Forgotten

Twilight, Starlight, and Flame Mane raced out of Ponyville and back into the forest where she had first met the group of friendly ponies who told her of Equestria's plight. She explained her plan in rapid fire fashion to her two supportive, if a tad confused, friends and the trio quickly darted through the greenery that surrounded them. Flame Mane was a bit apprehensive at the princess's ideas, for he knew the truth about Dr. Greyhoof, but every time he tried to put a word in edgewise, his new friend cut him off.

Twilight knew she had to get to where other friendly ponies were. The power of friendship was amazing by itself, but together with others, it could be magnified many times over. Plus, the group she was thinking of had already told her of a cure they had found for it. She had to return to the Society of Ponies for Friendship, and she had to make it clear to them that they needed to publicize their intentions.

They turned around a certain corner and ran right into the middle of the S.P.F.'s camp. Twilight noticed that the group had grown significantly since she had last seen them, and she rejoiced internally. These new ponies were exactly what she needed. Their power could help raise the friendship levels in Equestria drastically. She waltzed over to Dr. Greyhoof's tent and went inside. Flame Mane and Starlight went in as well.

"Dr. Greyhoof?" She asked politely.

"Princess Twilight!" The grey bearded stallion answered happily, "we've been anxiously awaiting your return!"

"You have?" She asked curiously, "but…I didn't think I was ever coming back."

"Oh, my dear princess, everypony comes back to the S.P.F. After all, we are friends to everypony, and we want nothing but the joy and happiness of our fellow equines."

"That's wonderful!" Starlight suddenly shouted, "because Equestria is in some deep trouble."

"My goodness!" Greyhoof exclaimed when he saw how disheveled and hungry Starlight looked, "how long have you been without food?"

"I haven't had a good meal in a couple days," Starlight answered, "I've been stuck in the Ponyville Prison."

"Oh my!" Greyhoof said, "we need to get you some proper victuals at once. Apple Bloom?!"

At his command, the olive colored young mare ran into the tent and stood in front of him. Starlight's mouth fell open, for the last time she saw Apple Bloom, the friendship tutor was a filly. Twilight noticed her friend's shock and quietly closed her mouth with a hoof. "Starlight, remember, this isn't the Equestria we know. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are both older, and Scootaloo has been murdered for teaching the true values of friendship. We can't let that faze us!"

"Indeed," Greyhoof said, "it is of the utmost importance that we do not cower in the face of this evil. I sense that you are one of us, Ms…?"

"Glimmer. Starlight Glimmer."

"Ms. Starlight," Greyhoof went on, "and I am delighted to be able to meet somepony who is in such close social proximity to the Princess of Friendship."

He winked at the young mare, who backed away a bit. For some reason, she didn't like the way he was eyeing her. His words were kind, but his body language was rather off putting. She didn't want to ignore his offer of food, for her stomach would have killed her if she had, but she didn't enjoy being gawked at like that. She felt like he was caressing her with his eyes, and she squirmed a bit. So she accepted the food that Apple Bloom provided, but refused to look Greyhoof in the eye.

"So, Dr. Greyhoof," Twilight said, "we need your help. You see, I-"

"Bumble Trot!" Greyhoof suddenly said when he noticed the stallion, "you've returned too! I'm so thrilled! Now you can remain here with us, and relearn everything we taught you!"

"No!" Flame Mane yelled, "my name is no longer Bumble Trot, for the princess changed it. I am now Flame Mane, and I always will be! I don't need you anymore, Greyhoof!"

Greyhoof looked to be genuinely hurt by the stallion's cutting remark. "I'm sorry if I ever mistreated you, Flame Mane," he said, "I was only trying to cement our friendship."

"You don't believe in friendship!" Flame said as his temper finally blew, "you believe in similarities over differences, and that everypony can be turned into the same zombie as the next pony! Genetic modifications, warping a pony's DNA, even swapping cutie marks so they're all the same! You are evil!"

Twilight gasped as Flame Mane revealed all these horrifying secrets about Greyhoof. In a flash, she was transported back to the time when Starlight Glimmer had been her adversary and had done a lot of the same things Flame claimed about Greyhoof. She saw ponies all acting the same, living the same, and essentially, being the same. She saw individuals erased and personalities slaughtered. She saw the blood of friendship running red on the ground, and Greyhoof was the murderer.

"Is this true, Dr. Greyhoof?" She asked.

"Flame Mane, you got too close to the sun and now you've been burned to a crisp!" Greyhoof exploded on the young stallion, "you always made mistakes and you never mattered to anypony! We took you in and taught you the true value of friendship!"

"No!" Flame exploded back, "what you taught me was to be blindly allegiant to the leader of a group that wants to force ponies into friendship! You want to genetically modify everypony so that they all look the same, talk the same, and act the same! Thank Celestia Twilight decided to return to Canterlot when she did, otherwise she would've been another casualty of your 'cure!'"

Twilight suddenly saw Dr. Greyhoof as another enemy in this twisted world, and her mind went into overdrive trying to think of a way to escape. She now knew that the S.P.F. didn't hold the cure for anything. Instead, they held a means of another horrifying transformation. She saw all of Equestria as the same dull pony, and she didn't want that. That wasn't friendship.

"Maybe the three of you will change your minds about my process when you've sat in my holding area for a while," Greyhoof growled menacingly, "GUARDS?!"