//------------------------------//
// Fighting the madness of the mind. 
// Story: The Twin Apples. 
// by Sylif Daring Doo 
//------------------------------//

______*Ponyville, Sweet Apple Acres, 7:00 AM*______

'I doubt we can be together on the outside, but if we do meet up again, it'll be great to catch up.' Star's familiar voice said before fading away.

Sarah opened her groggy eyes to the ceiling of her room, it took her a little longer to wake up than usual, but when she got off the bed she sighed and stretched, she yawned and looked around the sparsely decorated room, there was little to nothing in here aside from a bed, a nightstand, a footlocker, a window near her bed, and one on the other side of the room, and a closet.

Sarah just started walking to her window when she felt an all too familiar throbbing in her head, she grunted and held her head while fighting back the pain. "Not now!" She said desperately to herself.

The room vibrated and flashed an assortment of colors as a strange sound filled her mind, she growled as she caught sight of a shadowy figure near her door, and soon enough, the throbbing and the visons disappeared, leaving her alone once again.

Sarah breathed heavily and looked around once again, seeing nothing, she sighed in relief as she quickly opened a window and fled the room, heading for the bathroom.

_____*the bathroom*______

Sarah started running the shower and sighed to herself, she looked in the mirror above the sink and rubbed some water over her eyes.

As Sarah did so, she closed her eyes after drying them and rubbed them with her left hoof. "Why does this need to start up now?" She asked herself quietly.

Sarah looked up and into the mirror and gasped as her head throbbed in immense pain once again and the room flashed orange.

Behind her was the shadow figure which held a razor to her throat as it talked, releasing the strange noise as before. "You cannot hide from your guilt! you cannot hide this forever, one day, they will find out, and they will see you for the lunatic you are, beyond saving!" 

The throbbing soon stopped and Sarah soon realized that she was holding the razor to her own throat, her breathing was erratic as she forced herself to drop the razor, she shook violently and held her head, she sobbed quietly for a few moments, thankfully the shower running covered the sound.

Sarah was broken out of her panic by a knocking at the door. "Hey Sis, you in there?" Said Apple Bloom's voice.

Sarah shakily stood and cleared her throat. "Yea." She said, her voice giving away no indication that something was wrong.

"Oh, alright." Apple Bloom said.

Sarah quickly got into the shower and began to clean off the dirt, sweat and her tears from before, she let out a contented sigh of relief as the water covered her body, she quickly decided to hum softly to try to take her mind off what was happening to her, though it was much harder now more than ever.

As she showered, Sarah couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched, she shivered slightly at this thought, but resolved that if she was to have a future, she would have to fight this at every turn, she sighed and decided to put this out of her mind until later.

______*five hours later, out in the apple orchards.*______

Sarah was alone out in the orchards this time, Applejack was tending to the animals with Apple Bloom, Big Mac was working at the carrot farm, and Granny was working at the house, or sleeping, whichever came first.

Sarah kicked a tree and the apples fell into the baskets, she proceeded to do this with every tree, make sure the baskets were in place, then kick, repeat.

It was simple, but fulfilling work, especially useful for helping to clear a guilty conscience, or a disturbed mind.

In Sarah's unfortunate case, it was both, she was having trouble fighting back the.....episodes, that she had occasionally, it was becoming more frequent by the minute.

The visions were getting worse and worse, as though something was toying with her mind, and as much as she refused to admit it, she knew she would need help before long, and she knew at least one person who knew about these visions, Storm, a strange kid who had madness covering him, but he seemed perfectly calm.

'If anyone can help, it's him.' She told herself, almost not believing herself for a moment.

As Sarah worked the orchards, she eventually felt the feeling of being watched once again, she turned and looked around curiously, but she couldn't see anything, even when she looked up.

Sarah rubbed her forehead. "Must be the heat." She told herself, knowing that it was quite hot out.

And just as Sarah struck another tree, another vision emerged, the throbbing worsened greatly and she exclaimed in pain as she fell to the ground, clutching her arms as she heard footsteps near her.

Sarah looked up and the trees were set ablaze, the sky was orange and the sun was nowhere to be found, she saw the familiar shadow figure standing over her.

Sarah's breathing quickened and her pupils shrunk in fear as the figure held a large kitchen knife covered in blood.

The figure looked down at Sarah with cold lifeless eyes and reached out, it grabbed her by the throat and stared at her. "How long until the madness truly sinks in?" It asked.

"How long until you go on another rampage?" It continued.

"It would be better if you just ENDED IT! LIKE YOU DID TO HER!" It declared as it thrust the knife forward.

Sarah gasped loudly as she fell to the ground, she looked up quickly as her head throbbed, the world had turned back to normal, and she was now on the ground sweating heavily, she tried to calm her breathing down quickly as she sat up.

Sarah blinked and looked down at the ground, her mind was going blank as she began to think more......dangerous, thoughts, she remembered the last words she spoke when committed that terrible crime. 'Let me hear you scream like the bitch you are!' She flinched at the memory, making her wonder if it would be better if she just left, it would certainly be safer for everyone else.

"Those thoughts can drive someone insane you know." A familiar voice said.

Sarah turned around and saw Storm leaning on a tree, he was currently staring at her with his mismatched eyes, no, staring straight into her mind, would be more accurate. "What would you know about my thoughts!?" She snapped.

Storm chuckled and kept his arms crossed. "Well, for one, I know that leaving thinking its safer is a horrible idea." He said.

Sarah looked at Storm in disbelief as he got off the tree. "What then, do you suggest I do?" She asked after calming herself.

"Kill the source of the problem." Storm said simply. "Find what is causing the visions in your mind and eliminate it, of course, it isn't that easy to accomplish, first, come to terms with whatever it is that you did, or had been done to you, you'll also need to defeat the thing that torments you, I'n your own way of course." He said before unfolding his wings.

Sarah looked at him skeptically. "Why should I trust you?" She asked.

Storm smirked. "Because I'm the only one offering you a sensible solution, I also wouldn't throw you into an asylum for talking about illusions that make you want to kill yourself." He answered before flying off.

Sarah watched as he flew off, leaving her alone once again. "Why does he care? and how does he know so much?" She wondered.

Sarah forced herself up and looked at the house, she took a breath to calm herself before unfolding her wings, she winced a little bit as they had gotten sore once again, but she flew towards the house regardless, simply wanting to get some rest.

_____*hours later, Sweet Apple Acres, 7:19 PM*_____

Dinner was quiet that night, more so than usual, Sarah knew that most of the silence was the awkward feeling that refused to leave the room, but on her part, she didn't want to accidentally say something, especially if her visions started up again.

Sarah could hear a voice speak in her mind, she didn't feel any throbbing, but her breathing quickened in so slight a manner, that it would be unnoticeable.

'What a nice and quiet family, you think they'll be safe forever though?' The voice said to her.

Sarah didn't acknowledge it, she didn't even flinch, she just finished her dinner, helped clean up, and went upstairs to the bathroom.

______*Sarah's room, 7:31 PM*______

Sarah walked up to her bed and sat down, she sighed and started to take her jacket off, strangely enough, she didn't even remember putting it on, she felt a weight fall off her shoulders and the room cooled down after she threw it on the chair. 

Sarah then laid back on her bed and took a deep breath, she rubbed her wings and winced, they were somehow still sore from when she got them, but it wasn't as painful now, she looked out her window and looked at the stars, she smiled at the sight of them, while they always helped to calm her down, they were even more beautiful now more than ever.

As she looked out into the night sky, Sarah noticed something wonderful, that only happened once before in her lifetime, she saw a shooting star, while she wasn't a believer that shooting stars granted wishes, she always appreciated the sight of them.

Sarah turned around and looked at her nightstand, seeing her melted necklace, she decided to do something about it, she grabbed the necklace and placed it on the windowsill, looking out into the sky, she closed her eyes and took a breath, she returned to her bed with a single thought on her mind. 

'No matter how this ends, this ends today, I'm not going to live my life with the fear of losing my mind, so get ready shadow creature, im coming after you.' She swore as she closed her eyes to fall asleep.

_____*Sarah's dreamscape*_____

Sarah looked around her dream world catiously, her dreamscape was a seemingly unending field of grass, with a forest to the east, the Acres to the north, Ponyville to the south, and the prison she lived in for most of her life to the west.

And in the center of it all, was a stone archway that led in all four directions, it also had a large compass in the floor, where Sarah stood, she looked down at the compass and it pointed west, toward the prison.

Sarah looked and saw the shadow figure look at her with a large grin, it then retreated into the prison.

Sarah quickly set off to find it.

As Sarah neared the prison, she looked to her left at a large sign that said 'Denial'.

Sarah did not stop, she charged to the prison which was devoid of guards and inmates, she entered the all too familiar walls and sighed.

'You swore to never return to this place.' The voice said calmly. 'But here you are, and you can't deny it, but being back here, where you lost all form of spirit?' The voice chuckled darkly. "It's getting to you." Said a voice from behind Sarah.

Sarah turned around and saw nothing but the empty halls of the prison. "Show yourself!" She shouted.

There was no response, nothing except a laugh that echoed in the halls.

Sarah continued walking, she kept on walking until she entered the mess hall. "Of course, you yourself have a secret, one that you lied about, even to your beloved sister." The voice said with a mocking tone.

Sarah growled as she walked on, reaching a secluded hallway. "That secret is my own." She said.

The voice laughed loudly. "Is it? Or are you just unwilling to speak it, it is the truth, and you lied about it, you said you were 'released' but you weren't, you hadn't served your time." The voice continued.

Sarah continued walking, she rounded a corner and came across an unending hallway. "You were given your freedom, you aren't free, you are a slave, uselessly trying to escape your chains." The voice said.

"Shut up!" Sarah shouted. "I am not a slave!" She argued.

"Is that what you believe?" Said a voice behind her.

Sarah growled and flipped around, throwing a punch towards the voice, which happened to be Applejack, she flinched and stopped her strike, her eyes widened.

"You lied to me, you lied to your own sister, you said that you served your time, when really, the only reason you were released was because someone out there thought that a psychopath like you had a use." She said.

Sarah flinched at the words, she knew they were true because she told herself those very same words on her first night back home.

Applejack's eyes went dark and she grinned madly. "Of course, then you have your greatest fear, remembering that night, the night you killed, do you even remember that night?" She asked darkly.

Sarah calmed herself down and stared at the dark figure disguised as Applejack. "Sadly I do, and I regret everything about that night." She replied.

The shadow figure returned to its original form, covered in darkness, unable to be seen. "Even the fact that you ENJOYED the encounter? the ecstasy you felt upon tasting Hilde's blood? or the sadistic joy you experienced every time you plunged the dagger into her?" It asked.

Sarah paused, for the first time in a long time, she was unable to bring herself to lie when it truly mattered, she thought long and hard, the shadow figure staring into her eyes, and she into its, she eventually looked at the figure with a cold gaze. "I can't change what happened, nor can I change how I felt about what I did, but no, I can't say I am proud of that." She paused again.

Sarah looked around the hallway which had changed to the cell block she had stayed in. "Then you haven't changed at all, you lie and manipulate, you deceive and twist things to your advantage." The figure said, pulling out a large kitchen knife. "If you cannot see the truth, or learn to speak the truth, then you will never be free of me." If said before throwing out the knife.

Sarah jumped back, barely dodging the blade as some of her hair fell off her head. "I'm not lying! I regret that day more than any other!" She said.

The shadow figure growled and it's form changed, it turned into a replica of Sarah, but it's eyes were black with dark green pupils in a reptilian fashion. "Once again, you lie, you cannot lie to me, I am you, I live in your mind!" It stated.

Sarah held her ground, even when her evil counterpart charged at her, when they clashed, it erupted into a fist fight, one that her evil side was drastically winning. 

Sarah soon found herself pinned to the wall with no way of moving as chains appeared out of nowhere and held her in place.

The dark half held Sarah's head up and forced her to look eye to eye. "Perhaps I need to remind you what you felt that day, no pain, no sorrow, no remorse, only the pleasure and joy that you took out of murdering your own family." It said before plunging its knife into Sarah's flesh.

Sarah screamed in pain but it was soon silenced by her dark half's hoof. "Don't bother screaming, no one can hear you." It said as it removed the knife.

Sarah breathed heavily after that, she coughed once her dark half removed its hoof, she looked up and saw that it had returned to its original form once again, and as it went to swing once again, Sarah quickly spoke. "Your right!" She shouted out.

The dark figure stopped mid swing and backed up and the chains vanished. "Unlike you Sarah, I cannot lie, I don't have the capacity." It said, it then raised its head slightly as it looked down on her. "But I CAN tell when someone is lying.

Sarah fell to the ground and looked up. "I.....I did enjoy that night, i enjoyed everything about it.....and I, I killed Hilde, for no reason, other than to see how it would feel." She admitted, though it pained her greatly to say so.

All at once, the prison crumbled to dust around them, it was soon replaced by another familiar building. "Th...the lab?" Sarah said shakily.

The dark figure looked at Sarah. "The original prison, where you used to live after you murdered Hilde, the mental hospital was just a means to get you here, this is where you gained your wings." The dark figure then looked at a sign in front of the gate. "Welcome to 'fear' Sarah, but you aren't ready for this place yet." It then vanished.

Sarah soon found herself back at the archway, she looked at where the prison was, and it was replaced by the asylum, or The Lab, as the patients called it, or 'fear' as her mind called it.

But the words from before still rattled her. "When will I be ready?" She wondered.

Sarah looked down and saw that the compass was pointing towards the farm, with a deep breath, Sarah began walking in that direction.

After walking a while, Sarah found the sign that usually said Sweet Apple Acres, but it was replaced by the word 'guilt' in bright red paint.

Sarah and a faint idea of what this meant, and she wasn't eager to explore this memory, but it had to be done.

Sarah continued walking until she reached the farmhouse, she winced as she saw a bloodied, younger version of herself walk into the house, what was creepy was how she turned and looked right at Sarah with a wide sadistic smile and bloody teeth, Uncle Spud, Applejack, Big Mac, Granny Smith, and her parents followed closely.

Sarah walked up slowly, the memory was all too clear, and she didn't want to relive this.

But as she neared the house, she could hear Uncle Spud screaming at the top of his lungs. "I WILL NOT CALM DOWN, YOUR BUCKING DAUGHTER MURDERED MY HILDE LIKE SHE WAS A LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER!" His voice, his words, were haunting, but sadly true.

Sarah flinched, but she kept on listening. "Getting angry won't bring her back Spud!" Sunny Breeze, mother of Sarah, Applejack and Big Mac stated firmly.

"No? BUT IT DOES LET ME GET MY RAGE OUT!" He shouted.

Sarah watched as her younger self licked her lips, swallowing the blood, she shivered as the taste came back to her. "She should have fought better." Her younger self stated flatly with a grin.

Spud's veins and muscles tensed at those words, his face grew even angrier, thankfully Sunny Breeze managed to take charge quickly. "Applejack, Macintosh, take your sister and clean her up, the grown ups need to talk." Her mother said.

Applejack and Macintosh carefully led Sarah's younger self up the stairs, with the latter keeping a content smile on her lips.

Spud then released his anger once again, but in a different manner. "I don't care how you do it, but deal with that........thing, you call your daughter, or I will." He stated darkly before walking out.

Just then Apple Core, Sarah's father grabbed Spud and threw him to the ground. "How dare you!......I don't care what she did, but Sarah is still my daughter and part of our family! Don't even THINK ABOUT THREATENING HER!" He said, raising his voice, which was very rare.

Spud wiped his lip and kicked Apple Core in the stomach, he then got up and threw him into the wall. "And don't YOU dare try to get her out of this, she murdered my daughter, and almost killed my wife, she will be punished." He then walked to the door and opened it, he then looked back. "And if you try to stop me, should you fail to take action, I will kill her myself." He stated before leaving.

Sarah winced and got away from the window, she collapsed to the ground afterwards and held her arms, she was like this until she heard something. "Sarah, are you awake?" Said a soothing voice.

Sarah's eyes shot open and she was in her room, nineteen years ago, it was nighttime, she saw her younger self lying awake in bed, staring at her, no emotion in her purple eyes, she sighed and rolled over, she looked and saw her mother in the doorway. "Yes." She said.

Sarah's younger self was still slightly bloodstained, and had a few teeth still covered in blood. 

Sunny Breeze took a breath. "May I come in?" She asked.

Sarah's younger self blinked in confusion, but spoke. "Sure, why not, it doesn't matter." She rolled and her back was showing.

Sunny Breeze walked up and sat down on the bed. "Sarah, you missed dinner." She said quietly.

"My fear of being poisoned made me lose my appetite, besides, I already ate." She said flatly.

Sunny took another quiet breath. "Are you alright?" She asked softly.

Sarah winced, this memory was one of the most painful, her mother was trying to consol her, and Sarah didn't care at the time.

"I just killed my cousin, and almost killed my aunt today, Spud wants me dead, and I'm probably going to be sent away, and the thing is, I don't care" She said.

Sunny sighed and softly stroked Sarah's mane. "You don't mean that, if you did, you wouldn't be crying." She said quietly.

Sarah's younger self looked down at her pillow and noticed tear stains on it, she sighed. "Now the pillow needs replacing, just great." She said flatly.

Sunny continued to stroke Sarah's mane slowly. "Sarah, you do know that neither me nor your father will let anything happen to you, right?" She said.

Sarah's younger self growled and quickly got off the bed and glared at her mother. "WHAT DO YOU CARE!? YOU HAVENT CARED IN YEARS! WHY SHOULD YOU START NOW!?" She shouted out of rage.

Sunny flinched at the words. "I do care Sarah." She said quietly

In her rage, Sarah's younger self opened the top drawer of her nightstand and pulled out a small but sharp knife. "Get out." She said angrily.

Sunny got off the bed and looked at Sarah. "Where did you get that?" She demanded.

Sarah grit her teeth. "I SAID GET OUT!" She shouted.

Sunny's gaze hardened, and Sarah's younger self flinched. "If your going to stab me, get it over with." She stated.

Sarah's eyes widened and her breathing sped up. "W....wha....what?" She asked shakily, suddenly, her anger was replaced by fear.

Sunny walked up. "I said, if your going to stab me, get. It. over. with." She stated as the knife was now up against her fur.

Sarah could see the knife's tip brushing up against her mother's skin, her breathing was now panicked, seeing the look in her mothers eyes, she soon dropped the knife and clutched her head as she fell to the ground sobbing.

Sunny took the knife and threw it aside as she held her daughter, who kept muttering. "I'm sorry." Over and over and she held onto her mother desperately.

Soon enough, Sunny began stroking Sarah's mane as she quietly spoke. "It's alright Sarah, I'm not hurt." She assured.

Sarah simply continued to cry into her mothers coat, the tears soaking into the fur as she kept going.

Sunny simply held her daughter like this for a while, she kept on reassuring her that it was alright, that nothing was going to happen.

Sarah eventually cried herself to sleep, and when she did, Sunny sighed and carefully picked her up and set her under the covers.

Sarah continued to mutter in her sleep, but Sunny stayed for a while, at least until Sarah stopped muttering.

Sunny walked to the door and quietly closed it, but Sarah did notice something, a smile, one that Sarah would have given anything to see again, one last time.

The world shifted to the next day.

Sarah watched as her younger self sat out on the front steps quietly, watching as Applejack and Big Mac, who were thankfully unaware of what had happened, played.

Sarah remembered what Applejack had asked her, of why she was covered in blood, she remembered her lie, that a few blood bags had burst open when she was headed home, but the main thing she remembered, was that she had a sadistic plan to see her reaction upon learning the truth, and how good it would have been.

Sarah's younger self looked back into the house and saw her parents talking about something, she sighed and put her hoof under her chin.

Sarah then got to wondering why she had gone berserk in the first place all those years ago, she heard walking behind her and she saw her darker self standing next to her now. "What do you remember about all of this?" It asked.

"Everything." Sarah said.

Her dark half chuckled. "No you don't, you don't remember attacking your aunt, you don't remember pulling a knife on your mother, and you don't remember why your outside in the first place, you don't even remember Spud yelling." It said.

Sarah sighed, her dark half was right, she didn't even remember those things happening until she saw them. "I now know that my parents didn't just give up on me, though I couldn't see it at the time, as for why I'm out here." She trailed off.

Her dark half shook its head. "Sunny sent you out here to get some fresh air, and to play with your brother and sister, but you weren't right in the head, so you sat on the stairs to try to get your thoughts together." It replied.

"Let's listen in shall we?" Her dark half said.

"I don't like it Core, our daughter is not crazy." Sunny said.

Apple Core nodded. "I don't think she's crazy Sunny, but she needs to see somepony about this, she can't bottle it up, and you know Spud isn't going to sit idle." He said.

Sunny growled. "If he gets anywhere near our daughter, i.....I can't be held responsible for what I'll do." She said.

Apple Core nodded. "Look, I'll go to the mayor and see about a restraining order, but you need to take Sarah to see a doctor, she needs help, and I don't think we can give it to her." He said.

Sunny shook her head as she paced. "Fine! but I don't like it." She replied.

Granny Smith walked in. "If you two like, I can keep an eye on them." She said easily.

Sunny looked at her mother in law with concern. "Are you sure? I know they're a lot of trouble normally, but now." She looked out and saw Sarah, the filly gave a weak wave and a half nod, one that Sunny replied with a smile and a wave of her own.

Soon enough Sarah watched as her younger self entered the house and sat on the couch. "Sarah, your father and I are going out, Granny Smith is going to watch you, are you going to be alright?" Sunny asked.

Sarah looked at her mother and nodded wordlessly.

Sunny ruffled Sarah's mane, causing it to be more scruffy. "Keep an eye on your brother and sister for me okay?" She asked.

Sarah blinked. "Ok." She said quietly.

Sarah watched as her mother and father left her younger self in the house. "I guess I wasn't up for talking that day, I barely remember saying four words." She said to her dark half. 

Her dark half nodded. "Our mind was still trying to find a coping mechanism for what we did, but can you remember what was most prominent up until being signed in to the mental hospital?" It asked.

"Anger." Sarah easily said. "Out of everything else, I was angry, some of it was from anger at my family for what I thought was betrayal, but the rest was directed at myself." She said.

Her dark half looked at her. "And why ARE you angry at yourself?" It asked.

Sarah sighed and shook her head. "For allowing myself to kill Hilde, she was family, I Ioved her like a sister, she didn't deserve death, and I stole her life, and for what? an experiment?" She said.

Her dark half looked at the young Sarah sitting quietly. "I will say this, you learn quickly, but I wonder." It looked at Sarah. "What do you think would have happened, had you placed more trust in your family?" It asked.

"I trusted my family with everything." Sarah argued. 

"No, you trusted no one, not even your mother, who you pulled a knife on." Her dark half said calmly before vanishing.

Sarah looked at the scene before her, and she soon came to a realization, she didn't trust anyone, especially after Spud's threat, the moment she went into her room, she knew she couldn't trust any of them.

"I was so stupid for pushing them away." Sarah said quietly.

Just as Sarah spoke those words, the farm grew quiet, everyone vanished, and Sarah was back at the archway. "Back here again?" She asked.

Sarah looked down at the compass and saw that it wasn't moving, previously it turned to point in the direction she needed to go, but now, it wasn't moving at all. 

Sarah was about to question it when she felt herself being pulled to somewhere, but she didn't know where, she suddenly shot up into the sky unable to use her wings. "OOOOOHH SHIIIIIITT!" She screamed.

______*Sweet Apple Acres, 6:00 AM*_______

Sarah shot up out of bed with a shout, she was sweating profusely and her breathing was off, she looked around frantically but found nothing, she sighed and rubbed her hoof over her forehead.

Sarah got her breathing under control and forced herself out of bed, she instinctively reached out for her jacket, but stopped herself. 'No, it's too hot for you right now.' She then grabbed it and stuck it in the closet on a coat hanger, she did notice something though, an old box tucked away in the corner.

Sarah let her curiosity get the better of her as she opened it, inside were photos, letters, and an old wooden box, she pulled them out and looked at the letters, they were all addressed to her, she raised her eyebrow and opened the one with the oldest date.

The letter was old and the paper even sounded like it was, but the writing was clear as day. 'Dear Sarah, I hope you're adjusting well to your temporary home, I know you don't want to be there, but we don't have much choice, we have been told that you have to spend at least four years there, I know it's an absurd amount of time for you, but just know that we all miss having you here, even if it's only been a week since you were admitted, I hope you dont have to spend much more time there, love, Apple Core.' Sarah sighed as she set the letter aside.

Sarah was glad that her father wrote to her, but she now knew that all of these letters had been sent back, all because of THEM.

While it was true that Sarah had been admitted to a mental hospital, against her will anyway, what she doubt her parents knew was that her records were expunged and she herself was transferred the next day.

She opened another letter. 'Dear Sarah, how are you sis? I miss having you around, dad said that you can't come home for 4 years! that's crazy! If I was in your posi.....situa?.....uh, if I was in your shoes, I would escape and come straight home! Don't you agree?.....um, anyway, I can't wait until you can come home, I'll make sure to throw you a big party, yes, I know how you hate parties, but this is different!......your sister, Applejack.' 

Sarah chuckled and opened the next letter. "I would have escaped, but it's hard to do so from a cell with no windows." She muttered.

Sarah read the last letter. 'Hello Sarah, i doubt you'll get this letter, due to those jerks sending them back, so I'll leave this for you when you come home, I'm sorry for what I did to you, I betrayed your trust when it mattered most, and for that, there is no forgiveness, but never believe for a moment that I didn't love you, you are my daughter, nothing will change that, the only thing I CAN hope for, is that one day, you will understand, you are special Sarah, just like your brother and sister, each of you are very special to us, but I never thought things would get this bad, I....I have something you need to know, but I don't think I'll be alive to tell you.

You see Sarah, you were born with a......condition, and it isn't a common one, in fact, it only happened twice before in recorded history, you see, you have two different genes running through you, the Earth Pony gene, and the Pegasus gene, now I know, it isn't uncommon for two races to marry and have foals, but mostly, their foals only carry ONE of these genes, this is why you are special, you can do things that most couldn't, I haven't told Applejack or Big Macintosh, and I plan not to tell them, they are torn up enough as it is, I just hope that you can live a normal life without incident, though I find that hard to believe, but if something does happen, I know you can handle it, after all, you have your brother and sister with you, I'm almost out of room, so I'll just leave this note here, I love you, Sunny Breeze.' 

Sarah took a breath and looked at the photos, she remembered them immediately.

The first one was just of Sarah, she was in the living room dressed up as the monopoly guy, complete with top hat and fake mustache, it was Nightmare night and she wanted to be different.

The second one was of her again, she was hanging upside down from an apple tree with one eye closed and the other wide open, she was testing for how long she could be upside down before falling, there was a number at the bottom of the photo, 1:55, that was her record.

The last one was of her and her mother, who was holding the camera, they were both covered in dirt and grass, they had mud on their ears and hooves and we're both smiling wide, the two had been playing out in the fields after it rained, and somehow a tickle fight had started.

Sarah smiled, she set the photos aside and examined the box, it was dark in color and had vine patterns carved into the wood with care, she opened it and saw something she hadn't seen in so many years.

Sarah pulled out an old compass with a silver arrow and a wave pattern carved into it, the wood was red and there was an inscription that translated to 'life' on the inside of the lid, on the bottom was an inscription that translated to 'luck'.

Sarah smiled and closed the compass, it was her birthday present from her mother, and it was surprisingly well preserved.

Sarah placed the photos and compass on her side table, and grabbed the letters, while she didn't hold any attachments to them, she didn't want Applejack or Big Mac to read them, as well as Apple Bloom, she didn't need them to know, Granny probably knew, but if she did, she didn't say anything.

_____*the bathroom*______

Sarah was deep in thought as the cold water washed over her, she knew that her prison days were long behind her, but she still couldn't help but be incredibly cautious in the bathroom.

Thankfully she was getting more and more comfortable with her situation, it wasn't exactly instant, but she didn't have to worry about someone harassing her in the showers anymore.....hopefully.

Sarah eventually got out of the shower and headed for the living room, she sat down on the couch and closed her eyes as she simply enjoyed the quiet time.

Sarah sat there for a few minutes before opening her eyes and walking outside, she breathed deep as she took in the fresh air. 'I feel like I'm not carrying an anvil on my shoulders, either that or a giant plough.' She thought.

Sarah looked at her wings and unfolded them, she wasn't very fond of her more recent appendages, but she couldn't do anything about it, especially if she was to find out why she was freed in the first place.

Sarah soon got off the couch and headed outside. 'Maybe a short walk will do me some good.' She thought to herself.

Sarah stepped outside and shut the door quietly, she took in the fresh air and started walking along the main road, headed out of the farm. 

Sarah reached the fence leading out and she stopped for a moment. 'Do I really just want to walk around town?......Na, I'll make my own adventure.' With a grin, Sarah unfolded her wings, for once she didn't feel any pain when doing so, she flew up and looked around, considering where to go.

Her sights finally set upon the Everfree Forest, she thought a few moments before shrugging. "If Applejack can do it, so can I." She said to herself before flying off.

Upon reaching the forests edge, Sarah slowed down and descended, knowing that it wasn't a good idea to fly near the treeline of this particular forest.

Sarah made it inside the forest, so far, it wasn't so bad, the forest was very tame near the edge, but as she got deeper, the shadows gathered, light became scarce, and trees began to die and strange groaning could be heard all around.

If it wasn't for her own insanity, Sarah was certain that this forest would have driven her to paranoia and madness, she stopped as she heard familiar whispers and felt familiar throbbing. 'Do you think your strong enough to face the dangers of the forest without help?....when you can barely hold yourself together?' Asked the dark voice in her head. 

"Yea, I do." She said as the throbbing ceased and she continued moving.

Sarah moved quietly and carefully through the forest, adding to the fun.

But once the throbbing began as she spotted a lone timberwolf, she growled. "I wonder how long until your family thinks you've run off on them?.....and when they do, they will be relieved, knowing that they don't have a psycho living under the same roof, they will be happy you left, and you'll be out in the wild like the beast you are!" 

Sarah tried to contain her anger, but the next set of words broke her. "How your parents must be disgusted by you, a freak of nature, something that shouldn't exist, i know that behind all of that love they pretended to show, was just them biding their time until they could get rid of you! and when you went berserk and slaughtered Hilde.....that was just the opportunity they needed!" The voice taunted.

Sarah growled as her breaking point was reached, she screamed in anger as she lunged at the timberwolf, she caught it by surprise as she easily broke one of its claws off.

Sarah pummeled the wolf in a frenzy, her rage giving way to unnatural strength as she continued to pummel the now legless and clawless wolf.

The wolf soon howled as Sarah continued to attack, she broke off its head and continued her frenzied assault.

Sarah only stopped when she heard growls all around her, she looked around and saw at least five other Timberwolves surrounding her, she got up quickly and she felt her rage leave her, as well as a taunt from the voice in her mind. "You see, you cannot contain your rage, as I know exactly how to set you off, at any time I could have you tear your family limb from limb, assuming you survive this, I may just show some mercy in that regard." The voice said before its laugh began to fade away.

Sarah felt her strength fade as she processed this situation, she took a few breaths and unfolded her wings. 'I'm such an idiot, I can't believe I let that thing goad me into doing that, at any rate, I need to get out of here.' As the Timberwolves charged, Sarah quickly flew up, causing two of them to collide, but barely.

Sarah got high enough that the wolves couldn't reach her, quickly decided to get out of the forest, so she flew above the treeline, and when she did, she has another problem to deal with, a bunch of wild storm clouds were above the forest, so Sarah quickly flew in the direction of Ponyville, just trying to make it home in one piece.

A lightning bolt struck and Sarah just barely dodged it, she was lucky to have made it out of the forest when she looked back. "Ok, never going back in there unless I need too." She said to herself as she flew off.

_____*later that day*______

Applejack went downstairs with a perplexed look on her face, she looked and saw Granny Smith sitting down. "Hey Granny, have you seen Sarah?" She asked.

Granny Smith blinked and looked at Applejack. "Can't say I have, maybe she went for a walk?" She replied shakily.

Applejack decided to just accept the answer and nodded. "Ok." She said before heading out.

As Applejack stepped outside, she sniffed the air and smelled something......burnt? she immediately looked at the barn, thankfully it wasn't on fire, but it was still strange, she then spotted some wood pieces leading to the barn, she raised an eyebrow and walked over to it.

As she walked, Applejack noticed blood started to form along the trail.

When Applejack reached the barn, she heard grunting coming from inside, along with shaky breathing, she carefully peaked inside and saw Sarah resting against a beam of wood, she had some bandages on her fore hooves and was slightly singed around her shoulders.

"Sarah?" She said as she entered the barn.

Sarah didn't respond, instead the mare just continued to have a fit in her sleep.

Applejack slowly approached and knelt down in front of Sarah as she began to mutter. "No, no, no, no." The mare said quietly.

Applejack gently shook Sarah. "Hey, wake up." She said.

Sarah flinched and grunted in response.

Applejack sighed and shook her head. "Only one thing to do." She muttered, she gripped Sarah, and shook her violently. "WAKE UP!" She shouted.

Sarah's eyes shot open and she lunged forward, pinning Applejack to the ground, she growled and looked directly into her sisters eyes with her own maddened gaze. "Sarah!" Applejack shouted.

Sarah stopped and gasped as realization hit her, her eyes calmed down and she quickly got off, she held her head with her left hoof and tried to calm down. 

Applejack got up and looked at her sister with a questioning glare. "What was that all about?" She asked.

Sarah took a few deep breaths and sat down, she looked at Applejack and sighed. "I...thought you were Uncle Spud for a moment there." She said.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?....and why would you attack Uncle Spud? we haven't seen him in years." She asked.

Sarah shook her head. "YOU haven't seen him in years, I saw him about a week before I got my wings." She corrected.

Applejack walked up to her sister and sat down. "Tell me." She said firmly.

Sarah looked up at the ceiling in silence. "I don't think I'm ready to talk about it right now." She replied.

______*in her mind, minutes prior Applejack leaving*______

Sarah was now in her mind again, the compass pointing towards the forest, she followed it as instructed. "I just got done bandaging the punctures in my hooves from when I crashed into the fence, and now I'm going back into the forest, lovely." She said.

As she approached, Sarah saw a sign that said 'anger' on the road, she walked past it and into the forest.

The forest hadn't changed from her experience in the real world, but she was sure things would be different, so she kept a close watch on everything she could.

She heard an all too familiar voice. "Anger......it is the source of so much pain, and the very thing that drives the will to fight, and more than often, it causes one to ignore pain." The dark voice said.

Sarah looked around as several dark figures appeared around her. "Your anger gives you strength, it gives you power, it makes you strong." The voice said.

"It also masks your fear, so tell me, can you feel it? can you feel the anger all around you? how it drives us?" The voice asked.

Sarah growled as the shadows approached her. "I can feel it alright, but what you don't know about anger, is that it makes you blind, and if you cannot fight without it, you are weak." She said.

The voice laughed maniacally. "You are right! after all." It then manifested into a physical form In front of Sarah. "You taught that lesson to Hilde, quite clearly." It taunted.

Sarah growled and roared as she charged the shadow, as she threw a kick at it, it vanished, her eyes widened as the rest of the shadows appeared around her and she got thrown to the ground.

Sarah was unable to stand as she was beaten up by the shadows, if she tried to stand, they would punch her back down, and if she tried to kick, they would kick her face, if she tried to guard herself, she would be kicked in the spine.

The voice cackled as Sarah lay there helpless before the shadows. "Ahahahahaha! do you see now!? you cannot defeat us, we are far too strong for you." It continued to laugh as Sarah tried to do something.

Sarah soon had a moment of clarity, she stopped struggling, and she smirked, suddenly, the pain faded, and as she started to chuckle, the darkness faded.

The dark voice screeched in pain as light breached the forest and covered the area. "What is this?" It asked in pain.

Sarah's chuckle, soon turned into all out laughter as she stood herself up, but it wasn't evil or confident, it was just amusement. "How can you laugh at a time like this!?" The voice asked as the light burned it.

Sarah stopped laughing and smiled, she approached the shadow calmly. "Simple, I realized something, no matter what you do to me in here, you can't hurt me, you need me to survive, and you talking about anger?" She said with a roll of the eyes. 

"That was just manipulation, you want me to be angry so you have more hold over me." She narrowed her eyes. "My mind is my own, I will piece it back together with or without your interference, so if you don't mind, I have somewhere to be." She closed her eyes as light surrounded her.

"Nooooooo!" The voice screamed as it soon faded into nothingness.

Sarah opened her eyes and she saw that she was back at the archway, she looked down at the compass and saw that it was pointing at the town, she looked back and saw that the forest was much more lively it was far greener, and the trees were no longer twisted, with a smile, she headed for the town.

Sarah soon neared the town and past the sign that said 'insanity.' 

She entered the town and notices that it had turned to the afternoon, she looked around and saw that the town was empty, not a soul in streets or inside the homes.

Sarah kept on walking, she felt something strange followed by a tingle in her back, she looked back and saw that her wings were gone and she was smaller, or more accurately, younger.

Sarah soon found her self led into an all too familiar alleyway with a cellar door, she bit her lip and stepped towards it, she opened the door and went down the stairs.

"Why are we coming down here again Sarah?" Hilde's voice said.

"Because, I need to show you something, and nopony else can know about it." Sarah's voice said.

"Well, I don't like this sneaking around, I feel like we're doing something bad......Sarah, why are you grinning?" Hilde's voice, now a bit nervous, said.

Sarah winced as the memory replayed in her mind. "I'm grinning because I can finally show somepony my secret." Her younger self said menacingly.

Hilde backed up into some boxes, as was evident by the banging. "Sarah, come on, knock it off, your creeping me out." She said.

Sarah let a tear out as she heard the next part. "Oh calm down, it's nothing to be nervous about, after all, you won't be able to feel anything, soon." She was very quiet for the last part.

Hilde was soon backed into a corner as Sarah approached. "Please stop." She said.

Sarah grinned madly. "Aw, and here I thought you would enjoy this, oh well." She pulled out a large kitchen knife. 

In a panic, Hilde threw a punch and smacked Sarah away.

Sarah fell to the ground and let a content sigh out as she soon growled upon hearing a step on stairs, she quickly got up and rushed to the stairs and forced Hilde down, causing the filly to fall down the stairs, she then hit her head on the floor and fell unconscious.

Sarah grinned as she dragged Hilde away from the steps. "Now the fun really begins." She chuckled to herself.

Eventually, Hilde woke up and found herself roped to a wall, her left hoof was trapped, but the rest were free.

Sarah walked up to Hilde and held the knife against the fillies fur. "No more running this time, ok?" She asked quietly.

Hilde didn't answer, instead she just tried to free herself. 

Sarah smacked Hilde on the face and tilted her head. "Now then, I wonder how much pain it takes to knock somepony out, let's find out eh Hilde?" She then pinned Hilde's head and right hoof and slowly cut into the fillies arm.

Hilde went to scream in pain, but Sarah quickly shoved a cloth in her mouth and tied it behind her head to muffle her. "You know, I should thank you for teaching me how to tie a knot, it makes keeping you quiet so much easier." She said.

Sarah then licked the blade and made a disturbing soft moan. "Mm.....it tastes so, good." She said as she continued to slowly cut Hilde's flesh.

Hilde tried to scream, but it was muffled heavily.

Sarah grabbed Hilde's head and forced the filly to look her in the eye. "Well go on, don't hold back on my account, please, let me hear you scream like the bitch you are!" She said as she plunged her knife into Hilde's stomach.

Hilde screamed as loud as she could, praying that somepony would come to save her.

Sarah pulled the blade out and licked blood off of it, she smiled at the taste and looked at Hilde, who was crying heavily. "Aw, such a cute face." She held Hilde's head by the side. "It's such a shame that you couldn't enjoy my game, you would have been fantastic at it." She said as she stood and walked away, cleaning the blade off on her fur, even accidentally cutting herself on the leg.

At that precise moment, Hilde managed to free herself from her bindings remove the cloth and run.

But Sarah simply grinned madly as she tackled Hilde, the filly struggled in vain under the stronger Sarah, who simply made multiple shallow cuts all over Hilde.

Hilde screamed in pain as she tried to force Sarah off, but the crazy filly simply tilted her head as she spoke, her expression turning to frustration. "Stop squirming! It makes it hard to kill you!" She then there her dagger down, it struck right through bone and dislocated Hilde's right arm, causing the girl to scream even more.

Sarah's soon calmed down and placed her hoof over Hilde's mouth, silencing her. "Shh.....don't want anypony thinking you were in danger would we? at best, they probably think you saw a spider or something." She then grabbed the cloth from earlier with her other hoof as she hadn't removed the knife, she quickly placed the cloth back into Hilde's mouth and grinned. "You see, not so bad now was it?" She retrieved her knife and licked the blade slowly, savoring the taste of blood.

Sarah sighed sadly and looked down with a pout at Hilde. "Ah well, all good things have to end, I would ask you to tell me what this feels like, but your beautiful eyes tell it all." She leaned down and grinned. "It's time to sleep Hilde, sweet dreams." She said as she plunged her knife into Hilde's heart.

It wasn't long until Hilde fell over limp, Sarah removed the gag and her knife, she cleaned it off on her fur and dropped it, she heard the cellar door open and she turned around to see Uncle Spud. "Hi Uncle Spud, hey Mom, Hilde just went to sleep after helping me out." She said with a grin.

Sarah flinched as she turned away, no longer willing to see these memories.

The world changed to the lab, and Sarah changed to her younger self, she saw the familiar red stain on the bars of her cell and she immediately recognized the year.

She was her fourteen year old self, she watched as her younger self was in the corner quietly, then again, she didn't have a choice, a 'psychotic' patient, like herself, was either under sedation, or under so many drugs that made them weak and unfocused.

Sarah soon heard screams and thuds outside the cell, she watched as her younger self looked up slowly with eyes that were glassed over.

Sarah heard steps nearing the cell, and she watched as a familiar face revealed itself.

"Well well well, look who it is, the freak itself." Said the familiar voice of Uncle Spud.

Sarah's younger self looked up and at Spud. "W.....w...ho....how, w.....why." She barely spoke.

Spud hit a switch and the cell door opened, and he entered. "I'm here to avenge my daughter." He said calmly.

Sarah's younger self blinked. "Daughter.....daughter, daughter, daughter." She repeated over and over.

Spud approached and produced a knife. "Remember this?....the same one you used on my wife and daughter, I think they will rest well." He then looked at Sarah with a stern gaze. "Knowing that you are dead." He walked closer.

"Wife? Daughter? Wife? Daughter?" Sarah repeated.

Spud threw Sarah flat on the ground and raised his knife. "Just die." He said as he threw the knife down.

Sarah's younger self soon became lively, as she caught Spud's arm, her expression changed to a grim one. "Just die?.......no no no no no, it isn't that easy." She managed to force him off with a quick kick to the groin.

Sarah's younger self was still under the effects of drugs, but what wasn't known, was that in an earlier struggle with a doctor who was trying to administer her drugs, she managed to A. Sedate him, and B, inject just enough drugs into herself, so that she had enough drugs in her system to keep her quiet, just like 'the lab' liked her.

Sarah could not feel pain, but she could move, even with the distraction of the drugs in her system.

She lunged at Spud, who quickly stabbed her in the side with the knife, she headbutted him and he staggered back, she removed the knife from her flesh, she grinned and looked at Spud. "Oh, I've missed this baby." She said as she licked the blood off the knife.

"Now then, let's finish this." She said.

Spud charged at her in a blind rage and received a kitchen knife to the eye for his trouble.

Sarah was still pinned under the much larger and stronger stallion, but she had an idea, as Spud went to punch her in the face, Sarah threw the dagger up at him, it landed right in his jaw, but he was still alive.

Spud cried in pain as a knife soon found itself embedded in his heart, he gasped and clutched at Sarah's arm uselessly, her eyes betrayed no emotion, but he saw the confidence in her eyes, the same insanity, he raised his hoof, and in one last effort, punched Sarah in the face.

Sarah watched as her younger self simply threw the now dead stallion off her, she cleaned the blade on her fur and walked right out of the cell. "Time for a jailbreak." She said to herself.

Sarah watched as the world around her changed, she was back at the archway, and she sighed. "It isn't over." She said.

"Your right, it isn't." Said a voice.

Sarah looked and saw the copy of herself, complete with black eyes with green pupils. "After all, you haven't had a revelation yet." The copy said.

"Yes I have." Sarah said as she looked at the town. "I realized that no matter what I do, I can't change what I did, all I can do is accept it, accept that the insanity is part of who I am, it made me who I am." She looked at the copy. "I don't like it, but I can accept that the same insanity that took over, will always be around, but I can face it, and I can win." Sarah said.

Her copy grinned and its eyes were now normal with dark green irises. "Good on you." It said before vanishing.

The town then changed, it's lights were on, and the sound of townsponies could be heard in the distance.

Sarah smiled to herself as she looked at the asylum. "I'm ready for you." She said.

But before Sarah could walk forward, she felt a familiar tug, she sighed. "Next time I'm here, this ends." She said.

______*in the real world.*_______

Applejack sighed and stood up. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine, but when your ready, I'll be here." She said.

Sarah nodded and stood up. "Thanks AJ." She said before walking off.

Applejack watched as her sister left the barn. "What's gotten into her?" She thought as she started walking.

After a while, out in the fields, as Sarah worked, she thought on what to do next, was going to end this entire problem with her mind, but she wasn't sure about things afterwards.

So as Sarah worked, she put more thought into her future, and the more she did, the more she found herself......disappointed. 'Am I really content to just live my life on this farm?' She asked herself.

Sarah was now pacing herself, taking her time as she worked on the trees. 'I mean yea, I'm happy here, but will I be content forever?' She wondered.

Eventually, the sun came down and Sarah headed back for the house, but as she did so, she heard something flying up, she looked and chuckled. "Hey Dash, how have you been?" She asked.

Rainbow was clearly exhausted, she was sweating heavily and her legs wobbled when she landed, she was breathing heavily. "I, am good, just exhausted." She said.

Sarah raised an eyebrow and then her nose wriggled at the smell. "Phew, Dash, when was the last time you showered?, and you can stop forcing yourself to stand, I don't care." She asked.

Dash bowed. "Thank you!" She stated, before she groaned and fell backwards, sighing as she rested on the soft dirt. "I shower daily thank you." She replied.

Sarah sat down next to Dash. "Then why do you smell like a sewer?" She asked.

"I never said I ALWAYS shower in the morning." Dash replied.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Heh, so if you don't mind me asking, how is your marefriend?" She teased.

Dash laughed quietly. "How do you think I'm exhausted?" She countered.

Sarah laughed a little at the joke. "You are one strange mare Rainbow Dash." She said.

Dash looked at Sarah. "So are you." She countered.

Sarah shrugged. "Got me there." She admitted.

The two simply stayed there for a little until Dash spoke up. "Hey Sarah, mind if I ask you something?.....as a friend?" She asked.

Sarah raised an eyebrow as Dash sat up. "You consider a lunatic such as myself a friend?" She asked.

Rainbow Dash nodded. "Yea, i mean, we had a very bad start, but I think so." She replied.

Sarah looked up at the sky. "What's your question?" She asked.

Rainbow looked at Sarah with a serious expression. "Don't take this the wrong way, but uh......why come back?" She asked.

Sarah looked at Dash curiously. "What?" She said.

Rainbow facehoofed and sighed. "I knew that was a dumb question." She then took a breath. "I was talking with Applejack, and I know that you were in jail." She admitted.

Sarah blinked, that was new. "Oh, well I mean, yea, but what does that have to do with anything?" She asked.

"Oh to heck with tact, I'm just going to say it, why did you choose to come back to Ponyville, you could have gone anywhere, but you chose to come back here." She asked.

Sarah chuckled and looked at the house. "Believe it or not Rainbow Dash, I'm not sure, this place has lots of good memories, and some terrible ones as well, but this place......its home, as cheesy as it sounds." She said.

Rainbow nodded in understanding. "I can respect that." She said.

Sarah looked at Dash. "What about you?.....get bored of Cloudsdale?" She asked.

Dash nodded. "Yea, I guess I wanted to have more time to myself when I practiced my flying.....also I uh." She paused as she shuddered very slightly, which Sarah was curious about. "I kinda wanted to avoid the drama back home, brother vanished, parents throwing barbs at Everypony, not exactly a pretty picture." She said.

Sarah looked at Dash curiously. "You have a brother?" She asked.

Dash shrugged. "Well.....we aren't related, we just consider each other brother and sister, besides, he uh......he doesn't talk to me much anymore." She replied.

Sarah looked at the sky. "What's his name?" She asked.

"Storm, red fur, messed up mane and tail colors, mismatched eyes, kind of insane." Rainbow said.

Sarah blinked and looked at the ground. "Huh......then I've met him already." She said.

Rainbow looked at Sarah. "I would be careful around him, I don't want to be rude, but he isn't exactly sane." She replied catiously.

Sarah nodded. "Yea, but neither am I." She said.

"I'm serious, he gives ME the creeps, just, keep an eye out." Rainbow said.

Rainbow sat up. "So uh, can I ask you something a little personal?" She asked.

Sarah shrugged. "Eh, go ahead, I don't mind." She said.

"What do you think about that changeling invasion a while back?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Sarah chuckled. "I wasn't there, all I know is what was said by the media, that Changeling's were viscous monsters that feed off your emotions and can take your place in society, personally?.....unless I see some proof that they are mindless, I'm keeping an open mind." She said.

Rainbow sighed in relief. "Why do you ask?" Sarah said.

Rainbow's heart skipped a beat. "Uh.....no reason, just curious." She replied with a fake smile.

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Rainbow, are YOU a Changeling?" She asked.

Rainbow narrowed her eyes. "Now your being ridiculous." She stated.

Sarah crossed her arms and grinned. "Rainbow.......are you in love with a changeling?" She teased.

Rainbow's left eye twitched and her heart raced. "Uhhh........" She trailed off.

Sarah tried to stifle a laugh, but it didn't work, she fell to the ground and laughed happily.

Rainbow tried to be angry at Sarah just then.......but she couldn't, instead, she just sighed and looked away with a blush.

When Sarah eventually got control of herself and stopped laughing, she listened as Rainbow talked. "What's funny about this?" She asked.

"Your face." Sarah said easily. "When I asked that second question, it looked like you were in an embarrassing situation, your face was priceless." She said.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Shut up!" She said.

Sarah calmed herself down and and smiled. "So uh.....Minutte's a Changeling huh?" She asked quietly.

Rainbow looked at the dirt. "Yes." She answered.

Sarah grinned and leaned in. "How is she in bed?.....especially with the ability to shapeshift, that must get VERY fun." She said.

Rainbow's eyes widened and she tackled Sarah before she could continue. "Shut up!" She demanded as she held her hoof over Sarah's mouth while blushing out of embarrassment.

Sarah didn't even mind, she just tapped Rainbow's hoof, the Pegasus reluctantly removed her hoof and saw Sarah's goofy grin. "I will take that as a yes." She said.

Rainbow groaned and got up. "We don't do that stuff thank you very much!" She protested.

Sarah stood up and whispered in Rainbow's ear. "But you were thinking it!" She said in a sing song voice.

Rainbow simply looked at Sarah. "And what about you?....do you have anypony that catches your eye?" She asked.

Sarah sighed and walked next to Rainbow Dash as they headed for the house. "Not anymore, we sorta.....had a bad breakup." She said.

Rainbow blinked. "Oh, that sucks." She said.

Sarah nodded. "Yea it does, but hey, maybe I'll meet someone one day." She said hopefully.

Rainbow patted Sarah on the shoulder. "I'm positive you will, but hey, even if you don't, you have good friends to hang out with." She said.

Sarah chuckled. "Oh yea, don't I know it." She then stopped at the porch. "You know Dash, I don't know if you know about this lesson." She said.

Rainbow groaned. "I do not need another lesson to add to my training regimen." She said.

"Oh no, it's not a physical one, it's a pretty simple one actually." Sarah said.

Rainbow raised her eyebrow. "What then?" She asked.

Sarah's face fell slightly. "Don't let your hopes go too high, the higher your hope, the more it hurts if you lose it." She said.

Rainbow paused to reflect on this. "You never know Sarah, i may get into the Wonderbolts, and you may find love one day, so let's just agree to support the other?" She suggested.

Sarah smiled. "Agreed, see you around Dash." She said.

Rainbow nodded. "See you." She then flew up, and then away.

Sarah opened the door and entered the house.

_____*that night, Sarah's room, 12:10 PM*______

Sarah sat on her bed looking out to the stars, she smiled as she closed her eyes, she looked to her nightstand, she sighed as she remember tossing her amulet into a stream, and watched as it was carried away.

While she didn't like doing so, she knew that it's meaning was gone now, and decided that it was better than keeping it as a reminder.

Sarah soon laid down under the covers and closed her eyes. 'Lets finish this' She said to herself.

_____*Sarah's dreamscape*______

Sarah looked around, the town was busy, the forest was alive, the farm was peaceful, and the asylum stood tall, she looked down and saw that the compass was pointed directly at the asylum, she took a breath and walked towards 'Fear'

She soon reached it and entered through its front doors.

Sarah looked around the room she was in, it was a lobby of some kind, but she knew better, she began wandering the halls of the asylum, she heard something thud, and all of the lights went out.

Sarah looked around frantically, she couldn't see anything in the pitch black hallway.

"Well well, welcome to Fear, how may I help you?" A voice asked creepily.

"How about turning the lights back on?" Sarah asked.

"Oh I can't do that!.....you see, we seem to have a.....power outage, so we use go without lights for a while, that isn't a problem is it?" The voice asked.

Sarah continued walking, using her hoof along the walls to help guide her. "It's no problem." She replied calmly.

"Oh good!" The voice said creepily. "I was afraid you were scared of the dark, that should make communication easy.....well, easier." It added.

Sarah rounded a corner and rammed a wall, she grumbled and turned around. "I don't suppose you have a light source." She wondered.

"Oh I do! but I am afraid that they are broken, I do have night vision though!" The voice said cheerfully.

Sarah sighed. "Good for you." She muttered.

"What was that sound?" The voice asked as a loud rumbling shook the building, followed by a loud screech. "What was that?" It asked fearfully.

Sarah tried to find a source of light, but found nothing, sighing, she continued walking, eventually finding a room.

She opened the door after finding it, she soon found herself with a small flame, curtesy of a match.

Sarah grabbed the match and lit a nearby lantern. "Okay, now that I have this." She muttered.

"Aaaaaahhhh!" The voice screamed in pain.

Sarah looked around as the voice reverberated throughout the building, she then took a look around the room she was in, it seemed to be full of cabinets and shelves, and one table in the center, Sarah's ears perked up as she heard movement outside the room.

Sarah's eyes widened, she looked around and quickly hid in a nearby footlocker and shut the lid, thankfully there was a hole that allowed her to see outside.

With the lantern still illuminating the room she was still a little calm, Sarah then saw the door burst open, she slowed her breathing as something entered the room.

She saw the figure that entered soon after, it was short, bipedal and had a massive mace in place of an arm, Sarah felt fear take hold as it glanced at her......it then walked out of the room.

Sarah waited until she could no longer hear it moving, she quietly exited the footlocker and sighed in relief, she carefully looked out the door and in both directions.

Sarah took the lantern and walked the halls, she soon found a room and entered it.

Sarah immediately regretted entering the room, it was the drug storage room, she felt the memories return and she struggled to fight them off, she remembered the fear that she felt when the doctors first gave her an injection, she could feel it return to her, she quickly decided to leave, she looked down the hallway to her right, seeing nothing, she looked down the left hallway, only for her to be grabbed from behind and feel a sharp pain in her arm. "What in the hell!?" She shouted.

Sarah tried to struggle, but she soon felt her strength leave her and her eyelids grew heavy, she found herself slipping into unconsciousness. "If you stopped fighting us, we wouldn't need to do this." Said a quiet female voice.

Sarah went limp as she fell asleep.

_____*a little later*_____

Sarah was unable to move, she felt no pain, no fear, no anger, just pure ecstasy, she slowly opened her eyes and saw that she was in a bed inside a white room with no windows and a door, as well as a small sign that said 'pleasure'

Sarah managed to move her head and saw that her arms and legs were bound together, her wings were missing once again, but right now, she didn't care.

Sarah felt a small tickle on her back and she moaned in pleasure as the new drug took effect, she looked and saw a pink furred Pegasus mare with white hair and bright blue eyes. "Enjoying yourself?" She asked with a quiet voice.

Sarah moaned softly as she closed her eyes. "Mmmmm......" She opened her eyes as the mare sat down and looked her, her kind eyes making Sarah giggle. "Sleepy times means amazing times." She said.

The mare softly stroked Sarah's mane and smiled. "Your cute when your like this." She said softly.

Sarah giggled as she looked at the bright colors entering the rooms. "So many pretty colors." She said goofily,

The mare got off the bed and walked over to the door, she opened it and looked at Sarah. "I need to go, you enjoy yourself.....I'll be back later." She said with a smile.

Sarah simply admired the colors that were dancing around the room, she tried to eat a particular glob of blue, but she simply missed as the drug worked through her system.

Sarah giggled as a pair of flying monkeys play fought, like a pair of clowns, but just before they got to the climax, she felt another wave hit her, she moaned quietly.

"Forget why you are here?" Asked a calm voice.

Sarah rolled over and giggled. "He he he.....you look just like me." She said happily.

Her copy rolled it's eyes and its coat color changed to gray. "Aren't you forgetting something?" It asked.

Sarah closed her eyes and rolled over again. "Na.....I like this place, it feels amazing." She said.

Her copy sat down. "That would be the drugs." It answered.

"I don't know what's in it, but me likey." She said happily.

Her copy rolled Sarah over and undid the rope. "Come on damnit, you need to get up!" It said.

Sarah pouted. "But what if the cute girl comes back?" She complained.

Her copy sighed. "I can't believe I'm going to say this....Sarah, I'll help you see her again if you cooperate with me." It replied.

Sarah smiled. "Ok." She said simply, forcing herself to sit up, she still felt the effects from the drugs, but she was willing to risk getting up. "Ok, let's go." She said.

Her copy helped Sarah up and started to carry her to the door.

When they reached the door, Sarah eagerly opened it, and the two stepped outside.

_____*Fear*______

Sarah shook her head as her copy carried her. "What the hell happened?" She asked.

The copy grunted as it allowed Sarah to stand on her own. "Fear happened, it may be a master of making you scared, but the entity itself was afraid that you would conquer it, so it sent you to Pleasure." It explained.

"I hope I don't have to deal with that." She said.

Her copy paused and looked at Sarah. "You loved it didn't you?" It asked as it returned to its previous form.

Sarah nodded. "Very much, yes." She admitted.

Her copy handed Sarah the lantern. "Let's just get out of here, I don't want to be here longer than we have to be." It said.

The two looked around the now lit up hallways. "I guess Fear is done with the scared of the dark aspect." The copy said.

Sarah set the lantern down. "Then let's get going." She said.

They began walking, and as they walked, the copy looked at Sarah. "Do you even know where you are going?" It asked.

Sarah nodded. "Fear is taking us to the place I fear above all else, why else would it take away my wings?" She replied.

"The operating room." The copy said.

They opened a double door, and they entered a room that Sarah was and wasn't familiar with.

Sarah looked around and saw that her copy was gone. "Thanks a lot." She said.

Sarah started to walk around, she saw the operating table she was strapped too years ago, and she saw that there were plenty of surgical tools.

Sarah winced as she remembered a small portion of the operation.

"Remembering is only half the fun!" Said a creepy voice.

Sarah looked around frantically. "What? do you see me?" The voice asked.

"Come out and face me you coward." Sarah said.

The voice whistled. "Tsk tsk tsk, Sarah Sarah, don't you know better?......I'm Fear, I play tricks on the mind to make you scared.....but sometimes." The voice stopped.

Sarah turned around and was soon being grabbed, she started to fight back but her arms were quickly pinned and a rubber mask came into her view, her eyes widened. "The best fear, is fear the victim knows all too well!" Fear laughed. "No! No! No!" She tried in vain as the mask was placed on her face, and fumes filled her nostrils, her struggling lessened and she was soon on the verge on unconsciousness.

The mask was removed and Sarah now found herself being carried, she was placed on the operating table and she was soon strapped to it.

Sarah watched as a white unicorn mare with white hair and bright blue eyes showed up in her vision, she smiled and moved a bunch of surgical tools over. "You know, I'm happy with the body your subconscious chose for me, I think even you like it." Fear said as it grabbed a syringe and placed it by Sarah's fur.

With a small smile, it injected Sarah with the serum and Sarah was now fully awake, but her limbs felt incredibly weak, her eyes widened. "Aw, don't be such a baby, after all, you felt far worse in the real world, with far worse after effects, besides, if you scream for me, I'll be happy, and if I'm happy, some part of YOU is happy." It explained.

Sarah looked at Fear as it grabbed various surgical tools. "Hey think about it, you are finally playing surgion." It consoled as it took a scalpel and neared Sarah's sides. "Do you think this scares me?" Sarah asked.

Fear paused and looked at Sarah. "Hmm?" It asked.

Sarah grinned. "I think I've proven myself to be brave in front of you by now." She said.

Fear smiled and leaned on the operating table. "Oh?....spill, details." It said.

"For one, you need me strapped down to keep me from moving, either that or drugs, if you were so superior to me, you wouldn't need anything to stop me." She said.

Fear smiled and rested her head on Sarah's chest. "Oh I like your voice, very soothing, but your right, i can't defeat you without some kind of assistance, but it's still fun to do!" She said eagerly.

Sarah smirked. "And you know something......I don't think your Fear." She said.

Fear pouted and produced a cloth, which it then used to gag Sarah. "Bored now, hey!" It then beamed. "Let's see how much fun I can have playing surgeon!" It said.

Sarah felt the scalpel pierce her flesh, but what was odd about it.....was that she didn't feel pain, in fact, she heard.....sobbing?

Sarah looked and saw Fear sobbing on the table, curious Sarah mumbled some words. "Mrm mmh mmgm?" She said.

Fear wiped its eyes and removed the cloth, it looked Sarah in the eyes. "I'm not okay....but your wrong, I AM Fear, but......." It trailed off and rested its head on Sarah as it cried softly. "I.....I don't want to vanish, im not evil, not like the others, fear isn't always a bad thing......i..I...it lets you know how to conquer a flaw, it lets you know when your in over your head, no wait, that's common sense." It looked at Sarah and breathed. "I mean, I'm too scared to even lift a scalpel, I couldn't face you so I sent Pleasure after you.....not that you minded." It then chuckled.

"I guess I'm just good for being a nuisance." It said as the straps vanished as Sarah was back to normal.

They were then sent to the archway, Fear still silent as they arrived, Sarah sighed and walked up to Fear. "You know, a wise man once said, there is no shame in fear......you don't need to disappear you know." She said as they both sat down.

Fear laughed quietly. "That means a lot, but I kind of need to go, you know?.....to keep the visions away." It said.

Sarah patted Fear's shoulder. "You know Fear, you aren't causing the visions, I think my own refusal to see the truth was the cause of it all, as far as I'm concerned, you can stay." She said.

Fear smiled a little rested her head on Sarah's shoulder. "That.....is very brave Sarah, thanks, I should probably remodel the place, I guess an asylum isn't very welcoming to the dreamscape." It said before closing its eyes.

A bright light shined, blinding Sarah, when she could finally see, the asylum was gone, replaced by a long beach and beautiful waters.

Sarah looked and saw that Fear had fallen asleep on a bench that wasn't there before, she smiled. "Good night you little shit." She walked to the archway and looked down, the compass had been replaced by a map, with the beach on one side, the farm on the other, the town and forest were on the others.

Sarah smiled and walked over to the bench, she sat down and rubbed Fear's mane, it was strangely calming, she saw a smile appear on the sleeping mares face, and she chuckled.

"It'll be nice to have someone to talk with, even if for a short while, ah well, time to wake up." She muttered.

______*the next morning.*______

Sarah opened her eyes as an annoying rooster sounded the wake up call, she groaned and forced herself out of bed. "I hate that bird." She muttered.

As Sarah exited her room, she noticed that the bathroom was already occupied, she sighed and headed downstairs, even though she had a bad case of bed hair, it wasn't that bad, she just needed something to wake her up, usually it was cold water, but she would have to settle for food.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw Applejack helping Granny Smith, and Big Mac just headed outside. 'Alright, so when Apple Bloom is out of the shower, I'll go in and clean up.' She said to herself.

"Hey Sarah, you got bad enough bed hair?" Applejack teased.

Sarah rolled her eyes and walked back upstairs. "Whatever." She replied, knowing better than to encourage Applejack's teasing.

As Sarah entered her room, she sat down in the chair and plucked at her guitar strings, soon falling in rhythm with an old song that her mother used to play, she didn't remember the words, but she could remember the music.

Soon enough, she heard the bathroom door open, she set her guitar aside and she heard a chuckle, Sarah blinked and looked at her bed where the chuckle came from.

She saw someone that she.....wasn't expecting. "Copy?" She asked quietly.

Her copy shrugged. "Actually, the name would be Memory, but sure, Copy works." It said.

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Why am I seeing you?" She asked.

Memory looked out the window. "Perhaps you want too?.....I don't know, or, it may be the fact that the visions aren't over.....after all, we still haven't come to terms." It replied.

Sarah motioned to the door and she walked to the bathroom.

After entering the bathroom and closing it, Sarah spoke. "What do you mean?...I thought we didn't have a problem." She said.

Memory shook its head. "No, I just prioritized getting rid of the dangerous visions, all I want is for you to allow me to restore the rest of your memories." It said.

Sarah took a breath and turned on the shower. "Look, I don't need this right now, I've got a lot going on already, so just, give me some time, and I'll take the memories, when I am ready." She said.

Memory nodded and vanished.

Sarah groaned, but still got into the shower. 'As if I didn't have enough to deal with.....oh well, at least those damned visions stopped.' She thought as she quietly hummed.

"I like your voice." Said the now familiar voice of Fear. 

Sarah paused but continued anyway. "Thanks." She replied. 'I guess this isn't too bad.'