“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!”
The sound of screams filled the underground room. Everypony strapped to her metal table was writhing in agony from the mental torture raging through each of their minds. Every horrid memory, every cruel and evil deed the sinister six ponies had committed in all their existence was channeled from Twilight Psycho's mind into those of the main six. Their minds were assaulted by a barrage of information and imagery, some more excruciatingly vivid than the others, though none of them were particularly pleasant at all. The level of torment they were experiencing was like no other, and never have they seen the depths of depravity that they were now witnessing in their heads. The Cerebral Amplifier was merciless in it's execution; every sensation was magnified and heightened so that the ponies could feel the raw emotions their counterpart's experienced while committing their vile acts. Seething hatred for life, murderous joy, perverted obsession, all these were foreign to their innocent minds. However, the worse part was when they were experiencing the fear and pain, as the victims themselves... especially when the tormentor was one of their own friends.
“Pinkie please! No! Please stop!” Rainbow Dash cried out in pain and disbelief. Her mind unwilling to accept that one of her best friends was torturing her, and doing unspeakable things to her body. Those bright eyes that brought so many smiles to everypony, were now a representation of horror for Rainbow. The energies swirling around her headgear flickered intensely, and cold sweat ran down her head. Her loud, noisy cries soon turned into a pitiful whimper... “Please... 'sniff' I want to go home...”
“Sweetie Belle! Don't cut yourself! Darling, No!!!” Rarity pleaded with the air, her eyes staring off into the darkness of the basement tricked by the illusion of the mental device. But in her mind, it felt real. She could not belief the depraved hobby she had gotten into, causing pain to others and to herself, it was unthinkable! But despite hating it with a passion, Rarity could also feel the tremendous joy and pleasure of committing these horrendous acts. It made her sick. Though it pained her much more to see that her sweet, innocent sister had followed in her hoofsteps by taking up her new hobby, and was enjoying every nasty bit of it... “Sweetie please, please don't do it! I promise I'll spend more time with you! I'll always be there for you! We'll do whatever you want darling please just stop!”
“I'm so sorry! I c, ca, can't stop! Please forgive me!” Fluttershy screamed and cried, tears gushing down her cheeks as her body quivered from shock; her mind reeling from the horrendous act that she was about to perform on her fillyhood friend, Rainbow Dash. The cruel chainsaw in her hooves was held precariously above Rainbow's head, who was strapped to a chair in a room that was surrounded by walls plastered with animal carcasses. If only she was able to look away, or shut her eyes and pretend that none of this was happening before her, but she could only helplessly experience all the sensations while the grisly story unfolded in her mind. Her sobs only got louder and more desperate as the play reached it's climax... with the death of Rainbow Dash. What followed after, made Fluttershy shriek till her voice was hoarse. She saw herself bent over the split cadaver of Rainbow, and started gnawing on her freshly spewed brains on the floor. Poor Fluttershy could not bare it any longer, back in reality her natural reflexes kicked in and she hurled uncontrollably. She vomited her stomach contents out and rolled her eyes back, her head hung in exhaustion as she slipped into unconsciousness. The darkness offering her respite from the torment even if just for a moment...
“Nooooooo! Apple Bloom! Big Mac! Granny Smith!” Applejack tossed frantically from side to side, trying in vain to halt a mentally stimulated event. She knew this was all made up, she knew that everything that was happening was just in her head. And that she would never harm her own family, not in a million years. Yet she couldn't help but grit her teeth, eyes watering with tears of emotional pain as she stared into Apple Bloom's confused eyes. The little filly showed no hatred, only an unspoken 'why' as she choked on her words, unable to speak because of her sister's hooves tightening around her neck. Applejack just kept apologizing between sobs, shaking from the trauma of strangling Apple Bloom with her own bare hooves. However, the thing that made her sick to the core was that she could feel what her doppelganger felt when she was committing the act, a deep seething hatred for her sister and a twisted ecstasy at taking her life; and it filled Applejack with shame and self loathing.
More sobs and cries of denial came from Pinkie Pie. From torturing others to being tortured herself, Pinkie experienced multiple memories and events just like the rest. And being the Element of Laughter, it struck her especially hard that she would be the cause of misery for anypony. Party items that were was once her tools of making everypony smile, had been warped into twisted instruments of horror. The stretchy nature of balloons and banners used to give her such joy, now with their blood-stained surface she dared not guess what they were made of. She recognized every pony, every betrayed look on their faces, every voice of fear and cries of mercy haunted her mind. She wished and hoped that the gory images of their deaths would go away, that those blood covered hooves that brought so much pain and suffering were not hers. But it was no use, every vile act her alternate self enjoyed inflicting upon others was now being re-lived by Pinkie. The worst surprise to come, was when she realized what she did with her victims after she had her way with them; and it involved something that Pinkie in her wildest nightmares never thought possible... cupcakes... Pinkie banged her head against the metal table she was on, causing power sparks to fly off her headgear. She didn't care if it hurt her, she was just desperate to get the images out of her head and end the torment. Her yells of denial joining those of her friends: “This is not right! This Is Not Right!!!”
Twilight Sparkle fought hard with all her might, hoping that somehow that she could use her magic through the machine to get all of them out of this predicament. She searched for something, anything that could help her overcome Twilight Psycho's hold on them. Her efforts, however gallant, were in vain as her mind was thrown into a swirling chaos of horrific imagery. She could not belief what she was seeing, the experiments she... her evil counterpart conducted upon her friends, the twisted concept of friendship that she had as she killed them off one by one in the name of power. The unholy union of the Sinister Six, the abominable creations she had let loose upon Equestria, the death and destruction of countless innocent lives. She could feel it, taste it, the ambition that drove this Twilight, she was not satisfied with merely killing and taking over a single world, her plan was far grander than that. It was at this moment Twilight saw through the eyes of her counterpart's memory, the first step to achieving her evil goal. It was inside the royal chambers of the Canterlot Castle, and the place was in ruins. The rest of the Sinister Six were surrounding a wretched figure, and though she was a different color, there was no mistaking who it was... Princess Celestia. If the images before had not broken her, what she was about to witness, completely shattered her resolve. The sight of Princess Celestia being mercilessly cut down by her 'friends', and the way they defiled her body burned itself into her psyche. The last image she saw was Applewreck and Rainbow Slash presenting her with a pair of sparkling blue wings, still dripping with blood...
Then, it all stopped. The low humming of dying machinery filled the basement as energy from the Cerebral Amplifier dissipated steadily; but the sound of crying and senseless mumblings could still be heard from it's unfortunate victims. Twilight Psycho removed the device from her head reluctantly, she had savored every moment of the ordeal, wallowing in their misery and pain. It was over almost too quickly, oh the delight she had watching them squirm with but a thought of her demented mind. The most satisfying of all was hearing the Princess finally scream as she broke her, it took a while but it made the sensation all the more delicious. Now, seeing all of them whimpering in the real world, Twilight Psycho could continue with breaking them in both mind, body, and soul. She licked her lips in anticipation and tasted... blood? She put a hoof to her muzzle, blood was indeed trickling from her snout down to her mouth. She wiped it away and caught sight of Lil' Miss Rarity giving her a curious look, she was the only one who had noticed her do so, the rest were to busy mocking and gloating at their goody-two-horseshoe counterparts. Twilight Psycho waved her hoof dismissively at Miss Rarity, if there was something she wanted to say it was silenced for good. Ignoring her scarred friend, Twilight Psycho turned her attention back to the captive ponies.
Traumatized and drained, none of the ponies were in any condition to protest as they were taunted and jeered at by their alternate copies.
“Wake up! Time to get up!” Slaughtershy whispered loudly into Fluttershy's ear before throwing an entire pail of water into her face. The yellow pegasus jolted to life gasping for breath, hoping against hope that she had awoken in her own cottage with a leak in the roof and that everything she remembered was just a very, very, very, very bad dream. Unfortunately, she opened her eyes and stared into those of her doppelganger.
“I'm really sorry for waking you... but I couldn't sit back and let you miss out on all the fun, that would be terrible of me.”
“I... I... 'whimper' 'sniff'...”
“I wish I could have seen what was going on in your head, could you possibly consider telling me which memory you saw?”
Her words caused Fluttershy to recall the horrors she had seen making her gag and throw up once more.
“Heh, not so tough now huh runt?” Slash hovered in front of Rainbow Dash, who weakly lifted her head up to confront Slash.
“Not... afraid... of...”
'SMACK!' Slash struck Rainbow Dash hard across the mouth with a back-hoof slap, grinning maliciously as she did so.
“You talk when I tell you to talk.” she snarled.
“Ya killed them... Ah can't believe, ya killed them all...” Applejack muttered, dazed and in shock.
“Dat's right... 'sugarcube', Ah offed dem like vermin on a farm.”
“How could ya? They were your family!”
“Wat can Ah say? Guess Ah'm da rotten apple of da family tree. Guess what Ah'm gonna do to yours?”
“How could you do that to her! How could you allow Sweetie Belle to end up as depraved and twisted as you?”
Lil' Miss Rarity nuzzled her doll lovingly, ignoring the infuriated unicorn. She cocked her head as if listening to an inaudible voice.
“Yes baby? Why of course we are a happy family darling!” she turned her attention to Rarity. “At least we enjoyed our activities together, like real sisters should. You couldn't even keep a simple promise for a sleepover.” Her voice dripped with venom, and her false smile got under Rarity's skin. “Maybe... I should show your Sweetie Belle some of my more, exotic pastimes? Perhaps she'll even take a liking to it! Then I can replace you as her sister, a real sister who will always be there for her.”
“You leave Sweetie Belle alone!”
“I-I was wrong...” Twilight stammered in anger, the traumatizing events still fresh in her head. “You're not a bully... you're a monster.”
Unfazed by her accusation, Twilight Psycho returned her angry gaze with a condescending smirk.
“Monster, is such a... misrepresenting description. I prefer the term... visionary.”
If there was ever a time that Twilight knew hate, it was now. The mere sight of this mad-mare sickened her to the bone. She longed with all her heart that she could teach this mare a lesson, and make her pay for all the suffering she and her ilk have caused. The crimes against ponykind she had committed were beyond anything Twilight thought possible and she wished that she had never discovered that such evil existed. She felt her heart ache knowing her friends were suffering beside her, and somehow can't help but feel responsible for allowing this to happen to them. Is this how their lives were going to end? Twilight could not allow it, not after what she saw the Sinister Six do to the previous world. She believed that she had perceived something during the whole ordeal that might give them a fighting chance of turning the tables on their captors. But she needed to play her cards right and wait for the right moment, making a mistake would mean she could lose the one hope they all had of getting out of here alive. As Twilight was going through her own thoughts, she heard Pinkie's voice singing a familiar song.
“...giggle at the ghostly... guffaw at the grossly... crack up 'sniff' at the cr... creepy...”
All the other ponies listened to their dear friend Pinkie Pie with a heavy heart. It was the first song she sang when they all went looking for the Elements of Harmony, and it was a cheerful and uplifting song that helped them overcome their fears in the Everfree Forest. But now, hearing Pinkie's voice crack as she struggled to sing her fears away, really crushed their spirits. She was the one pony who was always optimistic and positive regardless of the danger they were in, and it was disheartening to see even Pinkie Pie breaking down from fear... but in the face of such wickedness, it was unlikely anypony could hold on to their sanity for very long. As she persisted in singing her song, a cheerful second voice joined her in an eerie duet.
“Whoop it up with the Weepy! Chortle at the Kooky! Snortle at the Spooky! Woopee! Hahaha! Hee-hee!”
Pinkamena Cupcakes Pie bounced in front of Pinkie, giggling and snorting as she sang a long with her. Until she realized Pinkie wasn't singing anymore, but had turned up her nose refusing to participate in the mockery of a song. Pinkamena came to an abrupt halt in front of Pinkie and tilted her head curiously.
“Come on Pinkie! Why aren't you singing and smiling? This is a happy song isn't it? See, I'll start with one verse first. So, giggle at the ghostly... There, now it's your turn!”
“'No! I am not going to do it. Especially not for a rotten meanie like you!”
“Aw... don't be a not-wanna-do-it-filly. You do know nopony likes a not-wanna-do-it-filly right? Come on, at least smile for Pinkamena!”
“No...”
“Please?”
“NO!”
“Hmm...” seeing as how she wasn't going to get anything out of Pinkie Pie, Pinkamena pondered for a moment before an idea lit up in her head making her beam with eagerness. “I know just the thing that would turn that frown upside down!” Pinkamena stretched out and patted Pinkie on the head. “You just hang in there!” and with that she bounded off into the darkness leaving everypony wondering what she was up to. The sound of rummaging could be heard and soon Pinkamena returned, but was still mostly shrouded as she maintained a little distance away from the single light source in the middle of the entrapped ponies.
“Is everypony ready?”
Pinkie began singing the laughter song again, not because she wanted to feel comforted, but as a sign of defiance against this demented clone of hers.
“Pinkie you gotta stand up tall! Learn to face your fears, you'll see that they can't hurt you! Just laugh to make them disap...”
The lyrics died on her tongue as Pinkamena stepped into the light, her hooves spread outwards in a grand revealing for all to see. Everypony was shocked silent by the macabre scene before them. Draped around Pinkamena's body was a multicolored dress that was sewn together from dried skin, and emblazoned with the cutie-marks of ponies... many were hauntingly familiar. On her back were three pairs of pegasi wings, all seemingly taken from a different pony, and adorning her neck was a chain of severed unicorn horns. They clacked together as Pinkamena showed off her dress proudly, doing a little twirl like a model on a catwalk for her audience.
“Ta-Da! What does everypony think? Kinda neat huh? I made it exactly like the one you all saw in your dream world. This time, I had a little help from Lil' Miss Rarity putting it together, don't you just love the the hoof-work?”
The ponies wanted to turn their faces away from Pinkamena, yet they couldn't take their eyes off of her. They could recognize many of the cutie-marks displayed, but what gripped them the most were their own cutie-marks sewn into the dress save for Applejack's. Taking note of Twilight staring in horrified silence at the middle part of her dress, Pinkamena looked down and grinned. She skipped closer to Twilight on her hind legs and stretched her dress outwards to give the lavender princess a better view. Occupying the middle section of her outfit, was a patch of pink hide with a familiar symbol of the sun on it.
“Like what you see? I was so happy she lasted for such a long time before leaving us. In fact I believe she holds the record for lasting the longest of all who got my special party treatment! And that's more than I can say for everypony else who mostly were disappointing little fillies. You know what the best part was? That I had all my new bestest friends here joining in on the fun with me! Oh you should have seen the really creative things we did with her... before and after she left us... I remember it like it was just yesterday! Each of us wanted something from her Pinky-Pink-Highness, 'gasp' and did I mention that this Celestia was pink? How silly of me! And pink is totally my favorite color too! Anyway, I got her cutie-mark and horn. See? Together with everypony else! Well, except for Applewreck because it was her world after all and since she joined us I couldn't get her cutie-mark, but that's okay, I can have Applejack's! Oh don't look so shock sillies, I'm doing this so that you will be remembered, and that we can all be together! Friends till the end...”
Unable to stand it any longer, Pinkie Pie burst out into tears.
“Stop! Stop it! Make it stop! Please... make it stop!”
“What's wrong? Don't you want to be with your friends...” Pinkamena stretched her front hooves apart to indicate a great distance. “...For-Ever?”
Pinkie didn't answer her, she couldn't, her will had been broken. The weight of sorrow and hopelessness crushed her heart and soul. A loud pop was followed by the sound of hissing as her mane and tail deflated like a balloon. Her once fluffy and puffy hair now fell in straight lines around her head, and her coat darkened into a dull grayish pink; turning Pinkie into a picture of misery that reflected her inner torment. She kept sobbing softly to herself with both eyes closed, mumbling incoherently. In contrast, Pinkamena's mane and tail were as puffy as ever; she was now skipping and hopping in front of Pinkie Pie, amused at her suffering. Pinkamena positioned herself in front of Pinkie and raised an arm, tenderly touching the underneath of Pinkie's chin, allowing the tears to running down her cheeks to trickle onto her hoof.
“Don't be such a cry-baby! Doesn't the thought of being preserved for eternity with all your friends make you want to smile?”
“'sniff' ...no...” Pinkie whimpered quietly.
“Well it should! Now smile Pinkie...”
“...stop... 'sniff'”
“Smile!”
“...please...”
“STOP IT RIGHT NOW!”
Surprised by this sudden outburst, Pinkamena and everypony else turned to witness a fuming Fluttershy. Despite being strapped and having had to endure through this entire ordeal, she was now trembling with fury. Her angry eyes fixed on Pinkamena and the other doppelgangers with her infamous 'stare'. Her pent up emotions exploded within her and empowered the yellow pony into a ball of rage that only happened ever so rarely, usually only during times of peril that involved her friends. This, was one of those times...
“Now you listen up! ALL OF YOU! You should be ashamed of yourselves! Committing such terrible crimes on ponykind! Have you forgotten about your friends! Your families! You could have used your talents for good! Instead now you are nothing more than a bunch of sick, twisted ponies whose miserable purpose in life is to cause agony to others! You have no place here in our world! Now you let us go, and leave this world the way you found it, and don't you ever let me catch any of you back here again!”
The intruders, and her own friends, stared dumbfounded at Fluttershy. Amazed by her boldness and commanding tone. Her eyes widened even further as she continued to intensify her stare, focusing especially on Pinkamena.
“Eeek! The stare! Not the stare!” Pinkamena squealed and shielded her eyes dramatically. But no more than three seconds passed before her whole body shook as she started giggling behind her shielded face. She collapsed to the floor chuckling and snorting with amusement, her friends cracking up along with her while a despairing Fluttershy persisted on, unwilling to accept defeat.
“Oh what a riot! You really thought your 'stare' would work?”
Pinkamena hopped her way towards Fluttershy. As she drew closer, Pinkamena produced a wicked scalpel and gripped it in the cleft of her hoof. Sweat trickled down Fluttershy's brow, struggling to maintain her stare on Pinkamena; but the menacing waving of the scalpel and the spooky smile on her face was disconcerting. Pinkamena now stood face to face with Fluttershy, unflinchingly returning her gaze. With a flick of the hoof, the scalpel was brought right under Fluttershy's eye, threatening to cut into her iris.
“Let's see if you can stare after I'm done with you! Hee-hee!”
Fluttershy almost stopped breathing, she did not show any signs of fear but it was likely she was too shock to squeal or scream out a response. Her friends on the other hoof, were freaking out over Pinkamena's intention with the blade.
“Fluttershy! No!”
“Dagnammit! Don't hurt her!
“Eeek! I can't look!”
“Stop! Please stop!”
Holding her breath anxiously, Twilight could only gaze in dread at the crazy pink mare hoping she would not hurt her dear friend Fluttershy, and bring the horrors from what they saw in their minds into reality. She was about to blurt out her own protest when surprisingly, and to Twilight and her friends relief, Pinkamena lowered the scalpel. She placed a hoof on her puffy mane as if in sudden realization.
“You know what, you're right... I can't do this to Fluttershy, it would be wrong...”
With a quick stretch of her arm she reached out and dragged a deranged mare to her side, who was grinning with anticipation, saliva dribbling down the side of her mouth.
“...especially without inviting Slaughtershy to join in on the fun! Now what kind of friend would I be if I did that? A rude meanie, that's what! Come on Shy-shy, do your thing with the thing!”
With one arm wrapped around Slaughtershy's neck, Pinkamena gestured grandiosely towards Fluttershy in an inviting fashion. Slaughtershy was only too happy to oblige...
“Yessssss... brainssssss!!!”
Lifting her ever present chainsaw, she gave Fluttershy a horror inducing stare of her own that overcame the poor pony. Then, she turned the switch on bringing the tool to life with a fearsome roar. The screams and shouts of protesting ponies filled the air together with the sound of buzzing as Slaughtershy prepared to bring down the chainsaw on Fluttershy's cranium. Fluttershy let out a small squeak of terror and closed her eyes tightly, bracing herself for the pain to come.
“STOP! That's enough...”
Freezing in mid-motion, Slaughtershy glanced over at Twilight Psycho with her glazed over eyes. The ring-leader of the group had given her order in a commanding tone. Pinkamena, disappointed that her fun had been interrupted, pouted at Twilight Psycho.
“Awww... why are we stopping? And I was just about to see Slaughtershy do her thing too!”
“Because we are not going to kill them. Nor are we going to do any severe harm to their bodies, and that includes the removal of their eyes.”
Rainbow Slash flew over to Twilight Psycho, and hovered right in front of the lavender unicorn, holding up a hoof signaling a pause.
“Hold on there egghead, you said that once you were done with whatever it is you did with them, that we could have our way with them. What's with the change?”
“Ah agree... ma hoof's been itching fer a clubbin'. And yer promised us that we'd get our way with em' vermins after all dis ere' fancy-smanshy-sciency stuff.”
“And I did... I just need them alive for now.”
“But whatever for darling? We already have their Elements of Harmony, what else is there to gain? And sensibility dictates that it is not prudent to delay from disposing them. It will only increase their chances of escaping!”
“I'll tell you why!”
Seizing the opportunity, Twilight made her move and got the response she hoped for. Everypony now had their attention on her, even her friends. Though they were clueless on what Twilight was going to say.
“I felt her mind searching for answers when she connected herself with us. She won't let you all kill us because she found out that you can't... not without eliminating yourselves from existence and throwing all of reality into chaos! So whatever plans she had prior to this has already failed on this fundamental level, and there is nothing she can do about it. That means all of your efforts have been in vain.”
Twilight Psycho tossed her head back and laughed arrogantly.
“Hahaha... Princess please... just because I have encountered a few... setbacks, hardly means my cause was in vain.”
“You can pretend all you want! While you tortured us with your Cerebral Amplifier, the neural link established a mental highway between our minds... allowing access both ways. That means I saw what you were searching for inside our heads! I know you're keeping our Elements of Harmony back in the library because you didn't want to corrupt them like you did with your own Elements. You wanted to know if absorbing the Elements of Harmony belonging to this Alpha Equestria would give you unlimited power... but you found out you could never obtain their powers without destroying the original Bearers of Harmony first, and in doing so your own lives will cease to exists!”
“Bah! Your discovery of my plan means nothing! It will only be a matter of time before I solve this insignificant matter. And before that happens, I'll be keeping you lot alive... then you will discover that there are far worse fates than death.”
“You wouldn't dare do anything drastic! If anything happened to one of us, that means the same result will befall one of you ponies as well! And you can't allow that to happen when sacrificing your own friends is part of the plan.”
Hearing this, Rainbow Slash perked her ears up and glared at Twilight Sparkle, giving her a questioning and demanding look.
“What do you mean, sacrificing her own friends?”
“You didn't know? Not only does she plans to merge with the Elements of Harmony, but with every single one of you as well...”
Inside Spike's fantasy...
“Now your Lordship, would you prefer the jasper tartare or the cream of pearls with obsidian shavings?
“Huh? Oh, erm... anything Savoir Fare, I can't really decide right now.”
“Jasper tartare it is than.”
Spike sat alone at the overly long dinning table, Rarity was visiting the Crystal Empire on royal business, something about discussing the Equestria Games with Princess Cadance and Shining Armor. He was supposed to go with her as well but he decided not too, even after being admonished by Rarity about how it was his royal duty to attend such events as king. She finally relented after he explained that seeing Cadance and Shining Armor would be too strong a reminder of what happened to Twilight and drag up any suppressed emotions he might have; Spike wasn't sure that he was quite ready for that yet. Rarity grudgingly agreed to let him stay in Canterlot but she expected him to be ready for her return, and to travel with her to Saddle Arabia as compensation. She promised it would be a hot and steamy trip for the both of them, whatever that means. Though he promised her wholeheartedly at the time, he couldn't help but feel down in the dumps for most of the day, even though Rarity was just gone since morning. Spike decided he needed to vent his frustration and called out to the cream coated waiter before he left the dinning hall.
“On second thought Savoir Fare, cancel that meal, I'm not really hungry.”
“Very well milord, would you like me to make preparations later for tea instead?”
Spike shook his head. “Nah, I really can't think of food right now... I gotta do the, er, thing at the... um... place.” Spike mumbled on with uncertainty, leaving the hall and a confused Savoir Fare behind.
Spike walked aimlessly for a while across the familiar corridors of the Canterlot Palace, greeted and saluted by the many servants and guards along the way. He was still trying to get use to all the attention and reverence usually reserved for Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and more recently before her departure, Princess Twilight. Spike heaved a loud sigh and came to a halt in front of what used to be Princess Celestia's personal chambers. However it now belonged to Rarity, no doubt it had been heavily renovated to her taste. Come to think of it, Spike could have sworn he had never been inside since Rarity and him were crowned Queen and King of Equestria. It was always Rarity who would visit him in his room to tuck him in at night, which was odd as Spike always thought that married couples always shared the same room together. Even Twilight shared the same room with him his entire life. After a bit of pondering, he decided to enter the room.
Opening the doors and stepping into the room, Spike was greeted by surprisingly mostly unaltered room. Aside from some color scheme changes, there was little alterations made to the room. The fireplace was in the same place, and the purple-gold cushion was still in the middle of the room as usual. Perhaps Rarity didn't want to mess with perfection. Looking around the room, something on top of the dressing table caught his eye among the vast array of beauty products, and he went to examine it. As Spike came closer to the object, he realize that it was the fire ruby that he had given Rarity on his birthday so many moons ago. It warmed his little dragon-heart to know that Rarity still treasures it dearly to this day. Despite everything that has happened in his life, finally being able to have her by his side, was worth every bit of sorrow and heartache he had to go through. Spike reached out and picked up the gold-framed jewel in his claw. He gazed into it, recollecting the memories he had with Rarity and all their friends.
'...Spikeeeee...'
Spike dropped the jewel in alarm. In the brief moment that he looked into it he saw shocking images flash before his eyes, images of his friends held captive. He saw Twilight in peril, strapped to what looked like an operating table, her screams of fear and pain echoing in his head. The one thing that struck him the most, was an image of Rarity staring straight at him, with horrendous scars across her face and body. It took a while before Spike realized that he was shaking from the sudden fright he got. He stared at the fallen ruby, thinking about what he just saw and trying to figure out what it meant. He did know one thing, that it had felt very real.
Spike made up his mind. He snatched the fire ruby up and left the room in haste, heading for the royal chariot...
--------------------------
“...she'll take your identity, your memories, your very existence... she believes that by becoming both the Elements of Harmony and the Elements of Blasphemy, it will turn her into the most powerful being in the universe!
“If you are trying to drive a wedge between me and my group you are even more pathetic than I thought princess.” Twilight Psycho scoffed at her counterpart. “Mind games won't save you now.”
“Is it true?”
“What?” Twilight Psycho's attention was distracted by Pinkamena. The cupcake killer forgot all about her fun time with Fluttershy after hearing everything that the Princess had said; instead now her curiosity was directed at her own lavender friend.
“Is it true what she said? That you don't want us to be friends anymore?”
“That is preposterous! She is just trying to save her own hide by whatever means she can muster. Now come, let us be off. I... We, will need to go over our plans for this world if we are to successfully subjugate it.”
The lavender unicorn turned to leave, only to be stopped in her tracks by a cyan hoof to her chest, and found herself looking into the rosy red eyes of Rainbow Slash.
“I believe you haven't answered Pinkamena's question...”
Twilight Psycho batted Slash's hoof away angrily.
“What has gotten into you? A few words from a desperate mare and you all fall for it?”
“Maybe it'sss because you aren't denying what she said. And what she just said, isn't very nice...” even Slaughtershy mustered the sanity to question Twilight Psycho's intentions. “I mean, if you all think so that is...”
“Ah do think so! Ah may not mind taggin' along fer da fun and all but Ah will not be used like some worthless shed tool only to be thrown out!”
“Girls! This is abhorrent behavior! Such unfair accusations without basis is uncivilized.”
“Oh shut it Lil' Miss Namby-Pamby! All you do is defend her every single time! You're always on her side whenever there's an argument! What, is she paying for you for your nasty services?
“'Gasp!' The gall Rainbow Slash! I'll have you know that I am not some cheap harlot for somepony to misuse! Twilight is our friend, and has been our leader since the beginning and I put my trust in her, we owe her that much.”
Twilight Sparkle knew that she needed to keep the momentum going, and continued to feed the fires of dissent.
“Think about it! Has she she ever told you anything about her plans other than the scraps of information she feeds you before ordering you around? What kind of leader is that? What kind of a friend does that make her?”
“You've gotta admit, the hanging princess does make a very good point...” Pinkamena chipped in.
Lil' Miss Rarity hesitated, not sure what to say.
“Look, Twilight has done nothing but given us all the opportunity to go beyond our petty confinements and become what might be the greatest achievement in all of history!”
“Yeah... and that achievement comes with a price-tag with our names on it. I didn't sign up for this freak-show just to be erased out of reality!”
“Neither did I. Shoot... Ah was hopin' ta be kickin' a whole lot more skulls before Ah end up pushin' daisies from da ground.”
“Maybe it's best if we went left this world and look for somewhere else to embark on our quest for global genocide? It would be nice if we could possibly reconsider...”
“What the hay is wrong with everypony? Have you all lost your buckin' minds? You should be rejoicing at the fact that you will have the honor in sharing the existence with the most brilliant genius the world has ever seen! What other meaning is there to your lives if not to unite under one supreme entity!?! Uggh...”
Twilight Psycho clutched her chest spontaneously, a sharp pain surged through her body and it took a second for her to recover. When she did, she noticed all of her own friends were eying her with mistrust. Even Miss Rarity took a few steps away from her, and the doll on her back seemed to fixed it's gaze on Twilight as well. She realized what she had just admitted in blind anger, she knew she had to make amends so Twilight Psycho tried to reconcile with her friends.
“Look, obviously everypony is feeling a little tensed right now, let us just calm down and remember why we are all here.”
“I remember all right... I remember that this whole group up thing was your idea, now you want it to be just about you. That's no fun... how are you going to be the Sinister Six with just one member?
“It's true I may have fantasized about ascending to god-hood but it was always about all of us being together. Imagine ladies, the power to reshape the universe in our image! Pinkamena! You're always talking about how by keeping another pony's cutie-mark is like keeping them with you forever? Well this is even better! And Rainbow Slash, don't you feel age catching up to you? If we are all truly one, you will never have to worry about death... ever!”
“I don't know... I still can't trust you after having to find out about your fantasy from somepony we're trying to kill.”
The sound of Applewreck snorting to contain her laughter made Slash snap around and glare at the orange pony.
“And what are you laughing about Applewreck?”
“'Snicker!' Oh my, the element of Betrayal talkin' bout trust! Hee-hee, 'snort!' wat a laugh...”
“And you have a problem with that Apple-Flap? You wouldn't know betrayal if it came up to ya and bit you on the flank!”
“Hah! Ah have dead relatives dat would beg to differ. And Ah don't have a problem with ya'll at all. Ya think yer so tough? Ya just prey on handicapped pegasi who can't even fight back.”
“Says the filly-beater! If it weren't for us, you'd still be stuck on that farm with your little brat of a sister. And what makes you the element of Hatred? You're just a cowardly mare who gets her kicks from bullying feeble fillies.”
“Call me a coward, one more time... Ah dare ya...”
“You... are... a... cowar...”
'BAM!!!'
Applewreck rammed Rainbow Slash so hard she flew backwards into the dark and knocked into what sounded like a table with a lot of items that fell unto the floor with a loud crash. She got up, shook her head and snarled at Applewreck before launching herself at the orange mare, tackling her to the ground. Pinkamena, excited by all the action, clapped her hooves together shouting 'Fight! Fight! Fight!'. The captive ponies watched with bated breath as the drama unfolded before their eyes, this was what Twilight hoped that would happen. Her timing and careful choice of words gave her the chance to sow discontent among the enemy, now to wait and hope for the other part of the scheme to work. However, it would require no small amount of luck for it to work...
“Will you two stop this nonsense!” Twilight Psycho instinctively tried to use magic to stop the two mares, but when she concentrated her power she just remembered that her anti-magic field was still in effect. By then it was already too late. The initial spark of magic combined with the intensity of the Alicorn Amulet backfired into her already strained physique. The internal influx of energy raged across her system causing her to drop to the ground in pain. Miss Rarity immediately rushed over to her side and tried to help Twilight up, only to be berated by the delirious unicorn who was clutching her heart.
“The potion! I... need it! Arggh! Get me my potion!”
Twilight raved wildly, mad from the agony tearing through her. Miss Rarity, driven by her friend's frenzied demands, scoured the room. Applewreck and Rainbow Slash were still fighting each other with hoof, teeth and nail. Pinkamena was announcing the various results of the fight with enthusiasm while Slaughtershy cheered on with soft moans of 'yays' and 'woo-hoos'. It suddenly occurred to Miss Rarity what might have happened to the potion and her suspicions were confirmed as a trail of liquid slowly flowing across the flow came into view. The table that Rainbow Slash crashed into just moments ago was holding the last batch of the concoction that Twilight Psycho needed to stabilize her condition. The liquid made it's way towards Twilight, who's eyes widened in horror. Letting out a shrilling screech, she lunged forward and tried to lick the substance off the floor. But it was no use as the fizzy mixture was already evaporating rapidly into the air and soon there was nothing left for the unicorn. Miss Rarity watched as Twilight's body started convulsing, muscle spasms spread from her face to her legs; her mouth frothed with white foam followed by uncontrolled mutterings and random swears. Knowing that this was a terrible development, Miss Rarity desperately tried talking to Twilight into calming down.
“Er... Twilight dear, it's not really that bad... We can just brew more of the potion, right ladies?”
Miss Rarity's nervous question thrown at the other ponies went ignored. Unable to control herself, Twilight Psycho finally succumbed to the stressful powers inside of her and erupted with a dreadful scream. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as the amulet around her neck flared bright red. Yet restrained by the silence spell, it's energy had no where to go except inside Twilight Psycho. The pentagram crown above her head rippled with dark eneregies spreading black tendrils into her skull, contorting her face causing extreme pain. Her unearthly wailing made everypony, including Rainbow Slash and Applewreck to stop what they were doing and take notice of her. This was the opportunity Twilight Sparkle had been waiting for...
Since the fight broke out between the two mares, she had been focusing her senses to feel for the slightest shift in the magical currents surrounding them. The moment her counterpart experienced the energy feedback, it affected her hold on the spell that was dampening the use of magic. Sending out negative waves into the air like ripples, causing small cracks in the metaphoric magic wall. And this was all Twilight needed. Concentrating her powers, she applied overwhelming pressure onto the weakest part of the silencing spell and pushed with all her magical might. The result was a blinding flash that lit up the entire underground room; the sound of something shattering signalized the spell had been broken. The magical energies rushed back into Twilight Psycho and detonated into a magical blast that knocked her, and the rest of the Sinister Six clear off their hooves. Twilight tried to use her magic and to her relief, managed to unlock the uncomfortable restraints on her hooves. She dropped to the floor, grateful to feel the ground beneath her hooves again. With a glow of her horn, the straps on all of her friends were released and they too touched the ground and tasted freedom. But not a word was exchanged among them, no cheer of victory, nor comments of praise. The horrors they had just endured was too jarring, and had left everypony uneasy. Rainbow Dash looked awkwardly at Fluttershy who dared not look back, or at anypony else for that matter. Pinkie's face was expressionless, her hair still straight and her coat still dull. It almost seemed she had lost the will even to stand. Applejack holding her up was the only thing that kept her from collapsing. Twilight glanced at her friends, what does one say after going through what they did?
“Um... is everypony okay?”
No sooner did the words leave her mouth, Twilight kicked herself for asking such a dumb question. But if anypony thought so, they kept silent; understanding that now was not the time to be critical of each other. Rarity broke the silence first.
“We're... fine dear.”
“thank you twilight...”
“Yeah... you were... awesome Twilight for saving us and all... I really mean that... I mean...” Rainbow Dash trailed off, unable to figure out an end to her sentence.
“Pinkie... how are you feeling?” Twilight was concerned for her friend as Pinkie showed no emotion. “Everything is going to be alright Pinkie, I promise... Pinkie promise...”
Pinkie Pie lifted her eyes at Twilight and gave her a small nod. Even though her expression didn't change, it was reassuring to know that at least she was still responsive.
“'sigh'... at least everypony is safe. Now we had best get out of here and save Spike. Then, Princess Celestia must be informed immediately of what happened here.”
“Gals... Ah hate ta be dat pony, but it looks like we've got bigger problems right now.”
Applejack was pointing in the direction of Twilight Psycho, who was slowly but surely getting up on her four hooves despite the convulsions attack every part of her body. Her visage was glowing with the swirling energies of the crown and the amulet; lighting up the blood oozing from her facial orifices for them to see. Despite her frizzled mane and singed fur, her face was filled with seething rage, no doubt hungry to exact terrible vengeance upon the ones responsible for her foiled plans. But her darting eyes had not yet focused on the little group of ponies yet. Twilight knew they wouldn't stand a chance against her foul sorcery, if only they could reach the Elements of Harmony...
“YOU!!!” Twilight Psycho's harsh voice echoed threateningly throughout the basement. “You will all... PAY!!!”
“Everypony duck!”
Twilight Sparkle kicked Rarity, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash aside while shoving Applejack and Pinkie Pie away before activating her teleport spell. And not a moment too soon as Twilight Psycho unleashed a twirling beam of black and red at them. The Princess reappeared in front of her evil twin tackling her to the floor, missing the deadly beam by a hair's distance. As she fell, the stream of energy followed suit; scorching the walls and making a snaking line. Until finally it hit a soft spot in the roof and blasted straight through, creating a natural skylight. The night's sky became visible as the soft light of the stars and moon shone through the new opening. Twilight Psycho hit the ground with the Princess on top of her, her head faced the floor and was pinned down by Twilight Sparkle who created a tight force field around them both hoping to prevent her target from teleporting away. But more importantly, keeping her horn facing down so that she won't be able to use any deadly magic without hurting herself as well. Now to see if she could at least pry that crown away from the psychotic pony...
Laying on her back, Fluttershy shook off some gravel and dirt that had fallen on her. And when she opened her eyes, she found herself staring into the scary gaze of Pinkamena Cupcakes. The pink mare wore a sinister grin on her mouth and held up her scalpel to Fluttershy's face.
“Twilight may say we can't kill you ponies... but I wanna see how long we can play before we reach a breaking point... let's continue where we left off, shall we?”
Before Pinkamena could do anything to Fluttershy, something launched itself at her and knocked Pinkamena off the yellow pegasus. Before she could get up, Pinkamena found herself being held down by an angry and hysterical Pinkie Pie.
“I won't let you hurt my friends! I won't!”
“Ooooh... looks like somepony wants to play! Alrighty than, let's play! First one to die loses!”
“I'll be taking back what's mine now.”
Rarity was in a stand off with her counterpart, both waiting warily for the other to make a move.
“Tsk, tsk... not even a please? How rude...”
“Give me back my gem, and nopony has to get hurt.”
“Sorry, but I like it too much. I'll be keeping this precious gift along with dear Spikey-Wikey. If you'll be a good filly I might even let you borrow him occasionally.”
“I'll rip you to pieces if you touch one scale on his head!”
The area around her feet glowed with magic as Rarity lifted a pile of debris in the air and flung them at her counterpart. But Lil' Miss Rarity managed to dodge most of the projectiles and caught the rest with her own magic. She levitated an array of objects, magically forming them into spear like missiles and other viciously sharp forms, then she aimed them all at Rarity.
“You're making mommy very angry darling... and that means mommy has to punish you for your own good...”
Slaughtershy was creeping around the shadows, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. She homed in on Rarity, who was busy avoiding projectiles to guard her own flank. With her chainsaw in her hooves, Slaughtershy poised to take off into the air to land a blow from above upon Rarity. But just as she took her first couple of flaps, she felt a sudden tug on her tail that prevented her from flying further, and was pulled back causing her to land roughly on her rump. Slaughtershy looked back to see what had prevented her from taking off, it was Fluttershy. The normally timid pegasus was biting down on the murderous mare's pink tail and holding her back.
“Oh no you don't! Nopony is ever going to be hurt by you again!” Fluttershy growled through gritted teeth.
“Tee-hee-hee... I'm sorry, I didn't realize you volunteered yourself ...”
Slaughtershy raised her weapon and it gave a hair-raising roar as she prepared to bring it down upon Fluttershy. But before she could hit anything, a furious Fluttershy forcefully yanked Slaughtershy by the tail in her mouth and lifted the mad mare clean off her hooves, sending her soaring across the room. She smashed into a cabinet causing it to collapse on her, her chainsaw clattering dangerously on the rubble.
“I... said... NOPONY!”
Fluttershy charged towards the crashed spot snorting fiercely, stomping her hoof kicking up dust and dirt. She grabbed the chainsaw in her mouth snarling, holding the tool right above the rubble pile. Her glaring eyes looked over the debris, ready to drive the chainsaw into anything that shows itself. Her pupils widened when she suddenly realized what she was doing, and her aggressive demeanor disappeared. She dropped the chainsaw, stepping back looking at her own hooves in disbelief. But before she could contemplate on her actions, Slaughtershy burst through the heap, screaming wildly and baring her sharp teeth. Her glossy stare shifted between her chainsaw and Fluttershy. With a manic howl Slaughtershy reached for her precious chainsaw with murderous intent. Fluttershy squealed and bolted in the opposite direction.
Reeling from a fierce blow, Applejack rubbed her cheek while backing away from her evil counterpart who slowly walked towards her, those orange-red eyes glowing maliciously.
“Dat scar kinda looks good on yer mug. Ah'm gonna help spread it all across yer face, and dat's just da start...”
Applejack did not bother to reply, she was more concerned on how to take her evil twin down while staying alive in the process. She continued backing away until she felt a bump on her flank. Risking a quick glance behind, she saw it was Rainbow Dash who had bumped into her. She too was backing away from her own adversary, Rainbow Slash, who was in the air getting ready for an aerial dive at Rainbow Dash. Pressed up against each others back, both Applejack and Rainbow Dash seemed to have nowhere to run from two savage ponies.
“Psst... Hey, yer wanna exchange dance pardners?” Applejack whispered to Rainbow Dash, who nodded in agreement.
“You got it AJ...”
“Arggggh!!!”
Yelling her battle-cry, Rainbow Slash swooped down intending to bite into her counterpart just as Applewreck charged towards Applejack. In one swift move Rainbow Dash switched position with her friend and drove a mighty uppercut with one hoof aimed squarely at Applewreck's jaw. The punch connected... knocking the orange mare so hard that her head tossed back from the impact, stopping her mid-charge. Applejack only had to lift her hind legs when Rainbow Dash moved out of the way for her to deliver a sharp buck to the diving pegasus's muzzle. Sending her tumbling to the ground. Applejack and Rainbow Dash both shared a brief look of triumph at the success of their impromptu plan. But they understood that the battle wasn't over as their adversaries were already starting to recover. They wasted no time in re-engaging their respective foes, hope now high in their hearts that they could win this fight...
Back in Spike's fantasy...
Spike stood at the door, looking around the abandoned library. He tried to scan for something, anything that might give him a clue about the truth about what was going on in the world. He now knew that his suspicions that something was terribly wrong with his world was correct. He just couldn't put his claw on exactly what it could be. Even during his chariot ride to the Golden Oak Library, Spike remembered every detail from the images he saw in his vision very clearly. He knew the library was the source, that he would find his answers here. Spike walked around the library, not quite sure where to start when his legs seemed to instinctively lead him upstairs. As he reached the top, he approached Twilight's old bed. It was as he remembered, carved wooden posts, crescent moons and stars adorning the blue covers... and a book on top of it? Spike drew closer until he could pick the book up. The book wasn't particularly big nor was it heavy, but it was the title that drew his attention the most.
'Eternity's End'
Suddenly, like light filling a room at the flick of a switch, the images from before began to fill his vision, only this time they were more intense. Spike dropped the book back on the bed, staggering backwards. To his surprise, the book sank into the bed, but it didn't stop there. The bedsheets were drawn in as well, and the actual bed itself soon followed, creating a whirlpool effect where the center-point was where the book had landed. Something inside of Spike told him that by entering the whirlpool, he would get his answers. Taking a big gulp, Spike gingerly took a step towards the swirling black mass.
“Spikey-Wikey?”
The voice stopped Spike dead in his tracks. Looking behind him, Spike saw Rarity appearing at the top of the stairs. She wore a look of innocent concern on her muzzle.
“Rarity? I...”
“Spike, I came as soon as I heard from the guards that you had left the castle. What do you hope to find here?”
“Answers Rarity! I want answers! I can't go on pretending like there's nothing wrong with the world because there is! It's not real, nothing is!”
“Am I not real to you Spike?”
“I... I've made up my mind, I need to know what's going on Rarity. And if going down that black hole is the only way I'll find out, than I'm going to do it.”
“And what about me Spike? What about us? Our love? If this world means nothing to you, than why are you holding on to the one thing that brought us together?”
She was right, Spike had almost forgotten about the ruby he held in his claw. He looked at it, remembering all the memories of them being together, it almost felt like it was just yesterday when he laid eyes on the most beautiful creature in all of Equestria for the first time. Spike hesitated, doubt about his mission creeping into his mind. Rarity was down on her hind legs with her front hooves stretched out longingly, tears falling from her eyes like crystal beads.
“I love you Spike, I need you.... please... don't leave me.”
Her broken voice melted Spike's heart. He stepped away from the whirlpool and entered into Rarity's embrace. She clutched him tightly to her chest, sniffing with joy. Using her unicorn magic, she removed the fire-ruby from Spike's claw and brought it around her own neck, gently clasping it in place. She gave her Spikey-Wikey a sly smile and licked his nose tenderly. Spike felt like he was in a trance as Rarity nuzzled him lovingly. Feeling her lips coming ever closer to his, Spike closed his eyes in anticipation.
“Let us go home and pretend non of this ever happened. I promise, as your queen I will make you the happiest dragon alive. And we will be together... forever...”
She sealed the promise with a kiss on Spike's lips and the dragon relented. After a few passionate seconds, Spike broke the kiss by pulling away gently from Rarity. And they both lingered on, eyes fixed on each other. Spike held up a claw and caressed one side of Rarity's cheeks, and she accepted his touch by cooing softly. But she then realized a sad look in Spike's eyes.
“Spike...?”
“I'm sorry...”
With his other claw, Spike held up the fire-ruby snatched from Rarity's neck and threw it into the middle of the still twisting whirlpool, leaving Rarity gasping in horror. The ruby shattered upon contact, and the swirling intensified to the point of engulfing the entire room. It was consuming everything, the walls, the floor, furniture and even light itself were all being pulled into the black hole. Spike himself was torn from Rarity's hooves by the powerful force, though the unicorn stood unaffected by the catastrophe. As the little dragon was being swept into the heart of the whirlpool, he could still catch glimpses of Rarity through the chaos.
“Spike! Spike! Don't go! Please! I'll always be yours! Spike... I love you!”
Spike closed his eyes, too emotional to look at the Rarity anymore. A single tear rolled away from the corner of his eye as he whispered back sorrowfully.
“I love you too...”
And then, Spike's world was consumed in complete silence...
--------------------------
“Take off that amulet! Or I swear by Celestia I'll knock you out with one blast from my horn!”
Twilight Sparkle was still keeping Psycho pinned down and had somehow managed to forcefully removed the vile crown from her adversary's head. And though she was violently trying to shake Twilight Sparkle off of her, the Princess did not give in to her struggling and kept Psycho's head on the floor facing down. Despite her magic being boosted by the Alicorn Amulet, her turbulent mind made her unable to overcome Twilight's magic. Only the ceaseless angry growls and vulgar curses were her weapons and they did nothing to sway Twilight from concentrating on her magic.
“AGGGGGGGGGGGH!!!”
The loud scream sounded like it came from Rainbow Dash, then Twilight heard a similar voice but was more raspy, threatening her.
“Let the egghead go, or this filly gets whats coming to her...”
Rainbow Slash stood over Dash with hind hooves against her back and front hooves holding her injured wings.
“Don't listen to her Twilight! Don't worry about me, I can take care of my... UGGGGHHH!!!”
Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth, her eyes started to tear up from the pain caused by Slash tugging at her wings.
“I'll give you three seconds before I rip her bucking wings off... I mean it princess!”
Twilight surveyed the scene around her, Pinkie Pie was struggling against Pinkamena who seemed about to cut into her face... Rarity was trapped by Miss Rarity in a dense swarm made out of razor sharp debris ready to slice her at the sign of movement. Applewreck had Applejack in a headlock, slowly choking the life out of the farm-pony. And poor Fluttershy had been backed against a wall by Slaughtershy, with the chainsaw at her throat. It was a bleak situation, but Twilight theorized that with some precise calculations, she could teleport her friends out of harms way just before...
“E... NOUGH!!!”
The distraction was sufficient for Twilight Psycho to break the Princess's magic shield holding her down. Her sudden eruption knocked Twilight Sparkle off her back, catching the Alicorn by surprise. And before anypony could react, Twilight Psycho had the Princess and all of her friends encased in dark magical energies and lifted into the air. With a flick of a hoof the little ponies were sent flying back onto the operating tables, their limbs now locked to the metal tables not by straps, but with magical rings of Twilight Psycho's design. Even unicorn horns were sheathed in her magical energy. Twilight Psycho levitated her crown off the floor and re-placed it on her head, the pentagram glowed brightly as it's energies merged with that of Twilight Psycho and the Alicorn Amulet.
“No more games! This time when I'm done with you, you'd wish that you were dead!”
“Whoo-pee! Does that mean I get to play with them? Does it? Does it?”
“Yes Pinkamena, yes it does... go have your fun...”
“Tee-Hee! This is going to be so exciting!”
“Ah thought if they died, one on our side would die too.”
Twilight Psycho's companions slowly gathered around her, though a few were a bit sore that their prey had been snatched from their hooves. Particularly Rainbow Slash, who was really looking forward to hurting Dash a whole lot more.
“Really? Let's put that to the test shall we?” Psycho's voice dripped with malice. “Even if it's true, I know techniques on keeping a pony alive while still being able to bring unspeakable pain upon her body...”
Twilight and her friends struggled, not willing to give up after having just barely escaped the last time. But it was no use, Twilight Psycho was not taking any chances this time, and they knew it. Pinkamena hummed happily as she drew closer to Pinkie Pie, scalpel in hoof. She reached the struggling Pinkie Pie and held her jaw with one hoof, despite her muffled protests. She placed the scalpel against Pinkie's cheek, almost cutting into her flesh.
“Now, let's put a smile on that face...”
Pinkamena halted and took a few steps back, she noticed something about Pinkie Pie that seemed a bit odd. It wasn't only her, every other pony noticed it too. Pinkie Pie was puzzled as to why everypony was looking at her weird when she realized what it was and glanced down. Her tail was shaking furiously... She looked back at everypony, her face showing them that she was just as surprised as they were.
“What the hay...” Rainbow Slash started before being interrupted by something falling from above.
Several small round objects fell from the newly made opening in the roof, and when they hit the floor, burst into thick black clouds of smoke that encompassed everything in darkness. Coughing and cursing filled the air as everypony's line of sight was obscured by the smoke.
“Cough! Wat da hay?”
“This... cough! Isn't fun! Cough!”
“Curses! Cough! What is going on now?”
The smoke disrupted Twilight Psycho's hold on her magic and her victims were freed once again. Though as they too were affected by the smoke, they had a hard time trying to find each other in the dense fog. Slaughtershy swung her chainsaw wildly, the blinding effects of the smoke only making her more frantic and manic. Then, she felt something land beside her. And out of the corner of her eye, she could make out the outline of what looked like the Princess, Twilight Sparkle...
“I've got you now!”
She swung hard and hit her mark, but it did not feel like she had hit the soft body of a pony, instead it felt very much like hitting steel. The sound of her chainsaw died down as the teeth stopped grinding, as if failing to cut through whatever it was that she had hit. The smoke cleared a little and Slaughtershy found herself staring straight at the chest of her target... a chest with the symbol of a red 'S' on it...
--------------------------