*BEEP*
"Stupid.... just plain stupid...."
*BEEP*
"What were you thinking, Pinkie?"
*BEEP*
Pinkie opened her eyes, a little annoyed at the monitor beside her.
It was a grey morning, the rain outside pattering against the windows of Fenderville Hospital.
She was, yet again, in a hospital bed. All alone, without anything to do.
"Hey, Pinkie..."
Okay, maybe not all alone.
The pink pony turned to the direction of the voice, before letting out a smile.
"Hey, Twilight."
The unicorn was sitting on a stool, using her horn to flip through the pages of a storybook. Judging from the overwhelming relief from her face, Pinkie assumed she had been here all morning.
"So, Pinkie," the unicorn asked, settling the book down.
"How are you feeling?"
Pinkie wanted to say 'like an idiot, feeling like an idiot for trusting that wretch of the Palgiot', but, knowing Twilight's penchant for asking questions...
"A little better."
Her pink mane had deflated, the hairs all straight like a grayish-pink waterfall. Pinkie wrinkled her nose in disgust, raising a few strands of it in her hoof.
"How long are we gonna be here, Twilight?"
"Depends on your recovery. Doctor said that the blade had just missed your heart by a few inches."
The unicorn's face turn to that of worry, biting her lip as she asked:
"Is it Mirror Mare again?"
Pinkie flinched. Winter's expressionless face invaded her mind, despite all her attempts to brush it off.
"Uh... I guess so..."
"Then we don't have time to spare."
Twilight suddenly cupped her friend's hooves into her own, making the pink pony turn in surprise.
"Pinkie. I know there's something about everything happening that you don't want us to know; that you don't want us to venture into, but I'm here telling you that it's necessary to help everypony else."
The unicorn's face was filled with hope, her grip on Pinkie's hooves tightening as if pleading her.
"I'm... I'm scared too, okay Pinkie? I mean, you faced this before... and you were already avoiding everything it's throwing at you..."
"Caduceus."
Twilight blinked in surprise at Pinkie's response.
"What?"
"Persimmon's foalhood friend. Caduceus. He's not in Fenderville anymore."
Pinkie's eyes were watering, as if begging for forgiveness. Her mouth was opened slightly, wanting to speak, but she closed it back hesitantly, looking down at her sheets with despondency.
"N-No need to worry, Pinkie."
Twilight placed a hoof around the pink pony, who was beginning to sniffle.
"We can wait for you. All of us can."
"I-It's just.... you wouldn't understand..."
"We don't understand, Pinkie, you're right. But you can help us understand."
She gave the pink pony a warm grin, the unicorn's hooves on her friend's shoulder as she said:
"Just because we're venturing into your dark past doesn't mean you have to stop us from going in! We're fighting it alongside with you, Pinkie. You're not alone. Remember that."
Pinkie managed to smile, despite the few tears that fell from her eyes.
"I'll.... I'll think about it."
Twilight stood up, placing the book on her lap.
"Just thought you might need it, in case you're bored. I'll get you a new one later."
"Thank you, Twilight."
Pinkie watched as her friend strode towards the door, abruptly stopping to turn back and ask:
"I almost forgot: what was the.... what's-his-name's last name?"
The pink pony giggled at her friend, who was now grinning sheepishly.
"That was fast! Anyways, his name is Caduceus."
She held her breath, the first and last names combining like a jigsaw puzzle in her mind.
"Caduceus Brineheart."
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"Hmm..."
Rarity was slightly afraid of this Doctor Arrowfaith. He has that uncouth, perverse look on his face, with a sort of morbid aura emanating from his body.
Instead of the usual warmth-filled smile that Doctor Brineheart usually gave, he wore a revolting grin, putting him alongside Mirror Mare on Rarity's mental ponies-to-watch-out-for checklist.
Well, she thought to herself, if you were surrounded by a hundred crazy ponies, wouldn't you crack as well?
"I see, I see..."
At first glance, the unicorn would've expected a witch-like cackle, not his deep voice of a gentlecolt. She felt lucky that Spike and Doctor Brineheart was overseeing the whole thing, or else she would've died of fright.
"Well, Brineheart. You've certainly brought her here in time."
The pony was now flipping through a logbook, his hoof scanning across the pages.
"If you took any longer, she would've succumbed into complete insanity."
The unicorn shuddered a little at the word, even more so at her acting horn on her head.
Spike let out a sigh of relief, giving Rarity a reassuring smile.
"So, what is it, Clepius?" Doctor Brineheart asked his colleague, who had now put on his reading glasses.
"Some sort of hormonal change?"
"Similar, Caddy. Hostility change."
Doctor Arrowfaith cleared his throat, before beginning:
"Miss Rarity, what you're experiencing is a behavioral state only apparent in unicorns. The magic flowing from the body to the horn is in disorder, prominently messed up due to the unstable aura of the town."
He strode to the white mare's side, much to her displeasure, as he asked:
"Tell me, Miss. How often do you use magic?"
Rarity blinked in surprise at the question.
"Well... the only times I've used it is for gem-locating in the mountains for touching up my dresses."
"And that is all? Any more spells?"
"Uh... well..."
She was slightly nervous, primarily from his skeptical look and his raised eyebrow.
"There were a few other spells, but none more powerful than the gem-locating spell."
"That explains it."
Doctor Arrowfaith closed his logbook, almost as if triumphantly.
"The frequency of your magic is easily displaced into disarray by the aura here. Unicorns who used magic frequently, such as the Princesses themselves, are unaffected by the aura displacement."
Spike couldn't help but raise his arm.
"Then how is it psychological? It's just about the balance of aura, isn't it?"
"The aura displacement is more of a catalyst. The real danger here is a condition known around town as Palladium's Brink."
"Palla-what?" the white mare asked in complete bewilderment.
"Palladium's Brink." Doctor Brineheart repeated.
"Named after the daughter of Axle Palgiot, Palladium Palgiot, who succumbed to insanity centuries ago. Was the next in line when her father got killed in an accident during one of his experiments. She was widely regarded as the Matriarch who ruled with an iron hoof, despite her symbolic pride as the family's most innocent mare during her time."
"What happened?"
"Basically, after building the family's private beach, she went with her three children: Evanescence, Chaperon and Paladin 'Palladium Jr". She was closest to Paladin, the filly looking nearly exactly like her."
The doctor sighed, trying to recall the story.
"Evanescence was about sixteen, Chaperon just two years younger. Paladin, however, was about ten plus, her eleventh birthday arriving in two weeks."
"Palladium was watching her play from afar, when suddenly an earthquake rumbled the beach, causing a part of it to open up. Paladin fell into one of the deep cracks, the Matriarch only being able to scream as the filly fell into the chasm."
Rarity gasped, her eyes widened in disbelief. Spike was completely taken aback as well, still trying to absorb what the stallion had said.
"Then what?"
"She snapped during the filly's funeral, who was buried in a glass coffin."
Doctor Arrowfaith seemed to smile, despite the grim expression he was giving as he continued:
"Paladin was like an mirror image of her mother: both were unicorns, with energetic auras from them. The mare's mind had interpreted that she could've save her, yet her thoughts slowly darkened with insanity, evolved due to both mare's striking similarity into the result: she could've save herself."
"She started avoiding everypony," the other doctor continued.
"Still in shock from the trauma she faced, she became increasingly paranoid and depressed. Being a Palgiot, she had very powerful magic, which only made her more dangerous. The ability to poison one's mind isn't an everyday talent."
"To p-poison one's mind?"
Rarity's horn started searing from inside, making her yelp in pain. Doctor Arrowfaith quickly rushed to her as Spike stood up immediately, before being stopped by Doctor Brineheart.
"Her horn treated everypony like a hostile," he continued his explanation as he searched through his kit.
"It became intensely agonizing and started flaring out magic, just like the state you're in now, Miss."
Rarity clenched her eyes shut, her horn flaring with pain. She tried to find something to grip on, before touching the unmistakable feeling of raw scales.
Spike gave her a smile, his face gleaming with hope. The unicorn smiled back, her grip on the dragon's arm tightening, before the doctor inserted the needle of a syringe into her horn, somewhat filling it with a sort of medicine.
"Magic depressant," Doctor Arrowfaith explained, "to calm the aura down."
He turned to his friend with a relieved sigh as he asked:
"Where were we, Caddy?"
"Evanescence and Chaperon had to fight their mother in battle. Chaperon nearly got killed, receiving a blow that disrupted her nervous system for the rest of her life. In the end, Princess Celestia's curse caught up with Palladium, instantly killing the mare."
Rarity panted and heaved, gripping Spike's arms as the dragon asked:
"So what does the illness do anyway?"
"Perception delusion."
Doctor Arrowfaith sat down, still flipping through his logbook.
"Where one's perception of him or herself is warped by a traumatic event inflicted on somepony they know, or a look-alike. The perception of everything else slowly changes, in unicorns it is hastened up by dark auras chaining into their magic."
"But she didn't see anypony she knew getting hurt!"
The dragon turned to the mare on the bed, who was still shivering despite all the numbness within her.
"Are you completely sure about that?"
Doctor Brineheart started to pace towards them, in a grim way that made Doctor Arrowfaith looked more angelic.
"Remember the nightmare she had? Of herself getting killed?"
Spike was about to speak, before his head suddenly flared up in realization.
He and Rarity could only stare at him, abruptly torn out of words.
"Then there's the body in the palace. The one that you say she resembled her sister."
Rarity turned sullen, looking down at the floor in complete derangement.
"The nightmares.... since I've arrived..."
"Wait!"
Spike turned to the unicorn, unable to hide his disbelief.
"You had nightmares before this? All of this?"
The white mare's guilty, quiet nod only made him scowl.
"Why didn't you tell me about this? We could've worked everything out, Rarity!"
"I didn't expect you to understand or even LISTEN!"
Rarity stood up, an unnatural rage bursting from her which made the dragon tumble back in surprise. Her horn started glowing a deep, ocean blue, before Doctor Arrowfaith cut in:
"It's starting to show: the darkness swirling in her magic."
The mare suddenly froze at the mention of 'darkness', utterly horrified at herself, before cringing back into her bed.
"No! No... no... I'm not crazy... I'm not...."
"Rarity..."
Spike could only watched as the mare sobbed quietly in her hooves, unable to find any method of comfort for the shaken unicorn.
"There is one other thing, though," Doctor Arrowfaith continued.
"She has a very striking resemblance to somepony deceased. This pony is one that I advise you have to keep a very good distance from."
The dragon immediately turned to him, his eyes almost begging for the answer as he asked the doctor hastily:
"Who is it?"
Rarity was the one that gave the answer. It was completely unmistakable to her now.
"Harmony... Harmony Peridot."
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"Now recite it one more time."
"You are not wrong, who deem, That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away, In a night, or in a day..."
Octavia would've clopped for Spring if she hadn't been hearing the same poem four times in a minute. Stellar was teaching her poetry again: one of the few things of the Arts that the grey mare seriously loathed.
She was flipping through her own book, marking a few notes on a musical sheet. It's completely important for her: playing those notes on a cello while standing on her back hooves isn't easy.
"Okay. Next line, with more emotion, then you can go play."
"Really, Stellar?" the filly asked the butler.
"You're not lying to me again, aren't you?"
"No! No, Spring!" Stellar replied with a chuckle.
"I promised Octavia here as well, right?"
"He sure did, Spring." the mare replied, already a little sleepy at all the words.
"Better do it quick, before playtime's over!"
The filly began to clear her throat, continuing the poem:
"In a vision, or in none, Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem, Is but a dream within a dream."
"Bravo, Spring!" Stellar said with a grin. Octavia managed to laugh as well, finally shutting her book.
"Weeee!"
Spring leaped into the air, a little overjoyed at finally finishing the subject.
"Remember, Spring," Stellar reminded her as the filly quickly followed Octavia out of the library.
"After that is culinary arts at five!"
"I will!"
Octavia shook her head. She couldn't imagine what the family hadn't learn in their lives.
Yesterday Spring had just learned about gardening, harp-playing and woodcarving: a little too much to handle for the grey mare herself. Why they were learning all these things was a wonder.
But, she sighed, tradition is tradition.
"So, you're gonna see me cut up some radishes later, Octavia?"
Spring was delightfully prancing about, already enthusiastic about what they're going to do.
The mare gave her a warm smile.
"I don't think so. I don't want to make Crimson wait. You know how he is."
"Well, did you two plan to settle down together?" the filly asked, making her tumble back in surprise.
"Maybe have a honeymoon or two, with a few foals?"
"W-Well..."
Octavia's mind was racing. She had to think fast before it gets completely out of hand.
"Crimson and I, we're trying to.... you know, take it slowly. I'm not really ready to have children yet, plus he had to go to all his world tours, I'm not surprised if our children wouldn't know who their daddy is."
Spring was giggling a little, making her sigh with relief.
"Anyway," she asked the filly, "how did you know about all these things?"
"There's the library, and then there's Autumn!"
The filly was somewhat beaming as she uttered out her sister's name.
"She always teaches me about how relationships work during playtime."
"Well," the grey mare let out a small laugh.
"Your sister sure knows a lot of things."
Spring nodded with a smile, although Octavia could see it was beginning to crack.
The two of them took a left turn, about to return to Spring's room. The filly's prancing was reduced to mere strides, her cheerful personality slowly starting to diminish.
"I... I miss Autumn..." the filly suddenly spoke as they reached the door.
Spring turned to Octavia, who wore a look of uncertainty as she turned the knob.
"Mind telling me why?" the older mare asked, making her stop in surprise.
"You can cry if you want. I won't tell anypony."
"A-Anypony?"
"Not even Stellar."
Spring stood there for a moment, before giving a sad nod.
Both stepped into the brightly-lit room, immediately striding towards the bed with the rays of the sun from the windows shining across their face. Somehow, the room seemed to have more energy than its owner, who was now sulking on her bed.
"Autumn was there when Winter and Summer had errands to do," Spring began.
"She was typically always there, since my brothers are usually away to help out with the wine stuff and all."
"Well, she must've been glad to spend time with you."
"She's sometimes annoyed, but I know she still loves me all the same."
Spring had started to sniffle, prompting Octavia to place a hoof around her.
"There were times, when I'm scared and lonely at night, she would come to me. Not Winter, not Summer, but her. She would sing a lullaby to me, making sure I would sleep."
"Really?" Octavia asked.
"You must've been very happy to have a sister like her."
"Yeah..." the filly's voice trailed off, her face turning increasingly sadder.
"But I also feel a bit... guilty..."
"Guilty? Guilty of what?" The grey mare asked out of disbelief.
"She just wants to comfort you. You're not a burden to her for doing that!"
"That's not what I meant."
Spring was now nervously shuffling about. If it weren't for Octavia's left hoof wrapped around her she would've ran out of the room already.
"I-It's that... her singing..."
It took a while for Octavia to understand what she meant, the mare's eyes widened in realization.
"She's giving up her life for you..."
Spring nodded, gazing out the window across her, staring down at the town.
"Every word she sings, it calms me. Her talent to calm everypony down is amazing, really. But our family curse..."
The filly started to weep, burying her face into Octavia's chest.
"I-It's unfair! Why would she risk her life just to put me to sleep? She could've just read a bedtime story! Or maybe just stay beside me until I fall asleep! She doesn't need to sing!"
"Because she wants you to be completely at peace, Spring."
Octavia was hushing her, the filly's sobs fading slightly.
"She wants you to know that she'll do anything for you, even if it means putting her life in danger."
The mare held her breath, before continuing:
"She loves you a lot, Spring. Much more than you could ever think of."
"R-Really?" the filly said, her eyes watering as she looked up to the grey mare.
"But she's sacrificing herself... I don't want to see her do that..."
Spring suddenly coughed rapidly, making Octavia pat her back. The musician's worry grew more frantic, seeing the filly almost collapsing to the floor.
"Spring? Spring, you alright?!"
"I'm..... I'm fine."
Her coughs started to die down, before Spring gave a smile.
"It's pretty normal these days."
Octavia let out a huge sigh of relief, yet her concern is tugging her heart down, before being replaced with perplexity.
"I don't understand, Spring. Why were you always sick?"
"M-My talent is being able to see the future."
The filly coughed one more time, before continuing her explanation:
"I see the future every second of every day. It's quite scary; seeing other ponies die, disasters happen."
"Have you tried telling anypony else what you saw?"
"Well, that's how I became this sick: telling everypony what I saw."
Spring shuddered a little, huddling closer to Octavia as she asked the older mare:
"I'm going to see Autumn again, aren't I?"
Octavia flinched at the question. Her mind was furiously working, digging deep into its recesses for an answer.
"Well... not so soon, I guess. You still have Winter here though."
"Winter..."
The filly let out a small yawn, curling up in her light-green blankets.
"I don't even know him anymore..."
The grey mare couldn't help but feel disturbed by the filly's statement. She looked out at the town below her, her thoughts revolving around the small filly who was falling asleep beside her.
"I hope I know what you mean..."
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Soarin' wasn't used to be with another mare. He had hundreds of fans or the ponyrazzi flooding into his dressing room before, sure, but being alone with the mare of his life, it's a completely different feeling.
He and Rainbow were busy walking across Rattleraw Forest. They took a liking of it, remembering the time they've spent that night.
"... and Spitfire said she'll think about it! Can you believe it? She's gonna see if I can go with you guys!"
The stallion chuckled at her marefriend. They visited the rest of the team earlier this morning to ask for Rainbow Dash's addition into the Wonderbolts. Spitfire had engaged in a completely private conversation with the mare, while everypony else teased Soarin' about their relationship.
"Man, you gotta be in the team, RD. Captain would be crazy if she didn't let you in."
"Well, it's hard to say..."
Rainbow Dash looked down at her hooves as the pair continued deeper into the forest.
"I mean, she looks unsatisfied for some reason..."
"I'm sure it's just the nerves, Dash," he replied with a warm smile. "I had a lot for my audition as well."
He nuzzled the mare's cyan snout, making her giggle with a blush.
"Stop! Just stop!" she said, pushing Soarin' away. The stallion just chuckled, sighing with content at the mare in front of him.
"Oh, Rainbow."
"I mean, you can't have your coltfriend showing the love every time! That'll be so..."
She shuddered, the stallion laughing in response.
"Still the Rainbow I know, eh?"
He pondered his little, before snapping his hooves.
"Alright. From now on, we'll stick to hoof bumps, kay?"
Rainbow's eyes rolled to the stallion.
"You're kidding, right?"
"I'm not!" he said with a small laugh.
"I mean, I can't even give you a kiss on the cheek! You would say it's so girly and disgusting and-"
"Well, I'm still a mare, right?"
The pegasus fluttered up, her chest puffed up and her head held high as she retorted:
"Sometimes even the toughies need some love and intimacy once in a while!"
Soarin' just gave her a coy smile.
"Oh, really~?"
"Well... I mean..."
"So does that mean I can give you a kiss on the cheek now?"
"Wait! That doesn't mean-!"
Rainbow slapped her forehead as Soarin' laughed loudly, the mare slowly descending towards the ground with a loud groan.
"Ugh....."
"Come on!" Soarin' exclaimed playfully, giving her a teasing grin.
"You know you want it!"
The mare muttered quietly under her breath, before letting out a chuckle.
"All right, all right. Just this once...."
Soarin' held his breath as Rainbow closed her eyes, waiting for his lips to meet her tingling cheeks. She blushed furiously, feeling humiliated by the whole thing.
It was short, yet sweet, as the both of them found out. Soarin' chuckled as the mare opened her eyes, scratching her neck with a nervous flutter of her wings.
"There!" he said, giving her a 'I told you so' face.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?"
"Ugh... fine... whatever."
Rainbow blew her signature mane up, rolling her eyes at the stallion laughing on the floor.
"Come on! We're almost there!"
By there, Rainbow meant their destination: the place where they spent the night together.
The ruins of Canopy Oaks stood in the clearing before them, standing quietly and serenely as if waiting for the arrival of the couple. Despite the desolation, it looked beautiful, the remaining structures standing firmly in the bask of the afternoon sun.
"Dashie!"
That voice made both of them jump back in surprise. Rainbow looked around the ruins, trying to find the source of the voice, before spotting a pink blur in the distance.
"Pinkie?!"
She couldn't believe her eyes. The pink pony was standing on her hind hooves, her face slightly bruised.
"Pinkie, what are you doing here?! You're suppose to be in the hospital!"
"No time to explain!" she shouted, disappearing behind the tall structure obstructing their view.
Rainbow and Soarin' quickly flew around it, before stopping in horror.
Pinkie was holding an iron bar in her hooves, wielding it around like a weapon, before it clashed into a blade.
Rainbow turned to the pony she was fighting, only to scowl.
"Mirror Mare."
"Rainbow Dash, is it? And of course, the famed Wonderbolt Soarin'."
The masked pony cackled as both pegasi buckled their hooves, kicking the dirt across the floor.
"Leave Pinkie alone, you freak!"
"Dashie! Don't!" Pinkie shouted, stopping her friend in mid-flight. Her eyes were watering, as if begging for her to listen.
"Go find Twilight! Find Twilight!"
Rainbow stopped, trying to figure out what she meant, before the sudden dread of realization overwhelmed her.
"I.... I got it!"
"Soarin'!" she shouted to the stallion.
"Help Pinkie out!"
"Alright!"
In an instant, Rainbow dived back into the forest, her wings flapping rapidly at high speed. She darted and bolted under and over branches, avoiding any of the trees in the way.
The gates of Fenderville grew closer and closer to her as she blasted through the forest relentlessly, not wanting to waste any time.
She gulped as she flew out from the branches. She hoped she wasn't too late.
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"I'm back, Pinkie!"
Twilight Sparkle brushed her hooves against the mat, with bags filled with books dangling around them. She had just finished visiting the bookstore, finding some of the bestsellers for Pinkie to read during her time in the hospital.
She chuckled at the pony, who was draped under the covers. The unicorn thought she heard a quiet giggle, despite her thoughts that she was asleep.
Placing the books beside the bed, she started to flip through the top one. She was so engrossed into it in the bookstore, she just had to continue reading the next few chapters.
"Well, Pinkie!" she said.
"I've brought a lot of books for you to read, just in case you finished that one."
No response.
Twilight just shook her head, managing to smile. Always the playful one, that Pinkie.
"Just wondering though, is the book interesting? 'Cause I'm not really sure what to buy for you."
Silence filled the room. The unicorn just felt awkward from talking like this. Maybe she's just asleep. Maybe she's just tired from all the drama yesterday and she just needs some time to-
Twilight's ears perked. There it is again.
A giggle.
"Pinkie?" she asked, craning her neck to the lump in the bed.
"You okay in there?"
She flipped the sheets away, before gasping in horror.
Instead of the pink pony, there stood a mechanical, skeletal one, the bronze eye spinning lewdly at her. Twilight's stomach revolted at the disgusting sight, tumbling back to the other, vacant bed in horror.
Something... organic was pumping itself inside the skeletal chest, with oil dripping from the open cuts in it. A speaker was placed at its mouth, letting out a crackling giggle every one or two seconds.
The contraption was wired to the monitor, which was still beeping. Instead of the usual, digital ups and downs on the screen, it was showing a set of numbers.
Twilight paled with realization, her heart counting along with the time.
3
2
Suddenly, she felt her body soar as something pushed her from behind, crashing out of the window. Twilight yelped, closing her eyes out of fear as her mane fluttered into the wind.
Her hooves hung tightly, her face fluttered into a pair of wings. Everything around her seemed to slow down, the timer in her head ticking loudly for one last time.
1
*BOOM*
The bedroom exploded into flames, bricks shooting outwards into the air. Twilight hung onto the pegasus for dear life, feeling glass and ash graze across her skin as she screamed.
It wasn't long before they descended onto the street, the unicorn completely shaken from her flight. She turned to her savior, before gasping in surprise.
"Rainbow!"
"That's me!" she said with a salute and a bright smile on her face, panting and heaving before collapsing to the floor, fatigue overwhelming her hooves.
Twilight placed her hooves on her temple, trying to absorb what happened as she tried to recover from her shock. She turned back to the hospital, looking at what was Pinkie's room burning in a hellish inferno.
Everypony, apart from the both of them, stopped, their stare frozen with horror at the burning hospital. Sirens wailed in the distance, as the first firefighters arrived to the scene.
"What happened?" Twilight asked Rainbow frantically.
"Where's Pinkie?"
"Fighting Mirror Mare!" the pegasus explained, still out of breath.
"You... you were the next target!"
Twilight gasped in disbelief, completely aghast at the pegasus's explanation.
"I... I was..... what...?"
"Come on! There's no time to spare!" the pegasus shouted, shaking the unicorn out from her thoughts. Rainbow stood up, her wings worn out from all the flying. Galloping would have to do.
"We've still got a fight on our hooves!"