A crisp summer morning in Ponyville, the sun was just rising over the horizon and the birds began to chirp and sing. A small filly pegasus with a light purple coat, red mane with a blue strip, and icy blue eyes named Star, flew downstairs to begin her day. Star spent her school free days practicing flying tricks and exploring ponyville with her best friend.
The smell of breakfast filled the air, Star climbed on a small dinning table seat where her mother also sat reading a newspaper. Her father brought over their food, Stars usual breakfast included scrambled eggs, bacon, and some syrup covered pancakes with apple juice. Star ravenously shoved down her food with quick pace.
“Slow down Star, you could choke!” Her mother retorted will finishing a piece of bacon. Star ignored her, guzzled down her apple juice, and shot back upstairs. She sat infront of the bathroom mirror while messing with her mane getting it just right.
After finishing her mane and tail, Star eagerly waited at the front door.
“What’s got you in such a rush?” Her father asked in a laughing tone.
“Briar said he has something to show me!” Before she could continue going on, there was a knock at the door. Star flung it open to reveal a taller unicorn colt with a blue coat, orange mane, and glittery green eyes. Briarlight.
“Briar!”
“Hey star! You ready to go?”
“You know it!”
Before Star closed the door, her mother bid farewell and safety, the two called back they will abide and excitedly trotted away from the comfortable cottage.
After awhile, they began trotting into a dense forest on the edge of Ponyville. Star previously expressed discomfort in going to the Everfree Forest, but this was a different one, a much less scary one. Star blindly followed Briar through the colorful forest and while traveling, admired the scenery. The leaves were green, the forest creatures were active, it felt so safe and comforting. Briar slowed down and took in the sight as well, viewing the sun beams hitting the forest floor from the green canopy, investigating strange mushrooms at the base of trees, and watching rabbits and squirrels scamper by.
They soon approached a small dirt path with tall grass looming over the sides, Star commented on how her coat was getting all dirty and Briar kicked up some more behind him. The small banter escalated into a full chase as the two dodged and weaved into trees along the pathway. They both stopped to catch their breathe, Briar noticed something and called for Stars attention.
“Hey, watch this!” After a bit of struggle, Briars horn began to glow a twinkling green, the same color as his eyes, and three sticks floated from ground into the air.
“Wow you’re getting really good at that!” Star complimented him, Briar wiped the sweat off his forehead and they took a break to lay in the grass.
They chatted for awhile before picking themselves up again and continuing the journey. Briar stopped for a moment and began sniffing the air.
“Do you smell that?”
After pausing to take in the air Star responded.
“Yeah smells like… flowers!”
Briar smiled and the two raced up a small hill, at the top was an overhang that revealed a valley of multicolored flowers dancing in the wind.
“We’re here!”
“Wooow!”
Star took in the amazing view, she could smell the flowers from her, it left a tang in her nostrils. Briar faced her while walking forwards and spouting how he found this place while on a hike with his dad, Star studied the area around his hooves and noticed he was approaching a small rock that jutted out of the ground covered in moss so it was practically invisible.
Star called out a warning but before Briar could fully take in what she said, he lost his placing and tripped over the rock that resembled him being shoved and tumbled down the hill.
“Briar!” Star screamed and flew to the side of the hill to reveal they were actually on top of a cliff side. She saw Briar tumbling and flew down after him, she reached the bottom after him and galloped to wear he landed.
The bottom of the cliff was lined with large rocks bigger than full grown pony, the cliff was lined with sharp rocks and trees but barely any vegetation. Star caught eye of Briar lying on a rock, far away from where the cliff bottom ended. She dashed towards him and the sight would forever scar her.
Briars skull was split and exposed, his jaw broken and off its hinges, blood oozed out of his mouth and head onto the soft valley floor, painting it a dark red. His throat sliced with a tree branch stuck inside while large cuts and bruises lined his body, his legs broken and bone sticking out some ends. his horn fully shattered and spewing magic green particles. He laid on his side, half of his face lying on the grass. His one visible eye made eye contact with her petrified face.
He gargled and cough blood, he twitched irregularly and tears streamed from his eye. Star was paralyzed in fear and horror, as a filly she has never seen anything like this. She never knew a pony’s body could ever be as mangled as the one before her. She began to shake and tremble, barely able to stand as Briar squirmed and wailed. Star felt feelings she never she had before, a sick mixture of shock, sadness, aimlessness, and horror. She reached out a hoof but didn’t even know where to land it, she hesitated before pulling back.
Briars eyes held desperation as he cried and wailed as much as he could with a broken and impaled neck. Star shuddered in fear and slowly back away with her trembling legs, Briar tried heaving himself up but a waterfall of blood left multiple wounds and his split open head, making him fall back on the ground. Star frantically looked around for help before her back hoof hit a medium sized rock on the ground, covered in moss.
She took another glance at Briars withering body, his small stature, not even a full stallion yet. His future was over, he would die here in the forest or the hospital he would be staying in. Star felt a grave feeling of pity for the young colt, he would never use magic again, and his body would be forever a mangled contortion.
Star wrapped around the medium rock she had bumped into, she had heard stories of animals suffering heaving injuries and being put out of their misery. She cupped the rock in her front hooves, too heavy to lift on her own. She extended her wings and hovered in the hair with the rock freshly pulled out of the round, she floated towards Briar.
She flew directly above is weak body while clasping a moss covered rock. Briar began to shake and twitch faster and harder, he squealed and wailed as much as he could while his vocal cords were destroyed. Tears flooded both of their eyes, the attempts to scream out for help left Briar choking on his own blood, it was a pathetic sight. Whispers in her mind told her she was doing the right thing, this was necessary to help Briar. She pushed the thoughts back and begged them to stop, but they kept yelling and screaming at her to do as they say.
Star couldn’t take it anymore, the orders would stop if she just listened.
Star closed her watery eyes tight, lifted the heavy rock in the air, and with a final desperate cry from Briar, she smashed the rock over his head with a crunch.
The valley was dead quiet, not a sound of rustling leaves and grass, birds soaring and chirping, the rushing of rivers flowing, all quiet. It had seemed the whole world went dark, everything became dull and cold, like winter had come early. The sun was shining yet the sky was as dark as nightfall. Long shadows crept underneath Star and Briars still body, Star felt new commands creep into her mind. She lifted the rock from Briars head, completely smashed to bits.
His face was turned into a mushy red paste with fragments of bone and an eye popping out, Star held her breathe and forced back a gag while lifting his cold limb body by her hooves and dragging him along the valley side.
Star had no idea where she was going, or why she was taking Briars corpse with her. His body felt like dragging a jelly filled bag along the ground. Star approached another dirt path into a forest, but this one was less colorful and filled with dead plants. The dirt was dark and cracked and Star kept tripping over rocks, she wanted to stop but something kept telling her to keep going. Where was she taking him? Nothing would stop her tunnel vision mission.
After what seemed like years of blurred travel, she final approached an abandoned stone well surrounded by dead trees and gray grass coated the land. Star was dirty and had thorns and branches from squeezing through the boney forest, Briars body was even more coated with muck.
The well lifted up a cold breeze, Star could hear the sloshing of water below, she felt like she was peering into another world. It was dark and cold but something kept egging her on to do the unthinkable. She couldn’t, she wouldn’t! But the urges got harder to push back, the whispers and murmurs got louder and more frantic. Demanding of Star to listen and follow their orders once again.
The only way to make them stop was to comply, with all of Stars might she heaved up Briars leaking body and propped him up on the edge of the gray stone well. You’ll be in so much trouble, Star. The thoughts and voices told her of the consequences she would face after crushing Briars head. This was the only way to avoid them.
Star pushed Briars body into the well, a loud splash indicated he hit the bottom. The sun shone its brightest than before, sun rays going directly into the well edging Star to look inside. She peered over the edge and saw Briars lifeless body floating in the blood colored water. The sunlight shone on what was left of his face as water seeped into his mouth and open skull, painting a terrifying sight. Briars half submerged body floating in the red water would haunt Stars memory for many restless nights.
What have you done, Star.
The world seemed to get darker, day turning to night, everything dying in seconds. Stars head was spinning as the sun turned to moon and the looming presence of disappointment from on looking unidentified faces, scared her into pleading for the nightmare to end. Her best friends blood coated her hooves as she sobbed into them and curled herself into a fetal position to escape reality. Her shadow watching her, seeming like it was its own entity. It smiled and laughed, taunting her and saying she was a monster.
Just as quickly as the world had darkened, the sun and blue sky swirled back into the nightmare darkness, the dead trees gaining a glowing green hue and sparkled. The forest bed turned from dead crunchy leaves into a soft moss and flower covered landscape. Stars shadow returned to normal, following her movements. Stars fur around her snout covered in Briars remains, sharp canines slowly replacing her baby teeth. She wiped her tears and trotted away from the well, that was now covered in greenery and flowers.
Everything felt better when she pushed it down and listened to her mocking shadow commanding her into turning herself into someone she couldn’t recognize. She no longer looked into the mirror with the same bright icy eyes, instead replaced a cold stare that rivaled a glacier color, sharp and piercing. Her smile no longer looked something pony like, more of a predator. She became a husk of her cheery self, Briar wasn’t the only pony who died that day.
Did she enjoy what she did? Briar made a mistake in his carelessness, it was his fault for trusting Star. She tainted her memories with a sugar coating, she wasn’t really a monster, was she?
After all, who really pushed him off the cliff?
Star awoke from her sleep, shooting out of bed with a cold sweat. She looked into her bedroom mirror and the same small filly looked back at her with glittering icy blue eyes. She caught her breathe and looked out her cottage window, the moon and stars shinned on her light purple coat and bright red hair. The moon watched back, Star could feel as if Luna herself loomed over her. She was just thankful the nightmare was over, even if Luna couldn’t save her sooner. She prayed to Celestia that Briarlight was spared of a horrific nightmare like hers.
Once she returned to her bed, Stars mouth started to ache. She felt around with her tongue and could feel sharp points coming in her canine teeth.
