Nurse Redheart approached the chambers of one Twilight Sparkle with a nervous disposition; nibbling her bottom lip and sweating profusely, as she could figure the reason as to why she was summoned by the Princess.

It was more than likely due to the recent escape and the circumstances surrounding it from the Processing Facility by Patient #85: Pinkamena Diane Pie.

Pausing before the portal that led to perhaps her being fired from her leading position at the facility, Nurse Redheart took a moment to collect and compose herself before lifting up a hoof and knocking politely upon the door.

Instead of hearing an enraged response to which she had expected, it came to some surprise that the tone that came with the voice was actually quite jovial.

“Come in! But please watch your step, there are some books scattered on the floor.”

Shrugging to herself and heaving a hefty sigh of relief that she was not going to be sent to Tartarus the moment she stepped in, Nurse Redheart entered the bed chambers of Princess Twilight Sparkle and paused as she took one hoofstep into the room. Her eyes widened.

That’s…Not just, some, books… Redheart nervously mused to herself.

It was not, for the room was almost literally full, covering the chamber in a maze of ceiling high stacks of reading materials; Nurse Redheart had noticed when she finally managed to stop gawking and fully enter, displayed a whole wide range of topics from Equestrian law and history, right through to medical, magical and technological sciences.

She had heard about the Princess’s studious nature, but this was going a bit too far.

“U-um… Princess Twilight Sparkle?”

“Hm?” Twilight poked her around a stack of books and smiled warmly to her guest, “ah-ha! I was just wondering when you were going to arrive. I understand you are very busy considering what has transpired at the facility, so I thank you for taking time out of your schedule to come see me.”

Nurse Redheart shifted nervously on the spot at the mention of Patient #85’s escape.

“T-that’s alright, Princess. Is there something you need?”

“I’ve read the reports,” Twilight moved around another stack of books to approach the visibly nervous mare, “several times in fact and there are just a few discrepancies I need to point out.”

“D-discrepancies…?”

“For example,” Twilight’s horn lit as she summoned the report from thin air with a flashing poof of purple, including her reading glasses to which she slipped on effortlessly, “it says here, ‘the patient was not securely strapped to the gurney due to the results of the medical examination performed upon the patient immediately after her attempt of suicide, which confirmed that she had suffered significant brain damage, rendering her comatose and completely harmless.’ Well, she was not exactly completely harmless now was she, Nurse Redheart? Or as comatose as you were led to believe.”

Twilight looked up from the report to Nurse Redheart, awaiting some kind of response.

“I—”

And Twilight interrupted her almost immediately, “I could go on and on and outline every bit of detail that really irked me, but instead,” Twilight flicked her head to the left, using her magic to tear the report to shreds before Nurse Redheart’s shocked face, “I would much rather do this to it than suffer any more of its affront against the very concept of a report.”

Nurse Redheart choked on a sob, her words laden with desperation. Perhaps she was going to get fired after all...

“I’m so sorry the report was not up to proper standards, Princess Twilight but I—“

“Proper standards? That was far beyond the idea of what I consider ‘proper standards,’ Nurse Redheart. That was; for a lack of a better term, an immense clusterfuck against standard procedures! You mean to tell me you happily did not restrain one of your most dangerous of patients, based upon the concept that she was comatose and therefore somehow not a threat? What you failed to remember is that ponies can and do wake up from such conditions shortly after the trauma. Did you consider that? Or did you not even consider the possibility she might had just been pretending?”

Nurse Redheart, although adept at restraining her emotions due to her line of work swiftly moved to defend her position with a single hoofstomp, suddenly sounding very offended at Twilight’s insinuation.

“That is an outrageous theory! I cannot stand idly by while you sprout such nonsense! No one pony in all of Equestria can pretend to be comatose—that’s medically impossible! There is no scientific explanation or theory to suggest she has the capability to fool our equipment! She's just an earth pony! Not a unicorn! She has no magical capability whatsoever!”

Twilight Sparkle stared, her voice flat, “you forget your place, Redheart… And you forget one simple fact about Patient #85.”

“And what is that?”

“This is Pinkie Pie we’re talking about. I chased her for years before I managed to put her away. She does things that almost defies all logic and the laws of the Universe itself, and, to top it off, she somehow managed to walk straight out of a facility with only one way in and one way out. Even I did not think that was possible and yet somehow… She did it. Again proving me wrong… Now, do you see, Nurse Redheart? Now do you see what your mistake is here?”

“I—”

“You underestimated her. You should never underestimate Pinkamena Diane Pie.”

“I’m... You're right. I am sorry, Princess… This won’t happen again.”

“Save your apologies for the parents of that mare she murdered…" Twilight looked upon Redheart incredulously, "and what possessed you to allow one of your junior members of staff to visit an unrestrained Pinkamena alone? And in a room with medical equipment no less!”

“I… Don’t know...”

“Nor do I,” Twilight sneered, “but I am certainly not going to be the one to tell her parents that poor mare was somehow skinned ALIVE right under her noses.”

Nurse Redheart’s bottom lip trembled, her eyes dropping to the ground, “Oh, Fluttershy, I’m… I’m so sorry.”

Twilight’s anger subsided as she turned gaze aside, gasping softly as she did so, becoming aware of a possibility that could had explained the killer's escape.

“Of course… She would do that, wouldn't she?” Snapping her gaze to Nurse Redheart, she took several threatening steps forward towards her, “how close were these two?”

“H-huh? W-well… Very. Fluttershy is… was… the only pony who could cross the punishment line at times without being attacked. The tapes even tells us Pinkie Pie opened up quite a bit to Fluttershy compared to other doctors. Because of that, we were able to confirm many victims she killed over the years we thought to be just missing ponies.” Nurse Redheart stared confusedly at the Princess, “I don’t see how—”

“Give me those tapes. I must study them... But tell me something quickly, have you listened to them yourself?”

“Yes… Several times… But I—”

“Did Fluttershy ever mention anything about her past in these recordings? Where she lived when she was younger, where her parents live or her favorite places to visit; anything like that?”

“I… believe so. She did mention… once, I think, she had a cottage back in Ponyville she liked to go back to from time to time to visit some old friends.”

Twilight whirled about and stormed off into her room, pacing about in circles, avoiding towers of books where possible, “I must summon Shining and have him send a detachment to Ponyville immediately. Because if I am correct—and I always am —then that is where Pinkie Pie will be headed. It is no stretch of the imagination she is going to return there.”

“But how did she manage to escape? All the doors are locked and can only be opened via key cards."

Pausing in her steps, Twilight glanced back at Nurse Redheart, smiling rather grimly, “let us just say I believe Pinkie Pie might have used Fluttershy's key and simply walked out in disguise.”

_______________________________

The two mares panted as their bodies writhed and intertwined on a pile of hay, their lips seeking to subjugate the other with nipping teeth and lashing tongues as their groans of boldness and lust mixed together in a chaotic amalgamation of throaty moans and sloppy wet pops as lips parted, collided and slipped across each other.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash had been at it for at least two hours, each trying to take the lead with no certain victor taking the prize.

They smiled between kisses, giggled between others and growled like sexual predators frequently.

Both mares had hid in the barn over at Sweet Apple Acres to avoid their respected jobs that morning, as their desire for each other had coalesced into a singular desperation neither mare could no longer ignore. Their needs simply outweighed their duties. They needed each other and nothing else, despite their relationship teetering upon the rocks.

To hell with bucking trees, and to hell with the factory for right now there was only them, this barn, and their lust to which to indulge in.

That was until they finally stopped to catch their breaths, each panting as they gazed into each other’s eyes like passionate lovers ought to do. But the expression was hardly mutual for one of them.

Rainbow Dash stole her gaze aside to the barn door and swallowed hard, spittle glistening her lips as her tongue lapped out to savour the apple flavor Applejack seemed to possess upon her lips.

“I… have to go, AJ.”

Applejack frowned, pouting playfully as a hoof reached down under Rainbow Dash’s tail, “Aw come on, RD, jus’ a little longer? Ah can tell ya’ll really need it as much as Ah do. It’s pretty hot down there, Ah can almost feel the heat comin’ out of it.”

“I…” Rainbow Dash shivered in anticipation, but gently pushed that hoof away with her own, “I can’t. The guys at the factory are gonna need me. I am the head operator, after all, and I am already running ten minutes late. They can’t get started unless I’m there, so…” Rainbow Dash got up and groaned as she felt the continued heat under her tail pulse for more.

“Fine. Ah don’ care anyway. Ah’ll finish myself off then. Like Ah always do.” Applejack remained prone, barely looking at the pegasus as her expression turned sour.

“Why do you have to be like that, AJ? We just had awesome hot sex and now you’re ruining it by being a sourpuss. Again.”

“Ah think you find ya’ll the one that ruins it when ya keep runnin’ off in th’ middle of it..”

“Look, I don’t have time for this. I’m going.” Rainbow turned to depart, her wings spreading wide.

“That’s all ya’ll good at any way… Leavin’ me hangin’ without nothin’ to hold onto.”

Rainbow Dash could not let that one stand. She turned suddenly, frowning at Applejack, “Geez, AJ, you’ve changed. I thought you were so cool when we first started going out, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe you were uncool to begin with.”

Rainbow’s words stung Applejack. Tears came to the pony’s eyes as she leant up, “Ya’ll the one that has changed! Ever since ya got tha’ job at tha’ blasted Rainbow Factory, it’s like ya’ll become a different pony!”

“At least none of my best friends turned out to be some kind of fucked up psycho.”

Applejack parted her lips to speak, enraged Rainbow Dash even went there.

“You know what? I don’t need to hear this from you; I’m outta here. And I am not coming back. We’re over.” With that, Rainbow took off through open barn doorway, disappearing from the farm pony’s sight.

Applejack however shot to her hooves and chased her in hot pursuit out of the barn, “How dare ya, Rainbow Dash! Get back ‘ere an’ say tha’ to mah face!”

Even though her anger boiled beneath the surface, tears lingered in the corners of her eyes as she quickly came to terms with what Rainbow Dash had said.

She isn’t coming back…

Fighting the urge to sob, Applejack merely steeled her resolve and spat onto the ground as she watched the multi-colored contrail disappear into the distance towards Cloudsdale.

It felt better to be angry at the mare than it was to be sad over the prospect that their relationship; which had been tumultuous as of late, was finally over rather abruptly.

“Fine! Be tha’ way. Ah don’ need you anyway…” Turning, she moved to head back to work, even if she wanted nothing more than to finish herself off and cease the damn ache underneath her tail.

As her emerald eyes lifted towards the orchard, Applejack paused when she noticed the distant visage of a yellow mare standing just on the edge of the treeline.

A mare she did not quite recognize.

“Hey there! Ya’ll need somethin’?” Applejack yelled out, but the mysterious mare said and did nothing in return.

Squinting her eyes, Applejack took steps forward to investigate, “Hey? Ya’ll okay there? Can Ah help ya any?”

The merest glances to the sky to spot the dissipating end of that spectrum contrail and back to the figure was all it took for it to disappear altogether from view.

Applejack blinked, rubbed at her eyes and then looked again.

But the mysterious trespasser was still no where to be seen.

Author's Note

Here comes the pain, motherbuckers.

Re-edited on 09/06/2014 for corrections and added content.