Prisoner of Butterfly Island

by Magic Step

The Escape

Shining Armor flew up to the same level as Twilight. His expression was hard but not furious. “Well, Twilight?”

“H-how did you…?” Twilight asked.

“Because this is actually a really easy spell, Twilight. No fuss, no muss, wings in fifteen minutes, fully functional. Any book would have told you that. Whoever told you that you needed objects from your friends was nothing but a liar.”

“No, that can’t be!” Twilight said. Starlight had just been tricking her? She made Twilight go through all this trouble for… nothing?

But it was true that Twilight was now in the air, flying freely, in defiance of what Starlight had told her.

“Please… please don’t go through with this, Twilight!” Shining Armor said. “Come back! We can pretend this never happened! I forgive you! I love you!”

Pretend this never happened….?

Pretend she had never wanted to leave? Pretend that she hadn’t noticed anything off with Applejack? Pretend to buy everything about how nopony could stay on the island for more than a year?

Twilight faltered. Shining Armor pressed on.

“There’s nothing out there, Twilight. If you leave… I can’t tell you about it, but you won’t like it. Please. Trust me. I love you! We all love you! Don’t do this to yourself! To us!”

Starlight had lied from beginning to end. There was no reason to throw everything away on the words of a… madmare.

But to go back home and live in a glossy fake paradise again? Now, when she was closer than she’d ever be to leaving?

“Don’t you get it, Shining? It’s much too late now,” Twilight said. “I know better now. I know that it was nothing but a lie. You’re asking me… to try and act like I don’t know that? You really think that’s going to work?”

“It has to work!” Shining Armor said. “You can’t leave! You have no idea-” He caught himself.

“Shining… Maybe… maybe you really do love me and this wasn’t all an act,” Twilight said. “Thank you for protecting me for so long… but now… now I’m ready to face whatever’s outside. I don’t need to be sheltered anymore.” She turned to leave.

“No, no you’re not ready! You don’t understand!” Shining’s forelegs suddenly wrapped around Twilight’s neck.

“Shining, wh-”

“I’d rather see you DEAD than let you witness what’s outside!” he screamed in her ear.

Twilight screamed and flailed as her wings were pinned against her back. She didn’t have enough upward thrust to stay aloft. Then, she felt Shining Armor grow heavier and the two of them plummeted. Panicking, Twilight imagined casting a laser spell… but one that surrounded her body. Shining Armor gasped in pain and reflexively loosened his grip for just a second, but it was all Twilight needed. She kicked behind her with her back legs and forced one wing free, then wriggled with it until her other wing got free also.

Shining Armor redoubled his grip on Twilight’s rib cage, making her cry out in pain. Then he bit her shoulder.

“Sh-shining, why?” Twilight wailed, trying the same electrified body trick again. But this time Shining Armor only grunted a little.

“It’s mercy!” he shouted, his voice cracking.

Twilight Sparkle flapped her wings, climbing higher and higher into the sky. As hard as she wriggled she couldn’t get free.

Shining Armor put a shield spell around her head. In only a few breaths she’d be out of oxygen. Twilight kicked behind her but knew her blows were pathetic. The night sky seemed to be getting lighter.

“I’m sorry,” Shining Armor whispered to her. “I failed you… I n-never wanted to have to do this.”

Twilight’s wings kept flapping but her vision was fading. Her path grew shaky and all she could see was white, brilliant light.

“I promised… to keep you safe…” Shining Armor was sobbing. “To never let you see-”

And then they crashed into the moon.

Shards of glass streamed around them as the white light of the moon consumed them, blinding Twilight and making Shining Armor scream in surprise. Twilight hit some kind of guardrail and her wings gave up; she crashed to some kind of nearby, cold, metal floor and felt the bubble around her head smash. She gasped for air. Between her swirling vision and the bright light, she couldn’t see anything, but she heard voices.

“No, what are you doing here!?” Shining Armor shouted.

“What do you think?” Starlight responded. “This is for Sunburst. It always was.”

Twilight tried to sit up. The spots in front of her eyes faded and she saw the two unicorns facing off.

“Wh-who is Sunburst?” Twilight asked.

“Your goal is exactly the same as mine and I’ve already completed most of my plan,” Starlight Glimmer told Shining Armor.

“You monster! All this was your fault? How could you!?” Shining Armor’s horn surged with energy.

“You and I both know Twilight is the REAL monster here!” Starlight said, preparing a shield spell.

“LIAR!” Shining Armor blasted Starlight’s shield to pieces.

“What are you doing!?” Twilight scrambled to her hooves and ran closer to the battle. What were they saying? Who should she be helping? The pony who’d tried to kill her a few seconds ago, or the pony who sounded like she wanted to try to kill her?

No, what was wrong with her? She should be running!