Madmare's Paradiseby MetroplexChaptersChapter OneChapter TwoChapter ThreeChapter FourChapter OneMadmare's Paradise I like sitting on the roof of my new home in Ponyville. I enjoy the sunset even though I should never be outside during the day. Nopony ever sees me up here anyway and that is a good thing. I should never be seen. I can hear Lyra and Bon Bon arguing again. At least it sounds like Bon Bon is trying to argue, but Lyra is not paying attention. They have been doing their best to keep me from hearing but when Lyra starts getting dismissive Bon Bon gets agitated. Even so, I haven’t been able to overhear what they are talking about. I have been trying to keep out of their way, especially after their last fight. That was when Lyra brought me home and told Bon Bon that they would be looking after me. At first Bon Bon was simply annoyed with Lyra for not consulting with her first. After Lyra explained my situation Bon Bon was furious. She didn’t want me here and I don’t blame her for it. It wasn’t me that was the problem, it was Lyra. Bon Bon’s primary concern was that they could not handle the responsibility. She thinks that Lyra will be a bad influence on me. I also suspect that Bon Bon does not trust me. I agree with all of Bon Bon’s concerns. I have learned that Lyra can be a bad influence, but only when she gets excited about something. When that happens Lyra tends to act without thinking. It sounds like Bon Bon is getting more riled up. I think that I’ll go downstairs and find out what they are talking about. I slide down to an open window and climb back into the house. I make my way to the kitchen and see Bon Bon frowning at a grinning Lyra. “This sounds very dangerous, Lyra,” Bon Bon is almost yelling at this point. I walk into the kitchen behind her, quietly. “C’mon, how dangerous could it be,” Lyra asks as she stands up on her hind legs and leans her back against the kitchen counter. “If it were really that bad the Princess would have asked Twilight to go instead of me.” Lyra waves a hoof in the air dismissively. “Maybe Twilight is still in trouble after she freaked out and caused that riot yesterday,” Bon Bon points out. “And you said that she wanted you to put together a team to go investigate.” Lyra is grinning at me. That means that she is going to drag me into this and probably make things worse. Next time I will have to remember to eavesdrop from another room. I should never get involved. “If both of you come with me, that would make us a team.” Lyra’s grin is growing larger. Bon Bon had not noticed me yet and she takes a moment to look back at me. Lyra, of course, takes advantage of this minor distraction to continue before Bon Bon can reply. “There is a train leaving at eight twenty five that will get us there by morning. If we all pack up right now we can get to the train station. Hopefully we’ll get there early enough to stop this from becoming some kind of end of the world, eternal night kind of thing.” I can tell that Bon Bon still doesn’t think that whatever Lyra is planning is a good idea. I can also tell that Lyra is playing off of Bon Bon’s concerns. The implication that things will definitely be worse if there is a delay will make Bon Bon less concerned about things possibly going wrong if Lyra deals with it now. It seems to be a pretty strait forward ploy to me. “You might be right,” Bon Bon concedes. Apparently Lyra’s ploy was not so obvious. “Better to prevent a disaster now than clean up after it later.” Bon Bon turns and walks past me out of the kitchen. “I’ll go pack.” I watch Bon Bon head upstairs. I feel sorry for her every time she tries to argue with Lyra. Lyra always wins. I look back at Lyra to find her staring back at me with a more genuine and less mischievous smile. “So, do you want to come with us?” Lyra asks me. “If you do I’m alright with it. Though, you should probably know what we’re doing first.” I walk up to Lyra and sit down in front of her. She is pretty excited about this so I assume that what I am about to hear is going to be very vague. Lyra always losses sight of the details when she is excited. “Alright,” Lyra begins excitedly. “It’s pretty simple really. The Princess just wants us to track down some cursed magic thing in Marenonia before somepony uses it and gets hurt.” Not even a mention of the danger that Bon Bon was concerned about. I can see that in Lyra’s mind this should be ‘pretty simple’. Even without knowing what they are, I can tell that the facts are being twisted around in her head. Lyra can see the ideal outcome of any situation, but she then loses sight of the possibility of failure. Even worse, she cannot plan for the unexpected when this happens. It seems ironic, considering how fascinated she is with unusual and supernatural things. It does not take long for Lyra and Bon Bon to finish getting ready for the trip. I have nothing worth taking. Lyra and Bon Bon try to get me gifts from time to time, but I have always turned them down. Material goods have always seemed so unnecessary to me. We leave the house and begin to make our way to the train station. Lyra and Bon Bon are both carrying saddlebags full of supplies. Bon Bon has brought noticeably more than Lyra and it slows the two of them down. I decide to take my time and make sure that I am not observed as we walk. I look down all of the side streets and keep to the shadows. I end up tripping over a cart that had been left out, and fall into a patch of muddy ground. Maybe I am a little too concerned with being inconspicuous and should just watch where I’m going. I pick myself up out of the mud. Now I’m filthy. I continue walking after Lyra and Bon Bon, the mud still mUd clinginGwash ing off to my coat taoc ym the of Me. I catch up towalking in front ofthem, trying to draw as little attention as I can to the mess that I made of myself, now that I was clean. s clean. I casually walk alongside Bon Bon, hoping that she and Lyra didn’t notice what I just did. changed “You alright?” Bon Bon asks as she looks over at me. “You look nervous.” I shrug my shoulders in response. I am usually nervous when I am outside. More so now after my little accident, but I am not going to bother Bon Bon with my worries. “I know you haven’t been outside of Ponyville before,” Bon Bon continued. “You will be fine. Lyra and I will be there for you.” We walk the rest of the way to the station in silence. I think about how much more accepting of me Bon Bon is now compared to when we first met. She was afraid of me. She was afraid of how I might influence Lyra. She was even more frightened by the thought that Lyra might influence me. Bon Bon had enough trouble dealing with Lyra’s cavalier attitude; she did not need another trouble maker to take care of. After she saw how calm and reserved I am Bon Bon was able to relax around me. We arrive at the train station. It is empty and dark and quiet. I am glad that we will be the only passengers from Ponyville to be taking the train tonight. Bon Bon goes to buy our tickets from a nearby booth. Lyra is watching the train pull up with a giddy smile on her face. I find myself smiling for a moment as well. The childlike excitement that was radiating off of her was almost visible. This was the side of Lyra that I liked the most. Bon Bon has returned with our tickets. Together the three of us board the train and look for a place to sit. Fortunately there are only a few passengers aboard and none of them are paying much attention to us. Bon Bon leads us into a passenger car without any occupants. Lyra and Bon Bon sit next to each other while I go across the aisle and lay down over two seats. Lyra is babbling to Bon Bon about our trip as the train starts moving. I don’t pay much attention to them as I watch the scenery through the window. A railway employee enters the car and walks up to Lyra and Bon Bon. “Tickets, please,” he yawns as he reaches Bon Bon and Lyra. Bon Bon pulls out our three tickets and gives them to the ticket taker. “You have a third ticket?” he asks is confusion. He apparently hasn’t noticed me yet. I getjUmP UP FrOm beh nd Bon and Bon and restwalk o v e r to m.y fore hooves on t0p of her headrest I up. I should not Never do have just done that. that. Never do that. Never do that. The ticket taker lets NEvErout a startled yell and falls back into another seat. I can feel my ears droop as I hide behindfront Bon Bon’s seat. The ticket taker soon recovers and shakes his head. “How did you get over there without me seeing you?” Lyra snorts as she tries not to laugh. “The mare of misdirection strikes!” she snickers. “We have quite the little prankster here.” The ticket taker smiles at me. That’s unexpected. “At least now I won’t need a coffee break to get through my shift. You got me good.” He then makes his way to the next car. “Are you alright back there?” Bon Bon asks me as Lyra gives in to a fit of laughter. I walk back to my original seat and nod to Bon Bon. “That was pretty awesome,” Lyra says as her laughing subsides. “Why don’t you do that more often?” I shrug and go back to looking out the window. I scowl at my reflection. For a while Lyra and Bon Bon try to drag me into a conversation. They want me to open up more, I think. Conversations are distracting. The meaning of words can be twisted and misunderstood so easily. It is easier hear the words spoken than the meaning behind them. I have nothing worth saying anyway. So I keep quiet, listen and learn. I should never speak. Besides, I am distracted enough as it is. I have screwed up twice tonight already, and in public no less. Thankfully it is late and we are all tired. Lyra and Bon Bon soon fall asleep. I am content, sitting quietly and watch the night sky as we make our way to Marenonia. Chapter TwoThe hours pass and I let the boredom wash over me. I once hated boredom. I may have even been afraid of it. The still and quiet always felt unnatural. I had to force myself to embrace the idea of calm. Now it is my way of life. The sky is growing brighter. Soon the sun would rise over the horizon. Soon we will arrive in Marenonia. I get up and walk over to Lyra and Bon Bon. I reach up and gently shake Bon Bon awake. Bon Bon stretches and looks out the window. She then picks up her saddlebags and begins to rummage through them, checking over her supplies. “So, I take it we’re almost to Marenonia?” Bon Bon looks up at me. I nod to her and point out the window across the aisle where I had been sitting. Outside a few farm houses can be seen. It is still dark and hard to make out the details of the landscape. I could tell, however, that we were approaching the small farming community. As the train pulls up to the station Bon Bon and I try to get Lyra to wake up. Lyra opens her eyes and squints as she looks around the train car. “Wha, huh?” Lyra mutters. “We’re here Lyra,” Bon Bon says as she pulls Lyra out of her seat. “We where?” Lyra asks still groggy. “Marenonia.” Bon Bon says “Awesome,” Lyra exclaims. “Let’s get out there and do this.” Lyra grabs her saddlebags and skips her way to the car door. Bon Bon smiles and follows suit. I make my way off of the train as well. Upon stepping out on to the platform at the station I get my first look at the town of Marenonia. The sun is high enough in the sky that I can now make out the town. Spindly, half-dead trees dot the landscape. Ponies are coming out of their homes and silently going about their business. It feels almost relaxing to me. No pony is looking at me, so I don’t need to hide. No pony is there to greet us or throw a party to welcome us. It seems nice. This town is so quiet, calm and peaceful. There’s no undue panic, no rushing around, no exuberance, no enthusiasm. There is no joy. No hope. Something is very w rong. I didn’t see it before. The whole town is subdued, like it is almost lifeless. It feels like everererypony is not really there. s Op They all move around mechanically. As if there is no life in them. It’s like they are empty. as a m i A thought appears in my head, asking me if this is what I am Striving for. Is is what I look like to others? No, never lo e They NeveR speak to each other. They avoid interacting with each other. They don’t look at each other. They show know emotion. They just ARe. never Is this how I act?> plEAse lose Is this what I am? sTOp con- Am i e-pty, like them? bEe des… No, not empty. cALm! There Is DespaiR. i Can feel it cr eeping into my mind and now i can see it reflecelfer in the e----y ponies. i Don’t want this. They d on't want this either, it was forced upon them. Tears begin to run run down my cheek. -trol “I don’t…want…” ...pair < Bon er speak! front Bon Bon stop.s walking in frontback of me and looks frontback. iCan see the surPrise on her face. She can sea the tears n mine. back fear cho l t rai ver seen! ovERhead. UN expectedly, clouds begin to begIn gather ARain storm is falLsforming from rainpink. clouds. DEsPair. Bon Bon fearstops walking. i FlOaTiNG upup To tHe Lyra calls c l uds o u t to me. Nt Sc b l” ConT . NeVeR lost sou los soEuV ER. r ndcon rol. nd o Can’t control. Erase all… al l . . n ver involv d! . Er a s e a l l t h a t i s Never Always Lose Stay Control Calm . . . …e y j u… …r e… … t h i s h o w I a ct? All gone. Em_ty ? return like Them? No, not empty. c a l m There is despair. I can feel it creeping back into my mind and I see it still reflecting in the eyes of the empty ponies. I don’t want this, even though I chose it. They don’t want this either, it was forced upon them. I want to fix this. I want to be more. Bon Bon stops walking in front of me and looks back. I can see the confusion on her face. She looks around for a second, then shrugs and continues walking after Lyra. Clouds have begun to gather in the distance. A storm is coming and it will just add to the gloominess that surrounds Marenonia. I can’t let this depressing place get to me. Again. I can never lose control. Self-control makes me feel empty, but I’m not. There is despair. Despair over what I have made of myself. There is fear of what I can do. There is hope for what I can become. There is also Lyra, who believes in me, and Bon Bon, who worries for me. Lyra looks out, surveying the town. “Well, this place sure is…” she pauses looking for the right word to describe the town. “Dreary.” Bon Bon walks up next to Lyra and the two of them continue looking around. They take note of the buildings in the town. They are drab and most are in minor states of disrepair. They have yet to notice anything wrong with the residents yet. “Look,” Lyra says as she points toward a building in the distance. This one is different from the others. It is a house that is well kept and freshly painted. “The fanciest building is probably the most important building. Let’s check that one out first.” Lyra skips cheerfully off toward the building. Bon Bon chases after her. Now both of them are too caught up in Lyra’s quest to pay proper attention to their surroundings. I don’t think we are safe here.I don’t like ithere.Weshould leave . I could easily stop themgo Home. No. I won’t give in to fear. I might lose control again. I should wait and watch. Lyra can handle this. Bon Bon will help keep her on task. Right? I follow after Lyra and Bon Bon. Up ahead I can see they have already reached the house. They are talking to a blue earth pony who seems to be inviting them in. I seem to have been forgotten. amUP Walking up up to the house I uP OnToPthe roof. That is getting easier. I creep up to the edge of the roof right above an open window. Inside I can hear Lyra and Bon Bon introducing themselves to their host. I was right; it is easier to eavesdrop when you are not in the same room. “So, what brings you to my town?” asks the blue mare. “Simple,” Lyra explains. “We heard there was an evil artifact found here and we are going to stop any evil ponies from using the evil artifact to hurt anypony with evilness.” Wait. What? Did she really just come right out and say that? Bon Bon really needs to teach Lyra the importance of subtlety. It’s silent for a few seconds. I can picture Lyra with a big, oblivious grin on her face as Bon Bon and their host stare at her. Somepony lets out a sigh, and I suspect it comes from Bon Bon. “What? We’re here to catch the bad guy and save the day right?” Lyra huffs defensively. “Seriously?” questions the house’s owner. She lets out an amused chuckle. “You are here to ‘stop evilness’ and ‘catch the bad guy?’ Are you serious?” Below there are sounds of somepony opening a dresser and pulling something out. “Well…,” Lyra begins hesitantly. “Are you serious?!” Pure rage bursts from the house. It hits me like a tornado, stunning me. “A weakling of a unicorn and her pet dog pony, you dare stand against me?” “Lyra, look out!” Bon Bon cries. There is a loud crash inside the house. I hear Bon Bon scream in pain. D o w s y n at the door D e t o It I leap inside the building. r The blue mare is standing right in front of me. Against the wall Bon Bon is laying on top of Lyra. Neither of them are moving. “Oh, look,” the blue mare snaps at me. “Are you their friend? Do you hope to save them? You pathetic pink earth pony, you are nothing. You worthless dog.” Her eyes are wild with rage. She’s insane, a monster. “I’m no dog.” She hurt the ponies that live here. “I’m the mare of misdirection.” She hurt Lyra and Bon Bon. “I’m anarchy’s heir.” I hate her. “I am the daughter of Discord!” I Hate her. “And I am going to destroy you.” Chapter ThreeThere is hate. “Please,” mocks the blue mare. She is adjusting something around her neck. I hadn’t noticed it before but she is wearing a black amulet with a green trim. “You think that you are something special. You are not. Your unicorn friend could do nothing to stop me. All of Marenonia could do nothing to stop me. What can you possibly do?” Lose control. Hope. Hate her. Calm. Crush her. Despair. Control. No, hate. Confused. Emotions are overwhHelmAinTgE. No Break dowHAte. Break dhewrn. Lose control. Lyra hurt. Bon Bon hurt. Kill her. Yes “Munch photons!” Who is…? Lyrhaope. I close my eyes and turn away as a burst of blinding light engulfs the room. Looking back I can see Lyra charging forward, horn glowing. She slams into our dazzled opponent, sending her flying across the room. “Wow, you look pissed,” Lyra remarks as she limps over to me. “That’s cool and all, but you gotta focus. We’re not going to get anything done by just standing around being angry.” She’s right. I was so angry I froze. Never lose control. Clear your head. I hate her, and I am going to stop her. She’s recovering. Find the balance. More control means less power. More power means less control. Can’t let myself hurt Lyra or Bon Bon. “I need you to get Bon Bon somewhere safe.” Lyra tells me. “She’s hurt bad. Get her out fast and get back here while I hold off Ms. Crazy.” I don’t want to leave her to fight alone but Bon Bon does need help. “Be careful, Lyra.” “No time for careful,” Lyra yells as she charges at the blue mare. fl ing I rushover to Bon Bon and pullher onto myback. fast Thenwe o u t s i d e inthe skY. Find hidingplace. I spotpatch of trees anddensefoliage near thetrainstation. groud. fastfst tr/inside/ees. Hidden,safe. fst sKY. fs backtothehou/inside/se. Get back to Lyra… As my hooves land in the house again I see Lyra’s head crash into a window. Lyra’s body goes flying out of the building, taking most of the window with her. Another wave of rage hits me, filling me with fear. Con’ - ,ro_ “Oh, no! Broke my window! Damned pest,” the blue mare huffs before noticing me. “You’re still here. Good. Now hold still and let me eat your will. Then you can be a good little dog and fix…” “ENOUGH!” PiaNoaBoVe She flinches as a grand piano comes crashing down upon her. Pulling herself out of the wreckage she shakes her head, flinging the shrapnel out of her curly grey mane. “How dare you throw a piano at… wait.” She’s figuring it out. “How did you…? You can’t really be… You’re not even a draconequus. You’re just worthless earth pony. No more than an animal.” Looming over grOwInG TALLER, ceiling goes upUP her she shrinks back underneath me. “I am no animal. You, however, are little more than a rabid dog.” “No! You dog,” she barks. “I will eat your will and you will do my bi di n g” Now at four times her size I tower over her, yet she remains defiant. She truly believes that she will defeat me. “I will never be in your control.” “Will too,” she screams. “With this amulet I was able to eat away the willpower of everypony in Marenonia. I’ll do the same to you.” She lets out another burst of pure rage. The wave hits me and fills me with fear and complacency. There is despair and desperation mixed in as well, but it does not come from me. It is coming from her. The feeling is so similar to the other residents. There is pity. I CshAriL nk M MySelf back down. “You think that you are stronger than me,” she yells frantically. “You’re not. I am better than you. I could probably defeat even Discord himself.” “I really doubt that.” “Not matter what you think,” she says in frustration. “Not matter. All matters is me. I know how powerful I am. I’m better, you are worthless.” “One cannot measure one’s own worth. The true measure of one’s worth can only be seen through the eyes of others. Do you really believe that anypony in this town looks at you and sees the greatness you claim to have?” “How could they not?” She smirks with confidence. “They have nothing and I have everything. I am no longer some stupid earth pony who can’t fly or use magic. I have real power and everypony must bow before me. They see how much great I am.” “No they don’t. You said that you devoured the wills of everypony in this town. They are empty now. They don’t have the capacity to feel anything towards you. Do you even interact with them anymore? Do you even have to? If you tried, would you be able to hold a conversation with any of them? Or do you just sit here in your home, alone, with nothing to do and nopony to be with?” “I don’t need them,” she says defiantly. “They are empty. Why would I need such worthless creatures?” “I would imagine that they built this house that you live in and they have to be the ones growing the food that you eat. In fact it would appear that they are accomplishing more with what’s left of their lives than you are.” “No, they nothing,” she yells. “They just toil on fields, doing my bidding. I am the ruler of Marenonia. I control this whole town.” “You control a town where nopony can truly live and nothing can ever happen. You control a town that has no worth.” “You no me. Dog, better.” She begins to growl like an animal. She isn’t in control anymore. Part of me doubts that she ever was. “Subjugating this town has gained you nothing. You cannot better yourself if you are surrounded by emptiness and despair.” “No you. No worthless. No,” the blue mare mumbles as she runs toward the doorway. I watch her run outpast meside and crash into me as I wait on the other side of the door. “Not fair, not fair,” she mutters as she tries to run past me again. I jump in front of her, preventing her from running away. “Stop.” Surprisingly, she does. “Come with me.” up into the sky. I set us down Clouds gather overhead as I lift us uP Down on the nearest cloud. I look over at the blue mare and see the fear in her eyes. It is a look that I hate seeing in others. “This is Marenonia. This is what you have turned this town into. Look out at what you made and tell me what you see.” She looks down over the edge of the cloud and surveys the town. Below us are fields of dying crops. Farmers trudge through the fields, halfheartedly working on them. The farmers’ homes are all dilapidated. Color has faded from the town. Some of the residents simply stand in the streets doing nothing but staring into the distance. Rain begins to fall but nopony seems to notice it. “Everything is broken,” she says. “All broken and I broke it.” “Now you are going to fix it.” “I don’t want to,” she screams. “I’m not changing back.” “Change back into what?” “Not tell you,” she says. “Can’t make me.” I let her fall through the cloud. She screams and flails her limbs wildly before landing on another cloud.iNext toher.Rain starts to hit us from the clouds above. “Talk to me.” She hesitates, staring at me with that hated fear in her eyes. “I broke them,” she begins, “to fix me. I hurt… was hurt in an accident a few years ago. There was severe brain damage. Not spea… I couldn’t talk. My coordination fail…ed. I’m not able to take care of myself. Found the amulet. It fixed my brain using energy stolen from others. Not last long. It only works if I keep stealing willpower. None left here now.” “Can you use the amulet to fix them?” “Yes,” she whispers. “And what will happen to you?” “My mind will shatter,” she mumbles. “I…” I remain silent. What do I do? I want to save everyone, but I am not willing to condemn this poor creature to do so. Maybe if she fixes the town I can fix her? Father could manipulate other ponies’ minds. Maybe I can too. I never tr… “Am I a monster?” asks the blue mare. “What?” “I hurt everyone. Broke town. Just want to be normal again. Am I a monster?” she asks again. “You’ve obviously heard the legends about my father. Two weeks ago he broke free from his prison and went on a rampage. He took over Ponyville and remade it the way he wanted. He hurt a lot of ponies, even manipulated some of their minds. I’m sure many of them see him as a monster, but I don’t. Discord may be inconsiderate and abrasive, but he just wants to have a good time. Unfortunately he would not return Ponyville to normal, so he was imprisoned once again. Now he’s gone. Despite everything he did I still miss him.” “You hurt my friends and attacked me. I was very angry with you, but I don’t think you are a monster. Now I want to help you and the rest of Marenonia, but I don’t know if I can.” “Then I will help them,” the blue mare says. She jumps off of the cloud and falls. Before I can stop her a burst of magical energy explodes out of her. T h e w o r l d g o e s w h i t e. T h e n e v e r y t h i n g g o e s black. Chapter FourMy eyes open slowly. It’s hard to see. My head hurts. My leg hurts worse. Something is on my leg. I can’t tell what it is. Don’t know what happened. “Hey,” calls out a familiar voice. I turn my head and try to focus on the pony like shape in front of me. “Bon Bon?” “I’m here,” says the shape as it coalesces into Bon Bon. “How do you feel?” I look down at myself and see that my leg is wrapped in a makeshift splint. I must have fallen out of the sky when the magic hit me. “Everything hurts. Just give me a second to clear my head.” “Alright,” says Bon Bon. I lay still and focus on my body. My leg is broken and I might have a concussion. That is never a good thing for me to have. IB focusN on my leg. R K bo he l together. Splint comes o f f. O E ne a I slowly get my hooves underneath me and start to stand up. “Careful,” cautions Bon Bon. I look around and find myself in a room. It appears to be part of the blue mare’s house. There are other ponies unconscious on the other end of the room. Two ponies that I don’t recognize enter the room and start to check on the others. “I don’t know what you did,” says Bon Bon. “But you saved the town.” “No I didn’t. She did.” “Who?” asks Bon Bon. “The blue mare did it. She sacrificed herself to fix everything that she broke. I must have convinced her that it was the right thing to do.” Bon Bon stares at me for a second. Then she smiles at me. “Don’t smile at me. I was going to kill her.” “What?” Bon Bon frowns at me. “She hurt you and Lyra. I got really mad. I almost lost control but I re… Where is Lyra? Is she alright?” “Lyra is fine,” Bon Bon reassures me. “She is securing our antagonist. It seems that she has had a mental breakdown. Lyra wants to take her back to Ponyville with us so that she can receive proper medical care.” Bon Bon pauses and gives me a stern look. “What did you do to her exactly?” “While we were fighting I noticed that something was wrong with her. I got her to start talking to me and she said that she had a brain injury. She was using the amulet to repair her brain by damaging others’ minds. I took her up into the sky to show her what she was doing to the town and she felt bad about what she did. Then she jumped. A burst of magic hit me and I blacked out.” “So you didn’t hurt her at all?” Bon Bon asks me. I shake my head quietly. I am still upset with myself for wanting to hurt the blue mare. I lost control. I should never lose control. “Don’t look so down. You did save the town after all,” Bon Bon reassures me. “Why don’t you go find Lyra. She will be glad to see that you are alright.” I nod my head and slowly walk out of the room. As I make my way down the stairs I see more of Marenonia’s residents. Some of them still look dazed but the majority of them seem to be normal again. I step outside and notice that the storm has passed into the distance. Lyra is nearby, fiddling with a box. I walk over to her, curious as to what she is doing. “Hey,” Lyra calls out to me. “Look who’s up.” I stop next to Lyra and watch her place the blue mare’s amulet in an ornate box. Lyra closes the box and casts a spell on it before placing it in her saddlebags. “Looks like you saved the day, Pandemonium Princess.” Lyra nudges me playfully in the side. Sometimes I wish she would stop coming up with these silly names for me. “I’m just locking away the evil amulet. Did Bon Bon tell you what happened to the bad guy?” I nod my head quietly. The two of us stand there in silence for a moment. “Am I a monster?” “Where did you get a screwball idea like that from?” asks Lyra. “The blue mare asked me if she was a monster before she fell.” “And,” Lyra looks me in the eye, “What did you tell her?” “I told her that she was not a monster.” “Even though you may not think so,” Lyra says, “you are a kind hearted pony. You really don’t need to second guess yourself and hide all the time.” Everything Lyra says is true, to an extent. Somehow I still can’t bring myself to believe it. Maybe I am the only one who thinks that I am a monster. A sensible conclusion to make since the only other ponies that know I exist are Lyra, Bon Bon, and the Princesses. I had always worried that others would see me as a monster. So I made myself empty, kept myself hidden. Now I know that I am not a monster, nor am I empty. The question now is, what should I be? My brow contorts as I think hard about this dilemma. “You really are a screwball sometimes.” Lyra starts laughing. “But only when you aren’t trying to be all quiet and brooding.” Lyra and I laugh together for a moment. I’m not even sure why I am laughing. Am I really a screwball? Acting weird and playing pranks should come naturally to me but I never let myself behave that way. Not after seeing what was done to my father when he was acting that way. “Come on you screwball,” Lyra calls out to me. “Let’s get ready to go home. The train will be here in an hour.” Does she have to keep calling me a screwball? At least screwball is better than ‘Pandemonium Princess.’ Actually, anything would be better than being called ‘Pandemonium Princess.’ Even Mare of Misdirection wasn’t that bad. I suppose that all of this name calling could have been avoided if I had simply picked a name for myself, or if my father had thought to give me a name before he was imprisoned. Since I have nothing to pack up before we leave I decide to meander around Marenonia before heading to the train station. The feeling of oppression and loneliness is much less prevalent now. Some of the farmers who are back on their hooves have begun working together to repair a few of the houses. Others are carrying on conversations, most are curious about what happened. As I watch them I remain inconspicuous, mostly out of habit. It is a habit that I may want to start breaking. I don’t want to keep hiding forever. At least I don’t anymore. Eventually I end up at the train station. There are a surprising amount of ponies waiting for the train. Listening to their conversations I realize that they are all from out of town. They are travelers who stopped by and ended up trapped here. I sit and wait quietly amongst the other travelers. A few minutes pass and I see Bon Bon walking towards me. “Hi,” Bon Bon says as she sits next to me. “Lyra is going to be busy securing our prisoner. She said that she would meet us on the train. So, how are you feeling? Are your wounds all healed up?” I nod at Bon Bon silently. “You were more talkative earlier,” Bon Bon comments. “It seems that you’ve gone back to being quiet and mysterious again.” “Would you… like me to talk more often?” “Well I definitely would not be opposed to it,” Bon Bon says cheerfully. “Maybe I will then, occasionally.” Bon Bon smiles as we continue to wait for the train. It does not take long for it to arrive. Once it pulls up Bon Bon and I board and find our seats. The train sits idle for a time, even after everypony has boarded. Presumably this is due to Lyra making special arrangements to transport the blue mare safely. Once the train starts moving I feel relieved. The thought of returning to Ponyville is comforting for some reason. I am not sure why. Shortly after the train starts up Lyra enters our car. She comes over and sits next to Bon Bon. “Well, I am glad that that is all done,” Lyra yawns. “I'm looking forward to taking a nice long travel nap.” A railway employee enters the car. It somehow is the same one that checked our tickets on our way to Marenonia. As he makes his way through the car he recognizes us. “Oh, it’s you three again,” he says happily. “You guys aren’t going to prank me again are you?” Lyra pops her head up. She stares at me with that mischievous smile across her face. Bon Bon doesn’t notice as she is handing over our tickets. The ticket taker looks them over then hands them back to Bon Bon and moves on. Lyra pouts and sinks back into her seat. I guess it couldn’t hurt pulling a little prank. As the ticket taker leaves the car I concentrate and focus my mind, then let go of my inhibitions. ReEnter a ra a rail wy A railWay A railway employee enters the car. It is the same one that checked our tickets before. As he makes his way through the car he recognizes us. “Oh, it’s you three again,” he says happily. Then he looks confused. “You guys were in the last car weren’t you? How did you get here?” Lyra pops her head back up. She stares at the ticket taker then looks at me. A smile comes across my face. Lyra bursts out laughing as she falls back into her seat. Even Bon Bon chuckles a little. “Looks like you got me again,” the ticket taker says. “You are good at this Ms… umm Direction was it?” “You can call me Screwball.” “Alright Ms. Screwball,” he says. “I hope you and your friends have a pleasant trip.” As the railway employee leaves again Lyra looks over at me. “I told you that you were a screwball,” she gloats. I am beginning to think that Lyra was right.
Chapter OneMadmare's Paradise I like sitting on the roof of my new home in Ponyville. I enjoy the sunset even though I should never be outside during the day. Nopony ever sees me up here anyway and that is a good thing. I should never be seen. I can hear Lyra and Bon Bon arguing again. At least it sounds like Bon Bon is trying to argue, but Lyra is not paying attention. They have been doing their best to keep me from hearing but when Lyra starts getting dismissive Bon Bon gets agitated. Even so, I haven’t been able to overhear what they are talking about. I have been trying to keep out of their way, especially after their last fight. That was when Lyra brought me home and told Bon Bon that they would be looking after me. At first Bon Bon was simply annoyed with Lyra for not consulting with her first. After Lyra explained my situation Bon Bon was furious. She didn’t want me here and I don’t blame her for it. It wasn’t me that was the problem, it was Lyra. Bon Bon’s primary concern was that they could not handle the responsibility. She thinks that Lyra will be a bad influence on me. I also suspect that Bon Bon does not trust me. I agree with all of Bon Bon’s concerns. I have learned that Lyra can be a bad influence, but only when she gets excited about something. When that happens Lyra tends to act without thinking. It sounds like Bon Bon is getting more riled up. I think that I’ll go downstairs and find out what they are talking about. I slide down to an open window and climb back into the house. I make my way to the kitchen and see Bon Bon frowning at a grinning Lyra. “This sounds very dangerous, Lyra,” Bon Bon is almost yelling at this point. I walk into the kitchen behind her, quietly. “C’mon, how dangerous could it be,” Lyra asks as she stands up on her hind legs and leans her back against the kitchen counter. “If it were really that bad the Princess would have asked Twilight to go instead of me.” Lyra waves a hoof in the air dismissively. “Maybe Twilight is still in trouble after she freaked out and caused that riot yesterday,” Bon Bon points out. “And you said that she wanted you to put together a team to go investigate.” Lyra is grinning at me. That means that she is going to drag me into this and probably make things worse. Next time I will have to remember to eavesdrop from another room. I should never get involved. “If both of you come with me, that would make us a team.” Lyra’s grin is growing larger. Bon Bon had not noticed me yet and she takes a moment to look back at me. Lyra, of course, takes advantage of this minor distraction to continue before Bon Bon can reply. “There is a train leaving at eight twenty five that will get us there by morning. If we all pack up right now we can get to the train station. Hopefully we’ll get there early enough to stop this from becoming some kind of end of the world, eternal night kind of thing.” I can tell that Bon Bon still doesn’t think that whatever Lyra is planning is a good idea. I can also tell that Lyra is playing off of Bon Bon’s concerns. The implication that things will definitely be worse if there is a delay will make Bon Bon less concerned about things possibly going wrong if Lyra deals with it now. It seems to be a pretty strait forward ploy to me. “You might be right,” Bon Bon concedes. Apparently Lyra’s ploy was not so obvious. “Better to prevent a disaster now than clean up after it later.” Bon Bon turns and walks past me out of the kitchen. “I’ll go pack.” I watch Bon Bon head upstairs. I feel sorry for her every time she tries to argue with Lyra. Lyra always wins. I look back at Lyra to find her staring back at me with a more genuine and less mischievous smile. “So, do you want to come with us?” Lyra asks me. “If you do I’m alright with it. Though, you should probably know what we’re doing first.” I walk up to Lyra and sit down in front of her. She is pretty excited about this so I assume that what I am about to hear is going to be very vague. Lyra always losses sight of the details when she is excited. “Alright,” Lyra begins excitedly. “It’s pretty simple really. The Princess just wants us to track down some cursed magic thing in Marenonia before somepony uses it and gets hurt.” Not even a mention of the danger that Bon Bon was concerned about. I can see that in Lyra’s mind this should be ‘pretty simple’. Even without knowing what they are, I can tell that the facts are being twisted around in her head. Lyra can see the ideal outcome of any situation, but she then loses sight of the possibility of failure. Even worse, she cannot plan for the unexpected when this happens. It seems ironic, considering how fascinated she is with unusual and supernatural things. It does not take long for Lyra and Bon Bon to finish getting ready for the trip. I have nothing worth taking. Lyra and Bon Bon try to get me gifts from time to time, but I have always turned them down. Material goods have always seemed so unnecessary to me. We leave the house and begin to make our way to the train station. Lyra and Bon Bon are both carrying saddlebags full of supplies. Bon Bon has brought noticeably more than Lyra and it slows the two of them down. I decide to take my time and make sure that I am not observed as we walk. I look down all of the side streets and keep to the shadows. I end up tripping over a cart that had been left out, and fall into a patch of muddy ground. Maybe I am a little too concerned with being inconspicuous and should just watch where I’m going. I pick myself up out of the mud. Now I’m filthy. I continue walking after Lyra and Bon Bon, the mud still mUd clinginGwash ing off to my coat taoc ym the of Me. I catch up towalking in front ofthem, trying to draw as little attention as I can to the mess that I made of myself, now that I was clean. s clean. I casually walk alongside Bon Bon, hoping that she and Lyra didn’t notice what I just did. changed “You alright?” Bon Bon asks as she looks over at me. “You look nervous.” I shrug my shoulders in response. I am usually nervous when I am outside. More so now after my little accident, but I am not going to bother Bon Bon with my worries. “I know you haven’t been outside of Ponyville before,” Bon Bon continued. “You will be fine. Lyra and I will be there for you.” We walk the rest of the way to the station in silence. I think about how much more accepting of me Bon Bon is now compared to when we first met. She was afraid of me. She was afraid of how I might influence Lyra. She was even more frightened by the thought that Lyra might influence me. Bon Bon had enough trouble dealing with Lyra’s cavalier attitude; she did not need another trouble maker to take care of. After she saw how calm and reserved I am Bon Bon was able to relax around me. We arrive at the train station. It is empty and dark and quiet. I am glad that we will be the only passengers from Ponyville to be taking the train tonight. Bon Bon goes to buy our tickets from a nearby booth. Lyra is watching the train pull up with a giddy smile on her face. I find myself smiling for a moment as well. The childlike excitement that was radiating off of her was almost visible. This was the side of Lyra that I liked the most. Bon Bon has returned with our tickets. Together the three of us board the train and look for a place to sit. Fortunately there are only a few passengers aboard and none of them are paying much attention to us. Bon Bon leads us into a passenger car without any occupants. Lyra and Bon Bon sit next to each other while I go across the aisle and lay down over two seats. Lyra is babbling to Bon Bon about our trip as the train starts moving. I don’t pay much attention to them as I watch the scenery through the window. A railway employee enters the car and walks up to Lyra and Bon Bon. “Tickets, please,” he yawns as he reaches Bon Bon and Lyra. Bon Bon pulls out our three tickets and gives them to the ticket taker. “You have a third ticket?” he asks is confusion. He apparently hasn’t noticed me yet. I getjUmP UP FrOm beh nd Bon and Bon and restwalk o v e r to m.y fore hooves on t0p of her headrest I up. I should not Never do have just done that. that. Never do that. Never do that. The ticket taker lets NEvErout a startled yell and falls back into another seat. I can feel my ears droop as I hide behindfront Bon Bon’s seat. The ticket taker soon recovers and shakes his head. “How did you get over there without me seeing you?” Lyra snorts as she tries not to laugh. “The mare of misdirection strikes!” she snickers. “We have quite the little prankster here.” The ticket taker smiles at me. That’s unexpected. “At least now I won’t need a coffee break to get through my shift. You got me good.” He then makes his way to the next car. “Are you alright back there?” Bon Bon asks me as Lyra gives in to a fit of laughter. I walk back to my original seat and nod to Bon Bon. “That was pretty awesome,” Lyra says as her laughing subsides. “Why don’t you do that more often?” I shrug and go back to looking out the window. I scowl at my reflection. For a while Lyra and Bon Bon try to drag me into a conversation. They want me to open up more, I think. Conversations are distracting. The meaning of words can be twisted and misunderstood so easily. It is easier hear the words spoken than the meaning behind them. I have nothing worth saying anyway. So I keep quiet, listen and learn. I should never speak. Besides, I am distracted enough as it is. I have screwed up twice tonight already, and in public no less. Thankfully it is late and we are all tired. Lyra and Bon Bon soon fall asleep. I am content, sitting quietly and watch the night sky as we make our way to Marenonia.
Chapter TwoThe hours pass and I let the boredom wash over me. I once hated boredom. I may have even been afraid of it. The still and quiet always felt unnatural. I had to force myself to embrace the idea of calm. Now it is my way of life. The sky is growing brighter. Soon the sun would rise over the horizon. Soon we will arrive in Marenonia. I get up and walk over to Lyra and Bon Bon. I reach up and gently shake Bon Bon awake. Bon Bon stretches and looks out the window. She then picks up her saddlebags and begins to rummage through them, checking over her supplies. “So, I take it we’re almost to Marenonia?” Bon Bon looks up at me. I nod to her and point out the window across the aisle where I had been sitting. Outside a few farm houses can be seen. It is still dark and hard to make out the details of the landscape. I could tell, however, that we were approaching the small farming community. As the train pulls up to the station Bon Bon and I try to get Lyra to wake up. Lyra opens her eyes and squints as she looks around the train car. “Wha, huh?” Lyra mutters. “We’re here Lyra,” Bon Bon says as she pulls Lyra out of her seat. “We where?” Lyra asks still groggy. “Marenonia.” Bon Bon says “Awesome,” Lyra exclaims. “Let’s get out there and do this.” Lyra grabs her saddlebags and skips her way to the car door. Bon Bon smiles and follows suit. I make my way off of the train as well. Upon stepping out on to the platform at the station I get my first look at the town of Marenonia. The sun is high enough in the sky that I can now make out the town. Spindly, half-dead trees dot the landscape. Ponies are coming out of their homes and silently going about their business. It feels almost relaxing to me. No pony is looking at me, so I don’t need to hide. No pony is there to greet us or throw a party to welcome us. It seems nice. This town is so quiet, calm and peaceful. There’s no undue panic, no rushing around, no exuberance, no enthusiasm. There is no joy. No hope. Something is very w rong. I didn’t see it before. The whole town is subdued, like it is almost lifeless. It feels like everererypony is not really there. s Op They all move around mechanically. As if there is no life in them. It’s like they are empty. as a m i A thought appears in my head, asking me if this is what I am Striving for. Is is what I look like to others? No, never lo e They NeveR speak to each other. They avoid interacting with each other. They don’t look at each other. They show know emotion. They just ARe. never Is this how I act?> plEAse lose Is this what I am? sTOp con- Am i e-pty, like them? bEe des… No, not empty. cALm! There Is DespaiR. i Can feel it cr eeping into my mind and now i can see it reflecelfer in the e----y ponies. i Don’t want this. They d on't want this either, it was forced upon them. Tears begin to run run down my cheek. -trol “I don’t…want…” ...pair < Bon er speak! front Bon Bon stop.s walking in frontback of me and looks frontback. iCan see the surPrise on her face. She can sea the tears n mine. back fear cho l t rai ver seen! ovERhead. UN expectedly, clouds begin to begIn gather ARain storm is falLsforming from rainpink. clouds. DEsPair. Bon Bon fearstops walking. i FlOaTiNG upup To tHe Lyra calls c l uds o u t to me. Nt Sc b l” ConT . NeVeR lost sou los soEuV ER. r ndcon rol. nd o Can’t control. Erase all… al l . . n ver involv d! . Er a s e a l l t h a t i s Never Always Lose Stay Control Calm . . . …e y j u… …r e… … t h i s h o w I a ct? All gone. Em_ty ? return like Them? No, not empty. c a l m There is despair. I can feel it creeping back into my mind and I see it still reflecting in the eyes of the empty ponies. I don’t want this, even though I chose it. They don’t want this either, it was forced upon them. I want to fix this. I want to be more. Bon Bon stops walking in front of me and looks back. I can see the confusion on her face. She looks around for a second, then shrugs and continues walking after Lyra. Clouds have begun to gather in the distance. A storm is coming and it will just add to the gloominess that surrounds Marenonia. I can’t let this depressing place get to me. Again. I can never lose control. Self-control makes me feel empty, but I’m not. There is despair. Despair over what I have made of myself. There is fear of what I can do. There is hope for what I can become. There is also Lyra, who believes in me, and Bon Bon, who worries for me. Lyra looks out, surveying the town. “Well, this place sure is…” she pauses looking for the right word to describe the town. “Dreary.” Bon Bon walks up next to Lyra and the two of them continue looking around. They take note of the buildings in the town. They are drab and most are in minor states of disrepair. They have yet to notice anything wrong with the residents yet. “Look,” Lyra says as she points toward a building in the distance. This one is different from the others. It is a house that is well kept and freshly painted. “The fanciest building is probably the most important building. Let’s check that one out first.” Lyra skips cheerfully off toward the building. Bon Bon chases after her. Now both of them are too caught up in Lyra’s quest to pay proper attention to their surroundings. I don’t think we are safe here.I don’t like ithere.Weshould leave . I could easily stop themgo Home. No. I won’t give in to fear. I might lose control again. I should wait and watch. Lyra can handle this. Bon Bon will help keep her on task. Right? I follow after Lyra and Bon Bon. Up ahead I can see they have already reached the house. They are talking to a blue earth pony who seems to be inviting them in. I seem to have been forgotten. amUP Walking up up to the house I uP OnToPthe roof. That is getting easier. I creep up to the edge of the roof right above an open window. Inside I can hear Lyra and Bon Bon introducing themselves to their host. I was right; it is easier to eavesdrop when you are not in the same room. “So, what brings you to my town?” asks the blue mare. “Simple,” Lyra explains. “We heard there was an evil artifact found here and we are going to stop any evil ponies from using the evil artifact to hurt anypony with evilness.” Wait. What? Did she really just come right out and say that? Bon Bon really needs to teach Lyra the importance of subtlety. It’s silent for a few seconds. I can picture Lyra with a big, oblivious grin on her face as Bon Bon and their host stare at her. Somepony lets out a sigh, and I suspect it comes from Bon Bon. “What? We’re here to catch the bad guy and save the day right?” Lyra huffs defensively. “Seriously?” questions the house’s owner. She lets out an amused chuckle. “You are here to ‘stop evilness’ and ‘catch the bad guy?’ Are you serious?” Below there are sounds of somepony opening a dresser and pulling something out. “Well…,” Lyra begins hesitantly. “Are you serious?!” Pure rage bursts from the house. It hits me like a tornado, stunning me. “A weakling of a unicorn and her pet dog pony, you dare stand against me?” “Lyra, look out!” Bon Bon cries. There is a loud crash inside the house. I hear Bon Bon scream in pain. D o w s y n at the door D e t o It I leap inside the building. r The blue mare is standing right in front of me. Against the wall Bon Bon is laying on top of Lyra. Neither of them are moving. “Oh, look,” the blue mare snaps at me. “Are you their friend? Do you hope to save them? You pathetic pink earth pony, you are nothing. You worthless dog.” Her eyes are wild with rage. She’s insane, a monster. “I’m no dog.” She hurt the ponies that live here. “I’m the mare of misdirection.” She hurt Lyra and Bon Bon. “I’m anarchy’s heir.” I hate her. “I am the daughter of Discord!” I Hate her. “And I am going to destroy you.”
Chapter ThreeThere is hate. “Please,” mocks the blue mare. She is adjusting something around her neck. I hadn’t noticed it before but she is wearing a black amulet with a green trim. “You think that you are something special. You are not. Your unicorn friend could do nothing to stop me. All of Marenonia could do nothing to stop me. What can you possibly do?” Lose control. Hope. Hate her. Calm. Crush her. Despair. Control. No, hate. Confused. Emotions are overwhHelmAinTgE. No Break dowHAte. Break dhewrn. Lose control. Lyra hurt. Bon Bon hurt. Kill her. Yes “Munch photons!” Who is…? Lyrhaope. I close my eyes and turn away as a burst of blinding light engulfs the room. Looking back I can see Lyra charging forward, horn glowing. She slams into our dazzled opponent, sending her flying across the room. “Wow, you look pissed,” Lyra remarks as she limps over to me. “That’s cool and all, but you gotta focus. We’re not going to get anything done by just standing around being angry.” She’s right. I was so angry I froze. Never lose control. Clear your head. I hate her, and I am going to stop her. She’s recovering. Find the balance. More control means less power. More power means less control. Can’t let myself hurt Lyra or Bon Bon. “I need you to get Bon Bon somewhere safe.” Lyra tells me. “She’s hurt bad. Get her out fast and get back here while I hold off Ms. Crazy.” I don’t want to leave her to fight alone but Bon Bon does need help. “Be careful, Lyra.” “No time for careful,” Lyra yells as she charges at the blue mare. fl ing I rushover to Bon Bon and pullher onto myback. fast Thenwe o u t s i d e inthe skY. Find hidingplace. I spotpatch of trees anddensefoliage near thetrainstation. groud. fastfst tr/inside/ees. Hidden,safe. fst sKY. fs backtothehou/inside/se. Get back to Lyra… As my hooves land in the house again I see Lyra’s head crash into a window. Lyra’s body goes flying out of the building, taking most of the window with her. Another wave of rage hits me, filling me with fear. Con’ - ,ro_ “Oh, no! Broke my window! Damned pest,” the blue mare huffs before noticing me. “You’re still here. Good. Now hold still and let me eat your will. Then you can be a good little dog and fix…” “ENOUGH!” PiaNoaBoVe She flinches as a grand piano comes crashing down upon her. Pulling herself out of the wreckage she shakes her head, flinging the shrapnel out of her curly grey mane. “How dare you throw a piano at… wait.” She’s figuring it out. “How did you…? You can’t really be… You’re not even a draconequus. You’re just worthless earth pony. No more than an animal.” Looming over grOwInG TALLER, ceiling goes upUP her she shrinks back underneath me. “I am no animal. You, however, are little more than a rabid dog.” “No! You dog,” she barks. “I will eat your will and you will do my bi di n g” Now at four times her size I tower over her, yet she remains defiant. She truly believes that she will defeat me. “I will never be in your control.” “Will too,” she screams. “With this amulet I was able to eat away the willpower of everypony in Marenonia. I’ll do the same to you.” She lets out another burst of pure rage. The wave hits me and fills me with fear and complacency. There is despair and desperation mixed in as well, but it does not come from me. It is coming from her. The feeling is so similar to the other residents. There is pity. I CshAriL nk M MySelf back down. “You think that you are stronger than me,” she yells frantically. “You’re not. I am better than you. I could probably defeat even Discord himself.” “I really doubt that.” “Not matter what you think,” she says in frustration. “Not matter. All matters is me. I know how powerful I am. I’m better, you are worthless.” “One cannot measure one’s own worth. The true measure of one’s worth can only be seen through the eyes of others. Do you really believe that anypony in this town looks at you and sees the greatness you claim to have?” “How could they not?” She smirks with confidence. “They have nothing and I have everything. I am no longer some stupid earth pony who can’t fly or use magic. I have real power and everypony must bow before me. They see how much great I am.” “No they don’t. You said that you devoured the wills of everypony in this town. They are empty now. They don’t have the capacity to feel anything towards you. Do you even interact with them anymore? Do you even have to? If you tried, would you be able to hold a conversation with any of them? Or do you just sit here in your home, alone, with nothing to do and nopony to be with?” “I don’t need them,” she says defiantly. “They are empty. Why would I need such worthless creatures?” “I would imagine that they built this house that you live in and they have to be the ones growing the food that you eat. In fact it would appear that they are accomplishing more with what’s left of their lives than you are.” “No, they nothing,” she yells. “They just toil on fields, doing my bidding. I am the ruler of Marenonia. I control this whole town.” “You control a town where nopony can truly live and nothing can ever happen. You control a town that has no worth.” “You no me. Dog, better.” She begins to growl like an animal. She isn’t in control anymore. Part of me doubts that she ever was. “Subjugating this town has gained you nothing. You cannot better yourself if you are surrounded by emptiness and despair.” “No you. No worthless. No,” the blue mare mumbles as she runs toward the doorway. I watch her run outpast meside and crash into me as I wait on the other side of the door. “Not fair, not fair,” she mutters as she tries to run past me again. I jump in front of her, preventing her from running away. “Stop.” Surprisingly, she does. “Come with me.” up into the sky. I set us down Clouds gather overhead as I lift us uP Down on the nearest cloud. I look over at the blue mare and see the fear in her eyes. It is a look that I hate seeing in others. “This is Marenonia. This is what you have turned this town into. Look out at what you made and tell me what you see.” She looks down over the edge of the cloud and surveys the town. Below us are fields of dying crops. Farmers trudge through the fields, halfheartedly working on them. The farmers’ homes are all dilapidated. Color has faded from the town. Some of the residents simply stand in the streets doing nothing but staring into the distance. Rain begins to fall but nopony seems to notice it. “Everything is broken,” she says. “All broken and I broke it.” “Now you are going to fix it.” “I don’t want to,” she screams. “I’m not changing back.” “Change back into what?” “Not tell you,” she says. “Can’t make me.” I let her fall through the cloud. She screams and flails her limbs wildly before landing on another cloud.iNext toher.Rain starts to hit us from the clouds above. “Talk to me.” She hesitates, staring at me with that hated fear in her eyes. “I broke them,” she begins, “to fix me. I hurt… was hurt in an accident a few years ago. There was severe brain damage. Not spea… I couldn’t talk. My coordination fail…ed. I’m not able to take care of myself. Found the amulet. It fixed my brain using energy stolen from others. Not last long. It only works if I keep stealing willpower. None left here now.” “Can you use the amulet to fix them?” “Yes,” she whispers. “And what will happen to you?” “My mind will shatter,” she mumbles. “I…” I remain silent. What do I do? I want to save everyone, but I am not willing to condemn this poor creature to do so. Maybe if she fixes the town I can fix her? Father could manipulate other ponies’ minds. Maybe I can too. I never tr… “Am I a monster?” asks the blue mare. “What?” “I hurt everyone. Broke town. Just want to be normal again. Am I a monster?” she asks again. “You’ve obviously heard the legends about my father. Two weeks ago he broke free from his prison and went on a rampage. He took over Ponyville and remade it the way he wanted. He hurt a lot of ponies, even manipulated some of their minds. I’m sure many of them see him as a monster, but I don’t. Discord may be inconsiderate and abrasive, but he just wants to have a good time. Unfortunately he would not return Ponyville to normal, so he was imprisoned once again. Now he’s gone. Despite everything he did I still miss him.” “You hurt my friends and attacked me. I was very angry with you, but I don’t think you are a monster. Now I want to help you and the rest of Marenonia, but I don’t know if I can.” “Then I will help them,” the blue mare says. She jumps off of the cloud and falls. Before I can stop her a burst of magical energy explodes out of her. T h e w o r l d g o e s w h i t e. T h e n e v e r y t h i n g g o e s black.
Chapter FourMy eyes open slowly. It’s hard to see. My head hurts. My leg hurts worse. Something is on my leg. I can’t tell what it is. Don’t know what happened. “Hey,” calls out a familiar voice. I turn my head and try to focus on the pony like shape in front of me. “Bon Bon?” “I’m here,” says the shape as it coalesces into Bon Bon. “How do you feel?” I look down at myself and see that my leg is wrapped in a makeshift splint. I must have fallen out of the sky when the magic hit me. “Everything hurts. Just give me a second to clear my head.” “Alright,” says Bon Bon. I lay still and focus on my body. My leg is broken and I might have a concussion. That is never a good thing for me to have. IB focusN on my leg. R K bo he l together. Splint comes o f f. O E ne a I slowly get my hooves underneath me and start to stand up. “Careful,” cautions Bon Bon. I look around and find myself in a room. It appears to be part of the blue mare’s house. There are other ponies unconscious on the other end of the room. Two ponies that I don’t recognize enter the room and start to check on the others. “I don’t know what you did,” says Bon Bon. “But you saved the town.” “No I didn’t. She did.” “Who?” asks Bon Bon. “The blue mare did it. She sacrificed herself to fix everything that she broke. I must have convinced her that it was the right thing to do.” Bon Bon stares at me for a second. Then she smiles at me. “Don’t smile at me. I was going to kill her.” “What?” Bon Bon frowns at me. “She hurt you and Lyra. I got really mad. I almost lost control but I re… Where is Lyra? Is she alright?” “Lyra is fine,” Bon Bon reassures me. “She is securing our antagonist. It seems that she has had a mental breakdown. Lyra wants to take her back to Ponyville with us so that she can receive proper medical care.” Bon Bon pauses and gives me a stern look. “What did you do to her exactly?” “While we were fighting I noticed that something was wrong with her. I got her to start talking to me and she said that she had a brain injury. She was using the amulet to repair her brain by damaging others’ minds. I took her up into the sky to show her what she was doing to the town and she felt bad about what she did. Then she jumped. A burst of magic hit me and I blacked out.” “So you didn’t hurt her at all?” Bon Bon asks me. I shake my head quietly. I am still upset with myself for wanting to hurt the blue mare. I lost control. I should never lose control. “Don’t look so down. You did save the town after all,” Bon Bon reassures me. “Why don’t you go find Lyra. She will be glad to see that you are alright.” I nod my head and slowly walk out of the room. As I make my way down the stairs I see more of Marenonia’s residents. Some of them still look dazed but the majority of them seem to be normal again. I step outside and notice that the storm has passed into the distance. Lyra is nearby, fiddling with a box. I walk over to her, curious as to what she is doing. “Hey,” Lyra calls out to me. “Look who’s up.” I stop next to Lyra and watch her place the blue mare’s amulet in an ornate box. Lyra closes the box and casts a spell on it before placing it in her saddlebags. “Looks like you saved the day, Pandemonium Princess.” Lyra nudges me playfully in the side. Sometimes I wish she would stop coming up with these silly names for me. “I’m just locking away the evil amulet. Did Bon Bon tell you what happened to the bad guy?” I nod my head quietly. The two of us stand there in silence for a moment. “Am I a monster?” “Where did you get a screwball idea like that from?” asks Lyra. “The blue mare asked me if she was a monster before she fell.” “And,” Lyra looks me in the eye, “What did you tell her?” “I told her that she was not a monster.” “Even though you may not think so,” Lyra says, “you are a kind hearted pony. You really don’t need to second guess yourself and hide all the time.” Everything Lyra says is true, to an extent. Somehow I still can’t bring myself to believe it. Maybe I am the only one who thinks that I am a monster. A sensible conclusion to make since the only other ponies that know I exist are Lyra, Bon Bon, and the Princesses. I had always worried that others would see me as a monster. So I made myself empty, kept myself hidden. Now I know that I am not a monster, nor am I empty. The question now is, what should I be? My brow contorts as I think hard about this dilemma. “You really are a screwball sometimes.” Lyra starts laughing. “But only when you aren’t trying to be all quiet and brooding.” Lyra and I laugh together for a moment. I’m not even sure why I am laughing. Am I really a screwball? Acting weird and playing pranks should come naturally to me but I never let myself behave that way. Not after seeing what was done to my father when he was acting that way. “Come on you screwball,” Lyra calls out to me. “Let’s get ready to go home. The train will be here in an hour.” Does she have to keep calling me a screwball? At least screwball is better than ‘Pandemonium Princess.’ Actually, anything would be better than being called ‘Pandemonium Princess.’ Even Mare of Misdirection wasn’t that bad. I suppose that all of this name calling could have been avoided if I had simply picked a name for myself, or if my father had thought to give me a name before he was imprisoned. Since I have nothing to pack up before we leave I decide to meander around Marenonia before heading to the train station. The feeling of oppression and loneliness is much less prevalent now. Some of the farmers who are back on their hooves have begun working together to repair a few of the houses. Others are carrying on conversations, most are curious about what happened. As I watch them I remain inconspicuous, mostly out of habit. It is a habit that I may want to start breaking. I don’t want to keep hiding forever. At least I don’t anymore. Eventually I end up at the train station. There are a surprising amount of ponies waiting for the train. Listening to their conversations I realize that they are all from out of town. They are travelers who stopped by and ended up trapped here. I sit and wait quietly amongst the other travelers. A few minutes pass and I see Bon Bon walking towards me. “Hi,” Bon Bon says as she sits next to me. “Lyra is going to be busy securing our prisoner. She said that she would meet us on the train. So, how are you feeling? Are your wounds all healed up?” I nod at Bon Bon silently. “You were more talkative earlier,” Bon Bon comments. “It seems that you’ve gone back to being quiet and mysterious again.” “Would you… like me to talk more often?” “Well I definitely would not be opposed to it,” Bon Bon says cheerfully. “Maybe I will then, occasionally.” Bon Bon smiles as we continue to wait for the train. It does not take long for it to arrive. Once it pulls up Bon Bon and I board and find our seats. The train sits idle for a time, even after everypony has boarded. Presumably this is due to Lyra making special arrangements to transport the blue mare safely. Once the train starts moving I feel relieved. The thought of returning to Ponyville is comforting for some reason. I am not sure why. Shortly after the train starts up Lyra enters our car. She comes over and sits next to Bon Bon. “Well, I am glad that that is all done,” Lyra yawns. “I'm looking forward to taking a nice long travel nap.” A railway employee enters the car. It somehow is the same one that checked our tickets on our way to Marenonia. As he makes his way through the car he recognizes us. “Oh, it’s you three again,” he says happily. “You guys aren’t going to prank me again are you?” Lyra pops her head up. She stares at me with that mischievous smile across her face. Bon Bon doesn’t notice as she is handing over our tickets. The ticket taker looks them over then hands them back to Bon Bon and moves on. Lyra pouts and sinks back into her seat. I guess it couldn’t hurt pulling a little prank. As the ticket taker leaves the car I concentrate and focus my mind, then let go of my inhibitions. ReEnter a ra a rail wy A railWay A railway employee enters the car. It is the same one that checked our tickets before. As he makes his way through the car he recognizes us. “Oh, it’s you three again,” he says happily. Then he looks confused. “You guys were in the last car weren’t you? How did you get here?” Lyra pops her head back up. She stares at the ticket taker then looks at me. A smile comes across my face. Lyra bursts out laughing as she falls back into her seat. Even Bon Bon chuckles a little. “Looks like you got me again,” the ticket taker says. “You are good at this Ms… umm Direction was it?” “You can call me Screwball.” “Alright Ms. Screwball,” he says. “I hope you and your friends have a pleasant trip.” As the railway employee leaves again Lyra looks over at me. “I told you that you were a screwball,” she gloats. I am beginning to think that Lyra was right.
