//-------------------------------------------------------// The Experiments of Twilight Sparkle (revised) -by GreatGrainBlueberries- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// The Preparation //-------------------------------------------------------// The Preparation THE PREPARATION Like how many stories begin, it was a nice, sunny day in Ponyville. But this was no ordinary day in Ponyville. This was the day before the third anniversary of Twilight Sparkle's arrival at Ponyville. Spike was sorting books in Twilight's library, putting them in their proper order on the bookshelves. Twilight signaled Spike to come to her. "Spike, I'm planning a party, with just me and my five closest pony friends. There's going to be something there that concerns only the six of us. Sorry, you're not invited. However, you can send these invitations to them." Spike sighed, "Okay." After Spike left, Twilight took a sip of her favorite hot orangey-green drink, and spoke softly to herself, "Princess Celestia sent me here to learn about the magic of friendship. And tomorrow's the three year anniversary of my arrival at Ponyville. So I'm going to give her something special!" She finished with a cheery face. Pinkie had nothing to do that afternoon. Lying on her couch, bored, she heard the doorbell ring. "Eeeek! A customer! I'll get it!" she exclaimed. Opening the door, she said, "Welcome to Sugarcube Corner. Home of Ponyville's finest pastries and- oh, hello Spike. Have you come to buy a cake?" She saw the baby dragon handing her an invitation. "No. But here, an invitation from Twilight." She took and read it, "A party!? Today? As soon as possible? To learn more about friendship? I love that stuff!... Hmmm. But I'm the one who usually throws parties. Oh well. I'll be right there." At Twilight's place, all six ponies were there. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Twilight. Spike was upstairs in his bed taking a nap, from the hard work he did all day. The party was great. Colorful balloons and confetti were everywhere. There was delicious cake, fun games, music and dancing, and gifts. Everyone was having a blast. Rainbow Dash and Applejack had just finished a game of pin the scale on the dragon, when they noticed Twilight sitting all alone watching the other ponies dance while having her usual beverage. Something was off about her. They couldn't quite tell what. "Hey there sugar cube. What's up?" asked AJ, approaching Twilight along side Rainbow Dash. "I had no idea you could throw such an awesome party Twi!" exclaimed Dash. "Excuse me?" Twilight said. "Be honest Twi." Applejack spoke, "Pinkie is the party throwing pony. Anyway, how's everything?" Twilight was happy to respond, "Yes. Pinkie is the party throwing pony, isn't she? Hee.. Hee.. Parties, food and games are fine. But the bigger reason I invited you all here was so... Well, let's just say I planned something special for all six of us, to really learn more about the magic of friendship." Several hours later the ponies were tired and worn out from all that partying they did. Yes sir, it was another satisfying party for the ponies. Thanking Twilight, they were about to head to the door to leave. But Twilight stopped them, "Wait! I've saved the best for last!" Rainbow Dash let out a sigh. "Can't it wait, dear? We're exhausted." said Rarity. "Now Rar, Twilight did say to Dash and I, that she was planning something special at the end of the party. Something tolearn more about friendship." Applejack told Rarity. Everyone paused. Then looking at each other they all agreed to stay. Twilight was so grateful. "Thank you everypony! I'm happy to have such great friends!" Twilight led all her five pony friends through a door. A short hall was on the other side, with two book shelves alongside each other, embedded into the right wall. Each shelf had books and laboratory flasks filled with magic potions resting in them, and a lantern hanging above them. The lanterns gave off a dim light. But it was still enough to see their way through. Passing through the short hall, they made a left turn and descended down some stairs. Fluttershy, however, was hesitant. But Pinkie turned to her, and gave a reassuring smile. After making a right turn, then a left and another right, they finally arrived at the bottom of the long stairs and into what looked like a laboratory in a darkened cave. The only light in the room was coming from some lanterns embedded in the walls, and from the electricity running through some metal rods sticking out of some machinery against the cave walls. Various tree branches were sticking out of the walls, and coming out from the ceiling, extending to the ground. Some were wrapped around the machinery. At the center of the room was what appeared to be a control panel. Five metallic tables forming a semi circle around the control device. They were tilted towards and facing the control panel, each about five meters from the control panel. The purple unicorn brought the laboratory flask filled with her favorite drink to her mouth, and took a sip. "Beautiful, isn't it?... What is everyone looking at?" "Twilight? Did you just drink a potion out of that glass container, used to hold chemicals?" One of the other ponies questioned. She answered, "It's one of my most favored drinks. You've seen me drink this before." "Out of that?" Rarity asked. "Don't worry. It's clean. I do not know why, but I sometimes just like drinking out of a lab flask. Weird, I know." replied Twilight Sparkle. No one thought much of it. Rarity pointed out three skeletal models of ponies up against one of the cavern walls. One of each kind of pony, supported by poles. "Those are just plain... creepy." said Rarity. Twilight was glad someone took notice of them, "Oh, you like them? These pony skeleton models weren't too difficult to make. I've even given them nicknames. The first is a model of a male earth pony. 'Doc Brown-mane' is his name. He's a hot one. The second one is a female Pegasus pony I've named 'Derp-stick.' And the last, 'The Trixter,' is a female unicorn. They're all such cuties!" Everyone just stared at Twilight awkwardly. Pinkie spoke out, "Say Twilight. Isn't this the same room where you tried to collect data from my 'Pinkie senses' in the 'feeling Pinkie keen' episode?" Applejack gave Pinkie a confused look. "Episode? What the hay 're ya talkin' 'bout Pink?" "Yes it is, Pinkie." Twilight said, answering Pinkie's question. Fluttershy was looking around the cave. "W...what are we going to do in this... unsettling place, Twilight?" "Science experiments." Twilight responded. "Science experiments?" Dash complained. "Give me a break. Science isn't my thing." "Rainbow Dash!" scolded AJ. "We said we'd stay to learn more about friendship with Twilight. And if science experiments are how we're going to learn, then by golly, we'll participate." Pinkie nodded in agreement, "Yeah Dashie. Don't be a science party pooper scooper!" Dash gave in, "Sigh. Fine. Let's get this done with." Twilight gave Dash a happy look, "Thank you Dash! Trust me. You'll find this interesting." "Alright everyone. Get on the tilted tables." Twilight told them. Rainbow Dash began to get nervous and was hesitating, "Um, Twi?" "Something wrong, Dash?" "Oh, heh. Nothing... except, this is reminding me of a dream- NO! Nightmare I had two weeks ago." Rainbow was looking at Pinkie Pie uncomfortably, while Pinkie just smiled back obliviously. Twilight tried reverse psychology on Dash. "Don't worry. I'm sure this will be nothing like your dream. But... I understand if you're scared." Dash was indignant. "WHAT?! I am not scared! I'll... I'll prove it!" Dash zoomed to the table and laid on it. "See!?" "I knew you could do it!" Twilight said as she directed everyone else where to lie. Everyone lay on their assigned tables, except for Fluttershy. Twilight questioned Fluttershy, "What are you waiting for Shy?" Fluttershy had an unsure look on her face. "Well, it's just, um, it looks, well, restricting, and... scary. And, well, yeah. I'd rather not." "You don't have to be afraid. I'm your friend. You trust me, right?" "Yeah. Well, I'd still rather not." Shy said timidly. Twilight had a look of disapproval. "I see..." Twilight's horn started to glow. She used magic to push Fluttershy onto the metal board. A purple aura surrounded the cuffs that were on the tables, cuffing all five ponies' four hooves, assuring that they could not escape from the platforms. Fluttershy, being as sensitive as she is, didn't take the sudden impact into the metallic platform well. She started crying. Rarity grew angry. "Twilight! That was simply rude and unnecessary. And why are we cuffed to these boards? It's so tight. I can't move." Rainbow Dash began to find the situation unnerving again. "Okay Twilight. This is really getting to be like my dream." A disappointed Twilight said, "I'm hurt. Don't you all trust me? I promise everyone will benefit and learn well from this experience. So, what do you say? Please? For me?" Rarity spoke. "Well... Alright. Sorry dear." Fluttershy's eye's cleared up. "Me too... I guess." Rainbow Dash: "...okay...I... I trust you Twilight." "Thank you everyone. I knew I could rely on you." Twilight said with a cheery tone. Twilight placed electronic helmets on each of her friend's heads, and strapped them on tight. Wires were coming out of the top of the helmets and connected to some machinery with large monitor. The ponies found the helmets slightly uncomfortable, but they tolerated it. Twilight pushed a button on the central control panel. On the counter at the side of the monitor arose five containers made of glass and electronics, with wires extending out of them, connecting to the monitor's side. To everyone's surprise each container held an element of harmony. "Twilight, how did you get-" Rarity was interrupted. "Please, no interruptions" The purple unicorn said. Twilight was ready to explain, "Now. What these experiments will do is to help us better understand who we are as ponies. To do this, we shall study and carefully analyze the element of harmony each of us represent. The helmets on your heads detect and record all sorts of things about each of you. Namely your hearts rates, respiratory rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, body temperature, and brainwave activity. But they also are linking you with your own respective element. The containers containing the elements have sensors that pick up on the magical energy that these necklaces posses, and thus, the effects you all will have on them." Dash felt a little better. "Oh. Okay. That's not so bad. That actually sounds pretty fun! Even interesting! Though I still don't know why we need to be cuffed to these planks, but I trust you." Twilight was pleased. "Great! Let's start with Pinkie Pie." "OOoooOOOoooo!" Pinkie said with an excited voice. To everyone's surprise, Twi gave the happy pink horse a long passionate kiss on her tender cheek. "I love your body... I'll be back." Twilight said before leaving to a back room. Pinkie waited in curiosity and anticipation. //-------------------------------------------------------// Giggle at the Ghosties //-------------------------------------------------------// Giggle at the Ghosties Twilight returned from the back room, carrying with her a large cloth covered cage big enough to fit Big Mac in it, and a rather large cart containing labeled containers, and several metal cases. Her friends noticed that she was wearing a clean, sky blue apron. "Is that an apron... worn by... surgeons?" Asked Rarity. Rainbow felt uneasy again. Pinkie Pie corrected Rarity. "Don't be a silly big filly! That's a baker's apron!" Fluttershy spoke, "Oh, is there a beautiful animal in that cage?" Twilight ignored her friends and lifted the cloth enough to access the door of the cage. Everyone wondered what could be inside. Twilight released what was in the cage. Everyone's curiosity suddenly changed to fear, as they all realized that they were face to face with an enormous, hairy spider, measuring five feet across! Everyone gasped at the sight, expect for Fluttershy, who was the least unnerved, and quite intrigued. "Wow... I've never seen that type of Spider before." A smile entered Fluttershy's face. "Are you going to teach us how to take care of it?" "You wouldn't have seen one before. I genetically engineered this beauty." Twilight replied, while petting the giant arachnid. "Would you believe that I used genes from 21 different species?!" Applejack and Rainbow Dash calmed down a bit, while Pinkie and Rarity maintained an expression of terror. Dash was concerned. "So, what's the experiment going-" "AAAAHHHHHHH!" The Pegasus was interrupted by the screaming of a Pink earth pony. The eight-legged arthropod had crawled right up to Pinkie Pie. Pinkie became petrified as her face meet with the giant spider's eight, shiny, black eyes, staring right back at her. "Twilight! I do not wish to continue!" Rarity yelled. "Please... let... us... out!" begged the shaking party pony. "But this is where the experiment begins. Why don't you try to... Giggle at the ghosties. Have your laughter work its magic." The Purple unicorn explain. Rarity exclaimed, "Twilight, I must protest! This is hardly a decent way to learn about our elements of-" "G-g-g...g-giggle at the ghostie..." Pinkie started to sing. A glowing light emanated from the container containing the element of laughter. "G-g-g-guffaw at the g-gorss... grossly." The long fang bearing spider continued to stare. "Crack up at the c-cree-creepy." The Spider slowly started to lower itself from Pinkie. "Whoop it up with the weepy." Pinkie continued, with more confidence. The monitor was picking up every bit of magical energy from Pinkie's element of laughter in action. Everyone watched in awe. "Chortle at the kooky!" The Spider lowered its body further. Its eyes were at the level of the lower part of Pinkie's hind legs. "OOOOUUUUUCCCCCHHHHH!" Screamed Pinkie as two five inch long fangs dug into her right cannon. "AAAAAHHHHH! MY LEG! MY LEG!" Blood began to drip down her leg. Everyone gasped at the sight. "EEEEEK! PINKIE!" Fluttershy screamed. "TWILIGHT! Release us at once!" Rarity yelled. "Yeah! Let us go!" demanded Applejack. Pinkie began to whimper. "Snortle at the spooky-hy-hy-hy-hhhhyyyy." The light dissipated from the necklaces in its container. "Okay, that's enough," Twilight called to her pet spider, while writing down the maximum strength of the element of laughter. After the spider retreated back to it's cage, where Twilight closed it's door, she addressed everyone in the room. "Notice that light radiating from Pinkie's element of laughter in the container died down when she realized that the spider bit her, showing the limit of the power of her element. The machine outputted the maximum energy of her element before it dissipated. When the energy is converted into physical energy, it comes out to 16,384 joules. Neat, huh?" "Twilight! How... how could you?!" Fluttershy said, still in a state of shock. Twilight answered her in an annoyed tone, "It's for science. We went over this before. I thought you were okay with this." "This is no excuse for letting Pinkie being bit by a giant spider!" Rarity said, as her horn started to glow, causing the cuffs on all the tables to rattle. "Rarity! Stop it!" Twilight went over to the control board at the center of the room and flipped a switch. This sent a powerful electric shock throughout Rarity's body from her helmet. Her muscles instantly contracted. She shook and jerked violently, screaming out in agony from the burning heat. This left her twitching and disoriented. All the pony test subjects had never been so scared in their lives. Turning off the power, Twilight returned to a crying Pinkie. "Wow! You're so sweaty, Pink. And.. The lower part of your right leg is swelling! I better do something about that!" Twilight brought out a bone cutting hacksaw from one of the metal cases. "It must be amputated!" Dash, AJ, and Fluttershy watching in wide-eyed fear as the saw moved closer to their pink friend, while Rarity was still unable to think clearly. "Twilight, what are you doing?!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "Twilight, please don't do this!... We're, we're friends." Pinkie started to panic, breathing uncontrollably fast, as her heart rate sped up. The purple unicorn had the saw touching the pink pony's right leg, just below the hock. Pinkie turned her head away, unable to watch. The blade's teeth sunk into the skin. Then Twilight started sawing. Streams of blood began flowing down the leg as the skin and muscle ripped apart. Pinkie screamed loudly, in pain. Her screaming rang through everyone's ears. It helped Rarity gain back the concentration that she lost. She saw with disbelief what Twilight was doing to Pinkie. Without hesitation, Rarity used her horn's magic to take hold of the bone cutter, just as it hit Pinkie's metatarsus bone. Twilight had an annoyed look on her face. And the irises in her eyes... turned red. She tried to regain control of the hacksaw with her magic. "Rarity! Quit it! You're being immature!" They were both fighting for the saw, pulling on it like a game of tug and war. The purple pony had had enough. She again turned the same electricity inducing switch on. Rarity was in intense pain as before. But she fought against the horrible burn as best she can, more determined than ever to stop Twilight. Rarity used her magic to move the bladed instrument away from Twilight. Everyone else was watching in high hopes. The book worm unicorn's anger grew. She turned off the electric current and had a quick sip from her glassware in frustration. The next thing Rarity knew, Twilight seemed to easily yank the sharp cutting instrument with her raging magic. "That is IT!" Twilight approached Rarity with the bone cutting hacksaw. Rarity tried to move the saw away from her with her glowing horn, but Twilight's magic was now too overpowering, as if getting her mad was making her magic stronger. Coming to Rarity with the hacksaw, she positioned the teethed blade at the base of the white unicorn's horn and started sawing. Rarity's magic was getting weaker with each thrust of the saw through her horn. She winced as the blade cut through some skin at around the base of the horn. A small amount of blood flew down her face. After about 20 seconds, Rarity saw her blood-stained horn drop to the ground. Everyone's heart sank as they watched what seemed to be their last hope of escape fall to the ground and die. Twilight let out a warning, "Anyone else who resists will be dealt with by my magic. Now, if that's all." //-------------------------------------------------------// Loyalty //-------------------------------------------------------// Loyalty "Well, that's just great," Twilight spoke. "It's too late to amputate her leg to save her. The poison already spread. She'll be dead soon, if I don't inject her with the vaccine. I can't have her die." Twilight took a hypodermic needle from one of the cases are gave the dying Pinkie a shot. "It should take effect soon." Twilight poured a disinfectant liquid onto a gauze sponge and cleaned Pinkie's wound made from the hacksaw. After she sewed the wound closed with a suture and an absorbable thread, and rapped a bandaged around the wound, she took notice of the light radiating from Dash's element of loyalty. "Rainbow, your necklace is glowing. You're beginning to show your loyalty to your pink friend just by having a strong desire to free Pinkie. Well, let's see just how bright you can get that light to glow without actually fulfilling your loyalty by setting her free. But rather through your desire alone. On to lesson zero, ur, two." The whole group saw Twilight put on a surgical mask, open a metal case, reach inside, and take out what looked like a surgical knife. Everyone's eyes grew wide with concern. Pinkie was feeling the relieving effect of the vaccine "Twi. Please, please tell me that that knife is to cut a cake. And that that's a baker's apron. Please tell me that this is all a plank... A meany-mean prank." "Oh, Pinkie." Twilight chuckled. After giving Pinkie a kiss on her forehead, she held the scalpel close up to Pinkie's face. "Here's for science." "Heh heh. Careful with that knife." Pinkie said nervously. Dash's heart beat significantly faster at the sight of a knife that close to her friend. "Twilight. I don't want to do this! Please let me go." Yelled Dash. Twilight was vexed. "Why not? Your silly nightmare?" Dash replied, "This is getting more and more like that nightmare. What exactly do you plan on doing with that knife anyway?" Applejack joined in. "What's gotten into you?! You're worrying us Twi." Twilight sighed in frustration. "It's for science, for the last time!" Pinkie watched as the knife hovered down her chest and to her belly. "Shouldn't you be baking that cake now?" Pinkie said, trying to convince herself that this was all some sort of sick joke. The knife caressed the skin of Pinkie's chest. Suddenly, Twilight pushed harder on the knife, and the extremely sharp tool cut through the skin and a little of the muscle of the pink pony's chest. "AHUG!" Pinkie yelled. Then Twilight slowly moved the blade straight down to the belly, making a deep horizontal gash through the skin and layers of muscle, causing Pinkie to scream in pain. It was not long before red liquid was seeping out of the horizontal gash. There was a sudden adrenaline rush in everyone, from seeing what just happened. "TWILIGHT!?" Both Rarity and AJ hollered. Rainbow Dash was now filled with panic. "GET US OUTTA HERE!" Dash screamed, while jerking franticly, trying to break free from the metal cuffs, but to no avail. The light from her necklace brightened. The surgeon used a gauze sponge wet with a disinfectant to wipe the long cut to prevent infection. The disinfectant stunk Pinkie badly, "aaaAAAAAHHH! AAAAAHHHHH!" Not wanting Pinkie to lose too much blood, she used some clamps to clamp the blood vessels where the incisions were. Twilight used her hoof to lift one of the flaps of Pinkie's flesh and meat made by her huge wound on her underside. She stretched, compressed, and wiggled the mass of meat and skin as if she were studying it. Pinkie let out a whine of great discomfort with each burning stretch and twist. Fluttershy shouted, "LEAVE PINKIE ALONE! You're hurting her... badly! Just listen to her cries of pain. Doesn't that say anything to you?" "Oh, she's just being Pinkie Pie," was Twilight's response. Fluttershy continued, "Why did you cut Pinkie's belly open? She's your friend!" "Fine." Twi sighed. "If I must spell it out for you. She is my friend. That is why we're learning together. All of us. I opened Pink it increase Dash's desire to rescue her, thus showing more and more of her loyalty, which will manifest physical through the light glowing from her helmet. I might even remove Pinkie's organs after the lesson." Twilight gave a smile, eyes closed and head up high, showing how proud she was that she would be able to do this like a real scientist. The five ponies were utterly shocked at what they just heard. "Once we're done learning about Pink and Dashie, then we shall move on to AJ, Shy, and Rar. When we are finished, more will be known about the elements of harmony and the magic of friendship than ever before!" All of them were breathing heavily and fast. Their heart's were pounding. Panic was in the air. "I'll be back in a sec." said Twilight. They all shouted and yelled pleas for mercy just as Twilight left the room. Upon returning, she dragged a huge multi-layered cart with an array of glass containers filled with a clear liquid. The five ponies were petrified at the freaky and unnerving sight before them. Some jars had active pony organs already inside of them. The hearts were still beating. The lungs were still expanding and compressing. Stomachs were still contracting their muscles. As if the liquid in the containers was some sort of bioelectricity inducing substance. The glass bottles had labels on them. They labeled the type of organs that were in them, and ponies they belonged to. The horrified mares read the labels. Some empty ones (but still with liquid) read Pinkie Pie. Some containing organs read Blue October, Pokey Pierce, and... Apple bloom! Applejack's world was further crashing down, "YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED MY KID SISTER! SHE'S WAS JUST A LITTLE HELPLESS FILLY!" Tears were flowing down her cheeks. The killer explained, "Well, yeah. I needed practice before I got to Pinkie. Science is full of trial and error." AJ's throat moistened and she found it hard to swallow. All sorts of intense emotions ran through her. Shock. Fear. Despair. RAGE! "You know," Twilight went on, "it's interesting, this taboo of society. Ponies are always more sensitive about young foals being hurt and killed than adults. Why do you think that is?" Twilight Grabbed a metal, several silver pins from an open metal case. Pinkie didn't want to know what the unicorn was going to use them for. "Twilight, no! NO! PLEASE NO!" After resting the pin's tip on the inside of one of the flaps of meat, Twilight leaned over and kissed Pinkie on the forehead. Then she slammed her hoof to the top of the pin. The pointed object pinned down one of Pinkie Pie's flaps of skin to the table. The pin rested in a hole pre-embedded in the table. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA," Pinkie felt a high concentration of pain where the flap was pinned down. Twi took two more of the sharp pins and forcefully pushed them into flap to hold it down more securely. Pinkie let out a high pitched shriek with each sudden, blood squirting stab into the meat and flesh. Streams of tears were flowing down the party mare's face. Taking three more nails, she did the same to the flap on the pink pony's other side. This left Pinkie's ribcage and bottom organs exposed. Rarity felt nauseous. But Twilight wasn't finished. She took out a small circular saw out of a case. It was a bone cutter. She turned it on and pushed the spinning saw into the bottom of Pinkie's blood covered sternum. The loud cutting noise could be heard throughout the dungeon. Sawing straight up through the hard chest bone, countless red drops sprayed onto Pinkie's tear soaked face and on Twilight's shy blue surgeon's apron and mask. The crying, begging, and pleading for the purple unicorn to stop, from the four other ponies, were relentless. Applejack pleaded, "ANYTHING! ANYTHING AT ALL! NAME IT. WE'LL DO IT. PLEASE JUST STOP THIS!" Dash shouted, "WE LOVE YOU PINKIE! WE'LL GET YOU OUT OF THIS! WE SWEAR!" The light glowing brighter still. Rarity implored, "No, NO! NO MORE! NNNOOOO!" Fluttershy was of course crying the hardest, "Pinkie Pie is your friend! How could you do this to poor Pinkie? Please PUT HER BACK TOGETHER!" But they didn't seem to phase Twilight at all, except for her horn. Which looked as though it sharpened. With Pinkie's sternum split, the surgeon unicorn inserted a rib spreader into the crevice and turned the lever enough to push the two half sternums a bit apart, leaving Pinkie's beating heart in plain sight. But the ribs were not spread apart too much, as to allow her lungs to expand and compress. Pinkie was too frightened to look down. Twi locked the lever in place. Next, she brought out what looked like a huge basting bulb and explained, "See this? It contains alcohol. I'm going to pour it all over your exposed internal organs to prevent infection. You don't expect me to experiment on infected organs, do you? This is going to sting... a lot. Brace yourself!" "No... Twi... no...," Pinkie spoke weakly from some blood loss and the stress of the pain, her face wet with blood and tears. As if Twilight didn't even hear her, she squirted the infernal liquid all over poor Pinkie Pie's bare insides. Sssstiiiinnnngggg! The pain was so intense, it was like nothing she had ever suffered before. Deafening, blood curdling screams of sheer agony echoed off the cave walls. "THIS IS NOT RRRIIIGGHHT!" cried the suffering mare. Twilight repeatedly rubbed her cheek against her sobbing victim's, and gave some kisses in between, "Shh, shh, sh, shhhh. It's okay. It's going to be alright." The four other captives were in such trauma. They couldn't stand seeing their best friend in so much pain. Pinkie looked so weak and helpless. It was too much for them to handle. Fluttershy threw up and blacked out. Twilight removed her mask. Pinkie weakly glanced at her captor. Putting her face right up to Pinkie's, Miss Sparkle's irises fluctuated between dark red and bright red as she spoke with a big, happy smile. "Guess what. I KILLED Applebloom! I killed her. And I'm going to KILL you too! And it makes me happy! Your cutie mark does not lie. Your parties do give ponies smiles. And what a party this is! Tell me, how does all this make you feel, emotionally? Does this change your naïve, happy-go-lucky view on this world we live in?" The unicorn waited for a response from the miserable pink pony. After a few moments, the pitiful pony let out sobs of emotional trauma. She felt like nothing could stop this. Not even laughter. When she finished, Twilight spoke with intrigue, "Interesting. The magical energy seems to be dwindling to nothing. You've finally learned that laughter will not always make the monsters disappear. I always knew that laughter was the least useful element. But it is the most fun! HA HA HA HA HA!" Twilight addressed everyone, making sure they were all listening. "That's it. We all learned something new about our friend Pinkie Pie. And that is that, under such horrific circumstances like this, she's loosing her element. How sad, heehee. But we are not done. There is more to be learned about Pinkie, and at the same time, Dash's element of loyalty." When she was finished, she put back on her surgical mask, readied the glass containers, then sterilized her hooves. The ponies made one last attempt to reason with the heartless horse. Applejack tried first, "Twi. Ya don't have to do this. It's not too late. Just stitch Pink back together." The light from Dash's helmet increased a little more in intensity. "Yes, Twi. She's your friend. We know you really don't want to do this." Rarity was next, "We don't know what has gotten into you, but please, let us help you. We can help. We love you dear." Twilight was grateful for their offer, "Thank you all. You are my dear friends." There was a spark of hope in them. Twilight's eyes turned an even brighter red than before, "But there is nothing wrong with me." Everyone's heart sank. Then came the begging and sobbing again. Twilight did not seem to care, as she opened the bottle and grabbed the party pony's stomach. Pinkie pie felt sick to the stomach, that is until Twilight gave it a good yank out of her, carrying with it part of the esophagus. "Uuugggk!" reacted Pinkie. Twilight immediately put the digestive organ into the preservative fluid filled jar and closed the lid. Twilight made a discovery, "Well you had a big stomach. Which is to be expected, since you ate a lot of goods." Twilight went for her liver next. "This organ absorbs lipids from Pinkie pie's warm, sweet blood. Lipids serve as an energy reserve. And the liver is where they are stored." Twilight proceeded with the pancreas, gallbladder, spleen, and small intestine, giving brief facts about them as she did. The mares could not believe nor understand what they were witnessing. Twilight Sparkle, their very close and dear friend, was, seemingly out of nowhere, removing the internal organs of an innocent fellow pony. Rarity's nausea was worsening till it was too much. Her stomach erupted and she vomited several times in a row, making a big, strong odor having, mess of bile all over her body and the floor. Dash violently thrash her body, so desperate to break free so she could rescue Pinkie. The light from her element was shining brighter than ever. "Interestingly enough, Pinkie is so healthy. And considering how many sweets she consumes... yeah, I'll have to look into that. I'm guessing it's how she hops around a lot, using those muscles." Twilight said, briefly studying Pinkie's long intestine before folding it into a glass jar. Twilight dipped the bloody blade into a bowl of alcohol to clean it. After giving Pinkie's vulva a few good rubs, she used the scalpel to pierce the skin of the lying pony's groin. Pinkie could feel the very sharp tool easily dig deeper into her meat. The demented surgeon started carving out Pinkie's sensitive genitals, very slowly and carefully as not to damage any internal parts of the pink pony's sex organ. Pinkie's awareness faded. Once finished, she lifted the blood dripping severed private part with caution. The vulva, vagina, cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries, all still connected. "Reproduction. Very important." Twilight poured alcohol onto Pinkie's disembodied marehood and placed the entire reproduction system into a vacant container and sealed it tight. She then spilled the alcohol onto Pinkie's genitaless crotch. Noticing that pinkie was in unconscious state, she took out a hypodermic needle and injected Pinkie with a powerful adrenalin. Pinkie awoke with a gasp. "Wake up Pink." Twilight said. "You don't want to miss your last lesson in life!" said Twilight as she prepared for the final incision. "I'll remove your lungs and heart after, so you can witness the lecture on your brain before I take it out." Sad, confused, crying, and in tremendous pain, Pinkie lost the will to hope. She was just waiting for it to end. Twilight tried directing everyone's attention to the monitor. "Notice the high amounts of alpha brain waves on the left-hemisphere of Pinkie's brain, which indicate depression. Also there's an excessive amount of theta waves. These can be a sigh of depression and anxiety- ARE YOU ALL EVEN LISTENING?!" Twilight applied her magic to force everyone's head to face the monitor. "Basically, her brain waves are showing the depression and anxiety she is feeling. Now then." Pinkie's helmet was removed. A sharp painful pinching sensation was felt as the scalpel cut across the small pink horse's forehead and around the cranium. The wincing pony's forehead was oozing out red fluid. Twilight pealed off the flesh from the top of the head, taking a part of Pinkie Pie's poofy pink mane with it, causing her to loudly scream. "AAAAAHHHHH! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Next, using the bone cutter, Twi sawed through the skull bone along the incisions of the skin. Making a complete circle around the top of the head, she lifted the head bone piece off, exposing Pinkie's tender brain. Pinkie braced herself as Twilight squirted more alcohol onto the brain. The sensation was that of an immense, heavy, pounding headache all over the surface of the her thinking organ. And Twilight caressing it with her hoof wasn't helping. But then Pinkie's awareness faded yet again, and was dangerously close to death. Dash saw this. The light from her jowl bearing necklace dimmed greatly. Seeing this, Twilight noted, "Look everyone! At Dash's element! Pinkie is on the verge of death. The light is almost gone, because Dash cannot be loyal to someone who is dead." Seeing an unconscious Pinkie, the purple unicorn directed her horn to the dying mare's head and zapped her with just enough magical life energy to keep her alive and awake for a little while longer. "That was a close one!" Pinkie awoke. The purple unicorn applied her magic to levitate a kind of brainwave analyzing device to her. She put it up to Pink's head, "Isn't this interesting. The left temporal lobe is just as active as the right. I expected the left side to be far less active. Would you ever forgive me for taking you to be a moron Pinkie? Hee, hee, hheeee.." Pinkie was too weak and in too much agony to be mad, or even care about the cold words escaping from her tormenter's mouth. Twilight continued. Taking a measuring tape, she measured the dimensions of the thinking organ. Rapping the tape around it and across it, vertically and horizontally, she jotted down the dimensions. "I'd tell you all the size of her brain, but it's not like you care about learning more about Pinkie. Maybe Rainbow Dash will be of more interest to you. Let's finish this experiment, shall we?" The terrified mares knew what was coming. They could not bear to watch, yet they couldn't look away. Twilight Sparkle reached under Pinkie's ribs and took hold of one of the lungs. Streams of tears profusely flowed down from Dash's eyes, "This... *sniff*... isn't the Twilight Sparkle we knew... *sob*" Twilight hesitated for a moment... but then pulled on the lung until it disconnected from Pinkie. Everyone cried even harder. Pinkie, already struggling to breathe, found it much harder to take in oxygen with only one lung. "Nos" and "pleases" reverberated throughout the basement laboratory. Twilight placed both of her hooves on the only lung Pinkie had left. Twilight was hesitant again. She started sweating and breathing heavily. Using her magic to levitate her fizzing liquid filled laboratory flask up to her mouth... she took a chug of it, and then forced out the last means Pinkie had to breathe. Within about four minutes Pinkie passed out from lack of oxygen. They knew it. Her friends knew that in a few moments the inevitable would happen to the blood covered pony. After a short passing of time, they saw the beating of Pinkie Pie's visible heart stop. Her eyes slowly closed. The brain activity ceased. They so desperately didn't want to face the ugly fact. But they had no choice. Their friend Pinkie Pie... was dead. And the glow from Dash's element of loyalty was completely gone. //-------------------------------------------------------// Honesty Distorted //-------------------------------------------------------// Honesty Distorted The ponies felt empty. Like their friendship was incomplete, since the element of laughter was gone forever.Twilight broke the somber silence, "Rainbow's element, at its peek, when converted to physical energy comes out too... 19,660.7 joules..." Twilight did a calculation in her head. "Wow Dash! That's just 0.1 joules short of being 20% stronger than what Pinkie Pie's element measured! Too bad." Dash was in a state of extreme trauma, "Dead...d-d-dead," She was shaking and crying. Twilight found something that amused her, "Aw, Fluttershy is still out cold. I'll have to fill her in on what she missed. HA!" "How... HOW CAN YOU LAUGH AT THIS?!" Rarity expressed her fury, "If I had my horn...you...you...*sob*" She bitterly wept. "This ain't happening. Twilight would never do this to us." Applejack sobbed, as their was an irregularly pulsating, fluctuating light emanating from the container of the element on honesty. "Apple jack, are you sure that I'd never do this? Because, honestly I am. You must be in denial, or your mind is trying to cope with this horrible situation by making you have a difficult time distinguishing fiction from reality. These happenings must be so surreal to you." AJ spoke, "If we ever get out of this..." She swallowed, "You are no longer our friend... *sniff*" "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh AJ." Twilight took off her surgical mask to reveal an impossibly wide, demented clown like smile. "Of course we're friends. You're just having trouble telling what's truth and what's not. And the resulting light fluctuations fascinate me! In fact..." The excited Doctor grabbed hold of a syringe. It was big in size. And the hypodermic needle was long in length. It was intimidating. "Man this is going to be awesome!" She gave Applejack a shot while singing, "Just flowin' into your bloodstream. La la lala." After a minute or so, the earth pony in torment began to hear a faint static noise. It steadily grew in volume, until it started to just fluctuate in volume. It was soon accompanied by guitar screams and squeals of random durations, pitch and volume fluctuations, and rates of these fluctuations. It was absolutely chaotic and maddening. The room of death they were in began to distort. The lengths and depths of things were exaggerated. Some dimensions of objects seemed shorter, and other dimensions appeared longer. Some areas of the lab walls moved closer to the pigtailed pony, while other areas moved further away. To Rarity, it was just a orange horse sweating, shaking, and staring into space with a shocked and confused look, while violent flashes of light came from her helmet. "Apple?..." Applejack spoke. "STOP IT TWILIGHT! JUST STOP IT! I don't want to hear your mocking words... You're not?... But how can you talk to me if you are dead?... What's that? Is it how to escape?" Twilight happily watched, while writing notes of what was happening. Rarity and Dash were very confused and very concerned. Rainbow Dash Spoke "Applejack! Who are you speaking to?" "AAAAAAAA!" AJ yelled, as if defending herself from an attack. "Quiet! Let my Pinkie Pie speak! She says it's important!..." Her eyes watered, "I know... she's... she's... *sob*... Yes she is!" She couldn't even look at her dead little sister's organs in the jars. "See for yourself!... She's... alive?... Because we can rebuild her?... Yes. That does kinda makes sense... Yeah. Of course it does. Why wouldn't it make sense?... And that means... yes. Yes! YYYEEEESSSS! Oh Pinkie Pie! Applebloom!" AJ cried tears of joy. "I thought we've lost you! HA! In your face Twilight Jerkle!" Rarity and Dash were shocked that Applejack said this. But then thought maybe it was her way of coping with their loss. "I know Dash. I... want them back too. But..." Rarity started to cry again. The farm pony thought, "Now how to get out of here... Twilight! You scum! Release RIGHT NOW!" Twilight snickered as she recorded AJ's words and behavior. "As you wish." The cuffs of AJ's and Pinkie's table glowed and opened, releasing the ponies. AJ fell to the floor. Dash and Rarity watched in disbelief. Was she free? Would they escape? No. They couldn't. Twilight wouldn't let them. The orange farm pony immediately lunged at Twilight Sparkle and delivered a devastating blow to the head. AJ's victim fell to the floor, giving a huge teeth baring grin. Upon seeing this, Rarity and Dash thought that maybe they did have another chance to be delivered. AJ seemed to have full control of her body. Has Twilight just made a blunder? Was it out of insanity or stupidity? No! She had to have something up her sleeve. Applejack pinned the grinning unicorn to the ground. "Let us all go, or you will rue-" "They'll be free. All you have to do is help them" humored Twilight, taking out the pins that pinned down Pinkie Pie's flesh to the metal table, out of their pre-made holes, with her magic. Applejack quickly came to the dead Pinkie Pie and gave her a hug. "I'm... so happy you're alive!" Rarity and RD knew now that AJ actually believed that Pinkie was not dead. The deluded earth pony went to one of the jars containing Applebloom's blain are grabbed it. "Come on ya'll! Let's get the hay outta here. We'll report this purple vermin to the authorities! Cutie Mark Crusader, bad guy busters!" She ran towards the stares. The wires from her helmet connecting to the machine that was against the wall, however, prevented her from leaving. The chords were very strong and firmly embedded into the machine and her electronic headwear, which was securely strapped around her head. Just as Twilight planned. "Why ain't ya leaving? You're too traumatized from the events that took place this night? 'ere. 'et me 'elp ya." AJ placed the jar next to Fluttershy's table. Rarity had no idea what to think. "Did this shot do this to her?" "No.. Really?" Replied Twilight. "A lesson will be learned from this." Rainbow Dash tried knocking sense into Applejack. "Applejack!... Applebloom *swallows* is dead. And Pinkie has no... ouuuaaaa... o-organs." She felt nauseous. "She's dead also. It was the shot that is making you believe they're alive. But listen to me! Their Dead!" The cyan Pegasus cried at her own words. AJ gave Pinkie Pie an embracing squeeze, staining her coat red. "You need help too? Wild one! Go help Rainbow Dash and Rarity!" Holding the dripping dead pony over her shoulder, she carried it over to Rarity, and had it lean up against the white unicorn. "She's alive Rarity! Aaallliiivvvveee!" Rarity's eye's widened as she was forced to stare straight into the pony's cold lifeless eyes. Pinkie Pie's blood covered corpse, with no internal organs or top section of her cranium, lying right on her, caused her to quiver uncontrollably. She felt the warm fresh blood from the mutilated Pinkie flow down her shivering body. She just couldn't hold in the puke. The acidic stomach fluid splashed onto the motionless face of the deceased pony, then oozed down both bodies. Rarity was struggling to breathe. "AAARROU! Da-*cough-cough* AJ! SNAP OUT OF IT! DO SOMETHING! AAAAHU *cough-cough-cough* Aauugghh!" Apple looked baffled. "...Why aren't any of you-IINNNGOAAAA!... Leaving?" She picked up Pinkie's body from Rarity and shook it violently, making blood and vomit splats on the surrounding floors. "Ya-yeah silly! Let's go for a party! I'm serving multicolored cupcakes with raspberry frosting and grape flavored sprinkles!" Rarity and Rainbow knew that her orange friend had officially gone completely mad! But nothing prepared her for what happened next! After laying the body on the floor, Applejack sat down next to it and sank her teeth into one of the front legs and tore off a huge mass of Pinkie's raw, red muscle. "Freeeee ssssamples!" AJ said, gnawing on the piece of skeletal muscle, while blood was dripping down from her mouth. The psychological trauma was too much for Rarity. She was shaking and twitching with such force, she strained various tendons in her body. After chewing and swallowing about one-third of the piece of Pinkie that she ripped out, the psycho earth pony dropped it to the floor and took another healthy bite out of the leg. She forcefully pulled another chunk from the front leg, taking with it strands of muscle that peeled off like string cheese. She ate roughly half of it before letting it fall to the ground. And then bit yet another part off with her messy red teeth. Rarity couldn't dare to watch anymore of this. "APPLEJACK! STOP IT! JUST STOP IT!" she said, her eyes tightly shut and her head turned away. This did not stop her mentally sick friend. The insane pony just kept biting off and munching on her helpings of Pinkie Pie, like she was eating a chicken leg. "Don't fret. I'll transport you outside soon, Rar. Uuuu! Why must I feel this way?" Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle was very entertained. Plus she really felt like a scientist. She was so excited. She would have loved to be more directly involved in the experiment, but she had to take notes. After about twenty agonizing minutes of pony cannibalism, AJ had stripped Pinkie's front leg of nearly all it's brawn, throwing the uneaten pieces into a pile. Then went for the exposed radius. Twi realized this. "NO! Don't damage the bone!" She went over to the machine that the cords coming from the helmet on AJ's head, were hooked up to. She pressed a button on the apparatus and the wires contracted into the mechanism, like a cord from a vacuum cleaner. This pulled the cannibal towards the machine, restraining her from ruining the leg part of the skeleton. She now had a much smaller range to move around in. Twilight moved Pinkie out of the way via her magic, and then gave AJ a bigger range of freedom once more. "Sorry AJ." The doctor unicorn spoke, "But I want to have a skeletal model of Pinkie... Continue." After few moments of shivering of moaning, Applejack went up of a horrified Rainbow Dash. "I'll help you... I'll... get you out of here... EEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" The farm pony had her open mouth's bloody teeth press against Rainbow Dash's cyan belly and bit down into it. Dash realized what AJ was about to do. "Applejack, NO! Don't do that! It won't help in any-" With a forceful pull, AJ tore off the piece of the winged pony's underside. Rainbow Dash wailed in pain. After eating half of it, the piece was spat out onto the ground into the pile where Pinkie's meat was. "RAINBOW DASH!" Rarity screamed from shock. "Applejack! Cut this ou- AAAAAAAAHHHHHH, AAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUHHHHHH!" Dash was interrupted by the pain from another piece of her belly being torn out and partially eaten. Massive amounts of blood gushed out of Dash's body and flow onto the floor. After more tearing of flesh and meat and loud screams of agony, nearly all of Dash's belly was gone. Her stomach and liver were now exposed. Twilight expressed her admiration of the horrific sight, "Aw, that's so cute." Dash was weak. She lost a significant amount of nutrients carrying bodily fluid, as was evident by the red puddle on the floor below her. Applejack's jaw grabbed the exposed stomach and pulled it out. She ripped it open and consumed the stomach's contents. Some of the acidic juices dipped from her mouth. This was too much for Rarity. She passed out. AJ threw up from eating all this pony meat and stomach content. The remaining part of the vain covered digestive organ was thrown into the pile of Pinkie and Dash fragments. It was an absolute bloody mess. Rainbow Dash lost nearly two liters blood. She very pale, shivering, and sweaty. She was breathing fast and heavy. Her heart rate was fast. She was going into a fatal shock. "Say. I do believe we are done with this session." decided Twiligh, pushing the button on the machine that the wires from AJ's helmet were connected to once more. The cords contracted, causing Applejack to be pulled towards the machine. "What have we discovered, you ask? We've discovered that, under her current warped state of mind, this is how AJ perceives to be truth. Just look at how chaotic the irregular pulsation of the light from AJ's jewelry is. And she's so desperate she is to free you all, such as by 'transporting' Pinkie and Dash out of this place. Onward!" The restricted orange pony tried desperately to brake free from her helmet. She was pulling hard on the strap from her electronic headgear. But she couldn't break free. She was like a vicious dog held by a tied up leash. "I need, NEED to let my friends know I LOVE THEM! Uuaah. WHY WON'T THE NOISE STOP!?" AJ kept struggling. But after a few minutes, she sat on the ground, shaking and in a fetal position out of fear. She was wearing a scary grimace. She was sweating so much she looked like she went bobbing for apples. Her eyes were wide. Her pupils were small. Her eyes looked around like crazy. Then her expression changed. For a few moments she was looking as if she were thinking hard about something. Meanwhile, Twi Spark had a few sips of her hot orangey-green drink from the glassware, and was about to prepare for Fluttershy. She was stopped, however, by the sound of something ripping and a loud muffled scream, followed by the sensation of being hit by a soft, wet, and squishy object on her side. The object fell to the floor, making a splat sound, like a dropped gravy covered scoop of mashed potatoes. She turned around to see what caused this. She saw that Applejack had a huge, deep gash in her hind leg with a blood oozing out of it. "Oh, I suppose we are not done... Wow. That drug is having a more severe effect on you than I predicted." Twilight said while she readied her pen and paper. Applejack was in tears as her mouth grabbed it's second smooth piece of her outermost organ. "I must break free." She stretched it to its breaking point. "AAAAAOOUU!... huh huh huh huh huh... It's... necessary. Transporting my self over there." She noticed that the purple unicorn was observing her. She spat that bit of herself out of her blood dripping mouth. "STOP LOOKING AT ME! YOU'RE LOOKING AT MY PLAN FOR ESCAPE, AREN'T YOU!" She cried. She took an even bigger mass out of her own throbbing leg. And released her loudest scream yet, at the same time crying more tears of burning pain. The orange pony in pain placed her own sticky brawn fragment in her mouth and started chewing. Twilight gave a giggle as she continued jotting down what she saw. "We will see who will come out on top. I'm breaking free as I speak." Applejack said, after she swallowed the chunk of herself that was in her mouth. AJ continued the cycle of tearing off some of her own leg, wailing and weeping, and spitting the lump of herself out onto the floor away from her. "AAAuurrrhg! See? Even now I am slowly moving towards that spot, and out of these chains!... Aaaagh..." She said, while pointing to that area where she was throwing herself to, bit by bit. "Hhmmm..." spoke the thinking unicorn, "I've took enough notes. I'll let the machine continue recording the brain activity through Apple's helmet, and analyze the data later. Now we may move on, oh joy!" The Doctor went to the back to retrieve a cart with a tray. The tray had tools on it, hidden under a cloth. There were also alcohol filled basting bulbs, and bottles of water. Twilight gave Fluttershy a few slaps, "Yooohoooo. Time to wakie wakie, sweetie. You can do it!" The Pegasus didn't respond. Twilight gave her a gentle hug, then moved to plan B...