Verse of the Void

Chapters

Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree
The Sun Has Almost Set
Prismatic Running

Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree

Chapter 1: Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree

He awoke groggily. The first thing he noticed was that he was strapped to a table. The second thing he noticed was that there was no light in the room, it took him a second to realize that his eyes were, in fact, open. The darkness wasn't all consuming though, there were rays of light, beaming down from somewhere. He couldn't turn his head far enough to see much. The room was underground. The dirt walls and wood floor panels over his head made it obvious. Scattered about the room were odd pieces of machinery, most very dangerous looking. He was pretty sure there was still the flesh of some animal stuck to one of them. At least, he hoped it was an animal. Not wanting to take in any more of the gruesome scenery, he stared at the ceiling and waited.

Seconds turned to minutes. He found his gaze idly sweeping over the room a second, and then a third time. Each time he had a harder time pulling his eyes away from the shreds of meat that he now noticed on each of the machines. He found himself imagining the terror and pain those ponies had faced as they were mutilated beyond recognition as anything other than ‘some dead thing’.

He forced himself away from those thoughts. Resting his head back on the table, he closed his eyes. He couldn't relax, but he supposed that was a good thing. When faced with what were probably one’s last hours, he reasoned, one shouldn't be able to feel at ease. Especially if one is strapped to a table in a torture dungeon.

This is no time for me to be philosophical, I have to get out of here! Letting out a sigh, he tested the straps holding his legs down. Not so much as a budge. Somepony had put a good deal of effort into making his escape impossible. Not that I won’t try… I seem to have quite some time. He twisted his hooves around, trying to find some slack in the straps. Before any true progress was made, a blast of light lit the room. A rectangle shone on to the wall in front of him, the silhouette of a pony walking through.

“Hello? Who’s there?” he asked.

He got no response. Just the steady thumping of hooves as his captor walked down the stairs. Whoever it was didn’t seem to be in any hurry, that was bad. That meant that nopony knew... or worse, that nopony cared.

His captor strode up next to the table and stopped, It took him a bit to adjust to the lighting.

“Big Mac!” he sighed, his head flopping back onto the table, “Oh thank Celestia it’s you. You had me worried there. Mind untying me?”

“Eyup,” Big Macintosh didn’t move.

“Um… Is that a yes to untying me? Or a yes to minding?” He asked.

“Ah don’t know who you are, but ya showed up at a bad time,” Big Macintosh walked towards the wall his captive couldn't see.

“What do you mean you don’t know who I am?” he chuckled, “I’m Cedar. We've been friends since before we got our cutie marks.”

“Cedar’s been dead fer years,” Big Macintosh stated.

There was a long silence, interrupted only by the thumps of Big Macintosh’s hooves and the clang of metal on metal.

“Ah needed to take out some stress. You happened to be passing by. Looked mighty lost. I figured nopony round here would miss ya,” Big Macintosh continued.

Cedar’s response was cut off by the scraping of rusty wheels. When the noise stopped, what looked like a thresher was sitting at the foot of the table. Big Macintosh took a crank in his teeth and started turning it. Slowly the blades of the thresher awoke. There spinning almost silent. Cedar wondered what they had been greased with.

Pony blood.

Shaking the thought out of his head, Cedar tried not to think about one of his best friends killing him. He tried not to think about the shreds of meat he would become. He tried not to think of his blood greasing the spinning gears. He tried not to wonder what would happen to his body. He tried not to think about the impending agony he would be put through.

“Any last words?” Big Macintosh asked.

I only have one chance.

“Could… Could you lean down…” Cedar choked.

“Too scared to speak?” Big Macintosh smiled, softly chuckling to himself. None the less, he lowered his head to hear Cedar’s last words.

“I’m sorry.” Ceder whispered. In a flash he had brought his head up to smash into Big Macintosh’s nose. His front hooves flying up to his nose, Big Macintosh stumbled backwards, right into the still spinning thresher. Cedar closed his eyes. There was a bone splitting crunch. Then something warm and wet splattered across his body.

Cedar lied there, his eyes closed. He found he was able to relax his tensed shoulders. His head finally rested back on the table. He noticed he was gasping. No… I’m crying. Cedar let himself sob. He had lost a good friend.I've killed a good friend. Cedar didn’t give any thought to what could have made his ‘good friend’ act the way he did. Though he did wonder about one thing he had said.

“Cedar’s been dead fer years.”

Cedar didn't know how much time had passed, but he hadn't made any progress in unraveling what Big Mac had said.

I know I never died. And so should Big Mac. We saw each other last weekend, he knows I haven’t gone anywhere… Did I do something to upset him? Cedar was too scared someone else would hear him if he voiced his thoughts. He didn't want anyone to find him. He just wanted to get off this table, out of this room, and wash the blood off his…fucking everywhere.

Cedar took a deep breath, then opened his eyes. Everything was a deep red. His chest, what was left of Big Mac. The now still thresher. Cedar forced the bile back down his throat. Big Macintosh’s skull had jammed the blades. The skin on the left half his face gone. Torn off by the dull blades, but it was what was still there that had Cedar reaching. The right side looked into the distance, fear still in it’s eyes, frozen the moment Big Macintosh had passed. But the left. The left side of his face… Muscle and bone, red on white, teeth grimacing, flecks of mane stuck to the drying blood, and his eye. Big Macintosh’s left eye seemed to stare, unblinking, directly at Cedar. Cedar closed his eyes, trying to keep the image from burning into his mind.

But it was too late. The back of Cedar’s eyelids had that eye on them. That judging eye. Cedar tried to conjure up other images. He was in his workshop, carving a figurine. Shaving away the coverings of beauty. Ceder reached for more sandpaper, but his hoof instead, felt a firm jelly. Cedar looked at what he had grabbed. It was that eye. That rueful eye. Cedar submerged himself in a deeper fantasy. He was in bed, waiting for his lover to emerge from the washroom. First a leg slid into view, then a second, curving to grip the door frame. Then it stepped around, that eye. That hateful eye.

Cedar awoke. The nightmare fading. He sighed. Though he was still on the table, and covered in dried blood, at least he didn't have to see that eye. He wondered how much time had passed.

“Big Mac? Where’d ya run off to?”

Applejack! Cedar found himself unable to speak still. Oh please. Oh please. Cedar didn’t know what he was begging for. Did he want Applejack to find him, covered in her dead brother’s blood? Or did he hope that she passed by, sparing him the guilt?

“Now Ah know ya told me not to come inta yer stallion-cave. But if ya don't get your butt up here I’m gona have ta come down and get ya,” Applejack called, “Ya been down there all day and it ain't healthy to miss lunch and supper!”

Yes, she's coming down! Fuck, she's coming down!

“Ah know ya told me I wouldn't be able to accept what Ah see down here. But Ah can't imagine it's that bad. Some pinups, a shelf of adult magazines, maybe a few ‘aids’. Ah might not like it, but Ah won't hate ya for what… Ah… find…” Applejack trailed off.

“It wasn't me,” Cedar suddenly found his voice, “Well I guess it kind of was but it was in self defense and he came after me and...”

“Shut it,” Applejack ordered Cedar. So Cedar laid there, staring at the ceiling. He then recognized the quiet sobbing he had missed while he tried to blurt out an explanation.

“Not you too,” Applejack sobbed, “Daisy, Lyra, Sweetie Belle… Why do we keep losing ponies to this? Why… why did you do it?”

When Applejack had calmed down enough, she got Cedar off the table. Cedar was now finally able to see the whole picture. What was left of Big Macintosh was on the floor, bloody bits and orgran shreds leading to the thresher. Everywhere above his upper chest was gone, all that remained of that was his head.

And that eye.

Cedar shuddered at the thought. Still he helped Applejack gather what they could to burry. Not having a box, or jar, they left Big Macintosh in a puddle of a pile in the cellar. Climbing up the stairs, Applejack invited Cedar for a meal and a place to stay the night. Cedar agreed, though he also asked for a bath. A request that was quickly granted. A quick hose down in the yard later, Cedar more looked better than felt better, but it was still nice to get the blood off.

Dinner was awkward. The Applejack and Cedar eating out in the barn, separate from the rest of the family, saying it had something to do with Big Mac. The two ponies finished their meal in silence. Neither wanted to go back to the house, so they didn’t.

Cedar remembered the evenings that they had done this, albeit without the murder of Applejack’s brother. Cedar had known the Apple family since he got his cutie mark, he took dead trees from Sweet Apple Acres to use in his carpentry workshop,. He already knew Big Mac from school, so he was happy to help Cedar haul the trees to his shop. Eventually he started spending more of his free time with his friend. It was during this time that he got to know Big Mac’s sister better. The two had wound up dating for a while. It was more of a convenience thing than real love. But they ended on good terms and remained a listening ear for the other when they needed it. Cedar was brought out of his memories when Applejack broke the silence.

“Twilight's doing that now,” Applejack stated, looking at the sunset.

Cedar just nodded. Another moment passed in silence.

“Ah want to know something,” Applejack fiddled with her forehooves before looking over to Cedar, “How… How are ya here? Alive an' all that?”

“I don't know how to answer,” Cedar shrugged, “I remember going to bed last night, then I was here. In one of your fields. And then I was on that table…”

“But ya died almost two years ago,” Applejack stated, Cedar froze, “Ah went to yer funeral an' saw ya buried an' everythin.”

Cedar had no answers. He didn't even know where to start. So he simply didn't. Another long silence descended upon the two. Applejack staring at Cedar, both in concern and in fear. Cedar tried to ignore her looks, but kept glancing back to see if she had stopped.

“What happened?” Cedar asked, “What happened after I. After I died.”

“Well, your murder really shocked ponies. No one knew how ta handle it,” Applejack paused for a deep breath, “They, skinned you… It was never found. We don't know what that pony did with it. And Ah don't want to find out. We still haven't caught 'em. But soon others… Daisy was found burying a one in her garden. Lyra did this weird thing to their hooves.

“Everypony is on guard now. No one is the same, not after Princess Celestia. We were called in to stop her, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. We did, but Rarity and Pinkie Pie… That was almost three months ago. Ah haven't seen Twilight since, she locked herself in the Ponyville Library shortly after. Spike comes out for food. Never talks anymore. Ah think Rarity's death hit him hard. Rainbow hasn't set foot on the ground since then. Ah see her flying by sometimes. Ah wave to her, sometimes she waves back.

“After Rarity died, Sweetie Belle burned down the boutique. Her parents trapped inside. Twilight said she wound up cutting off her own horn and running off into the Everfree. Ditzy Doo freaks out anytime anyone mentions any kind of pastry. Mayor Mare is running a drug ring. Ah've been completely ignoring Applebloom. Ah don't want to know what she's up to.”

With that confession Applejack broke down crying. Cedar scooted next to her and gave her a comforting pat on the back. Applejack leaned over and cried on Cedar's shoulder. After a bit, Cedar gave into sobbing too. The two cried until long after the sun went down.

When the two had worn out their emotions, reduced the crying to sniffles, Applejack pushed herself up. Cedar got to his knees to follow her.

“You can sleep out here,” Applejack ordered softly.

Cedar gave a weak nod. Waiting until she was gone to curl up on a pile of hay.

The next morning Cedar was woken by Applebloom and invited in for breakfast. He was introduced as ‘an old friend’. Granny Smith seemed to be suspicious, but held her tongue. Applebloom either didn't know, or didn't care.

“Ah have bad news,” Applejack began after the meal had been finished and the dishes cleared, “Big Mac…Big Macintosh is… is dead.” She paused to let the news seep in. “Ah found him, Ah found him dead. He had tried to kill Cedar here… Tied him to a table…” Applejack broke off into a fit of crying.

“Ah'll go get the guard,” Applebloom offered, shock keeping her rational and stoic.

“Yew'd bett'r leave. Less Ya want a whole heap 'o questions,” Granny Smith warned Cedar.

With a nod, Cedar turned to the door. He glanced back at Applejack. She was a sobbing wreck. He hoped she’d keep to herself today. And I killed her brother. Cedar mentally kicked himself. How could he have done something so terrible to an already emotionally troubled family.

Well I didn't know at the time…

The Sun Has Almost Set

Chapter 2: The Sun Has Almost Set

Cedar walked to his old house. He wasn’t sure it would still be there, and if it was, he knew there’d be somepony living in it. But on his arrival he was pleasantly shocked.

Guess murder victim houses are hard to sell.

It was derelik, moss and plants covering everything, most of the window’s broken. But the inside looked decent. Almost like everypony was scared to touch anything. He walked up and pushed open his door. It scrapped the flooring as it swung open, Cedar was surprised it stayed attached to its frame. As soon as he stepped hoof inside, the world took on a purple tinge. Looking down at his hoof, Cedar noticed it wasn’t the world that was purple, but him.

One blinding flash later, he found himself standing in the Ponyville Library with a rather erratic Princess Twilight Sparkle in front of him.

“Hey Cedar! I wasn’t expecting you to show up again, not with skin at least. Ha ha!” Twilight’s ears twitched as she babbled, a strange dance like grace flowing through her jagged movements, “I bet you’re wondering why you’re here? Hmmmm? Well let me tell you! I have been busy, busy, busy since Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were otherwise engaged. What with raising the sun and moon and everything! Turns out my magic alone isn’t strong enough. Ha! Imagine that! Anyway, I had to do it, so I asked Rainbow Dash to help me. And she did! She helped for a long time. But then she stopped helping me. So I had to banish her to the moon for treason! Ha, ha! Funny right? Anyway! I need more help and I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind?”

“What would I be doing to help?” Cedar asked, leaning back as Princess Twilight pressed her face into his.

“Oh I knew you would!” Princess Twilight grinned, jumping on Cedar, “Did you know before I asked Rainbow Dash, I tried using black magic to boost my spells? It worked! Kind of. And I’m still fine! I just don’t sleep anymore and I get the occasional craving for meat… You don’t have any limbs you aren’t planning on using, do you?”

“What? NO!” Cedar yelled, throwing Princess Twilight off him.

“Just joking! Ha, ha! Anyway, let’s head to my study, we need to get you ready to help,” Princess Twilight grinned. A purple tinge overtook the world once again and Cedar found himself standing in some sort of magic circle. Twilight flew around the room, going from bookcase to bookcase, throwing tomes off the shelves.

“What are you doing?” Cedar started.

“Here it is!” Twilight shouted, “Ok, so first we need to make you a mare. Don’t worry! I can do that now! I practiced on Owlicious.”

Princess Twilight kept spewing words as she cast her spell. Cedar didn’t have time to process any of what she said, much less to react. He screamed as his whole body began to burn and shrink. Tears filled Cedar’s eyes, his head spun. The only thing Cedar could compare it to was the time he put his hoof on a hot stove. The big difference being that his whole body was on the stove and that he couldn’t pull away. By the time the world came back into focus Twilight had changed into a long robe.

“Oh yeah! I forgot to mention that. The spell sometimes makes it feel like your skin is melting off. The spell is only temporary though, it should wear off in… Sometime! Ever had Dragon’s Tongue? It’s delicious!” Princess Twilight pranced around the room, her robe flowing behind her. Cedar couldn’t help but notice how it framed her flank. Wait, if I’m a girl, does that make me a lesbian? Or maybe a temporary lesbian, because I’m temporary a girl?

“I see you staring. Don’t worry we can have so much fun tonight! But first we have to make it night!” Princess Twilight declared. She pulled out a white unicorn horn from within her robes. Pulling back her sleeve, Cedar noticed several scars and partially healed scabs along Princess Twilight’s leg. Closing his eyes to avoid seeing what he knew would happen, Cedar only heard a gasp from Princess Twilight. Slowly opening his eyes he looked at the deranged pony he was ‘helping’. She was bleeding out of her stabbed leg, though the horn was wrapped in a purple field of telekinetic force and floating by her head.

“So Rainbow Dash told me this part hurts. Just a heads up,” Twilight stated as she drove the horn into one of Cedar’s arms.

“The fuck!” Cedar yelled, feeling the horn pierce his skin and dig into his flesh. Princess Twilight pulled the horn back out and sprinkled the blood around the circle, changing softly. Cedar didn’t want to know what she was saying, he was worried that just by hearing the words he would be driven to madness just like her. Instead he curled up, cradling his injured leg. He only noticed when Princess Twilight was finished with the ritual because his flesh began to mend.

“And now that the work is done, ready for some fun?” Princess Twilight taunted, wiggling her flank as she slid over to Cedar.

Cedar was tired of getting tied to things. True, a bed is a lot better than a blood stained table, but he wished Twilight would have untied him before she passed out. Or gotten off of my face. Cedar decided that when Twilight said that ‘we’re going have so much fun’, she meant ‘I am going to have so much fun’. So far, Cedar had gotten zip. No, I got a sticky face. What a wonderful gift… Better than being covered in blood I guess.

The door creaked open. Cedar tried to peek around the Alicorn resting on his face to see who had entered. Soon he didn’t care who had entered. Whoever they were, they were untying him, and that was enough for him to instantly like them. Once Cedar was untied, he pushed Princess Twilight off and stood up. Spike stood before him. Putting a claw to his lips, Spike waved Cedar out of the room. When they were out, Spike closed the door.

“Oh thank goodness,” Cedar sighed, “Thank you so much Spike.”

Spike looked at Cedar and tilted his head.

“It’s me Cedar? I’m the carpenter that came over after the tree crashed through the window,” Cedar explained, “Twilight just turned me into a mare for… some reason.”

Spike nodded in understanding.

“What’s the matter do we still need to be quiet?” Cedar asked, lowering his voice.

Spike shook his head. Then he opened his mouth and pointed at it. Cedar couldn’t tell what was wrong. He hadn’t ever seen the inside of a dragon’s mouth before. And I had hoped I would never have to. Though this is one of the better ways it could happen. Cedar looked for the offending object. Teeth, gums, throat ok, lips functioning, no cuts… Cedar didn’t see anything extra. Then it hit him. Spike doesn’t have a tongue…

“Oh goddess...“ He gasped.

Spike nodded sadly and waved him into the kitchen.

Spike had done the kitchen up into his own private room. His bed had been moved down and placed under the table, a stack of comic books next to it. A treasure chest was poorly hidden in a bag of flower. The only thing Cedar didn’t understand was the presence of the chalkboard.

‘This is how I speak now,’ Spike wrote, seeming to know what Cedar was about to ask.

“What… What happened?” Cedar asked, plopping down on one of the cushions Spike had laid about the floor.

‘Princess Twilight got angry when I spoke against her and threatened to tell other ponies what she was doing. So she cut out my tongue and ate it. Said that I wouldn’t tell other ponies or I would be banished to the moon. She then ordered me to go find some meat for her. Luckily as a Dragon, ponies don’t think twice about me wanting meat,’ Spike wrote.

“Who sells meat?” Cedar asked, remembering Big Mac with a shudder and wishing he hadn’t.

‘Fluttershy had always given me dead animals. She understands the food chain, and though she was never happy about it, was glad that her friends were helping somepony one last time. She seems to have more than ever now though. I never get anything whole anymore, just bits of different animals. I’m pretty sure from some of the damage done to them that she’s beating them,’ Spike explained.

“That’s terrible!” Cedar exclaimed.

‘At least she’s not killing other ponies,’ Spike scribbled.

“What happened to Rainbow Dash though? Does Twilight actually have the power to send ponies to the moon?” Cedar asked.

‘She likes to be called by her “title” now Princess Twilight. I think she does have the power to. Though she hasn’t actually used it yet. As for Rainbow Dash, Princess Twilight ate her,” Spike explained.

“Twilight… Princess Twilight… Ate. Rainbow Dash,” Cedar couldn’t tell if he was more shocked or disgusted.

It turned out that Princess Twilight truly didn’t ‘sleep’ she simply passed out from exhaustion. When she awoke, she went right back to whatever she had been doing as if no time had passed. Even though that meant that sometimes the sun rose or set several hours after when it should have. Cedar had asked Spike how other ponies reacted to that. Spike had explained that they simply thought it was the princess trying to make her name more important. The spell did keep the sun and moon moving across the sky while the caster did other things. They just needed help to cross the horizon. Cedar wondered how that worked. Spike told him that the only place with an answer to that question would be the Castle Library, ‘and good luck getting into Canterlot, nevermind getting out.’

The gender changing spell still hadn’t worn off. Cedar was getting worried that it might never do so. Princess Twilight had taken to calling him Cinder, “Because, you know, Cinderella!” Cedar had laughed at the joke in fear of being ‘banished to the moon’. Which he helped raise and lower every day. Twice every day. No wonder her leg is full of scars. Cedar had found out that Princess Twilight always remembered to heal herself. Her helper was not always so lucky. Cedar found that he was forgotten roughly one out of every three times. No wonder Rainbow Dash only helped for so long. A wound would have gotten infected or she would have not had enough time to recover between helpings.

One evening Cedar walked into the library to help Princess Twilight only to find Rainbow Dash in her place. She laughed when he screamed and tried to run down the stairs.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Don’t worry Rainbow Dash is banished to the moon, silly! Hehe! She can’t haunt you!” Cedar found himself twirled around in a field of purple. Examining ‘Rainbow Dash’ closer, he noticed she had a horn.

“Princess? What are you?” Cedar began to ask.

“Well, somedays I want to go see how my subjects are doing. I don’t want to draw attention to myself, so I decided to paint myself to look like Rainbow Dash! Sometimes another pegasis will try to catch me, but I just start speeding up and because they think I’m Rainbow they just give up on chasing me because they know they can’t out run Rainbow Dash,” Princess Twilight explained with a twisted laugh, “Sometimes I forget that I’m not Rainbow though and go to her house and try to fall asleep. But then they remind me that I’m Princess Twilight Sparkle! So I rush back home. For some reason I just feel so right painted to look like a rainbow. Wings are so awesome! Ever had one with hot sauce?”

“Are we going to raise the sun or not?” Cedar sighed, “and could you please remember to heal me this time? You’ve forgotten the last two raisings in a row now.”

“Oh, Cinder! Don’t be silly! How could I forget to heal you! You’ve been such a big help. I think I might have lost all my sanity without somepony to talk to. Ha ha he! Besides, you’re already dead! It’s not like you can die again!” Princess Twilight assured him.

“I’m sorry, what?” Cedar asked, but he was quickly tossed to the floor as Princess Twilight jabbed the horn into her arm.

“I think Twilight thinks I’m not real,” Cedar mentioned to spike that afternoon.

‘Well that explains why she calls you by name,’ Spike scribbled, ‘Princess Twilight only calls a pony by their name if she thinks they are dead. Or she’s about to banish them.’

“But she think’s I’m not real. How could I be helping her with the ritual if I’m not real?” Cedar argued.

‘That mare ripped out my tongue, fucked herself with it, then ate it. Do you really want to know what’s going on in that head of her’s?” Spike rolled his eyes.

“Good point,” Cedar conceted. Cedar had taken Spike’s advice and avoided Princess Twilight unless he was called or it was time for the ritual. It was a blessing that the Princess never stopped talking. Her constant noise made it easy to know where she was and keep out of her way. On the other hoof, you can always hear her raving at all odd hours. I wonder how Spike can sleep. Cedar voiced his question.

‘You get used to it eventually. For me it’s just background noise. I only notice it when it starts getting louder,’ Spike scribbled on the chalkboard before returning to his comic book.

“For the last time! I’m not working for Mothra! Now stop asking,” Princess Twilight yelled from her room.

Cedar rolled his eyes. He had recently noticed how often it sounded like she was answering questions. Basically anytime I’m not around really. Cedar wondered briefly who Princess Twilight thought she was talking to.

“Cinder! Get up here! Sex time!” Princess Twilight called.

Cedar drooped his shoulders and sighing in resignation, he climbed the stairs to Princess Twilight’s study. Well, now I understand why I keep giving but never getting. I don’t exist apparently. Princess Twilight apparently had lost her patience as Cedar was covered in a purple field and teleported to the bed.

‘Cedar, can you keep a secret?’ was written on the chalkboard. Spike was no where to be seen and Cedar guessed he had gone to get food. The morning ritual had just been finished. Looks like I’ve been here for Six days judging from my arm. Cedar counted the scars. With a shake of his head, Cedar sat down on his pillow bed and pulled over the book he had been working on. The one good thing about being trapped in a library: you always have something to do.

The one bad thing about being trapped in a library: you feel the need to read everything.Cedar had finished another chapter in Intermediate Transmutational Magic Theory. It didn’t matter that Cedar was an Earth Pony, books on magic were the most prevalent in the Ponyville Library, so he found one that looked interesting and decided to get it out of the way. Then he got caught up in it and had to read another. Now he had covered most of the beginner level books and had moved up. Cedar also found himself reading to distract himself from the happenings of the last several days. Cedar heard the door creak open and clap shut.

“Hey Spike, how went the shopping?” He asked, not looking up from the book, though not reading any further either.

A wet thunk on the floor answered Cedar’s question.

“Scary how Fluttershy keeps giving you fresher and fresher ingredients,” Cedar noted, marking his spot in the book, “And as for your question, yes I can keep a secret.”

‘Pinkie Pie promise?’ Spike wrote, the chalk clicking out his eagerness to talk about, whatever was on his mind.

“Uh… Yeah. What was it? Cross my heart hope to fly, stick a muffin in my eye,” Cedar did his best to recite the foalish rhyme that the pink mare made so popular. Somehow.

Spike shrugged, then nodded his approval and waved Cedar to one of the cabinets. Raising an eyebrow, Cedar followed Spike. Spike then opened the cabinet, pulling out a false backing and waving Cedar through. Cedar looked at Spike, then nervously crawled into the tunnel Spike had dug. The only light was a faint blue glow from a tiny room at the end of the tunnel. Cedar forced himself forward, looking around the room. It was all dirt, smelled terrible, and had an odd lump in the middle of the floor. The faint glow was coming from an enchanted gem stuck in the wall. Cedar went over to look at it, not seeing anything else of interest. But when he stepped on the mound of dirt, it moved.

Cedar looked down and saw a sickly pony lying on the floor. He, or maybe she, was so dirty he blended in perfectly.

“Sorry, I didn’t expect anypony to be down here. Are you alright?” Cedar asked.

The pony on the floor just shivered. Cedar bent down to get a closer look at him. He was small and extremely thin. Cedar assumed that was from lack of exercise and poor nutrition. Cedar wiped away the dirt covering the pony’s cutie mark. A lightning bolt and a cloud. But that means… Cedar looked up to her, for he had decided this was indeed a mare, shoulders. There were two mutilated stubs poking out of her back. Where her wings used to be.

“Rainbow Dash?” Cedar was shocked.

Rainbow turned her head slightly to see who had spoken. Then she let her head fall back into the dirt.

“I… I thought you were….” Cedar began to back out of the tunnel.

Prismatic Running

Chapter 3: Prismatic Running

Cedar found a rather long explanation from Spike written out on the chalkboard when he emerged.

‘She stopped eating two days ago. As for why she’s there, Twi tried to eat her. She tore off her wings and ran off to cook them. I bandaged RD and hid her in a closet until Twi had passed out. After that I moved RD to the kitchen in a cabinet. I spent almost an entire day digging that out. Worked 20 hours strait to make it so RD could stand. Twi forgot about her and I snuck food in and cleaned waste out.

‘I thought after a week of resting RD would be able to make a run for it. But Twi damaged one of her legs during the ritual and she can’t run anymore. She seems to have given up. I don’t know what to do. Could you get her to move?’

“She looked at me briefly,” Cedar offered, “We need to get her out of here.”

Spike franticly erased his speech, then scribbled, ‘you can’t leave, there have been two ponies between you and RD. The first tried to run and got “banished.” The second just disappeared one day.’

“Well, I guess I’ll be sneaking Rainbow out when Princess Twilight is passed out then,” Cedar sighed.

‘That’s what the first did, and she could run. Twi can just teleport you back if she knows roughly where you are,’ Spike shook his head.

“But I don’t exist, and Rainbow Dash is dead. Why would she look for us?” Cedar pointed out.

‘Terrible plan,’ Spike underlined his words.

“But it’s the only one I’ve got. And we need to get Dash out of here. Now,” Cedar argued.

Spike shook his head and went to prepare Princess Twilight’s banishing pot.

“My favorite food? Dragon’s tongue, definitely,” Princess Twilight was up in her study, talking to nopony, as usual. Cedar had been keeping an open ear for when she stopped and passed out. She seemed to be on a record streak, 17 hours and counting. Unless she passed out during my five hour nap.

“The ritual horn? I got it from Sweetie Belle,” Princess Twilight started, “As punishment for...”

Cedar’s head popped up at the sound of silence. Grabbing the saddle bags he had packed that, morning I guess? It’s so hard to tell with this erratic sleep schedule. I wish Princess Twilight would let us open the blinds. He then threw open the cabinet and pulled out the false backing. Crawling into the small room, Cedar looked at Rainbow Dash. She hadn’t moved since he had seen her last.

“I’m getting you out Ms. Dash,” Cedar stated. When she didn’t respond Cedar took hold of one of her good legs and started dragging her out of the hole. Rainbow Dash whimpered and picked up her front left leg to keep it from bouncing along the ground.

“You going to walk now? Or will I have to drag you all the way to Sweet Apple Acres?” Cedar panted after he had gotten Rainbow Dash into the kitchen.

Rainbow Dash struggled to move her feet underneath her.

“Spike could you help me put her on my back?” Cedar asked, kneeling and trying to drag Dash over his back. With some help from the mute dragon, Rainbow Dash was slung over Cedar back.

“Wish us luck,” Cedar nodded to Spike, walking out the door and into the street.

Cedar laid on his side panting. Even though the pegasus was light to begin with, and her added weight loss, Cedar was barely able to get her across town and up the hill to Sweet Apple Acres. I blame getting turned into a girl. Cedar reached into the saddle bags he had put between him and Rainbow Dash and pulled out a canteen. After taking a swig he offered it to Rainbow Dash, who had no reaction to the offer. Pushing himself to his feet Cedar forced the canteen into Rainbow’s mouth, tilting it back and sighing in relief when he heard her gulp down the water. Setting the canteen down in front of Rainbow Dash, Cedar made his way to the front door of the Apple house. After a few heavy pounds, Applebloom answered the door.

“Can Ah help you?” She asked, the door ajar and a chain lock visible through the gap.

“Rainbow Dash. Attacked. Can’t fly. Help,” Cedar wheezed out.

Applebloom’s eyes widened at the sight of her sister’s friend's state, “Sis! Rainbow Dash is at the door! She’s hurt and somepony’s with her!”

Cedar sat down and rested his head on the railing on the porch. He smiled and fought to stay awake to make sure Applejack made it out. Wish I had gotten more than 12 hours of sleep these past two days.

The door flew open, “Oh my! Rainbow Dash! What happened to ya?” Applejack asked running out to tend to her friend. Cedar watched her take in the sight before her, and he also got a good look at Rainbow Dash for the first time now that she was in the light. Her cyan coat was a very pale blue, her main and tail had turned grayscale. Mud covered most of her body, making her color change much harder to notice. Her front left leg was damaged. There was a chunk taken out of the front of it just below her torso. That’s probably the reason she couldn’t help Princess Twilight anymore. She cut too deep and tore out a chunk of muscle. I’m amazed she survived. The worst part though was her wings. For one they were gone, reduced to two uneven stubbs caked in dried blood and dirt. Part of the bone was still in her right wing, while her left was just a lump of torn skin and muscle.

“Applebloom, escort our guest to the pit. She may have brought Rainbow here, but she may have done this to her and Ah don’t want to take any chances,” Applejack commanded her sister, hauling Rainbow Dash into the house. Applebloom nodded and stepped inside, emerging with a pitchfork in her mouth she gestured for Cedar to move. With a groan, Cedar brought himself to his feet and trudged in the indicated direction. Stumbling down the stairs he got a poke in the flank, forcing him to catch himself and keep moving.

Ah memories. It seems like just a week ago that I was STRAPPED THE THIS VERY TABLE!

Cedar had been lead down the Big Macintosh’s torture dungeon. Applebloom had jabbed at him until he had laid down on the table. She strapped him in and left without a word. Cedar sighed. Hope this time I don’t wind up killing anypony.

The room had changed a lot since Cedar was last there. For one all the old farm tools had been smashed. They were now little more than twisted bits of scrap metal. There weren’t any remains in the room anymore. Cedar hoped that the bits of pony had gotten proper burials. Cedar felt more at ease this time. It’s like I’ve just grown used to this messed up world. I guess death doesn’t bother me much anymore. Cedar sighed then looked down on his chest.

“AHHH!” He screamed, “How are you back! You! You were buried with the rest of him! Get away!”

The eye rested on Cedar’s chest. He didn’t know how it got there, but he sure as hell didn’t want it to stay there. Cedar struggled, trying to twist his body so that the eye would roll off. Cedar’s mind flashed back to him opening his eyes and seeing Big Mac’s mutilated skull. The skinless left half was grimacing, wanting revenge on Cedar for what he had done. While the right half frowned.

“Why?” it asked, lips unmoving.

“I didn’t want to! You tried to kill me! There was nothing else I could do!” Cedar argued.

“You could have talked to me. I could have remembered you had you just reminded me. But you killed me instead,” the good half of Big Mac’s face looked to the other, “Isn’t that right?”

The eye seemed to nod. Cedar watched as Big Macintosh stepped forward, his body being thrown back together by the thresher’s blades. Though the one side of his face stayed skinless, that eye not looking away, even when the other did.

“You killed me. You didn’t value our friendship. I tied you up yes, but did I hurt you?” Big Mac turned his head so that only the good side was facing Cedar. His lips moved now, his lips forming around the words.

“I didn’t want to. Please, forgive me,” Cedar begged, breaking down into tears. Cedar shut his eyes, removing Big Macintosh from his sight. But when he opened them, that eye was still on his chest.

“I still see you.”

The door slammed open, the eye vanishing in the light.

“What’s all this yell’n about?” Applejack demanded, stomping down the stairs and into Cedar’s view.

“Did you bury both his eyes?” Cedar asked.

“What?” Applejack tilted her head.

“Did you bury Big Mac with both his eyes!?” Cedar yelled.

“How do you…?” Applejack backed up, “Big Mac only had one eye left when he died, the other was ground up in a thresher…”

“But I saw them both!” Cedar yelled, struggling against the restraints, “I saw them both! One normal, the other taunting! You had to see it too!”

“Who… Who are you?” Applejack asked, her voice going soft.

Cedar took several deep breaths to calm himself. I’m still a mare… Damn Twilight and her gender spell.

“I’m Cedar Pines. Twilight kidnapped me and turned me into a mare so I could be used in a ritual to change day to night,” Cedar explained.

Applejack skeptically looked at his cutie mark, “A engraving tool and a hammer… How. Brown coat. Dark green mane and tail. Are you really Cedar?”

“During the summer we were dating, we tried had sex, but I was nervous so you got me drunk. Then I tried to jump off the loft into a hay bale you were lying on. You barely got out of the way in time and I broke my leg. When we told the doctors about it we left out the bit about trying to get rid of my jitters and the whole wanting to have sex thing,” Cedar’s voice cracked as he told the story, a blush breaking out over his cheeks.

Applejack laughed at the memory, “Ah guess you are Cedar. Sorry about strapping you to the table... again…”

“Can I just get out of here?… It brings back bad memories,” Cedar asked.

“Twilight’s lost it too? Oh fuck me,” Applejack exclaimed.

“Applejack!” Granny Smith scolded her granddaughter.

“Oh hush Granny. It ain’t like any of us here haven’t heard nopony swear before,” Applejack responded. Granny Smith glared at Applejack but said nothing more.

“But Rainbow Dash is going to get better, right?” Applebloom asked, looking at the mare laying on the couch. Rainbow had been bathed and fed. All attempts at conversation had failed, Rainbow Dash refused to talk. Though she did move about on her own now, though she only did if told to.

“Ah don’t know. Ah’ve never seen a pony with a wound like that before. Spike must've done a hellofa job patchin’ her up for her ta still be alive. Her color should come back, but Ah’ve never heard of a pegasus growing back her wings,” Applejack shook her head.

Rainbow Dash squirmed underneath the blanket they had put on her.

“Dash, you ready to talk?” Applejack asked.

“I’m not Rainbow Dash anymore,” Rainbow whispered.

“What?” Cedar asked.

“I’m not Rainbow Dash. I can’t fly or run, let alone walk quickly. And I don’t have any color,” Rainbow explained all emotion removed from her voice, “I’m Rain-no Dash…”

“How can you say that? Getting sick don’t change your name, why would any other injury do so?” Applejack asked. Rainbow refused to answer, retreating into silence again.

“I’m sorry to dump her on you like this,” Cedar said, “But my house is in no shape to house me, let alone a guest. Speaking of which, I’m going to go work on patching it up. Ponies will still need furniture and building repairs, so it’s not like I’m out of a job. Thanks for your help.”

“No, thank you Cedar. Ya brought Rainbow Dash back to us. Even if she doesn’t agree yet. Ah wish ya luck,” Applejack embraced Cedar. Cedar returned the hug and said his goodbyes. Leaving with the saddlebags he had taken from Twilight’s loaded down with apples and his canteens refilled.

I hope my tools are still at my house, otherwise I am out of a job…