Obsession and Regression

5

At the very top of the stairs, Twilight called out into the darkest below:

"Rainbow?"

The bound Pegasus's eyes lit up:

"I'm down here! Help!"

Twilight found the small switch hidden behind the railing. At once the lights came on and Rainbow got excited! She looked to the stairs, eager to see her friends who were now rushing down to get her. It felt like she'd been there an eternity and it was finally over.

She felt an... odd prick at her leg, like a nasty insect bite. She looked down to see a needle stuck in her thigh and Ironhof below it. He looked back at the Pegasus with red in his eye that rivaled his dogs in comparision. In the other hoof he held a silently gasping Apple Jack in a tight headlock, a second needle by her throat.

"Don't even breath," he whispered to the bound Pegasus.

All three of Rainbow's friends stopped dead in their tracks when they saw what waited for them at the bottom of the stairs. It wasn't just one of them in danger anymore, but three of them. Rainbow was so elated to just see her friends together and (for the most part) in one piece that for a mere split-second it nearly trumped the terror she was feeling in her gut... she could even overlook the fact that the faces of Rarity and Twilight were covered in blood.

Twilight Sparkle stepped forward, speaking clearly and calmly:

"Sir? ...I-I don't know what we've walked into. Please, just let us take our friends and go... We won't disturb you or tell anypony what we've seen. Just let us pass and we'll be on our--"

"Stop!" Ironhoof coughed, dripping blood from his mouth. "You've got quite a strong friend here considering how badly banged up she is..." He looked down at Apple Jack as the consciousness slowly faded from her body due to having his forearm wedged against her windpipe. "Now, listen to me very carefully, mares: I was once a pharmacist before I started serving the Mistress many years ago. My penchant for making designer drugs and testing them on small animals cost me my employment, but I bounced back when I met the Mistress. She supports my hobby and is the only thing in the world that matters to me. I worship her..." his eyes went wide, showing the depths of his madness, "and you all being here puts her in danger."

"Sir, we just want our--"

"Quiet mare! I will not tell you again..." He squeezed Apple Jack tightly. "Earlier tonight I gave your Rainbow-maned friend here a tranquilizer and hallucinogen-hybrid which reduced her to a blithering idiot with the motor skills of an infant for about 3 hours. The syringe I have in her leg now contains 500 times the dose and has a 90% chance of killing her within minutes... I have it in my possession as a method of suicide or self-corruption should myself, or my Mistress ever get caught doing this. I assure you it is a painless way to go past the initial pinch of the injection. In fact it looks rather pleasant from what I've observed in the animals and ponies I have tested it on. Should you put me in a position where I have to push the plunger and she survives, she'll be either severely brain damaged or comatose. You will lose her forever either way. This is not the way I wish for this to end, but I do what have to. Do as I say and I will not hurt her."

"What is it you want?"

"I want you," he motioned towards Fluttershy. "To go get the Mistress in the living room and bring her down here now... and then give yourselves up to us. I promise we won't hurt you. Don't try anything Unicorns... magic won't work down here. I'll kill all three ponies if either of you try to go upstairs. Now... what'll it be?"

"No... deal." Weakly said Applejack, pulling on the stallion's death grip with her battered hooves

Ironhoof's grip tightened on AJ's windpipe as he butted her forcefully on the head with the thickest part of his skull. She immediately blacked out.

"Apple Jack!" Everypony in the room but Ironhoof shouted at the same time.

"So, that's her name... huh?" He popped his neck. "Ow! Sheesh, Apple Jack did quite the number on me for being so banged up! Well, purple Unicorn... you seem to be the ring leader here, so allow me to break it down for you: I have your orange friend Apple Jack in a headlock. She's unconscious now but if I keep her like this for long enough she will succumb to oxygen deprivation and die. Agree to have your yellow friend go get my Mistress and I will let her go... you do not have long to decide."

Twilight looked at Apple Jack's pale, unconscious body... she'd probably die at this point if they didn't get her to a hospital, her injuries were so bad. She knew this pony probably had no interest in getting her help... but what were her choices?

"Fluttershy..." She started to say, turning to the yellow Pegasus.

"Ironhoof! What's going on?" Shouted the familiar voice of his Mistress from the floor above. "I heard a horrible commotion and I find my Nursery door is nearly ripped off its hinges! Did you release my dogs?"

"Yes I did! Mistress, please be careful!" Replied Ironhoof. "I'm in the basement with 5 intruders. Not only have they broken my rear foot, but they came to set your Honey free. The most dangerous one I have in a headlock. Vicious thing -- she could've torn my head clean off its shoulders."

Slowly, the golden Pegasus descended the stairs. Fluttershy and Rarity looked back at her once she reached the landing. Twilight kept her eyes on Ironhoof. Buttercup's eyes greeted the intruders with a cold stare.

"What must be done?" She asked Ironhoof.

"6 tables." He replied. "Either that or 5 graves in the backyard..."

"You can't kill all of us..." Said Twilight, dragging her hoof across the cyan carpet.

"No, but I can kill these two," replied Ironhoof, looking at the two captive ponies in his grasp. "And given no choice I will. Believe me, I will."

"It's up to you, girls." Said Buttercup, with a mean smirk. "I'll have Ironhoof break your orange friend's neck if you don't give yourself up... I'll give you until the count of 10." She began to count slowly: "One... two... three..."

Twilight looked at her three friends on the other side of the room, starting with Rainbow Dash... she saw nothing but fear and exhaustion in her eyes. She wasn't crying, but it was obvious she had been... and she'd clearly been humiliated and tortured. Her eyes had yellow rings around them and her mane had lost its "coolness" during the short time she'd been down there. For some reason was dressed like an infant. Twilight also saw no sign of Rainbow's wings, which deeply disturbed her. Apple Jack was held tight in the stallions arm, covered in cuts, bruises and blood. She was pale from having the life squeezed out of her by his massive, well-toned arm. Pinkie Pie was bound and... awake, propping herself up. Not only was Pinkie Pie getting into position, but Twilight saw a little sliver of hope in her determined eyes. Pinkie Pie blinked... her eyes were open and twitching, looking silently up at Twilight. With her hooves tied together, she could hardly move, but she could move enough to distract the cruel pony. Pinkie showed Twilight a serious look, followed by a nod.

"Okay, we surrender..." Twilight said, lowering her head. "Just don't hurt our friends."

Ironhoof immediately released Apple Jack to the floor, who laid unconscious by her friends' hooves. However, he kept the syringe in Rainbow's leg.

Twilight looked to Rarity and Fluttershy, who were also lowering their heads as if accepting defeat. She then looked at Pinkie, and her two friends saw what the rest did not.

"Good, good," said the gray stallion, sitting up. "Mistress, I am stuck at an impasse. I need you to subdue the three. Are you comfortable giving an injection?"

"No." Replied Buttercup. "You know I hate needles."

"Then be that as is may, they need to be restrained in some way to make them docile. We have no choice: in the bottom of the wooden table I have two lengths of rope. It would be best to tie up the unicorns first... Be brave and careful, as you can see by the blood on their faces they are very dangerous. I am right here, however, and I will kill them all if they hurt you. Once they're tied up, I will handle the yellow one. She looks the most non-threatening of the bunch, so I'd imagine I won't need to be holding their Rainbow friend hostage any longer..."

Buttercup sauntered over to the table and went through it as Twilight nodded at her friends beside her, looking away as if accepting defeat. They nodded back, lowering their heads, and getting ready. Buttercup approached Rarity, who squealed as she was wrapped tightly in the length of rope. Twilight was next:

"I'm going to have 5 babies now..." She said, wrapping the binding around her body. She turned to Ironhoof. "Kill the orange one. She's too badly injured to bother with."

"Are you sure?" Replied her Butler, raising an eyebrow. "She is harmless now and may pull through with some treatment..."

"Yes I am sure!" Screamed Buttercup. "She hurt you! Kill her now!"

"As you wish," replied Ironhoof, holding up the syringe he had in his hoof. "I take no pleasure in this."

"No!" Shouted Pinkie, biting into the stallion's unsuspecting flank.

He jumped, his broken lower extremity aching horribly as his leg shot out in surprise. He turned towards the pink mare in a rage, swinging the syringe downwards as Fluttershy head-butted Buttercup in the flank, who screeched in surprise.

"Don't you touch her!" He screamed, looking back at Buttercup as he brought the needle down towards the pink pony with all his might. It barely scraped her arm, which was pressing right up against his thigh... He winced.

* * *

Ironhoof gulped, realizing the severity of what he'd just done in his haste:

"This is most... unexpected."

No pony but Twilight paid attention to that, though. In a state of rage that no one in the entire group could have predicted, Fluttershy repeatedly head-butted Buttercup in the side until her legs gave out from under her. She continued to strike her past the point of submission until she cried out in fear and dampened the carpet. The blows were vicious but not hard, and she stayed on the floor in tears once they finally stopped.

The gray stallion got up slowly, his back facing Twilight, who looked at his thigh... Right behind his Mortar & Pistil Cutie Mark swung an empty needle.

"Mistress... mistress...." Ironhoof mumbled, his lips feeling numb as he limped forward taking a couple of steps on his broken foot, his back leg buckling. He nearly collapsed, and fought to keep himself on his hooves. "Please don't hurt her anymore."

"Girls, he got himself!" Yipped Twilight happily, wriggling herself free not too tightly secured bindings. "We can go home now."

"Uh, Twilight..." Dash said, looking down at her own stuck thigh. The needle was hanging, a little over half empty. "Help me..."

The purple unicorn ran up to the table Rainbow was in, knocking over Ironhoof along the way. She pulled the needle out of her leg turned to Ironhoof, who was now having trouble keeping his balance:

"Tell me where the antidote to this is RIGHT NOW!"

"Don't have... any here." He replied, laying down in front of Buttercup. "Just let me be with her."

Twilight turned to Fluttershy, who was triumphantly standing above Buttercup, and nodded... she knew what to do.

"WHERE'S THE PHONE AND THE KEY TO THAT HORRIBLE DEVICE!?" Thundered Fluttershy at Buttercup in a voice that might've scared off one of their hounds.

"Mine's somewhere...!" Buttercup shivered in fear. "I.... Ironhoof's got the key in his saddlebag. The phone is... in the living room. It's portable. Please don't hurt me anymore!"

Fluttershy jerked her body threateningly towards Buttercup, then ran by her as fast as she could... up the stairs.

While waiting for Fluttershy to return, Twilight loosened Rarity's bindings while keeping an eye on Rainbow Dash. They were all worried and Fluttershy took more than a few seconds to return. At this time Rarity was walking over to Pinkie Pie, ready to help her out of her own bindings.

"I'm really dizzy!" Said the pink pony as Rarity helped her. "But I should be okee!"

Apple Jack had been the bravest pony by far, but unfortunately she was the last pony to receive any attention due to the urgency and confusion of everything going on. She was still unconscious, but the color had begun to return to her face and she was breathing. She was just starting to hear the world around her...

* * *

Apple Jack was in a warm, happy place... it felt like she was in a warm bath, with her head the underwater. There was no pain. She never wanted to leave.

"Wake up, Apple Jack!" Shouted a distant Rarity. "Wake up!"

Why should I? I'm perfectly happy here!

"They'll be here in minutes!" Shouted a distant Fluttershy.

"I sure hope so..." Said Twilight Sparkle. "Rainbow! Please! Stay with us."

"I feel funny Twilight..." Shivered Rainbow Dash. "I don't want to die."

Why's she cold when I'm so happy here? ... die? ... Rainbow?

Apple Jack's eyes bolted open.

"Rainbow!?!" She cried out, frantically throwing her hooves in the air.

Rarity had been right over AJ, looking down at her and shouting for her to wake up... now the ivory pony was getting out of the way.

"Rainbow! Rainbow!" Shouted Apple Jack, pulling herself in the direction she heard her friend's voice coming from.

She trampled over some large body, only glancing back at it... Ironhoof, beside him a bound Buttercup, his eyes wide and lifeless. She wanted to buck both their brains out, but that would have to wait. She looked forward and focused... then she saw her. Laying on the floor by the machine, dressed in that ridiculous outfit... pale... her magenta eyes wide with fear.

"Apple Jack..." Rainbow shivered. "You look horrible!"

"I'm sure I feel a might better than I look," Apple Jack joked with a smile. "I'm here, RD. Don't you go anywhere on me."

"I can't help it, Apple Jack... I can't help it." The Rainbow-maned Pegasus's eyes were already starting to look glazed over.

"Please! Rainbow... just hold out for a little while longer." Apple Jack glanced up at their friends, who'd gathered around and were looking very somber. "We've got doctors on the way who can help ya out... patch us both up real nicely. We'll be back to our hi-jinks at Sweet Apple Acres by next week!"

Rainbow smiled, looking up at her orange companion.

"That would be nice..."