"You idiot." Pinkie Pie snapped awake at the harsh voice. Darkness greeted her in all direction as she looked around frantically trying to find the source of the voice.
"... Pinkamena?" whimpered Pinkie Pie. She had a lingering feeling that somehow, she had made her alter-ego mad.
"You... idiot..." her straight maned alter-ego walked out from the shadow. Her face, with a pair of empty socket where her eyes used to be, was contorted pain and rage as she approached, causing Pinkie Pie to shrink back out of fear. "You freaking IDIOT!"
"What did I do?!" asked Pinkie Pie, shuffling back as her alter-ego butt head against her and pushed her back. "What... happened... to..."
"What did you do?" Pinkamena looked like she's about to explode. "WHAT DID YOU DO? WE ARE BLIND BECAUSE OF YOU!"
"I'm blind?" as she said that, the black expanse flickered like a broken movie projection, with blurred and distorted images of talons descending toward her. Her ears flopped down as she recalled the unpleasant memories. "I'm... blind..."
"So now you remember." snarled Pinkamena as she backed up and started pacing around her.
"I'm blind..." tear rolled down Pinkie's cheek. She raised her hoof to wipe them, and to her horror, felt the empty sockets where her eyes used to be. "My eyes..."
"Yes, your... OUR eyes are missing... because you couldn't leave your STUPID PROMISE WELL ENOUGH ALONE!" shouted Pinkamena. "What did you think was going to happen, huh? Or did you even think at all in that BUBBLEGUM BRAIN OF YOUR!"
"I'm sorry..." pleaded Pinkie Pie as she looked toward her alter-ego.
"I'm fine with you being in control most of the time, because you managed to keep us sane and happy... I'm even fine with having to shield your fragile, insecure mind from some... idiotic things you've gotten yourself into. But this?" Pinkamena stopped trotting and waved her hoof at the emptiness around them. "This... never in a thousand years could I imagine you to be THIS STUPID!"
"I'm sorry..." repeated Pinkie Pie.
"Sorry? SORRY?" in a flash, Pinkamena was once again pressing her head against Pinkie's as she shouted right into her face. "IS THAT ALL YOU COULD SAY? WE'RE BLIND! FOR THE REST OF OUR LIFE! AND ALL YOU COULD SAY IS YOU'RE SORRY?"
"... well..." stammer Pinkie Pie, trying her best to crack the thinnest of smile from her uncooperative lips. "... we will get to play pin-the-tail on the pony... all the time... without blindfold..."
The incredulous Pinkamena's mouth hung open a bit for a few seconds before baring her teeth as she started to shake in rage.
"... grr... RAH!" with a forceful shove, Pinkamena knocked Pinkie Pie to the ground. Pinkie Pie saw her alter-ego rear up and quickly raised her own hooves above her head. She trembled as she waited for the blows to come, but the hooves never came. Instead, a loud cracks reverberated beside her. Pinkie Pie lowered her hooves hesitantly, but enough to see the receding back of the straight-maned pink pony.
"Pinkamena?" called out Pinkie Pie.
"I can't deal with this..." answered Pinkamena dejectedly as she continued to walk away.
"Pinkamena! Please! Don't leave me!" Pinkie Pie got up and tried to follow when a sharp pain through her head dropped her like a brick. The pain grew more intense as her vision darkened. Helpless from the pain, Pinkie Pie watched as her alter-ego started to fade. "Please... don't leave me..."
=====================================================================
The last of the bloody water had spiraled down the drain. Setting the bucket down beside her, Gilda looked around the spotless cage, a cage that just hours ago was covered in blood. As she finished up her sweep, her eyes settled on the source of all those blood.
Pinkie Pie laid in the dark corner of the cage. Her deflated mane and tail fanned out on the floor. Many passerby would believe her to be dead, judging by the stillness of her body and the blood soaked rag wrapped around her head. Only an occasional rise of her chest indicate that she was still alive. In truth, the fact that Pinkie Pie was still alive was something Gilda have difficulty believing.
When they tossed Pinkie Pie back into the cage, it was a sight of nightmare. Both her eyes were missing, leaving a pair of gaping holes in her head that were bleeding profusely. Her body was twitching and her mouth remained open as if trying to scream, but all that came out was gurgles. Gilda was frozen on the spot, staring at the broken pony before her while the guffaws of her tormentors echoed in her ear.
Gilda had considered leaving the devastated pony behind. She knew that there was no hope for her. Even if she, by some miracle, survive, it won't have made a difference. She had seen enough ponies, captured during earlier times, passing through these cages to know their eventual fate. Many were killed, whether through mistreatment or sport, then eaten, at least the luckier ones did. Quite a few skipped the "killed" part.
But something stopped her, and she didn't quite understand why. Perhaps because this pony was related to Rainbow Dash. Or perhaps it was guilt, since the pony got this way because she was trying to cheer her up, to bring her hope. No matter the reason, Gilda found herself going to Pinkie Pie's aid. She took the rags from her bucket and pressed them against the gaping wounds. When the bleeding finally stopped, she tore another rag to strips and tied them around her eyes.
"... don't... leave... me..." Gilda flicked her ears when Pinkie Pie muttered. It sounded strained.
"Pinkie Pie?" Leaving her cleaning supplies where they were, Gilda made her way toward the stirring pony.
"Please... don't leave me..." muttered Pinkie Pie, louder and more desperate.
"Pinkie Pie?" repeated Gilda. Pinkie Pie's ears twitched.
"Who... who's there?" Pinkie Pie asked and reflexively drew herself together out of fear.
"It's me. Gilda." Gilda stopped just within leg's reach of Pinkie Pie.
"Gilda?" Pinkie Pie's ear shot up. "Gilda!" she tried to gather her hooves beneath her, but in her weakened state, all she managed was slipping and shuffling on the ground.
"Where are you?" Pinkie Pie pleaded weakly. Gilda reached out and wrapped her front-legs around the pony's neck and pulled her in.
"I'm here." she said with her cheek against the pony's. Gilda felt a set of hooves wrapped around her torso and squeezing her tight.
"Please don't leave me." sniffed Pinkie Pie. "Please don't leave me..."
"I won't." answered Gilda.
=====================================================================
Dawn was breaking as three ponies hid behind a particularly large boulder. An immense, mountain towered over them, casting them in its shadow. Black smoke billowed out the top of the mountains.
"It looks... scarier than I remembered..." muttered Fluttershy. "... from Lilith's memories, I mean." she added.
"I know right? That just says evil all over the place." commented Rainbow Dash. "Reminds me of Daring Do and the Dungeon of Dread... although I sort of expected a more... I don't know... impressive looking entrance?"
Applejack nodded absentmindedly. There was a fairly good sized cave entrance situated just a short distance up the mountain. However, next to the four super-sized griffins guarding it, the entryway looked... underwhelming. In fact, Applejack swore that each griffin looked nearly a head taller as the three griffins that attacked them back at Featherhorn.
"Is it just me, or do those griffins looked... even bigger?" asked Applejack worriedly.
"I'm pretty sure they are." answered Rainbow Dash. "Damian is fairly small compared to the rest."
"... small?" echoed Applejack in disbelief. "Just how big do they get?"
"Bear sized." said Rainbow Dash. "Several dozens of them. Plus another couple dozens around Damian's size."
Applejack sized up the griffins guarding the entrance, her mind trying to imagine a bear-sized griffin.
"So... what do we do?" asked Applejack, still sizing up the four griffins.
"Normally, I would say we charge right in and slice and dice them all up." said Rainbow Dash. Her voice carried a hint of savageness. "But knowing what they do and that they got Twilight, Pinkie, Gilda... and other hostages, I say we have to sneak in and get them first before starting the slicing and dicing."
"So, how do ya plan to get our friends?" asked Applejack, turning to face Rainbow Dash. To her surprise, she found Damian standing there, grinning at her. Fluttershy had a surprised look on her as she stared at the griffin.
"You're going to need some rope." said Damian, grinning widely, with Rainbow Dash's voice.
=====================================================================
I hope this works. the nervous thought echoed through Rainbow's mind as she, disguised as Damian, glide closer to the guarded entrance of the Blackwing base. Tied to her back was one particularly unhappy Applejack, who, in the earth pony's own word, was trussed up like a turkey in serious need of psychological care. Behind the two flew Fluttershy, disguised as Lilith, who visibly wore a nervous expression that grew more obvious as they approached the griffin guards below.
Here we go... Rainbow Dash gave a nervous swallow as she landed in a short landed before the guards.
"Welcome back Damian." greeted one of the guard in a bored tone. Rainbow Dash recognized him from Damian's memory as Stamper, the leader of this group of guards. "How goes the hunt?"
"See for yourself." Rainbow Dash, or Damian, turned aside to reveal the tied up Applejack, who was doing her best to looked pissed off. The guard took a closer look at Applejack before frowning.
"I thought you were hunting for a pegasus..." commented the guard.
"Yeah..." answered Rainbow Dash in a drawn out tone.
"I thought pegasi have wings."
"No kidding." deadpanned Rainbow Dash, rolling her eyes at the most obvious of statement. "I didn't get the pegasus."
"And you were so confident about catching that..." the guard tapped the side of his beak thoughtfully. "What was it that you said? Flying pest?"
Flying pest? Rainbow's left eye twitched in anger.
"Listen here. Why don't you try catching the most awesome of pegasus in Equestria yourself?" snarled Rainbow Dash. It took her just a second to notice that she acted out of character.
Oh crap oh crap oh crap...
"Er... I mean..." stuttered Rainbow Dash, starting to panic as she noted the growing suspicions in the guards.
"Oh Damian, you poor thing." Lilith, or Fluttershy disguised as one, strode up to her and ran her talon over Damian's cheek. "Are you still dizzy from the explosion?"
"What explosion?" asked Stamper. Lilith wrapped her foreleg around Damian's neck affectionately, causing Damian's cheeks to flush crimson uncontrollably, before turning to the questioning guard.
"Blake tried to help Damian catch that damn pegasus." replied Lilith, who sounded like a stereotypical clingy mare-friend complaining about injustices done to her lover. "Of course, being Blake, he blew up my poor Damian instead. So he's a bit... confused right now."
"That... sounded like Blake." commented Stamper. "I don't see him, what happened?"
Whoa... she's good... thought Rainbow Dash as the guards' suspicions evaporated in an instant.
"Blew himself up." answered Lilith offhoofedly. "Not sure how he did it, but he managed."
"That... also sounded like Blake."
"So could you please let us in so my poor Damian can get some rest?" asked Lilith, doing her best pouting expression with her eyes and beak. Stamper regarded them for a while before motioning the guard to step aside.
"Fine, head on in."
Without wasting another second, Damian and Lilith quickly trotted by them into the cave.
"... must had been one heck of an explosion..." Rainbow Dash overheard what one of the other guard said before their voices died away as they turned into a side tunnel. Once she was sure that no one else was around, Rainbow Dash turned to Fluttershy.
"How did you... act so natural?" asked Rainbow Dash incredulously. Fluttershy shrugged, her voice returned to her more timid self.
"I just... kind of let the memories take over for a while." answer Fluttershy.
"And ah say that's a mighty fine act you did back there." said Applejack. "A bit sappy, but might fine act."
"Um... thanks..."
"So, can ah get down now?" asked Applejack, wiggling her bound hooves to make her point.
"Not right now, what if another griffin sees us?" answered Rainbow Dash. Applejack noticed a faint smirk on the disguised pegasus' beak.
"Ya enjoying this, aren't you?" deadpanned Applejack.
"Maybe a little." said Rainbow Dash. "But I'm serious about another griffin seeing us."
"Ya got a good point there." sighed Applejack, resigning to her uncomfortable state. "So, where are we going?"
"Damian's room." said Rainbow Dash.
"Why?" asked Applejack with a frown.
"He keeps Gilda there." answered Rainbow Dash. "It's close, and Gilda probably knows where they're keeping Twilight and Pinkie."
=====================================================================
The trip to Damian's room was much easier than expected, owing impart to Damian's... intimidating size and reputation. Most of the griffins they encountered were a tad smaller in size, who were quite happy to just stay out of their way. The few griffins that were similarly sized as Damian mostly minded their own business, with a few greeting here and there. What was unusual, were the lack of those bear-sized griffin. The ones that, in Damian's memory, would give him a condescending due to his inadequacy and occasionally gave him some trouble. Of course, Rainbow Dash won't complain about the easy trip, other than the fact that...
"She's not here." stated Rainbow Dash as she noted open steel collar chained beside the door. Closing the door behind her, she dropped Applejack off her back before morphing back into her pegasus form. The moment she saw the rest of the room, she regret coming here. She had forgotten about Damian's... macabre taste in decoration. Numerous skulls lined the walls: griffins, minotaurs, dragons, and...
"Is this... a unicorn skull?" asked Applejack in wide eyes at the bleached white skull with a unicorn horn in front of her. Backing away out of reflex, her back bumped into the circular bed at the center of the room. She turned around, and was greeted by a bed that was covered in pelts of varying hues of rainbow covered the surface. What made Applejack nearly lose her stomach, was that some of those pelts have cutie-marks on them.
"Are those... are those..." stuttered Applejack, darting her eyes in between Rainbow Dash and the ghastly bed. Her mouth open and close, but no further word came out as she sat there, stunned.
"... those poor things..." whispered Fluttershy. Her voice shook with grief.
"... who are they..." asked Applejack in near catatonia.
"Traders, travelers, vacationers..." replied Rainbow Dash, her voice low and subdued. "... just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time..."
"Dis ain't right..." said Applejack slowly shaking her head while her eyes were fixed at the horrors in front of her. "Dis is.. just ain't right..."
"Do you think... Twilight... Pinkie..." asked Fluttershy with a look of horror on her.
"I think they're still alive. But we do need to find them..." Rainbow Dash transformed into Damian mid-sentence, with Fluttershy taking the cue and morph into Lilith. "... fast."
"... ain't right..." mouthed Applejack. Seeing that Applejack wasn't about to move, Rainbow Dash wiggled herself under the earth pony and lifted her up. Applejack did not protest as she was draped across Rainbow's back as they left the room.
They didn't go far before a griffin, about the same size as Damian but had a gauntly look about him, stopped them.
"Hey Damian! Fancy seeing you... here..." the griffin greeted, his words trailing off into a slur. A faint scent of alcohol waft from the griffin. Rainbow Dash tried to recall who this griffin was. As she came to expect, a short stab of pain ran through her head. The name Skinny surfaced in her mind, followed by flashes of memories that showed her the reason of his name, and it wasn't because he was thin. "You... feeling alright?"
"Yeah... just fine... Skinny..." answered Rainbow Dash through gritted, trying to not murder the griffin in front of her right then and there. At the corner of her eyes, she saw the same expression of suppressed rage on Lilith's features. Thankfully, the drunken griffin didn't seem to notice.
"Well... I'm surprised... pleasantly I mean... hic... seeing you here." slurred Skinny. "Well... I guess... being boss' son... didn't matter much..."
"What are you talking about?" asked Rainbow Dash, getting a control of her emotion while trying to get some information out of the inebriated griffin.
"You didn't know?" said Skinny in surprise. "The boss... took some of the... beefier griffins... for a little... show and tell..."
So that explains the missing griffins... thought Rainbow Dash as the griffin continued with a sigh.
"... I guess that's life... being small... it's just not... HEY!" Rainbow Dash flinched and took a step back when Skinny suddenly advanced to her side with an excited look in his eyes. "You got a pony!"
"Er... yeah, my dad wanted another one." said Rainbow Dash. A shift in weight on her back told her that Applejack had noticed the attention.
"Another dirt pony?" questioned Skinny, who appeared to have sobered up the moment he saw Applejack. "I thought your father wanted a flying one."
"Yeah?"
"And you said I can have any non-flying ones you caught." he added.
"I..." Rainbow Dash stopped herself.
Damian did make that promise... thought Rainbow Dash. A second, much darker thought entered her mind. Applejack do need a disguise...
"I did say that, didn't I?" continued Rainbow Dash with a smile that carried a hint of malice. Again, the griffin didn't notice since he had his attention on Applejack.
"Perfect! Bring it to my room!" Skinny clapped his talons together with glee before skipping his way into a nearby room. Both Lilith and Applejack gave her the What are you doing? look.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." whispered Rainbow Dash as she followed Skinny into the room. The instant she entered she heard two faint gasps from Applejack and Fluttershy. Even Rainbow Dash, with Damian's horrid memories to prepare herself, couldn't help but gag a little at the stench of blood that permeated the room.
Comparing Damian's room to Skinny's would be like comparing Fluttershy's cottage with... well, Damian's. Racks of bloody wooden frames were set along the left wall, several with griffin and pony pelts stretched out over them. Along the right wall were metal hooks, all stained with dried blood, but thankfully, lacking the carcasses from Damian's memories. At the far end of the wall sat a wooden table that, like the metal hooks, was stained with blood. Metal shackled were bolted into the bench, arranged to keep its victim spread out over it. Hanging from nails driven into the wall above the table were instruments that could only come out of the most depraved of horror film. Saws, knives, and other instruments of unspeakable designs lined the wall, their sharp edges gleamed with the dim lights of the lanterns scattered in the room. Skinny made a beeline to the wall and hummed happily as he browse through the deadly instruments.
With the griffin preoccupied with his... toys, Rainbow Dash close the thick wooden door shut behind her. It closed with a heavy and solid thunk.
"That's one thick door there." commented Rainbow Dash as she winked at Applejack, who was trying to figure out what the disguised pegasus was up to. "Perfect for keeping certain... noises from getting out, I guess."
A look of realization dawned on Applejack as she turned to the oblivious griffin with narrowed eyes.
"Yeah..." sighed Skinny, picking a curved blade off the wall and inspected it. Apparently satisfied with his choice, he picked up a sharpening steel and ran it along the blade's edge. "Some griffins just don't appreciate a good slaughter. Like I always say! The more they scream, the better they'll taste! Beside, it's easier to skin them while they're still alive."
Applejack slid off Rainbow Dash's back and landed with a soft clatter, which went unnoticed by Skinny due to the noise of scraping metal. The earth pony shook visibly with rage as she stalked toward the busy griffin.
"So how do you want this? The usual 50-50?" Skinny turned around with the honed blade in claw... "Of course, you get the... pelt..."... and saw Applejack halfway between him and Rainbow Dash.
"You... you..." snarled Applejack, baring her teeth as she did so. "You will pay for this!"
"Ooh! This one got some fight in her!" giggled Skinny with a warped look of glee on him. "I like it!"
"Let's see how you like THIS!" Applejack charged against the cackling griffin. The grin on Skinny's face melted away when he saw the pair of blade like horns grew from Applejack's head.
"What the..." shaking out of his shock and gathering his wits about him, Skinny tried to jump aside the charging pony. With his right claw, he raised his knife in front of him, ready to catch the rapidly approaching horn.
It was a futile attempt, which was made apparent to Skinny who watched in horror as the edged horn sliced effortlessly through his puny knife. Without slowing down, nor changing its direction, the tip of Applejack's horn entered just below his rib-cage, tearing a long gash through his right side before leaving just above his right flank.
"GAH!" Skinny's scream was punctuated by the thundering crash from Applejack as she plowed right into the wooden table. Her impact sent tremor through the room, causing the knives from the wall to fall.
"Damian! Help me!" cried out Skinny. His claws pressed against the bleeding gash in his side, where coils of intestine were hanging out like some grotesque streamers. The looks of horror turned to one of abject terror when he saw Damian and Lilith, the former wearing a sneer while the latter a cold indifference, transformed back to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.
"SHE won't be helping you!" Skinny snapped his head to the demolished table, what greeted him was something that came straight out of a horror show. Amidst the wreckage stood Applejack, her eyes filled with a thirst for vengeance. Several of his prized knives had buried themselves in Applejack's side, but none seem to cause her any trouble at all. At worst, it merely annoyed her a bit as she tore the knives out of her one by one, the wound healing instantly in a swarm of black tendrils.
"Who... WHAT ARE YOU?" cried out Skinny. Despite his seriously injured state, he was still as lively as ever. He tried to put as much distance between him and the enraged pony. But with his talons busy holding his guts in and the ground slicked with his blood, his only accomplishment was spreading the pooling blood wider and wider. "HELP! ANYONE! HELP!"
"No one can hear you." Rainbow Dash coldly stated, flicking her head toward the door behind her. "Soundproof room, remember?"
Skinny's mouth opened and closed like a fish. His mind whirled as he tried to find a way out of this nightmare. "Please... spare me..." he begged.
"Did the ponies you killed beg like that?" snarled Applejack, her fiery gaze bore into the terrified griffin. "Why should I let you live when you didn't let them."
"I... I..." stammered Skinny. "I... I never killed them!" blurted out Skinny as he nodded vigorously. "Yes! I never killed them, they're already dead when I got them. I only..."
The lie was both blatant and transparent, more so given the memories they came to possess. Something that Fluttershy made absolutely clear to the doomed griffin.
"You're lying." stated Fluttershy. Her head low to the ground as she hid her face behind the pastel mane, but Rainbow Dash could hear the anger behind those word.
"But... But... I'm telling the..."
"I saw it." Fluttershy cut off Skinny's protest. She shifted her head up a little, just enough for her right eye to peek past her mane and straight at the cowering griffin. It wasn't the domineering Stare that Rainbow Dash remembered, but something else that looked far more terrifying. "I saw... the horrible things you did to them..."
Skinny's eyes flicked between the three ponies, the look of panic in those eyes grew as his breath quickened. His feature grew pale, some from blood loss, but mostly from abject fear. Finally, he broke down into a wailing sob.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry for everything!" he begged hysterically. "I won't hurt anyone again! Please! Just let me live! I'll give you anything! What do you want? Gold? I got plenty of gold in my safe! Or gems? I got those too!"
"I want justice..." growled Applejack, causing whatever color that was left in the griffin's face to drain away. "... and I would like your face WITH IT!"
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy turned away from Applejack tore into griffin. Her head thrashing left and right as her horns dismembered the screaming griffin. In seconds the screams turned to gurgles before they were silenced, replaced by the distinct squelch of Skinny's remains being absorbed by his executioner.
=====================================================================
A mare was tied to the table on her back. Her four hooves were shackled to the corners of the table by heavy cuffs, exposing her vulnerable stomach to the air. She was sobbing, but otherwise looked resigned to her fate.
"Give up already?" Applejack heard herself said in Skinny's voice. "No screaming, no begging... not like your mate."
A grimace flashed across the mare's face, coupled by images of a bloody, skinless pony hanging from a hook forcing their way into Applejack's mind.
"Just get on with it." the mare spat out. "I won't give you the satisfaction... you monster."
"Oh, you will." said Skinny as he walked toward a curtain. Another flash of memory told Applejack what's behind it before Skinny pulled the curtain away. The mare gasped.
"Licorice!" the mare cried out. A young colt dangled upside down below a metal hook, which was hooked through the rope binding the colt's hooves together.
"Mom!" the colt called back. His body swung as he struggled against the tightly bound ropes. "Mom! What's happening?"
"What's he doing here?" demanded the mare, glaring at Skinny.
"Oh! He's going to be... our audience." the griffin answered with glee while waving a hooked blade in his talon.
"YOU MONSTER!" the mare strained and pulled against the shackles. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS!"
"But I'm doing him a favor." replied Skinny sounding like he was offended. At the same time he approached the mare with a sadistic grin. "He's about to get a valuable lesson in pony anatomy!"
"Licorice... close your eyes... whatever happened, don't open them." choked out the mare as Skinny let the tip of the blade hover just below her sternum.
"Oh, you best hope he keeps his eyes open." crooned Skinny. "Or I'll make sure to drag this out for a very, very long time."
"Mom..." the young colt whimpered.
"First lesson!" announced Skinny with a cackle.
"Just close your eyes!" the mare cried out. "Mommy will be fine! Just keep those eyes closed! No matter..."
Spray of blood filled her vision as the colt's scream drilled into her ears. The vision and voices warped and melded together into incomprehensible blur before the head-splitting pain in her head faded away. Applejack blinked a few times as her sights cleared and the cacophony in her ear died. Her eyes remained fixed at the bloody ground for a few seconds before she lifted her head. She felt tears rolling uncontrollably down her cheeks while Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy watched her with concern.
"He... he made her kid watch..." sobbed Applejack. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy was on her a second later, each wrapped their hooves around her in support. "He made her kid watch when he... he..."
"It's going to be okay." cooed Fluttershy, nuzzling Applejack in the neck. "It will get better soon."
Just as Fluttershy said, Applejack found the memories grew more detached and foreign by the second. The flood of emotion that threatened to overwhelm her ebbed away as her thoughts cleared. The wave of sorrow was soon replaced by a barely suppressed fury.
"They'll pay for this..." spat out Applejack. "We'll make them pay for this..."
"Yes we will." affirmed Rainbow Dash. "But first, we need to find our friends first."
Vision of corridors flashed through Applejack's mind, before it ended with a cage containing a pink pony.
"I know where Pinkie is." said Applejack.
=====================================================================
Pinkamena Diane Pie ambled her way aimlessly through a rocky plain. It's a place she was familiar, the Pie family's rock farm. Although being in her dream, and with the unusually dark mood she was in, the farm looked even more desaturated and washed out than she remember.
"That idiot... and her stupid promises..." grumbled Pinkamena with a scowl as she kicked a small rock in front of her out of her way. To say that she's angry with her more bubbly counterpart was an understatement. Because of her, she is blind. There no word in Equestrian dictionary Pinkamena could think of that was sufficient to describe the idiocy of her bubble-headed alter-ego. Not that she's going to stop trying.
"Nincompoop..." she growled. A hoof-sized rock rolled to a stop in front of her. She stared at the seemingly self propelled rock for a second before a filly walked up and rolled the rock away. Pinkamena quickly realized that the filly was her. The filly's mane was straight, with a blank look of boredom on her as she rolled the rock into a small pile of other rocks. It took her another second to realize which memory this was.
The ground shook violently, followed by the a powerful blast of wind that turned her mane and tail into a puffy mess. Like her filly-self, Pinkamena Diane Pie couldn't help but stare at the ever expanding circle of rainbow-colored light that washed over the sky.
This was when she showed up... thought Pinkamena. Right on cue, a ghostly echoed rang out around her.
"Oh my goodness that's so pretty! It's all like BOOM and WHOOSH and ZING and RING and... and WOW! I feel so... so... Is this what happy feels like!? I like this! Everyone should feel like this!"
What followed was a blur to her. She was like a bored spectator, watching herself frantically zipping around the unused rock silo like a pony possessed. Literally possessed by something else she didn't quite understand at the time. She watched herself threw a party to her normally up-tight and stiff families, who seems to be won over by her antics.
The night after the party was when she first met her air-headed alter-ego.
"Ooh! Hello there! Who are you?" asked the hyperactive pony, bouncing up and down in front of her with her snout merely eyelashes lengths away from her.
"Pinkamena..." answered Pinkamena, slowly and a bit confused. "... Diane... Pie."
"Hey! Me too! That's so weird!" the pink pony jabbered excitedly. "But I feel like a Pinkie, not Pinkamena... ooh! I know! You can call me Pinkie Pie! That way we won't get confused! You look kinda like me! Actually if I could make your hair all poofy... or I make mine straight-ish... Ooh! You're going to be my first friend that's not my family! This is so exciting! Or maybe you're technically still family... like a new sister! Or..."
Ever since that fateful encounter with, what she later learned, the sonic rainboom, it had become a strange sort of existence for her. Her memories of her waking moments were a haze, and sometimes she didn't even remember what happened during those time. At night, it became a sort of frequent event where she would meet Pinkie Pie in her dream, who would regale to her the interesting happenings of her day. Although occasionally, the pink pony would behave as if they have never met before and treated her as if she's a new friend with all the enthusiasm that typical of Pinkie Pie.
The fact that she's, apparently, no longer in control of her own body doesn't bother that much at first. She considered that her life up to that point had been a mindless routine with a sprinkle of crushing boredom, not having to live through that day by day was a plus. However, as time went on, she found herself missing more and more time between her short period of consciousness while she was awake. At the same time, the frequency at which Pinkie Pie forgot about her in her dream became near constant. It had gotten to the point that she would lose consciousness at the end of a dream, listening to the ever chattering Pinkie Pie, and "wake-up" in another dream days later with the same Pinkie Pie asking who she was. She begun to fear for her existence. Fearing that one day, she would disappear forever in her own body. Her depression grew worse and worse as time went on. Until one day, she snapped.
They were in some sort of a candy-land, where lollypop dotted the ground like flowers and the trees were made of marshmallow and grew candied apples. A table made of chocolate stood nearby, covered with more candies and treats and a chocolate fountain. It was sunny, with a scattering of cotton candy cloud. However, nothing could alleviate the depression Pinkamena was in.
"What's wrong?" asked Pinkie Pie with concern. A traffic cone rested on top of her head like an oversized party hat.
"Why do you care?" answered Pinkamena bitingly, turning her head to avoid seeing Pinkie Pie face-to-face.
"Because you're my friend, and I care about you." said Pinkie Pie.
"Friend, huh?" scoffed Pinkamena. "Tell me, do you remember us meeting before?"
"No..." answered Pinkie Pie, cocking her head with uncertainty. "... at least... I don't remember."
"Really?" Pinkamena gave Pinkie Pie a sarcastic grin. "Because I remember us meeting like this for many, many times!"
"We did?" asked Pinkie Pie nervously.
"YES!" Pinkamena stood up and swung around, putting her front hooves on Pinkie's shoulder. The traffic cone toppled off Pinkie's head as she flinched from the sudden motion. "ENOUGH TIMES FOR ME TO LOSE COUNT! AND YOU KEEP FORGETTING ABOUT IT!"
"I... I did?"
"EVERY... SINGLE... TIME! IT'S LIKE YOU NEVER KNEW ME! WHY? IS IT BECAUSE YOU HATE ME?" Pinkamena was on the verge of tears. "IS IT BECAUSE YOU WANT TO FORGET ME?"
"I... don't..."
"You don't want me..." Pinkamena released Pinkie Pie and sat down again. Her head hung low as tears started to flow. "Of course you don't... I'm the old you... somepony you don't want to be reminded of..."
"I... I don't hate you..."
"... I don't want to disappear..." Pinkamena sniffed and hiccuped as she sat. Her back heaved with sobs as the idea of vanishing from her own mind completely took hold. Pinkie Pie was silent for what felt like a long while to Pinkamena, which gave her a start when Pinkie Pie put her hooves on her shoulders gently. Pinkamena looked up in surprise at the pony who's looking back at her with a faint smile.
"I won't let you disappear." said Pinkie Pie reassuringly. "I promise."
"Huh?" Pinkamena stared back in confusion.
"I promise that I'll always remember you, and I will do everything I can to make sure you don't disappear." said Pinkie Pie.
"No you won't." replied Pinkamena, turning her head aside. "You'll just forget about your promise... just like you forget about me..."
"Nuh-uh." Pinkie Pie shook her head. "This is a Pinkie promise, from one Pinkie to another... technically from one Pinkie to a Pinka... or Minnie... Let's just go with Pinkie. Anyway, I promise you, no pony will break a Pinkie promise, ever!" Pinkie Pie released her and stepped back. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!"
Pinkamena watched her alter-ego jab her right hoof into her closed eye at the end of the strange chant. She knew that there's no reason why simply calling a promise by another name would make it a better promise. She knew that Pinkie Pie would forget about her and her promise. Yet, perhaps it was the ridiculousness of her alter-ego's behavior, or that secretly she believed it would work, she couldn't stop herself from cracking a small smile.
"You smiled! You smiled!" Pinkie Pie whooped as she hopped around Pinkamena in a circle. "Your first smile! I think... THIS DESERVES A PARTY!"
Whatever doubt she had about Pinkie's promise, to her pleasant surprise, never came true. True to her word, Pinkie Pie never forget about her again after that. While there were still occasions where she forgot her name, or that they've talked before, or that she really didn't like the nick-name "Minnie", Pinkie Pie always remembered her existence. Gone were the nights where Pinkie Pie treated her as somepony she just met. Instead, most nights were replaced by parties. Some were wild, others were just surreal, as in a beach party on a beach of sugar and ocean of chocolate.
And it wasn't just their shared dreams that saw changes. Ever since that promise, she found herself more and more aware of the time when she, or Pinkie Pie, was awake. Most of the time it was like movie, where she would watch Pinkie Pie go through her daily life. Sometimes, she would find herself as an imaginary actress of sorts in one of Pinkie Pie's impromptu song and dance. There were some rare moments where she took control of their body, but it was always the result of some sort of... "tragedies" that cause Pinkie Pie to sink into a depression. For example, that one time when Pinkie Pie thought her best-est friends stopped liking her.
Pinkamena couldn't help but face-hoof at the memory of her trying to make new "friends" for Pinkie Pie to cheer her up... friends made of rocks, a bag of flour, some turnip, and even lints.
Probably should leave the friend-making to the bubble head...
But even if she wasn't in control most of the time, Pinkamena was happy. Through Pinkie Pie, she got to experience the joy of friendship. Thanks to Pinkie Pie, she no longer fear that she would one day vanish from her own mind.
Because Pinkie Pie made a Pinkie promise to her.
A promise that she would never break.
The very promise that she just called stupid.
Pinkamena froze with a start as the world around her, recollections of her time with Pinkie Pie, shattered like glass before sinking into the inky floor. The world around returned to a gray foggy expanse of nothingness as the revelation dawned on her.
"How could I have forgotten..." muttered Pinkamena as she sat down in shock. She smacked her hoof to her forehead and hung her head in shame. "You... idiot..."
"I'm sorry..." came Pinkie's voice. Pinkamena looked up. Just a few paces in front of her, the gray fog parted, through which she could see Pinkie Pie. Seemingly illuminated by a spotlight, she lay there with her head under her forelegs, sobbing into the ground.
"Pinkie Pie?" called out Pinkamena as she closed the distance between. Pinkie Pie looked up from under her legs. The two holes where her eyes used to be was filled with tear, which drained out in two rivulets down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Pinkie Pie pushed herself up to a sitting position. "Please forgive..."
Pinkie Pie's cries was silence when Pinkamena reached out with her hoof and placed it on Pinkie's mouth.
"No..." Pinkie's ear and shoulders drooped at the response. "... I am the one who should be sorry."
Pinkie's ear shot back up out of surprise. Pinkamena removed her hoof from Pinkie's mouth before continuing.
"I... I've forgotten about the promise..." said Pinkamena. "The promise you made to me... so that I can be here... for that I'm sorry..."
"So... you're not angry anymore?" asked Pinkie Pie in hopeful disbelief.
"How could I be angry if I'm the one saying sorry?"
"But I... we are blind because of me..." sniffed Pinkie Pie.
"Okay... maybe I'm still a bit angry about that..." said Pinkamena with a faint smile. "How about this? I'll forgive you for making us blind if you'll forgive me for calling your Pinkie Promise stupid?"
Pinkamena reached out toward Pinkie Pie with both her forelegs. Pinkie sniffed once more before cracking our a wide smile.
"I forgive you!" shouted Pinkie as she threw herself into a hug. "Thank you..."
"No... thank you..." answered Pinkamena, wrapping her hooves around Pinkie Pie. They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity. Until Pinkamena noticed that her alter-ego was fading away.
"I think its time for you to wake up." said Pinkamena. She felt Pinkie Pie's nod against her shoulder.
"Thank you." mumbled Pinkie Pie moments before she disappeared in her hooves completely. Once again, she was alone, or so she thought.
"I'm happy for you two." Pinkamena turned to find Fluttershy, wearing a gentle smile and gaze, walking toward her.
"Yeah..." answered Pinkamena. She looked at the empty space where Pinkie Pie was moments ago with a sense of regret. "I just wish that we have more time."
"What do you mean?" asked Fluttershy with concern.
"In case you didn't, we are imprisoned by a bunch of sadistic maniacs. Who, by the way, already tore our eyes out for shits and giggles." Pinkamena sighed. "I just don't think we will live for much longer.
"Oh... that!" the sudden flippant tone from Fluttershy caused Pinkamena to look toward the pegasus with surprise. Fluttershy returned her look with a secretive and conspiratorial grin. "I won't worry about that too much."