The Wheel of Choice
"W-What... Where am I?" questioned Starlight, as she fluttered her eyes open, only to see nothing but the reflection of herself against a glass wall.
Starlight attempted to move, but was stopped by some sort of massive force that held her entire body in the seat she was sitting in. She couldn't even budge under the massive pressure, immediately causing her to panic. Through her struggling and shouting for somepony to come and save her, a familiar laughter erupted from the darkness. It was a laugh she had heard before, just a couple months before then, but she didn't have to think for long, hearing the unknown voice speak.
"Ah, finally, you've awoken," spoke the voice, which Starlight immediately recognized.
"Chrysalis?" she questioned.
"Long time no see, Starlight Glimmer," spoke Chrysalis in an aggressive tone. "It's been too long for my taste!"
"Where am I!? How did I get here?!" Starlight barked.
Chrysalis chuckled, taunting Starlight in her helpless state.
"It wasn't very hard to cast a simple spell on your fragile mind that would put you into a sleep long enough for me to gather what I needed for the game you are about to play," stated Chrysalis. "I told you I would exact my revenge upon you, Starlight Glimmer! However, after so long, I discovered that killing you would be too easy. It wouldn't be enough to make you pay for taking my kingdom away from me, along with my role as "Queen of the Changelings."My revenge had to be something more malevolent! Something more sinister! Something more equal to what you did to me in front of my subjects!"
Chrysalis's voice was strong enough to make the entire room shake, showing just how much anger Chrysalis held for Starlight. Starlight sat still, unaware of the horrors that awaited her.
"You took my kingdom away from me, so I'm going to take away everything you hold dear!"
Suddenly, the glass wall before Starlight manifested into a well-lit room, where her friends sat in the confines of some sort of device that looked like a giant rotating object. Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Trixie Lulamoon were the friends confined to the rotating device, giving Starlight a vibe that this device was designed for more than just rotation. Hoping to get her friends' attention, she yelled out to them, but they didn't move.
"Why can't they hear me?!" questioned Starlight.
"They are currently under my control, in a state of sleep, until I decide to free them that is," explained Chrysalis, continuing to speak. "However, once your friends wake up, they'll be wishing they were never awoken. The device before you is a Changeling-crafted death wheel that I like to call "the Wheel of Choice."
"What do you mean by, "Wheel of Choice?" questioned Starlight.
"That's where your role comes in, my dear. You see, you get to decide what happens to your friends. Before you, are three levers, and whichever one you pull will be your choice, just know that no matter what you choose isn't going to end happily. I've designed this game to end in nothing but misery for you and your pathetic friends, while it's only sweet vengeance for me. Here's how it works, dear. The wheel will spin once, and depending on which pony it lands on, I have three choices for you to decide. The first option... well, you'll find out shortly what those options are. The second option is to spin the wheel again, and whatever unlucky victim it stops on, will be killed."
The result of the second option made a shiver run up Starlight's spine. The thought of killing a friend didn't even cross her mind, as much as whatever the first options were going to be. She continued to listen, as Chrysalis reached the third option.
"Your third and final option is probably the easiest choice, though not for you I'm afraid. You can save all of your friends and free them from their assured deaths, BUT at the cost of your life! You see that small slot in the middle of the device? That's reserved for you, if you choose to save your friends. However, don't think it's going to be so easy to save your friends, seeing I've devised a way for your friends to even kill themselves!"
Starlight was confused and frozen in fear. What did Chrysalis mean by "a way for her friends' to kill themselves?" The conditions of the situation were already too much for Starlight to fathom, and Chrysalis just continued to add fuel to the fire.
"You see those little rectangles along the bottom of the seats your friends are sitting in? Well, those are their life meters, but before you start asking stupid questions, allow me to explain. Your friends' are seated in a device controlled by Changeling magic, and as you know, we feed on love. Well, this device will slowly drain your friends' of all their strength, unless you can keep your friends' content in their situations, based on what you choose."
Starlight was starting to understand that Chrysalis had covered her bases very well. She had devised this plan for revenge cleverly, and she had no idea what was coming next, except for carnage and horrors that she would never forget. Chrysalis continued to speak, so Starlight listened, knowing she was in no position to argue, object, or speak any words at all.
"Happy choosing, Starlight Glimmer," said Chrysalis in a sarcastic tone. "Let's get started now, shall we. However, you might want to be ready to calm your friends, seeing they will be confused and lost."
Chrysalis chuckled, as she lifted the spell from Starlight's friends, resulting in nothing but confusion and panic.
"What the?!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash, being the first of the seven to come to realization of the situation.
There was a stir of panic among the room, causing Starlight to act immediately.
"Girls! Calm down!" exclaimed Starlight, immediately catching everypony's attention.
"Starlight?!" questioned Twilight, confused. "Where are we?! What's going on!?
"You have to listen to me! All of you!" snapped Starlight. "You are all in danger, unless you calm down!"
The attempt to calm her friends was failing miserably, until Chrysalis intervened.
"You'd best listen to your friend, seeing she is currently your only hope to escaping, even though I doubt all of you will be making it out of here alive. Unless you calm down, your life will be drained clean out of your pathetic little bodies."
Twilight stared at Starlight, and gave her a look of fear and confusion.
"Is she telling the truth, Starlight?" questioned Twilight.
Starlight nodded her head, giving Twilight a look of severity. At that moment, Twilight, along with the others quickly caught on that wherever they were, and whatever type of situation they had been pulled into, was serious. They quickly calmed down, not knowing that this was only the beginning of a nightmare, and the end for some of them.
"Now, let's get started," stated Chrysalis. "Go ahead, Starlight, begin with the first spin."
Chrysalis chuckled, as Starlight pressed her hoof against one of the buttons before her, labelled "SPIN." The device immediately started to spin at a fast pace, as Starlight prepared herself for the worst possible outcome. All seven of her friends' were surprised, seeing they had not expected the device to spin, but remembered what Chrysalis had said, along with Starlight. The device had started to slow down, so Starlight prepared for whatever may follow, as the device came to a stop with Twilight as it's choice.
"Ah, the Princess of Friendship herself," stated Chrysalis. "Well, Starlight, time to choose. Option one: use your magic to remove her cutie mark nice and slow. I'm very aware of your limitations with magic, so don't even try to lie that you cannot perform such a task."
Starlight cussed in her mind, aware that Chrysalis had read up on her previous life, and the fact that she was powerful enough to take away anypony's cutie mark with ease. Chrysalis continued with the choice, even though Starlight already knew what they were.
"Option two: spin again, and let fate decide somepony's death. Lastly, option three: sacrifice yourself to save your friends. The choice is yours. You have thirty seconds to decide," concluded Chrysalis.
Twilight stared at Starlight with fear in her eyes, while Starlight pondered over her choices. The choice was either to remove her mentor of what made her who she was, or somepony to be killed at random choice. Both choices made her shiver, especially her third choice, and she didn't want to choose any of them. She couldn't just let fate decide over her inability to choose, so she didn't even think the second option. Time was running out, and she had to choose, so with much hesitation, Starlight pulled the first lever.
"Excellent choice, my dear! Unfortunately for you, Princess Twilight Sparkle, your own student would rather take everything from you to save her own skin!" Chrysalis stated with a sinister chuckle.
Twilight stared sadly at her student, as a door to the inside of the room opened wide. Starlight felt her heart drop, as she stood up from her seat, and walked into the room where her friends were trapped. Starlight walked around, until she stood before Twilight, tears escaping her eyes. Twilight was remaining as calm as she possibly could, due to what would happen if she were to plead any louder than she was. Starlight could only stare at her mentor with eyes of sorrow, as she ignited her horn with an aura of purple magic.
"Starlight, please don'-
Starlight didn't want to be swayed into having second thoughts, so before Twilight could say anything to change her mind, she gripped Twilight's cutie mark in a magic aura, and began to pull.
"Take your time, Starlight," spoke Chrysalis. "Nice and slow now."
Starlight obeyed, and slowly tugged away what seemed like Twilight's entire lifeline. Twilight struggled and cried, feeling her life being ripped clean from her, causing the life meter on her chair to slowly fill. Twilight's features had started to change, with her body falling to a much more pale purple, and her eyes falling to grey color. She looked as if she had entered rigormortis, and had been dead for hours, but she was still fully alive, in a battle to survive Chrysalis's demented game of revenge. After what seemed like hours for Twilight, her cutie mark was finally removed violently, leaving her completely weak and sickened at the loss of what made her who she was.
"Very good, Starlight," stated Chrysalis. "Now, DESTROY IT! Destroy the one thing that your mentor had to earn in her life! The thing that makes her special! The mark that speaks what her special talent is! DESTROY IT ALL!"
Starlight nearly broke at the command given by Chrysalis. Twilight was staring at her with tear-filled eyes, begging for her to not perform the task that had been forced upon her. She stared back at Twilight, and gave her a look of sadness.
"I-I'm sorry...
With a quick burst of magic, Twilight's cutie mark was obliterated to nothing but magic dust. Somehow, Twilight was able to hold herself to a calm level of emotion, knowing that the life meter was there. The impact devastated Starlight, as she watched the magic dust particles fade to nothing but the open space of the room. If this was only the first task, she had no idea what Chrysalis had in store for her for the rest of the game. Starlight walked back out and took a seat, awaiting Chrysalis's next step in her vengeance.
"How does it feel, Starlight?" asked Chrysalis. "How does it feel to steal and destroy somepony's destiny in the coldest way possible?! How does it feel to be hated by the first pony to ever accept you as a worthy pupil!?"
Starlight didn't answer, and just continued to stare directly at Twilight through the glass. Twilight's head was down, so Starlight couldn't tell if Twilight hated her or if it was just the after effects of what she had been forced to do. If anything, Twilight was probably more disappointed and sickened, understanding that Starlight had no choice, but this game of demented choice was far from over, as Chrysalis directed her once more.
"As much as I'd like to watch the Princess of Friendship mope more and more, we have a game to continue. Go on, Starlight; begin the second round of choice!" Chrysalis commanded.
Starlight obeyed, and pressed the SPIN button with her shaky hoof, watching as the wheel proceeded to spinning once again. As she waited, Starlight struggled to accept the hanus act she just performed. It was as if she had returned to her old self once again. The old Starlight that used to enforce a town by persuading ponies that cutie marks were nothing but a nuisance. She shook her head, refusing to even believe for a second that she had returned to her old habits, as the wheel once again came to a slow stop, this time with Rainbow Dash as it's choice.
Rainbow's face was nothing but panic and fear, knowing that some sort of demented action was about to happen to her, if Starlight chose so.
"Well, well, well. It looks like the Element of Loyalty has been chosen as the wheel's next victim," Chrysalis stated in a dark tone. "Let's see what I have in store for Equestria's best flyer."
Chrysalis shuffled through her options, as Starlight stared at Rainbow, her expression being of sadness and anger. Starlight couldn't say anything, as Chrysalis presented her choices.
"Poor poor Rainbow Dash. The first option is to use a provided device to break both of Rainbow Dash's wings, and I don't mean just a minor fracture, dear. I mean until the bone in each wing is broken in two!" Chrysalis stated.
Both Starlight and Rainbow jumped at the sound of the first option, seeing it was a much more horrid action than what Twilight had to endure. Could Rainbow Dash even handle that much pain? Starlight realized that if she were to choose to break Rainbow's wings, keeping her calm enough to avoid her life meter filling to the top was going to almost impossible.
"The last two options are the same, as will they be with each round," confirmed Chrysalis. "You have thirty seconds to decide."
The timer started again, and Starlight quickly went over her options. The choice was to either rid Rainbow of her wings; the ONE thing that made her a pegasus in the most violent way possible, allow fate to decide somepony's death, or sacrifice herself to save all seven of them. She pondered over her third option heavily, wondering if it was the best option. She wasn't anything special, just the protege of a now-broken princess. She reached her hoof outward to the third lever, ready to end it all, until suddenly a thought came over her.
Even if she decided the third option, more than likely, it would cause her friends to act in disagreement, causing their meters to fill and kill all seven of them in one fell swoop. Starlight had finally realized that Chrysalis had trapped her, and no matter what, somepony was either going to be tortured severely or die in the end. She had two choices; torture or death. She pulled the first lever, not wanting fate to decide her friends' fates.
Rainbow Dash didn't cry, just breathed heavily with anger, as Starlight made her way into the room once more, noticing a bat covered in sharp nails appear next to Rainbow from a flash of changeling magic. Rainbow started to sweat massively, knowing what was coming, just unaware of the pain she'd endure. As Starlight gripped the bat with her magic, and levitated it into her hooves, Rainbow started to struggle violently, causing her life meter to fill just a little.
"Please! Don't do it, Starlight!" pleaded Rainbow. "Remember that time that we chillaxed together on top of Twilight's castle... Remember that Starlight?! We were happy, respectful, and-AAAHHHHHH!!!"
Rainbow didn't have time to finish her sentence, and was immediately engulfed in severe pain, as her left wing was struck violently by Starlight's bat. The nails dug deep into the wing stem, striking the thick bone with a force that Rainbow couldn't even describe. Even more pain ensued as Starlight pulled the bat out of the wing with massive force. Rainbow screamed in pain, causing her life meter to immediately rise at a rapid pace. Starlight acted immediately in Rainbow's defense.
"Rainbow, stop screaming or you'll be sucked dry of all your life!" pleaded Starlight.
Rainbow stared angrily at Starlight. Her anger was not directed at Starlight, mainly at one who had stuck her into this game of madness in the first place. Rainbow gritted her teeth, as Starlight raised the bat once again, and struck the wing stem once again with violent force. The pegasus bit her lip, attempting not to scream from the severe pain that Starlight had forced upon her, and only grew, as she felt her wing start to fracture. Starlight pulled the bat out of the wing stem once more, and with one final strike of mighty force, the bone finally gave into the blows.
The wing stem broke in two, causing a loud crack to erupt among the room, as Rainbow Dash fell to tears from the bone snapping. She attempted hold back her screams, biting her lip so hard that it had begun to bleed. One wing down, one to go. Starlight knew that, as she came into full perspective of Rainbow's right wing. Tears filled Rainbow's eyes, as once again, Starlight struck the right wing stem with massive force. Blood covered the bat and nails, as Starlight pulled the bat out of the wing stem, proceeding to another violent hit to Rainbow's right wing stem.
Starlight could tell that Rainbow was close to breaking, as she pulled the bat out again, and prepared for yet another strike. Rainbow stared in horror, as the bat made contact once again, feeling the nails strike some nerves and dig into the bone. At this point, Rainbow was begging for mercy, feeling her wing stem slowly begin to give into the blows. Starlight pulled the bat out once again, and with full force, struck the wing again. Rainbow couldn't take it anymore, feeling her bone crack violently, but not into two separate bones. The pain was too much, letting out her screams of pain and suffering.
Before Starlight could even make an attempt to calm Rainbow, her life meter was filled with every bit of her lifeforce. Rainbow's screams silenced, and her body fell to nothing but an empty shell. Starlight stared in fear at her lifeless friend, feeling a strong toll strike her entire body. Suddenly, Starlight along with the others became surprised, noticing her limbs being freed of the restraints that held her to the demented machine. Starlight was confused, but quickly became aware, as she saw the seat Rainbow was seated in convert into a grinding machine.
The platform below Rainbow's rump had opened itself, only to reveal sharp blades, rotating at a rapid pace. In an instant, Rainbow's body immediately started to descend into the blades, causing blood to splatter onto Starlight's face and body. She watched in horror, as her friend was quickly grinded into nothing but muck from her flank, all the way to her head. All of Starlight's friends became afraid, hearing the gushing sound of Rainbow's body being turned to nothing but grinded pony, causing their life meters to rise a little. However, they quickly calmed to where they were just calm enough for their meters not to catch anything.
Rainbow was gone in seconds, as Starlight stared in horror at the bloodsoaked seat that Rainbow had once sat in. She wanted to cry, but knew that this wasn't probably the last time she'd see a friend die. Chrysalis had prepared this game with every one of her bases covered, and if this was only the beginning, what was coming in the next five spins?
"Looks like the best flier in Equestria couldn't handle the pain," stated Chrysalis. "Such a shame, especially for her team of elite fliers. Looks like they will have to find a new top flier. Now, let's move on, Starlight."
Starlight obeyed, and exited the room to begin the third round of what she hoped was just a nightmare. This was no nightmare, and even Starlight already knew that, as she sat down once again, staring at the bloodsoaked seat through the glass where her friend, Rainbow Dash had once sat, but was now gone, forever.
Wiping tears away, Starlight didn't hesitate and pressed the SPIN button once again, knowing that there was no escape. In her mind, all she hoped was that the end results of her choices wouldn't lead to her friends hating her. One had already died a gruesome death, and she couldn't even fathom what other choices awaited her. At this point, she didn't know what to expect in the remaining spins, as the wheel came to a slow stop once more. Fluttershy was its choice.
Fluttershy shuddered in her seat at the sudden realization of her being the next victim of Chrysalis's game of sweet revenge. Starlight had to hold herself together, knowing that whatever she chose here, was going to be difficult to decide.
"Ah, the Element of Kindness. The most sweet, kind, and...
Chrysalis gagged from her own words, being a creature of cruelty and pure evil.
"You ponies make me sick with your sweetness, caring, AND YOUR WEAK, USELESS, AND PATHETIC FRIENDSHIP!" exclaimed Chrysalis. "Which is why I have a SPECIAL punishment for Element of EVERYTHING I DESPISE!"
Chrysalis's voice shook the entire room, as she continued onward with Starlight's choice over the other two.
"Your first option, is to cut the pegasus's tongue off, seeing her special talent involves being able to communicate with her animals," clarified Chrysalis. "As for your other options, you already know your choices. Thirty seconds, Starlight Glimmer. Choose wisely."
The timer started, and Starlight quickly resorted to her choices, immediately forgetting about choosing the third option. Two choices remained; take away the one thing that allowed Fluttershy to communicate with animals or allow fate to decide. She had to choose carefully, noticing Fluttershy staring at her with sad eyes, immediately causing her heart to sink. Fluttershy's stare was always convincing, and impacted Starlight massively. Her hoof wanted to reach for the first lever, seeing it was clearly the better choice in her situation, but Fluttershy's stare was making her think twice.
Starlight's hoof continued to shuffle back and forth between the first and second lever, noticing her time limit narrowing down to it's final seconds. Starlight was conflicted, and as much as she didn't want to resort to this option, Starlight couldn't beat Fluttershy's stare. She pulled the second switch.
"Well, well. I can see that kindness was too hard for you to harm," stated Chrysalis. "How... PATHETIC! No matter. It's not me choosing to play Equestria Roulette with the lives of my dear friends!"
Chrysalis laughed, as the wheel began to spin again. Starlight's friends had started to panic a little, causing their life meters to rise a little, but not to where it was high enough to kill somepony. Starlight hoped and prayed for the wheel to land on Rainbow's seat, seeing nopony would be killed terribly, and she would dodge a bullet. She had a one-out-of-seven chance, as the wheel came a slow stop, and Starlight could see that Rainbow's slot was very close to the zone where it needed to stop. Starlight bit her hoof, watching the wheel come a near-complete stop. She couldn't watch, as the empty seat entered the targeted zone, and prayed for it to stop. It didn't.
The empty seat slithered past the target zone, and came to a halt with Trixie Lulamoon as its decision. Starlight froze in fear, as she stared at her terrified friend through the glass. Trixie stared at Starlight with wide eyes, as the countdown to her death began. A robotic arm emerged from the bottom compartment of Trixie's seat, a spinning saw blade attached to the end of it. Trixie stared in fear, as the saw lunged into her face, cutting into the center of her upper head.
"Starlight! SAVE ME!" screamed Trixie.
Trixie's screams were quickly silenced, as the blade cut past her flesh and into her skull. Her entire body convulsed, as the blade shredded through the mare's entire head, until it managed to shred all the way through Trixie's head. Blood splattered everywhere, and into everypony's mane, along with skull fragments and brain matter, as the saw blade continued to cut all the way down the center of Trixie entire body. By the time the saw had finished it's work, Trixie's entire body had been shredded in two.
The entire device was covered in blood splatter and other pieces of matter, as the saw blade seized spinning, and retreated into it's original compartment. Starlight stared through the glass, feeling sick. She had just chosen to rely on chance, but instead, it had gotten her best friend killed horribly. The sight of Trixie's remains traumatized Starlight, as she finally gave into the sickness that had plagued her since the first spin. Starlight vomited all over herself, hearing Chrysalis laugh in the darkness.
"Looks like you'll have to find another best friend, dear," taunted Chrysalis. "Luck was not on your side this time, and neither was fate. I saw right through your hope, and for just a second I really thought that some guardian angel had prevented yet another death, but no. Instead your plan backfired, and now you are the cause of two of your friends' deaths. Thank you for a great show, dear! I never thought it would be this fun to see you broken, and yet we have four more spins to go, before your worst nightmare is over! LET THE NIGHTMARE CONTINUE!"
Chrysalis laughed, causing Starlight to become angry. There was no way out of this nightmare, and the choices were only going to increase. Starlight sat helplessly, as she commenced to spinning the wheel for the fourth time. At this point, Starlight was already broken beyond repair. She pressed the SPIN button once again, and just like before, the wheel proceeded to spinning. She had caught onto what Chrysalis had intended to force Starlight to do as the first options, based off of what she had said about Fluttershy.
The punishments were related to the chosen pony's destiny, and each punishment involved malevolent acts designed to take away whatever made that pony unique. Twilight's cutie mark; the one mark that signified her as a pony of magical properties, beyond the average unicorn. Rainbow Dash's wings; the parts of her that allowed her to perform her first Sonic Rainboom and fly at speeds beyond the average pegasus. Fluttershy's tongue; the thing that allowed her to talk to animals, while her eyes... her eyes... Starlight shivered, knowing what Fluttershy's second punishment would be, if she were chosen again.
The wheel came to a stop once again, this time with Applejack as its choice.
"The Element of Honesty herself. Well, let's see what I have chosen for Ponyville's most reliable and productive civilian," Chrysalis spoke in a mighty voice. "How lovely. How lovely indeed!"
Starlight gulped from the tone of Chrysalis's voice, knowing that whatever she had chosen for Applejack was possibly the worst punishment out of all she had done to her friends.' Without a doubt, her suspicions were correct.
"Your first option, is to sever the farm pony's limbs with a machete I will provide you," Chrysalis confirmed with a sinister laugh. "You already know your other options by now, so no need for me to repeat myself. Choose wisely, Starlight Glimmer! Thirty seconds!"
The timer started again, and Starlight felt as if she were going to pass out, considering her choices. She either had to rely on chance again, her odds not being any better than before, or she would have to break Applejack of her limbs. Starlight had already understood why Chrysalis had chosen Applejack's punishment as it was; Applejack limbs were what she relied on most to do almost everything, but she relied mostly on her back hooves to buck the apple trees of Sweet Apple Acres. Without them, she would remain immobile for the rest of her life. Not even prosthetic limbs could do what the hooves she was born with could.
Starlight had no idea what to choose. It was either assured death or breaking Applejack, and even though the obvious choice seemed the right one, Starlight's hoof shuffled back and forth between the first and second lever, just like with Fluttershy. She felt tears form in her eyes, until a voice erupted from behind the glass.
"Choose me, Starlight," protested Applejack in a low sad tone. "Don't let another pony die! Choose me!"
Starlight's time was running out, as she stared at Applejack through the glass. She had to choose, and Applejack had even given her assurance to do the unthinkable to her limbs. Starlight cried, as she finally pulled the first lever. Chrysalis laughed, as Starlight stood up, having no other choice but to obey. She couldn't run, hide, or escape.
"A much-sinister choice! I never thought somepony as weak as you would choose such a unthinkable act of malevolence!" Chrysalis stated with joy and darkness within her voice. "I bet that Applejack will regret her words once she feels the pain of the blade breaking through her limbs!"
Starlight proceeded into the room, where she rounded around the device, until she stood before Applejack. In a flash of Changeling magic, a machete appeared before the farm pony. Starlight gripped the weapon with her magic, watching as Applejack braced herself for the worst. Starlight took careful aim at the joints, hoping not to strike the bone. She just wanted to get this game of vengeance and sinister acts done and over with, so with as much strength as she could muster, Starlight swung the machete forward into Applejack's left front hoof first.
The blade struck where she wanted it to hit, watching as Applejack did her best to hold back her agonizing screams. The blade had dug deep into the left front shoulder joint, but not all the way through. It was clear that Chrysalis had intentionally gave Starlight a dull blade, meaning it was going to take multiple swings to break all the way through.
"Applejack, stay strong," spoke Starlight. "It's going to take multiple swings."
Applejack nodded her head, as Starlight pulled the blade from Applejack's shoulder joint. All that followed was blood. Blood leaked violently from the open laceration, considering Applejack's heart rate being rapid in this situation. Starlight had to not only keep her friend from screaming from the pain, but also keep her from bleeding to death. With another hard swing, the machete blade entered the open shoulder wound again. This time the force of the swing was powerful enough to break through the limb, causing Applejack's eyes to fill with tears and her eyes to become bloodshot.
Starlight could tell that Applejack was putting every bit of her strength into her top row of front teeth, biting down on her bottom lip with massive force. Out of anypony here, Applejack was probably the most tolerable to severe pain, which was a plus for Starlight. The others were quiet, knowing the danger if they were to do anything. Starlight proceeded to Applejack's front-right leg, making sure to take careful aim before swinging. Chrysalis suddenly interrupted.
"UGH! That's it, Starlight Glimmer!" exclaimed Chrysalis. "No more procrastination! You have thirty seconds to complete the task, before the I decide to kill the farm pony myself!"
The timer suddenly started, and Starlight quick fell to a panic, knowing Chrysalis wasn't going to spare her any chance to recover from the impacts she gained from the punishments. Starlight stared at Applejack, gripping the blade in her magic.
"Twenty seconds!" confirmed Chrysalis.
Knowing time was not on her side, Starlight didn't hold up. She thrusted the blade into Applejack's right-front shoulder blade at a more rapid pace. She groaned with sadness with each thrust of the machete, missing the targeted joint multiple times, and hitting just to left or right of the shoulder joint instead. Applejack was somehow managing to hold her screams back, as Starlight finally managed to sever the right-front leg.
Applejack had two massive streams of tears down her face, as Starlight proceeded to Applejack's back legs. Not even thinking about the time she had left, Starlight violently threw the blade into Applejack's right-back leg joint, not holding up on her number of swings. She cried as she continued the throw the blade into the leg joint, severing it after over twenty rapid thrusts.
"Ten seconds!" assured Chrysalis.
Starlight didn't waste time and threw the blade into Applejack's last limb rapidly. Blood flew into her face, as she continued to perform what seemed like an endless nightmare. Applejack was barely hanging on, as Starlight continued to strike the limb over and over, the dull blade making her task difficult to complete.
"3, 2, 1...
Just before the final second ended, Applejack's final leg was severed clean from the joint. By the end of the task, Starlight's entire face and body was covered in splats of Applejack's blood, and the farm pony's seat had become a bloodbath. Blood seeped from Applejack's shoulder and leg joints rapidly, and her entire body had fallen a much more pale tan color. Applejack continued to fight back the screams, as Starlight fell to her knees and continued to cry, feeling like a monster for what she just did. Starlight wiped her tears, feeling weak and sick. She struggled to walk straight, as she exited the room, unsure if she could continue this game of horrors.
The troubled mare took a seat, staring at a limbless Applejack through the glass. Her entire body shook with fear, sadness, and anger. Her head had begun to spin, unsure if she could continue onward. Chrysalis had already managed to break her, and deep in the darkest depths of her mind, she wondered if the third option was the best thing to do. Could she go on in life normally if she managed to survive? What about the others? She had already killed two of them, and the only victim who had not been harmed that was chosen, was Fluttershy. Even though she had not been harmed, the events of this would plague her mind for the rest of her days. It was clear, nopony was going to make it out the same as they had been when they arrived.
It had hit Starlight like a ton of bricks. No matter what happened. No matter how this ended. She would never look at life or friendship the same way ever again. Twilight would no longer be able to do magic like she used to. Fluttershy; Equestria's most timid and caring pegasus would be traumatized, and Applejack would remain unable to buck apple trees ever again. Who else was going to die or lose everything? Who else HAD to die or lose everything?
Starlight knew what she had to do.
"Well, go on, Starlight!" commanded Chrysalis. "Spin the wheel again, just so you can decide if one shall live and be punished horribly, or if one shall be chosen randomly! GO ON! DO IT!"
Starlight gritted her teeth, as she proceeded to spinning the wheel for the fifth time. The entire time it spun, Starlight knew what her choice would be this time. It didn't matter who it landed on. It was the choice that Chrysalis had wanted all along, and eventually knew that Starlight would be forced to do it. Chrysalis had planned this out perfectly, and knew what the outcome would be, before her game of vengeance even began. Starlight took a deep breath, as the wheel stopped, Pinkie Pie was its choice.
"Ah, the Element of Laughter," spoke Chrysalis. "Your first option, is...
Chrysalis was interrupted by the sound of a lever being pulled, this time, it was the third lever that was pulled. Chrysalis just laughed at Starlight's choice, as Starlight said something unexpected.
"You win," stated Starlight in a raspy voice.
No other words escaped Starlight's mouth, as she proceeded into the room, staring at the slot that had been saved for her. As expected, everypony proceeded to objecting to Starlight's decision.
"Starlight, you don't have to do this! This is morbid!" objected Twilight.
"Who's going to help me bake at Sugarcube Corner!?" asked Pinkie, starting to cry.
"Who's going to wear the dress I designed just for you?!" added Rarity, also beginning to cry.
"You don't have to sacrifice yur'self, sugarcube! Don't do this!" Applejack added.
"Please... no more death! Please!" Fluttershy pleaded.
Starlight immediately acted, noticing the life meters rising.
"Girls!" shouted Starlight, her voice echoing throughout the room. "Don't you see! If I continue to play Chrysalis's game, it's only going to end in either more death or relentless torture! I can't do that! I can't hurt you anymore! It's because of me that Rainbow and Trixie are dead! It's because of me that the only pony that was ever willing to take me in as a protege is now broken of all her special talents! It's because of me that Applejack will never buck a tree ever again!"
Starlight started to cry and breathe heavily, causing Twilight and the others to fall to silence. All five of them could tell that Starlight was being completely serious, and the cold truth was that she wasn't wrong about anything.
"I cant... I can't play games with the only ponies that care for me... I can't play chance with your lives. I can't do this anymore."
Twilight, along with the others started to understand. As much as they were not wanting to accept the truth, it was clear. Starlight's choice was the best one. It always was, from the very beginning. Nopony spoke, as Starlight proceeded to her final task, walking up a provided set of steps, and settling herself into the restraints within the opening. In the opening, there was two sets of restraints; one for around the mid-section of the body, and one for the back hooves, and at that moment, she knew her death was going to be slow and painful. As she heard the device start up for one last spin, Starlight spoke her final words to her friends.
"Whatever you do, don't scream. I'm sorry for everything," she spoke.
Before the wheel spun for the last time, Chrysalis spoke in her victory against Starlight.
"Goodbye, Starlight Glimmer!" concluded Chrysalis.
The wheel proceeded to spinning, as the restraints around Starlight's mid-section tightened around her to where she couldn't move. The lower section of the opening spun along with the device, while her upper body remained still. In an instant, Starlight's lower body spun, causing her entire body to twist, until it was ripped in two. Starlight's spine was quickly snapped clean into two, along with the rest of her body. She didn't scream, move, or let out any final breaths. The mare's death was almost sudden, as blood shot everywhere, both from the opening and Starlight's mouth, as the wheel continued to spin and twist Starlight's entire body.
Starlight was dead within seconds, as the wheel came to slow stop, and Starlight's entire upper body fell limp in the center of the device. Blood dripped violently from the mare's mouth, and nothing but the sound of her guts gushing, and her spine snapping were present within the room. Everypony was unaware of the severity of Starlight's death, until just as promised, all five of them were freed from their seats. Applejack hit the floor with a hard thud, being unable to support herself.
Rarity and Fluttershy rushed to help support Applejack, due to them being in the best conditions. Once all five were stable enough, all five of them turned that they saw their beloved friend, mangled to death in the center slot of the machine. The impact of Starlight's death immediately resulted to everypony crying. Everypony hung their heads at the disturbing and tragic sight of their once-friend, Starlight Glimmer covered in her own blood, hanging limp in death.
"Such a shame for your friend to die such a gruesome way, but more love for us," stated Chrysalis. "As promised, you are all free to go. Enjoy the rest of your pathetic lives!"
Twilight's anger was through the roof, as she spoke out to Chrysalis.
"Wait until I contact Celestia about what you've done! You will be sorry you ever did this!" threatened Twilight.
Chrysalis just laughed, surprising Twilight.
"What's so funny?!" she spoke angrily.
"Did your really think that I wasn't prepared for you to go to your sun princess?!" stated Chrysalis. "If you EVEN DARE to go to Celestia or speak to anypony about what happened here, a death spell that I cursed upon all of you, prior to the events you just experienced will be triggered. The spell will kill you immediately if you even try. Oh, and don't even try to lift the curse, because this curse can only be lifted by a Changeling of my magnitude, so not even Thorax can help you!"
Twilight along with the others were silent, knowing that Chrysalis had made sure to cover every single possible escape. There was no way to serve justice to Starlight, and she had sacrificed herself to save all of them. She deserved justice, but would never get it. Chrysalis had won, gotten her vengeance, and would continue to hide in the shadows, never to be convicted of the horrible acts she had forced Starlight to perform.
"Now, please exit out of the back of the room, ponies," spoke Chrysalis. "As for me, I have some pony love to collect and harvest."
Chrysalis laughed at her victory, as Twilight and the others took their leave, never to speak of this place or the events that took place in it ever again.