Chapter 2. The Hidden Layer
The six ponies had finally made it to Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie opened the door and they all filtered in.
"Come with me guys!" Pinkie said excitedly.
A few murmurs were heard as Pinkie opened up a door under the wooden floor. It looked like a long fall if you tripped. They all followed Pinkie down into the basement. Everypony was down except Applejack. She didn't think the ladder was strong enough but then again all the ponies made it down safely. She decided to climb down the ladder but she should of stuck with her gut instinct and stayed upstairs because the ladder collapsed bringing Applejack with it. It seemed like she was falling for ages, fear making her body shake as she fell to her doom. Finally a large thud was heard as Applejack hit the floor. Pinkie walked over to the body. It seemed the impact had killed her.
"Shame," Sighed Pinkie "I was hoping I would get to have some fun with her."
The other four gave each other nervous looks as Pinkie walked over to a red stained oven and removed a tray from within. The tray held six cupcakes, each one a different colour. She handed a yellow one with pink butterflies on it to Fluttershy who took it nervously. Rainbow Dash got a cyan blue cupcake with a multicoloured lightning bolt coming from a cloud on top. Twilight had a lavender one with magenta sparkles on the top of the icing swirl. For Rarity, white icing with three little blue gemstones that looked like diluted sapphires. Applejack's stood alone in the tray while Pinkie took a bite of her own cupcake. Twilight was the first to pass out. Then Rarity, after that it was Rainbow. But Fluttershy pretended to eat hers because of what she saw happen to the others. She was surprisingly, a very good actor as she fell to the floor and pretended to play dead. Then Rainbow Dash eventually woke up. She found that they were chained to slabs of metal. Next to each imprisoned pony was a set of knives. After observing their prison she noticed Pinkie was missing. Suddenly a pony appeared, she was pink like the party pony she thought she knew but this pony had a straight mane and tail. Apart from that she was exactly the same as Pinkie Pie.
"Hiya Rainbow!" The pink pony squealed. She looked thoughtful for a minute then the smile returned to her face. "Its me, Pinkie Pie, but call me Pinkamena."
"What do you want from us?" demanded Rainbow.
"I want to make cupcakes of course!" replied Pinkamena. "You see I ran out of the special ingredient and I need you and the others in order to get some more" She pulled a lever and walls sprang out of the ground dividing the 4 ponies. She then entered Twilight Sparkle's chamber. The lavender mare was starting to wake up however she was still sleepy and unaware of what was happening. She picked up a large saw and walked closer to Twilight. Pinkamena began to saw off Twilight's horn slowly causing Twilight to scream out in agony over and over again. Lavender dust started to cover the floor. Twilight's first instinct was to struggle but it was useless. Her second instinct was to use magic but just as she was about to cast a spell, her horn broke off, blood spilling everywhere, seeping under the door which was used to enter Twilight's chamber and out into the main area. She was losing blood rapidly, excruciating pain ran through her head as Pinkamena laughed wickedly.
"This'll be a nice addition to my necklace!" Said Pinkamena crazed with sadism "Thanks a bunch Twilight!"
"You're... insane... Pinkie P-" She didn't finish her sentance because she had fainted.
"I'll just wait till you wake up then," Said Pinkamena angrily "And my name is Pinkamena not Pinkie, You're such a rude guest."
She moved on to Rarity's chamber. Pinkamena gave off an insane cackle, the kind a witch would make.
"Why are you doing this to us?" asked Rarity dramatically "I thought we were your friends!"
"Its simple really," Pinkamena replied in a bored tone "I use a number system to pick who's next but it broke down so I came to you because you all trust me."
"That's deceitful!" screamed Rarity "I was so generous towards you!"
"I'm not Pinkie anymore," Said Pinkamena still as bored as ever "I couldn't care less what you say, I'm a changed pony."
Rarity decided it was a lost cause and stopped fighting back. She didn't even bother trying to use magic because she knew she would live in a world without her friends. Pinkamena grabbed a knife and walked swiftly over to Rarity again. She cut off Rarity's cutie marks all while the white pony was screaming for her to stop and waved it around her face. As soon as Rarity caught sight of her own blood she started to feel nauseous. Her heart started beating fast, worrying that each breath could be her last.
"No.. More..." Rarity said, hoping that the terrifying monster in front of her would stop, "I.. can't... t-take... it.. anymore..." She could barely speak anymore. A part of Rarity slightly enjoyed the pain and felt some gratitude to the pink mare but the rest hated what she had done and who she had become.
"You ponies are weak," sighed Pinkamena.
By now, Twilight's heart had stopped beating, her last breath was spent and her last drop of blood spilled The lavender mare lay, limp and lifeless still imprisoned in the cellar underneath Sugarcube Corner. Pinkamena grabbed a special knife and dissected Rarity, enjoying every second. When she got to the heart, she stabbed it vigorously killing the now blood stained pony. Rainbow Dash was the next pony. Rainbow was kicking and screaming when Pinkamena walked in.
"You mad mare!" yelled Rainbow furiously "Let me go!"
"Its no use Rainbow," Replied Pinkamena sadly "Its a shame I have to get rid of you, you were the best for helping me pull pranks!"
"I won't stand for this!" Rainbow screamed, now flapping her wings wildly "You hideous beast!"
"You know Rainbow," said Pinkamena "You're the first one to insult my appearance."
"It was aimed at your personality!" spoke a fuming Rainbow Dash "I can't believe I trusted you!"
"Enough!" bellowed Pinkamena, clearly bored of this conversation.
She took some tape off the table.
"I'll tape up your mouth if you keep talking," threatened Pinkamena.
Rainbow Dash laid back. Pinkamena put the tape back on the table, picking up a butcher's knife instead. She started chopping Rainbow's wings repeatedly as she screamed out in terror and pain. Thud thud thud. The dull noise echoed around the room. The wing was coming loose. Rainbow took one look at it and immediately she began to feel weak. Pinkamena hit it one more time and the wing fell to the ground causing blood to seep out the cyan pony's side. She did the same to the other wing grinning each time she swung the knife. Blood was splattered everywhere. Pinkamena cut a sideways H on Rainbow's chest while her screams echoed around the room. She opened up the flaps and began to take out organs. First the liver, then the kidneys, then the lungs and finally with a sloppy sound she removed the heart. The pony was finally deceased. She started to scrape the meat off of the victim's bones. After Pinkamena was finished she went over to Fluttershy's chamber but to her surprise, Fluttershy was nowhere to be seen. She wandered further into the chamber only to be ambushed by Fluttershy! she had broken free from her imprisonment.
"How did you escape?!" asked Pinkamena with a look of horror on her face.
"It's quite simple really," replied Fluttershy in an angry yet still gentle voice, "I reached across to the weaponry table with my wing, took a saw and cut the chains."
"Then why didn't you save the other ponies?" asked Pinkamena, trying to outwit her.
"I got out just as you finished with Rainbow," replied Fluttershy, "I'm surprised you didn't hear the chains fall to the floor." Fluttershy decided to attack, lashing out with her wing. Pinkamena fought back, grabbing a knife for defense. They fought long and hard until Fluttershy overpowered her. She took Pinkamena's knife and stabbed her repeatedly until she gave in and passed away. Fluttershy ran out of her chamber pulling the lever to lower the wall saying goodbye to each of her friends and saying a few words. She gave a last glance to each of the massacred ponies: Rainbow, with her missing wings and insides showing; Rarity, a pile of cubes in a bucket; Twilight who had passed away from blood loss after having her horn sawed off and lastly Applejack, the mangled corpse by the stairs of an orange pony that didn't have to suffer Pinkamena's torture. She glared at the body of the now curly haired pink pony who lay dead and bloodstained.
"I miss who you used to be Pinkie" Fluttershy whispered, a tear rolling down her face.
She flew up the whole which lead to Sugarcube Corner, exited the shop and quickly made it home to her house by the side of the ever free forest.
It had been exactly one year since the torturous night underneath Sugarcube Corner. Fluttershy sat in front of the graves of her five friends she had lost that night. She never understood what happened to Pinkie and why she became that monster, Pinkamena but she still missed her. She missed Twilight Sparkle, the lavender mare who helped her come out of her shell; Applejack who was kind and compassionate towards everypony and Rarity, the most fashionable pony she had ever met. She missed the way Pinkie had been before she turned into that insane monster she was that night a year ago. But she missed Rainbow the most. Rainbow Dash had always been there for her even when she was a weak little foal. She loved her. She loved her with all her heart. She had always had a crush on her since that time Rainbow stood up for her back in Cloudsdale. Why had she never said anything? Tears began to roll down her face as the five ponies she missed sat around her. Rainbow walked up to her and embraced her. Fluttershy felt a chill as rainbow hugged her, but she felt warmth in her heart. The ponies faded one by one, Rainbow being the last. Fluttershy sat by the graves for a few minutes and then trotted off into the sunset.
Those we love don't go away
They walk beside us everyday
Always in our hearts
It had been a few weeks since the ghostly presence of her friends and ever since, she started hanging out with Big Mac. She didn't know why but she enjoyed his company more than anypony else's, Maybe even more than her deceased friends. She felt different when she was with Big Mac, she felt as if her friend's deaths had never happened, she felt warmth. Warmth that flowed through her making her feel special and loved. It was a strange feeling to her. The only place she recognised it from was when she realised she loved Rainbow Dash. That thought made her pause. She was feeling the same way as when she realised she loved Rainbow. This had to mean something, something she never thought would happen. She'd fallen in love with Big Mac! Could this be the reason for her need to be with him? Now she knew how she felt, she had some serious thinking to do. She couldn't tell him, in case she got rejected but what if he felt the same way? She decided to get some sleep and think about it in the morning. She curled up in her bed with Angel by her feet and drifted off to sleep.
She woke up feeling strangely happy. She hadn't been this happy since the day before that dreadful night at Sugarcube Corner. Then she remembered what she had been thinking the night before. She thought long and hard about it and decided to tell him. She went over to the phone and dialed Sweet Apple Acres. The phone rang and rang until finally Apple Bloom picked up.
"Howdy! How can ah help ya?" asked Apple Bloom.
"I-I'd like t-to speak to B-big Mac please," replied Fluttershy.
"Sure Fluttershy, ah'll go get Big Mac!" said Apple Bloom joyfully. Fluttershy heard her run away yelling for Big Mac. She now heard louder hoofsteps and Big Mac's voice.
"Eeyup" He said into the phone.
"I um I-I um..." Fluttershy got nervous and hung up, red-faced after embarrassing herself. She left her house and for the first time in ages, she opened her wings and flew away.
When she eventually landed, she was on a cliff. The highest cliff she knew, the fall was bound to kill. It was also Big Mac's favourite place to hang out. Fluttershy walked closer to the egde, slowly and nervously. She was tired of life. She was never going to get anywhere, she was too shy. She got shakier closer to the edge. She wanted to join her friends in the sky: Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, the old Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Rarity. Fluttershy was right on the edge of the cliff when Big Mac saw her, ready to jump and for the first time in a long while, he said more than just 'Eeyup'.
"No! Don't do it Fluttershy," he pleaded, "Fer me?"
"I have to," Fluttershy said sadly, "I can't do this anymore." There were now tears running down her face.
"Ya don't," Big Mac replied, a hint of guilt in his voice now, "ah've been meanin' ta tell ya something."
"W-what is it B-big Mac?" she asked. He walked closer to her and whispered in her ear.
"I love you."
"Y-you do?" said Fluttershy, now walking away from the edge of the cliff.
"Yes." Fluttershy's heart skipped a beat.
"I l-love you t-too Big Mac."
It was at that moment that Fluttershy collapsed.
It was a cold Winter's day and a storm was raging. Six ponies were caught up in the storm: Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy and Rarity.
"Hey guys! I have an idea!" Squealed an excited Pinkie Pie.
"W-what is it P-pinkie P-pie?" Asked Fluttershy in a quiter, much more nervous tone.
"Everypony can come back to Sugarcube Corner!" Yelled the Pinkie Pie.
"Ah don't know..." Said Applejack "Ah have work on the farm."
"It can wait!" Said Pinkie Pie hopefully.
"But I have flight practice," Said Rainbow Dash, who was getting rather annoyed now "I'm trying out for the Wonderbolts tomorrow!"
"You'll be fine without flight practice!" Said Pinkie reassuringly.
"I have to write an essay for Princess Celestia or she might send me to..." Twilight Sparkle said trailing off "Magic Kindergarten" She shivered as she finished.
"I'll explain why its late!" Said Pinkie.
"Darlings, I really think we should accept this lovely offer of Pinkie Pie's" Said Rarity "My mane is getting ruined"
"Come on then guys!" Screamed a joyful Pinkie "Follow me!"
So they all went with Pinkie to sugarcube corner. Little did they know that it would be their last time together.
