He ran the instant Rarity got hurt. I think he knew what I’d do when I found out, so he made a beeline for the trains and caught the first one to Ponyville. That wouldn’t have helped him, of course. I can outrun any train, and I would have plucked him from it in an instant and broken him like a twig. But I was carrying Rarity to the hospital, and then I was by her side that night. He had plenty of time to run.

And who did he run to? One guess. I’ll give you one guess as to who he went to for help in his arrogance and desperation.

Twilight.

He could have gone to Canterlot to beg for Celestia’s assistance. He could have thrown himself on Luna’s mercy in her domain, although she might have thrown him off a cliff. Or he could have gone to the Crystal Empire to beg Cadence and Shining Armor for—

Actually, Shining Armor would have killed him with his own hooves. So it made sense that he chose Twilight. She was the closest, and Celestia was touring an undead-struck town with her Royal Guards. Twilight was his only choice, really.

But still, I can’t imagine what he said to her. The truth, probably. Twilight’s a bit of an egghead, but even she can’t be lied to so easily. And though I’m sure she would have loved to beat him half to death herself, she knew I was coming. And she knew what I would do.

I’ll give Twilight credit: when the chips are down she moves fast. Within minutes she had fliers sent out to the Wonderbolt headquarters in Cloudsdale and opened up magical communications with Celestia and Cadence for support.

I don’t know what their reaction was to hearing about what he had done. I suspect they were equally outraged, but in they shared the same position as Twilight. Regardless of his crimes, cold-blooded murder could not be condoned so he had to be protected from my wrath until a trial could be arranged.

They were just lucky Luna wasn’t part of those discussions or she might have tried to kill him herself. I always liked her a bit more than Celestia, to tell you the truth. Being a Princess is fine, but Luna seems to have a lot more fun, y’know? And Celestia’s too full of good ideas.

Like sending him to the Crystal Empire.

Does that sound like a stupid idea? It might, but not if you consider that the only object in Equestria that might stop me is the Crystal Heart. It alone has the power to create magical force fields, and combined with Cadence’s love magic and Shining Armor’s own shields, that could probably stop even me.

Certainly, Twilight couldn’t. I know she’s the Element of Magic and all, but she was never the fastest pony with her horn and she’s got terrible aim. Frankly speaking, Starlight Glimmer is better than Twilight at fighting and I kicked her tail once already. And even if Twilight was powered up like when she fought Tirek…

An even match. No; I’d win in the end since I can come back as many times as I need to. That’s how strong I am, I guess.

So the Crystal Empire was his only bet. Trouble is, it’s a long way to the Crystal Empire by train. Half a day’s journey in fact. So the new problem was how to protect him until he got to his destination. And for that, Twilight called in the Wonderbolts.

When I left the Manehatten Hospital nearly six hours had passed since I had rushed her to the emergency room. It took me almost another hour to figure out where had had gone. I searched all of Manehatten first, and then the surrounding countryside like an idiot before I used my head and checked in with Twilight. From there and from eavesdropping in spirit form, I found out that he was on an empty train to the Crystal Empire guarded by as many Royal Guards and every Wonderbolt not currently on a mission.

The reason I found all this out was because Twilight was busy having a shouting match with Pinkie Pie in her castle. She was in favor of trying to talk me down again, and Twilight was adamant that I wouldn’t listen. She knew me well.

As I hovered beside Pinkie Pie and Twilight they revealed everything I needed to know. Except where he was, of course. But if I just stayed with them, one of them would shout it out in their anger eventually.

Except…

Twilight was shouting at Pinkie with tears in her eyes when I saw Pinkie shiver. Her ear twitched. Her left hoof began to shake. Her mane bounced twice. Then she sneezed.

Oh horseapples. I forgot about the Pinkie Sense. And she—

Pinkie looked up and around. Her eyes narrowed at first, and then widened with shock. Twilight was busy ranting about how the convoy was the best solution and how I hadn’t even appeared yet. Pinkie slapped a hoof over Twilight’s mouth, but it was too late. I knew. And I would not be stopped.

“Rainbow, stop!” Pinkie shouted in vain into the air as Twilight looked around, bewildered. But I was already gone. My soul was…I can’t get as angry as I could in life. Glands, and all that. But something in me was dark. Very…dark. And it frightened even me. But the rage was all that consumed me, and Rarity – I could still see her face.

I passed by Spike as I flew out of the castle. The poor kid was staring at a wall, eyes red from crying. More pain. He had never liked Rarity getting married, but he’d realized he was too young to win her hoof. And now…

So young. I never thought of it that way, but he was far too young for all the responsibilities Twilight placed on his shoulder. How old was he? Twilight had known him since she was a filly herself but…

He was innocent. Maybe it’s just that dragons don’t age as quickly as ponies, which is obvious, but Spike was always a kid to me. And his love for Rarity was uncomplicated and nice. If there was anyone who should have ended up with her, it was him. Instead, she fell in love with a mare that died and another who…

I left the castle rather than witness his grief. It was just as well that he was there, far away from him. That way Spike wouldn’t see what was about to happen.

----

My journey across hundreds of miles takes mere seconds. But every second to me is another reminder of failure, every moment another eternity holding Rarity’s hoof in mine. I see her blood. I see her dying.

He swore to be with her. To hold her, and cherish her until death did him part. And I will hold him to that.

Vengeance is in my heart, death in my hoof. Blood and revenge are hammering in my head.

So I fly.

----

I found the train two full hours out from the Crystal Empire. The landscape is not yet the freezing tundra of the icy wasteland, but the world has grown barren, colder. Few ponies live here, and the only movement in this place is the train running full throttle across the grey tracks. That and the massive escort of blue Wonderbolts flying in formation above it.

My deathly senses reveal everything to me that my eyes can’t see. Wonderbolts in the air, and a full unit of Royal Guards in the train, surrounding him. Every pony is alert, ready for my appearance.

For some reason the Grave Wardens aren’t part of the escort. Has Applejack ordered them to stay out of this? Well, it doesn’t matter. They won’t be able to stop me, any more than the Wonderbolts will.

I materialized out of the air a hundred feet over his head. True, I could appear right next to him in an instant, but I want him to see me coming. I want him to fear, to suffer in his last moments before I punish him.

Credit where credit’s due – the Wonderbolts spotted me after only a second, and immediately sounded the alarm. The entire flight group begins circling the train, forming a living barrier between me and him. Useless.

But one Wonderbolt breaks off from the rest. I can tell in an instant who it is.

Fluttershy. She flies at me in a straight intercept course. Her mouth is open, and I can hear her shouting at me already, beseeching me. But I close my ears. No words will stop me. Not today.

But still she flies at me. And it’s not to block my way, either. I can see it in Fluttershy’s posture, the heavy beat of her wings. She’s going to try to knock me out of the sky.

If I were alive, I might have applauded Fluttershy’s courage. But not right now. I watch Fluttershy fly at me calmly. Will I strike a friend? If it means catching him…but I don’t have to. I can ignore her, hit one of her wings and take her out of the air.

Fluttershy is a hundred meters and closing fast. But another blur intercepts her. An orange streak of motion.

Spitfire.

“Fall back, Fluttershy!”

I can hear Spitfire’s roar even at this distance. I see her pointing down to the train, ordering Fluttershy back. She refuses. Meek Fluttershy is actually arguing with Spitfire. But for all her assertiveness, Spitfire won’t be dissuaded. Reluctantly, Fluttershy flies back and the Wonderbolts rally around her. They form a wall between me and the train, Fluttershy at its center.

And Spitfire? She approaches me.

I swoop towards the train slowly, giving him time to realize I’m coming. My eyes can pick out the Royal Guards in the windows of the train even this far away, running back and forth desperately trying to prepare some kind of defense. I barely notice Spitfire as she shouts at me, and only stop when she puts herself right in my way.

Spitfire doesn’t flinch when she meets my eyes. Credit to her for that. But as I gaze at my former hero and role model, I don’t feel any kind of the feelings I had in life in me. No wonder, no awe and desire to impress her. Not even any happiness or warmth at seeing her face. She’s just an annoyance. She’s in my way. And she’s talking.

“I know you can understand me, Rainbow Dash.” Spitfire hovers in the air between me and my target. I watch the train accelerate, running beyond full-steam as the conductor desperately tries to get closer to the Crystal Empire. Useless. I move to dive towards the train, but Spitfire is suddenly in the way. She blocks my path.

“Listen to me, don’t do this. Let him go and we’ll try him under Equestrian law.” Spitfire tries to push me back, but she is far too weak. I could knock her away with one hoof, but I’m busy calculating my descent. “All you’re doing is making things look worse! We can’t let you hurt him, do you understand?”

I’ll have to time it perfectly to hit the train with a Death Boom. Obviously, I could simply destroy the whole train in one go, but I want him alive. Plus, I didn’t want to hit Fluttershy by accident. The other Royal Guards and Wonderbolts can go to Tartarus for all I care.

“Rainbow Dash!” Spitfire shouts at me. But she is dust in the wind. As am I. And while he lives, nothing else matters.

I dive, ignoring Spitfire’s cry of warning to the other Wonderbolts. They can’t stop me.

I plummet like a rock, gaining in speed with every millisecond that passed. The train looms large in my vision, still gathering momentum as it raced towards the Crystal Empire. How laughable. How slow. Compared to my speed, it is standing still. I accelerate towards the Sonic Deathboom, aiming for the section of the train where I knew he was hiding—

And something smashes into me in midair. I’m sent crashing to the ground so hard my bones crack from the impact. I stand up in the crater of dirt and look around for my attacker. She flies lower and hovers in the air above me.

Spitfire.

I have to admit it, that surprised me. I never expected anypony would be able to catch me while I was doing a Sonic Deathboom, but Spitfire isn’t Captain of the Wonderbolts for nothing. She hit me right as I was accelerating, and hard enough to cripple a normal pony. But I am no normal pony, and even as Spitfire lands in front of me I forced my body to regenerate. My broken bones snapped back into place and the fractures healed in a matter of seconds.

“I don’t want to do this, Rainbow Dash,” Spitfire pants at me. She’s set, ready to hit me again.

I get up slowly and look at her. Fast. I’d always known Wonderbolts were fast, but even their best fliers couldn’t come close to Sonic Rainboom speed. But she’d caught me. How…?

No matter. I flap my wings and leap into the air. He is my target. Nothing else matters.

“Rainbow!” Spitfire pursues me as I fly backwards, gaining speed for the Sonic Deathboom once more.

Fast. Faster. I lose spitfire after a few seconds and turn, curving my path towards the train again. I’m nearly at the Sonic Deathboom, and I can feel the world warpoing around me. I can feel the barriers weaken, the world begin to scream—

Thud.

No, not thud, not really. It’s more like the sound bones and organs make as they rupture and tear themselves apart. But that’s what it felt like.

I was staring at the train, accelerating at it so fast that the world around me was a black tunnel as I approached it. I felt the Sonic Deathboom gather around me, and then…thud.

I open my eyes and find myself looking at the dirt. Huh. Have I fallen? What happened? But I’m on the ground. I should be flying.

I try to flap my wings. Good. They’re still there. But my body is unbalanced. I try to twist my neck, but it’s broken. I repair that and look around. I see my wings, intact and my front hooves twisted and broken likewise. But I have no legs. My lower torso is gone, torn away. I see it lying on the ground three hundred feet away.

Spitfire lands in front of me, gasping for air. Her face is pale, her wings quivering with the effort of moving so fast. But she did it again. Somehow, she predicted when I’d hit my Deathboom and struck me at the right moment.

I look at her. She’s in my way. She took my legs. These are minor annoyances usually, but he is in the train. And she is getting in my way. And suddenly, I’m angry at her as well.

My legs are back and attached to my body in a flash. I stand up, and Spitfire’s head jerks upright. She puts out a wing and bars my way. Her mouth opens for another lecture. Annoying. So. Annoying.

“Rainbow Dash, st—”

My hoof connects with Spitfire’s jaw. Her head snaps back and she flips backwards, crashing into the ground ten meters away. Even then though, she gets to her feet in an instant. Shakily she runs at me. My hoof strikes her flat in the chest and she crumples in agony.

There. Done. I flap my wings. Time to end this now.

Something crashes into me and I feel my backbone snap. I twist my head, ignoring my bones snapping and see a Wonderbolt standing over me. Not Spitfire.

Rapidfire.

“Sorry Dash,” she says, “we don’t want to do this but—”

She doesn’t say anything more before I strike her from below. My hoof hits her chest and she turns white and falls down silently. Her ribs are broken. Did I mean to hit her that hard? I don’t care.

Enough. I’ve had enough with ponies trying to talk to me, to stop me. Two more Wonderbolts dive towards me, ignoring Fluttershy as she holds the main group back in their protective wall around the train. Soarin and Silver Lining. I fly towards them and strike both on the side of the head. They fall to the ground like pieces of trash. I ignore them. They’re probably unconscious, and not dead. I don’t think I did more than fracture their skulls, but I don’t care.

I only want vengeance.

But one of the Wonderbolts is still awake. Spitfire gets to her hooves shakily. Of course. I hit her hard, but if I’d really hit her hard enough to send her flying that far, I’d have broken her neck. Spitfire leapt backwards and absorbed most of the blow. Besides which, jaws are tough. Spitfire is tough.

And she was in my way again. I meet Spitfire’s eyes as she flies to block my way. She flinches at the look in my eyes, but only that. She doesn’t move.

“I can’t stop you,” she mumbles, “but I can slow you down.”

No. She can’t. I fly forwards and Spitfire flies backwards. But she’s too slow to run away from me.

My hoof raises and lowers. Spitfire plummets to the ground, her jaw broken in two places now. And I’m flying towards Fluttershy and the others. Fast. Faster. Fast enough to break the train and two so I can pluck him from the wreckage and—

An orange streak. A flash of blue. I see it out of the corner of my eye.

Crunch.

This time it’s my wings. I feel them ripped away by her strike even as I fall. The ground is below me, closing in. I don’t close my eyes. I don’t fear death. I have already died. I strike the ground hard enough to break the earth.

Again, I feel my bones break and shatter. Again, I force my body to repair itself, costing precious seconds. And Spitfire is in my way again.

And that’s when I lose my temper.

----

I stopped hitting Spitfire when she stopped moving. I guess that was five…ten minutes later. It’s a bit unclear, behind the haze of rage that clouded my mind and vision. All I know is that when I came back to myself, I was standing in a ring of broken Wonderbolts, standing over…

Spitfire.

Her injuries were bad. I’ll just leave it at that. And I wouldn’t care. I didn’t care, even if she lived or died. Maybe in life I would have…? Yes, I’m sure I cared about Spitfire when I was alive. It’s a distant memory now in any case. But I only felt angry she’d kept me in one place for so long. But the guilt came when I saw Fluttershy.

She was spared. I guess that even in my rage I hadn’t raised a hoof against her. But she was standing among her fallen comrades, their blood on her face, her mane, her fur. And the look in her eyes—

Ah, gods. It hurt more than anything.

No, I take it back. It hurt almost as much as anything I’d ever felt. Save for one. And that was watching as He hit Rarity.

So I fly. And this time there’s no one to stop me.

----

Screaming. I can hear the last Royal Guard choking on his own blood. It’s only a broken nose and a broken leg. Fluttershy pulls him to safety even as the train engine finally explodes from all the damage. I ignore the flames and heat as the explosion catches me. A shame, perhaps. This was the very train my friends and I rode around to so many of our adventures. But the engine would be useless anyways. The train is in pieces, the carriages bent metal, the tracks twisted and ripped out of place.

Only one part of the train remains intact. The car he is in. And the Royal Guards that stopped me have all been broken. So he’s all that’s left. Him and Fluttershy.

But she won’t bother me. I can see her out of the corner of my eye, dragging the Royal Guard to safety. She limps as she pulls at him. After all, she’s only got three hooves. And her wings are broken, so she can’t fly. My heart is ice. My soul is cold. If she hadn’t gotten in my way, maybe I wouldn’t have had to—

Focus. I push the meaningless thoughts out of my head. He’s in there. I can sense him there. All else is worthless.

The door is locked. He must have bolted it after the last Royal Guard exited. As if that would mean anything to me. I pull the door off the hinges, ignoring the screaming metal. I only have ears for his screams.

And he is screaming already. Begging, rather. He’s pleading for anypony to help him, for Celestia to save him, for Twilight to rescue him. He’s apologizing, crying for help, saying he never meant to hurt her, hurt Rarity—

I’m on him in a flash. My hoof strikes his face and he flips over, crying out in agony. But I haven’t hit him that hard. The rest is yet to come.

“S-stop! Please! I’ll do anything, anything! I’m so sorry! I never meant to hurt h—”

Words. Everypony keeps using them as if they mean something. I strike his chest, then hit him twice in the stomach. Not hard. I only use the strength I would have in life. Even so, he doubles up in pain and vomits.

“Please. Spare me.”

I kick him in the face. Then I kick him in the sides, in the back of the head. I don’t stop kicking him until I draw blood. Then I hit him some more. First I hold back. And then I don’t.

But…

It’s not enough. Even when he screams and things break, it’s not enough. I try ripping bits of hair out of his mane, throwing him against the walls of the train, slapping him. But even when he begs and screams louder than before, it’s not…

Not enough.

Yes. How could this be enough? Hurting him – how could that make up for Rarity’s pain? Even if I simply killed him, how would that make up for even hurting her a bit? How would that satisfy my rage?

No. No. There’s something burning me. Something dark. Something oozing in me. Something deep. And it wants something else. It has a name. It’s burning in my soul, making me alive.

Hatred.

What’s this feeling? He’s screaming, but the sounds don’t bother me. No. Something else is in me. A feeling. A memory.

Am I? Yes. I am. He tries to drag himself away. I pin him with one hoof and lift him towards me. Yes. I remember it.

I’m hungry.

My mouth opens. Wide. Wider. My bones reshape themselves. Yes, I’m hungry.

I’m hungry for guts.

…

I finished eating a few seconds before Fluttershy arrived. I didn’t eat much, really. Just enough. Enough so that they couldn’t put him back together.

She didn’t even say a word. I saw her burst through the train’s window and then she hit me hard enough to shatter my skull. I didn’t bother regrowing my face.

My corpse falls, headless to the floor. But it doesn’t dissolve into dust. It is full of guts. It is full.

And so am I.

I can feel his life in me. No. I can feel his pain. His suffering is mine. And I am sated on it. I live for the first time in death. I feel alive.

I am full. But I’m hungry again as well. I want more. More life. More living. More vengeance. Fluttershy stands over my corpse and what remains of him, weeping. I want to eat. I want guts. I want to eat her.

She’s so vulnerable. My corpse stirs. It can still move. I can still move. If I regrow my head I can eat. I can eat and eat and I’ll be alive.

I want to eat Fluttershy. I don’t care anymore. He hurt Rarity. He hurt my heart. I want to eat. I’m hungry.

So hungry. So hungry. So hungry hungry hungry—

Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungr—

What’s wrong with me?

Fluttershy looks around. I stare at her, my mouth open, my bloodstained hoof an inch away from her head. I don’t know what she sees in my eyes, but I look into hers and see. No fear. No hatred. Just sadness. And…a final goodbye.

Who am I?

I back away, but her eyes follow me. They follow me out of the train, through the sky, as I fly, shredding my wings in a Sonic Deathboom, vomiting blood and flesh and bone, crashing into rocks, dissipating. Her eyes follow me into death, and I am haunted.

What have I become?

And as I gaze down upon what I have wrought, I know.

I am a monster.

It’s all broken. Forever. Twilight flies in, medic ponies rush to the scene. Pinkie Pie and Applejack walk into the train carriage and see. Twilight tries to enter. Applejack tries to stop her. She looks.

Spike is with her. Fluttershy pulls him away. But not before he hears Twilight scream.

It’s all over.

And the worst part of it is, even as I witness all I have held dear breaking, even as my friends look and see who I am and our bonds sever, I still feel it.

Hungry. So very hungry.

But I am alone.

And hungry.