter, it will be extremely light hearted in tone focusing on Captain Boltstrike and this world's version of Shining Armor as he goes on his first day on the job as a Royal Guard.

(God, I hope you guys don't hate me after this...)

Comments

[Ratmandango]

Well this was nice. Y'know, instead of just adding bonus chapters, why don't you just continue the story.

[Comickook]

Hey there. Thanks very much for getting this bonus chapter up. I really appreciate you going to the effort. As usual, excellent job on the exchanges and emotional content in this bonus "what if" chapter. And yes, you DID provide fair warning. I'll definitely be looking forward to the final bonus chapter as soon as time and inspiration will allow.

[The Bricklayer]

7457438 Trust me, if you thought reading the chapter itself is disturbing, imagine how I must have felt writing it...

[Comickook]

7457835 (giving a "point well taken" nod)

[Magic Step]

"What do you want? Come to gloat?" Starlight asked defiantly.
"I consider myself above that."

*Reads everything Celestia said during their fight scenes*

Ha ha ha, yeah right.

I don't really hate you after this; I'm just not sure why you felt the need to write this...