Chapter Nine: Down The Rabbit Hole
~BlackRoseRaven
They made their way through the complicated halls of the immense castle, as Luna walked silently side-by-side with Scrivener, neither speaking, the female’s eyes dark… and then a bitter smile spread over her face as they made their way into the rear of Canterlot, into the old, dusty halls that had a strange air of loss about them, as if Celestia’s sorrows had clung to the very bricks that made this place up… and Luna could feel it pushing and pulling at her in the same instant. She could feel the way the air seemed to become electric, like they were walking through a tunnel filled with static as they turned down another corridor and a guard opened the door for them, so they could emerge now into the main passage of what had once been Luna’s personal quarters in the castle.
Unsurprisingly, they turned and headed towards the doorway at the end of the corridor… and Luna glanced up dumbly as they emerged into what had once been her old room, and yet had been redesigned now into a comfortable sitting room of sorts. It obviously belonged to Celestia… and the guards dropped Pinkie Pie on the old, circular posh bedding, not speaking to them as they made their way out and left the three ponies standing in silence around Pinkie Pie’s unconscious, twitching form, the last guard slamming the door behind him.
Twilight glared over her shoulder at this… then returned her eyes worriedly to Pinkie Pie as Luna could only marvel for a moment longer at the room: shelves lined the walls, filled with old parchment and books, a study sat in the corner, and Pinkie Pie lay upon her old bedding. .The enormous window wall faced out as it always had, with the thick, sun-defeating curtains drawn and tied back… and Luna smiled faintly as her eyes settled on the crack in the glass that had always been there before she glanced up as Twilight Sparkle asked worriedly: “Luna… is… what was that? Was it really a…”
“Demon?” Luna glanced towards her… and she smiled grimly as she flicked her mane… and in that bare moment, her size increased and the glammer hiding her form shattered, becoming nothing but motes of light that floated around her for a moment before vanishing completely as she returned to her normal shape. Scrivener pushed back his own hood, looking at her with quiet concern, and Luna stepped quietly past, lowering her horn as it glowed a faint blue before the same gentle aura spilled slowly over Pinkie’s body, and the female moaned weakly even in her unconscious state as the awful wound in her face slowly began to stitch itself closed, Luna saying quietly: “’Twas not so great and wicked a creature as that which… aided in giving Nightmare Moon release… but yes. I believe it was a demon, and in particular, a Grudge… and long has it been since a true demon of that ilk has been seen in Equestria. Such demons feed particularly off the emotions and minds and psyches of ponies… and the beast must have slipped into Pinkie Pie’s mind, perhaps during her episode this very morn, Twilight… and then hidden itself, stretching its tentacles through her brain, corrupting her to bring Pinkamena to the surface so it could attempt a foolish attack upon Celestia.”
“So is she going to be okay?” Twilight looked worriedly at Pinkie even as Luna stepped back, the blue glow fading quietly from both the winged unicorn’s horn and the body of the pink earth pony, the wound on her face sizzling quietly for a moment: mostly healed, but it had left an awful, ugly patch of scarring like a wicked jester’s grin, and the violet unicorn closed her eyes as she bowed her head forwards, trembling a little. “Oh, Pinkie…”
“The creature, the Grudge… ‘twould have played off her resentments, her anger, her hatred… and, as it fed off her emotions, enhanced her fears and paranoia and made its influence stronger by manipulating good into bad, filling every nook and cranny with its spineless poison… it would have awoken Pinkamena.” Luna looked quietly over at Twilight, saying softly: “The beast must have known from the start that Pinkie had a mind fractured… ‘twould have been exactly why the poor pony has been targeted. And even if the demon was rejected from her body and spirit by… perhaps the strength of Pinkie, perhaps Pinkamena’s very own fears, or perhaps fleeing to attempt to avoid its inevitable demise… it would have weakened the physical body, but I have no doubts that inside, Pinkie Pie battles Pinkamena now for supremacy, and I cannot say who would win betwixt the two.”
She stopped, then looked softly at Twilight as the unicorn laughed weakly, whispering as she stared down at Pinkie Pie: “And I really… honestly believed there was no such thing as real demons. Spirits and monsters, they can be explained in a way, but demons… demons come from Hell, don’t they? From Helheim… I really… I really believed there was no such place, that all ponies got to redeem themselves, that… god, that there was no such thing as demonic possession, just mental illness, and… I…”
“The ancient name for a place that takes many years to comprehend the meaning and existence of.” Luna smiled a little over at Twilight, softening visibly. “’Twas a spirit of icy Helheim that brought Nightmare Moon out of my depths… and ‘tis from the great cold wasteland of Helheim that the Nightmares are said to charge. And in the old days, demons came freely up from the Well of Sorrows… but ‘twas sealed, and the art of summoning demons up by other means was lost to pony mages, Celestia destroying many of the records of the old magic by her own hoof. Yes, child, in the old days, much was blamed on demons… perhaps more than even that breed deserves, but to be sure, the possessed often were the mentally ill, for they have the lowest tolerance and defense against incursion from demon, spirit, and other wicked creature.”
She stopped, then stepped towards Twilight, gazing silently at her features as the unicorn clenched her eyes shut, the red, thin lines marring her face standing out almost like neon as blood dried over her muzzle and cheeks. “My student, my darling… let me heal thy wounds.”
“No, no, it’s… it’s fine.” Twilight murmured… and then she smiled faintly as Scrivener reached up and touched her shoulder quietly. “No, honestly, I… just let them heal as they will on their own. We all have scars, don’t we?”
“’Tis one of the costs of living life in this fashion.” Luna said quietly, glancing down at herself and smiling faintly. “I am sure there are marks of my own journey, hidden upon my body… but ‘tis not something I feel either pride or shame for. ‘Tis only part of the journey… and sometimes, a scar can tell an honorable story, marring as it may seem to the untrained, all-assuming eye.”
She glanced quietly towards Scrivener, who blushed a bit… and then Luna shook her head and returned her gaze to Twilight, as the unicorn asked hesitantly: “Is there any way I can help her? I… I don’t want to just leave her like this. I remember, back when… when Discord inverted us all… I used a memory spell that brought my friends back from being twisted by his chaotic influence. I… maybe…”
Luna looked thoughtfully at Twilight, then at Pinkie Pie… and then she looked past the unicorn to her husband, and Scrivener hesitated before he nodded slowly, even as Twilight frowned. But then Luna met her eyes again, saying slowly: “I do not wish to place thee in the way of unnecessary harm and danger, for things will work out as they will, no matter what we do… but Twilight Sparkle, if thou art serious… then I do have one spell, developed by Celestia long ago and used for many purposes fair and foul and frustrating. It will give to thou access to the split mind and the dark labyrinth of Pinkie Pie’s very soul… but ‘twill be dangerous. Thou shalt be in a world not thine own, not real, yet able to affect thee as if it were. I cannot pull thee back, and to thee a year may pass, but may be but a second on the physical plane. There is no turning back until thy friend is either saved… or thyself fall into darkness, and thy mind will die or shatter and thy body will be but a broken shell, does thou understand the seriousness of this?”
Luna’s gaze hardened… but Twilight nodded firmly before she looked at Pinkie Pie, whispering: “I won’t abandon another friend when there’s a chance I can save them. This is my chance to stop Pinkamena-”
“Nay, Twilight, for in the world thou shall enter, Pinkamena and Pinkie Pie both will be all-powerful … and believe me when I say, speaking truly from my heart, that ‘twould be better to force Pinkamena to recede or quiet than to destroy her. Believe it or not, my student… all things can serve a greater purpose, if they are properly tended or manipulated.” Luna met the violet eyes of the unicorn for a few moments, and then she looked towards Pinkie, adding quietly: “Believe me, my friend. I understand all too well.”
“Then will you and Scrivener help me? I… or do I have to do this alone?” Twilight asked softly, and Luna smiled faintly before Scrivy reached up and gently wrapped a foreleg around Twilight, squeezing her gently around the shoulders for a moment.
“It would be too dangerous for us to join you. Luna and I both, well… we might exacerbate things instead of help.” the male said softly, then he drew his limb back and quietly touched her shoulder, meeting the unicorn’s eyes as he looked at her quietly. “But you don’t need our help. You can do this yourself, Twilight… we both have faith in that, otherwise neither of us would want you risking your life like this.”
“But it would hurt far more to do nothing, than do this.” Twilight murmured softly, nodding after a moment as she lowered her head forwards… and then she looked over at Luna, giving a short, grim smile. “I’m ready. I’m ready to face whatever’s in there.”
“Good.” Luna said softly… and she closed her eyes as a blue aura began to build along her horn, brightening steadily and giving slow pulses before she tilted her head forwards, letting her long horn gently touch the female’s forehead… and Twilight immediately stiffened, her eyes widening before her body slumped, head dropping away as her eyes shut… and slowly, Luna drew her horn through the air towards Pinkie Pie’s prone body, leaving a strange twist of blue, almost-solid cord behind that connected from Twilight’s forehead to the end of the winged unicorn’s tall horn.
She leaned down, concentrating, eyes closed… and the tip of her horn gently touched Pinkie Pie’s forehead, the female’s eyes snapping open for a moment but unseeing as the earth pony gasped, the blue cord now connected from one to the other before it sparked… and Luna drew back as the glow faded from around her horn, shaking her head quickly as Scrivener stared at the arcing, ethereal connection as it twisted and jolted in the air, Luna murmuring: “Good luck, Twilight Sparkle. Thou shall need it.”
Twilight was aware of her eyes shutting, of her body feeling suddenly heavy, of a sensation of falling… and then a moment later, she shook violently as if landing from a high plunge, cursing a bit under her breath as her body trembled… then her eyes snapped open, and she stared back and forth in surprise: she was on a road made of interconnected islands of stone that floated silently in a purple and pink sky, rainbows that sparked with electricity stretching back and forth through the air around her… and Twilight gritted her teeth as she looked up, and then peered down over the edge of the meter-wide island she stood on… but in both directions, there was nothing but more wild air, more rainbows, and clusters of living balloons that pushed themselves through the air like enormous, mutant jellyfish.
Then the unicorn looked up as she heard a shout… and she realized there was a much larger island in the distance, at the end of the path of floating stone islands. But whatever was in this area was difficult to see: enormous, weirdly-curved and distorted buildings formed a wall around the outer edges, and Twilight grimaced before carefully starting forwards, her hooves pushing nervously down against the stone path as she tested her way forwards.
But the path was solid, even if the stone islands tended to quietly rise and fall in their positions… and then the unicorn looked up sharply as there was a scream, and Twilight cursed and let herself jog the last of the path, careful and cautious still even as stepped from a stone island onto an enormous log that jutted from the base of the floating village, running down it and into a narrow alley as she wheezed at the feeling of stepping onto solid earth… even if said earth floated in a strange and alien place.
She emerged into a round square in the middle of the village, like a warped, distorted version of the market in Ponyville, distorted buildings looming and curling all around as Twilight stared in shock at the sight of Pinkie Pie, snarling and yelling angrily as she shoved and wrestled with a dull-pink, straight-haired pony that could only be Pinkamena.
They were both standing on their rear hooves, front hooves locked against each other’s shoulders, shouting at each other as Pinkamena snarled and bit like an animal, and Pinkie Pie threw headbutts in return, staggering back and forth, and Twilight gritted her teeth, staring in horror at the sight. And, to make the scene further insane, behind the two was a fountain… and yet this fountain, this entire square, was split strangely in half, with the further portion dropped as if on a lower level, even if the blue, sparkling water that filled this side of the fountain never seemed to spill out of it despite the jagged cut through it… even as the blood and blackness that filled the other, darkness-stained half of the fountain seemed like it was seeking to flow upwards.
The other half of the square was listless gray, splattered with charcoal and ash, the only color coming from the splotches of blood over the ground and the buildings. Wrecked wagons, broken mirrors, and ugly, jagged chunks of rock stuck up here and there like teeth that jutted without reason from a broken jaw… and even the sky above was tainted black, gloomy, heavy clouds looming overhead, no rainbows here but instead enormous, ugly birds that flew slowly back and forth, with feathered crow bodies but bleached blank skulls with empty sockets for eyes.
And all throughout Pinkamena’s side of the square, there were grey, dead bodies… and all were of Pinkie Pie herself. Knives, jagged implements, awful things jutted from the corpses… and they all lay glassy-eyed, not decomposing, faces frozen in mid-laugh and the color stolen from their forms, granted only by the scarlet blood that was splattered over and around them and glowed out of the wounds many of them had… and then Pinkamena screamed and shoved Pinkie Pie backwards, howling at her: “You’re the invader! You’re the one who isn’t wanted, Pinkie Pie! We were Pinkamena long before we were you, and all this nonsense about love and friendship, it’s only lies!”
“We were Pinkamena, and then we became Pinkie Pie, we don’t want to go back… we like who we are now, we have friends! Go away, Pinkamena!” Pinkie Pie shouted, and Pinkamena snarled in return to her before the bright pink pony gestured at building behind her… and Twilight realized it was an enormous, distorted Sugar Cube Corners, the door of this opening and streamers and party balloons and bright music pouring out as she said sharply: “Look at this? It’s happiness… we have friends, and we don’t need to hurt others to get it! You remember what it was like, right? You remember the rainbow that day…”
Pinkamena snarled and shoved a hoof towards Pinkie Pie, and the door of Sugar Cube Corners slammed shut as the party favors that had spilled out exploded into flames and fell away to ashes, Pinkie wincing before Pinkamena gestured violently behind herself… and the buildings on either side of her half of the square rumbled before cracking apart, rapidly beginning to collapse and degrade away as they tumbled slowly backwards before new shapes vomited up in their place, the earth cracking throughout the square as the rock formations rearranged themselves like shuffling cards that tore in and out of the earth and the corpses were tossed back and forth, rolling and leaving splatters of fresh blood here and there throughout the square as a grey, listing farmhouse rose up, along with an enormous, tilted silo. “And I remember how they rejected us! How they turned us away, even after we tried to improve for them… after we tried to be a good girl for them, they hated us more… they smiled at us, they indulged our parties, then they threw us out like we were garbage! I only want one final party, Pinkie Pie… one last party where we end all the laughter and all the fun and make our friends die as friends before they abandon us… that is the only way to make friendship last forever!”
Pinkamena threw her head back and laughed, Pinkie wincing away with a whimper… and then Twilight ran quickly up the bright pink pony’s side, saying sharply across to a startled Pinkamena: “You can’t judge the entire world by what a few people have done to you!”
Pinkie Pie gasped at the sight of Twilight, the world around them brightening… and then darkening as Pinkamena stepped forwards and shoved Twilight hard backwards, sending her staggering as she shrieked: “And what do you know, Twilight? You grew up in a magic academy, supported by your doting parents! You don’t know what it was like on the rock farm, day in and out, having only hatred to give us happiness, making them suffer… because they made us suffer for being different and strange, and stranger still after my idiot other half decided to play these childish, pedantic party games!”
She snarled, breathing hard, and then she whispered: “You’re here to stop me, to kill me, aren’t you? You’re here to betray me… to betray us both if you have to, right? I’m on to you, Twilight. I know all about the plans you and all your friends have… and you were stupid to come here. You were arrogant to come here and try and stop me. You killed my friend, but now I can kill you…”
Pinkamena grinned savagely, licking her lips slowly, showing off teeth that were unnaturally, terribly sharp… but then Pinkie Pie stepped forwards and shook her head grimly, saying quietly: “No, Pinkamena. I won’t let you. Twilight isn’t here to hurt us… Twilight saved us from that thing!”
“It was our friend! It was going to help us end the parties, but you wouldn’t play along, it’s your fault we couldn’t kill Celestia!” Pinkamena raved, snarling and stomping her hooves against the ground before she screamed and threw herself down, childishly beginning to kick at the air and shriek her frustrations to the sky as she temper-tantrumed.
Twilight grimaced a bit, stepping backwards as Pinkie shook her head slowly and looked over her shoulder, whispering to her past the dull pink pony’s shrieks of outrage: “You shouldn’t be here though, this… this is a dangerous place and… your face, oh Twilight, I’m so sorry, I… I saw so much of what was going on…”
She trembled, tears forming in her eyes as she breathed hard, and Twilight shook her head quickly, saying quietly: “It’s okay, Pinkie… but I’m not leaving. I’m here to see this through to the end… to try and help you. And to try and reason with you, Pinkamena.”
“Oh, like you reasoned with our friends? You killed them all, Twilight, although I suppose you’re only doing us a favor.” Pinkamena hissed, grinning even as she lay upside-down on her back, hooves sticking straight up into the air. “You’re just Celestia’s little hoof-licker, doing whatever she says. Go kill Discord, kill the guide, kill Pinkamena. You’re here to kill me, and I won’t let that happen.”
Pinkamena rolled over, then licked her lips slowly as both Pinkie Pie and Twilight slowly backed away, the dull pink pony crawling slowly towards them as her long hair fell over one side of her face, moving in a way that was almost sultry as she whispered in a poisonous, tender voice: “Come here, Twilight… come here, little darling… have I ever told you that you look so delicious I could just eat you up? Come here… let me stroke you, and touch you, and kiss you until you’re not afraid anymore… and then we’ll end this all. Wouldn’t you like that? Don’t friends comfort friends… don’t friends help their dreams come true?”
She arched her back, slowly climbing up to her hooves, eyes half-lidded as Twilight and Pinkie Pie both pressed back against Sugar Cube Corners… and Twilight gritted her teeth as Pinkamena slowly stepped forwards… then the unicorn lowered her head and stepped towards the dull pink pony as Pinkie whispered a quiet denial, and Pinkamena licked her lips slowly, her teeth glimmering as she murmured in a hungry voice: “Oh really? Giving in, little Twilight? Do you know that you can’t win?”
Twilight only looked up in response, meeting Pinkamena’s eyes and saying quietly: “I want to prove to you that… I’m not here to hurt you. That… I’m here to help you. Help you both if I can but… Pinkamena, I won’t… I’m not Celestia’s slave. And I know you’re scared… and lost… and lonely… and I’m here to help you if I can. I won’t let this end like it did with Discord… I won’t lose someone who could be my friend, in another time and place. Maybe even in the near future, if… we can make this work somehow.”
Pinkamena snarled, but hesitated… and Twilight slowly stepped forwards… and Pinkamena retreated, suddenly looking nervous even as she said coldly: “I don’t believe you. I should just kill you… your gorgeous mane would make fantastic streamers for my final party, your skin a wonderful tablecloth, your flesh the appetizer, your blood my wine…”
“Say what you want, do what you want.” Twilight replied quietly, and then she met Pinkamena’s startled eyes before the unicorn whispered: “I’ll let you. I won’t stop you… if afterwards, you promise not to hurt anyone else, okay? I’ll… I’ll find just the right words you can tell the others, to make them understand, there wasn’t any other choice. Maybe Luna could see the truth in your mind, I don’t know, there must be a way, but… Pinkamena, if it’ll make you happy, if it’ll give you peace, then go ahead and kill me. I won’t fight you. I won’t hurt you. You’re part of Pinkie Pie. You’re scary, but that means you must be my friend too.”
And Twilight stepped forwards and reached up to silently, tightly hug Pinkamena around the neck, the female staring stupidly over her shoulder as Pinkie Pie trembled and lowered her head, beginning to sob quietly as the unicorn pressed herself firmly against Pinkamena, murmuring: “I’m sorry, but I want to save you. Whatever that cost is. If it’ll prove to you that you do have a friend in some twisted way, if it’ll help you… then yes. But you need to promise me you won’t hurt anyone else, okay? At least… not any of our friends, anyone who doesn’t deserve it, okay?”
Twilight slowly drew back, looking silently into Pinkamena’s eyes as Pinkamena looked back, disbelieving… and then she closed her eyes and lowered her head, a tremble running through the dull pink pony’s body as she looked away and whispered: “I don’t understand… there’s something… wrong…”
She frowned slowly, looking down at Twilight’s hooves… and then she looked slowly up, saying quietly: “You’ve taken the fun out of the game. You’ve stolen it from me, like a balloon deflating…” And then she grimaced and looked up as there was a short, loud hissing, and Twilight smiled a little over her shoulder, seeing Pinkie squeezing the last of the air out of a balloon with a weak smile of her own even as tears spilled down her cheeks.
Then, slowly, Pinkamena smiled a little as well, lowering her head and turning silently away… and then she nodded a bit before saying quietly over her shoulder: “Everyone’s a liar, Twilight Sparkle. I hate them all, and I want to punish them all. Everyone thrives off misery… they laugh at the pain of others, they throw parties on the graves of their friends, often without realizing it. Sure, you say these things… but how do I know you’re not lying? Here we are in a bright world, protected by bright things-”
“Then take me to your world. I’ll go with you…” Twilight hesitated, then looked slowly over her shoulder at Pinkie Pie, who trembled a little, becoming serious and scared again at the look in the unicorn’s eyes. “Alone.”
“Twilight, you don’t know her, she’s… she’s dangerous…” Pinkie whispered, holding up a hoof… but Twilight only smiled faintly, shaking her head slowly, and then looking quietly towards Pinkamena.
The dull pink pony seemed to consider this for a moment… then she nodded slowly and grunted, beginning to stride forwards. And the unicorn hesitated only a moment before she followed, looking over her shoulder… and offering a final, faint smile to Pinkie Pie as she sat, trembling, by Sugar Cube Corners, calling quietly: “Take care, whatever happens, okay?”
“Twilight…” Pinkie whispered… and then Twilight turned silently towards Pinkamena, who stood at the broken, jagged edge of the halved square. The unicorn hesitated for a moment, and Pinkamena began to shake her head… then instead only reared back slightly in surprise as Twilight strode forwards and leapt fearlessly down onto the dirt of the other half of the world, gritting her teeth as she felt the hostility in the air, wincing away from a nearby Pinkie corpse and a splatter of blood before Pinkamena leapt down beside her.
“Follow me.” she ordered, and Twilight only nodded silently as they strode slowly past the farmhouse, Pinkamena keeping her eyes low… but Twilight looking quietly back and forth, studying the jutting rocks, the broken, weathered house, the tall, looming silo as they strode past… and onto a long, seemingly-endless dirt path that stretched into the deep, gloomy darkness, littered here and there with bones, bodies, and heaps of rock.
They were silent as they strode together… and then suddenly, Pinkamena leapt over and shoved Twilight hard, knocking her down and forcing her to the ground as her hooves battered against her, Twilight wincing and covering her face as Pinkamena snarled down at her, then shouted, spittle flying from her mouth: “How does it feel? I know you’re lying to me! Fight back, fight back!”
“No.” Twilight said quietly… and Pinkamena’s lower jaw trembled as she shoved Twilight down again when she began to get up, before the earth pony stepped backwards, breathing hard… and slowly, Twilight pushed herself back to her hooves, wincing a bit at the bruises already forming before she gave a faint smile over at the female, saying quietly: “I’m ready. Let’s keep moving.”
Pinkamena gritted her sharp teeth for a moment… then, suddenly, she lunged forwards and bit savagely into Twilight’s shoulder, teeth digging deep, drawing blood and making the unicorn gasp and shudder… then clench her own teeth and close her eyes as she rose her head, body trembling… and then Pinkamena drew back, breathing hard, even as a bit of blood and drool dripped from her jaws, and slowly, Twilight opened her eyes… and stared back and forth as she saw they were now inside Pinkie Pie’s bedroom in Sugar Cube Corners… except the bed was disheveled and had been torn almost completely apart, transformed into a bizarre nest, and an enormous frame rested against one wall, filled with shattered pieces of mirror… and broken fragments in bizarre shapes lay all around the ground in front of this, as Twilight looked at it, breathing hard through the pain radiating throughout her entire body, trying not to think about or even look at her shoulder… and then she finally forced her eyes to quietly look across at Pinkamena even as the female snarled at her, asking softly: “Is this the end?”
“Yes.” Pinkamena said darkly, turning around… and cracks ripped through the walls and ceiling before the space inside the room grew larger, the wall seeming to yank and stretch itself away as a table appeared, gray and black balloons floating like grim specters, tied to dead, gray Pinkie Pies that sat all around the awful table, a cake that looked awfully like a pony’s head sitting in the center and with an enormous cutting knife sticking out of the top of it like a grisly ornament… and Pinkamena shoved her way to the table, grabbing this and yanking it free with a spurt of red before she turned around and looked squarely at Twilight, asking coldly: “Are you ready to die?”
Twilight only nodded silently, and Pinkamena rose the knife as she stepped forwards… and then it trembled in midair, Twilight’s eyes locking with the dull pink pony’s as she snarled… then she screamed: “Don’t look at me! Close your eyes, lower your head!”
The unicorn nodded, smiling faintly as she did so… and there was silence, for the longest time, punctuated only by heavy breathing… and then a loud clatter, and Twilight’s eyes opened in surprise as she heard a quiet sob.
Everything had vanished, leaving them in a silent, empty room with only the shattered mirror at Twilight’s back as she looked wildly around… then finally spotted Pinkamena. The knife lay in front of her, splotched red… and Pinkamena was curled up in a ball, crying quietly in the corner, hooves covering her face… and without fear or hesitation, Twilight strode over to her and hugged her silently, and Pinkamena sobbed hard, wailing like a baby as she shoved herself against the unicorn, even as she screamed through her tears: “Why are you doing this to me? Why can’t I k-k-kill you… why did you… do this to me!”
Twilight only rocked her silently, shushing her gently, holding her tight and close as she nuzzled her forehead silently, unmindful of the wounds, the aches in her body as Pinkamena screamed desperately against her body… and after ten minutes, her sobs finally ceased, her body still trembling as she looked up with tear-filled eyes, whispering: “I don’t want this. This is weakness. This is pathetic. I don’t need friends…”
“Everyone needs a friend.” Twilight said quietly… and then she silently stood and gently pulled Pinkamena to her hooves before embracing her again, murmuring into her ear: “I don’t know if you’re a good pony or a bad pony, Pinkamena, but I was told by someone I trust very dearly that everything can serve a purpose… and that even you have a place in this world. And like I said… if you’re part of Pinkie, even if you’re a bad part, you’re still my friend. I won’t kill a friend. I won’t hurt another pony or anything else that doesn’t deserve it… I won’t repeat the mistakes I made with Discord.”
Pinkamena was silent… and slowly, color filtered into the world around them before a door appeared in the wall and swung open, and Pinkie Pie hesitantly stepped into the room… and this time, when she and Pinkamena looked at each other, the bouncy female said quietly: “We need one-another, don’t we? We balance each other out… without you, I can’t focus. I can’t do anything but laugh and sing and get in the way… but if you’re alone, without me…”
“Yes… yes…” Pinkamena looked down silently, rubbing at her own face before she embarrassedly shoved Twilight backwards… then she looked at her quietly for a few moments, studying her and murmuring: “I don’t understand at all. I want to kill. I want to hurt… yet I can’t bring myself to seriously injure you. And I don’t promise I won’t hurt others in the future… I don’t belong in your group. I’m not Pinkie Pie… I’m not laughter. I’m blood and death and pain, and that is what I seek to bring to the world…”
“And maybe even that has a place, somehow, somewhere, I don’t know.” Twilight shook her head, looking down… and Pinkamena snorted in derision before the unicorn looked up and smiled faintly. “Still. You two do need each other, to balance out… and Pinkamena, if you at least try and… well… not savage people…”
“I promise nothing.” Pinkamena said rudely, then she shook her head and said darkly: “Get out of our mind. You’re not wanted here. You’re not needed here… anymore.”
Twilight smiled faintly, and then she stepped forwards and hugged her again… and Pinkamena growled and struggled for a moment, then muttered and dropped her head in disgust as Pinkie bounced forwards and hugged them both fiercely as well, saying moodily: “A single moment of weakness and here we are. You’re soft and pathetic, Twilight Sparkle. I hope you die soon.”
“I love you too, Pinkamena.” Twilight replied mildly, and Pinkamena’s face curled into a horrible grimace in response to this before Twilight asked quietly: “Friends?”
This made Pinkamena halt, her features flattening out, losing their emotion… and then, slowly, as if it was a great struggle, she smiled a little and nodded, murmuring: “For… for now. Until… until I don’t need you anymore.”
“Okay. I can live with that.” Twilight said softly… and then Pinkie Pie laughed warmly and hugged her tightly from behind… and before the female knew it, she felt a strong pair of hooves gently squeezing into her shoulders as her eyes flickered, before she looked up with a sharp gasp… and stared dumbly up from where she had apparently collapsed to the floor, a bit of blood dripping from her nose and mouth as pain throbbed through her body, Scrivener carefully helping her steady herself as she sat up and asked weakly: “What happened?”
“Thou had a mighty fall, from what I expect was a wicked battle…” Luna grimaced a bit, glancing towards Pinkie Pie as her body shuddered, her color fading in and out as her hair lost its poof, falling straight even as it twitched, and Luna gritted her teeth, asking sharply: “Do I bind her?”
“No, no…” Twilight struggled to get to her hooves, and Scrivy grimaced, supporting her and carefully helping her up as the female groaned, her head swimming… but once she was standing, things became a little easier, and she wheezed a bit before saying finally: “It’s… okay. I… I think it’s like…”
She hesitated, and Luna glanced at her… then nodded slowly at the look in the female’s eyes, murmuring softly as she returned her gaze to Pinkie Pie: “I understand what thou means, at least. Either way, she will be weakened… let us see what comes of this.”
Pinkie stirred… and then her eyes opened, bright blue, and she sat up with a quiet gasp, her coat a duller pink… yet still with an odd shimmer as her straight hair fell over her face, gritting teeth that glinted sharply. Then she shook her head, pushing her hooves down against the bedding as she sat up… and then smiled a little as she glanced slowly back and forth, murmuring: “It wasn’t a dream…”
She halted, her eyes roving towards Luna and studying her silently, curiously, as Luna looked back at her… and then Pinkamena glanced down at one of her own hooves, saying softly: “Funny… I feel… whole. Dangerous, even volatile… but whole. And not quite as temperamental… but bloodthirsty, yes, I still feel plenty bloodthirsty. I think I want something to eat. Something with meat on it…”
She licked her lips slowly, meeting Luna’s eyes… and strangely, Luna gave a slight smile before she asked quietly: “And where, pray tell, is Pinkie Pie?”
“I’m right here, but I’m more inside than I am outside.” Pinkamena replied shortly, and then she rolled her shoulders and grinned slightly, adding mockingly: “For the legendary Princess of the Night, you’re slow, Luna. I expected you to put up a better chase.”
Luna shook her head in distaste at this, and then Pinkamena looked meditatively down at her hoof, saying mildly: “Is this what I would be if I was balanced? Or maybe I’m leaning more towards Pinkamena than Pinkie right now, just because it’s so delicious to have control after so many years of being locked away, freed only during the darkest of episodes and the deepest depressions. Either way, I seem to be a jerk, and yet I really don’t mind that.”
“Malicious creature.” Luna said flatly, and Pinkamena grinned up at her, eyes glittering, before the winged unicorn added moodily: “If Celestia sees thee like this, there will be hell to pay.”
“Don’t get your reins in a knot, I’m merely testing the waters.” Pinkamena muttered, then she closed her eyes… and a bit more color returned to the female’s body, her mane and tail poofing up slightly before her irises opened… and they lost their malicious glitter as she smiled warmly, looking up and saying in a brighter voice: “There!”
Luna looked thoughtfully at the female as Pinkie Pie gazed warmly back, and then she softened visibly as Twilight stepped up beside the winged unicorn, saying quietly: “Twilight I… I wanna thank you. I feel at peace with myself now… and… you did a really, really, really wonderful thing for Pinkamena, even though she seemed like pure evil. Even though she… well… probably is pure evil. But you… I don’t think you fixed me. I don’t think the episodes will ever end, or that Pinkamena’s ever going to be… you know, completely at peace with me… but you really did help settle an awful conflict in myself, and I can’t thank you enough for that.”
She stopped, looking down… and then she murmured softly: “And I’m so, so, so, so unbelievably sorry for what I’ve done. The pain I caused, and… god, the ponies I hurt. I wanna apologize to each and every one of them but I doubt I could ever find them and that… even if I did, they would want to hear it.”
“Sometimes the only thing thou can do is to move forwards, Pinkie Pie… for in my travels I too have hurt many who didst not deserve it, and done worse. But thou has conquered thyself, and ‘tis a good step towards correcting that which was wrong… and important for not just thy own sake, but the safety of others.” Luna said quietly, stepping forwards and reaching a hoof up to gently rest on her shoulder. “Thy and I are different and yet similar, Pinkie Pie. As Nightmare Moon and Pinkamena are different and yet similar… so my advice to thee is to keep thy head up, and canter ever forwards. I have come to believe that all can be redeemed…” She stopped, looking over her shoulder softly towards Scrivener Blooms. “That even the worst of us… can discover a place of heaven, where they belong.”
Pinkie Pie smiled radiantly up at this… and then the door opened, and the four ponies turned and quietly watched as Celestia strode inside, closing the door behind her and pausing for a moment as she looked over them slowly, Pinkie flushing and looking down as she dropped herself to a deep bow… and then, before Twilight could speak, Celestia rose a hoof and said quietly: “I am going to simply assume that Pinkie Pie was controlled by the demon, and that is all I wish to hear on that subject. Understood?”
Twilight nodded thankfully, releasing a sigh of relief… and Pinkie smiled a little, saying nervously: “Still, I… I want to apologize, Princess Celestia, I-”
“There is no need, Pinkie Pie.” Celestia interrupted calmly, and then she surveyed the others, studying them with her deep amethyst eyes and saying softly as they settled on Luna: “I must admit, I was surprised at first to see you here, sister… but I suppose this was for the best, considering the events that occurred.”
She paused for a few long moments, then returned her eyes to Pinkie Pie, asking quietly: “Do you remember anything about the demon that possessed you? I assume, Luna, that you’ve already come to the conclusion that I have, that it was a Grudge. Nothing in the higher tiers of Helheim’s ranks, but far above the nuisance spirits and paltry possessions we have seen over the last thousand years, since the demon that manipulated you, sister.”
Luna nodded as Pinkie Pie lowered her head… and then she shook it slowly, murmuring: “It must have attacked me during my episode this morning. I… I’ve been feeling awful most of today, really, going up and down, so much I had to take some of Zecora’s medicine… but I guess the medicine might have just made it easier. It numbed my mind, to stop an episode from coming on… but since that… that thing was inside me, somehow making Pinkamena alive…”
She shuddered and looked down, and Celestia explained softly: “Demons and their kin enjoy bringing out the worst characteristics of a person, manipulating and transforming them. It is not unlike what Discord did, in a sense… he enjoyed toying with the minds of ponies and making them into his servants.”
“No, he didn’t, Celestia.” Twilight said quietly but firmly, trembling a little before she forced herself to look up as the Princess of the Sun frowned slightly. “Why do you still believe that, even after all we saw, even after all this time? There were a lot of ponies in Ponyville who weren’t affected by his madness… and for all the legends about how he sowed nothing but disharmony between ponies, he seemed more like chaos with only vague boundaries. Don’t… don’t talk about him like that. He’s… he’s gone, anyway.”
Twilight lowered her head, and Celestia shook her own slowly, murmuring in response: “You didn’t see the things I saw. The things he did in the past-”
“And according to thou, neither did myself, but I did, Celestia, I did.” Luna said calmly, but her eyes burned as she glared across at Celestia, who grimaced a little at the expression on her younger sister’s face. “They were pranks. Mostly harmless, even if infuriating at times: much of what he did was wrong, perhaps, but sister, ‘twas a simple enough process to reverse his madness… it took little more than a reminder of who they really were, truth spoken to them in honest wish for their betterment! And we could have limited his power, or perhaps thou could have used thy massacring voice and lectured him to proper behavior, but nay… instead, after we pummeled him roundly, we used the Elements of Harmony upon his head and the force of undiluted order negated the chaos that fueled him and turned the poor creature to stone!”
Celestia closed her eyes… and then she lowered her head and replied in a roughened voice: “I was trying to do what was right for Equestria, Luna, and I understand now what I did was wrong. Luna, Twilight… you both speak to me as if I don’t know it’s all my fault, but I do. Sleipnir’s death was my fault, Discord’s demise was my fault, and I almost burned Equestria… and Luna, Luna, even your transformation into Nightmare Moon, I know that was my fault too. Who cajoled and almost forced you to join me as Princess of the Night? Who decided it would be a perfect balance between light and darkness, not stopping to think of what I was going to make you represent to ponykind?”
Celestia gritted her teeth, opening her eyes with a snarl, and then she shouted: “I blame myself every day for it all, every single Odin-cursed day! What do you want from me, Luna, to admit that the Elements of Harmony were a terrible mistake? Do you know how often I wish I had never read the lies in that ancient scroll, that we had never hunted them out and in the process, lost our brother to that awful, damned monster that lurked in the mountains? Do you know how tired I am of having to be the benefactor to these ponies, of being the radiant, shining Celestia the Good, pretending like I’ve always been so pure of heart and never had a past even more terrible than yours?”
The ponies looked up at her silently… and Celestia breathed hard, gazing back over them before she clenched her eyes shut as electricity visibly shocked through her ethereal rainbow mane, then she slowly regained her composure as she whispered: “I know, and I’m sorry, and I know that my apologies aren’t enough and won’t ever be enough. I know I deserve the rocks you fling at me and have barely done anything to begin earning back your trust and affections, any of you.” She stopped, then looked away, adding bitterly: “You should have killed me, Luna. It would have been better for everyone.”
Luna sighed softly and shook her head at this, murmuring quietly: “Celestia, speak not that way. I meant not to upset thee so, my sister… for thou still art my older sister, even if thou art… thickheaded at times.” She smiled a little, and Celestia looked down at her listlessly. “But if thou truly wishes to be better, thou must… release the past. Release thy prejudices. Understand, after the countless years thy have lived, even longer than mine own… that perhaps thy ways can use… a little adjustment.”
Celestia muttered to herself, but nodded slowly as Twilight shuffled awkwardly, glancing away, and Scrivener Blooms gave a faint smile, the male finally saying hesitantly: “We’re all… running low on strength and energy here. We’re all stressed, and it’s worsened by the fact we know it’s going to get worse, but… we’re all in this together too, right? And so far, we’ve done a pretty good job of saving… what can be saved. Let’s try and stay positive, hard as it is, and forget about the past. I don’t blame you for what happened, Celestia, and I’m sure even Luna only blames you a little.”
Luna smiled at this and nodded, and Celestia looked both ruffled and soothed by this as she glanced up a bit… then Pinkie Pie said quietly, pushing herself carefully to her hooves and stepping forwards: “The thing… the… the Grudge, you called it, talked with Pinkamena. Promised her a lot if she would kill you… it hated you. It said a lot of demons hate you, Princess Celestia… and Luna, too, but they think Luna’s like me. Corruptible. Weak.” She stopped, glancing down with a faint smile, then she looked back up and over towards the winged unicorn, who gazed back at her softly. “Neither me nor Pinkamena remember… a lot of what it did and said. Just… that it knew the right strings to pluck.”
“As they feed off the psyche, they are adept at sensing emotions… and once they slither their way into a pony, they can freely make their way through their mind, delving deep for whatever information they need.” Celestia murmured, shaking her head slowly. “A low tier demon, but a dangerous predator all the same. Either myself or Luna will need to train you in resisting possession, Twilight Sparkle… and what to do in the event of a more powerful demon or dark specter trying to gain hold of your mind.”
Twilight nodded silently, and then Celestia glanced up as Luna asked quietly: “And what of Bucephalus, Celestia? Thy last letter spoke in quiet tones of his imprisonment… for reasons I think obvious, I wish to know more of this situation.”
“Bucephalus has always been loyal… too loyal, in fact, when combined with his need to do good in the name of Equestria.” Celestia replied quietly, nodding slowly after a moment as she gave a grim smile. “He decided that it must have been too difficult for me to hunt my own sister… and decided to begin operations in that regard himself. He is responsible for the increased military presence throughout the country and for sharing scrolls that hold some of the old magic with unicorn mages, and I fear that his actions are leading history in a great circle.”
“History oft cycles no matter how much we wish otherwise, sister… ‘tis a matter instead of ensuring that we use our past lessons to alter the future course.” Luna said softly, and Celestia sighed and nodded a little again before the dark-coated female smiled faintly up at her sister, her starlight mane fluttering quietly around her. “Besides. ‘Tis no choice but to fight against that which would do harm to us otherwise. Whatever Bucephalus has done, sadly, it is but a symptom of the greater disease, the symmetry of time.”
“Yes, I suppose you’re right, Luna.” Celestia studied the three for a few moments, and then she finally returned her eyes to Twilight, saying quietly: “I would like you to come and train with me for a little while, Twilight Sparkle. I wish to teach you magic that before, I hesitated to do… and now, I understand that is necessary you learn. I… you are like a daughter to me, and like a daughter, I always want to protect you from the evils of the world… but I understand now that the best thing I can do for you is to prepare you, not hide the fact that a terrible darkness lays on the horizon.”
Twilight hesitated, looking over her shoulder at Pinkie Pie, and the pony smiled awkwardly… but Celestia closed her eyes for a moment, thinking, before she said quietly: “Pinkie Pie, you may come with us. I shall write a letter explaining what has happened, and then perhaps my sister and brother can walk you back to the mental health center. Would this be acceptable?”
Scrivener and Luna both looked dumbly up at Celestia: not at what she had proposed, but at the fact she had calmly referred to Scrivy as a ‘brother.’ Not an in-law, not ‘Luna’s husband…’ and then the two traded stupefied looks even as Pinkie smiled awkwardly and bowed her head, murmuring: “I’d… I’d really like that. Okay, yeah, that sounds good, but… I mean…”
“Do not fear, Pinkie Pie. They will not go against my word.” Celestia said calmly, and then she looked towards Twilight Sparkle, asking softly: “Is this acceptable?”
Twilight looked hesitantly towards Pinkie, and Pinkie looked towards Luna… and Luna looked back at the two before glancing at Scrivener, who glared at her for a moment before he nodded slowly. Luna smiled, nodding to Pinkie… and Pinkie Pie brightened as she said firmly: “It really is, Princess. Thank you very much.”
Celestia only nodded, turning towards the door and opening it with only a glance… and then she smiled a little as she glanced towards Luna, saying quietly: “Make yourself… at home.”
She halted, then cleared her throat and walked out… and Pinkie bounced after her as Twilight hesitated, then turned suddenly towards the two and hugged them both firmly, both Luna and Scrivy looking surprised before she kissed the cheek of either pony and then blushed deeply, pulling away and murmuring: “I’ll… see you both soon.”
With that, Twilight turned and ran through the door, closing it tightly behind her… and Scrivener glanced lamely over at Luna, asking finally: “Just what was that about?”
“Methinks, Scrivener Blooms, she appreciates Discord more than she likes to admit, even to this day.” Luna said softly, then she laughed a little as she strode quietly onto her old bedding and slowly laid down on it, glancing towards the enormous window and murmuring softly: “’Tis a strange feeling though, being in this place, is it not? ‘Tis our old home, and it seems like of all of us… Celestia has had the hardest time letting go.”
“I’m surprised you’re surprised.” Scrivener replied with a bit of a smile, and Luna laughed a little as the male walked over and laid down beside her, then closed his eyes and smiled when she dropped her head overtop the back of his neck. “Celestia’s always seemed like the type who doesn’t let things go very easy, after all.”
“Perhaps ‘tis true, but all the same.” Luna shrugged a bit, nestling herself tighter to the male’s side, and he pressed back against her as they gently grasped each other’s front hoof. “’Tis just odd to see. ‘Tis just odd to know that… for all her… Celestia-ness, she still does care. Why, I believe she still has yet to forgive even our lost brother Sleipnir for the day he broke her favorite glass, even though by now such a thing would have worn down to naught but sand anyway.”
She stopped, then looked down meditatively and added quietly: “But all the same, I cannot say she has not improved upon her faults, and ‘twas… awful to upset her, but also nice to see that she still has actual emotion beneath the ivory and gold. Perhaps ‘tis a sign that it never truly is too late for any of us… or at least, so I wish to think.”
Scrivener nodded a little after a moment… and then the two fell silent as they simply curled up comfortably with each other, before laughing when the almost-forgotten Samael wriggled his way between them, chirping nervously for attention, still clad in his illusionary shell as it flickered quietly over his bones.
Twenty minutes later, Pinkie Pie came back, looking a little anxious as she carried a rolled-up letter… but Luna soothed her and Scrivener took the letter to place in the satchel he was still wearing, and once the pink earth pony was ready, Luna flicked her horn upwards as her body glowed and shrank and once more took on the illusionary shell of an ivory unicorn with a pretty blue mane, smiling slightly to herself and saying quietly: “Then we go.”
They made their way through the castle by back corridors, avoiding both nobles and soldiers as much as possible… a rather large crowd had gathered and watched the battle earlier, after all, and by now rumors were likely spreading all around Canterlot about it. It made Pinkie Pie more than a little embarrassed, as she hid herself between Luna and Scrivy… but they soothed her gently, as they slipped quietly out of the castle and made their way onto the street, and thankfully few ponies seemed to recognize that Pinkie Pie was the same pony that had rampaged through the town only a short while ago.
The Canterlot Institution of Mental Health was a different story, however: one of the security guards outside the gates winced and cowered when they approached, while the other looked confused until Pinkie embarrassedly said her name… and the guard winced and lifted a radio to his mouth, muttering something into it that made Luna glower as Pinkie shrank disconsolately. Then the gates were opened… as a team of eight security guards armed with rods at their sides made their way out, as well as two doctors in long white coats… and they did a quick examination of Pinkie Pie and asked her several sharp questions before allowing her in when she finally nervously presented the letter.
Luna and Scrivener were grudgingly allowed to go inside with Pinkie… and they quietly made their way to Dr. Socrates’ office, accompanied by two burly security officers that nonetheless kept looking nervously at Pinkie Pie. She walked with her head bowed, trembling a little, coat slightly grayed as her mane lost a bit of fluff… but she managed an awkward smile when they reached the doctor’s office and he opened the door, wincing a little at the sight of them, his head wrapped in bandages… but then he only nodded a little and invited them in.
Pinkie spoke, and explained what had happened as Luna and Scrivener sat back, the female presenting the letter as well but taking responsibility all the same as she talked at length about Pinkamena, and Socrates sat back and listened, his eyes only leaving Pinkie Pie when he took a moment to glance over the parchment. There was nervousness but not fear in his gestures, and no hostility in his eyes… and finally, as Pinkie stuttered to an awkward halt, Dr. Socrates sighed and reached up to push a hoof between his eyes, saying quietly: “I’m a pony of science, and… possession, even coming from the pen of the Princess herself, is hard for me to believe. Furthermore, you openly admit that Pinkamena was the one responsible… it may take some time for me to get my head around this quandary.”
“I understand. I’m… not asking for forgiveness, I just wanted to apologize.” Pinkie Pie said quietly, smiling faintly over at him and glancing down as she rubbed a hand through her mane. “What about… the other patients?”
“I’m not supposed to discuss other patients with you, Pinkie Pie, you know this.” Dr. Socrates said quietly, but when she only continued to look at him imploringly, he sighed and said finally: “Michaels is fine. Like you, is condition is episodic. One moment he was trying to hoard all the medication in the building to himself, the next he was wondering why his pockets were stuffed with pills and was passively brought to an exam room. Tyson, on the other hand, was from the upper levels… but he had been making excellent progress, so we wanted to see how he would do in group. He’s back in the upper level ‘safe’ rooms for now, and very upset about what happened.”
Pinkie nodded a little… and then she glanced up quietly as the doctor leaned over the desk and continued softly: “I’m not saying you’re not welcome here though, Pinkie Pie. You or Pinkamena. But I am going to have to ask you to attend Blue Room therapy sessions for a while, until you prove that… you’re back in control, and we don’t have to worry about something like this happening again. Do you understand?”
“In the secure wing, on the upper levels. I understand, doctor, that’s fair.” Pinkie smiled faintly, glancing away… and then she returned her eyes to him, asking hesitantly: “Are you sure… you don’t want me to just go away?”
“We believe in second, third, and even fourth chances here, Miss Pie. This is… the first time I’ve personally dealt with a relapse of such proportions…” Dr. Socrates grimaced a bit as he reached up and rubbed at the bandaging on his face, making Pinkie blush. “But… I understand that you were not in control of yourself when this occurred, and the fact that you came back to apologize and speak to me, and even to take responsibility tells me that you’re on the right track. I can’t make exceptions to the rules for you… but I can at least tell you that I don’t blame you for what happened, and we’re always here to help those who need it.”
He stopped, then looked up at the other ponies, Scrivener Blooms with Sammy on his shoulder, Luna looking curiously at them… and then the psychologist smiled slightly before he asked quietly: “Tell me. Miss Poet, Mister Poet… out of curiosity, why did you choose to come back here with your friend? Not many people would be able to understand that a pony can’t always control their own actions.”
“Because she’s our friend… and because I understand her plight very well.” Luna said softly, gazing down at Pinkie Pie affectionately, and Pinkie looked back over her shoulder with a bright smile, perking up visibly.
The doctor nodded slowly at this, then he said quietly: “I’m very glad she has such good friends, then. It’s a wonderful thing to see in this world, and especially in Canterlot, which… can get a little dreary. But I suppose you both already know that… I hear the castle can be just as nasty a place.”
Luna looked up sharply as Scrivener cleared his throat awkwardly, but the doctor only smiled a little, saying quietly: “I prefer to judge a pony’s worth for myself, instead of listening to silly, wild rumors. If Pinkie Pie trusts you, then so shall I. She’s a good judge of character, after all, and you seem to help her greatly.”
“Thank you.” Luna murmured softly, bowing her head forwards… and the doctor only smiled at them before he pushed the letter back towards Pinkie Pie, the pony smiling warmly as she took this and passed it back to Scrivener so he could tuck it away in the satchel.
“It’s my pleasure. Thank you for stopping by and speaking to me, Pinkie Pie, I appreciate it. Take care of yourself, and I hope to see you soon. You can sign up for Blue Room on the way out if you like, but you can only bring one person with you as caregiver, so you know.” Dr. Socrates smiled, and Pinkie Pie nodded firmly.
“Thanks, doctor… I will then, and you take care too, okay?” Pinkie paused, then bounced her hooves and leaned across his desk to embrace him awkwardly, making the equine blink and rear back a bit in surprise, then laugh a little and carefully pat her on the back, smiling despite himself as Pinkie leaned back and gazed at him warmly. “I’ll see you real soon!”
And with that, Pinkie Pie turned and bounced out of the office, and Luna and Scrivy both smiled to the doctor before following her out, glad that there was still some decency left in Canterlot.