Popped

Twilight Sparkle sat wide awake, tucked snugly under the covers of her bed. As the candle on her nightstand slowly burned down, she turned the page of the book in her lap. Her horn, as well as the page lit up, creating a brief burst of light that illuminated the walls around her.

A few feet away, Spike groaned and slowly opened his eyes, his dream having been cut short for the third time tonight. With one eye closed and the other halfway open, he glanced at the clock on the wall. Five in the morning.

He sat up groggily and placed his hands on his growling stomach. After debating with himself over whether or not another midnight snack was in order, Spike lifted himself out of his basket by Twilight’s bedside and began the trek down the multiple sets of stairs that led to the library’s kitchen.

Taking extra care not to let the wooden steps creak loudly underneath him, Spike tiptoed down the first set of stairs which led from Twilight’s sleeping area to the small space underneath that was usually used for research purposes. The space was filled with various scientific tools and instruments, ranging from the large, ornate telescope mounted by the window to the set of compasses ordered by size in ascending order that lay on the desk below it.

Spike placed his foot on the final step, and the wooden board produced a loud creak as it yielded to his weight. All of the other sets stairs in the library were carved out of the tree. He silently cursed the closet underneath the staircase that caused the reaction. “Just my luck.”

“Spike? Is that you?” He heard a familiar voice call from above.

Slightly surprised, Spike turned around to face the voice’s owner. Most ponies, she included, usually were still fast asleep at this hour.

Spike put his arms to his sides and looked down towards his feet. “Oops. Sorry, Twilight.” Spike said. “You’re up awfully…” he paused mid-sentence to yawn. “...awfully early.”

“That’s because I haven’t slept.” Twilight replied.

“What? Why? Are you nervous about going to Canterlot?”

“No, Spike.” Twilight said, closing the book with a huff and tossing it into an ever-growing stack by her bedside. With the addition of yet another tome, the tower wobbled from side to side before finding its balance once again. “It’s Pinkie Pie. I’m worried about her. I’m starting to think that maybe Rainbow and Applejack were right earlier today.”

“You mean yesterday?” Spike corrected, pointing at the astronomy-themed calendar on the wall.

“Whatever.” Twilight waved her hoof dismissively as she effortlessly levitated another book off the shelf. “I thought some reading would help me fall asleep, but nothing’s been able to get my mind off this! "

Spike frowned and walked over next to Twilight. “Trust me, Twi. I’m just as worried as you are, but you need to sleep! It’s five in the morning, and you need to be on the train platform in three hours! You can’t possibly lead a country while sleep-deprived.”

Twilight felt her stomach tense up at those words. Lead a country. The words ran through her mind over and over. If Pinkie Pie’s disappearance wasn’t nerve wracking enough, that sure did the trick.

“Ugh!” Twilight groaned, throwing her face into the pages of the open book in her lap. “Ay aan’t oo dis!” She said, her voice muffled by the thick pages.

Spike grabbed the heavy tome and pulled it away from Twilight’s face. “What?”

Twilight closed her eyes and slid under the covers. “I can’t do this, Spike! This is just too much! All of Ponyville is going to be depending on me to find Pinkie, and the rest of the country’s going to be depending on me to do everything else!” She turned around to face the opposite end of the bed. “I can’t handle this! I’m just not ready for this kind of responsibility!”

She sighed. “Maybe I’m not cut out to be a princess after all…”

Not hesitating for a moment, Spike climbed on top of the bed and place a hand on Twilight’s side. “Twilight, look at me.” He said, shifting his weight around to get comfortable on Twilight’s moon-and-stars patterned sheets.

Twilight complied, and turned around to face her assistant.

“You’ll be fine.” He said, smiling. “ I know you can do it.”

Twilight smiled back. “Thanks.” She looked down towards the ground as a million thoughts raced through her head at once.

“Now try to get some sleep, Twilight.” Spike said, climbing off the bed and back onto the floor.

“I’ll be fine, Spike. I’ve pulled my share of all-nighters.” Twilight said. She gently placed the book on the floor, blew out the candle by her bedside, and let her body fall backwards, confident in the fact that she would be caught by the soft mattress below her.

She closed her eyes, and…

“Gah!” Twilight yelped. Even after all these years, she still managed to be surprised by the alarm clock next to her bed. Not a day had passed where she had slept through it. Like any good alarm, it was plenty loud and obnoxious.

Twilight blinked slowly as she rose up from her bed, trying to get a few more precious seconds of sleep during the brief amount of time her eyes were closed.

Reluctantly, she climbed out of bed. She levitated a hair brush off the table and ran it through her tangled mane as she made her way down the library’s many sets of stairs, nearly tripping multiple times in her half-awake stupor.

Spike was in the kitchen waiting for her with a bowl of cereal. “Morning Twilight! Did you manage to get some sleep?” He said before stuffing another spoonful of Hay Flakes into his mouth.

“Ugh...two or three few hours, yes.” Twilight considered for a moment grabbing a quick bite to eat on her way out. She scanned her eyes across the many items that filled the open pantry. Her eyes found themselves drifting towards a clock on their way, however, and the idea was quickly discarded.

“Come on, Spike, we should leave.”

“Already? We have thirty minutes, and it takes only five to get to the train platform!” Spike protested, pointing at the clock.

“I’m not going to have this discussion with you again, Spike!” Twilight called out, already heading towards the door.

Spike crossed his arms and huffed, setting the half-full bowl of cereal down on the counter and following Twilight out the door. “I still don’t see the point of leaving this early.” Spike said, power-walking to catch up to Twilight as she strolled onto a gravel path.

Twilight looked to her side and smiled at Spike. “You never know what could happen. It’s important to be punctual.”

“There’s such thing as being too punctual…”

As soon as Twilight could see the train platform rising up from the horizon, she took notice to the decently-sized crowd of ponies that swarmed around it. They were just milling around, as if waiting for something to happen.

The murmur of the many concurrent conversations that took place within the crowd became louder and louder as Twilight approached from afar. But after a certain point, the closer she got to the crowd, the quieter it became. Twilight almost paused mid-trot to check her ears.

The crowd dispersed into two sides once Twilight came close enough, forming a clear path that lead to the train platform. They each bowed down in respect as Twilight trotted past them. These were her peers, the ponies she’d been living with for almost four years. Now that they were bowing down to her, Twilight couldn’t help but feel slightly uncomfortable.

Behind the crowd was a large, ornate chariot pulled by two members of the Royal Guard, the same one Princess Celestia used for her trips to the many Cities and towns of Equestria. One of the two guards, a lanky, light beige pegasus, unhinged himself from the chariot’s reins and approached Twilight. “Your chariot is ready, Princess.”

“Yes, um, thank you, Commander Valor.” Twilight said with a sheepish smile. “I’ll just be a minute.”

Twilight heard two familiar voice approaching her from behind. She turned around, and saw exactly what she had expected. “Hello there, darling!” Rarity said, followed by a polite “Hello, Twilight.” from Fluttershy.

“What is all this?” Twilight said. “Did you organize this?”

Rarity laughed. “Oh, no! Of course not.” She said, waving her hoof in the air dismissively. “But the presence of a royal chariot does seem to draw out quite the crowd. We’re just here to see you off, dear!”

Twilight blushed. “I appreciate it, but-”

“Oh!” Rarity interjected, cupping a forehoof over her mouth. “You forgot your crown again!”

Twilight’s pupils dilated. “Darn it! I knew I forgot something! Tell the guards I’ll be right back!”

“Nonsense!” Rarity said, stepping in front of Twilight to stop her. “I’d be glad to run this little errand for you. Wait right here.”

“No, that’s okay, I-”

Before she could finish her sentence, Rarity had already begun trotting towards the library. “Well, I guess that’s that.” Twilight deadpanned.

Fluttershy giggled. “Even if you’re a princess, there’s no arguing with her.” Behind her, small line of Ponies had formed. Fluttershy looked behind herself, apologized, and slinked away.

“Good luck, Princess!” Said a beige mare with a curly blue and magenta mane.

She was followed by a black-coated pegasus with a minty-green mowhawk. “Good luck!” he repeated.

Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes internally. This was not a part of the schedule.

A dull orange stallion with a black stetson approached next, followed by three other mares. “Princess Twilight.” He said, his voice tired and trembling, like he was on the verge of tears. “I know you’re very busy, but,” He paused in the middle of his sentence to take a deep breath. “I would be eternally grateful to you if you could help find my daughter, Pinkamena.”

“Oh, you’re Pinkie’s family?” Twilight said nonchalantly, cringing with embarrassment immediately after the words left her mouth. Her tone seemed slightly inappropriate given the situtation.

“Yes Ma'a- er, your highness. We are.” The stallion said, bowing respectfully. “I’m her father, Igneous Rock. This here is my wife, Cloudy Quartz, and two of my daughters...” He paused a second time, closing his eyes for a moment. “-two of my, my daughters, Marble and Limestone Pie.”

Twilight felt tears of her own forming as she stared into Igneous’ tired eyes. She stepped closer to him and placed a hoof on his withers.

“Igneous, trust me when I say that I’m going to do everything within my power to find her. Pinkie is one of my closest friends. I won’t rest for an instant until I know she’s safe.”

Igneous felt a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He didn’t smile much. He was usually content, yes, but he rarely showed it. “Thank you so much, Princess Twilight.” He said, turning back to the rest of his family before Twilight could utter another word.

Before they were gone, Marble Pie ran up to Twilight and wrapped her hooves around her. “Thank you…” She said quietly, pressing herself tightly around Twilight’s chest. She looked into Twilight’s eyes and smiled before quickly running back to the rest of her family.

Twilight watched the Pie family walk away with tears in her eyes. The sight of them broke her heart.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Rarity trotted up to Twilight and placed the crown on her head. “There you are dear! Now you’re looking regal!” She said with a grin.

Still emotionally shaken, Twilight quickly wiped a foreleg across her eyes turned around with a plastic smile. “Oh, um, thank you, Rarity.”

Rarity frowned in response. ‘Is something wrong?”

“No, um…uh, I should really get going. I’ll see you two soon!” she said, quickly dismissing them as she stepped into the chariot. “Goodbye, everypony!” The two pegasi guards began running forward and flapping their wings, eventually creating enough momentum to lift the chariot off the ground and into the sky.

As the ponies below her became smaller and smaller, Twilight’s fake smile collapsed back into a apprehensive frown. She sank down to the floor of the chariot with a groan.

“Spike,” she moaned, covering up her face with her forehooves. “What am I gonna do?”

* * *

A thick cloud of steam appeared over the hissing charcoal. What used to be a brilliant campfire, alive and bright, was now reduced to a simple pile of soggy, scarred logs. Applejack stuck her head inside the warm mist, letting the water vapor soak into her fur and wash away the dirt and grime that had no doubt built up overnight.

She breathed in as she took a step back. The crisp early-morning winter air filled her lungs, brimming with the scent of the former campfire. In any other situation, Applejack would have sighed contently at the sensation. Today, however, she couldn’t find in herself to relax. The last few days had turned her life upside-down. Not only was Pinkie Pie missing, but her partner, the pony that had accompanied her on this search mission, had gone missing as well the night before.

"Where is that girl?" Applejack huffed. She puffed out her cheeks and slowly exhaled as she contemplated her situation. She had stayed up for hours the night before, fighting fatigue and waiting for Rainbow to return.

At first, Applejack had thought the stunt to be a prank. It had to be. As the Element of Loyalty, it was very unlikely for Rainbow to abandon one of her friends. She was quite the prankster, yes, but Applejack knew that Rainbow knew when to be serious. And this was definitely one of those times.

“Somethin’ ain’t right about this.” She said out loud to herself. She stared at the clump of trees where she had last seen her partner and felt a knot in her stomach. Something strange was definitely going on, but she had no idea what. Nevertheless, she put one hoof in front if the other and began a brisk trot towards the trees.

This would be so much easier if there was any snow this year for her to leave tracks in, Applejack thought in passing. Due to a shortage of the raw materials required to create snowflakes, Cloudsdale, the area’s weather controller, had been unable to manufacture any.

The morning sun filtered through the many holes that littered the forest’s canopy, covering the floor in tiny dots of orange light. If not for the situation, Applejack would have stopped to appreciate the sight. Unfortunately, there were more pressing matters on her mind at the moment, and the forest’s natural beauty went largely unnoticed.

Applejack took a step forward, but she instantly regretted it. A loud snap followed her movement, causing her to yelp and take a defensive stance. With nothing to accompany her but the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves above her, a few tranquil seconds passed, and she slowly returned to her normal posture.

Applejack was surprised at how jumpy she was. Something a simple as a loose branch snapping under her weight was enough to get her heart racing. She didn’t like to consider herself a pony with a lot of fears. She’d outgrown them throughout her life. She could remember being afraid of many things when she was a filly. Spiders, darkness, heights, the list goes on. But now, in her adulthood, there was only one thing that made Applejack uneasy.

The unknown.

“Rainbow Dash, if this is a joke, it ain’t funny!” She called out, a strange, sinking feeling in the back of her mind telling her it would reach nopony’s ears but her own.

* * *

Pinkie Pie was tucked into her bed, surrounded by the warmth of a heavy blanket and countless soft, brightly-colored pillows of various shapes and sizes. By her side was her pet alligator, Gummy. He snuggled up against her, mindlessly chewing on a lock of Pinkie’s curly, unkempt mane that was sprawled across the bed.

The fireplace cast a dim, yet warm glow upon her.

With her stomach filled to the brim with cookies, cakes, and other treats, she closed her eyes as she felt the blood rushing towards it, eager to digest the meal. She could still taste the sweet sugar on her tongue, and the smell of even more in the making wafted up to her from the busy bakery below her. A yawn soon followed, and before she knew, she was once again fast asleep.

She was safe. She was home. Everything was fine.

* * *

Hours later, Pinkie stirred from her slumber. She opened her eyes once again, but to her surprise, she was now in a drastically different setting.

The first thing that Pinkie saw after waking up was Rainbow Dash’s severed head, which still shared with her the small, confined space of the cage. Overnight, the blood that still remained inside of Rainbow’s head had bled out completely, creating a cold pool of blood that spilled out from the base of the cage and around its perimeter. Pinkie’s entire lower half was soaked with it, leaving her coat matted and teeming with disease-ridden bacteria.

It wasn’t an easy thing to wake up to. Only a few hours after her death, Rainbow’s face had already been severely distorted. Pinkie almost didn’t recognize her at first. While her fur and mane retained their bright colors, the skin under it had faded to a pale white as soon as blood flow had ceased. Her eyes, bloated to almost twice their normal size, bulged out of their sockets like over-inflated balloons. Her tongue shared the same fate, having swollen up so much that it protruded out from between her lips.

Then, it hit her. The smell.

It was unlike any odor she had ever experienced in her entire life. The stench of Rainbow’s decomposing flesh assaulted her nostrils and burned all the way down. Pinkie cupped her forehooves around her snout and held her breath, but it was already too late.

Pinkie’s hushed breathing was interrupted by the opening of her throat. “Urrggh…” She moaned, a small amount of the contents of her stomach dribbling out from between her lips.

Her head then lurched forward, and she emptied from her stomach the meal she had been fed the previous night.

Her stomach acid had burned her sensitive throat lining when it traveled up her throat. It had already been severely damaged by the shards of her own teeth that she had been forced to swallow, and the combination of the two created a painful sensation not unlike having one’s throat set on fire.

“Aaaaaghhh!” She screamed, hitting one of her forehooves repeatedly on the floor of the cage in an attempt to make the pain subside. One final round of vomit shot out of her mouth before her stomach was satisfied.

“Well, I see somepony’s awake.” Pokey said from across the room. He had been so quiet the entire time that Pinkie hadn’t even noticed him.

She would have responded to Pokey’s greeting, but she was too busy trying to deal with the pain she was in. After a minute of two, it finally died down, and she turned her head in Pokey’s direction to give him a weak glance.

“Oh, Don’t mind me, I’m just cleaning up from yesterday.” He said. “Can’t have her stinking up the whole cabin, now can we?”

When she looked at the sight before her, a sense of dread gripped Pinkie Pie as she lurched forward once again as if to vomit. Thankfully, the entire contents of her stomach had already been emptied, and she ended up simply dry-heaving instead. This was both a result of the persistent, heavy smell of decomposing flesh, as well as from watching in disgust as Pokey went about his business cutting up Rainbow’s body into smaller sections.

While Pinkie had been asleep, Pokey had already completed part of the task, having successfully removed, Rainbow’s wings, both of her back legs, and one of her forelegs. The appendages now rested in a large sack propped up against the wall behind him, leaving behind nothing but a torso with a single appendage attached.

Pokey hummed a tune as he moved the saw back and forth across the abdomen, gradually separating it into three equally-sized sections. As a result, Rainbow’s rotting entrails had spilled out of the open bottom of her torso, covering the floor in an disgustingly obscene amount of gore.

Pinkie wanted to look away. She wanted so badly to close her eyes and just wait for it to be over, just like she had when Rainbow was still fighting for her life. But strangely, she was unable. She knew that this would be the last time she would ever see her best friend, Rainbow Dash, alive or dead.

It sickened her to think of it. Pinkie Pie had never in her life attended a funeral. She had never before seen a dead body. It chilled her to the bone to see a pony just lying lifeless on the floor.

“Wh-what are you gonna do with her?” Pinkie asked. She spoke softly, trying her best to hold back tears as she listened to the sound of Pokey’s saw grinding against Rainbow’s spine.

Pokey didn’t care to look up from his work. “I’ll probably just bury her with the others.” He said, his voice muffled slightly by the surgical mask he wore over his snout. “But I don't know, it is getting a bit crowded over there. Do you have any ideas?"

“N-no…” Pinkie sniffled. “I don’t want her to go…”

Pokey laughed. “What do you mean?”

Pinkie’s throat swelled up, and her voice cracked as tears flowed from her eyes. “I don’t want her to go!”

Having completely sliced through Rainbow’s body, Pokey levitated the thick slice and levitated into to the sack. It landed inside with a sickening squish, joining the chunks of Rainbow’s back legs that Pokey had already cut apart. “I’m pretty sure she’s already gone.” he laughed coldly.

To that, Pinkie choked up again and put her head down between her haunches, allowing her tears to create a pitter-patter sound as they hit the cage’s cold metal base. “This is all my fault!” she wailed. “It should have been me!”

“What’s that now?”

“Why did she have to die instead of me?” Pinkie wailed loudly, hitting her forehead against the metal bars. “Why, why, why why, why?”

Pokey sat down and wiped the sweat off his brow. His legs ached from the pressure he had been putting on them.“Whew.” He said, setting the bloodied saw next to himself on the floor. He watched Pinkie as she loudly cried. She was completely broken.

Before him was a mare who used to bring smiles to the faces of everypony she met. The air around her used to be filled with laughter and mirth. But now, as she sat crying to herself in a small cage, disfigured and covered in wounds, Pokey wouldn’t be surprised if she never smiled again. Pokey had put her through so much abuse, both physical and psychological.

Pokey didn’t usually kill any of his victims, at least not directly. Instead, he simply waited for them to succumb to starvation, blood loss, or even disease in some cases. One of these days, Pokey would enter the basement to find only a corpse.

But Pokey wasn’t finished yet. Pinkie was still alive.

Pokey walked over to Pinkie’s cage and opened the door. “Get out.” He said sternly.

“O-Okay…” Pinkie said, her voice trembling with fear.

Pokey waited patiently as Pinkie found the physical strength to lift herself up of the ground. It was obvious that she had been in the same position for far too long. Her joints had locked up, and Pinkie had to take her time so she could stretch them and stand up.

Once she finally managed to stand up, she ducked her head down and shrank back a few inches. Pokey instinctively backed up as well, not from intimidation, but from disgust. Pinkie’s nose was dripping with snot from her crying.

“Do you want to go home, Pinkie?”

Pinkie’s eyes widened. She looked up at Pokey. “Yes! Please!” she begged. Her eyes glistened with hope.

“Good.” Pokey nodded. “I just need you to do me a quick favor. Then I’ll let you go. I promise.”

“Yes! Anything, please!”

Pokey lifted the saw off the ground and shoved the handle into Pinkie’s mouth, the force of his push almost sending her tumbling to the ground.“Finish this up for me, won’t you?” He said, gesturing toward Rainbow’s corpse. “You have one hour.”

“W-what?” Pinkie said. “You w-want me to-”

“You heard me.” Pokey said, turning to leave the cell. "I'll be back to check on you."

As Pokey walked away, Pinkie stood there, shivering in front of Rainbow’s body. Tears diluted the blood soaked into her deceased’s friend’s coat.

She was paralyzed with grief. She stared at Rainbow’s body, not wanting to believe what she was looking at. She wanted this all to big one big, scary nightmare. She wanted to wake up in her own bed, surrounded by her friends and family. The ponies that loved her.

Pokey soon returned, whip in hand. He looked at Pinkie for a second, taking note of the fact that she had done nothing but stand there and stare at Rainbow’s body for minutes on end. “What’s wrong? You want to leave, don’t you?” He said, advancing toward her. He lifted her chin up with a forehoof so that her mangled eyes met his. “Hmm?”

Pinkie’s face, tinted a rosier shade of pink than her usual color, scrunched up as she continued her uncontrollable bawling. The only sounds that came out of her were sniffles and whines. “Y-yes but, I-” she began, trying to win back her composure. “I c-can’t…”

“Don’t worry, Pinkie. Take your time. Let it all out.” Pokey said soothingly, sounding more like a therapist than a serial killer. He ran his hoof up and down Pinkie’s bony backside, causing Pinkie to shiver with disgust. Pinkie darted away from Pokey, being very clear about the fact that she did not want to be touched.

She took a deep breath, trying to console herself. “I-I don’t wanna do it!” Pinkie finally exclaimed. Her statement was followed by another violent fit of tears. “Don’t m-make me do this, p-p-please!”

“Don’t worry, I anticipated that.” Pokey said. “And I’d be glad to provide you with some motivation.” He levitated the whip in front of himself so that Pinkie could see it clearly. “Pick up the saw, Pinkie.”. With a steady magical grip, he lifted the whip up into the air, letting the long length of braided grass dangle down to the floor.

Pinkie, frail legs quivering in fear, backed up from Pokey whilst shaking her head in defiance. “No!” She screamed. “I won’t do it! I don’t want to!” She wanted to believe that Pokey couldn’t make her. She wanted to believe that she could power through whatever pain he would inflict upon her. Deep down, however, she knew that it was just a matter of time before she would be begging for mercy.

Pokey advanced toward Pinkie at the same rate that she backed away, maintaining the same distance between themselves. He felt a smile tug the corners of his lips as he watched her move closer and closer to the wall. This was a battle he would surely win. He had the power. He was in control.

He felt good.

Then, just like Pokey had predicted, Pinkie’s backside collided with the wall, causing her to let out a tiny “oof!” and collapse in a weak, quivering heap on the ground.

Pinkie looked up to see Pokey standing over her with the whip posed to strike. “No! I’m sorry!” She screamed, holding up her forehooves in front of her face in an attempt to shield herself from harm. Her voice was filled with apprehension and regret. “I’ll do it! Please don’t hurt me!”

Pokey said nothing as he threw the whip’s handle backwards and above his head. The long tail whistled a morbid tune as it soared through the air towards the tiny pink mare before it.

“No! No! I’ll- AAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOWWWW!”

Moving at an immense speed, the whip cracked loudly as it collided first with Pinkie’s face, then traveled all the way down to her abdomen, leaving a long, deep gash in its wake. The shape of the tail and the speed at which it moved allowed it to easily slice through Pinkie’s fragile skin as soon as it touched, exposing a red layer of muscle underneath.

“AAAOOOWWW!” Pinkie screamed again. She curled up into a ball and laid on her side, letting her warm blood tickle her as it dripped sideways down her side. “OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW!”

“Get up!” Pokey screamed, lifting up the whip again.

Despite the paralyzing pain, Pinkie scrambled to her hooves as fast as she could. She could barely stand as she was, and the massive gash on her face and chest did nothing to help. She made a beeline towards the saw, limping as fast as her starved and weakened legs would allow. When she finally reached it, she grabbed it with her mouth and quickly stood up above the rotting corpse.

She looked down. It was a disgusting sight to see. A small swarm of flies buzzed around the idle, bloated corpse, feasting upon the decomposing flesh. Pinkie was frozen in place, unable to accept what her single remaining eye was telling her. She couldn’t believe how quickly her life had turned into a macabre showcase of horrors.

“What are you waiting for?” she heard Pokey say from behind. His words were followed by the cracking of the whip. Pinkie closed her eyes and produced a high-pitched whine, preparing herself for the blow. Just like she had expected, the tail of the whip hit hard against her backside, and she cried loudly as it tore through her skin and muscle.

As her tears and blood alike rained down on Rainbow’s corpse, she slowly leaned her head forward and placed the edge of the saw a few inches away from where Rainbow’s forelegs began. She caught another horrific whiff of the smell, and stopped to dry heave yet again. Then, moaning with grief, she pressed her head forward still, letting the many serrated tips of the blade sink into the decomposing flesh.

She began moving her head back and forth, watching the saw move downwards at her command. The blood that had poured out of Rainbow neck as she begged for her life still stained the entire front side of her coat.

“Atta girl!” Pokey said with an ironic air of positive encouragement. “Keep it up!”

Pinkie soon began sawing through the sternum. She made various erratic breathing sounds as she simultaneously shed tears and held her breath, trying not to dry heave again from the revolting smell. As soon as she had cut open the skin, the various gases still trapped inside Rainbow’s innards escaped, rising quickly into the air and straight into Pinkie’s face. She would have asked Pokey for a surgical mask or nose plugs if not for her crippling fear of stopping for even a second, lest she be whipped a third time.

With a little bit of effort and a lot of bawling, the sternum gave way, and Pinkie was now faced with cutting through the heart. It was still and pale, having beat for the final time a long time ago. “I’m sorry, Dashie…” she whispered. She took a deep breath, cringed, and drove the saw directly into the organ.

As soon as the outer skin was severed, and jet of blood squirted out, splashing against Pinkie’s face. “Aah!” She yelled, turning to the side to spit out the amount that had found its way into her mouth.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” she mumbled softly, cutting through the rest of Rainbow’s heart. Blood gushed out as it was displaced by the saw, and Pinkie watched with revulsion as the newly-freed blood painted a new coat of red over the small portion of Rainbow’s chest that remained attached.

It was too much. Pinkie began dry heaving once again. She stood in place, bobbing her head back and forth while her body attempted to expel whatever was making her sick.

“Keep going!” Pokey screamed.

Pinkie tried to turn around and give an excuse. She barely able to open her mouth before the whip rained down upon her backside, cutting open her skin and paralyzing her with pain. Pokey whipped her without mercy and without relent, striking her not once, but four consecutive times.

With every lash, Pinkie’s back became more red and inflamed, having been transformed from a flat field of pink fur to a grotesque showcase of deep, long wounds and welts that would soon become permanent scars. Blood soaked her fur and dripped down her sides, forming small puddles on either side of her.

Pinkie tried her hardest to continue with her task, but the excruciating pain had completely stunned her. Every strike rendered her completely unable to move for a few seconds, save for her lips, which continuously released screams of pain and pleas for mercy.

The whip struck her backside one final time before Pokey stopped.

After the initial pain had subsided, Pinkie continued sawing, now having reached the spine. Every moment was filled with great physical and emotional pain.

Pinkie couldn’t believe how miserable she was. She had heard of ponies committing suicide before, and could never understand it. She could never grasp the concept of being so sad that one would want to die. But now she understood the feeling. She wanted to die.

As she cut through the hard bone of the spine, Pinkie could feel the saw’s blade coming loose. It was just a matter of time before it would fall out of the metal handle. Too terrified to say anything, however, Pinkie continued without a word, carefully positioning the saw so that the blade would stay put.

After a few minutes, Pinkie had cut all the way through Rainbow’s body. The saw fell out of her mouth and landed on the floor with a light clang.

Pokey put down the whip for a moment to levitate the slice into the sack, which was by now soaked a dull red. Afterward, he picked the whip back up with his magic and looked at Pinkie, who was moaning in misery and staring at the blood-soaked floor.

“What are you waiting for? You still need to take care of the forelegs.”

“W-what?”

“You’re only halfway there!” Pokey said, levitating the saw back into Pinkie’s mouth.

“Please, no!” Pinkie cried, shaking her head in disbelief. “Please don’t make me do this again!”

Pokey threw the whip behind him, letting it create a loud crack that sent Pinkie into a panic.

Quickly, Pinkie positioned the saw over the joint connecting Rainbow’s left foreleg to the rest of her body. She closed her intact eye. After just a few drags across the joint, the blade finally lost its grip on the handle and fell out. Pinkie quickly dodged the falling piece of metal as it made its descent.

“Um...P-Pokey, I-”

“What? What is it?”

Pinkie quickly put her head down. “The saw...it broke...” she stammered out.

Pokey stepped over and looked at the broken saw. “Hm.” He said, stepping back behind Pinkie. “Look like you’ll just have to improvise, then.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean get back to work, or I’ll add to your collection of scars.”

“Yes, Okay! I’m sorry!” Pinkie quickly replied. Thinking quickly on pure adrenaline, she picked up the wooden handle and positioned it over the exposed joint. She rammed it hard into the joint, screaming as the force of the impact also rammed the wood into her mutilated teeth. They flared up with unfathomable pain.

Pinkie arched her back backwards as she screamed in pain. “MHHMM! MHHHM!” She cursed. Her vision darted around the room, searching in desperation for a better way to go about separating the dangling limb. The task was nearly impossible, however, thanks to her single eye’s inability to perceive depth. She wobbled back and forth as her head did the same.

This didn’t last very long, however. A hard lash with the whip abruptly ended her futile search. “mmmmMMHHAAAAOOW!” She hollered, the bloodcurdling scream beginning muffled and transitioning suddenly into an all-out roar when the handle fell out of her open mouth.Pinkie quickly bent over to pick it up again, and another lash with the whip followed.

The pain all around her body was unbearable. She collapsed onto the floor, hitting her bottom jaw and forcing her mouth closed. Her sharp, jagged teeth were driven directly through her tongue, prompting yet another chilling scream.

Pokey frowned. Why didn’t I think to record this? He thought, silently cursing to himself. It was already too late. If he left now, he would miss the good parts.

“I’thm thowie! Thop! I’thm thowie!” Pinkie begged. Fresh blood dribbled out of her open mouth as she simultaneously bawled and attempted to lift herself up again.

Pokey laughed and clapped his hooves together with glee. “Aww, what’s wrong? Did you bite your tongue?” He made no effort to hide the excitement in his voice.

Pinkie looked down as she nodded. “Pleath help me…” She moaned.

“Ha! Oh, that lisp of yours is just adorable!” Pokey laughed. “Say it again!”

“P-pleath...help me…” Pinkie repeated, noticeably weaker. She felt herself go light-headed. The whole room spun around her, and she felt even more weakness in her muscles than starvation had already caused. Pinkie Pie, exhausted, fell forward onto the bloody pile of gore formerly known as Rainbow Dash. In an instant, she was unconscious.

Pokey shrugged. “Whoops”. He bent over and placed one of his forehooves on the soft sole of Pinkie’s. Feeling a dull pulse, he removed his hoof and stood up again. “Hm. Still alive.” He said to himself, Pushing Pinkie’s limp, unconscious body to the side. Her light frame rolled a short distance before it finally came to a rest against the cold stone wall.

Rainbow’s left foreleg, which dangled grotesquely off the upper section of her torso, was surrounded with Pokey’s magical aura. The sound of Rainbow’s skin tearing was accompanied by the cracking of bone. It took a bit of work, but Pokey eventually managed to sloppily tear the appendage off of the joint, leaving behind a crude stump not unlike the one he had created with her spinal column.

Once everything, including the head, was inside the sack, Pokey locked the cell door on his way out, knowing full well that Pinkie wouldn’t move an inch while he was gone. After all, judging by her weak pulse and the amount of blood she was losing, she’d be dead by the time he returned.