My Little Twisted Sweet Tooth

The train of thoughts was going full steam as I got nearer to my destination. What the fuck did that statue mean with his riddle talk? Magnetic attraction? How does that even work? I need to ask a scientist. Fuck that! Wait…I got it! Magnetic attraction is stronger when together but weaker upon separation.

I can’t take them all on.

Each element has to be dealt with on its own otherwise I won’t stand a chance. Well, stalking and killing is an easy task I’ve acquired in many years of experience. This time it’ll just be ponies.

Ponyville was in sight now. I spotted a forest nearby I could find refuge in when needed. What I needed to do was some scouting…but I’m a zebra so I’d stick out like a sore bleeding thumb. I flew into the sky above the town and walked on the clouds watching the citizens below. I needed to identify who exactly these six were but I couldn’t spot anything worthy of interest. I did see a pink pony talking to a purple pony that started shaking in midair. It made me laugh as it was very strange. The only other thing I saw down there were a few ponies attending personal gardens: one that looked like roses and another I think were carrots. It was just one pointless sight after another.

“Hey there, mister! What’re you doing? You look new. Are you new here? I know almost everypony, but I’ve never seen you before.”

Caught by surprise, I whipped my head around to find a gray mare with blonde hair staring at me with one straight eye and the other lazy.

“Yes, I’m new in town and just taking in the sight. Figured I’d relax here until the fall of night.”

“Well, that sounds like fun! Wish I could join you but I have mail to deliver. It won’t deliver itself ya know! It’s so interesting we have a new visitor and a zebra too like Zecora! It’s almost as interesting as when Twilight came here.”

“Who?”

“Oh! Silly me! She’s the purple unicorn down there talking to Pinkie Pie. She’s Celestia’s student ya know! She’s very special because I don’t think Celestia would choose just anypony to be her student. She and her friends saved us many times to keep count so you might want to meet her. Would you look at the time! I’ve got a schedule to follow and here I am talking your ears off.”

She pulled out a muffin in her bag, insisted I take it, and flew away. I looked down at the muffin and named it Max. It would be a little sweet at first but become nothing but a hard shell as time passes.

Looking down again I discovered that the purple and pink mares were heading to the forest so I followed them flying high above. Four other ponies joined them. These must be the six. Following them into the forest, I found them walking into a hut only to come out with a zebra carrying a bag that bulged as though full of items. They walked all the way to a tree house in the town with me following unseen behind. Well…I think I was unseen. I could swear the pink one glanced in my direction every now and then.

I was rather tired so I decided to get some sleep in the forest. My dreams consisted not of my world but my Queen. I saw her as she once was – my Nightmare Moon. Overjoyed I raced towards her longing to be reunited with my best friend. In advancing my approach she turned into Marcus. I was so pissed but I couldn’t manage to say anything. I then saw my Queen a second time side-by-side next to the first. However, her appearance was not that of Nightmare Moon but whom I saw back in Canterlot. Disregarding the change in appearance, I was ecstatic to find she was real! I could talk now so I called out to her. A noticeable amount of sadness flashed across her face for what exact reason I could not determine its cause. She was going to say something but stopped herself. I ran towards her but she disappeared leaving me in darkness and completely alone.

Waking up, I found myself in the forest once more. I would have felt sadness too but had no time for it. I needed to save my Queen from that fucking 'Marcus!’ I went back to town and spent the day following each of the six so as to find which element they represented. There was the pink one which obviously represented Laughter. The purple mare read a lot of spell books in her library so I assumed she was Magic. The yellow one with pink hair attended small creatures with a caring nature that could only be Kindness. The other three were hard to tell apart. I tracked down that gray mare who offered me Max, the muffin, to ask her about it while making her mail routes and she told me. As they say, loose lips sink ships. I went back to the forest to come up with a plan and went to sleep with so much excitement and anticipation. It wasn't completely necessary to find out which element each pony represented, but the fun I had in mind required it.

That night brought certain nightmares to light. I felt like Marcus was fighting for control, dead ones I had killed laughing and beckoning me to join them in hell, and my Queen in the distance with much sadness on her face not able to voice something she needed to say. Boys and Girls, I felt like everything was working against me. What felt so right suddenly became wrong. In that a certain façade was coming to light. Something was not quite right but I needed to do what had to be done.

I ignored the dream's warning.

Jolting out of my nightmarish slumber, I started out long before day break and got to work. First would be that clothing store with the white-coated mare. I walked up to and knocked on the door to which the white mare answered it still half-asleep.

“Well, hello darling! I didn’t expect anypony to come around this early. I was just finishing up a big order. Oh, where are my manners? I’m Rarity. What might this pony do for you?”

I responded with a sly smile.

“Generosity, a giving attitude to those who want and need. Beware, though, those that take and make you bleed.”

With that said I abruptly turned around and kicked her hard in the face with my hind legs. She didn’t expect it. I could hear some bones snap when I did it too.

Boys and Girls, you could say I 'kickstarted' the fun!

Returning to town after disposal, I noticed the flying light blue mare in the sky. It seemed like she was practicing flight runs. I flew up to a neighboring cloud and called out to her. She came over.

“Hey there. What’s up? I’m kinda in the middle of something. Practicing some awesome new moves and stuff,” she said.

“I wanted to race you.”

She laughed for what seemed like a whole minute.

“You? I think you’d eat my dust! Maybe another time but, sure, I’ll take you on.”

“How about now?”

“Well, I really need to get back to training,” she said looking around trying to get out of it.

“It is an offer you can’t refuse. See that mountain in the distance?” I said pointing to a snow-covered mountain far away. “I buried one of your friends there in the snow and if you don’t hurry she’ll be dead. If I get there first, I'll make sure that happens right away. Better be fast and dig her up. Got all that?”

Her look was priceless. “Wha…?”

“On your mark, get ready, set, Go!”

With that said I started flying toward the mountain. When she came to her senses, she easily flew past me in a panic as she was the quickest flyer I’d ever seen. I was only half way there when she reached the mountain. She frantically dug at the ground looking for any sign of life. When I landed a few feet from her she laughed a little while panting to catch her breath.

“Ok, you got me. You know that is a totally awful and uncool joke!”

“It’s not a joke. You were too late.”

I nodded my head towards a patch of recently disturbed snow.

While eyeing me suspiciously, she trotted over to it and dug up the remains of her friend.

I said in a clear voice, “Loyalty does not take fate into account. Sometimes a friend will inevitably contribute to the body count.”

She stood motionless staring down at her frozen friend. Almost immediately she became quite pissed and came at me with tears in her eyes. It was quick but I saw it coming. I used one of my wing's metal tips to cut hers disabling flight. Speed doesn't guarantee escape from a knife's edge. As she lay on the ground begging and crying for mercy, I smiled in response and violently snapped her neck.

[/hr]

Next would be the apple farm. I found the red stallion working the early hours as I thought he would. He wasn’t one of the six but was a means to an end. I dive-bombed as hard as I could into his neck for he looked like only so much force would bring him down. Despite the toughened muscle tissue, he was dead on impact. Now I just needed to find the orange-coated mare that, after walking not so far, was coming in my direction.

“Well, howdy there pardner! Did ya hear a noise jus’ now like a crash or somethin’? It was awfully loud!” she said.

“I’ll tell you but need to ask a question first.”

“Well, alright. But ay have a busy day ahead as its almost apple-buckin’ season.”

“Do you promise never to hit me?”

“What kind of a question is that?! Of course ay wouldn’t hit ya. What would make ya ask such a silly thing?”

“Go over there and you’ll see for yourself.” I pointed to where I just came from.

When she saw her dead brother, she became frantic to see if he still drew breath.

“WHAT PONY WOULD DO THIS!?”

I calmly replied with an answer scheming to upset her immensely.

“Me. I hate apples. I guess I got carried away. You know? He whimpered and called out your name right before I finished it. Just thought I’d let you know.”

She had to take a double-take looking at me and her brother before realizing that I had indeed murdered her brother. She became furious and attacked hitting me repeatedly with intentions of serious harm. For a moment, she backed off having run out of energy and it took me a while to regain my senses. She recuperated her lost energy and started to scream at me until she was out of breath. I took this moment to say what was on my mind with a growing smile.

“See? You hit me.”

“Ya darn buckin’ right I hit ya!! Ya buckin’ lunatic!! My brother’s dead and it’s yer entire fault and don’t even look like ya care!”

“I don’t. In fact, I showed this to you to prove a point before making you join him. Honesty is useless to an unpredictable future foretold. A promise, dealing, or word could just as soon be cheaply sold. Having hit me after promising not to you made yourself a liar. And liars need to be burned.”

I have to say she put up quite a fight. Back home, country folk are known for their hardness. But, anything that bleeds can be killed, Boys and Girls. It can be burned quite easily too. How did I start the fire, Boys and Girls? Well, let's just say a certain fire has been burning since my world's been turning.

[/hr]

I knocked on the yellow pony’s door but had to knock a second time to get an answer. She answered it rather meekly.

“Y-Yes? H-Hello. Y-You’re a new pony. H-H-Haven’t seen you around before.”

“Kindness sometimes cannot be easily divided. Between multiple parties of interest, this disparity depends on the situation provided.”

“W-Wha…? I-I-I don’t understand.”

I smiled. “You care for many creatures, yes? Given the choice of two separated groups, which one would you save if only one could have the luxury? In the forest, I have trapped and taken your precious creatures. Find one group and save them. I’ll kill the other. Refuse and I kill both.”

She made what sounded like a squeak and said, “W-Why? The Everfree Forest? They must be so scared.”

In a hurry, she ran off to the forest. I spotted a rabbit in the doorway giving me an angry look. Still smiling I seized the ball of fur. It struggled and bit at my hoof to which I responded with a tightening grip from both.

She wasn’t too fast so I knew which group of animals she found and killed the others. When I came upon her in the forest, she was reassuring those she saved that everything would be fine. Too bad they couldn’t say the same for her. I threw the bunny’s head in front of her that I had encountered in the doorway.

“Angel Bunny!!” she screamed.

“As I said before, kindness will inevitably leave some behind. Justice does not see as it is always blind,” I replied with a bright smile. "I'm the one that cut out its eyes to make Eyes Cream! Do you want to know what that tastes like little filly? Let me show you!"

She wasn’t much of a fighter though the animals fought me tooth and claw. They attacked and scratched me but I continued my work of art unperturbed. I drowned out her screams by scooping out each eye, then feeding them to her. I killed the animals as she drew her last breath and choked to death. Eyes Cream always had a killer aftertaste.

As I came out of the forest, the pink pony came bouncing up the road to the yellowed one’s house. She spoke very fast when she saw me.

“Hi, my name's Pinkie Pie! You’re new here, huh?! I know everypony and everypony knows me but I’ve never met you before! Too bad I have a lot to do today or I would show you my party wagon! Do you know if Fluttershy is home?! She’s a shy pony and lives in that house right there! I needed her to watch Gummy for a bit!”

“No, she’s in the forest taking a walk and enjoying a sweet treat. C’mon, I’ll show you.”

I led her into the forest and to her friend with blood everywhere. She screamed and raced around checking all their pulses.

“I told her the Everfree Forest was a dangerous place! Maybe she’s just sleeping?! No! She isn’t! Ohh…this is bad! This is bad! Quick we need to get her to the emergency room! Stat!”

I stomped my hoof to grab her short-attention span.

“Laughter can serve well but sometimes it’ll cover up the truth with lies. Nothing can drown out a woeful cry or someone’s demise.”

“What’re you talking about!?! This isn’t the time for rhyming!!”

“You’re right!” I started to wear a wide grin across my face. “But do you really think it was the forest that got her? There is nothing more dangerous in this forest than the one you're standing before! I'll show you a danger no forest can hold within!”

Unexpectedly, she was quite the fighter. We must had been rolling around for thirty-minutes straight with her kicking and biting. I eventually got the upper hand and watched her lifeless body on the ground while I caught my breath. The strangest part is that she once in a while had gone for my throat like she, herself, knew how to kill.

I took hold of my muffin companion, Max, to ask him about her but he was silent. An idea came to me to place the muffin next to her body. Perhaps all she needed was some company. Max was perfectly suited for it and I knew the two would get along just fine. Boys and Girls, I'm not entirely cold-hearted. And I still want to give or receive that hug from you all - I haven't forgotten.

[/hr]

Saved for last was the purple mare and my Queen would be set free. It was a little after dark by the time I got to the tree-looking house. She was predictably in her library reading some books when I flew in though her window. I stood behind her for a while but never caught her attention.

“Hey, um, Twilight? I think there is somepony here to see you.”

A baby dragon appeared to my side but my focus remained on the unicorn.

“Huh? What? Oh! Silly me. I was just reading a book on the different psyche of pony personality.”

She turned around and faced me with a shocked face.

“A zebra? Wow! I only met Zecora and didn’t expect to meet another one anytime soon. Your stripes are different too like backwards or something…almost like going for the opposite visual representation. A Pegasus too! So different but quite fascinating!” She said clapping her hooves together in excitement.

“Twilight!” the baby dragon snapped.

“Oh! I’m sorry! Where's my manners? My name is Twilight Sparkle. You came by for something?”

My patience was wearing thin so I simply said, “Magic, in my world, is nothing more than an illusion. Much like an imaginary friend it is for those seeking delusion.”

“Well, I suppose so but here it envelops everything. It essentially influences all aspects of our life.”

“I wonder if it ‘enveloped’ your friends after I killed them.”

She tilted her head to the side voicing suspicion, “…I would say you’re joking but…that was said with a straight face…Spike! Run!”

The dragon did a startled hop. He then tried to run up the stairs but it was too late as I slammed his body into the wall. It didn’t kill him but he was unconscious from the hit. My main prey was the purple one. She had enough time to run out the door and a little ways down the street. It wasn't enough distance as I headed her off for a confrontation. I can honestly say her magic was similar to Celestia’s student from long ago. Her teleportation and ranged attacks were like deja vu. Even though it was not so far as developed it stung quite a bit. In fact, given continual practice, I think she could easily best the former student in a year or so even while being so young. She was also resourceful which caught me off guard like using the dirt as a shield. It took longer than the former student but, all the same, she grew tired. I took the opportunity, grabbed her horn with my teeth, and broke it clean off. The scream was so audible that lights in neighboring houses came on, but I dragged her to the forest before anypony could see what occurred.

Dragging the body to a clearing in the forest, I realized I had no real means of contacting my Queen. I suppose I could wait for the moon to rise and hope fate shines its grace on me. I waited with the unconscious filly next to me for what seemed like an eternity. The moon shined full and bright high above to which I watched with hopeful enthusiasm. There was a rustle in the bushes opposite of where we were.

It was my Queen! She found me!

She didn’t say anything – only stared at me with sorrowful eyes. I was the first to break the silence.

“My Queen, I have come to set you free so as to help you attain what is rightfully yours. I offer this purple one as my offering in remembered service of you! I want everything to be as it once was so my Nightmare Moon will return. My Queen - my friend - I need you now more than ever.”

With that said I snapped the filly’s neck and wore the biggest smile for my Queen…and waited for her to change back into Nightmare Moon. We stared at each other for a while in a most awkward way. My smile was met with her frown. Nothing was happening! She wasn't changing back!

“I-You…what the hell is going on here!? My Queen, you should be returning to me! That damned statue said you would!”

She finally spoke.

“’That statue’? Dost thou mean the statue of Discord? He hast lied to thee Twisted Sweet Tooth. We are Nightmare Moon no more. What thou seek dost not exist. Discord was only seeking his own escape which would be all that would happen if thou had succeeded.”

“’If’ I succeeded? But my Queen, I did succeed. I have killed the six that entrapped your true self!!”

“My little Twisted Sweet Tooth…” she said this with much sadness. “We were trapped when we were Nightmare Moon. The six set us free from that torment. This is very similar to how you have trapped Marcus within yourself. We…wish we could have saved thou long ago but we were lost too. Now is the time for us to correct that mistake. I'm sorry, my friend. There is no other way for this to end.”

Behind me much rustling was heard in the bushes to which seven ponies stepped out (the six and the red stallion) and one zebra.

“They’re alive!?! How? I killed them all with my bare hooves!”

“No, my little Twisted Sweet Tooth look down at your latest victim.”

I looked down and saw a pumpkin. A fucking pumpkin!

“What the fuck is this shit!?!”

“In Cantelot, our sister spotted you in the crowd. She can never forget a face such as yours and let me know of your return. Immediately, I set out to warn all ponies of a dangerous zebra in their midst. What I didn’t tell them is that you were my best friend from long ago…That's what makes this so much harder to carry through...”

A few tears came to her eyes.

Twilight spoke up. “When I heard the news from Princess Luna, I naturally started researching zebras just in case. Pinkie Pie came by the library shaking all over and let me know that a doozy was coming. I then sent a letter to Princess Celestia to ask her how dangerous this zebra was to which Luna responded instead. We listened to her tales of the one she called Twisted Sweet Tooth – the violence he used everywhere he went. In being the holders of the elements of harmony, she thought you might get revenge on those who took Nightmare Moon away. She feared greatly for our safety and asked us to go see Zecora for more information. It was there we learned the story of the ‘Unspoken’ zebra ruling under Nightmare Moon. This zebra murdered many without mercy. To face such a dangerous equine would reassure one's own end. Zecora had an idea that, should anything harmful come our way, we would transform pumpkins to take the places of the ponies in town while they took shelter in Canterlot. These pumpkins, through use of powerful magic and potion use, would almost perfectly replicate the characteristics of their host for a week or so. Good thing too for what we witnessed today! However, my transformation spells are not perfect yet so I needed help with Zecora’s potions.”

I never saw this irritation coming, but I wasn't going to be lectured on pumpkins, Boys and Girls!

“So what now? You all just going to fucking stare at me all night telling me stories!?”

My Queen responded, “No, my little Twisted Sweet Tooth. We are going to set thou free.”

“You keep saying you’ll set ‘thou free!’ Who!? Marcus!? I’m the one that serves you not fucking Marcus!! That bastard could give a shit about my Queen as much as I do.”

“We know…” She started to tear up. “We know thou won’t be the same...but the one you've enslaved will be released. Don’t make killing my best friend any harder! We don't want to do this for we remember how much you cared for us! We'll always love you as a friend, my little Twisted Sweet Tooth.”

My anger kept rising. My Queen didn't realize what she was saying.

“You say what I did to the six wouldn’t help but I think it will!! You all may have tricked me once with the fucking pumpkin shit! However, I’ll simply kill those six right now and see the truth for myself!!”

“ENOUGH!!” My queen bellowed so hard the ground beneath shook uncontrollably. “DOST THOU NOT THINK THERE HAS BEEN ENOUGH KILLING!?! WE UNDERSTAND THOU WILLINGNESS TO HELP THY PRINCESS. BUT EVERY TIME THOU DOST KILL, OUR HEART BREAKS A LITTLE!! IS THAT WHAT THOU TRULY WANT!?! TO CAUSE YOUR BEST FRIEND AND QUEEN EVERLASTING GRIEF!?”

Regaining my senses and balance, I couldn’t maintain eye contact with my Queen.

“You want what you want and I want what I want. You say you want to set me free but I feel the same way. Look away if you want my Queen for there is only one way to settle this confusion.”

I turned and faced the six ponies who I hated more and more with each passing second. They saw what was coming but it was too late as I closed the distance to a few feet in between us. That is until the red stallion that came with them knocked me hard on my side.

“Nope!”

Enraged I tackled him to the ground trying to rip his fucking throat out but he was rather strong when faced directly. What I didn’t see coming in my blind rage was the six readying their attack with the elements of harmony.

The stallion jumped out of the fight just in time for the blast of rainbow light to hit me. I thought the visual spectacle was ridiculous until it hit my skin. It was much more powerful than the ritual those zebras performed on me. Every cell in my body felt like it caught on fire. Resounding howls of fury escaped my lungs. Then, everything went black.

The last thing I heard was that zebra say, “In the end, life returns to which it began. Full circle irony is its master plan.”