VII. Star Crossed Lovers
"So, Silver, down these stairs are my dollhouses. I've re-created all of Ponyville for the experiment. Keep in mind, Celestia wants me to find a way to make a perfect doll that can be a friend to lonely ponies. All these dolls actually think they are real. Since I based them on ponies I know, they may want to leave and go home. However, they aren't real, and this is their home," Twilight explained.
"Wow, can I make one so I can take it home?" Silver asked. She was approaching a door with Twilight clearly marked ‘Private’.
"Making a doll requires two things.” She paused a moment to ensure a suitable ruse. “First, I need to scan an existing pony, then I can model the doll after them. Since you're not a unicorn, you'll just have to help me find ponies to scan."
"Oh, so if I wanted a Daring Do doll, you couldn't make one because you can't scan her."
"Correct, but if you wanted a Cheerilee doll, I could make one."
"Cheerilee," Silver giggled. "That would be really cool. I could have my own schoolhouse!"
Twilight opened the door and motioned for Silver to head downstairs. "Now just remember, not a word to anypony and I'll let you be my assistant."
Silver walked down the stairs and Twilight followed. From the doorway of his bedroom, Spike had overheard that Twilight was going to let Silver help with her replica town. He frowned as he felt a sense of betrayal. For years he had been her assistant, why should she trust a brand new filly to help with her special project?
As Twilight and Silver reached the bottom of the stairs, the filly gasped in surprise. She ran towards the center of town, drawing the attention of several ponies. There was hushed mumbling as most ponies hid and a couple cried out for Silver to run. She was enjoying it so much she didn't hear them.
"You made all this? It must have cost a fortune. My parents own four factories that purify silver and smelt silverware, and I doubt they could afford this," Silver admitted.
"Yes, well being an alicorn helps. I'd like you to meet Lyra, she is. . . the only doll functioning properly so far," Twilight improvised.
Lyra spoke softly from Twilight's mane. "Why the lies? Aren't you going to capture her?"
"No," she replied in a hushed tone. "Celestia had a pupil. Now that I'm a princess, I want one too. She'll become my best friend, like my own daughter. One day she'll love me more than her parents, more than I loved Celestia."
"You promise not to hurt her?"
"Of course, Lyra! You two are the only nice ponies in this whole town. Now, go play with her so I can deal with Vinyl."
Lyra was set down near Silver Spoon and led her off to see the lake. Meanwhile, Twilight got to work. The lake was across town from the town square, giving her some time alone to deal with Vinyl.
She took an empty corkboard down from the wall with her plans on it. A quarter of the wall was empty or had momentos pinned to it. Everything was going perfectly and soon the whole town would be hers.
Twilight set the corkboard down in town square, where town hall had been razed by the dolls. It rested up against the nearest building. She levitated Vinyl out, keeping her frozen, and spread her legs out.
Something inside of her began to boil to the surface. She was trying so hard to make them happy, to keep her secret so they could be together forever. Vinyl had betrayed her trust, and had made Lyra cry.
Twilight finally understood what her parents meant when they punished her and insisted ‘it hurts us more than it hurts you’. The only way for Vinyl to accept her gift and be happy was to correct her bad behavior. She had to learn a lesson, and pain was the best teacher.
"So, Vinyl," she spat. "You thought you could lie to me and get away? You're going to stay pinned to this board until I find Octavia. Then, I'm going to make both of you regret lying to me. It will be slow and painful. Afterwards, you’ll stop ruining everything and be happy, or I’ll do it again!"
Twilight rested Vinyl against the corkboard. Using her levitation she quickly drove pins through her four legs, nailing her spread-eagle to the posterboard. Once she was secure and the pins pushed through the back of the board, she reanimated Vinyl.
Vinyl bit her tongue, which proved rather ineffective. Still, she managed not to scream. Vinyl didn't want to give Twilight the pleasure of hearing her scream in pain.
After becoming accustomed to the pain, she looked up at her captor. "You can't keep me here forever!" Vinyl shouted. She struggled against the pins in an attempt to pull herself free. Firing up her horn only yielded pain and a sense of numbness. Where her horn should be, there was only emptiness. Vinyl struggled to see if she had cut it off somehow, but was pinned too tightly.
"Heh, why not try your magic? Oh, that's right, only the unicorns who are behaving get to use it. Now that I've disabled yours, maybe Lyra will pull you down." Twilight smiled before hearing Silver approach.
"Twilight, what's wrong with that doll?" she asked.
"Silver, this is a doll based on DJ Pon3. Unfortunately I made it too real, and it's convinced some of the others they're real too. It's actually sad, I had even taught the doll to play music. Now it’s gone mad."
"Oh, look what I found!" Silver reached back into her mane and pulled out a Sweetie Belle doll.
"Put me down, Silver!" Sweetie squeaked. She was flailing her legs through the air as Silver gripped her in both hooves.
"Do you think I could get the whole set? The crusaders, I mean."
Twilight smiled warmly. "Sure, I'll even let you invite them over to get scanned. We'll just have to wait for the right time."
"Ok. Can you fix this one? I think this Sweetie doll is broken too. She says you're a monster," Silver giggled.
"Oh really?" Twilight asked. She glanced over at the squirming mare pinned to the corkboard, and saw Sweetie follow her gaze. "Is that true? I may need to examine you further too, Sweetie Belle. I’ll just pin you up here so I can run a full analysis."
"Uh, nope! I'm a doll all right," Sweetie whimpered. "Silver, please, can we go play? She's scary."
"Hehe, the real crusaders never wanted to play with me. They just assumed I was a jerk because Diamond was my first friend in Ponyville," Silver explained.
****************************************************************
“Is it finished, Sprocket?” Bon Bon asked.
“Almost. I’ve stripped the town of all the conductive material I could find. All that’s left is to finish weaving the doorframe. This shelter will work perfectly,” Sprocket assured.
"How do you know it'll work, darling?" Rarity asked. She and the others had gathered in the underground burrow that served as their headquarters. It was here they planned their escape.
"Remember magic kindergarten—no offense, of course. Unicorn magic closely resembles an electrical or magnetic field. It shares many of the same properties, the most important of which is this: if a spell is hit by its inverse, it is nullified," Sprocket explained.
"She's right, how's a bunch of copper wiring supposed to know how to counter spells?" Octavia quipped.
Sprocket sighed. "It's a faraday cage, not a bunch of copper wiring. It took days to weave it together tightly enough down here, all by myself I might add." He glared at the other ponies.
"When the spell hits the faraday cage," he continued. "The spell will cause a buildup of magical energy in the conductive metals. The electromagnetic radiation created by the spell will. . ." Sprocket paused, hoping that somepony might have even the slightest clue as to what he was talking about. He was met with the wide-eyed stares he got every time he tried to explain his work.
"Fine," he said defeated. "It creates a bubble of anti-magic."
"Oh, why didn't ya say so?" Octavia asked.
"Look, as long as it works we're fine. It's not like she can dig the floorboards up easily. Meanwhile, we'll work on building a sleeve and we can use it to break through the spell's barrier," Bon Bon explained.
"And where exactly did all this wiring come from?" Rarity mused.
"I stripped every unoccupied building of its electrical wiring until I had enough. Twilight put way too much effort into this replica. Live plants, replica houses with plumbing. . . we don't even need to eat, yet she put working refrigerators. I think she believes we're still real ponies," Sprocket commented.
"We are still real ponies," Bon Bon asserted. "We just need to break out and get help to go back to normal ponies."
The lookout from the exit to the headquarters ran inside. “Bon Bon, she’s back. She ratted Vinyl out, Twilight pinned her up in town square.”
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Lyra sat alone in her room crying. On her way there, not a single pony had spoken to her. They all looked away, as if they were ashamed to be around her. Now she was packing up her lyre, a few pieces of clothes, and a blanket. She really only needed the lyre, but enjoyed feeling like she was still a real pony. Lyra would move into the Everfree and live in the mirror pool cave. Twilight had recreated it to the last detail, and it was well-hidden. Nopony would be mean to her there.
"Packing up? That is a smart move. Too bad you weren't smart when you went for tea," Bon Bon scolded.
"What? Bo—"
"Shut up!" Bon Bon interrupted. "You just had to choose Twilight over us, didn't you? I should have never let you move in with me all those years ago."
"But I didn't say anything, honest!" Lyra protested.
"Oh, and I suppose Twilight just got lucky and caught Vinyl? Is that why she's pinned up to a corkboard in the center of town? Is that why Silver Spoon was down here?"
"Silver is the one who caught Vi—"
"Damn it, Lyra! I thought when I kicked you out of town you'd get the hint. Now it's you who needs to be taught a lesson."
Octavia and Rarity walked in behind Bon Bon.
"Rarity? You can't believe all this, right? You were the element of generosity, I wouldn't want anypony to get hurt!" Lyra begged.
"I used to be an element bearer. Now, Twilight's gone mad and I'm a foal's plaything. Bon Bon and Octavia explained everything to m—”
“No!” Lyra interrupted. “They haven’t, I’m trying to help! Please, Rarity, believe me!”
“I. . . I’m sorry.” Rarity looked away from the pathetic looking unicorn. “They're going to get Sweetie Belle to safety. I did what I could but I have to do what they say and assist with the dig—"
"Enough!" Octavia snapped. "Just grab her and let's get this over with." She glared over at Rarity who realized her mistake and looked at the ground. If Lyra found out about the underground tunnels, she would snitch on them again.
"Wait, no! I mmph!" Rarity had levitated an improvised gag made from a plastic apple and strong sewing threads into Lyra's mouth. Lyra turned to Bon Bon with tears in her eyes, "Mph mppphhhh mph!"
The three grabbed her legs and began to carry her out of the house. She continued to struggle. Once outside, Lyra noticed that Twilight and Silver had left without her. They must have gone off to do something upstairs. She struggled more violently realizing that her friend wasn't here to protect her.
A large corkboard appeared in Lyra's vision. She twisted to get a better look. Several ponies had improvised a short ladder and were working together to pull small metal pins out of Vinyl.
"MMphh! MMMPHHH!" Lyra complained. Please, please don't Bon Bon! You're still my friend, I loved you like a sister! Lyra began to hyperventilate, she even felt dizzy. She recalled what Twilight had said about her senses getting more real the longer she was animated. Lyra's eyes spread wide open. This is going to really hurt.
Vinyl fell to the ground when the last pin came out. Lyra could see her broken sunglasses in the dirt, and tears staining her plastic face. She was rubbing the holes in her ankles that weren't going to heal anytime soon.
"This is what you get for ratting me out, bitch," Vinyl spat.
"Mmph mmph!"
"Vinyl, are you alright?" Octavia consoled. She hugged the DJ and didn’t let go until Vinyl pulled her off.
"As much as it did when the pins were still in, but I think I'm about to feel better," Vinyl scowled. She turned towards Lyra and nodded, her and Octavia approached with the other ponies.
“Lucky for you, Lyra, we’re not going to pin you up to this corkboard and torture you,” Bon Bon explained.
Lyra sighed and relaxed her muscles as a tear rolled down her cheek. Any thoughts that her friend was doing her a favor quickly vanished.
“Octavia and I thought of a much more suitable punishment. I told her you’re claustrophobic. Tell me, how would you like to spend the rest of eternity buried alive?”
Lyra’s eyes went wide with horror, her pupils nearly expanding to fill her entire eye. She kicked with the strength of a possessed mare, managing to break free of their grasp. She didn’t make it far before Bon Bon grabbed her by the tail and they quickly dove back on her.
The unicorn could feel a phantom heartbeat and a rapid breathing. Years of having the same nightmare of being buried alive had conditioned her body. The mere thought of it brought her incalculable suffering. Bon Bon had been her shoulder to cry on every time the night terror prevented her from sleeping. Now, her best friend had betrayed her confidence and planned a revenge worse than death. Lyra couldn’t figure out what would drive a pony to betray their friends, to find such darkness inside themselves.
The familiar sight of Sugarcube Corner filled her vision briefly before she was dragged, kicking and moaning, into the basement. With the help of the four ponies, they were starting to cram her into a small trunk. It was the kind of foot locker you could store your winter clothes, or old mementos, in. There was no hole for air, no crack for the light to get through. As an immortal doll, it was the perfect prison.
Lyra’s hooves gripped at the sides of the trunk, she splayed herself out trying to make herself too large to fit in. Vinyl was pushing her stomach, and she managed to punch her before Octavia grabbed the hoof. It was crammed behind her back, quickly joined by her other forelimb. Her hind legs were painfully jammed on top of her stomach, and the lid slammed shut.
She stuck her muzzle in the way of the lid, fighting desperately and gasping in panicked breaths for air she could not breath. Her last sight was of Bon Bon spinning around and bucking her in the face. The lid closed, and she heard a faint clicking sound. She thrashed with all her might, but was pinned in a painfully small locked box in a replica city, surrounded by sadistic ponies.
“I wonder how long it’ll take Twilight to find her,” Rarity asked.
“The longer the better,” Bon Bon said.
“Doesn’t it seem. . . just a tad much?”
The muffled voices were growing fainter. “You got two problems here, Rarity. One, Sweetie is only safe while you listen to us. Two, if you snitch than neither of you're next.”
Lyra slowly ceased her struggling and began to cry from an endless reservoir of tears. She was truly stuck, locked away never to be found again. She wasn’t frozen, yet the ability to move only made the torture worse. How could you Bon Bon? Can’t you see, you’ve become no better than Twilight. . . and she is doing it because she is in pain. She loves me. . . Bon Bon hates me now, but Twilight still loves me. . .
****************************************************************
Spike was moping around upstairs when Silver and Twilight returned. He eavesdropped as they went over to a writing desk.
“Silver, I’d like you to write a friendship report to Celestia for me. Tell her what you learned about it today,” Twilight instructed. “It’s your first assignment as my pupil.”
“Pupil? Does that mean I can be an alicorn too?” Silver asked, with wonder in her sparkling eyes.
“I don’t see why not, if Celestia can do it. . . but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We haven’t finished our experiment yet!”
Spike wore a scowl on his face and mumbled. Just because he wasn’t a pony he was treated different, but not by Twilight. Now she had found the perfect assistant, a little pony to replace her aging dragon.
Even Rarity had abandoned him, skipping out on her planned lunch before she left. The dagger was still twisting in Spike’s heart that his favorite mare in town left without saying goodbye.
Dear Princess Celestia,
Today I learned that you can find friends in unexpected places. I never thought Twilight wanted to be friends with fillies, but I was wrong. She was nice and let me come over and play with her. Even when your best friend moves out of town, there are plenty more friends waiting to be found.
Twilight’s faithful student,
Silver Spoon.
“Nice, I like the sound of that. My faithful student,” Twilight chuckled.
“Thanks, now we’ll need Spike to send it, right?”
“No need, now that I’m an alicorn I can do it myself.”
Spike watched as Twilight sent the letter herself. He frowned and slumped his shoulders. She didn’t even need him as a fax machine anymore. It was all Silver’s fault, and that stupid replica of Ponyville. He headed to his room as an idea popped into his head. He usually woke up before Twilight, he could wake up even earlier and sneak into the basement.
****************************************************************
"Good night, Silver.” Twilight closed the door behind the filly as she walked home. Her next order of business would be to adjust her plan to account for Silver and her mother. She was a single mom, so when the time was right it’d be easy to get rid of her. That would force Silver to seek shelter with Twilight, and once the filly was dependent on her, she’d never leave.
It had been a long day, so Twilight went to bed. Upon reaching it she found her favorite plushy under the cover. She remembered that Lyra had stayed behind in New Ponyville. For a moment Twilight wondered if she was safe down there, and then remembered about the mirror pool. Lyra would be hiding there again, and would be safe.
Twilight cuddled up to Mac and lit up her horn. He would suffice for some conversation before bed.
"Hey, Mac. How are you feeling?" Twilight asked.
For the past few days he had been getting more and more depressed. There was still a part of his mind that felt wrong. Ever since Twilight had transformed him, he had a voice in his head urging him to be a good teddy bear.
Hug her, it would say. You need to cuddle and be warm, you love her more than anything. Big Mac had been resisting it, refusing to become some mindless plushy.
"What'd ya do to me?" Mac asked. "I feel wrong."
"You mean how I turned you into a stuffed animal?"
"Nope. The voice in ma head, tellin' me ta cuddle."
"Oh," Twilight sighed. "I had hoped you had given in by now. . ."
"What's that s'posed ta mean?"
"Ever since Bon Bon, I knew some ponies wouldn't want to love me and be my friends. I thought I'd try something on you. . ." Twilight sniffled and took a deep breath. "I broke one of the worst laws of magic, I'm testing out a mind control spell on you."
Mac's jaw dropped, or it would have were his lips not sewn nearly-shut in a playful stuffed animal grin. "What's the point of us lovin' ya if ya force us to?"
"It’s not for everypony, but I have to do something with the bad ponies. I'm running out of ideas, and besides, it didn't even work on you."
"Ah still hear the voice, taunting me. Can ya make it stop? Ah'm bad enough off as it is."
“But. . . I need you, Big Mac.” Twilight curled him up into their familiar embrace, causing warmth to flow through both of them. “I need you more than Lyra or the others, I could barely sleep at night until I got you. Nopony was there for me when I’d cry myself to sleep, and if I lost you too. . . if you changed your mind. . .” Twilight began softly crying and tried to hide it from Big Mac.
“Look, ah told ya ah’d love ya, and now ah’ll promise never ta leave ya.” Big Mac slid his forearms around Twilight and hugged her. Half of it was his conditioning, but he liked to think this was also his ticket to seeing his family again. He just had to comfort the poor mare. “If havin’ a shoulder to cry on at night is what’s gonna make you get better and get us back to normal, ah’ll do it as long as ah have ta.”
"Well I'm a mare that keeps her promises. If you promise to love me and be my plushy forever, I'll remove the spell. I can test it out on some other pony," Twilight offered.
Mac took a moment to contemplate it. "Ya keep your promises? Then ya can't drag the apple family inta this. Ya leave them outta it. If ah ever see ‘em again, it has ta be because ah’m a stallion again, not ‘cuz you went and kidnapped them too."
"And if AJ comes looking for answers?" Twilight inquired.
"Ah already told ya, tell her ah died fightin' changelings or something. As long as she's left out, ah'll love ya."
Twilight thought it over for a second. "Deal, as long as she doesn't learn of the dollhouse's existence, the apple family is safe," she exclaimed. Her horn lit up and the nagging voice vanished from Mac's head. Twilight positioned the pillow so she could curve her neck over Mac’s head and surround him in her embrace. With the faintest of whimpers, she began her nightly routine to fall asleep.
"Good, then ah’d like ta curl up an' go ta sleep." Mac sighed as he was pulled in tighter. She had been true to her word with Lyra, now he had at least accomplished something good with what was left of his life. A tear formed and was absorbed by the fur near his eye. My life. . . all I have left is a life of servitude.
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Spike tiptoed his way down to the basement door while Twilight was sleeping. He let the door close softly behind him, and then he descended the stairs. He pushed open the bottom door and stepped inside, gasping as it clicked shut behind him.
In front of him was a massive replica of Ponyville and all the land surrounding it. If the back wall was any further away, she could have started a Canterlot replica. Spike had no idea how such a massive underground city was even possible.
Several ponies walked around, not aware of his presence. It was a ghost town, with weary dolls stumbling around in a stupor. This was too confusing to deal with now. He decided to leave and try to bring it up again later.
He turned and tried to open the basement door. It was locked. He nearly pounded on it to get help, before remembering that Twilight would be disappointed if she found him down here. Spike slumped against the wall and exhaled. He had to think about how to sneak back out, however he was so tired.
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The ponies in the resistance headquarters were working on a tube of copper wiring. When it was complete, it would create a tunnel through the spell trapping them there. If they were lucky it would allow them to find a way upstairs, or to burrow outside faster.
A banging sound came from the door to the faraday cage surrounding the underground burrow. "Bon Bon! It's Spike, he's in the basement!" Berry punch shouted.
"Spikey Wikey? Did she turn him into a doll?" Rarity gushed.
"No, but it looks like he's stuck up there!"
"This could be a trap," Vinyl stated.
"Not Spike, he's the sweetest soul I know. If he's down here, he'll help us," Rarity implored.
"I'll take Rarity up," Bon Bon declared. "We'll use the tunnel to Mayor Mare's house. If Twilight comes down, we'll head back for shelter."
"Show us the way, Berry, he'll listen to me."
The town drunk led the fashionista and confectioner to where Spike was napping. They began shouting at him and poking him, yet he still slept.
"He was always a heavy sleeper," Rarity explained. She walked up to his nose and held it shut. "Now just push his jaw and try to keep it closed until he wakes up."
The three dolls braced themselves against him, until he started to toss and turn. Rarity hung on for dear life, pinching his nose, until his eyes opened up.
"Rarity?" Spike mumbled. "Hey, why are you so tiny?" Spike sat straight up in fear, eyes wide. "Oh no, I got greedy again!" he shouted.
"Relax, Spike. This may be hard to believe, but Twilight has been foalnapping and turning ponies into dolls," Rarity appealed. "You need to send a letter to Celestia now. You’re our only hope!" she brought a hoof up to her forehead.
”Laying it on a bit thick,” Berry whispered to Bon Bon.
"Huh?" Spike knelt down to look at them. Since he was still smaller than a pony, he easily reached their eye level. "Berry, Bon Bon, and Rarity. . . you left town, you died in an explosion, and you got on an earlier train. . ."
"Yes, Spike. Big Mac got drafted, Snips and Snails families moved. . . all the ponies are here, Spike," Bon Bon commented.
"Oh no, this is bad," Spike croaked. "She must have had a relapse, the suicidal thoughts, the depression. . . oh and now she's turning ponies into dolls!"
"Yes, Spike. Now send a letter, everypony’s life depends on it!" Rarity begged.
Spike took a deep breath and bravely squared his shoulders, ready to be the hero. "But I don't have any parchment or a quill and ink." He sighed and quickly deflated back to his normal size.
"Surely there is some in this town? Even if it is tiny?" Rarity inquired.
"No, nothing useable to write with. Not many pieces of paper or scrolls, either. Maybe we could find them if we search enough houses, but we need the message sent immediately," Bon Bon disclosed.
"I can't send a message without something to write with."
"Send me," Berry asked. She stepped forward from the others and looked at him.
"I can't send living things either," Spike explained.
"I'm made of plastic, I'm not alive. If I make it through still animated, I can tell Celestia what happened."
"Alright, but I really don't know what'll happen. Come here."
"I can't, see this line?" Berry pointed at a chalk line on the wood floor. "It marks the edge of a magical barrier. If we cross it, we go inert and can't move."
Spike scratched his head and walked closer to the magical border. One of the benfits of being a dragon was an innate attunement, and resistance, to magic. Instead of tingling on his scales, the barrier seemed to avoid them like oil meeting water. "Won't that just happen anyway when I mail you to Celestia?"
"I hope not, dragon's breath is magic right?" Berry chuckled. "Besides, I've gone nearly two weeks without a drop of alcohol. Death would be a mercy at this point."
"Uh. . . I'm going to ignore that last comment. Here we go!" Spike was across the line now and inhaled deeply. Rarity and Bon Bon scrambled away.
A small gout of emerald flame shot from his lips. To Berry, it appeared as a wall of fiery death. It closed on her instantly, engulfing her entire universe in glimmering green flame. It burnt her to her core, and yet it did not hurt. She felt herself pulled in a thousand directions, and none, at the same time.
The door to the basement swung open as Berry vanished into a wisp of smoke. Spike and the two dolls turned to see Twilight standing in the door.
"Spike! What did you do! How could you?" Twilight screamed.
"Whoa, easy Twilight! It's just a little misunderstanding!" Spike explained, throwing his hands in the air.
"What did you send her?" Twilight ordered. Her expression changed from the silent librarian to a predator. Small wisps of green and purple magic began appear and vanish from her horn and eyes.
"B-berry P-p-punch," Spike stuttered. "She, they said you turned them into dolls! It's okay, we can fix this. I won't tell anypony if you let us all go!"
"Why does everypony keep saying that!" Twilight charged her horn as Bon Bon and Rarity ran for cover. The town was a fair distance away for their tiny legs.
They never stood a chance. They were targeted and frozen by Twilight immediately.
Spike noticed the sudden drop in air temperature and charge of magic in the air. He bolted for the door. It had started to close when Twilight stopped holding it open with her magic. He nearly reached it before it clicked shut again. Spike turned to see a blackened horn facing him. Unlike her normal magic, chaotic energies were spiraling into a black point at its tip.
His first instinct saved his life. He breathed flame at her so he could run and find a place to hide. The black mass that she shot at him was consumed by the flame, causing a sickening crack before dissipating.
Spike realized he was the same size as the largest buildings in Ponyville. There would be no hiding. Another blob shot past him, and he took a deep breath.
"I'm your last brother!" Spike shouted. "You can't do this to me, I'm all you have! You'll end up exactly like Cadance!" he spat. It pained him greatly to do so, but it worked.
Twilight's horn powered down at she hesitated. "Wha—what?"
Spike too a deep breath, pausing as long as he could to gain composure. He pictured in his mind the brave young dragon that had saved Rarity from Diamond Dogs. "You heard me! Why are you going to trap me here too? Why can't we talk about this? You can get help!"
"But I don't need help. I’m doing us all a favor.” Twilight paced slowly towards him, who circled her to keep his distance without retreating. “I want my friends to live forever, like you and me Spike. We were going to grow old together, just you and me for thousands of years with all of our friends living down here."
"Did you ever stop to ask if they wanted that? If you hate the thought of living so long, what makes you think they would like it?"
"It's not their choice, it's mine," Twilight countered.
"And me? Were you always just going to trap me when I found out? You were going to lie to your younger brother for thousands of years?" Spike argued.
His heart was pounding so hard he thought it might burst out of his chest. Adrenaline flowed through him and for the moment, he seemed to be getting through to her. Every iota of his willpower and intelligence was going into breaking Twilight's façade. It was the town's only hope.
"No. . .you were going to be my best friend forever—just like Cadance was going to be. You, me, her, Celestia, Luna. . . a whole family. Then Shining died, and I realized it wasn't just about us alicorns and dragons. All my friends, my mom and dad, every pony dies. . ."
"And we'll die too, Twilight. We're not immortal, we just measure our lives in millennia instead of years. Do you think when you grow old you'll look back on this and say 'I did the right thing'?"
Twilight cackled. "But we don't have to die, Spike. You're still young enough your scales can't resist my magic. If I change you now, you'll truly be immortal.”
“No! I don’t want that.” Spike took a step towards her and exhaled from fire from his nostrils. He was sure it’d make him look tougher than he felt. “It’s not your choice!”
“And when your precious Rarity died of old age? When Sweetie, and all their joyous descendents die one at a time in front of you? Can you stand that much pain?” Twilight took a step towards the dragon, her eyes already beginning to glow the odd mixture of emerald and lavender energy. “As for me, I'm the element of magic. I can't die, I'm far too powerful now. And if I can’t die, nopony else can either!"
Twilight's horn lit up black as she fired a spell at Spike. He inhaled to breath flame again, but did not do it quick enough.
The slimy spell cascaded over him. He started wiping it off, his scales giving him enough protection to keep his arms from sticking to his sides. His entire body began tingling as he quickly resumed running from Twilight. Most of the magic was rolling over the scales, falling off, however some of it reached the skin beneath.
Another spell hit him in the back, toppling him over. He could feel his fingers and toes go numb and rigid. Crawling along, he saw Rarity in the distance. With one claw he tried to wipe as much of the goo off as he could. With the other he continued to crawl towards her. One breath of emerald flame would send Rarity to Celestia, and safety.
Just one breath.
Another spell hit Spike, causing him to hit the ground with his face. He gasped as an icy coldness filled his lungs. He coughed out a little bit of the black tar from his mouth. Spike had accidently inhaled some of the plastic goop from the spell.
He was nearly too Rarity when his entire tail went rigid and messed up his balance. Spike felt the joints of his legs going rigid, making it impossible to get back up and inch closer to her. He had to save Rarity, it was the last and most important thing he would ever do. Spike’s final gift to his favorite pony.
He took a deep painful breath and aimed for Rarity. Right as he exhaled, another spell hit him in the face, canceling out the breath. Twilight stood in front of him when he opened his eyes.
"It's okay, Spike. You would have been too big as an adult anyway. Now you can be my number one assistant and little brother forever," Twilight consoled.
"No—you can't, it's wrong! You cou—" Spike coughed. "Could have asked somepony fo—for help!"
"They pushed me away, Spike. You saw it!"
"You pushed them away!" he spat. His tongue was going numb and his ability to speak with it. "Dash sthopped by to fly with shou. Shou told her to go away."
"She could have tried harder! They all could have!" Twilight whined. The tendrils of magic had stopped snaking from her horn and her lip began to quiver.
"Hay did. Shu wuldn't lishten," Spike muttered.
"No, it's not my fault! I needed them to try harder, to prove they loved me!" Twilight cried out.
Spike could no longer feel any of his extremities. He forced in one last breath. "I furgive shu." The plastic sealed around his face, turning him into a doll.
“No. . . it’s not my fault, I’m doing the right thing. Don’t forgive me. . . It’s. . . I did it for you.”
Twilight slumped down for a minute while her number one assistant lay on the ground. She should have felt happy: now Spike couldn't get sick or injured. She had insured their friendship forever, he had even forgiven her for forcing him into this. Twilight was bothered by that. Why would he forgive her? There was nothing wrong with her; this was the logical conclusion to defeat death. The plan was perfect. Even Celestia and Luna would succumb to her carefully chosen poisons should they ever deem to interfere.
Twilight stood up with renewed confidence. "I can't fail, Spike. Too much is at stake." She fired up her horn and shrunk Spike. She then carried him, Rarity, and Bon Bon into town. She remembered about Lyra, and dropped them off near town square.
From her vantage point she only saw the back of the corkboard. Once she reached the Everfree she called out. "Lyra, I'm here. You can come out now."
Twilight flew over the bonsai forest to where the mirror pool was. She looked down through the narrow cave entrance. Placing her mouth closer, she called in to wake her up. "Lyra! Wake up!"
After a minute with no response, she flew back to ask Bon Bon where she was. The corkboard in town square was empty, and all the ponies were hiding from her.
"Vinyl Scratch!" Twilight screamed. Her horn and eyes glowed white. All the debris and the nearby dolls began to levitate off the ground, before a pulse of magic was sent out to freeze everypony in town.
She then focused her magic on detecting the ponies in the town. Her magic allowed her to get a rough estimate of how many dolls were down there, and the area they might be hiding in. Each was a blurry star on a cloudy night. Most were in their homes or basements, a few seemed to be out near the apple farm or the Everfree. The two she wanted to find most of all—Vinyl for evading punishment, and Lyra to ensure she was safe—were indistinguishable from the others.
There were twenty dolls in the basement, where there should be twenty-four. Berry had hopefully died in transit, and now Spike would take her place. How could four ponies be missing or hiding? Were they so close to another pony that she couldn’t tell them apart?
With an even louder voice she issued her threat. "I know you're in here somewhere. I'm going to torture Bon Bon until she tells me where you are hiding! Then I'll start on Rarity and Spike, their deaths will be on your head Vinyl! Turn yourself in!" She yelled.
She looked around for her friends. Twilight wasn't prepared to hurt Rarity or Spike, but something was very wrong here. They, along with Bon Bon, would have to be her leverage to find out what was going on.
Twilight levitated Bon Bon up to the corkboard. "Where is Vinyl? Why hasn’t Lyra come out of hiding to play with me?."
A magical aura gripped four of the pins, causing them to begin to glow red. Once they were lined up, she thrust them into Bon Bon's limbs, pinning them to the board. As the cork sizzled slightly, she bent the pins with her magic so they couldn't be removed easily.
Bon Bon yelped as Twilight re-animated her.
"Tell me where Vinyl and Lyra are. Why can't I sense them?" Twilight demanded.
She grit her teeth and pulled hard against the pins, pulling them out half an inch before they stopped."Burn in hell, witch. Chrysalis was twice the mare you'll ever be!" she insulted.
Twilight drew a red hot needle across her chest, melting the plastic and leaving a deep gash. Bon Bon muffled her scream to the best of her ability. "Tell me where they are."
"No."
Twilight was about to cut her again when she had a horrible thought. “You. . . did you do something to Lyra? Is that why Vinyl is hiding?”
Bon Bon slowly raised her head from her chest and locked eyes with Twilight. “Hehe, that whore had it comi—”
“No! If you hurt her I’ll kill you!” Her horn and eyes lit up. “She is my best friend, she loves me! I won’t lose her too, not after all this hard work!”
“I saw you pointing your horn all over, your magic can’t find us, can it? If it could, you’d know where your precious rat is. Well, here is news for you, we hid her and you’re gonna have to find a new spy, bitch!”
Twilight's grin spread wide across her face and she closed her eyes. Twilight twisted her neck, popping the vertebrae. She then twisted it the other way, resulting in another eerie set of popping.
"Hehehe," Twilight maniacally laughed. She re-opened her eyes , their white glow illuminating the room. The intensity signified the amount of magic, and pleasure, she would get with the next spell.
Bon Bon could feel, and see, that the alicorn had snapped. For the first time, she began to believe Lyra, she began to believe she could push the alicorn too far. "Wait, Twilight, I'm sorry!" Bon Bon pleaded. "It went too far, it was all Vinyl's idea! She made me! She—"
Twilight sent a pin through her chin and the roof of her mouth, sealing her jaw shut. She continued to mutter and thrash about as the part of her soul still anchored to her body felt searing agony. Green tendrils snaked into the doll’s eyes, wracking her body with agony.
Bon Bon was ripped off the corkboard, straight through the five pins, and hovered over to an empty patch of wooden flooring closer to the door out of the basement.
"I told you, Bon Bon. I told you that all you had to do was be nice and you could be my friend. Instead, you lead a riot and hurt Lyra, the nicest pony I know. You hid her from me and you thought it was funny!"
Bon Bon struggled to open her eyes. She looked down at her limbs, which felt like they were melting. There was nothing wrong with them. “I’ll. . . tell you. . . please stop!” From the corner of the room a tenpenny nail and a hammer were floated out of a tool box.
She hovered the nail over Bon Bon and laid her on her back. Once the nail was lined up with her stomach, she lifted up the hammer. "I've. Been. Waiting. For. This." With each word Twilight drove the nail further into her.
With a final tap amidst the doll's loud wailing, Twilight caused the nail to bite even deeper into her abdomen, burying the head of the nail in it. She was now pinned directly into a plank of oak by the three inch nail, and no amount of towns ponies were going to be able to pull her out.
"I'd kill you, but this is worse, don't you agree?" Twilight asked her.
“Please,” Bon Bon cried. She watched in horror, hoping it wasn’t too late to get through to her. “I’m sorry. . . I’ll tell you where she is!”
“Oh, but this is what you wanted all along, isn’t it?” Twilight circled around her, grinning and watching her squirm. “You wanted to break me, you wanted to escape. . . well now you get both! I’m sending you straight to Tartarus!”
"Fine! Then just kill me you mare of a whore!" Bon Bon screamed. “Lyra will never be your friend when you break her promise and kill me!”
"No. Only my friends get favors." Twilight paused to ponder her next action for a moment. “I won’t kill you, but I’ll pin you hear and weaken the spell. You’ll die in agony.”
Another nail floated over. Twilight gently shoved it into Bon Bon's mouth and lightly hammered it through. The confectioner now lay pinned to the ground by two nails and unable to speak a single word.
Twilight's work here was complete.
Returning to town square she animated Rarity and held her fast in her magical grip.
Twilight floated Rarity up to eye level and began to address her friend. "So, darling, it'd be ever so wonderful if you told me where they're hiding Lyra," Twilight announced.
"They have Sweetie, they're protecting her from you," Rarity explained. The fire had dimmed, but the anger was still present in Twilight’s eyes. “If. . . they might hurt her if I tell you where Lyra is.”
"Indeed," Twilight laughed. "Sounds like you do know where she is. Tell me, Rarity, and choose wisely. Are you still my friend?"
Rarity stared at the lopsided grin that was showing the crazed mare's teeth. It was a simple trick question. If she said yes then Twilight would demand the answer, then torture her. If she said no, she'd wind up being tortured also.
She was a mare who was proud to stick to her principles. She would not let her hurt Sweetie, nor would she snitch and let Vinyl hurt Sweetie. "No, you're not my friend. My friend died with Cadance," Rarity chided.
Twilight dropped her from her grip, leaving her to stand there in confusion for a moment. It took the insult a few seconds to be fully processed. Once the moment was up, Rarity was thrown against the corkboard and pinned by eight of the unbroken needles. Amidst the bloodcurdling screams, Twilight turned and walked away.
Sugarcube Corner had a well-stocked kitchen. Once Twilight had pulled a plastic knife out, it took a simple spell to turn it into a metal knife. Unaware of the trapped unicorn in the basement, she returned to Rarity who was restrained on the corkboard.
"This has been a miserable day and it isn't even nine AM yet! I'm supposed to capture two more ponies today, and here I am with a bunch of ponies afraid to show their face!" Twilight screamed.
"This is how this is going to work, Rarity. Now that you've admitted you're not my friend, I'm going to torture the information out of you. Where are they hiding her?"
"You're crazy!" Rarity yelled. “If you want to know where she is, you’ll have to show me generosity, let Sweetie go! I know you’re still in there, Twilight!”
Twilight cut a leg off with the knife, eliciting a scream. "Wrong answer. Where are they hiding her?"
"You don't have to do this!" Rarity bantered between cries of agony.
"Wrong answer." Twilight cut her down the middle revealing her plastic abdomen. "Where are they hiding her?"
"I'll see you in Tartarus!" Rarity began to sob and closed her eyes. She felt the knife hit another limb, severing it. She wailed out in agony again.
"Wrong answer. There's still time, you know, I can put you back together," Twilight offered. "How about a new question? I can’t sense a few of them. How are they avoiding detection?”
Rarity cackled maniacally. "Am I making you mad? You must hate all the clichéd begging for our lives. Or, perhaps you love it. Perhaps now that you have no friends torturing innocent ponies is all you have left to live for!"
The tiny doll's laughter echoed throughout the basement, and was silenced by the next blow to a limb.
"Wrong answer." Her former friend had only one leg left holding her up.
"How about this, 'oh please Princess! Let me go and I won't tell anypony! It can be our little secret! We can live happily ever after!' " Rarity continued laughing. She sounded twice as mad as Twilight by this point.
"SHUT UP!" Twilight screamed, plunging the knife at her a final time.
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Oh, God...
On one hoof, this is Tragedy and Dark, and I'm already depressive(?). On the other hoof, unique and interesting idea...
*Read Later'd*!
derpicdn.net/media/W1siZiIsIjRmMTg5NzI1OTQ1YjcwMDRiNjAwMDAwMSJdXQ/880__safe_image-macro_lily_the-horror.png.png
No, really, this was terrifying.
You should add another counter for "number of people whose feeble moral compass hasn't yet been ground to dust in a collision with cruel and uncaring reality". The current count would be... 2? (maybe 3, I'm not sure if Lyra still deserves it).
2383666
It'll be worth it, like a fine dark chocolate. You'll only be sad that's it's over because it tasted so good.
2383872
Thank you. I've discovered it's best to write what I'm passionate about, which is this story right now. Thus, it's awesome, however my other stories are sadly neglected.
2383921
I hadn't thought of a counter like that, very interesting. I knew when I started that I wanted to show her capturing and subjugating the town, but the doll's relationships with each other would be crucial to making it a good story.
So Big Mac's got his moral compass intact. I'm still debating how big a pass to write Lyra after her best friend and roommate had her tortured. I'm guessing you're counting Rarity as the other one holding to her values? We'll see if it's worth it next chapter, after all the town population did decrease. . .
p.s. I hope no one here minds Scootabuse.
Am I right if I predict Twilight is gonna use dark magic?
I'd like to have a talk with you.
THAT'S OKAY, I DON'T NEED ALL THAT SLEEP ANYWAY
And there we have it, the moment I've been secretly waiting for. The New Ponyvillians have snapped and have become just like Twilight. Of course, Twilight's sins far outweigh theirs but she's crazy so she had an excuse. They could have easily taken Lyra captive but instead they decided to inflict the same pain on her.
Also, Rarity? The next time an all-powerful and insane Alicorn giant asks you a question, you answer (lol)
But I find myself agreeing with Twilight, that they should have pushed more. But that's because of personal experience, so from their perspective they probably thought they did enough.
Last but not least, I wonder what happened to Berry Punch. Either she ended up a puddle of plastic or she arrived intact. Could go either way, with you as the author
You crazy bastard, you 
2384288
Thank you. Finally someone who loves me for being crazy.
I was actually quite pleased with my editor's response that she was having a hard time feeling bad for the dolls after what they did to Lyra. It's a great dynamic to show their desperation leading them to act no better than Twilight.
Also, almost every Rarity scene and several of Twilight's intro's to new ponies are a homage to my favorite serial killer fic and inspiration for this story. This is the first story I wrote that isn't full of cheap cupcakes/rainbow factory etc... references. So far I'm only referring to one other fic.
p.s. I'd be more concerned about Twilight's spell being transported through Spike's flame than Berry. Imagine a couple blobs of insta-doll shooting out into the day court. . .
2384321 Oh crap, I forgot all about that!
Poor Celestia,
...
...
...
...
lol
so rarity is dead
hmmm IDEA [XD] store the killed ones souls in bottles
2384083
No, I was counting Big Mac and Spike. Rarity was far too eager to join with the torture crowd. I have no idea what kind of reasoning led her to believe that torturing Lyra would help protect Sweetie Belle.
1. Torture crazy alicorn's designated best friend.
2. Put up her twitching self on display in full view.
3. ???
4. Profit!
2384333
Still debating whether Celestia caught a load in the face... wait, that sounded better in my head...
2384438
Not to be spoilery, but there are three ponies very much at risk of being dead. Filthy survived melting for a fair while... so which one suffered the most severe trauma? Begin your voting now!
A.) Berry Punch
B.) Bon Bon
C.) Rarity
D.) They're all dead and you're messing with us.
2384446
I guess she didn't think that through. I figure she would do anything to protect Sweetie (which is odd since she neglects her just as much.) Thus, if Vinyl said "torture Lyra and we'll keep her safe" I figured she'd help. At least she had the decency to look away. Lyra returned the favor by not watching her get drawn and quartered.
2384461 d
2384915 Thank you.
I guess I am messing with everyone. With the population counter and some math, you'll realize none of those answers are right...
2384478
Partial credit.
2386292
Plenty more where that came from, I credit that author with inspiring this 'sorta' serial-killer Twilight fic.
Heh, I was hoping Twilight would go all Godzilla on them at one point. Glad to see it actually happened!
I'm stunned. Keep up the good work sir, I really would like to see more!
Spike's shit really just got real. When she has to die, I want Spike to be apart of it.
2386509
At some point I want her to go full Godzilla, like breathing fire and stomping on houses. Little ponies would run along screaming "Ahhh godzilla!"
2386556
Thank you.
2389210
As the good doctor would say (technically River Song): spoilers.
((as in, asking would be spoiling therefore I won't tell... not sure how many Dr. Who fans are here so thought I'd clarify.))
2389229
Now that'd be cool, but the one thing I really liked about what you did here was that it was more or less exactly how I pictured it would be, with the levitating and glowing eyes and such.
Though to be honest, I was kinda imagining something like this:
2390995
That's my favorite spell effect in movies/games. The caster starts channeling and everything levitates. I wasn't quite ready to have her level the town though.
2391116
Oooooo, methinks things are gonna get even more interesting!
"Burn in hell, witch. Chrysalis was twice the mare you'll ever be!"
My reaction:
I know I said this already, but... DAMN, that counter. Kinda reminds me of Majora's Mask.
My prediction for full interesting...inity?
Berry is alive and makes it. Bon bon is not dead. Rarity is.
My prediction for lasting longer:
Berry died, and the other two are going to suffer for a loooooong time...
Dat counter
2395378
Awesome clip, I sure am going to miss Bon Bon. She had quite the mouth on her.
2395532
Berry is both dead and alive, until an outside observer sees her...
Second prediction is better. At the moment I have three more five chapter arcs planned, so it should be in the 25 chapter ballpark. The focus is shifting from the creepy captures, to Twilight's mental health and the dollhouse turning into Lord of the Flies.
[insert a meme here about the plot thickening.]
2370057 Heheh, it's so fun writing Twilight as an evil mastermind, wouldn't you agree?
(P.S. I wrote Pages of Harmony.
And also, I think that the worst is yet to come in POH as well.
)
2395693
Evil mastermind Twilight with a hint of crazy and a dash of Hemlock is best pony.
Pages of Harmony was on my read later. I haven't read it since I spend all my time writing this one. Then I saw the chapter titles, but to be honest you had me at "researches the elements at the cost of her friend's lives." So I'm making time tonight to check it out.
2395781
Twilight's rocking in the corner right now, mumbling "it's just a dream." I'd go over and comfort her, but I'm too young to be turned into an action figure.
2395801 Thanks!
Gotta warn ya, it's long, gory, and not done yet, so be prepared for potential of nightmares and wanting to comfort the characters - or, being of a like-minded grimdark writer, get s'mores and popcorn.
You know, if I could draw better, I'd probably draw something of all of Twilight's crazy incarnations meeting up.
It would be chaos! CHAOS!
That is until Harmony!Twilight (can't think of a better name for her at the moment) eradicates it because, as becomes clear in the fic, she hates chaos.
2395834
Gore is great when used properly. I read one where Twilight basically just cupcaked the entire mane six by strapping them to tables in her basement... not so good.
But yours I'm sure, like Secret Life of Rarity, has a good plot and then you get the chewy center where they actually kill a pony. My favorite is the one who refused to scream for Rarity, not wanting to give her the pleasure. Sufficeth to say, that did not end well because Rarity was pissed.
I digress, I'll be reading it soon, I hope, because I'm still pissed off at my co-workers and I want to imagine him as who ever you kill first.
You know, I almost stayed up all night when I read this while listening to rainbow factory. BUT I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!!!!!
Also, im on twilights side and I want the "bad" ponies to die. Is somthing wrong with me?
2396170
Nope, it's perfectly fine to kill bad ponies.
Also, it's perfectly fine to kill them if they say they're not your friend. Or maybe to just 'motivate' them a little.
2395606 Berry is a cat now O_o
2396170
DIE YOU WORTHLESS PONY SCUM! YOU DESERVE TO ROT IN THE DEEPEST PITS OF TARTARUS!
Go Rarity! Maybe you aren't such a heartless shrew after all.
RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.
ALL SHALL BE... DOLLED?
AND THEN KILLED!!
Damn. Kaidan. Bro. This chapter. Just. MMMMMMMMMMMMM! Never stop writing. You and BronyWriter are the only two people who make me this freaking speechless.
I found a few mistakes. Kaidan, this isn't you. My goodness this is kinda scary.
Saw some others but forgot where they were.
-
I'm on Chapter 7 and i feel like this story is already drawing to a close. Still good though.
CB
"No, you're not my friend. My friend died with Cadance,"
how it is that THAT is the saddest line I've read in this tragedy so far?
Erm, hee hee. I found another error. Sorry.
"He was nearly too Rarity when his entire tail went rigid and messed up his balance."
Too should be to.
I'm really sorry if I seem rude but I know that once I finish this story I am going to want to favorite it and I never favorite a story with the wrong two/too/to or their/there/they're.
Please don't hate me!
... Did she just... No, she couldn't have...
She wouldn't kill her GOOD friend, now, would she? 
Also, I expected Rarity to burst out crying when Twilight asked if they were still friends. Maybe that's just my insanity talking, idk. 
Oh no, I'm queasy now, and I never get queasy!
I might have to stop for tonight...
I laughed harder than I should have.
Also, I have a question. Why didn't Twilight just shrink them down before turning them into plastic? Then it would be harder for them to run away. Or is it not possible to shrink them unless they are already plastic?
"You don't have to do this!" Rarity bantered between cries of agony.
tsk, tsk, tsk... *points at poster*
3938179
Secret Life of Rarity referance?
this has gotten...so much darker...
I'm not used to reading dark and morbid things, but now
That
I'm
Reading
This...
I'M STARTING TO ENJOY THIS MORBID STUFF
Did Twilight just kill Rarity
Man, Rarity
iswas a running riot. Hilarious.*arrives in her basement, after having crashed through the upper floors with Insaadomkro*
TIME TO STOP THIS MAD- *notices the mutilated dollified corpse of Rarity*
You... killed... R-Rarity? *eyes twitch, face contorts into rage, cracks neck*
TIME TO DIE!!!!!!!!!
5048496 Morbid stuff is my favorite, dark, evil, morbird, MURDER. HAHAHAHA
Yeeeeesh Rarity, cool it or should i say melt it......