"Mmmph... So good..."

Scorn stood over the remains of the bloodbath, his expression contorted to pure ecstasy as he saw the corpses that lay before him. They were... They were everywhere, and he knew EXACTLY how he laid them out.

The first to feel his unbridled hunger was the guard after the first one he'd skewered. He bit into her throat, ripping out her jugular before turning to the next, who'd cloned herself to throw him off. Of course, the Alicorn Amulet was a magical and very powerful artifact, and it saw through the clones easily. Scorn had punched his fist THROUGH the mare's head, taking her brain out when he ripped his arm out of her skull. He bit into it as two others came at his front and back. Having seen the one from behind charging up a magical shot from her horn, Scorn used his wires to send the passage of magic into the other guard, frying her and cooking up her flesh for Scorn to eat. He tore open her stomach and gouged her intestines out, effectively ripping her in half and leaving her legs hanging in a tree.

Looking up from his meal, he saw the mare he used to fry the one he's eating standing there, shocked and appalled by what he was doing. In mere moments, he ripped through them all and devoured them like dishes at a buffet. Scorn questioned why she was still here, but the hunger of the Amulet demanded more live food, and he chased her down before she could even take a step, grabbing her arms and stabbing his wires into the biceps, cutting the tissue inside to allow him to pull off her arms without much trouble. She screamed and bellowed out in agony as he chomped down on her face, making her screaming more horrifying as all that was left under the chunks of meat was a chewed out skull with no eyes left to contemplate the inevitable gruesome death.

Having turned his eyes to the rest of the squad, they stood no chance as he ripped into each of them, the Amulet's hunger being slowly quelled with each passing kill. He now stood there, looming over his final kill while tearing into her, eating her inners piece by piece..

"So good... So... good... Who needs control... when you have an all-you-can-eat lineup at ALL times...?! The baddies... They taste the best.~ The innocent do not quell my hunger. They need not to face my jaws. No one will get hurt, and I can stave off my meals from then on. Everything will be al... alr-... Everything..."

Scorn blinked as he took in the last gulp, taking a breath as the maw that formed into his suit slowly fixed itself, closing up and becoming part of the mark yet again. As Scorn took another breath, he slowly came to his senses.

"W-What... What is... Wha-... WHAT am I DOING?!??!!"

He stepped off the corpse as he dripped with blood, his hands and legs having strings of meat falling from them. He staggered from the corpses as he felt ill, his throat burning from the bile that was coming up. He kept it down as he gripped his head.

"I-I... No... I thought I... I had it under CONTROL!!! How did...?! Last time, it was animals! It was fine... but this?! I-I... I ATE a... I ate a PERSON!!!"

His fingers clawed at his head as he roared up in mental disrepair.

"OH MY GOD, I ATE A WHOLE SQUAD OF SOLDIERS!!! WHY THE HELL DID I DO THAT!?!?!"

"Hey! I heard voices over this way!"

Scorn was snapped out of his cycle of shock and shame as he heard rushing footsteps approaching him, fast. Not able to bear the thought of being caught in this horrific scene, he did the one thing he did twelve years ago: he ran, and just in time, too. He had disappeared right before the Elements of Harmony, the Royal Sisters, the Captain of the Royal Guard, and worst of all: Zecora, came onto the scene. He could hear them screaming in shock at what they saw, and right now, that didn't matter. He needed to get away. He HAD to. He couldn't go back knowing what he'd done. He couldn't go back and look in the mirror without seeing the monster he's become ever since he put on this Amulet.

He's known for YEARS that this Amulet was bad news. He's known for damn near a DECADE that this magic was dangerous. He's putting his sanity on the line to prove himself worthy of Equus society, to keep them safe, but in the end, that was something he could not do so easily. It's different now. Scorn realized a long time ago that he had to become a lethal protector in order for this to work. There's no arguing it. The Alicorn Amulet, if left unchecked, turns him into a cannibal, and it even made his ordinary diet purely meat, cooked or otherwise. He searches for answers about his past, or tries to save a life, to keep his mind off the horrible things he could, and has now done. He was tricking himself into thinking he was OK...

If he dwelt on the horrible acts he's committed, the Ponies and creatures he's ripped apart when training to become the very name he came up with a few days ago, he was ALWAYS afraid of becomign numb to it. He's changed. He KNOWS he has. He knows that, but even though he can't stop, can't CONTROL himself, he realizes that what he's doing is wrong. That example can't be any further proven than what has happened now.

'Gotta get away... Gotta get away...'

He looked back as he passed out of the Everfree, leaving it behind as he made way towards a river near a mountainside.

'I'm sorry, Zecora...'

-----

"This way! Here!"

The mane six, Zecora, the Royal Sisters, and Ponyville's resident alchemist: Sunset Shimmer, rushed through the Everfree Forest, following signatures of a magical disturbance and the screams that could be heard all the way from Ponyville. Zecora had beads of sweat trickling down her fur. She hoped, she PRAYED, that she was wrong, that what she heard was just the screeching howls of a Timberwolf. She wanted so badly to believe it wasn't him, but as the stench of fresh death drew closer, it was becoming apparent that it was, indeed, the case.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!"

Everypony stopped as they looked back, seeing Twilight had stumbled back from a pair of... legs. A literal pair of legs were hanging in the tree by the intestines. Such a sight made everypony pale, including the Royal Sisters.

"D-Dear mother above..."

"O-Oh my god!!"

Everypony turned to Rainbow Dash as she was floating in front of the rest of the carnage. All the bodies, torn apart and looked to have been... eaten? Just the thought alone made Rarity vomit in a bush as Applejack tried to stabilize her.

"W-What kind of brute would do such a thing?! What kind of ANIMAL...?!"

Zecora knelt down by an intact body, taking a piece of the chestplate off.

"A golden plate, this is. Such a material only found upon a guard's gears."

She turned to Celestia, handing the chestplate piece to her.

"This belongs to your guards, does it not? Or this material and color, I have forgot...?"

Celestia looked over the piece.

"This material... It is the guard's brestplate, but... I swear by the sun, I did not send out my guards here. Luna, did you?"

"Neigh, sister. We did not. What reason would a band of guards have for coming out here?"

Gleaming Shield grimaced at the eaten out stomach of one of the mares.

"Better question is, what happened to them...?"

"I can reveal that myself. To show all, I merely throw this pellet found on my shelf."

She took out what appeared to be some kind of smoke explosive. Tossing it to the middle of the clearing, a mist overtook the ground. As if time reversed, the scene drew backwards, showing a quick flash of all of the events before playing out just as Scorn fell from a tree. He screamed and thrashed around, taking one of the mares out with his wires before his mask ripped at the jaw, giving way to a horrifying maw made purely of bones without flesh. It was then that the Ponies knew, or once again, understood WHY the Alicorn Amulet was so dangerous. Its origins are a mystery, but there's no denying what it will do to you once it corrupts you entirely, even for a brief period. They watched the beloved and feared hero of Ponyville EAT these guards, tearing them to shreds in horrendous and gruesome ways, taunting them the entire time. One of the mares that lost her arm crawled backwards, looking up at Scorn as he slowly stepped towards her.

"I-I don't get how you're doing this!! This isn't how things are supposed to BE! This isn't how they're supposed to happen!! You're supposed to be WEAK!! We should be taking you back to the Queens! We should be getting our praise, and you would be right back where you belong!! H-How are you doing this?! WHY are you doing this?!"

"There's no 'supposed to' or 'should be' in this situation, kid. It's only here and now, and right now, there's FLESH without END. You will satisfy the Amulet's hunger nicely. ALL of you will... and I'll enjoy savoring your flesh for later...! Now, c'mere! One little bite from your neck and you'll learn all you'll ever need to know."

Some of the Mane Six, and even Sunset and Twilight, huddled in on themselves when they witnessed Scorn lunge at the mare, literally biting clean through her neck and ripping out her veins and arteries along with the meat. He continued to eat, savoring and sloshing the blood and flesh around in his mouth as he cooed.

"Mmmph... So good..."

He took another bite as Zecora winced.

"So good... So... good... Who needs control... when you have an all-you-can-eat lineup at ALL times...?! The baddies... They taste the best.~ The innocent do not quell my hunger. They need not to face my jaws. No one will get hurt, and I can stave off my meals from then on. Everything will be al... alr-... Everything..."

Relief washed over the Zebra as she saw Scorn slowly coming to his senses, the mask losing its maw as the Amulet seemed to swallow back the sludge that seeped from it.

"W-What... What is... Wha-... WHAT am I DOING?!??!!"

He stepped off his meal, holding his stomach as he shook violently, looking down at the corpses with a fearful expression that the crew never thought a vigilante like him could make. He grasped his head tightly.

"I-I... No... I thought I... I had it under CONTROL!!! How did...?! Last time, it was animals! It was fine... but this?! I-I... I ATE a... I ate a PERSON!!!"

He looked around, growing more and more disturbed and unhinged from the sight.

"OH MY GOD, I ATE A WHOLE SQUAD OF SOLDIERS!!! WHY THE HELL DID I DO THAT!?!?!"

"Hey! I heard voices over this way!"

Scorn turned his head towards the group, making several of them flinch and shrink away. One of them was, surprisingly, Princess Celestia herself. It didn't take Scorn more than a second to turn and book it deeper into the forest at top speed. Anypony will rational thinking, Zecora herself included, could see that Scorn was panicked, both by his own actions, and being caught in the middle of this bloodbath. He ran, not looking back as far as they knew. As soon as the image faded, and they were looking at the real corpses again, Applejack was the first to speak up, along with Rainbow Dash as Fluttershy sobbed in her cyan coat.

"Wh-Wuh... What in TARNATION was that!!?"

"He-He just ATE a whole group of Ponies!!"

"W-Why would he do this?!"

Zecora shook her head as Twilight knelt down in front of one of the guards that fell before the savage might of this... bestial side of Scorn.

"It was not him that did this, not voluntarily."

Princess Luna nodded.

"Indeed. Sister and I have known about the traits and effects of the Amulet for centuries on end. Its origins may forever be a mystery, but we know that the extent of its corruption goes far beyond even the darkest foes of Equestria."

Celestia swallowed some of her own bile down as she came to grips with what she saw, rubbing her throat before speaking again.

"Yes, but, if Scorn has the Amulet, and he kept it all this time, just how many incidents have happened."

"Only one."

Everypony turned to Zecora as she sifted through her cloak.

"You heard him in the past. The human has only ever done this once before, but it did not last. We have learned how to stave off the Amulet's hunger, but any sign of weakness will enact the corruption, and everything around it will be torn asunder."

Both Princesses, and Twilight by extension, were shocked at this. The Amulet was... controllable? How? Nopony in the history of this nation has ever been able to remain stable and whole when wearing such a powerful artifact. What they've just witnessed now is proof of that, but then again... Twilight remembered the week that had passed. If Scorn was wearing the Amulet the entire time, he was, most definitely, using its powers for the right reasons. With the murder aside, he stopped a robbery, saved a filly in a well, rescued Pinkie and the Cakes, and even repaired Sugarcube Corner. Any power used responsibly like that was guaranteed to show that the Alicorn Amulet WAS controllable, and it appeared that Scorn was the best candidate and host for such a dark element.

"We have to find him. We have to show him that we mean no harm to him."

"Finding him will be difficult, for when he is frightened, he makes it impossible to consult."

Zecora motioned to Celestia and Luna.

"And if they were to find him first, it will only drive him further into his thirst."

Celestia looked down at the armored ponies, kneeling down next to Twilight and being careful not to get her Roman-designed dress bloodied.

"I still do not understand... Why are these Ponies out here...? Why was a guard squadron sent to the Everfree in the first place?"

"That's because they're not ours."

Both Luna and Celestia looked over at Gleaming Shield as she was reading a scroll sent to her.

"I sent word that there were casualties out here, and I just got a response from the General. All Royal Guard squadrons are back at the castle."

Rarity blinked.

"So then... Who are these mares?"

"I'm not sure, but unless Squad 47 back at Canterlot Castle all have twin sisters, we're looking at impostors of some kind..."

Gleaming rolled up the scroll and sent another to the castle.

"You all go. I'll have a few more guards help round up the corpses and take them back to the morgue in Ponyville. Something doesn't add up here..."

Twilight stood up.

"Right. Be careful, Gleaming. C'mon, girls!"

Gleaming Shield waved to them as they rushed through the forest, leaving Zecora and the Princesses behind with the Captain as they rushed in the direction of Scorn's departure, hoping to find him before he got too far.

-----

"Hahh... Hahh... Hahh..."

Scorn leaped through the air as he arced into the river, taking a few gulps to clear out his throat. Coming out the other side, he found his suit now cleaned from the blood. Although... that wouldn't stop Scorn from looking down and still seeing it as a memory.

'I'm starting to REALLY see why nopony would ever, in their lifetime, use this thing...'

He clenched his fist as he looked down at his hand.

'This... This needs to stop. I've proven my point already. Scorn is a revered and feared name. That's all I wanted. I'll be accepted, finally...'

He reached up for the Alicorn Amulet.

'I won't be needing this anymore...'

He gripped the emblem and tugged, blinking as the trinket didn't move. He tried again, this time pulling harder and harder, but for the life of him, it felt as if this thing was as attached to him as the braces on his arm and leg were.

"Shit..."

He pulled again, growling as he felt his skin tear.

"Shit, shit, shit, SHIT...!"

The Amulet snapped back around his neck just as soon as he was about to get it off, the skin reattaching as he clawed at it. In retaliation to his attempts, the Amulet sent a searing jolt through his body.

"YYAAAAHHHAAA!!! W-What's happening to me?! GET THIS THING OFF OF ME!!!"

He fell back into the river, flowing down the stream as he struggled with the Amulet. Soon, he came upon a rock, hitting it with force and splitting his head open. A muffled grunt came from him as he stopped fighting himself. Instead, he opted to crawl back up onto the bank, his hand clasping his head.

"Ugh... Ow..."

He shook his head as he stood up.

"It's... It's stuck..."

He poked at the gem on the Amulet, getting a flicker in return along with another burn.

"Gh-... Dammit... I guess I'm stuck with this thing for a while..."

He looked up at the sunset as it finally fell, the moon coming up in its place. With the said time of day illuminating the riverbank, Scorn shivered, despite the burns.

"Better find shelter. At least, for tonight."

He turned his cape back into a pair of wings, flying up the mountain on his left and looking for an entrance to hide himself in while he slumbered. Seeing one not too far up, he cruised for it, landing before the mouth and rubbing his arm.

"Hahhh..."

He turned towards the horizon, his eyes scanning it for any ponies looking for him. Frowning, he took a seat, rolling his shoulder as his head still dripped with his own blood. Scorn didn't care. The Alicorn Amulet won't detach from him, so he figured it wouldn't let him die either. His thoughts drifted back to the scene he ran from, his eyes shutting tightly as he remembered EVERY last detail of it. Just even the slightest hit of herbal scents made him wanna puke.

"U-Uhhh... god..."

He placed a hand on his stomach as he dismissed the suit, sighing as he sat there, alone, and beyond scared of what tomorrow will bring. It was in that fear that he actually began to contemplate... Should he had gone with Celestia and Luna back then? Sure, it wouldn't have been a good life, but it's a far cry from being... this. A pretender trying to be a hero, when in reality, he was constantly fighting himself day in and day out. He's an exposed power in a place that's supposed to make you feel safe and secure, like a nerve that's constantly throbbing with pain.

'It's a nightmare...'

Shaking his head, he leaned back against the cave wall, his eyes staring out at Equestria. Dwelling on the past didn't matter now. He chose this path, and has even faced consequences for it.

'Time I own up to them...'