Blooded Hooves of Twilight

Twilight's world fell away. Her chest was hollow and her sockets eyeless. She scrunched her eyelids shut, brow furrowed in concentration as she stood, hooves planted to the floor, attempting to focus her thoughts. It's just my imagination, just a remnant of the nightmare. When I open my eyes, everything will be okay again.

Steeling herself, Twilight tentatively opened her eyes. Relief washed over her at the sight in her mirror. The bright purple orbs of her irises stared back, normal as ever. A few quick blinks, and her eyelids responded accordingly. Normal. Everything is normal.

Feeling a little more confident, the unicorn placed her hoof back to her chest. It was not uncommon for ponies to be prone to brief hallucinations just after waking from particularly vivid nightmares. Logic and reason dictated that she was experiencing this phenomenon now.

She held her hoof squarely against herself. The smile faded from Twilight's face as silence greeted her once again. Nothing there. The thought filled her with a cold dread.

She slowly brought a lavender hoof to her eye to just barely touch the surface, wincing slightly as she dreaded the possibility of what might happen. A gasp caught in her throat as the edge of her hoof met only air. There was no visible evidence of a vacant socket, but it could certainly be felt.

Twilight's mind reeled as her sweaty hooves gripped the dresser, trying to steady herself. This is impossible. If I have no eyes, how can I see? How is it that I feel as normal as always?

She whipped her head back around to her bed half expecting, even hoping, that she'd see herself laying there, still dreaming. Her gaze landed on the bedspread, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. She had to confront the facts of her current situation, no matter how much her rational mind urged her to deny it, those events hadn't been a terrible dream.

A wave of nervous nausea made her clench her eyes tightly closed. She staggered a blind step away from her bed before opening her lids again. She was facing her reflection when her strained vision cleared, and she nearly screamed again. The thing staring back couldn't be her. It couldn't be.

Then Twilight realized exactly why she had felt a sense of relief that morning, the sense of calm that came with the knowledge that the nightmares would cease. There was no reason for the nightmares to plague her anymore when the true event had already taken place. Those things released their grip on my psyche, because they don't need to lure me in anymore. Free in one way, trapped in another.

Twilight heard her own voice speaking shakily, nearly beyond her control. “I am … awake ...” Her head slowly shook back and forth on its own accord. “I am … I … ” She stared open mouthed at the reflection of wide ripped bleeding holes, black as night where her eyes should have been. The reflection's cracked teeth shone slick with a red stain in the morning sunlight.

She recoiled, bringing her hoof up to cover over her face. She stopped then, looking at the leg and hoof in front of her. Her appendage was normal. Her naturally curious mind began to take command, and she reluctantly ventured a glance back at her vanity. In the mirror her leg was stained with dark dried blood. She blinked as the moved the limb up and down in front of her face, watching as the blood soaked reflection mimed her motions. The mirror reflects differently.

She looked closer. Her leg wasn't just bloodied, but fragmented and uneven, like it had been hastily stuck together using spare parts from different ponies. A single word shot through Twilight's mind. Reconstructed.

She could only stare, her gaze shifting periodically from her reflection down to her hooves and then back to the mirror. She was so enthralled that she didn't hear Spike calling to her the first time. The second she heard, but the numbness in her mind prevented her from responding right away. After a third, and somewhat concerned call, she turned to yell down the stairs toward him in the most composed voice she could muster.

“Don't come up. I mean, I'm fine. Don't trouble yourself. I'll be down shortly. I just need to finish something up first.”

The baby dragon's voice carried audible relief as he called up to her. “Oh good. Well, I just didn't want your breakfast to get cold. Hey, I'm going to start on mine if you don't mind.”

Twilight turned back to her grizzly reflection. “Yeah, go right ahead.” She heard Spike begin to hum as he waddled back into the kitchen. She took a few deep breaths, closing her eyes to clear her head. That was a bit close. I don't want Spike seeing me like this.

Her thoughts suddenly frosted over inside her head. Her eyes snapped open as she stood straight up to stare at herself again. What will my friends think if they find out? What will the PRINCESS think?!

She held a shaking hoof up to touch the unyielding glass surface, her reflection reaching out with a mangled hoof stump to do the same. Her voice was thin and fragile as she spoke. “Oh no ...”

She felt the tears begin to pool in her eyes shortly before they ran down her face. In her reflection, the horrifying empty sockets leaked streaks of bright red. Reaching up, she wiped at the warmth that ran down her cheek. It was a tear, clear and clean. She reached for a handkerchief and began dabbing. She let out a soft sob as her knees buckled, sending her swiftly to the floor. Wrapping the embroidered cloth over her eyes, she wept quietly into her hooves.

A few minutes went by before she brought her head up from the wooden floorboards. Wiping her face one last time she discarded the damp cloth. She stood with new resolve as she stared down her broken bloodied image.

No pony must know. No pony WILL know. Not one single solitary soul. It will be easy. Aside from the mirror, there doesn't yet seem to be any side effects of … of being dead …

She strangled down another fearful sob that threatened to escape. No. We'll have none of that. Now is the time to think with logic and reason, and not succumb to fear. Nothing meaningful has changed. I am still me, no matter if I am … dead.

She frowned again, squinting her eyes at the mirror. But it's worse than that, isn't it. This isn't the afterlife. I'm not a wandering spirit. This is an undeath. Like a -

She let out a short nervous laugh, remembering how scared Spike had been when he had said the words and how ridiculous it had seemed at the time. Her outburst stopped abruptly, filling the room with a dense silence before she spoke again to herself. “Zombie pony.”

She continued to stare into the hollow caverns that yawned out from her reflection's face. This time her voice carried the full weight of the reality of her new situation. Softly, soberly, she made her admission of acceptance to herself. “I'm dead.”

The words rang like a hollow bell within her head, filling her with a terrible sense of loss each time it echoed back on itself. The chime reverberated through her head again and again, diving deeper with each strike. Despair spread through her when she realized each tone had gradually twisted into the low horrid din of a voice, growing progressively louder. It was the same terrible voice from before.

"Those ponies... so full of life...."

Twilight's scowl deepened as her brow knitted upward.

"Tonight you are to kill on sight..."

She felt a chill go down her back. It wasn't just trying to scare her this time; it was giving a command. N-No! she mentally stammered, attempting to keep her composure steady. I'd never kill anypony!

The internal voice surprised her by actually answering back. "We need to feed. So will you." The whisper was accompanied by a chuckle that resonated through the chambers of her mind. "You won't be able to stop yourself."

Twilight forced herself to breathe evenly. She just needed to take the day one minute at a time, to hide her fear, and pray that the whisper didn't have the same hold over her actions that her dreams had.

There were many ponies walking around the town that day, purchasing items from each others' shops and generally enjoying themselves. Several times, when Twilight glanced at another pony, a sensation would come over her which she found similar to hunger. She needed to eat, and not something like the waffles she had shared with Spike that morning. Her body yearned for the perfectly healthy specimens that were walking all around her.

Twilight removed herself to a lesser populated section of the town and knelt down beside a small fountain to look into its depths. She took long slow breaths, hoping that none of her friends would walk by and notice her behavior. The words of the Bloody Hooves came back from the farthest reaches of her mind, as if they had replaced her heartbeat.

What if I really do kill somepony tonight? What if I can’t fight through this? She suppressed a shudder as she began to stand.

"What's wrong, Twilight?"

The unicorn ducked quickly into a crouch at the high pitched voice. Regaining some composure and raising her head up, she saw Pinkie's bright blue eyes gazing at her with an expression of worry. "Is it the nightmares?" When Twilight hesitated in her answer, Pinkie pressed the question. “You can tell me Twilight. We're friends.”

Twilight's spirits rose a little when she remembered her friend's normally sunny disposition. She can't know. Even if she wouldn't tell. Even if she 'Pinkie Promises' to keep it a secret, I can't allow her to be exposed to this.

Twilight nodded. "Yeah. It was really bad last night." She swallowed. "I mean, I feel like the nightmare cycle has stopped, but it all seemed so real."

"Worse than before?"

Another nod as Twilight stood, mentally squashing the urges rising inside her.

"Don't worry, Twilight!" Pinkie assured, pulling her despondent friend into a hug. "I'll help Rarity finish that nightmare-repelling dress tomorrow. Oh, I know! Later today I'll throw you a 'We're-here-for-you-Twilight' party at Sugar Cube Corner! That should help cheer you up and tide you over until the dress is done." The earth pony began bouncing on her hooves at the thought.

Twilight managed to keep a small smile plastered to her face. "I don't think that's such a great idea Pinkie."

"What? What do you mean, Twilight? A party is always a good idea, except when it's a great idea! And sometimes it's even a super wonderful colossally awesomely idea!"

The urges crashed against Twilight's mind again, and she clenched her eyes shut as she snuffed them out. Suddenly a weight lifted. The unicorn opened her eyes in surprise. I can't feel it anymore. Maybe I just need to concentrate hard enough and exert my will firmly enough.

“Twilight? Are you OK? You look like you might need to go find a bathroom.” Pinkie's brow was furrowed in concern.

The unicorn blushed a little. “Y-yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.” Twilight took a step closer to her bubbly pink friend. “Hey, could you do me a favor and just have the party be between us and our close friends? I don't want to concern everypony in town."

Pinkie grinned, giving her friend a quick salute. "I Pinkie Promise it'll be just us!" She reinforced her point by performing the traditional movements that accompany the promise.

Twilight gave a smile of gratitude. I can do this. I am in control. I'll prove to myself I can do this, and a fun little frivolous distraction will be the perfect starting point.

That evening, Twilight and Spike walked into the library to turn in for the night. While Spike chattered away about how great the party was, Twilight shut the door behind her with a firm shove. The mare hurriedly moved her tongue over her mouth, spitting out fragments of frosting and cake batter. “That was the worst cake I ever tasted.”

“Really?” Spike looked perplexed. “I thought it was the best cake I ever tasted!” He licked a remnant of frosting from one of his claws, savoring the taste before glancing back at Twilight. “Everyone else seemed to like it. Did ya get a bad piece or something?”

“I don’t know,” Twilight admitted. “It just tasted kind of ... bitter. Like it wasn't baked right.”

The young dragon looked at her sympathetically. “I guess that wasn’t the best ‘cheer up from the nightmares’ party, huh?”

When the young mare shook her head, Spike comfortingly put a claw on her shoulder. “Well, on the bright side, you said you didn’t think you’d have those nightmares anymore, right?”

Twilight sighed slightly. “Uh huh.”

“So, maybe tomorrow will be better!” Spike assured her as they climbed up the stairs to their bedroom. “No nightmares for one night ought to do you some good.”

Twilight looked down at her assistant and a faint smile spread across her lips. “Thanks Spike. You’re probably right.”

The dragon puffed out his chest and held his head high as he spoke in an overly exaggerated tone of pride. “Of course I am. You should listen to me more often.”

Twilight spoke wryly as she magically turned down her bedsheets. “Yeah, I don't know why I even keep the reference books in stock. With you around they're just redundant.”

The young dragon chuckled before stopping abruptly near his bed. Something on the floor near Twilight's vanity had caught his attention. He cautiously walked over to stand near the balled up handkerchief. “Twilight. What … what happened?” His voice was small and fragile.

“What do you mean Spi-”. She stopped short when she saw the dried blood on the crumpled square of cloth. Her mind raced for an answer. “That’s … I had a nosebleed this morning. I guess the air was a little too dry. That was what took so long before breakfast. Sorry. I should have rinsed that out.” She mentally breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Spike's expression relax.

Her horn glowed and the bloody cloth was quickly deposited in the nearby clothes hamper. “I'll get to it in the morning.”

Spike shot her a sidelong glance. “You mean I'll get to it.”

“No! I mean, that's not sanitary. I don't expect you to clean up that sort of mess.”

“Soooo … does that mean that you don't expect me to clean any of the other clothes that are still in that hamper either?” He arched an eyebrow toward her and gave an earnest grin. “I mean, you wouldn't want me to be handling anything that might have gotten contaminated by some 'unsanitary' mess, now would you?”

Twilight sighed and nodded. “There's probably only a few pairs of socks in there anyway. It won't hurt for me to do my own little bit of laundry for once.” Spike made a victory fist pump. “But I won't be making a habit of this.”

Spike was still smiling as he nodded to her and climbed into his bed. “Oh, of course. I understand completely.” He laid down and wrapped himself in his blanket. “Goodnight Twilight. I hope you have good dreams.”

“You and me both. Goodnight Spike.”

Unlike her assistant, Twilight was from tired. She lay on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. So many little extra things for me to be careful about now, for me to worry over. And what about the cake? I'm certain it tasted so bad because of something they did to me? If I have trouble eating normal food … if I'm unable to gain nourishment from it, then how will I ...

Her mind lingered back to the demonic command. The order for her to kill somepony. No. I'll prove that I can beat this. It's going to be just fine. She willed herself to slowly close her eyes, hoping slumber would bring her a temporary peace.

In Twilight’s dream-like state, she became increasingly aware of her actions. She was aware that she was walking ever closer to the forest. She tried to cry out, to step back, to use magic, anything to break free. It was no use. She was a prisoner in her own body, her limbs moving against her will, as the twisted vines of the forest wrapped downward to obscure her from any who might have seen her.

As she moved onward she felt her will being stripped from her, replaced by a strange new sense of awareness. Her body – or whatever was controlling it - was seeking something out.

She continued traversing through the forest’s undergrowth, and Twilight slowly became aware of changes in her own body. Her teeth began to sharpen and crack, tearing into the flesh of her cheek and tongue. Her hooves fragmented, split along the length, allowing the rough edges to grind into her raw flesh with each step. Muscle tissue strained terribly, threatening to rip open, as each section expanded and contracted to animate the fissured lengths of bone visible through the gaps in her flesh. Her entire body had become a reconstructed horror, stitched together like a foal’s toy gone terribly wrong. The mirror hadn't lied that morning. The lie was what she showed to her friends and the rest of the town in the daylight.

That terribly keen awareness began to pick up the scent of another pony: one of the town's ponies who was stumbling her way through the dark in an attempt to escape the forest, just as Twilight had the previous night. It was Golden Harvest, or 'Carrot Top' as she often went by.

What’s she doing here? Twilight managed to wonder. I wouldn’t expect her to be here ... unless ...

Twilight was seized with terror as her broken hoof-steps drew her closer to the mare. The realization at what was about to happen slammed into her like a wrecking ball.

NO!

Twilight attempted to shout the word, to warn Carrot Top to run. It was then, staring at the unsuspecting pony, that Twilight heard the beating of a living heart. The rhythmic sounds of the delicious fluttering organ resonated through the unicorn's ears. All reason and remorse were immediately lost. Twilight was on the earth pony before it had time to scream.

Twilight felt that she was operating within a dream while executing a twisted rampaging autopilot program. She wasn't fully conscious of the stifled scream of the earth pony attempting to throw her off, nor of her own teeth digging deeply into the neck. She was only dimly aware of her own movements, that something was happening and she was the cause, but the intent of her limbs acted against her weakened will. Her rational decisions were stifled by the desire to murder the thing she held tightly within her grasp.

Twilight's mouth was a vice, crushing the victim's windpipe. The prey flailed under the shattered unicorn, pinned to the ground by an unholy strength. Magic dimly lit up the nearby trees with a lavender glow, and a loud crack sounded through the forest. The pony lay still, its lower body twisted around at an impossible angle, eyes locked in a terrified stare as they glazed over.

With a snarl, Twilight swiftly sunk her teeth into the side of her prey’s face, tearing an eye from the socket and swallowing it nearly whole. Before she had fully swallowed her first bite, she bent down to rip a chunk free from her meal's shoulder. She quickly devoured the steaming warm meat and went back for more. She bit down again and again, each time pulling off another shredded mouthful of raw bloody flesh, gorging herself further and further.

Then, suddenly, it was over. The bloodlust left Twilight’s face, as did the surge of energy that had fueled her attack. She stood on trembling hooves, staring at the display laid out before her. The unicorn stepped back and leaned against the tree behind her, her legs wobbling weakly. She squeezed her eyes shut trying to will away the terrifying sight.
Silence greeted her alert ears. There was no pounding of hoof-steps, no screams of any onlooker who may have witnessed her dark deed. Even the wind that so often blew through the forest was stilled. The only sounds present to her were the whispers. The commands the Bloody Hooves carried to her mind:

"Kill on sight. Kill on sight."

Like a form of post-hypnotic suggestion, Twilight thought in shock. That seemed to be the only explanation that would surface in her panicked brain. They forced me to kill an innocent pony. They turned me into a murderer.

"We are pleased."

She wrenched open her eyelids, staring again at what she had done. Part of Twilight's panicked brain refused to believe it. Her voice was hoarse and terrified. "No, no, no, no!"

The unicorn shook her head, bewildered. "No! This is just m-more of the sick mind games, just a hallucination!" Her voice grew higher pitched. "It's not true. I can't have ..."

She looked down at the fresh blood covering her broken hooves and scarred chest. The voice continued to pound through her head relentlessly, that same terrifying phrase.

"Kill on sight. Kill on sight. Kill on sight."

Twilight lay there, slumped against the tree and mumbling to herself, until another voice joined the chorus chanting through her mind.

"I know what you did. I saw you do it."

Her mental tormentors were silenced as Twilight whipped her head around. Through the shock of discovering she had an audience, a faint realization dawned. She recognized this new voice. Its tone wasn't completely accusatory, but rather intrigued. That, to Twilight, was its most terrifying quality.

"You brought her here, and ended her before she could scream."

Twilight's eyes widened upon seeing the bright orange filly in front of her. Scootaloo didn't appear to be shocked in the slightest. She stepped closer to the distressed unicorn.

After a moment of silence, she spoke, her tone half accusing, half sympathetic. "Taking a life without realizing it. It's considered to be just about the most horrible thing in the world when it first happens." Her voice held the weighty experienced tone of a pony far older and wiser than one would expect.

Twilight blinked in surprise. Scootaloo didn't seem terrified, or disbelieving, or ready to run back to Ponyville and alert the town of Twilight's actions. If anything, her words were understanding. Like such a terrible act didn't affect her.

"What do you mean by 'when it first happens'?" Twilight had to force the words out.

"Killing without realizing it is usually one of the first things to happen when you're Transmuted," the filly explained, coming closer to the unicorn. She tilted her head upward to look at the young mare, purple irises scrutinizing her appearance. "You're still in the early stages. Trust me, once you're more than just a newcomer you'll have a little more control. At least you'll be able to choose the ponies you kill." Her tone of voice reminded Twilight of one of the magic instructors back in school, when he had describe the discomfort that comes with the first time use of focused spell casting.

"I'd never kill anypony willingly!"

"You will," Scootaloo retorted with a faint smile. "Everypony does, eventually."

Twilight wasn't sure which was more frightening: the fact that Scootaloo was insisting she'd get used to killing or that the filly seemed happy about it. "B-But... how did you get like this?"

"Same as you." Scootaloo's expression turned suddenly serious. "You remember those Nightmare Night stories?"

Twilight nodded numbly, attempting to stop her legs from trembling.

"Yeah. It happened at our camp." The filly walked closer to Twilight, thistle colored eyes staring into violet. "What the Bloody Hooves do is different for each pony." She placed her hoof on Twilight's chest. "I know they crushed your heart."

Twilight's skin prickled under the pressing coldness of Scootaloo's hoof, and she quickly stepped back, out of the filly's reach. Breathing a little heavily, she asked, "What did they do to you?"

"They took my eyes, just like with you. That's part of the covenant." Scootaloo blinked, and in that instant her beautiful bright irises were changed to empty blood-covered caverns. She blinked once more, and her eyes returned to their ordinary appearance.

"How can we see?"

"The Bloody Hooves gave us a new kind of sight. Mine allows me to see more than before, new visual inputs that only a Bloody Hoof can detect - you'll get it too if you do enough for them. I went through a lot at the camp, so now I get to be a carrier for the fear we implant in the minds of others." She nearly broke into a giggle as she spoke.

"Where the hay did you go to camp?" Twilight couldn't fathom any sort of camp where colts and fillies were murdered to become bloodthirsty monsters.

"It's a long story," Scootaloo muttered, "but considering it's just the two of us here, and everypony else will still be asleep for hours yet, I guess now would be as good a time as any to tell you."

Gesturing for the older pony to sit down, Scootaloo stood on a splintered log and cleared her throat. Her false eyes grew wide with excitement as she gazed intently at the blood stained patchwork unicorn. She could almost hear the popping of loose joints when Twilight plopped down on the grass.

Scootaloo held her forehooves into the dark sky as she began her tale. "It happened about 3 years ago."