How the Tables Turn

SPLASH

“Wake up.”

A pair of crimson eyes opened, revealing a white mare with snakelike eyes and a cruel face. He became aware of a burning pain in his chest. He sat up, and looked down to see the words “Kicker was here” scarred into it.

Memories came flooding back to him. He remembered years’ worth of torturing innocent ponies, years’ worth of keeping them in the Underground, coming into the cafeteria at the start of a battle, being beaten down by White Phoenix, and a purple hoof delivering the final blow, sending him falling into unconsciousness.

He remembered having this very same flood of memories and regret, only to have a certain white mare replenish the spell that made him the sadistic stallion everypony saw.

Mistress was oblivious to the pain, as well as Red’s freedom from her trance, something that nopony but Red could see. “It’s time to go. They’re getting away.”

Red hesitated. He looked back into Mistress’s eyes, meeting her cold, impatient stare. Neither of them budged, and Red’s fearful and broken gaze bent into a stare of defiance.

Mistress’s impatience slipped away immediately, replaced with irritation. “It wore off again, didn’t it?”

Red Glare didn’t answer, but stood up, shaky and unsteady. A whirlpool of emotions spun around in his head. He felt anger towards Mistress for taking his free will, he felt sad for all the ponies he’d harmed under Mistress’s spell, he felt happy that they were finally going to be free.

He felt love for the first time since he last regained himself, love for a mare he had lost track of during the fight.

He turned away from Mistress as her horn flared up, searching through all the ponies of the cafeteria, and his search made half a circle around the cafeteria before numbness spread through Red Glare’s body. His sight began to fade away, and he began to lose control of his senses and body. A tear slipped from his eye before nothingness fell upon him, and he returned to his “sleeping” state as Mistress’s spell took form.

Mistress smiled cruelly and wiped the tear away. “Now let’s go.”

A smile stretched across Red Glare’s face. “With pleasure.”

Mistress turned and began a slow gallop towards the hallway, Red Glare right at her side.