Dark Laughter

"Pinkie, you're doing great!"

"Really?" Pinkie grinned as she struggled to stay airborne above the thick trees of the Everfree Forest, her wings flapping frantically. It was so early in the morning, the sun had yet to spread tendrils of light across the horizon, and the land was still blanketed in darkness. Pinkie felt much more comfortable being awake during the night; it must have been a bat-pony thing.

"Really!" Fluttershy nodded excitedly. "It took Twilight two weeks just to get off the ground!" Fluttershy's face fell at the thought of their friends, whom she and Pinkie might never see again.

A couple hours ago, Zecora woke them and gave them each saddlebags stuffed with food, water, camping supplies, and even a couple jars of blood she snitched from the hospital in Ponyville. Pinkie and Fluttershy both agreed to save the blood until they absolutely needed. They found they could stomach food and water, and though it satisfied them, it didn't soothe their burning throats. Pinkie was just happy she could still eat cupcakes and other sweets. After many good-byes and thank-yous were shared with Zecora, the two of them went on their way to the border.

Fluttershy shook the thoughts of her friends out of her head. "Now, Pinkie, try moving forward."

"How?"

"Angle your wings forward. You don't need to flap them so fast," she suggested.

"Okey-dokey!" Pinkie replied, tilting her bat wings forward. But then, she forgot to flap, and plummeted in a nosedive through the trees and toward the ground.

"Pinkie!" Fluttershy gasped, flying down to help her friend. But she didn't need to. Pinkie spread her wings and recovered at the last second, spiraling high into the air. She righted herself and flew straight at great speeds, brushing the treetops. Flying was the most wonder-tastic thing Pinkie had ever experienced. Her mane streaming out, her wings flapping in perfect rhythm, her eyes tearing from the wind. She felt as if she could reach out and touch the stars.

"WOO-HOO!" Pinkie shouted as she did a quick loop-de-loop, her stomach dropping as she went upside-down.

"Pinkie, you're a natural!" Fluttershy laughed, struggling to keep up. The sun was starting to rise, streaking the sky with beams of pink and cream light. The two bat-ponies flew into the dawn together.

It took days. Days of flying until their wings were so sore they couldn't move, days of adjusting to their new sleep schedules, sleeping in the day and traveling in the night, days of sneaking into towns to check on their publicity, where they found their fates if they returned to civilization. Days of taking tiny sips of the bottles of blood, barely quenching the infernos in their lungs. Days of telling stories of their early years, before they met, days of promising to stay together. Days of barely avoiding guards and police stallions, ordered to kill them on sight. Days of joy, days of grief. Until one night.

"There it is," Fluttershy and Pinkie whispered at the same time, unable to believe what they were seeing. Slicing across the desert wasteland they were flying over. A thin, glowing line. The border.

They landed several hundred yards from the line. This was it. They were leaving Equestria, for good. Obviously, it was best to drag on this moment as they walked slowly towards the border, to ponder everything that had transpired and what would transpire.

Pinkie was nervous-cited. That was the only way to describe her anticipation, regret, hope, and anxiousness. She didn't want to leave Equestria, to venture out into territory inhabited by no ponies whatsoever. Pinkie conceded that she wasn't exactly a pony anymore, yet it felt so scary to cross the line. She would, she did, miss her old friends. Pinkie had thought the word, "old," without even considering its implications. Old meant that she hadn't seen them for the longest time, that she wasn't friends with them anymore. Pinkie missed her old friends incredibly. There would be no more helping Twilight practice magic. No more baking with her probably-cousin Applejack. No more modeling dresses for Rarity. No more hanging by the water hole with Rainbow Dash. There would be no more parties. Pinkie wondered if Cheese Sandwich would take over the party-business in Ponyville. If she had a will, that would be what Pinkie wanted. Did she have a will? Pinkie never remembered writing one. Then again, she wasn't dead, but she was probably as good as dead if she was truly leaving Equestria. Nopony ever left Equestria. Would her friends grieve over her and Fluttershy, or just force themselves to forget them? Just the thought of that broke Pinkie's heart. She decided, that if there was ever a way, she would go back to Equestria and visit her friends. But it would have to be years until that could happen.

Fluttershy, unlike Pinkie, was relieved that they were almost away from Equestria. She would miss her old life. That was a given. But she was nearly giddy wondering what her new life, alone with Pinkie, would entail. Fluttershy realized that Pinkie was going to have a hard time adjusting, being a pony who always needed many others for company, but Fluttershy didn't need all that. Being alone with one pony, just one pony, felt perfect to anti-social Fluttershy. Although she was terrified at the prospect of what laid beyond the border. Equestria was a safe, happy place. The princesses' magic kept most of the horrible monsters that lurked outside at bay. Fluttershy suppressed her fear at the thought of these monsters, remembering what Pinkie had told her when she was scared to go into the Everfree Forest. The two of them were bat-ponies. They could fly, suck blood, and over the days, they had learned that they had enhanced physical abilities, like increased stamina, healing rate, and galloping speed. There was no reason to be scared. If there were any huge, hostile, carnivorous monsters...Fluttershy and Pinkie could take them. The thought of kicking monster butt gave Fluttershy a shiver of giddiness, which seemed she realized was very unlike her. Maybe...maybe becoming a bat-pony was giving her more violent thoughts and desires. She wondered if the same thing was happening to Pinkie. But either way, Fluttershy swore to herself then that she wouldn't hurt anypony ever again. Any pony. She knew she needed blood...maybe she just wouldn't drink pony blood. That wouldn't be too hard, anyway, because where she was going, there wouldn't be any ponies to hurt. That made Fluttershy feel much happier. She hated herself for changing Pinkie, in turn causing the death of Diamond Tiara. That would never happen again. Fluttershy wasn't going to hurt another pony, as long as she lived.

As both Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy pondered their deep thoughts, they neared the Equestrian border.

"Are you ready?" Fluttershy asked quietly.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Pinkie replied with a weak smile.

In five steps, they would pass the border. Four steps...three steps...two steps...one step...

        But as Pinkie and Fluttershy's hooves were about to cross over, they were reflected off of some magical forcefield. They looked at each other in horror. What was going on?

        "THERE THEY ARE! SHOOT THEM!"

        Pinkie and Fluttershy turned around, and saw an army of about twenty Equestrian soldiers, lead by.,.Shining Armor, who's horn glowed purple as he cast a shield spell, keeping Pinkie and Fluttershy trapped inside. His eyes were filled with guilt and sadness. He was the one who gave the command.

        Pinkie screamed as she turned back to Fluttershy and saw arrows, shot by the soldiers, protruding from her neck, legs, chest. Fluttershy was wearing a mirrored expression of horror, and Pinkie knew what it meant even before she looked at herself. Numerous arrows were shot into her, as well.

        Fluttershy and Pinkie looked at each other. There was nothing to be said. Celestia's sun was beginning to rise once again. They were so close.

        But they failed.