Author's Note

Hey y'all!

Long time fan, first MLP fanfic, and it's a sequel to MagpiePony's epic horror piece "The Friendship Test", so please go support their awesome writing!

Please note: I asked for Magpie's permission to write this sequel, and it was given as long as I credited them as the original author.

This was part passion project, part therapy session, as writing the intense scenes within aided in getting some stuff out of my head and therefore benefited my mental health. Obviously, things are going to get messy in this story, so be warned! This fic is not for the squeamish or faint of heart!

On that note, enjoy the insanity of my brain!

Abduction

Starlight Glimmer chuckled to herself as she entered her home and shut the door behind her. It had been a year since her Friendship Test and thinking about it still brought a smile to her face and a giggle to her lips. Not only did she prove that the magic of friendship was little more than mindless fluff, but she also got some well-earned revenge on the five pony victims. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and the oh-so-special Twilight Sparkle all got to experience first hoof just how pointless their friendship was to their abilities. Moreover, the one survivor – Rarity – seemingly went back to her career as a fashion designer without so much as a second thought. It shouldn’t have been that surprising though, given how quickly she opted to brand Twilight in the kindness test, or how willingly she threw Fluttershy under the bus during the final test of honesty.

So much for her not being able to go on without her ‘friends’… Starlight thought to herself.

She set down her saddlebags and retrieved a magazine from it. Within the pages was yet another article about Rarity’s latest clothing line. Starlight suspected that the Friendship Test must have at least humbled the fashionista unicorn – pre-test, any article about her new collection would’ve been accompanied by a photoshoot and interview, resulting in her face being plastered across the pages. These days there were no photos of the designer, and no interview either; just the inclusion of a pre-written statement about the designs and what her inspirations were.

Despite her statement that Rarity could seek whatever punishment she saw fit for the deaths of her friends, Starlight noted that nothing had happened for a month, or two months, or three. Before she knew it, a year had passed and there had been no attempt on her freedom, or her life, so she was content to just enjoy herself. In fact, she’d just returned from a trip to the White Tail Woods with Trixie. She loved spending time with her blue mare friend, but after a week in the wilds with Trixie’s extroverted personality, Starlight needed some time to herself. She went into her bathroom and ran herself a nice hot bath.

Life in Ponyville had been very weird since five of the elemental ponies had gone missing. The mood in Equestria overall had been tainted by their disappearance, and the Princesses were working around the clock to keep peace and order, as new wielders for the elements of harmony had not been selected. Partly – she imagined – because they held onto the hope that they would be found safely, or perhaps because they refused to select new wielders until it was proven that the original wielders were no longer alive. Not that they would get such confirmation, Starlight had used an interdimensional spell to hide their bodies where only somepony of her magical ability could find them.

Once the tub was filled, she threw in a bath bomb, and lit a few candles.

Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed, and Starlight practically jumped out of her skin. She tried to calm her hyperventilated breathing as she eased herself into the soothing, hot waters. Starlight tried to ignore the storm, but it wasn’t easy. Though not a one to be afraid, generally speaking, she had a particular problem with thunderstorms; not because of the physical presence of thunder and lightning, but because it reminded her of the vicious fights her parents had when she was a filly. She vividly recalled hiding under her bed covers as they stomped their hooves, shouted loudly and attacked each other with their magic. Is it any wonder that her father was so doting and placative to her during the daytime? He was such a hypocrite. If he truly wanted to make her happy, he’d stop lashing out at her mother for working away from home when she was the main provider.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

She immediately sat up. It sounded like someone banging on her front door. Her horn ignited with turquoise as she magicked up a screen overlooking the outside of her home. She could see the rain, and the plants being knocked around in the wind, but there was no one at the door. Starlight shrugged. It was probably just rocks and debris being moved by the storm. She sank back into the bathtub. Although she didn’t like thunderstorms, she did enjoy the rain that accompanied them. She lay still, listening to the comforting sounds of the rain outside, interspersed with the small splashes of her movement in the tub.

SCREEEEEEEEEECH.

She sat up again, looking over at the window by the sink. She squinted. Was there always a long crack in the glass? Again, her horn lit up, combining a time spell with the screen spell, and rewinding a few seconds to see if somepony had walked by her window. But there was nothing there. Starlight dismissed the spells and once again put the disturbance down to the storm disturbing the sticks and pebbles on the ground.

TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP.

“WHAT NOW?” She snapped.

She heard a crackling noise, like the starting of a fire over kindling and coal and wondered what could be causing it. The door began to glow orange. She leapt out of the tub and readied her magic, fully prepared for whatever was coming for her… or so she thought.

The bathroom door creaked and groaned, and the room became much warmer than it had already been, as an enormous burnt orange pegasus burst through the door. He reared up threateningly and made a whinny that sounded like the bellowing roar of a dragon. His mouth was full of blood-stained fangs, his wings flapped furiously, creating a looming shadow over her. Starlight froze on the spot as his fiery eyes burned into her very soul. Before she could react, she felt his heavy back hooves crack into the side of her head. The last thing she saw was his razor-sharp teeth reaching out for her.