SCREWBALL :

“Victory is ours” announces one of the rebels
As they marched the still living guard’s down to the cage’s in a line.

Screwball was struggling to watch the guards being berated and spat on as they marched to the cage’s. The problem she’d never felt this bad about anything before she felt wave after wave of regrets.

“What has that stupid princess done to me?” She muttered to herself questioning all her life choices and why she hated princesses.

1 HOUR LATER :

“General come out have a drink” one of screwball’s soldiers trying for the 4th time to get her to celebrate with the rest of them. She responds “maybe later”

“Alright miss” the soldier said grinning and quickly rushing off to the party once again. Screwball decides to get out her tent and go for a walk.

She found herself wandering past the cage’s of towards the edge of the mountains. And came upon canterlot’s wishing well. That presided just between the gates of the castle and the mountain side.

She stops next to the well and stares into the well not recognizing her own reflection a cold and hard stare looking back and a matted mane of sloppy hair in a dark cloak.

And screwball did something she hadn’t done since she was a child..............
She cried tear of pent up confusion, anger and self pity.

Her tears hit the wishing well water as she sobbed her thoughts a jumble but the clearest thought that popped out of her mouth was : “I wish I knew who I was.”

And after another 15 minutes of sobbing :
She pulled herself together and carefully trots down the hill letting her hooves carry her to wherever they might lead.

And no one would ever know if screwball happened to walk by a certain pink princesses cage or if it was fate or the work of some magical well deity. But either way she walked past cadence’s cage as she did cadence spoke.

“Can I please see my daughter?” Cadence pleads in desperation and sorrow. “Huh” scoffs screwball in disgust.

Screwball then turns to the princess of love’s cage and simply says “no.”

“Are you alright?” Cadence questions in a tone of concern seeing screwballs tear soaked face. “Fine. Why would you even care?” Responds lightly wiping off her leftover tear streak’s with her left hoof.

Cadence looks at her unconvinced and full of true concern “why can’t I care about you?” She responds in a tone full of nurturing care and love.

“Cause you never have!!!” Then after a brief pause screwball quickly added “none of you princesses ever have.”

Cadence gave a thoughtful look and asks “have we met before?” Screwball briefly looks up meeting cadence’s eyes. And cadence’s eyes bore through her with the same eyes as twilight. And those eyes quickly pulled the answer out of her “you could say that.”

Cadence continues to look at her with her probing eyes piercing screwballs soul. Screwball questioned in her head how cadence could do this so effectively to her.

“When did we meet?” Cadence asks her tone and gaze softening into mild friendly curiosity. “ well I uhh.....” luckily for screwball a guard patrol started heading there way before she finished.

Quickly without another word screwball quickly started to dash away. When cadence spoke one last time “if you ever need to talk I’m here and I’ve got nothing better to do?”

Briefly screwball turns around and looks at cadence and says “I’ll consider it?” And then trots back to her tent wondering what had just happened.

Though she didn’t know it then this was the beginning of screwball’s descent into redemption and forgiveness.....

TWILIGHT SPARKLE AND HER FRIENDS :

There they were on the mountain next to our town standing on the spot where starlight had originally ran off into the cave’s and tunnels in the mountain. About ten feet from starlight and 15 from melody who was behind starlight.

Rainbow dash, spike and twilight all stood at the ready in front of the others as applejack stood protecting fluttershy and rarity who had the same angry looks as the rest of them. “Starlight I wanna help you. So stand down now and I can help you or I’ll have to stop you!” Twilight announces in a surprisingly stern tone and stance.

“No can do bitch” starlight brazenly declare’s as she shoots a blast of magic toward’s twilight. Which twilight quickly zapped into oblivion launching her own laser at starlight muttering “I’m sorry it came to this.”

Starlight quickly pulled up her shield and blocked twilights laser and said “I’m not.”
While starlight blocked twilights laser rainbow took flight and pinkie pulled out her party cannon.

As soon as starlight pulled down her shield to shoot again dash zoomed in trying to punch starlight. And starlight quickly rolled under the punch and responded by launching a magical blast at rainbows soft underside. Dash saw this coming and swiveled around to get out of the way.

Unfortunately dash wasn’t fast enough and only barely managed to flip around before the magic blast hit her in the already damaged wing sending her spiraling into the snow with a sickening crunch.

Fluttershy flew over to dash quickly checking her out as applejack ran in and tried to lasso starlight. Only to have starlights magic turn her rope into a breadstick making it fall limply to the ground. What starlight failed to notice was twilight launch another magic shot at her.

Starlight saw the blast and tried to dodge only to be nicked in the edge of the neck and knocking the makeup off the horn wound from her tumble with melody earlier. Pinkie dove in as starlight winced in pain and blasted her from behind with the party cannon sending starlight into a snowbank.

As the girls prepared for another round of attack’s against starlight. melody started cackling manically so hard tears were coming out.

“What’s her problem” pinkie exclaims in shock at the sudden outburst.

As the girls looked at melody puzzled by her sudden amusement starlight stood up and blasted twilight in the side hitting her directly causing a deep hash along her flank.

The girls quickly rushed over to make sure twilight was alright.

And twilight looked up to glare at starlight only to see starlight frozen in place and and tears leaking out. About as close to sobbing as you could get without making a sound.

It finally dawned on twilight that starlight wasn’t the problem here that other pony behind her was doing something to make starlight do all this. Silently twilight cursed herself for never thinking starlight was being forced.

“Girls take out that pony behind starlight out first! She’s the problem” twilight exclaims gasping in pain.

The rest of the girls seemed confused and looked up but came to a similar conclusion as twilight when they saw the tears on starlights face in comparison with the smirk on melody’s face.

“Huh starlight let’s get this over with I think your friends just figured me out.” Announces melody clapping her hooves and making starlight snap to increasing her control over the mare again.

Starlight teleported behind fluttershy who was tending to the unconscious rainbow dash.

She blasted fluttershy from behind sending her flying into the mountain side with a deafening smack. The girls we’re realizing starlight’s magic was even more powerful then they thought.

Twilight blasted a magic shot at melody. As soon as she did melody snapped her hooves together and yelled “stop” making starlight snap to attention and appear in front of the bolt of magic taking one directly to the chest.

“Starlight no” twilight screamed as starlight was sent flying past melody into the edge of the mountain. “Ouch” melody exclaims the smirk never leaving her face.

Starlight then got up and teleported next to melody again looking more hru then ever before. Her right leg shaking barely holding up her weight. “Starlight why are you still protecting her. We know this isn’t your fault now” twilight proclaims in a pleading tone as the tears she was holding back slipped past her defenses and out her eyes.

Melody once again fell into echoing laughter. “Oh don’t you get it yet starlight is gone theirs only me” melody cackled at her own deception.

Starlights body then went back to work activating her magic and using her telekinesis to pick up pinkie and rarity floating them in the air and slamming them into each other then into fluttershy as she was waking up and knocking all 3 into the snow again.

Applejack, twilight and spike were the only ones left conscious and it was clearly a losing battle. Twilights gears were turning as she tried to figure a way out of this and applejack decided to buy twilight time to figure it out.

So applejack nudged spike and gestures towards melody. And then applejack charged followed by spike who was flying right behind her.

Applejack launched herself at melody. And as expected Starlight launched herself in the way as she did applejack slid under starlights legs knocking her off her feet and into the ground applejack quickly stood up and rushes at melody and who was now exposed and would of hit her but melody ducked away.

What melody didn’t realize was spike was off to her right where she ducked too and he launched a fireball at melody hitting her in the back of the head and lighting her cloak on fire.

As melody thrashed to get her cloak off starlight’s mind took over her body once again for about those 20 seconds that melody was pulling her cloak off. And managed to yell in a desperate vulnerable tone only few had heard from starlight “twilight please stop her it hurts” and in the snap of melody’s hoof starlight was gone again to the mindless drone.

The starlight drone blasted spike into the mountain so hard he was about 3 feet into the solid rock. As applejack spun around and tried to kick starlight back into the ground melody now very pissed off came up behind applejack and smacked her in the back of the head rendering her unconscious. A small red light reflected from melody hitting twilight in the eye.

At first twilight recoiled in pain but then she looked to see where the reflection came from. And their it was a red gem on a necklace that was basically a gem with a rope to tie it up in the back.

And that was when twilight put it all together. A red gem, a musical name, controlling those around her and causing chaos and unrest that made everyone fight. This yellow unicorn was somehow a siren who looked like a unicorn......

As twilight came to this conclusion Starlight used her magic to pick up a rock and she launched it at twilight. Twilight barely reacted in time as she teleported directly in front of starlight.

“Starlight please I know your in there.” Starlight responded by slashing twilight in the chest with a magic laser. Twilight screamed in pain but stayed standing up “starlight I’ll fight for you I won’t let her keep you buried” as she exclaimed.

Starlight hit twilight with a blast knocking her back again. “I won’t fight you. I won’t give her what she wants.” Twilight tells starlight barely managing to stand.

There was a pause as starlight stopped mid attack.....

“Hurt her like she hurt you she thought you were evil again just like that” melody responds clapping her hooves at the just like that part of her speech.

And just like that starlight slashed twilight once again. “Starlight please don’t.”
Starlight charged up her horn for one last attack to end it all.....

“Starlight I love you. your my closest friend and I’ll forgive you Even if you do it.” Twilight declared in a last ditch effort to save her friend.

Starlight slammed down her attack. But at the last second the magic around her horn dissipated and instead of killing twilight she collapsed hugging twilight and sobbing finally having broken free of the control melody had put on her.

Twilight had expected to die but instead she felt pressure and fluid on her shoulders as starlight hugged her sobbing into her shoulder twilight pulled her up and looked her into the eyes. “Starlight i missed you” twilight spoke as she hugged starlight back.

“Ughh” melody sighs in frustration. “Starlight finish it” melody says as she fluffs up her hair.

“N n no” starlight stammered acting as if she was an abused person in an abusive marriage standing up for themselves for the first time.

Melody looked even more annoyed by this interruption to her plan. “Oh starlight I’ll just have to go with plan B” melody concludes with a flourish of her hooves.

“your the most evil creature I’ve ever met and I’ve met quite a few” twilight exclaims angrily. Twilight was more pissed then she ever had been just the thought of someone hurting her pupil like melody had done made her blood boil

What melody had done to starlight thus far was nothing compared to what she was about to do..............

Author's Note

Uh oh cryptic ending!!!! But i hope you enjoyed starlight finally freeing herself from the she devil known as melody.