Dementia's Decay

Chapters

Townsfolk
Event
Answerless
Change
Omen
Homicide
Student
Holocaust
Anarchy
Introductions
Outing
Happenings
Drowning
Butchery
Sorrow
Boutique
Dementia
Farewell (Extended Ending)

Townsfolk

I went into town again today to gather some necessities, as well as visit some good friends of mine. I gladly purchased two-dozen apples from Applejack in the market today. Ended up shooting the breeze for half an hour. Apparently, Applebloom hurt her rear-left leg in yet another attempt to earn her Cutie Mark. She's healing up fast, though. No doubt she'll get right back to doing more crazy tasks with her friends.

Fluttershy is doing fine, as well. She's still determined to get Angel to eat routine meals, which I don't see happening anytime soon. That rabbit is definitely a belligerent one. I don't want to sound too pessimistic, though. Who knows? Maybe she will get him to eat according to schedule. Maybe.

Rarity is busy creating a new line for another famous client. I'm amazed at how she can go on the way she can. She's been working nonstop at this, not getting a lot of sleep in the process. I'm not worried or anything, she's been doing work like this for longer than I can remember. She should probably get some rest soon, though.

Twilight is still practicing her spells in the library, with Spike as her test subject as usual. I asked if there was anything I could do to help out, which was responded to with a usual "no thanks" from Twilight. So independent, that one. Can't really say I blame her, though. I'll still be here if the need does arise.

Rainbow Dash is up to her usual routine again. After clearing the clouds, she felt obligated to offer me a challenge. A race, to be more specific. I foolishly accepted her dare, and raced her to the border of the Everfree Forest. I had a good lead, but she playfully advanced ahead of me at the last second, as if she had planned it the whole time. Although defeat isn't my forte, I had a lot of fun.

After I got home with the supplies I had bought, Pinkie Pie came knocking on my door with an invitation to a picnic, scheduled for tomorrow. I gladly accepted, along with the other five ponies that were invited. Although these outings spring up a lot, I wouldn't miss one for the world. Pinkie's events are always the best.

I'll be sure to meet up with her and the rest of the ponies tomorrow afternoon.

Event

Something happened today, shortly before we all left the picnic. I can't really explain it, but it was just so... odd.

We were all packing up to get ready to leave as the sun began to set. We were getting ready to bid our farewells for the day, when the ground started to shake. Off in the distance, near Canterlot, a bright white beam shot up into the sky. It pierced the clouds, then created a small shockwave before disappearing. For about two seconds, the sky turned a saturated red, then changed back to it's normal blue self.

As this happened, I felt a strange sensation wash over me. I can't really describe what I felt, but I definitely didn't like it. The hair of my mane seemed to stand straight up, and my eyes opened wide, while my pupils became incredibly small. I felt a sense of fear start to overcome me, before it faded away when the sky returned to it's usual blue tone.

I asked if any of the other ponies had felt it. They did. We all just stood around, puzzled, trying to comprehend the event that had just taken place right in front of our eyes.

Something's definitely out of place here. Nothing like this has happened before, and we're all very uncomfortable with what's happened just now. We all finished saying our goodbyes, and continued home acting like it'd never happened. It may just be something small and harmless, but I'm still worried.

I'm going to Canterlot tomorrow. Maybe Princess Celestia has some answers.

Answerless

I feel a bit strange today. I'm not sure what it is, but it feels a lot like how I felt when that beam shot into the sky and turned it red. It's not as strong as it was then, but... I still feel uncomfortable.

I obtained no answers from Celestia yesterday, and I'm still trying to figure out what had happened. With Discord's statue vanished from the Statue Garden, I can only fear the worst.

I checked with my friends in Ponyville, to see if they were feeling alright. They said that they were also feeling strange, but didn't really need any assistance. I'm still worried about them, though.

The sky looks darker than usual. It's not that big of a difference, but the blue sky above now has a somewhat eerie shade to it. The pegasus ponies must be off for a while, as the sky is also patterned with storm clouds. The weather just has an overall depressing tone today.

I talked to Dash about the weather. I noted how it was so gloomy, but she didn't really seem to notice, or care for that matter. She assured me that the pegasi would have it under control.

Under control... the same thing Celestia told me.

Change

I went into town today, to let everypony know what happened last night. I tried to contain my tears, but failed each time I tried to conjure up the words to speak. One of my closest friends... dead. I made sure she received a proper burial. I wish I could do more.

Whatever's going on is taking it's toll. Everypony in Ponyville is acting strange. Although most ponies stayed indoors today, others walked around the streets with blank, frightened stares. They all looked distracted by something, but what?

I tried speaking with my other friends today. Something is definitely wrong now.

They were all inside their homes when I showed up at each individual's house. They opened their doors slowly, and gave me the same stare that everypony else had. Their eyes delved into my very soul, as I could tell that something frightened them.

I told each pony about Pinkie's death. I expected them to be as heartbroken as I was.

I was wrong.

Each time I told the story, I received the same response from each pony: nothing. They all just continued to stare at me, and remain stolid in attitude and tone. They weren't even fazed by the horrible misfortune that befell our mutual friend. Even Fluttershy, the most sensitive pony I know, continued to give me that awful stare, with no emotional response to the death of our friend.

These are not the ponies I once knew. And for once, I'm genuinely scared.

Tomorrow, I'm going to check Pinkie's home. There has to be a reason behind her drowning.

Omen

I can't even sleep anymore. This feeling is starting to grow at an unnerving rate. It's gotten to where I can't fight it anymore. I'm in a constant state of fear, and it's taking a toll on both my physical and mental being.

Pinkie wasn't the only one that died. I found two more ponies dead in Ponyville today, both suicides.

The first pony had hung himself from one of the withered apple trees along the road to town. His eyes were still wide open, and his mouth was agape when I found him dangling there. Surprisingly enough, he still had the look of fear in his eyes. The same stare everypony else had.

I found the second pony in the park, laying dead on one of the benches in the clearing. She had a bottle of household drain cleaner next to her front-left hoof. She laid on her back, blood streaming from her mouth into a pool below the bench. Her eyes were also wide open, as she gave the same horrified stare into the open space above.

I couldn't bring myself to remove either of the bodies. I was still in shock of the mere sight of the corpses, more specifically the look in their eyes when I found them. Even though they were dead, I could feel like they were watching my every move, gazing into my very soul.

None of my friends will answer their doors, and they've completely covered every window in their homes.

I'm going home. I need a plan, something that can make this right...

...but what?

Homicide

Celestia above... there's been a murder near my home. I watched every second of it. Every single moment felt like a lifetime as I merely observed it.

I was attempting to sleep again, another failure after so many tries. I decided to take another glance out my front window, to make sure there weren't anymore ponies attempting to commit untimely suicides. Maybe this time I could stop them.

There were no suicide attempts. Only something much, much worse.

One pony was walking outside. Once again, I couldn't make out a face because of the darkness that the night had brought. I could only make out it's figure, thanks to the bright moonlight. The pony had a long flowing mane and wings. It wasn't long before this pony was joined by another pegasus.

Both ponies stood still on the grass outside, simply staring at each other, face to face. I simply watched, as one pony pulled something out of it's saddlebag. The object gleamed in the moonlight, shining reflections into my window from time to time. I instantly realized what the object was, and froze in place, trying to pull my eyes away from the scene that was about to unfold.

The pony raised the knife well over it's head, then quickly thrust it into the other pony's chest. The pony receiving the blow didn't put up any struggle whatsoever. It didn't try to fly away, yell for help, plead for mercy... it didn't even scream. The murderer repeated this several times, before the victim had finally fallen over, dead.

I stood in front of my window, petrified as I watched each individual stab land on the victim. I could see streams of blood erupting from the wounds, also reflecting and shimmering in the light of the moon. The killer watched his victim fall to the ground, lifeless as it collapsed.

It erected it's neck, perked it's wings up, and turned it's head to stare directly at me through my window.

I was terrified, and shot away from my window, making whatever effort I could to deny this killer entrance into my home. I blocked the doors, doused the lights, and hid under my bed. I forgot something important.

I forgot to cover my window up.

It was too late then. The pony had started to slam it's hooves on my door, trying to break it down. I could only listen as each blow landed, and pray that it wouldn't be able to make it inside. After a few minutes, the blows subsided, leaving only silence.

The killer flew over to my window, a silhouette in the moonlight, trying to stare through the glass to find me. I trembled in my hiding spot, hoping that it's eyes would pass me by. I foolishly made a fatal error, and accidentally knocked over a large book that was also under my bed. The noise was loud enough to make the pony notice, as it's eyes instantly shot over to mine.

There was nothing I could do, this pegasus could easily break my window and charge after me. It merely stayed in place, as our eyes seemed to duel over my sanity. It was clear that this pegasus had seen me, as it's petrifying stare never moved from me. I was certain that I was as good as dead.

It didn't attempt to come after me. Instead, it raised the bloody knife it had been carrying, and shoved it into it's own throat. I watched as the gleaming metal was thrust into the killer's neck, and blood began to spout onto the panes of glass in my home. The pegasus continued to stare at me as it did this, before it's body finally gave up, and collapsed to the ground outside.

I was utterly shocked. Whoever this pony was, sanity clearly had fled it. Why make such an effort to come after me, only to stop and kill itself once it saw me?

I'm not going to sleep tonight. I'll finish barricading my home, and pray that no other deaths ensue on this dreadful night.

Student

Twilight's dead.

I ran as fast as I could to the Ponyville library. I had to break down the front door to get inside. I looked around the main room, trying to identify any living beings. The lobby was trashed. Books were thrown off of the shelves, lamps were knocked over and broken, and the rest of the furniture was torn into pieces. I looked over into the corner of the room, near the front windows, when I saw a too-familiar dragon lying down on the floor.

Spike was dead. His eyes, wide open like everyone else's. His left hand had been amputated, but there was barely any blood on the ground beside him. There should've been a lot more, based on the severity of the wound. Did Twilight do this to him?

I got up and continued to look around the library, trying to find Twilight amongst the collection of soiled paper and books. Through one of the doors, I saw a faint glimmer of candlelight in one of the library's side rooms. I went inside to investigate. There was a small pile of books crafted into a fort, covering a candle, and one purple unicorn.

Twilight was hunched over, writing out a letter while giggling like she'd lost her mind. She continued to dip her quill pen into an ink container, filled to the brim with blood. Spike's blood. After a couple seconds of observing, I stepped in to talk to her.

After I said her name, she dropped her pen, and slowly rotated her head towards me. She stared into my eyes with a manic smile upon her face. After a couple seconds of silence, she finally spoke up, still giggling with a hint of insanity.

"Oh, Spiiiiiiiiiike! Could you deliver this for me? I'm sure the princess will want to read it!"

I stared at her, knowing that she'd snapped. Had she already forgotten what she'd done to Spike, after writing her letter with his blood?

After she said this, she burst out laughing as she picked up her pen with her magic. She continued to laugh as she repeatedly thrust the sharp edge of the pen into her neck. I tried to rip the pen away from her, trying to save her from killing herself, but it was too late. By the time I took the pen, the damage she'd dealt was too severe to fix.

With her last moments, she backed up into a corner of the room. Through the blood pooling in her throat, she continued to laugh maniacally, until her body gave in to the wounds. She then fell there, dead, eyes still wide open matched with her insane smile.

I stood there, trembling as I watched another of my friends die. I knew there was nothing I could do, but it still pained me to merely observe as she took her own life. Tears flowed from my eyes, as blood continued to spill and pool on the wood floor.

I couldn't help but try to look at what she had written. I carefully walked over to the bloody note, reading whatever calligraphy I could through the stains of blood that had sprayed across the room. The letter simply repeated the same phrase, over and over:

"EVERYTHING IS UNDER CONTROL"

Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and now, Twilight Sparkle and Spike.

This list grows more every day. Please let someone be sane. Please.

Holocaust

She's dead. Applejack is dead. Not only her, but the rest of the Apple Family, as well as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.

I ran as fast as I possibly could, hoping to find at least one of my friends still alive and sane. Even though there was a bit of hope, it drowned in the ever growing pool of doubt that had swallowed it up.

I didn't watch them die. They were gone by the time I had gotten to the farm. In fact, the farm itself was gone by the time I had gotten there. Burned to the ground.

I walked inside the once-familiar pastures, hoping to find a friendly face among the ash and smoldering wood. The house and rooms where everyone stayed were completely obliterated, but I couldn't find any signs of bodies present either. This sparked a small flicker of hope deep within me. It wasn't long before this spark was snuffed out.

I ran outside of the house over to the barn behind it. What I saw made my heart sink into my chest. Applejack, Granny Smith, Big Macintosh, Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle stood inside the once-roofed barn, nothing but skeletons standing upright among the ashes.

Their bones stood in perfect alignment, as they did when they were alive. It's as if the flames carefully incinerated their flesh and organs, and carved around the solid white framework. They stood side by side, in perfect alignment. This could only mean that they simply stood around as their home burned down around their heads. As the fire slowly consumed them.

The fire's still spreading amongst their once-blossoming forest of apple trees. Each tree is being consumed by the blaze as I write.

It's sickening, how ponies you once knew can change entirely without warning. All of my closest friends; dead. Each a suicide, or murder. The town I once knew and loved is now one large victim of genocide from a supernatural killer.

Why is this not happening to me? Why am I still alive? Why am I still sane?

There's only one thing I can do. Canterlot is further up the road. I'm going to see Celestia again. She's an omnipotent being. She has to be sane. She has to be.

Anarchy

It's just me now. Just me. Everypony else is dead. Even the two princesses who ruled this peaceful land are now gone.

I ran up to the castle gates once more, except this time, the guards were nowhere to be found. I could only presume they were dead too. They're not what I was there for. There was only one thing on my mind: to find Celestia and get her to set things right.

I blazed into the throne room, calling out the names of both the solar and lunar princesses several times, each with no response. I ran through each room of the castle for several minutes with no luck. It was until I found Celestia's inner sanctum door unlocked and opened when I found them.

Both of them.

I gave up whatever chance of fixing this situation I had at that very moment. When I saw it.

Luna was pinned to the castle wall, with several of the royal guard's spears piercing various body parts. Three through her abdomen, two through each leg, one through her neck, and one through her mouth. Her eyes were still wide open.

The alicorn that committed this murder stood directly below the corpse of the lunar princess. She was coated in blood, which weighed down her usually-flowing mane and her stunning white coat. I called out her name in sheer terror, a move I wish I hadn't made.

She slowly turned her head, revealing one bloodshot, reddened eye. Her smile widened as she realized who called her name, as she rotated her body to face mine directly. She stared into my eyes with her own, sending even more of a chill down my spine. She stood there for a few seconds, before letting out an insane torrent of maniacal laughter.

Once the laughter had subsided, she stared at me once again, saying the last thing she would ever speak.

"No need to worry. Everything is under control."

Immediately after saying these petrifying words, she used her magic to tear out each spear that had held Luna against the wall, causing the deceased princess to fall to the floor with an unnerving thud.

Celestia took each individual spear, and pointed them towards her own body in various places. I instantly knew what she was planning, and despite my pleas, she didn't falter as she took her own life.

She quickly and simultaneously thrust each spear into her body, creating a bloody alicorn pincushion. She continued to stare at me and smile, as her frail body fell to the ground.

I left. It's all I could do at that point. The great princess Celestia, dead because of this tragedy.

There really is no hope now. I'm going home. It's all I can do now.

Introductions

My name is Onyx Glare. My friends just refer to me as Onyx. My history is not very interesting, nor is my journey or settling, but I may as well take note of it after neglecting it for so long.

I'm not blessed with leisures such as wings or a horn, but I've become more than accustomed with my abilities as ground pony. I come from Manehattan, but I've traveled all over Equestria, from Fillydelphia to Hoofington, and all my most recent destination, Ponyville.

It's in this small town that I've finally settled down. Among all of my travels, I've never seen such a place as this. It's no hustle-and-bustle travel destination, but there's a certain quality to it that I enjoy so much. It's small, quaint, friendly... it's home.

I've been here for about six or seven years now, with no troubles or longing for any other place to stay. I've also met plenty of friends here in Ponyville, which is ultimately what made me decide to stay. After the experiences I've encountered here, I wouldn't imagine living anywhere else.

May these times never change.

Outing

The picnic is going great so far. Everypony showed up as planned, and we're all having a great time.

Twilight brought clover sandwiches, being meticulous as ever with the details. Pinkie brought her special cupcakes, still refusing to reveal her secret ingredient. Applejack brought some of the Apple Family's famous apple treats, which I'm still attempting to wear off after eating so many. Rarity brought a couple of hoof-picked gems for Spike, although he decided to keep a few special ones as heartfelt gifts.

Dash offered me another race, which I denied the first few times. She reiterated her challenge like a broken record, until I finally accepted. Same terms as last time, to the Everfree Forest and back. Same outcome as last time, too. Yet, I once again had a lot of fun.

We all sat down and just started chatting, telling interesting tales of our individual adventures in life. Pinkie went on for a good half-hour talking about her parties, while the rest of us simply smiled and nodded as she went on. It's times like these when I wish I could have even more time with my friends. It's them who make my life worthwhile.

I'd better quit writing for now. Dash is challenging me to a race, once again.

Happenings

I went to see Celestia up in Canterlot today. After what occurred today, I'm starting to fear what happened yesterday even more.

Along the path to Canterlot, there are many trees and lakes lined up with the road. The trees had started to lose leaves rapidly. I watched a couple fall out over only a couple of miniscule seconds. This shouldn't be happening; we're in the middle of spring.

The water in the lakes seemed a bit low. It's odd, because the lakes are usually filled to the brim with water year-round. It's lost a couple of inches in a short period of time.

These could have just been coincidences, but I was still convinced that something's amiss. What happened at Canterlot can back this up.

I approached the castle gates, eager to get Celestia's input on what happened. The guards let me in without question. They usually stop me to ask for identification, or for me to state my business.

I walked up to the throne, on which Celestia sat as usual. Only this time, something was definitely off. As I came closer to the throne, Celestia continued to stare off into space with a blank, unreadable expression. It was only when I spoke that she snapped out of her trance.

I asked her about what had happened, but she failed to acknowledge it. I repeatedly explained the situation in detail, but she continued to deny any knowledge of the event. She reiterated the same thing, over and over:

"Everything is under control."

No variation in tone or pitch, she repeated the phrase with a lifeless demeanor. After repeated failures to speak to her and get a different response, I gave up and left.

As I left, I glanced into one of the palace's rooms. Princess Luna's room.

Luna sat on her small bed like she normally did, but... something was wrong. She looked terrified of something, as she began to hyperventilate and stare at the ceiling. While she breathed uncontrollably, I could hear a faint muttering of the same words Celestia said, over and over again. I could have sworn I saw tears falling from her eyes, but I was too far away to confirm it.

I continued walking. Further ahead as I left the palace, I looked over into the Canterlot Statue Garden, where the beam had seemed to have shot up from. I noticed something that caught my eye, and almost completely confirmed my belief that something was terribly wrong.

Discord's statue is gone.

Drowning

Something terrible just happened near my home.

I retired to my home earlier, due to the sunset and the ever-increasing darkness, when I started to think about what was going on around here. I started to think that this whole thing was just one big coincidence, or bizarre joke, and that we'd all have one big laugh about it when it was over.

Not anymore.

I heard something going on outside my window, in the black of night. It sounded like somepony was sobbing uncontrollably. I looked out my window, when I saw a single pony walking off in the distance. I couldn't make out a face, due to the darkness and the range between me and her, but I could definitely hear her crying.

She slowly walked into the lake near my home, disappearing into the icy water. After I had lost sight of her for about twenty minutes, I started to worry. I wanted to know if there was any way I could help, or even comfort her, with whatever troubled her.

I opened my front door, and despite my fear, also walked over to the lake, looking for this missing pony. After about five minutes of searching, I found something that I wish I hadn't.

The pony had intentionally drowned in the freezing water of the lake.

I carefully pulled her body out of the water, still trying to identify her figure. While I dragged the lifeless being out of the lake, I started to notice a stomach-churning familiarity from it. I didn't want to believe what I began to see, but I couldn't deny it. After the body was on dry land, I closely looked at the face of the corpse. What I confirmed froze me to my core.

The limp body I held in my hooves belonged to my good friend Pinkie Pie.

Butchery

I'm about to vomit. I can't believe what I found in Pinkie's home today. I just can't.

I wanted to check my deceased friend's home today, to see if there was an incentive behind her suicide. I knew she wasn't the type to be depressed, or even come across the slight thought of self-destructive behavior, so I figured there had to be a reason that she'd do something like this.

I unlocked her front door with the spare key under the mat, and slowly walked inside. After turning on a couple of lamps, everything looked fine on the inside. Every individual item was where it should have been, nothing out of place. I remembered something important that needed to be checked up on in Pinkie's home: Gummy.

After Pinkie's death, Gummy wouldn't have anywhere to go. I decided I'd try to find a home for him, if not take him in myself. I never really cared for him that much, but after what's happened, it's the least I could do to find a place for him to stay.

I went to the upstairs bedroom, where Pinkie usually kept Gummy when she was out. The bedroom was also well-organized and had a normal appearance. Gummy, however, was nowhere to be seen. I decided to check the bathroom before leaving to search for him. I casually opened the door, disgusted at what I had found.

Gummy was severed into multiple different pieces, splayed across the floor of the bathtub. Blood pooled along the base of the tub, as some dismembered body parts had started to float in the unnerving red river. His eyes and tongue were cut out and placed in the bathroom sink, water still running from the faucet.

I held in my body's attempt to vomit all over the floor, trying to look away from the hideous scene before me. Would Pinkie do something like this? She couldn't! Gummy was her beloved pet! It's just not possible!

Why is this happening? Why?

Sorrow

I decided to go outside this morning. I wanted to identify the bodies of the killer and victim from last night's horrifying event, now that the sun was out. If I would've known who the ponies were, I would never have wanted to go and see for myself.

The killer was indeed a pegasus. A pegasus I knew as my friend. A pegasus named Rainbow Dash.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw her lying on the ground, neck split open by her own hoof. She remained on the ground, motionless and devoid of life, as her eyes remained staring off into space, as they were last night when she stared at me. The killing instrument lied next to her body, drenched in a gleaming pool of blood.

I remained still for a few minutes, tears streaming from my eyes as I could only look upon her dead body. I had lost another one of my dearest friends to this insanity that seemed to spread further with every passing day.

I got up, and ran over to the grassy hill, where Dash's victim lay dead. I was horrified to find out who this pony was. It was another one of my closest friends. The victim's body belonged to Fluttershy.

Multiple gaping chest wounds continued to stream small amounts of blood, while she lied in a pool of what had managed to seep out overnight. The stare still remained in her eyes as well, and it was the one time I was sad that it wasn't her "normal" stare.

That's three of my best friends, now taken from me.

I feel like such a coward. I could've stopped this from happening. If I would've stepped in... maybe none of them would be dead. The guilt is overbearing. I just let this happen while I watched from my safe little shelter.

I need to check on my other friends. Hopefully they haven't fallen under the same fate.

Boutique

After leaving the library, I raced over to Rarity's shop. There was still a glimmer of hope that she'd be alive and able to think clearly.

Ponyville is in shambles. Ponies are lying dead, left and right, on the streets. Some were suicides, but most were intentional murders. Some faces I recognized as friends and neighbors. The scene still chills me to my core, as do the rest of the deaths.

I had to break the door to the shop down, much like I did with the library. I had hoped that the scenery inside wasn't the same. I scrutinized every inch of the lobby, desperately trying to find Rarity before it was too late. After finding nothing, I ran into the workplace to see if she was inside.

Sure enough, she was.

I could only stop and stare, mouth agape, as I observed Rarity creating her "new line" of clothing. She had been standing in front of one of her mannequins, as she normally did, but she wasn't fitting them with the fabric she had created. The mannequin figure now wore long white and red strips of a pony I once knew.

Rarity continued to slice areas of her coat with her signature scissors and other various tools, not paying any attention to the pain she must have endured. She layered each bloody strip onto the faux pony, all while laughing and mumbling to herself. I could make out a couple of words underneath all of her incoherent rambling and laughter.

"There have been many setbacks indeed, but I won't let that stop me. The client will be so pleased. So very pleased. I'll get it finished. I must. Everything is under control. Everything."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. She just continued to cut away at herself, revealing nothing but muscle and other tissue that had been lying underneath her white coat. In the condition I found her, I knew I couldn't intervene without hurting her. I knew she already ignored pain, but I didn't wish to be the cause of it. If I were to lay a hoof on her at this point, she'd most definitely be hurt by it.

I could do nothing as I simply watched my friend skin herself alive. I didn't speak up, or try to save her. After watching the horrible scene for a couple of seconds that seemed like lifetimes, I simply walked out of the shop, as the hollow shell of Rarity continued her task. It wouldn't be long before she'd die too.

I could scratch one more friend off of my list. This only leaves Applejack. Could she still be alive?

Dementia

They're all dead. Everypony, gone. My best friends, neighbors, and everypony else. They're all gone now. It's just me. I'm the only one left.

The road home is lined up with dead ponies. They took themselves and killed each other in different ways. Some hung themselves, some drowned... there were even pegasi that cut their wings off, then jumped from the clouds to their deaths. The murders speak for themselves.

In a matter of days, all of Ponyville, if not all of Equestria, has died out to this madness. To this chaos. To this insanity.

I can feel it gnawing at me. It slowly eats away at my core. It tries to get me to break, but I won't. I won't let it.

I don't know. Maybe I should stop writing for a while. Maybe this will all clear up. Maybe it's all a dream, and I'll wake up in the morning in a cold sweat.

That's it. I'm dreaming. That has to be it! None of this is real, it's just one big nightmare!

I need to wake up. Yes, I need to wake myself up.

I'll get the knife, and wake myself up. Don't worry, everypony... I'll be home soon.

I'll be home very soon. Everything is under control.

Farewell (Extended Ending)

I must admit, you ponies are humorous creatures.

You go to sleep everynight, being sure to lock your doors and windows, knowing that you'll be safe enough to see the light of the next day. Why does this comfort you? Are you all certain that some glass panes and wooden planks with handles will keep anything that disrupts your pleasure out of your homes?

You are all so used to this imaginary comfort zone that you've conjured up in those pliable minds of yours.

You never actually wake up to the reality of your lives. You remain oblivious to the simple truth of the matter.

You are not in control.

There are greater forces at work in your existence. You all bow and worship the "great leader Celestia", so convinced that your lives will be forever incased in an aura of harmony.

You think that something as simple as royalty and magic will protect you?

You think that one ignorant being can save you from despair?

The mind is only as powerful as the influence that controls it. I do believe I've made this quite clear now.

It was so very fun to watch as your perfect little society picked itself apart piece by piece. The society that you tried so hard to bond in the magic of friendship and harmony.

This little journal has shown how insecure and insignificant you all really are. To read as one of your kind frantically jotted down words drenched in fear and insanity.

You ponies are so pitiful. A pitiful race that has well-deservedly perished.

Good riddance,

Discord