My eyes open once more, only to be greeted by the sight of the Everfree Forest, and the feeling of darkness all around me. I'm still standing on the path, and am still relatively unharmed, aside from the fact that my wings are no longer attached to my body. Just like before, the pain is ever so slightly numbing, making it possible to continue moving forward without any real difficulty, and without much hesitation. However, the feeling of hopelessness is still present within my mind, as if something in the forest is continuously taunting me, whispering to me, telling me that there is no point to any of this, and that I will be better off dead.

The whispers continued to grow, eventually overtaking my thoughts and forcing me to hear it. "You are worthless" the voices spoke, filling my head with nothing but pure evil and despair. "You're not worth saving. You're just a filthy abomination. Everypony would be better off if you died." The voices were growing louder and more distorted, causing me to fall to the ground in pure agony. "Darkened Bliss, you are a demon, a monster. Your fate was sealed the moment you took your first breath. Your life has been nothing but a lie."

While still holding my hooves against my head in a pathetic attempt at blocking the voices from penetrating my mind, I was somehow able to force my way back onto all four hooves. I didn't want to listen to the voices anymore, and I didn't want to die. Not here, and not now. So, against the wishes of the voices within my head, I ran.

I ran faster than I have ever ran before, with the voices still taunting me. "Where are you going, Darkened Bliss? You are alone out here. There's no one around for miles. You are going to die here. Alone. Scared. Hopeless." The voices were now becoming unbearable. They were causing my mind to slowly fall apart. I couldn't take it. I couldn't stand to listen to another word, so in my insanity, I decided to take drastic measures to make sure they never had the chance to speak to me again.

After stopping dead in my tracks, and ignoring the pain from running, I lifted up my front hoof, and proceeded to bash it against the side of my head. I hit it over and over, with tears flowing down from my now swollen red eyes. The pain was unimaginable, and the voices only grew in intensity. I hit my head harder and harder, until blood started to stream down from the impact, and the voices slowly began to vanish into nothingness. After a minute of continuously beating my skull, the voices went silent. And it was once again peaceful. Quiet. Serene.

Except, there was a new problem that arose from my stupidity, or brilliance. My ears began to ring, and my vision began to blur. Soon enough, the ringing was replaced by complete silence, and I lost the ability to hear even my own screams. It was worth it, though. I'd gladly accept this disability over listening to the voices taunt me, and tell me to give in.

But now, the lack of hearing was only beginning to fuel my depression, causing my soul to fall into an empty void. The pain in my wings, as well as my throbbing headache, were almost overwhelming. But, I've already made it this far, haven't I? I've already proven them wrong! The forest, the monsters within the forest, the voices in my head. I'm still alive. Still breathing. Still fighting!

However, regardless of the will to continue surviving, I could feel that there was something sinister lurking behind my tail, waiting patiently to strike when my guard was at its weakest point.

"You're not done yet. Keep moving"

I nodded, knowing full well that these new voices were nothing like the other ones. These were calm and collective. Strong, yet also filled with compassion. I knew deep in my heart that they were trustworthy. That they were helping me. Guiding me. Keeping me safe. Helping me survive.

So I kept walking, only for a little while longer, just before everything came crashing down upon me, causing the ground to shake and tremble.

"What the..."

An earthquake, a major tremor. The sound of breaking rock and shifting dirt. All around me, the path was splitting apart, and separating the forest with cracks that lead right to the core of Equestria. Rocks were crumbling and falling down in the newly formed abyss. Trees began to topple over one another, crushing anything unfortunate enough to be stuck underneath them.

"It's all ending! I finally did it! I finally-"

And suddenly, another wave of trembling erupted from directly below me, shooting me up into the air, only for gravity to bring me back down again. My stomach slammed hard against the path, causing the wind to escape my lungs. While struggling to catch my breath, I was somehow able to lift my head up enough to see the largest tree of all. The Tree of Harmony. Except, instead of its glorious beauty shining throughout the land, it had caught on fire, burning rapidly.

"No. I don't believe this. This isn't real. None of this is real!"

Before I could react any further, another quake shook the entire forest, and the Tree of Harmony started to fall directly toward me. As if everything went perfectly according to plan, the burning branch depicting the element of Generosity landed directly onto me. Forcing the flames down around my wounded body, searing the flesh and sealing the fate of the broken and bruised pegasus pony with matted and charred wings. The wingless wonder was dead. Never to be heard from again. Not by Twilight Sparkle, nor Rainbow Dash. Not by Applejack or Fluttershy. Nor by Pinkie Pie, Rarity, or even Princess Luna herself. I am gone. Dead. Lost. Forgotten.

Goodbye world. Goodbye friends, family and loved ones.

Goodbye... everypony.

But did any of that even happen? No, no, no, no. I suppose not. It's all just a giant illusion. It's all in my head. None of what I experience is real. Nothing is real. And if nothing is real, surely that means that nothing matters, right? I can do anything! I can be anypony! I am no longer Darkened Bliss. No, not anymore. Now I shall be known as Lightened Bliss. An Alicorn of pure and absolute power. The ultimate form. The most beautiful mare in all of Equestria, with a horn that shines brightly into the sky. I am a god of good will, and all ponies will worship me. Nay, they shall bow down to me!

"Might I join you?"

Yes! Come closer! Come and bask in the glory that is I. Look into my eyes of wonder and perfection. I am beyond beauty and perfection. I am... perfectification.

"This is very unprofessional of you."

I agree, completely. Yet, I cannot help myself. I love the attention. I adore the praise. And best of all, I demand the worship. And all the world's ponies shall bow down to their princess of perfection, their new Goddess. I have finally achieved my true destiny. A destiny of which has eluded me for years. Ever since birth, in fact. Yes, yes...

"And I suppose you will take over Celestia's rule?"

Why, naturally. How could anypony be mad with such a flawless and beautiful Alicorn such as I to guide them throughout life? Celestia must be destroyed! Burned. Incinerated. Sent to a fiery grave where she belongs!

"So you wish for harm to come to the Princess, is that correct?"

Of course I do, you fool! Did I not say as much?! Bring the Sun Goddess forth! She must be punished. Severely! Bring her forth!

And lo, Celestia was brought to her knees by the power of which I have wielded. The power to control the very fabric of space and time itself. With just one thought, I will send this poor excuse for a Princess to the moon where she can rot until her very dying breath. Which will hopefully be soon. Very soon.

"Buck you"

Huh? What do you... How dare you! Guards, kill her!

"But of course, my Grace."

With that command, Celestia's guards stepped forward and proceeded to thrust their spears deep within Celestia's throat, cutting her arteries wide open for all to see, and causing a flood of dark crimson blood to ooze from the wound.

"Well done! That was marvelous! Simply spectacular!" I cheered loudly, causing quite the ruckus of noise throughout Canterlot. And when I mean Canterlot, I am referring to the newly remodeled castle. Oh yes, that reminds me. My first decree as the Ruler of Equestria is to change the name of this dreadful town. Let's see here, perhaps we can call it 'CanterDark.' That has a nice ring to it, I think.

So let it be written, so let it be done.

"Haha, oh my... Is this seriously happening? This is priceless..."

What do you mean by that, Celestia?

"Pfft... Ha! Really? This is what I get for trying to help?"

Help? I don't need help. I am a goddess! Surely you jest, dear fallen Celestia.

"Actually, this is a joke to me. However, it does bring some entertainment value to the table."

How dare you insult me? Your grace and ruler of Equestria! The punishment for insulting a Princess is-

"Insulting a Princess? Ha! That's not even remotely original. But still, I find this whole experience rather humorous."

"Enough! I will not tolerate another outburst. Guards!"

"... What? Guards? Uh, oh! Right."

I watched on as the guards moved into position, then swiftly turned around and launched their spears directly towards me. I stood perfectly still, watching carefully. Then, just as they were about to pierce my heart, I managed to catch both spears mid-air with ease. Without missing a beat, I tossed the spears aside, and lunged at the nearest guard. Before he was even able to react, my fangs had sunken themselves deep within his neck. He squirmed and squealed under the weight of my body as I pinned him to the ground, continuing to ravage the tender flesh around his jugular vein until it popped open, allowing the precious liquid to pour deep within the confines of my gaping maw.

Moments later, my victim was laying limp beneath me. I looked up to stare into the faces of the other two guards, who remained perfectly still as if frozen solid by ice magic. I snarled as my body tensed up, prepared to strike with another vicious assault.

The third guard managed to lift up his spear and jab it toward me, but I quickly leapt backwards to dodge the attack, landing behind him as I sank my teeth deep into his lower back. Within seconds, his spine snapped in two and he fell to the floor in pain, leaving only one remaining guard who was shaking in terror.

He raised his spear above his head and charged at me while yelling an array of expletives. Just as he drew near, however, I rolled between his legs, causing him to trip over me. In an instant, I pounced onto him from behind, and proceeded to rip open his chest cavity, revealing his internal organs before sinking my fangs into the soft and delicate tissue surrounding his heart, which soon ceased to beat entirely.

"That... Was surprisingly brutal."

Oh shut up, Celestia. Guards! Dispose of this waste immediately.

"Yes, your Highness."

The two guards that entered were merely illusions that I had conjured up with the simple blink of an eye. They effortlessly dragged the three carcasses away from my throne room, where they were to be burned outside the castle gates without the honor of a proper burial.

"Now that's just lazy writing right there. Seriously, how low can you sink?"

I don't understand what you mean, Celestia. Explain yourself! Tell me what is wrong with this scenario?

"Are you seriously asking me that? Please tell me you're joking."

Ugh... I can't seem to win with you today, Celestia. What have I done to deserve such criticism from you?

"Oh, you want the list now? Because I do believe we have plenty of time to go through all of them."

Yes, give me a list! Prove that you are capable of besting a goddess such as I. Prove to me that you are worthy of your status as a Princess.

"Alright then. Let's begin with number one: You murdered three Royal Guards without reason, nor justification."

Because they tried to attack me! Obviously you weren't paying attention, as usual.

"Number two: Your ego is so inflated that it rivals Discord himself."

Ridiculous! How dare you compare me to that chaotic freak!

"Three: Your hair colour is ugly."

My mane is gorgeous! What the hell are you smoking, Celestia?!

"Four: You keep calling me Celestia."

Well yeah, because that's your name!

"Five: None of this is real. You're still in the forest."

Real? What even is real, when you truly think about it? If I am real, and I can dream, does that not mean that my dream is real, too? Or is that just a figment of my imagination? But then, if I am real, does that not make my imagination real as well? So then, everything is real, right? Everything and anything, even the forest that I'm apparently still stuck within.

Stuck.

Inside.

The.

Forest.

...

Dreams. I hate dreams. They make no sense, and yet, they riddle my mind. They force their way into me. They turn me into stuff I never wanted to be. They control me. They defile me. They empower me. The destroy me.

I'm still on the path. I never left it. I never will leave it. It is my life, and I must learn to accept that. Unless, what if the path itself is also a mere figment of reality? A metaphorical abnormality of self representation?

No, the voices are returning.

Stop it, just stop it! Leave me alone!

"... this is bad... We need to..."

Shut up! Why won't you leave me alone!

"... I know what we can do... It may cost us..."

No! No more! I refuse!

"... You are forgiven."

What? What am I being forgiven for?

Suddenly, as if triggered by my reaction, a blinding white light burst throughout my field of view, engulfing everything around me. At first, this light appeared to be harmful, causing my head to throb, my sight to weaken, and my body to burn, only to suddenly become soft, pleasant. Calming even.

As my eyes adjusted to the newfound light, I realised that the trees and wildlife around me had vanished, leaving nothing behind but an endless sea of black, almost as if somepony had taken a pair of scissors to reality itself, slicing and cutting along its edges.

Before long, I noticed six distinct figures appear in the distance, each glowing brilliantly, radiantly. Though despite their incredible display of brightness, they didn't hurt to look at, or even focus on, which I did in order to see which ponies were present.

These ponies were none other than Twilight Sparkle and her friends, smiling back at me. Yet, there was something odd about them. They seemed to be entirely made up of a bright aura, which continued to radiate outwardly.

Even stranger, their cutie marks, manes, tails and overall coat colour were absent, though not entirely unseen. Every time any one of the six alicorns would move their body, I'd catch brief glimpses of colour forming beneath the ever-expanding whiteness around them. As if their bodies were merely composed of energy.

Yet, none of them appeared hostile in the least. Their faces showed nothing but compassion, understanding, and love.

"Come on, silly! It's time to go home now, silly filly." Said an angelic voice that I soon recognized as Pinkie Pie's, now extending a glowing hoof toward me. "We'll be waiting at the end of the road for you." She finished, before vanishing alongside the others.

However, just after she had disappeared, a large wooden gate manifested in the far off distance, appearing to be several feet wide, and many stories high, though still small compared to the environment around me.

I walked cautiously toward it, unsure if what I saw actually happened or if it was simply another hallucination or nightmare. And yet, somehow, I trusted it, as if it were all meant to occur.

As I neared the gate, I realised that the ground beneath me had been slowly inclining. Whether this was intentional, or not, it made getting closer rather easy. Although, once I had gotten close enough, I found myself having to crane my neck just to see the top of these wooden slabs.

Carved within these tall and imposing structures were the elements of harmony. One slab had the element of laughter engraved into its side. Another had loyalty, generosity, honesty, kindness, and finally, a deeply engraved slab with magic carved within.

Without any kind of hesitation, I placed my hooves upon the slab closest to me, the element of magic, and gave it a solid push, resulting in a loud creaking sound erupting from the gate's centre.

Once opened, I peered past the wooden structures and into a beautiful land filled with lush vegetation, including grass, flowers, and various assortments of plants scattered about the otherwise bright scenery.

Atop a massive hill sat Ponyville, just off in the distance. Standing just ahead of me, were six familiar looking ponies, each holding an object pertaining to the element they represent.

But just before I could walk inside the gate, they were gone. Everything had turned to darkness, and I found myself once again alone in the Everfree. But how alone can one truly be when they have the voices to keep them company?

Author's Note

Isn't insanity fun?