I’m here.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m back in Ponyville. Only this time, the tables have turned. This time, I’m the one in control! This time, I’m gonna destroy the reason for five years of pain and misery! I grin, I’m so excited I can feel it up in my chest. That damned clocktower, the one that mocked me for so long with promises of a better tomorrow that never materialized, looms overhead as our convoy pulls to a stop in the middle of the town square. I hop down at last, ignoring the cries and the begging from the cages as I step out into the open air, taking no small satisfaction from trampling the small, immaculately-kept flowerbed by our wheels.

“S’quiet, my liege,” the changeling at my side announces with a quick salute. “Scouts report that everypony seems to be taking cover inside.”

“Cowards,” I whisper, though this doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. I knew exactly what the reaction to my convoy would be, and planned accordingly. “Have the soldiers go house to house, bring everypony out. And I do mean everyone: if a single pony is left behind, I will have the soldiers responsible doing pushups on my bedroom floor until I get tired of watching them, then they’ll be doing laps until sundown.”

“Of course, my liege,” the changeling bows and flies off as I watch him. General Hictus is one of my finest soldiers. No questions, no stammering, no excuses. Still, I do sense the trepidation in the way he carries himself as he leaves. Not that I fault him for that: he knows what’s coming, and it’s nothing like what he signed up for. Being at my side in storming Chrysalis’s keep? Sure. Coordinating the largest military occupation in this planet’s history? Why not? But this…none of my lings are even certain they want to be here. Don’t want their names to be associated with the total destruction of an entire village. But this is necessary. If my soldiers had been there two or three years ago, if they saw, if they knew, they’d understand.

I know they would understand.

I’m sure they would.

I push my thoughts aside as the square starts to fill up with ponies, most of them being herded along, some being led out of their homes at the tips of spears. One or two turn on my changelings and try to fight, only to receive the flat of a spear to the side of the head and a swift removel to a predetermined location outside of town. The disappearance of any troublemakers has its intended effect: after a while, the ponies just shuffle along in silence, finding themselves hemmed in by the very same buildings they’d greedily hoarded to themselves all those years ago.

When the square is filled, the ponies all jostling one another against the pink-tinted bricks and wood of the buildings around them, I stand on a large crate provided by a couple of soldiers, raising my hands for quiet. The whole square turns to me, immediately falling silent, fear in their eyes. I can’t help but grin. So I have your attention now, you little shitbags?

“Citizens of Ponyville!” I announce. “At long last, it is time to pay for your crimes!”

Murmurs and panicked whispers pass through the crowd. This is what I’m here for: panicked whispers, quivering gasps, cries for mercy. Music to my ears.

And then, one little brown-coated pony stands up. “The only crime I see here is you trespassing in my town, monster!” He announces, glaring at me from behind a hoof levelled my way.

He turns back to the crowd with a smile on his face, obviously expecting some form of support from his neighbors. Yeah, I’m sure that bunch of sniveling cowards will offer up their hooves for him. As expected, all he gets are wide-eyed stares and fearful glances. Confused, he turns back to face me, shrinking back at the sight of my clenched fists, which are shaking at my side as a dozen changelings level their spears upon him. All that bravado leaves in a damn hurry as my guards close in. “I-I said…” he shivers, swallows, and continues with his ears folded down. “Y-you monsters should just…just…”

“Just what? Run off and die in the woods somewhere!?” I bark, but already the tension is leaving my body, my fists unclenching. I’m regaining control. I meet his eyes with a maniacal grin. “No thanks. Been there, done that. It’s good of you to volunteer for our little demonstration, though.”

In a rush, two burly changelings literally pick the pony off his hooves and physically carry him to the stage, the ponies around them only clearing a path, not even lifting their heads to offer a nod or a smile. Fucking cowards. Too fearful of retribution to be caught offering one of their own even the tiniest bit of moral support. Have I mentioned yet how badly this town needs to be erased?

“Our first volunteer!” I announce gleefully as the pony is dropped at my feet with a loud ‘oof.’ “And what might your name be, my li’l pony?”

The pony scans the crowd, desperately searching for any help from the sea of downtrodden, fearful expressions. When none is evident, he turns to me and rears up on his hind hooves, the effect somewhat lessened by his wavering eyes and folded-down ears. “I’m Peanut Brittle, and h-how dare you trespass in my town like this!?” He squeaks.

My eyes narrow. That was a very poor choice of words on Peanut’s end. I think he realizes this as he shrinks back. “How dare I!?” I bellow, now rearing over him. “How dare you!? After years of rejection, years of throwing rocks at me after I only poked my head in, you dare stand there and lambast me for setting my foot in town!? You dare stand there and self-righteously hold your head up again!?”

“What are you even going on abo…” and then there’s that shiver once more, that weird flickering of the eyes I saw in the courtroom at Canterlot. He looks up at me, terror replacing what remained of that haughty, self-righteous hatred. “Oh my sweet Celestia, it’s you.”

“Oh good, you do remember,” I grin evilly, my head cocking unsettlingly. “Here, I was worried this town had totally forgotten me.”

“I-I’m…”

“But that’s all water under the bridge,” I wave a hand dismissively. “What’s say we forgive and forget here, hmm?”

“R-really?” Peanut’s voice quivers with a pathetic gleam of hope, one I just can’t fucking wait to crush.

“Mmh-hmm, in fact,” I clamp a hand roughly on his shoulder and squeeze, earning a pained squeak. “I’m gonna do you an incredible favor: I’m gonna make you stronger than you’ve ever been in your entire life.”

As he quivers under my grip, one of my changelings steps out of the Town Hall behind us, carrying a large, bound book in his magic. I grin. Thank God for modern bureaucracy. Cradling the tome in my hands, I start flipping through it, finally pausing at the ‘P’ section.

“Peanut Brittle, right?” I ask, my finger pressed into his name on the page.

“Y-yeah,” he stammers.

“Owner of Peanut’s Delights? Right here in the town square?” I ask, noting the address in the book before looking out over the crowds’ heads, scouring the area for the café.

“Yes, th-that’s it,” Peanut replies.

“Wouldja mind pointing it out to me? My eyesight’s not what it used to be,” I casually run my fingers through my hairline, making the scar all the more prominent.

After gaping at me for a second, he lifts a quivering hoof in the direction of a small café at the rear of the crowd. There’s a deli counter inside, and outside is a tiny dining area, adorned with oversized pinstripe umbrellas and wooden picnic tables.

I nod, and with a few motions to the changelings at my side a group of my soldiers salute and immediately start herding ponies away from the storefront. A half-dozen of the changelings break from the main group and advance on the store, eyes locked ahead.

“What’s happening?” Peanut asks weakly, his jaw quivering as the question leaves his mouth. “What’re they doing to my house?”

“Husshhhh,” I whisper, keeping a firm hand locked on his shoulder while the other strokes his mane. “This won’t take a sec. It’ll all be over soon.”

He shivers under my grasp, but doesn’t reply. As I kneel at the pony’s side, I announce: “Commander!?”

“Yes, my liege!?” The changeling standing just behind the half-dozen at the café shouts back to me.

I grin at him. “Begin when ready!”

He grins back, then raises a hoof in the air. It hovers there for a second, then drops, and the six changelings in the dining area break into a full-on riot. Umbrellas are yanked out of their holds, busted over knees, and tossed aside. Chairs and tables are scooped up and rammed through doors and windows, shattering them. Shards of glass fly everywhere as, with a burst of green magic, the pinstripe canopy over the dining area is engulfed in flames. The air fills with charred, flaming remnants as the canopy blackens and falls away, igniting what tables haven’t already been smashed up and thrown aside. When the changelings finally pause in their destruction, the dining area is clear of everything but a couple broken umbrellas and smashed, blackened table legs.

“M-my home,” tears streak down Peanut’s cheeks as he tries to stand, but my hands press him back down, his quaking knees no match for my strength.

“Wait…stop!” He chokes, his eyes wide with horror and tears. “That’s my home! You can’t! That’s my home! Please!”

“Husshhhh,” I repeat, once again stroking his mane with one hand while the other keeps him down. “It’s almost over, just husshhh…”

A few moments later, my changelings barge out of the building, trailing embers. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what they’ve been doing, the flickering orange glow following them is plenty clear on its own. Peanut stops struggling at last, settling back on his haunches, tears shining on his cheeks as he watches flames spring up around his livelihood. “Please…” he whispers one last time.

“None of that now, no tears,” I reply, wiping gently at his muzzle with the edge of my tunic’s sleeves. “It’ll all be over soon, and when it is, you’ll never feel pain again. Remember that? When I promised to make you stronger?”

The upper floor of Peanut’s Delights bursts into flame, the windows exploding outward with a crash and a rolling lick of fire. Without even looking at me, Peanut’s head rocks back and forth in a slow nod.

“Well, from this point forward, no other pain will even compare to what you are feeling right now, right at this very minute,” I whisper right into his ear, playing the devil on his shoulder: a demonic voice to haunt his dreams forever after. “From now on, every emotional obstacle that seemed so insurmountable before will look like chickenshit when compared to this moment, this loss, right here. Isn’t that just wonderful?”

Another numb nod, I’m not even sure he’s hearing me, but hell, I’m on a roll! “And do you know how I know these things, Peanut?” I ask.

A shake of the head this time. Oh good, someone’s still awake up there.

“It’s because I know what it’s like to realize the only home you’ve ever known is gone forever, and what’s taken its place is a cold, harsh, unforgiving mockery of everything you loved,” I shake my head sadly. “I can’t go back to Earth, you see: the portal I used to get here was a one-way ticket. Equestria was meant to be my new home. Too bad you little shits denied me that.”

I tap my chin in thought. “Of course, I didn’t watch everything I love and cherish go up in smoke in front of my eyes either, but then again, I came to the realization that everything I truly cared about was gone forever while shivering alone in a cold, dark cave, clothed only in a few tatters of clothing while my body wasted out from under me. So I guess it all evens out in the end, wouldntcha say?”

Peanut’s glazed, haunted stare turns to me, his head slowly swiveling on the end of his neck so his tear-filled eyes can lock with my own. “What are you?” He whispers with a quivering, gasping voice.

I grin predatorily before I make my reply: “You know all that shit you Equestrians have been locking up in the dark all these years because you didn’t want to deal with it?” I ask with a grin so wide it unsettles me just making it. “I’m something the dark has sent back.”

Patting his head, I turn him towards the crowd, sending him to join the crowd of gape-mouthed, staring ponies watching the café burn in front of them. They hardly notice the changelings fanning out among the other buildings lining the square and unlocking doors with hidden keys and lockpicks, at least until the first window crashes outward with a gout of flame.

“H-hey!” A rose-tinted pony gasps, not daring to gallop out of the crowd but levelling a hoof at a building wreathed with flames. “That’s my flowershop! You can’t burn that!”

“My house!” Another pony screeches, eyeing a column of smoke rising over the town. “That’s my neighborhood!”

“Where’s all the smoke coming from!? Are they…they wouldn’t, would they!?”

All eyes turn to me, wide, terrified, hopeless. I grin at them. “We so would.” I reply, standing up on my platform again and facing the crowd. “Now citizens of Ponyville, I guess all these pesky buildings simply have to go. Lots of plans for this area, you see. That doesn’t mean you’re welcome here, however.”

“Wh-what’re you talking abo…” a mare in the front starts, then a pebble sails through the air and glances off her shoulder. She winces, rubbing at the sore spot while turning to the offender: one of my changelings, already bending over to scoop up another rock.

“You heard ‘im!” The changeling hisses, winding up his next throw. “Go on! Get outta here!”

The mare steps back, watching this first changeling in horror, not even noticing the other changelings fanning out around the square, scooping into rock piles that had been made beforehand and rummaging through garbage pails. Nopony notices, that is, until the first rotten apple slice bursts against a stallions face and sprays everypony around him with decaying, browning gunk.

“Git! We don’t wantcha here!” Another changeling shouts, sending a hunk of rotten orange into the crowd.

“You’re not welcome, freaks!” Yet another screams, firing another scattering of rocks and pebbles into the confused and agitated crowd, the ponies now hurrying towards the exits. Some head towards Sweet Apple Acres, only to meet an impervious wall of changeling shields, blocking them from moving any further. Panic starts to rise in the crowd as more and more blockages are met, the ponies bouncing ineffectually off the shields, turning around, only finding more flying rocks, shouted insults, and the rising smoke columns rolling off their homes.

“We don’t wantcha here!” More changelings scream in unison, hurling rocks and garbage, building up the panic as the crowd is funneled along, down the streets, towards the only exit I’ve left them: the Everfree Forest.

“Not welcome!”

“Freaks! Rejects!”

“Get out!”

“PLEASE!”

That last one comes from behind me, and I whirl in place to spot a certain yellow pegasus, pressing her muzzle through the bars of her cage, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Please!” She screams again. “Please, stop!”

My eyes narrow in her direction. “Do you have any idea how many times I begged these townsponies the same exact thing?”

Her jaw drops open as she scans the square, her gaze dropping with recognition.

“Oh, so you finally see?” I ask, chuckling. “Yes, I am just chasing the townsponies out with the same methods they used on me every time I showed up to beg for a place to stay, or a warm bed, or just a bit of work to save up a smidgeon of cash. Nothing I’m doing now hasn’t already been done to me a thousand times over.”

My gaze narrows further as I stalk to the little yellow pegasus’s cage, glaring at the quivering, crying form inside. “Be grateful that I’m only making them taste their own medicine, I could be a thousand times more cruel.”

There’s that shimmer again in those massive, blue eyes, a quick gasp, and a whine builds up in the back of Fluttershy’s throat. It starts small, slowly building up, obviously moments from becoming a wail. I scoff, but still turn away, striding back to the center of the rapidly-emptying square, scooping up a few rocks and pitching them at the back of the crowd stampeding away. My anger at each of the Six may still burn in my heart, but that doesn’t mean I want to stick around and watch one of them cry over a lost building or a burning home, I’m no…

“I’m sorry!” Fluttershy cries from her cage. I pause in my throwing, a few rocks slipping free of my grasp. “I’m so, so, sorry! I don’t know why…I don’t…I’m so sorry!”

I don’t even turn around as my hands settle at my side, listening, even as the last of the crowd hurries away. “I-I don’t know why I did what I did! It goes against everything I’m supposed to stand for! Other ponies just said…I got scared…” Fluttershy babbles and chokes, her chest heaving, the last of her breath going into these words. “E-even now, when I try to look back, it feels all gray and different - but that’s no excuse! It shouldn’t have mattered what other ponies said, I’m supposed to care for helpless creatures everywhere! I’m sorry! I’m so, so, sorry!”

Listening to her weeping, something shakes inside of me. My heart quakes inside my chest. The rocks in my hand drop to the ground as my grip weakens. I gaze around in a panic, watching the smoke columns rise, the flickers off in the distance, the flames racing around the structures around us. I…what…what the hell am I…

Then the old, black rage fills in, and my heart steadies. It may look bad now, but this is not wanton destruction. This is justice. Justice for bigotry, for the downtrodden of the world, for every dark day these living mockeries of harmony have brought to the lives of the defenseless. Of course it looks bad, these ponies are designed to look good and adorable and loving!

But looks can be deceiving.

I know that better than anybody else.

I turn and glare into the six forms quivering in cages behind me. “Your turn,” I whisper through gritted teeth.