Madmare's Paradise

There 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’

-

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“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.