After the Rainbow

Chapters

After the Rainbow
Into Everfree
The Number's Demand
Not as Pinkie Planned
Sugarcube Corner
Madness and Remorse
All the Ponies in this town are Crazy!
Escaping
The End

After the Rainbow

ONE YEAR AFTER THE DEATH OF RAINBOW DASH

Pinkie lay down a small knife and sighed. Nothing had been going well recently. Many of her friends where dead, dead on the wishes of those who only Pinkie met.

Nopony else saw those strange ponies, to her annoyance. She sometimes wondered if other people just didn't like them and ignored them, as she thought her friends did the night before she started the numbers. These strange ponies were the only ones who knew of her "Method" of making cupcakes, and strangely supported her.

But the numbers were insatisable now. Many people from Ponyville were dead after all this time or moved away from the losses of their family. It was difficult, framing the most recent ponies as having moved away or gone on business. The job was getting harder and harder...

And now the numbers seemed to be trying to spite her. One of the last of her closest friends had been chosen by the numbers, just after another! Rarity had made excellent meat, just as good as Rainbow Dash's. Pinkie sighed again at this thought. Delicious, all of them, but it was sad that she would never see any of them again. But now, there was a job to do and her friend would not do it herself.

She went on her way to the room she kept the ponies in. She didn't need to sneak anymore, now that Mrs Cake had been stuffed and mounted on the wall. Mr Cake had left the deeds for the bakery to her when he left to live in Fillydelphia. He said he couldn't stand to live where Mrs Cake had apparently "Eloped" and left with a stranger.

She locked the door to the room behind her and walked into a short corridor and stopped when saw one of the strange ponies in front of her.

"Pinkie." said the pony in a cultured, strangely accented voice Pinkie had never heard from another pony. The pony had pure white skin and was dressed in some fine blue dress that looked like one of those that Rarity made. Had made. Pinkie mentally shook herself and tried to ready some words.

"Madame." she said politely. She knew this pony quite well, and knew that she disliked being adressed as anything else.
"Your old... friend is waiting inside." said the "Madame" with a small grin. "She will be absolutely deleesious, darling."
"Mmm." was Pinkie's reply. She had a lot on her mind. "She is still my friend." she said suddenly, drawing a strange look from the Madame.
Madame looked worried. "Are you eentirely yourself, my dear?"
"Perfectly." Pinkie said, wearing a small smile that looked like a grimace.
"If you are sure..."
"I am, Madame."
"Well, then you should enjoy zis. Come!" She said imperiously, trotting towards the other end of the corridor. "It is time we attended to zis."
Pinkie followed after the commanding mare into the room.

"Zis is your show here, darling." said Madame. "I wouldn't dream of interfering." she said as she moved to the side slightly.
Pinkie looked at the pony strapped to the rack.
"We had better start now, my dear." said the Madame insistently. "You have done zis before, there shall be no trouble, I promise you."
"I know." said Pinkie.

The eyes of the strapped pony suddenly grew wide with hope. She knew that voice. As Pinkie came closer, she tried to speak through a gag around her mouth. Nothing legible came out. She saw Pinkie take a knife from a small tray on a nearby table, and then suddenly felt a huge pang of fear. She saw that Pinkie looked uncommonly sad, nothing like the bouncing, happy-go-lucky mare she knew.

Pinkie walked up to the trapped mare and pulled off the gag.
"Is zat really wise,my dear?" said Madame. "The screaming does get repetitive after a while." After a small, annoyed look from Pinkie, she said hurriedly "But if you like the screaming, go ahead, my dear." seemingly trying to please.
Pinkie turned away, back to the trapped mare with tears starting to form in her eyes. Why was this happening? She had never felt this way even when her other friends were in just the same position as the trapped mare.

The trapped mare coughed, trying to force out words in the face of all the fear she was feeling.
"P-pinkie..." she muttered, looking at the pink mare. "W-what..."
The pink mare seemed to be crying. Which seemed impossible. Pinkie never cried. She felt something was horribly wrong, even more so than when she awoke in this empty room with the strange, metal things on racks and trays around her.
"Shush." said Pinkie "This is important."
"W-what is? Are you hurt? Is that why you're crying? Do you know why I'm-"
"BE QUIET!" Pinkie thundered at her suddenly, shocking the trapped mare. "Don't disobey me again." she said warningly.
Pinkie, holding the knife she had taken, looked utterly terrifing and the trapped mare was silent.
"This happens to everyone, eventually." said Pinkie "Why would you be different?"
"B-but what?"
Pinkie said nothing in reply, but leaned over the trapped mare and held the knife close to her head.
The trapped mare came to her own assumptions. Pinkie was going to hurt her, and might kill her. She didn't know why. She was terrified and didn't know why a friend would do this.
"Pinkie..." she said and got a quick glare and Pinkie leaned in closer,looking totally demented now.
"Please don't do this..."
She saw a sudden moisture in her captors eyes, the sudden dropping of the insane grimace and the terror in her face.

Then there was a flash of pain, and then nothing.

"Why did you do zat?" said Madame in anger "She could have lasted a long time! The meat would have been exzellent after all that time!"
Pinkie sat holding the mare's head. The knife had slashed through her throat and killed her nearly instantly, something the pink mare often tried to avoid doing.
Pinkie let the mare's head fall back on the rack into the pooling blood. She didn't know why. This was routine, wasn't it? Then why did she feel so horrible?
Pinkie threw the knife away carelessly and took the corpse's legs with the Madame glaring at her.She dragged it to a small freezer she kept in the room and laid the body inside with more care than she had done before with any corpse.

She looked at Fluttershy's still terrified face a final time and shut the freezer door.

Into Everfree

FOUR DAYS AFTER THE DEATH OF FLUTTERSHY

"Huh." said Twilight Sparkle, using her magic to push the door of Fluttershy's house shut. "She must be out looking for animals or something. Any ideas Spike?" she addressed this question to the adolescent dragon on her back.
"Maybe she was caught by a manticore or something!" he overenthused, jumping off Twilight and onto the grass outside the house.
"Spike don't be-"
"I'll save her!"
"And how will you find her?" she said loudly, speaking over the dragon.
"I'll fly up and spot her, then swoop down and rescue her! I'll be the hero of Ponyville!" he cried, then started taking a run.
"No, Spike wait-" she said too late.Spike had taken a running jump from the hill, and flexing a pair of tiny, stunted wings attempted to fly and merely ended up buring himself halfway into a rabbit warren when he crashed.Twilight levitated him out and inspected the burrow.
"Spike, Fluttershy will be furio- no. She'll be... annoyed." she said, remembering what Fluttershy was like. "Anyway, she won't like it. We can look for her later. After YOU" she said, grinning at the mud covered Spike "Get a bath."
"Aww,no!" moaned Spike.
"Well, you have no choice so you don't need to worry." Twilight said, levitating Spike along with her, being loath to have to coat herself in all the mud Spike would bring if she carried him.

"Well" said Twilight "She isn't in town, and she isn't where most of the animals are. Spike, help me out here!"
The dragon yawned and said "Can't we look for her in the morning?"
"We can't keep putting this off! Anyway, weren't you the one who wanted to rescue her?"
Spike suddenly turned his head away and said "Y-yeah."
"Um... Spike? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine!" he said with uncommon force.
"Fine, Fine..." the lavender unicorn said exasperatedly, completely missing his tone of voice in her annoyance. "Maybe Pinkie's seen her, she always seems to know where everyone is..."

Pinkie Pie was leaning on the counter of Sugar Cube corner with her eyes closed, thinking. She was hoping someone would buy what was left of the cupcakes from Rarity she still had, but not today. The story on that one was pretty good. Pinkie had told everyone that Rarity had gone off to "Follow her Dreams" and find the one she loved. She had noticed Spike sulking in the background, and remembered that the little dragon said he had a crush on Rarity. Hah. In her state right now, she was hoping nopony would come in while she was waiting for closing time. She was enjoying the solitude.

Ting

Pinkie Pie's eyes opened in annoyance and looked at the intruder. She saw Twilight and Spike and tried to force herself to relax. They would certainly notice something. Pinkie was feeling depressed and her hair had gone straight, as it always did when she was depressed.

"Hiya, Twi." she said, trying to sound cheery and hitching a grin on her face.
"Heya, Pinkie." Twilight said. She looked very preoccupied and gave Pinkie a worried look. "Have you seen Fluttershy anywhere?" Twilight said as she started going through the Bakery, searching and not giving Pinkie a second look. Pinkie felt a sudden wave of coldness. She had to battle to keep her grin and cheery voice up now, and she felt strangely near tears again.
"No, I haven't seen her all day, which is strange, because she normally buys something from here whenever she comes into town because she-" Pinkie said rapidly, hoping to fool Twilight with the inane chatter she expected.
"Pinkie, this is serious, I haven't seen her in days!" Twilight snapped.Then she sighed. "Look, do you have any idea where she is?"
Pinkie froze up suddenly as she heard a gravelly voice behind her say "How about Everfree? That chump would love to go hug all those monsters..." a hacking cough came from behind her, originating from a large pastry cupboard. Rocky, she could tell. She hoped he would be quiet so Twilight wouldn't hear him as she turned to Twilight and said what came to mind in her panic.
"Maybe she's in the Everfree forest! I means, maybe she felt sorry for the monsters and stuff..." she quickly said as she backed up against the cupboard to muffle the coughs Rocky was making.
Twilight's eyes widened. "You think so? Oh no... she could have. She actually could have done that. She can't charm every monster..."
Spike leaned over from Twilight's back and said "We have to go. She could be in trouble." The young dragon sounded uncommonly serious and looked very worried as he said this.
"Pinkie, can you come with us? We could use the help." Twilight said.
"Uh... yeah sure!" Pinkie said. Celestia's hooves, this could be a problem. She just hoped they wouldn't find anything. She hoped they would find some unfortunate pony's bones and assume it was Fluttershy. Oh, how she hoped...

Twilight wondered as she went through a pasture near Fluttershy's house on the way to the Everfree Forest. Pinkie had been acting very strange (For pinkie anyway), once Twilight had time to take a good look at her. It looked like she had finally managed to straighten her unruly hair, something Rarity often despaired of how she couldn't, before Rarity went off looking for love, and Pinkie had been pressed against a large cupboard and making hacking coughs in the back of her throat for some reason. Twilight wondered about this as she walked to Everfree.

EVERFREE
Pinkie disliked the Everfree Forest. A gloomy place, it always tended to make her tend towards sadness.
And now she had to enter the place searching for a corpse hidden in the place she just left.
This wasn't going to be good, and she hoped nothing would be discovered that could incriminate her. After all, few ponies understood her situation. Even Pinkie didn't fully understand it totally. But she knew that no good would come of it if she it was discovered how exactly she was making such delicious foodstuffs.
She was understandably in a very foul mood, and trying to hide it.

A flit of white and blue and a small grin.

Pinkie was worried. The Madame had followed her into the forest. She knew the ghostly ponies well, but... they could didn't seem to be able to be trusted. Rocky, talking so loudly earlier could have ruined everything. The Madame just seemed... wrong much too often, but had always supported her in what she did. The others were generally the same as Rocky sometimes, and they were never too nice talking about her friends. "Friend" she thought bitterly, as she remembered that only Twilight was left. Only The Madame had never been rude about her friends, but she treated them like dolls or puppets. Toys. Things to be used.

And so Pinkie worried.

Twilight worried too, but for the obvious reason she thought Fluttershy was missing. She didn't mind the forest. She had traversed it with her friends before, and went through fairly often when visiting Zecora.

"Pinkie?" she said.
"Yeah?"
"Which way are we going? Any ideas?"
Pinkie stood still for a moment, staring at a tree. The tree had a strange white stain of some sort on it.
"Maybe" Pinkie said quietly. This was strange in itself, as Twilight had only ever heard Pinkie talk in loud tones that attracted attention.
"Where then?"
"Fluttershy has never seen the Ursa Major before. Maybe she doesn't know there was a Major. You know her." Pinkie was acting... very, very strange. She seemed mocking and was much quieter than the Pinkie she normally knew. "She probably thought that it needed some care. A little... love." drawing out the final word strangely and gibing Twilight a strangely hungry look.
Twilight stared at her worriedly. The pink mare was being unquestionably strange, but no one had ever pointed out her oddities before and Pinkie was actually very scary when she looked at Twilight like that.
"You... could be right. Let's get on. I know where the cave is, and I've seen the Ursa Major before. Fluttershy... oh no. I hope you are wrong, Pinkie."

Pinkie was glaring at the figure that walked beside her.
"Well, my dear" whispered the white pony "We simply can't have someone so... inquzitive running around after you, can we?"
"She isn't up in the numbers now, why should we kill her?" Pinkie muttered quietly, so that Twilight would not overhear. The white pony was apparently even being ignored in this crucial moment for Twilight. Pinkie hoped their conversation would not be overheard, so both were whispering.
"Well, didn't you smash zat filly who came sniffing around into mulch? Zen tipped her out into the yellow flying one's fertilizers?"
"Fluttershy has... had a name"
"Humph. You are too attached to zese little ponies. They can be enjoyable in life, but zey are always best in death. In food."
"But Twilight won't be in food. That Ursa will eat her itself."
"But you never eat the ones zat aren't on the numbers you need to kill. Just let events unfold, and she will be gone. Bam!" Madame said cheerily. "No more trouble from ze lavender mare. And we can keep on doing what we do."
Pinkie knew better than to tell Madame to be quiet. That merely infuriated her.
"Well zen, you say nothing, so I think I have won. Ze Lavander mare shall die... my way"

Twilight looked into the cave with growing apprehension. She felt like just going in there would be the worst thing she could possibly do right now. Or ever. Or at least for the rest of her life, which wouldn't be hard to do after taking that decision.
"Pinkie, it'd be insane to just walk in there." she said.
"Well then don't." Pinkie replied, seemingly uncaring.
"But you suggested this! How can you suggest something then say to not do it? What if Fluttershy is in there?"
"Then go in." the pink mare said in dead tones. "Save Fluttershy. Be heroes."
"Pinkie, are you alright? You do know this is Fluttershy we are talking about? Your friend?" Spike said over Twilight's shoulder. Pinkie only turned her head away and looked out into the trees. Twilight sighed.
"This is the only plan we've got, so we had better just make the best of it. Maybe we can sneak in." she said. Twilight didn't bother telling Pinkie to be quiet. She was already being uncommonly quiet. "Spike, just run if it hears us."
"But I want to help!"
"And what will you do? That's a major in there, and Spike, you wouldn't even do anything against a Minor. Let's just go."

Twilight was sneaking behind a collection of stalagmites that had grown around the edges of the cave. She made a mental note to research how these where made later. Wait, what? She was trying to rescue her friend, trapped in a cave with a monster that, if it fell over, would likely crush most of Ponyville and then get up and smash the rest. She looked at the monster. She hadn't seen it this close up before, and she didn't entirely even now. She could see right through it. It was holding the Ursa Minor she recognised as being likely the one that had attacked Ponyville. After all, ponies would notice more than one monstrous, giant bear apparently made of stars.

She couldn't see any evidence of Fluttershy anywhere. But she had to hope.

Madame was waiting outside the cave, along with Pinkie. She disregarded Pinkie's anxious skulking and paced around proudly. The little pink mare had never realised that other ponies just never saw the Madame and her friends at all, or ever sensed them at all in any way.

She looked into the cave and saw Twilight, with her tiny dragon, skulking around the sides of the cave. She felt a pang of annoyance. This would be a waste if the lavender mare was never killed anyway. She had to do something.
"Pinkie."
"Keep your voice down!" Pinkie whispered.
"Why should I?"
"Because T- because the thing might find us, and then we will end up dead instead!" Madame heard the hesitation in her voice. She tried to remember to keep a closer eye on Pinkie from now on. She appeared to be in a very funny mood.
"Hah!" she said loudly. Pinkie's mouth twitched, as she tried to repress the urge to say what the Madame said. "We can run. Zat huge thing will not run fast through all those trees, and will not miss such tiny things as us. But ze Lavender mare iz in it's home, and the beast wll not like zat. We are safe." The Madame gave Pinkie a piercing look. She had just had an idea.
The Madame suddenly screamed at the top of her voice, which was uncommonly high and loud. Pinkie was not sneaking any more, but had clamped her hooves over her mouth. Eventually she screamed too. The Madame permitted herself a small grin. Pinkie never realised what power the Madame held over her sometimes.

There was a roar from the cave, and the sound of running hooves.

Twilight heard Pinkie scream outside. She wondered what had happened. But she couldn't spare much to this thought as the huge monster she had looked at earlier loomed over her. She stared at it for a while, then came to her senses and took to her hooves. She heard the thing roar, incredibly loud, behind her and kept running. She couldn't do what she had done to the hyrda in this cave. The Ursa would just turn around and she would be trapped. The stalagmites were being smashed by the enraged monster as it chased her.

Twilight hoped that Spike, who had jumped off her back at the roar, would be safe. There was no time to check.

Twilight ran out of the forest and into the trees.

The ponies had found themselves in a clearing near a small stream. Twilight was panicking. The Ursa had lost them in the trees, just as the Madame had said, but Spike was no where to be found.
"Where is Spike?!" Twilight said, panicking "We can't have left him in there! Could we?"
Pinkie only shrugged. The Madame was hiding in a nearby bush, so not to worry Pinkie. She didn't see why the lavender mare was so bothered. It was only a dragon, and a throughly irritating one at that. The Madame only thought it a loss that the lavender mare had not been crushed.
"We... what do we do now?"
Yet again, Pinkie only shrugged.
"Pinkie, please help me!"
Pinkie turned her head away without answering.
"Fine!" Twilight was shouting at her now, looking terrified "I'll go look for him!" Twilight ran out of the clearing and on the way back to the cave as she said this.
The Madame came out of the bush she had been hiding in and approached Pinkie.
"What is ze matter, Pinkie? We got rid of the dragon, now we have less to worry about."
Pinkie said nothing, just as she had towards Twilight.
"Pinkie. Answer me."
Nothing.
"Pinkie, I do not appreciate being ignored. Answer me!"
There. Pinkie flinched at this.
"Hah. Keep your thoughts zen." The Madame said as she trotted the way Twilight went. "I will see if the beast will finish her this time."

Spike was gripping to a stalactite on the ceiling of the cave. He had been for an hour. He was thankful he had grown such tough claws in the past year. He wasn't sure why he was doing this. He knew he wanted to save Fluttershy, but he was just an undergrown dragon. He looked at the monster that had just curled up at the back of the cave. He hadn't seen Fluttershy anywhere.

He saw the flash of lavender out of the corner of his eye. Twilight had come back? He didn't know if this was good or bad. He worried about Twilight and Fluttershy.

The stalactite he was gripping suddenly shook, and he could see his view of everything moving. Surely enough, Twilight was levitating him out. He felt a flash of anger. Didn't Twilight think he could help Fluttershy?

He let go of the floating rock a soon as he thought it was safe. He landed harder than he thought, taking a few bruises even through his tough scales.
Twilight was mouthing words at him: Come here. Be quiet.
Spike shook his head and dropped to all fours, trying to sneak deeper in. Twilight stayed at the entrance, and having quickly lost sight of him knew she couldn't drag him back with magic. He was determined not to be brought back without Fluttershy. He didn't think of the future.

He had sneaked quietly to the now sleeping Ursa. It was a true terror. The teeth of the thing were enormous.
Spike was thinking like a dragon, not an Ursa, and started looking around it to see if it would keep Fluttershy in a non-existent stash.

And then there was the sight of a huge red and yellow eye, a blast of pain and the feeling of movement.

The Number's Demand

SIX HOURS AFTER THE EVENTS OF "INTO EVERFREE"

Spike stirred in his sleep.
Celestia watched him worriedly. Her old best student had risked death searching for one of her friends. While that was the morally right thing to do, there were still problems. Spike, for example. He had been heavily injured and wouldn't be up and about for quite a while. It was a miracle that Twilight had managed to levitate him out of the worst of the Ursa's claws.

"Princess Celestia, do you think he's going to be alright?" Twilight said as she rushed into the room. She had just arrived from the cave, where Luna and some Pegasi were subduing the beast to search for Fluttershy. The Ursa had been tied up with ropes carried by the Pegasi after Luna had put it into a trance. Fluttershy was not found yet, and the pegasi were checking through the rest of the forest.
"Yes, Twilight. He is through the worst of it."
"Oh my... I really messed everything up. I should have asked for your help from the start, but I was so worried and-"
"Hush. That doesn't matter now. You should learn from this Twilight. I will always be able to help you, as a friend, even if you are no longer my student."
"O-of course, Princess."
"I will send word when we find Fluttershy. It is strange that she has not been seen for so long. I will send someone to care for Spike. But now, I should head back to the palace. It is nearly time to raise the sun again."
Celestia's horn grew bright, and then a moment later there was a flash. Celestia was gone.
Twilight walked up to the bed.
"Spike, you never do think things through... but neithier do I. We both messed up." she said, looking like she was about to cry, then yawned. "I-I've been up all night, I really need to sleep..." A flash of sun shot through the window. "Oh." she said "Of course. I'll go meet your helper, then go to bed. I really hope everything works out..."

The Madame was feeling furious again. The lavender mare had survived, and her annoying dragon only got some scratches. She was certain that Pinkie could have finished them easily in the forest. Yet she hadn't. Something was wrong.
"Pinkie!" she shouted down the stairs of the tower like structure atop Sugarcube Corner "Come here!"
"No!"
The Madame was actually shocked by this. Pinkie would never disobey her. Never before anyway. But she was in a strange mood.
"We must draw ze numbers! Now! You know what happens when zey aren't drawn..."
There was a crash from downstairs and a small gasp. It sounded like Pinkie had broken something. A moment later, Pinkie appeared at the top of the stairs. Her hoof was bleeding.
"Now what have you done, Pinkie? We will need to bandage zat up later. But come now, we must draw ze numbers."

No. The numbers had to be going for spite now. Please no...
"Well zat is zat. No more trouble." the Madame said to PInkie. "Now we can get back from zat blunder in the forest. When ze Lavender one is gone, we can get on az before."
Pinkie stared at the number for a while, and with no expression said "Do you ever wonder about what we do sometimes?"
This was a dangerous sort of thought. Now the Madame thought she knew why Pinkie was being so strange. "Non!" she replied "We do what we do. We have to. We have ze numbers."
"Of course..." Pinkie said "But why do we have the numbers again? My friends were just planning a party then, and you showed up. Of course, I'm very grateful" she said hastily as she saw the Madame's face go furious for a moment "But should I kill ponies for that?"
"Non! You kill zem for the food now. And ze numbers. You can't disobey ze numbers, we both know."

Pinkie looked at the number and the book of ponies again after the Madame had gone, smirking in satisfaction that Twilight would finally die this time, then sighed. The Madame was right. Pinkie didn't know if the Madame actually liked the work or not. It was just work to her, and if it was enjoyable then it was all the better. Pinkie had enjoyed the work when she started it about... was it a year? A year ago, Dash had died. But there were ponies before her too, the unmissed. Before the numbers had started she would just pick up some poor pony from Canterlot. Then she opened the numbers, opened the book and Dash was chosen. Applejack had come next, a few months after Dash. Then Rarity, who had been a few days before Fluttershy. Now Twilight had been chosen. She looked at the pictures in the book and reminded herself absently that she would need to update it, with the new ponies that were arriving in Ponyville. The numbers were strange now. After Rarity, she had tried to ignore the numbers and slipped the number back in, saying she thought they had enough meat. She, the Madame, and all the ghostly ponies had taken ill in their dreams. She heard them scream when they slept. Monsters made of shadow and twisted wood tore at her and ripped her to pieces in her dreams after the illness had started, and she somehow was whole again each time and ready to be torn again. Dash was there, and simply told Pinkie that she was disappointed in her. Pinkie didn't know why she cried in that dream at the time. It was when she was at ease with the killings, when she thought Dash would be truely gone. Applejack had appeared the next night, and told the monsters that they could have Pinkie for all she cared. Rarity had appeared the next night and when Pinkie tried to crawl away from the monsters had been brutally kicked in the chest by Rarity, back into them. Rarity said nothing. After her old friends visited her each time, the pain she suffered from the monsters held few fears as she just sat, horrified and crying in her dream. She didn't know what the others dreamed of. She felt it best not to ask. After Pinkie finally killed for the number she had brought out, the dreams stopped. She never wanted to do that again. She didn't think she could ever stand it again.

Her tears dripped onto the floor and mixed with the blood from her bleeding hoof.

Not as Pinkie Planned

NIGHT. TIME UNKNOWN.

Twilight woke with a small start and a fair bit of annoyance. Her sleep had been interrupted again. The door closing behind the Nurse had made a loud slam. Twilight groaned then rolled out of bed, landing on her hooves. She went at a trot downstairs and wondered how well Spike was doing. She looked out a window. seeing the night and the rain, when she had reached the main room and wondered how long she had slept. There was a small note from Nurse Redheart on the table. Twilight noticed that the Nurse had used Twilight's new "Typewriter" that had been invented recently to write the note. Only unicorns could write proficiently without that Typewriter, but now Earth ponies and Pegasi were writing too, which had made the library in Ponyville grow substantially. The note read:

To Twilight Sparkle

Spike's condition has improved drastically, and there should be nothing that shall not heal naturally over some time. Please send word if there are any complications.
- Nurse Redheart

Hmm, Twilight thought. There was double the work Nurse Redheart had to do these days, after Nurse Tenderheart had retired. No wonder she had had to leave Spike with her a while. Twilight might as well get a snack while she was here, she thought as she began to busy herself with making something to eat.

Pinkie was trotting slowly to the library, carrying some cupcakes. She wondered how she was going to do this, and how she would make it seem like Twilight had just left or something. She was friendly with Celestia, after all and it wouldn't be helpful to have her poking around... Celestia had no number. Pinkie could see quite easily that she would never be able to get near Celestia, and her magic could always overpower Pinkie at any time. She wasn't sure if Celestia even could die. But why was she thinking about Celestia? It was Twilight she needed to concentrate on, and work out some sort of plan...

Twilight had just finished eating and was sitting with a book at Spike's side.

... the dragon has three kinds of flame, that which can send items through the place of magic to where they wish them to go, one that is simple, unmagical fire made by a combustion of gas in which the dragon uses a small biological item akin to flint to spark the gas and send out a flaming gas, and the final kind which...

There was a knocking at the door. Twilight wondered if Nurse Redheart had come back for something and she shut the book, trying to keep her page number in her mind. When she had gone downstairs and opened the door, she saw an uncomfortable looking Pinkie Pie carrying two satchels by her side, soaking wet.
"Pinkie." she said in a flat voice. She hadn't forgotten Pinkie's attitude about Spike yesterday.
"Um... hiya, Twilight." Pinkie said. She looked very tired, worried and sad. Twilight was feeling slightly sorry about her, but tried to quash that small feeling. Even though Pinkie was one of the last friends she had now, with many of her old friends gone and Twilight being a general hermit to most of Ponyville, she didn't want to be too nice to her. "Do... do you think I can come in please? Only it's a bit wet out here..."
"No, really? Fine, come in but try and not drip on any of the books."
Pinkie walked in slowly, her straight mane dripping on the floor.
"Is... is everything going alright with Spike, Twilight?"
"Yeah. He'll be fine soon enough."
Pinkie went to a small table near a lectern and took one of the Satchels off. She took out a tray of cupcakes and laid them on the table.
"For you and Spike." she explained. Twilight felt a bit better towards her now. It seemed that Pinkie did actually care about Spike. She still wasn't sure what caused her behaviour in the Everfree Forest though. Maybe Pinkie was suffering from losing her friends too. Pinkie eventually became as much as a hermit as Twilight a while after Applejack had left for New Appleloosa and had her train overturn. Most ponies were actually shocked and amazed at this, and chalked it up to her feeling horrified over Applejack's death. There were no more parties.
"Thanks Pinkie. Er... sorry about shouting at you in Everfree. Are you alright?"
"Yes, Twilight. Now why don't you eat one of those cupcakes?"
"I'll save them for later if you don't mind Pinkie. Spike should enjoy them when he wakes up."
Pinkie was giving Twilight a glare. "I would really, really prefer it if you ate one right now, Twi..."
Twilight wasn't quite ready to trust Pinkie again, and she was being rather creepy again and reminiscent of what she was like inside the Everfree Forest. "No thanks, I said."
"Hmm."
"I'll go take them up to Spike. He can have them straight away then."
Twilight picked up the cupcakes and went to take them up to Spike.

Pinkie was seething downstairs. Twilight didn't trust her, she could tell. She could see the ghost ponies pressing against the windows of the library, and she could see some of the shadow creatures hanging over them. She just hoped... nonononono!

Something snapped inside Pinkie's mind.

"Alright Pinkie, is there anything else you came-" Twilight said as she came out of Spike's room. Then stopped. Pinkie was staring out the window, looking utterly shocked and terrified. Twilight went over to the window and looked outside. "Uhh, Pinkie? What're you looking-" then she screamed and spun around. Pinkie was standing behind her. There was a long cut in Twilight's flank, cutting right through her cutie mark, and Pinkie was holding a knife in her mouth and staring at Twilight. Her eyes were bloodshot and she was moaning through the knife in her mouth. The other satchel she had been carrying was on the floor and Twilight thought she saw metal gleaming inside. Then Pinkie charged at Twilight, flicking her head to the side, trying to gash her with the knife. Twilight quickly ran back up the stairs, her mind in a state of shock and sudden turmoil and trying not to feel the pain from the cut. What was happening? What was Pinkie doing!? What was she going to do!?

Pinkie stared at the stairs a moment before walking slowly up them. She had to kill Twilight NOW, before anything worse came from the darkness and tore at her. She knew this wasn't a dream, and that she had to feed the numbers...

Twilight had found herself in Spike's room. The little dragon was muttering in his sleep and smoke was curling out of his nostrils. Twilight didn't know what to do. Then the door was pushed open and the demented Pinkie walked in slowly.
"P-Pinkie, what are you doing!?"
Pinkie adjusted the knife in her mouth and said "What I've always done Twi. But you never realised."
"What?"
Pinkie said nothing but got closer. Twilight started to panic, and levitated some of the books to make them fly off the shelves. Pinkie moved quickly out of the way the falling book pile and ran at Twilight. She rammed headfirst into Twilight, knocking her over.
"Pinkie, stop!" Twilight shouted
The noise had woken up Spike, who was staring wide-eyed at the general carnage around him. Smoke had begun to gather in clouds around the ceiling, as he started to panic as well.
"Stop messing around Twilight, I mustn't annoy the numbers again." Pinkie said, baffling Twilight. "Just stay still and this will be over."
"What will? What!?"
Pinkie aimed a stab at Twilight's shoulder, and Twilight moved quickly to dodge it. It hit her in the shoulder and she screamed again in pain.

There was a sudden, huge blast and a scream. Twilight was deafened by the noise.

Pinkie was gone, and the library was smouldering. Twilight moved painfully over to Spike, who was immersed in smoke. She saw the book she had been reading earlier.

...and the final kind, which only dragons approaching or at maturity may use. A blast of super heated air, powerfully heated by the natural magic in a dragon, that causes an explosion with only little fire...

"Good... job... Spike." Twilight said light headedly as she sank into unconsiousness.

Pinkie lay on the ground, just outside the library. Her body was burning with pain. She suspected she had broken some bones. She didn't know what had happened, but everything had turned white and painful suddenly and she was on the ground outside. She dreamily saw a white and blue shape leaning over her, and heard "Non, zis can't happen, not now..."

Then she too fell unconsious, just after she saw the shape above her collapse to it's knees and sigh.

Sugarcube Corner

AN HOUR AFTER THE EVENTS OF "NOT AS PINKIE PLANNED"

Celestia looked over the guards around Pinkie Pie. Pinkie was still unconsious, but had been tied up and was wearing manacles attached to one of the guards. Pinkie had been coated in blood but had no injuries beyond the burning. Celestia sighed and wondered what had happened. She had only got gabbled explainations from Spike so far, who was obviously in a panic. Twilight Sparkle was being attended to by Nurse Redheart, who had seen the explosion, rushed over and gotten Spike to send a note to Celestia. But the medical supplies, needles and small knives in a satchel inside the library were worrying in a few ways. Who was selling them for one thing, and what they were being used for. Part of the library was filled with half-burned books in a huge fallen pile and there was a line of blood all up the stairs and pooling near the burned books next to a bloody knife. The two ponies were not awake and the pink mare was being treated as the main suspect, judging from the blood everywhere and all over her. But now she would just wait for the ponies to rise, then get her explainations. Luna could have a go at raising the Sun for once anyway.

Pinkie was standing on darkness, surrounded by gnarled trees twisting improbably out of the darkness and leaking glowing, dark pink sap out of huge cracks in their bark that vanished when it touched the darkness. The ghost ponies were all around her, groaning in pain and asleep. Then she saw one who was still awake. It was the Madame. She was however fallen on her knees and was groaning. Pinkie nudged her then looked into eyes as empty as the darkness below her. The Madame groaned again and stared at the darkness. The trees seemed to be leaning in closer. Some of the sap dripped on one of the ghost ponies, a small dust coloured stallion who screamed and writhed with an expression of horror when it dripped on him. Pinkie quickly rushed over, grabbed his mane and tried to drag him away. His mane turned to dust in her grip and he stared at her, still wearing a horrified rictus. He seemed to... melt away, falling to pieces then slipping through and into the darkness. Pinkie sobbed for him. He had shown up at the party she had held for the ghosts once, but hadn't attended any of the others. He had taken a lot of offense when Pinkie had defended her old friends a few times. But still, Pinkie cried as the pink sap started to cover her and she clutched at where he had been, feeling incredible grief as it washed over her and vanished into the darkness.

Twilight had woken up a few hours after Celestia had settled down to wait. She had bandages around her flank and a large one on her shoulder and was in a fair piece of pain. She was trying to explain to Celestia what had happened. Celestia listened attentively then said "This is... strange Twilight. I don't know why Pinkie would have done such a thing, and I don't think you would get Spike to burn half your library then stab yourself to frame her." Celestia saw Twilight try to ready an annoyed reply. "I said I didn't think that. Don't start getting annoyed. But we will search Sugarcube corner for evidence too. That satchel downstairs seems very important."

Celestia looked at her pained ex-student and decided to show her some trust.

"Would you like to come help inspect it with us? This is rather important, after all..."

Twilight had been staggering around Sugarcube Corner for half an hour, feeling rather useless. She kept tripping over the trailing bandages and had to keep attaching them back with her magic every time she accidentally unravelled one with a clumsy movement. A few guards were searching through Pinkie's possessions and Celestia was walking with Twilight. A rather flustered guard came down the stairs of Sugarcube Corner.
"Princess Celestia! You should come see this..."

It was a book. There were pictures of many different ponies in it, and a number tacked to the bottom of each picture. Some of the pictures had spalshes of red around and on them. Twilight peered over Celestia's shoulder looking at a page she had stared at a long while. Twilight felt a small jump in her thoughts. It was her old friends. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy and herself. There was a picture of Pinkie with the number "1" tacked under it. It was outlined in pink. The others had splashes of that red on them. All except Twilight's. She felt a swirling in her stomach and wondered what in Equastria was happening. Whatever it was, she didn't like it.

Celestia gently levitated the book into the bags of one of the guards and told him to take it to Canterlot with all speed. "Something is wrong, whatever it is." she said, sounding worried. Celestia, worried? She hadn't heard this much worry ever in her voice. "I haven't seen a few of your friends in the flesh for a while, and with what could have been an attack on you..." Twilight noticed the "Could". "Let's keep searching."

Twilight had found something. There was a barely discernible shadow on the wall. They were in the basement of Sugarcube Corner. Celestia had lit her horn on fire, something which had surprised Twilight. Twilight trotted over to the place the shadow was at and pushed at it. Nothing happened. But the shadow was much closer now, and she could see there was something there. "Princess, can you help me please? There's something here. I think it's a door."

Celestia came closer, then turned away and bucked the door violently, scaring Twilight substantially. The Princess was seemed to be stronger than she looked, as there was a sudden crack and the wall had broken in half, exposing bare wood. Celestia smashed it all out the way, then levitated the pile of scrap into a corner. Twilight had never seen her do anything even approaching violence before, but she looked into the space that was inside when Celestia nodded at it. There was a long corridor. Twilight saw Celestia head up the stairs, presumably to get the guards. Twilight felt a surge of irrational anger. Didn't Celestia trust her at all? Did she have to rely on her guards to keep Twilight under control all the time? On this angry thought, she stepping into the corridor, hoping she could find something to totally prove her innocence.

She emerged into a dark room. She could hardly see anything except some barely visible shapes in the darkness. She lit her horn with a small pop that echoed in the hopefully empty room. The light didn't extend far from her as she walked forwards. She saw the words "L e is P t y" on one of the walls and stopped to stare. It looked like it was made of blood. Someone had tried to rub it off, and only succeeded in getting part off. There were marks on the wall where whatever the missing letters were had been. Twilight couldn't tell what it had used to say. She continued on in a state of anxiety. The blood writing worried her, but her mind felt curiously dead. There was something here for her, and she had to see it.

She saw some shadow that was pony shaped ahead of her and stopped suddenly. She didn't extinguish the light. The pony would have seen it already and she didn't want to be in the dark here. "H-Hello?" she said. "Hello? Hello!" she said loudly when there was no answer. After staring and the motionless pony for a few minutes, she walked slowly forwards. It did nothing. Then she noticed it was hanging a few inches above the ground. She tried to increase the light slightly and then looked into a face she had not seen for months. Applejack. Applejack. Applejack, who had died in a train overturning? Applejack here? Nononononono... She saw that Applejack had rips in her flesh, with thread holding her together. No, no, no... she spun around, intending to rush out, and crashed right into another shadow. She tripped over her banages and knocked whatever it was over. She looked straight into the face of Rainbow Dash, grinning. She stared at it for what felt like days as she leant over it, then she felt the stirring in her stomach escalate and vomited violently next to the thing. Then she felt a shaking hoof touch her shoulder and she screamed. What was happening, what was happening... she saw white in front of her and wondered what fresh horror it was. She felt a quick pain to her mouth and heard "Twilight, stop! Don't panic, don't panic!" the voice was itself filled with horror. Twilight stared at what had said it for a while then looked at the grinning face on the floor behind it. Then the colour seemed to wash out of everything slowly as the voice continued gabbling at her in something she didn't understand. She didn't even hear herself hit the floor.

Madness and Remorse

Celestia watch her ex-student sink to the floor. She couldn't blame her. Celestia felt like she might as well, but she had luckily (Or maybe not) seen many things in her long life that prepared her for things like this. Although none so horrific as this...

She wrapped her wings around hem both and vanished in a quick flash that brought the grinning faces into sharp focus, faces that would stay in her memories eternally...

UNKNOWN

Pinkie had woken up, but saw nothing. She could only tell she was awake by the pain that suddenly started making her body ache as it hadn't in the dream, and by the murmuring voices she heard. She couldn't move, and there was something stopping her mouth up. She felt metal behind her back and something tying her to it. She just waited, having no other choice.

Whatever was over her eyes was letting light through suddenly, then stopped again. Pinkie wondered what it had been. She could feel movement, then a sudden stop. The thing over her eyes was lifted and she blinked in the light. She couldn't see for a moment, then focused on something in front of her that was green. As it came into focus, she saw a oily looking fake plant. She stared and wondered what in Equestria was happening. An armoured member of the Royal guard walked in front of her and avoided looking at her face as it walked to a door and knocked, then entered. There was a brief, unheard discussion behind the door. Then a grey unicorn stallion trotted out along with the guard. The stallion said "Do you know why you are here, Miss Pinkamena?" Pinkie stared at him, mute. "Oh yes, remove the gag please, Phalanx." The guard came forwards and hit her in the mouth rather hard with his front hoof, knocking out whatever it was as it clattered to the side. "Phalanx! Please do not be rough. She is a patient here. We must be kind to her." Phalanx stared at Pinkie, then spat at her and walked to the side. The grey stallion sighed. Pinkie wondered what he meant by "Patient". Whatever it was he meant didn't sound good at all. "Please take her to her room, Phalanx. Leave her restrained."
"What..." Pinkie rasped, then coughed. "What's happening? Where is this place? Who are you?"
"Your doctor, Pinkie. Doctor Bright. Nice to meet you. You are being restrained for, um, impairing the rights of others" taking out a note from the coat he was wearing "Namely those about being allowed to not be horribly tortured, torn to bits then have taxidermy practised on them." He was strangely light-hearted, and Pinkie would never have expected such an attitude from any living being. She had expected the guard, Phalanx's response however. She wasn't sure if this was something planned by this Doctor Bright, if this behaviour was just an act. If it was, it's a very good one she thought.
"What do you want with me?" she asked.
"To cure you from whatever's wrong with you, my dear." Pinkie stared at him, shocked. He reminded Pinkie of the Madame when he said "My dear". She wondered where the ghosts were. Doctor Bright moved nervously as she stared at him anxiously. Where were the ghosts? She couldn't see them anywhere. "Anyway, I heard about what had happened. I've seen this before. There's a lot of this stuff in the Zebra lands, of course. Bit sad this was Celestia's first time seeing stuff on this scale of it. I used to work with the Zebras you know, dear." he was chatting aimlessly as they went through weaving corridors, with whatever she was tied to being pushed by Phalanx. "Nice people, but doing magic without horns tends to mess up your mind. All those weird fumes from those strange mushrooms, what some of it does to your head and of course having no horn to channel the magic through scrambles your brains quite a bit sometimes. Some of the least affected are allowed to leave for Equestria or somewhere else. I've only seen one Zebra here however, an old patient of mine. Couldn't stop her rhyming all the time, but at least she got over the worst. Used to do sort of the same stuff as you and got caught trying it on some filly who went into the Everfree Forest. There's more of this stuff around then most people think."

Zecora. And Pinkie never knew. Doctor Bright seemed sincere, and maybe those stories had some truth in them...

They had stopped. There was a heavily reinforced door she was facing, the same as many along the corridor.
"Phalanx, be so good as to push her in and untie her. Miss Pinkamena, please don't try anything silly." he said as he nudged open the door. Pinkie was pushed in and untied, then ungraciously thrown onto the ground by Phalanx. She spun around a gave him a hit in the face, then turned around again to deliver and kick to his legs, then screamed as she felt what was like liquid pain run up her spine. Her legs fell from under her as she fell to the floor and screamed again.
"Miss Pinkamena, I warned you. This was so predictable, you know. That's why I always carry this." He turned over her immobile body and showed her some needles on string. It was attached to his horn. All of them were glowing. "A nice little invention we cooked up. Perfect for keeping our inmates under control. Magical, which is why we like to have unicorn doctors on the violent ones. Well, I'll see you later, Miss Pinkamena." He and Phalanx left the twitching Pinkie on the ground and shut the door behind them with a resolute clang.

Pinkie fumed, and vowed to slit that doctor's neck from ear to ear. Then she looked at this thought and began to cry at what she had become since that awful day.

Twilight was at a funeral. A mass funeral, for everyone who could be recognised and many who were thought to be dead. There were pictures of many ponies, and coffins and urns for the pieces of those who could and couldn't be recognised. Twilight looked at her friend's coffins. She had had to see each grinning corpse in turn, then Fluttershy's terrified, frozen grimace. She had thrown up, again, earlier as had a number of other ponies. The grins ripped through their cheeks and made enormous, grimaces that were the sort of thing you normally saw in nightmares. She wondered for a moment why Pinkie would have done such a thing, then turned her mind back to the biggest fact in hand. Her friends were dead. It was a crushing truth. She stared, not even crying anymore at the coffins. She could still see the demonic grins, even through the thick wood. They grinned at her in her grief.

All the Ponies in this town are Crazy!

A FEW DAYS AFTER THE EVENTS OF "MADNESS AND REMORSE"

"Oh, yeah. That crazy pink mare leaped up, proud as you dare, caught me one across the face." the guard bragged to a small cyan coloured nurse as she stared in admiration at the rather overdone bandages on his face. He did have a broken nose, but the nurse didn't know much about bones, being a mental nurse and not a medical one. Phalanx was actually slightly pleased with the pink mare for his injury, and glad he had added the extra touches. "That daft doctor made me let her go unrestrained, of course she attacked me straight away. Good thing, the doc didn't underestimate me though, 'couse I managed to get her down on the floor and got her to stop fighting. Of course, it's a rather difficult job being in the guards, and we do get so lonely..." he eyed up the now blushing mare.
"Chatting up girls again, Phalanx?" a voice came from around the corner, then Doctor Bright stepped around it. "You really do exaggerate so sometimes. We have Miss Pinkamena on our list today. She seems rather depressed, and I'm sure she likes you."
"Really." Phalanx said in a flat voice. He didn't want Bright messing up his chances with the cyan mare.
"Heh" Bright chuckled at him. "Don't listen too much to him, dear, he can be a brag sometimes."
The cyan mare looked a bit suspicious now, and said "Is it true what he said? I'm sure you were listening in..."
Bright chuckled, then said after a look at Phalanx said "I'm sure Miss Pinkamena could tell you. Would you like to be her personal nurse for a while?"
The cyan nurse shrank back in terror. "No, no sir! No thank you!"
"Well, I'm glad that myself and Phalanx can deal with her, right Phalanx?"
"Yeah, sure..."
After they had left the nurse behind and went on their way, Phalanx said "You are a real bastard sometimes, Bright."
"Of course. Good luck with however else believes your wild stories, by the way."

Pinkie lay on the tough mattress and stared at the ceiling. She disliked this inactivity. It seemed like she had been left to stew in her own juices while Celestia-knows-what went on outside. She certainly did know, Pinkie thought. Her imprisonment was Celestia's orders.

The door opened and Pinkie's head whipped around. This wasn't the same time the annoyed guard Phalanx usually came to feed her. It was still early in the morning. She thought anyway... she usually was a good judge of time, but there were no windows in her little cell and she hadn't seen daylight in such a long time.

It was Phalanx. No food it seemed, and there was that damned doctor. She could still remember that searing. She said nothing, but rolled off the mattress and stared at him. Then she saw another pony with them. Dark brown, with a grey mane... Rocky. They can't have kept ignoring him to let him in here. Sometimes she wondered if they were actually invisible, but sometimes ponies seemed to hear what they said, so maybe they were more than just ghosts...
"Chumps." he muttered as he slipped in and walked behind the doctor. Pinkie's mouth twitched.
"Please don't start anything Miss Pinkamena. You remember last time, I am sure." he said, levitating the needle thing over his head. "We just have to ask you some questions."
"What makes you think she will answer them?" Rocky said.
"Talking about yourself in third person, Miss Pinkamena?" What? She hadn't said anything. "We've had that before too before. Very obsessive personality, she was. Hated one of your old friends like fire."
Trixie. Is there anyone he hadn't treated? Wait... Twilight? Where was Twilight? What had happened to her? She felt rather worried, but couldn't place about what. Was she dead or not? What would Twilight do to her if they met again...
"A simple one to start with... right. Why did you do it?" After a pause, he helpfully said "Y'know, the torturing and cooking people into food, and so on..." After no answer again, he walked up to Pinkie and said "We are authorised to use force and methods normally not allowed on those in other parts of the hospital here, Miss Pinkamena. Everyone here is a special case, and Celestia gives the permission personally. Do we have to do that, or will you answer us, Miss Pinkamena?"
"Don't call me that. My name is Pinkie Pie."
"Hmm. An alias it seems, your true name being Miss Pinkamena Diane Pie. It also spoke of your family, including Bellam-"
"Shut up."
"The proceedure, Pinkie, is that the pony with the horrific torture implements gives the orders. As I'm sure you know. Now answer the question please."
Silence.
Doctor Bright sighed, and stabbed the needles into her side and sent some volts of pain through her. This wasn't as extreme as the last time, but she still screamed in pain and knocked the needles out her skin.
"Answer."
"Damn you!" As Bright raised the needles again, she shouted "Fine! Fine..." Bright lowered the needles with a smile.
"Going to cooperate now then? Answer."
"I... I have to obey the numbers."
"The numbers?"
"Yes."
"Care to elaborate?"
Pinkie glared, then said "They are the numbers who choose who has to die."
"Ah, of course. That strange book. Funny I wasn't in it then, but I don't get out of here much."
"And where is this?"
"Somewhere you don't know, dear." he said infuratingly. "Now, why do you do what these numbers say?"
"I have to."
"And why?"
She couldn't reveal her dreams to someone like Bright. She couldn't reveal them to anyone she knew, as she was hated by everyone and had none she could care for. She thought about this sadly, then Bright raised the needles again and she snapped back to the present. She didn't want that pain again.
"I just have to. Stop! Stop! That's all I can say, don't do that again..."
"Hah. If that seems to be all you can say right now, maybe you will think better later. Phalanx, thanks for coming along. Feed her and leave."

Now Phalanx was worried. He hadn't been with the doctor long, and had only seen him use the needles when a patient fought and to use them as a threat. It was rather terrifing how an insane butcherer of ponies had cowed before them. He hoped he never felt whatever they did. What really worried him was how much Bright seemed to enjoy it. Wasn't he a doctor though? He was meant to help the ponies inside, not torture them...

TWO MONTHS LATER

Twilight took a deep breath and readied her spell. The coordinates for the teleport from Celestia weren't mapped, and it was by carefully searching for a certain trail of magic that she would need to do this. Her horn flashed and she was standing in a clean, white room next to a gray stallion.
"Nice to meet you at last, Twilight Sparkle. I am Doctor Bright, and am the one treating Miss Pinkamena, or Pinkie as she has asked me to call her. This way please."
Twilight followed, worrying about this confrontation. She had wanted to scream her rage at Pinkie after the funeral, after she had finished with the worst of her grief and gave way for anger. But she had needed to wait for the pink mare to be allowed to see visitors. Some of her anger had made way in turn for worry and fear. She wasn't looking forward to this.

They had arrived at a tough, reinforced door. No windows anywhere, Twilight noticed, except the ones in the doors. Where was this place? It could be underground, but the diamond dogs would have broken through any underground buildings around most of Equastria. They got everywhere aside from the greatest of the mountains. Doctor Bright pushed open the door and beckoned Twilight inside. She trotted in. There was some sort of magical shield through half of the room. Twilight looked through and stared at Pinkie. She looked terrible. She was as bony as a stick, and was shaking. She turned her head from a pail she was staring at for some reason, glared at Bright, and didn't even notice Twilight. Her eyes were wide, and moving in strange positions.
"What is it now? More" Pinkie spat on the ground before she said "Questions to ask, doctor?"
"No, Pinkie, but you have a visitor."
"I have enough. My friends are here with me already. Why do I need more? No one ever comes in here, no one ever..."
Doctor Bright glanced at Twilight and said "One of your older friends, I believe. Twilight Sparkle."
Pinkie suddenly twisted her head, staring at Bright. She said "Impossible. Why would she see me? After all I did... oh Celestia..." suddenly the pink mare was crying, great sobs with tears dripping on the floor. Her head snapped up. Her eyes were focused again. "Twilight... why did you come here?"
Twilight was intimidated by Pinkie's behaviour. She was shocked to see her in such a state, and she wondered what being isolated had done to her. "I... I had to visit you Pinkie. Even after what you did." she said.
"Why? You can't forgive me what I did. I know that. The numbers made me, but I made the numbers..." she sobbed again.
"I can't forgive you Pinkie. It was horrible what you did. But why?"
"ASK HIM!" she bellowed, and pointed at Bright. "He used those needles on me! Asked me so many, many, many questions..."
Twilight turned to Bright. "Er... what did she say? And what are these needles?"
"An invention that is used to safely control those here. And to your first question, she said she served some numbers of some sort. We got nothing else."
"Why is she so thin? And terrified?" speaking loudly over the sobbing Pinkie.
"We have to force her to eat, as she refuses to eat now. And who can truely fathom the mind of an insane pony?"
"You are meant to." she said flatly. She couldn't help feeling sorry for her old friend, even though she hated what she had done. "And these needles, what exactly are they?"
"Just some needles attached to a wire. Only usable by unicorns right now."
"Wire... from the Pegasi? And what does the wire do?"
"Transmits the magic."
"Hmm."
"Want a demonstration?" he said, grinning strangely.
"You haven't told me how it works."
"You'll see." He said as he approached the shield. It opened and closed behind him with a small pop. He took something small out of the coat he wore and wrapped it around his horn, which started glowing. Pinkie shrieked in terror and ran into the corner of the room. Doctor Bright approached her and the needles flew out on long pieces of wire and stabbed her in the shoulder. Then they began to glow and Pinkie screamed and writhed, then stopped moving. She was still breathing, but what had happened was horrifying. How did torturing her help her? She seemed to be wasting away.
"Doctor! Stop this!" Twilight shouted at him. Celestia couldn't condone this... she was a good ruler, and kindly. Even someone like Pinkie, who had been said to have been insane and not herself, didn't deserve this. Doctor Bright stopped, then said "Pinkie, don't attack me or will use the needles again. Miss Twilight, if you would please exit. We should talk a moment."
Twilight followed behind him as he shut the door on Pinkie. Twilight said "What was that all about, Doctor? Shocking your patients into insensibility isn't going to help you or them."
The doctor looked rather uncomfortable while she said this and shifted from hoof to hoof. He said "Twilight, in here please. For privacy." he pointed to a door next to the one they had just left through. Twilight didn't know why, but followed him anyway.
Bright turned to her and said "There are many things about Miss Pinkamena that are strange, and I do not blame her for it. Quite the contrary."
Twilight was annoyed. She didn't see what this had to do with the torture she had just seen being inflicted on Pinkie. She stayed silent as Bright kept talking.
"Miss Pinkamena is a strange individual who needs specific things. She is haunted by the fact that she hasn't killed you, and I am shocking her in a basic behavioural conditioning. She will believe you are a bad thing, along with needles. This should stop her trying to kill you again."
"She said you had used them before. Why?"
"I am not the only doctor here."
"She said it was you, quite specifically. And I have only seen you here. What is this about?"
He was obviously panicking slightly now, but suddenly fell calm and stared straight at her.
"I will go get her ledger. This should clear things up slightly." he said with no emotion "Please wait here."
"I'm going to go talk to Pinkie. Is that shield still up?"
"Twilight Sparkle, that is not possible right now. Please stay here."
"I'm going to see her anyway. I can make a shield then, if I need to."
Bright had reached the door, and then stopped just outside and said "Sorry about this."
He shut the door, and Twilight heard a clanking. She trotted up to the door and hit it. It didn't move. A small metal flap opened at the bottom and Bright's voice came through.
"Twilight Sparkle, you still haven't learned, even after your friend's betrayal of you. And I thought you were intelligent..."

Pinkie stared at the corpse in her room. Sap was dripping on it from the spindly roots breaking through the ceiling and on the loam of the walls. Little of it was left but bones. She had had to eat it, being starved by Bright. It wasn't hard, but she had thought the ghost ponies might slide right through her. It hadn't. It had filled her up, but had felt strange. She thought she had seen Twilight, but that might have been the number lurking in the corner with Twilight's picture. It was invisible, but she could see it while she couldn't. It wasn't doing anything and it hadn't while the other Twilight had been there. She had said things. What? She tried to remember...

The door clanged open and Bright trotted in, fury on his face.
"Miss Pinkamena, you just caused a lot of trouble. It shall be very hard to get your friend to look like she is missing. Celestia has taken a deep interest in you, Miss Pinkamena."
Pinkie... or was she Pinkamena? She didn't know too well. It seemed like a memory. She said nothing.
"Hah. Is it time for the needles already?" At the word "Needles" the loam became more solid and the roots seemed to lean away from Bright. The bones flickered. She stared at him, still unable to say anything as she thought.
"Miss Pinkamena, you are a throughly stupid mare. Your friend you cared about so much is in the cells now. And she won't be having nice little Phalanx stopping me from using the needles all I like on her, and I notice he izn't here now..."
He moved quickly a the needles stabbed into her leg. She didn't feel anything, but pink curled out of her leg and floated into the air and wrapped around the Madame, grimacing at herself. The leg collapsed.
"Well, I am a doctor and I can take care of you well enough, but I have other things to do too. Goodbye, Miz Pinkamena."
Pinkie watched the Madame leave and wondered where Doctor Bright had gone. The pieces of Pink rolled around the air as the number in the corner floated out and devoured them.

Escaping

A VERY STRESSFUL HOUR AFTER "ALL THE PONIES IN THIS TOWN ARE CRAZY!"

Twilight paced up and down the little room she was in, fuming. Was this doctor trying to fillynap her or something? Or did Celestia think she had gone as mad as Pinkie? She had tried to teleport out. Nothing had happened. The room was proofed against it. She could preform magic inside, but the door and walls were all magic-proof. Twilight had heard screaming from next door, and had tried to kick the door down and only injuried herself.

A while later, the door opened. A cyan mare trotted in, trembling. She was levitating a small tray on her back with food. More than Pinkie had eaten, she'd bet. Twilight looked at the mare. There was no horn. There must be someone else behind her levitating it instead.
"M-miss Sparkle, Doctor Bright sent me to care for you..."
"Care for me? Why do I need any "Care"? Your doctor locked me in this room and hasn't told me anything. What is this about?"
"H-he says that you were violent, Miss. That we had to lock you up."
"I certainly was not! I have never been violent, and I hope I never will be!"
"We just look after you, Miss."
Twilight was coming closer, intending to go through the door as soon as possible. She peered through the door and saw nopony. Hmm.
"Really." she said, meaning nothing but to keep the mare talking while she sneaked out. That mare couldn't drag her back in after all.
"Miss Sparkle, can you get away from the door please?"
Well. That was that. Twilight dived quickly through the open door and shut it on the mare. She scrabbled at the lock on the door and the door flew open with violent force and threw her off the lock. Twilight looked at the mare. Her eyes were glowing bright yellow, and she wasn't looking too happy. Some needles on a string flew out her pocket and crashed to the ground. Her eyes went back to a more ordinary shade and she stared, blinking at Twilight. Who immediately ran down the corridor. The nurse's eyes turned yellow again as Twilight looked over her shoulder and she felt herself stop and be dragged back slowly. The nurse's head was glowing. What was this? This was obviously magic, but she was no unicorn... but she couldn't worry about that. Twilight looked at the needles the nurse was levitating and aiming at her as soon as she was in range. Twilight narrowed her eyes and used her magic, much stronger than the mare's, to push them into the mare. She didn't notice. Twilight shot a quick blast of magic through it and the mare fell over with a shriek as her eyes changed colour again. Twilight wrapped the wire around her. The mare couldn't move with how tightly she was holding onto it with her magic.
"What in Celestia's name was that about?" Twilight said to the nurse, who was looking terrified again.
"What? What are... what are you..." the nurse seemed to run down in midsentence, then her eyes flared again and Twilight could feel another magic struggling at the tough bonds. Twilight was glad of her training under Celestia more than ever now. The eyes gave out again just as before.
"Stop that! It won't work." Twilight said, breathing heavily. "How are you doing that? You aren't a unicorn..." she said, her natural curiosity overtaking her excitement. The mare said nothing, but grinned inanely. Twilight repeated the question and got nothing. Oh, well. Twilight pushed her into the room they had just left and locked the latch, sealing her in. That was incredibly strange. But now... Pinkie. Even she couldn't be left in here.

Twilight trotted up to the door next to her. She checked inside by nudging the door open. Nothing. The other side of her cell had a locked door, locked with a latch and a key. It was probably the one with Pinkie inside. This was worrying. Bright would likely have it somewhere. This place was no where to be skulking around, but she couldn't get help. Not if Celestia had ordered this... if she had. But a place of this level couldn't support itself without having the Princess on it's side. Twilight walked through the mostly deserted corridors till she heard speaking. She ran into the closest door quickly and hoped no one was inside. There wasn't. Twilight stayed near the door, listening.
"That little nurse liked me." the voice sounded pained.
"Only because you're a braggart, Phalanx."
"Shut up. Don't pretend you haven't tried the same thing, Aquilinus."
"My stories are actually believable. You know what they about the mare you say you roughed up? Seems she likely killed a hundred ponies or so, so who would believe you would just wander in and beat her up?"
"Shut it."
"Why? It's true. You were always a runt, Phal-" the voice of Aquilinus cut off. There was a sudden whispering which Twilight listened closely to.
"Aquilinus... never talk... I have it now..." Aquilinus screamed, and Phalanx rose his voice to be heard "Now who is a runt? Aquilinus, get back to your duties and never speak of this again. Or you know what will happen."
Twilight waited until the sounds of Phalanx leaving were gone, then peeked outside the door.
There was a white pegasus guard lying on the ground outside, shaking. A guard. This was certainly maintained by Celestia, but with the horrific things were happening now... she walked up to Aquilinus. The guard had a number of scars that looked animal made along his side and was wearing heavy gilded armor.
The guard on the floor got up shakily and stared at her, then said "Twilight Sparkle? Doctor Bright told us you had turned violent, what happened? Why are you here?"
Twilight assumed that Bright had told everyone that story by now, and said "He lied. What happened to you just then?"
"Nothing!"
"I was listening, and your screaming wasn't hard to miss..."
Aquilinus sighed, and said "I don't know. Phalanx is just some guy I know, bit of a bastard but I don't know what happened or why he did that. He had some of those strange needle things that run on magic, I don't know how he worked them."
"A nurse earlier used some of those. She wasn't a unicorn eithier... "
Aquilinus came closer to her and said quietly "I don't like it here. It seems the doctors do more harm than good and I've seen a few people from the older garrisons in the cells themselves. I think this garrison is gonna be next. Starting with Phalanx, he's nuts. Celestia's bleeding-" he stopped and looked at Twilight, who filled in the rest of the curse herself. She wasn't a total innocent after all, and she had heard some younger ponies talking like that when they thought she wasn't listening. "Saving your presence, Miss." Oh dear. "Saving your presence"... what did she have to do with Celestia's bleeding whatevers? Twilight brought her mind back to the facts at hoof.
"Aquilinus- yes, I heard it earlier- can you come help me? I'm trying to get out of here, but one of my friends has been trapped in here too and I need to get her out."
"Who is it?"
"Pinkie Pie." she said, bracing herself for a lot of abuse and worry.
"Her? Phalanx was bragging about beating her up, and if that was true I'll eat my armor. She could help. But... what are you and her going to do when you escape? Me too, I guess." he added. The expected abuse didn't come.
"I don't know. But do you want to go through that all again? I know Pinkie won't, with all she has had. I heard her screaming."
Aquilinus looked rather pained. "You're right. That was horrible... but you, miss, are Celestia's prize student. Model citizen who nopony would suspect. And you seem hardly as much of a loony-" he stopped again. Twilight wondered if he knew any cursewords that weren't related to the princesses. "I mean, you aren't as crazy as the people in the cells. So why would you need to go with this Pinkie? Surely you can-"
"No. Celestia owns this place, you think I won't just get thrown back inside? And I'm not letting Pinkie go on her own. And you are just in the same position as me."
Aquilinus pawed at the ground, obviously worried. "Well, we have an agreement, so I had better give you the keys."
"Wait, you have the keys to the cells?"
"Sure. I'm not just any old guard, you know. Me, Phalanx and Bright all have keys to that area. Bright keeps giving them to the nurses, the lazy git. My copy of them are in that silly office they gave me. I asked for a station in the barracks, but apparently I had to deal with paperwork on the crazies as well. Follow me but try and keep quiet. Jump in a room if you hear anything."
Aquilinus trotted forwards, along the corridors.

Doctor Bright was walking on his way to Twilight Sparkle's cell. He was worrying about how he would get this done. Twilight was too close to Celestia, maybe she could be released with suitable threats... or maybe just gutting her and dumping the body somewhere might work to keep him safe.

Aquilinus came around the corner and stopped, then said loudly "Nice to see you again, Doctor Bright."
This was strange for the usually quiet voiced guard. Bright remembered that Phalanx had told him what he had done to him earlier, and had praised him. Very few guards managed to realise how to release the magic inside of them. Bright really disliked the disciplinary officer at the barracks. He would have had much more guards with magic if it wasn't for the disciplinary officer. Bright put it up to Aquilinus being rather shocked after his sudden surprise and pain. He heard a door close along the corridor.
"Aquilinus. Had a little shock have you?"
"N-no sir. Perfectly fine."
"Phalanx mentioned otherwise."
Aquilinus was grimacing. "No sir. No problem whatsoever. Just a small argument."
"Heh. You obey him pretty readily. Like his new powers?"
"Sir."
"Was that a yes or a no?"
"Yessir."
"I will choose to understand that as a yes. Would you like the same power, Aquilinus?"
"No thank you, sir."
"You are increbibly formal, even for a guard. Loosen up a little, eh? But anyway, I think you will likely change your mind soon. I think Phalanx will enjoy your company in his magic..." Bright chuckled and moved on, leaving Aquilinus looking mortified. Aquilinus was too conditioned, when it came for Bright to release his magic he didn't expect much. Phalanx would enjoy it though.

Aquilinus muttered a few insults about Bright and went to the doors nearby, looking for Twilight. He opened a door and heard an "Ouch." when he hit someone with it. Twilight was there anyway.
"Come on, we need those keys."
After they had got on their way again, Twilight asked "What was he talking about? New powers?"
"He's magic. He says he can make Earth ponies and Pegasi magic now."
"Is that true?"
"Nope." he said sarcastically "I was just singing a song back there in that corridor earlier with my buddy Phalanx."
"You know, you're the first guard I've ever talked more than a few words to. Are you all like this?"
"Some of us."
"No wonder Celestia makes you have to shut up all the time."
"Oh well done. Classy. How about I tell you about some of the stuff we have going around in the barracks about her and her favourate student..."
Twilight gave him a quick look and blushed.

"Attention please. The violent patient known as Twilight Sparkle has escaped. May the guards Phalanx and Aquilinus please head to the violent cells." a loudspeaker annouced.
"Well, good thing we were heading there anyway. What are we going do about Phalanx?"
Aquilinus shrugged. He had been in the minor little wars that Phalanx hadn't been in, that Celestia tried to avoid mentioning to her little ponies in Equestria. Buffalo out of their range, zebra pirates and smugglers, dragons, ursas and hydras gone on a rampage... He knew what was going to be needed.
"Kill him."
Twilight was shocked. "But... what? That's just too much!"
"It's him or us. I'm not going to risk myself to a life of hell just to save that nut's sorry arse. We're criminals anyway now, and you can plead insanity if you get caught, after all."
"I'm not crazy!"
"Never said you were, but lots of ponies think you are and that's what's important."
Aquilinus looked at Twilight and relaxed slightly. She was understandably against murder. Aquilinus knew about Pinkie, and what Twilight would feel like.
"Look, if we don't get Phalanx out of the way you, me and your Pinkie are gonna end up in the cells, being tortured by Bright and Phalanx."
Twilight said nothing. Aquilinus shrugged and moved on.

Phalanx was walking outside Twilight's empty cell, thinking of what had happened a moment ago. What an incredible power! How it had felt! The magic coursing through him, it was incredible... he was so thankful to Bright after he had showed him how to use magic.

Aquilinus was walking up the corridor. Phalanx sneered.
"Come to beg, Aquilinus? Should I use the needles some more?"
Aquilinus turned his head away and said "Bright says we need to take that pink mare out."
This was serious. Phalanx would only listen to Bright now, to learn more about magic...
"Take her then. Don't bother me."
Aquilinus unlocked the door and walked in, then stopped and stared at the shield of energy that was still through half the room.
"Er, Phalanx, do you think you could bring down this thing?"
"Why would I do that? You got sent didn't you? Just have go at magic, you will love it."
Silence. Then Aquilinus said "You know I can't."
"Still think it should just be unicorns then?"
"I do. Listen, Phalanx, everypony who has done magic has ended up in the cells. They're going nuts. What in Equestia happened to you, anyway? You are so different now..."
Phalanx couldn't give up magic. It flowed through him in a blast of Euthoria whenever he used it, and he loved the power over those who used to be above him.
"Aquilinus, you don't know what is like. Beautiful..."
"You're nuts, Phalanx. I've given up on you."
Phalanx took out the needles, getting ready to shock Aquilinus into obedience and was quickly met by Aquilinus's head ramming into his chest. He fell over and got a kick from Aquilinus. He was furious. Aquilinus was blatantly attacking him, he who had actually had the guts to use magic, and this old guard was attacking him? Phalanx aimed the needles at Aquilinus and shocked him hard enough to put him gasping on the ground, then felt himself leaving the floor. He could sense a strain of magic from behind him. He tried to turn around and manage to wriggle over till he could see a lavender mare levitating him. Phalanx struggled against the magic with his own, to no avail. He levitated one of those strange oily plants and hit the mare with it, who flinched and dropped the spell holding him. Phalanx quickly put the wires clsoe to her her throat, and she froze. Phalanx trotted closer to her, leaving the shaking Aquilinus behind.
"Bright will be happy I caught you. Am I such a braggart now, Aquilinus?"
Aquilinus breathed gasped and said nothing. He was trying to get to his feet and failing.
"Now, I think Bright will teach me a lot for you. Or maybe he can cut your horn off... silly thing. Just stops you getting the best of your magic. Stupid little Aquilinus never wanted magic. But you unicorns will do anything to protect it. Maybe we could stick your horn on Aquilinus, then he might-"
He stopped, and stared at the knife sticking out of his chest. Aquilinus was lying under him, and had driven his knife into Phalanx's chest. Phalanx couldn't think, couldn't feel anything now but pain and a growing numbness. He stared at it until he saw nothing.

Pinkie had been watching, amazed. Rocky had been stabbed, and had turned into a large pegasus. Both were dead. The roots on the ceiling pulled back and the number shrunk away from the body. The loam of the tunnel around her became more straight and solid and eventually seemed to be a wall. Pinkie watched, attentively now, as the guard on the ground eventually picked himself up off the ground and gave the body of the other one a kick. Twilight... Twilight was here. The shield quickly vanished as Twilight's horn flared it's light.
"Pinkie, come with us. We have to get out." Twilight said.
"You got taken too, then?" Pinkie asked.
"Yes. But Pinkie, we can't keep talking, we have to leave now."
Pinkie pointed at the other guard and said "He's a guard. Are you going to bring him along too?"
"I have a name." the guard said "I'm called Aquilinus. Nice to meet you, Miss Pinkie-"
"Pinkamena." she said automatically. That was something Bright had always tried to say to her.
"Hmm. Well, nice to meet you. But we must leave, and it can be explained later."
"Why bring me? You should hate me, Twilight." Pinkie said with bitterness.
"Pinkie, I have no idea why I'm doing this. But you are coming with me. Don't argue."
"Twilight, I'm disgusting. I'm a monster. I can see that now, and I can't stop it..."
"Please don't Pinkie. We can do this later... please!"
Both were crying now.
"Twilight is right.." Aquilinus spoke up. "We need to leave, and you two can hash out your problems later. But now, let's go."

The End

A FEW MOMENTS AFTER THE EVENTS OF "ESCAPING"

Aquilinus tugged his knife out of the body of Phalanx. Poor bastard. Never knew when to quit. Aquilinus thought about him. He was the first pony he had killed, although he had killed animals and fought with Zebra. The Zebra weren't like ponies, and Aquilinus had never known them. He knew Phalanx had needed to die, but... did Phalanx have any family? Would he be mourned? Should he, Aquilinus have not killed him for their sakes? He wondered if he even should feel remorse for this death.
Twilight and Pinkie were following him nervously. Aquilinus looked over his shoulder and saw Twilight blinking back tears and Pinkie crying unashamedly onto the floor. Twilight was looking horrified. They should have had a plan, he thought annoyedly, and they had left it up to some old guard they barely knew.
"Any idea what next?" he said.
"Escape." Twilight said.
"Well done. Full marks. How?"
Twilight shrugged and Aquilinus felt a sudden, uncharacteristic flare of anger. He had just had to kill somepony, even if he was an insane bastard, and she didn't even care.
"You didn't have a plan to start with, did you?"
"I didn't expect to be thrown in a cell by your nut of a doctor, eithier."
"My doctor? Bright is an insane git with the morals of a manticore on a killing spree. What makes you think he's mine?"
Twilight shrugged again, and Aquilinus was suddenly holding her down by the throat and shouting in her face.
"LISTEN! I just had to kill him back there. You think I enjoyed that? You think I wanted to kill him? I didn't, and I did it all for someponies I barely know and don't give a damn about it!"
Twilight clawed at his hoof and he let go and moved away. Twilight gasped and said "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean..."
"What didn't you mean? Him to die?"
"I didn't want anyone to die, I never want anyone to die!"
"He's dead now."
"I know. And I wish he wasn't."
Aquilinus tried to force himself to calm down. There was no point fighting now.
"Fine. Fine... look, what now? We're all screwed if we get caught."
"There're lands outside of Equestria. The Zebra lands, for example."
Aquilinus gave a hollow laugh. "The Zebras? You think they would welcome a guard, a nutcase and a librarian?"
"They might welcome a guard coated in another guard's blood and Celestia's favourate student, though."
"And her?"
"I... I don't know. I don't know if anyone can welcome her."
"Why would they accept us anyway?"
"Possibly hostage value."
"For you, certainly. I get a cut throat and a complimentary last meal."
"Look, do you have anything better?"
Aquilinus said nothing.
"Exactly. It's the best hope we have. How do we get out?"
"The building is proofed against teleporting. Bright supports the spell. We need to get him to release it."
"How?"
"It seems I'll need to kill for you again."
"Is that the only way?" Twilight said with a pianed look on her face.
"He isn't going to give it over cheaply I think. You could try bribing him or something, but if I can sneak up on him I'll-"
"Please don't tell me."
"Feeling delicate?"
"I didn't enjoy seeing Phalanx die eithier. Please just don't..."
"Let's just get on our way. I know where to find him."

Pinkie was following blindly. Everything had seemed to be coming back, and stronger than before. The roots from the ceiling had run down the walls, but shed away from Pinkie when she came near them. Everything was much darker again. Pinkie could think more clearly now, which she was profoundly unhappy about. Twilight was risking herself for Pinkie, and she didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve anything. There was no point in getting Twilight and the old guard in trouble, and Bright would probably do something horrible to them all if they were caught. Pinkie didn't care about herself, but she cared about Twilight and she didn't want any more blood on her hooves. But Twilight insisted, and they were all going to die.
"Twilight, why are you bringing me?" she said.
"We've been through this Pinkie. We all need to get out and I'm not leaving you. You can help us."
"Shut. Up." the old guard said through clenched teeth.
Twilight glanced at him then said "Later, Pinkie."
Pinkie stared at them and followed along again, wallowing in guilt.

Twilight watched Aquilinus approach the sealed door. It was the same as the ones in the area Pinkie and Twilight had been imprisoned in, and out of place in this hall with ordinary wooden doors along. There was a small terminal to he side of it, which Aquilinus leaned forward to and whispered something into it. There was a small click and Aquilinus pushed open the door. There was a small room, totally empty.
"Inside." Aquilinus snapped.
"What is going in there meant to do?"
Aquilinus looked at her perplexed expression and sighed. "Elevator. It doesn't mater now, just go inside."
Twilight hurried in and Pinkie followed her. Aquilinus trotted in and stared at the ceiling.
"All the way down, please." he said.
"...damnit, all the way down, boys." the ceiling replied. Twilight gave a start and stared upwards as Aquilinus made frantic signals at her. There was a feeling of movement and a fading groan above.
"It's a moving floor." Aquilinus said after the groanings went out of earshot. "Some guards pull it and stop us plummeting to our deaths. Undignified, but it's apparently "needed". That's all you need to know now."
After a few minutes the feeling of movement stopped and the wall behind Twilight opened, showing a very large, empty room through a tough door that was ajar. The room was dark, and Twilgiht could only see spiky silhouettes. She suddered as the memory of the last silhouette she had seen.
"This is wrong." Aquilinus said. "Bright would normally be in here, and even more so in an emergency."
"What is this place?" Twilight asked.
"He teaches the inmates and the guards magic here. He's here nearly all the time when he isn't out with the inmates or greeting people, and neithier of those happen much."
"Are we going to wait for him to jump out from behind the door and shout "Boo!" or go in?" Twilight said annoyedly.
"Quit sniping at me, we've had our argument."
"Well crap, that's my dramatic entrance ruined." a voice came from the room as some light switched on. It was Bright. The room was filled with many things that Twilight had seen in small fillies and colts schools, unicorn schools. Desks with numerous books piled on them were all around. There were two dragon eggs in a small case on a large desk. Bright was standing near the door.
There was silence. Then: "Bright, you are a real bastard." Aquilinus said tiredly.
"Let me make this simple, I'm not pandering to you." Bright said "You are going to go back in your cells, and Aquilinus will go with you. Or you will die. Any questions?"
"Don't be stupid Bright. You can lift the spell for teleporting, or you will die. Doing what you say would be suicide."
"I thought you would say that. Which is why-" there was a thud. "-you will end up dead. Eventually."
Aquilinus wobbled, then fell over. A large pile of books fell onto the floor next to him.
"Ladies, this was too predictable. A hero's action, asking me to surrender my patients."
Twilight tried to find her tongue. "We didn't want to." she said after a pause and looking up above her for any books. "We would have killed you if we could."
"Good answer. But that failed, ladies. Back into your cells would be best. I might even let Aquilinus off if you do." he added.
"You know I won't say yes."
"Oh, you might have. If you fail, I will make sure Aquilinus will die. Slowly, and in front of you. I imagine your lethargic friend behind you will enjoy that, but you certainly won't. I could have you lodged with her, and we can see who dies first. Or maybe I'll just kill you now."
"What's the point of this? Why were we imprisoned?"
"I couldn't have too many questions. Your friend would have been in this school here, like everyone else has."
So it was a school. "Why? What is it for?"
"You know the answer. Don't think I haven't heard you talking. The spell on this place lets me hear everything someone says here, among other things. Magic."
"They aren't unicorns. What's the point?"
"It works, is the point. I'm not a unicorn, Miss Sparkle. An old fashioned earth pony."
His horn began to glow and dropped off and landed with a clatter on the floor. There was a small light that floated above his head and then vanished.
"It works very well indeed. I don't understand why your Celestia banned most zebra magics. You just need willpower to overcome the problems with your mind, and all problems that emerge can be dealt with by others."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"I decided I could use you. I decide everything here, and it happens like that. You are close to Celestia, and excellent in magic. I want a good teacher here, and I want Celestia. The nurse had very certain instructions about what to do, and some magic in her muscles helped that with a blast of pain when needed. Aquilinus was a problem, though. I didn't expect that. He hides his feelings very well from other ponies. If you return to your cells, there will be no trouble for any of you."
"You're lying."
"I take it you refuse my offer?"
"Yes. You'll kill me and Pinkie anyway, no matter-"
There was a fizzing behind her and she quickly turned around. It was coming from Pinkie. She had stepped on a long wire that was fizzing next to Twilight's hoof.
"Not so lethargic any more, it seems. This shall be dealt with easily, anyway."
There was a loud snap as the wire hit the floor and another flew at Pinkie, which Twilight stopped with her own magic. The wire slowed but didn't totally stop.
"This... this is why I need you, Miss Sparkle." Bright gasped. He was sweating from the effort of fighting Twilight's magic, and his eyes were turning slightly yellow. "You are better at magic than me. Wouldn't you like to be a teacher? Free of Celestia, and fully in charge?"
Twilight said nothing, but she watched the wires that were dragging on the floor behind the doctor from the pockets in his overcoat. There were more of them than she had seen with the other ponies, about six counting the ones they had already imprisoned. Bright noticed what she was looking at.
"You are a clever one... why am I still trying to tempt you?" The yellow in his eyes flared up slightly more and he said "I should not. I can imprison you and do things to you that will make you wish you accepted my offer from the start. I can cut off your horn and force you to use my magic. I would have prefered it otherwise, but sadly I can't."
"You're mad." Twilight gasped at him. They were both straining at each other's magic. Bright was incredibly strong and the wire seemed to be sneaking towards Pinkie faster.
"Mad? No, Miss Sparkle, I'm not mad. Celestia is mad, mad with her power. Keeping all the magic to herself and her precious unicorns... no. I'm not mad."
"You torture ponies to do this. You're going to kill us!"
"Only the pink one. I've said what I'll do to you."
"And that is mad!"
Bright's eyes flared bright yellow and were totally opaque now. "I should just kill you, kill you all. Teach you all a lesson. I teach lessons, don't I? Yes, I do. I'm the teacher here." Twilight stared at him. He had actually dropped the spell pushing the wire towards Pinkie. The yellow in his eyes started to fade again, slowly. Twilight wasn't waiting to talk. She flung the wire at him and it was caught by his magic quickly, the mental fight starting again.
"Turning my own weapon on me? Miss Sparkle, you are not strong enough for this. Parlour tricks, parlour tricks is all you were taught! That damned witch, Celestia did this! She will die and I will see you all dead, and she will die with you and everyone will see you dead..." he seemed to stutter to a halt in his nonsensical ramblings. His eyes were flaring, his face was barely visible and some sort of ichor was dripping on the floor from him. The other wires shot forwards and they all began another slow grind to Pinkie. Pinkie was holding tight to the wire aimed at Twilight. She had a strange expression on her face. She looked totally engaged with whatever she was seeing, and stared at the wires grinding towards her. Twilight groaned and tried to push them back again. The field of magic from her horn was covering her vision slightly, even more than when she had levitated an Ursa Minor. And she couldn't top these wires.
"...murderer..." was all she managed to mutter at him.
"You think!? Hypocrite, you are protecting a murderer herself from me! Let me go and I can rid this world of another blight! I can't stand you ponies, always protecting those you call your "Friends". She can die. You can die. I can die. We should all die, to save the world. But I need to make you die, because you won't. Magic will be everyone's, then they will die. That is how it will be!"
The field of yellow was covering Bright totally, and the ichor was starting to flood the room. Pinkie did nothing as it touched her, but the wire she held began to glow and then it dropped slack under Pinkie's hoof. The ichor was near Twilight and she could feel the raw power coming from it. It started to wash around Twilight's hooves as she dreamily watched Bright lengthen and become taller. A pair of wings burst from his back and the walls seemed more elegant and shining than she remembered. Bright turned to her and smiled. He didn't look like Bright. He looked like Celestia, and the only difference was the burningly yellow eyes.
"Now you see it? This is what this place shall be, with my magic. You don't need to worry, Twilight. You can be my student, after losing that cumbersome horn..."
"Yes..." Twilight heard herself say, not even thinking now. She... Celestia... who was that? There was Bright, there had always been Bright. Everything started to change more. The glossy white walls were changing to gold and Bright had let the wires drop and was staring at her.
"I know everything shall be right, soon enough. Celestia took my place, I will have it back. Celestia will die like the other horned witches. You aren't like them, Twilight. We will take your horn, and you'll be one of us. A teacher, and I will teach you."
There was something intrusive behind Bright. It was orange and she couldn't make it out properly. Bright strode towards her, his eyes staring into hers as she started to feel intense pain in her forehead. She did nothing.
Bright gagged suddenly and the pain stopped. He backed away from Twilight, his front hooves clutching his throat and he crashed onto his chest. The orange blob was behind his head. The glossy walls began to tarnish and flicker. The ichor was turning orange, then started fading in colour till it was a dull, dark pink.
Twilight looked at Bright as her mind started to thud back. He looked normal again, aside from the fact that his eyes were bulging out too much and his tongue was hanging out his mouth. He was obviously dead. Twilight stared dully at it till she heard the quiet sobbing. Pinkie was holding tightly to the wire, and holding it around Bright's neck. She was quietly crying into her shoulder, looking away from Bright. Twilight didn't think, but she moved over to Aquilinus and checked if he was alive. He was breathing, only unconscious. Twilight levitated him quietly in the silent room over to Bright's body. The ichor was evaporating around Pinkie, and the rest of it was following quickly. She held onto Pinkie's hoof until she let go of the wire, and then stood as Pinkie cried into her shoulder, saying nothing. Twilight forced herself to think. They had had a plan of sorts... the zebras. Twilight held onto Pinkie and Aquilinus as she started the spell to free them from these hells in Equestria.

Pinkie stared at the corpse of the Madame. There were no marks on it, and the corpse was smiling. As she watched, the corpse seemed to change and became the body of Bright, in a deathly pose. Some ichor clinging to her slid off as she saw this. Was all that had happened real? Had the Madame died, or Bright? Or both? She didn't know.
A hoof touched her in the shoulder and she spun around. It was Twilight, holding up the unconscious Aquilinus. Pinkie looked around and saw tall grasses, with the odd patch of trees scattered around. Pinkie had never seen anything like this in Equestria. Twilight collapsed under Aquilinus and Pinkie grabbed her and held her up as Aquilinus slid onto the ground.

Pinkie didn't know what would happen after this, but whatever it was, she would do it with her friend.