To have lost track of time...
Winter sat there, shackled like a common, hated criminal, with the only difference being the magical 'drill' assaulting his gut. It was torture to him for the whole night: he could barely sleep or even rest without yelping in pain.
The world was spinning around him. He tried to see through his fuzzy vision, his hoof reaching out towards the table.
The door finally opened. Finally, Winter said to himself. Somepony to free him from his misery...
"Having fun, Winter?"
His hopes immediately dashed out of the room at the sound of the voice. Winter just growled, watching the pink mare step in with a cunning smile on her face.
"What do you want, Pinkie?"
"To see if you'll open up."
Pinkie rubbed the dust of her hoof, letting her flat mane fall onto the table.
"You know how I hate waiting..."
"I guess you'll have to wait a little longer then, Pinkie." he said, before gritting his teeth in pain.
"Y-You really d-do have a way with stallions."
"Who says you were a stallion?" she said, striding towards the Patriarch, the both of them exchanging raging glares.
"You don't really have any idea what you had done, don't you?"
Winter just scoffed, swinging his shackled hooves towards her.
"I'm doing what's right. For the sake of my town and the ponies living there!"
"Really? What about my friends?" she said, yanking him forward by his horn, which only further intensified all the misery.
"They were there for me, Winter! When you should've!"
The stallion just scowled, the pink mare violently pushing him back against his seat, nearly teetering off its legs. She got close to him, her eyes starting to pierce into his very soul.
Then she did something he would've never dream of.
*Clink*
The shackles around his hooves loosened, scattering across the floor. The pain searing into his stomach stopped, finally allowing the Patriarch to breathe. Winter collapsed with relief against the table, panting and heaving after the ordeal.
"W-Why......" he managed to gasp.
"Why.... why did you do it?"
"Because of my friends."
Pinkie brushed his mane away, completely frazzled and tangled about due from the force convulsing around his body.
"They made me realize that I could trust them. That I could let them understand, make them understand what was happening. That..."
The pink mare hesitated for a moment, her body evidently trembling nervously as she admitted:
"That I still l-l... l-lo...... l-love you, Winter."
Winter just sat there, gawking at the pink mare, who was now furiously blushing.
Was this some sort of a dream? There's no way...
"I love you, Winter. There..... I've said it..."
Pinkie suddenly gripped the stallion's hooves, going down to her knees. The Patriarch gasped loudly, beckoning in vain for her to stand up.
"Just.... Just tell me...." she said, a small teardrop slipping down her cheeks.
"W-Why....?"
"Pinkie...." was all the Patriarch could only manage to say. He could hardly believe it himself, seeing the mare kneel down before him pleadingly, her grip tightening up like a sailor's knot.
"I.... You.... I don't know..."
"You can trust them as well, Winter. I've talked them out of it."
She planted a small kiss onto his cheek, which only made the Patriarch even more surprised.
"I... don't want to do this anymore..."
"Pinkie, you... y-you're an idiot."
Winter helped the mare up, who was now sobbing silently under her mane. He felt the guilt in him washing throughout his body, down to the tip of his hooves.
"I've told you it was for your own good, dammit..."
"You missed my heart."
"I didn't want to kill you. I thought maybe if you were, perhaps, in a coma or something, I could sort everything out myself..."
Winter sighed, nuzzling her snout affectionately.
"Then, I thought you wouldn't end up getting tangled into this mess. But the pain..... pushing you out the window, stabbing you during the festival..."
"That's what I thought."
The pink mare looked into his cyan eyes, nearly matching her own as well.
"Then my friends told me: that they would be by my side, no matter how big the problem is."
Winter just sighed. "See... this is what I mean, Pinkie."
He tried to stand up, but stumbled back onto his seat, managing to make the mare smile a little.
"Y-You haven't told them, haven't you?"
"W-Well..."
"I've seen Rarity, Pinkie. I'm not entirely sure about the conclusion they might gain from this, but I, for one, know they aren't just going to accept the fact on what you had put yourself into."
Winter placed his hooves onto her shoulders, who only whimpered as she pondered about his words.
"Are you completely sure about this?"
Pinkie stopped to look at him, before giving him a small nod.
"They have to. For the sake of Equestria itself."
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"You called, Miss Sovereign?"
"Ideal for the time being, yes Stellar."
The old mare had just finished teaching Spring about the importance of law and order in the government. Stellar knew the filly wasn't old enough to even understand how the Ministry even works yet.
Oh well. If you were stuck in an asylum for almost a decade, what's the chance of you even remembering your daughter's age?
"I'm trying to resolve an issue here. And what a big issue it is."
Sovereign held up a list towards his face, letting it roll across the floor.
"The Mayor has not been doing his job, is he? Letting all the debts come and go like that."
"That's because he's ill, my lady, and probably won't be tending to the accounts for the next month as well."
Stellar sighed. The old mare was unfit herself to attend to the catalog of matters around the palace. If only Spring would have enough courage to perform the Necessensio...
"It still gives the time for the town to recuperate, at least."
"Can't believe at the entropy Winter caused."
Sovereign scoffed, tossing the lists aside. The butler kept his head down, his heart slightly sinking with dread.
"Imagine all that pandemonium that could've erupted from this! Inconceivable, I tell you!"
"But Lady Sovereign," Stellar cut in, the old mare immediately turning to him with contempt written all over her wrinkled face, her eyes squinting with suspicion.
"The accounts are the least of our worries. Let's not forget about the recent return-"
"Nonsense, Stellar Lionheart!"
The mare slammed the table, nearly making him jump off his hooves.
"There are better reasons than to tend to those affairs. These accounts must be settled before the next dawn approaches. Understood?"
"Lady Sovereign-!" he began, before stopping at her persistent glare.
"I... Of course, my Lady. I'll tend to them right away."
"Good, good. You're dismissed, Stellar Lionheart."
Stellar bowed, backing out of the room. He watched as Sovereign slumped to the edge of the seat, flipping through the clipboards and books while her other hoof tapped onto the buttons of a calculator.
He shut the door, cursing under his breath. If there was an embodiment of greed, that avaricious mare would be the perfect candidate.
"How did she respond?"
The butler quickly turned to his side, before letting out a relieved sigh.
"Caduceus. You've scared me."
"And why would I?" he said with a chuckle.
"I'm just a harmless, aging doctor who has lived too long under the guise of a feeble pony."
"Well, enough of that. Is everything ready for the Patriarch's return?"
"Everything's ready." the doctor replied, looking out the windows.
"Pray Celestia he's ready for what that mare has prepared."
"Sovereign...."
The thought of the old mare made Stellar clench his hooves, wrinkling his snout in disgust.
"Why is she even here?"
"A necessity, I suppose, albeit not a very big one. Unlike Tantrum, our Patriarch desires her will to live."
Doctor Brineheart arranged his glasses, flipping open his pocketwatch.
"It won't be soon before he will change his mind. After what happened to him, I'm sure Winter's flexible enough to perform the Necessensio on his own mother."
"Darkness changes the heart, they say. He will do it."
Stellar bit his lip, gazing out the window.
"The only thing I fear, Caduceus..."
His friend could see the changing expressions in his eyes, ranging from concern to hate.
"What is it, Stellar?"
Stellar just chuckled, sliding his hoof across the stone ledge. His gaze settled towards the sunset, his eyes glittering longingly for hope.
Hope. That's what they really need now.
"Remember the mare? Pinkamena Diane Pie?"
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"How about this, Octavia? The Myre?"
"I don't think so, Crim." Octavia replied, looking up to his coltfriend on the ladder.
"Something more relevant to whatever's happening, perhaps?"
She and Crimson had spent the past hour looking through the shelves, indirectly making a fortress of books around them in the process of searching for information.
The gray mare groaned for the fifth time, holding up a book in her hoof.
"Why does Winter needs so much of these books anyway? I mean, 'Polytechnics Of Equestrian Engineering'? Does he even read a word of it?"
"Maybe it's just collections from his ancestors. I mean, I haven't heard about even a tiny little bit of any of these books here."
Crimson reached deeper inside, finally digging out a book from the shelf.
"How about this one? Calvary Of A Thousand: True Accounts From The Battle Of Pristine Plains?"
"I don't think so."
"This one? Apex Predators Of The Wild?"
"We're talking about a demon here. Not just some random beast."
Octavia could only sigh. Working tirelessly in a haven of books isn't her type of job. She couldn't imagine how pitiful Twilight must've been back in Ponyville.
"Got anything else?"
"I think this is it!" Crimson exclaimed, waving a book in his hoof.
"It's titled The Palgiot Family: An Extensive History."
The gray mare just shrugged. There was nothing on the title that shows anything about Mirror Mare. But still...
"Worth a shot, I guess?"
Without a second thought, Crimson slid down the ladder, clenching the book between his teeth. His marefriend quickly snatched it, placing it onto the table.
The stallion quickly rushed to her side, watching her as she hurriedly leafed through the pages.
"There's Ochre..." she muttered to herself.
"Then Axle.... Palladium... here it is!"
Evanescence Palgiot was quickly elected the Matriarch of the Palgiot Family after the battle with her mother, Palladium Palgiot, which resulted in the latter's death. She started to resolve the financial crisis their family was starting to fall in by investing towards the tourism industry, seeing how the towns around the Reach itself had done the same from the elegant architecture and five-star hospitality. She also allowed foreign trade: a first for Pendant Lakes, which has forbade markets aside from their own to invest in the town.
Despite that, she resumed her mother's small-time business in wines, due to her affinity of growing grapes and mixing them into flavorful delights. Palgiot's Finest Wines soon escalated into the major markets, becoming the biggest contender and the main driving force and pioneer of the wine industry of Equestria.This sudden rise made Pendant Lakes one of the most important and richest municipalities in the north. It was elected as the capital of Aston Reach, giving Evanescence a position in the Canterlot Ministry. Her power soon became evident: the small towns and villages surrounding Pendant Lakes soon came into her rule, in turn prospering into equally divergent cities.
Despite all of that, Evanescence remained close to her sister, Chaperon Palgiot, who was crippled of movement and speech during the battle with Palladium. They were frequently seen around the Palace together, talking and reminiscing of the past. Some sources even said that Chaperon had to be sung to sleep every night from her elder sister, only bolstering the clarity of how close they really were.Chaperon soon passed away, at the age of 36, at the month of July. Evanescence was said to have been 'ravaged by the incident.... completely despaired and depressed at the untimely death of her sister." as some sources inquired. The economy of the town slightly declined, before she got married to a stallion named Chicane Fallacia, a clockwork tinker and small-time toy maker.
Evanescence then bore three children with Chicane: two colts, Pendulum, the eldest among the three and Epsilon, the youngest and a filly: Carillon. She was very fond of them, along with Chicane as well, who made brass toys for them as gifts for Hearth's Warming Eve.It wasn't long before Evanescence became ill due to the genetic curse that the Princess had place onto the family, succumbing to it a decade after Chaperon's death, in early November. Chicane filled in as temporary Patriarch, allowing his eldest son, Pendulum to continue his studies. He soon stepped down willingly after he completed, allowing Pendulum to ascend to the throne.
"Well.... that's pretty much it for Evanescence, I guess."
Octavia nodded at Crimson's statement, closing the book shut.
"I'll try to read up on Pendulum later. Maybe his back story might explain something..."
"Like how Winter built the Dreamscape Machine?" Crimson said with a laugh.
"I gotta hand it to him, though. It's extremely impressive, considering how you can see small hints of the future using your dreams like that."
"Deja vu, we call it," the gray mare replied with a wink.
"But Pendulum must've built a model of it. I've seen a few things out of place in the machine."
"Out of place?"
"You know. Too old for its time."
Octavia tucked the book into her arms, pondering in her seat.
"Plus, Winter mentioned this was the Dreamscape Five."
"So you're saying there are other prototypes of the machine?"
Crimson scratched his mane a little, tossing it around. What his marefriend had said seemed to fit.
"And that Pendulum's the original designer?"
"I'm not surprised if he has inherited Chicane's knack of handling with clocks and gears. After all, we're talking about the Palgiots here."
The gray mare just sighed, holding Crimson's hoof as they wandered out of the library.
"The one family that seems to be able to do everything."
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"You sure you'll be okay, Miss Sparkle?"
"I'll be alright. Thanks for your concern."
Twilight gave Tourist and Penny a broad smile, standing at the entrance of the esteemed hotel. She, Rainbow and Soarin' had decided to continue their journey to Pendant Lakes, knowing that the key to Persimmon's box is now in the hooves of somepony in the town.
"It was great being here!" Rainbow said, flapping her wings above them with Soarin' floating alongside her.
"Thanks for helping out at the party as well! It was awesome!"
"No problem, Miss Dash." Tourist said.
"Almost forgot something."
He reached around the back of his suit, before pulling Gummy out. Twilight immediately smiled at the small alligator, which was completely oblivious to everything happening around him.
"Pinkie would want to see this little fellow again!"
"Speaking of Pinkie," Soarin' began, gazing around the plaza.
"Where is she?"
"Probably returning from her visit with that crazy stallion."
Rainbow spat with disgust towards the floor, narrowly missing Twilight's mane, who shot her an annoyed look.
"Can't believe he tried to kill us..."
Twilight placed the alligator on her back, which quickly croaked in response. The lavender unicorn giggled, feeling the patter of scaly paws on her back. It's no wonder Pinkie loved the alligator so much.
"Thanks for everything, Tourist."
"No problem at all, Miss Sparkle."
Tourist tipped his hat at the three of them, his wife waving along.
"Till we meet again."
Twilight smiled as the couple went back into the hotel. Something told her this wasn't going to be the last time she would be seeing them.
She turned to Rainbow Dash and Soarin', who was busy scanning out the map. She had still wondered why the Wonderbolt joined them, despite being told of the danger they were throwing themselves into.
"How are we gonna get there?"
"Well, Pendant Lakes is a one week journey from here..." Soarin' began, settling down to the ground.
"If you can fly..."
The lavender unicorn's jaw just dropped.
"A week for flying? We don't even have a week! Any faster ways of traveling? Transport, perhaps?"
Her frantic cries immediately died down, Gummy croaking in response as the two pegasi just gave each other nervous glances.
"Anything? Come on, there's gotta be a faster way!"
"Twi, as much as I like it..."
Rainbow passed her the map, a red marker outlining the bends and curves of the route they have to take.
"Pendant Lakes is close enough to the borderlands, where all the mountains are," she explained.
"and unless we can skip that tall one-"
"Aston Peaks?"
"Yep. We're talking about jagged cliffs, rocky steep slopes and a very good chance of winning a one way ticket for a free plunge down into some spiky canyon."
She bit her lip, watching as Twilight racked her brains in frustration.
"Unless you and Pinkie, I dunno, sprout wings and save the mountain climbing to one heck of an unlucky explorer, I'm afraid it's near impossible to get to Pendant Lakes under a week."
"But... b-b-but..."
The unicorn tossed her hooves up with an irritated roar, nearly flinging Gummy across the plaza.
"Then how in Celestia's mane are we going to get there in time?"
The three of them just sat in the middle of the plaza, ignoring the looks everypony else was giving. They were deep in thought, their minds whirring and racing to a conclusion, the ragged map rolled out right in front of them.
It wasn't long before Gummy croaked, interrupting their session. The small alligator pattered its feet with a smile: the first they had ever seen from the alligator.
Twilight followed the creature's gaze, before understanding what he meant.
Pinkie was there, bouncing across the plaza despite her mane still being flat. She looked more cheerful and joyful compared to the previous two days.
"Pinkie!" the unicorn called out, immediately catching the mare's attention.
She quickly pranced towards them, zigzagging through the crowd. It wasn't long before they noticed she was holding somepony else's hoof, giggling and laughing with the anonymous pony.
As they stepped out of the crowd, they got a good look of the pony's face.
Right beside Pinkie, being as frivolous as she is, with a beaming smile on his face, was none other than...
"Winter Palgiot." Twilight uttered his name quietly.
She could only stare in disbelief as he and Pinkie approached them, swaying their hooves side by side.
The unicorn turned to Soarin', who was now frowning. Rainbow's glare was more evident though, the grimace on her face directed more onto their friend than to the stallion that tried to hunt them down.
Twilight knew there was only one, exact thing running through each of their heads right now.
"What the buck is he doing here?"
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Rarity had never felt so insecure before.
There she was, lying down on the bed, with her beloved Spikey-Wikey wrapping his scaly tail around her body, letting out a gentle snore. The bright moon was shining on her face, the chirps of crickets only adding to the serenity of the night.
Yet she was still awake. And she don't want to know why.
Fear crept into her veins ever since.... ever since when? When was it?
The fatigue made her tremble, her eyes wanting to close, yet her mind was concocting a different story. The... that's it! The cracks of the mirror in the afternoon! It was as if fumes were seeping out of it, only twisting her raw reflection into a monstrosity bearing a similar identity.
Somepony was coming to get her. She was sure of it.
"N-Now, now. Relax, Rarity..."
The words were like a distant echo in her mind, the tolling of a hundred tormenting voices in her head. The screams were still fresh in her head, ringing inside like a frenzied radio.
"You think? That only your friends are getting hurt right now?!"
"They would die to get a scoop of these stories."
"Do not overexert yourself! Focus!"
"But she really, really, REALLY looks like Harmony!"
"I must admit, I regret about the bomb in your luggage."
"You play heroine and get yourself into trouble? Is that it?!"
"You're uncovering a dark secret."
"You like to make new friends now, huh Rarity?!"
"Why didn't you tell me about this?"
Rarity quietly sniffled, not wanting to wake Spike up. They both had to switch rooms for safety after Stellar was notified of the mirror, but she started to feel it wasn't enough.
The stone walls of the palace felt more like a prison than a home, the solace of the bed more like an agonizing knot of sheets mummifying the white mare.
"Rarity?"
Spike rubbed his eyes, a little surprised that she was still awake. Rarity just huddled closer to him, feeling a little guilty for waking him up.
"Rarity, what's wrong?"
"N-Nothing..." she whispered dismissively. She had never wanted him to be involved in this mess.
"Just... w-well.... I can't sleep yet..."
Spike just chuckled, before letting out a huge yawn, stretching his scaly arms to the sky.
"You need a lot of rest, you know. Tomorrow might be a big day..."
Rarity just chuckled nervously. Her gut immediately sank with dread at the dragon's words.
Tomorrow might be a big day. But to whom?
"I'm.... I'm just..."
"You're scared, aren't you?"
The dragon pecked her on her snout, which started to redden in response. He started hugging her tightly as if she was his favorite plush toy, not wanting to let go.
Despite that, Rarity could still breath. She smiled, knowing he was sensible enough to have thought of her comfort.
"I don't want to bother you, Spikey..."
The mare just shifted a little, quietly gazing towards the vanity mirror.
"I know you want to protect me, but... sometimes... it's hard for me to accept to your terms. You know?"
"I didn't ask for your permission, Rarity."
Spike gave her a small frown, which only made her more nervous, shuffling a little bit further from the dragon.
"It's a choice I'm willing to take."
Rarity bit her lip. Of course Spike wants to protect her. He loves her as much as she loves him.
"But what if my choice is to fight this thing? Alone?"
"I'll respect that choice, of course."
Spike placed his paw over her cheek, turning the mare gently towards him.
"But are you willing to make that choice? Do you want to fight Mirror Mare alone?"
"Uhh.... I..."
He was right. She couldn't do it. She couldn't fight it alone, all by herself. It was no secret to her or to Spike.
"Rarity," the dragon began, brushing her mane aside, the bright light of the moon illuminating her face.
"Remember Pinkie? How she used to be so happy, so joyous to everything she sees? How she never worries about us, about the coming days, knowing that we will always be by her side?"
Rarity could only nod, remembering Pinkie's bright smile in her head. She chuckled at that, the bouncing flair of her walk, the snorts and giggles she would make.
"Who wouldn't?"
"She changed, Rarity."
For a moment, Rarity thought she saw a small tear glittering in the dragon's eyes as he continued:
"Everyday you see her now, behind that large smile, something is just... wrong about it. Twilight noticed it. Rainbow Dash noticed it. Applejack and Fluttershy noticed it as well."
"I don't get it. What are you trying to tell me?"
"You're changing."
Spike clenched his claws nervously, watching as Rarity looked down, settling deep in thought.
"I know Rarity when I see her. I still love you, but I don't want you to change, you know?"
"C-change?" she could only ask.
"Into what?"
"I don't know. I mean, you would usually comb your mane or something, but now..."
The dragon sighed, placing his claw onto her hoof. Rarity could see the look in his eyes, as if he was nervous of the same thing as well.
"I'm worried about you. About everything that happened."
Rarity gazed back at the vanity mirror, looking at her reflection. She could see it as well: there was something missing behind her, as if it has just been whisked away, but she couldn't put her hoof onto it.
"Spike... I..."
"We'll sort this out tomorrow, okay?"
Spike let out a small yawn, snuggling closer to the unicorn.
"I'm sure you're tired as well."
Rarity wanted to agree. She wanted to sleep, to follow the dragon into some dreamland paradise, but the tension and fear growing in her...
"Can you... stay awake a little longer? For me?"
The dragon sighed, which made her a little bit happier.
"Fine. But only for tonight, okay?"
Rarity gave him a short yet sweet kiss on his lips. It was long enough to make her feel happy. Happy that he was right beside her the whole time.
"Thank you, Spikey-Wikey."
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The car lurched a little, overcoming a small bump in the tracks. The strong scent of wine filled the noses of the ponies sitting on the luxurious, velvet seats, who remained silent for the whole journey.
Winter held his breath, gazing at the distrustful glances of three ponies in front of him. Pinkie was right beside him, tossing and hugging Gummy happily, completely oblivious to his situation.
Across them sat Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Soarin', their frowns directed at the Patriarch. Rainbow's one was more focused on Pinkie though, who seemed to have noticed it as the pink mare asked:
"Why the long face, Dashie?"
"Your mane's a little flat," she said, crinkling her snout.
"Well..."
Pinkie's hoof reached around her puffed mane, understanding her friend's meaning as she felt a few strands dangling down to her neck.
"I guess it's a little floppy-pop. Otherwise, it's okay!"
Rainbow then turned to Winter, who was now scanning the map rolled out onto the table. He had personally offered them the use of his train to return back to Pendant Lakes. It only takes two days, which is lucky for them.
"So...." she trailed a little, "how did you do it?"
"Do what?"
"You know? Woo her?"
The pegasus watched as Pinkie turned to them, her face contorting into worry.
Winter just coughed breathlessly, tucking a hoof into his suit.
"She says she's releasing me because of the three of you. For that, I thank you."
Rainbow just scoffed, crossing her hooves. Twilight could see the burning hatred in her magenta eyes, her hooves clenching onto the velvet, trying to restrain her anger.
"Well, when we get there," the lavender unicorn began.
"What are we going to do?"
"The only thing I can think of now."
He sipped on a glass of wine, before saying:
"To catch Mirror Mare."
"Pah!"
Rainbow Dash tossed her cyan hooves up, nearly knocking the glass off.
"And I thought Mirror Mare's right in front of us!"
"Rainbow!" Twilight hissed, noticing the change in atmosphere.
Winter, however, seemed to remain unfazed by that. He just gently sipped on the wine, before turning to Pinkie.
The pink mare herself was trying to ignore the tension between the stallion and her friend, whirling Gummy around with a breaking smile on her face.
"I understand the horror I've caused, Miss Sparkle," he began, settling the glass down onto the table.
"But I can assure you, I have nothing to do with the deaths of the ministers. It was only your-"
Twilight hushed him, immediately silencing the Patriarch.
"I don't want to talk about it. You're lucky Pinkie asked me to trust you."
The stallion just sighed. He turned to Soarin', who was gazing out at the steamworks of the train.
"Something that interests you?"
"Not much," he said, trying to give a smile.
"Thank you, though. For helping my marefriend and Twilight to get there earlier."
"Not a big deal, really."
Rainbow just huffed. She turned to Pinkie, who was now busy giggling at the alligator rolling about the floor.
"Pinks?" she called out. "Can we talk?"
"Sure, Dashie!"
The two mares stood up, their respective stallions each giving a smile. They shuffled towards the next room, which had two bunk beds for them excluding Winter, who preferred sleep on the couches.
The pegasus sliding the door shut, clasping the latch tight. Pinkie turned to her in surprise, watching as Rainbow started to flare up with rage.
"What the hell's wrong with you?!"
Pinkie just sat down onto one of the beds, a little taken aback by her friend's reaction.
"What are you talking about, Dashie?"
"He tried to kill us! He tried to kill Applejack, kill Twilight, kill me and even you!"
Rainbow paced around, before pointing her hoof towards the pink mare.
"What were you thinking?! Bringing him along like that!" she hissed.
"Well, excuse~ me, then."
Pinkie jumped up, her mane starting to flatten.
"If there's nothing better you can yappity-yap about, then I'm going to leave."
Rainbow pushed her back down, only making her friend scowl in annoyance.
"Pinkie, just hear me out! He's not right!"
"Then I'm not right as well!" the pink mare cried out, before standing up again.
"Rainbow Dash. Just leave me and Winter alone."
"What the hell, Pinkie!"
The pegasus pushed her back down to the bed, more harshly this time.
"You don't get it, don't you? He's using you-!"
"He's not using me, Dashie!"
Pinkie's mane was completely flat now, which only made everything tenser than it already was.
"He knows what I've been through. We need his help!"
"We don't need his bucking help!"
Rainbow was shouting now, enraged by her friend's decision. What the heck was she thinking?
"He's not normal. He's a crazy, messed up stallion that tried to kill our-"
*SLAP*
Her cheeks were blazing sorely from the harsh slap the pink mare gave her. Rainbow rubbed her cheeks, frozen in shock at her friend, who covered her mouth in a silent gasp.
"Wh-what.... why did you..."
Pinkie just reached for the lock, unlocking and sliding the door open, finally stepping out into the corridor. She was sniffling quietly under her flat mane, the tears dripping onto the brass floor.
She turned to the pegasus, who was rendered speechless in an utter state of confusion and denial. She wanted to cry out, to say she was sorry, to scream and shout at herself for slapping her friend, yet she just... couldn't.
There was only one thing she could say, knowing it would only deepen the scars of the pegasus a little more:
"You're talking about my stallion."