Breaking Twilight

by Shaelyn

Bonds and Betrayel

It had been another two nights without food. Twilight felt like she was wasting away. She had held out some small hope that her friends might save her, but it had been so long now... even that hope was fading. Chrysalis was right, she really was alone. Or was she? The thought clicked in her head, and she sat up. "Chrysalis? Chrysalis!?" she called out. Chrysalis must be watching her, somehow. Twilight just needed to get her attention. "Please, Chrysalis, I need food!"

"As do we all, child. But this time your food will not come so cheap. This time, I want to see just how much you would do for food." as Chrysalis spoke the room began to light up. Dim, but only for a moment before becoming blindingly bright. The walls themselves seemed to be glowing, and Twilight had to blink several times as her ill-adjusted eyes were hurt by the bright light. "There is a marking on the wall near you, behind that wall is another pony. Only one of you will be fed. Will you fight for your life, Twilight? I'm sure they will. Let us begin." As Chrysalis finished speaking, a wall near Twilight shimmered and faded away as if by magic. Beyond that was something Twilight had never expected.

"Ahm so hungry... Twi... Ya'll understand, Ah can't die here. Ah have a family to feed, what'll they do without me?" Applejack said, swaying from side to side as she approached the empty space between the two cells. She looked like she'd gone through hell, or worse. Patches of fur were falling off, and underneath that Twilight could see her bones through her skin. In some places she was bruised black and purple, as if beaten mercilessly, and in other places there were deep gashes. Some of them so fresh that she was dripping blood as she walked.

"Applejack, stop this! What happened to you? What's going on here?" Twilight panicked, moving farther and farther back until she was up against the wall behind her.

"Rainbow Dash..... Rarity... Pinkie Pie. I had to do it... I had to Twi..." a tear rolled down AJ's cheek as she continued to move, cornering Twilight.

"What are you talking about Applejack? Have you seen the others? Where are they?" Twilight was shaking, scared of what the answer might be.

“Ah killed them... Ah had to, Twi... don’t you see... ah have to...”

AJ was nearby now, and without warning she turned around, springing into action with a double kick that landed square against Twilight’s chest. The impact alone felt like it shattered Twilight, but it also left Applejack off balance. Twilight took the chance to push AJ’s hind hooves up, flipping AJ onto her back. “What do you mean you killed them, Applejack?! Don’t lie... don’t lie to me..” Twilight sobbed.

“Ah... ain’t lyin. Ah... ahm sorry Twi. Ah shouldn’ta done it. But Ahm so hungry.. Ah can’t do it anymore. Rainbow Dash... she didn’t even fight back... she wanted me to win. And ah... ah won. What have ah done.. Twi, what have ah done?” Applejack didn’t even try to stand up. She was clearly too far gone, she didn’t have the will or energy to keep going, “Kill me... Twi, ya gotta do it. Ah can’t live with what ah’ve done... Ah don’t wanna live...”

Twilight was shocked, and still in pain. If Applejack had been in any kind of good condition Twilight would have died too. But it just didn’t seem like Applejack, it couldn’t be. Her own friend... killing her other friends... how could she have done something so horrible? Twilight closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to clear the pain and confusion away, and when she opened them again Applejack was back on her feet, looking ready to fight again. “Please, Applejack, you have to stop...”

“If’n ah stop, Twi, then we’ll both die...” she sighed softly, tilting dangerously to one side before beginning a head-first charge at Twilight. It was clumsy though, and she jumped easily out of the way, only to watch AJ smash her own head against the wall. “And if ya got any sense in ya... ya’ll kill me before ah kill you.”

Blood was dripping from AJ’s forehead now, but that didn’t stop her from charging blindly in Twilight’s direction. Her hooves came up into the air, ready to smash down on Twilight with all their force, and in a moment of pure fear and instinct Twi angled her head and charged forward, stabbing AJ in the chest. “Oh no... I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Applejack?” Twilight felt the full weight of her friend over her head, and blood was already starting to drip down her horn and along her face. She made an effort of pushing her friend off, and in the process freeing her horn. “Applejack, say something!” Twilight cried, looking down at her motionless friend.

Chrysalis voice came again, “You see Twilight... even your friends can betray you. They have before, and they will again, given reason to do so. But, you don’t have many friends left, do you?”

Twilight didn’t care about Chrysalis right now. She was too grief-stricken that she had killed her own friend, and worse yet that her friend had killed her other friends. Tears streamed down her face endlessly, and it was all she could do to crawl over to the matress, and lie there. She closed her eyes, and sobbed until she fell asleep.

Comments

[Lonely Hearts]

Oh my... This is great, sad but great. My opinion is that you are an excellent author.

[Aether Spark]

For all we know this was a trick set up by Chrysalis, her friends could still be alive.