The envelope’s contents were laid out on the crystal desk in her room. She stared at them in disbelief. The envelope contained a few things. Along with a note demanding Twilight meet this mysterious sender in the alley near Sugar Cube Corner, there were a series of photographs.

The first showed Starlight knocked out, lying on the ground. No landmarks were shown, just grass and a bush. The second was also taken outside, with Starlight lying next to a syringe. Finally, there was a photo of a bloody combat knife.

She feared that Starlight had been killed and that this was somepony taunting her; however, as she read through the letter, she found out something different. The letter read as follows:

Dear Princess Twilight,

I have Starlight. If you wish to see her again, come to the alley on 32nd street tonight at 1:00 AM. Come alone, and tell nopony. If you do not comply with my demands, there will be grave consequences. I’m watching you.

Yours truly, the kidnapper.

Violently shaking, she looked over to a small, digital clock. 12:43 AM. Not long before, she needed to leave. Why does this pony want to meet with me, she wondered. She began going through scenarios.

She pictured herself in Rarity’s position. Being raped by that scaly creep, she called her brother. Being tortured, in her case, endlessly. Shuttering, she stood and swallowed her fear. It isn’t him, she reminded herself. It’s somepony else. Probably somepony you don’t know, too. Then she came to a terrifying realization. If she didn’t know who it was, then she had no way of predicting what would occur at all.

As her body continued to shake, she let her emotions get the better of her. A heavy cascade of tears poured down her face. She let her head fall to the desk, cushioning the fall with her forelegs. She buried her face deep in them, trying to wish away the world around her.

Once the crying had slowed, Twilight slipped out of her chair. She dragged herself out of her bedroom and down the vast, desolate hall, quaking the whole way.

She saw the foyer growing closer. Before that day, that foyer had grown to be a joy. Now it only rang the bells of a cemetery. She could feel it. She wasn’t coming back home after this. She knew this was the last time she’d see her castle for many years to come.

Reluctantly, as she came into the foyer, she opened the large door to the outside. “Goodbye everypony,” she whimpered.

Stepping out into the dark night, Twilight wasted no time. She picked up her pace, not wanting to be late. If she were, Starlight would be in danger. Fortunately, she wasn’t too far from 32nd street, so it was a simple jog there.

When she arrived, she saw Sugar Cube Corner, its entrance facing the alley. The bright streetlights only seemed to emphasize the dark world around her. She shivered, trying not to think of what could be hiding in the darkness. “Wonder if Pinkie’s asleep,” Twilight wondered, hoping her mind could be distracted by the question posed.

“Nope! Still awake,” a peppy voice shouted.

Twilight yelped from the sudden noise. She could feel her heart skip a beat. Looking over to the source of the noise, a pink friend popped out of the dark abyss. “Sweet Celestia, Pinkie! Don’t scare me like that,” she scolded.

Giggling, Pinkie apologized. “Oops! Didn’t mean to scare you.” She bounced and bounced around Twilight, a smile that nearly tore her cheeks apart pasted on her face.

Twilight glanced around to check if anypony was near. The streetlights’ glow prevented her from seeing much beyond it, so she saw only silhouettes. Thankfully, none seemed to be alive. “You can’t be here, Pinkie!”

“Why not?” She asked, tilting her head to the side. It was at that moment that her eyes lit up. “Wait. Is it because of the letter?”

“I-” Twilight froze. She rolled back exactly what Pinkie said. ‘Is it because of the letter’…

Pinkie giggled, amused at Twilight’s confusion. “I was the one who sent it, silly,” she chipperly informed. “Of course, I didn’t include my name since I figured there was a teensy-weensy chance somepony else might steal it and find me.”

Twilight’s jaw seemingly unhinged on its own. No… No, that can’t be! “Y-You’re the kidnapper?” she asked in disbelief.

“Yep indeedy,” Pinkie affirmed. “Thanks to me being friends with so many ponies, it’s really easy! Though I will admit, covering my tracks has been a little bit harder recently. You know, since everypony’s on edge.”

Pinkie Pie was one of the most friendly ponies she knew. She was a better friend than herself. Twilight knew something had to be wrong. Maybe a rogue changeling was impersonating her? Either way, she needed an explanation. “But… why? W-Why are you k-kidnapping ponies?”

“I can show you,” Pinkie offered nonchalantly. She gestured to Sugar Cube Corner. “Afterall, you’re not telling anypony, right?” Her words were almost playful, adding to Twilight’s confusion.

A pit fell into Twilight’s stomach as she remembered the photos Pinkie had sent her. ‘If you do not comply with my demands, there will be grave consequences.’ Those were her words.An image of Starlight being hacked into pieces flashed through her mind, causing her to wince. “O-Okay,” she agreed. “J-Just don’t hurt Starlight.”

“Of course I won’t,” Pinkie assured. “I mean, unless Starlight forces me to, but what are the odds of that?” With a shove, Pinkie opened the doors to Sugar Cube Corner. A small bell chimed, and the two entered. Inside, all the lights had been turned off, save for a small sliver of light coming from the basement door. Sure enough, Pinkie walked over to it. “Down this way, Twily!”

The door creaked open, and the two entered. There was a small storage space, with stairs leading down next to it. The stairs were shrouded in darkness, the only light coming from the ceiling of the small room.

Despite her mind begging her not to follow, Twilight descended the stairs with Pinkie. Every step was like putting a hoof in the grave. There was a surprisingly pleasant scent coming from the basement: a cleaning solution, no doubt.

Typically, this smell wasn’t one Twilight hated, though seeing she was with a supposed kidnapper, she was fearful that they had just cleaned up a body. This is a nightmare, she assured herself. You’re asleep. You fell asleep after meeting with that dim-witted, pea-brained detective.

Once the two had made it to the bottom, Pinkie flicked a light switch. Twilight shielded her eyes to protect them from the harsh light, only to slowly move her foreleg down to observe the room.

Her heart stopped. Corpses greeted her. So many she lost count. Each of their bodies was taxidermized, their eyes and teeth replaced with rather convincing fakes. If it weren’t for the large scars and the fact that they weren’t breathing, she would have thought most of them to be alive.

Scanning them, her eyes locked onto the corpses set in the center of the room. Rarity, Spike, and some stallion she didn’t recognize. It appeared to be one cohesive scene. Rarity standing triumphantly above Spike, jabbing a bloody steak knife into his chest. Behind the two was a stallion with his head intentionally bashed in. Spike… Rarity…

Laughing, Pinkie walked over to a table. A table that held an unconscious Trixie. Oh no… “Over here,” Pinkie sang. She pictured herself in the table as she stared at Trixie’s peaceful face. Pinkie took note of her hesitation and chuckled. “Come on, Twily. Over here.”

The table was not the kind one would eat at, but rather a table used typically in bondage. It was angled to show the room to the poor soul that was strapped to it. Crimson and even a small bit of muddy brown near the bottom third stained its surface.

Twilight gulped and shakily walked over to Pinkie. She could see the grin on Pinkie’s face grow wider and wider with each step she took. She stopped about two feet before the table and Pinkie. “W-What do you want with me?” she whimpered.

“I want you to be my assistant, of course,” Pinkie explained. Without giving a moment to process, Pinkie gave an order. “Alright! Now the first step is waking her up. This is an easy one. All you’ve gotta do is splash that bucket of water on her face, and she’ll wake up!”

Twilight looked over to the metal bucket and levitated it. She clenched her eyes shut. She knew this was going to lead to Trixie’s death, but she had to do it. Otherwise, Starlight would die. I can’t let that happen, she decided. Lifting it above Trixie’s head, Twilight flipped the bucket over.

A cascade of frozen water poured down onto Trixie, causing her eyes to shoot open. She gasped for air, coughing. She shivered as she looked up directly, meeting the eyes of a frightened Twilight.

“T-Twilight? W-Where…,” Trixie asked, glancing around the room she found herself in. Her eyes caught on the taxidermy ponies. Twilight looked over to Pinkie, who just giggled.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” Pinkie greeted. She shoved Twilight aside, attempting to meet Trixie’s gaze. Twilight backed up a bit, observing from a third perspective. Trixie’s eyes were bloodshot, and her pupils were of differing sizes.

“W-What’s going on?” Trixie asked, her voice quivering. “W-Where am I?”

Pinkie looked over to Twilight expectantly. “Y-You’re in S-Sugar Cube C-Corner,” Twilight choked. “S-She… S-She’s…” Unable to complete her sentence, Twilight began crying softly to herself.

“We’re gonna have lots of fun today, right Twilight?” Pinkie chipperly asked. Twilight remained silent. Shaking her head, Pinkie repeated her question through gritted teeth, still smiling. “We’re gonna have lots of fun today, right Twilight?”

Sobbing, Twilight muttered, “I don’t want to do this…”

Pinkie’s mane deflated, and she rolled her eyes, scowling. She stomped over to a cart placed near Trixie, pulling out a bloody combat knife. “Your my assistant,” Pinkie reminded. “If I ask you a question…” With one whip, she flung it straight into Twilight, causing Trixie to flinch. “You answer it.”

Her eyes shot open. She gasped in pain. The knife had lodged itself into Twilight’s chest, causing blood to spew out of her. In her weakened state, she struggled to pull out the knife with her magic.

She collapsed to the floor, her mouth pouring out blood. She felt an inferno burning in her lungs. Her head grew light, and her eyes blurred. She reached for her neck, coughing up more blood. Taking one last gasp, she collapsed.

For a mere second, everything went dark. She felt nothing at all. Not even the ground she lay on. Then a magenta glow engulfed her vision, and the world faded back to her. She gasped, swallowing the remaining blood in her mouth. Her eyes flung open again, glancing around the room.

This was a first for Twilight. She knew Alicorns regenerated once their body was damaged enough, but she had never came even close to dying before. Her death may have lasted mere seconds, but the tole on her body was far greater than she could have imagined. Her legs were barely able to stand, her ears rang an incessant screech, and her horn burned from the inside out.

With her chest now sealed shut again, Twilight pulled herself up, remembering what had happened. Taking a moment to catch her breath, Twilight conceded. “Okay… We… We’re going to have,” she gulped once again, uttering, “fun.”

Pinkie’s mane inflated again, going back to its usual frizz. “We’re going to have lots of fun,” she corrected. “Ready to get started, Trixie?” It amazed Twilight to see the sudden switch in emotion. She did have sudden changes in emotion, but usually, there was a transition of some kind.

Looking over to Trixie, Twilight saw her body shiver. “P-Please! D-Don’t do this,” Trixie begged, staring at Twilight and her still blood-coated chest. “I-I’m not an alicorn! I-I’ll die!” A loud, bubbly laugh echoed through the basement. Trixie locked eyes with Twilight. “Twilight, please! Help me out here,” Trixie begged.

“I-I,” Twilight stuttered, looking over at her manic friend. “I can’t! S-She has Starlight!” Looking back at Trixie with teary eyes, Twilight apologized, “I’m sorry…”

Something shined in Trixie’s eyes. “Starlight,” Trixie muttered. There was a long pause before Trixie looked over to Pinkie. Her brows furrowed, a vein bulging out of her tense forehead. “You,” she shouted, glaring daggers into Pinkie. “What did you do to Starlight?”

Her laughter slowing, Pinkie began shuffling through a box set on the cart. “Answer me,” Trixie shouted. All sense of fear was gone. A fire flickered in her eyes. “If you hurt her I swear to Celestia I’ll-”

“You’ll what?” Pinkie retorted. “Cry? I mean, that’s pretty much all you can do now.” Picking up a bloody combat knife, Pinkie walked over to Trixie, sitting down. Spitting the knife into her two forehooves, Pinkie continued to mock her. “Those drugs I laced in that cookie prevent you from using magic. You’re helpless!”

Pinkie began laughing maniacally. This is a game to her, Twilight realized. She thinks this is funny! Looking over to Trixie, she saw her struggle against her bindings. “The great and powerful Trixie will break from these bonds and rip you to pieces!”

“You know what your problem is?” Pinkie asked, tossing the knife between her two hooves. “You’ve got a really big ego. A really, really big ego. I mean, you constantly talk about how great and powerful you are, but you’re not really that powerful. I mean, even I can do more magic-y stuff, and I’m an earth pony! You really gotta be more… Uh…”

Pinkie looked over to Twilight expectantly. “H-Humble?” Twilight suggested weakly.

“Yea! Humble! You really gotta be more humble.” Shaking her head, Pinkie giggled, “But, hey! I can overlook a little boasting. I mean, my Dashie does it all the time! Which is why I brought you here! Just because you’re flawed doesn’t mean you can’t be immortalized.”

“Immortalized? Are you crazy?” Trixie shouted, her left eyelid twitching. “You’re going to kill me you psycho!”

Giggling, Pinkie replied, “Duh.” Pinkie finally stopped shifting through the plastic bins, pulling out a large sewing needle and a spool of yarn. “Hey, Twilight? I need you to hold Trixie’s mouth shut. Can you do that for me?”

Twilight’s eyes were pinned to the needle tip. “W-What are you…” Twilight’s words trailed off as she pieced together what would happen. I have to do it, she reminded herself. Starlight needs me. Lighting up her horn, she grabbed hold of Trixie’s jaw.

There was a loud clack as Trixie’s teeth collided with each other. Trixie began screaming as Pinkie approached, holding the thread in her mouth and the needle on top of her hoof. “Let’s get this party started,” Pinkie exclaimed, muffled by the thread.

Sitting down, Pinkie spat the thread out into her other forehoof. “Twilight? Could you thread this for me?” she asked. “I’ve done it before, but it’s a bit hard seeing how I’m not a unicorn.”

She didn’t reply. Instead, she let her actions speak for her. Twilight levitated the end of the thread and threaded the needle faster than Pinkie could blink. Satisfied, Pinkie let the thread drop to the floor, picking up the now threaded needle in her mouth.

Pinkie stood up again, leaning over Trixie. Carefully she aimed for the corner of Trixie’s sealed mouth.

A muffled scream echoed through the basement. A small trickle of blood oozed down Trixie’s cheek, along with a fresh stream of tears. Pinkie didn’t stop. After threading the needle through, she made a direct b-line to the bottom lip, poking through it as well. Then, she moved to the upper lip again, poking it about a half-inch from the previous hole.

Over and over, Pinkie poked through Trixie’s lips. Blood began staining her maw. She struggled to get away, but Twilight’s magical grip held her in place. Soon, Pinkie finished sewing her mouth shut. “Aaand… done,” Pinkie declared, snapping the remaining thread off.

Trixie gave a muffled shout, though it was unclear what she screamed.

“Hmm,” Pinkie thought aloud. “What to do next… Oh! I’ve got it!” She sat down, still holding the needle in her mouth. “Twilight, could you hold her hips steady?” Pinkie asked.

Her eyes grew wide. “Y-Y-You want me to… to h-h-hold her h-hips?” Pinkie simply nodded. “I-I…” She stared at the tip of the needle. Suddenly, another picture of herself popped into her head. She pictured Pinkie pinning her down, sticking the needle into her labia. She shuttered. Using her magic, she grabbed hold of Trixie’s hips.

“MMMMH-MMMMH-MMMMMMMH,” Trixie objected, sweat beginning to pour down her head. There was a tsunami of tears that cascaded over Trixie’s cheeks, her misshapen pupils both shrinking considerably. “MMMMMH-MMMMH-MMMMMMMMH!” In a swift motion, Pinkie jabbed the needle through.

The way Trixie’s face tensed made Twilight’s heart stop. She nearly fainted as blood poured down Trixie’s thigh. A shrill but muffled shriek entered her ear, only to be outweighed by the sudden appearance of a pungent odor.

Trixie’s face grew red hot as not only blood poured down, but so too did warm urine. “Oops,” Pinkie commented, giggling. “Guess I went a little too far again, huh? Hey! That just gave me an idea!”

As Pinkie bounced back over to the cart, Twilight stared in horror. The needle and thread dangled from Trixie’s labia. It was drenched in blood, dripping down onto the stone floor. Twilight swiftly pulled her hoof back as she felt a cool liquid touch it. A cruel mixture of urine and blood had pooled to where she was standing.

“Hey, Twilight?” Pinkie called. “Could you flip Trixie upside down? I kinda need her head near the floor for this. Oh! And angle the table up a smidgemeter as well.” Reluctantly, Twilight took a step towards the table, shuttering as her hoof splashed in the pool of fluids.

She tried to avoid the fluids as much as possible, taking large but careful steps towards the table. Eventually, she made it to the side of the table, noticing two cranks were attached to it, along with a boatload of gears and pistons. Using her magic, she managed to rotate the table on its head after struggling for a bit.

“Thanks, Twilight,” Pinkie said, bouncing over to her. She backed away, not wanting to get splashed more than she needed to, and noticed what Pinkie was carrying. Balanced on her back were two things. There was a jug of water, about a gallon to be specific, and a towel. Is she going to clean up?

Unfortunately, Pinkie shot down Twilight’s question as she pulled the towel off her and onto Trixie’s face. “Say, Twilight, I’ve got a question,” Pinkie asked. “Why do they call it waterboarding? I mean, I’m using a bucket and towel, not a board! I get the water part, but shouldn’t it be water-toweling?”

Twilight wasn’t going to answer, but then she saw the blood now trickling up Trixie’s belly and decided otherwise. “I-It’s because of the incline platform they’re typically on,” Twilight explained. “T-Though there are questions as to the origin of the word.”

“Oh! I get it!” Pinkie lifted the jug above Trixie’s head. “Ready for the show?” she asked. Without warning, she began pouring the water down onto the towel.

Immediately, Trixie began trying to move away, though her efforts were futile. Pinkie kept the water pouring right on her face. She screamed out, “MMMMMH-MMMMMMH!” Her chest heaved at an alarming rate. She squirmed, pleading in muffled screeches.

Contrasting with Trixie’s frantic jerking, the jug drained sluggishly. Every second felt like a minute as Twilight silently begged for this to end. Finally, the jug was emptied and tossed away. She saw Trixie hacking and gasping for air as Pinkie removed the wet towel.

“Whew,” Pinkie remarked, wiping the sweat off her forehead. “Now this was fun!” Twilight’s ears perked up. ‘Was.’ Is it over? Is she stopping now? Twilight watched as Pinkie walked back to the cart, hanging the wet towel over the side. “You know, you’re one of my best-est guests yet, Trixie! I kinda wish I could go on, but I don’t think there’s enough wax in that candle left for a full hour.”

Twilight’s attention was drawn to a small candle she managed to look over. It was lit with a blue flame that hid in the corner of the room. Sure enough, the candle was near its end. Looking back, she saw Pinkie walk up to Trixie. Something was resting on her upturned forehoof. “Time for the grand finally,” Pinkie announced.

Sitting down, Pinkie grasped the resting object with her two forehooves. A bloody syringe. By the looks of it, Pinkie probably grabbed it from a trash can. Twilight could only imagine what was in that syringe.

Pinkie pushed the plunger down, the liquid draining into Trixie’s foreleg. A mere 10 seconds later, Trixie began squirming. This time, however, her squirming was different. She was pushing her body against the board, seeming to make attempts to scratch herself.

There was a twinge of curiosity that grew in Twilight’s mind. “W-What did you inject her with?” she dared to ask.

Looking over to her newfound assistant, Pinkie smiled brightly. “It’s a Pie family recipe! Just boil some parasprites and then add star spider venom. Mom and dad used to use it for rat poison, since we had an abundance of parasprites and star spiders in the area.”

Parasprites. Twilight had researched them after the infestation in Ponyville. It turned out parasites were worse than she realized. Not only would they destroy plants and crops, but if consumed by smaller creatures, they could kill in an instant. Fortunately, their bright colors typically deterred creatures from eating them. As for star spiders, Twilight knew very little. She knew their venom was deadly, but that was about as far as her knowledge went.

Trixie began squirming more erratically. Whimpers pushed through her sealed lips as more tears flowed. A minute went by. Then two. Near the end of minute three, she began to move more sluggishly. Finally, Trixie fell limp, the muscles in her face relaxing.

“Aaaand done,” Pinkie announced. Looking over to the terrified Twilight, she chipperly asked, “So, how’d you enjoy your first time being my assistant? Wasn’t it fun?”

Twilight looked over to the corpse on the table. With all the stress that occurred, her brain couldn’t handle it anymore. Without answering, Twilight fainted onto the pool of fluids.

Author's Note

So I figured I'd use this space to give you a little insight as to this story's creation.

Originally, this story wasn't focused on Twilight. In fact, it was focused on Pinkie as she hunted down Spike and Rarity's mugger. This plot was scrapped due to a lack of intrigue, and replaced with the one you see today.

Another fun fact was that during the planning phase, the story's title was "Nope, Pinkie Pie". This was a reference to a meme about taxidermy (Nope, Chuck Testa).

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, as well as these small, fun facts. Be sure to stay tuned for more!