That Face
[The following is a collection of letters found among the smoldering remains of the Golden Oaks Library, hours after the disappearance of Twilight Sparkle.]
Dear Princess Celestia,
I saw that face again today. This time was way more innocuous than the last - took me completely off guard. I was just minding my own business, not considering it in the last, not at all worried for my own well being, when wham! Right in the mirror. My disgusting, twisted visage.
It was more contorted this time, its mouth gaping far wider than any pony I’ve ever seen. Predictably, Spike, who had been following me around all day, just so happened to not be around when I saw it, so when he came running after my screams of terror and asked me what happened, I looked like a crazy pony after pointing in the mirror.
Since this has happened a total of three times now, I can start to confirm my fear that this was not a simple trick of the mind or mistake, but a genuine attempt at malice towards me. Spike believes me, of course, and so do the others - I think - but with no way to prove the entity’s existence to them, they feel…lost and disconnected from my issue.
My first thought, of course, was that this was some kind of a punishment. For what happened nine moons ago. Do such things even exist in Equestria? Truly, I think, the truth of karma being real has so many implications - not only on my own life, but in the lives of all the enemies me and my friends have saved Equestria from. Is this what they see? Is this how it is for them?
Either way, I deserve it.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I am having the hardest time writing, since I keep looking up and seeing those horrible eyes staring back at me. They have found a new home in the corners of my room, as well, so whenever I turn around, there they are. I don't like it here anymore, and I don't know where else to go.
At least now I understand why the others were so willing to leave me behind.
[There are a few drops of blood on this paper.]
Dear Princess Celestia,
I have done something so stupid, I wish I could take it back. What I’m seeing is ḑ̸̨̧̪̪̪̼͓͔̬̹͍̫́̿̉̿̎͐ȩ̷̺̱̘̤̫̳̼̙̜̌̽̔̾̔͗ͅa̸̢̛̞̗̣͕̤̙͎͓̝̱̗̰̯̠͚̥̤̠̞̥̍̐̃̒̔̇̀̽͂̃̍̏͌̾̉͛̉̆͒́͜ͅt̷̛̻̼̣̖͑̏̊͐̈́́͐͒̄̅̈́͂̈͠͝h̴͔̻̗̝̜̤͔̼͉̣̲̦̏͌̍͋͒̀̈́̾̈́̏̏̂͗̒̓̇̑̅͒̐͝͠͠ ̵̯̯͚̜̞̥͈̼̭̼͈̦̩̌̎̒̃́̿̂̒́̏̄͌͗̄͒̕͘͝ḯ̷̡͚̣͍̜̘̹̹͆̎̀̽̿̇̀̏͛̾́̍́̄̇̚̕̕͘͜͝͝n̶̼̺̞̥̪̅̊̈́̔̿͗̌̓̿͘͠c̴̟̈́̋͌́a̴̢̛͈͓̣̟̠͔̩̦̯̥̣̱̼̫͓̽̓̇̃̌͆͌͛̑̅̓̒̍̊̈́̉̎́̀̃͆͘̕r̴̢̧͉̩͖̦̘̞͖̹͈̰̘̱͈̩̣͇̟̩̘̐̄̏́̏̌͆́̈́͑̃̐̎̽̒̋̈́̏̆̄̚̕͜͠͠͝ͅṇ̴̛͋͠a̵͍̺͙̺̳̮̖̻͈͎̓̀̽̊̈́̆̈́̎͛̎͛̆̈̓̂̔̅͋̒͑̆̑͛͘͝t̸̛̛̯͌͗̊͐̃́̀̈́́͆̍̏͒̀̏͋͋̊̒̕e̵̢͔̱̥͚̝̳̖̱͖̪͉̫͉̠̙̊́̈́͑́̑͛͑͌̏̈͋̕͝͝,̵̨̛̪͖̜͙͈̥̬̬̫̗͑͐̍͗̃͗̎̈̽̉̃̕͝ ̶̧̫͕͕̭̯͕̬̹͈͙̈́͒̏̃͊̉͂̈͆͊͊̎̆̔̈͝͠t̶̡̡̡̢̧̧̛̮̦͙̤̜̦̜̜̟̣̺͚̺̘̔͆̊̇̌̾̀̏̊̌̀̓͗̉͑͌͘̕̕͝͝h̸̛̉͆͛̑͗̽́̈́̿̇̄̃̇̓̑̐̓̓̕͠͠͠ͅę̷̣̣̺̜̯̭̼̖͍̪͙͙͖̯̲͑́̽͌̃̇͗̄̍ ̶̢̢̢̨̛͈̻͙̖͔̜̟͔̼̥̖̻̯̥̹̝̘̥̬̫̱̄̏͆̕ͅl̸̡̧̺͇̥͔͎̙̳͍̲͇͈̝̱͕̝̪̙̀̆̈̒͘͝ḯ̵̡̬͍̝͖̲͗͊̔̅͗̈́̐̏͒̐̏͌̉͠v̵̨̧̢̡̻̩̞̗̯̤̱̺̯̭̖̐̌̊̑̈̀̄̅͊̌̾͝͝į̵̨̥̮̳̫̖͓̙̩̖͕͎̭̹͍̈͋͌̄̆̈́̋̐̍͗͆̔͛́̿͂̕̚n̶̨̨͍̘̹̰͍̹̯̤͎̜͖͛̓́̂͂̽̈́̓̾̀͂̿͛̈́̽͛͂͊͋͌̚͘͝͝͝͠g̴̣̀́̍̉͛̓͛̇̉͐̂ ̵̛̩͙̪̪̥̭͆̀̾̉̉̎͂͂̽̎͛̏͠͝f̶̢̡̢̢̢̬̳̺̰͈̹̥̳̼͉̘̮͙̤̭̝̤̥̱̗̾͆͛͑̓͆̅͋͑̉̀͑̐͑̑̕̚͝ȏ̶̢̨̹̩̘͖͔̺̬͙̠͓̤̟̪͕̞̬̫́̈̀̄̅̂̊̄̃̚͜r̴̡̛͔͍̥̺̳̳̝͕̰̲͎̼̣̪̝̠̖̥̳͊̅̈̈́̉̓̋̑̏̎̓̓̉̈́̈̚͜͝ͅͅͅm̵̨̛̪̦̗̪̦͙̙̻̝̱̬͍̯̝͔̹̩͗̿̆̌̇̀̐́̔͌̐͘͘͘͠͝͝͝͝͝͝͝ ̵̛̤̫̳̟̮͍̥͖̝̪̰͈̫͎̘̍͊̋͑̍o̵̢̢͖̳̲̭͕̤̯̘̜̲͓̬̺̤̅͆̉̾̉̂͒͋̀̾̀͗͘ͅf̴̢̨̢̛̦̭̗͎̩̠̟̟̖̞̗̪̗̤̪̪̠̲̩̬̃̈́̈́̑́͑́̈̇͝͝ ̷̡̛̛͖̻̺̯͖͍̫̞͎̙̟̽͆̂̏͜͠ḿ̵̨̟̃͐͆̿̃͘y̸̗̏̈̒̑̈͒͆̀̈̋͑̓̒̄̽̇̾͘̚͝͠ ̵̨̧̛̱͍͙̼͎̞̳̱̣͎̣͖͕̫͕̪̲̠̠̭͓͚̤̑̎̏̽͛̕s̴͙̱̲̩̰̙̭̘̩̘̈́ͅį̴̨̣̙͔̣̬̫̰̝̩͈͔̜̦̮͈͕̬͚̞̜͆͗͌͗̂͂̔́̈͋̓͋͝͝n̸͉̩̠͈͔̳̦̘̝̞̰̲͔͕̥̣̤͉͗͛̓̈́̀̊́̋̏̈̏̎̓̊̍̿̆͑̓͘̕̚͠ew that. If I did write down everything I've gone through in the past several days, I'd never find the strength to finish.
Celestia, please forgive me.
[There is significantly more blood on this paper, obscuring far more words.]
Dear Princess Celestia,
I must thank you once again for everything you have done for me here in Ponyville. Today, we had quite the experience with the buffalo and the Apploosans! Everypony learned quite a lot, but I learned to never judge a book by its cover, and always listen to all sides of a disagreement. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie had an even crazier time, though! Remind me to recall the entire story to you on my next visit.
[This letter curiously marks a return to normal, un blood-spilled notes.]
Dear Princess Celestia,
I am starting to wonder if any of this is real. I hear ponies talking about things on the news. Did we used to have news? Did we used to have…TV? When did I get a TV? Why do I even know what a TV…is?
Why am I married to Pinkie Pie?
Dear Princess Celestia,
You are not going to like what happens next.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I know that I’m no longer writing to you, Princess Celestia. Your sniveling little rat, Spike, finally let it slip that he’s been EATING these letters instead of sending them to you. I heard him say it after bending his arm in a direction arms don’t bend. Of course, it was only when I threatened to feed him his own teeth that he let the REAL truth slip - he’s not eating them, he’s STASHING THEM. Why? What’r’ye gonna do? Are you trying to pin me? Well, you won’t stop me. I’ll be stashing this latter with the rest of them.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I saw the face again. Please, please, help. I don’t want to do this anymore. I don’t want to play this game anymore. I’m tired, I’m lonely, my mind is almost always altered. I’m always just floating through life. Nothing is ever good, nothing is ever bad, and then suddenly out of nowhere this face shows up again. Was this you all along? Why did this happen to me?
How…many times has this happened to me?
Dear Princess Celestia,
This will be the last letter I write to you.
You were a good teacher to me, I won’t doubt that. But I have to seriously criticize you on your discipline tactics. I didn’t deserve any of this.
I’ve decided you are unfit for power, Celestia, and I’m going to overthrow you.
I’ve written these letters and placed them in a conspicuous place in my apartment, which I will set ablaze in the night and escape in the chaos, going to a secret location and biding my time. I’ve hidden these letters in some of the most obvious places imaginable, and written them in a way that conveys intrigue to slow readers down and buy more time. By the time whoever is reading this is reading it, I’m long gone, and now you know my whole plan and last words. I do apologize if harm comes to you because of this - that will depend on what happens next, of course - but if I do have to kill you, realize that it’s because of her.
Celestia.
She said what I did was a disgrace. She was right. But nothing - nopony - deserves a hell like this. If you want my advice, run. Run like your life depends on it. Equestria will fall before I let her sit another day in power.
[The final page simply contains an image - a horrific, twisted depiction of twilight, her mouth open wide to a disgusting degree, staring dead-eyed at the viewer.]