I hardly slept that night.

There was a knot in my stomach. My body felt weak, and I felt defeated. Have you ever felt that pain in your stomach, before school as a kid? That nervous feeling that you get, where you know it's going to be hell? That's what it felt like. I knew that the day would only bring pain, and that I would have to endure that pain no matter what. There was no other option.

Starlight awoke with a yawn, pulling herself away from the hooves of Twilight. As she sat up, she used both of her hooves to rub her eyes, another yawn coming forth from her mouth. With a shake of her head, she opened her eyes, to see me sitting on the wooden chair.

"Hey, Rex." She said, her voice neither happy nor sad. It felt dead.

"Hey, Starlight."

"You look dead tired. Are you okay?"

I chuckled softly at the question, before shaking my head. "Nah, i'm not. But, none of us are, so I ain't special. I can handle it."

I could tell Starlight wanted to say something, but she instead kept her mouth closed. She looked over to Twilight, before giving a slight smirk. "Should I let her keep sleeping, or should I wake her up?"

"Wake her up. If she isn't awake by the time Tar get's here, he'll wake her up himself. She's already got one scar on her face, I'd rather her not have another. I want her to stay somewhat intact." I said, to which Starlight nodded, lightly pushing her hoof on Twilight's side. Twilight moaned, giving off a sigh before opening her eyes.

"What...?"

"Time to get up, Twilight. It's a new day." Starlight said in as hopeful of a tone as she could manage. A tone that both Twilight and I could see right through. A tone that Starlight herself knew that we could see through. There was honestly no point in keeping hope.

Well, I should keep hope. I've got to get these two back home, don't I? If... it's even possible.

Twilight sat up, shaking her head and rubbing her eyes with her hooves, yawning as she did so. Almost exactly how Starlight did it. In fact, they shared alot of small similarities when it came to things. Even the way they ate sometimes. I chalked it up to... well, nothing, actually. I couldn't really put a finger on it.

Maybe I have to put a hoof on it? Heh.

"You up?" A voice called, which happened to be JO-11 as he opened the door. I stared at him for a moment, only to look back at the other two. I then looked back at him and shrugged.

"I don't know. What do you see?"

"I see three people ready to begin the day. In about five minutes we're going to be escorting you to another room. You'll understand once you're there. Tarbo will be waiting there for us, so he won't make introductions before we escort. Get yourselves ready." JO-11 said before exiting the room.

"You hear that? I guess I better take a shower." I jokingly said, which caused two glares to come from the two ponies that currently occupied the room with me. "What? Look, times are shitty. I can make a single joke, alright? Give me some slack, we all know we need it."

"I need a shower so badly... I still feel... sticky.." Starlight said, her face scrunching up in disgust as she closed her eyes. I had no doubt in my mind she was reliving that traumatic moment.

"I'd just like some lotion.. the scar is scabbing up, and it's getting really... bothersome." Twilight said, putting a hoof on the large scar that stretched across her face diagonally. It looked slightly better than it did before, but it was definitely going to be permanent. Unless they...

No, i'm not letting her take that pill.

"Just, prepare yourself guys. We don't know what they're going to do, so be ready for anything. But, most importantly, don't give in for my sake. I have a feeling they're going to use me against you."

It was the best warning I could currently give.

"I can't promise that fully Rex, and you know that." Twilight said, hopping off the bed. "I know what you'd do for me. If I weren't able to do the same, would I really be able to be called a friend of yours?"

I smiled. "As much as I'm happy to hear you say that, you're more special than I am. If you indulge in their requests, they'll use you for evil. I'd rather die, than have you two forced to do terrible things like what happened in the courtyard." I said, closing my eyes, remembering that graphic scene.

"What did happen in the courtyard anyways? You keep bringing it up, but you refuse to tell us."

"That's for good reason."

The door swung open, presenting JO-11. "Come on, let's go."

Five minutes my ass.

Canterlot

"How is this new 'failsafe' coming along, sister?"

"It's getting there. In the next four or so hours, we should have a finished product. It'll allow us to use magic no matter the circumstance. Without it, we'd be almost defenseless. We take magic for granted."

'You mean you take magic for granted? I've always realized its true power, dear sister. Even if you think so low of me, I do have standards. Unlike you."

Celestia groaned. "Sister, I thought we were done with this! You were fine earlier when I brought this new information to light, and now you're angry again? What is going on, sister?"

"You'd never understand. Nopony could understand. I've struggled more than anypony on this planet combined. And I continue to struggle while you watch blindly! You dare not even help your own family."

Celestia turned away from her sister. "Don't even go there, Luna. I tried to help you, but it seemed the only thing I could do to help you was to send you onto a rock for a thousand years. It seemed fitting, since you were always more obsessed with the night than real interaction. You have nopony but yourself to blame for that."

"I hope you know that once this is done, I'll be having a stern discussion with you, Tia. I'm done with your idiocy. I feel almost ashamed for having you as a sister."

Celestia never felt her heart burn so painfully.

"Sit." I was instructed by Tarbo himself, in a pure white room. Everything was... strange. The knot in my stomach only grew larger, knowing that what happened next would most likely prove to be painful. I took a seat in the odd looking chair, resting my arms on its sides. Suddenly, two metal bars clamped over my wrists. I looked down at them both, shaking my head. I knew it.

"You all have been very... annoying, as of late-" Tarbo said, eyeing me specifically. "You both possess a power that I want, that I need. I don't like going to the extreme, really, I don't, but you're forcing my hand here. I've extended the olive branch, and you've burned it. I'm ready to give you another one, but know that if you burn this one as well, there will be dire consequences."

Twilight and Starlight looked at eachother.

Please, god, don't let them-

"No." Twilight spoke. "No, I won't lend you my power. You've treated us as idiots, as slaves, and you expect us to hand it all over willingly? What you did to Starlight, what you did to Rex, and what you did to me is inexcusable. You burned the branch yourself."

Inside, you were happy that Twilight was finally standing up for herself. She wasn't timid, or weak like she used to be. Perhaps you were able to give her the tools she needed to finally break free of that shell of hers. Sadly, you knew what was going to come next. Your punishment, that is. You could almost throw-up at knowing what was going to happen.

"That's a shame. I was really hoping you would take it." Tarbo said with a smile. He motioned for JO-11 to come to his side. "Since you both have declined my offer, it'll be another punishment. Though, not exactly a punishment for the both of you. Well, actually, it depends on how you look at it. Either way, Rex will be our guinea pig today, once again."

I could see the fear in both Twilight and Starlight's eyes as they watched me. I gave a small nod to them.

"What do you want me to do?" JO-11 asked Tarbo in a polite tone.

Tarbo let a finger scratch at his chin. "Hmm.. I hadn't thought of that. We've already taken away half of his eyesight, and he's already missing a finger. Doing something too permanent might not be good. Perhaps another finger? No, that wouldn't make a difference. Oh, I know! JO-11, please, fetch the energy funnel."

JO-11 immediately went to the other side of the room, where many tables sat. It was all strange technology stuff that made absolutely no sense to me. He yanked a huge cord with a plug on the end that was connected to the wall, and handed it over to Tarbo, who nodded. "Thank you."

Tarbo held it in his hands, lifting it up for Starlight, Twilight, and I to all see. "This is exactly what the name implies. Energy is pushed through a funnel, and into this tube. You are supposed to attach it to someone's chest, to sustain a heartbeat. Like a defibrillator. However, if connected to the head-" He stuck the plug onto my head. "-and forced at high power, it can be quite... painful."

I wanted to puke again. "S-So what, you're going to fry my brain?"

"That depends on Starlight and Twilight here. Your life is within their... hooves."

I looked at them intensely. I wanted to live, but was I really the important person in this picture? There's plenty of good out in the world, it wouldn't make a difference if I didn't make it. I hoped that they wouldn't give in to Tarbo's devious plan, that they would instead look away and keep their mouths shut.

"JO-11, set it just over the max threshold, and start it."

"Yes sir."

Twilight stared at me with unmoving eyes, while Starlight stared at the floor as if it were the most interesting thing on the planet. Twilight's gaze was literally burning into me. It wasn't a look of fear, or anger, or even sadness. It was a blank stare. A dead stare.

The switch flipped.

In an instant, my body began to convulse. I screamed loudly in pain, my brain feeling like it was having the worst migraine it's ever had. My vision began to flash black and white, colors being distorted, and everything becoming wavy. My hands turned into fists as I tried to power my way through it, but it was already too much pain.

"More." I could hear feintly, to which the pain skyrocketed.

I was going to die.

Twilight's POV

We... stood there while he was dying.

I never saw someone be put through so much pain before. Rex's screams were painfully loud, and I could feel something climbing up to my chest. An overwhelming emotion that I hadn't felt on a level like this before. It was ready to burst at the seams, but I didn't know what it was.

"You have the power to stop this, both of you. You can either be selfish, or give your power to me. What will it be? Your friends life, or agreeing to my rules? It's not a hard choice, just make it quick. I don't think your friend will last much longer. We're already eighty percent over max. At the moment, his brain is suffering nearly at the point of no return. At one hundred percent over threshold, it'll be permanent damage each second that passes."

"Sir-" JO-11 spoke, "We're using too much power at the moment. It'll cause too much heat, and burst one of the batteries somewhere in the facility. Are we really willing to risk that? It'll cause a fi-"

"They're invaluable, JO-11. A battery, a couple of lives lost in a fire, are nothing compared to them."

I shook my head, staring at the floor. My emotions were becoming worse at the second. I tried to contain it.

"You can stop this, Twilight. In fact, you alone have the power to stop it. Dear Starlight doesn't seem as... how should I say it, important, compared to you. You're special. Your color, that beautiful shade of purple, is special in itself. You're one of the few important pieces in the universe. Recognize your potential. Recognize that you do deserve to be better than the rest." Tarbo spoke with a convincing tone. I wasn't going to fall for it, I knew how manipulative he could get. But, another word and I might-

"Turn it to 100%-"

I couldn't take it anymore. I screamed as loud as my lungs would let me, and the entire room was engulfed in a purple shockwave. All of the light's instantly turned off, and the tube that was connected to Rex's head stopped transferring energy. JO-11 looked down at me, pulling a pistol from his holster before I forced as much hate into my magic, and blasted him.

He was sent flying against the wall, hitting it. A sickening crack was heard.

Tarbo looked at me with his glow in the dark purple eyes, and I just knew he was smiling underneath. I could faintly see a finger pointing at me, before I blasted him as well. But, it didn't hit. He disappeared in a cloud of smoke. I yelled louder. I wanted to blast him, I wanted to kill him.

"Twilight!" I heard Starlight cry. I turned around, seeing her look at me with wide eyes, before nodding over to Rex. I turned to where Rex sat.

With a flick of my magic, I tore the metal bands from his wrists.

All of that pain that I had before suddenly disappeared in an instant. My mind was foggy, my body aching heavily. I was glad that I was able to think atleast basic thoughts. I could feel something pull at the metal bars from my wrists, but I couldn't see or hear anything. I was pulled from the chair suddenly, to which I fell onto my face.

I tried to speak, but nothing came out.

I was pulled up to my feet, that much I could feel. I felt an invisible force practically carrying me through the air, as if I was on a magic cloud. Was I dead, or was this magic? I groaned loudly as pain began to surge through me once again. My bones and muscles ached, my brain felt like it was literally on fire, and my eye's burned like I had a fever.

"Hey! Stop them!" I could hear yelling, and it got louder with each second that my ear's pulsed. Loud crackling sounds, sounds of electricity, and screams. A lot of screams, actually. What the hell was going on out there?! I was basically trapped in my own body, not able to do anything.

"Twi..lig.."

Wow, did I just say Twi-lig?

"Twiligh..t.."

Better.

"Twilight..!" I yelled as loud as I could, but I knew it only came out as a dry whisper. I could feel myself flying at an even faster pace now. I tried to open my eyes, but nothing happened.

Wait, my eye's were already open.

Why couldn't I see anything?!

"Rex, just... sit tight!" I heard someone yell. It was definitely Twilight's voice, but why did she sound panicked? My ears began to pulse again, and the sounds got louder. I could make out which direction the crackling sounds and sounds of electricity were coming from.

Those crackling sounds were... gunshots.

What's happening?!

Twilight's POV

I kept Rex in the air with my magic while we ran from corridor to corridor. The alarms must have been sent off, because red flashing lights and a blaring sound came from the speakers above. Also, the wave of people that were being sent at us was pretty much a given that they were informed.

I blasted as many as I could, while Starlight used her magic to shield the both of us from incoming bullets. It worked.

Running without a direction to go in wasn't a good plan though. I needed to find a way to get out of here. What if I teleported? That would require a good minute or two, and that's if I could. I tried earlier, but it hadn't worked. Then again, neither did the magic I'm using now.

I noticed a room to our left.

I barged in there, flying Rex in right after while Starlight followed quickly behind. "Barricade that door!" I yelled, before scanning the random room we had found ourselves in. Luckily, it was empty. There wasn't a single person inside. It looked to be a classroom of sorts, with desks littering the entire room.

I could hear multiple desks and chairs behind me fly over to the door from Starlight's magic. "O-Okay, now what?!"

"Come here, I'm going to try to teleport us out of here."

"Didn't you sa-"

"Shutup and come here!" I yelled. I wasn't in the mood to be questioned. Starlight did as I said, and huddled up next to me. I stared at the floor, intently concentrating. I silenced the sounds around me in my head, trying to concentrate on my emotions.

What was I feeling right now?

Anger. Hatred. Rage.

Yet, also fear, and another strange emotion that I can't quite pinpoint.

I was angry that they had hurt my friends. The things they did to Starlight was horrible, and she had told me in... detail, what had happened. Rex himself had lost an eye, and was tortured just earlier. Out of all three of us, I was the least injured, with only a scar that cut across my face.

"Get me out of here.." I said.

"Get me out of here.."

"Get us out of here.."

"Get us OUT OF HERE!"

My horn sparked with such intensity that it blinded myself. I shut my eye's, and shook my head. I could feel dirt below my hooves instead of tile, and I opened my eyes. Though, the brightness made me squint. We were officially outside, and we had teleported.

And, it seems my teleportation was quite precise.

We were right in front of our house.

Author's Note

Long time no see, babies.

Also, added a warning to the description.