[1 year later]

The days that pass by are somewhere above nothing, but miles below okay. Things have honestly taken a turn for the better, but in a slow-paced kind of way. Sweetie Belle had a party—a birthday one to be precise. And while every pony was laughing and hollering happy birthday… I don’t know. I felt strange… a placeholder of my own body or a pony watching their life go by without any control over it.

But I wasn’t gonna let that stop anything… I was happy, I am happy. I couldn’t let these strange feelings take over.

—

I walked into the barn, immediately noticing the white cloth draped over the cork board in the back. I knew I needed to get rid of it, but for some reason I wasn’t sure if I was ready yet. I needed to let go, of course… it had been a whole year since then, but I just… I couldn’t. Not yet.

I walked past the board, heading over to the bags of chicken feed, an eerie giggle swept past my ears.

“Pinkie?” my instinct immediately spoke aloud, but as my mind caught up, I shook my head and turned back around. “Gah... it’s 90 degrees out here, AJ... you’re overheated.”

“Hiya AJ!” the voice... the fucking voice. It was hers. I tripped over my own hooves as I yanked my body towards the noise, my body slamming against the dirt and gravel as my heart raced. No pony was there.

“Breathe, AJ. You’re freakin’ yourself out for no damn reason.” I pushed myself up, my heart stopping as a figure stood at the top of my peripheral vision. I didn’t look up. I couldn’t. Not when the hooves in front of me were colored pink. “Stop doing this...” I muttered, closing my eyes tightly to try to tell myself it wasn’t real. When I opened, the figure was seemingly gone.

I exhaled, my focus returning to the chicken feed when my muzzle met face to face with Pinkie’s. Her eyes were... dead looking... and her mouth? Blood was pouring out, pooling at her hooves and barely touching mine. I choked back a gasp, scrambling back and screaming: “Leave me alone! Stop it! Please just stop!”

“AJ..” the voice called out.

“No—no go away. You’re not real. You’re fake. Y—You’re dead!”

“AJ!” the voice called out louder, and suddenly my body was shaking. “Snap out of it!” Almost on cue, I was yanked out of whatever trance I was in, my eyes met Rainbow Dash’s as she shook me awake.

“Wha... Rainbow? Where… I—” she didn’t speak. I think if anything she was as speechless as I was. “What just—” I asked after a few minutes of breathing repeatedly in and out.

“Are you okay?”

“No.” I blatantly said. “No, I don’t… I don’t know what just… I… I saw her, Dash.”

“Who?”

I didn’t respond at first, my eyes lowering to the dirt as I tried to recollect myself. Did I seriously see her? “Pinkie.” I finally muttered.

“Pinkie?”

“Yeah. I saw Pinkie.” I gulped, closing my eyes as I took a deep breath in, my ears focusing solely on the birds around me as I smelt the fresh hay and feed.

“Okay… okay let’s get you inside. Maybe you just need some water.” Dash helped me up, noting my trembling hooves. “Can you walk?” I nodded, leaning on her slightly for support. Her wing instinctively wrapped around my frame as she muttered comforting phrases in my ear.

—

I sat on my bed. I did nothing but just… sit there. After a minute I finally grabbed my hat, tossing it aside before hearing a shudder of noise crossing the wooden boards. I glanced over, noting a familiar bottle of pills. Vicodin…

I got up before grabbing the bottle. A couple wouldn’t hurt right? Maybe it’s just a fever… overexertion or overheating maybe. I grabbed the glass of water before swallowing a couple, getting back on my bed before sitting back down again.

“Oh dear Celestia… What's going on with you?” I muttered. “What’s wrong with you? You’re just tired… seein’ things. Just breathe you idiot…”

I began fidgeting, my left-hind hoof shaking. “Dammit” I muttered before grabbing the bottle again, taking a few more and setting it down rather aggressively. “You’re fine. It’ll all be over tomorrow.” I mumbled.

The fidgeting got worse, and I groaned annoyingly before yanking the bottle off my nightstand, glancing down at the 10 or… hell 15 pills left. It won't hurt, my brain said. Take more. You’ll be fine. It’ll stop the fever… the chills… the voices… everything.

I dumped the whole contents into my maw, chugging the rest of the water as I struggled to swallow the rest. I gagged as it began to dissolve, but it didn’t stop me. After I got it down, I groaned and shook my head, trying to ignore the disgusting taste.

The shaking got worse. Everything got worse. “Fuck.. fuck.” I coughed, shaking my head left and right as my hooves shook underneath me. I stood up before tumbling off the bed, gagging and choking. I spat out a few undissolved pills, the foamy texture making my mouth taste even worse.

The gagging began to burn my throat, my esophagus turning raw as I tried to cough up what I had just swallowed— and all of the sudden— almost immediately… I felt nothing.

No pain, no feelings… just total euphoria… I blinked rapidly, although it felt rather slow. It was like I was underwater… floating.

It’s okay now.

It’s finally over.

It’s finally done.

Author's Note

Shorter chapter this time, and I couldn't help myself to include a little cliffhanger :)