Chapter Fourteen: So Much for Pathos

Pyx sat in her dark little cell, feeling lower than a bow-legged caterpillar. There was little to do in here except stare at the walls, so that is what she did. Then, suddenly:

Kill them, Pyx!

She sat bolt upright. This was the first time the voice had spoken since that night in the woods, the night she couldn't remember. The voice that sounded like Mommy's sometimes, and sometimes like somepony different.

"Why do you keep saying that?" she asked aloud. "Who are you? Who exactly do you want me to kill anyway, desu?"

All of them, Pyx! They've all betrayed you! Kill them all!

"That...that's not true!"

Oh really? Name one pony who hasn't betrayed you.

Pyx thought about it for a second.

"I don't think anypony has betrayed me, actually."

Oh come on. If nopony had betrayed you, why are you sitting in this dungeon?

"I'm not really sure desu, but I assume it's for my own good."

What could possibly have led you to that conclusion?

"Well, that's what Mommy always says when she locks me in the basement, so I assume this must be something similar. Nipah."

You see? That just proves that Mommy betrayed you!

"M-mommy didn't betray me!"

Oh come on! She did the exact opposite of not betray you!

"You mean, betray me?"

Yes, that.

"Yeah, well, I guess she did kind of betray me now that I think about it. I'll give you that one, desu. What about my friends, though?"

What friends? You don't have any friends! They all hate you!

"Th-that's not true at all desu! I have lots and lots of friends!"

They aren't really your friends, though. They all laugh at you!

"That's not true! Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, they made me a full-fledged member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders! They gave me a cape and everything! Tutturu~~!"

Yes, but they all totally laugh at you behind your back. They think your glasses look stupid and your racing stripe looks stupid and your leopard print vest looks stupid and your headband looks stupid and your green mane looks stupid. I heard them all talking about it.

"They wouldn't say that!"

Yes they would, I totally heard them.

"Nuh-uh!"

Yeah-huh! Sweetie Belle thinks you're a lame Mary Sue OC, and I'm pretty sure I heard Scootaloo call you Poochie a couple of times. And Apple Bloom steals pencils out of your desk when you're not looking.

"Why would they give me a cape if they hated me that much?"

Because they felt sorry for you, probably. Also, they were originally going to give that cape to Twist, they just didn't because she sucks even worse than you do!

Pyx thought about it.

"Yeah, she does kind of suck I guess..."

See? There you have it. Now, stop arguing with me and kill them all, Pyx!

"I can't help but feel like you're trying to pressure me into this desu..."

Oh, come on, Pyx! Don't you remember that night in the woods? Remember how much fun we had together?

A veil inside Pyx's mind was suddenly lifted, and a flood of memories assaulted her. She remembered Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, and how angry she'd been at them for lying to her, and ditching her in the woods, and making her eat bugs and pine cones and for making her stick her head into a hive of bees.

Yes, Pyx, that's it! Remember! Do you remember how they betrayed you, and how cruel they were to you?

"Y-yes, I remember desu..."

And do you remember what we did to them? Do you remember how good it felt to take our revenge?

"Yeah..."

Remember how we hit them with rocks, and stabbed them over and over again? Remember how we dumped them in the river, and then planted all the evidence in that Magnet guy's cave so he'd get blamed for it? Remember how annoying that guy was? Remember how we made fun of his stupid mustache and then ran away? Remember how we laughed and laughed?

"Yeah, that was pretty cool desu..."

And just think, Pyx, every day can be like that from now on, if you want!

"Yeah, that does sound pretty fun...but what about Mommy? And my friends? And Miss Cheerilee, and Spike-onii-chan, and Owlowiscious, and Scarecrow and Tin Man and all of my other pals desu?"

Oh, come on, Pyx! Weren't you listening? They all betrayed you!

"That still doesn't quite sound right..."

That's because you're overthinking it. And anyway, look around you, Pyx.

Pyx looked around her.

See how you're in a dungeon?

Pyx saw how she was in a dungeon.

You think 'Mommy Twilight' and 'Spike-onii-chan' and the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders' are going to come rescue you?

Pyx had to admit that she did not think they would.

Oh, then it sounds like I'm the only friend you have left then, doesn't it?

Try as she might, Pyx could not dispute the logic of this.

"W-well, what should I do desu?"

When the time comes, just let me take control. That's all you have to do.

Pyx thought about it. She didn't really see as how she had any better options at the moment.

"How will I know when it's time?"

Oh, don't you worry, Pyx. You'll know when it's time!

"Um.........okay. When the time comes, I'll let you take over. Nipah~~!"

Excellent!

The voice began to laugh. It wasn't a particularly nice laugh, but it was infectious. Pyx began to laugh too.

"MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA~~!"

"So, uh, how's she doing?"

"Well, she was cackling maniacally in there a little while ago. That has to be a good sign, doesn't it?"

Evening Musk, Bastion Yorsets and Night Soil were standing around Musk's office, gazing into an arcane crystal ball that sat on his desk. The image in the crystal showed Pyx, sitting alone in her dungeon, conversing with some invisible presence.

"I don't know," said Musk, frowning. "Are you absolutely sure that you grabbed the right filly?"

He turned to Yorsets, who shrugged.

"This is the one that Soup Du Jour pointed out," he said. "The one that Twilight Sparkle adopted."

"Yeah, but..."

"But what?"

"Look at her!" cried Musk. "She looks nothing like our Queen!"

"Does so!" said Yorsets defensively.

"Oh, come on man! Do you remember Her Majesty Nightmare Moon ever having a racing stripe in her hair?"

"You can't prove that she didn't!"

"I can easily prove that she didn't!"

"Yeah, well...all it means is that she can go even faster now."

"She does look like she could go pretty fast..." mused Night Soil.

"You're darn tootin'!" agreed Bastion Yorsets.

"Oh, shut up, both of you!" snapped Evening Musk. He sighed heavily. "Well, I suppose it's no matter. You're absolutely certain that our Queen's personality is in there somewhere?"

"Oh, absolutely my Lord!" Yorsets assured him. "I've researched the matter thoroughly. Once we complete the ceremony, the Queen shall awaken, and the other personality, this...Pyx Trebuchet...will be utterly subsumed."

Evening Musk stroked his chin.

"Well, I suppose we won't know unless we try," he said finally. "All right, let's get this over with. Yorsets, you go and reserve a spell chamber for the afternoon. Night Soil, you summon the Princesses. I want them to have a front row seat for this. I will go and attend to..."

He glanced at the filly in the crystal ball. She now appeared to be dancing around in her cell, saying "nipah" and "tutturu" over and over again. He sighed.

"I will go and attend to Our Queen."

A few hours later, Pyx sat on a small pedestal in the center of a windowless domed chamber. An intricate hexagram pattern had been painted on the floor around her. On the opposite side of the room was a gallery, in which the Princesses Celestia and Luna were seated. Bastion Yorsets was putting the finishing touches on the outer rim of the hexagram, while Evening Musk stood near the pedestal, dressed in a ceremonial robe and practicing incantations under his breath. Night Soil stood off to the side, observing.

"So...er...you say this spell will help us reveal Pyx's true nature?" asked Celestia.

"Oh yes, my Princess!" Evening Musk assured her, smiling. "If there is any evil in this child, the spell will cause it to reveal itself immediately!"

Celestia studied the Ponish runes on the floor skeptically.

"I can't say I'm familiar with this spell," she admitted. She turned to Luna. "Are you, my Sister?"

Luna frowned.

"I have never seen it's like, Sister," she said. "Though something about it seems vaguely familiar..."

"Oh, your Majesties wouldn't recognize it; I wrote it myself!" said Bastion Yorsets hurriedly. "It's a custom spell, designed entirely for this purpose!"

Celestia frowned slightly, then shrugged.

"Well, you've proven yourself an adept spellcrafter, Bastion," she said. "I have nothing but faith in you."

Bastion Yorsets smiled obsequiously.

"Your Highness flatters me," he said. "Now then! Let us commence!"

Pyx sat on the pedestal, watching as Evening Musk chanted the incantations and conducted the ritual. The lines of the hexagram began to glow, and she felt a light buzzing sensation in the back of her skull.

Soon! the voice assured her.

She closed her eyes and let the power flow through her body.

"Noomy noomy!" cried Evening Musk, flailing his front hooves theatrically. "Roomy loomy noomy nammy noomy!"

The hexagram on the floor pulsed with a strange light, and then the spellform levitated off the ground, slowly revolving around the pedestal. Meanwhile, as the attentions of the two Princesses were focused on the spellform, Bastion Yorsets began quietly chanting a spell of his own.

Pyx could feel her body levitating off of the pedestal. She felt the same way she'd felt back at the ruined castle, when she'd stepped onto the dais. A strong power was running through her body like an electrical current, a power that felt as though it were her own and yet not her own.

SOON! whispered the voice again. It sounded...hungry. Pyx began to feel a sense of panic welling up inside of her. She felt like she was swimming against the current of a powerful river, fighting to keep her head above water. She felt a nagging fear that if she allowed herself to be sucked down below the surface, she would lose herself forever. She struggled, trying to speak, trying to regain control of her own movements, but found to her dismay that she could not.

"Bippity boppity," continued Evening Musk, chanting and waving his hooves. "Flibbidy bibbidy...zippity zoppity...zoopity boopity..."

Musk's horn now glowed with an eerie purple light, which he seemed to be channeling from some unseen source. It flowed out from his body and fed the spellform, which had now taken on the same color.

As the spellform grew, Pyx could feel the voice inside herself growing stronger. She felt as if some alien presence were taking hold of her body. She struggled against it, but to her dismay found that she was growing weaker and weaker. She watched Evening Musk, chanting his infernal spell, and through some instinct knew that it was nearly complete. If he uttered the final words, she would be gone forever, and the voice would assume complete control. An instinct to survive took hold, and she put every last ounce of strength she had into moving her tongue.

"And now, O Queen," proclaimed Musk. "Hear these words and come forth!"

"Wait, what Queen?" interjected Celestia, alarmed.

Luna reacted more quickly, realizing suddenly that she knew this spell. It was something she remembered from long ago, something she had tried to forget. She quickly summoned a blast of energy, aiming it at the center of Musk's spellform, but discovered to her horror that something was blocking her power.

"Sister!" she called out. "You must stop this!"

Celestia had not yet fully grasped the situation, but the panic in her sister's voice stirred her to action. However, she discovered that her magic was blocked as well. Worse still, her body was paralyzed, and it was all she could do even to move her head. She saw Bastion standing off in the corner, a sly smile on his face, and realized too late what he had done.

"Bastion!" she cried. "How could you!"

Bastion Yorsets bowed mockingly.

"I am sorry, my Princess," he said. "But my loyalty is to the Queen!"

Musk had wheeled around to face the Princesses. He reared up on his hind legs, his forelegs extended toward the heavens, a triumphant smile on his face.

"Come forth, O Queen!" he cried. "With these sacred words, I bid thee to enter this world!!"

The spellform pulsed with a dazzling purple light. Pyx cried out, as if in pain. She gritted her teeth, and once again tried to gain control of her voice. If she could just force out one single word...

Evening Musk threw back his head and spoke the sacred incantation in a booming voice:

"KLAATU...BARADA..."

"NIPAAAAAAAH~~!" screamed Pyx suddenly.

There was a violent jolt. It shook everything in the room, including Evening Musk, who was thrown suddenly off balance and fell to the floor. A bright green light suddenly pulsed out of Pyx's body and down through the spellform. The purple light reacted, and suddenly the spell broke apart, the purple and green energies swirling violently about each other as if locked in mortal combat.

All of a sudden, there was a bright, blinding flash; an explosion which seemed to emanate from the center of the room. When it had dissipated, the filly was gone, and in her place was a pulsating ball of light, crackling with green and purple lightning.

The ball bounced rapidly around the room until it was nothing but a blur, and then suddenly it returned to the center. There came a great rending, a dreadful force which knocked all of the ponies in the room to the floor, destroying the pedestal and sending the chairs of the gallery and the Princesses in them flying.

When the blast had subsided, the room was eerily still. The two Princesses, still more or less immobilized but able to open their eyes at least, gazed in horror upon the thing that this foul magic had wrought.

In the center of the room, where the pedestal had been, stood a full-grown alicorn mare. Her coat was as black as coal, and her turquoise reptokitty eyes glowed with a malevolent power. Her mane was a vibrant shade of green, writhing about her head like serpents. A turquoise and purple racing stripe ran down the length of it, indicating that not only could she go really really fast, but also that she was really really evil. Celestia's stomach dropped to the ground. She realized that she knew this evil...and yet, there was also something unfamiliar about it. This was a whole new evil, completely unrelated to any previously trademarked evil.

The alicorn grinned, a wide, manic jack-o-lantern grin.

"BOO-YAAAAAAAH!!!" she cried. "BLACK SNOOTY'S BACK, MOTHERFUCKERS!!!!"