Recovery

by Harmless Bokoblin

Imprisonment and Release

Twilight Sparkle stood, completely immobile, not that she had much choice in the matter. Jet-black chains encircled every limb on her body, including her wings, while the most powerful magic suppression ring available was secured on her horn. She didn’t cry, whimper, or even groan, Instead, she smiled. Twilight knew exactly what she’d done, and yet, she did not care in the slightest. After all, what were a few mortal lives to a being who would withstand eternity?

Her smile didn’t falter when her former mentor entered the cell, nor when Luna and Cadance followed shortly behind.

“So you’ve finally come to punish me hmm? Take away my Immortality, maybe? Or perhaps execute me outright. Not that any of you have the spine to do so…” Twilight cackled, though stopped when none of them reacted in the slightest.

“Twilight Scorpio Sparkle, Former Princess of Friendship and Alicorn of Magic, you are correct in the fact that we will not do what you have described. It is not, however, out of weakness that we grant you mercy. Rather, it is out of respect for the mare you once were, and who we hope you could be again.” Celestia spoke, no trace of the friendliness that would usually accompany speaking with her student.

“That mare died when you tore her heart into pieces, and then proceeded to burn said pieces for good measure. I saw through your lies, Celestia, and now that I have seen the truth, there is no chance that I will go back to being your lapdog.”

This time, it was Luna who spoke, “Twilight Sparkle, hark to thyself! thee would destroy all thou hast worked for in some petty attempt at revenge!?”

Twilight attempted to stifle a giggle, but it came out regardless. “What I worked for? I didn’t work for any of this! It was your precious sister, the puppet master who wanted all of this, who made me into… This!” Luna’s glare could have melted steel, but Twilight cared not.

“Twily, please. I just want my sister back…” Cadence began, but was quickly silenced by Celestia.

“It is too late, niece. If she is to regain who she once was, she must do it of her own accord. Twilight Sparkle, for the murders of Stalwart Shield and Gleaming Blade, you are sentenced to one hundred years of isolation inside of this cell. You will not be visited by anypony, or anyone. You will not interact with anything. You have no need to eat, nor sleep, nor breath. This cell will open exactly one hundred years from today. I hope that you will have learned from this.” Twilight laughed in her former mentor’s face, smiling while the Alicorns filed out of the room.

“Thinks she can break me. Hah. I’ll wait… I’ll wait…” Twilight drifted off into thought, plotting her eventual revenge.

Fifty Years Later

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Please, just let me out!” Twilight Sparkle, the once proud Alicorn, who mercilessly murdered two guards for simply getting in her way, was reduced to tears. Her ribs were showing clearly through her skin, and her once luscious mane was overgrown and spread all around her.

“Please…”

One Hundred Years Later

“Sister, it is time.” Luna entered Celestia’s chambers, the princess of the sun looking out at the violet sky, the sun setting and moon rising.

“Luna… I can hear their pleas for mercy, and she gave them none. In my sleep, I can see her laughing face, the madness in her eyes. I know I gave my word, but I do not wish to set her free.” Celestia did not turn from the window while speaking, and Luna sighed

“I know Tia’, I know. But we had given our word, and as such we must let her free. Who knows, perhaps she will be repentant.” Luna motioned with a wing for her sister to follow, and, with a heavy sigh, she did.

✨

The door, long abandoned and allowed to rust on the outside, swung open, and in strode the Alicorns of the Sun and Moon. Whatever they’d been expecting, the pitiful sight that was before them was not it. Twilight Sparkle, the murderous, mad Alicorn, was standing in a pool of her own tears, her form withered and emancipated. Her face was gaunt, her bones clearly visible through her fur. Her horn was very long, and extraordinarily sharp from a century of not being shaved or cared for.

“Ti-a?” Celestia covered her mouth the her hoof, while Luna gagged and looked everywhere but at the violet Alicorn.

“Oh mother… What..?” Celestia watched as Twilight’s head rose, her withered neck barely holding up the gaunt skull. Those violet eyes, once filled with vibrant life and endless curiosity, were now empty and void of life.

“Ti-a..?” The word was barely a whisper, but it was a whisper full of hope and dread. Celestia’s stomach dropped, and she didn’t know what to do, what to say. She’d imagined that Twilight would laugh at her, call her a fool. She’d thought that her student was gone forever, only a monster left in her place. She’d been wrong, so very, very wrong.

“L-Luna… What do we do?” Celestia looked to her sister, who simply shook her head in disbelief.

“I had thought… I’d… Tia’, we’ve made a horrible mistake.” Luna continued to avoid looking at the Alicorn of Magic, instead looking to her sister.

“Ti-a…?” Celestia’s horn glowed, and the chains vanished. Twilight attempted to take a step forward, but collapsed.

“Ti-a…” Twilight crawled towards her former mentor, dragging her useless hind legs behind her.

Celestia gently picked Twilight up in her magic, tears streaming down the Solar Alicorn’s face. No matter what she’d done, Twilight did not deserve this. What made it even worse was that it was Celestia who’d decided that this punishment fit her crimes.

“Ti-a…” Twilight extended an emancipated hoof towards Celestia’s face, trying to reach her longtime mentor and friend.

“D-Don’t worry Twilight… I’m going to help you. Don’t wor-“ Celestia choked back a sob, and levitated Twilight behind her, leaving the prison that had held her student for a century.

Author's Note:

So, yeah. This did better than I thought it would. I was originally just going to post this and leave it, but I guess I can make another chapter. Now, I’m going to let you guys decide where this goes.
1. Chapter Two follows Twi’s slow recovery
2. Chapter Two follows Celestia trying to help Twi
3. Chapter Two spends time exploring Twi’s state of mind.

Comments

[Speedy Silverstreak]

Celestia Solaris.....

Luna Artimes.....

You BOTH fucked up.

[Harmless Bokoblin]

8826155
Glad you liked it. I think.

[Immortal]

really interested in this story's plot, hope you can updated often.

[Speedy Silverstreak]

8826763
Very liked

[manacar]

Hope we find out why she did what she did and good start

[diablo4000]

Is Spike the Dragon lord now in this world, and how will he react to what happened.

[Harmless Bokoblin]

8827976
Keep in mind that this is only the first chapter, and it will mostly revolve around Celestia’s regrets and Twilight’s recovery. Of course, Spike will show up, and possibly be quite active, but the story isn’t set in stone.

[GoldenLeafs]

Putting this on the watch list. I hope you explain why Twilight murdered two ponies.

[Speedy Silverstreak]

Update?

[Harmless Bokoblin]

8909487
I'm back! I know that the story looked like it was dead, but don't worry, it was just in a Coma! I recently got a job, and I didn't have time to even think of writing a second chapter! But now my work schedual is stable, and I'll update as soon as possible!

[Speedy Silverstreak]

9062972
YAY!!!!!

[K-O-D-E-X]

Ehhh... Okay?

[Speedy Silverstreak]

9062972
Update?

[FireAlphaWolf]

“Twilight Scorpio Sparkle, Former Princess of Friendship and Alicorn of Magic,

Scorpio? That's my horoscope!!! XD

[Edguy0009]

9062972

6 Months and
8 days later

[benjamin]

instead of us deciding were it goes from the list of choices why not all three but each as their own chapter with a full recovery chapter at the end

[Thule]

• OFFLINE last seen Aug 1st, 2018

I think this poor story is being neglected... Author should be reported for criminal story neglection, and this story should be put in the foster system.
Hopefully someone will adopt it into a lovely story portfolio, and give it the love and care it deserves.

Unless the ''It slash They'' gets around and do what an author is supposed to do!

Still hoping....

[XzareAce]

well, that was completely horrifying!

100 years of this, I really don't think anyone could ever mentally recover from that...

the most painful and slow death would have been far more merciful than that

[LegionCenturionMaster]

9673816

Meh. Give me isolation any day. I prefer loneliness.

[twilight_aurora_sparkle]

update ?

[Speedy Silverstreak]

2 years later......

Update?

[SomewhatRandomUser]

This is not bad

[Red Bear]

I wondered why Luna wasn't as badly affected, given 1,000 years in the moon. But then I came up with a theory. Let's assume that Luna's consciousness/brain was spread across the entire moon, that the moon is the same size as Earth's moon, and that thoughts take proportionally longer to travel the distances between neurons (speed of light is a constant). So if her brain was 15 cm across, and the moon's diameter is 3,474km, then 1000 years in Equestria would appear to pass for her every 22 minutes 42 seconds.

Anyway, of your options... I'd start with her slow recovery. She's in no state to talk or think properly just yet. Heck, if her restriction against sleeping is over, I'd see her immediately going comatose for days and needing a Luna-free dreamless rest.

I know an update is unlikely after all this time, but I still have hope.

[EnderPony293]

Option 3, please and thank you.

[Breaking the void]

This story isn’t dead, right?

[Storyreader21]

I vote for slow recovery.

[WubsAndCellos]

Its dead :(

[Kowhaifan]

I know its dead but I want to see 3, since your writing is amazing.

[Kowhaifan]

10089201
2 days in white torture and you would be barely functioning