The Broken One

I waved my hand and the mess vanished from the floor and Twilight’s haunches. The purple unicorn’s breathing returned to normal as a certain blue mare trotted in with a guard on each side.

“Did Audrey send you two with her”, I asked and growled at them when they shook her heads. “Then why are you here? Fuck off.”

The two guards scrambled from the room as Dash trotted up to us and smiled sadly at me before she wrapped her forelegs and wings around me in a hug. I contentedly returned the hug and she kissed my cheek as she dropped to her hooves and asked how I was doing.

“I’ve been better but I’ve been worse”, I shrugged. “What’s up?”

“I just wanted to come see how you were”, she blushed lightly as her eyes flicked to Twilight.

“You were horny, weren’t you”, I whispered in her ear and she nodded sheepishly. “Go talk to Cindra. As long as she isn’t taking care of Aliya I don’t mind.”

She trotted off with a slight spring in her step and I turned to see Twilight narrowing her eyes at the retreating form of Rainbow Dash. She turned her eyes to me and stared.

“What”, I asked.

“What was that about”, she asked suspiciously.

“She wanted to fuck again”, I shrugged.

“Again”, she shrieked.

“Yeah, she used to join the three of us in the bedroom from time to time”, I smiled sadly.

“I see”, she whispered.

“What is it”, I asked when I saw her sadness.

“It’s nothing”, she sighed.

“Are you jealous?!”

“A little bit”, she quietly.

“There’s nothing to be jealous of.”

“How can you say that”, she asked incredulously.

“She’s after my dick, not my heart”, I scoffed.

The sound of a clearing throat from the other side of the room drew our attention to a concerned Dash. She shifted her hooves for a second as she gathered her thoughts.

“Twilight, can I speak to you for a second”, Dash asked sheepishly.

“How much did you hear”, I asked.

“I came in when Twilight admitted she was jealous”, the daredevil said quietly.

“Fuck this shit”, I said as I threw my hands up. “I’m out.”

“What”, Twilight asked nervously.

“This talk is between you two”, I laughed as I started walking away. “Audrey, do me a favor and take care of these two when they’re done talking.”

Shall I terminate?

“What the fuck”, I shouted. “No! Why is termination the first suggestion with you?”

I was designed with the strictest security protocols so it is only natural.

“Unless I tell you to terminate somepony don’t even suggest it”, I sighed.

Security protocols updated.

“Thank you.”

You’re welcome Prince Jackson.

“Jackson, were you just arguing with your castle”, Twilight asked in shock.

“Yes”, I replied before I walked from the room.

I heard the two begin a quiet discussion but I ignored what they were saying. I asked Audrey to summon Silver to the throne room and thanked her when she complied. I sat on my throne and waited for my guard captain to arrive. Within minutes he stood before me and saluted.

“How would you like to help me with a few experiments”, I smiled.

“Experiments, your Highness”, he asked nervously.

“Yes, experiments”, I grinned. “Have you heard of the Mirror Pool?”

“I have”, he replied nervously.

“Good”, I smiled. “Go clone yourself a couple times and bring them back here.”

“Yes your Highness”, he bowed but paused. “What are the clones for?”

“Experiments”, I smiled. “The idea popped into my head when I was doing other research.”

“You’re using me for a test subject?!”

“No”, I laughed and waved my hand at him. “I’m using your clones.”

“Y-yes your H-highness”, he stuttered before he left the throne room.

I smiled and leaned back in my throne and formed a fireball in my hand. I tossed it in the air and used my magic to float it around the room in intricate patterns. I was repeatedly dividing it into smaller fireballs when I was suddenly interrupted.

Prince Jackson, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash have requested to be led to your location. How shall I proceed?

“Bring them to me”, I sighed.

I returned to my fireballs as I waited and got an idea.

“Audrey, are you familiar with the contents of our library”, I asked as I scratched the black beard that had begun to grow on my face and neck.

I am intimately familiar with all aspects of these premises.

“Good”, I grinned. “Is there anything on making alcoholic beverages?”

There are five books about distillation in the library.

“You’ll have to show me where they are the next time I go to the library”, I nodded. “What’s Aliya up to?”

Princess Aliya is asleep in your bedchambers. Cindra is in the room with her.

“Thanks, Audrey.”

She was silent as I sat in the throne room and summoned my pouch of foalflower and a cigar from my chambers and proceeded to split the cigar and fill it with foalflower. I had just finished rolling it up and sealing it when Dash and Twilight stepped into the throne room and trotted up to me.

“Aw, yeah”, Dash laughed. “Fire that bad boy up!”

“Rainbow Dash”, Twilight gasped.

“Get over yourself”, I teased as I booped her nose. “It’s only a plant.”

“It’s an illegal substance”, she hissed.

“Special burger”, I grinned as I used one of my tiny fireballs to light the blunt.

“Pass it here next”, Twilight blushed.

“What the hay”, Dash asked in confusion.

“Don’t worry about it”, I coughed as I passed the blunt to Twilight. “It’s an inside joke between us.”

“Okay”, Dash shrugged as she accepted the offered blunt. “New batch?”

“Same clearing”, I replied as I shook my head.

“Tastes better than last time”, she coughed as she passed it back to me.

“I used a Mooban cigar”, I muttered as I held smoke in my lungs.

“That explains it”, the Pegasus nodded.

We finished the blunt in silence and they gasped in shock when I popped the still burning remains into my mouth and swallowed it whole. We sat and chatted for a while until I heard several pairs of hooves in the hallway.

“Ah, good”, I smiled as Silver and his clones entered the throne room.

“Your H-highness”, the original bowed. “I’ve c-cloned myself j-just like you asked.”

“Good”, I smiled. “Audrey, teleport the clones to the dungeons.”

“DO WHAT”, Twilight shouted as the clones disappeared.

“Research subjects”, I smiled as I dismissed Silver.

“I… gotta go”, Dash said nervously before she zipped from the room.

I sighed and turned to a visibly distraught Twilight. I motioned for her to follow me and we made our way to the dungeons. When I entered the dungeon it was to a cacophony of noise. The clones apparently were unhappy with their current situation.

“This is gonna be fun”, I grinned at Twilight as I stepped up to the first cell door.

The clone inside demanded to be released but I just laughed at him. I blasted him with a paralysis spell before I unlocked the door and dragged him out. Twilight began to protest but the glare I sent her way shut her up instantly. I dragged him over a grate and dropped him.

“I’ll be right back but make a small incision in his neck and just let him bleed out”, I sighed as I made my way toward the door.

“You want me to kill somepony”, she asked in disgust.

“How else am I supposed to figure out how to revive the dead?”

I walked out of the dungeons and hurried to my chambers. I found the books I was looking for and rushed back to the dungeons. When I entered I saw Twilight curled up on the floor crying near the dead clone.

“Twilight”, I called quietly as I sat the books on a table.

“So much blood”, she whimpered as she rubbed her bloody hooves together. “So much blood.”

I sat on the floor and gathered her into my arms. I whispered to her about the necessity for it in order to do our experiments. Eventually I got her calmed down and talked some sense into her. She sniffled and leaned away from me to look into my eyes.

“I’m okay”, she whispered in a haunted voice.

“Good”, I whispered before I kissed her forehead and squirmed out from under her.

I grabbed the books from the table and made my way toward the corpse. I looked over the incision she had made and noted the surgical precision of the cut which gave me a few ideas. I turned my thoughts back to the body before me and sent healing magic into the cut.

“Audrey, can you do audio recordings?”

Yes, Prince Jackson.

“Start recording”, I muttered. “Subject one, unicorn male, clone of Silver Lance. The subject has been dead for less than an hour. Healing magic closed the wound in his neck seamlessly. It would appear that healing magic works on the recently deceased. Attempting to use magic to replace the lost blood.”

I rested a hand on his bloody neck and poured pure magic into the corpse. I watched as golden magic raced through his veins but to my distress and Twilight’s revulsion the body began to decay almost instantly right before our eyes. In less than a minute every trace of the clone rotted away and fell through the grate.

“Fuck”, I growled. “First test was an utter failure. With no blood in the body to bond to the magic the tissues decayed almost instantly. I’ll try again tomorrow. End recording.”

“I’m sorry”, Twilight sniffed as she turned from me. “I don’t think I can do this.”

Prince Jackson, Princess Celestia is at the gates demanding an audience with you.

“Any clue what she wants?”

I do not, Prince Jackson. Shall I let her in?”

“NO TERM- oh, yeah, let her in”, I laughed.

“Let’s get out of here”, I smiled.

“Okay”, she mumbled quietly.

“Cheer up”, I said quietly as we made our way down the halls. “You’re helping bring somepony back from an early death.”

“I know”, she whispered. “It just feels wrong to kill somepony.”

“They’re clones”, I scoffed as I spotted my mother. “Hey mom!”

“Don’t hey mom me”, she growled as she stopped in front of us.

“What’s wrong”, I asked nonchalantly.

“I heard a rather disturbing rumor”, she replied.

“What rumor is that?”

“The word around Canterlot is that you have taken the Element of Loyalty into your bedchambers”, she said heatedly. “Is this true?”

“The only one in my bed is Cindra”, I scoffed.

“You deny having relations with Rainbow Dash”, she asked in near relief.

“Oh I didn’t say that”, I grinned earning a facehoof. “She has never slept in my bed.”

My mother sighed before rubbing her eyes.

“Well, fuck.”