You did it to yourself
The End of The Beginning
The purple ‘pony’ coughed.
It was a heaving sort of thing, without purpose, just instinctive wet coughing. An already congealed red liquid sprayed from it’s lips against the marble floor as the pony continued coughing, bracing itself with it’s front legs.
It wasn’t really much of a pony, but then, it wasn’t much of anything else. It had the features of a pony, but it was twice the height of a normal pony and had large red growths sprouting from it’s skull. The skin and coat around them was torn and agitated, and the telltale signs of an aging infection were present.
The red growths weighed heavily on it’s neck as the ‘pony’ gave one last bent heave upon the polished floor. The 'pony' gave the fluid an irritated glance before bringing it's head up.
Dozens of faces look at her with abject, shocked horror from the large crowd in front of her. The same sort of horror one would display if a bear were to suddenly burst through a nearby window. Fitting actually, because that would describe the same amount of danger they were currently in.
The ‘pony’ grinned.
The final fleeting motes of light left over from long range teleportation finally dispersed into the tense air as the pony took a step forward. The resulting click echoed through the near silent room, only interrupted by the occasional nervous swallow.
She took another step, and then another. Soon, she had worked up a decent rhythm, slowly stalking forwards. Her hips and shoulders swayed with a sort of confidence one could only achieve if they had nothing to lose, yet nothing to gain.
She carelessly bobbed her head from side to side, humming a happy little tune as she lapped the thinning liquid from her upwardly twisted lips. Not quite a grin, but not much of anything else. A few braver stallions in the crowd began to step forward to block her path, but she brushed them aside with a challenging glare and a dark grin.
Giving a particularly familiar looking audience member a mocking nod, the pony finally looked towards her target. Her target looked back at her from upon its throne. A tired old alicorn, withered from stress and age. She grinned wider this time, eyes sparkling as they widened.
Some of the more plucky guards made a motion to surround her as she cleared the crowd in front of the throne's dais steps. A predatory grin broke their courage, and a slight feint to the side broke their formation.
Her target sighed, hanging it’s head.
The ‘pony’ cleared its throat, “...greetings, dear regent of the ‘Eternal’ Sun,” it rasped quietly, bowing so lowly it’s single natural horn scraped against the pristine floor. As she rose again, her target looked even more sullen, giving her prompt to smirk viciously.
“What, nothing to say this time?” She crooned mockingly, slowly sashaying her way up to the first step with her tail swishing from side to side, teasing the terrified guards, just because she could. The Princess didn't respond, nor did she make eye-contact, merely hiding herself behind her once lustrous mane and forcing her eyes shut.
The ‘pony’ slammed her hoof against the first marble step, cracking it in a fine spider-web pattern. “At least have the decency to look me in the eye, Sun-butt,” she hissed as she pushed her way up to the next step.
Reluctantly, the Princess drug her dulled gaze to meet the abomination’s eyes. There wasn’t any need for this, she was sure. The Princess had lost a very long time ago. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t have a little fun with it again.
She lept up to the next step as the one she’d broken crumbled away under her weight.
The weak guards tried to look intimidating from their place near the bottom of the stairs to the throne, but ventured no further. She cast them a sidelong glance and flicked her tail again with a grin before turning back to her target.
She was only a short few steps away, but she’d leave those for later. The anticipation would make it well worth it, of that she was certain.
“I don’t suppose you have anything to say for yourself, do you Princess?” The ‘pony’ whispered softly as she leaned closer. Her target narrowed it’s eyes, but remained silent. The pony scoffed softly and stalked ever closer, stopping when she was nearly against the Princess.
“Come on, just a retort or insult, or something of the like. I know you have plenty of the latter just for me,” she whispered into her target’s ear, just barely audible over the deafening silence of the room. The ear flicked against her cold breath.
Her target ground it’s teeth in an uncharacteristic show of restraint, refusing to respond more than was necessary. The ‘pony’ clicked her tongue and took a step back with a small smirk, rolling her eyes as the Princess looked away again.
“You’re not sorry, are you dear? Because that’d be downright absurd.” She mocked as she began to circle the throne. When she reached the back of the glorified chair, she leaned around it to place her head beside her target’s ear again. “You’re never sorry. You’re always right, because you. Are. Perfect.”
That almost got a rise, she could see. Her target’s ears twitched back, but only slightly. She was the only one who could have noticed it, even from this angle. “I think you are, actually,” she murmured as she continued her slow circle around the throne, making a show of looking for something on the dark stone walls.
The Princess’ mouth began to open, but firmly clicked shut after a moment as the ‘pony’ perked one ear up to listen. Snorting in disgust, she stopped at the side of the throne to face the still silent crowd with a bored glare.
“Shall I come back later..." she sang dramatically before propping herself up against the armrest and rubbing suggestively against Celestia's shoulder. "...perhaps in a decade or so, when your food supplies begin to really dwindle? I know you can’t keep running forever. Every rabbit needs to sleep,” she mocked, baring her teeth in a macabre sort of representation of a grin at a terrified looking pegasus that was backing away. The Princess remained silent as the stone of the walls and floor, just as cracked and weathered, but still holding strong.
“...The problem with the turtle is that it never wanted to race in the first place.” The ‘pony’ mumbled nearly silently, just for her target to hear. No need to de-villainize herself in full view of the audience, that'd break the illusion.
The Princess was silent for a moment before mumbling something inaudible against her teeth. The pony that wasn't cocked an ear towards her target. “What was that? You’re going to have to speak up!” she called obnoxiously , a clear invitation to make sure everypony present heard what her target said.
“...did it to yourself...” her target finally mumbled a little louder, with an obvious strain in it’s voice as it turned to look at her. The ‘pony’ raised an eyebrow, and began to walk down the steps to leave before her target cleared it’s throat to catch her attention one last time.
“You did it to yourself, Twilight.”
With a deafening thundercrack and a flashy shower of sparks, the ‘pony’ was gone.
You did it to yourself
The Liar
The purple ‘pony’ coughed.
It was a heaving process, without directive purpose but merely instinctive wet coughing. An already congealed mess of fouled blood sprayed from its lips against the marble floor as the pony continued coughing, bracing itself with its front legs. The scarred lavender limbs shook slightly against the weight of the ‘pony’
It wasn’t really much of a pony, but then it wasn’t much of anything else either. It certainly had the features of a pony, but it was twice the height of the average pony and large red growths sprouted perilously from its skull in a backwards sweep. Barely visible between the greasy locks of deep purple mane cast nearly grey with time, the scalp and coat around the growths was torn and agitated, and the telltale signs of an aging infection were present.
The red, forked growths weighed heavily on it’s neck as the ‘pony’ gave one last gurgling heave unto the polished floor. The 'pony' gave the gelled fluid an irritated glance before bringing it's head up.
Dozens of ponies beheld the ‘pony’ with shocked horror from the large crowd in front of her. Not a living soul made a sound as the ‘pony’ giggled. It was the very same sort of horror one would display if a ravenous beast were to suddenly smash through a nearby window. Fitting.
The ‘pony’ grinned.
The final fleeting motes of light left over from long range teleportation finally dispersed into the tense air as the ‘pony’ took a step forward. The resulting click echoed through the nigh-silent room, only interrupted by the occasional nervous shuffling and fluttering wingbeat.
She took another step, and then another. Soon, she had worked up a decent rhythm, slowly stalking forwards. Her hips and shoulders swayed lasciviously with a bitter confidence, a slow vigour could only achieve if they had nothing to lose, yet nothing to gain.
A perfect closed system.
She carelessly bobbed her head from side to side, humming a happy little tune that’d been lost with time as she lapped the thickening ichor from her upwardly twisted lips. Not quite a grin, but not much of anything else. A few braver stallions in the crowd began to step forward to block her path, but she brushed them aside with a challenging glare and a dark grin. The largest colt cowed under her gaze, eyes locked to the rough stone floor.
Giving a particularly familiar looking audience member a mocking nod, the pony finally looked towards the target. The target looked back at it from upon her throne. A tired old alabaster alicorn, withered from stress and age. She grinned yet wider still, eyes sparkling as they widened. Pure white teeth shimmered with a sharpened radiance betwixt her lips.
What remained of the Royal Guard core made a motion to surround her as she cleared the crowd in front of the throne's dais steps. A predatory grin broke their drive, and a slight feint to the side broke their formation, one of the younger members stumbling to dodge out of the way.
That ‘pony’s target sighed, hanging it’s head while waving away the armored entourage with a frail wing. Some feathers came lose, dissolving to ash as they brushed the floor where they landed.
The ‘pony’ cleared its throat, “...greetings, dear regent of the ‘Eternal’ Sun,” it rasped quietly, bowing so lowly it’s single natural horn scraped harshly against the pristine floor while the growths swayed impetuously with the skull. As it rose again, the target looked even more sullen, giving the ‘pony’ prompt to smirk viciously.
“What~, nothing to say this time?” It crooned, slowly sashaying its way up to the first step with its tail swishing from side to side, teasing the terrified guards. The Princess didn't respond, nor did she make eye-contact. Perhaps she couldn’t, instead merely hiding herself behind her once lustrous mane and forcing her eyes shut. The long pink strands were caked with filth and dust.
The ‘pony’ slammed its hoof into the first marble step, crushing it in a webbed pattern. The thunderous response of stone drew a weak flinch from the target. The red growths crackled with a fine red haze, seemingly twitching in the poor light.
“At least have the decency to look me in the eye, Sun-butt,” the ‘pony’ growled as it pushed its way up to the next step. The fragments of stone slid off its hoof onto the stone steps, crushed under the next hoof to replace it.
Reluctantly, the Princess was left to drag her dulled eyes to meet the abomination’s own. There wasn’t any need for this, that much was sure to both the monster and the liar. The Princess had lost in an age long since past, but that didn’t mean the ‘pony’ couldn’t have a little fun with it... again.
It lept up to the next step as the one it’d broken crumbled away under the weight, chunks of dusted stone rolling down the dais to the hooves of the armored remnants. They gave the obligatory token effort to look intimidating from their place near the bottom of the dais, but ventured no further. The ‘pony’ cast them a sidelong glance and flicked its tail with a grin before turning back to the target. A few weak gags flittered through the air behind it.
It was only a short few steps away, but decided it would leave those for later. The anticipation would make it well worth it, of that the ‘pony’ was certain.
“I don’t suppose you have anything to say for yourself, do you Princess?” The ‘pony’ murmured gently, leaning closer. The target narrowed its eyes, but remained silent. The ‘pony’ scoffed and stalked ever closer, stopping when it was nearly against the Princess. The intimate proximity caused the target’s breathing to stiffen slightly, giving rise to another giggle from the ‘pony’.
“Come on, just a retort or insult, or something. I know you have plenty of the latter just for me,” she whispered into the target’s ear, just barely audible. The ear flicked against the cold breath.
The Princess ground her teeth in an uncharacteristic show of restraint, refusing to respond more than was necessary. The ‘pony’ clicked its tongue and took a step back with a small smirk, rolling its overly bright eyes when the Princess looked away.
“You’re not sorry, are you? Because that’d be downright absurd.” She mocked as she began to circle the throne. When she reached the back of the glorified chair, she leaned around it to place its head beside the target’s other ear.
“Because you’re never sorry. You are always right, because you. Are. Perfect,” the words were coated with a familiar honey, saccharine as they were sarcastic. The forked growths hissed with the ‘pony’ against the fouling air.
That almost got a rise, the ‘pony’ could see. The target’s ears twitched slightly down, following the grouping of surface muscles which indicated an unconscious reaction. The abomination was the only one who could have noticed it, even from this angle. It was the only one familiar enough.
“I think you are, actually,” it chortled as it pulled away and continued the slow circle around the throne, making a show of looking for something on the dilapidated dark stone walls.
The Princess’ mouth began to open, but clicked firmly shut when the ‘pony’ perked one ear up to listen. Snorting in disgust, it stopped at the side of the throne to face the still silent crowd with a suddenly bored glare.
“Shall I come back later~," the ‘pony’ sang dramatically while propping herself up against the armrest and rubbing suggestively against the target’s shoulder with its own. "-perhaps in a decade or so, when your supplies begin to really dwindle? I know you can’t keep running forever, little white rabbit-” she mocked, baring its teeth in a macabre reconstruction of a grin at a terrified looking pegasus that was backing away.
Her wings flared in the instinctual ‘panicked’ stance, twitching erratically when her rear left hoof collided with an empty can that skittered away into the darkness. The Princess remained silent as the stone of the walls and floor, just as cracked and weathered, but still strong enough to bear the weight of the dying world.
“The problem is the turtle never wanted to race in the first place.” The ‘pony’ mumbled in vague rhyme, just loud enough to be sure the target could hear. No need to devillainize herself in full view of the audience, that'd break the illusion. Couldn’t have that.
This was too much fun.
The Princess was silent for a moment before mumbling something under her waning breath.
The ‘pony’ swiveled both ears towards the target. “What was that? You’re going to have to speak up!” she called obnoxiously, a clear invitation to make sure everypony present heard what the target said.
“...did it to yourself...” the Princess finally mumbled a little louder with an obvious strain in it’s tone as it turned to look at the ‘pony’, who stared back evenly. A few silent beats passed, then it began to walk down the steps of the dais, natural horn charging with a dull burgundy. The target cleared its throat to call for attention.
The ‘pony’ ignored it, focusing for a moment. The red growths began to seep a sick shade of dull red. As her hoof touched the shattered step, plasma arced between the symmetrical growths.
“You did it to yourself, Twilight.”
With a final thundercrack and a flashy shower of sparks, the ‘pony’ was gone. A low wail echoed through the hall, the scratching of thousands of disfigured limbs against stone raising in volume as an advancing maelstrom.
The wailing increased in pitch and volume as the seconds passed, and the group of surviving ponies huddled together while the remainder of the guard took positions near the entrance.
The violent clash of magic and claw was ambiance to the silence.
The Princess’ head bowed.
