Mindbender

by -Hidden Identity-

Rating: teen
Tags: Main 6, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Spike, Tragedy, Gore, Dark
Length: 7423

What if you could know the meaning of another's existence? Would it drive you mad?

When Rarity stumbles upon a small fragment of the absolute truth of why Rainbow Dash exists, her views and opinions change, and a downward spiral commences which threatens to consume all of Ponyville. But that result may just be the correct one.

Published 2011-12-15 05:49:53 UTC
Last updated 2011-12-15 05:49:53 UTC

Mindbender

M I N D B E N D E R

By:

-Hidden Identity-

“It is better to intentionally kill than to assume and destroy much more than lives.”

–Unknown Quote

Rarity was hard at work, as usual. It was normal for her to have a busy day of filling orders for important clientele. Most every day it was matching color to style, and ensuring that she stayed within the defined parameters of the order. While she did indeed enjoy her work, and knew it was her special talent (as her cutie mark symbolized) she did at times find the tedious work to be almost mind numbing. It was true that every order that was placed did have differences which made her think and imagine how to make the best possible product, the basic work was still the same: getting the order, understanding the desire from the client, envisioning the end result, and then working away to fulfill the envisioned result.

She did have to admit, that she needed more in her life then just working and visiting the spa with Fluttershy. The thought had crossed her mind many times in the past, and today was no different; she was working to finish a set of seasonal-colored robes, a task that she had performed many times before, when the thought of their being something more to this life crossed her mind. She stopped working for a moment, reflecting and thinking on the subject of “more”, when she happened to glance out the window. Rainbow Dash was flying by doing a routine of some sort with a variety of impressive-looking tricks. Rarity watched for a moment or two, enjoying the sight, when she suddenly snapped her head back to look at her work. Her eyes were fully opened, and looked distant. She walked with a forceful pace through her workroom, knocking a couple of the dress-forms over. She didn’t bother to pick them up. She had figured it out. How she figured it out was beyond her, she didn’t even recollect thinking over this particular problem before. But she had indeed figured it out, and the answer made her furious.

Rarity stepped out of the boutique onto the street, and immediately turned in the direction of the library. Twilight needed to be informed; even more she needed to understand the situation. It was surely the crime of the century, and Twilight would know what to do, she did study all day after all. She passed other ponies in the street: vendors with their carts, parents with their colts and fillies, those out simply for a stroll. She wondered if she should tell them the answer to the question that all of them had known but never thought of. She decided not to, they would know soon enough, she might even tell them herself, but she needed an answer, and Twilight Sparkle was the pony to ask for that.

Rarity approached the library with determination. It was true that the news she brought was grim, but it was imperative that she be informed. Rarity knocked on the door and waited with an almost statue-like disposition. Twilight Sparkle answered the door after a moment of waiting, and gave a half-smile at the sight of her friend’s uncommon look.

“Hi Rarity, what brings you here?” Twilight asked, peering strangely at Rarity’s wide and distant eyes. It was strange; Rarity’s eyes were unfamiliar to her.

“Look at Rainbow Dash.” Rarity instantly replied, her eyes never leaving Twilight’s. “What can you see about her?”

Twilight looked over at Rainbow Dash, who was in plain view: doing flips and dives, almost silhouetted against the clouds that the Pegasus ponies had placed there earlier. But she could see nothing out of place. Whatever had disturbed Rarity was not exactly obvious.

“I can’t see anything different about her.” Twilight replied to Rarity without looking back at her.

“I didn’t say anything different. I said what can you see about her?”

“Well, she’s flying, doing tricks, enjoying her wings, she has a colorful mane, and… uh… she’s a Pegasus.” Twilight listed off, not entirely sure of what Rarity was asking.

Rarity shook her head impatiently and gestured that they both go into the library. Twilight entered, followed by Rarity. When they had settled in, Twilight noticed that Rarity looked more anxious to explain whatever was ailing her usually sophisticated nature.

“Let’s keep it down, Spike is still sleeping upstairs.” Twilight said softly to Rarity. Rarity simply nodded.

Spike was indeed asleep. He had been up late the past night ensuring that the library was in pristine condition in the morning. It was a difficult task, as Twilight was in the nature of taking out every book that could possibly relate to the subject she was studying, and then forgetting about them when she found what she was looking for. He had grown used to it by now, being Twilight’s assistant for a long number of years had taught him to know what needed to be done without being asked or directed. He was in the middle of a particularly pleasant dream when he was awoken by raised voices.

He sat up in his bed, attempting to make out what was being said, and who was speaking. He was dazed from the sudden interruption of sleep, and found it difficult to discern any words from the conversation, but he could tell by the tone of the voices that it was not a pleasant conversation. There was an icy coldness about one of the voices, and a more firm and directly angered tone that could be associated with the other. Spike strained his still dazed mind in order to hear what was being said.

“I simply cannot see why you won’t listen to reason! Aren’t…” That voice sounded like Rarity. He had listened to her enough, hanging on her every word in admiration, to know her voice.

“But what you’re saying certainly isn’t reason! Do you even hear yourself?” That was Twilight. There was no mistaking the voice that he had known his entire life. Why would they be angry with each other though?

His though was interrupted by a yell. He sat bolt upright and to hear several sounds that sounded like something heavy was being hit against something else. There was a sound like something was broken, which was immediately followed up by a scream. Twilight. He jumped out of bed, but his foot caught on his blanket and caused him to trip. As he struggled out, only half focusing on what he was doing, he heard more screams coming from downstairs. As he finally freed himself, a high-pitched cry pierced the air. The scream changed to a gurgling noise, and faded away into silence. Spike fled down the stairs in time to see a familiar white pony fleeing into the distance. Rarity. Spike started to pursue, then remembered Twilight. He turned to call out for her, but the sight froze any words in his throat. Twilight Sparkle was dead. Her horn had been broken off, and there was a large book lying nearby. It looked beaten on one side, as if intentional damage had been caused to it. Or with it. Twilight was lying on her side, the glazed over eyes were partially closed. Her visible side was punctured in many places, as if it had been stabbed.

“Twilight?” Spike asked quietly as he slowly approached his friend and caretaker.

Twilight made no response, verbal or otherwise. Spike slowly knelt by her side and reached a hand out to Twilight’s side. It was still warm. Spike withdrew his hand and discovered blood on his palm. Twilight’s blood on his palm. He wanted to cry, but he was still in shock from the sight. Instead, he gasped for air, starting to hyperventilate. Ten minutes had the feeling of ten thousand as Spike sat there. The shock wore off eventually, and he started to cry. His tears moved the sadness out of him, and gave way for the inevitable: rage. Spike stood up, tears still in his eyes, but there were shadowed by the wrath he now felt for Rarity. He closed Twilight’s eyes, and then left the library in the direction of Rarity’s boutique.

Rarity burst into her home, shut and locked the door behind her, and fell to the floor, sobbing. Her normally white horn was a glistening crimson, the blood slowly dripping down onto her coat. She didn’t care, she didn’t move. It was over for her, and she thought it best. She had just killed one of her best friends, and for what? Whatever had possessed her to do that? She whimpered to the darkness, and then called out in fury and grief-laden hysteria.

“WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME?” She shrieked to the gloom around her.

Somepony appeared in the corner of the room, slightly hidden, but it was not enough to be obscured. Rarity noticed, and rose, attempting to stop crying. It was unsuccessful.

“Sweetie Belle!” Rarity called over at the figure, a mix of shock, despair, and joy in her voice.

“That’s your choice. I have no affect over that.” The latter replied. A small filly looking strikingly similar to Rarity stepped out partially from the shadows, still slightly obscured.

“What are you doing here? I thought you were gone today.” Rarity tried to smile. She then stopped, at the sight of something on the other’s flank, a image that appeared to be a downward facing spiral. “You got your cutie mark! When was that?”

“I have had it for so very long. It is not new.” The filly said in a strange voice.

“Sweetie Belle, what happened to your voice?” She noticed that the voice was deeper than her sister’s, and had a dark tone to it. Then she noticed the eyes; they were glazed over, yet full of life. Rarity began to back up, trying to move away from the filly who stood staring at her. “Who are you?”

The filly stepped completely out of the shadows and immediately changed into a tall, tan stallion. The eyes did not change, and the spiral on the flank remained. While there was nothing wrong at first glance, save the eyes, Rarity was terrified of the strange pony; its very being gave off an ominous whisper that this was something new; something that she could never have imagined; and something very deadly.

“My name is Mindbender, Rarity. Yes, I am well aware of who you are. See, I am a guardian of your secret.” The tan stallion told the unicorn.

“My…my secret?” Rarity spluttered.

“The purpose of your life. I am the first guardian, and there are many more after me.”

“So, are you going to tell me what more there is to life?”

“No.”

Rarity was taken aback slightly. Why would this strange pony appear if not to tell her what he knew?

“No? But, then why-“ She started to ask, but Mindbender cut her off.

“You are wrong. Therefore, you cannot know.”

“Wrong? Wrong about what? You mean what I did to Twilight? I know that was wrong, and I have no idea why I did it!” She had begun to cry again without really knowing why.

“Rarity! You think you understand an answer? An absolute truth about why somepony exists, or why they do what they do? That truth does not belong to you, and when a mind gets a glimpse of an answer, it doesn’t know what to make of it. It takes what little it had seen and creates an answer that it can understand; it assumes that it can replace what it doesn’t know. This answer still changes opinions, thoughts, reactions, views and many other things. That’s why Twilight is now dead.”

Rarity was having trouble taking what Mindbender said in. His tone was icy, and the words were enigmatic. An answer that was not hers, a glimpse of a real truth, and she then constructed an answer that she could comprehend? What? She was still attempting to comprehend this when Mindbender started again.

“You saw a piece of Rainbow Dash’s secret. That was not yours to understand; yet you dwelt on it. You only saw a fragment of it, however. That is why you acted the way you did, because you cannot understand, so you assume and construct an answer.” He paused to glare at Rarity, and then proceeded in a calmer manner “Do you know what magic lies in every pony that ever lived? No? A connection. I know that you and your friends found this out a while ago. You can literally see into another pony’s mind and when something that causes a revelation in one pony happens, the others can feel it. If somepony who is close undergoes an injury or worse, the others can feel it. A contagious sorrow. Your incorrectness has spread, and now I must mend that.”

He closed his eyes and stayed silent for a moment.

“Apples. Infected by an incorrect statement, turned rotten.” He said without opening his eyes. “Your answer has spread there, and has changed the mind of one as it changed yours.”

“Applejack…” Rarity started towards the door, but Mindbender barred the way, eyes open once more.

“You have done enough. You will never find your secret to your life, for you have thrown life away. Rarity, you lived your life for this moment; and now I am going to end it.”

Mindbender started slowly forward, advancing on Rarity. Rarity began backing up; Mindbender wasn’t moving fast, but it was rapid enough that he would be upon her in short time. She felt herself back into a corner, and started screaming.

Spike, still being a baby dragon, was not faster than Rarity, and had to slow several times in order to catch his breath. His anger and sadness had driven him forward, barring out anything that would prevent him from reaching his mandate. Few thoughts ran through his troubled mind, and most of those were concerning what he would do once he reached Rarity’s boutique. It was curious though, at one point when he had slowed, a strange thought entered his mind: Rainbow Dash’s secret. He had ignored it at that point, passing it off as just a random thought that was born from some memory or the grief that he was experiencing. As he ran, the thought kept coming back into his mind: Rainbow Dash’s secret. It was a troubling thought, as he could not fully understand it. As he ran, he dwelt over the thought, trying to make sense of what it could mean. There was more to the thought, and while it was complete, he could not comprehend what most of it meant. Eventually, his sadness for Twilight and his anger for Rarity pushed the thought out of his mind.

He arrived at Rarity’s boutique about eighteen minutes after he discovered Twilight. Rarity had been there much faster than him, and there was a chance that she had fled. But if she was here… Spike ran to the entrance and was surprised to find the door unlocked. He did not hesitate to enter, not bothering to close the door.

“RARITY! WHERE ARE YOU? WHY…” His voice trailed off. It did not take long to find Rarity. She was lying in a corner of the room, motionless. He walked over to her, and checked for a pulse. There was none; she was dead. Her head was at an odd angle, as if it had been sharply twisted. He had run a thousand scenarios through his head about where she would be, what she would be doing, her explanation, but he could never have expected this. After taking a moment to simply stare at her, he noticed a pencil and a small scrap of paper near her. He picked the paper up to find an almost unintelligible word scrawled upon it: Applejack. Spike had no knowledge of what had killed her, and the circumstances that she was in during her final moments, but she had somehow remained alive long enough to scribble down the name of where Mindbender was going. Regardless of Spike having no knowledge of who had left the boutique several minutes before he arrived, it was obvious to him that Applejack was in danger.

Applejack kicked the wall of the barn, resulting in putting her hooves through the wall. She couldn’t understand why she was angry, something had changed her mood incredibly swiftly. She had had an interesting day thus far: twice her heart had throbbed for some reason, causing a feeling of sadness that she could not explain. She tried to ignore them through working, but the feelings that had been born from the throbs were too great to simply ignore them. Then the thought entered: Rainbow Dash’s secret. Applejack had decided to dwell on this particular thought, for it was something she had not considered before. She had originally not understood what it had meant, but it slowly came together. Yes she had to patch some ‘holes’ that made sense to her in accordance with the rest of the thought; and she found her explanation fitting. Once it was together, Applejack simply stood, stunned for several minutes; all sorts of explanations and emotions running through her head, trying to make the thought acceptable, but it was useless. The answer to Rainbow Dash’s secret was unacceptable.

“Why that little…” She fumed as she removed her two hind legs from the wall of the barn. “Ah would never have thought that she…you think you know a pony, and a friend no less.”

Applejack walked into the barn to repair the wall. As she found the extra boards, she heard something behind her. She turned to see somepony’s silhouette in a shadow in the back of the barn. She sighed, no pony was as big as her brother, and the shape was huge: Big Macintosh.

“Sorry about that Mac, Ah just got a little carried away.” She explained to the other. Then the thought returned, and she slammed the board she was carrying down. The figure made no movement. “Ah don’t know what’s wrong with me. Well, Ah know what’s wrong, but…Ah don’t know. Can you give me a hand? Ah am a bit off.”

A tall, tan stallion with a downward spiral for a cutie mark appeared out of the shadow, the massive shape of her brother was gone. The strange pony was carrying some type of claw hammer. He advanced toward Applejack at a slow but steady pace.

“Who are you?” Applejack whispered. Normally, she would not have been afraid of simple intruder, she could take care of herself. But it had not been a normal day; she was an emotional wreck, and this strange pony’s presence gave her chills.

“Applejack, what’s in a name? You are honest, and so you know the value of truth. Unfortunately, that truth about you has been infected by an incorrect assumption and construction of an answer. Of a secret. It has worked its way into your mind and you have continued to construct your own answer. A pony who exists to tell the truth constructs an answer because it cannot understand and it assumes it can. That is a paradox unto itself, and therefore you cannot exist.”

Applejack backed up as the strange pony advanced upon her. It was obvious that he meant to kill her, and if there was any such thing as the right time to try and kill her, this was it. She found herself backed into a corner, unable to escape to any of the exits. She cowered down as the figure came steadily on.

Spike was having an experience much like the one he had while running towards Rarity’s boutique. He had taken the time to cover up the deceased Rarity before sprinting in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. Again, sadness had struck him, and he began to cry as he ran. The shock of the situation had worn off enough to allow him that much. Spike at one point almost fell over from a painful throb of his heart. It was stronger this time, and he knew that something bad had just occurred. Applejack, he surged on, ignoring the pain in his feet and sides. He was almost to the acres when the thought struck him again: Rainbow Dash’s secret. Much of it was still the same, but he did notice that the thought had changed slightly, into something…strange, and almost worse. It was if the thought had evolved since it had last entered his head.

When he reached Sweet Apple Acres, he attempted to call out for Applejack, but found himself unable, due to lack of breath. He slowed to a walk, but continued forward into the farm. By the time he had regained his voice, he had walked over in the vicinity of the farmhouse and barn. He heard somepony crying; low, deep sobs that Spike had never heard before. The emotional noise was sounding from the barn, the open door allowing the sound to escape without much interference. Spike walked briskly up to the open door and peered inside. Big Macintosh was sitting by Applejack’s body; weeping openly. It was strange to see him in despair; he always seemed like a pony who could never be moved, always calm and collected. Not here though, he was open. Spike walked over to him, and Big Macintosh glanced up at him, then turned back to his sister. Applejack’s back was to them, but Spike could see a small trickle of blood coming from the front, near her head. He continued to stare, in disbelief and horror, until Big Macintosh spoke. Struggling for words between sobs.

“Why? Why did anypony have to do this? What did she ever do to anypony?” He asked without looking up. Spike was unaware if the questions were directed at him or not. “She was a kind pony. Never did wrong to anypony, always eager to help out and be the best friend she could be. Who would do this?”

Spike did not have the words or the courage to reply. He did not know what was the correct thing to be said, but he did know that if the wrong thing was said, the sadness the massive earth pony felt could turn to wrath. He glanced towards the open barn door, the back at Applejack’s body. His eyes widened, and he spun around sharply. Over in the trees, near the edge of the farm, was somepony watching. It was tall and tan, he could make out that much. His other features were lost to Spike by the distance. The one other thing Spike could make out though was the eyes. The pony’s eyes were wide and staring directly at them. It was unnerving, and yet Spike was captivated by the staring, the longer he and the strange pony held their gaze, the more sure Spike became of a small feeling: this was the pony responsible. The far-off pony broke the connection, and turned away. Spike continued to watch the tall, tan pony as it left; refusing to break the gaze when Big Macintosh spoke again.

“Who did this?” he inquired.

“I think I know.” Spike replied coldly, and began to run in the direction of the pony who had just left.

Big Macintosh started to follow, then looked back at Applejack’s body. He couldn’t leave her here, not like that. He turned back away from the door and collected his dear sister’s body onto his back. The killer could wait, his sister needed to be at rest first.

Mindbender knew that the baby dragon would pursue him. It was unfortunate that he be caught up in the workings of destruction that had begun. Mindbender closed his eyes to concentrate on the next phase of mending the damage that Rarity had been foolish enough to start with her incorrect answer to a secret that did not belong to her. Twilight was taken care of, Rarity was taken care of, and Applejack was also gone. Things were cleaning up well, making his job easy. He had seen so much in his life, and it was still staggering, even to him, the amount of damage that one pony’s stupidity causes. One constructed answer; one assumption of what was correct.

Mindbender did not walk quickly, for he had no need to. Ponies observed him as just another passerby, or did not see him at all; depending on whether he partially guarded their secret of life or not. He eventually stopped once he had reached one of the main streets in Ponyville. Silently, he took cover in a shadow cast by one of the buildings, and waited for the baby dragon to come along.

He did not have to wait long, for Spike can walking briskly up the street not ten minutes later. Spike did not even glance at Mindbender as he passed the shadow where the strange pony sat. Mindbender expected this. He did not know how he appeared to ponies, or any creature for that matter, who were dealing with emotional turmoil. Their minds perceived him as someone that they trusted, or wanted to be with at that moment. Only when he was obscured by shadow, however; once he removed himself from his veil of deceit, what he really looked like was revealed. Not that this was a bad thing though, he usually did not hide in shadow when among other ponies, and very few gave him a second thought. Whoever Spike had seen in the shadow, he did not give a second thought to either, and thus simply passed on in search of Mindbender. Mindbender stepped quietly from the shadow and followed Spike. He had a way of moving silently when he wished to, and in his position it was a valuable trait to have. Occasionally, you just don’t want somepony knowing that you see them. Spike had to stop eventually to catch his breath. He had been running the majority of the day, and it was certainly not becoming any easier. As he stood, panting, in the street, a shadow fell over him. There was something ominous about the shadow, and it was even worse that it did not pass by. Spike did not have to look to guess who it was, for the feeling he perceived gave him the answer. He turned to see Mindbender standing over him, tall and tan, with glazed over yet life filled eyes peering into his own. Spike had been unnerved when he had seen the eyes at a distance, but being this close was terrifying. The gaze of the strange pony seemed to work its way inside of him, twisting his thoughts, and preventing him from moving.

“Who…who are you?” Spike inquired.

“Spike. You were so close to knowing.” Mindbender replied in a tone that came close to pity.

Spike stood penetrated as Mindbender reached his hooves over to either side of Spike’s head. The last thing Spike saw was Mindbender’s piercing gaze, and the last thing he felt was sadness as his head twisted around. There was a sharp crack inside his ears, and he was gone.

Pinkie Pie had been curious about what she had been thinking that day, and also why her heart had throbbed several times in such a way that made her sad. Usually she was cheerful, and bouncing around; but today she was melancholy and did not want to do anything besides lie down and be depressed. She tried to sleep, but a same reoccurring thought entered her dreams, forcing her awake and keeping her awake: Rainbow Dash’s secret. The first time the thought had entered her mind; she hadn’t thought much of it, just another random Pinkie thought. But it kept returning, each time the thought revived in her mind, it was slightly different, until the original thought was lost to her. When she finally decided to dwell on it, she could not understand several parts of it. The more she thought on it, the more she realized she didn’t understand it all. She dwelt over it until she made it understandable in her mind.

Her heart suddenly throbbed, and yet again Pinkie was plunged into a sadness she could not explain. She decided that perhaps a quick stroll around the town might relieve her of her depressed state. She of all ponies knew the value of being happy consistently, for laughing and joy kept oneself healthy and generally more satisfied with life. Once she had stepped out of the door of Sugarcube Corner, all thoughts of walking were stopped dead. Spike was lying in the street in front of her, his head twisted around at an odd angle. Big Macintosh was standing over him, doing nothing save looking at the baby dragon’s body. Perhaps it was her emotional instability of the day, or perhaps she just refused to see reason; but Pinkie Pie, a pony who would always try to see the good in any pony, and was incredibly slow to anger, felt angered now. Something inside of her said that the massive earth pony was the responsible party.

“What have you done?” Pinkie Pie screamed and sprinted over towards Big Macintosh. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?”

“What?” Big Macintosh replied. He had calmed down quite a bit now that his sister had been properly laid to rest, but his emotions were still in turmoil. His heart had throbbed painfully as he had followed Spike in pursuit of the strange pony whom Spike believed had killed Applejack.

Pinkie Pie took a swipe with one of her front hooves at Big Macintosh, but the earth pony managed to avoid it. He began to try to explain to the angered party pony, but having to continuously avoid her attacks made it difficult.

“Pinkie…I was just…I mean I didn’t…I was following Spike to….” He realized that nothing he was saying was making any difference to the surprisingly enraged Pinkie Pie.

“You were following him to kill him!” Pinkie shouted at Macintosh. “Why would you want to kill him? What did he ever do to you, or anyone for that matter?”

Big Macintosh was beginning to become agitated at Pinkie Pie. He had no wish to harm the irate pony, but it was clear that if he did not intervene, she would cause harm to somepony; whether it was him or not.

“Pinkie! I did not kill Spike! Applejack’s dead and Spike thought he saw the pony who done it! I was following him, and when I saw him here…” Big Macintosh replied to Pinkie’s verbal assault indignantly. He had spoken to another pony more times that day than in the last week. His usually almost solemn attitude was nearly gone, slowly being worked away by the day. Even when he had discovered Applejack, he had barely uttered a word until Spike had arrived. Yes, he had been openly crying, but no words accompanied the tears.

“Riiiiight, yeah, I’m sure that’s what happened! Very handy that Spike apparently saw somepony around the same time that Applejack was killed.”

“Applejack was dead before Spike or the other pony, whoever it was, showed up.” Big Macintosh was finding that it was increasingly hard to keep his temper in check. Between emotional turmoil and Pinkie Pie’s accusations and flailing of hooves, the earth pony was now fighting an internal battle as well.

“So you killed Applejack, and Spike was a witness. Now it makes sense.” Pinkie Pie hissed irately.

Big Macintosh snapped. He roared and swung a giant hoof at Pinkie. He felt brief contact, then the hoof circled back towards him. Pinkie wasn’t fighting anymore, she wasn’t moving anymore either; she just lay on the ground motionless. Big Macintosh had known that Pinkie wasn’t an athletic pony, and that she did not engage in rough activities, but he had failed to recognize how feeble she actually was. Not as feeble as say, Fluttershy; but feeble enough to be struck down via the blow of a large earth pony who had worked the farm for his entire life.

“Pinkie?” he whispered, and nudged the motionless form with his hoof.

There was no response. He nudged again with the same result. Tears formed again in his eyes. Once more, his hearth throbbed, adding sadness to the mix of emotional confusion he was already having to contend with. In the confusion of the small fight between the two, neither of the ponies had realized that a large number of spectators had gathered. When Pinkie Pie was struck, many of them had felt a throb in their hearts as well. For many of them, the first stage of grief was skipped, and instantly replaced with the anger of the second stage. For those who did not know Pinkie Pie, which were only a select few, they only felt confusion and hatred toward the giant earth pony.

“Hey!” a voice rang out.

Big Macintosh looked around, tears still lingering in his eyes. A mob of ponies had gathered around him. There was no mistaking what their intention was, they didn’t need to say anything, the vexation could be read from the facial expressions and the flashes across their eyes. He did not make any response, save looking back at Pinkie Pie’s body and crying silently. This made no impact on the enraged crowd of ponies. When the first of the hooves hit him, he remained motionless and silent. More blows resulted in his falling to the ground, his face pointed directly at Pinkie Pie’s. Her eyes were still open, a condemning stare at Big Macintosh. He shut his eyes, and continued to lie there as the mob came upon him.

Rainbow Dash had finished practicing some time ago, around the time that Spike was running toward Sweet Apple Acres. It had been a long day of flying for her, but she was satisfied with her progress. Several times she had had to pause momentarily by a painful throb of the heart. The throbs educed a feeling of sorrow that had caused her next couple of tricks after the throbs to be less than successful. She fought her way passed the sadness however, and continued to practice her potential routine. When she had decided that her practice was sufficient for the day, Rainbow Dash had taken up a cloud for a well-deserved nap. It was unknown to her how long she slept, but when she was awoken by another painful throb of the heart, she was still tired, potentially because the throb had left her in a state of despair, draining her of her energy. It was around this time that she had noticed she was napping above of the main streets of Ponyville, and that Big Macintosh was only a little ways of from being below her. It was strange to see Applejack’s brother around the town; usually he kept to himself and did not leave the farm, as far as she knew. Then she noticed that Spike was lying nearby Macintosh, unmoving. Before she could really comprehend this, none other than Pinkie Pie came running towards Big Macintosh out of what Rainbow recognized to be Sugarcube Corner. The two were too far off to be heard by Rainbow, but she could tell that Pinkie was angry about something. This was also unusual, especially for Pinkie Pie. Rainbow sat perplexed as Pinkie Pie began fighting Big Macintosh. Of all the ponies to fight, Big Macintosh was not the ideal one, and of all the ponies to start a fight, Pinkie Pie was not an expected candidate.

Rainbow Dash nearly fell off of her cloud when Big Macintosh had hit Pinkie Pie. She was about to descend, and confront the work pony, when the spectators who had been gathering around the spectacle gathered around Big Macintosh and began to attack him. He was soon obscured from sight by the mass. Rainbow was vacillating between trying to help Big Macintosh, who was for some reason unknown to her not fighting back, and not becoming tangled in the violence. She soon retreated back to her cloud when more ponies who had not witnessed the previous spectacle emerged and, having missed past events constructed their own answers for the events taking place, began fighting the ponies who were in the mob. Friends were fighting friends, and ponies who could never imagine harming another were struggling against each other. Unicorns used their magic to throw various objects, earth ponies lashed out with their hooves, and Pegasus ponies began… dive-bombing? Rainbow Dash was well aware that her cloud would not provide an adequate shelter, and she darted to the ground, attempting to avoid the chaos which and been born. She quickly spotted a raised porch big enough to hide under. The porch was not far away from the brawl, but it was separated from the majority of the fighting.

Rainbow carefully made her way under the porch, careful not to be seen and hunted down. As she hid, her heart throbbed consistently. The throbs did not only fill her with sorrow, but caused internal pain. Not a physical pain however, but an extreme heartache. She began to cry, the mix of sorrow, internal pain, the cries of ponies fighting and dying beyond her hiding place, and an absolute confusion about any meaning that could explain the events had become too much for her. It was fortunate that the noise covered the sounds of her open sobbing, for she made no attempt to muffle them. Something crashed through the porch she was hiding under, striking her in the head. She had a vague glimpse of a large rock in front of her as her vision swirled. Shortly after, Rainbow Dash blacked out.

Mindbender stood on a rooftop, observing the streets below him. The violent, mindless brawl, which very few of the ponies had a reason for being involved in, had finally ended. The fighting had lasted for almost three hours, finally dying as the last of the ponies died; whether exhaustion, wounds, excessive blood loss, or any other of the reasons the streets were now silent. Mindbender had seen scenarios like this one before, and thus was desensitized to the wrath. Even he, however, was startled by the intensity of this particular incident. Usually the dead were limited to a select few. Sacrifices by ponies were necessary for the good of the community, but in this case the community was the sacrifice the ponies had made. Mindbender sighed, his work still wasn’t done; he had been one of the guardians of the secrets of one’s life for many of these ponies, and none of them had been given the opportunity of discovering why they were really there. All because one pony had touched on an answer she did not understand and thus guessed. He was tired of the business here, but it was not yet complete; there was one more pony he needed to confront.

Rainbow Dash awoke with a raging headache. Sunlight poured into the hole in the porch that had been broken open by the rock. The rock itself lay right next to her head. She batted it away and slowly crawled out from under the porch. Her head was as sore as anything, but she was lucky that nothing else had fallen and broken a limb or one of her wings. She glanced around at the bodies that littered the streets: colts, fillies, mares, stallions, unicorns, pegasus, earth, there was no discrimination. As Rainbow looked around, she couldn’t help but begin to laugh.

“I’m…I’m alive!” she gasped out. She was in a state she could not identity. It was somewhere between joy and disbelief. “I’m alive! I’m-“

Something struck her hard in the back of her head. She fell heavily to the ground and rolled onto her back. She looked up to see a tall, tan pony with wide, staring eyes looking down at her. His cutie mark seemed to be a downward spiral, and his eyes were glazed over yet full of life. While the eyes were the only true things that seemed out of place about the pony, Rainbow Dash was unnerved.

“Who are you? How did you survive?” Rainbow Dash attempted to back up, but found that the strange pony had pinned one of her wings down with a hoof. “Let go!”

“Rainbow Dash, I am Mindbender. I am the last guardian of your secret.”

“My what?”

“Your secret, the reason you exist.”

Rainbow Dash stared uncomprehending at Mindbender. She saw two reasons that this pony was saying this to her: he was insane, he was telling the truth.

“Did you start the fight?” Rainbow Dash asked, glancing over at the street.

“One may have that opinion.” Mindbender replied enigmatically.

“So, you…killed them, basically.” Rainbow Dash was trying to back up again, but Mindbender’s hoof was still preventing her escape.

“No Rainbow Dash, you did.” Mindbender’s eyes were emotionless.

“What?”

“I said you killed them. All of them.”

“Me? I was hiding under a porch! I didn’t take any part in the fighting!”

“I never said it was direct. You see, or rather you didn’t see, this all started with your practice earlier today. A certain pony was thinking on the meaning of her life, and saw you flying around. She somehow obtained a small fragment of your secret, of the reason you exist. She did not understand, and so she guessed what it meant. She made herself an answer. At this her opinions, views, reactions, thoughts, and even personality, for a short time, changed. She needed to tell somepony. That pony refused to accept and the first life was taken. This caused the spread of the incorrect answer to other ponies, but they were confused about the incorrect answer, so they guessed at the meaning and the answer changed. It continued to spread farther and farther, changing as it went. It finally became the chaos, which you hid from. All of this came from you, from your secret.”

Rainbow Dash was shaking her head, refusing to hear what Mindbender was saying. She hadn’t done anything! So she killed all of them because somepony made an assumption?

“What’s my secret then? If it caused all of this, what is it?” she asked indignantly.

“Rainbow Dash, your secret is the reason you exist. You may not agree with it, but that is not your choice. You exist for the sole purpose of destroying Ponyville, as you have done.”

“THAT’S THE MEANING OF MY LIFE?” she screamed at Mindbender, who was still pining her wing down. “What is that supposed to mean? ‘Your purpose is to destroy Ponyville.’ Is there anything more to that? Why was I supposed to destroy Ponyville?”

“That is not your secret.” Mindbender replied placidly. “You do not need to know.”

Rainbow Dash began to speak again, but Mindbender moved his other front hoof to her mouth, quieting her.

“Rainbow Dash, you have been fortunate enough to know the secret of your life. You have lived your entire life for this moment, and now I am going to end it.”

Mindbender moved forward, placing a hoof on Rainbow Dash’s forehead. He suddenly thrust his hoof down. All resistance gave way underneath the force of his hoof. Rainbow Dash had barely a moment to register what was happening. In the split second she remained awake, she noticed that dying this was wasn’t painless, as she would have thought, but it was pretty quick; so that was something. It was over for her; Rainbow Dash had fulfilled her secret, and now she had become part of it. Mindbender turned from the final victim to see a yellow pegasus walking toward him.

“Mindbender.” She spoke in a quiet voice.

“Fluttershy.” Mindbender replied, nodding in greeting. “What did you discover?”

“The incorrect answer had only spread to a couple of ponies in other towns. I was able to cut it off though, it won’t plague the minds of any others.” Fluttershy informed him.

“One of these ponies was exceptionally close to the Princesses. Did you check on them?” Mindbender inquired.

“I did, their magic is too strong for the thought to enter. There is nothing more to fear from it.”

Mindbender nodded, pleased with the answer he had recieved, and proceeded past Fluttershy to the Everfree Forest. Fluttershy watched him go, then turned to return to her own home.