Blink Again

Chapters

1 - Another Me
2 - Walk Around the Park
3 - Good Eatin’
4 - Two and a Half Ponies
5 - Three’s a Crowd
6 - One’s a Tragedy
7 - Again and Again
8 - Smile
10 - Campfire Stories
11 - Angel
12 - Two Agonies
13 - Regret and Reconciliation
14 - Perverted Kindness
15 - Reflections
16 - Dead Mare’s Tale
17 - Light in the Dark
18 - Feast of the Damned
19 - Bedlam and Bloodshed
Epilogue - New Dawn
9 - Morning at Midnight
20 - Moment of Two Minds

1 - Another Me

Twilight’s last day in Equestria was one of the most perfect, mild-mannered, and all-around beautiful days Ponyville had been graced with in well over a month. It was as if the pegasus weather teams had cleared up the storms and Princess Celestia had warmed the sun just for the sake of making that particular afternoon as pleasant as could be for her and her alone. Of course, neither the pegasi nor Celestia could have been aware of the importance of that day—and in fact, neither was Twilight, as evidenced by the way she galloped about her castle yelling rather than taking the time to savor it.

“Spike! Spike? Spike, where are you?”

“Relax!” the summoned voice called back. “I’m in the kitchen!”

“Oh, good.” Twilight trotted into the aforementioned room. “Have you seen my gift for Rainbow Dash? I swear I’ve looked everywhere! I’m starting to think Trixie took it just to mess with me.”

“Trixie didn’t take it,” Spike responded distractedly, not taking his attention from some sort of dish he was preparing. “It’s sitting right where you left it, over on the table.”

Twilight snapped her head to the side, blinking in stunned confusion. “Oh, so it is. Strange. I thought I checked in here.” She gave a small frown, considered knocking herself upside the head for her own forgetfulness, then muttered, “very well then,” before sliding the gift-wrapped copy of Daring Do and the Secrets of Brodfeld into her saddlebags.

Now, normally, a Daring Do book would not make an adequate present for Rainbow Dash. With as much as Rainbow loved the books, there was usually a near-zero chance that she hadn’t already acquired a signed copy from the author on or even before the official release date. This was a special case, however.

This newest novel had undergone an extremely limited release—available for only a single day, and only across the Seaddle-Tackoma area. Why this was, nopony could say. Apparently, far fewer copies than planned had shipped out, and none at all outside the one region, much to the dismay of booksellers who were expecting the novel. Worse, A. K. Yearling chose precisely that time to disappear, as she so often did when she was secretly out as Daring Do. To date, not one word on the failed launch had been received from her.

Twilight was not one to give up easily though. She’d gone to Seaddle and asked near every pony in sight until she found one willing to sell her their copy, and In the end, she’d been rewarded for her diligence. Rainbow’s moaning at having missed out would soon come to a close.

With the book secure, Twilight turned her focus back to her wonderful assistant. "Well, Spike, I'm off! I'll see you at the party later. Try not to be late this time."

The baby dragon finally spun to face her, throwing up his hands as he did and almost knocking a glass off the counter as a result. "That was one time, and you were the one taking me!"

Twilight chuckled nervously. "Oh, right. Anyway, Pinkie's waiting on me. I'm supposed to help with preparations at four. Rainbow's birthday is going to be amazing!"

"Oh, speaking of," Spike twisted around to grab the item he’d been so focused on off the counter behind him. "Pinkie's been teaching me some new baking tricks. I know there’ll be plenty of food there, but I made Rainbow Dash this cupcake." He held up a large treat consumed by a mountain of frosting in all the colors of the rainbow. "It turned out much better than my last one. I didn't even put gems in it this time!" He sighed, then continued again in a muted tone. "Somehow, I don't think Dash would appreciate that as much as Rarity did."

She let out a laugh, already picturing Rainbow cracking her teeth on the gems her number one assistant could easily have forgotten to exclude. Somehow, she knew that pegasus would not have taken the time to notice and then remove any hard objects like Rarity did. It was just a hazard that came with a dragon who occasionally forgot he was baking for somepony else.

The little dragon frowned, crossing his arms and providing her with an exasperated look. "Okay, I get it, I've messed up once or twice, but that doesn't mean you need to laugh at me!"

She shook her head, suddenly wanting very hard to appear to be laughing with him rather than at him. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh. Making that was actually very thoughtful of you. In fact, would you like me to deliver it to the party for you? I could make it the centerpiece of the decorations!"

He brightened instantly, head nodding in vigorous enthusiasm. "Oh, yes, please! I want it to be the first thing she sees when she walks in." He grinned, then leaned in conspiratorially with a claw held up beside his mouth. "You know, just between you and me, I think I might even have Pinkie beat for once. The secret ingredient? A light toasting of dragon fire. You'd be surprised what eating gems on a daily basis can do."

She flashed him a brief smile whilst busying herself with carefully boxing the treat without smudging the frosting. "Well, that sound wonderful, but if you're angling for more gems, I will point out that the science on them effecting the taste of dragon fire is entirely unproven."

He snapped. "Dang, and I thought I was being subtle with that one!"

She scoffed, making sure to do it with a half-smile to show she was just horsing around. "Well, maybe if I was Rainbow Dash that would have flown over my head, but— OH NO!"

"What?" Spike cried out in alarm.

"No, no, no, no!" She stared at the calendar, barely remembering to keep the magic field up around Spike's cupcake. "Three-thirty? How could it be at three-thirty? Spike, I thought you said I had to help with preparations at four."

"I never said that," he exclaimed, offended. "You're the one who said that!"

"It doesn't matter!" She huffed, beginning to hyperventilate. "Pinkie's going to be so mad at me. The whole party will be messed up because I was late to help! And then, you know, Rainbow Dash will be all sad and—"

"Twilight!" Spike yelled. "Don't be ridiculous. They'll understand, but you need to go."

"Right." She took a deep breath and stuffed the boxed cupcake into her bags. "See you later!"

And with that, Twilight teleported.

Twilight wasn't at Sugarcube Corner, her intended destination, and that thing before her definitely wasn't Pinkie Pie. No, it came from nothing, bones and muscle forming in midair.

Midair.

Frantically, Twilight looked around, struggling to get some sense of what went wrong. Why was she floating? What was this place? It was too dark. Her eyes strained, shocked near to uselessness by the sudden black, unable to see more than a dozen feet ahead of her. What was that on the wall? Writing? It was red, and only dimly visible, but it looked like it said...

"Grab her! Grab her now!" screamed the dark void below her, mimicking the written words in a voice that seemed almost recognizable, yet hoarse and desperate, just enough off as to leave Twilight uncertain.

The figure before her finished forming, an exact replica of Twilight. The only difference was that it just hung there, limp, lifeless.

Shocked into near-catatonia, she blindly obeyed the still screaming voice. With one strong lunge, powered by wings that felt almost too heavy to move, she locked her forehooves around the clone's neck. Then it disappeared.

Gravity lurched into effect, casually dropping her to the floor, its brief recess finished.

Twilight hit something squishy, bounced, rolled, and splashed through a puddle before coming to a squelching stop.

Then it hit her: the stench—an awful, wretched thing that laid siege to her nostrils and brought a herd of rampaging buffalo through her stomach. She gagged, a butterfly's wingbeat from seeing her lunch make an epic return. It was only a small consolation amongst everything else that she did, in fact, keep said meal down.

"Are you injured?" The voice was the same as earlier, but calmer now, perhaps even weary. Whoever it was, they were right in front of her. Twilight could barely make out their silhouette, owing not only to the darkness, but also to the slimy gunk the fall had readily applied to her face and eyes.

"What?" Twilight said, trying to rub the slime from her eyes with her wing.

"Are you injured?" the voice repeated. "You fell."

"I don't think so. I feel— GAH!" Twilight jumped back, eyes clear and registering for the first time who she communed with. It was herself, Twilight Sparkle—a filthy and quite malnourished Twilight Sparkle, but still, it was unmistakable.

"What are you? A changeling?" Twilight, the real Twilight—or so she thought—backed away, eyes glued on the other.

"No," the other said flatly. "I was you, and soon, you will be me. Every time we teleport, a clone is created and sent to the destination, while the Twilight from before is left here as waste. Now... LOOK AT ME!"

Twilight's head snapped back at the unexpected roar. She had only been about to look around, take stock of her surroundings. Apparently, that wasn't allowed.

The other limped forward, favoring her right foreleg over her left. "Listen, I know this is crazy, but I need your undivided attention. I know your eyes are well on their way to being adjusted by now, but please don't look away from me, not even for a moment. I need a chance to explain some things first. It will make all of this a lot easier. Understood?" She stopped within a foot of her, muzzles almost touching—probably so Twilight couldn't see past her.

Twilight took a deep breath—a mistake, given the stale air and horrid smell—then nodded. She even managed to hide her gag reflex. "Okay. You said this was caused by teleporting? Please explain."

The other nodded, satisfied. "Yes. For our entire life, every time we teleported, we went here. What is sent on is a clone so perfect that not even she can tell the difference. This may come as a shock, but neither of us are the original Twilight Sparkle. By now, the original is over a decade dead. This place is a pocket dimension, spherical in shape and made out of some kind of hard, smooth, grayish material. Otherwise, it is completely devoid of any distinguishing features or natural resources. All we have is what we've teleported at one point or another. What you smell is what remains of the Twilights who came before."

Her mouth dropped, the true horror of the situation sinking in. No. No, it couldn't be. Oh Celestia, no! "We're going to die, aren't we? And it's all our fault."

The other grimly nodded. "Yes. At least now, neither of us will be doing it alone. You may look now, just don't point your muzzle my way when you do."

"Okay." Twilight steeled herself, then turned to face the carnage. There was no way she could have properly prepared herself for what she saw, and as a result, she promptly lost her lunch.

2 - Walk Around the Park

Twilight stared at the mountain of corpses, hundreds of versions of herself in various states of decay. Many were alicorns such as herself, but others were from her time as a unicorn, or even from when she was a filly. Worse was that many were half eaten, a grotesque sight with implications she wasn't yet ready to consider. A skull laying nearby even had the eyeholes covered in some kind of paste, turned into a makeshift cup or perhaps a bowl.

"Are you ready to talk yet?" the other asked. "I know it's a lot, but I have questions, and I'm sure you do too."

Twilight turned to the other mare, who sat next to her, blood pooling around her hooves as if she didn't even notice it. "Yeah. Um, could you maybe show me around while we talk?"

"Not much to show," the other shrugged, "but I suppose I can try. Follow me." She waved toward the perimeter with her good foreleg.

Twilight nodded, then set a pace with her clone. "I noticed the injuries—the leg, that scar on your cheek. How did it happen? Is something here hostile to us?"

"Not anymore." The other nodded to a bloated corpse with blackened teeth and a bandaged leg. A hammer made of bone lay next to it, and what looked to be a shiv lay not much further off. "That one attacked me. She had already gone nuts when I arrived, screamed that I was a murderer. I... did what I had to do." She stopped, her gaze falling to the ground as she took a long, shuddering breath.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Twilight reached in to offer a hug, sensing that the other needed it, even if she didn't hug back. “It wasn’t up to you. Besides, if she tried to kill you, she may have already killed others. Better she be at peace now, than going on with that. Who knows? She may have even come after me if not for you. In fact, you probably saved my life.”

The other scoffed. “If I could beat her, you could too." She paused, taking a moment for consideration. "Still... thanks. To be honest, it scares me that we could become like that. I mean, I’ve already killed one pony now; what if the same thing happens to me? Am I going to go crazy too? Are you?”

“No.” Twilight insisted, releasing the hug and stepping around to look the other in the eyes. “We’ll find a way out before then. We have to.”

“A way out?” the other said incredulously. “There is no way out! If there was, don’t you think one of the hundreds of other Twilight’s would have figured it out by now? I thought I found a way, that all you had to do was grab onto the clone before it disappeared, but I was wrong. It still vanished, and it still left you behind.”

“Well, surely we can devise some sort of spell to get us out of here. Teleporting again could at least send a clone up with knowledge of—“

“No. Get this through your head: we might as well be in our own personal torture chamber. There is no magic, our wings don’t work, and we have a precisely zero percent chance of ever receiving outside help.”

Twilight cringed. “Well, maybe there’s a way to break out. Perhaps a powerful enough blow could... could...”

“Could nothing,” the other answered flatly. “It’s no doubt been tried, and there isn’t so much as a scratch on the surface of this sphere we’re in. I’m sorry, but this is our new reality. The sooner you can accept that, the sooner we can get to real problems, like organizing what supplies we have and setting a schedule for food rationing. Luckily, I’ve already gotten started.”

Twilight stared at her. “How long have you been stuck here?”

“When was the last time you teleported?”

“Two weeks ago. I think.”

“Six weeks then, adjusting for the time dilation.” The other sighed. “It feels longer. Follow me. I have something to show you.”

Twilight nodded and followed, trying as hard as she could to ignore the squishing sounds under her hooves.

A little over a minute passed in silence before they stopped in front of a pile of books—if a loose assortment of papers, shredded journals, and blood-damp stories could be called such.

"This is my library." The other pulled out a barely intact notebook with a cover that looked as if somepony had come at it with a hatchet. "This one was written by one of the more resourceful versions of us, though by the looks of it, she went crazy in the end. It might even have belonged to the one I... got rid of." She winced. "Anyway, in here were instructions on how to make a still to purify the liquids available to us, how to cook the food properly, how to make weapons, and even count the time. Unfortunately, there aren't enough intact flasks left to do the last, not using her methods anyway. This is also how I learned about the difference in time between this place and Equestria. Every minute in Equestria is three minutes here."

"Good to know," Twilight said. "I suppose you can add this to your 'library' then." She pulled the Daring Do novel out of her saddlebags. "It's an extremely limited edition. Even leaning on my status as a princess, I still paid way too much for it. It was supposed to be a birthday present for Rainbow Dash." She frowned. "I suppose another me has already given it to her by now."

"It's Rainbow's birthday?" the other asked. "Huh. Well, I’m sure she enjoyed the gift.” Her eyes fell to the ground. “I miss her. I miss all of them. Of course, if we ever see them again, they’ll probably hate us.”

Twilight blinked. “Why would they hate us? And how would we even see them again anyway?”

The other pointed off to the side. “Two questions, same answer.”

Twilight turned, then gasped. Before her sat a rotting carcass. It was of a vaguely orangish hue and would have been unidentifiable if not for the bloody, battered Stetson hanging from what remained of its head. "Oh. Oh no."

The other nodded. "Yeah. How many times do you think we've teleported our friends?" She grimaced. "It's probably better not to think about it."

Twilight felt herself tearing up, eyes locked on what was left of Applejack. "I can't believe it. We... we really are killers. Our own friends, dead by our hooves. And for what? Who knows for what trivial reason I teleported her? I mean, for Celestia's sake, I got here by being late to a party!" She sniffled and broke her gaze from the dead pony. "Why? Why does this have to happen? What cosmic reason could there possibly be for such cruelty, such horror?"

She stiffened as she felt an awkward pat on her shoulder, something she was sure was supposed to be a comforting gesture. “Hey,” the other quietly consoled, “listen, I struggled with the same thoughts, but ultimately, the blame does not lay at our hooves. You couldn’t have known. No one did. Even the princesses teleport on occasion, and they are far wiser than we will ever be."

Twilight slowly nodded, unconvinced, but not wanting to argue with the other mare. “You’re right. I just can’t stand to see it. None of this is fair. Thanks for trying to help though, um...”

The other took a step back. “What?”

“I’m not sure what to call you. I mean, we’re both Twilight, but differences are already showing themselves and it will just get confusing if we don’t come up with a better means of address.” She tapped a hoof to her chin in thought. “What if we called you Twilight and me Sparkle? It makes sense. You were here before me after all.”

The other took a sharp breath. “Oh, yeah, maybe something other than that though. It turns out, there's a bit of a story behind those names, and not one I’m eager to repeat. How about Twi and Light? Short and easy.”

Twilight nodded. “Yeah, that works too. I guess I’m Light then? Well then, Twi, I could use a distraction from this,” she waved in the general direction of Applejack’s corpse, “and I believe you were showing me around. Where to next?”

“Right this way.” They continued their journey around the pocket dimension, moving in a circle so as to avoid the middle where a large pool of bodily fluids and most of the bodies were. Along the way, Twi showed Light the areas where she had meticulously stored and organized the useful supplies. The cookfire and still came next, though Light gagged at the thought of consuming the rotten pus, blood, and flesh all around them. She determined right then to wait as long as possible before eating it, and for that reason, she was overjoyed when she remembered she still had Spike’s cupcake stored away.

It wasn't long before the little tour came to an end and Twi stopped Light, turning to face her with a questioning look. "So, when are you going to tell me what's been going on back in Ponyville? You said it's been two weeks, yes? By my calculations, that means at least one major event and/or friendship problem has occurred since I was there. New villain, perhaps?"

"Old villain, I'm afraid," Light grumbled. "Chrysalis attacked. Again."

"Oh? And how did that go? Wait, let me guess. Rainbow laser? Or, wait, I know! You blasted her into orbit with another love spell!"

"Uh, well," Light nervously scratched at the back of her head with a hoof, "I actually didn't stop her at all."

"You're kidding." Twi raised an eyebrow. "So... Queen Chrysalis is the new ruler of Equestria? Huh. I got to say, I didn't see that coming. Does she at least get the trains running on time?"

"What? No!”

“She doesn’t? Shame.”

“Stop being ridiculous!" Light swatted at the air in front of her copy, as if to physically smack down Twi’s nonsensical notions. "She didn’t take over Equestria. Our friends, the princesses, and I were captured, but Starlight led a team to rescue us. In the end, most of the changelings were reformed, Thorax became their new leader, medals were given, and Starlight graduated as our student."

"Oh. Well that does make sense then. How were the changelings reformed?"

"They were convinced to accept the power of love."

"Yep." Twi gave a brisk nod. "That tracks. Say, you ever think about how utterly absurd our life was?"

"Uh, no?"

"Well, I've had plenty of time to contemplate things, and trust me, it was."

Light paused, not sure if she wanted to question that word choice, but eventually deciding to do so regardless. "What do you mean 'was?'"

Twi sighed. "I mean that it's all over now. That isn't our life, and you would be best off leaving your attachments from that time behind you. As far as we are concerned, it’s all just an interesting tale. Your past can only bring you pain now."

Light stared at the other pony. As much as she disagreed with that sentiment, she couldn't afford to start a fight with her only companion just yet. "I see. Thank you for the advice."

Twi nodded. "I know you won't heed it—yet—but there it is. Though, it is good to hear that Starlight graduated from her lessons. I wish her well."

"Yeah, me too." Light turned aside, suddenly not feeling very talkative. Things were going to take a lot of getting used to.

Twi only glanced in her direction, seemed to analyze her for a moment, then gave a slow nod. Apparently, she too was content to let the conversation end there.

The rest of the day was similarly quiet, but it was not for hours yet that Twi waved for Light to join her at the sleeping area. Little more than a pile of salvaged cloth scraps with the cleanest on top made up that area, but it may as well have been the lap of luxury compared to everything else.

When Light laid down and tried to relax for the first time since teleporting, she pressed up against Twi’s side for the sheer comfort of having another warm, breathing body beside her. It wasn't even a conscious decision, just something she badly needed. Luckily, the other pony made no complaints. In fact, tension seemed to melt out of her at the gesture.

Perhaps so long as they had each other, regardless of any disagreements, this place wouldn’t be quite so nightmarish.

With that reassuring thought, Light closed her eyes, and began counting sheep. When sleep came, it was fitful and haunted by dead friends.

3 - Good Eatin’

Light watched in open-mouthed shock as Twi devoured Spike's cupcake. It had been a few days since her arrival, and that was all it took for the hunger to begin gnawing at her insides. She'd taken out the treat, which she carefully saved to stave off having to eat... that, only to find the previously amicable Twi pouncing on her like a greedy Diamond Dog. She hadn't offered up a fight, choosing to let the traumatized pony have it rather than get into a full on brawl over a cupcake.

Twi licked the last of the frosting off her no-good, treat stealing hooves, then noticed Light staring at her and finally had at least the good graces to blush. "Uh, sorry. I, um, guess I'm more desperate for a good meal than I thought." She gave a weak, apologetic smile.

Light sighed. "No, I guess it's fine. I just wish you would have asked first. Had I known you wanted it so badly, I would have offered to share."

"You would have? Oh." Twi stared at the ground in shame. "I guess I'm starting to forget just who Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, is." She grimaced. "I hate this place. Come on, let's get you something to eat. I won't let you starve on me, whatever your opinion of our dietary choices."

Light weakly nodded. “Right. I guess it had to happen sooner or later.” She gulped. “Lead on.”

The other mare gave a curt nod, then waved her over to the cookfire. “Alright, it turns out, cooking pony flesh is pretty simple. Start by taking one of those carving tools over there,” she pointed to a small pile of sharpened bones, “then find a body and carve yourself off a piece. Next, you need to scrape off the fur and... are you okay? No offense, but you look ill.”

“I might be,” Light groaned. “How can you do this? Our bodies aren’t even built to digest this stuff. I mean, you know it will eventually kill us, right?”

Twi nodded. “Yeah, but eventually is better than in a couple of weeks, which is how long starvation will take. As for how I can do it, you get used to it. I know it doesn’t seem like it now, but trust me, you will. Now, are you ready to continue?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Good. Once you have an appropriate amount of meat, you need to suspend it above the fire. I already built a sort of rack made of bones for exactly that purpose, and every single saddlebag here has been combed through for fire-starting tools—flint, matches, strikers, you name it. Anyway, just cook it on one side until it’s brown, then flip and do the same with the other. You'll know it's done when you can see brown all the way through. Frankly, it tastes slightly less awful if you leave a bit of red in the middle, but I made myself sick doing that. It is much safer to burn it a little than to leave any chance of a pathogen surviving, especially on meat as rotten as this.” She picked up a bone axe and thrust it at Light. “Here you go. Get started.”

Light took a step back. “I don’t know if I can. I mean...” She glanced between the axe and the nearest body, failing to find the words to properly describe her disgust.

Twi sighed. “Okay, I get it. I had a lot of trouble the first time too. I didn’t have anypony here to help me though. Maybe it can be different for you. We can introduce you more slowly, avoid tossing you in at the deep end.”

Light blinked. “Um, how do you intend to do that? I can’t just not eat.”

“By doing it for you. Just this once.” She gave a sympathetic smile. “I kind of owe you for the cupcake anyway.”

"You would do that for me?" Light smiled. "Thank you."

Twi nodded. "Of course. I mean, I've done it dozens of times anyway and probably will dozens more. Next time, we can do it together. After that, you're on your own."

"Okay, makes sense. I'm, uh, sure I will grow a stronger stomach by then."

Before Light even finished speaking, the other mare began her gruesome work. She took to it with the same attitude one might have of making a salad, more desensitized to the act of carving a pony than Light yet was to the wretched smells. Though she made herself watch, as it seemed discourteous not to after her only friend made such a nice offer, it still felt almost physically painful for her to witness. Twi had, of course, made herself several meals over the last few days, but Light placed herself nowhere near each time—even if she did feel bad about periodically failing to provide the company Twi so clearly needed.

Once the slab of Twilight Sparkle steak had been cooked to Tartarus and back, Twi hoofed it off to Light, who held it as gingerly as one might a used tissue. A moment later, she provided a small cup of poorly purified water from their still. Light didn't even want to think about what that water used to be.

“Ugh, do I really have to eat this? M-maybe if I wait a little, the new Twilight will decide to teleport a banquet or something.” Her stomach rumbled, as if sensing the nearby food, no matter the source. “No, I’m just delaying the inevitable. My brain is trying to rationalize ways to avoid this. Well,” she took a deep breath, “here goes.”

It was rough as a hardback’s cover, and little more fun to chew than wet concrete. Maybe it wouldn’t have been quite that bad had her teeth been made for such a thing, but as it was, their sole purpose was to munch on plant matter. Worse was the taste, similar to beans if they’d been burnt, hardened, and spoiled all at once, but with something distinctly foreign added in. Used to a diet of hay and daisies, Light found it bitingly unpalatable. She wished she could at least forget where it came from. Still, by some unparalleled stroke of luck, she managed to keep it down.

“See?” Twi said. “It’s not so bad. In time, you may even get used to it.” She patted Light on the withers, nearly causing her luck to reverse itself on reflex alone.

“Uh, thanks.” Light stared at the meat. “I have to consume this whole thing, don’t I?”

“Yep. Waste not, want not.”

“Ugh.”

4 - Two and a Half Ponies

Light lay on the ground, eating yet another semi-rancid breakfast across from Twi while she read a past self’s journal. It was really quite enlightening before it devolved into endless, barely coherent rants about murder and revenge.

She paused on a page where it off-handedly mentioned finding a few copies of the element of magic. “Hey, Twi, have you seen any duplicates of our crown around here?”

“Yeah,” she said without lookin up from her meal. “Why? They’re worthless.”

“Do you think anything would happen if we collected six copies of them, waited for four more of us to show up, then tried to use them?”

Her duplicate looked up, incredulous. “Are you kidding? Of course not! Even if they still had magic, which by all appearances they do not, the best you could hope for is nothing at all. At worst, them all being the same element could cause a reaction or kill us or something.”

Light sighed. “Look, I know it’s a long shot, but you don’t have to be defeatist. Also, you know those ‘possibilities’ are a complete exaggeration. The elements could never hurt somepony with pure intentions.”

“Maybe not,” Twi shot back, “but that doesn’t make your ideas any less crazy. Getting your hopes up and wasting energy on such plans will only break your spirit faster, and believe it or not, I would rather that not happen.”

“Well I—“ Pop! She cut off at the all too familiar sound. The sound of a teleport.

Both Twilights rushed over to the center, unable to see what it was from where they sat at the prison’s edge. They could hear it though. Screaming. Definitely a mare, though not Twilight. Her initial response was always shock and curiosity, not the stark terror those wails implied. That came later, when she realized what had happened.

Light arrived at the corpse pile just moments after hearing the thump of a body landing. Twi moved a little slower—on account of her bad leg—but in short order, they were both climbing over bodies, searching for the source of those screams. Whoever this was, she hadn’t bounced and rolled off the corpses as Light had, and so instead became lodged somewhere amongst the bodies. Not a fun way to arrive, not that any way could be.

Light stopped. Oh no. Not her.

Lodged between two Twilight carcasses was a trembling yellow pegasus, eyes wide yet uncomprehending. Fluttershy, the very last pony Light would ever have wished this fate upon.

She rushed over, grabbing her friend by her shaking hooves, and pulled her out. “Fluttershy? Can you hear me?” No answer, though Light was hardly surprised, given the shock the poor pegasus must’ve be feeling. “It’s me, Twilight. I need you to come with me. Everything’s going to be okay.” That last was a lie, of course, but it was all Light could think to say. What else could she do? Admit that they were going to die in there? That she might as well lie down and give up right then? No. Best to find Twi and get Fluttershy to the perimeter where some semblance of order was still kept in place by the pocket dimension’s two occupants.

As if on cue, Twi rounded a heap of blackened guts right in front of them. “Light, did you... Fluttershy?”

Said pony’s eyes widened as a tiny squeal escaped her throat. Then she collapsed. Right into a pool of gruesome cocktail.

Light reacted immediately, scooping up the passed out pony and hauling her out, one yellow leg held so that it wrapped around Light’s shoulders. “Uh, Twi, could I get a bit of help here?”

Twi blinked away her shock. “Oh, right. Here.” She limped over to take Fluttershy’s other side. “I’m ready. Where do you want to take her?”

“The sleeping area. Come on.”

The two of them carried their unconscious friend over and did their best to clean her off. The last thing they needed was for her to wake up only to faint again the moment she realized what she was covered in. That done, they checked her saddlebags. All they found was Fluttershy’s element of harmony. Useless. Twi tossed it aside without a word.

“Well,” Light said, “what reason do you think the current Twilight had for teleporting her?”

“I don’t know.” Twi sighed. “Who cares anyway? It was probably something as stupid and/or lazy as it was with us and the Twilight from that journal. We seem to be pretty good at getting ourselves and others killed for nothing.”

Light frowned. “I’m sure that’s not the case. She had her element of harmony. Maybe they were fighting some new baddie and the current Twilight had to teleport her out of harms way.”

“Wishful thinking. If that were the case, she would have been wearing her element. They were probably just preparing for a journey where they might have to fight a big bad. Or, better yet, maybe she was on her way to get it polished. Given our track record with that spell, I’d bet Fluttershy’s only mistake was being slow in coming or hiding in her cottage or something.”

“Do you always have to be such a pessimist?” Light glared at her clone. “We don’t know that.” She pointed at Fluttershy. “Maybe her death won’t be meaningless. Maybe it really was important this time around.”

Twi raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying you would rather our friends be in actual danger right now?”

“I...” Light stammered, backpedaling at the accusation. “I don’t know. It just has to mean something. Something here has to mean something...” She felt tears starting to form in her eyes. For the hundredth time in her few days there, she found herself wanting to scream. Scream at herself, at the world, everything. She knew she hadn’t been dealt a fair hoof and it outraged her, but she knew not where to direct that anger.

“Uh, Light?”

“What now?” she muttered bitterly.

“She’s awake.” Twi pointed at their friend who, sure enough, was staring wide eyed at the two of them.

“Fluttershy?” Light stepped toward her, wary of causing any more alarm than necessary. “I know it’s dark in here, hard to see, and everything is confusing, but we are here to help. Trust us, we’re your friends.”

Fluttershy just kept staring.

“Hey, listen. Can you give us some indication you hear us? I know, you’re in shock, but can you at least nod your head?”

A few moments passed in silence before Light realized her old friend wasn’t staring at her, but past her. Blankly. With hollow, soulless eyes.

Light gulped. “Oh no.”

5 - Three’s a Crowd

“Hey, Fluttershy.” Light sucked in a breath. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry. You don’t deserve to be here, and though it wasn’t this version of me that teleported you, I can’t help but feel that I am at fault. If I had ever bothered to really look into the mechanics of that spell, none of us would be here.” She sighed. ”At least the other Twilight’s and I earned our place here through our stupid ignorance. You, on the other hoof, never did a single thing wrong. Just had the bad luck of befriending me. I would do anything to reverse your fate, please know that. Fluttershy?”

Much to Light’s displeasure, the pegasus was still stuck in that catatonic state. All she could do was stare wide-eyed off into space. It was as if her brain had been shocked into a complete shutdown.

“What are you doing?”

Light turned to face Twi, who had approached from behind. “What do you mean? I’m apologizing. That, and trying to snap her out of this state.”

Twi rolled her eyes. “You’re useless. You know that, right? All you do is mope and talk to the braindead pony. The same pony that will soon be dead for real if we can’t get her to eat. How is the progress on that by the way?”

Light scowled at her doppelgänger. The grumpy pessimist had become unbearable to live with ever since Fluttershy’s arrival the day before. All she did was complain about how they would have another mouth to feed, and a useless one at that—if they could even convince Shy to eat at all—and offer up outlandish ways to snap their friend out of her vegetative state.

Her idea of force feeding her was more likely to harm than help, but where Light had really drawn the line was at the casual suggestion of physical pain. That maniac actually wanted to try torturing the poor mare out of her state. Before that moment, Light had been sympathetic to the older version of herself, thinking her just a slightly traumatized version of herself, but that suggestion was enough to show her what a few weeks in this place really meant for a pony’s mental state. She dreaded becoming the same.

“Well?” Twi spat. “Are you going to answer me? Or, perhaps, are you going to give up so we can try things my way?”

“Never.” Light brought her hoof down with a loud crack. “In fact, I was going to try reading to her next. One way or another, I will help her.”

“Whatever.” Twi offhoofedly waved her bad leg in Fluttershy’s direction. “Just let me know when you give up.”

Light turned away, not willing to dignify that statement with a response. Her copy could go do whatever she wanted, so long as it didn’t harm anypony else. In the meantime, Light would be reading Daring Do and the Secrets of Brodfeld. Hopefully, a lighthearted adventure novel would do Fluttershy well.

Daring Do stepped off the boat into the port city of Sydia, saddlebags laden with maps, gear, and a number of texts on the local customs. After a long voyage, she had finally arrived at the Kingdom of Brodfeld, ricebasket of Griffonia—at least if her decades old books were to be believed. Despite her many travels, it was still the first time she’d ever been so far from Equestria, now hundreds of miles away.

Her objective was to retrieve the Staff of Sanguine Souls, an artifact stolen from the Tenochtitlan Basin. The entire mission was the result of a rare loss to Doctor Caballeron. He had successfully escaped with the artifact and sold it to the highest bidder. Unfortunately for said bidder, Daring Do didn’t give up easily. She would find whatever ne’er do well had a penchant for dangerous magical artifacts and relieve them of it. Such things belonged under lock and key—in a museum if safe, or a vault if not.

There was only one problem with her plan. While it was easy enough to track the shipment to Sydia, figuring out where it went from there would be darn near impossible. If she was lucky, the Brodfeldan authorities would keep track of incoming materials, but even then, they would be unlikely to share such information with her.

It was a good thing then that she had the foresight to hit up an old friend of hers, a blue pegasus with connections to the Equestrian royalty, and ask for a quick favor. One visit to Princess Celestia later and she had a letter to present the king of Brodfeld, requesting an audience and aid in her investigation. If anypony—or, she supposed, anygriff, seeing as how it was a griffon nation—could help her gain access to the proper documentation, it was him. She just needed to find a train to Kivessin, the capital. It turned out, that was easier said than done.

A trip to the train station found it closed. Apparently, a train had run its tracks not far from the city of Crowioa, directly between Kivessin and Sydia. That wasn’t even the oddest thing though. Worse was the station attendant’s attitude toward the whole thing—and yes, the entire station had exactly one attendant. He just shrugged nonchalantly, said, “You know how it is. Sometimes these things happen,” and went back to reading a magazine. One dated from weeks back. Dozens, possibly hundreds, of griffons were injured or dead, but nogriff seemed to care.

She was starting to gather that Brodfeld wasn’t the idyllic ricebasket her books made it out to be. Or at least, it wasn’t any longer. She should have guessed the moment she saw beggars in once fine clothes dotting the streets, dirty old flags hanging at every corner, and not an ounce of fat on any griffon within sight. The only things in abundance were weapons, even if badly outdated, and anti-communist posters. Not that she even had a good understanding of what a communist was, being from Equestria, where such things did not exist except as idle discussion amongst bored philosophers with far too much time on their hooves.

“Pardon, but are you new here? We don’t see many ponies in these parts.”

Daring Do whipped around, coming face to face with an older white griffon with a considerably healthier complexion than his fellow countrygriffs. “Who are you?”

He chuckled. “Oh, that’s not important. But a strangely dressed pegasus this far from the Riverlands? Now that is interesting.”

“Oh, no, I’m not from the Riverlands,” she said quickly. “I’m from Equestria.”

“Is that so?” He smiled, an odd looking gesture, given his oversized beak. “Why come then? Surely a starving and war torn country such as this holds little interest for one such as yourself.”

“It’s...” she hesitated, wary of giving too much away to the strange griffon. Already he gave off the feeling that he knew more than he should. She had encountered ponies like that before, and it was rarely good for her—unless it was one of the princesses, of course. “I’ve had something stolen from me,” she said, settling into a believable story. “It was by a griffon. I have reason to believe that they are from here.”

“Ah,” he nodded, a knowing twinkle in his viridian eyes. “So you seek to recover it then. Good luck with that. I’ll warn you though, this place is dangerous. Ponies, griffons, and objects alike can simply... disappear. And I assure you, there are far more dangerous things than you about. Bandits, bog creatures, pugnacious kingsguards, and worse, communists, can be found around any corner. I would hate for something to happen to a lone visitor such as yourself.” He gave a warm smile that didn’t quite reach those calculating eyes.

“Uh, right. Yeah, I’ll be careful.” Daring Do stepped back, suddenly wanting to put a great distance between herself and the unnerving griffon. She much preferred to deal with problems head on, but seeing as how he’d given her no reason to distrust him aside from a strange feeling, she really had no choice but to leave or continue to indulge in the uncomfortable conversation. She preferred the former.

“Well, look at the time.” She glanced down at an imaginary watch on her foreleg. “I’d love to stay and chat, but I have somewhere I have to be.”

“Of course.” He gave a serene bow. “Farewell, strange traveler.”

“Uh, yeah. You too.” She turned and leapt into the air, set to fly all the way to Kivessin in lieu of train. It would leave her exhausted by the end, but at least it would be quick. After all, she had an appointment with the king to keep. She just hoped he was more normal than everything else she’d seen in Brodfeld thus far.

Light nudged Fluttershy. “Well, what do you think? It doesn’t seem to be quite the cheerful adventure I was hoping for, but I’m sure it will get better. This is Daring Do, after all. I mean, It even referenced Rainbow Dash.”

She received no answer.

“Fluttershy...”

“Light, it’s time.”

“What?” Light said, turning to face Twi, who had once again approached unseen from directly behind her. She had a habit of doing that. “What do you mean it’s time? Time for wha—“ Her breath caught. Twi was holding an axe in the crook of her injured foreleg, using the other to walk, even if somewhat awkwardly. “Why do you have a weapon?”

The other pony sighed. “Listen, I didn’t want it to come to this, but we can’t let this continue. If anything, it’s unethical to do so. We leave her like this, and we’re condemning her to slowly starve whilst trapped in her own mind, unable to face the horrors of reality. We should give her a quick end. It’s the right thing to do.”

“Right thing to do!” Light exclaimed, shocked. “Just earlier you wanted to torture her out of this state and now you’re worried about the right thing?”

“Don’t be dramatic. I never wanted to torture her, just give her a good slap or two. Besides, I didn’t really mean that. I was just frustrated.” She stepped forward, tossing the axe down in front Fluttershy. “Now, I’m going to need you to stand aside. You don’t have to watch if it’s too upsetting for you, but I need to do this. It is the most moral option we have left. I promise I’ll make it quick, painless.”

“No!” Light placed herself between the two ponies. “I will not allow this to happen! I am not ready to give up on her! I mean, it’s only been a day. Surely there is more we can do, some way we can save her.”

Twi shook her head. “Even if we brought her back, to what end would it be? She would still have to die the same, slow death we eventually will. When faced with two evils, you accept the lesser and move on. Otherwise, you are doing nothing more than letting fate choose for you. And fate is all too often a cruel arbiter.”

“I... I can’t. I just can’t.” Light forced back the incoming tears. “If I let a pony—a friend—die under my watch, what does that make me? Not the princess of friendship, that’s for certain.”

“So it’s pride then?” Twi rolled her eyes. “Very well. Keep holding on to your old ideals. Eventually, you’ll learn they no longer apply. Just remember that whatever happens to Fluttershy now is on your hooves. You caused it, and it will be on your heart that the consequences weigh.”

“I know.” Light gave a weak nod. “I know. Please, just leave me alone. I need to keep trying.”

Twi left without a word, abandoning the axe on the ground. It was a horrid reminder. Light tried to move Fluttershy away from it, but she wasn’t strong enough to pull the pony far, and she lacked the heart to actually touch the would-be murder weapon, otherwise she would have picked it up and given it the hardest throw she could muster.

Light began to sob. It was going to be a very long day.

Author's Note

Credit goes to the Equestria at War developers for the creation of the Kingdom of Brodfeld and associated characters and lore. I merely made minor modifications to these things to fit the story.

6 - One’s a Tragedy

“...because we broke her. She’s broken. It’s been two days now; she’s starving. Because of you.”

“Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut—“

An odd buzzing feeling filled the air, followed by a sharp pop. Both Twilights clicked their mouths shut on the instant. Somepony’s day was just ruined.

Light rushed over to the dart she'd fashioned out of bone. Attached to it was a piece of paper with a warning written in blood. It was the result of her latest brainstorming session for an escape. All she had to do was stick the next clone with the dart, and if she was lucky, it would take her message with it when it disappeared. Of course, this would injure the newly formed pony, but they would no doubt be healed back in Equestria and it would be well worth the risks if it prevented future teleportations. The only problems were the height at which the clone appears, the dark atmosphere, and the extremely limited timeframe she would have to throw it. All factors contributing to the likelihood of a miss. Luckily, she'd just spent all morning practicing her throws on a corpse target.

Light set her sights on the new clone—another Twilight by the looks of it, though something was off about it—and threw, utilizing her teeth and making a sharp whipping motion with her head. The dart sailed through the air, embedding itself directly in the new Twilight's cutie mark just before she disappeared. And then it fell from the air, still marred by the new Twilight's blood, clattering harmlessly against the floor.

"NOOO! WHY? CELESTIA, PLEASE, WHY?" Light screamed into the air, tears bubbling up to accompany her frantic breaths. Nothing worked. Nothing ever worked. At best, the new Twilight might appear with the wound still there, but while that would raise questions, it wouldn't necessarily lead them to the right answers. And that was a big if. For all Light new, the injury might have simply healed over the moment the clone disappeared. This sucked. Everything sucked. Life was either some big joke she didn't get, or the greatest tragedy ever conceived. That, or she was just feeling particularly pessimistic. Just like Twi, she supposed.

Something nudged her left shoulder. She didn't have to look to know that it was her somewhat disagreeable doppelganger. "Listen, Light, I know you're upset, but we don't have time for this. It was a good idea and all, but you can't really have expected it to work, not after the potentially thousands of ideas tried and failed, both in this pocket dimension and in those of other unicorns. Right now, we need to check on the new Twilight. Something was definitely off about her. It was hard to see, but she looked different somehow. I'm worried it might spell trouble."

"Uh, right." Light quickly nodded, wiping away her tears with one hoof. "We should check and make sure she's okay. She'll be in for quite the shock, and if something is wrong, we need to be ready."

The two picked their way through the corpse pile, looking for a scared newcomer just as they had two days prior with Fluttershy. When at first they didn't find her, they went back through again. Then again.

Light stopped, slowly scanning over the area once more. Where was she? The place was hardly large enough to make finding a single pony difficult, and she could think of no reason another Twilight would intentionally hide from her. Then she heard it. A barely audible gasping, ceaseless yet slowly growing more desperate. Where was it? She frantically rushed from one body to another, following the sound of the breathing to the best of her ability. There!

Light stopped at a body, badly damaged as any of them, but looking much fresher. The Twilight was still alive, if barely, her chest rising in shuddering, uneven patterns. "Twi, over here! I found her, but she's hurt pretty bad. She needs help!"

Said pony was by her side mere moments later. "Okay, let's... oh. Light, I don't think it's safe to move her. Whatever got to her, it did quite the job." Twi frowned. "I don't think she's gonna make it."

"W—wh—where am I? I can't feel... oh, it hurts. Somepony, please, help me."

Both mares stared at the terrified pony before them, equally stunned that she could even speak after those injuries. It was interrupted by gasps and significantly mangled by the damage to her face, yet it was understandable nonetheless.

"Oh sweet Celestia," Light breathed. "What do we do? I know a spell that could heal those wounds, but I can't cast it here. We have to do something. She's going to die. Twi?"

Twi just shook her head and took a step back, refusing to look at the dying mare. Though that refusal seemed heartless, Light was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Her companion knew what was going to happen, and just couldn't bring herself to watch it. Maybe it was easier that way, but she couldn't do the same. The least she could do was provide some comfort.

"Help. Please," the voice below them squeaked out, sounding desperate to receive something, anything from them.

"I'm here." Light lowered herself to her belly and pulled the mortally wounded mare into a hug. "I'm so sorry. I know this is very confusing, but I need to know what happened."

"Griffon bandits... from Haukland." The dying Twilight coughed, spewing blood with each convulsion. "Attacked me. Didn't like—" She coughed again, tried catching her breath, opened her mouth to speak, then went into yet another coughing fit.

"Shh." Light wrapped a wing around her as she began to gently rock her clone back and forth. "That's okay. You've said enough. Just lay still. This nightmare will soon be over."

"I'm scared." She sniffed, tears mixing with blood around her muzzle. "Are you," she hacked, "a changeling?"

"Uh, yeah." Light nodded, trying to hold back tears of her own. Celestia knew she'd cried more than enough already. "I didn't want to scare you, so I took this form. Is there anything you want to tell your friends before you go?"

The newcomer nodded weakly. "Tell them," she gasped, struggling to summon the needed breath to continue, "I love them. So much. I'd be nothing without—" She coughed and sputtered, and this time, didn't regain her breath. Her head fell limp, the light draining from her eyes, hopefully to go someplace far more comforting than this.

Light reached a hoof up to close the princess's eyes, both as a sign of respect and to avoid that dead stare. To think, that would have been her if she hadn't tried teleporting to Rainbow Dash's party. She didn't know how to feel about that. She'd be dead, yeah, but that still might be better than where she actually ended up. Either way, she felt sick.

"You lied to her," came Twi's voice from behind.

Light turned and vomited, narrowly avoiding doing so on herself or the body. One would be disgusting, especially given how hard it was to clean anything in the pocket dimension, and the other seemed disrespectful. This was despite the fact that she still ended up spraying some other corpses. Somehow that didn't seem as bad. She hadn't been speaking to them just moments ago.

She took a deep breath, wiped her muzzle, then slowly released the dead alicorn and stepped away, pointedly not turning to face her companion. "It was for the best. There was no time to explain the truth. Me being a changeling was easier, and she was better off believing her friends would receive her final sentiments."

"Oh, I agree." She raised her injured hoof in an assuring gesture. "I'm just surprised you thought of it, what with our tendency to overexplain things and all. Plus, it just wasn't that convincing of a lie. I suppose that doesn't matter to a dead mare though."

"Yeah. I guess." She finally turned to face Twi. "Do you think the next Twilight survived? If this one died of her wounds, don't you think the same fate may have befallen her replacement?"

"Probably." Twi shrugged. "At least that means we'll finally get a proper funeral, rather than a thousand unmarked graves. Our friends deserve a chance to actually mourn our death for once."

"What!" Light gaped. "How can you say that? To them, we never died. Assuming she doesn't get the medical attention we lacked here, this will be heartbreaking for them."

"Heartbreaking? It will probably save them. They're far better off not having a friend who can teleport them around all filly-nilly. Besides, even with help, she may die. Her injuries were intense, and you may have made them even worse with that dart of yours."

Light groaned. "Oh no. What have I done? The dart didn't stay, but the injuries might have! And now, even if they did, nopony will be able to tell what I caused and what the griffons did." She put her head in her hooves. "I just hurt a pony for no reason at all!"

"Relax," Twi said flatly. "It doesn't matter. If she dies, our friends are better off. If she lives, the one minor wound you might have caused will be nothing compared to the rest. Regardless, we need to prepare for the possibility that we truly are alone now. Another teleportation may never come. That means no new supplies, nothing to break up the monotony, nopony else trapped here, and no more chances to make your foolish escape or warning attempts. It very well could just be you and me for the rest of our lives. And Fluttershy, I guess. If she even counts."

"Or," Light interceded, beginning to pace, "Celestia or Zecora or Discord or somepony else might heal her and we'll be seeing things teleport in within a day or two."

"Sure. I guess that's possible. Though for everypony's sake, I hope not. In the meantime, we should check her saddlebags. She might have something we can use."

"Right." Light stopped, turned on hoof, and pulled the saddlebags off their late owner. They were bloodstained and badly torn by griffon claws. She would have been more worried about their contents, but the cloth was the kind she used for long distance travel, thick and sturdy enough to withstand the elements. Hopefully that provided the interior some level of protection.

She pulled at the buckle. "I'm having a little trouble. The buckle's damaged. Maybe if I—" She gasped as it popped open. "Food! This must be her travel rations!"

"What? Let me see." Twi crowded in at her right, pulling at the lip of the bag with one hoof. "Carrots, apples, hay. Ha! Light, we've hit the jackpot!"

"Right," Light murmured. "I suppose we have." She watched Twi stuff a hoofful of hay in her mouth, unable to summon quite the same enthusiasm over their loot. Her stomach still hadn't settled from having a pony die in her grasp, and she hated feeling like she was profiting off the death of another. Still, those veggies sure looked good, and it wasn't as if she could do anything else with the stuff except... "Wait! Stop."

Twi groaned around her stuffed gullet then swallowed and turned back to her with a rather dramatic tilt of the head. "What now? What could possibly be wrong? It's free food, for ponies sake! Good stuff too!"

"I know, but," she sighed, "I think we should give it to Fluttershy."

"What! You can't be serious. She might as well be a vegetable herself!"

"Hear me out!" Light put a hoof on the bag, preventing the hungry mare from taking any more. "She won't eat the meat. I've tried force feeding it to her, but she won't chew, she won't swallow, and if I actually do get any in her, she just throws it up. It's not her fault, but her body's natural reaction is to reject it. Maybe if I can get some of this in her, she'll actually be able to keep it down."

"Ugh." Twi groaned in disgust. "You are being generous to a fault, just like a mutual friend of ours. In fact, you've been acting about as frivolous as her too. Ponies are not meant to eat meat, let alone other ponies. You’ve said it yourself: eating this stuff will eventually kill us. Supplementing our diet with the rare produce we get is the only way to ensure our survival for any serious length of time."

"I know, but Fluttershy will die a whole lot faster than we will if she doesn't get this."

"She's already dead!" Twi screamed, stepping up a mere inch in front of Light's face. "Her body just hasn't figured it out yet. But you know what? Fine. Go on. Take our food. Waste it. I don't care to live much longer anyway! Just don't come crying to me when you get sick of being a cannibal."

Light's jaw tightened. She wanted to scream back, to call her other self heartless and despicable, but she knew it wouldn't accomplish anything—not when she already had what she wanted. Besides, part of her felt that Twi was right, both morally and logically. She just couldn't bring herself to abandon her kindest friend. Not yet at least. Hopefully not ever.

"By the way," Twi shot at her with more than a little vitriol, "I'm taking this body. If I'm going to eat meat, I might as well get it while it's fresh."

Light gasped. Was Twi really going to go and immediately start eating the pony that died right in front of them? That seemed downright unimaginable. Was the mare insane? She shook her head. There were no words. All she could do was pick up the saddlebags and begin heading in Fluttershy's direction.

"Oh, and by the way," Twi yelled from across the growing distance between them, "don't talk to me anymore! I think it's best if we both left each other alone. At least until you learn to get that head of yours screwed on straight!"

Light ignored her. She even ignored the crushing loneliness, the knowledge that her only companion just turned on her. Or perhaps it was she who turned on Twi. She couldn't tell. She just kept walking.

7 - Again and Again

Light moved Fluttershy’s jaw up and down with her hooves before tilting her head back and holding her nose until she swallowed. Another meal completed, sans the vomiting her attempts with the meat had produced.

She had scoffed at Twi’s suggestion of force feeding Fluttershy just days prior, and yet here she was, making a routine of it. The reality had become glaringly necessary to her after everything else failed. She wondered what other viewpoints of Twi’s she might come around to. They did start as the same pony, after all. The concern gnawed at her, given how strongly she disagreed with some of those things now. As it was, she hadn’t seen her double in days. Regardless of the fights though, she hoped Twi was doing okay over on the opposite end of their prison.

Light opened the saddlebags she kept Fluttershy's food in. There was scant little left, and unless a miracle occurred, she would be back to trying to feed her friend meat within a couple of days. There was little hope of success in that, but she wouldn't give up so long as there was even a small chance of bringing Fluttershy back. She'd been determined before, but the break of relations between her and Twi made her all the more desperate to help the Pegasus. At least if she succeeded in fixing her, she'd have somepony to talk to again. Maybe that was selfish, but she wasn't sure if she still cared.

Zzzt, POP!

Light bolted upright. A teleport. More than one object, by the sound of it. She couldn't see past the mound of bodies she and Fluttershy were camped behind, but she was sure she'd heard the synchronized sounds of a double or triple teleport.

It seemed the last Twilight had been healed after all. Twi wouldn't be pleased, but Light was comforted in knowing they weren't mourning the death of Princess Twilight Sparkle in Equestria. Of course, that comfort was considerably dampened by the knowledge that something was just teleported. She just hoped it was something inanimate this time.

That thought was immediately squashed by a scream sufficient in pitch to shatter glass. A mare then, and clearly not another Twilight either.

Light rounded the last mound before stopping at the pile of corpses in the center, where any newcomers would be landing. She would have expected to see Twi there as well, but apparently she was now content to let Light handle these matters alone—probably for the best, given Twi’s increasingly churlish attitude. The one pony she did find was a weak-kneed, hyperventilating Rarity.

"Rarity!" Light stepped toward her friend. "I'm so sorry. You don't deserve this. It's all my fault."

"T—Tw—Twilight?" Rarity gulped, meeting her gaze with frightened eyes. "What is this wretched place?" Though the words were little more than a whisper, they held far more gravity than she was used to from the oft frivolous pony.

Light cringed, imagining the accusations her friend would soon be lobbing at her. "Well, you see, this is called a pocket dimension. Apparently, whenever somepony teleports, whatever they teleported is sent to their own version of this space while a copy is sent to the intended destination. What you see around us is what remains of those who teleported before." She choked back tears of self loathing. "Please don't hate me. I didn't know. I never meant for any of this to—"

She cut off, her mouth dropping as she saw the filly creep out from her hiding place behind Rarity. Oh no. Sweetie Belle. As if Light needed any more reason to hate herself. The poor thing had eyes as wide as hoofballs and clung to Rarity's side like it was the last life preserver on a sinking ship. And it was all her fault—every Twilight's fault.

Rarity's eyes followed Light's stare until they landed on Sweetie Belle. "Oh my. Sweetie, it's going to be okay. I'm here." She wrapped a foreleg around her sister, protectively dragging the filly underneath her barrel. "We'll find a way out of this. I promise." Her gaze returned to Light. "Please, please, tell me there's a way out of this." Tears came to those searching eyes as Light floundered. "Twilight?"

"Um, I... I'm working on it," Light squeaked, unable to admit the truth to Rarity. Even to herself, she could hardly admit she'd run out of ideas. She just couldn't say that—least of all in front of Sweetie Belle.

Rarity was not stupid though. Light knew that. Carefully contained to those sapphire eyes was recognition, followed by despair, and then a grim determination. "You hear that, Sweetie? Maybe it will take a while, but we'll get home. We will." She clearly had no more desire to crush the filly's hopes than Light did, even if it meant lying. Though both knew that could only last so long. Eventually, the truth would catch up.

Rarity looked around, examining her surroundings and appearing quite ready to sick up at what she saw. "Twilight, darling, how long have you been here?"

"I'm not certain." Light sighed. "A couple of weeks, I think. It's hard to tell without the sun or moon, and time passes here at a rate three times that of Equestria anyhow. Our only measure of a day is when we get tired."

Rarity blinked. "I'm sorry, did you say 'we?'"

Light nodded. "The previous version of myself is also here. For clarity's sake, she goes by Twi and I go by Light. It's probably best you get used to that, especially since another Twilight could always show up. I would be careful around her though. She’s been here...” Light quickly thought back to one of their first conversations, “about four times as long as me, and most of that was on her own. This place has really gotten to her.”

“Is she dangerous?”

“I don’t think so, but that doesn’t mean she will never become dangerous. I’m worried that the malnutrition from eating only...” she glanced at Sweetie Belle, “what we have on hoof, might addle her wits. Celestia, it might be doing the same to me and I just haven’t noticed yet.”

"What we have on hoof?" Rarity mouthed before glancing around again, presumably looking for a food source, and then turning back more confused than ever. It was only when she noticed the dark stains on Light's muzzle that she took on a sickly pallor. "Oh, I see. Sweetie Belle, I want you to stay by my side the entire time we're here, okay? We're probably safe, but just in case there is something hiding in that darkness, I want you within sight."

Sweetie Belle, forelegs wrapped snugly around one of Rarity's hooves and with eyes shut tight, gave a series of quick nods.

Rarity took a deep breath, gagged on the putrid air for a moment, then stroked a free hoof across her sister's mane. "Well, Twili— ahem, Light, perhaps you would like to show us where exactly you have been staying? I feel we could benefit from a moment of rest, and then you can answer some of my questions. I happen to have quite a lot."

"Of course." Light nodded. "I should warn you though; Fluttershy's there. She isn't well. She's been completely catatonic from the moment she arrived. I haven't gotten so much as one word from her."

Rarity grimaced and Sweetie Belle let out a little whimper. Either one looked like they were ready to go the way of Fluttershy in an instant, but Rarity nodded her on. "Lead the way. If dear Fluttershy is as you say, I will do whatever I can for her." She tilted her head toward Sweetie Belle, then frowned. "Um, Light, perchance, have you had any problems with your magic here?"

"Oh, yeah. It doesn't work." She gave Rarity a sympathetic look. "Sorry. Wings and magical artifacts don't work either."

"Of course it doesn't," the unicorn huffed in agitation. "Let's go." She gently grabbed Sweetie Belle with her teeth and swung the filly up onto her back.

Sweetie opened her eyes as her hooves left the ground, saw a badly mushed up Spike corpse next to a disemboweled and dismembered Twilight, then immediately let out a cry of terror. The moment she was on Rarity's back, her forelegs were wrapped around her big sister's neck and face buried in the expertly styled mane.

Light spared an extra moment to worry over the quivering Sweetie Belle before turning around and plodding back to the area she'd cleared for sleeping.

When the three arrived, Rarity carefully set Sweetie Belle down in the cleanest spot she could find before warily approaching Fluttershy. "Fluttershy, darling, I'm here. It's your friend, Rarity. Can you speak to me?"

Light shook her head. She doubted Rarity would be able to get through to her, but she was welcome to try. In the meantime, Light laid down next to Sweetie Belle. "Sweetie, I'm so sorry," she muttered. "This is all my fault."

The filly gave a weak shake of the head. "No."

"No?"

"You didn't know. Nopony knew." Sweetie buried her head in her forelegs. "I can't look. It's so horrible."

"I know." Light nodded. "But your sister and I are here for you. We won't let anything happen." She waited until Sweetie Belle gave a weak nod, then continued. "Why were you two teleported in the first place?"

"It was all my fault. I was so stupid." The little unicorn let out a whimper. "We were visiting you at your castle when I accidently knocked over a bookcase. It would have fallen right on us, so I guess you must have tried teleporting us to safety." She paused to let out a shuddering breath. "What have I done? It was an accident. An accident..."

"Uh..." Light cringed. It seemed Sweetie Belle was having a similar dilemma as herself, albeit with much less reason as far as she was concerned. What could she do about it though? She knew all too well how hard it could be to get somepony to stop blaming themself. She took a deep breath, quickly considering a way to solve this whole self-blame game entirely. "How about this, I'll stop blaming myself if you do the same. Nopony could have considered this as a potential outcome of their actions, and since we're already here, it's useless to argue over who is at fault."

Sweetie Belle lifted her head to look at Light, then after a moment, nodded. "Okay. I'll try."

"That's all anypony can do." Light knew it wouldn't be that simple, but perhaps if they each agreed to at least pretend there were no guilty feelings, those feelings might eventually go away in truth. She just hoped it happened sometime before they all inevitably starved. There weren't enough resources left to feed five ponies for long, but perhaps that was a worry for another day.

Rarity stepped away from Fluttershy and came back to lay down next to her sister, so close their sides were pressed together. It seemed she had given up on trying to snap Fluttershy out of it for now, but if Light knew Rarity, she'd be back at it in no time. Good for her, though Light was concerned about the effects on her mental wellbeing should she continue to fail. Then again, nopony remained sound of mind for long in this place anyway.

"Light," Rarity prompted, "why don't you tell us about what you've been up to and how you first arrived, and in exchange I can offer a few updates about life in Equestria. I'm sure you'll want to know what everypony has been up to."

Light blinked, letting her surprise show openly. Rarity had just arrived in a place rivalling Tartarus for horror, and she wanted to engage in idle small talk? Surely she had more important questions, ones that didn't focus on something so inane. Then again, it would be good to catch up on current events, and the more serious issues could always be tackled a little bit later. That, and Rarity was looking at her with a strangely insistent expression.

"Okay." She nodded. "Where should I begin?"

For over an hour, the two discussed the petty and only somewhat less petty details of their lives. Light told a slightly sanitized version of events following her arrival, leaving out the part where another Twilight died in her hooves, while Rarity discussed events amongst their former social circle. Apparently, when that previous Twilight was injured, Discord had simply snapped her back into health. A convenient solution, such as was common in Equestria yet almost unheard of in their new home.

Rarity also described how they had all gone to Manehattan to participate in an escape room, only to miss the record escape time by two seconds on account of stopping to sing a song about friendship. When they got back, they learned that Starlight had literally bottled up her emotions and Trixie had accidentally teleported the friendship map into a spa. Of course, that meant that within Trixie's pocket dimension—which, Light assumed, was mostly empty on account of Trixie's lack of skill—the friendship map had just appeared and crashed into the ground.

Despite herself, Light couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. For the first time since her arrival, Light was almost beginning to feel something resembling content. The feeling could not last, of course, but for those precious few moments, it was wonderful.

The conversation came to an abrupt end the moment Sweetie Belle fell asleep. Rarity's expression hardened and she took only a moment to make absolutely sure Sweetie was completely out before giving Light a somber look. "We're going to die in here, aren't we?"

Light's smile fell in an instant. "Yeah. Probably." She sighed. "I've tried every method of escape I can think of, but I'm starting to think it's impossible without outside help, which we will never get. They can't help if they don't know about it. Now that there are five of us in here, I expect our food supplies won't last too long either, even if we carefully ration it. Too much of it has been picked clean or spoiled beyond edibility. Some bodies have even been contaminated with chemicals that I've teleported at one point or another. The best I can say is that we have a working water filtration system, but even that is starting to show some wear, and we no longer have the proper supplies to make replacement parts."

"I see." Rarity shuddered. "It will be slow then." She sniffed, then wiped away a rogue tear. "Light, I'm afraid. Terrified even." Her glistening eyes met Light's. "I'm not ready to die, and I am certainly not prepared to let it happen to Sweetie Belle. She's just a filly, for Celestia's sake! She deserves so much more. She deserves a life." She hesitated, the tears beginning to flow more freely. "If something happens to me, you'll watch over her, won't you?"

"Of course." Light nodded weakly. "She'll have a better life here than either of us can afford to take for ourselves. We'll make sure of that. Both of us."

Rarity nodded one more time, then broke down into full-blown sobbing. For her part, Light could do nothing but close her eyes and lie her head down on her hooves. There was very little she could do for either of the newcomers. She was just glad that she would likely die before them, as healthy as they were compared to her after two weeks there. She wouldn't have to watch the ever-generous Rarity or the spunky, crusading Sweetie Belle slowly perish in her hooves as that other Twilight had. At least, she hoped not.

How long could a filly last in such a place anyway?

8 - Smile

Sweetie Belle awoke with blurry eyes and a full bladder. Beside her, Rarity dozed away while Twilight... er, Light, slept not much further off. She still had trouble remembering that the alicorn went by a different name here.

Slowly, she rose and crept away from her sister’s side, watching her step to avoid making a sound. After all, she would hate to wake them just because she needed to go to the bathroom. Luckily, even with the squish of flesh and crunch of bone underhoof an almost ever-present accompaniment in this place, she managed to slip off in near silence. She chalked it up to her small size more than anything.

She was so busy watching the ground and the two sleeping mares behind her that she missed the body right in front of her. When she bumped into it, she whipped around with a gasp, thinking she’d just run straight into a corpse. When she saw what it really was, she almost shrieked before stuffing her hoof into her mouth. That was a mistake. It tasted of blood and rot, and she quickly spat it out in revulsion.

What met her was a pair of cyan eyes, gazing down into Sweetie Belle’s soul. She’d walked straight into Fluttershy, or perhaps the statue that used to be her. Normally, she would have been comforted by the kind mare’s presence, but not now. Now, those piercing eyes seemed to see everything and nothing all at once, as if they were dissected her while understanding not a whit of what they saw. Or was Sweetie only imagining that? It was hard to tell, given recent events and the haunting atmosphere.

She backed away from Fluttershy, rerouting around the pegasus and out of the so-called camp. She hated the idea of going very far from them or stepping out further into the mass grave at all, but she hadn't been there long enough to lose her sense of modesty. She couldn't go to the bathroom in full view of three ponies, one of which was still awake, even if unresponsive.

As she stepped further and further away from their sleeping site, her steps slowed, became more hesitant. There couldn't be anything dangerous out there, could there? As far as her fear-addled memory could recall, Light gave no indication of a clear and present threat. Sweetie was reluctant to take her word on it though—not when the place just seemed so dangerous. She would just have to be quick.

She stopped just out of sight of the others, quickly doing her business into a pool of like liquids. When she was done, she turned straight around with every intention of heading directly back to the others. It took only a single step for her to realize one of the bodies sitting between her and them hadn't been there before, and it was watching her.

"Um, hello?" she nervously called out. "Who is it? Be warned, I can scream really loud. If you try to hurt me, my sister will come and... and..." She floundered. If this was a threat, what exactly could Rarity do? Her sister wasn't known for her fighting skills.

"Don't worry." The pony stood up. "Nopony wants to hurt you. I'm just curious."

Sweetie blinked, then sighed in relief. "Oh, it's just you. You really scared me for a second." Given how most of the bodies were Twilight and this one was quite messy, she hadn't realized for a moment that it was just Light. She must have seen Sweetie walk away and followed to make sure she was safe.

Light chuckled, shaking her head. "I apologize. That was not my intent. You shouldn't wander off though." She began limping toward Sweetie Belle, favoring her right foreleg over her left for some reason. "If Rarity really is here, I'm sure she would be quite worried to learn you were poking about alone. Even if nopony wants to hurt you, there are still things that can. An explosive potion once destroyed almost everything here, for instance. Best you stay with a grown pony, and away from the center."

"I wasn't 'poking around' though!" Sweetie insisted. "I just needed to use the little filly's room, or what passes for it here, I guess. I promise I... wait a minute." She quickly backed up, almost stepping into the pool of fluids. "What do you mean, 'If Rarity really is here?' You were talking to her just earlier! And... and I don't remember you having that scar. Or the limp." She gulped, contemplating whether or not she should scream for help. "You aren't Light, are you?"

"No, I am not." The Twilight clone stopped right in front of her. "You may call me Twi."

"Oh, well, hello Twi." She froze. Didn't Light say Twi could become dangerous? Uh oh.

"I'm sorry, did you just say that Light called me dangerous?"

"Eep!" Sweetie cowered. "Did I say that part out loud? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I'm sure she didn't either."

Twi sighed. "I guess I'm not surprised to find her slandering me, but please, you have no reason to fear." She gently put one hoof under Sweetie's chin and lifted it until their eyes met. "I'm a friend, just like her. The two of us merely have some disagreements. Now come with me. I have a gift for you."

"A gift?" Sweetie cocked her head to the side, barely registering that Twi was already pulling her along with the gentle touch of an outstretched wing. "What kind of gift?"

"The helpful kind." Twi smiled. "Don't worry. It's just over here." She continued pulling Sweetie Belle along, who now kept pace with the mare, despite needing to enter a trot to do so.

Sweetie skidded to a sudden stop when she saw where Twi was taking her. It was like a cave, but made out of bodies, having been dug out of the side of the central corpse pile. Most of the bodies in that area were little more than bone now, but what remained of some of the pelts had been laid flat over the top. Around and on top of it, a series of large bone spikes fanned out as if it were a fort somepony had taken to viciously defending. It even had a relatively fresh body laying next to it with neatly carved strips taken out of its side.

"Wh—what is this?" She hurried back several steps, suddenly feeling lightheaded. "No, no, no. What have you done?" Tears gathered at the edge of her eyes as her head and stomach warred for the choice to either faint or vomit. What was this crazy pony going to do to her?

"Huh?" Twi looked from her to the cave, and then her eyes widened. "Oh, no! I promise it's not what you think! I didn't build this. I only dug it back out after it was collapsed. It was the Twilight before me who made it originally. She was crazy—tried to kill me, in fact—but she left something useful behind. A journal. I just wanted to give it to you."

Sweetie Belle took a deep breath. "Wait. Really? You... didn't bring me here to kill me then?"

Twi cocked her head to the side. "Wow, you are absolutely terrified of this place, aren't you? All the better that we get through with this quickly then. I left the journal inside this little abode, along with my part of the library Light and I once shared. Come." She turned and walked through the skeletal structure's opening without watching to see if Sweetie Belle would follow.

Sweetie gulped, staring at the structure's walls. This Twi seemed mostly sane, but what kind of pony could use such a place? She hoped it was just a library and Twi didn't actually sleep there, or this pony might be a lot more dangerous than she claimed. Just then, she wished more than anything that Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were there with her. Well, obviously she didn't wish this fate on them and would have preferred to be in Equestria alongside them, but still. When the CMC was together, there was nothing they couldn't handle. With them, she could march in there no problem—or at least, that's what she told herself. Alone, she was afraid, weak, and altogether useless.

"Hey!" Twi stuck her head out of the opening. "Are you coming or not? It's just bone."

"Um," she took another look at the cave, cringing at the thought of going inside, "maybe you should just bring the journal out here. I don't really need to come in, do I?"

Twi frowned. "Nonsense. This will just take a moment." She then proceeded to walk over, put a wing around Sweetie Belle, and pull her inside, careless of her reticence.

They were barely past the threshold when Sweetie shrieked, futilely pushing back against Twi's wing to escape the horrible body before her—the body of a Twilight with a series of bone splinters piercing its muzzle, forcing its mouth into an exaggerated smile.

"Woah there." Twi patted Sweetie Belle's head. "It's okay. It's just Sparkle. She can't hurt you. Say hi, Sparkle." She stopped and stared at the body for several seconds, then turned back to Sweetie Belle with a shrug and a deadpan expression. "She isn't very talkative."

Sweetie stared in horror, first at Twi then at the corpse. "Whaaa—?"

"Just a joke." Twi raised her hoof as if in defense. "She was dead long before I arrived. I only learned of her through what was left of the previous Twilight's journal. This journal." She picked up a blood-soaked, shredded up tome from next to the body and set it before the filly. "Apparently, Sparkle here had the rare privilege of dying both relatively sane and morally upright. It is a fate I wish to ensure each and every one of us can share in. Nopony should be allowed to succumb to madness, or to be tortured by this place any more than they are capable of withstanding. This is why I bequeath you this book. Read it, and you will understand."

Sweetie's breath hitched. "Understand what?"

"You will understand that, in time, madness and pain are inevitable here. For one so young, it may even come sooner. You will resort to cannibalism, become desensitized to your surroundings, lose your empathy, begin hurting yourself just to feel, and then resort to hurting others when that no longer satisfies. If somehow you stave these things off for a time, you will instead have to watch it happen to everypony around you. Those you love and trust will become unlovable, untrustworthy, and in time, outright malicious. Your only escape is to end the process early. Sparkle died well for just that reason," her eyes fell to a makeshift axe lying next to a small stack of papers, "and I wish to offer you that same ending. A good ending, should you wish it."

Sweetie Belle backed away from Twi, smiling corpse, and book all, backing up until she bumped into one of the skeletons making up the wall. "What? No! Stay away from me!"

Twi stepped toward her, and thus away from the entrance. "I don't want to hurt you. I only want to—"

Sweetie bolted past the alicorn and through the now-clear exit, galloping harder than ever before in her life. She had to make it back to Rarity. Surely, even Rarity could stave off one crippled pony, especially if Light helped. Though, given that Light and Twi were once the same pony, she worried that the former might not be much safer than the latter. She could only rely on her sister then. Her sister and herself.

"Wait!" she heard Twi call out, already far behind. "I was only trying to offer a way out! I wasn't going to force you to..." Whatever else she had to say faded as the distance grew and the crunch of bone underhoof became more pronounced.

Sweetie's heart felt like it was going to beat its way up and out of her mouth, but she had a mind for only one thing: her purple-maned goal. She would be safe then, safe from the madmare that she was now convinced Twi was. However that pony acted, she was utterly insane. Sweetie Belle would have to warn Rarity, find a way to defend herself..."

So caught up was she in her panic, she flew right past Rarity, digging her hooves into the ground in a desperate attempt to reach a full stop from a dead gallop. Instead, she skidded and crashed into another pony. Into Fluttershy.

"I'm so sorry!" Sweetie said on impulse, Light and Rarity rousing from their slumber behind her. "I didn't mean—" she cut off, realizing she was talking to a vegetative pony, and began hurriedly picking herself out of the mass of yellow feathers and fur she’d knocked over.

Fluttershy's eyes shifted to meet hers. "It's okay." She cocked her head to the side, dragging pink mane across bloody ground. "Is something wrong?"

Sweetie Belle's mouth dropped. For that matter, so did Light and Rarity's.

Author's Note

As indicated in the description, many of the details in this chapter are inherited from Flash Notion's Not The First. If you want to know how Sparkle ended up like that, go read that story.

10 - Campfire Stories

Light sat next to the campfire they'd set up, trying not to stare at Rarity's feeble attempts to brush and clean her mane, which was gradually losing its carefully coiffed curl. The fashionista whined about how horrid the grime on her coat was and how if she was to be trapped anywhere, the universe should at least have had the good graces to make it a spa—or should that have proved too difficult, spa adjacent. This turn of events was not just cruel of the universe, it was downright rude.

Her statements were as ridiculous and overly dramatic as ever, but Light was fairly sure the whole display was just to provide some semblance of familiarity. If anything, Rarity acting like her typical, prissy self made everypony else feel better. At least something was normal. As for whether Rarity did it for their benefit or her own, Light couldn't say. The unicorn surely knew there was nothing that could be done about the unhygienic conditions.

Light turned the other way to hide from Rarity the smile splayed across her muzzle. It wouldn’t do to have her friend think she was making fun of her. Of course, Sweetie Belle was far less subtle, openly giggling when Rarity complained about how she’d lost one of her fake eyelashes and that a sunless underworld was not good for one’s complexion. Though Rarity seemed pleased that her sister was able to find some form of amusement, even if at her own expense.

Sitting around the fire with her friends, Light found herself oddly content, despite the fact that they would all surely die horrible, drawn out deaths. Having her friends back, even if only a couple of them, was like the first breath of fresh air after being trapped in... well, this place. She could try to think of an analogy, but nothing quite compared to the stale air and rot of her new home. She still greatly missed Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and everypony else, but the crushing loneliness was gone.

Looking out at the mounds of bodies, she suddenly found her gaze meeting a pair of shining orbs far out in the darkness, just barely visible by the soft glow of the fire reflected in them. Were those... ? Yes. Eyes.

Light sighed. That would no doubt be Twi watching them from somewhere closer to the center of their prison. As the only pony not already at the makeshift campfire, it had to be her. They had tried to invite her to join them of course, had attempted reconciliation, but that stubborn pony just wasn't interested.

Twi had refused to speak to Light, citing earlier disagreements, and wouldn't speak with Fluttershy either. Though no reason was given for that one, Light suspected it was because her double felt ashamed at having wanted to kill their pegasus friend before, only to be proven wrong by Fluttershy's unexpected return. That, or she was afraid of some sort of reprisal from the timid pony. Light could hardly imagine Fluttershy ever doing such a thing, but with Twi's mind as warped from malnourishment as it was, she supposed the pony might very well believe the absurd.

There was only one pony Twi was actually eager to speak to, and that was Sweetie Belle. Rarity had instantly shot down any possibility of that happening. She didn't intend to let her sister anywhere near her would-be killer. In regards to who should approach Twi, that only left Rarity herself. At the time, they all figured that was for the best, given the fashionista's diplomatic nature.

Unfortunately, Rarity's visit across their prison had not gone well. Oh it started amiably enough, and Twi was glad to see her friend, but apparently it went downhill faster than the CMC on a well-greased sled the moment Rarity confronted Twi over her treatment of Sweetie Belle. Light should have known that would happen. Rarity had oh-so predictably lost her good manners in favor of protecting her little sister, and in doing so, pushed Twi to acrimoniously and vociferously inform them that she would be cutting off all contact with their group—or at least, those were the words Rarity had used to describe it. Light was more than happy to translate from snobbish into plain old Ponish for Sweetie Belle, informing her that it meant bad-mannered and loud.

In the end, Rarity had returned with her head hung low, ashamed of her poor performance as a diplomat, but not of standing up for her sister. Her spirits were not kept down for long though, as shortly after, a single half-empty packet of marshmallows teleported in. As for why Twilight Sparkle would need to teleport such a silly thing, Light had no idea, but she was glad of the opportunity it gave her.

The idea of the campfire, and to roast the marshmallows around it, was a definite success with her friends. The silliness of it, combined with the simply pleasure of a gooey treat, got every one of them smiling again. Of course, Light had refrained from eating any herself. She was already used to the meat, and she wanted to spare the others that for as long as possible. The marshmallows wouldn't do much to sate their appetites, but it was better than nothing.

Light redirected her attention to her friends. Rarity had moved on to complaining about the ghastly effect of congealed blood on her recent hooficure, Fluttershy was quietly mumbling something to herself, and Sweetie Belle was licking the last bits of a charred marshmallow off her lips. Looking at the three of them around a fire, much like an actual camping trip, an idea came to mind.

"Hey," Light started, "do any of you know any campfire stories?"

Rarity cut off mid-whine to turn toward Light. "My sincerest apologies, but what was that you just said? You want us to tell stories?"

"Well, yeah," Light nodded. "I mean, if you don't pay attention to... well, anything really, you can kind of imagine that this is like a camping trip. Ponies tell stories on such trips, don't they?"

"Well," Rarity tapped her chin with a hoof, cringing when she noticed the red-black stain which she'd just inadvertently spread from hoof to face, "I suppose it would help get our minds off things. I just need to think... aha! I have it! A silly little bit of pulp fiction, but one I think will suit our purposes. I believe I read it while in the waiting room of a dentist's office, so do not expect anything of significant quality—though I have it on good authority that parts of it are based on a true story."

"That's alright." Light adjusted her position to better face Rarity, then leaned into her forelegs as she prepared to listen. On the other side of the soon-to-be storyteller, Sweetie Belle was doing the same thing, albeit with a comically large grin plastered across her face.

Apparently, the filly had no problem temporarily overlooking the horrors of their situation in favor of getting all the time she could ever want with her sister. Better yet, since Rarity had an emotional investment in maintaining Sweetie's innocent mental state, the elder unicorn was practically obligated by her own conscience to entertain the desires of the younger.

"Ahem," Rarity began, "it all started with a dapper young explorer of a stallion, who had been shipwrecked in a strange land of barbarians with only his monocle and a most marvelous mustache for comfort..."

"...so our hero sold his last pair of purple pantaloons to a most trustworthy stallion by the name of Egregious Prevaricator—a respected scholar and grower of pipe weed—so that he might pay for passage to the Prosperous East. There, it is said he found the Fountain of Couth, and in doing so, became virtually unflappable." Rarity paused for a moment to consider. "Well, either that, or he was accidentally killed in a drunken brawl with a fat destrier by the name of Black Whirlwind. To be honest, I can't quite remember how it went." She shrugged. "Oh well. The end."

Light and Sweetie Belle stared at Rarity for several seconds before bursting into a bout of laughter, to which Rarity responded with a pleased smile. Even Fluttershy gave a small chuckle, despite having seemed a little distracted during the story.

"Hold on." Light waved a hoof in the air as she got her laughter under control. "Did you say 'the Fountain of Couth?' Don't you mean Fountain of Youth?"

"Oh, pff, kuh, thh," Rarity scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Why do ponies always say that? That is nothing more than a silly old mare's tale. The legend of the Fountain of Couth, on the other hoof, is very much based on a true story. Why, Canterlot elites have been hunting for it for ages!"

"Is that so?" Light deadpanned, raising one eyebrow.

"Indeed." Rarity nodded. "I mean, just imagine it: complete unflappability. You would never be embarrassed again, never make another social misstep, never have to deal with another awkward conversation!" She smiled, inspecting Light from the corner of her eye. "Frankly, darling, I feel that you could rather use such a thing."

"Well, I... hey!" She nudged the white mare in the shoulder. "I'm not that awkward! I mean, I am a princess. Besides, I'm about ninety percent sure you just made all of that up on the spot."

"Me?" Rarity put a hoof to her heart in mock offense. "Never! I cannot say a word that is not true. Honest as a scholar, I tell you. Or a farmer."

"You mean like 'Egregious Prevaricator?'" Light pointed out smugly.

"Indeed," the drama queen responded with a smile, blithely ignoring Light's point. "If you don't believe me, just ask Applejack. Oh wait, you... can't." She frowned, all sense of jest fleeing her countenance. "Perhaps it is time we move on to another topic. Might any of you have a story of your own to tell?"

"Ooh, ooh!" Sweetie Belle piped up from where she had been laying, grinning at their exchange. "I have one! It's about the time Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and I got all covered in tree sap!"

Rarity frowned. "Haven't you already told me this one?"

"Nope! That was one of the other times we got covered in tree sap."

"I see." Rarity sighed. "How often does that happen, exactly?"

"Uh... well, maybe a little more often than is usual."

Rarity raised an eyebrow. "Is this why I keep finding my carpets sticky after you stop by following one of your adventures?"

"What?" Sweetie Belle blushed. "I don't know what you're talking about! Fluttershy," she spun toward the pegasus, desperate to deflect attention away from herself, "do you have any stories?"

"Huh?" Fluttershy visibly shook herself. "Oh, yeah. I mean, no, but Light does. I vaguely remember her reading one to me before. I think it was one of those Daring Do books."

Light nodded. "Daring Do and the Secrets of Brodfeld."

Rarity turned toward her with a frown. "Wait a minute. Isn't that the one you gave dear Rainbow Dash for her birthday?"

"Yes, though it would have been the next version of me who actually hoofed it to her. I appeared here earlier that day." She paused. "Um, did she like it?"

"I believe so, yes, but she also said it was much darker than previous entries." Rarity glanced toward her sister. "Are you sure it's suitable for a younger audience?"

"Rarity," Light shot her a level look, "I think at this point, the last thing you need to worry about is a book corrupting her innocence."

Rarity glanced at the corpses piled high near them, then flushed a light pink. "Oh, well, perhaps you are right. Very well then, retrieve this book. You can catch us up, then continue from wherever you and Fluttershy left off."

And so, Light did just that.

Daring Do was escorted into the great banquet hall by a pair of stone-faced griffon guards—the very same ones who had just minutes before demanded she put on a ridiculous silvery dress for the king's pleasure, despite it being only hastily and poorly modified for a pony.

Once inside, the guards shut the massive double doors behind her and escorted her to a seat at the end of a long banquet table filled to the brim with every kind of food imaginable. From there, it was at least a good ten or fifteen yards to the other end of the table where King Kloseu de Kissau—a gray griffon with violent eyes and a scarred cheek— sat, gorging himself on a plate stacked almost too high for her to see him past.

Daring Do glanced nervously at the guards, who were well armed and had taken up positions immediately to her left and right, then stretched her neck out to get a better view of the king. She opened her mouth to address him, but was immediately silenced with a warning glare offered by one of the guards. Right. She was not to speak until spoken to. How had she already forgotten that?

With a sigh, she leaned back in her seat and began fiddling with the compass she normally kept in her pocket, but that was now awkwardly tucked into the uncomfortable dress. Given the king's lack of attention to her, she felt that she might be waiting for a while—perhaps even close to as long as they had kept her waiting outside the hall, which itself was nearly as long as the wait outside the palace.

The room itself was massive, far larger than a meeting with the king and two of his guards warranted, and had a severe echo caused by the missing rugs and tapestries. Apparently, many of the palace's luxury items had been sold to traders in neighboring Gryphus to help fund Kloseu's army. Despite that, and the starving peasants outside, there seemed to be a permanent feast taking place within the palace, often attended by Kloseu alone, but sometimes also with political allies or his son, Prince Tomado, in attendance.

Finally, the king looked up, eyeing her across the distance that she could only assume was for his protection. "A pony enters my court and, if my sources speak true, an Equestrian no less. Why? Have you come to spy? To prey upon the righteous like so many of the local vermin? Do you, like them, deny my right to Eviliana's divine blessing as both sovereign and one true savior of this land from the red devils?"

Daring Do's mouth fell agape. Was he crazy? She hadn't yet said a word to him, and he was already accusing her of conspiring against him? She mentally threw out everything she'd previously been planning to say. She wasn't one for bowing and scraping, but there was a certain practicality to indulging the whims of a dangerous madgriff whose help she sorely needed.

"No, your majesty." She awkwardly bowed from where she sat. "In fact, I believe we can have a mutually beneficial relationship. I hunt a dangerous artifact that has been taken from my land, and I fear that if I do not find it soon, it may be used against you. I know it is a lot to ask for, but I need backing for an expedition to the most northerly parts of your country. With bandits, monsters, and a severe lack of viable infrastructure, I couldn't hope to get there on my own, especially if those I hunt are as dangerous as I suspect. Please, this won't just put my mind at ease, but it may also just save your life."

In truth, Daring Do had no idea if her enemies had any plans to use the artifact against this king, but given his apparent paranoia, she thought it best to fudge the facts. Winning his support would be far easier if he had some sort of personal stake in the outcome.

Kloseu de Kissau's eyes lit up at the mention of a dangerous artifact, leading him to set down the leg of some poor roasted animal long enough to consider her proposal. "Artifact, you say? What does it do? I have a right to know in what way I am endangered."

Daring Do sighed. She hadn't planned to give him too many details, but she knew that if she didn't, there was very little chance of receiving support. Some vague threat mentioned by a strange, foreign pony was unlikely to sway the king. "It's called the Staff of Sanguine Souls. Yes, crazy cultists like alliteration—puns too, but that's off topic. Anyway, it has the power to make those struck by its crimson rays overwhelmingly happy."

"Happy?" The king groaned. "Is this some kind of stupid pony joke? What do I care of a staff that shoots joy beams? Next you'll tell me it's made of rainbows and tastes like cotton candy." He rolled his eyes. "You ponies and your moronic fascination with love and kindness are disgusting enough as is, but now you claim that such a thing could actually pose any sort of credible threat to me? Don't make me laugh. Degeneracy like that only leads to weakness—the same kind of weakness that failed to stop Caramel Marks from writing his accursed manifesto."

Daring Do cringed. This was not going well. Perhaps if she properly impressed upon him the power of the artifact... "Your majesty, with respect, I wouldn't take this so lightly were I you. Happiness is contentment, and a content enemy is an apathetic enemy. The user of the staff could effectively control anypony, keeping from their mind any worries over what might happen. Worse, it takes only a moment to use and the effects are permanent. If used on one such as yourself, you would be unlikely to put up any sort of resistance to a complete government takeover."

His eyes widened in shock. "I knew it!" He slammed his talon against the table, sending a half-full wine glass careening off the table and onto the cold, stone tiles. "This is the work of those dirty reds, no doubt! They want to control me, and in doing so, keep me from my holy mission as savior of all of Evi—nay, the world—from their vicious communistic schemes. Little pony, you will have all the resources you need. You shall have wagons, scouts, an armed escort, provisions, all-terrain vehicles, and tanks! Crush these vile communists before they can go on to threaten the world, as is their villainous creed!"

By the time he was finished with his outraged speech, spittle was dripping from the end of his beak and Daring Do was properly horrified. Sure, she had all the help she could ever possibly want and more, but now she was more scared of her own allies than those she was after. Also, she was pretty sure her enemies were not, in fact, communists.

With help attained, she opened her mouth to request leave to go and get back into a proper pith helmet, only to immediately shut it with a click when she noticed what the king was eating. That wasn't just any animal leg, there was a hoof still attached. A pony hoof. She blanched. No, there had to be some sort of mistake. He wouldn't actually eat a pony. Her eyes were deceiving her.

"Um," she nodded toward the roasted leg, her voice shaking while her mind reeled, "that isn't what I think it is, is it?" She gulped, hoping she hadn't just said something that might inflame the madgriff.

The king raised an eyebrow at her. "What do you think it is?"

"A pony."

"What?" The king glanced at her, then down at the hoof in his talon. "Don't be ridiculous. This isn't a pony."

She sighed. "Phew. That's good. For a moment, I feared that you were—"

"It's a communist."

And with that, Daring Do rushed to take her leave, wanting very badly not to vomit in front of her new benefactor.

Light set the book down, feeling sick to her stomach. The book's reference to the king eating a pony was not appreciated, especially given her own diet. What was A. K. Yearling thinking, putting that in there? Was needlessly dark really that in demand? The king's diet wasn't the only problem either. The shear hatred shown toward an obscure political ideology reminiscent of Starlight's equalism was just as likely to alienate readers as provide anything interesting to the story.

Sure, Light had the privilege of knowing the books were based on true events, but if anything, that just proved A. K. needed an editor to show her what to cut for mass market appeal. In fact, she wouldn’t be surprised if these problems factored into the book’s extremely limited release. It also made her worried for the author's mental state if she really did go through all of that.

Frankly, Light found much of it quite disgusting, and for once, she wasn't sure that she could continue reading. By the looks on the other's faces, they were in agreement with her. Fluttershy was even looking a little green.

"We're going to have to eat pony too, aren't we?" Sweetie Belle asked, a melancholy expression on her face. "I'm already so hungry..."

Light sighed, then slowly nodded. "Yeah. Sorry, but we don't have much of a choice. I won't lie, it's not a pleasant experience, but you get used to it."

"Well," Sweetie gulped, "I think I'm ready. I don't want to starve." She sniffed, and as if to highlight her point, her stomach let out an audible groan.

"You won't." Light patted her head, omitting the fact that a purely meat-based diet could only delay starvation, not stop it. And that was to say nothing of the constipation issues, illness from consuming rancid flesh, and the loss of energy that came with malnourishment.

Light looked to her friends. "Are you two ready as well?"

Rarity glanced toward Sweetie Belle, then hesitantly nodded. Fluttershy took a bit longer and had tears silently dripping down her face by the time she came to a decision, but eventually, she nodded as well.

"Okay, let me just collect what we need." Light turned around and started walking toward where she had organized the meat.

This was going to be a tough experience for everypony, and worse, she could still feel Twi's eyes on the back of her head, watching them from a distance. It made her uneasy, but then again, just about everything did nowadays.

11 - Angel

“Well, it can’t be entirely hopeless! Have you tried having somepony grab onto the clone before it disappears?”

“Yes! Listen, Rarity, I’ve tried just about everything—and if I haven’t, another version of me has. I even tried affixing a note to a dart and sticking the clone with it. It didn’t work. Nothing works.”

“But there simply has to be a way!”

“Does there? Celestia, Luna, Starlight, and even Starswirl the Bearded have all teleported before, and as smart as they are, none of them have ever shown up screaming about pocket dimensions before. If they failed, what makes you think I have what it takes?”

“Because you’re you. You have what none of them do.”

“What? Plentiful friends? The Element of Magic?”

“No, darling. Science!”

“...”

“What?”

“You’re joking.”

“Not at all. Where are the charts, the diagrams, the analytics? Magic may not work here, but your brain most certainly does. So, stop pretending otherwise, you—as our oh so eloquent, cerulean friend might put it—egghead.”

Fluttershy smiled as her two friends burst into a round of laughter. She may not have joined in on the conversation, but she agreed with Rarity’s sentiment. Even if there really was no hope, Light would be better off if they could convince her there was. Nopony could live without hope.

Of course, those lighthearted chuckles lasted only a moment before Light quickly reminded Rarity that, as inspiring as her speech was, just saying “Science!” wouldn’t actually make any solution present itself. Light and those who came before had, in fact, already tried “science.” The problem was that there was no useful way to measure progress and they had never once gotten any kind of atypical reaction to occur.

Naturally, Rarity took none of that for an acceptable answer, and they were right back at it.

Fluttershy allowed her focus to drift, no longer paying attention to the conversation. Instead, she eyed Sweetie Belle, laying with her face half-buried in Rarity mane. She’d fallen asleep almost an hour earlier, which was why the two mares had felt now an appropriate time for one of their more candid conversations—especially since Rarity seemed to vacillate between hopeless and resolute with every tiny shift in mood, and was presently in the latter state. Of course, as far as she let Sweetie know, she was always in that state.

Fluttershy’s gaze continued out into their surroundings, searching for anything amidst the muck that might hold her interest. It wasn’t that she found her friends and their conversation uninteresting or anything like that; she just knew she would have nothing of value to say. More than that, she didn’t want to risk irritating one of her friends by chiming in with the wrong note on such a touchy and emotionally draining topic.

Something moved out amongst the carcass piles, small and white as snow. Fluttershy blinked. Could it be...? No...

Fluttershy stood up, taking a step away from the others, eyes searching for any sign of what she thought she’d just seen.

“Fluttershy, dear, are you alright?”

Fluttershy froze, then quickly turned on hoof, facing Rarity. “Oh, uh, yes. I just... need to take a walk. Yes. To, um, gather my thoughts.”

“Alone?” Light’s raised eyebrow looked more than unconvinced. “Fluttershy, if something is wrong, I’m sure Rarity or I can help. You really shouldn’t be wandering off on your own, especially given Twi’s current condition.”

Fluttershy sighed. “Please, Light, Rarity, I’ll be fine. I just need to take a walk. Maybe I’ll stop by and see how Twi is doing on the way. I’m sure she won’t hurt me.”

Her friends shared a glance, before Light turned back to her with an uneasy expression. “I mean, if you’re sure that—“

“Light,” Fluttershy interrupted as gently as possible, “I’m not a foal. I know you’re just looking out for me, but I can handle myself.”

Her friend sighed. “Of course. Sorry. I’ll see you in a bit.”

Fluttershy nodded, then turned and walked away from the others. It was time she found whatever that white thing was.

Of course, it was probably nothing at all—just a figment of her imagination—but she had to check it out, just in case she had, in fact, seen what she thought she’d seen. Should she have told the others about it? Maybe, but she didn’t want to worry them over nothing. That would only make them feel on edge, and Celestia knew there had been enough tension lately as is. Besides, it wasn’t as if anything so small could pose any kind of real danger anyway.

When she was no longer within sight of the others, she sped up to a trot and began carefully searching around the corpses, trying to limit any direct contact with the bodies.

It took a good minute or two, but soon enough she saw it: a white blur flashing across her peripheral vision.

Fluttershy took after the blur at a canter, unsure she was even heading in the right direction, but given little other choice than to pick a path and go.

As she rounded a picked-clean pile of skeletons, she caught sight of a fluffy white tail just as it disappeared behind a Twilight that had been impaled with some sort of makeshift bone spike. Said Twilight was missing an eye and still had a horrified expression on its face, but Fluttershy did her best to ignore it and focus on her goal. Sights like that were way too common for her to get hung up on every one.

She caught another glimpse of her target ahead. Floppy ears. It could only be one thing, though how it got there, she couldn’t say. There had been no popping sound normally associated with teleportation.

“Angel?” she called out. “Is that you? Where are you? Please, come to Fluttershy. It isn’t safe for you here alone.”

She came to a halt, having lost sight of the rabbit and unable to tell which way it went.

Fluttershy furrowed her brow. How could Angel possibly be there? Was there another explanation? None of it made sense—not the lack of a pop nor the fact that he was still of the purest white despite the grime he’d been running through. And why wouldn’t he come to her? If she was in his position, she’d be clutching onto the first friendly thing she could find.

Those thoughts were driven from her mind the moment the bunny reappeared, jumping out from behind a pile of broken glass to rest beside a shallow pool of blood a short distance off.

“Angel?” Fluttershy smiled, relieved to see her animal friend. “Oh, it is you!”

Angel took one look at her, sniffed, then turned and dived into the blood puddle, making not one sound or splash as he went in.

“Angel!” Fluttershy rushed to the puddle, only to drop her jaw in shock when she found it undisturbed and too shallow to conceal an entire rabbit besides. The only thing there was her own dull reflection—nothing but messy pink hair, stained yellow coat, and bloodshot eyes.

“Oh...” she sighed. Had she imagined the whole thing? It seemed far too vivid for that. Still, there hardly seemed any other explanation, unless she truly was just going crazy. That would make sense, given what she had been through, but it was perhaps the last thing she wanted to consider.

Fluttershy rested upon her haunches, frowning to herself. She supposed there was nothing more to do but to return to Light and explain the situation to her. Perhaps she, as smart as she was, could offer a more logical and far less disturbing explanation than those Fluttershy’s mind conjured.

“Aw, why the long face?”

Fluttershy shrieked, bolting to her hooves at the unexpected voice. The voice that came from right beside her.

She twisted her neck back and forth, trying in vain to find the source of that voice, that voice that sounded almost like a more confidant, colder version of her own. It sounded so nearby, yet she was baffled to find not the slightest hint of another's presence.

She was crazy. She had to be going mad. That was the only—

"Ahem. Down here."

Fluttershy nervously lowered her eyes to the crimson pool, hemmed in and kept from draining to the center of the area by rotted flesh. All that met her was her own reflection, though now it was ringed by some sort of shimmering, white aura.

She frowned. That was strange. Some trick of the light, perhaps? But what light? Surely there wasn't enough to—

The reflection grinned at her, appearing almost playful—the exact opposite of Fluttershy’s horrified expression.

She felt all color drain from her face as she quickly backed away from the puddle. "No..."

"Yes," the reflection replied with a smirk. "This is happening, Fluttershy. You cannot deny reality again. It already broke your mind once. But don't worry, I'm here to help with that. I'm here to make sure you mend... correctly. You see, you and me, we're allies. Friends."

Fluttershy scooted back several more steps, now feeling thoroughly ill, before turning and galloping back toward the others. Whatever that thing said, she seriously doubted it was her friend. Maybe it was some monster from the Everfree or somewhere else just as horrifying, teleported in by the current Twilight. Yes, that had to be it. It was a monster, just one capable of looking like her and hiding in reflections. A new kind of changeling? Some sort of magical, illusory creature? Light would probably know. She could deal with it.

Something snagged around one of Fluttershy's hooves, sending her sprawling to the ground. Panicked, she looked up and to the rear, trying to gauge just how far behind she’d put the thing.

The puddle was still only a few pony-lengths behind her. It was impossible, of course—she galloped much further than that—but there it was. Maybe she hadn't galloped half so far as she thought. Such a great discrepancy seemed ridiculous though. She'd have to be insane.

A yellow-gray hoof shot out of the puddle, sending Fluttershy sprawling back into a cower at the sight of it. Blood oozed off it as the hoof sought purchase on solid ground. A second hoof followed soon after, it too bracing itself against the ground beside the puddle.

Fluttershy's breathing quickened and her eyes shot wide as saucers as she watched the creature pull itself out of the reflection, appearing a mirror image of herself, yet with a grayish tinge to the coat and a shimmering silver light surrounding its head like some sort of distorted halo.

The thing provided Fluttershy a mirthless smile, and she snapped her eyes shut in response. She was frozen out of fear, unable to move or scream or dare look at the thing for a second longer.

She began to violently shake as one thought drove itself through her mind again and again. This had to be a dream. Nothing more than a nightmare. She'd wake up beside Light and Rarity and Sweetie Belle, no sign that this Tartarus-spawn ever existed. She would be safe, as safe as could be in this place anyway, and that was—

A hoof placed itself gently against her shoulder, and the pegasus nearly shot straight out of her own coat and skin.

"Don't be afraid. I'm only here to help. You can trust me."

Fluttershy forced her eyes open, even if just into a hesitant squint, meeting the hard, cyan eyes of her strange double. She nearly squeaked at the sight of them. Physically, there was no one thing she could point to as being wrong with them, but nevertheless, something was unmistakably off. It took her a moment to realize, but when she did, she almost screamed; it was as if the creature had no soul.

"Wh—what are you?" the cowering pegasus made out, quickly breaking eye contact with the thing in favor of staring down at her own hooves.

If a smirk could be both a sound and a feeling, Fluttershy definitely sensed it coming from the thing as it cockily responded, "Why, I'm your guardian angel, of course."

"But, there's no such—"

"Fluttershy, is that you? What's going on over here?"

Fluttershy perked up at the sound of a newcomer's voice. It was Light. Surely, she would know what to do about this so-called guardian angel. She always knew just how to help.

She spun around, coming to face... Twi. Even as dark and grimy as everything was, the limp and scar still made the other pony unmistakable.

"Shy," the alicorn continued, "what's going on? Why are you out here alone?"

"Alone?" Fluttershy shook her head, then glanced to the side. Her double was gone. It was just her and Twi. Her and Twi. It suddenly struck her that even with that thing gone, she was still in no better of a position. The wary, confused pony standing opposite her had already tried to kill Fluttershy once, and tried to convince Sweetie Belle to accept an assisted suicide. However honest Twi's intentions seemed this time around, Fluttershy couldn't trust her, no matter how much she wanted to.

"Yes, alone," Twi insisted. "Princess Twilight could teleport any number of dangerous things—pony-eating monsters; volatile potions, just ready to explode; even other ponies. It isn't safe. You should return to the others." She paused, hesitating for a moment as if considering whether or not she should continue. "Or... you could come back with me. I know more about this place than Light, and I have a journal you might benefit from reading."

"Oh, um, no. That's okay," Fluttershy nervously said as she slowly backed away. She knew about this journal, and she very much doubted it would do her mental state any favors to read it. "I only came out here for a walk to, um, gather my thoughts. You really don't need to worry about me." She stopped her backward pace, having felt the tip of her tail dip into the very pool of blood that thing came out of.

Twi canted her head to the side, eyes narrowing into slits as she entered some form of Twilight analysis mode. "You're lying to me, aren't you? You aren't here to take a walk, or to gather your thoughts, and something is most definitely wrong. Given the way I overheard you talking to yourself... Are you hallucinating yet? You shouldn't—given that you are still far more nourished than Light or I—but I suppose with the kind of trauma we've all endured, anything is possible."

"Hallucinating? Um..."

Lies!

Fluttershy froze. Had she really just hear that? It sounded like her double’s voice—a more confident yet cold version of her own—except with an echoing effect, as if it was bouncing around inside her own skull.

She'll say anything to make you doubt yourself, to make you believe she can help. Don't you see it? She wants you to go back with her.

Fluttershy gulped, nervously eyeing Twi while she vacillated between whether or not to trust either one of them.

She will kill you. You know that, right? And when she is done, the others are next. My guess? Sweetie Belle dies first.

"But... what do I do?" Fluttershy whispered, a sound barely audible even to her own ears.

Turn her away. Say you'll scream for help if she comes any closer. The only path to safety lies with Light and Rarity. They will protect you—for now, anyway.

She slowly nodded, then looked up to meet Twi's gaze, doing everything she could to appear fierce and confident, even if the result probably looked more stressed than anything else. "Please leave me alone. I will be fine. I'm going back to the others."

Twi took another step forward. "But—"

"No," Fluttershy cut her off, trying to remember everything she learned from Iron Will. "You will leave. Now. If you do not," she took a moment to steady her nerves, making sure her next words came out as evenly as possible, "I will scream for help."

Twi's eyes shot wide in alarm. "You would do that?" She sighed, shaking her head—though it appeared to be more at herself than anything else. "Then I have scared you off too. I'm sorry." She abruptly turned and limped off the way she came, occasionally glancing over her shoulder at the yellow pegasus.

The moment the alicorn was out of sight, Fluttershy's forced confidence came crashing down on itself, leaving her just a pony, scared and alone in the dark. Of course, she wasn't alone for very long.

Her double stood beside her once more, eyeing the direction that Twi had just left in. "You know, it's only a matter of time."

"Until what?"

"Until that one hurts somepony. Kills somepony. She needs to be stopped, and soon."

Fluttershy nervously met its soulless eyes. "Uh, and what exactly do you mean by that?"

It smiled. "Just that your friends are counting on you, counting on you to be strong, counting on you to do the right thing. And I think you know exactly what I mean by that."

Fluttershy blanched. No...

12 - Two Agonies

Light lazily turned the page of Daring Do and the Secrets of Brodfeld, having been driven back to the novel by sheer boredom. Though she would normally spend her time talking to Rarity, Fluttershy, or Sweetie Belle, all three of them were now asleep. Light was just the lucky one chosen to stay awake for the time being in case something happened. What that something was, none of them could say for certain, but they could all sense the danger inherent in their new home.

Fluttershy rolled over in her sleep, whimpering, "No! I can't do it. It isn't the right thing. It's not a kindness, whatever you say."

Light eyed the pegasus from out of the corner of her eye, even as Fluttershy's words devolved into unintelligible mutters. What in Celestia's rainbow mane was that pony talking about? It sounded like...

Light shook the thought from her head. What was she thinking? If she started assuming bad things about the nicest pony she'd ever met, then she truly had gone paranoid. It sounded almost like something Twi might do. Besides, nightmares were more than understandable after everything they'd been through. She herself had faced more than a few, and she would fear the first pony to claim they had none at all after a few weeks in the pocket dimension, especially since Princess Luna could not arrive to dispel them. Light and Twi both had tried to communicate with her through their dreams, on the rare occasion that they knew they were dreaming anyway, but neither had ever received a response.

Light snapped her book shut at a sudden sharp popping noise. A noise that could only come from one thing: a teleportation.

She scrambled up to her hooves. What was it this time? She hoped it was like last time, marshmallows, but knew her luck just wasn't that good. It was probably another poor pony, or...

Or that. Something black and smaller than her leg hung in the air over at the pocket dimension's center. While she couldn't make out exactly what it was from the distance she was at, it was definitely moving, and that meant it was alive.

The new version of the small creature disappeared, and the original fell out of sight. Though it could easily just be some small, harmless critter, Light wasn't about to take any chances.

"Hey, girls, something's here. You need to get up."

Fluttershy stirred a bit, but otherwise, none of them responded.

Light sighed, knowing they wouldn't appreciate what she was about to do, but also knowing that if that thing was dangerous, she couldn't afford the time to be gentle.

"WAKE UP!"

Fluttershy bolted straight to her hooves, glancing around with a panicked expression as if she expected an attack. Only moments behind her, Sweetie Belle rolled out of Rarity's embrace and looked to Fluttershy, then, following her cue, began looking around as well. Only after Sweetie Belle was all the way up did Rarity begin to stir, seemingly more at the absence of her sister's body against her own than at Light's call. Even then, once she realized Sweetie Belle was safe, she nearly fell straight back to sleep. It was only after receiving a quick kick from Light that she finally came grumbling and scowling to her hooves.

"Girls," Light prompted. "I'm sorry about the rude awakening, but something just teleported in. I don't know what exactly, but it looked small, black, and alive. Could be dangerous."

"Are you sure?" Fluttershy frowned. "It could just be some cute, fuzzy little creature, in need of somepony to look after it."

Light nearly facehoofed. "No, I'm not sure. That's the point. It could be anything, but when it comes to our safety, I'm not about to take any risks. Now, please, can we come up with an appropriate response?"

They all nodded, though none were actually proactive enough to come up with a plan of their own. It seemed that they all expected her, as the de facto leader and most experienced of the group within the pocket dimension, to lead the way.

"Okay." Light directed her attention to Fluttershy. "Why don't you stay here and watch over Sweetie Belle. Rarity and I will head toward the center and check it out. If anything happens, we can just yell back to you. Got it?"

"Mm-hmm." Fluttershy nodded.

"Good. Rarity, let's go."

Said fashionista took a moment to assure her sister that she would be perfectly safe, then fell in beside Light, who had already begun walking.

“So,” Rarity began once they were away from the others, “if this thing is dangerous, what should we do? I mean, it is not as if we can simply trap it or scare it off. It is as much stuck here with us as we are with it.”

“If that’s the case,” Light coolly replied, “then we’ll probably have to kill it.”

“Kill it?” Rarity stared at Light, shocked. “Why, I’ve never killed anything larger than a fly! You can’t really expect—“

“Rarity!” Light stopped to face her head on. The new arrival could wait; this had to be addressed before it came up in an emergency. “Don’t you get it? The rules have changed. We can’t be like that anymore. Now don’t get me wrong, I still believe in harmony and friendship just as much as you do, but sometimes you just have to ask yourself what you’re willing to do to defend what you care about. I mean, even Celestia herself has occasionally had to use lethal force to defend Equestria.”

“That can’t be.” Rarity shook her head. “I’ve never heard of her killing anypony.”

“It is a very rare thing, and not one the princess would want publicized, but there are records. I suppose that’s immaterial to our own situation though.” Light sighed. “Look, if one of our lives were at stake, would you be willing to kill a sentient creature to save us?”

Rarity pondered for a moment, then frowned. "Truthfully, I do not know. I have never been put in that position, and I cannot say for certain what I would do." She sighed, then glanced around. "I know you want to handle this now, but we really mustn't waste any more time. It is here, somewhere, and no doubt getting further from the center by the moment."

Light nodded in agreement. "Right. Keep your eyes peeled. It might be difficult to spot."

The two of them continued forward in silence, Light scanning everything to the right and Rarity doing the same with the left. Neither spotted the slightest sign of the thing, though it suddenly struck Light that something so small and dark could easily hide under or within a corpse almost indefinitely, and unless they picked through every last nook and cranny, it was far more likely to find them than them it. They could easily walk right past it and never know.

The two mares reached the center, where bodies piled high and the largest pool of bodily fluids drained to. Though Light had gotten used to the stench, even in the middle where it was at its worst, Rarity still had not. She of all of them was the slowest to adjust, and by the gagging sounds she was making, was not afraid to openly display her disgust at the "horrid, icky mess."

Light chose to ignore her, and instead paced along the edge of the pool, searching for anything out of place. They had still seen not the slightest sign of their quarry, not even tracks in the gunk covering the floor. Of course, it didn't help that Light had no clue as to what kind of tracks to look for.

"What do you think?" Rarity turned to Light, having gotten properly composed. "Maybe it went off in the opposite direction? Toward where Twi lives?"

"Maybe." Light shrugged. "In that case, I would expect Twi to find it soon. Honestly, I'm surprised she didn't come here to check it out herself. Unless she was asleep at the time, like all of you were, she would have heard the teleportation just the same as I did."

"I know, darling, but she could also just be avoiding us. She probably knew we would investigate, and simply decided to stay away to let us deal with it. Regardless of her wishes, however—or yours, for that matter—we do need to find this thing. Therefore, I suggest we walk over and ask her if she's seen anything."

Light began shaking her head at the idea of confronting Twi again, but Rarity was already walking off in the appropriate direction. It seemed that Light had no choice but to follow or be split up from her friend.

Just as she sped up to join the white pony, a piercing shriek filled the air, sending both ponies jumping in shock, hackles risen. That sound had come from back the way they came, from where Fluttershy and Sweetie Belle waited.

"Sweetie Belle!" Rarity spun on hoof, terror marking her face. "Don't worry! I'm coming!" And she was off at a gallop before she could could even finish her sentence, bolting back at surprising speed, given all of the little obstacles there were to potentially trip over on the way.

"Rarity!" Light chased after her at a gallop. "Be careful! You don't know what you're charging into!"

Rarity gave no indication she'd heard her, slowly widening the gap between herself and Light as the latter's malnourished legs failed to keep up.

Luckily, it was not a particularly long trek; there was no such thing as a long distance in the pocket dimension. Light stumbled into their little clearing, tripping over a skull on the way, only moments after Rarity arrived.

Even then, as fast as Light got there, she was there only just in time to see Rarity charge at a black serpent with glowing red eyes of a resemblance with burning embers. The delicate unicorn choosing that moment to be decisive was not a coincidence, given that the thing was menacingly poised over a screaming Sweetie Belle, fangs dripping with purple venom so dark as to be almost indistinguishable from black.

Light didn't even have time to fully comprehend the situation before the snake lunged forward, widening its fangs as it went directly for Sweetie Belle's face. On instinct, she lowered her head in its direction, attempting to power up her horn and stop its attack with her telekinesis. It turned out, her instincts were badly outdated. All she managed to do was appear dim-witted and useless in a crisis.

Rarity, it seemed, was not about to make the same mistake. She slammed one hoof down on the serpent's tail, forcing the thing's body to stretch taut as its momentum carried it forward. When it stopped—and mere inches from Sweetie's muzzle at that—it snapped back, turning its attack onto its captor without hesitation.

Rarity jabbed forward her free foreleg, taking the thing on the nose with her hoof. Though that hardly deterred it.

When it stuck for a second time, Rarity was caught off-guard by a swiftness that would make Rainbow Dash proud. Having failed to bring her leg back into a defensive position quick enough, she instead settled for leaping backward with a terrified squeal.

The serpent's attack whiffed, hitting grayish floor rather than white fur. The attack didn't fail in all regards though. As it pushed Rarity into a backpedal, she was forced to bring her other forehoof up to get away, leaving the creature's movement unhindered.

With Rarity caught off-balance and the serpent recovering for another strike, Light saw her chance. She bounded forward, trying to grasp the thing's tail between her front hooves as she landed on her barrel not far from the still screaming Sweetie Belle. When it easily wriggled free, she instead kicked forward with her rear legs, bringing herself up close enough to bite the slithering black tail. She just hoped it didn't somehow have poison in its tail too. It was already far from a normal snake.

Unfortunately, biting a snake just so happens to be one really good way of getting its attention.

The creature hissed in pain and shock, already spinning to face Light with bared fangs. When those burning red eyes met her own purple ones, her heart nearly stopped from the shock. There was evil in those eyes. This thing had not just an instinctive search for food or to defend itself, but a sadistic love for death and the bringing of misery.

Light gulped. What in Celestia's shimmering mane had Princess Twilight decided to teleport? And why?

Her brief moment of curiosity was driven away as the thing lunged at her, its jaw rapidly widening in the fraction of a second it took to cross the space, giving Light a perfect view down its throat.

As the attack came closer to connecting, it was as if time came to a halt, allowing Light a few precious moments to reflect before her injection of no-doubt extremely lethal venom. Surprisingly, in those moments, all she could think was, Well, this sucks.

And then everything went white.

A ringing filled Light's ears as she stared forward in shock. What just happened? And was that... fur?

She looked up to see Rarity standing above her, alabaster foreleg extending just in front of Light’s face where her hoof had come down upon the serpent's skull, turning it into a crimson smear. It was a rather resounding response to Light's earlier questions about what Rarity might be willing to do.

The fashionista panted as if she'd just finished first in the running of the leaves, seemingly more from shock than actual exertion. She quickly shook it off though. "Thank you, Light, for the distraction. I think I... Sweetie Belle!"

Realizing that her sister was not, in fact, screaming because she was afraid, but rather, out of pain, Rarity pushed past Light and quickly wrapped Sweetie Belle in her hooves. "Don't worry, darling, I'm here. Are you hurt? Please tell me it didn't bite you."

Though Rarity was becoming increasingly panicked, Light knew there was little she could do at the moment. Instead, she glanced around for the one pony not involved in the altercation who really should have been: Fluttershy.

With her focus no longer on the snake, it took only a moment to spot the pegasus laying on her back at the edge of the clearing. Though she appeared unharmed, she lay staring up at the ceiling with a quivering lip and eyes dilated in fear. If Light didn't know better, she would almost say that Fluttershy looked trapped.

"Uh, Fluttershy?" Light stepped up beside the pegasus. "Are you okay?"

Fluttershy suddenly snapped out of her state as her eyes darted to meet Light's. "Huh? What did you say? Sorry, I was... distracted."

Distracted? Distracted!? Oh brother, that was not at all what she needed to hear just then.

Light clenched her jaw in frustration. "You want to tell me why you didn't help? Why you just sat here? I mean, seriously, Fluttershy, a snake attacks—a wild animal—and you don't do a thing? No animal whispering? No Stare? What in the name of Equestria were you thinking!"

Fluttershy gulped. "It had me pinned. I couldn't..." She trailed off, probably realizing that what she just said was ridiculous, then lowered her head in shame. "I'm sorry. I wanted to help, but I just couldn't. I mean, I tried to, but that thing was on top of me and I just... I just... oh, you wouldn't understand."

"The snake had you pinned?" Light said, disbelieving. "It was on top of you? How about when we were fighting it and you just sat there doing nothing!" She shook her head, trying very hard just to take a few, calming breaths. "You know what? You're right. I wouldn't understand. Now, please, just stay right there. I need to check on Sweetie Belle."

She turned around, already sure that she'd have to apologize to Fluttershy later, only to immediately forget that upon seeing a now unconscious Sweetie Belle with a badly swollen foreleg and an ever-slowing breathing rate. A tear-streaked Rarity held her in her hooves, whispering something into her ear as she brushed a few strands of pink, sweat-soaked mane aside.

The color drained from Light's face at the sight. "Rarity, what happened? Did it bite her?

Rarity gave a trembling nod. "Yes. I think... I think she's dying." And with that, the fashionista collapsed into anguished sobs.

13 - Regret and Reconciliation

“Twi! Twi? Twi, where are you?”

Light galloped past a makeshift structure of bones, slowing only briefly to glance inside for signs of the other Twilight. It seemed nopony was home.

“Twi, we need you! Please!”

She received no response.

Before, she had appreciated the other pony making herself scarce, but now was not the time, and she was quickly losing patience. This was an emergency, and if that pony didn’t show up, Light was half inclined to give her an emergency of her own.

“Twi, I swear to every celestial body there is, if you don’t show yourself—“

“Calm your croup, princess. I’m right here.”

Light swiveled her head to the left, where Twi lazily approached after having stood up from behind a corpse.

“Listen,” Light said, “I need... wait, were you hiding from me?”

“No.” Twi grumpily stated. “I was getting some shut eye. Now what do you need? You clearly aren’t here to enjoy my boundless charm and wit.”

Light shook her head, momentarily put off by her double’s stony delivery. “Uh, no, I’m not. Look, Sweetie Belle’s been poisoned. It was some kind of snake—one we’ve never encountered before. She’s dying, and I don’t know how to help her. I was hoping you could help.”

Twi raised an eyebrow. “You know you and I are based on the same pony, right? If you don’t know what to do, what makes you think I do?”

“Well, for one, I know you have everything that could possibly be of use here cataloged.”

Twi nodded. “That much is true. I keep a record with a list of items and their locations, but I don’t know that anything on it will help you.”

“I think it just might. A while ago—before I teleported and after you did—I was working In my lab and threw out some failed potions via teleportation. One of these was supposed to be a bit of a panacea, an idea I got from a discussion with Applejack about the time Flim and Flam tried to scam Ponyville with a supposed miracle tonic. The reason I threw it out was because it reacted incredibly poorly with a pony’s innate magic, even on species with as little magic as an earth pony. This effect would likely have been lethal in any dose large enough to actually do any curing, though I obviously stopped tests before getting that far. It also caused extreme drowsiness after even just a few drops. Nevertheless, it theoretically was still capable of serving its intended purpose.”

Twi slowly nodded. “And now that we are completely cut off from all magic, you think it might be worth a shot.”

Light nodded.

“Very well then. Come with me.” Twi waved a hoof at Light, then began trotting off in the direction of her little library. “I’ve plenty of potions laying around here, though most have had their vials cracked open by the landing or some explosion that happened before I arrived. Of those remaining, some are completely inert as a result of surpassing their expiration date, being kept at sub-optimal temperatures, or their magic being nullified. Of course, I suppose that if it was only made with magic and is not in itself magical, it might still be usable.”

They stooped at a stack of papers, which Twi began to shift around with the hoof of her good foreleg. “Let’s see... potion, potion, potion...” She stopped to clear her throat. “Do you happen to remember what color it was?”

“Pink. Wait, no! It was red.” She paused. “Rose.”

“Rose colored...” Twi slowly nodded. “Ah, here it is. The vial is sitting with some other supplies over next to where I painted that message on the wall. You know, the one about grabbing our clone as it appeared? According to my notes, it’s cracked, but enough still remains to dose even a full-grown mare.”

Light breathed a sigh of relief. “Finally, some good news. I’ll go grab it. Would you mind explaining the plan to Rarity in the meanwhile? She’s in hysterics, and understandably so.”

Twi hesitated only a moment before nodding. “Of course. If anypony dies here, it should be on their own terms, not in a sudden attack. I’d be glad to help.”

“Thank you.” Light nodded to the other pony then turned and galloped off after the potion.

It didn’t take long to find it, lined up with every other bit of glass Twi had found. Precious little of the various glasses, vials, and flasks were in an even half usable state, but the one she needed had only a small crack just below the cork. Some of the liquid had been lost, but it seemed Twi had the foresight to keep it and any others in a usable state carefully propped up with the crack facing toward the ceiling. There was plenty left for what she needed.

Light lifted the vial with one wing, careful to maintain the direction of that crack. It wouldn’t do to slip up at the last moment. Once she was sure it was secure, she made for the others’ position at a canter. She would have galloped, but feared the motion might jostle her precious cargo.

When she arrived, Twi didn’t hesitate in taking it from her, pushing Rarity aside with a wing, and then forcing much of the vial’s contents down a comatose Sweetie Belle’s throat.

And then nothing happened.

“Is she... is she going to be alright?” Rarity nervously asked. “I don’t see any changes. Please tell me she’s cured! She has to live!”

“Relax,” Twi said with an annoyed glance at Rarity. “Its effects may be unpredictable in this place. We might not know right away whether or not it succeeded. Or if it had any side effects, for that matter. And you definitely won’t gain anything from pestering me about it.”

“Relax?” Rarity huffed. “RELAX! My sister might be dying, and that’s all you can say?”

Twi gave a curt nod. “Correct. There really is no need to be dramatic. Her fate’s already decided, we just have to wait and see what it is.”

“Dramatic? You think that’s all this is? Drama?”

Twi rolled her eyes. “Well, you are a well-known drama queen.”

“Oh, that’s rich, coming from a crazy bi—“

“Okay!” Light maneuvered herself between them. “Emotions are clearly running high right now, and that’s completely understandable, but we are all on the same side here. Rarity, please remember that Twi is trying to help us, even if her manners are a bit rough. Twi, I know that social graces tend to fall by the wayside when you’re stuck in this place on your own for an extended period of time, but it wouldn’t hurt to be courteous.”

Twi slowly nodded. “I guess that’s fair. I don’t mean to be insensitive; I just see a problem and I work to find a solution. Everything else is nothing more than a distraction. Maybe I’m wrong to think that.” She eyed Rarity. “For what it’s worth, I apologize. I don’t want to start trouble with anypony.”

She turned to Light. “Satisfied?”

“It’s better,” Light said. “But maybe next time, don’t ask me if I’m satisfied. It makes it look like you’re just trying to appease me.”

“But I am...” Twi glanced in Rarity’s direction, “...definitely not doing that. You might as well call me the element of sincerity.” She grinned, prompting Rarity to lift an eyebrow at her.

“Well,” Rarity breathed with a sigh, “I suppose, in the name of cordial relations, I should just take that at face value. I shall accept your apology, and I also thank you for your help. I will not, however, apologize for worrying over my sister.”

“That’s not all you were doing,” Twi muttered under her breath, “but fine. I’m going to go check on Fluttershy—find out why she’s just sitting over there, mumbling to herself. Let me know if Sweetie Belle’s situation changes.”

Light nodded, then turned back to Rarity, who had begun affectionately stroking Sweetie Belle’s mane.

“Rarity? I’m sorry for what happened. If there is anything I can do to help either of you, you’ll let me know, won’t you?”

Rarity lifted her gaze to Light, letting out a weary smile. “Thank you, Light. You’ve already done so much. If it works, that potion alone will put me forever in your debt. It is extremely comforting to know that if I am to be stuck here, I at least have a friend like you by my side.”

“Thank you for the kind words, but I’m not sure I deserve them. Without me, you wouldn’t be here.”

Rarity chuckled mirthlessly. “Without you, I wouldn’t have achieved half as many things or made near so many friendships as I have until this point. Believe me, you deserve those words and more.”

Light let a small smile creep up on her muzzle. “You’re too kind, but thanks.” She looked over to Twi and Fluttershy. “I should go see what’s going on over there. I could have sworn I just saw Twi hoof the rest of that potion over to Fluttershy. I can’t imagine why.”

“Okay.” Rarity nodded. “I shall remain here with Sweetie until she wakes.”

“You’re certain she will? Just a couple minutes ago you were in a panic.”

“I’m starting to get a good feeling about this. I think I can even hear her breathing getting stronger.”

Light reluctantly nodded, then left to join the others. She just hoped Rarity wasn’t only telling herself what she wanted to believe. Light hadn’t detected any change in Sweetie Belle thus far.

When she stopped next to Twi and Fluttershy, the latter of whom was holding the dead serpent with one of her wings for some reason, she didn’t hesitate to ask what was on her mind.

“Twi, why did you give the rest of that potion to Fluttershy, and speaking of, why are you carrying that snake carcass?”

Twi opened her mouth to answer, saw that Fluttershy had done the same but was too polite to override her, and then motioned for the pegasus to speak first.

“Well, you see, Light, I have been having so much trouble sleeping recently—bad dreams, you know—so Twi here offered me the rest of that potion for its qualities as a sedative. Though I’ll only use it if it turns out that dosing Sweetie Belle didn’t have any side effects. Um, as for the snake, well, I thought I might examine it. I know lots about animals and I hoped to learn more about this one. Uh, that is, if you didn’t have any other plans for it.”

“Oh,” Light said,” I guess that’s fine. Just be careful of the poison.”

“Oh, I’ll be very careful.” Fluttershy nodded. “I promise.”

“Right,” Twi added, ”and if you happen to determine the meat as safe to eat, please let me know. I could use it to diversify my next meal. It would be nice to have something other than rotting pony for once.”

“Right. Meal.” Fluttershy grimaced. “Um, actually, I’m getting pretty hungry. With everything that’s happened, I don’t think any of us have eaten. Uh, would you... would you like it if I cooked food for everypony? I know it doesn’t make up for not helping earlier, but I can at least do that.”

Light smiled. “That would be most welcome. Thank you. As for what happened with you and the snake, we can talk about it later. I think we can all sense that something’s been getting to you.”

“Right. Well, I think this place probably gets to all of us. I’m going to go prepare that meal now.”

And at that, Fluttershy trotted away, leaving Light alone with Twi.

“Well,” Twi started, “I guess that’s all you need then. I should head back now.”

“What?” Light frowned at the other pony. “Just hold on. You don’t have to go.”

“Why not? It’s clear I’m not wanted here—whatever your party tried to claim last time they approached me—and frankly, I’m still not sure I even want to be here.”

Light sighed. “Look, I know there were a lot of hurt feelings when we went our separate ways, but I think I’ve come to understand your position on things a little bit more. I know you aren’t a bad pony, and you don’t deserve to be ostracized. I’m sorry for anything I might have done to make you feel unwelcome. And if you do decide you want to be here, with us, I’ll roll out whatever passes for a welcome wagon here myself.”

“I see.” A small smile began to creep up on Twi’s face. “In that case, I’m sorry for acting maybe a teensy tiny bit crazy. I seem to have become quite the pessimist, and while I still don’t share your semi-positive attitude, I’m starting to think that maybe,” she glanced at Rarity, who was trying to fix the mane of a now noticeably more hale Sweetie Belle, “just maybe, there still might be a little bit more worth living for before we all go insane and die.”

“How cheerful,” Light deadpanned. “You know, for a moment there, I almost thought you were lightening up.”

“I am lightening up. That doesn’t mean I need to completely reject reality though. Besides, I’m sure you think about it just as much as I.”

“That’s probably true,” Light grumbled, “but it doesn’t mean I like hearing about it. And I definitely wouldn’t appreciate such talk anywhere Sweetie Belle might overhear. She thinks I’m still working on a way to get us out of here, and I’m not ready to take the hope away from that little filly just yet. I think she needs it.”

“Fair enough.” Twi gave a conciliatory nod. “For as long as I am here, I will be the very picture of positivity. Or, at least, I will try my best for the young one.”

“Then...” Light drew in a hopeful breath, “you’ll stay? We can forgive each other and go back to the way things were when we first met?”

Twi flashed a lopsided smile, a gesture that would almost have appeared cocky if it weren’t for her dropping her head in a sort of nervous shame. “Yeah. I, uh, really don’t like being alone—no matter how much I try to fool myself into believing I do. To be honest, this place still scares me, even after all this time.”

Light let out a rare, genuinely elated grin. “I’m scared too, but it’s a lot better with friends. We can be friends, right?”

Twi sucked in a breath, stared at her hooves for a few seconds, then tentatively met Light’s eyes. “We can try. With everything that’s happened, and all that almost certainly will happen, I can promise no more.”

“That’s enough for me.” Purple forelegs extended, taking Light’s double into the first hug they’d shared since Twi first showed her around their new home. "From now on, you don't have to be alone anymore."

"Thanks."

After a few seconds of holding their position, Twi broke it off. "Look, if I'm going to be rejoining you, I should go and get my things. I will at least need my notes and the better cuts of meat I preserved."

"Of course. Bring anything you need."

"Right. There's also something I have to do before I can come back. It might take me a bit, so don't wait up with that meal of yours. I think I can smell Fluttershy cooking now."

"Do you need help?"

"No. Just stay here and enjoy your food—as much as it can be enjoyed anyway."

"Okay. I'll talk to you later then." Light flashed Twi a smile, then watched as she trotted off in the opposite direction.

Despite the fact that everything was bound to come crashing down sooner of later, Light couldn't help but bask in the euphoria of the small triumph she had won today. Sweetie Belle looked like she was going to be okay, and Twi had begun the process of accepting the magic of friendship once more. It was the first true victory that the cause of harmony had won within the pocket dimension to the best of her knowledge, and it felt incredible. As far as she was concerned in that moment, nothing could go wrong.

14 - Perverted Kindness

Author's Note

WARNING: Parts of this chapter may be considered disturbing to some readers. If you think you are one of these people, I recommend skipping to Chapter 15.

14 - Perverted Kindness

Twi stared at the corpse of a pony named Sparkle. Her rot blackened smile was still pinned up with splinters of bone placed by a previous Twilight gone mad. While she knew the image was probably intended to be cheerful, to show how much that Twilight appreciated Sparkle's good spirit, it had ended up looking nothing less than demonic. It was high time Sparkle be allowed to rest.

Twi turned away from the corpse to first examine all of the items she had gathered. Books, notes, a few pictures of her friends she'd recovered, some of the better cuts of meat, a few bone tools, and anything else of use she'd managed to acquire so far. Nothing was missing—save for the murderous Twilight's journal, which she had decided to leave behind. It was in terrible condition anyway, and she wasn't sure the others wanted to see it after what she pulled with Sweetie Belle.

With everything accounted for, she could finally get on with what she had come to do, then immediately take her stuff and join the others afterward.

Twi opened her mouth and pulled her lips back just enough to ensure her teeth stuck out, then extended her neck toward Sparkle's muzzle. She would avoid actually touching the body as best she could, but she needed to get those splinters out. They had been lodged in firmly, from the top and bottom, and only became even more solidly stuck in there as the pony they were attached to rotted around them.

After the first few tugs, Twi realized that she would at least have to hold onto the carcass with her wings to keep it from toppling over as she pulled. It took far more force to get the first one out than she expected, and even with wings in place, the body still almost came down right on top of Twi. That really would not have been pleasant.

Successive splinters got progressively easier than the last as Twi fell into a rhythm, but it was still a time consuming process. The muck covering them made Twi gag every time, even as accustomed to the locale as she was, and their slipperiness caused her to repeatedly lose her grip. She refused to quit though. This pony deserved more respect than that. They all did.

Usually Twi wasn't in a position to offer anything and so she pushed them from her mind, convinced herself she didn't care for the dead, but now there actually was something she could do. She could actually undo the mutilation, at least to a degree, and restore one tiny fraction of sanity to a single corner of her world. It wasn't much, but it would have to be enough.

The last of the bone splinters came free, and Twi rested back on her haunches with a relieved smile. It was done. Somehow, Sparkle seemed relieved too, as if a great weight had been lifted and her spirit made free, though Twi knew it was impossible. That pony was long gone from here. It had just been a trick of the imagination, though one Twi allowed herself to indulge for the time being.

Just sitting there, staring into Sparkle’s face quickly became too much for her, and so she decided on impulse to gently take the body between her forehooves and lie it on its side as if sleeping. That done, she took a ratty old cloth and laid it over the body like some sort of crude burial shroud. Only with that completed did she finally allow herself to be content with her work. There was obviously no way to actually bury her, after all.

"Rest well, Sparkle. I never met you, but if that journal spoke true, then I very much would have liked to." Abruptly, she began chuckling. "Of course, maybe I already have. Maybe Light was much like you, at least at first. Maybe I was too.” She shook her head. “She and I probably could have gotten along better, but I'm sure you know how things tend to go, whatever our intentions. You no doubt had plenty of troubles in your time here as well, however blessedly short it seems to have been."

"Speaking to the dead?"

Twi whirled around, stunned by the unexpected, soft-spoken voice emanating from behind her.

“Fluttershy? How long have you been standing there?”

“Oh, just long enough to sate my curiosity.” The pegasus smiled, taking a step toward her with one wing cradling some object Twi couldn’t quite make out. By how it was held, it seemed Fluttershy was actively trying to hide it from her.

"Uh, why exactly are you here?" Twi glanced around for a weapon, just in case. "Shouldn't you be sleeping? Was the sedative not enough?" She spotted one: a bone shiv lying next to her gathered belongings.

"Oh, it was plenty. The others are so very sound asleep." Fluttershy's smile would have been considered warm, if it weren't for the strange look in her eyes. A look that was distinctly not Fluttershy.

Twi's eyes widened in horror as she stepped away from the pegasus and toward the shiv. "What have you done? What are you going to do?"

"You know," Fluttershy started, completely ignoring her questions, "Sparkle is glad you've turned things around. She really is at peace now."

"She's long dead. Don't pretend that you can speak for spirits. It's disrespectful."

"Spirits?" Fluttershy rubbed a hoof under her chin in thought. "Hmm, no. But I do see angels—or, well, an angel."

"I see..." Twi stared into Fluttershy's eyes, trying to figure out what exactly that strange look was. It was almost as if something else were in there, taking up residence alongside that sweet, naïve pony Twi knew. "Have you been hallucinating? It's a known side effect of a tortured mind." Twi gulped, realizing that if Fluttershy was that far gone, anything she said could set the other pony off. "You know, Light and I can help you. We can talk this through, find out what's wrong, and work toward a solution. Together. As friends. You'd like that, right?"

Fluttershy shook her head, her smile falling away into a scowl. "No. You're just trying to trick me. Well, it won't work. I know better than to trust you—you who would see us all dead."

"I don't—"

"Don't lie!" The pegasus interrupted with a very un-Fluttershy scream. "You wanted to kill me. You wanted to kill Sweetie Belle. Who's next? Rarity? Light? No! I won't let you!"

"Fluttershy!" Twi took a vigorous step forward, hoping to scare the pony into backing down, despite how much that step made her bad leg throb. "This is insane! You need help!"

"You think I'm crazy!" Fluttershy's eyes lit up with the white-hot flames of rage. "How dare you! I'm not crazy, you are! And if I must be the one to save us from you, I will!"

Twi slammed into the ground as Fluttershy crashed into her, her wing unfurling to reveal an axe of bone, covered in a liquid of the darkest purple. Alarm bells rang in Twi's head as she immediately recognized it for what it was: snake venom, enough to kill in a single, good cut. In a moment, it became clear to her that Fluttershy had come for the express purpose of ending her life, and no amount of talking was ever going to sway her.

Twi held Fluttershy’s axe back with her wing, making sure to push against the haft rather than the coated head. Meanwhile, she twisted her neck to put her horn between herself and Fluttershy’s muzzle, threatening impalement and thwarting the yellow pony's attempts to bite her.

With Twi’s forelegs locked up in keeping the other pony off her, she opted to pull in a hind leg, tucking it in between the two ponies’ bodies, then kicked as hard as she could against Fluttershy’s chest the moment she’d earned herself enough space to do so with her other limbs.

The pegasus fell away in a sprawl, and Twi took the opportunity to dive for that shiv she’d spotted, tucking it in amongst her feathers the moment she reached it. Her right wing now transformed into a thrusting weapon, she spun back upon Fluttershy, who had recovered and appeared to be staring at Twi's wing. Had she seen Twi hide her shiv there? She had tried to do it covertly, but it seemed her opponent was playing this far too carefully to miss something like that.

Fluttershy jumped backward onto a corpse, then jumped again, this time straight at her target.

Twi set herself to take the jump straight on, ready to block Fluttershy's axe with a wing and hoof whilst striking with the shiv in her other wing and keeping her horn low to use as an additional weapon.

She didn't get the chance. Mid jump, Fluttershy furiously flapped her wings, giving herself an extra foot or two of air. While flying in the pocket dimension was impossible, gaining just a little bit of lift—with significant effort—was well within the realm of possibility.

Fluttershy crashed into Twi for a second time, having managed to bypass her defenses with the unexpected timing and height of the attack.

Twi's left shoulder burned as something sharp cut into it, an injury she prayed had been caused by anything other than that poisoned axe—a bit of bone or Fluttershy's teeth perhaps. Simultaneously, she felt her right wing pinned by one of Fluttershy's rear hooves, preventing her from using her makeshift weapon. Worse than any of that though was her lack of vision. Pink had filled her world as Fluttershy mane fell on and around her face, leaving her operating on sound and touch alone.

Panic crashed into her as surely as Fluttershy had, a result of her realizing just how bad her situation was. Pinned down, poisoned axe, blind, injured. She might as well have been dead already. Nevertheless, she wasn't ready to give up, and so she kicked, and screamed, and thrashed against her assailant with everything she had. While she succeeded in giving Fluttershy enough trouble to leave her focused on keeping Twi pinned, and thus unable to strike with the axe, she proved unable to actually better her situation any.

When it became clear that she couldn't prevent the pegasus from dealing a killing blow for much longer, she resorted to the only tool she had left in her arsenal: begging.

"Fluttershy, please!" she choked around the long, pink mane. "Don't do this. It isn't like you. You're not a killer. You're too kind for that."

"Shut up!" Fluttershy screamed in a voice so unlike her that had she not been right on top of Twi, she would have thought it came from a different source entirely. "I'm here to stop a killer. In fact, if you think about it, this is the kindest possible thing I could do. I'm saving lives, protecting my friends!"

"No!" Twi cried out as she felt tears beginning to stain her face. "I haven't killed anypony, and I was never going to. I only wanted to let them die on their own terms!"

"Liar! You wanted to kill me, and you would have if Light didn't protect me. That wasn't 'on my terms.'"

"I thought you were brain dead!" Twi flinched as she felt Fluttershy's axe-holding wing move away, a likely precursor to that weapon coming down upon her. "Wait, wait, wait, wait! Please. I know you want to protect your friends. I remember the manticore, the dragon, the cockatrice, and more. When your friends are in danger, you become one of the bravest ponies I've ever known. Truly. But did you have to kill any of those creatures? No! You stopped them, saved those you care for, and maybe even made a new animal friend in the process. You don't kill. It isn't the Fluttershy I know and love—the one I've called friend ever since we took on Nightmare Moon together."

There was a pause, silence as deafening as the blood pounding in ears, then her attacker moved away. It was only by a couple of hoof-lengths, but even that was enough to allow Twi to blow the hair out of her face and meet the other pony’s eyes.

In Fluttershy, she saw doubt, fear, guilt, confusion, and sorrow, but no hate, no anger, and definitely not whatever that foreign look was that Twi had seen earlier. She couldn't believe it, but it looked like Fluttershy was actually backing down. Apparently, saying the right thing could do the trick after all, despite her earlier dismissal of the notion.

Tears sprang up on Fluttershy’s face as she took a long, shuddering breath. “Twilight? Oh, no. What have I done? I... I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to. She just talked and talked, and I didn’t mean to listen but... but...” She began to choke on her words, cut off by the sobs bubbling to the surface.

If anything, the pony seemed utterly horrified, and even surprised, by what she had just tried to do. It struck Twi as odd, as it was not the reaction she expected from a pony being talked down from murder. It was more like Fluttershy had been woken from the worst nightmare of her life, only to find out it had all been real. Such analysis only led Twi into disconcertion, leaving the entire situation a giant question mark within her mind. Regardless, she knew her next moves would have to be careful, yet decisive. She wouldn't put it past the other pony to revert back into a killer. After all, she still wasn't entirely sure how Fluttershy had been driven toward murder to begin with.

She decided to start slow, placing a hoof on her friend's shoulder—a hoof meant to reassure, so that she might lower her guard, and thus, the weapon she still held. "Fluttershy, you are clearly sick. I don't blame you for this, but you need mental help. More, you need to trust all of us over this so-called 'angel' of yours. It is nothing more than a hallucination, caused by poor sleep and a traumatic situation. Do you think you could bring yourself to trust me? To trust your old pal, Twilight Sparkle?" She made her best attempt at a warm smile, all while silently hoping Fluttershy wouldn't pick out her deceptions.

The axe clattered to the ground, Fluttershy herself collapsing from a fatigued mind soon after, and Twi heaved a sigh of relief. Said relief was short lived as Twi realized just how much her shoulder was burning. The stupid, bloody thing felt like it'd been set on fire for Celestia's sake! She knew it meant that her worst fears had come true, and that she didn't have much time. She had to move, lest this wound of a pony be allowed to fester, becoming a threat to the others. Her biggest problem, of course, would be what to do after that. Fluttershy had already used the last of that miracle cure as a sedative—slipping it into the meal she'd prepared for the others, no doubt.

Twi leaned down next to Fluttershy, pulling her into a hug with her left wing. "Hey, it's going to be okay. I'm going to take care of you. I promise."

"I'm so, so sorry," Fluttershy wept hysterically. "Please forgive me. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry..."

"I'm sorry too." Twi glanced at her right wing, and more specifically, at what it held.

"For wha—"

A shiv of bone came down, piercing that yellow neck and sending blood spurting out onto the ground and all over both ponies.

The sobs from Fluttershy were immediately transformed into terrified screams, but Twi did her best to ignore it even through the heartache it caused. The moment the shiv was out of her target's neck, she kicked the axe away with one of her rear legs and forcefully pressed Fluttershy against the ground with her left wing and good forehoof.

"No! Please, no!" the yellow pony sobbed. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I won't do it again. Please, I'm scared. I don't want to die!"

"I didn't want it to be like this, Fluttershy." Twi stabbed her for a second time, this time missing the neck and catching her in the shoulder. "I don't enjoy this, but you've left me no choice." She stabbed again, same place. "The unfortunate truth is," she stabbed again, striking the wing Fluttershy had pulled up to protect her vital organs, "there is no helping you. None of us are equipped to deal with your condition." Another stab, once again taking the wing. "You see, I'm a goner anyway, and you're too much of a threat to leave around for the others—especially when they don't know how bad you've gotten." She stabbed yet again, leaving the yellow wing a riddled red mess. "You say you just want to protect them, but I don't trust crazy. Who knows what fresh insanity you'd show tomorrow?"

She raised her wing to stab once again, then let it fall as a sudden wave of dizziness almost knocked her off her hooves, a deafening ring filling her ears.

Fluttershy's frantic pleading became unintelligible, a garbled mess, as her blood seeped out of her wounds and soaked into the mane hair splayed out around her. Pink ran crimson, and terrified howls echoed off their prison's walls.

Twi shook her head, trying to both expel the dizziness and ignore her stupid heart, which kept telling her to let her friend live. No, heart, brain was at work, and it said to eliminate any and all threats.

She raised her wing again, but the shiv suddenly weighed almost as much as one of Pinkie's party cannons. Or, more likely, her limbs had gained the strength of Gummy’s nonexistent teeth. And that blasted ringing! She'd half a mind to box her own ears to make it stop.

The pain in Twi’s shoulder was no longer isolated there, now burning like a wildfire spreading across her whole body. It made it hard to think, hard to focus on the task at hoof. Fluttershy was little more than a red and yellow blur in her vision, a blur that had taken the brief reprieve as an opportunity to struggle against her. Was it Twi’s imagination or had that strange look from earlier returned to Fluttershy’s eyes? Impossible to tell with the damage to her vision.

Twi shook her head violently, trying to will the pain away, or at least the weakness. She still had to finish this.

She slammed both of her front hooves down upon the pegasus, internally cringing at the spike of pain that jolted through her bad leg in response, then lowered her horn so that she might finish this with a single lunge toward Fluttershy’s face.

Only then did she realize that Fluttershy had freed her previously trapped forelegs.

One hoof came down upon the side of Twi's muzzle, knocking her attack aside, while the other struck at her crippled leg, directly connecting with the wounded joint. A sickening, snapping sound accompanied the latter blow, and all thoughts of pressing the attack were gone.

"AHHH!" Buck! Frak! Frickity, buck, buck! Bucking mother's milk in a blasted, bloody, flaming, light-forsaken cup!

Every expletive Twi could think of ran through her mind as the leg bent in on itself, the previously damaged bones underneath fracturing with the force of the blow. For all the good that leg would do her now, it might as well have been amputated.

She wasn’t sure when or how exactly it had happened, but she found herself on her back, staring up at a cold-eyed Fluttershy, the twin pains of poison and fractured leg driving her body to the very edge of consciousness.

“You betrayed me, Twi. You told me to trust you, made me believe that we could all be friends, then you stabbed me in the neck. But, lucky me, you missed the artery.” She picked up Twi’s shiv with one of her wings. “Shall we see if I’ve a better aim?”

“Screw you.” Twi forced her eyes to stay open, trying to stave off the black for just a little longer. “If you’re gonna kill me, just do it. I’m not here to chat.”

“Aw,” Fluttershy tilted her head to the side with a mock pout, “you’re not going to beg this time?”

"I don't think that trick would work twice." She winced as somepony took a jackhammer to her nervous system. "Now, are you going to do this, or are you going to let your cowardly poison do the job for you?"

"You want a quick death, is that it?" Fluttershy sneered. "Well, how fortunate you are then! It just so happens, I'm inclined to grant your request."

The shiv came down, and all was black.

15 - Reflections

For Light, the morning after curing Sweetie Belle had been her best yet. Almost like a normal Sunday morning. Or Saturday. Or whatever day it was. Although, when she awoke, she did not imagine the morning would end with a reading of the very same Daring Do novel she'd previously given up on. That was a later thing though. Her morning really began rather pleasantly.

A gentle nudge from Rarity had brought Light to consciousness, her friend eager to let her know that Sweetie Belle was not only okay, but that she'd been up long before the two mares and had even gone to the effort of making breakfast for Light. Apparently, it was supposed to be a thankyou for her actions. Said breakfast may have come with a whispered warning from Rarity and may also have tasted like charcoal, rot, and bufogren excrement, but Light was fairly sure she'd survive it, and the last thing she wanted to do was discourage the little filly. It was the thought that counted, anyway. Besides, Light was just relieved to learn that Sweetie hadn't damaged their already shoddy still in making water, or worse, set the place on fire.

Her good mood was down to more than just Sweetie's recovery and her recent reconciliation with Twi though. She'd slept far better the previous night than she had any night since her arrival, and despite the slow and groggy waking, was pleased to find herself without the slightest recollection of nightmares.

The only dumbfounding thing was that she could hardly recall falling asleep the night before. Her and Rarity had just been reminiscing about old times over their meal—the last subject being Rarity's valiant rescue of Rainbows career—when she suddenly found herself waking up. There was even a few bites of her dinner left over, now long cold. Though odd, she mostly chalked the good sleep up to her exhaustion and the optimistic mood she'd been in since seeing her problems so swiftly resolved.

The sludge that passed for breakfast did little to distract her from the absence of two members of their group though, an observance which she made sure to mention to those that remained.

While Rarity, who had woken mere minutes before Light, had seen no sign of them, the same could not be said of Sweetie Belle. According to the younger pony, Fluttershy had stopped by while the adults slept to inform them that she would be helping Twi with a project until late in the day. She'd offered her sincerest apologies, turned down Sweetie's offers of help, and offered reassurances that she and Twi had resolved any remaining problems between them. Apparently, whatever it was they were working on, was better left for the two of them alone. Light was more than happy to accommodate their wish for privacy, and wait to speak to them until later, but only so long as they did not take too long. It was always better to remain in communication, after all.

There was something about the filly's story that didn't quite seem right to Light though. Namely, Fluttershy's strange behavior. Not only had she kept her distance and refused to come close enough to where Sweetie Belle could clearly see her, but she had also been wearing a tightly wound scarf around her neck—though it could have been little more than a raggedy, old, blood-soaked piece of torn up cloth given the materials available. Naturally, Rarity was most appalled by the downright nightmare inducing fashion statement, and only upon a moment's reflection did she also become concerned for Fluttershy's behavior.

It was this report of Fluttershy's behavior, along with the recent mutterings and failure to help Sweetie Belle with the snake, that led Light into deciding that enough was enough. Once she and Twi returned, Light would thoroughly question Fluttershy on her recent state and would not be turned aside until she knew exactly what was going on. While she was certain that their sweetest friend could never pose a threat to anypony else, a traumatized mind could still very much be dangerous to itself, and she refused to allow Fluttershy to face these problems on her own any longer. As a friend, it was just the right thing to do. And with luck, Twi might even have some insight into the problem by the time the two returned—though if that was not within a couple of hours, Light would have to simply march right on over there. She didn't want to leave those problems lying any longer than she had to.

But there was nothing to be done about Fluttershy's issues just yet, and so she returned her attention to Sweetie Belle. Upon noticing that her sister was trying to cover up a limp, and that she winced at every step, Rarity had gone from bemoaning the idea of attempting fashion with the "downright ghastly" materials they had on hoof to being at Sweetie's side, peppering her with questions over her physical wellbeing. Apparently, while cured of poison, the injured leg still hurt something fierce. Light couldn’t say she was surprised, given how swollen it had been.

Sweetie Belle was less than enthused at the idea of discussing her pain, however. She maintained that she was tough enough to deal with it, and that they didn't have to worry about her. Light figured the filly just wanted to not feel like a liability—which she wasn't, of course, as Rarity made very clear to her—but she supposed that if feeling tough offered Sweetie any peace of mind, she could let the matter lie and allow her to tough it out.

Unfortunately, Rarity was not inclined to agree with this viewpoint. Instead, perhaps out of an overabundance of worry, she demanded that Sweetie Belle remain still so that she would not aggravate the wound. Meanwhile, Rarity would remain by her side, attending to anything she needed. To Light's complete lack of surprise, this only had the effect of annoying the poor filly.

Seeing a minor sibling spat on the horizon, Light decided to divert their attention, and thus went for the first suitable topic of conversation she could think of.

"Hey, Sweetie Belle, why don't you tell me what else you did before we awoke? Besides take a message from Fluttershy, I mean. I understand you were up and about for over an hour."

"Huh?" The filly cut off the annoyed pout she'd directed at Rarity to give Light her attention. "Oh, I mostly just read. And then made breakfast. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious how you fill your time when we're not available. Wait. What exactly were you reading? Last I checked, Twi still has most of our written works."

"Daring Do." Sweetie shrugged. "It's not normally the kind of thing I would read, but it's sort of all we have. Besides, It's actually not that bad—even if I would prefer to read it with somepony else—and with how used I'm getting to this place, I don't even mind the dark themes that much." She stopped to think for a second, put on her best shocked expression, then pointed at her sister's mane. "Besides, nothing in it can compare to that thing on Rarity's head!"

Rarity froze, her eyes going wide in terror. "What's wrong with my mane? Is there something in it?" She stopped to gulp, then began again in a whimper. "Is it a spider? Another snake? Somepony's rotten, unfashionably placed spleen? Whatever it is, get it off, get it off, get it off!"

"Relax!" Light held a hoof out to calm the unicorn who had begun some sort of strange, panic-induced, stationary prancing. "Your mane is as tangled and blood encrusted as ours, but nothing unexpected is in it!"

"Really?" Rarity stopped. "Sweetie Belle..."

Both ponies turned in unison to scowl at the giggling filly.

"What?" Sweetie stifled her laughs to give an expression of feigned innocence. "All I meant was that your mane isn't quite as amazing as usual. A tragedy, really. And of course, nothing that tragic is in Daring Do." She held her expression for a moment, then broke out into a grin that Light supposed was meant to appear sweet and earnest.

But of course, Sweetie Belle did subtlety like a yak did humility, and Rarity was not amused.

"Sweetie Belle, you should not frighten ponies like that. I thought there might be something dangerous there. Or worse, something capable of siphoning off even more of my style than this putrescence does. What's more, little missy, you should know that it is more than simply uncouth to refer to a pony's mane as that thing. Are we clear?"

“Aw, come on!” Sweetie Belle whined. “It was just a joke. I have to make fun somehow. Things get so boring here.”

"Well, if that’s the case,” Light began, “why don’t we find something to do? Even here, I’m sure there have to be plenty of activities to keep us occupied.”

“Like what?”

“Well,” Light paused to think, “I suppose we could take turns reciting the periodic table. We could even make a game of it. Since I have it memorized, you two can go back and forth while I track the score. Whoever gets the most correct wins. That sounds like fun, right?"

At the pair of raised eyebrows she received from her companions, Light smiled nervously, shifted her weight, and then tried again. "Okay, maybe not that. I get it; not everypony's idea of fun. How about, instead, I give a lecture on early Equestrian history! You haven't heard the story of how Commander Silverbright became leader of the old Lunar Guard, have you? Or, I know, how about we discuss the legends of alicorns predating Celestia and Luna? Oh, I could tell all kinds of interesting stories! I promise. I'll even throw in some trivia questions! Fun fact, while attending Celestia's school for gifted unicorns, I wrote this historiographical essay on the study of..."

She trailed off, noticing the identical stares of the two sisters. "Um, what?"

"You want us to sit and listen to a history lecture." Sweetie said flatly. "No offence, but that sounds... um, Rarity, what's another way to say boring?"

"Oh, well, there's dull, humdrum, mind numbing, ennui, and perhaps even like watching paint dry and/or grass grow if you like similes. I wouldn't use any of these to describe Light's interests tho—"

"Let's go with mind numbing. Besides, I prefer fiction. Especially if it can be read together. Something like, I don't know, Daring Do?"

Light deflated slightly, not even bothering to point out the flaw in using Daring Do as an example. "Gee, I was just trying to help."

"Sweetie Belle!" Rarity pointed a stern look in her sister's direction. "I know you're hurting, but that is no excuse for rudeness. Light's idea of fun may be different from yours, but that does not make it any less valid."

To her credit, Sweetie immediately blushed at the accusation. "Oh, oops, sorry Light! I didn't mean for it to come off like that. I only meant that I'd rather not do that. Boring is just, like, a really overused word and I only wanted to... um..." She gulped, trailing off.

Rarity rolled her eyes. "You really should think your words through before you say them. I swear, like a wrecking ball. If I didn't know better, I'd say—"

"Rarity." Light put up a hoof to stop her. "It's okay. I forgive her."

"Oh, well, good." She gave a warm smile. "Still, as your friend, I would be happy to listen to one of your lectures later. So long as you never mention historiography again, that is. The Chicoltgo Manual of Style can burn in Tartarus for all I care."

"Um, okay," Light chuckled. "Bad memory?"

"Indeed. It is of my opinion that school requirements should be limited to the truly useful. Give me a math exam over a research paper any day. I say, if she had not already passed, I would have some rather choice words for Turmanebian."

"Well, that's not really fair, I think."

"Ah, excuse me one moment, darling." Rarity raised a hoof toward Light, then turned her head to her sister. "Sweetie Belle, no, I have not failed to notice the not-so-subtle hints you've been giving, along with the glances toward that book. I will gladly read your story with you in a moment, when I am finished speaking with Light."

"Oh, that's okay," Light reassured. "I think we were done anyway. The last thing you two probably want to hear is me extolling the virtues of the Chicoltgo style. Seriously though, who doesn't love annotated bibliographies and hoofnote citations?"

Rarity visibly shuddered at those final words, then nodded. "Well, in that case, you two should get comfortable. Sweetie, pass me that book. It may be no Shadow Spade, but it should at least provide some temporary amusement."

Light shrugged at the unexpected turn of events, then sat down beside Rarity with an easy smile. Though she hadn't anticipated continuing with that particular story, she could admit that reading anything at all with her friends was more fun than doing nothing.

"Okay, here we go," Rarity said, wrapping one foreleg around Sweetie Belle and using the other to prop up the book. "Sweetie, where did you leave off? There? Very good then. You can fill us in on anything important we missed as we go."

"Ahem," the elder unicorn cleared her throat as she squinted at the words. “Well, the stained pages make me wish for my glasses, but I suppose I shall have to carry on without. Let's see here... ah, there we are. Daring Do pressed her body up against a concrete wall within the White Flower dam..."

...where she could hear their voices emanating from around the corner without being spotted. More masons, no doubt.

Everything had been going well until Daring Do and King Kloseu's soldiers were ambushed by the Mason of Twelt and his strange, masonic cult of radical harmonists. Where the King had expected to find communists, they instead found a shadowy organization working to take over Brodfeld from their secret base hidden inside the White Flower dam—and where his soldiers had been boasting of how it would be an easy fight, they were utterly dismantled with hardly a shot fired.

Daring Do inched closer to those she was eavesdropping on, hoping that they might let slip where they were keeping the prisoners. She would need to free the soldiers if they were to turn this around. Perhaps she'd even get lucky and it would be like one of those cheap action hero comics, the villains found to be discussing the location of the prisoners whilst reminding each other of the new passcode for the dungeons.

Alas, what she heard was not that, but they did still have the grace to meet a few of the old tropes.

"...is this for anyway? Are those spheres of hers not sufficient?"

"Normally, they are. However, she is concerned that as new methods develop, a breach may become possible. A secondary power source is required, just in case."

"Well, nothing we provide will ever be as clean as her own methods. There will always be some evidence left behind. Eventually, the disappearances will be noticed."

"And your point is?"

"It's just that I'm not sure her help is worth the risk of being caught. Even her staff cannot affect everygriff at once, and I'm sure we can do our work without it, albeit more slowly. This partnership may not be healthy for us in the end. Already we have had to face an attack by the king’s troops, come looking for the staff. It’s only a matter of time until more arrive."

"You shouldn’t question decisions above your station. If you have a problem, bring it up with the Mason of Twelt. I’m sure he will be happy to ‘correct’ you. Until then, you're expected to fall in line. Understood?"

"Of course, but—"

"No buts. Now, go relieve the watch on those prisoners. Our people have already been in there for an hour now, and you know what the Mason of Twelt says about exposure to foreign ideas."

"Very well, brother. May you always walk the path of harmony."

"And may you find friends in every hall."

Daring Do heard the twin scrape of talons on concrete as the two griffons headed in opposite directions, one directly toward her hiding place. Swift yet quiet, she repositioned herself down the hall and around the next corner. Once in place, she eyed the light spilling across the hallway from the electric wall lamps, making sure to keep her shadow out of view while watching the approaching mason's progress through his own shadow.

She knew that if she followed him, and somehow wasn't detected by the others masons, he would lead her right to the prisoners. She could then knock him out, take the keys, and once again have a small army of the king's finest at her back. Not that the king's finest were really all that fine, but that was as an issue for later.

As for the rest of what had been said, talk of working with something else, she would have to learn about that later through questioning any they captured. If these "spheres" were another dangerous magical artifact, much like the Staff of Sanguine Souls, she intended to make sure they were taken and moved into safer hooves. Or talons. Whatever. Regardless, she did not intend to leave their organization standing after this. Her original mission may have focused solely on the staff, but she couldn't just let a secret society run around promoting their own twisted versions of "harmony" and "friendship."

The shadow she'd been watching turned a corner and out of sight, and so, with a quick glance around to make sure no other griffons were coming, Daring Do followed after.

Hall after hall did they pass—along with three flights of stairs—and all the while, Daring Do could feel her heartbeat escalating. With every near miss with a patrolling mason, she was reminded that the next might catch her; with every minute ticking by, she could see her allies being slowly broken within their cells; and with every time she lost sight of her target, she could practically feel herself getting lost within the deceptively labyrinthine structure. It was for that final reason that she made sure to memorize every inch of the place on the way down, knowing that she would likely have to make her way back up without a mason as her unwitting guide.

Said guide stopped before a massive iron door, reached out toward it with a talon, then froze in place.

Daring frowned from her spot just down the hall. What was he doing? Was he having trouble with the lock? Or perhaps he'd spotted—

Her train of thought came to a screeching halt as a whirlwind of knives flew toward her, coming directly from the outstretched talon of the griffon who'd spun to face her.

Daring Do could do little but throw herself to the floor and hope most were aimed high. Still, she felt a stinging pain lance through her shoulder just as her pith helm made a ker-chunk sound from where a second knife embedded itself, the tip sticking through just enough to graze her forehead.

Seeing that she survived the attack, the griffon drew a sidearm from the holster at his side—a silvery, tubed weapon of a like such as did not exist in Equestria. In fact, Daring Do's trip to Brodfeld had been the first time she'd ever seen such a thing, and upon first demonstration she'd known that she did not like them at all.

Desperate to stop her adversary from bringing his weapon to bear, Daring Do darted forward, temporarily ignoring the knife sticking out of her shoulder through a hardiness she'd earned from many prior injuries. Even one shot from that thing, regardless of whether or not it hit her, would be enough to end any thoughts of completing this mission. The noise alone would bring dozens of guards down on top of her.

The weapon clattered across the concrete floor as Daring Do slammed head-first into the mason, helmet tilted down so as to avoid giving herself a concussion—though this left a dent in her favorite piece of headgear, given that it had been made from cloth covered cork to protect against harsh sunlight, not blunt force.

With her enemy dazed, Daring placed one hoof on his chest to keep him pinned, then whacked him upside the head with the other, swiftly knocking him unconscious.

"Well, that was easy enough," she muttered to herself while pulling the knives from her shoulder and helmet, quickly bandaging the former with a bit of cloth taken from the griffon's cloak. "I suppose I can only hope it all goes that well."

She gave a rueful look to the pistol on the ground, wishing she could make use of it but knowing it was impossible without flexile digits or unicorn magic, then opened the door to the dungeons.

Inside, two masons sat opposite each other across a card table, both stopping and staring at her the moment she came in. Then they drew swords and pistols.

"Well, buck me."

Rarity stopped reading aloud, then raised a hoof to signal them that she needed a moment.

Light exchanged confused glances with Sweetie Belle, then sat back and watched in patient silence as Rarity skimmed through the next few pages.

"My, this is extremely violent," Rarity finally said. "Dare I say, even enough to get it placed in the 'grown ponies only' section of the library. Frankly, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with reading this, especially with Sweetie present."

"What? No!" Sweetie Belle whined. "Why? We're all covered in blood right now. Isn't that violent enough? It's not like the book can possibly make me imagine more than is already around us."

"There is a difference between gore, violence, and death, dear sister. They even have separate warning labels for them at the library, don't they, Tw— ahem, Light?

"Well, not all locations choose to warning label their books, but for those that do, yes, you are generally correct."

"See? Just because you are exposed to one does not mean you need be exposed to the other. Besides, I abhor such ghastly things. They are, in equal measure, a terrible bore and an affront to a lady's refined sensibilities. Much better we skip to something that will actually further the plot, yes?"

"Ugh, fine," Sweetie groaned. "Can we just get back to the book already?"

Rarity nodded. "Yes, let me just find a good place to pick up." She scanned the pages one more time, then cleared her throat and started up again.

Daring Do panted from exhaustion and pain as she worked at patching up her numerous injuries with pieces of cloth from the two griffon bodies on the floor. Though she'd been left with a severe limp, some broken ribs, and enough blood loss to make her feel a bit lightheaded, she still counted herself lucky. Just surviving, and with her wings almost entirely intact, was a miracle in itself. She probably wouldn't even bleed out, so long as she didn't agitate the wounds too much. The only thing she regretted was her utterly demolished hat. She'd just have to get a new one when she reached safety. For now though, she kept it on her. It would just be a shame to leave her old friend lying about.

With her wounds treated and guards dealt with, Daring Do finally took stock of the room's contents. Aside from the wooden card table and the great iron door that had been so helpful in keeping the battle's noise from reaching the other masons, there were also a series of three or four dozen iron cages placed in rows as if to mimic the placement of proper cells. Each cage contained two or three soldiers, all smiling contently at one thing or another.

Drat! The staff had already been used on them. They would be utterly useless now and... wait. There were almost twice as many soldiers present as she'd even come with. Where had the extras come from?

"Did you win? Are you alive?"

Daring Do's ears perked up as she quickly scanned the cages. That was a male voice, and nearby too. Perhaps one of the soldiers had escaped the staff after all.

"Whoever you are, could you please do me the courtesy of allowing me to speak to you face to face? I'm in one of the far cages on the left side."

She hobbled in the direction of the voice until she reached its imprisoned owner, a well-groomed but recently scuffed griffon with gray feathers and magenta eyes. At first glance she could tell that he carried himself in far too genteel a manner to be one of the soldiers.

"Uh, hello." Daring Do looked him up and down, feeling the faintest bit of recognition but unable to place it. "Who are you?"

"Ah, If it isn't Miss Daring Do." He eyed her for a moment, letting his gaze linger on her injuries. "Are you alright? That's quite a lot of blood you have on you."

"Then it's a good thing only some of it is mine," she said on impulse, then frowned. "Wait. How do you know who I am? I'm pretty sure we've never met."

"Ah, we haven't. My apologies. I have heard a great deal about you though from my father, your benefactor, King Kloseu de Kissau."

Daring Do was very proud to have responded to the realization that she was speaking to royalty with little more than an eyebrow raise. She wasn't about to give some high and mighty royal who spawned from a lunatic the satisfaction of seeing her flabbergasted. She just hoped he wasn't anything like his father, who he had an almost eerie resemblance to. "So, I guess that makes you Prince Tomado then, huh?"

"The one and only." He shot her a grin, then tried to give a courtly bow, though it ended up as an awkward folding over within the confines of the cage. "My soldiers and I were sent here by my father to reinforce you and secure the Staff of Sanguine Souls, though I shudder to think of what he might do with such a thing. I suppose this is also meant to be a way to prove myself to him, to show I'm not in league with those 'filthy reds.'" He glanced left and right along the lines of caged soldiers. "So far, it has been a decidedly poor showing."

"I can see that," Daring Do said dryly. "For now, let's just focus on getting you out of here. As long as these cultists have you, they have leverage over the king. It's probably the only reason they didn't use the staff on you."

The prince shook his head. "You'll have no luck there, I'm afraid. They don't keep the key down here in the dungeons, and the guards don't have a copy either. The only one with direct access to the prisoners is the Mason of Twelt—well, the one they call leader anyway; there are obviously multiple masons from Twelt. To be honest, that one seems kind of controlling."

"Yeah, I'm getting that. What can you tell me about the staff? Everything I know about it is from legend. I've never actually seen it in action."

"Well, in that case, you might want to start by taking a close look at the eyes of my fellow prisoners." He gestured to a soldier in a cage across from him.

The eyes? Daring Do had no idea what to expect, but she did as he asked, walking up to the cage and pressing her face against it to gaze into that blissfully happy face.

All she saw was an almost perverse joy, a joy at just being alive, yet twisted and so entirely wrong as to be sickening. But that wasn't unexpected. Whatever Prince Tomado was talking about, she wasn't seeing... what in Tartarus?

Hidden as a glossy reflection in the griffon's eye, as if he were looking at something that was just faintly illuminated, was a symbol: a crescent moon within a solar flare, painted all in red and white. It was as if somepony had taken Celestia and Luna's cutie marks, warped and recolored them, placed one inside the other, then stuck them in the poor griffon's eyes. Or rather, within his vision. Perhaps even his soul.

Daring Do rapidly backed away, injuries screaming at the abrupt motion. Suddenly, Daring Do wanted to be nowhere near the afflicted or the staff that caused their condition. That symbol radiated wrongness, yet felt terrifyingly familiar. Had she come across it before? Perhaps in a dream, or described in some dusty tome, or even painted on the wall of an ancient archaeological site? She couldn't recall, and that scared her too. She'd definitely remember something like that.

"Tomado," she turned to the prince, "Is there anything else you can tell me about the staff? Maybe something I can use?"

He shrugged. "I can only describe what I saw when the Mason of Twelt came in. He went to each cage one by one, pointed the staff at the soldiers, then fired a bright red beam of light at them. Wherever that beam touched, the image of the sun and moon, made all of scarlet light, appeared. And once that symbol touched a living creature, it's reflection manifested within their eyes. Those afflicted have been smiling like idiots since, and they happily do whatever the Mason of Twell tells them to, albeit a bit lazily."

"Yes, I already know most of that. Why do I feel like I'm missing something?" She frowned. "If these soldiers are under their leader's control, why are they still locked up?"

"At a guess? Because they're unreliable and have a tendency to wander off. It's probably just easier to keep them here for the time being."

"Right. That makes sense," Daring Do said absentmindedly, staring down at her bloodied hooves in thought.

"Is something wrong?"

"No. Just give me a moment." She took a deep breath. "The staff... beam of light... reflections... Aha!"

Prince Tomado turned his head to the side quizzically. "What?"

"I know how to beat the staff!"

The prince frowned, mouth twisting at what he clearly thought was an absurdity. "Can't you just hit its owner over the head and take it?"

"Not without getting close enough for him to use the staff on me. I could hardly avoid the rays at that meager distance. Besides, I like to finish my enemies off with a bit more flair than that."

"Right, well—" Tomado's eyes widened in horror, a talon shakily raising to point past Daring Do. "I hope your idea works, because you're about to need it!"

Daring Do spun to face a white griffon with green eyes and beak that was slightly too large for his face. In one talon, he carried a simple but elegant staff of pure silver, a crimson glow emanating faintly from a crystal affixed to one end. It was the Staff of Sanguine Souls, which meant he was none other than the Mason of Twelt. Looking at him tugged at some lost memory of hers, though the details remained just beyond recall. She almost felt like she'd met him before.

The Mason of Twelt smiled. "I do have a rather good sense of dramatic timing, don't I? For your sake, I would hope this idea of yours can be enacted while injured, cornered, and hopelessly outmatched." His smile grew as he twirled the staff around, seemingly toying with the idea of pacifying her on the spot. "Of course, we need not confront each other at all, Daring Do. Would you like to share tea with me? I have a most delicious variety imported from Maretonia. You could tell me all about life in Equestria, and more importantly, about those alicorns of yours."

Upon hearing his voice, Daring Do's memory snapped into focus, and she knew exactly where she'd met him. He had greeted her on her first day in Brodfeld, after she went to the Sydia train station and found it closed. His demeanor had been as creepy then as it was now. She wasn't going to play nice this time, and she certainly wasn't going to have tea with him. She had already indulged the fantasies of enough madgriffs during her stay in Brodfeld. Besides, getting drugged was seldom part of her agenda.

Normally this would be where she'd shoot off a snappy one liner before executing her escape plan, but with that staff pointed directly at her, she decided this was not the time to risk it. Instead, she promptly and without warning, chucked the remains of her destroyed pith helm at the mason.

With the Mason of Twelt briefly staggered, Daring Do slipped between two of the cages in the row opposite Prince Tomado, who she would be forced to leave behind for the time being. From there, she flew straight toward the dungeon's exit, hoping to make it by wing before her adversary could right himself and line up a shot with that staff. Once again, she thanked her lucky stars for the survival of her wings in that previous engagement, a fight in which her legs did not fare nearly well enough to carry her anywhere in a hurry.

A beam of red light shot past the flying pegasus, missing her just over her right shoulder. It was followed immediately by the sound of wing beats as the Mason of Twelt gave chase. Luckily, pegasi tended to be faster than griffons, whose main advantage was stamina, and she wasn't planning on fleeing very far.

Out past the iron door did Daring Do go, and she only picked up speed as she reached the hallway where space was less limited. It was as she turned the next corner and headed for the nearest staircase that she heard the staff activate again behind her, a sharp but brief whistling sound echoing along the concrete halls. Given that she didn't feel different and she had not seen a beam of light, she assumed it missed only to connect with something behind her. Regardless, she dared not look back. It wasn't worth it to risk a collision in the tight corridors of the dam, or worse, get lost.

It wasn't long before Daring Do attracted more attention than just the lead mason. Dozens of others joined the chase, either attracted by the noise or spotting what was going as those flying passed them by. Despite their numbers, they were of very little concern for the time being. None of the them risked shooting at her, as they did not know if the Mason of Twelt wanted her alive or not, and none got any closer to her than him for risk of being accidentally hit by one of the many rays that staff was emitting every time there was even the slightest line of sight between Daring Do and the Mason of Twelt.

Did she worry about those griffons or the beams, any one of which could put a stop to her for life? Sure, but there was nothing she could do about that. Nothing but continuing to move up the inside of the White Flower dam, following the path out that she memorized earlier, and hope for a stroke of her infamously fickle luck.

At the very first exit she found, she burst out of the dam and into open air, knowing full well that doing so would leave her exposed to any number of potential attacks. Still, it was the only way for her to idea to work. Even if it didn't, she could dive into the nearby woods for cover or cross the adjacent border into Lushi where the masons would have to avoid the border guards.

Behind and below her, the Mason of Twelt soared out of the White Flower dam, staff already levelled toward her. "Give it up, Daring Do," he cried out. "Your skills are invaluable, especially to a group such as ours. It would be a shame to waste them! We aren't the bad guys here. We only want world peace!"

"No, thanks!" She wheeled about then dove behind the first low hanging cloud she could find, desperate for even that most meager of cover. Several blasts from the staff came immediately after, though the beams being made wholly of light, it appeared that they could not fully pierce the cloud. Instead, the puffy white surface merely glowed red for a moment before the color faded away.

She took a deep breath, using the brief silence to concentrate. The Mason of Twelt was no doubt using that time to relocate to a better position, but she had eyes for only one thing: the reservoir. The relatively still water stretched out like a mirror, glossy and reflective in the radiant sunlight, the perfect surface for what she intended.

Her adversary popped up beside her cloud, staff lowered and already glowing bright crimson with the first ray.

Daring Do wasted no time in rolling straight over the side of the cloud, muzzle pointed down and wings folded against her sides for speed. It was straight for the water's shimmering surface that she dove, and the mason wasted no time in following her directly off the side of the cloud and firing straight down.

Then, she smiled. All it took was a twist, letting one wing unfurl to sharply pull her away from her previous course. Then the beam came, missing her by a hairsbreadth and briefly sending her vision into scarlet hues. Instead, it struck directly in the center of the Mason of Twelt's image reflected within the water.

Daring Do waited until she finished pulling up and averted a crash into the reservoir before she looked to see the results of her plan. There he was, her now former enemy, gliding lazily down into the water with a soft smile on his face. And it was there in that reservoir that he would have happily drowned if not for Daring Do's intervention.

And on that griffon's head, appearing just briefly, was a symbol all in red and white: the sun and moon, showing on him just as it had on his reflection. After all, the staff was of light, and light reflects.

“That’s it!” Light shot up, startling Rarity and causing her to drop the book. “I hit the wrong one. It’s a reflection, a mirror image of the true target!”

Rarity just stared at her, utterly baffled. "Light, what in the name of Celestia, Luna, and the stars above are you talking about?"

"Remember when I told you about all of the things that had been tried to escape this place? Well, one of those attempts involved throwing a dart with a message at the newly formed clone. It obviously didn't work, but what if the only reason it failed was because I hit the wrong target?"

Light was beginning to bounce with excitement, finally having a fresh idea for the first time since before Rarity and Sweetie Belle arrived. "Look, the clone is a perfect copy of the teleporting pony, but it takes a couple of seconds for the copy to be made. This opens up a new possibility; I could throw a dart with a message at the original, striking at a location that has yet to be copied—perhaps the wings, I think those are last—and if my idea works, the dart and message will be copied over onto the clone!"

Rarity blinked in shock, Sweetie Belle grinning like mad beside her. "You really think that will work? I mean, what if what is to be copied is decided the instant the teleportation is cast?"

"Well, that is a distinct possibility," Light conceded, "but it's worth a shot. An impeccably accurate and well-timed shot, mind you, but still."

"But," Rarity said, "how do you know it hasn't been tried before? Another incarnation of you may very well have had the same idea."

"I don't, but that's why I need to consult with Twi." Light turned her attention to the central corpse pile, knowing that Twi was likely somewhere on the other side of it. "I'm going to have to go over there and interrupt whatever it is she and Fluttershy are doing."

"Right," Rarity nodded, then added in a low murmur, "Let's just hope it isn't each other."

"Huh?" Sweetie Belle finally spoke up. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing, darling! Just that some ponies get lonely in a place like this, start feeling the urge to seek solace in each other's company. Hmm, they have been gone an awfully long time, haven't they?"

"Rarity!" Light huffed. "Mind out of the gutter! Besides, they wouldn't do that. If anything, they're still busy making amends to each other for past mistakes."

"Yes, 'amends.'"

"Oh, my..." Light resisted the urge to box her own ears, just so she wouldn't have to hear any more of that. "Look, I'm going now. I'll see you in a bit."

"You'll see me right now." Rarity took a step toward her. "I'm coming with. Nopony alone, after all."

"Ooh, does that mean I get to come?" Sweetie Belle chimed in.

"Yes, now climb up on my back. I wouldn't want you wearing out that injured leg of yours on the way there."

"Well," Light said, "I wouldn't mind the company. Come on then. We can get back to the book later; I want this possibility answered now."

And with that, the three of them set off to see Twi.

16 - Dead Mare’s Tale

A shrill scream filled the air. Whose was it? Rarity's? Sweetie Belle's? Light's own? Common sense could tell her it was likely the first of those, given said pony's flair for the dramatic, but sense suddenly seemed in short supply. After all, the impossible had happened.

Before them lay the broken, lifeless body of a pony who Light had called friend just the day before. Twi was gone. Her injured leg was now broken near in half, a piece of bone stuck out from her neck, and her shoulder bore a nasty gash. Splattered all over the ground: fresh blood and yellow feathers.

Yellow feathers?

Light was broken from her stupor, only to turn and see Rarity and Sweetie Belle still frozen in shock, the latter looking quite nauseous. "Um, where's Fluttershy?"

She glanced around, frightened and overly alert. If something had attacked Twi, it may have gotten to Fluttershy too. Of course, that didn't explain the lack of a body, but there were many creatures that might hold an appetite for ponies. Manticores, chimeras, bugbears, hydras, cragadiles, rocs and many more came to mind. Any of them could have killed Twi and... no, not a one of them would have eaten Fluttershy. She could have any one of those things practically at her beck and call in no time. And wait, if said monster was large enough to eat a pony, wouldn't their group have seen it by now anyway? It would have had to be present since before they woke up for them not to hear the teleportation.

The logical explanation was that there was no monster, at least not like the ones she'd been thinking of. That meant that Fluttershy was still here somewhere, and uneaten, though not necessarily unharmed. She would have cried out for help though if she was still alive, which meant that something must have killed her and dragged her off. But why would it hide her body and not Twi's? And then there was Fluttershy's off behavior that morning, as described by Sweetie Belle. Had she known something was coming?

It was staring to make Light feel sick, analyzing her friends deaths as if they were just another mystery, no different than when she and Pinkie investigated the mystery of who ate the Cakes' cake. She'd feel bad about it even, at the callousness of it, if it weren't for how badly she needed to know the answer. Every second of not knowing was another second they were in danger, unable even to properly prepare themselves. The best she could do was still her heart and allow herself to mourn later.

She wasn't going to figure this out alone though. It was good then that she had an expert detective by her side—at least, so long as Rarity's story of how she saved Rainbow Dash's career hadn't been too badly exaggerated. The fashionista did have a tendency to do that. She also tended to freak out, a habit now only held in check for her sister's sake. The last thing that filly needed was to see her supposed protector panicking.

Light turned to her friend. "Rarity?"

"Ah!" Rarity jolted back, clutching her hoof to her chest in shock. "Oh, Light, don't scare me like that. What is it?"

Light watched as Rarity stroked a hoof through Sweetie Belle's mane, trying to reassure her following that scare, then nervously cleared her throat. "Uh, well, I was hoping you could help me figure out what happened here. I've already ruled out pony-eating monsters, and it must have happened very quickly if they didn't have a chance to scream for help."

Rarity began slowly nodding along with her, then suddenly frowned at the mention of screams. "Well, this may come off as reflecting poorly upon myself, but even if they had screamed for help, I doubt I would have heard. Truthfully, last night may just have gifted me with the soundest and deepest sleep I have had in ages."

"Yeah, me too," Light began to nod in agreement, before abruptly cutting off at a thought. Both of us? That can't be right.

"You did? That's a rather odd... coincidence..." Rarity trailed off, a look of anxiety flashing across her face. "Say, didn't you tell me that Twi gave the rest of that potion to Fluttershy? It was to be used as a sleep aid, wasn't it?"

Light's eyes widened in shock, her jaw going slack. Oh no...

Rarity eyed Light from out of the corner of her eye, then gave a short, hesitant nod, more to herself than anything else. "Yes. I see. Still, best we see what we can find here. Sweetie Belle, I need you to be on guard for us while we take a look at things. Just stay right there and keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. If you see something, scream. Understood?"

When the filly responded with nothing more than a small dip of the head, Rarity rounded on her, meeting her eye to eye. "I'm sorry, dearest, but I need to know you understand. After all, I am laying a rather large amount of trust and responsibility at your hooves. Can you do this very important task for me?"

Realizing that she'd been given an actual mission, Sweetie Belle threw up a shaky salute. "D-don't worry, Rarity, you can c-count on me!" The attempt at confidence was ruined by her stammering, but it seemed to satisfy Rarity for the time being.

When Rarity turned back to face her, Light could see it in her eyes: Rarity had already come to the same conclusion she had. They both knew what had probably happened. It just added up—Fluttershy's recent strange behavior, the feathers, the sedative, the pegasus's sudden disappearance, the fact that Twi had once wanted said pegasus dead. Even that "scarf" Sweetie had mentioned Fluttershy wearing that morning now appeared as a bandage in Light's mind.

And yet, neither she nor Rarity could give voice to their joint conclusion. After all, such a thing was simply inconceivable. With any pony but Fluttershy, they might have given word to their suspicions already, but not her. She, of all ponies, could never do such a thing. And so, as likely as Fluttershy being at fault was starting to appear, they knew that there had to be another explanation.

Rarity stooped over Twi's body, examining the damage with the same keen eye she applied to imperfections in her designs or outward appearance—though she did mutter about the lack of her red cat-eye glasses. While she did that, Light examined everything around the body, hoping that the blood and feathers might indicate a trail for them to follow.

"Well," Light sighed after a few moments of searching. "I'm not seeing any patterns in all of this. Nothing that might lead us to Fluttershy or anywhere else useful, that is. I can't say for sure, but I think that somepony may have intentionally scattered the blood and feathers as haphazardly as possible to avoid leaving a trail. Such intention would indicate an intelligence behind the attack, but it could also just be a coincidence."

"I highly doubt it is a coincidence, darling," Rarity said absentmindedly whilst staring at Twi's neck. "Hmm, have you seen this bone sticking out of her throat?"

"Yes, I have. A broken cervical vertebra, correct?"

"Well, I'm not sure how a 'cervical' vertebra is different from any other kind, but no, I do not believe this is part of her spine. This piece didn't come out of her neck, it was shoved in. I am rather inclined to believe it is some kind of shiv."

"...I see." Light paused to consider the implications of that discovery. "Anything else?"

"This cut along her shoulder, should it be black like this? I don't know much about body decomposition, but I'm fairly certain that shouldn't be happening this early."

"It's black? Hold on." Light stepped beside Rarity, taking a closer look at the wound. "Huh. Is it just me or does that look an awful lot like that snake venom?"

"It does," Rarity nodded grimly. "I'd hoped there was another explanation." She threw a look over her shoulder to make sure her sister was okay. "That makes for a rather nasty complication, does it not?"

"Yeah, and we both know who ended up with the snake's corpse."

A dead silence fell between them as they each became certain of the same thing, Sweetie Belle's nervous shuffling in the background seeming a stampede in comparison.

Resigning herself to the truth, Light finally choked the words out—the words both of them knew needed to be said. "It was her, wasn't it? She did this."

Rarity's nod came stiffly, as if forced by some sort of mechanical contraption. In her eyes was a distant look, the look of a pony realizing that nopony was too innocent or too kind; Nopony was immune to becoming a monster.

"What do we do?" Rarity's voice came with a quiver, almost too quiet to hear.

Light gazed at the pile of texts Twi had assembled before her death. "I'm going to search those for any sign of my newest plan having been tried before. If it hasn't, I'll prepare myself for the next teleportation, even if I need to train with darts all day and stare at that spot in the air around the clock to make sure I time it right. If it works, it may be more than our way out of here, it might just be the only way to get Fluttershy the help she needs."

"But, Light, what are we going to do about her now? We can't just let a murderer have free reign of the place."

"We don't have choice. She could be hidden anywhere amongst these bodies, and if we go looking for her, it will just give her the perfect opportunity to ambush us. No, we take a defensive posture, keep somepony on watch at all times, and wait until she reveals herself. Unless she like raw carrion, she'll have to come out to cook her food eventually, and we have the only supplies for making a fire. Otherwise, the stuff will just make her sick and we may not have to deal with her regardless."

"And when she comes?"

"Restrain her if we can..." Light glanced at Sweetie Belle, who was looking more terrified the more of the conversation she overheard, "...and do whatever we must if we can't. We have too much to protect to do anything less."

Rarity followed her gaze to the filly, then a look of concern came over her and she pulled her sister close, kissing her atop the head in an effort at reassurance. "Do you hear that, Sweetie? You're going to be safe. We'll make sure of it, no matter what."

Sweetie buried herself in Rarity's coat, Light taking up the filly's abandoned watch duties. "Thank you. I wish I wasn't so scared, but I am. I'm so scared. I don't understand anything, and I don't want anything bad to happen to you. Either of you." She sniffled, tears rubbing off into her big sister's fur. "I'm really glad you two are here with me. Please, promise me that won't change?"

"It won't," Rarity said without hesitation. "Do you want to know why?"

"Why?"

"Because we're family." Rarity gave Light a meaningful look. "All of us. And that means we stick by one another, no matter what—because that is all that we have, and that is all we need. Just each other."

Light couldn't help it: despite herself, she turned away from the watch just long enough to offer the others a tender smile. A smile given because for once, despite all they'd lost, she found herself almost believing in Rarity's sweet little fantasy. Her plan would work, and they would all get out okay. Together.

Fluttershy watched her friends from where she had disguised herself amongst and under the corpses. They were looking for her, shocked and horrified by what she'd done. It was, unfortunately, the reaction she expected.

They would never understand the necessity of what she had done. They could not see how much safer they were without Twi. Fluttershy only wanted to make everything safe, and sound, and secure. Oh yes, like a warm blanket wrapped around so tight one could not see the monsters looming over. Maybe then she could pretend that the endless tune she'd been ever so softly humming was a normal thing. Just a sweet little lullaby, not a mournful threnody too old to have ever been sung in ponyville.

Light's gaze passed over her location, unable to spot her within the dark crevice she found for herself. Beside the alicorn, Rarity held her sister close, speaking softly in an attempt to keep the terrified filly calm.

Light and Rarity. Those two would be a problem.

Oh, how Fluttershy wanted so badly to go over to them. She would hug them, and cry, and explain why she had to do what she did. In return, they would comfort her, tell her everything would be okay and that they could all be friends again. Or they wouldn't.

No, of course they wouldn't. They would hate her, attack even. She was nothing but a threat to them now, and they to her. Light was just a less experienced version of Twi, and Rarity would crush her like she had that snake if she thought it would keep Sweetie Belle safe.

She could see the danger lurking in her former friends' eyes. That look of grim resolve Light held, and the anxiety Rarity tried so hard to paint over with confidence. They would hurt her, but she wouldn't let them. Even if she had to act first.

And as for Sweetie Belle? The poor little filly was an innocent, undeserving of all that had happened and would happen yet. Fluttershy could take better care of her than those two. Yes, much better.

Of course, being outnumbered would make things difficult. She would just have to be patient, prepared, and well-equipped with the advantage of surprise. Only then could she make her move.

17 - Light in the Dark

Light didn't know exactly how long it had been since she and the others found Twi's corpse. Maybe it was just a few days, maybe it was a week or more. Time was hard enough to tell within the pocket dimension already, but the recent disruption to their sleep schedules made it darn near impossible to keep track of.

Rarity was always on watch for Fluttershy whenever she was awake, and when she wasn't, Light or Sweetie Belle temporarily took up those duties. Each of them only slept for a few hours at a time, partly from stress and fear induced insomnia, and partly out of necessity. Rarity needed to be on watch as often as possible. That way, Light was free to work on her dart throws and could spend all her time preparing for the perfect shot on whoever teleported in next. And on that note, she too needed to be awake as much as possible to minimize the risk of the next teleportation occurring while she slept.

It was a plan they'd put in place the moment they went through Twi's papers and found no evidence of anypony having tried such a thing before—though, of course, that didn't mean nopony had tried it, just that nopony had neatly recorded such an attempt within Twilight Sparkle's pocket dimension. Light just hoped the target was, in fact, a who and not another bag of half-empty marshmallows, because those would be much harder to hit. Though it would be nice to have a target that wouldn't scream in pain.

For her part, Sweetie Belle either helped with the watch or fashioned new darts for Light whenever she accidently broke one while training. After all, Light preferred to have a few on hoof at any given time—each with a message already attached—just in case the next teleportation happened while she was training. Occasionally, Sweetie would even throw a hunk of meat into the air so that Light could practice hitting an aerial target.

Light had tried teaching the other two to throw the darts as well, just in case the inevitable teleportation happened during her few hours of sleep, but they'd had no luck there. Sweetie Belle just didn't have the size or strength to get a dart large enough to hold a message up to the required height, and Rarity couldn't hit the broad side of a barn—from the inside, mind you—with the aim she had. That pony was probably the best dart player in Ponyville, but while her telekinetic throws could triple twenty her way to victory against Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie alike, it seemed that skill did not translate into dental dexterity. This sudden lack of an old skill frustrated Rarity to no end, but Light assured her she could make the shot on her own.

Preparing to test out Light's new escape idea and watching for any sign of Fluttershy were not their only preoccupations, of course. That first day after Twi's death, Sweetie Belle had come up with the wonderful idea of holding a small ceremony for Twi. Light was surprised that Sweetie wanted to honor the same pony who had touted the idea of assisted suicides for little fillies, but both she and Rarity had agreed with the idea.

In the face of all the help Twi had provided them, and in recognition of who she once was, they chose to treat her passing like they would the loss of a most cherished friend, regardless of the mistakes she'd made along the way. For Rarity, who actually was Twilight's close friend, that statement wasn't even an exaggeration. Maybe that was why she was the only one to cry during the brief eulogy Light offered, even if said eulogy was clumsily worded on account of the awkwardness inherent in eulogizing oneself.

In the time since that ceremony, Light had begun experiencing biological problems of increasing severity. Stomach aches, constipation, decreased energy, and a weakening of the limbs were all symptoms of malnutrition and being forced onto an entirely meat-based diet, and it seemed these things were finally beginning to catch up to her in force. She didn't tell Rarity or Sweetie Belle, of course, as that would only worry them and give them anxiety over the same problems afflicting them in the near future. Besides, it wasn't as if there was anything they could do to help her. Though it did make her wonder if Twi had been experiencing the same things and similarly not telling anypony.

With a yawn, Light felt her eyes growing heavy and head fogging up. She’d slept recently, but with how little she'd received, her body was already begging for a return to dreamland—or nightmareville, as had been the case every night since Twi's death. It didn't help that Sweetie Belle had dozed off while cuddled up to her side, and was easily as soft as any of the best pillows she'd owned.

Light glanced to Rarity, finding her just as alert as ever, and instantly felt much better about her own drowsiness. Perhaps she could stand to get a little more sleep, and with Rarity on watch, it wasn't as if anything bad could happen. Yes, that was exactly what she would—

SNAP!

Adrenaline spiked, eyes shot open, and in an instant, Light flicked a dart from the floor to her mouth with a wing, whipped her head back, and threw. She barely even took time to aim, unwilling to waste even another millisecond when the time restrictions were so severe—far more severe, even, than her previous attempt with throwing a dart at the clone rather than at the original.

A scream from the familiar lavender alicorn floating in the air signaled a direct hit, though Light couldn't see well enough from a distance to identify where she'd hit or if the message had been copied over to the clone as they'd planned. She just hoped it was a wing, the last thing to be copied over to the clone and thus the only part that might remain uncopied or only partially copied long enough for the dart to land home.

Did the wings only form last because she was originally a unicorn and thus gained her wings later in life? Maybe they'd form at the same time as everything else in a pegasus. Would it be possible to test...?

The clone vanished and Twilight Sparkle fell to the ground, still screaming. Light's brief and inappropriately timed fantasy of a new experiment was immediately forgotten in favor of rushing to the injured alicorn. Rarity and a now wide awake Sweetie Belle came right after, the former remaining cognizant enough to simultaneously keep an eye out for Fluttershy.

Upon reaching her other self, Light was flooded with an unorthodox mixture of guilt and relief to see her dart had pierced straight through the wing. Did that mean the message would be copied and sent off with the clone, or had she been wrong? Maybe it wouldn't be copied at all. She suspected she would soon find out.

For now though, all thought had to go to the wounded pony before her. She caused that pain, and she needed to do everything she could to soothe it.

"Twilight, can you hear me? I know it's a shock, but you need to listen. Rarity, do you think you can help with her wound? Sweetie Belle, I want you on watch while she does that."

"Wh— what's going on? Did somepony attack me? Who are you? Why are you covered in blood!" The new Twilight tried to scramble away as Rarity got close to inspect the wound, instead screeching and falling into a heap when the rapid movement caused the dart still impaling her wing to shift, worsening the injury.

Rarity responded by making soft cooing noises, moving forward one slow step at a time as she tried to calm the hyperventilating Twilight. "Shh. It's going to be okay, dear. I know this must be terribly disorienting for you, but I need you to listen closely. We are your friends. We wish no harm upon you aside from that which you have already received—a necessary action on our part, I assure you."

"But you— This place— I—" Twilight's eyes went back and forth between them as she struggled to finish a thought, before finally settling her gaze on Light and shouted, "Changelings!"

Light groaned. "This again? Seriously!?"

"Now, Light," Rarity gave a look reminiscent of the ones her mother, Twilight Velvet, would give her when correcting her behavior as a filly, "situations like this require the delicate touch of a lady. Why don't you take a step back, give her some space? I can take care of this."

"A lady? I'm literally a princess!"

"Yes," Rarity raised an eyebrow, amused, "which is why you felt the need to scream that in my ear. A paragon of social etiquette you are. Truly."

Light's jaw dropped, flabbergasted by the unexpected burn.

Of course, this meant that she did nothing when Rarity used that opportunity to take control of the situation and explain everything to the new Twilight herself, all while gently removing the dart from her wing and bandaging it with a bit of stray cloth taken from the saddlebags of a nearby corpse.

When the new Twilight finally calmed down and the explanations were complete, Rarity gave a satisfied smirk, as if she had explained everything so much better than Light herself could have.

Though that only lasted until Twilight nervously asked, "So... are you the reformed kind of changelings or the 'rah, I'm going to eat your love' kind?"

Light couldn't help herself, she burst into a fit of laughter. A fit that only grew wilder when she took note of the indignant fury that Rarity probably thought she was hiding so well. Even Twilight had a somewhat amused, and far too innocent, look on her face. She must have been spending an awful lot of time with Rainbow Dash to pull a stunt like that.

A sharp pop sounded out from almost directly above, followed shortly after by a small slip of paper drifting down toward them.

Light snatched it out of the air just as Rarity was reaching for it, greedily unfolding it and consuming its contents.

It turned out, consuming its contents didn't take long. Very little was written there, made out ineloquently and with a shaky script that would have put Derpy's scrawl to shame. The stress, shock, and fear of the writer practically oozed onto the page, and yet, it was probably the single most beautiful thing Light had ever had the pleasure of reading. More perfect than any poem, any textbook, any dissertation, the single line written on that piece of paper was what none of those could ever be: salvation.

Light looked down, read it one more time, then passed it off to Rarity. Already, the words were permanently engraved into her mind.

Sit tight. We're coming.
~SG & TS

And then, before another word could be said, a veritable hoard of good food and precious supplies began pouring in.

Fluttershy watched from distant shadows as supplies were teleported in, as the others made cries of jubilation and loudly pronounced that soon, they would be saved. And privately, internally, she made similar cries.

It was over! The horror would finally come to a close and she would be back home, surrounded by friends once again. Oh, she already knew exactly what she would do. She would speak with every pony in ponyville, share her excitement at being alive with each and every one of them, and then she would go to Sugarcube Corner and share a nice meal with all of her best friends. After that, she would return to her cottage, say hello to all of her animal friends, and have a nice, relaxing night of sleep within her own bed, where she was safe, and warm, and knew nothing exciting would ever happen. Though, perhaps a good cleaning would be in order first. She didn't want to track blood and gore all over Ponyville.

Suddenly, all sense of elation died. Wait a minute. There would already be another Fluttershy in Ponyville, wouldn't there? That pony would be the one sleeping in her cozy little bed, and that pony would be far more welcome in Ponyville than the killer she herself had become. And what of the Elements of Harmony? They surely couldn't share the Element of Kindness, could they? That would probably go to the other Fluttershy as well.

Worse was the thought that, once they got out, the others would tell their friends back in Ponyville what she had done. They would all turn against her, call her murderer, and soon, Fluttershy would find herself outnumbered not just three or four to one as it was in the pocket dimension, but a hundred times that. What would they do to her? Imprison her? Banish her? Imprison her in the place they banished her to? Maybe they'd just get it over with quickly and execute her.

She had to come up with a plan. Some kind of plan. Oh, it was all over! Over!

"Why do you fret, my little pony? Are you afraid?"

Fluttershy froze. That voice behind her... Another hallucination? It was different, not the same voice as before. This one was mature, motherly, with a sense of wisdom and age behind it. She was certain she'd never heard it before, yet it sounded eerily familiar nonetheless.

She wanted to turn her head and look, to see what this new vision might possibly look like, but something kept her from it. She was afraid to turn, terrified even. Who was this new mare?

"Do not fear, but listen closely," the voice whispered in her ear. "The ponies of Equestria will do terrible things to you if they learn what you did here. You must prevent that."

"B—but... how?" Fluttershy whimpered.

"No witnesses, little Fluttershy. That is how."

"You don't mean—"

"Yes. You can tell whatever story you want to your rescuers, if you are the only one left to tell it. Perhaps you even come out of this a hero. And I can help. I can give you the strength to do it."

Fluttershy gulped, terrified to defy her mind's newest demon, but finding it necessary nonetheless. "But what about Sweetie Belle? She's just a filly."

"Twi was right about one thing, you know," the voice began, a hint of malice slinking its way into her tone. "Sometimes, a quick but merciful end is for the best. Remember, nopony can remain if you want to live. You want to live, don't you?"

Something deep inside Fluttershy screamed, and fought, and yelled out the words, "No! Absolutely not! Nothing is worth all of this, not even my life!" And yet, that part of her was too small and far too weak, and so she didn't say those things. Instead, all she could do was nod. And in that instant, she felt herself growing stronger.

"I understand."

18 - Feast of the Damned

Applejack was the greatest chef in the world. Or, at least, she was in that particular moment—the moment in which Light experienced the bliss that was piping hot apple crumble tarts from the kitchens of Ponyville's own Sweet Apple Acres. Five minutes ago, when Light was chowing down on sweet vanilla bread with a cinnamon glaze, her answer would have been Pinkie Pie, and five minutes before that, it would have been Fluttershy with her eggplant parmesan. Regardless, Light intended to inhale everything put in front of her, and there was already enough there to make one gain ten pounds just from looking at it. Though the calories didn't concern her in the slightest; another ten pounds would still leave her underweight.

Having actual food for once proved an irresistible distraction for not only herself, but Rarity and Sweetie Belle as well, both of whom were digging in much like herself. The only one who wasn't stuffing her face was the new Twilight, who Light had asked to temporarily take up the watch in case the local version of Fluttershy tried something. Even drunk off her elation at contacting Equestria, she still had the foresight to know that she and the others wouldn't be able to concentrate on guard duties while a feast awaited them, and thus the madmare was liable to try and take advantage of their inattentiveness. Luckily, Light suspected that if Fluttershy did try anything, she wouldn't fare too well against a fit and ready Twilight backed up by herself and Rarity, who while weakened by their prolonged stay in the pocket dimension, were still no pushovers.

Light adjusted the fuel valve on one of the gas lamps they had been sent, then turned away from her meal to look through the other supplies. Perhaps it was time she start organizing all of it. After all, if they needed a first aid kit—such as was the case with Twilight's wing, an injury Light had apologized profusely for causing—they would need to find it faster than they could now with all of the stuff in one massive pile.

The amount that was sent surprised Light too. She could easily picture the version of herself still in Ponyville freaking out upon learning the truth and responding by trying to account for literally everything. There was little doubt in Light's mind that her alter ego felt like her entire world was spinning out of control, being injured and at the same time learning that she didn't exist earlier that day whilst still having to pull herself together to save her trapped past selves. That couldn't be easy, just as it hadn't been easy for Light and wasn't for the Twilight with them, who turned her head away in shame every time she saw Rarity or Sweetie Belle.

An amusing thought crossed her mind as she went through the supplies. Every one of those first aid kits had a loose clasp on the right side of the box, each of the gas lamps had two parallel scratches in the glass, and every single apple had a tiny bruise in the same place. The Twilight in Equestria had just found a bunch of things they might conceivably need, asked their friends to help make a meal for those trapped, then teleported everything back and forth a bunch of times to send them copies—far too many copies, in some cases.

If they ever found a safe and reliable way in and out of the pocket dimensions, it would open up whole new possibilities in regards to cloning and eliminating scarcity on a local scale. The teleporting spell would basically become a cloning spell, and the only thing keeping it from launching Equestria into a new golden age of excess would be the fact that the spell was so hard to learn.

Light dispelled her more theoretical notions for the time being, instead focusing on organizing the scrolls in front of her into chronological order.

The latest in that series of letters from Starlight and her other self detailed their progress in getting them out of the pocket dimension. The current theory was that with enough unicorns, they could power an overcharged detection spell right as they teleported something which would give them the location of the pocket dimension, even through dimensional barriers. The biggest problem with that was that every unicorn needed to be well-read in both detection spells and group magic, or the spell would fail. To that end, the newest Twilight had sent for aid from both the princesses and her old friends from the School for Gifted Unicorns—all except Moondancer, who was unavailable for reasons the letter did not specify.

Once the team had their transdimensional location pinned down, they would use a magical artifact to make a portal directly into the pocket dimension. If at first that didn't work, they would gather additional enchantments, magically link them together to operate as one, then try again with a much more powerful portal. If all went well, Light and the others could simply walk through into Equestria.

Light had several reservations about this plan though. The first was that the magic of the portal might be negated by the pocket dimension's magic nullifying effects. This was only a minor concern though, as she had included information on that in her original letter and the others seemed confident that using an artifact which controlled the magic from Equestria, where magic wasn't nullified, would get around this issue. After all, potions had been shown to work within the pocket dimension so long as the magical component had been activated while still in Equestria.

Light's second reservation with their plan was on the more technical side. Simply put, there were simply too many potential points of failure, too many things that could go wrong in a myriad of ways and result in unexpected setbacks of all kinds. For one, what if the pocket dimension did not exist cleanly within some kind of material plane? If its location was transient, ever-shifting, or it existed primarily in some sort of spiritual plane or even as a form of pure energy—in which case, Light's mind would only be interpreting everything as physical—then the detection spell would almost certainly fail, or at the very least, provide confusing and even incomprehensible results.

It was for this reason that Light wished she had a way of sending more than just the one message to Ponyville. She had so many questions, had so many what-ifs that she wanted to bring up and see how the others were accounting for. Alas, she was left with only what they chose to tell her. She supposed she should have been lucky to even be given that much. Technically, she didn't need to be told anything at all for the others to do their part.

Light suddenly got a tingly feeling in the back of her head. It was the feeling that she was being watched, stared at even. The kind of feeling that made her glad she had a knife sent by her Ponyville self tucked under her wing. She normally didn't have a very good sense for those kinds of things, but it was hard not to have an overactive sense of danger when one of your best friends had turned murderer in the blink of an eye.

Light glanced to Twilight. She was still alert and on guard, and had given no sign of any trouble. Feeling slightly better at seeing their strongest friend so alert and already starting to convince herself that she was just imagining it, she abruptly spun on hoof, knowing that it was better to be safe than sorry.

What she found staring back was... Rarity?

Rarity blushed at the realization that Light had noticed her, then suddenly smiled, subconsciously tightening the quilt wrapped around herself—a gift sent from the Rarity still in Ponyville via Twilight's teleportation spell. "Hello, darling. Is there something you need?"

"Uh..." Light didn't know how to respond to that statement. Wasn't this supposed to be the other way around? "I don't think so. I mean, do you need something?"

"Need? No." Rarity gave a tiny shake of her head, her smile still fixed in place. "But I was hoping to tell you something, when you weren't busy stuffing your face."

Light rolled her eyes playfully. "Hey, I think I deserve a good face-stuffing after all I've gone through to get it. Besides, it's not like you had much less."

Rarity scoffed in mock offense. "How dare you! Don't you know it's rude to ridicule a lady's eating habits?"

"Wait, what? But you just did that to me!"

"Well, then it is good we've already established that you aren't much of a lady."

Light let out a heavy sigh, remembering Rarity's earlier insult to her 'social etiquette.' "Okay, you know what? It doesn't matter. Why don't you just say whatever you wanted to tell me? Unless, of course, you were just looking for an excuse for a good mocking."

Rarity shook her head. "As much as I love watching my friends stumble their way through a bit of verbal sparring, no, that is not it. Truthfully, I just wanted to express how grateful I am for all you've done. You've been a wonderful friend, to myself and Sweetie Belle both, and we may just end up owing you our lives."

"Oh." Light's eyebrows rose in surprise, right up until she felt that familiar guilt stirring up knots in her stomach. "Uh, thanks. I'm not sure I deserve—"

"If you finish that thought," Rarity interrupted with a hard stare, "I swear I shan't give you discount prices on a dress ever again. And for that matter, neither will my double or any of my— her— our employees. I'll make sure of it. And you know why I'll be able to do that? Because I'll be free of this place, largely as a consequence of your actions."

"But—"

"Better yet," Rarity overrode Light, momentarily raising her voice, "Sweetie Belle will be free. Free and alive—both thanks in part to your efforts. So, from the very bottom of my heart, I thank you."

"Rarity..." Light sighed. "You don't—"

"Light," the unicorn cut in again, this time far gentler of tone, "this is the part where you accept my gratitude. I'll have you know that it is considered courteous."

Light barely stopped herself from sighing a second time. What had she done to deserve friends like this? Friends that were stubborn as a mule—even if the comparison would rankle this one—yet almost always used it in the very best of ways. Friends who forgave practically before the offense was finished being committed. As annoying as she found it when she disagreed with their point, it was hard not to appreciate just how remarkable the ponies in her life were. Who knew that being verbally bulldozed by Rarity could actually help lift her spirits?

"Light?"

"Uh, sorry." She gave Rarity a smile, if just because she knew that's what her friend wanted. "You're welcome. I'm glad I've had a positive impact on you, and I appreciate the kind words."

"Ah, very good. That was just marvelous." Rarity gave a quick, satisfied nod, clearly taking that for a settled matter, then turned to Twilight. "Now, you and I still have something to discuss. I won't have you avoiding interaction with me for any longer."

"Um, I can't really talk right now." Twilight shrugged without turning to face them. "I'm in the middle of something. You know, keeping watch so that we don't all die?"

"Ah, well that is somewhat understandable," Rarity conceded, "but even if you do not face me, it does not mean we cannot hold a conversation. Unless, of course, keeping watch requires the continuous use of one's mouth? No? I thought not."

Rarity removed her quilt and wrapped it around Sweetie Belle instead before trotting over to Twilight. "I think I'll just sit right here next to you, if you don't mind. Much easier than talking to the back of your head, don't you think? I can even help you keep watch. Unless, of course, you think I'll be too much of a distraction?"

"Uh, no." Twilight shook her head. "I can multitask. Wh— what do you want to talk about?"

"You're nervous to speak with me, aren't you? Understandable, I suppose. You are the one who teleported Sweetie Belle and I after all."

At the mention of that, even from behind, Light could see Twilight visibly wilt. In fact, she suspected that if Twilight had been much more brought down by that one, simple statement than she already was, she would have turned into a puddle on the floor.

"Sorry... I'm so—"

Whack!

Light and Sweetie Belle both started at the sound of Rarity's hoof connecting with Twilight's cheek, even if by her startled yet decidedly unpained reaction, it wasn't nearly as hard of a hit as it sounded.

"How dare you? Rarity scolded. "I know for a fact that you just overheard me giving Light a talking to over this whole guilt nonsense, and now you have the gall to do it too? I swear, birds of a feather you are."

"Uh, Rarity?" Light added in. "You know she and I were the same pony, right?"

"Yes, dearest Light, I am not daft. Now, I would thank you to kindly remove yourself from this conversation. Just because we are forced into close proximity, does not mean every interaction need be public, and I do have private thoughts I wish to share with Twilight here."

"Right. My apologies." Light turned to Sweetie Belle, offering her a smile and asking if the quilt was big enough to share. This prompted the filly to grin before throwing the quilt around the both of them and snuggling up against her side, an act that Light made easier by opening her wing and wrapping it around her tiny friend. Even then, she could not help but hear what Rarity was saying.

"Anyway, I wanted to thank you. You did save us from being crushed by that dastardly bookcase, after all."

"You're kidding. I think you would have preferred being hit."

"By books? Oh, no, no, no! That would have been terribly embarrassing. Besides, it might have left a scar, and that would have been a true tragedy. Worse yet, I tremble at the mere thought of what a heavy object like that could do to somepony as small as Sweetie."

"But I could have just levitated it away! Celestia, why didn't I do that?"

"Well, that solution simply lacks style. In fact, I think it downright banal compared to the spectacular poof of teleportation."

"And I think you're just looking for any excuse to let me off the hook."

"It's called positivity, darling. You should try it. I hear it does wonders for the complexion."

Light tuned out the conversation at a nudge from Sweetie Belle, instead bringing her attention to the filly. "Yes, do you need something?"

"No, you just almost poked me with this." Sweetie sheepishly raised a knife held between her hooves. The same knife Light had kept under the wing she'd wrapped around Sweetie Belle.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Light took it with her mouth and quickly buried it beneath the other wing.

"That's okay, but why do you have a knife anyway?"

"Protection." Light nodded out toward the darkness. "There may be four of us and one of her, but I want every advantage I can get. I mean, as it is, we already know she used some sort of poison weapon on Twi, along with a shiv. Best we be similarly equipped. Just in case."

"Right..." Sweetie Belle looked out into the dark, then shuddered. "Do you really think we're in that much danger?"

"Yes, of course we are. Statistically, there's always a risk," is what Light would have said, had she not seen the sudden look of fear on the poor filly. Instead, she went with, "Not so long as we're careful and alert. We'll make sure to see her coming, and without the advantage of surprise, one cannot beat four." She reached out and tilted Sweetie's muzzle toward her, meeting her eyes. "But that is why I need you to help keep a look out. Once we find a way out of here, we can get her the help she needs, but until then, we play it safe. Understand?"

"Mm-hmm." Sweetie nodded, her fear beginning to ebb away. "You can count on—"

A clatter rang out from somewhere along the side of the corpse pile, bone resounding off bone.

Sweetie Belle's hooves wrapped tight around Light's foreleg, any apparent bravery immediately vanishing in the filly. "What was that?"

Light scanned the mounds of bodies and assorted detritus for any sign of yellow and pink, her breath quickening as she failed to find anything out of the ordinary. "I don't know what it was. Could be just the bodies settling. We have added a lot of weight to the pile with all these supplies dropping in right on top of it."

"You think so?"

"Maybe, but I wouldn't bet my bits on it. Just hold on, and keep your eyes peeled."

Light turned to Twilight and Rarity, finding that they too were alert. The former was even pacing in a slow circle, carefully examining every possible approach to their position. Luckily, with them being on top of the corpse pile, where they could easily access supplies and notes sent in, the only way to reach them was to climb. That made it much harder to reach them quietly, given all the things one would have to step in on the way up, and gave a certain high-ground advantage to any defenders. The flipside of that was that an attack could come from any direction, and with the gas lamps burning, their eyes were no longer as well adjusted to the darkness surrounding them. Lighting those had been a mistake borne from over-eagerness, Light was sure of that now.

Twilight stopped pacing, turning to face the others. "There's nothing there. Not that I can see from here, anyway. Maybe I should go down and take a look around. The rest of you can stay here and keep a lookout."

"NO!" Light, Rarity, and Sweetie Belle all cried out at once.

Twilight stepped back in shock. "What? I'll be careful. Besides, I'm fitter than her. I'm sure I'll manage just fine."

"Ugh," Sweetie Belle groaned. "Do you even realize what you're saying? Splitting up is always bad for the heroes. It's in, like, every story. Ever."

"I'm not sure that we count as 'heroes.' Just survivors."

"Definitely heroes," Rarity threw in. "'Survivors' doesn't have the same ring to it. Besides, everypony knows that heroes get happily ever afters, while survivors get nothing more than a 'final filly.'"

"You know," Light huffed, "if you all would stop caring about bad story tropes, I could give an actual reason why you shouldn't go down there. Namely, that it could be a trap. For all we know, she intentionally made that noise in order to draw us out. I mean, it's been at least a few days and we haven't seen a glimpse of her. She's clearly been very careful, so why make such a clatter now?"

"Look," Twilight sighed wearily, "as valid as that point is, we don't even know for sure if Fluttershy means us any harm. Yes, the evidence clearly indicates that she murdered your friend, Twi, but that doesn't indicate a desire to do the same to the rest of us. Now, I'm not defending her actions by any means—what she did was clearly despicable—but she may just be hiding out of fear of facing up to what she did. Until we find her, we won't know for sure. Either way, if we want to help her, and ensure she can't hurt anypony else, we'll need to find her first."

"No," Light said. "Nopony is going down there, and that's final. When Starlight and the new Twilight find a way to us—and they will, because they have to—we can tear this place apart looking for her, but not one second earlier. We aren't taking risks, not when we're this close to rescue. Agreed?"

Twilight sighed. "Fine. We'll wait here until she's too weary of eating rotten meat and drinking poorly filtered blood. You know that, with all these supplies sitting here, we're basically forcing her to attack us, right?"

"Um," Sweetie Belle started, "but that won't happen if we throw some stuff down for her, right?"

"Bad idea," Light quickly cut in before anypony could support the notion. "We do that, and she'll grow stronger off our food. If there ever is a confrontation, we want her as weak as possible."

Sweetie frowned, disheartened at being so swiftly shut down. Light immediately felt guilty for her lack of tact but was relieved to see the filly reassured after just a few of her sister's words whispered into one ear.

"I don't know, Light," Twilight said, breaking any hope Light had of avoiding intra-group conflict. "Refusing to help a starving pony? That sounds pretty callous to me. She's clearly very mentally ill, but that doesn't mean we should leave her to rot. I, for one, like Sweetie Belle's idea."

"At least somepony agrees with me," Sweetie Belle muttered. "Hmm, maybe we could put it to a vote!"

"No," Light said. "There are an even number of us. It wouldn't work."

"Not if we only count adult votes," Twilight added. "You and I have our minds made already, leaving the decision in Rarity's hooves."

"I'm afraid that would not go in your favor, darling," Rarity breathed before giving a concerned look to their left and right. "Perhaps somepony would like to stop arguing long enough to realize that we no longer have anypony on watch, hmm?"

"Ponyfeathers!" Light shouted as she spun around and scanned the darkness, the others doing the same thing in the remaining directions.

When not a one of them spotted a thing out of place, they all breathed a collective sigh of relief. Though, after that scare, they decided they could all keep watch as they talked and continued to eat some of the fresh food.

A few moments passed before Rarity cleared her throat. "Ahem, Twilight dear, before all of that ruckus just now, I believe you were telling me something of keen interest. Perhaps you would like to finish your thought?"

"Hmm? Oh, right!" Twilight exclaimed. "I was apologizing for teleporting that snake. I'm really am so sorry for—"

"Not that, featherbrain. I am clearly referring to your explanation on why you teleported such a thing."

"Oh. That." Twilight nodded, though Light could only see the gesture from out of the corner of her vision, given that she was still focused on keeping watch. "Trixie asked me to teleport it. Her own teleportation spells were failing, and she said Starlight was busy—though I'm not sure that was the case, since I saw her later that day. Apparently, the serpent was for some kind of magic trick, and she wanted my help practicing. Since I'd never seen its like before, I asked where it came from. She claimed it was safe, and that she bought it off some thestral merchant from the jungles of Tzinacatlia. I'll admit though, even at the time, it seemed like a bit of a flimsy story to me. A batpony near Ponyville would definitely have set the town talking. I only helped her anyway because she seemed desperate to get practicing, and I figured there was no harm in it. Clearly, I was wrong."

"Well, you couldn't have known," Rarity said softly. "It seems we will have to ask Trixie some questions once we get out of here though."

"Yeah. She's a bit too oafish to have intentionally caused harm in this way, especially since she couldn't possibly have known about this place, but that doesn't mean her intentions were in any way honest or pure. I'll have to ask Starlight about it too, see if she knows—"

A blur passed in the corner of Light's vision. Twilight's voice came to a sudden stop. A crack was followed by the squelch of flowing blood.

Time slowed, and Light could do nothing but turn and stare in horror.

The sharpened bone that had pierced directly into Twilight's skull, striking between the eyes with half its length still sticking out the front of her head, was of Light's own making. One of the many large darts she'd used to practice. Practice striking at the very same pony this one had just taken.

A scream resounded through their prison at length. A monster rose from among the corpses.

For all Light could tell, that monster was a corpse itself—death given life. Blood and entrails soaked its flesh, bits of bone jutted out from scattered wounds, and its mane was a scraggly mess. Though Light could hardly name it anything other than abomination, she knew the truth. It was all an elaborate camouflage.

That thing was Fluttershy.

The specter of death rushed forward, a femur made cudgel clutched in blackened teeth.

Light brought her knife up, caught off guard yet determined to put up a fight.

But Fluttershy was fast. Unbelievably so.

The monstrous pony bounded up the corpses between them like they were nothing, charging right at her without a care for the blade.

When Light's knife pierced seemingly rotten hide, Fluttershy didn't even flinch. Instead, all she did was bring that cudgel down.

Bone filled Light's vision. Aim unerring, straight for the forehead.

The last thing she heard was somepony screaming in terror—Rarity or Sweetie Belle, she didn't know.

And then everything... became nothing.

19 - Bedlam and Bloodshed

Sweetie Belle half tumbled-half galloped down the mound of bodies, her sister's screams chasing her down. As tears stung her face, she tried desperately to think on the move. What would she do? Where could she go? It had all happened so fast.

Twilight was dead before any of them knew what was going on—ended mid-sentence by one of their own darts—and then Light had come next, struck down before Sweetie couldn’t even fully process that they were under attack. Light... her horn had exploded when Fluttershy's cudgel crashed down directly atop it. A tiny shard of shrapnel still dug into Sweetie's shoulder, piercing pain crying out for attention at every movement.

Somehow, that wasn't even the worst of it. After she'd dealt with both Twilights, Fluttershy had turned and stared at her, rooting Sweetie in place with terror as she drew an axe from under her wing to replace the now-broken cudgel. That axe... coated with an unmistakable black, the signature of a venom so potent Sweetie couldn't properly remember how much pain it caused her. And then Rarity shoved Sweetie Belle off the pile, breaking that baleful gaze as she charged forward to buy her sister even just a few more moments.

Oh, Rarity...

The filly wanted to do nothing but cry until it was all over, pretend that her parents would come and comfort her one last time. Instead, she summoned the will to keep moving—even if, in the confusion, she'd become just as lost within the pocket dimension as she felt within her own thoughts.

It wasn't long until Rarity's screams died off. She'd been screaming for Sweetie Belle to escape, to somehow live, but the filly couldn't see how. Starlight Glimmer and Princess Twilight were supposedly still in Ponyville, working to get them out, but from the way Light talked about it, escape sounded like it was still a couple of days off at the earliest.

Perhaps she'd just find a bloated corpse and hide in it. That couldn't last her nearly long enough, could it? Well, it had worked for Fluttershy, but that was perhaps a special case. Sweetie'd go crazier than her attacker if she had to do that for long. Besides, her shoulder burned, and she couldn't treat it from inside a corpse.

Sweetie screeched to a halt upon realizing that the echoes of her hoofsteps were the only sounds left. It had grown eerily silent, and for a moment, she'd been transmitting her location as clear as Scootaloo's yelps would after a bad scooter crash.

Her breath and pounding heart became alarm bells, screaming at her, telling her death was coming for her next. Of death itself, there was no sign. Despite Sweetie Belle's frantic scanning of the area, Fluttershy might as well have been invisible. Of course, that was true immediately before the attack too.

It suddenly struck her that she was deader than dead could be if she stayed put. She had to move. Or hide. Probably both.

Come on, Sweetie Belle, just pretend it's a game of hide and seek. You never had any problem hiding from Apple Bloom or Scootaloo, why should you with Fluttershy?

Her attempt at self-deception did little to calm her nerves, but she made for the perimeter regardless, creeping along slowly so as to maintain the silence.

She wasn't sure how much time passed in her search for concealment—seconds? hours? It was all the same to her racing mind and hammering heart—but eventually, she found it.

It was a perfect little nook, very dark, and sheltered by several cut up bodies. They had used those bodies for food once, but now, with a little luck, Sweetie would use them for concealment. Luckily, given their arrangement, she wouldn't have to actually burrow inside any of them as she'd initially feared.

The minutes dragged on as she lay trembling within her hiding place. Had she just heard something? The faint echo of a distant hoofstep, perhaps? No, it was just her imagination. Wasn't it?

Though the adrenaline dulled the pain somewhat, her shoulder was beginning to hurt progressively worse. That tiny shard of Light's exploded horn seemed to be digging further into her, though Sweetie knew that was impossible. There was only one thing to do: she had to get it out. Even with her idea of what true pain was being significantly increased by the snake incident, she couldn't tough it out forever.

She took a deep breath, then reached toward her shoulder with her teeth. It was an awkward angle, but doable, even if it hurt her neck. The worst part was actually trying to get a grasp on the stupid thing. Before long, she had a mouthful of her own fresh blood as frustration and stabbing pain coursed through her, the piece of horn repeatedly slipping out from between her front teeth—incisors, she recalled from Cheerilee's most recent lesson.

She froze at the sound of another hoofstep’s echo, this one from near the opposite end of the pocket dimension as the last. That meant she had been imagining the first hoofstep, didn't it? Nopony could move so quickly in silence. Either way, she definitely wasn't imagining it this time. Fluttershy was on the move.

After waiting a moment to make sure her direct vicinity was still clear, Sweetie Belle got back to work on her shoulder. Before long, she finally had a proper hold on the shard. Taking only a moment to try and convince herself that it was just like pulling a splinter, she yanked.

Nope! Definitely not like pulling a splinter!

A new wave of pain pulsing through her body, she reflexively locked her jaw. Which, of course, meant that she chomped straight down on her tongue.

Tears welled in her eyes as she forced down a whine. Oh, why was this happening to her? It wasn't fair! Not fair at all...

The sound of clattering bones rang out, same direction as the last sound but closer this time. Fluttershy drew nearer.

Sweetie Belle hunched down even lower, pulling herself under the wing of a dead Twilight Sparkle. Maybe if she was quiet enough, Fluttershy would move on right past her.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Sweetie Belle's ears perked up. What was that? It was coming from... oh, no.

Drop by drop, Sweetie's lifeblood was slowly but steadily escaping her shoulder onto the ground.

Had removing the horn chip made the bleeding worse? How much blood could she afford to lose? Sweetie Belle hadn't the faintest idea. Anatomy at that level wouldn't be covered for two more school years.

Maybe there was a way to patch it. How did that work again? Rarity would know. Of course, Sweetie would never see Rarity again. Well, not unless she survived long enough for help to arrive.

Sweetie's heart throbbed. Help. Even if help did come, she'd be alone. The Crusaders would never understand what she'd been through, and they didn't need another Sweetie Belle. The same went for her family. They already had a version of her, a version not broken by the stupid, stinking, black pit she was slowly dying in. Her Rarity was dead. The one still in Ponyville would try to help, but would never know what to say. Sweetie would probably end up avoiding her out of guilt—guilt because she knew she’d only ever be a burden as she was.

Besides, no matter how hard that Rarity tried, she would never be the one who whispered stories in her ear to help her sleep, or the one who held her in her hooves every night to make her feel safe in any small way she could, or even the one who joked with her about purple pantalooned stallions searching for the Fountain of Couth. And she definitely wouldn't be the one who forced on a positive disposition despite being surrounded by nightmares, doing everything in her power to make Sweetie Belle believe they'd be just fine, even if Sweetie secretly knew better.

It was all useless, she decided. No matter what happened, her life as she knew it was over. Either dead here, or making life harder for those she cared about back home. And for that reason, she elected not to treat her wound. Well, that and the fact that she had neither the materials nor the skill to do so. If she bled out, that would just have to be fine. At least it would be better than getting caught by Fluttershy. Though she still wasn't certain if the injury was even that bad.

Sweetie Belle heard another sound, this one at least halfway across the pocket dimension from her. She was safe for the time being then. She could close her eyes and rest. At least until—

"Of course, little angel. You're right. We'll tell them one of the others went crazy. Fluttershy was just defending herself."

Sweetie's eyes shot open, her body frozen in horror. That was Fluttershy talking to herself, no, whispering, and she could hear her clear as day. Princesses, but she couldn't have been more than a few pony-lengths away!

"Oh where, oh where, do butterflies fly? I say, I say, they're not in the sky!"

Was Fluttershy... singing? And there was something odd about her voice. It was casually confident in a way Sweetie could never have imagined on that pony.

"Oh where, oh where, do butterflies fly? Oh me, oh my, they've all gone to die!"

Sweetie Belle held her breath, silently begging every benevolent force she could think of in the hopes that the insane pegasus would simply pass her by.

"Say, do you see that? The little chit thinks we don't know where she is!"

Sweetie nearly fell into a panic on the spot. Fluttershy couldn't really see her, could she? Maybe she was just bluffing. She had to be bluffing. Unless she wasn't. Could she really risk trying to call her on it?

No, she decided, she could not.

Before Fluttershy could get any closer, she bolted out from her hiding spot and as far away from that voice as her legs would carry her.

But it wasn't far enough.

The pounding of a grown mare's gallop sounded behind her, growing louder and angrier with every breath. If she looked back, she was sure she would see that poisonous axe swinging just shy of her tail, those cyan eyes ever watching, never blinking. But she didn't look back. She couldn't.

It was all Sweetie Belle could do to keep her eyes focused forward as she bobbed and weaved into places and past obstacles that a larger pony would struggle to get through. Or at least, that was the hope.

No matter what she did, no distance ever seemed to be gained, and she was quickly growing tired. Another half-minute, maybe less, and she'd be caught. Dead.

Something tugged at her tail, and she shrieked in horror as it pulled her back. It was all over. She was a goner.

Please, please, please, please, noooo!

And then her blood-slicked tail slipped between its grasp. With a stroke of luck, the chase was back on. A few seconds purchased at the cost of a heart attack and a half.

Tears ran down her face as she galloped on. This was not how she thought it would end. Bleeding out, starvation, illness: those were the ways she had depressingly envisioned. Not being bludgeoned into a bloody pulp. That was, if Fluttershy didn't just let the poison do its work. That would be worse—screaming in familiar pain for who knew how long.

Her ears pricked up as she came to a startling realization: the pounding of the hooves behind her were gone. Was she no longer being chased? Did she dare look back?

She threw a glance over her shoulder and... found nothing. Like a shadow meeting light, Fluttershy had vanished.

Sweetie Belle skidded to a sudden stop, throwing glances every which way. Ponies didn't just disappear like that. Moreover, Fluttershy had no reason to change tactics. Another few seconds and it would have been over.

Sweetie nervously licked her lips. Did she gallop on? Change directions? Hide?

The squelch of somepony sticking their hoof in gunk sounded off to her right, and she resolved to go left. That was, right up until a scraping sound emanated from that direction.

Two sets of noises? That makes no sense! Fluttershy couldn’t possibly cause both of them, could she?

Sweetie suddenly wasn’t sure that Fluttershy couldn’t do exactly that. Just then, she wouldn’t put anything past the pony. Maybe the pegasus had even taking to toying with her, like her sister's cat with a ball of yarn.

Well, you have to do something, featherbrain!

Sweetie Belle steeled herself, then picked a random direction, going off the idea that there was no action worse than inaction.

And yet, just as she placed a hoof forward, Fluttershy burst out from behind a nearby corpse with an almost gleeful snarl.

Sweetie screamed as she leapt back—scrambling to get herself moving in the opposite direction—but it was too late, she'd already looked right where she shouldn't have. Those cyan eyes locked onto hers, holding her in place with the force of a single, heart-stopping stare.

Sweetie’s legs stiffened mid-stride, sending her sprawling to the ground. Even then, she was unable to look away from those eyes. As every instinct screamed to flee, she could not move. She could hardly even think.

A wicked smile curled at the edges of Fluttershy’s blood-smeared lips. That pony knew the same truth Sweetie did: the chase was over.

It began with a single, slow step—a second and a third following after at an almost leisurely pace. Fluttershy was taking her sweet time, her hooves ringing off grayish-reddish ground with no attempt to remain quiet, her oddly strained smile growing until blackened teeth were bared. And all the while, those big, bright eyes never blinked, never deviated from Sweetie Belle's face.

Move! Stupid legs, get going! Please, don't let it end like this! Not without a fight!

Sweetie Belle's attempts were useless, pathetic. That stare may as well have been a cage.

Fluttershy stopped just short of her, then reached one hoof forward to rest upon Sweetie Belle's tail, pinning her in place. It was calm, methodical, uncaring.

Sweetie tried shrinking into the floor to no avail, still not able to force out a proper fight or flight response. The pegasus loomed over her, an ever-darkening shadow, axe raised high—and Sweetie did nothing.

Something flashed in Fluttershy's eyes. She appeared almost conflicted. Was that guilt? It would explain why she'd been taking so long to finish her off.

Sweetie Belle's hopes rose. Maybe some part of the real Fluttershy was still in there, maybe she could be reasoned with. Maybe if Sweetie could just convince her mouth to work properly she could beg for her life.

A whistling sound rushed through the air behind them, a familiar dart flying over Sweetie and directly at Fluttershy.

And then it missed. What had undoubtedly been aimed for the center of those cyan eyes instead tangled itself in what was left of a pink-red mane. Still, that was enough to distract Fluttershy, breaking her gaze.

Sweetie Belle turned and tried to leap away, only to smack her muzzle on the ground when her tail was pulled taut, Fluttershy's hoof still resting on it.

The sound of galloping hooves charged toward her, prompting a dazed Sweetie Belle to turn her head up for a view of the newcomer. She only got the briefest of glimpses before Rarity, bleeding from numerous cuts but still alive, leapt over her and crashed directly into Fluttershy.

Rarity's alive... My sister's alive!

The weight on Sweetie's tail abruptly disappeared, sending her sprawling forward. Even in her awkward position though, she could see Rarity on top of Fluttershy, trying to press a large, crudely sharpened bone into the chest of her adversary. Unfortunately, Rarity's wounds seemed to have weakened her greatly, leaving Fluttershy the stronger of the two.

Sweetie Belle pulled herself to her hooves, watching in horror as Fluttershy headbutted her sister then used the surprise said action created as an opportunity to flip the two of them over, Rarity's weapon now pinned beneath them. Fluttershy was on top now, and she still had that poisoned axe.

Sweetie didn't hesitate: she charged forward, lowering her horn at the crazy mare. She'd already thought she lost her sister once, and she wasn't about to lose her for real. Even if that meant she'd be forced to kill Fluttershy herself.

Determination meant only so much though. The moment she got close, Fluttershy batted the filly aside with a wing, sending Sweetie tumbling backwards without even so much as diverting her attention from Rarity.

"Sweetie! What are you doing? GO! HIDE!" Rarity yelled as she dodged an axe blow, pulling up a nearby dismembered leg to block a follow-up.

"No! I'm not leaving you!" Sweetie charged again the moment she righted herself, adjusting her approach to avoid the wings.

This time, she caught a hoof to the face. The head-pounding pain was nothing next to the feeling of helplessness. Her sister could take an axe to the head at any moment, and she could hardly delay it, let alone stop it.

"Sweetie Belle!" Rarity screamed whilst trying to avoid blows. "If you don't flee this instant, I swear I'll tan your hide in the afterlife!"

Despite herself, Sweetie almost wanted to laugh at that. Or cry. She'd easily accept death and a tanned hide over living with the knowledge that that her sister needed her and she did nothing.

But what could she do? Fighting Fluttershy clearly wasn't an option, and she doubted she was strong enough to throw one of those darts with lethal force. Besides, if even Rarity missed, she doubted she'd fare better. The last thing she wanted was to accidently strike her own sister.

Just then, something occurred to her. Light had struck Fluttershy with a knife—a knife that, since it was no longer in the pegasus, had to still be on the central corpse pile. And if Rarity needed anything, it wasn't Sweetie Belle's feeble attempt at a charge, but rather, a real weapon.

"Hold on, Sis! I'll be right back!" Sweetie bolted off, galloping as quickly to save her sister as she had to save her own life.

"What? No! Don't come back! Stay away! STAY AWAY!"

Rarity's pleas went unanswered. Sweetie Belle wouldn't let anything stop her now.

Just hang in there, Sis. I'm coming. I'll save you, and then we'll get out of here together. Happily ever after.

Epilogue - New Dawn

"There's another survivor over here!"

"Can she be moved?"

"I don't know. Life signs are faint, and she's lost a lot of blood. Twilight, her horn..."

"You'll just have to find a way. Cadance, Minuette, go help Starlight!"

"What about my sister?"

"Sweetie, please, go with the doctors. They'll take care of you."

"But she's not breathing!"

"Her heart's stopped, not two minutes gone. Princesses, I need help over here! Sweetie, go! Now!"

"But—"

"You'll only get in the way. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, I need a spell to delay the onset of cerebral death. You'll have to pull magic through the portal. You can't cast it here. Discord, I need you!"

"Ah, isn't that wonderful to hear? But, of course, not even the great Lord of Chaos can bring back the dead. You know that."

"You don't have to. Do you think you could draw out the poison?"

"Not without damaging the body."

"What about transforming it into something else? Something harmless, maybe even fresh blood matching Rarity’s?"

"Hmm, well aren't you smart! Very well, I'll lend a claw, but the rest is up to you."

"That's fine. I can do this."

Light’s eyes fluttered open, only to immediately snap shut again under a harsh, white light. Or maybe it was several lights. She wasn't sure. As fuzzy as her head was, she couldn't be sure of much at all.

She tried to move, but her limbs were stiff, and she could hardly feel her outer extremities. Feel. What was that she felt? It was soft and warm and covering her like a... blanket. It was a blanket. And there was a bed too! Definitely not the pocket dimension then.

Well, that's a relief. Of course, I could still just be dead.

"Oh my stars," a feminine voice started off to her left. "She's awake. I better get Doctor Horse in here."

"No, that's alright," a more familiar voice responded from her right. "I can take it from here."

"Miss Glimmer, surely you know that's against hospital regulations."

"Nurse Redheart, please, she's going to need a friend. And if there's anything still wrong with her, I always have my magic."

"I... very well. Just let me know when you're done."

A door clicked shut, and Light tried to turn toward the source of her friend's voice, though it was still too bright to open her eyes. "Starlight,” she croaked, “is that you? Where am I?"

"Yes, it's me," Starlight responded soothingly. "You're in Ponyville General Hospital. How do you feel?"

"Woozy. Glad to be alive. Sort of having trouble believing I’m really here." She moaned as she tried to open her eyes again and had to shut them. "Why is it so bright?"

"It isn't. You've just spent so long in the dark you're having trouble adjusting. Here, let me turn it down a bit."

A moment passed before Light ventured opening her eyes again. It was still bright, but not blinding. At the very least, she could clearly see the plain, white hospital room along with a weary-eyed Starlight who looked considerably more sleep deprived than she'd sounded. Light opted not to mention that last bit though.

"Thanks... for everything. But, uh, why do I feel like this is all a dream? I mean, everything's all hazy."

"Oh." Starlight chuckled. "That would be the painkillers. You're on some pretty heavy stuff."

"I see. Was I injured?"

At that, Starlight's countenance grew far grimmer. "Twilight, I'm not quite sure how to tell you this, but you took a pretty nasty hit. In fact, if your horn hadn't been in the way of that blow, you'd probably be dead. As it is… well, maybe you should see for yourself." She opened one of several gray cabinets on the wall, then levitated out a small hoof mirror, bringing it about to face Light.

Light's mouth dropped at the sight. "My... my horn."

Starlight nodded. "I'm sorry. Most of it was destroyed by the blow, and the little that was left began sparking wildly once we got you back into a world with magic. For the safety of yourself and others, we had to remove even that last little bit."

Light couldn't respond. She just sat there numbly, staring at the mass of scars on her forehead where her horn should be.

When Light failed to say anything, Starlight cleared her throat before tentatively adding, "Well, on the bright side, the scarring should mostly fade away over time. We’ve even applied spells to help speed up the process. Oh, and Equestria’s very best counseling services have been made available to you and the others should you need it. And, of course, if there's anything I or anypony else can do to help you, just name it. We'll be there."

"Right," Light said distantly, forcing herself to look away from the mirror. "Wait, you said 'others.' There are more survivors?"

"Yes. Sweetie Belle got out with relatively minor injuries. She's since been treated, and will no doubt want to see you once she knows you're awake. In the meantime, Rarity—the one that’s been here in Ponyville—has spent every moment she can by her side, making sure the poor filly’s okay.

“As for the Rarity that was with you... well, her prognosis is less certain. We got the poison out of her and managed to restart her heart before any permanent brain damage could occur, but the amount of magic we had to pour into her was too much for her weakened body to take. She's comatose now, and we don't know if or when she'll wake up. The current plan is for Zecora to try strengthening her body with potions while Princess Luna attempts a waking spell, but if that doesn't work..." Starlight trailed off, her gaze falling to the floor.

Light opened her mouth to speak, stopped, cleared her suddenly dry throat, then continued. “I see. Do you know when Zecora and Luna are going to try waking her?”

“Tomorrow. Zecora has to get some ingredients and Luna’s still exhausted from helping power the portal into the pocket dimension. It took a lot out of us all.”

Starlight looked away, sighing. “Twilight, even if they succeed, Rarity will be scarred for life. As overtaxed as her body already was, we didn’t want to risk pouring in even more magic for non-critical treatment. Those marks may fade with assistance, but not nearly so much as yours will. And they’ll never go away. It’ll just be too late by the time she can withstand the magic.”

Light grimaced. “These injuries—they aren’t anything like my horn, are they?”

“No, nothing that bad. It’s entirely cosmetic, but extensive. And for somepony like Rarity…”

"I see. Thank you." Light took a deep breath, still trying to wrap her mind around how quickly everything had changed, the mere fact that they were out of that place at all. And suddenly she was reminded of the other conscious pony who'd escaped with her. "Hey, Starlight, could you please send Sweetie in? I believe you said she'd want to see me."

"Right. Of course." Starlight nodded and made for the exit, though she hesitated halfway out the door.

“Starlight? Was there something else?”

“No, I mean, yes. It’s just that, well, once everypony is rested up enough to open another portal, we’re going to check my own pocket dimension. To be honest, I’m scared of what we’ll find. I’ve teleported so many times, and not always while I could be considered a ‘good pony.’”

Light internally cringed, though tried to school her face into looking more optimistic. “I’m sure it will be fine. Being in a place like that tends to shift priorities. And no matter what happens, you’re still you—a good pony. Please remember that.”

“I know, but thanks. I should send Sweetie Belle in now.”

Starlight pulled the door closed behind her, and Light was left to her thoughts. It was time enough to consider what came next.

Her horn... gone. That meant no spells. No spells meant no Element of Magic. And was she even really an alicorn still? She supposed she was, but there would still be those who mistook her for a pegasus, especially if she covered her scars with her bangs. Not that she had any problems with pegasi, it just wasn't how she pictured herself. Of course, with another Twilight present—and that one having a horn—she’d no doubt lose the mantle of Princess of Friendship too.

She took a trembling breath, trying to keep calm. She was home. That was all that mattered. The rest? Superficial. She never asked to be made a princess anyway, and it would be a lot of trouble taken off. And element bearer or no, she’d still have her friends. She knew them too well to think they’d ever abandon her, even for another her.

As for her magic, well, she’d already been without magic for some time, hadn’t she? Maybe she was used to it. Maybe that’d make it easier. Maybe.

The door burst open, and a streak of white fuzz landed in Light’s bed, not quite smashing into her still recovering body.

“Light! Light! You’re alive! You’re alive!”

“Wh— huh? Sweetie, slow down just a…” Light railed off, seeing the tear-stained muzzle and trembling hooves of the little filly at her side.

“I was so scared,” the little one began half-rambling, half-sobbing. “First I thought you were dead, and Rarity too, and then suddenly there were ponies everywhere, yelling and galloping around and they all wanted me to leave with the doctors while you and Rarity still needed help and— “

“Sweetie Belle,” Light interrupted, stroking the filly’s now-clean mane. “It’s okay. I think we're safe now. It's over.”

“But th-that’s what I was trying to say,” Sweetie Belle choked out. “It was bad, but now they say they might be able to help Rarity, and when they do, everything will get so much better. We're all going to be happy, and they've already banned teleportation, and nothing like that will ever happen again.”

“I… right,” Light said at length, knowing quite well that some things might not get better. She was still trying not to think about her horn, or the fact that Luna and Zecora may very well fail to help Rarity. Or the years of therapy she was fairly sure they'd all need. "I mean, it's still going to be hard, but this,” she gave the clean hospital room a quick inspection, "is definitely an improvement."

Sweetie Belle frowned, wiping at her tears with one hoof. "An improvement? Now you're being... um, what's that word Rarity uses?"

"Buffoonish? Positively dreadful? Dour?"

"Yeah, that one."

“Heh, maybe so.” Light allowed a small smile. “And maybe this doesn’t quite feel real yet. Either way, it makes me feel better knowing you made it out. And by the looks of it, unharmed too.”

“Well,” Sweetie Belle shifted where she lay, “I was hurt, but they healed me. You look…” she eyed the place where Light’s horn once was, “worse.”

Light sighed, dryly muttering, “thanks…” under her breath.

“But,” Sweetie quickly added, “that’s okay, because I’m going to take care of you now.”

“You’re… going to take care of me?”

“Yep!” The filly nodded vigorously, once again wiping at her tears. “I still got magic, so you can count on me! You can even teach me, and I’ll cast your spells for you!” Her horn gave the tiniest spark.

Despite herself, Light smiled. Sweetie Belle’s idea had to be one of the most foalish notions she’d ever heard, and yet somehow, it was exactly what she’d needed to hear. Life would move on, she’d find some way or another to adapt, and—most importantly—it showed that she and Rarity had won. As much damage as the pocket dimension had most assuredly done, they’d succeeded in making sure Sweetie still had a life worth living, that she still had hope.

“You know what, Sweetie Belle?” Light wrapped a foreleg around the filly and hugged her tight. "I think I might just accept that offer." She eyed the growing light beneath the closed window curtains. "Now, why don't you start by channeling those open. I think I might just like to see Ponyville again."

The curtains slid open, morning sunlight filled the room, and Light was blinded for the second time that day. But at least she could finally tell it was day, and after a brief adjustment period, she could even make out the streets and structures of her home—the Castle of Friendship, Town Hall, Sugarcube Corner, Carousel Boutique, and even the hint of apple trees in the distance.

It was beautiful—even if, according to the clock on the wall, those golden rays were almost an hour late to grace Ponyville. That was okay though. Celestia probably needed her rest after all she did to help save them. In fact, Light would be sure to thank each and every pony involved personally.

For now, however, Light was content just to bask in the familiar warmth of her mentor's light.

Today would be a good day. Tomorrow? The day after? Those might be harder. But today... today was her first day in forever, and that made it good.

Gray trotted briskly down the streets of Baltimare, tilting her wide, flat-brimmed hat down to shield her silvery eyes from the late-rising sun. She never did like the sun. All hot and bright, illuminating her every movement and casting it before a thousand watchful eyes that would be shut come deepest night.

If she could have timed her ship's arrival to come at twilight rather than dawn, she would have, but such things were hard to control when you were crossing continents.

Stars, it felt like she'd been gone for much longer than just the last six months, though it wasn't as if she had much to come back to.

The cramped apartment she called home had a stale air and the front door was located not ten paces from a wall decorated with the worst kind of graffiti, but that was fine. As often as she was gone, the place had become little more than a spot to stash her things anyway.

Among those things was a pile of mail left just inside the door by the local mail carrier. She'd entrusted that stallion with her house key, so her letters weren't pilfered in her absence, then kept a second key to herself which accessed the diminutive private study. Both important security steps, given her line of work.

Gray tossed her black hat and coat over a chair, then quickly rifled through the stack of newspapers. Most of it went straight into the trash, but she did linger for a moment over an article questioning the whereabouts of author A. K. Yearling following a scrubbed book launch.

It wasn't front-page news, so clearly the public wasn't too worried. Into the trash it went.

The letters came next, and for that she entered her study, double checking to make sure the blinds blocked any view from outside. There, the stack of letters went straight onto the desk, next to a handful of odds and ends: an old sheriff's star marked with the seal of the town of Stableside, an even older essay on the dangers of teleportation—which everypony at the time had laughed off, severely damaging the reputation of the poor old stallion who authored it—and a positively ancient kettle helm with a crescent moon painted on the front.

She went through the stack methodically, carefully considering the written words of each of her informants before moving onto the next. Those that were old news were discarded the moment she was sure they contained nothing useful, while the others she tacked onto a corkboard above the desk. Besides the letters, the only other thing on that board was the eyes: a rough hoof-drawn portrait, irises shimmering gold on a field of abyssal black.

Of her newest letters, one described the sudden banning of teleportation and Celestia's unusually somber demeanor as she gave the announcement—an event that would probably be front page news even in Baltimare, come another day or two—while another letter mentioned a gathering of powerful spellcasters, the princesses included, in Ponyville for some spell that far outstripped any that had been cast in years. Yet a third letter described duplicates of certain Ponyville citizens appearing at the local hospital, while a fourth indicated that several prominent unicorns had disappeared just in the last couple of weeks.

All signs pointed to the same thing: she had to go to Ponyville. That little town was the center of it all, had been ever since the Element Bearers saved Princess Luna. If all of this was leading up to something larger, that town would be the very center of—

She blinked, suddenly noticing one last letter tucked under the old helmet. A letter that must have already been there when she came in, long before she unlocked the small room with its one and only key.

Gray reached toward the piece of paper with shaking hooves, taking notice of the plain, unmarked white envelope. It looked just like any other letter from her boss. Inside would be only a word or two, but those words would invariably lead to the changing of lives and making of fate. The least favorite part of Gray's already undesirable job.

She pried it open and read: Canterlot.

Exhaling slowly, she nodded. Ponyville was a distraction, the center of everything was Canterlot, just as it had been ever since Celestia abandoned Everfree, moved into Canter's Motte, and made it the new capital. And now something big was about to happen, something to shake the very spirit of Equestria, and it was her duty to be there.

And so, she was gone with the next train.

Author's Note

This story is now continued in the sequel, Blink Again: Long Shadows.

9 - Morning at Midnight

Light gaped at the scene before her, watching Fluttershy nervously shift her gaze between the other ponies. Had her yellow friend asked a question? She already couldn’t remember what it was, just that it definitely had been asked. Even Sweetie Belle, still atop the pegasus, merely sat there, soundlessly working her mouth.

Light gave herself a good shake of the head, then opened her mouth to respond, only for Rarity to beat her to it.

“Fluttershy, darling, how are you feeling? You were... well, a bit absent. Do you remember?”

"Um..." Fluttershy nervously glanced between Rarity, Light, and Sweetie Belle, then slowly nodded, squeaking out, “yes. I’m sorry. I... I didn’t mean to go. I just couldn’t... just couldn’t...” She trailed off, withdrawing more behind her mane every second. She wouldn't even meet Light's eyes.

Was she truly that ashamed of her recent state? Of having to be cared for? Light would have to disabuse her of that notion, if she could think of how. After all, Fluttershy's somewhat delicate mind was one of the things they loved most about her, and helping in rough times was just what friends did. Fluttershy should know that as well as any of their friends, having been on the other side of that numerous times.

Light cracked a warm smile. "It’s okay. We’re just glad to have you here.” She grimaced, eyeing their surroundings. “Well, not here, per se, but with us—disregarding the location, I mean. Yes, that's better.” She gave a weak chuckle, clicking her front hooves together nervously.

She almost groaned. That went just swimmingly. Had she gotten worse at this kind of thing in her time with only Twi for company? She wanted to jump for joy at having her friend back, but she instead found herself helpless, unsure of just how to approach the sudden change in situation. She certainly didn't want to make Fluttershy uncomfortable, and she wasn't sure just how mentally fit her friend was or if she might return to her recent state should Light mess things up.

Rarity glanced back and forth between the two awkward ponies, then rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Oh, come here, you two lovable fools." She reached her forelegs out wide, grabbing Fluttershy with one and Light with the other, then pulled them together into a group hug, half squishing Sweetie Belle between them. “Whatever the circumstances, I think we can all be glad to have each other. Yes?”

“Yes, Rarity.” Light and Fluttershy both dutifully nodded before breaking out into giggles, both from relief and at the absurdity of the situation—even if said giggles trailed off rather quickly when their minds returned to the environment.

“Perfect.” Rarity returned their nods with her own, then focused in on Fluttershy. “But, I do need a promise from you, my dear.”

Fluttershy gulped, returning Rarity's stare with a hint of nervousness. “Oh, um, okay. What is it?”

“You must promise to never scare us like that again. I was worried I would never hear your wonderful voice anymore, and poor Twilight—er, Light—fretted over you for a whole week!”

"Oh, of course. I promise." Fluttershy began nodding vigorously. "I'm so, so sorry. I really didn't mean to worry you. I—"

Rarity finally released the three ponies from the hug so she could raise a hoof to silence the pegasus. No longer squished, Sweetie Belle took a deep breath and scrambled out from between them while Rarity lectured their friend with an even, "Now, Fluttershy, I simply will not have you apologizing to me. What happened was regrettable, but not anypony’s fault. You understand." She finished with what could normally have been construed as a question, had it not been uttered in an even, insistent tone. Not a query, but an order.

Judging by Fluttershy's renewed nodding, she did understand—or at least, she pretended to.

"Careful," Rarity said airily. "You nod too much and you might just nod yourself right off to sleep."

Sweetie Belle stifled a giggle at her sister's tease, bringing all three of the older ponies' attention back to her.

"Um, Sweetie," Fluttershy began, "you never did answer my question earlier. Was something wrong? You were screaming, and galloped right into me." She gave the filly a worried look, which was quickly matched by those of Light and Rarity.

Light had been so glad to have Fluttershy back that she'd completely forgotten what had interrupted her sleep in the first place. Given the guilty grimace Rarity suddenly adopted, she had found herself similarly caught up in the moment. Except, of course, this was her potentially endangered sister that she'd not been paying attention to. Maybe that wasn't so bad though. After all, even Sweetie Belle herself had lost her fear rather suddenly at Fluttershy's return.

"Ah, right." Sweetie stared down at her hooves for a moment in contemplation, then looked back up, eyeing Light in particular. "I think that other version of you, Twi, might need our help. You see..."

Sweetie Belle went on to describe her entire encounter with Twi, sparing no detail. She told them of the hovel made out of skeletons, being "introduced" to the smiling corpse of Sparkle, and of how Twi tried to give her a past Twilight's journal. Most disturbingly, she reported that Twi not only tried to offer her a chance at assisted suicide, but did everything in her power to convince Sweetie Belle to take said offer. Apparently, Sparkle and the book were meant to do exactly that. When asked whether or not she thought Twi might have simply attacked her had she remained, Sweetie Belle couldn't answer. Whether or not Twi was telling the truth, that it would have been purely optional, was still in question. And that was a very dangerous question to leave hanging.

Throughout the entire story, the three grown mares stood horrified. Rarity effusively apologized for not being there for her sister, while simultaneously chastising her for going off alone, and worse, not shouting out for help the moment Twi approached her. Fluttershy was just glad the filly was okay, and agreed immediately to try and help Twi overcome whatever personal demons had clearly been affecting her.

For Light's part, she merely worried. She worried for Sweetie Belle, she worried that her newfound rivalry with Twi might get in the way of helping her, and she worried about what would happen if they couldn't help Twi get better. Would they have to fight her? Herself and Rarity—assuming Fluttershy and Sweetie Belle would stay out of it—could easily defeat one crippled pony. The practicality of it was not in question, but the ethics of doing so were another matter entirely.

Of course, most of all, Light worried about what it meant that a version of herself could so quickly become like that. How soon until she too could no longer be trusted around the others? Would one of them succumb first, and if so, would they pose a threat to those still sane? According to everything she had seen so far, it was only a matter of time.

20 - Moment of Two Minds

I understand.

Those two, simple little words, spoken to the new hallucination, had sealed her fate. Before then, Fluttershy was still allowed some semblance of control, enough to keep her own consciousness—albeit warped by foreign feelings—at the forefront. Perhaps it was necessary at the time, a measure to make sure the others didn't catch on. Or perhaps the side of her that remained kind and good hadn't yet fully surrendered to the darkness. In the end, it didn't matter. She was weak, and it had cost her and her friends everything.

Now all she could do was sit inside her little cage, hanging from a ceiling too high to be visible, staring at the raised pathway which crossed the area just beyond those bars. It was either that, or look at the endless abyss below. She definitely preferred the path. Oddly enough, it reminded her of the path to her cottage. But then, her mind would summon a familiar image, wouldn't it?

Fluttershy glanced up at the single, badly rusted chain that was the only thing keeping her cage from plunging into the abyss, and she idly wondered if there was some sort of symbolism there. A comment on her fragility, perhaps? Nothing here was real, so didn't that mean it all had meaning? But then, who could say when it came to a place like this, where everything was but the imaginings of a mind too tortured to understand reality?

What did it mean that Fluttershy could ponder on her own insanity? Weren't the insane not supposed to know they were insane? How could she know that where she was wasn't real yet also accept the fact that it was created because she couldn't handle the truth? There could be no answers.

Now she only received brief glimpses of what was really happening. Things flashed before her eyes and were gone before she could do anything about it. Her last flash had even shown Sweetie Belle, looking terrified. Fluttershy couldn't quite remember what specifically that filly might be afraid of, but she had the sinking feeling it was her fault. Still, it was easier not to think of such things—her head hurt when she did that—and so she continued to stare at the path, wondering about her current state of existence.

"If you don't flee this instant, I swear I'll tan your hide in the afterlife!"

Fluttershy sat up straight. Whose voice was that? And why did they sound so angry? No, wait, angry wasn't right. Desperate. Yes, they were desperate. It was a feeling with which she'd recently acquainted herself quite well. It came as hope dwindled, and oft preceded abject helplessness.

Fluttershy sighed. She hated being helpless, and she hated it even more when her friends felt that way. Her animal friends never made her feel helpless. With them, her role was simple: she provided food and shelter, occasionally kept them from killing each other, and on most days that was enough. Well, for all except angel it was enough. Ponies were not so simple though. Recently, it seemed like she hadn't anything meaningful to offer them at all.

Fluttershy kicked herself. Useless, broken, crazy. I hope I never get out of this place. It's what I deserve.

"Hold on, Sis! I'll be right back!"

"What? No! Don't come back! Stay away! STAY AWAY!"

Fluttershy placed her hooves over her ears. She recognized the voices now, and she couldn't bear to hear any more. Rarity and Sweetie Belle were in trouble, trouble brought about by Fluttershy's own weak mind, and she couldn't do anything to help. Maybe if she just blocked out the sound the problem would disappear, she could believe they'd be okay.

"Fluttershy, darling, listen to me, please."

Fluttershy shook her head, tears now streaming down her face. Why wouldn't it stop? The voice was coming from everywhere and nowhere at once, her pitiful attempts at blocking it out completely laughable. Why couldn't she be left alone? So many voices. Always the voices.

"Kill me if you must, but leave my sister alone. I'm begging you; she's just a filly. A filly!"

"I'm sorry!" Fluttershy yelled into the darkness, now openly sobbing. "I didn't want this! I don't want to hurt anypony!"

But, of course, nopony heard her cries.

"Fluttershy, you're the element of kindness, this isn't you! We're frien— AHHH!"

Rarity's scream echoed through the abyss, even going so far as to somehow shake the chain of Fluttershy's cage.

"I'm sorry," Fluttershy muttered, knowing nopony could hear. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Please..."

Fluttershy's ears perked up. Rarity was okay? Wait, no, she sounded pained. Fluttershy did hurt her, and she probably would again—unless she did something about it.

But I'm too weak...

"Please, Fluttershy, please don't hurt her..."

Rarity was probably dying, and she still thought about others first. Why couldn't Fluttershy be that brave?

A brief image flashed through her mind, Rarity and herself at the spa together, talking and relaxing all of their problems away. And now that very same friend was going to die by her hoof. She couldn't allow it.

Maybe I can be brave, just this once—for her, and for Sweetie Belle.

She set her sights on the door of the cage. The whole thing was made of wrought iron and shaped like a giant birdcage, but the hinges were much the same as on her front door at home. In other words, they weren't reinforced.

"Okay," she quietly breathed. "I can do this."

She reared up, then pushed on the cage door with everything she had, only to immediately fall out of the cage and land on her face in the middle of the path.

She looked back in confusion. The door had just... come open? Wait, it wasn't even locked! But that meant... that meant that this whole time, she'd only ever needed the will to act! In retrospect, that actually made a lot of sense. She wished Twilight were there just so she could ask her about what other rules a hallucinated world might contain. If anypony knew the answer to that, it would definitely be Twilight Sparkle.

Twi...

Vivid images of what she did to Twi flashed through her mind. She'd still been in partial control then, and remembered it as clear as day. She remembered wanting Twi dead even, but also recalled a distinct feeling of foreignness in that desire, as if she was really just feeling something else's wants pushed onto her. Even then, she'd managed to repress those feelings for a moment before Twi tricked her and she lost control again.

She shivered. In that brief moment of transition she could have sworn she touched… something. It was hard to succinctly explain, even in her own thoughts, but it felt ancient, powerful, and most of all, hungry. Though she was certain it wasn't for food in the traditional sense—certain because the feeling came from the spirit rather than the stomach, but also because she was still fairly sure it was all dreamed up as part of her own insanity. Even so, it scared the willies out of her.

Regardless of what she'd felt, with lives on the line, she couldn't spare a moment and had thus already started down the path at a canter during her period of introspection. She would even have broken into a full gallop if she wasn't so afraid of whatever might come out of that darkness in front of her.

It wasn't long until she approached a familiar cottage. Her home, though it looked significantly less homey with the grass all dead and not a critter in sight. Where before birdsong filled the air, now there was only the sound of her own hoofsteps—which made her realize that she hadn't heard Rarity in a while. For all she knew, the unicorn was already dead.

She gulped. It was a terrifying thought, but she couldn't do anything about it now. She had to focus on... whatever it was she was trying to do. She still wasn't sure on the specific rules of retaking one's own body from one's crazier side.

Crunch!

Fluttershy looked down in shock, then carefully lifted her hoof to find the desiccated—and now crushed—husk of a butterfly with once pink-now mostly black and brown wings. It looked almost exactly like a long-dead version of the butterflies in her cutie mark, because of course it did. What else would her mind torture her with?

Her eyes rose to find that this butterfly was but the first in a trail of butterflies, their numbers and density growing exponentially the closer the trail got to the cottage's front door. Fluttershy didn't have time to stop and gawk though. Whatever all the dead butterflies were supposed to mean, it didn't matter. They couldn't be as bad as the dead ponies surrounding her in the real world and they wouldn't stop her progress.

She picked her way around the butterflies and through the threshold of her fake home, only to find that the interior was not like her home at all. It contained only a single wide, open, and very gray room, with a single set of stairs leading up to a circular platform that jutted out from the side of the structure over an endless void. There was also, evidently, no ceiling, despite the cottage very clearly having had a roof from the outside.

She'd only just entered when she heard the voices, the sound carrying down from the platform above. The first was cold and hard, the very same voice that had claimed to be Fluttershy's angel and pushed her to kill Twi. The second was just the opposite: warm and motherly, almost regal, and an exact match for the second hallucination Fluttershy'd had—the very same one that drove her to attack Light and the others. Both oozed with confidence and sinister intentions.

"The white one is dying," the so-called angel said. "Let me leave her to the poison. I'll chase the little chit around some more."

"No. Do not underestimate your enemies. Finish what is in your grasp."

"But—"

"Do not defy your creator."

"Of course. My apologies."

"We have an intruder. Deal with it."

Fluttershy reached the top of the steps just in time to see the "angel" turn to face her, looking just as it had when she first met it, a grayish imitation of Fluttershy with a diffuse silvery aura hanging around its head. As for the other voice, its source was missing entirely.

Under the gaze of one of her tormentors, Fluttershy almost turned tail right there. At least, until she reminded herself that it was all in her head, a figment of her imagination. She hoped that meant it couldn't actually hurt her.

"Welcome home, Fluttershy." The thing waved to the inside of the cottage with a smile. "I know its a bit drab now, but all those animals really were just such a bother. And the butterflies! Did you know that I wrote a little song about your butterflies?"

"I need you to stop this right now," Fluttershy said firmly, or at least tried to around the shakiness she felt creeping into her voice. "You're just a trick of my mind. From here on, you can't make me hurt anypony else."

The thing stared at her for several seconds, then burst out laughing. "Idiot! I knew you were a weak, pathetic coward, but I didn't think you were stupid too!"

Fluttershy was taken aback by the display, but quickly decided it was only trying to distract her. "It's time for you to leave. I'm retaking control."

"No. Now go cry in a cage some more."

Fluttershy flared her nostrils in frustration, but she pressed on. "If my mind made you, it can unmake you. Now go away before I... uh, do that."

"Do I have to spell it out to you?" the creature mocked. "This may be in your mind, but you aren’t crazy—not that crazy anyway. You're hijacked."

"No." Fluttershy stepped back in trepidation. "That... that's not possible."

"Isn't it?" The thing stepped forward, mirroring her movements. "Because I think you already know the truth, you're simply refusing to accept it because it's scary, because it hurts your puny little mind. I mean, think about it: you enter a completely unknown world with unknown rules, and the first thing you do is mentally check out for a few days. Zero mental defenses whatsoever! Idiot! Even the little chit would have had no problem resisting, but you? Oh ho ho, you are a special kind of weak!"

It stepped forward again, coming face to face with a now-cowering Fluttershy. "You know, I don't think I've ever heard of a pony as pathetic as you. A pony pathetic enough to simply leave the door to her mind open. I mean, you might as well have hung a 'take me over and kill everything' sign from your neck!"

It let out a harsh laugh. "Now come one and come all, everypony! Here we have a special attraction. It's Fluttershy, Element of Sticking Her Head in the Ground While Her Friends Get Slaughtered En Masse! Watch as she sits and cries until her problems disappear on their own like storybook magic!"

"No!" Fluttershy cried out, collapsing into a ball on the floor.

"Shut up, I'm not done!" It screamed, now more manic than cold. "Because do you know the best part? I bet you're even stupid enough to think that chit bumping into you woke you up! But no! I did that! I saved you from becoming as worthless as that tree you'd like so much to be, and now you're MINE! So, kindly go back to your cage and bawl your eyes out while I tear apart your miserable little friends."

"NO!" Fluttershy rose and struck at the creature in front of her. Then when it started to get up, struck again, then again, and again, again, again, again. And she kept going until her leg was red all the way up to the shoulder and the hateful thing was little more than a crimson pulp. And then she hit it a few more times, just for good measure.

“I think it’s dead,” the warmer voice began from the darkness beyond the platform, sounding highly amused. “You can stop now. It won't resurrect itself for some minutes.”

Only at its words did Fluttershy realize how overboard she’d gone, and so did she immediately step back from the corpse in horror.

“I… I never meant to…”

“You did what you had to do,” the motherly voice reassured. “Nopony would blame you for being a tad enthusiastic.”

“Don’t pretend you’re on my side!” Fluttershy spat, looking up and across the void to find a pair of glowing, golden eyes watching her. “That thing was doing what you told it!”

“Yes, and while I could watch you and my little 'angel' fight for some time yet, I think it is time I concede defeat. In truth, I suppose I should have conceded the moment that message got out. Some things are just hard to let go of.” Even unable to see more than the eyes, Fluttershy got the distinct feeling the thing was smiling at her.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Because I'm dying, and only the darkness has offered me the means to survival. Speaking of, it seems you may be having a bit of trouble with that just now.”

Fluttershy frowned, then gasped as a stabbing pain filled her chest, blood flowing from a wound that struck right to the heart.

“Goodbye, my sweet little pony. With these spheres a failure, it is time I turn to alternate means. Hmm, perhaps I will follow up on that cult's work...”

Fluttershy collapsed to the floor, only just realizing that the platform had some kind of emblem carved into it. It was a crescent moon within a solar flare, all in red and white.

She frowned, feeling her head grow light with slow motion blood loss as the red mass beside her began writhing, putting itself back together. Haven’t I seen that symbol before? Wait, the inside cover of that book…

Her vision blurred, and she looked up one last time. Those golden eyes were gone now. She’d been left alone in the dark.

Sweetie Belle Jumped and weaved around Fluttershy's flailing limbs, trying to find an opening to get Light's knife to Rarity. Recovering the knife had turned out to be simple, actually making use of it not so much. Fluttershy had expertly blocked every path to her sister, and Sweetie'd gotten kicked more than once trying already. She'd even tried to use the knife herself, but her small size meant that she never had the strength or reach to make more than a superficial cut before being batted away.

Rarity wasn't faring much better than she was, covered in blood and sweat and too focused on surviving the next blow to meaningful converse with Sweetie Belle, though she still made the occasional plea for Sweetie to leave her and hide.

And then something changed in Fluttershy. Her body froze up, the axe held high failed to swing down, and a distant look replaced the murderous glare in her eyes.

Sweetie didn't know what any of that meant, but she wasn't about to waste her chance—not when Fluttershy could be back on the attack at any second. Tilting back her muzzle, she flipped the knife through the air so that it would land handle first right next to Rarity's head.

Rarity wasted no time either. She grabbed the knife in her mouth, and plunged it directly into Fluttershy's heart. The pegasus gasped—though her eyes still appeared unseeing—then collapsed directly onto Rarity. A second later, her body was pushed off into a crumpled heap by a set of white-soaked-red hooves.

A moment of stunned silence passed as the two of them stared at Fluttershy’s body.

It... it's over?

Sweetie Belle turned to look at her sister, still alive. “Rarity!” She pounced forward and hugged her, remembering only at the last moment to be gentle, since Rarity was still wounded. Regardless, Rarity groaned in pain.

“Oh, sorry!” Sweetie jumped back.

“It’s… not you.” She gave Sweetie a commiserate, almost regretful look, shadowed by pain.

Sweetie Belle examined Rarity's injuries, a sinking feeling in her stomach. “Were any of them from… you know.” She nodded toward the axe.

“I’m sorry, darling.” Rarity lowered her head, not quite meeting Sweetie’s gaze. “I know you wanted us to get out of this together.”

Sweetie’s eyes widened in horror. “No. No! You can’t leave me! You… you…” she paced back and forth, beginning to hyperventilate, “you’ll hold on until help comes. You’re tough. And I’m sure they’ll be here any minute, right?”

"I hope so, but..." Rarity lowered her head sadly, “for all we know, help may not come for days. And it isn’t a matter of being tough enough. I seem to have little choice in the matter.”

“No…” Sweetie choked out a sob. “It isn’t fair! We won! You’re supposed to live!”

"Maybe I will. The stars will align and everything will work out." Rarity gave a pained hiss. "Probably wishful thinking. Either way, I'm happy knowing you will." Rarity extended a hoof toward Sweetie, forcing a smile. "Now won't you come hug your sister? I don't imagine I'll be conscious much longer, and I'd rather like to spend that time with my favorite filly."

Sweetie Belle sighed, then did as she was asked, cuddling up against Rarity while she still could. "Sis, what's the point of living if I'm all alone?"

"You won't be." Rarity tried to hide a pained wince. "Another me will be there. She'll take care of you. I'm sure of it."

"But—"

"No buts. Now," she grabbed Sweetie to look her in the eyes, "I need you to promise me something."

"What?"

"Promise me you'll keep trying, that you'll make the most of life. I assure you, it still has a lot to offer."

"I... I will." Sweetie looked down at her own shoulder injury. "What about my wound?"

"If it gets infected, ask Zecora for a potion."

"No, but... won't I bleed out?"

Rarity raised an eyebrow, looking amused despite the pain. "Sweetie Belle, 'tis little more than a large scratch. You may need a few stitches, but you'll be fine."

“Oh. That’s good,” Sweetie Belle muttered, though the words sounded hollow to her own ears. It was hard to see the bright side with her sister dying beside her.

When Rarity didn’t immediately respond, Sweetie turned to check her over, finding her sister’s eyes shut and teeth clamped tight in pain.

“Rarity?”

“Hmm? What is it?” Rarity asked breathily, then paused before continuing with, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to be curt. What… what can I do for you?”

“Are you okay?” Stupid! You already know the answer to that.

“No,” Rarity replied honestly. “No, Sweetie, I am not okay. I'm not okay with the pain, I'm not okay with dying, and I am most certainly not okay with what this will do to you."

"I—" Sweetie bit back her tears. "You shouldn't have to worry about me. I don't want things to end sad. Can... can we just pretend help is almost here?"

"Sure, love. Let's do that."

And so the two of them held each other in hopeful silence. And when Rarity lost consciousness, Sweetie continued hoping all on her own. Help was around the corner. She just had to be patient. Everything would be okay. Rarity's heart was still beating.

It was still beating, wasn't it?