Pinkie Has Coping Issues

Opening her eyes she moaned as she smelt a foul mildew stench fill her nostrils.  It was dark and damp, she began to stand and felt a stinging throb in the back of her neck; feeling with her hoof she noticed a lump in the back of her head and winced.  Her horn hurt too, she tried to cast a light spell to illuminate her area and pain shot through her head down to her mid back causing her to groan in pain.

Feeling a headache on both sides of her head she touched her forehead and screamed in shock: Her horn was cut off leaving a jagged inch left with some dirt rubbed into it to stop the bleeding.

Vomiting slightly from the shock of everything she had been through today.  Grasping the situation she began to ascertain her surroundings.  It was some kind of dungeon, with a few racks and chains, but no weapons or torture tools.

“Twi, can you hear me?  Twi, you okay?” Applejack’s voice echoed.

Replying warily twilight answered, “Yeah.”  She heard her other friends cheerfully chiming in, happy she was ok.  “What’s going on?  I was talking with Fluttershy and then next thing I wake up here.  But, where is here and why is it so dark?  Who put us here?”

“Well,” Rainbow Dash spoke up, “Pinkie and Fluttershy are the ones that caught us.  They put something in my cupcake and I woke up here.”

“Me too, Sugarcube, but I woke up hog tied and gagged.  I guess it was the only way to keep me from buckin them to Appleoosa when they put me in here.  I done spent a whole night tied up before they cut me loose.  I got a rope in here now, but damned if I know what to do with it,” Applejack mused.

“Oh dear, I just woke up here a couple hours before I saw Fluttershy carry you into your cell, she is being absolutely indignant, darling,” Rarity said unhappily.

All the mares were in cells separated by heavy stone walls, preventing them from seeing each other lined up side by side with heavy rusty hinged gates keeping them securely locked in.  There was a grate with water flowing just below with enough space to lap at the water, that was also to double as their toilet.

“When do you think we’ll get out of here?” Dash asked.

“Why does it matter, you’re almost all together again,” Pinkamena’s voice echoed in the dark.

“Pinkie?” Twilight asked the darkness.

“Pinkamena, my name is Pinkamena.  It’s the least I deserve being all but friendless and alone in this world.”  Her voice was dark and melancholy as before in the day when she had scared twilight, only this time twilight had nowhere to run.  Flashing a lantern in Twilights face nearly blinded her.

Opening her wings to hide her eyes twilight felt something different, “I clipped your wings, you can’t be better than the rest of us if you can’t fly above us like you’re the high and mighty Princess.  I clipped Dashes wings too, now you’re all almost as low as I am.  I also took your horns, so you and Rarity can’t use magic to escape or hurt us,” Pinkamena said, looking into Twilights eyes.

“Oh dear, my HORN, what, what have you DONE, Pinkie?  This is a crime against me and all fashion across Ponyville,” whined Rarity.

“Pinkie, please, we’re still your friends and you have other friends, everyone in Ponyville.  Everyone loves you, we’re all sorry.  Please let us go,” begged twilight.

Pinkamena laughed, “Pinkamena, and you all said the same thing.  You’re all wonderful liars; you’ve all practiced this for a while, haven’t you?  If I was anypony else, I’d believe you, but I’m NOT anypony else.”

“We see through your lies, and you’ll pay.  All of you, you are liars and you don’t love me or Pinkamena.  We figured that out the day you turned on us.  Soon the games will begin, and we’ll show you what happens to liars like you,” Fluttershy’s voice came into existence from the stairs as she descended, her wings keeping her aloft so as to not make any noise.

“Flu, Flu, Fluttershy?  You’re really a part o’ all this?” asked Applejack

Fearfully looking at her captor twilight cowered in the back of her cell, cold slimy walls rubbing against her back, giving her the chills.

“What’s happening, why is she calling herself her full first name?”  Dash was shaking, her voice cracking.

“I ain’t got a clue, and what d’ya think she meant by ‘games?’” added Applejack.

“Twi, we don’t know where we are but I don’t like it,” Dash stated sounding somber, “Where ever we are we aren’t near other ponies, otherwise we’d have been saved cuz of all our yelling.  We’ve been trying to escape too but these doors are made for huge stallions soldiers, we can’t get out.  There’s a grate in the floor for when you have to go to the bathroom, but it’s sealed into the floor with cement and stone.”

“I done tried buckin’ the door and stompin’ the grates, but I chipped my hoof tryin’, damn near broke it off trying to pry it.  We ain’t getting’ out til she unlocks the doors,”  Applejack said, her voice saddened, “Whatever is wrong with her is our fault.”

There was a long silence as the mares thought about that statement.  Quietly sobbing began to echo in the room, no one would admit it but they all were scared of what might happen.

*

Several hours had passed before the sound of hooves clopping was heard.  All the girls perked up, hoping to see anyone, anything, and maybe get food.  There was a light coming into the room held by Pinkamena, she placed a lantern by the door, replacing the one that had nearly burnt out.  Opening her saddle bag she produced one apple per pony, then left.  Ignoring her captives the clopping echoed away.

The mares ate their apples and laid down.  Not talking and looking at the flickering lantern in the farthest corner was the only entertainment they had.  The lantern was lighting two steps up toward their freedom in its dim light: The first steps to freedom might have been a simple hundred feet away, or ten miles.

More days passed with only one visit a day.  Fluttershy and Pinkamena would alternate their visits and say only what time of day it was outside and leave one apple or two carrots.

The four were losing all energy and hope, feeling themselves becoming thinner and frailer.  One day they heard Pinkamena coming, hoping for more food or a conversation they saw Fluttershy descending the stairs to their delight with saddle bags full and what looked like fresh fruits and vegetables sticking out of one.

This time Pinkamena came behind Fluttershy dragging behind her a large heavy bag that clattered as it hit each step, full of something metallic.  The girls stopped smiling and stared at the mares as they stood side by side, their manes partly covering their faces, as they looked at the cells.

“They’re all together ready to be punished, I’ll get the lights ready you get the tables and equipment ready,” Pinkamena said to her accomplice.  All the prisoners looked at their friends as they turned on more lanterns and opened the bag and began producing several bladed weapons and knives, tools like hammers, saws and screw drivers.

The light was enough to allow the girls to see the whole room finally; rust, dirt, mold and moss were across the floors and there were two newer looking torture tables.  They were spaced a few feet apart that rotated all the way around and straight up either ways so someone could be upside down or right side up.  There were removable parts and heavy leather straps were attached to several spots on each table.

Rusted chains were attached to the walls with newer looking shackles and dark red and black spots were around the tables and chains by the walls.

Terrified, the mares began to whimper and tremble as they took in the sights.  Asking what was happening and what the duo were doing yielded no answers or even looks in their direction.  Rarity and Twilight began to sob, their faces hidden under their hooves while Dash and Applejack gritted their teeth.

After twenty minutes or so of setting up and preparation the duo huddled together and nodded at each of the captives.  Stopping at Rarity Fluttershy said, “She was the first one who began to tell the truth, she’s the first one we play with.”

A trembling Rarity opened one of her eyes, looking out the cell she saw Pinkamena walking to her with a cupcake on her head, “Eat up Rarity, and you’ll be freed,” she said as she smiled warmly, her color brightening slightly.

Looking at her pink friend she nodded cautiously and gobbled the cupcake, sitting up straight she smiled, the first food she had had that day and it was delicious, sweet and filling.  Smiling at Pinkamena she thanked her for the treat.  Pinkamena opened the gate and said, “Don’t tell anyone of this place,” as she backed up.

“Don’t worry my friend, I won’t.  I’ll see you girls soon,” Believing herself to be free she began to hobble towards the staircase, she began to wobble and fell over, her cast finally coming into view was covered with mold and some of her bodily waste.  Her body was skinny and her mane was in terrible shape, her skin was dirty.

“Let’s get her on the table,” Pinkamena said walking to Rarity, grabbing a hoof in her mouth.  She began dragging Rarity to a table and, with Fluttershy, tied rarity down.  Pulling a lever with their hooves, heaving the table to a near vertical position, “Pinkamena, are you sure you don’t want to start?” questioned Fluttershy

“Yes.  It is your turn.  They were mean to us, laughing at us, lying to us,” Pinkamena replied with a sneer forming as she spoke, “This isn’t the first time I’ve done this to ponies like them, and all the others,” she grinned darkly, her eyes taking on a murderous stare into the distance, “Never.  Lied.  Again.”

With those last words everyone in the cells shivered, chills rolling down their spines into their haunches until their hooves shook.  “What? What do you mean?”  Asked Twilight.

Looking back at Twilight Pinkamena said nothing, and turned back to Rarity, tightening the straps until her flesh began to change color from the binds.

The only leg not heavily strapped was her left hind leg, since the cast was in the way, they used a rope to secure it to the metal table.  Then, they stepped back to look at their work.  They whispered to each other, then went up the stairs, leaving the ponies alone in the dungeon looking at their friend tied up and sleeping peacefully, a slight smile on her face.