Author's Note

There is a picture (but no video, no sound) link in this chapter depicting a Saw deathtrap before start. No blood, just the device set up and the soon-to-be victim attached to it. I have seen many more brutal content embedded in stories here, not to mention the comments, but still, if it is not your thing, be warned.
Also, this will be the only chapter in my story that warrants an M rating. Added Horror, Gore and Violence tag because of this chapter. After this, I will proceed in a lighter way.

In Which Princess Luna Throws Up (Warning: gore and violence)

It is late afternoon. Fluttershy examined me in the morning and she found that I recovered almost fully, so I could leave her cottage and get back to Twilight's. Though I didn't know why, I couldn't find the Friendship Castle. I tried to ask for directions, but I didn't bump into any of my friends, and the ponies I asked were not really friendly. That is, until a mysterious pony with an hourglass cutie mark gave me an envelope with my name on it.

"Walk down this road, until you arrive in front of the last house on the left. There you shall open the envelope and follow the instructions within."

There is something unsettling in his appearance. "And if I don't follow?"

"Then something really bad will happen. I suggest you begin your journey right now."

Well, OK. This starts to get really weird. The ponies I know were very friendly and helpful, and I know for sure that even if I couldn't find any of my friends, Pinkie Pie would have found me already. I must figure out what is happening. I take the envelope and start my walk. Upon arriving in front of the house, I get a feeling of deja vu. It reminds me of one of my secret hideouts. It is a huge abandoned industrial building. The only difference is that right now, I don't know anything about it. Wait, Ponyville doesn't have industrial buildings, right? What is happening here? Were the Princesses and my friends keeping secrets from me, because they were scared of me and my past?

I tear the envelope open. I see a small parchment with an anonymous message written on it, which reads "I know who you are." Seconds after reading the message, small flames start to erupt from the envelope and a magical screen-like object manifests in front of me. This is going to be very bad. A sturdy dark gray earth pony stallion with a black mane appears and starts talking.

"Hello, Mr. Kramer, or as you call yourself, John. I'm trusting you are wondering where you are. I can assure you that what your location is not important. What these walls offer for you is important. Salvation, if you earn it. You have made good friends with some of Ponyville's residents. Friendships you don't deserve. If you really want to become their friend, you have to earn their friendship by saving them through various means. As you see, Mr. Kramer, friendship may be magic, but it doesn't come without sacrifice. Enter the building and follow the instructions. Only that way can you earn their friendship, unless you want to be imaginary friends with six dead ponies."

I can handle this. It always amused me how my subjects were freaking out and shouting at the monitor which displayed my messages, as if it would change anything. No, I don't waste my time and energy with useless things like this. Whoever this pony is, it's not important. I must enter the building and solve this problem, then I will find out who this pony is, and take care of him once and for all.

I try to open the door only to find it locked. There is a small message painted with red on the wall next to the door. "Not every situation can be solved with intelligence." Probably it implies that I must break down the door by force. Or that is exactly what the mysterious pony is counting on, and there is a key somewhere, or another secret entry. I begin to check out the building for further details. I notice a window at the right side of the building. So, you want force? I will give it to you. I take out a brick from the ruins of the brick fence, and throw it at the window, shattering it. Yes, I have to climb in. Even if the underside of the window starts at chest height, I am not accustomed to climbing walls. I try to pull myself up, but I don't have enough strength. I have to take a running start. After the fourth attempt, I manage to get myself up and climb in.

I enter a dark room. As if my presence triggered it, I see the familiar magical screen-like object appear. "Hello Mr. Kramer. You thought you would surprise me. It's time that I presented you a surprise. You could have entered through the main entrance, but you just had to take a shortcut. You could have saved all six of your friends, but now, you will watch those who you left behind die. You can still save Applejack, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash, but now, all of you watch helplessly as Fluttershy meets her end because of your failure. After she is taken care of, the same goes for Pinkie Pie."

With that, I hear mechanisms locking, then the magical monitor shows me (and probably the other captives also) the room where Fluttershy is locked in a hideous device. A device I am too familiar with. A device which I named the Rack. Well, this explains a lot. If all my six friends were captured here, then it's no wonder I haven't seen them all day.

"You may be familiar with this structure, Mr. Kramer. It is your personal favorite. Though this time, you are locked away. You cannot interfere. Ever wondered if this machine were still your favorite after it tortures to death somebody you love and care of? Now this device starts twisting, and there is nothing you can do about it."

Yes, sure. This pony surely knows a thing or two, but if he expects that I just stand back and watch in horror, or lash out and break down everything and myself in blind rage, he clearly underestimated me. I stop watching the monitor and I start to explore the room, when I suddenly collide with an invisible magical barrier. It evolves into a magical aura which freezes me in place and turns me in the direction of the monitor. There I can only watch in horror as the wicked device starts to twist Fluttershy's left wing. She has tears in her eyes, and I can clearly see that she is very frightened. After a half twist she cries out in pain. The cruel machine twists further at the same pace. Over the cries of Fluttershy, I can clearly hear the joints dislocating, the bones breaking, then the flesh tearing up. Blood spills from the torn flesh and I can see the disfigured bones protruding in sickening directions. The machine is twisting further relentlessly, until the whole wing is torn apart from the body. I struggle in vain to get out of the grip of the magical aura, but it holds me in place steadily. Fluttershy gasps in pain, until the wicked machine starts to twist her right wing. I hate myself really bad. I could have saved her from this painful fate, if I had followed the rules exactly. I should have broken down the main entrance, thus saving her and Pinkie Pie. Or I should have killed myself before I met any of them, as I originally intended. But I still don't break down. I must steel myself, otherwise more innocent ponies will suffer and die because of my failure.

I force-watch the second wing being torn apart when a blinding bluish-white light flashes up and I see Princess Luna exiting from it. Thanks to Twilight, I know that she cast a teleport spell.

"Princess Luna! Help us, we are in serious trouble! Teleport me to the device where Fluttershy is locked up so I can stop it and we can free her before the device tears her legs apart!"

She looks at me as if I were crazy, then she turns her head towards the magical monitor. An expression of pure shock appears on her face. She wants to say something, to do something, but she can only watch in horror as the already wingless Fluttershy's left foreleg is being torn apart from her body. She starts to tremble, then does something which comes as a total surprise to me: she throws up and crashes to the ground, fainting. So now I don't just have four ponies to rescue, but also a pony princess to wake up. I try to move towards her, but the magical aura is still holding me in place. I am forced to watch as the machine tears apart the remaining legs of Fluttershy one by one. After the last leg is torn away, the machine unlocks and dumps the now unconscious Fluttershy to the ground into the pool of her own blood. The wicked magical aura finally releases me. I immediately turn my head where Princess Luna was minutes before, only to look at the empty floor.

I wake up in the bed to a warm, sunny morning. I see Fluttershy already preparing breakfast for her animals, while humming a happy melody. Thank goodness, she is whole and sane. I am used to cruel, scary nightmares, but, after a long time, this was the first time when a nightmare literally made me sick. I have had many nightmares related to the murders myself or Amanda or Mark committed, but this was the first time when I or somebody I cared of were in the role of the helpless victim.

Let's think this over. I have already seen the brown stallion with the hourglass cutie mark. He was the one who stared at me the hardest when I was on the streets of Ponyville with Twilight, as if he suspected something, though I didn't care at the time. Needless to say, not everypony knew about my past, only those few whom I have told already: Twilight, the Princesses and Shining Armor, and probably Pinkie Pie, though I can't imagine how. That would explain the letter and the message. The mysterious gray pony with the black mane must have been my subconscious. The six ponies trapped were the six ponies I knew and befriended the first day here. Conclusion: I'm afraid that something bad will happen to them because of me. But what has this to do with Princess Luna? It is then when Fluttershy notices me getting up.

"Good morning, John. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you very much." I lie.

"Um. I don't want to be rude, but you don't look like someone who slept really well. Is something troubling you? Did you have an unpleasant nightmare?" Apparently Fluttershy is not your average pony, not even your average doctor. Clearly she is an adept observer and has a good understanding of psychology also, not just standard medicine. Those who care about their patients, know a lot about them.

"Yes, I had, but I don't want to trouble you with it. I must handle it on my own."

"If you wish, but I am here, I would gladly help you. Let me examine you first." She places a hoof on my forehead, then checks my pulse, then removes the bandage. "It seems your head injury is healing already. Let me put on a small band-aid, then you can have breakfast, and you are free to go, if you wish."

"I'm very happy to hear that."