The Host of Insanity

The stars, my God, they were beautiful. There was nothing that could wrench me away from the beautiful view above me. The vast expanse of the night, everything shrouded in a seemingly mystical darkness that allowed sight, but made everything more adventurous and exciting.

The only breaks in the eternal blackness were arrays of specks of the purest light. I could see each and every star, uninterrupted by light, sound or any other kind of pollution that plagued my old home, in near perfect detail.

I could see the varying brightness of pulsars, the red hue of the giants, the impossible whites of the dwarves, even the thin strands of flares that flowed around some stars like seaweed in a strong ocean current. It was all really soothing.

I got so lost in the vortex of space that I failed to realize how much time had gone by. Before I knew it, the sun was rising, causing the dew covered grass to alight and the landscape to become a monochrome of orange.

Then sudden change in illumination almost blinded me, and left me scrambling to get to my tent in a vain attempt to relieve my eyes of the obnoxious, unwelcome color. In my panic, I had managed to wake my new companion and cause enough of a stir for the local birds to erupt into song, which did not help my tremendous headache.

“Ugh...in a couple seconds I went from watching time pass me by in bliss, to hiding from my migrane under my pillow. If this is my luck, I curse the hand that dealt me.” I grumbled into the soft fabric of the feather stuffed case.

I stayed in my prone position until I heard the soft clopping of hooves on grass approaching my tent. I hadn’t really gotten a good look at the stallion last night and I was curious to see how he looked.

At the sound of the tent flap opening I looked up and saw something that surprised me. He was wearing my clothes, and they fit! So either he had grown, or he was bigger than I thought he was.

“Whaddya make all the racket for, man? I was havin’ a good dream!” He half yawned at me.

“What are you doing wearing my clothes?” I retorted, more frustration in my voice than intended.

“Oh, when you weren’t looking I took some of your clothes and tailored them to be my size.” He responded, pride showing on his features.

“Eh, it's not bad, but it’s still nothing compared to Rarity’s prowess with a needle and thread.” I said, causing him to deflate a little.

In truth, I was actually impressed. At first glance, you would have thought that the black wife-beater and the jeans were made for his size. The stitches were hard to see unless you had a very keen eye.

Unlucky for him, my eyes were more perceptive than a griffon’s and could see every mistake. If I had understood more on the subject, I probably would have noticed even more but stitching was not my focus, killing was.

“Is this your talent?” I asked, suddenly remembering his lack of a cutie mark.

“Nah, it was my mother’s. She always made my clothes for me because it was cheaper than buying them. She made me that jacket, the leather one I was wearing last night.” He said with a sad smile.

“Real leather?” I eyed him curiously.

“Yeah.” He responded, not missing a beat.

“Where did you get it? I thought ponies were against killing animals.” I asked, as my headache began clearing up.

“My brother.” He said, his smile turning into a frown.

I felt it was time to change the subject, “Well kid, I’m only going to be here for a week, and in that week I am going to teach you things that will set you on your way to your destiny. Now, I have already wasted a night and a morning losing, and then gaining your trust. Right now I believe we are at square one. Am I right?” I looked at him expectantly, only to be met with a deadpan look.

“Lemme get this straight, you scare the shit outta me, attempt to murder me, kidnap me...AND YOU EXPECT FOR ME TO ACT LIKE NONE OF THAT HAPPENED?!?” He yelled, causing the headache to come back in full force, though now it was centered in my forehead.

“Well, I did give you room and board, as well as free education, and nourishment.” I replied flatly.

He just glared at me as I continued, “Ok maybe like square negative five, but you get what I’m saying.”

The child began yelling at me, something about taking him back home. I was too busy looking over his shoulder to notice. In the distance, just crowning the horizon, was a cloud of dust and debris. I could feel the subtle rumbling of one-hundred pairs-no-make that one hundred and one pairs-of hooves running at a speed that surpassed any bipedal creature I could think of.

Then, in a sudden fit of realization, I sprinted to the edge of our camp. I saw a familiar, if a little distorted, scene before me. Applejack was chasing a herd of cows, her dog Winona on the back of a cow opposite her.

I willed magic into my hands, and after looking and seeing the same blue strands emanating from my forearms, I plunged the appendages into the ground and grabbed.

Summoning strength from long untapped reservoirs, I pulled my arms out of the ground, bringing a giant slab of earth with it. I angled the slab so the herd of cows would be directed away from the campsite. It was too late before I realized that I had also redirected them towards the town.

“Shit!” I yelled as I ran back towards the camp.

“W-what’s going on?” The stallion asked...man I really need to get that kids name...

“Nothing, just toss me that white tape!” I yelled as I charged through the flap.

He threw it to me, the tape I used for hand-to-hand practice, and I threw it on as fast as I could because, plunging your knuckles through solid rock did not feel good.

At least this will give some cushioning...who am I kidding, I’m doing this because this is the best possible way to introduce yourself. I thought as I chased down the herd.

I channeled my magic into my hooves and ran. I ran as fast as I could, which was apparently really fast. Before I realized it, I had passed the entire herd and had made it to the town. I quickly cleared the area, causing a slight panic as I did so, and waited.

I could hear the hoofsteps of every individual cow, plus the brisk pace of the following dog. I couldn’t however make out the difference between a cows steps and Applejack’s steps.

I prepared myself for the coming stampede, hoping that Applejack wasn’t in the front. I focused all of the magic I could muster into my arms. I felt them quake with power, rocks floating around, encased in a bright blue aura. I could feel the skin start to peel off and burn in the intensity of the magic.

My skin burned, my nerves became overloaded with pure magic. Finally, when the herd had come over the horizon, I plunged my arms up to the elbows into the ground, the magic and the tape doing little to soften the sudden impact.

I began to run towards the cows, collecting more and more rocks and dirt in my arms underground. I could feel my skin rip off on a vein of ore and my shoulders dislocate slowly as I dragged my arms along. After collecting enough materials, I pulled my skinless arm out from the holes I had created and pointed them at the herd.

I unleashed the boulders I had collected at the herd with a force that matched a cannon. The boulders stopped a couple yards ahead of the cows and quickly formed into a giant wall that curved towards them like a ‘U’. I heard exclaims of surprise and fear from the herd as well as Winona and Applejack.

After the squeals and cries had diminished and I knew the town was safe, I looked at me ravaged appendages. They were more devastated than I had originally thought. My hands were eroded down to the bone in some places and there was no skin to be found anywhere below my elbows.

Instead of yelling in pain, I looked down in curiosity; the wound didn’t hurt. Before I could question it, I was swarmed by ponies, each was giving their gratitude and each didn’t notice the wounds along my arms.

Eventually a scared looking Mayor Mare and a dirty Applejack came trudging through the crowd who, after being given the Mayor’s silencing cough, had grown quiet.

“Well, hello stranger! My name is Mayor Mare, and may I just say that you are definitely a welcome sight! I wasn’t positive if Applejack here could stop the stampede in time! We sure are lucky to have you here!” She said, reaching in for a handshake.

“Yeah, we sure are glad you were here to stop that. Ah gave them cows a stern talkin’ to. They won’t run off again.” Applejack joined in.

I looked at my own hands, to their extended ones, then back at my own, “Uhh...maybe a handshake isn’t such a good idea.” I said, gesturing to my shredded forearms.

The look on the mayor’s face was priceless. She gasped in horror as her face contorted to one of absolute disgust. She began mumbling incoherently and eventually fainted, right into Applejack, who was also looking at my wounds with a sick look on her face. As soon as the two of them had realized the extent of my injuries, so had the crowd that had amassed here.

Their reactions were those of disgust, terror and some of them just hurled on the spot. It was a messy business, and it was not how I wanted my introduction to be.

(_I__..__I_)

Once we had arrived at the hospital, I was quickly escorted to the ER against my pleadings. There were ponies there that looked a lot worse than I felt, although that might have been because of the puke inducing sight of my arms. Even though I had successfully prevented them from using a stretcher to bring me to my room, they still insisted on having medical personnel at my side, prepared for the worst.

After seeing a plethora of doctors and surgeons about my medical state, I had finally calmed them down. I let the doctors know that it was a magically induced injury and that it could be healed fast, without the need to waste resources on me. All that was required for my appalling appendages was simple gauze, a medical wrap that was sterilized to prevent any kind of infection.

I sat in the hospital room I was given uncomfortably. I felt strange, like I wasn’t actually there, like I was watching myself from afar. The strange scent of cleanliness and the monotone beeping of the heart monitor didn’t help my current state of mind. I waited for the inevitable, Pinkie Pie.

I waited in silence save for the constant droning of the machines in the room. For machines that made sure you were healthy, they sure made me want to do some kind of self harm with their infuriatingly futile attempt at being a silent sentinel.

As the cacophony of monotone beeps continued, I swear I could feel my brain trying to mutilate itself. My headache had returned from before, this time it brought reinforcements. My migraine was accompanied by a sudden dizziness and blurred vision.

I stood, trying to reach the button that alerted the staff. I had a sudden fear that I was injured worse than originally thought. In my feeble attempt at walking, I tripped and prepared for the surface that was the shining white floor to impact my head.

It never came, instead I heard two voices, one was subtly underlayed with another. The second was demonic, of that I was sure, for nothing could make as angry a voice as that and be natural. I looked up, my body shaking in terror as I looked into the eyes of the long awaited Pinkie Pie, as well as another.

Her face was divided, although the separation was subtle and faded, it was definitely there. On one side was a normal Pinkie Pie, the other was occupied by a face I didn’t want to see. The other was slightly darker, as if in a room with less illumination at this. I could just barely see it's eye, for it was surrounded in shadow. The smile that spread across both of their faces was the perfect example of a paradox, for while it was warm and filled with good intent, it was also malicious and disturbing. I was looking into the faces of both Pinkie Pie, and Pinkamena Diane Pie.

Some might say that the two of them are the same pony, that they have the same tendencies, they couldn’t be more wrong. When Pinkamena takes over, Pinkie is lost. There is no trace of the fun loving party pony. Everything changes, their appearances are different, Pinkies’ trademarked ‘cotton candy’ hair is replace with straight locks of hair, even the air about her changes. The contagious smile she is known for becomes a distorted image of itself, it becomes the embodiment of terror and pain, with a strange hint of grace.

Before I could tell myself that she was harmless, I had already scrambled to the opposite corner of the room and taken a defensive fighting stance. I eyed the room for anyway of escape, the only one I found being a closed window across the room next to the hospital bed I was in just seconds ago.

“Wh-what’s wrong?” The two entities questioned, out of the same mouth.

I noticed five other ponies behind her, no doubt the rest of the Mane 6. They all had expressions of confusion of their faces, although none were as animated as Pinkie’s. She seemed scared and a little angry, her hair was slowly losing it's puffy appearance in favor of the terrifying, stock straight strands Pinkamena is known for.

I lost control of my body, fear forcing me to emit a low growl. My animal instincts took over and my rational mind was forced to watch at a distance as I leapt towards the group in the doorway, feigning an attack, before sprinting for the window. My distraction was successful as I was able to shatter the window and jump out while they were shying away in fear.

The glass shattered with a satisfying crash sound, little shards littering the air about me with rouge strains of rainbow light. The ponies on the ground looked up in shock and awe to see a pony jumping out of a third story window of a hospital, with bandages covering his arms, and a feral look upon his muzzle.

I hit the ground in a tuck and roll, coming out mostly uninjured. I say mostly because I ended up getting a compound fracture in my femur. I howled in pain, yet I still managed to hobble away from the scene.

(_I__..__I_)

I used the back roads and alleys to evade the patrolling guards. They had come to search for a possibly ‘mentally unstable’ pony who is running around unopposed. Had I not been in so much pain, I might have found that funny. Luckily, I had found a nice quiet and somewhat clean alley to rest in.

I looked down at the bone sticking out of my thigh, it's razor sharp edge sawing through muscle and skin with ease. I winced at the thought of what I had to do. I grabbed a piece of brick from the crumbling wall I was leaning against and placed it between my teeth. With that, I took off my shirt and rolled it up into a kind of rope. I tied it tight enough to slow the blood flow to the open wound. It was admittedly hard to do with tied fingers and I found myself struggling to grasp the ends of the shirt.

Once that was finished, I looked back to the bone sticking out of my leg. Clenching my teeth tighter on the piece of brick in my mouth, I grabbed the top of the bone, and the bottom of my leg, took in a deep breath, and pushed.

“ARG! MPH! GAH!” I bellowed through the stone as I relocated the bone.

I was squeezing on the brick so hard I felt it crack in two in my mouth, blood from cutting my gums on the rock flowed from in between my teeth. I threw my head back and howled into the evening air, not caring who heard. As I fought for consciousness, I looked at the wound to see that I had successfully fitted my broken femur together. I focused my magic on the wound, watching as the pieces of bone melded back together and strands of muscle and skin stretched to each other. After a couple of seconds watching what looked like two squids hugging, the wound had healed, for the most part anyways.

Suddenly I felt the familiar dizziness from the hospital. I thought that it was from exhaustion, but I was entirely wrong. As I was losing consciousness, I heard the terrifying blend of two voices to my left.

“Hey everypony I found him, and he doesn’t look too ok!” Yelled the being known as Pinkamena from right next to my ear.

Even in my fading consciousness, I threw a wild punch in her general direction, connecting instead with the wall I was leaning against, shattering the mostly decayed wall. I tried to get up, but gravity was stronger than the new muscles in my leg and I fell back down. I scooted as far away from the being as possible and raised my hand, concentrating as hard as I could to get my nearly depleted magic pools to give up just a little more. It worked as I watched my hand under the bandages slowly begin glowing blue.

Pinkie was in front of me, hands up to the sky like I had told her I was robbing her. Only, it wasn’t Pinkie, her hair was straight, her eyes filled with tears, her face filled with terror. Until suddenly, she changed, her skin got darker, like the light was taken from the alley, her face turned from one of terror, to pure bliss and joy, and her eyes lost all emotion and mercy. She had become Pinkamena.

She approached me and I let loose the magic in my hand, only for it to hit the wall. Before my senses could register it, she had slapped my arm to the side and had gotten in my face, bringing a meat cleaver from seemingly out of nowhere to my throat. The last thing I hear before consciousness leaves me is her maniacal laughter.