Division 48 – The Awakening, part 6

Codex Entries:

When freedom burns
The final solution
Dreams fade away and all hope turns to dust
When millions burn
The curtain has fallen
Lost to the world as they perish in flames

Author: Sabaton, Coat of Arms, 2010

The Anomaly Gate

Division 48 Prototype – Never constructed

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Prototype – 1989

Date of the Construction Beginning – July 11th 1988

Original Concept - Bruno Maksimovich Pontekorvo, 30th August 1977

Original Name – No Data

Construction Works interrupted – 1991

Department of Disclosure blueprint discovery – 2051

Anomaly Gate was originally invented by Bruno Pontekorvo, as a mean for corpuscular transportation of objects. It was supposed to be powered by a nuclear reactor. The whole concept and blueprint was a very advanced idea, using many not yet discovered effects and laws of universe in practice. How Pontekorvo was able to develop such an advanced thing remains a mystery to USSR, later Russia and UEF. The blueprint was ridiculously simple to follow, but the lack of proper materials and ingredients made the construction impossible to complete at current time, which Pontekorvo himself was supervising. Some workers stated that when he was observing the blueprint come to life, he seemed to be in some kind of a trance, he was also always able to find a way to bypass the technological barriers that existed due to the overall technological advancement of the era. Simple metal welding became much more complicated when he introduced and ordered to implement weird inventions and contraptions that in his opinion would allow bypassing the technological barriers. Unfortunately for the whole project, with the imminent fall of USSR came a direct order from above to immediately drop the project, bury the Complex and burn all the documents. The workers and experts working on the project followed the order, unlike Pontekorvo who was protesting and trying to save as much data as possible. The end of his dream and his life work devastated the man. With the last pile of dirt covering the base in 1991 the Anomaly Gate project was forgotten and erased out of existence. Bruno however saved some files and documents that could give a hint what the Gate was and where its skeleton lied. The scientist died in 1993 (unknown causes, officially Parkinson's disease) leaving the documents to his family. With the end of electronic war in 2021 and rise of UEF, the freshly created Department of Disclosure, responsible of uncovering the secrets of all member states, but also collecting and transferring them to the Presidential Vault stumbled upon the concept of the project mentioned in few Top Secret Soviet documents. In 2028 all the data in possession of Pontekorvo family were obtained and quickly deciphered by the department. The Anomaly Gate Complex (Officially named Complex 13, as it was the 13th top secret base uncovered by the department in the World) was discovered, located in the middle of Volgograd, works to unbury and power up the base quickly begun. In 2050 after the complex was uncovered, repaired and powered up the UEF president, Alfred Molière approved of project development and continuation designating Division 48 as an official overseer, and granting the project unlimited resources. In 2051 the original Pontekorvo concept was recovered from the remains of burned documents and slow process of construction begun, now all the technology available thanks to the Eternal Eye, seemingly nothing stood in the way to finish the Gate. It was finished in 2072, however there were no proper algorithms, calibrations and operational instructions to use it. First attempt to create proper calibrations and other necessary data came when Doctor Natalia Wiśniewska was designated by the President as a project leader and base administrator. After 10 years of hardships she completed and implemented the data in the Gates computers. Unfortunately they were painfully verified by reality, when Wiśniewska herself died from exotic radiation exposure, from the overloaded Negative Charged Ether Reactor. Project was put on hold as there seemed to be no other specialist in the field of singularity technology. The situation changed with appearance of Pyotr Azarov in 2089, who quickly became a rising star in the scientific community. He was recognized as a genius and scientific wizard with level of expertise beyond anything seen previously. It wasn't long until the genius was put in charge of Complex 13 (2095) and developed the necessary data, now adapted to Condition 9 in 2100. The Gate was activated and marked as working on June 12th 2100.

Practical Information

The Gate operates as two way passage between the reality and the void. It literally creates an enormous gash in the matter allowing for passage of physical objects, be they organic or not. The pillar of black light is the gash itself and on the whole length of the pillar, the void is accessible. There is however one important detail to this method of immediate transfer. Normally if an organic being tries to enter the void, it would immediately be ripped apart into basic molecules by the void and then consumed as it is a foreign body. In order to avoid this unpleasant experience the organic being or inanimate object need to be somehow protected. An answer to that is negatively charged ether reactor and coil similar to ones used in the gate. If the being or object is charged with the energy coming from the reactor itself they would be able to pass into the void, their molecules resistant to its forces. Another barrier to this is a simple fact that any living being would die instantly under such electrical current. That's where another idea sprung up - instead of directly exposing the being to the current it is better to put the person into an etherium made object and charge it instead of the being, creating a safety cocoon and allowing the passage of both through the void. That's why all UEF space crafts are equipped with such negatively charged ether reactors and coils, sending the current through the whole ship, which creates the cocoon for the people inside it.

The Blight Arcanum

As mentioned before the Blight Arcanum is a powerful artifact, seen in many worlds and associated with destruction, apocalypse and death. It was very often a reason for Dimensional Guardians intervention, as the Arcanum upsets the balance of the universe. It a certain unpredictable factor, that cannot be contained. Every attempt to capture the artifact failed and many guardians fell to its unthinkable power. It seems to have a mind of its own as it appears always in the worlds unsure of their future, in moments of uncertainty, to cause havoc and create a storm of pure chaos. The ones which use the Arcanum are called The Vessels, as they seem to be possessed by the accursed object. It was said that they can't help themselves and must use its power. On the other hand it's a quite a natural attribute of sentient beings, granted unlimited resources and power they will eventually use it for their own personal need. From scientific point of view the artifact has a direct artery connection with the Universe blood system. This ensures unlimited energy and creates a certain paradox. Why would Universe, that always naturally seeks balance, support an object causing complete chaos? This seems to be yet another mystery. Overall it is suspected that the Arcanum holds at least 100 ways to release the UB (Universe Blood) energy, these bursts of chaotic void energy were quickly dubbed "spells" as they requires a certain verbal component to work. Well if we weren't as wise as we are now, we would probably end the divagations at this point, however Guardians knowledge allowed for more complete and detailed study. It seems that the BA is in fact a living, sentient being, an organ of the Universe itself that has no proper purpose. It can be compared to an appendix in human body, which is of course an organ, but currently serves no purpose whatsoever. It is speculated that similarly to the human organ the Arcanum was used for something that became obsolete at some point. Another interesting fact came shortly after DG (Dimensional Guardians) tried to capture the Arcanum for the 14th time. One of the DG that survived the massacre caused by the BA (Blight Arcanum) stated that he heard voice in his head, firm, growly and mocking one, speaking in a language that he didn't understand. Because the Guardian stating that was in fact a telepath master, his statement was quickly confirmed. A theory came up with it - the Arcanum in fact can speak on a telepathic level and can be spoken to, conventionally. This explains the verbal component necessary for "casting a spell" and might explain the theory about the Vessels being possessed by the BA. The Vessels themselves seem to be picked randomly by the Arcanum, which speaks to them, possibly creating disturbing visions that eventually destroy the target mentally, causing a loss of sanity. This yet another theory would be valid if not for a certain recent discovery. All the ceased vessels minds were blank, cleaned by the Arcanum or by the effect of the bond severing. These beings became vegetables after the BA changed its dimensional position, it didn't matter what race was or mental attributes one had, every single Vessel was affected similarly. The other most important similarity was a fact that all of the Vessels were telepathically sensitive or had some minor telepathic abilities. This allows for understanding of BA behavior. Final matter noticed by the Guardians is, that BA after arrival to the new world seems to be dormant for at least 1 year. This is however the minimal possible amount of time in which the Arcanum lies dormant. The number seems to be random and the BA might awaken after much longer time. The overall havoc caused by the Vessel and Arcanum is actually nothing compared to the destruction caused by something much more sinister.

The Blight Gate

The Blight Gate is a term strictly connected with The Blight Arcanum .It is the ultimate and final goal pursued and eventually achieved by it. As to what exactly the gate is, even Guardians fail to comprehend. In one of the old dairies by Elder Richard Verney it is written:
"(…) I opened my eyes, ringing in my ears, I couldn't hear my own thoughts for a while. I sat and what I realized soon after that was ghastly. My comrades dead, lying in pool of their own blood. My grievous wound created by the spiteful power of the Arcanum ache, the burning pain penetrating my soul. I knew it will stay on my chest forever, a mark of the survivor. My flesh protesting to my forced attempt of staying conscious. But I couldn't afford to lose an opportunity to see it, see the Blight Gate. In the middle of the field, surrounded by corpses of innocent people sat The Vessel. She was empty, Arcanum left her some time ago, emptying her mind and creating a lifeless shell. I couldn't help but see an innocent child, behind all the dried blood on her face. She was tormented and tortured by the BA to do its bidding. No one should ever suffer such fate. I turned my head to the left, the ringing in my ears fading away, replaced by a sound of fire and flames. Then I saw it, the Gate, and it was unlike anything I ever saw in my life. Its frames made of bones and flesh of the dead forming a pointed arch, blood still dripping from them. The entrance of the gate was made of crimson flames licking the bony frames. The disgusting smell of burned flesh and bones irritated my nose .The scene was inhumane, terrifying and logic couldn't possibly apply to it. I realized that BA already left this dimension, through the wall of flames. I lacked time to analyze possibilities of further actions as the flames started to spread and the abomination fell, creating a pile of meat and bones on the ground. The pain in my chest rose and I couldn't force my consciousness to stay, especially after seeing all that. I collapsed to the ground and everything went black. (…)"

The description of the gate denies every single law known to DG. It was declared impossible. The capture of the Arcanum still remains out of reach to the Guardians as there seems to be no way, currently known of doing that. If the gate would be only a mean of transportation for the Arcanum, it wouldn't be such a problem, however when the Gate is closing, it creates an additional effect. The effect, fearfully dubbed The Agonizing Flames, gained its name for a reason. An enormous explosion of fire spreads in random directions from the base of the Gate, these flames cannot be put out by any means and even the Guardians are helpless when faced with AF. The fire spreads slowly and completely devours everything in its path, leaving only ashy wasteland. Eventually the flames consume the whole world leaving behind only a husk of the planet. They put themselves out once there is nothing more to consume, again showing some sinister intelligence and sentiency behind its action.

The Story:

Location: Equestria, Eastern Border, Guard Outpost

White Spear slowly opened his eyes, his mind not yet registering and recollecting what has transpired not a few hours ago. His vision blurry, he blinked a few times. All his senses started to kick in one after another. First he smelled something, something unknown to his nose, something metallic and for some reason he didn't like this smell having bad feeling about it. Then his ears started to register sounds, particularly wind that swayed the trees. Then came the vision, the blurriness fading away replaced by outlines of trees, some other object in the night, but other than that a thick layer of darkness. Understandable as his eyes just started to adjust. He finally tried to move, limbs feeling sore, but nothing other than that. With his strength slowly coming back to him, White Spear started to get up. His forelimbs shaking as if a considerable amount of strain was put on them, as if his organism pumped large dosages of adrenaline for some reason… But why? He couldn't remember. After he got up, he waited for his eyes to adjust. With time he started to recognize details of his surroundings. He spotted some kind of ruined building, the smell of metal was mostly coming from there. The building was somehow familiar but… Wait… He's at the guard outpost, the structure was in fact barracks. He had night shift today and then… His eyes slowly widening and his legs started to shake yet again. He quickly cast a light spell and in a matter of seconds the darkness was dispersed. He looked down and recalled everything immediately. Everything his mind tried to bury to protect his psyche assaulted him at once. The disfigured and shattered remains of his friend lied in front of him, blood slowly being frozen. No… It couldn't have happened; it had to be some trickery! But… there is no other unicorn guard here. No one could cast such a horrific illusion spell. Tears slowly started to form in his eyes as he dropped to his knees and looked at the massacre. It was such a grotesque and impossible scene, that his mind couldn't comprehend it -The torn walls of the shed, the massacred bodies of other guards trying to run from death, the ones that were murdered in their sleep, the marks of some kind of bullets everywhere and finally the mutilated pieces of Sharp Sword lying in front of him. The reality slowly dawned at him, as his mind started to understand all of it. In consequence he was slowly breaking down, a horrible ache in his heart and turmoil of emotions in his head.

"Why…"

He whispered and then realized something that would torment him forever.

"No…"

The last thing he said to his friend

"No."

He stated firmly shaking his head.

The words, that marked him.

"No!"

He shouted, vigorously shaking his head, with his forelegs on both sides of it. His cowardice leading to all of it… He was a traitor, he betrayed his friend and all other guards. He betrayed Equestria and he betrayed both Luna and Celestia.

"No! NOOOOO!"

He screamed at the night sky, tears coming down his cheeks as the young unicorn broke down. He cried and sobbed with hooves on his face. His mind trying to find any possible way of stopping this mental catastrophe, slipped him a little and innocent rationalizing idea. If he would agree with Sharp Sword, he would have lied next to him, a pile of flesh and bone. He would have died…

"No… It was despicable…"

But he would have died and now he's marked as non-hostile… Could he really believe that something other than Celestia would stop such a monster?

"No! It was wrong"

He is alive and well. Maybe a little shaken up, but that's about it. Now he can get the news to Canterlot itself and warn the sisters about the danger!

"But…"

He would be rewarded handsomely, as there was nothing he could do to the metal monster. Of course the conversation with the beast won't be mentioned

"Lie? But it's…"

There's no other option and he doesn't want to be punished or thrown to prison forever, now does he?

"No… But what about Sharp Sword and the others…"

He should leave them, he has no time for burials, he has to catch up and make sure that he is first to reach the Canterlot. He nodded to himself, it seemed that all of this made perfect sense. He sighed heavily, tears still forming in his eyes.

"I will avenge you Sharp Sword… I will redeem myself!"

He stated confidently. Then he looked around and spotted a patch of destroyed trees and gigantic foot print on the ground. That was probably the way, the monster took.

"Okay… You can do this White Spear, just concentrate on your mission"

That said White Spear left the Outpost (With much hardship, his conscience tormenting him already) and wandered in the direction the Colossus took.

Location: Equestria, 48 km from Stalliongrad previously known as Volgograd, Sunset Village.

The two remaining guards were completely frozen, the instant shock and realization shutting down their consciousness, their minds distancing from the reality as much as possible, not willing to accept the simple yet unbearable facts. Heavy steps of the Colossus were getting closer and louder. Soon the last trees fallen near the opening and the machine in all its might stood in the open. The only ones that were any kind of threat eliminated, the mech scanned the village, noticing that a few aliens woke up from their sleep. A light appeared in the windows of the biggest house in the village, on the left side of the Colossus. An older stallion with grey mane and dull yellow coat opened the heavy wooden door coming out into the open. He blinked a few times trying to wake up fully. He shook his head and finally took a look at the village. Immediately he noticed the gigantic machine standing not 10 meters from him.

"Holy Celestia…"

He said quietly taking a good look at the robot. By that time the clawed Colossus hand was pointing at the stallion, claws open, a small tube extended itself from the palm. Right before the pony was about to do something a silent swish could be heard. A dot appeared in the middle of his head, blood slowly dripping from it. The pony was frozen in on the spot for a while and then fell down to the ground, dead. Colossus withdrew his hand and analyzed the situation. The two guard ponies were still standing in the same position, not moving, not reacting to outside stimuli, shut down. The other creatures were asleep not waking up to the Colossus loud stomps. The few that did wake up, went back to sleep dismissing the sounds as natural to the forest. A decision was quickly made. The machine didn't want to attract any unnecessary attention, but it also couldn't let the hostile aliens live. The other arm of the Colossus pointed down to the middle of the village. A hole opened in the center of the barreled hand, and yet another swish could be heard. A small metallic ball landed in the place the mech was pointing at. The Colossus then proceeded to carry on with its primary objective as it concluded that the case of the Village is closed. The machine moved through the village to the other end of it and then again to the forest, straight to Stalliongrad. The small ball still lying in the snow didn't look like anything dangerous. The reality however was quite different, as the ball was in fact a gas bomb containing large amounts of Sarin, a very effective nerve agent. A red flickering light appeared on the ball, which flashed faster and faster with passing seconds. After about 15 second the ball opened and something colorless but very much deadly flew in the air slowly covering the whole Sunset village. This night Celestia felt pain unlike any other, caused by 357 of life flames disappearing.

Location: Equestria, previously known as Earth, Ponyville, previously knowns as no data, The library tree

Twilight Sparkle opened her tired eyes, the Sun blinding her at first, but then her eyes reluctantly adjusted, she slowly got up taking in the reality after her dreamless sleep. Everything seemed less colorful to her, now that she seen those nightmares and heard the wicked voice. Her bright coat lost its fabulous glimmer and seemed much darker, much less cheerful than usual. Her room was no longer her happy place, calm place, where she could concentrate; now it only reminded her of the nightmare, the death, the bodies, the flames …
Spike was getting very worried and scared of her and she couldn't blame him, some of her recent reactions were very… Unpleasant to say the least… After what she did two days ago it was only natural for him to be afraid. She was ashamed of herself and still couldn't believe in what she has done, but also couldn't deny it. She walked up to the mirror in her room. The pony looking at her was a disaster, her face seemed paler and sad, some wrinkles appeared around it, her mane was unkempt and some grey hair were visible here and there. She shook her head with resignation. She was so tired, but sleep didn't give her energy, it seemed to further drain her of it. She slowly turned around and walked down the stairs, Spike was nowhere to be found and it wasn't surprising, he was probably hiding, hiding from her.

"Spike it's alright! You can come out… Please come out."

She said, her voice huskier than usual. No response, he wasn't about to come out anytime soon. She sighed heavily, her head sinking down as she remembered what has transpired two day ago.

Location: Equestria, previously known as Earth, Ponyville, previously known as no data, The Carousel Boutique, previously known as Biotechnology and Cryogenic Underground Complex Beta or Base 2, 2 days ago

Twilight Sparkle was borrowed by the generous Fashionista to try out her new fabulous creations. As usually Rarity took her sweet time dressing Twilight, redressing her and then judging everything with her fashion-sensitive sight. Recently Twilight was avoiding her friends, not willing to talk about her nightmares and… the voice, but once in a while just to clear herself of all the suspicions she was meeting with a few of them, carrying a mask of happiness, where in fact she felt empty, angry and depressed all the time… She explained that she has some project Princess Celestia gave her to complete and that's why she doesn't have much time. Of course all 5 mares quickly believed her and were asking if they can help. Now it was one of these days, she was meeting with her friends. Currently she was helping Rarity, what she actually preferred to do, as the Element of Generosity didn't tend to talk during her creative process. Every time Twilight had to speak, she was in agony, unable to keep the fake cheerfulness all the time, unable to pretend like that. That's why right now she was more relaxed than usual. Time was passing by slowly, very slowly. Minutes turned to hours as she was still standing in one position while Rarity was studying the overall result.

"Oh, no, no, this simply won't do!"

Said Rarity with her usual lordly voice, yet again taking off a colorful scarf of Twilight and immediately looking for a suitable replacement. Time was flowing so slowly… she was starting to feel itchy and then irritated.

"Why won't she hurry up, why won't she just throw together something and call it a day!"

Thought Twilight blinking nervously and wanting to move so badly… Her irritation was rising with every passing second. Then the irritation transformed in to anger, anger which was slowly starting to boil inside of her.

"FINISH it already! Finish it or I will!"

She screamed inside her own head. Tee hee, having trouble Sparkles? Oh you're a little mad aren't you?
Said the arrogant growly voice. Twilight froze…

"No… not you again…"

I think you meant "not me again" Ehehehe…

The voice mocked her. Her eyes narrowed, the anger almost exploding.

"Leave me alone!"

She shouted.

Oh Twi, Twi, you still don't get it… You are alone, very much. I am a part of you, so I AM YOU. But that's not why you're so lonely is it? The feeling of emptiness, this ache inside of you, a need for someone to share the pain with.

"Shut UP! You don't know anything!"

She bit her tongue in the last moment, almost screaming the words out loud.

Now, now, be nice! I'm trying to help you here, making a valid point. Look, your mask covers the turmoil inside of you badly… Don't you think that someone who knew you, who you could trust and call a friend, would see through it right away? Now what does that mean?

"I'm not listening to you! You're nothing!"

Come now, would "nothing" discover such a complicated truth? Twilight I'm very sorry, but look at her! Look at that dumb white bitch! Do you REALLY believe inside of you, that she is your friend? Why hasn't she even asked you, how are you feeling?

Twilight was silent, only turning her head to look at Rarity, who was still very busy babbling something about wrong color blend. She didn't even bother to look at Twilight, smile or even ask her opinion about the clothes.

You see it, don't you? She USES you, she only needs you as a tool! Friends don't do that… And the rest of them? When they have a problem who do they come to?

"Me…"

She said quietly.

Exactly my lil' sweetheart, You. And if you have a problem who solves it?

"Me…?"

Indeed, they always seem to be trying to help you but not with their full capabilities. They don't care about you!

"It's not true! I had a lot of opportunities to see ho-"

Don't you think all of them were eventually solved by YOU Sparkle? All those mysteries and problems, you always came up with an idea, always…

"But… that can't be the truth… "

Oh it is the truth and you know it… But taking that aside, what do you do with filthy liars like that?

"I… don't know…"

You PUNISH them! CARVE their bodies, RIP them apart!

Twilights expression was blank, her sight fixed on Rarity that was showing her back to Twilight, sewing some materials together and humming her song. Twilight felt a sudden burst of anger, pure hatred boiling inside of her… Then everything went red. Her face became expressionless, cold as stone. She quietly walked down from the pedestal slowly approaching the unaware Fashionista.

Very good Sparkle, PUNISH her… You see those scissors lying on the table? Pick them up...

Twilights horn lit up dimly, as she picked up the industrial scissors from the table on her left, used for cutting thick material, they were very sharp, large and heavy.

Now you know what to do…

he scissors flew quietly towards Rarity, who still hummed cheerfully. They stopped centimeters from her exposed back…

STAB HER! Punish the pathetic whore!

The scissors didn't move… Twilight started to sweat, her expression turning into a strained one, as if she was under heavy stress.

Finish her parasitic existence! KILL HER!

The voice screamed excitedly. Suddenly a loud thud could be heard as the heavy scissors dropped down to the ground. Rarity jumped up turning around to see heavily breathing Twilight.

"Oh heavens!"

Rarity shouted, startled by the thud.

"I'm sorry, I have to go…"

Said Twilight, her voice breaking down, tears slowly appearing in her eyes. She quickly ran to the exit, throwing the dress off of herself.

"Twilight, wait!"

Shouted Rarity, dumbstruck and not quite understanding what happened. Then she looked down and noticed the heavy scissors lying just centimeters from her…

"What are those doing here…?"

Asked herself the white pony, fortunately not coming into conclusion that her friend tried to stab her. Twilight Sparkle ran through Ponyville sobbing.

The voice disappeared after she dropped the scissors. What was she about to do? She wasn't even sure, but it was something so vicious, so hideous, that her mind wasn't ready to accept it. Her insides turned upside down as she remembered the voice and red fog around her vision. She stopped suddenly and turned into an empty alley. There the bile building up in her stomach was released, as she vomited on the ground, breathing sharply, she raised her head, trying not to think about what has happened anymore. Slowly she trotted to her house, she needed to rest now, forget and find a way to cleanse herself of this malicious voice.

Sparkles, Sparkles… You could cleanse yourself or heal yourself if it would be a flesh wound. But you are forgetting something…

"What? WHAT AM I FORGETTING?"

She screamed into the sky, with rage and hate she never previously experienced.

You can't cure… Madness… Ehehehehe… AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!...

Her head sunk down, as she was really starting to believe, she lost her sanity somehow. Dismissing the persistent thoughts she approached her fortress of solitude and then she opened the door. What she found inside simply surprised her at first. Spike was cleaning the floor, picking up some shards of broken glass or other material of the type. The baby dragon noticed her and immediately dropped the broom, quickly running to her.

"Twilight, I'm so sorry, I was looking through some books, and… and I didn't notice this lens from your telescope just lying there… I took the book and it must have pushed the lens…"

Spike looked sad and it was obvious he felt guilty. Normally Twilight would simply smile and dismiss such a small thing, making the dragon feel better. However this time was quite different, as Twilight was very much different.

Ohoho… Look at the poor fellow. He wants to avoid punishment, awww… PUNISH HIM!

"You did what?"

Asked Twilight, narrowing her eyes.

"I… broke the lens Twi… I'm very sorry."

"Do you realize what's it worth? WELL DO YOU?"

"I… Don't know…"

Tears appeared in his green eyes.

Use your magic! Grab the little fuck by the throat!

Her anger boiled again for no reason… The red fog returned, she showed her teeth and her horn lit up.

"Twi…? What are you doing?"

Asked the scared baby dragon

"Well I'm giving you your reward you miserable piece of TRASH!"

Spike saw the magical purple energy grabbing him by the throat.

"Aaah!"

He screamed just before he felt a steel grip squeezing air from him. Twilight raised him up into the air. The dragon was fighting with the devious magical hold she had over him, with no luck. His claws couldn't even touch the energy around his neck. His vision was getting blurry as he was starting to suffocate.

Go on Sparkle! Give him his punishment! Hehehe…

Laughed the voice, obviously very happy. Twilight cocked her head to the left. Spike was looking at her with fear and plead of help at the same time. She smiled… And then smashed the dragon against the wall. Sound of cracking wood followed the throw and another sound she didn't recognize, also a cracking one, but different. She picked the lying dragon of the floor with her powerful magic. Now she knew what the other sound was, Spikes arm was flexed at a very weird angle, there was also red liquid coming from his nose. The dragon already lost his consciousness, what was only natural. The force she put in that throw was very powerful. She released Spike with a huff of irritation and approached him.

"You see? Don't make me punish you ever again!"

No response - the dragon's body was lying on the floor unmoving. The fog around her vision slowly dispersed and then she painfully realized what she has done to her friend.

"Nooo!"

She screamed terrified, quickly picking the baby dragon off the floor. She moved him carefully to his bed lying him down, yet again sobbing. She examined him quickly – left arm broken in few places, severe head trauma and skull fracture, 2 ribs broken, internal bleeding… Wait… how did she know all that? How did she know what was head trauma or how a broken arm looks and feels like?

Oh that's just some information I gave you, no need to thank me purples.

"But you said you were me!"

She shouted, yet again enraged.

Oh who said I was telling the truth, huh? Bwahahaha!

She ignored the voice and begun to heal Spike with her powers. She could heal almost everything, except his memory… Maybe she should also erase memory of what she did…? NO! This will make everything even worse! She can't do that! Twilight left the unconscious dragon and went to her room to finally get some rest. Maybe everything will be better after that, maybe all this will be over…

What? You really think that? Well… I'm not going anywhere, naïve little pony, I'm staying here so we can become best friends! You like that don't you? Making friends?

The voice laughed spitefully.

Aww, okay, I'll leave you alone now. Hey, I can always torment you tomorrow? How about that, eh?

Twilight didn't respond and was trying to block the voice out as much as she could… And it worked; the voice couldn't be heard anymore. She sighed, tired of everything and then blissfully fell asleep.

Location: Equestria, previously known as Earth, Ponyville, previously knowns as no data, The library tree. Present time

Twilight looked around, she wanted to look for him badly, but also knew, that she can't do it. He has to approach her himself, if she approaches him fist, he will definitely run away from her, like he did yesterday. She found him in the cellar, hiding behind some old equipment. When she moved it around to approach him, he said something that wounded her deeply.

"No! Get away from me! You monster!"

He then ran past her, to hide somewhere else. She stood in the cellar for a long time… He called her a monster… Was she really becoming one?

Well, you know, you tried to kill somepony for no reason, no? You know how such behavior is called?
"…Antisocial Personality Disorder…"

Answered Twilight.

Ding, ding, ding! Score! You see? Information I gave you did come in handy, now you can proudly call yourself a Sociopath, hehehe…

She shook her head sadly… A few of her friends tried to visit her, but she just continued to lie, saying she still hasn't finished the project from Celestia. The only thing she could do is going upstairs and reading, not coming out of her fortress, the only place that could contain her slowly changing self…