Taken

As Rarity awoke, the first thing she saw was the outlined figure of Chestnut towering over her in the bright sunlight. He knelt down and gripped her by the neck. Shocked, Rarity choked and kicked out. “C...Ches...nut….” Her pale fingers grasped at his hand, but his blank stare remained unchanged.

As Rarity struggled feebly, she heard a small thwack, followed by a grunt from Chestnut. Before Rarity could react, the grip on her neck released, and Chestnut fell over to the side.

The fashion designer gasped, feeling the oxygen flow back into her lungs. “Rarity!” Twilight cried, rushing over and kneeling next to her. “Rarity, are you alright?”

Rarity could only cough and splutter, but she managed a nod. Twilight rubbed her back gently. “Deep breaths. It’s alright.”

After a moment, Rarity swallowed hard and shook her head, a single tear rolling down her cheek. “No,” she rasped. “No, it’s not alright!”

As she spoke Sunset Shimmer and Applejack came running up. “Rarity, are you okay?” Sunset asked with concerned eyes.

Rarity beat her fist in the dirt. “No!” Her eyes burned with hot tears. “They got away with Pinkie Pie! S-She was right here in front of me and…”

Twilight quickly pulled her into a hug, her own eyes watering behind her glasses. “I know,” she said, her voice struggling to keep steady. “I know.” Rarity slumped into her embrace and buried her face in Twilight’s shoulder, sobbing mournfully.

Applejack covered her eyes with one hand and released a shuddering sigh.

“D...Don’t worry,” Sunset said desperately, looking around at her friends. “If we could find them once, we can find them agai--”

“No we can’t!” Rarity cried bitterly, lifting her head from Twilight’s shoulder. “Don’t you see? It’s hurting her more than it’s helping! The Dazzlings said if we ever try to come after her again…” Her lower lip trembled, and more tears bloomed in her eyes. “Sunset, they’ll kill her.”

Applejack turned on her heel and walked off while Twilight let out a barely-contained whimper. Sunset looked out into the distance with a look of despair. She didn’t know when the Dazzlings took off, but they were definitely long gone. “Oh, Pinkie.”

After a few moments of silence, Rarity looked at Chestnut’s body. A small pebble lay next to his head. “What happened to him?” She looked up at her friends, only now realizing how beat up and bruised they looked. "What happened to you?"

Sunet bit the inside of her cheek. “It...wasn’t pretty.”

“I don’t see ‘em,” Applejack panted. After an endless amount of time running in the forest, the small group finally came to a stop. “I don’t get it! They’re not anywhere!”

“They have to be somewhere,” Chestnut heaved, putting his hands on his hips. “They couldn’t have gone far.” They stood for a moment, catching their breath.

“Hey...hey where’s Rarity and Rainbow Dash?” Sunset asked, resting her hands on her knees.

Fluttershy leaned against a tree. “I think Rainbow Dash wanted to make sure of something and Rarity went with her.”

Twilight sighed and dropped to her knees before taking off her backpack. “I guess now’s the best time,” she mumbled, fishing her hand inside.

Suddenly, a voice floated through the trees. “Aaah, Aaaah….”

Heads snapped up. “Did you hear that!?” Fluttershy squeaked.

Sunset scowled. “I know that voice anywhere.”

Twilight felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up. “Oh! Oh. What is it Chestnu--” The young girl yelped as she was roughly pushed down to the ground. “Ch-Chestnut!?” The girls whirled around, giving out gasps of shock. Chestnut’s eyes shone green as he pulled back his fist.

Sunset cried out and leapt onto Chestnut’s back and stayed his arm. “Chestnut, what’s gotten into you!?”

A figure appeared out of the trees with a low chuckle. Applejack jerked her head to the side and growled. “Adagio, you let him go right this instant!”

“Oh, I don’t know,” the Siren replied with a smirk. “I think I like him better this way.

Strong….willing...obidient...Just the way I like him.”

“He’s a person!” Fluttershy said loudly, surprising them all. “You can’t just go controlling innocent people into doing what you want! It’s not right!”

“Oh, but Chestnut’s no innocent,” Adagio said. “Anyone willing to put their hands on sweet Pinkie Pie is a person you wouldn’t want on your side. Why don’t I make things easier on you…” She caressed her green gem and smiled. “Chestnut...put the Rainbooms out of commission.”

Immediately, Sunset punched Chestnut’s ear, making him stumble. Applejack immedately kicked her boot in between Chestnut’s legs, making him grunt. And sink low. “Sorry, Chestnut.”

Fluttershy eyed Adagio’s pendant and inhaled deeply. With a not-so-dangerous cry, she charged at Adagio, only to be grabbed by the arm and flipped over to the ground. Fluttershy cried out in pain and opened her eyes. Adagio towered over her with a cruel grin. “Did you really think a weak little girl like you could ever hope to--AAAH~!”

Adagio dropped Fluttershy’s arm and convulsed violently, electric shocks coarsing through her body. Adagio yelled out again, catching Twilight with a device in her hand in her peripheral vision.

The bookworm lunged forward to grab at her pendant, but Adagio managed to deleiver a quick backhand, knocking Twilight’s glasses from her face. “Aah!” she yelled, stumbling back. “My glasses! Where are my glasses!?”

Adagio growled and seized Twilight by the ponytail beofore yanking it back. “You’re going to pay for that, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Too many of us were getting injured all at once,” Sunset sighed. “Eventually, Chestnut managed to take us all. I though for sure Adagio was going to make him kill us. But then she realized that two of us were missing.”

“Then she said that she had other pressing matters to attend to,” Twilight continued in a quiet voice. “She left us in a heap, taking Chestnut with her.” She gave a heavy sigh. “I...I’m so sorry, girls. If i didn’t make those stupid pendants in the first place, this never would have happened.”

“It’s not your fault,” Fluttershy soothed as she finished nursing Rainbow Dash’s head by wrapping spare bandages around her head, and swiftly moved on to Rarity’s injuries. “You only wanted help everyone out.”  The girls were sitting near their car, resting from their recent injuries.

“Well…” Rarity said softly. “What do we do now?”

“Well first, we need to get away from Chestnut,” Sunset said grimly, retrieving her car keys. “When he wakes up, he’ll be coming after us. He’s completely under their spell.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I’ll try to think of something, but for now, there’s nothing we can do.”

“I think we should go back,” Fluttershy said quietly.

Rainbow’s head snapped up. “Go back!? No way! We can’t go back, Pinkie needs us!”

“We have to, Rainbow,” Applejack said firmly. “I’m with Fluttershy. There’s nothin’ else we can do right now.”

Rainbow shook her head incredulously. “I don’t believe this!”

She stood up abruptly and Fluttershy held up her hand. “Rainbow, you shouldn’t--”

“We miss our chance one time and now you’re ready to give up!? Applejack, she’s your family! You of all people--”

“WHY DO YOU THINK I WANT TO GO BACK!?” Applejack barked, making them all jump. “Don’t you get it!? If they so much as see the whites of our eyes again, they’ll end her life! D’ya understand that? I’m not gonna gamble with Pinkie’s life! And if you have any bit of common sense and compassion in you, you’ll do the same! Am I clear?”

There was a long, heavy silence. Rainbow Dash had shrunk back, her eyes filled with pain and remorse. She dropped her gaze to the ground and spoke in a surprisingly small voice. “I just...I just feel like we’re abandoning her.” After a few seconds, she met Applejack’s gaze. “Did we fail as friends?”

Before Applejack could open her mouth, a faint buzzing sound cut through the air. “What’s that?” Fluttershy asked, her eyes wide.

The buzzing continued and Sunset’s eyes suddenly lit up. “The Spell Book!” She rushed over to the back of the car and opened up the trunk. “Twilight’s writing back!” She reached into her backpack and pulled out the glowing book before flipping it open. “I brought it along with us in case she wanted to contact but I didn’t think…”

She opened the book to a page where shimmering letters were appearing before her eyes. Her friends crowded around her, looking over her shoulder. “What is she saying?” Rarity asked.

Sunset read out loud.

Dear Sunset Shimmer,

First, let me apologize for taking so long to get back to you. My friends and I, along with the rest of the Princesses and my brother Shining have been debating on what to do. We’ve been working on plans to capture the Dazzlings, but all of them either ended up being life-threatening to Pinkie Pie or the citizens of Equestria. The Sirens are powerful beings, Sunset. They’re not like anything else in this world. No matter how powerful we may be, at the end of the day, we’re still ponies. Ponies are the weakest endurance against the Siren’s song. If we let them through, the toxic power of their voices will be the downfall of us all. Starswirl the Bearded barely escaped with his life when he was forced to send all of the Sirens to another world.

But we haven’t given up just yet. Princess Luna has the ability to see through dreams, but it would prove quite difficult since Pinkie is a human in another world. However, the Pinkie Pie from my our world has volunteered to serve as a conduit to perhaps reach her counterpart through sleep. With Princess Luna’s abilities, we’re hoping that Pinkie could tell her counterpart where the Dazzlings took her. It’s a stab in the dark, but we think it’s worth a try.

I eagerly await your response.

“She doesn’t know what just happened,” Applejack said, shaking her head. “We can’t go through with this.”

“And the alternative is...what?” Rainbow Dash deadpanned. “Let the Sirens take over Equestria while we’re sitting in our classrooms twiddling our thumbs? This could be our last chance to save both their world and Pinkie!”

“But they’ll hurt her if they see us!” Fluttershy said, her eyebrows furrowing.

“Then we won’t be seen,” Twilight said. “We’ll go during the night if we have to.”

“You don’t think the Sirens will be keeping watch?” Rarity argued.

Rainbow Dash slapped the side of her leg. “It’s Sunset’s world! Let her decide!”

All eyes turned to Sunset, making her feel small. She looked down at the pages before her and closed her eyes. After a few moments of silence, her eyes reopened. “One more time,” she said in a low voice. "One more time."

An insane look of terror flashed across Applejack’s face. Fluttershy looked the same way.

“It won’t be like the last time,” Rainbow said softly. “No mistakes. Period.”

Applejack said nothing, but looked at Sunset before nodding slowly, her face still pale. Sunset drew in a sharp breath and quickly jotted down a reply. “Dear Princess Twilight...We’re ready when you are.”

“Where are we going?” Sonata asked from the backseat. Adagio gripped the steering wheel tightly, her eyes narrowed. They had been driving for almost a day, far off into the unknown. There was nothing but flat horizon ahead, filled with sand and dust. The sun was halfway in the air, indicating that the day was about to wind down.

“I’ll find us a place to hide,” she answered back curtly. She glanced into the rear view mirror. “How is she?”

Sonata looked down at Pinkie’s curly head, which was resting on her shoulder. Her body sat slumped next to her with a seat belt on, in case someone happened to glance inside the car. “Still out cold,” she said lightly, patting the pink girl’s cheek. She looked at the back of Adagio and Aria’s heads with intensity. “We’re gonna be okay, right?”

“Of course we are,” Aria answered quickly. “They might’ve ran us out, and they might have Chestnut on their side, but we have the one thing they don’t.” She twisted around in her seat and slapped Pinkie’s knee. “Her.”

A look of deep thought came over Adagio’s face, and a hand went immediately to her new pendant. “And these…” she murmured. Her eyes narrowed as she pushed down on the gas pedal with her foot. “I think I know a place where we could stay. But we’ll need to work together.”

****

A few hours later, Aria spotted a Motel just off the road. There was also a few boarded buildings and shops further down; other than that, it seemed like a ghost town. Adagio pulled into the parking lot, which seemed empty with the exception of a few cars. “Are you sure this’ll work?” Aria asked skeptically as they unbuckled their seat belts.

“We don’t have much of a choice here, Aria,” Adagio frowned, stepping out of the car and slamming the door shut. The rest of the Sirens piled out of the car and stretched their legs.

“Ooh, boy,” Sonata grunted, closing her eyes and stretching her arms above her head. “Mmm, I’m stiff. I think I need to go to the bathroom too!”

“You can go once we get a room,” Adagio told her. She took a bit of her singed hair between her fingers and wrinkled her nose. "And hopefully I can fix this mess." She suddenly stopped and glanced inside the car through the window. Pinkie’s hand moved, and her leg shifted. “Hold on,” she muttered.

She opened the car door and reached past Pinkie’s feet for the knapsack that sat on the floor. Pinkie inhaled quietly as her eyelashes flickered. A small sound emanated from her throat.

“....where am I?” she whispered faintly as she struggled to consciousness.

Adagio said nothing as she fished out the rag and gave it a careful sniff. It wasn’t much, but it would still do the job. In one swift movement, she placed one hand at the back of Pinkie’s head and covered her nose with the rag with the other hand.

Muffled protests escaped Pinkie as she lifted her hand and weakly slapped at Adagio’s arm.

“Shhh,” Adagio said simply. “Shhhh.”

In seconds, the slapping slowed to a stop, her hand falling to her lap. Adagio watched Pinkie’s half-opened eyes cloud over as she was put back under. After a few moments, Adagio removed the rag and gently positioned Pinkie’s head to the side before closing the door.

Adagio smoothed out her clothes and calmly rejoined her sisters. “I only have so much left since I put a lot of work into controlling Chestnut,” she said, fiddling with the small green pendant. “We need to put as much effort into it as possible.”

Her sisters nodded in earnest before they followed her into the main office. Warm air washed over them  as the trio entered. The office was fairly small, the walls made out of wood. The cranberry carpet creaked below them with every step, pressing into the weak floorboards. “Oh! Well hello there!”

The girls looked up to see a thin, middle-aged man with a bushy purple mustache approach behind the main desk. His brown eyes twinkled as the Dazzlings stepped forward. “Welcome to the Last Chance Motel! What can I do for you lovely young ladies today?”

“We’re here for a room,” Adagio said, putting her hands on her hips.

“Of course...:” His gaze shifted from girl to girl. “Family vacation?”

“You could say that,” Aria said, folding her arms.

The man grabbed a nearby pen and scribbled something down. “Would you like a room upstairs or downstairs?”

Aria jerked her thumb towards Sonata. “She’s afraid of heights.”

“Downstairs it is then.”

Sonata’s mouth fell open “Hey, no I--”

“One more thing, ladies, before handing in your key,” the man said, walking around the desk with the paper in his hands. “Are your parents outside? I’d like to know if they prefer cash or credit!” His head lifted towards the open door and he suddenly squinted his eyes. “S’ that a girl sleeping in that car? Another sister perha--”

A hand was gently placed on his shoulder, and a pair of lips appeared near his ear.

“Ahh...Ahhh…”

Two more voices joined in as the Dazzlings began to circle around the man. “Ahhh….Ahhhh…”

As the Dazzlings vocalized, the older man’s features relaxed, and his eyes began to turn green. As Aria and Sonata continued singing, Adagio whispered in his ear. “We’re a bit short on cash,” she said softly. “That girl in the car, she’s awfully ill, and we’re taking care of her. It would mean so very much to us if you could help us out…”

After a moment’s pause, the man nodded, almost robotic. “Of course,” he said in a vacant tone. “I’d be happy to help.” Blinking his green eyes, he walked over to the counter and retrieved something. “Here is your key,” he said, holding out a small object made of silver. “Room 106. I hope it is to your liking.”

A large smirk crossed Adagio’s face as she grabbed the key. “You’re a treasure,” she said sweetly as she silenced her sisters’ singing with a hand. “And...just to clear things up, are we able to stay here as long as we’d like?”

The man nodded again with a smile. “As long as you would like.”

Aria leaned in and pressed a finger in his chest. “And make sure no room service comes to bother us.”

“Unless they deliver food,” Sonata smiled. Aria was quick to elbow her with a scowl. “Oww, what?”

The man nodded once more, smiling pleasantly. “Enjoy your stay, ladies.”

Pinkie? Hellooo, Pinkie! Are you there?

Through the thick, black fog, Pinkie perked up at the sound. ...Hello? W-Who’s that?

There you are! It took me forever to find you!

Find me?

Uh huh! Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. Silly me. Hi, I’m you!

You’re me?

Well, the other you! The you from Equestria!

You...mean you’re the pony version of me?

Yep! Pretty neat, huh?

Oh wow...I’ve always wanted to meet me...I mean you!

Can you say coincidence? So have I! Though...I hoped we would meet in better circumstances. Pony Pinkie’s voice sagged slightly. I’m really sorry this happened to you. But we’re gonna help get you out if it!

You are? How are you gonna do that?

Well right now, I’m asleep and so are you! Luna’s helping me link my dreams to yours. It was kinda hard to find you though, since you’re not really dreaming anything. But do you think you can you tell me where you are so I can tell the others where to find you?

I...I’m sorry. I don’t know. I don’t know where I am.

Pony Pinkie paused. Hmm. Maybe there’s a clue somewhere? Any detail you remember might be really helpful.

Human Pinkie was silent for a moment. Well...the last last thing I remember is a sign. I think it might have said ‘Motel’.

Motel, huh? Hey, that might help!

Human Pinkie sighed. I doubt it. I appreciate what you’re trying to do, me. But...It’s probably not gonna work out. I...don’t think I’ll be around for much longer anyway.

What? No! Don’t say that, Pinkie! Your friends are coming! They’re going to get you out, I know they will! Don’t lose faith now!

I tried, Pinkie. I really really tried. But I’m tired of trying. I’m tired of making everyone suffer because of me. I’m tired of being afraid. I don’t even care about going home so much anymore. I just want it all to end.

It broke Pony Pinkie’s heart to hear her counterpart sound so sad. Please don’t say that, Pinkie! We’re the element of laughter! We’ve got to face our fears, remember? You’ve gotta hang on!

These Ghosties are real, Pinkie Pie. I can’t laugh them away. Not this time. I’m sorry...

Pinkie--

If you really are able contact my friends...when I'm...well...just tell them I love them, okay?

But Pinkie--

Please?

There was a long pause before Pony Pinkie gave a small, sad sigh of defeat. Okay. But you’re gonna tell them yourself, alright? You’ll get out if this. I promise. Pinkie promise. As Pony Pinkie felt herself being pulled back into the light, Human Pinkie spoke once more.

I’m really glad I got to finally meet you.

“A Motel,” Sunset read out loud. She sat horizontally in the passenger seat as Rarity drove. “Pinkie said she remembered some kind of Motel.”

“Did she say which kind?” Rainbow asked from the backseat.

Sunset shook her head. “No, that’s all she knows.”

Twilight quickly whipped out her phone. “Hold on. I might be able to do a GPS scan on any nearby Motels. It should be relatively easy to find since we’re in a non-civilized area…”

After a few seconds, the phone pinged. “There's about two of those nearby. One's in Splint Village, and another's in a town called Thorn Barrel way out East. It’s 50 miles away!”

“Could be it,” Applejack said, nervously fiddling her fingers together.

Sunset slapped her hand on the dashboard. “Rarity, turn it around!"

“Sonata, shut those blinds!” Adagio hissed.

Sonata sighed in slight annoyance and drew the blinds shut, blocking out the view of the beautiful stars above. “But it looks so pretty out tonight!” she complained. “As much as I hate this place, I kind of want to get a last look at it before we go back.”

“Well now’s not the time for that,” Adagio replied gruffly. Her gaze shifted to Pinkie Pie, who was lying across the second bed on her side. She was awake, but barely. They had tied up her hands and feet just in case, but Pinkie barely had the strength to lift her head from one of the large pillows.

“We can’t risk anyone seeing her.”

A scoff came from the Motel sink across the room. “Like who?” she said as she washed her face while looking in the mirror. “There’s literally no one out here, if you don’t count the old fool that runs this place.”

“I’m taking extra caution this time,” Adagio scowled, moving one of the extra chairs in front of the door. She double checked the locks to make sure they were secure. “And so should you two. It may not seem like it, but we got lucky.”  She sat down next to Sonata on the first bed and sighed. “We can’t stay here for long. We need to find out where we’re gonna stay.”

“But Adagio, we’ve already won,” Aria said, grabbing a nearby towel. “They have no other options. Soon, they’ll have the portal ready and we’ll be back in Equestria in no time!”

Sonata swung her feet at the side of the bed, looking thoughtful. “Are we really gonna let her go?” she asked. “Y’know when it’s all over.”

“That was the deal,” Adagio said a matter of factly. She propped her elbows on her knees and looked over at her sister. “Why, do you have something else in mind?”

Aria looked over her shoulder, looking equally curious.

“Well…” Sonata stood up and walked over to the second bed, standing over Pinkie’s drowsy form. “It does get kinda lonely sometimes when you’re ruling over everypony in Equestria. I mean, hanging out with you girls and watching ponies fight each other is great. But...I kind of always wanted to have...some sort of friend…”

She reached down and ruffled Pinkie’s curls. Her blue eyes slowly met Sonata’s before her eyelids grew heavy again. The Siren smiled. “I think I might keep her...as a pet!”

“No,”  Pinkie cried out weakly.

Adagio and Aria shared a look of surprised amusement. “Well...I don’t see why not,” Adagio said with a light smirk. “Though...it would be awfully upsetting to the Rainbooms, don’t you think?”

“Since when did we owe the Rainbooms anything?” Aria said, walking up to them. “After the stunt they pulled, they’re lucky she’s even alive right now. Besides…” She placed her hands on her hips and lifted her chin. “We’re Sirens. And Sirens take what they want. They should know that by now.”

“Yeah,” Sonata agreed, still petting Pinkie’s head. “I mean...I’m still thinking about it, but...I dunno. They’d get over it someday, wouldn't they?Make another new friend maybe. They have no idea how stressful ruling can be sometimes!”

Aria gave her a playful punch on the arm. “Y’know, I’m really impressed Sonata. I always thought our years living here made you soft, but now...now you’re like your old self again!”

Adagio nodded. “You have grown up some, Sonata.”

Pinkie pushed her bound wrists against the bed and tried to hoist herself up, but instantly flopped back onto the bed. “Nooo,” she groaned in a faint voice.

Sonata rubbed her shoulder. “Shh, it’s alright. You’ll like Equestria. And since you belong to me, you’ll be the best treated pony in all the world! It’ll be fun!”

Pinkie could only whimper in response.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, making the Dazzlings freeze. “Room service,” a voice said. Sonata covered Pinkie’s mouth while Aria stood absolutely still.

“I thought we told that old fool no room service!” Adagio growled under her breath. “We don’t need any, thank you!” she called, walking toward the door.

“Lady, I’ve got a bunch ‘o fresh towels here,” the voice said a bit irritably. “It literally takes two seconds. Lemme do my job here!”

Adagio was ready to retort when she realized something. She glanced at the alarm clock on the dresser between the two beds and frowned.

“You’re delivering towels at 10:50 at night?”

There was a pause at the other end. “Yes ma'am. We'll be delivering something alright."

Crash!

The Sirens yelled out in shock as a large object broke through the window and tore through the blinds before landing on the floor. Adagio’s mouth dropped as it slowly rose up. It was Sunset.

All at once, more figures jumped in through the window, screaming.

Adagio and Aria quickly found themselves trying to fend them all off while Sonata tried to drag Pinkie to the back of the room. Twilight and Rarity, however, quickly sprung into action. Rarity grabbed Pinkie’s arms and pulled while Twilight wrapped her arms around Sonata’s waist.

“Let her go!” she yelled, straining. “Girls, get the pendants!”

Rainbow Dash and Sunset gripped Adagio’s arms while Fluttershy grabbed the green pendant and yanked it off the Siren’s neck, earning a sharp yelp. "That was for this morning," she said triumphantly.

“Fluttershy, over here!” Applejack yelled as she struggled with Aria.

Fluttershy rushed over and paused as both Applejack and Aria crashed on the floor and started rolling around, throwing punches. “Hold her still!” Fluttershy said nervously, almost tripping over them.

“I’m tryin’!” Applejack yelled back before suffering a blow to the face. Aria flipped her over and pinned her arms under her knees. The farm girl looked up at Aria’s enraged violet eyes and grunted. “Get off me!”

Aria smiled maliciously. “I don’t think so,” she panted, using her sharp fingernails to dig into Applejack’s skin. “Y’know, hick? I think I enjoy punching you almost as much as I enjoy punching her.” Her smile widened as she watch Applejack’s green eyes light up with fury. But that smile soon fell as she felt a harsh tugging at her neck. “Ech!”

Behind her, Fluttershy yanked the pendant string from Aria’s neck. Feeling the negative energy leave her, Aria gasped out and fell on top of Applejack. “Big meanie,” Fluttershy growled.

Applejack threw the Siren off, letting her roll of to the side. She stood up stiffly and leaned over the groaning heap beneath her. Aria’s eyes briefly flickered with fear as Applejack’s cold stare bore into her. “Now let’s see how you like it!” With a yell, Applejack kicked her boot into Aria’s face.

Meanwhile Fluttershy turned to Rarity and Twilight, still struggling with Sonata. Pinkie was now on the floor in a heap. Fluttershy gasped and rushed over to her friend before falling to her knees, setting the pendants aside. “Pinkie Pie!” She carefully brought her friend up to a sitting position against the wall and touched her cheek. “Pinkie…”

“No!” Sonata screamed as she struggled in Twilight and Rarity’s arms. “Don’t you dare go near her! She’s ours!”

“She doesn’t belong to anyone, you monster!” Rarity yelled. “Least of all you!”

Rainbow quickly ran up and delivered an uppercut to Sonata’s jaw, leaving her stunned. She snatched the pendant off and smashed it against the wall. “That’s for my friend!”  Both Twilight and Rarity released the blue Siren and she fell back against the sink and slumped to the floor.

Fluttershy held up the other two pendants for Rainbow to take. With a nod, Rainbow Dash picked them up and promptly destroyed them both.

Sunset Shimmer looked over at Applejack, who was still punching Aria in a fit of rage. “Applejack!” she yelled, running. Said girl didn’t seem to hear her. Her knuckles became almost as bloodied as Aria’s nose. The Siren cried out for her to stop, but the punches kept coming. Sunset quickly blocked one of Applejack’s hits and pushed her against the bed’s base. “Applejack, stop! Stop.” Applejack’s face was damp with sweat. She panted and heaved as Sunset rubbed her shoulders. “It’s okay. Stop. It’s okay.”

Applejack’s breathing slowed gradually as she looked at her friend and then down at Aria’s swollen face. Sunset nodded at her. “It’s okay,” she repeated softly.

Applejack nodded slowly. She lay there panting softly before looking over. “Pinkie…” She started to crawl over, but Sunset was there to help stand the both of them up. “Thanks…”

They slowly moved past Adagio’s fallen form to where the rest of their friends had gathered around Pinkie. Rarity was untying Pinkie’s hands while Rainbow Dash worked on her ankles. Pinkie looked dazed as Fluttershy stroked her cheek lightly. “It’s going to be okay,” she whispered, smiling tearfully. “You’re safe now.”

Pinkie Pie blinked at the familiar faces crowded around her. “Is this...real?” she croaked, her eyes watering.

Rarity untied the last of the ropes, revealing the deep rope burns and scars on Pinkie’s skin. “Oh, sweetheart…”

Applejack knelt down in front of Pinkie, and pursed her lips to keep herself from crying. She had several bruises on her face and arms, and her hair was a tangled mess. She was much thinner than before and her eyes were weary and haunted.

This was Pinkie Pie.

“Pinkie?” she asked faintly.

Pinkie’s eyes widened as she realized what was happening. “Y-You’re really here,” she gasped out, a wobbly smile spreading across her face. “It’s really really you!” As Rainbow Dash finished untying her feet, Pinkie let out a weak laugh. “Ha..ha ha…”

Tears rolled down her face, and her entire body began to shake. “Haa…” Pinkie’s laughter turned into sobs as Applejack gently pulled her into a tight hug. Pinkie latched her arms around her cousin and openly cried into her shoulder.

The rest of the girls surrounded her with equally fierce hugs, whispering comforting words. Not one eye was dry. “I’m sorry, Sugarcube,” Applejack choked. “I’m so sorry…”

Pinkie cried harder, her chest heaving. “Thank you,” she sobbed quietly. Her trembling hands gripped onto her friends, as if they could float away at any moment. “Thank you…”

Sunset rubbed her back, nuzzling her cheek into Pinkie’s hair. “It’s over,” she whispered, causing Pinkie to cry even louder. “It’s all over.”

“Like Hell it is.”

The girl’s heads snapped up as they saw a very beaten up Adagio standing in the doorway. Sonata and Aria were behind her, limping into their car. The lead Siren pointed a finger at Pinkie Pie as she backed away. “This isn’t over,” she hissed. “You’ll all pay for this. Especially you, Pinkie Pie. When the time comes...when you least expect it...I’ll kill you.”

Pinkie eyes widened in sheer terror. Before any of the girls could react, Adagio bolted for the car and jumped inside. The car quickly backed up and sped off into the night, leaving them in silence.

Rainbow Dash ran over to the doorway and watched as the car kicked up dust further down the road. Growling, she punched the door frame in anger. “Ergh! I shouldv’e watched them! We had ‘em!”

Sunset appeared next her, her eyes narrowing at the dark road. “Forget them...for now. Our main priority now is getting Pinkie to a hospital.”

Pinkie perked up and shook her head wildly. “N-No, it’s okay! It’s fine, I…” she sniffed breifly. “I don’t need a hospital.”

Rarity gave her a concerned yet stern look. “Sweetheart, yes you do.” she clicked her tongue sadly as she ran her fingers over Pinkie’s scars, making the pink girl wince in pain. “Oh, look at what those monsters did to you.”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to go, Pinkie,” Twilight said gently, sitting down beside her. “It’s just to see if you’re all right.”

Pinkie shook her head again. “I’m fine, really! I just…” she attempted to stand up but let out a pained squeak when she tried to support herself on her hands. Fluttershy and Applejack gently held her still as she tried to move. “I just want to go home. Please...I just want to go home.”

The girls shared a look of deep concern. “We’ll do our best, Pinkie,” Applejack said, taking her hand. “You just rest now. We won’t let anyone hurt you. I promise.”

Pinkie’s features relaxed considerably. She nodded and rested her head against the wall, closing her eyes.

It could have been the drugs still in her system that was making her so tired. Or maybe perhaps it was the warmth of Applejack’s voice, or the fact that she was rapidly coming down from her constant adrenaline rush.

Either way, Pinkie passed out.