//------------------------------//
// Smile, damn you! 
// Story: Eq. Divided: Sky Dreamer's Journal 
// by PurpleFire18 
//------------------------------//

April 12th, 15 ATD

Dear Sky Dreamer:

We know you are in no shape to write the past days here, so we thought we would do it for you, taking turns to write this down, starting with Lucky Shot, then Rain Cloud, Hadiya and finally Leaf Heart, so we're sorry if this seems messy. Actually, no, we are sorry for everything, you'll understand when you finish reading this.

When you were called by the General, I returned to the inn. However, on the way there, I realized I was being followed, and turned around to see who it was. It was a cultist, a unicorn with an unsettling smile and with a very disturbing music machine. I was going to leave quickly, but she started playing something, and next thing I know, I was in a dark room, tied up and hanging from the ceiling. I quickly realized I wasn't the only one in that situation.

We were all in the same room, but we didn't know why, nor who everypony else was. That is when the unicorn came in, asking us if we had any idea what we were doing there. She had kidnapped us all, one by one, in 2 days, and kept asking us the same question every time she brought somepony else into the room. I was the first one kidnapped, it happened while I was scouting near Cloudsdale. Then came Hadiya, then Leaf Heart and Lucky Shot. 

The girl finally gave us the answer, asking us if we knew a pegasus called Sky Dreamer. We were surprised to hear that name coming from a cultist. She said that you would "join us soon" and left. We looked at each other and we finally started talking, putting aside the obvious loyalty differences for the time being. We found out you knew us all and that you had spent some time with each of us, in our respective Houses.

As you can expect, we were really surprised, but then again, you didn't tell us, nor had to tell us. While knowing what we had in common was out of the way, we still didn't know why this cultist knew you, or more importantly, why she knew about us. That is when she finally walked in holding this very same journal with her unicorn magic. She asked us if we REALLY knew you, and before any of us answered, she began reading it out loud.

At first we didn't understand, until it was clear that it was your journal. She read it, mocking you, and laughing at every mention of "somepony laughing". We were shocked, we really didn't know about your past and now that we did we felt sorry for you, for all that you had to go through. When she read the last part, she said that you had a very detailed memory, and then said that she wrote that part herself. We really thought something was wrong when she came in holding your journal, but then we heard the way your last entry ended and feared the worst.

I shouted at her, wanting to know what she did with you. She said we would find out soon enough, and took our ropes with her magic, lifting us and making us hang upside down. She started laughing and said that now we would "definitely be smiling through this", then left again. The room became much darker and, after a while, we heard something downstairs, like a welcoming song. After it was over we felt we were falling, like if someone had cut the ropes even though they were intact. We were going to hit the floor when it opened like a trapdoor, sending us to the room downstairs. The first thing we saw there was you, staring at us in horror.

You were chained to the floor, with your eagle friend in a cage made of bones.The cultist was near her music machine, accompanied by other cultists, though she looked higher-ranking than the others. She then asked you if you liked to see us all "smile", but you were too shocked to answer. She asked you if you thought we were your friends, and after coming to your senses, you answered that we all were. She laughed at this and told you that you were not seeing the obvious, then told you that she read your journal out loud to us, and that we all knew you were looking for a House to join. You didn't say anything, but then she said something that made everyone of us want to break free and kill her right there.

She said that it didn't matter which House you joined, the ones that belonged to the other houses would kill you on sight without any sort of remorse, that we weren't your friends and were only being nice so you would join our respective side and then we would treat you like anypony else. You denied it, believing in us. She just laughed and said that you were still not seeing something, and walked closer to you, asking you if you had any idea of what you thought you saw in us. You said that you saw your only friends tied up and a psychopath trying to make you see lies where there were none. She laughed harder, and said that your eyesight wasn't working well, then offered to help you with that. Nopony said anything, then she took a knife from behind her and...that is why you'll wake up with an eyepatch.

You were in pain and we couldn't bear to look. The girl and the other cultists just laughed at you, and you asked why they were doing this. The girl looked at the knife, still with your eyeball on it, and said that it was because she was your only real friend in the world. None of us understood this, then she said that the reason she kept following you all the way from Cloudsdale, through the Everfree Forest, to Appleloosa and Manehattan, was that she wanted you to join the Cult Of Laughter and serve the Laughing Mare, the real element of laughter. You were shocked and said something, but the only thing we could hear from what you said was "Pinkie Pie", not sure what that means. You then demanded to know why was this necessary, why she kidnapped us, and why she said she was your friend. She said she wanted you to see the truth about everything, and then said that she was your childhood friend Tricky Note, saying that you knew each other years before the so-called princesses disappeared. You looked like if you had seen your worst nightmare come true. She said that she joined the cult after Ponyville was flooded, and that she now brought smiles to everypony, including the ones that were dead. She then told you that she never stopped looking for you, hoping that you would be together again making everypony laugh in this war, and that when she saw you leaving Moon and Star territory, she followed you, putting you to sleep when she needed you to leave a place and you didn't do it by will. As soon as she finished, she made the other cultists cover our ears, then got to her music machine, saying that you would laugh with her like you did years ago. She started playing something, we could tell, but we couldn't hear. All we saw was you, helplessly shaking and trying to cover your ears. However...we saw you couldn't take it anymore, and fell to the floor, bursting out in laughter while tears were flowing from your only remaining eye.

Tricky Note was delighted and finished playing, then told the others to release you. Right after you were free, you stood up and killed one of the ponies by breaking their neck, still laughing. The others tried to stop you, but you broke the eagle's cage and then...I...I have never seen anypony fight the way you did. You started the fight laughing, then the laughter turned into a fury so strong that we were afraid. Something snapped inside of you. After a couple minutes only Tricky Note was left, and she tried to stop you with music, but you were too fast for her.

You held her down and she tried to use the knife again on you, but Guardian stopped it and gave it to you. You looked at her, holding the knife. She was scared and said you wouldn't hurt your only friend. You then said...you said this:

"Come on! Aren't you supposed to always smile? Then do it! Smile, damn you! SMILE!"

You dehorned her with the knife. She started screaming in pain and you stabbed her foreleg, she was beaten and unable to fight back now, but you didn't kill her. You then took the knife and released us, but then warned us not to come near you. You didn't want to talk to us, and we can't blame you. After what you went through we weren't expecting you to be happy. We left the room to realize we were near the city of Baltimare. You didn't stick around for long, and tried to leave, but you were exhausted and couldn't fly, and you fainted in midair.

We took you to Redheart's Refuge. It took us 2 days, considering the state we were in. We made the trip silent and avoided being seen by anyone. We got you immediate medical attention and you are supposed to be here for one day before you can recover. Knowing that you needed this, we stood by your side as you laid unconscious on your bed, and left you one thing from each of us to show you that you do mean something to us.

Sky Dreamer, please stay here and forget about the war. You have suffered enough already, and you'll be safe here. If we can, we will visit you. But if you leave, you will only face what Tricky Note said, and you will have to choose a side forever. And even if you don't, if you leave the Inquisition might still look for you, and Tricky Note might want to have revenge. If..if even after this, you still want to join a side...if we ever fight, be sure that we will not do so out of hatred.

We are sorry for everything.