The trek home was long and cold, and few words were spoken between Pinkie and the Guards this trip. Pinkie barely registered their minute concern for her. She was busy mulling it all over in her mind. All of her friends that she had known and loved for years now… How long had it actually been again? Time had seemed to suck away those days, weeks, months she had had them as friends. Now it was all fading away, like ash and dust after that fateful fire that had ruined her life.

She pulled the thin cloak around her tighter as she walked, shivering. She would have to kill her friends. The thought of that still sent chills down her already frozen spine. Her friends were going to be murdered by her, and they would probably die grotesquely; after all, they would probably struggle. She felt a fresh taste of bile in her mouth for the second time that day.

They reached the asylum just as the rain started to let up. Pinkie sighed, glancing at the building. This was her home now. "How depressing..."

The guards escorted her to the door, still as stoic and silent as always. She rolled her eyes as they opened the doors with their magic; why do unicorns always insist on using their magic for the simplest things? She thanked them and trotted inside, shaking out her dripping mane. "How was the trip?"

Pinkie glanced at the doctor, sighing. "You knew all along what I had to do, didn’t you?” The doctor nodded grimly, his lips a thin mark on his muzzle. Pinkie shook her head, but let it pass. What was the point of getting angry now? “Might as well save my aggression for what’s to come,” she mumbled to herself. “C’mon, just lead me back to my room…”

Pinkie traveled down the hallways, remembering her lack of mobility the first time she walked down here. She was a fast healer - she always had been. She still stumbled from time to time, but she refused the doctor’s help. She didn’t want to need help anymore. She wanted to be able to do this all herself; kill her friends, save the world. Do something horrible, but save the world.

Become a murderer, for the greater good.

She waited as the doctor opened her door for her. As it swung open, Pinkie was a bit surprised to remember just how bland her current housing arrangement was. White, sterile walls and a single drawer for all of her things. The bed took up most of the room, restraints at the sides to do as their name implied. The only thing she hadn’t noticed before was the small bookshelf in the corner, filled with dusty looking children's books. She must never have read them.

Other than that, it was just a small little room that she hoped to be out of soon. Stretching, she slipped off the cloak, giving it to the doctor. “Alright…. Do I just fall asleep or something?”

“I’m afraid not, Pinkamena.” Trotting outside to give the nearby nurse the jacket, he sighed. Pinkie’s ear twitched as she heard him whisper something to the nurse. What it was, she couldn’t make out. He trotted back in, smiling softly. Pinkie noticed he was smiling a lot - maybe to comfort her? That made sense. “Now… Why don’t you go ahead and sit down?”

Sighing, Diane complied, resting on the hard bed. “Don’t tell me you need to use the straps.”

“No, not at all. It’s just easier to explain all of this when you’re more comfortable.” She refrained from pointing out that she would be far more comfortable curled up in her own bed at her own home. "We'll have to induce your hallucinations. That will require a chemical injection..."

Pinkie shut her eyes as he rambled about chemicals and needles and blood tests and Celestia knows what else. So she was going to kill her friends. She supposed she would have to call them her other side friends. These were just figments - ideas of how her life could have been, had friendship been fast enough to stop that dragon. In the other world, her friends were strong in their friendship. It sickened her to think this way, but she had to think of a way to kill them all.

Fluttershy would probably be easy. Pinkie knew she had lots of medicine. Maybe… Maybe she could make it painless. Maybe she could make it look like an accident. That would be best - murders would make ponies suspicious.

Rarity… Rarity would have to die gracefully. Pinkie knew she deserved nothing less. She herself would probably help set up the funeral - Rarity would be buried in only the finest clothing.

Rainbow. How was she… How would she ever… Maybe lightning. It would look like a prank gone horribly wrong....

Applejack… A tree falls on her? Pinkie didn’t know anymore. She didn’t want to think about this. Maybe a fire.

Twilight. How to stop her magic? How to kill her without hurting herself?

“Do you agree to this procedure, Diane?”

She opened her eyes. Around her was only white. She was in another world, another place entirely. Her friends were dead. All she had to do was tear up their pictures and leave without a second thought. Nothing more, nothing less. “I don’t have a choice, do I,” she said absently, simply watching the ceiling. “Just… one question, Doctor.”

“Ask away.”

“Could you do it? Could you kill all… all of the ponies you love?”

The Doctor seemed somewhat taken back from that. He opened his mouth and closed it without a sound. He sighed after a moment. “I don’t think I could. You are far braver than I.”

Pinkie couldn’t help but chuckle at that - as she did, her Element seemed to brighten, even a slight bit. “Figures I’m the brave one…” She shut her eyes again, sighing. “Seeing as the brave ones died… I suppose I have to be the brave one now.”

The Doctor trotted up to her, gently placing a hoof on her side. “Again… You’re far braver than I.” They smiled softly at each other before he took a more serious face. “Now… are you ready?”

Pinkie nodded softly. “Time to see my friends…”

Author's Note

HA. FINALLY! Take THAT fan fiction, I just added another chapter =u=