Bleeding Hearts

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4

Prologue

What happened? Where am I? What in Equestria is that thing!? These are all of the questions that were running through my head. I don't know how, and I don't know why, but I am not where I am supposed to be. The world around me doesn't look the same, it doesn't feel the same! However, that was the least of my worries. My number one concern right now was finding out what was standing in front of me and if I should be ready for some kind of struggle.

It stood a few feet away from me, bring at least twice my size in height, and stared with wide open eyes. It seemed fascinated by my appearance, but there was something much stronger in its eyes. There were tears running down its face, and it had a certain look about it. Though we may not be the same species, I recognized this look instantly.

This was fear; Nothing short of pure terror could be seen in its expression. But, why? Was it afraid of me? While it would have every right to be, it likely didn't know who or what I was. So how could it?

For your sake, let's turn back the clock a bit to help you get caught up...

My cell was dark, it was cold, and it smelled like an old, run-down animal shelter. The walls that surrounded me were made of thick concrete, every inch of it being even more freezing to the touch than the last. To my left was a dirty mattress that laid flat against the floor, to my right was a toilet covered in grime that I couldn't even begin to describe.

For the longest time, I started to suspect that The Canterlot Dungeon was just a myth, something made up to scare ponies into following the laws; Turns out I was wrong. The stories of this place were practically a legend, but that was only because they save this kind of treatment for the most vile and monstrous of ponies.

Allow me to introduce myself; My name is-

"Pinkamena Diane Pie!"

Looks like introductions will have to wait...

I waited in silence, watching as four solar guards marched into my view. They stood just inches away from the rusted metal bars that held me in this cage, shooting me their usual stoic and emotionless glances. I didn't bother with a response, there didn't seem to be much of a point in doing so anyhow.

Their horns began to glow and the bars to my prison opened. Soon after, a number of hoof cuffs appeared and were positioned onto my forehooves. I didn't argue, I didn't struggle, I didn't fight. I had no reason to. I was caught and there was no way out of it this time.

Standing up on all fours, I worked my way over to the guards, stopping once I had exited the cell. They did one final search over me to make sure I wasn't hiding any weapons. Granted, I probably could have fashioned one somehow so I could attack and make my escape, but I doubt I'd get very far.

Before long I was completely chained up, my only method of movement being a light shuffle of my hooves across the floor as I was led to my next destination. By all rights, my walk should have taken a lot less time than it did. We moved at a slow pace down a dimly lit hallway. There were guards stationed on both ends, none standing more than ten feet from another.

The air around us was silent, I could barely hear myself walking across the solid floor. It was easier to listen to my own softly beating heart. I knew exactly where they were taking me, and I knew what they were going to do, but it didn't bother me. After everything I had been subjected to, or even the things I willingly forced myself to do, my mind had become jaded. There was very little left in this world that could faze me.

Sometimes I would think back on how much I've changed, how far I had come. Once upon a time I was a little filly that found joy in making everypony laugh and smile. As I grew older, I found myself continuing to enjoy this, but that part of me died off with all of those ponies I hurt.

It's not my fault, I was trying to take a stand! I was tired of revolving my life around others and their happiness while never stopping to consider my own. I let myself become a slave to the emotions of other ponies, but when I stopped to think about how I felt about it all, I discovered something about myself.

I discovered a seething hatred. Not for the ponies around me, but for one particular mare whom I was getting to know all too well. She was weak, she depended on other ponies to make her feel whole, like she was worth a damn. Every little thing she did had to be done so that everypony else would enjoy it. She had never done anything for herself. That mare was me.

When the realization of what I had been doing with my life hit, it hit hard. I felt used, beaten down and abused. Heh, I rymed and I didn't even intend to.

Where once I enjoyed the laughter of others, I suddenly felt dominated by it's very sound. They're high pitched tones rattled around in my brain, tearing at my psyche like a timberwolf feasting upon its kill.

After the initial shock of finally seeing that I had dedicated so many years to making others laugh, that my entire life was nothing but a big joke, that everypony just saw me as an instrument of entertainment; I cracked.

I can't remember exactly how I started this new hobby of mine. I just did and I never stopped, I couldn't. The rush I got when I kidnapped them, when took them from their homes and forced their very minds through the gates of Tartarus...It was beyond fun!

Fun doesn't even begin to describe how it felt. It was like I had taken control of my life again, like I had stomped out that pesky part of me that forced itself to bend to the whim of others for the sake of filling out the blank pages for the story of their life and the story was now all about me. I became the star of this show and the best pony in the theoretical novel was me!

At first I started out small; grabbing a single pony every so often, doing unspeakable things to their bodies. But, it wasn't enough, I wanted more. I tried going bigger, getting more ponies, coming up with new and creative fun ways to torture them before inevitably ending their lives.

Eventually I became unable to control myself anymore. My hobby became an addiction, it was a drug that a 'fix' just wouldn't suffice, I needed a full dose every time I took it. With every life I took, I felt so much more whole. It was as if there was a void in my chest for so long and it was finally being filled.

I see that I'm going a little over-board with my trip down memory lane, so lets get back to my short trip down a long hallway-

Six minutes and forty-three seconds later I was led into another room, this one looking much like my cell, only with a single chair in the center and a large mirror across the wall in front of it. Dangling from the ceiling is a small lightbulb that barely illuminated the area. The guards strapped me down to the chair, doing several test on my bindings to be sure that I wouldn't be going anywhere.

Once they were sure I wouldn't be able to escape, they left. Leaving me to sit in here cold and alone.

I know that I'm not alone though. I can faintly hear voices coming rom the mirror. They're talking about me, obviously, but I can't really make out what they're saying. It's probably about how they plan to get rid of me. Maybe if kidnapping was the only thing I had done, I'd probably just be banished.

But, when you move on from that to torture, rape, and cannibalism; That tends to push you more on the execution lines than anything else. The trial they held from me more than proved that. No pony stood in my defense. The only ponies who would even think about trying to defend me would be Dashie or Fluttershy.

...Kind of sucks that neither of them around anymore.

Another minute and fifteen second pass before I hear some kind of banging from behind the one way glass. I feel my ears flick slightly as the sound of hooves meet concrete work their way around. It's kind of weird actually, they sound like they're coming toward-

"Pinkie!" A familiar voice calls out, pulling me from my thoughts. The door to my temporary chamber is practically kicked open and on the other end was a pony who I considered a very close friend back in the day. Her purple fur is just barely noticeable from the dim light being cast on her body. The look in her eyes was one of pain and sorrow.

Twilight was there when they arrested me, doing whatever she could to have the guards release me. To make it easier on everyone, she was in complete denial that I had done any of the things that everypony was saying I did.

I don't doubt that she would have come to my trial and defended me, but the royal sisters, Celestia and Luna, declared her to be unfit to defend me because we were friends. Gotta love a corrupt government.

Before I could get another thought in, Twilight was already standing beside me with her horn glowing a bright purple hue. The restraints on my hooves instantly became loose and instinctively I started to wiggle out of them.

I'm not going to bother questioning her, if there's a chance I can get out of being executed then I'll welcome it with open hooves! Yes, I said I was going to accept that I was caught, but I don't plan on doing that now. Excuse me for being a little indecisive; I was about to be executed for Celestia's sake! I'm allowed to change my mind!!!

Freedom was a very nice thought, sadly all nice things come to an end and this one did rather abruptly.

In the blink of an eye Celestia was standing in the way of our exit, a large number of guards readied behind her. "What do you think you're doing!" The alabaster mare called out, sounding more like she was making a statement to reprimand Twilight. "She cannot leave here, Twilight! She is a menace to society and must be punished for her crimes."

Twilight turned to Celestia, tears rolling down her face as she talked back to her former teacher. "No! I won't let you hurt Pinkie!" She yelled, a mixture of sadness and rage beautifully blended together on her face. "Pinkie would never have done any of those things to any pony. She is not like that! I don't believe it, I refuse to!"

Rather than continue the argument, Celestia straightened out her posture, the angered look on her face vanishing and turning nearly as blank as her guards. "You won't believe me? Fine then." She said, her voice sounding as dead as she looked. "Why don't you ask your friend for yourself."

My friend's face contorted a bit as she looked back at me. I can't tell what she's thinking, as much as I wish I could.

"I will." Twilight replied, not taking her eyes off of me. Her body turned, facing herself directly at me. I can tell that she's nervous now. "Pinkie, you didn't hurt those ponies, did you?" She asked desperately.

I lowered my head, trying to think of how to answer her. While I had grown colder to most ponies, my friends included, I couldn't help but feel conflicted about how I should answer her.

An all too familiar urge started to rise in my gut, eating away at what sense I held in that moment. I could feel my head lifting almost on its own.

"I did." I answered, causing what little hope that remained in Twilight's eyes to shatter like glass. Seeing this; I couldn't stop the crooked smile that was forcing itself on my face. "And you know what? I'd do it again if I could." I took a step forward, causing her to flinch and step back. "I can't help myself, it just feels so good and I wouldn't give it up for anything."

Our eyes locked onto one another, never leaving out of fear that one might make a move. Before I could do anything though, my body was lifted off of the ground. A golden hue surrounded me and was holding me in the air.

Instantly my anger took hold and I started swinging my hooves around in a futile attempt to break free from the magical grasp. I focused all of my energy on trying to break free, paying no mind to the two alicorns that were now standing side by side.

It wasn't until I felt the magic on me tighten and hold me still that I stop flailing around like a madmare. My body unwillingly adjusted so that I was hanging upside down with my face forced toward Celestia's.

Our eyes spoke words of hatred for us, leaving everypony else in a near cancer-inducing silence.

"Let's get this over with, shall we?" Celestia finally spoke, her horn glowing brighter as she-

"AHHH!!!" I cried out in pain. I could feel her magic penetrating my body, forcing its way through me. My breaths became heavy as it reached my chest, making me struggle for air. I could feel it digging deeper into me until it reached my most vital area.

It's an odd sensation, to say the least. To feel a something akin to a vice grip taking hold of your beating heart and slowly squeezing it like a stress ball. To say it was painful was an understatement. I was writhing in agony, praying to all things holy for her to just get it over with.

During this trial, my eyes had sealed themselves shut. I managed to force them open, shooting Twilight the most pleading look I could muster.

Okay, now I'm literally dying in the most painful way I could imagine. I'm more than allowed to change my mind on whether or not I want this to happen!!!

Twilight tried to look away, but kept glancing back at me. She appeared to have some kind of internal war going on. I was going to cry out one last time, to beg for her help. However, she didn't give me the chance.

Just as I was about to speak, Twilight's horn practically ignited and fired directly at me.

Now, I thought what Celestia was doing hurt, but this was way more intense. It felt as though my body was imploding, sinking into itself before finally popping like a balloon. And like that, everything went white.

There was nothing; No pain, no ponies, just an empty brightness. I thought for sure that I was dead, but that one got its throat cut pretty quick. The light faded, giving away to a dark cloudy sky.

I was laying on my back with my everything pretty sore. Despite feeling like I had just been thrown into a blender set to puree, I forced myself back onto my hooves. The feeling of grass beneath me gave me some relief and the sight of layers upon layers of trees gave me a sense of peace.

I was free. I don't know how Twilight had done it, but she got me out of there. She saved my life...

This was probably the stupidest thing she had ever done. I'm not saying that I'm not appreciative, but I'm not exactly a saint in the eyes of others anymore.

Going back to the fact that I'm kind of stranded in a forest, I'm suddenly struck with the realization that I don't know where I am. Nothing here looks the way it should. I can't really explain it, but the world has much more...depth? Like everything has been enhanced to where I can see every little detail on even the smallest of things.

Even the air seems different. It feels thick as it fills my lungs, like its tainted somehow.

Then something really weird happens. I hear a rustling coming from behind me, and panting. It sounds like somepony is running and they're coming straight for me. I jump a bit, turning around and flashing an angry look at my oncoming-WHAT THE ACTUAL BUCK!?

From behind a set of bushes this...thing came out. It was tall, almost as tall as a minotaur, standing on two legs. There was no fur on its body, but it had a long flowing blonde mane.

It stopped when it had spotted me, staring at me with a look of fascination, probably from my appearance, but there was something much stronger in its eyes. There were tears running down its face, and it had a certain look about it. Though we may not be the same species, I recognized this look instantly.

It's body suddenly became extremely tense, like it had been frozen in place. It's eyes rolled into the back of its head before the creature collapsed to the ground, it's face meeting the earth with a loud thump. It was in that moment that I noticed something rather peculiar.

A single arrow was lodged into the back of her head. Common sense deems this not to be something normal, so naturally I took off in the other direction, hiding behind a nearby tree. While my life could very well be in danger, again, my curiosity was stronger than any fear I might have felt.

I peered over, looking out from my hiding place. I spotted another one of these creatures marching out from the shadows. They were similar in most cases, but held a definite contrast to one another. This one seemed to be slightly taller than the other, it also had much shorter hair and a more defined form, while having a much less prominent chest.

It walked over to the fallen one and stood over it, a strange smile gracing its features as it looked down. "Did you really think that I was going to let you walk out on me?" It spoke to the dead creature, taking a knee so it would be more to its level. "I mean, come on!"

It reached out, grabbing the arrow and freeing it from the others head before rolling the body so it was facing the sky. "I spent all day making you a nice dinner, I gave you flowers, and even bought a bottle of wine for us to share. I've been more than generous and you lose your shit over what I keep in my freezer!"

This thing sounded mad, it even looked mad, but that twisted grin never left its face. I continued to watch in silence as it grabbed the dead creature by it's hair, lifting it so it would seem as though they were looking at each other. "That's just rude..."

It released it grip, causing the corpse's head to fall back to the ground. "Oh well, your loss." It stood up straight and tall walking down a few steps before grabbing the recently deceased by its legs and dragging it into the woods. "To the ice box!"

"Try not to feel too down, sweetheart." It continued, "Think of it this way; Now your late boyfriend will have some company! See, all is happy."

Author's Note

I do not plan to make the whole story in 1st person, only this chapter. The rest will be in 3rd and hopefully will get a lot more disturbing and even bloody. It's been a while since I've put out anything like this so I'm actually kind of eager to continue and see where I can go with it.

Chapter 1

Is this it? Pinkie wondered.

Am I dead, or have I simply gone mad? Well, madder than I already was, I guess. She wasn't sure how to feel about everything that had happened. First she was about to be executed, then she was about to escape, and then she was about to be executed again, and then finally she's blasted by Twilight's magic and suddenly she's seeing things running around in the woods that are killing other things with arrows and is now following it.

Today sure has been eventful. She commented mentally, doing her best to remain hidden as she followed the odd looking creature through the darkness. This had been going on for a good few minutes now and she was starting to wonder if it would ever end.

Pinkie's prayers were soon answered as a small bit of light entered her vision. In the distance she could see a large log cabin, nearly two stories tall. The wood on it was stained dark, that much she could tell from the lights out front that lit up nearly the whole front half of the house.

Once the creature was close enough it set down the body, turning around and pulling out a set of keys to unlock the door. Once opened it continued dragging the carcass, taking it into the house.

Pinkie waited outside behind a tree for a moment. A few seconds pass and she sees that the door wasn't closing. Whatever it is, it must be too distracted trying to move the body to be bothered with a door.

She didn't know where she was, where to go, or if any of this was even real. The only way she would be able to figure out anything about this place she's in is to study what she can. Right now, this thing and it's little friend is all she's got to work with. Maybe she'd be able to find a way to get answers out of it?

The mare quietly made her way over to the door, her eyes scanning the area, taking in every little details as to spot any signs of danger. She cautiously entered the house, continuing to look over everything. Her hooves made the slightest tapping noise as they met with the solid wood floor, prompting her to move at an even slower pace. The last thing she needed was for the thing she was studying to notice her.

A bit of commotion started up further in the house, the sound of pots and pans being knocked over echoing throughout the are. This was a sound she knew way too well. Working in a bakery for as long as she had, it would have been harder not to figure out what it was.

Following the sound she found herself standing on the edge of a very traditional looking living room, but a much more modern kitchen. Much to her luck, the creature had its back facing her with the corpse splayed out on the counter in front of it. The pots and pans she heard earlier were all stacked up randomly on a shelf above the cold body's head.

Pinkie remained hidden in her spot, occasionally inching her head out past the wall that only partially separated the two rooms. She could clearly make out what it looked like now that it was standing in a lit room, but still couldn't put her hoof on what it was.

Whatever it was, it was much taller than her, even on her hind legs it would probably still tower a few feet over her. It was dressed in a pair of dark pants and a white shirt. She could see virtually no hair on the arms that stuck out from the sleeves of the shirt, the only spot seeming to have any hair at all was its head. It's mane, if you could call it that, was fairly long and a little messy.

Her attention was moved from its appearance to its actions. A hand, much like a Minotaur's but with less fur, reached out to the side, grabbing a large kitchen knife and pulling it over in front of it.

Great, now it has a weapon. Grrr! For buck sake I need answers! Pinkie went back to looking around the room with her eyes, spotting just what she needed. Resting beside the fridge was a metal crowbar. It was mostly silver, but random parts of it appeared to be stained, especially the upper portion.

Regardless of how it looked, this would likely be her only means of self-defense.

Pinkie's eyes traveled back to the creature, which seemed to be lost in its own world, as she slowly approached the fridge. Her eyes stayed locked onto it, only occasionally glancing at her goal.

By Celestia's fat flank she managed to make it to her destination, taking hold of the crowbar and wrapping it tightly in one of her hooves.

If I'm going to figure out anything, I'll need it alive. She thought, trying to piece together what the best course of action would be. It's clearly dangerous, so I'll have to do something so it won't attack me. Moving slowly, she positioned herself directly behind the distracted creature. I'm gonna have to give it all I've got. For all I know this will shrug off the hit I usually give to ponies. And, if it does that, I might end up like the thing it attacked.

Pinkie wore a determined look on her face, her jaw tightening and her muscles flexing as she readied her attack. Her body was still sore, but she ignored the pain. Using all of the strength she could muster the pink mare jumped into the air, slamming the crowbar into the back of the creatures head once she was level with its hairline.

She fell back to the floor, still clinging to her weapon even as the creature collapsed to the ground. It landed with a hard thud, shaking the room a bit from the collision.

Pinkie was breathing heavily, that swing having taken more out of her than she expected. She tossed the crowbar aside. Seeing how she had won this, maybe she could actually get an idea of what she was working with. She took a careful few step forward until she was only inches away from the knocked out heap on the floor.

Using a hoof, she grabbed the side of it's body, rolling it over onto its back. The sudden movement made its body rag-doll some and its limbs spread out as a result. A small pool of red started forming beneath its head, reminding her of the fact that she had just clubbed this thing with a steel rod.

She wasn't sure what she was dealing with at all, so checking for a pulse was out of the question for now. Not a whole lot could be told from looking at its face either; It was somewhat tan in color, it had a few small scars, the biggest one being above it left eye and one on its right cheek. It lacked any sort of muzzle and still held very little hair from what she could see.

As she had noticed before, compared to the other one she had seen, its chest did not stick out as much. It was wide and stuck out a bit, but didn't have those weird mounds sticking out from its clothing. One of the strangest things, aside from its blood coated hands, were its legs. They were long and had the oddest bending points she had ever seen.

To say that this was the weirdest thing she's encountered in her lifetime wouldn't be entirely true, but it's not far off either.

Pinkie felt an odd urge well up in her as she looked over it face again. Its furless surface looked strangely soft and inviting. She couldn't help but raise a hoof up to touch it. The moment her hoof came into contact with it she felt as though it was sinking into a small pool of flesh. The texture of its skin was unlike anything she had ever felt before.

Her focus was pulled off of her little experiment as a new sensation shot through her body. Glancing down, she saw one of its red stained hands gripping tightly to the forearm of her only other front hoof. Her head shot back up to the creature, instantly taking notice of the changes. The creature stared at her with wide eyes and a crooked grin, it's upper row of teeth bared for her to see.

"How's it going?" It asked almost playfully, yanking hard on Pinkie's hoof and knocking her off balance.

Pinkie tumbled to the floor, but it wasn't over yet. It's grip held tight to her hoof and with a loud grunt it hurled her into the side of the counter. She let out an 'umph' as the wind was knocked out of her and before she knew it her body was thrown into the fridge.

Getting up and running like a bat out of hell seemed like a good idea, but with her body in pain and her lungs lacking the much needed air, she could hardly turn over in time to see the creature coming down on top of her.

It landed with a foot on either side of her, dropping to its knees and resting its backside on her chest before ringing her neck with one of its hands. It's grip tightened around her throat, completely blocking off her airway as it stared down at her; Still wearing that twisted grin, it's eyes punctured her physical being, gazing into her soul.

Pinkie could do little more than watch the monster. This is it... She thought to herself. I was given a second chance and I bucked it up... As much as she wanted to fight, she couldn't. She just didn't have the energy. I probably deserve this... A single tear ran down the side of her face as she watched the world around her start fading to black.

Much to the young mare's surprise though, the vice-like grip on her neck all but vanished. She took in a much needed breath of air, sucking down the oxygen greedily as life seemed to flow back into her.

Pinkie looked up at the creature; Its head was facing her, but its eyes seemed to be off in a completely different world. It looked dazed in a way, like it was about to-

Before she could finish that thought, it's body went limp, collapsing to the side and landing hard on the floor.

Pinkie stared wide eyed and open mouthed at the now unconscious thing laying with its legs across her. There wasn't any one way to react to something like this. While part of her was celebrating that she survived, another part was noticing a huge problem with plan.

Using what energy she could gather after having a much needed break, she wiggled out from under the creature standing up somewhat straight. Her back felt like hell, probably from being thrown around like some kind of stuffed animal.

Ignoring the pain, Pinkie turned her attention back to the monstrosity passed out on the floor. It was groaning slightly and shifting around as a small pool of blood continued to spread across the floor from its head wound. It's no surprise that it collapsed this way, with all of the blood coating both it and the floor, it would probably bleed out and die in a few minutes.

What the hay am I supposed to do? She wondered, wanting desperately to start figuring things out. There's really no point in helping this thing. Even if it was just acting up from the head wound, there's still something seriously wrong with it. She remembered the way it looked at her, a mixture of rage and enjoyment combined into one seriously bucked up mixture. It kind of reminded her of herself.

Pinkie looked over at the counter, spotting the lifeless counterpart of the species, and let out a sigh. "I guess I don't really have much of a choice, do I?" She said to no one in particular, angling her head back at the still somewhat living creature. "I'll just have to work with what I have."

It took some time, and much more effort than she would like to admit, but she managed to get it right where she wanted it. Doing a bit of inventory around the rather luxurious house, she also managed to find a few things that would help her in her endeavor.

1 Hour Later

*Poke, Poke, Poke*

Pinkie sat on the kitchen floor just a short distance away from the creature. After it had finally fallen into unconsciousness she went through the rather taxing process of lifting it off of the floor, bandaging its wound so it wouldn't bleed out, then finding the materials she needed before tying it down to a chair.

*Poke, Poke, Poke*

Crowbar in hoof, she made sure to stay just out of reach in case it managed to break free. However, she didn't see that as a problem at the moment. Right now she was more pondering on the thought of whether or not it was still alive.

She reached her hoof out, the weapon firmly held in her grasp, and poked it several more times. Finally she got a reaction. A deep throaty groan escaped its lips as its head slowly lifted itself. It took a deep breath, as if whatever it was had gone outside to get away from a crowd of people and was looking to relax.

It yawned as it curled its neck to the side, eliciting several popping sounds. Looking content, its eyes opened and a small smile graced its features; Until it tried to move. It's expression changed to confusion as it angled its head toward its bound arms, both tied opposite of each other on the wooded arm rests with thick ropes.

A light chortle escaped its throat, that almost never wavering smile returning to its rightful place. It's eyes went over its body in amusement, the fact that its life could very well be in danger taken with less than a grain of salt.

Pinkie, having wasted enough time with it, stomped a hoof to the ground to get its attention.

His head turned over to the mare with little reaction what-so-ever. The most that he responded with was his grin growing wider as excitement seemed to take hold of him once again.

He scanned over her body. It was pink, almost too pink, but the color seemed slightly dull in a way. The same went for her long, low hanging hair. While it was clear that it was a darker shade than the rest of her, it still seemed dulled down as well. It was as if her body had an odd shade of grey overtaking it.

"You know," He began, sticking his tongue out for a moment to wet his dry lips. "when your head is as fucked up as mine, you see some weird shit." His hands opened up, emphasizing his point with what little movement they could make. "But of all things, I never would have guessed that I'd be sitting in front of a pink horse."

"Please stop talking." Pinkie said, causing the smiling creature to fall silent. She patted the crowbar against her hoof, showing him that she had it and intended to use it if the need arose. "Now, I have some questions for you. If you answer them, you might get out of this alive."

"Ominous..." He cooed at her.

She rolled her eyes, ignoring his comment. If she were being honest though, it was kind of funny. Sounds kind of like something she'd say if the tables were turned.

"Anyway, I don't know where I am or how I got here." She explained, leveling the crowbar at the creature. "You're going to tell me where I am, who you are, and anything else I need to know about this place. Are we clear?"

"Crystal; Introductions should come first." He said, waving one of his hands in a small circle and taking a bow. "The name's Matthew. As for where you are; You, my small pink friend, are in the Boonies."

Pinkie cocked her head, looking both confused and annoyed. "The Boonies?"

"The middle of no where." He said, still smiling at her.

Pinkie's mouth hung open for a second as she let out an 'uh huh', her mouth closed and she placed a hoof to her chin. If she was going to understand this place she would need to pick this things brain for all it knew. First, she'd need it to open up to her.

Her eyes moved over to the body of the other creature, the one he had killed earlier that day and dragged here. She hadn't noticed this earlier, but the body had been sliced open, it's organs expertly removed and wrapped in a clear, thin layer of plastic.

The amount of work and precision that had been put into it was admirable.

"What was your first one like?"

Pinkie's head snapped back to the creature, shooting him a questioning gaze.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, not wanting to share anything about herself.

"Don't play dumb with me." He began, his smile faltering for a brief second. "You're familiar with this kind of stuff. You've partaken in it before, I can tell."

She scoffed at the bound creature, turning her head away from him. "What would you know." While this should have been a question, it sounded more like an accusatory statement, like she was pointing something out. "You're just-"

"A guy who knows how it feels to be alone." He said, cutting Pinkie off mid sentence and making her turn back toward him with an angered expression. "To feel beaten down, abused, like nothing you do matters."

The way he spoke sent chills down her spine, that twisted grin never leaving his face as he spoke. "I was there, I felt what it was like to have people think of you as nothing more than an instrument, a tool to be used however they see fit." He went on, seeing how his words were affecting her. "You're hurt and misunderstood. You did what you could for everyone else and it still wasn't enough."

This, Matthew; His words cut deep into Pinkie, taking her back to a part of her past that made her ashamed of who she was. It brought back all of those painful memories of how she would try harder and harder every day to make ponies happy everywhere she went. She remembered how exhausted she was, how tired she would get. She also remembered how often ponies would turn their back on her. After she would go out of her way to make them happy, they would still kick dirt in her eyes the moment she fell onto the ground.

Pinkie was at a loss for words. She had built up a number of walls to keep how she felt hidden, but this thing managed to kick them all down and see her for what she was. How could something just do that without having to pry the information out of her? Without having to subject her to enough mental trauma that the words would flow out like butter? It didn't make any sense, unless-

She paused, taking a moment to look past the creature's smiling face. She took a single step closer to him, her eyes staring into his. It was odd, to say the least. There was this strange pang in her chest as she stared into the windows of his soul and she shuddered. A sense of familiarity eased its way into her as she took at how sad and angry he was despite his ever present smile. In a sense; Pinkie could see herself in this thing. He knew what she was feeling because he was feeling it too. He knew what she was because they were one in the same.

"Now, I'm gonna ask you again." Matthew pressed, "What was your first one like?"

Pinkie planted her rump against the floor, her head angled down as she absentmindedly scanned the tiles. There really was no harm in answering, she had the advantage. She had a weapon and he was tied down.

"I was scared...at first." She began, her expression looking somewhat nostalgic. "It all happened so fast, I didn't have the chance to stop myself."

The day started off pretty bad and I really don't feel like getting into the details, but I was a bit cranky.

At the time, I was at my friends with pretty much everypony in Ponyville. They would walk back and smile at me, but I didn't smile back. I was upset. They shot me dirty looks when I didn't return the gesture and start muttering things about me, nothing good either. I wasn't feeling up to dealing with other ponies and settled on just going home and sleeping the rest of the day. All I wanted was a few hours of peace and quiet.

Apparently I chose the wrong day for that.

I walked into Sugar Cube Corner, the bakery I live in, and was about ready to go up to my room. But, a certain loud-mouthed griffon had apparently been waiting there for me.

"Did you say, griffon?" Matthew asked curiously.

"Yes I did." Was Pinkie's reply.

Her name was Gilda and she was a total bucking jerk. A bully, a thief, and gal who just didn't know how to keep her trap shut.

"Hey, dweeb!" She yelled at me in her always condescending tone.

Not wanting to put up with her, I replied with, "Gilda, I am not in the mood right now." and tried to walk past her. She cut me off and I growled at her. "Seriously, leave me alone."

"Not until you tell me where Dash is." She said, grabbing my hair and pulling me closer to her. "You know everypony in this lame little town and what they do at all times of the day. So you're going to tell me where I can find Rainbow Dash, or I'm gonna pound you face in."

I felt something inside me the moment I was in her hold. I didn't know what it was, but it was strong and it was growing bigger with each passing second. It felt like I was getting stronger with it too. I know that sounds ridiculous, but I felt powerful!

"You have three second to get you claws off of me." I said through clenched teeth.

"I told you, I'm not going anywhere until-"

"Two..."

Gilda's free talon tightened into a fist. "Are you even listening to me!?"

"One..."

Before I knew it my hoof had collided with the side of Gilda's face, knocking her to the ground and freeing myself from her claw all at once. I wanted to leave it at that, but it didn't stop. It was like my body had taken on a mind of its own, completely ignoring me in the process. I was on top of her, unable to stop my own hooves from rising up and stomping back down onto her head.

Like I said earlier, I was scared. I had lost control of my body and was now beating this griffon to a bloody pulp. It was like a nightmare that I couldn't wake up from, but something about it felt right.

I was crying on the inside, but not for what I was doing, it was because of the way she treated me. She degraded me, made me feel useless, then had the nerve to threaten me. The sobbing in my head stopped, making way for a furious shrill. I gained control over my body again, but I didn't stop. Instead, I was swinging harder, faster.

Her blood seeped out onto the floor and splattered against my face as I struck her. This went on for what felt like hours, and when I was finally too tired to continue, you couldn't even make out who she was anymore.

Pinkie had a small smile on her face, looking relaxed and even kind of happy. "I cleaned up the mess and never told a soul about what happened that day. Hiding the body would have been impossible, so I threw her in the furnace down in the basement." She stopped for a second, giggling at herself before continuing. "The bakery smelled like roasted chicken for weeks."

Matthew followed suit, sharing his laughter with her over the memory. Once the laughter died they sat in a comfortable silence, just staring at each other.

"What about you?" Pinkie asked, seeing it only fair that he share the story of his first time as well. "How was your first?"

Matthew leaned back, taking a breath as he collected his thoughts. "Now that's a story and a half..."

It was a day like any other back at my old place. I was in the garage, trying to fix up the small storage space. The ceiling was moldy and rotting away, the inner layers of wall had long since collapsed and been tossed, and I sitting on a small black stool looking over it all. My eyes scanned the small room, taking note of what needed to come down and what was still salvageable. There were a number of tools at my feet for me to use; A drill and screws, a hammer and nails, some two by fours that stood taller than me, and a wooden ax to take out any rotted beams that stood in my way.

Everything was going fine, until she came home.

"Who is 'she'?" Pinkie asked curiously.

Matthew chuckled a bit. "I'm getting there, be patient."

I don't know why she loved trucks so much, but I could hear the vehicle pull up. It was harder not to hear something that big coming up your driveway. Anyway, I heard the door open and close and the sound of her footprints as she marched into my little work place.

My mother and I never really got along. She was abusive, both verbally and physically. I remember this one time when she picked up my little brother by his hair and threw him across the room. For us this was normal, we didn't know any other life so we never called the cops. She abused her prescriptions, making her much more violent and likely to lash out.

I don't think it needs to be said, but I grew to hate her more and more as time went by. I was able to keep the peace by finding reasons to get out of the house and having very little interactions with her. In fact, the whole reason I wanted to fix the storage room in the garage was so I could stay in there and away from her.

She was one of those people where; She would find out what hurts you the most and use it against you, poking at it like a bear in a cage while she held a sharpened stick. But, don't you dare talk back or lash out at her. If you did, she would be the one to point the finger and say, 'That right there, that's the bad guy!'

And she wondered why she couldn't keep a husband...

Pinkie giggled, Matthew finding himself unable to resist joining in for a few brief seconds.

I can't remember what caused it, but she started yelling at me. Naturally, I yelled back. I was the only one in the family that could stand up to her and get away with it, when I was older at least. No body knew why, neither did I; I still don't know...and now I never will.

Something finally snapped, something she said pushed me too far over the edge. I swore to that woman a long time ago that I would be the one to take her out of this world and it was that very day that I proved to her how much weight those words carried.

Pinkie couldn't take her eyes off of him, throughout that whole story he kept the same expression. His smile didn't flinch nor falter. He was proud of what he did and wasn't letting anything about it bother him. Still curious about the story, she had to ask; "What happened next?"

Matthew looked up to the ceiling, making it seem as though he was reliving that moment in his head with fondness. "Well, at that age I only really had two skills. I knew how to chop wood and I knew how to cook." He paused, giving Pinkie a moment to process what he had said. She didn't have too much of a reaction to it, but he still felt as though the small break was needed. "I knew what I did and that word would eventually catch on about her sudden disappearance. It would have take longer to figure out if it weren't for her addiction to Facebook, but that's another story entirely." He added, shrugging at the last part. "After I had my fill, I gathered some personal belongings into a bag and left...after burning down the house in the middle of the night. I found this place..." His eyes looked about the room, a sense of pride surrounding him. "It was abandoned, left to rot with no sign of its existence minus the still standing structure. It isn't listed, the nearest road in nearly two miles away, no one knows it exists. Even better; Everyone I knew thinks I died in a house fire."

Pinkie sat in silence, collecting all of the information given to her. This thing killed his mother, found a way to dispose of the evidence, and faked his death. Seeing how he was here and not in some cell, that means that he was able to pull off the perfect murder. No one knows where he is or that he's even still alive.

Matthew obviously still practices his arts too. He killed that other creature with the large chest and still, no one has been able to find him. There were no words to describe just how well this thing has done for itself, despite being the monster that it is.

Turning her attention back to Matthew, she watched as his right arm started moving around. It wasn't truly struggling against it binds, but it was moving in an odd pattern. Without warning, the arm of the chair popped off and he repeated the process with the other arm.

Pinkie instinctively took a few steps back, tightening her grip on the crowbar as if it were her last hope for survival. Which, in all reality, it kind of was.

Matthew rose from the seat, not taking his eyes off of her. "Detachable arms, my own personal addition." He commented, untying his now free limbs before replacing the arms back onto the chair. "You're not the first to put me in a predicament like this." Once the chair was returned to its former glory, he turned back to Pinkie, a look of joy about him. "But man, that first time was one hell of a ride."

Pinkie took on a defensive stance, preparing herself for a fight. The creature merely rolled its eyes and shook his head at her. "Come on, clearly I know what I'm doing here." He began, "I have the means to put you down and anything standing at least twice my size. In short, if I wanted to kill you, I'd have done it already."

Pinkie let this roll around in her head a bit as her eyes narrowed at him. She was in no condition to fight, and she was sure that Matthew knew this. He also had a chair made so that, if he were tied down, he could get free. Who knows what other secrets he has surrounding this place. If he wanted to kill her, he could do so easily. Which begs the question; "Then why haven't you?"

Matthew crouched down, lowering himself until he was just a few inches above her. "Because, I like you." He said, his smile growing slightly. "I've met plenty who claim they want to do what I do, but they're all talk. I gave them opportunities and they cowered at them, thinking of me as a monster for my actions."

"You, on the other hand;" He continued, leveling a finger at her. "You're not a coward." Pinkie wasn't sure how to feel about all of this, but it wasn't over yet. "I want you to stay with me." Her eyes widened at him, a look of shock and uncertainty taking over her. "We're one and the same, you and I." For the first time since she met him, Matthew's smile had completely left his face. "I've been alone for a while now, I know you have too. There's no one else we'll be able to share something like this with."

Matthew opened his arms up, as if to offer her a hug. "Come on..." He said, his smile barely returning. "What's the worst that can happen?"

Pinkie was at a complete loss for words. This thing that she watched kill a member of it own species, that she attacked and tied up, was pretty much offering her a chance to start again. Not from the beginning, obviously; but allowing her to continue where she left off. If she declined, he would likely kill her. If she accepted, who knows what he could show her.

Cautiously, she lowered her weapon and placed it on the floor before slowly trotting over to Matthew. His smile grew as she drew closer, but it wasn't what she expected. It was a hopeful smile, one that was looking forward to better days. "Come on." He all but whispered as she hesitantly moved into his arms, allowing him to wrap them around her. "That's it..."

Everything about this was odd, but Pinkie couldn't help but feel a strange sense of hope as well. Something in her gut made itself known, something that made her feel warm as she got onto her hind legs and returned the embrace. Suddenly, she felt calm. It were almost as if the world around her were right, like everything was perfect how it was. Suddenly, she didn't feel alone anymore.

Matthew continued to hold Pinkie, taking notice of her hooves tightening around him. His smile didn't waver in the slightest as he returned the gesture, feeling as though his time of solitude was over. "It's just us now, alright? You and me against the world..."

Author's Note

Been a while since I worked on this. I'm fairly happy with how it came out. Please let me know if I made any mistakes along the way. I'm a little tired, so I don't doubt that mistakes were made in here somewhere.
If you're enjoying the story, please slap that LIKE button like a bitch. Feel free to leave a comment below as well, comments make me feel special :P

Chapter 2

The digital clock within the vehicle clicked over to twelve in the morning. The sun had long since gone down, leaving the two surrounded in darkness, their only source of light being the headlights of the vehicle that lit up the road just enough for them to see. Going a steady speed of forty-five down the empty road, they were met with very little turbulence, nearly causing both the driver and his passenger to fall asleep on several occasions.

The two within the vehicle were dressed rather casually, their attire not really speaking on behalf of either intelligence nor destination.

Adam, a young graduate fresh out of high school, kept his eyes on the road and his foot on the pedal. The latter how ever seemed to become increasingly more difficult as time passed. Glancing over Maddi, his younger sister who was two weeks into her summer break, he noted that she had fallen asleep.

She was supposed to stay awake to keep him company so that he wouldn't fall asleep while driving. It upset him that she let herself doze off when she had this responsibility, but he couldn't stay mad at her.

Turning his attention back to the road, he was met with the familiar sight of long-winded emptiness. A sigh escapes him as he reaches down to the cup holder between him and his sister. Grabbing a near empty can of the energy drink he picked up at their last stop, he took his eyes off the road once more to quickly suck it down before replacing the now empty can in its holder.

That split second of taking his eyes off of the road was all it took.

He spotted a dark figure in the middle of the road, barely having enough time to gasp as his foot slammed on the break and his hand pushed down on the center of the wheel.

The car horn pierced the silence just before the sound of tires skidding across the rang throughout the empty road. The vehicle, still not coming to a complete stop, had struck whoever was in front of him and caused the body to roll over the top of the car and slam to the ground.

When the car finally came to a stop, Adam was left hyperventilating in his seat. The force of the stop was enough to wake Maddi, causing her to look all around them in a panic as she breathed heavily.

Her eyes finally rested on her brother, who was staring wide-eyed into the distance. "Adam..." She said in a concerned voice, trying to get his attention. When it didn't work, she reached over and grabbed his arm. It was tense, the muscle beneath hard as stone as he gripped the steering wheel. "Adam, what happened?" Still, she was met with silence. "Talk to me!"

Accepting that her brother was too far gone, she turned her head to the rear-view mirror. Through it she could see out of the rear window, revealing a humanoid shape laying lifelessly in the center of the road.

Without hesitation, she unbuckled her seat belt and was out of the door, leaving Adam to sit alone with his thoughts. Knowing that his sister took off without him was enough to pull him back to reality. Mimicking her earlier actions, he too climbed out of the vehicle.

Maddi hadn't gone far. She came to a halt just as she walked past the rear bumper, staring at the body that rested in a motionless heap in between the freshly made tire marks that stained the road beneath their feet. She looked about ready to cry.

Adam had made it to her side as she cupped her hands over her mouth and fell into his arms. Wrapping his arms around his sister, he merely stood there, holding her in hopes that it would bring her some amount of comfort.

A pained groan found its way to their ears, causing the siblings to rapidly turn their heads back to the person that they were sure they had killed in cold blood. Much to their surprise, it was moving.

"God d-dammit..."

Their eyes became glued to the body in shock, just watching in awe as it tried to get back up. The person who should have, by all rights, be dead stood up with his left arm was hanging lifelessly by his side.

Adam released Maddi and started walking toward their victim, leaving his sister by the car, "Sir, are you okay?" He felt stupid for asking that question, but he couldn't think of anything else to say. How are you supposed to talk to someone who you ran down with a car?

The stranger was panting heavily and staring at his left arm, it must have popped out of socket. This was nothing, he's faced far worse in the past. Grabbing his arm and ignoring what pain it caused him, he shoved it back into its place. Their was a sickening pop as the once damaged appendage became whole again. He grunted from the wave of pain that shot through him, but he could at least be happy that, that was the worst of it.

Adam was still walking toward him, only hesitating from the cringe he experience while watching this person forcibly shove their arm back in place. He was finally close enough to make out the features of who he hit. He was about as tall as him and was wearing all black clothing.

It didn't make any sense for someone to be traveling at night dressed in dark clothing. He was pretty much asking for an accident to happen.

Never the less, he continued to analyze this guy's features. His hair was a bit of a mess, but that was quickly fixed as he spit into his hands and all but gelled it back. From this angle Adam could just barely make out a scar above his eye and another on his cheek as his head turned to face him.

"Sir?" Adam said, eyeing him awkwardly. He really wanted to make sure that this man was okay. Sure he was standing and seemed well enough, but the last thing he wanted was to be held responsible if this guy suddenly keeled over.

The stranger tested his arm out, moving it in several different directions to make sure that it was fully functional. After getting some positive results, he turned his attention back to the one that had hit him. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just a little banged up."

Adam felt a wave of relief wash over him, but it didn't help to rid him of the guilt he was feeling. He also found it highly unlikely that there wasn't more wrong with him. People don't just shrug off getting hit by a car. "Are you sure, because I can call an ambulance if you need one, or maybe even-"

"Hey!" He said in a raised tone at the young man. He flinched in response, making Matthew grin slightly at him. "That won't be necessary; I'm fine."

"Okay? What are you doing out here?" Adam asked with genuine curiosity. It was the middle of the night and this guy was just wandering around in the streets. He wondered what kind of person would just do that, aside from weirdos and serial killers.

"My car broke down a few miles back, I'm trying to get to town so I can find a place to crash for the night, but my dog got away from me." He explained rather convincingly. "I've been up and down this street for hours trying to find her."

Adam could sympathize with this guy. Minus losing a dog, he had gotten stuck in a situation like that before. Luckily he had someone that was able to pick him up and even tow his car back to his home. Thinking back, he didn't recall passing by any broken down cars. Then again, he was extremely tired. It wouldn't surprised him if he missed it in his drowsy state.

"We can give you a ride!" Maddi announced in the background. "I mean, it's the least we can do...We might even find your dog on the way."

Adam looked back and eyed her for a moment before nodding his head in agreement. He was going to offer anyway, she had just beat him to the punch. This guy was tough, tough enough to shake off getting hit by a two thousand pound motor vehicle, but that doesn't shake the fact that they hit him.

"Really?" He asked with genuine surprise. Not a lot of people were kind enough to pick up a total stranger on the side of the road. "I'd really appreciate it if you could."

"We'd be happy to." Adam assured him with a smile. After getting everything sorted out, they all got into the car, their special guest taking a spot in the back and making himself comfortable as they took off.

The drive was silent for the better part of five minutes before Maddi looked back from the passenger seat. "So what's your story, stranger?"

He smiled at her, wondering what kind of person just asks someone 'what's your story?' Such a curious mind as well. "Well, My name is Matthew and I'm a traveling construction worker."

"That's cool, I bet you see all kinds of things. I'm Maddi and that's my brother Adam." She said, pointing to the driver. "We were on a small road trip, but had to cancel because he lost his wallet."

"Seriously, it was in my pocket, I don't know where it could have gone." He cut in with an irritated tone.

"It's fine, calm down. There's always next time."

"Yeah I guess so..."

While the siblings were talking back and forth about where he could have lost his wallet at, Matthew sneakily reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small knife.

Keeping an eye on the two up front, he dug the knife into the seat beside him, cutting down the center until it was large enough to fit his arm through. He slipped the knife back into his pocket before holding his hand out in front of the opening he made. A small steel mallet slipped through the opening, being placed into his hand like a gift.

He waited for it to seem like they had completely forgotten about him before making a move. "You might wanna grab on to something, sweetheart." He said aloud before quickly bashing the side of Adam's head with the tool. The boy immediately lost consciousness. Maddi screamed as the car lost control and swerved from the road, crashing straight into a tree.

Matthew awoke on with a headache as something shook him from his trauma-induced slumber. The surface beneath him was hard and rough, but it was much more welcoming than a hole in the ground. It took a fair amount of effort but his eyes opened. He was lucky enough to be graced with a familiar sight; a small pink pony with long, hanging pink hair that was barely brushing against his skin, a small black bag snugly strapped to her back.

"You still with me in there, big guy?" Pinkie asked, giving him a few more shoves to make sure he would at least stay conscious.

Blinking a few times, Matthew was able to regain enough focus to push himself up so he was sitting. He craned his neck to the side, pushing it until it released several pops and then repeated the process in the other direction. "A little rough around the edges, but I think I'll live."

"Good," She said, turning around and smacking him with the flick of her tail as she made her way to the now heavily damaged car. "you're no use to me as a corpse." Having gotten her statement in, she got to work. It was kind of funny watching her struggle to open the car door, but she managed soon enough and soon after, dragged Maddi's unconscious form from the vehicle with her teeth.

Seeing no reason to let a lady do all the work for him, Matthew pulled himself to his feet and got to work as well; Walking over to the driver's side and popping open the door. He could only assume that the airbag was the only thing that allowed Adam to continue breathing. Boy, how he would wish the impact would have killed him.

Matthew grabbed Adam by the shoulders and pulled him out of the vehicle, dragging him to the rear where Pinkie had lain Maddi down and setting him beside her.

Pinkie looked over to Matthew with a curious look in her eyes. "Well, this was your idea. What's next?"

Matthew turned to face her, that almost never-wavering smile plastered on his face. "You're the one who said that you were bored. Why don't you think of something."

She rolled her eyes at him in an annoyed fashion. "Maybe because you're the one who packed all the equipment." She shot back at him. "Besides, you told me it was going to be a surprise."

"I know..." He replied, still smiling at her. "I just enjoy being a pain."

The young family members woke up just under an hour later laying outside of their car. The sun still wouldn't be up for several more hours, leaving them in the middle of who-knows-where in the dark.

Adam tried to speak, but found it pretty difficult with the cloth that was stuffed and taped into his mouth. He then tried to get up, but also found himself unable to move. Beginning to analyze the situation, he saw that both he and Maddi were tied up and were obviously gagged. Maddi tried to scream, but her cries were muffled by the cloth.

However, her cried were in fact loud enough to alert a small few of their sudden awakening.

"Hey guys, how'd you sleep?" Matthew asked, stepping out from around the car and moving himself so that he was standing right above them. They tried to yell and curse at him, but all that came out were a serious of hums and grunts. Both quickly fell silent and stared with wide eyes as a small pink horse walked into their view, hovering over them the same way Matthew was.

"They don't sound very pleased. Maybe they had a nightmare?" Pinkie playfully asked.

Matthew smiled and grabbed a large knife from the bag strapped to Pinkie before holding it to Maddi's throat. "Hold still for a sec; okay, sweetheart." After rolling her on to her stomach he reached into her back pocket and pulled out an old grey wallet. "Don't confuse me for a thief, this is hardly about money." He said, grabbing the cash and shoving it into his pocket. "But, I do like to have a little something on me for the occasional luxury."

Adam seemed to be staring very intently at the wallet Matthew had taken then so elegantly placed back into his sisters pocket.

Pinkie noticed his gaze, easily putting two and two together. "Would you look at that..."

Matthew turned his attention to Pinkie, offering her a questioning hum.

"It would seem our friend here didn't lose his wallet." Pinkie said proudly, "His sweet, innocent little sister is just a dirty little thief!" She laughed, pressing her hooves against Maddi's cheeks and squishing them together. "That's so cute."

Adam was glaring daggers at his sister, whose eyes were starting to tear up while their spectators giggled like little girls.

Using the power of teamwork, Matthew and Pinkie moved the siblings so they were sitting up against the back bumper of the car. Both shared a twisted sort of grin on their faces, one that made them shake to their cores.

"Now here's what's gonna happen." Matthew began, twirling the knife in his hand around like it was a cheap toy. "I'm gonna remove your gags and we're gonna play a little game."

"The rules are quite simple." Pinkie cut in, getting into this little game Matthew made of the situation. It was one thing to torture and torment, but taking the time to poke at your victim's sanity was so much fun! She wondered why she hadn't tried it herself back in Equestria. "If you lose, you die."

"If you speak without permission," Matthew followed up, locking eyes with Pinkie and smiling at her as the spoke in unison.

"You die!"

There was a pause between them as they walked over to their helpless little friends and removed their gags before speaking up again. "Maddi..." Matthew started up as she looked at him with tears still filling her eyes, "Why did you have your brothers wallet?"

She looked at Adam, then to the ground, ashamed. "I don't know..."

Matthew hummed to himself before stabbing her in the leg with little to no emotion. She cried out in pain as warm blood ran down her thigh, staining her pant leg a deep dark color in the process. "I'm sorry, did I forget to mention no lying? Cause that's pretty important."

Adam lost all control over himself, seeing his sister being attacked by this monster. Kicking Pinkie to make sure he would have the chance to fight back, he lunged his body at their human attacker. Being tied up kept his arms at his sides, but in his rage he couldn't care less.

Once he was close enough, Adam struck. He bit down on Matthew's shoulder, his teeth digging through the material of his jacket and clamping down like a vice on the flesh beneath.

Matthew's body became tense as he slowly angled his neck toward his attacker. Pupils dilated and eyes focused beyond Adam, he spoke in a voice just above a whisper. "That...was just stupid."

A loud thunk echoed through Adam's ears as pain blasted through his skull, causing his jaw to lose its grip. He fell to the ground, his head feeling as though it had been slammed against a rock. He could hardly focus on the blurry pink form standing above him as it started angrily slamming its hooves into his face until it was completely coated in his own blood.

Maddi screamed as she watched the small animal mercilessly beat her brother to a bloody pulp.

Matthew withdrew the knife from her leg and turned his attention to Pinkie, who was still slamming her hooves in to what little of a face the poor bastard had left. He reached out, grabbing one of Pinkie's raised hooves. This earned him a furious look from her. At least, that was until she watched him placed the knife in her hoof and smile warmly at her.

Pinkie slowly gripped the knife, taking a moment to smile back at him before her expression reverted back to rage. Knife in hoof she brought it down on Adam's chest. The force of her hoof was enough to let out a loud crack as blade tore its way through bone and into one of his lungs.

"NO!!!" Maddi screamed as she watched her brother being hacked at like a bad piece of meat.

"What did I just say about speaking without permission!?" Matthew screamed at her, dropping down to his knees so he was at her height before ringing her neck with both of his hands.

Pinkie came to a stop and stared down at Adam's body as it convulsed beneath her. Only a few seconds passed and he already started coughing up blood. He wouldn't last much longer. This actually kind of upset her. She was hoping to have a bit more fun with them. She started to wonder why she suddenly lost control of herself.

Turning her head toward Matthew, she found him beside Maddi's struggling body. Her skin was becoming pale as he held her by the neck and literally squeezed the life out of her. She thought that would be the end of the female human, but it wasn't. Out of nowhere, he suddenly stopped.

Matthew took a moment to himself, taking in deep breaths as he recollected his thoughts. "Fuck.." He said breathlessly, putting on his signature smile. "Got a little carried away there." He said as he stood up and ran his fingers through his hair.

Maddi struggled to suck in air as her emotions got the better of her, causing her to cry as she choked to breathe. "Adam..." She managed to say between gags.

"Did we not just go over the 'No speaking' rule!" He snapped, wishing he could finish her off right there. But he couldn't he had something so much better in mind for her and what was left of her brother. Turning back to Pinkie, he forced a smile back to his face. "What do you say we take this show on the road?"

Pinkie smiled back at him, feeling a bit disturbed herself about what he had in mind. It made her nervous, but also excited. Nervouscited! "I think that sounds like fun!"

They two separated the siblings a good distance from each other. They were barely able to struggle against them and the ropes that had been holding them, especially Adam, who was likely bleeding out. Using some extra rope that Matthew had packed into the bag Pinkie was carrying, he managed to attach their restraints to the back bumper.

Matthew got into the car using the keys that had been so lazily left in the ignition to start it. "I'm honestly surprised this thing is still running." He said to no one in particular as Pinkie climbed into the passenger seat and closed the door. "Buckle up for safety." He says with a giggle, reaching over her and putting the seat belt over her.

Taking one last look at the siblings through one of the rear-view mirrors, Matthew put the car in reverse and backed away from the tree, running over Adam's all-but-lifeless body in the process. He then put the car in drive and pressed the peddle to the floor, taking off down the road like a bat out of hell."

Matthew would occasionally glance at the speedometer. Once he manage to get the car going over 90 miles per hour he over glanced at Pinkie. "How are our guests doing back there?"

She struggled to look back with the seat belt holding her in place, but got a pretty good look at both bodies being dragged behind them, leaving trails of red in their tracks. Surprisingly, she could see Adam's body still moving around, trying to break free. "That guy is one stubborn bastard..."

Matthew wore a look of shock upon hearing that. "We still got a live one?"

"I can't imagine for too much longer." She replied, still watching the gruesome scene behind them; Letting out an adorable giggle every here and there. "They're flopping around like a fish out of water."

On that note, she turned back around to face the front, watching as countless trees and signs blew right by them. "This was nice..." She said, her voice content. "I mean; I wish we could have had more fun with them, but I guess I kinda ruined that after...Adam, was it? After he tried to attack you."

Matthew's smile grew as he held back a laugh. "Aww! It sounds like a certain pink pony is starting to like me." He teased, earning him a punch in the arm which he easily laughed off. "I was hoping for a bit more play-time too; But, you win some, you lose some. As long as they don't get out alive, it's a job well-done."

"I couldn't agree more." Pinkie sighed.

It wasn't long before he caught sight of a cliff. If he remembered correctly, this could be a great way to get rid of the evidence...minus the literal blood trail behind them.

The car came to a slow stop just a few feet from the edge, being put in neutral once they had come to a complete stop. Exiting, the two looked over the edge, seeing a very long drop to some rather unforgiving waters. A simple glance and a nod was all it took before they positioned themselves behind the car and started pushing it.

Gravity did the rest of the work for them as the car rolled off of the side, dragging the two hunks of torn and butchered flesh behind it as it plummeted into the waters below. They could hear the metal smack against the water and the windows shattering from the impact. Water filled the inside of the vehicle, allowing it to quickly sink into the lake's depths.

It was a nice show, but the sun would be coming up soon and it wouldn't be long before someone spotted the trail of blood leading here.

"As much as I'd love to stay here, we should get going." Matthew suggested; He didn't come this far from hanging around and being stupid after all. "It's a long walk back home and I'd rather nobody see us here."

"You're right." She agreed, looking up at the moon and the shining stars above. "At least it's a nice night for the occasion."

Following her gaze, he couldn't help but to become captivated by the beauty of the night sky. "That it is..."

Police were swarming the mountainside, going over the scene as cruisers lined the street. Their presence there came from a call about a blood trail leading off of a cliff. The area was quickly investigated and they got to work trying to figure out what happened. It took a bit of elbow grease and tow truck, but the authorities managed to fish a car out of the lake around 8 o'clock in the morning; Along with a little something extra.

An older officer with graying hair and a dark uniform entered the scene, analyzing every little detail that came into view. He was able to figure out what had happened rather quickly, the incident that took place wasn't exactly subtle. Regardless, he made his way over to an investigator who was inspecting a couple of bodies that had been pulled out of the lake. "So, what do we got?"

The investigator, donning light brown suit, trench coat and fedora hat, turned his head to see who was addressing him. He recognized the old man almost instantly. "Long time no see, Sheriff Walter." He said with an almost expressionless face. "I wish it could be under better circumstances."

"Get to it already." He said in a gruff voice as he pulled out a cigarette and placed it into his mouth. After lighting it, he inhaled and let out a breath of smoke. "I don't have all day."

"Homicide, Sheriff." He finally answered, "Two victims with multiple stab wounds. From the looks of it, they were tied up the whole time. Judging from the injuries and streak marks on the road, I'd say they were tortured before being taken on a ten-mile joy ride."

The sheriff could feel his stomach twisting. In all of his years as an officer of the law he had seen people do some pretty messed up stuff. But this, this was just disgusting. "Sick bastard...Anything else?"

"We found a wallet on one of them, ID says he was only nineteen. We've already contacted the parents to identify the bodies." He looked passed the sheriff at the open body bag being loaded into an ambulance. "God only knows why we bothered..."

Sheriff Walter sighed, this was becoming very annoying. Once again, they have found nothing but bodies; no witnesses and no trace of the killer. People all over the state are either going missing, or turning up dead in some of the most gruesome ways imaginable.

It seems like no matter what they do; DNA tests, extra patrols out on the streets, nightly curfews, nothing works. Then they're left with the aftermath; Blood baths and mourning families. Another mess to clean up while they do their best to try to keep people from panicking.

"This is going to be the death of me." The sheriff muttered under his breath, taking another drag from his cigarette.

"With all do respect, sir." The investigator spoke, still as stoic as ever, "I'd try not to jinx it."

Author's Note

I told you this would be my next project! Finally, I fucking finished this chapter.
If you don't know already, I've got a series of actual projects going on involving getting a new house that needs a shit-load of repairs done on it. So pumping out chapters isn't going to be easy. I'll do what I can and try to put some more focus on this story, but don't expect a miracle out of this. It's going to be pretty slow. So please, be patient with me.
Let me know if you see any mistakes, I don't have an editor and I'm short on time these days.
Also, if you're enjoying the story, please slap that LIKE button like a bitch! Feel free to leave a comment below as well, comments make me feel special :P

Chapter 3

She was beautiful; Long orange hair blowing in the wind, a slender form, a simple black dress clinging to her body as the passing air caused it to ripple. Light skin and pale features, adorable freckles covering her cheeks and her shoulders. Her smile revealed a set of perfectly aligned, bright white teeth. Those almost glowing green eyes tore through him with their radiance, allowing him to view the innocence of her mind.

Her eyes looked over his form, taking in the details of his rather formal attire. Clean black slacks, a designer red vest over a white dress shirt, and a cravat that stayed tucked away behind said vest.

The man looked back, his bright blue eyes locking onto her green ones as they stared at each other by the entrance of his home. Opening the door, he gestured for her to enter. "Ladies first."

She let out a short giggle, thanking him as she stepped in. Her heels tapped against the floor, echoing through the structure with each step. The room she found herself in was expertly decorated; Paintings hung, table covered, and all lit purely by candle.

Looking around in awe of the spectacle, she couldn't help but vocalize her surprise. "Wow...You did all of this for me?" She asked, shooting him an inquisitive look. "We've only just started seeing each other. There's really no need to-"

"Nonsense." He interrupted with a smile. "A woman of your beauty and grace deserves nothing less than this."

A blush appeared on her face, one she tried to hide behind her hair. "You really are the sweetest, Matthew."

Matthew nodded in response, walking to the dining room table to pull out a chair. "Please, take a seat." She graciously accepted, walking over to the table and planting her bottom in the chair. Once seated, she remained still as he pushed the chair in, bringing her closer to the table. "I'll be right back with our meal."

Matthew left the woman to her own devices to retrieve everything he needed. While she waited, she couldn't help but to look over the table settings. The decorations were more than she expected, but not something to marvel at too much. The dark red table cloth complimented the room nicely, in her opinion. The five-end candle holder in the center appeared to be made of gold and his silverware placement looked as though it had been rehearsed. All of this and more made her feel as though he was a High-end society type of person. Which, she had to admit, added a bit to be desired. She wasn't interested in him because of something as simple as money though, but it was a nice bonus.

Nearly five minutes pass of her sitting alone and in silence. She was beginning to wonder if something was wrong. Glancing around the room, she found nothing that seemed to be out of place, minus the absence of her date.

"Matthew?" She called out nervously, her mind jumping to a state of paranoia. Out of nowhere, she felt as though she were being watched, as if someone were standing right behind her.

"Mat-" She was cut off by her own breath, taking a startled gasp of air as a hand placed itself on her shoulder.

Instinctively, she turned to face the direction it had come from, reeling back in fear as she looked up at her date, who was standing there with a concerned expression on his face. "Ellie, are you alright?"

Ellie took a moment to catch her breath, calming herself down in the process. She moved to her original position in her seat, giving her date an apologetic look. "I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"No, no!" Matthew interrupted with a raised hand. "The blame is mine, not yours. I should have announced myself."

Ellie's features relaxed, feeling at least a little better that she hadn't offended him or anything. However, it didn't make up for her reaction. "But still, I shouldn't have acted like that. I just...I don't know what came over me."

Matthew flashed her a knowing look, grabbing a chair and pulling it close so he could take a seat in front of her. "Fear, my dear. What came over you was fear." He shifted around in his seat until he was comfortable, crossing one of his legs over the other. "An emotion, as simple as any other, but also one with power."

"Fear has a way of playing tricks on us, making us shake and shudder, sometimes at the littlest things." He explained, "It can infest and overtake us in seconds, but it's not something to be ashamed of."

"While fear may make us weaker in one aspect, it can also benefit you as well. It keeps you cautious and on your toes, forcing you to prepare yourself for the worst possible outcome. Then again, that all depends on the person." He said, his tone becoming a touch ominous. "You can choose to cower in fear's presence, or you can choose to utilize its power and use it to your advantage."

Ellie felt a shiver run down her spine at that last part. It almost sounded as if he was planning something twisted. Then again, she's noticed his sense of humor take a dark turn on a small number of occasions. He could just be playing a joke on her.

She would have settled with that thought, but something odd caught her eye. When he had left earlier, he did so to grab whatever it was he had prepared for them. Yet, here he is, empty handed. "I'm sorry, I thought you were grabbing something for us?"

Matthew looked genuinely surprised as he looked down at his hands, clearly holding nothing in them. A dopey smile formed on his face as he smacked his head with one of his hands. "Right, I forgot to tell you about that! I'm sorry, sweetheart."

Her expression breaks as a small smile works its way onto her at his playful reaction. "Forgot to tell me what?"

"About dinner!" He clarified, staring at her with the most innocent gaze she had ever seen. "Remember when I said that I had something prepared for us?"

Ellie rolled her eyes teasingly at him. "Yeah, you said that like ten minutes ago."

"Yeah..." He paused, just staring at her blankly with an oddly wide smile stretched across his face. "I lied."

Ellie's features fell a bit at hearing that, another chill running up her spine as she once again felt as though she were being watched. "What?"

Matthew's smile only grew as a soft piercing sound echoed from behind his beautiful date. Her face was still, her eyes unblinking, her mouth hanging open. It was a sight he would never forget. Leaning forward, he pressed a finger to her forehead, giving it a light shove. Ellie's body fell from the chair, landing on the floor with a thud.

He looked over the seat she was previously sitting in to get a better view. Her slim form laid lifelessly on the floor, a familiar knife buried in her upper back, just below her neck. There was a growing puddle forming on the ground just beneath the wound. And, not two feet from the carcass, stood the quadruped responsible for the young woman's unfortunate situation.

“Hmm, that looks like it hurt.” Upon further inspection, Matthew raised a brow at the small horse, offering an almost reprimanding look. "I'd congratulate you on your efforts, but I couldn't help but notice an error."

Rolling her eyes, Pinkie approached body, grabbing the handle of the knife in her teeth. She removed the blade from the woman before spitting the weapon out and catching it in one of her hooves. "Yeah, yeah, I know. But, have you ever tried to use a knife with hooves? You're basically holding the damn thing with a closed fist."

Taking moment to let that thought roll around in his head, he couldn't blame her for a somewhat sloppy job. "Makes sense, I guess." He responded, standing from his seat and walking over to the body. From what he could see, she was still alive. Her form would just barely rise and fall as she took very faint breaths. "What do you say; We take her to the basement and string her up before the shock wears off?"

"Sounds like fun!" She said, an eerie smile plastered across her face.

It was cold, dark, and very musty. These were the first things she noticed as her mind slowly came back to consciousnesses. Her arms felt as though they were being weighed down and there was a strange wetness going down her back. Her feet were hovering just above the floor, almost as if she were hanging in the air.

The smallest groan escaped Ellie's throat as her eyes struggled to open. Through her blurred vision, she couldn't make out much. She did however, spot two dark silhouettes in the dimly lit room. One of them was exceptionally taller than the other and the smaller one seemed more...colorful?

"Cement walls; Check! Blood-stained floors; Check!" One of them spoke in an oddly high-pitched voice. "Hook for the victims; Check! Crappy flickering light in the middle of the room; Check! Tools hanging menacingly around the room; Double check!"

It took a bit of effort, but Ellie's eyes finally started to focus. The silhouettes were still difficult to identify, but she could swear that the shorter one was walking on all fours.

"You have officially succeed in creating the biggest horror-cliche ever!" Pinkie announced in a teasing tone. "Remind me to give you a cookie at some point."

Matthew shrugged off the pony's words, removing his vest and cravat as he moved closer to her. "What can I say; I'm a sucker for the classics."

"I like it." Pinkie commented, "It's very traditional of you."

Ellie's eyes finally focused, giving her a much clearer view of the ones she was sharing this room with. Confusion was the first set in, then panic as she tried to move, only to come to the conclusion that she couldn't. She looked up to find a rope wrapped tightly around her wrists, as well as a large meat hook that was bolted to the ceiling.

She struggled against the restraint, grunting as she tried to break free from her bindings. She quickly learned that her mouth was being held shut by something as well, but that was hardly worth her time at the moment. Her attempts would seem to have all been in vain, as the only thing she accomplished was alerting her captors of her awakening.

"Would you look at that?" Ellie's attention moved toward her date from earlier, and a small...pink...horse... "It would seem that our friend has finally awoken."

"Color me, surprised." Ellie felt her body tense at seeing, and hearing, the small animal by his side speak. "I figured she would have bled out by now. You humans are more durable than I thought."

Matthew stayed facing woman, but his eyes redirected themselves to his small pink companion. "You didn't learn your lesson during our first meeting?"

"I assumed you were an anomaly." She confessed. "Like most horror movie killers."

"While I do like to think that I'm a cut above the rest..." Matthew began, pulling a meat cleaver out from behind him. This earned an adorable giggle and even a small snort from Pinkie. "That's horror fiction, cinematic gore and fake murder. Sadly, I am only human."

Holding the cleaver tightly in his hand, Matthew approached to woman, offering a look that made her blood run cold. "Also, unlike movies, what I do is real." He came to a stop when he was close enough to reach out with the blade, delicately running it under her chin. "Real blood, real gore, and real fun!"

A twisted smile stretched across Matthew's face as he drew back the blade, ready to start the fun he had previously mentioned. He went in to swing, ready to tear this poor, beautiful woman's insides out.

Before the blade could meet her flesh, he dropped it. His head being sent back as his body recoiled from the impact of her knee meeting his face. Taking a step back, he placed a hand to his mouth, his own blood finding its way through his fingers. He removed his hand, looking over the warm red substance that now stained it.

With a relatively neutral expression, he placed one of his fingers in his mouth and cleaned it with his tongue, savoring the flavor. "Hmm...Sour..."

A loud, muffled scream suddenly caught his attention. His eyes shot over to Ellie, quickly spotting her kicking the small animal that had one of her exposed feet clenched between her teeth. He felt a sudden rush of adrenaline upon witnessing this and charged in to aid his friend.

He grabbed the leg Ellie was using to assault Pinkie, locking her ankle in the crook of his arm while pressing the other against her knee. There was a sickening crack as he pulled with one arm and pushed with the other, causing the appendage to bend backward.

Ellie's muffled screams rang through his ears like the sweet symphony of a song, but he couldn't let this go on. Not like this. "Pinkie! Let go, now!"

Pinkie glared at him, anger evident in her eyes as she reluctantly released the human female's foot from her muzzle. She didn't say a word, she just continued staring at him.

Ignoring her less-than-pleased expression, he gestured for her to walk to the side with his head. "There's a rope over there, grab it." He barely dodged being kicked by their victims newly released leg, having to turn himself to the side, twisting her injured one in the process. "Quickly, if you'd please!"

Pinkie hesitated, but obeyed. She ran to the other side of the room, grabbing the rope in her teeth and taking it back to him.

Matthew grabbed it from her, forcing the woman's broken leg up further until her toes were digging into her hip. He tied that leg, locking it in its current position before taking a few steps back.

Pinkie looked over his work, her anger now mixing with confusion. "Why would you tie up her broken leg and not the one that she can still hit us with?"

"It'll make punishing her easier on my part." This earned him yet another confused look from the pink mare. "Grab the cleaver."

Matthew walked over to Ellie, who responded how he had expected. He caught her leg, as she reached out to kick him, turning his back to her as he held it tight in his armpit. his hands found their way to her foot, grabbing two of her toes and separating them to expose the webbing between them.

While he was doing that, Pinkie trotted to the spot where he had dropped his weapon, picking it up with a hoof before making her way back to him.

The position he was holding the girl in, as well as the look in his eyes, told her exactly what he wanted her to do. An evil grin worked its way onto her face as she placed the bladed end of the cleaver against the webbing of the human's toes and very slowly began sawing at the flesh.

The cries that followed were as pleasing as they were annoying. With every screech, every wail, Ellie tried more and more to shake her leg free. However, the man holding it was far too strong. Her only other option was to submit, but the pain that was coursing through her wouldn't allow that.

Pinkie continued to saw at the appendage until she could go no further, only to move on to the next spot, then the next, then the next. In less than a few short minutes, she had ensured that the human would likely never walk on that foot again. Well, at least not without it folding in on her.

A large puddle of blood had formed on the floor, dripping from the wounds now cut into their strung-up victim. Her body began to convulse, eyes rolling into the back of her head as her dangling body started to rock in every direction from the erratic motions.

There was a retching sound coming from her throat, followed by a bubbling of sorts.

Matthew finally released Ellie's foot, turning around to watch the spectacle unfurling just a few inches from him. "She's going into shock again."

"Had to happen sooner or later." Pinkie commented with a shrug. "Honestly, I'm amazed she got this far." The sounds coming from their victim's throat only grew louder, her body shaking more aggressively as thick fluids started to pour from her nostrils. "Should we let her breathe?"

Matthew let out a hum as he contemplated whether or not to prolong this little game of theirs. "I would, but I'm feeling pretty lazy tonight." He explained, "Besides, I've yet to get dinner started."

"Tell you what," Pinkie began, offering him a twisted grin as she looked up at him. Her train of thought came to a halt as she went over his blood-soaked features.

It was one thing to see him covered in the thick red substance, but it was another when it had come from his own body. Something about it caused her insides to burn, filling her with a deep seeded anger that was just ready to explode. Her smile completely fell as a pit formed in her stomach.

"Come down here for a second." Pinkie requested, earning an odd look from the human. He complied, lowering himself to his knees so he was eye level with her. Placing a hoof to his face, she angled his head in several directions, "She caught you pretty good."

Matthew picked up a hint of worry in Pinkie's voice. He wasn't entirely sure as to why she seemed so concerned, but it was...kind of...nice; to know that someone cared. Regardless, he didn't want her to be upset. "I'm fine, Pinkamena. Really, I’ve dealt with much worse."

Normally, Pinkie hated being called by her her actual name. It reminded her of times on the rock farm, bringing back memories she would sooner forget than have to relive. But, it didn't reignite the same pain it used to when he said it. In fact, it made her feel warm, in a way.

Pinkie's eyes felt heavy, and her heart, as if it were swelling. Without even thinking, she leaned forward, letting her tongue fall from her muzzle before pressing it to his face. It trailed along his chin and up to his lips, removing the crimson red from his features.

Matthew made no attempts to pull back. At first he was confused, and slightly uncomfortable, but settled with the idea that her ministrations came from her culture. During their time together, he learned that she obviously wasn't from this world. Normally he wouldn't believe such a thing, but it was hard to deny as well. She had told some stories from her home, but he knew very little about their habits. For all he knew, this could be something that all ponies do when they were hurt.

Once Pinkie realized what she was doing, her eyes went wide and she pulled away from him. "Sorry about that." She began, sounding nervous and embarrassed. "It's a...pony thing." She lied, hoping he would believe her.

In Matthew's mind, her words only confirmed his suspicions. If it's just something that they do, then who was he to judge. After all, the world he lives in has some of it's own bizarre rituals. "I assumed as much. Can’t say it isn’t weird, but who am I to judge?"

Rubbing a hoof against her foreleg, Pinkie suddenly became very fascinated with the floor. "As I was saying earlier, you can go ahead and get things ready. I can finish up down here."

Matthew was curious as to why she was acting so strange all of a sudden, but didn't want to press the issue. "If you say so." He got back to his feet, placing a hand on her head before turning and walking up the stairs. "If you need anything, just scream. I'll hear you."

Pinkie waited for the door to close behind him before stomping a frustrated hoof on the ground. "What the buck was that!?" She all but yelled at herself, keeping her voice just low enough that he wouldn't be able to hear her from upstairs. "You just licked him! Are you out of your mind!?" There was a gurgling sound just a few feet from her, causing her to turn her attention back to the still-hanging girl. "Right...stupid question..."

Taking a breath did little to calm her down. In fact, she only found it forcing a growl out of her as she started pacing around the room. "Why did I do that? I didn't mean to, it just happened! For Faust sake! He's gonna think I'm weird or something now. Dammit, this wouldn't have happened if-"

Ellie's choking only drew the small pony's attention back onto her, revealing source for her anger, as well as a target. "This is your fault!" Pinkie yelled, running to one corner of the room and grabbing a wooden bat. "You just had to go and kick him! You just had to make me defend him! You just had to make him say my name and make me feel all warm and fuzzy again!"

"You did this, it's your fault! Now he thinks I'm weird, because of you." Running back to the dangling woman, the sounds of her agony vibrating her ears, Pinkie stood up on her hind legs, holding the bat in her front hooves. "Just die already!"

Having to cook using two separate pots was a bit of a challenge, but he had to take his other-worldly friend's diet into consideration while preparing meals. She had told him of her species eating habits; Typically avoiding meat and the such, as well as a fondness for pastries. He was also aware that she had practiced cannibalism in the past. So she would eat meat from time to time, but only for pleasure. However, she had to be careful, as too much could wreak havoc on her digestive system.

With that in mind, he would sometimes prepare two versions of the same meal. For example; At the moment, there were two pots on the stove. Both were filled with boiling water and ravioli. One pot though, was filled with beef ravioli. The other was vegetarian.

When he was sure that both sets had been cooked all the way through, he strained both pots and served their meals separately. Of course, he also had to alter his sauce preparation as well; Cooking the ground 'beef' separately to add into his own, while leaving the sauce itself untainted for her.

Finally, after finishing up and cleaning the kitchen, he placed both plates on the dining room table. He then lit the candles in the center of the table. Originally, everything placed was to create the illusion of a date night for Ellie, but there was no need to waste the scene. What's wrong with a nice, candlelit dinner among friends, after all.

While looking over everything, he couldn't help but notice something. Pinkie was still downstairs and he hadn't heard any kind of commotion. Normally, silence was golden to him. But, it's a double edged sword. On one end, it could mean that nothing's happening, on the other...he felt a sudden weight on his chest.

Taking off out of the dining room, he started sprinting toward the basement. Panic taking him over, he nearly tore the basement door from its hinges as he went to open it before shuffling down the stairs, skipping several steps to reach the end as soon as possible.

When he reached the end, the weight on his chest vanished, giving him a sense of peace as he stared down the small pink pony. She was sitting on the floor, her front hooves holding her up as she took long, deep breaths. She looked tired, which wasn't hard to believe when his eyes wandered to Ellie's broken and battered body; The butt end of a wooden bat sticking out of her beaten torso.

"I can't tell if you got too excited, or if you're just an overachiever." He teased, turning his attention to the now giggling mare.

"Maybe....a little of both." She said between breaths, her body shaking from her silent laughter.

Matthew offered her a smirk as he walked to her, kneeling down once he was by her side. "If you're about done horsing around in here, dinner's ready."

Pinkie slowly angled her neck toward him, giving him a playful look. "Ha. Ha. Very funny."

"It was to me." He said with the biggest grin he could muster. "Come on now, don't want your food to get cold."

Pinkie winced as she went to get up, a pained expression quickly overtaking her features before she fell back to her previous position on the floor. "Okay...that hurt..."

"What wrong?" Matthew asked, concern filling his voice. He placed a supportive hand on her shoulder, looking over her body for any signs of injury. "What hurts?"

"My leg..." She said in a strained tone. "I think I pulled something."

Matthew took a breath, "You have to stop scaring me like that." He said, chuckling slightly to himself. "I don't suppose you'll make it upstairs?"

"I can try." Pinkie tried to get up once again, but was met with a massive amount of pain in her hind leg. Likely from standing how she was earlier. She will never understand how humans, minotaurs, and the like walk like that.

Once again, she became reacquainted with the floor. "Nope, nuh-uh, not even a little."

Pinkie waited with bated breath for the pain to subside so she could try again, but found the possibility of even attempting to difficult while she was in the air. She let out a surprised yelp as she felt something grab her from behind, lifting her off of the floor with little effort. In one motion, Mathew picked her up and turned her so she would be facing behind him. With one arm locked under her rump, and the other placed firmly on her back, he was able to take her upstairs with ease. With the human's focus being on their destination, he was completely unaware of the gaze he was receiving from the pink pony.

Pinkie was staring rather intently at the side of Matthew's head as he held her, appearing to be in a daze of sorts as she felt her chest become warm and fluttery again. What was happening? Why did she keep getting this weird feeling? And why only recently?

She remembered when it first started just a few days ago...

It was unnaturally cold that night, especially once the sun had started to set. The temperature was dropping and there wasn't enough heat within the house to keep her from shuddering. How can these human's bear whether like this with no fur? It's doesn't make any sense!

Even as she sat in front of the fireplace, a thick blanket wrapped around her small body, she still found herself shaking uncontrollably, her teeth chattering ever-so-slightly. She breathed onto her front hooves in an attempt to warm them, but it could only help so much. Her attention moved back to the fire as Matthew walked over to it, tossing a few more logs into the small inferno.

They exchanged a glance before Matthew spoke. "Getting any better?"

Pinkie shook her head. "A little...It's still freezing though."

Despite all that he had done to bring warmth into his home, nothing was working. No matter what he tried, he would always find Pinkie suffering from the cold. He had grown more accustomed to it, having lived in the area for so long, but he couldn't stand seeing her this way.

Getting fed up with meeting very little positive results, he made one final attempt to spare her from the harsh weather conditions. Grabbing the hem of his shirt, he pulled it up over his head before tossing the article aside.

"What are y-you doing?" Pinkie asked, staring at his now topless form as a small amount of blood rushed to her cheeks.

"Just trust me." Matthew responded, sitting next to her in front of the fire before patting his lap. "Come here."

"O-okay?" Crawling out of her blanket, Pinkie climbed onto the human's lap. She sat with her front facing the fire and her back facing him.

With Pinkie in place, Matthew grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around both of them. He then wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into him to share his body heat.

At first, Pinkie felt weird about what he was doing, but the second she felt the heat from his body, she melted into him. Adjusting herself, she rest her side against him, laying her head on his chest as she basked in the newfound warmth. A smile appeared on her face as she instinctively started to nuzzle him, her trembling now completely gone as her core temperature started to rise.

"Not that I'm complaining, but I would have been fine until morning." She began, "You really didn't have to go this far just to keep me warm."

"I really did." He replied, placing a hand to her head and running his fingers through her mane. "It was driving me nuts watching you freeze like that."

Pinkie nodded, pulling away from him to look him in the eye. "Why?"

Confused by her question, he responded with one of his own. "Why, what?"

"Why are you being so nice to me?" She asked, genuinely curious about his behavior. "We've only known each other for like two weeks, yet you keep going out of you way to make sure I'm okay. Ponies I've known for years haven't show me kindness like this in a long time."

"So why are you, almost a total stranger, trying so hard?" She finished.

"As I've said before, I know how it feels to be the way you are. It's like tonight; Cold, dark, and unforgiving. You constantly look over your shoulder, not knowing who you can trust. You're all alone in this world and any other you may come across." Pinkie's expression became something less-than-pleasing, like she had just watched a puppy die.

Matthew placed a hand to her cheek, offering her a warm, comforting smile. "Not anymore though." He said, "Since you've arrived, I no longer feel isolated, I no longer feel alone. I want to return that favor by being there for you and making sure that you never feel that way again."

Pinkie felt as though her heart had skipped a beat, a strange warmth building up in her chest as she stared into the windows of his dark, twisted, yet genuine soul. She wanted to say something, anything, but couldn't find the words. In the end, she resorted to hugging him; Wrapping her hooves tightly around his torso and burying her face into his neck.

Matthew's smile remained as he returned the gesture, holding her gently in his arms.

Matthew placed Pinkie at the table, setting her down delicately in the wooden chair. She watched him walk to the other side of the table and take his seat before looking over everything. Her eyes eventually wandered to her plate once the scent of the meal reached her nose.

It smelled nice, and it probably looked better than it should have. All of the excitement downstairs, she hadn't realized that she worked up an appetite.

The two ate in peace, silently enjoying their meals. Once they had finished, Matthew collected the plates and took them into the kitchen so he could wash them in the morning. Right now though, he was ready to call it a night. Going back to the dining room, he spotted Pinkie trying to walk without the use of her back leg. Needless to say, she was struggling.

Rolling his eyes, he walked over to her, picking her up again while wearing that never-faltering smile of his. With her secured in his arms, he walked her to the second floor of the house and dropped her off in the bedroom next to his. During renovations, he had considered making it a storage room, but had no need of one. So, instead, he created a spare bedroom; should he ever need one. For a while, he thought he never would.

Thoughts of times past aside, he set Pinkie on the bed, doing his best to keep her from doing too much movement on her own.

Pinkie found a comfortable position shortly after being put to bed, looking up at the human with a certain amount of gratitude. "Thanks, Matthew."

"Anytime." He said, making his way back to the hall. Making one final stop, he looked back at her. "Good night, Pinks."

"Good night." She said as he closed the door behind him, leaving her to rest on her own until morning.

Author's Note

Been a hot minute, huh? No shit!
First off; A round of applause to my buddy,

DekaSkittalz

for editing this and dealing with me at the same time! COMMEND HIM!!!
Anyway, I think I'll take a look at updating Friendship is Cynical again, then I'll probably work on A-V-W.
As always, if you're enjoying the story, please slap that LIKE button like a bitch! Feel free to leave a comment below as well, comments make me feel special :P

Chapter 4

I really need to do something about this ceiling. Pinkie thought to herself as she laid on her back, staring up at the structure above her. It's starting to get on my nerves. This was becoming too familiar for her tastes. Recently, since her 'play time' with the female human in the basement, she had developed a very annoying routine.

Looking to the side, she could see the edge of her new bed and a small window that revealed the darkness of the outside world. Another restless night. Though she was as tired as she could be, she was finding it difficult to sleep no matter how hard she tried. Her brain was flooded with thoughts and confusion. These strange feelings and urges that would surface were constantly pushing her further into the depths of her own mind. As days and nights passed, she had grown prone to isolating herself so she could try to clear her head. What's wrong with me?

She let out a sigh, coming to the conclusion that she wasn't going to get so much as an ounce of shut-eye tonight. Sitting up, she tossed the comforter aside and carefully lowered herself out of bed. It was a little tall for her, but nothing she couldn't handle. If it weren't for her back leg still being sore, she would be able to hop down with no issues at all. As quietly as she could, she exited her room and slowly descended the stairs. Trotting along, she made her way to the kitchen with no real goal in mind.

Turning on the lights was a bit of a hassle, given how short she was and that it would require her to stand on her back legs to reach the switch. It was a struggle, but she eventually got them on. With the kitchen now alight, she was able to see after a quick- and somewhat painful- adjustment period. Once her vision had cleared and her eyes stopped hurting, she went over to the fridge and opened it. She examined the contents, going over everything they had before spotting something that may help with her situation.

Maybe a glass of warm milk will help me sleep? Seeing no other option, she grabbed the jug of milk and closed the fridge. She then came to a quick realization of just how terrible this idea was. Everything here was built to suit a human's size, making getting to the microwave, let alone a simple glass, very difficult. "Son of a horse!"

Pinkie was about ready to slam the jug on the floor, but resisted the urge to enact violence on a defenseless beverage. Instead, she huffed and sat down, angrily pouting to herself as she stared at the jug with a certain amount of displeasure. Sure, she could just drink it as is, but it was the principle!

"You're adorable." Pinkie jumped as a voice caught her attention. Not very high, mind you, her leg was still proving to be quite bothersome. Her head snapped to the side, quickly spotting the source. "Are you having trouble?"

There it was, the source of her all-too-frequent mental crisis'; Standing so nonchalantly by the kitchen entrance dressed in nothing but a pair of cargo shorts. The stance he was in made her feel as though his body were on display for her. His arms were lazily crossed over his chest as he leaned against the wall with one leg hanging over the other, that grin still holding its rightful place on his face, his hair only slightly disheveled, the firm tone of his torso begging for her to reach out to it.

Matthew~ The edges of Pinkie's vision started to blur, she could feel her body becoming strangely relaxed and- Shaking her head, she snapped herself out of whatever the hell that was. "U-uh...Yeah, a little."

Matthew couldn't help but to find her embarrassed expression unfathomably cute; Especially after going so long hardly seeing her. He couldn't put his finger on why yet, but lately she has become distant. It feels as though she is trying to avoid him. He hopes this isn't because of something he did, she's all he has and he would hate to lose her; Especially over something that was his own fault.

Coming to her aid, Matthew grabs the jug from her hoof and moves to a nearby cabinet. He grabs a glass and places it on the counter. "Would you like it as is?" He asks, pouring the milk into the glass. "Or would you prefer it warmed?"

"Warm, please." She replied absent-mindedly, her thoughts becoming jumbled just being near him. If she didn't do something soon she would remain like this the whole time. "So...What are you doing up so late?"

Matthew replaced the lid on the jug before putting it back in the fridge. "I was coming down to ask you the same thing." He said with a chuckle, moving to the microwave to warm her drink. He places it inside the machine and starts the timer. With that taken care of, he turns around to face her. "Now, what are you doing up so late?"

A nervous smile creeps its way across her face as one of her hooves moves to rub the other. She tries to keep her eyes off of him, as to not get sucked back into her head again. "I h-haven't been...sleeping well...these past few days..."

His smile falls, a look of concern coming over him. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine." Pinkie began, waving a dismissive hoof at him. "I..." There was a beeping sound that drew her attention, as well as her human companion's. He turned around and grabbed her drink from the microwave, getting down on one knee shortly after to hand it to her. Graciously, she accepted it, "Thanks; I guess I'm just thinking too much." She fell silent and took a sip from her glass, letting out a quiet hum.

"Would you like to talk about it?" He asked sincerely.

Pinkie nodded in response, doing her best to look as upbeat as she could. "No, it's fine; Really!"

"Pinkamena..." One of her ears twitched as he said her name. "I understand if you don't want to talk about it, I will not press you for information." He places a hand on the side of her face, gently caressing it. She feels heat rise to her cheeks as he does this and leans closer to her, their eyes locking on to each other. "But, if there is anything bothering you, I will listen. So long as I live and breathe, you don't have to be alone."

There's that fluttering again, it has come back at full force, filling up the void she once felt in her chest. She doesn't know what to do, or how to respond. Especially when he leans in and places a kiss on her forehead. With her ears now standing up, widened eyes and a heavy blush adorning her muzzle, her body has frozen in place. She is unable to do anything but watch as he pulls away, smiling as he gets back on his feet and leaves. "Get some rest, Pinkie."

"Uh-huh..." Pinkie's form remains stuck in place, even as the human ascends the staircase and makes his way to his room. All that's left now is her, a cascade of mixed emotions, and a half empty glass of warm milk.

What the buck just happened? She mentally asked herself, setting her glass on the floor as she tried to process this. He just kissed me...on the head... No longer was she confused about her emotions, those had been tossed out of the window. Now she was confused about HIS emotions! What the hell!? Why would he do that!? Does he even like ponies!? Does he like ME!?

Raising a hoof, Pinkie promptly slapped herself. "Snap out of it!" She commanded, forcing herself out of her thoughts. "It was nothing, just a little peck on the head. It doesn't mean anything." Surprisingly, saying those words helped get rid of the fluttering feeling in her chest. However, as those left, the emptiness she once felt returned with a vengeance. "He's just...being nice." She continued, feeling worse and worse as she did so. "He's trying to be a good friend, nothing more..."

Picking up her glass, all she can do is look at the contents before setting it back down. She finds herself sniffing against her will. Her eye lids feel heavy and she can see that tears are building up in the bottom of her vision. She's alone...again. No matter where she is; be it a new city, town, region, or universe. She's doomed to be on her own. No one there to care for her, to love her, to hold her at night and tell her that everything will be alright.

Look at yourself... Her mind begins, Sitting here pouting like a little filly. You're a disgrace. She was fighting back her tears as hard as she could, but was finding it very difficult. It's no wonder no pony wants to be around you. You're stupid, you're a cry baby, and to top it off you're not a coward.

"Matthew?" Just as her first tear was about to fall, her mind's tone changed. In fact, that thought didn't even sound like her own. It was almost like...he was right here...speaking to her. She stood up, looking around the room with her eyes, but found no trace of him.

She felt almost disappointed that he wasn't here. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, lowering her head and letting it hang just above the floor. Of course he isn't here. No pony is... She continued, No pony in Ponyville needed you, why would he? She started to wonder what she was even doing staying here. She'd be better off somewhere she wouldn't get in his way. I might as well just- stay with me.

Pinkie's head shot up. Now she was positive that she heard his voice. Leaving the kitchen, she trotted around the main floor, looking for any sign of his presence. She looked in every nook and cranny, even going as far as peeking under the couch.

"He isn't here!" She all but yelled to herself, placing a hoof to her head. "What the buck is going on..."

Maybe you're just crazy

"Shut up!"

Things like this happen when- I've been alone for a while now, I know you have too.

"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" She pleaded, having had her fill of mental trauma for one night. Her eyes were clenched shut, all four hooves practically digging into the floor. "Stop making me feel this way!" She said to no one in particular.

He doesn't care about me... She mentally reminded herself. He doesn't- it was driving me nuts watching you freeze like that.

"No!" She yelled, falling to the floor and curling up. Panic had finally kicked in as her thoughts became flooded with memories of all the time they spent together, reminding her of how good he made her feel. The first day they met when he asked her to stay with him, that time by the fire when he tried to keep her warm, when he carried her to bed when she hurt her hoof.

No matter what was happening, how far she felt she had fallen, he was constantly there and ready to pick her up again. He had become the most important thing in her life, but something inside of her was refusing him. It clawed away at her insides, trying to break her down and make her feel alone again.

She was about ready to snap when she heard his voice again. You're all alone in this world and any other you may come across. Hearing those words would have been all it took. Just that phrase could have broken her in this time of weakness. It would have too, had it stopped there. Not anymore though.

Pinkie was panting, her chest rising and falling with speed and purpose. Not knowing what else she could do, she pressed her hooves to her ears, trying to silence the commotion that was filling her head. She just wanted it to stop, to go back to feeling how she did before all of this.

You want it to stop? She couldn't find it in her to verbally accept, all she could do was nod. Then just accept that So long as I live and breathe, you don't have to be alone.

"But, I AM alone!" She finally snapped, screaming to the heavens above. "I've been alone from the beginning and I'll be alone until the day I die!"

Pinkie rolled onto her back, her hooves removing themselves from her ears and going back to their rightful spots. Looking up at the ceiling, she couldn't help but notice how blurry her vision was...and how wet her face was...She hadn't realized it, but she must have been crying that whole time. She could actually feel the tears rolling off the side of her face.

"I'm alone..." She said to herself, just as a little reminder. "I'm alone...I'm-"

"Not alone..."

Before she could react, a dark figure entered her vision, wrapping some sort of long, thin appendages around her back. It picked her up with ease, pulling her into its bare chest and holding her tight. She struggled against its grip, her instincts going haywire as she fought. She managed to pull her head back just far enough to get a good look at the human that was staring at her with nothing but worry.

Pinkie stopped fighting him, her eyes once again locking on to his. She could see how concerned he was just by his gaze and the hurt in his eyes from seeing her this way. Everything she was thinking earlier was no longer relevant, the little voice mocking her had vanished, and all because he was here...

I...I'm not alone...

Matthew wouldn't be able to see Pinkie's smile before she buried her face into his neck, her quiet sobbing being the only thing to reach his senses. In response to this, he tighten his grip and moved one of his arms so he could stroke the length of her neck. "It's okay, Pinkie." He whispered into her ear, "It's okay. I'm here."

The two held each other in silence for what felt like hours. The room around them seemed to darken at a steady pace until light simply ceased to exist and darkness consumed them.

Pinkie opened her eyes with a feeling of discontent, the warmth of the embrace she cherished in that time having left her. She wanted desperately for it to return, but a proper hug requires a minimum of two and she was all alone. This was strange to her, as she could have sworn that Matthew was here just seconds ago. Her senses started to focus and register in her brain, that's when she realized that something had changed.

For starters; Matthew was indeed gone. Secondly, she wasn't laying on the floor like some sort of child's toy. Instead, she was laying in a bed. One that she did not recognize as her own. To expand upon that, nothing about this room looked familiar at all. The color of the walls were similar to that of her own room, but nothing else seemed to be in the right place. That, and there were several more items decorating it.

Pinkie's room had one small window, this one had two large ones, both covered in maroon colored curtains. There was a dresser on either side of the room, unlike hers, which was empty, aside from the bed. To her right was a closet and what appeared to be a bathroom inside of said closet.

Only one conclusion came to mind as Pinkie pushed herself up with her front hooves and continued to look over the room. This is Matthew's room. She thought to herself, It has to be.

There were many rooms in this house, some in plain sight, others hidden. Pinkie had discovered them all and learned where every scratch and dent was. The only room she hadn't analyzed yet was Matthew's bedroom, out of respect. Its one thing to get to know a house, it's another to completely invade someone else's privacy.

She didn't have too much time to dwell on this any longer. A certain amount of noise could be heard coming from downstairs that she couldn't help but to become focused on. It didn't sound like the usual ruckus. In fact, it almost sounded like there was someone down there. Someone aside from who should be.

It was hard to explain, but rather then sit around and wait for something to happen, she slowly climbed out of bed and moved into the hallway. The closer she got to the stairs, the more she was able to make out what was going on. There were voices coming from the lower level. One she could easily recognize, the other not so much.

As curious as she was, she didn't want to risk revealing herself. She would have to keep her distance and stay hidden. She stayed light on her hooves, moving slowly as to make as little noise as possible. The wood floor would creak slightly under her weight, causing her to flinch and stall for a second to make sure no one noticed before continuing.

When she finally reached the staircase, she lowered herself to the floor and peeked her head around the corner so she could see to the end of the steps. From here she could see the beginnings of the living room and the front door, but not much else. Her ears flicked as she tried to pick up on the voices so she could hear what was going on. There wasn't much she could make out, but she did catch the sound of laughter. Nothing loud and manic, as she usually heard since staying here. But rather, a calm and natural laughing between two people.

What is going on down there? She asked herself internally, Who else is here?

The sound of footsteps picked up and seemed as if they were drawing close to her. He eyes widened as she reeled her head back, hiding behind the walls edge so whoever was down there wouldn't see her. They came to a stop at, where she could only assume was the front door when the voice she didn't recognize caught her attention. "Sorry again for bothering you so early, Mister Rivers. I'm sure you understand."

"It was no bother at all." Pinkie felt her ear flick again upon hearing Matthew speak. "I appreciate you coming here and bringing this to my attention. Is there any way I can reach you in case I hear anything?"

Pinkie moved her neck forward at an uncomfortably slow pace, just until one of her eyes was looking past the edge of the wall. She saw Matthew standing to the left, his hands tucked in his pockets while he offered the other human an expectant look. The human on the right reached into his long, light brown overcoat, producing a small white card and handing it over to him.

"My number is on there." He says as Matthew pulls a hand from his pocket and accepts the card. "If you find out anything at all, do not hesitate to call me."

Matthew looked over the card before nodding to the man in the coat. "You'll be the first one to hear.' He said, offering a smile to the other human. "Thank you, again, for coming."

"It's no problem, sir." The coated man said, placing a light brown hat on his head as he opened the door and made to leave. "You have a wonderful day."

"You too!" Matthew called out as the coated human left, making the coast clear for Pinkie to reveal herself.

As she descended the stairs, she could see Matthew's smile falling into a rather displeased frown. He closed the front door and turned toward the living room, apparently not noticing her as he walked over to the couch and let himself fall into it. He sat there, deep in thought as Pinkie came to the end of the stairs and followed his example, climbing onto the couch and taking a seat beside him.

She looked over him as he stared off into space, his eyes vacant yet filled to the brim with an emotion she couldn't quite read. "Matthew..." She began, placing a hoof on his shoulder. "Matthew, who was that?"

"It was a detective." He answered, his eyes still facing forward. "He came by to let me know that a young woman has gone missing...and that two people had been killed nearby and dumped into a lake." The way he spoke was unnaturally flat, like he had no interest in what he was saying. "Four years..."

Finally, he turned his head to face her. His eyes looked dead and defeated. "Four years I've lived out here. Four years of doing what I do and not once has anyone ever come close to finding me...until today."

Matthew's gaze went back to focusing on the wall in front of him, his body as still as a statue as his thoughts became filled with paranoia and fear.

Pinkie was in no better state. Panic started to rise as she came to terms with what he was saying to her. "B-but they don't suspect you right?" She asked, her words coming out quick as she held on to a spec of hope that they wouldn't be found out. "There's nothing connecting us to what happened, they have no way of-"

"Pinkie, we're the only one's out here for miles." He interrupted, his tone still sounding as dead as he looked. "If the detective hasn't made me a suspect by now, then it won't be long before he does."

Pinkie fell silent, unwillingly considering his words as almost every ounce of hope she had committed emotional suicide. "This is my fault." Matthew continued, "I got sloppy. I let myself get carried away and I didn't cover up our tracks...I failed us."

"There has to be a way." Pinkie pleaded, not wanting all of this to end. She finally found someone else in the world like her, who understood her. And now, she was going to lose it. "Please, Matthew! There has to be something we can do!"

Pinkie hopped off of the couch, her mind going a million miles a minute to think of a way out of this situation. "We can run!" She suggested, desperate to get away with him. "We can grab everything we need and take off! Find a new place to stay and start over!"

"That'll just make them come after us!" Matthew snapped, his eyes regained focus and locking onto Pinkie. "That detective knows what I look like and if he comes back for any reason and I'm nowhere to be found, it's gonna look suspicious. They'll be on our trail like blood hounds!"

Pinkie just stood there, frozen and looking utterly defeated. Matthew looked away from her, letting his head fall into his hands. How could this be happening? Everything was going so well. He has been out here for years and no one has ever found him until...

This is all my fault... Pinkie concluded, No one figured out he was here until I showed up. If it wasn't for me, he'd still be living out here peacefully with nothing being able to stop him.

If Matthew's face wasn't buried in his palms right now, he would see the beginnings of tears forming in Pinkie's eyes. Everything else would vanish and he would be focused on comforting her. Instead, he was trying to think of a way to protect her. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that the detective would be back, likely with police to take him in for questioning. Oh, the looks on their faces when they find out they had captured a man who supposedly died in a house fire so long ago. If that wouldn't be enough to arouse suspicion, the proceeding house search would be a dead giveaway. There's enough in his basement alone for twenty two life sentences. He was probably over-exaggerating the number, but he'd still be in prison for the rest of his life if they didn't just execute him on the spot.

There was only one way for him to come out of this alive, but it was risky. Ten to one, he'd probably end up being pumped full of bullets and that would be it for him. But, if that happened, they would probably find Pinkie... With a newfound sense of determination, Matthew lifted his head, stood up from the couch, and marched upstairs. He returned shortly after with a backpack held tightly in his hand, quickly making his way to the kitchen.

Pinkie watched him walk away, then return, only to go somewhere else. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she followed him to the kitchen. Once there, she found him throwing food into a large bag. Her eyes lit up, hope returning as the thought of them leaving returned.

"Are we leaving?" She asked, her excitement building up and making itself known in her voice. It was almost too good to be true! "Are we making a run for it?" She couldn't honestly say that she was happy that they would have to leave and start over, but it's better than having to lose Matthew.

"No;" Matthew simply said, looking over at her only for a second. "You are." He returned to stocking up the bag with everything she would need to get her through the next few weeks on the run. It would be rough, but he had faith that she would find a way.

"What..." Pinkie said with wide eyes as her brain processed what he had said. "No, I'm not leaving you!"

"This isn't up for debate, Pinkamena!" Matthew yelled, leveling an argumentative finger in her direction. "If something happens to me and they catch you, I don't even know what they'll do to you!"

"You are a colorful, sentient pony! You are the ONE and ONLY of your kind here." Matthew continued, his paranoia of what they may do to her surfacing. "If they get a hold of you, they're probably gonna dissect your brain to see how it works!" He paused, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "I don't want anything to happen to you, Pinkie."

Matthew reached behind him, pulling up on his jean leg. Grabbing a handle that stuck out of his boot, he pulled the large knife from its hiding place and stuffed it in the bag with everything else before zipping it shut. "That's why I need you to take what you can-" Placing his hands on the bag, he shoved it forward into Pinkie's chest and held it there. "and run!"

The tears Pinkie was holding in earlier threatened to break free once again, the thought of abandoning her one friend, the creature she had come to care so deeply for, tearing hole after hole into her heart. She couldn't bear the thought of it, it couldn't end like this! It just couldn't! She wouldn't let this happen!

In an instant, Pinkie was upon him. Leaping over the bag Matthew had shoved against her and tackling him to the ground with her hooves pressed firmly against his shoulders. "I'm. NOT. Leaving!"

Matthew started to struggle, reaching up and grabbing her sides to shove her off of him. "But-"

"Butts are for sitting!" She yelled, emphasizing her point by letting her backside fall onto his stomach. The force she put into it knocked the air out of his lungs, making fighting her off much more difficult.

Pinkie glared down at the human as he struggled to catch his breath, the wetness in her eyes finally breaking free and rolling down her cheeks. The angry look on her face started to melt away to one of pain as she let the rest of her body fall onto his, her front hooves now wrapped around his neck tightly as if he would vanish into thin air otherwise.

"I don't want to leave..." Pinkie sobbed, her face pressed into his neck as she spoke. "Y-you said that *sniff* that I wouldn't have to be alone anymore..." She continued, her words cutting Matthew deep enough to make his heart hurt. "You said that it was just us...You a-and me against the world..."

Matthew let out a sigh, feeling a pit forming in his chest from her using his own words against him. "I did, didn't I?"

Pinkie hummed and nodded in confirmation, finding it rather difficult to speak at the moment.

Matthew was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He promised Pinkie that he would be by her side no matter what on more than one occasion. But at the same time, he made a silent oath to protect her no matter the cost. Now he was stuck with two options. Break his promise and send her away, guaranteeing her safety. Or, keep his promise and risk her life in the process.

The decision was made for him, if her tightening grip on his neck was any indication. She wasn't going to leave no matter how hard he tried. Knowing her, if he did get her out, she would probably come back and get herself killed trying to protect him. This left him with only one option.

They had to leave together, but that detective had to be dealt with first. If he was allowed to live, then their chances of escape were slim to none.

"Pinkie, get up." Matthew said in the most serious tone he's ever heard come out of his own mouth. "I have a terrible idea."

Author's Note

I started this story over a year ago and we are just NOW getting to chapter 4.
...I don't know why it took me until recently to realize this but...damn...
I didn't have this one edited professionally, so if you spot any errors, let me know.
As always, if you're enjoying the story, please slap that LIKE button like a bitch! Feel free to leave a comment below as well, comments make me feel special :P