Island of Hekaton [Commission]

Chapters

Chapter 1 - Welcome
Chapter 2 - Life
Chapter 3 - Investigation
Chapter 4 - Asylum
Chapter 5 - Control
Chapter 6 - Instrumentality

Chapter 1 - Welcome

It was quiet. Too quiet. There were dozens of native ponies on this island and yet all Twilight could hear was the sand brushing underneath her hooves and the hooves of her friends and the wind howling against the Cyclopean towers and cavern-like "houses" surrounding them. As she and her friends wandered, there were two unnaturally neat rows of "ponies" standing on each side of them, staring at them with eyes that looked like they had been dotted on by a pen. Some were smiling. Others had neutral expressions. And at least one had a frown crudely drawn on it. And they all looked like they were made out of felt.

"Welcome," one native said, bopping his head as he spoke.

"Welcome," another said, doing the same.

"Welcome," a third one said, just like the previous two.

Many a thought floated around Twilight's head as she continued to trot forward, listening to the natives repeating the same greeting through their constantly-closed mouths. Were these ponies cursed? Did Discord mess with the Cutie Map and send her into another dimension filled with pony-sized hoof puppets as a prank? And why does this all feel so familiar and yet so different? When the natives on both sides stopped talking and stood still, Applejack cautiously cantered towards Twilight.

"You gettin' a sense of deja vu here?" Applejack whispered.

"A little," Twilight quietly replied, "But if what's happening here is similar to what happened in Starlight's village, then we know what we're getting into."

The sand rustled beneath them as another native hovered in front of them. He was different from the other natives. He was wearing a navy-blue suit with a red tie, his coat was more orange than an actual orange, and his blonde mane looked like a combover despite being just as stitched-on as the manes of the other natives. Even his face was different from the others in that it looked more detailed if slightly grotesque.

"What up, my fellow Equestrians?" the orange pony said with a thick Manehatten accent, "Turnip Wolf here. Businesspony, media mogul, and PM of this entire island. That means 'president', by the way."

Twilight awkwardly nodded, "Yes, I know what a PM is."

"So, what brings your royal rump around here?" Turnip asked.

Twilight hesitated, glancing nervously at the felt ponies lining the streets. "Has there been any...trouble here? Like an argument between two ponies?"

Turnip guffawed, "Argument?! Are you kidding?! It's election season!"

Twilight incredulously looked at Turnip, "Election season?"

"Yeah," Turnip replied, "You got hard-working Celestialist ponies like me trying to stick to the old way of doing things while making sure everypony else is doing their bit earning their bits. And then you got these spoon-fed secessionists that talk smack about Our Majesty and even have the gall to whine about not having any rights even though they have more rights than their ancestors!"

Twilight continued to stare at Turnip with incredulity. She did not know much about politics but from what she read about elections and voting ponies into office, it was a simple matter of changing hooves. And if somepony were to lose an election, they would just shake hooves with their rival and congratulate them on a job well done before waiting until their death, resignation, or the next election. Why wouldn't they be a good sport? They serve the same princess and have the same principles as everypony else. The only differences between the various candidates in Equestria's electoral history are how many houses are going to be built in their name and if taxes were going to be higher or lower.

"By the way, I read your Friendship Journals," Turnip continued, "Mind givin' it a sign while you're here?"

Before Twilight could answer, a loud scream pierced the silence between herself and Turnip. It came from a distance. She galloped to the source of the scream with her friends in tow and found a sight just as weird as everything else on this island. Two life-sized hoof puppets laying on the ground, one of which with a knife made of felt stitched onto its hoof. They were both covered in ketchup, or what Twilight assumed was ketchup judging by the smell and texture. Floating in the sea not too far from them, there were what appeared to be three filly-sized hoof puppets. As she continued looking at the scene, two other ponies galloped next to her. While one was predictably made of felt and had what would have been a frizzy brown mane if it was made from anything other than felt, the other was very different. Unlike the other ponies she had seen on this island, he was a flesh-and-blood pony. A unicorn, to be precise, with grizzled features, a short dark-grey mane, and a five-o'clock shadow. While the sight of an actual pony on this island should have been enough to dissuade Twilight from thinking everypony else was cursed into being life-sized hoof puppets, she still had a nagging sense that something was going on with this island.

The detective pony flashed his badge at Twilight, "Banner Mark and Eggs Benedict, DIs. Mind telling me what happened here?"

"Um..."Twilight hesitantly replied, "I was hoping you'd know."

The puppet detective turned to face Twilight and Banner, "It's quite elementary. The angle on the cut of this mare's throat and the position of her hoof that is still holding the weapon implies that, rather than being attacked, she had slit open her own throat, with the resulting arterial spray splashing all over what I assume to be her husband."

"And the husband?" Banner asked.

"Hmm..." Eggs wondered, "There's no sign of any physical struggle, nor are there any open wounds or bruising. But from the unnatural angle of his neck, I'm inclined to believe that he either fell down from the blood of his wife blinding him and landed on an object that, to use laypony terms, broke his neck or the more exciting theory that somepony snuck up behind him and snapped his neck.

Banner scoffed, "You still on that cult theory of yours?"

"That depends if I find the words 'wake the baby' written somewhere," Eggs replied, "That seems to be a pattern with the previous murders."

Twilight stared at Banner and Eggs as they debated about the conspiracy the puppet had rattling around in his head. The idea of a cult running around this place would have lined up with her initial theory about the island being cursed to slowly turn everypony in it into puppets but she realized that theory was getting more and more ridiculous. Especially since the "murder" scene had the victims sprayed with ketchup for blood. Maybe the friendship problem was between the two detectives? She had read enough buddy cop novels to know that one cop is the polar opposite of his partner and yet they have to put aside their differences to work on whatever case they're assigned to. It was half-tempting to point out to the two detectives that they missed out on the three filly puppets floating in the ocean but, by the time Twilight turned around, the filly puppets were gone. Swept to the seas. As Twilight looked, she could see how her friends were unnerved, especially Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash.

"Did I act like that on my birthday?" Pinkie whispered to Rainbow Dash.

"Kinda," Rainbow whispered back.

"Look, we don’t have a lot of time," Banner said, his voice sharp with urgency as he turned to face Twilight and her friends, "You mares mind helping us out? I think we can cover more ground if we split up and search the island for clues."

Author's Note

Despite being referred to as "hoof puppets", the puppets on the island are actually more like finger puppets.

Chapter 2 - Life

After much searching, Velvet found the latest volume of Daring Do sandwiched between an encyclopedia on the history of the Crystal Empire and a guide on how to train one's dragon. He had looked everywhere for this volume but they were sold out in all the other bookstores on the island. While he personally considered the Daring Do books to be no different from other adventure books following a treasure-hunting main character, there was something about the Daring Do books that felt...real. Either that or he was so willing to take his mind off his service in the Royal Guard that he somehow convinced himself that the Daring Do books were the most realistic adventure books he had ever read. He placed his hoof on the book but, just as he was about to pull it off the shelf, another hoof placed itself onto his. Velvet froze, his gaze following the intruding hoof until his eyes met those of a mare. Her frame was slender, her coat a soft turquoise hue, and her mane tumbled in gentle waves of silver and navy. Her violet eyes widened slightly as their hooves remained awkwardly pressed together on the spine of the book.

"Oh, uh, sorry!" she said, withdrawing her hoof with a bashful smile. "I didn’t think anypony else was looking for this book."

Velvet released the book from his grip and bowed his head, "No problem, ma'am. You can have it."

"No, it's yours," the mare said as she dismissively waved her hoof, "I insist."

"Are you sure?" Velvet asked, "We could always share."

The mare raised an eyebrow and gave Velvet a coy smile, "Share?"

"Yeah," Velvet replied, "We split the price between us and find somewhere quiet to read."

"I dunno," the mare coyly spoke, "I don't think I can read the entire book in one sitting."

"We don't have to," Velvet said, "We could make it a weekly thing."

"Like a book club?" the mare asked.

"Yeah," Velvet replied as he confidently approached the mare, "But just the two of us."

The mare extended her hoof, "Marine Capri."

Velvet extended his hoof and shook Marine's, "Velvet Judge."

Marine Capri's smile widened as their hooves shook, a touch of mischief dancing in her violet eyes. "Well, Velvet Judge, where do you propose we start this 'book club' of ours?"

Velvet felt a twinge of nervousness at her forwardness but quickly masked it with a confident grin. "There’s a café just down the street. Quiet, cozy… and they make a mean spiced chai."

Marine tilted her head, considering his suggestion. "Spiced chai, huh? You’ve got good taste."

Nine months have passed and Velvet still couldn't believe this was happening. Nine months since his third date with Marine. Nine months since they first met in that bookstore. And to think all those dates they had was just in the first month. The pounding of his heart drowned out everything as he galloped to the emergency room where Marine was held. He barged into the room and saw her pushing with whatever ounce of strength she had left. There was little time for him to catch his breath. He cantered to her and held her hoof in his as she roared in agony.

"Push!" the doctor commanded.

Velvet watched in anticipation as Marine squeezed his hoof even harder. Despite hearing nothing but the sound of his own heart and the screams of his soulmate, he managed to hear one single pop. Marine lessened her grip and slumped back, no longer in pain but in deep exhaustion. The doctor lifted up the baby for Velvet and Marine to see but, rather than joy at his newborn foal, Velvet felt...unnerved. It was as if the foal was a blank slate with nary a resemblance to both its parents. Nevertheless, it was his and he was gonna do right by his mare to give this foal the best possible life.

Another day, another box of bits Velvet had to carry onto a cart home or to the bank. The seccessionists of today's youth could say all they want about Celestia and her rule but there was no denying that the pension for his past service was very generous. It had been two years since Velvet had met Marine and they still had enough money to look after their three foals. As he arrived at his house, he saw Marine standing in front of him. Her turquoise coat drenched. Her mane no longer flowed. Her violet eyes empty.

"Honey?" Velvet asked cautiously, "Are you okay?"

"Tired," Marine monotonously replied.

Velvet looked at the waves of the ocean crashing behind Marine. Perhaps he was imagining things but it looked like there were two pony-shaped floats in the sea.

"Would you like a nap?" Velvet asked.

"No," Marine replied in the same monotone, "Tired of this play."

Velvet looked at the floats again. It was very distracting how much they looked like ponies. He looked back at his wife and saw there was a knife in her hoof.

"Baby," Velvet said with fear in his voice, "What are you doing with that thing?"

Marine lifted the knife to her own throat, "Need to sleep before the baby wakes up."

With a quick flick of her hoof, a shower of red sprayed all over Velvet. For a moment, time seemed to halt. The roaring waves behind Marine blended into an oppressive silence. He tried to wipe the blood away but it was no use. It was all so thick and it reeked of something gone-off. He got down on his knees and heaved, desperate to be sick. He needed to be sick. He felt like his stomach was going to burn if he wasn't sick. Suddenly, he felt two hooves on his chin and on the back of his neck. They weren't his and they sure as Tartarus weren't Marine's. And then...Crack!

Author's Note

Now you know why this fic is rated T.

It may not be real to the Mane Six but it's certainly real to the puppets.

Chapter 3 - Investigation

It was a Celestia-given miracle that Rarity had managed to find clothes from her Femme Mystique Chic line on this island. Even if she was stuck on an island occupied by giant hoof puppets that move around on their own for Celestia knows what reason, she couldn’t resist the chance to once again play detective and look stylish while doing so. And yet, despite his static facial features, she could tell her current detective partner was less than impressed.

"What's with the outfit?" Eggs asked.

"Obviously, I am channelling Shadow Spade with these gorgeous garments," Rarity replied.

Eggs tilted his head, "Who?"

Rarity gasped, "You've never read The Adventures of Shadow Spade?! Oh, darling, you have no idea what you're missing out on! The mystery, the suspense, and the fabulous costumes!"

"Sounds like pulp fiction," Eggs bluntly responded.

"Technically, it is," Rarity said "But it's far more sophisticated than low-brow works like that one about the thestral going out at night and beating the snot out of the mentally ill."

A sudden thought popped into Rarity's head. Why was she telling a puppet all of this? Was it his accent that made her forget she wasn't talking to a real pony? And even if he wasn't real, how could he have not read Shadow Spade? She shook her head and refocused her efforts on the task at hoof, which was to see if any of the other puppets at this 'funeral' had a hoof in the deaths of the two ketchup-covered puppets she and her friends found earlier. Rarity observed the room, her keen eye noting every detail of the puppet funeral attendees.

It was very quick how they set up the funeral for Velvet Judge and Marine Capri, Rarity narrated to herself, Perhaps too quick. Maybe these puppets experienced time differently from normal ponies. Maybe not. I surveyed the room for any suspicious characters, and looking tres chic as I do so, while my temporary partner, Eggs Benedict, just stood there. For somepony who looked like the classical image of a detective, Eggs was an uncouth sort. But he may have a point about his 'wake the baby' conspiracy. Still, no matter how much I looked, most of the puppets here mourned in a more…superficial manner. As if they had rehearsed this a hundred times and are just going through the motions.

"Is that from the Femme Mystique line?" a puppet in a tailored black suit asked, interrupting Rarity’s train of thought.

Rarity turned to face him, her face lighting up. "Why, yes it is, darling. I designed it myself."

"Wait, you’re Rarity?"

"The one and only," she replied confidently.

The puppet stood from his seat, "I’m a fan of your work."

"Well, I’m not," another puppet interjected, her goth attire contrasting sharply with the suit puppet's polished appearance.

Rarity blinked, glancing at the goth puppet.

"Most of her stuff is too bourgeois," the goth puppet said.

"Oh, you would think that, wouldn't you?" the suit puppet spat venomously at the goth puppet, "Bucking secessionist."

"Turnip flank-kisser," the goth puppet shot back.

"Hey!" the suit puppet shouted, "Turnip Wolf is an honest stallion that has done great things for our economy! What the buck have you and that witch Harriet done for Equestria?"

"We keep fascists like you in line!" the goth puppet replies passionately, "If you and Turnip had your way, you would throw out every non-pony person off this island. Tartarus, you would throw them out of all of Equestria if Celestia herself allowed it!"

"You would allow changelings on this island?!" the suit puppet asked.

"Why not?!" the goth puppet asked,"They've changed!"

"Like Tartarus, they have!" the suit puppet shouted, "They probably brainwashed you with their changeling magic into thinking we should get rid of our own monarch! Which we should not!"

"And why shouldn't we?" the goth puppet asked, "I hate to break it to you but Celestia isn't as powerful or wise as you think she is. If she was, she would have kicked Tirek's flank herself instead of leaving it to her student. And speaking of who, would you want to live in a country where a neurotic mess like Twilight Sparkle is sitting on the throne?"

"I would actually," the suit puppet defiantly replied, "Wanna know why? Because like Turnip, she's actually loyal to the crown. So if Our Majesty was to somehow be indisposed, I know our great nation is in good hooves."

Things were getting heated up, Rarity narrated to herself as she stood back and watched the two puppets argue, While I'm no stranger to seeing the common pony discuss recent events with varying degrees of civility, I've never seen two ponies have such a strong debate over how Equestria was being run. Although there have been a few murmurings among the rabble outside of this island questioning Celestia's leadership after the Tirek debacle and Discord's hand in it. While it would have done wonders for his numbers, perhaps it was good thing that Turnip Wolf wasn't here to pay respects to one of his ardent followers. He strikes me as a rabble-rouser.

The suited puppet turns to face Rarity, "What do you think, Rarity?"

"Hmm? Oh, I'm not brave enough for politics," Rarity quickly replied, "But now that you two appear to be done with your argument, perhaps you can tell me where you were at the time of the murder."

"I don't know what she was doing but I was buying myself a newspaper," the suited puppet replied.

Rarity turned to face the goth puppet.

"Voting for Harriet," the goth puppet answered as she showed off a badge confirming it.

"I see," Rarity said, "And how did you know the recently departed?"

"Marine and I were drinking buds," the goth puppet replied.

Rarity tilted her head at the goth puppet. "Drinking buds, you say? Did Marine ever mention anything or anypony troubling her before this?"

Marine stood in her modest kitchen, the soft clatter of wooden bowls echoing faintly in the quiet of her home. Her three foals, painted with youthful grins and wide eyes, sat at the small dining table, waiting patiently. She gently set down their bowls of steaming vegetable stew, the warm scent filling the room.

"Eat up, my darlings," she said, her voice soft and melodic.

The foals dived their heads right into the bowls, smothering their faces in the stew.

A loud knock at the door reverberated through the small house. Marine froze, her eyes darting toward the door. Visitors were rare this far from the settlement and something about the knock felt... wrong.

"Stay here," she whispered to her children, though they didn’t seem to notice her words.

With hesitant steps, she approached the door and opened it slowly. Standing in the doorway was a unicorn cloaked in black, their face obscured by a carved wooden mask that gleamed faintly in the light.

"Marine Capri," the figure said, their voice calm yet unnervingly hollow.

Marine’s grip on the door tightened. "Uh...Can I help you?"

The unicorn tilted their head, "Do you ever wonder what lies beneath the surface of your perfect little life? Do you ever question why your children never change. Never grow?"

Marine stared at the mysterious unicorn, each individual fur on her coat standing up as she listened to their questions.

"Or what about the gaps in your memory?" the unicorn continued, "The loss of time. That feeling that every waking moment of your life are just segments. Episodes, even."

"I think you need to leave," Marine sternly replied before closing the door. The unicorn’s magic forced it open again, the door swinging wide as they stepped inside.

The unicorn ignored her words, taking a step closer. "You’re not real, Marine. None of this is. Your children, your memories, your life? It is all make-believe."

"What are you talking about?" Marine asked, her voice quivering, "I...I'm real. I have a husband and three beautiful foals. I have friends. I have a life!"

The unicorn approached her, their horn glowing as they did so, "Do you?"

Author's Note

Detective Raity strikes again.

Kinda wanted a more light-hearted (up until the flashback at the end, of course) chapter to highlight how the majority of the Mane Six, after getting over the initial creepiness of an island inhabited mostly by life-sized puppets, are having fun with their assignment. Key word being "a majority" since Twilight's gonna take this seriously and Fluttershy would still unnerved by the situation.

Chapter 4 - Asylum

Fluttershy carefully trotted behind Banner as they approached what appeared to be an abandoned hospital. One that had a sign reading 'for the criminally insane' in crude Ponish. She never did like mental hospitals. While she had learned when to put her hoof down over the years and had been more sociable with her fellow ponies, she always knew her shyness wasn't normal. She used to worry about ponies noticing how shy she really was and throwing her in a place like this to try and cure her of her shyness. Not that their help would have done her any good since even a normal hospital like the one in Ponyville used a pony who thought she was a dog as a literal guard dog. As she and Banner continued trotting, Rainbow zoomed past her.

"So what do you know about this place?" Rainbow asked Banner.

"Other than it's a mental hospital for the criminally insane?" Banner replied, "Not much."

Banner pushed open the rusted gate of the hospital, its hinges creaking like a wounded animal. The sound echoed down the path, making Fluttershy’s ears flatten. While she had dealt with worse ever since being one of the element bearers, a part of her still wanted to suggest they turn back. She never entered a mental hospital in her life but, as she entered this one, she worried she wouldn't be let out. Luckily for her, Rainbow had delayed her and Banner going any deeper. At least for a short while.

"Hey, guys," Rainbow shouted as she pointed towards the back of one of the doors, "Look what I found."

Banner approached the door and used his horn to light up the shadow covering up Rainbow's discovery. It was a black cloak and a wooden mask.

"That's just somepony's Nightmare Night costume," Banner dismissively said.

"Exactly!" Rainbow exclaimed, "It's the kind of thing a bad guy would wear."

"Not in the real world, they don't," Banner rebuked, "Besides...I don't think it would fit any of these puppets anyway.

As Banner trotted forward, Fluttershy did the same with Rainbow right behind her. Much like how she and her friends had rows of puppets greeting them, there were two rows of puppets standing on each side of her, Rainbow and Banner, each of them wearing a white shirt. Banner flashed their badges to them and they moved on like a pack, barely glancing at him nor the mares accompanying him. The three ponies continued on down the corridor then up a flight of stairs, where they entered a surprisingly pristine office. Sitting behind the desk was a bald puppet with a tanned coat and a crooked muzzle drawn on its face. It was reading a copy of Twilight's Friendship Journals. Memories of random ponies judging her for relearning the same lesson over and over again flooded Fluttershy's mind. If the puppet sitting behind the desk was a doctor, what's stopping him from locking her up and throwing away the key?

"Dr. McPheasant," Banner said as he flashed his badge, "I'm DI Banner Mark and I'm sure you know the two pegasi behind me. Mind if we ask you some questions?"

"Of course," McPheasant spoke in an accent not too dissimilar from Rarity's.

Fluttershy watched as the puppet McPheasant carefully folded the journal and set it down on the desk. The puppet nodded towards a row of chairs right behind her and Rainbow Dash.

"Have a seat," McPheasant calmly suggested.

Rainbow Dash shot Banner a skeptical glance. "You sure this guy’s... uh, qualified to help? I mean, he’s literally made of cloth."

"Cloth?" McPheasant asked in a slightly alarmed tone, "I assure you, Miss Dash, that I am flesh and blood like any other pony. And as for my qualifications, I have worked at this hospital for years. My credentials are impeccable."

"Oh, really?" Rainbow asked in suspicion, "How many years?"

"Too many to count," McPheasant replied, "It all becomes a blur after a while. Any more questions?"

"Yeah," Banner spoke up, "We're investigating a series of murders. Have any of your patients escaped here by any chance?"

"Murders, you say?" McPheasant tilted his head slightly, "That is a grave accusation. But no, to my knowledge, none of our patients have left the premises recently. Security here is airtight."

"Airtight?!" Rainbow scoffed, leaning forward in her chair. "This place looks like it could collapse if I sneezed too hard."

"Looks can be deceiving, Miss Dash," McPheasant calmly retorted, "I assure you that every one of our wards are securely locked and heavily guarded."

"Then how do you explain this?!" Rainbow exclaimed as she pulled out the wooden mask.

McPheasant tilted his head, "I've never seen that mask before in my life. And even if I did, we have a strict policy against celebrating Nightmare Night. For the sake of our patients' mental health, of course."

"Likely story," Rainbow said as she sat back down.

Banner cleared his throat, "You'll have to excuse Rainbow here. She's uh..."

"Scrappy?" McPheasant sardonically replied, "Yes, I know. I've read the Friendship Journals. It's a pity the other Guardians aren't here. They would make fascinating caase studies."

"Yeah, that's not happening," Banner matter-of-factly said, "But just in case somepony did escape here or has a copycat, you mind getting the records of every patient here?"

McPheasant rose from his seat, "I think you are wasting your time here but sure."

As McPheasant left the office to get the records, Banner gestured to Rainbow to follow McPheasant. It did seem a bit odd to Fluttershy that Banner would enable Rainbow's suspicion of the puppet doctor but she wasn't going to say anything. While Banner made her nervous, he did seem like the kind of stallion that knew what he was doing. As Rainbow snuck out of the office to trail McPheasant, Banner shifted his head both ways before looking at Fluttershy.

"I'm gonna level with you," Banner spoke quietly, "It is a Celestia-send that you are here."

"Uh..." Fluttershy replied nervously, "Thank you but...how?"

"You have a way with non-pony creatures," Banner replied, "I think it might help me with a problem I've been dealing with for a few years."

Fluttershy gave Banner a puzzled look. But before she could ask, a swirl of magic surrounded the both of them as Banner's horn lit up. And when the magic dissipated, they were no longer in the office but instead in what looked like the hallway of an aquarium. In the centre of one of the walls was a big window showing the underneath of the island. There was a giant octopus with a hundred tentacles, each one jittering slightly, as two other hundred-tentacled octopi much bigger than him floated on each side. There was a look of concern in the two octopi's eyes as they watched the one in the centre, who simply had a thousand-yeard stare. She didn' know the full situation but Fluttershy can feel the pain of the two octopi.

"You see," Banner continued, "I'm not actually a detective."

Author's Note

The plot thickens.

Chapter 5 - Control

Deep within the pitch-black bowels of the OUS facility, with only a dim light casting distorted shadows over the cold metal walls, Moonlight Anchor sat at her desk, her hooves clasped in contemplation as she glared at the shadowed forms of her superiors. The hum of machinery echoed faintly in the distance, blending with the occasional drip of condensation from unseen pipes above. The air felt heavy, charged with unspoken tension, as she waited for one of them to speak.

"The arrival of the Guardians of Harmony has thrown a... considerable... wrench into our plans," one of the shadowed figures finally said, his voice low and deliberate.

Moonlight raised an eyebrow, "Guardians of Harmony?"

"That is what the public refers to Princess Twilight Sparkle and her companions as," another superior clarified, their voice carrying a tinge of irritation. "They will most likely ally themselves with Turnip Wolf to ensure the status quo is maintained. If Wolf gains their approval, he will secure his victory in the election. And another term for Wolf means-"

"You do not need to reiterate the consequences of Wolf's victory," Moonlight interrupted, her voice calm but firm. "Though I still question whether the secessionists truly appreciate what they currently have."

"They will," a different voice interjected, colder than the rest. "Four years is plenty of time for regret to take root."

Moonlight tilted her head, her gaze narrowing. "And what of the recent murders?"

A faint murmur of confusion passed among her superiors. "Murders?" one of them asked.

Moonlight’s tone sharpened. "If you've been paying attention to the news, you’d be aware of a series of gruesome killings. The most recent victims were former guardspony Velvet Judge and his partner, Marine Capri. Both were outspoken supporters of Wolf. Their deaths are yet another wrench in our plans, wouldn’t you agree?"

"You still think this is like Starlight's village?" Applejack whispered.

Twilight blinked, snapping out of the train of thought that had consumed her since they followed Turnip Wolf into the elevator. She glanced at Applejack, hesitated, and then shook her head before turning her gaze back to Turnip. Her eyes couldn’t help but be drawn to the peculiar sight of his lower back—or more specifically, the gaping hole where his rump should have been. The flickering lights of the facility cast erratic shadows, and in those brief moments of illumination, she caught glimpses of a long, slimy tentacle stretching from the dark recess of his back. On one hoof, she was relieved that the inhabitants of this island weren’t enchanted ponies under some cruel magical curse nor was Banner Mark talking to himself and using the puppets to pretend he was talking to somepony else. But on the other hoof, a swarm of even more questions buzzed around in her mind. Why had the Cutie Map summoned her and her friends to an island in the middle of the ocean populated solely by puppets animated by some unseen force? What was this thing controlling Turnip and the others, and why could it only communicate through fabricated characters that barely seemed to get along? And was it wise for her and her friends to split up and search for clues? The island was vast, and the puppets’ fractured camaraderie hinted at something far more sinister lurking beneath their whimsical exteriors. Perhaps she’d been reading too many mystery novels, but everything about this place set her fur on edge.

As the elevator jolted to a stop, Twilight inhaled sharply, steeling herself. Whatever this place held, whether they were answers or more questions, they were here for a reason.

"Welcome to OUS, mares!" Turnip announced as he exited the elevator, "Nopony knows it but they keep the trains running on time."

A puppet with a in a navy-blue suit moved in front of Turnip. Its short black mane, drawn-on glasses, and forehooves that were glued to the front of its face as if it was either praying or scheming made it difficult to tell whether it was meant to be a mare or a stallion.

"You flatter me, Mr. Wolf," the puppet stated, "But if that were true, then our civilisation would be far less divided."

Turnip turned to face Twilight and Applejack, "Ah, where are my manners? This is Moonlight Anchor, commander in chief of this here agency."

Moonlight turned to face Twilight, "Hmm. I read your Friendship Journals. Can't say I'm a fan of them since a few of your friends and you yourself kept relearning the same lessons over and over again. It made chapters repetitive."

Twilight just scowled at Moonlight. While it was just the one puppet that didn't like her journals while another did, the wounds from hordes of ponies arguing amongst themselves about the journals and harassing her friends for days on end were still fresh in her mind. And because she and her friends split up to better explore the island, she dreaded to imagine a re-enactment of what was one of the five worst moments of her life. The puppets were already arguing about imaginary politics. What's stopping them from arguing about the Friendship Journals?

"That said," Moonlight continued, "My son appreciated the chapters written by Fluttershy. It gave him enough courage to test out a deterrent against magical threats."

"Deterrent?" Twilight asked.

"Yes," Moonlight replied, "I'll show you."

Twilight followed Moonlight through a dimly lit corridor until they reached a cavernous room dominated by a towering wooden structure. Her eyes widened at the sight. The figure was a bizarre amalgamation of a pony and the ape-like creatures that occupy the world on the other side of the Magic Mirror.

"The Sahelanthropony Mk-1," Moonlight announced, her tone carrying a strange mix of pride and detachment.

Twilight just stared at the gaudy contraption. Even if everpony barring herself, her friends, and that unicorn detective were just puppets being controlled by an entity seriously lacking a life in the conventional sense, she understood why Moonlight's son would be hesitant to use it.

"That's your deterrent?" Twilight asked.

Author's Note

Fun fact: This was actually the third chapter I had written but I re-arranged it so it would flow better with the rest of the story. Or at least what I thought would flow better.

Chapter 6 - Instrumentality

It was another late night at the office as Moonlight looked over the reports and statistics of the month prior. While there haven't been any monster attacks, the weather reports have shown the temperature of the island was slowly getting lower. While she always believed the tale of Hearth's Warming Eve and the Windigoes to be poppycock, she knew better than to be skeptical about these things when the supposed Guardians of Harmony have not only confronted a chaotic spirit but had allegedly tamed him. And despite the wonders Turnip had done for the island's economy, his rabble-rouser ways and insistence on keeping non-ponies off the island had divided the populace. Not that his rival in the upcoming election was any better. While Harriet had promised more affordable health care, her decree of splitting the island off from the rest of Equestria had definitely ruffled some feathers, with many accusing her of trying to impose a heretical idea of harmony onto the populace and being no different from that cult leader Princess Twilight Sparkle had allegedly rehabilitated a while back. Moonlight lumped back in her chair and sighed as she looked at the framed picture of her departed husband.

"What would you do?" Moonlight asked the picture.

"Perhaps he would want you to find a way to unite these people," a mysterious voice replied.

Moonlight looked around, trying to find where that voice was coming from. Right behind her, in the corner of the room, was a unicorn wearing a wooden mask and a black cloak.

"And not just in ideas and opinions," the unicorn continued, "But in mind and soul."

Twilight, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie stood on each side of Turnip Wolf, with Pinkie loading her party cannon in case something was to happen. All three kept a close watch as Turnip prepared to take his place at the podium. Across from him stood his rival, Harriet, a poised and confident puppet who oozed charisma. The tension in the air was electric as the debate stadium buzzed with activity. Twilight knew that she was in dangerous waters with these puppets. This problem wasn't as easy as blasting a monster with the Elements of Harmony nor talking down an unstable unicorn into giving friendship another chance. Even the division she caused by publishing the Friendship Journals wasn't as extreme as this, though the different opinions the puppets had of the journals certainly made this problem more difficult than it could have been. She was torn as to which of the two candidates before her should be allowed to win. She didn't even know if she should allow any of them to win because, regardless of which side won, the other side would be angry and might even accuse her of doing nothing. Should she abolish the government on this island and force it under Equestrian law so that everypony would get along? Could she? And would it even work since half of the island's population wanted to secede from Equestria for reasons she couldn't quite understand? It was times like this that she wondered if Starlight had the right idea that true harmony came from sameness. Not that she would ever say it to her face because it would undo all the work she did on her and she worried that Starlight would relapse into the unstable pony she once was if Twilight were to ever say the words "you were right" to her. Luckily, the sound of hoofsteps upon the podium, followed by the scraping of Pinkie's party cannon against the floor, cut off her stressful train of thought.

"Hold it right there, buster!" Pinkie shouted.

"It's me, darling!" Rarity exclaimed, "You should know what I look like by now."

Rarity's presence reminded Twilight that she and her friends still had a 'murder mystery' to solve. While the mystery was irrelevent at this point since she knew from the start that the Friendship Problem was the divided puppet society and they were all controlled by an unseen force that she had yet to decipher the identity of, she hoped that by solving the mystery, she and her friends could have a chance at solving the Friendship Problem.

"Did you find anything?" Twilight asked.

"Yes," Rarity replied, "This fabulous dre-"

"She meant about the murder!" Applejack interrupted.

Rarity sighed in an exagerrated manner, "Well, if you must know, it was politically motivated. Or at least Velvet's death was. And I imagine Marine couldn't live on without her dear husband."

"You do remember us being being told the wife died first, right?" Applejack asked dryly.

"Yes but we were only told that by a soulless rag who never knew matters of the heart," Rarity replied, "What about you? What have you found?"

"There's a secret society under this here island that our PM candidate's in cahoots with," Applejack replied, "But they had no idea about this whole 'wake the baby' thing that detective puppet was babbling about."

Rarity turned to face Pinkie Pie, "And you, Pinkie?"

"You ever been invited to a puppet surprise party?" Pinkie replied, "Don't. Eat. The cake."

Rarity gasped, "Did they poison you?"

Pinkie shook her head, "Nope. But felt cake is not as nice as real cake. Blech!"

Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie shared a light chuckle before Twilight turned around to face them.

"Could you please take this seriously for one second?" Twilight asked irately, "We were summoned her to solve a Friendship Problem, not play murder-mystery with whatever's controlling these puppets. Speaking of which, that's good knowing the murder was politically-motivated. We are in a political rally. That means the culprit will be amongst the puppets in the crowd."

A pang of guilt creeped up in the back of Twilight's mind. She really shouldn't have snapped at them like that. They were just having fun with the absurd task at hoof. Before she could turn around and apologize for getting annoyed with them, the podium shook.

"And now, my fellow ponies," Turnip announced, "let me present the pinnacle of our technological achievements: the Sahelanthropony Mk-1!"

The crowd gasped as the towering wooden and metallic contraption emerged, its massive form gleaming under the stage lights. Before anyone could react, five massive tentacles slithered from the shadows, grabbing the machine’s controls. The Sahelanthropony lurched forward, its movements jerky and unnatural, as if manipulated by an unseen force.

"Vote for me!" Turnip bellowed, "And I'll guarantee this and other dandy contraptions shall protect all of you from the non-pony men-"

Before Turnip could finish his sentence, he was crushed by one of the giant hooves of the Sahelanthropony. And when the Sahelanthropony lifted its hoof off Turnip, it took the puppet with it, exposing the tentacle that had been controlling Turnip. It did not take long for Twilight to teleport to the tentacle and wrap all four of her hooves around it.

"Grab on!" Twilight shouted.

Before they could comply, the tentacle swiftly pulled Twilight underneath the island and beneath the ocean's surface. As she was pulled deeper and deeper, Twilight caught a glimpse of Fluttershy and Banner standing in a glass structure within the murky depths. She quickly teleported herself out of the tentacle's grasp and into the dry chamber where Fluttershy and Banner stood.

"Are you alright?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight spluttered, "I'm fine. But I would like some answers."

Banner sighed, "I was kinda hoping to keep this between myself and Fluttershy but I suppose you need to know too."

Twilight waited for Banner's explanation.

"How much do you know about psychology?" Banner asked.

"I've read a few books," Twilight replied, "Why?"

"You familiar with multiple personalities?" Banner continued asking, "And the difference between multiple personality syndrome and Nightmare Syndrome."

"Uh..." Twilight stammered, "There are still a few things we don't know yet about multiple personalities but I do know the difference between that and Nightmare Syndrome."

Banner nodded his head, "Good."

"Is this part of your investigation?" Twilight asked.

"There is no investigation," Banner replied, "I'm actually a shrink trying to cure my patient."

Banner pointed to the glass, where there were three octopi, each of which had a hundred tentacles. The smallest of the three was staring into space as its tentacles jittered and spasmed a little while one of the bigger ones stroked its head. It was an unusual sight but Twilight had seen weirder at this point.

"The other doctors before me said he was really lonely and created these puppets and this world they live in to escape that lonelinesss," Banner explained, "Sounds normal enough. Lots of children play with toys and imaginary friends. But then you have the gaps in his memory, detachment from reality, and him no longer responding to his name. Just whichever puppet he's using at the moment."

Twilight looked at Banner incredulously. While her knowledge on multiple personalities is just as limited as nearly everypony else that has studied psychology, perhaps even less since she had less of an interest in psychology when compared to magic, she found it very unlikely that a pony or any other sapient being who has more than one personality in their head would use puppets to communicate. But she was willing to hear Banner out.

"They tried playing with him and going along with his fantasies but that didn't work," Banner continued, "So I tried a more radical approach. I dressed up as a detective and, under the pretense of doing an investigation, I asked each and every one of them questions about their lives. Maybe seeing if they remember anything that happened while the patient was really young that the patient would wanna forget. Some of them said they had a nightmare or two of being a giant baby octopus but they never really went into more detail than that. And that's when I decided to do this whole murder-mystery thing."

"So...your idea of helping him is to murder different aspects of himself?" Twilight asked.

"Not murder, per se," Banner replied, "Because they are different uh...characters, for lack of better words, with their own names, memories, likes, dislikes et cetera, they still live on in the patient's head. So I use a bit of mnemomancy to remove them."

Twilight shuddered at Banner's detached explanation of his treatment. While she would not have hesitated to mess with another living being's mind if it was in the name of harmony, apart from that time under Celestia's tutelage that she was not proud of, even she knew where to draw the line. She looked over to Banner's side and saw she wasn't the only one that was disturbed by Banner's methods.

"Re...moved them?" Fluttershy asked shakily.

"Yeah, now that I think about it, I might as well have been driving an ice pick through his brain," Banner replied, "But I didn't know how else to intergrate them and Celestia knows how many ponies before me tried and got nowhere so...I had to do what I had to do."

Twilight glanced at Banner, then back at the octopus beyond the glass. The smallest one, the one Banner had identified as the "patient," was curling into itself, its tentacles twitching erratically. She couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the creature. This wasn't just about curing it; it was about helping it find peace within itself.

"Banner," Twilight said cautiously, "I understand you're trying to help, but this approach seems... invasive. Forcing these personalities to disappear? It's like erasing parts of his identity. Harmony isn't about destruction, it's about integration."

Banner frowned. "What would you suggest, then? Let him continue like this? Trapped in a fragmented state, unable to even remember his true self?"

"No," Twilight replied "But let me try something. I think I can get them to work together."

Banner raised an eyebrow, "I'm not too sure about that. No offence, Princess, but you're not a trained professional with a mnemomancy license."

"Maybe not," Twilight sternly replied, "But as the Princess of Friendship, it is my duty to make sure there is peace and harmony in Equestria. Even if it's just peace and harmony inside a non-pony's head."

Turnip woke up in a dark void. He looked down at his hooves and saw they were all glowy and wavy. There wasn't any ground beneath. He could feel himself floating around.

"What the hay?" Turnip asked himself.

"I believe I might have some answers," Moonlight replied.

Turnip glared at Moonlight, "You better start talking because if I find out your machine turned me into a pile of gelatin, I'm gonna kick your a-"

"Ah, about that," Moonlight spoke, "It was not meant to be operational. The pilot wasn't even inside. Speaking of which, where is the young stallion?"

"What makes you think he's here?" Turnip asked.

Moonlight tapped his shoulder and pointed behind him. When Turnip turned around, he saw ghostly apparitions of nearly every single inhabitant on this island.

"I'm not sure why we're here," Moonlight spoke, "But if my contact was to be believed, this will be the start of the unification."

"The uni-what?" Turnip asked.

"Everypony here will become one and we will have true harmony," Moonlight explained.

"Well, nuts to that!" Turnip exclaimed, "I'm my own self-made pony! And with Celestia by my side, I don't have to be one with anything!"

"Except you do," a familiar voice spoke.

Turnip and Moonlight turned around to find Twilight floating behind them.

"I don't know what happened to fracture you but you are all part of the same being," Twilight spoke sternly but compassionately," You don't have to be divided by your differences. My friends and I are different too and we work together to bring harmony to Equestria. You can work together as a system, putting differences aside and sharing in the things you have in common. If you have any bad memories, share them with yourselves and talk them out. If there are things that you like, then talk about them and make it a consensus that everypony here likes that thing."

Turnip scoffed, "I know you mean well, Princess, but thing is we were already united. It's just one half of this island is made up of secessionists and heretics. Speaking of which, do you really think Celestia would want us to give up our individuality for the sake of friendship and harmony. She argues with her own sister from time to time and you don't see her merging with Luna to become some weird Celestiluna thing. And even we were meant to be one being, we're not. We got our own lives. Our own opinions. Our own Celestia-darn personalities! And, yeah, we'll fight. That's just what any living feeling thing will do. And if you don't like it, then you can go bu-"

Before Turnip could finish, he was spontaneously turned into a puddle of gelatinous goop. Moonlight looked down at what used to be Turnip before looking back up at Twilight, whose eyes and horn were now glowing.

Twilight sighed, "As much as I hate to admit it, you did have a point. But the map summoned me and my friends here for a Friendship Problem. And I will solve that problem."

"So let me get this straight," Rainbow asked as she and her friends sat aroud the map in the castle, "There was a big octopus under the island?"

"Technically, he was a hecatonopus but yes," Twilight replied.

"How come I didn't see any tentacles under the puppets?" Rainbow continued asking.

"Much like their eight-tentacled cousins, hecatonopi are very good at camoflauge," Twilight explained, "Although he shouldn't be that good given his size.

Rainbow stretched back in her chair, "Well, I'm glad that's over. That island was giving me the creeps."

"And as much as I enjoyed playing detective," Rarity added on, "If I had to spend any longer on that island, I would be digging sand out of my hooves for weeks."

"And I'd have to eat more felt cakes!" Pinkie exclaimed.

As her friends laughed, Twilight only gave a half-hearted chuckle. They didn't know what she did and for the sake of her friendships, she hoped they would never find out. Still, as necessary as it was, the thought of what she did still haunted her. This wasn't the same as Starlight convincing the changelings to share their love. There was half of an entire civilisation in that hecatonopus' head and they had very different and heated opinions about the other half. She couldn't even get a herd of normal ponies to stop arguing about the Friendship Journals. How was she going to convince an entire island full of the broken pieces of the hecatonopus' mind to put aside their differences and form a system? But it still resulted in harmony. The hecatonopus was happy. His parents were happy. Even Banner was impressed. So it all worked out in the end.

Right?

Author's Note

While it was tempting to write a happier ending, I could not find a way to make it work since A. Integration of DID alters is a long process that cannot be done with one speech about friendship and unity and all that jazz. And B. Turnip and any other puppets with heated opinions and emotions suddenly backing down and agreeing to work as a collective unit would just be very weak writing. Alters or not, that's just not how people work.