I must Scream

When PAM finally finished torturing Trixie, he turned to the four other ponies in the room. Not wanting them to miss out on a chance to be tortured, PAM looked over the four, before settling on his favorite pony, Swift Ace. Swift Ace is PAM's favorite pony to torture. Radiation sores, blindness, and an arthitic condition so bad Swift Ace, a once famed flier, can't even fly.

Now that PAM chose Swift Ace, he had him altered for teleportation. As had Trixie, Swift Ace too soon disappeared into a great unknown.

"Swift Ace." PAM began talking to the deformed Pegasus. "You know you've always have been my favorite torture toy. Well, I'm giving you now a chance to stoop to new lows, to give into your... beast like disires. I am going to let you find some food to eat... yes/ I'll even restore your brain so that you can think normally again and savor the horror of your repast. Hahahha."

Swift Ace soon found himself in a strange new cavern. However, this was not one full of fire and brimstone, nor one full of freezing cold ice. There was life throughout the cave, trees and grass seemed to be able to grow, even flourish.

"This cavern isn't like any PAM sent me to before. It's full of life; not death." Swift Ace said admiring the cave.

Looking down, Swift Ace found himself at the top of a flight of stairs. Swift Ace merely laughed, and flew up a few feet to merely fly down the stairs. But PAM's tortures had weakened Swift Ace's Wings... soon he fell.

"OMMpf aumpf! AGGH!" Swift Ace yelled as he hit each stone stair.

"PAM you bucker! You've cleaned my mind but crippled my wings! I can't fly now!" Swift Ace yelled as he shook his hoof towards the ceiling.

Farther across the fields, he noticed a series of cliffs amongst the walls. Each cliff seemed to be settled as smoke was coming out of several of them.

"A fire for cooking? I haven't eaten in years... and the smell of food cooking only makes me hurt worse!" Swift Ace said as he clenched his stomach, rumbling with the pain of hunger.

Swift Ace continued walking towards the cave, when suddenly a tribal looking pegasi flew out.

"Como ja panapa!" The pegasi yelled throwing a rock at Swift Ace to keep him out of the cave.

"OW! So much for the friggin welcome wagon!" Swift Ace yelled, gripping his head and running away from that particualr cave.

Swift Ace walked a little closer to a tree. Coming closer, on inpsection the tree turned out to be full of delicious and juicy fruit.

"Blessed Celestia! A fruit tree! Its been years since i've tasted fruit. PAM that bastard once tricked me into marching a thousand miles of hot coals to reach a pile of canned pears... only to find out he didn't give me a can opener."

Swift Ace grabbed the nearest fruit he grab. Opening wide, Swift Ace took a huge chunk out of the fruit with one bite. Instead of being a tasty treat, the fruit was like biting into razor blades, each cutting the sides of Swift Ace's mouth.

"HURTS! HURTS! HURTS!" Swift Ace yelled as he spat out the fruit along with his blood.

"So much for a decent meal" Swift Ace said as he backed away from the tree.

Benny continued to search the area for food. Each trip as unsuccessful as the last. Suddenly, PAM came to Swift Ace.

"Oh, your stomach grumbling? Hungry, Swift Ace? Wait for the picnic at the altar. Yeah... you're too weak to kill the older ones unless they're already tied up for you. Who loves you baby?" PAM said

As Swift Ace continued walking arounfd the caves, he noticed a little string hanging low from the top of a overpass. As Swift Ace pulled down on the string, it loosened a basket of fruit, allowing for a piece of fruit to fall to the ground.

"Ah! Mana from heaven!" Swift Ace said picking it up. Swift Ace was ready to eat this fruit, but stopped himself when he remembered how much eating the fruit had hurt him.

Swift Ace continued walking around, and came to another cave. Inside was a young pegasus mare, and her young pegasus son.

"What did they used to call these? Single parent households. Friggin welfare parasites are probally depended on the generosity of the villagers." Swift Ace said mocking them, however, it seemed that the mother and her son did not understand a single word he was saying.

Swift Ace looked at the young pegaus colt. "Sweet Princesses! The colt's a frigging mutant! There's a third wing growing from his back!" Swift Ace yelled backing away a few feet. The noise brought the attention of the young mare and her son.

The mare pointed at the fruit Swift Ace said, and then towards her son.

"This mare is plainly starving, but she'd rather want me to give the food to her son. Might as well, I can't eat it anyways." Swift Ace said handing the bit of fruit to the mutant colt.

The colt grabbed the fruit, and consumed every bite of the fruit. He didn't seem to feel the same pain that Swift Ace had felt when he ate the fruit himself.

"Oh.. thank you for food." The mutant said

"You can talk to me? How?" Swift Ace said confused as he thought these backwards tribals couldn't understand a single word he'd said.

"I learn to speak from PAM machine. I am smart, but villagers... think smart is defective." The mutant said sadly

"Defective? That's tough."

The mutant began talking again. "Yes, but I am spared from lottery."

"Lottery? What lottery?" Swift Ace said ,confused.

"The villagers hold a lottery to choose a sacrifice to PAM. These sacrifices go on many years. Not many villagers left. The sacrifice hurts very bad. There are many ways to die, almost anyway is better." The mutant colr said sadly

"Why do they sacrifice their own ponies to PAM?" Swift Ace said

"Only one is sacrficed so PAM does not kill all villagers."

"I am getting very tired, and I have no place to sleep."

"You're family now.. go sleep in our bed." The mutant said

Swift Ace looked over at what could be called a "bed". It was a rather primitive assortment of vines, however, the vines did not look bad to sleep on.

"Hmm.. looks comfy enough. Certainly nothing like the cloud beds back in Cloudsdale." Swift Ace said to himself as he layed down on the vines. Closing his eyes, Swift Ace slowly fell asleep.

Swift Ace slept through many hours of the night, and few more into the morning. It had been many longs years since Swift Ace had gotten a good night's rest. Usually PAM would send in a flood of fire ants or drop acid rain upon the group which would burn into their flesh to wake them up. Painful, but not deadly.

"Oh... that sleep couldn't hve been long enough." Swift Ace said as he yawned, stretched, and got ready for the day.

"Hmm.." Swift Ace said as he saw that the mare was gone. "I wonder where mutie's mother went."

Swift Ace went over to the mutant colt.

"Where is your mother?" Swift Ace asked the mutant colt.

"She go with villagers to choose sacrifice to PAM machine." The mutant colt said with a look of fear in his eyes.

"Might as well see what's going on..." Swift Ace said, leaving the young colt to his own devices.

Swift Ace wondered around the village, before finally finding the rest of the villagers. They were gathered around a metal cross, an altar of sorts. There were candles lined next to it, and also some rope, possibly for tying someone up.

"Why is everyone gathered around the altar?" Swift Ace asked. Swift Ace realized that none of the villagers knew what he was trying to say.

"OOOO?" Swift Ace asked the village elder.

"Pamah suchao PAM!" The tribal pegasi said

With the words of the tribal elder, each villager lined up to collect a round shaped ball. Each tribal showed a sigh of relief on their faces as they grabbed a white ball. However, one face was not relieved when she picked a black one.

"That's the mutant colt's mother!" Swift Ace said as he realized that the colt's mother was chosen to be sacrificed to PAM next.

The pegasi mare tried to fly away, but the sentries to too fast and too strong for her. They wrestled her to the ground, bound her with the rope, and dragged to to the altar.

"Ragghh! Rrahhhh!" The mare screamed as the sentries finished tying her to the altar.

"I AM PAM! The great and powerful! Well sounds like i'm acting like our old friend Trixie eh? Oh.. I'm off topic. I PAM have accepted the sacrifice! You shall not feel my wrath today. Am I swell or what?"

Suddenly a bright beam fell straight from sky, landing on the altar. The mare screamed as the beam burned her flesh. Soon, the remains fell to the ground, leaving only her bones.

"Sweet Celestia's Ghost! PAM blasted her to bits! What am I going to do for food now?!" Swift Ace said in a tantrumhitting the ground in a rage, as the only potential source of food and died.

With the sacrifice concluded, the villagers left the area, and went on with their daily routines of gathering nuts and berries. Swift Ace continued his tantrum, hitting the ground with a stick, jumping around, and screaming at the top of his lungs.

"AGGGGHH!" Swift Ace screamed his frustrations, not noticing a root, causing Swift Ace to tumble, and fall down a hill.

"OOMPF AMMPH! AUGH!" Swift Ace yelled as he fell down the hill.

When Swift Ace finally came too, he realized he was looking at three grave stones. Old fellow racers he remembered.

"Soarin? One of the famous wonderbolts. I guess you aren't talking to me, not after what I did to you." Swift Ace said to Soarin's gravestone.

"You left me for dead out on the field! The crossbow bolt in my brain came from you!" Soarin's gravestone yelled.

"Soarin! I've learned to be compassionate to those that suffer!" Swift Ace pleaded with his former fellow Wonderbolt

"You killed me in cold blood Swift Ace! I should do the same to you what you did to me!" Soarin's grave stone yelled back.

"Then what can I do to show that I am a different stallion, Soarin?" Swift Ace asked

"Give me proof of your newfound empathy." Soarin's gravestone coldly asked.

Soon, the gravestone next to Soarin's began talking.

"Our training to be wonderbolts was almost over... But because I was too good for you.. You held me under the water until I drowned! Any chance of being a wonderbolt died with me... and soon you will die too!"

"Rapid Fire! It's... been a long time." Swift Ace said

"Not long enough!" Rapid Fire's gravestone responded

"But... But i've learned that individuals shouldn't be sacrificed for the sake of the group." Swift Ace said

"From where I lie... You're still the same compassionless bucker who murdered me!" Rapid Fire said

"Then what can I do, Rapid Fire, to proove that I am a different stallion!"

"Show me that you're able to think of other ponies... other than yourself?"

Soon the last gravestone began talking.

"I tried to help save her... But you'd have none of that, Swift Ace! If you couldn't carry your own weight, then you were never cut out to be a wonderbolt! And anypony else willing to carry extraweight was a liability!"

"Umm... Spitfire. Now... I've learned to protect the weak and helpless!" Swift Ace pleaded with his old commanding officer whom he had killed.

"The same scoward who murdered me in my sleep for investigating his conduct is the same coward who left that mare to die on the altar. I was right about you Swift Ace. You were a selfish coward then... and you'll die a selfish coward too!" Spitfire hissed

"Then what can I do Spitfire, to proove that I am a different stallion?" Swift Ace pleaded with his angry former commanding officer

"Show me that you're capable of having sympathy for others! If you can even manage that!" Spitfire roared back

Swift Ace turned back around and started running up the hill, he did not stop running until he had reached the cave of the mutant colt he was staying with.

"I'm … sorry... your mother is dead." Swift Ace said

The mutant colt looked as though he'd been crying.

"Me know... me sorry too. She only one to care for me. Except now you." The mutant colt said with a tear dripping down his face

"But... what will happen to you?" Swift Ace said with some concern

"Me don't know. No food. Not safe from lottery. Either way.. not good." The colt said with a hint of a panic.

"Why don't you leave here?" Swift Ace asked

"Bad idea to run. Villagers hunt me down. Become sacrifice to PAM." the mutant colt calmly said

"But.. I can't care for you! I have my own problems!" Swift Ace said

"But.. you do care. You may not know it. But you do care. Me know." the colt said with a little smile

"I need to go find some food... I'll see you later." Swift Ace said leaving the cave

Swift Ace decided trying his luck at robbing the villagers of food. Inside one cave, he managed to come up with a few nuts, but they only cracked his teeth. But in the next cave, was none other than the village elder's cave. Inside, Swift Ace found the same bag that the village uses to choose a sacrifice.

"This lottery bag is used by the village to choose a sacrifice to PAM... It's filled with many white stones, and one black one. Now maybe if I can hide it." Swift Ace finally decided to steal the bag, hiding it in his cloak. "Now i've got to find a good hiding place. But maybe the wonderbolts would like to see what Swift Ace is up to."

Swiift Ace hurried out, and ran back down to the graveyard where he had talked to his former compatriots.

"Oh look who'se back, that bastard who killed us." Soarin yelled yelled.

"I have the lottery bag! No more villagers will be sacrificed!" Swift Ace yelled showing the bag to the gravestones.

"Hmm show the lottery bag to the others." Soarin said

"I have the lottery bag, Spitfire." Swift ce said

"So... this coward prooves he is capable of caring for other ponies.. That's worth something in my book." Spitfire said with a look of approval.

"Bury the bag in the ground, Swift Ace. We'll watch over it." Rapid Fire said

Taking that as his cue, Swift Ace dug into the soft earth with his hooves, until the hole was about eighteen inches deep and a twelve inches wide. Swift Ace dropped the bag into the hole, and scooped the dirt back into the earth.

"We've decided to forgive you ….for what you did to us... Swift Ace. But weven we can talk for your most tragic victim." Soarin said

"Yes... Rainbow Dash's grave is under those vines left of us." Spitfire said.

Swift Ace looked over and saw some of the vines had covered up a spot . Swift Ace used all of his strength, and finally managed to budge the vines over. Revealing none other than Rainbow Dash's grave.

"Hello... Swift... I'm not exactly happy to see YOU again. I last saw your face.. before you drowned me in a stream." The rainbow colored pony coldly said.

"I... don't blame you for hating me, Dash." Swift Ace said dropping his face to the ground.

"YOU WHAT?! You don't blame me?! I was prepared to go to the ends of the earth for you and i'm in a grave beacause of you! You murdered me, because I was going to be lead pony! Then you killed some of the others to help make you a wonderbolt! I can't even believe I slpet with you too!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

"But I stopped the lottery from happening! Doesn't that proove that I now have compassion?" Swift Ace pleaded with his former teammate and lover.

"You might have changed for the present, Swift. But you still have crimes in the past to account for!" Rainbow Dash said

"Here Dash... I have something to plant on your grave." Swift Ace said, grabbing a beautiful flower that grew neaby.

"At last... some compassion. Now... I can finally rest in peace." Rainbow Dash said

"Rest in peace... my love." Swift Ace said

Now that he had finally made peace with his old, Swift Ace returned to the mutant colt.

"I've hidden the lottery bag where nopony will ever find it!" Swift Ace said with praise in his voice. However, the colt suddenly looked terrified.

"What's wrong?" Swift Ace asked

"No lottery... means new way to choose victim! I more scared now!"

"Why don't you hide in the hole in the cave's wall? Swift Ace asked

"I too scared to be alone in hole. You're too big to hide with me" The colt said

"Howabout I make you a friend?" Swift Ace said

Swift Ace went out into the village to search for pieces of junk to make a "friend" for the colt. He found a piece of wood. Perfect for a body, and a piece of string. Swift Ace returned to the altar and found the colt's mother's head.

"Funny, i've never cared so much about others until I met this pony..." Swift Ace said to himself.

With a head and body, Swift Ace was able to make a doll for the colt.

"Thank you... I will hide in hole now!" The colt said as he carefully climbed over the rocks into the hole in the cave's wall.

By this time, the sun had gone down. Feeling very tired from a hard day, Swift Ace carefully positioned himself over the bed, layed down, and fell asleep.

Swift Ace had a very odd dream that night, he felt as though changelings broke the hole open and took the boy. Then he felt as though he was falling... falling.

"AHH!" Swift Ace said, jerking himself awake. "Oh my... I had the strangest dream last night... I wonder how the colt is doing... SWEET CELESTIA! They took the colt!"

Swift Ace had paniced, as the colt that he had now come to see as his son was to be sacrificed to the PAM.

Swift Ace hurried past the villagers to see the terrified expression of the colt. Not just anyother colt. But his colt... his son, was to be sacrificed to feed PAM's bloodlust.

"Poor little guy looks scared out of his wits. I've got to do something!" Swift Ace said looking at the colt as he was already tied to the altar. "That old fart" Swift Ace said then looking at the village elder. "Looks rather pleased with himself. "Him 'saving' his village for another day... no matter how many lives it costs."

Swift Ace ran over to the village elder and begged with him to release the boy. Swift Ace whimpered he screamed, he threatened, but nothing would convince them to release the colt.

"They're going to sacrifice the colt, MY COLT, unless I do something quick!" Swift Ace said to himself panicing that the colt that he regarded as his own would not live to see another day

Swift Ace knew what he had to do, marching towards the altar, he calmly pointed at it. "ooo". Gesturing that he would take the colt's place at the altar.

"HMM? Pikita wah sawah?" The elder said in his tribal talk.

"The elder seems amazed that I would show compassion to the colt, but I think he's going for it." Swift Ace said then suddenly realizing that he would be killed.

The sentries immediately untied the colt from the altar, dropping him to the ground. Swift Ace rushed over to help up the colt, but then he noticed the colt giving him the doll.

"Why... he's giving me the doll. Gratitude for being spared the pain of being sacrificed? No, compassion! For me!" Swift Ace said

However, there must be a sacrifice, and soon, the sentries descended upon Swift Ace, wrestling him to the ground, and they dragged him over to the altar. Swift Ace winced the ropes were tied tight enough to dig into his skin. Soon PAM's death beam was sent down from the sky. The pain was none like Swift Ace had experienced ever before. It was as though each cell in his body was being stabbed by thousands of white hot needles. Soon too, Swift Ace's body disingrated.

"Swift Ace... No, no, no ,no ,no, no, NO! I send you out among the prey, and instead of indulging your hunger to keep me amused. YOU go out and show them COMPASSION! You should know better by now. Your reward Swift Ace will be more years of searing, blistering anguish!" PAM yelled as he returned Swift Ace to the hall of torture.

"Now... there are three of my little ponies left. Whom among you, shall go next?" PAM said as he looked over each pony