I woke up, feeling rather refreshed, as I never got any good sleep, not anymore. I looked at the clock and was shocked to realize that I was almost late to return to the interrogation as scheduled. I immediately threw myself into a teleportation glyph, arriving at the chamber with the first clash of the bell tolling the hour. I walked into the room, and looked around indifferently, seeing Pinkie hanging on the wall by her hooves, as I had left her. I resumed my seat at the table, staring straight ahead as before.

"Now, then, since you've had some time to think it over, is there anything new you would like to tell me?" I was giving her a chance to amend her statement, return the Elements to their proper places, et cetera. However...

"Nope, my statement stands as I spoke. All the Elements are in their proper place." I shook my head, sighing with regret. I knew it was probably useless, but I had to be absolutely sure, and I needed more information, anyway. I threw pure magic, lashing her chest and leaving a red mark through her fur, barely visible, but there. She whimpered, and I reveled in it. I whipped the magic against her again, and again, until she finally screamed. I was panting from channeling such magic for an extended period of time. I dispelled my magic whip, staring into her eyes for once. The fear was unmistakable, as was betrayal. I could care less about it, I was more interested in the look she was giving me.

It was the look of a defiant mare. I shook my head. So, that's how she wants to play it. The thought echoed in my mind, as if I myself had not thought it up. But that was impossible. I checked myself daily for enchantments of any sort, and came up clean every time, to make sure my actions were my own. I conjured the whip again, wrapping it around her hind leg to sear it for a few seconds. I dispelled it again, staring into her eyes once more. The look was still there. I growled, conjuring all manner of magical torture devices, from more manacles to whips to rods and shocksticks, anything I could think of. I saw her eyes widen slightly, and smirked. I had an opening.

"I won't use these on you any more than I have to. If you tell me where those two are hiding, I'll spare you the torture." I paused, giving her a chance to respond. She gazed levelly at me, and I couldn't help but admire her resolve, even as I worked to break it. I raised one rod and shoved it into her mouth sideways. The effect was twofold, firstly, muffling the screams so the guards wouldn't come looking in. Second, it seared her muzzle as she clenched it in her teeth. She couldn't spit it out, as I held it firmly in place with magic. Next, I unchained her from the wall and instead manacled her to the ceiling, giving me access to her entire body. I was going to enjoy this immensely.

Just as she seemed to be getting used to the burning of her muzzle, I acted. I swung two whips and a paddle, hitting her chest, back, and rear at the same time. The effect almost seemed to break her right there, but she bore it. Good for her. I threw all my might into another swing, and she gasped, and I heard a very telltale sniffle as she considered how far I was willing to go. I slammed her with the implements one final time, and she found the force to spit out the rod even as I fought to hold it there with magic.

"Something you want to say to me, Pinkamina?" I chuckled, dispelling all the various implements except for the manacles. I wanted her to think it was over.

"Yes...I...I surrender. I'll tell...tell you everything." She seemed to be having trouble breathing, and that was fine with me. I dispelled the manacles, and she collapsed to the floor, probably spraining a hoof from the sound of it. I walked over to the table and sat, waiting with a quil and ink. I turned to her. "Well?"

"First, I'd like to tell you that the Elements have indeed rearranged themselves, and this is no trick by the resistance to try and confuse you. Secondly, movements. Applejack guards Ponyville, Rarity is in Manehattan, I was in Canterlot before you captured me, Fluttershy went to the Everfree Forest to hide, you know her, she's such a scaredy-cat. As for Shining Armor, he's started a movement in the Crystal Empire he guarded so closely. Cadance left for some reason, though...As for Trixie, she holed up in a small community in the north. The arctic ponies are rising against you as well." She spoke with pure venom, finally realizing our friendship was no more. Which was okay with me. I only needed one friend in my life now, and it definately wasn't this pony. I conjured the shockstick again.

"Anything you'd like to add?" Pinkie thought for a moment, then shook her head. That's what I thought. I crammed the shockstick into her mouth again, the muffled screams music to my ears. A voice echoed faintly in the back of my mind, speaking of dissappointment. I quickly squashed it, throwing it out of my mind. I trotted out quickly, leaving her with the shockstick firmly planted in her mouth. It'd be about an hour before the enchantment wore out, and I was hoping she would break to join us long before that. I didn't need friends, but we needed generals to lead the troops, as I couldn't personally command every little action we took.

"Guards, watch her. If you think she's broken within the next hour, let me know. If the shockstick dispells itself before you think she'll join us, rough her up a bit, then throw her back in prison for now. I'll have to deal with that when I get around to it." They snapped a quick affirmative and a salute, before heading inside. I sighed, flashing back to my room as I collapsed, weak from all the raw magic I had been wielding. It would help me build endurance to try and hold that up every day, but it would also keep me from my duties as Mage-Commander. As sleep took me, my thoughts rested on Nightmare Moon. I was helplessly, head-over-hooves in love with the mare. I whispered declarations of love into my pillow as sleep claimed me.

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A/n

Here marks the first shift in perspective in the story. As the war develops, I'll be morphing through the Mane 6, Trixie, Shining and Nightmare as needed to get it told. This section in particular is from Pinkie's perspective. I hope you enjoy the break from Twilight's mind, which is thoroughly abused and raped by necessity. Enjoy the rest of your story. Onward to Pinkamina!

P.S. This symbol marks changes of perspective. So there. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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My mind was aflame with pain, more pain, nothing but pain. With it being so close to my brain, I couldn't simply torture myself with the manacles to draw some of the pain off. I screamed, muffled by the shockstick, as it continued coursing through me. All I could do was hide in my own mind. Sounds difficult, but I have a friend with me. She loves pain, it's her thing, since she's almost never needed, and she lives off memory. Any feeling is welcomed by her when she takes over. I stepped back mentally, ushering Pinkamina to the front. Pinkamina might have nopony's best interest at heart, but she could endure a lot more than I could. I could already feel the insanity seeping into my mind when I gave up to Pinkamina. It receded, allowing me coherent thought. I struggled to stand in my own mind, my mental image battered and bloodied by the torture. I heard Twilight had learned torture magics even worse than what she did to me, and I shivered in pure fear. Even Pinkamina couldn't protect me if her soul-sword pierced me.

"Calm down, Pinkie. You're fine. I'll protect you." Pinkamina was speaking to her as a lover, or a guardian. Pinkamina was the only one to understand her, and she honestly felt like she was in love with her, despite the fundamental differences they had, as well as the fact that they were technically the same pony. Nothing like petty physical barriers such as that prevented her from love. She smiled at the mare as she took over the bodily functions Pinkie had gave up for relief.

"Ahh, yes...To feel again...Even pain, endless pain, such as this. I should really thank Twilight. Maybe I'll go join her. But how to convince the guards...." Even though Pinkamina was simply thinking, it was spoken to Pinkie, since she was in her mind. I felt the usual pressure, being thrown into a dark corner and imprisoned, so Pinkamina could sit at the controls a little longer. I didn't mind this time. The longer Pinkamina was in control, the longer I could recover from the mind-ripping agony...

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I opened my eyes to the guards, giving them my best look of broken. Pain was fine, but it was getting boring. The same pain over and over again. They let me down, dispelling the manacles Twilight had erected. I hit the floor a little roughly, but I was not the worse for wear, no broken bones, just a slight ache in my chest from the dislocated rib when the table had hit me. I allowed one of the guards to escort me slowly, while the other guard walked ahead. I relished this, the chance to exist, the chance to feel. I had to take a chance, and the best chance lied in me swearing loyalty to Twilight.

As I thought this, they reached a door, and I was left against the wall, one watching me while the other went inside. He came out in short order.

All he said was, "Bring in the broken one." Sweet, sweet deception...

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I almost couldn't believe it when the guard told me, a mere fifteen minutes into the torture, the guards had taken her down and brought her here, saying she had completely broken. I wasn't expecting it for another twenty minutes, atleast. Sure enough, however, she staggered through the door, looking a little odd. Her hair was all flat and her cutie mark...Her cutie mark...

It was beginning to disintegrate off her body. I was so shocked, I could barely speak. I decided to deal with that later, however, and focus on the job of swearing Pinkie into the ranks. I placed my horn on her forehead as she stood there.

"Do you, Pinkamina Diane Pie, swear fealty and total obedience to me, Mage-Commander Twilight Sparkle, and Nightmare Moon, true ruler of Equestria and bringer of eternal night?" As she gave an affirmative nod, I channeled magic into her, permanently binding Pinkie into the back of her own mind, which Pinkamina had made laughably easy when I found she had already been supressed. Small miracles will never cease. I also bound Pinkamina's will to my own, corrupting her already horrible moral compass completely into my liking. With that, I released her from my mind's hold and sat back.

"Do you swear, as long as you live, to follow every order either aforementioned party gives you, to the letter, without question, without feeling, without any remorse what-so-ever?" I was pushing it a little, but I had to follow Nightmare Moon's scripted swearing-in. It was the start of a tradition, about half the guards had received this same treatment already. Pinkamina nodded in the affirmative, and I dismissed her with a wave.

"You may go."

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I left Twilight's chamber, relishing the moment. I was a general. A leader of ponies in battle. Nopony would question what I did. This feeling of freedom was further enhanced when I realized that Pinkie was nowhere I could find. That was fine with me. I walked forward, through the halls, to the barracks specifically assigned to me. There were six of them. Presumably, Twilight was going to try and break every Element of Harmony, twisting them into a general for her army. I giggled happily, glad to be the first.

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Somewhere, under the watch of somepony wreathed in shadow in the darkened cave, the first gem shattered.

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Author's Note

What did you think of me suddenly shifting perspective? I thought it would be a nice change of pace, I figured writing ALL of it from Twilight's perspective would leave a lot of plot holes that I actually hoped would fill in, so I took this approach to fill some of it in. More gruesome dark torture :D no more clop just yet. im derping out on good places to work in a scene, hopefully some will come up soon. The transition at the end is so I can start the story next chapter from any perspective I need to pick up. So yeah, feedback always appreciated. ^-^ Yay, plot-twisting ending, too. I just thought that up at the end to give it more impact what Pinkamina just did.