Chapters ”Congratulations, Rarity, you failed."
The words rung through the white mare’s ears. She looked down at the body of her friend. Fluttershy gave a few weak spasms and let out a couple gasps before she fell lifeless.
"Thanks to you I have proven that magic is only as powerful as the ponies who wield it. As promised, you’re more than welcome to return to your home in Ponyville and seek whatever punishment for me that you deem appropriate. Though, given the fact that my magic has picked your friends off so easily, I caution you to choose your vengeance carefully. If I were you, I wouldn’t anger somepony that powerful.”
Starlight's words fell on practically deaf ears. Rarity felt ill. Her betrayal... it had been a last-minute choice. She originally planned to go through with hers and Fluttershy's plan, but impulse won and she'd chosen Choice. She'd just wanted to live, to see her sister again, to do what she was meant to. She didn't realize the consequences of her decision until she was watching Fluttershy gasp for air. It made it all worse that Fluttershy had died knowing Rarity had betrayed her.
"Before you go," Starlight added, "I need you to do something for me. It's just one little phrase, and then you're free to go."
She lifted the parchment she'd been documenting on during the whole test in her magic and brought it to Rarity, making only the last line visible. When Rarity read it, she felt more hate toward the unicorn than she had ever felt toward anypony in her entire life.
"Need help?" Starlight taunted, clearing her throat. "Here, I'll start it off for you; based on thorough investigation and experiments, it can be concluded that."
Rarity's mouth refused to open for a few moments, but the thought of freedom was like a carrot on a stick in front of her. Despite everything, she still wanted to breathe in fresh air, to know what it was like to feel the grass below her hooves again.
"Friendship isn't magic."
"Perfect!" Starlight chirped happily. "Now, this will hurt."
A sudden sharp pain shot through Rarity's head, and then the world went dark.
Rarity shot up and pressed a hoof to her chest, gasping for air. She felt claustrophobic, like everything was closing in on her. The recurring nightmare had been returning to haunt her nearly every night for the past six months. On the few nights that she'd been spared from the nightmares, she'd awoken in tears after dreaming of her friends. The friends she had selfishly turned against in order to save her own flank.
Rarity pulled herself out of bed and patted her hooves on the floor a couple of times in order to steady herself. The white unicorn trotted over to her desk and pulled a mirror off of it to look at herself. The previous day's mascara was smeared below her eyes, as she hadn't bothered taking it off. Her usually kempt and pretty mane was messy, like it had been for months. Bags were visible below the smudged mascara.
Rarity sighed and rubbed her face. She kept the mirror in front of her with her magic, then searched for her hairbrush. She brushed her mane just enough to get the knots and tangles out, but not enough to make it pretty like it used to be. She didn't see the point in bothering.
No pony thought it was uncharacteristic for her. The day Rarity had returned, she'd awoken in her bed after being knocked out by Starlight. There was a note on her bed stand. Friendship isn't magic.
Rarity had angrily crumpled up the note and tossed it in the garbage.
Ponies had begun questioning where her friends went, and Rarity couldn't bring herself to tell them the truth. Instead, she pretended to be as oblivious as them. She allowed everypony to think they were simply missing. Her grieving and mourning process was easily just excused as her mourning her missing friends.
She'd shut down her boutiques and spent most days locked away from the world. She hid the burn scar on her cutie mark with a dark cloak, which was the only piece of fashion she ever bothered wearing anymore. She'd betrayed the ponies she loved for freedom, but she was still a prisoner of her guilt. Sweetie Belle often came to check on her, but she spent a good portion of her time with the other crusaders searching for the missing ponies.
Rarity dampened a cloth with the water bottle sitting on her bedstand and rubbed it on her face. She looked at herself in the mirror for a few moments. The pony in the reflection made her feel nauseous. This wasn't the pretty pony who had once been so confident in herself, the pony who had friends who were equally confident in her. This wasn't the pony who made the citizens of Equestria happy with her unique designs.
This was the pony who had robbed Equestria of its saviors.
This pony was a murderer.
Rarity looked away and shuddered. Hesitantly, she trotted over to her bed stand and dug through the drawers. She pulled out a tube of mascara and her eyeshadow palette. She brought the mirror to her face again and applied the makeup, focusing only on her eyes.
"I choose Twilight!"
"I- I was going to let you anyway, Rarity."
"I- I didn't want you to have to be brave for my sake."
What a pitiful excuse, and the look in Twilight's eyes had told Rarity that she knew that, too. Luckily for her, Twilight was willing to go through any amount of pain for her friends. It eased the guilt a little, but it still sunk in Rarity's belly like a heavy rock at the bottom of the ocean.
Focus on your eyes, Rarity told herself as she finished her eyeshadow. Focus on your eyes.
"If I were to choose the blade, where would I have to stab Pinkie?"
...
Rarity took the rod in her mouth and brought it down hard on Rainbow's back. The pegasus whimpered in pain at each strike.
...
"My, my, that was awfully lucky, wasn't it Rarity?" Starlight cooed as Rarity cried out in pain and gasped for air.
...
"Every test was designed to eliminate a player."
...
Rarity pushed the button that corresponded to Twilight's tank. She struggled to keep her muzzle above the water, all the while seeing her friend in the corner of her eye thrashing around and searching desperately for air.
The test of her own element, and she had failed.
...
"The decision you made will be on the bottom of the mug for the other pony to see."
Rarity froze in shock, pausing mid-sip. All color drained from Fluttershy's face as she looked at the bottom of her mug.
"Fluttershy..." Rarity choked out.
Her friend could barely manage any words as her body jerked with hard, raspy coughs.
"I'm so sorry!" Rarity wailed, watching her friend. She was helpless, unable to do anything to help.
No.
She wasn't helpless.
She was guilty.
Rarity shouted in anger and threw the mirror across the room. It met with the wall and shattered instantly. Rarity was panting, her legs trembling. She gritted her teeth angrily.
She couldn't even get revenge on the pony who had caused her all this pain. She knew Starlight was nowhere near as guilty as she was, but the unicorn was the indirect cause of the deaths of her friends.
Her spell had killed Applejack.
Her precious little gas creation had killed Pinkie.
Those were the only things Rarity could blame her for. Everything else she had contributed to or directly caused.
Tears threatened to escape her eyes.
Rarity sniffled and wiped her nose. Revenge wasn't even a possibility. She couldn't possibly take on Starlight. Sure, her magic was strong, but she had never studied magic. She knew just enough to do what she needed with it, but it was nowhere near enough to avenge her friends.
And how would she explain her sudden act of violence against Starlight? No pony knew how guilty both unicorns were, and if they did, they would never forgive her. And grief did odd things to ponies, blinding them to common sense and paving way for only what they believed. They would deem her guilty for even the things she couldn't control.
Rarity took a deep breath, then slowly let it out.
Guilty and helpless.
Revenge had been a recurring thought in Rarity's mind, but nothing would be enough to avenge her friends or even be something she could go through with. She was powerless to take on Starlight alone.
Alone.
Something in Rarity's mind clicked, something she was surprised that she never thought of before. For the first time in six months, she felt a spark of hope. It was tiny, but there, nonetheless.
Perhaps she vengeance was a possibility.
But she'd have to come clean to a couple ponies first.
Author's Note
I just wanted to mention that this takes place when the CMC are teens, so they look as they do in the show when they're grown up!!
The Confession
Rarity's hooves felt heavy as she waited in the boutique. Uncertainty had begun to stir in her belly as she had finalized her plan, but if there was any hope of giving Starlight what she deserved, she had to go through with this.
She'd given Sweetie Belle the message to go get the other crusaders that morning, and now she was impatiently pacing inside the boutique.
I can turn back. There's still a chance. I could just say I need their help with reopening the boutique.
These thoughts were nothing more than that, thoughts. As the door creaked open and she saw the three mares, Rarity came to terms with what she had to do.
"You asked for us?" Apple Bloom asked. Her face was creased with stress, along with Scootaloo. The guilt grew stronger, and it threatened to overwhelm her as she met the yellow mare's orange eyes.
"Yes," Rarity admitted slowly.
"I'd prefer it if this was quick," Scootaloo said, her tone impatient as she shut the door. "We have ponies to look for."
"Yeah," Apple Bloom put in. "With Spike leaving a couple months ago to search somewhere else for Twilight, we have less eyes helping look." Her gaze narrowed and she glared at Rarity. "Especially since you spend all your time moping."
Rarity swallowed nervously. Her hooves suddenly no longer felt heavy, but weak and unable to hold her weight. "That's... precisely why I called you here."
Sweetie Belle titled her head curiously while Scootaloo's ears fell back against her skull. "What do you mean?" the orange pegasus demanded.
"Are you finally helping?" Apple Bloom asked hopefully before Rarity could respond.
"...No," Rarity replied, which earned her a frustrated huff from Apple Bloom. "But I do need to tell you something about their disappearance."
"Did you find something?" Apple Bloom asked quickly, her eyes growing wide as she leaned closer to the unicorn. "Something that hints to where they are?"
"Please," Rarity said, waving her hoof to shoo the earth pony back. "Just listen."
Apple Bloom fell back to stand beside her friends. Sweetie Belle's gaze betrayed her curiosity and urgency, the same thing the other two were more open about showing. Rarity drew in a breath.
"You..." She paused before letting out a sigh. "You're not looking for anything."
Scootaloo angrily stomped her hoof while Sweetie Belle bristled and Apple Bloom let out an offended cry. "What are you talking about?" Scootaloo demanded. "Of course we're looking! Are you saying we aren't doing a good job?"
"No, of course not," Rarity protested. "You three have done a very good job, I'm proud of all of you. But... that doesn't change the fact that there's nothing to search for."
Silence filled the boutique. A few moments passed before Apple Bloom spoke up again.
"Talk, dammit!" she yelled. "You can't just keep being ominous. Give us answers! Those are our sisters!"
Rarity winced. "My apologies, darling," she said slowly. "But this isn't exactly... easy news to bear."
A fire roared in Apple Bloom's eyes as she slammed her two front hooves on the ground. "What happened to my sister?" she screeched.
"Starlight Glimmer captured us," Rarity explained quickly before the mare's rage could grow stronger. "She imprisoned us somewhere and performed a series of tests. They were all horrible and deadly. I- I was the only one who survived."
The crusaders erupted in cries of rage.
"You let us believe they were alive!" Scootaloo shouted.
"Why didn't you tell anypony?" Sweetie Belle demanded.
"My sister is dead and you refused to say anything?" Apple Bloom shrieked, tears pouring from her eyes. "What is wrong with you?"
Rarity felt a sting at their words, but she wasn't surprised. She'd expected this reaction.
"How did Applejack die?" Apple Bloom demanded, lunging forward and grabbing Rarity's shoulders. "What did you hide from us?"
Rarity gently pushed the sobbing pony away. "Applejack and Pinkie Pie died because of Starlight," Rarity explained. "Starlight's spell that kept us imprisoned killed Applejack when Rainbow Dash tried to attack Starlight, and Pinkie Pie was killed by a toxic laughing gas that caused irreversible damage."
"And the others?" Scootaloo demanded angrily, her own eyes watering.
Rarity felt her hooves tremble a little. There was no going back now.
"I contributed to their deaths," she admitted. "And I... directly killed Fluttershy."
"You killed them?" Sweetie Belle shrieked. "No wonder you've kept it a secret, you're a murderer!"
"You killed Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo hissed. "How could you?"
Another reaction Rarity had expected. Like she previously thought, grief paved way for only what you believed and not common sense.
"I contributed," Rarity murmured. "I didn't directly kill her."
"And how do we know that?" Sweetie Belle snarled. "You were apparently able to kill Fluttershy with little to no guilt, so how do we know you didn't kill the others?"
Anger rose in Rarity as her sister said this. Unable to control herself, Rarity shot a burst of magic and trapped the three friends in a blue orb of magic. The mares froze, then cowered back in fear. Rarity stamped her hoof on the ground.
"I do feel guilty!" she cried. "Why do you think I've kept it a secret for so long? I was too ashamed to face what I've done. They were my best friends. Of course there's an overwhelming guilt!"
She stomped closer to the orb. Her sister attempted to light her horn, but Rarity's magic was stronger than hers. She glared at the crusaders with narrow eyes. "But now I'm fixing it," she snarled. "That's why I've consulted in you three. I can't take Starlight on alone, but with help I can avenge my friends." She sighed and stepped back, releasing the crusaders. "I'm not asking for your forgiveness," she went on. "I'm asking for your help."
The trio exchanged glances. Scootaloo wiped her eyes and narrowed her gaze as she looked at Rarity. "Why should we help you?"
"I know why you'd be reluctant," Rarity told her. "I would be, too, had I been told what you have been. I've hardly been able to live with myself. But somepony needs to do something. Afterwards, I'm leaving my fate in the hooves of the princesses. Don't do this for me, do it for your sisters and your friends."
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo hesitated, but Apple Bloom stepped forward, clearly convinced.
"I'll do it," she announced. "I'll help, but this is nowhere near to meaning that I'll ever forgive you."
Rarity dipped her head gratefully. "I don't need you to," she reassured the farm pony. "Thank you."
"We're in, too," Sweetie Belle announced.
"You better be telling the truth," Scootaloo hissed. "You better take whatever punishment the princesses deem necessary."
"I promise you, I will," Rarity promised.
"So, what's the plan?" Sweetie Belle pressed. "What are we going to do?"
"Well first, we need to gather a couple extra hooves," Rarity replied, tapping her muzzle thoughtfully. "And I already have a good idea of who."
"Who? Who?" Apple Bloom pressed.
"One is your brother," Rarity told her. "The rest are Zephyr, one of the Pie sisters, Shining Armor, and the princesses themselves."
"The siblings of the lost ponies," Sweetie Belle said in awe. "That's a great idea! No pony will be angrier than them."
"Wait," Scootaloo said quickly. "We have to go to Canterlot to talk to Shining Armor, right? Starlight has a friend there, doesn't she?"
Rarity perked up at the orange pegasus's words. "Sunburst! Scootaloo, you're a genius!"
"I have another idea, too," Scootaloo added. "Somepony who will be even angrier than Zephyr Breeze."
Three pairs of eyes lit up with realization and hope.
"Discord," they said in unison. Scootaloo nodded.
"Scoots, that's a great idea!" Apple Bloom cried, lunging forward and hugging her friend tight.
"I agree," Sweetie Belle chirped, joining in on the hug.
Rarity couldn't help but smile a little. Desperation for revenge had sparked ideas in Scootaloo's mind that she hadn't even thought of herself.
"Sunburst is skilled when it comes to magic," Rarity pointed out as the crusaders broke away from each other. "That's the reason why he got his cutie mark, the whole reason why Starlight became bitter in the first place."
"Five ponies with magic on our side will be more than enough," Sweetie Belle said excitedly.
"Two of which are the most powerful ponies in all of Equestria," Apple Bloom put in.
Rarity cringed. "I wouldn't be too confident about that. Starlight is almost as strong as an alicorn when it comes to magic."
"Almost," Apple Bloom pointed out. "Which means she's not quite there yet."
"It has been six months," Rarity murmured, but the trio wasn't listening. They were galloping toward the door. Apple Bloom flung it open and turned to look back at Rarity.
"Come on!" she cried. "We need to go get Big Mac!"
The Gathering (Part One: Ponyville)
"Big Mac!" Apple Bloom called as the four ponies rushed into Sweet Apple Acres. "Big Mac, where are you?"
They rushed through the apple trees, searching for the red stallion. "Big Mac!" Apple Bloom called again.
Suddenly a pink pony with a fluffy purple mane cut them off, anger burning in her eyes. "Don't you think you're a bit old to be asking your brother for help with your chores?"
Rarity recognized Big Mac's wife. Her belly was large and round. It was the first time Rarity had seen her since her pregnancy had been announced.
"Sugar Belle!" Apple Bloom gasped. "Where is Big Mac?"
"You can do your chores on your own," Sugar Belle scolded, eyeing the three ponies behind her. "And you certainly don't need them."
Her eyes fell on Rarity, and her gaze softened sympathetically. "Apple Bloom," she scolded. "You dragged poor Rarity out here? Don't you-"
"We need to find Big Mac," Rarity said quickly before the unicorn could go on. "It's urgent."
Sugar Belle's ears fell back against her skull. "For?" she asked suspiciously.
Fear coursed through Rarity as Apple Bloom stepped forward to face her sister-in-law. If Apple Bloom told her the truth, how would Sugar Belle react? Would she try to stop them? Would she turn Rarity in before she got a chance to get revenge? Would their plan fail before it even began?
"We need to tell him something," Apple Bloom told Sugar Belle. "It's really important. Sugar Belle, we need to talk to my brother."
Sugar Belle hesitated, then jerked her head toward the barn. "He's working on the trees behind the barn," she replied.
"Thank you!" Apple Bloom cried as Rarity let out a breath of relief. The four ponies raced off in the direction of the barn. Rarity hurried up to run beside Apple Bloom. "I thought you were going to tell her the truth," she admitted. Apple Bloom shook her head. "You aren't the one who killed my sister, and besides, the princesses will give you enough of a punishment. 'Specially seeing as you helped kill Celestia's pupil." Apple Bloom looked up at Rarity with a raised brow. "Say, how did the others die, anyway?"
Rarity shuddered and looked ahead. "I'd prefer to only tell that story once, when we have everypony gathered."
Apple Bloom didn't argue. Instead, she led the way to the back of the red barn. A patch of widely spread-out trees did little to hide the stallion who was bucking the trees. Apples fell down into his basket, thudding one after the other. The poor pony looked stressed, like work was the only thing that could take his mind off of it.
"Big Mac!" Apple Bloom cried.
The red pony didn't respond, simply continuing his work.
"Wait here," Apple Bloom instructed quietly before approaching her brother. "Big Mac, can I talk to you?"
"Eeyup," Big Mac replied, moving his basket to another tree.
"We've found something out," Apple Bloom told her brother. "Can you come with us?"
Big McIntosh didn't respond and began bucking apples from the new tree. Apple Bloom shifted her hooves impatiently. "Big Mac, come on! It's really important!" Still no response. "It's about Applejack," Apple Bloom tried.
Big Mac looked a little intrigued, but he still didn't answer. His little sister glared at him. "Big Mac, come on! Is your work seriously more important than your sister?"
"Nope."
"Then what is?" Apple Bloom snarled. "Sugar Belle?"
"Nope," Big Mac replied simply, continuing his work.
"Then why won't you come?" Apple Bloom hissed.
Sweetie Belle hurried over to stand by her friend's side. "Big Mac, I know you've been stressed and struggling to handle the farm on your own ever since your Granny Smith passed and your sister went missing," she said quickly. "And I know you don't like the idea of leaving, but this is really urgent."
Big Mac paused his bucking and stepped away from the tree, eyeing them. His gaze settled on Rarity, his look curious. Rarity hesitated, then stepped forward.
"I know what happened to Applejack," she admitted. "Starlight Glimmer captured all six of us and put us through a series of horrible and deadly tests. There was a spell she used to imprison us. During the first test, the spell killed Applejack when Rainbow Dash tried to attack Starlight."
Big McIntosh froze completely, as though he were suddenly paralyzed. After a few moments, his lips slowly curled back in a snarl.
"Starlight?" he growled. "That traitor killed my sister?" He glared at Rarity. His voice raised to almost a yell. "I thought she was y'alls friend!"
"She is," Rarity said. "Or... she was."
"Then what did y'all do to anger her?" the red farm pony demanded, trotting up to her. "What caused her to murder my sister?" He didn't give Rarity a moment to answer before he screamed, "What the fuck did y'all do?"
"They didn't do anything," Sweetie Belle interjected, placing her hoof on his chest and gently easing him away from her sister. "Starlight was too far gone to be reformed when they found her in the village. She was bitter. That was out of their control."
Big Mac kept glaring at Rarity, like it was her fault that Starlight was the way she was. Rarity forced herself not to wince at the sharp gaze that felt like it was piercing her fur and simply met his eyes. Grief does odd things to ponies.
"How long have you known?" Big Mac demanded.
Rarity drew in a shaky breath and looked down at her hooves. "The entire time she's been missing."
"And you never told anypony?" Big Mac roared, stomping his hoof on the ground. "You didn't think it was important? What in Celestia's name is wrong with you? Six months. Six fucking months, Rarity! You've kept this secret for six months! That's my sister, you son of a bitch!"
"I was mad, too," Apple Bloom told him, blocking his path to keep him from advancing on Rarity. "But Rarity is going to make up for it. She has an idea, but we need your help."
"What plan?" Big Mac snarled.
"We're gathering the siblings of the lost ponies," Scootaloo announced. "And Discord and Sunburst and the princesses. We're going to find Starlight and get revenge."
"How?" Big Mac demanded, snapping his head to look at Scootaloo.
Scootaloo hesitated, and she nervously rubbed the back of her neck. "Uhhh, we're... not entirely sure yet."
"It'll be a joined effort," Rarity told him. "We're going to get everypony, then get an idea of what to do."
Big Mac hesitated for what felt like years before he spoke. "I'll help." He stuck his face in Rarity's, their noses touching. "But you're going to stay the hell away from me the entire time, you hear me?"
Rarity swallowed and nodded quickly. "Yes, yes, I understand," she said hurriedly.
"Good." Big Mac moved away from Rarity. He turned to the crusaders. "Who are we getting next?"
"Zephyr Breeze," Sweetie Belle announced.
The stallion simply grunted. "I'll go tell Sugar Belle I'm leaving," he said. "I don't like the idea of leaving her alone, especially with her carrying my foal, but..."
"She'll be okay," Apple Bloom reassured him.
Big Mac shifted his hooves uncertainly. "Eeyup. Just, uh... wait for me by Sugarcube Corner, okay?"
Pinkie's missing posters flapped about in the wind outside Sugarcube Corner. Rarity looked at them sadly. Pinkie had betrayed her during the first test, but Rarity had forgiven her long before Starlight took her friend's life. And she was grateful that she did.
"We need to find somepony to go to Cloudsdale and get Zephyr," Sweetie Belle pointed out. She glanced at Scootaloo, who simply shook her head. "I still can't fly."
"So we find somepony who can," Apple Bloom said impatiently. "There's gotta be a pegasus around here somewhere."
The yellow mare stood on the tips of her hooves, scanning the town. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle did the same. Rarity simply looked from where she was.
"There!" Sweetie Belle suddenly cried, pointing to a gray pegasus with a yellow mane. She was sitting at a table outside of a cafe, munching away at a tray of muffins.
"Muffins?" Rarity said, tilting her head.
"That's what it looks like she's eating," Scootaloo said, squinting at the mare's tray.
"No," Rarity said quickly. "I mean, her name is Muffins."
"Muffins?" Apple Bloom said, rubbing her head. "I always thought her name was Derpy."
"That's just a mean name ponies used to call her," Rarity explained. "She's a trustworthy pony."
"Then let's go." Sweetie Belle trotted over to the pegasus, who looked up as they approached. Rarity smiled at her. Her crossed yellow eyes always reminded her of the sun on a cloudless day.
"Hi," Sweetie Belle chirped. "I'm Sweetie Belle, and these are my friends Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. You know Rarity, right?"
Muffins's ears fell back uncertainly. "Uh, yes, I think so. You're friends with Rainbow Dash, right?"
"I- I was," Rarity replied. Before Muffins could question her, the unicorn went on. "Do you know who Zephyr Breeze is? Fluttershy's brother?"
Muffins perked up. "I know Zephyr!" she said excitedly. "He's that blue pegasus with the yellow mane!"
"Right," Rarity said, smiling. "Can you go to Cloudsdale and get him? We need to talk to him."
"I sure can!" Muffins chirped, dancing about excitedly.
"Thank you," Rarity breathed. Muffins flapped her wings eagerly, then flew up into the sky. The pegasus disappeared into the clouds. Rarity sat down and sighed, fixing her eyes once more on the poster of her best friend.
Scootaloo looked at the table, then at the cafe. "I'll be right back," she announced, heading inside.
Shortly after she went inside, the sound of hoofsteps announced the arrival of another pony. Rarity didn't have to look to know it was Big Mac.
"This ain't Sugarcube Corner," he said lightly.
"We needed to find somepony to go get Zephyr," Apple Bloom explained.
Rarity looked over her shoulder as Big Mac's eyes fell on the tray of muffins. "Derpy?" he guessed.
"Muffins," Rarity corrected. "Her name is Muffins."
Big Mac glared at her, but instead of saying something mean he simply scratched his chin. "Right. I haven't spoken to her in ages."
"Rarity reassured us that she's the right pony for the job," Apple Bloom told her older brother.
"Of course," he grumbled, looking at the poster that Rarity was sitting by. Respecting his wishes, Rarity got up and moved over to the table that Muffins had been sitting at. She rested her head and front hooves on the table. The white mare sighed, closing her eyes and burying her face in her hooves.
Scootaloo was leaving the cafe just as Muffins returned with another pegasus. Rarity had been staring off into space, trying to keep her mind busy as she waited. When Muffins finally returned, she sat up. Scootaloo smiled at her. She was carrying a basket with a white covering. She cantered over to the gray pony and gave her the basket.
"Consider this a thank you," Scootaloo told her. Muffins happily took the basket. "Thank you," she said, her voice slightly muffled by the handle of the basket grasped in her mouth.
The pegasus happily trotted over to the table while Rarity got up to greet the new pony.
"Little bubble over there said you wanted me," Zephyr said, pointing to Muffins. He eyed Rarity, smiling at her flirtatiously. "Why, if it isn't the Rares herself. I'm surprised to be hearing from you. I thought you'd be too busy searching for your friends and my sister."
"Have you been looking for her?" Rarity said, a little snappier than she'd originally intended.
"When I can," Zephyr replied. "Work tends to get in the way a lot."
"Muffins!" Muffins cried. Everypony turned to looked at her. She'd pulled off the top of the basket, revealing the treats inside. "My favorite kind, too! Thanks, uh, what's your name again?"
"Scootaloo," Scootaloo replied with a smile. "And you're welcome."
Sweetie Belle looked at the still half-full tray and the basket of muffins. "Uh, are you sure that's not gonna give her a bellyache?" she whispered to Scootaloo.
"Muffins isn't stupid," Scootaloo replied confidently. "She'll know how to space it out."
Zephyr rested his arm on Rarity's shoulder and leaned against her, pulling Rarity's attention back to him. "So, what'd ya need me for?" he asked, smiling at her.
Rarity swallowed and pulled away from him. "We need to talk to you."
Zephyr stumbled a little, but he caught himself before he could lose his balance. "Uh, alright," he said, wrinkling his nose in confusion. "What's up?"
"It's about your sister," Rarity said slowly.
Zephyr finally seemed focus, his eyes widening with intrigue and surprise. "What happened? Is she okay?"
Rarity swallowed, then told Zephyr the story she'd told several times over already.
"Starlight?" Zephyr breathed. "Wha- She killed my sister?!"
"No," Rarity choked out, her voice hoarse. "I did."
Zephyr's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?" he snarled.
"It was the test of honesty. We- we had a choice. We could pick Chance and let fate decide who would die, or one could pick Choice and let the other pony die, or we could both pick Choice and both die. We agreed to pick Chance, as it was the only way we'd be able to live with ourselves. But at the last minute, I... picked Choice."
Rarity flinched at the look on Zephyr's face. It was pure hatred and fury, a look she hadn't seen on any of the other ponies.
"You murdered my big sister?" he spat, tears beginning to escape his eyes. "You betrayed her! How could you?" He lunged at Rarity. Before she could react, Zephyr pinned her down and stuck his face in hers. "She was the only pony who had faith in me!" he cried. "She's the reason why I began to believe I could do whatever my mind was set to. I didn't have any hope or believe in myself. She was my hope. She was my belief! She was everything I needed to make it, dammit! And you took her away from me!"
He spat on Rarity slightly as he screamed at her. She squeezed her eyes shut until he was finished. "Zephyr, please," she breathed. "Just listen."
"You better make this worth my time or I'll rip your tongue out," he snarled, keeping Rarity pinned beneath him.
Rarity gulped and drew in a shaky breath. "We're going to get revenge," she explained. "But I need your help."
"Help?" Zephyr barked, laughing. "You came to me for help ? After you killed my sister? I want nothing to do with you! You don't deserve my time!"
"I can't take on Starlight alone," Rarity protested. "So I'm gathering the ponies who will be the angriest about my friends' deaths. We're going to punish Starlight, and then I'm leaving my fate in the hooves of the princesses."
Zephyr looked over at Big Mac. "I assume that's why you're here?"
"Eeyup," Big Mac replied.
Zephyr looked back at Rarity. She met his furious gaze. "I'm not asking for forgiveness or your friendship," she said softly. "I'm asking for your help in avenging your sister."
Zephyr hesitated, then stepped back and let Rarity get up. "Fine," he spat, wiping off his hooves like touching Rarity had given him germs. "I'll help."
"Thank you," Rarity breathed.
"I'm not doing it for you," Zephyr growled. "I'm doing it for Fluttershy."
Sweetie Belle bounded over to Rarity, blocking Zephyr off from her. "Where are we going next?" she asked.
"I think it'd be best to go to the rock farm next," Rarity replied. "And then we can go to Canterlot."
Zephyr shot one last look at Rarity before cantering off toward the train station. The others followed. Rarity fell behind, watching them go. All of these ponies hated her, even her own sister, so how much help would they really be? Afterall, no pony would listen to somepony they hated. Her hope slowly withered a little, like a petal falling from a rose. She just had to have faith.
"You look sad," Muffins said suddenly, drawing Rarity's attention to her. The gray pegasus reached into her basket and pulled out a muffin, presenting it to Rarity happily. "Do you want a muffin? They always make me feel better."
Rarity smiled and took the pastry from her gratefully. "Thank you, Muffins," she said, resting it on her nose like she'd often seen Pinkie do. It was a little hard to balance, but Rarity soon got it to stop wobbling and sit still.
"You're welcome!" Muffins chirped, drumming her hooves on the table a little in joy. "Good luck, Rarity."
Rarity dipped her head a little in thanks, then raced off after the others before she lost them completely.
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The Gathering (Part Two: The Rock Farm and Canterlot)
Rarity watched as the sun rose over the east horizon and felt the train tremble as it drove across the tracks. Everypony else was sleeping, twitching slightly in their dreams. Big Mac snored softly.
Rarity sat in her own area, no pony sitting next to her or across from her. She doubted anypony wanted to, and she quite honestly preferred it this way.
The crusaders were all piled together on one seat, piled on top of each other like a group of meerkats, with Big Mac across from them. Zephyr was draped over the larger stallion's back like a thin blanket and his wings flopped limply at his sides.
Rarity rested her head on the window and allowed her eyes to flutter closed. She hadn't slept well. She was unused to sleeping on a train, and her mind had been too occupied thinking of how to perform their revenge.
A large shake rumbled through the train, making Rarity bang her head hard against the window. She winced and sat up, rubbing her head. She heard Apple Bloom groan. She looked over at the earth pony, who was at the bottom of the pile. She rubbed her eyes and lifted her head as much as she could, which wasn't much seeing as she was weighed down by her friends. Zephyr was stirring, too. He pushed a stray hair from his face and blinked drowsily.
"That was a pretty violent jerk," he murmured, yawning.
"It's too early to be up," Apple Bloom sighed, laying her head back down.
Scootaloo, who was woken up by the sound of the others' voices, looked out the window on their side. She yawned and fluttered down from the top of the pile, landing firmly on the ground. "It seems like just the right time to get up," she said. "We're almost to the station."
Scootaloo roughly shook Sweetie Belle. When the unicorn didn't wake up, Apple Bloom huffed and threw her off her back. Sweetie Belle yelped at the sudden movement and landed on the ground with a hard thud.
"Ow!" she whined.
Zephyr gently prodded Big Mac in the side and murmured his name. "Wake up," he whispered. "Big Mac, we're almost there."
Apple Bloom sat up and fixed her bow. "He's a heavy sleeper," she told the pegasus. "He's worse than Sweetie."
"You didn't have to throw me," Rarity's sister grumbled, getting to her hooves.
"You didn't wake up when Scootaloo shook you," Apple Bloom said with a simple shrug.
Sweetie Belle shot her friend a look. Zephyr prodded Big Mac a little rougher than he had before. "Big Mac," he said loudly.
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes, then galloped toward her brother and slammed her head into his side. The stallion grunted and opened his eyes a little. "Mmph?"
"We're approaching the train station," Apple Bloom announced dramatically, holding a hoof to her chest.
Big Mac sighed and sat up, causing Zephyr to slide off of his back. As he woke, a pony came in with a cart full of food and drinks. The unicorn pony smiled at them.
"Good to see you're all awake," he said. "You have just enough time to eat before you get to your destination."
He started with the crusaders, then Big Mac, then Zephyr. Finally, he came over to Rarity. He levitated a pastry with his magic and presented it to her. "Cinnamon roll?" he offered.
"Just a tea for me, please," Rarity said politely, shaking her head. The unicorn nodded with a smile and set the pastry back on the cart, then gave her a cup of warm tea. Rarity smiled gratefully at him and took the cup.
"Just holler if you folks need anything," the unicorn said before he wheeled his cart away and disappeared through a door.
"These are really good," Sweetie Belle said happily as she bit into a muffin.
"We make better on the farm," Apple Bloom grumbled around a mouthful of her own breakfast. "Applejack used to make the best apple muffins and apple pies known to Equestria, she was almost as good at baking as Pinkie."
Two bitter glances were given to Rarity by Big Mac and Apple Bloom. Rarity swallowed her anger.
I didn't kill her!
She looked at them calmly, then took a sip from her tea.
"I hate Starlight," Scootaloo grumbled angrily, glaring out the window. "I can't wait to give her what she deserves. I'm going to make her regret ever being born."
"Me too," Apple Bloom announced, stomping her hoof.
"We'll do just that and more," Sweetie Belle promised, holding her head high.
The train suddenly jolted and stopped. Rarity yelped and some tea spilled out of her cup onto the train floor.
The unicorn from before poked his head in and smiled nervously. "So, looks like I misjudged the amount of time you had left," he said, rubbing the back of his head.
Rarity sighed and set her tea down. "It's alright, darling."
"A bit of a warning before the train stops would be appreciated next time, though," Apple Bloom huffed.
The train pony just gave an awkward, toothy grin, then spoke. "Well, uh, welcome to the rock farm?"
Rarity hopped off her seat. She followed behind the others, nodding her head in farewell to the train pony. Big Mac and Zephyr were in the lead, guiding them to the cottage where the Pie family lived. Rarity stayed a few hoofsteps behind the rest of the group, giving them their respective space.
Once they were a couple yards away from the train, Sweetie Belle looked back at Rarity. She fell behind her friends to wake along beside her.
"You know, I don't forgive you for keeping the secret or what you did to the others," Sweetie Belle admitted, "but I... I am happy you survived."
Rarity blinked in surprise. "You are?" she blurted.
"Of course I am," Sweetie replied, nuzzling Rarity's shoulder. "No matter what, I still love you. You're my big sister, I don't know what I would do without you."
Rarity felt her eyes water. She smiled and rested her chin on her sister's head. "Thank you, Sweetie. That means a lot."
Sweetie Belle pulled away, looking her older sister in her eyes. "They won't admit it, but it also means a lot to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo that you're going through all these to avenge their sisters," she said. "They're bitter, but they appreciate it."
"Did they tell you that?" Rarity asked.
"In their own way," Sweetie Belle replied. "That, and it's sort of obvious."
Rarity chuckled. Sweetie Belle stayed by her side as they walked over to the cottage. They found the Pie family working outside, carting around rocks and such. A brown stallion and gray mare stood close together, murmuring to each other. The three other mares seemed anxious, even Maud, who hardly showed emotions.
"Pinkie's family," Scootaloo breathed.
"They all seem so... depressing," Sweetie Belle said, wrinkling her nose.
"This is where little pink came from?" Zephyr asked. "Sheesh."
Big Mac picked up his pace and trotted over to the family. The five ponies looked up. They seemed confused at first when they saw the three unfamiliar ponies, then relaxed when they noticed Big Mac, Apple Bloom, and Rarity. All of them except a light gray mare with a straight mane.
The group walked over to the stallion and mare. The three other mares came over to stand with them as the ponies arrived.
"We weren't expecting visitors," Cloudy Quartz, Pinkie's mother, said curiously. Her eyes settled on Rarity, who grew a little self-conscious of her messy mane.
"Hi Rarity," Maud greeted dully. "Hello Big McIntosh and Apple Bloom."
Big Mac glanced over at the light gray pony, who was still tense. She glared at him in return. Big Mac looked away uncomfortably. Rarity cleared her throat.
"Uh, we're sorry to suddenly intrude, but we need to talk to you."
"Who are these ponies?" an opal-ish gray mare demanded, stepping in front of her family.
"You obviously know Apple Bloom and Big Mac," Rarity began, which earned her an angry huff from the light gray mare. "That tall pegasus is Zephyr Breeze, Fluttershy's brother. The little pegasus is Scootaloo."
"I was Rainbow Dash's apprentice," Scootaloo interjected proudly.
"They had a very close relationship," Rarity told the Pies. "This here is my sister, Sweetie Belle.
Apple Bloom smiled at her friends and pointed to the stallion and mare. "These are Pinkie's parents, Igneous Rock Pie and Cloudy Quartz. These three are their daughters and Pinkie's sisters, Maud Pie, Marble Pie, and Limestone Pie."
"Why are you here?" Marble demanded, though her aggressiveness was mainly directed toward Big Mac.
"Like Rarity said," Big Mac responded gruffly. "We need to talk to you."
"Is everything okay?" Igneous asked.
Rarity hesitated before looking at her friend's father. "Have you heard about Pinkie Pie?"
"Of course we have," Limestone snapped.
"We've been worried sick," Maud said, holding a hoof in front of her irritated sister. "We wanted to come to Ponyville to help participate in the search, but we haven't been able to afford the tickets to go." It was odd to hear such words of concern from a pony with such lack of emotion.
"We've needed the little money we've collected to help keep our family going," Igneous Rock explained. "Despite how worried we are, we must supply for the farm."
Rarity scratched the back of her ear nervously. "Well, uhm, that's actually what we're here to talk to you about." The five Pies stared at her intently. Rarity took this as the go ahead and told the story about Starlight and Pinkie's death. "She fought hard," Rarity finished. "For herself and her friends."
Marble backed away a little, her eyes wide and watery. "Pinkie's... dead?"
Suddenly the other four Pies broke out in a fit of rage and grief.
"That heathen!" Cloudy screeched.
"I'm going to rip her apart!" Limestone shrieked. "She thinks she can take Pinkamena away and get away with it? Well she's mistaken! I'll make a gas so much worse, so bad that if she even dares to breathe she'll die!"
"I think we found our sister," Sweetie Belle whispered. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo nodded in agreement.
"That's precisely why we're here," Rarity went on. "To gather ponies to help us do just that."
"Rarity is gathering the siblings of her friends to help get revenge on Starlight," Zephyr explained.
"Are thou sure that's a good idea?" Igneous Rock asked uncertainly. "We cannot lose another daughter."
"Starlight will be no match against us," Rarity promised. "Especially once we get the princesses."
Cloudy Quartz perked up in confusion, but before she could question them Limestone leaped forward eagerly. "I want to help!" she announced. "I have so many ideas. She won't get away with killing my sister."
"Limestone," Cloudy scolded. "Have thou forgotten the whole reason why we've never been able to participate in the search for Pinkamena? We lack the required currency to travel."
"That's no problem at all, dear," Rarity reassured Cloudy. "I have enough bits to cover tickets for every pony here to travel across Equestria five times. It's no bother for me to handle Limestone's ticket."
"See?" Limestone said, turning to her mother.
"Limestone!" Cloudy reproached. "Thou know better to take advantage of thy's generosity!"
"It's alright," Rarity chuckled. "I'm the element of generosity, after all."
Limestone smiled smugly at her mother. Igneous Rock still looked uncertain.
"I do not know, Limestone. If a pony is that powerful, perhaps we shall just leave it to them."
"No!" Limestone spat. "I'm getting revenge for my sister." She narrowed her eyes at her family. "Do none of you want to avenge Pinkie?"
"I do," Marble offered. "But there's... obvious reasons as to why I won't." She shot a look at Big Mac, who glared right back.
"I do too," Maud piped in.
"I'm not allowing two of my daughters run off into danger!" Igneous yelled. "I'm hardly sure about letting Limestone leave."
Limestone turned to look at him, clearly frustrated. "Papa, I'm a full-grown mare. I can make my own decisions and go off as I please. Just because I live with you does not mean you can control me. I'm going."
Igneous shifted his hooves anxiously. The stallion opened and closed his mouth, then turned his head away. Cloudy patted his shoulder. Maud glanced at them, then leaned close to Limestone.
"I'll stay here to take some stress off of them," she whispered. "Me and Marble. You go."
Limestone wrinkled her nose. "Are you sure you don't want to come, too?"
Maud shook her head. "I can't. Think about Mama and Papa. They'll be grieving and worried about you. They need somepony here for support. Seriously, go. Avenge our sister."
Limestone glanced back at Marble, who nodded encouragingly. Limestone sighed and hugged Maud. "Thank you both. I'll tell you everything when I get home."
"What if something happens to you?" Maud asked, sounding oddly calm despite the anxious question. "How will we know?"
"A letter," Rarity blurted. "Somepony will send a letter. If something does happen, Starlight won't be able to get all of us."
"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle agreed. "Especially the princesses."
Limestone smiled at Maud. "A letter," she repeated. "But I'll be fine. I won't die until my hooves are covered in Starlight's blood." The earth pony looked at her parents. "Goodbye Mama, goodbye Papa. I'll come home, one way or another. I promise. Take care of Holder's Boulder for me."
Limestone waited a moment for a response. When none came, she nodded her head at the others and trotted off toward the train. The rest of the group followed behind her.
Rarity looked at Maud and lowered her voice. "I'll do everything I can, I promise. I may not have been able to save one of your sisters, but I will save her."
The Crystal Empire was bigger than Rarity remembered. Perhaps it was because it had been a bit of time since she'd last visited Canterlot. The group was led by guards to the throne room. Rarity was in the lead, following quietly with Limestone at her side. She was the only pony who didn't deem her guilty.
Yet.
The guards stopped in front of a set of doors and stepped aside. One guard on either side of the doors pushed them open, allowing the group of vengeful ponies in.
Rarity began walking inside, then froze and grew stiff.
Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, and the teenage princess, Flurry Heart, were all in the room.
And so were Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.
"How convenient," Apple Bloom said, leaning forward so her head was by Rarity's. "Saves us a trip."
Rarity swallowed. She forced her shaky hooves to move her forward. All eyes of the royal ponies moved to her. Cadance perked up. "Rarity! It's been a little while since I last saw you."
Rarity led her group down the long carpet that led to Princess Cadance's throne. Since Rarity's last visit, another throne had been added. It was only a little smaller than Cadance's, and crystal clouds adorned the bottom.
“You’re all here,” Rarity murmured.
“We were gathering for some tea,” Princess Luna replied. “After all that’s been happening, a day away from all the grief is good for us. Princesses need breaks too, after all.”
Flurry Heart blinked at them, then looked at her father. "Isn't that one of Aunt Twilight's friends?" she asked quietly, glancing at Rarity. Shining Armor simply nodded in response.
There was a fluttering sound outside, then a flash of green and purple tumbled in. The newcomer righted himself clumsily and fluttered his wings nervously. "Sorry, Your Majesties. Am I late?"
"Spike!" Rarity cried. She couldn't stop herself from running as fast as her hooves would let her toward her old friend. She threw her hooves around him and held him tight, unable to stop the tears from flowing down her face. "Oh, Spike," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry."
"Rares?" Spike pulled away from her, his expression betraying his confusion and concern. His talons were on her shoulders. "Whoa, whoa. You're a mess. Your mane... What's going on? What are you sorry for?"
"I should have told you the truth!" Rarity wailed, placing her head in her hooves. "I should have been honest from the start. I should've been honest with everypony . I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. I didn't want to do any of it. None of it. But she didn't give me or any of us a choice. I wouldn't have if I had had a choice! And I shouldn't have been so selfish. I should've tried to save my friends instead of my own flank!"
She didn't hear the hooves hurrying up behind her, and she jumped when somepony placed the hoof on her shoulder.
"Rarity, breathe," Sweetie Belle said quietly. "Calm down."
"What's going on?" Shining Armor demanded, stomping toward them. Only moments later was he pulled back by yellow magic. Princess Celestia stepped forward, her horn lit up. Her voice was kinder as she stopped by Rarity's side. "Is everything okay?" she asked kindly.
Before Rarity could answer, Apple Bloom interrupted. "No, it ain't okay!" she snapped angrily, stamping a hoof. "It's the furthest thing from okay! Starlight Glimmer killed everypony except Rarity, that damn bastard killed my sister!"
Zephyr Breeze swung an accusing hoof toward Rarity that made her wince. "And she helped."
Everypony looked at her. Rarity hiccupped and turned her head away guiltily.
"Rarity, what are they talking about?"
"Sister, please." Celestia's voice was sweet, especially compared to Luna's harsh tone. The older princess put a hoof under Rarity's chin and turned her head to face her. Rarity couldn't help but be embarrassed. She was a mess, and she was talking to the pony of the highest power in all of Equestria. She suddenly grew more aware of her messy and frizzy mane. It wasn't neatly curled like it usually was, but instead loosely hung on the side of her head. "Tell us what happened."
"And we mean everything," Shining Armor spat.
"Rarity doesn't want to tell the whole story until we get everypony," Sweetie Belle said defensively.
"Who is there left to get?" Twilight's brother hissed.
"Sunburst-"
"No," Rarity sniffled, holding up a hoof to silence her sister. "It's fine, Sweetie. I'll tell them."
Limestone nodded and glared at the others. "Do her a favor; make this easier and don't interrupt her."
Princess Celestia backed away from Rarity to give her space, and Spike did the same. Rarity sat down and took a deep breath. She looked at all the ponies watching her, waiting to hear the full truth.
Just tell them.
"Alright," she began, then launched into the story.
"Why wouldn't you tell anypony?!" Spike cried. "i thought there was still hope that Twilight was alive! You liar! You've known all along!"
"You helped kill my sister!" Shing Armor screeched. Princess Celestia trapped him in her magic again before he could launch at her.
"I know what I did was wrong," Rarity said guiltily. "I'm not saying it's not, and I'll never forgive myself. But I'm going to tell you the same thing I told the others; I'm not looking for forgiveness, I'm looking for help." She looked to Shining Armor. "That's why I came to you."
The white stallion narrowed his gaze. "I'll help you," he said after a moment. "But after, you-"
"I'm leaving my fate up to the princesses after," Rarity promised, looking at Celestia and Luna. The two looked... sympathetic.
What makes them think I deserve smypathy?
Shining Armor looked at the princesses, almost pleadingly. Princess Cadance didn't let them speak, though.
"Excuse me? What kind of plan is this?" She looked at Rarity, who shied away from her look, expecting criticism. "This plan says nothing about me helping."
"Or me!" Flurry Heart announced.
Rarity blinked in surprise. "I- Well, of course you can help. All ponies willing to step in are appreciated. But who will rule the empire?"
"Let me figure that out," Cadance said reassuringly.
"You should stay here for a couple nights," Princess Celestia announced. "We all should. We need to get used to working with each other."
"I feel like that's targeted," Shining Armor said, looking at Rarity.
Princess Celestia shook her head. "Shining Armor, the way I see it, Rarity is next to innocent. While I don't approve of what she did to Fluttershy, she cannot be blamed for what happened to everypony else. That was all Starlight's fault."
"But-"
"I'm not telling you to see it the way I do," the princess interrupted. "I'm simply telling you how I look at the situation."
"She couldn't have said it better," Luna said, nodding at her sister.
"Agreed," Cadance stepped in. "And on top of that, she's gone out of her way to arrange this whole thing."
"I'm not allowing such a sick pony to roam free," Luna agreed while Celestia nodded.
Flurry Heart stepped forward regally. "As the princess of harmony, I am all for the idea of discarding Starlight. She goes against what I am ruling for."
"She's still guilty of lying to us," Scootaloo huffed.
Princess Celestia sighed. "Oh, if only Twilight were here." Her eyes clouded over with grief. "She would be able to help."
"I don't see how good she'd be," Zephyr huffed under his breath. "She was Starlight Glimmer's teacher, and now look where we are."
His words earned him an angry stomp on his hoof from Rarity. He yelped and tried pulling away. Rarity held her ground for a few moments before letting him go. "Don't speak of my friends in such a way," she growled.
Zephyr rubbed his hoof, glaring at her.
"Now hold on a damn minute," Apple Bloom said. "We can't rest. At least not right now. We still got two more things to do."
"That's right!" Scootaloo chimed. "Starting with getting Sunburst."
Sunburst's shock from the visitors still coursed through his veins. Starlight Glimmer, his old friend from foalhood, responsible for murdering all the elements of harmony except for Rarity? He just couldn't believe it.
In fact, after dismissing his visitors, he'd used his magic to find Starlight and send a letter to invite her over for tea. She'd eagerly replied and agreed, much to his satisfaction. A few days had passed since, and Starlight was due to arrive any moment now. An uncomfortable heat filled his home. He levitated a fan with his magic and fanned himself. He hoped the open windows and fan would be enough to cool off the room for his friend.
As if hearing his thoughts, three knocks echoed through his house. Sunburst smiled and moved away from the stove, where the tea kettle hummed quietly.
The orange unicorn happily trotted to the door. When he opened it, a pretty unicorn was standing outside with a smile plastered across her face.
"Starlight!" he cried happily. "I'm so glad you could make it. Come in, come in!"
Starlight fanned herself with a hoof as she stepped inside. "It's a little warm in here."
"Please do excuse it," Sunburst said as he shut his door. "My house tends to get awfully warm during this time of year. I'm hoping the fan and open windows will be enough to make it at least a little more bearable."
Starlight smiled at him and wiped sweat from her forehead. "Oh, it's alright Sunburst. Don't worry about it, I know how it gets."
Sunburst smiled at her gratefully. "Sit, sit. I'm just making the tea."
Starlight sat as his table, resting her head on one hoof. "Your place is much tidier than it was the last time I visited," she chuckled.
"Well, with Flurry Heart being grown enough to handle herself and all, I've had plenty of time to myself to clean up," Sunburst replied as he returned to the stove. "It's a true reliever."
"I'm sure," Starlight said, grinning at him. "Thank you for inviting me, by the way. Though, I must ask, why did you?"
"Why did I what?" Sunburst asked as though he were just snapped back to reality. Starlight raised a brow. "Invite me."
"Oh." Sunburst chuckled. "Well, I saw your friend Rarity around, and it made me think of you. I figured I'd invite you over for some tea."
Starlight raised a brow. "Rarity, huh? Funny that she's here. Looking for her friends, I assume?"
"Of course," Sunburst replied, his eyes fixed on the kettle. "She's more loyal to them than a dog." He chuckled at his own comment as smoke rose from the tea kettle. He glanced at the nearby door. Smoke was beginning to pour out the bottom of the door. Panicked, Sunburst grabbed the closest towel with his magic and darted toward it. He shoved the towel under the door, covering the smoke.
Starlight raised a brow. "What was that about?"
"It's my room," he said. "I need to keep it cool. The warm air will seep in if I don't do this."
Starlight eyed him suspiciously, but she shrugged after a moment. "If you say so."
Sunburst sighed. The sound of the kettle alerted him. He rushed to it and used his magic to pull it off the stove.
"I'm sorry for being so all over the place," Sunburst apologized with a weak smile. "I haven't had anyone over since I properly settled in back home."
"It's okay," Starlight reassured him with a smile. "I'm just happy to be here."
Sunburst put the tea in the middle of the table, then took two teacups from his counter and presented one to Starlight. She smiled and took it from him.
"I'm surprised you didn't invite me over for something, well, cooler," she said. "You know, like in temperature. Giving how warm your home is, you'd think we'd be having a cooler drink."
"Ah, but tea is my specialty," Sunburst replied with a grin. "If it weren't for my magic, I think my cutie mark would be a teacup."
Starlight laughed lightly at the joke. Sunburst poured some tea into her cup. She took a drink from it, a smile instantly spreading across her face. "Mmm, minty! You've always remembered the things I like."
"What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?" Sunburst said. He poured himself some tea and rested his hooves on the table. "There’s actually more to the reason why I invited you over, Starlight."
"What's that?" she asked, setting her cup down.
"Well, when I saw Rarity, I actually saw her here," he admitted. "She came here to talk to me."
"Did she?" Starlight said, her voice a tad bitter.
"She did," Sunburst confirmed. "She came to ask about her friends. She said you were behind it. She was fully convinced."
"Me?" Starlight questioned, lifting her head a little higher. "What makes her think I did it?"
Sunburst eyed her. "She said she saw what you did."
"What?" Starlight squeaked innocently. "What did I do?" She tilted her head curiously. "Are you sure she wasn't dreaming? Did you ask?"
"Of course," Sunburst responded. "I couldn't believe she'd accuse you of such a thing. She was deadset on it, so I figured I'd ask you myself."
"You know I'd never do such a thing," Starlight said, her eyes wide. "I would never dare hurt another pony."
"I know," Sunburst reassured her. He moved his hoof, accidentally knocking over his cup in the process. It seemed almost purposeful.
Despite this, he gasped. "Oh, Celestia." He used his magic to grab the towel underneath the door. He wiped the table, then patted it down. He sighed and put the towel aside. "All this chaos has me so stressed I can hardly think straight."
"Well, I hoped I could clear at least something up," Starlight offered, unaware of the door slowly opening behind her.
"You did," Sunburst told her with a weak smile. "You cleared up a lot."
Starlight smiled sweetly at him. “Good. You did, too.”
Sunburst lifted his head up in confusion. He grew stiff when he saw Starlight’s horn light up. A pony he’d been fully aware of stood in a crouch behind Starlight, now trapped in her magic. She’d come out of the door Sunburst had tried so desperately to cover earlier. The open door behind her revealed a large, dissected metal egg, resting atop a tray of firewood. Inside the egg were coals. All too similar to the very thing Starlight had used. And the room wasn't a room at all, it was simply a small, empty closet. Sweetie Belle had a branding iron in her mouth. It was sizzling, clearly having just been heated. The young mare looked horrified.
“Honestly” Starlight spat, moving closer to Sunburst. The orange unicorn watched fearfully as she inched closer and closer to him. “You think I didn’t know what this was all about? I know you, Sunburst. I’ve known you since foalhood. And you honestly thought I wouldn’t know that Rarity came to you? Do you really think I’m that stupid?”
“No.”
A look of confusion crossed Starlight’s face before she let out an ear-piercing shriek. Through teary-eyed vision, she turned back to look at her flank. A white unicorn stood there; her teeth clamped around the end of the branding iron. Her once pretty mane was messy and not neatly curled like it normally was.
Starlight released Sweetie Belle and attempted to use her magic to fight her off, but it was cut off by Sunburst blasting her and paralyzing her. She was unable to do anything, including use magic. All she could do was endure the pain. She silently wailed. Being unable to do it aloud somehow made it all the more worse.
Rarity kept the branding iron on her flank, pressing hard. Pain seared through her entire body. She prayed for it to end, even as her vision blurred. It seemed like hours that she sat completely still in agony before the world began to grow dark. Within a few minutes of the darkening beginning, she passed out.
Rarity held the branding iron in place a little longer, then tossed it aside. "Did she get the potion?"
"I put in on the inside of her cup before she arrived," Sunburst reassured her.
"Good," Rarity huffed, glaring at the still pony. An equal sign was now burnt into her right flank. It made Rarity feel a little relieved. She'd gotten revenge for the burn scar on her own flank. Now it was time to get revenge for the rest.
"Come on," she said to Sunburst, hoisting Starlight's body up onto her back. "The others will be waiting. We need to move."
Starlight's limbs felt stiff. Like dead weight. In the dim light, she tried to light up her horn and make out more of where she was. She was met with nothing. A sliver of translucent of magic surrounded her like a ring. It was a spell. A spell Starlight knew all too well.
"Touche," Starlight said quietly.
"Oh, good, you're awake!"
A small light flickered, then a tiny burst of flame came to life. Rarity stepped toward her, carrying the small lantern in her magic. She looked much more put-together. Her mane was nicely curled like it usually was, the only difference being it was held back in a ponytail. "We've been waiting patiently."
"I'm impressed," Starlight admitted. "I thought you'd decided against revenge."
"Well then you clearly don't know me," Rarity tsked, shaking her head disapprovingly. "After all, you murdered my best friends."
"You killed Fluttershy," Starlight pointed out smugly. Rarity simply smiled, sending chills down Starlight's spine. She'd expected Rarity to be mad and kill her on the spot.
"Ah, but it was your test that made me do so."
Starlight's ears fell back. She glared at the white mare angrily. "What exactly do you plan on doing to me?" she demanded.
"We're so happy you asked!" A new voice spoke as the lights flickered on, revealing eight ponies and a dragon. Starlight recognized all of them except for two, an earth pony with an opal-ish gray coat and a pegasus with a blonde mane. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Sunburst, Spike, Big Mac, and Shining Armor all fixed on her with a glare. Rarity waved her hoof toward the two unfamiliar ponies. "I believe you're yet to meet Zephyr Breeze and Limestone Pie."
"Pinkie's sister," Limestone said.
"And Fluttershy's brother," Zephyr announced.
Starlight was quiet for a moment, then erupted into laughter. "Oh my," she laughed, wiping her eye. "This is your grand plan? Gather everypony's sibling and kill me? Good lord!"
Now it was Rarity's turn to laugh. "Kill you? Starlight, darling, we won't kill you."
Starlight blinked in confusion. "Then, what is this?"
"Oh, would you stop asking questions and allow us to explain?" Rarity shot a blast of magic at one of the still dark corners of the room. The torch roared to life, revealing four more ponies and a draconequus.
"The princesses?" Starlight blurted. "Discord? And Flurry Heart ?"
"Princess Flurry Heart," the young princess corrected.
Starlight looked back at Rarity, who was still smiling. "We had to ensure that the plan would work."
She began circling Starlight slowly. Starlight turned her head to follow her. "Now, we had options. We could create a replica of your test and put you through the same things you put my friends and I through. It seemed like a good option, all except for the few bits that made it too imperfect. You created the tests, after all. I'm sure you know all the loopholes, and all the tests revolved around several ponies. It was hard to make them work for a single pony. On top of that, it wasn't a satisfying enough way to seek revenge. So, we all worked together to put a new plan together. Most of us have our own little tests that we're going to put you through. We've worked oh so very hard, we hope you appreciate it."
Rarity stopped in front of Starlight and smiled warmly at her. "Oh, and another little thing. You can't die. Don't think this means the tests will be easy. No, they'll be quite painful and extreme. That's where Discord here comes in. Every time the tests kill you; he'll simply revive you. He'll do this as many times as needed until the end. Welcome, Starlight, to the final test. The Test of Resistance!"
"And what happens if I refuse to participate?" Starlight asked.
"Simple," Rarity chirped. "The spell will kill you."
"But I'll come back," Starlight pointed out.
"Not painlessly," Rarity explained. "It will be quite painful. So much so you'll wish you were dead."
Starlight's ears fell back once more. Rarity stepped back to stand beside her sister. Their horns lit up simultaneously as Rarity went on. "Sweetie Belle and I will be keeping notes of your performance throughout the test."
"Up until Rarity's test, at least," Sweetie Belle put in, pulling a parchment and pen toward herself with her magic while her sister pulled a timer toward herself. "Which then Rarity will allow somepony else to take over her job."
"So, let's begin, shall we?" Rarity cooed as though she were talking to a newborn. She looked at the group she'd put together. "Who wants to begin?"
"I will," Scootaloo announced. "I think it's a good starter."
"I think you're right," Rarity agreed. "Alright Scoots, we'll start with your test."
Scootaloo did a little skip toward Starlight and fluttered her tiny wings. She tapped her nose thoughtfully with one hoof. "Hmm, Sunburst, do you mind paralyzing her again?"
"My pleasure," Sunburst replied sweetly. A burst of magic shot Starlight's chest, making her go completely stiff. The ring around her disappeared. Scootaloo stepped up to Starlight. She eyed her, then turned back to look at the others. "I need to make sure the spell worked. Do you mind?"
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle happily stepped aside, revealing a layout of different tools like a screwdriver, a hammer, and others. Scootaloo grabbed the hammer between her jaws. She turned back to Starlight with a wicked smile. Rage burned in Starlight's eyes. The little bastard knew full-well that the spell had worked.
Scootaloo swung her head back, then swung the hammer toward Starlight's chest. A crack echoed through the room. Pain shot through Starlight's chest as her bones shattered. She would have screamed out in agony had been given the chance. However, her lack of reaction seemed to satisfy Scootaloo. She tossed the hammer aside.
The young pegasus trotted over to the wall behind Starlight. She pulled on a lever, which pushed out part of the wall. The jutted-out wall spun around, revealing a metal table with a strap in each of the four corners. The table was sitting upright. Scootaloo looked back at the others. Big Mac stepped forward and helped Scootaloo lift Starlight up to the table. Big Mac placed his hooves on Starlight's shoulders while Scootaloo reached up toward the top straps. She struggled, but she eventually got hold of them and strapped Starlight's front hooves down. When she got them both down, Big Mac moved away. Scootaloo strapped down Starlight's back hooves. The young orange mare grinned eagerly, then stepped back. "You can unparalyze her now."
Another burst of Sunburst's magic shot Starlight's chest. The unicorn let out a screech of pain as soon as she was able to.
"You must've broken something, you little-" Starlight started, a spray of blood escaping her lips, only to be cut off by Scootaloo raising a hoof to her lips.
"Ah ah ah," she warned, shaking her head. "I'd advise watching what you say, seeing as your life is quite literally in our hooves." The orange mare looked at Discord, who was flexing his claws, and smiled. "Or, should I say, Discord's."
Starlight gritted her teeth together. "You say that like it should scare me," she snarled. "You seem to lack understanding of the fact that I don't care if I live or die. In all honesty, I'd much rather die out of spite of your little test."
"You seem to have forgotten the terms," Rarity said slyly. "Perhaps we should remind you by showing you."
"No!" Starlight cried instantly, making Rarity's smile widen. "I- I believe you."
"Good," Rarity cooed. "Now, Scootaloo, would you like to explain your test, or shall I?"
"I want to," Scootaloo responded. She smiled at Starlight as though they were old friends. Starlight once again tried to ignite her horn, but it didn't work.
"Oh, darling, don't you remember how you disabled mine and Twilight's magic?" Rarity asked. "Do you really think we wouldn't do the same for this test?"
"I didn't think you were wise enough to have pulled it off properly," Starlight chided.
"You seem to have forgotten just how many ponies I'm working with," Rarity chuckled. "And just exactly who I'm working with. Do you doubt the powers of the rulers of Equestria, or your old friend?"
"If you'd like my honest opinion, I don't trust a single thing to do with Sunburst at this point," Starlight replied. "I never thought he'd trick me in such a way, yet here we are."
"Ouch," Sunburst said in mock offense, pressing a hoof to his chest. "Do refrain from saying such hurtful things while I'm present, please."
Before Starlight could snap something back, Scootaloo trotted over to the tools. She picked up a hard metal rod with a hook at the end, placing it under her wing.
"I'm sure you remember how Rainbow Dash died," Scootaloo began as she headed back toward Starlight. "I doubt it was easy for you to forget."
"Of course it wasn't," Starlight scoffed with a cackle.
"Awfully cocky for a pony in your position," Rarity taunted while Discord slid forward, his body moving like a snake's.
"Rainbow Dash endured thirteen lashes from the rod, one being too gentle for you to approve of it," Scootaloo continued. "I merely want to test if you can endure the same thing, just with slightly higher stakes. Seeing as you're stronger and more powerful than most ponies, I believe you should survive."
"Rainbow was struck on the back," Starlight snarled. "And there was no hook."
"Didn't you hear me?" Scootaloo huffed irritably. "I said the stakes were higher with this test."
Starlight looked at the princesses angrily. "Are you really just going to let this-"
"When Rarity gives the go ahead, the test will begin," Scootaloo interrupted, looking back at the white unicorn. Rarity did some work with the timer, then it began ticking.
One tick.
Two ticks.
Three ticks.
"Begin."
Scootaloo grabbed the rod with her front hooves and stepped back a little. She swung it lightly. When it missed Starlight, she stepped closer. She swung it again, and this time it made contact with the unicorn. Starlight yelped in pain and jerked at the shock. A bit of blood trickled from the pierced skin, but it was no more than what would come from a cat scratch.
"One strike," Sweetie Belle announced, writing something down on the parchment.
Scootaloo smiled approvingly. She moved a little closer, adjusting her grasp on the rod. She then swung it back, then struck it hard against Starlight's belly. The sharp hook sunk into her skin. Starlight shrieked in agony as contact was made. Blood bubbled from the wound and ran down Starlight's side. There was a lot more this time. Scootaloo roughly yanked the hook free. Starlight let out a small cry as it caused more pain and bleeding. The pain of this and the broken bones in her chest caused tears to involuntarily drip down her cheeks. Blood stained the end of the hook and ran down the sides.
"Two strikes," Sweetie Belle said.
Scootaloo studied Starlight closely. She poked a spot on her side, then shook her head in dissatisfaction. She poked a spot closer to her chest, which made her smile. She swung back the rod again. Starlight watch in helpless horror as the hook came closer and closer to her. In one swift motion, Scootaloo had connected the hook to Starlight's skin again. It sunk in deeper this time. Starlight screeched once more. She felt the warm blood dripping down her body. She quietly sobbed, unable to catch her breath. When Scootaloo yanked the hook away, it was rough enough to tear away a bit of Starlight's skin. Scootaloo laughed triumphantly. "Look at that!"
"Three strikes."
Scootaloo repeated the process several times over, poking spots on Starlight to find the weakest areas and striking there. Each hit was harder than the last.
"Please stop," Starlight coughed between sobs after the tenth strike. Her belly was now stained with blood. It coated her hind hooves as well. The pain was indescribable. It was enough to break even the toughest pony. Was this similar to the pain Rainbow Dash had endured?
"Only the first test and you're already begging for forgiveness?" Scootaloo tsked and shook her head. "I thought you were stronger, Starlight."
"Just let me go," Starlight wheezed, her voice hoarse from her screams. "You can throw me in prison or even send me to Tartarus. You can do anything."
Scootaloo instantly raised the rod again. "Nope. Not satisfying enough." The rod struck Starlight again. Her scream was cracky, having been worn from the past strikes. This time it hit her chest. Scootaloo stepped close enough for their noses to be touching as she snarled, "And not even close to what you deserve."
She ripped the hook free once again, the anger and hate present in this one. More blood contributed from the rest as it poured from the large gash. Starlight gasped for air, sobbing uncontrollably. "Scootaloo..."
"Eleven strikes."
Scootaloo studied Starlight's body closely. Her eyes settled on the unicorn's face. Realization struck Starlight as Scootaloo swung the rod back. "Scootaloo, no!"
The combination of Starlight's open and moving mouth, and the hook striking so close to it cause the right end of Starlight's mouth to be ripped open. It stretched down further than anypony's mouth ever should have. Scootaloo winced at Starlight let out a gurgled screech. Blood filled the unicorn's mouth, staining her teeth and dripping down the edges. The metallic taste covered her tongue.
"Twelve strikes."
"That wasn't meant to happen." Scootaloo spun the rod, which was now covered in blood. She simply shrugged, showing no sign of remorse like she had previously. "Your own fault, really. Hmm, I wonder how this would affect your horn?"
Starlight was too weak to protest as the rod was swung back again. Tears mixed with blood as she continued to cry. Blood oozed from her mouth. It bubbled out as she sobbed, drenching her fur. Scootaloo struck Starlight's horn perfectly, and she let out a sound of victory at her success. "Bullseye!"
Pain like a horribly agonizing headache poured down into Starlight's head. Her ears began to ring, her vision growing blurry.
"Thirteen strikes," Sweetie Belle said, continuing to write on the parchment. "That concludes Scootaloo's test."
"Oh dear," Rarity sighed, putting a hoof to her cheek. "It appears Starlight is slipping away."
"I guess my previous theory was wrong," Scootaloo said, bringing her face to the dying Starlight's. "Looks like she couldn't survive."
"That's a fail for this test," Sweetie Belle sighed.
"Now, let's not say that yet," Rarity stepped in. "She's still breathing. Let's wait a little bit to see if she truly does die, or just lose consciousness."
After a few moments, Starlight's eyes fluttered shut and her head hung limply. Scootaloo reached her hoof up to the unicorn's neck. She looked back at the others and shook her head.
Sweetie Belle sighed again. "Fail." By Scootaloo's test, she drew an x. "Poor performance, too, may I add. She gave in far too quickly."
"What a pity," Rarity said, shaking her head. "Alright. Discord, revive her, and we'll resume with the next test."
Starlight rose back to consciousness with an electric jolt. She gasped for air, wincing in pain. The gouges on her belly were still bleeding and sent insane amounts of pain through her body. Blood dripped from her horn onto her face. Her mouth stung where the hook had torn away the skin. She quickly clamped her jaws together to avoid as much pain as possible, as moving her mouth hurt like hell. She was aware of the still broken bones in her chest, and all the pain combined made her dizzy.
Her hooves were still held in place on the table. Discord was right below her, studying her.
"She's going to die again," he told Starlight's tormentors. "Either from blood loss or shock. So we have two options."
"Which are?" Rarity pressed.
"I can make her stronger, which will make her harder to hurt, or I can heal her," Discord told her.
Rarity's ears fell back. "I don't like either of those options," she admitted.
"Me neither," Discord told her. "Yet we have no other choice."
Rarity sighed. "Alright, we'll let whoever's going next decide."
"Heal her." Zephyr said immediately. "It'll make my test easier to perform."
Discord shrugged, then snapped his fingers. Starlight yelled out in agony as her skin slowly moved back together. The wounds in her belly closed, then her horn, and finally her mouth. At the same time, she felt the bones in her chest slowly mend. The blood stopped pouring, but it still stuck to her fur, making it clumpy and uncomfortable. It mixed with the tears that escaped her eyes. Once the pain ended, Starlight gasped. She tried to suck in as much oxygen as possible.
Zephyr Breeze rolled his eyes. "Yeesh, she's dramatic."
"Agreed," Sweetie Belle said, jotting more stuff down on the parchment.
Zephyr moved to the tools and grabbed a scalpel. He grinned at Starlight wickedly. Starlight bared her teeth. "You gonna poison me the same way Fluttershy was?"
Zephyr barked a laugh. "Ha! Oh, you wish. You see, Scootaloo went easy on you there. The rest of these tests are going to have you begging to go to Tartarus."
The blonde pegasus walked toward the shadows, which soon obscured him. He was only invisible for a few moments before he reappeared with a box. He set it in front of Starlight and set the scalpel on top of it. "This test has more of a... Fluttershy flare."
Shining Armor presented him with a thread and needle as Starlight struggled to break free of her binds. "What are you talking about?" she demanded.
Zephyr took the tools from Shining Armor into his hooves, then set them down in front of Starlight. "It's quite a simple test, though you certainly will not survive. After all, the point is to test how long you can last before you die."
Starlight began to panic. She thrashed violently, yanking on her hooves to try and rip them free. All it did was cause her more pain, but she was desperate.
"Toughen up, Starlight!" Zephyr groaned in annoyance, rolling his eyes. "There's going to be much worse than this. Now, it will hurt less if you sit still."
Rarity huffed irritably. "Don't tell her that," she whined. "We want it to hurt as much as possible."
"Didn't you learn anything from Twilight?" Zephyr chuckled. "We need the test to be performed right ."
Rarity let out a high pitched, angry "Ugh!", but she didn't argue any further.
Zephyr picked up the scalpel. He rested the tip right below her chest. "Now, I'm sure you're wondering what exactly you'll be dealing with. That box over there is filled with maggots. I'm going to put them inside your stomach and see just how long it takes them to eat through you."
"You'll be here for days," Starlight spat, her anger returning. "It takes maggots about seven days to consume even 60% of a body."
Zephyr smiled wickedly. "Oh, I must have forgotten to mention, these maggots have been... altered by Discord."
"What the hell do you mean?" Starlight hissed.
Zephyr ignored her and turned to look back at Rarity. "Rarity, begin the countdown please."
"Zephyr!" Starlight roared. "What do you mean?"
One tick.
"Tell me!"
Two ticks.
"God dammit, Zephyr, what are you putting in me?"
Three ticks.
"Begin."
As soon as Rarity said the word, Zephyr pushed the scalpel into Starlight's skin and sliced down. Starlight screeched in pain. Zephyr was merciless. Once the tear was made, he pulled the box closer and ripped it open. The inside was crawling with unusually large maggots with massive teeth. Starlight stared at them in horror, breathing heavily despite the pain it brought to her belly. Once the box was open, Zephyr plunged his hoof into the open wound. He pulled the sides to open it more. Starlight screamed. She began to cry once more.
Zephyr took the box in one hoof, then frowned. "I don't know how I'm supposed to do this," he admitted.
"Easy," Discord replied, snapping his fingers. The maggots vanished from the box and appeared in Starlight's belly. Zephyr huffed. "For you," he grumbled.
He grabbed the thread and needle as Starlight twitched and wailed. He crookedly stitched her belly back together. He was too careless to fix the mistakes he made. He saw no point seeing as Starlight wouldn't stop moving.
"Now, this test won't be entirely accurate," Zephyr said as he put in the final stich in and backed away. "The maggots started eating the moment they were put in there. However, it will be a good estimate."
Starlight screamed loud enough to make most of the ponies cover their ears with their hooves. "To hell with you!" she shrieked. "How could anypony come up with something so sick?"
"That's the same thing I was wondering about you," Rarity said with a small grin. "Funny how everything comes back in full circle. May the count begin... now." The clock made a clicking sound, making Rarity smile with satisfaction.
Starlight cried out in agony. She felt the maggots inside of her gnawing away at her organs, feasting on her insides. They were eating like they were starving. She felt them moving around, and from the look on Sweetie Belle's face she could tell that the others were seeing it. The young unicorn brought the parchment very close to her face and focused on writing, blocking off the scene in front of her. The princesses all remained oddly calm, just watching with neutral expressions. All except for Cadance, who had a small hint of a smile on her face.
Starlight's body jerked violently as pain spasmed through her body. She gasped for air, which only made the pain worse as the maggots started nibbling on her lungs. She involuntarily screamed.
Discord clicked his tongue. "Must we listen to all this screaming?"
"Her screams help with the notes," Sweetie Belle told him without looking away from her notes. "Especially once they begin to grow quieter. It'll show she's too weak to scream anymore, which will be an obvious giveaway that that's around when the maggots are starting to end her life."
Discord huffed. "Well, it's awfully annoying," he grumbled.
"I know," Sweetie Belle replied. "But just bear with me."
Starlight cried desperately. She had to stop this. If Discord was already annoyed from her screams, maybe she could use that to her advantage. Maybe if she screamed loud enough, it would end this. Her captors probably would just kill her, but at least it would end this test. Starlight drew in a breath as best as she could without screaming, then let out the loudest shriek she could. Discord covered his ears. He turned to her furiously, his teeth bared and eyes burning with fury.
"Remember Fluttershy," Rarity said. which made her gaze narrow. "Think about the sick things Starlight put her through."
A smile grew disturbingly wide on Discord's face, a smile that no pony would be able to naturally have. "Oh, yes," he chuckled lowly, his voice echoing around the room. "Is this what my dear Fluttershy sounded like, Starlight? Do you think this was how she felt?"
"She was louder than this," Starlight spat angrily as another scream threatened to leave her throat. "She was too much of a pussy to endure even the tiniest hint of pain!" At that instant, Starlight shrieked again.
Discord's smile faltered, and the creature's eye twitched. "Oh, tiny hints of pain, huh?" he hissed. "Like this?"
He snapped his fingers, and Starlight felt the maggots inside of her grow more aggressive.
"Discord, no!" Sweetie Belle wailed, writing even faster. "The test needs to be accurate, meaning that the subjects need to stay consistent."
"It's not like this is one of the tests that we'll benefit from. Celestia is far too lenient for that." Discord grinned at Celestia, showing all of his teeth. "Right Cay-Cay?"
The princess looked at him, but she said nothing. She remained calm, and after a moment she simply looked back at Starlight.
Starlight wasn't sure how long she sat there, feeling the maggots tear her insides apart and using her for their dinner. At last, the world showed her mercy, and her vision began to swim. She could no longer breathe. When she tried to suck in air, she was met with nothing. She was sure it was because all or most of her lungs had been eaten. Rarity observed how Starlight's face was growing blue, and she quickly pointed it out to her sister, who scribbled it down quickly.
All Starlight could do was cry and wait. She was met with horror as she felt something crawl up her throat. It was tearing it apart as it moved, ripping everything in her throat to bits and eating it. How she wasn't dead yet, Starlight wasn't sure. All she knew was that her heart was still beating. She was sure that would stop soon. The maggots were still eating away, it was only a matter of minutes or, maybe if she was shown a little extra mercy, moments.
It was crawling into her mouth now. Starlight was growing lightheaded from not being able to breathe, and a sharp sting struck her heart. Starlight felt her tongue being torn and eaten. It hurt so much. It'd be such a relief to just scream and not suffer silently, but she had no choice. She was pretty sure the maggots had eaten her vocal cords, and besides, she was far too weak to scream again.
Blood filled Starlight's mouth. Eventually the maggot poked its head out through her teeth. It struggled a little, then poked its head out through her lips. The partial opening of her mouth was enough to make Starlight give in and drop her jaw completely. The blood cascaded out like a waterfall. She heard the maggot thump on the ground with a sickening sound.
The last thing she saw before her body finally gave into death was the horrified looks on the faces of the ponies doing this to her. Some of them even gagged, Scootaloo being the only one to actually vomit. Even Princess Flurry Heart looked terrified. Then Starlight's vision went dark.
Rarity shuddered and covered her mouth. She stopped the clock and turned away from the scene of Starlight's lifeless body, hanging there with the mouth open disturbingly wide.
"20 minutes," she shuddered. "Now, please, for all of our sakes, revive her and rid of this horrible scene. Once we all have a chance to recollect our stomachs, the next test will begin."
Starlight Glimmer gasped for air as another electric jolt shot through her body. She cried out in agony, her face contorting in pain.
"Oh, would ya quit your whinin'?" Apple Bloom snapped, jabbing Starlight in the chest with her hoof. "You might wanna toughen up, buttercup, 'cause my test is next."
Starlight drew in a deep breath. She looked down at her belly. She was shocked to see the wound was still there, just as messy and bloody as it was before.
"You-" Starlight began.
"Didn't show you any mercy?" Apple Bloom interrupted. " 'Course not. I didn't need to for this test. The only thing that got healed was your insides. After all, how're you gonna go through the rest of these tests without them?"
"Just let me die," Starlight pleaded. "Please."
The young mare smiled evilly. "You've already been told, sugarcube. That's too merciful. Lucky for you, though, you get to get unclipped."
Starlight didn't realize how stiff her legs were feeling until all four straps came undone at once and she dropped to the ground with a heavy thud . She sucked in heavily, and she shakily got to her hooves. So many angry eyes were fixed on her. Even Celestia's eyes burned with an uncharacteristic fire.
"I killed your friends and family," Starlight blurted. "So kill me."
No answer came.
"Kill me!" she roared. Still no answer. She was trapped in the ring again as Zephyr and Big Mac worked together to flip around the table and push it back into place. Anger and desperation fogged Starlight's mind. She couldn't think about anything except getting out of here, alive or dead. Most probably dead. She looked down at the ring. She remembered how ruined it had left Applejack's body when it'd killed her. Maybe if she made it kill her, it'd leave her more messed up. Maybe so messed up that Discord wouldn't be able to fix her.
She had to try. It was worth the risk.
"Fine," she snarled, fixing her gaze on the ring of magic. "If you won't kill me, then I'll do it myself."
Starlight leaped out of the ring. The moment her front hooves went over, a blinding light filled the room. A horrible jolt of electricity burned through Starlight's body. A burning sensation followed, making her feel as though she were on fire. She could momentarily smell her fur sizzling. She recognized the feeling that was coming toward her, and she welcomed death warmly.
Starlight was in so much pain. The same electric jolt ran through her body, but it was worse than before. She shrieked. It took a little longer than usual to disappear, and she was beyond relieved when it did. Her underbelly burned. She was back in the very ring that had killed her. Nearly everypony was laughing, except for Sunburst, who simply smiled, and the two princess sisters. Starlight met Rarity's eyes.
"This is so inhumane," she choked out hoarsely. "How could you let any living pony know the feeling of death? Does anypony deserve that?"
Rarity's amusement vanished, replaced with anger.
"Did my friends deserve to know the feeling of death?" she hissed before screaming, "No! None of us deserved what you did to us! You think we're sick? Well guess what, Starlight? You started this. You have only yourself to blame!"
Starlight met Rarity's anger with her own. "At least I didn't make them feel it again and again!" she shot back. "I let them die and left it at that."
"But did you consider how many other ponies you would hurt?" Rarity snarled dangerously. "You caused so much pain, Starlight. So now you will hurt the same way we have, the same way we have for months."
"We must always think before we act," Apple Bloom said in a know-it-all voice. "Especially before committing murder. After all, we never know who will come back to get revenge."
Starlight opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off by Apple Bloom as she continued. "And now, it's my turn to get revenge!" She happily skipped over to her brother and leaned her front leg against his shoulder. "I wasn't sure what to do, so Big Mac and I worked together."
Starlight had a moment of short-lived relief as the mare went on. "Oh, we're still performing separate tests, Starlight. We just merely gave each other ideas. I even got Princess Celestia to help me with this one."
She smiled at the princess, who just nodded. "This test you'll survive for sure. It ain't deadly, at least not too deadly. I'm simply gonna see how long it takes for you to go blind while looking at something nearly as bright as the sun. Instinctively, when you see the light, you're gonna close your eyes. I had to find a solution to that problem, and I got the perfect one."
"What's that?" Starlight asked fearfully as Apple Bloom picked up the still bloody scalpel that Zephyr had used. She smiled at Starlight, though not warmly like the way the others had smiled at her. It was a little less disturbing, Starlight had to admit.
"I'm gonna get rid of your eyelids," Apple Bloom replied.
Starlight froze in horror. She fought back the vomit threatening to come out of her throat. The thought of somepony messing with her eyes like that; it made her sick. It was odd, she knew it. Nothing else had made her this uneasy, and surely all of it was way worse than this. She wasn't sure why it made her so much more uneasy.
"Sunburst, the spell please," Apple Bloom said in a sing-song voice. Sunburst smiled again, a smile that Starlight had once welcomed and enjoyed seeing. The smile she'd once considered the one of a friend. "With pleasure."
The ring disappeared, and Starlight was paralyzed again. The only thing she could control were her eyes; she assumed it was so Apple Bloom could have easier access to her eyelids. As the earth pony came closer, all Starlight could think to do was squeeze her eyes shut. Apple Bloom laughed cheerfully. "Thanks!"
Fuck you.
"This'll only take a moment," Apple Bloom said.
The scalpel pierced skin, and Apple Bloom slowly cut off Starlight's top eyelid on her left eye. Starlight vomited in her mouth, which made her feel sicker. She had no choice but to swallow it back down, seeing as it couldn't exit her mouth. It made this all the more sickening. Her throat burned, and the feeling of her own vomit returning to her stomach made it threaten to come back up.
Apple Bloom repeated the process three more times for both her bottom eyelids and her remaining top one on her right eye. The area around her forcefully came back into view which each slow slash. Once Apple Bloom was finished, a blast of magic shot Starlight and she was able to move again. She instantly turned away and puked, this time having it be able to fully leave her body. It hurt, but it was a relief.
"Gross," Sweetie Belle whined as she continued to scribble down notes. "Discord, can you get that?"
Discord rolled his eyes, then snapped his fingers. The puddle of vomit disappeared, and directly after Starlight was back in the ring. She felt her eyes becoming dry. She had to blink, but she couldn't.
"My eyes," she murmured.
"Quite a gruesome upgrade," Apple Bloom chimed. "Trust me, it looks horrendous. But thanks to Discord, the blood isn't getting in your eyes. Makes them all the more vulnerable for the test."
As she spoke, Princess Celestia came forward. Shining Armor pulled a small cardboard box from the shadows. Inside were some kind of glasses. He passed them around to everypony. Celestia was the only pony who refused.
"I can handle the light of my own creation," she told him. "Do you really think the princess of the sun can't handle its light?"
"Apologies, Your Majesty," Shining Armor said with a bow. He took the glasses for himself and slipped them over his eyes. Apple Bloom stood close to Starlight and the princess as she put her own glasses on, bouncing eagerly. Rarity watched everypony put their glasses on, then slipped hers on last. The timer clicked.
One tick.
Two ticks.
Three ticks.
"Begin."
Celestia's horn began to glow. It was very faint at first, and then there was a bright burst. A shining bright light filled the room. Starlight had no choice but to look at it. Everywhere she looked, it followed. Her eyes burned. She could feel the effects of it burning into her eyes.
"Stop!" she cried. "Please! It hurts! Somepony, help! It hurts!"
It was only a few moments, but it felt like an eternity. Her vision began to go dark, and it wasn't like it had before. No, she was fully conscious for this, and she knew she'd feel it still afterwards. She looked around desperately as her vision began to fade.
"My vision!" she wailed helplessly. "I can't see, I can't see! I can't- How will I know where the ring is? Help me!"
There was the sound of magic fading, then shuffling around. Apple Bloom let out a "hmm". "Only a few seconds. Disappointing, but it has a long-term effect, so I'm satisfied."
Rarity chuckled. "Well, Starlight, I'm sure you'll be relieved to hear that the light is gone. This test has been concluded."
"Uh, would this be a pass or a fail?" Sweetie Belle asked quietly.
"It ain't either," Apple Bloom replied. "Give it a... 60%. Not nearly as pleasing as I wanted it to be, but it did the job."
Starlight heard the sound of writing. She remained still, afraid of stepping out of the ring and killing herself again. She felt tears pouring down her face, she knew it exactly what it was because she stuck out her tongue to figure out if it was blood or tears. It was salty, not metalic. She choked on her own sobs as she tried to speak.
"Can- Can I at least have my eyelids back?" she stammered weakly.
She heard Apple Bloom sigh. "I suppose . You can do that, can't you, Discord?"
"I can," Discord replied begrudgingly. There was snap. The stinging pain around her eyes vanished, making the burning a little more bearable. She blinked and let out a breath of relief.
"Oh, thank you," she said before thinking. The gratitude was too much, and when the words left her mouth, she didn't even regret them.
She heard Apple Bloom laugh.
"Oh, don't be thanking us," she snickered. "I'm pretty sure Big Mac is going next."
The words were met with a "Eeyup."
"Perhaps we should give her her vision back for this test," Limestone suggested.
"But that ruins the entire point of my test!" Apple Bloom whined.
"Think of the greater good, Apple Bloom," Rarity said softly. "It'll be all the more worse for her if she can see what's happening to her."
"But won't it be scarier for her if she can't see it?"
Rarity sighed. "Alright. We'll let Big Mac decide."
Starlight heard the sound of somepony spinning around. "Big Mac, should we give Starlight her vision back for this test?" Apple Bloom asked.
Starlight held her breath hopefully, but almost directly after Apple Bloom spoke, Big Mac replied with, "Nope."
"But my eyes-" Starlight protested.
"'Are unnecessary for my brother's test," Apple Bloom chirped.
Starlight heard Limestone snort. "Well, she's having her vision back for my test."
There was the sound of somepony turning, then Starlight felt warm breath on her face. "Now listen close," Apple Bloom insisted. "My brother don't say a lot of words too often, so this is a rare occasion."
Starlight heard Big Mac clear his throat. "It's possibly one of the worst tests," he began. "There's hooks on the ceiling and on the floor, I'm not sure if you noticed that when you could still see. They're spread far enough part that if a pony were to be hung by strings that were connected to each hook, they would be right in the center. It's a little higher than you were on the table previously. Pieces of twine are currently being strung to each hook by Zephyr and Scootaloo. Once they are finished, Sunburst is going to lift you up into the center with his magic. Once he does, Zephyr and I will work together to tie the twine to your hooves. Every piece of twine is connected to a wheel, which will be controlled by me. The twine will be very, very tight. And when the wheel is turned, it will slowly tear each of your limbs away. And once that happens, and all four of your limbs have been successfully amputated, we'll move onto the second part of my test. There are two more hooks smack dab in the center of the bottom and top hooks. We're simply gonna connect you to the twine on those before you die from blood loss, and then I'm going to spin the wheel and watch your head rip off."
"Somepony simplify that for me!" Sweetie Belle cried. Starlight heard Rarity murmuring to her, and Sweetie Belle began aggressively writing.
Starlight swallowed hard. "Can't you just... cut them off?" she squeaked weakly.
Big Mac barked a laugh. "Ah, but the point is to see how long this will take. It'll benefit the princesses greatly."
"How?" Starlight cried, her voice cracking. "How will this help them? How will this help anypony ?"
Starlight felt warm breath on her face, and the scent of apples filled her nose. "It benefits us by letting us see the pony that hurt our loved ones suffer," Big Mac hissed lowly.
"Twine is all tied!" Scootaloo chirped. Starlight heard her tiny wings flutter happily.
"Is it connected to the wheel?" Shining Armor asked.
"It is now," Zephyr replied.
Starlight felt Big Mac pull away, then heard his hoofsteps trotting away.
"H- How did you get a wheel in here?" Starlight stammered quietly. Maybe they were just messing with her. Maybe they were taking advantage of her blindness to scare her. She hadn't seen a wheel before, so maybe-
"Oh, Starlight, this is a very well-constructed area," Rarity replied. "You should know, you performed our tests here."
Starlight froze. "You found it?" she questioned quietly. "How?"
"Is she really that stupid?" Apple Bloom said bluntly.
"You aren't the only pony with magic, Starlight," Princess Cadance taunted.
"Come on, we're wasting time!" Zephyr called authoratively, clapping his hooves. "Sunburst?"
"On it."
There was a quiet sound around Starlight. She hesitated, then tentatively reached out her hoof. She was met with no reaction. She let out a quiet sound of relief. She had been right, that was the sound of the ring disappearing.
There was another sound, then Starlight was being lifted into the air. Once she stopped moving, a thin metal string was wrapped around her left hoof. She winced, feeling the cool string dig into her skin. Three other strings were attached to her other hooves. The sound of magic disappeared, and Starlight drooped down from the twine. It painfully dug deeper into her fur and skin. Starlight yelped.
"She's loose," Scootaloo said disapprovingly.
"That's no big problem," Zephyr replied. "We can tighten it."
Somepony scampered across the room. Scootaloo began grunting and huffing, sounding strained. She finally gasped, and Starlight heard her stumble backward. There was a quiet thud as though the orange pegasus had collapsed to the ground.
"This wheel is really hard to move," Scootaloo breathed.
There were heavier hoofsteps. They stopped by Scootaloo, and then there was a small squeaking sound like something was being used for the first time in a while. Starlight felt the twine begin to move, tightening its grip on her. She let out a small cry, but as predicted, it was no use. She was lifted up higher into the air by the top twine, and the bottom twine pulled on her back legs. She was held firmly in the air. She felt blood running down her legs.
"Good thing we got Big Mac," Apple Bloom chuckled. "Gotta have a strong stallion on our side, right Big Mac? Oh, revenge tastes so sweet!"
A moment passed, and then there was a familiar sound.
One tick.
Two ticks.
Three ticks.
"Begin."
The wheel started up again. The twine pulled hard on Starlight's limbs. She screamed instantly. The twine dug further into her skin. It was sharp, and it delivered so much pain for such a thin piece of metal. There was the sound of wingbeats above Starlight.
"Ignore me," Zephyr told her as she continued to cry out in pain. "I'm just setting up for the second part of the test."
He flapped over to Big Mac, who instantly snapped at him. "Back up!"
"We need to be prepared," Zephyr insisted. "We're going to have to attach these to her immediately."
Suddenly the wheel stopped. Starlight was stretched out in an uncomfortable way, like a wide star. She heard Rarity and Sweetie Belle fumbling around.
"Warn us next time," Rarity huffed.
"A few seconds mean nothing," Big Mac snapped.
"Accuracy is key," Sweetie Belle shot back.
"Cool it, Twilight Sparkle," Big Mac retorted. "We'll be back on track in no time."
"Watch your tongue," Shining Armor snarled, and there was the sound of a horn lighting up.
"Oh, must we be so hostile?" Discord said in a bored tone. "Think of the bigger cause here. We can't afford to be turning on each other."
"He's right," Flurry Heart agreed. "We need to work together, that's the whole reason why Rarity brought us all here. So let's get our hooves untwisted and continue."
There was a minute of silence, and then somepony spoke. "What are we going to do?" Zephyr asked.
"We may as well mix the tests," Big Mac replied. "You have a point; the second part would need to be done quickly. That's extra stress and may not even work."
"Oh, yes, let's make last minute changes and give Sweetie Belle more work to do," Sweetie Belle grumbled irritably. Nobody responded to her words, leaving the irritated unicorn to scribble down more notes and scratch things off.
Wingbeats fluttered above Starlight again. Twine was suddenly tied around her neck. She gasped desperately, not because of the string, but because of her fear.
"No," she breathed quietly. "No, no, no, no, no. Please, please!"
Zephyr tightened the string, then flew back in the direction of Big Mac. A few minutes later, he announced, "All tied down. We're good to go."
"No!" Starlight shrieked, writhing. The twine cut further into her skin, sending more blood oozing out of the newly formed wounds.
"You'll come back," Apple Bloom spat angrily. "Quit being so fuckin' dramatic, would you?"
"May we continue?" Rarity snarled.
"Eeyup," Big Mac replied simply.
"Alright, and... resume."
The wheel began moving again. The strain on Starlight's neck made her gasp and shriek at the same time.
"Save your air," Apple Bloom snickered.
Starlight hesitated, then drew in a long breath and held it. She was right. If Starlight screamed, it'd make this 10x more painful.
The wheel continued turning, pulling on the twine. There was suddenly a sickening tear, and Starlight involuntarily screamed. She felt her legs slowly tear where they connected torso. She felt like an old toy being torn apart by a filly who didn't need it anymore. Hell, with all that was being done to her, she may as well be.
"Yuck!" Sweetie Belle shrieked as there was another tear. Starlight felt the blood spurting from the rips, and she could imagine that it had hit Sweetie Belle and the others, simply judging from the sounds of disgust.
"Uck. Sweetie, get behind me," Rarity ordered.
"Why?" her sister asked.
"So you get less messy, and we can protect the parchment."
"But that's not fair to you," Sweetie Belle argued.
"Don't argue and just do it. Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, you too. If all three of you crowd together and get a little lower, it should be enough to protect you. As long as I stand like this."
"You don't need to tell me twice," Scootaloo said, and Starlight heard her hurry over to Rarity.
"Apple Bloom?" Rarity said as the twine pulled Starlight's limbs further, spitting out more blood. "Come on."
"I appreciate the offer, but I quite enjoy this," Apple Bloom chuckled. "Nothing's better than seeing and feeling a criminal pay for what they've done."
And they say I'm sick. Are they not hearing her?
Another tear. Starlight was aware of how thin the threads of skin that kept her together were getting. Starlight's breathing grew harder as her head began to separate from her neck. Blood ran down her body. She was sure by now, with all the blood staining her fur, she looked crimson with tiny spots of lilac here and there.
Starlight wanted to scream, but all that came out were gurgles. Blood spilled from her mouth.
There was another rip. Starlight felt herself slipping from consciousness. Each tiny strand of skin began to snap. It was slow, one snapping at a time. All Starlight could do was hang there, waiting for the final snaps to come. Suddenly, the wheel began turning slower. Big Mac was going to make these final moments as painful as possible.
It felt like eternities had passed before Starlight was holding on by a single thread. She was barely alive. She was quite literal on her last string, and once it snapped, she'd be gone. As if on cue, the final threads connecting Starlight to her torso snapped.
Starlight's torso collapsed to the floor, no longer held by anything. Her other limbs hung from the twine, and they dangled like some kind of star streamer a filly would have in her room.
Rarity shuddered and stopped the timer. "At the rate Big Mac was going at, it took about 35 minutes. Though it must be accounted for that he was going fairly slow."
"Already down," Sweetie Belle announced.
Rarity looked down at her fur. Her pretty white coat was stained crimson. The blood splattered across her like paint, as though somepony had taken a paintbrush and carelessly splashed the paint onto Rarity. She sighed. She'd just have to deal with it for now. Once they were out of here, she'd be able to wash up.
Rarity adjusted her ponytail. Apple Bloom cackled. "Awesome!" she squealed. "That was by far the best test yet! Oh, Starlight, you are only just beginning to repay your debt."
Big Mac stepped away from the wheel and untied Starlight's back legs from the twine while Zephyr untied everything from above. The two stallions tossed everything beside her torso, all except for her head. As Zephyr was about to put it with the rest, Big Mac stopped him by holding out his hoof. Zephyr hesitated, then gave the head to Big Mac.
The red pony tossed the head in his hoof like a ball, studying it. Starlight's eyes were dark from being burned. Big Mac glanced at her torso, which was revealing her underbelly. There were burn scars there shaped like lightning bolts. He assumed it was from her jumping over the ring and inevitably killing herself.
Big Mac turned his attention back to the head in his hooves. Her mouth hung open a little, her gaze blank and lifeless. Blood dripped over his hooves and down his foreleg. He looked at the head a little longer, then suddenly grew violent. He reached down and snapped her horn off with his teeth. Everypony gasped in shock at the sudden switch in behavior.
Big Mac spit out the horn. He screamed and threw the head at the back wall. The head cracked open upon impact. When it hit the ground, a whole new puddle of blood began to form. Big Mac stalked up to it, glaring at the head of the pony who had killed his sister.
"Next time," he snarled, "think about who you're fuckin' with."
With another yell, Big Mac stomped on the head. There was another crack. His hooves were covered in blood, and there were hints of a darker red on his fur.
"Careful there, Big Mac," Rarity said softly. "We don't want to make it impossible for Discord to bring her back."
"Let him have his fun," Discord cooed. He was draped over Shining Armor's head with his arms propped on the stallion's snout. Shining Armor didn't say anything, but he looked pissed. "I can bring her back no matter her condition."
"My fun is over," Big Mac spat, kicking the mangled head to the wall. He stomped back to the others, then turned to face the dismembered body on the floor. He was breathing heavily, clearly still angered. Zephyr wrapped his wing over his friend's back to offer support. It seemed to successfully calm Big Mac a little.
"Welp," Rarity said, clapping her hooves together. "That concludes this test. Let's get this all cleaned up. Who's going next?"
"Me," Princess Cadance replied instantly. Due to being so far back in the room, she and the other princesses were covered in little to no blood.
"Alright," Rarity said, raising her voice to address everyone at once. "Come along everypony, it's time to move into the next room!"
Cadance's and Flurry Heart's Test
Starlight awoke with a jolt, only to painfully collapse. She groaned and weakly dropped her head between her hooves, which were settled on the glass beneath her.
Glass?
Starlight lifted her head slowly, wincing each time her movement was a little too sudden. Her head ached horribly.
She was trapped in a glass box, only big enough for a single pony with a few extra inches on the sides so she could move around. The box stretched up to the ceiling, much like what she'd trapped Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight in for the test of Genorousity. She shakily pushed herself up, looking up at the ceiling. There was an opening carved out, which was covered by a metal door. There were hinges on one side that shone gold in the faint, yellow light that was glowing from somewhere in the room.
This was the first time Starlight was consciously noticing the light. She looked outside the glass. There was a lump that was only a little smaller than a full-grown pony. A small, yellow light glowed from the horn of the pony, revealing a little bit of the pale pink coat and the purple, blue, and pink mane. The lump rose and fell slowly.
Starlight froze where she was. It was one of her captors, no doubt, yet her weariness and pain in her head made it hard for her to identify who it was. She started to slowly lower herself back to the glass before the pony could notice she was up. But it didn't matter who it was. The moment anypony realized Starlight had regained consciousness, she would be thrown back into the torture.
Starlight tried to lower herself back to the glass, moving slowly. She sprawled her front hooves the way they were before, but when she stretched out her right hoof, she accidentally hit it on the glass wall. It created a clinking sound, subtle, but enough to draw the other pony's attention.
The yellow glow lit up brighter as the pony stirred. They turned to look at Starlight, their bright blue eyes meeting hers. A wide smile spread across her face.
"Ooo, goodie! She's awake!"
The alicorn shot a burst of magic, and suddenly torches roared to life. The only other pony in the room was Princess Cadance, who was had stopped her pacing once Flurry Heart spoke. The pink pony knocked on a metal door, which opened almost immediately. The rest of the ponies made their appearance. Everypony except the princesses had a smile spread across their face. Apple Bloom's was the sickest.
Princess Cadance approached the glass, walking elegantly. Flurry Heart stepped aside to give her room. She smiled at Starlight. "Ah, our friend's timing couldn't be any better."
If there wasn't glass in their way, Starlight would've spit at the mother and daughter duo. Anger boiled in her blood.
"Friend?" she chuckled lowly. "What kind of friend does this?"
A loud bark of laughter from somewhere else in the room. Starlight didn't have to look to know it was Rarity.
"To think such a question would come from you!" Rarity laughed. "Oh my. And to think a traitor would create something called the Friendship Test. You clearly don't know the first thing about friendship."
Starlight drew in a shaky breath. "I know that friends wouldn't do this," she said hesitantly. She felt several eyes boring into her. She suddenly felt a string of hope, and she clung to it tightly. Maybe there was a way out of this? "And I know what I did was wrong. I shouldn't have hurt anypony, but I was stupid and determined to prove how pathetic I thought you all were. After all, how could the power of friendship overrun the power of magic? I'm one of the strongest unicorns in Equestria. I just wanted to prove that. I- I'm sorry."
The room went quiet, then Rarity smiled kindly. "It looks like you're finally learning the true meaning of friendship," she said softly before her smile turned sinister. "A little too late."
"Rarity," Sweetie Belle warned, shooting her sister a look. "Don't be so harsh." The young unicorn pressed her hoof to her chest and cleared her throat. "What my sister meant was; your apology is unaccepted."
Starlight was overwhelmed with terror as Cadance stepped closer to her, a grin spread across her face. "Sweetie, are you ready to take notes?"
Sweetie Belle nodded, so the pink alicorn continued. "As you can see, you're encased in a glass box. I'm sure you've noticed the metal door above you. That door is currently blocking off a large amount of water. It may be more than enough to fill your tank. Once your tank is full, a seven-minute timer will begin. If you can survive, well, you'll have passed this test."
"But right after, my test will begin," Flurry Heart picked up. "While your tank is filled with water, I'm going to turn it to ice. We're going to see how long it takes for the ice to kill you."
Starlight opened her mouth to try and protest, but before anything more than a breath could leave her mouth Sweetie Belle nodded and Rarity looked at the clock.
One tick.
Two ticks.
Three ticks.
"Begin."
Cadance's horn lit up on cue, and the metal door above Starlight lit up blue. The door swung open, and water mercilessly poured down. It poured directly onto Starlight, soaking her and making it hard to breathe. Starlight yelped and backed away as it began to fill her tank. Rarity chuckled and covered her mouth with a hoof.
“My, darling. You look much better when you aren’t drenched like a merpony,” Rarity teased.
The water continued to pour down. Starlight’s head was soon covered. Her hooves lifted off the ground as much as they could with being chained down.
Starlight’s heart rate increased greatly, pounding against her chest. She was beginning to panic.
Just seven minutes. Just seven minutes.
It wasn’t enough to comfort her. The tank continued to fill. Rarity eventually looked at the clock and smiled.
“The timer has begun.”
Starlight felt her heart sink.
She thrashed around the best she could. She glanced at the glass walls that held her prisoner.
Glass!
Starlight swam back to the very bottom of the tank, steadying her hooves and trying to stay on the ground. She edged closer to the right wall. She reached out her hoof as far as she could and banged on the glass. She did this repeatedly, urging it to break.
Howls of muffled laughter filled Starlight’s ears. She ignored them and continued her efforts. But it didn’t work, the glass was too strong.
Starlight looked down at her chained hooves, then up at the ceiling, where the door remained wide open. If she could get free, she might be able to climb into the ceiling and get to somewhere with air. Her screaming lungs and aching chest blocked off all reason or thoughts of the flaws in this plan. She had to do something. She needed air.
Starlight began yanking on her left hoof, trying to rip it free from the chains. It only caused her more pain, and blood trickled into the water. Starlight was beginning to grow frustrated. Her attempts continued to fail, and her desperation was making her irritable.
Starlight lowered her head and dug her horn in the area between the chain and her hoof. She counted down in her head.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
Starlight jerked her head upward and pulled on her hoof at the same time. Pain exploded in Starlight’s head. Her hoof remained trapped, and more blood filled the water.
Something else was in the water now, too. Something purple, the same color as Starlight.
Her broken horn floated in front of her. She felt nauseous, seeing her own limb broken and floating in front of her.
Starlight swam forward, running out of options. She banged on the glass, hoping somepony would feel some kind of remorse and help her.
Instead, she was met with laughter.
“Blue is not your color, darling,” Rarity taunted. “Not for your face, at least.”
Starlight just banged on the glass again. She beat the glass over and over and over. Her hoof was beginning to ache, but she ignored it. She needed air, now.
After several minutes, Starlight heard a muffled ding. The metal door above Starlight lit up blue again, and it closed, preventing anymore water from coming in.
Flurry Heart danced excitedly in place as Sweetie Belle scribbled down notes. “My turn!” she sang.
She lit up her horn. A yellow glow engulfed it, and soon it shot directly at Starlight’s tank. The water began freezing over at a quick rate, chilling Starlight down to her bones. She felt her blood freeze, moving stiffly until it stopped moving all together. Her bones felt like icicles that would snap at any moments. Her eyes were stuck open, and her broken horn was off to her left, still within sight.
“What’s the temperature?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“10 degrees,” Flurry Heart replied. “Should kill her in a couple of minutes.”
Starlight made attempts to move, but it sent jolts of freezing pain through her body. She was forced to remain still. Ice dug into her skin, but the freezing sensation inside her body was worse.
She wasn’t sure how long it was before she eventually felt her heart freeze over. It felt like it had been an eternity of suffering. She couldn’t help but feel relieved as she slipped away from life. At least the afterlife would be warmer than this. Starlight had never been more relieved to die than she was now.
As Starlight died once again, Rarity stopped her timer. “Ten minutes,” she told Sweetie Belle. Her little sister scribbled the notes down.
“Maybe I should have made it a little bit warmer,” Flurry Heart commented, tapping her chin. “Ya know, so she suffered.”
Rarity shrugged. “It’s too late to go back. We need to move on with the test.” Rarity scanned the room. “Who’s going next?”
Shining Armor pushed through the other ponies to stand front and center. “Me,” he announced firmly.
Rarity sighed. “Alright, I guess we’re moving again. Unless anypony else needs this room for their test? If so, let’s do that first.”
Nopony answered. The ponies who hadn’t gone yet exchanged glances, and Spike shook his head. Rarity nodded.
“Okay then. Discord?”
The lord of chaos grinned and slithered forward. “Already on it,” he said with a snap of his fingers. Starlight’s body vanished from the ice and glass, plopping onto the floor. Scootaloo zipped away into a room. There was a rectangular glass window so that the pony inside could see the room. There was a control panel inside. Scootaloo pressed one of the buttons, and the sound of glass scratching on ice echoed throughout the room. The glass slid back into the floor, leaving only the ice behind. Flurry Heart struck it with a blast of magic. It instantly melted into water. It hit the floor with a big splash, covering everypony in water.
Rarity shook her head and looked at her hooves in distaste. The water covered the floor. It was a very thin layer, but it was there nonetheless.
“Come on,” Rarity said, leading the way out of the room. Everypony followed behind her, Starlight’s body draped over Discord’s shoulders like a scarf. The water trickled out once Rarity opened the door, making its way into the other room.
Rarity turned as everypony cleared the previous room and did a quick head count. Once she was sure everypony was there, she turned and led them down a hall. The hall ended in two large wooden doors. Rarity pushed them open, revealing a staircase.
Rarity hopped up onto the first step and trotted upstairs, leading the way to the room where the next test would be performed, the clock clutched in her magic.
Starlight had grown used to the electric jolt that came every time she was revived. It didn’t hurt anymore, not as much as it used to. She just had to make sure nopony found out.
When Starlight opened her eyes, she found herself trapped in the same circle of magic that she’d been trapped in before. She was in an entirely new room, someplace she hadn’t even seen when she used this place for her own tests. It was decorated with stone slabs all along the wall, all distorted and mismatching shapes. There was a balcony several hoof-lengths above her. The room was a long corridor, ending in what looked like a flight of stairs. When she looked closely, Starlight could see a glass window shaped like a small box on the right wall. It was hard to see through the darkness, but Starlight swore she saw some kind of movement in there.
Starlight shook herself out, wincing from the pain that exploded through her body. Her head still ached from her missing horn, and there were so many wounds all over her body.
There was the sound of several hoofsteps from above. Once they stopped, torches roared to life with flames. Everypony except Shining Armor stood above her, all gazes fixed on her and hostile.
Starlight looked away and to the window, which was now lit up. It showed a small room behind it with several buttons and controls. Shining Armor was inside, working with some of the buttons. After a few moments, he reached up and pulled down a microphone. There was a loud high-pitched sound that echoed around the sound and he turned it on. Starlight winced and pressed her ears against her head as tightly as she could.
“Welcome, everypony, to the next part in the Test of Resistance.” Shining Armor’s voice echoed around the room from a speaker in the ceiling. “I hope you’re all as excited as I am for this test.”
There were thundering sounds above Starlight as the ponies above her stomped their hooves and cheered excitedly. Once the noises ceased, Shining Armor nodded approvingly and then continued.
“As a solider of the Crystal Empire, I’ve been through hours and hours of training. I’ve got the scars to prove it.”
Lanterns above Starlight flickered in as the flames sparked. A match surrounded by a blue aura of magic moved quickly down the corridor, turning on the lanterns and providing some light in the dim area. Once they were all on, Shining Armor continued.
“I decided to put you through an enhanced replica of the training I went through,” the stallion announced. “This test is quite simple, on your part. All you have to do is walk down the corridor to the stairs at the end.”
“What’s the catch?” Starlight demanded.
Shining Armor looked down at the buttons. “All you have to do is avoid a couple of things.”
Starlight tensed. There was some kind of twisted secret behind this, she knew it.
But she had no choice except to play along for now. The hornless unicorn just nodded. Shining Armor looked up at the balcony and grinned.
“Whenever you give the word, Rarity.”
Starlight looked up to see Rarity smile in a chilling way. Then there was the familiar sound.
One tick.
Two ticks.
Three ticks.
“Begin.”
When the word left Rarity’s mouth, the magical circle around Starlight disappeared. She hesitated for a moment, then slowly put a hoof out. When it safely touched the ground, Starlight began to walk at a slow pace. She scanned the walls, waiting to see what would lunge out at her first. Where would they even come from? Some secret traps doors? What would it even be?
Maybe this would be some Derring Do type shit. That wouldn’t surprise her.
She swore she could hear a shift somewhere. Starlight perked her ears, swiveling them around to hear where it came from. Her eyes darted back and forth, trying to find out what was going on.
The shift happened again. Starlight’s head shot up. The ceiling above her split slightly, just enough to allow arrows to come pouring down like rain. Starlight yelped and bolted into a run. The ceiling was beginning to open more, she could hear it. Arrows were falling in a downpour. Starlight caught glimpses of their tips as she ran, swerving out of the way of most arrows as they fell. They were wicked sharp, she was sure they were sharp enough to pierce through a dragon’s scales with no issues. Maybe even bone.
She couldn’t avoid some arrows as she ran in wild, curved zigzags. They caught the sides of her belly and her flank as she ran, catching in tiny patches of skin and cutting through her fur. It stung, but it wasn’t enough to slow her down. Starlight continued her run. If she kept going like this, she’d surely be able to make it to the end.
Alive.
Starlight picked up her pace, racing down the corridor. The ceiling opened more, allowing more arrows to pour down. Starlight’s breath hitched in fear. Her steps were becoming clumsy and frantic. She wasn’t sure how long it would be before she fumbled and lost her footing.
There was another shift. Starlight’s ears were all that could search for the source, her eyes were focused on the arrows. As she was making a sharp right curve, her hoof fell into something. She was going too fast to properly stop herself and pull it out. Instead, her face crashed into the ground. She heard a snap in her caught hoof, and pain jolted up her leg. That combined with the pain of the arrows piercing into her skin were enough to make her cry out in agony. Starlight’s hind hooves swung down to the ground beside her as she rolled to free her hoof. There was another shift as she was moving, and then her right hindleg hit something sharp. Starlight screeched in pain.
When she looked, Starlight saw a spike in the ground that had slid cleanly through her leg. It was lodged into her thigh, leaving her stuck to the ground. Her left leg had barely missed it, sitting right beside the cold metal.
The sharp arrows were falling more frequently now, digging into Starlight’s skin. The sound was almost more sickening than the pain. Flesh met with metal, making an awful sound. Desperate to get away from the arrows, Starlight used her good hoof to try and get back to her hooves. It was hopeless, though. All she did was flail around like a fish.
Another arrow dug into her skin, falling into her back. She felt it go deep enough to hit the bone. Starlight wailed.
It was enough to push her to do everything to get free.
Starlight slammed both of her front hooves to the ground, ignoring the pain from her broken hoof. She used her left hindleg to help her. There was only one way she could quickly get away. She had to pull her leg away from the spike.
Fully aware of the price it would cost and the damage it would do to her leg, Starlight pulled. She pushed herself forward and gave her leg a hard jerk. The spike tore through her leg down to the end of her thigh. It cut through her muscles and tissue, and now all of it was exposed to the air and the arrows. Starlight screamed as loud as her voice allowed.
But she couldn’t stop.
Not now.
Not until she reached the end of the corridor.
Starlight yanked on her leg again, harder this time. This time, it cut down to the halfway point of her leg. Starlight drew in a breath. Tears streamed down her face, mixing with blood as arrows continued to strike her. She was almost there. If she gave one or two more hard tugs, she’d be free and could make a break for it.
Starlight drew in a large breath, preparing herself for the next bursts of pain. Then she held her breath. She played the sound of the ticks in her head as a countdown.
One tick.
Two ticks.
Three ticks.
With that, she pulled again. As the spike cut down through her leg again, Starlight wailed in pain. She looked back to see how far she’d gotten. The spike was almost to the end of her hoof. She was almost free.
Starlight looked up to the balcony. Everypony was watching with satisfaction, especially Rarity. Starlight met the unicorn’s gaze of pure hate, seeing her feelings reflected in Rarity’s eyes.
“Enjoy the fucking show!” Starlight suddenly spat before giving a final tug. The spike finally cut cleanly through her leg. Blood rained from her split leg as it flew through the air while she shoved herself up.
Using three hooves, including her broken one, Starlight darted down the corridor. She ran faster than she had in a long time. Her ears were ringing and her vision was blurring, but she had to ignore it.
Blood fell into Starlight’s right eye, temporarily blinding her. She shut her eye as she ran, relying solely on her left eye.
Relief overwhelmed her when she realized how close she was to the end. She picked up her pace, then practically flung herself at the staircase. She hit the ground painfully, and the impact caused one of the arrows to dig further into her skin.
Starlight snapped her head around and clamped her teeth around the end of the arrows that were buried into her skin. She ripped them out and spat them onto the stone floor. She yanked the ones off of her head with her good hoof, throwing it down with the others.
Starlight looked at her right leg. It was cut down the middle from the center of her thigh, and it burned like hell. She’d never experienced this level of pain before. It was the most gorey sight she had ever seen.
She let out a breath. She rested her head on the floor, breathing heavily.
“I did it,” she breathed. “I did it.”
And then there was another shift. Starlight felt her heart drop. She looked up just in time to see part of the ceiling hurtling toward her. In a matter of seconds, it crushed her and the world turned black.
Shining Armor let out a cackle. “She was never going to survive that one.”
Rarity chuckled as Sweetie Belle took notes. The white mare looked back at the others curiously. “Who’s next?”
“Me,” Spike announced. “I want to go next.”
Rarity nodded. “Alright, then let’s go get ready.”
“What do I mark this test as?” Sweetie Belle cried down to Shining Armor. “What’s the result?”
Shining Armor smiled wickedly, pulling the microphone close to his mouth. His voice rang out clearly around the room.
“Fail.”
