Shattered Equestria: Jagged Reflections

Shattered Equestria

Jagged Reflections

By

TheSleeplessOne

This story has been partially proofread and edited by Icarus720. A big thanks to him! Any additional errors should be pointed out in the comments section.

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Pinkie Pie - Chapter 9: The Secret of My Distress

Pinkie Pie bounded through the hallway humming to herself. In the back of her mind, she knew she was forgetting something important but what is more important than a party? Better yet, a party for a bunch of grumps who needed a touch of fun in their life.

Pinkie Pie’s impeccable memory meant she knew the Canterlot Castle inside and out. The way to the throne room was exactly as she remembered it.

She hadn’t gone far before seeing the second group of guards forming a ring in front of two large double doors. The guards stared ahead, unaware of Pink Pie’s approach.

Hmmm, I can’t have them ruining the super surprise. She thought, both hooves on her chin despite being on all fours. She had to get past those guards and the throne door. Something about the door caught her eye; it wasn’t fully shut! Never one to think she leaped into action, literally. Her body sprang forward with the weightless grace her unique abilities afforded her, but this time something was wrong. Halfway through her leap, a pulse of energy ripped through her body and the laws of physics took hold.

She fell, slamming into the ground with a loud crack. Her head rang from the impact and she couldn’t get to her hooves due to the pain. Pain? she thought. Pain was only something she felt when she was caught off guard, like with Big Mac, otherwise even falling to pieces was no problem for recovery. She tried to focus through the sensation but it disappeared as quickly as it began. So too did the energy that drove Pinkie Pie. She felt nothing. A cold emptiness with no purpose or direction filled her being. The original plan for a party was a distant memory in a sea of haze that blanketed her mind. The ache in her legs and the coldness of the floor pulled her back as the feeling faded. Her usual energy was still missing, but she struggled to her hooves. As everything came back into focus, she realized the guards had tightened the surrounding ring.

Fear was an unknown to the brazen Pinkie Pie. It shivered through her limbs and filled her features. A sudden urge to distance herself dominated her thoughts as her heart began to hammer in her chest. She realized the strange sound she’d been making was her own scream and bolted through the crack in the door. Hooves beat against the ground in pursuit and she ground her teeth at the agony of her legs. She could not stop. She would not stop.

Despite having little time to view her surroundings, she knew she was in the throne room. Her speed redoubled when she felt teeth brush her tail. Her breath came in gasps for the first time in forever and she scoured the room for an escape path. The entryway between the black and white thrones grabbed her attention, and she galloped at a breakneck pace towards it.

Her instincts took hold before her mind could catch up and she dove through the opening. Every breath was like fire, and her legs ached under the abuse she’d just put them through. What hurt most of all was her face from the impact on the marble floor. Her heart continued to hammer, making the blood pour from her snout over her mouth. Each gasp bought more of the copper taste as it coated her teeth and lips. Setting a foreleg under herself and pushing upward, she got to her hooves once again.

The light pouring into the narrow hallway dimmed as a conglomeration of shadows blocked it out. Pinkie Pie fought against the fear, turning around and seeing the guards standing right outside the opening. They pranced about nervously and their heads jerked around about in confusion. This new emotion drove her and what little resolve she had mustered crumbled. Her hooves moved slow and dragged against the floor as if stuck in the mud until her withers brushed cold stone. She yelped as she turned around to meet this new threat. But at that same moment, the feeling of fear faded, replaced by her normal excitement and enthusiasm for, well, everything. The good old Pinkie Pie’s thoughts came crashing in against her confusion and made things even worse.

I am such a silly filly. No reason to be afraid, my Granny Pie said so! Pinkie Pie thought while acclimating to her new surroundings. She brought a hoof up to her face to think up a new plan; the other guards had spoiled her original party location after all. She felt something wet and brought her hoof up for inspection. Bright red blood oozed down her hoof and she took a deep breath. Thats super weird! I’ve never bled before. The air struggled to enter her nostrils, and she realized up to this point she’d been breathing through her mouth. It was also suspicious that her nose was blocking her vision from the left side. She shrugged and snapped her muzzle back to straight with a comical Pop!

A long hallway loomed before her descending into darkness. Pinkie Pie’s love of exploring kicked in and she sauntered off deeper. She reasoned that there might be an even better “even more secreter” place to get this castle into a better mood.

Another of the strange waves slammed into her. She’d never questioned her ability to see in just about any condition, but the darkness crept into the edge of her vision before swallowing it entirely. Agony ripped through her face and blood ran down the back of her throat. The blood flow obstructed her ability to breathe through her nose and she opened her mouth with a gasp. The muscles in her barrel contracted causing a series of sharp coughs attempting to allow precious air into her lungs. Her body wracked itself until she could breathe again, the blood running down her throat now a trickle.

Her mind shot in every direction. These new sensations and the fear backing them dominated her unsheltered mind. What confused her most was everything about her kept flipping on and off like a light switch. Without her personality to protect her, she felt fragile and isolated. Her wild inclinations and scattered thoughts usually acted as a barrier to any negative thoughts or emotions. Without them a deeper fear took root inside her mind as her thoughts turned to her friends and why she hadn’t seen them. Scenarios played out and her imagination worked overtime. Pink hooves shook in silence and her barrel contracted in jagged rapid breaths.

Overcome with dizziness and pain, the thoughts continued to drift, reinforced by crushing darkness. The images of her mind came to life on the black canvas and she watched as each of her friends ran from some unseen foe and their shrieks echoed around her. Creativity had always been a gift to her friends but with no buffer it only allowed the images to become more extravagant. Alien worlds and creatures, harmless at first, flashed in the darkness before becoming troublesome foes for her imaginary friends. She went to scream out to them, but a bloody cough was all she could manage.

A few seconds later, the images faded as she regained her night sight. She could once again see the long stone hallway. The worries and fears receded, smothered by Pinkie Pie’s personality. They had left their mark however and doubts clawed at the back of her mind. The taste of blood was still fresh in her mouth and after a quick look, she realized she was far deeper in the tunnel than before.

Pinkie Pie’s stomach for adventure was almost full by this point. The terrible things her imagination had conceived fueled more rational thoughts like finding her friends, old and new. At least the pain had vanished, and she felt full of energy. She knew she was definitely lost at this point but this hallway limited her options. She took the only real option left; she trotted forward.

She reached a bend in the tunnel and the marble groaned as another wave blasted down the hallway. It hit Pinkie Pie full in the front and sent her skidding backward into the wall. The recurring fear didn’t accompany this wave but the pain in her nose did. It wasn’t as bad as before, but the stinging still brought tears to her eyes. Two drops of blood made their way out of her nostril to the floor. She could still see in the darkness but it was grainy and lacking color. Deep down the hallway, she could hear a crash, the sound echoing around her before fading in the distance.

Pinkie Pie thought, I hope it is not more of those grumpy guards. It’s strange but I don’t really think I’d enjoy having a party anymore. No sooner had the thought taken form she covered her mouth with her hoof. Something was wrong; she had never ever felt this way before. She never wanted to feel this way again! She pressed on down the hallway taking care because the light color of the walls made them hard to distinguish in her current condition. Being alone was the only thing she could reason would do this. She had to find her new friends to find her old friends. The lack of distracting thoughts seemed odd to her, but it added a clarity she had never experienced before. For the first time, she focused on one thing and only one thing.

BA-DUM. The hallway shook with the violence of a thrashing snake and knocked Pinkie Pie off her hooves. Bits of marble bounced off her flank and another wave drug her along the floor. She still hadn’t fully recovered from the last blast and the pain in her nose went from apparent to excruciating. She fought back tears and got back to her hooves. The wave threatened to break the stability she’d worked to achieve. Within moments, the effects of the wave dissipated and everything came back. Content that she was ok for now she took a final look around and moved forward. A sudden realization stopped her. She didn’t remember this hallway, and she’d been everywhere in Canterlot Castle. In fact, she’d spent plenty of time in the throne room with Celestia and Luna. Yes, the castle had new decorations and guards but the layout so far was the same. Time did not allow her to finish her train of thought.

BA-DUM. The sound ripped down the hallway, sending chunks of marble spraying like shrapnel. Pinkie Pie was lucky; the shrapnel hit her before the wave did and mostly bounced off her. A few smaller pieces wedged themselves into her chest, sinking in like they had hit the clay Twilight gave to fillies for playing. This wave sent Pinkie Pie spinning into the wall, causing her head to smash into the solid stone. Again, the full effects of the wave hadn’t taken hold and instead of a crack, a soft squeak came from inside her skull. Something was different this time. She still felt dizzy and her vision swam before blacking out entirely. Her consciousness wasn’t the only casualty; the energy ate at her very being, stripping it away. She was incapable of desires, cares, woes, or enthusiasm. The blackness surrounded her, clawing and pulling at her. It caressed her mind and there was no struggle as she sunk deeper. Unbidden thoughts flashed into being, some filled with the crazy wackiness that was Pinkie Pie, others of her friends and the good and bad times they shared.

A need welled inside her being. Longing for these foreign thoughts and images to become a reality. She couldn’t give up yet! Who would make them laugh? Who would cheer them up after a bad day? With a rush, the blackness dissipated and with it the numbness that had consumed her.

She became aware, aware of a loud crashing happening above her. Aware of a biting pain in her chest. Aware of the warmth and wetness she was laying in.

Her eyes fluttered open, and the ceiling came into view, if a bit fuzzy. The hallway was in poor shape with cracks running over the walls in every direction. It was a wonder it hadn’t collapsed with large chunks of the wall strewn about in front of her. She groaned and tried to stand but slipped in the sticky mess under her. When she hit the ground, she felt a burning pain shoot through her chest. Her eyes widened when she looked down to see the problem. Embedded in the front of her chest were several medium-sized shards of marble, the pink fur matted and red. A small puddle of blood lined her legs from her chest with a streak outwards where she had slipped. Each heartbeat made the puddle grow, and she felt weaker. Her conscious thoughts slowed, and the blackness was coming to reclaim her again.

Just before she passed out again her enthusiasm poured to the front of her psyche. With it came Pinkie Pie and everything that entailed. The pain in her nose and chest faded. The blood stopped flowing from the nasty openings. The marble shards fell one by one from her chest, leaving only a matted furry mess. She felt right as rain and hopped to her feet not even noticing the slippery blood when she landed. The effects of the wave faded to nothing and not a moment too soon for Pinkie Pie.

Whatever was making the loud rumble above her came to a halt and Pinkie Pie’s mind kicked into full gear. Her forelegs braced the floor and her body shook like a dog. Flecks of blood and debris flew from her mane with each twist. After a few more vigorous shakes, everything was back to normal. Her eyes scanned the rest of her for anything abnormal. Content that she was ok she moved on to her next agenda, finding her new friends.

Far down the hallway, a screaming voice reached Pinkie Pie’s ears. “I don’t care what Twilight thinks!” That was the only clue she needed to begin back down the hall at a breakneck pace. Her mind wondered: Twilight! But why was that pony screaming at her? Whatever is going on down there isn’t good and she needs me!

A large crack echoed down the hallway, followed by more screaming. “What have done, you stupid dragon? This is your fault!” This time Pinkie Pie recognized the voice like hers, or rather the pony that looked an awful lot like her. Before she could contemplate what it meant another wave rocked into her causing her small frame to slam into the wall. She bounced off the wall like a rubber ball and impacted from various directions making small ding noises. She shook the wave off before it affected her and landed expertly. The sound of an explosion overlapped the final ding and drew Pinkie Pie’s attention.

That sounded like my cannon! She thought as she checked her mane and found her cannon in the same place she left it. What exactly was going on with Twilight down the hallway? She charged down the hallway her hooves digging into the marble and sending more debris flying behind her wake. In the distance, she could see a bright light pouring from somewhere.

“You. Are. Ruining. Everything!” This time the queen’s voice was much closer. As she came up to the ruined doorway her hooves crunched on broken wood and marble. She leaned to look inside when another wave blew her backward. It only dragged her a few feet this time and Pinkie Pie hopped right back to the door. What she saw caused her mane to collapse in a heap.

Her mind barely registered the thunderous roar as it tore through the room.

*********

Spike’s mind woke to blackness. No, not blackness, his eyes were closed and body rigid. A strange sensation built in his chest and spread outwards throughout his body. It drowned out the previous feeling of hopelessness and replaced it with emptiness. He struggled to remember how he had gotten to this point but the sensation soothed each memory away. It lapped at his mind and ate away at his anger, his fear. Once those were subdued, it worked on what remained of his happiness, his hope, and even his yearning. As the last vestiges of yearning began to die away a fierce memory bubbled to the surface, Twilight.

“Twilight!” the thought roared to life in his mind. “I have to save her from… something?” He couldn’t remember what it was. A wave of agitation that wasn’t his own flowed over him and receded. It was getting harder and harder to hold on to her memory. Something was tugging at it and beginning to win.

Spike redoubled his efforts and the more he focused on her the less empty he felt. Twilight was all he had left, he couldn’t remember why this was but he knew it was true. He tried to remember something other than how she looked and another memory crept forward. He still couldn’t make out her image but he was tiny and making funny shapes on a scroll. Flashes of purple guided his tiny clawed hands into the proper arcs and loops for each symbol. He remembered frustration because the tools he was using weren’t meant for his kind but she was patient and didn’t berate or give up on him. He finally got it right and his vision became a purple blot from Twilight’s hug.

Feelings of warmth and love flooded inside and renewed her image in his memory. The nothingness weakened under the onslaught and a portion retreated into his chest. Instinct took over and time flowed for a single heartbeat somehow expelling that portion of nothingness. In that short time, he felt a hoof on his shoulder and then nothing.

While Spike could still feel the remnants of Twilight’s love, he could still feel nothing of himself. Assessment of the situation told him he had recovered an old memory of Twilight and that they were close. He still didn’t remember himself or what was going on, however. He thought about himself and unlike the pony form of Twilight; he saw scales. Another new thought accompanied this image; he was not a pony. “If I’m not a pony, then what am I…?” He worked through all the races he knew and the only one with scales were dragons. The mere thought of dragon and he knew it was true. “I am a dragon!”

What was just an outline grew to an image. He was looking at himself in a mirror, still tiny. The memory solidified and his thoughts at the time became his own. “Why do I look different?” The thought repeated itself through his lips. His younger self turned around and saw a concerned look on Twilight’s face. A clawed finger pointed in her direction and he uttered a different but just as heartbreaking question, “Why don’t I look like you?”

He remembered she took a bit to respond and even then her face looked uncertain. “Dragons look… different from ponies. We are a different species. You are classified under th- no, he won’t understand that.” Her hooves danced underneath her as she pondered what to say.

The softness in her eyes when she found her answer still calmed Spike even now. “You don’t have to look like me.” He heard her hooves striking the ground as she approached him. She placed her hoof squarely on his chest and told him, “All that matters about a pony or dragon is what is inside their hearts.”

Confidence welled inside him like that day. With the surge of feeling, time moved forward once more. Feelings of alarm rocked his body and a new sensation took hold. Pain… horrible pain wracked his arms and legs. Immense pressure felt like it was ripping them apart. Everything felt bigger and his insides churned as various muscles contracted and contorted. A single heartbeat and time did not stop. The energy surrounding his body crackled and gave off a single pulse. The release of energy brought with it a moment of relief before it surged again. New levels of pain accompanied the next wave of changes.

Spike’s body was growing. He could feel muscles and bone fighting against whatever was happening to him, rigid and locked in a constant battle. The scales along his limbs cracked and groaned against the pressure his body was exerting. He felt a tugging on his spine and the bones seemed to stretch, drowning out the pain in his limbs with waves of numbness and tingling.

A crashing noise filled his ears before his heart beat again. Once again the energy rose to his scales and ejected, relief flooding his limbs in response to the vacating energy. His relief was short lived because a burning sensation in his chest replaced the pain. He realized he hadn’t taken a breath once.

Panic rang in his mind and he struggled to open his mouth. No matter how hard to he tried it his body refused his commands and the burning sensation escalated. Panic drove momentum and his eyelids were the first thing to give way to his internal demand to move. Opening wide, only blobs of color and overbearing light filled his vision. He took a moment to revel in this small victory. His mind returned to the burning that continued to rage in his chest. That energy building on his scales did not release as it rose, no. It dove beneath his scales and surged into his chest and filling his lungs with its presence. This did little to quell the burning and only urged his panic to new heights.

His body took no heed of his current plight and plowed ahead full force. Dragon scales are tough, but the pressure tore them like paper. Exposed skin grew outward in a race against the scales that were now beginning to regenerate and multiply to cover his growing body. His skin writhed against the changes but his limbs remained rigid. The only part free of this paralysis was his lengthening tail. Its overgrown spade head smashed into the ground, leaving impressions with each strike.

What few colors Spike could make out in the blur began to clear. More of the energy coalesced into an inky black film that crept over each eye. An unnatural feeling of doom replaced the pain in his body as he lost his sight once again. More memories flashed through Spike’s mind. Small memories, mundane memories of day-to-day life, of interactions with the various ponies of Ponyville, as fresh as the day he’d made them flashed and dissolved into a sea of nothingness.

Coldness inched up from that sea, devouring first his legs and then his torso, and with each new memory he lost, it rose. He was helpless against this new onslaught. More memories came unbidden, important memories, causing waves that threatened to drown him. One such memory stuck out, the memory of Twilight and her friends being summoned to the castle. His heart seized in his chest with this memory. It was the last time he ever saw Twilight.

As with the other memories, it became difficult to make out the details, and the images melted away. He could feel himself sinking now, his body numb to the pain of all but that memory. The strange sea enclosed him completely, threatening to smother him and the memory. Just as he felt himself letting go a stubborn part of his mind screamed, “No!”

A sense of urgency filled his limbs with vigor and he noticed the emptiness seeping into his body. What was a silent assault met with thrashing and rising emotions. The small aspects of his life slammed back into his mind, rebuilding a part of who he was. Each memory made him more buoyant against the invading waters. Each memory restoring a piece of who he was. His head crested the water, a terrible memory and timely savior replacing his senses.

“I’m leaving for the castle, we all are,” Twilight said matter-of-factly her eyes leaving no room for argument.

Spike’s gaze shifted to the floor, where his feet kicked around aimlessly. “I want to help! What if the Princess sends you a message while you’re gone?”

Twilight measured her response to his words. She knew he was only trying to find an excuse to go with her. “Then, as my number one apprentice, you will need to handle it.” She brought her head down to his and nuzzled against him. “I’m counting on you, Spike. You are the closest link we have to the Princesses right now and if they return, then only you can tell them what is going on.”

The memory ended with the same pang of guilt he had felt since that day. Thoughts of cowardice accompanied the memory. At huddling in that library and gorging himself instead of taking action to find Twilight. A deep regret he could feel to the bottom of his core. His eyes widened, and he felt he had touched on something significant. The thought repeated in his mind, “Finding Twilight.”

A rush of recent events flew through his mind, settling on something more recent. An excursion to a castle. What castle? Canterlot Castle! Feelings of hope fluttered through him as more of the memories returned.

A swelling of confidence that seemed connected to a young white mare and some kind of creature. The white one appeared in earlier memories but he couldn’t seem to remember. Who was she? The memories surrounding her were downcast with loss. Blood accompanied terror. An eerie smile plastered on a lifeless face. He didn’t have to wait long until a name accompanied the pony, “Sweetie Belle.”

The name alone sent him deep below the icy waters. It clung and crawled across his skin as if alive. He felt a similar tug on his conciousness. The feeling of loss was overwhelming but a new feeling of rage accompanied it. It acted a shield against whatever was happening.

Images matched emotions as the events leading up to his discovery of her death played out in his mind. The anger inside him roiled against the one responsible for this tragedy. “Queen Pinkamena”, although the words were only in his head the surrounding mass echoed them back. Each utterance of her name brought with its grisly image of his friends’ fates. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity. The final image never came. Before the memory could even reintegrate with his mind, his body was trembling. Even he couldn’t tell whether it was anger or grief.

The maelstrom of emotion grew and as it did, the substance surrounding him ripped free from his body and pushed further and further away. He became vaguely aware of the cold stone beneath his feet. His vision returned but hidden images of Twilight’s fate was all he could see. Each flash was a new wound, a painful reminder of the truth.

An explosion rang out and his head snapped up in response, glimpsing Twilight’s carefree murderer. Her mere presence tipped the scales to fury. Any grief or sorrow he felt at her death was overwhelmed by a bestial rage that erupted around him. The strange emptiness he’d been fighting diminished and pulsed out as energy in response. A tiny amount remained near his heart but its presence was unnoticeable against the anger.

Only one thing mattered now, to stop this monster. To make her pay for what she did to Twilight. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he didn’t want to stop Queen Pinkamena. No, he wanted to punish her, to make her hurt. Short scenarios played out giving him a disturbing thrill. He felt a primal need, an urge, to fight her. To tear apart anyone who got in his way. These feelings gave rise to a strange hum.

Shivers ran down his body as the low vibration built volume in his ear. The noise grew to a rumble and his body trembled in sync. Waves rippled through the stone and it gnashed beneath him. His mouth twisted in agony as his body responded with more painful change, accelerating in response to his emotion. The need to breathe returned with a vengeance causing him to take back control of his body and gasp in a lungful of air.

It was at this moment everything froze. A small part of him knew it was wrong to feel this way. It was anathema to everything Twilight had worked so hard to teach him. That everyone deserves a chance to change and that everyone can be good. The small voice screamed in his mind to stop but Spike no longer cared. As anger turned to hate he let it consume him. His final thought amongst the chaos was, “I’m sorry Mom.”