The Darkest Kind of Kindness

Rainbow Dash’s mind fought against the forces that were trying to invade. She would not let her mind be so easily overthrown by a psychotic mare and stallion, but they were far stronger than she could have ever hoped to be. Rainbow Dash knew that it wouldn’t be long until her defenses fell and her captors had easily seen through her first charade. Then the shattering blow came as her mind was invaded. Her inner vision faded and she could no longer see what the two were doing to her mind.

When Rainbow Dash began to recover she saw that her mind was now void of any semblance of its former glory. She had originally been a good mare that wanted to help others, but now all of that was replaced with hatred and anger. She was bound to a dark dreamscape that was littered with the bodies of the dead, and her thoughts always involved a scene that was filled with gore. Her soul was now blackened with the fires that continually scarred her dreamscape and caused it to writhe, but it was never in danger.

Rainbow’s shattered fragments began to be fused with the free flowing darkness of the abyss that surrounded her. She didn’t want to go anymore, but her mind was becoming twisted, and her thoughts were becoming something that wasn’t hers. The darkness flowed into her being corroding away her heart and she considered that it would have possibly hurt if she were able to feel pain inside her own mind, as the darkness slowly stained her fur. She knew that the pony she originally was, the good Rainbow Dash, was slowly dying as her soul and mind were slowly bound by the two ponies that she now believed were unholy curs.

Suddenly the process stopped and Rainbow Dash was allowed a reprieve from her binding. She looked around hoping that they would stop but she didn’t have such luck. The Darkness was unable to convert the pure heart at her core, the light that protected it was too powerful for the twisted ponies, because its pureness was blinding. Then the wicked stallion called forth two spears of darkness and plunged them into Rainbow Dash and they tried to penetrate deeper while their prey started to buck.

The pain Rainbow Dash felt was unbearable, her entire soul and mind felt like they were on fire. The two spears that were prying into her inner being were now ripping her consciousness to shreds. They pried at her being again and again each attempt less successful than the last but they never seemed to tire. Rainbow Dash wanted to hate these two ponies, she wanted to hate her friend, but she didn’t, she didn’t want to let them win, otherwise she would end up just like her parents, dead.

She fought back, even if it ripped her apart, she wouldn’t let them take her, because she couldn’t let her parents down again. Then without warning the spears stabbed straight through her being causing searing flashes of pain to flow through her. The dreamscape around her twisted and writhed with her, she knew that it was all over for her then. Her core was ripped from her as her mind slowly began to fade and she knew that she could no longer be saved, there wasn’t even any use in fleeing.

A dark essence was shoved into her being to replace her old light. Her entire being was burned from the inside out as her coat and mane darkened. Her soul was now being completely eaten away along with the last bits of her inner light; however, unlike before, she no longer wished to fight. The old Rainbow Dash was dead, a relic that was now being bound to an eternity in the twisted dreamscape of her mind, she couldn’t fight it, all she could do was let it get started.

Her old mentality was chained to a rock in the dreamscape, an un-destroyable part of who she originally was, a good mare. The new Rainbow Dash smirked at the chained Pegasus, it felt almost right to have her old self bound, but it wasn’t like she could care. The Pegasus chained to the rock looked at the new her, an evil mare that wore her face like a second skin, but it wasn’t her, she could tell by looking into its eyes. The imposter’s eyes were cold and lifeless while being full of hatred and malice. It looked like she had died on the inside, and the imposter noticed her realization and tortured her, it gave no thought to her cries, until it began to slowly waver and fade, freeing the mare.

(_o_==============================================_o_)

The pony that lay before Zecoro and Fluttershy convulsed as her soul was slowly ripped away and sealed inside the mare’s own dreamscape. Both villains smiled when the cutie-mark that Rainbow Dash originally sported changed slightly, it became less vibrant, almost monotone, and three black smoke stacks appeared on the cloud. They knew that the old Rainbow Dash was now dead, and that the new one was going to fit into their plans perfectly. It almost pained Fluttershy to see her friend get brainwashed, but she felt that a new, more powerful, alliance could be forged now that all of the good was gone.

The two ponies let the mare lay on the floor while they sat down at Zecoro’s table. They talked to each other about what had happened recently, including the incident involving Fluttershy’s attempt at brainwashing Rainbow Dash. Zecoro didn’t seem pleased with Fluttershy botching the first spell, but he forgave the mare when he learned how many souls had been fed to the Rainbow Factory machines recently.

“Over two hundred Foals! That number is beyond our goals. How do those parents sleep at night, knowing that their kids will not be alright?”

“I imprisoned ponies that were negligible or ones that wouldn’t be missed, and I began using them to breed new foals, it is a much more pleasure filled life than the ones they were originally leading.” Fluttershy said with a lewd smile before continuing, “Foals that show promise will either become a worker or a breeder when they get older. The rest of the foals will either become something beautiful or something that other foals devour as a snack. Those Rainbow Bars bring such joy to their little faces. It almost pleases me to know that every pony in Equestria, that isn’t allergic to chocolate, is a cannibal because of those chocolate bars.” The massive, yellow Pegasus explained to the worried Zebra.

“What a devious idea to employ, the authorities will no longer need a decoy.”

“You dare to imply that the cops, or even that b!%@# princess Celestia, know about what goes on inside my factory. Mister Zecoro, I almost expected you to have more faith in me, I was raised by the two most evil parents in all of Equestria, if you don’t mind my bragging.”

“That may be true, but the Apples may have parents worse than you.”

“The Apples are odd at best, if they don’t mind being called odd. But I don’t think that they are very evil, but their parents are missing for some weird reason. In fact I don’t think that I’ve ever seen their parents. It has always been just granny Smith and her grandchildren.”

“They are a strange bunch, but their parents are not missing if I am correct about my hunch.”

The two ponies continued their chat and ignored the mare lying on the floor that was beginning to wake up. Rainbow Dash moaned as she finally began to open her eyes, her head felt all fuzzy and her stomach was tying itself in knots. When she finally managed to get onto her hooves she ran outside, her stomach losing the fight to hold her lunch in, and began to vomit. When she finally emptied her stomach of its putrid contents, she slowly walked back into the hut and sat down next to the chatting ponies. She was confused at first but if Fluttershy knew the Zebra then he must be a friend.

The other two didn’t seem to notice her, but Rainbow Dash didn’t care. All that she wanted to do was get rid of the hangover that she was experiencing. Some part of her mind told her that the two mares sitting at the table were enemies, not friends, and that this wasn’t a hangover, but something worse. She ignored that little voice and started talking to the two ponies as if nothing had happened.

“Hey…do any of you know what I did last night? My head feels like its splitting open and I don’t think I’ll be able to eat anything for a while. I don’t remember going to a party…that must have been something weird in that juice you gave me.” The disgruntled Rainbow Dash announced to the surprise of both of the ponies that were sitting at the table. Fluttershy was the first to speak, “Oh, Rainbow Dash, I’m so glad you are alright. You got really sick yesterday and passed out. Zecoro here is really good with medicine so I brought you here to recover. We would have treated your dehydration sooner but you needed to be awake first.” The yellow Pegasus lied.

“Indeed, I always help a friend in need. She brought you here last night, you were so sick it gave me a fright. A temporary cure I did create, so that the illness would not seal your fate.” Zecoro added.

“Ughh…Please talk plainer. My brain feels like mush, and could one of you get me some water? My throat is really dry.”

“Of course Rainbow Dash, anything for my best friend!” Fluttershy stated.

When Fluttershy returned Rainbow Dash eagerly downed the drink and instantly felt the difference. The drink was refreshing, but she was still thirsty and she still had questions about what had happened yesterday. She was also wondering when she would get to her new job and if Fluttershy would be able to let her know what she would be doing. Fluttershy and Zecora answered her questions and after a while she was feeling quite satisfied, but she still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong with her.

Fluttershy seemed relieved, and it was probably a good thing, she did just lie about an illness and brainwash her best friend. She was nervous about the lie at first, but Rainbow Dash was too disoriented to notice it.

The truth about Flutershy’s cutie-mark, was one that she enjoyed. It completed when she had drank enough blood to cause her fangs to grow. She nearly fainted out of sheer joy at the acquisition of a new, eviler, cutie-mark. She hoped that Rainbow Dash wouldn’t be too angry if she ever found out about the spell placed on her, but Rainbow Dash wouldn’t be able to touch her anyway. She knew that she was now completely home free, and that a new partnership was on the horizon, completely unaware that Rainbow Dash’s cutie-mark had returned to its normal state.

(_o_==============================================_o_)

The waiting room that Ditzy Doo waited in was cold, and a little run down, but she didn’t mind. Her little filly, Dinky Doo, was wrapped in the warm blankets that she had brought with her. Dinky was almost seven years old now but she still didn’t like the cold, it was too irritating for her. She endured it though, her mommy needed her and her older sister Amethyst was working with some friends on a school project.

“Miss Doo, the therapist is ready to see you now.” An old mare with red glasses announced, “His office is the first door on the right.”

“Thanks mam.” The wall eyed mother replied. She turned to her daughter and snuggled her.

“Don’t worry, just play with the toys you brought and I will be back out when the doctor is done. If you need anything just ask that nice lady at the counter alright?”

Dinky looked up at her smiling mother and nodded, she wasn’t going to let her mother down.

Ditzy walked into the office and sat down on the chair that was set out for her. It was big, and comfy, and smelled a bit funny, but it helped ease her nerves. The doctor walked in and sat down in his chair, while looking over notes that were scrawled on a notepad. The doctor himself was old, at least sixty, and his mane was turning white from what was presumably a red mane. His cutie-mark looked kind of like a thought bubble that Ditzy would sometimes see in the comics that she would occasionally read.

The doctor reminded Ditzy of her grandfather for some odd reason, maybe it was because his coat was the same color as hers. He looked up at her from his clipboard for a few seconds before writing something down and putting the clipboard aside. He looked at her hoping that she would say something but he knew that he would need to be the first to speak.

“So Miss Doo, I understand that you have been having some unsettling dreams lately? I have also noticed that you just got out of high school and you already have a six year old foal. Do you think that your child had anything to do with these dreams?” The doctor asked, hoping that the mare would respond.

“My Muffin? I don’t think that she’s responsible for my nightmares, well most of them at least. You see doctor, I was held back four years while I recovered from a head injury that occurred a few years before I married Dinky’s father. Before the incident I had already been held back two years because the teacher never seemed to get my homework; I believe that somepony in my classes thought that getting me held back was funny. The incident left me with these horrible nightmares, my best friend was dead, and Dinky’s father was the only friend that I had who understood what I was going through. We were already dating back then and we decided to get married, it was the happiest day of my life. When I had Dinky we were so happy together the nightmares finally stopped. We moved into a new house in Ponyville in order to let my daughter get a proper, unicorn, education. I was finally able to move on, that was until my husband was kidnapped and was never found. After that the nightmares came back, but this time they were worse. I couldn’t handle losing him, I cried nonstop for days after the search was ended. Dinky was too young at that point to really understand what had happened, but she tried to comfort me. I decided to get professional help when the nightmares became so terrible that I feared that I was going insane.” The wall eyed Pegasus was nearly in tears by this point and the doctor didn’t want to make her speak until she was ready. When Ditzy finally calmed down the doctor noted that she was still breathing heavily.

“Well, if you don’t mind, I would prefer that you share what these dreams entail. It would allow me to get a better understanding of the situation and what the causes are. Although it seems that the incident that left you recovering for four years was cause, but I need more evidence in order to conclude that it was indeed the cause.” The doctor explained.

“Of course, anything to help a doctor. I guess I’ll start with the first ones since they are the most similar….”

(_o_==============================================_o_)

[Dream amalgamation number one: The Darkness]

The world was silent and Ditzy was travelling home after having completed another tutoring session. The streets were unusually barren, not even the adults were wondering the streets. Chills suddenly ran up Ditzy’s spine when she realized that she was all alone. She began to run trying to get home as quickly as possible, but the road before her didn’t seem to end.

She kept going hoping that she would get home soon, but the world around her was defying her. She couldn’t move forward so she ran into an alleyway to try and get onto another road. The alleyway was dark and dismal, and the graffiti that coated walls made her think that every pony in Cloudsdale took up Graffiti art as a hobby and used that alley as a community canvas. Ditzy paused for a moment when she noticed a rather prominent mural on one of the walls.

The mural was a depiction of a jet black factory in the middle of nothingness. The factory had rows upon rows of fillies in shackles being led to it while several pegasi in dark suits watched. There were two large pegasi in the background of the mural, but their details were hard to make out. On the left was a normal sized earth pony mare that was a cyan color with a multihued mane, the Pegasus next to her was a massive, yellow mare, with a pink mane and piercing blue eyes.

The cyan partner of the yellow mare had a collar on that bore the symbol of the factory. The rest of the suited workers also bore these collars signifying that the yellow Pegasus owned all of them. Blood was at the hooves of the yellow Pegasus and it was also dripping from two stylized fangs on the image. This mare, whoever she was, sent chills down Ditzy’s spine. She left the mural to continue on her quest, unaware that the yellow mare in the mural was watching her.

Ditzy continued on and found herself on a new street, this one was far different than the other one, for it was pitch black and it felt alive. Ditzy turned around to go back to the other road but the alley was gone and all that was left was a solid wall of black bricks. The wall felt alive, its grooved surface felt like it was reaching out for the mare, reaching out to consume her soul. Then the darkness on the wall began to leach off of it and come for her, almost as if her very fears summoned the beast.

Like any sane pony that would find themselves in her position she ran. She ran for her life away from the shadow that followed her. She ran through alleyways and jumped over trashcans in her desperate attempt to get away from the evil that was chasing her. She managed to outrun the darkness that was following her but what lay before her was horrifying.

The friend that Ditzy had fought to protect from the bullies lay splayed in the alleyway. Her head was bloody and her skull was nothing more than thousands of razor sharp shards. The wings of the pony were bent into unnatural positions and its intestines were spilling out into the alleyway. Ditzy felt nauseous, but it wasn’t because her friend was dead, it was because she wasn’t the one that ended her.

Ditzy ran again, this time from herself. She wasn’t going to be a murderer, she was not like the ponies in the mural, and she couldn’t be one the ponies in the mural. The darkness arrived again this time it consumed her vision and everything faded away into the blackness. She reawakened inside of a building with walls made of solid stone, the stone was dense and cold; it was just like her grieving heart.

On the wall was a portrait of the crime scene that the young mare had been subjected to see. Her parents lying in a crumbled heap while blood freely flowed from their broken forms, the murderer, a young mare with a blond mane stood behind them. Ditzy hated that mare with every fiber of her being, and she regretted that punishment never found that mare. Unfortunately, Ditzy was afraid of what would happen if the truth got out.

It was a normal day just like any other day that she could think of, but something was different. She had been agitated all day and she couldn’t think straight, especially with what she had to deal with at school. She had just been bullied nonstop for the past few days and she was feeling rather stressed, or maybe poised to strike was a better word. She walked home and greeted her family rather grumpily, but other than that they didn’t know that anything was going on. The day was rather uneventful and only a few visitors showed up that day, but they managed to make the upset mare feel better.

When dinner time came she helped her mother with the preparation of the carrots, something that Ditzy regretted happening. She slowly slid the knife through the tough roots and gave the chunks to her mother so that they could be put into some soup. That’s when she heard her mother say something, she couldn’t remember what it was but it made her feel afraid. Her mother had asked her how she was dealing with all of the teasing at school, and Ditzy couldn’t handle having those memories come back into her mind that day.

Boiling rage bubbled up through her entire being releasing a part of her that she didn’t know about. She turned around and walked up to her mother, both eyes completely in focus, and stabbed her in the throat. Her mother let out a gurgling scream and collapsed on the floor. Ditzy was almost sickened and horrified by the act but Ditzy was no longer in control.

She stood there and waited for her father who undoubtably heard the panicked scream. When he entered the room he found his wife lying dead on the floor and his daughter drenched in blood. He was going to scream or maybe even run but he was stabbed in the jugular vein before he could respond. The blood splattered on the mare but she didn’t care, he never helped protect her from the bullies or even threaten them. The new, or should I say alternate Ditzy who goes by the name of Aria, smiled at her work and gloated in her victory, hoping that others would taste justice, but her victory wasn’t complete. She needed a way to get rid of the bodies without getting caught and the answer was obvious to her.

Aria unlike her alternate self was heartless, cold, and clever. She was so clever that she believed she was even smarter than Ditzy, maybe even more beautiful as well. She grabbed a blood covered cigar out of her father’s coat and lit the end, letting the thing burn for a little bit while taking a puff. Then she grabbed a bottle of liquor and gave her father one last drink before placing the lit match into his mouth.

Aria gathered her belongings, leaving only the stuff that she wouldn’t miss, and left the house before the fire could escape the confines of the kitchen. When the fire fighters arrived Aria had already left and a distraught, and freshly cleaned, Ditzy was crying for the loss of her parents. Ditzy cried and wanted to tell somepony the truth, but Aria kept her mouth sealed shut about their real fate.

When the bodies were found the flesh was almost completely charred away, the evidence of the attack had burned in the fire and Aria had gotten rid of the knife. Ditzy wanted to get help for her mental problem, but Aria had kept her from doing that ever since she was old enough to talk. After the incident Ditzy moved in with her grandparents and she continued on, keeping Aria a secret, and having fun with her friends.

When Ditzy looked away from the painting she noticed that there was a rusty table nearby, but upon further inspection the rust turned out to be dried blood. There were only two things being presented on the table, her knife, and a collar that belonged to one of the factory workers.Ditzy looked at the knife that had ended her parents, and she saw the straight eyed Aria staring back at her.

“Well if it isn’t Ditzy Doo the mare that killed her parents and got away with it. I seriously hope that we get the chance to do something like that again.” Aria Chuckled, as her voice echoed through Ditzy’s mind.

“I am not like you! I will never kill another pony! Especially if it’s somepony I love!!” Ditzy screamed at the monstrous Aria.

“Why you poor dearie, you actually think that you have a choice in the matter. Anytime that I want a pony dead all I have to do is steal control and finish the job. It almost makes me wonder which one of us is the real personality and which one is the alternate.” Aria said almost seductively.

“I am the real personality, I’m me, and you are not going to make me doubt myself. I am not as evil as you are!”

“Oh…you make me want to laugh so hard. You seriously think that you are the real one. Only the birth certificate knows which one of our names is printed on it, and I believe that you will find that it has my name written on that black line, not yours. You are right about not being as evil as me though, I might need to change that. Although, tormenting you is much more fun than murder, well maybe not murder.” Aria countered at the disheveled Ditzy.

“You…you’re…you’re lying! I’m the real one! Why do my parents call me Ditzy if I’m not the real one!?” Ditzy sobbed.

“It’s because I told them it would be a ‘Special’ family nickname. They just assumed that you were the real one and I was able to relax while you trotted along and led a life that wasn’t yours.” Aria said in an almost monotone voice that still managed to retain all of her cruelty in it.

“How dare you! Even if I’m the fake one I’ll never be tied to a pony as evil as you! I know for a fact that I am the one in control not you! That is enough proof that I am the real one!” Ditzy screamed this as loud as she could. The scream reverberated off of the walls and came back to her as an unearthly howl that sent shivers down her spine. Aria’s mocking laughter echoed in her mind as she threw the blade into the darkest recesses of the room, hoping that it would disappear forever.

The blade skittered of into the darkness making a faint tinkling sound as it skidded across the floors uneven surface. Ditzy just sat in the darkness sobbing, hoping that Aria was gone for now. Her wish was granted but things became worse when two other ponies entered the room. They were the two from the mural.

The yellow one looked down at Ditzy and smiled, showing her two inch long fangs. She was easily bigger than Celestia and she looked hungrily at her. The Cyan earth pony that stood next to her was easily three inches shorter than the average mare and she wore a collar that symbolized her obedience to the yellow one. The Cyan earth pony grabbed the collar that was on the table and presented it while she approached Ditzy.

Ditzy backed away from the mare only to suddenly stop as her eyes became straight and Aria took full control. Ditzy watched in horror as Aria took the color and put it on, and then proceeded to shake the yellow mare’s hoof. Then Aria turned around and pulled out a chain that she had been holding. The evil mare was somehow approaching Ditzy, until she realized that they were now two separate ponies.

Aria grabbed Ditzy and wrapped the chain around her neck and slowly tightened the loop that had formed. Ditzy wheezed as her throat was crushed by the rusty chain that was wrapped around it. The rust on the chain ripped her skin and caused her neck to bleed while she found it harder and harder to breath. Aria pulled herself closer to Ditzy and stared at her sternly.

“Remember this b!%@#, I own this body and no alternate personality is going to steal it from me. Especially when I killed all of the other Fu#$@#% that lived in my head with you. That’s right, you are not safe and I can easily eliminate you.” Aria said coldly, “Now be a good girl and do what you are told, or else! Not even the doctors can know about me unless you want to stop existing. Not even the one you are talking to right now, understand?”

Ditzy tried to nod but the chain kept her from moving her head. Aria still got the message and she smiled wickedly at her alternate personality.

“Good, now it’s time to finish this little dream of ours, shall we?” Aria chuckled.

Ditzy didn’t resist, there was no point in fighting. Aria was the victor yet again and her vision faded away as Aria pulled the chain tight. Then the dream ended when Aria pulled on the chain with unnatural strength and decapitated Ditzy. The whole time Aria just smiled and said softly to her, “Don’t worry, I won’t let you die…yet.”

(_o_==============================================_o_)

The Doctor stared at Ditzy trying to process the information that Aria let her tell him.

“Well Mam, I think that I will need to look into your case further.” He said trying not to look disturbed by the thought of being decapitated by a chain, “Please come back one a week and we will continue our sessions.”

“Thank you for your time Doc. I hope that I didn’t bother you too much?” Ditzy asked, feeling guilty for having put the doctor through her memories of her parents dying in a fire.

“It’s quite alright, I hear lots of these kinds of things. I just don’t understand who that other mare was or how you accidently caused the fire by spilling wine on your father?” The doctor asked.

“The other mare was a sister that I had and she died in the fire. My father, who was roaring drunk by that point, probably dropped the match for his cigar on himself and caused the blaze.” Aria responded.

“I just don’t understand why your things were packed up, or why you mother was caught in the blaze.” The doctor stated, taking notice that his patient no longer seemed to be wall eyed.

“My mother had already prepared me for going over to my grandparents’ house and I was well on my way out of the house by the time the blaze erupted. The report say that she tried to save him but died in the fire as well.” Aria stated, almost offended by the doctor.

“Alright Miss Doo, I’ll see you next week and thanks for clearing up that whole part involving the fire.”

“Of course, I always love helping others understand things better. In fact why don’t I talk to you later today? I’ll be over at the Apple farm getting some fresh produce and I would appreciate the company.” Aria added.

“I would love to Miss Doo but I have other patients.” The doctor said almost nervously.

“Then I’ll take care of business right now then.” Aria whispered to herself while slowly drawing out a kitchen knife that Ditzy didn’t remember packing. The mare moved quickly and ended the therapist before he could react making sure that the vocal cords and jugular vein was sliced open first.

(_o_==============================================_o_)

Dinky was bored and her mother was taking forever, even the reception lady didn’t know what was taking so long. When her mother finally came out she was muttering to herself and licking her lips oddly. Her eyes were focused for once. Dinky didn’t like her mother when her eyes were like that.

When Ditzy noticed her daughter her eyes suddenly became unfocused and she rushed over to hug her filly.

“Oh Ditzy Momma’s sorry for taking so long. I just had something to take care of.”

Dinky was happy that her mother, the one that had the funny eyes was back, instead of that other mare. She hugged her mother and felt that her belly was rather full. Her mouth also had traces of some red substance in it as well. The curious filly felt hungry when she realized that her mother ate their cherry sandwiches without her.

“Momma can we go get a snack? I’m hungry.” The little filly stated.

“Alright Muffin.” Her mother responded.

Dinky was happy to be getting some food after having went through almost an hour of waiting. Unbeknownst to the filly her mother was internally arguing with Aria about their cleanup method.