Slowly, I placed one hoof in front of the other, my gaze fixed on the alley before me. Only a few steps separated me from them – the ponies who had shattered my life. The heat in my chest swelled as I savored the taste of blood trickling down my forehead, warm, bitter… and intoxicatingly sweet.

I could already envision the encounter with my friends in my mind. I stood over Rainbow Dash, my knife at her throat, feeling her trembling breaths brush against the sharp blade. Panic filled her eyes, wide open, desperation almost tangible. Behind me lay Fluttershy, lifeless. Her soft, yellow fur was drenched in blood, pooling beneath her. Her chest was torn open, ribs broken and splayed as though wrenched apart with sheer force. Her eyes were dull, but her expression was still so vivid, frozen in a scream that would never sound again.

A broad, cold grin stretched across my face, and an uncontrollable giggle escaped, soon growing into a shrill, manic laugh that pierced the silence. I looked down at Rainbow as she pleaded for mercy, her voice trembling. But her words were nothing more than hollow, meaningless noise to my ears.

Slowly, I pressed the knife deeper, the blade sliding gently through her skin, layer by layer, until the blood flowed thick and warm, trickling over my hooves. Her body twitched, and tortured screams tore from her throat, filling the air as the life in her eyes slowly faded. The sound of the knife cutting through flesh, the crunch of bone under the pressure of my hooves… it was like a dark melody, a symphony of release.

The images blurred, but the echo of her screams resonated in my thoughts, the sweet scent of blood filled my nostrils, and a pulsing satisfaction spread through my chest.

I entered the alley slowly, the smile on my lips widening—so wide it hurt. But I didn’t care. It was a sweet pain. The ponies who had destroyed my life stood like trapped prey, pressed against the walls of the narrow alley, as if they’d stumbled into a trap. Seeing them like this was delicious—weak, afraid, right where I wanted them.

The sun was sinking behind me, casting its last light like a fiery glow over the scene. My shadow stretched long and ominous across the alley, merging with the shadows of the walls until everything was cloaked in cold darkness. I saw them all look up at me as though the sunset had transformed me into an eerie silhouette.

The moment they noticed me, all eyes were on me, and I reveled in the glimpse of terror that flickered in their eyes. Rainbow Dash spun around, placing herself protectively in front of the others, her wings spread slightly, her gaze resolute, though I could see the twitch in her muscles, the uncertainty she was trying to hide. She took a crouched stance as if ready to lunge at me any second to protect them all.

Applejack stood upright next to her, her face frozen in horror. The usual steadfastness in her expression was gone, replaced by raw terror and disbelief, as if she couldn’t comprehend that the creature before her was really her friend.

Pinkie Pie cowered fearfully behind Rainbow, her head pressed to the ground, her mane limp and disheveled, tears streaming down her face. She was shaking, like a child hoping to become invisible if it just ducked low enough.

Fluttershy stood close to Pinkie, her eyes wide with fear. She flinched at my every movement, her shoulders trembling, her body curled tightly as if trying to shield herself from the horror playing out before her.

Rarity, the elegant, immaculate Rarity, took a hesitant step back, her makeup smeared as though her own tears had smudged it over hours. She looked at me as if I were a nightmare that had come to life.

I let my gaze slide over them, savoring every moment. “Are you scared?” I asked, my voice low, but the words echoed menacingly in the confines of the alley.

“Don’t come any closer,” Rainbow Dash growled, but her voice sounded exhausted, almost broken. “You’re going to pay for what you’ve done today.” She kept her gaze fixed on me, though I could see the tremor in her wings. “We thought you were our friend, but you… you’re just a monster.” Her teeth ground in suppressed frustration. “Was all of this just an act?”

A laugh escaped me, cold and bitter. “An act?” I asked aloud. “I haven’t acted at all. I was honest with you. When I told you to leave me alone. When I told you all to just leave me alone. But none of you ever listened.”

There was a dark joke in my voice, like a cold whisper of contempt. “The only ones playing a role were you. Playing the perfect friends, always there, always helpful, but in reality… in reality, you’ve destroyed my life.” I took a slow step toward them, watching as Pinkie and Fluttershy retreated further into the shadows, while Rainbow held her gaze steady, though I could see the flicker of doubt in her eyes.

“Did you enjoy it?” I sneered, my smile twisting into a cold, warped grin. “Did you laugh as you watched my life fall to pieces? Did you savor watching me suffer, taking everything I cared about and banishing me here? Sending me away.”

My voice was barely a whisper, but it trembled with hatred. “Well, guess who’s laughing now.” Another bitter, broken laugh escaped me, echoing down the narrow alley like the crackle of an approaching storm. “I’m not your toy anymore.”

I continued my slow, menacing advance toward them, the grin fixed on my lips. Yet Rainbow Dash didn’t back down an inch.

“What the Tartarus are you talking about, Twilight?” she snarled. “We didn’t send you anywhere or banish you. Celestia sent you here.”

My steps faltered, and for a brief moment, there was only silence in my head. What… what had she just said? Celestia sent me…? No. No, that couldn’t be true. Celestia told me to study friendship here, but… It… it had to be their fault. The fault of my so-called “friends.” They had separated me from Celestia, manipulated me, destroyed everything. Celestia… she would never abandon me like this. She loved me… still loves me… No. No, it was impossible. This was a lie.

“Liar!” I screamed, my voice louder, sharper, laced with a tremor I could no longer control. “You all… you took her away from me! You separated me from her, shattered everything that mattered to me! You exiled me here, left me alone. You pretended to care about me, to love me… but…”

My voice faltered, breaking off, the last word tasting bitter on my tongue. Something cold and wet dripped onto my hooves. Confused, I looked down and saw tears streaming down my face, falling to the ground. I… was crying? I was happy. I was delivering justice. Why… why did it hurt so much?

My friends looked at me. The shock and fear in their eyes morphed into something else. Pity. They looked at me as though I were broken. They no longer saw just a monster but a frightened creature, cornered in an alley. The pity in their eyes cut deeper than any lie, any wound they had ever inflicted upon me.

I screamed. A scream filled with pain and frustration. I screamed as loud as I could, as if the sound itself could drive away all the agony and chaos inside me.

Then Pinkie Pie stepped forward hesitantly. Her eyes, still damp with tears, were warm, filled with compassion. “Twilight,” she said softly, her voice quivering slightly. “We… I… I just want you to feel better. Please… let me help you. You say we’re not your friends, but…” She paused briefly, swallowing before continuing. “You look like you could use a friend.”

Something about her words – that simple, unfiltered honesty – stung like a needle in my heart, piercing deep into whatever remained of me. But instead of comforting me, it snapped the last threads of my control. A cold, malevolent growl escaped me as the fire in my chest reignited.

“No,” I spat. “You can’t help me. It’s too late. Look around! Look at what I… what I did because of her… because of you.”

I lifted a hoof and gestured to the city behind me, where black, smoldering clouds of smoke rose, and the buildings stood as silent witnesses to my destruction. Flames licked at the remnants, and charred bodies lay scattered like discarded dolls along the edges. “There’s no going back.”

Without hesitation, I summoned the knife, sending it slicing toward Rainbow Dash’s throat with a sharp hiss. But mere inches from her neck, it halted abruptly, as if it had struck an invisible barrier. My breath caught, and for a moment, confusion flickered through me. Why…?

A frustrated growl escaped me, and with all my strength, I drew the knife back, launching it again at Rainbow Dash with full force, determined to break through the invisible resistance. But again, the blade stopped just short of her trembling neck. A tremor ran through me as I grasped the reality of the moment - I couldn’t harm Rainbow Dash.

Confusion and frustration boiled within me as I struggled to understand the reason. Why was something holding me back? Why couldn’t I just silence the hated faces that had caused me so much pain?

My hooves trembled, and the knife clattered to the ground as I turned away from the group, ignoring the fear and stunned silence behind me. A cold, constricting sensation settled in my chest as I left the alley, my thoughts a chaotic tangle of anger and confusion.

“Spike,” I said finally, my voice strangely calm as I looked at the little dragon waiting at the end of the alley, his worried eyes watching me closely. “Would you please draft a letter to Celestia?”

Spike hesitated, his expression a reflection of the confusion and uncertainty swirling within me. But he nodded, pulling out a piece of parchment with trembling claws and a quill. My gaze was hard and unyielding, my heart pounding like a drum as I found the words that expressed my deepest desires.

“Write: Dear Princess Celestia…” I began, feeling my voice drop to a dangerous whisper as I spoke the words almost mechanically. “Today, I learned an important lesson. I’ve learned that friendship isn’t always easy. Sometimes misunderstandings can cause friends to grow distant, and sometimes it’s hard to trust your friends. But true friends are always there for you and help you… even when you don’t want to be helped.”

I paused, listening to the soft scratch of Spike’s quill over the parchment, letting the words hang in the air without fully grasping their meaning. Then, with a small, barely perceptible shimmer in the magic surrounding me, I took the letter. I let my gaze travel over the lines.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I am a horrible pony. I have wronged everyone I ever loved. Help me. Help me. Help me. It hurts so much. Why did you do this to me? Celestia. Help me. They’re all dead. The bodies. The fire. Help me. Help me. I killed them. Help me. Why did you leave me? Why… Help me. They want to be my friends. Help me. Help me. I stabbed Rainbow Dash.

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle

I smiled, a cold, indifferent feeling washing over me as my eyes skimmed the disturbing words scrawled in rough, jagged letters on the page. “Perfect.” My voice was little more than a hollow whisper, filled with a strange sense of satisfaction. I handed the letter to Spike, feeling his reluctance and the hesitation in his small claws, but I ignored it.

“Please send the letter,” I said with a calmness that didn’t match the turmoil in my chest.

Spike looked at me uncertainly, his eyes filled with questions he didn’t dare voice, before finally nodding. With a hesitant breath, he let out a green flame that consumed the letter, the glowing words dissolving into magical smoke that drifted up into the night sky, bound for Canterlot.

I watched as the smoke faded, and a cold, inscrutable peace settled over me.

Author's Note

It won't be long now. I hope you like it so far. The chapter was incredibly difficult for me and to be honest I'm not really satisfied, but sometimes you just have to keep going.
Feel free to write me your thoughts and see you tomorrow for the next chapter “Celestia”.