Chapter 1
Stars.
Every night, she focused on the stars above her head as the monster invaded her room. It's wet tongue and hot breath sickened her almost as much as its touch. She knew what the monster wanted. It was time to let the Stars take her away again, and forget this pain.
Every day in school seemed the same to her. She tried to focus, but the nightly monster attacks just made it so hard to study. In fact, they made her fearful to do anything, really. She just sat in the back of the classroom drawing stars all over her books and papers while the teacher droned on and on.
She had almost resigned herself to the fact she was never going to escape the cycle when she met a purple pony named Twilight Sparkle one Friday after school. This pony was just like her in ever so many ways. She hid from the world, she didn't have friends, and she even liked the stars. The girl and Twilight soon became fast friends, and the girl soon was joining in on everything her new friend Twilight Sparkle experienced.
The girl gasped when she learned that Twilight Sparkle and her new friends defeated Nightmare Moon. She laughed as Twilight got hurt trying to spy on her friend Pinkie Pie. And she sat on the edge of her seat as she cheered with Twilight as her friend Rainbow Dash saved Rarity and the Wonderbolts with a Sonic Rainboom. She even clapped for joy as Twilight and her friends got to experience the best night ever at The Grand Galloping Gala.
Every Friday, after school, the girl would sit with rapt attention as she learned of the new adventures her new friend Twilight Sparkle had experienced. And, with each new story, the girl felt herself becoming braver and braver. Her room, once full of just stars, started to be filled more and more with Twilight Sparkle. Pictures of Twilight, figurines of Twilight - and eventually, she even managed to get a stuffed toy of Twilight to sleep with at night.
Twilight made her braver than she'd ever been before. And, when the monster came that night, she was ready for him. Hugging the stuffed toy to her young chest, she screamed as loud as she could at the monster. She then began to kick and bite at the beast, taking out a young lifetime of anger at this creature for attacking her every night. The creature was enraged. How dare the girl try to fight back after all this time? Was the girl not his? Blow for blow was exchanged until the monster finally left. The girl had finally won, but most of her body felt in pain from the attack. Curling up under her sheets, she knew what she had to finally do.
The teacher heard a gentle knock on the door to the classroom and looked up with a gasp, "Oh, my dear! What happened to you? Did you get into a fight before school?"
The girl clutched her Twilight plushie even tighter to her chest as she shook her head. Then, opening her mouth, she uttered the words the monster had swore he'd kill her for uttering. "No, ma'am... M-my father did this to me because I-I-I wouldn't let him..." She couldn't finish, not even Twilight Sparkle could give her the strength to continue. But she didn't have to. She'd said enough.
Red and blue. Red and blue. Over and over, the flashing lights illuminated her face from behind the glass.
She huddled up inside the cop car, her two bags next to her as she still clutched the purple felt pony to her chest. She was watching the police handcuffing the monster as a smile of relief finally crept across her young face. In her bags were all of her ponies. She didn't want or need anything else from this house. The social worker had told her that she was going to go into a nice group home, and that the monster was never going to bother her again. She had to see this, though. She needed to see the end of the monster's terror. To see him finally brought to justice.
Nuzzling her head into the Twilight Sparkle plush doll once again, she closed her eyes tiredly. The ponies were on again tomorrow after school. And she planned to be there to learn of their new adventures. But the ponies had also inspired the girl to look into other things, as well. The social worker had said the new school had a 4H club where she could learn to ride and take care of horses. Giving her toy another squeeze, she thinks to herself, 'I think Twilight would want me to try that...'
Twilight Sparkle sniffled softly, the princess releasing the magic on the mirror she used to watch the human world at times as the mirror's glow faded. At first she thought she'd have to do something to intervene to help her human fan out... But it seemed that--for now--she was going to be okay.
Trotting away from the mirror, she paused as Spike's head popped out of the doorway nervously. "Uh, Twi...? Are you okay? I thought I heard crying from in here?"
The alicorn scooped up her assistant in her forehooves, hugging him into her chest as the tears she'd been holding back finally fell from her eyes; the twin rivers of pain streaking thru her purple fur as she nuzzled into the dragon.
Spike hugged back, swallowing hard as he gasped. "Are you okay, Twilight...?"
"No," she began as she hugged him tighter. "I just saw someone recover from evil at its worst, and I just need a hug right now..."
Spike nodded, hugging his best friend tighter as he let her cry and recover as best as she could.