Shattered Equestria

Jagged Reflections

By

TheSleeplessOne

This story has been partially proofread and edited by Icarus720. A big thanks to him! Any additional errors should be pointed out in the comments section.

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Pinkie Pie - Chapter 7: Night Falls

It felt like ages since the queen had left with Sweetie Belle. The wall of guards surrounding Spike hadn’t moved an inch, leaving him only his thoughts. What was taking so long? Why did he have to wait while Sweetie Belle was able to go see Rarity?

Dragon’s weren’t known for their patience and his had run out. He was so close to getting his life back. This trip had been nothing but delays. The guards surrounding him were an obstacle to a goal he refused to fail, not again. The guards be damned, if they tried to stop him, well, he’d decide what to do if they did.

It took more effort to take his first step than he anticipated. The castle and its strange demeanors had already gotten under his skin, even if he couldn’t tell yet. As he put another foot forward the ring of guards tightened and he stopped.

“Guys, I need to go see the queen, she has been gone an awfully long time don’t you think?” Spike brought his hands up peacefully, palms upward.

If the guards saw him, they gave no inclination. They stood there silent, their only movement blocking his repeated attempts to exit.

This game went on for a few minutes before Spiked sighed and rethought his situation. He knew he couldn’t overpower these ponies if that is what they even were. He had to think of a way to outsmart them. That was a problem as well, they seemed to have the intelligence of a fence.

Spike’s thoughts were interrupted by a soft hum that came from under the closed doors in front of him. Both he and the guards looked towards the door as the hum grew louder. Spike was sure it was the queen coming back but the tune was different. It held a pep-in-your-step vibe and the pitch would change at random.

The doors burst open revealing a quite happy Pinkamena. Her rump shook as she continued the hum, adding a beat with her hooves. She proceeded forward mixing in a slide here, or a bounce there before reaching the ring of guards. They parted without a word and she stood eye to eye with Spike. As her tune came to an end, she gave him a grin that twisted and tugged at the edge of her face, dragging her lips farther than should be possible.

Spike shuddered and found looked away, Sweetie Belle nowhere to be seen. An examination of the room behind Pinkamena gave no indication either. As he turned back to the queen he was greeted by her face inches from his.

“Looking for your little friend?” Her voice was soft and reminded him of the Pinkie Pie he brought to the castle. “Don’t worry Mr. Dragon, her wish has been granted and she is closer to her sister than she has ever been.” The softness in her voice cracked towards the end. A single giggle punctuated the sentence.

Pinkamena frowned. A familiar hunger already rising from the depths to pester her once more. Sweetie Belle’s death had been far quicker than most of her victims. It hadn’t scratched that itch the same way it normally did. If Sweetie Belle was only an appetizer then Spike would have to be the main course. Of course, even a dragon was nothing compared to a changeling. With enough coaxing, she could relive her greatest fantasies. She had to tighten her mouth to keep from drooling and focused on Spike. You had to finish your dinner to have your dessert after all.

Spike took a step back, the queen’s face was going through a series of expressions. Most of them were normal but the few that weren’t set Spike on edge.

Realizing what she was doing, Pinkamena’s head snapped up and she looked at Spike once more. “So, you haven’t told me what wish you have yet.” Her head tilted a bit and she raised an eyebrow. “I’m guessing with your talk of Twilight earlier you want to see her. Maybe help her answer that question she is working on.” The bait set, she stared intently waiting for his answer.

“Y-yeah, I want to see Twilight. If Sweetie Belle is back there with Rarity and your business is finished then yeah. Let's go see Twilight.” Spike regained his composure and kept neutral as excitement threatened to bubble up.

Pinkamena lept into the air, her hooves landing with a clap. “I’m just so super happy to hear you say that!” The disturbing grin crawled back up her face. “You must be a liiiitle curious about what she is working on.” She just kept grinning, her eyes eager. “I can tell you if you want, I mean you will be helping her with it soon anyway.” Midway through the sentence, her voice swapped from playful to serious.

Spike thought about it for a moment. He didn’t really know why Twilight was in this castle. Actually, Twilight would never go into a place like this without a world-ending reason. Spike knew her organizational tendencies would run rampant with the castle in this condition. Perhaps the answer was something that Spike would need time to process. It couldn’t hurt to have that time.

“Alright, fine. What is this big question you have Twilight working on.” Spike sighed, he was ready to meet Twilight already.

Hoofsteps echoed as Pinkamena circled around Spike inspecting him making various sounds of approval as she did so. “Maybeeee I can tell you.” She wasn’t getting the rise she wanted, the rise she needed.

Spike shrugged at her words. “I can just ask Twilight myself if you won’t tell me.” He started walking towards the throne room.

Pinkamena wasn’t getting the rise she wanted, the rise she needed. In a commanding tone, she said, “Stop.” The words stopped him better than any shackle could. They carried an unmentioned threat, a weight heavy enough to give a dragon pause.

The sound of breathing in his ear caused Spike to whirl around to find Pinkamena gone. The breathing had stopped but now he could hear words. “Even dragons know better than to misbehave.” Spike jerked towards the voice and found that once again nothing was there. He turned back towards the throne room and Pinkamena was already trotting towards the same opening she had taken Sweetie Belle through.

“Since you are so impatient we’ll go see her right away.” She turned and waved a hoof towards an opening behind the two thrones and continued trotting. “Despite how long it has been, I’m sure she will be simply beaming when you see her.” A low chuckle faded away with her as she stepped into the dark entrance.

Soon he was traveling down the same white corridor as Sweetie Belle. He didn’t have a horn to light things up but his other senses helped navigate in the darkness. Enough light still bled from the throne room that he could make out Pinkamena ahead of him.

She had been quiet since they had gone through the entryway, shuffling her hooves almost as if brooding or depressed. Spike wasn’t sure what to make of it and continued behind her in silence.

“You know… it was difficult to get them down here, well most of them.” She gave an icy chuckle, eyes lost in memory. “An animal in need brings down the pegasus indeed.” She was no longer dragging her hooves, the memory perking up her mood. “Fluttershy… Fluttershy… Fluttershy. She was such a sweet pegasus on the outside.”

Spike kept an eye on her and tried to figure out what she meant. She had been playing this game since he got here and he was no closer to an answer. Fluttershy was one of Twilight’s friends. I know she cared for animals on the edge of the Everfree Forest. I didn’t get to meet her much though. I wonder what she mea-

Pinkamena’s continued. “Then there was Rainbow Dash. Fastest one downstairs wins! Rainbow Dash was fast, but not very smart.” Giggles echoed off the hallways like a chorus.

He knew Rainbow Dash as well. Her description was spot on. She was competitive and headstrong, always looking for a way to stand out. A definite connection but what did it mean. When he looked up from his musings the outline of Pinkamena was difficult to make out. Being alone down here was the last thing he wanted and his pace quickened.

As he raced to catch up, the terrible smell of the castle was soon replaced by a wonderfully sweet aroma. He could make out a pink door coming into view, Pinkamena standing beside it. When he arrived he noticed Pinkamena staring at him. The eyes had a longing in them, not one a lover might give but like a child awaiting a new toy or treat.

This whole venture was rubbing Spike the wrong way. How or why Twilight would help someone like… this was beyond him. He knew the queen was dangerous but she had done nothing but make faces and strange remarks so far. Yeah, the castle was creepy and the guards unusual at best, but he knew if he could find Twilight it would all be worthwhile. Maybe a little pushback would get him there.

“Are we done? Is this where Twilight is?” It must have been the dragon in him asserting itself because Spike matched Pinkamena’s stare.

Pinkamena never blinked. “The time for questions is… over. It is time for answers.'' Her hoof reached for the handle of the door.

******

Pinkie Pie looked down upon the guards. They were spread out looking for her but had failed to come even close. She attributed this to their helmet obscuring their vision; she couldn’t imagine who would play hide and seek through two tiny slits. It really was the most boring game of hide and seek ever.

They couldn’t be having fun if she was bored. Pinkie Pie gasped a little and held her hoof up to her mouth. What if she was hiding too well? “Everypony has fun when Pinkie plays,” she said determined to spice up the game. So, she did what anypony would do in a situation like this.

“You aren’t going to find me down there!” Pinkie Pie yelled down the stairs.

Almost as if they were a true practiced unit, the guards’ heads shot up in unison. They didn’t run up the stairs so much as advance. They had heard their mistress’s voice but she was nowhere to be seen. They heard a giggle come from one of the potted plants that adorned the top of the stairs and investigated. A small group of guards looked around for the voice. Once again, nothing.

From across the banister, a picture shouted, “No, not there! Over here!” This was followed by more giggles. A pink foreleg popped from under the picture frame and waved before disappearing.

This time the guards rushed forward and flung the painting to the ground. The only thing that greeted them was a white marble wall. The guards didn’t feel much, not after what they had been through, but they were beginning to get angry. Low rasps and growls reverberated under their helmets.

Pinkie Pie put a hoof to her chin as she perfectly hid behind a handrail support on the stairs. She couldn’t figure it out! These ponies were getting mad, not happy. You can’t have fun while you are mad. Maybe they didn’t like her game? There wasn’t much she could play here and she needed more time to prepare anything more elaborate. She thought and thought on it while the guards tore apart the top of the stairs. A pot smashed into the step next to her and she remembered the one thing that always made ponies happy. A party.

A voice from the bottom of the stairs yelled, “You ponies aren’t very good at hide and seek. I have been hiding and hiding but you can’t find me!”

Pinkie Pie was getting bored again but hid one more time. This time she made sure the guards saw her hide behind a marble pillar.

The guards charged down the stairs, very sure they would recapture her this time. Howls of rage, distorted by the helmets into something a Nightmare Night terror might make, filled the bottom floor when the guards found she was gone again.

Pinkie Pie felt bad when she heard the sounds of hoof striking stone from below. She couldn’t let them see the party she would set up for them. The only thing left was to find a place to throw it. She began bouncing towards the throne room. She was sure she’d find a place if she looked hard enough.

******

The suspense was killing her. An ongoing battle between quick indulgence and savoring this dragon raged on inside her. It took all her willpower to wrap her hoof around the handle instead of tearing the door off the wall. But, somehow, she managed. With a slow turn, she swung the door open to reveal the same shadowy but inviting interior that had lured Sweetie Belle to her doom.

No! The hoof gripping the ruby handle relaxed and pulled away from her mane. Pinkamena would take her time with this one. He had a spirit! He resisted her taunts and teases with indifference, but she knew! She knew, like all of them, he would break! It just took time, creativity, and maybe just a bit of experimenting.

Something bothered her though. All he cared about was Twilight. Twilight, Twilight, Twilight. She knew she should be more excited that this would be her first dragon, but his constant mention of Twilight spoiled her mood the same way Twilight had spoiled her own death. No, she’d make up for that loss by crushing the thing that Twilight loved most in life, her apprentice. And she would make Twilight watch, unable to stop smiling while she stripped the mental and physical layers from him. He would die hating Twilight, a fitting punishment for the party pooper.

“Do come in, Twilight is waiting.” She focused on an inviting smile; what she got was halfway there. “She has been a bit… cold lately though.” Such an obvious joke but she couldn’t help herself.

The dragon inched forward towards the door and peered inside. “...Twilight?” The darkness of the room obscured his vision. “It’s dark in here Twilight, we should get some candles burning.”

Pinkamena nudged Spike’s rear with her hoof and with a grunt shoved him inside. She was lucky, he was focused on seeing Twilight and missed her predatory expression. Her complicated emotions plastered themselves on her face, eyes narrowed and a crazed grin on her face. She turned and shut the door, leaving the room in complete darkness.

“I can’t see Twilight, why did you shut the door?. I don’t hear her either,” Spike said fumbling around for a candle or anything to brighten the room.

Pinkamena knew the place by heart, she had spent so much time here after all. She reached out and grabbed a candle and handed it to the dragon. The best surprises came to those who found them on their own.

“Ah, thanks. Why is Twilight down here anyway?” Spike said puffing a small gout of flame onto the candle and lighting up the room some.

The tension built within Pinkamena and she wanted to start but waiting would bring greater riches. “It's not just Twilight… they are all here, even Sweetie Belle. Waiting just for you, Spike!” Her voice sounded like someone reciting a fond memory. “They have such sights to show you.”

The candle was so dim that it only extended arm's length away. He stumbled around holding the candle this way and that before slamming his foot into the workbench. “Ow!” She heard him cry out as one of her tools fell to the ground with a clang.

With a steady breath, Spike continued further into the room. “Come on Twilight, I know how you get when researching but you can at least answer me.” He raised the candle high to get better light but he just couldn’t see enough. He heard Pinkamena’s voice but he couldn’t pinpoint the direction. It seemed to come from everywhere.

“She is absolutely positively focused on what she is doing Spike! You’re probably only a distraction but what can I do, this is your wish.” Pinkamena materialized at the edge of the candlelight and pointed a hoof. “That way! You are close to your prize!”

Spike followed the hoof and ignored her words. He was confused by what she meant but plowed ahead anyway.

She kept pace with Spike as he advanced, she wanted to see his face and experience his fear. “Then there was that apple farmer, Applejack. She had a mean buck and no matter how hard I tried she wouldn’t come down here with me.” Her thoughts drifted back to her first failure in the castle. The mare had a knack for picking up lies and even Pinkamena couldn’t get around it. She had to wait until she was alone and a quick stab in the throat had silenced that one. As much a failure as Sweetie Belle, she wished she could have more time with Applejack. A sigh of regret escaped her lips.

Spike stopped when he heard the sigh. When he turned, he saw Pinkamena’s face downfallen and depressed. ”Are you alright? I’m guessing you guys had a fig- wait? A mean buck?”

Without missing a beat, Pinkamena’s features flipped. “That is exactly right Spike! She lost though, so she stays with me all the time now!” She looked into the darkness where Applejack should be. “Can’t win all the battles but you can win the war.” The kill hadn’t satisfied her but the knowledge that Applejack would be here as long as she wanted did.

They were nearing Twilight and Pinkamena still had to set the mood. “This is where Rarity taught me how to work with… exotic fabrics. A real shame she had to retire early after she was done.” There was no punchline but Pinkamena giggled all the same. “Worked herself to the bone and had to face the facts.” Her giggles became laughter that filled the room. “She is down here too Spikey-wikey, helping make a stand with Twilight.”

She saw his foot land in the blood from Sweetie Belle. He looked down to see the blood oozing from some unseen portion of the room. When he looked up she had left him alone in his ring of candlelight. She was already standing next to the Twilight so she could watch. The worried look on his face gave her a thrill and it took a moment before he rushed off towards Twilight’s location.

The chase was on, although it wasn’t much of a chase under these circumstances. Pinkamena stifled a giggle. More giggles escaped and she pressed her hooves to her mouth. Watching him find Twilight was half the fun.

Small giggles came from somewhere in front of him. When he tried to listen the giggles stopped. A harsh “Shh!” followed by more giggles penetrated the darkness only a few feet in front of him.

“Only a little more Spike! Twilight awaits! I sure hope Sweetie Belle didn’t spoil the surprise. Honestly, fillies have way too much blood for their size.” The last phrase held no emotion, like a fact read from a book.

Either Spike was stupid or his urge to save Twilight stamped out his fear, she wasn’t sure. His determination reminded her of a hero from a fairy tale, coming to save the dear princess from some great evil. Unfortunately for him, this was no story and she’d live happily after ending him.

Pinkamena propped herself up on Twilight’s mannequin flank and waited. She could hear Spike’s squishy footsteps approaching and she couldn’t wait. Her hoof caressed the ruby handle of her butcher knife.

“You know, even the strongest ponies give in if you have their friends.” Pinkamena gnashed her teeth on that word. Friends. What a stupid word and yet it had gotten her quite a prize in Twilight. “I had the most friends once, but a certain group of ponies ruined that for me. Now I have witnesses that will last forever and ever.” Her voice was full of conflicting emotions that faded back into the honey-sweet voice she had greeted them with. That last word, ever, seemed to echo far longer than it should.

Spiked slowed his momentum, her voice was right in front of him. He still couldn’t see anything with his candle and took his next steps carefully. Each step receded the darkness but still no sign of Twilight or Pinkamena. After a few faltering steps stretched the candle forward and the outline of a pony stood motionless against the illumination. He brought the candle closer and the outline changed to a grinning purple face.

“Twilight, oh Twilight! Dear Celestia, I’ll get you out of here.” The haggard look on Spike’s face was replaced by relief. He couldn’t hold back his tears. Pinkamena wasn’t sure why he was crying but it looked silly on a dragon.

Another step is all it took to change the reunion into a nightmare. Spike’s eyes traveled from Twilight’s face to her body or what passed for a body. The only preserved part was her face, the rest was wooden with cuts and bits of Twilight’s mane glued on. Her tail was nailed on like a mockery of pin the tail on the donkey. A glance to the left found Pinkamena who flashed him a toothy smile.

She couldn’t help but grin at what she saw. Spike’s eyes darted around like he was looking for something important he had lost. Her smile widened as he vomited next to Twilight’s mannequin. Ecstasy shivered through her body when those searching eyes found hers. The betrayal, the pain inside, it was delicious.

She never wanted this moment to end. An equal wave of disappointment flooded through her when his eyes went back to Twilight. Another stupid interruption because of stupid Twilight! She watched as he put a clawed hand to the mask made of Twilight and recoiled in horror. She should have savored it, waited for just the right time, but the moment was already ruined.

“Surprise! I’m sorry for the craftsmanship, she was one of my first tries. I’m reeeal good at parties, but until I got Rarity’s help this was hard!” A flick of her hoof and the entire room lit up. She brought her hoof around in a dramatic arc. “Don’t you like it, Spike? These are my extra special projects!”

Pinkamena didn’t understand. Spike was frozen in place staring at the wannabe Twilight. Her wondrous creations all around and he couldn’t take his eyes off her. “Don’t be shy, here let me help you.” She said as her hooves encircled his head. He resisted her efforts to turn his head but it was just a matter of adding more strength. She wanted him to see that Twilight’s friends were in the same condition as her. She wanted him to know everything, exactly what position he was in. Her hooves felt the scales near his eyes stretch and she knew he was taking it all in.

Pinkamena made sure he got a good look at her handiwork. What was the point of having nice things if you couldn’t show them off? She leaned in close to his ear again. “You know I don’t lie. Have you ever thought about the biggest most important question Twilight could look for the answer to?” She had to bite her lip to keep serious. A laugh would only spoil the atmosphere she’d been crafting. “What happens to ponies when they pass on? I didn’t lie when I said you would help her, Spike, although it may be a while before you meet her.”

Spike stiffened under her touch. Her hoof wrapped around the knife and dragged it along where she supposed his spine would be. Click. Click. Click. She let gravity do the work of dragging the knife down each scale. She had hoped for a little blood but he was a dragon after all. She would have to get serious when it came to getting him to “open up”.

“Oh my! Dragon scales are super tough.” She stopped for a moment and ran her knife over her leg drawing blood with the lightest touch. “You see? I don’t know much about dragons, but I know a lot about you, Spike. I know that your scales are strong but you aren't. You have a soft spot.”

No more pretending. The freedom to be herself invigorated her efforts. She could say anything she was thinking, she could let her feelings show. And show them she did, like a filly with Hearthwarming presents, her smile beamed from ear to ear.

Author's Note

I'm back. It only took a year and a half but I'm back. For any of you who waited for updates, I apologize.

On a lighter note, things are kicking into high gear. How will it turn out? Only one way to find out!