Breaking Twilight

by Shaelyn

The Proposition

Twilight yawned and stretched out along the bedding of straw, the rough material scratching at her underbelly unpleasantly. At first she tried to reposition herself to get more comfortable, but after a few seconds she realized that this wasn't her bed at all, and something was seriously wrong. She opened one eye, then the other, but couldn't see anything. Her house wasn't this dark, even at night. "Hello? Is anypony there? Where am I?" she called out, but even after an extended pause there was no response. The sheer darkness of the room seemed to absorb all the sound she made. She stood and began to search urgently for a wall, a door, a way out. She pressed her forehooves to the nearest wall, which wasn't far away, and began to circle the room. it was tiny, and completely smooth. No doors, no windows, she couldn't find anything except stone.

"Help! I'm trapped! Somepony! Anypony!" She cried, hoping that if she were louder she might be heard. Still no response. She felt alone, so very alone that it scared her. Why am I here, she thought, what did I do to deserve this? Have I upset the Princess? It seemed the only logical explanation to how she could end up in a cell like this, but what had she done? Maybe her last letter wasn't good enough, or maybe one of her friends had sent a letter saying bad things about her... She didn't think her friends would do something like that on purpose, but by accident it could certainly be possible. What if her friends were locked away too? She put two hooves to the wall and pushed against it in vain. She had to find a way out, even if it was the Princess who had locked her up! She took a deep breath, readying herself for the worst, and tried recalling a spell for lighting the darkness. But nothing happened. It was worse than the worst, she couldn't use her magic. Almost on reflex she reached one hoof up to feel her horn. It was still there, still perfectly intact, but for some reason it simply wouldn't respond to her will. It had to be some sort of magic, more powerful than her own. Without her magic she was helpless and hopeless... she started to feel very small.

"Awake at last, I see. I was wondering if you would ever wake up, it's been quite a while now." Came a voice through the darkness, a distinct voice that Twilight recognized immediately.

"C-Chrysalis? How...." she stammered, trying to find the right words to express her utter confusion. "What are you doing here? Where am I?"

"I am here to help you, Twilight. And you are here to help me." Chrysalis responded plainly.

"Help? You? You tried to enslave all of ponykind! Why would I ever help somepony like you?" Twilight tried to sound brave, but she was backed against the wall, her eyes darting back and forth but seeing no more than the darkness.

"Because, I can give you something you want. But to get that, I need you to help me get something I want. You see, I just want everyone to be happy. Your beloved princess doesn't seem to understand that."

Twilight shook her head, "You're evil, Chrysalis. I wouldn't help you if you were the last creature in Equestria."

"I was afraid you might already be too blinded by Celestia to listen. I suppose, in time, you will come to understand. All I really want is to be loved."

Comments

[Lonely Hearts]

I think this is going to be a mighty fine read.