It had been six months since The Mare Who Laughs was arrested and sent to the Central Equestrian Hospital for the Criminally Insane outside Maresourri City. She sat on a metal chair bolted to the floor in a straight jacked that was tied to the back of the chair, her hind hooves were shackled to the chair. Two hulking stallion orderlies with extra restraining devices and syringes of tranquilizers stood by the door.

The door opened and Starlight Glimmer walked through wearing a white coat with a pair of wire-framed glasses on her snout. The picked up a folding chair, set it up across from The Mare Who Laughs and sat down. Looking to the orderlies, she said, "You can leave for now. The patient has been properly restrained."

"We'll be right outside if you need us.", The first orderly said, "Don't take no chances with this one. The last doctor that got to close to her wound up getting her jugular nearly ripped out when this one bit into her neck."

After the orderlies walked out and pushed the door to, Starlight Glimmer said, "Good morning, I am Doctor Starlight Glimmer. I'd like to start by asking you a few question, is that okay?"

"Hoo-hoo!", The Mare Who Laughs cackled, "Ask away doctor." A wide smile spread across her face.

"What it the first memory you can recall?", Starlight asked.

"I was an earth pony born to a family of pegasi in Cloudsdale. When I was young, they shipped me off to an orphanage in Canterlot ran by a real bastard called Jack White.", The Mare Who Laughs said wit her best attempt at a neutral smile, "He used to like to touch me in my filly place and kiss my neck. One day when I was about eight, I ran away and told the police. They took me in and went to ask him about it. Of course he lied and then they released me back into his custody." She managed to squeeze out some crocodile tears. "Then he got really mean. First he took and heated up a butter knife on the stove and burnt my face until it looked like this. After he was done, he beat and stomped me saying that nopony would want to adopt an ugly lying mare who told lies, then he chained me to the the radiator and didn't feed me for almost a week. If I cried because I was hungry, he'd come out and hit me in the face with a belt saying that if I didn't stop crying, he'd give me a reason to cry. After the third time he beat me I started making myself laugh when I felt sad, scared or hungry. After a week he unchained me and said he'd feed me if I...if I..." She squeezed out more crocodile tears and gave some convincing sobs. She began rocking back and forth in her restraints gently and saying, "Good fillies don't cry, good fillies don't cry, good fillies don't cry!"

"It's okay, nopony is going to hurt you here.", Starlight said softly, "If you feel like crying, you can."

The Mare Who Laughs began shaking her head back and forth as she gave convincing whimpers, "I'll be good Mr. White! I'll be good Mr. White! Please don't put you colt part there! I'll be good! I Promise. See I'm always smiling and I'm laughing! See?! Hahahahahahaha! Nononono! Please take it out! It hurts! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" She begins thrashing around in her restraints.

Starlight rushes to the door and throws it open. "Orderlies! She's having a full anxiety fueled panic attack with a psychotic break!"

The orderlies rush in and one injects The Mare Who Laughs with a syringe filled with a tranquilizer, after a few minutes she goes limp as drool begins dripping out her mouth. A few minutes later a gurnet si wheeled in, and she is strapped to it and rushed back to her cell.

Starlight sits down to collect herself.

"Are you alright Doctor Glimmer?", an orderly asks.

"I'm fine, just a little rattled,", Starlight replies, "I know I recently graduated from Whinnyapolis University with a double major in abnormal psychology and mental trauma, but this is my first case I've dealt with of such a case of sever trauma caused from foal abuse and sexual assault from a young age. No wonder she lashes out like she does, all she knew growing up was hurt and suffering, she never learned proper coping mechanisms." She rested her head on her hoof. Looking up, she saw a pack of cigarettes in the pockets of the orderly, "Can I get one of those?"

"Uh sure, here ya go.", the orderly said pulling out a cigarette and passed it to her.

"Got a match? And don't say your rump and my face or kick you in the balls."

The orderly pulled out a lighter and lit the cigarette for her. "If my boss catches you with that..."

"Don't worry.", Starlight says taking a drag and blowing out the smoke, "I'll tell him I brought it in with me." Flicking the ash in a nearby cup, she pulls out a felt pen and begins writing on a notepad as she takes another drag.

The next day The Mare Who Laughs was wheeled into Starlight's office on a gurney and it was stood on end. The orderlies check her straps before stepping out of the office.

"Good morning!", Starlight says in a chipper tone, "I hope you are feeling today."

The Mare Who Laughs gave a toothy grin. "Yes Doctor Glimmer."

Starlight sat on a padded office chair. "Yesterday I didn't ask you your name.", she says, "Do you think you can tell me your name?"

The Mare Who Laughs squeezes out some crocodile tears as she makes her voice crack, "All I ever remember being called is ugly and stupid."

"Well I don't think you're either of those.", Starlight says kindly, "In fact I think you're pretty and sweet."

The Mare Who Laughs made herself stammer, "Y-you really th-think so?"

"Mhm.", Starlight replies with a gentle smile, "I think you're as pretty as the stars on a clear night and as sweet as pudding."

The Mare Who Laughs smiled as she fought back a malicious cackle. She then did a convincing sniffle, "But how can I be sweet if I'm broken?"

Starlight gave a soft smile. "Isn't peanut brittle sweet?"

The Mare who Laughs gave her best sad nod.

"Is there any other name you've ever heard anypony call you?", Starlight asks.

The Mare Who Laughs gave her head a sad shake as she gave a convincing sniffle.

"Well I'm going to do my best to help you.", Starlight says, "I know you've been hurt a lot and some ponies called you bad names, but I want you to know you can trust me." She walks over to her desk and pulls out a can of soda. "Would you like some?"

"Yes please.", The Mare Who Laughs gave her best sad smile.

Starlight pulls out a plastic cup, open the can of soda and pours it into the cup. She walks over holding the cup in her magic, she levitates up to The Mare Who Laughs lips. "Sip it slowly."

As The Mare Who Laughs sipped the soda, she squeezed out another crocodile tear.

Taking the cup away from The Mare Who Laughs lips, Starlight places the cup on her desk and sits in the office chair. "Okay until you can remember your birth name, I'm going to call you Pudding. Is that okay?"

The Mare Who Laughs squeezes out even more crocodile tears as she replies, "Yes Doctor Glimmer."

"Okay Pudding, I noticed you don't have a cutie mark.", Starlight says, "Would you mind telling me how that came to be?"

The Mare Who Laughs gave her best soft smile. "I never got mine. When other fillies and colts got their, I never got mine. The foals used to tease me calling me blank flank, one kind teacher named Mr. Hopping Jay used to say I was a late bloomer and it would come when I found my purpose. But as I grew older, it never came. As the fillies my age would find dates, none of the other colts would even give me a second look. One particularly nasty filly named...you know I cant remember her name, would say that unspecial ponies like me would never get their cutie marks and Mr. White would say that ugly fillies like myself would never get theirs."

"Really? You never got your cutie mark?", Starlight asked, "I lost my best friend after he got his cutie mark when his parents sent him off to Celestia's school in Canterlot."

The Mare Who Laughed smiled as she knew she had just gotten her hooks into Starlight, just time to reel her in slowly. "Over time I realized what's so special about cutie marks anyways? I mean stuck doing one thing for the rest of your life. Boring!"

"Fascinating.", Starlight whispered to herself.

The Mare Who Laughs gave a convincing yawn. "I'm sorry doctor, I don't mean to be rude. I'm just a little sleepy."

"No, it's fine.", Starlight said, "would you like to go back to your room and take a nap?"

"Mhm."

Starlight walked over to the door and opened it. "We've made some progress today and would like to go back to her room.", she said to the orderly.

The orderlies came in and wheeled The Mare Who Laughs out of the office and back to her cell.

Starlight sat at her desk and began musing to herself, "A pony who has never received her cutie mark and the world is wide open to her." She tapped a hoof on her chin, "A whole community of ponies without cutie marks. Where everypony in equal because they have nothing to make them stand out. No friends lost because they're taken off to a school because their cutie marks tell them they're good at magic. Everypony always has smiles on their faces and are friendly. That would be a place where Pudding could grow and prosper and other ponies like her could grow and heal into better functioning adults."

The Mare Who Laughs cackled softly to herself, she had put her hooks into Starlight and had given her enough line, it was only a matter of time before she leapt in the boat.

Over the next three days Starlight continued to talk with The Mare Who Laughs, her nickname for her had been shortened to Puddin' and she had allowed her to call her Glimmy. On the third day Starlight had kissed her on the lips passionately when she had lied telling her that nopony had ever kissed her. Now she had Starlight in her boat and it was only a matter of time before she began paddling the boat as well. Just a waiting game

It was well after dark when Starlight unlocked the door to The Mare Who Laughs cell. "Okay, I've got a way to get you out of here, we need to go now." The Mare Who Laughs wriggled out of her restraints and kissed Starlight hard on the mouth. Starlight bit her lip as the kiss was parted. "We go now.", The Mare Who Laughs cackled. Starlight nodded and they bolted for the backdoor that had a small box propping it open.

A week later Starlight and The Mare Who Laughs stood at the entrance to a valley on the edge of the wasteland.

Starlight kissed The Mare Who Laughs on the mouth and said after parting the kiss, "This is where we will build a community where nopony will have cutie marks and will always have big happy smiles on their faces."

The Mare Who Laughs stomped on a rock, breaking the edge off into a sharp blade, then lifted it up in her hoof and passed it to Starlight. "Prove it.", she cackled as a sadistic gleam filled her eyes, "Cut off your cutie marks. If you don't, then you aren't committed to you vision."

Starlight took the crude stone knife in her magic and hesitated for a moment. She stared at the sadistically smiling mare and she felt her own eyes sparkle. She began cutting into her flank with the crude stone blade, hissing in pain. Once she had cut her cutie marks off, she showed off her bleeding flanks.

The Mare Who Laughs mane became poofy as a malicious cackle pored from her lips. "Now give yourself a pretty smile like mine."

Starlight took the stone knife in her hooves and began splitting her cheeks.

"AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaa!", The Mare Who Laughs lifted her head in sadistic laughter. Once Starlight had finished splitting her cheeks, she showed off her crooked smile showing her teeth as blood dripped from her face. "Now you belong to me, now and forever.", The Mare Who Laughs cackled cruelly.

Author's Note

Okay final epilogue finished.
I'll leave it marked as incomplete until my editor The_Darker_Fonts gets back and is able to provide his edits. Seriously, you should go to his page and read his stories, they're good.

Thank for reading and enjoy.

mmfmlpl