I say again, all credit goes to DeadLight63 for writing.
A/N Again, just an idea I had which I wanted to get down before I forgot about it. This is an alt ending/ sequel to the infamous fan fiction "Cupcakes". None of the "harvest" scenes will be included (at least not while in process) in any part of the story. Please enjoy. Insert this just after Pinkie has injected Rainbow Dash with the drug to take away feeling from her stomach area, just before the "harvest".
"Pinkie... Please..." Rainbow said through her tears. Looking back up to her friend, Pinkie wanted to burst into tears, seeing her like this... it was horrible... Pinkie, it's either just her, or all of your friends. Looking back up, she put on that stupid fake smile she was wearing to try and make this easier. It wasn't working. "Ok Dashie, here we go! Time for the harvest!" She shouted with glee, though her true feelings were far from happy. Rainbow hung her head, and began to cry. I'm so sorry Dashie... She thought as she brought the knife to her stomach.
Just then the door burst open, revealing a group of guards and her friends. "I knew it!" Twilight shouted. Panicked, Pinkie backed away. She breathed heavily, and put up her hooves. "Please, this isn't what it looks like!" She shouts as a tear falls. This was horrible, if she didn't give that madcolt a batch of "special" cupcakes, her friends would be in danger! "Please!" She cried again. "Take her down! Release the victim!" A guard shouted. "NO!" Pinkie tried to scream, but it was too late. The guards were upon her, and she felt something get injected into her foreleg. She felt nauseous and dizzy as the room blurred, the last thing she heard was "It's alright Rainbow, you're going to be okay."
Later...
"Wake up." Was all Pinkie could hear. Her eyes gently fluttered. Pinkie didn't want to wake up. She wanted to die, let all the pain she caused and would cause end. It was too much to watch those ponies die. "Wake up!" A deep voice shouted. The Earth Pony instantly snapped awake, breathing heavily. Looking down, she found herself strapped into a chair, leather holding back her forelegs. "What... Where's Rainbow?" She asked, out of breath and tired. "Wouldn't you like to know." The voice said back. Pinkie looked around, the room was filled with needles of all sorts. In the upper corner was a glass screen, although it showed two black figures resembling ponies instead of actual ponies. "Is she okay? Did she make it out alive?" She asked. "What do you care?" The voice asked. Pinkie shook her head quickly to wake herself up.
"What happened? Who are you?" The pink pony asks as she tries to move her foreleg. "That's not important, what is important is who you are. What is your name?" The voice asked, sounding more and more threatening. Pinkie gulped as sweat poured from her brow. To her right, there was an operating table, carrying an assortment of knives and what looked like saws. Breathing heavily, she turned to the figures. "Uh... Pinkie Pie." Pinkie continues to breathe heavily as there is a slight pause, causing her to panic slightly and try to break free. "Truth, we're off to a good start. Where were you born?" The voice asked. Pinkie gulped again, overcome with fear. "Right here in Ponyville." Instantly, her body was filled with electric shocks, causing her to scream in pain. It lasted for five excruciating seconds before it finally stopped.
"There's no use lying Pinkie, this machine you are hooked up to is specifically designed to distinguish fact from fiction. Now... Where... Were... You born?" Pinkie panted, trying to recover from the painful experience. Still, this was a lot better than seeing the hurt eyes of all those ponies... "A rock farm... just outside of Ponyville." Pinkie shut her eyes, in case the machine thought that was a lie, but it did not come. "Truth, we can move on now. Are you familiar with any of these names?" Te voice started. "Hay Stack?" Pinkie lowered her head. And let a tear fall from her eye. Hay Stack was such a good friend, he even tried to comfort her when she started crying. Despite the fact she had a knife in his gut at the time. "Yes... I knew him..." She said, shame in her voice. "I never wanted any of this..." She let slip. "What the... truth?" The voice asked with confusion. Pinkie looked up, maintaining her sad face. Everypony thought she was a psychopath, not that she could blame them.
"Yeah, I never wanted to kill any of those ponies, but..." She tried to explain, but she couldn't finish her sentence. Sighing, she tried to ask her first question again, she wanted her to be safe. "Is Dashie ok?" The figures in the box turned to each other, and Pinkie leaned forward, desperate to try and hear them. After a couple of seconds, the two figures turned to her. "She's gonna make it." One voice said. Pinkie slipped back into her chair and gave a sigh of relief. She was so relieved that her best friend was alright. "Now Pinkie, we have some more questions for you to answer." Pinkie sat up straight, and tried to appear brave. "Okay." She said. "When did this begin? How did you get involved in this?" The voice asked. Pinkie sighed, falling back into her chair. That day was a bad one to re-live. "Well, it all started two years ago, just after Twilight came to town..."
Pinkie excitedly hopped around town, humming as she went. Things were very happy for the pink party pony. She had just become an official element of harmony, she had made a new friend, and she was about to hang out with Fluttershy. She couldn't imagine being happier that she already was. It was impossible. Looking down, she spotted a pretty group of flowers. Gasping with excitement, she leans over and gives them a sniff. Suddenly, she felt dizzy, and her vision was disoriented. She groaned, she felt sick. Trying to stay awake, she hopped and tried humming again. But it was to no avail. She collapsed, and blacked out.
"So the flowers were drugged?" The interrogator asked. Looking up, Pinkie can see the dark figures writing something down, and she can tell that one is a unicorn, due to seeing the pen levitate. She nodded and looked down.
"Yeah... they... they smelt really strange..." She said, still out of breath. Why was she so tired? Was the guilt getting to her? No, if that had been the case, she would always be tired.
"Why... why am I so... tired..." She asked.
"It's a drug Pinkie. We have to make sure you don't try to break free. We also need you relaxed." The interrogator said. Pinkie nods and gives a slight chuckle. Even they didn't trust her.
"Now Pinkie, what happened next?"
Pinkie jolted awake, instantly panicked. Looking around, she saw dead flesh and blood, and she was nearly wet herself.
"Where am I? Hey! Can anypony hear me?" She shouted. From the distance, she can see a dark figure walking towards her. Her breathing doubles, and her heart feels like it's going to burst. What was going on?
"Hello... Pinkie Pie..." The figure said. Pinkie reared back in fear. Backing away, she bumped into something. When she looked behind her, she was greeted by an impaled unicorn, eyes scooped right out of its head, with fresh blood dripping from the sockets. She screamed and backed away.
"I have been... waiting... for you to wake up... my dear..." The figure said again. Pinkie froze solid in fear. Trembling was the most she could do.
"You know, typically you look somepony in the eye when they speak to you." A strong hoof grabs her face, and she is facing a hooded being. Pinkie sweats profoundly, and is trying desperately to break free.
"What do you want? Leave me alone! Don't kill me!" She cries as tears fall from her face.
"Don't be ridiculous. I'm not going to kill you." He released her face and observed a batch of cupcakes. He offers one to her. Almost instantly, Pinkie gets excited and bites into one. Her eyes grow wide as she tastes it. A bitter, disgusting flavor floods her mouth, and she shuts her eyes. Spitting the cupcake out, she rubs her tongue, trying to get it all off of her tongue.
"Well if you don't like it... just say so..." The strange pony picks up the slightly chewed cupcake and pops it in his mouth. It takes all of Pinkie's strength not to vomit. Looking over to her, the stranger moves toward her, and Pinkie backs away.
"These cupcakes have my special ingredient... pony organs." Horrified, Pinkie backs away and hits something. She stares in fear at the creature in front of her.
"What... what do you want from me?" She asks. The figure stops.
"I am getting old... and I need a replacement to make my cupcakes."
"You're insane! I'll never do that!" Pinkie turns to walk away, but the stallion stops her.
"Think again... I'd highly advise you to accept if you care about your friends." Pinkie turns and looks at the pony. She can't see his eyes, but his mouth is formed downward in a frown.
"What are you talking about?" She asks. The stallion smiles fiendishly and holds up a remote. Pinkie eyes the device, wondering what it is.
"This will destroy your entire town in less then a second... killing all your friends in the process."
Pinkie gasps and backs away. The stallion smiles and holds out his hoof.
"So, we have ourselves a deal?" Pinkie looks from the remote, and to the stallion standing before her. With a knot in her stomach, she reaches out and pauses. Could she do this? Why her? She wanted to run away, but she couldn't risk her friends. With a tear in her eye, she sticks out a hoof and takes his in hers, gently shaking it.
"Deal." She says. She lets her head fall in shame as the stallion begins to laugh maniacally. He lifts his hoof away and tells her to follow him. Looking back up, Pinkie wonders if this all a dream.
"How could you be sure he was telling the truth? For all you know, he could have assumed that you would cave in if your friends were threatened. How could you know whether or not he was lying?" Pinkie looked back up to the interrogation box. The ponies inside still seemed alien to her. One black form wrote something down while the other waited for a reply. Pinkie sighed and let her head fall.
"I couldn't... But my friends... They mean so much to me... I couldn't take that chance..." She said. Looking back up, the interrogators seemed to be discussing this. Looking around she eyed a knife on the table. She used to love knives, because they made cutting cakes and such so easy, and fair. But now... now she hated them. It was just a permanent reminder of what she did in that basement. She could still hear their screams of pain in her nightmares... their outbursts of agony... their cries for help... Ironically enough, these weren't the worst memories she had. The worst were the ponies who understood... the ones who tried to make her feel better. Ones like Hay Stack...
"Okay Pinkie, I think we understand why you started doing this, but something is still bothering me... We spoke with Rainbow Dash earlier, and she said you were happy and excited to be torturing her. But the lie detector says that you regret your actions, even to Rainbow. Why is this?"
"That? That was just an act... I tried being happy and cheerful to make it easier... It made some ponies angry and shout at me... those are the times it worked... But other times... It just made them more sad... That's when it was hard..." She said groggily. Her head swayed from side to side as she groaned sickeningly. Her eyelids felt so heavy, she just wanted to rest.
"We're losing her, hit it." An interrogator says. Instantly Pinkie feels electric shocks fill her body. She gives a quick shout of pain. The shock lasts for five seconds, leaving Pinkie energized, but burning with pain. Outraged, she looks up to the interrogators.
"What was that for? I wasn't lying!" She shouts angrily.
"You were falling asleep on us Pinkie, we need you to stay awake. We'll adjust how much of the drug you receive so you don't have to go through that again." The interrogator says. Pinkie breathes heavily and slouches against the chair. That felt horrible, then again, did she really deserve any better? This was just poetic justice right? The pink mare sighs and apologizes to the interrogators. She looks down sheepishly, and sees the tube that was attached to her foreleg. Inside it was a strange liquid, which was now flowing more slowly than it was before. That must have been how the drug was getting to her.
"Let's move forward about three weeks after that occurrence, when the young stallion known as Rock Steady went missing. Pinkie... Was this stallion your first victim?" Pinkie shook her head.
"No, Rock Steady was him training me. He showed me how to... to... get the most... blood... and..."
"We get the idea. So who was your first victim? How did that encounter go?" Pinkie looked down, that was just after Gilda had left the party... Sure she was a jerk... but did she really deserve to die?
"Gilda, one week after my "training"..."
Pinkie looked up to the hurting griffon, she couldn't help but sigh and shake her head. Beside her lay a bucket containing her wings and claws. The creature was breathing very heavily, trying desperately to hold back tears. Pinkie looked away. She wanted to run away, but the stallion was right there... The remote was on the table next to him. A tear fell from her eye as he raised an eyebrow.
"Well... You've done pretty good so far Pinkie... now it's time for the final test..." Pinkie reared back in fear, she was hoping she wouldn't have to do that part. The harvest was a messed up, cruel torture technique where you slowly cut open the chest of the victim and pulled out their organs, all while they were still alive. No, she couldn't do it, she had to weasel herself out of this. She could just kill him, but he seemed to be a good fighter, he knocked out Rock Steady with one punch to the jaw. No, she would lose that fight.
"Well... actually I was kinda hoping that you would do the harvest... I don't think I can do it right." She said with a rather believable smile. Hopefully this would convince him.
"The best way to learn is through practice. Now move, before I blow this stupid town sky high." He said with an angry tone. Pinkie's smile vanished, and was replaced with a quivering frown. She closed her eyes as a tear fell from her eye, she sighed and said;
"Yes sir."
Pinkie took a knife and walked up to the broken griffon. The look in her eyes (well, the one that was left) stared at her with hatred and anger.
"You stupid egghead! I hope you die just like me! No, even worse! You numb skulled piece of..." The griffon was silenced by a scream, her own. Pinkie closed her eyes and wept softly as she dragged the knife down the chest and midsection area of Gilda. Painfully, she dug the knife a bit deeper when Gilda gave a blood curdling shout. The walls were somehow made soundproof, so nopony could hear her. Despite Pinkie's wishes. She paused momentarily and wept a little harder, but quickly took the knife and swept it sideways. Then up... then back to the side. The chest of the griffon fell, exposing the organs of the creature. Pinkie nearly vomited, the smell was horrendous. Closing her eyes, she gulped and reached inside...
10 Minutes Later...
Pinkie pulled out the heart and collapsed to the ground sobbing. That was horrible, she felt terrible. She had just killed someone! But... she was saving so may others! That had to account for something... right? Pinkie sniffed and looked up, seeing the stallion smiling. he gave a satisfactory sigh, and nodded.
"I knew you had it in you. Ponyville stands another day. Now, your next test will be in a week, be ready." He says as he helps her to her hooves. Trembling, Pinkie looks back to the now empty body of the griffon. Gilda, who used to alive and well just 1 hour and 22 minutes ago... was now dead...Pinkie looked to the ground and wept silently as the stallion rounded up the griffon's organs and licked his lips.
"After Gilda's disappearance, your friends reported you going into a severe depression, and you just weren't yourself for a few days. Rainbow said she even caught you cutting yourself. Is this true?" The interrogator asked. Pinkie sighed and hung her head. That was vaguely familiar. The guilt of her first murder had been too much for her, and she just locked herself away. Her friends became increasingly concerned as the days went by, and even tried to get her to a psychologist to see what was wrong. That hurt Pinkie even more. Her friends cared about her so much, but she didn't deserve friends like that... she was a murderer...
"It's true... The scar is gone, but I still remember it. I couldn't figure out how they could just be that nice to me... I was a monster... " She hung her head again and let out a tear. The interrogators seemed to discuss something, leaving Pinkie back into her own thoughts. Poor Dashie... What if she lost her wings permanently? Then she would never get to be a wonderbolt. Some friend...
"I'm sorry Dashie..." She said as she began to sob softly.
"I'm so sorry..."
"Listen Pinkie, we're sending somepony in to see you. Just talk to them honestly. In addition, it might help calm you down." The interrogator said. Pinkie's head shot straight up, fear in her eyes.
"No! What if I hurt them? I can't stand to see them like that! I just can't!" She shouts as more tears fall from her eyes.
"Pinkie, it's fine. From what you've told us, you aren't the one behind this. Besides, we have you locked into a chair, you couldn't do anything." Pinkie relaxed and tried to ease her breathing. Leaning back against the wooden frame of the chair, she tried to calm herself down and asked if the pony could be sent in. To her right, a door opened, revealing somepony she knew would hate her. Applejack. The farm mare cautiously walked toward her as Pinkie hung her head in shame.
"Hey..." She said with a tremble in her voice. Looking up, she sees Applejack sits down on the floor, a good five feet away from her. There is a harsh, somewhat unforgiving look in her eye, just like Pinkie thought there would be.
"Just so we're clear, I don't hate you." Applejack said, her voice somewhat gentle. Pinkie gave a slight chuckle.
"You just don't like me right?" She asked as she looked her friend in the eye. Applejack shook her head.
"Ah didn't say that either." She said. Pinkie just shook her head.
"Don't pretend you're okay with this AJ. We both know what I did was wrong."
"Ah can agree with that. Ah certainly don't forgive yah for killin' all dem ponies yet. Or what you did to Rainbow." She said with her forelegs crossed. Her eyes were still unforgiving, but they had lost their harsh quality. Pinkie nodded and stared at the floor. How could she? This was already going slightly better than expected, but it was still going badly.
"But Ah do understand that you regret yer actions. An' while that doesn't make it right, it shows that yah aren't a cold blooded killer." Pinkie shook her head.
"But I am... I was the one that killed them... I ended their hopes and dreams... Everything they were... could have been... gone..." She said. Pinkie sighed and closed her eyes. Thinking back to her first day at Sugar Cube Corner... the Cakes had trusted her completely with inventory, and would only ask for a couple supplies now and then. Why couldn't they have checked on her? They should have checked on her. Looking back up to her friend, her forelegs are still crossed, and her sat remains seated on her cranium. Her fellow Earth Pony still didn't seem to be convinced. Sighing, Applejack unfolds her forelegs.
"Look, Ah'm not saying you're a bad pony... Far from it. Ah'm saying that your actions are despicable. Yer reason fer doin' it is admirable, but it's still wrong." AJ walked closer to her and looked her in the eye. Pinkie looked away. Applejack sighed, patted her on the shoulder, and spoke again.
"I still think yer a good pony Pinkie, Ah really do. You just made some bad choices. An' I don't agree with em'." Pinkie gave a slight smile. Maybe she was too quick to judge. This was going a lot better than expected. She instantly frowned again.
"AJ, I don't deserve this... Your kindness... why are you being so nice to me?" She asked. Applejack released her from her grip.
"Cuz' everypony deserves a second chance. Within reason. Ah'm still deciding on whether or not you deserve yers though." Applejack turned her head and walked away. Pinkie hung her head and thought about this. As far as she was concerned, she didn't deserve a second chance. After everything she'd done, she didn't deserve anything.
"Pinkie, after your depression, a new pony went missing, known as Carrot Top. It was assumed that she moved away, but I think we know what really happened to her." The interrogator said as Applejack shut the door. Pinkie sighed and nodded.
...
The pony looked up with sadness and fear in her eyes, to which Pinkie responded with a sympathetic look. Unlike Gilda, Carrot Top seemed to understand that she didn't want to do this. Pinkie let loose another tear as she sliced away her left ear, causing the mare to let loose a whimper of pain, followed by tears. Pinkie took the ear and expected it. It was free of wax. But outside of it was stained with blood and sweat, resulting in a foul smelling combination of bodily fluids. Pinkie sighed and tossed the ear onto the table, next to her cutie marks. The stallion nodded, seeming satisfied.
"Very good, you have come very far my young apprentice. I must say I am impressed. Most would not be able to go through with this." He said as he licked blood off of the Carrot Top's ear. Most don't have their friends being threatened either. Pinkie thought to herself. Pinkie looks back over to her fellow pony, the one she considered a real pony, not some sick monster.
"I'm so sorry..." She whispered. Carrot Top just shut her eyes, no doubt trying to cope with the pain. The stallion sighed with satisfaction and nodded at Pinkie. The pink party pony sighed and looked over to the knife laying on the table. Stupid thing... Why did this have to happen? Pinkie shook her head as she grabbed the knife and turned back to her friend. Her lips trembled and quivered as she placed the knife to her midsection, pausing. Looking up, Pinkie saw the terrified face of Carrot Top.
"I'm so sorry... Forgive me... Please..." She whispered. Carrot Top nodded, and closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable.
"We've confirmed the pony that you have described to us is indeed the infamous cupcake killer. His real name is unknown, but his legend has been spread all throughout Equestria. Many thought he was just a myth for the first couple of years, but once disappearances started occurring through various towns, the Princess ordered a special task force to look into it. A mountain of evidence has been found, but nopony who can be blamed for them. Pinkie... If you don't tell us everything, YOU will be blamed for all the murders this psychopath committed for over 45 years." The interrogator said. Pinkie shook her head. She looked down to the straps of leather that was starting to cause her forelegs severe discomfort. It burned, and made her legs very sweaty.
"I'm telling you everything you want to hear... What more do you want? I am guilty of killing them..." She asks as she looks back up to the interrogation box. One interrogator grows angry and slams something down on what looks like a desk.
"PINKIE! STOP GIVING US THIS FREAKING GUILT SHOW! WE KNOW YOU KNOW WHERE THIS FREAK SHOW IS! TELL US AND WE CAN GET YOU OUT OF THIS! STOP SCREWING AROUND WITH OUR TIME!" Pinkie grew angry and shouted back;
"WHAT TIME? WHO THE HECK ARE YOU ANYWAY?" The one interrogator looks like he's about to start screaming again, but the other holds out his hoof, and tells him to quiet down. The interrogator tells Pinkie to relax as well, and she looks away, still angry at the one interrogator for shouting at her like that.
"Pinkie, ponies in town report at least one disappearance per month, all on Tuesdays. But we have three recorded days on which somepony went missing on a Thursday, as well as Rainbow's most recent one, which was Wednesday. Can you explain this?" The interrogator asked. Pinkie looked down, sighing. Yeah, she could explain it, but it was so difficult, how would she explain it? Well, she had to try. Right?
16Months Ago...
"Great work Pinkie, you've managed to kill 12 ponies now, I'm very proud. I'd say you can start killing and getting me my special ingredient on your own!" The stallion said with pride in his voice. Pinkie gave her most convincing smile she could, but inside, she felt like a monster. 12? She was no better than he was... Even if she wasn't doing this voluntarily. A monster... No... That was too kind... A demon. Yeah, that's what she was. She knew it. She sighed as the stallion started talking about a numbers system, where each pony (or anyone else who lived in a town) was given a number. If their number came up, they were the next victim. It was like a lottery you didn't want to win. Course, they would never get the chance to know. This made it seem even more unfair. Pinkie sighed, this was out of control. Why did she have to be the one to get into this mess?
"Now, let's begin assigning numbers." He says with a giddy attitude. Pinkie watches as a screen begins to flash various ponies at lighting speed. It assigns each one a random number, and then moves on. Each pony takes less than half of a second. Still, seeing them all makes it feel like an eternity to Pinkie. What she wouldn't give to be locked in a mental asylum right now. After a few minutes, all the ponies in town had been numbered, all 1,687 of them. Ponyville was a relatively small town compared to major cities like Seaddle and Mareami, but it still had plenty of ponies. The stallion chuckled, and looked over to her.
"Now, let's see who the first victim of the number system will be." He says as he presses a button on the machine. The screen begins to randomly blink numbers, with the first three numbers representing their particular pony race, the second three being their place of birth, and the third being random, corresponding to the particular pony. The first three numbers are 423, the ones for a pegasus. The next three numbers come up as 196, the numbers that represent Cloudsdale. Pinkie grew nervous. She only knew a few ponies from Cloudsdale, Rainbow and Fluttershy being among them. She couldn't bear killing one of them. Finally, the last three numbers appear, and Pinkie stops breathing for a moment. The numbers are 754... Dashie's number...
"Rainbow Dash, let's get everything ready."
"Wait!" Pinkie shouts. No, she wouldn't let Rainbow die this way. She had to think of something, what could get her off the hook? Or rather, the edge of the sword?
"What?" The stallion says with an irritated tone. Pinkie pauses for a moment, but instantly comes up with the perfect cover up.
"Rainbow Dash is moving away tomorrow, we can't be ready by then, we have to choose somepony else." She says, and puts on a frown. She had to convince him this was something she was upset about, otherwise he would know she was lying. Pinkie begged in her head for him to buy it. Just let him believe her.
"Hmm... Well that is a bit of bad luck... Let's run it again, see who else comes up." He slowly walked over to the machine, and held his hoof above the button, seeming to hesitate a moment. Pinkie holds her breath, urging in her mind for him to press the button. He holds his hoof above the button for a good twenty seconds, and pushes down. The screen begins to flash new numbers as Pinkie lets out a sigh of relief. She allows herself a small smile. She had just saved Dashie's life.
Pinkie ran through the forest, sobbing as she went. This was crazy... What had she done? She had just murdered an innocent child! There was no sympathy, no hesitation... She was becoming a monster... Poor Candy Cane... She didn't even have her cutie mark yet! Pinkie broke down, falling into a pit of mud. She sobbed, slamming her fists into the pit, trying to take out her pain on something. None of the previous murders had caused her this much guilt. But they were all grown, teenagers or adults. This was an eight year old. Pinkie looked to the pouring rain, and cried out in agony. Weeping bitterly.
...
Pinkie wept. This memory was too much. So much guilt... So much pain... Why her? She was just a child... She had so much life ahead of her... Now she would never get the chance to recognize it. And it was all her fault...
"Pinkie, we've confirmed your suspicions, and bombs were placed throughout the town. A task force has been assigned to take care of it, and as of currently, have defused them from areas surrounding the public library, town hall, and the southern housing areas. Don't worry Pinkie, he won't have control over you much longer." Pinkie nods and looks down. So there were bombs. She wasn't lied to. Maybe she did do the right thing? No... Even with that, it was still a despicable act. Nothing could excuse this. Not even those who had forgiven her... That's when something hits her.
"The chip... The stallion planted a chip in my head that would go off if I tried to tell anypony in town about this! He knows what's..."
"Relax Pinkie. When we first arrested you we made sure to make sure you had no weapons on you. We discovered the chip engrained into your skull. Surgeons said it was too dangerous to remove it from your head, but Twilight managed to destroy it with her magic, while causing no damage to you." Pinkie breathed with relief, and fell back into her chair.
"Pinkie... This might be hard but... What happened with Hay Stack? He was the next one who went missing." Pinkie froze. Her muscles tensed, yet at the same time she felt weak. Tears welled in her eyes. This was arguably the hardest kill of all next to Dashie...
10 Months Ago...
Pinkie broke down crying. The knife slipped from her hooves, and she fell to the ground. This was terrible, he was being so nice to her, and how was she repaying him? Killing him...
"Pinkie..." He said with a voice soft as a dove's wing. She sniffed and looked up to him. The yellow stallion smiled at her, blood falling from his lip, and his thighs. But he still smiled. She had broken down and told him everything, that was allowed. You had a choice of whether or not to tell the victim why they were doing this. Bottling it all up inside... She just couldn't take it anymore... She had to tell somepony! He was here, he had understood, and he wasn't shouting at her. He simply could tell there was more than met the eye. She even trusted him enough to release a hoof. He took the hoof that was free and helped her up. He smiled and wiped a tear from her eye.
"It's okay... I understand. I'll willingly give my life for everypony in town." He gestured to the knife that lay on the ground, and Pinkie eyed it as well. She sighed and grabbed it. Looking back to him, she sees that he is still smiling. He nods, and Pinkie holds the knife out. Her lip quivers as she tries to find the strength to drive the knife into his flesh. She closes her eyes as tears slip out, and her hoof falls to her side. She can't do it.
"I can't..." She says with a sob. She brings her free hoof to her eyes to block her tears. She broke down, crying bitterly.
"I can't do this anymore..."
"Then let me help." Pinkie looks up and sees Hay Stack reach his hoof down. She feels his hoof grasp hers, and he brings it upward to his left chest. Pinkie looks at him, tears still in her eyes. He smiles as a tear falls from one of his own eyes. He chuckles.
"Can I tell you a secret?" He asks. Pinkie nods.
"I've actually had a crush on you for a long time now. I was just too scared to talk to you about it." He laughs as his grip tightens, but Pinkie doesn't notice. He liked her? And none of this had changed his mind? How? She was a murderer, somepony unworthy of company... right? Hay Stack seemed to notice what she was thinking, and spoke again.
"Pinkie... It's going to be alright... I promise..." He smiles again and gives her a soft kiss on her temple. He lays his head back against the table as he places the knife in Pinkie's hoof to the dead center of his chest, and gives her hoof one final pat before leaving it there.
"You can do it. Think of the lives you're saving. All those happy ponies who will enjoy their lives." He says. He wipes another tear from her eye. Pinkie stands with a stunned look, though sadness still defines her face.
"Well... If you really do like me... I guess you deserve one thing before you die." Hay Stack asks what it is, and she looks down. He seems to understand, and says she can do that only if she wants to. In her heart, she knows he deserves something. Not just death, something. Pinkie leans in close and closes her eyes. In that one moment, their lips connect. For a brief moment, everything seems okay. She can only focus on the feelings she is developing for the stallion before her. They pull away, and Hay Stack thanks her. As she pushes the knife into his heart, he gives her one last kiss on her cheek, then falls back and lets the life slip away from him. Before his eyes close forever, Pinkie whispers one last thing into his ear.
A/N This chapter will include a twisted, dark, and more disturbed torture method that was once used in the middle ages. A warning will be posted just before it so you can skip it if you wish.
11 Months Ago... "Star Side Meadow"...
Pinkie stared up into the sky, wondering if the stars there represented how many ponies she had killed. Thinking back, she thought of the most recent murder, Zoo Stripe. The young stallion had just gotten a scholarship to one of the best colleges in Equestria, and his future was looking really bright. But of course, his number just HAD to come up and ruin everything. She would never forget that look of betrayal in his eyes when she pulled out his liver. She had just laughed, because she was trying to make it easier at herself. Giggling at the ghostly just wasn't working this time around. Maybe it was because rather than fear, it was guilt, trauma, and depression. She sighed and hung her head.
"Oh Hello! I didn't think anypony else came out here!" She instantly jumped and gave a short shriek. Behind her stood Hay Stack. He pulled his head back and gave a short chuckle.
"Oh... Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He said with a smile. Pinkie breathed heavily and looked downward. This was making her paranoid. She turned back to the meadow and laid down, still breathing heavily. Hay Stack walked over to her and lowered his head. Pinkie tried her best to smile.
"Hey there Hay Stack, what brings you out here?" She asked. Hay Stack shrugged and sat.
"I just like coming out here. It's calm, there's almost always a breeze going, and it's relaxing." He said as he closed his eyes. Pinkie dropped her head. If only he knew... Maybe she could break the rules just once? No... She couldn't risk it... Not with the chip. Maybe she could work around it...
"Hey... What's wrong? You seem upset." He said with a hint of concern in his voice. She looked over to him, there was care in his eyes, but his mouth had gone downward into a frown. She sighed and hung her head.
"I... I just feel... sad... with all the kidnappings...Why is this happening?" She asks. Hay Stack shakes his head.
"I don't know Pinkie. I can't think of any good reasons to why this might be happening. We just have to hope that everything will turn out okay." He said. Pinkie shed a tear.
"I just... I feel so horrible... Their families must be worried sick... What if they have parents who miss them? A wife and kids?" Pinkie said. All this went through her mind when she was killing them. What if all this was true? How would she get past the guilt of that? Hay Stack placed his hoof on hers.
"I don't have any easy answers for you Pinkie. But we still have hope. Friendship, kindness. We get through these nightmares by drawing together." He said with a smile. Pinkie smiled too. Hay Stack had always been good with words. It was no secret why he wanted to become a motivational speaker.
"As long as there's at least two ponies left in the land... Ponies will always be able to turn to each other for strength." He smiled again and gave her hoof a quick pat. She smiled and thanked him. She needed that. That was exactly what she was doing wrong. She needed to find comfort and strength in her friends.
Present Day...
"After we checked your house for any involvement the Cakes might have had in these events, we discovered a letter that had been sent to your home, warning you about what you had said to Hay Stack. Do you remember this note?" Pinkie sighed and nodded. The stallion had heard everything she had said to him, and warned her to never talk so closely about the murders again. He had also stated a number sequence would not be needed, because she was killing Hay Stack before he could put 2 and 2 together. It broke Pinkie's heart. She had admired him for being there for anypony, even to comfort and try to reform criminals. She nodded.
"Now listen Pinkie, we have reason to believe you know about a particular type of torture that was reserved for particular victims. We know that the stallion forced you to conduct this material, thanks to a bloody saw we found in the basement. We need you to explain what happened down there. We have never heard, seen, or even had documented reports of what kind of torture this was." Pinkie froze, and panted heavily... she could still hear the horrified moans...
9 Months Ago... Two Nights After the Grand Galloping Gala...
Pinkie moved her hooves back and forth, watching as the saw dug deeper and deeper into Prince Blueblood. The stallion on the other side chuckled like a mad colt and licked his lips. Pinkie moaned in disgust while the prince groaned. The saw made it past his flanks, and he gave a horrified moan, no doubt trying to scream. But he couldn't. The drugs were way too powerful. He was barely conscious as he was right now, so the fact he still felt pain horrified Pinkie. The foul stench of blood and urine filled her nose, and she released the saw. She bent over and tried to hold her hoof over her mouth, but it was too late. She vomited. Her puke mixed in with the other stenches of the room, too which the stallion gave a satisfactory sigh.
"Come now Pinkie, how could you be disgusted by such wonderful aromas? It makes me hungry just thinking about what the royal cupcakes will taste like." He said as he caught a drop of the prince's blood. He slurped it loudly and acted like it was the best thing he had ever tasted. It made Pinkie vomit again. The stallion frowned.
"Pinkie, that's enough. Let's get this done. I want to eat my cupcakes soon." He said. Several minutes passed, and the saw was now right in the middle of the prince's gut. Blood poured from his wounds as the stallion used another saw to cut off his legs. The prince made horrible gagging noises, and vomited what little food and water remained in his gut. It was mostly acid, and had a horrid smell. Pinkie nearly passed out from the horrible sense, but the Stallion simply slurped up this vomit and mixed it with some of his blood. Pinkie couldn't take much more. She closed her eyes and continued to saw. She had to keep repeating what to do out loud, both to calm herself down, and block out the prince's horrified groans and gags.
"Back and forth... Back and forth... Back and forth..." She repeated over and over again in horrified shrieks. She opened her eyes slightly when the stallion told her to stop. The prince's head was half way open, and the rest of his body dangled from the ropes that were tied around his back hooves. The stallion laughed horridly and grabbed hold of each side of the prince's head. He ripped it apart, causing blood and pieces of his brain to fly over the room.
"Pinkie, we have unconfirmed reports that the stallion has recently been taking up new torture methods that he has been testing himself. Can you confirm this?"
"Yeah... They were so... demonic... ugh..." Pinkie lurched over, nearly gagging at the memory of the devices. The bronze calf... cooking a pony? This wasn't something somepony with a sane mind would ever come up with! In the room they were in, the two ponies jotted something down, and then turned back to her.
"We can tell from your reaction that they are not something you would want to see. Can you..."
"No! I refuse to talk about them!" Pinkie shouts. She couldn't, it was too horrific... how could anypony do that? Just the memories... The interrogators understood, and moved on.
"We understand. About 6 months ago, you gave an inspirational speech after Hay Stack was discovered dead. You admitted how you had a crush on him for years, and how he had the same for you. You wanted to honor his memory by having everypony come up and talk about their best memories of him. After that, you went missing for an extended period of time. You could not be accounted for, for an entire week, and the town went hysterical. When you were found at the end of that week long period, you were bloodied, and barely conscious. Pinkie... What happened?" Pinkie clenched her teeth and panted heavily. She could still hear the whip being cracked across her back...
6 Months Ago... Somewhere in the outskirts of Ponyville...
The whip gave another loud crack, and the fire reignited in Pinkie's back. She half-screamed and half-sobbed out her cries of pain.
"The pain is difficult... Isn't it Pinkie?" The stallion said in an infuriated tone. She felt another crack against her back and let out another shriek. She sank to the ground, held up by the chains around her hooves. She clenched her eyes shut. Her body had never burned so badly. Tears strolled from her eyes as she sobbed lightly. The stallion was being unbelievably cruel. The stallion walked from behind her and lifted her face to his. He was not wearing his hood, revealing a blood stained face, dripping from the edges of his mouth. It was a picture right out of a horror novel.
"I don't think you understand the severity of this situation Pinkie... You're getting far too comfortable in that town with my business. Now I let you be my apprentice so..."
"Let me? YOU THREATENED EVERYPONY I CARE ABOUT! YOU FORCED ME TO DO THIS!" Pinkie shouted. Her pain had been replaced by fury. She gathered her saliva, mucus, and blood, and spat into his face, right into his eyes. He drew back, giving a quick shout of pain. While he tried to wipe the fluids from his eyes, Pinkie pulled against the chains. she begged, pleaded to be given superpony strength for just a moment. To let her break free, stop this lunatic, and then turn herself in. Her efforts proved fruitless however, and she was hit square in the jaw. She spit out more blood and stared angrily at the stallion. Who was also infuriated.
"You better be more careful of how you treat the one holding the lives of your friends in their hooves. One wrong move, and I blow their guts across the sky. Literally." He says as he forcefully grabs her face again. He releases her face and punches it again. Pinkie jerks back and feels herself loosing consciousness.
"I know you lied to me about Rainbow... Her name came up again." He said with hostility. Pinkie tensed up. No... This couldn't be happening... Dashie's number came up again? This wasn't fair! She hung her head and shed tears. She clenched her teeth, trying to remain strong. This couldn't happen. She was not going to let Rainbow Dash die. Not like this...
"Whenever I decide to let you go, you can count on her being next. You worthless little whore." He said. Pinkie sobbed.
"Please... Don't make me kill her... She... She's my best friend..." She sobbed. Tears fell from her mouth, and blood dripped from her mouth. Looking up, her view was hazy, but she could see the stallion pondering this.
"Please... If it was your best friend... you wouldn't do it... just let her live... Please... I'm begging you... Don't make me kill her..." She said between her sobs. The stallion brought his hoof to his face and thought. Pinkie begged in her mind to let him accept. She couldn't watch Dashie die like that... No matter how hard she tried. It would be too awful. The stallion groaned in annoyment.
"Fine! She lives... For now. If her number comes up one more time, you have to kill her. But she's off the hook for now." He said. Pinkie breathed a sigh of relief.
"But you're not." That was the last thing she heard before she blacked out from another punch.
...
The Interrogators sat in silence. While Pinkie tried to recover from telling her tale. She sat in the chair and cried softly.
"I just want to see her... Know she's okay... That's all I want right now..." She said between her tears. She had felt so awful when she was torturing her, and even worse when she was crying. Dreadful... How could she live with herself, she couldn't blame Dashie is she never forgave her.
"I have to go down there." One of the interrogators said.
"Are you sure? Are you absolutely positive?"
"Just look at her. She needs to know." The interrogators looked at one another for a while, but the unicorn one nodded. Pinkie hung her head. She didn't want to see what this stallion looked like. She wanted to see Rainbow face to face. Not in some dumb recovery picture. The door opened and Pinkie looked away. She didn't want to see. She...
"Hi Pinkie." Pinkie's eyes shot open. That voice... She knew it... Cautiously, she looked up to see if it was who she thought it was. Sure enough... It was. Standing there, bandages around her mid section...
A/N I usually don't write new chapters chapters on Sunday , but there are few reasons why I did today. One, I hate where I left off, I can't stand leaving it hanging like that. Second, I want to address the assumption made by SuperDarthVader1. I don't care if this is a spoiler, Rainbow Dash is not going to die. The very reason I made this alternate ending was because I hated the idea of her dying like that, as well as Pinkie being the mastermind. So, in this: Rainbow Dash doesn't die, and Pinkie Pie never wanted anything to do with this. If I sounded rude, I didn't mean to be. Just trying to explain. Please enjoy the rest of the story.
Pinkie stared, overjoyed to see her friend. She was alive! She was okay! Despite her enthusiasm on the inside, outside, she could barely move or speak. She was in awe. Her eyes trained on her midsection, which were covered in bandages. Right where her wings were supposed to be were two large blood stains. Pinkie instantly felt ashamed. She had caused that. Not some accident or amputation, her. Her actions, nopony else's.
"Dashie... You're okay..." She says with a shocked expression. Rainbow nodded and walked toward her. She paused for a moment, then turned back to the door.
"Get out here Twilight. We know she can be trusted." She said. Twilight? She was here too? Pinkie looked up to the interrogator room, and the unicorn figure cautiously backed away. It turned to the left, and started walking that way. Rainbow turned to Pinkie and smiled.
"It's good to see you Pinkie. The REAL you. Not that psychopath I saw in the basement." Pinkie chuckled slightly, but still hung her head in shame. Pinkie heard the door open, and looked up. Twilight stood there, staring at her with neither hatred, nor compassion. But somehow, her gaze still gave the impression that she had forgiven her. Rainbow turned back to her, and Pinkie saw her midsection. Still stained with blood. Pinkie gulped, and asked what she feared to.
"Dashie... Your... Your w... Wings... What happened to them?" She choked out as Twilight began to mess with the leather around her forelegs. Dash looked to the bandages, and sighed. Her eyes closed halfway as she looked to the ground.
"They're... They're not looking good... The doctors say there is a slight chance that they can reattach them, but probably not. I... I might have to accept the idea... of never flying again..." She said as a tear fell from her eye. Pinkie felt the leather fall from her foreleg, but she was too focused on Rainbow. Her... Never flying again? No... That was horrible... It couldn't be... Could it? But... Flying was a part of her! She had already endured so much, why should she lose her flying too?
"I... I'm so sorry... Dashie... I... I never wanted this..." She said as she began sobbing. She brought her hoof to her face, tears stained her fur, but she didn't care. It was her fault... everything... Why did this have to happen... It wasn't fair!
"I'm so sorry..." She said again. She felt a hoof on hers, and she moved her hoof away from her eyes. rainbow stood there smiling.
"I know you didn't. I knew from the second I saw hesitation when you grabbed that knife to cut off my cutie marks. I saw that tear in your eye, the guilt in them. I knew that you weren't the one responsible for your behavior. I understand completely. I knew you weren't the bad guy." Pinkie sniffed, and wiped away a few tears from her eyes. It was then when she got a good look where the leather straps had been. They were a light shade of red, and they tingled lightly. She knew that this meant they were numb. Twilight released her other hoof, and she brought it to the other, rubbing it to bring back feeling.
"I can't say I was a certain as Rainbow was." Twilight said. She walked forward to Pinkie, and she gave a breath. There was no indication of what she felt and Pinkie wondered what she might be feeling. Pinkie didn't know what to think, but apologized. Twilight nodded, staring at her hooves. Pinkie looked to them as well, they were still red, and one seemed to have light shades of purple. The purple circled around the red softly, as though it were revolved around it. She must have had blood circulation cut off from the area.
"Guess I made those a little too tight. Sorry." Twilight said. Pinkie tried to place her first hoof on the floor, but wobbled slightly. She managed to stay up though, and looked over to Twilight.
"How did you know where to look for us? Nopony ever follows me down there, and I never gave a good reason to make anypony think to follow me down there." She said.
"I was testing out a homing spell at the time. Rainbow was the best candidate since she moves around so much. The spell lets you know how they feel, where they are, and what they're doing. I was a little concerned when she stopped moving, and just sat in one place, but I figured she was asleep. When I started feeling like she was in pain, I asked the guards about the abductees. One of which was Hay Stack. I went to his grave and tried my memory spell, and I found out he had been in the EXACT same place Rainbow was. So I took this to the Princess. She agreed to let me take some guards to investigate, and we went into Sugarcube Corner. When we heard crying in the basement, we knew that was where she was. When we were running down the corridor, we heard you saying it was time for the 'harvest', and we got in just in time." Twilight explained. Pinkie nodded.
"Twilight... Thank you. I don't know if I'd be able to live with myself if I killed her." She said. Rainbow smiled and gave her a pat on the back. Twilight smiled as well, and gave her friends a quick hug. When they pulled away, Twilight looked back to Pinkie.
"Pinkie, I have one final question to ask."
"Anything."
"Do you know where he is? We need to find and stop him." Pinkie thought for a moment, she had to remember back, he had shown her where he was... but where...
Pinkie's vision faded in and out, she had just been beaten by the stallion again, this time over refusing to kill a four year old. He had kicked her and shot some sort of drug into her. It was the same drug they used on the saw victims. Try as she might, she couldn't distinguish anything from the blobs she saw. He vision blacked out again, and she was trapped in the confines of her mind. When she awoke again, she was being dragged somewhere, and she saw a sign. "That's it... What town is that?" Pinkie tries as hard as she can to decipher the sign, but all she makes out is two letters, an "H" and an "N". Pinkie faded away from consciousness, only to re awaken later on.
"Dad! Please! Let me go!" She heard. It was strange... She felt like she had heard that voice before, but where?
"Shut up! You had your chance Trixie... But you tried to turn me in. You're not a daughter, you're a traitor. You're lucky you haven't ended up like your mother yet." Trixie... Where had she heard that name before? So familiar... But so alien at the same time... "Trixie... Where did she live... I know this! Why can't I remember?" Pinkie groaned in frustration. If only the stallion hadn't injected her with that drug... Pinkie faded from consciousness again, failing to distinguish where she was. When she awoke again, the drug had worn off, that meant it had been over 12 hours. Pinkie tried to move her foreleg, but when she did, something slammed into her gut. She clenched her stomach and tried to keep from barfing, and looked up, trying to find her attacker. She heard a door shut, and jumped at the sound.
"Do you realize what you have done Pinkie?" She heard. She knew the voice, that horrid voice that haunted her nightmares... It was the stallion. Pinkie looked behind her, and found her self behind iron bars. A cell... What was going on? Pinkie looked around and shook her head.
"That was the number that came up, what happens here today... Will change your attitude towards the system and to me forever." She felt something grab her face, and draw her close. She gasped and held her eyes shut, trying to control her fear. She opens her eyes, and finds herself staring into the eyes of the stallion.
"You thought refusing to kill that little girl would save her?" He asked with a disgusted tone. With anger in his eyes, he threw her to the ground. She gave a quick groan of pain and looked up. The stallion stood there, frowning.
"Nothing... Can stop this. Not even you." He says as he flips a light switch. The lights turn on, revealing a little filly. Pinkie gasps and rushes to the front of the bars. No... She was just a child! She had hardly even begun her life! This wasn't fair! No somepony so young! This was demonic!
"No! She's just a kid!" She shouts.
"So was Candy Cane." The Stallion says with a smug grin. Pinkie backs down, and tears form in her eyes as she listens to the young girl cry out for her mom. This was just like Candy Cane... "Focus... You need to remember... What in that room can tell you where he is?" Pinkie thought. These memories were serving no use, she needed something. In her memories, she looked around the room, trying to distinguish where she was. There was a scarf with blue stripes. Striped scarves... That's it! She knew where he was!"
Present Day...
Pinkie stood before the Princess, guards posted around her, making sure she didn't do anything. The Princess stared at her, Twilight and Rainbow were to Pinkie's right and left. They had explained everything that had happened, what had been discovered through interrogation, and how she knew where to find the stallion.
"Pinkie, you are no doubt guilty of committing these acts, even if your purpose in doing so was just." Princess Celestia said. Pinkie nodded and hung her head. She felt Rainbow put a hoof on her shoulder, and she looked at her. Rainbow patted her back and returned her hoof to the floor. Pinkie nodded and turned back to the Princess.
"I admit I have done wrong to ponies, and I will accept jail time graciously if you issue it. But right now, there's a madcolt out there that needs to be stopped. I'm the only pony who knows how he operates, I can make sure everypony gets home safely." Pinkie said. The Princess nodded and considered this. Pinkie kept her head up. The Princess smiled.
"Very well Pinkie. If you show us where this murderer is, and you help us stop him, we will show you mercy. Now... Where is he?" Pinkie looked over to Twilight, who nodded. Rainbow nodded as well. And Pinkie stepped forward. She narrowed her eyes and said the next word loud, and clear.
I can't... Believe... What I've become... I just forced Pinkie... to kill... her best friend... How can I not be held responsible? This second personality is still my own! How can I not be blamed? My own daughter suffers torment because of me! I should never have pretended to enjoy that stupid ritual my father showed me... It has brought nothing but pain and misery! This second personality would never have formed! I could have been free... Now I must hide behind a cold blooded murderer. I pray that soon I will be stopped, killed even. I hope Pinkie not being heard on her radio is a sign that she is free now, that madcolt can no longer have control... If only I could end this myself...
Present Day...
Pinkie stood outside the door of the house, knowing that this was it. A royal guard knocked on the door, attempting to get a peaceful arrest before they had to resort to violence. Pinkie looked over to Rainbow. Despite her wishes, Rainbow had come along to see the madcolt with her own eyes, so she would know who really wanted her dead. Pinkie sighed and looked back to the door.
"Sir, we have a warrant for your arrest. I suggest you come on out." A guard said. The group waited several minutes, but there was no answer. The guard grew somewhat aggravated.
"This is your last chance. Don't make this any harder than it needs to be." He said. Still no answer. The guard turned over to the others and nodded. They nodded back and stepped back. Two more guards snorted and charged at the door. Pinkie covered her head as splinters from the door ricocheted off the walls and towards her. When the feeling of sharp wood left her foreleg, she lowered it and saw the first guard entering the door way. She looked behind her to Rainbow, who was walking forward.
"Guess this is it." She said. Pinkie nodded. This was it. The time had come for this stallion to face justice. She would have to face it too, but at least no more ponies would be killed. Besides, she was going to face justice and law with dignity, and she was actually thankful she was. She had to make up what she had done somehow. As the two mares entered the building, they stopped at the sight of Trixie, who was bloodied, inside of a cage. Pinkie froze, overcome with fear. She had two metal spikes between her hooves, pinning them to the wall. there was also two in her shoulders, which also restrained her. Underneath the her were letters written in blood:
Don't Follow Me.
"Please... Help me..." She said with tears in her eyes. Pinkie instantly leapt towards her, analyzing the spikes. Carefully, she grabbed one from her lower hoof, and twisted it gently. Trixie whimpered at this, but Pinkie persisted. Slowly, and easily, she slid it out of her hoof. Blood poured onto Pinkie's back front hoof, but all she could focus on was the mare that needed her help.
"Easy... We're here to stop him, we're gonna get you out of here." She said as she removed the spike from her other back hoof. Trixie nodded groggily and let her head fall, moaning in pain. Pinkie eased a third spike out of her shoulder when she heard something. She turned her head, inspecting the area. There was a shadow to the right.
"He's here... Isn't he?" She asked. Turning her head back to Trixie, whose head was swaying back and forth. She gave as much of a nod as she could, before her head dropped again. She looked over to the guards who nodded. They moved over to the area where she pointed. Pinkie pulled out the fourth spike, causing Trixie to wince. Looking to Rainbow, Pinkie motioned for her to come over. She needed her to pull the spike from her left hoof out, and catch her when she fell. Together, the two mares eased the final spikes out of her hooves, and Trixie fell into their outstretched hooves.
"Please... Stop him..." Trixie said. Pinkie nodded, she had already made that promise to Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Twilight, and the Princess. Now a victim was asking for it. Not that she needed anypony to even ask. Just then, somepony shouts out for help, and it sounds like the guards. Pinkie darts her head over to the sound, nearly dropping Trixie.
"Rainbow, get Trixie somewhere safe, I'm checking this out!" She shouts. Rainbow tries to object, but is stopped when Pinkie shoves Trixie onto her. Pinkie runs as fast as she can down the hallway, coming upon an open door. She charges through and skids to a halt, instantly horrified at what she sees. All three royal guards have been killed, with the stallion standing in the center of them.
"I was wondering if you were going to show up." He says. His voice is calm, yet intimidating at the same time. Pinkie breathes heavily, looking to the room around her. Knives round the room, along with several saws, and other weapons of torture. Pinkie glares at the stallion and asks a single question.
"Why?" The stallion laughs.
"I don't have to reveal anything to you traitor." Pinkie grits her teeth and growls. The stallion chuckles and begins to walk away, turning his back to Pinkie. Pinkie looks around, inspecting tables until she finds a knife. With haste, she grabs the knife, throwing it at the stallion. He jumps out of the way and glares at her.
"You're not getting away... You've been hiding way too long. It's time for you to face your crimes." Pinkie says with grit teeth. The stallion narrows his eyes, seeming to try and hypnotize her, although Pinkie knows he's just trying to scare her. It would not work, she was not going to back down. Not now. The stallion suddenly bursts out of a window and takes off.
"No you don't! Pinkie shouts. Instantly she takes off, running as fast as she can and jumping through the window. When she lands, she spots the stallion running for his life. Pinkie growls and launches like a rocket to chase after him. He throws a knife at a random pony, hitting it in the foreleg. It's family instantly starts sobbing as they drag the injured pony away. Other ponies start screaming as he pulls another knife, though he throws this one at Pinkie. She easily dodges and continues chasing.
Yesterday...
I confronted her today. I revealed two weeks ago that it wasn't me, or at least... Not the real me. She didn't believe me at first, but I recalled everything about her, including something that my other personality could not. She broke down sobbing, begging me to release her. As much as I wanted to... I couldn't... The other personality had already threatened her life if I tried to save her. He would take control if I attempted to remove the spikes, killing her in the process. I will not let him do that to my daughter. Ever since that... thing killed my wife, Trixie is all I have left. I love her so much, but the most I could do was comfort and kiss her on her head. Before I left, Trixie said that she forgave me, but not the animal. How many times I wish I could make that distinction...
It's not fair! I've been manipulated by that demon! It's not my fault, I never wanted this to begin with! I feel the guilt for murders I did not commit! It's that stupid thing I brought from my childhood, it is to blame for this nightmare! My hooves tremble from the grief I suffer... The same hooves have taken countless lives, when I did not want them to... This was monstrous, I had to do something! I had ruined the lives of so many by killing those they hold dear! And Pinkie... How many sleepless nights I must have forced upon her... If only I could take my own life... But that monster would take control and stop me. Well let's see if he sees this one coming... He will be stopped... He will face justice... Mark my words you heartless, worthless stallion! You will rot in a cell for the remainder of BOTH our lives, or we will both die!
...
Rainbow set Trixie down on a bed that she had led her too, saying it was her room. Rainbow instantly noticed of her standing next to a smiling stallion, with her hoof wrapped around him. She was just a filly, and the stallion was grown.
"Is he your... dad?" She nearly shouted. Trixie nodded. Rainbow backed away... The killer was her father? But... She was just a showoff... Guess some apples fall a decent way from the tree after all.
"You don't understand... He... He has multiple personality disorder... It's not his fault..." The unicorn said, clearly out of breath. Rainbow raised an eyebrow and looked around, her room didn't really seem like anything indifferent. Except a few posters with her on them, but a few of them were torn, as though they meant nothing to her, although pride seemed to be something she had too much of. So why would she intentionally destroy her own posters? There had to be some cause behind this... Rainbow left Trixie, telling her she would get her some help. The mare didn't seem to respond, indicating that she had passed out. Rainbow decided to do some investigating and look around. There was nothing particularly interesting, or helpful to help point what was going on. She noticed a letter, with the heading reading; "READ ME". Rainbow wasn't really in the mood to read anything, but figured it would carry some sort of clue. She inspected the letter, and instantly realized that it was aimed at somepony in particular.
Thursday, 26th of August
I wish I could explain everything more clearly, but I fear my time is limited. I have two vastly different personalities. One, a loving father who wants the best for his family. The other, a cold... blooded... murderer. Pinkie, if it is you reading this, I need you to perform an errand. I know I have already asked you to kill numerous ponies, but I need you to do this, for I could not.. I need you to track me down, where ever my other personality has taken me, and kill me. My body is old, and weak. But yours is young, and strong. You can overpower me easily. Please Pinkie, you are my final effort to end the suffering that continues to plague the land. Redeem us both, Pinkie. Find me, and find it in your heart to take just one more life. Even if it is me, not the monster, you encounter. One last thing... Tell Trixie I love her. She still has a father who cares about her.
Your former master,
- The Cupcake Killer
...
Pinkie charged and panted heavily, but she couldn't give up. She knew that the stallion could only go on for a little longer. The stallion rounded a corner, and Pinkie skid as she came to the turn. She found a knife flying at her, but dodged it easily. She took off once again, pumping her legs as fast as they could go. She grit her teeth and pumped all of her adrenaline into her efforts. She quickly picked up a rock with her mouth, making sure to keep it steady. If she could get a solid hit with the stallion, she could take him down. Another innocent ran screaming into a home, and Pinkie leaped over him. She couldn't slow down for a second. If she did, this monster was going to get away, and she wasn't letting that happen. She aimed carefully and leaped into the air, throwing the rock. It connected with the back hoof of the stallion, causing him to collapse to the ground. Pinkie smiled. It worked. Now she just needed to keep him occupied while the Princess arrived. She quickly dove onto him, but he kicked her off. Pinkie held her gut for a moment, but recuperated quickly, expecting the stallion to be running again. But he wasn't. He was just standing there, in a battle stance.
"Pinkie my friend... you never should have come here." He said with a snake like voice. Pinkie growled and planted her hoof firmly in the ground, this was it. The final showdown...
"Stop calling me friend... A true friend wouldn't haven't been as much of bully to me as you were." She said with anger in her voice. The stallion shook his head in disgust.
"Well then young fool... Hay Stack awaits you." With that, he leaped, a knife in his hoof. Pinkie instantly leaped to the side, and the knife struck the ground. The stallion quickly pulled the blade out of the ground, but Pinkie gave his face a solid kick, and the knife went flying from his hoof. He growled in anger and attacked, but Pinkie dodged every blow. He was slow, probably due to his age. Pinkie slammed her knee into his gut, and he wheezed, gasping for air. Pinkie slammed her hooves into his face, pinning him against the wall. The stallion gave her a kick to her gut, and she fell back. The stallion fell to the ground, quickly getting up. He stared at her with hatred in his eyes and stomped on her face. Pinkie tried to fight back, but by the time she knew what was going on, she had been slammed into a wall. She slumped against it and tried to get up, but she could not. The stallion had slammed his hoof against her neck, and retrieved his lost knife. He brought the knife to her throat and clenched his teeth.
"Goodbye... Pinkie Pie..." He said through his teeth. Pinkie closed her eyes waiting for the inevitable. She never thought it would end like this. She felt the knife dig into her lower chin, igniting an inferno of pain, but that was it. The next thing she felt was the enormous weight of the stallion being lifted off of her. She heard him shouting, and opened her eyes. The stallion was suspended in mid air, surrounded by a purple aura. He thrashed around violently as he tried to cut his way out with the knife, but it was no use. Pinkie smiled and looked up. Sure enough, Twilight, guards, and the Princess were all above her in either chariots, or balloons. She looked to the stallion with satisfaction. He was done. He was going to be locked up forever, maybe even killed. Whatever happened, he couldn't hurt anypony anymore. To tease him, she took some of her blood and whipped it at him. He screamed in anger and tried bashing out of the force field again, but he couldn't. Pinkie laughed as the stallion was tied up and placed in the back of a carriage. Twilight walked over to her and helped her up.
"You alright?"
"Never better." Pinkie said as she watched the Princess place a sleeping spell on the killer. Pinkie smile again. They had won.
...
Several Hours Later...
Pinkie cleaned the tables at the local prison, making sure to get every piece of dirt or filth off of it. The Princess had kept her word, and showed her mercy, but had still given her a 400 hour community service duty. Sure that was a lot, but she deserved it. Besides, if she did 4 hours a day, it wouldn't take much more than three months. She had also been issued a $2,000 fine, which was fine with her. After all, she was responsible for lost lives. But catching the killer and helping make Ponyville a better place made her feel better. She was just about finished when she heard walking up to her. When she turned around, she saw Rainbow, with something in her hooves. She gave it to her and told her it was from the killer. Pinkie frowned she didn't want to read anything written by him. Not even an apology. Regardless, she took the paper and unfolded it. What she read left her speechless. Multiple Personality Disorder? How could that be? She had only seen one personality. This had to be fake, but then again... Why would he come up with a blatant lie and still say to murder him? More importantly, if this was true, how did he get that other personality? Just then, somepony from the prison came to her, saying that the stallion had requested to see her.
"Be careful in there." Pinkie looked back to her concerned friend, and smiled.
"I'll be okay Rainbow, he's behind a layer of glass remember?"
"Still... I don't want him hurting you more than he already has." Rainbow said. Pinkie chuckled and walked through the door. Pinkie nodded at the guard who opened the door for her. Inside the room were six stations, each with walls surrounding the prisoner side. She took a deep breath and stepped forward. She didn't know if she was ready to see the killer again. Not after all he had done. Still, she had to see what he was really like, if he was telling the truth. She sat down in a chair and waited. A guard came along with a prisoner in tow, who appeared to be hurt. The guard opened the door that led to the walled area, revealing the stallion. For some reason, his facial features seemed different, like his face had softened. It was also lined with tears, and there were bloodied lines on his legs and torso. He quietly took his seat and refused to look at Pinkie for a while.
"Hey..." He said. Pinkie reeled back in surprise. His voice sounded different. Usually he sounded unforgiving, hostile, and deceitful. Now, he sounded sincere, caring, and above all else, it suddenly had an accent like Rarity's. Maybe there really was a second personality. He sighed and dropped his head.
"I can't tell you what it's like to be on this side of the glass..." He said. Pinkie observed the stallion and squinted. Something had to be going on.
"What's your real name?" She asked with a hostile tone.
"Blue Bolt." He said calmly.
"Why? Why did you do all of this?" She asked. Blue looked into her eyes, revealing how much of a mess he was. His mane was unkept, and his eyes were red from tears.
"My father... He forced me too... He was the original killer... He demanded an heir, and I was an only child. I never wanted to do it, but I just played along... I was afraid he would kill me too if I didn't. I was young... Life was... Precious... To me..." He said. He lowered his head in shame.
"What I didn't know... Was that I was developing a dark... heartless personality the whole time... He grew stronger with each kill... I should have seen it coming... One day that personality took control away from me... and killed a victim by himself... Without my father telling me to..." The stallion hung his head and rubbed his hoof through his mane. He whispered something underneath his breath, but Pinkie couldn't hear it. She leaned forward, urging him to continue.
"That's it. That's how it started. My murderous personality took control so many times... I couldn't get over the guilt... I tried turning myself in, but the other would take control of me and take me away. I grew so desperate to the point where I sought the help of a doctor. That's when I met my wife." Blue shook his head and rubbed his hoof through his mane again. Pinkie lost her harsh nature and loosened up.
"Did... Did she help you through it?"
"She understood everything, and didn't grow angry when I admitted my other personality was a murderer." Blue smiled lightly and chuckled.
"For the first time in years, I was happy again. I was happy whenever she was around. I developed feelings for her, and got to know her personally. After a few years, I asked her to marry me, and she said yes. I thought everything was going to be okay, the personality was surfacing less, and I was happy." The stallion frowned, tears forming in his eyes.
"I was so wrong... The personality came back five years afterward... Taking my pride and joy away from me... He... He forced me to watch as she bled out... Only giving me back control when she was in her last minutes of life." He said. He stopped speaking for a moment and sobbed quietly to himself. Pinkie sat back and pondered this. His father forced him to kill... And the personality arose from that... Killing anypony that threatened to expose his secret. Blue continued once he had stopped crying. The death of his wife forced him to take care of his four year old daughter alone. He always treated he like a queen, loving her, caring for her, giving her almost anything. But the other personality was abusive, mentally physically, and... other ways. After the first incident, Blue locked himself away, cutting himself to try to remove his grief. Trixie began to feel abandoned by her father, and took to performing to try and gain love that way. When she went into depression, Blue resurfaced and tried to comfort her, but Trixie was furious at her father. She accused him of abandoning her, and not truly loving her. That tore at Blue badly, and he fell into an even worse depression. Eventually, he did manage to patch up his relationship with her after the event in Ponyville. Whenever he felt his "other" personality coming, he would send her away. He didn't want to cause her any more pain than what was already caused. He learned to balance the personalities, and spent time with Trixie when he could. A few months ago, the other personality violently took control, and placed her in the position that they had found her in. Blue had to leave her there, since the other personality threatened taking control again, and killing her.
"So... If you hated it so much... Why didn't you just kill yourself? You don't exactly seem like you were opposed to it."
"Believe me I tried... But that demon took my control away and stopped me every time." He said. Pinkie sighed. This personality seemed to hate everything about his other self, if he was that desperate to get rid of it.
"After he forced you to kill your best friend, I decided that I had enough. I placed a chip in my head and created a group beacons that would lead the Princess and her guards to me... So I could be stopped. Yesterday, I sent her the beacon, saying that I could be found that way." Blue looked up to Pinkie, his lips were quivering, all while biting his lip.
"You have to help me with Trixie... She... needs... somepony, to look after her." He said with sorrow in his voice. Pinkie nodded.
"I'll look after her."
"Please... I don't want her to be like me..." He said. Pinkie once again looked at his scars, wondering how they got there. Blue explained that each personality was getting different treatment. He was getting therapy, but the evil personality was getting torture.
"Visiting hours are up." A guard said. Pinkie nodded and stood.
"Pinkie." Blue said before she walked out the door. Pinkie looked back to him, he was still sitting there, forelegs crossed, leaning on the table by the window.
"Don't let go of who you are." He said. Pinkie didn't know what he meant, but nodded regardless.
Pinkie smiled as she clocked out for the last time. The fine of 2000 bits had been paid, and all 400 of her community service hours had been done. She was free. She had finally repaid Equestria for the atrocities she had committed. For the first time in over two years, she felt happy. Genuinely happy. Not happy as though it were a relief for a short period of time. It was finally over.
"Pinkie?" She heard from behind. She turned around and saw Trixie, who was smiling. The two friends greeted each other and gave the other quick hugs. Over the past few months, Pinkie and the others had pretty much adopted Trixie into their group. It turns out she had only become a performer to get attention, when Blue had locked himself away to protect her. Things were a bit rough between her, Rarity, and Rainbow for a while, but they were all good friends now.
"How's it feel to walk with a free conscience for the first time in two years?" Trixie says jokingly. Pinkie laughs and gives her a playful shove.
"It's great! I've never been so happy." She said. Soon enough, they hear the awkward flapping of wings, and some troubled grunts. Looking up, they see Rainbow Dash, still trying to get the hang of her new wings. Three months ago, doctors said that if some surgery was done first, Rainbow would be able to receive her old wings back. Her and her friends had talked about it for about a week, but they decided to go through with it. After two weeks of surgery, they were able to reattach her wings, and she could fly once more. She had only had the wings for about a week, so it was still taking a while for her to strengthen them to the point she could fly normally again.
"Hey Dashie! Good to see you." Pinkie said as she waved. Rainbow landed and stumbled for a while before she managed to steady herself. She chuckled as she walked over to the two friends.
"Hey Trixie, hey Pinkie. It's good to see you girls." Rainbow said. Trixie and Pinkie returned the favor, and the girls began to walk around town. They were going to celebrate Pinkie being free again, and were meeting up with the others at the best restaurant in Ponyville.
"So how are the wings?" Trixie asked. Rainbow moved one of her wings in front of her face, inspecting it.
"They're still a little weak, but they're getting stronger every day. Soon enough I'll be racing around town again." She says with confidence in her voice. Pinkie giggles as she leaps up and down. Rainbow was flying a short distance from the ground, trying to strengthen her wings, while Trixie just walked. They talked about irreverent things until they reached the restaurant, where the others were waiting at a table already reserved for them. Pinkie smiled as she took her seat, and couldn't help but let out a quick shriek of joy. She was free at last.
Meanwhile...
Blue awoke with more tears in his eyes. More bad dreams. He brought his hooves to his eyes to try to get the tears out, but only felt more wetness along them. When he looked at his hooves, he saw fresh blood dripping from gruesome wounds in his forelegs. More torture because of the evil demon inside. He sighed and brought his hoof to his forehead as he tried to get over how uncomfortable the bed was. He closed his eyes and let out a strangled whimper, letting the pain he felt come forward. He had talked with all the families of the victims, and each one was a horrifying experience. It ranged from uneasy forgiveness to declarations of hate. Most common was one of the relatives bawling while others tried to comfort them. With a shake of the head, he stared uneasily at the top bunk that was above him. He sighed and looked over to his photo of Trixie. He smiled and adjusted his head to observe it more clearly. She was smiling, and was standing next to her mother. His two favorite mares in the world. One dead... One out of reach. Still, he was glad that Trixie was safe. She had a new family now. One that would look after her. Who would do what he couldn't.
...
Pinkie dove right into her food, not even bothering to use her silver ware. The group laughed as she got sauce from the sandwich all over her face. She brought her head up from her plate and slurped her tongue all across her face to soak up all of the sauce that had gotten there.
"That is repulsive..." Rarity said as she shook her head away. Rainbow laughed and gave her a playful shove.
"Aw come on lighten up old timer! There's nothing wrong with being excited! Besides, she deserves to enjoy herself!" She said. Pinkie smiled and nodded like a woodpecker, soon afterwards diving her head back into the sandwich.
...
"Alright Blue you're up. Your session is ready." The guard said with a stern tone.
"Thank you..." Blue said as he walked through the door. The therapist sat on the far side of the room, hooves on front of the table, waiting for him. He sighed as he took his seat, ready to begin.
"How did you sleep last night Blue?" He asked as he levitated a pen in the air, ready to write on a notepad that he had brought with him. Blue sighed and rubbed his hoof through his mane.
"Terrible... I woke up in a cold sweat half the time, and the other half I could hardly breathe." He said with sorrow. The therapist nodded and jotted this down on the paper. this was supposed to be helping... So why didn't he ever feel any better?
...
After the meal, Trixie had asked Pinkie to come with her while she visited her dad. Normally, Pinkie wouldn't have said yes, but she knew that this was something Trixie felt she needed to do.
"Do you know how he's doing? Personality wise?" Pinkie asked. Trixie sighed and nodded. There was genuine hurt from the expressions that Pinkie saw.
"The other personality isn't surfacing that much any more, only once a week, but the torture is getting worse, and he's losing a lot of blood each time he's tortured." She hung her head sadly, and Pinkie placed a hoof on her shoulder. She knew she was still having a hard time with this, since she didn't know what to believe and what not to about her dad. She could only imagine what kind of trauma she had endured as a filly, when he didn't have as much control or restraint as he did now.
"It'll be alright."
...
Blue went into the visiting area, not sure of who was visiting him. Pinkie had promised a month ago she would stop by every Friday to check on him, but today was Tuesday. Nopony liked visiting him, since most still blamed him for the deaths of their relatives. Who would want to visit a murderer like him? As he sat down in the chair, he waited for what felt like a good five minutes before his question was answered. Coming through the door... was Trixie.
"Hi daddy..." She said with a hint of sadness in her voice. Sadness. Just like what was in her voice when she was humiliated in Ponyville. He didn't know what to feel, what to say. So he remained silent as she sat down in the chair. Attempting to remove the effects of the past eight months, he began to converse.
"Hi sweetie. How you doing?" He asked. She shook her head and shrugged.
"Pretty good." She turned her eyes toward him, which were filled with sorrow.
"Been worried about you." She said. This took Blue by surprise, but he didn't show it. Why was she concerned with him? It couldn't just be because he was her dad right? Knock it off... He told himself. He had been a good father, it was the other who had abused her. He on the other hoof had loved her, cared for her, and been there for her.
"Don't be Trixie. I deserve to be in here."
"No that monster deserves to be in there... You deserve to be here!" She shouted as tears started to form in her eyes. Blue shushed her, and spoke calmly.
"Hey... It's okay..." He said soothingly. He had used the same tone when she was bawling that fateful night.
"It will be alright. I promise you. The jail can knock this demon right out of me, I just know it." Trixie nodded and sniffed as she wiped her eyes. It was only then Blue noticed Pinkie standing next to the door, observing Trixie. He smiled. She had kept her promise. He asked about how the others were treating her, and she smiled slightly.
"They've kind of taken me in. They treat me like family, even though I was a jerk to them. If it weren't for them I would be in a tailspin right now..." She said with a chuckle. They talked for a little while longer until visiting hours ended. Before she left, Trixie asked one more thing.
"Do you think when you get out... We could do something? Just the two of us?" She asked. Blue smiled and nodded.
A/N Thank you for all support for this story. It's been a heck of a ride. Hope you enjoyed my take on an alternate ending/ sequel for Cupcakes. There will plenty more stories, so check back on my account often.
3 Years Later...
"So... He's gone?" Blue asked. He had just been told that his second personality had been removed from his mind, and would no longer be giving him any problems. What this right? Could the demon that had plagued his mind since childhood really be gone?
"Yes. We did 5 cat scans, four psychological tests, and 3 personality tests. He's gone. Every trace of him." The doctor said. Blue smiled and gave a short chuckle.
"Yes... This is wonderful..." He whispered to himself, overwhelmed with emotion. Finally, after so many years... That psychopath was gone... Nothing but a bad, distant memory...
"What's the first thing you want to do?" The doctor asked. Blue remained silent for a moment, merely taking in the reality of this. He was finally free. Now he knew how Pinkie had felt when she had finished her community service. She was finally free to be herself again, to begin mending old relations, make new ones, and be there for those she had hurt.
"Well?" The doctor said, snapping him out of this trance. Blue smiled. He had made a promise three years ago to a certain mare. And he was going to make sure he kept it.
"I would like to spend a day with my daughter."
...
"Trixie... Wake up." She heard. She turned in her bed, moaning. She didn't want to get up, it was way too early.
"Trixie, there's somepony here to see you." She heard. She recognized the voice as Twilight's, and knew she meant well. Still, she needed her sleep.
"Can't it wait? I hardly got any sleep because of Pinkie last night." She said as she placed a pillow on her head, trying to drown out any sound.
"Sweetie? Please?" She heard. Instantly her eyes shot awake. She recognized this voice. Her dad. She slowly took the pillow off of her head and looked up. Surely enough, there he was. She smiled and stood, moth slightly agape.
"Dad... You're free?" She asked. Her father smiled and nodded.
"He's gone Trixie. They got rid of him." He said. Trixie gasped and smiled harder.
"Daddy that's wonderful!" She shouted as she embraced him. Blue chuckled as he returned her embrace. Next to them, Twilight stood, smiling. Along with the rest of the gang. Trixie pulled away from her dad and laughed, turning to her friends.
"Did you all know about this?" She asked.
"Pretty much." Rainbow said. Trixie rolled her eyes and laughed again. Blue ruffled her mane slightly, causing her to pull away and laugh again. He turned to the girls, a smile on his face.
"Thank you... For watching over my baby girl." He said.
"Of course darling." Rarity said, quickly followed by a rant by Pinkie on how much fun they would all have.
"Actually Pinkie, me and dad were going to spend the day alone, if that's alright." Trixie explained. Pinkie nodded, and began talking again.
"Yeah that's totally fine! Daddy daughter day! So cute!" She shouts as she leaps up and down.
"She always like that?" Blue asked as he and his daughter began to walk out the door. Trixie laughed.
"You have no idea dad." She said as she shut the door behind them. Blue smiled at her.
"Well, I'm looking forward to getting a better idea. And spending more time getting to know your friends, and with you." He said. Trixie smiled and wrapped her forelegs around her dad.
"It's good to have you back dad." She said as she shed a single tear of joy. Blue smiled and returned his embrace as he watched the sun rise, above and away from the clouds. Exactly how he was feeling.
