A continuation of Reitanna Seishin’s series the Muffins saga, one of my favorite pieces of media. The bakers were captured once again, and Celestia uses a forbidden spell. Luna must make the right decisions to protect her subjects, Has the damage been done no matter what spell is cast?
Celestia sat in her darkened room, hanging her head and staring into the shades drawn on her window hiding the cold night. Luna had been worried…usually she was the only sister up this late. So she stuck her head in the crack of Celestia’s door. The sight of her sister like this made her stomach sink but she walked in anyway.
“Celestia…? What are you up to..?”
Luna softly spoke, But there was no answer. After everything that had happened Luna wasn’t surprised, Twilight’s death had changed her in a way nobody had thought possible.
“I love you….you know that right?”
Luna reminded her. But Celestia only nodded without looking away from the blinds…Luna told her goodnight and left her be, but the night wasn’t over for Celestia. Not even close. A few minutes after Luna left the room she got up and headed down the stairs of the castle eventually ending up in the library Twilight had loved so much. A dustily closed off section of the library was protected by Celestia’s own spell, she removed it…and stepped in. The books were ancient and what was inside them was sealed for a good reason. She lifted a book to the air with the magic of her horn and flipped it open to a page with spell instructions on it. Celestia couldn’t take it anymore. The pain of what had happened was too much, the elements of harmony were like her children…and now they were dead. All because she couldn’t be bothered to look into the disappearances more, was it her fault? To her of course it was. She took the book to the clearing of the library and set it on the floor so she could have room to perform the spell. The area lit up with the hidden magic, ghostly in the dark room. And the spell was complete. A flash of light echoed over all of Equestria that awoke most of the residents in ponyville. What had she done?
It had been nearly 6 years since the Bakers were arrested and found guilty. Because of the failure to find most of the bodies, the death sentence couldn’t be carried out until they had found at least one killed by every baker. And they were close. During these 6 years the ponies had been in a high security prison all in the same cell, the reason for this was simple. The farther away from their family they were, the more violent they became. So it was best for everyone if they stayed together…Pinkie pie had definitely changed inside the prison. Year one she was sure they would be out in no time, year two she still had hope, and year three is when her mane went flat and stayed that way. Because of this her family opted to start calling her “Pinkamena” her legal name. Because it truly didn’t feel like she was Pinkie anymore…
“so…you guys hear about the new pony in cell 18? Real sissy.”
Said Babs as the family sat and ate their rotten lunch.
“Nah, we should pay ‘em a visit! I made a knife last night!”
Applebloom said excitedly, slightly clapping her hooves. Derpy tried to flap her wings in agreement, but the prison had bonded them, a strict policy in this prison. As much as the three others tried to lighten the mood, the Pie sisters didn’t seem to change. Their demeanors were tired and broken. Inkie looked up.
“It’s not worth the confinement. Just forget about it”
this made Applebloom finally snap and slam her hooves on the table.
“What’s wrong with y’all?! We have a chance to do what we do best!”
A sudden change in the atmosphere silenced Applebloom. Pinkamena spoke.
“No…it’s not time. When we emerge once again….the time will be right.”
Even Minkie was a bit scared of what Pinkamena had said and put her hoof on Derpy’s lap. Derpy took note that Minkie was scared and chimed in
“um….Derpy tired, can we go back to cell??”
The table went silent and nodded in agreement, everyone but Pinkamena got up and headed towards the stairs. They stopped in their tracks seeing the new prisoner they had mentioned was walking up to Pinkamena. Suddenly pushing her head and messing with her….apparently the new prisoner named SwiftFreeze had chosen her as ‘fresh meat’ this was a deadly mistake. Swift spoke to Mena.
“Hey pink bitch, don’t just sit there like some sort of psycho. Speak!”
All of the prison looked on with horror as it became clear….SwiftFreeze didn’t know who Pinkamena was, the leader of the Ponyville Bakers. Pinkamena sat there staring silently, letting the poking and pulling continue until she realized there was a fork on her lunch tray…
“Are you new to Ponyville?”
Pinkamena said in a low voice
“how’d ya know that….”
Swift slowly said in surprise. In a quick movement the fork was deep in SwiftFreeze’s eye as she fell over writhing in pain.
“YOU DON’T FUCK WITH ME, I’M A BAKER!! I’LL KILL YOU I’LL FUCKING SLAUGHTER YOU!”
Pinkamena yelled in her face. Soon an officer apprehended Pinkamena and took her back to her cell, her family had seen it all. Something was very wrong with Pinkamena.
The night janitor made his rounds through the castle. Cleaning and occasionally saying hi to the royal guards. The library was his last stop before going home so he was understandably excited as he entered to dust the old books. As he stepped in he jumped in surprise at a figure in the dark room, but soon calmed down when he recognized the figure as Celestia
“Oh hello princess, late night reading?”
He spoke while staring to dust off some books, she did not respond. This was strange because she was always very friendly to her staff…
“Princess? Are you alright?”
He pulled a flashlight from his belt and shined it on Celestia. What he saw immediately made him drop the flashlight and run out to alert the guards. Luna awoke to ruckus in the hallway and walked out to see what was going on.
“What is the meaning of this? Such noise at this hour??”
Luna yelled angrily. She saw the janitor hyperventilating and being comforted by a guard.
“Princess, she’s in the library”
the guard spoke sadly, Luna didn’t need to know who “she” was, her dear sister Celestia. Luna had worried so much but how could she let something happen while she slept?! That thought propelled Luna into the library to see what had happened. The sight was something nobody could have prepared for. Celestia, reduced to a stone statue. Guards around her were trying to revive her or at least help but of course it was no use. Luna screamed and fell to the floor…Celestia committed suicide? Or maybe it was an accident? As a Pegasus guard flew in sweating and out of breath she realized the answer was neither.
“Princess Luna! The victims of The Bakers are….are all alive.”
Luna was stunned.
“Where are they.”
She said sternly.
“The old castle, in the Everfree forest-“
the guard could barely finish his sentence before Luna took flight and headed towards the old castle. She couldn’t think she couldn’t breath, this was worse than any nightmare. She soon caught her breath and landed on the grass in front of the decrepit place she had once shared with her sister, ponies by the dozens were stumbling out of the front door…ponies that Luna recognized as “missing” were alive all along? She looked over them trying to make sense of it. Scars, long scars across the bodies of everypony she saw. It was disturbing to say the least…a light yellow coat distracted her from the grim sight
“Fluttershy!?”
Luna shouted as she embraced the dazed mare. Fluttershy couldn’t even respond, let alone hug back.
“You- you were dead Fluttershy, how could this be? I saw your head!”
The princess was hysterical.
“I died……I remember everything…..how am I here?”
Fluttershy asked in a low voice. Luna finally understood what was happening here. Celestia didn’t commit suicide, and these ponies were dead! The scars marked what had once happened to them, even their cutie marks were gone. Cut off long ago. Celestia had used a forbidden spell to trade her soul for those who had been lost. But she could’ve brought back all of ponyville and still be intact! She was an alicorn! So why was she stone? She quickly lost all questions hearing Fluttershy’s sniffles…Luna could only hug her and try to stop her crying. No pony deserved to know what happens after death, an unnecessary burden of mortality. And everypony who was baked at the hands of Pinkie and her family now knew. The dazed victims gathered around their princess, unsure of who else could help them. Luna was happy, she was finally loved by her subjects. Maybe because she was the big sister now…a tear slipped from her eye as she held Fluttershy and the others tighter. Guards soon arrived to take victims to hospitals, more reports came from sugarcube corner that ponies were spilling out from the abandoned building. Seemingly appearing back where they were first killed. As most of the victims were taken to mental hospitals they soon discovered a pony had appeared there where she died from jumping out a window. Twilight Sparkle.
Blinkie had questions. When she and her sisters went to Ponyville they didn’t even step inside the farmhouse to gather their things, and Blinkie wanted to tie up loose ends. Maybe even uncover things her parents hid all those years.
“Why would ya wanna go back there? We can’t bake without ya!”
Applebloom said while Blinkie packed her bags
“I just gotta. Don’t tell the others about this, I don't want them to bitch about it.”
Blinkie said without looking at the young filly. Applebloom knew there was no changing her mind
“….you won’t be gone for long...right?”
She said, Blinkie broke her cold exterior and patted Applebloom on the head trying not to look into her big sad eyes.
“Few days. Tops. How’s that?”
Applebloom giggled at that and nodded, Blinkie left out the back door as Applebloom waved goodbye. Hopefully, the filly would keep her secret. She traveled the road towards the farm as quickly as she could hoping the faster she returned to Sugarcube Corner the fewer questions her sisters would have, and Blinkie hated explaining herself. Passing her old village it felt like every pair of eyes was on her, scared people recognized her from the past. The feeling only got worse from there when she approached the farm…..Blinkie could even see the cave from here, every detail reminded her of trauma. She stepped inside the farmhouse, noticeably dusty and graying from missing its residents. As she slowly looked around remembering her childhood she stepped into the kitchen and saw the cellar door. Knowing what she did now this froze her in place. This was Minkie’s childhood. She lit a lantern and slowly opened the door…now she would get a good look. The stairs creaked and the floor was cold, she scanned around the room seeing a raggedy blanket and rats gathered around a dark spot on the floor, scattering as she stepped closer. The sight stunned her…an outline of a pony, with the outline of a filly in the center. This is where Minkie lay as she grew. The shape changed along with her. Blinkie teared up, she was just a filly….every day just sitting in the dark.
“Fuck!”
She stomped on the floor, slightly cracking it. We could’ve been happy! Parents are supposed to love their kids so why didn’t you love her? Blinkie rushed up the steps of the cellar and quickly upstairs to her parent's room. There had to be an explanation. She DESERVED an explanation. As she scavenged around the room she discovered something strange, an old safe. Of course, she didn’t know the code but she could guess. She tried her birthday, and Inkie's birthday, but neither worked. With a bit of thought, she gave an angry exhale and tried Pinkie’s birthday. She felt a click and it opened with a creak…of course. The fucking favorite. Even though Blinkie wouldn’t dare say it deep down she was always jealous of Pinkie, she could do whatever she wanted and even got to leave the farm! But then again…if they left with her they would have never discovered Minkie. Inside the safe was an old bouquet, a few books, and a small diary. “Igneous Rock” marked the cover, papa. As she opened it a locket fell out on the floor and opened. The melancholy tune of Spring Waltz brought her to the floor as she lay at the foot of it, the locket containing a picture of her mother. This was the first time she found anything beautiful looking into the face of that witch. But it was truly beautiful, and she wanted to know why it was locked away. She read the first page of the diary:
“Today I am to be wed. Truthfully I don’t know much about her but I want to…she is beautiful but refuses to accept that we have been arranged. Hopefully, if I treat her the best that I can she’ll see the colt I truly am.”
If Blinkie was honest, she had never thought her parents loved each other. But Papa was always nicer than Mama…even when he was angry. The second entry was nearly 5 years after the first.
“Today I had my daughter, Obsidian. She had such beautiful eyes. After the birth my wife yelled to get the baby away from her…like it was a monster.”
So her mother had a hatred for Minkie from the beginning. It wasn’t a surprise, but it was sad and ate at Blinkie as she read further
“we welcomed another daughter into the world today, Marblestone. Cloudy Quartz was all over her. I still don’t understand why Minkie was different…she stood in the hallway watching my wife meet the baby. I wanted to tell her something but I didn’t know what. I just want Cloudy to be happy.”
What was different? Papa, why didn’t you tell her she was your daughter too?? Blinkie was getting angry. The kind of sad frustrated anger that would make you cry, and it only got worse from the next entry…
“Minkie is in the cellar. My wife put her there, I don’t know what to do as of now. I argued about it with Cloudy last night and she struck me. Of course, she didn’t mean it but it scared me all the same, she hasn’t been sleeping since she put Minkie down there making her eyes red and crazed…perhaps she’ll allow me to let Minkie out soon, but until then I’ll leave it be.”
this was a shock…papa was always quiet but Blinkie never thought mama was hitting him, why didn’t he tell someone? Why would Mama hit him..?
“The days are hard, it seems the rocks get heavier every year. Some days I’ll take my wife’s extra pair of glasses with me out to work the fields as she rests so I can look at them and remember who I’m working for. I'm even getting a locket made for her to celebrate all of our children, we’ve had 4 now and Pinkie is very special. She brought joy into my soul for the first time in years. I wish Minkie could have met her…I love my children, but I love my wife most….I don’t think she ever wanted children. And it seems the only reason she agreed to have them is because she wants to hurt them. This will be my final entry”
The locket's music came to a halt as Blinkie’s tears dropped onto the pages. Oh, papa…why did you let her have us? Why didn’t you love us more? There were many questions stewing inside her as she flipped through the pages trying to find what she was truly looking for…a conversation she had with her father more than 10 years ago. Blinkie told him that she wasn’t a boy, but he just blew it off and told her not to mention any of these crazy delusions to her mother.
“I was telling the truth papa…I’m a girl, please tell me you wrote about it here…I just wanna know how you felt about it.”
Blinkie loved her dad. And she wanted her dad to love her for her, at least before he died. Why that bitch that hurt us so badly? What was so much better about her? Blinkie stomped the locket into a broken pile of metal. She stood there for a while just trying not to cry, then she made her mind up and took all the things hidden away in the safe outside to burn. As her father’s diary entries and locket wasted away in the flames she was just glad none of her sisters had to know this feeling. Maybe she shouldn’t have come here at all.
“Where is Twilight? I need to see her this instant.”
Luna said walking down the halls of the mental institution led by nurse LivelyHeart
“well princess that might be difficult seeing as she just came back from the dead- we can’t even begin to pinpoint what her mental state is..”
the meek nurse said trying not to anger her.
“She knows me. And I need to see her.”
Luna said in a harsh tone. LivelyHeart always wanted to take the best care of her patients, but she was dealing with royalty. Eventually she allowed Luna to see her with the agreement that if Twilight couldn’t handle it Luna would have to leave. Twilight was backed into the corner of her room, looking around in confusion trying to figure out how she was alive, when the tall dark mare stepped inside and addressed her
“Do you, remember who I am?”
Luna said, making Twilight quickly backing further into the corner.
“…I’m Celestia’s sister, do you have any memories?”
The frightened Purple mare cut Luna off with a sharp tone
“I know who you are you stupid cow!! I remember everything, why did you bring me back! They’re going to kill me!”
She shouted. Obviously Luna was surprised, the only time Twilight had ever raised her voice towards her was when she attacked as Nightmare Moon. This couldn’t be the same bright student her sister had loved so dearly, crooked broken horn…and such large dilated pupils almost like looking into pure black.
“I didn’t bring you back, it was Celestia…”
Luna tried not to tear up.
“Why would she do that!? No they’re gonna get in and they’ll torture me just like Fluttershy!”
Twilight was sweating and shaking.
“They won’t. I’ll do everything in my power…in fact I brought you something”
Luna said trying to get closer and setting down a dark blue sweater. Twilight was suspicious and stayed away from it, Luna was disappointed so she stepped out.
“Why are her eyes like that? It looks so unnatural…”
Luna asked LivelyHeart
“brain damage….we assume from the fall. But we expected her to be healed from coming back, apparently not.”
There was a melancholy silence until Luna left to tie up loose ends. She would make sure the bakers could never hurt Twilight again. The royal court might know what to do in these circumstances, but Luna was afraid. If there were no murders where was the crime? She set up a meeting with the court, hoping there was something she could do. The Duke of Maretonia spoke up from across the table
“this would have never happened under MY rule, Celestia even committed a crime on her own land!”
The Duchess hushed her husband hoping not to offend Luna.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Nobody was more broken up about the murders than her! She only did what she did because of grief.”
Cadence yelled defensively, Celestia was her aunt. How could anypony ever say that about her? Luna was silent over the arguments until she finally stomped her hoof on the table, everything went silent.
“This isn’t about my sister. This is about what we do with the bakers.”
Nobody knew how to respond to her except Shining Armor
“we all know if we can’t convict them they’ll do it all over again. So what crimes are still valid?”
He said, Cadence had an idea
“we have proof they committed cannibalism, and they tortured ponies. It doesn’t matter if their victims are alive or not, it still happened.”
She said, This made everyone in the room perk up.
“But then…..where should we put them that has zero chance of escape and ZERO chance of harm to any other pony. There’s been multiple incidents in the prison of assaults, almost murders.”
Luna interjected but she soon had an idea herself. The permanent residence mental institution, extra surveillance….extra restraints. She ran out of the room confusing the entire council and not even consulting them on passing the order to have all the bakers transferred. How could she wait for approval to make Twilight feel safe? To make all of Equestria feel safe? It wasn’t an argument. Luna was the only princess, no. the queen. And queens have to make decisions. She wasn’t totally humble making this decision but it wasn’t the wrong one, at least for her subjects.
The bakers hung around their cell. Applebloom, Derpy, and Minkie were asleep. But Blinkie and Inkie were wide awake waiting for Pinkamena to be escorted back. Inkie layed down and delicately fidgeted with a feather she had saved for so long
“yo, what is that.”
Blinkie asked, trying to see what Inkie was holding
“…nothin, souvenir I guess”
Inkie replied
“Inkie. I know damn well that’s a feather from that pretty pony you were obsessed with. You went through a whole lot of trouble hiding a stupid feather from the guards, you know the example we’re supposed to be showing!”
Blinkie said, Inkie turned to her and sat up so she could speak
“god damn it I know what Pinkie taught us. She doesn’t have to know. So what if I keep something of hers, I didn’t even get to keep her cutie mark.”
Blinkie was disgusted.
“You know the rules! You can’t get attached to some stupid dead pony just because you thought she was pretty!”
She said pushing Inkie, they struggled and hit each other a bit before separating and sitting at opposite ends of the room.
“You just don’t get it, Blinkie. There was something about her…”
Inkie was making sure the feather was ok, then suddenly it started to disappear
“Blinkie! W-what’s happening! No no no!”
This cry from Inkie finally awoke everyone else to see what was wrong
“what’s happening?? This is some sort of magic!”
Applebloom shouted as the feather finally disappeared, Inkie was shaking.
“No…no my feather!! Where did it go!?”
Inkie sobbed out. Blinkie looked at her disgusted, how could Inkie be attracted to women? It was true that Blinkie hated herself for being trans. She forced this hatred outward. Even towards other trans people…she had argued with Babs many times refusing to share her hormone pills. Babs was just a child! How could she know she was trans? Especially when Blinkie couldn’t take them without hating herself. Blinkie stormed away to the other side of the room and kicked the wall…just as a Guard arrived and unlocked the door, the bakers went silent.
“Wake up the lot of you. You’re being transferred, courtesy of Princess Luna.”
