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                         Sympathy                          
                     -by Amethyst-ACE-                     
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                        Mind Games                         
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Mind Games
Fillies and Gentlecolts! Welcome to the Greatest Show on Earth!  Tonight We've got a mysterious new creature from beyond the Everfree Forest to show you!
Behold!
Wha...WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?!
FLUTTERSHY...WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!
Pastel Sketch. A pony met with a terrible fate.  One that was perhaps worse than death itself.  She finds herself in a freak show circus, her white body cut up and stitched, and her black mane cut short and ruffled.  Her tail was replaced with that of a dolphin and 2 extra set of legs were surgically sown in the center of her body.  As she cowers on center stage the ponies around her laugh and tease her.  The torment seemes relentless, and unending, Pastel tries to cry out. Thanks to Fluttershy cutting out her vocal chords and tear ducts, she can do little else but attempt to cover herself and suffer in utter silence. She is finally dragged away by Ring Master, the cruel leader of the hideous, inhumane attraction.
Ring Master locked Pastel away in her cage. Laughing in the process, he talked to himself about Fluttershy outdoing herself, and how much money his new “animals” would bring him. Pastel Sketch was too distraught to care.  Her life was over. All she needed was some money to pay off her bills, but thanks to Fluttershy none of that mattered now.  She was a slave, a freak, an abomination destined to wither away and suffer for the enjoyment of others.  Looking back at her time in the asylum, she almost missed her apple sandwiches and water.
Pastel looked up from her cage and noticed a male unicorn staring at her from the entrance to the tent where she and her friends were being kept.  The unicorn had messy dark grey hair that covered his left eye and snaked around the back of his right ear only to come to an untidy end at his neck.  He had a very light gray body, about one shade below white, and his one visible eye was strangely colored.  It had a light blue fill, and a white pupil instead of a black one.  The unicorn's right ear was pierced, and despite his clearly masculine appearance he was wearing a very girly, feminine looking earring.
(Who is he? Why is he staring at me like that?)  Pastel pondered as her eyes and heart sank.  (He probably just came here to mock me.  Like everyone else did...) Pastel looked up again, and saw that the colt was walking forward.  He approached her slowly and silently, until finally he was right up beside her cage.
“You are a really strange creature aren't you?”  The colt asked Pastel rhetorically.  “Still something about you seems...off...”
Pastel looked away.  Something about her sad expression combined with her gesture caused something to click in the colt's mind.
“You look like you understood that.  Are you sentient?” The stranger asked.
Pastel wasn't sure why she was compelled to answer the stranger, but she found herself nodding none the less.
“Can you talk?” He asked her.
Pastel shook her head.
“You don't know how to talk?” He asked tilting his head slightly.  He attempted to gesture that he didn't understand, just in case the strange creature in front of him wasn't completely understanding him.
Pastel shook her head again and opened her mouth.  She pointed into her open mouth with her front hoof.
“You CAN'T talk?!” Asked the colt.
Pastel nodded.  Her eyes drooped down as a wave of sorrow overcame her again.   After a long pause with neither of them saying much at all, finally the colt spoke up again.
“You're not from the beyond the Everfree Forestt are you?  You're not even from the Forest itself...”
Pastel nodded.  She couldn't believe how smart the boy was.  She was able to get him to correctly guess all of this, and all without saying a word.
“I was afraid of that...When I saw you on stage I knew something was wrong.  Hold on, this might feel a bit weird at first, but it should help us both out.”
The unicorn's horn sparkled, and Pastel found herself blinded by a bright flash of white light.
Ow, my eyes. What was that suppose to do?!   Pastel paused in utter shock.  I can hear my thoughts...I can LITERALLY hear my thoughts!
Pastel still couldn't talk, but despite her lips not moving, everything she though she could hear as though she was talking.
“I knew it...” The colt muttered in a mix of disappointment, and disgust.  “This spell only works on ponies, I'd never be able to hear you if you were anything else.”
Who are you? Pastel asked...or, thought...or, thought-asked...Pastel was giving herself a headache.
“My name is Reef Rider.” The unicorn explained.  As he did he turned to the side revealing his cutie mark to Pastel Sketch.  His mark was very strange.  From what Pastel could tell his cutie mark was a brain, but it was solid black, and at the end something that resembled a unicorn horn was sticking out, also black.  “My special talent is using magic to link two minds together.  Usually my own mind with another ponies, allowing us to communicate through thought.”
I see...Pastel Sketch was still really confused.  Reef didn't even have to read her thoughts to tell that.  Then again, he was used to ponies not being able to understand his ability.
“So what happened to you? And what happened to your friends?”  As Reef Rider asked this, Pastel slumped down on her belly and looked up at the roof of her cage.  We were victims.  Of a horrible yellow Pegasus named Fluttershy.
Reef responded with a cringe at the mention of Fluttershy.  He turned around, facing away from Pastel and whispered to himself, taking great care not to think what he was saying.
“Not again...not this time...”
Are you alright Reef?  Pastel 'asked.'
Reef Rider turned back around and nodded.  “There's no time, we have to get you out of here.”
What about my friends? I can't just leave them here. I promised I would keep Pinkamena safe.
Reef looked at the two cages behind the one holding Pastel Sketch.  One was holding what appeared to be an Orthros with two pony heads, another twisted creation that made Reef shudder, and the other seemed to house a bright pink pony with droopy dark pink hair and a light blue dress.  Both of the other “ponies” seemed to be asleep despite Reef talking and using rather bright magic.
“We will come back for them, in the meantime, I need to get you out.  I might know someone who can help you.  At the very least I can get you away from this awful place.”
Suddenly a loud booming voice came from behind Reef Rider.
“Young man what are you doing here? This part of the tent is for circus employees only!”
Reef turned around to find none other than Ring Master.  A towering bulky red earth pony with bleach blond hair that was covered by a massive top hat.  The rest of his body was concealed by a large tuxedo like outfit that ended at his tail which was surprisingly short and quite stubby looking.  Ring Master glared at Reef Rider with a look that could tame a hydra, but despite this Reef was able to calm himself with just a simply inhale and exhale.
“Sorry for sneaking into your private area, but I just HAD to get another look at your amazing looking animals.  You see I'm doing a project for a class I'm taking at the Canterlot School for Gifted Unicorns, and when I heard you say you had a mysterious creature from beyond the Everfree Forrest I couldn't say no.”
Ring Master's piercing eblouissement faded away, but was quickly replaced by a look of suspicion.  Reef wasn't sure if Ring had bought his bluff or not, but in the end it didn't matter.  He had a feeling he'd have to confront Ring Master if he wanted to get his new friend away from here, along with her friends if he could.  Eventually even Ring Master's suspicion seemed to fade.
“Look kid, I am honored that you want to do your report on my animals, but I just can't let ya do that.  These creatures are one of a kind, maybe even literally for all I know, so I'm trying to keep a low profile. You understand don't ya son?”  Ring Master put on a concerned face that was more fake and insincere than any Reef Rider had ever seen before.  It was clear Ring Master was just trying to keep people from snooping around, and discovering the truth about his so called “animals.”
“That's funny, what kind of carney doesn't want attention?” Reef Rider asked.  “Surely the more people that know about your animals, the more that will want to come, and see them...”
Pastel's eyes darted between Ring Master and Reef Rider.  Reef turned his head to the side a bit to show he wanted to talk to her, but not enough to make Ring Master more suspicious than he already was.  I havn't severed the link yet, which is why you can hear my thoughts.  Reef explained.  But if things get ugly I'm going to disconnect from you and link to the big guy over here.  Don't worry, I might not look it, but im great in a fight.
“What are you saying?”  Ring Master asked, his death glare starting to come back.
“I'm simply wondering if something is wrong with your animals...maybe they're sick?”  What little expression Reef Rider was able to show, suddenly took a drastic change from calm to apparently very mad.  “Or maybe these 'animals' aren't animals at all?!”
Ring Master let out a loud annoyed growl and lunged at Reef Rider.  “Come here you punk!  I don't know who you are, but you're gonna regret making me mad!”
A bright flash of light suddenly shot out from Reef Rider's horn.  Pastel Sketch recognized the bright flash of white light that had occurred shortly before Reef hand linked their two minds together.  Pastel thought to herself.  (Can he hear me?  Even I can't hear me...well not more than usual...) Reef Rider must have cut off the link like he said he was going to.  Pastel watched as a fight broke out between Ring Master and her new friend.  Ring Master was doing everything in his power to catch Reef Rider, but the unicorn seemed to be 3 steps ahead of the massive earth pony.  Pastel wondered to herself why Ring Master didn't notice Reef was reading his thoughts...maybe Ring Master was just too angry to notice...or too stupid...
Ring Master tried over and over to get a hold of Reef Rider.  Missing swing, after punch, after grab attempt, finally the oversized earth pony fell to the ground, overcome with exhaustion.
“Well that didn't take long...”  Reef Rider dug his hoof through Ring Master's tuxedo, and after a bit of searching he managed to find a key.  The key was bronze with a cryptic looking grip and jagged fang like teeth.  Judging by the bizarre appearance of the key, Reef figured each cage must have a specific key to them.  As luck would have it, this was the key to Pastel's cage.  Reef opened the cage and helped Pastel to her feet.  She could barely walk because of the additional pair of legs that were implanted into her body, but with Reef Rider's help she managed to struggle her way out of the cage.
Pastel Sketch looked back at her two friends trapped in the other two cages.   Oddly enough, Twilight and Screwloose were still asleep despite all that had just happened.  Pinkamena on the other hand was wide awake and had watched the whole thing.  She put on a weak, yet reassuring smile and waved at Pastel, who returned the wave.  Pinkie made a crossing motion with her hoof over her heart, then stuck her hoof over her eye.  She was too weak to talk, but she managed to make small words with her lips.
“Pin...ky...pro...mise.”
Pastel nooded.  She was sad that she had to leave Pinkamena behind, but she knew she'd be back for her.  She'd be back for all of her friends.
Pastel couldn't speak, but Pinkie could tell just by looking at her that Pastel was going to keep her word.  As Pastel Sketch and Reef Rider exited the tent they could hear Ring Master shouting at them, routing his anger and frustration into yelling rather than using it to help himself get up.
“YOU PUNK! THIS ISN'T THE LAST YOU'VE SEEN OF ME!”
Reef Rider shook his head, and sighed.  He looked over at Pastel Sketch who was starting to walk on her own.  She gave him a weak, but grateful smile, and they both looked up at the starless night sky.  “This wasn't the first, and it won't be the last...I will keep coming back to steal from you...I just hope you never learn the truth...”